Author: admin

Q: While awaiting the FlyAway shuttle bus from Los Angeles International Airport to Union Station, I watched the unsafe chaos that LAX created when it switched the passenger pickup area to exclusively the outer lanes for private cars and trucks, and the bus pickups to the inner lanes. Droves of passengers must continuously cross fast-moving bus lanes with all their luggage in tow to meet their family members or friends’ vehicles, an obvious safety hazard. And cars and trucks picking up people at the outside island must slow down in the main lanes instead of the inside ones like in…

By STEPHEN McGRATH and AUREL OBREJA, Associated PressCHISINAU, Moldova (AP) — President Donald Trump’s abrupt freeze of U.S. foreign aid is sending shockwaves through Eastern Europe, leaving pro-democracy groups, independent media, civil society initiatives and local governments scrambling to make ends meet in a region often defined by rivalries between East and West.The U.S. State Department said that the 90-day freeze aims to root out waste and block so-called woke programs to expose U.S.-funded activities “that run contrary to our national interests” — as Trump aggressively rolls out his “America First” agenda.Fears of a rise in influence from Russia and…

By CHRISTOPHER RUGABER, Associated Press Economics WriterWASHINGTON (AP) — An inflation gauge closely watched by the Federal Reserve rose slightly last month, the latest sign that some consumer prices remain stubbornly elevated, even as inflation is cooling in fits and starts.Friday’s report from the Commerce Department showed that consumer prices rose 2.6% in December from a year earlier, up from a 2.4% annual pace in November and the third straight increase. Excluding the volatile food and energy categories, prices increased 2.8% compared with a year ago, the same as in November and October.The figures arrive just two days after Federal…

By LAURAN NEERGAARD and MIKE STOBBE, Associated Press Medical WritersWASHINGTON (AP) — The man who hopes to be President Donald Trump’s health secretary repeatedly asked to see “data” or “science” showing vaccines are safe – but when an influential Republican senator did so, he dismissed it.Robert F. Kennedy Jr. spent two days this week insisting to senators that he’s not anti-vaccine. He said that he instead supports vaccinations and will follow the science in overseeing the $1.7 trillion Department of Health and Human Services, which, among other duties, oversees vaccine research, approval and recommendations.But Kennedy repeatedly refused to acknowledge scientific…

CALGARY, Alberta — The Ducks’ resurgent offense ran out of steam north of the border.Matt Coronato had two goals and an assist, Dustin Wolf made 30 saves and the Calgary Flames beat the Ducks, 4-1, on Thursday night, ending their three-game winning streak.Coronato set up Blake Coleman’s goal that gave Calgary a 2-1 lead with 44 seconds left in the second period. Coronato doubled the lead with 3:50 left, scoring off goalie John Gibson’s turnover, then added an empty-netter with 2:23 to go.Frank Vatrano scored short-handed for his 300th NHL point and Gibson made 26 saves for the Ducks (21-24-6),…

LOS ANGELES — In the thick of a sporadic Big Ten schedule, UCLA men’s basketball coach Mick Cronin said he feared for his team’s emotional gas tank. So, Tuesday, after the Bruins beat rival USC on the road the night before, he gave his players a mental rest day. No contact practice. No opponent scouting report.“As a coach,” Cronin said Wednesday, “you got to try to assess when you think they’re on overload.”Indeed, Cronin’s fingers were on the pulse. The Bruins rewarded their coach with their fifth consecutive win and arguably their best performance of the season in a 78-52…

LOS ANGELES — It grew impossible to conceal her body language, the sheer frustration radiating off of JuJu Watkins as the clock ticked toward the halftime buzzer. She smacked her hands together, walking back on defense. She held her hands up in a sort of self-prayer, walking back up on offense. She muttered at herself.Yet another baseline jumper clanked off the iron, a few seconds before the half, and Watkins exited the court shaking her head and despondently tapping her teammates’ hands. Her shoulders drooped, under the weight of a near-incomprehensible start. This was, simply, an out-of-body experience. Not the…

LOS ANGELES — The Dodgers have added Kirby Yates to a bullpen that might be the best in baseball.More than a week after the team and the free-agent reliever reached agreement on a contract, Yates passed his physical and was officially added to the Dodgers’ roster. In order to clear a spot on the 40-man roster, the Dodgers designated Ryan Brasier for assignment.The 37-year-old Yates will make $13 million on a one-year deal with the Dodgers. The right-hander can make an additional $500,000 each for 50 and 55 appearances.After bouncing around with a 4.02 career ERA for four teams (the…

Expected claims payments to Los Angeles County wildfire victims appear to have exceeded $900 million for the state’s insurers of the last resort, allowing it to tap into “reinsurance” payments from back-up providers.In a statement released Thursday, Jan. 30, the California FAIR Plan reported receiving more than 4,400 claims from victims of the Palisades and Eaton fires in the past three weeks.“The FAIR Plan is accessing reinsurance to help pay claims,” ​​the statement said.In earlier statements, the FAIR Plan said it can only tap into reinsurance — essentially insurance for insurance companies — once it pays its first $900 million…

By ERIK ERLENDSSON The Associated PressTAMPA, Fla. — A two-game visit to the sunshine state didn’t brighten the outlook for the Kings’ goal-starved offense.Andrei Vasilevskiy stopped 28 shots, Brandon Hagel had two goals and an assist and the Tampa Bay Lightning beat the Kings, 3-0, on Thursday night, handing the visitors their second straight shutout loss and their fourth consecutive defeat overall.Anthony Cirelli scored his fourth short-handed goal of the season for the Lightning. The shutout was Vasilevskiy’s second this season and 37th of his career.David Rittich finished with 30 saves for the Kings, who have lost eight of their…