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'A lot of anxiety' for Democrats as Biden agenda to rebuild economy and reshape U.S. stalls

https://www.latimes.com/politics/story/2021-06-07/a-lot-of-anxiety-for-democrats-as-biden-agenda-to-rebuild-economy-and-reshape-u-s-stalls

Hopes for a big infrastructure investment are teetering. An ambitious elections and voting bill is all but dead. Legislation on police brutality, gun control and immigration has stalled out. After nearly six months of Democratic control in Washington, the party’s progressive wing is growing increasingly restless as campaign promises go undone — blocked not only by Republican obstruction, but also by Democrats’ own inability to unite fully around priorities. The time ahead is pivotal for President Biden and his allies in Congress to seize what some view as a transformative moment to rebuild the economy and reshape the country. “There’s a lot of anxiety,” said Rep. Ro Khanna (D-Fremont) who had been a co-chair of Sen. Bernie Sanders’ presidential bid. “It’s a question really for President Biden: What kind of president does he want to be?” The summer work period is traditionally among the busiest for Congress, but it has especially sharpened this year as Democrats strain to deliver on Biden’s agenda. Senate Majority Leader Charles E. Schumer (D-N.Y.) warned colleagues that June will “test our resolve.” Infrastructure talks are dragging, though Biden is expected to talk again Tuesday with West Virginia Sen. Shelley Moore Capito, the lead Republican negotiator. But the limits of bipartisanship in the 50-50 Senate are increasingly clear. Politics Harris speaks after meeting on migration with Guatemalan president on her first foreign trip as vice president. She was to continue to Mexico City later Monday. June 7, 2021 The party suffered a debilitating blow over the weekend when Sen. Joe Manchin III (D-W.Va.) announced his opposition to the voting bill, titled S.1 because it is a top party priority. Many Democrats view it as crucial to protecting democracy and a direct response to restrictive new voting laws being passed in Republican-led states egged on by Donald Trump, the former president. “Do I feel discouraged? Yes,” said Rep. Pramila Jayapal (D-Wash.), chairwoman of the Congressional Progressive Caucus, warning of a failure of deliver on the promises. “We will lose voters for a generation.” Schumer, in setting the agenda, is challenging senators to prepare to make tough choices. But he is also facing a test of his own ability to lead the big-tent party through a volatile period of shifting priorities and tactics in the aftermath of the Trump era and the U.S. Capitol insurrection. Although Democratic senators have been generating goodwill by considering bipartisan bills in the evenly split Senate, they face mounting pressure from voters who put them in office to fight harder for legislation that Republicans are determined to block with the filibuster. Democrats hold the edge in the Senate because Vice President Kamala Harris can break a voting tie. Fed up by the delays, some senators are ready to change the rules to eliminate the filibuster, which they blame for the inaction. The long-running Senate filibuster rules require 60 votes to advance most legislation, meaning as many as 10 Republicans would need to cross party lines to help Democrats achieve their priorities. Some senators propose reducing the voting threshold to 51. Opinion This is what normalcy is supposed to look like: two parties trying to figure out how to win over the center. June 7, 2021 But Manchin, in announcing his opposition to the voting rights bill Sunday as the “wrong piece of legislation to bring our country together,” also restated his refusal to end the filibuster — for now, denying his party a crucial vote needed to make the rules change that could help advance its agenda. On Tuesday, leading civil rights figures including the Rev. Al Sharpton and Marc Morial are scheduled to meet with Manchin in Washington. Biden urged them to visit the senator to discuss the voting bill and the legislative agenda. He encouraged them to keep the conversation constructive and not put pressure the senator — at least not yet, according to a person familiar with the discussion but not authorized to speak about private conversations. While Manchin has talked about supporting another voting bill, the John Lewis Voting Rights Act, advocates of S.1 say both pieces of legislation are needed. Biden agrees Congress should move forward with both, White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki said Monday. At the same time, Democratic groups supporting S.1 vowed to continue with a $30-million campaign pressing Democratic senators to rewrite filibuster rules and pass the bill — including with TV ads in Manchin’s West Virginia. But it’s not just Manchin who opposes changing the filibuster laws. Without support from him or other filibuster defenders, like Sen. Kyrsten Sinema (D-Ariz.), Democratic senators will be forced to confront the limits of their fragile majority. If Democrats decided to go it alone on the big infrastructure bill, as talks with Republican senators stall, they would need to be unified because they would have no votes to spare. Politics Republicans have twice as many Senate seats on the ballot in 2022. That presents an opportunity for Democrats. June 6, 2021 Failing to deliver on campaign promises that are popular with voters could exacerbate party divisions and expose Democrats to criticism from their own ranks as well as from Republicans eager to show that Biden’s party cannot govern. “We need to move the ball,” said Yvette Simpson, chief executive of Democracy for America, a liberal advocacy organization. “We told everyone to come out against all odds in the pandemic and vote,” she said about the 2020 election. The promise was that with Democrats in power, ”we’re going to have all these great things happen, their lives are going to be better. And what they’re finding is that it looks like Washington as usual.” Schumer has been laying the groundwork for this moment since he became majority leader in January, trying to build the case that bipartisanship can work in some cases — with passage of an Asian hate crimes bill or a water public works package. But he also recognizes that it has limits, according to two Democratic aides granted anonymity to discuss the private strategy. The Democrats’ weekly closed-door policy caucus lunches have been intense, particularly during the two special sessions they have held to privately debate the path forward on the voting rights bill, one of the aides said. Politics Biden asks Vice President Kamala Harris to lead his administration’s efforts to protect voting rights as many states work to add restrictions. June 1, 2021 Rather than force reluctant senators to fall in line, Schumer is trying to lead Democrats to their own conclusion — either bipartisan deals with Republicans are possible or they have no choice but to go it alone on infrastructure or other priorities, the aides said. One aide suggested Schumer is no arm-twisting leader in the style of Lyndon Johnson, who before he became president was famous for his hardball cajoling as majority leader. Khanna said the president, however, can have a big role. “This would be his LBJ moment — can he pick up the phone and work his magic to get his Democrats on board?” Associated Press writers Jonathan Lemire and Brian Slodysko contributed to this report.

Pitchers shoulder heavy load at Women's College World Series

https://www.latimes.com/sports/story/2021-06-07/softball-pitchers-workload-womens-college-world-series

Odicci Alexander winced in pain as a not-as-soft-as-advertised ball bounced off her left foot in the batter’s box. James Madison’s star pitcher would lose some toenails after getting hit by the pitch in a game Sunday, ESPN reported the day after, but Alexander dutifully stepped back into the circle when called. When she pitched, the right-hander dragged her injured foot through the dirt. “Blood, sweat and tears,” Alexander said. “I was going to keep pitching for my teammates.” Alexander’s heroic effort pitching James Madison to the national semifinals — the longest run for an unseeded team at the Women’s College World Series — won hearts as she became the latest pitcher to step into the spotlight on college softball’s biggest annual stage. Along with an electrifying defensive play and trending on Twitter, the redshirt senior threw 434 pitches in four games in Oklahoma City, where No. 1 Oklahoma and No. 10 Florida State play in a best-of-three championship series starting Tuesday. The Sooners advanced to the finals after Giselle Juarez, pitching her third game in three days, threw 118 pitches in a 7-1 win over James Madison on Monday. A triple-digit pitch count is standard for hard-working aces in Oklahoma City, where pitchers often take the circle for consecutive days or start twice in a day for doubleheaders. Some pitchers are two-way stars, such as Alexander and UCLA’s Rachel Garcia, who are top hitters. Garcia threw 217 pitches in the first two days of the tournament, but the No. 2 Bruins fell into the losers’ bracket, forcing them to play an elimination game while competing for a third consecutive day. She hurled 106 more pitches in a season-ending 10-3 loss to Oklahoma. UCLA Sports Rachel Garcia pitched a shutout and Maya Brady delivered a home run during UCLA’s 4-0 win over FSU to open the Women’s College World Series on Thursday. June 3, 2021 The last time Garcia carried a similar load, it ended differently for the Bruins. It wasn’t the plan to have the right-hander throw 603 pitches in five games over six days in 2019, but she trained as if it were. Before the Olympian tossed 36 of UCLA’s 38 innings en route to the 2019 national championship, Garcia was jumping rope and sprinting on a stationary bike in between bullpen throws. Her heart was racing, but each beat strengthened her mind as much as it did her body. “If the athlete is trained and conditioned and prepared, it’s really who’s got the largest amount of guts,” UCLA assistant Lisa Fernandez said. Fernandez overhauled how UCLA’s pitchers and catchers prepare when she took over bullpen coaching duties in 2019. The three-time Olympic gold medalist instilled her own mentality of outworking her opponents to her pupils, instituting “champ camps” during bullpen sessions. UCLA’s pitchers alternate cardio exercises with pitching to test their physical performance while fatigued. They wear tights and sleeves under their uniforms to simulate the overheated feeling of pitching in Oklahoma City’s June humidity. The training paid off for Garcia when she threw 179 pitches in a 10-inning victory over Washington in the national semifinal. The pitcher had enough energy to hit the walk-off home run despite feeling fatigued in the punishing heat. “I just had this gut feeling of this is our time,” Garcia said. “We worked our butts off to get to that moment.” Pitchers train for those moments from a young age. While baseball teams often stock deep pitching staffs, softball rosters don’t run longer than three or four pitchers. Youth tournaments often feature three or four games a day, said former Washington pitcher Danielle Lawrie, who pitched the Huskies to the NCAA title in 2009. Lawrie accumulated a 42-8 record, 0.97 ERA and 521 strikeouts that season. She pitched 352 2/3 innings, an astronomical number that could have been higher if Lawrie hadn’t sat out for three weeks because of a stress fracture in her forearm. “For me, it was all I knew,” Lawrie said of the heavy workload. Lawrie limited throwing sessions during the week to save her body for the weekends. She worked with pitching coach Lance Glasoe to monitor how she felt after each practice and whether she needed an extra day of rest. After throwing two complete games, including a 15-inning marathon, in an NCAA regional doubleheader against Massachusetts in 2009, Lawrie remembers needing several extra days. She threw 395 pitches in one day: 144 in a 5-1, seven-inning loss and 251 in the second game that started 30 minutes later. The next morning, her shoulder and back muscles reminded her of each one. “I literally [felt] like I got run over by a truck,” Lawrie said. The common line about softball’s lack of a pitch count focuses on the “natural” throwing motion. But research has debunked some of those theories. A 1998 study by researchers at the American Sports Medicine Institute examined the pitching motion of eight female softball pitchers and found that players experience significant strain on their joints. Peak compressive forces at the elbow and shoulder were equal to 70% to 98% of body weight for softball pitchers while compressive forces at the elbow and shoulder for baseball pitchers topped out between 80% to 120% of body weight. Differences in the sports “prevent a direct comparison to overhand pitching,” the authors wrote, “however, these results question the assumption that underhand pitching does not create significant stress on the shoulder and elbow.” A 2017 study by researchers from the Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis showed that pitchers experience progressive increase in shoulder fatigue, pain and weakness during two- and three-day tournaments without full recovery between consecutive days of pitching. Maintaining proper technique and good posture while slowly ramping up for a season to limit common early-season injuries were recommended to protect athletes from long-term harm. Long outings during her youth and college career didn’t jeopardize Lawrie’s future in softball. She played professionally for four years, and the mother of two is returning to pitch for Team Canada in the Tokyo Olympics, which will be her second Olympic appearance. Despite her own experience, Lawrie doesn’t wish the same workload on today’s young pitchers. “I hope that the game is evolving in a way where one pitcher is not having to throw three or four games because it really is a lot,” Lawrie said. “It’s not like it does a whole ton of damage on your arm, but I think mentally, it can wear on you a little bit.” UCLA Sports Rachel Garcia hits a three-run homer but is chased in the sixth inning of a 10-3 loss to Oklahoma, which advances in the Women’s College World Series. June 5, 2021 Oklahoma epitomizes the new style with the best offense in the country and a pitch-by-committee bullpen. The Sooners boast a .410 team batting average and are hitting 2.72 home runs per game. Yet, as James Madison’s Alexander showed, pitching can still win the day. She shut down the potent Oklahoma offense in the first round, giving up six hits and striking out nine in a 4-3, eight-inning victory that sent the Sooners into the losers’ bracket. Oklahoma rallied through four elimination games, including back-to-back wins over Alexander, whose fatigue was evident after facing the Sooners three times during the tournament. She gave up six runs in Monday’s elimination game and talked her way out of an early hook before finally exiting after throwing 1,057 pitches during the three-weekend NCAA tournament. The Oklahoma City crowd, mostly wearing Oklahoma’s crimson and cream, rose to its feet as Alexander fought back tears.

Coronavirus Today: When back to school means back to bullying

https://www.latimes.com/science/newsletter/2021-06-07/bullying-school-kids-coronavirus-today

Good evening. I’m Russ Mitchell, and it’s Monday, June 7. Here’s what’s happening with the coronavirus in California and beyond. Online learning has been tough on children, parents and teachers. But not all kids are happy to be going back to school. They fear they could be punched, kicked, pushed around, made fun of, humiliated, or some combination of the above, by the bullies they may have been able to avoid during the pandemic. About 60% of elementary students and 40% of secondary students returned to classes sometime this spring, and school counselors are seeing more children in therapy because of bullying. Teachers who work with preschoolers have reported that after a year of relative isolation, fear of getting COVID-19 and for many families the loss of loved ones, children have become more aggressive and less capable of controlling their anger. Yana Pashaeva is a Hubert H. Humphrey fellow from Moscow. In an opinion piece she wrote for The Times, she recommends that parents help their kids by learning more about the symptoms of bullying, talking to them about it and making sure they know their parents have their back. Of course, bullying did not cease during the pandemic, and online bullying rose dramatically. But whether the bullying occurs online or at school, it’s important to document the aggression and report it to school and law enforcement if it escalates. And the bullies, Pashaeva writes? They need help as well. For more on children and the pandemic, sign up for 8 to 3, a newsletter about childhood, parenting and schools by my colleague Sonja Sharp. This evening’s edition is all about the “million-dollar question” for kids and vaccines. California cases, deaths and vaccinations as of 6:36 p.m. Monday: Track California’s coronavirus spread and vaccination efforts — including the latest numbers and how they break down — with our graphics. Congratulations, fellow Californians. In large part because of your efforts — most of you, anyway — California’s coronavirus transmission rate is one of the lowest in the U.S. As of Monday, the state’s seven-day case rate per 100,000 people was 11, tied with Nebraska for the third-lowest among all states, according to data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. California is behind only Vermont, with a 6.9 seven-day case rate, and South Dakota, with 9.2. The latest update knocked California just outside the threshold necessary to meet the CDC’s definition of having a low level of community coronavirus transmission, an assessment based on the number of new cases confirmed statewide over the last week as well as the rate at which conducted tests were coming back positive. The most recent figures from Los Angeles County indicate that, on average over the past week, there were about 177 daily new coronavirus cases and seven deaths each day. That’s a huge improvement since January, when the county had more than 15,000 new cases and more than 200 deaths each day. Amid all the good news, we might stop and reflect that every life lost is a tragedy, deeply affecting family, friends, co-workers and other loved ones. “To those we send our deepest condolences and wish you healing,” said Barbara Ferrer, L.A. County’s public health director. Most deaths are occurring among unvaccinated individuals, said Ferrer, who emphasized the need for each person in the county 12 years and older to get vaccinated. Thanks in large part to vaccines, we’re just days away from celebrating the state’s “reopening” on June 15. What does reopening mean? A lot more freedom to roam maskless, yes — but hardly a return to pre-pandemic normality. Times writers Rong-Gong Lin II and Luke Money highlight five things to keep in mind while we move into this next phase: • Unvaccinated people can still infect other unvaccinated people, who are more vulnerable than those who have been immunized. • Coronavirus testing will become even more important for the unvaccinated. If you show symptoms of COVID-19, get tested. (Vaccinated or not.) If you’re unvaccinated and have been in close contact with someone with a confirmed infection, get tested. If you’re unvaccinated and spent time indoors around a lot of people not wearing masks, get tested. • Employees will need to mask up at work unless everyone in a work group is vaccinated, according to proposed state safety rules. Employees in indoor settings or working at outdoor events with 10,000 or more people must stay six feet apart from others or be given the option of wearing an N95 mask or its equivalent. • Masking and other rules will remain in effect in certain settings like schools, camps, day-care facilities and hospitals. • Some businesses will decide to keep masking requirements in place for now. (Editorial comment: If you disagree with a business’ decision, please be civil about it.) See the latest on California’s coronavirus closures and reopenings, and the metrics that inform them, with our tracker. Consider subscribing to the Los Angeles Times Your support helps us deliver the news that matters most. Become a subscriber. Vaccines have not yet been approved for kids younger than 16, but schools should be safe to reopen in the fall if basic safety measures are kept in place, a new study shows. Researchers at the University of Maryland and Harvard’s School of Public Health ran computer models to capture the range of outcomes that emerge when a diverse population of people interacts under different sets of rules. They looked at various school configurations and attendance options, including part-time physical attendance with hybrid online learning. The elementary school computer model showed a single infected child would probably pass the infection to fewer than one student on average over 30 days. The high school model showed a single student could pass the virus to 23 to 75 fellow students, school employees or families over that time period, meaning great care must be taken to keep those upper-school students safe. In an editorial that accompanied the study, Dr. Ted Long, executive director of New York City’s COVID-19 Test & Trace Corps, said it shows the risks of bringing school back into physical classrooms are small, but the benefits are large. “If schools can reopen for in person, they must, to avert the mental health and educational crisis that is at our doorstep.” Dr. Rochelle Walensky, director of the CDC, underlined the need for strict safety measures in any school reopening. COVID-19 tends to hit older people, but symptoms for young people who do contract the coronavirus can be serious and require hospitalization. There’s science, and then there’s politics. The recent release of a trove of emails to and from Dr. Anthony Fauci has provoked a new spate of attacks on the pandemic advisor to President Biden. Republicans have pilloried him as a liar and are demanding his resignation. But an analysis by the Associated Press found none of the emails produced anything close to a lie, and there was no evidence of a cover-up on the origin of the coronavirus. Some of the emails, obtained by BuzzFeed and the Washington Post, discuss the question of whether the virus might have been engineered at the virus lab in Wuhan, China. The conclusion: probably not. The most likely vector was natural, from an animal, according to the general consensus. But Fauci has made clear, then and now, that he remains open to other explanations, based on science. A U.S. campaign launched by the Trump administration to decimate the HIV-AIDS epidemic by 2030 might fall short of its goal. The culprit? COVID-19. The pandemic siphoned health workers and other resources from the fight against HIV, and the U.S. could see its first increase in HIV infections in years. A study at Emory University used Atlanta-area data and statistical modeling to predict major increases in some sexually transmitted diseases, including HIV. At best, said Emory researcher Samuel Jenness, COVID-19 halted recent declines in new HIV infections, but “at the worst, it potentially brought us an increase of cases for at least the next couple years.” HIV rates probably fell early in the pandemic, when, surveys suggest, many adults at higher risk of HIV had less sex and fewer sexual partners. But there are signs that many people had resumed their normal levels of sex by last summer, said Jenness, whose research focused on gay and bisexual men. At the same time, HIV testing, pharmaceutical prevention and treatment had declined, leading to the predictions of HIV infections and death, reversing years of consistent decline. If you plan to mellow out at a national park this summer, you might try to mellow out even before you arrive. A shortage of workers means lines will be long and park employees will be taxed, and travel professionals are advising patience. “Anywhere you go, you’ve got to be prepared to be patient and be compassionate,” said Mike Morgan, vice president and co-owner of Colorado-based Coolworks.com, which tracks hospitality jobs and other seasonal positions in national parks. The parks rely heavily on foreign student workers for summer jobs, but COVID-19 has put strict limits on travel. Many of those workers enter the U.S. on J-1 visas for seasonal workers, but the estimates show the number of incoming J-1 workers as summer begins is 17,000 to 25,000 — a quarter of pre-pandemic levels. The worker shortage is good news for students, retirees or others who might want to work at a national park for a few months. It’s easier to get hired, and in some cases, pay and benefits are higher than they’d be in normal times. Today’s question comes from our own Deborah Netburn, and it’s for you: Do you trust that things will be OK when the California economy reopens on June 15? Actually, my question is broader than that. As we speed toward June 15, I’ve been thinking a lot about the role trust will play in our recovery. To truly return to normal life, we’ll need to have trust in a lot of things — trust that COVID-19 vaccines are safe, trust that they will protect us when we remove our masks and trust that the maskless people sitting near us in a restaurant or movie theater are vaccinated too. When health officials encourage us to send our children back to school or return to our offices, we’ll be asked to trust that they’re motivated by science and not politics. Yet after being told for the last 16 months that an invisible, deadly threat lurks almost everywhere, and after watching nearly 600,000 Americans die of a disease that didn’t exist until recently, you might find that trust is more elusive than it used to be. If this is something you’ve been thinking about, I’d love to hear from you. Are you struggling with trust these days? Or are you surprised by how easy it has been to go back to trusting others? How do you feel about the amount of trust others place in you? What role does trust play in your transition back to “normal” life? Please send me your thoughts about trust via email, and thank you in advance for sharing your stories! We want to hear from you. Email us your coronavirus questions, and we’ll do our best to answer them. Wondering if your question’s already been answered? Check out our archive here. Resources Need a vaccine? Sign up for email updates, and make an appointment where you live: City of Los Angeles | Los Angeles County | Kern County | Orange County | Riverside County | San Bernardino County | San Diego County | San Luis Obispo County | Santa Barbara County | Ventura CountyNeed more vaccine help? Talk to your healthcare provider. Call the state’s COVID-19 hotline at (833) 422-4255. And consult our county-by-county guides to getting vaccinated.Practice social distancing using these tips, and wear a mask or two.Watch for symptoms such as fever, cough, shortness of breath, chills, shaking with chills, muscle pain, headache, sore throat and loss of taste or smell. Here’s what to look for and when.Need to get tested? Here’s where you can in L.A. County and around California.Americans are hurting in many ways. We have advice for helping kids cope, resources for people experiencing domestic abuse and a newsletter to help you make ends meet.We’ve answered hundreds of readers’ questions. Explore them in our archive here.For our most up-to-date coverage, visit our homepage and our Health section, get our breaking news alerts, and follow us on Twitter and Instagram.

