Category: Los Angeles

In a sign of how important several tight California congressional races are to determining control of Congress in the November election, a Democratic super PAC has booked more than $27 million in television and digital ads in the state. It’s the most the House Majority PAC booked in any state in its initial $186-million advertising buy announced Sunday, the largest amount the organization has ever spent in early campaigning. “House Republicans have done nothing but sell out the American people while creating chaos, and we are holding them accountable for their anti-American extremist policies and agenda,” said Mike Smith, the president of the PAC allied with House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.). “Through these historic television and digital reservations, House Majority PAC has made it clear that we are ready to do whatever it takes to flip the House and elect Hakeem Jeffries the next Speaker of the House,” Smith said in a statement. The Congressional Leadership Fund, the Republican version of the House Majority PAC, has not yet released its early-spending plans. However, the group’s leader expressed confidence in the GOP’s chances in the

It’s not at all clear what will happen if the Board of State and Community Corrections determines on Wednesday that Los Angeles County’s two juvenile halls remain unsuitable for the confinement of youth. The county has no place left to house, secure and care for nearly 300 juveniles, and besides, the problem is not so much the facilities as it is the inadequate number of staff who show up to work in them. If the county can’t care for its most troubled kids, can the state? Not anymore. The state once ran the world’s most renowned juvenile rehabilitation program, the California Youth Authority, which was developed in the 1940s and operated in tandem with county-run juvenile halls and probation camps. But the Youth Authority began to unravel with the 1980s shift in public attitude toward juvenile crime, panic over young supposed “superpredators,” and a ballooning number of arrests and gratuitously harsh punishments. The program morphed into a network of cruel juvenile prisons, where youths were physically, mentally and sexually abused. Legal liability and payouts skyrocketed. Unable to meet its moral and legal obligation to safely

By Li Cohen Updated on: April 8, 2024 / 8:00 AM EDT / CBS News Gypsy Rose Blanchard released from prison Gypsy Rose Blanchard released from prison after serving 7 years for mother’s killing 00:28 Gypsy Rose Blanchard’s husband Ryan Anderson is speaking out days after she announced that the two, who wed while she was in prison for her role in the murder of her mother, had separated. Blanchard announced the couple’s split at the end of March, three months after her release from prison.  Recording a TikTok from his friend’s home where he says they were watching WrestleMania, Anderson immediately thanked people for their support amid the news.  “I just want to thank everyone for the support, it’s been great. I’m just living my life, guys,” he says in the video. “Y’all will see what really happened on Lifetime. We were filming a lot. So stay tuned for that. … I will post more stuff eventually, I’m just hanging in.”  Lifetime announced in February that the network will produce a new docuseries on Blanchard, starting from the days leading up to her release

Updated on: April 8, 2024 / 7:37 AM EDT / CBS/AP Credit freeze may not prevent identity theft A credit freeze may not prevent identity theft 02:18 A man who previously worked as a high-level IT administrator for an Iowa hospital has been convicted in a meticulous and convoluted identity theft scheme that went on for more than three decades, eventually causing his victim’s wrongful imprisonment, authorities said.   William Woods was homeless and living in Los Angeles in 2019, when he learned that someone was racking up debt using his name. But when he reported his concerns to the branch manager of a bank, he wound up spending nearly two years locked up, accused of identity theft himself. As he continued to insist he was Woods in a desperate effort to clear his name, he was even sent to a state mental hospital and drugged, court records show. Finally, last week, the former hospital administrator at University of Iowa hospital, who had assumed Woods’ identity for decades, pleaded guilty to two federal charges.  That man, 58-year-old Matthew David Keirans, who lived in Hartland, Wisconsin

It’s been nearly a decade since the Rams selected a player in the first round of the NFL draft. Consider: Sean McVay has coached the Rams for seven seasons, twice guiding them to the Super Bowl, without once opening camp with a newly minted first-round pick. That could change on April 25. For the first time since 2016, general manager Les Snead is poised to choose a player among the first 32 picks in the NFL draft. The Rams currently hold the No. 19 pick but Snead’s history suggests he will trade back for more picks or, possibly, trade up for a desired prospect. The Rams have run “models” that also involve their second-round pick if they choose a player at No. 19 or move up or back, Snead said last month at the NFL owners’ meeting. “There are scenarios where, right, if you move back, move up, maybe there’s a chance you get three players in the first and second rounds versus two,” he said, “and then there’s a possibility you only end up with one, right, if you move up.” Snead has been

