LOS ANGELES — Actor Steve Carell is sending Southern California high school students affected by the devasting wildfires in Los Angeles to the prom for free.
The “Office” actor and comedian said Tuesday in an Instagram video that he was working with the Alice’s Kids charity to pay for prom for seniors at six high schools in Pasadena.
“If you have already paid for your prom tickets, they will reimburse you for your prom tickets. It’s a pretty good deal,” Carell said.
The Los Angeles area fires destroyed more than 16,000 homes, businesses and other structures and killed at least 29 people in the Pacific Palisades neighborhood and Altadena area north of Pasadena. It also scorched school campuses, upending the lives of thousands of students and parents who were left scrambling looking for classrooms for their kids to go to.
Alice’s Kids will donate about $175,000 for more than 800 students to attend the annual right-of-passage dance for graduating students. Tickets typically range from $100 to $150 each.
“Going to prom should be a celebration, and we wanted to help make the big night just a little easier for seniors whose lives have been turned upside down by the wildfires,” Ron Fitzsimmons, executive director of Alice’s Kids, said in a statement. “Hopefully this allows the students to unwind and have some fun after a devasting year.”
An Instagram video posted by John Muir High School, one of the recipient schools, show students clapping and cheering as they were surprised with Carell’s announcement during a school assembly.
Another recipient includes Aveson Charter School, whose campus for kindergarten through 5th grade students burned down in the fires and building for sixth through 12th graders is damaged and unusable.
Carell also participated in the star-studded “Skate for LA Strong” hockey tournament last week to raise money for fire relief.
In closing, the actor said: “Have fun, enjoy the prom. And remember, this is Steve Carell.”
RALEIGH, N.C. — The owner of a North Carolina company pleaded guilty in federal court on Friday to trying to sell electronic devices that have military applications to China without having a required U.S. government license, authorities said.
David C. Bohmerwald, who was formally charged in October with violating the Export Control Reform Act and other portions of the federal code, entered the plea to a count before U.S. District Judge Terrence Boyle in Raleigh. Bohmerwald, 63, has a tentative sentencing date for mid-May, court records show. He could face up to 20 years in prison, according to a U.S. Justice Department news release.
Bohmerwald, the owner of Raleigh-based Components Cooper Inc., purchased 100 accelerometers from a U.S.-based electronic company, and then attempted to export the devices to a company in China, the release said, citing court documents and information presented in court.
An accelerometer, which measures the vibration, tilt and acceleration of a structure, can be used in aerospace and military applications, such as helping missiles fly more accurately and measuring the precise effect of munitions.
The electronics company notified law enforcement about Bohmerwald’s purchase request. After receiving the accelerometers, Bohmerwald dropped off two parcels — one addressed to a business in China — at a shipping store, the release said. A federal agent held the package and found the 100 accelerometers inside.
Bohmerwald falsely listed the value of the package’s content at $100, when the true value was nearly $20,000, according to the government, and he admitted to agents that he acquired the technology on behalf of a Chinese-based company while knowing about the export restrictions.
“The disruption of this scheme to illegally export sensitive technology means that accelerometers and other items will not be used by unauthorized individuals or for adversarial purposes,” said Cardell Morant, a special agent in charge who supervises Homeland Security Investigations, within the Department of Homeland Security, in the Carolinas.
Lawyers identified in court records as representing Bohmerwald in the case didn’t respond Friday to an email seeking comment.
An Irvine woman was convicted Friday of drowning her 92-year-old mother, who was found face down in a swimming pool in 2018.
Prosecutors argued that Cynthia Strange, 70, was hoping to secure her inheritance and avoid paying back a debt when she went to her mother Ruth Strange’s Huntington Beach home, stabbed her in the head and hauled her across the patio to the pool.
While the Orange County Superior Court jury found Strange guilty of first-degree murder, it rejected the prosecutor’s contention that she committed the crime for financial gain.
Cynthia Strange in a police photo.
(Huntington Beach Police Department)
Leaving the motive unresolved, the verdict had the hallmark of a compromise among jurors who had begun deliberating Tuesday after a seven-week trial that relied heavily on circumstantial evidence.
Deputy Dist. Atty. Nicholas Thomo told jurors that Cynthia Strange was jobless, dependent on her mother’s money and fearful of being cut out of her will.
“If she kills Mom before Mom takes her out of that will, that money is hers,” Thomo said.
Amy Hamilton, the defendant’s sister, went to her mother’s house on the morning of Sept. 4, 2018, to take her to a doctor’s appointment.
She found the garage door open, which made her suspicious, and when her mother didn’t answer her calls, she summoned police.
Police entered the house and found blood in the bathroom, blood on the floor and blood soaking a reclining chair. Ruth Strange’s body was in the pool.
An autopsy showed that she had been stabbed six times in the head, but drowning was the official cause of death.
While Cynthia Strange left her cellphone at home in Irvine on the night of the killing, apparently to confuse detectives, surveillance cameras put her in her mother’s Huntington Beach neighborhood, the prosecutor said.
And police said shoe print patterns found at the crime scene matched the Orthofeet brand the defendant was known to wear.
During the trial, jurors heard voicemail messages that Ruth Strange had left for her daughter Amy Hamilton a day or so before her death, saying Cynthia was outside her house.
“I’m afraid,” she said in a panicked voice. “I don’t know what she’s up to …. Please answer. I need help … She is in the driveway …”
Though the defendant, slumped forward in a wheelchair throughout the trial, did not testify, it was her own voice that might have sealed her conviction.
She could be heard on recordings of Google searches she made before her mother’s death. In one, she asked, “Hey Google, what’s the average age at death of an American woman?” In another: “How do you break a neck?”
She inquired about “signs of being smothered,” about the effects of injecting a person with air, about the difference between a bruise from a fall and a bruise from being struck.
“These are not innocent searches,” Thomo said, arguing that Cynthia Strange had shown a consciousness of guilt by attempting to erase her search history.
Asst. Public Defender Sara Ross suggested that Strange’s sister, who was not charged, was the real killer, motivated by the $2-million inheritance.
“Amy Hamilton had 2 million reasons to want her mother dead,” Ross said.
The defense attorney described Hamilton as a “grifter” who had manipulated her mother into changing the family trust to favor her and had deceived the older woman into believing that Cynthia meant her harm.
“She was bleeding Ruth dry the last several years of Ruth’s life,” she said of Hamilton. “She’s desperate for money, but she doesn’t want to work.”
Hamilton invoked the 5th Amendment rather than testify at trial, and Judge Lewis Clapp told jurors not to speculate about why.
Ross argued that her client was physically incapable of what prosecutors alleged. She suffers from arthritis and had shoulder surgery six weeks before her mother’s death, making it unlikely that she could drag or carry her mother to the pool, her lawyer said.
The defense struggled to explain away the incriminating Google searches. “She’s searching a lot of weird stuff,” Ross admitted. She said her client liked spy novels and true crime.
“None of [the searches] involve stabbing, drowning — the way Ruth was killed in this case.”
Cynthia Strange faces 25 years to life in prison when Judge Clapp sentences her on July 12.
Former President Donald Trump overstated his net worth by between $812 million and $2.2 billion each year between 2011 and 2021, the office of New York Attorney General Letitia James claims in a filing made public Wednesday.
The allegations were raised in an Aug. 4 filing seeking a partial summary judgment in the office’s 2022 lawsuit accusing members of the Trump family and Trump Organization executives of orchestrating an extensive, fraudulent scheme related to valuations of property and Trump’s personal financial statements.
James’ office is seeking $250 million and sanctions that would halt the company’s operations in the state and drastically impair the ability of Trump, Eric Trump or Donald Trump Jr. to do business in New York.
The case is scheduled for trial in October, but James’ office is asking a judge to first rule against the Trumps in one facet of the case, certain allegations related to fraud. If granted, other claims, including allegations related to falsification of records and issuing false financial statements, would still be considered at trial.
“No trial is required for the court to determine that defendants presented grossly and materially inflated asset values…repeatedly in business transactions to defraud banks and insurers,” Andrew Amer, an attorney for James’ office wrote in the filing.
A summary judgment motion argues that certain material facts are not in dispute, and as a result, the judge is already in a position to make a decision based on them — avoiding the need to raise them at trial.
A spokesperson for Donald Trump’s legal team did not immediately reply to a request for comment.
Trump’s lawyers argued in separate filing Wednesday that the case should be dismissed. They said Trump received many of the loans at the heart of the allegations too long ago under the state’s statute of limitations.
James’ office argues in its filing that in order to rule in its favor, the judge must find that Trump’s statements of financial condition were “false or misleading” from 2011 through 2021 — the years for which the state is suing — and that the statements were used “in the conduct of business transactions.”
“The answer to both questions is a resounding ‘yes’ based on the mountain of undisputed evidence,” the attorney general’s office said in its filing.
This latest filing comes just as Trump’s legal problems are mounting. On Aug. 24, Trump surrendered to authorities in Fulton County, Georgia, where he and 18 others are accused of racketeering in a criminal case related to their alleged efforts to overturn the results of the state’s 2020 presidential election, which Trump lost. He is expected to enter a not guilty plea in that case, and denies wrongdoing.
How will Trump balance campaign duties with busy legal schedule?
09:04
Trump is also charged in three other criminal cases. In Manhattan, he entered a not guilty plea in April to 34 counts of falsification of business records. And he entered not guilty pleas this summer to charges in a pair of federal cases in which he’s accused of 40 felony counts related to “willful retention” of national security information after leaving the White House, and four felony counts related to his alleged effort to thwart the peaceful transfer of power after losing to President Joe Biden in 2020.
Trump maintains his innocence and has accused prosecutors from every office pursuing him of doing so out of political animus.
Graham Kates
Graham Kates is an investigative reporter covering criminal justice, privacy issues and information security for CBS News Digital. Contact Graham at KatesG@cbsnews.com or grahamkates@protonmail.com
Don’t hesitate to reach out to us to discuss your specific needs. Our team is ready and eager to provide you with tailored solutions that align with your firm’s goals and enhance your digital marketing efforts. We look forward to helping you grow your law practice online.
Our Services: Blog Post Writing
We do well-researched, timely, and engaging blog posts that resonate with your clientele, positioning you as a thought leader in your domain.
Content Writing
Beyond articles and content for blogs, we delve into comprehensive content pieces like eBooks, and case studies, tailored to showcase your expertise.
Website Content Writing: First impressions matter. Our content ensures your website reflects the professionalism, dedication, and expertise you bring to the table.
Social Media Management
In today’s interconnected world, your online presence extends to social platforms. We help you navigate this terrain, ensuring your voice is consistently represented and heard.
WordPress Website Maintenance
Your digital office should be as polished and functional as your physical one. We ensure your WordPress site remains updated, secure, and user-friendly.
For more information, ad placements in our attorney blog network, article requests, social media management, or listings on our top 10 attorney sites, reach out to us at seoattorneyservices@gmail.com.
Conservative commentator and Silicon Valley entrepreneur Steve Hilton announced Monday that he is running for governor, the second prominent Republican to enter the 2026 race to replace termed-out Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom.
“We can’t go on like this,” Hilton said in an interview. “If you look at California, imagine another 15 years of this one-party rule and the consequences of that are unthinkable.”
Hilton said he was compelled to run by his ability to climb the economic ladder after his family immigrated to the United Kingdom and his fears that this is no longer possible in California because Democrats control the state.
“That dream has been snatched away,” he said. “I feel really, really motivated to turn that around because I can see how people are suffering. People are desperate for change, crying out for change.”
Hilton, who announced his campaign in a video posted online Monday and plans an official campaign announcement event in Huntington Beach on Tuesday and appearances around the state all week, faces steep odds. Californians last elected statewide Republican candidates in 2006, and the state’s residents have become more liberal since then. However, there is mounting frustration about issues such as crime, inflation and the cost of living.
“We need to put forward a positive, attractive, practical vision of how we can solve problems,” Hilton said, adding that he believes Californians would rally around non-ideological, nonpartisan solutions.
But his campaign rollout included some questionable claims, such as California having the highest unemployment in the nation. In March, while the state’s seasonally adjusted 5.3% unemployment rate was among the nation’s highest, Washington, D.C., Michigan and Nevada had higher rates of unemployment, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.
Despite positioning himself as a populist who has supported policy from both parties, Hilton’s vocal support of President Trump, including calling for an investigation into potential voter fraud during the 2020 presidential election will certainly be raised in the campaign.
On Monday, Hilton declined to answer whether he believed President Biden was legitimately elected in 2020.
“That was two federal elections ago. The focus has to be on our own election. I don’t even want to talk about any of that ancient history,” he said, arguing that “it’s a gotcha question. That’s the favorite of the media to make everything about President Trump.”
Trump has not weighed into the gubernatorial election, but Trump ally Vivek Ramaswamy, who is running for governor of Ohio next year, endorsed Hilton on Monday.
California Republicans who recognize their party’s challenges in statewide elections say Hilton represents their best hope forward.
“Fortune favors the bold. It is an uphill battle for a Republican to win statewide office, but if bold people like Steve don’t emerge, Republicans aren’t going to win,” said Conyers Davis, an advisor to former Republican Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger.
Davis first met Hilton when conservative leader David Cameron of England visited then-Gov. Schwarzenegger’s cigar-smoking tent at the statehouse in Sacramento in 2008 and worked with him on Cameron’s successful 2010 campaign to become prime minister.
Additionally, the state’s jungle primary system, in which the two candidates who receive the most votes in the June 2026 primary move on to the general election regardless of party, mean Republicans have a decent shot of securing one of the spots on the November ballot.
On the Republican side, Riverside County Sheriff Chad Bianco is the sole prominent GOP candidate who previously announced he would run. So if Democratic voters splinter, Bianco or Hilton could win one of the top two spots, despite the state’s deep blue tilt.
Hilton, 55, is the son of Hungarian immigrants who fled their homeland during a revolution in 1956. He was born in England and after graduating from Oxford, Hilton worked in politics and advertising. He then founded “Good Business,” a consulting firm that advised companies such as Nike and McDonald’s about ethical capitalism.
Described as “part Svengali, part spin doctor, part strategist” by the London Standard in 2006, Hilton was a senior adviser and close confidant of Cameron, who served as Britain’s prime minister from 2010 to 2016.
Hilton was credited with modernizing the British conservative movement, remaining true to free-market ideals while also supporting liberal social policy, such as backing gay rights and fighting climate change.
News reports about Hilton’s time at 10 Downing St. paint him as a charismatic but eccentric figure, routinely wearing wrinkled T-shirts, jeans or tracksuit pants, cycling gear and no shoes as he wandered around the prime minister’s stodgy formal residence.
Hilton immigrated to California in 2012 with his wife, Rachel Whetstone, who has worked as a public relations executive at Google, Uber, Facebook and Netflix. He became a U.S. citizen in 2021, in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic, and was a vocal critic of shutdowns. The couple live in the affluent Silicon Valley community of Atherton and have two children.
Since he moved to the United States, Hilton has taught at Stanford University, hosted a Fox News show called “The Next Revolution,” and co-founded Crowdpac, a nonpartisan political fundraising website. He and the company parted ways in 2018 after his full-throated support of Trump caused controversy.
Hilton’s Silicon Valley relationships with billionaires such as venture capitalist Chamath Palihapitiya and former Google Chief Executive Eric Schmidt could also be a boon to his gubernatorial campaign.
