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Donald Trump’s lawyers again ask for early verdict in civil fraud trial, judge says ‘no way’

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 20:16:03 GMT

By MICHAEL R. SISAK and JENNIFER PELTZ (Associated Press)NEW YORK (AP) — Donald Trump’s lawyers rested his defense Tuesday and sought anew to immediately end the New York civil fraud trial that threatens the former president’s real estate empire. The judge said “there’s no way I’m going to grant that.”Trump’s lawyers — thwarted in a similar bid last month — were swatted down as they asked Judge Arthur Engoron to cut the trial short and issue a verdict clearing Trump, his company and top executives of wrongdoing. The judge reiterated his feeling that state lawyers had met their legal burden for seeing the three-month trial through to its conclusion.New York Attorney General Letitia James alleges Trump duped banks, insurers and others by inflating his wealth on financial statements used in securing loans and make deals. Engoron has already ruled on James’ top claim that Trump committed fraud.Trump’s lawyers renewe...

98.5’s Rob ‘Hardy’ Poole joining ‘Toucher and Rich’ full time? Speculation continues to swirl as he fills in

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 20:16:03 GMT

The obvious pick for the “Toucher and Rich” job opening has been filling in on the morning show this week, continuing to spark speculation that the 98.5 The Sports Hub personality will be joining the show full time.98.5’s Rob “Hardy” Poole, who’s the third chair on the midday show “Zolak and Bertrand,” has been floated for months as the replacement for Rich Shertenlieb on the popular morning show. Shertenlieb left “Toucher and Rich” last month after Fred Toucher signed a multiyear contract to stay with the morning show.Hardy has been missing from the midday show this week, leaving a gaping hole as he fills in as the second chair on “Toucher and Rich.” His midday colleagues on Tuesday commented on Hardy’s future.Host Marc Bertrand during the show read a listener’s email.“With Hardy being test driven on the morning show this week, I predict Hardy is essentially gone, and you just cannot say it,&#...

Andrea Campbell said alleged drug-dealing neighbor had been a problem on her street for years

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 20:16:03 GMT

Massachusetts’ Attorney General Andrea Campbell said that her neighbor who was busted last week for allegedly dealing meth and fentanyl had been terrorizing the neighborhood for years.“As you all know, I live in Mattapan and there was a recent Herald article about a bust of some trafficking of meth and fentanyl,” Campbell said at the outset of her interview on WGBH Tuesday morning. “It is a major public safety hazard for my family, for my husband, my kids and for the whole neighborhood. The sad part is it’s been a problem property in the city for probably over four years.”Campbell had declined to comment for the initial Herald article but said Tuesday that Kemar Barcley, 31, had “illegally” moved into the house of her neighbor, Helen, an “elder Irish woman who lived in Mattapan probably close to 50 years,” after she had died during the COVID pandemic. The Herald had erroneously reported that Barcley lived two doors down from, and not right next door to, Campbell due to confusion ove...

Motorcyclist killed in multi-vehicle crash in Chula Vista

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 20:16:03 GMT

Editor's Note: This story has been updated to reflect that the incident occurred on Monday. We apologize for the error.CHULA VISTA, Calif. — A motorcyclist was killed in a multi-vehicle collision in Chula Vista Monday night. Police are asking for the public's help in finding one of the vehicles involved that fled the scene.Authorities were alerted to the crash around 8:31 p.m. after receiving a report of a collision involving a motorcycle in the 00 block of H Street. When CVPD officers arrived on scene, the motorcyclist was found lying in the eastbound lane of H Street with major trauma.Medics with the Chula Vista Fire Department attempted lifesaving measures on the motorcyclist, but he was later pronounced dead on scene. Their identity is being withheld by authorities at this time. Man hit, killed by car in East County Preliminary investigation led officers to determine that there were three vehicles involved in the traffic collision in addition to the motorcycle, however, only ...

California man shoots bear after it charges, bites him in his yard

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 20:16:03 GMT

(FOX40.COM) -- A Sierra County man had a close call with a bear on Friday night while he was taking his dog outside to use the bathroom, according to the Sierra County Sheriff's Office. As the man and his dog entered the yard, the man found himself being charged by a bear that came from his neighbor's yard. Suspicious death investigation launched after body found in Modesto The bear did not stop and the man received bites on his hand, wrist and leg before he could eventually get away.The man went into his house to retrieve a shotgun and used it to fire at the bear while it was in a "standoff" with the dog. West Sacramento crash leaves one dead, three injured The man then took himself to the hospital where he was treated for his bites but did not require hospitalization.Employees with the California Department of Fish and Wildlife responded to the incident after being notified and were able to track down the bear. The bear was found with a gunshot wound and was euthanized by F...

