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Legitimacy of ‘customer’ in Supreme Court gay rights case raises ethical and legal flags

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:20:15 GMT

By ALANNA DURKIN RICHER and COLLEEN SLEVIN (Associated Press)A Christian graphic artist who the Supreme Court said can refuse to make wedding websites for gay couples pointed during her lawsuit to a request from a man named “Stewart” and his husband-to-be. The twist? Stewart says it never happened.The revelation has raised questions about how Lorie Smith’s case was allowed to proceed all the way to the nation’s highest court with such an apparent misrepresentation and whether the state of Colorado, which lost the case last week, has any legal recourse.It has served as another distraction at the end of a highly polarizing term for a Supreme Court marked by ethical questions and contentious rulings along ideological lines that rejected affirmative action in higher education and President Joe Biden’s $400 billion plan to cancel or reduce federal student loan debts.Here’s a look at the legal questions surrounding the mysterious would-be customer, R...

Why a Guatemalan court’s decision to freeze presidential election results is stirring criticism

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:20:15 GMT

GUATEMALA CITY (AP) — A week after Guatemala’s June 25 elections boosted a relative long-shot candidate into the final second round of voting, the country’s top court has frozen certification of the election results.Several political parties filed appeals questioning the vote, and the court agreed to freeze certification of final tallies until those complaints can be reviewed. The United States and international bodies have criticized the freeze as a lack of respect for the will of almost 5.5 million people who turned out to vote. The elections were already marred by the official disqualification of several popular candidates, often on questionable technical grounds.WHAT HAPPENED IN THE JUNE 25 ELECTIONS?In a crowded field, the center-right candidate and former first lady Sandra Torres of the National Hope Unity part came in first with 15.8% of the vote.Coming in second was left-of-center candidate Bernardo Arévalo, whose father was president before Jacobo Arbenz, who was overthrown...

Vietnam bans ‘Barbie’ movie due to an illustration showing China’s territorial claim

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:20:15 GMT

HANOI (AP) — Vietnam’s state media have reported that the government banned distribution of the popular “Barbie” movie because it includes a view of a map showing disputed Chinese territorial claims in the South China Sea. The newspaper Vietnam Express and other media said posters advertising “Barbie” were removed from movie distributors’ websites after Monday’s decision. With Margot Robbie playing Barbie opposite Ryan Gosling’s Ken in Greta Gerwig’s comedic look at their “perfect” world, “Barbie” was supposed to open July 21 in Vietnamese theaters.The reports cited Vi Kien Thanh, director general of the Vietnam Cinema Department, as saying the National Film Evaluation Council made the decision. It said a map in the film shows China’s “nine-dash line,” which extends Beijing’s territorial claims far into waters that fall within areas claimed by Vietnam and other countries. The “nine-dash line” is an arcane but sensitive issue for China and its neighbors that depicts Beijing’s c...

Hit-and-run driver runs down man setting off fireworks in L.A.

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:20:15 GMT

Authorities are investigating after a possible fatal hit-and-run crash Monday night in Wilmington involving a man reportedly lighting off fireworks in the road.  Officers with the Los Angeles Police Department responded to the scene, located at 710 N. Fries Avenue, near a Food 4 Less grocery store, at around 9:10 p.m. on reports of a vehicle hitting a pedestrian, police told KTLA.  The victim, a 36-year-old man, was allegedly in the road igniting fireworks when he was struck by a sport utility vehicle. The man was thrown a distance and landed partially under another vehicle exiting the shopping center parking lot, officials with the Los Angeles Fire Department said in a new release. Police on the scene of a fatal accident, a possible hit-and-run, in Wilmington July 3, 2023. (RMG News)Bystanders at the scene of a fatal accident, a possible hit-and-run, in Wilmington July 3, 2023. (RMG News)Police on the scene of a fatal accident, a possible hit-and-run, in Wilming...

Titan submersible may have tried to resurface before tragedy

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:20:15 GMT

New details about the implosion of the Titan submersible indicate the vessel "dropped weights" before communication was lost, reported by The New Yorker. In an interview, Rob McCallum — a former advisor to OceanGate, the company that designed the Titan submersible — said he received a report that when the submersible reached 3,500 meters it dropped weights, meaning it aborted the dive, The New Yorker reported, before it “then it lost comms, and lost tracking, and an implosion was heard.”At one point, McCallum criticized the company's Cyclops I — the predecessor to the doomed "Titan" Cyclops II submersible — for its design to be piloted by a PlayStation controller.“Everyone was drinking Kool-Aid and saying how cool they were with a Sony PlayStation,” he told The New Yorker. “And I said at the time, ‘Does Sony know that it’s been used for this application? Because, you know, this is not what it was designed for.’" A U.S. Coast Guard ship arrives in the harbor of St. John's, New...

