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Today: January 20, 2025
Today: January 20, 2025
The Los Angeles Post

The Los Angeles Post

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Political

Trump's trial will soon be underway in Florida – here's why prosecutors had little choice in selecting any other courthouse location

Police walk around the Wilkie D. Ferguson Jr. federal courthouse in Miami before Donald Trump’s arraignment on June 12, 2023. Joe Raedle/Getty Images Special Counsel Jack Smith may have wished he could indict and try former president Donald Trump in Washington, D.C., where Trump is disliked, rather than in southern Florida, where Trump is popular. But based on my experience as a scholar of criminal law and procedure, as well as my time practicing criminal law, I believe that under the Constitution – and under the circumstances – Smith had little choice but to prosecute Trump in Florida. The federal

Trump's trial will soon be underway in Florida – here's why prosecutors had little choice in selecting any other courthouse location
Political

China and the US are locked in struggle -- and the visit by Secretary of State Blinken is only a start to improving relations

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken joins government officials from the U.S. and China during a meeting with China’s President Xi Jinping at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing on June 19, 2023. Leah Millis/Pool/AFP via Getty Images In the weeks building up to U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken’s visit to China on June 18-19, 2023, there was a lot of uncertainty in both the United States and China about the purpose and possible outcomes of the visit. When Blinken left Washington, D.C., it wasn’t even clear if he would be able to meet with Chinese President

China and the US are locked in struggle -- and the visit by Secretary of State Blinken is only a start to improving relations
World

Jake Fraley's homer sends the surging Reds to their 11th straight win, 5-3 over the Rockies

Jake Fraley hit a tiebreaking, two-run homer in the eighth inning, and the Cincinnati Reds extended their majors-best winning streak to 11 games, rallying past the Colorado Rockies 5-3 on Wednesday for a three-game sweep. Rookie sensation Elly De La Cruz hit a one-out bloop to left that fell for a double against Daniel Bard (3-1), and Fraley hit the next pitch over the wall in right, sending the Reds to their majors-best 12th comeback win of the season and the Rockies to their season-worst eighth straight loss. Cincinnati trailed 3-0 after four innings. The NL Central-leading

Jake Fraley's homer sends the surging Reds to their 11th straight win, 5-3 over the Rockies
Environment

Ocean heat is off the charts – here's what that means for humans and ecosystems around the world

The Indian Ocean’s heat is having effects on land, too. NOAA Coral Reef Watch Ocean temperatures have been off the charts since mid-March 2023, with the highest average levels in 40 years of satellite monitoring, and the impact is breaking through in disruptive ways around the world. The sea of Japan is more than 7 degrees Fahrenheit (4 degrees Celsius) warmer than average. The Indian monsoon, closely tied to conditions in the warm Indian Ocean, has been well below its expected strength. Spain, France, England and the whole Scandinavian Peninsula are also seeing rainfall far below normal, likely connected to

Ocean heat is off the charts – here's what that means for humans and ecosystems around the world
Health

One year after the fall of Roe v. Wade, abortion care has become a patchwork of confusing state laws that deepen existing inequalities

The range of reproductive health care available to women depends significantly on the state they live in. fizkes/iStock via Getty Images Plus In the year since the U.S. Supreme Court’s Dobbs v. Jackson ruling struck down the constitutional right to abortion, society has been seeing the results of a post-Roe world. While there is no law in the U.S. that regulates what a man can do with his body, the reproductive health of women is now more regulated than it has been in 50 years. And the scope of reproductive health care that women can receive is highly dependent on

One year after the fall of Roe v. Wade, abortion care has become a patchwork of confusing state laws that deepen existing inequalities
World

Japan's Kishida says he will attend NATO leaders' summit, stresses need for dialogue with China

Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida on Wednesday announced plans to visit Lithuania next month to attend a NATO leaders’ summit as his country steps up cooperation with the Western organization amid China’s increasingly assertive military activity. Kishida stressed the importance of dialogue with China in order to develop “constructive and stable” relationship with Beijing while his country cooperates with its key ally, the United States. He said the state of U.S.-China relations are crucial to international peace and stability. At a news conference marking the end of a five-month long parliamentary session, Kishida said reinforcing diplomatic and

