Lawyers for president’s son to challenge criminal charges he evaded taxes and argue prosecutors bowed to Republican pressure

Attorneys representing Hunter Biden asked a US judge in Los Angeles to dismiss the criminal case accusing him of evading $1.4m in taxes, arguing that prosecutors bowed to political pressure from Republican lawmakers investigating his father, Joe Biden.

Hunter’s lawyers appeared before the US district judge Mark Scarsi in federal court in Los Angeles on Wednesday to press several legal challenges to the charges, including an argument that he was selectively targeted by prosecutors in response to Republican criticism. The 54-year-old was not present in the courtroom.

While the musician faces several lawsuits alleging sexual assault, the reason for the raids in LA, Miami and New York is unclear

Federal agents have raided the properties of rapper and mogul Sean “Diddy” Combs, according to multiple reports.

Department of Homeland Security agents were searching Combs’ properties in Los Angeles, Miami and New York on Monday, according to NBC news and local stations in Los Angeles and Miami .

Authorities say girl showed up at sheriff’s station, ‘lunged’ for gun and was pronounced dead at scene from self-inflicted injury

A girl died on Sunday from a self-inflicted gunshot wound after she entered a Los Angeles county sheriff’s station and grabbed a deputy’s gun, the department said.

The incident came after the girl’s foster parent called authorities to their home around 7.25pm on Sunday, saying the girl was suffering from a mental health crisis. By the time deputies arrived, the girl was gone. About 15 minutes later, she showed up at the Industry sheriff’s station about 1 mile (1.6km) away from the home, knocked on the lobby door, entered and “lunged” to grab a deputy’s firearm out of the holster, the department said.

The congressman, known for his critiques of Trump, has out-raised and out-spent his opponents in a closely-matched race

Adam Schiff looked like a front-runner when he first announced he was running for the US Senate more than a year ago, and he hasn’t stopped looking like one since.

The California congressman from Los Angeles, best known for his withering critiques of Donald Trump and the threat the former president poses to US democracy, hasn’t always been able to match the charisma of his two leading Democratic rivals, Katie Porter and Barbara Lee. His continuing support for Israel’s military offensive in Gaza, broadly in line with the Biden administration’s, has created divisions among his constituents and opened up one of the few significant policy differences in the race.

Facing rising rents and rapid development, Black small-business owners are mourning the loss of community spaces

The smell of burning incense filled the room as Asha Grant, the owner of the Salt Eaters Bookshop , greeted folks who entered to attend Black Queer Speed Dating, one of many events put on in the community space.

Attendees could grab name tags and enjoy a table spread filled with assorted fruits, meats and cheeses. To a visitor, the bookshop in Inglewood, California, is beautifully curated, with a memorial painting of Latasha Harlins, a Black girl who was killed by a Korean store clerk in 1991, contributing to the onset of the 1992 Los Angeles riots. The Salt Eaters Bookshop also hosts a community board filled with Black-centered events and businesses, and bright colors that catch the eye.

Indigenous artists in the Killers of the Flower Moon actor’s network tell us about the future they’re creating

Lily Gladstone made history this year as the first Native American nominated for a Best Actress Oscar, for her starring role in Martin Scorsese’s Killers of the Flower Moon. A win for her this year would be especially resonant, as a rising generation of Native writers, actors and showrunners continues to transform the kinds of stories Hollywood tells about Indigenous people.

As Gladstone makes headlines with her series of “firsts”, she’s worked hard to spotlight Native designers and emphasize her pride in her Blackfeet history and language , reminding audiences at every turn that “first” is very different from “only”.

Jason Reitman, Christopher Nolan and Steven Spielberg among those leading charge to buy the iconic Village theater

This week, a group of A-list Hollywood directors, including JJ Abrams, Guillermo del Toro, and Gina Prince-Bythewood, took a group photo outside of one of Los Angeles’ historic movie theaters.

This wasn’t an Oscars event. Instead, the directors were announcing they were “the new caretakers of the Village Theater in Westwood”.

Rebecca Grossman was found guilty of two felony counts and gross vehicular manslaughter for hitting Mark and Jacob Iskander

Rebecca Grossman, a Los Angeles socialite accused of fatally striking two young brothers crossing the street, was found guilty of murder and other charges on Friday.

Prosecutors had said the 60-year-old was impaired and speeding in her Mercedes when she hit brothers Mark Iskander, 11, and Jacob Iskander, 8, at over 70mph. Grossman’s defense had argued that what happened was an accident and that the boys were first struck by another car.

The independent candidate for president fronted a ‘night of laughter’ with Rob Schneider and others – were voters amused?

Inside the Million Dollar Theatre in downtown Los Angeles on Wednesday night, comedians cracked jokes about wokeness, the “scamdemic”, Joe Biden’s age and stumbles – and Robert F Kennedy Jr made his pitch, of sorts, to voters.

The 70-year-old, a member of the Kennedy political dynasty, with a long history of promoting conspiracy theories and vaccine skepticism, is running for president as an independent. Recent polling from Quinnipiac projected that in a race involving Biden and Trump, Kennedy, who has pledged to “end the forever wars, clean up government [and] increase wealth for all”, could receive as much as 15% of the vote.