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Today: January 19, 2025
Today: January 19, 2025
The Los Angeles Post

The Los Angeles Post

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World

Trump supporters cheer wildly as he arrives at Miami courthouse, while others protest

Supporters of former President Donald Trump honked their horns and screamed wildly as the former president arrived at the courthouse in downtown Miami to make his first appearance on criminal charges that he improperly held on to classified documents. Hundreds of journalists from around the world were also on hand at the federal courthouse, as were anti-Trump protestors. Among the crowd, some waved signs and flags, with the two factions at times shouting over one another. Journalists from China, the UK, Australia, France, Luxembourg, New Zealand, Germany and Switzerland were among the hundreds of reporters who have

Trump supporters cheer wildly as he arrives at Miami courthouse, while others protest
World

UN nuclear chief says large Ukraine atomic power plant held by Russia faces 'dangerous situation'

The largest nuclear power plant in Europe faces “a relatively dangerous situation” after a dam burst in Ukraine and as Ukraine’s military Kyiv launches a counteroffensive to retake ground occupied by Russia, the head of the United Nations nuclear watchdog said Tuesday. Rafael Mariano Grossi, the head of the International Atomic Energy Agency, spoke to journalists in Kyiv just before leaving on a trip to the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant. The plant has been in the crossfire repeatedly since Russia launched its war on Ukraine in February 2022 and seized the facility shortly after. Grossi said

UN nuclear chief says large Ukraine atomic power plant held by Russia faces 'dangerous situation'
Arts

'Avatar 3' pushed to 2025 and Disney sets two 'Star Wars' films for 2026

“Avatar: The Way of Water” may have finally arrived in theaters in 2022, but that long parade of “Avatar” delays isn’t done, yet. The Walt Disney Co. on Tuesday pushed the release of “Avatar 3” a year, bumping it from December 2024 to December 2025. The timeline is stretched even further for the next planned installments. “Avatar 4” is now slated to hit theaters in December 2029; “Avatar 5” is set to arrive in December 2031. If those dates hold, the “Avatar” film series will have stretched across the first four decades of the century. Director

'Avatar 3' pushed to 2025 and Disney sets two 'Star Wars' films for 2026
World

Death toll from Kenya cult tied to pastor surpasses 300, with more exhumations planned

The number of people who died after a Kenyan pastor ordered his followers to starve to death in order to meet Jesus has surpassed 300, authorities said Tuesday, and the death toll is expected to rise as more exhumations are planned. The death toll increased to 303 after 19 more bodies were recovered from mass graves in the vast forested land in Kilifi County of coastal Kenya, where pastor Paul Mackenzie and his followers lived. Coastal regional commissioner Rhoda Onyancha told local journalists that 613 people tied to the area are missing. On Monday, 65 of

Death toll from Kenya cult tied to pastor surpasses 300, with more exhumations planned
World

New York Rangers hire Peter Laviolette as coach to replace Gerard Gallant

The New York Rangers have hired Peter Laviolette as their next coach, bringing in a seasoned veteran with Stanley Cup-winning experience to replace Gerard Gallant. The team announced the selection of Laviolette on Tuesday, putting the U.S.-born leader in NHL coaching victories in charge at a time of great expectations, with the Original Six franchise firmly in win-now mode. “With Peter’s extensive experience as a head coach in the National Hockey League, as well as the success his teams have had at several levels throughout his career, we are excited about what the future holds with him leading our team,”

New York Rangers hire Peter Laviolette as coach to replace Gerard Gallant
Arts

Grammys add new categories, including for pop dance recording and African music performance

More change is afoot at the Grammys. The Recording Academy announced Tuesday that three new categories will be added to the awards show in 2024: best pop dance recording, best African music performance, and best alternative jazz album. In addition, two existing categories have been moved to the general field, which means that all Grammy voters can participate in selecting the winners: producer of the year, non-classical, and songwriter of the year, non-classical, the latter of which was first introduced this year. Previously, the general categories were made up solely of the “Big Four” awards: best

Grammys add new categories, including for pop dance recording and African music performance
Political

White House press secretary has violated rule against politics on the job, watchdog says

