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Alameda DA’s office hired Pamela Price’s boyfriend, raising nepotism concerns

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 13:08:49 GMT

OAKLAND — The office of Alameda County District Attorney Pamela Price hired her boyfriend for a six-figure salary, despite a past that includes allegations he extorted Richmond business owners for tens of thousands of dollars — a claim that drew the attention of the FBI.Antwon Cloird joined Price’s team at the beginning of her administration, occupying an office at her headquarters as a “senior program specialist” whose responsibilities the county declined to detail.Good government groups have long criticized Alameda County for not having a clear nepotism policy, and the lack of rules surrounding the hiring of a romantic partner seems to have benefited Price and Cloird. County officials told this news organization they could not find any documents showing Price voluntarily notified them of the potential conflict of interest.The couple’s relationship has been an open secret at work, raising the eyebrows of colleagues. And his time in Richmond has brought its own concerns.Emails obtai...

Cameron Smith pulls away from Phil Mickelson for a 4-shot lead at LIV Golf

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 13:08:49 GMT

BEDMINSTER, N.J. (AP) — Cam Smith birdied three of his last four holes Saturday for a 4-under 67 that allowed him to pull away from Phil Mickelson and build a four-shot lead in LIV Golf-Bedminster.Mickelson also had a 67, one of his best rounds of the year in the LIV Golf League considering Trump National Bedminster has not yielded low scoring this week. He was one shot behind when he bogeyed the par-3 14th and failed to birdie the par-5 15th.Smith picked up birdies on the 15th, the par-3 16th and the par-5 18th. He was at 9-under 133, four shots clear of Mickelson and Dean Burmester, who had birdies on three of his last five holes for a 68.Smith already has one LIV Golf victory this year. Mickelson, one of the chief recruits when the Saudi-funded league got going in 2022, is still looking for his first LIV title. His last win was the 2021 PGA Championship, when he was 50 and became golf’s oldest major champion.“It’s been a couple years, and I would love getting back into that...

American Jessica Pegula beats top-ranked Iga Swiatek to reach Montreal final

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 13:08:49 GMT

MONTREAL (AP) — Jessica Pegula beat top-ranked Iga Swiatek on Saturday to reach the National Bank Open final, breaking serve 11 times in a 6-2, 6-7 (4), 6-4 victory.Pegula, the 29-year-old American seeded fourth, finally broke through in the semifinals after falling in the round the previous two years.“It was a great match,” Pegula said. “It was tough. Kind of a roller-coaster. Really up and down, but I’m glad I was able to hold my nerve there at the end.”Pegula beat Swiatek a day after fellow American Tommy Paul knocked off top-ranked Carlos Alcaraz in the men’s event in Toronto. U.S. players had not beaten the top-ranked man and woman in the same week since April 2008 in Miami when Serena Williams beat Justine Henin and Andy Roddick topped Roger Federer.Both players struggled to hold serve, with Swiatek breaking Pegula eight times. They only won 11 of 30 service games combined.“I was getting frustrated that I wasn’t holding,” Pegula said. “But then at the same time I k...

El caso que podría llevar a la cuarta imputación de Trump: citan a declarar a testigos

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 13:08:49 GMT

GEORGIA – La fiscal de distrito del condado de Fulton, Fani Willis, llamó el sábado a declarar la próxima semana ante un gran jurado a varios testigos del presunto intento de invalidar las elecciones en Georgia, un caso que podría suponer la cuarta imputación del expresidente Donald Trump (2017-2021).El exvicegobernador de Georgia Geoff Duncan informó a través de un mensaje en redes sociales que fue citado como testigo potencial y dará testimonio a puerta cerrada ante un gran jurado el martes.“Puedo confirmar que se me ha pedido que testifique ante el gran jurado del condado de Fulton el martes. Espero responder sus preguntas sobre las elecciones de 2020. Los republicanos nunca deben permitir que la honestidad se confunda con debilidad”, afirmó el republicano. Quién es David Weiss, el fiscal especial a cargo del caso contra el hijo del presidente Biden Jueza: Trump podrá compartir ciertos datos sobre caso de presunta interve...

Los fiscales de Georgia tienen mensajes que muestran que el equipo de Trump está detrás de la violación del sistema de votación

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 13:08:49 GMT

(CNN) — Los fiscales del área de Atlanta que investigan los esfuerzos para anular los resultados de las elecciones de 2020 en Georgia están en posesión de mensajes de texto y correos electrónicos que conectan directamente a los miembros del equipo legal de Donald Trump con la violación del sistema de votación de principios de enero de 2021 en el condado de Coffee, según le dijeron las fuentes a CNN.Se espera que la fiscal de distrito del condado de Fulton, Fani Willis, presente cargos contra más de una docena de personas cuando su equipo presente su caso ante un jurado investigador la próxima semana. Varias personas involucradas en la violación de los sistemas de votación en el condado de Coffee se encuentran entre los que pueden enfrentar cargos en la investigación criminal en expansión.Los investigadores en la investigación criminal de Georgia han sospechado durante mucho tiempo que la violación no fue un esfuerzo orgánico surgido de los simpatizantes de Trump en el condado ...

