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Man accused of Antarctic assault was then sent to remote icefield with young graduate students

Published Fri, 27 Dec 2024 11:39:59 GMT

WELLINGTON, New Zealand (AP) — A man accused of physically assaulting a woman at a U.S. research station in Antarctica was then sent to a remote icefield where he was tasked with protecting the safety of a professor and three young graduate students, and he remained there for a full week after a warrant for his arrest was issued, documents obtained by The Associated Press show.Stephen Tyler Bieneman has pleaded not guilty to misdemeanor assault over the incident last November at McMurdo Station, which his lawyer said was nothing more than “horseplay.” The case is due to go to trial Monday in Honolulu.The National Science Foundation declined to answer AP questions about why Bieneman was sent out into the field in a critical safety role while under investigation. The case raises further questions about decision-making in the U.S. Antarctic Program, which is already under scrutiny. An AP investigation in August uncovered a pattern of women at McMurdo who said their claims of sexual har...

Why one survivor of domestic violence wants the Supreme Court to uphold a gun control law

Published Fri, 27 Dec 2024 11:39:59 GMT

WASHINGTON (AP) — Ruth Glenn knows from harrowing personal experience the danger of putting a gun in the hands of a violent spouse or partner, the issue at the heart of a case before the Supreme Court.On a beautiful June evening in 1992, Glenn was shot three times, twice in the head, and left for dead outside a Denver car wash.The shooter was her estranged husband, Cedric, who was under a court order to stay away from Glenn. But there was no federal law on the books at the time that prohibited him from having a gun.Two years later, Congress put such a law in place, prohibiting people facing domestic violence restraining orders from having guns. “He would not have been able to access that gun if we had these current laws in place,” Glenn said in an interview with The Associated Press that took place outside the Supreme Court.The high court is hearing arguments Tuesday in a challenge to the 1994 law. The closely watched case is the first one involving guns to reach the justices since ...

Inspired by online dating, AI tool for adoption matchmaking falls short for vulnerable foster kids

Published Fri, 27 Dec 2024 11:39:59 GMT

Some are orphans, others seized from their parents. Many are older and have overwhelming needs or disabilities. Most bear the scars of trauma from being hauled between foster homes, torn from siblings or sexually and physically abused.Child protective services agencies have wrestled for decades with how to find lasting homes for such vulnerable children and teens – a challenge so enormous that social workers can never guarantee a perfect fit.Into this morass stepped Thea Ramirez with what she touted as a technological solution – an artificial intelligence-powered tool that ultimately can predict which adoptive families will stay together. Ramirez claimed this algorithm, designed by former researchers at an online dating service, could boost successful adoptions across the U.S. and promote efficiency at cash-strapped child welfare agencies.“We’re using science – not merely preferences – to establish a score capable of predicting long-term success,” Ramirez said in an April 2021 YouTu...

Can a Floridian win the presidency? It hasn’t happened yet as Trump and DeSantis vie to be first

Published Fri, 27 Dec 2024 11:39:59 GMT

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (AP) — A Florida governor wins reelection by record numbers and later finds himself running as a party conservative in a crowded presidential primary. In New Hampshire, he tip-toes around the explosive abortions rights issue, discusses ongoing Israeli military operations, promises he’ll secure the Mexican border and warns that the current administration’s fiscal insanity will cause more inflation, not reduce it.While it sounds like Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis in 2023, this was former Florida Democratic Gov. Reubin Askew in 1984. Askew dropped out of the race after finishing eighth in New Hampshire. DeSantis is looking to avoid a similar fate as he prepares for the third GOP debate this week in his home state.If DeSantis or former President Donald Trump eventually is elected president next year, it would be the first time Americans have chosen a Floridian to lead them. Trump was a New York snowbird with a second home in Palm Beach when he was first elec...

Does an AI tool help boost adoptions? Key takeaways from an AP Investigation

Published Fri, 27 Dec 2024 11:39:59 GMT

Former social worker Thea Ramirez has developed an artificial intelligence -powered tool that she says helps social service agencies find the best adoptive parents for some of the nation’s most vulnerable kids. But an Associated Press investigation has found that the Family-Match algorithm has produced limited results in the states where it has been used, raising questions about the ability of artificial intelligence to solve such enduring human problems. Two states dropped the tool with only a few adoptions at the end of their initial pilots. Social workers in Florida, Georgia and Virginia told AP that Family-Match wasn’t useful and often led them to unwilling families. Florida agencies, on the other hand, reported a more positive experience with the algorithm, saying that it assisted them in tapping into a broader pool of prospective parents. Ramirez declined interview requests but said in an email that “Family-Match is a valuable tool and helpful to users actively using it to sup...