In 2023, Hilton founded Golden Together, a research group focused on restoring the California dream. Among the group’s policy focuses are the state’s business climate, homelessness, crime, affordable housing and wildfire management.
Clippers center Ivica Zubac, right, reaches for one of his 20 rebounds as Cleveland Cavaliers guard Max Strus presses him during the first half on Tuesday night at the Intuit Dome in Inglewood. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)
Clippers guard Norman Powell, right, shoots as Cleveland Cavaliers forward Evan Mobley defends during the first half of an NBA basketball game Tuesday, March 18, 2025, in Inglewood, Calif. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)
Cleveland Cavaliers guard Donovan Mitchell, left, shoots as Clippers guard Bogdan Bogdanovic defends during the first half of an NBA basketball game Tuesday, March 18, 2025, in Inglewood, Calif. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)
Clippers forward Kawhi Leonard, center, shoots as Cleveland Cavaliers center Jarrett Allen, left, and guard Donovan Mitchell defend during the first half of an NBA basketball game Tuesday, March 18, 2025, in Inglewood, Calif. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)
Cleveland Cavaliers guard Darius Garland gestures after scoring during the first half of a game against the Clippers, Tuesday, March 18, 2025, in Inglewood, Calif. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)
Clippers guard Norman Powell, right, drives past Cleveland Cavaliers forward Isaac Okoro during the first half of an NBA basketball game Tuesday, March 18, 2025, in Inglewood, Calif. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)
Cleveland Cavaliers forward Evan Mobley, top, shoots as Clippers center Ivica Zubac defends during the first half of an NBA basketball game Tuesday, March 18, 2025, in Inglewood, Calif. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)
Clippers guard James Harden, left, blocks the shot of Cleveland Cavaliers guard Ty Jerome during the first half of an NBA basketball game Tuesday, March 18, 2025, in Inglewood, Calif. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)
Clippers head coach, left, looks over at Cleveland Cavaliers head coach Kenny Atkinson during the first half of an NBA basketball game Tuesday, March 18, 2025, in Inglewood, Calif. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)
Clippers guard Norman Powell, center, shoots as Cleveland Cavaliers forward Isaac Okoro, left, and forward Evan Mobley defend during the first half of an NBA basketball game Tuesday, March 18, 2025, in Inglewood, Calif. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)
Cleveland Cavaliers guard Donovan Mitchell, left, passes the ball as Clippers forward Derrick Jones Jr. defends during the first half of an NBA basketball game Tuesday, March 18, 2025, in Inglewood, Calif. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)
Clippers guard James Harden, right, celebrates after scoring as Cleveland Cavaliers forward De’Andre Hunter runs by during the second half of an NBA basketball game Tuesday, March 18, 2025, in Inglewood, Calif. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)
Clippers guard James Harden, center, celebrates after scoring as Cleveland Cavaliers guard Ty Jerome, left, and forward De’Andre Hunter stand by during the second half of an NBA basketball game Tuesday, March 18, 2025, in Inglewood, Calif. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)
USC women’s basketball coach Lindsay Gottlieb chats during the first half of an NBA game between the Clippers and the Cleveland Cavaliers, Tuesday, March 18, 2025, in Inglewood, Calif. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)
Cleveland Cavaliers guard Donovan Mitchell, left, shoots as Clippers guard Bogdan Bogdanovic defends during the first half of an NBA basketball game Tuesday, March 18, 2025, in Inglewood, Calif. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)
Clippers forward Kawhi Leonard, left, shoots as Cleveland Cavaliers guard Darius Garland defends during the second half of an NBA basketball game Tuesday, March 18, 2025, in Inglewood, Calif. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)
Clippers guard Bogdan Bogdanovic, right, celebrates with guard Ben Simmons after scoring during the second half of an NBA basketball game against the Cleveland Cavaliers, Tuesday, March 18, 2025, in Inglewood, Calif. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)
Cleveland Cavaliers forward Evan Mobley, right, shoots as Clippers forward Nicolas Batum defends during the second half of an NBA basketball game Tuesday, March 18, 2025, in Inglewood, Calif. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)
Clippers forward Derrick Jones Jr., center, shoots as Cleveland Cavaliers guard Ty Jerome, left, and forward Evan Mobley defend during the second half of an NBA basketball game Tuesday, March 18, 2025, in Inglewood, Calif. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)
Clippers forward Kawhi Leonard, right, shoots as Cleveland Cavaliers center Jarrett Allen defends during the second half of an NBA basketball game Tuesday, March 18, 2025, in Inglewood, Calif. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)
Clippers forward Kawhi Leonard runs down court after scoring during the second half of an NBA basketball game against the Cleveland Cavaliers, Tuesday, March 18, 2025, in Inglewood, Calif. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)
Cleveland Cavaliers guard Donovan Mitchell, center, shoots as Clippers guard Bogdan Bogdanovic, left, and center Ivica Zubac defend during the second half of an NBA basketball game Tuesday, March 18, 2025, in Inglewood, Calif. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)
Cleveland Cavaliers guard Darius Garland celebrates after scoring during the second half of a game against the Clippers, Tuesday, March 18, 2025, in Inglewood, Calif. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)
Clippers guard James Harden, right, shoots as Cleveland Cavaliers forward De’Andre Hunter defends during the second half of an NBA basketball game Tuesday, March 18, 2025, in Inglewood, Calif. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)
Clippers guard Norman Powell, left, tries to shoot as Cleveland Cavaliers guard Max Strus defends during the second half of an NBA basketball game Tuesday, March 18, 2025, in Inglewood, Calif. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)
Clippers center Ivica Zubac, right, shoots as Cleveland Cavaliers center Jarrett Allen defends during the second half of an NBA basketball game Tuesday, March 18, 2025, in Inglewood, Calif. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)
Clippers guard Norman Powell, right, tries to shoot as Cleveland Cavaliers guard Max Strus defends during the second half of an NBA basketball game Tuesday, March 18, 2025, in Inglewood, Calif. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)
Clippers guard Bogdan Bogdanovic, right, celebrates with forward Nicolas Batum after scoring during the second half of an NBA basketball game against the Cleveland Cavaliers Tuesday, March 18, 2025, in Inglewood, Calif. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)
Cleveland Cavaliers guard Donovan Mitchell, right, shoots as Clippers forward Nicolas Batum, left, and forward Kawhi Leonard defend during the second half of an NBA basketball game Tuesday, March 18, 2025, in Inglewood, Calif. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)
Clippers star Kawhi Leonard drives to the basket as the Cleveland Cavaliers’ Isaac Okoro defends during the second half on Tuesday night at the Intuit Dome in Inglewood. Leonard had a team-high 33 points in a 132-119 win. (Photo by Katelyn Mulcahy/Getty Images)
1 of 30
Clippers center Ivica Zubac, right, reaches for one of his 20 rebounds as Cleveland Cavaliers guard Max Strus presses him during the first half on Tuesday night at the Intuit Dome in Inglewood. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)
INGLEWOOD — The Clippers tried to approach Tuesday night’s game as just another one on their schedule, just another opponent, just another day in a long season.
But as the minutes went by, it became increasingly obvious that this was not just another team standing across from them at Intuit Dome. These were the Cleveland Cavaliers, the squad with the league’s best record, the one with three All-Stars, just 11 losses and legitimate NBA championship aspirations.
But the Clippers didn’t flinch, shaking off an early 12-point deficit to beat the Cavs, 132-119, in front of an enthusiastic home crowd.
“They’ve answered the bell at every chance they’ve had to, and they don’t have very many chinks in their armor,” Clippers assistant coach Brian Shaw said of the Cavs before the game. “But any team can beat anyone on any given night and obviously for us, if we want a chance to win, we have to do all the little things.
“When you’re playing a team like them, who have the record that they have, you can’t beat yourself. So, we have to be on point tonight if we expect to win.”
The victory could be viewed as a statement game for the Clippers, who are looking to move up the standings with less than a month left in the regular season. But the players didn’t make a big deal over beating the team with the league’s best record.
“We’re just trying to get wins and win as many as we can,” center Ivica Zubac said. “We think we can play against anyone when we’re at our best and I think we showed good tonight. That’s the best team in the league right there, best record in the league, and we had a great second half playing good defense.”
Two-time NBA champion Kawhi Leonard said there is a sense of urgency in their locker room right now.
“We need these wins coming down this stretch right now and it’s giving (us) a playoff atmosphere, especially with the crowd being engaged the whole time,” Leonard said. “Thanks to the fans showing up tonight.”
The Clippers were on point and more. They pushed the Cavaliers (56-12) throughout before using a 20-3 run over the end of the third quarter and the start of the fourth to take control and held on to extend their modest winning streak to four games.
It was one of those nights when everyone chipped in, starting with Leonard, who had another strong outing.
Leonard scored a game-high 33 points, shooting 12 for 19 from the field (5 for 6 from 3-point range), to go with seven rebounds, four assists and four steals in 36 minutes to pace the Clippers (39-30).
Leonard, who missed the season’s first 34 games because of knee issues, said he isn’t trying to do anything special when he’s on the court.
“Whatever I need to do to win that night, that’s what I’m going to do,” Leonard said. “It’s not for me to just come out here and try to prove a point to get to the best possible me. Like I said before, guys played half of the season, and they deserve what they’re doing and I’m here to try to help.”
Zubac celebrated his 28th birthday by posting his 46th double-double of the season (28 points, 20 rebounds). James Harden finished with 22 points and nine assists, and Bogdan Bogdanovic added 20 points on 8-for-8 shooting (4 for 4 from behind the arc) and seven assists.
“It was great to see Kawhi having that pop in his step tonight and Zu just being dominant the way he has been all season long,” Shaw said. “Some of the other guys that started didn’t get to play as much tonight, but that’s the way it’s going to go. It’s going to be different guys, different nights and we just need each other pulling for each other and pulling in the same direction.”
The Clippers have won seven of their past eight games with 13 left as they try to finish in the top six in the Western Conference and avoid the Play-In Tournament (seeds 7-10).
With the score tied at 102-all, the Clippers outscored Cleveland 13-2 to take their largest lead of the game 115-103 on a pull-up jumper by Bogdanovic with 9:12 left to play.
“They came out just blazing hot in the first half hitting everything, but we withstood their runs,” Shaw said. “We came back and hit ’em with runs of our own and the good thing was it was nice to see when different guys got going at different times. Nobody tried to hijack the game, they just kept feeding whoever was hot.”
“That’s the way we’re going to need to play if we want to be successful.”
The Clippers showed they are not far from the best teams when they have a healthy roster and play with a purpose. Only Jordan Miller (hamstring) was out.
Coach Tyronn Lue was out again, missing his fourth game in the past few weeks after his back pain intensified throughout the day, forcing him to stay home. Lue had missed previous games because of his back – against the Sacramento Kings, New Orleans Pelicans and Miami Heat before returning to the bench on the road against the Atlanta Hawks last Friday.
Shaw coached the Clippers to a 2-1 record in those games with input from Lue via text messages and phone calls. Lue no doubt was on the phone again Tuesday in the fourth quarter when the Cavs pulled within 119-113 with 5:11 remaining.
As it turned out, Shaw didn’t need the long-distance coaching tips as the Clippers held firm to hand the Cavaliers their second consecutive loss after they had won 16 straight.
The Clippers managed to keep the Cavs off balance with relentless pressure inside for much of the game, but Cleveland still found the basket. Max Strus scored a season-high 24 points, Donovan Mitchell had 18 points and 11 assists and Evan Mobley scored 17 points in his return from a one-game absence with a foot contusion.
Darius Garland and De’Andre Hunter added 17 points each for the Cavs, who saw their NBA-best road record drop to 26-7.
The Clippers controlled the boards, 49-29, and the Cavs shot 17 for 26 from the free-throw line, many of those misses coming while shooting in front of “The Wall” portion of the stands during the second half.
The Clippers, seeing their chances slipping away early, went to the 3-point line to get back into the game in the first half.
Trailing by eight after the first quarter, they drilled four 3-pointers – two by Leonard – in the first three minutes of the second to take a 52-51 lead at the 9:20 mark.
Their advantage was brief as the Cavs came back with a pair of long-range shots by Strus and Garland to rebuild a 63-57 lead with 5:17 left before halftime. The Clippers made another to trim the lead to four, but it was as close as they could get in the first half as the Cavs led 73-68 at the half.
“Now we have 13 games left and we are just trying to get better every single game you know, offensively, defensively, communication on the floor and not waste our time on the floor,” Bogdanovic said. “I’m just happy that everybody contributed in their roles tonight.”
WASHINGTON — A ninth U.S. telecoms firm has been confirmed to have been hacked as part of a sprawling Chinese espionage campaign that gave officials in Beijing access to private texts and phone conversations of an unknown number of Americans, a top White House official said Friday.
But deputy national security adviser Anne Neuberger told reporters Friday that a ninth victim had been identified after the administration released guidance to companies about how to hunt for Chinese culprits in their networks.
The update from Neuberger is the latest development in a massive hacking operation that has alarmed national security officials, exposed cybersecurity vulnerabilities in the private sector and laid bare China’s hacking sophistication.
The hackers compromised the networks of telecommunications companies to obtain customer call records and gain access to the private communications of what officials have said is a a limited number of individuals. Though the FBI has not publicly identified any of the victims, officials believe senior U.S. government officials and prominent political figures are among those whose whose communications were accessed.
Neuberger said Friday that officials did not yet have a precise sense how many Americans overall were affected by Salt Typhoon, in part because the Chinese were careful about their techniques, but that a “large number” were in the Washington-Virginia area.
Officials believe the goal of the hackers was to identify who owned the phones and, if they were “government targets of interest,” spy on their texts and phone calls, she said.
The FBI said most of the people targeted by the hackers are “primarily involved in government or political activity.”
Neuberger said the episode highlighted the need for required cybersecurity practices in the telecommunications industry, something the Federal Communications Commission is to take up at a meeting next month. In addition, she said, the government was planning additional actions in coming weeks in response to the hacking campaign, though she did not say what they were.
“We know that voluntary cyber security practices are inadequate to protect against China, Russia and Iran hacking of our critical infrastructure,” she said.
The Chinese government has denied responsibility for the hacking.
Public Assembly and jockey Antonio Fresu scored an upset in the $100,000, Grade III Royal Heroine Stakes at Santa Anita on Saturday to give trainer Phil D’Amato his overdue first stakes level victory of 2025.
D’Amato, one of Southern California’s leading trainers, had been 0 for 23 in stakes this year.
D’Amato won the Royal Heroine, a 1-mile turf race for fillies and mares, for the fourth time in five years and fifth time overall.
Continuing her improvement, 4-year-old Public Assembly (who paid $18) rallied to defeat long shots Sun Of Hill and Sneaker as favorites Raw Ability and Tirupati finished off the board.
Sunday at Santa Anita, Florida stakes winner Cloe ships in with jockey Luis Saez for trainer Jose D’Angelo and is a 2-1 favorite over 5-2 Jungle Peace (Umberto Rispoli riding), 3-1 Amorita (Juan Hernandez) and four others in the $100,000, Grade III Senorita Stakes, a downhill turf sprint for 3-year-old fillies.
Construction has begun on One Beverly Hills, a nearly $5-billion condominium and hotel complex that promises to transform the Beverly Hills skyline and be a commanding presence on its western edge.
With tall greenery-laden towers standing over a sprawling garden, the complex set to open by early 2028 is expected to house some of the priciest condos and hotel suites in the country, as developers seek to capitalize on the city’s international reputation for luxury and celebrity.
