Category: Los Angeles

By Mikayla Denault, Melissa Mahtani December 5, 2024 / 9:00 AM EST / CBS News False claims about a Plan B morning-after pill being hidden in over-the-counter pregnancy tests are resurfacing on social media. The posts allege that if you split open the contents of a pregnancy test, you will find an emergency contraceptive pill “hidden” inside.  However, the claims are false.  The so-called pill is actually a desiccant tablet, similar to the tablets found in vitamin bottles, that are meant to absorb moisture and sustain the shelf life of the tests. The claims have long been debunked by medical professionals, as well as by the manufacturers of many at-home pregnancy tests. Clearblue, a company that sells pregnancy tests, even has a statement on its website saying the small desiccant tablet “should not be eaten.” CBS News Confirmed identified several social media posts spreading false claims about a Plan B morning-after pill being hidden in over-the-counter pregnancy tests. Hendrik Schmidt/picture alliance via Getty Images Viral false claims about Plan B in pregnancy tests CBS News Confirmed identified several social media posts spreading the false claims. An

The search for a possible missing person was underway at the Port of Long Beach early Thursday morning. KTLA’s Omar Lewis was on the scene Thursday, where rescue divers and crews were searching the water near the port. Calls for a rescue came overnight, when a person possibly fell off of a boat, according to stringer service Key News Network. The large-scale response started just after 11:30 p.m. Wednesday. No additional details, including the identity of the potentially missing person, were immediately made available. KTLA reached out to authorities on Thursday morning, but was yet to hear back as of 5:40 a.m.

Mark McAfee, the California raw milk producer who has been at the center of several bird flu-related product recalls, says a transition team for Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has encouraged him to apply for a position at the Food and Drug Administration. McAfee, CEO of Fresno-based Raw Farm, LLC, told The Times that he has complied with the request and applied for the position of “FDA advisor on raw milk policy and standards development.” The recent raw milk recalls were the result of positive tests for H5N1 bird flu among McAfee’s cows. His farms have since been quarantined, and the state has suspended all sales of raw milk and cream. Raw Farm has voluntarily issued recalls for all remaining milk and cream products in stores. McAfee’s farm is also involved in at least 11 lawsuits stemming from a salmonella outbreak that sickened 171 people in California, and which occurred between October of last year and May of this year, according to Bill Marler, a Seattle-area food safety lawyer. When asked about McAfee potentially being tapped for a federal food advisory role, Marler wrote in an

Early details on UnitedHealthcare CEO shooting Early details on shooting of UnitedHealthcare CEO, search for gunman 02:49 Bullets that an unidentified gunman used to shoot and kill UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson on Wednesday morning had words written on them, CBS News has confirmed.  The words “deny,” “defend” and “depose” appeared on shell casings recovered from the scene of the shooting in New York City, according to law enforcement officials. The officials said they are examining whether the words relate to a possible motive involving insurance companies and their responses to claims. ABC News first reported this information. Thompson, 50, was shot multiple times before 7 a.m. ET Wednesday, by a masked gunman who fled the area before police arrived. The shooting happened in a busy section of Manhattan outside of the Hilton Midtown hotel, where the executive was set to attend a conference for UnitedHealthcare investors. Thompson had been staying at the Marriott across the street, authorities said.  Security footage showed him walking up to the Hilton at around 6:45 a.m., when a gunman who police said had been lying in wait for several minutes

By Paulina Smolinski December 5, 2024 / 7:00 AM EST / CBS News President Biden will participate on Thursday in the annual Christmas tree lighting on the Ellipse, his last time taking part in the annual tradition before he departs the White House next year.  Mr. Biden returned to the White House on early Thursday after spending the beginning of the week in Angola . Before he left, he ignited a firestorm when he issued a sweeping pardon for his son , Hunter, who had been convicted on federal drug and gun charges, and pleaded guilty to tax charges. When asked about the pardon earlier this week, the first lady, who attended every day of Hunter Biden’s Delaware trial, said “of course I support the pardon of my son.” This year’s Christmas tree is a 35-foot Red Spruce from the George Washington and Jefferson National Forests in Virginia. A collection of 58 smaller trees are adorned with student-designed ornaments from every state and territory.   The 102nd Tree Lighting Ceremony will be hosted by Mickey Guyton featuring performances by Adam Blackstone, Stephen Sanchez, James Taylor

