DOJ Sues California over Mail Ballots

The Justice Department sued California Thursday to stop the state from counting mail ballots from about 20,000 people it says are likely noncitizens until their citizenship is verified.

The suit came after California officials did not comply with a 48-hour deadline set by the department to review the names, which it sent to Los Angeles County on a thumb drive. The department says California “made no serious effort” to work with it.

Secretary of State Shirley Weber, who is named in the suit, said her office never received the list and criticized the demand as fueling distrust in elections. She also questioned the reliability of the federal government’s claims.

The lawsuit is part of a broader Justice Department effort to identify suspected noncitizens on voter rolls nationwide.

FBI Targets Alleged Fake Heiress

The FBI added Mary Carole McDonnell to its Most Wanted Fraudsters list Wednesday, offering up to $150,000 for tips leading to her arrest and conviction.

Investigators say she posed as an heiress to the McDonnell Aircraft family to defraud banks in Los Angeles and Orange counties out of nearly $30 million in 2017 and 2018. She claimed access to an $80 million secret trust.

At the time, McDonnell ran Bellum Entertainment, a company that produced true-crime TV shows. She was charged with bank fraud and aggravated identity theft in 2018 and is believed to be living in Dubai.

The FBI’s fraudsters list is separate from its Ten Most Wanted Fugitives program. “It’s just a matter of time before McDonnell is caught,” said Patrick Grandy, who heads the FBI’s Los Angeles field office.

Soft Robot Could Expand Stroke Care

A UC Santa Barbara engineer is helping build a soft robot that could remove stroke-causing blood clots without a specialist surgeon on-site.

Elliot Hawkes is part of a UC San Diego-led team funded by ARPA-H, a federal health research agency. Only about 12% of eligible stroke patients get the clot-removal procedure, largely because more than half of Americans live over an hour from a hospital that can do one.

Surgeons now push semi-rigid tools through blood vessels from the base. This robot grows from its tip like a vine, which researchers say makes punctures nearly impossible, and AI will steer it to the clot.

The project, worth up to $23 million, spans six universities and three companies, with Stanford doctors overseeing testing. The team aims to have a prototype for preclinical research within five years.

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➤ Bay Area: PG&E began shutting off electricity to thousands of Bay Area customers as dry, windy weather raised wildfire concerns. The planned outages could continue through Saturday, frustrating residents and ranchers who depend on electricity for daily operations. (More)

➤ San Francisco: Police arrested four men in California and Georgia in the February shooting of 49ers player Keion White at a Super Bowl party. White was shot in the ankle, and authorities seized guns and thousands of grams of illegal drugs. (See Details)

➤ Silicon Valley: The Trump administration’s suspension of Microsoft and Adobe from an employer-sponsored green card program could affect thousands of local H-1B workers. Vice President JD Vance said the companies must prioritize American workers. (More)

➤ Sacramento: The FBI’s Sacramento office arrested 123 people during a four-month violent crime crackdown. Agents also recovered 30 illegal weapons, located 15 children, and seized more than 562 kilograms of methamphetamine. (See Details)

➤ Tenderloin: A San Francisco tech founder drew online backlash for Tenderloin: Night Shift, a browser-based zombie shooter set on neighborhood streets. Critics say the zombies resemble homeless people and drug users, while some players praised the game. (More)

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➤ Visalia: Gov. Gavin Newsom made a surprise stop Wednesday at Voltage Multipliers, a Visalia manufacturer. He urged shoppers to look for the state’s new “Made in California” label. (More)

➤ Tulare: A printing error sent duplicate ballots to about 0.03% of voters in the city of Tulare, the county elections office said. Voters who received a second ballot should destroy it, and the office is mailing postcards explaining the mix-up. (More)

➤ Hollister: San Benito County District Attorney Joel Buckingham warned that mass layoffs at the Hollister Police Department could delay criminal cases by reducing staff who handle records and evidence. (See Details)

➤ Santa Barbara: Students at two high schools walked out Tuesday over a blackface social media post involving four San Marcos High students. Community members demanded stronger action against racism. (More)

➤ Kern County: The county paid $13.5 million to Vicente Benavides, who spent 25 years in prison before the California Supreme Court overturned his conviction in a Delano toddler’s death. The county said settling avoids a costly federal trial. (See Details)

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➤ Los Angeles: Santa Ana gusts up to 70 mph prompted canyon road closures and parking restrictions, with red flag warnings through Saturday evening. Southern California Edison may cut power to about 245,000 customers to reduce wildfire risks. (See Details)

