Trump claims presidential immunity for Jan. 6 actions

Published Mon, 16 Dec 2024 23:38:31 GMT

Trump claims presidential immunity for Jan. 6 actions By Eric Tucker and Alanna Durkin Richer | Associated PressWASHINGTON (AP) — Lawyers for Donald Trump asked a judge Thursday to dismiss the Washington federal election subversion case against him, arguing the Republican is immune from prosecution for actions they say were taken in his official role as president.The motion amounts to the most pointed attack yet by defense lawyers on the federal case charging Trump with plotting to overturn the results of the 2020 presidential election he lost to Democrat Joe Biden. It tees up a fight over the scope of presidential power, forcing courts to wrestle with whether the actions Trump took in his failed bid to remain in office fell within his duties as commander in chief or whether they strayed far outside his White House responsibilities and were there therefore illegal.“Breaking 234 years of precedent, the incumbent administration has charged President Trump for acts that lie not just within the ‘outer perimeter,’ but at t...

Top horror films 2023: Our No. 1 pick ranks among best horror movies of all time

Published Mon, 16 Dec 2024 23:38:31 GMT

Top horror films 2023: Our No. 1 pick ranks among best horror movies of all time The horror movie genre has been a bit of a mixed bag in 2023.On one hand, fright fans witnessed the release of one of the most thrilling horror films in years.On the other hand, viewers got a bunch of sequels — including a goodly number worth watching — as well as some fairly fresh takes on old ideas.And on yet the other hand — since we are taking horror here and monsters can have as many hands/claws as they want — there was a seemingly never-ending parade of (at best) macabre mediocrity and (more often than not) horribly bad films.I’ve combed through a huge number of these flicks and have come up with a list of some of the top horror releases from 2023.The timing, of course, is pegged to the Halloween season, when even non-horror fans seem to like a good jump scare or two.All 10 of my picks were released widely in 2023, although some may have premiered earlier, most likely at film festivals.So, try mixing some of these new offerings in with your old favorite...

Evidence: Trump’s financial statements integral to loan deal

Published Mon, 16 Dec 2024 23:38:31 GMT

Evidence: Trump’s financial statements integral to loan deal By Michael R. Sisak and Jennifer Peltz | Associated PressNEW YORK — Former President Donald Trump has said he never thought his yearly financial statements “would be taken very seriously.” But evidence Thursday at his New York civil fraud trial showed the statements were integral to some of his business empire’s loan deals.A state lawyer showed letters that former Trump company controller Jeffrey McConney sent to a bank, saying he was providing copies of Trump’s 2015 and 2016 financial statements as required under the conditions of a loan for his Seven Springs estate north of New York City.McConney was the first ex-insider from the Trump Organization to testify at the trial, where New York Attorney General Letitia James is alleging that Trump and his business deceived banks, insurers and others with fraudulent financial statements that vastly overvalued Trump Tower, Mar-a-Lago and other assets.Trump denies any wrongdoing and says James, a Democrat, is just tr...

Sale closed in Palo Alto: $3 million for a three-bedroom home

Published Mon, 16 Dec 2024 23:38:31 GMT

Sale closed in Palo Alto: $3 million for a three-bedroom home 1893 Edgewood Drive – Google Street ViewA 1,357-square-foot house built in 1950 has changed hands. The property located in the 1800 block of Edgewood Drive in Palo Alto was sold on Sept. 6, 2023, for $3,000,000, or $2,211 per square foot. The layout of this single-story house includes three bedrooms and two baths. Inside, a fireplace enhances the ambiance of the living area. Additionally, the house features a two-car garage, providing ample room for vehicles and storage needs. The property’s backyard showcases both a spa and a pool.Additional houses that have recently been purchased close by include:On Edgewood Drive, Palo Alto, in July 2022, a 1,394-square-foot home was sold for $3,258,000, a price per square foot of $2,337. The home has 3 bedrooms and 2 bathrooms.In October 2022, a home on Blue Jay Court in East Palo Alto sold for $1,800,000.A 1,394-square-foot home on the 500 block of Rhodes Drive in Palo Alto sold in September 2022, for $3,248,000, a price per square foot of $2,...

Amtrak train fatally hits person walking on Berkeley tracks

Published Mon, 16 Dec 2024 23:38:31 GMT

Amtrak train fatally hits person walking on Berkeley tracks BERKELEY — An Amtrak train hit and killed a person who was illegally walking on the tracks Wednesday, authorities said.Police were called to the tracks in the area of Harrison Street about 5:35 p.m. and found the person dead at the scene. Authorities did not identify the person immediately, pending confirmation and notification of relatives.Amtrak spokesperson Kelly Just the the train involved was traveling from Sacramento to Oakland and had 45 passengers and crew. None of them were injured.Amtrak and police said the person trespassed on the tracks.