Hundreds gather for 3rd of July fireworks show in Los Alamitos

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:20:15 GMT

Hundreds of people gathered for the 36th annual 3rd of July fireworks show Monday at Los Alamitos Joint Forces training center to celebrate Independence Day. Sporting red, white and blue colors, families traveled from near and far to see the fireworks show that many believe is the best in town. “We are here for Independence Day,” said Craig Asato, an attendee at the show. “A day early, but we wanted to enjoy fireworks and have a good time.” “We’re excited because we hear this is one of the best shows in town,” Kimi Asato, another attendee chimed in. “And we live right around the corner so it’s nice to come for the first time.”As people are headed out to the beach and other outdoor gatherings, excessive heat warnings have caused fire officials to increase staffing in case of fire danger. Fire officials say fuels are dried up because of the heat, which makes it more challenging to put out fires and can create larger fire growth.   People who are trav...

State task force on reparations sends recommendations to lawmakers on compensation, public apology

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:20:15 GMT

After two years of historic work, a state task force on reparations delivered its final report on Thursday, setting the stage for legislators to draw up laws based on its recommendations for making restitution to Black state residents for the long-term effects of slavery.Those recommendations are contained in more than 100 proposals laid out by the California Task Force to Develop Reparation Proposals for African Americans, including monetary compensation, a formal public apology from the state, and replacing what it called racist policies.Task force member Sen. Steven Bradford, D-Gardena, noted during Thursday’s meeting that the implementation of reparations won’t be done with one bill or in one legislative cycle.“This is going to be the start of another lengthy process,” he said. “Reparations is not a gift, not a handout, not charity. It is what is promised, what is owed and what is long overdue … it’s past due time to repay African Americ...

All-Star closer Camilo Doval falls apart in wild ninth inning as SF Giants lose to Mariners

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:20:15 GMT

SAN FRANCISCO — There were more questions than answers after the San Francisco Giants suffered a ninth inning meltdown on Monday night.The Giants and Seattle Mariners were tied until All-Star closer Camilo Doval blew the game in the most bizarre fashion.Doval allowed four runs and Blake Sabol’s three-run home run in the bottom of the inning wasn’t enough as the Giants lost a 6-5 heartbreaker in front of a sellout crowd of 40,691 at Oracle Park.Doval entered in a tie game, allowed a leadoff single to Mike Ford and then everything unraveled.Doval threw a pitch to Ty France that appeared to hit him between the knob of the bat and France’s bottom hand. After review, the umpires’ questionable call was upheld, putting two runners on with nobody out and the go-ahead run in scoring position.That brought up the nine-hitter, Kolten Wong, and the entire stadium knew a sacrifice bunt was coming.To defend it, the Giants appeared to execute the wheel play, a basic play in baseball when the ...

Man found dead in Healdsburg parking lot

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:20:15 GMT

(KRON) -- The Healdsburg Police Department is investigating after a man was found dead in a parking lot Monday morning. HPD responded to the 20 block of Matheson Street at about 10:21 a.m. Monday for the report of an unresponsive person. The man's dead body was found in the parking lot at 14 Matheson Street. Suspect wanted for stabbing at Levi’s Stadium soccer game Police said they responded to calls earlier Monday morning about a subject assaulting employees of a downtown business and threatening another person with a hammer. HPD believes the deceased person was involved in those incidents. "Investigators learned that the decedent had been in an altercation with several subjects prior to being found unresponsive," police said. "So far, these individuals have been cooperative with investigators." An autopsy performed later in the week will determine the cause of death. The subject has not yet been identified.KRON ON is streaming news live now.embed-container { position: relative;...

Snell helps quiet Ohtani and Trout; Bogaerts hits 3-run shot in Padres’ 10-3 win over Angels

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:20:15 GMT

SAN DIEGO (AP) — Blake Snell helped keep All-Star sluggers Shohei Ohtani and Mike Trout in the ballpark, and Xander Bogaerts hit a three-run homer that sent the disappointing San Diego Padres to a 10-3 win against the Los Angeles Angels on Monday night.Trout exited with a left wrist injury after fouling off a pitch while leading off the eighth inning. He immediately shook his arm. Angels manager Phil Nevin and a trainer came out to check on the superstar and he left the field.“I just took a swing and something felt uncomfortable,” Trout said. “Just waiting on getting some scans and hope for the best.“It doesn’t feel great. I mean, there’s no two ways to it,” the three-time AL MVP added. “Hopefully just a sprained wrist. I can’t describe the pain I felt. I never felt it before, ever, before this. I never had wrist problems or anything. Just freak things.”Ohtani wasn’t able to add to his major league league-leading 31 home runs. He walked twice. Trout, who has 18 homers, w...