California wildfires could be transforming natural metals into cancer-causing compounds

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 20:16:03 GMT

(The Hill) — Wildfires in parts of the U.S. West may be transforming a benign form of chromium into its cancer-causing counterpart — potentially endangering first responders and surrounding communities, a new study has found.The research, published Tuesday in the journal Nature Communications, identified high levels of the hazardous metal hexavalent chromium, or chromium-6, at specific types of burn sites along California’s North Coast.Also known as “the Erin Brockovich chemical,” chromium-6 emerged in the public eye in the 1990s after Brockovich — then a legal aid — found that it was contaminating drinking water and sickening residents of Hinkley, Calif.This toxic compound, which raises cancer risk when inhaled or ingested, was not present at the sites of interest for the study before they burned.Rather, soils and plants at these locations were rich in naturally-occurring trivalent chromium — chromium-3 — an essential nutrient that helps the human body break down glucose.While...

Cold case: Pacific Beach murder victim identified 42 years later

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 20:16:03 GMT

SAN DIEGO -- A woman who was found dead in Pacific Beach in 1981 has been identified, the San Diego Police Department reports.On Tuesday, SDPD announced the woman, found dead on Garnet Avenue in Pacific Beach in October of 1981, has been identified as Elaine Armstrong of Kalamazoo, Michigan. 2 children dead, mother and friend seriously hurt in police pursuit crash; suspect identified Police say she was known by residents and local businesses to frequent Pacific Beach, but no one knew her actual identity. Community members believed she may have been homeless at the time and was known as "The Bag Lady."SPDP report when she was found, it was determined she had been beaten, stabbed and set on fire. She was 51 years old at the time of her death. Her purse was found near her body with an ID inside, but because of the fire it was burned and unreadable.Now, 42 years later, with financial assistance from Project Justice, her remains were able to be identified. Othram, a private, forensic ...

Human trafficking charges laid against Quebec man in B.C., RCMP say

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 20:16:03 GMT

KELOWNA — Police in Montreal have arrested a 36-year-old man for Mounties in Kelowna, B.C., on multiple charges of human trafficking. RCMP say in a statement that their sex crimes unit began an investigation in 2021 and collected evidence leading to the arrest of Stanley Jean-Baptiste. Cpl. Tim Russell with the Kelowna RCMP’s vulnerable persons unit says they know the city is part of a circuit used by traffickers who exploit people for sexual purposes.Police say they have collaborated with the city, the Kelowna airport and Kelowna Child Advocacy Centre on an awareness campaign aimed at preventing human trafficking and youth sexual exploitation. The RCMP says Jean-Baptiste was arrested with the help of police in Montreal on Dec. 8. He is in custody and is scheduled to be escorted back to Kelowna to face the charges. This report by The Canadian Press was first published Dec. 12, 2023. The Canadian Press

House panel urges tougher trade rules for China, raising chance of more tariffs if Congress agrees

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 20:16:03 GMT

WASHINGTON (AP) — A special House committee focused on China is calling for altering the way the U.S. treats Chinese-made goods, possibly subjecting them to higher tariffs even if its risks increased tensions between the two economic superpowers.The report does not specifically call for repealing China’s preferential trade status, but it does recommend placing China in a new trading category that some liken to a de facto repeal. The committee’s chairman said he envisions a process where Congress would determine regularly which economic sectors would be subject to higher tariffs and which would see lower tariffs.Lawmakers in both parties endorsed the proposal, a reflection of the growing willingness in Congress to build on the tariffs enacted during Donald Trump’s presidency, even if it risks retaliatory actions from China that would harm many farmers, ranchers and U.S. exporters.The committee crafted the recommendation after several months of deliberation and heari...

Russian man who flew on Los Angeles flight without passport or ticket charged with federal crime

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 20:16:03 GMT

LOS ANGELES (AP) — A Russian man who flew on a plane from Denmark to Los Angeles in November without a passport or ticket told U.S. authorities he didn’t remember how he got through security in Europe, according to a federal complaint filed by the FBI. Sergey Vladimirovich Ochigava arrived at Los Angeles International Airport on Nov. 4 via Scandinavian Airlines flight 931 from Copenhagen. A U.S. Customs and Border Protection officer could not find Ochigava on the flight manifest or any other incoming international flights, according to the complaint filed Nov. 6 in Los Angeles federal court. He was charged with being a stowaway on an aircraft and pleaded not guilty in a Dec. 5 arraignment. A trial was scheduled for Dec. 26. A federal public defender representing Ochigava, who remained in custody Tuesday, didn’t immediately return a phone message from The Associated Press seeking comment. The flight crew told investigators that during the flight’s departure, Ochigava was in a s...