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The Exorcist: Believer— Possessed by Dollar Signs

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:55:41 GMT

After four dreary sequels, it’s about time someone put an end to the Exorcist franchise. The series kicked off with a delightful nightmare that turned heads around the country, but then came a string of misfires that weren’t so much scary as terrifyingly silly, which seems to be a common theme amongst horror classics. You thought Texas Chainsaw Massacre was spooky? Here comes four more installments that are far less effective. Director David Gordon Green tries to hide this franchise’s sequel/reboot skeletons in the closet with The Exorcist: Believer, but he ends up adding one more corpse to a mountainous pile.The film is a textbook example of how studios continue to churn out worthless reboots, taking game changers and stretching them into legacy sequels that bare none of the qualities that made the first entry a success. It doesn’t matter if the camera doesn’t glide, if the mood doesn’t chill or the art-house sensibilities are gone, as long as au...

Ousted McCarthy positions himself as leader of riven GOP

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:55:41 GMT

By Lisa Mascaro and Kevin Freking | Associated PressWASHINGTON — Republicans have no clear idea who to elect U.S. House speaker, leaving an unprecedented power vacuum in Congress and severely limiting America’s ability to quickly respond to the crisis in Israel — or any number of other problems at home or abroad.On Monday, the ousted former speaker, Kevin McCarthy, quickly jumped into the void, bitterly criticizing President Joe Biden’s administration over the strength of its defense of Israel and positioning himself as a de facto Republican leader even though his colleagues toppled him from power.But it’s not at all clear if McCarthy could seriously make a comeback — or if any other Republicans seeking the gavel, Steve Scalise or Jim Jordan — can be elected speaker as their majority dissembles into infighting. House Republicans are scheduled to meet behind closed doors Monday evening to try to regain control of their majority ahead of possible speaker votes this w...

Kaiser chops jobs in two East Bay cities and in Southern California

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:55:41 GMT

PLEASANTON — Kaiser Foundation Hospitals has disclosed plans to trim scores of California jobs, most of them in the Bay Area, according to official filings with state labor officials.The healthcare titan revealed that it plans to eliminate 49 jobs in California, the filings with the state Employment Development Department show.The Bay Area layoffs include a loss of 28 Bay Area jobs, all in the East Bay, according to the WARN notices.The job cuts were disclosed at a time when Kaiser is enmeshed in negotiations with employees on an array of labor issues. The unionized employees recently concluded a three-day strike an an array of Kaiser facilities.This news organization reached out to Kaiser to request a comment from the healthcare provider regarding the situation.The healthcare services provider disclosed plans to eliminate 21 jobs in Pleasanton, where Kaiser operates a large series of operations; and another seven jobs in downtown Oakland, which is home to Kaiser’s headq...

7 injured in Cable Car accident at Washington and Taylor

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:55:41 GMT

SAN FRANCISCO (KRON) -- A cable car was involved in a traffic accident at Washington Street and Taylor Street, according to a tweet from San Francisco Supervisor Aaron Peskin. Seven people were injured in the incident, according to the San Francisco Fire Department.People are being advised to avoid the area and emergency crews are on the scene, according to the San Francisco Department of Emergency Management. Bay Area restaurants imposing ‘vomit fee’ on Sunday brunch-goers Traffic delays are expected and people are being advised to allow for additional travel time and consider alternate routes.Six of those who were injured were transported to the hospital, according to officials. Injuries were described as minor.This is a developing story. Check back for updates.

California bans term 'excited delirium' as a cause of death

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:55:41 GMT

SAN FRANCISCO (KRON) -- Governor Gavin Newsom signed a flurry of bills into law over the weekend, including one bill spurred by the death of a Navy veteran in Antioch.Veteran Angelo Quinto's death motivated Assemblyman Mike Gipson (D-Carson) to author AB 360, banning the controversial term "excited delirium.""This issue was brought to my attention through very tragic circumstances. In 2020, Angelo Quinto, a Filipino-American Navy Veteran dealing with a mental health crisis, stopped breathing while two police officers knelt on his back and neck. Mr. Quinto’s official cause of death was determined to be excited delirium," Gipson said. "That is absolutely absurd." As a new law, California's coroners can no longer use the term as a cause of death in autopsy reports, and law enforcement agencies cannot utilize it in incident reports to explain why a suspect died. Navy veteran Angelo Quinto (Photo courtesy Isabella Collins via AP)Gipson's office wrote, "Assembly Bill 360 (bans) the term '...

