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'Just Majority' campaign makes stops in Austin, pushing for more balanced Supreme Court

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:21:58 GMT

AUSTIN (KXAN)—A group of diverse advocates are traveling in a bus around the country, pushing for change within the U.S.'s highest court. It's called the 'Just Majority,' campaign. The message?: ‘Democracy Demands A Fair And Ethical Court,' as seen in bold letters on the campaign's tour bus. A group made up of reproductive, gun violence prevention, civil rights and racial justice advocates are spreading awareness about the Judiciary Act."The Judiciary Act would put new Supreme Court justices onto the court," Representative for Texas District 35, Greg Casar said. "We would be adding four justices to the court. And there have been multiple times in American history and many times that the Congress has changed the number of justices on the court."It's a conversation Casar and his fellow advocates say has more urgency now, than ever. That's why they want to talk about it to anyone who will listen.The Supreme Court's decision to reverse Roe. V. Wade may have added more fuel to the group'...

UT Austin preps to educate thousands with new AI program

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:21:58 GMT

AUSTIN (KXAN) — The University of Texas at Austin this week opened applications for its first-ever online master's degree in artificial intelligence. The first of its kind in the nation, the program debuts next spring.UT estimates there will be 97 million new AI-related jobs globally over the next two years. The university told KXAN it received roughly 10,000 inquiries about its new program."Organizations, companies are in dire need of people with these skills. But there aren't enough people out there to hire," said Eric Busch, UT's Managing Director of Computer and Data Science Online.Busch said the online program has been scaled to educate thousands of students at once and has been priced at about $10,000."[The pricing] is a game changer for a lot of folks," Busch told KXAN.Computer science professor Adam Klivans will lead some of the AI courses. He said students are expected to have some base knowledge in computer science, statistics, or electrical engineering."They're learning s...

'Crisis averted': Biden signs debt ceiling bill

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:21:58 GMT

(NewsNation) — With just two days to spare, President Joe Biden signed legislation on Saturday that lifts the nation’s debt ceiling, averting an unprecedented default on the federal government’s debt.The White House announced the signing, done in private at the White House, in an emailed statement in which Biden thanked congressional leaders for their partnership.Biden on Friday celebrated a “crisis averted" in his first address since the deal's passage, saying, “No one got everything they wanted, but the American people got what they needed.”The deal will suspend the debt limit for two years, while also putting in new work requirements for older Americans receiving food assistance. It also boosts funding for veterans and defense and approves a natural gas pipeline going from West Virginia to Virginia. The nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office said the plan cuts the deficit by $1.5 trillion over the next decade.  Biden highlighted the “compromise and consensus” in the deal. “...

Two shootings in Aurora overnight — including teen pedestrian shot from car — and police are looking for suspects

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:21:58 GMT

Two people were shot overnight in Aurora, both victims are expected to survive and police are looking for suspects in the incidents.#APDAlert: APD is investigating two overnight cases of walk-in gunshot wounds.The 1st occurred at midnight when APD responded to a local hospital for a report of an 18-year-old who had been shot in the lower back in a drive-by while walking near Oswego and Colfax. pic.twitter.com/ztx6Ff7xSo— Aurora Police Dept (@AuroraPD) June 3, 2023The first shooting happened at about midnight in the area of East Colfax Avenue and Oswego Street, the Aurora Police Department said on Twitter. An 18-year-old pedestrian was shot in the lower back by someone in a passing vehicle. The victim arrived at the hospital independently without transport by an ambulance.Related ArticlesCrime and Public Safety | Teen arrested following fatal April shooting in Denver Crime and Public Safety | Denver school board considering whether to rescind 2020 pol...

California could lose up to 70% of its beaches by 2100, study finds

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:21:58 GMT

California’s famous coastline could become a thing of the past, according to a new study that predicts that up to 70% of the state’s beaches could disappear by the end of the century if measures aren’t taken to address rising sea levels and greenhouse emissions.The study, conducted by researchers from the U.S. Geological Survey, says that the worst-case scenario could result in 25% to 70% of the state’s beaches completely eroding based on an analysis of satellite images and climate-change-driven sea-level rise models. California beaches make Tripadvisor’s list of ‘the best of the best’ in U.S. While the impact would change depending on each coastal area, the overall impact would be “grim,” according to the report.For example, Half Moon Bay in Northern California could lose all of its sand.In San Diego County, a one-meter rise in sea level would result in the area losing more than one-quarter of its coastal picnic areas, about half of its lifeguard towers and about 15% of its restr...

