LOS ANGELES (AP) – Two U.S. Postal Service employees have been charged with abusing their positions to purchase postal money orders with thousands of dollars in California unemployment benefits obtained through false claims of pandemic-related job losses. The Los Angeles U.S. Attorney’s Office says the two were arrested Wednesday. A criminal complaint alleges conspiracy, aggravated…… MORE
Maskless Passenger Coughs On, Assaults Calif. Uber Driver
SAN FRANCISCO (AP) – San Francisco Police say they are investigating an attack on an Uber driver who was assaulted by a woman who refused to wear a mask. The driver, an immigrant form Nepal, says the attack captured on a now-viral video was racially motivated. The woman was with two other women wearing masks…… MORE
CA Could Get $150 Billion from Federal Virus Relief Bill
SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) – California Gov. Gavin Newsom’s administration says the massive new federal coronavirus relief bill will pump more than $150 billion into the state’s economy. Nearly half of that money will go to Californians directly in the form of $1,400 checks and expanded unemployment benefits. Another $26 billion will go to the state…… MORE
Man Arrested, Accused of Pimping, Pandering, Human Trafficking
FRESNO, CA (KMJ) — A man was arrested on Friday following a month-long human trafficking investigation. It started February 1 when the Fresno Police Department was called to Belmont Ave. and Broadway St. to check the welfare of a 28-year-old woman. Police believed the woman may be a victim of human trafficking. The Fresno Police…… MORE
Investigation Into Capitol Riot Narrows In On Organized Extremist Groups
UNDATED (AP) – Authorities investigating the Jan. 6 insurrection at the Capitol say two extremist groups that traveled to Washington along with thousands of other Trump supporters weren’t whipped into an impulsive frenzy by President Donald Trump that day. Instead, authorities allege evidence points to the Oath Keepers and the Proud Boys laying attack plans…… MORE
US Seeks 100M Doses of Single-Shot J&J COVID-19 Vaccine
WASHINGTON (AP) – President Joe Biden is expected to announce the U.S. is buying an additional 100 million doses of the single-shot Johnson & Johnson coronavirus vaccine. The drugmaker is already obligated to supply 100 million doses to the federal government by the end of June. The additional vaccine would be delivered in the following…… MORE
Lego Sales Surge Amid Pandemic
COPENHAGEN, Denmark(AP) – Sales of Lego sets surged last year as more children stayed home during global pandemic lockdowns – and parents bought the colorful plastic brick toys to keep them entertained during days of isolation. The privately-held Danish company said its net profit rose 19% to 9.9 billion kroner ($1.6 billion) as sales jumped…… MORE
Fact Check: Newsom Skips Details on Pandemic Handling
SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) – California Gov. Gavin Newsom painted a positive picture of the state’s pandemic response during his State of the State address. But some of his statements Tuesday night lacked key context or twisted the facts. He called California’s death rate one of the lowest per capita in the nation, but data from…… MORE
Facial Recognition Company Sued by Calif. Activists
ALAMEDA, Calif. (AP) – Civil liberties activists are suing a company that provides facial recognition services to law enforcement agencies and private companies around the world, contending that Clearview AI illegally stockpiled data on 3 billion people without their knowledge or permission. The lawsuit, filed Tuesday in Alameda County Superior Court, seeks a court order…… MORE
Embattled Gov. Newsom: ‘Brighter Days Ahead’
LOS ANGELES (AP) – California Gov. Gavin Newsom urged an exhausted state to dream of brighter days ahead during his annual State of the State address. Newsom spoke Tuesday evening from an empty Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles, surrounded by 56,000 seats representing roughly the number of people who have died during the pandemic. Newsom…… MORE
