Jeremy T. Ringfield's Blog, page 224

Planted envelope, pilfered identities, money that didn’t exist: Bay Area couple accused of $60 million AI startup fraud

The investment firm’s representative met the artificial intelligence startup’s CEO at a bank in San Francisco’s Chinatown last June, expecting to receive a statement directly from the bank showing how much the startup, chatbot company GameOn, had in its accounts.

The investment company had put $5.7 million into GameOn in 2021. The representative — a Game On board member — got the statement, showing a healthy $13.4 million balance.

But according to claims in a federal fraud indictment this week against GameOn CEO and co-founder Alexander Beckman and his wife Valerie Lau Beckman, all was not as it seemed. To start, the bank balance was $25.93. Mrs. Beckman had gone to the bank, emailed the fake statement to a bank employee, and asked the worker to put it in the envelope for her husband to pick up, the indictment alleged.

While most of the couple’s fraudulent behavior alleged by federal prosecutors took the form of purportedly falsified financial statements and pilfered identities, the episode at the bank involved an on-the-ground gambit that appeared — at first — to work, the indictment filed Tuesday claimed.

The investor’s representative “believed the statement was real and shared pictures of it with other members of GameOn’s board,” the indictment said.

That afternoon last June was the culmination of a years-long fraud by the pair that cost investors and the company more than $60 million, some of which was used by the Beckmans to buy homes, luxury cars, and jewelry, and to pay private schools attended by Mr. Beckman’s children, the indictment in San Francisco U.S. District Court alleged.

The couple were arrested Thursday, the U.S. Department of Justice said. A lawyer for Mr. Beckman did not respond to requests for comment. Mrs. Beckman could not be reached.

GameOn, a San Francisco company launched in 2014, served customers including American professional sports teams, leagues and associations, as well as prominent fashion and retail brands, the indictment said. Its product was an AI chatbot intended to engage with its clients’ fans, customers and consumers. Which teams and leagues were clients is not specified in the indictment.

However, the Los Angeles Chargers National Football League team in 2020 announced it was using GameOn’s chatbot. Posts by GameOn on social media platform X and company press releases tout partnerships with the New York Yankees Major League Baseball team, the Las Vegas Raiders and Jacksonville Jaguars NFL teams, the Detroit Pistons of the National Basketball Association, the Las Vegas Aces and Chicago Sky of the Women’s National Basketball Association, United Kingdom soccer titan Arsenal, and the mixed-martial-arts Professional Fighters League. GameOn press releases also claimed partnerships with luxury brands Valentino and Armani.

No wrongdoing is alleged against GameOn clients.

The indictment describes an enterprise constantly teetering on the edge of failure as the Beckmans allegedly solicited and obtained investments via false financial documents that dramatically overstated company sales, profit and bank balances.

“GameOn depended on new investor funds to operate, burned through its funds, received overdraft notices from banks, was delinquent in paying certain customers, and often was on the brink of not having enough money in the bank to operate and make payroll,” the indictment claimed.

The investment firm whose representative went to the bank that day was one of four such firms — two in San Francisco, two in New York — allegedly scammed by the Beckmans. The two other purported fraud victims were individuals from northern California.

The firm — identified as “Investor 1” in the indictment — in April 2021 received an email from Mrs. Beckman with a table showing $4 million in sales and $1.9 million in profit for that month, but sales for that entire year never topped $1 million, the indictment claimed. The investment firm sent GameOn $2.5 million three days later, the indictment said.

The following month, Mrs. Beckman sent the firm a spreadsheet from Mr. Beckman indicating GameOn had close to $9 million in two banks, when in reality it had a negative balance at one of the banks and $2,350 in the other. After Mrs. Beckman followed up in September with allegedly inflated sales and profit numbers, the investment company sent another $3.2 million, the indictment claimed.

Similar transactions followed the same pattern, with GameOn claiming to one investor it made $72.4 million in sales and $56.8 million in profits from January through September 2023, when the company turned less than $1 million in profit that whole year, the indictment alleged.

To distribute false information to investors, Beckman created fake email addresses for real GameOn workers: a contractor, a consultant, and a part-time chief financial officer, the indictment claimed. He also allegedly “fabricated two GameOn audit reports using the names, signatures, and trademarks of reputable accounting firms,” the indictment said.

The couple used $4.2 million in ill-gotten gains to buy a property in San Francisco — in posh Presidio Heights, court records indicate — and put another $360,000 of investors’ money toward another home in the city, the indictment claimed. Hundreds of thousands each went to the private school, a social club where the Beckmans married in November 2023, and more than $100,000 went to pay personal property taxes, the indictment claimed.

Tech website VentureBeat reported in July 2024 that Beckman resigned from GameOn early that month, days after a probe by the startup’s board found that a bank account that should have had $11 million in it had only 37 cents.

The Beckmans, both granted bail Thursday for $1 million each according to court records, could face years in prison if convicted.

Trump leans in on targeting Russian oil revenue as he tries to fulfill pledge to end Ukraine war

By AAMER MADHANI and JENNIFER McDERMOTT

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump is emphasizing that targeting Russia’s oil revenue is the best way to get Moscow to end its nearly three-year war against Ukraine.

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The president on Friday renewed his call on the group of oil producing exporters, led by Saudi Arabia, to reduce the price of oil. It’s a move he says would bleed Russia of much needed revenue to pay for the conflict and force Vladimir Putin to reconsider the war.

“One way to stop it quickly is for OPEC to stop making so much money,” Trump told reporters. “So, OPEC ought to get on the ball and drop the price of oil. And that war will stop right away.”

But the push on OPEC+ is an uphill battle, according to industry experts. The alliance last month put off increasing oil production as it faces weaker than expected demand and competing production from non-allied countries.

