San francisco

San Francisco Not Liable for Kate Steinle Murder: Court

March 26, 2019 by www.newsweek.com Leave a Comment

The city of San Francisco cannot be held liable for failing to notify Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) or deport the seven-time felon undocumented alien who shot and killed 32-year-old Kate Steinle in 2015, a court ruled Monday.

A 9th Circuit Court of Appeals panel affirmed a Northern California district judge’s dismissal of negligence brought by the parents of Kathryn Steinle against the City and County of San Francisco after she was killed by an undocumented alien on July 1, 2015. Steinle’s murder was placed under the national spotlight by President Donald Trump and other Republicans demanding increased Southern border security and a multibillion-dollar wall project in the years following.

The appellate court as well as Republican-led backlash focused on the city of San Francisco’s so-called “sanctuary city” policies that limited cooperation with ICE and other federal immigration authorities.

The Steinle family’s May 2016 lawsuit blamed her death on San Francisco Sheriff Ross Mirkarimi for his agency’s refusal to notify ICE prior to the incident. Steinle was shot dead near San Francisco’s Pier 14 in July 2015, and the case was referenced by Trump during his 2016 Republican National Convention speech as he claimed the GOP nomination.

The three-judge panel’s ruling Monday found Sheriff Mirkarimi acted within his power after his office issued a March 2015 policy memo to San Francisco deputies that limited their cooperation with federal ICE agents. The circuit judges had concluded Mirkarimi cannot be sued for negligence in the shooting.

In January 2017, U.S. Magistrate Judge Joseph Spero dismissed the negligence claims against the city and found Sheriff Mirkarimi’s office had no legal duty to help federal immigration agents deport and detain suspect Jose Ines Garcia-Zarate a.k.a. Juan Francisco Lopez-Sanchez. He had been deported to Mexico five times prior before landing himself in a San Francisco jail on a marijuana possession charge.

“The memo, on its face, reflects a basic policy decision entitled to discretionary immunity,” U.S. Circuit Judge Mark Bennett, who is a Donald Trump appointee, wrote for the three-judge panel in Monday’s ruling.

In November 2017, Jose Ines Garcia Zarate was found not guilty of murder in Steinle’s death. The jury concluded he “did not commit a willful act in firing the gun—that it went off accidentally just as the defense contended,” according to attorney Cliff Gardner.

“A disgraceful verdict in the Kate Steinle case! No wonder the people of our Country are so angry with Illegal Immigration,” Trump tweeted in November 2017. “The Kate Steinle killer came back and back over the weakly protected Obama border, always committing crimes and being violent, and yet this info was not used in court. His exoneration is a complete travesty of justice. BUILD THE WALL!” he followed up in a December 2017 tweet .

Newsweek’s requests for comments from several Republican state officials in California have not yet been answered as of publishing Tuesday afternoon.

Who Is Kate Steinle?

December 1, 2017 by www.newsweek.com Leave a Comment

Twitter blew up after a jury found an undocumented immigrant not guilty Thursday of killing a woman in San Francisco two years ago.

On Thursday, Jose Ines Garcia Zarate, a 45-year-old Mexican national, was found not guilty of first-degree murder, second-degree murder and involuntary manslaughter for the killing of Kate Steinle as she walked on the city’s Pier 14 on July 1, 2015.

Garcia Zarate’s lawyers said the shooting was an accident. They said he shot his handgun into the ground and the bullet ricocheted and hit Steinle.

President Donald Trump was critical of the verdict and made Steinle’s death a central issue of his 2016 campaign. Trump took to Twitter Friday and blamed the justice system . “A disgraceful verdict in the Kate Steinle case! No wonder the people of our Country are so angry with Illegal Immigration,” he tweeted.

Shortly after the verdict, #BoycottSanFrancisco went viral on Twitter, with many conservatives outraged by the outcome. “When no justice can be found in the “justice system,” people will take matters into their own hands. There is only so much that Americans will tolerate. #BoycottSanFrancisco #KateSteinle,” tweeted Mark Patano.

