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California bear-suit luxury car scam ends in insurance fraud sentences for 3

The California Insurance Department said the three used a person in a bear suit to stage fake attacks inside a Rolls-Royce and two Mercedes in 2024, then submitted fraudulent claims seeking nearly $142,000 in payouts from insurance companies. The department called it “Operation Bear Claw.”Two Los Angeles-area men and a woman pleaded no contest to felony insurance fraud and were sentenced to a weekend jail program, followed by probation, the department said in a news release Thursday. Two off the

Trump signs order to speed review of psychedelics, including the controversial drug ibogaine

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump on Saturday directed his administration to speed up reviews of certain psychedelic drugs, including ibogaine, which recently has been embraced by combat veterans and conservative lawmakers despite having serious safety risks.Ibogaine is banned under the federal government’s most restrictive category for illegal, high-risk drugs. But the administration is taking steps to ease access to psychedelics that Trump said were already designated as potential

Iran says it has closed Strait of Hormuz again over US blockade

Trump imposed the blockade, halting all shipping to and from Iranian ports as the ceasefire between Iran and the U.S was announced last week to keep pressure on Iran to make a deal in Pakistan-brokered talks to end almost seven weeks of war.His comments triggered immediate outcry from Iranian officials, calling the blockade a violation that would prompt a re-closure of the strait.“Americans are risking the international community, risking the global economy through these, I can say, miscalculati

Iranian official says US ‘maximalist’ demands stall face-to-face talks

officials, a senior Iranian official said Saturday, citing Washington’s refusal to abandon “maximalist” demands on key issues.In an interview with The Associated Press on the margins of a diplomacy forum in Turkey, Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister Saeed Khatibzadeh also said his country will not hand over its enriched uranium to the United States, rejecting claims made by President Donald Trump.“I can tell you that no enriched material is going to be shipped to United States,” Khatibzadeh s

Record US drought sparks worries about fires, water supply and food prices

It’s 77% above normal and more than 25% higher than the previous record for January through March in the West, said UCLA hydroclimatologist Park Williams.That level of moisture-sucking from the ground “wouldn’t have appeared possible” before now, Williams said.Drought usually peaks in summer, not spring, and that’s what worries meteorologists.“Fire tends to respond to heat and drought in an exponential manner,” Williams said. “For each degree of warming, you get a bigger bang i

A big midterms year in Arizona kicks off with the state’s largest county embroiled in election drama

Heap replied the next day, stressing in his letter that his office is “committed to full cooperation with the Department of Justice as it conducts its investigation,” before adding: “We share your goal of safeguarding election integrity.”As it has done in other states, the department sued Arizona months later for failing to comply with its request for detailed voter information.The state’s attorney general, Democrat Kris Mayes, told a local media outlet that Heap is “trying to undermine Ar

WinCo Foods’ setback fuels ‘food desert’ concerns in North Seattle

WinCo Foods‘ plan to move into North Seattle has been stalled after a hearing examiner overturned the city’s environmental approval.The low-cost grocery store intended to move into the former Sam’s Club location at 13550 Aurora Avenue in Seattle.“We’ve talked about this many times. Grocery stores are becoming less and less prevalent in this area, which makes it harder for people in areas that they then call ‘food deserts’ to find options,” KIRO host Jake Skorh

Anthropic’s ‘Mythos’ AI raises cybersecurity fears, withholds public release over ‘dangers’

Some see the model as a sign that artificial general intelligence, or AGI, may be closer than expected, while others question whether the announcement overstates the system’s capabilities.Anthropic itself has taken a more cautious stance, saying that while Mythos represents a significant improvement over earlier models, there is no clear evidence it can operate independently at a superhuman level — a key threshold for true AGI.Still, early testers say the model has already uncovered more vulnera

Trump’s dyslexia barbs stir anguish and anger, perpetuating a myth about the learning disability

People listen to the president, and young people with dyslexia might hear those comments and believe they count for less, said Beatty, 27, who has dyslexia and runs a university neurology lab.“The harm isn’t necessarily in the headline. It’s what happens quietly,” she said. “It’s the student in the classroom who stops raising their hand, the college applicant who hides how they learn, the employee who doesn’t pursue a promotion that they’re more than qualified for.”Until she saw his comments cir

Indiana primary will test Trump’s control over Republican Party after redistricting defiance

Trump endorsed her in January by calling her a “MAGA Warrior” — a reference to Trump’s “Make America Great Again” movement — and “a terrific Candidate for Indiana’s 23rd State Senate District.”He wrote on social media that Copenhaver was “running against an incompetent and ineffective RINO incumbent named Spencer Deery who, for whatever reason, betrayed his voters by voting against Redistricting in Indiana.” RINO means “Republican in name only.”The White House leaned heavily on Indiana law