High school softball: City playoff results and updated pairings

https://www.latimes.com/sports/highschool/story/2021-06-07/high-school-softball-city-playoff-results-pairings-monday

CITY SOFTBALL OPEN DIVISION Quarterfinals, Monday unless noted San Pedro 4, Los Angeles Marshall 2 #5 Granada Hills at #4 Granada Hills Kennedy, Tuesday, 3 p.m. Carson 5, Birmingham 0 El Camino Real 11, Legacy 0 Semifinals, June 15, 3 p.m. Kennedy/Granada Hills winner at #1 San Pedro #3 Carson at #2 El Camino Real NOTES: Championship, June 19, 12 p.m. DIVISION I Quarterfinals, Tuesday, 3 p.m. #9 Harbor Teacher at #1 Chavez #5 Venice at #4 Sun Valley Poly #6 Wilmington Banning at #3 San Fernando #7 Garfield at #2 Los Angeles Roosevelt NOTES: Semifinals, June 15, 3 p.m. Championship, June 18, 3 p.m. DIVISION II First round, Monday Palisades 10, Sherman Oaks CES 0 Quarterfinals, Tuesday, 3 p.m. #9 Gardena at #1 Fairfax #12 South East at #4 Bravo #6 Franklin at #3 Palisades #10 Arleta at #2 South Gate NOTES: Semifinals, June 15, 3 p.m. Championship, June 17, 3 p.m. DIVISION III First round, Friday Belmont 21, Central City Value 10 Maywood CES 8, University Prep Value 4 Quarterfinals, Tuesday, 3 p.m. #9 Bright Star at #1 Smidt Tech #5 Belmont at #4 Contreras #11 Maywood CES at #3 Mendez #7 Canoga Park at #2 Torres NOTES: Semifinals, June 15, 3 p.m. Championship, June 17, 3 p.m.

Justin Herbert is reason why QBs coach Shane Day couldn't pass on Chargers job

https://www.latimes.com/sports/chargers/story/2021-06-07/justin-herbert-reason-qbs-scoach-shane-day-couldnt-pass-on-chargers

Justin Herbert’s influence is so substantial that he is impacting both coaches’ decisions and coaching decisions. The quarterback became the NFL’s offensive rookie of the year in 2020 with a performance that dictated so many of the things the Chargers attempted to do with the football. Then, after the season, following the dismissal of coach Anthony Lynn and most of his assistants, Herbert’s presence was one of the main reasons Shane Day agreed to join the new staff. Asked Monday what appealed to him about the job, Day mentioned Herbert first before citing head coach Brandon Staley and offensive coordinator Joe Lombardi. “Seeing him throw in person is very impressive,” Day said. “I mean, he’s one of the most impressive throwers I’ve been around.” Make no mistake, Herbert is the No. 1 attraction for a franchise trying to build something special as it finally welcomes fans into SoFi Stadium this season. Chargers An attorney for Dea Spanos Berberian petitions for a quick resolution to the Chargers’ ownership dispute, saying the NFL could make a decision on the matter. June 4, 2021 Day is the new passing game coordinator and quarterbacks coach. He spent the last two years working with the quarterbacks in San Francisco and also has had NFL jobs with Miami, Washington and Chicago. The 49ers and Jimmy Garoppolo advanced to the Super Bowl following the 2019 season, only to lose to Kansas City. But that team wasn’t driven by the arm of Garoppolo, who finished with only eight attempts in the NFC title game and had just two touchdown passes in the entire postseason. The Chargers very much will rely on Herbert’s decorated ability to distribute the ball, particularly to wide receivers Keenan Allen and Mike Williams and running back Austin Ekeler. “We’re seeing him on the trajectory we want to see him at right now,” Day said. “As we started off and [have] gone through these last couple weeks of practice, he’s really, really sped up as far as what he knows. I think it’s all right where it’s supposed to be. It’s been perfect.” Day said he has no concerns about Herbert’s ability to learn and command a new system, one expected to feature ever-changing personnel groupings and emphasize disguised looks. Herbert was a successful student in college, achieving a 4.0 grade-point average and, as a senior, winning the William V. Campbell Trophy, an award often referred to as the academic Heisman. During his time at Oregon, he also had three head coaches and two offensive coordinators, meaning the transitions to a second NFL head coach and offensive coordinator are nothing new. Sports Despite evidence of cognitive issues, ex-NFL safety Toi Cook was denied compensation without explanation. Did a banned practice have something to do with it? June 7, 2021 “He asks a lot of questions,” Day said. “He wants to know all the whys, you know, what’s the O-line doing, what’s the running back doing, what do the tight ends have? He wants to get the whole picture. “I think that’s one of the most impressive things because, when you do that, it takes a lot of time on the front end but then everything starts to slow down for you. I think he’s finally getting to that stage where it’s slowing down.” Asked recently about Herbert’s ability to bounce from one offense to another, Lombardi said the quarterback possesses “a lot of ‘figure-it-out-iveness,’ if that’s a word.” Technically, no, that’s not a word, but the idea is easy to grasp. Herbert flourished last year despite entering the NFL amid a pandemic that greatly diminished the offseason program. He also did not have the benefit of extensive on-field work entering his first training camp. Then he took over suddenly in Week 2, a last-minute injury replacement, and starred against a Chiefs team barely seven months removed from winning the Super Bowl. “He’s able to learn quickly and apply things quickly,” Lombardi said. “He’s done it over and over again. We’re throwing a lot at him right now, not even so much offensively but all of the looks that he’s getting defensively. Sports Race-norming assumed Black players started out with lower cognitive function, making it harder for them to qualify for league concussion case payouts. June 7, 2021 “But, every day, I think that we all get a little bit better. You definitely see that intelligence and that work ethic that is going to lead a guy like that to be successful in some difficult circumstances.” Most of the Chargers’ on-field practices this offseason are unfolding at a walk-through pace. They typically are dressed only in shorts and T-shirts, and Herbert and the other quarterbacks rarely have thrown the ball. The idea is to avoid injuries and put the focus on learning, which is especially significant with a new offense and a new defense being installed. Even with the lack of genuine football taking place, Herbert continues to wow his new coaches. “Just being around his mind and how he looks at the game has been very fun,” Day said. “The [meetings] have been really cool because I’ve got to see how his mind works, ask him a lot of questions, see how he processes information.” Added Lombardi: “He’s fun to be around. … This is going to be very good in the long run, just as far as learning and everything. Looking forward to seeing him go full speed.”

'The Bachelorette' hits the reset button after a 'Bachelor' season marred by scandal

https://www.latimes.com/entertainment-arts/tv/story/2021-06-07/the-bachelorette-the-bachelor-chris-harrison-katie-thurston-tayshia-adams-kaitlyn-bristowe

The highly anticipated new season of “The Bachelorette” arrived Monday, as the franchise built around the popular reality series “The Bachelor” hits the reset button following a tumultuous season clouded by racial controversy and host Chris Harrison‘s late-season decision to step aside from the role. Former “Bachelorettes” Tayshia Adams and Kaitlyn Bristowe took over hosting duties for the season, starring new “Bachelorette” Katie Thurston. The hosting duo replaced Harrison after he came under fire last season for racially insensitive remarks he made during an interview. Harrison stepped away before the finale aired, and his future with the franchise remains uncertain. (Harrison is also reportedly being replaced as host of the franchise’s “Bachelor in Paradise” spinoff.) Television After pledging ‘real change’ amid last year’s protests, ABC and owner Walt Disney Co. stayed silent as a firestorm over race consumed its reality-TV flagship. March 12, 2021 The last installment of “The Bachelor” featured its first Black star, Matt James. The scandal that came to define the season began when fans unearthed images depicting one of the season’s frontrunners, Rachel Kirkconnell attending an antebellum South-themed party in 2018. Although James rewarded Kirkconnell with “the final rose,” the couple broke up after James became aware of the incidents. However, James and Kirkconnell have reportedly repaired their relationship and are back together. Here are five takeaways from the season premiere of “The Bachelorette”: 1. Harrison’s absence went unaddressed. Harrison, who has been the face and voice of the franchise since its debut in 2002, was not mentioned during the two-hour episode, nor were there any references to last season’s turmoil, including Thurston’s crucial role in calling out bullying among some of the contestants. 2. Adams and Bristowe are not “hosts,” exactly — they’re “special guests.” While the pair were initially announced as hosts of this edition of “The Bachelorette,” they functioned in the premiere mostly as a support team for Thurston and were identified as “special guests” in the end credits. “We’re here to help you,” Adams said after she and Bristowe snuck up behind Thurston in a “surprise” before she met her suitors. Thurston seemed overjoyed to see them and appeared to appreciate their advice about how to act and what to expect. They watched gleefully from a window at the Hyatt Regency Tamaya Resort and Spa in New Mexico, where the season was filmed, as Thurston greeted the men. At one point, they ate from a tub of popcorn. 3. Thurston is a sex-positive “Bachelorette.” Thurston distinguished herself during James’ season when she arrived holding a vibrator, and she continued highlighting her “sex-positive” philosophy in seeking a mate in Monday’s episode. But she also embraced the silliness of some of the contestants, including one suitor who showed up in a cat costume and another who stayed hidden through most of the episode in a giant gift-wrapped box. But she awarded her “first impression” rose to Greg, a marketing sales representative who impressed her with his shyness and vulnerability. 4. The contestants are a diverse group. More than a third of the initial batch of suitors were men of color, though race was not a topic during the episode. 5. Compared to the most recent seasons in the franchise, this “Bachelorette” is pretty tame. The first episode lacked the edgy drama of the most recent “Bachelor” premiere, as James wrestled with the weight of being the first Black male lead of the franchise. It was also absent the upheaval of the last season opener of “The Bachelorette,” when Clare Crawley was immediately smitten with Dale Moss and left the show with him after just a few episodes. (She was replaced by Adams.) It’s also unclear who will emerge as this season’s villain, though there was unspecified beef between Aaron, an insurance agent, and Cody, a zipper sales manager. (Both men are from San Diego and apparently know each other). But judging from the preview clips, the show’s formula of romance and heartache appears to be in high gear.

8 to 3: 'The million-dollar question' for kids and vaccines

https://www.latimes.com/california/newsletter/2021-06-07/8-to-3-newsletter-kids-and-vaccines-8-to-3

This is the June 7, 2021, edition of the 8 to 3 newsletter about school, kids and parenting. Like what you’re reading? Sign up to get it in your inbox every Monday. Only in the year 2021 could the parents of preschoolers be jealous of the parents of preteens. Yet I know I speak for many parents when I say I’ve spent the past month in a state of deep envy, after the Pfizer vaccine was approved for children 12 and up. Like many of you, I’m left wondering: Will all students get immunized before the new school year? Could districts mandate the shot for in-person learning? Which children will be included in the next phase of approval? And when will my child be offered a vaccine? I’ve also repeated these questions incessantly, at the playground and online and at my own routine doctor appointments. Finally, I called Dr. Annabelle de St. Maurice, a pediatrician who specializes in infectious diseases at UCLA. I wanted to know: When can my 5-year-old get Pfizer, Moderna or J&J? “That’s the million-dollar question,” she told me. “There’s a very strong interest in having these vaccines approved before the school year starts, but I’m not sure how realistic that is.” To recap: It is entirely possible that the first COVID vaccines for young children could be granted emergency-use authorization in time for the 2021-22 school year. It is also entirely possible they may not be. It is likely, though far from guaranteed, that such approval would extend all the way down to 6-month-old infants, the youngest children in vaccine trials right now. It is also possible it will extend only to preschoolers, or even school-aged children. What we know for certain is that there is great hope pinned to Labor Day. In de St. Maurice’s opinion, the most significant threat to that hope may be the simultaneous push for full approval from the Food and Drug Administration. Right now, all three COVID vaccines have emergency-use authorization, a temporary dispensation given to some drugs that have not yet been approved by the FDA. This authorization can be given at the end of phase 2 trials, rather than at the end of phase 3. “The FDA is also focusing on licensing these vaccines for other age groups,” which could divert resources from an emergency-use authorization in younger children, de St. Maurice explained. “There may be some difference in opinion in how young to authorize it. But thus far what we’ve seen seems to show it’s safe and effective in all age groups, so I’m hopeful it will be authorized down to 6 months.” Although many California universities will require proof of immunization for the fall, a similar K-12 mandate would be functionally impossible under emergency-use authorization, the expert said. Still, the Los Angeles Unified School District is working hard to ensure all eligible children have access to the vaccine as soon as possible, and eventually, it’s likely the COVID vaccines will join MMR and Hib and DTaP among the routine childhood immunizations that mark annual physicals and well-baby visits. Not everyone will be pleased by this. Indeed, it might not make anyone happy. Parents in L.A. can be divided into roughly three groups, de St. Maurice told me: those itching for approval, those who are hesitant and those who would prefer their young children not get the vaccine. “Some people want to know, ‘How soon can I get it?’ Others are asking, ‘If my child already had COVID, should they get it?’ And some wonder about the utility of vaccinating,” the doctor said. I’ll be the first to admit, my position is informed as much by emotion as logic. I will be sick and disabled for the rest of my life from a rare complication of a vaccine-preventable illness I caught as a child — a disease that could have been prevented by an existing vaccine, at a time that vaccine wasn’t given to children. When my son was an infant, I went rounds with the pediatrician over inoculations that are given sooner in Europe than here. Why couldn’t he have them? Chronic illness is not a fate worse than death, as it’s sometimes been framed in the case of long COVID. But it’s also not a fate I would choose for my kid. At the opposite end of the spectrum are parents who feel that the risk to kids from COVID is so minute that the risk associated with vaccination actually outweighs it. (To be clear, the vaccine trials for children are massive and rigorous, and there’s no evidence of any increased risk so far.) As we’ve reported, COVID can look like a runny nose or a day of diarrhea in youngsters. Still others can be totally asymptomatic, even in the extremely rare case of those who go on to develop MIS-C. The flu-like symptoms many of us experienced after our inoculations may seem worse than a dose of the real thing. That’s why “it’s really important to test this in all these age groups, to get the confidence of parents,” de St. Maurice said. That testing is part of why we don’t have approval already, a fact that makes moms like me more neurotic. Finally, there are those in the middle — parents whose children may have already had COVID, and who doubt the necessity of vaccinating them when they have natural immunity. After all, most of us never got a chickenpox vaccine. Depending on your age, you may never have been offered shots for HPV or hepatitis or meningitis or pneumonia, because those weren’t approved or added to the schedule until you were past the age when kids now receive them. The main difference is that those diseases have been studied in people for generations, while SARS-CoV-2 had not yet made the jump to humans before December of 2019. Experts say people who’ve had COVID should still definitely get the jab. Just Monday, a report came out showing that when unvaccinated elementary-school children mask up and maintain some distance from one another over the course of the school day, a single infected child will likely pass the infection to fewer than one other student, on average, over the course of 30 days. Without masks and distancing, that figure roughly doubles — still not terrible, but enough to be a concern. Regardless of how you feel about vaccinating your kids, it’s likely the age split is already affecting your day-to-day interactions. My husband and I recently hosted a picnic for our 10-year wedding anniversary, where vaccinated adults noshed and schmoozed bare-faced, while the kids kept their masks on. Since Pfizer was extended to 12-year-olds, our synagogue is once again hosting bar mitzvahs, yet the space for younger kids is strictly limited. And though my husband returned to flying for work as soon as his second shot took effect, even our modest summer plans are circumscribed by (perhaps excessive) caution around airplanes and other shared spaces. It’s likely that the same social norms that have applied to unvaccinated people generally will still apply to kids until a lot more of them have been inoculated. Finally, as I wrote a few weeks ago, our until-recently cloistered kids are once again bringing home viral illnesses. While COVID is typically mild and less likely to pass among younger children, the opposite is true of influenza and other upper respiratory illnesses, which small children circulate much more readily, and can suffer much more severely, than either grown ups or older kids. That may be the best argument for vaccinating small children against COVID — we simply don’t know yet how these viruses interact in the same tiny person. “As children go back to school we could some increases in things like flu,” de St. Maurice said. “We definitely don’t want our children getting both flu and COVID.” Parents, teachers and school administrators have a lot of common interests and goals. They also have individual priorities that aren’t always in sync. These divisions were powerfully highlighted by the COVID-19 pandemic, and my colleague Howard Blume wrote this past week about a new effort by parents to increase their influence in the drafting of education policy. The group OpenSchoolsCA was created to push for reopening schools that were closed during the pandemic; now its leaders have created a nonprofit foundation that is intended to give parents a louder voice to influence schools. “As one of the tens of thousands of California moms who stepped back from the workforce to care for my school-age children, working moms must never be the default option for closed schools,” said Megan Bacigalupi, the founding parent and executive director of the new group. “Parent voices and student interests should never again be ignored or deprioritized as they have been during this year. Parents and kids must have a seat at the table.” Meanwhile, as parents of high school students are acutely aware, we’ve just segued from prom season to graduation season — and both are like nothing seen before. But they are happening, often at live events, in sharp contrast to a year ago. The Times’ Melissa Gomez checked out some of the proms, along with a team of Times photographers; their coverage is here. The New York Times did something similar at four California high schools in Hesperia, Goleta, Petaluma and Fowler. Way up north in Redding, the Record-Searchlight newspaper put together some photo galleries from seven graduation ceremonies around Shasta County. If they look familiar, that’s because they were a lot like high school graduations in the Before Time. Enjoying this newsletter? Consider forwarding it to a friend, and support our journalism by becoming a subscriber.Did you get this newsletter forwarded to you? Sign up here to get it in your inbox every week. Counselors and nurses have long been in short supply in California public schools. But with a public health crisis reshaping how we think about education, there has been a renewed focus on the importance of these positions, which prioritize the mental and physical health of students. Reporter Kristen Taketa at our sibling newspaper, the San Diego Union-Tribune, wrote about an effort in San Diego to use some of the windfall in state funding to beef up the corps of counselors and nurses. “A lot of times the district has said, ‘Oh, we don’t have the money for it,’” said Kisha Borden, president of the San Diego Unified teachers union. “So now we’re hoping that excuse has been eliminated.” The education nonprofit EdSource has come up with a nifty chart of just how that funding windfall is going to be distributed. L.A. Unified alone is getting an extra $4.7 billion from a variety of sources. That works out to more than $11,000 per pupil. Despite the funding bonanza, nobody is going to argue that the COVID pandemic was a net positive, or anything close to one. Still, there are some silver linings, slender though they might be. Here’s another, courtesy of the education team at KQED-TV in San Francisco: The pandemic jolted us out of our complacency and may have given teachers a chance to hone some previously undeveloped skills — like using Zoom. “I’m just glad teachers know how to use technology better now,” said Edward Huang, a senior at San Mateo High School. Finally, there’s this story from Lionel Mares, a graduate student at Cal State Northridge, who writes in LAist about his childhood in an immigrant family and why he never felt like he belonged — anywhere. The title of his essay sums up the conundrum, which is familiar to many California students: “When You’re Seen As Too ‘White’ In High School, And Too Brown In College.” I want to hear from you. Have feedback? Ideas? Questions? Story tips? Email me. And keep in touch on Twitter.

