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University of California professors push back on UC president’s call for ‘viewpoint-neutral’ history of Middle East

Published Sat, 28 Dec 2024 13:37:20 GMT

By Eric Levenson | CNNA group of University of California professors signed a public letter pushing back on the UC president’s efforts to develop what he described earlier this month as a “viewpoint-neutral history of the Middle East,” saying it violates their academic freedom.“We find your use of the term ‘viewpoint-neutral history’ to be wrong in this context and call upon you to rescind it,” the letter, signed by about 150 UC professors, states.The letter stems from remarks by University of California President Michael V. Drake to the UC Board of Regents two weeks ago about Hamas’ attacks on Israel on October 7 and Israel’s ensuing military campaign in Gaza. Drake announced several initiatives to address the community’s concerns, including $7 million of added funding.According to his remarks, $2 million will be used to “develop educational programs at each UC campus … focused on better understanding anti-Semitism and Islamophobia, how to recognize and combat extremism, and a view...

Spotify Wrapped: What song did our music critic listen to most in 2023?

Published Sat, 28 Dec 2024 13:37:20 GMT

Music fans are busy comparing notes this week, as Spotify delivered its annual Wrapped data that details what each individual listener spent the most time listening to over the year.It tells listeners what were their most-played artists and songs, as well as the number of minutes that they spent streaming on the platform.And, in a fun twist, Spotify also assigns you a city/town that most matches your musical tastes.I was one of those eagerly devouring the data and comparing my totals with those of my daughter. (Spoiler alert: She listened to FAR more music online than I did in 2023. That said, however, she didn’t listen to nearly as much vinyl — except what she heard through the wall between my office and her bedroom.)Here are some of my results, in case you may wonder what your friendly neighborhood music critic spent his time listening to on Spotify this year.My Top 5 Songs in 20231. “A Pearl,” MitskiCredit my daughter for this one. She’s the person w...

Appeals court reinstates gag order that barred Donald Trump from maligning court staff in NY fraud trial

Published Sat, 28 Dec 2024 13:37:20 GMT

By JENNIFER PELTZ | Associated PressNEW YORK — A New York appeals court Thursday reinstated a gag order that barred former President Donald Trump from commenting about court personnel after he disparaged a law clerk in his New York civil fraud trial.The decision from a four-judge panel came two weeks after an individual appellate judge had put the order on hold while the appeals process played out.The trial judge, Arthur Engoron, imposed the gag order Oct. 3 after Trump posted a derogatory comment about the judge’s law clerk to social media. The post, which included a baseless allegation about the clerk’s personal life, came the second day of the trial in New York Attorney General Letitia James’ lawsuit.Related ArticlesNational Politics | Letters: Reform path | Trump sons’ credibility | Protests lacking | Destroying Hamas National Politics | Texas man sentenced for threatening Georgia election officials National Politics | On the stum...

14-year-old girl arrested in connection to 15 SF retail thefts, $30K loss

Published Sat, 28 Dec 2024 13:37:20 GMT

SAN FRANCISCO (KRON) -- A young teenage girl who police said was involved in over a dozen organized retails thefts of over $30,000 in merchandise in San Francisco was arrested, the San Francisco Police Department announced Thursday.San Francisco police investigating organized retail crimes on the 800 block of Market Street had identified the 14-year-old girl as one of the suspects in a large number of retail thefts, SFPD said. The thefts were being committed by a “large group of juvenile and adult suspects” and stole merchandise totaling over $30,000, according to police. Man on power pole impacting Caltrain service at 4th & King in San Francisco Officers from the SF Tenderloin Station responded to a retail theft on the 800 block of Market St. on Nov. 24 and located the known 14-year-old suspect, police said. She was arrested and booked into the San Francisco Juvenile Justice Center on charges of organized retail theft, burglary, grand theft, shoplifting and petty theft across...

Man on death row who claimed self-defense in double killing is denied clemency by Oklahoma governor

Published Sat, 28 Dec 2024 13:37:20 GMT

McALESTER, Okla. (AP) — Oklahoma Gov. Kevin Stitt on Thursday declined to spare the life of a man on death row who claimed self-defense in the shooting deaths of two men in Oklahoma City in 2001, denying clemency shortly after the man’s lethal injection had been scheduled to begin.The Pardon and Parole Board narrowly voted 3-2 earlier this month to recommend that the governor grant clemency to 59-year-old Phillip Dean Hancock. It was the fourth time the panel recommended that Stitt spare the life of a death row inmate. Officials began moving forward with execution preparations for Hancock once Stitt’s decision was made.Stitt previously commuted the death sentence of Julius Jones in 2021 just hours before Jones was scheduled to receive a lethal injection. The governor rejected clemency recommendations for two other death row inmates, Bigler Stouffer and James Coddington, both of whom were later executed.A spokeswoman for Stitt said the governor had planned to interview prosecut...

