«SFGate» (sfgate.com)

Former West Virginia coal executive Don Blankenship is making another attempt to win a U.S. Senate seat, this time as a Democrat. Blankenship finished third out of six candidates in the 2018 Republican primary for Democrat Joe Manchin's Senate seat. Manchin decided last year not to seek reelection, opening the door for Blankenship to enter the 2024 race. Blankenship will face Wheeling Mayor Glenn Elliott and Marine Corps veteran Zach Shrewsbury on May 14. Blankenship served a year in federal prison... Читать дальше...

As Mexico’s drought drags on, angry subsistence farmers have begun taking direct action against thirsty avocado orchards and berry fields of commercial farms that are drying up streams in the mountains west of Mexico City. Rivers and even whole lakes are disappearing in the once green and lush state of Michoacan, as the drought combines with a surge of the country’s lucrative export crops. lead by avocados. In recent days, farmers and activists from the Michoacan town of Villa Madero have organized... Читать дальше...

The Supreme Court will hear arguments over whether Donald Trump is immune from prosecution in a case charging him with plotting to overturn the results of the 2020 presidential election. Thursday's hearing is a historic day for the court, with the justices having an opportunity to decide once and for all whether former presidents can be prosecuted for official acts they take while in the White House. But between a decades-old case about Richard Nixon, and an obscure constitutional provision about presidential impeachments... Читать дальше...

An effort to limit diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives is gaining momentum in state capitals and college campuses. Tennessee became the latest state to act this week as the Republican governor signed a law prohibiting banks from considering a customer's participation in DEI training. That came shortly after the Democratic governor of Kansas allowed a bill to become barring higher education institutions from using DEI statements in employment and admissions. A budget bill given final approval... Читать дальше...

For a third straight week, Democrats at the Arizona Legislature are attempting to repeal the state’s near-total ban on abortions after a court concluded the state can enforce the long-dormant law that permits the procedure only to save a patient’s life. Republicans have used procedural votes to block earlier repeal efforts after the court revived the law that predates Arizona’s statehood and provides no exceptions for survivors of rape or incest. The ruling also suggested doctors could be prosecuted under the 1864 law... Читать дальше...

The Supreme Court is considering a case that will determine when doctors can provide abortions during medical emergencies in states with bans enacted after the high court’s sweeping decision overturning Roe v. Wade. The case's hearing begins Wednesday and comes from Idaho, which is one of 14 states that now ban abortion at all stages of pregnancy with limited exceptions. The Biden administration argues that even in states where abortion is banned, federal health care law says hospitals must be allowed... Читать дальше...

After years of attempts to ban the Chinese-owned app, including by former President Donald Trump, a measure to outlaw the popular video-sharing app has won congressional approval and is on its way to President Biden for his signature. The measure gives Beijing-based parent company ByteDance nine months to sell the company, with a possible additional three months if a sale is in progress. If it doesn’t, TikTok will be banned. Here are some key questions and answers.

New Jersey is incentivizing taxpayers who work from home for New York based employers to sue New York in court for taxing their wages. Connecticut is now considering it as well. There's hundreds of millions of dollars on the line for both states. New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy last year signed legislation that rewards New Jersey residents with a tax break who win their tax appeal. Now Gov. Ned Lamont of Connecticut, a fellow Democrat, wants to offer a similar bounty. Out-of-state taxpayers paid nearly $8.8 billion in 2021 in taxes... Читать дальше...

Presidential elections are being held in North Macedonia. The small Balkan country has orbited the European Union for nearly two decades with little to show for its efforts to join the bloc. A second round of voting is almost certain to follow on May 8, coinciding with parliamentary elections. That's because no candidate is expected to exceed the 50% threshold required for outright victory. The latest poll has given opposition-backed Gordana Siljanovska Davkova a 3.6 percentage-point lead over incumbent President Stevo Pendarovski. Читать дальше...

US Forecast for Wednesday, April 24, 2024

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City/Town, State;Yesterday’s High Temp (F);Yesterday’s Low Temp (F);Today’s High Temp (F);Today’s Low Temp (F);Weather Condition;Wind Direction;Wind Speed (MPH);Humidity (%);Chance of Precip. (%);UV Index

Albany, NY;69;46;60;29;Cooler, morning rain;NNW;14;63%;70%;4

Albuquerque, NM;83;54;82;53;Hazy and warm;SSW;9;22%;0%;10

Anchorage, AK;52;35;49;36;Turning cloudy;S;6;65%;0%;4

Asheville, NC;73;43;67;39;Not as warm;NW;10;60%;42%;9

Atlanta... Читать дальше...

