By Alayna Treene | CNN As Robert F. Kennedy Jr. sustains his support in public polls and makes steady progress on gaining ballot access in states across the country, his independent presidential bid is confounding the campaign of former President Donald Trump and its Republican allies. In recent weeks, Kennedy has gone from a perceived nuisance to a political problem that the Trump campaign is eager to swiftly extinguish, according to conversations with multiple people close to the former president. Trump himself has noticeably escalated his attacks on Kennedy in recent weeks, including postin ..read more

By Ellen Knickmeyer, Aamer Madhani and Matthew Lee | Associated Press WASHINGTON — The Biden administration said Friday that Israel’s use of U.S.-provided weapons in Gaza likely violated international humanitarian law but wartime conditions prevented U.S. officials from determining that for certain in specific airstrikes. The finding of “reasonable” evidence to conclude that the U.S. ally had breached international law in its conduct of the war in Gaza was released in a summary of a report being delivered to Congress on Friday. It is the strongest statement that the Biden administration has ma ..read more

Associated Press TALLAHASSEE, Fla. — Powerful storms left thousands without electricity Friday in Florida and other Southeastern states, where damaging winds toppled trees onto homes and power lines following days of deadly severe weather that produced tornadoes in Michigan, Tennessee and other states. The National Weather Service said wind gusts of 71 mph (114 kph), just shy of hurricane force, were recorded in Tallahassee, where images posted on social media showed mangled metal and other debris from damaged buildings littering parts of Florida’s capital city. The storm knocked two chimneys ..read more

MONTEREY – A new report is critical of Monterey County’s effort to stem the fentanyl crisis that is continuing to kill people, including kids, throughout the county. The data can be alarming. More than four in 10 Americans know someone who died from a drug overdose, according to a Rand Survey released earlier this year. In 2022, drug overdoses were the primary cause of death for both men and women between the ages of 25 and 54 in California. For young adults between the ages of 15 and 24, overdoses were the second leading cause of death. The Monterey Civil Grand Jury investigated county effort ..read more

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — The Giants acquired minor league outfielder Rodolfo Nolasco from the Pirates on Friday in a trade that sent right-hander Daulton Jefferies to Pittsburgh. San Francisco also dealt right-hander Mitch White, a San Jose native and former Santa Clara pitcher, to the Milwaukee Brewers for cash. The 28-year-old Jefferies, who played collegiately at Cal and later made 10 starts for the A’s between 2020 and 2022, worked back from a second Tommy John surgery this season and was 0-2 with a 17.36 ERA over two appearances with one start, allowing nine earned runs on 14 hits with a pair ..read more

Laurie Hertzel | (TNS) Star Tribune This spring’s crop of picture books for children focuses on friendship, history and nature. With belly laughs! Go and Get With Rex, by David LaRochelle, illustrated by Mike Wohnoutka. (Candlewick Press, $17.99) A perfect book for kids who know the alphabet but aren’t yet strong readers — or for any kid who likes to laugh. The Theodor Seuss Geisel Award-winning Minnesota duo (whew!) of LaRochelle and Wohnoutka gives us a lesson in things that start with certain letters: F is for frog. M is for moose. But for every letter, Rex the dog fetches a duck ..read more

SANTA CLARA – Nick Sorensen played 10 years in the NFL, primarily as a ball-hawking demon on special teams. It’s not surprising what ideal traits the 49ers might reflect upon this year’s elevation to defensive coordinator. “I want them to see that we’re still the standard of what we’ve always been: an attacking defense that plays fast, we play violent, we play with speed, and we finish,” Sorensen said Friday at his introductory press conference. In other words, he doesn’t want the 49ers lollygagging and letting running backs cruise into the end zone like the Detroit Lions did in the NFC Champi ..read more

SANTA CLARA — As coach Kyle Shanahan told fourth-round pick Isaac Guerendo in Saturday’s draft-day phone call: “It’ doesn’t matter when you go. It’s where you go.” On Friday, the 49ers’ rookies hit the practice fields for the first time as professionals. Six of their draft picks were under contract before practice, all but first-round pick Ricky Pearsall and sixth-round offensive lineman Jarrett Kingston. The reigning NFC champions also officially signed the following eight undrafted players: Running back Cody Schrader (Truman State, Missouri) Coach Kyle Shanahan’s system and running back ..read more

Two new series — one an absolute guilty pleasure and the other a sci-fi head trip — are worth a look this week. But two indie features are even better: Oscar winner Ryusuke Hamaguchi’s exceptional eco-themed drama “Evil Does Not Exist” and Francis Galluppi’s noir homage “The Last Stop in Yuma County.” Here’s our roundup. “Dark Matter”: Cerebral sci-fi brain twisters such as Netflix’s “3 Body Problem” and this nine-part series (seven episodes would have sufficed) from Apple TV should come bearing a warning advising viewers to avoid all distractions since they’ll want to devote their full attent ..read more

Two climbers died after going missing while hiking on Mount Whitney, California’s highest peak, authorities confirmed to The Sacramento Bee. The hikers were identified by the Tulare County Sheriff’s Office as Andrew Niziol, 28, a resident of South Lake Tahoe, and Patty Bolan, who had just completed her doctoral studies in physics at UC Davis. Niziol and Bolan, who appeared to be dating, were outdoor enthusiasts and had taken a long-term hiking trip around the state. Six days before their Mount Whitney trip, the couple hiked and snowboarded around Mount Shasta but were unable to summit the Nort ..read more