California

California Gov. Gavin Newsom signed laws Wednesday aimed at protecting workers from the threats of artificial intelligence, including potential job losses and workplace surveillance. He also signed an executive order to require state agencies to continue to refer to the technology as "artificial intelligence" instead of the term " super intelligence " President Donald Trump recently ordered US diplomats to use. "AI should expand opportunity - not come at the expense of workers and families," the Democratic governor said in a statement. "As this technology reshapes the workplace, California is putting people at the centre." Newsom sharply criticised Trump at an hourlong event with reporters Wednesday for not passing comprehensive federal AI regulations at a time when industry leaders are warning about the technology's risks. Trump said Tuesday that top tech leaders signed a voluntary accord to "self-police" AI development. The governor signed a law this month requiring operators of

Lawyers for Tesla and the California Civil Rights Department will square off in Oakland before state Superior Court ‌Judge Peter Borkon, who has scheduled the trial to run ​until October 30

Paramount is headquartered in New York, but has substantial operations in Los Angeles

The talks are preliminary, ​and there is no assurance that they will lead to meaningful negotiations toward a settlement

In New York, Mayor Zohran Mamdani has proposed a 2 per cent income tax increase for those earning over $1 million, and passed a property surcharge tax on second homes

India accounts for an average 12 per cent of employees at California-headquartered tech unicorns, second only to California, according to Stanford University research

Paramount on Friday agreed to delay closing its USD 81 billion buyout of Warner Bros Discovery well into next year, as a judge continues to consider a challenge from 12 states seeking to block the deal altogether. In a court filing, Paramount said it wouldn't close the merger until either a court ruling is made on the merits of the states' lawsuit or June 1, 2027. The move arrives just days after US District Judge Araceli Martinez-Olguin granted a temporary restraining order to freeze the transaction for several weeks, ruling that the states had raised some "serious questions" and a strong case about the merger's potential to "substantially lessen competition." Paramount called Friday's agreement a "significant win because the result is exactly what we have sought from the outset: a direct path to a trial based on the evidence." The company, which was bought by Skydance just last year, added that this was the "fastest and clearest way" to prove its merger was good for competition an

A federal judge on Monday ordered Paramount and Warner Bros Discovery to halt their USD 81 billion merger for at least two weeks, allowing states that are challenging the deal more time to see their case through in court. Twelve states, led by California, sued to block Paramount's pending buyout of Warner last week - alleging that such a combination would "extinguish competition" in Hollywood and lead to fewer choices for consumers, particularly moviegoers and cable customers across the US. The states' top prosecutors called on Warner and Paramount to not close the transaction until after a court had time to "fully evaluate" their claims. And when the companies refused, they filed for a temporary restraining order - which is what District Judge Araceli Martinez-Olguin granted on Monday. That opens the door to a potential preliminary injunction that the states are also seeking to effectively block the deal.

The spending plan for the fiscal year that begins July 1 is Newsom's last as governor and comes as state finances are buoyed by an artificial intelligence boom fueled by home-state companies

A B-52 bomber crashed shortly after takeoff at a US Air Force base in Southern California's Mojave Desert and burst into flames, killing all eight people aboard, military officials said. Aerial footage showed virtually nothing left of the aircraft that went down around 11:20 am Monday during a routine test mission at Edwards Air Force Base, which is north of Los Angeles. Black smoke rose from a large swath of charred desert near the runway on the base, with emergency vehicles nearby. Those on board included government contractors and uniformed military. After reviewing footage of the crash, it was determined that no one could have survived, Col James Hayes, the deputy commander for the 412 test wing at Edwards, said at a news conference. "We lost eight great Americans," Hayes said, adding that officials were working to notify their families. It was not immediately clear what caused the crash, and it could take up to six months to complete an investigation, Hayes said, but shared t

A 44-year-old Indian-American man was arrested in California for allegedly defrauding a bank of nearly USD 100 million by manipulating title records of insurance policies. Mahender Makhijani has been living in the US on a Green Card and faces a maximum sentence of 30 years in prison if convicted. "Mahender Makhijani, a lawful permanent resident from India living in Corona del Mar, was arrested this (Wednesday) morning on a federal criminal complaint charging him with defrauding a bank out of nearly USD 100 million," Bilal Essayli, First Assistant US Attorney for the Central District of California, said. As alleged, Makhijani falsified title insurance records, concealed true lien positions, and used a network of shell companies to mislead a federally insured bank out of nearly USD 100 million," said Darren Lian, Acting Special Agent in Charge, IRS Criminal Investigation's Los Angeles Field Office. In a statement on Wednesday, Essayli said the arrest highlighted his office's continue