Banc of California to host 2021 MLS All-Star Game

https://www.latimes.com/sports/story/2021-06-07/banc-of-california-host-mls-all-star-game

Major League Soccer will play its midseason all-star game at Banc of California in August after being forced to postpone the match last summer because of COVID-19. The game, to be played Wednesday, Aug. 25, will match a team of MLS all-stars against a team of Liga MX all-stars for the first time, a league source told the Los Angeles Times. The league, which had been expected to keep the game in Los Angeles, called a Wednesday morning news conference at Banc of California, where MLS commissioner Don Garber and Mike Arriola, the executive president of Liga MX, will make a formal announcement. The unique cross-border format marks the latest in a series of cooperative endeavors between CONCACAF’s top two leagues, following Campeones Cup, which matches the respective league champions, and the Leagues Cup, an eight-team summer tournament. Soccer Banc of California Stadium in L.A. will host the 2020 Major League Soccer All-Star Game. Nov. 20, 2019 The partnership offers benefits to both leagues and figures to grow stronger as the 2026 World Cup, to be shared by the U.S., Mexico and Canada, draws closer. For MLS, closer ties with Liga MX helps raise the league’s profile among Latino viewers, who are far more likely to watch Liga MX than they are to follow MLS, and gives it access to Liga MX’s much larger TV audience. It also figures to bring the league’s level of play closer to that of its Mexican rival, which has won the last 15 CONCACAF Champions League finals. For Liga MX, meanwhile, the relationship brings several marketing and financial benefits to its teams who, seeking bigger gates and better engagement with their fans, already play dozens of games in the U.S. each year. It may also begin paving the way for a long-discussed merger of the two leagues. Although MLS explored the use of other venues for this summer’s game, Banc of California was its preferred location given Southern California’s huge Mexican-American population, its robust Spanish-language media and its proximity to Mexico. But the league also wanted the game to be well attended, so it waited until public health officials lifted limits on attendance at sporting events before formally committing to Los Angeles. Soccer The USMNT and El Tri are loaded with young talent that could alter the future of the U.S. and Mexico soccer teams for years to come. June 1, 2021 Stadiums can return to full capacity in California on June 15. However, given the date of the all-star game, filling out two teams of “stars” could be problematic. Aug. 25 is less than a week before the opening of the FIFA international window, when countries will be calling up players for World Cup qualifiers. It’s unlikely any national team would be eager to see its players risk injury in a meaningless exhibition that close to a qualifier. This summer’s game will be the second played in Los Angeles County and the second matching MLS players against those from Mexico. The 2003 game, played at what is now Dignity Health Sports Park in Carson, featured an MLS all-star team against Liga MX team Chivas of Guadalajara. The past 15 games matched MLS players against touring European clubs.

Carbon dioxide levels hit all-time high even as pandemic slowed emissions, Scripps scientists say

https://www.latimes.com/environment/story/2021-06-07/carbon-dioxide-levels-high

Atmospheric levels of carbon dioxide continue to break records despite a temporary, pandemic-induced dip in climate pollution. Concentrations of carbon dioxide averaged 419 parts per million in May, the highest tally for any month since records began over six decades ago, scientists at UC San Diego’s Scripps Institution of Oceanography reported Monday. Readings are taken at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration observatory in Mauna Loa, Hawaii. Scripps scientist Charles David Keeling started the on-site measurements in 1958, with NOAA establishing a parallel recordkeeping effort in 1974. “It’s rising as fast as ever,” said Ralph Keeling, a geochemist at Scripps who took over the measurement series, known as the Keeling Curve, after his father’s death in 2005. “Fossil fuel burning is the center of the problem. It’s what’s driving C02 up and is the major cause of climate change.” Carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases trap heat on the planet that would otherwise radiate into space. The highest monthly averages for carbon dioxide typically happen in May, before plants in the Northern Hemisphere start to suck up large amounts of the gas during the growing season. Oceans and other natural ecosystems also act as what are known as carbon sinks. Climate & Environment Across the West, power grid managers and utilities are preparing for heat waves. June 3, 2021 Last year, energy-related carbon dioxide emission fell by the largest percentage since the 1940s, according to the International Energy Agency. As investments in renewable power continued to ramp up, the pandemic caused a decline in transportation emissions, notably from depressed travel on roads and through the air. However, those temporary reductions have not been enough to make a significant dent in the overall trajectory of carbon-dioxide accumulations in the atmosphere. In May 2020, the average carbon dioxide concentration was 417 parts per million. Daily levels have already exceeded 420 parts per million twice this year. The emission reductions from the pandemic were “too small and too short in duration to show up clearly,” Keeling said of the data from Mauna Loa Observatory. “This was really small in comparison to what we need to do going forward.” Humans emit roughly 40 billion metric tons of carbon dioxide annually, pollution that can persist in the atmosphere and oceans for thousands of years, said Pieter Tans, a senior scientist with NOAA’s Global Monitoring Laboratory. “If we want to avoid catastrophic climate change, the highest priority must be to reduce CO2 pollution to zero at the earliest possible date,” Tans said. In February, the United States rejoined international efforts to limit global warming. Still, the recent readings from Mauna Loa suggest that pledges to phase out fossil-fuel consumption have yet to significantly rein in climate emissions, let alone reduce overall atmospheric concentrations. Keeling, 64, said he hopes to see his father’s curve start to flatten within his lifetime but is skeptical he’ll live to see a substantial downward trend. “I’m hopeful we’ll see slower growth over the next decade,” he said. “That’s what I think can realistically happen, and once we see that, we can say, ‘Yeah, we can control this thing.’”

Football player Aiden Canada shoots 69 to help Vista Murrieta win golf title

https://www.latimes.com/sports/highschool/story/2021-06-07/aiden-canada-cards-69-vista-murrieta-golf-wins-championship

Thanks to cooperation among coaches, Vista Murrieta won the Southern Section Division 5 golf championship Monday with the help of a backup quarterback. Aiden Canada, who had to leave several practices during the spring football season for golf tournaments, shot a three-under-par 69 to lead the Broncos at Soule Park Golf Course in Ojai. They won the team championship with a score of 376. Moorpark claimed second at 388, and San Marcos took third at 395. Glenn Meadows shot a 71 and Jaden Huggins had a 72 to support Canada, a junior. “You have to look out for kids’ best interests,” Vista Murrieta football coach Eric Peterson said. The football team went 6-0, and now the golf team is a champion aided by Canada, who is moving to wide receiver this fall. “Coach P was gracious enough and believed in me enough that I missed a couple practices to play golf and go to some quality tournaments and help my team win,” Canada said. The Southern Section held its boys’ team titles in golf across Southern California. In Division 1, Santa Ana Mater Dei won the team title shooting 372. Corona del Mar was second and Servite third. In Division 3, Crean Lutheran held off Burbank Burroughs to win the title. Sean Lee shot 68 for Crean Lutheran. Lincoln Melcher and Emilio Huerta shot 69 for Burroughs. In Division 4, Redlands won with a score of 372. Liam Hartling shot a 68 to lead the team, with Kamron Hopson carding a 70. Chino Hills was second and Damien third. Villa Park won Division 6. In Division 7, Redlands East Valley won with a score of 422. Yucaipa finished second, and Nordhoff was third. El Camino Real 11, Legacy 0: It’s win or go home time in City Section softball, and Jillian Kelly of El Camino Real was ready for the Open Division playoff opener. She struck out 12 and gave up no hits in five innings. Hannah DiGenova hit a three-run home run, and Camryn Fritz added a two-run homer. El Camino Real will play Carson in the semifinals June 15. Carson scored five runs in the sixth to break a 0-0 deadlock and defeat Birmingham 5-0. San Pedro 4, Marshall 2: Kirstin Sanchez went three for three and was the winning pitcher to send the Pirates (13-1) into the semifinals against the winner of Tuesday’s game between Granada Hills and Kennedy. Upland 6, San Dimas 0: The Highlanders advanced to the Southern Section Division 2 semifinals. Paige Cowley struck out 16. Emily Capobianco hit two home runs.

Metro investigates assault on train riders who were randomly slapped

https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2021-06-07/metro-investigates-assault-on-train-riders-who-were-randomly-slapped

Authorities are trying to track down the suspects in two videos showing assaults on two Metro train riders last week. The Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority is investigating the incidents, which officials said came to light Thursday after a reporter alerted them to the Instagram posts. Metro does not know the identities of the suspects, the date and time of the assaults or which train lines were involved, spokesperson Rick Jager said. One of the video clips showed a boy inside the train, raising his arm and striking the back of a passenger’s head. Another clip showed a similar gesture, as a boy struck a man who appeared to be resting his head against the train window. Jager said a voice can be heard in one of the videos, yelling, “Let this go viral!” “It was almost like it was staged, and then the actual assault occurred after that,” Jager said. “It was quite troubling. We obviously want to get to the bottom of this.” “Metro has a zero-tolerance policy for any acts of violence against customers or employees,” Metro CEO Stephanie Wiggins said in a statement. “We strongly and unequivocally condemn any offenses done in the name of race, religion, sex or national origin.” Metro said at least one of the riders attacked was Asian. Los Angeles Police Department detectives told KTLA-TV, Channel 5 that they are looking into the possibility of investigating the incidents as hate crimes. Amid a wave of anti-Asian sentiments and actions across the country, transit workers such as Uber and Lyft drivers have experienced a rash of racist discrimination.

New York’s Tom Thibodeau picked as NBA’s coach of the year

https://www.latimes.com/sports/story/2021-06-07/new-yorks-tom-thibodeau-picked-as-nbas-coach-of-the-year

Tom Thibodeau got the New York Knicks back to the playoffs, guiding the team to its second-best record in 20 years. And in the eyes of the voters, that coaching job was the best in the NBA. Thibodeau was revealed Monday as the NBA’s Coach of the Year for 2020-21, as determined by a global panel of 100 sportswriters and broadcasters who cover the league. The Knicks went 41-31 this season, then fell to Atlanta in five games in the first round of the playoffs. It was the closest balloting since this version of voting was introduced 19 years ago. Thibodeau got 43 first-place votes and finished with 351 total points, while Phoenix’s Monty Williams actually got more first-place votes — he got 45 — but finished with 340 points. “Anytime you get an award like this, I’m obviously honored,“ Thibodeau said on the telecast announcing the results. “But it’s more a reflection of our group and our organization.“ It was Thibodeau’s second time winning the award; he also got it in 2011, his first season with the Chicago Bulls. And another first-year turnaround in New York merited him the trophy for a second time. Utah’s Quin Snyder was third and got 10 of the remaining 12 first-place votes. Philadelphia’s Doc Rivers was fourth, getting the other two first-place votes. Atlanta’s Nate McMillan was fifth, Brooklyn’s Steve Nash was sixth and Denver’s Michael Malone was seventh. The Knicks were 41-31 this season, and that winning percentage of .569 is the eighth-lowest for any coach of the year winner since the award was first given out in 1963. But the job Thibodeau did in his first New York season was outstanding by any measure, guiding the Knicks to their first playoff berth since 2013 and their second-best record in the last 20 years. On the TNT broadcast announcing the award, Thibodeau spoke of how he grew up a fan of the Knicks in the era that included Willis Reed and Walt Frazier, how his coaching style was influenced in part by others with deep ties to the Knicks — like Rivers and Jeff Van Gundy — and how the players on this New York team like Derrick Rose merited much credit as well. Rose was with Thibodeau when he won the award in Chicago a decade ago. “There were so many people that helped me along the way,“ Thibodeau said. “I’ve probably been the luckiest guy in the world.“ It’s the second major award for the Knicks this season, after Julius Randle won most improved player. Also previously announced was Utah’s Jordan Clarkson winning sixth man of the year. The MVP, defensive player of the year and rookie of the year awards are yet to be announced. The defensive player of the year finalists are Utah’s Rudy Gobert, Golden State’s Draymond Green and Philadelphia’s Ben Simmons. The MVP finalists are finalists Nikola Jokic of Denver, Stephen Curry of Golden State and Joel Embiid of Philadelphia. And the rookie of the year finalists are LaMelo Ball of Charlotte, Anthony Edwards of Minnesota and Tyrese Haliburton of Sacramento. Thibodeau’s win continues a bit of an odd trend. Out of the last 49 seasons, there have been only three instances of the coach of the year also winning the NBA title that same season — Phil Jackson did it with Chicago in 1996, and Gregg Popovich did it with San Antonio in 2003 and 2014. Thibodeau is the third coach to win the award as coach of the Knicks, joining Red Holzman in 1970 and Pat Riley in 1993. He’s the 10th to win the award multiple times and the eighth to win with multiple franchises. Coaches were awarded five points for each first-place vote, three points for each second-place vote and one point for each third-place vote. Thibodeau got 42 second-place votes and 10 third-place votes; Williams got 32 second-place votes and 19 third-place votes. Williams was left off four ballots, Thibodeau was left off five.

Object Lesson: Wild Corita Kent biblical print has Eames chairs, no 'shampoo-ad Jesus'

https://www.latimes.com/archives/story/2015-06-24/la-et-cam-object-lesson-corita-kent-at-cana-of-galilee-eames-chairs-20150623

Bold graphics in shades of pink and lemon yellow. Poetic phrases, borrowed from e.e. cummings and Gertrude Stein. Bits of typography that torque and bend. The survey devoted to the art of Corita Kent at the Pasadena Museum of California Art gathers a lifetime of masterful printmaking by one of the more compelling figures in 20th century art. Kent was an activist, artist and Catholic nun who shaped a generation of young artists as a professor at the now-closed Immaculate Heart College in Los Angeles. She also palled around with the likes of composer John Cage and industrial designers Charles and Ray Eames in the 1960s, appeared on the cover of Newsweek in 1967 and went on to inspire art world figures such as Mike Kelley with her wild graphics. The Pasadena show is especially worthwhile for including some of the earliest works of Kent, who died in 1986. These include colorful religious scenes that the artist made in the early 1950s, when she was fresh out of graduate school. “This was when she was just getting out of USC,” says Michael Duncan, one of exhibition’s co-curators. “She was eager to experiment and rattle the cage of traditional religious art. She wanted to do something different than the pretty, pretty pictures that were in Sunday school texts. As she said, she wanted to get away from the ‘shampoo-ad Jesus.’ ” During this time, she produced deeply layered prints of traditional religious iconography — Virgin and child, Crucifixion — featuring an array of colors, some embedded with words and letters, all inspired by a range of influences, from Byzantine art to the work of the early 20th century political printmaker Ben Shahn. One of these pieces is a print she made in 1952 titled “At Cana of Galilee.” It depicts the miracle in which Christ turned water into wine. Certainly, it’s an abstracted view of the proceedings. The print features layers of orange, pink and purple showing the wedding couple (likely the pair at the bottom) along with silhouettes of revelers, images of chalices and — quite curiously — a repeating image of an Eames chair. “There’s this impulse to speak to a contemporary audience, but she’s still holding on to religious graphics,” Duncan says. “It shows incredible ambition and excitement in making these things. ‘Cana’ could have done with a few less screens. It’s pretty messy-looking. But it’s also intriguing for that reason. ... She wasn’t afraid of mess, ever. This was something she had tried to instill in her students: Don’t be afraid — fear shouldn’t be part of art-making.” Duncan, who has been studying Kent’s work since the 1990s and previously curated important traveling shows of her work, says in this untidy, early work that it is possible to see the roots of what she would become known for in the 1960s. “She becomes a master of color,” he explains. “She learns how color works and how it can snap you to attention. Clearly, she’s experimenting with that here, with these bright purples and oranges. It’s interesting to compare it with the abstract art of the time.” The piece also tells an interesting story of transformation. “In the story of Cana, Christ turns wine into water,” Duncan explains. “It’s part a transformation that is so much a part of Christianity and religion in general. Corita was transforming this by putting an Eames chair in there. She’s making it modern. Later, she would transform advertising — by taking this cynical mode of communication and turning into something that bore much more profound content. “It shows her ambition,” he says, “a real desire to make something you can immerse yourself in.” “Someday is Now: The Art of Corita Kent” is on view at the Pasadena Museum of California Art through Nov. 1. 490 E. Union St., Pasadena, pmcaonline.org. Find me on Twitter @cmonstah.

