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Today: April 16, 2025
Today: April 16, 2025
The Los Angeles Post

The Los Angeles Post

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Political

Florida Gov. DeSantis picks up backing from 15 South Carolina lawmakers as he makes a campaign swing

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis is rolling out endorsements from 15 South Carolina lawmakers, hoping their support for his Republican presidential campaign will help him make his case to voters in the first-in-the-South primary state. The endorsements, shared first on Thursday with The Associated Press ahead of DeSantis’ town hall in North Augusta, come from 11 state House members and four state senators from across the state, with a heavy concentration in South Carolina’s conservative Upstate. It’s a show of force for DeSantis in a state that current Republican front-runner Donald Trump won handily in the 2016

Florida Gov. DeSantis picks up backing from 15 South Carolina lawmakers as he makes a campaign swing
World

Russia's highest court quashes Navalny's lawsuit over depriving him of pen and paper in prison

Russia’s Supreme Court on Thursday rejected a lawsuit by imprisoned opposition leader Alexei Navalny contesting prison regulations that allow prison officials to deprive him of stationery and pens. Navalny is serving a nine-year sentence for fraud and contempt of court in a maximum security penal colony in Melekhovo 250 kilometers (150 miles) east of Moscow. This week, another trial against the Kremlin’s archfoe began right there in the penal colony on charges of extremism. If convicted, Navalny will remain behind bars for at least two more decades. In the lawsuit considered by the Supreme Court on Thursday,

Russia's highest court quashes Navalny's lawsuit over depriving him of pen and paper in prison
World

Tropical Storm Bret barrels toward eastern Caribbean at near-hurricane strength

A hurricane watch was issued for St. Lucia as Tropical Storm Bret barreled toward the eastern Caribbean Thursday at near-hurricane strength. The storm was located about 200 miles (320 kilometers) east of Barbados on Thursday morning and was moving west at 15 mph (24 kph). It had maximum sustained winds of 70 mph (110 kph), just below the 74 mph (119 kph) winds of a Category 1 hurricane. Airports, businesses, schools and offices were closing in St. Lucia and Dominica as forecasters warned of torrential downpours, landslides and flooding. “Protect your lives, property and

Tropical Storm Bret barrels toward eastern Caribbean at near-hurricane strength
World

Foes of Myanmar's military regime applaud new US sanctions, but want action to block gas revenues

Opponents of Myanmar’s military government applauded fresh financial sanctions imposed by the United States on the Southeast Asian nation but called Thursday for further measures to pressure its ruling generals to restore peace and democracy. The U.S. Treasury Department announced Wednesday it was imposing the sanctions on Myanmar’s Defense Ministry and two state-owned banks, the Myanma Foreign Trade Bank and the Myanma Investment and Commercial Bank. The move freezes any assets of the sanctioned entities that are in the United States or controlled by a U.S. person. It also prohibits all transactions by U.S. persons or carried

Foes of Myanmar's military regime applaud new US sanctions, but want action to block gas revenues
World

Response to fiery Ohio derailment frustrated by poor communication and incomplete information

Firefighters who responded to February’s fiery train derailment in Ohio struggled to immediately identify the hazardous chemicals the train was hauling due to a lack of communication from the railroad, officials said Thursday. During a public hearing in East Palestine — where thousands of residents had to evacuate their homes because of the derailment — National Transportation Safety Board chairwoman Jennifer Homendy asked why Norfolk Southern was able to provide details of the freight to one of its contractors within 10 minutes of the Feb. 3 derailment, but that it took an hour to get that

Response to fiery Ohio derailment frustrated by poor communication and incomplete information
Arts

Billy Crystal and Queen Latifah headline this year's class of Kennedy Center Honors recipients

You know you’ve made a cultural impact when Henry Kissinger quotes your own joke back to you. That’s what happened to Billy Crystal, one of five iconic artists selected for this year’s Kennedy Center Honors. The others selected for the lifetime artistic achievement award are rapper and actor Queen Latifah, opera singer Renee Fleming, 1970s music icon Barry Gibb and prolific hitmaker Dionne Warwick. All will be honored with the traditional gala celebration at Washington’s Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts on Dec. 3. Kennedy Center president Deborah F. Rutter called this year’s crop of inductees “an