Trump made similar calls on OPEC+ this week during a virtual address to the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, the annual gathering of world leaders and corporate elites.

Meanwhile, the president’s special envoy to Ukraine and Russia, Keith Kellogg, said Friday that OPEC+ cutting oil prices to $45 per barrel could push Russia to end the war.

“Russia is gaining billions of dollars of money from oil sales,” Kellogg said in a Fox News interview. “What if you drop that to $45 a barrel, which is basically a baseline break-even point?”

The Saudi and Russian relationship is complicated, though the countries have cooperated on oil.

In 2016, Russia and other oil producers that weren’t part of the alliance joined with Saudi Arabia and other members of the oil cartel to form OPEC+. Russia and Saudi Arabia are by far the biggest producers in the expanded alliance. That move was largely made in response to dramatically falling oil prices due to U.S. shale oil output. The United States is not a member of OPEC or OPEC+.

Patrick De Haan, head of petroleum analysis at GasBuddy, said Trump has a better relationship with Saudi Arabia’s crown prince, Mohammad bin Salman, than did his predecessor, Democrat Joe Biden. Still, he said, the Saudis “still have bills to pay,” and Trump is making a “huge ask.”

“Oil companies respond to economics and not to personal favors,” he added.

The Kremlin on Friday dismissed the idea that Russia could be pressed into talks on ending the war by the U.S. and its allies targeting the oil sector.

“The conflict doesn’t depend on oil prices,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said in a call with reporters. “The conflict is ongoing because of the threat to Russia’s national security, the threat to Russians living on those territories and the refusal by the Americans and the Europeans to listen to Russia’s security concerns. It’s not linked to oil prices.”

The U.S. and its allies have imposed a $60 per barrel price cap on Russian oil. But Moscow has been able to sustain a steady stream of revenue from sales by relying on buyers, including China and India, who have taken advantage of discounted prices from the Russians.

Trump earlier this week spoke by phone with the Saudi crown prince, his first foreign leader call after his return to the White House. Press secretary Karoline Leavitt declined to comment on whether the two leaders discussed Trump’s push for slashing oil prices.

After the call, the crown prince said the kingdom would look to invest $600 billion in the United States over the next four years, and Trump publicly said he’d like to see the Saudis spend $1 trillion. Trump is also hopeful for landing a long sought Israel-Saudi Arabia normalization deal, to formalize relations between the Middle East’s two biggest powers.

Trump may be making a risky gambit by publicly pressing the Saudis and other OPEC+ nations.

Biden, who was critical of the Saudis’ human rights record early in his term, faced an embarrassing setback months into the Ukraine war when the Saudis rejected the Democrat’s public push to increase the global flow of oil.

Asked why Trump could succeed where Biden failed, Leavitt, Trump’s press secretary, offered confidence but no specifics. “The Biden administration said a lot of things that never actually came to fruition, and President Trump is a man of his word,” she said. “You’re seeing that already.”

It’s possible that Saudi Arabia and other allies would want to answer Washington’s call eventually, but not immediately, said Kevin Book, the managing director who leads the research team at ClearView Energy Partners LLC, a Washington research firm.

Global oil supply is currently ahead of demand by about 700,000 barrels per day, according to the International Energy Agency, a surplus that already weighs on the price. Brent crude, a benchmark for international oils used by many U.S. refineries, was trading at about $78 on Friday morning. Book said whether Trump will have better luck than Biden depends on his terms — what he asks for and what pressure he brings.

“What Biden was essentially asking for was going to divide the two biggest players in OPEC+ and that’s essentially what’s on the table right now, too,” he said. “It was challenging then. It would be challenging now.”

Kellogg said Trump feels strongly that drumming up economic pressure will be more useful to getting Russia to the negotiating table than helping Ukraine score battlefield wins.

Both sides have suffered hundreds of thousands of casualties. Kellogg expressed doubt that the incredible human cost would have much impact on the Kremlin’s calculations.

“This is a nation that was willing to lose 700,000 killed in six months at Stalingrad in World War II. They just throw troops at it,” Kellogg said. He added, “So when you look at Putin, you can’t just say, ‘Well, stop the killing,’ because candidly, that’s not their mentality, that’s not how they do things.”

Criticism of Biden’s handling of the Ukraine conflict was a cornerstone of Trump’s 2024 campaign. He regularly pilloried Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris for the enormous amount of military aid poured into Ukraine in the aftermath of Russia’s February 2022 invasion.

He boasted on the campaign trail that the war would have never happened if he were president and that he would end the war within 24 hours of being sworn in.

Since his election victory, he’s acknowledged that the war remains complicated and has said it could take months to find a resolution to the war.

In a posting on his Truth Social site, Trump earlier this week said the U.S “must never forget that Russia helped us win the Second World War.” And he’s repeatedly said that he will hold talks with Putin.

“I really would like to be able to meet with President Putin soon and get that war … ended,” Trump said at Davos. “And that’s not from the standpoint of economy or anything else. It’s from the standpoint of millions of lives are being wasted. Beautiful, young people are being shot in the battlefield.”

McDermott reported from Providence, Rhode Island. AP writer Will Weissert traveling aboard Air Force One contributed reporting.

Board of Supervisors to hear reports on 2024 ICE releases, Moss landing environmental plan

The next Monterey County Board of Supervisors meeting will address the county’s encampment resolution policy, the Moss Landing Community Plan, and the Davis Road Bridge Project.

On Tuesday the Monterey County Sheriff’s Office will give a report on the U.S. immigration and Customs Enforcement’s access to people who are incarcerated in Monterey County Jail.

