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Dear Abby: Restaurant choice becomes political spat

Published Fri, 27 Dec 2024 12:55:51 GMT

Dear Abby: My father-in-law and I are just cut from different cloth. We are political opposites, although we do get along for the most part. On a family vacation (we were visiting them), we were going out for dinner.My wife and I knew he was going to take us to a restaurant we both have ethical issues with. I handed him a 10% off coupon for a different nearby restaurant and said, “Here’s another option for dinner.” When he responded that he thought we’d go to the first place, I said, “Sorry. I have some moral issues with it and won’t eat there. Is there somewhere else we can go?” He then blew up at me, saying things like, “If you’re not paying, what difference does it make?” and “Since you’re our guest, it’s rude of you to refuse.” My wife agreed that he was out of line. What do you think? Was it rude of us as their guests? Or rude of him as a host to not accommodate us? — Not Going There in Ne...

Donald Trump Jr. returning to stand as defense looks to undercut New York civil fraud claims

Published Fri, 27 Dec 2024 12:55:51 GMT

NEW YORK (AP) — Foiled in their longshot bid for an early verdict, Donald Trump’s lawyers will start calling witnesses of their own Monday in the New York civil fraud trial that threatens the former president’s real estate empire.First up: Donald Trump Jr., who’ll be returning to the witness stand two weeks after state lawyers quizzed him during a major stretch of the trial that also featured testimony from his father and siblings Eric and Ivanka Trump.Trump’s oldest son, a Trump Organization executive vice president, originally testified on Nov. 1 and 2. He said he never worked on the annual financial statements at the heart of New York Attorney General Letitia James’ lawsuit. He said he relied on the company’s longtime finance chief and outside accounts to verify their accuracy.James alleges Donald Trump, his company and executives including Eric and Donald Jr. exaggerated his wealth by billions of dollars on financial statements given to banks, insurers and others. The documents ...

Los Angeles motorists urged to take public transport after massive fire closes interstate

Published Fri, 27 Dec 2024 12:55:51 GMT

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Los Angeles motorists should expect traffic snarls during the Monday commute as crews assess how much damage was caused by a raging fire over the weekend that closed a major elevated interstate near downtown, officials said.Hazardous materials teams were clearing burned material from underneath Interstate 10 to make way for engineers who will ensure the columns and deck of the highway can support the 300,000 vehicles that typically travel that route daily, Gov. Gavin Newsom said at a news conference Sunday.“Remember, this is an investigation as to the cause of how this occurred, as well as a hazmat and structural engineering question,” Newsom said. “Can you open a few lanes? Can you retrofit the columns? Is the bridge deck intact to allow for a few lanes to remain open again?”Newsom said answering those questions would be a “24-7 operation,” but officials couldn’t yet offer a timeline for when the highway might reopen.Commuters were urged to work from home or take...

International students have returned to US colleges, fueled by a surge from India

Published Fri, 27 Dec 2024 12:55:51 GMT

WASHINGTON (AP) — International students attended U.S. universities in surging numbers last year, rebounding from a pandemic slump with the help of a 35% jump in students coming from India, according to a study released Monday.Overall, the number of international students in the U.S. grew by 12% in the 2022-23 academic year, the largest single-year increase in more than 40 years, according to findings from the State Department and the nonprofit Institute of International Education. More than 1 million students came from abroad, the most since the 2019-20 school year.“This reinforces that the U.S. remains the destination of choice for international students wishing to study abroad, as it has been for more than a century,” said Allan E. Goodman, CEO of the Institute of International Education.American colleges enrolled nearly 269,000 students from India, more than ever and second only to China. Most came for graduate programs, often in science, technology and business.“The U.S. mainta...

Biden sees hopeful signs for his reelection in Democrats’ 2023 wins. Others in his party are worried

Published Fri, 27 Dec 2024 12:55:51 GMT

WASHINGTON (AP) — Surrounded by dozens of Democratic donors at a glass art gallery space in Chicago last week, President Joe Biden urged them to look beyond negative poll numbers and feel assured their donations were not being wasted.Then Biden joked to the crowd: “I could still screw up.”The attendees at his campaign fundraiser laughed. Yet many Democrats are fearful there is a serious disconnect between the popularity of Biden’s agenda and the man himself, as the president’s approval ratings remain stubbornly low and voters continue to register concerns about his age. Some of those worries were tempered by the results of Tuesday’s election, when Democrats romped to victory in Kentucky, Virginia, Ohio and Pennsylvania. Inside the White House, the Democrats’ big night was a bright spot in an otherwise dim week as it grapples with the response to two wars and tries to minimize the president’s flagging poll numbers. Just 38% of adults approve of Biden’s job performance, according to a...

The APEC summit is happening this week in San Francisco. What is APEC, anyway?

