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Diplomatic, military leaders urge Congress to fund Israel, Ukraine

Published Sun, 23 Feb 2025 10:03:57 GMT

By Mary Clare Jalonick | Associated PressWASHINGTON — The nation’s top military and diplomatic leaders urged an increasingly divided Congress on Tuesday to send major immediate aid to Israel and Ukraine, arguing at a Senate hearing that broad support for the assistance would signal U.S. strength to adversaries worldwide.The testimony from Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin and Secretary of State Antony Blinken came as the administration’s massive $105 billion emergency aid request for conflicts in the two countries encountered roadblocks.While there is bipartisan support in the Democratic-led Senate for aid to both Ukraine and Israel, the request faces deep problems in the Republican-led House. New Speaker Mike Johnson has proposed focusing on Israel alone, and slashing money for the Internal Revenue Service to pay for it.As the congressional divisions deepen, Blinken and Austin warned that the consequences of failing to help Ukraine in its war with Russia and Israel as it s...

How ‘Nightmare Before Christmas’ went from cult classic to beloved Disney property

Published Sun, 23 Feb 2025 10:03:57 GMT

By Scottie Andrew | CNN“The Nightmare Before Christmas” is, today, a proud Disney property. You can find its spindly hero Jack Skellington across Disneyland during Halloween and Christmastime, and his skeletal smile adorns everything from pillowcases to backpacks to Build-a-Bear stuffed creatures. It’s one of the company’s most unique artistic achievements and a proven moneymaker, even 30 years on.In 1993, though, a Halloween-Christmas film hybrid starring a slightly demented but well-meaning skeleton in a bat bowtie who nearly gets Santa killed was no easy sell. Worried the film would frighten young viewers used to “The Little Mermaid” and “Aladdin,” Disney released the film under its Touchstone Pictures banner, reserved for titles with more mature themes than standard Disney fare (a few years earlier, “Who Framed Roger Rabbit” got the same treatment).The film made a modest box office dent upon release. But many viewers who found the film over the years, usually on home video, appr...

Livermore man gets 5 days in jail for killing woman in 2022 DUI crash

Published Sun, 23 Feb 2025 10:03:57 GMT

DUBLIN — A Livermore man who was originally charged with vehicular manslaughter has been sentenced to probation and a brief jail stint for killing a pedestrian in a 2022 crash in Dublin, court records show.In a deal with Alameda County prosecutors, 43-year-old Giovanni Fissore pleaded no contest to a misdemeanor count of drunk driving causing injury. The charge carries a maximum of a year in jail, but Fissore was sentenced to five days of jail and ended up spending three days in the Alameda County Sheriff’s work alternative program. The program allows people to spend eight to 10 hours per day doing work in lieu of jail time, and is available for “low risk offenders,” according to court records.Related ArticlesCrime and Public Safety | Fatal crash in East Bay comes after driver speeds away from sheriff’s deputies Crime and Public Safety | 15-year-old boy arrested in connection to San Jose hit-and-run that killed pregnant presch...

FBI director: Antisemitism at ‘historic level’ in the US

Published Sun, 23 Feb 2025 10:03:57 GMT

By Hannah Rabinowitz | CNNFBI Director Christopher Wray said Tuesday that antisemitism is reaching “historic levels” in the United States.“This is a threat that is reaching, in some way, sort of historic levels,” Wray said during a Senate hearing Tuesday. The FBI director said that was in part because “the Jewish community is targeted by terrorists really across the spectrum” including homegrown violent extremists, foreign terrorist organizations, and domestic violent extremists.“In fact, our statistics would indicate that for a group that represents only about 2.4% of the American public, they account for something like 60% of all religious-based hate crimes,” Wray said of the Jewish American population.Wray said that the FBI is tackling the rise in antisemitism through a series of law enforcement efforts including joint terrorism task forces, hate crime investigations, and intelligence sharing.“This is not a time for panic, but it is a time for vigilance,” Wray said addressing pub...

Kurtenbach: James Harden is returning to the Western Conference. Warriors fans should celebrate

Published Sun, 23 Feb 2025 10:03:57 GMT

We’re living in a topsy-turvy world. Chris Paul is wearing blue and yellow, the Warriors boast a deep roster, and they are — can this be right? — winning on the road.This is a lot of change and while it’s working for the Dubs, not everyone does well with this much difference.So I’m happy to welcome James Harden — Warriors’ villain extraordinaire — back to the Western Conference.We could use a bit of familiarity around these parts.After a half-decade-plus of being the Warriors’ top foil in the Western Conference (sometimes with Paul) for Houston, the should-be-two-time MVP took a three-year sojourn out East was marked by… nothing on the court.Harden seemed to spend most of the last years of his prime disgruntled, whether in Brooklyn or Philadelphia.Related ArticlesGolden State Warriors | Warriors 3 Things: Steph Curry, Golden State are playing the beautiful game Golden State Warriors | Warriors’ 3 Things: Dubs provide reasons for optimism, despite sea...

