Arab leader summit called off as Biden heads to Israel

Published Mon, 16 Dec 2024 15:49:00 GMT

Arab leader summit called off as Biden heads to Israel By Colleen Long, Aamer Madhani and Chris Megerian | Associated PressWASHINGTON — President Joe Biden’s efforts to tamp down tensions in the escalating war between Israel and Hamas faced massive setbacks even before he departed for the Middle East on Tuesday, as Jordan called off the president’s planned summit with Arab leaders after a deadly explosion at a Gaza hospital killed hundreds.Biden now will visit only Israel and will postpone his travel to Jordan, a White House official said as Biden departed.The postponement of the Amman summit comes after Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas withdrew from the scheduled meetings in protest of the attacks, which the Hamas-run Health Ministry in Gaza blamed on an Israeli airstrike. The Israeli military said it had no involvement and pinned the blame on a misfired Palestinian rocket.“This war and this aggression are pushing the region to the brink,” Ayman Safadi, Jordan’s foreign minister, told al-Mamlaka TV, a stat...

Former Cupertino Mayor Darcy Paul threatens to sue the city for conducting ‘ongoing campaign of defamation and intimidation’

Published Mon, 16 Dec 2024 15:49:00 GMT

Former Cupertino Mayor Darcy Paul threatens to sue the city for conducting ‘ongoing campaign of defamation and intimidation’ Former Cupertino Mayor Darcy Paul is threatening legal action against the city for what his attorney described as an “ongoing campaign of defamation and intimidation.” But the city is pushing back, calling the potential lawsuit “frivolous.”In an Oct. 5 letter, Paul’s lawyer, Andrew Pierce of Peninsula-based firm Pierce & Shearer LLP told the Cupertino City Council that in order to prevent a potential lawsuit, the council needs to apologize and acknowledge they never had evidence of him committing a criminal offense as well as publicize policies and procedures about referring former elected officials for criminal investigations.City Attorney Chris Jensen noted in an Oct. 10 letter in response, “It is unfortunate that Mr. Paul has chosen to threaten to file a frivolous lawsuit rather than reflect on the harm he has done to the city and its residents.”The threat of litigation stems from a 2022 Santa Clara County Civil Grand Jury report, tit...

Trump back in court at his NYC civil fraud trial

Published Mon, 16 Dec 2024 15:49:00 GMT

Trump back in court at his NYC civil fraud trial By Michael R. Sisak and Jennifer Peltz | Associated PressNEW YORK — Donald Trump returned Tuesday to the civil fraud trial that imperils his real estate empire, watching and deploring the case as an employee and an outside appraiser testified that his company essentially put a thumb on the scale when sizing up his properties’ value.Incensed by a case that disputes his net worth and could strip him of such signature holdings as Trump Tower, the former president is due to testify later in the trial. But he chose to attend the first three days and came back Tuesday to observe — and to protest his treatment to the news cameras waiting outside the Manhattan courtroom.Star witness Michael Cohen, a onetime Trump fixer now turned foe, postponed his scheduled testimony because of a health problem.Instead, Trump company accountant Donna Kidder testified that she was told to make some assumptions favorable to the firm on internal financial spreadsheets. Outside appraiser Doug Larson said...

2 bicyclists hit, killed by lumber from flatbed truck on Silverado Trail

Published Mon, 16 Dec 2024 15:49:00 GMT

2 bicyclists hit, killed by lumber from flatbed truck on Silverado Trail Two bicyclists died after lumber on a flatbed truck apparently shifted and hit them as they rode along Silverado Trail in Napa County on Tuesday morning, a California Highway Patrol spokesperson said. Officers responded around 11 a.m. to a collision between the two bicyclists and a three-axle 2018 Freightliner flatbed truck on Silverado Trail north of Oak Knoll Avenue, CHP Officer Vince Pompliano said. Possible body recovered in Alameda A preliminary investigation found that the two bicyclists and the truck were both going north on the roadway when the load of lumber shifted on the flatbed and struck the bicyclists, Pompliano said.One bicyclist, a man believed to be about 50 years old, was pronounced dead at the scene while the second bicyclist, a woman believed to be in her 40s, was taken to Queen of the Valley Medical Center and succumbed to her injuries there, the CHP spokesperson said.The truck driver, a 55-year-old man from Vallejo, stayed at the scene and cooperated with inv...

Possible body recovered in Alameda

Published Mon, 16 Dec 2024 15:49:00 GMT

Possible body recovered in Alameda (KRON) -- Officers with the Alameda Police Department may have recovered a body while out on a call Tuesday afternoon, KRON4 has learned. Officers are at the scene near Bay Farm Island Bridge in the 3300 block of Otis Drive.An Alameda PD representative said the department is working with the Alameda County Sheriff's Office Coroner's Bureau on recovery efforts. Mother of 5 found dead near San Jose identified Police in Alameda have been investigating the disappearance of a 52-year-old woman Saturday who disappeared after telling a family member she planned to go for a short walk.It is not known if the two incidents are related.This is a developing story. Check back for updates.