Since taking on the role of White House press secretary, Karine Jean-Pierre has become known for frequently dodging questions by citing the Hatch Act. The law bars civil servants from politicking during their day jobs, and Jean-Pierre uses it to deflect reporters’ questions involving campaigns. But apparently she wasn’t careful enough. The Office of Special Counsel, a government agency that enforces the Hatch Act, said in a recent letter that Jean-Pierre violated the law before last year’s midterm elections. Her offense: Making frequent references to “MAGA Republicans” during White House briefings. According to a letter from the

White House press secretary has violated rule against politics on the job, watchdog says
World

Cormac McCarthy, lauded author of 'The Road' and 'No Country for Old Men,' dies at 89

Cormac McCarthy, the Pulitzer Prize-winning novelist who in prose both dense and brittle took readers from the southern Appalachians to the desert Southwest in such novels as “The Road,” “Blood Meridian” and “All the Pretty Horses,” died Tuesday. He was 89. McCarthy died of natural causes in Santa Fe, New Mexico, publisher Alfred A. Knopf said. McCarthy, raised in Knoxville, Tennessee, was compared to William Faulkner for his Old Testament style and rural settings. McCarthy’s themes, like Faulkner’s, often were bleak and violent and dramatized how the past overwhelmed the present. Across stark and forbidding

Cormac McCarthy, lauded author of 'The Road' and 'No Country for Old Men,' dies at 89
World

Flavia Franzoni, professor and wife of Italy's ex-Premier Romano Prodi, dies during hike at 76

Flavia Franzoni, a professor of social work and the wife of former Italian Premier Romano Prodi, died Tuesday during a hike in Umbria, Italy’s rescue service said. She was 76. The Prodis and others were walking along the Via di Francesco, a popular pilgrimage route between Gubbio and Assisi, when Franzoni collapsed, news reports said. The Umbrian branch of the national Alpine rescue corps said two teams responded to an emergency call and found Franzoni unconscious. Medics tried to resuscitate her, but “there was nothing more to be done” and a doctor pronounced her dead at the

Flavia Franzoni, professor and wife of Italy's ex-Premier Romano Prodi, dies during hike at 76
Political

Kentucky GOP gubernatorial nominee mostly steers away from Trump's latest legal woes

Kentucky Republican gubernatorial nominee Daniel Cameron stuck to his solidly conservative playbook Tuesday but steered away for the most part from former President Donald Trump’s latest legal woes. Cameron, the state’s attorney general, didn’t mention the ex-president in a campaign speech. But when asked later by reporters, he echoed comments from other Trump defenders in raising concerns about a “weaponization of government power.” Cameron focused his attacks on the record of Democratic Gov. Andy Beshear, his opponent in the November election. It came during Cameron’s latest campaign appearance in counties ringing Louisville — fast-growing areas that

Kentucky GOP gubernatorial nominee mostly steers away from Trump's latest legal woes
World

Amazon says AWS is operating normally after outage that left publishers unable to operate websites

Amazon’s cloud computing unit Amazon Web Services experienced an outage on Tuesday, affecting publishers that suddenly found themselves unable to operate their sites. The company said on its website that the root cause of the issue was tied to a service called AWS Lambda, which lets customers run code for different types of applications. Roughly two hours after customers began experiencing errors, the company posted on its AWS status page that many of the affected AWS services were “fully recovered” and it was continuing to recover the rest. Soon after 6:30 pm E.T., the company announced all

Amazon says AWS is operating normally after outage that left publishers unable to operate websites
World

Judge lets columnist amend defamation claim with over $10 million demand for damages from Trump

A columnist who recently won a $5 million sexual abuse and defamation jury award against Donald Trump can update a similar lawsuit with his more recent public comments in a bid for over $10 million more in damages from the ex-president, a federal judge ruled Tuesday in another legal loss for Trump. The ruling by Judge Lewis A. Kaplan gave new life to a defamation lawsuit by writer E. Jean Carroll that was stalled by appeals after the U.S. Justice Department supported a request by Trump’s attorneys to substitute the United States for him as the

Judge lets columnist amend defamation claim with over $10 million demand for damages from Trump
World

