OAKLAND — PG&E received a record-setting $15 billion federal loan guarantee in one in all the ultimate acts of Joe Biden's presidency, an approval that would help the utility and its customers get monetary savings on various key projects.

The U.S. Department of Energy's loan guarantee could allow PG&E to tap unique sources of financing that may allow it to have lower payment costs than would otherwise be the case in business financial markets.

Oakland-based PG&E said it could save customers as much as $1 billion.

“The loan guarantee is intended to align with the state’s policy goals of reducing electricity costs for customers,” PG&E said. “The savings from cheaper financing would be used to reduce customers’ bills.”

PG&E said the loan might be used to finance already approved work that may must be done anyway whatever the loan guarantee.

The federal funding would fund planned projects aimed toward improving California's energy infrastructure similar to hydroelectric facilities, helping ensure reliability and supporting distributed energy resources similar to battery storage and electric vehicles, while reducing costs for purchasers, the utility said.

“These projects are not new work,” said Lynsey Paulo, a spokeswoman for PG&E. “Partially funding these projects with lower-cost financing from the DOE Loan Program Office would allow us to complete already approved grid work at a lower cost to our customers than traditional borrowing.”

The energy credit guarantee program is one in all the provisions of the Inflation Reduction Act of 2022, which Biden signed earlier.

Among President Donald Trump's quite a few executive orders in recent days was a directive for federal agencies to suspend the distribution of funds – including the federal loan guarantee – made possible by two pieces of laws approved by Biden, the Inflation Reduction Act and the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law .

On January 17, PG&E filed a regulatory document with the Securities and Exchange Commission indicating that the corporate has not yet received funds from this system, but has only received approval from the Department of Energy.

Any savings can be a welcome change from recent increases in PG&E electricity and gas costs, which have risen faster than the Bay Area's overall inflation rate.

Recent reports on consumer prices within the Bay Area and across the country released by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics showed dramatic differences between the region's inflation rate and the associated fee of operating services like those offered by PG&E.

In December 2024, electric utility services increased by 11.2% annually. Gas supply services increased by 6.3%, the Federal Employment Agency reported. In contrast, the Bay Area's inflation rate rose just 2.4% annually in December.

However, there are some hopeful signs for PG&E customers.

Starting with this month's billing cycles, a typical PG&E residential customer who receives each electric and natural gas service from the investor-owned utility began paying a mean of $295 monthly.

This is $1 greater than the $294 monthly that typical PG&E residential customers paid for combined electric and gas services in January 2024.

The average that customers paid for combined services in January 2024 was 22% higher than the $241 that customers paid in January 2023.

Originally published: January 21, 2025 at 3:35 pm PST

French President Emmanuel Macron greeted Donald Trump in Paris on Saturday with a full dose of presidential pomp because the two held a swiftly arranged meeting with Ukrainian Volodymyr Zelensky before celebrating the grand reopening of Notre Dame Cathedral.

On a day stuffed with pomp and a spotlight to pressing global issues, the once and future American president was warmly embraced by Macron upon his arrival on the Elysee Palace.

“It is a great honor for the French people to welcome you five years later,” Macron told Trump. “Welcome back.”

Trump said it was a “very great honor” to be there while noting the challenges ahead.

“It seems like the world is going a little crazy right now. And that’s what we’re going to talk about,” Trump said.

An actual red carpet was rolled out for Trump as Macron gave the diplomatic reception that France offers to the sitting American president, with trumpets blaring and members of the Republican Guard in full uniform. It was a transparent sign that Macron and other European leaders are already working to win his favor and treat him as America's representative on the world stage, even when Trump doesn't take office until January 20, 2025.

President Joe Biden declined an invite to attend the Notre Dame ceremony five years after a devastating fire, with the White House citing a scheduling conflict. In his place, First Lady Jill Biden served because the official US representative.

Macron and leaders across Europe are attempting to steer the elected president to proceed supporting Ukraine in its defense against Russian invasion. Macron's office said the war and conflicts within the Middle East could be discussed.

As Trump arrived on the French president's official residence, Macron went out of his approach to project a picture of close ties, shaking hands and giving cameras loads of pats on the back.

In a video later posted on X, Macron might be heard asking Trump: “Do you remember?” as each men entered a reception room.

“I remember,” Trump replied.

Trump spent about 90 minutes inside, first meeting with Macron before Zelensky joined them for about 35 minutes.

Macron had long planned to fulfill individually with Zelensky. The French president's office said the three-way talks were proposed by Macron and agreed upon shortly before Trump's arrival. Trump has promised to quickly end the war in Ukraine but has not specified how he would try this, raising concerns in Kiev about what terms is likely to be set for future negotiations.

