11-24-2024  6:32 pm   •   PDX and SEA Weather

  • Supporters of Democratic presidential nominee Vice President Kamala Harris hold up their fists in the air in unison after she delivered a concession speech after the 2024 presidential election, Nov. 6, 2024, on the campus of Howard University in Washington. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin, File)

    Black Women are Rethinking their Role as Americas Reliable Political Organizers 

    Donald Trump's victory has dismayed many politically engaged Black women, and they're reassessing their enthusiasm for politics and organizing. Black women often carry much of the work of getting out the vote, and they had vigorously supported the historic candidacy of Kamala Harris. AP VoteCast, a survey of more than 120,000 voters, found that 6 in 10 Black women said the future of democracy was the single most important factor Read More
  • Rep. Lori Chavez-DeRemer, R-Ore., accompanied by Majority Whip Rep. Tom Emmer, R-Minn., left, and House Majority Leader Rep. Steve Scalise, R-La., right, speaks at a news conference on Capitol Hill in Washington, Jan. 25, 2023. (AP Photo/Andrew Harnik, File)

    Trump Picks Oregon Rep Lori Chavez-DeRemer for Labor Secretary 

    President-elect Donald Trump has named Oregon Rep. Lori Chavez-DeRemer to lead the Department of Labor, elevating a Republican congresswoman who has strong support from unions in her district but lost reelection in November. Chavez-DeRemer has a legislative record that has drawn plaudits from unions, but organized labor leaders remain skeptical about Trump's agenda for workers. Trump, in general, has not supported policies that make it easier for workers to organize. Read More
  • Photo: NNPA

    15 Democrats Join Republicans in Backing Bill Critics Call a Dictator’s Dream

    The Stop Terror-Financing and Tax Penalties on American Hostages Act (H.R. 9495) grants the Treasury secretary unilateral authority to label nonprofits as “terrorist supporting organizations” and strip them of their tax-exempt status without due process. Read More
  • Photo: NNPA

    Medicaid Faces Uncertain Future as Republicans Target Program Under Trump Administration

    Medicaid’s role in American healthcare is substantial. It supports nearly half of all children in the U.S., covers significant portions of mental health and nursing home care, and plays a vital part in managing chronic conditions. Read More
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NORTHWEST NEWS

'Bomb Cyclone' Kills 1 and Knocks out Power to Over Half a Million Homes Across the Northwest US

A major storm was sweeping across the northwest U.S., battering the region with strong winds and rain. The Weather Prediction Center issued excessive rainfall risks through Friday and hurricane-force wind warnings were in effect. 

'Bomb Cyclone' Threatens Northern California and Pacific Northwest

The Weather Prediction Center issued excessive rainfall risks beginning Tuesday and lasting through Friday. Those come as the strongest atmospheric river  that California and the Pacific Northwest has seen this season bears down on the region. 

More Logging Is Proposed to Help Curb Wildfires in the US Pacific Northwest

Officials say worsening wildfires due to climate change mean that forests must be more actively managed to increase their resiliency.

Democrat Janelle Bynum Flips Oregon’s 5th District, Will Be State’s First Black Member of Congress

The U.S. House race was one of the country’s most competitive and viewed by The Cook Political Report as a toss up, meaning either party had a good chance of winning.

NEWS BRIEFS

OMSI Opens Indoor Ice Rink for the Holiday Season

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Thanksgiving Safety Tips

Portland Fire & Rescue extends their wish to you for a happy and safe Thanksgiving Holiday. ...

Portland Art Museum’s Rental Sales Gallery Showcases Diverse Talent

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Dolly Parton's Imagination Library of Oregon Announces New State Director and Community Engagement Coordinator

“This is an exciting milestone for Oregon,” said DELC Director Alyssa Chatterjee. “These positions will play critical roles in...

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Forecasts warn of possible winter storms across US during Thanksgiving week

WINDSOR, Calif. (AP) — Another round of wintry weather could complicate travel leading up to the Thanksgiving holiday, according to forecasts across the U.S., while California and Washington state continue to recover from storm damage and power outages. In California, where two...

AP Top 25: Alabama, Mississippi out of top 10 and Miami, SMU are in; Oregon remains unanimous No. 1

Alabama and Mississippi tumbled out of the top 10 of The Associated Press Top 25 poll Sunday and Miami and SMU moved in following a chaotic weekend in the SEC and across college football in general. Oregon is No. 1 for the sixth straight week and Ohio State, Texas and Penn State held...

Mitchell's 20 points, Robinson's double-double lead Missouri in a 112-63 rout of Arkansas-Pine Bluff

COLUMBIA, Mo. (AP) — Mark Mitchell scored 20 points and Anthony Robinson II posted a double-double with 11 points and 11 rebounds as Missouri roared to its fifth straight win and its third straight by more than 35 points as the Tigers routed Arkansas-Pine Bluff 112-63 on Sunday. ...

