For the second time in recent months, President Joe Biden’s administration has delayed a sweeping plan to ban menthol cigarettes, a decision that is certain to infuriate anti-smoking advocates but could avoid angering Black voters ahead of November elections. In a statement Friday, Biden’s top health official gave no timeline for issuing the rule, saying only that the administration would take more time to consider feedback, including from civil rights groups. “It’s clear that there are still more conversations to have, and that will take significantly more time,” said Health and Human Service ..read more

Speed may have been a factor in the fiery crash that left a Pleasanton family of four dead, police said Friday. The single-vehicle crash happened at about 9 p.m. Wednesday on Foothill Road near Stoneridge Drive, according to police. Citing a preliminary investigation, police said the vehicle appeared to lose control before crashing into a large oak tree and catching fire. Police said the victims – a mother, father and two children under the age of 15 – died at the scene. Their identities had not been officially released as of early Friday afternoon. The investigation is ongoing. “The City of P ..read more

At least 16 people died in California over a decade following a physical encounter with police during which medical personnel also injected them with a powerful sedative, an investigation led by The Associated Press has found. Several of the deaths happened in the San Francisco Bay Area, including two in recent years involving people restrained by the Richmond Police Department. Other places with cases included Los Angeles, San Diego and cities in Orange and San Bernardino counties. While the use of the drug ketamine has drawn scrutiny in other states, AP’s investigation found that California ..read more

In May 2023, Lucy Hsu stepped foot into Syria and entered an exclusive club. The Middle Eastern country was the 193rd Hsu had traveled to. “There are not many people who have visited every country in the world,” Hsu said.  “One hundred ninety-three is the total that is recognized by most travel clubs because that represents the number of UN members who do vote in the UN,” the 43-year-old Hsu said. Although there is no official tally, it is widely estimated that roughly 400 people in the world have been to every country. By comparison, more than 600 people have gone into outer space ..read more

A memorial service for fallen Oakland police Officer Jordan Wingate is set for this Friday and will be open to the public. On Saturday, Wingate succumbed to injuries suffered in a vehicle collision on Aug. 13, 2018, while responding to a suspicious person call at the Port of Oakland. He was surrounded by his family, including retired Oakland Police Capt. Randell Wingate, when he passed, according to a news release from the city. Services will begin at 11 a.m. Friday at 3Crosses Church at 20600 John Drive in Castro Valley. On the day of the collision in 2018, Wingate was driving near Seventh St ..read more

Two American dads detained in the Turks and Caicos Islands are uplifted by the support after their stories went viral. Bryan Hagerich of Pennsylvania and Ryan Watson of Oklahoma are both out on bail awaiting court hearings, charged with possession of ammunition that they say was mistakenly left in their luggage after prior hunting trips. “The outpouring of love, support and prayer, not only from friends and family, but long-lost friends, or people that you don’t even know, that have really gone the extra mile to support us and pray for us – it’s just, it’s unreal,” Hagerich said. “It’s wildly ..read more

After prosecutors’ lead witness painted a tawdry portrait of “catch and kill” tabloid schemes, defense lawyers in Donald Trump’s hush money trial are poised Friday to dig into an account of the former publisher of the National Enquirer and his efforts to protect Trump from negative stories during the 2016 election. David Pecker will return to the witness stand for the fourth day as defense attorneys try to poke holes in the testimony of the former National Enquirer publisher, who has described helping bury embarrassing stories Trump feared could hurt his campaign. It will cap a consequential w ..read more

Community members spoke out and voiced their concerns over bullying claims against Antioch Unified School District employees on Thursday night. Antioch Unified School District Superintendent Stephanie Anello recently removed herself from overseeing the district’s investigations into employee bullying claims that were first reported by NBC Bay Area’s Investigative Unit. The Investigative Unit recently uncovered the bullying claims by the Antioch Unified School District Director of Facilities, Maintenance and Operations Kenneth Turnage. There were least 10 employee complaints about Turnage, incl ..read more

With the hefty increase so far this year, PG&E’s rates are now approaching those of Hawaii, a state with the unfortunate distinction of having the most expensive power in the nation. Hawaii has long paid the highest of any state for power – in part because as an island nation, oil must be shipped in from as far as Libya and Argentina. The cost to generate power accounts for about half the average 41 cents per kilowatt hour price Hawaiian customers pay, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration. “Hawaii has been held out as the entity with the highest rates in the United State ..read more

There are growing protests on college campuses nationwide over the Israel-Hamas war. In the Bay Area, pro-Palestine protesters walked through the Stanford campus and ended up at White Plaza Thursday afternoon. Some tents were set up. About 200 to 300 people showed up for the demonstration at Stanford. The protest has remained peaceful. “First and foremost, we stand for the liberation of Palestine, we stand against the genocide and we stand for divestment,” said one Stanford student. Israel-Hamas War 12 hours ago USC cancels graduation ceremony and dozens are arrested on other campuses as a ..read more