Author: Gerard Fox

US President Joe Biden issued a full-throated defense of abortion rights on Tuesday following the leak of an apparent draft Supreme Court ruling that would reverse the long-standing rights. The Politico news website published Monday evening a draft majority opinion in which Justice Samuel Alito rules to overturn the landmark 1973 Roe v. Wade case, which cemented abortion rights across the land. He is joined in the not yet final ruling by Justices Clarence Thomas, Neil Gorsuch, Brett Kavanaugh and Amy Coney Barrett, a person familiar with the court’s closed-door deliberations told Politico. Democratic appointed Justices Stephen Breyer, Sonia Sotomayor…

A lottery player in California was just one number away from winning the massive $26 million Mega Millions jackpot — but they still walked away with a hefty prize. Although the player didn’t win the jackpot, they scored $178,032 during the Tuesday, April 25, drawing, according to past draw results for California. The player matched all five white balls with numbers 8, 29, 46, 47 and 48, but missed the gold Mega Ball 12. The winning ticket was bought at Rossi’s Deli in San Francisco. To win a Mega Millions jackpot, a player has to match all five white balls…

PHOENIX – After a tough winter for roadways, the Arizona Department of Transportation has pledged more than $85 million to patch potholes and to resurface, repair and improve highways in the state. About $35 million will be allocated to a paving project, and $50.5 million will go toward replacing deteriorating pavement surfaces in 23 locations, mostly in northern Arizona, according to an ADOT press release. ADOT also plans to recommend $40 million for similar projects in the agency’s 2024-2029 five-year construction program. Rough conditions on nearly 30 miles of Interstate 17 south of Flagstaff will be addressed with a paving project…

Window tinting is popular among many drivers. But what’s legal and what’s not in California? “The purpose of having the window tint law is basically, you don’t drive at night with your sunglasses on, and that’s essentially what you’re doing with 40% of your vision,” California Highway Patrol Sgt. Brian Pennings told KTLA’s sister station FOX 5 Wednesday. Pennings says tinted windows have been a factor in collisions due to drivers being unable to see out of their vehicles. “It’s a safety issue, and lawmakers in California have decided to keep this law on our books,” Pennings added. Rear windows…

They say that if walls could talk, some of America’s oldest restaurants would have some incredible stories to tell. Some of these restaurants have been around for decades, maybe even longer than you’ve been alive. They’ve become more than just a place to grab a bite — they’re an integral part of every state’s own history. That’s why LoveFood compiled a list of the most historic restaurant in every state. “New restaurants, trends and flash-in-the-pan food fads are all well and good, but when a restaurant has been around for a hundred years or so it suggests something special. These restaurants are…

Texas Hill Country is a far cry from urban California, with spicy barbecue, worn dance floors, pin-dot towns and ranches that stretch to the horizon. But Texan trees could become the urban forests of the Golden State’s hotter and drier future — succeeding, rather than struggling, in an era of climate change. A 20-year UC Davis research study called “Climate-Ready Trees” is exploring whether species native to our red-state rival can replace more familiar trees ill-suited to California’s coming reality. “How a tree grew in the past is no longer a good predictor of its future success,” especially in California’s…

TikTok is a “potential threat vector” to the United States, said John F. Plumb, assistant secretary of defense for space policy and principal cyber advisor to the secretary of defense. TikTok is a social media, video-hosting service owned by the Chinese company ByteDance. Members of the House Armed Services Committee’s subcommittee on cyber, information technologies and innovation heard testimony from Plumb and Army Gen. Paul M. Nakasone, commander of U.S. Cyber Command, director of the National Security Agency and chief of the Central Security Service. The problem with TikTok is that a large number of Americans use it, and China may…

Kansas enacted what may be the most sweeping transgender bathroom law in the US on Thursday after Republican lawmakers overrode the Democratic governor’s veto of the measure. The state’s governor, Laura Kelly, had blocked the bill, suggesting it was discriminatory and would hurt the state’s ability to attract businesses. But supporters had exactly the two-thirds majority they needed to pass the new law, which will take effect 1 July. The legislation comes as conservative states across the US crackdown on trans rights with extreme laws restricting bathroom access and banning gender-affirming care to minors, and severely restricting such treatment for…

SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — California approved Thursday a first-in-the-nation, ambitious rule limiting rail pollution to aggressively cut greenhouse gas emissions in the state’s latest move to establish itself as a global leader in the fight against climate change. The rule will ban locomotive engines more than 23 years old by 2030 and increase the use of zero-emissions technology to transport freight from ports and throughout railyards. It would also ban locomotives in the state from idling longer than 30 minutes if they are equipped with an automatic shutoff. “It is time to kickstart the next step of transformation, with trains,”…

Minister says unnamed Jackson Pollock painting, seemingly dedicated to Hollywood legend Lauren Bacall and once owned by Romanian dictator Nicolae Ceausescu, should remain in Bulgaria after being found in a police raid. Bulgaria’s interim Interior Minister Ivan Demerdzhiev has said an unnamed Jackson Pollock deemed to be an original and found during a police raid on March 21 should remain in the country. “There’s a high chance of the painting remaining permanently in Bulgaria, since it was found here and will do everything that is in our capacity for this to be done,” he said on TV on Thursday. Authorities…