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Oakland: DA dismisses double murder case after lawyer found second gun at crime scene

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:58:00 GMT

OAKLAND — In a move that was reportedly months in the making, the Alameda County District Attorney’s office has dismissed two murder charges against an Oakland man who was accused of killing his girlfriend and a man inside his apartment, court records show.The dismissal was aided in large part by the discovery of a firearm at the crime scene, made by a defense attorney and private investigator, which police investigators had apparently missed, according to the defendant’s lawyer.Franz Lucablue Gadient, 34, had been charged with murdering Mari Alice Shaw, 22, and Jesse Sky Willner, 44, in a November 2021 shooting inside the Oakland apartment where Shaw and Gadient lived. But the defense lobbied for months for prosecutors to dismiss the case, arguing that Gadient had killed an intruder, Willner, in self-defense after Willner opened fire into the home, killing Shaw.At a Dec. 12 court appearance in Oakland, the defense got its wish; prosecutors dismissed both murder co...

Etsy to cut 225 jobs

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:58:00 GMT

(KRON) -- Online marketplace Etsy is laying off 225 team members, about 11% of its total workforce, the company's CEO Josh Silverman announced Wednesday. The job cuts come as part of broader updates to the company's internal structure to position Etsy for growth and "better serve our customers," Silverman wrote in a post on the company website. "As I shared in my livestream a few moments ago, today we are announcing some very difficult yet necessary decisions to better position Etsy for future growth. After deep discussion and careful consideration, we are reorganizing our internal structure to more closely align our resources with our most important business priorities and better serve our customers," Silverman wrote. "As part of this, I’m sad to share that we must say goodbye to approximately 225 team members, reducing the Etsy workforce by ~11%. This decision was among the hardest we’ve ever made, and one that we have tried earnestly to avoid." GM’s Cruise robotaxi unit lays of...

Man arrested on suspicion of October attempted homicide in SF’s Richmond district

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:58:00 GMT

SAN FRANCISCO (BCN) -- Police in San Francisco arrested a man suspected in an attempted homicide in October in the Richmond District, the department said Thursday. Cruise lays off 900 workers with investigation into San Francisco crash ongoing On Oct. 29 at around 2 a.m., officers were called to the 900 block of Geary Street regarding a shooting. A man was found suffering from a gunshot wound and was taken to the hospital, where he has so far survived.Bryan Pratt, 63, is suspected in the shooting. Arrest and search warrants were authorized for him, and on Tuesday at 10:20 a.m., police located Pratt in the 400 block of Fulton Street and served the warrants.Pratt was arrested and booked into jail on suspicion of attempted murder, intentional discharge of a firearm during a felony resulting in great bodily injury, and being a felon in possession of a firearm.KRON On is streaming live news.embed-container { position: relative; padding-bottom: 56.25%; height: 0; overflow: hidden; max-w...

Pentagon Taps “Tiger Team” to Rush Weapons to Israel

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:58:00 GMT

The Pentagon is working to expedite weapons exports to Israel by deploying a so-called Tiger Team of experts to facilitate the transfers, according to procurement records reviewed by The Intercept. Some of the arms sales will be carried out through a new Army initiative designed specifically for the provision of weapons to Israel.The Israel-specific program, called the Israel Significant Initiatives Group, is located within the Army’s Defense Exports and Cooperation office, which oversees policy for U.S. arms sales.The Tiger Team meets daily with the Pentagon’s Defense Security Cooperation Agency, or DSCA, which executes U.S. arms sales, to overcome barriers to arms sales to Israel. The “tiger team,” a crisis rapid response team involving a diverse set of experts, is supposed to examine potential bottlenecks and delays in weapons transfers and offer advice for alleviating the issues.The existence of both the Tiger Team and the Israel Significant Initiatives Group ha...

NFL continues to make incremental, widespread progress in diversity hiring, report says

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:58:00 GMT

The National Football League continues to make incremental, widespread progress in its diversity hiring practices, according to an annual report.Thursday’s report card from The Institute for Diversity and Ethics in Sport at Central Florida gave the NFL an overall grade of B-plus, which is the highest mark for the league since the study began in 1988. The league received a B-plus mark for racial hiring and a B for gender hiring.There are still a few areas of concern — particularly in the ownership ranks — but TIDES director Adrien Bouchet said Thursday that the report is largely good news.“It’s the most positive NFL report since we started doing them,” Bouchet said. “The league has made major strides over the past decade, and particularly the past few years.”Among the highlights: There were nine general managers who were people of color at the start of the 2023 season — 30% of the league. Also, the overall percentage of people of color who have an NFL assistant coaching positio...

