Category: Los Angeles

A judge has denied a bid by the Los Angeles Unified School District to dismiss wholly or in part a lawsuit filed by the mother of a 15-year-old girl who died of a drug overdose in a high school restroom in 2022, finding that there were triable issues for a jury. Plaintiff Elena Perez’s Los Angeles Superior Court lawsuit alleges that Bernstein High School officials knew there was a problem with drug use at the Hollywood campus, but took no action that could have saved her daughter, Melanie Ramos. The coroner’s report stated that Melanie died from an accidental overdose of fentanyl on Sept. 13, 2022. In court papers filed previously with Judge Lisa R. Jaskol, LAUSD lawyers contended the Bernstein High administration did not fail Perez or her daughter and that both the district and the administrators have immunity from Perez’s causes of action. But in her ruling Monday denying the LAUSD’s motion, the judge said that between 2013 and the fall semester of 2022, several medical emergencies related to drug use took place at the Bernstein campus and that three of the medical

By Eric Henderson Updated on: December 3, 2024 / 12:11 PM EST / CBS News Most anticipated movies this season What are the most anticipated movies of the Thanksgiving, holiday season? 03:55 The New York Film Critics Circle, one of the nation’s oldest and most venerated critics’ groups, is kicking movie awards season into high gear Tuesday as they select their choices for the best of 2024.  The group, comprised of roughly 50 print and online movie reviewers based in the city, is frequently the first major critics’ group to announce its best-of choices for the year. Their winners are chosen via ballot, and on a category-by-category basis; the awards have traditionally taken a number of hours to reveal.  Marianne Jean-Baptiste was named the year’s best actress for “Hard Truths,” her reunion with British director Mike Leigh. She was previously nominated for an Oscar for her role in Leigh’s “Secrets & Lies.”  The group selected as its best non-fiction film winner “No Other Land,” an Israel-Palestinian collaboration directed by Basel Adra, Hamdan Ballal, Yuval Abraham and Rachel Szor. Longtime film critic J. Hoberman recently called

By Robert Legare Updated on: December 3, 2024 / 12:57 PM EST / CBS News U.S. calls on China to sway North Korea U.S. calls on China to sway North Korea to stop efforts with Russia in Ukraine war 03:02 A Chinese national living in California has been arrested and charged by federal law enforcement after he allegedly bought and exported guns and ammunition to North Korea at the direction of North Korean agents who funneled him $2 million to purchase the equipment, according to a newly unsealed criminal complaint. Shenghua Wen, 41, also admitted to trying to obtain military uniforms in an apparent attempt to help North Korean soldiers disguise themselves and conduct a “surprise attack” against South Korea, prosecutors said in an affidavit accompanying the complaint, which was filed on Nov. 26. Prosecutors alleged Wen came to the U.S. on a student visa in 2012 and lives in Ontario, California. During a series of interviews earlier this year, he allegedly told investigators that he met with North Korean officials in China before coming to the U.S., and they directed him to procure firearms

By Kelsie Hoffman December 3, 2024 / 12:03 PM EST / CBS News Jon M. Chu on making “Wicked” a movie Jon M. Chu on bringing “Wicked” from Broadway to the big screen 05:58 After fewer than 10 days in theaters, the movie “Wicked” made more than $360 million worldwide, making it the highest grossing Broadway musical adaptation of all time. Director Jon M. Chu said there was a need to make “Wicked” now — “that it was speaking to a new voice of a new generation.” Before casting Cynthia Erivo as Elphaba and Ariana Grande as Glinda , Chu said he was originally set on finding fresh faces for the movie in his largest casting call ever. “I didn’t believe, like when Ari came in, like no way Ariana Grande could commit herself to a role like this. I knew she was funny. I knew she had great pipes, but when she came in, she became Glinda,” he said. “When those two walk in… the moment you look in their eyes, there’s no denying it, they just took those roles.” Chu called it a