Owners of the property at Wilshire and Santa Monica boulevards ceremonially broke ground Thursday on what they call a 17.5-acre “urban resort” that will unify the neighboring Beverly Hilton and Waldorf Astoria hotels with condo high-rises, 8.5 acres of botanical gardens and the first ultra-deluxe Aman hotel on the West Coast.
A rendering of an entrance to One Beverly Hills on Santa Monica Boulevard near the retail portion of the complex.
(Foster + Partners)
The scope of the complex, which will have by far the two tallest towers in Beverly Hills, marks a departure from years past when the city made a point of keeping its commercial buildings small scale compared with next-door neighbors Los Angeles and West Hollywood.
“Candidly, I think it marks a new generation of Beverly Hills,” Mayor Julian Gold said. “Cities need to grow just like people grow. They can’t be stagnant, they cannot stay only the way they were.”
One Beverly Hills will be “new and fresh in a big way,” he said. “The investment is enormous. It will redefine luxury in Beverly Hills.”
The Beverly Hills City Council approved the project in 2021 over the objection of Councilmember John Mirisch, who called the proposed development “elitist, exclusive and exclusionary.”
“Without affordable housing, the project has turned into a castle-fortress of exclusion,” Mirisch told the other four council members.
Gold said tax revenue from One Beverly Hills will be used to fund affordable housing in other parts of the city. He estimated that the complex will generate tens of millions of dollars in annual taxes for the city.
The two towers — 26 and 32 stories — will have a combined total of fewer than 200 condos. The number is variable because people may buy more than one unit and combine them, developer Jonathan Goldstein, chief executive of Cain International, said.
Prices have not yet been set, but Beverly Hills is one of the most expensive housing markets in the country and units can be expected to cost tens of millions of dollars. Recent top-tier luxury condo listings in the Los Angeles area range from $20 million to $50 million.
The tower residences will be branded and serviced by Aman, a Swiss company owned by Russian-born real estate developer Vlad Doronin that was described by Forbes as “the world’s most preeminent resort brand” and attracts such affluent guests as Bill Gates, Mark Zuckerberg and George and Amal Clooney.
Aman is best known for its small resorts in tropical locales or historically significant properties such as a 16th century palazzo in Venice, but also has urban outposts in Tokyo and New York, where suites start at about $1,800 a night.
The Aman in Beverly Hills will have 75 suites in a 10-story building. It will also have a club that people can join for a price. Its New York club made news in 2022 by charging an initiation fee of as much as $200,000 while receiving mixed reviews in local publications. Residents of the Beverly Hills condos may receive Aman services such as housekeeping and room service.
The most public aspect of One Beverly Hills will be the gardens designed by Los Angeles architecture firm Rios, which also designed the 12-acre Gloria Molina Grand Park in downtown Los Angeles and created a new master plan for Descanso Gardens in La Cañada Flintridge.
Rios’ plan for One Beverly Hills calls for distinct sets of botanical gardens intended to reflect the diverse landscape of Southern California with mostly drought-resistant native plants living on recycled water. The gardens will have more than 200 species of plants and trees, including palms, oaks, sycamores, succulents and olives.
The Beverly Hilton hotel will receive renovations as part of the project.
(Foster + Partners)
“I am really interested in pursuing what a botanical environment is for the 21st century,” firm founder Mark Rios said when the project was first announced. It will consume tons of carbon dioxide while “teaching people that drought-quality planting doesn’t mean cactus.”
About half the gardens will be for the exclusive use of residents, Aman club members and hotel guests. The rest of the gardens will be open to the public.
One Beverly Hills is “one of the biggest projects in North America,” with a total cost of $4 billion to $5 billion, Goldstein said. The London investment firm is overseeing the development with OKO Group, an international real estate development firm created by Doronin, who called Beverly Hills “the natural next step for Aman as we continue our strategic growth into the world’s finest urban centers.”
The development will produce more than 2,700 direct construction jobs, Cain International said. It estimated that One Beverly Hills will generate about $40 billion in total local spending over 30 years, $9 billion of which will be new.
One Beverly Hills was master planned by Foster + Partners, with Aman designs by KHA (Kerry Hill Architects) of Australia and Singapore. London-based Foster + Partners is led by Norman Foster, an English lord perhaps best known for designing a landmark lipstick-like skyscraper in London known as the Gherkin and the hoop-shaped Apple Inc. headquarters in Cupertino, Calif.
Significant upgrades and restorations to the historic Beverly Hilton will also take place as part of the project, Cain International said. The Beverly Hilton was hotelier Conrad Hilton’s most luxurious property when it opened in 1955 and has been the home of the annual Golden Globe Awards since 1961.
One Beverly Hills will include shops and restaurants intended to complement the city’s upscale retail areas, Goldstein said.
Most of the early interest in buying condos is from local residents looking to leave their large homes, he said, along with international buyers familiar with Aman hotels.
Although the neighborhood is dominated by single-family homes, Beverly Hills real estate agent Bret Parsons of Compass said interest in condos has grown in recent years.
“We have an aging population in Southern California who need to downsize, and we don’t have enough one-level homes for this affluent population to move to,” Parsons said. “Condos are very appealing for an older person because they can be very, very luxurious, on one level, and you get all the services you can imagine.”
The One Beverly Hills property includes vacant land formerly occupied by a famed Robinsons-May department store that sits west of the hotels. The site was considered one of the most desirable real estate development sites in the country but has lain fallow for years as previous plans to develop it failed to materialize. Cain International was able to secure control of the vacant land and existing hotel property and unite them in the new project designed by Foster.
A guest suite with a private pool at the Aman.
(Kerry Hill Architects)
Merv Griffin Way, which cuts between the two parcels, will be covered by a new level that supports the gardens but remain a pass-through between Santa Monica and Wilshire boulevards. The garden will also cover an underground garage for 1,800 vehicles.
“This is our western gateway,” the mayor said. “As you enter Beverly hills, it will be amazing.”
Don’t hesitate to reach out to us to discuss your specific needs. Our team is ready and eager to provide you with tailored solutions that align with your firm’s goals and enhance your digital marketing efforts. We look forward to helping you grow your law practice online.
Our Services: Blog Post Writing
We do well-researched, timely, and engaging blog posts that resonate with your clientele, positioning you as a thought leader in your domain.
Content Writing
Beyond articles and content for blogs, we delve into comprehensive content pieces like eBooks, and case studies, tailored to showcase your expertise.
Website Content Writing: First impressions matter. Our content ensures your website reflects the professionalism, dedication, and expertise you bring to the table.
Social Media Management
In today’s interconnected world, your online presence extends to social platforms. We help you navigate this terrain, ensuring your voice is consistently represented and heard.
WordPress Website Maintenance
Your digital office should be as polished and functional as your physical one. We ensure your WordPress site remains updated, secure, and user-friendly.
For more information, ad placements in our attorney blog network, article requests, social media management, or listings on our top 10 attorney sites, reach out to us at canyoncrestguide@gmail.com.
“Proud,” Kamala Harris said, elongating the word and stretching its vowels. “PROUD!”
Donald Trump expressed his great delight at choosing three of the Supreme Court justices who overturned the constitutional right to abortion and now the vice president was using his own word — proud — to whip up a labor hall packed with jeering, cheering Nevada Democrats.
“Proud,” she said. “Proud for taking the freedom of choice from millions of women and people in America.”
With that, her voice rose as though she could scarcely believe the statement issuing from her lips.
“He openly talks about his admiration for dictators,” Harris continued in the same tone of wonderment, as some in the audience murmured their disapproval. “Dictators jail journalists. Dictators suspend elections.”
“Dictators.” She emphasized each word. “Take. Your. Rights.”
After a history-making ascent to the vice presidency and a humbling descent into mockery and disdain following her rocky start, Harris finally seems to have found her footing in a role to which she is accustomed and adept: prosecuting attorney.
She’s become a top fundraiser for Democrats, an emissary to groups that are lukewarm toward President Biden — in particular Black and younger voters — and emerged as the administration’s most forceful voice on abortion, women’s health and, as Harris frames it, the threat Trump poses to freedom and individual choice.
On a recent three-day swing through California and Nevada, she highlighted the abortion issue and urged Democrats to vote early ahead of Tuesday’s Nevada primary.
“Do you believe in freedom?” the vice president hollered, and a crowd of 300 or so partisans inside the brightly lighted union hall screamed in affirmation. “Do you believe in democracy?”
“Are we ready to fight for it? Because when we fight” — and here they joined Harris in a thundering chorus — “we win!”
Columnist Mark Z. Barabak joins candidates for various offices as they hit the campaign trail in this momentous election year.
Her higher profile — as cheerleader, prosecutor, pugilist — is a reset of sorts after Harris’ many early missteps and a series of assignments, among them immigration reform and border control, that seemed destined to fail.
Her purpose, and utility, changed when the Supreme Court issued its abortion decision in the Dobbs case in June 2022, overturning Roe vs. Wade.
Even as her approval ratings continue to languish, those in the vice president’s orbit say she has grown more assured in a capacity that better suits her skills as a former district attorney and California attorney general.
The abortion issue “taps into her policy background, her political values, her legal training and experience,” said Jamal Simmons, who served a year as Harris’ communications director, ending in January 2023. “The issue is a comfort zone for her and since Dobbs she has done other things with greater confidence and dexterity.”
::
The travels of the vice president are intended to be as frictionless as possible.
A blocks-long motorcade glides along freeways closed to traffic and knifes through city streets cleared specially for her path. Invited guests cheer Harris’ airport arrival and departure, and reporters are kept at bay by an aggressive squadron of Secret Service agents.
Still, outside events have a way of piercing the bubble.
So the vice president appeared ready when protesters popped up in San José, where Harris appeared as part of her national “Fight for Reproductive Freedoms” tour. Several hundred backers filled a large auditorium at the adobe-style Mexican Heritage Plaza, as Harris fielded questions gently lofted by the actor Sophia Bush.
Demonstrators unfurled banners reading “Free Palestine” and “Ceasefire Now.” They repeatedly interrupted Harris, loudly condemning the Biden administration’s support for Israel in its war with Hamas.
“You are complicit in genocide,” a young woman hollered from the fourth row before being escorted from the auditorium as the crowd chanted, “MVP!” “MVP!” — short for Madam Vice President.
Harris looked on, expressionless. Protest is a fundamental part of democracy, she said evenly. Everyone wants to see the conflict in the Middle East come to an end.
A second outburst followed. Moments later a third. “So,” Harris began, then paused at length. “There are a lot of big issues impacting our world right now. Which evoke rightly very, very strong emotions and fears and anger and tears.
“The topic for today,” she went on, assuming the tone of an admonishing schoolteacher, “is the topic of what has happened in our country after the Dobbs decision … and so I’m going to get back to the issue. Because it’s an important one and we should not be distracted.”
By the fourth interruption, Harris merely paused and waited as a demonstrator in the balcony was led away. Supporters chanted, “Four more years!” She then picked up precisely where she’d left off mid-sentence, making her case against Trump and the conservative Supreme Court majority, as though nothing had happened at all.
Equanimity could well be part of the job description.
As the first female, Black and Asian American vice president, Harris has drawn extraordinary scrutiny and with it an outsized presumption of what she can plausibly achieve.
The vice presidency is, and always has been, inherently limiting — there is no greater trespass than overstepping or overshadowing the president — and that can’t help but diminish those holding the job, whatever their place in history.
Even fans of Harris have a hard time comprehending her status and appreciating that gap between expectation and reality.
Mia Casey, the mayor of Hollister, rose before dawn and drove an hour and 15 minutes to see Harris in San José.
“I liked her when she was running with Biden, but I haven’t seen a lot of her,” Casey said from her perch, 10 rows back and left of center stage. “I expected to see her more visible out there, doing some more meaty things in D.C.”
::
If Harris’ main mission is working to reelect Biden (and herself) in November, another aspect is convincing Casey and others that she’s far more than a bit player in the Biden administration — or Biden-Harris administration, as the vice president prefers.
At her Las Vegas rally, Harris delivered a joined-at-the-hip accounting of the last three years.
“President Biden and I canceled more than $138 billion” in student loans, she said. “President Biden and I took on Big Pharma” to cap the price of insulin. “President Biden and I” boosted loans to hundreds of small businesses.
Still, it’s often her lot to be eclipsed, or treated as a mere afterthought.
Introducing Harris, Nevada Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto recalled the depths of the pandemic lockdown, when the Las Vegas Strip went dark and unemployment in the metropolitan area soared past 30%.
“It was one president who came and worked with us to ensure that we could turn our economy around and come out of that horrific time,” Cortez Masto said. She paused for dramatic effect. “And that was President Biden.”
“And,” she hastened, “Vice President Harris.”
It was a non sequitur, but at least the senator recognized the guest of honor.
::
Harris loves to cook, so a pre-rally stop at the Chef Jeff Project in North Las Vegas offered a happy convergence of pleasure and politics.
The program was started by Jeff Henderson, an ex-convict turned celebrity chef, who mentors at-risk youth for careers in the culinary arts. His industrial-size kitchen in a scruffy strip mall serves as a kind of shrine to second chances, so the cramped quarters offered a perfect backdrop for Harris’ event. Its theme: the power of redemption.
Standing before a small portable lectern and speaking before a brace of cameras, the vice president announced a change in federal policy that would make it easier for once-incarcerated people to obtain Small Business Administration loans.
Yes, she said over the whir of an ice machine, there must be accountability, especially for criminal wrongdoing. “But is it not the sign of a civil society to allow people the ability to come back and earn their way back?”
Harris swept through the work area, past tall shelves piled high with plates and pans, stopping where Kam Winslow was stirring a giant bowl of jambalaya. “Let’s talk about your process,” she said. “Tell me how you did it.”
As Winslow explained — dicing chicken, browning andouille sausage, saving the shrimp for last, so it doesn’t overcook — Harris punctuated his narration with a series of small interjections. “Yes.” “Uh-huh.” “Delicious.”
“You know what I love about cooking, is the process,” Harris told him. “It’s about having patience and knowing that it’s going to take steps, right? Like it’s just not going to be easy to do.”
“Same with life,” Winslow said.
“Yes, that’s exactly right,” agreed the vice president, who’s learned a few things in recent years about trial and error, mistakes and do-overs. “That’s exactly right.”
Don’t hesitate to reach out to us to discuss your specific needs. Our team is ready and eager to provide you with tailored solutions that align with your firm’s goals and enhance your digital marketing efforts. We look forward to helping you grow your law practice online.
Our Services: Blog Post Writing
We do well-researched, timely, and engaging blog posts that resonate with your clientele, positioning you as a thought leader in your domain.
Content Writing
Beyond articles and content for blogs, we delve into comprehensive content pieces like eBooks, and case studies, tailored to showcase your expertise.
Website Content Writing: First impressions matter. Our content ensures your website reflects the professionalism, dedication, and expertise you bring to the table.
Social Media Management
In today’s interconnected world, your online presence extends to social platforms. We help you navigate this terrain, ensuring your voice is consistently represented and heard.
WordPress Website Maintenance
Your digital office should be as polished and functional as your physical one. We ensure your WordPress site remains updated, secure, and user-friendly.
For more information, ad placements in our attorney blog network, article requests, social media management, or listings on our top 10 attorney sites, reach out to us at canyoncrestguide@gmail.com.
MOSCOW — Russian opposition figure Alexei Navalny, who survived a near-fatal poisoning blamed on the Kremlin and endured harsh prison conditions even while wielding black humor and social-media savvy to battle President Vladimir Putin’s autocratic rule, died in prison Friday, Russia’s prison agency said. He was 47.
