News of the World

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Thousands without power after earthquake rattles northern California

A strong 6.4-magnitude earthquake off the coast of northern California on Tuesday injured two people, damaged a bridge and several roads and left thousands of homes and businesses without power.

The earthquake 215 miles (350 km) north of San Francisco caused gas leaks, downed power lines and set one building on fire, which was quickly extinguished, and caused two other buildings to collapse, according to the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection. The department fielded 70 emergency calls after the quake struck at 2:34 a.m. (1034 GMT), including one report of a person left trapped who needed rescuing, according to spokesperson Tran Beyea.

Two people were injured near the quake's epicenter in Humboldt County, where widespread damage to roads and homes was reported, the sheriff's office said. One of those injured was a child with a head injury and the other an older person with a broken hip, according to local media citing the sheriff's office.

It is unclear if the earthquake caused any deaths.
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Some 79,000 homes and businesses were without power in Ferndale and surrounding Humboldt County, according to the electric grid tracking website PowerOutage.us.

PG&E crews were out assessing the utility's gas and electric system for any damage and hazards, which could take several days, company spokesperson Karly Hernandez said.

Supreme Court Pauses Expiration of Title 42

The U.S. Supreme Court has agreed to pause the expiration of Title 42 after 19 states filed an emergency application for a stay.

Chief Justice John Roberts has temporarily stayed a lower court’s decision that would lift Title 42 on Wednesday. He called for an “administrative stay” that puts the order on hold while the justices consider the multistate request.

Earlier on Monday, Arizona, Louisiana, Texas, and 16 other GOP-led filed an emergency application urging the SCOTUS to reverse the lower court’s decision to strike down Title 42.
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On Friday, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia denied the motion to intervene.

Now, the coalition cited there would be “irreparable harm absent a stay.”
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“The likelihood of irreparable harm to the States is underscored by the fact that DHS has requested $3-4 billion in emergency funding to deal with the imminent calamity that the district court’s decision will occasion,” the document continued.

According to preliminary Customs and Border Protection data provided to The Epoch Times, from Dec. 1 through Dec. 19, the border’s two busiest sectors—El Paso and Del Rio in Texas—counted 70,288 illegal alien apprehensions and an additional 28,913 who evaded arrest.

Judge Rules 2 of Kari Lake’s Election Lawsuit Claims Can Go to Trial

A Maricopa County, Arizona judge ruled that two out of 10 claims brought by GOP gubernatorial candidate that challenges Gov.-elect Katie Hobbs’ election win can go to trial.

Maricopa County Superior Judge Peter Thompson dismissed (pdf) the eight other claims in Lake’s lawsuit, ruling they didn’t meet the criteria to bring election challenges under state law. Filed earlier this month, Lake’s suit asked the judge to either declare her the victor or hold another vote in Maricopa County.

Lake’s remaining claims alleging intentional interference with ballot printers and chain-of-custody problems will be heard later this week. The parties will meet on Tuesday to allow Lake’s team to inspect a small sample of Maricopa County ballots.
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The judge dismissed a number of claims, including Lake’s assertion that Hobbs, in her capacity as secretary of state, and Maricopa County Recorder Stephen Richer engaged in censorship by targeting social media posts for possible removal by Twitter.

But Hobbs, according to the judge, could be called to testify in her capacity as Arizona’s secretary of state, a position she currently holds. Earlier in the week, lawyers Hobbs submitted a motion to quash attempts to testify in her official capacity.

Jan. 6 Panel Votes to Refer Trump for Criminal Charges

A U.S. House of Representatives panel on Dec. 19 voted to refer former President Donald Trump for criminal charges, including a charge that would, if a conviction is secured, bar him from becoming president again.

Members of the select committee to investigate the Jan. 6, 2021, breach of the U.S. Capitol cast votes for the four referrals during a hearing in Washington. They unanimously voted to refer insurrection, obstruction of an official proceeding, making a false statement to the federal government, and conspiracy to defraud the federal government to the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ), where prosecutors will ultimately determine whether to act on the recommendations.
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“I DID NOTHING WRONG!” Trump said in a statement on Truth Social.
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U.S. law bars insurrection, with the code stating that “whoever incites, sets on foot, assists, or engages in any rebellion or insurrection against the authority of the United States or the laws thereof, or gives aid or comfort thereto, shall be fined under this title or imprisoned not more than ten years, or both; and shall be incapable of holding any office under the United States.”

One law bars obstruction of official proceedings, starting in part that a person may not “corruptly, or by threats or force, or by any threatening letter or communication influences, obstructs, or impedes or endeavors to influence, obstruct, or impede the due and proper administration of the law” by Congress.

A third statute forbids people from conspiring to defraud the United States. The code was defined by a Supreme Court justice as “primarily to cheat the Government out of property or money, but it also means to interfere with or obstruct one of its lawful governmental functions by deceit, craft or trickery, or at least by means that are dishonest.”