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Biden to sign executive order expanding birth control access

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:56:26 GMT

(The Hill) - President Biden will sign an executive order Friday aimed at increasing access to contraception and family planning.The order is part of the administration's efforts to promote reproductive health care and comes one day ahead of the one-year anniversary of the Supreme Court's decision to overturn Roe v. Wade.It will also be the administration's only policy response to mark the anniversary. While the decision in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization dealt with the constitutional right to an abortion, Justice Clarence Thomas in a concurring opinion said the high court should also reconsider whether there is a constitutional right to birth control. "Access to contraception has become even more important in the wake of Dobbs and the ensuing crisis in women’s access to health care," Jennifer Klein, director of the White House Gender Policy Council told reporters.The order directs the secretaries of the Treasury and Labor Departments, as well as Health and Hu...

With the fate of Titanic sub clear, focus turns to cause of fatal implosion

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:56:26 GMT

The search for a missing Titanic-bound submersible has become an investigation and salvage mission that will take an indefinite amount of time, officials said, as tributes from around the world poured in for the five people killed when the vessel imploded deep in the North Atlantic.The announcement Thursday that all aboard perished when the submersible imploded near the site of the iconic shipwreck brought a tragic end to a five-day saga that included an urgent around-the-clock search and a worldwide vigil for the vessel known as the Titan.The investigation into what happened was already underway and would continue in the area around Titanic where debris from the submersible was found, said Rear Adm. John Mauger, of the First Coast Guard District.“I know there are also a lot of questions about how, why and when did this happen. Those are questions we will collect as much information as we can about now,” Mauger said, adding that it was a “complex case” that happened in a remote part...

Stores warned to stop selling fruit- and candy-flavored e-cigarettes

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:56:26 GMT

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Food and Drug Administration on Thursday said it has sent warning letters to dozens of retailers selling fruit- and candy-flavored disposable e-cigarettes, including the current best-selling brand, Elf Bar.It’s the latest attempt by regulators to crack down on illegal disposable vapes that have poured into U.S. stores in recent years.Last month, the FDA issued orders allowing customs officials to seize shipments of Elf Bar, Esco Bar and two other brands at U.S. ports. None of the products have received FDA authorization and they come in flavors like cotton candy, which regulators say can appeal to teenagers.In the latest action, the FDA said it issued warnings to 189 convenience stores, vape shops and other retailers. CDC: E-cigarette sales spiked nearly 50 percent between 2020 and 2022 “We’re not going to stand by as bad actors are profiting off the sale of illegal products that are addicting our nation’s youth,” Brian King, the FDA’s tobacco cente...

The top 10 most expensive home sales in Oakland, reported the week of May 29

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:56:26 GMT

A house in Oakland that sold for $2.4 million tops the list of the most expensive residential real estate sales in Oakland in the past week.In total, 11 residential real estate sales were recorded in the area during the past week, with an average price of $1.9 million. The average price per square foot ended up at $907.The prices in the list below concern real estate sales where the title was recorded during the week of May 29 even if the property may have been sold earlier.10. $1.5 million, single-family residence in the 2100 block of Funston PlaceThe sale of the single family residence in the 2100 block of Funston Place in Oakland has been finalized. The price was $1,505,000, and the new owners took over the house in May. The house was built in 1939 and has a living area of 1,603 square feet. The price per square foot was $939. The house features three bedrooms and two bathrooms.Funston Place9. $1.6 million, single-family house in the 300 block of Alcatraz AvenueThe 2,084 square-f...

Federal regulators to require automatic emergency braking on heavy trucks and buses

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:56:26 GMT

The government will require heavy trucks and buses to include automatic emergency braking equipment within five years, the federal traffic safety agency said Thursday, estimating it will prevent nearly 20,000 crashes save at least 155 lives a year.The announcement by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration follows a similar move last month for all new passenger cars and light trucks. The actions represent the traffic safety agency’s latest efforts to regulate electronic systems that take on certain tasks that drivers themselves have normally handled. NHTSA has been reluctant in the past to impose such regulations, saying the technology would change during the time it took to enact new rules.Ann Carlson, the safety agency’s chief counsel, said Thursday that automatic emergency braking systems will reduce the frequency and severity of rear-end crashes, as well as rollovers and accidents involving loss of driver control.“Advanced driver assistance systems like AEB have the p...

