Category: Sacramento

By Martha Bebinger, WBUR | KFF Health News Anna Goldman, a primary care physician at Boston Medical Center, got tired of hearing that her patients couldn’t afford the electricity needed to run breathing assistance machines, recharge wheelchairs, turn on air conditioning, or keep their refrigerators plugged in. So she worked with her hospital on a solution. The result is a pilot effort called the Clean Power Prescription program. The initiative aims to help keep the lights on for roughly 80 patients with complex, chronic medical needs. The program relies on 519 solar panels installed on the roof of one of the hospital’s office buildings. Half the energy generated by the panels helps power the medical center. The rest goes to patients who receive a monthly credit of about $50 on their utility bills. Kiki Polk was among the first recipients. She has a history of Type 2 diabetes and high blood pressure. On a warm fall day, Polk, who was nine months pregnant at the time, leaned into the air conditioning window unit in her living room. “Oh my gosh, this feels so good, baby,”

Which inflatable snow tube is best? What’s more fun than zipping downhill on an inflatable snow tube? For some, it’s the peak of winter fun — and we tend to agree. Inflatable snow tubes are designed to withstand bumpy rides on uneven snowy terrain. If you’re worried about flying off of your tube, many models are equipped with reinforced handles. Inflatable snow tubes are available in a range of sizes, making them a great way for kids and adults to have fun. What to know before you buy an inflatable snow tube Size Large tubes are easier to ride and stay on, but given their larger friction area, they descend slopes more slowly than smaller styles. As a result, if you have a need for speed and want to fly downhill, opt for a smaller inflatable snow tube. In addition, consider the size of the rider. If you opt for a tube that is too small, the rider’s legs will dangle off the front of the tube, potentially slowing down the fun. Weight capacity Inflatable snow tubes are clearly marked with weight capacities. Keep in mind

By JONEL ALECCIA, AP Health Writer Packaged foods in the U.S. will have to follow new rules in order to call themselves “healthy,” according to changes finalized Thursday by the Food and Drug Administration. It’s an update of the agency’s definition originally devised 30 years ago. The move is aimed at helping Americans navigate food labels at the grocery store and make choices that are aligned with federal dietary guidelines — in hopes of reducing rates of diet-related chronic disease, the FDA said. Under the rule, products that claim to be “healthy” must contain a certain amount of food from one or more food groups such as fruit, vegetables, grains, dairy and protein. And for the first time, the rule sets certain limits for added sugars. Foods must also limit sodium and saturated fat at levels that depend on the type of product, the FDA said. The change banishes foods such as sugary cereals, highly sweetened yogurts, white bread and some granola bars from bearing a “healthy” label, while allowing foods such as avocados, olive oil, salmon, eggs and some trail mix to use it.

President-elect Donald Trump added a wrinkle to negotiations over a deal to fund the government when he called for an increase to the debt ceiling.

Amazon workers backed by the International Brotherhood of Teamsters went on strike Thursday morning at seven facilities, the Teamsters say. CBS News MoneyWatch correspondent Kelly O’Grady has more.

Luigi Mangione, the suspect in the killing of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson, is charged in a four-count federal criminal complaint with stalking, murder through the use of a firearm and a firearms offense involving a silencer. The federal complaint contains previously unreleased excerpts from the notebook that police said they seized from Mangione. Authorities said the writings “express hostility towards the health insurance industry and wealthy executives in particular.” According to the complaint, an entry marked Aug. 15, 2024, said “the details are finally coming together,” and, “I’m glad — in a way — that I’ve procrastinated, bc [because] it allowed me to learn more about [acronym for Company-1].” The entry also said that “the target is insurance” because “it checks every box,” the complaint said. In an entry marked Oct. 22, 2024, the writings said, “1.5 months. This investor conference is a true windfall … and — most importantly — the message becomes self evident.” Mangione waived extradition on Thursday morning and was transported via plane and helicopter from Pennsylvania to New York. Luigi Mangione leaves Pennsylvania courthouse after waiving extradition after hearing He

NEW YORK — The Teamsters union launched a strike against Amazon that began Thursday morning, and it includes multiple facilities in California, in addition to facilities in New York, Illinois and Georgia. The union says thousands of Amazon workers walked off the job at 6 a.m., right in the middle of the busy holiday shipping season. “If your package is delayed during the holidays, you can blame Amazon’s insatiable greed. We gave Amazon a clear deadline to come to the table and do right by our members. They ignored it,” said Teamsters General President Sean M. O’Brien. “These greedy executives had every chance to show decency and respect for the people who make their obscene profits possible. Instead, they’ve pushed workers to the limit and now they’re paying the price. This strike is on them.” “What you see here are almost entirely outsiders-not Amazon employees or partners-and the suggestion otherwise is just another lie from the Teamsters. The truth is that they were unable to get enough support from our employees and partners and have brought in outsiders to come and harass and intimidate our