“#BoycottSanFrancisco. Defund sanctuary cities. Deport illegal felons. Unseat politicians who care more about their wallets than the American people,” tweeted Jack Posobiec, an alt-right activist who supports Trump.

But others defended the verdict and criticized the Twitter users who were calling for a boycott of the city. “Conservatives are more outraged over 1 death caused by an illegal immigrant than 58 deaths caused by an American,” tweeted Kevin Alexander, referring to October’s mass shooting in Las Vegas, which failed to bring new gun control measures.

Many others said a boycott of San Francisco would not work, as big companies like Apple, Google and Twitter call the city their home. “The morons who are trying to #BoycottSanFrancisco because of a Jury’s verdict are idiots. You literally have to delete your Twitter account to do so. Twitter’s headquarters are there, and dozens of other major tech companies as well. Plus It’s not ‘San Francisco’s’ fault!” tweeted Brian Krassenstein.

Steinle’s murder launched a national immigration debate when Trump cited her death in calling for a crackdown on sanctuary cities that protect immigrants from federals authorities. Garcia Zarate was released from jail several months before the shooting, despite his criminal record and immigration status.

Trump supported a bill, known as “Kate’s Law,” that passed in the House in June and was based on the Steinle case. The law seeks to increase penalties and jail time for immigrants who have been deported and are captured after returning to the U.S. It has not moved forward in the Senate.

Daniel Murphy Breaks a Record With Another Postseason Homer

October 21, 2015 by www.nytimes.com Leave a Comment

Daniel Murphy hit another one.

In the top of the eighth inning at Wrigley Field on Wednesday night, Murphy blasted home run No. 7 of this postseason.

In doing so, Murphy became the first player to homer in six consecutive playoff games, breaking the record of five set by Carlos Beltran of the Houston Astros in 2004.

Murphy’s seven home runs in a single postseason put him in a four-way tie for fourth in baseball history . But those statistics are even more remarkable than they sound. Murphy has socked the homers in only 39 plate appearances. The players tied or ahead of him had 42 to 77 chances.

Even more remarkably, Murphy is not really a home run hitter, or at least he has not been until now. He did have his career high in homers this year, but the total was just 14. Most of the other players who top the postseason homer list were sluggers.

Tied for first at eight home runs are Barry Bonds with the 2002 San Francisco Giants, Beltran of the 2004 Astros and Nelson Cruz of the 2011 Texas Rangers; their regular-season homers ranged from 29 to 46. Among the players with seven, Troy Glaus of the 2002 Los Angeles Angels had 30 in the regular season, and Jayson Werth of the 2009 Philadelphia Phillies had 36.

Perhaps the most comparable player to Murphy is the other player with seven postseason homers, Melvin Upton of the 2008 Tampa Bay Rays. He had three homers in the division series against the White Sox and four in the A.L.C.S. against Boston, though he was shut out in the World Series against the Phillies. Upton had hit just nine home runs in 640 regular-season plate appearances that year.

But Upton did have a 24-homer season in his past and a 28-homer season in his future. Murphy’s top three home run totals are 14, 13 and 12. Over his career he has needed 58 plate appearances for each homer. For the playoffs, that figure is six.

To some, Murphy’s newfound power echoes Gene Tenace, the Oakland Athletics catcher, who created a stir with four home runs in the 1972 World Series, winning the Most Valuable Player Award of the series. Tenace had been a part-time player, never hitting more than seven homers in a season.

His subsequent career showed that the display had not been a fluke, as he wound up with five 20-homer seasons and 201 home runs over all.

Tenace turned 26 in October 1972 and had never had a shot as a regular starter, so the potential for upside was there. At 30, with six full-time seasons under his belt, it is unlikely that Murphy will suddenly become the next Howard Johnson or even Ed Kranepool. Using the simple Marcel forecasting system, Baseball-Reference expects Murphy to hit 11 home runs next year .

But Murphy has earned his place in baseball folklore, no matter where his career goes from here.