Even as he earned international accolades for scathing denunciations of Putin from behind bars over the catastrophic war in Ukraine and his fight for what he called a “beautiful” Russia free of dictatorial rule, Navalny’s health visibly deteriorated after his imprisonment in early 2021 in a notorious penal colony east of Moscow.
His emaciated appearance shocked supporters when he appeared, via a blurry video link, at an Aug. 4 hearing at which he was sentenced to 19 years of incarceration on what his supporters said were trumped-up charges of extremism. He had already been serving a nine-year sentence imposed after returning to Russia — and certain arrest — following his recovery in Germany from the 2020 attempt to kill him with a military-grade nerve agent.
Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny signals to supporters from the defendant’s cage during a 2021 hearing in Moscow.
(Moscow City Court via AP)
The United States, together with other Western governments and human rights groups, called his latest trial and conviction a sham, demanding Navalny’s immediate release. Secretary of State Antony J. Blinken called the sentencing “politically motivated,” adding: “The Kremlin cannot silence the truth.”
Critics blasted the shadowy nature of the trial, held in a makeshift courtroom without family members, journalists or spectators present. In video footage, Navalny — clad in a black prison uniform — appeared even more frail than in other recent appearances, with hair cropped close and eyes blazing out of a gaunt face.
Over the years, from inside and outside prison, Navalny got under Putin’s skin as few other critics managed to do, daring to level taunts at the Russian leader alleging graft in his inner circle that were more direct and pointed than any opposition figure before him. Putin, for his part, for years refused to utter the name of his nemesis in public.
Following his latest trial, Navalny commented in a social media post, presumably relayed through his team, urging his supporters “not to lose the will to resist.” Of his sentence, he said, the numbers hardly matter — but portrayed his plight as an implicit struggle to the death between himself and Putin’s rule.
“I understand perfectly that, as many political prisoners, I’m serving a life sentence, which is measured by the length of my life or the length of life of this regime,” Navalny said.
The war in Ukraine — a full-scale invasion launched by Putin in February 2022, intended to swiftly subdue Russia’s smaller neighbor — turbocharged the Kremlin’s crackdown on any form of domestic dissent. Independent Russian media outlets were shuttered and criticism of the country’s military was designated a criminal offense. Navalny’s team, together with many other opposition figures, was forced into exile.
Navalny, who until then had concentrated his messaging on corruption in Putin’s inner circle, tailored his jailhouse missives to jab repeatedly at a war effort he called both unjust and almost comically incompetent, with ordinary conscripts and their families paying the price of the Russian leader’s grandiose ambitions.
“It’s one thing if Putin killed Ukrainian civilians and destroyed life-critical infrastructure with full approval from the Russian citizens,” he wrote in a social media post a month after the war began. “However, it’s a whole different story if Putin’s bloody venture is not supported by the society.”
Ukrainians, however, largely refrained from joining in worldwide lionization of Navalny, with many remembering his tacit initial support of the Russian leader’s illegal seizure and annexation of Ukraine’s Crimean Peninsula in 2014. That year, the same one in which Ukranians ousted a pro-Kremlin leader in a popular uprising, Russia also fomented a separatist uprising in Ukraine’s industrial east, which Ukraine considers the true beginning of the current war.
From Navalny’s early days as a blogger, he rose from being a relatively little-known gadfly — a lawyer who doggedly documented corruption in high places — to the country’s best-known opposition figure. In 2023, a film about his activism and recovery from poisoning won an Academy Award for best documentary feature. He was taking part in a video-link court hearing from prison when he learned of the Oscar.
Russian police carrying struggling opposition leader Alexei Navalny, center, at a demonstration against President Vladimir Putin in Pushkin Square in Moscow, Russia, Saturday, May 5, 2018. Thousands of demonstrators denouncing Putin’s upcoming inauguration into a fourth term gathered Saturday in the capital’s Pushkin Square. (AP Photo)
(AP)
After his January 2021 arrest, protests — the largest in Russia in at least a decade — spanned all of the country’s 11 time zones and triggered thousands of arrests.
After Navalny began a hunger strike in late March 2021 to protest Russian authorities’ denial of proper medical treatment — for ailments likely linked to his poisoning with what Western doctors said was the nerve agent Novichok, — his plight prompted anguish and fury from supporters at home and around the world.
An Instagram post by Navalny about his hunger strike ordeal employed the biting tone to which his followers were accustomed, describing how a prison official “detailed the joys of force-feeding to me.”
His 2021 imprisonment was purportedly for a parole violation — a Kafkaesque charge, his supporters said, because he was hospitalized in Germany at the time he was accused of failing to check in with parole officials — stemming from what the European Union describes as a politically motivated fraud conviction in 2014.
Behind bars, he developed severe back pain and numbness in his legs, possible side effects of his poisoning. Russian authorities responded to his requests for proper medical care by sending in what Navalny called a propagandist — Maria Butina, who served jail time in the United States for working as a foreign agent before being sent back home to Russia — along with a television crew, to mock his claims of ill treatment.
Even as he languished, Navalny’s backers kept up a drumbeat of claims over high-level corruption. In April 2021, his organization — which had released a widely viewed video called “Putin’s Palace,” about an opulent Black Sea compound purportedly paid for by the president’s wealthy supporters — put out a new investigation of a luxurious residence said to have been used by Putin on a lake northwest of the Russian capital.
Alexei Navalny, center, attends a rally in Moscow in 2018.
(Evgeny Feldman / Associated Press)
His fifth and last criminal conviction had to do with the work of his foundation, which Russia outlawed in 2021, along with Navalny’s other offices, as extremist groups. The extremism charges criminalized all the anti-corruption foundation’s activities since its 2011 founding, Navalny’s allies said.
The court ordered Navalny to serve the new term in a “special regime” penal colony, where men given life sentences or “especially dangerous recidivists” are sent.
He was already being held in a maximum-security prison — Penal Colony No. 6 in the town of Melekhovo — and had spent months in a tiny, one-person “punishment cell.” His alleged infractions included not washing his face at a specified time and not buttoning his clothing properly.
After his August sentencing, Navalny spokeswoman Kira Yarmysh told the Associated Press that the opposition leader still felt optimistic.
“It seems to me that he is probably the biggest optimist among all of us,” she said. “This happens because Alexei is absolutely convinced in what he’s doing and confident that he is right.”
Former special correspondent Vasiliy Kolotilov and the Associated Press contributed to this report.
Don’t hesitate to reach out to us to discuss your specific needs. Our team is ready and eager to provide you with tailored solutions that align with your firm’s goals and enhance your digital marketing efforts. We look forward to helping you grow your law practice online.
Our Services: Blog Post Writing
We do well-researched, timely, and engaging blog posts that resonate with your clientele, positioning you as a thought leader in your domain.
Content Writing
Beyond articles and content for blogs, we delve into comprehensive content pieces like eBooks, and case studies, tailored to showcase your expertise.
Website Content Writing: First impressions matter. Our content ensures your website reflects the professionalism, dedication, and expertise you bring to the table.
Social Media Management
In today’s interconnected world, your online presence extends to social platforms. We help you navigate this terrain, ensuring your voice is consistently represented and heard.
WordPress Website Maintenance
Your digital office should be as polished and functional as your physical one. We ensure your WordPress site remains updated, secure, and user-friendly.
For more information, ad placements in our attorney blog network, article requests, social media management, or listings on our top 10 attorney sites, reach out to us at canyoncrestguide@gmail.com.
Amidst the ICE activity and protests around the Los Angeles area on Saturday, several Southern California congressional representatives said they tried to enter a federal building downtown where they said immigrant families are being detained.
Rep. Jimmy Gomez, D-Los Angeles, said he and several other Democratic House members attempted to visit the Edward R. Roybal Federal Building on Saturday, June 7. He said, in a series of posts on social media, that the lawmakers were “exercising our congressional authority to investigate ICE’s inhuman detention of immigrant families” at the detention center but were denied entry.
Federal law allows for a member of Congress or designated employees of the U.S. House or Senate to enter any facility operated by the Department of Homeland Security for the purpose of conducting oversight.
Members of Congress do not need to provide advance notice for visits to ICE detention facilities, guidelines on the immigration agency’s website note. Congressional staff must give 24 hours’ notice, according to federal law.
Rep. Lou Correa, D-Santa Ana, said the lawmakers had heard reports that people in the detention facility were being denied their attorney, were placed in overcrowded conditions or did not have access to adequate health care.
But he said when the lawmakers attempted to enter, there were other people in the area, and he believes they were denied access because of safety concerns.
Still, Correa said he, at least, plans to try to visit the detention center again.
“Our jobs as members of Congress is to make sure that we hold accountable, hold responsible, how those taxpayer dollars are spent. That’s our job,” said Correa.
DHS is breaking the law by blocking me, @Repluzrivas, @NormaJTorres and @RepLouCorrea from conducting oversight. That’s not a misunderstanding—it’s a violation of federal law.
Protests have erupted around the area, and President Donald Trump said he is deploying 2,000 National Guardsmen to Los Angeles.
Last month, in New Jersey, members of Congress clashed with law enforcement when the lawmakers attempted to visit an ICE detention center. Rep. LaMonica McIver, D-New Jersey, faces assault charges stemming from the incident, which she has called “political intimidation” and has denied the Justice Department’s allegations, according to the New York Times.
Todd Lyons, acting director of ICE, has since said, “We do acknowledge that any member of Congress has the right to show up for an inspection at one of our facilities in their oversight capacity.”
He said, during a recent congressional hearing, that members still need to show proper identification and go through a screening process.
Angels starting pitcher Tyler Anderson throws to the plate during the second inning of their game against the Boston Red Sox on Monday night, June 2, 2025, in Boston. (AP Photo/Robert F. Bukaty)
The Angels’ Zach Neto rounds the bases after hitting a home run during the first inning of their game against the Boston Red Sox on Monday night, June 2, 2025, in Boston. (AP Photo/Robert F. Bukaty)
Boston Red Sox starting pitcher Richard Fitts, left, listens to a coach after giving up a home run during the first inning of their game against the Angels on Monday night, June 2, 2025, in Boston. (AP Photo/Robert F. Bukaty)
Boston Red Sox starting pitcher Richard Fitts throws to the plate during the first inning of their game against the Angels on Monday night, June 2, 2025, in Boston. (AP Photo/Robert F. Bukaty)
Angels star Mike Trout tosses his bat as he watches the flight of his long three-run home run during the first inning of their game against the Boston Red Sox on Monday night, June 2, 2025, in Boston. (AP Photo/Robert F. Bukaty)
Angels star Mike Trout, right, is congratulated by Taylor Ward, left, after hitting a three-run home run in the first inning of their game against the Boston Red Sox on Monday night in Boston. The Angels scored six runs in the first and held on for a 7-6 win. (AP Photo/Robert F. Bukaty)
Angels shortstop Zach Neto fields a ball during the second inning of their game against the Boston Red Sox on Monday night, June 2, 2025, in Boston. (AP Photo/Robert F. Bukaty)
Angels left fielder Taylor Ward can’t make the play on a ball hit by the Boston Red Sox’s Rafael Devers during the third inning on Monday night, June 2, 2025, in Boston. (AP Photo/Robert F. Bukaty)
Angels starting pitcher Tyler Anderson throws to the plate during the fifth inning of their game against the Boston Red Sox on Monday night, June 2, 2025, in Boston. (AP Photo/Robert F. Bukaty)
The Boston Red Sox’s Jarren Duran gestures to his dugout after hitting a double during the fifth inning of their game against the Angels on Monday night, June 2, 2025, in Boston. (AP Photo/Robert F. Bukaty)
The Boston Red Sox’s Jarren Duran slides into third base as the Angels’ Luis Rengifo takes a late throw following a wild pitch during the fifth inning on Monday night, June 2, 2025, in Boston. (AP Photo/Robert F. Bukaty)
Angels starting pitcher Tyler Anderson hands over the ball after being removed during the fifth inning of their game against the Boston Red Sox on Monday night, June 2, 2025, in Boston. (AP Photo/Robert F. Bukaty)
The Angels’ Jo Adell, right, is congratulated by third base coach Bo Porter after hitting a home run during the sixth inning of their game against the Boston Red Sox on Monday night, June 2, 2025, in Boston. It was Adell’s second homer of the night. (AP Photo/Robert F. Bukaty)
The Angels’ Jo Adell (7) has the fire fighter helmet placed on his head by teammate Zach Neto (9) after hitting a home run during the sixth inning of their game against the Boston Red Sox on Monday night, June 2, 2025, in Boston. It was Adell’s second homer of the night. (AP Photo/Robert F. Bukaty)
Angels shortstop Zach Neto catches the ball for a force out at second base on the Boston Red Sox’s Ceddanne Rafaela during the sixth inning on Monday night, June 2, 2025, in Boston. (AP Photo/Robert F. Bukaty)
The Boston Red Sox’s Ceddanne Rafaela celebrates as he runs the bases after hitting a home run during the eighth inning of their game against the Angels on Monday night, June 2, 2025, in Boston. (AP Photo/Robert F. Bukaty)
The Boston Red Sox’s Romy Gonzalez watches a ball he hit get caught in right field during the ninth inning of their 7-6 loss to the Angels on Monday night, June 2, 2025, in Boston. (AP Photo/Robert F. Bukaty)
1 of 17
Angels starting pitcher Tyler Anderson throws to the plate during the second inning of their game against the Boston Red Sox on Monday night, June 2, 2025, in Boston. (AP Photo/Robert F. Bukaty)
BOSTON —The silver lining of Mike Trout missing a month with a knee injury was it gave him plenty of time to work on his swing.
Now, the results are showing.
Trout had three hits for the second time in three starts since coming off the injured list, including a towering three-run homer, to spark a six-run first inning in the Angels’ 7-6 victory over the Boston Red Sox on Monday night.
After missing a month with a bone bruise in his left knee, Trout now has eight hits in 14 at-bats since returning. Trout said he’s not surprised it’s come back this quickly, because he used the time off to “rest” his swing.
“I think it helped me out,” Trout said.
Trout was hitting .179 with a .726 OPS when he got hurt, which he said was because his swing path wasn’t right.
“I was cutting off every swing, not staying through the ball,” Trout said. “When your swing’s in the zone for a short period of time, and is out, you miss a lot, and you don’t recognize the stuff. The longer the barrel is in the zone (the better). Just looked at some video and grind it with the hitting coaches. And it’s been cool to see results.”
Trout said he took 30 to 40 swings a day, which was all his knee rehab would allow. It was apparently enough.
Trout didn’t do a rehab assignment, instead seeing about 30 pitches from an Angels minor league pitcher. Manager Ron Washington was somewhat skeptical that Trout would return to form immediately, so he put him in the No. 5 spot when he returned. He hadn’t hit lower than third since 2011.
Now, Trout has been so hot in the No. 5 spot that Washington wants to keep him there.
“He’s doing well where he is,” Washington said.
Trout had five hits in his first 10 at-bats, without a homer. He took care of that with a three-run shot in the first inning. That was sandwiched between homers from Zach Neto and Jo Adell in an historic inning.
The Angels are the first visiting team in the 115 seasons at Fenway Park to hit three homers in the first inning, according to ESPN researcher Sarah Langs. The Angels hadn’t hit three first-inning homers in any game since Sept. 3, 2016, when Kole Calhoun, Trout and Albert Pujols did it.