December 3, 2024 / 11:57 AM EST / CBS/AP Controversy at Young Thug RICO trial Prosecutors trying to use Young Thug’s lyrics against him in RICO trial 05:56 The gang and racketeering case in Atlanta that previously involved the rap music star Young Thug ended on Tuesday, when a jury found the last two defendants not guilty of murder and gang-related charges in the culmination of Georgia’s longest criminal trial. Deamonte Kendrick, who raps as Yak Gotti, was acquitted of all charges. Shannon Stillwell was found guilty only of a gun possession charge.  The verdicts came nearly two years after jury selection began and a year after opening statements in a trial plagued with problems. Kendrick appeared in court this week despite having been stabbed and injured Sunday in jail, his attorney Doug Weinstein confirmed. Weinstein said in a social media post that he expected Kendrick, who “sounded tired” when they spoke in the wake of the incident, “to make a full recovery.” The stabbing occurred almost a year after Stillwell was also stabbed inside the jail, CBS News affiliate WANF reported. The original, sweeping

Hunter Biden was in an increasingly perilous position. After Donald Trump defeated Kamala Harris, it was clear that some of his most vociferous critics were poised to assume power and carry out the promise of retribution for Trump’s enemies. Hunter was also set to be sentenced to months, and potentially years, in prison after he was convicted of illegally purchasing a handgun and pleaded guilty to tax crimes. Within his circle and the broader Biden family orbit, there were growing fears that Hunter’s status as a political and legal target would only become more acute. A white paper penned by his lawyers and circulated over the long Thanksgiving weekend outlined the risks and the grave threats he faced. But on Sunday night, the clouds lifted. With the stunning pardon his father President Biden had repeatedly said he would never grant, Hunter was now free of all those criminal entanglements. With the stroke of a pen, the president had given his son expansive immunity for 11 years of conduct, for any and all federal offenses. The pardon came at a deep price for his father, who

ServiceTitan, a Glendale tech firm that makes business management software for plumbers, painters and other contractors, announced Tuesday that it wants to raise up to $502 million in its initial public offering on the Nasdaq stock exchange. The company said it plans to offer 8.8 million shares that would be priced between $52 and $57 each, according to a regulatory filing. At the top of that range, ServiceTitan would have a market capitalization of $5.16 billion. The company was valued at $7.6 billion after a November 2022 funding round. ServiceTitan hasn’t said when it plans to start trading. ServiceTitan was founded in 2007 by two college friends from Glendale, Ara Mahdessian, 39, and Vahe Kuzoyan, 41, whose fathers worked as contractors. The company previously raised about $1.4 billion from venture firms, including Iconiq Growth, Bessemer Venture Partners and Battery Ventures. It counts about 8,000 contracting firms as customers, providing an end-to-end software suite that can manage booking appointments, generating estimates and processing invoices as well as payroll and dispatching workers. Clients range in size from family-owned contractors to large national franchises totaling more than 100,000

To truly understand how far the Galaxy have come in reaching the MLS Cup final on Saturday, you first must know where they started. The Galaxy headed into last season having lost more games than they’d won since 2017. They’d made the playoffs twice in six seasons and had gone a team-record nine years without playing in the league championship game. Once the model franchise in MLS, the Galaxy had become a dysfunctional mess. And it didn’t look like things would be getting better any time soon. So when the Galaxy announced that Chris Klein, who presided over that free fall as the team’s president for a decade, had been given a contract extension, Andrew Alesana had seen enough. The team already had his money — he’d recently renewed the season ticket he had had since 2007 — but it would no longer have his support. So just before the start of the 2023 season Alesana, president of the LA Riot Squad, joined with three of the team’s other main supporters groups to organize a boycott, promising to stay away from games until changes in

UCLA students are being warned to lock their doors and windows following a string of off-campus housing burglaries, including one incident where a student was still sleeping inside when burglars broke in. The latest in at least four burglaries occurred around 3:45 a.m. the day after Thanksgiving at a student residence on the 10900 block of Strathmore Drive in Westwood. The student was asleep upstairs when two burglars, believed to be a man and a woman, entered through an unlocked door. Police are investigating a string of off-campus burglaries that may be targeting UCLA students. (KTLA) The thieves took an electric scooter and a speaker, and they may have fled in a gray Hyundai Elantra sedan, the UCLA Police Department stated in a news release. Police are also investigating three other residential burglaries that took place on the 3200 block of Sepulveda Boulevard in the Palms neighborhood between Nov. 21 and Nov. 24 about three and a half miles from campus. The victims in all cases were reported to be UCLA students, according to police. An unknown number of suspects forced entry through windows before