In her primary victory Tuesday in Pennsylvania’s 12th Congressional District, first-term Democratic U.S. Rep. Summer Lee not only far outperformed her lone challenger across the District, but she was also on track to far surpass her own win in the primary two years ago. The Associated Press called the race for Lee at 9:21 p.m. ET, when she led Edgewood Borough Councilmember Bhavini Patel, 59% to 41%, with more than half of the vote reporting. Lee was ahead in both vote-rich Allegheny County, which includes Pittsburgh... Читать дальше...

The USPS announced on Tuesday it will continue with its plan to reroute Reno-area mail processing to Sacramento, a move that drew bipartisan ire from Nevada lawmakers while raising questions about the rate at which mail ballots can be processed in a populous part of a crucial swing state. Postmaster General Louis DeJoy has cast the measure as a cost saving move, but federal, state and local lawmakers have complained about a lack of transparency in the process that could slow mail throughout the region. Читать дальше...

Congress sends Biden bill requiring TikTok's parent company to sell the platform or face a US ban.

A Wisconsin prison inmate charged with killing her cellmate has pleaded not guilty to first-degree intentional homicide. Taylor Sanchez, a 28-year-old inmate at the Taycheedah Correctional Institution, entered the plea Tuesday during her arraignment in Fond du Lac County Circuit Court in the death of Cindy Schulz-Juedes. The 68-year-old Schulz-Juedes was beaten to death on July 19, 2023, in the cell that she shared with Sanchez. Sanchez was charged in January. Wisconsin Department of Corrections... Читать дальше...

A worsening budget crisis at Argentina's public universities is sending thousands of protestors into the streets as libertarian President Javier Milei pushes ahead with radical austerity measures. The show of defiance Tuesday in downtown Buenos Aires and other cities came days after the prestigious University of Buenos Aires lost power because it couldn't pay its electricity bills. In his single-minded drive to reach zero deficit, Milei is slashing spending across Argentina — shuttering ministries... Читать дальше...

More than 1,400 of Tesla’s layoffs are at its huge Fremont factory.

In a frequently tense relationship often defined by a shared border, the United States sent two officials with a different perspective to Mexico this week for a bit of space diplomacy. NASA Administrator Bill Nelson and Deputy Administrator Pamela Melroy – both former astronauts -- spent two hours chatting with President Andrés Manuel López Obrador Tuesday, took selfies with federal lawmakers and a day earlier spoke to an auditorium full of students. Melroy said, “It’s a human thing to want to explore and to understand... Читать дальше...

A 29-year-old suspect in a break-in at the home of Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass has been charged with burglary and vandalism. Los Angeles District Attorney George Gascón says Ephraim Matthew Hunter, a Los Angeles resident, is charged with a felony count of first-degree residential burglary and a felony count of vandalism. Gascón says Hunter shattered a glass door early Sunday morning to gain entry to the mayor’s official residence near downtown. He was cut by glass and left blood stains throughout the home. Читать дальше...

U.S. health officials say samples of pasteurized milk have tested positive for remnants of the bird flu virus that has infected dairy cows. The Food and Drug Administration stressed Tuesday that the material is inactivated and that the findings “do not represent actual virus that may be a risk to consumers.” Officials added that they’re continuing to study the issue. The announcement comes nearly a month after an avian influenza virus that has sickened millions of wild and commercial birds was detected... Читать дальше...

Donald Trump wins the Republican presidential primary in Pennsylvania.

Joe Biden wins the Democratic presidential primary in Pennsylvania.

The Rev. Cecil Williams, who with his late wife turned Glide Church in San Francisco into a world-renowned haven for poor, homeless and marginalized people, has died. He was 94. Williams advocated for civil rights and social justice. His work drew the attention of celebrities, politicians, and businessmen, including Oprah Winfrey and Warren Buffett. Williams and his late wife, Janice Marikitami, transformed the church with Sunday services that included a jazz band and a gospel choir and with outreach programs that helped thousands. Читать дальше...

Democrat Bob Casey and Republican David McCormick win nominations for closely watched U.S. Senate race in Pennsylvania.

A top court in the eastern Caribbean island of Dominica has struck down colonial-era laws criminalizing gay sex. It’s the latest nation to repeal such laws in the socially conservative region, joining Trinidad and Tobago, Barbados, St. Kitts and Nevis, and Antigua and Barbuda. Monday’s ruling comes nearly five years after a man whose identity was withheld challenged Dominica’s laws in 2019, saying they violated his constitutional rights. The man said the laws caused him to “live with great condemnation... Читать дальше...

A week ago, protesters blocked traffic on the Golden Gate Bridge.