Armed robbery suspects who pistol whipped victim wanted by Redwood City PD

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:55:41 GMT

(KRON) -- Two suspects who allegedly pistol whipped a victim during an armed robbery Sunday are wanted by the Redwood City Police Department, according to an alert issued Monday. Around 2:15 p.m. Sunday, Redwood City PD officers were dispatched to the Food Stop Market at 1300 Arguello on a report of armed robbery.According to police, the victim, a lone male, told officers two masked suspects approached him on foot and brandished handguns. One of the suspects pistol whipped the victim twice in the head and then forcibly removed his gold chain and bracelet. Bay Area restaurants imposing ‘vomit fee’ on Sunday brunch-goers The two suspects then reportedly joined a get-away driver and fled west on Whipple Avenue in a gray Nissan Altima with Arizona plates.The suspects were described as two men. One was wearing a gray hoodie and had a silver handgun, the other had a black hoodie and a black handgun, according to police.The victim suffered only minor injuries and declined further medical...

Biden Doubled Down on the Abraham Accords — to “Devastating Consequences”

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:55:41 GMT

U.S. President Joe Biden, with Secretary of State Antony Blinken, addresses the attacks in Israel, in Washington, D.C., on Oct. 7, 2023.AFP via Getty ImagesThe recent explosion of violence in and around the Gaza Strip, triggered by a Hamas assault that killed hundreds of Israelis, including scores of civilians, has drawn the U.S. back into a region from which the Biden administration has spent years trying to pivot away from. The U.S. has reportedly begun to move naval assets into the Mediterranean to provide support for Israel’s military operation against Gaza, a full-scale invasion that will likely take weeks, if not longer, to complete.The new outbreak of intense violence represents a total failure of the Biden administration’s Middle East policy. The administration has centered its regional policy on the expansion of the “Abraham Accords,” a set of diplomatic normalization agreements between Israel and regional Arab countries. It is an effort in which President Joe Biden has su...

Rams gutted the roster and promoted from within. At 2-3, they need more from their homegrown talent

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:55:41 GMT

LOS ANGELES (AP) — After five games, the Los Angeles Rams don’t look much better or much worse than most people predicted after their eventful offseason of roster-stripping and reconstruction.The Rams (2-3) have several very good players, but they have far more average players. Record-setting rookie receiver Puka Nacua is tops among a few young players showing they’re ready for the prominent roles they’ve been given, but even more youngsters just aren’t there yet.With the missed opportunities of the Rams’ 23-14 loss to unbeaten Philadelphia still fresh, Los Angeles coach Sean McVay vowed to get more out of his revamped team more quickly.“I know they’re capable of making those plays,” McVay said Sunday. “I’m excited about going back to work with these guys and figuring out how we can continue to demonstrate the resilience, the response that’s in alignment with what we want.”McVay welcomed the challenge of rebuilding the Rams after they gutted the injury-...

Seattle Kraken begin Year 3 knowing they no longer can catch the NHL by surprise

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:55:41 GMT

SEATTLE (AP) — Ron Francis knows how important last season was for the present and future of the Seattle Kraken.Seattle found success on the ice by making the playoffs in just its second season. The Kraken developed a footing in a crowded sports marketplace where the hockey team became the focal point during an unexpected playoff run. And by doing so, the team turned the novelty of being the newest NHL franchise into the reality of being a solid team worthy of respect around the league.Now, they have to do it again and prove the second-year version of the Kraken is the one the NHL can expect to see with regularity.“We’re not going to surprise anybody. I think they understand that we’re for real,” said Francis, the Kraken’s general manager. “So it’s a tough leap. We hopefully can pick up and do what we did last year. I think our guys are hungry to do that.”The process begins for Seattle on Tuesday night in its season-opening game at Vegas. The Kraken will be out to ruin the evening f...

Jets offensive lineman Alijah Vera-Tucker out for the season with a torn Achilles tendon

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:55:41 GMT

New York Jets offensive lineman Alijah Vera-Tucker has a torn Achilles tendon that will sideline him for the rest of the season.Coach Robert Saleh announced Monday that an MRI revealed the nature of the injury, which occurred in the second quarter of New York’s 31-21 victory at Denver on Sunday. It’s the same field where Vera-Tucker suffered a season-ending torn triceps a year ago.“Second year in a row and we’re all kind of surprised because he played a play on it and walked off on his own power, he walked to the locker room on his own power,” Saleh said. “So we were pretty optimistic that that part of it was going to be OK.”The Jets announced during the game that Vera-Tucker had a calf injury, but Saleh said afterward there was “concern” it could be serious.Vera-Tucker has been arguably the Jets’ best offensive lineman and their most versatile. He started the first two games at right guard before sliding over to right tackle. Vera-Tucker, a 2021 first-round ...