Japan's Kishida says he will attend NATO leaders' summit, stresses need for dialogue with China
World

What was Hungary’s role in freeing Ukrainian POWs from Russia? The European Commission wants to know

Hungary’s government will be asked to provide explanations and details about its role in the transfer to the country of 11 Ukrainian prisoners of war freed by Russia, the European Union’s executive arm said Wednesday. The liberation of the POWs has created further tensions between Ukraine and Hungary’s government, which is led by Prime Minister Viktor Orbán and is one of the most friendly toward Moscow of the EU’s 27 nations. Budapest has repeatedly expressed its opposition to the bloc’s sanctions against Russia. Ukraine has blamed Hungary for barring access to the prisoners, and the country’s foreign

What was Hungary’s role in freeing Ukrainian POWs from Russia? The European Commission wants to know
World

UN warns Taliban that restrictions on Afghan women and girls make recognition `nearly impossible'

The U.N. envoy for Afghanistan warned the country’s Taliban rulers Wednesday that international recognition as the country’s legitimate government will remain “nearly impossible” unless they lift severe restrictions on women and girls’ education and employment. Roza Otunbayeva told the U.N. Security Council that the Taliban have asked to be recognized by the United Nations and its 192 other member nations, “but at the same time they act against the key values expressed in the United Nations Charter.” In her regular discussions with the Taliban, she said, “I am blunt about the obstacles they have created for

UN warns Taliban that restrictions on Afghan women and girls make recognition `nearly impossible'
Political

House poised to censure Rep. Adam Schiff over Trump-Russia investigations

Democratic Rep. Adam Schiff was defiant Wednesday as the Republican-led House prepared to censure him over his comments made several years ago during investigations into President Donald Trump’s ties to Russia. He said he will wear the formal disapproval as a “badge of honor” and charged his GOP colleagues of doing the former president’s bidding. “I will not yield,” said Schiff, who is running for Senate in his home state of California, during debate over the measure. “Not one inch.” More than 20 Republicans voted with Democrats last week to block the censure resolution, but they are

House poised to censure Rep. Adam Schiff over Trump-Russia investigations
Political

Biden administration moves to restore endangered species protections dropped by Trump

The Biden administration proposed new rules for protecting imperiled plants and animals on Wednesday that would reverse changes under former President Donald Trump that weakened the Endangered Species Act. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service plans to reinstate a decades-old regulation that mandates protections for species newly classified as threatened. That provision was dropped under Trump as part of a suite of changes to the species law encouraged by industry. Under Wednesday’s proposal, officials also would drop consideration of economic impacts when deciding if animals and plants need protection. Another change would expand requirements for federal

Biden administration moves to restore endangered species protections dropped by Trump
World

European Union countries agree on a new package of sanctions against Russia over the war in Ukraine

European Union countries on Wednesday agreed on a new package of sanctions against Russia for its war against Ukraine. Sweden, which currently holds the rotating EU presidency, said that the package includes measures aimed at countering sanctions circumvention and individual listings. Details of the measures will be unveiled later this week when the sanctions are officially adopted by written procedure. The EU had previously imposed 10 rounds of sanctions on Russia since President Vladimir Putin ordered his forces into Ukraine on Feb. 24, 2022. Banks, companies and markets have been hit — even parts of the sensitive

European Union countries agree on a new package of sanctions against Russia over the war in Ukraine
Education

For some NBA draftees who overcame adversity, making the transition to fame and fortune is no slam dunk

NBA rookies must navigate their way over a series of pitfalls. Credit: Jon Enoch Photography Ltd via Getty Images When a young athlete is drafted into the NBA – as 58 players were on June 22, 2023 – it is often seen as a life-changing event. The money makes it so. Salaries for first-round draft picks this year are projected to range from about $2.4 million at the low end to $12 million at the very top. That’s a lot of bread for a young person to handle. The three youngest prospects this year will still be 18 at the

For some NBA draftees who overcame adversity, making the transition to fame and fortune is no slam dunk
World