Updated on: December 5, 2024 / 6:26 AM EST / CBS/AP “Narcos” star Pedro Pascal “Narcos” star Pedro Pascal on the mystery of Pablo Escobar’s death 04:33 One of Colombia’s legendary drug lords and a key operator of the Medellin cocaine cartel has been released from a U.S. prison and is expected to be deported back home. Records from the U.S. Bureau of Prisons show Fabio Ochoa Vásquez was released Tuesday after completing 25 years of a 30-year prison sentence. Ochoa, 67, and his older brothers amassed a fortune when cocaine started flooding the U.S. in the late 1970s and early 1980s, according to U.S. authorities, to the point that in 1987 they were included in the Forbes Magazine’s list of billionaires. Living in Miami, Ochoa ran a distribution center for the cocaine cartel once headed by Pablo Escobar . Although somewhat faded from memory as the center of the drug trade shifted from Colombia to Mexico, he resurfaced in the hit Netflix series “Narcos” true to form as the youngest son of an elite Medellin family into ranching and horse breeding that cut a

Exit polling suggests that the dominating issue for voters in the presidential election was the economy. Americans can barely afford groceries, rent and child care. Voters perceived President-elect Donald Trump and Republicans to be more capable of addressing the woes of inflation and globalization, but Democrats have been hawking a similar message. Politicians of all stripes need to move away from selling voters the false promise that they have control over inflation and globalization. Washington does have the power to make positive changes for working families, though. As one party is about to control Congress and the White House, this would be a great moment for lawmakers to brush up on how markets work and what the federal government can do to mitigate stagnant wages and market failures, support working families, and subsidize the construction of new housing. As voters, it is also our job to learn some basic economics, at least enough to understand supply and demand for housing; the effect of tariffs, taxes and subsidies as tools; and the causes of inflation. Our whole country would benefit from a refresher course. Luckily, some

DEIR AL BALAH, Gaza Strip —  The tools of his newfound trade arrayed before him, Mohammad Al-Ashaqar, a jeweler for decades, prepares himself for the first of some 200 intricate repairs he performs every day. In his hand he holds neither gemstone nor gold, but a gossamer-thin 20-shekel note held together with tape. He takes an X-acto knife, carefully peels off the old tape, cleans the residue, then applies transparent glue in a way to ensure the bill doesn’t break when it’s folded. “It’s not easy,” Al-Ashqar, 48, says of his work as a money repairman in a shop in Deir al Balah. “But I’ve become quite good at it.” In Deir al Balah, Mohammad al-Ashqar, a jeweler for decades, repairs worn-out Israeli shekels with simple tools like glue and an X-Acto knife, aiming to restore them as usable currency. Palestinian territories use the shekel as their primary currency. (Bilal Shbair / Los Angeles Times) More than a year into Israel’s bombardment of the Gaza Strip, cash is king. But the destruction across the Palestinian territory, which has left few banks standing and made ATMs inaccessible

