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Oppenheimer’s inconvenient truth: He was a secret Communist, historians say

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:18:14 GMT

J. Robert Oppenheimer went to his grave holding onto a painful secret. He repeatedly denied to the U.S. government that he joined the Communist Party while teaching physics at UC Berkeley, but the “overwhelming” evidence shows that he was a member and opened himself up to perjury charges by lying about it.A retired Stanford history professor and one of Oppenheimer’s biographers are among a group of historians who are speaking up about the famed scientist’s “secret” party membership, as Christopher Nolan’s film, “Oppenheimer,” renews debate about his legacy and shows him facing post-World War II persecution for his left-wing politics and for having friends, family members and an ex-girlfriend who belonged to the Communist Party.Barton Bernstein, a Stanford University history professor emeritus, and Gregg Herken, author of the 2002 book “Brotherhood of the Bomb,” agree that Oppenheimer was a victim of McCarthy-era excesses. They also say there’s no eviden...

Hunter Biden plea deal on tax charges appears to fall apart

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:18:14 GMT

Hunter Biden’s plea agreement with the Justice Department appeared to unexpectedly crumble during an initial hearing on the case on Wednesday.Biden, 53, made his first federal court appearance in Wilmington, Del., where he was set to plead guilty to two misdemeanor counts of willful failure to pay income taxes.But U.S. District Judge Maryellen Noreika, who is overseeing the case, expressed concern about the terms of the agreement, according to CNN and the Associated Press.NBC reported lawyers for both sides were continuing to huddle nearly two hours after the plea hearing began.DEVELOPING

SAG-AFTRA to rally outside San Francisco City Hall

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:18:14 GMT

(KRON) -- Members of the Screen Actors Guild-American Federation of Television and Radio Artists are rallying Wednesday night outside of San Francisco City Hall as they continue to push for a fair contract. Naked woman armed with gun on Bay Bridge targeted random victims: CHP Elected officials and the San Francisco Labor Council will be joining alongside the union members. SAG-AFTRA represents around 160,000 performers across the country.Last week, members protested outside of Netflix headquarters in Los Gatos. Tonight's rally is set to begin at 5 p.m. and should run for at least an hour.

Richmond fire chief receives 'no confidence' vote from union

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:18:14 GMT

(KRON) -- The union representing Richmond firefighters has agreed to a "no confidence" vote in Richmond Fire Chief Angel Montoya. In a letter published Tuesday, Richmond Firefighters Local 188 announced a unanimous agreement in a vote questioning Montoya's ability to lead the Richmond Fire Department.The union, among other things, cited Montoya's refusal to address safety issues, unwillingness to meet and confer with members, and his "excessive absence from the City of Richmond," which makes him "incapable of running a safe, functional, and cost-effective fire department." Naked woman armed with gun on Bay Bridge targeted random victims: CHP "It's unfortunate that it's come to this," said Local 188 Union President Mike Velazquez. "Union leadership made every effort to meet with Chief Montoya to voice our concerns. His refusal to meet with us while we have so many safety issues has left us no choice."According to the letter, union members met formally with City Manager Shasa Curl t...

DC region on track for 3-day heat wave

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:18:14 GMT

The next three days in the D.C. area are expected to be dangerously hot, with temperatures feeling well into the triple digits. Here’s what you need to know.The National Weather Service has issued a Heat Advisory for Thursday, as the heat index is expected to be in the 100s.“Heat and humidity will increase the potential for heat related illnesses, particularly for those outdoors,” the National Weather Service said.A Heat Advisory has been issued for Thursday. Maximum heat indices in the advisory area are expected to be 105-109 degrees. Outside of the advisory, it will still be hot. Heat and humidity will increase the potential for heat related illnesses, particularly for those outdoors. pic.twitter.com/kgggr7V88z— NWS Baltimore-Washington (@NWS_BaltWash) July 26, 2023Friday and Saturday are expected to see highs reaching the upper 90s, with heat indexes in the 100s, according to 7News.Despite the extreme hot weather, 7News meteorologist Mark Peña said the heat wave...

