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Supreme Court declines to revisit landmark libel ruling, though Clarence Thomas wants to reconsider the decision

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 00:59:18 GMT

By Devan Cole | CNNWashington — The Supreme Court declined on Tuesday to revisit the landmark First Amendment decision in New York Times v. Sullivan, rebuffing a request to take another look at decades-old precedent that created a higher bar for public figures to claim libel in civil suits.The media world has for years relied on the unanimous decision in the 1964 case to fend off costly defamation lawsuits brought by public figures. The ruling established the requirement that public figures show “actual malice” before they can succeed in a libel dispute.Despite being a mainstay in US media law, the Sullivan decision has increasingly come under fire by conservatives both inside and outside the court, including Justice Clarence Thomas, who said on Tuesday that he still wanted to revisit Sullivan at some point.“In an appropriate case, however, we should reconsider New York Times and our other decisions displacing state defamation law,” Thomas wrote in a brief concurrence to the court’s...

Where are California’s most affordable homes?

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 00:59:18 GMT

”Survey says” looks at various rankings and scorecards judging geographic locations while noting these grades are best seen as a mix of artful interpretation and data.Buzz: If you want a quasi-affordable California home, look far from the coast and the big cities.Source: My trusty spreadsheet reviewed third-quarter homebuying affordability stats for 578 big US counties – including 35 California counties, compiled by ATTOM, a real estate data provider.ToplineFirst, we ranked the counties on pricing, purchasing power and historical affordability. Then we combined those scorecards.And, drumroll please … Butte is California’s bargain county. It’s far to the north and home to Chico and the Oroville Dam.The next county for affordability was Imperial, followed by Humboldt, Tulare and Fresno.The least affordable county, by this math, was Santa Cruz, Monterey, Orange, San Diego and Alameda.DetailsLet’s get inside those county rankings, noting that there’s plenty of “art” involved in homebuy...

Caltrain hits, kills pedestrian near Skyway Drive in San Jose

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 00:59:18 GMT

SAN JOSE — One person was killed Tuesday morning when they were hit by a Caltrain near Skyway Drive in San Jose, according to the commuter rail line.Related ArticlesCrashes and Disasters | One person dies in fiery toll booth crash on Richmond-San Rafael Bridge Crashes and Disasters | Motorcyclist struck from behind, killed in Antioch collision Crashes and Disasters | Train hits, kills man in East Oakland Crashes and Disasters | California cop, survivor of Las Vegas mass shooting, killed in freeway crash Crashes and Disasters | Onewheel skateboards under recall after four deaths A northbound train struck the pedestrian at 6:29 a.m., a Caltrain spokesperson said. As of 7 a.m., the train was still stopped at the crash site — along Monterey Road north of Branham Lane — as emergency personnel investigated.There were 97 people on the train, though no other injuries were reported. There was no immed...

Israel-Hamas conflict was a test for Elon Musk’s X, and it failed

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 00:59:18 GMT

By Davey Alba, Daniel Zuidijk and Isabella Ward | BloombergPosts about the attack in Israel have led to confusion, misinformation and conflict on Elon Musk’s X, formerly known as Twitter, exposing how his acquisition and policy changes have transformed the social media site into an unreliable resource during a time of crisis, researchers said.Hours after Hamas gunmen from the Gaza Strip surged into Israel, carrying out the most significant attack of the country in decades, unverified photos and videos of missile air strikes, buildings and homes being destroyed and other posts depicting military violence — in Israel and Gaza — swirled on the platform. Many of the posts repurposed old images of armed conflict, passing them off as new, and were pushed by anonymous accounts that carried blue checkmarks — signaling that they had purchased verification under X’s “premium” subscription service, formerly known as Twitter Blue. Other accounts posted military footage that actually originated ...

Driver killed in fiery toll booth crash on Richmond-San Rafael Bridge

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 00:59:18 GMT

RICHMOND — A truck driver was killed after crashing into the Richmond-San Rafael Bridge toll booth, for forcing significant closures in the westbound direction of Interstate 580, according to the California Highway Patrol.The collision, reported just before 10 p.m. Monday, occurred when a semi-truck driver hit a toll booth at the bridge’s east end in Richmond. The fiery crash killed the driver, the CHP said.No further details were immediately made available.#UPDATE: Lanes #1, 2, 3, out of 7 are back open on WB I-580 at the Richmond-San Rafael Bridge. Morning commuters, plan ahead and give yourself a little extra time! Consider using State Route 37 and I-80 as alternate routes to ensure a smooth journey. #CommuteSmart — Caltrans District 4 (@CaltransD4) October 10, 2023Related ArticlesCrashes and Disasters | Motorcyclist struck from behind, killed in Antioch collision Crashes and Disasters | Train hits, kills man in East Oakland Crashes...

