Former National Enquirer publisher David Pecker continued his testimony Friday as he was cross-examined by attorneys representing former President Donald Trump. Pecker is providing testimony before a New York jury as prosecutors allege that Trump falsified business records in a scheme to influence the 2016 election. The defense has indicated that it should wrap up questioning of Pecker early Friday afternoon. Pecker first took the witness stand Monday and was questioned by prosecutors, where he claimed that former Trump attorney Michael Cohen provided payments to the National Enquirer to captu ..read more

The Food and Drug Administration and the U.S. Department of Agriculture issue recall alerts nearly daily for various food products that could be contaminated, mislabeled, or contain some other sort of hazard. According to a new report, there has been a significant increase in such recalls. The U.S. Public Interest Research Group found that the number of recalls issued in 2023 was 8% higher than in 2022. The biggest culprit for the increase is undeclared allergens. PIRG reported a 27% increase in recalls related to undeclared allergens in 2023. One reason for the increase is that sesame is now ..read more

A small-town Texas mayor received a package with a noose and threatening letter inside. The package was delivered to Arcola Mayor Fred Burton, with a typed note that read, Get out of the race now!! Police in Arcola said they are investigating the incident. This threat is being treated with the utmost seriousness and the Arcola Police Department has requested assistance from the FBI in investigating this criminal act, the department said in a post on Facebook. Chief of police Arika Carr said the department has increased the mayors security due to the threat, according to local reports. The thre ..read more

Over a year after launching a restaurant concept focused on health foods, Chipotle said it is refocusing on its main brand. Earlier this year, Farmesa, Chipotle's new restaurant concept, closed after opening just one location in the Los Angeles area in 2023. Chipotle had touted the concept as futuristic as it primarily relied on kiosks and third-party delivery apps for ordering. The restaurant focused on healthy foods that included proteins, greens, grains and vegetables. "We believe there's an opportunity to serve premium, craveable food every day and we're eager to bring this new concept to ..read more

More than 100 senior citizens in Tampa, Florida, are scrambling to find new homes after their senior living facility declared bankruptcy. Scripps News Tampa has uncovered financial troubles at the facility date back years, and some of the residents being kicked out invested hundreds of thousands of dollars. Im pretty upset about it This is the letter from the lawyers, said Jim Powell, showing us a bankruptcy notice he received in the mail earlier this month. Powell, who is 94, and his wife Mona, who is 91, received their first-ever eviction notice. They paid a $100,000 entrance fee four month ..read more

TikTok is in the crosshairs of authorities in the U.S., where new legislation threatens a nationwide ban unless its China-based parent ByteDance divests. It would be the biggest blow yet to the popular video-sharing app, which has faced various restrictions around the world. TikTok is already banned in a handful of countries and from government-issued devices in a number of others, due to official worries that the app poses privacy and cybersecurity concerns. Those fears are reflected in the U.S. bill, which is the culmination of long-held bipartisan fears in Washington that Chinas communist l ..read more

Grizzly bears roamed the North Cascades of Washington for thousands of years but have disappeared more recently. This week, the National Park Service and the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service announced a new rule to repopulate the region with grizzly bears once native to it. The last known sighting of a grizzly in the area was in 1996. The NPS said that for the next five to 10 years, it will introduce between three and seven grizzly bears a year to get the area's initial population to at least 25. The goal is to have 200 grizzly bears live in the region within the next 60-100 years. Given the s ..read more

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken met Friday with Chinese President Xi Jinping and senior Chinese officials, stressing the importance of "responsibly managing" the differences between the U.S. and China as the two sides butted heads over a number of contentious bilateral, regional and global issues. Blinken met with Xi in Beijing after holding talks with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi and Public Security Minister Wang Xiaohong. Talks between the two sides have increased in recent months, even as differences have grown. Blinken sounded a positive note on recent progress made in bilateral ..read more

The Morro Bay Kite Festival returns this weekend. The family-friendly event is scheduled to take place all weekend Friday night and from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. both Saturday and Sunday. Hundreds of kites will take flight throughout the weekend, with 500 free kites provided to kids through Central Coast Funds for Children. "It's just an amazing event," said Shaun Farmer, the founder of the Morro Bay Kite Festival. "Where you can come with your family enjoy relax." The Friday night flight will include kites with LED lights. Event organizers tried to do a night flight last year which didn't end up wor ..read more

The 30th annual San Luis Obispo International Film Festival is taking place through April 30. Skye McLennan, the executive director for the San Luis Obispo International Film Festival, says the six-day event has something for everyone. I would say that we truly have something for everyone, said McLennan. We have narratives, documentaries, short films. We have films about sports like surfing, skateboarding this year. Theres no genre that we dont cover here at the festival. Even horror actually. She says seeing the audience's reaction makes all the effort worth it. Seeing people laugh, cry, enjo ..read more