➤ Capistrano Beach: Crews are trucking about 9,000 cubic yards of sand to Capistrano Beach, where pounding surf destroyed a parking lot and left homes near collapse. Cracks have also opened in a Crystal Cove bluff yards from PCH. (See Details)

➤ Point Mugu: Federal prosecutors charged Todd Jeremy Senff, 46, of Camarillo, with 14 misdemeanors for allegedly using his Navy contractor access to film F-35s and other aircraft at Naval Base Ventura County in 2024 and sharing some of the footage. (See Details)

➤ San Diego: A city council committee unanimously advanced proposals to expose “dark money,” ban shadow campaigns promoting undeclared candidates, and require labels on AI political ads. The measures also would limit fundraising to the year before an election. (More)

➤ Big Bear: Jackie, the bald eagle made famous by the Big Bear eagle cam, died of highly pathogenic avian influenza, a necropsy found. The virus caused internal bleeding and bacterial sepsis, while tests ruled out West Nile virus. (More)

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➤ Los Angeles: The Brewers beat the Dodgers 6-4 Thursday, sweeping the NLCS to reach their first World Series in 44 years. Shohei Ohtani hit a three-run homer, but Milwaukee rallied from a 4-0 deficit to end the Dodgers’ season. (More)

➤ Los Angeles Rams left tackle Alaric Jackson’s suspension was reduced from two games to one on appeal after punching Buffalo Bills linebacker Bradley Chubb. (More)

➤ Santa Margarita visits St. John Bosco tonight in a Trinity League football matchup between two of last year’s co-champions, while JSerra plays at Orange Lutheran. (See Schedule)

➤ Cal football unveiled Grateful Dead-themed helmets for tomorrow’s Grateful Bears night against Wake Forest. The gold helmets feature the band’s skull logo, a tie-dye stripe down the center, and dancing bears across the back. (See Helmet)

➤ Yesterday’s Results: MLB | NFL | NCAAF | NHL | NBA | Soccer | Tennis

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➤ Digital Force Technologies, a San Diego-based defense company, landed a Pentagon contract worth up to $500 million for counter-drone systems. The firm’s sensors and software help detect and defeat drone threats to military bases. (See Video)

➤ San Diego inflation hit 4.7% in September, a three-year high and the second-highest rate in the nation behind urban Hawaii, according to federal data. Rising fuel costs drove much of the jump from 2.7% in July. (More)

➤ Juanita’s Foods, the 80-year-old maker of canned menudo and pozole, is moving production from Wilmington to a 120,000-square-foot plant in Santa Fe Springs, keeping its manufacturing in Southern California after a nationwide search. (Read Story)

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➤ Luna the Jack Russell terrier mix is back with her California family after more than a month on the loose in Yellowstone National Park. Volunteers caught the 10-year-old dog in a trap baited with the family’s scent, just days before the search was set to end. (Read Story)

➤ Atherton’s 94027 is again the nation’s most expensive ZIP code, with a record $10.7 million median home sale price, according to PropertyShark. California claimed six of the top 10 spots, including ZIP codes in Newport Beach, Beverly Hills, Montecito, and Los Altos. (See List)

➤ A bear let itself into the Mammoth Lakes library before opening Wednesday, the 100th anniversary of Winnie-the-Pooh, and helped itself to peanut butter, peach cups, cookies, and a jar of honey. Staff said nothing was damaged. (More)

➤ Solvang is up for Best Christmas Town again in The Zoe Report‘s Readers’ Choice Awards, a title it won in 2025. Voting runs through Nov. 11, ahead of the city’s Julefest from Nov. 27 to Jan. 3. (More)

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➤ France has begun deploying military assets to protect Saudi oil facilities as Houthi attacks escalate around a vital Red Sea export route. (Full Story)

➤ Amazon has launched two always-listening AI devices that turn conversations into to-dos, reviving privacy questions around the tech giant. (See Product)

➤ One common instinct makes stubborn knots in necklaces, cords, and holiday lights even worse. (Hear Story)

Have you ever tried menudo?

1. Yes, and I love it
2. Yes, but it’s not for me
3. No, but I’d try it
4. No thanks

Yesterday’s Results:

Do you keep an earthquake emergency kit at home?

1. No, and I’m not worried: 29%
2. Sort of, it needs refreshing: 25%
3. No, but I should: 24%
4. Yes, fully stocked: 15%
5. Other: 7%

On New Year’s Eve 1978, the Grateful Dead played the final show at what legendary San Francisco concert hall before it closed for good?

Show me the answer