Biden signs bill to raise debt ceiling

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:21:58 GMT

President Biden on Saturday signed legislation to raise the debt ceiling into 2025 and avert a default, marking a significant bipartisan accomplishment amid divided government in Washington, D.C.The president signed the bill just days before Treasury officials warned the department would run out of money to pay the nation’s bills, potentially triggering a recession and harming the economy.In addition to raising the debt ceiling, the bill includes agreements on spending caps, claws back unused COVID-19 relief funds, adds work requirements for certain individuals getting government assistance and rescinds some of the funding provided to the IRS in last year’s Inflation Reduction Act.But the bill otherwise leaves many Democratic priorities enacted during the last Congress untouched, and it does not include any new work requirements for Medicaid recipients.The Senate passed the bill on Thursday night with a bipartisan 63-36 vote. The House had passed the measure a day earlier in similar...

Cannabiotix Talks Emerald Cup Podium Spot

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:21:58 GMT

We chatted with the Cannabiotix team about their recent podium finish at The Emerald Cup with French Alps taking third in the hyper-competitive indoor category. That third-place finish was also the top spot for a SoCal flower brand in the indoor category with Oakland’s Fig Farms taking first and San Francisco’s Sense taking second. The only other local flower brand in the Top 5 was Maven Genetics. We chatted with them last week. Cannabiotix’s cofounder Neema Samari explained the company had been a little wary of the cup scene in the past. “It was our first time doing The Emerald Cup. In general, I think we’ve been a little cynical about competition for the last four years. So it was good to get back out there and give it a whirl,” Samari told L.A. Weekly. He estimated it has been at least five years since they entered any kind of contest. Attitudes started to change when they saw they now had a chance at The Emerald Cup once the indoor category was added.“And that’s obviously ...

Student injured in fight with knife at San Mateo High School

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:21:58 GMT

A student was injured in a fight with a knife between a small group of students at a San Mateo High School summer program Friday morning, police said.Related ArticlesCrime and Public Safety | 8th grade California teacher charged with child molestation Crime and Public Safety | Alameda County judge robbed of his Rolex at gunpoint outside Oakland courthouse Crime and Public Safety | ‘Hostile architecture’: Fatal Fremont crash raises new questions about boulder ‘minefield’ Crime and Public Safety | Largest-ever San Jose safe RV parking site could come to Berryessa neighborhood Crime and Public Safety | Los Angeles wins $5 million settlement from biggest U.S. ghost gun manufacturer The victim was treated for minor injuries by medics and school staff at the scene. The campus took additional security measures on Friday while classes remained in session.An investigation into the fight is...

Woman arrested after early-morning stabbing in Oakland

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:21:58 GMT

(KRON) -- A woman was arrested in connection to a stabbing that happened on Saturday morning, the Oakland Police Department confirmed to KRON4. Santa Rosa mother arrested after her toddler overdoses on fentanyl OPD received a call around 7:30 a.m. that a person had been stabbed in the 3700 block of Martin Luther King Jr. Way. Officers at the scene found a person suffering with injuries "consistent with a sharp object," police said. Emergency medical crews arrived on the scene and took the victim to a local hospital. The victim is now listed in stable condition. Police say a woman from Oakland has been arrested after the alleged assault with a deadly weapon, but OPD is still investigating. Anyone with further information about the incident is asked to reach out to the Felony Assault Unit at 510-238-3426.

DC property manager accused of pepper spraying resident over apartment complaints

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:21:58 GMT

Man holding pepper spray (tear gas) in his hand. Self-defense. Blur background, close up.(Getty Images/iStockphoto/Vector DSGNR) Man holding pepper spray (tear gas) in his hand. Self-defense. Blur background, close up.(Getty Images/iStockphoto/Vector DSGNR) A District woman said she was pepper sprayed by a property manager at her apartment complex Friday morning.It happened at the 1841 Columbia Road apartment building in the Adams Morgan neighborhood in Northwest D.C.According to the police report, the man ran away and the victim, Christine Corbin, was taken to the hospital.“I could not open my eyes for two hours,” Corbin told NBC Washington. “I got hauled off in an ambulance and I was in Georgetown Hospital for t...