Denver weather: Mild with a southern shower

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 13:08:49 GMT

Denver (KDVR) - Denver will see mainly sunny skies with comfy highs in the upper 70s before some afternoon showers south of the metro.Weather today: Brisk wind and afternoon showersMost of the Front Range will see plenty of sunshine with a breeze out of the northeast. High temperatures are below average in the upper 70s with some afternoon showers, mostly south of the metro area. Weather tonight: Partly cloudy, mildWinds will slow overnight as extra clouds stick around. Low temperatures tonight will dip into the middle 50s, making Monday morning feel refreshing.Looking ahead: Warmer and drierMonday kicks off the workweek with below average highs in the upper 70s as skies remain mostly sunny. The heat returns for the rest of the week with drier conditions. Highs Tuesday through Thursday will be in the low 90s with mostly sunny skies. Friday is warmer in the middle 90s with extra clouds and a brisk wind. The above average highs stick around in to the start of the weekend with low 90s ...

Poland prime minister floats migration referendum with grim video

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 13:08:49 GMT

Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki proposed holding a referendum asking citizens whether they support the arrival of “thousands of illegal migrants coming from the Middle East and Africa” under the European Union’s relocation policy.In a video posted on social networks on Sunday, Morawiecki floated the idea of holding a poll, to be conducted along with the parliamentary election scheduled for October 15. Morawiecki’s ruling Law and Justice Party is well-known for its extremely restrictive position on immigration from Muslim and African countries — while being accepting of refugees from European countries such as Ukraine. Morawiecki’s video paints a grim scenario in case more migrants were allowed into Poland, showing images of burning cars, street violence and a black man licking a knife. The full question Morawiecki said Poles should answer in the proposed referendum is: “Do you support the admission of thousands of illegal immigrants from the Middle E...

Russia fires warning shots at cargo ship in Black Sea

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 13:08:49 GMT

A Russian warship fired warning shots at a merchant ship moving across the southwestern Black Sea on Sunday, according to the Ministry of Defense in Moscow.Around 6:40 a.m. Moscow time on Sunday, the Russian patrol boat Vasily Bykov fired a warning with “automatic small arms” on the Palau-flagged cargo vessel Sukru Okan due to the ship’s failure to reply to a request to carry out an inspection, according to a statement published on ministry’s website. The ministry said that the ship was heading toward the port of Izmail in Ukraine. The ship stopped and allowed for a Russian “inspection team” to board and carry out checks, before proceeding to its destination, the ministry said. According to shipping data platform Vessel Finder, the Sukru Okan is currently en route for the Romanian port of Sulina.The incident comes weeks after Russia pulled out of the U.N.-backed grain deal that allowed Ukraine to export wheat and other produce via the Black Sea. S...

Don’t expect quick fixes in ‘red-teaming’ of AI models. Security was an afterthought

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 13:08:49 GMT

BOSTON (AP) — White House officials concerned by AI chatbots’ potential for societal harm and the Silicon Valley powerhouses rushing them to market are heavily invested in a three-day competition ending Sunday at the DefCon hacker convention in Las Vegas.Some 3,500 competitors have tapped on laptops seeking to expose flaws in eight leading large-language models representative of technology’s next big thing. But don’t expect quick results from this first-ever independent “red-teaming” of multiple models.Findings won’t be made public until about February. And even then, fixing flaws in these digital constructs — whose inner workings are neither wholly trustworthy nor fully fathomed even by their creators — will take time and millions of dollars.Current AI models are simply too unwieldy, brittle and malleable, academic and corporate research shows. Security was an afterthought in their training as data scientists amassed breathtaki...

San Diego man charged for obtaining $4M in alleged COVID loan fraud

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 13:08:49 GMT

SAN DIEGO -- A San Diego man accused of defrauding investors in his companies now faces additional charges after he allegedly obtained $4 million in COVID-related loans illegally, U.S. Attorney Andrew Haden's office announced.Denny Bhakta, 41, was arraigned in federal court on Friday for the new charges relating to Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) loan fraud. Bhakta pleaded not guilty to the charges, according to court documents.According to the Haden's office, Bhakta was first indicted in Dec. 2021 for allegedly running a fraud scheme through companies he managed that took $28 million from investors since 2016, including Fusion Hotel Management, LLC and Fusion Hospitality Corporation. California man linked to fourth ‘sex worker’ death in Tijuana, prosecutor says Bhakta allegedly told investors that Fusion routinely acquired discounted blocks of hotel rooms from Hilton, according to the original indictment, which the company then sold to United Airlines at a higher price for a s...