Judge denies request to release accused Oakland child killer to Sacramento and Vacaville

Published Mon, 16 Dec 2024 23:38:31 GMT

Judge denies request to release accused Oakland child killer to Sacramento and Vacaville OAKLAND — An Alameda County judge has denied a defense request to release a 22-year-old man who is accused of beating a 2-year-old boy to death while forcing the child’s mother to prostitute herself in Oakland, court records show.Keonte Harris, 22, of Antioch, was charged last March with assault causing death of 2-year-old Jamari Madkins, on top of previously filed charges that he trafficked Jamari’s 17-year-old mother. Harris allegedly buried the boy’s body in Napa County, with the help of 21-year-old Joel Saavedra, a Suisun City resident who has denied the allegations.Saavedra was released from jail in May, after Judge James Cramer agreed to waive his $500,000 bail. But at a Sept. 19 court hearing, Cramer denied a defense motion to release Harris to live with a relative in Sacramento and work at a roof panel manufacturing company in Vacaville.The defense argued Harris would not be a flight risk and that he was constitutionally entitled to bail. Harris remai...

Couture a ‘longshot’ for next week’s opener; what does Sharks’ center depth look like without him?

Published Mon, 16 Dec 2024 23:38:31 GMT

Couture a ‘longshot’ for next week’s opener; what does Sharks’ center depth look like without him? SAN JOSE – Although Logan Couture could start to skate again sometime in the next few days, San Jose Sharks coach David Quinn indicated that it’s unlikely the team’s captain will be available to play in a week’s time.“It’s probably a longshot as we stand here,” Quinn said Thursday morning before the Sharks played the Los Angeles Kings in Salt Lake City in their final preseason game.Couture, 34, hasn’t skated since the start of training camp as he’s been considered week-to-week with a lower-body injury. He has felt better in recent days, Quinn has said, but would seemingly still need to be able to practice at full speed and improve his conditioning before he’s ready to play.The Sharks begin the regular season next Thursday against the reigning Stanley Cup champion Vegas Golden Knights. That starts a treacherous four-game homestand with ensuing dates against Colorado, Carolina, and Boston on Oct. 14, 17, and 19, respectively. Those four teams ...

New Agatha Christie mystery in San Jose is not your average Agatha Christie mystery

Published Mon, 16 Dec 2024 23:38:31 GMT

New Agatha Christie mystery in San Jose is not your average Agatha Christie mystery It’s been a little over a hundred years since Agatha Christie burst onto the literary scene in 1920 with the first of her detective novels, introducing her eccentric Belgian detective Hercule Poirot.Over the years her “cozy” mysteries have been much imitated, sometimes lampooned or reacted against by later waves of mystery writers, but they’ve also remained wildly popular.Guinness World Records names Christie the world’s best-selling fiction writer ever. Her stage murder mystery “The Mousetrap” is the world’s longest-running play, showing continuously on London’s West End since 1952 (a 14-month COVID shutdown notwithstanding).And adaptations of her work just keep on coming. “A Haunting in Venice” is currently in cinemas, director/star Kenneth Branagh’s third movie based on Christie’s Poirot mysteries.Now TheatreWorks Silicon Valley brings us “Mrs. Christie,” Heidi Armbruster’s play about an actual mystery in Agatha Christie’s own life — her still-unexplained 11-day disappearan...

19-year-old Stockton man arrested in connection with double shooting

Published Mon, 16 Dec 2024 23:38:31 GMT

19-year-old Stockton man arrested in connection with double shooting (BCN) -- Police arrested a 19-year-old man in connection with a shooting in Stockton that injured two men Tuesday evening. Alejandro Fernandez was arrested following a traffic stop on a vehicle related to the shooting and a search of a related residence, police said. Shortly before 7 p.m. Tuesday, officers responded to North El Dorado Street and Swain Road on reports of shots fired. 3 suspects arrested in Sunnyvale attempted murder case A 23-year-old man was found with a graze gunshot wound and another man, 35, was located across the street with a gunshot wound.Both men were taken to a hospital and are expected to survive. According to police, both victims did not appear to have been involved in the original altercation that led to the shooting. Copyright © 2023 Bay City News, Inc.

3 suspects arrested in Sunnyvale attempted murder case

Published Mon, 16 Dec 2024 23:38:31 GMT

3 suspects arrested in Sunnyvale attempted murder case (KRON) - The Sunnyvale Department of Public Safety announced the arrest of three suspects in an attempted murder case last week. On Sept. 12, SDPS responded to gunshots and a vehicle collision in the Hawthorn and Arbutus Avenue area, where officers found a wounded man. The victim suffered a gunshot wound to the head. According to police, the man received immediate treatment and was transported to a local hospital by ambulance.   Union City stabbing leaves 1 dead, 2 injured, suspect on the loose In the police investigation, detectives identified three suspects: Elder Caballero-Valencia; Destinee Armenta; and Raymond Gantt. A coordinated muti-agency operation was conducted to apprehend the suspects on Sept. 28. SDPS SWAT team and Stanislaus County Sheriff’s SWAT team apprehended Caballero-Valencia and Armenta in Modesto. SDPS officers apprehended Gantt in Sunnyvale the same day. Stockton Police Department’s SWAT team assisted the SDPS in serving a search warrant at a residence in St...