High temperatures, dangerous beach conditions coincide this week

Published Mon, 16 Dec 2024 15:49:00 GMT

High temperatures, dangerous beach conditions coincide this week People heading to the beach to beat the heat in the Bay Area over the next few days are being warned about dangerous surf conditions that will coincide with rising temperatures. As the heat builds from Tuesday through Friday, the Bay Area is expected to endure some potentially record-breaking temperatures, while a large ocean swell from the west-northwest will create sneaker waves and high surf during the same period. Newsom signs off on update to California’s bottle recycling law "The combination of the two events along the coast will pose a serious threat to life for those visiting beaches exposed to the open Pacific," weather service officials said. Temperatures are expected to peak from the mid-80s to mid-90s on Thursday in most places around the region, including the San Francisco Peninsula, Santa Cruz County and the East, South and North Bay areas.Weather service officials said sneaker waves, high surf, and rip currents will be a concern for beachgoers, who should never turn...

Starbucks Is Suing Its Union After “Solidarity With Palestine!” Tweet

Published Mon, 16 Dec 2024 15:49:00 GMT

Starbucks Is Suing Its Union After “Solidarity With Palestine!” Tweet Starbucks is suing its union, Starbucks Workers United, after objecting to the group’s social media post in support of Palestine after the Hamas attack on Israel, according to an internal company note circulated Tuesday and obtained by The Intercept.The company had previously condemned the post but is now upping the ante, planning to take the union to court. In a message from Executive Vice President Sara Kelly, Starbucks argued that the union’s use of the name Starbucks confuses customers, and that some customers took their anger over the SWU statement out on store employees. The union’s post read “Solidarity with Palestine!” and quote-tweeted an image of a bulldozer breaking through the fence encircling Gaza. More than 9,000 workers at 360 stores have now voted to join SWU, which is affiliated with Workers United and SEIU, according to its website, but they have been met with stiff resistance from the company on a potential contract. The company previously sent SWU a “cease a...

Broken rail caused fatal Colorado train derailment that collapsed bridge, early findings show

Published Mon, 16 Dec 2024 15:49:00 GMT

Broken rail caused fatal Colorado train derailment that collapsed bridge, early findings show A broken rail caused a train derailment that collapsed a bridge over an interstate highway in Colorado, killing a truck driver and blocking the road for days, federal authorities said Tuesday based on their preliminary findings.Investigators are examining how the rail broke and why warning systems did not alert crews to the condition of the track, the National Transportation Safety Board said. An agency spokesperson said officials had no reason to believe sabotage caused the derailment.Built in 1958, the steel bridge collapsed Sunday when 30 cars from a BNSF Railway train hauling coal derailed while crossing over Interstate 25. The main north-south highway through Colorado is expected to remain closed for several more days, and hundreds of tons of coal and mangled railcars should be cleared from the road by Wednesday afternoon, officials said. After that, crews will assess the damage.The driver of a semitrailer truck who was killed while passing under the bridge was identified as La...

¿Qué es el cruce de Rafah, la última esperanza de los habitantes de Gaza para escapar de la guerra?

Published Mon, 16 Dec 2024 15:49:00 GMT

¿Qué es el cruce de Rafah, la última esperanza de los habitantes de Gaza para escapar de la guerra? (CNN) — Cientos de miles de palestinos han llegado al sur de Gaza mientras se avecina una posible operación terrestre de Israel.Pero nadie sabe hacia dónde se dirigirán a partir de ahí. El enclave costero está bloqueado por tierra, aire y mar por Israel, que ha declarado la guerra a sus gobernantes Hamas por un mortal ataque el 7 de octubre que cobró la vida de 1.400 personas. Israel también cortó el suministro de agua, electricidad, alimentos y combustible, dejando indefensos a los 2 millones de residentes del empobrecido territorio.Un cruce fronterizo con Egipto en el sur ha sido promocionado como la última esperanza para que los habitantes de Gaza escapen mientras las bombas de Israel caen, y muchos palestinos han comenzado a moverse en esa dirección de manera anticipada.Sin embargo, el cruce de Rafah está cerrado. Esto es lo que sabemo.¿Cuál es la situación en Rafah en este momento?Actualmente el cruce está cerrado y la ayuda no ha podido llegar a Gaza. Estados Unidos ha p...

Iowa loses leading receiver Erick All for the season because of major knee injury

Published Mon, 16 Dec 2024 15:49:00 GMT

Iowa loses leading receiver Erick All for the season because of major knee injury IOWA CITY, Iowa (AP) — Iowa will be without leading receiver Erick All for the rest of the season because of an injury to his right knee, Hawkeyes coach Kirk Ferentz said Tuesday.All, who was hurt in last week’s 15-6 win at Wisconsin, is the second Iowa tight end to go out with a major injury. Luke Lachey had surgery for a right ankle injury he sustained against Western Michigan on Sept. 16, and Ferentz said it’s doubtful he would return before the end of the regular season.All transferred from Michigan in the offseason and caught 21 passes for 299 yards and three touchdowns in seven games. He would be eligible to return for a sixth season in 2024.All was hurt when he caught a short pass and had his knee struck by a Wisconsin defender.“Really unfortunate,” Ferentz said. “He’s done a great job, newcomer to the team, a great addition. Such a positive guy, hardworking, great personality and loves the game. He was certainly adding a lot to our football team. It’s a tough dea...