Ranking NFL divisions from 1-8 after big 2023 free agency moves, draft: Will NFC East be even better?

May 29, 2023 by www.cbssports.com Leave a Comment

Getty Images

The NFC East was the biggest surprise of the eight NFL divisions last season, emerging from the rank of laughingstock to having one of the best performances by a division in decades. The NFC East became the only division since the 2002 realignment — and the first division since 1997 — to get three teams into the divisional round of the playoffs.

Only the 2013 NFC West and 2007 NFC South had a better win percentage (.656) than the 2022 NFC East, but the NFC East had more total wins than either (43 to 42) thanks to the additional 17th game. The NFC East was the only division to have all four teams finish over .500.

Can any division top the NFC East in 2023, especially with all the offseason changes around the league? We won’t know until the games are played, but these offseason rankings serve as a barometer of where each division stands with most offseason moves complete as we head into the season.

1. NFC East

The best division in football got better. The Philadelphia Eagles did lose some key pieces from their defense last season, but they were able to retain Darius Slay and James Bradberry . Philadelphia also had one of the top draft classes, getting younger on defense with Jalen Carter and Nolan Smith as the Eagles revamped a defensive line that had 70 sacks last year.

While Philadelphia is the top contender to repeat in the NFC, the Dallas Cowboys also got better on offense with Brandin Cooks and defense with Stephon Gilmore . Cooks should be an excellent No. 2 wide receiver to pair with CeeDee Lamb while Gilmore and Trevon Diggs form one of the best cornerback duos in football.

The New York Giants were able to retain Daniel Jones and Saquon Barkley while improving the pass catching situation for their quarterback. They should be better after having a strong offseason, while also improving the offensive line.

Washington has another quarterback battle, but the Commanders were able to finish .500 (8-8-1) last year despite the position’s struggles. If Sam Howell is as good as the Commanders make him out to be, this is a playoff team.

The NFC East hasn’t had a repeat winner in 18 years. The Eagles are the best team, but the Cowboys will have a strong say on whether Philadelphia can repeat. No matter who wins it, it’s the strongest division from top to bottom.

2. AFC East

This division certainly became more interesting with Aaron Rodgers heading to the New York Jets . Does Rodgers make the Jets a Super Bowl contender? They will have to snap their 12-year playoff drought first. The Jets did also add Allen Lazard and Mecole Hardman to bolster the offense. Breece Hall returning is also huge for this team.

The Buffalo Bills are still one of the top teams in the AFC as they seek a four-peat in the division. A strong draft with Dalton Kincaid and O’Cyrus Torrence as the top two picks bolster the offense, while linebacker Dorian Williams should be in the mix to start at linebacker after Tremaine Edmunds left in free agency.

The Miami Dolphins had a quiet offseason, but they have plenty of talent and are coming off a playoff appearance. Their division title chances depend on Tua Tagovailoa’s health.

The New England Patriots have a lot of questions to answer on offense, but their defense can stack up with the powerful offenses in the division. This is the best the AFC East has been in the Bill Belichick era, so New England will have its hands full.

Buffalo will be challenged in the AFC East, which could get three playoff teams this year.

3. AFC North

Imagine how good this division can be in 2023. The Cincinnati Bengals were in the AFC Championship Game and have one of the game’s best quarterbacks in Joe Burrow . Cincinnati has the core in place with Burrow, Ja’Marr Chase , Tee Higgins , and Joe Mixon — and have added Orlando Brown to the mix to improve the offensive line. Myles Murphy makes the pass rush with Trey Hendrickson and Sam Hubbard even stronger.

The Baltimore Ravens were able to re-sign Lamar Jackson , giving him his best group of wide receivers since he entered the NFL . Baltimore also signed Roquan Smith well before free agency started, knowing how strong the defense was with him on the field.

Kenny Pickett should improve with the Pittsburgh Steelers in Year 2, as the franchise never has losing seasons and always competes for playoff berths with Mike Tomlin. The Cleveland Browns should be better with a full season of Deshaun Watson and an improved defense with the additions of Dalvin Tomlinson and Juan Thornhill .

