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2 members of expelled ‘Tennessee Three’ vie to win back their legislative seats

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:30:54 GMT

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — Tennessee Reps. Justin Pearson and Justin Jones, who became Democratic heroes as members of the so-called “Tennessee Three,” are hoping to once again reclaim their legislative seats Thursday after they were expelled for involvement in a gun control protest on the House floor. The young Black lawmakers were both reinstated by local officials, but only on an interim basis. To fully take back their positions, they must advance through a special election. Both easily cleared their primary election in June, and now face general election opponents for districts that heavily favor Democrats.Jones, who lives in Nashville, is up against Republican candidate Laura Nelson. Meanwhile, Pearson, from Memphis, faces independent candidate Jeff Johnston. “Let’s send a clear message to everyone who thought they could silence the voice of District 86,” Pearson tweeted earlier this month. “You can’t expel a movement!” Jones and Pearson were elected to the GOP-dominat...

Singapore executes third prisoner in 2 weeks for drug trafficking

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:30:54 GMT

KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia (AP) — Singapore hanged a third prisoner in two weeks on Thursday for drug trafficking despite calls for the city-state to halt capital punishment for drug-related crimes. The Central Narcotics Bureau said Mohamed Shalleh Abdul Latiff, a 39-year-old Singaporean, was executed at Singapore’s Changi Prison after being accorded due process under the law. He was sentenced to death for trafficking 54 grams (1.9 ounces) of heroin, an amount “sufficient to feed the addiction of about 640 abusers for a week,” it said in a statement.Transformative Justice Collective, an anti-death penalty advocate in Singapore, said Shalleh, an ethnic Malay, worked as a delivery driver before his arrest in 2016. He was sentenced in 2019 but his appeal was dismissed last year. The group said Shalleh had maintained in his trial that he believed he was delivering contraband cigarettes for a friend to whom he owed money, and he didn’t verify the contents of the bag as he trusted his f...

The US wants Kenya to lead a force in Haiti with 1,000 police. Watchdogs say they’ll export abuse

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:30:54 GMT

NAIROBI, Kenya (AP) — As the U.S. government was considering Kenya to lead a multinational force in Haiti, it was also openly warning Kenyan police officers against violent abuses. Now 1,000 of those officers might head to Haiti to take on gang warfare.It’s a challenging turn for a police force long accused by rights watchdogs of killings and torture, including gunning down civilians during Kenya’s COVID-19 curfew. One local group confirmed that officers fatally shot more than 30 people in July, all of them in Kenya’s poorest neighborhoods, during opposition-called protests over the rising cost of living.“We are saddened by the loss of life and concerned by high levels of violence, including the use of live rounds” during those protests, the U.S. said in a joint statement with 11 other nations in mid-July.Now the U.S., as this month’s president of the United Nations Security Council, is preparing to put forward a resolution to authorize a mission in Haiti led by Kenyan police, who h...

EU and the Philippines to start scoping exercise for a free trade agreement

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:30:54 GMT

The EU and the Philippines have announced their intention to explore the relaunch of negotiations for an ambitious, modern, and balanced free trade agreement (FTA) – with sustainability at its core. The EU and the Philippines will shortly kick off a bilateral ‘scoping process' to assess to which extent they share a mutual understanding on the future FTA. If this process concludes successfully, and after consultations with the member states, the EU and the Philippines would be in a position to resume FTA negotiations.Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said: “The Philippines is a key partner for us in the Indo-Pacific region, and with the launch of this scoping process we are paving the way to taking our partnership to the next level. Together, we will realise the full potential of our relationship, creating new opportunities for our companies and consumers while also supporting the green transition and fostering a just economy.”Following the resumption of FTA talks with Thaila...

Sunnyvale attempted murder suspect arrested while trying to board flight to Turkey

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:30:54 GMT

SUNNYVALE – A second suspect wanted in connection with an attempted murder in Sunnyvale was arrested Wednesday as he tried to hop a plane out of the country, authorities said.Gunfire was reported around 2:45 a.m. Sunday in the 300 block of East Washington Avenue, the Sunnyvale Department of Public Safety said in a news release.Officers arrived to find two adult male victims, one of whom had multiple gunshot wounds, in a nearby vehicle. The man was treated at the scene and taken to a hospital for further care. An update on his condition was not immediately available.Authorities said one suspect, identified as Gregory Law, was arrested following a foot pursuit. Officers recovered a semiautomatic handgun Law reportedly tossed during the chase.Detectives identified the second suspect as Filmon Kifle. He was arrested Wednesday at San Francisco International Airport while attempting to board a flight to Istanbul, Turkey, authorities said.Law and Kifle were booked into Santa Clara County j...