The state of California has the California Values Act, which limits law enforcement’s sharing of information with ICE, except in specific cases involving serious criminal offenses. There is also the Truth Act, which requires local agencies to notify incarcerated people about ICE interviews, and share ICE requests with the individual.

According to the 2024 report, there were 11 people released to ICE custody last year. The qualifying offenses included robbery, sexual battery, assault and others.

The board is also scheduled to hear plans for the county to apply for a $938,960 grant from the California Costal Commission’s local assistance program. The funding would support updates to the Moss Landing plan, including addressing sea level rise and coastal hazards.

The Moss Landing Community Plan has been ongoing since 2008 and county officials say it is a priority for addressing climate change impacts.

If awarded, the grant will also cover staff costs, consulting services and a portion of the environmental impact report preparation.

The board will also discuss a grant application under the Department of Transportation’s Rebuilding American Infrastructure with Sustainability and Equity program, or RAISE.

The county is seeking about $24.5 million in funding to support the Davis Road Bridge Replacement and Road Widening project, which will address traffic congestion and future growth by adding a 2.1-mile section of Davis Road to four lanes, add bike lanes and replace the current two-lane bridge with one that meets flood-level and safety standards.

The total project cost is estimated at about $96.5 million, with about 71.9 million already secured through various programs including the Federal Highway Administration’s Highway Bridge Program.

The requested RAISE funding will represents about 25% of the project cost.

The Board of Supervisors will meet at 9 a.m. Jan. 28 in the Board Chambers at 168 W. Alisal St, Salinas. The meeting will be streamed online and can be watched via Zoom at https://montereycty.zoom.us/j/224397747.

FACT FOCUS: A look at false and misleading claims made by Trump during his first week back in office

BY MELISSA GOLDIN

President Donald Trump stepped back into the presidency this week moving quickly to set a new agenda, but from his inaugural address continuing through a flurry of executive actions, press conferences and interviews Trump relied on an array of false and misleading information to support his case.

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Trump misrepresents election results

CLAIM: Speaking to attendees at the World Economic Forum in Davos on Thursday, Trump said he won by millions of votes in the 2024 election, which gave him “a massive mandate from the American people, like hasn’t been seen in many years.”

THE FACTS: Trump’s margin of victory in the 2024 election was not as large as he makes it seem. He won the electoral vote 312 to 226, including all seven swing states. The popular vote, however, was far closer, with Trump receiving 49.9% of the vote with 77,303,573 votes cast to Harris’ 75,019,257 votes (48.4%), according to AP Vote Cast. That’s a difference of 2,284,316 votes. In 2020, Joe Biden defeated Trump by more than 7 million votes.

CLAIM: In an interview Wednesday night with Fox News host Sean Hannity, Trump said that he “won youth by 36 points.”

THE FACTS: That’s false. Former Vice President Kamala Harris won the 18 to 29 age group by 4 percentage points, 51% to 47%; and the 30 to 44 age group 50% to 47%, according to AP VoteCast, a survey of more than 120,000 voters in the November election.

Trump won voters over 45 against Harris, with 52% supporting him. Slightly fewer than half, 47%, voted for Harris.

Like all surveys, AP VoteCast results are not an official count of how young people voted, instead providing an estimate that is subject to sampling error. However, other survey estimates also provide no signal that supports Trump’s claims.

California water policies misrepresented around wildfires

CLAIM: Trump told Hannity that rather than let it go into the Pacific Ocean, California Gov. Gavin Newsom “can release the water that comes from north” to help fight ongoing wildfires in Los Angeles. “There is massive amounts of water, rainwater and mountain water that comes due with the snow, comes down when — it as it melts,” he continued. Trump also claimed that “they turned off the spigot from up north in order to protect the Delta smelt.”

THE FACTS: About 40 percent of Los Angeles city water comes from state-controlled projects connected to northern California, where the Delta smelt fish live, and the state has limited the water it delivers this year. Yet the southern California reservoirs these canals help feed are at above-average levels for this time of year.

The Metropolitan Water District of Southern California has enough water in storage to meet roughly three years of water demand, said Deven Upadhyay, the agency’s interim general manager.

“We can deliver what our agencies need,” he said.

Some fire hydrants in Los Angeles ran dry in early efforts to fight the fires, prompting a swirl of criticism on social media, including from Trump.

But state water supplies are not to blame for hydrants running dry and a key reservoir near Pacific Palisades that was not filled. The problem with the hydrants was that they were overstressed, and the Santa Ynez Reservoir was empty because it was undergoing maintenance.

Newsom has called for an investigation into how the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power managed both issues.

The farms-versus-fish debate is one of the most well-worn in California water politics and doesn’t always fall along party lines. Some environmentalists think Newsom is too friendly to farming interests. But that debate is not connected to fire-related water troubles in Los Angeles.

Two complex systems of dams and canals channel rain and snowmelt from the mountains in northern California and route it south. Both transport water through the Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta, an estuary that provides critical habitat to fish and wildlife including salmon and the delta smelt.

The delta connects inland waterways to the Pacific, and keeping a certain amount of water flowing through helps support fish populations and the waterway itself.

Jan. 6 attacks on police downplayed

CLAIM: Asked by Hannity why he pardoned Jan. 6 rioters who attacked police at the Capitol, Trump said, “They were treated like the worst criminals in history. And you know what they were there for? They were protesting the vote because they knew the election was rigged and they were protesting the vote.” He noted that some of the rioters engaged with police, “but they were very minor incidents.”