An individual acquainted with Trump's plans said before the meeting was announced that while Trump and Zelensky attended the cathedral ceremony and surrounding events and were prone to interact, Trump's transition team had not worked with the Ukrainians to rearrange formal talks.

After the on-site meeting, a senior Trump transition official didn’t dispute the concept that it got here about on the last minute, but said it was “extensively discussed and agreed upon” and that Trump was “fully briefed” prematurely of the time.

According to a French official, the three leaders spoke in English and a translator was within the room.

Trump was accompanied to Paris by a small contingent of advisers that included recent chief of staff Susie Wiles, in addition to Steve Witkoff, a longtime friend and real estate investor whom Trump has named as his special envoy to the Middle East, and Massad Boulos, who’s Trump's father-in-law daughter Tiffany and can function senior advisor for Arab and Middle Eastern affairs.

Apparently the group didn’t include anyone who knew anything about Ukraine.

“United States, Ukraine and France. Together on this historic day. United for Notre Dame. Let us continue to work together for peace and security,” Macron then wrote on X.

Trump's victory last month raised doubts concerning the Biden administration's flow of cash and arms to Ukraine – aid was reinforced on Saturday by U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin's announcement of a $988 million package that will boost American military support increased to over $62 billion since Russia's invasion in February 2022.

Trump called Zelensky “the biggest salesman in the world” because he won billions in US aid. Trump also said he worked out a peace deal between Russia and Ukraine inside a day of taking office and promoted his good relations with Russian President Vladimir Putin.

To construct trust with the brand new US administration, Zelensky's top adviser Andriy Yermak met key members of Trump's team on a two-day trip to the US earlier this week.

According to 2 European officials acquainted with the matter, Macron argued that a defeat for Ukraine or a ceasefire with Russia on terms unfavorable to Ukraine could be seen as a loss for the US and even for Trump himself.

After arriving at Notre Dame for the ceremony, Trump was greeted by Macron and his wife Brigitte. He was assigned prime seats on the service, right between himself – a greater seat than Jill Biden, who sat on the opposite side of Brigitte Macron – and lots of current government and heads of state.

Inside, Trump also greeted Zelensky and Britain's Prince William, whom Trump later met on the British ambassador's residence in Paris. Trump was greeted within the foyer, shook the king's hand and said: “Good man, this.”

Trump told reporters that the Prince of Wales had done “a fantastic job” before the 2 met in a non-public room reserved for senior figures on the residence that was once the Paris city residence of Princess Pauline Borghese, the youngest , sat down and chatted with sister of French Emperor Napoleon Bonaparte.

According to the British Royal Palace, a separate meeting between Prince William and Jill Biden was also planned.

Elon Musk, the billionaire CEO of Tesla and

Macron, whose relationship with Trump has been up and down, has made some extent of maintaining their bond for the reason that Republican defeated Democrat Kamala Harris. Still, Macron's office played down the importance of the invitation, saying that other politicians who are actually out of office had also been invited.

Trump was invited because the elected president of a “friendly nation,” Macron’s office said, adding: “This is by no means exceptional, we’ve done this before.”

It is well-known that Trump revels in pomp and splendor. One of his first trips as president during his first term was to Paris, where Macron made him guest of honor at Bastille Day events. Trump later said he desired to repeat the big military parade within the United States.

Relations between France and the United States began quite amicably during Trump's first term in office, but became increasingly tense over time.

Macron was a guest of honor at Trump's first state dinner, and Trump traveled to France several times. But the connection suffered after Macron criticized Trump for questioning the necessity for NATO and casting doubt on America's commitment to the mutual defense pact.

During the 2024 presidential campaign, Trump often mocked Macron, imitating his accent and threatening to impose steep tariffs on bottles of wine and champagne shipped to the United States if France tried to tax American firms.

But Macron was considered one of the primary world leaders to congratulate Trump after the election last month.

As he accepted the invitation to Paris, Trump said Macron had “done a wonderful job making sure Notre Dame is back to its full glory and even more so. It will be a very special day for everyone!” Trump was president in 2019 when a hearth almost destroyed the 861-year-old landmark.

By Tierney Sneed, CNN

(CNN) – Two women who claim they were paid for sex Former Rep. Matt Gaetz provided House ethics investigators with “numerous” photos related to time they spent with the Florida Republican, a lawyer for the ladies said Tuesday, including from an alleged trip to New York in 2019.

