Hunter Biden’s tax case heads to a California courtroom as his defense seeks to have it tossed out

By STEFANIE DAZIO and LINDSAY WHITEHURST (Associated Press) LOS ANGELES (AP) — Attorneys for Hunter Biden were expected in court Wednesday in Los Angeles, where he is accused in what prosecutors call a four-year scheme to avoid paying $1.4 million in taxes while living an extravagant lifestyle. President Joe Biden’s son has pleaded not guilty to the nine felony and misdemeanor tax offenses. He’s asking the judge to toss out the case, arguing that the prosecution was politically motivated, was tainted by leaks from IRS agents who claimed publicly the case was mishandled and includes some allegations from before he moved to California. He has also been charged in Delaware with lying on a federal form to buy a gun in 2018 by saying he wasn’t using or addicted to illegal drugs, even though he has acknowledged being addicted to crack cocaine at the time. He has pleaded not guilty in that case, which also accuses him of possessing the gun illegally. Both cases are overseen by special counsel David Weiss and now have tentative trials scheduled for June, though defense attorneys are also trying

Draymond Green ejected from Warriors-Magic game

ORLANDO, Fla. — Less than four minutes into the Warriors’ contest against the Magic in the Kia Center, Draymond Green got ejected. Green, arguing with official Ray Acosta, got assessed a pair of technical fouls in rapid succession. The faces of his teammates in front of Golden State’s bench expressed mild bewilderment. Green hadn’t been ejected from a game since he returned from his indefinite suspension for reckless on-court behavior. Just days ago, Steve Kerr praised the veteran big man for his composure and leadership. “He’s walked the line perfectly,” Kerr said on March 24. “Gotten a couple techs for yelling at the refs, but he has not crossed that line, nor do I expect him to. I hate that that happened to Rudy (Gobert) and to (Jusuf) Nurkic. I hate that that happened to Jordan. I’ve said this many times, I hate that all that happened. But I couldn’t be more proud with the way Draymond has responded, and he’s gotten his career and his life back on track. It’s wonderful.” Green’s ejection came with 8:24 left in the first quarter. His ninth and

From the archives: Richard Serra’s towering steel art

Artist and sculptor Richard Serra, famed for making large-scale artworks from giant curved walls of steel, died Tuesday, March 26, 2024, at the age of 85. In this “Sunday Morning” report originally broadcast December 6, 1998, correspondent Martha Teichner talked with the artist about the disorienting effects of his massive constructions, and toured exhibits of Serra’s “Torqued Ellipses” at the Museum of Contemporary Art in Los Angeles, and “The Snake” at the Guggenheim Museum in Bilbao, Spain.

Warriors shock Magic despite Draymond Green’s ejection

ORLANDO, Fla. — Steph Curry keeled over with his hands on his knees. He tugged the neck of his jersey over his red face, visibly upset that his long-time teammate got himself tossed. Draymond Green, the Warriors’ embattled defensive star, got ejected less than four minutes into Wednesday night’s game for arguing with official Ray Acosta. But Curry and the Warriors recovered from the early, Green-imposed drama. In fact, they never trailed after Green headed to the locker room. In a tight fourth quarter, Andrew Wiggins dropped 13 points and Curry (17 points, 10 rebounds) celebrated a step-back 3 that clinched a 101-93 victory. On the second night of a back-to-back, when everything could’ve gone south, the Warriors (38-34) pulled out a win over the contending Magic. “It was a gutsy effort in tough circumstances,” Steve Kerr said after Golden State’s win. With 8:24 in the first quarter, Green earned his fourth ejection of the season — and his first since returning from his indefinite suspension. Kerr said that Green “deserved” the ejection, and that he’s confident he’ll bounce back. The coach recently praised Green

Baltimore bridge collapse: What we know about the missing workers as recovery efforts continue