THE FACTS: Rioters at the Capitol engaged in hand-to-hand combat with police and many of the rioters were carrying weapons, including firearms, knives, brass knuckle gloves, a pitchfork, a hatchet, a sledgehammer and a bow. They also used makeshift weapons, such as flagpoles, a table leg, a hockey stick and a crutch, to attack officers. One officer was crushed in a doorframe and another suffered a heart attack after a rioter pressed a stun gun against his neck and repeatedly shocked him. One rioter was charged with climbing scaffolding and firing a gun in the air during the melee.

The rioters broke through windows and doors, ransacking the Capitol and briefly occupying the Senate chamber. Senators had evacuated minutes earlier. They also tried to break into the House chamber, breaking glass windows and beating on the doors. But police held them off with guns drawn.

About 1,100 of the rioters had been sentenced, with roughly two-thirds of them receiving a term of imprisonment ranging from a few days to 22 years, before Trump on Tuesday pardoned, commuted the prison sentences or vowed to dismiss the cases of all the 1,500-plus people charged with crimes in the riot. Approximately one-quarter had been charged with assault or physical violence.

It is true, however, that hundreds of people who went into the Capitol but did not attack police or damage the building were charged only with misdemeanors.

Inflated immigration numbers

CLAIM: Trump said during his interview with Hannity that it “was a gross miscarriage of common sense” to let 21 million enter the U.S. illegally.

THE FACTS: That figure is highly inflated. U.S. Customs and Border Protection reports more than 10.8 million arrests for illegal crossings from Mexico from January 2021 through December 2024.

That’s arrests, not people. Under pandemic-era asylum restrictions, many people crossed more than once until they succeeded because there were no legal consequences for getting turned back to Mexico. So the number of people is lower than the number of arrests.

According to the Department of Homeland Security’s latest available estimate, at least 11 million people were living illegally in the U.S. as of January 2022, 79% of whom entered before January 2010.

FEMA did not end temporary housing assistance for Helene survivors

CLAIM: “The government wouldn’t do it any longer, which is ridiculous,” Trump said during a visit to North Carolina on Friday, referencing temporary housing in hotels provided to survivors of Hurricane Helene by the Federal Emergency Management Agency.

THE FACTS: FEMA is still paying for survivors to stay temporarily in hotels through its Transitional Sheltering Assistance program.

“I want to be clear, this program is not ending for Western North Carolina,” Brett Howard, federal coordinating officer, said in a statement on Monday. “We understand the great need survivors have at the time and this program will last as long as necessary.”

The agency reviews the eligibility of households in the program every two weeks to ensure they still meet the requirements for receiving temporary housing in hotels. Households deemed ineligible can petition the decision.

As part of its most recent review, FEMA found that out of 2,700 households it checked in on, approximately 740 were no longer eligible for the Temporary Sheltering Assistance program, according to Monday’s statement.

Survivors are now given three weeks notice before they must check out of their hotel room, rather than seven days, “due to the extenuating circumstances in Western North Carolina,” the statement reads.

“The length of eligibility for an individual survivor will be based on their individual circumstances,” Howard added. “FEMA staff are working daily with survivors and on their cases to help them find permanent housing solutions.”

Find AP Fact Checks here: https://apnews.com/APFactCheck.

Imjin Parkway project work sees tree planting, decorative rock placement

MARINA – The end of the first phase of Imjin Parkway Widening and Roundabout project will see finishing touches that include the start of tree planting and the placing of rocks on slopes in preparation for the project’s move to phase 2.

The Imjin Parkway Widening and Roundabout Project is a two-year effort to widen and increase safety on a traffic artery for about 30,000 daily motorists that links the Salinas area to the Monterey Peninsula. The project affects 1.7 miles of Imjin Parkway from Reservation Road to Imjin Road and will include the construction of four roundabouts, and increase the stretch of roadway to four lanes. The city of Marina is the lead agency on the project.

Marina Heights Drive and Imjin Road are closed at Imjin Parkway at this time, and the enforceable speed limit through the construction zone is 25 mph.

From now until Jan. 31, day work on the Imjin Parkway project will include the continued placement of sidewalks along Imjin Road, the installing of streetlight and fiber optic conduit between Marina Heights Drive and Imjin Road, irrigation service lines installation along the entire roadway, construction of half the roundabout at Imjin Road, the resuming of installing streetlight conduits and pole foundations at Imjin Road, the completion of fine grading of roadbed for Marina Heights Drive, as well as between Marina Heights Drive and the western project limit just west of the Imjin Road intersection. The planting of trees and the placing of decorative boulders on the slopes will also take place. Environmental monitoring of contractor activities job wide will also continue. No night work is anticipated during this time.

Future construction activities on the Imjin Parkway project will see the relocation of a portion of a Marina Coast Water District sewer force main line across from Preston Drive, roadway paving from east of Marina Heights Drive to the project boundary west of Imjin Road including Marina Heights Drive, the move into phase 2 which will switch traffic over to the newly constructed north side of Imjin Parkway to construct the south side of the roadway. This is expected to happen in late February, weather permitting, and the reopening, right-in and right-out movements, of Imjin Road in late March.

The project is split into different phases in an effort to minimize construction impacts along the roadway as well as attempting to increase efficiencies to complete the project as quickly as possible.

Construction began Feb. 12 and is anticipated to be completed by the end of June 2026.

Phase 1 saw work on the north side of the roadway, west toward Highway 1. Work included demolishing the existing roadway, grading, drainage, utilities, irrigation and lighting, retaining and sound walls, roadway paving and temporary striping, landscaping and north side of roadway roundabout construction at Preston Avenue, Abrams Road, Marina Heights Road and Imjin Road.

Phase 2 will see work on the south side of the roadway, eastbound toward Reservation Road. Work will include demolishing the existing roadway, grading, drainage, utilities, irrigation and lighting, paving and temporary striping, landscaping, south side of roadway roundabout construction at Imjin Road, Marina Heights Road, Abrams Road and Preston Avenue.