Army renames Louisiana base for Black WWI hero who received Medal of Honor

A U.S. Army base in western Louisiana was renamed Tuesday to honor Sgt. William Henry Johnson, a Black hero of World War I who received the Medal of Honor nearly a century later. Fort Johnson had previously been named after a Confederate commander, Leonidas Polk. The renaming is part of the U.S. military’s efforts to address historic racial injustice — work that included changing the names of nine Army posts that commemorated Confederate officers. “Sgt. William Henry Johnson embodied the warrior spirit, and we are deeply honored to bear his name,” Brig. Gen. David Garner,

Army renames Louisiana base for Black WWI hero who received Medal of Honor
World

Transgender activist no longer welcome at White House after going topless at Biden event

Transgender advocate Rose Montoya is no longer welcome at White House events after posting on social media a video of herself and two others going topless for a time at Saturday’s Pride Month celebration on the South Lawn. “The behavior was simply unacceptable,” White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said Tuesday. “It was unfair to the hundreds of attendees who were there to celebrate their families.” Speaking at the White House press briefing, Jean-Pierre said, “Individuals in the video certainly will not be invited to future events.” The White House spokeswoman said the bare-chested display “was not

Transgender activist no longer welcome at White House after going topless at Biden event
Political

House passes resolution to overturn new federal gun regulation; Biden vows veto

House Republicans passed a resolution that would repeal a Biden administration rule tightening federal regulations on stabilizing braces for firearms, an accessory that has been used in several mass shootings in the U.S. over the last decade. The resolution passed 219-210 nearly on party lines and after a contentious floor debate where Republicans accused the administration of “executive overreach” and Democrats condemned a bill they said would “help kill people.” Two Democrats voted in support and two Republicans voted against it. The resolution, which was introduced by Rep. Andrew Clyde, R-Ga., will now go to the Senate,

House passes resolution to overturn new federal gun regulation; Biden vows veto
World

Founder of sexuality-focused women's wellness company pleads not guilty in forced labor case

An entrepreneur who promoted group “orgasmic meditation” as a road to women’s well-being turned herself in and pleaded not guilty Tuesday to a charge of manipulating traumatized people into debt, undesired sex and underpaid work. Nicole Daedone, who founded the sex-centric wellness company OneTaste, faces a federal forced labor conspiracy case that was unveiled last week. She was released Tuesday on $1 million bond, secured by her mother, her mother’s partner, and a OneTaste ally; the friend put up a sprawling property in Northern California’s Mendocino County. “The idea that this woman, at this company, engaged

Founder of sexuality-focused women's wellness company pleads not guilty in forced labor case
World

Phoenix Mercury still evaluating travel plans after Griner was harassed at airport

Brittney Griner and the Phoenix Mercury’s first two road trips have put the travel issues facing her and the league back in the spotlight. For the Mercury’s season-opening weekend trip to Los Angeles the team traveled on a business jet that didn’t require the Phoenix travel party to go through the commercial part of the airport. Last week, the team took a flight to Texas and then Indiana, requiring Griner and her Mercury to teammates go through commercial airports. While going through the Dallas airport on Saturday, the All-Star center was harassed at the Dallas airport by a social media

Phoenix Mercury still evaluating travel plans after Griner was harassed at airport
World

Putin mixes threats of new offensive in Ukraine with offers of peace talks

Russian President Vladimir Putin on Tuesday alternated threats of a new Russian offensive to grab more Ukrainian land with statements about the Kremlin’s readiness for peace talks. Speaking during a far-ranging meeting with Russian military correspondents and war bloggers, he made some of the most extensive comments about the conflict and his goals since sending the troops into Ukraine more than 15 months ago. Here is a quick look at some of Putin’s key statements: UKRAINIAN COUNTEROFFENSIVE Putin asserted that Ukraine has suffered “catastrophic” losses in its counteroffensive. He said Ukrainian troops amassed reserves to launch the

Putin mixes threats of new offensive in Ukraine with offers of peace talks
World

Putin mixes threats of new offensive in Ukraine with offers of peace talks

Russian President Vladimir Putin on Tuesday alternated threats of a new Russian offensive to grab more Ukrainian land with statements about the Kremlin’s readiness for peace talks. Speaking during a far-ranging meeting with Russian military correspondents and war bloggers, he made some of the most extensive comments about the conflict and his goals since sending the troops into Ukraine more than 15 months ago. Here is a quick look at some of Putin’s key statements: UKRAINIAN COUNTEROFFENSIVE Putin asserted that Ukraine has suffered “catastrophic” losses in its counteroffensive. He said Ukrainian troops amassed reserves to launch the

