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This Sunday the PBS British-import series “Masterpiece” brings to American audiences the four-part “Mr. Bates vs The Post Office,” which caused a sensation when it was broadcast in January in the U.K. The title suggests something perhaps comical or fluffy — a man can’t get his mail delivered, or the postman keeps tramping through his flower bed (I know no postman would really do that) — as does the companionable presence of Toby Jones as Mr. Alan Bates, not to be confused with the actor. The facts are darker. This is the true story of a 20-year Kafka-esque nightmare during which nearly a thousand “subpostmasters,” running franchised branches of Post Office Limited, were falsely accused, and often convicted, of theft, false accounting and fraud over accounting shortfalls that were in fact the fault of a bug-ridden computer accounting system — called Horizon and supplied by Fujitsu — that the Post Office insisted was perfectly fine. (“Robust” is the word we hear repeated.) Forced to “pay back” money that was never missing in the first place, people lost livelihoods, life savings, reputations and homes; there were

It was a moment hundreds of women had been waiting for — and one many feared would never come. Five years after he fled the country and minutes before his former right-hand man was sentenced in federal court, authorities announced that the alleged mastermind behind the GirlsDoPorn sex-trafficking ring had touched down in San Diego in federal custody. Michael James Pratt disappeared in the summer of 2019, just before he was indicted on federal conspiracy and sex trafficking charges stemming from what prosecutors said was a decade-long scheme to con hundreds of teens and young women into appearing in adult videos for the website he owned. Pratt was on the lam for three years and had been listed among the FBI’s most-wanted fugitives by the time he was arrested in Spain in December of 2022. Five of those indicted alongside him have pleaded guilty to their crimes, each fingering Pratt as the ringleader. The majority of his co-conspirators have started their sentences in prison. On March 19, it was cameraman Matthew Isaac Wolfe’s turn. Dozens of victims had gathered at San Diego’s Carter-Keep Courthouse to

We as Americans should be asking hard questions about Benjamin Netanyahu. Does the prime minister have a vision to end Israel’s war in Gaza that doesn’t include us subsidizing indefinite occupation? Is he capable of the kind of diplomacy that’s necessary for peace? Opinion Columnist LZ Granderson LZ Granderson writes about culture, politics, sports and navigating life in America. His history with four U.S. presidents is instructive. In 2007, President George W. Bush authorized $30 billion in military aid for Israel, which was allocated over 10 years. In 2016, President Obama approved $38 billion. President Trump signed a historic aid package. Since Hamas attacked Israel on Oct. 7, the U.S. has approved more than 100 military deals with Israel. President Biden is currently asking Congress to approve the sale of $18 billion more in fighter jets. Tens of billions in weapons and munitions, feeding a bloody conflict that has escalated to claim tens of thousands of lives. Consistent support from four U.S. presidents representing the two major political parties. And all of this under the eye of Netanyahu, whose rise to power in the Israeli

Wearing snowshoes and aviator sunglasses, Gov. Gavin Newsom stood in a field near Lake Tahoe recently and listened as an engineer from the Department of Water Resources announced the results of California’s April snow survey, which is conducted every year when snow depths in the Sierra Nevada reach their maximum. The news was good: the manual survey, conducted by driving blue metal tubes into the ground, had measured 64 inches of snow — 13% above average for the location and time of year — all but guaranteeing that the state would not see severe drought this summer. This marked the second year in a row with above-average snowfall and was a huge turnaround from conditions at the beginning of 2024, when the snowpack across the state was barely a quarter of the historic average. But despite the cheerful tone, everyone assembled in that field — the governor, the engineers, the director of the DWR who declared that “average is awesome!” — was likely mindful of the long, dry years of the recent past and the worrying fact that the future of California’s mountain snowpack looks

When people recognize veteran journalist Miles O’Brien from his days covering aviation for CNN, they often thank him for his coverage of the explosion of the space shuttle Challenger. O’Brien has to politely correct those grateful fans. He was on CNN’s air for 16 consecutive hours covering the demise of the space shuttle Columbia, which broke up in the sky over Texas on Feb. 1, 2003, as it reentered Earth’s atmosphere. The seven astronauts on board died after 16 days in orbit. The 1986 Challenger tragedy was a defining moment for Gen Xers who watched it live in their classrooms. One of the crew members was a schoolteacher, Christa McAuliffe. The Columbia mission, in contrast, remains murky in the public consciousness, occurring between the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks and the 2003 U.S. invasion of Iraq. That may be why the story plays out like a mystery in the new four-part CNN Originals series, “Space Shuttle Columbia: The Last Flight,” which features O’Brien prominently. The series, debuting Sunday at 6 p.m. Eastern, is from CNN Originals, the cable network’s much-admired production entity that is looking to