Phase 3 will be miscellaneous roadwork including demolishing temporary paving, roadway paving and temporary striping, drainage utilities and lighting and grading.

Phase 4 will be final paving — top lift — and striping.

Upon completion, the Widening and Roundabout Project will provide transit and pedestrian improvements, add on-street buffered bike lanes, stormwater treatment areas, retaining walls and a sound wall.

World’s top-ranked golfer will make season debut at Pebble Beach

PEBBLE BEACH — The AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am’s desire to have golf’s finest players in its field won’t be foiled by a kitchen incident involving homemade ravioli and shattered glass.

A few hours before the final field deadline, Scottie Scheffler, the world’s No. 1-ranked player, confirmed Friday he will compete this week in the PGA Tour’s second of eight Signature Events.

Scheffler, 28, won nine times in 2024, including seven PGA Tour events. The three-time PGA Tour player of the year has had two tenures as No. 1 in the Official World Golfing Ranking, including his current top perch since May 22, 2023.

With Scheffler’s participation, the 80-player AT&T field will include eight of the game’s top 10 players and 17 of the top 20 through rankings ending this weekend.

Xander Schauffele, No. 2-ranked, is recovering from a rib injury. Englishman Tyrrell Hatton, ranked No. 8., and Bryson DeChambeau, the two-time major winner and No. 12, play on the LIV Golf circuit and are banned from the PGA Tour.

Steve John, the AT&T tournament director and CEO of the Pebble Beach Foundation, the event’s organizers, succinctly reacted to Scheffer’s confirmation.

“I am thrilled Scottie is coming here,” John said via a text message.

Championship rounds will begin Thursday at Pebble Beach Golf Links and Spyglass Hill Golf Course.

Scheffler, who won the Masters, the Players Championship, the Tour Championship and the Olympic Gold Medal in 2024, hasn’t competed this season.

While preparing Christmas dinner for his family, Scheffler had an entanglement with ravioli and a glass. A puncture wound and fragments embedded into his right hand which would  require surgery.

Scheffler missed the first four PGA Tour events this season — the Sentry and Sony Open in Hawaii, the American Express near Palm Springs and the Farmers Insurance Open in San Diego.

Scheffler won the Hero Challenge in the Bahamas for the second straight year Dec. 8. He also teamed with Rory McIlroy on Dec. 17 to win a 14-hole made-for-television match in Las Vegas against LIV Golf’s Brooks Koepka and Bryson DeChambeau.

The AT&T last season dispatched its history as a celebrity pro-am event and the accompanying frolicking lore that began in 1937 with founder Bing Crosby. As part its then-new Signature Event status, the AT&T also ended its 156-player field, third-round cut and three-course rotation. Gone also are the usual three-dozen celebrity and high-profile business world participants.

With its new status, last year’s AT&T offered a $20 million purse with no cut among the 80-player and a $3.6 million winner’s share.

The event was reduced to 54 holes via inclement weather with 2023 U.S. Open winner Wyndham Clark claiming the title by one shot via his third round, record-setting 60 at Pebble Beach. Scheffler, who hadn’t previously played in the AT&T and didn’t miss a cut in 19 events in 2024, finished sixth.

The AT&T will also feature several additional intriguing storylines in its international field:

* Maverick McNealy — It took five seasons, 142 starts, two second-place finishes and one third-place finish before the Stanford graduate claimed his first PGA Tour win last November on the final hole of the final event of the season. Confidence renewed, McNealy, ranked 29th in the world, is back at Pebble Beach, his uniquely defined home course. He’s among four siblings whose extended backyard is the 16th hole home owned by the McNealy family. McNealy’s father, Scott, is co-founder of Sun Microsystems, a former company CEO and long-time top amateur golf. Now in his sixth PGA Tour season, McNealy, 29, will compete at the AT&T for the sixth time. He finished second in 2021, fifth in 2020, tied for 33rd in 2022 and tied for 39th last year. He withdrew in 2023.

* Collin Morikawa — The former Cal star had his most consistent season last year. He had eight top 10 finishes and made 20 of 22 cuts to finish second in the FedExCup standings.
The six-time PGA Tour winner qualified for the FedExCup playoff for the sixth straight and advanced to the Tour Championship for the five consecutive year. Morikawa, ranked No. 5, competed in the 2024 Summer Olympics and on the victorious U.S. Presidents Cup team. His PGA Tour titles was on Oct. 22, 2023 Zozo Championship in Japan.

* Jordan Spieth will be playing in his 13th straight AT&T and at age 31 has become among the event’s elder statesmen. He’s a former winner (2017), runner-up (2022), tied for third (2021), tied for fourth 2014) and tied for ninth (2020). More importantly, the 13-time PGA Tour winner will be playing in his 282th career event but first since last August when he had wrist surgery to repair a torn ligament suffered in 2023. He competed in 22 events last season but had only three top 10s. Spieth’s last PGA Tour title was April 17, 2022 at the RBC Heritage when shot a final-round 66 and defeated Patrick Cantlay with a par on the first playoff hole. Spieth didn’t qualify for this year’s AT&T via his current FedEx Cup standings or his Official World Golf Ranking (72nd). But he has a longstanding partnership with AT&T and received a sponsor’s invitation.

Santa Catalina student joins elite group of science scholars

MONTEREY – Monterey County senior Angelina Tseng, 17, was honored in the 2025 Regeneron Science Talent Search, the oldest science and math competition for high school seniors.