Corduroy sports coats. Shiny disco shirts unbuttoned to mid-chest. Bell-bottom slacks. Muscle-bound goons with noses crooked as Mulholland Drive. And unsolved capers lining the sun-splashed streets like palm trees. That’s how young Jim Harbaugh saw Los Angeles when he was growing up in Michigan. “Laying on your stomach, hands on your chin, elbows on the floor, looking at the palm trees and mountains, sun, ocean,” said Harbaugh, 60, new coach of the Chargers. “`Wow, I want to be there someday.’” Now, here he is, in the land of “The Rockford Files,” his all-time favorite show, which turned 50 last month. The series starred a square-jawed James Garner as Jim Rockford, who spent a couple of years in San Quentin (falsely accused) then scratched out a living cracking cases for $200 per day plus expenses. Garner died in 2014 at age 86. “James Garner had all the things a leading man needs,” said David Chase, a writer and producer on the show who later created “The Sopranos.” “He was great looking. He was smart. He had a sense of humor. And he was also a really

(Ringo H.W. Chiu / Associated Press) Musselman didn’t need to get on the phone to make a pitch to his biggest recruit. Freshman point guard Isaiah Collier, who has yet to announce his decision for next season, attended Friday’s news conference and chatted with the coach afterward. Collier, the No. 1 recruit in the country last season, was projected to go as high as first overall in the NBA draft before sitting out four weeks of the season because of a broken hand. Still, the dynamic 6-foot-5 point guard, who averaged 16.3 points and 4.3 assists, is a likely first-round pick this June if he declares for the draft. The deadline is April 27, although college players who maintain eligibility by not hiring an agent still could withdraw their names by May 29. Freshman guard Bronny James kept all options open by entering the transfer portal and declaring for the draft while retaining his college eligibility. Musselman said he texted the remaining players and those in the transfer portal, although he hadn’t made contact with James yet. “Certainly he’s got a lot of options and

REYNOSA, Mexico —  Felicia Rangel-Samponaro never learned the little girl’s name, but she remembers everything else about her. Each time Rangel-Samponaro crossed the U.S. border to work with migrant children on the Mexican side, the 10-year-old would greet her with a hug and a smile, enthusiasm Rangel-Samponaro rewarded with books. But that didn’t last. “It wasn’t even a month before I watched her go from smiling and ‘Hi Felicia!’ to she stopped bathing, she stopped washing her hair,” Rangel-Samponaro said. Eventually she stopped coming all together. You see what happens to a child, Rangel-Samponaro said, and you never forget. (Kevin Baxter / Los Angeles Times) She tells the story while sitting in the shady courtyard of a two-story storefront about a block from the Mexican side of a border the U.S. government has lined with razor wire. A few minutes earlier, a half-dozen children filled the patio, sitting on metal chairs at a folding table, going over school lessons with two teachers. While politicians have implemented draconian ways to stem the flow of asylum seekers inundating the U.S.-Mexico border, Rangel-Samponaro is among those caring for the

By Cara Tabachnick April 8, 2024 / 6:45 AM EDT / CBS News Solar eclipse should boost local economies Solar eclipse expected to boost local economies as travelers pay a premium 01:58 Eclipse-watchers have been waiting more than six years since the last time a total solar eclipse charted its way across the United States,  in 2017 . After the rare event arrives on April 8 , be aware — the next chance won’t be coming around any time soon.  Viewers in what’s called ” the path of totality ” will see the moon completely block the sun  — an opportunity those in North America won’t have again for 20-plus years. The next total solar eclipses in North America are not anticipated until 2044 and 2045. “A total solar eclipse is one of the most spectacular things anyone can see in their lifetime,” Virginia Tech astrophysicist Nahum Arav told CBS News. The eclipse “looks like a black hole in the sky,” said Arav, who watched the paths of totality of eclipses in 1991 and 2017.    A total eclipse of the sun occurs when the

By Sarah Maddox April 8, 2024 / 6:30 AM EDT / CBS News Total solar eclipse: What to expect Total solar eclipse: What to expect 06:08 The 2024 solar eclipse will be visible across North America today. As the moon’s position between the Earth and sun casts a shadow on North America, that shadow, or umbra, will travel along the surface from west to east at more than 1,500 miles per hour along the path of totality .  That means the eclipse will start, peak and end at different times — as will the moments of total darkness along the path of totality — and the best time to view the eclipse depends on where you are located. Some places along the path will have more totality time than others. What time does the 2024 total solar eclipse start? NASA’s map shows the path of totality for the April 8, 2024 eclipse. NASA The total solar eclipse will emerge over the South Pacific Ocean before the shadow falls across North America, beginning in parts of Mexico. The path of totality, where onlookers can witness the