Father of July 4th parade mass shooting suspect to stand trial for assist in gun license application

Published Fri, 27 Dec 2024 11:39:59 GMT

WAUKEGAN, Ill. (AP) — The father of a man charged in a deadly Fourth of July parade shooting in suburban Chicago will stand trial starting Monday accused of helping his teenage son obtain a gun license even after he had threatened violence.Robert Crimo Jr. is charged with seven counts of reckless conduct — one for each person his son, Robert Crimo III, is accused of killing in Highland Park on Independence Day last year. Each count carries a maximum three-year prison term. In 2019, at the age of 19, Crimo III was too young to apply for his own gun license, but he could apply with the sponsorship of a parent or guardian. His father sponsored his application, even though just months earlier a relative reported to police that Crimo III had a collection of knives and had threatened to “kill everyone.”Crimo Jr. was arrested in December 2022, and pleaded not guilty this year to seven counts of reckless conduct. He waived his right to a jury trial, meaning Judge George Strickland will hear...

Google’s antitrust headaches compound with another trial, this one targeting its Play Store

Published Fri, 27 Dec 2024 11:39:59 GMT

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Google on Monday will try to protect a lucrative piece of its internet empire at the same time it’s still entangled in the biggest U.S. antitrust trial in a quarter century. The latest threat will unfold in a San Francisco federal court, where a 10-person jury will decide whether Google’s digital payment processing system in the Play Store that distributes apps for phones running on its Android software has been illegally driving up prices for consumers and developers.The trial before U.S. District Judge James Donato is scheduled to last until just before Christmas and include testimony from longtime Google executive Sundar Pichai, who is now CEO of the company’s parent, Alphabet Inc.Pichai recently took the witness stand in Washington D.C. during an antitrust trial pitting Google’s long-running dominance of internet search against the U.S. Justice Department’s attempt to undercut it on the grounds the the company has been abusing its pow...

Stock market today: Asian markets advance after Wall Street logs its best week in nearly a year

Published Fri, 27 Dec 2024 11:39:59 GMT

HONG KONG (AP) — Asian shares advanced Monday following Wall Street gains last week that were buoyed by hopes for early interest rate cuts.U.S. futures were higher and oil prices gained as the Israeli military announced late Sunday that it had encircled Gaza City and cut the besieged coastal strip in two, fueling investors’ fears of a deepening conflict.South Korean stocks surged 4.2% to 2,469.21, after the government restored a ban on short-selling, aiming to prevent illegal use of the trading tactic that is often used by hedge funds and investors. Short-selling refers to selling borrowed shares to profit from price declines.Japan’s Nikkei 225 index gained 2.4% to 32,720.52. However, the country’s services activity in October expanded at its slowest pace this year, raising concerns about weakness in a key sector driving Japanese economic activity. The Hang Seng in Hong Kong added 1.7% to 17,962.64 and the Shanghai Composite index was up 0.9% at 3,057.50. Australia’s S&P/ASX 200...

Violent crash with Metro Blue Line train overturns car

Published Fri, 27 Dec 2024 11:39:59 GMT

One person was taken to the hospital in serious condition Sunday evening after a crash involving a Metro Blue Line train in the Central-Alameda neighborhood of L.A. that caused the car to overturn and temporarily trap the person in the wreckage, authorities confirmed to KTLA. Crews with the Los Angeles Fire Department responded to the 5300 block of South Long Beach Avenue just before 7:30 p.m. on reports of the collision, according to LAFD.  Video from the scene showed the wreckage of the overturned vehicle, which sustained heavy damage. Metro crews could be seen working on a fence near the tracks that was knocked out of place during the accident.  One person was taken to the hospital in serious condition after crashing their vehicle into a Metro Blue Line train on Nov. 5, 2023. (KTLA)One person was taken to the hospital in serious condition after crashing their vehicle into a Metro Blue Line train on Nov. 5, 2023. (KTLA)One person was taken to the hospital in serious cond...

Over 400 customers lose power after car crashes into PG&E pole in San Rafael: police

Published Fri, 27 Dec 2024 11:39:59 GMT

(KRON) -- More than 400 PG&E customers in San Rafael lost their power Saturday morning after a black Toyota sedan (pictured above) crashed into a PG&E utility pole, the San Rafael Police Department announced. The collision happened just before 9:30 a.m. at Redwood Highway and Joseph Court, causing the roadway to temporarily shut down.The Toyota had been traveling at a high rate of speed, lost control and crashed into the PG&E utility police, according to SRPD. The driver was the only one in the car and suffered minor injuries. The driver was taken to a nearby hospital.The utility pole was knocked over after the crash. The front of the Toyota was severely damaged. Both are pictured below. Vehicle submerged in Oakland Estuary (San Rafael Police Department)(San Rafael Police Department)The road closure was so crews could repair the utility pole that was damaged from the crash, authorities said. SRPD announced Sunday evening at 7:32 p.m. that the road reopened and the uti...