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Public service is supposed to be about duty, not luxury. Yet Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem just signed off on the purchase of two Gulfstream G700s, luxury aircraft worth a combined $170 million. The Coast Guard had requested one replacement plane for an aging jet used for official travel. Somewhere along the way, that single, practical request turned into a pair of top-of-the-line aircraft awarded through a no-bid contract, without a clear explanation or a shred of humility. Secretary Noem says the planes are necessary for the mission of the Coast Guard, but that is not what the record shows.…

By JOSH FUNK, Associated Press The ongoing government shutdown continues to disrupt flights at times and put pressure on air traffic controllers who are working without pay. Flights were delayed Thursday at New York’s LaGuardia Airport, New Jersey’s Newark airport and Washington’s Reagan National Airport because of air traffic controller shortages. The number of flight delays for any reason nationwide spiked to 6,158 Thursday after hovering around 4,000 a day earlier in the week, according to FlightAware.com. Many Federal Aviation Administration facilities are so critically short on controllers that just a few absences can cause disruptions, and Transportation Secretary Sean…

With federal immigration agents continuing to roam neighborhoods in California, and multiple instances where U.S. citizens have alleged they were mistakenly or wrongfully detained, some voters say they have apprehension about casting their ballot in person during the special election on redistricting. For Latinos and others whose communities have been targeted by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement personnel in recent months, the fear of running into ICE agents — even if they are in the country legally — is real. According to a poll commissioned by the California-based Latino Community Foundation, 66% of the 1,200 registered Latino voters in California…

By WYATTE GRANTHAM-PHILIPS, Associated Press NEW YORK (AP) — The stunning indictment that led to the arrest of more than 30 people, including Miami Heat guard Terry Rozier and other NBA figures, on charges of illegal sports betting has drawn new scrutiny of the booming business of professional sports gambling across the U.S. Since widespread legalization, the multibillion-dollar industry has made it easy to place wagers on everything from the outcome of games to that of a single play with just a few taps of a cellphone. It’s just about impossible to go to a basketball, football, baseball or other…

SACRAMENTO — The upset is palpable. News reports that the Trump administration is planning to cut state grants to build permanent housing for homeless people has led state officials and homeless activists to claim that the likely decision will send thousands of people back on the streets just as California is turning the corner on this massive problem. The usually levelheaded CalMatters reported that the expected deep cuts are the “latest blow in a seemingly endless barrage of bad news for the California agencies tasked with fighting homelessness.” The “news has sent counties throughout California into a panic” and they…

By SAM McNEIL, Associated Press BRUSSELS (AP) — The European Union on Friday said Meta and TitTok had breached their transparency obligations after an investigation that could result in billions of dollars in fines. The inquiry found both companies had violated the Digital Services Act, the EU’s trailblazing digital rule book that imposes a set of strict requirements designed to keep internet users safe online, including making it easier to report counterfeit or unsafe goods or flag harmful or illegal content like hate speech, as well as a ban on ads targeted at children. “We are making sure platforms are…

It’s hard to judge the proper pay and bonus structures for various organizations, but the public does have a right — maybe even a duty — to object when their tax dollars are used in irresponsible ways to placate the demands of public-sector unions. The California State University is funded in a variety of ways including tuition and philanthropic support, but the state provides more than half of its support to the “people’s” university system. And its recently announced decision to fund hefty bonuses to faculty and staff should raise the hackles of every fiscally prudent Californian. As CalMatters reported,…

By Rick VanderKnyff, NerdWallet Many of us live paycheck to paycheck, as a wide range of surveys confirm. So when those paychecks suddenly stop coming, because of a layoff or other unforeseen event, the effect can be profound and immediate. How do you pay for the basics — food, shelter, child care and more — with no money coming in, especially if you haven’t been able to build an adequate emergency fund? Virtually all of the nation’s nearly 3 million federal workers are facing life without pay for the foreseeable future as the federal government shutdown (which began Oct. 1)…

Q: Honk: A reader recently told you about Bluetooth dropouts along the 405 Freeway near Beach Boulevard. Exactly the same thing happens to me when I drive in that area. I listen to Apple Carplay for music, and there’s always a dropout as I pass Beach. Every time. It reconnects quickly, but your reader is not alone. I stopped at Old World Village yesterday to pick up some Oktoberfest food, and Carplay stopped working as I was exiting. –  Frank Parth, Mission Viejo A: Villa Park’s James Nissenberg brought the problem to the attention of Honk, and two weeks ago…

By WILL WEISSERT, Associated Press WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump announced he’s ending “all trade negotiations” with Canada because of a television ad opposing U.S. tariffs that he said misstated the facts and called “egregious behavior” aimed at influencing U.S. court decisions. The post on Trump’s social media site came Thursday night after Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney said he aims to double his country’s exports to countries outside the U.S. because of the threat posed by Trump’s tariffs. Trump’s call for an abrupt end to negotiations could further inflame trade tensions that already have been building between the two neighboring countries for…