A California doctor, accused of driving his family off a cliff, has blamed his Tesla car for malfunctioning even though his wife claimed his move was deliberate, according to an affidavit. Warrant affidavit documents unsealed on Wednesday showed Dharmesh Patel, 41, told investigators he pulled off the road to check on a possible flat tyre after the sensor on his Model Y electric car indicated low tyre pressure. Mr Patel, a radiologist from Pasadena, was driving his white 2021 Tesla Model Y along the Pacific Coast Highway south of San Francisco when the car plunged several hundred feet off the cliff at the Devil’s Slide. Firefighters had to cut the family out of the wreckage. Despite the crash, Mr Patel, his wife Neha, their nine-year-old son and four-year-old daughter “miraculously” survived and were pulled off a craggy outcrop. However, Mr Patel’s claims were refuted by his wife, who told a California Highway Patrol officer that her husband was "depressed". "He’s a doctor. He said he was going to drive off the cliff. He purposely drove off," Ms Patel said, according to documents obtained by the San Francisco Chronicle. California Highway Patrol officer Aaron Sapien wrote that Ms Patel, while being rescued from the car, said “something to the effect that the driver, her husband Dharmesh Patel, did it on purpose". "She then told him that her husband needs a psych evaluation." The warrant affidavit included an interview with Mr Patel while he was recovering from major lower body injuries. He said his wife was irritated shortly before the plunge off the cliff because she didn't want to stop at his brother's house in San Mateo County before making their drive home to Los Angeles. He said he was not really depressed but that he “felt down because times were bad in the world”, the Chronicle reported. "Asked if he felt suicidal, he said, 'You know, not like a plan, not usually,'" the affidavit said. Mr Patel has pleaded not guilty to three counts of attempted murder and is in custody without bail. A preliminary hearing is scheduled for 12 June, at which time a judge will decide if there's enough evidence to move ahead with a trial. Read More A tragic family Tesla crash off a California cliff shocked rescuers. Then the doctor dad was arrested for attempted murder Wife of man accused of driving family off cliff in Tesla ‘doesn’t want him to be charged’ Father charged with deliberately crashing family Tesla off cliff is seen in new video as nine police visits revealed

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ENCINITAS, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Sep 14, 2023--

President Joe Biden on Monday said he was “optimistic” about the chances of finding an agreement with the Republican-led House of Representatives that would avoid a catastrophic default on America’s sovereign debt. Speaking at the outset of a crucial meeting with House Speaker Kevin McCarthy, Mr Biden said the source of his optimism was a shared agreement between the two men that a debt default is “off the table”. Mr Biden also said the consequences that would arise should the US fail to meet its’ outstanding debt obligations would be “a kick in the ... economic well-being” for the American people. The negotiating session between the president and House speaker comes with just ten days remaining before the US Treasury is set to lose the ability to pay its’ bills by issuing new bonds. In a letter to Congress, Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen said on Monday that “it is highly likely” that the Treasury would run out of operating funds in the event that Congress does not raise the department’s statutory debt limit. A default on America’s sovereign debt would be a financial catastrophe both for Americans and people around the world who rely on US financial stability. Mr Biden said he and Mr McCarthy “talked about the need for bipartisan agreement” and stressed that he was “optimistic” that he and Mr McCarthy were “going to make some progress” during the Monday evening session. For his part, the House Speaker said he and Mr Biden had a “very productive” conversation during a phone call held on Sunday while Mr Biden was returning to Washington from the G7 summit aboard Air Force One. Earlier in the day, Mr McCarthy told reporters at the Capitol that “decisions have to start being made” on spending for the next fiscal year since “we’re 10 days out” from the debt ceiling deadline. “We have to spend less next year than we spent this year,” he said before pointing to the House’s proposal for spending cuts as the “framework” for a deal. “I’m hopeful,” he added. Read More Watch live: Biden and McCarthy meet to discuss US debt ceiling Who is Tim Scott? 5 things to know about the newest 2024 GOP presidential candidate A timeline of Donald Trump’s rivalry with Ron DeSantis

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