Neto, who hit his fifth leadoff homer of the year, now has 10 homers in 41 games. He missed the first three weeks of the season rehabbing from shoulder surgery.
Adell’s homer was his first of two in the game. Adell has hit .306 with four homers and a 1.099 OPS in his last 11 games.
No one is as hot as Trout, though.
His first-inning homer traveled 454 feet and nearly left the ballpark entirely. His third hit of the game was a 110 mph line drive off of the Green Monster.
That hit was the 1,675th of his career, which passed Tim Salmon for second on the Angels’ all-time list. Garret Anderson holds the record with 2,368.
Even though the Angels took a 6-0 lead before Tyler Anderson threw his first pitch of the game, there was still drama.
Anderson allowed one run through four innings. When the Red Sox got to see him for the third time, he couldn’t get an out.
In the fifth inning, Anderson was chased after two doubles, a walk and a single. Right-hander Hunter Strickland, who worked two innings the day before, then gave up a two-run double, which cut their lead to 6-5.
Left-hander Reid Detmers got through the sixth, escaping a bases-loaded jam after two soft hits and a walk. Right-hander Ryan Zeferjahn pitched a perfect seventh.
By the time right-hander Hector Neris took the mound in the eighth, he had an insurance run on Adell’s second homer. The margin was cut to one on Ceddanne Rafaela’s homer.
Closer Kenley Jansen, who pitched for the Red Sox last season, worked the ninth to record his 12th save of the season.
“A good team win, in general,” Anderson said. “The guys did a good job, obviously, putting up runs early and then I didn’t do my job, but the bullpen came in and did a good job of holding us in it, and the guys added a little more on.”
San Jose Sharks goaltender Georgi Romanov is scored on by Kings right wing Adrian Kempe, left, during the second period of an NHL hockey game, Sunday, March 30, 2025, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)
Kings goaltender David Rittich squirts water prior to an NHL hockey game against the San Jose Sharks, Sunday, March 30, 2025, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)
San Jose Sharks defenseman Shakir Mukhamadullin, left, and Kings left wing Warren Foegele vie for the puck during the second period of an NHL hockey game, Sunday, March 30, 2025, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)
Kings left wing Warren Foegele, left, tries to get a shot past San Jose Sharks goaltender Georgi Romanov during the second period of an NHL hockey game, Sunday, March 30, 2025, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)
Kings goaltender David Rittich deflects a shot by San Jose Sharks center Macklin Celebrini during the third period of an NHL hockey game, Sunday, March 30, 2025, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)
Kings goaltender David Rittich, right, stops a shot by San Jose Sharks right wing Carl Grundstrom, center, and center Trevor Lewis helps defend during the first period of an NHL hockey game, Sunday, March 30, 2025, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)
Kings center Trevor Lewis, below, collides with goaltender David Rittich after Rittich deflected a shot during the first period of an NHL hockey game against the San Jose Sharks, Sunday, March 30, 2025, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)
San Jose Sharks left wing William Eklund, left, shoots the puck as Kings goaltender David Rittich deflects it during the first period of an NHL hockey game, Sunday, March 30, 2025, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)
Kings left wing Warren Foegele, center, and San Jose Sharks center Noah Gregor battle for the puck during the first period of an NHL hockey game Sunday, March 30, 2025, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)
Kings left wing Jeff Malott, left, and San Jose Sharks center Tyler Toffoli battle for the puck during the first period of an NHL hockey game, Sunday, March 30, 2025, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)
1 of 10
San Jose Sharks goaltender Georgi Romanov is scored on by Kings right wing Adrian Kempe, left, during the second period of an NHL hockey game, Sunday, March 30, 2025, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)
LOS ANGELES — In a battle of weary legs, the Kings kicked considerably harder than the San Jose Sharks, whom they punted at Crypto.com Arena on Sunday night, scoring a season-high eight goals while surrendering just one.
The Kings were playing their sixth game in nine calendar days, going 4-2-0 despite their treacherous schedule. The Sharks were skating in their third match in four nights, the first of which went to a shootout.
The Kings broke a points tie with the idle Edmonton Oilers for second place in the Pacific Division, now carrying a two-point lead heading into a final stretch that has nine games in store for both clubs.
They are now 27-4-4 at home, signifying a franchise record for home wins with six home games left on their slate. On home ice, they own the NHL’s highest points percentage, lowest goals-against average, a top-eight penalty kill and even a top-eight offense, thanks to last weekend’s outburst of 14 goals in two games and Sunday’s rampage.
“It’s hard, physically and mentally [to play that dense of a schedule], but we have a lot of home games, and we feel confident coming in here,” Adrian Kempe said.
San Jose lost for the 15th time in its past 20 games, keeping them two points behind — or ahead of, depending on one’s perspective — the Chicago Blackhawks for the league’s worst record and best draft lottery odds. Those two teams selected first overall in the past two drafts, with Chicago taking Connor Bedard in 2023 and San Jose selecting Macklin Celebrini last year.
Kempe and Warren Foegele scored two goals apiece. Andrei Kuzmenko potted one goal and set up two others. Trevor Moore deposited a goal and assisted on one by Phillip Danault. Trevor Lewis tallied. Captain Anže Kopitar dished out three assists. Quinton Byfield, Drew Doughty and Vladislav Gavrikov each contributed two helpers. David Rittich made 22 saves.
Cam Lund mustered the solitary goal for San Jose. Georgi Romanov’s fifth NHL appearance saw him cede eight goals on 36 shots.
“It’s obviously good to be home. The fans are good, we have good vibes here and it means a lot for us to play here,” Gavrikov said.
The Kings dogpiled on two more tallies in the third period during a span of 33 seconds.
Lewis scored his fifth goal this season off a long shot with 4:38 on the game clock after Kuzmenko lit the lamp with 5:11 to play, striking off the rush from between the circles for his ninth goal of a campaign split between three different teams.
The Kings had already busted the game open in the second stanza, allowing a goal early and then responding with four unanswered tallies.
They moved to 29-1-2 when holding a lead through 40 minutes, heading to the dressing room up 6-1 after scoring two goals 35 seconds apart in the final minute (19:03 and 19:38).
Kempe’s second marker of the game and 31st of the year came after Kuzmenko bobbed, weaved and then turned a backhand pass through three defenders to Gavrikov, who one-touched the puck off his backhand to Kempe for an authoritative one-timer.
“That was pretty cool. It was a great play by (Igor) Larionov and (Sergei) Makarov,” said Kempe, comparing his Russian teammates to the Red Army legends who were two thirds of the vaunted KLM line. “It was a hell of a play by those two guys.”
Foegele’s deflection of Mikey Anderson’s shot snuck through Romanov’s five hole to make it 5-1, after Foegele had already scored at the 13:31 mark for Goals No. 21 and 22 as a King, establishing a new single-season high. Brandt Clarke’s struck shot Foegele at the net front, where Foegele alertly pivoted to pounce on the puck and pop it past Romanov for his second power-play goal of the season.
“It just seemed like last year [with Edmonton] he started to score some nicer, say, more difficult goals, that required a larger skill set,” Kings coach Jim Hiller said. “I think we’ve seen that now.”
Their third goal came off Kopitar’s second brilliant assist of the night. After a recovery by Kuzmenko, Kopitar made a no-look, between-the-legs pass out of the corner to hit Moore in stride for his 16th goal of 2024-25.
San Jose had opened the scoring in the frame, with Lund capitalizing on a fortuitous bounce at 4:52, 19 seconds after his penalty expired.
The first period was replete with penalties, four in total, and the Kings took advantage, scoring one man-advantage marker and adding another de facto power-play goal. They scored six seconds after the Sharks’ first penalty was up and again six seconds before their second one expired.
They also killed a 1:41 two-man disadvantage between those goals, which came at 5:35 and 15:13.
Kempe’s power-play tally gave the Kings a 2-0 lead and his third 30-goal campaign in the past four years. San Jose collapsed around its net but the diligent position of Kuzmenko, the seeing-eye pass of Kopitar and a drive to the net to beat two Sharks by Kempe coalesced on the redirection goal.
“Tonight, with some great plays that Kopi made, he always makes those, we’ve just got to put them in the net,” Kempe said.
They had gotten on the board after Moore controlled a puck below the goal line and passed it to the net front for Byfield, whose pass across for Danault’s kneeling one-timer became the alternate captain’s eighth goal of the season.
On deck awaits the Winnipeg Jets on Tuesday, who will be without former King Gabe Vilardi (upper body).
MOSCOW — A Soyuz capsule carrying two Russians and one American from the International Space Station landed Monday in Kazakhstan, ending a record-breaking stay for the Russian pair.
The capsule landed on the Kazakh steppe about 3 1/2 hours after undocking from the ISS in an apparently trouble-free descent.
Oleg Kononenko and Nikolai Chub returned after 374 days aboard the space station, the longest continuous stay there. Also in the capsule was American Tracy Dyson, who was in the space station for six months.
THIS IS A BREAKING NEWS UPDATE. AP’s earlier story follows below.
A Russian space capsule undocked from the International Space Station on Monday to take three astronauts back to Earth, two of them completing a record-long stay on the orbiting laboratory.
The capsule carrying Russians Oleg Kononenko and Nikolai Chub and American Tracy Dyson is expected to land in the vast Kazakhstan steppe about 3 1/2 hours after the undocking.
Kononenko and Chub blasted off for the space station on Sept. 15, 2023, and on Friday set the record for the longest continuous mission on the ISS. Dyson, in her third mission into outer space, spent six months aboard.
Eight astronauts remain on the space station, including Americans Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams, who have remained long past their scheduled return to Earth.
They arrived in June as the first crew of Boeing’s new Starliner capsule. But their trip was marred by thruster troubles and helium leaks, and the U.S. space agency NASA decided it was too risky to return them on Starliner.
A coping mechanism I’ve adopted since the election of Donald Trump, a man more deserving of prison than the presidency, is to look for reasons for even the slightest optimism about the nation’s governance over the next four years. To that end, this Thanksgiving I’m grateful for the Republican “Grim Reaper,” Mitch McConnell.
Really.
Yes, I’m saying I’m thankful for the sour senator from Kentucky who’s built a turkey of a legacy: Fighting for years, up to a conservative Supreme Court, to successfully decapitate limits on campaign contributions from corporations and special interests. Stuffing that court and lower benches with far-right jurists. Finally, engineering Trump’s Senate acquittal after the House impeached him for inciting an insurrection that trashed the Capitol McConnell professes to revere.
Opinion Columnist
Jackie Calmes
Jackie Calmes brings a critical eye to the national political scene. She has decades of experience covering the White House and Congress.
It’s because of that last McConnell “achievement” that we face Trump 2.0. Had the Senate convicted Trump in February 2021, it probably would have followed with a vote to bar him from running for office again, as the Senate has for impeached and convicted judges.
So here we are, and McConnell too.
At 82, the longest-serving party leader in Senate history is voluntarily surrendering his crown to mentee Sen. John Thune of South Dakota. He will serve the last two years of his seventh and perhaps final term among the rank and file of the Republican majority. It’s McConnell’s just deserts to take a demotion as Trump returns to the summit: For all of McConnell’s past services to the once and future president, since Jan. 6 the two men have loathed each other more than I loathe marshmallows on sweet potatoes.
Familiar as he is with power, McConnell is well aware of who holds it now. Still, he won’t be without clout in Trump’s Washington. He won’t retreat to the backbenches or bend the knee. He even relishes the schoolyard nickname Trump gave him — “Old Crow” — doling out bottles of the Kentucky bourbon with his mug on the label.
McConnell may be stooped with age, but he’s suggesting publicly and privately that he’ll rise to the occasion as leader of a Republican resistance in the Senate, providing cover to others, should Trump overreach. The president-elect already has done so with some grotesque Cabinet choices, preceded by his anticonstitutional demand that senators forfeit their “advice and consent” power and instead be rubber stamps. McConnell’s nearly immediate response amounted to “No way.”
If Trump, as president, carries through on his threat to illegally impound funds that Congress approves, expect McConnell to cry foul, and even back a court challenge. Most of all, look for McConnell — who will chair the defense spending subcommittee — to stand for continued U.S. leadership in the world, especially in support of Ukraine and NATO. That posture will surely ruffle the feathers of an “America First” president enamored of dictators and disdainful of allies.
“Opposition to Ukraine is about as much nonsense as [saying] Biden wasn’t legitimately elected,” McConnell says in a bite at Trump in a new biography, “The Price of Power.”
I’m not naive. McConnell will go along with many Trump actions, including serving up a bounty of unaffordable new tax cuts to the wealthy and corporations, urging Americans to gorge on fossil fuels and, again, stuffing the courts with right-wing ideologues.
Yet recall the ancient proverb: The enemy of my enemy is my friend.
As ruthless and rule-bending as McConnell has been on judicial confirmations and more, I’m betting he’ll respect institutional and constitutional lines that Trump scornfully crosses, and recruit a few other Republican senators to help hold those lines. A few Republicans are all that’s needed when the party’s majority is a narrow 53 to 47; Trump can lose just four votes if Democrats are united in opposition. I count up to a dozen Republicans who could take turns to buck Trump occasionally, which would dilute the political pain of Trump’s wrath.
On Trump’s nominations, for instance. Ex-con Stephen K. Bannon, among other MAGA militants, blamed McConnell (“You gotta give the devil its due”) for whipping up opposition that forced the unsavory former Rep. Matt Gaetz of Florida off the menu as Trump’s nominee for attorney general. Publicly, too, McConnell was no chicken, as he countered Trump’s call to let nominees slide through as recess appointments.
“Each of these nominees needs to come before the Senate and go through the process and be vetted,” McConnell said two weeks ago. The institutionalist in him knows that, under the Constitution, the Senate’s power to confirm nominees is equal to a president’s in naming them.
Among those he could help defeat are Trump’s worst picks: Tulsi Gabbard, Pete Hegseth and Robert F. Kennedy Jr., the candidates to head intelligence, defense and health, respectively. A polio survivor, McConnell surely chokes on Kennedy’s anti-vax rhetoric. Likewise for Gabbard’s and Hegseth’s echoes of Trump’s skepticism and Vladimir Putin’s talking points on Ukraine.
McConnell has little to lose. He’ll be liberated in the new Congress, he told his biographer, Michael Tackett, no longer required as party leader to attend to the appetites of moderate and MAGA Republicans alike. He’s not expected to seek reelection in 2026. Sure, he’s unpopular nationally, in both parties. But inside the Senate, most Republicans respect and even like him. His outsized standing there will parallel that of former House Speaker and GOAT Nancy Pelosi, whom he praised last month: “I think Pelosi has done a pretty good job as a former speaker, still being able to express herself and have an audience.”
Similarly, Republican Sen. Lindsey Graham of South Carolina predicted of McConnell, “When he speaks, people will listen.”
Forget the turkey. I’m bringing the popcorn. And rooting for the Old Crow.
A federal appeals court on Thursday dealt a blow to President Biden’s Federal Communications Commission, striking down the agency’s hard-fought and long-debated open internet rules.
The FCC had sought to reinstate a sweeping policy established under President Obama that was designed to treat internet service as an essential public service, similar to a water or power utility.
Under the so-called net neutrality rules, internet service providers would have been subjected to greater regulation. A Republican-led commission repealed the rules in 2017 during President-elect Donald Trump’s first term.