Published Fri, 27 Dec 2024 12:55:51 GMT

WASHINGTON (AP) — The United States is hosting the annual APEC summit of world leaders this week for the first time since 2011. Leaders from the 21-member Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation group will gather in San Francisco to talk about how to better spur trade and economic growth across the Pacific region. But the main summit event will actually be on the sidelines: A face-to-face meeting between President Joe Biden and Chinese President Xi Jinping. This year’s conference is happening against the backdrop of the frosty relationship between China and the U.S. and global turmoil from the Israel-Hamas war and Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.A look at what APEC is and how it works: WHAT IS APEC? APEC stands for Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation. It’s a forum to promote trade, investment and economic development among nations around the Pacific Ocean.The group started with 12 members in 1989, but has since grown to 21 including China, Russia, Japan, the U.S. and Australi...

Biden’s early certitude on Israel gives way to the complexities and casualties of a brutal war

Published Fri, 27 Dec 2024 12:55:51 GMT

WASHINGTON (AP) — In the early days and hours after the horrific Hamas attack on Israeli civilians on Oct. 7, President Joe Biden spoke with stark declarations and unqualified support for the longtime U.S. ally. Now, a month on, that unambiguous backing has given way to the complexities and haunting casualties of the war, and the Biden administration is imploring Israel to rein in some of its tactics to ease civilian suffering in Gaza. As condemnation of the conflict has grown around the world, stoking anti-Israel sentiment, the president is also confronting the limits of the U.S. ability to direct the outcome — not only about the war, but what comes after it.“There’s no going back to the status quo as it stood on October the 6th,” Biden said three weeks after the attack. But even if Israel is successful in crippling or eradicating Hamas, there will also need to be a shift in Washington, where successive U.S. administrations have sought to manage the Middle East conflict and where t...

For news organizations, the flood of Gaza war video is proving both illuminating and troubling

Published Fri, 27 Dec 2024 12:55:51 GMT

NEW YORK (AP) — A camera livestreaming the skyline of Gaza City captures streaks of light. Dash-cam video from a car in Israel spots a killer coming into view. A satellite identifies tank tracks in the dirt, and a mall security camera catches the moment a bomb in Gaza detonates.While journalists’ access to the war in Gaza is limited, a flood of video from all sorts of sources documents what is — and isn’t — going on.At news organizations, sifting through material found online to determine what is real, and to unearth the sometimes unexpected clues that can be used to tie stories together, are increasingly important — and often emotionally overwhelming — jobs.“It has become a key part of doing journalism in the modern age,” said Katie Polglase, a London-based investigative producer for CNN.CBS News last week announced the launch of “CBS News Confirmed,” the formation of a team to use data and technology to study online evidence. Earlier this year, the similar “BBC Verify”...

Young woman found dead in Orange County

Published Fri, 27 Dec 2024 12:55:51 GMT

Authorities in Orange County are investigating after the body of a woman believed to be in her 20’s was found Sunday morning, officials announced.  Officers with Laguna Beach Police Department responded after a construction worker discovered the woman’s body “down in a secluded location” at around 8:20 a.m. near the 200 block of Ocean Avenue, a news release from the LBPD stated.  Detectives are investigating the death as homicide after finding the circumstances around the incident suspicious.  “We are saddened by this senseless act of violence,” LBPD Chief Jeff Calvert said in the release. “Our detectives are working diligently to bring the suspect(s) to justice.”  Detectives with the Laguna Beach Police Department were investigating after the body of a woman believed to be in her 20's was discovered Nov. 12, 2023. (KTLA)Detectives with the Laguna Beach Police Department were investigating after the body of a woman believed to be in her 20's was discovered Nov. 12, 20...

What went wrong in the Warriors’ loss to Timberwolves despite Curry’s 38 points

Published Fri, 27 Dec 2024 12:55:51 GMT

SAN FRANCISCO — The Minnesota Timberwolves boast the No. 1 offense in the NBA and mucked up the Warriors offense to near unwatchable levels. With no clear scorer other than Steph Curry emerging, the Warriors lost 116-110 to the Timberwolves on Sunday night.The Warriors have now lost three straight and four of their last five games. They are 1-3 at home following a loss to the Cleveland Cavaliers on Saturday and have a 6-5 record overall.“We’re in a little bit of a spell right now, but it’s not like we were the world’s greatest team when we were 6-2 and we’re not the world’s worst team losing the last three,” coach Steve Kerr said. “It’s just this part of the season. We just played two great defensive teams that throttled us.”Curry again led the way with 38 points, but didn’t get much help as the Warriors shot 38.5% from the field and a dismal 27.9% from 3. Minnesota, built similarly to the Cavaliers, forced the Warriors int...