Review: L.A. Opera is first in the U.S. to return to its home stage. Emotions flow

https://www.latimes.com/entertainment-arts/story/2021-06-07/la-opera-reopening-oedipus-rex-review

The Music Center opened its doors to the public Sunday afternoon for the first time in nearly 15 months. Nothing much has changed inside the center’s Dorothy Chandler Pavilion. Whatever cobwebs might have flourished have been swept away. The lobby’s busts of a brooding Beethoven and beloved cellist Gregor Piatigorsky appeared to have been carrying on their otherworldly dialogue unconcerned by pandemic. It was us, the music-deprived audience of Los Angeles Opera, who had changed. We came masked. Our identity still partially in question. Those seated in the orchestra section sported black wristbands signifying proof of COVID-19 vaccination. The nonvaccinated were in balconies, where evidence of a negative COVID-19 test was required. Capacity was limited to 25% and seats were assigned, and the Music Center clearly meant it. There were no lobby concessions. Celebratory Champagne is so 2019. This was, we were told, the first time since the pandemic shutdown that a major American opera company was performing for an audience inside its opera house. L.A. Opera had no intention of letting anyone off the pandemic hook. It chose Stravinsky’s plague-infested opera-oratorio, “Oedipus Rex,” which harps on the futility of it all. It was performed though not staged — that is, presented as a stony oratorio, with video animations on screens as illustration. L.A. Opera Music Director James Conlon stood on an imposing podium with a sweeping view. Rows of soloists and a male chorus kept the requisite six feet apart. Far upstage, members of an orchestra, also safely spread out, sat on a raised platform. Conlon joked to the audience that he always had wanted to conduct an ensemble of soloists, chorus and orchestra on a space the size of a football field. It felt weird. It felt, in certain essential ways, wonderful. But there was no escaping that this remains a conflicted period in the pandemic, where we are neither here nor there. We’re back, but as yet we don’t how back or back to what. With “Oedipus Rex,” a not happy, not hopeful work, overt visceral thrills competed with demanding, thoughtful pause. The singing was tremendous. Stunning soloists — Russell Thomas, J’Nai Bridges and Morris Robinson — dominated. These three L.A. Opera regulars have had a significant presence in the company’s programing that contends with diversity in opera and social justice throughout the last year. Thomas is L.A. Opera’s welcome choice for artist-in-residence. Stravinsky did not intend to display diversity. He asked that characters in “Oedipus,” whether staged or not, be masked (they weren’t) and treated as living statues, their movement restricted to head and arms. Free will and expression come from the composer and the composer alone. Jean Cocteau’s libretto was less concerned with solving a murder mystery than underscoring the fated tragedy of Oedipus not knowing who he was. That, of course, has a timelessness all its own. Stravinsky wanted the French libretto translated into Latin (however poorly) to make it all the more formalistic and antique. The drama becomes the age-old embodiment of human beings caught in a trap. King Oedipus sets out to save Thebes from a plague with blind ambition that leads to the most pathetic fall from power and grace imaginable — unknowingly marrying his mother, killing his father and figuring he has no further option than bloodily poking out his eyes. Entertainment & Arts Coronavirus may have silenced our symphony halls, taking away the essential communal experience of the concert as we know it, but The Times invites you to join us on a different kind of shared journey: a new series on listening. July 15, 2020 There is further striking context to this “Oedipus Rex,” whether or not intentional on L.A. Opera’s part. Esa-Pekka Salonen’s first concert with the L.A. Phil after being named music director was a staging of Stravinsky’s work in the Chandler in collaboration with Center Theater Group (those were the days). In 1997, Salonen conducted “Oedipus” again in the hall, this time on the same program in which he led the premiere of his own groundbreaking “LA Variations.” A memorable Peter Sellars staging of Stravinsky’s “Oedipus” in Walt Disney Concert Hall, with a revelatory set of African sculptures, began Salonen’s historic final concert as music director of the L.A. Phil in 2009. The men’s chorus (Stravinsky calls for only tenors and basses) consisted of singers from the Los Angeles Master Chorale, and several choristers in the brilliantly articulate chorus Sunday were in that performance. We are, for whatever reason, having a Cocteau moment. Two weeks ago, Long Beach Opera made its pandemic comeback with a parking lot production of the last opera in Philip Glass’ Cocteau trilogy, “Les Enfants Terribles.” This too is an example of the multidisciplinary French writer’s “infernal machines” of fortune and doom that populate his plays and overrun our sense of purpose. As we attempt to find ourselves and reimagine our post-pandemic world, Cocteau might well serve as one guide. Entertainment & Arts Philip Glass’ new ‘Circus Days and Nights’ is the latest example of the composer’s operas proving to be a prime source of experimentation during the pandemic. June 4, 2021 Even the puppet animation created by Manual Cinema and shown on screens around the stage further suggested a kind of Cocteau-esque macabre stylized elegance. These, I suspect, will prove more effective when L.A. Opera streams a video version of the performance June 17. What we got in the theater was, instead, a feast of the raw, powerful, emotional singing that opera lovers hunger for a little more than a neoclassical Stravinsky did. He wanted a lyric tenor as vulnerable, clueless Oedipus. Thomas proved the compelling opposite, magnificent in his authority and surety, a study in the vanity of conceit. On the other hand, Bridges’ nuanced, somewhat less regal Jocasta was sensual and, toward Oedipus, disquietingly maternal. Robinson’s bass boomed the shocking prophecy of Tiresias, the voice of fate who kept all — among them Creon (sung by John Relyea, who was also the messenger) and the shepherd (Robert Stahley) — under his vocal thumb. By contrast, Stephen Fry’s narration on video was charming and disarming. The mixed messages made their own sense. Conlon’s grand conception was to capture all this by matching power with power. The raised orchestra allowed for more bass than we usually get in the Chandler and increased prominence of the winds, which served Stravinsky well. Brass you can hear from almost anywhere. But distance is distance. Football fields and opera don’t normally mix. Then again, nothing is normal. It has taken well over a year for opera in America to finally come in from the cold. Entertainment & Arts What can you see at the Broad, La Brea Tar Pits Museum, LACMA, California Science Center, Grammy Museum and beyond? Here’s a quick rundown. June 14, 2021

Cam Akers covered a lot of ground in Rams rookie season despite pandemic restrictions

https://www.latimes.com/sports/rams/story/2021-06-07/cam-akers-rams-rookie-season-pandemic-restrictions

With the NFL’s offseason program conducted virtually last year, Cam Akers missed out on real-time, on-field opportunities to learn coach Sean McVay’s offense. Akers, a second-round draft pick from Florida State, proved a quick study, emerging as the starter for the season opener. Injuries sidelined him for three games, but Akers finished with a dynamic second half and established himself as a key player for a team that, following the addition of quarterback Matthew Stafford, is regarded as a Super Bowl contender. Akers, who turns 22 on June 22, spent the last few weeks participating in organized-team activity workouts. On Tuesday, the Rams begin a three-day minicamp that will conclude Thursday with a practice before fans at SoFi Stadium. The Rams’ running back corps also includes third-year pro Darrell Henderson, Xavier Jones, Raymond Calais and rookie Jake Funk. But Akers is the lead back — and comfortable with the status. “The only thing you can do is prepare and make sure you’re doing all you can to be at your best for your team, so that’s what I’ve been focusing on doing — whether that’s being a leader or making plays,” Akers told reporters. “Just doing what I can do to help this team. I don’t make it more than it is.” Despite suffering a rib injury in the second game and an ankle injury in the 14th, Akers finished the season with 625 yards rushing and three touchdowns. He gained a career-best 171 yards in 29 carries in a victory over the New England Patriots. He rushed for 131 yards and a touchdown in an NFC wild-card playoff victory over the Seattle Seahawks. Sports Despite evidence of cognitive issues, ex-NFL safety Toi Cook was denied compensation without explanation. Did a banned practice have something to do with it? June 7, 2021 Akers said he has worked this offseason to focus on the mental and physical aspects of his game. “Making sure I know the playbook like the back of my hand,” he said. “Making sure I’m sharp on footwork. Just the little things. Sharpening up the little things.” Akers showed his running and receiving skills as a rookie. Now, in Year 2, Akers is expected to master “the detail and what his job entails every single snap,” McVay said. “It’s just continuing to become more and more complete,” McVay said. Akers’ teammates are confident he will continue to progress. Left tackle Andrew Whitworth has blocked for many running backs in his 15 seasons. It was apparent “early on” that Akers was “really wired the right way,” Whitworth said. Akers displayed confidence by communicating and encouraging older teammates regardless of whether a play went well or poorly. “He’s not in any way star-struck,” Whitworth said, adding, “He’s just so relaxed back there, like, ‘Man, just got to give me this or that and I’m going to make a play with it.’… That’s a trait and mentality that shows you he’s wired different and he’s somebody that expects to perform well, and I think guys are excited to see him do his thing and continue to grow.” Sports Race-norming assumed Black players started out with lower cognitive function, making it harder for them to qualify for league concussion case payouts. June 7, 2021 Last season Akers wore jersey No. 23, but with the NFL relaxing rules on single-digit jersey numbers for the upcoming season, Akers will don No. 3, the number he wore playing youth and high school football in Mississippi and at Florida State. Akers welcomes the opportunity to help rookies establish themselves, as he did last season. “I was just in their shoes, trying to solidify a spot and trying to make a name for myself — so I understand and can relate to it a lot,” he said, adding, “I just want to be somebody they can come to and ask questions, and give great advice.”

Dodgers co-owner eyes $15 million for famed W.C. Fields estate

https://www.latimes.com/business/real-estate/story/2021-06-07/dodgers-co-owner-eyes-15-million-for-famed-w-c-fields-estate

Hollywood history is up for grabs in Los Feliz, where the W.C. Fields estate — a 101-year-old Italianate mansion where the namesake comedian lived in the 1940s — just hit the market for $15 million. Built in 1920, the architectural gem has housed multiple celebrities since Fields including “Pay It Forward” actor Gary Werntz and “Grace and Frankie” star Lily Tomlin. Today, it’s owned by Bobby Patton, the Texas oil magnate who co-owns the Los Angeles Dodgers. Records show he picked up the property for $7 million in 2013. The leafy residence covers two-thirds of an acre in Laughlin Park, a gated enclave home to stars such as Angelina Jolie, Casey Affleck, Emma Roberts and Kristen Stewart. It centers on a romantic home still in touch with its original design; across 8,000 square feet are carved stone columns, stained glass windows, arched doorways, colorful tile and coved ceilings. According to the listing, the antique mahogany panels come from a Spanish monastery. “The original owner outbid William Randolph Hearst for the wood, who wanted it for Hearst Castle,” said co-listing agent Michael Maguire. The home’s main highlight comes in the solarium, a dramatic combination of copper and glass that takes in views of the surrounding gardens and Griffith Park. Elsewhere are four bedrooms, five bathrooms and modern amenities such as a gym, wine cellar and movie theater. Terraces, balconies and courtyards extend the living space outside, taking in views of the landscaped grounds that descend to a swimming pool and cabana at the edge of the estate. Patton is part of Guggenheim Baseball Management, the ownership group that purchased the Dodgers for $2.15 billion in 2012. Other members of the group include businessman Mark Walter, film producer Peter Guber and Lakers legend Earvin “Magic” Johnson. Michael Maguire and Victoria Massengale of Compass hold the listing.

A year after deadly police shooting in Fullerton, community still waits for answers

https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2021-06-07/friends-family-wait-on-investigation-fatal-fullerton-police-shooting-hector-hernandez

Bill Brown won’t touch his torque wrench. It sits in a box on a shelf in his garage — a protected memory. It was the last tool Brown ever loaned to Hector Hernandez. Seared into the handle are the dusty fingerprints of his old friend. It’s been a year since Hernandez was shot to death in his front yard by a Fullerton police officer, yet his friends, family and neighbors still wait for the results of an investigation into the incident. They say the Orange County district attorney’s probe of the shooting has gone on far too long. They continue to push for the officer who shot Hernandez to be held accountable. The Justice for Hector Hernandez coalition, which now includes about 20 organizations, has spent the last year advocating for their cause with protests and by attending City Council meetings to put pressure on officials. But Dist. Atty. Todd Spitzer’s office has not concluded the investigation. “This incident is still under review, and we have no further comment at this time,” D.A. spokeswoman Kimberly Edds wrote in an email. Peter Hardin, who is running against Spitzer for D.A., posted several Tweets last week criticizing Spitzer and his role in the drawn-out investigation. “This week O.C. mourns the loss of Hector Hernandez, whose life was lost one year ago in a concerning use-of-force case that was captured on video,” Hardin wrote. “Mr. Hernandez’s family & our community continue to wait for answers. District Attorney Todd Spitzer has met them with silence.” This week OC mourns the loss of Hector Hernandez, whose life was lost one year ago in a concerning use of force case that was captured on video.Mr. Hernandez's family & our community continue to wait for answers.District Attorney Todd Spitzer has met them with silence.(1/4) There has also been an Internal Affairs investigation into the incident. Fullerton Police Cpl. Billy Phu said last week that that investigation is ongoing, too. “As per our policy and protocol, this officer-involved shooting is pending an independent investigation by the Orange County district attorney’s office,” Phu wrote in an email. Phu pointed out that the Fullerton Police Department created a webpage where the public can see documents related to police shootings and other use-of-force incidents. He said documents on Hernandez’s shooting will be available once the investigations are completed. Meanwhile, the officer who shot Hernandez, Jonathan Ferrell, is still working and is assigned to patrol. About 60 people gathered in front of Hernandez’s home last week to hold a vigil marking the one-year anniversary of his death. They took turns speaking about Hernandez as people stood in the yard and spilled out into the street. Prayer candles flickered next to a photo of Hernandez on the spot where he was fatally shot. “It happened right here, right where we stand, in the front yard, right here where these candles are lit,” said Santi Santiago, who was friends with Hernandez. “He is still here with me,” Santiago said. “He’s never going to leave. He’s always going to be in my heart.” In the steel-gray dusk, neighbors lit their prayer candles and placed them at the memorial. A man poured out some of his beer in Hernandez’s honor. “We know that too often when police show up to a scene of a crisis, they escalate that crisis,” said Jennifer Rojas of the American Civil Liberties Union of Southern California. “Hector should be with his family. He should have not been killed that night, and the police should have not used deadly force that evening.” Fullerton Mayor Bruce Whitaker also spoke at the vigil. “I’ve often spoken out against the Peace Officers’ Bill of Rights, [which] causes City Council members and mayors to become silent,” Whitaker said. “We’re told by legal experts and by everyone else in the system that we must put on a muzzle, or sit on our hands and just be mute. I’m not wired that way.” Whitaker compared the incident to the Fullerton police killing of Kelly Thomas, a mentally ill homeless man. That incident sparked a national uproar, though the officers were acquitted of all charges. Whitaker had been on the council for a few months when Thomas was beaten. Whitaker said he and his wife, Linda, were the only city officials to attend Thomas’ funeral. “Over time I found out from eye witnesses that the accounts that we were being given, officially, were not accurate, and they were not truthful,” Whitaker said. “My goal back then was to do what I could do. We couldn’t bring Kelly back, someone who had schizophrenia or someone who was disabled to that degree that he didn’t receive the mercy that should be incumbent upon all of us to provide to someone in distress. So my goal as a council member then, and since then, is to do what I can to.” Whitaker said he sent a letter to the district attorney’s office last week seeking answers on the investigation after receiving unanimous approval from the City Council. Edds did not confirm that the district attorney’s office received the letter. Hernandez was shot on May 27, 2020 on West Avenue. According to a video posted online by Fullerton police, one of Hernandez’s sons called to report his stepfather for being drunk, hitting his brother and brandishing a knife. The boy also reported that Hernandez had armed himself with a gun and fired the weapon. The video includes a recording of the 911 call. Body-worn camera footage of the shooting shows Ferrell approaching Hernandez’s home with his police dog. Officers have their guns drawn. Advocates have pointed out that police have released only selected portions of the body cam footage. “The community must have access to all body camera footage of the incident,” Rojas has said. “The footage that is currently available to the public is highly editorialized and serves to exonerate the officer and prosecute Hector Hernandez.” In the footage released by the Police Department, as Ferrell goes up to the home, he directs the dog toward Hernandez, who is standing in his frontyard with his hands up. The dog first runs toward other officers before being focused back on Hernandez. As the K-9 turns and rushes toward him, Hernandez puts one of his arms down and takes a knife from his pocket. After the dog takes him down, he stabs the dog near the shoulder blade. Ferrell runs up to Hernandez, yells, “He’s got a knife!” and fires two shots at him. Brown and others contend that the dog should never have been directed toward Hernandez. In a previous interview, Brown said Hernandez had his hands raised and lowered his hand to his knife only when the dog rushed him. Then, Ferrell fired at Hernandez while he was on his back. “The K-9 officer got concerned about his dog,” Brown said, adding: “I mean he just got totally reckless because it was like he just got tunnel vision. He focused on, ‘Oh, my God, he’s hurting my dog, I’m gonna stop him now....’ That’s exactly what it seems like happened — he lost all control of his training and reasonable thinking and just decided, I need to do this.” Garo Mardirossian, the attorney who represented Thomas’ family, is representing Hernandez’s relatives in a lawsuit against the city. Mardirossian has said Ferrell used excessive force — Hernandez was complying with every order the officers gave him. “This K-9 officer for no good reason releases his dog,” Mardirossian said. “The dog is smart enough to see that there is no danger and starts running toward his K-9 unit. He’s thinking ‘OK, time to go.’ This man’s got his hands up, he’s no threat. He continued: “Neither one of those shots were necessary. Nobody was being threatened.” Brazil writes for Times Community News.

French Open: Novak Djokovic, Rafael Nadal reach quarterfinals

https://www.latimes.com/sports/story/2021-06-07/french-open-novak-djokovic-rafael-nadal-reach-quarterfinals

For two sets and more than two hours at the French Open on Monday, Novak Djokovic found himself being outplayed by a 19-year-old opponent from Italy making his Grand Slam debut. And yet, to hear Djokovic tell it afterward, he had the kid right where he wanted him. Which turned out to be true. Rafael Nadal also faced an Italian who’s just 19 in the fourth round — and also needed a bit of time to get going. Nadal’s trouble lasted all of eight games and less than 45 minutes Monday before he seized control, ran his Roland Garros streak to 35 consecutive sets and joined Djokovic in reaching a record 15th quarterfinal at the clay-court major tournament. After dropping a pair of tiebreakers, Djokovic suddenly went from a big deficit to his best tennis. He grabbed 13 games in a row before Lorenzo Musetti stopped playing because of lower back pain and cramps while trailing 6-7 (7), 6-7 (2), 6-1, 6-0, 4-0. “I like to play young guys in best-of-five, because I feel even if they are leading a set or two sets to love, as it was the case today, I still like my chances,” said the top-seeded Djokovic, who is 34, “because I feel like I’m physically fit and I know how to wear my opponent down.” Nadal, who turned 35 last week, trailed 5-3 early on against the 18th-seeded Jannik Sinner, who served for the first set at 5-4. But 13-time French Open champion Nadal took eight games in a row and, after a blip in the second set, resumed his excellent play and closed his 7-5, 6-3, 6-0 win on another eight-game run. “He played better. That’s all there is to say,” Sinner summarized. About the only thing that bothered Nadal down the stretch: He complained to the chair umpire that the stadium’s artificial lights shouldn’t have been switched on while there was still sunlight. “They say it is because of the TV,“ Nadal said. “But my answer is: We used to have TV before we had the lights on here in Roland Garros. I saw plenty of matches here — and from the TV, the quality of the image was great without the lights.” Sinner and Musetti had planned to practice together at Court Philippe Chatrier on Monday morning before their matches there. But Sinner said his coach — Riccardo Piatti, who mentored Djokovic years ago — messed up the timing. Musetti, a talented Italian so good at the outset with his one-handed backhand and tremendous touch, is hardly used to this best-of-five-set format at the majors and he took a medical timeout after the fourth. “It didn’t make sense to keep playing. I couldn’t win any points or stay in the rallies. It was hard for me to move,” Musetti said. “I was at my limit.” Djokovic wound up 9 for 9 on his break-point chances and with a 53-30 edge in winners. How shocking was it just to see Musetti take a pair of sets against Djokovic, who is seeking his second French Open championship and 19th Grand Slam trophy overall? “Even for me,“ Musetti acknowledged, “it was a little surprising.” The top-seeded Djokovic never has been beaten at Roland Garros by someone ranked as low as the No. 76 Musetti. Djokovic’s only previous loss against a teen at the French Open came back in 2006 against a guy named Nadal. And Djokovic entered the day 14-0 in the fourth round at the place. Plus, consider Djokovic’s recent form: He was 10-0 in Grand Slam matches in 2021 and hadn’t ceded more than four games in any set in Paris — let alone an entire set — while dropping a total of just 23 games until Monday. Eventually, Djokovic earned his fifth career comeback from two sets down by limiting his mistakes and making Musetti look like what he is: Someone with plenty of promise but not much experience. Djokovic’s 49th major quarterfinal will come against another Italian, No. 9 seed Matteo Berrettini, who advanced without needing to swing his racket Monday. The man Berrettini was supposed to face, Roger Federer, withdrew Sunday in order to let his surgically repaired right knee and the rest of his 39-year-old body recover with an eye to Wimbledon, which starts June 28. Just as Nadal vs. Sinner was a rematch from last year in Paris — Sinner also served for the first set in that one before losing in three — Nadal will play No. 10 seed Diego Schwartzman next in a reprise of a 2020 semifinal. Schwartzman saved seven set points in the opening set Monday on the way to eliminating Jan-Lennard Struff 7-6 (9), 6-4, 7-5. Earlier, 17-year-old American Coco Gauff became the youngest player since 2006 to reach the women’s quarterfinals at a Slam by overwhelming No. 25 seed Ons Jabeur 6-3, 6-1. Gauff now meets Barbora Krejcikova, a 6-2, 6-0 winner against Sloane Stephens, the 2017 U.S. Open champion and 2018 French Open runner-up. Another quarterfinal will be Maria Sakkari against defending champion Iga Swiatek. Sakkari eliminated 2020 runner-up Sofia Kenin 6-1, 6-3. Swiatek, at No. 8 the highest-seeded player left in the women’s draw, eliminated Marta Kostyuk 6-3, 6-4 and has won 22 consecutive sets at Roland Garros. Gauff, Krejcikova and Sakkari are three of the six women making Grand Slam quarterfinal debuts, the most at any major in the professional era. On an afternoon that began with the sun shining, before clouds intervened, Djokovic’s two-handed backhand, his best shot, was off. Way off. By the second game of the third set, he already had accumulated two dozen unforced errors off that wing alone. And while Djokovic is normally adept at tiebreakers — he made no errors at all in the three tiebreakers of his 2019 Wimbledon final win against Federer — Musetti was on-target and so good in that high-pressure, high-stakes environment. Musetti is now 10-0 in tour-level tiebreakers for his nascent career. After that, though, Djokovic took over. “I never thought I had it won. Absolutely not,” Musetti said. “Against a champion like Djokovic, you truly only have a victory when he shakes your hand at the end.”