BALTIMORE, Md. — Two bodies were recovered from a red pickup truck found in the water near the middle span of Baltimore’s Francis Scott Key Bridge, Maryland State Police said during a press briefing Wednesday. The two men were located by divers shortly before 10 a.m. Wednesday, according to Roland Butler Jr., superintendent for Maryland State Police. The truck was submerged in approximately 25 feet of water, he said. Since the collapse, crews have been searching the water for six people who are now presumed dead. The two victims found Wednesday were identified by police as Alejandro Hernandez Fuentes, 35, a native of Mexico who lived in Baltimore, and Dorlian Ronial Castillo Cabrera, 26, a native of Guatemala who lived in Dundalk. They were both construction workers, authorities said. One was identified by a driver’s license in his pocket and the other by fingerprint, authorities said. Other workers who remain unaccounted for are believed to be from Mexico and Honduras. The workers were fixing potholes on the bridge when it plunged into the frigid water early Tuesday. Two people were also pulled from the water

Driver killed, 1 hospitalized after car crash in Clovis, police say

CLOVIS, Calif. — A driver has died and another person is injured after a three-vehicle crash in Clovis on Wednesday afternoon. The crash happened at 2:14 pm in the intersection of Herndon and Helm. That’s near the busy Clovis Commons shopping area. Clovis police say a driver had crossed over the median and into the opposite lane of traffic leading up to the crash. That driver who went over the median died at the scene. Another was taken to the hospital with unknown injuries. Herndon has been closed between Helm and Willow as the investigation continues. Stay with Action News for the latest updates on this developing story.

2 bodies found in submerged pickup truck following Baltimore bridge collapse

BALTIMORE — Two bodies were recovered from a red pickup truck found in the water near the middle span of Baltimore’s Francis Scott Key Bridge, Maryland State Police said during a press briefing. The two men were located by divers shortly before 10 a.m. Wednesday, according to Roland Butler Jr., superintendent for Maryland State Police. The truck was submerged in approximately 25 feet of water, he said. Police identified the victims as Alejandro Hernandez Fuentes, 35, a native of Mexico who lived in Baltimore, and Dorlian Ronial Castillo Cabrera, 26, a native of Guatemala who lived in Dundalk. They were both construction workers, authorities said. One was identified by a driver’s license in his pocket and the other by fingerprint, authorities said. Crews are searching for four others who fell into the water and are presumed dead. Maryland State Police say 2 bodies found in water after bridge collapse How the collapse happened Just hours before the Tuesday morning commute was to get underway, the crew of a massive cargo ship leaving Baltimore harbor lost propulsion and control of the vessel, causing it to crash

4 dead, 5 injured after Illinois stabbing spree; suspect in custody, officials say

By ABC7 Chicago Digital Team Wednesday, March 27, 2024 10:48PM A Rockford, IL stabbing attack left at least four people dead and five injured Wednesday in the Winnebago County city, authorities said. ROCKFORD, Illinois — An adult male allegedly stabbed multiple victims in the Rockford, Illinois area on Wednesday, leaving four people dead, one in critical condition and four others in stable condition, authorities said in a press conference. Rockford police said they received their first calls about the incident just before 1:15 p.m. When officers responded, they found multiple crime scenes, police said. They explained the crimes took place both in the city of Rockford and in the county, on multiple streets. Police said in the city of Rockford, four people were killed. One person is in critical condition and four others were injured, though not all of them were stabbed. The Rockford Fire Department said one of the people who died was taken to the hospital in critical condition, but did not survive. Police gave an update after 4 were killed and 5 injured in stabbings in the Rockford area. The Winnebago County

A’s fan boycott: Public safety concerns grow as A’s plan to restrict parking lot access

