California Dolphin

The Biden administration’s Department of Labor is moving to phase out a controversial program that allows some employers to pay disabled employees less than the federal minimum wage, the department announced Tuesday. Enacted in 1938 during the late years of the Great Depression, the measure was intended to increase employment opportunities for workers with disabilities but has been denounced by advocates who say it amounts to legalized discrimination. The measure is part of the Fair Labor Standards Act and based on the premise that disabled employers are less productive. The Department of Labor’s proposed rule would phase out sub-minimum wages by ending the issuance of certificates that permit the lower wages and establishing a three-year period for employers to stop using existing certificates. “One of the guiding principles of the American workplace is that a hard day’s work deserves a fair day’s pay,” said Wage and Hour Administrator Jessica Looman in a statement. “Opportunities and training have dramatically expanded to help people with disabilities obtain and maintain employment at or above the full federal minimum wage.” Around 40,000 American workers with disabilities currently receive less

You may have been tempted to believe Donald Trump when he swore, along with some of his Republican colleagues, to protect Social Security. If so, the joke may be on you. That concern emerged Monday when Rep. Mike Lee (R-Utah) uncorked a tweet thread on X labeling Social Security “a classic bait and switch” and “an outdated, mismanaged system.” Twenty-three minutes after Lee posted the first of his tweets, it was retweeted by Elon Musk, who has been vested by Trump with a portfolio to root out inefficiencies in the government. Musk led his retweet with the comment “interesting thread”; if that wasn’t an explicit endorsement, it matched his way of amplifying others’ tweets, tending to give them credibility within the Musk-iverse. It will be my objective to phase out Social Security, to pull it out by the roots. — Sen. Mike Lee (R-Utah) Lee’s tweet thread, along with Musk’s apparent concurrence, serves as an outline of the arguments the GOP may use to undermine faith in Social Security, the better to soften it up for “reforms” that will translate into costs imposed on the

A group of six former Apple employees are being charged for allegedly stealing thousands of dollars from the tech giant through a fraudulent charity scheme lasting three years, the Santa Clara County District Attorney’s Office said in a news release Tuesday. Siu Kei “Alex” Kwan, 37, of Castro Valley; Yathei “Hayson” Yuen, 34, of San Jose; Yat C “Sunny” Ng, 35, of Milpitas; Wentao “Victor” Li, 38, of Hayward; Lichao Ni, 39, of Sunnyvale and Zheng Chang, 31, of Union City are being charged with grand theft, conspiracy to commit felony grand theft, perjury and tax fraud. From July 2018 to April 2021, the D.A.’s office said, the employees conspired to get about $152,000 from the tech company through its gift-matching program and falsely reported $100,000 in charitable donations as tax deductions. The scheme, according to prosecutors, began when the former employees would make fake donations to the American Chinese International Cultural Exchange or Hops4Kids. Apple would match 100% to 200% of the donations, which were made through Benevity, a third-party platform . Kwan, one of the persons charged, used his position as chief executive

It came as a surprise that President Biden unconditionally pardoned his son Hunter, a convicted felon, after repeatedly vowing that he would not. For the past few months, each time Biden or his press secretary was asked whether a pardon was in the cards, they both emphatically said no. So much for one of the president’s favorite lines, “I give you my word as a Biden.” Hunter, who was facing a potential sentence of years in prison for tax evasion and lying on a federal firearms application, is now free to pursue his career as a middling painter of overpriced art. I admit that when I first heard the pardon news, I thought, “Good for you, Joe! Why should you follow the rules when no one on Planet Trump does? Let the people who voted to return a sex-offending, defaming, defrauding felon to the White House get a tiny taste of their own medicine.” On second thought, however, it’s more complicated than that. How can any of us be outraged at the way Trump and those in his circle seem immune from the consequences of

Some GOP senators appear tepid on Hegseth Some Republican senators appear tepid on Hegseth amid new misconduct claims 09:54 Washington — A number of Republican senators have expressed concern about Pete Hegseth, President-elect Donald Trump’s choice to lead the Defense Department, potentially putting his intended nomination at risk.  Hegseth, who has been meeting with Senate Republicans on Capitol Hill this week to try to build support ahead of his confirmation hearings, has faced a round of negative stories involving allegations of sexual misconduct, financial mismanagement at veterans’ charities , repeated intoxication and infidelity.  “Some of these articles are very disturbing. He obviously has a chance to defend himself here, but some of this stuff is, it’s going to be difficult,” Republican Sen. Lindsey Graham of South Carolina told reporters Tuesday. “Time will tell.”  Sen. Kevin Cramer, a North Dakota Republican, also said he found the allegations “disturbing” but added, “We all love a good redemption story.” Cramer suggested Hegseth’s alleged behavior stemmed from alcohol abuse, adding that “almost everything else can come from that one abuse.”  Republican Sen. John Kennedy of Louisiana, who noted he

