SAN FRANCISCO — More than a dozen Democratic presidential hopefuls flocked to California on Saturday for the chance to make their cases to thousands of activists in the nation’s largest liberal stronghold during a three-day gathering of the state party.

California’s own Sen. Kamala Harris looked to make a show of force in the prime first speaking slot to kick off the day’s main event, and her campaign even emblazoned the official convention lanyards with her name. But it was Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren who electrified the crowd the most among the early morning speakers, bringing the Democratic Party’s most faithful voters to their feet repeatedly as she pledged bold action.

“Some say if we all just calm down, the Republicans will come to their senses,” Warren said in a thinly veiled shot at former Vice President Joe Biden, who has expressed hope the GOP will have “an epiphany” after President Donald Trump is gone. “But our country is in a crisis. The time for small ideas is over.”

Biden was the only major candidate not attending the weekend gathering, opting instead to campaign in Ohio.

A man described as an animal-rights activist disrupted a panel at which Harris, D-Calif., spoke, snatching a microphone out of the presidential candidate's hand as she looked on in surprise.

Harris stepped aside as the man tried to speak and organizers tried to stop him.

He was quickly restrained by several men.

“We need to begin impeachment proceedings and we need a new commander in chief!” she declared.

Acting Pentagon chief slams China’s tech policy in speech

SINGAPORE — U.S. Acting Defense Secretary Patrick Shanahan on Saturday denounced China’s efforts to steal technology from other nations and militarize man-made outposts in the South China Sea as a “tool kit of coercion,” saying activities by Beijing the U.S. perceives as hostile must end.

In his first major speech on the international stage, Shanahan mixed sharp criticism of China and warnings of North Korea’s “extraordinary” threat with vows that the U.S. will remain strongly committed to the Indo-Pacific region and is ready to invest billions of dollars in securing its stability.

While he didn’t specifically name China in early parts of his speech, he made clear who his target was, making pointed references to Beijing’s campaign to put advanced weapons systems on disputed islands in the region.

Justice Department preparing to investigate Google practices

WASHINGTON — The Justice Department is readying an investigation of Google’s business practices and whether they violate antitrust law, according to news reports.

The search giant was fined a record $2.72 billion by European regulators in 2017 for abusing its dominance of the online search market. In the U.S., the Federal Trade Commission made an antitrust investigation of Google but closed it in 2013 without taking action.

Now the Justice Department has undertaken an antitrust probe of the company’s search and other businesses, according to reports by The Wall Street Journal, The New York Times and Bloomberg News. They cited unnamed people familiar with the matter.

Google didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment.

Officials: 79 people injured in blast at Russia explosives plant

MOSCOW — Russia’s health ministry says 79 people have been injured in an explosion in a plant manufacturing TNT.

The blast took place Saturday in Dzerzhinsk, 250 miles east of Moscow. An investigation is underway but the cause of the blast has not been determined.

The ministry said 38 employees at the plant and 41 local residents sought treatment after the blast. It said 15 were hospitalized, one in serious condition.

The blast broke windows in about 180 residential buildings near the plant, the state news agency Tass reported.

Dmitry Krasnov, deputy governor of the region that includes Dzerzhinsk, said earlier on state TV that two people were missing in the blast, but later said that information had not been confirmed.

Judge orders captain arrested in Danube sinking

BUDAPEST, Hungary — A Hungarian judge on Saturday ordered the formal arrest of a captain whose Viking river cruise ship collided with a sightseeing boat on the Danube River, sinking the tourist boat and leaving seven South Koreans dead and 21 people missing.

Authorities said water levels in Budapest are expected to fall quickly in the coming days, helping efforts to salvage the wreckage that may still contain victims’ bodies.

The judge ordered the 64-year-old Ukrainian captain of the Viking Sigyn cruise ship formally arrested for 30 days. He said the captain could be released on bail — subject to him wearing a tracking device and remaining in Budapest — but prosecutors are appealing that decision.

Divers so far have been unable to even approach the wreckage.

In speech to leaders, Saudi king slams Iranian attacks

MECCA, Saudi Arabia — Saudi Arabia’s King Salman slammed Iran over recent attacks targeting the kingdom, describing the incidents on Saturday in a speech before Muslim leaders gathered in Mecca as “terrorist acts” that threaten global energy supplies.

It was the monarch’s strongest words yet since tensions spiked in recent weeks between the two regional heavyweights.

Iran had a representative present at the 57-nation summit of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation, but its top leadership did not attend.

The Islamic summit drew political figures and heads of state from countries spanning Africa, the Middle East and Asia.

They come with widely varying policies and priorities, but share a common reverence for the Al-Aqsa mosque in east Jerusalem.

Lunch with Buffett: An anonymous bidder has offered more than $4.5 million to have a private lunch with billionaire investor Warren Buffett, shattering the previous record of nearly $3.5 million. An online auction that raises money for the Glide Foundation’s work to help the homeless in San Francisco ended Friday night with a winning bid of $4,567,888. It’s the 20th year the Berkshire Hathaway CEO has participated in the pricey lunch auction, giving the winner the chance to talk with the renowned investor and philanthropist. Bidding starts at $25,000. Buffett has raised nearly $30 million for the charity over the years. The winning bidder and up to seven friends get to dine with Buffett.