The women said they were paid by the previous congressman for sex on that trip, during which in addition they accompanied Gaetz at a Fox News studio while he filmed a television appearance, their attorney Joel Leppard told CNN's Erin Burnett on “OutFront.” “. Gaetz also allegedly covered the ladies's travel expenses, Leppard said.

The women also provided the House Ethics Committee with selfies that Gaetz allegedly sent them, in line with their lawyer. They also said they sent Gaetz nude photos, sometimes at his request, Leppard said.

Gaetz was recently tapped President-elect Donald Trump named him his attorney general and resigned from Congress last week, effectively ending the ethics investigation against him. The panel had been investigating allegations of misconduct against Gaetz, including “sexual misconduct and illegal drug use,” and is considering releasing a report on its findings.

When asked by the committee whether or not they had ever felt pressured by Gaetz, Leppard said considered one of his clients testified that she felt the necessity to “please” the then-congressman before she met throughout the New York visit Attended electronic music show.

CNN has reached out to Gaetz for comment. Gaetz has repeatedly denied any wrongdoing.

Leppard's account of the deposition provides further insight into the evidence the House committee collected in its investigation, which was conducted along with a criminal investigation by the Justice Department. Federal prosecutors declined to charge Gaetz – a choice the previous congressman has pointed to as he vehemently defended the allegations, which include an allegation that he had sex with a then-underage woman who later testified in each investigations has rejected.

“Merrick Garland's Justice Department has cleared Matt Gaetz and has not filed charges against him,” a spokesman for Gaetz told CNN last week.

As the Senate prepares to formally consider Gaetz for the role of attorney general, Democrats and a few Republicans are demanding access to the House panel's report. After Gaetz abruptly resigned from Congress following Trump's election announcement, the committee postponed its meetings discuss the publication of the report The next meeting is scheduled for Wednesday. House Speaker Mike Johnson, who has said previously that he would stay out of the Ethics Committee's affairs, has opposed the discharge of the report.

Leppard noted that the House panel heard testimony from several other witnesses.

“The evidence before the House is, in my opinion, overwhelming because my clients were only two of the other witnesses, and there are very important witnesses who have not yet come out and previewed the findings of the House Ethics Committee. “show,” he said.

According to the attorney, House investigators asked the 2 women for records they obtained that showed payments, mostly transmitted electronically, that were allegedly made to them by Gaetz. Leppard said records show considered one of his clients received greater than $6,000 and the opposite received greater than $4,000 from the congressman.

“What I’m telling you is just a fraction of the evidence available, the thousands of documents,” Leppard said.

CNN's Annie Grayer contributed to this report.

The CNN Wire
& © 2024 Cable News Network, Inc., a Warner Bros. Discovery company. All rights reserved.

Originally published: November 20, 2024 at 5:50 pm PST

OAKLAND — For the past two years, 23-year-old Tyja Braswell's life has been stuffed with turbulent ups and downs, each another drastic than the last.

Since March 2022 – when she was paralyzed in a shooting that left an innocent bystander dead – Braswell has been charged with murder, released from prison, witnessed her friend die after the automobile they were in was shot at, sent back to prison, negotiated a plea deal to avoid conviction for murder or manslaughter, and released on two years' probation.

Then, just six months after being released on parole, Braswell was arrested and again charged with attempted murder, this time on suspicion of shooting the identical woman Braswell confronted shortly before the fatal shooting in 2022.

In total, Braswell spent about three months behind bars, based on court records, much of it in an Alameda County Sheriff's Office medical facility with an armed guard because she was disabled. She is currently out of prison on parole under similar conditions that authorities say she has violated several times before.

Braswell's tumultuous story begins on March 19, 2022, when she and a girl named Tamia Foster got into an argument at a gas station on International Boulevard in Oakland, prompting Braswell to achieve into her fanny pack to get a gun. Foster's boyfriend, Stavon Moore, already had a gun ready and commenced shooting, hitting Braswell but in addition fatally wounding 64-year-old Rodney Davis, a veteran who was there to purchase drugs from Braswell, based on police and witness statements.

Braswell was shot within the spine and was paralyzed from that day on. Police investigated Davis' killing and prosecutors eventually charged each Braswell and Moore with Davis' murder and attempted murder of one another. Foster was accused of giving Moore the gun shortly before the shooting.

Moore took his case to trial last yr, where his lawyer argued that the blame for the whole lot was Braswell's, not Moore's. The jury apparently agreed, acquitting Moore of the whole lot except possession of the gun he used to kill Davis and paralyze Braswell. He was sentenced to 6 years in prison.

While that case was being tried, Braswell was not sent to jail despite the pending murder charge. The county's probation department charged her with dozens of violations of the conditions of her pretrial release, including escaping from a GPS ankle monitor and ignoring a court-ordered curfew.

