California

Police investigate if crashed car was partially self-driving

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — A woman was arrested after running a red light in a rented Tesla in San Francisco and causing a crash that killed a tourist and left his wife critically injured, authorities said Monday.

Officers were investigating whether the Tesla, which was rented through the peer-to-peer car rental service Get Around, was operating in “Autopilot,” a partially self-driving system, when the collision occurred.

Tesla’s Autopilot had been activated at the time of two separate fatal crashes in Florida.

Trump expands fast-track deportation authority across US

SAN DIEGO (AP) — The Trump administration announced Monday that it will vastly extend the authority of immigration officers to deport migrants without allowing them to appear before judges, its second major policy shift on immigration in eight days.

Starting Tuesday, fast-track deportations can apply to anyone in the country illegally for less than two years. Previously, those deportations were largely limited to people arrested almost immediately after crossing the Mexican border.

Report: Equifax to pay $700 million in breach settlement

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — The Wall Street Journal says Equifax will pay around $700 million to settle with the Federal Trade Commission over a 2017 data breach that exposed Social Security numbers and other private information of nearly 150 million people.

The Journal, citing unnamed sources familiar with the matter, said the settlement could be announced as soon as Monday. Equifax declined to comment.

How to beat Trump? Dems divided as he rams race onto ballot

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Joe Biden was at a soul food restaurant in Los Angeles on Thursday when he blasted President Donald Trump’s “racist” taunts at a rally the night before.

“This is about dividing the country,” the early Democratic front-runner, who has been criticized for his own handling of race , told reporters. “This is about dividing and raising the issue of racism across the country because that’s his base, that’s what he’s pushing.”

But Michael Fisher, an African American pastor from Compton who attended the event, warned Democrats to ignore Trump.

Boeing pledges 50 mln USD to help families of air crash victims

SAN FRANCISCO, July 17 (Xinhua) -- Top U.S. aircraft manufacturer Boeing said Wednesday it will give 50 million U.S. dollars in near-term financial relief to the families of passengers and crew members who died in two deadly air crashes.

The money "represents the initial expenditure of a 100 million dollar pledge by Boeing to address family and community needs of those affected by the accidents," said the company in a statement.

Myths and risks in app that gives you peek into older self

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Is a peek into the future worth your privacy in the present? That concern was pushed to the spotlight this week with the resurgence of a smartphone app that uses artificial intelligence to transform your current face into your younger and older selves.

People raised fears on Twitter and other social media sites that on iPhones, FaceApp would be able to see and upload all your photos, including screenshots with sensitive financial or health information or photos of kids with the names of their schools in the background.

Asylum ban may further strain immigrant detention facilities

SAN DIEGO (AP) — A new policy to deny asylum to anyone who shows up on the Mexican border after traveling through another country threatens to exacerbate overcrowding at severely strained U.S. immigration detention centers and makeshift holding areas.

Photos and video of Vice President Mike Pence’s visit Friday to McAllen, Texas, showing men crammed behind chain-link fences offered the latest glimpse into squalid conditions at Customs and Border Protection facilities. Women are being held in smaller tents at the station.

U.S. civil rights group urges Bay Area city to ban facial recognition technology

SAN FRANCISCO, July 16 (Xinhua) -- A U.S. civil rights advocacy group Tuesday urged Oakland city in the Bay Area to ban the use of facial recognition technology in public surveillance.

The Northern California affiliate of the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) released an advisory letter to the Oakland City Council earlier Tuesday, the same day when the council unanimously approved an ordinance banning the use of facial recognition technology by the city departments, including the police.

Making an immigration arrest requires hours of surveillance

ESCONDIDO, Calif. (AP) — Two immigration officers had been parked outside a home well before dawn when their target — a Mexican man convicted of driving under the influence in 2015 — appeared to emerge as the sun illuminated a gray sky.

“I’m going to do a vehicle stop,” an officer radioed. “I’m right behind you,” said another, lights flashing as they ordered the driver into a liquor store parking lot.

As it turned out, the man they pulled over was not the one they were looking for. But he happened to be in the country illegally, too, and was taken into custody.

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