Marvel confirms what fans already knew: Loki is gender-fluid in new Disney+ series

https://www.latimes.com/entertainment-arts/tv/story/2021-06-07/marvel-confirms-loki-is-gender-fluid-just-in-time-for-pride-month

Many Marvel fans unfamiliar with the comics don’t know this, but the character Loki is queer and always has been. Known as everyone’s favorite shape-shifting God of Mischief, Loki was written as gender-fluid in the Marvel comics. Now their identity has crossed over to the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) as exactly that, just in time for Pride Month. Arriving Wednesday on Disney+, “Loki” is directed by Kate Herron and stars Tom Hiddleston (Loki), Owen Wilson (Mobius M. Mobius), Gugu Mbatha-Raw (Ravonna Renslayer) and Wunmi Mosaku (Hunter B-15). Marvel revealed more about Loki’s identity when it dropped a new teaser for the TV series that subtly showed a close-up of the TVA (Time Variance Authority) paperwork that Loki submitted, which indicated that his sex is “fluid.” Television Heading into the finale of “The Falcon and the Winter Soldier,” we dig into the comic book history behind its tale of race and superheroes in America. April 22, 2021 For many fans, of both MCU and the comic books, this isn’t shocking, as Loki is known for shape-shifting. A number of different Loki incarnations have been featured in the comics, including Lady Loki . In a 2014 Marvel comic called Loki: Agent of Asgard, Odin refers to Loki as “my son, and my daughter, and my child who is both” to indicate gender fluidity and more importantly, his love for Loki just as they are. Additionally, Al Ewing, who wrote the comic, explained that Loki is a bisexual character. Drawing from Loki’s queer origins within Norse mythology, Ewing wanted to ensure that a key part of the character’s story wasn’t being ignored. Movies After a year of delays, Marvel Studios has set release dates for its next 10 films, including ‘Black Widow’ and ‘Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings.’ May 3, 2021 However, throughout MCU Phases 1-3, this side of Loki hasn’t been explored until this six-episode Disney+ series. Producer-screenwriter Michael Waldron is also writing “Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness,” which many fans believe will connect heavily to the events of “Loki.” In fact, “Loki,” which follows a version of the villain-turned-antihero plucked out of time, builds on the idea of multiverses and time travel first introduced in “Avengers: Endgame.” It’s prime for setting off a chain of events that could help set up some plot points of “Spider-Man: No Way Home,” “Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness,” “Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania” and the rest of MCU Phase 4. While “WandaVision” provided more analysis on Nexus beings and “The Falcon and the Winter Soldier” gave more insight on the Super Soldier Serum, “Loki” will introduce the long-term ramifications of meddling with the timeline. Loki can be streamed on Disney + starting Wednesday. Television “Falcon and the Winter Soldier” head writer Malcolm Spellman and director Kari Skogland on Sam Wilson, Bucky Barnes and how Marvel Studios set up its new TV show. March 19, 2021

Napa County records first death of fully vaccinated person from COVID-19

https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2021-06-07/napa-county-records-first-fully-vacinated-person-covid-death

Napa County reported its first COVID-19 death of a fully vaccinated resident earlier this month, even as the chance of experiencing a breakthrough infection remains exceedingly rare, public health officials said. The Napa woman was older than 65 and had underlying health conditions, county officials said. She died June 2 after a prolonged hospital battle. She had received the Moderna vaccine and had her second dose at least 30 days before testing positive for COVID-19, said Napa County spokeswoman Leah Greenbaum, citing information from the county’s epidemiology group. The woman had tested positive for the B.1.1.7 variant — newly named the Alpha variant by the World Health Organization — which was first detected in the U.K. To date, the county has confirmed seven cases of the variant, which is believed to be more transmissible and potentially causes more severe illness than some other strains. Public health officials said the vaccines are not foolproof but have dramatically lowered the number of coronavirus cases and COVID-19 deaths in the county. Napa County has reported just under 10,000 coronavirus cases and 79 deaths, with the average number of each dramatically dropping of late. Over the past week, the county has averaged just two new cases and 0.1 new deaths per day, according to Times data. California The low coronavirus case rate underscores California’s continued progress toward extinguishing the health crisis a week ahead of its planned reopening. June 7, 2021 Of the more than 71,370 Napa County residents who were fully vaccinated as of late last week, 32 have exhibited symptoms and tested positive for the virus, according to county officials. That translates to a breakthrough infection rate of about .04%. The rate is similar to Los Angeles County, which had a .03% rate as of May 7. “No vaccine is 100% effective, but this does not diminish the urgency and importance of getting vaccinated, especially as more variant strains emerge,” Napa County Public Health Officer Dr. Karen Relucio said in a statement, adding that overall, the vaccines “provide exceptional protection against death and illness.” Still, breakthrough infections do occur. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, they’re expected, “especially before population immunity reaches sufficient levels to further decrease transmission,” a recent report states. There are two primary driving factors behind the breakthrough infections, according to Dr. Edward Jones-Lopez, an infectious disease specialist at USC’s Keck School of Medicine. Most commonly, coronavirus variants elude the vaccine immunity designed primarily to protect against what Jones-Lopez called the “ancestor virus,” or the original strain. Though less common, a small number of people — such as the immunosuppressed and the elderly — are not able to mount as strong an immune response to the vaccine as the general population. For these people, the vaccine doesn’t work as it should. “Despite being vaccinated, they’re unable to generate enough antibodies in protection against the virus,” he said. California Health experts expected some vaccinated people to contract COVID-19. But more research is needed on exactly why it is happening now, in small numbers. May 3, 2021 Greenbaum said the situation underscores the importance of increasing vaccination rates in Napa County and beyond. “Getting vaccinated helps protect us, and it helps protect vulnerable people who aren’t able to mount that immune response,” she said. Though concerning, breakthrough infections tend to cause less severe cases of COVID-19 compared to infections in people who are not vaccinated, Jones-Lopez said. “It’s really almost two completely different diseases,” he said, comparing COVID-19 cases before and after vaccinations. Of the more than 135 million people who were vaccinated in the U.S. as of June 1, just over 3,000 were hospitalized or died from breakthrough infections by the virus, according to reports the CDC received from 47 states and territories.

Hawaii-bound kayaker rescued by Coast Guard off California

https://www.latimes.com/world-nation/story/2021-06-07/hawaii-bound-kayaker-rescued-by-coast-guard-off-california

A kayaker hoping to paddle solo from California to Hawaii was rescued by a U.S. Coast Guard helicopter six days after he set out, amid rough seas and high winds. Cyril Derreumaux endured several problems with his 23-foot kayak, but when he lost his sea anchor, he knew he had to cut his adventure short, he said. “It went from bad to worse very fast after that,” he told the San Francisco Chronicle from his home in Larkspur. After consulting with his land crew, Derreumaux phoned the Coast Guard for a rescue Saturday night, when he was about 70 miles west of Santa Cruz. A diver was lowered from a helicopter into the water and helped hoist Derreumaux up. California 15 people were taken into custody with 10 rescued by lifeguards; boat eventually came into shore near Children’s Pool May 20, 2021 In addition to the loss of the anchor, the kayak’s anchor lines had become entangled in the rudder, the GPS wasn’t functioning properly, and Derreumaux was seasick while pummeled with 12-foot waves. The kayak remains adrift in the ocean. Derreumaux said he hopes to coordinate a retrieval effort this week when the winds die down. “I made the right call,” Derreumaux, 44, told the newspaper Sunday. “It’s still disappointing.” Derreumaux set out May 31 from Sausalito and expected the Pacific voyage to take about 70 days. He had prepared for the trip for three years.

Earthquake: 4.1 quake reported near Brawley, Calif.

https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2021-06-07/earthquake-4-1-quake-reported-near-brawley-calif

A magnitude 4.1 earthquake was reported Monday afternoon at 2:08 p.m. Pacific time 11 miles from Brawley, Calif., according to the U.S. Geological Survey. The earthquake occurred 20 miles from Imperial, 24 miles from El Centro, 32 miles from Calexico and 43 miles from Coachella. In the past 10 days, there have been 35 earthquakes of magnitude 3.0 or greater centered nearby. California A magnitude 3.6 earthquake was reported Sunday at 10:44 p.m. 14 miles from Brawley, according to the U.S. Geological Survey. June 6, 2021 An average of 25 earthquakes with magnitudes between 4.0 and 5.0 occur per year in California and Nevada, according to a recent three-year data sample. The earthquake occurred at a depth of 3.3 miles. Did you feel this earthquake? Consider reporting what you felt to the USGS. Find out what to do before, and during, an earthquake near you by reading our five-step earthquake preparedness guide. This article was automatically generated by Quakebot, a computer application that monitors the latest earthquakes detected by the USGS. A Times editor reviewed the post before it was published. If you’re interested in learning more about the system, visit our list of frequently asked questions.

Dodgers still waiting for season to take off as they enter soft part of schedule

https://www.latimes.com/sports/dodgers/story/2021-06-07/dodgers-enter-soft-part-of-schedule

The Dodgers’ 2021 season so far resembles the cryptocurrency market, cycling through spikes and dips, in the green but still waiting to blast to the moon. The club, pegged as the overwhelming World Series favorites two months ago, is now navigating through another downswing. The Dodgers lost two of three games to the Atlanta Braves over the weekend. They’ve lost six of nine games and sit in third place in the National League West. The stretch comes after they began the season 13-2 then went 5-15 then went 13-2 again. What was projected as a two-team race between the Dodgers and San Diego Padres has a third wheel out front — the San Francisco Giants sitting in first place. The Dodgers’ three games in Atlanta were the first of 15 games against teams under .500. Next up is a three-game series against the Pittsburgh Pirates, the team best known this season for letting Javy Báez toy with them on the bases, starting Tuesday at PNC Park. The Dodgers have handled bad teams this season; they’re 21-9 against clubs under .500 entering Monday. The Pirates are 23-35, residing in last place in the NL Central, but just won three of four games against the Miami Marlins. Dodgers With MLB cracking down on doctoring baseballs, the Dodgers stand to lose a lot if Trevor Bauer’s recent transformation on the mound continues. June 7, 2021 “It’s been good and it’s been inconsistent, I think,” Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said. “There’s been some really good play. There’s been some mediocre play. I think the win-loss [record] … I don’t really concern myself too much with that right now. I think just across the board, I think our pitching has been really good consistently. I think offensively we just got to continue to take good at-bats and just be more consistent on that side.” The Dodgers posted an 11-run first inning against the St. Louis Cardinals on Wednesday and an eight-run fifth inning against the Braves on Friday. Other than that, they’ve been mostly quiet offensively. Since that 11-run explosion Wednesday, they’ve scored 18 runs on 20 hits over 34 innings. Friday was the first time they ever scored nine runs in a game with four or fewer hits. Max Muncy’s absence didn’t help. The first baseman, who’s having an MVP-level season, exited Friday’s game in the fourth inning because of a right ankle injury. He didn’t appear again until pinch-hitting in the seventh inning Sunday. Roberts said X-rays taken of Muncy’s ankle Saturday were negative, but he said before Sunday’s game that he was “hopeful, not necessarily confident” that Muncy would start Tuesday. Are you a true-blue fan? Get our Dodgers Dugout newsletter for insights, news and much more. You may occasionally receive promotional content from the Los Angeles Times. The Dodgers didn’t hit a home run in Atlanta until Albert Pujols connected for a solo shot in the ninth inning Sunday. They had just five extra-base hits and 16 total hits over the three games. Mookie Betts is eight for 23 with three walks over his last six games, but he hasn’t homered in 65 plate appearances going back 14 games to May 18. His .438 slugging percentage would be the lowest of his career. It ranks 64th in the majors. Last year, he slugged .562 and clubbed 16 home runs in 55 games. This year, he’s hit five home runs in 49 games. “He’ll homer within the next few days,” Roberts predicted before Sunday’s game. “But he’s taking really good swings. Taking really good at-bats. Just missing some pitches. But, yeah, there’ll be some homers coming soon.” Dodgers The Dodgers say Mookie Betts’ slump isn’t tied to potential injury issues, but the normally standout outfielder has performed in a strangely pedestrian manner. May 31, 2021 Pujols hasn’t had trouble hitting balls over the fence. While the praise for Pujols’ off-field presence has been effusive, the 21-year veteran is also producing in his part-time role on the field. Pujols has started 13 games — 11 at first base and two as the designated hitter — of the Dodgers’ 19 since he signed May 17. He’s come off the bench to pinch-hit in four games. The 41-year-old future Hall of Famer’s home run Sunday was his fourth in 52 plate appearances as a Dodger. Three have come against left-handed pitching. Overall, he’s 10 for 28 (.359) versus left-handers since joining the club. He’s doing what the Dodgers envisioned when they signed him. “I don’t change my routine,” Pujols said Sunday. “I always maintain the same routine, always try to have confidence, the communication, the scouting report we have. Try to have the same swing, be aggressive and find a good pitch and try to put a good swing.” Dodgers Major League Baseball is again using the runner-at-second rule to start extra innings. Several other ideas have been considered. June 4, 2021 The Pirates have left-hander Tyler Anderson listed as their starter Wednesday, bookended by two right-handers, meaning it’ll probably be Pujols’ only start of the series. The Dodgers will counter Wednesday with Tony Gonsolin, who will come off the injured list to start the game and make his season debut. The 27-year-old right-hander was placed on the injured list April 4 because of a shoulder injury before appearing in a game. He made three starts on rehab assignment with triple-A Oklahoma City. He gave up four runs on six hits with nine strikeouts and three walks over 10 1/3 innings. Roberts said Gonsolin will be limited to four innings. He joins a rotation that has been undermanned since Dustin May blew out his elbow May 1. Instead of replacing him, the Dodgers opted for bullpen games in his spot. Gonsolin’s inclusion should alleviate the workload for the relief corps as the Dodgers seek to get on track, maybe even take off into orbit, during a soft spot in their schedule.

Stocks claw back much of an early loss and finish mixed

https://www.latimes.com/business/story/2021-06-07/stocks-claw-back-much-of-an-early-loss-and-finish-mixed

Stocks gave up some of their recent gains Monday, though the selling eased toward the end of the day, leaving the major indexes mixed. The Standard & Poor’s 500 index slipped less than 0.1% after having been down 0.3% in the early going. The benchmark index, which is coming off two straight weekly gains, is within 0.2% of the all-time high it reached a month ago. The Dow Jones industrial average also closed lower, while the Nasdaq notched a modest gain. Small-company stocks far outpaced the rest of the market. Business For entrepreneurs of color and women of all races, venture funding remains a nearly impenetrable barrier to success. New players are trying to change that. June 5, 2021 The quiet opening to the week follows several choppy weeks as investors continue to gauge the economy’s recovery and the risks of rising inflation. Wall Street faces a relatively light week of economic data, though investors Thursday will get more information on how much consumer prices rose last month. The S&P 500 fell 3.37 points to 4,226.52. The Dow slipped 126.15 points, or 0.4%, to 34,630.24. The Nasdaq rose 67.23 points, or 0.5%, to 13,881.72. The Russell 2000 index of smaller companies gained 32.76 points, or 1.4%, to end at 2,319.18. Banks, industrial stocks and materials companies helped pull the broader market lower. Communications companies and healthcare stocks made solid gains. Facebook rose 1.9%, while drugmaker Moderna rose 6.6% after it sought regulatory authorization in Europe to let adolescents receive its COVID-19 vaccine. Biogen soared 38.3% for the biggest gain in the S&P 500 after the Food and Drug Administration said it had approved the company’s drug for treating Alzheimer’s disease. Biogen’s drug is the first Alzheimer’s disease treatment approved by the FDA in nearly 20 years. Treasury yields mostly rose. The yield on the 10-year Treasury inched up to 1.57% from 1.56% late Friday. Crude oil prices were little changed. Cruise line operators rose after several companies announced or confirmed plans to start sailing again this summer. The industry essentially shut down during the COVID-19 pandemic. Norwegian Cruise Line added 3.1% and Carnival rose 1.1%. Corporate buyout plans moved several stocks. U.S. Concrete jumped 29.3% after construction materials company Vulcan Materials said it would buy the company. Design software company Autodesk fell 2.1% after announcing plans to pursue a buyout of Altium. Investors will get another glimpse into the effect of inflation Thursday with the Labor Department’s consumer price report for May. Prices for such items as food, clothes and housing have been rising as the economy recovers. Investors and economists are concerned that a steep rise in prices could crimp the recovery and prompt the Federal Reserve to withdraw some of its support for the economy, such as keeping interest rates ultra-low and buying bonds. Markets in Europe closed mostly higher, while Asian markets ended mixed.

