Month: December 2019

PALM BEACH, Fla. —  Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell said Monday that he was not ruling out calling witnesses in President Trump’s impeachment trial — but indicated he was in no hurry to seek new testimony either — as lawmakers remain at an impasse over the form of the trial by the GOP-controlled Senate. The House…

Democrat Amy Klobuchar — running for president as someone who can win even in conservative, rural areas — says she will become the first major 2020 candidate to have visited all 99 Iowa counties after stops scheduled for Friday in the leadoff caucus state. The Minnesota senator, who wrapped up a four-day bus tour Monday…

Though the Lakers have listed LeBron James (thoracic muscle strain) and Anthony Davis (sore right knee) as questionable for their Christmas Day game, all signs point to the team’s two stars playing against the Clippers in the NBA’s marquee matchup at Staples Center. Lakers coach Frank Vogel said neither of them practiced Monday, but both…

MINNEAPOLIS —  Aaron Jones rushed for 154 yards and two second-half touchdowns, Za’Darius Smith had five tackles for loss to lead a stifling performance by Green Bay’s defense, and the Packers became NFC North champions by beating the Minnesota Vikings 23-10 on Monday night. The Packers (12-3) made Matt LaFleur the 10th rookie coach in NFL…

RENTON, Wash. —  The Seattle Seahawks have reunited with Marshawn Lynch. The bruising, 33-year-old running back known as “Beast Mode” signed a contract with the Seahawks on Monday night, his agent confirmed on Twitter. Seattle is in desperate need of running backs after Chris Carson (hip) and C.J. Prosise (arm) both suffered season-ending injuries in Sunday’s…

A Pennsylvania man accused of ransacking a Beverly Hills synagogue and damaging several Jewish relics has been charged with felony vandalism and accused of a hate crime, prosecutors said Monday. Anton Nathaniel Redding, 24, pleaded not guilty to one count of felony vandalism, one count of second-degree burglary and denied his role in the alleged…

Giggling with excitement, Christian, a 22-year-old former foster youth, showed off his new apartment in Tustin on Thursday. “I couldn’t believe it was my place,” Christian said. “It’s my place, my decision. I don’t have to listen to other people’s rules.” This Christmas, he has his own home for the first time since he was…

Good morning, and welcome to the Essential California newsletter. It’s Tuesday, Dec. 24, and this morning we’ll be sharing our compendium of some of the best California writing of 2019. Newsletter Get our Essential California newsletter BEST OF 2019 Here’s some of the best California writing of the past year. The list is highly unscientific,…

There’s an intrinsic value to every word Fernanda Montenegro speaks. In Portuguese, from her native Rio de Janeiro, the Oscar-nominated Brazilian actress repeatedly ensures the interpreter conveys each response with precision. Ultimately, a conversation is a performance, and she’s always sought emotional specificity for her roles. At 90 years old and with four new films…

Will Smith has had a hit or miss year at the movies. Though “Aladdin” was a huge hit, his experiment with high-frame-rate action and acting opposite a digital composite of his younger self in Ang Lee’s “Gemini Man” didn’t exactly light the world on fire. So it’s nice that he’s closing out the year on…