Drugmaker AbbVie to spend over $10B on ImmunoGen to juice its cancer-fighting treatment portfolio

Published Sat, 28 Dec 2024 13:37:20 GMT

AbbVie will pay around $10 billion to add a potential blockbuster cancer treatment as cheaper versions of the drugmaker’s all-time best seller, Humira, cut into sales.But company leaders cautioned Thursday that a return on the deal they announced for drug developer ImmunoGen will take time to develop.The company said it will pay $31.26 in cash for each ImmunoGen share. That amounts to a 95% premium on the stock’s closing closing price Wednesday of $16.06.The deal delivers Elahere, an ImmunoGen ovarian cancer treatment that AbbVie says could eventually reap billions of dollars in annual sales and drive long-term revenue growth. But in the near term, AbbVie expects the deal to be dilutive to its earnings until 2027.U.S. regulators granted Elahere an accelerated approval last year, and the company is seeking a full approval from the Food and Drug Administration as well as expansion in other markets. It also plans to expand Elahere’s use.Elahere brought in $105.2 million in revenu...

André 3000, famoso por ser parte del dueto Outkast, rompe récord de Billboard con una canción de flauta

Published Sat, 28 Dec 2024 13:37:20 GMT

(CNN) — Puede que algunos seguidores no estén contentos con André 3000 por publicar un disco que no es una canción de rap, pero hay que darle el mérito.El artista, reconocido como solista y miembro del dúo de hip-hop Outkast, rompió el récord de Billboard de la canción más larga que jamás haya entrado en la lista Billboard Hot 100.El tema de André 3000 también tiene un título largo: “I Swear, I Really Wanted to Make a ‘Rap’ Album But This Is Literally the Way the Wind Blew Me This Time.” (que en español sería algo como “Lo juro, realmente quería hacer un álbum de ‘rap’, pero esta vez es literalmente la forma en que me sopló el viento”).Con una duración de 12 minutos y 20 segundos, la canción entró en el nº 90 y “se convierte en la canción más larga que jamás haya entrado en la lista, superando a ‘Fear Inoculum’ de Tool, con 10:21 de duración”, según Billboard.André 3000, ahora tiene 48 años, ha sugerido que puede haber envejecido...

Soccer player agents win key legal ruling in England against FIFA rules aiming to curb their fees

Published Sat, 28 Dec 2024 13:37:20 GMT

ZURICH (AP) — FIFA lost a key ruling in London on Thursday against its plans to regulate soccer player agents and cap the fees and commissions they earn.A group of agents and firms representing players challenged the proposed FIFA rules at an arbitration tribunal hearing in September.FIFA confirmed the tribunal had ruled in favor of the agents, leaving the future of the project in doubt.The English case was among several national challenges brought across Europe to rules that FIFA wanted to enforce on Oct. 1. FIFA had won a ruling in July at the Court of Arbitration for Sport in Lausanne, Switzerland. FIFA wanted more control and to curb the wilder excesses in an industry it said earned more than $600 million from international transfer deals in 2022.Elite agencies have earned tens of millions of dollars from transfers for top players in deals typically involving English clubs, such as Erling Haaland’s 2022 move to Manchester City from Borussia Dortmund. Agents countered that ...

Man on death row who claimed self-defense in 2001 double killing is denied clemency by Oklahoma Gov. Kevin Stitt

Published Sat, 28 Dec 2024 13:37:20 GMT

OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) — Man on death row who claimed self-defense in 2001 double killing is denied clemency by Oklahoma Gov. Kevin Stitt.Source

¿Quiénes ganaron el Powerball? Publican los números ganadores incorrectos en un estado

Published Sat, 28 Dec 2024 13:37:20 GMT

Imagínate ganar la lotería y que a las pocas horas del sorteo corrijan los números y ya no seas afortunado o, por qué no, millonario.Esto fue precisamente lo que pasó en Iowa, después de que la lotería del estado informara que los números ganadores del sorteo del martes eran los incorrectos. ¿Cómo fue posible esto? Los funcionarios de la Lotería de Iowa dijeron que se trató de un “error humano” que llevó a que se publicaran los números incorrectos del Powerball en la página web, los cuales estuvieron allí durante varias horas: desde las 12:30 a. m. del martes hasta poco después de las 7 a. m. “Como parte de los procedimientos de la Lotería de Iowa, dos personas diferentes en dos lugares diferentes ingresan los resultados de los sorteos de lotería antes de que se registren oficialmente en el sistema de juego de la lotería estatal. Pero cuando se ingresaron los números ganadores del sorteo del Powerball del lunes, algunos de los números se ingresaron incorrectamente...