MLB views the UK as a gateway to European growth, with eyes on Paris and Germany

London seems like a no-brainer for a European road trip. Paris is all but assured next. Why not throw in Germany and the Netherlands? Major League Baseball has big plans for Europe, starting with an English reintroduction to the sport this weekend when the St. Louis Cardinals and Chicago Cubs play a two-game series in London. The New York Yankees and Boston Red Sox featured in London four years ago, smashing six home runs in a European debut for MLB that was higher scoring — the Yankees won 17-13 — than the NFL’s first one in London

MLB views the UK as a gateway to European growth, with eyes on Paris and Germany
Political

IRS reduces tax return backlog by 80% and is doing better job answering the phone

The IRS has processed tens of millions of tax returns faster this year compared with past years while getting through to customer service on the phone is slowly improving, according to a report to Congress released Wednesday. But there is a huge need to update the agency’s information technology services and have more workers answering calls. Still, it’s a vast improvement after years of backlogs and decades of underfunding. The latest update on the IRS from National Taxpayer Advocate Erin M. Collins said the agency cut its backlog of unprocessed paper tax returns by 80%, from 13.3

IRS reduces tax return backlog by 80% and is doing better job answering the phone
World

Georgia officials lay out obstacles to updating election system before 2024

Georgia election officials said Wednesday that they would need six to nine months to install new software and hardware to update the state’s voting system to protect against security flaws, pushing back against calls to update the system before the 2024 election cycle. “It’s really not an upgrade,” state Deputy Elections Director Michael Barnes said of the work needed on 30,000 voting machines. “This really would require us to fully rebuild the system.” Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger has said the state must wait until 2025, but critics continue to pile on, with Lt. Gov. Burt Jones

Georgia officials lay out obstacles to updating election system before 2024
World

PGA Tour's top golfers travel across the country for $20M purse at Travelers Championship

Nathan Grube, the tournament director of the Travelers Championship, used to worry about the years when the U.S. Open took place on the West Coast. Many of the world’s top golfers would make a decision to take a break the week following the major or head to Europe to begin preparing for the Open Championship, rather than travel across the country to play at TPC River Highlands in Connecticut. But this year, in response to LIV Golf, the Travelers was elevated to one of 17 so-called “designated” PGA Tour events, with a much bigger purse and

PGA Tour's top golfers travel across the country for $20M purse at Travelers Championship
Political

Ousted incumbents, key matchups set: Takeaways from Virginia's primary election

A historic number of state lawmakers were ousted in this week’s Virginia primary, which featured about four dozen legislative races that set the parties’ slate of candidates for what will be a hard-fought general election. Every seat in both the House of Delegates and state Senate will be on the ballot in November in an election cycle that will help determine how much of his legislative agenda Republican Gov. Glenn Youngkin can achieve in his final two years in office. Virginia is currently politically divided, and its unusual off-year legislative elections have drawn outsized national attention

Ousted incumbents, key matchups set: Takeaways from Virginia's primary election
World

‘Tiger King’ star 'Doc' Antle convicted of wildlife trafficking in Virginia

A wild animal trainer featured in the popular Netflix series “Tiger King” has been convicted of wildlife trafficking in Virginia, the attorney general’s office announced Tuesday. Bhagavan “Doc” Antle was accused of illegally buying endangered lion cubs in Frederick County, Virginia, for display and profit at his South Carolina zoo, Attorney General Jason Miyares said in a news release. A jury convicted Antle on Friday of two felony counts each of wildlife trafficking and conspiring to wildlife traffic. Antle, who owns the Myrtle Beach Safari, appeared in “Tiger King: Murder, Mayhem and Madness,” a Netflix documentary

‘Tiger King’ star 'Doc' Antle convicted of wildlife trafficking in Virginia
World

Florida locks up spot in the College World Series finals with a 3-2 win over TCU

One-run games never get old as long as you’re winning — and Florida is doing plenty of that right now. Florida reached the College World Series finals with a 3-2 victory over TCU on Wednesday, making the Gators the fourth team in history to win their bracket with three straight one-run wins. “It’s not easy to get to this point. It’s just not,” coach Kevin O’Sullivan said. “I know I overstate it and say it over and over, but we just played three one-run games and they’re all nail-biters down to the end.” Cade Kurland, who had struggled at the