A former Southern California mayor pleaded guilty on Friday to acting as an illegal agent of the Chinese government. Eileen Wang, who stepped down as the mayor of Arcadia earlier this month, was charged in April with one count of acting in the United States as an illegal agent of a foreign government. She pleaded guilty to doing the bidding of Chinese officials by sharing articles favourable to Beijing, without prior notification to the US government as required by law. The 56-year-old was elected in November 2022 to a five-person city council, from which the mayor is selected on a rotating basis. Federal prosecutors say Wang's illegal conduct occurred from late 2020 to 2022. Arcadia city officials and Wang's attorneys have said it ended before she took office. Arcadia is located about 13 miles (21 kilometres) northeast of Los Angeles. The city of about 53,000 is majority Asian and has a high concentration of Chinese residents. Wang appeared in downtown LA federal court to enter he

Authorities scrambled to find a safe resolution as a damaged tank at a Southern California aerospace facility containing a hazardous chemical used to make plastic parts prompted an evacuation order affecting thousands of residents. The storage tank at GKN Aerospace with about 22,713 to 26,498 litres of methyl methacrylate overheated last week and began leaking vapours into the air around Garden Grove, a city in Orange County. Officials said over the weekend the tank could leak all the chemical or even explode if it overheats. No injuries have been reported, but more than 50,000 residents were under an evacuation order over the Memorial Day weekend. Firefighters sprayed the tank with water in an effort to cool the chemicals heating up inside. Why is this chemical dangerous? ------------------------------------ Methyl methacrylate is a flammable, colourless liquid used in the production of resins, plastics and plastic dentures and is a hazardous substance regulated by the federal ..

A Southern California mayor has agreed to plead guilty to acting as an illegal agent for the Chinese government, and has resigned from her city position, officials said Monday. Eileen Wang, the mayor of Arcadia, was charged in April with one count of acting in the United States as an illegal agent of a foreign government. She was accused of doing the bidding of Chinese officials, such as sharing articles favourable to Beijing, without prior notification to the US government as required by law. The 58-year-old was elected in November 2022 to a five-person city council, from which the mayor is selected on a rotating basis. City manager Dominic Lazzaretto said in a news release that no city finances or staff were involved. "We want to be clear: this investigation concerns individual conduct, and the charges are for conduct that ceased after Ms. Wang was sworn into office in December 2022," he said. Federal officials said she has agreed to plead guilty to the felony, which comes with

Seed round led by Bessemer backs MeltPlan's AI 'planning engine' to optimise preconstruction decisions across code, cost, schedule and value systems

The Karnataka government has requested the Ministry of External Affairs to extend all necessary assistance, coordinate with local law enforcement, and provide support to the family of a 22-year-old Indian postgraduate student who has gone missing in the US state of California. Saketh Sreenivasaiah, a student at the University of California, Berkeley, hailing from Karnataka, has been reported missing in Berkeley, California, since the morning of February 12, it said. In a letter to Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri, Karnataka Chief Secretary Shalini Rajneesh said Saketh is currently enrolled in the Master of Science program at the University of California, Berkeley. According to information received from his family and housemates, his whereabouts remain unknown despite a formal complaint being lodged with the Berkeley Police Department, the letter dated February 13 stated. Given the gravity of the situation and the mounting anxiety of his family residing in the state, she requested the

The Google founders' shrinking connections to California underscore the impact of a potential ballot measure that would affect the state's wealthiest residents

Originally planned for completion by 2020 at a cost of $33 billion, the project is now forecast to cost between $89 billion and $128 billion, with service now expected to start by 2033

The lawsuit challenges the cancellation of over 20,000 commercial driving licences issued to immigrant truck drivers in California, alleging discrimination and a lack of due process

A powerful winter storm swept across California on Wednesday, with heavy rain and gusty winds leading to evacuation warnings for mudslides in the south, bringing near white-out snow conditions in the mountains and hazardous travel for millions of holiday drivers. Forecasters said Southern California could see its wettest Christmas in years and warned about flash flooding and mudslides. Areas scorched by January's wildfires were under evacuation warnings, and Los Angeles County officials said Tuesday they were going door to door to about 380 especially vulnerable homes to order residents to evacuate. The San Bernardino County Sheriff's Department also issued an evacuation warning Wednesday morning for the community of Wrightwood, a mountain resort town in the San Gabriel Mountains about 80 miles (130 kilometres) northeast of Los Angeles, due to potential mud and debris flows from the storm. Debris and mud were seen rushing down the road leading into Wrightwood in a social media video