When Adolf Hitler was convicted of treason on April 1, 1924, for leading an armed insurrection against Germany’s democratically elected government, he discovered something remarkable: Courtrooms can make excellent soapboxes for political grandstanding. In real time, 100 years later, we’ve been watching another political leader, former president and current Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump, do the same. The echoes are uncanny and disturbing. During his monthlong trial in March 1924, followed by his conviction, Hitler railed against Germany’s democratic leaders and constitutionally anchored legal system. He chastened his judges. He threatened his prosecutors. He insisted that it was not he who had committed treason against the state but the Weimar Republic’s political establishment who had betrayed the German people. “You can declare us guilty a thousand times,” Hitler defiantly told the judge after receiving his conviction and a five-year prison sentence, “but the … eternal court of history will tear up the indictment and conviction with a smile and will acquit us.” The trial and conviction proved to be a political boon for Hitler, catapulting him and the National Socialist German Workers Party from the

Los Angeles residents hoping to see a superbloom this spring don’t need to go far — a field of wildflowers has sprung up between the runways at Los Angeles International Airport. A series of recent storms and heavy rains have caused wildflowers to bloom in the grassy unpaved sections of the airport’s runways. “Over the years, the superbloom at LAX has grown to become one of the most special and natural experiences the airport has to offer to guests flying in and out of Los Angeles in the spring,” Dae Levine, managing director of marketing and communications for Los Angeles World Airports, said in a statement. “If you happen to be taking off or touching down at LAX in the coming weeks, be sure to look outside your window to catch a glimpse of this rare sighting.” Wildflowers also appeared on LAX runways in the spring of 2019, after heavy winter storms. While a riot of flowers can be spotted at Southern California’s busiest airport, the golden poppies have been noticeably absent from some of the locations flora fanatics gather to see them, such as

SACRAMENTO —  It seems only yesterday that California’s population was nearly 40 million. Then more people left the state. Now we’re not even at 39 million. The U.S. Census Bureau reported in March that California’s population as of last July had dropped to an estimated 38,965,000. That’s down by 75,400 in a year — and 573,000 below California’s peak of 39.5 million in 2020. Entering this century, when California’s still-growing population was 34 million, we were predicted to reach 45 million by 2020 and almost 60 million by 2040. So much for that. People have been fleeing this once-Golden State. And the exodus accelerated on Gov. Gavin Newsom’s watch. That probably won’t be accentuated in Newsom’s State of the State speech — if he ever gives one this year. It’s already three months past the time governors traditionally have delivered their much-anticipated, annual address. Newsom hates giving prepared speeches. But he loves pitching California. And a bolting citizenry doesn’t fit his usual narrative that all’s terrific. Anyway, the fact that Newsom has been governor while constituents flee the state is mostly coincidental. Sure, state public policy

I am a serious newspaper food columnist. I am not tempted by the next viral pastry trend. I will not spend money on something simply because it is larger or smaller than it should be, or a hybrid of two things I like. Also me: I spent an hour in traffic to drive to a bakery in Koreatown because someone I follow on Instagram posted a video of a “flat” croissant. The flat croissant looks like an optical illusion. A cartoon croissant squashed by a boulder. A magic trick or something out of a Harry Potter newspaper. Imagine reaching your hand into an Osias Beert or Pieter Claesz painting and plucking out one of the lifelike foods on the canvas. It’s about 1 millimeter thick and made by a machine that both presses and cooks the croissant. The flattened result yields a surface that brings to mind the beautiful sandstone striations of the Wave in Northern Arizona. It is a pastry abomination that subverts the very idea of a croissant, the prized contrast of delicate pastry shell and ultra fluffy center. A TikTok search will

In August 1994, Jason Mclean was gearing up to celebrate his 21st birthday. As a punk rock diehard, he was ready to party in a fashion that suited him best: a backyard brouhaha. What he didn’t expect was for one of his favorite bands to play his bash right as it was starting to ride the wave of megastardom. The rising band was a group from Garden Grove called the Offspring. As the beer flowed and good times rolled at Mclean’s party, word trickled out that founding band members Bryan “Dexter” Holland and Kevin “Noodles” Wasserman came prepared with a set that befitted their longtime pal whom they nicknamed “Blackball.” Mclean earned the name after heckling the band to perform its song of the same name so often that Holland promised to play it if he’d shut up … which they did but he didn’t. The party was a big hit until the cops showed up with riot gear and helicopters surrounding the street, cutting the festivities short before things had a chance to really get rocking. “It was so insane,” Mclean says. “There were

By Kerry Breen April 8, 2024 / 6:00 AM EDT / CBS News Total solar eclipse: What to expect Total solar eclipse: What to expect 06:08 On April 8, a rare total solar eclipse will create a “path of totality” over North America , throwing swaths of the United States, Canada and Mexico into darkness in the middle of the day.  A solar eclipse occurs when the moon passes between the Earth and the sun, blocking our view of the sun as it passes. It’s called a total solar eclipse when the moon completely blocks the light of the sun. These events are rare, and can only be viewed in specific areas for short periods of time.  The path of totality for the 2024 total solar eclipse will arc from Texas to the East Coast. Cities including Dallas, Texas; Buffalo, New York; and Burlington, Vermont, will be among the areas with the best views — if the weather is clear . The map of totality for the April 8, 2024 solar eclipse.  NASA/Getty Images How often do total solar eclipses happen? Total solar eclipses are