San Diego woman, 57, killed in street-racing crash in Chula Vista

https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2021-06-07/san-diego-woman-57-killed-in-street-racing-crash-in-chula-vista

A woman killed Saturday in Chula Vista when her car was struck by a driver who was reportedly street racing was identified Monday as Martha Bertha Villalobos Romo, 57. Villalobos Romo was driving on Third Avenue with her two grandchildren in the back seat when the crash occurred about 6 p.m., according to the San Diego County medical examiner’s office. Villalobos Romo had driven into the intersection with L Street when another driver — who witnesses said was racing on Third Avenue — ran a red light and smashed into her Nissan Altima. Villalobos Romo, who lived in San Diego, died in the wreckage. Her grandchildren, 7 and 10, were taken to a hospital for treatment of minor injuries, according to Chula Vista police and the medical examiner’s office. The other driver, who was in a 2010 Ford Mustang, was arrested in connection with the crash and hospitalized. An update on his condition was not available Monday. Police were searching for a second car involved in the street race, a 2014 or newer white Subaru WRX. Anyone with information about the car or the crash is asked to call (619) 409-3817. Hernandez writes for the San Diego Union-Tribune.

'Crying in H Mart' by Michelle Zauner — a.k.a. Japanese Breakfast — will be a movie

https://www.latimes.com/entertainment-arts/movies/story/2021-06-07/crying-in-h-mart-movie-michelle-zauner-japanese-breakfast

Author and singer-songwriter Michelle Zauner’s memoir “Crying in H Mart” is coming to the silver screen. Zauner’s recently published book chronicles her life growing up in Oregon and takes a journey through the “Be Sweet” singer’s memories of her late mother, who was diagnosed with terminal cancer. “These past few weeks I’ve been floored by the deeply personal and heartfelt responses I’ve received from Crying in H Mart,” Zauner said in a statement to The Times. “I can’t wait to tell the coming of age story I wish I’d gotten to grow up with.” The news follows the release last Friday of the “Jubilee” album by Japanese Breakfast, Zauner’s solo musical act. Japanese Breakfast will provide the film’s soundtrack. MGM’s Orion Pictures obtained the rights to the adaptation, with Stacey Sher and Korean-born filmmaker Jason Kim set to produce. Sher‘s producer credits include the films “Contagion” and “Django Unchained,” while Kim’s include HBO’s “Barry” and Netflix’s “Love.” No director or screenwriter has been named. Food There is no template for the Korean experience. Oct. 1, 2020 “It is a surreal thrill to have the opportunity to memorialize my mother in film,” Zauner said. The 32-year-old, whose mother was Korean, talked to The Times last October about her mom’s death and her own heritage. “[There was] this fear that I was all of a sudden not going to be Korean anymore, because I didn’t have her as an access point to my heritage, and that I was going to lose that if I didn’t work harder to maintain that and preserve that in myself,” Zauner said. “Crying in H Mart,” which references the Korean American supermarket chain, was first published in 2018 as an essay of the same name in the New Yorker. In 2019, Zauner signed a book deal with Knopf Doubleday Publishing Group. The memoir was released in April.

Column: Yes, progressives. You really do need Joe Manchin

https://www.latimes.com/opinion/story/2021-06-07/joe-manchin-centrist-democrats-political-normalcy

It’s official: In the great existential battle between a return to normalcy and a new progressive era, normalcy is winning. Recall that Joe Biden ran as a moderate in 2020, not just in the general election but also in the Democratic primaries. Biden triangulated off the Bernie Sanders and Elizabeth Warren wing of the party, rejecting “defund the police,” Medicare for all, and the socialist label. And in general, he did everything he could to reassure voters he wasn’t the caricature radical the Republicans tried to paint him as. And then victory went to Biden’s head. You could see it happen in real time. Biden’s $1.9-trillion COVID relief package was very popular, including with many Republican voters, and the congressional GOP offered little to no meaningful resistance to it. This gave the White House — and many progressive pundits pushing Biden to “go big” — the false impression that the rest of their agenda would be equally popular. (It later turned out that being sent large sums of cash with no strings attached is more popular than more conventional Democratic fare.) Also, Democrats took two Georgia Senate seats in a post-election runoff that likely would have gone Republican but for Donald Trump’s “stop-the-steal” chaos. If Republicans had carried even one, they would control the Senate. Instead, Democrats suddenly had unified control of Congress. Finally, on March 2, a group of liberal historians told Biden he had a shot at being a new FDR or LBJ and should go for it. The only problem with all of this is that it was fatally detached from political reality. FDR and LBJ won landslides, had huge majorities in the House and Senate, and considerable support from Republicans as well. Biden had the narrowest majority possible in the Senate and very close to that in the House. His presidential coalition wasn’t merely small by comparison, it was also arguably more divided. A significant number of his voters cast ballots against Trump more than for Biden, which is why the GOP actually picked up seats in the House. Worse for him, several Democratic senators, most notably Joe Manchin of West Virginia and Kyrsten Sinema of Arizona, aren’t on board for a new New Deal or new progressive era. Last week, Biden came as close as he could to admitting that reality wasn’t getting his back. “I hear all the folks on TV saying, ‘Why doesn’t Biden get this done?’” he said, referring to himself in the third person. “Well, because Biden only has a majority of effectively four votes in the House and a tie in the Senate, with two members of the Senate who vote more with my Republican friends.” That last dig at Sinema and Manchin was unfair. But what they won’t do is vote to abolish the filibuster, which would let the Democrats steamroll their agenda with 50 votes. The problem for Biden is he has an agenda that would be plausible with 60 reliable votes in the Senate but is impossible when he has to scramble to get even 50. That harsh reality became clear over the weekend when Manchin announced in an op-ed that he would not vote for the “For the People Act,” which would radically federalize the way we conduct elections. The Democratic base thinks this is largely a Manchin problem. New York Rep. Jamaal Bowman told CNN on Monday that “Joe Manchin has become the new Mitch McConnell. ... Joe Manchin is doing everything in his power to stop democracy.” Rep. Mondaire Jones of New York indefensibly tweeted that Manchin’s op-ed might as well be titled, “Why I’ll vote to preserve Jim Crow.” Overlooked in this backlash is that Manchin is actually taking heat for many other Democratic senators who can’t afford to be as out front as Manchin, who comes from a solidly Republican state (Trump won West Virginia by 39 points). Progressive activists want to oust Manchin and Sinema in favor of more pliable team players. “Help us find the next AOC to replace Manchin and Sinema” was how one progressive PAC positioned its strategy in February. This is also unhinged from reality. Manchin is almost surely the only Democrat who can get elected in his state. He’d beat a West Virginian Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez handily, and if he didn’t, a Republican would in the general election. You can have a centrist Democratic senator from West Virginia, or no Democratic senator at all. This is what normalcy is supposed to look like: two parties trying to figure out how to win over the center. And it’s long overdue. @JonahDispatch

Raymond Donovan, Reagan's Labor secretary who quit under cloud of suspicion, dies at 90

https://www.latimes.com/obituaries/story/2021-06-07/raymond-donovan-reagans-labor-secretary-quit-under-cloud-of-suspicion-dies

Raymond Donovan, a construction company executive who resigned as secretary of the U.S. Department of Labor following grand larceny and other charges of which he was later acquitted by a jury, has died at his home in New Vernon, N.J. Donovan, 90, was surrounded by family when he died June 2 of congestive heart failure, according to an obituary posted on the website of Gallaway and Crane funeral home in Basking Ridge, N.J. After his acquittal, Donovan became famous for asking, “Which office do I go to to get my reputation back?” Donovan was born Aug. 31, 1930, one of 12 children, in Bayonne, N.J., and attended seminaries in Alabama and New Orleans but left before ordination to go into business, becoming a partner in Schiavone Construction Co. He also founded Fiddler’s Elbow Country Club in Bedminster, N.J., according to the obituary. A leading fundraiser in Ronald Reagan’s presidential campaign, Donovan was named Reagan’s Labor secretary and served from 1981 to 1985, resigning after a judge refused to dismiss an indictment filed in September 1984 by the Bronx district attorney. The indictment accused Donovan and nine others of grand larceny, false record-keeping and false statements in connection with construction money that prosecutors said should have gone to a minority-owned subcontractor in a 1979 New York City subway project. Donovan contested the accusations, calling the prosecution “unfounded and politically motivated.” He and his co-defendants were acquitted in May 1987, following an eight-month trial. An earlier investigation into allegations of links to organized crime figures had ended with a federal special prosecutor citing ″insufficient credible evidence″ for prosecution. Donovan “will be remembered by many as a loyal friend, honest businessman, faithful member of the Catholic Church, and dedicated patriot,” his obituary says, also citing his love of golf and politics and calling him “a sublime raconteur, who entertained family and friends for hours with stories from his life, most of which were generously embellished.” Donovan is survived by his wife of 63 years, Cathy, as well as three children and nine grandchildren.

After last season's scandal, 'The Bachelorette' is back. Here's what to know

https://www.latimes.com/entertainment-arts/tv/story/2021-06-07/what-to-know-ahead-of-tonights-bachelorette-premiere

With 30 suitors, a two-hour premiere and a penchant for drama, ABC’s “The Bachelorette” returns Monday night. Though fan favorite Katie Thurston was friend-zoned by Matt James on Season 25 of “The Bachelor,” she snuck her way into viewers’ hearts with her no-nonsense attitude and bold pink vibrator in tow. Now the 30-year-old bank-marketing manager is the series’ leading lady as the “Bachelor” franchise still grapples with the fallout from James’ season as new hosts take center stage. In June 2020, James, 29, whose mother is white and father is Nigerian, was announced as the first Black bachelor in the franchise’s history. While his season promised to be historic, it underscored “The Bachelor’s” inability to address race and racism, fueled by infighting and catalyzed by one contestant’s antebellum-themed photos from college. Television Fans critical of ‘The Bachelor’s’ controversial season praised James’ handling of the post-finale special but remain disappointed by the franchise’s failures. March 17, 2021 During James’ season, 2018 photos surfaced on social media of 24-year-old contestant Rachael Kirkconnell attending an “Old South” plantation party as an undergrad at Georgia College State & University. Furthermore, TikTok users unearthed evidence of Kirkconnell dressed in Native American costumes and allegedly liking social media posts supportive of former President Donald Trump. While the lovable Thurston was eliminated in Week 6 of “The Bachelor,” Kirkconnell made it to the finale and was given the final rose. Following the discovery, the first Black bachelorette, Rachel Lindsay, interviewed Chris Harrison for “Extra” about Kirkconnell’s behavior. Harrison told Lindsay that “there’s a big difference” between 2018 and 2021, which sparked a national uproar. The response prompted Harrison to announce that he would be leaving the season, caused a fissure between James and Kirkconnell and resulted in some “Bachelor” fans hurling online insults at Lindsay for criticizing Harrison’s nonchalant, racially insensitive comment. Consequently, James and Kirkconnell parted ways, and ex-NFL player Emmanuel Acho replaced Harrison as the host of the “After the Final Rose” ceremony. During the special, it was announced that former “Bachelor” contestants Thurston and Michelle Young would be the bachelorettes for seasons 17 and 18, respectively. Weeks later, Kirkconnell and James were spotted together in New York City. Although he confirmed that he’s pursuing a relationship with Kirkconnell, Harrison’s relationship status with the franchise remains unclear. Harrison, who has hosted the series since 2002, won’t be back for Thurston’s season or for the foreseeable future. This season of “The Bachelorette” will be hosted by show alums Tayshia Adams and Kaitlyn Bristowe, while the upcoming August season of “Bachelor in Paradise” will be led by David Spade and a rotating lineup of guest hosts. Thurston said in a new USA Today interview that while Harrison’s departure is “tough,” she didn’t interact with him much and cannot speak to how this season may be different. Television ‘Bachelor’ host Chris Harrison, swept up in a racial controversy earlier this year, reportedly will not host the upcoming season of the show. June 3, 2021 However, on May 26, Thurston shared an Instagram post saying that she can’t wait for viewers to meet the contestants. As Thurston was steadfast in confronting and shutting down mean girls during Season 25, she wrote that she is “protective” of the men she met along her “Bachelorette” journey, as they “each hold a special place in (her) heart.” Apart from the limo-entrance antics and contestant challenges, Thurston is earnest in her pursuit of love and wants viewers to “stay kind in this” as the season unfolds. Although James didn’t quite give Thurston her well-earned flowers on “The Bachelor,” now she’ll be the one handing them out. While the franchise decides how to navigate (or ignore) its own racial reckoning, Thurston will be deciding which contestant is her true love. You can watch full episodes of Season 17 of “The Bachelorette” on Monday nights at 5 p.m. Pacific on ABC, on the ABC app or on Hulu+ Live TV.

Justice Department to require federal agents to wear body cameras when serving warrants

https://www.latimes.com/politics/story/2021-06-07/justice-department-orders-federal-agents-and-officers-to-wear-body-cameras-on-the-street

The Justice Department on Monday announced it will require federal agents to wear body cameras when serving arrest warrants or conducting raids, a shift that aligns federal law enforcement more closely with the growing legion of local police officers who wear such devices. The new policy, announced in a three-page memo signed by Deputy Atty. Gen. Lisa Monaco, will affect about 20,000 federal agents and deputies at the FBI, ATF, DEA and U.S. Marshals Service. “Although the Department’s law enforcement components do not regularly conduct patrols or routinely engage with the public in response to emergency calls,” Monaco wrote in the memo, “there are circumstances where the Department’s agents encounter the public during pre-planned law enforcement operations.” The memo directs law enforcement officials to develop policies in the next 30 days that govern the use of such cameras. The memo also instructs Justice Department officials to train federal prosecutors on how to handle such recordings as evidence. The move follows a policy change in October that permitted local officers to wear such devices while serving on federal task forces, a shift that affected more than 10,000 local, state and tribal officers. The Justice Department had long prohibited such officers from wearing body cameras when working on federal task forces, generating pushback from local police officials. “The Department of Justice has no higher priority than ensuring the safety and security of the American people and this policy will continue to help us fulfill that mission,” then-Atty. Gen. William Barr said in announcing that policy change. Justice Department officials continued to study the matter and concluded that requiring agents to wear cameras on raids and while serving warrants made sense because those were the situations that might result in the use of force.

Water polo players get $14 million in sex abuse settlement

https://www.latimes.com/sports/story/2021-06-07/water-polo-players-get-14-million-in-sex-abuse-settlement

A dozen female water polo players who accused their coach of sexual abuse will split nearly $14 million after settling a lawsuit against USA Water Polo and a California club. The athletes alleged that International Water Polo Club and the national governing organization for the sport failed to protect them from abuse by coach Bahram Hojreh from 2012 to 2017. The $13.85-million settlement with USA Water Polo and International Water Polo Club was filed Friday in Orange County Superior Court. It is being paid by the insurer for both organizations. “We have heard the plaintiffs’ testimony, and their allegations are heartbreaking,” Christopher Ramsey, CEO of USA Water Polo, said in a statement. “We hope that this allows them to begin a new chapter in their lives.” The California Supreme Court ruled in April in a case involving aspiring taekwondo Olympians that sports governing organizations have a duty to protect athletes. Attorney Morgan Stewart, who represents 11 of the plaintiffs, said that ruling helped hold USA Water Polo accountable in the case. Hojreh, 45, has pleaded not guilty to 34 counts of sexual abuse involving 10 victims, nine of whom were children at the time of the acts. The alleged crimes occurred during one-on-one coaching sessions, prosecutors said. Charges filed by the Orange County district attorney include lewd acts on a child, sexual penetration with a foreign object and sexual battery by fraud, which alleges the victims were not aware they were being molested because the coach said the “touching served a professional purpose.” “He’d get in the pool and tell the girls, ‘This is what’s going to happen in college. You need to get used to this,’” Stewart said. “Then he’d reach under their swimsuits and assault them.” The suits said USA Water Polo was negligent for failing to act upon reports in the summer of 2017 that Hojreh’s players at the International club had sexually abused opponents during matches and that allowed him to get away with abuse for about eight more months. The Orange County Register reported that girls on opposing teams had emerged from the pool accusing Hojreh’s swimmers of trying to grab and penetrate their genitals underwater. At one match, another coach accused Hojreh of teaching that tactic to his players, and a fight nearly erupted on the pool deck, with angry parents yelling and threatening one another. In a court filing, USA Water Polo said it forwarded those complaints from June and July 2017 to the U.S. Center for SafeSport, the watchdog formed in 2017 to handle sex-abuse cases in the Olympic realm. At the time, however, USA Water Polo said it had not received complaints that Hojreh sexually abused his players. It said it suspended him from the organization when it first got reports about his alleged abuse in January 2018 from SafeSport. Hojreh has been permanently banned from water polo by SafeSport. He’s one of 10 people affiliated with USA Water Polo banned from the sport since 2018 due to criminal matters. A criminal defense lawyer for Hojreh, who still faces several lawsuits, previously told the Associated Press he never had a blemish on his record after working with hundreds of children over two decades. Hojreh coached for nearly a quarter of a century and said he’d developed “multiple Olympians.” Until 2018, he served on the board of directors for the Southern California chapter of USA Water Polo. Lawsuits related to Hojreh are still pending against school districts in Anaheim and Irvine where he coached.