Sports on TV for July 31 – August 6

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:18:14 GMT

Adv29(All times Eastern)Schedule subject to change and/or blackoutsMonday, July 31SOCCER (MEN’S)10 p.m.FS1 — Leagues Cup Group Stage: Chivas Guadalajara at Sporting Kansas City, Group FSOCCER (WOMEN’S)3 a.m.FOX — FIFA World Cup Group Stage: Japan Vs. Spain, Group C, Wellington, New ZealandFS1 — FIFA World Cup Group Stage: Costa Rica vs. Zambia, Group C, Hamilton, New Zealand6 a.m.FOX — FIFA World Cup Group Stage: Canada vs. Australia, Group B, Melbourne, AustraliaFS1 — FIFA World Cup Group Stage: Ireland vs. Nigeria, Group B, Brisbane, New Zealand3 a.m. (Tuesday)FOX — FIFA World Cup Group Stage: Portugal vs. U.S., Group E, Auckland, New ZealandFS1 — FIFA World Cup Group Stage: Vietnam vs. Netherlands, Group E, Dunedin, New ZealandTBT BASKETBALL7 p.m.ESPN2 — TBT Tournament: TBD, Quarterfinal9 p.m.ESPN2 — TBT Tournament: TBD, Quarterfinal_____Tuesday, August 1MLB BASEBALL7 p.m.TBS — Tampa Bay at NY YankeesSOCCER (MEN’S)11 p.m.ESPN — Club Friendly: AC Milan vs. FC Barcelona, Las VegasS...

Stock market today: Wall Street is mixed after Big Tech profits, before Fed decision

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:18:14 GMT

NEW YORK (AP) — Stocks are drifting Wednesday, as Wall Street waits to hear what the Federal Reserve will do with interest rates later in the afternoon.The S&P 500 was 0.3% lower in midday trading, coming off its best closing level in more than 15 months. The Dow Jones Industrial Average was up 5 points, or less than 0.1%, at 35,443, as of 11 a.m. Eastern time, and the Nasdaq composite was 0.7% lower.Microsoft weighed on the market after falling 4.9%. That was despite reporting stronger profit and revenue for the spring than analysts expected. Analysts said the company made comments that were perhaps intended to rein in huge expectations for upcoming growth from artificial intelligence. Investors also may have been hoping to hear more about when slowing growth at its Azure cloud computing business will trough.Another Big Tech behemoth, Alphabet, helped to limit the market’s losses. Alphabet rose 6% after beating analysts’ expectations for profit and revenue by a wider margin tha...

Movie Review: Horror flick ‘Talk to Me’ is a hand-some high-five for twin Australian filmmakers

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:18:14 GMT

You’ve got to hand it to the Philippou brothers. They’ve taken an old horror cliche — a severed hand — and made something worth, well, applauding.“Talk to Me,” which hits theaters this Friday, is a stylish, well-crafted piece of filmmaking that marks the auspicious arrival of twin Australian filmmakers Michael and Danny Philippou.Directed by the brothers from a script by Danny Philippou and Bill Hinzman, “Talk to Me” is modern and yet ancient, with just enough jump-cuts and zombies and dread, but not too much. It also downshifts out of madness in the final third to explore loss and guilt just when most films would ramp up the running-from-scary-guys part.Our focus here are a pack of teens in Australia. Teens Down Under are pretty much the same as they are everywhere — snarky, peer-pressure-y and clique-y. But in addition to stealing their parents’ booze and smoking, these guys have a porcelain hand that is a doorway to hell.Curiously, these teens don’t sit ar...

Gap taps Mattel executive as its next president and CEO. The appointment caps a yearlong search

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:18:14 GMT

NEW YORK (AP) — Gap has tapped a top Mattel executive who re-energized Barbie and Hot Wheels to be its next president and CEO.The San Francisco-based chain, which operates stores under its namesake as well as Old Navy, Banana Republic and Athleta, said Wednesday that Richard Dickson will join Gap Inc. on Aug. 22 from his most recent role as president and chief operating officer of toy giant Mattel. In a separate announcement, Mattel, based in El Segundo, California, said that Dickson will depart Aug. 3.Gap’s CEO spot had been vacant since Sonia Syngal left last July. Dickson has been a board member of Gap since November.The move comes as Gap, once an iconic purveyor of khakis and other casual wear in its heyday in the 1990s, has been struggling with a sales slump for years despite numerous initiatives to fix the business through a revolving list of executives. The pandemic and surging supply chain costs exacerbated financial conditions at The Gap, in addition to other disrupti...

African leaders arrive in Russia for summit as Kremlin seeks allies amid fighting in Ukraine

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:18:14 GMT

ST. PETERSBURG, Russia (AP) — Some African leaders arrived in Russia on Wednesday for a summit with President Vladimir Putin as the Kremlin seeks more allies amid the fighting in Ukraine.Putin has billed the two-day summit that opens Thursday in St. Petersburg as a major event that would help bolster ties with a continent of 1.3 billion people that is increasingly assertive on the global stage.On Wednesday, Putin met separately with Ethiopia’s Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed, and said Russia will more than triple the number of Ethiopian students it hosts and cover their education costs.Later in the day, Putin is set to hold talks with Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sissi.Africa’s 54 nations make up the largest voting bloc at the United Nations and have been more divided than any other region on General Assembly resolutions criticizing Russia’s actions in Ukraine. It’s the second Russia-Africa summit since 2019, and the number of heads of states attending shrank from 43 the...