Early last year, the FCC — then back under Democrat control — voted to formalize a national standard for internet service to prevent the blocking or slowing of information delivered over broadband internet lines. The core principle of open internet meant that internet service providers couldn’t discriminate among content suppliers.
The order also would have given the FCC increased oversight to demand that internet providers respond to service outages or security breaches involving consumers’ data. The FCC cited national security, saying increased oversight was necessary for the commission to effectively crack down on foreign-owned companies that were deemed to be security threats.
But on Thursday, the 6th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, based in Cincinnati, ruled that the five-member commission lacked the authority to reclassify broadband internet as a telecommunications service. The decision dismantles one of Biden’s major technology initiatives.
In its ruling, the 6th Circuit referred to the FCC’s net neutrality order as a “heavy-handed regulatory regime.”
The court said a recent U.S. Supreme Court ruling had removed a judicial framework that allowed courts to interpret rules with deference to the federal agency that created them. The 6th Circuit said the FCC did not have the statutory authority to change the classification of broadband internet to a telecommunications service. That role rests with Congress.
The case was brought by the Ohio Telecom Assn., a trade organization representing internet service providers.
FCC Chair Jessica Rosenworcel, who has long championed the net neutrality rules, called on lawmakers to take up the mantle in the wake of the court decision. She had shepherded the move to reinstate them during her tenure leading the agency and led the 3-2 party-line vote last year to restore the net neutrality rules.
“Consumers across the country have told us again and again that they want an internet that is fast, open, and fair,” Rosenworcel said in a statement. “With this decision it is clear that Congress now needs to heed their call, take up the charge for net neutrality, and put open internet principles in federal law.”
FCC Chair Jessica Rosenworcel speaks during a Senate committee hearing to examine the agency in 2020.
(Jonathan Newton / Pool Photo)
The regulatory climate has changed dramatically in recent years and is expected to shift again after Trump moves back into the White House. Trump’s pick for FCC chairman, Brendan Carr, wrote a chapter on the FCC in the conservative policy blueprint Project 2025. Companies expect the commission under Carr to be more business-friendly.
“President Biden’s entire plan rested on the Chicken Little tactic of persuading Americans that the Internet would break in the absence of these so-called ‘net neutrality’ regulations,” Carr said in a statement. “The American people have now seen through that ruse.”
The net neutrality dispute hinged on the degree to which the FCC could regulate broadband internet service providers under the authority the commission received from Congress in the landmark Communications Act of 1934 and the Telecommunications Act of 1996.
“We hold that Broadband Internet Service Providers offer only an ‘information service’ … and therefore, the FCC lacks the statutory authority to impose its desired net-neutrality policies through the ‘telecommunications service’ provision of the Communications Act,” 6th Circuit Judge Richard Allan Griffin wrote in the26-page ruling.
Consumer groups, which lobbied for more than a decade for net neutrality regulations, lamented the decision.
“Today’s decision represents a major setback for consumers, competition, and the Open Internet,” John Bergmayer, legal director at Public Knowledge, said in a statement.
“In rejecting the FCC’s authority to classify broadband as a telecommunications service, the court has ignored decades of precedent and fundamentally misunderstood both the technical realities of how broadband works and Congress’ clear intent in the Communications Act.”
Net neutrality has been a seesaw battle for more than 15 years.
In the early days of broadband penetration, major companies lined up on opposing sides. Google, Netflix and other tech companies joined with consumer groups calling for net neutrality rules to level the playing field with internet service providers such as AT&T, Verizon, Comcast Corp. or Charter Communications.
Supporters of net neutrality wanted those providers to be regulated under Title II of the landmark communications act, which would have given the FCC a greater enforcement role.
“Recall that the market’s initial concern over Title II reclassification never had anything at all to do with net neutrality,” cable analyst Craig Moffett wrote in a note to investors. Instead, investors in telecommunications stocks were worried that such reclassification would open a door “to broadband price regulation,” Moffett wrote.
MADISON, Wis. — Judge Susan Crawford preserved liberals’ narrow majority on the Wisconsin Supreme Court Tuesday by defeating conservative Brad Schimel, but in a way the real loser of the election was billionaire Elon Musk.
Musk and his affiliated groups sunk at least $21 million into the normally low-profile race and paid three individual voters $1 million each for signing a petition in an effort to goose turnout in the pivotal battleground state contest. That made the race the first major test of the political impact of Musk, whose prominence in President Donald Trump’s administration has skyrocketed with his chaotic cost-cutting initiative that has slashed federal agencies.
Crawford and the Democrats who backed her made Musk the focus of their arguments for holding the seat, contending he was “buying” the election, which set records for the costliest judicial race in history.
“Today Wisconsinites fended off an unprecedented attack on our democracy, our fair elections and our Supreme Court,” Crawford said in her victory speech. “And Wisconsin stood up and said loudly that justice does not have a price, our courts are not for sale.”
Trump endorsed Schimel as the race turned into a proxy fight over national political issues. The state’s high court can rule on cases involving voting rights and redistricting in a state likely to be at the center of both next year’s midterm elections and the 2028 presidential contest.
But Musk’s involvement dialed those dynamics up to 11: “A seemingly small election could determine the fate of Western civilization,” the billionaire said Tuesday in a last-ditch call to voters on his social media site X. “I think it matters for the future of the world.”
Notably, America PAC, the super PAC backed by Musk, spent at least $6 million on vendors who sent door-to-door canvassers across the state, according to the non-partisan Wisconsin Democracy Campaign. It was a reprise of what the group did across the seven most competitive presidential battleground states, including Wisconsin, which were carried by Trump in November.
But the end results this time were not good for Musk. Despite the millions he spent on Schimel, as of late Tuesday night the Supreme Court candidate was losing by four percentage points more than the other Republican-backed statewide candidate, Brittany Kinser, who also fell short in her bid for superintendent of public instruction.
Musk’s court race defeat wasn’t only because of crushing Democratic margins in deep blue cities like Madison and Milwaukee. Crawford’s margins were higher in places where the Musk-backed group America PAC had been active, including Sauk County, just north of Madison, which Crawford was carrying by 10 points after Trump won it by less than 2 points in November.
In Brown County, the home of Green Bay where Musk headlined a campaign rally with 2,000 people on Sunday, Crawford beat Schimel. Trump won the county by 7 percentage points last year.
Overnight, Musk posted on his X platform that “The long con of the left is corruption of the judiciary.” In another comment, he seemed to take solace from voters’ approval to elevate the state’s photo ID requirement from state law to constitutional amendment. The platform was rife with criticism from Trump opponents for his involvement in the race.
“Please send @elonmusk to all the close races!” Jon Favreau, former speechwriter for President Barack Obama, wrote.
“Elon Musk is not good at this,” J.B. Pritzker, Illinois’ Democratic governor and a billionaire himself who donated to support Crawford, posted on X.
Voters definitely had Musk on their minds.
“There’s an insane situation going on with the Trump administration, and it feels like Elon Musk is trying to buy votes,” said Kenneth Gifford, a 22-year-old Milwaukee college student, as he cast his ballot on Tuesday. “I want an actual, respectable democracy.”
Others may not have had their vote decided by the billionaire but were all-too aware of the money pouring into their state.
Jim Seeger, a 68-year-old retiree who previously worked in communications and marketing, said he voted for Schimel because he wants Republicans to maintain their outsized majority in Wisconsin’s congressional delegation, which could be at risk if Crawford wins and the court orders the maps redrawn. But, he added, he was disappointed the election had become a “financial race.”
“I think it’s a shame that we have to spend this much money, especially on a judicial race,” Seeger said as he voted in Eau Claire.
Wisconsin’s Democratic Attorney General, Josh Kaul, sued to bar Musk from making his payments to voters if they signed a petition against “activist judges.” The state Supreme Court unanimously declined to rule on the case over a technicality.
Musk swooped into the race shortly after Trump’s inauguration. Republicans were pessimistic about being able to win the seat. They lost a longtime conservative majority on the state high court in 2023, and Democrats have excelled in turning out their educated, politically tuned-in coalition during obscure elections such as the one in Wisconsin.
Musk duplicated and expanded on some of the methods he used in the final weeks of last year’s presidential race, when he spent more than $200 million on Trump’s behalf in the seven swing states, including Wisconsin.
This time, in addition to the $1 million checks, Musk offered to pay $20 to anyone who signed up on his group’s site to knock on doors for Schimel and posted a photo of themselves as proof. His organization promised $100 to every voter who signed the petition against liberal judges and another $100 for every signer they referred.
Democrats were happy to make Musk a lightning rod in the race.
“People do not want to see Elon Musk buying election after election after election,” Wisconsin Democratic Party Chair Ben Wikler said Monday. “If it works here, he’s going to do it all over the country.”
___
Riccardi reported from Denver. Associated Press writer Meg Kinnard in Washington contributed to this report.
Nearly 60,000 Kaiser Permanente workers say they’re ready to launch a strike if they can’t reach a labor agreement with the healthcare giant by Sept. 30 when their contract expires.
The California employees, represented by SEIU-United Healthcare Workers West, claim they’re understaffed, underpaid and facing a host of other challenges while negotiations drag on.
The union announced Thursday, Sept. 14 that 98% of its workers voted to authorize a walkout. Workers in Oregon, Washington and Colorado also voted to authorize a strike, and additional votes from Kaiser employees in San Diego, Hawaii, Maryland, Virginia and the District of Columbia will be tallied by Wednesday, Sept. 20.
Also see:Kaiser to pay $49 million for dumping syringes, bodily fluids into normal dumpsters
The California employees, along with members of other Kaiser unions, fall under the umbrella of the Coalition of Kaiser Permanente Unions, which includes 85,000 workers throughout the U.S.
If a strike occurs, it will affect scores of Kaiser hospitals and clinics, including 23 facilities in Southern California alone.
Two more bargaining sessions are scheduled for next week.
“We take any threat to disrupt care for our members seriously and have comprehensive plans to ensure continued access to needed health care services, should a strike occur later this year,” Kaiser said.
Also see: Healthcare workers call for higher staffing, wages during Labor Day rally
The California employees, represented by SEIU-United Healthcare Workers West (SEIU-UHW), claim they’re understaffed, underpaid and facing a host of other challenges while negotiations drag on. (File photo by Sarah Reingewirtz, Los Angeles Daily News/SCNG)
The groundswell of worker unrest is centered around several issues. Kaiser union members allege severe understaffing but say the healthcare chain has further undermined the workplace by …
—Slashing performance bonuses for frontline workers while paying top dollar to managers and executives who don’t directly interact with patients
—Removing protections against subcontracting and outsourcing jobs to low-wage, for-profit companies
—Offering starting pay for certain entry-level positions that is not competitive with fast food and retail chains
—Continuing to pay wages that fail to keep pace with rising costs of living
—Refusing to develop existing workforce and to train and recruit enough new employees to meet a projected workforce shortfall
Also see:Nurses to hold ‘solidarity march’ in support of striking writers, actors
Dave Regan, president of SEIU-UHW, said every one of the company’s proposals will make staffing problems worse and further delay patient care.
“Kaiser has failed to bargain in good faith with the caregivers who are doing everything they can to protect patient safety,” Regan said. “We will simply not stand by as Kaiser violates the law and puts patients at risk.”
In a statement released Thursday, Kaiser said it has proposed across-the-board pay increases, including a minimum starting wage of $21 an hour.
“Our priority is to reach an agreement that ensures we can continue to provide market-competitive pay and outstanding benefits,” the company said. “A strike authorization vote does not reflect any breakdown in bargaining, nor does it indicate a strike is imminent or will happen at all.”
Read more:Kaiser workers show solidarity with striking hotel employees
An exodus of healthcare workers has resulted in long wait times for patient appointments and delays in receiving medications, X-rays, phone responses, room assignments and other vital patient services, according to Kaiser employees.
Miriam De La Paz, a unit secretary at Kaiser Permanente Downey Medical Center, said her facility is chronically understaffed.
“We’re running out of caregivers to do the work,” the 43-year-old L.A. resident said. “It’s exhausting, and patients are waiting two or three months just to get an appointment. Imagine if someone is diagnosed with cancer and needs an appointment.”
De La Paz makes $33 an hour but says it’s not enough.
“I can’t keep up with the cost of living,” she said. “Kaiser hires a lot of registry nurses and that’s insane because they complain that they don’t have the means to pay us more, but those registry nurses make double what they pay us.”
Kaiser disputed some of SEIU’s claims.
In regard to performance bonuses, the company said it’s proposing a minimum payment level “to protect our employees from receiving no payout.”
In several of the past few years, performance bonuses would have been eliminated for many employees when Kaiser failed to meet its financial goals, the company said, but workers still received “significant rewards” during the COVID-19 pandemic out of recognition for their work.
That amounted to $276 million in payments to coalition-represented employees over the past three years, Kaiser said.
The company said it has invested $130 million to provide education, skills training and retraining for workers and set a joint goal with workers to hire 10,000 new employees this year — a move that resulted in nearly 9,000 positions filled.
Still, employees say it hasn’t been enough.
“We’re just numbers to them, ” De La Paz said. “Have they even asked our respiratory techs if they have PTSD? Well, some of them do. We’re just tired, burned out and exhausted.”
Don’t hesitate to reach out to us to discuss your specific needs. Our team is ready and eager to provide you with tailored solutions that align with your firm’s goals and enhance your digital marketing efforts. We look forward to helping you grow your law practice online.
Our Services: Blog Post Writing
We do well-researched, timely, and engaging blog posts that resonate with your clientele, positioning you as a thought leader in your domain.
Content Writing
Beyond articles and content for blogs, we delve into comprehensive content pieces like eBooks, and case studies, tailored to showcase your expertise.
Website Content Writing: First impressions matter. Our content ensures your website reflects the professionalism, dedication, and expertise you bring to the table.
Social Media Management
In today’s interconnected world, your online presence extends to social platforms. We help you navigate this terrain, ensuring your voice is consistently represented and heard.
WordPress Website Maintenance
Your digital office should be as polished and functional as your physical one. We ensure your WordPress site remains updated, secure, and user-friendly.
For more information, ad placements in our attorney blog network, article requests, social media management, or listings on our top 10 attorney sites, reach out to us at seoattorneyservices@gmail.com.
You can sense it in the ubiquitous “Help Wanted” posters in artsy shops and restaurants, in the ranks of university students living out of their cars and in the outsize percentage of locals camping on the streets.
This seaside county known for its windswept beauty and easy living is in the midst of one of the most serious housing crises anywhere in home-starved California. Santa Cruz County, home to a beloved surf break and a bohemian University of California campus, also claims the state’s highest rate of homelessness and, by one measure based on local incomes, its least affordable housing.
Leaders in the city of Santa Cruz have responded to this hardship in a land of plenty — and to new state laws demanding construction of more affordable housing — with a plan to build up rather than out.
Many Santa Cruz business owners back the city’s plan for high-rise development, saying the city needs more affordable housing for servers and retail workers.
(Brian van der Brug / Los Angeles Times)
A downtown long centered on quaint sycamore-lined Pacific Avenue has boomed with new construction in recent years. Shining glass and metal apartment complexes sprout in multiple locations, across a streetscape once dominated by 20th century classics like the Art Deco-inspired Palomar Inn apartments.
And the City Council and planning department envision building even bigger and higher, with high-rise apartments of up to 12 stories in the southern section of downtown that comes closest to the city’s boardwalk and the landmark wooden roller coaster known as the Giant Dipper.
“It’s on everybody’s lips now, this talk about our housing challenge,” said Don Lane, a former mayor and an activist for homeless people. “The old resistance to development is breaking down, at least among a lot of people.”