San Mateo Bridge westbound lanes reopening following injury crash

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 00:59:18 GMT

(KRON) -- The right lane of westbound CA-92 east of the San Mateo Bridge is blocked Tuesday morning after a traffic collision with injuries previously shut down all westbound lanes, according to the California Highway Patrol.The blocked lanes were first reported by the CHP at 6:41 a.m. By 7:23 a.m., two lanes were reopened while the right lane remained blocked. There is no estimated time for the roadway to fully reopen. No further details are known about the collision or the injuries. Big rig catches fire on Richmond-San Rafael Bridge Monday night Motorists are advised to expect delays heading west on the San Mateo Bridge and to use alternative routes to avoid the area, the severe traffic alert said.This is a developing story. Check back for updates.

1 person fatally struck by Caltrain

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 00:59:18 GMT

(KRON) -- An individual was fatally struck by Caltrain #403 heading northbound on Skyway Drive in San Jose on Tuesday at 6:29 a.m.  Police shooting at Chinese Consulate in SF leaves one dead The train service has stopped and emergency personnel is at the scene.The train had approximately 97 passengers onboard. No further injuries were reported.This is a developing story. 

Rep. Jake Auchincloss Supports Gaza Bombing Despite Captive American and Israeli Civilians

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 00:59:18 GMT

As Israeli troops massed on the border of the Gaza Strip and carried out an intense bombing campaign in response to the Hamas attack on border towns over the weekend, Rep. Jake Auchincloss, D-Mass., called for more unchecked violence from the Israeli state.Auchincloss’s Monday comments came in response to Sen. Edward Markey’s calls for deescalation during a rally in Boston. “The United States and the international community must keep pushing for diplomacy and the ending of civilian casualties on all sides,” Markey said. “There must be a deescalation of the current violence.” The audience erupted in boos, prompting Auchincloss to speak up.“Now is not the time for equivocation,” Auchincloss said. “Hamas is an internationally recognized terrorist organization that is executing and raping civilians. Israel is a liberal democracy with the right and responsibility to defend itself and its citizens. … Deescalation is not possible when they are taking hostages. And Israel did not ask ...

Commanders Corner: Washington not ready for prime time

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 00:59:18 GMT

Washington Commanders head coach Ron Rivera addressing members of the media after an NFL football game against Chicago Bears, Thursday, Oct. 5, 2023, in Landover, Md. Chicago won 40-20. (AP Photo/Andrew Harnik)(AP/Andrew Harnik) Washington Commanders head coach Ron Rivera addressing members of the media after an NFL football game against Chicago Bears, Thursday, Oct. 5, 2023, in Landover, Md. Chicago won 40-20. (AP Photo/Andrew Harnik)(AP/Andrew Harnik) So, have we recovered from Thursday night?The 40-20 loss to Chicago was another splash of cold water on the face of the Washington Commanders faithful. It’s one thing to get boat-raced by Buffalo (a Super Bowl contender), but losing the way they did to one of...

Jelena Ostapenko loses in first round at Korea Open to 569th-ranked Back Da-yeon. Pegula advances

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 00:59:18 GMT

SEOUL (AP) — Second-seeded Jelena Ostapenko was eliminated from the Korea Open in the first round by wild-card Back Da-yeon 3-6, 6-1, 7-6 (4) on Tuesday.In her third tour-level tournament appearance, all of which have been at the Korea Open in her home country, Back had never advanced past the first round. But she rallied from 5-2 down in the third set, saving one match point, and then claimed the deciding tiebreaker for the biggest win of her career.Fifth-seeded Sofia Kenin was also beaten by a local player, with 162nd-ranked Jang Su-jeong winning 6-1, 6-4. Jang will next play Emina Bektas, an American who beat Laura Pigossi 6-7 (5), 6-4, 7-5.Jessica Pegula won her opening match, beating No. 74 Viktoria Hruncakova 6-2, 6-4, and will next face Ashlyn Krueger, who beat Nadia Podoroska 6-2, 6-4.Also, Eva Lys beat Anna Karolina Schmiedlova 6-2, 6-4, fourth-seeded Marie Bouzkova defeated Kayla Day 6-4, 6-4 and Kimberly Birrell eliminated qualifier Sachia Vickery 6-4, 6-4.Zhengzhou OpenC...