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Trump ally Mike Johnson elected House speaker three weeks after McCarthy ouster

Published Fri, 27 Dec 2024 12:12:07 GMT

(CNN) — The Republican-led House elected Rep. Mike Johnson as the new House speaker on Wednesday – a major leadership change that comes three weeks after the historic ouster of Kevin McCarthy. Johnson, a vocal supporter of former President Donald Trump and a key congressional figure in the failed efforts to overturn the 2020 election, will now take the reins of the bitterly divided House Republican majority and faces the looming threat of a government shutdown next month.There were 220 votes for Johnson – and unanimous GOP support behind him – and 209 votes for Hakeem Jeffries, the Democratic leader from New York.Johnson, who serves as the House GOP conference vice chairman, secured the nomination for the speakership late Tuesday evening. The vote capped off a chaotic day that started with Republicans picking Minnesota Rep. Tom Emmer to be their latest nominee only for him to drop out hours later after facing stiff resistance from the right fla...

Amtrak train strikes, kills man in Berkeley

Published Fri, 27 Dec 2024 12:12:07 GMT

BERKELEY — A man was struck and killed Tuesday morning by an Amtrak train, authorities said.The Alameda County Coroner’s Bureau did not release his identity pending confirmation and notification of his next of kin. He is believed to be in his 40s.The man was on the tracks near Gilman Street when he was hit by Amtrak Capitol Corridor Train 529 about 9:15 a.m. Tuesday, authorities said. He was pronounced dead at the scene.Related ArticlesCrashes and Disasters | Driver in crash that killed 4 Pepperdine University students is held on $8 million bail Crashes and Disasters | Woman killed in two-vehicle crash in South San Jose Crashes and Disasters | A fatal East Bay crash led to a chain-reaction wreck that killed another motorist, CHP says Crashes and Disasters | Motorcyclist killed in San Jose crash; man suspected of drunken driving arrested Crashes and Disasters | Palo Alto: Motorcyclist dies in Highw...

He procured guns from the US, then sent them to Mexico to fight ‘El Chapo’ loyalists in cartel civil war

Published Fri, 27 Dec 2024 12:12:07 GMT

Alex Riggins | The San Diego Union-TribuneIn the years after the 2016 arrest of Sinaloa cartel kingpin Joaquín “El Chapo” Guzmán, a bloody power struggle between Guzmán’s sons and his longtime business partner has unleashed brutal violence across Mexico.Authorities say one of the factions fighting against Guzmán’s sons — collectively known as Los Chapitos — was a prolific drug-trafficking cell with major ties to San Diego. And one of their main suppliers of the guns and other weapons they used to fight Los Chapitos was Alfredo Lomas Navarrete, a Culiacán cellphone store owner who helped coordinate the southbound flow of weaponry, some of it purchased in San Diego, through border crossings in San Diego and Arizona.Last week, a federal judge in San Diego sentenced Lomas to 15 years in federal prison. According to prosecutors, he supplied “hundreds of weapons and tens of thousands of rounds of ammunition” to the cartel cell, known as the Valenzuela D...

Who is Mike Johnson, the new speaker of the House?

Published Fri, 27 Dec 2024 12:12:07 GMT

By Piper Hudspeth Blackburn and Shania Shelton | CNNRep. Mike Johnson, just elected to be Speaker of the House, has been a vocal supporter of former President Donald Trump and was a key congressional figure in the failed efforts to overturn the 2020 election.The Louisiana Republican was first elected to the House in 2016 and serves as vice chairman of the House Republican Conference, as well as GOP deputy whip, an assistant leadership role. An attorney with a focus on constitutional law, Johnson joined a group of House Republicans in voting to sustain the objection to electoral votes on January 6, 2021. During Trump’s first impeachment trial in January 2020, Johnson, along with a group of other GOP lawmakers, served a largely ceremonial role in Trump’s Senate impeachment team.Johnson also sent an email from a personal email account in 2020 to every House Republican soliciting signatures for an amicus brief in the longshot Texas lawsuit seeking to invalidate electoral college votes f...

Pac-12 picks: Arizona keeps rolling against the spread as another ranked opponent awaits

Published Fri, 27 Dec 2024 12:12:07 GMT

Arizona is tied for sixth place in the Pac-12 standings but alone in first against the point spread.In fact, the Wildcats are No. 1 in the country against the line, having covered in six of their seven games. (The exception: a one-point victory at Stanford). Only Oklahoma, Penn State and UNLV share that 6-1 record.But in a separate category, no team is close: The Wildcats are beating the point spread by an average of 10.9 points.That massive average is largely built on a single performance. The Wildcats were 7.5-point underdogs at Washington State and won by 38 points.Also, they were 21-point underdogs at USC and lost by two.And they were 19.5-point underdogs against Washington and lost by seven.All three teams (USC, WSU and Washington) were ranked at the time of kickoff.Which means the Wildcats are 3-0 against the spread when facing ranked opponents — and covered the spread by an average of 25.7 points.This week, they face a ranked opponent, Oregon State.This week, they are 3...