By Graham Kates Updated on: December 3, 2024 / 5:41 PM EST / CBS News Trump team to push for “hush money” dismissal Trump lawyers to push for “hush money” dismissal after indefinite sentencing delay 04:48 Donald Trump’s lawyers pointed to an unlikely person in demanding a judge dismiss the president-elect’s New York criminal case: Hunter Biden . Trump’s attorneys said in a court filing made public Tuesday that President Joe Biden’s controversial pardon of his son echoed Trump’s complaints about the prosecution. “Yesterday, in issuing a 10-year pardon to Hunter Biden that covers any and all crimes whether charged or uncharged, President Biden asserted that his son was ‘selectively, and unfairly, prosecuted,’ and ‘treated differently,'” they wrote, before claiming Trump was treated similarly. In the filing, which was submitted Monday night, they formally demanded a New York judge throw out the president-elect’s criminal case and nullify a unanimous jury’s conclusion that Trump committed dozens of felonies. Their argument struck at the quality of the case against Trump, but centers largely on a wholly unique argument in the history of America’s legal system. Trump’s lawyers

“I’m a very fortunate human being.” That was the message Jerry Heath had for the California Lottery after winning a life-changing $44.3 million Powerball jackpot. Heath, a retired Long Beach police detective and U.S. Army veteran, purchased his winning ticket at a Ralphs in Dana Point for a drawing held in August. A graduate of Cal State Long Beach — previously Long Beach State College — Heath said he came from humble roots and a low-income upbringing. He said he plays the lottery for fun and to support the overarching mission to support California’s public education system. The money, Heath says, won’t change his priorities or the person he is today. “I can’t forget where I came from now that I’m a multimillionaire,” Heath said. “I don’t really travel; playing the lottery is my only luxury.” He told Lottery officials that he plans to share the winnings with his daughter and grandchildren, while still allowing himself the excitement of playing lottery games. He was a daily lottery player before winning the Powerball — now he has his sights set on SuperLotto Plus, a game exclusive

Christmas, as we know, is always December 25th.  But Thanksgiving is always the fourth Thursday of November—a date that floats sometimes as early as November 22nd… or this year… the latest it could possibly be, which was November 28th.  Let’s rewind.  Remember when Halloween was on a Thursday and November 1 was a Friday? That set in motion a calendar that squished the rest of the holidays. We were almost an entire week into November before we saw a Thursday, which made the fourth Thursday come way at the end of the month—the latest it can actually be.   The end result is a feeling that we have one less week—and one less precious weekend when we all have events—between Thanksgiving and Christmas—just 27 days.     In 2023, we had five weekends between the holidays. This year we have only four weekends.   Add to that, Christmas is landing smack in the middle of a week, and people may be feeling extra cheated by not being able to bookend the holidays around a weekend. Since many people take off Christmas week—or New Year’s week—having the holidays land

After a tumultuous stint characterized by issues including shelter overcrowding and high euthanasia rates, Staycee Dains, the general manager of Los Angeles Animal Services, has stepped down.  The city’s animal services department is one of the largest of its type in the country, serving about 60,000 animals every year.  Staff, volunteers and partners were notified of Dains’ departure in an email sent out on Monday that stated her resignation was effective Nov. 30. According to the Los Angeles Times, she has been on paid leave since this past August after being hired in June 2023.  In September 2023, Dains did her first on-air interview with KTLA 5’s Kacey Montoya, where she said she was appointed by L.A. Mayor Karen Bass to “fix the systemic issues that are happening” in the city’s six shelters but did note she inherited an understaffed agency.  Most popular pet names of 2024 revealed In a follow-up interview the next March, Montoya found there were more volunteers, but some said they were confused under Dains’ leadership, including one incident where a letter was sent to thousands of volunteers claiming that dogs

Nathan Hochman was officially sworn in as the 44th Los Angeles County District Attorney on Tuesday in a ceremony held on the front steps of the Hall of Justice. Hochman replaces former District Attorney George Gascón, who lost his reelection bid in a landslide in November. Former California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger officially swore in Hochman. During the ceremony, Los Angeles County Supervisor Kathryn Barger, Los Angeles County Sheriff Robert Luna, Los Angeles Police Chief Jim McDonnell and other local leaders spoke. Among many issues Hochman has inherited from the previous DA, none may be more high-profile than the Menendez brothers’ murder case. In October, Gascón announced that he would support resentencing the brothers, who have spent nearly 35 years behind bars for killing their parents. Lyle Menendez, then 21, and Erik Menendez, then 18, admitted to fatally shooting their father, Jose Menendez, and their mother, Kitty Menendez, after fearing their parents were about to kill them to stop people from finding out that Jose Menendez had sexually abused Erik Menendez for years, according to the Associated Press. The resentencing recommendation could provide the brothers a

