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US military orders new interviews on the deadly 2021 Afghan airport attack as criticism persists

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 12:53:57 GMT

By LOLITA C. BALDOR (Associated Press)WASHINGTON (AP) — The Pentagon’s Central Command has ordered interviews of roughly two dozen more service members who were at the Kabul airport when suicide bombers attacked during U.S. forces’ chaotic Afghanistan withdrawal, as criticism persists that the deadly assault could have been stopped.The interviews, ordered by Gen. Erik Kurilla, head of U.S. Central Command, were triggered in part by assertions by at least one service member injured in the blast who said he was never interviewed about it and that he might have been able to stop the attackers.The interviews are meant to see if service members who were not included in the original investigation, have new or different information.The decision, according to officials, does not reopen the administration’s investigation into the deadly bombing and the withdrawal two years ago. But the additional interviews will likely be seized on by congressional critics, mostly Rep...

Disbarred Denver attorney Steve Bachar to plead guilty again after judge rejected first deal. He now faces up to 6 years in prison.

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 12:53:57 GMT

A disbarred Denver attorney accused of defrauding an investor of $125,000 is set to plead guilty in Denver District Court on Monday — six months after a judge rejected the first plea agreement reached in the case on the grounds it was too lenient.Steve Bachar, 57, on Wednesday asked to plead guilty to a single count of felony theft in a deal with prosecutors in which the two other felony counts against him — securities fraud and a more serious theft charge — would be dismissed, according to a series of court filings.Bachar could be sentenced to as much as six years in prison under the terms of the new agreement — a change from the last plea deal, which Denver District Court Judge Eric Johnson rejected because it would have allowed Bachar to avoid prison time and have the felony wiped from his record if he’d met certain conditions.Bachar pleaded guilty under the first plea agreement in November, but then withdrew his plea when Johnson threw out the agree...

EU lets Ukrainian grain ban expire even as countries threaten to pass their own

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 12:53:57 GMT

LONDON (AP) — The European Union on Friday decided not to renew a ban on Ukrainian food heading to nearby countries that have complained that an influx of agricultural products from the war-torn nation has hurt their farmers.The move sets up a clash with Poland, Slovakia, Hungary and Romania, which have said that food coming from Ukraine has become stuck within their borders, creating a glut that has driven down prices for local farmers and hurt their livelihoods. The issue threatens European unity on supporting Ukraine against Russia’s invasion.Poland’s Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki reacted by saying that his government will extend its own the ban on Ukrainian grain, regardless of any lack of consent from the European Commission, the EU’s executive arm. Officials said the measure would be published Friday.“We will do that because it is in the interest of Polish farmers,” Morawiecki said during a campaign rally ahead of Oct. 15 parliamentary e...

Pipe-wielding Tesla driver sentenced in road rage attacks

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 12:53:57 GMT

A man convicted of attacking other motorists with a metal pole last year and earlier this year was sentenced to five years in prison this week, the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office said.Nathanial Walter Radimak, 36, was identified as the attacker in incidents in 2022 in Glendale and Atwater Village and in January on the 2 Freeway in Northeast L.A. and in Pasadena.Before this most recent spree, Radimak had faced charges in a 2020 road rage case in Hollywood during which police reportedly found steroids and more than $30,000 in cash in his car.The suspect was seen getting out of a Tesla SUV and attacking a victim with a large pipe on a SoCal freeway. (DroneZone_LA)The DA's Office said these attacks, in which he would exit his Tesla in the roadway and attack other vehicles with a metal pole, were not the only time Radimak has faced charges. Prosecutor: Tesla road rage driver targeted at least 6 motorists, was selling steroids Radimak has been terrorizing drivers for year...

Disneyland expansion moves a step closer to reality

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 12:53:57 GMT

Disneyland’s long-term plan to expand the Anaheim resort has made a significant move from concept to reality after the city of Anaheim released a key report on how the proposed expansion would impact the environment.On Thursday, the city of Anaheim released a 17,000-page environmental impact report for Disney’s proposed expansion plan, known as Disneyland Forward.The report states that the expansion would significantly impact air quality, greenhouse gas emissions and noise, but have minimal impact on transportation and neighborhood aesthetics. Disneyland pitches theme park expansion plans to Anaheim neighbors Greenhouse gas emissions were considered to have a significant impact on the environment partly because the factor wasn’t studied in the 1990s, when the last master plan for the resort was approved, the report stated.The report also looked at the project’s impact on energy, water conservation, waste reduction and sustainability efforts, but many of those conservation measures...