Tseng, a student at the Santa Catalina School, was named as one of 300 scholars chosen from an applicant pool of 2,500 entrants across the country who entered the competition. Her project consisted of a mechanical robot she developed to improve the inspection process for bridges.

“Seeing my work recognized and also being able to be part of this community of students who are all really passionate about solving the problems they care about, is really motivating,” said Tseng. “Knowing people see value in what I built definitely pushes me to push it further in the future, both in university and beyond.”

As a scholar, Tseng received a $2,000 award with matching funds going toward Santa Catalina, an all-girls boarding and day school for grades 9-12. Tseng, a boarding student from Canada, spent over 500 hours developing her project.

“The scholar’s research is certainly an important factor that demonstrates their intellectual curiosity and current abilities as a scientist, but we are also looking for other signs of leadership potential,” said Allie Stifel, director of the Science Talent Search.

Applicants are also selected based on contributions to their community, resources available to them and academic achievement, according to Stifel.

Tseng presented her project at the Santa Catalina Science and Engineering Fair last January and was chosen to be one of five presenters to go onto the Monterey County fair. (Photo courtesy of Santa Catalina)

The talent search is part of a Society for Science initiative that aims to find students “who are generating innovative solutions to solve significant global challenges through rigorous research and discoveries,” said a news release. Established in 1921, the nonprofit focuses on expanding science literacy, access to STEM education and research.

Tseng credits her father’s experience in the construction field as sparking her interest in building this specific robot. “He’s always shared with me a lot of stories about the challenges workers face when inspecting infrastructure so after hearing about these risks I started doing my own research,” said Tseng.

During this research, she learned about the Silver Bridge collapse of 1967 which resulted in 46 deaths. Experts have since said the collapse could have been avoided if the eyebars on the bridge had been more thoroughly inspected on a regular basis.

“I realized how big the problem really is,” Tseng said. This is when she got the idea to build her bridge inspection robot, which uses magnetic wheels to navigate complex structures and AI to detect defects. Creating the robot involved 3D modeling and printing, training a machine learning model, creating a camera and writing a control algorithm.

“Her capacity for learning new material is unlike anything I’ve ever seen,” said McKenzie Floyd, Tseng’s AP Chemistry teacher. “She’s incredibly diligent and wants to fully understand the material … she wants to dig deep and have a solid foundation in whatever we’re talking about.”

Tseng’s passion for learning reflects what the Society for Science looks for.

“Regeneron STS scholars are the best and brightest young scientists and innovators our nation has to offer,” said Stifel. “Recognizing these students as they approach the next phase of their education not only boosts their confidence in their STEM abilities, but also validates their skills as researchers and opens doors to help them reach their career goals.”

Tseng will be attending Stanford University in the fall to major in science, technology and society. “I’m really excited for that because I’ll be able to continue engineering these solutions but also learn how to secure political and financial support so they reach the communities that need it the most,” said Tseng. “Overall in university I want to make sure that advancements in infrastructure and safety will be able to benefit as many communities as possible.”

Tseng’s interest in STEM “shows you can take what you learn in the classroom and apply it elsewhere and find meaning and purpose in applying science for good,” said Floyd.

The competition was a way for Tseng to “get feedback from people who understand the technical side but also care about the bigger picture in terms of STEM research,” she said.

This focus on the bigger picture and real-world solutions is what makes Tseng one of the “future leaders in STEM,” according to Stifel.

As Santa Catalina is an all-girls school, Tseng is one of several girls working on STEM-related projects, according to Floyd. This recognition “shows what women can do in science and what they can do with the knowledge they get in the classroom if they take it out and apply it to something they’re interested in.”

Trump targets California water policy as he prepares to tour LA fire damage

By AMY TAXIN, Associated Press

As President Donald Trump prepares to tour wildfire damage in California, he’s zeroing in on one of his frequent targets for criticism: State water policy.

Since the fires broke out Jan. 7, Trump has used social media and interviews to accuse the state of sending too much water to the Pacific Ocean instead of south toward Los Angeles and highlighted how some hydrants ran dry in the early hours of the firefight in Pacific Palisades.

In the first hours of his second term, Trump called on federal officials to draft plans to route more water to the crop-rich Central Valley and densely populated cities in the southern part of the state. Two days later he threatened to withhold federal disaster aid unless California leaders change the state’s approach on water.

Here’s a look at the facts behind Trump’s comments and what power the president has to influence California water:

Where does Southern California’s water come from?

In general, most of the state’s water is in the north, while most of its people are in the drier south.

Los Angeles, the nation’s second largest city, depends on drawing water from elsewhere. Meanwhile the relatively dry Central Valley is home to fertile land where much of the nation’s fruits and vegetables are grown.

Two complex systems of dams and canals channel rain and snowmelt from the mountains in the north and route it south. One is managed by the federal government and known as the Central Valley Project, while the other is operated by the state of California and known as the State Water Project.

Both transport water through the Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta, an estuarythat provides critical habitat to fish and wildlife including salmon and the delta smelt, one of Trump’s fascinations.

Southern California gets about half its water from local supplies such as groundwater, according to the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California, a regional water wholesaler. Metropolitan provides the rest of the water from state supplies and the federally managed Colorado River system.

The Los Angeles Department of Water and Power also manages its own aqueducts that draw water from the eastern Sierra Nevada.

What does Washington have the power to do?

Federal officials guide how much is routed to the delta to protect threatened species and how much goes to Central Valley Project users, mostly farms. That project does not supply water to Los Angeles.

FILE – Nancy Belanger pours water on a neighbor’s fire-ravaged property in the aftermath of the Palisades Fire in the Pacific Palisades neighborhood of Los Angeles, Thursday, Jan. 9, 2025. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong,File)

State officials are expected to follow the same environmental guidelines, said Caitlin Peterson, a research fellow at the Public Policy Institute of California’s Water Policy Center.

