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Texas inmate who says death sentence based on false expert testimony faces execution

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 20:02:57 GMT

HOUSTON (AP) — A Texas inmate whose attorneys say received a death sentence due to false and unscientific expert testimony faced execution Thursday evening for fatally stabbing an Amarillo man during a robbery more than 33 years ago.Brent Ray Brewer, 53, was condemned for the April 1990 death of Robert Laminack, 66, who was attacked as he was giving Brewer and his girlfriend a ride to a Salvation Army location. Prosecutors said Laminack was stabbed in the neck as he was robbed of $140.Brewer’s attorneys have asked the U.S. Supreme Court to halt the execution, which was scheduled for Thursday evening at the state penitentiary in Huntsville, Texas. They argue that during the inmate’s 2009 resentencing trial, prosecutors relied on false and discredited testimony from an expert, Richard Coons, who claimed Brewer would be a future danger, a legal finding needed to impose a death sentence.The Texas Court of Criminal Appeals on Tuesday dismissed an appeal on this issue without reviewing th...

Ballot shortages in Mississippi created a problem for democracy on the day of a governor’s election

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 20:02:57 GMT

JACKSON, Miss. (AP) — People in Mississippi’s largest county are demanding answers about why some polling places ran out of ballots and voters had to wait for them to be replenished on the day the state was deciding its most competitive governor’s race in a generation.It’s unclear how many people left without voting, and activists and local leaders say election officials’ failure is shocking, especially in a state where civil rights leaders were beaten or killed in the 1960s and earlier to secure voting rights for Black residents.“If you can’t vote, that’s a problem for democracy,” said Paloma Wu, a Mississippi Center for Justice attorney who filed one of two lawsuits to keep polling places open later than usual in Hinds County.Republican Gov. Tate Reeves defeated Democratic challenger Brandon Presley in Mississippi’s most expensive gubernatorial race.Nearly 40% of Mississippi residents are Black. Presley, who’s a state utility regulator and secon...

Nearly half of Democrats disapprove of Biden’s response to the Israel-Hamas war, AP-NORC poll shows

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 20:02:57 GMT

WASHINGTON (AP) — Nearly half of Democrats disapprove of how President Joe Biden is handling the Israel-Hamas conflict, according to a new poll from The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research — showing a deep divide within his party over the war. The poll found 50% of Democrats approve of how Biden has navigated the conflict while 46% disapprove — and the two groups diverge substantially in their views of U.S. support for Israel. Biden’s support on the issue among Democrats is down slightly from August, as an AP-NORC poll conducted then found that 57% of Democrats approved of his handling of the conflict and 40% disapproved. The Oct. 7 Hamas attack that killed more than 1,400 people and Israel’s responding incursion into Gaza have created a political tightrope for Biden, who has supported Israeli sovereignty since the attack but also pressured Israel’s government to try to limit civilian casualties and allow humanitarian aid into Gaza. More than 1...

Verdict is in: Texas voters tell oldest judges it’s time to retire

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 20:02:57 GMT

AUSTIN, Texas (AP) — When it comes to age on the ballot, Texas didn’t wait until 2024 to weigh in. Asked to let judges stay on the bench until they’re 79 years old — a year younger than President Joe Biden — Texas voters soundly rejected the proposal in Tuesday’s elections, a defeat that drew new attention to issues of age and fitness for office in the U.S.“Age is front of mind for American voters in a way that it has not traditionally been and they are nervous about it,” said Cal Jillson, a political science professor at Southern Methodist University.Others cautioned against broader takeaways. At least four other states have rejected similar proposals over the last decade, according to the National Center for State Courts. And states that have passed the measures have mostly done so in close votes. Still, the outcome in Texas put another spotlight on age on politics. Biden is now 80 and former President Donald Trump is 77. Today, the age factor is shaping up as an...

GOP candidates hit Trump and back Israel. Here are highlights from the Republican debate

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 20:02:57 GMT

WASHINGTON (AP) — As they face an increasingly urgent task to emerge as a clear alternative to former President Donald Trump, five Republican presidential candidates gathered Wednesday for the party’s latest debate.Trump, the overwhelming front-runner in the race, skipped the event, as he has the first two, citing his polling advantage. There was no shortage of noteworthy confrontations on stage, as the participants debated the Israel-Hamas war, the future of abortion rights and Trump himself.But with the Jan. 15 Iowa caucuses approaching, it seemed unlikely that the debate fundamentally changed the presidential nomination fight. Here are some debate takeaways: The foreign policy debateWednesday marked the first time the presidential candidates gathered on a debate stage since war broke out between Israel and Hamas, resulting in a sharper foreign policy conversation compared to previous forums. The contenders were unified in offering robust support for Israel and bemoaned anti...

