Author: Press Room

LOS ANGELES — Two months after he became entangled in a racism scandal that shook public trust in Los Angeles government, disgraced City Council member Kevin de León has refused calls to resign and is trying to rehabilitate his reputation as he faces a politically uncertain future.As of Monday, de León, a former state legislator, is the only council member still resisting calls from President Joe Biden to step down. He continues to collect his annual salary of nearly $229,000 — among the most lucrative paydays for city council members in the country.Gil Cedillo, another council member involved in the scandal over a…

Officials in El Paso, Texas, a border city that has seen an increase in migrants crossing over into the United States from Mexico, told city leaders on Monday that the numbers of people illegally crossing into the city “are unsustainable,” days before Title 42 is set to expire.El Paso Deputy City Manager Mario D’Agostino was speaking to the City Council when he laid out the latest migrant figures. He said the city was seeing an average of 2,500 apprehensions daily. Over the weekend, the Border Patrol’s El Paso Sector saw a daily average of more than 2,400 migrants.D’Agostino noted that large…

Binance’s proof-of-reserves audit has already raised red flags, with some experts claiming it is far from enough to satisfy worried users.The so-called proof-of-reserves report was released on December 7 in the form of a 5-page PDF document prepared by the global accounting firm Mazar’s South African branch. The report was based purely on an “Agreed-Upon Procedures (“AUP”) engagement,” and is therefore limited in scope.The report showed that Binance’s bitcoin reserves have a 101% collateralization ratio, suggesting that the exchange has more than all of the BTC it needs to cover customer deposits. Binance is a private company – or rather a…

The remains of famed American soccer journalist Grant Wahl have returned to the United States.Department of State spokesperson Ned Price confirmed that the Wahl family’s wishes were accommodated, as they worked tirelessly to get Grant and his belongings repatriated. “Our ambassador in Doha [Qatar], Timmy Davis, has been in close and nearly constant contact with the family of Grant Wahl and Ambassador Davis has been, in turn, close and regular contact with senior officials from the Department,” Price said on Monday. “Our embassy worked nearly around the clock to help the family see to it that their wishes were fulfilled. This…

Washington CNN  —  Prosecutors presented their opening arguments Monday in a second trial against members of the far-right Oath Keepers militia group accused of joining a months-long plot to keep Joe Biden out of the White House. The Justice Department prosecuted the first Oath Keepers seditious conspiracy case earlier this fall with mixed success – two leaders, including Oath Keepers founder Stewart Rhodes, were convicted of the charge while three others were acquitted. The two convictions vindicated, at least in part, how the department is prosecuting high-profile cases related to the US Capitol riot. But in this case, brought against…

CNN  —  The Supreme Court on Monday denied a request from tobacco company R.J. Reynolds to challenge a California law that bans the sale of flavored cigarettes. There were no noted dissents. The company, which makes menthol cigarettes, argued the state law conflicts with a federal law called the Tobacco Control Act that gives the federal Food and Drug Administration the authority to regulate the sale of cigarettes. The ban is set to go into effect December 21, and the tobacco company said that without the Supreme Court’s intervention it would be barred from selling its menthol cigarettes – which…

NYPD cops busted four subway fare-beaters in the past week and recovered guns from each of them — including an ex-con who was packing two loaded pistols, police sources said Monday. Damien Trinidad, 28 — who had been out of state prison for just four months — was arrested Tuesday after getting into a scuffle with transit cops at the Broadway and East New York subway station in Brooklyn, sources said. Trinidad was initially stopped on a fare-beating rap — until a “ghost gun” was spotted in his waistband and a second firearm wrapped in a bandana then fell from…

Goldman Sachs is considering making hundreds of job cuts at its consumer business after chief executive David Solomon unveiled plans to scale back its “Main Street” banking ambitions, according to people familiar with the matter. Goldman is also planning to stop offering personal loans through its Marcus-branded retail banking platform, the people added. Personal loans, primarily for debt consolidation, were one of the first consumer products launched by Goldman in 2016. After years of losses and escalating costs, Solomon announced in October that Goldman would significantly pare back the company’s retail banking business. Its Marcus division will still accept retail…

Of course, the star needed his own statement outfit for the affair. Williams wore Chanel’s purple floral-print button-up shirt and below-the-knee shorts, complete with a matching bucket hat and mini quilted necklace bag. Shorts are his signature item, he says. “I’m a shorts guy, though those were the longest shorts I’ve worn in a long time,” Williams says. “My shorts are usually shorter; I lean towards a 1980s tennis-player kind of thing. But this was a very different look—something flowy and super comfortable.” He adds that the label’s sleek, universal appeal is what keeps him coming back for more. “They…

SpaceX owner and Tesla CEO Elon Musk speaks during a conversation with legendary game designer Todd Howard (not pictured) at the E3 gaming convention in Los Angeles, California, June 13, 2019.Mike Blake | ReutersTesla CEO Elon Musk is no longer the richest person in the world. He ceded that title to LVMH chairman and CEO Bernard Arnault at the close on Monday, according to Forbes.Tesla shares closed down about 6.3% for the day, and have more than halved in value this year partially due to a sell-off that accelerated in the wake of Musk’s $44 billion Twitter acquisition.Musk’s wealth, mostly…