President-elect Donald Trump on Thursday took credit for killing the House Republican-proposed government funding bill, telling ABC News there will be a government shutdown unless Congress eliminates or extends the limit on government borrowing. “We’re not going to fall into the debt ceiling quicksand,” Trump said in an exclusive phone interview. “There won’t be anything approved unless the debt ceiling is done with.” Trump said he is concerned that if government borrowing reaches the limit set by the debt ceiling, it could lead to an economic depression. Under current law, the federal government would hit its borrowing limit sometime in the spring of 2025, during the first months of the second Trump presidency. Trump said he wants it taken care of now, while Joe Biden is president. “By doing what I’m doing, I put it into the Biden administration,” Trump said. “In this administration, not in my administration.” “The interesting thing is, [the debt ceiling] possibly means nothing, or it means [the] depression of 1929,” Trump added. “Nobody really knows. It means nothing, but psychologically it may mean a lot, right? In other words, it

By Alexandra Simon, Alan Wheeler, Ryan Hughes Thursday, December 19, 2024 3:42PM A pair of package thieves caught on a Ring doorbell camera in South Jersey were apparently upset to find video of their heist posted online. SICKLERVILLE, N.J. — A pair of package thieves caught on a Ring doorbell camera in South Jersey were apparently upset to find video of their heist posted online. Gloucester Township Police shared a video from Dec. 9 showing two men approach a home in the Independence Square Townhomes neighborhood in Sicklerville just after 6:30 p.m. In the doorbell video, one porch pirate in a white hoodie grabs a package from the front door while the other person taunts the camera by “twerking” before they both run away. Police said items in the package, which included baby items and several glasses, were valued at $74. According to the department, the homeowner posted video of the theft on the Ring Neighbors app to warn nearby residents to be on the lookout. It seems that the sticky-fingered duo somehow found out that the footage was posted online because they returned to

Some 13 oz. bags of Lay’s Classic Potato Chips may contain an undeclared allergen, according to the snack company.

Luigi Mangione, the man accused of fatally shooting UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson, has arrived in New York to face murder charges. CBS News legal contributor Caroline Polisi has more on the new federal charges Mangione is facing.

Fani Willis removed from the 2020 election case against President-elect Donald Trump; Supreme Court agrees to hear challenge to TikTok ban.

Amazon workers in several cities are striking to protest wages in the U.S. Jason Miller, a supply chain management professor at Michigan State University, joins CBS News with more on the demands.

UnitedHealthcare CEO murder suspect Luigi Mangione is returning to New York City after waiving extradition in Pennsylvania.

SANTA CLARA — It was Deommodore Lenoir’s 12th birthday, and his youth football teammates were scheming a preadolescent rite of passage. Traveon Anderson, still one of Lenoir’s closest friends, recalled a “boys will be boys” plan that would result in Lenoir getting hit on the arm a dozen times. One for each year. “At that age, everyone wants to get their licks in,” Anderson said in a recent phone interview. “We tried to catch him, but he ran and jumped over a gate and was gone. He was so fast it was like, ‘Man, forget it. We ain’t catching him.’” Speed. Athleticism. Common sense. Three qualities among many that would eventually catapult Lenoir to high school stardom in South Los Angeles, the University of Oregon and eventually to the 49ers. In a mostly forgettable 6-8 season, Lenoir is considered part of the solution in a season rife with problems by virtue of a five-year contract extension worth up to $92 million signed on Nov. 13. At 5-foot-10 and 200 pounds, Lenoir isn’t the long, lean prototype cornerback that gets snapped up in the first round.

By ALEX VEIGA, Associated Press Business Writer Sales of previously occupied U.S. homes rose in November to their fastest pace since March as home shoppers were encouraged by a wider selection of properties on the market, despite rising mortgage rates. Existing home sales rose 4.8% last month, from October, to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 4.15 million, the National Association of Realtors said Thursday. Sales accelerated 6.1% compared with November last year, representing the biggest year-over-year gain since June 2021. The latest home sales topped the 4.1 million pace economists were expecting, according to FactSet. Home prices increased on an annual basis for the 17th consecutive month. The national median sales price rose 4.7% from a year earlier, to $406,100. There were 1.33 million unsold homes at the end of last month, down 2.9% from October, but up 17.7% from November last year, NAR said. That translates to a 3.8-month supply at the current sales pace, down from a 4.2-month pace at the end of October last year, but up from 3.5-month pace in November last year. Traditionally, a 5- to 6-month supply is