Blinken in Seoul for talks focused on North Korea and its military cooperation with Russia

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 20:02:57 GMT

SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — Heightened tensions on the Korean Peninsula, suspected North Korean cooperation with Russia in its war on Ukraine and concerns about China’s growing assertiveness topped U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken’s agenda in South Korea on Thursday.Blinken was in Seoul for talks with South Korea’s leadership following a G7 foreign ministers meeting in Japan on Wednesday in which the group previewed much of what he will discuss.The G7 “strongly condemned” North Korea’s ballistic missile tests as well as its alleged arms transfers to Russia, which are both in violation of U.N. Security Council resolutions against the North.Even before Blinken’s arrival, North Korea’s official news agency, the Korean Central News Agency, condemned the visit as well as one by U.S. Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin, who travels to Seoul next week, describing them as “warmongers” bringing a “new war cloud” to Asia.Tensions between the Koreas are at their highest point years as the pa...

Lots of Sunshine Thursday, with gusty winds. Big Warm Up Looms Next Week

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 20:02:57 GMT

This conclusion comes in the wake of news from the Copernicus Climate Centre in the UK that just completed October 2023 was the 7th consecutive month to establish a new monthly global temp record.Here's how the Nexus climate newsletter reports the story Wednesday:"It’s Still Really Hot: 2023 is “virtually certain” to be the world’s hottest year on record after October smashed through even more temperature records, scientists said Wednesday. While last month’s warm temperatures didn’t shock scientists as much as September’s intense numbers, the EU Copernicus Climate Change Service announced that October was the warmest on record globally, with global temperatures averaging 0.85°C above 1991-2020 levels and 1.7°C above preindustrial levels. The combined effects of El Nino and climate change make it likely that this year will be the hottest on record, combining Copernicus’s 80-year-old dataset with the IPCC’s collected data on tree rings, ice cores, and other geologic markers that esti...

St. Louis Park elects a new mayor, apparently the first Somali American to lead a U.S. city

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 20:02:57 GMT

St. Louis Park appears to be the first U.S. city to have elected a Somali American mayor.Nadia Mohamed, 27, won with 58% of the vote in Tuesday’s municipal election, defeating Dale Anderson, who got 41% of the vote. She has served on the City Council since she was elected at age 23 in 2019.Deqa Dhalac of South Portland, Maine, was the first Somali American to serve as mayor of an American city, but she was selected by that city’s six-member council in 2021, not elected by voters.St. Louis Park Mayor Jake Spano did not seek reelection, and he endorsed Mohamed.Mohamed also becomes the first Black mayor and the first Muslim mayor of the west metro suburban community of 50,000.“This is the second time I’m making history. What I had learned the first time is that this is just a milestone. It is not the destination,” Mohamed told the Sahan Journal. “It’s amazing to accomplish all these ‘firsts,’ but it is not where we want to stop our story.”Related ArticlesPolitics | Parental ...

Pacific storm system expected to bring moderate to heavy rain to SoCal

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 20:02:57 GMT

While most Southern Californians have been busy holding onto their hats due to the high winds, a Pacific storm system is moving into the region that could bring moderate to heavy rains across the Southland next week, the National Weather Service reported.  Gusty offshore winds, especially in the canyons and passes, are expected through Thursday and aside from a small temperature dip Friday, a general warming trend is forecast through this coming Sunday.   KTLA 5 Interactive Weather Radar Map As offshore winds start to break down Monday, the weather service said that SoCal is on tap for a “significant pattern shift” between Tuesday and Saturday next week.  (Courtesy: The National Weather Service)The forecast calls for one to two storms with a 90% chance of rain. Rain totals of 1 to 3 inches are the most likely.  However, NWS says that there’s also a 10% chance of a significant storm that could come with anywhere from 3 to more than 6 inches of rainfall, causing ...

Asbestos, poor air quality found following historic hangar fire in Orange County

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 20:02:57 GMT

After a historic air base hangar in Tustin went up in flames on Tuesday, health officials confirmed asbestos has been found amid the debris while air quality has been compromised.On Wednesday, samples of debris and ash were collected in areas near the hangar and lab testing confirmed the presence of asbestos, according to the South Coast Air Quality Management District.Officials have collected air samples near the hangar and in nearby communities which are being analyzed for “gaseous air toxics, such as benzene.” Monitoring was also conducted for metals such as lead and arsenic.Following the fire, health officials warned that residual smoke and ash, paired with gusty winds this week, could pose a health risk to residents.“Everyone should be aware of the recommended precautions to reduce the health effects of smoke and ash from building fires,” said Dr. Regina Chinsio-Kwong, County Health Officer and OC Health Care Agency’s Director of Public Health Services. “Extra measures may be n...