Iran reimposes restrictions on Strait of Hormuz, accusing US of violating deal to reopen it

said the move would not end its blockade.The country’s joint military command said on Saturday that it “control of the Strait of Hormuz has returned to its previous state … under strict management and control of the armed forces.” It warned that it would continue to block transit through the strait as long as the U.S. blockade of Iranian ports remained in effect.The announcement came the morning after U.S. President Donald Trump said the American blockade “will remain in full force” until

States eulogize Charlie Kirk with new laws promoting religion and free speech

Jerry Stogsdill said legislators should not honor an activist whose statements promoted “hate, bigotry, misogyny and racism.”More Kirk bills are pending in state capitolsIn Louisiana, Republicans have proposed a bill dubbed the “Charlie Kirk Success Sequence Act.” The measure would require public schools to teach that the keys to success include earning a high school diploma, immediately entering the workforce after high school or college, and marrying before having children.A Senate committee a

Stories of Black and Indigenous patriots come into focus as US remembers the American Revolution

“I was surprised that there was one Black soldier out here.”As America prepares to celebrate its 250th anniversary, Estabrook and other patriots of color are being celebrated through programs nationwide that aim to tell a more complete story of the birth of the nation.Telling the whole storyMuseum exhibits, documentary films and lectures have traditionally focused on the white leaders of the American Revolution, such as Washington, Benjamin Franklin and Paul Revere.Christopher Brown, a British E

Weapons-grade chemical carfentanil surges as dangerous substitute for fentanyl

The surge of a drug so deadly that less than a poppy seed-sized amount can kill a person comes as fentanyl seizures and overall drug overdose deaths continue a multiyear decline. “You’re talking about not even a grain of salt that could be potentially lethal,” said Frank Tarentino, the DEA’s chief of operations for its northeast region, which stretches from Maine to Virginia. “This presents an extremely frightening proposition for substance abuse dependent people who seek opioids on the st

US extends waiver on Russian oil sanctions to ease Iran war shortages despite Bessent denial

Treasury Department on Friday extended its pause on sanctions on Russian oil shipments to ease shortages from the Iran war, days after Secretary Scott Bessent ruled out such a move.The so-called boosted Moscow’s ability to profit from its energy exports, which had been restrained since the invasion of Ukraine.Speaking at the White House on Wednesday, Bessent ruled out extending the license. “We will not be renewing the general license on Russian oil, and we will not be renewing the general licen

Seattle made $16 million from Seahawks Super Bowl parade, DSA says

It was a reminder that, for at least one morning, the Seahawks and their fans shared the same stage.Seahawks Super Bowl Parade leaves behind 10,000 pounds of trash in downtown SeattleAs roughly one million Seahawks fans gathered along 4th Avenue to celebrate a Super Bowl win, the party left downtown Seattle quite messy, with thousands of pounds of garbage being left behind.Seattle Public Utilities (SPU) nd the Washington State Department of Transportation (WSDOT) estimated that more than 10,000

Seattle police investigating string of overnight armed robberies

at MC Foods in Beacon Hill.Police said there were two guys dressed in black, both with guns, who grabbed the entire cash drawer before making their getaway.None of the clerks were hurt.Follow this link to read additional stories from KIRO 7“They did the right thing – gave them the money, get to a safe place, once that’s done, call 911,” Pritchard said.Right now, investigators are looking into a possible connection.“We’re thinking that the first two, since the description is all

LA to pay $11.8 million to man blinded by police projectile during Dodgers celebration

After journalists were hit by projectiles during June protests against the Trump administration’s immigration crackdown since the start of the president’s second term, a federal judge blocked LA police from using rubber bullets and other less lethal munitions against reporters.A federal judge in January also issued an injunction against the LAPD blocking the use of 40 mm launchers, a type of less lethal munition, in any crowd control situation.In 2021, California restricted the use o

US and Cuban officials met recently in Havana amid new diplomatic push

President Donald Trump has threatened to intervene and Cuba’s leader said this week that his country is prepared to fight if that should happen.A senior State Department official met with the grandson of retired Cuban leader Raúl Castro last week during the trip, according to a department official, who was not authorized to comment publicly and spoke Friday on condition of anonymity to discuss the sensitive matter. The official did not say who from the U.S. met with Raúl Guillermo Rodrígue

Federal judge blocks Nexstar-Tegna TV station merger until antitrust lawsuit is settled

Nunley made the ruling late Friday afternoon, finding that eight attorneys general and DirecTV were likely to prevail in their legal bid to stop the merger.The deal, announced last year and approved by the Federal Communications Commission, would create a company that owns 265 television stations in 44 states and the District of Columbia, most of them local affiliates of one of the “Big Four” national networks: ABC, CBS, Fox and NBC.U.S. District Court Chief Judge Troy L. Nunley in Sacramento, C