Ready or not, here come the Oakland A’s fans. As early as noon on Thursday, fans are expected to begin lining up to enter the parking lot at the Coliseum, but many won’t actually buy a ticket to the A’s Opening Night game against the Cleveland Guardians, a sign of protest against the team’s pending move to Las Vegas in 2028. While 26,805 people went to the team’s opening game at the Coliseum last year, almost as many are planning to show up to the parking lot Thursday while boycotting the actual game, said Bryan Johansen, founder of A’s fan group Last Dive Bar and one of the organizers of the boycott. “This is going to be like Burning Man,” Johansen said. “But we’re not going to set anything on fire.” He has been organizing fan events such as Fans Fest, a celebration of Oakland sports teams in Jack London Square last month, and last year’s reverse boycott, which also took place in the A’s parking lot before fans eventually packed the Coliseum with almost 28,000 people on a Tuesday in June. This time, though

Kurtenbach: Expectations must become reality for the 2024 SF Giants

The mandate for the San Francisco Giants in 2024 is crystal clear: This big-market, big-money team cannot miss the postseason for a third straight year. It doesn’t matter how they reach the playoffs. They can magically and inexplicably win 107 games again (the super fun route) or sneak in with a barely .500 record (the got-it-done option). They can do it by leaning on old players, young players, or a whole bunch of players in between. They can buy or sell at the trade deadline or do a bit of both. For the Giants, the ends will justify the means, so long as the end is October baseball. (Though I’m sure ownership would prefer if they could do that and “somewhat break even.”) And here’s the good news: it’s an absolutely reasonable goal for the Giants to make the playoffs. It took a while to come together, but the Giants had a blockbuster offseason. Outside of the Dodgers, no one spent more on outside-the-organization talent. In adding a top-of-the-order, everyday center fielder (Jung Hoo Lee), one of the best all-around third basemen of this generation

Windstar Cruises’ guests can now spend the night on Marlon Brando’s private island

Sarah Kuta | (TNS) TravelPulse Thinking of cruising around French Polynesia with Windstar Cruises? Now, you can add on a stay at Marlon Brando’s private island after your sailing. Windstar Cruises is launching a new offering in partnership with Pacific Beachcomber, a company that operates seven hotels in French Polynesia. One of those properties is The Brando, a private island eco-resort on the atoll of Tetiaroa with 35 private villas, white sand beaches and a 5-mile-wide lagoon. Through the collaboration, Windstar guests can now book a two-night stay at The Brando after sailing aboard the Star Breeze, which recently replaced Wind Spirit and doubled the small-ship line’s capacity in the region. The luxury post-cruise add-on will be available for booking starting May 1. It’s only open to guests staying in Star Breeze’s top suites: the owner’s suites, as well as the Broadmoor and Sea Island suites. After sailing around French Polynesia with Windstar, guests will disembark the ship in Papeete. Then, they’ll board a small plane for the 20-minute flight to The Brando. While there, they’ll enjoy daily excursions, spa treatments, beach equipment and more.

Review: ‘The Tiger’s Wife’ author Téa Obreht is back with ‘magical’ ‘The Morningside’

Jenny Shank | (TNS) Star Tribune Once upon a future time, in a world of coastal inundation and raging wildfires, a refugee girl named Silvia and her mother come to live in the Morningside. A dilapidated high-rise in the remnants of a sunken metropolis, Island City, it’s where they meet Ena, their only surviving relative from “Back Home.” Ena hints that the woman who occupies the penthouse with her enormous black dogs has the power to create shapeshifters. Silvia suspects the woman is a “Vila,” a sort of enchantress, but seeks verification before revealing this to her skeptical mother. So begins Téa Obreht’s captivating third novel “The Morningside.” Silvia is the “tallest 11-year-old you’ve ever seen: gangly, shapeless” and her mother is little, “like a fairy person.” Silvia’s mother has forbidden her to speak their native language and she never “volunteered intelligence of any kind.” The citizens of Island City hunt for news from online forums and a pirate radio station called the Drowned City Dispatch, limited by “Posterity Measures” to a meager diet. Ena has worked as The Morningside’s superintendent for years, and since