Moore and UAPB host Missouri

Arkansas-Pine Bluff Golden Lions (1-5) at Missouri Tigers (4-1) Columbia, Missouri; Sunday, 5 p.m. EST BETMGM SPORTSBOOK LINE: Tigers -34.5; over/under is 155.5 BOTTOM LINE: UAPB visits Missouri after Christian Moore scored 20 points in UAPB's 98-64 loss to...

OPINION

A Loan Shark in Your Pocket: Cellphone Cash Advance Apps

Fast-growing app usage leaves many consumers worse off. ...

America’s Healing Can Start with Family Around the Holidays

With the holiday season approaching, it seems that our country could not be more divided. That division has been perhaps the main overarching topic of our national conversation in recent years. And it has taken root within many of our own families. ...

Donald Trump Rides Patriarchy Back to the White House

White male supremacy, which Trump ran on, continues to play an outsized role in exacerbating the divide that afflicts our nation. ...

Why Not Voting Could Deprioritize Black Communities

President Biden’s Justice40 initiative ensures that 40% of federal investment benefits flow to disadvantaged communities, addressing deep-seated inequities. ...

AFRICAN AMERICANS IN THE NEWS

After Trump's win, Black women are rethinking their role as America's reliable political organizers

ATLANTA (AP) — As she checked into a recent flight to Mexico for vacation, Teja Smith chuckled at the idea of joining another Women’s March on Washington. As a Black woman, she just couldn’t see herself helping to replicate the largest act of resistance against then-President...

National monument proposed for North Dakota Badlands, with tribes' support

BISMARCK, N.D. (AP) — A coalition of conservation groups and Native American tribal citizens on Friday called on President Joe Biden to designate nearly 140,000 acres of rugged, scenic Badlands as North Dakota's first national monument, a proposal several tribal nations say would preserve the...

What to know about Scott Turner, Trump's pick for housing secretary

Scott Turner, President-elect Donald Trump choice to lead the Department of Housing and Urban Development, is a former NFL player who ran the White House Opportunity and Revitalization Council during Trump’s first term. Turner, 52, is the first Black person selected to be a member...

ENTERTAINMENT

Book Review: Chris Myers looks back on his career in ’That Deserves a Wow'

There are few sports journalists working today with a resume as broad as Chris Myers. From a decade doing everything for ESPN (SportsCenter, play by play, and succeeding Roy Firestone as host of the interview show “Up Close”) to decades of involvement with nearly every league under contract...

Was it the Mouse King? ‘Nutcracker’ props stolen from a Michigan ballet company

CANTON TOWNSHIP, Mich. (AP) — Did the Mouse King strike? A ballet group in suburban Detroit is scrambling after someone stole a trailer filled with props for upcoming performances of the beloved holiday classic “The Nutcracker.” The lost items include a grandfather...

Wrestling with the ghosts of 'The Piano Lesson'

The piano on the set of “The Piano Lesson” was not a mere prop. It could be played and the cast members often did. It was adorned with pictures of the Washington family and their ancestors. It was, John David Washington jokes, “No. 1 on the call sheet.” “We tried to haunt...

U.S. & WORLD NEWS

AP Top 25: Alabama, Mississippi out of top 10 and Miami, SMU are in; Oregon remains unanimous No. 1

Alabama and Mississippi tumbled out of the top 10 of The Associated Press Top 25 poll Sunday and Miami and SMU...

Heavy rains in Bolivia send mud crashing into the capital, leaving 1 missing and destroying homes

LA PAZ, Bolivia (AP) — A landslide caused by heavy rains after a prolonged drought in La Paz, the capital of...

After Trump's win, Black women are rethinking their role as America's reliable political organizers

ATLANTA (AP) — As she checked into a recent flight to Mexico for vacation, Teja Smith chuckled at the idea of...

Many in Gaza are eating just once a day, as hunger spreads amid aid issues

DEIR AL-BALAH, Gaza Strip (AP) — Yasmin Eid coughs and covers her face, cooking a small pot of lentils over a...

Modi's party heads for victory in Maharashtra state election while opposition wins Jharkhand

NEW DELHI (AP) — Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Hindu nationalist party headed for a victory Saturday in state...

The week that upped the stakes of the Ukraine war

KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — This past week has seen the most significant escalation in hostilities that Ukraine has...

Amanda Sloane Hlntv.com

(CNN) -- Jurors in the George Zimmerman trial got to hear his story again Tuesday, this time from Chris Serino, the lead Sanford police investigator in the case, and Zimmerman's best friend, Mark Osterman.