Putin mixes threats of new offensive in Ukraine with offers of peace talks
World

Tory Lanez sentencing on Megan Thee Stallion shooting delayed to August

Tory Lanez’s sentencing for shooting and wounding hip-hop star Megan Thee Stallion was delayed on Tuesday. Los Angeles Superior Court Judge David Herriford accepted the defense’s request to delay Lanez’s sentencing, which is now scheduled for Aug. 7. Prosecutors are seeking a 13 year prison sentence and Lanez faces deportation to his native Canada. Herriford decided to give Lanez’s lawyers more time to prepare their sentencing recommendation, which is due Aug. 1. The judge, who will sentence Lanez, denied a motion from Lanez’ defense attorneys for a new trial on May 9. During the brief court

Tory Lanez sentencing on Megan Thee Stallion shooting delayed to August
World

Thousands of Reddit communities go dark to boycott third-party app charges

Thousands of Reddit discussion forums have gone dark this week to protest a new policy that will charge some third-party apps to access data on the site, leading to worries about content moderation and accessibility. More than 8,000 subreddits were dark as of Tuesday afternoon, according to a tracker and live Twitch stream of the boycott. Participants ranged from small forums to large communities with tens of millions of subscribers — including the r/funny, r/music and r/todayilearned pages seen on the online discussion site. “Reddit is killing third-party applications (and itself),” other subreddits wrote in posts seen

Thousands of Reddit communities go dark to boycott third-party app charges
World

Oil producers say tech will soon handle climate-wrecking fumes. US envoy Kerry says be skeptical

U.S. climate envoy John Kerry on Tuesday urged the world to be “very skeptical” about claims from oil and gas producers that emerging technology soon will allow people to adequately capture the climate-wrecking fumes emitted by their cars, planes and businesses. It’s “one big question mark,” Kerry told The Associated Press of the future viability of carbon-capture technology, a debate at the heart of global negotiations on cutting emissions to stave off the most disastrous scenarios of global warming. The International Energy Agency and increasing numbers of scientists, governments and global leaders and advocates are saying

Oil producers say tech will soon handle climate-wrecking fumes. US envoy Kerry says be skeptical
Arts

Trump's historic federal arraignment was virtually invisible to the public

Former President Donald Trump’s federal arraignment in Miami on Tuesday was historic — yet virtually invisible to the public. In an era when people are accustomed to instantly available images and sounds of important events, Trump’s not-guilty plea to charges of hoarding classified documents was a step back in time. Hundreds of photographers and television crews were at the courthouse — many broadcasting live from outside — but they couldn’t show the key moments inside the courtroom. Efforts by news organizations to loosen restrictions that generally prohibit cameras in federal courtrooms failed, despite the event’s unprecedented

Trump's historic federal arraignment was virtually invisible to the public
World

Bill to help finance a Las Vegas ballpark for Oakland A's passes Nevada Senate, heads to Assembly

A stadium financing bill aimed at drawing the Oakland Athletics to Las Vegas cleared a major hurdle Tuesday after being approved by the Nevada Senate, but not before lawmakers amended the measure to strengthen its benefits for the community. The 13-8 Senate vote marks another step as the bill moves through the Democratic-controlled Legislature while reviving the national debate over public funding for private sports clubs. The bill, which has the support of Republican Gov. Joe Lombardo, must now be considered by the state Assembly. A’s representatives and some Nevada tourism officials have said the

Bill to help finance a Las Vegas ballpark for Oakland A's passes Nevada Senate, heads to Assembly
World

Los Angeles city councilman charged with embezzlement and perjury

Prosecutors charged a Los Angeles city councilman with embezzlement and perjury Tuesday in the latest criminal case to upend the scandal-plagued governing board of the nation’s second-largest city. Curren Price, Jr. faces five counts of grand theft by embezzlement, three counts of perjury and two counts of conflict of interest, according to the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office. The office did not release the criminal complaint or any details about the charges. The council and city government have been shaken by a series of recent scandals. In March, former Democratic City Councilman Mark Ridley-Thomas —

Los Angeles city councilman charged with embezzlement and perjury

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