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Newsom said Thursday that the “limited” order would go into effect on Saturday and last until December 21, applying to more than 94 percent of California residents who live in 41 counties under the strictest “purple tier” of COVID-19 restrictions. The order includes a 10 p.m. to 5 a.m. curfew, although essential workers are exempted. “The virus is spreading at a pace we haven’t seen since the start of this pandemic and the next several days and weeks will be critical to stop the surge....

“It’s official,” Kiley tweeted Tuesday afternoon. “I’m running to replace Gavin Newsom as the Governor of California.” Kiley, a Republican who represents California’s 6th Assembly District, has been critical of the Democratic governor’s handling of the coronavirus pandemic, and said in a blog post announcing his campaign that his goal will be “renewing the meaning of We the People,” which he added is “what the Recall has been about from the beginning....

U.S. District Judge André Birotte sentenced Adam Joiner, 43, to 97 months in federal prison on Wednesday, according to the Department of Justice. Joiner was also ordered to pay $14 million in restitution. He had secured the money from Asian investment firms by claiming that the funds would be used to make a film called Legends, which would focus on American folk figures including Davy Crockett, John Henry, Calamity Jane and Paul Bunyan....

According to an update posted on the national wildfire incident system, InciWeb, the McFarland Fire has burned at least 107,102 acres and is currently 51 percent contained. On Monday, officials said that the McFarland Fire burned at least 51,909 acres and was 68 percent contained, indicating significant growth over the past two days. In an InciWeb update on Wednesday, officials said, “Predicted winds pushed hard overnight and created active fire behavior....

Around 1.2 million acres of the total acres this year were burned in the past week, he added. Newsom confirmed seven people have died and at least 12,000 structures have been damaged or destroyed by the fires. “We are dealing with different climate conditions that are precipitating in fires the likes we haven’t seen in modern recorded history,” he said. Over 13,000 lightning strikes since August 15 have led to more than 600 fires across the state....

The Soda Rock Winery caught fire after flames skipped across Highway 128 and torched the winery’s famous stone facade Sunday. By Monday, the building’s roof had collapsed due to the fire damage, while two houses, an artist studio, a water tower and the winery’s 20,000-square-foot wine production facility, tasting room and event space were also burned to the ground, according to San Francisco Chronicle. The winery confirmed the news in a post on Facebook, noting no one was at the facility when the property caught fire because of the evacuations issued in the area....

Calipari started on Harrison less than two minutes into the game after a sequence wherein Harrison missed a layup, stole the ball and then missed another layup in a 10-second span. He palmed his face and pointed at Harrison. It was one of many displays of frustration throughout the afternoon. Nevermind that the Wildcats would go on to stomp South Carolina, 58-43. Tough, in-your-face love — that’s how Calipari gets through to Harrison....

The flat tax resurrects the worst excesses of the 1980s’ “supply side” economics. It takes sensible ideas (lower tax rates, simplification) and vastly exaggerates their potential for good. All the flat-tax plans suffer from two general defects. The first is that they are a huge distraction, requiring that we abolish the current income-tax system. No political system can handle more than a few big issues at a time, and ours is already overburdened by balancing the budget....

Yes, well, I’ve discovered that you have to say that sort of thing when you make the leap into cyberspace. Otherwise, you’re bombarded with questions about IPOs, vesting schedules, second-round option dilution and a host of other matters of which, but a few weeks ago, I was blissfully ignorant. You can trot out the statistics until you’re blue in the face, tell people that most start-ups fail, that 90 percent of Net companies don’t make money and never will, that tens of thousands of people hold stock options that are–as we in the wired world say–underwater....

The developer said it had removed 500,000 accounts overall for cheating since the game launched in March 2020. Raven Software also announced last week that it had removed tens of thousands of accounts from the game. In a Twitter post uploaded on Friday, a Raven Software spokesperson said: “Banned over 30,000 malicious accounts across Call of Duty yesterday…bringing us to over half a million accounts banned in #Warzone.” It is the latest in a series of bans carried out by the game’s publisher Activision and Raven Software since CoD: Warzone launched last year....