In recent years, Santa Cruz has approved development of modern multistory housing complexes, part of a broader effort to add housing stock.
(Brian van der Brug / Los Angeles Times)
Said current Mayor Fred Keeley, a former state assemblyman: “It’s not a question of ‘no growth’ anymore. It’s a question of where are you going to do this. You can spread it all over the city, or you can make the urban core more dense.”
But not everyone in famously tolerant Santa Cruz is going along. The high-rise push has spawned a backlash, exposing sharp divisions over growth and underscoring the complexities, even in a city known for its progressive politics, of trying to keep desirable communities affordable for the teachers, waiters, firefighters and store clerks who provide the bulk of services.
A group originally called Stop the Skyscrapers — now Housing for People — protests that a proposed city “housing element” needlessly clears the way for more apartments than state housing officials demand, while providing too few truly affordable units.
City officials say the plan they hope to finalize in the coming weeks, with its greater height limits, only creates a path for new construction. The intentions of individual property owners and the vicissitudes of the market will continue to make it challenging to build the 3,736 additional units the state has mandated for the city.
“We’ve talked to a lot of people, going door to door, and the feeling is it’s just too much, too fast,” said Frank Barron, a retired county planner and Housing for People co-founder. “The six- and seven-story buildings that they’re building now are already freaking people out. When they hear what [the city is] proposing now could go twice as high, they’re completely aghast.”
Frank Barron is among the activists who say the City Council’s development plans are out of character for the laid-back beach town.
(Brian van der Brug / Los Angeles Times)
Susan Monheit, a former state water official and another Housing for People co-founder, calls 12-story buildings “completely out of the human scale,” adding: “It’s out of scale with Santa Cruz’s branding.”
Housing for People has gathered enough signatures to put a measure on the March 2024 ballot that, if approved, would require a vote of the people for development anywhere in the city that would exceed the zoning restrictions codified in the current general plan, which include a cap of roughly seven or eight stories downtown.
The activists say that they are trying to restore the voices of everyday Santa Cruzans and that city leaders are giving in to out-of-town builders and “developer overreach laws.”
The nascent campaign has generated spirited debate. Opponents contend the slow-growth measure would slam on the brakes, just as the city is overcoming decades of construction inertia. They say Santa Cruz should be a proud outlier in a long string of wealthy coastal cities that have defied the state’s push to add housing and bring down exorbitant home prices and rental costs.
Diana Alfaro, who works for a Santa Cruz development company, said many of the complaints about high-rise construction sound like veiled NIMBYism.
“We always hear, ‘I support affordable housing, but just not next to me. Not here. Not there. Not really anywhere,’ ” said Alfaro, an activist with the national political group YIMBY [Yes In My Back Yard] Action. “Is that really being inclusive?”
Zav Hershfield, a renters’ rights activist, advocates rent control caps and housing developments owned by the state or cooperatives.
(Brian van der Brug / Los Angeles Times)
The dispute has divided Santa Cruz’s progressive political universe. What does it mean to be a “good liberal” on land-use issues in an era when UC Santa Cruz students commonly triple up in small rooms and Zillow reports a median rent of $3,425 that is higher than San Francisco’s?
Beginning in the 1970s, left-leaning students at the new UC campus helped power a slow-growth movement that limited construction across broad swaths of Santa Cruz County. Over the decades, the need for affordable housing was a recurring discussion. The county was a leader in requiring that builders who put up five units of housing or more set aside 15% of the units at below-market rates.
But Mayor Keeley said local officials gave only a “head nod” to the issue when it came to approving specific projects. “Well, here we are, 30 or 40 years later,” Keeley said, “and these communities are not affordable.”
Santa Cruz County, known for its windswept beauty and easy living, is in the midst of one of the most serious housing crises anywhere in California.
(Brian van der Brug / Los Angeles Times)
Today, with 265,000 residents, the county is substantially wealthy and white.
An annual survey this year found Santa Cruz County pushed past San Francisco to be the least affordable rental market in the country, given income levels in both places. And many observers say UC Santa Cruz students contend with the toughest housing market of any college town in the state.
State legislators have crafted dozens of laws in recent years to encourage construction of more homes, particularly apartments. While California has long required local governments to draft “housing elements” to demonstrate their commitment to affordable housing, state officials only recently passed other measures to actually push cities to put the plans into practice.
Regional government associations draw up a Regional Housing Needs Assessment, designating how many housing units — including affordable ones — should be built during an eight-year cycle. The state Department of Housing and Community Development can reject plans it deems inadequate.
For years 2024 to 2031, Santa Cruz was told it should build at least 3,736 units, on top of its existing 24,036.
For decades, Santa Cruz culture has centered on quaint shops and restaurants along sycamore-lined Pacific Avenue.
(Brian van der Brug / Los Angeles Times)
Santa Cruz and other cities have been motivated, at least in part, by a heavy “stick”: In cases when cities fail to produce adequate housing plans, the state’s so-called “builder’s remedy” essentially allows developers to propose building whatever they want, provided some of the housing is set aside for low- or middle-income families. In cities like Santa Monica and La Cañada-Flintridge, builders have invoked the builder’s remedy to push ahead with large housing projects, over the objections of city leaders.
The Santa Cruz City Council resolved to avoid losing control of planning decisions. A key part of their plan envisions putting up to 1,800 units in a sleepy downtown neighborhood of auto shops, stores and low-rise apartments south of Laurel Street. Initial concepts suggested one block could go as high as 175 feet (roughly 16 stories), but council members later proposed a 12-story height limit, substantially taller than the stately eight-story Palomar, which remains the city’s tallest building.
City planners say focusing growth in the downtown neighborhood makes sense, because bus lines converge there at a transit center and residents can walk to shops and services.
“The demand for housing is not going away,” said Lee Butler, the city’s director of planning and community development, “and this means we will have less development pressure in other areas of the city and county, where it is less sustainable to grow.”
Santa Cruz planning director Lee Butler advocates concentrating new development downtown, rather than building in areas where growth is less sustainable.
(Brian van der Brug / Los Angeles Times)
A public survey found support for a variety of other proposed improvements to make the downtown more attractive to walkers, bikers and tourists. Among other features, the plan would concentrate new restaurants and shops around the San Lorenzo River Walk; replace the fabric-topped 2,400-seat Kaiser Permanente Arena, which hosts the Santa Cruz Warriors (the G-league affiliate of the NBA’s Golden State Warriors), with a bigger entertainment and sports venue; and better connect downtown with the beach and boardwalk.
Business owners say they favor the housing plan for a couple of reasons: They hope new residents will bring new commerce, and they want some of the affordable apartments to go to their workers, who frequently commute well over an hour from places such as Gilroy and Salinas.
Restaurateur Zach Davis called the high cost of housing “the No. 1 factor” that led to the 2018 closure of Assembly, a popular farm-to-table restaurant he co-owned.
“How do we keep our community intact, if the people who make it all happen, the workers who make Santa Cruz what it is, can’t afford to live here anymore?” Davis asked.
One opponent calls the plan to add high-rises to the city’s picturesque downtown “out of scale with Santa Cruz’s branding.”
(Brian van der Brug / Los Angeles Times)
The city’s plan indicates that 859 of the units built over the next eight years will be for “very low income” families. But the term is relative, tied to a community’s median income, which in Santa Cruz is $132,800 for a family of four. Families bringing home between $58,000 and $82,000 would qualify as very low income. Tenants in that bracket would pay $1,800 a month for a three-bedroom apartment in one recently completed complex, built under the city’s requirement that 20% of units be rented for below-market rents.
The people pushing for high-rise development say expanding the housing supply will stem ever-rising rents. Opponents counter that the continued growth of UC Santa Cruz, which hopes to add 8,500 students by 2040, and a new surge of highly paid Silicon Valley “tech bros” looking to put down roots in beachy Santa Cruz would quickly gobble up whatever number of new units are built.
“They say that if you just build more housing, the prices will come down. Which is, of course, not true,” said Gary Patton, a former county supervisor and an original leader in the slow-growth movement. “So we’ll have lots more housing, with lots more traffic, less parking, more neighborhood impacts and more rich people moving into Santa Cruz.”
Leaders on Santa Cruz’s political left say new construction only touches one aspect of the housing crisis. Some of the leaders of Tenant Sanctuary, a renters’ rights group, would like to see Santa Cruz tamp down rents by creating complexes owned by the state or cooperatives and enacting a rent control law capping annual increases.
“No matter what they build, we need housing where the price is not tied to market swings and how much money can be squeezed out of a given area of land,” said Zav Hershfield, a board member for the group.
The up-zoning of downtown parcels has won the support of much of the city’s establishment, including the county Chamber of Commerce, whose chief executive said exorbitant housing prices are excluding blue-collar workers and even some well-paid professionals. “The question is, do you want a lively, vital, economically thriving community?” said Casey Beyer, CEO of the business group. “Or do you want to be a sleepy retirement community?”
The town clock is one of several landmarks in the beach town.
(Brian van der Brug / Los Angeles Times)
Just days after the anti-high-rise measure qualified for the March ballot, the two sides began bickering over what impact it would have.
Lane, the former mayor, and two affordable housing developers wrote an op-ed for the Lookout Santa Cruz news site that said the ballot measure is crafted so broadly it would apply to all “development projects.” They contend that could trigger the need for citywide votes for projects as modest as raising a fence from 6 feet to 7 feet, adding an ADU to a residential property or building a shelter for the homeless, if the projects exceed current practices in a given neighborhood.
The authors accused ballot measure proponents of faux environmentalism. “If we don’t go up,” they wrote, “we have less housing near jobs — and more people driving longer distances to get to work.”
The ballot measure proponents countered that their critics were misrepresenting facts. They said the measure would not necessitate voter approval for mundane improvements and would come into play in relatively few circumstances, for projects that require amendments to the city’s General Plan.
While not staking out a formal position on the ballot measure, the city’s planning staff has concluded the measure could force citizen votes for relatively modest construction projects.
The two sides also can’t agree on the impact of a second provision of the ballot measure. It would increase from 20% to 25% the percentage of “inclusionary” (below-market-rate) units that developers would have to include in complexes of 30 units or more.
The ballot measure writers say such an increase signals their intent to assure that as much new housing as possible goes to the less affluent. But their opponents say that when cities try to force developers to include too many sub-market apartments, the builders end up walking away.
Santa Cruz’s housing inventory shows that the city has the potential to add as many as 8,364 units in the next eight years, when factoring in proposals such as the downtown high-rises and UC Santa Cruz’s plan to add about 1,200 units of student housing. That’s more than double the number required by the state. But the Department of Housing and Community Development requires this sort of “buffer,” because the reality is that many properties zoned for denser housing won’t get developed during the eight-year cycle.
As with many aspects of the downtown up-zoning, the two sides are at odds over whether incorporating the potential for extra development amounts to judicious planning or developer-friendly overkill.
Joyful, left, and Valerie Christy, right, jam for fun and a few dollars in downtown Santa Cruz.
(Brian van der Brug / Los Angeles Times)
The city’s voters have rejected housing-related measures three times in recent years. In 2018, they decisively turned down a rent control proposal. Last year, they said no to taxing owners who leave homes in the community sitting empty. But they also rejected a measure that would have blocked a plan to relocate the city’s central library while also building 124 below-market-rate apartment units.
The last time locals got this worked up about their downtown may have been at the start of the new millennium, when the City Council considered cracking down on street performers. That prompted the owner of Bookshop Santa Cruz, another local landmark, to print T-shirts and bumper stickers entreating fellow residents to “Keep Santa Cruz Weird.”
Santa Cruzans once again are being asked to consider the look and feel of their downtown and whether its future should be left to the City Council, or voters themselves. The measure provokes myriad questions, including these: Can funky, earnest, compassionate Santa Cruz remain that way, even with high-rise apartments? And, with so little housing for students and working folks, has it already lost its charm?
Don’t hesitate to reach out to us to discuss your specific needs. Our team is ready and eager to provide you with tailored solutions that align with your firm’s goals and enhance your digital marketing efforts. We look forward to helping you grow your law practice online.
Our Services: Blog Post Writing
We do well-researched, timely, and engaging blog posts that resonate with your clientele, positioning you as a thought leader in your domain.
Content Writing
Beyond articles and content for blogs, we delve into comprehensive content pieces like eBooks, and case studies, tailored to showcase your expertise.
Website Content Writing: First impressions matter. Our content ensures your website reflects the professionalism, dedication, and expertise you bring to the table.
Social Media Management
In today’s interconnected world, your online presence extends to social platforms. We help you navigate this terrain, ensuring your voice is consistently represented and heard.
WordPress Website Maintenance
Your digital office should be as polished and functional as your physical one. We ensure your WordPress site remains updated, secure, and user-friendly.
For more information, ad placements in our attorney blog network, article requests, social media management, or listings on our top 10 attorney sites, reach out to us at canyoncrestguide@gmail.com.
LOS ANGELES, Calif. /California Newswire/ — Printed in Blood, a publisher of art books, is proud to present a collector’s edition “I Spit On Your Grave Scriptbook.” The book features 144 pages of art, essays, and ephemera honoring 45 years of the iconic film. The book celebrates the inclusion of Meir Zarchi’s 1978 cult classic “I Spit On Your Grave aka Day of the Woman” film negative, script and artifacts in the Museum of Modern Art’s permanent film archive in New York City, thanks to curator Ron Magilozzi. The film is now alongside other classics such as “Taxi Driver,” “Texas ChainSaw Massacre,” and The Andy Warhol Collection.
Meir Zarchi stated, “This film is a landmark in the history of cinema, and we are proud to see it preserved for future generations. It cements actress Camille Keaton’s iconic Jennifer Hills role in film history as a lasting legacy.”
The book features Meir Zarchi’s original production script, never seen before, as well as new artwork from global artists inspired by Camille Keaton’s iconic role as Jennifer Hills, one of cinema’s most resilient “final girls.” The book also includes essays from modern and influential film critics, such as Siskel & Ebert and Joe Bob Briggs, a historical overview of the film, and a special introduction by Meir Zarchi.
In addition to archival set photos, the book contains a collective anthology from film critics Jim Hemphill, Dan Tabor, David Maguire & Valerie Thompson. The “Limited Signature Edition” book comes with 6 mini-posters (Mark Borgions, Nino Cammarata, John Peak, John Dunn, Anthony Galatis) in a 2-PC Numbered Collector’s Box, making it a must-have for fans and collectors of the film.
The “I Spit On Your Grave Scriptbook” is available for pre-order now at printinblood.com and will be released in time for the 45th Anniversary, November 22, 2023. Don’t miss this opportunity to own a piece of film history!
“I Spit On Your Grave aka Day of The Woman” 1978 film was written and directed by Meir Zarchi and stars Camille Keaton. The film tells the story of a young woman who is brutally attacked and left for dead by a group of men. She then sets out to exact revenge on her attackers. The film was controversial upon its release, but it has since become a cult classic. It has also been praised for its powerful message.
Meir Zarchi, was inspired to make the “Day of The Woman” 1978 film after helping a woman who had been assaulted in a New York neighborhood park. He said that he wanted to make a film that would show the strength and resilience of women after such a horrific act.
The publisher, Printed In Blood, was born from a mutual love of horror movies, art & design and the wealth of artistic talent working today who you may or may not be aware of. We see ourselves as curators of a legacy of pop culture that has been growing for decades. With award winning movie artbooks such as John Carpenter’s “The Thing” and “Halloween.”