Oakland A’s blasted by L.A. as Dodger Stadium fans chant ‘sell the team’ again

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:30:54 GMT

Any good vibes the Oakland A’s might have carried with them after they won two of three games from the Colorado Rockies at Coors Field last weekend didn’t make it over the San Gabriel Mountains.The A’s were blasted by the Los Angeles Dodgers for the second straight night Wednesday, as starting pitcher Hogan Harris allowed eight earned runs, including three homers, in what became a 10-1 loss at Chavez Ravine.Harris allowed homers to Miguel Rojas, Mookie Betts, and Amed Rosario as the Dodgers took an 8-1 lead after three innings. Betts’ homer was his 29th of the season and Freddie Freeman went 3 for 4.Betts launched a 436-foot shot into the left-field pavilion off Harris (2-6) for his 70th RBI in the second, when the Dodgers scored four runs to lead 7-0. Betts doubled leading off the first and struck out before getting the rest of the night off in the top of the fourth.Freeman hit his major league-leading 37th and 38th doubles and singled. He scored twice and d...

Taylor Swift donates to South Bay food bank

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:30:54 GMT

SANTA CLARA, Calif. (KRON) – Taylor Swift may have left the Bay Area, but she is still making a huge difference. Second Harvest of Silicon Valley announced last Friday that the artist donated enough money to help hundreds of thousands of people in Santa Clara and San Mateo counties.Second Harvest says they won’t disclose the amount that Taylor Swift donated. Since the donation, there’s definitely been a “Swiftie effect” of incoming donations.“We got the call from her team. Our team was super excited to get this call from Taylor that she was going to support our work,” said Shobana Gubbi, the food bank’s chief philanthropy officer.  Antioch missionary group stuck in Niger after coup Gubbi is still excited about what happened on Friday -- the first of Taylor Swift’s two-show run at Levi’s. And since then, she says the food bank has seen a 43 percent increase in one-time donations.“Definitely we think some of it is because of the visibility,” she said. “This is not like a very busy d...

Antioch missionary group stuck in Niger after coup

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:30:54 GMT

ANTIOCH, CALIF. (KRON) – A local Christian missionary group is stuck in Niger after a coup took over the government. Politicians are working to get them back home safely while family members wait anxiously for an update.The group from Cornerstone Christian School in Antioch took off on July 20 for Niger's capital city, Niamey. They were supposed to be back by now, but all fifteen people are still stuck abroad after a coup took over the government, grounding flights.School principal Logan Heyer says his wife and daughter are both part of the missionary group in Niger. 5 men charged with orchestrating $1.1M heist of San Ramon jewelry store This is the second team they've sent to the country to help build schools and churches. Principal Heyer says he has been in contact with Senator Dianne Feinstein's office to help bring them home."They have made sure that the embassy knows our team is there and has all their information, and if something changes where they need to get out I've been...

CHP deployed in Oakland to combat crime

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:30:54 GMT

(KRON) -- Enforcement is coming to deal with violent crimes in Oakland. Gov. Gavin Newsom is sending CHP officers.Six CHP officers and one sergeant will be deployed to help Oakland police amid concerns about an increase in crime. The Oakland Mayor's Office says that they will be releasing more details tomorrow. On Wednesday night, KRON4 spoke with Councilmember Dan Kalb about the state stepping in. Philz Coffee to close original SF Mission District location In Oakland, violent crime is up 15 percent, according to police data. Burglaries are up 39 percent, robberies have increased 22 percent and vehicle theft is up 49 percent.Calls for help to 9-1-1 are spiking as staffing within the Oakland Police Department continues to decline, which has residents on edge."I understand the fear and concern that people are feeling. Our job is to make sure people not only feel safe but they actually are safer in their neighborhoods," Kalb said.In an effort to help the city address the spike in cri...

Mookie Betts hits 29th homer and Freddie Freeman goes 3 for 4 as Dodgers rout lowly Athletics 10-1

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:30:54 GMT

LOS ANGELES (AP) — All-Stars Mookie Betts and Freddie Freeman put on a show early, then took the rest of the night off.Betts hit his 29th homer, Freeman went 3 for 4 and the Los Angeles Dodgers routed the lowly Oakland Athletics 10-1 on Wednesday night.Betts launched a 436-foot shot — his longest with the Dodgers — into the left-field pavilion off Hogan Harris (2-6) for his 70th RBI in the second, when Los Angeles scored four runs to lead 7-0. Betts doubled leading off the first and struck out before sitting down for good in the top of the fourth.Freeman hit his major league-leading 37th and 38th doubles and singled. He scored twice and drove in another run before being pulled in the seventh. He was 4 for 5 in a 7-3 win in the series opener.Although Atlanta’s Ronald Acuña Jr. is the favorite for NL MVP, Betts and Freeman are making their cases, too.“He’s definitely in the MVP conversation,” Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said of Freeman, “and Mookie is not that far behind ...