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30-person ‘flash mob’ robs Yves Saint Laurent store at California mall

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:29:49 GMT

Thieves were captured on video fleeing a high-end clothing store at the Americana in Glendale after stealing hundreds of thousands of dollars in merchandise. 

Deadly Maui wildfires: Here are some ways to help or donate

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:29:49 GMT

By THALIA BEATY | Associated PressWhile rescue and emergency operations continued Thursday at the deadly wildfires that swept across the Hawaiian island of Maui, many people are already looking for ways to support the response and provide relief to those affected.The full extent of the damage and the recovery needs may not be known for up to a week, said Regine Webster, vice president of the Center for Disaster Philanthropy, and she urged people to be patient before deciding where to give their support.“You literally have to wait for the firefighters to complete their work before that damage assessment can be fully realized,” she said.For related news, see: Photos: Maui wildfire reduces most of historic town to ashPhilanthropy experts recommend giving to experienced organizations that are well-situated to respond to a specific disaster. Major disaster response organizations like the American Red Cross have said they are already communicating with local and federal governments to pro...

Opinion: America’s political scene needs a Newsom-DeSantis debate

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:29:49 GMT

The debate between California Gov. Gavin Newsom and Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis is on. Fox News’ Sean Hannity gave the Florida presidential candidate an offer on live television he literally could not refuse: a stage with Newsom.“Gavin made the offer, your answer is . . .” asked Hannity on his show.There was brief silence and a frozen smile from DeSantis.“Absolutely, I’m game,” he said. “Tell me when and where. We’ll do it.”It was destiny. And it also happens to be the right thing to do.If American politics were a high school, the senior class is either stumbling at speeches, freezing in mid-sentence, being coached how to vote or getting indicted.President Joe Biden’s footwork after speaking to the Air Force Academy graduates was painful. The 16 excruciating seconds of silence from Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, only to turn away from reporters in retreat, showed a similar level of command. California Sen. Dianne Feinstein, shielded from public view until it is inevitable in ...

California AG Rob Bonta apologizes for his office’s past role in Japanese American internment during WWII

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:29:49 GMT

California Attorney General Rob Bonta issued a formal apology Thursday, Aug. 10 on behalf of the state Department of Justice, acknowledging his office’s role in historically depriving Japanese Americans’ civil rights and liberties during World War II, calling them “heinous violations.”Aug. 10 marked the 35th anniversary of the Civil Liberties Act of 1988 becoming law, which granted monetary reparations and a formal presidential apology from President Ronald Reagan to Japanese American citizens, permanent and temporary residents who were sent to U.S. internment camps during the war.In a video and statement posted Thursday, Bonta formally apologized for the Department of Justice’s role in the incarceration of Japanese Americans, saying the office “used legal tools to deprive a generation of Japanese Californians of their liberty and financial security.”Today, on the 35th anniversary of the Civil Liberties Act of 1988, my office formally apologized for its past role in the deprivation ...

Owners of iconic Cheeseburger In Paradise, with deep ties to Southern California, vow to rebuild in Lahaina

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:29:49 GMT

“It was like a bomb wiped it off the face of the Earth.”Laren Gartner and Edna Bayliff were in a fog of limited information Thursday after their iconic restaurant Cheeseburger in Paradise burned to its foundation in the historic village of Lahaina.Two days earlier, the business partners with deep roots in Orange County opted to close their waterfront restaurant in western Maui when the power went out and stayed out.SEE MORE: Photos: Before and after satellite images show devastation of Maui wildlifeWith winds from Hurricane Dora whipping to a frenzy, they told employees to clean up and go home.“No one had a clue this particular event was coming,” Gartner said from her home in Lake Tahoe.Wildfire wreckage is shown Thursday, Aug. 10, 2023, in Lahaina, Hawaii. The search of the wildfire wreckage on the Hawaiian island of Maui on Thursday revealed a wasteland of burned out homes and obliterated communities as firefighters battled the stubborn blaze making it the deadliest in the U.S. in...

