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Senate panel OKs stronger ethics standards for Supreme Court

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 18:57:27 GMT

By Mary Clare Jalonick | Associated PressWASHINGTON — The Supreme Court would have to abide by stronger ethics standards under legislation approved on Thursday by the Senate Judiciary Committee, a response to recent revelations about donor-funded trips by justices. The bill faced united opposition from Republicans, who said it could “destroy” the court.The legislation has little chance to make it through the full Senate.The panel voted along party lines to set ethics rules for the court and a process to enforce them, including new standards for transparency around recusals, gifts and potential conflicts of interest. Democrats first pushed the legislation after reports earlier this year that Justice Clarence Thomas participated in luxury vacations and a real estate deal with a top GOP donor — and after Chief Justice John Roberts declined to testify before the committee about the ethics of the court.Since then, news reports also revealed that Justice Samuel Alito had taken...

Bay Area’s hottest places to be hit with another brief heat wave

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 18:57:27 GMT

Triple-digit temperatures are expected to make a return engagement — albeit, a short one — to the hottest parts of the Bay Area beginning Thursday, according to the National Weather Service.They also won’t feel quite as intense as they did during a three-day stretch last weekend, forecasters said.“Overall, we’re starting to get the more consistent summer-time temperatures, so people and their bodies are having some time to adjust to it,” NWS meteorologist Sean Miller said Thursday morning. “Also with this one, we’re only going to heat up for day or two. It’s not going to stay warm at night. So it just won’t be quite as intense. It’s still gonna be hot.”A heat advisory for the far inland areas and valley areas was set to begin at 11 a.m. Friday and run through 11 p.m. Saturday.The Bay Area Air Quality Management District also extended an air advisory for the region through Thursday. The advisory Wednesday was prompted by smo...

California scores another winning ticket to a huge jackpot

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 18:57:27 GMT

Another ticket to a huge lottery jackpot was sold in California — perhaps the luckiest state in the nation.A single ticket that matched white balls 7, 10, 11, 13, 24 and red Powerball 24 in Wednesday’s drawing for $1.08 billion was sold at Las Palmitas Mini Market at 1205 Wall Street in Los Angeles, lottery officials said.Related ArticlesCalifornia News | $1 billion Powerball jackpot winning ticket sold in California; three Bay Area players get 5 out of 6 numbers California News | Mega Millions players win $287,200 each in Oakland and San Jose California News | Before you play in an office lottery pool, read this California News | Powerball Jackpot soars to $1 billion after no winner in Monday’s drawing California News | A $900 million jackpot is up for grabs in Monday night’s Powerball drawing That means three winners of the last 10 largest jackpots bought tickets in the Golden State. The wi...

Bay Area air quality advisory extended through Thursday

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 18:57:27 GMT

SAN FRANCISCO (KRON) -- An air quality advisory that was issued for the Bay Area for Wednesday afternoon has been extended through Thursday, according to the Bay Area Air Quality Management District. The advisory is due to wildfire smoke from southwestern Oregon. Smoke from the Flat Fire continues to blow into the region this afternoon and evening, according to the Bay Area Air Quality Management District, which issued the advisory."Smoky, hazy skies may be visible across the Bay Area and the smell of smoke is possible at higher elevations, especially the East Bay, North Bay and Santa Clara Valley regions," the BAAQMD said. 4 Bay Area restaurants receive new Michelin stars No Spare the Air Alert has been issued however, because pollutant levels aren't expected to exceed the national 24-hour health standard, BAAQMD added.The air district said it will closely monitor air quality throughout the region for smoke impact from the Flat Fire and other wildfires.If the smell of smoke is pr...

Ricciardo has plenty to smile about as he makes his F1 return at Hungarian GP

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 18:57:27 GMT

Veteran Daniel Ricciardo has plenty to smile about after getting another shot at Formula One.The driver with the biggest grin in F1 is making a shock return for the AlphaTauri team after being released by McLaren last year. The 34-year-old Australian’s comeback starts Sunday at the Hungaroring, nestled in rolling countryside outside of Budapest, where he won for Red Bull in 2014.“It’s good to be back, it feels familiar,” Ricciardo said. “Getting back into the Red Bull family, it brings back a lot of old feelings.”The eight-time Grand Prix winner was given the F1 seat at AlphaTauri — which is Red Bull’s junior team — for the rest of 2023 after Nyck de Vries was cut last week. “Be prepared, you never know what’s going to happen,” said Ricciardo, who looked drained in the past two seasons and made the most of his break.“I went to a buddy’s bachelor party, which I’ve never done. It was a place called (Las) Vegas as well,” he said, grinning. “It gave me some time away which I felt ...

