San Jose State postpones Native American Heritage Month events, sparking backlash

Questions of credibility and motive took center stage at the corruption trial of former Oakland Mayor Sheng Thao, as defense attorneys continued cross-examining their star witness. Mario Juarez gave a thumbs-up after a day of being grilled on the stand, during which attorneys accused him of padding expense reimbursements from Thao s co-defendants, David and Andy Duong and stealing from his former business associates. David Duong’s attorney also questioned whether Juarez wanted to hurt the family’s recycling company, California Waste Solutions. Juarez denied it. The defense then presented a text message sent to a business associate just two days before Juarez met with the FBI in 2024, in which Juarez stated that he needed to expletive the Duongs. Attorneys also challenged Juarez’s claim that the defendants launched a scheme to get Thao elected because she was losing ground in the 2022 mayoral race, citing a poll showing Thao was tied with opponent Loren Taylor around that