A San Francisco icon, a 1937 suspension feat spanning the Golden Gate Strait.
Two college-age women from Fremont were swept from Panther Beach’s keyhole by sneaker waves in Santa Cruz County. One died at the scene; the other died days later in hospital. Rescue crews performed multiple water rescues along a one-mile stretch amid dangerous surf and rising tides.
Labour’s immigration minister Mike Tapp has triggered a high-stakes clash with Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood by publishing an unauthorised Times op-ed advocating a care-worker exemption from new migration rules. Mahmood is demanding his sacking, while Downing Street weighs a response as the PM seeks to preserve party discipline.
The San Francisco Archdiocese has reached a settlement covering about 530 survivors of child sexual abuse, with Archbishop Cordileone agreeing to apologize to each survivor and to implement 14 child-protection and transparency reforms, including a public list of accused clergy. A survivor advisory committee will oversee fund distribution.
Anthropic has introduced Claude Science, a workspace that links Claude models to 60+ databases and specialized toolkits to automate life-sciences tasks. The platform includes a project-management workflow, sub-assistants, and a fact-checker to improve reproducibility. Early users report rapid genome browser creation and computational review pipelines.
Seven activists have been convicted on six misdemeanour counts for actions during a Tax Day protest in 2024 that blocked traffic on the Golden Gate Bridge. One defendant faces an additional charge for refusing to disperse. Sentencing is set for August; conspiracy charges resulted in a mistrial.
Federal and local probes have produced new findings and warnings about autonomous vehicles. The NTSB has reported that a Tesla driver manually overrode Full Self-Driving before a June crash that killed a 76‑year‑old in Katy, Texas. NHTSA has issued a directive demanding AV developers fix cases where driverless cars enter or block emergency scenes; Waymo and California regulators are under pressure over several incidents.
A 50-foot pontoon vessel capsized off Alcatraz while a memorial service was underway. One person has died; 16 were rescued, and a dog on board also perished. Rescue efforts continue as crews search the water and assess remaining passengers.
San Francisco confronts a surge in regulatory scrutiny as Waymo robotaxis faced power outages and immobilization during a holiday traffic jam. Mayor Daniel Lurie is pushing for mandatory, statewide standards to ensure autonomous vehicles can operate in major disruptions, with agencies like NHTSA calling for immediate fixes.
New film, theatre and music events have been announced, spanning cinema premieres, stage productions and live tours across the UK. The Guardian and Independent cover forthcoming releases and performances; dates run through September with festivals and exhibitions filling the calendar.
Protesters who blocked a San Francisco bridge amid a Gaza-related action have been convicted on misdemeanors after a short trial. Seven defendants faced charges including unlawful assembly and false imprisonment; a new trial on conspiracy was dropped. Each received a 30-day sentence, six months of probation, and a $1,000 fine, with time served reducing jail time. Most defendants had previously been offered diversion.