Florida locks up spot in the College World Series finals with a 3-2 win over TCU
World

MLB sued by 17 ex-scouts who say they were discriminated against because of their age

Seventeen former Major League Baseball scouts who say they were discriminated against because of their age sued the league, its teams and Commissioner Rob Manfred on Wednesday. The lawsuit was filed in U.S. District Court in Denver. The former scouts allege violations of the federal Age Discrimination in Employment Act of 1967 along with laws in 11 states and New York City. The scouts, ranging from 55 to 71, allege they were discriminated against from 2020-22. They say MLB and the teams “have acted to prevent the reemployment of older scouts or refused the reemployment of older

MLB sued by 17 ex-scouts who say they were discriminated against because of their age
World

FTC accuses Amazon of enrolling consumers into Prime without consent and making it hard to cancel

The Federal Trade Commission sued Amazon on Wednesday for what it called a years-long effort to enroll consumers without consent into its Prime program and making it difficult for them to cancel their subscriptions. In a complaint filed in the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Washington, the agency accused Amazon of using deceptive designs, known as “dark patterns,” to deceive consumers into enrolling in the program. It said the option to purchase items on Amazon without subscribing to Prime was more difficult in many cases. It also said that consumers were sometimes presented

FTC accuses Amazon of enrolling consumers into Prime without consent and making it hard to cancel
World

Microsoft, U.S. regulators head to court over $69 billion deal that could reshape video gaming

Microsoft on Thursday will try to gain clearance to complete a $69 billion takeover of video game maker Activision Blizzard in a legal showdown with U.S. regulators that will reshape a pastime that’s bigger than the movie and music industries combined. The battle will pit Microsoft’s ambition to expand its video game imprint beyond its Xbox console against the U.S. Federal Trade Commission’s bid to block a deal that it contends will stifle competition and innovation to the detriment of consumers. It’s the latest twist in a deal that was announced 17 months ago. Both Microsoft

Microsoft, U.S. regulators head to court over $69 billion deal that could reshape video gaming
World

A different frontier: Stockton Rush started Titanic sub company to expand access to the deep sea

As other entrepreneurs push the edges of technology to bring well-heeled tourists to space, Stockton Rush saw new opportunities for exploring another frontier: the deep sea. OceanGate, the company he founded in 2009, sought not just to profit from bringing wealthy adventurers to sites such as the wreck of the Titanic, but to help scientists and researchers unravel oceanic mysteries by giving them better access to the sea floor than ever before — in vessels that would break the boundaries of how submersibles are developed. “One of the reasons I started the business was because I

A different frontier: Stockton Rush started Titanic sub company to expand access to the deep sea
Political

Stamp of civil rights icon John Lewis unveiled in ceremony at the US Capitol

Congressional leaders unveiled a new stamp Wednesday in a Capitol ceremony commemorating former Rep. John Lewis, a civil rights icon who served more than three decades in Congress and died in 2020. The stamp features a photograph of Lewis taken by Marco Grob on assignment for the August 26, 2013, issue of Time magazine. House Speaker Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., said commemorative stamps tells stories, honor heroes and capture important moments in history. “By adding John Lewis to this collection, we are honoring an extraordinary contribution to the American story and inspiring future generations to follow his lead,”

Stamp of civil rights icon John Lewis unveiled in ceremony at the US Capitol
Political

Hunter Biden plea agreement in tax, gun case set for July court date

Hunter Biden will go before a judge next month to formally strike a plea agreement with prosecutors on tax and gun charges that will likely spare President Joe Biden’s son time behind bars, according to court documents posted Wednesday. U.S. District Judge Maryellen Noreika must still approve the plea agreement that was reached following a lengthy federal investigation. It calls for the president’s son to plead guilty to two misdemeanor counts of failing to pay taxes. Hunter Biden also must commit to court-imposed conditions that will spare him full prosecution on a felony gun charge. The hearing

Hunter Biden plea agreement in tax, gun case set for July court date

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