SEOUL —  When police showed up last year at Im Hyun-ju’s home in Seoul with a search warrant, the 43-year-old journalist watched in disbelief as they examined old notebooks, rifled through her bedroom and confiscated her phone and laptop. An officer explained that she was under investigation for giving a colleague leaked documents about the justice minister, including personal records from his confirmation hearing. “Frankly, I was angry,” Im wrote in an essay. “What was the reason for coming into my home where my family lives, humiliating me by digging through my underwear drawer?” Many saw the raid as part of the government’s ongoing attack on her employer, the public broadcaster MBC , over what President Yoon Suk Yeol routinely terms “fake news.” South Korea’s President Yoon Suk Yeol routinely attacks what he calls “fake news.” (Kim Hong-Ji / Associated Press) Capitalizing on growing mistrust in the media, Yoon has made combating disinformation a centerpiece of his agenda. But free press advocates say his vow to keep reporters honest is a pretext to intimidate his critics. His allies have filed at least 25 criminal complaints against

Updated on: April 8, 2024 / 5:16 AM EDT / AP AI, Elon Musk and 2023’s biggest tech stories Artificial intelligence, Elon Musk and the biggest tech stories of 2023 04:26 A crusading Brazilian Supreme Court justice included Elon Musk as a target in an ongoing investigation over the dissemination of fake news and opened a separate investigation late Sunday into the executive for alleged obstruction. In his decision, Justice Alexandre de Moraes noted that Musk on Saturday began waging a public “disinformation campaign” regarding the top court’s actions, and that Musk continued the following day — most notably with comments that his social media company X would cease to comply with the court’s orders to block certain accounts. “The flagrant conduct of obstruction of Brazilian justice, incitement of crime, the public threat of disobedience of court orders and future lack of cooperation from the platform are facts that disrespect the sovereignty of Brazil,” de Moraes wrote. Musk will be investigated for alleged intentional criminal instrumentalization of X as part of an investigation into a network of people known as digital militias who allegedly spread

By Bo Erickson April 8, 2024 / 5:00 AM EDT / CBS News President Biden will be announcing new proposals for partial or complete student loan forgiveness Monday in Wisconsin. The main thrust for the latest round of student loan forgiveness proposals is to target accrued and capitalized interest on student loans. According to the Biden administration, 25 million Americans who used federal student loans now owe more than they originally borrowed because of the interest charges that have accumulated. However, the president’s new loan forgiveness proposal will have to clear several hurdles before any student loan balances may be lowered. The plan to target interest on student loans will be subject to approvals through the federal rulemaking process, which senior officials say will start in the coming months and would also include a public comment period. Senior administration officials were asked by reporters when U.S. student loan recipients might see their interest balances canceled, should this new proposal be approved. Officials would only say that partial loan forgiveness could happen by “early this fall.” If the plan is approved, the officials predicted 23 million

California is giving up to $150,000, or 20%, of the purchase of a home to help finance a down payment, closing costs, or first-time mortgage for first-time homebuyers. If you sell the home in the future, youll be required to pay back the 20% loan, plus 20% of the homes appreciation. We are thinking about buying a house within the next year or so just so we’re able to save enough money just in case we want to, like, flip the house or, you know, just make it our home,” Atascadero resident Baylee Zuker said. San Luis Obispo County residents looking to apply for the program must be first-generation homebuyers and cannot make over $179,000 a year. Applicants have to have a credit score above 650 and a debt-to-income ratio of no more than 45%. Anyone who has been placed in foster care will also be eligible. It’s hard as a millennial wanting to buy a house, start a family, and go to those next steps,” Zucker added. But, you have to be financially realistic. And right now it’s just not in the cards because

Only a partial solar eclipse will be seen here on the Central Coast. One San Luis Obispo resident traveled to Belton, Texas to see the total solar eclipse. This is the closest to San Luis Obispo that I can get to in a reasonable amount of time driving, Dan Andoetoe who lives in San Luis Obispo said. Andoetoe and four others from San Luis Obispo made the trip out to Belton Lake. There were a lot of positive reviews from the last eclipse so I thought I’d check it out, Andoetoe said. With clouds and thunderstorms in the forecast, he isn’t sure theyll see it. It may not be what we expected, Andoetoe said. An eclipse of the sun happens when the moon moves between the sun and earth blocking out the suns rays and casting a shadow on the Earth. Since the moons shadow is not big enough to cover the entire planet, the shadow is limited to a certain area. Some places will have a better view than in San Luis Obispo, which will see about 40% of an eclipse. Luke Swindell has