(Natalia Agatte / For The Times) Demi Moore has drawn the most focused awards attention of her career for her bold performance in “The Substance” as actor and fitness guru Elisabeth Sparkle, who takes an illicit drug in an attempt to retrieve her youth. But looking back, Moore is a veteran of the major awards circuit. 1991 Moore received a lead actress comedy/musical Golden Globe nomination for “Ghost.” 2 Although she was not nominated for an Oscar, Moore starred in two best picture nominees, “Ghost” and “A Few Good Men.” And this was when there were only … 5 … best picture contenders in a year. 1997 Moore received an Emmy producing nomination and Golden Globe producing and acting nominations for the abortion-themed HBO anthology film “If These Walls Could Talk.” 1 of 5 Moore was nominated for a Directors Guild of America Award for the breast cancer-themed 2011 Lifetime short-film anthology “Five,” along with fellow directors Jennifer Aniston, Alicia Keys, Patty Jenkins and Penelope Spheeris. 1/24-6/24: Great five-month run for Moore, who won sympathy as ostracized socialite Ann Woodward in “Feud: Capote vs. the

Classical music has been on the front lines in a year marked by division and distraction, protest and intolerance, war and suffering. A pro-Palestinian UCLA student encampment fell under violent attack in April on the same day that, just across the quad, the ambitious Hear Now festival of Los Angeles new music held the last day of its four-concert series. The concluding work turned out to be George Lewis’ “Lonnie and Lonie,” a double concerto that found common musical ground for two uncles with opposing views of the world. Meanwhile, youth orchestras demonstrated that kids from both sides of a divided Venezuela could work together in a children’s symphony; the same with young musicians from Israel and surrounding Arab countries and territories in the West-Eastern Divan Orchestra. The first to bring a sense of community after the U.S. presidential campaigns were the new music ensemble Brightwork on election night and Wild Up in a series of weekend “Democracy Sessions.” Both ended in meditative peace. It’s been a consequential, demanding year. An L.A. Phil year Simon O’Neill sings during the L.A. Phil’s “Das Rheingold” in Disney

In the same week last month, two women were reported missing by their families to the Los Angeles Police Department. Their cases garnered attention, quickly making national headlines. Volunteers helped look for the women while their families raised money with crowdfunding online to aid their search efforts. Then, came a shocking update from the police: There was no evidence their loved ones had been abducted. They were instead deemed “voluntarily missing” or not missing at all. In both instances, police said they started their investigation the way a typical missing person’s case would: determining if the person is actually missing or just doesn’t want to be found. First, “Gossip Girl” actress Chanel Maya Banks was reported missing by her family on Nov. 8, Within days, Banks revealed she was safe in Texas, where she verified her identity with local authorities and gave a media interview. She was later removed from California’s registry of missing persons. At the same time, a cousin of Banks was calling news conferences and telling the media that the police claim that Banks was in Texas was “fake news,” insisting she

House panel releases report on Trump shooting Breaking down the House panel report on Trump rally shooting 04:04 Washington — Secret Service Acting Director Ronald Rowe is set to testify Thursday before the bipartisan House task force investigating the assassination attempts against President-elect Donald Trump as the panel prepares to wrap its investigation into the incidents that sent shockwaves through the country in the lead up to the presidential election.  The panel, which the House voted to establish earlier this year, is tasked with looking into the security failures during the July 13 assassination attempt against Trump in Butler, Pennsylvania, and the foiled attempt in West Palm Beach, Florida, on Sept. 15. The lawmakers will also make recommendations to prevent future attacks. Thursday’s hearing will begin at 9:30 a.m. on Capitol Hill. The Secret Service came under intense scrutiny in the wake of the initial attack, and its director at the time, Kimberly Cheatle, resigned in July after a bruising day of testimony before the House Oversight and Accountability Committee. Rowe’s testimony on Thursday marks his first public appearance before the task force, which heard

