A 42-year-old Palm Springs resident accused of stabbing a man and threatening to stab an am/pm convenience store clerk was awaiting sentencing today after pleading guilty to attempted murder and other charges. Christopher William Freitas also entered guilty pleas Monday at the Larson Justice Center in Indio to two felony counts of criminal threats and
Continue ReadingAssociated Press VATICAN CITY (AP) — Pope Francis presided over his weekly general audience Wednesday alongside a Palestinian-crafted Nativity scene that was missing its eyebrow-raising signature element: a keffiyeh-draped manger holding the infant Jesus. The wooden Nativity scene in the Vatican’s main audience hall had generated headlines when it was unveiled Dec. 7 because of
Continue ReadingAssociated Press LONDON (AP) — The British government has indefinitely banned puberty blockers for children with gender dysphoria after independent experts found there was an unacceptable safety risk in prescribing the medication. The decision announced on Wednesday effectively bans a common approach to medical gender transitions for youths. The blockers can suppress or pause puberty
Continue ReadingAP Business Writer Kroger and Albertsons’ plan for the largest U.S. supermarket merger in history crumbled Wednesday, with Albertsons pulling out of the $24.6 billion deal and the two companies accusing each other of not doing enough to push their proposed alliance through. Albertsons said it had filed a lawsuit against Kroger, seeking a $600
Continue ReadingAssociated Press NEW YORK (AP) — President-elect Donald Trump is expected to ring the opening bell at the New York Stock Exchange for the first time and be named Time magazine’s Person of the Year. Thursday’s events will be a notable moment of twin recognitions for Trump, a born-and-bred New Yorker who has long seen
Continue ReadingAssociated Press A judge declared a mistrial Wednesday in the case of Sheldon “Timothy” Herrington Jr. in the 2022 killing of Jimmy “Jay” Lee, a gay man who was prominent in the LGBTQ+ community at the University of Mississippi. Jurors said they were unable to reach a verdict after over nine and a half hours
Continue ReadingAssociated Press DAMASCUS (AP) — Mohammad Chaeeb spoke softly into his phone, telling a relative the grim news: He found his brother at the morgue. “I saw him and said my goodbyes,” he said. His gaze lingered on the blackened body of Sami Chaeeb, whose teeth were bared and whose eye sockets were empty. It
Continue ReadingMILAN (AP) — The Paris-based fashion house, Maison Margiela, has announced that British designer John Galliano is leaving the company after 10 years as artistic director. No successor has been named. The flamboyant designer joined Maison Margiela in 2014 after all but disappearing from fashion due to antisemitic remarks in a bar several years earlier.
Continue ReadingAP Pro Football Writer IRVING, Texas (AP) — A rape allegation against rapper Jay-Z, whose company Roc Nation has produced some of the NFL’s entertainment presentations including the Super Bowl halftime show, won’t impact the league’s relationship with the music mogul. “We’re aware of the civil allegations and Jay-Z’s really strong response to that,” NFL
Continue ReadingAssociated Press WASHINGTON (AP) — The House has passed a measure that authorizes a 1% increase in spending this fiscal year and a double-digit pay raise for about half of the enlisted service members in the military. The bill approved Wednesday is traditionally a bipartisan one, but some Democratic lawmakers objected to the inclusion of
Continue ReadingFormer Tulane quarterback Darian Mensah has already found a new program in Duke, while Mississippi State’s Michael Van Buren Jr., Wisconsin’s Braedyn Locke and Cal’s Fernando Mendoza are exploring changes of their own in the transfer portal. Mensah, a redshirt freshman with three years of eligibility remaining, told ESPN on Wednesday he has transferred to
Continue ReadingSALISBURY, Md. (AP) — Prosecutors have dropped hate crime charges against 12 of the 15 Salisbury University students arrested following an attack in which investigators say a man was lured to an off-campus apartment, beaten and called a homophobic slur. The Wicomico County Office of the State’s Attorney says it “has reviewed the evidence gathered
Continue ReadingAssociated Press The jihadi rebels who toppled Syrian President Bashar Assad say they want to build a unified, inclusive country. But after nearly 14 years of civil war, putting that ideal into practice will not be easy. For Syria’s Kurdish minority, America’s closest ally in the country, the struggle for a new order is entering
Continue ReadingAP Film Writer The Sundance Film Festival on Wednesday unveiled its lineup of 87 feature films set to debut in January. Notable premieres include Jennifer Lopez in Bill Condon’s “Kiss of the Spider Woman,” a documentary from Questlove about Sly & The Family Stone, and Associated Press journalist Mstyslav Chernov’s follow up to his Oscar-winning
Continue ReadingAssociated Press New York can be a magical place for museumgoers but it can also be overwhelming and overcrowded at times, especially at the biggest, most famous museums. Luckily the city has scores of great museums to choose from, from the small and quirky to elegant gems housed in historic mansions. There are preserved Lower
Continue ReadingNAIROBI, Kenya (AP) — Kenyan police say two Polish tourists have died and two others, along with their Kenyan guide, were badly injured after their vehicle was involved in a collision. The five were in a van traveling from the coastal city of Mombasa to the capital, Nairobi on Wednesday morning when a truck hit
Continue ReadingAP Film Writer Oscar-winning documentarian and Associated Press journalist Mstyslav Chernov has a new film that delves further into the Russia-Ukraine war. Sundance Film Festival organizers announced Wednesday that “2000 Meters to Andriivka” will have its world premiere in Park City, Utah, in January. It’s a joint production between the AP and PBS’ “Frontline.” Chernov
Continue ReadingCalMatters California lawmakers pass nearly 1,000 new laws each year. How do they know whether they are working? Many new laws include a requirement for progress reports to the Legislature, but state agencies and commissions assigned to prepare those reports often fail to submit them on time, or at all, according to the Legislature’s website.
Continue ReadingBy Jennifer Agiesta, CNN (CNN) — Most Americans expect President-elect Donald Trump to do a good job upon his return to the White House next month (54%) and a majority approves of how he’s handling the presidential transition so far (55%), according to a new CNN Poll conducted by SSRS. Trump won the presidency last
Continue ReadingLOS ANGELES (AP) — A Southern California water agency has approved key funding needed to support plans for a giant underground tunnel that would reroute a big part of the state’s water supply. The board of the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California, which along with local agencies provides water to 19 million people, voted
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