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Prosecutors prepare evidence in trial of 3 men accused in plot to kidnap Michigan Gov. Whitmer

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 14:05:17 GMT

BELLAIRE, Mich. (AP) — Prosecutors were preparing Wednesday to present evidence against three men accused of plotting to kidnap Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer in what investigators described as an extremist scheme to ignite a civil war.Attorneys were scheduled to make opening arguments in the trial of Eric Molitor and brothers William Null and Michael Null, who were among 14 defendants charged weeks before the November 2020 election. Nine have been convicted in state or federal court, including four who pleaded guilty, while two were acquitted.Investigators described them as members of paramilitary groups angered by Whitmer’s COVID-19 policies, which shut down schools and restricted the economy.Eleven women and seven men were selected Monday to serve as circuit court jurors in Republican-leaning Antrim County, a rural area popular with tourists. Whitmer has a vacation home in the Lake Michigan village of Elk Rapids.Evidence presented in previous trials suggested the plotters intende...

At March on Washington’s 60th anniversary, leaders seek energy of original movement for civil rights

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 14:05:17 GMT

WASHINGTON (AP) — Sixty years ago, Andrew Young and his staff had just emerged from an exhausting campaign against racial segregation in Birmingham, Alabama.But they didn’t feel no ways tired, as the Black spiritual says. The foot soldiers were on a “freedom high,” Young recalls.“They wanted to keep on marching, they wanted to march from Birmingham to Washington,” he said.And march they did, in the nation’s capital. Just four months later, they massed for what is still considered one of the greatest and most consequential racial justice demonstrations in U.S. history.The nonviolent protest, which attracted as many as 250,000 to the steps of the Lincoln Memorial, helped till the ground for passage of federal civil rights and voting rights legislation in the next few years.But in the decades that followed, the rights gains feeding the freedom high felt by Young and others came under increasing threat. A close adviser to the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr., Young went on to become a ...

Allies say Guatemala election winner is a highly qualified peacebuilder, but opponent’s still silent

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 14:05:17 GMT

GUATEMALA CITY (AP) — Bernardo Arévalo’s experience in peacebuilding and diplomacy eminently qualify him to lead Guatemala as the conflict-riven country’s next president, those who know him say. But first he will have to overcome forces that could keep him from taking power. Guatemalans voted for Arévalo in a landslide Sunday, but his opponent, former first lady Sandra Torres, has not conceded, or said anything for that matter. The election results have not been certified, a legal step necessary for Arévalo to become president.That’s not the only hitch: The attorney general’s office also continues to investigate the registration of his Seed Movement party and has already asked a judge once to suspend it. And even if Arévalo takes the presidency, Guatemala’s powers that be could hamstring him as leader when he takes power in five months. Arévalo and those who know him say that he wants to unite his country. It’s his platform of eradicating corruption tha...

Who takes advantage of Donald Trump’s absence and other things to watch in the Republican debate

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 14:05:17 GMT

NEW YORK (AP) — Eight Republican candidates will meet on the debate stage for the first time Wednesday night in what may be the biggest moment in the GOP’s young 2024 presidential primary so far. The overwhelming front-runner in the contest, former President Donald Trump, won’t participate. He says he’s so far ahead that he’d be helping his opponents by showing up. But his absence also offers them opportunity.Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, a distant second to Trump in many polls, is betting that a strong showing will cement his status as the strongest alternative to the former president despite his many stumbles. DeSantis’ team sees rising newcomer Vivek Ramaswamy, a 38-year-old entrepreneur, as a threat, while South Carolina Sen. Tim Scott, former United Nations ambassador Nikki Haley and former Vice President Mike Pence have positioned themselves to compete. The debate also features a handful of aggressive Trump critics led by former New Jersey Gov. Chris...

Trump won’t be at the GOP’s first presidential debate. But his presence will be felt

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 14:05:17 GMT

MILWAUKEE (AP) — He’ll be missing from the stage, but Donald Trump will still be a central figure at the first Republican presidential primary debate Wednesday night as the remaining candidates hoping to take on President Joe Biden confront each other in person for the first time. The eight contenders who are scheduled to attend the Milwaukee debate hosted by Fox News will likely face pressure to articulate how they would differ in style and substance from Trump, who holds a commanding early lead in the race. That could be a delicate task, forcing candidates to decide how closely to align themselves with the former president’s most outlandish positions, including his lies about widespread fraud during the 2020 election. With less than five months until the Iowa caucuses jumpstart the GOP presidential nomination process, the debate is a critical opportunity for lower-polling candidates to introduce themselves to millions of voters, many of whom are just beginning to pay a...