However, one violation couldn’t be denied: On April 29, 2023, at around 2:30 a.m., Braswell was out with a friend when a person named Bernard Jimmerson allegedly riddled their automobile with bullets because he was upset concerning the loud vehicle.

Braswell survived the shooting, but cops who responded to her found that she was obviously not home, as she was purported to be there after hours. Braswell's girlfriend, Marie Villa Bedford, was struck by gunfire and died. Jimmerson was later arrested and charged with murder.

Five months later, a judge followed the probation officers' advice and ordered Braswell to be remanded in custody – but she didn’t go to jail. She was placed in a medical facility with armed guards, “at significant expense to the county,” her attorney wrote in a legal filing. Just a month later, a deal was negotiated – she pleaded guilty to possession of a firearm and received two years' probation.

“As far as I understand, you will not end up in state prison, but on probation. However, if you violate any probation at any point, you could go to prison for a maximum of six years,” Judge Delia Trevino Braswell warned at her plea change hearing in October 2023. “Do you understand that?”

“Yes,” Braswell replied.

But police say Braswell violated her probation six months later by attempting to kill Foster. The shooting occurred on May 30 of last yr at around 9:50 p.m. It bore striking similarities to the April 2023 shooting that Braswell survived. Police say she opened fire as Foster drove by in a vehicle, hitting the automobile several times, but Foster was unharmed.

Court documents say police recovered a gun from Braswell that day and located Facebook messages to Foster “that spoke of revenge and listed the date of the (murder) in which (Foster) and Braswell were co-defendants.” Braswell was charged in June with attempted murder, shooting into an occupied automobile and one other firearm possession charge.

On June 24, Judge Elena Condes released Braswell without bail, writing in a court order that Braswell should be under “house arrest” with a GPS monitoring device during her release. Her next court hearing is scheduled for October, records show.

politics

WASHINGTON (AP) — Vice President Kamala Harris has received enough votes from Democratic delegates to develop into the party's presidential candidate, Democratic National Committee Chairman Jaime Harrison said Friday.

Although the web voting process doesn’t end until Monday, the decisive moment for the campaign was when it crossed the hurdle to acquire a majority of the delegates' votes.

Harris is more likely to be the primary woman of color to go a serious party’s candidate list.

“I am honored to be the presumptive Democratic nominee,” Harris said in a phone call along with her supporters.

Harrison said: “We will rally around Vice President Kamala Harris and demonstrate the strength of our party” through the party's convention in Chicago later this month.

Democrats have pushed ahead with a virtual vote to nominate Harris, nearing the climax of a tumultuous process that was upended by President Joe Biden's decision not to hunt re-election.

Delegates to the Democratic National Convention began voting by secure email on Thursday, and voting will remain open through Monday evening. Harris has not yet chosen her vice presidential running mate and is predicted to conduct interviews with candidates over the weekend.

Formal nominations are expected to be accomplished by August 7, regardless that the party's convention in Chicago will not be scheduled to start for greater than two weeks. Democratic officials have said the accelerated timeline is mandatory due to August 7 deadline to make sure candidates appear on Ohio's ballot.

Harris was endorsed by Biden shortly after he dropped out of the race, catapulting her to the forefront of the campaign to beat Republican nominee Donald Trump. No other major candidate competed with Harris for the nomination, and she or he was the one selection for delegates under party rules, which required pledges of support from at the very least 300 delegates, with not more than 50 signatures needed from any delegation.

Any delegate wishing to vote for somebody apart from Harris will probably be counted as “present.”

Democrats still plan to carry a state-by-state vote through the convention, the standard technique to select a candidate, but due to online voting, it should be purely ceremonial.

The party insists that its candidate should be decided before the beginning of its convention in Chicago on August 19 to be certain that Ohio's voting deadlines are met – an argument that the state's Republicans dispute.

Ohio state lawmakers have since modified the deadline, however the change is not going to take effect until September 1. Lawyers for the Democrats warn that waiting until after the unique deadline to decide on a presidential candidate could lead on to legal challenges.

MARTINEZ — Pedestrians and cyclists within the Bay Area will soon be 4 miles closer to having the ability to explore a continuous coastal path through nine counties and 47 cities, thanks to almost $2 million in recent federal funding for the San Francisco Bay Trail.

Congressman John Garamendi recently awarded Contra Costa County $1 million for improvements along a 3.2-mile stretch of San Pablo Avenue. The plan is to convert one in all the 4 lanes right into a “complete street” with a protected path between Rodeo and Crockett, a project currently estimated to cost $13.7 million.