Israeli military veteran tapped as GOP candidate in special election to replace George Santos

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:58:00 GMT

ALBANY, N.Y. (AP) — Republicans have picked a little-known county lawmaker who once served in the Israeli military as their candidate in a special election to replace ousted congressman George Santos, party officials said Thursday. Nassau County legislator and former Israeli paratrooper Mazi Pilip will face off against Democratic former congressman Tom Suozzi in a Feb. 13 special election for the seat, which includes northern parts of Queens and Long Island. The selection pits Pilip, a relatively unknown local lawmaker from Ethiopia, against a political veteran in Suozzi, who previously represented the district for six years during a lengthy career in Long Island politics. In a statement, Republicans in Queens and Nassau County loosely outlined some of her potential policy positions and said she would bring a new perspective to the House. “Pilip is an effective tax fighter who will prioritize public safety, economic recovery, border security and tax relief in Congress,” the st...

Israeli president speaks against 2-state solution ahead of meeting with U.S security chief

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:58:00 GMT

JERUSALEM (AP) — Israel’s president has joined the ranks of high-ranking Israeli officials to speak out against a two-state solution after the war in Gaza.In an interview with The Associated Press on Thursday, Isaac Herzog said it is not the time to be talking about establishing an independent state when the country’s pain from Hamas’ Oct. 7 attack is still fresh. “What I want to urge is against just saying two-state solution. Why? Because there is an emotional chapter here that must be dealt with. My nation is bereaving. My nation is in trauma,” said Herzog. “In order to get back to the idea of dividing the land, of negotiating peace or talking to the Palestinians, etc., one has to deal first and foremost with the emotional trauma that we are going through and the need and demand for full sense of security for all people,” he said.Herzog spoke a day before a meeting with the White House’s national security adviser, Jake Sullivan. The Biden Administration has said ...

Education, faith leaders denounce planned Satan club at Tennessee elementary school

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:58:00 GMT

MEMPHIS, Tenn. (AP) — Faith and education leaders are denouncing plans for an After School Satan Club at a Tennessee elementary school but said they would follow the law and allow the organization hosting the club to meet.Around 40 members of the faith community in Memphis stood united with leaders at Memphis-Shelby County Schools on Wednesday to criticize the planned club and to question The Satanic Temple’s intentions in offering it, according to the Commercial Appeal. The faith community and educators also wanted to make it clear that students would need signed permission slips to attend and to express support for religious organizations that have partnered with the district, the newspaper reported.“You see the faith-based community standing here,” said board chair and local pastor Althea Greene, who wore a clerical collar. “We’re going to stand up and we’re going to be vocal. Satan has no room in this district.”The Satanic Temple plans to host the club at Chimneyrock Elementary ...

Cowboys closing in on playoff berth as they hit the road to face the Bills

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:58:00 GMT

DALLAS (10-3) at BUFFALO (7-6)Sunday, 4:25 p.m. EST, Fox OPENING LINE: Bills by 2 1/2 according to FanDuel Sportsbook. AGAINST THE SPREAD: Cowboys 9-4; Buffalo 5-8.SERIES RECORD: Cowboys lead 8-5.LAST MEETING: Bills beat Cowboys 26-15 at Dallas on Nov. 28, 2019.LAST WEEK: Cowboys beat Eagles 33-13; Bills beat Chiefs 20-17.COWBOYS OFFENSE: OVERALL (4), RUSH (11), PASS (2), SCORING (1).COWBOYS DEFENSE: OVERALL (3), RUSH (13), PASS (5), SCORING (4).BILLS OFFENSE: OVERALL (5), RUSH (10), PASS (5), SCORING (5).BILLS DEFENSE: OVERALL (14), RUSH (19), PASS (11), SCORING (6).TURNOVER DIFFERENTIAL: Cowboys plus-10; Bills plus-2.COWBOYS PLAYER TO WATCH: K Brandon Aubrey takes his NFL record of 30 consecutive field goals made to start a career back into the elements after keeping the streak alive with kicks of 60 and 59 yards indoors against the Eagles last weekend. While the forecast is mild for December in Buffalo, wind is usually a factor. The 28-year-old rookie ...

Israeli defense minister says war on Hamas will last months as US envoy discusses timetable

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:58:00 GMT

TEL AVIV, Israel (AP) — Israel’s defense minister said Thursday it will take months to destroy Hamas, predicting a drawn-out war even as his country and its top ally, the United States, face increasing international isolation and alarm over the devastation from the campaign in Gaza.Yoav Gallant’s comments came as U.S. national security adviser Jake Sullivan met with Israeli leaders to discuss a timetable for winding down major combat in Gaza. Israeli leaders repeated their determination to pursue the military assault until they crush the militant group for its Oct. 7 attack.The exchange seemed to continue a dynamic the two allies have been locked in for weeks. The Biden administration has shown unease over Israel’s failure to reduce civilian casualties and its plans for the future of Gaza, but the White House continues to offer wholehearted support for Israel with weapons shipments and diplomatic backing. Meanwhile, aside from small adjustments, Israel has changed little...