By Aimee Picchi Edited By Alain Sherter April 6, 2024 / 6:00 AM EDT / CBS News Solar eclipse to bring economic boost Solar eclipse expected to bring economic boom as millions travel 04:28 Steve Wright said he first heard about the total eclipse on April 8 four years ago, when a visitor booked the first room for the event at Vermont’s Jay Peak Resort. Wright, the resort’s general manager, said he soon started hearing rumblings from other ski areas.  “They said, ‘The hype is real’,” he recalled, adding that he’s never seen anything quite like the visitor excitement over the eclipse. That early prediction turned out to be prescient, with Wright noting that all of Jay Peak’s 900 rooms have been fully booked for April 7 — at a cost of about $500 per night — for a year and a half. By comparison, the resort had roughly 80 bookings on the same day last year. Roughly 800 rooms are booked for April 8, the day of the eclipse.  Indeed, tourists are getting into the spirit of the rare celestial event, a major boon

By Jason R. Rich April 6, 2024 / 6:00 AM EDT / Essentials CBS Essentials is created independently of the CBS News editorial staff. We may receive commissions from some links to products on this page. Promotions are subject to availability and retailer terms. Samsung, Google These days, there are a lot of similarities between Apple’s iPhone and its Android rivals. There are plenty of reasons why people are giving up their iPhones and switching to an Android smartphone — and you’re about to discover what we think are the top five. Top 5 reasons to switch from iOS to Android There are many reasons why Apple iPhone users should seriously consider making the switch to Android mobile devices, but our team of in-house  smartphone experts  has compiled this list of the five most compelling. #1: Android is more customizable than iOS Beyond just letting you add apps from the Google Play Store, the latest versions of Android (particularly Android 14) offers users all sorts of ways to customize their phones. This includes personalizing the appearance and layout of home and screens in ways not

A suspect was shot and killed by a California Highway Patrol officer outside the Los Cerritos Center Friday following a pursuit. Video footage circulating on social media depicts sounds of gunshots, prompting shoppers to frantically run from stores into the parking lot, the Los Angeles Times reported. The shooting occurred around 4 p.m. Friday, according to the Sheriff’s Information Bureau. It stemmed from a police pursuit, FOX11 reported, citing information from the CHP. Los Angeles County Fire Department paramedics arrived at the shopping center and took the suspect to a hospital where he died, the Sheriff’s Information Bureau reported. Sheriff’s Homicide Bureau detectives assisted the CHP in the investigation of the shooting, according to the Sheriff’s Information Bureau. The details surrounding what led up to the pursuit remain unknown. Anyone with information regarding the shooting was urged to call the Sheriff’s Homicide Bureau at 323-890-5500. Tipsters who prefer to remain anonymous can call Crime Stoppers at 800-222-8477 or visit lacrimestoppers.org.

A person fell onto the tracks at the Westlake/MacArthur Park Metro Rail station Friday evening and was struck and killed by a train. Officers responded to the station around 9:20 p.m. Friday, according to the Los Angeles Police Department. It was unclear what caused the person to fall onto the tracks, and detectives were conducting an investigation Friday evening. The pedestrian’s name was being withheld by the Los Angeles County Department of Medical Examiner pending notification of relatives.

By Megan Cerullo Edited By Anne Marie Lee April 6, 2024 / 5:00 AM EDT / CBS News Solar eclipse should boost local economies Solar eclipse expected to boost local economies as travelers pay a premium 01:58 Susan Hochman, who for seven years has been planning to travel to see the solar eclipse on April 8 , will be shelling out hundreds of dollars for a one-night stay at a modest hotel room in Saranac Lake, New York, which is in the path of the so-called totality . She’ll be spending $650 to spend one night at a Best Western hotel, where room rates are as low as $99 during less busy periods, according to hotel staff.  “I thought that was crazy,” the New York City resident said. “I almost died at the $650 rate the Best Western quoted, but at least I can just stay there the one night that I need.” Hochman booked her accommodations in October of last year. Still, she wishes she had made reservations far earlier. “As much as I had given it forethought, I didn’t plan as much in