A toddler from Crestline was killed in what authorities called a gun-related accident involving the child’s 7-year-old brother in a parking lot of the Foothill Crossing Shopping Center in Rancho Cucamonga. (Google Maps) A toddler was killed in the parking lot of a shopping center in Rancho Cucamonga on Monday in what authorities called a “gun-related accident” involving the child’s 7-year-old brother. San Bernardino County sheriff’s deputies responded at 3:53 p.m. to a report of a shooting in a parking lot of the Foothill Crossing Shopping Center in the 8200 block of Day Creek Boulevard, and found a 2-year-old boy with a gunshot wound, according to the Sheriff’s Department. The child was transported to a hospital, where he was pronounced dead. Deputies determined that before the shooting, the toddler and his 7-year-old brother were inside a truck when the older child found a firearm in the glove box. Officials did not say whether the boys were alone in the truck. The names of the children were not released. Anyone with information related to the shooting is urged to contact the the sheriff’s Specialized Investigations Division

Although Shenghua Wen entered the United States on a student visa, eventually settling in San Bernardino County, law enforcement officials say he had a more nefarious purpose: exporting shipments of firearms, ammunition and other military items to North Korea. Federal authorities on Tuesday arrested Wen, 41, at his Ontario home, alleging he acted as an operative for the North Korean government, smuggling illicit goods concealed inside shipping containers from Long Beach. Wen, who authorities said is a Chinese national living illegally in the U.S. after overstaying his visa, has been charged with conspiracy to violate the International Emergency Economic Powers Act, which deals with sanctions and frozen foreign assets. If convicted, he could face up to 20 years in prison. Wen’s federal public defender did not immediately respond to a request for comment. It is illegal to supply North Korea with certain technologies and military supplies without U.S. government approval, according to U.S. Atty. Martin Estrada. “North Korea engaged in a scheme to circumvent and evade those restrictions,” Estrada said at a news conference Tuesday morning. “It’s essential we keep sensitive materials, including military equipment

Sen.-elect Adam B. Schiff will be sworn in as California’s next U.S. senator on Monday, replacing Sen. Laphonza Butler, according to sources familiar with the arrangements. Butler, a Democrat, was appointed by Gov. Gavin Newsom to temporarily fill the seat of the late Sen. Dianne Feinstein after Feinstein’s death in September 2023. Schiff was elected last month, both to serve out the remainder of Feinstein’s term and to serve a full six-year term beginning in January. A spokesperson for Schiff, a Burbank Democrat who previously served nearly a quarter of a century in the House, said he was grateful for Butler’s assistance in the transition process, and for the support of Newsom and Senate Majority Leader Charles E. Schumer of New York. A spokeswoman for Butler said she will remain in office until the swearing-in. Former Assemblymember Laura Friedman, a Democrat, won election in Schiff’s House district and will be sworn in to take his old seat next month. Schiff and Butler are following a similar transition schedule as Sen. George Helmy and Sen.-elect Andy Kim, both Democrats of New Jersey. Helmy, former chief of

Under the bright lights of the 2024 Latin Grammys stage, Luis Fonsi was as nervous as he’s ever been. “I’ve won Latin Grammys before, but it’s not like it happens every day,” said the 46-year-old musician via Zoom. “I’m trying to compare it to the previous times I’ve been nominated. But for some reason… I don’t wanna say that it meant more than the other awards. There was something special going on.” That November night in Miami, Fonsi’s 12th studio album, “El Viaje,” beat out efforts by Mexican indie artist Caloncho, Colombian American diva Kali Uchis and others to take home the golden gramophone for pop vocal album. He pauses for a moment and continues, “You know, I’ve had success with singles. But now to sort of get recognition for the whole shabam — it’s something I’ve never won before. This album was not me trying to do a radio-friendly single and then write an album around that song. There was a story to tell from day one.” “El Viaje,” is centered around the worldly journey of his career — naming each track after a

Tras haberse mencionado en el sitio web Deadline un día antes sobre los recortes que se aproximaban en TelevisaUnivision, hoy se dio a conocer la salida de algunos de sus talentos en pantalla entre los que se incluye la comunicadora hondureña Maity Interiano, el chef venezolano Jesús Díaz conocido como “Chef Yisus”, además del reportero de Primer Impacto Roger Borges y los comunicadores Eduardo Padilla y Carolina Peguero, quienes formaron parte del equipo de noticias de la plataforma de streaming Vix. La lamentable noticia llega un día después que Deadline publicó que “Televisa Univision, que como todas las compañías de medios tradicionales enfrenta el desafío de la cancelación de servicios por cable y un mercado publicitario inestable, está despidiendo a varios cientos de trabajadores en un proceso de reestructuración”. La medida se hizo pública cuando el director ejecutivo Daniel Alegre anunció, según Deadline, “una renovación del equipo directivo de la compañía” e hizo alusión a los recortes en un memorándum a los empleados esta mañana (2 de diciembre). Aunque no se reveló un número preciso de despidos, una persona familiarizada con las reducciones le dijo