Review: ‘Eternal Memory’ is a touching documentary

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:29:49 GMT

By Mark Kennedy | Associated Press“The Eternal Memory” begins with a confused Augusto Góngora waking up one morning as his wife of two decades gently greets him.“Nice to meet you,” he tells her.The loving, lyrical Maite Alberdi -directed documentary is the story of one man’s decline due to Alzheimer’s disease, but it’s so much more. It’s a stronger love story and one that tries to say things about a country’s collective memory, too.Góngora, a journalist, author and TV host, documented the crimes in his native Chile by Gen. Augusto Pinochet’s dictatorship. He and his wife, actress and academic Paulina Urrutia, are the stars of “The Eternal Memory,” which documents his growing disorientation and unmooring.It is a very intimate work, navigating the lost spaces in a ravaged mind, the camera going into their bedroom and even a shower stall. We watch Urrutia shave her husband, dry him with a towel like a child and rea...

Photos: Before and after satellite images show devastation of Maui wildlife

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:29:49 GMT

Related ArticlesCrashes and Disasters | Deadly Maui wildfires: Here are some ways to help or donate Crashes and Disasters | Owners of iconic Cheeseburger In Paradise, with deep ties to Southern California, vow to rebuild in Lahaina Crashes and Disasters | 53 people have died from the Maui wildfires, governor says, and historic Lahaina has burned down Crashes and Disasters | Authorities update death toll, working to identify bodies in Maui wildfires. Follow live updates Crashes and Disasters | Wildfire devastates Hawaii’s Lahaina, historic town and onetime capital of former kingdom Wildfires fueled by a dry summer and strong winds from a passing hurricane killed 36 people and destroyed hundreds of homes and other buildings on the Hawaiian island of Maui, in the deadliest blaze in the U.S. in years.Rescuers searched Thursday through the leveled, ashen homes and businesses of Lahaina, which dates to the 170...

Review: Fun ‘Gran Turismo’ is adrift in cliches and branding

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:29:49 GMT

By Lindsey Bahr | Associated PressIn 2006, a Nissan marketing executive had a truly insane idea to create a competition and an “academy” to turn gamers into race car drivers. Darren Cox saw an untapped market of potential car-buyers in Gran Turismo enthusiasts – the popular PlayStation racing simulator that first came on the market in 1997. And in the third year of the “GT Academy,” an actual star emerged in a 19-year-old British kid named Jann Mardenborough, who would go on to become a professional driver, just like he dreamed.It’s a fine and lucrative idea for a movie — an inspirational underdog story in which brands like Nissan and PlayStation, a Sony company which also owns the studio behind the movie, can take partial credit for and help underwrite. And it couldn’t come at a better time, when F1 is exploding in popularity in the United States thanks in part to the Netflix series “Drive to Survive.” But “Gran Turismo” h...

PSG forward Neymar trains alone because of viral infection as talks over his future continue

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:29:49 GMT

Neymar trained alone away from his Paris Saint-Germain teammates on Friday because of a viral infection, the club said ahead of coach Luis Enrique ‘s news conference where the Brazil’s star’s future was expected to be one of the main topics.PSG did not give further details on Neymar’s infection, saying only that he was training indoors as he recovered.Neymar is headed for an exit from PSG. A person familiar with the situation told The Associated Press on Thursday that talks are moving toward Neymar leaving the club this month. The 31-year-old Brazil international was widely reported to have told PSG this week he wants to leave. He has been linked with a return to Barcelona, which sold him to PSG for a world-record fee of 222 million euros ($244 million) in 2017.PSG begins its French league title defense at home against Lorient on Saturday, with the Qatar-owned club also dealing with uncertainty over Kylian Mbappé’s future. The France superstar, who trained ap...

Sweden stakes claim as a Women’s World Cup favorite by stopping Japan 2-1 in quarterfinals

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:29:49 GMT

AUCKLAND, New Zealand (AP) — Sweden first knocked off the United States and then bounced Japan to snag a spot in the semifinals of the Women’s World Cup. The Swedes, the World Cup runners-up in 2003 and three-time third-place finishers, eliminated previously unbeaten Japan 2-1 in Friday’s quarterfinal. With Japan out of the tournament, this year’s World Cup will crown a first-time winner. The sold-out crowd at Eden Park, where Sweden will play in the semifinals on Tuesday against Spain, danced to songs by Swedish rock band Abba as it was played throughout the stadium after the win. Amanda Ilestedt scored a first-half goal and Filippa Angeldal converted a second-half penalty to give Sweden the mild upset and send the Swedes to the semifinals for the fifth time.“Obviously we were very happy with the win against the U.S., but we knew we had to recharge and think about Japan,” midfielder Kosovare Asllani said. “We knew we were going to play a very skilled and technical...