San Jose police announce arrest in fatal shooting last month

Published Fri, 27 Dec 2024 12:12:07 GMT

(BCN) -- San Jose police on Wednesday announced an arrest in a fatal shooting near the Capitol Flea Market last month. Javier Yanez, a 40-year-old San Jose resident, was arrested last Friday in connection with the fatal shooting reported shortly after 12:45 p.m. on Sept. 19 in the area of Capitol Expressway and Monterey Road, police said.Officers arrived in the area and found a man who had been shot and died at the scene. His name was not yet being released by the Santa Clara County Medical Examiner's Office as of Wednesday. San Jose home with meth lab goes on market for $1.5 million Investigators identified Yanez as the suspect in the shooting and took him into custody Friday in San Jose. He was booked into Santa Clara County Jail on suspicion of homicide. Anyone with information about the case is asked to contact Detective Sgt. Martinez or Detective Jorgensen of the San Jose police homicide unit at [email protected], [email protected] or (408) 277-5283.Copyright © 2023 Bay Cit...

State Senator asks Newsom for help with Antioch police

Published Fri, 27 Dec 2024 12:12:07 GMT

(BCN) -- State Sen. Steve Glazer, D-Orinda, is seeking Gov. Gavin Newsom's help for Antioch's police force, which has been struggling to maintain public safety due to the department's low number of officers. Along with state Assemblymember Tim Grayson, Glazer sent a letter to Newsom on Wednesday seeking assistance for more officers in the Antioch Police Department. Years of FBI and local investigations into the city's police have "decimated" their ranks, Glazer's office said in a statement Wednesday. The state senator has also discussed the issue with California Highway Patrol Commissioner Sean Duryee. San Jose home with meth lab goes on market for $1.5 million "The City of Antioch is struggling with public safety right now, and the CHP can help," Glazer said in a statement.Antioch Mayor Lamar Thorpe recently said in a podcast with Glazer that the city, which has a population of about 120,000 residents, has "about four or five officers at any given moment patrolling our streets."A...

Man arrested for allegedly stealing body parts from crypt

Published Fri, 27 Dec 2024 12:12:07 GMT

DENVER (KDVR) -- Earlier in October, a private mausoleum at Crown Hill Cemetery was broken into overnight and body parts were stolen. On Tuesday night, the Jefferson County Sherriff's Office arrested a suspect.At 7:20 a.m. on Oct. 11, JCSO was called to the cemetery where investigators found damage to the crypt front on the mausoleum and damage to the crypt and casket inside. Body parts stolen from mausoleum at Crown Hill Cemetery According to the sheriff’s office, it appeared someone forced entry into the crypt and accessed the casket overnight. The casket was pried open and parts of the body were removed.On Oct. 24, Jefferson County Sheriff’s investigators issued a warrant and arrested John Wayne Belknap, 46. They were able to identify him from evidence left at the scene.Belknap is facing charges of felony criminal mischief, abuse of a corpse, third-degree burglary, theft and desecration of a venerated object.According to the sheriff's office, there isn't an apparent relationshi...

BSO search for suspect caught on surveillance video punching elderly man outside Walmart in Lauderdale Lakes

Published Fri, 27 Dec 2024 12:12:07 GMT

Broward Sheriff’s Office deputies are searching for a suspect who was caught on camera punching an elderly man as he was exiting a store in Lauderdale Lakes. According to detectives, the attack happened on Oct. 11, just before 10 a.m. at a Walmart store located at 3001 N. State Road 7. Based on surveillance footage, the elderly man was seen leaving the store with a shopping bag in his hand, but as he was getting past the sliding doors, the suspect appeared and punched the victim in the face.After attacking the elderly man, the suspect turned, left the entryway of the store and headed north towards Oakland Park Boulevard on foot. The suspect, detectives said, is a tall, thin male who wore a navy sweater with gray lettering on the front, wore black pants and flip flops. Although the suspect didn’t steal anything from the victim, the elderly man was left with minor injuries after being attacked. The victim said he did not know the suspect nor shared any words with him prio...

Von der Leyen pushes aid deal with Egypt in bid to stem migration to Europe

Published Fri, 27 Dec 2024 12:12:07 GMT

BRUSSELS — The European Commission is pushing a deal to provide aid to Egypt as concerns grow over the potential fallout from the Israel-Hamas war. In a letter to EU leaders ahead of a summit on Thursday and Friday, Commission President Ursula von der Leyen pledged greater support to the Middle Eastern country. The deal would mirror an economic agreement signed with Tunisia in July and mark a new step in the Commission’s strategy of funneling EU cash to northern African countries in a bid to support their economies and halt migration flows to Europe. “Our priority should also be to establish a strategic and mutually beneficial partnership with Egypt,” von der Leyen wrote in the letter, adding: “Egypt’s role is vital for the security and stability of the Middle East, it hosts a growing number of refugees, and we have a responsibility to support it.”In the letter, the Commission president also pledged to speed up migrant returns. The EU’s courting of Egypt comes as the country plays ...