Cruises to Alaska will be back this summer. But here's how to explore without a ship too

https://www.latimes.com/travel/story/2021-06-07/alaska-travel-ideas-anchorage-juneau-cruises-back

No sooner had travelers begun reckoning with the notion that the cruise season in Alaska appeared to be canceled for a second summer than Congress passed a bill in late May allowing the big ships to cruise the Inside Passage. Foreign-flagged ships, which make up almost all the major cruise lines’ fleets, needed the waiver to bypass a maritime law requiring them to stop at a foreign port. Vancouver or Victoria, Canada, usually fills that role for cruise ships, but in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, Canada has shut all cruise port activities until next year. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, which was slow to approve the restart of cruises from U.S. ports, gave the green light to sailings that are open only to fully vaccinated crew and passengers. Seven lines have announced they will sail round trip out of Seattle this summer, with Celebrity Cruises kicking off the season July 23. The 2,218-passenger Celebrity Millennium will offer nine seven-day sailings, calling on Ketchikan, Juneau, Endicott Arm and either Skagway or Icy Strait Point. Carnival Cruise Line’s Carnival Miracle will start its season July 27. Holland America Line and Princess Cruises, which together hold about 80% of the concession contracts to cruise in Glacier Bay National Park, will each sell 10 cruises visiting the bay. Two-year-old Norwegian Encore starts sailing August 7; the last seven of Norwegian Cruise Line’s itineraries will also visit Glacier Bay. Royal Caribbean will have two ships operating in Alaska. Serenade of the Seas begins sailing July 26, while the 4,180-passenger Ovation of the Seas will have five voyages starting Aug. 13. Silversea Cruises will offer five sailings on the 596-passenger Silver Muse, with itinerary details released June 7. In a typical year, more than half of Alaska’s visitors arrive by cruise ship — 1.4 million in 2019. But not this year, and you can blame the pandemic. With the CDC-ordered shutdown of the cruise industry (for more than a year), plus Canada’s port closures, it looked like Alaska’s summer cruise season would be canceled for a second year. But now, even with cruises scrambling to begin, you don’t need a ship to cruise the 49th state. A cruise visits only a tiny portion of the state’s 6,640 miles of coastline and none of its vast interior. And cruise ships don’t sail near Denali, Alaska’s most magnificent sight; at 20,310 feet, it’s the tallest peak in North America. “Almost anywhere you go in Alaska, you can have an experience you’ll be talking about when you get home,” said Fran Golden, cruise writer and author of “100 Things to Do in Alaska Before You Die.” “It might be as simple as going kayaking and having a baby seal come up, or you might helicopter to the top of an ice field. You don’t have to be on a cruise ship to have these experiences.” Here are five ways to discover Alaska this summer. Pick a base and branch out or mix and match, but don’t dawdle. Lodging availability is limited, and demand for domestic vacations this summer is high. Anchorage, Alaska’s largest city with a population of about 290,000, sits on the Cook Inlet in the south-central part of the state. A 5½-hour flight from LAX, it offers visitors a variety of hotels, restaurants and museums. But it’s still wild enough that you might see a moose bolt across a city street, as I once did. Anchorage sits at the geographic center of a range of adventure activities, with the glacier-clad Chugach Mountains rising to the east and volcanoes spiking the horizon across the inlet to the west. Keep in mind one challenge travelers face everywhere this year: Car rentals are in short supply. Choose your hotel location carefully — bunking in downtown Anchorage means there are plenty of restaurants, breweries and cafés within walking distance. Cyclists will find a network of paved and unpaved trails in and around the city. Road, mountain and e-bikes can be rented from Downtown Bicycle Rental. Travel & Experiences Canyoneering involves moving up and down steep slot canyons, using climbing, crawling and rappelling. And, in my case, praying, cursing and regretting my decision to leave L.A. May 7, 2021 The excellent Anchorage Museum features the Smithsonian Arctic Studies Center, a collection of Indigenous Alaska artifacts, and through Nov. 28, an intriguing exhibit, “Black Lives in Alaska.” “You can also visit the Alaska Native Heritage Center outside Anchorage,” said Golden. “It offers a fantastic introduction to native culture, with all the major tribes represented.” Day trips are plentiful, and most won’t require a rental car, especially if you spring for the Alaska Railroad. You can ride the train to the tiny port town of Whittier to take Phillips Cruises’ 26-Glacier Cruise in College Fjord, priced at $159 plus taxes and fees. Or rail to the Spencer Glacier Whistle Stop, where you can take a gentle float trip with Chugach Adventures past icebergs and raft seven miles down the Placer River for $252 including train fare. Girdwood, another town reached by rail from Anchorage, is home to Alyeska Resort, which offers hiking, mountain biking and a new Nordic spa. Nearby, the Alaska Wildlife Conservation Center has a 1.5-mile loop through 200 acres of natural enclosures featuring Alaska’s best-known mammals — black and brown bears, moose, caribou, lynx, wood bison and more. Flightseeing can be expensive, but it’s often the best way to see much of the state’s scenery, especially Alaska’s five national parks inaccessible by road. From Anchorage, Rust’s Flying Service does bear-viewing tours by seaplane to Lake Clark or Katmai national parks. The tours last from six to 12 hours (including time on the ground) and are $795 to $995, including hotel transfer and lunch. Shorter flightseeing options also are available. Denali National Park features more than a mountain; it’s America’s Serengeti. Instead of Africa’s “big five” animals, you’ll have a chance to see Alaska’s top critters: grizzly bears, moose, caribou, wolf and Dall sheep. “It’s not uncommon to see a mama grizzly and cub walking along the road,” said Golden. “And if you’re lucky, you’ll see Denali. On a clear day when it appears, there’s a deep sigh from everyone.” Park rangers say Denali’s summit is visible in summer about one out of every three days, so plan to stay at least a few days to increase your odds. Campsites are available inside the park, but unless you’re packing your gear, you’ll probably stay at McKinley Village, the small settlement at the park entrance. McKinley Chalet Resort is the major operation this summer, with rates from $219 per night. The Denali Bluffs Hotel and Grande Denali Lodge also have rooms for $219 per night. There are few lodging options inside the park. Camp Denali is sold out for 2021. Denali Backcountry Lodge, deep inside the park and not far from Denali views, offers cozy cabins from $575 per person, per night, including meals, guided activities and a bus transfer from McKinley Village. Nearby is Kantishna Roadhouse, which offers an unplugged experience from $460 per person. It’s important to note: You can’t see the mountain from McKinley Village. The nearest viewpoint is nine miles in on Denali Park Road. At mile nine you’ll see only the top 8,000 feet of the peak, so the No.1 activity for most Denali visitors is the narrated tundra wilderness tour bus, which takes you to Stony Overlook, mile 62 on the 92-mile Denali Park Road (most of which is closed to private cars). McKinley Village also has zip lines, heli-hikes, whitewater rafting, kayaking and fly fishing. McKinley Village is 230 miles north of Anchorage by car or by spectacular 7½-hour rail journey. Although it’s not possible to see the national park on a day trip from Anchorage, on Sundays you can make a round trip to Talkeetna by using the Alaska Railroad. The quirky frontier town — think of the ‘90s TV show “Northern Exposure” — sits outside the park, but views of the mountain are possible on clear days, especially from the Talkeetna Alaskan Lodge. The train trip takes 2 hours, 45 minutes each way (113 miles by road), and the Sunday schedule allows six hours in Talkeetna before heading back to Anchorage. Fancy emerging from the shutdowns alongside a glacier lake? Or within a short hike or boat ride to bear-viewing sites? Many of Alaska’s lodges are deep in the bush and are not accessible by road. These remote lodges can be expensive, but they often yield a wilderness experience woven with deluxe creature comforts and memories for a lifetime. Indulge your inner National Geographic photographer at Brooks Falls, where you can safely observe bears lining up to catch salmon springing through the air. Brooks Lodge is accessible only by floatplane; other activities include fly fishing and visiting Katmai National Park, home of the Valley of the Ten Thousand Smokes. $850 per night per room (for up to four people) Or spring for Ultima Thule Lodge, deep inside Wrangell-St. Elias, America’s largest national park. The 14-guest lodge alongside the Chitina River specializes in scenic flights by bush plane. So vast is the park, at 13.2 million acres, you won’t have to head far to find someplace that has never had a human footprint. The four-night package starts at $8,550 per person, including meals and activities. Travel & Experiences Europe surrounds us in L.A.. But not all Euro substitutes are created equal. April 30, 2021 Staying at a lodge accessible by road may not be as remote an experience, but prices are generally lower, said Richenda Sandlin-Tymitz of Alaska Tour & Travel. She recommends the 22-cabin Knik River Lodge, 50 miles northeast of Anchorage. Helicopter flights to nearby glaciers, sled dog tours and farm-to-table cuisine top the list of activities. Rates start at $169 per cabin, not including meals; transfers from Anchorage are available for $60 per person. Or you can package a group of lodges. Gray Line Tours works with Princess and Holland America Line — both of which operate lodges in Alaska — to provide tours from one to seven nights that combine lodging, sightseeing and transfers by coach or train. Packages can be booked as escorted tours or independent travel and include the McKinley Chalet Resort, Kenai Princess Wilderness Lodge and the Westmark Fairbanks Hotel. If you have your heart set on exploring Alaska’s southeast and the Inside Passage, set your sights on Juneau, population 32,000. No roads connect Alaska’s capital to the rest of the state (let alone the Lower 48), so don’t plan on driving to it, but the city is easily reached by frequent 2½-hour flights from Seattle. Once there, you’ll find a compact, walkable downtown with ample lodging, restaurants and shopping. One way to familiarize yourself is to book a walking tour with Juneau Food Tours, which includes eight tastes and locally brewed beer for $129 per person. Owner and guide Midgi Moore provides context for the history and culture of this outpost, bordered on one side by the Inside Passage and on the other by an icefield 1½ times the size of Rhode Island. In Juneau, you’ll find most of the excursions offered on a typical Alaska cruise — whale-watching, fishing trips, glacier trekking and flightseeing by helicopter or floatplane. You’ll also encounter plenty of hiking trails, and bike rentals and guided tours are available from Cycle Alaska. M&M Tours will shuttle you to the visitor center for the Mendenhall Glacier for $37per person round trip, departing hourly starting at 10 a.m. On cruise ships en route to Juneau, a popular side trip visits Tracy Arm, a narrow, mile-high gorge that ends at a tidewater glacier. Adventure Bound does full-day Tracy Arm cruises from Juneau for $165 per person. Adventure seekers will find plenty of stimulation in Juneau. This year, Above and Beyond Alaska combines three of its most popular activities into a Weekend Adventure Package: Hike or canoe to the toe of the Mendenhall Glacier the first day; then take a floatplane to Admiralty Island to kayak amid the world’s largest concentration of brown bears; and on the third day travel in a six-passenger motorboat for whale watching and other wildlife. The three-day package is priced from $1,207 (not including accommodations). Juneau is also the jumping-off point for Glacier Bay National Park. Take the daily, late-afternoon Alaska Airlines flight to Gustavus, the tiny settlement near the mouth of the bay, where hiking, biking and kayak tours are available, or spring for the 70-minute flightseeing tour around the park offered by Alaska Seaplane Adventures for $499 per person. Plan on spending at least one night in Gustavus at one of the B&Bs or just inside the park at 56-room Glacier Bay Lodge, which offers eight-hour cruises through the bay, narrated by a park ranger. Doubles at the lodge start at $250; the cruise costs $227 per person. For those who don’t want to overnight in Gustavus, Allen Marine Tours for the first time will offer 12-hour day cruises to the park from Juneau, priced at $299. And even though big ships are resuming their itineraries, you might consider a small-ship cruise instead. Operators will sail this summer out of Juneau, Sitka, Ketchikan and even Seattle. These ships, carrying 10 to 100 passengers, do not offer the bells and whistles of a big-ship cruise. But you’ll visit smaller coves and communities, with the focus on wildlife viewing and beach landings in small skiffs, kayaking, hiking and photography. Small-ship lines operating in Alaska this summer include Alaskan Dream Cruises, Uncruise Adventures, Lindblad Expeditions, American Cruise Line and Maple Leaf Adventures. The Alaska State official tourism website is a fine trip-planning resource.

'Kim's Convenience' stars decry 'overtly racist' storylines, lack of representation

https://www.latimes.com/entertainment-arts/tv/story/2021-06-07/kims-convenience-simu-liu-jean-yoon-netflix

“Kim’s Convenience” has officially closed up shop, and its stars are opening up about their frustrations with the show’s approach to Korean Canadian representation behind and in front of the camera. After the hit CBC sitcom debuted its fifth and final season last week on Netflix, actors Simu Liu and Jean Yoon voiced their concerns regarding the series’ “overwhelmingly white” production team, “horsepoop” pay and “overtly racist” storylines, among other alleged grievances. Based on actor and playwright Ins Choi’s stage production of the same name, “Kim’s Convenience” premiered in 2016 and centered on a Korean Canadian family operating a convenience store in Toronto. In the show, Liu — star of Marvel’s highly anticipated “Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings” — portrayed Yoon’s on-screen son, Jung. “I’ve heard a lot of speculation surrounding myself — specifically, about how getting a Marvel role meant I was suddenly too ‘Hollywood’ for Canadian TV,” Liu remarked Thursday in a lengthy Facebook post reflecting on the end of the program. “This could not be further from the truth. I love this show and everything it stood for. I saw firsthand how profoundly it impacted families and brought people together. It’s truly SO RARE for a show today to have such an impact on people, and I wanted very badly to make the schedules work.” Television Ahead of Sunday’s Emmy Awards, we asked readers what shows have helped them survive this year. Here are their responses. Sept. 18, 2020 After setting the record straight about his career trajectory, Liu expressed disappointment with the way that he and his character were treated as the series progressed. “I WAS, however, growing increasingly frustrated with the way my character was being portrayed and, somewhat related, was also increasingly frustrated with the way I was being treated,” he said. “It was always my understanding that the lead actors were the stewards of character, and would grow to have more creative insight as the show went on. “This was not the case on our show, which was doubly confusing because our producers were overwhelmingly white and we were a cast of Asian Canadians who had a plethora of lived experiences to draw from and offer to writers. ... there was deliberately not a lot of leeway given to us.” Liu also sounded off on “Strays,” the forthcoming spinoff series spotlighting Jung’s work supervisor, Shannon, played by Nicole Power. The offshoot is set to premiere in September on the CBC. Movies Released Monday, the first trailer for “Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings” gives fans a sneak peek at Marvel’s first superhero of Asian descent. April 19, 2021 “I love and am proud of Nicole, and I want the show to succeed for her... but I remain resentful of all of the circumstances that led to the one non-Asian character getting her own show,” Liu wrote. “And not that they would ever ask, but I will adamantly refuse to reprise my role in any capacity.” In an email to The Times, the CBC said Tuesday, “It’s not our place to speak for the producers of Kim’s Convenience, Simu Liu or Jean Yoon,” and suggested contacting Thunderbird Entertainment, the production company behind the series. “Kim’s Convenience had a great run on CBC and we’re excited about Simu’s new project which we announced last week,” a spokesperson for the CBC added. The network recently confirmed that “Hello (Again),” a short-form original series co-created by Liu and Nathalie Younglai, has joined its programming slate for the fall. In addition to creative differences, Liu claimed that he and his “Kim’s Convenience” castmates were purposefully and grossly underpaid in comparison to other popular shows such as “Schitt’s Creek,” which boasted “brand-name talent” but received lower ratings than “Kim’s Convenience,” according to Liu. “For how successful the show actually became, we were paid an absolute horsepoop rate,” he wrote. “The whole process has really opened my eyes to the relationship between those with power and those without. In the beginning, we were no-name actors who had ZERO leverage. So of course we were going to take anything we could. ... “Basically we were locked in for the foreseeable future at a super-low rate ... But we also never banded together and demanded more — probably because we were told to be grateful to even be there, and because we were so scared to rock the boat. Maybe also because we were too busy infighting to understand that we were deliberately being pitted against each other. Meanwhile, we had to become the de facto mouthpieces for the show (our showrunners were EPICALLY reclusive), working tirelessly to promote it while never truly feeling like we had a seat at its table.” Shortly after Liu shared his thoughts on social media, a television critic for Canada’s Globe and Mail dismissed his comments as “unfair” and “mean-spirited,” prompting Yoon to defend her costar on Twitter. While both Liu and Yoon credited Korean Canadian artist Choi with introducing the Kim family to mainstream audiences, they also alleged that his influence over the series was eclipsed by a dearth of Korean representation behind the scenes. “Your attack on my cast mate @SimuLiu, in the defense of my fellow Korean artist Ins Choi is neither helpful nor merited,” Yoon replied to the Globe and Mail’s rebuke of Liu’s statements. “Mr. Choi wrote the play, I was in [it]. He created the TV show, but his co-creator Mr. Kevin White was the showrunner, and clearly set the parameters. “This is a FACT that was concealed from us as a cast. It was evident from Mr. Choi’s diminished presence on set, or in response to script questions. Between S4 and S5, this FACT became a crisis, and in S5 we were told Mr. Choi was resuming control of the show.” Your attack on my cast mate @SimuLiu, in the defense of my fellow Korean artist Ins Choi is neither helpful nor merited. Mr. Choi wrote the play, I was in in. He created the TV show, but his co-creator Mr. Kevin White was the showrunner, and clearly set the parameters. The scene partners also addressed the alleged absence of diversity on the “Kim’s Convenience” writing team, which “lacked both East Asian and female representation,” as well as “a pipeline to introduce diverse talents,” according to Liu. “Aside from Ins, there were no other Korean voices in the room,” Liu wrote. “And personally I do not think he did enough to be a champion for those voices (including ours). When he left (without so much as a goodbye note to the cast), he left no protege, no padawan learner, no Korean talent that could have replaced him.” “As an Asian Canadian woman, a Korean-Canadian woman w more experience and knowledge of the world of my characters, the lack of Asian female, especially Korean writers in the writers room of Kims made my life VERY DIFFICULT & the experience of working on the show painful,” Yoon tweeted. The cast received drafts of all S5 scripts in advance of shooting BECAUSE of Covid, at which time we discovered storylines that were OVERTLY RACIST, and so extremely culturally inaccurate that the cast came together and expressed concerns collectively. Despite trying “so hard” to make himself available as a creative resource, Liu said efforts made by him and others to improve the show from the inside were dismissed. Without adequate input from talent of Korean descent, Yoon added that the show’s authenticity suffered. “The cast received drafts of all S5 scripts in advance of shooting BECAUSE of Covid, at which time we discovered storylines that were OVERTLY RACIST, and so extremely culturally inaccurate that the cast came together and expressed concerns collectively,” Yoon tweeted. “My prior experience had taught me that if I just put myself out there enough, people would be naturally inclined to help,” Liu wrote. “And boy was I wrong here. I wasn’t the only one who tried. Many of us in the cast were trained screenwriters with thoughts and ideas that only grew more seasoned with time. But those doors were never opened to us in any meaningful way.” Representatives for Choi and Thunderbird Entertainment did not immediately respond to The Times’ requests for comment.

Infant sleeper makers ignored safety warnings, report finds

https://www.latimes.com/politics/story/2021-06-07/infant-sleeper-makers-ignored-safety-warnings

Lawmakers on Monday warned manufacturers of baby sleepers that if they don’t improve internal safety procedures following a series of recalls linked to dozens of infant deaths, Congress would step in with tougher consumer protection laws. “Stronger regulation could prevent these tragedies,” said Rep. Carolyn B. Maloney (D-N.Y.), chairwoman of the House Committee on Oversight and Reform. The admonishment came in a hearing at the conclusion of a congressional investigation into safety failures among infant products. The probe found that toy maker Fisher-Price “ignored critical warnings” from experts and foreign regulators about its Rock ’n Play Sleeper, according to a report released Monday. Executives from Fisher-Price and its parent, El Segundo-based Mattel, defended their safety procedures. Chuck Scothon, senior vice president and general manager of Fisher-Price, told lawmakers that the company’s safety team “conducted significant consumer testing” on the sleeper and made appropriate design changes. Last week, the Consumer Product Safety Commission voted to ban a range of inclined infant sleeping products, including the Rock ’n Play, which was recalled in 2019 after almost a decade on the market. Roughly 5 million units had been sold, and it was tied to dozens of infant deaths across the country. Last week, Fisher-Price recalled its Rock ’n Glide Soothers and Soothe ’n Play Gliders after reports of four infant deaths. Rock ’n Play and similar sleepers are padded bassinets that keep babies at a 10- to 30-degree angle, intended to help them sleep. But a 2018 study funded by the Consumer Product Safety Commission concluded that the design is dangerous. Regulators warn that infants unrestrained in the sleepers could roll onto their stomachs during sleep and suffocate. Experts generally recommend that babies sleep on their backs on a flat, firm surface without blankets or other soft objects that could cause suffocation. A 2019 Consumer Reports investigation revealed that Fisher-Price and Mattel did not consult with pediatricians while designing the Rock ’n Play, which was the first inclined sleeper available for purchase in the United States. Scothon said Fisher-Price retained two doctors to evaluate the sleeper in 2016, and both said it was safe. In 2018, after the product safety commission raised further concerns about infant deaths linked to the sleeper, Fisher-Price hired an engineering firm to evaluate the product and statistically analyze how many children had been injured or killed while using it. Scothon said the firm concluded that infant deaths occurred “less frequently” in the sleeper than in cribs, bassinets and cradles. “Until the Rock ’n Play Sleeper’s recall, this item was the gift that I gave to friends and expecting parents,” Scothon said. “The Rock ’n Play Sleeper, like so many of our products, was also used extensively by Fisher-Price employees and their families. I assure you that everyone at Fisher-Price believes that every product we offer is safe, and we do not and would never sell any product about which we thought otherwise.” But lawmakers said faster action by the company might have prevented deaths, including that of a 2-month-old who was found with blood around his nose in the Rock ’n Play in 2018. The baby was taken to Los Robles Regional Medical Center in Thousand Oaks and pronounced dead, according to an incident report from the commission’s National Injury Information Clearinghouse. The product was also linked to the death of 15-week-old Alexander Thompson of Pennsylvania. His mother, Sara, told lawmakers her son would have been 10 years old on Saturday. Rep. Glenn Grothman (R-Wis.) had a tense exchange with Scothon when pressing the executive to directly answer questions about how and when children died in Fisher-Price’s sleepers. “Well, we’re not getting far here,” Grothman said. Rep. Pat Fallon (R-Texas) admonished company executives for failing to respond quickly to reports of nearly 100 deaths worldwide. “It concerns me greatly that an American company would see that, and have full knowledge that Australia and Canada wouldn’t allow this product to be sold,” he said. “Maybe legally you could sell the product in the United States, but I just don’t feel it was the moral thing to do.” Mattel Chief Executive Ynon Kreiz said the company has made safety strides in recent years, creating an executive position to oversee product safety efforts and founding an expert council to provide recommendations during the design process. It also launched “Safe Start,” an educational campaign for parents; the first video, published days before the hearing, was a short tutorial that emphasized following safety instructions included with sleeping products, using safety restraints and moving children who fall asleep into products intended for it. Kreiz was hesitant, however, when Rep. Jackie Speier (D-Hillsborough) asked him whether he would support an effort to repeal a section of the Consumer Product Safety Act that requires the commission to allow the manufacturer to comment on the accuracy of information before it is disclosed to the public. The commission must review and analyze the information in light of the company’s comments before releasing it. “We would be more than happy to collaborate with the regulators to improve every aspect of consumer safety,” Kreiz said. When pushed, Kreiz said he’d “need to understand [the section] better.” Ultimately, he said he would support removing the section but noted that “some information that is in the market is inaccurate and not always correct.” Thompson, who spent nearly a decade trying to figure out why and how her son died in 2011, “with absolutely no answers,” said her family struggles to trust large companies and their products. She is especially wary of products for children. “We miss him every day,” she said. “We have two younger children who constantly ask about their older brother in heaven, and it’s a hard subject to discuss. ... I implore you to please make it impossible for things like this to ever happen again.”