Federal and state officials typically coordinate how they operate those systems.

The delta connects inland waterways to the Pacific, and keeping a certain amount of water flowing through helps support fish populations and the waterway itself.

But Trump and others say the state lets too much water go to the ocean rather than cities and farms.

What measures did Trump take on California water policies in the past?

His prior administration allowed more water to be directed to the Central Valley and out of the delta. Environmental groups opposed that, saying it would harm endangered species.

Gov. Gavin Newsom filed a lawsuit saying the rules would drive endangered fish populations to extinction. There were concerns about the tiny delta smelt, which is seen as an indicator of the waterway’s health, as well as and chinook salmon and steelhead trout, which return annually from the Pacific to spawn in freshwater rivers.

Then-President Joe Biden’s administration issued its own rules in December that environmental groups said provided modest improvements over those of the first Trump administration.

What is Trump’s position now?

He has continued to question how California’s water managed. Last year on his Truth Social platform, he criticized the “rerouting of MILLIONS OF GALLONS OF WATER A DAY FROM THE NORTH OUT INTO THE PACIFIC OCEAN, rather than using it, free of charge, for the towns, cities, & farms dotted all throughout California.”

Such comments buoyed the spirits of many farmers and water managers in the Central Valley who say federal water allocations have been too limited in the past two years since ample rain boosted reservoir levels. A series of major storms in 2023 helped California emerge from a multi-year drought, but dry conditions have started to return in the central and southern parts of the state.

Trump has now directed the federal government again to route more water in the system it controls to farmers and cities.

What does all this have to do with the Los Angeles fires?

Not much. The farms-versus-fish debate is one of the most well-worn in California water politics and doesn’t always fall along party lines. Some environmentalists think Newsom is too friendly to farming interests. But that debate is not connected to fire-related water troubles in Los Angeles.

FILE – A firefighter hoses down flames as the Palisades Fire approaches in Mandeville Canyon, Jan. 11, 2025, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong,File)

Trump has suggested that state officials “turn the valve” to send more water to the city. But state water supplies are not to blame for hydrants running dry and a key reservoir near Pacific Palisades that was not filled.

The problem with the hydrants was that they were overstressed, and the Santa Ynez Reservoir was empty because it was undergoing maintenance.

Newsom has called for an investigation into how the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power managed both issues.

The Metropolitan Water District of Southern California has enough water in storage to meet roughly three years of water demand, said Deven Upadhyay, the agency’s interim general manager.

“We can deliver what our agencies need,” he said.

If the Trump administration chooses to route more water to system users, that won’t necessarily benefit Los Angeles, Upadhyay said.

Unless there is coordination between the federal and state systems, greater draws from the delta on the federal side could lead California officials to cut allocations to cities and farms to protect waterway, he added.

Horoscopes Jan. 24, 2025: Mischa Barton, aggressively approach investment opportunities

CELEBRITIES BORN ON THIS DAY: Mischa Barton, 39; Tatyana Ali, 46; Ed Helms, 51; Neil Diamond, 84.

[image error]Mischa BartonHappy Birthday: New interests, qualifications, connections and opportunities will unfold this year. An aggressive approach to investment opportunities and how you handle living expenses will improve your lifestyle and ease stress. Alter your life according to your needs and stipulations instead of letting others choose for you. Take an innovative approach to health care. Schedule regular exercise along with discipline and a proper diet. Your numbers are 8, 14, 24, 29, 33, 38, 46.

ARIES (March 21-April 19): Opportunities will come when you least expect. The trick is to get out, circulate and volunteer your services. You’ll connect with someone who sparks your interest or offers valuable information, encouraging you to invest more time and money into personal gain. Be brave, and ask for what you want. 5 stars

TAURUS (April 20-May 20): A change will do you good. Whether you rearrange your living space, make a move or spend the day doing something new and exciting, the boost it gives you will help push you to change your lifestyle to help fulfill your dreams. Actions speak louder than words; get motivated and moving. 3 stars

GEMINI (May 21-June 20): There is a lesson to learn today. Before you offer your time, consider the cost or consequences. Stop trying to impress someone who is a user or doesn’t care. Ask yourself what will benefit you most, and head in a direction that prepares you for what you want to achieve. 3 stars

CANCER (June 21-July 22): Put your energy to good use. Dig in and finish what you start, and you’ll receive the accolades you deserve. Use your wit, charm and talent, and you’ll have an impact on those hoping to benefit from your help. Be open regarding your intentions, and commit to someone you love. 3 stars

LEO (July 23-Aug. 22): A change of heart will help you differentiate between what you have and what you want. Be honest, start a dialogue and be precise regarding your expectations. Take advantage of an opportunity to explore new possibilities by getting involved in pastimes that excite you. Initiate change if it encourages healthier prospects. 5 stars

VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22): Speak up and enforce positive change. Follow your heart, engage in activities that encourage better relationships or contribute something that helps others and makes you feel good. Emotional spending or giving in to indulgent behavior or temptation won’t help you or those you encounter. Keep the peace. 2 stars

LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 22): Spend time fixing your surroundings or entertaining. Attend a reunion, plan a trip or sign up for something that offers insight or enlightenment. A heart-to-heart talk with an associate will give you a better understanding of what others expect of you and whether you want to oblige them or move along. 4 stars

SCORPIO (Oct. 23-Nov. 21): Test your strength, knowledge and skills, and it will change how you feel about yourself and what you can achieve. Step away from anyone playing games with you or trying to take advantage of you physically, financially or emotionally. Walk away from negative situations; do what’s best for you. 3 stars

SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21): Keep your finances and personal matters to yourself. Someone will be eager to take advantage of you if you are too accommodating. Focus on your health and well-being, and alter your diet, lifestyle and routine to ensure you are heading in a healthy and prosperous direction. 3 stars

CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19): Offer insight and emotional support, but refrain from taking over or paying for someone else’s mistake. Avoid joint ventures that require you to invest money or sign contracts. You’ll do best if you act alone, follow your heart and believe in yourself and your ability to succeed. 3 stars

AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18): Change begins with innovative ideas, research, goals and a desire to be self-sufficient. Creating opportunities and using all the facilities, promotions and incentives your local community and government offer is best. Put emotions and ego aside, and create a strict budget before you tackle situations requiring patience and common sense. 4 stars

PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20): Remain calm and think before you act, and you’ll find suitable solutions. Speak up, volunteer and be the one to make a difference. Use your insight, charm and dedication to achieve your goal. Personal growth and self-improvement projects are favored. 2 stars

Birthday Baby: You are inspirational, kind and dynamic. You are innovative and demonstrative.

1 star: Avoid conflicts; work behind the scenes.2 stars: You can accomplish, but don’t rely on others.3 stars: Focus and you’ll reach your goals.4 stars: Aim high; start new projects.5 stars: Nothing can stop you; go for gold.

Visit Eugenialast.com, or join Eugenia on Twitter/Facebook/LinkedIn.Want a link to your daily horoscope delivered directly to your inbox each weekday morning? Sign up for our free Coffee Break newsletter at mercurynews.com/newsletters or eastbaytimes.com/newsletters.

Warriors pull away from Bulls behind hot shooting, surprise contributors

SAN FRANCISCO — The Warriors allowed just 42 points in the second half, pulling away from the Bulls by applying tenacious ball pressure and raining 3-pointers.

Golden State, back at .500, separated from the similarly mediocre Bulls behind a pair of unsung contributions.

For a second straight game, Gui Santos and Quinten Post provided lifts off the bench, stepping up as Draymond Green and Jonathan Kuminga remain sidelined with injuries. Post in particular is an intriguing development, as the rookie scored 20 points on 7-for-12 shooting (including 5-for-10 from deep) in his second night of true NBA action. Santos, an energizing force, registered 19 points and seven boards and missed only three shots.

Post and Santos outscored Chicago’s twinning stars of Zach LaVine and Nikola Vucevic, 39 to 33.

“We’ve been struggling offensively, so I think that’s why I’m getting a chance,” Post said postgame. “Just to get a new look out there. So it doesn’t make sense if I come in and don’t play my game. So, just shot the shots I thought were good (looks), glad a few went in.”

They supported Steph Curry (21 points, 7 assists) and Andrew Wiggins (17 points, 7 rebounds) in the 131-106 win. Golden State (22-22) drilled 25 of 57 3-pointers (44%) for the team’s second-highest total of the season.

The Warriors fell behind 20-6 as a late-arriving crowd filtered into Chase Center. The Bulls hit six of their first seven 3-pointers and Vucevic dropped seven quick points.

But Golden State’s bench ripped off a 9-0 run as the defense picked up.

Brandin Podziemski, in his first game back after missing the previous 12 with an abdominal strain, drew a charge on Lonzo Ball as the Warriors inched within three after the first frame. Steve Kerr, searching for offensively tilted lineup combinations, played 11 Warriors in the first nine minutes.

Podziemski, Gui Santos and Quinten Post were — outside Curry — the Warriors’ most consistently productive players. Santos hit all three of his first-half 3s. Podziemski pushed the pace and kept the offense flowing. And Post, playing real minutes for a second straight game, hit a pick-and-pop 3 from above the break and threw two dimes, making the right reads under pressure in the lane.

The smooth Zach LaVine came alive late in the first quarter pouring in 14 points in eight minutes. He and Vucevic have been popular hypothetical trade targets — rumored and, to varying degrees, reported — of the Warriors.

Seeing much more single coverage than normal, Curry poured in 11 points to take a one-point deficit into halftime. Perhaps Chicago would’ve thrown more doubles at Curry if Post wasn’t on the floor.

“Steph was the happiest guy in the building tonight,” Kerr said. “With all that room to work with. The game got a lot easier for all our guys. So it was really exciting watching Quinten.”

Santos started the second half and cashed in his fourth 3-pointer, matching his output from the previous night in Sacramento.

A bench unit of Podziemski, Dennis Schroder, Moses Moody, Andrew Wiggins and Trayce Jackson-Davis provided strong minutes in the third quarter, sharing the ball and ramping up the defensive intensity.

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The Warriors held the Bulls to nine points over the last eight minutes of the third quarter, winning the period 31-16. Both team owner Joe Lacob and Curry threw their fists in the air after Post nailed a pick-and-pop 3-pointer.

Lacob stood up from his front-row seat again when Post drilled his fourth 3. He was getting them up, taking nine in his first 14 minutes. His ability to stretch the floor from the center spot — like Vucevic — gives Golden State a different element than they’re used to.

Post’s fifth trey put the Warriors up 23 points. Later, Santos kept a possession alive by tracking down an offensive board and stuck the follow-through on a 3.

The Warriors enjoyed their most comfortable lead since the Philadelphia blowout on Jan. 2, and it came partly on the backs of two players the Warriors didn’t expect to contribute at all this year.

Vucevic and LaVine, the popular trade wish-list items among trade machine mechanics, watched the last five minutes from the visiting bench.

Kuminga and Green are still at least a week away from returning, probably more. Santos and Post have already earned their head coach’s trust, Kerr said, but stacking more performances like this would make a real case for rotation minutes even at full strength.