The Justice Department said Southern California Edison has agreed to pay the federal government $80 million to recoup expenses caused by the 2017 Thomas Fire. Federal officials are calling it a “record” settlement, one that would compensate taxpayers for the costs of fighting the fire and damage to public lands. Exactly how this compensates taxpayers is yet to be seen.

The application to renew Patrick Berry’s license as a general manager of the Ventura poker card club was rejected by the California Gambling Control Commission. This means he can no longer act as a supervisor for the card room. The card room operates 19 tables for card games. The business license was renewed for another two years.

The card room opened on Ventura Ave. in 1943 and later opened in the Ventura Auto Center and then to the fairgrounds. It is one of the city’s largest taxpayers.

An FBI informant charged with lying to investigators about a fictitious bribery scheme involving President Joe Biden, his son Hunter and a Ukrainian energy company, has had contact with foreign intelligence services, including Russian intelligence agencies.

Smirnov was indicted last week on charges he lied to the FBI, falsely telling them that executives with now-defunct Ukrainian energy company Burisma had paid Hunter and Joe Biden $5 million each in bribes. He is being held in jail because he could be a flight risk. So, Biden will need to be impeached on some other charges.

I find this a little unbelievable. A new Alabama court decision that embryos created during the IVF process are “extrauterine children” and legally protected like any other child. IVF advocates say the ruling by the Alabama Supreme Court could have far-reaching consequences for millions of Americans struggling to get pregnant, especially those living in states with “personhood” laws granting legal status to unborn children.

The court’s ruling repeatedly invoked Christian faith and the Alabama constitution, which specifically protects unborn children, although that has typically been referred to a developing baby inside a womb. IVF advocates have been warning for several years that such decisions were a potential repercussion of the U.S. Supreme Court’s 2022 decision to overturn Roe vs. Wade and permit states to ban abortions.

What I find hypocritical about this is that when an unwed poor mother has a child (because she can’t get an abortion) and needs welfare the same people complain about this becoming a welfare state. And why don’t they complain about capital punishment that only has one purpose which is to kill.

Will be interesting when working robots form their first organized union (probably part of auto workers because lots of them are working on cars). Just imagine that you tell your robot to get you a beer and it says, “This is Sunday, and I don’t work on Sunday’s – it is against my religion “Robotism.”

The Federal Communications Commission is coming to the rescue and has outlawed automated robocalls that contain voices generated by artificial intelligence, a decision that sends a clear message that exploiting the technology to scam people and mislead voters won’t be tolerated. The question is, how do they know they are robocalls?

Greece has become the first Orthodox Christian country to legalize same-sex civil marriage, despite opposition from the influential, socially conservative Greek Church. A cross-party majority of 176 lawmakers in the 300-seat parliament voted in favor of the landmark bill drafted by Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis’ center-right government. Good for them.

Just when I thought he couldn’t be more embarrassing for America, Trump unveiled a new line of shoes at Sneaker Con. The shoes, shiny gold high tops with an American flag detail on the back, are being sold as “Never Surrender High-Tops” for $399 on a new website that also sells other Trump-branded shoes and “Victory47” cologne and perfume for $99 a bottle. Is he that desperate for money? Does he think he is Michael Jordon. I’m sure the rumor that, if elected, he would paint the White House gold and try to sell it is not true.