San Jose State Spartans look to keep rolling at Toledo before kicking off Mountain West play

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 12:53:57 GMT

SAN JOSE – Waiting for San Jose State on Saturday at the Glass Bowl in Toledo, Ohio, is a program that has won 15 conference titles, played in 20 bowl games and has been a mid-major powerhouse for almost a century.San Jose State head coach Brent Brennan envisions similar success at SJSU.“In my memory (Toledo) has always been good and that’s something that speaks to the tradition and history of the program,” Brennan said.Brennan, 50, is in his seventh season as the head coach at SJSU. He’s guided the Spartans to two bowl games and won the Mountain West championship in 2020. His success has, not surprisingly, led to interest from other schools: In 2020, he was reportedly a finalist at Arizona, and was a candidate for the Stanford job last winter.But Brennan is still here, and he’s indicated he’d like to keep it that way. Toledo is a pretty good blueprint for what can be done at a mid-major program.“That kind of that high-level sustainability, that kind of consistency...

Kurtenbach: Are Farhan Zaidi and Gabe Kapler a packaged deal for the SF Giants?

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 12:53:57 GMT

Gabe Kapler and Farhan Zaidi will return for their respective contracts’ final seasons in 2024.In comments to the San Francisco Chronicle Thursday, Giants owner Greg Johnson made it official — again.But what about after next year?With this Giants’ season proving to be a Rorschach test for fans and media alike, it’s fair to wonder if this organization’s long-term future involves both men.Moreover, it left me wondering if Zaidi — who hired Kapler in 2018 without serious looks at other managerial candidates — sees the manager and himself as a packaged deal.“I think with any GM, when you hire a manager, there’s some joint responsibility there. I don’t know whether the two of us view ourselves as a package deal — whether it’s in baseball or socially or anything like that — but there’s joint responsibility,” Zaidi told me and Adam Copeland Thursday afternoon on KNBR. “There’s an aspiration for us to be better, certain...

Single family residence sells in Pleasanton for $1.5 million

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 12:53:57 GMT

2631 Corte Elena – Google Street ViewA house located in the 2600 block of Corte Elena in Pleasanton has new owners. The 1,832-square-foot property, built in 1973, was sold on July 20, 2023, for $1,527,000, or $834 per square foot. This single-story home provides a generous living space with its four bedrooms and two baths. The home’s exterior showcases roofing materials crafted from wood shake roofing / shingles. Inside, there is a fireplace. The property is equipped with forced air heating and central A/C. Additionally, the home comes with a garage.Additional houses that have recently been sold close by include:In November 2022, a 1,932-square-foot home on Paseo Santa Cruz in Pleasanton sold for $1,650,000, a price per square foot of $854. The home has 4 bedrooms and 2 bathrooms.A 1,778-square-foot home on the 6700 block of Via San Blas in Pleasanton sold in May 2023, for $1,635,000, a price per square foot of $920. The home has 4 bedrooms and 2 bathrooms.On Corte San Blas, Pleasan...

Barrymore ‘deeply apologizes’ to the WGA after resuming show

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 12:53:57 GMT

By Lisa Respers France | CNNDrew Barrymore is apologizing to television and film writers over her decision to resume production on her talk show as members of the Writers Guild of America remain on strike.“I believe there’s nothing I can do or say in this moment to make it okay,” Barrymore said in an emotional video shared Friday.“I wanted to own a decision so that it wasn’t a PR-protected situation and I would just take full responsibility for my actions,” she said. “I know there’s just nothing I can do that will make this okay for those this is not okay with. I fully accept that.”Barrymore’s show drew protest from the union after announcing last weekend they would resume production without WGA writers contributing.“To be clear, our talk show actually wrapped on April 20th so we never had to shut down the show,” she wrote in her statement last week. “However, I am also making the choice to come back for the first time in this strike for our show, that may have my name on it but thi...

Friend being sentenced? Tips for writing better character letters than Asthon Kutcher and Mila Kunis

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 12:53:57 GMT

Even if you’ve led a law-abiding life, you might have a friend or family member who gets into serious trouble and faces time in prison. That’s when you could be asked to write a letter on this loved one’s behalf, describing their good qualities in the hopes of persuading a judge to show mercy.A-list celebrity couple Ashton Kutcher and Mila Kunis found themselves in just this situation. Their longtime friend and TV sitcom co-star Danny Masterson needed them to write letters for him after he was convicted in May of two counts of rape, for attacks that occurred in the early 2000s.As the world knows, Kutcher and Kunis seriously bungled this letter-writing assignment. After Masterson was sentenced to 30 years to life for the attacks, Kutcher and Kunis’ letters, which are part of the public record, were disseminated by news organizations and picked apart.Danny Masterson speaks during a Launch Event for Netflix “The Ranch: Part 3” hosted by Ashton Kutcher and Danny ...