Billy Crystal and Queen Latifah headline this year's class of Kennedy Center Honors recipients
Political

Former Texas congressman Will Hurd, a Trump critic, announces 2024 Republican presidential campaign

Former Texas congressman Will Hurd, a onetime CIA officer and fierce critic of Donald Trump, announced on Thursday that he’s running for president, hoping to build momentum as a more moderate alternative to the Republican primary field’s early front-runner. Hurd, who made the announcement on CBS, served three terms in the House through January 2021, becoming the chamber’s only Black Republican during his final two years in office. “This morning I filed to be Republican nominee for president of the United States,” he said on “CBS Mornings.” Hurd said in a video launching his White House bid

Former Texas congressman Will Hurd, a Trump critic, announces 2024 Republican presidential campaign
Environment

To see how smoke affects endangered orangutans, we studied their voices during and after massive Indonesian wildfires

An adult male orangutan contemplates his next move in haze produced by Indonesia’s 2015 wildfires. Wendy Erb, CC BY-ND Bornean orangutans are one of three orangutan species, all critically endangered. They thrive in carbon-rich peat swamp forests on the Indonesian island of Borneo. These habitats are also the sites of massive wildfires. Indonesian wildfires in 2015 caused some of the worst fire-driven air pollution ever recorded. The fires were driven by an El Niño climatic cycle, which caused especially dry weather in the region. Compared to other wildfires, peatland fires smolder underground and produce exceptionally high levels of hazardous gases

To see how smoke affects endangered orangutans, we studied their voices during and after massive Indonesian wildfires
Economy

Fear trumps anger when it comes to data breaches – angry customers vent, but fearful customers don't come back

One-third of customers will return to a hacked site without even changing their password, according to a recent study. d3sign/Moment Collection/Getty Images The Research Brief is a short take about interesting academic work. The big idea When a person is notified of a data breach involving their personal information, if they react with a feeling of fear – as opposed to anger – they’re more likely to stop using the site. That was the main finding of a study I conducted with three co-authors that examined which emotions lead customers to change their behavior after a breach. We found that

Fear trumps anger when it comes to data breaches – angry customers vent, but fearful customers don't come back
Political

How pardoning extremists undermines the rule of law

Former President Donald Trump has said he may pardon recently convicted leaders of the Proud Boys. Here, Proud Boys members protest in Salem, Ore., on Jan. 8, 2022. Mathieu Lewis-Rolland / AFP via Getty Images In the past 10 years, there has been an increase in far-right political violence in the United States. While scholars have pointed to several possible reasons – and often, combinations of explanations – the trend is clear. This violence has coincided with the growing influence of far-right state and federal political candidates, who collectively have excited and mobilized extremist communities both online and in person.

How pardoning extremists undermines the rule of law
World

Bolsonaro’s political future hangs in the balance as Brazilian court case begins

Brazil’s top electoral court on Thursday began hearing a case that could torpedo the political future of former President Jair Bolsonaro by rendering him ineligible for public office for eight years. Judges are evaluating a case filed by Brazil’s Democratic Labor Party, which claims the far-right leader abused his power by using government communication channels to promote his campaign and cast unfounded doubts on the country’s electronic voting system. While Bolsonaro often railed against the voting system, the suit’s focus is a meeting last year on July 18 that Bolsonaro convened at the presidential palace with

Bolsonaro’s political future hangs in the balance as Brazilian court case begins
Political

Hunter Biden is expected to plead guilty to tax and gun charges – continuing a long presidential legacy of colorful relatives

Hunter Biden embraces his father, President Joe Biden, and his stepmother, Jill, at Biden’s 2021 inauguration. Drew Angerer/Getty Images Hunter Biden, the younger son of U.S. President Joe Biden, is expected to plead guilty to two misdemeanor tax charges as part of a recently announced deal with the Justice Department that will help him avoid the federal charges for possessing a gun while using illegal drugs. Joe Biden has long defended his son amid his drug addiction and other personal issues, including a paternity scandal and ongoing court battle over child support. The president responded to the news of Hunter’s

Hunter Biden is expected to plead guilty to tax and gun charges – continuing a long presidential legacy of colorful relatives
Political

