As the COVID crisis threatened to derail Cal’s season in early November, confusion soared within the football program. Why had a handful of cases prompted mass testing of players and staff? Why had a program with strict safety protocols been called out publicly by the City of Berkeley’s health officials, supposedly causing the players to be shamed on campus? And most of all, why had a program with a 99% vaccination rate become the only team in major college football to have a game rescheduled because of the virus? Coach Justin Wilcox was measured in his public comments throughout the two-week crisis. But privately, Wilcox and others were deeply frustrated with the handling of the situation by the university, according to a recording of a virtual meeting between team parents, Wilcox and Cal

Theranos founder Elizabeth Holmes on Monday sought to cut the impact of the prosecution’s key claim that she lied about use of her startup’s technology by the U.S. military. Holmes, on the witness stand in U.S. District Court in San Jose for the fourth day, was asked by one of her lawyers whether Theranos’ blood-testing technology was ever used for clinical care on medical-evacuation helicopters. She said no. Jurors have heard from investors who testified that Holmes, while wooing them, claimed her technology was in use on military choppers, helping to treat soldiers in the field. A former Theranos manager testified that although the company had worked with the Pentagon to try to get its technology into battlefield use, he was not aware of it being used clinically on soldiers in war zones,

Stephen Sondheim, in 2016. | Walter McBride/Getty ImagesRemembering the man behind Company, Into the Woods, and Sunday in the Park With George. Stephen Sondheim died this week at the age of 91, and there’s too much to say. For most people, it would be enough to be the lyricist and composer behind iconic individual songs like “Being Alive” and “Somewhere.” But Sondheim wasn’t just clever and affecting songwriter; he wasn’t even just a giant in the world of musical theater — he was the giant, a genius who remade the entire genre in his image. Sondheim musicals were once notoriously considered too cerebral for mainstream pop culture; now, Sondheim’s songs, many of them rapturous odes to ambiguity, ambivalence, and the mortifying ordeal of being known — have become the gold standard by which

George R.R. Martin has been vocal in the past about his displeasure over HBO’s “Game of Thrones” only running eight seasons. The author said in October 2019 that “Thrones” would’ve needed 13 seasons to do his books justice. As part of journalist James Andrew Miller’s new book “Tinderbox: HBO’s Ruthless Pursuit of New Frontiers,” Martin’s agent Paul Haas revealed that the author flew to New York City more than once to meet with then-HBO CEO Richard Plepler in order to convince him to extend the series’ television run. “George would fly to New York to have lunch with Plepler, to beg him to do 10 seasons of 10 episodes because there was enough material for it and to tell him it would be a more satisfying and more entertaining experience,” Haas said (via Insider). “[Showrunners D.B. Weiss and

Cash Loans, which is located at 8314 S. Kedzie Ave. in the Ashburn neighborhood and offers high-interest loans to consumers, is seen in this photo. | Pat Nabong/Sun-TimesBy increasing options of small loan banking services, payday borrowers can focus on getting back on their feet, rather than stumbling into a confusing debt trap. Payday loans exist as literally the only option for the poor for short-term, small-loan financing. This predatory debt trap directly takes advantage of poverty through confusing loan terms and high-interest rates, essentially enabling the poor to be monetized. The solution? Increase the options. Traditional bank corporations and the federal government can provide a competitive solution, lowering prices for the borrower and alleviating unnecessary debt pressure on...

Marchers hold a “Trans Lives Matter” banner honoring transgender victims of violence on Transgender Day of Remembrance in Washington Square Park in New York on Nov. 20, 2021. | Kena Betancur/AFP via Getty ImagesDeadnaming is the act of referencing a transgender individual by their former name. Misgendering is the act of identifying someone by a gender identity that they do not claim. Media and law enforcement must do better. In May of 2020, Selena Reyes-Hernandez, a transgender woman, was killed in the Marquette Park neighborhood of Chicago. Her death bothered me deeply. And then, Selena was deadnamed and misgendered in a major newspaper. Deadnaming is the act of referencing a transgender individual by their former name. Misgendering is the act of identifying someone by a gender identity

Samir Hussein/Samir Hussein/WireImagePrince Charles is the member of the royal family who raised questions about the likely color of Meghan Markle and Prince Harry’s babies’ skin, the author of a new book about the royals which addresses controversy has exclusively told The Daily Beast. Christopher Andersen, who has been covering the royal family for 50 years, first at Time magazine and then as a senior editor running People magazine’s royals coverage in the ’70’s and 80’s also exclusively told The Daily Beast that relations between the royals are now so poor that William “isn’t returning Harry’s calls” and Charles and Harry “haven’t spoken since Prince Philip's funeral.” Andersen told The Daily Beast: “My sources are rock-solid and they helped me unravel the mystery of which royal Harry ...

Jack Dorsey, creator, co-founder, and CEO of Twitter onstage at the Bitcoin 2021 Convention in Miami, Florida, on June 4. | Joe Raedle/Getty ImagesCritics often said Dorsey was distracted, but he shaped the company into what it is today. Twitter’s co-founder and CEO Jack Dorsey is stepping down as the company’s chief executive, marking the end of an era for the company, which has been shaped and guided by its forward-thinking and at times distracted founder. Dorsey will remain a member of Twitter’s board until at least next year. The news, first reported by CNBC, was in some ways a surprise, especially given the timing: a Monday morning and a company holiday at Twitter after the Thanksgiving weekend. In other ways, Dorsey’s resignation has long been anticipated. Wall Street investors have

By MARGARET SHUTTLEWORTH | City News Service The City Council is scheduled to vote Tuesday, Nov. 30, on an ordinance that would prohibit the possession, purchase, sale, receipt and transportation of “ghost guns” in Los Angeles. The ordinance requires unanimous approval to be adopted on its first reading. If it does not receive unanimous approval, it will return next week for a second vote, when only a majority will be required. The council voted unanimously Aug. 31 to have the City Attorney’s Office draft the ordinance, which was requested in a motion by Councilmen Paul Koretz and Paul Krekorian. The ordinance before the City Council on Tuesday would prohibit the possession, purchase, sale, receipt or transport of a non-serialized unfinished firearm frame or receiver or non-serialized fire

Welcome to the Bay Area News Group (Mercury News & East Bay Times) girls athlete of the week poll. For the entire academic year, we will provide a list of candidates who stood out over the previous week and allow you, the reader, to vote for the winner. This week, we consider performances from Nov. 22-28. Polls close at 5 p.m. Wednesday. Vote as many times as you’d like until then. Candidates for future Athlete of the Week polls can be nominated at highschools@bayareanewsgroup.com. We also review stats submitted to MaxPreps by coaches/team statisticians. On to the nominees: Belle Bramer, Los Gatos basketball: Sophomore forward had 12 points, four rebounds, four assists and three blocked shots in a season-opening 46-30 victory over Mountain View.  Ellie Buckley, Campolindo cro...