Information is believed accurate but is not guaranteed. For questions about the above news, contact the company/org/person noted in the text and NOT this website.
Travelers flying into Los Angeles last weekend were greeted by an apocalyptic sight: billowing clouds of smoke and the red-orange glow of flames against the glittering expanse of city lights.
The stark panorama, and shocking, ubiquitous video of the wildfires, were at sharp odds with images of sun-kissed beaches and glamorous Hollywood that L.A. relies on to draw the flocks of tourists who pump billions of dollars into the local economy each year.
As firefighters begin to bring under control the blazes that laid ruin to Pacific Palisades, parts of Malibu, and the hillside town of Altadena, tourism officials are looking for signs of what short- and long-term toll the disaster may take on L.A.’s prowess as a tourism destination.
“We’re very nervous,” said Jackie Filla, president and CEO of the Hotel Assn. of Los Angeles.
“The first-blush look is obviously there’s a precipitous drop off in shorter-term reservations — people who were supposed to be here this week and next week. We’re seeing some long-term drop-off as well — not as much, but it’s certainly a trend we’re concerned about.”
By some measures, the fires struck as tourism in L.A. finally had recovered fully from the blow dealt by COVID-19. In 2023, the last full year for which statistics are available, Los Angeles tallied $40.4 billion in total tourism revenue, a record. That included 49.1 million visitors, a 3% dip from its 2019 pre-pandemic high.
Filla noted that no L.A County hotels or major tourist draws have been damaged in the fires and major conferences and conventions — a critical component of the tourism industry — are scheduled to go on as planned. The lineup includes the Society of Thoracic Surgeons, whose leadership voted Wednesday night to go ahead with their annual meeting later this month in downtown L.A. and to donate $100,000 to relief efforts.
And another major event, the Grammy Awards, are still scheduled for Feb. 2 in downtown’s Crypto.com Arena.
In normal times, organizers and attendees at these meetings and awards shows would book rooms without hesitation. However, with tens of thousands of people now displaced by the fires, the equation has become more complicated. “We’re very closely monitoring our conventions and conferences,” Filla said, because “everybody is concerned about not taking rooms away from the evacuees, but we have the capacity to do both.”
Occupancy in Los Angeles hotels, which typically hits a low point in January, jumped from 59.3% to 65% as the Palisades and Eaton fires raged in the week that ended Jan. 11 “due to displacement demand from the fires,” lodging industry analyst CoStar found. The biggest surge came over the first three days of the blazes, when average daily rates in the area’s luxury hotels jumped by 22.7% over last year — a rise that may have been driven by evacuees moving into high-priced suites during what is normally a slow time, the company’s senior director of analytics Isaac Collazo said.
The city of Los Angeles includes about 44,000 hotel rooms; the county, roughly 100,000. L.A. County Sheriff Robert Luna said Thursday that about 88,000 people were under evacuation orders.
It remains to be seen whether the region’s recovery will be more like the New Orleans following Hurricane Katrina in 2005, Napa Valley’s rebound after a major wildfire in 2017 or Maui’s ongoing recovery effort since destructive wildfires in 2023.
In the aftermath of Katrina, travel to New Orleans fell to less than half its former level, then gradually recovered. It wasn’t until 2016 that the number of visitors to the city returned to pre-Katrina levels.
Napa and Sonoma counties, by contrast, bounced back relatively quickly after fires blackened more than 110,000 acres and killed 24 people in fall 2017. The fires left most vineyards and tourism infrastructure undamaged and by early 2018 hotel occupancy and revenue were ahead of the year before, according to a local tourism organization, Visit Napa Valley. Local and state officials said the recovery was aided by vigorous marketing, including spending by Visit California, the state’s main marketing organization.
On Maui, where a fire in August 2023 claimed 102 lives and leveled most of Lahaina Town, a major tourist destination, recovery is ongoing. Visitor arrivals in November 2024 remained about 15% below their levels in 2022. Officials there are now pushing hard to bring tourists back following an initial period of mixed messages in which some were calling for travelers to stay away as the community tried to rebuild.
At Visit California, the state’s leading tourism organization, President and CEO Caroline Beteta said in a statement that “we need to make sure travelers understand that their visit helps the community — not hurts — and that the city’s hotels and businesses will be ready to welcome them.”
Beteta acknowledged that “we’re already hearing from restaurants and hotels saying they’re being impacted,” and said her team is at work on a recovery campaign stressing that “everyone, especially California residents, should consider planning a trip to Los Angeles to support its economic recovery.”
Adam Burke, president and CEO of the Los Angeles Tourism & Convention Board, also known as Discover Los Angeles, said, “it’s premature to really understand what the implications are going to be,” but until then, “we’re trying to use our platform to help those who have been directly affected.”
In the longer term, Burke said, he’ll be looking closely at data on web searches for Los Angeles as a destination, international bookings, airport arrivals and hotel occupancy. He noted that in a typical year, hotel tax revenues add more than $300 million to the city’s general fund — money that could helpful fuel recovery efforts.
Despite the devastation of the fire areas, the vast majority of the region’s best-known tourism spots were undamaged by the fires. Though many parks and museums closed because of air quality or other concerns, several have reopened, including Griffith Park, the L.A. Zoo and Autry Museum of the American West on Thursday.
Overall consumer demand typically drops in the aftermath of a natural disaster, since fewer outside visitors to an area will lead to a reduction in leisure, hospitality and entertainment spending, said Raphaelle Gauvin-Coulombe, an assistant professor of economics at Middlebury, who was co-author of a study last year examining satellite data to understand fire activity and its effect on labor markets in counties across the U.S.
Leisure and hospitality is a sector that is particularly important for L.A. County, amounting to about 13.5% of the workforce, much higher than the median across counties, which hovers around 6%, Gauvin-Coulombe said. She did note, however, that destinations with more diverse economies — like that of Los Angeles — tend to be more resilient than those that are heavily dependent on one sector.
The disaster may also force the industry to contend with a shrinking labor force in the region, with fires tending to cause out-migration, she said. A slowing of employment growth can last for three years after a fire, she added.
“When people are traveling, they consider everything,” said Ray Patel, president of the Northeast Los Angeles Hotel Owners Assn. “It’s all perception to the guest. They might go, ‘oh, it’s too many fires.’ ”
It’s an understandable impulse, he said: “We all want to put our heads down at night and make sure we feel safe.”
As Los Angeles looks to stabilize its tourism industry in the wake of the fires, it can rely on an important asset many cities don’t have — its tourism board has staff at seven offices abroad who work with counterparts in Australia, the United Kingdom, India and China.
At a moment when dramatic television images threaten to overshadow the facts of L.A. geography, Burke said, “we’re already working with the travel trade in real time,” aiming to “educate people around the world about why it’s still safe to responsibly travel to Los Angeles.”
And every time, the same sad song: If only the Clippers had had their best player …
Well, now, for once the Clippers can thank their lucky stars, because they have had a healthy Leonard and his new co-star James Harden – and yet! Going into Game 6 of their best-of-seven first-round series against the fourth-seeded Denver Nuggets, they were facing another first-round playoff exit, same as before.
After getting throttled in Denver in Game 5 on Tuesday, 131-115 – no thanks to a meek 11 points from Harden and a ho-hum 20 from Leonard – they showed up to work Thursday night at Intuit Dome facing the same disappointing fate. Just this time it was with a pair of healthy stars, who were 26-11 this season when they both played, but who were looking at a third consecutive loss – and checking out early for summer vacation. Again.
Womp-womp. What a letdown. After the Clippers overachieved all season with perhaps the best supporting cast Leonard has had in L.A. – and enjoyed, at last, a real home-court advantage at Intuit Dome, they’d backed themselves all the way up against the other wall, the proverbial one where one loss meant another early exit, but without any excuses or place to point blame beside themselves.
But … wait a minute. It turns out these healthy stars weren’t ready to “go home” just yet, as Harden said after he scored a team-high 28 points – the most for him in an elimination game since 2020, when he had 30 in a second-round loss to the Lakers in the Orlando bubble – to help the Clippers to a 111-105 win that forced a Game 7 in Denver on Saturday.
No, this tantalizing series – by far the best of all the first-round pairings in the NBA this spring – means too much to these guys.
“I’m enjoying every game,” said Leonard, who finished Thursday with 27 points on 11-of-22 shooting. “I’ve been on the sidelines the last couple of years in the playoffs. I don’t take it for granted. I just try to cherish every moment and thank god for being able to play.”
And so they came out Thursday aggressively, playing with fearlessness to match their Nuggets counterparts; because you need Kawhi and a real plus-one if you’re going to dance with the likes of Nikola Jokic and Playoff Jamal Murray.
The Clippers’ needed Leonard’s efficient 39-point explosion to win Game 2. They needed Harden’s best version of himself, his 20 points and nine assists in their cool Game 3 win, and then his scoring output and his eight assists Thursday to stave off that same old, tired ending for at least one more game, or maybe longer. (And to offset the predictable playoff stall-outs that are, at this point, part of driving the Harden bargain.)
Because it turns out it’s true, what we’ve been thinking this whole time: If only the Clippers were healthy … they are pretty dang formidable.
On Thursday, that version of the Clippers forced us – again – to reassess everything we thought we knew about this back-and-forth series.
Big Ivica Zubac defended perennial MVP candidate Jokic just about as well as anyone could, holding him to 5-of-14 shooting as his primary defender, per ESPN. With his light touch, Nicolas Batum left his fingerprints all over the game. And Norman “Pow-Pow-Powell!” — as they introduce the former UCLA Bruin at the Intuit Dome — punched in with 24 points. Those other Clippers so clutch in complementing their catalysts’ contributions, they not only fended off a Jokic and his accomplished crew but reminded us how scary-good a team they can be … when whole, when healthy.
“James did a great job of setting the tone early, scoring the basketball, getting downhill, making the right play,” said Clippers coach Tyronn Lue, who is glad to have Leonard to lean on. “Kawhi was just kind of steady throughout the game.”
Harden, 35, played 47 minutes and will do it again Saturday if needed, he said between a couple of big yawns postgame: “Got to. Have to. Have to. It is what it is. It’s a part of it. Whatever the team needs. If it’s 47, 48, overtime, whatever. I’m gonna do it.”
Or as Leonard put it: “Just go out there and have fun.”
And when the Clippers’ Fun Guy is out there, plugged in and running, it’s a win for us all — including, actually, Nuggets’ fans. And Lakers’ fans. All real basketball fans among us. So said Jokic: “If you like basketball, like a really true fan of basketball not like fame basketball like really like details stuff, I think this is the games that you should watch.”
And now, onto Game 7, after which the survivor of this great series will be rewarded with a second-round date against 68-win top-seeded Oklahoma City, the young Thunder having aged some since sweeping Memphis out of the playoffs back on Saturday, April 26.
The prospect of beating the NBA’s other MVP candidate, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander — once the Clippers’ rookie phenom before he was traded for Paul George, in essence to secure Leonard — will be a tall task, to be sure.
But after years of dreaming of all the places they could go if only they were whole and healthy, I know how they Clippers would greet that challenge. They’d be thinking: ‘Whi not?
SAN DIEGO, Calif. /California Newswire/ — The Mortgage Collaborative (TMC), a leading network of mortgage lenders dedicated to innovation and collaboration, has released its latest Pulse of the Network report, offering key insights into the challenges and opportunities shaping the mortgage industry in 2025. The survey, conducted with decision-makers-including CEOs, COOs, and department heads from banks, credit unions, and independent mortgage banks (IMBs)-highlights how lenders are preparing for a shifting market landscape.
“In a rapidly evolving mortgage environment, industry leaders are focusing on operational efficiency, strategic growth, and innovative technology to stay competitive,” said Jodi Hall, CEO and President at The Mortgage Collaborative. “Our Pulse of the Network report provides a real-time look at the industry’s top challenges and the strategic priorities guiding lenders into 2025.”
TOP INDUSTRY CHALLENGES
Lenders identified five critical issues they faced in 2024:
* Housing Inventory & Affordability – Low inventory and high home prices continue to squeeze the market, limiting lending opportunities.
* Rising Costs & Margin Pressure – Loan origination costs outpace revenue growth, driving the need for leaner operations.
* Talent & Recruitment Struggles – Finding and retaining top Loan Officers (LOs) remains a challenge as competition intensifies.
* Technology Inefficiencies – Many lenders report their tech stacks are costly and underperforming, prompting a shift toward smarter automation.
* Revenue Growth in a Tight Market – With fewer refinancing opportunities, lenders are focusing on new loan products and stronger borrower relationships.
KEY STRATEGIES FOR SUCCESS
Despite challenges, lenders are proactively adjusting their strategies and focusing on these goals in 2025:
* Boosting Loan Volume & Revenue – Expanding partnerships, launching new loan products, and enhancing digital marketing.
* Building Leaner Operations – Cutting inefficiencies and leveraging AI to reduce manual workloads.
* Strengthening Industry Collaboration – Engaging in peer networks, benchmarking, and market insights.
THE PATH FORWARD
The mortgage industry is poised for transformation in 2025, and TMC’s Pulse of the Network report underscores the importance of adaptability, strategic investment, and collaboration. By focusing on efficiency, technology, and talent, lenders can position themselves for growth in an unpredictable market.
“At TMC, we believe success isn’t just about navigating today’s challenges-it’s about preparing for the future,” added Jodi Hall. “Our network is committed to empowering lenders with the insights, tools, and connections needed to thrive in any market conditions.”
For the full report visit our blog.
*To participate in our next survey, talk to us about joining TMC: set a time to talk or email us.
About The Mortgage Collaborative:
The Mortgage Collaborative (TMC) is a member-driven organization dedicated to empowering mortgage lenders across the U.S. through networking, education, and advocacy. By fostering an environment of collaboration and innovation, TMC supports the success of its members, ensuring they thrive in a rapidly evolving industry. For more information, visit www.mortgagecollaborative.com.
Information is believed accurate but is not guaranteed. For questions about the above news, contact the company/org/person noted in the text and NOT this website.
We use cookies on our website to give you the most relevant experience by remembering your preferences and repeat visits. By clicking “Accept”, you consent to the use of ALL the cookies.
This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Out of these, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. But opting out of some of these cookies may affect your browsing experience.
Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. These cookies ensure basic functionalities and security features of the website, anonymously.
Cookie
Duration
Description
cookielawinfo-checkbox-analytics
11 months
This cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Analytics".
cookielawinfo-checkbox-functional
11 months
The cookie is set by GDPR cookie consent to record the user consent for the cookies in the category "Functional".
cookielawinfo-checkbox-necessary
11 months
This cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookies is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Necessary".
cookielawinfo-checkbox-others
11 months
This cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Other.
cookielawinfo-checkbox-performance
11 months
This cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Performance".
viewed_cookie_policy
11 months
The cookie is set by the GDPR Cookie Consent plugin and is used to store whether or not user has consented to the use of cookies. It does not store any personal data.
Functional cookies help to perform certain functionalities like sharing the content of the website on social media platforms, collect feedbacks, and other third-party features.
Performance cookies are used to understand and analyze the key performance indexes of the website which helps in delivering a better user experience for the visitors.
Analytical cookies are used to understand how visitors interact with the website. These cookies help provide information on metrics the number of visitors, bounce rate, traffic source, etc.
Advertisement cookies are used to provide visitors with relevant ads and marketing campaigns. These cookies track visitors across websites and collect information to provide customized ads.