Rove had reason to be happy. The mighty vote-winning machine he had built for George Bush over the past six years seemed to be roaring along. In a close election, the “ground war”–the effort to turn out voters and get them to the polls on Election Day–is crucial. Rove had been cranking up a sophisticated GOTV–Get Out the Vote–operation since 1994, when Bush first ran for governor of Texas. After the election, Rove discovered that turnout was much higher among registered voters who had been contacted by the Bush operation than among those who had not–52 to 39 percent....

The hungry applicant will get a tasty $10,000 to sample the Mexican staple throughout Texas, as Favor’s official Chief Taco Officer. The inaugural position is best suited to an “energetic, hungry, and social savvy” person who can share their passion for the dish. The role lasts from June until July, and Favor will foot the bill for all the meals, accommodation and transportation during the four-week stint. Crucially, all the food will need to be delivered, and the Chief Taco Officer will also get a year’s free delivery from Favor as well....

“The climate crisis is here. It’s code red, and it is up to us all to act…. Adapting to extreme weather and anticipating sea level rises must be a top priority for a new government,” said Rogier van der Sande, chairman of the Dutch Union of Water Boards. The Royal Netherlands Meteorological Institute, known by its Dutch acronym KNMI, reported that greenhouse gas emissions and Antarctic ice cap melting will also contribute to the climate crisis in the Netherlands....

The advertisements, part of a six-figure buy from by the progressive political action committee Priorities USA Action, will run in key battleground states ahead of the midterm elections next November. According to Priorities USA, the two 30-second clips will “draw a direct connection between the tragedy of January 6th and the Republicans that Donald Trump has endorsed who have explicitly vowed to subvert the will of the voters in future elections....

Conservative Member of Parliament Nickie Aiken, for the Cities of London and Westminster, has called on Prime Minister Boris Johnson to take more steps than economic sanctions against Russia. “The children of Russians connected to the Kremlin, who may be in schools in this country, should be sent home to Russia and not allowed to benefit from an education in this country,” she said in the House of Commons last week, according to an Insider report....

The team declared Calvin Johnson inactive for its matchup with the Minnesota Vikings Sunday. MORE: Week 17 odds | Year in review Johnson has been battling knee issues all season. The All-Pro wideout was listed as questionable for Week 17 after not practicing all week. Kevin Ogletree is in the starting lineup for the Lions in place of Johnson, who finished with 1,492 yards and 12 touchdowns in 14 games....

Or so it seemed. However, Akers has made a remarkably quick recovery from that problem and it seems like he is going to be ready to play for the Rams at some point this season. MORE: Cooper Kupp explains his rise to stardom Los Angeles designated Akers to return from IR in a move that was presumed to be about giving Akers an extra pension credit. However, he has shown well enough in practice that the Rams officially activated him from IR on Christmas Day....

So Sunday, when Cam scored against the Miami Dolphins, he celebrated like a king—The King, LeBron James. MORE: Week 12 in photos | Week 12 live scoreboard | Tolzien spin move | Alex Smith vs. Rob Ford | Dancin’ Joe (GIF via GIFDSports) (GIF via GIF Soup) While LeBron is an avid Dallas Cowboys fan, the Miami Heat star might not be too happy that Newton stole his move AND performed it against South Beach's football team....

Yes, the same Jones who later gave Newton a concussion. WEEK 5 PICKS: Straight up | Against the spread Don’t remember the play? After Newton ran for a first down early in the game, he got up and tossed the ball into Jones’s chest. Here’s where that whole karma thing comes in. Later in the game, as the Panthers quarterback appeared set to literally almost walk into the end zone uncontested on a 2-point conversion, Jones came out of nowhere and walloped him at the goal line....

However, the quarterback could be back under center “pretty soon,” coach Ron Rivera said. “The doctors feel the more we keep him off of it, the more we keep it elevated, we’re expecting it to take care of itself quickly,’’ Rivera told reporters Saturday. Newton was inside of Bank of America Stadium during Saturday’s practice receiving treatment after suffering a sprained foot in Carolina’s preseason loss to the Patriots on Thursday....