A brief history of colorful presidential relatives, from Alice Roosevelt to Hunter Biden

Hunter Biden embraces his father, President Joe Biden, and his stepmother, Jill, at Biden’s 2021 inauguration. Drew Angerer/Getty Images Hunter Biden, the younger son of U.S. President Joe Biden, is expected to plead guilty to two misdemeanor tax charges as part of a recently announced deal with the Justice Department that will help him avoid the federal charges for possessing a gun while using illegal drugs. Joe Biden has long defended his son amid his drug addiction and other personal issues, including a paternity scandal and ongoing court battle over child support. The president responded to the news of Hunter’s

A brief history of colorful presidential relatives, from Alice Roosevelt to Hunter Biden
World

Weekly US applications for unemployment aid remain elevated

The number of Americans applying for unemployment benefits remained elevated last week, a possible sign that the Federal Reserve’s rate hikes are beginning to cool a surprisingly resilient labor market. U.S. applications for jobless claims were 264,000 for the week ending June 17, the same as the previous week’s revised number, the Labor Department reported Thursday. That’s slightly more than analysts were expecting. The claims numbers for the past two weeks are the highest since October of 2021. The four-week moving average of claims, which smooths out some of the week-to-week volatility, rose by 8,500 to 255,750. That’s the highest

Weekly US applications for unemployment aid remain elevated
Arts

Dee Snider — rocker, actor, DJ and now writer — draws on Long Island childhood in 1st novel 'Frats'

Dee Snider is taking a novel approach to life after rock stardom. The former singer for the ’80s glam rock band Twisted Sister just released his first novel, “Frats,” about the madness, cruelty and alcohol and testosterone-fueled bravado of the 1970s high school fraternity scene on Long Island, New York, where he grew up. His debut as a novelist follows his previous stints as a radio disc jockey, TV voiceover artist, Broadway actor, horror film writer and of course the drag-wearing (more about that later) face of the band best known for the hits “We’re

Dee Snider — rocker, actor, DJ and now writer — draws on Long Island childhood in 1st novel 'Frats'
Economy

A BRICS currency is unlikely to dislodge dollar any time soon – but it signifies growing challenge to established economic order

A window into a new way of doing global economic business. Rodger Bosch/AFP via Getty Images) Could a new currency be set to challenge the dominance of the dollar? Perhaps, but that may not be the point. In August 2023, South Africa will host the leaders of Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa – a group of nations known by the acronym BRICS. Among the items on the agenda is the creation of a new joint BRICS currency. As a scholar who has studied the BRICS countries for over a decade, I can certainly see why talk of a

A BRICS currency is unlikely to dislodge dollar any time soon – but it signifies growing challenge to established economic order
Science

Germany sees opportunity in nuclear fusion, but funding for research remains uncertain

The German government announced draft plans Thursday to boost domestic research into development of nuclear fusion, a technology some hope will provide abundant clean energy in the future, but left open how those efforts will be funded. Science Minister Bettina Stark-Watzinger said that under the proposal, Germany will support all promising fusion technologies now being developed, including laser-based methods that achieved recent breakthroughs in the United States but aren’t widely researched in Europe. Another method, using powerful magnets, has already received significant support from Germany at both its own Wendelstein 7-X research reactor in the northern town

Germany sees opportunity in nuclear fusion, but funding for research remains uncertain
World

German rail union threatens open-ended strikes over pay dispute

A German rail workers’ union said Thursday that it will ask its members to vote on all-out strike action after long-running salary talks with the main national railway operator broke down. The EVG union has already staged hours-long or one-day “warning strikes,” a common tactic in German wage negotiations. But it’s now threatening to move to longer walkouts as its negotiations with state-owned Deutsche Bahn have reached an impasse. Union leader Martin Burkert said authorization for open-ended strikes will require three quarters of all votes cast in the ballot that will take four to five weeks to

