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Bay Area arts: 7 cool shows to see this weekend and beyond

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:22:50 GMT

There are a lot of great concerts and live shows to see this weekend in the Bay Area. Here is a partial rundown.Salvant’s new/old songs comes to SFThree-time Grammy-winning jazz singer Cécile McLorin Salvant’s extraordinary musical talents are seemingly matched only by her fertile imagination. And both facets of her talent will be on display during her weekend set at SFJAZZ Center, 201 Franklin St., San Francisco. Salvant is blessed with a rich, nimble voice that can delve effortlessly into blues, R&B and pop standards, and interpretive skills that are even more extraordinary when you consider that she is but 33 years old.Salvant comes to SFJAZZ for four shows Friday through Sunday to showcase her acclaimed new album, “Mélusine,” a collection of Salvant originals and reinterpreted songs, some of which date as far back as the 12th century. “Mélusine” recounts an ancient folk tale about a woman who was cursed as a child to turn into a serpentine creature every Saturday. Singing in...

Palo Alto resident scares off burglars breaking into her home

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:22:50 GMT

PALO ALTO — A resident interrupted two suspects who were attempting to burglarize her home Tuesday night, police say.Alerted by her home security cameras, a woman in her 50s discovered that two suspects had entered her home on Byron Street through an unlocked side yard gate, according to a police news release. She called a police emergency line at about 9:12 p.m. and yelled out “hello” while on the phone. She then heard one of the suspects utter a curse word and both individuals immediately fled the scene.Upon arrival, officers discovered a shattered sliding-glass door, but no missing items. Police said in a press release that it’s believed the suspects entered the home but fled when they heard the woman’s voice.Security cameras showed a dark four-door sedan, which police say could be a Dodge Charger, driving southbound on Byron Street at a high-rate of speed just after the incident was reported. Police did not release a detailed description of the suspects, ...

Fed raises key interest rate a quarter-point, may halt further hikes

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:22:50 GMT

By Christopher Rugaber | Associated PressWASHINGTON — The Federal Reserve reinforced its fight against high inflation Wednesday by raising its key interest rate by a quarter-point to the highest level in 16 years. But the Fed also signaled that it may now pause the streak of 10 rate hikes that have made borrowing for consumers and businesses steadily more expensive.In a statement after its latest policy meeting, the Fed removed a previous sentence that had said that “some additional” rate hikes might be needed. It replaced that sentence with language that said it will consider a range of factors in “determining the extent” to which future hikes might be needed.The Fed’s rate increases over the past 14 months have more than doubled mortgage rates, elevated the costs of auto loans, credit card borrowing and business loans and heightened the risk of a recession. Home sales have plunged as a result. The Fed’s latest move, which raised its benchmark ra...

Big Tech turns up heat on California bill to make internet companies pay for news

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:22:50 GMT

A California bill that would make Big Tech pay for the news articles that help drive its profits has advanced out of a second legislative committee with bipartisan backing as industry critics ramp up opposition.Assembly Bill 886, the California Journalism Preservation Act by Assemblywoman Buffy Wicks, an Oakland Democrat, passed out of the Assembly Judiciary Committee unanimously on Tuesday with Riverside Republican Assemblyman Bill Essayli added as a co-author along with Los Angeles Democrat Josh Lowenthal.“I don’t believe in corporate welfare, I don’t believe in transferring wealth,” Essayli said at Tuesday’s Judiciary Committee hearing. “But I also don’t believe in unjust enrichment. And I do think Big Tech is being unjustly enriched off the backs of journalists.”The bill proceeds next to an Assembly floor vote, which hasn’t yet been scheduled but must occur by June 2.Wicks’ bill follows the December collapse in Congress...

Man wounded in gunfire exchange with Oakland Housing Authority police

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:22:50 GMT

OAKLAND — A man was wounded in an exchange of gunfire Tuesday night with Oakland Housing Authority police officers at an apartment complex, authorities said.The man was reported to be in critical but stable condition. His name and age were not released.No officers were injured.The shooting happened about 10:23 p.m. Tuesday at an an OHA apartment complex in the 1700 block of 85th Avenue.In a news release, OHA officials said the officers were responding to “an emergency call for service,” but did not elaborate on the nature of the call.When police arrived at the complex, the man began shooting at them as he stood outside, prompting them to return fire and wound the man, authorities said. A gun was recovered.No other information was released, including the names of the officers.As per protocol, the shooting was being investigated by the Oakland police homicide unit. The OHA officers have been placed on administrative leave and the agency is doing an administrative inv...