By KATE BRUMBACK, Associated Press ATLANTA (AP) — A state appeals court on Thursday removed Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis from the Georgia election interference case against Donald Trump and others but did not dismiss the indictment, leaving the future of the prosecution uncertain. Citing “the appearance of impropriety” by Willis that might not typically warrant such a removal, the court said in a 2-1 ruling that “this is the rare case in which disqualification is mandated and no other remedy will suffice to restore public confidence in the integrity of these proceedings.” The case against Trump and more than a dozen others had already been largely stalled for months while the Georgia Court of Appeals considered the pretrial appeal. The 2-1 ruling by appeals court panel means it will be up to the Prosecuting Attorneys’ Council of Georgia to find another prosecutor to take over the case and to decide whether to continue to pursue it, though that could be delayed if Willis decides to appeal to the state Supreme Court. A trial judge in March had set conditions that allowed Willis to stay on the case. It’s

By VLADIMIR ISACHENKOV, Associated Press MOSCOW (AP) — President Vladimir Putin boasted that his military operation in Ukraine has strengthened Russia and denied that the ouster of key ally Bashar Assad in Syria had hurt Moscow’s prestige, as he held his annual news conference and call-in show Thursday. He used the tightly choreographed event, which lasted for about 4 1/2 hours, to reinforce his authority and demonstrate a sweeping command of everything from consumer prices to military hardware. He claimed that sending troops into Ukraine in 2022 has boosted Russia’s military and economic power. He also said that if he could go back in time, he “would have thought that such a decision should have been made earlier,” and Russia should have “prepared for it in advance and more thoroughly.” “Russia has become much stronger over the past two or three years because it has become a truly sovereign country,” he said. “We are standing firm in terms of economy, we are strengthening our defense potential and our military capability now is the strongest in the world.” Putin, who has held power for nearly a

By MATT OTT, Associated Press Business Writer The number of Americans applying for unemployment benefits fell markedly last week following a big increase the week before. Jobless claim applications declined by 22,000 to 220,000 for the week of Dec. 14, the Labor Department reported Thursday. That’s fewer than the 229,000 analysts were forecasting. Continuing claims, the total number of Americans collecting jobless benefits, fell by 5,000 to 1.87 million for the week of Dec. 7. That was also fewer than analysts had projected. The four-week average of weekly claims, which quiets some of the week-to-week volatility, rose by 1,250 to 225,500. Weekly applications for jobless benefits are considered representative of U.S. layoffs. While the job market has shown some softening recently, it remains broadly healthy and has held up better than many experts predicted considering that interest rates have been elevated for years. The Federal Reserve instituted a flurry of rate increases in 2022 and into 2023 to try to suppress the four-decade high inflation that took hold when the U.S. economy rebounded from the brief but sharp pandemic recession. The Fed cut its benchmark

Friday, December 20, 2024 6:23PM Christmas tree-related fires are rare — but when they do occur, they are much more likely to be deadly than other types of fires. Follow these tips from AccuWeather to prevent Christmas tree fires this holiday season. Christmas tree-related fires are rare — but when they do occur, they are much more likely to be deadly than other types of fires, according to the National Fire Protection Association. Follow these tips from AccuWeather to keep your family safe from Christmas tree fires this holiday season: Make sure you choose a tree with green needles. If the needles look brown, that means the tree is dry and likely more flammable. Also give the tree a good shake — if it loses a lot of needles, it’s likely too dry. Trees don’t burst into flames on their own, but when they are dry, it’s a lot easier for them to catch fire. Real trees need to be kept moist and watered at all times. Make sure the water isn’t too cold, which could shock the tree. Add nutrients to the water, like

The stopgap spending plan negotiated between House Republicans and Democrats to avoid a government shutdown appears to be dead two days before the deadline after it was condemned by President-elect Donald Trump and his ally Elon Musk. Johnson’s original plan called for extending government spending at current levels until March and added other provisions like relief for disaster victims and farmers and a pay raise for members of Congress. In a joint statement Wednesday afternoon, Trump and Vice President-elect JD Vance called on Congress to “pass a streamlined spending bill that doesn’t give (Senate Majority Leader) Chuck Schumer and the Democrats everything they want.” “Republicans must GET SMART and TOUGH. If Democrats threaten to shut down the government unless we give them everything they want, then CALL THEIR BLUFF. It is Schumer and (President Joe) Biden who are holding up aid to our farmers and disaster relief,” Trump and Vance said. Later Wednesday evening, Trump threatened any Republican in the House who voted for a clean bill. “Any Republican that would be so stupid as to do this should, and will, be Primaried,” he posted