Updated on: December 5, 2024 / 5:44 AM EST / AFP French lawmakers oust prime minister French lawmakers oust prime minister in no-confidence vote 01:31 Paris — French Prime Minister Michel Barnier on Thursday was meeting Emmanuel Macron to submit his resignation after losing a vote of no confidence in parliament, with the president urgently seeking ways to halt growing political and financial chaos. Poised to be contemporary France’s shortest-serving premier, Barnier arrived at the Elysee Palace just after 10 a.m. local time (4 a.m. Eastern) for the resignation formality, with the outgoing premier and government constitutionally obliged to step down after the defeat in parliament. A majority of lawmakers supported the no-confidence vote Wednesday that was proposed by the hard-left and backed by the far-right, headed by Marine Le Pen. Barnier’s record-quick ejection comes after snap parliamentary elections this summer that resulted in a hung parliament , with no political force able to form an overall majority and the far-right holding the key to the government’s survival. French Prime Minister Michel Barnier speaks during a no-confidence debate at the National Assembly in Paris, France, Dec.

December 5, 2024 / 4:51 AM EST / CBS/AP Manila, Philippines — Philippine police officials said Thursday they were checking reports that a kidnapped American died after being shot twice while resisting his Oct. 17 abduction by gunmen in the country’s south. Elliot Eastman , 26, from Vermont, was shot twice with an M16 rifle while trying to fight off his four kidnappers, who posed as police officers, in the coastal town of Sibuco in Zamboanga del Norte province, police said. The kidnappers dragged him to a motorboat and sped off, according to earlier police reports. A massive search for Eastman and his abductors led to the arrest of a number of suspects, but he has not been found. Three suspects were killed in a gunbattle with police in the south last month. A man points to a suspected bloodstain in the sand in Sibuco, Zamboanga del Norte province, Philippines, Oct. 18, 2024, where abducted American YouTuber Elliot Eastman was shot by gunmen. STR/AFP/Getty Regional police spokesperson Lt. Col. Ramoncelio Sawan said investigators received information from a relative of one of the suspects that Eastman died

Little about the first month of his first season at USC had gone as Eric Musselman hoped. His USC offense struggled to score. His defense struggled to get stops. And on the glass, only a few of the 355 teams in Division I college basketball had been worse than the Trojans, who struggled to dispatch the likes of Grambling and Texas Arlington. The shortcomings of a rapidly constructed roster had become evident to USC’s coach during that eight-game stretch. But after stumbling its way through the first month of the Muss era, here was a chance, in its Big Ten debut, for USC to stem the tide of those early-season struggles. The Trojans seemed well on their way to seizing that opportunity Wednesday against Oregon, which sat atop the conference after a spotless 8-0 start. Then, in the final minutes, everything unraveled for USC in a 68-60 loss to the No. 12 Ducks. A defense that, for most of the game, appeared transformed crumbled during the final 10 minutes, as Oregon got to the line again and again — 16 times in that stretch. Oregon

An 18-year-old man and a boy suspected in the fatal shooting of a man in Coachella were arrested, authorities announced Wednesday. Deputies from the Central Homicide Unit, with assistance from the Major Crime Unit and the Thermal Station Coachella Community Action Team, located Gael Silva and a 17-year-old male suspect Tuesday. According to the Riverside County Sheriff’s Department, Silva was booked into the Robert Presley Detention Center on suspicion of murder, while the 17-year-old was booked into juvenile hall. The name of the juvenile suspect will not be released because of his age. Deputies responded to the 51800 block of Shady Lane shortly after 3:20 a.m. on Oct. 12 to reports regarding shots fired. “Upon arrival, deputies located a deceased male suffering from apparent gunshot wounds. Responding deputies secured the scene with crime scene tape and closed the area to all vehicle and foot traffic,” sheriff’s officials said in a statement. Investigators later identified the victim as 44-year-old Roman Gamboa, who was pronounced dead at the scene. An ongoing investigation into the fatal shooting continued Wednesday evening. Anyone with information regarding the case was urged

The annual Santa Maria Parade of Lights is set to grace the city’s streets on Dec. 7, and officials say several closures will be in effect as a result. According to Caltrans, Highway 135 (S Broadway) between Battles Road and Main Street will be closed on Saturday from 2 to 10 pm. Parade organizers add that W Stowell Road between S Broadway and S Depot Street will close at 3 p.m. for parade participants to gather. Detour and road closure signs will reportedly be in place to direct travelers. The Santa Maria Parade of Lights is scheduled to start at 5:20 p.m. The annual event is presented by the Rotary Clubs of Santa Maria and Nipomo.