Cincinnati is the top team in this division, but the AFC North will be a grind — again. All four teams should compete for a playoff berth.

4. AFC West

What was supposed to be the best division in football ended up with the Kansas City Chiefs making a statement, winning the division by four games. Kansas City swept the Los Angeles Chargers for AFC West supremacy, while the Denver Broncos and Las Vegas Raiders had issues all season. Will this division be better in 2023?

Kansas City has Andy Reid and Patrick Mahomes , so the Chiefs are the NFL’s team to beat with two Super Bowl titles in four years. Drafting Rashee Rice should pay dividends for the wide receiver group. It doesn’t hurt that no team in the division can contain Travis Kelce .

The Chargers need to sign Justin Herbert to a contract extension, as Quentin Johnston bolsters an already strong wide receiver group with Mike Williams and Keenan Allen . Keeping Austin Ekeler in the fold was huge for a team looking for a return trip to the playoffs. The Broncos hired Sean Payton to make the Russell Wilson experiment work, while signing Mike McGlinchey is an immense improvement at right tackle.

As for the Raiders, who knows what they’re doing? Will Jimmy Garoppolo even be on the roster come September, given his foot issues ?

If Denver is better, this division can compete with the best in the NFL. That will come down to whether or not the Seattle version of Russell Wilson shows up under new head coach Sean Payton.

5. NFC West

The San Francisco 49ers and Seattle Seahawks make this division the second best in the NFC in a down year for the conference. San Francisco still has a quarterback situation to figure out, but the 49ers added Javon Hargrave to a top-five defense and have one of the best skill position groups in the NFL with Christian McCaffrey , Deebo Samuel , Brandon Aiyuk , and George Kittle . This team has been to three conference championship games in four years for a reason.

Seattle re-signed Geno Smith and had a strong draft by selecting Devon Witherspoon and Jaxon Smith-Njigba in the first round. Smith-Njigba will man the slot with DK Metcalf and Tyler Lockett on the outside while while Witherspoon pairs with Tariq Woolen at cornerback. With an improving offensive line and Zach Charbonnet pairing with Kenneth Walker at running back, expect Seattle to score a lot of points. The Seahawks are a dark horse Super Bowl contender in the NFC.

The Los Angeles Rams are rebuilding and unloading bad contracts, but Matthew Stafford and Cooper Kupp are back and will try to inject life into a roster that was dormant for most of last season. The Arizona Cardinals are in a rebuild and looking toward 2024.

This top-heavy division will come down to San Francisco and Seattle for the title.

6. NFC North

Significant change occurred in this division with Aaron Rodgers no longer employed with the Green Bay Packers . Jordan Love takes the reins in Green Bay, quarterbacking a young roster that has playmakers on offense in Christian Watson and Aaron Jones . Jaylen Reed is an intriguing rookie receiver while rookie tight ends Luke Musgrave and Tucker Kraft are worth monitoring.

The Detroit Lions are expected to be the top contenders for the division title after revamping their secondary and renovating their running back room with David Montgomery and rookie Jahmyr Gibbs . Marvin Jones is an underrated signing at wide receiver, especially with Jameson Williams suspended for six games.

The Chicago Bears have improved the offensive line, but the big addition was acquiring D.J. Moore from the Carolina Panthers — giving Justin Fields a No. 1 wide receiver. Chicago also revamped the linebacker core with Tremaine Edmunds and T.J. Edwards .

What about the Minnesota Vikings ? They did win the division last season, but they weren’t active in free agency ( Josh Oliver was their biggest signing). Releasing Adam Thielen hurt the offense and Dalvin Cook’s future is uncertain. Rookie Jordan Addison should help out the wide receiver group.

The NFC North is unpredictable with Rodgers out of the picture — what will happen here is a big question mark. It wouldn’t be surprising to see this division improve over the course of the year.