German rail union threatens open-ended strikes over pay dispute
World

Google backs creation of cybersecurity clinics with $20 million donation

Free medical clinics and legal aid clinics, where college students and their instructors help their communities while also learning more about their professions, are now commonplace. Google hopes to add cybersecurity clinics to that list. Google CEO Sundar Pichai pledged $20 million in donations on Thursday to support and expand the Consortium of Cybersecurity Clinics to introduce thousands of students to potential careers in cybersecurity, while also helping defend small government offices, rural hospitals and nonprofits from hacking. Pichai said the new initiative addresses both the rising number of cyberattacks — up 38% globally in 2022 –

Google backs creation of cybersecurity clinics with $20 million donation
Political

Supreme Court rules against Navajo Nation in Colorado River water rights case

The Supreme Court ruled against the Navajo Nation on Thursday in a dispute involving water from the drought-stricken Colorado River. States that draw water from the river — Arizona, Nevada and Colorado — and water districts in California that are also involved in the case had urged the court to decide for them, which the justices did in a 5-4 ruling. Colorado had argued that siding with the Navajo Nation would undermine existing agreements and disrupt the management of the river. The Biden administration had said that if the court were to come down in favor of

Supreme Court rules against Navajo Nation in Colorado River water rights case
World

Home sales inch up in May amid record-low inventory and biggest annual drop in prices since 2011

Sales of previously occupied U.S. homes edged higher in May and the national median sale price posted its biggest annual drop in more than a decade, even as the supply of available properties sank to an all-time low. Existing home sales rose 0.2% last month from April to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 4.3 million, the National Association of Realtors said Thursday. That’s slightly above what economists were expecting, according to FactSet. Sales sank 20.4% compared with May last year. That marks 10 consecutive months of annual sales declines of 20% or more. The national

Home sales inch up in May amid record-low inventory and biggest annual drop in prices since 2011
World

UConn's Dan Hurley cashes in on national title with a new 6-year, $32.1M contract

UConn men’s basketball coach Dan Hurley has cashed in on the Huskies national championship, agreeing to a new six-year, $32.1 million contract, the school announced Thursday. The deal, which runs through 2029, will pay Hurley an average of $5.35 million per season and includes incentives that could push his compensation higher, the school said. The school originally said the deal was worth $31.5 million, but said later that it had miscalculated the value. The contract replaces a package signed in 2018 when Hurley was hired that paid him about $3 million per season. “I am thrilled

UConn's Dan Hurley cashes in on national title with a new 6-year, $32.1M contract
World

Spirit Aerosystems, major airlines supplier, suspends plant operations after labor contract rejected

Spirit Aerosystems, a major supplier to the world’s largest aircraft manufacturers, is suspending operations at a critical Kansas plant after union workers there rejected a proposed four-year contract and authorized a strike. Approximately 6,000 members of the IAM District 70, Local 839 voted to reject Spirit Aerosystems’ best and last offer after 13 years without a fully negotiated agreement, the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers said in a prepared statement. Shares of Boeing Co. and Airbus slid about 2%, and shares of Spirit Aerosystems Holdings Inc. tumbled 10% at the opening bell. The tentative deal that was rejected

Spirit Aerosystems, major airlines supplier, suspends plant operations after labor contract rejected
World

Widow of slain Haitian president files lawsuit against suspects seeking trial and damages

Attorneys for the widow of slain Haitian President Jovenel Moïse filed a lawsuit Thursday in Florida against those accused in his assassination, which is still under investigation. The lawsuit, which was first shared with The Associated Press, seeks unspecified damages for Moïse’s family and a trial by jury in a push to hold the defendants responsible for the president’s death. “Whatever assets are out there, we will make sure these people will pay,” attorney Paul Turner told the AP. The lawsuit was filed nearly two years after the July 7, 2021 assassination of Moïse,

Widow of slain Haitian president files lawsuit against suspects seeking trial and damages
World

Kenya's new tax package angers some backers of president who once vowed to reduce cost of living

Kenyans are preparing for tough times after lawmakers approved tax increases that are even unpopular with supporters of the president who once vowed to reduce the cost of living. The doubling of the tax on petroleum products, from 8% to 16%, is expected to have a ripple effect on East Africa’s economic hub, with the prices of goods and services expected to increase. The administration of President William Ruto, who was elected last year, has only made things harder, one supporter said. “He said he was going to make life easier for us hustlers. We are

Kenya's new tax package angers some backers of president who once vowed to reduce cost of living

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