On Friday people will gather along the streets in downtown San Luis Obispo to watch the annual holiday parade. This is everything you need to know if you are planning on heading to the parade. “The holiday parade brings thousands of people to downtown,” said Maggie Kovach, the events manager for Downtown SLO, a nonprofit organization that supports downtown businesses. Last year, she says the parade drew an estimated 15,000 people to downtown San Luis Obispo. She says that this year they are expecting the same. “People that are coming downtown, they’re coming not just to watch the parade,” said Kovach. “They’re coming to eat, drink, shop, and just enjoy a full day. So we can expect to see some happy businesses.” KSBY spoke to some local businesses who tell me they are ready for the crowds. “Usually we’re closed for the parade, but this year, since we are the Christmas store, we decided to open up and let people shop, and take a break from watching the parade,” said Erica Hamilton, the co-owner of Blackwater. Across the street, a cashier at Rocket Fizz says

A local hospital needs help identifying a woman who was found injured in downtown Los Angeles the day before Thanksgiving. The unconscious woman was discovered on Nov. 27 and was transported to the Los Angeles General Medical Center where she remains hospitalized. No personal belongings were found at the time to help hospital staff identify her. She is described as a Black woman in her 60s who stands 5 feet 3 inches tall and weighs around 123 pounds. She has brown eyes, short dark hair and two tattoos. Hospital workers have released a photo of the woman in hopes someone may recognize her. An unidentified female patient in her 60s has been hospitalized at the Los Angeles General Medical Center since Nov. 27, 2024. (Los Angeles General Medical Center) Anyone who knows the woman or has information that may help identify her is asked to call clinical social worker Cesar Robles at 323-409-6884.  During after-hours, the public can call the L.A. General Medical Center at 323-409-6883.

Little about the first month of his first season at USC had gone as Eric Musselman hoped. His USC offense had struggled to score. His defense struggled to get stops. And on the glass, only a few of college basketball’s 355 teams had been worse than the Trojans, who struggled to dispatch the likes of Grambling and Texas Arlington. The shortcomings of a rapidly constructed roster had become evident to USC’s coach during that eight-game stretch. But after stumbling its way through the first month of the Muss era, here was a chance, in its Big Ten debut, for USC to stem the tide of those early-season struggles. Until late Wednesday, the Trojans seemed well on their way to seizing that opportunity against Oregon, which sat atop the conference after a spotless 8-0 start. Then, in the final minutes, everything unraveled for USC in a 68-60 loss to No. 12 Oregon. A defense that, for most of the game, appeared transformed from its early-season iteration crumbled during the final 10 minutes, as Oregon got to the line again and again — 16 times during that

The story for the Clippers on Wednesday night was their list of injured players. Yet even without four key players, the Clippers had no choice but to push on against the Minnesota Timberwolves at the Intuit Dome. The problem was the Timberwolves pushed back harder, leading by as many as 41 in a 108-80 win. Playing seven games in 11 days hasn’t helped the Clippers weather their injury issues. So when Clippers coach Tyronn Lue sat down at the podium to speak to the media, he smiled and quickly said this about the 28-point beatdown: “I’m flushing it,” Lue said. His team was playing its third game in four nights, and this one was a back-to-back. “We just didn’t have a lot of pop,” Lue said. “Missing three of our four rotation guys. [Minnesota] came out and played well.” Kawhi Leonard has yet to play this season as his right knee recovers. He was joined on the bench Wednesday by Terance Mann, Norman Powell, Kevin Porter Jr. and Kobe Brown. The Clippers said Mann has a fractured left middle finger and will have surgery Thursday