Summer 2023's Hottest Spell in Chicago Ahead Wednesday-Thursday

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 14:05:17 GMT

"EXCESSIVE HEAT WARNING" HAS BEEN ISSUED FOR WEDNESDAY AND AN "EXCESSIVE HEAT WATCH" IS IN EFFECT FOR THURSDAYN THE CURRENT HOT SPELL: A high of 99° Wednesday would break the 1947 record of 97° for the date which has stood for 76 years.A high of 100° Thursday would tie the record for the date—also set in 1947. It should be noted that a wind-shifting cold front will be flirting with area—and the speed with which is sinks into the area will impact the high temps we ultimate see. But much of the area is in for intense heat Thursday before a welcome break takes place by Friday and over the coming weekend.Models current put top dew points in coming days building to oppressive 77° levels. That could lead to heat indices as high as 114°.Anyone who lived through the GREAT CHICAGO HEAT WAVE of July 12-15, 1995 will never forget it and knows extreme heat can be more than just an inconvenience—it can be deadly. The loss of life which occurred in that oppressive spell of heat in July 1995 remai...

Man stole over $400,000 worth of cars from Southern California dealerships

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 14:05:17 GMT

A man was found guilty of a scheme that resulted in over $400,000 worth of stolen vehicles across Southern California.The suspect, Jean Parret, targeted car dealerships in multiple counties including Los Angeles, Orange, Riverside, Kern and San Diego counties, according to the California Attorney General's Office.Between November 2021 and February 2022, Parret used victims’ stolen identities to open lines of credit and purchase numerous high-end vehicles from car dealerships, authorities said.The total amount of stolen vehicles is estimated at over $400,000, according to court documents, with many dealerships victimized in the scheme.A large amount of the stolen vehicles were eventually transported across the border to Mexico for displacement, officials said.“His victims included not only the lenders and dealerships who lost hundreds of thousands of dollars, but also the identity theft victims who were left dealing with the financial, legal, and emotional impacts of having their ide...

‘Aggressive shark behavior’ reported at San Mateo County beach

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 14:05:17 GMT

PESCADERO – Authorities on Tuesday reported “aggressive shark behavior” just south of Pescadero in San Mateo County.The incident happened at Pebble Beach, which is part of Bean Hollow State Beach, the San Mateo County Sheriff’s Office said in a social media post Tuesday afternoon.The sheriff’s office said a “kayaker had a close encounter with a shark, but thankfully emerged unharmed.”Pebble Beach is named after the ocean-polished rocks that make up its shore and is located half a mile south of Pescadero.The sheriff’s office and the California Department of Parks and Recreation, which has jurisdiction over the beach, did not immediately respond to messages seeking additional details about the incident.Earlier today, we received a report of aggressive shark behavior in the vicinity of Pebble Beach, just south of Pescadero, in state beach jurisdiction. A kayaker had a close encounter with a shark, but thankfully emerged unharmed. pic.twitter.com/CrAy7K23lb— San Mateo County S.O (...

One injured in stabbing on SF's Market Street

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 14:05:17 GMT

SAN FRANCISCO (KRON) -- One person was injured in a stabbing on Market Street on Tuesday night, the San Francisco Police Department said. SFPD officers responded to the area of 4th and Market Streets at about 7:46 p.m. They found a man with an apparent stab wound. He was hospitalized with non-life-threatening injuries.Witnesses helped officers locate a suspect at the scene. The suspect was arrested, and charges are pending, police said.

A’s top Royals 5-4 to spoil Zack Greinke’s return from the injured list

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 14:05:17 GMT

OAKLAND, Calif. (AP) — Shea Langeliers homered for the second consecutive day, and the Oakland Athletics spoiled the return of former Cy Young Award winner Zack Greinke with a 5-4 win over the Kansas City Royals on Tuesday night.Aledmys Díaz added three RBIs for the A’s, and Brent Rooker had two hits a day after hitting his second game-ending home run of the season.The game between the two worst teams in baseball attracted a crowd of 4,021, with chants of “Sell the team” echoing throughout a mostly quiet Coliseum during much of the evening.Greinke had been out for two weeks with a right elbow injury before being activated off the injured list prior to Tuesday’s game. A six-time All-Star who has 224 career wins and won the 2009 AL Cy Young Award, followed opener Angel Zerpa (1-2) and pitched out of the bullpen for the first time since doing so for the Houston Astros against the Chicago White Sox in Game 3 of the ALDS on Oct. 10, 2021.The 39-year-old Greinke looked sharp while throwin...