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LOS ANGELES — The only time his legs found a seat last weekend in Champaign, Illinois, was for 60 measly seconds, and USC forward Saint Thomas found himself laboring amid USC’s upset bid. He’d played the most minutes of anyone in a Trojans jersey. And midgame, naturally, he asked head coach Eric Musselman for a break.Denied.“He said if I wanna be an NBA player,” Thomas after USC’s win over Iowa on Tuesday, “I gotta suck it up.”Teammate Desmond Claude grinned next to him, USC’s point guard having just played every single second in defeating the Hawkeyes.“Shoot,” Claude smirked, speaking of…

By ALAN SUDERMAN, Associated PressWASHINGTON (AP) — The price of bitcoin topped $100,000 again early Friday as a pumped up cryptocurrency industry expects early action by Donald Trump when he’s sworn in as president next week.Once a skeptic who said a few years ago that bitcoin “ seems like a scam,” Trump has embraced digital currencies with a convert’s zeal. He’s launched a new cryptocurrency venture and vowed on the campaign trail to take steps early in his presidency to make the U.S. into the “crypto capital” of the world.His promises including creating a U.S. crypto stockpile, enacting industry-friendly regulation…

MOSS LANDING — A major fire at a lithium battery storage plant flared up again early Friday afternoon after authorities said it smoldered most of the morning.The blaze continued to send smoke over the community of Moss Landing and the Elkhorn Slough area in northern Monterey County Friday, but firefighters sounded a note of optimism.Chief Joel Mendoza of the North County Fire Protection District said at a Friday morning press conference that the fire, which forced evacuations around the facility, had died down significantly by 8:30 a.m., down from its peak about 12 hours earlier.“I’m happy to announce at this…

The January 20, 2025 presidential inauguration is the 60th. The theme for Trump’s inauguration is “Our Enduring Democracy: A Constitutional Promise.”Trump’s inaugural committee said, “Throughout its history, the nation has been tested and has persevered because of the sacred American principles rooted in our founding documents. The Inaugural Ceremonies, a tradition since 1789, embodies the principles expressed by the Founders in 1776 and symbolizes our continuing commitment to these ideals. When we gather for the 60th Presidential Inauguration, we will honor the Constitution’s promise to preserve liberty through a stable, enduring democracy for generations to come.”Officials have said they are…

LOS ANGELES — The Rams wrapped up their short week of practices Friday ahead of Sunday’s divisional-round matchup with the Philadelphia Eagles. Short because of the Monday night win over Minnesota, and short because of a coach’s decision not to practice Wednesday.Sean McVay leaned on his experience from the last time the Rams won in the wild-card round, three years ago. That game too was on a Monday, and the Rams opted to give their players a day off and coaches an extra day to game plan before practicing twice.And given how the Rams would go on to win that…

By Matt Day | BloombergAmazon.com is pausing all commercial drone deliveries after two of its latest models crashed in rainy weather at a testing facility.The company said Friday it was immediately suspending drone deliveries in Texas and Arizona to fix the aircraft’s software. It’s the latest setback for a program inching toward widespread commercial service more than 11 years after Amazon founder Jeff Bezos announced an initiative to build drones capable of delivering products to customers in less than half an hour.In a previously unreported December incident, two MK30 drones crashed during flights at the Pendleton, Oregon, airport Amazon uses…

A 36-year-old Corona resident was arrested on Wednesday, Jan. 15, a day after police say he fired a shot at another motorist following a traffic collision. The confrontation happened on Jan. 14 on Promenade Avenue. The victim said a white Nissan Pathfinder drove into the bicycle lane and sideswiped his car. “When the victim pulled alongside the Nissan to confront the driver, the suspect lowered his window and pointed a handgun at him,” Corona police said in a Facebook post. “Fearing for his safety, the victim immediately drove away and lost sight of the suspect vehicle. Upon meeting with officers,…

Renters who have taken in people displaced by the Los Angeles wildfires now have some eviction protections due to a new executive order.The new order, from Gov. Gavin Newsom on Friday, Jan. 17, prohibits landlords from evicting tenants who violate an occupancy provision of their lease because they are sheltering at least one person due to the ongoing emergency.“At a time when so many have been suddenly displaced, we need more housing and shelter than ever,” Newsom said in a statement. “Opening your place of residence to help shelter those in need is not only encouraged and generous, but deserves…

Two of the top fighters on the planet have the opportunity to bring gold back to what is arguably the combat sports capital of the world.Lightweight champion Islam Makhachev looks to continue his reign over the 155-pound division and cement his status as the sport’s top fighter when he takes on late-notice challenger Renato Moicano in the UFC 311 main event Saturday night at Intuit Dome.One fight earlier, Makhachev’s undefeated teammate, Umar Nurmagomedov, looks to wrest the bantamweight title from 135-pound champion Merab Dvalishvili, who is riding an 11-fight winning streak.“Nervous for sure. Hard fight,” Makhachev said of his comrade’s…

By Eliyahu Kamisher, Laura Curtis and Kara Carlson | BloombergAs the smoke clears from devastating Los Angeles wildfires, efforts to clean up the affected areas are being complicated by burnt-out electric and hybrid vehicles and home-battery storage systems.Lithium batteries from Tesla Inc., along with those from other carmakers, have added to the mix of toxic materials requiring specialized removal in the wake of the fires, delaying the fire victims’ return to their properties.RELATED: What happens to all the debris after the massive wildfires? The cleanup process is a complex one“A lot of the cars in the evacuation area were lithium…