An overnight shooting at a strip mall in Compton left two people dead, authorities say.  The Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department states that deputies began conducting a shooting death investigation just after 11:05 p.m. Monday in the 900 block of South Central Avenue near the intersection with Alondra Boulevard.  Upon arrival, deputies found the two victims – an unidentified man and woman – suffering from gunshot wounds. The woman was pronounced dead at the scene, while the man was transported to a nearby hospital where he died, LASD said.  It is not known if they were discovered outside in the parking lot or whether they were inside a store at the time of the shooting; the only store open at the time of the shooting was a liquor store, and detectives were seen going in and out of the store possibly interviewing witnesses or trying to obtain surveillance footage. 1 killed when pursuit ends in violent rollover crash in Orange County It is also not known if the two victims had any connection to each other.  No information on a suspect or suspects was released.

Beverly Hills-based talent agency Gersh is acquiring Madrid-based sports representation firm You First in a major expansion that marks the firm’s entry into the highly competitive business of working with athletes. The deal, announced Tuesday, doubles the agency’s staff to more than 600 people. Additionally, the pact expands Gersh’s footprint to 22 offices in 14 countries. You First has more than 1,000 clients, including Spanish soccer player Fabián Ruiz and NBA player Jarrett Allen. Prior to the acquisition, Gersh did not represent athletes, but rather focused on actors, directors, writers and other talent. “It felt essential for the agency to grow, change and evolve, and growth into the sports representation vertical was a central pillar and focus of where we felt we wanted to take the agency,” said managing partner Steve Gersh in an interview. “The area that we were where we felt there were the strongest tailwinds and biggest opportunity for growth, not only domestically but globally, was in sports and sports representation.” Financial terms of the deal were not disclosed. You First Chief Executive Juan Aísa said the Gersh partnership allows his business

Updated on: December 3, 2024 / 10:15 AM EST / CBS/AFP Biden says South Korea, Japan alliance is key Biden says South Korea, Japan alliance is key to countering North Korea, Russia 02:02 South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol declared an “emergency martial law” Tuesday, accusing the country’s opposition of controlling the parliament, sympathizing with North Korea and paralyzing the government with anti-state activities. “To safeguard a liberal South Korea from the threats posed by North Korea’s communist forces and to eliminate anti-state elements… I hereby declare emergency martial law,” Yoon said in a live televised address to the nation. “With no regard for the livelihoods of the people, the opposition party has paralyzed governance solely for the sake of impeachments, special investigations, and shielding their leader from justice,” he added. South Korea’s National Assembly was sealed Tuesday after Yoon’s declaration, the country’s Yonhap news agency reported.  Helicopters were seen landing on the roof of the building in Seoul, in live television footage aired by broadcasters. Police stand guard in front of the main gate of the National Assembly in Seoul on December 3, 2024

Ralph Fiennes and Juliette Binoche on reuniting for “The Return” after nearly 30 years – CBS News Watch CBS News Actors Ralph Fiennes and Juliette Binoche star in “The Return,” a retelling of Homer’s “The Odyssey.” Fiennes plays Odysseus, returning to reclaim his home and wife, Penelope, played by Binoche. They join “CBS Mornings Plus.” Be the first to know Get browser notifications for breaking news, live events, and exclusive reporting. Not Now Turn On

The first look inside Notre Dame after the fire The first look inside the Notre Dame cathedral after the fire 01:57 President-elect Donald Trump said late Monday that he will travel to Paris for the reopening of Notre Dame Cathedral , a grand celebration set to take place this weekend.  “It is an honor to announce that I will be traveling to Paris, France, on Saturday to attend the re-opening of the Magnificent and Historic Notre Dame Cathedral, which has been fully restored after a devastating fire five years ago,” Trump wrote on his social media platform Truth Social. “President Emmanuel Macron has done a wonderful job ensuring that Notre Dame has been restored to its full level of glory, and even more so. It will be a very special day for all!” Notre Dame was damaged in a fire that raged for 12 hours on April 15, 2019, nearly destroying the iconic 1,200-year-old church. Although experts said at the time that the restoration could take up to 40 years, Macron vowed to rebuild in five years. “The decision to rebuild Notre Dame was about