San Jose: Arrest made in connection to April armed burglary; antique guns recovered

Published Sun, 23 Feb 2025 10:03:57 GMT

SAN JOSE — Police arrested a man last week on suspicion of residential burglary about six months after he allegedly broke into a San Jose home while armed with a gun, according to authorities.Authorities also recovered a small cache of weapons and ammunition when they arrested the man — who is legally prohibited from owning firearms — and searched his home.Officers responded to a reported residential burglary on April 2, but the suspect fled before their arrival. The suspect was armed during the burglary, according to police, and was confronted by a neighbor.Related ArticlesCrime and Public Safety | San Jose man indicted after allegedly failing to disclose foreign bank accounts Crime and Public Safety | Juveniles on e-bikes not following rules of the road in Los Gatos Crime and Public Safety | Man threatens to burn down Campbell fire station Crime and Public Safety | Exclusive: Los Gatos ‘party mom’ indicted by g...

Los Gatos 'party mom' charged with hosting alcohol parties for teens, encouraging sexual assault

Published Sun, 23 Feb 2025 10:03:57 GMT

SANTA CLARA, Calif. (AP) — A woman accused of hosting parties for her teenage son and his friends in Northern California where she encouraged them to drink and sexually assault intoxicated girls was charged Monday with more than five dozen felony and misdemeanor counts.Shannon Marie O’Connor, 49, was indicted by a grand jury in Santa Clara County on 63 charges including child endangerment for furnishing alcohol to minors and aiding and abetting sexual assault, the Mercury News reported.Seventeen alleged victims testified at the grand jury hearing, the paper said. THC gummies found in candy stash at Bay Area elementary school It wasn't immediately clear whether O'Connor, who was ordered to remain in jail without bail, had an attorney who could speak to the charges.Prosecutors contend that O'Connor staged six alcohol-fueled parties in 2020 at her-then home in Los Gatos and other places. Prosecutors allege she bought beer, vodka, whiskey and other liquor and encouraged the teens...

American Red Cross CEO and President Gail McGovern to retire

Published Sun, 23 Feb 2025 10:03:57 GMT

(KRON) -- Gail McGovern, CEO and president of the American Red Cross, will retire next year, the humanitarian organization announced on Tuesday. McGovern, who has been at the helm of the organization for more than 15 years, will retire on June 30, 2024, the Red Cross said.The Red Cross Board of Governors has elected Chief Operating Officer Cliff Holtz as its next president and CEO, according to its succession plan. McGovern is the Red Cross' longest-serving CEO since Clara Barton.“It has been the honor of my life to lead the American Red Cross and be part of an organization that serves millions of people at times when they are at their most vulnerable. The extraordinary skill, compassion and commitment I have seen in our more than 300,000 volunteers and employees across this country humbles me every single day,” said McGovern. “I could not be prouder of how we have stepped up to address the challenges of our time.” THC gummies found in candy stash at Bay Area elementary school Dur...

Biden’s Conspiracy Theory About Gaza Casualty Numbers Unravels Upon Inspection

Published Sun, 23 Feb 2025 10:03:57 GMT

President Joe Biden, asked last week what his government planned to do to reduce the number of civilian casualties in Gaza, responded by rejecting the idea that the numbers could be trusted. “I have no notion if Palestinians are telling the truth about how many people are killed,” Biden said on Wednesday. “I’m sure innocents have been killed and it is the price of waging war,” he added. “But I have no confidence in the number that Palestinians are using.”A new analysis by The Intercept provides evidence refuting that claim.Biden’s effort to delegitimize the numbers coming out of Gaza as fake news has created an opening for defenders of Israel’s indiscriminate bombing campaign to dismiss the crisis; they note Hamas governs Gaza, therefore runs the Ministry of Health and is inflating the figures. (Biden later clarified he meant to say he didn’t trust Hamas, not all Palestinians, according to the Wall Street Journal.)Biden’s claim was quickly rejected by human rights organi...

Hendrick Motorsports took a gamble on William Byron. Now he’ll try to win his 1st Cup title

Published Sun, 23 Feb 2025 10:03:57 GMT

CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) — Rick Hendrick first met William Byron as a local Charlotte teenager, fan of Hendrick Motorsports and budding NASCAR driver. Something about the 15-year-old struck Hendrick, who recognized a young talent with a potentially bright future in NASCAR. Hendrick snagged Byron away from the Toyota camp in 2016, promoted him to the Cup Series in 2018 when he was 20 years old and fresh off an Xfinity Series championship and gave him the tools to become a star. It’s paid off as Byron heads to Phoenix Raceway this week with a shot at winning his first Cup title. With a Cup Series-high six wins this season, Byron seemed a lock to make the championship finale but had to squeeze out every position Sunday at Martinsville Speedway to edge Denny Hamlin for the fourth spot in the winner-take-all title race. It’s the kind of performance Hendrick expected out of Byron, who he likens to the late David Pearson, a three-time Cup champion and Hall of Famer. In a heavyweigh...