Skelton: On Delta tunnel, Newsom should know his limitations

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:56:26 GMT

To paraphrase Clint Eastwood’s Dirty Harry in the 1973 movie classic “Magnum Force,” a governor’s got to know his limitations.There are limits to the power even of a governor with no major political opposition and a very friendly, normally cooperative Legislature.This time, Gov. Gavin Newsom may have found his limitations. Key lawmakers are pushing back against his late-entry legislation to expedite construction of a highly controversial water tunnel under the Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta.As is his pattern, Newsom is trying to jam through the legislation at the last minute, denying legislators and the public ample time to assess and debate the proposal. That really ticks off lawmakers, whether they’re leaders or backbenchers.“It feels disrespectful to the [legislative] process,” state Sen. Susan Talamantes Eggman, D-Stockton, said at a Senate committee hearing on the governor’s proposal this month.“To try to force something through at the last minute like this on such a contro...

A SpaceX rocket arcs across the California sky, hurling internet satellites to the heavens

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:56:26 GMT

 A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket launches across the SoCal sky’s early Thursday morning Van Nuys CA/USA June 22, 2023. The F-9 is carrying another batch of Starlink V1.5 internet satellites from Vandenberg Space Force Base. The Falcon 9’s first stage booster landed on a drone ship in the Pacific Ocean. (Photo by Gene Blevins/Contributing Photographer)A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket launches across the SoCal sky’s early Thursday morning Van Nuys CA/USA June 22, 2023. The F-9 is carrying another batch of Starlink V1.5 internet satellites from Vandenberg Space Force Base. The Falcon 9’s first stage booster landed on a drone ship in the Pacific Ocean. (Photo by Gene Blevins/Contributing Photographer)A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket launches across the SoCal sky’s early Thursday morning Van Nuys CA/USA June 22, 2023. The F-9 is carrying another batch of Starlink V1.5 internet satellites from Vandenberg Space Force Base. The Falcon 9’s first stage booster landed...

Opinion: Military recruiting crisis requires immediate call to action

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:56:26 GMT

At a recent House Armed Services Committee hearing, leaders from the Army, Navy, and Air Force all dutifully reported that they expected to miss their annual recruiting goal this year by thousands. This is just the latest sign that the military recruiting crisis — the worst since the institution of the all-volunteer force in 1973 — is not abating.Despite significant efforts by the military services, such as offering hefty enlistment bonuses of up to $50,000 and the ability to choose your first duty station, recruiting numbers have not improved. The effects on the armed forces are sobering: Navy ships are undermanned, and the Army is considering cutting the number of its Brigade Combat Teams.Assemble 100 experts and veterans in a room and you will hear 100 reasons why recruiting is in trouble. At least one will point to low unemployment and the competitive job market; others will blame the lack of eligible recruits, disqualified by obesity or low test scores. Still more will mention ...

Fans raise security questions after shooting at Insomniac Events festival in Washington leaves two former California residents dead

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:56:26 GMT

After a shooting at Insomniac Events’ Beyond Wonderland Festival at Gorge Amphitheatre in Washington on June 17 that killed two former Southern California residents and injured several others, fans of the popular electronic music festival promoter’s events have expressed safety concerns.Fans took to social media to inquire about increased security measures for future events like the sold-out, two-day Day Trip Festival set to take place at The Queen Mary Waterfront in Long Beach on June 24-25.Pasquale Rotella, CEO of Burbank-based Insomniac Events, has responded to the shooting in a series of posts on his official Instagram account, extending his condolences to the victims’ families and for all of those affected by the shooting. He also explained that this was an isolated situation that took place a half mile outside the perimeter of the main festival grounds, but inside an overflow camping lot.ALSO SEE: Couple fatally shot at Beyond Wonderland EDM festival identified as former Calif...

California cop arrested for off-duty assault, stabbing at bar

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:56:26 GMT

An LAPD officer is behind bars after being arrested at an Upland bar for allegedly assaulting and stabbing another patron while off-duty, authorities say.The Upland Police Department arrested Officer Arthur Contreras, a 28-year veteran of the department, on Wednesday, June 21. Contreras served in the Detective Support and Vice Division.Related ArticlesCrime and Public Safety | Oakland police officer Phong Tran bound for trial on charges of bribing witness, perjury in murder case Crime and Public Safety | ‘A little ATM for you’: Oakland police detective accused of paying other murder witnesses Crime and Public Safety | Gov. Newsom plan would roll back access to police misconduct records Crime and Public Safety | Ex-California cop receives 13 years for crash that killed passenger, injured 2 others Crime and Public Safety | ‘I was told what to say’: Woman claims Oakland police officer fed...