— Dodgers Nation —
Dodgers Land 3 Silver Slugger Nominations Despite Late-Season Struggles
by Nelson Espinal
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— Dodgers Nation — By SOPHIE AUSTIN, Associated Press SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — California Gov. Gavin Newsom said Thursday that he’ll change all death sentences in the state to life in prison without the possibility of parole. Newsom’s decision comes as he prepares to leave office after eight years. In 2019, he placed a moratorium on executions in the state but hundreds of people remained on death row. “I take this action because I firmly believe that state-sanctioned killing is incompatible with California’s values, undermines the foundations of our legal system, and diminishes each of us,” Newsom said in a letter. Newsom moved to grant clemency to 548 people are currently sentenced to death in California, of which 529 are men and 19 are women, according to numbers provided by his office. The state constitution requires the California Supreme Court’s approval to grant clemency to anyone convicted of a felony more than once, which means the court would have to approve 382 of those commutations, or roughly 70%, according to numbers provided by Newsom’s office.. Newsom said the decision was among the most difficult choices of his career because it will surface painful memories for crime victims’ families. “As Governor, I alone bear responsibility for this decision and its impact, just as I alone would bear responsibility for each execution,” Newsom wrote. California voters rejected a ballot measure in 2016 that would have repealed the death penalty in the state. The American Civil Liberties Union, who has said the implementation of the death penalty reflects racial bias, applauded the announcement. “These commutations reflect what justice demands: an end to a racist, error-prone, and inhumane punishment that has burdened California for far too long,” said executive director Anthony Romero in a statement. The ACLU is involved in an ongoing legal challenge to California’s death penalty statute, alleging it is racially discriminatory and unconstitutional. Newsom has said in the past that it is wrong for the government to kill its citizens and that capital punishment in practice has discriminated against mentally ill people and people of color. Postal employee shot 2 coworkers at an Iowa post office before being captured, police say Authorities say a female postal employee shot two colleagues at the main post office in Iowa’s capital city before being captured nearby Karen Bass concedes to Nithya Raman in Los Angeles mayoral race Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass conceded to Councilmember Nithya Raman in the Los Angeles mayoral election on Thursday, two days after the election. By EMILIE MEGNIEN McCAYSVILLE, Ga. (AP) — Thunderstorms caused record flooding overnight in twin towns straddling the Georgia-Tennessee border, submerging some buildings to their rooflines on Thursday as emergency responders rescued dozens of people. With floodwaters receding by afternoon, residents returned to find stores and other businesses left in disarray by surging waters and piles of debris. The storms dropped heavy rain across a mountainous area that drains into the Toccoa River between McCaysville, Georgia, and Copperhill, Tennessee, causing life-threatening flooding on both sides. The Toccoa then flows into the Ocoee River, where the Tennessee Valley Authority was managing high water levels at three of its hydroelectric dams. As much as 8 to 10 inches fell overnight between the north Georgia towns of Blue Ridge and Ellijay, and runoff from uncontrolled streams swelled the rivers below, according to the TVA. The Toccoa River reached a record high Thursday morning of 18 feet, according to a river gauge in Copperhill, where fewer than 500 people live across from McCaysville, home to about 1,000. Copperhill officials urged people to take shelter in either town’s City Hall as the river reached 2 feet above the level forecasters consider “catastrophic.” “It’s a little bit heartbreaking,” said Hugh Rogers, who has owned McCaysville Drug & Gun since 1997. Rogers said he got a call around 2:30 a.m. Thursday that the water was rising, and when he arrived at the store about an hour later, the water inside was about 4 or 5 feet deep, knocking over shelves and destroying about $200,000 or $300,000 worth of inventory. But Rogers said he considers himself luckier than others whose homes were damaged, and that family, friends and coworkers were planning to “come out strong” on Friday to help him clean up. “It’s been our livelihood for 30 years, so we’re going to do what we can to keep it going,” he said. Some buildings were submerged to their rooflines as rescue crews in red boats and motorized rafts navigated through the deep, rushing water flowing over downtown streets. Emergency personnel also went house to house and searched overhead with a helicopter and drones for anyone needing to be evacuated. At least 57 people were rescued by swift water teams before the floodwaters began to recede, according to the Fannin County Emergency Management Agency in Georgia, which warned people that flooded areas remain dangerous well after the rain stops. The Tennessee Emergency Management Authority said it had coordinated 68 rescues by swift water teams. McCaysville Police Chief Michael Earley said the water flowed over rooftops in some places, and reached about 6-7 feet high in the small downtown. “I have one of my police cars that’s floating down the river right now. Don’t know where it’s at, but it’s somewhere down there,” the chief told Fox5 Atlanta early Thursday. One firefighter suffered a minor injury and a few residents were treated for suspected hypothermia and shock, “but from what we could tell, everybody looked to be OK,” Earley said. The emergency response was complicated by cellphone and power outages, Earley said. The flooding