On the trial's seventh day in a Florida courtroom, both of them recounted the story Zimmerman told them about the confrontation with Trayvon Martin with minor variations.

Zimmerman, a former neighborhood watch captain, is charged with second-degree murder for killing 17-year-old Martin in Sanford, Florida, on February 26, 2012. Zimmerman told police he was pursuing the teenager throughout the neighborhood because there had been a series of break-ins in the area. The two fought, and Zimmerman said he was forced to draw his gun and kill Martin in self-defense.

Serino said he felt Zimmerman exaggerated the number of times he was hit that night but said he didn't feel any "active deception" on Zimmerman's part when he said he got out of his vehicle while pursuing Martin to see what street he was on.

Osterman, who wrote a book about the case, said that when he took Zimmerman home from the police station after the shooting, Zimmerman wasn't acting like himself. "He had a stunned look on his face. Wide-eyed, just kind of a little bit detached," Osterman said on the stand Tuesday.

Judge Debra Nelson started the day by asking jurors to dismiss Serino's earlier testimony in which he said he believed Zimmerman was being truthful about what happened the night he shot Martin.

The court reporter read the exchange between defense attorney Mark O'Mara and Serino, a detective with the Sanford Police Department.

"So if we were to take pathological liar off the table as a possibility, you think (Zimmerman) was telling the truth?" asked O'Mara.

"Yes," said Serino.

The judge told jurors to dismiss the question and the answer, telling them it was an improper statement made by the witness about Zimmerman's credibility.

On his second day on the stand, Serino was asked by prosecutor Bernie de la Rionda if he thought Zimmerman was profiling Martin.

"If I were to believe that somebody was committing a crime, could that not be profiling that person?" asked de la Rionda.

"It could be construed as such, yes," said Serino.

"Was there any evidence that Trayvon Martin was committing a crime that evening, sir?" asked de la Rionda.

"No, sir," said Serino.

"Was there any evidence that that young man was armed?" asked de la Rionda.

"No, sir," said Serino.

The prosecutor also wanted to know Serino's thoughts on the language Zimmerman used in his non-emergency call to police when he said, "these (expletive) punks always get away."

"Is that something you would use in reference to somebody that you're going to invite over to dinner?" asked de la Rionda.

"No, sir, I would not," said Serino.

"Does that seem like a friendly comment about somebody else?" asked de la Rionda.

"No, sir, it does not," said Serino.

Serino also agreed that calling someone "(expletive) punks" is ill will and spite. To prove second-degree murder, prosecutors have to show Zimmerman acted with a "depraved mind" without regard for human life.

The prosecutor then started to dig into some of the details of Zimmerman's statement on the shooting to police, asking Serino about inconsistencies.

Serino said there was evidence to suggest that Zimmerman was still following Martin after the non-emergency operator told him not to. And Serino said red flags were raised for him when Zimmerman didn't know the names of the streets in his neighborhood, because there are only three.

However, Serino also said that he didn't feel there was "active deception" on Zimmerman's part when he said he didn't know where he was and had to get out of his vehicle to look at a street sign.

About the fight that allegedly ensued between Zimmerman and Martin, Serino also said Zimmerman's nose may have been bleeding back into his mouth, which could explain why Martin didn't have blood on his hands. And he agreed with O'Mara that the purported smothering of Zimmerman by Martin could have happened only momentarily, perhaps not long enough to be heard on the 911 call made by a neighbor.

When questioned again by the prosecution, Serino admitted that he was speculating on the details of how the fight played out.

The last witness to take the stand before court recessed for lunch was Mark Osterman, who called Zimmerman "the best friend I've ever had."

Osterman has worked in law enforcement for more than 20 years and said he's the one who helped Zimmerman purchase his gun. "He asked whether he should or shouldn't -- to start with -- and I recommended that he should. Anybody who's a non-convicted felon should carry a firearm. The police aren't always there," said Osterman.

Osterman also recounted the story of the shooting that Zimmerman told him. He said that as the two scuffled, Zimmerman's jacket came up, potentially exposing his gun to Martin. Osterman said Zimmerman was mostly focused on Martin's hands, which he said were keeping him from breathing.

"It was critical. He was losing oxygen. He felt he was not able to breathe. That's why he was desperate to clear an airway," said Osterman.

Osterman said Zimmerman felt Martin grab either his gun or the holster.

"That's when he had to -- he freed one of his hands and got the gun. He either broke contact or knocked Trayvon's hand away, and then he drew it," said Osterman.

Osterman said Zimmerman shot Martin, crawled out from under him, holstered his weapon, got on Martin's back and held his arms out, pinning them down.

But a photograph snapped by a neighbor shows Martin's hands under his body. Osterman said he wasn't aware of this fact.

Martin died of a single gunshot wound to the chest.

 

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