Elon Musk’s Twitter threatens to reassign NPR’s account

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:22:50 GMT

By Wyatte Gratham-Philips | Associated PressWASHINGTON — Elon Musk threatened to reassign NPR’s Twitter account to “another company,” according to the non-profit news organization, in an ongoing spat between Musk and media groups since his $44 billion acquisition of Twitter last year.“So is NPR going to start posting on Twitter again, or should we reassign @NPR to another company?” Musk wrote in one email late Tuesday to NPR reporter Bobby Allyn.NPR stopped tweeting from its main account after Twitter abruptly labeled NPR’s main account as ” state-affiliated media ” last month, a term that’s also been used to identify outlets controlled or heavily influenced by authoritarian governments. Twitter then changed the label to ” government-funded media.”NPR said that both labels were inaccurate and undermined its credibility — noting the nonprofit news company operates independently of the U.S. government. Federal funding f...

Text of the Federal Reserve’s policy statement Wednesday

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:22:50 GMT

WASHINGTON (AP) — Below is the statement the Fed released Wednesday after its policy meeting ended:Economic activity expanded at a modest pace in the first quarter. Job gains have been robust in recent months, and the unemployment rate has remained low. Inflation remains elevated.The U.S. banking system is sound and resilient. Tighter credit conditions for households and businesses are likely to weigh on economic activity, hiring, and inflation. The extent of these effects remains uncertain. The Committee remains highly attentive to inflation risks.The Committee seeks to achieve maximum employment and inflation at the rate of 2 percent over the longer run. In support of these goals, the Committee decided to raise the target range for the federal funds rate to 5 to 5-1/4 percent. The Committee will closely monitor incoming information and assess the implications for monetary policy. In determining the extent to which additional policy firming may be appropriate to return inflation to...

French constitutional body rejects pension referendum call

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:22:50 GMT

PARIS (AP) — France’s top constitutional body rejected on Wednesday a last-ditch effort by opposition lawmakers to undo President Emmanuel Macron’s law to raise the retirement age to 64, deeming that a proposed bill doesn’t meet the needed criteria. It was the second time that the Constitutional Council has rejected the plan to restore the retirement age to 62, notably via a possible referendum or new bill. Had it passed muster, the process called for would be long and wouldn’t stop Macron’s law from taking effect.The council ruled that the proposed legislation doesn’t address a required “reform regarding social policy … and therefore judges that it does not satisfy conditions” set out in the French Constitution.Opposition lawmakers, mainly from the left, wanted to launch a complex process in hopes of rejecting Macron’s unpopular pension law that was enacted last month. The Constitutional Council’s role was to assess whether the opposition’s...

Man dies after being placed in headlock on NYC subway

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:22:50 GMT

NEW YORK (AP) — A man suffering an apparent mental health episode aboard a New York City subway died this week after being placed in a headlock by a fellow rider, according to police officials and video of the encounter.Jordan Neely, 30, was shouting and pacing aboard an F train in Manhattan on Monday afternoon, witnesses and police said, when he was taken to the floor by another passenger.Video of the altercation posted online by a freelance journalist showed the man lying beneath Neely, holding him in a headlock position for several minutes as Neely tried and failed to break free. A second passenger pinned Neely’s arms while a third held down his shoulder. It was unclear why the group had moved to restrain him.Neely lost consciousness during the struggle, according to a New York City Police Department spokesperson. EMTs and police arrived after the train stopped at a station. Neely was pronounced dead at a Manhattan hospital shortly after. The city’s medical examiner i...

Summer Movies: 6 breakout performances to watch

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:22:50 GMT

Anonymity can be an actor’s best friend, but this summer several talents are primed to make themselves known in major film roles, whether it’s losing the alien makeup, the protective shield of character work or the comforts of niche small-screen fandoms. Here are six actors bound to have audiences buzzing this summer at the movies.GRETA LEE IN “PAST LIVES”Greta Lee cried through her first reading of Celine Song’s “Past Lives, ” out June 2. The writer-director had written a deeply personal story about childhood friends, and possible soulmates, who reconnect in New York decades later. Nora’s in a relationship but wondering “what if” in this aching romance.“Telling a love story from that point of view felt so radical to me,” Lee said. “It read so quiet, but I was struck by how cosmic it was too. It’s connective. It’s universal. It’s just about life and how short life is and how do we reconcile this.”Lee, a stylish chameleon with comedic chops, has always made the most of every sc...