7. AFC South

Notoriously the worst division in football over the last few years, the AFC South has improved thanks to the resurgence of the Jacksonville Jaguars . A surprising division winner in Doug Pederson’s first year, Jacksonville has a franchise quarterback in Trevor Lawrence who makes the Jaguars a dark horse Super Bowl contender in the AFC. The addition of Calvin Ridley and the improvement of Travis Etienne makes the offense more dynamic.

What to make of the other three teams? The Tennessee Titans collapsed with Ryan Tannehill and Derrick Henry last year but are primed to run it back for 2023. When will Tennessee turn the page to Will Levis ? The offensive line is better with Andre Dillard and Peter Skoronski , but can this team compete for the division?

The Houston Texans and Indianapolis Colts have rookie quarterbacks and first-time head coaches, so they’re rebuilding this year. Indianapolis has an opportunity to improve the quickest if the offensive line can straighten things out and Shaquille Leonard can stay healthy. For the Texans, developing C.J. Stroud and keeping him upright would be a successful season.

Jacksonville is the class of this division, which appears to have three mediocre to bad teams after the Jaguars. Another year toward the bottom of the division rankings is likely.

8. NFC South

This division took a hit last year with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers being an under .500 division champion — and this was with Tom Brady at quarterback. Was the division competitive? Yes, but every team had major flaws and none were Super Bowl contenders.

The New Orleans Saints could emerge as a contender for the NFC South title with Derek carr at quarterback. New Orleans has exciting young skill players in Chris Olave , Rashid Shaheed , and Juwan Johnson — along with a healthy Michael Thomas and Alvin Kamara . New Orleans typically has a good defense and a favorable schedule could get the Saints double-digit wins.

As for the Buccaneers, Brady retired and Baker Mayfield is the quarterback. Tampa Bay still has most of the core players from the Super Bowl LV team and a new offensive coordinator in Dave Canales.

The Atlanta Falcons drafted Bijan Robinson and wins will come via the running game, as Desmond Ridder gets a one-year trial at quarterback.

The Carolina Panthers are intriguing with Bryce Young as the next franchise quarterback. Young will have playmakers in Adam Thielen, D.J. Chark , and Miles Sanders to make life easier in Year 1. The offensive line that was strong in run blocking will also be back. Vonn Bell and Shy Tuttle should help the defense. Count the Panthers as a division dark-horse.

This division likely won’t be good, but it will be competitive and the division championship should come down to the wire. Improvements by Atlanta and Carolina would certainly help the NFC South get out of the basement.

Keanu Reeves performs live with Dogstar band after 20 years

May 29, 2023 by www.thenews.com.pk Leave a Comment

John Wick star Keanu Reeves made a highly anticipated comeback as he reunited with his rock band, Dogstar, at the 2023 BottleRock Napa Valley festival.

The reunion was the first time in over two decades that Reeves publicly played bass with the group.

Before taking the stage, Reeves received some encouragement from his bandmate, Robert Mailhouse.

“He was just super positive. He was like, ‘Listen to the music. Just be present in the song, and it will go from there,’” he told the San Francisco Chronicle.

The reunion of Dogstar was a special moment, considering the band’s formation in 1991 when Reeves and Mailhouse met at a supermarket and formed a friendship. Reeves assumed the role of bassist and backup vocalist, while Mailhouse showcased his skills as the drummer and percussionist.

Following the band’s initial lineup, Gregg Miller joined Dogstar as the lead guitarist and vocalist a year later. However, Miller’s departure in 1995 led to Bret Domrose taking over as the lead vocalist after joining as a guitarist and vocalist in 1994.

Speaking to Billboard , Reeves also admitted he missed the band all these years.

“I missed playing together, I missed writing together, I missed doing shows together. It’s something I’ve always missed,” Reeves told Billboard.

“We came to a spot where we weren’t playing anymore, and I missed it … Once we started to play, and it felt good, and really positive and creative, that’s when it was like, ‘Okay, let’s make this happen.’”