Congress grounds proposal to add flights at Reagan National Airport

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 18:57:27 GMT

The House voted overwhelmingly Thursday to approve the FAA reauthorization bill, but an amendment to add flights at Reagan National Airport was defeated.The vote for the five-year reauthorization of the FAA was 351-69, sending the legislation on to the Senate. The FAA reauthorization legislation includes a wide range of measures aimed at improving air safety, airport infrastructure and customer service.The amendment that would have added seven round-trip flights at Reagan National Airport had bipartisan support and was sponsored by Rep. Burgess Owens, R-Utah.It was defeated Wednesday night on a vote of 205-229, as the House considered a series of amendments to the FAA legislation.Rep. Don Beyer, D-Va., who strongly opposed the amendment, took issue with those who characterized it as a compromise.At one point, as many as 28 additional round-trip flights had been proposed.But Beyer said supporters of the latest amendment never reached out to Washington-area lawmakers.“Twenty per...

What are the 10 largest US lottery jackpots ever won?

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 18:57:27 GMT

Here is a look at the 10 largest U.S. jackpots that have been won and the states where the winning tickets were sold:1. $2.04 billion, Powerball, Nov. 8, 2022 (one ticket, from California)2. $1.586 billion, Powerball, Jan. 13, 2016 (three tickets, from California, Florida, Tennessee)3. $1.537 billion, Mega Millions, Oct. 23, 2018 (one ticket, from South Carolina)4. $1.35 billion, Mega Millions, Jan. 13, 2023 (one ticket, from Maine)5. $1.337 billion, Mega Millions, July 29, 2022 (one ticket, from Illinois)6. $1.08 billion, Powerball, July 19, 2023 (one ticket, from California)7. $1.05 billion, Mega Millions, Jan. 22, 2021 (one ticket, from Michigan)8. $768.4 million, Powerball, March 27, 2019 (one ticket, from Wisconsin)9. $758.7 million, Powerball, Aug. 23, 2017 (one ticket, from Massachusetts)10. $754.6 million, Powerball, Feb. 6, 2023 (one ticket, from Washington state)___Sources: AP archives, www.megamillions.com and www.powerball.comSource

A flag carried by a Japanese soldier who was killed during World War II is returning to his family

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 18:57:27 GMT

A flag carried by a Japanese soldier killed in action during World War II was handed over Thursday by the USS Lexington Museum in Texas to a nonprofit organization for return to the man’s family.Known as a Good Luck Flag, it is covered with the signatures of Shigeyoshi Mutsuda, his family and friends. The Corpus Christi museum where it was displayed for 29 years gave the flag to the Obon Society, a nonprofit organization that has returned about 500 similar flags, known as non-biological human remains, to descendants of Japanese service members killed during the war.“This is all that’s left of this man” to return to his family, said Obon Society co-founder Rex Ziak. “They feel exactly the same as Americans when they receive the bones or teeth” of relatives who were identified and returned decades after being killed in war, he said.Hirofumi Murabayashi, consul general of Japan in Houston, expressed appreciation to the museum for willingly handing over the flag and said the trans...

Rangers and MLB unveil logo for 2024 All-Star Game that will be bigger than 1995 game Texas’ hosted

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 18:57:27 GMT

ARLINGTON, Texas (AP) — The MLB All-Star Game has grown into a truly Texas-sized event since the last time the Rangers hosted the midsummer classic, and the countdown is on for next year’s festivities.Major League Baseball and the Rangers unveiled the logo Thursday for the 2024 All-Star Game at Globe Life Field, the retractable-roof stadium across the street from the open-air facility where the 1995 All-Star Game was played in extreme heat. The logo for the July 16 game includes an outline of Texas and has All-Star punctuated with the state’s emblematic star.“That Major League Baseball All-Star Game has grown into an entire week of activities,” said Chuck Morgan, the longtime public address announcer for the Rangers. “The All-Star experience has changed a lot since that game at The Ballpark in Arlington.”Globe Life Field opened in 2020, when the Rangers played their first season without fans there because of the COVID-19 pandemic. The stadium hosted the 2020 World Series...

US imposes new sanctions aimed at choking off Russia’s access to battlefield supplies and revenue

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 18:57:27 GMT

WASHINGTON (AP) — The U.S. on Thursday imposed sanctions on roughly 120 firms and people from Russia to the United Arab Emirates to Kyrgyzstan in an effort to choke off Moscow’s access to products, money and financial channels that support its invasion of Ukraine. The sanctions imposed by the Treasury and State departments target dozens of Russian mining, technology and munitions firms and commercial banks. In addition, a group of Kyrgyzstan-based electronics firms and its leadership were targeted as exporters of components and other technology to Russia. A UAE-based engineering company that sent dozens of shipments of electronics to Russia was also sanctioned. The latest sanctions build on those imposed on Russia when the U.S. and other Group of Seven nations rolled out a wave of global actions during a Japan summit in May.“Since Russia launched its full scale invasion of Ukraine, the United States, working with our allies and partners, has taken unprecedented steps to impose...