Garmendi also distributed $900,000 to the East Bay Regional Park District to fill a half-mile gap between the present George Miller Regional Trail and the Amtrak Intermodal Station in downtown Martinez with a continuous, paved trail. Once the project, estimated to cost greater than $4 million, is accomplished, Regional Trail users may have uninterrupted access to Vallejo, Benicia, Crockett and Martinez.

Garamendi, who represents California’s eighth District, said this Federal funds for joint projects were included in the primary budget package for 2024, which was finalized in March.

“These projects will make previously underinvested communities more livable, with safer, less congested streets and better options for walking, biking or taking the train to work or school,” Garamendi said. “This has all been made possible by the dedication and passion of dozens of local leaders.”

Jeff Valeros, a senior civil engineer within the Contra Costa County Department of Public Works, estimates that after construction begins, crews may not begin constructing on the San Pablo Avenue section until 2027. He said the project will likely take two years due to must bypass existing traffic interchanges on the busy road.

“We want to make sure that pedestrians and cyclists do not find themselves in a situation where they have to move in a really uncomfortable and inconvenient way next to the trucks and vehicles that are driving there,” said Valeros.

For nearly 4 many years, Bay Area officials have worked to finish the 500-mile trail, which was the brainchild of State Senator Bill Lockyer in 1986.

Colin Coffey, a member of the East Bay Regional Park District (EBRPD) board of directors that represents the northern shoreline from Hercules to Brentwood, said that along with the challenges of addressing the complex geography and terrain along this stretch in Contra Costa County, the gap-filling project between Berrellesa Street in downtown Martinez and the hills of the George Miller Regional Trail has been delayed by regulatory issues, largely related to the railroad tracks that Amtrak and Union Pacific trains run on.

“The easy parts of the Bay Trail are done,” Coffey said. “When you look at the system of trails and parks in the East Bay, it's just remarkable that we have leaders and community members who are really supportive of dedicating time and money to this work.”

In June 2018, the EBRD concluded a 13.2 million dollars, 335 meter long bridge over the railroad tracks in Pinole along the Bay Trail – a one-fifth-mile project that was one in all the agency’s costliest and sophisticated in recent memory. A one-mile extension of the trail behind the now-closed Golden Gate Fields race track – stretching from Gilman Street in Berkeley to Albany Beach – was accomplished in July 2020. Built over two years, the $18.9 million project filled one in all the biggest gaps on the 18 miles from Richmond to Oakland.

Contra Costa County Executive John Gioia, who lives on Bay Trail in Richmond, said he’s pleased to see the progress of those projects, which can positively impact the health and equity of historically low-income, disadvantaged communities.

“These are expensive projects, but they're about health, equity and providing access to the bay and a means of transportation,” Gioia said. “I see every day the variety of uses this trail has – people of all ages, races and ethnicities, people fishing, walking their dogs, taking their kids out and about… Without federal funding, we often can't really complete these projects.”

Apple has apologized and admitted it “missed the mark” with its latest iPad Pro ad.

The ad, posted on social media Tuesday's ad from Apple CEO Tim Cook was met with backlash from web users who felt the ad celebrated technology's destruction of human creativity and art.

In an announcement about it sayingApple's vice chairman of promoting communications, Tor Myhren, apologized.

“Creativity is in our DNA at Apple and it’s incredibly important to us to build products that empower creatives everywhere. Our goal is to always celebrate the countless ways users express themselves and bring their ideas to life through iPad,” said Myhren. “We missed the mark with this video and we are sorry.”

Apple confirmed the statement to AdAge but declined further comment.

The ad features symbols of human creativity, resembling musical instruments, paint cans, an 80s arcade video game and a bust of a human head crushed by an enormous hydraulic press. As the metal plates of the hydraulic press lift, Apple's recent iPad Pro is unveiled.

“Meet the new iPad Pro: the thinnest product we've ever created, the most advanced display we've ever produced, with the incredible power of the M4 chip. Just imagine what will come of this,” Cook wrote in a post on X that accompanied the video.

Online response to the ad was immediate: “The symbolism of indiscriminately destroying beautiful creative tools is an interesting choice,” one social media user wrote. “This ad effectively convinced me that I need less technology in my life,” wrote one other.

Other users said the ad was in poor taste as fears grew that AI could replace staff – even those in creative fields. Actor Hugh Grant wrote On social media, Apple's promoting claimed that it represented “the destruction of the human experience.”

According to AdAge, Apple now not plans to run the ads on television.

The mea culpa was rare for Apple, although the ad was not deleted from Cook's X account.