also shut down the McCaysville water treatment plant, prompting a boil water advisory, and it put the city’s dump trucks and heavy equipment out of reach. The quaint downtowns are a destination for scenic railroad rides — the Blue Ridge Railway on the Georgia side and the Copperhill Special in Tennessee. Both treat tourists to river and mountain views before stopping to sample the restaurants and shops. McCaysville’s downtown was inundated by another flood in August, damaging the police station and post office along with other businesses and residences. The renovated police building reopened just last week. “Now here we go again,” the chief said. “A lot of people came together, and we’ve been cleaning the town for the past few months. We’re getting ready for Christmas, a lot of McCaysville events, our Christmas parade. So it’s devastating.” It’s crazy to be hit with two such damaging floods in just three months, the chief said. “I don’t know what God is trying to tell me.” — Pinstripe Alley — By DAVID McHUGH and PAUL WISEMAN FRANKFURT, Germany (AP) — President Donald Trump’s plan to allow imports of Russian diesel appeared to falter this week after state and federal officials warned that handling any shipments could bring legal consequences and two tankers initially bound for the United States changed course. Trump announced an agreement with Russian President Vladimir Putin on Oct. 9 to make more than 300,000 metric tons of Russia’s diesel available immediately to U.S. and global markets, with larger shipments to follow. The U.S. banned Russian energy imports after the 2022 invasion of Ukraine, and the deal angered some lawmakers and foreign allies. The arrangement has yet to produce a confirmed U.S. delivery. Analysts have said the imports were unlikely to do much to lower U.S. diesel prices, which have reached record highs during the U.S. war with Iran. Two sanctioned tankers that departed from the Baltic Sea port of Primorsk last month originally declared their destinations as the U.S. East Coast. As of Thursday, both had changed course, one toward Brazil and the other into the Mediterranean, according to marine data company Kpler and vessel traffic site MarineTraffic.com. A third vessel was still in the North Atlantic headed toward the U.S. but changed its destination from New York to “for orders,” which leaves the unloading point open. Neither the White House nor the Kremlin have disclosed whether the agreement was put in writing or revealed the price, payment terms or participating companies. Although the Treasury Department temporarily authorized Russian diesel transactions that would ordinarily be subject to U.S. sanctions, New Jersey Gov. Mikie Sherrill advised port and terminal operators in her state to turn away ships carrying the fuel, warning in a letter dated Monday that “any effort to profit from the illegal trade in Russian fuel will be met with harsh penalties.” Sherrill argued that the Trump administration lacked authority to override the import ban enacted by Congress more than four years ago and said New Jersey would use its legal and regulatory powers to prevent state facilities and companies from handling Russian fuel. A bipartisan group of senators has urged Trump to negate the deal, saying the U.S. “should not provide Putin with a financial lifeline.” Lawmakers also have warned major banks, port authorities and fuel distributors that facilitating the imports could expose companies to civil or criminal liability and future congressional investigations. The administration maintains its authorization was lawful, and no court has ruled on the dispute. In response to a request for comment Thursday, the Treasury Department issued a statement saying the sanctions exemption its Office of Foreign Assets Control issued for the sale, delivery, unloading and importing of Russian diesel until April 7 was consistent with previous actions and “in compliance with all applicable laws.” A Trump administration official who was not authorized to comment publicly and spoke on condition of anonymity said en route Russian diesel shipments would reduce price pressures for Americans. The official said increasing shipments was in keeping with Putin and Trump’s agreement but did not specify whether any Russian fuel would reach the U.S. directly. Expensive diesel can have wide-ranging economic effects, including on consumer prices, since the trucking industry and many farmers use the fuel to produce and transport goods. Trump has tried blaming Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy for this year’s diesel spikes. He has pressed Ukraine to halt drone attacks that damaged Russian refineries and curbed production of the fuel. The Financial Times first reported the diverted courses of the two sanctioned vessels, the Russian tanker Talisman and the Sierra Leone-flagged Leruo. Kpler analyst Matt Smith said it was not clear if Russian diesel shipments had U.S. buyers yet and that the third tanker in the North Atlantic also might change course. “Because of regulatory, sanctions concerns, we may not see this cargo discharge on the U.S. Atlantic coast,” Smith said. “It’s clear there’s hesitancy here in bringing these barrels onshore just because of the implications of doing so.” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said details were not available about commercial shipments but that “all the diesel will find its buyers.” Putin’s special envoy, Kirill Dmitriev, dismissed the Financial Times report. “Fake. Tankers destined for the US continue on course,” Dmitriev posted on X. Wiseman reported from Washington. ‘La Bola Negra’ Ups Planned Theater Count Heading Into Netflix Film’s Widest Weekend Yet (Exclusive) Directors Javier Calvo and Javier Ambrossi’s acclaimed feature has grossed $1.3 million domestically since opening Oct. 16. ‘La Bola Negra’ Ups Planned Theater Count Heading Into Netflix Film’s Widest Weekend Yet (Exclusive) |
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