Missouri is set to execute a man Tuesday night for the sexual assault and murder of a fourth-grade girl who called him “Uncle Chris” in 2007. Gov. Mike Parson denied his clemency petition earlier this week and the U.S. Supreme Court rejected his request to hear an appeal, clearing the way for the procedure to go forward. Christopher Collings, 49, will receive a lethal injection at the state prison in Bonne Terre. Missouri uses high doses of a single drug, pentobarbital, to carry out executions. The heavy sedative is typically used to euthanize animals. Collings was convicted of first-degree murder in the death of Rowan Ford, his friend David Spears’ 9-year-old stepdaughter, in a crime that Missouri Attorney General Andrew Bailey and others have described as “vile, horrible and inhumane.” On the evening of Nov. 2, 2007, Spears was drinking with Collings and another friend, Nathan Mahurin, at his home in Stella, a small village in southwestern Missouri, while the young girl slept and her mother worked an overnight shift at Walmart, court records show. The men relocated at one point to Collings’ trailer in

Why the Syrian civil war is reigniting now – CBS News Watch CBS News Syria’s army and its allies are reported to have confronted an attack by forces affiliated with the Kurdish Syrian Democratic Forces in the north of the country. This comes after rebel fighters over the weekend took control of most of Aleppo. CBS News senior national security correspondent Charlie D’Agata has more on why the fighting in Syria is heating up again. Be the first to know Get browser notifications for breaking news, live events, and exclusive reporting. Not Now Turn On

Deputies in Illinois rescue pregnant woman whose car wouldn’t stop – CBS News Watch CBS News Video shows sheriff deputies in Illinois helped rescue a pregnant woman who called 911 after her car would not stop as she pressed the brakes. The runaway car was traveling about 30 mph toward a lake as a 911 dispatcher tried to guide the woman to safety before a deputy could stop her vehicle. Be the first to know Get browser notifications for breaking news, live events, and exclusive reporting. Not Now Turn On

Woman sentenced to 25 years in prison for DUI crash that killed bride on her wedding night – CBS News Watch CBS News A drunk driver pleaded guilty and was sentenced for a car crash that killed a bride on her wedding night in South Carolina in 2023. Investigators say Jamie Komoroski was driving 65 mph in a 25 mph zone when she crashed into the newlyweds’ golf cart. A toxicology report found her blood alcohol level was more than three times the legal limit. She was sentenced to 25 years in prison on Monday. Be the first to know Get browser notifications for breaking news, live events, and exclusive reporting. Not Now Turn On

What to know about Travel Tuesday deals – CBS News Watch CBS News In another round of post-Thanksgiving deals, an airfare tracking site says there’s an opportunity to save on your next trip. According to Hopper, last year there were nearly twice as many travel deals available on Travel Tuesday than there were on Cyber Monday or Black Friday. Transportation correspondent Kris Van Cleave has details on the deals. Be the first to know Get browser notifications for breaking news, live events, and exclusive reporting. Not Now Turn On

Select Taco Bell drive-thrus nationwide will be transformed into a “one of a kind” photo booth experience to capture fans’ everyday “Live Mas” moments. Taco Bell rewards members in California, Ohio, Tennessee, Texas and Florida will be able to participate in the drive-thru photo booth experience. Some of the photos could end up in Taco Bell’s upcoming commercial during the Super Bowl, according to the chain. Iconic Taco Bell items from previous decades returning to 3 Southern California stores “Every day in our drive-thrus, we see moments that are so uniquely ‘our fans’ – the moments, the memories, and the energy that makes Taco Bell who we are,” Taco Bell’s Chief Marketing Officer Taylor Montgomery said in a statement. “That’s why, for our return to football’s biggest stage, we’re sidelining the celebrities and turning the camera on the fans who already make Taco Bell what it is.” The photo booth experience will be available at these locations for a limited time: Dec. 3 to Dec. 5: 1604 S. La Brea Ave., Los Angeles, CA, 90019 Dec. 4 to Dec. 6: 17565 E. Bagley Road, Middleburg

An investigation is underway after a Tesla crashed head-on into a Metro bus in the Rancho Park neighborhood of Los Angeles early Tuesday morning. Video taken shortly after midnight showed both the Tesla and the bus with major front-end damage. Witnesses said the Metro bus was parked on the street when the Tesla slammed into it. A Tesla crashed head-on into an MTA bus in Los Angeles on Dec. 3, 2024. (TNLA) The bus driver was believed to be the only person on the bus at the time of the crash. The conditions of both drivers were unclear. There was no immediate word on what may have caused the crash.