A man has been found guilty of involuntary manslaughter in the death of an older Thai man whose 2021 killing in San Francisco helped spark a national movement against anti-Asian-American violence. A jury did not find Antoine Watson, 24, guilty of murder when it returned a verdict on Thursday for the January 2021 attack on Vicha Ratanapakdee, 84. Jurors found Watson guilty on the lesser charges of ...
A man has been found guilty of involuntary manslaughter in the death of an older Thai man whose 2021 killing in San Francisco helped spark a national movement against anti-Asian-American violence. A jury did not find Antoine Watson, 24, guilty of murder when it returned a verdict on Thursday for the January 2021 attack on Vicha Ratanapakdee, 84. Jurors found Watson guilty on the lesser charges of involuntary manslaughter and assault. The office of San Francisco District Attorney Brooke Jenkins...
Biden-Appointed Federal Judge Blocks Trump Admin's Move To Withhold Minnesota Food Stamp Funds A federal judge on Jan. 14 stopped the Trump administration from withholding $80 million in administrative costs for Minnesota’s Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), ruling that the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s tight deadline for reviewing the eligibility of 100,000 households was likely...
Biden-Appointed Federal Judge Blocks Trump Admin's Move To Withhold Minnesota Food Stamp Funds A federal judge on Jan. 14 stopped the Trump administration from withholding $80 million in administrative costs for Minnesota’s Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), ruling that the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s tight deadline for reviewing the eligibility of 100,000 households was likely illegal. U.S. District Judge Laura Provinzino, appointed by President Biden in 2024, said during a hearing in Saint Paul that the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) failed to justify why Minnesota needed to complete the review of recipient eligibility by Jan. 15, or face losing half its administrative costs. She noted the agency ignored laws limiting such reviews to once per year. “USDA is asking the state to violate federal law, regulations, and the state’s own operational plan,” which had previously been approved by the agency, said Provinzino. As Kimberley Hayek explains below via The Epoch Times , the injunction prevents the USDA from cutting the funds, including $20 million for the first quarter that was set to be withheld on Jan. 14, until the lawsuit is resolved. The case focuses on administrative costs, not direct benefits to recipients. Minnesota officials argued the USDA’s actions stem from political animosity by President Donald Trump toward the state and Gov. Tim Walz. “This is part of an ongoing effort by the federal government to pummel our state,” Joseph Richie of the Minnesota Attorney General’s office said during the hearing. Brian Mizoguchi of the U.S. Department of Justice argued that Minnesota’s issues with other federal programs justified the move, and the state could cover costs itself. The move ties into broader allegations of fraud in Minnesota’s social programs. The USDA cited a scandal involving theft of federal welfare funds as a reason for the review. The Trump administration has intensified scrutiny of SNAP nationwide, with around 118 arrest...
For most of the past year, the share price of automotive insurer Progressive (NYSE: PGR) has been trending lower. Then, late last year, this hard-hit stock showed some signs of a recovery. Unfortunately, after encountering resistance during December, Progressive stock returned to a downward trajectory at the start of the year and continues tumbling to new multiyear lows. There are substantive reas...
For most of the past year, the share price of automotive insurer Progressive (NYSE: PGR) has been trending lower. Then, late last year, this hard-hit stock showed some signs of a recovery. Unfortunately, after encountering resistance during December, Progressive stock returned to a downward trajectory at the start of the year and continues tumbling to new multiyear lows. There are substantive reasons why investors continue to lose confidence in the venerable insurance company, which help explain why these investors have bailed rather than held on to positions during this rough patch. To be clear, an opportunity could emerge here for Progressive investors down the road. Today, however, taking one's time may remain the better move. Continue reading
The American housing market got a little worse this month despite some good news on the mortgage rate front, as confidence among homebuilders unexpectedly fell because of costly sales incentives. An index of market conditions from the National Association of Home Builders and Wells Fargo decreased 2 points to 37 in January, its first decline since August . That fell short of the median estimate of...
The American housing market got a little worse this month despite some good news on the mortgage rate front, as confidence among homebuilders unexpectedly fell because of costly sales incentives. An index of market conditions from the National Association of Home Builders and Wells Fargo decreased 2 points to 37 in January, its first decline since August . That fell short of the median estimate of economists surveyed by Bloomberg. A value below 50 means more builders see conditions as poor than good. That downbeat mood puts a damper on momentum built in recent weeks as mortgage rates slid to one of the lowest levels in years and home price growth slowed. Sales of previously owned homes in December reached their strongest pace in two years, and new-home sales also rose to 2023 levels over the past few months. But despite some improvement in affordability, prices are still high overall and mortgage rates remain double their 2021 levels. That’s forced contractors to cut prices and offer those pricey sweeteners, often by buying down customers’ mortgage rates. What You Need to Know Today Opinion: Why Putin’s Silence Is So Worrying While Donald Trump goes about reversing America’s role in the world, launching a surprise attack on Venezuela while threatening to bomb or invade friend and foe alike, the Kremlin has said little and done nothing. Read the Story In Venezuela, everything looks pretty much the same these days despite the American attack and rendition of President Nicolas Maduro earlier this month. Acting President Delcy Rodríguez has seamlessly moved into the top role, chairing meetings with senior officials, greeting international envoys and meeting with diplomats. But beneath the continuity, Rodríguez is quickly moving to consolidate authority and unite the fractured ruling coalition. There are some subtle changes, but other moves are far more consequential . Adriana Camberos, a San Diego businesswoman who had her prison sentence commuted by Trump in 2021, went...
Hellman & Friedman is exploring a potential sale of medical device company Cordis , people familiar with the matter said. The private equity firm is working with advisers to field interest in Cordis, which makes stents and other products used in cardiovascular procedures, according to the people. H&F is seeking a value of more than $9 billion for Cordis, they said. About half a dozen publicly trad...
Hellman & Friedman is exploring a potential sale of medical device company Cordis , people familiar with the matter said. The private equity firm is working with advisers to field interest in Cordis, which makes stents and other products used in cardiovascular procedures, according to the people. H&F is seeking a value of more than $9 billion for Cordis, they said. About half a dozen publicly traded medical device companies are evaluating potential bids, the people said, asking not to be identified because the information is confidential. Deliberations are at an early stage and there’s no guarantee that H&F will decide to sell Cordis, the people said. KKR & Co. is also a backer of Cordis. Representatives for H&F and KKR declined to comment. A spokesperson for Cordis didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment. Cordis has changed hands several times since its founding roughly 70 years ago, with past owners including Johnson & Johnson and Cardinal Health Inc. H&F acquired it from the latter in 2021 for about $1 billion. Cordis then acquired Swiss cardiology company MedAlliance in 2023 for a $1 billion price that was contingent on certain milestones. The MedAlliance deal gave Cordis access to an emerging technology for heart procedures: a device known as a drug-eluting balloon that releases medicine into tissues but doesn’t have to be implanted into the body. The bet is that the product, Selution , will reduce the need for stents, which stay in the body after a procedure. While the device is already in use in Europe, it hasn’t yet received approval in the US and is currently being studied in trials.