No vaccines for young children, but schools can reopen safely in the fall, a study shows

https://www.latimes.com/science/story/2021-06-07/study-shows-how-schools-can-reopen-safely-in-the-fall

The masks, the social distancing, the stick-up-the-nose testing: Those unpleasant coronavirus-controlling measures are far from over for K-12 kids returning to in-school learning after summer vacation ends. It’s unlikely that a COVID-19 vaccine will be available for children under 12 before classes resume in the fall. But a new study has found that when elementary-school children mask up and maintain some distance from one another over the course of the school day, a single infected child will likely pass the infection to fewer than one other student, on average, over the course of 30 days. But if schools ditch the masks, abandon efforts to reduce mixing among children, and fail to detect and isolate those who may be infected, outbreaks can certainly happen, a modeling exercise shows. Those outbreaks won’t necessarily be large, however, and that leaves local school boards and mayors with difficult choices. If they are unwilling to accept the infection of relatively small numbers of students, they may have to consider adopting some potentially unpopular measures, including hybrid attendance/online learning, strict isolation measures for the classmates of infected students, and the ongoing use of face coverings. Over the course of 2,000 runs of their model elementary school with a relaxed approach to masking, social distancing and isolation, a single infected child was likely to spread the coronavirus to an average of 1.7 other children over 30 days, researchers found. That may sound like a strong case for dropping the most onerous public health measures in elementary schools. But it doesn’t take into account the substantial element of randomness the model revealed. About 8% of the time, five or more children went on to become infected by a single infected student over 30 days. That’s still a small outbreak, with a relatively small probability. But it could feel very real to the families involved. California A high school yearbook like no other: Teens work tirelessly to chronicle a year of pain, resilience May 22, 2021 And in high schools that return to in-class instruction, the risks are even greater when measures to reduce coronavirus transmission are scant. That is largely because older adolescents appear to spread and get sick from the coronavirus at rates closer to those of adults than to younger children. With students on campus five days a week and relaxed social distancing and masking measures in place, an outbreak seeded by a single high school student could touch off 23 to 75 additional infections among fellow students, employees or classmates’ families over the course of a month. Weekly testing could drive down that number of downstream infections to five in the same period. Importantly, the model did not consider the effect of vaccinations among those ages 12 to 17. The COVID-19 vaccine made by Pfizer and BioNTech has been authorized for use in 16- and 17-year-olds since December and for those ages 12 to 15 since May. The new findings were published Monday in the Annals of Internal Medicine. They emerged from a detailed “agent-based” computer model, in which virtual individuals in a population of students, school employees and students’ families interact under defined rules that dictate the behavior and infectiousness of each. Such models capture the range of outcomes that emerges when a diverse population of people interact under different sets of rules. So they’re particularly useful for weighing the relative effectiveness of policy measures that would change how people interact. To estimate how in-person instruction would play out under different rules of engagement, researchers from University of Maryland and Harvard’s School of Public Health created a model of an elementary school with 638 children from 432 households and 30 teachers and administrators attending its pupils. High schools were bigger and students’ movements were more complex. In that model, a total of 1,451 students from 1,223 families rotated through eight classrooms daily. Some 63 teachers taught these students, and congregated in staff rooms as well. And another 60 school employees intermingled with students in and out of classrooms. A range of classroom arrangements were tried out: full-time, in-person attendance by all; the in-school organization of students into “cohorts” with limited interactions beyond; cutting class size in half (and doubling the number of teachers); and having half of students come to campus two days a week, with the other half attending in person another two days and everyone working online three days a week. Researchers simulated these scenarios thousands of times under different scenarios: with high, medium or low “mitigation” measures in place, with and without testing for asymptomatic infections, and with varying levels of isolation for students who test positive and their exposed classmates. California Schools race to reopen, but a small school district in Pico Rivera — where families suffered heavy pandemic losses — is not among them. May 18, 2021 The findings reinforce that the risks of bringing students back to campus are small while the benefits are large, Dr. Ted Long, executive director of New York City’s COVID-19 Test & Trace Corps, wrote in an editorial that accompanied the study. “The evidence is now compelling: our schools can reopen safely,” Long wrote, noting that roughly 40% of U.S. schoolchildren have not been invited back to the classroom since the pandemic shuttered schools across the nation. “If schools can reopen for in-person learning, then they must,” he added, “to avert the mental health and educational crisis that is at our doorstep.” The study comes as COVID-19 among school-age children has become the focus of growing concern. A new report issued by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention makes clear that COVID-19 hospitalization rates among adolescents are almost three times higher than the number hospitalized with flu in a typical flu season. What’s more, just over 31% of adolescents ages 12 to 17 who were hospitalized for COVID-19 this spring had to be admitted to the intensive care unit, and close to 5% required mechanical ventilation. CDC Director Dr. Rochelle Walensky called the numbers deeply concerning. The report’s findings “reinforce the importance of continued COVID-19 prevention measures among adolescents, including vaccination and correct and consistent wearing of masks,” the authors wrote. Meanwhile, a surge of COVID-19 illness and deaths among Brazilian children and adolescents has raised concerns that the Gamma variant, a version of coronavirus first detected and now widely circulating in Brazil, may affect children more severely than other strains. The Gamma variant accounted for 7% of the coronavirus samples that had been genetically sequenced in the United States in the two weeks ending May 8, and it has been linked to higher rates of transmission and some ability to escape the effects of COVID-19 treatments.

Editorial: The judge is wrong: California's assault-weapons ban must stand

https://www.latimes.com/opinion/story/2021-06-07/editorial-the-judge-is-wrong-californias-assault-weapons-ban-must-stand

You can almost see these words in a gunmaker’s advertising brochure: “Like the Swiss Army Knife, the popular AR-15 rifle is a perfect combination of home defense weapon and homeland defense equipment. Good for both home and battle....” But actually, they’re the opening phrases of a federal court ruling late Friday that threw out California’s 30-year-old law ban on assault-style weapons. There’s a lot to object to in the decision by District Court Judge Roger T. Benitez, beginning with his cynical attempt to redefine deadly firearms patterned after combat arms as just some old thing folks keep around the house to kill the odd intruder and maybe toddle off to the shooting range to use for a little fun. In fact, assault-style weapons — which have been highly controversial since at least the 1980s — are designed for a singular purpose: to kill a large number of people in a short period of time. The fact that some hobbyists enjoy using them to pop off a few recreational rounds does not outweigh what the weapons are capable of, and why they do not belong in the hands of civilians. Opinion The pandemic opened possibilities. Let’s embrace them. June 6, 2021 California, in fact, broke the ground for banning the weapons after the 1989 incident at a Stockton schoolyard in which a man wearing military-style fatigues, a flak vest and ear plugs used an AK-47 to fire more than 60 rounds in sweeps across a playground crowded with hundreds of children, killing five of them and wounding 30 other students and adults before shooting himself. Such a mass shooting was a rare event at the time, and it sparked action. Congress followed in 1994 with a federal ban but compromised by including a 10-year sunset clause, allowing the ban to expire in 2004. The Benitez decision, if it is allowed to stand, would reset California back to 1989. It’s worth noting that at the time of those bans, few people owned assault-style weapons (the industry has tried to rename them “modern sporting rifles,” which sounds much more benign). No accurate count is available because no government agency has kept track, but experts say that after the federal ban expired, production and sale of such weapons increased significantly. The rise was especially noticeable after the election of President Obama and mass killings at a Newtown, Conn., elementary school and an Aurora, Colo., movie theater — not because consumers feared home or foreign invasions, but because gun aficionados began to worry that the government was about to cut off access to the machines of mass death. So how many of these weapons are in circulation? Again, the numbers are sketchy, but probably around 20 million nationwide, according to the National Shooting Sports Foundation, a gun industry trade group. That’s a small fraction of the estimated 350 million firearms in private hands in the U.S. That’s not very common in a nation of this size, though the Supreme Court, which set that common-use standard, hasn’t bothered to define it. Opinion The Metropolitan Water District’s probable appointment of Hagekhalil as general manager would cement the agency’s shift toward sustainable water supplies. June 4, 2021 It’s hard not to see the sharp increase in production and sales of assault-style weapons in the years after the Heller decision as an effort by 2nd Amendment hardliners to try to get the deadly weapons into more hands to make the spurious argument that they are now in common use. It’s galling that a federal court would buy into that reasoning, which is what Benitez has done here. This is the same judge who tossed out a 2016 California initiative that banned the large-capacity magazines that make semi-automatic guns even deadlier, and a related initiative that requires a background check before buying ammunition (he described the “Safety for All Act of 2016” title as “a misnomer”). Both of those rulings are under appeal. Read together, the three Benitez decisions do not come across as clear-eyed jurisprudence but, rather, as policy statements by a judge who, we note, was rated “not qualified” by the American Bar Assn. when President George W. Bush appointed him in 2003. We fully endorse Atty. Gen. Rob Bonta’s announcement that he intends to appeal Friday’s ruling too, and hope the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals overturns it. The U.S. is an outlier among industrialized nations when it comes to the number of firearms in civilian hands and the rate at which people use them to kill others and themselves. Even the Supreme Court’s controversial 2008 Heller decision, which for the first time recognized (wrongly) an individual right to keep a gun in the home for self-defense, also said that the government has an interest in regulating firearms and that “the right secured by the Second Amendment is not unlimited.” This is a good point at which to maintain limits. The 2nd Amendment was framed against a backdrop in which the U.S. government had no standing army, and the Founders saw the need for individuals to own guns they could bring with them when entering militia service. We don’t operate our military that way anymore, which means individuals have neither a need nor a right to possess firearms designed for battlefields.

Nicaragua judge orders opposition figure jailed for 90 days

https://www.latimes.com/world-nation/story/2021-06-07/nicaragua-judge-orders-opposition-figure-jailed-for-90-days

Nicaraguan judicial authorities ordered Monday that a potential opposition presidential candidate be held for three months while his case is investigated. Arturo Cruz Sequeira, a former ambassador to the United States, was arrested Saturday under a controversial “treason” law passed in December. Cruz Sequeira was considered a contender for the nomination of the opposition Citizens for Liberty party in the Nov. 7 elections. Also approved in December was a change to the penal code extending the period of pre-detention to 90 days from 48 hours. The arrest of Cruz Sequeira follows the detention earlier last week of opposition figure Cristiana Chamorro, who is being held incommunicado at her home on allegations of money laundering. The United States has called for the release of both opposition figures. President Daniel Ortega is seeing a fourth consecutive term as president. His government has been systematically clearing the field of opponents. Cruz Sequeira, who served as Nicaragua’s ambassador in Washington in 2007-09, was detained at the Managua airport after he arrived on a flight from the U.S. capital, his aides said. Juan Sebastián Chamorro, another presidential pre-candidate, said that police searched Cruz Sequeira’s home Monday. Videos of police arriving circulated on social media. The Attorney General’s Office said in a statement that it had asked a judge to extend the period of Cruz Sequeira’s detention to 90 days. The judge complied. The prosecutor’s office said it took the step due to “the seriousness and complexity of the alleged crime, as is the crime of provocation, proposition and conspiracy to commit harm to the national well-being; and because the probability exists that the subject of the investigation could interfere in the process.”

U.S. government recovered millions of dollars paid in Colonial Pipeline hack ransom

https://www.latimes.com/politics/story/2021-06-07/u-s-government-recovered-millions-of-dollars-paid-in-colonial-pipeline-hack-ransom

The Justice Department recovered $2.3 million in cryptocurrency ransom that Colonial Pipeline paid to hackers whose cyberattack last month shut down its major East Coast pipeline, leading to gas shortages up and down the East Coast, authorities said. Deputy Atty. Gen. Lisa Monaco said the FBI on Monday seized the majority of the ransom that Colonial Pipeline paid to hackers who used malware developed by DarkSide, a Russia-linked hacking group, to encrypt and lock up the company’s computer systems. The company, which Monaco credited with quickly alerting the FBI to the attack, said it paid the hackers $4.4 million in bitcoin to regain access to its systems. “Today we turned the tables on DarkSide,” Monaco said, calling such ransomware attacks an “epidemic” that poses a “national security and economic threat” to the U.S. “This was an attack against some of our most critical infrastructure.” Though the malware did not affect systems that operate the company’s pipelines, which stretch from New Jersey to Texas, Colonial discovered the hack on May 7 and closed its spigots for five days out of an abundance of caution. The pipeline supplies about 45% of the jet fuel, gasoline and heating oil consumed on the East Coast, and the shutdown sparked panic from drivers, who raced to top off tanks, leading gas stations to run out of fuel. The Justice Department did not disclose how much Colonial paid in ransom, but the company’s chief executive told the Wall Street Journal last month that it made a $4.4-million payment in bitcoin. Colonial CEO Joseph Blount said the company paid the extortion demand because he was concerned a prolonged disruption of the pipeline would hurt the nation. “I know that’s a highly controversial decision,” Blount told the newspaper. “I didn’t make it lightly. I will admit that I wasn’t comfortable seeing money go out the door to people like this.” Ransomware hackers typically trick unwitting employees into opening an email and clicking on an attachment or a link, which then infects computer servers with malware that encrypts data and locks the systems. Victims must pay a ransom to the hackers to obtain a decryption key to unlock and recover the information. DarkSide’s malware poses a double whammy — it can also siphon out information, giving hackers more leverage because they can threaten to disclose sensitive data if they are not paid. FBI Deputy Director Paul Abbate said DarkSide produces ransomware that it sells to hackers who conduct cyberattacks and share a percentage of their proceeds with the malware’s developers. DarkSide’s product is one of about 100 ransomware variants the FBI is investigating, Abbate said. The bureau has been investigating DarkSide since last year, Abbate said, and has identified more than 90 victims of its ransomware in manufacturing, legal, insurance and healthcare industries. Working with other U.S. government agencies, the FBI identified “a virtual currency wallet” that the DarkSide hackers were using to collect payment from a victim, Abbate said. The Justice Department then obtained a warrant to seize those bitcoins, officials said. “The old adage ‘follow the money’ still applies,” said Monaco, the deputy attorney general. “That’s exactly what we do.” The Colonial Pipeline attack was the latest in a series of ransomware assaults that has crippled government agencies, hospitals and businesses, including a major meat producer that was forced last week to idle plants, sparking concerns about potential increases in meat prices and shortages. A task force of more than 60 experts from industry, government and nonprofits issued a report in April that calls ransomware “a flourishing criminal industry that not only risks the personal and financial security of individuals, but also threatens national security and human life.” The report, published by the nonprofit Institute for Security and Technology, estimates that nearly 2,400 governments, healthcare facilities and schools were victims of ransomware attacks last year. Ransom payments rose to $350 million last year, a 300% increase over 2019, the report says. The average such payment topped $300,000. Cybersecurity experts and former federal prosecutors and agents blamed several trends for the increase. The rise of difficult-to-trace cryptocurrency has made it far easier for criminal gangs to collect payments, the experts said. Cybercriminals have also begun to increasingly operate within the borders of U.S. adversaries, particularly Russia. The Kremlin, for example, allows hackers to operate with impunity if they do not target Russian businesses or citizens and focus their energy on sowing chaos and confusion in the West. The Biden administration is seeking to find ways to combat the rise. President Biden said he will discuss ransomware attacks this week with U.S. allies during a European trip, and bring up the subject during a June 16 meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin. The Justice Department has launched a task force to better coordinate its approach to the crime wave. Justice Department officials said the Colonial Pipeline ransom seizure was the first such payment recovery by the task force. Justice Department officials could not say how many other ransoms they have recovered. “This is a big deal,” said Scott Jasper, a lecturer at the Naval Postgraduate School and author of “Russian Cyber Operations: Coding the Boundaries of Conflict.” “The question is: Will this be big enough to change the behavior of DarkSide or of other cyber actors? It’s too early to tell. It’s a slow game, a long-term game. This is a significant, big business. This is a big enterprise.”

Oregon autumn firestorms cautionary tale in worsening drought

https://www.latimes.com/world-nation/story/2021-06-07/oregon-autumn-firestorms-cautionary-tale-in-worsening-drought

Wildfire smoke was thick when Tye and Melynda Small went to bed on Labor Day, but they weren’t too concerned. After all, they live in a part of Oregon where ferns grow from tree trunks and rainfall averages more than six feet a year. But just after midnight, a neighbor awakened them as towering flames, pushed by gusting winds, bore down. The Smalls and their four children fled, leaving behind 26 pet chickens, two goldfish and a duck named Gerard as wind whipped the blaze into a fiery tornado and trees exploded around them. When it was over, they were left homeless by a peril they had never imagined. Only two houses on their street in Otis survived a fire that they expected to be tamped out long before it reached their door less than six miles from the Pacific. “Nobody ever thought that on the Oregon coast we would have a fire like this. Here ... it rains. It rains three-quarters of the year,” Melynda Small said. “It was one of the scariest things I’ve ever gone through.” The fire that leveled the rural community of 3,500 people was part of an Oregon wildfire season last fall that destroyed more than 4,000 homes, killed nine people and raged through 1.1 million acres. Almost all the damage occurred over a hellish 72 hours that stretched firefighters to their breaking point. Pushed by unusually strong winds, fires ripped through temperate rainforest just a few minutes’ drive from the ocean, crept to within 30 miles of downtown Portland, leveled thousands of homes and businesses along Interstate 5 and wiped out communities that cater to outdoors enthusiasts. It was a wake-up call for the Pacific Northwest as climate change brings destructive blazes that feel more like California’s annual fire siege to wet places and urban landscapes once believed insulated from them. And as the U.S. West enters yet another year of drought, Oregon is now starting fire season amid some of the worst conditions in memory. The state weathered its driest April in 80 years, and in the normally wet months of March and April, it had the lightest rainfall since 1924. Several fires started this week, triggering evacuations and road closures as temperatures soared. Marc Brooks, who founded Cascade Relief Team to help last fall’s fire victims statewide, said by this April his group had been put on alert four times for wildfires at a time when “we should be getting snow, not drought.” The warming climate means snow on Oregon’s famous peaks melts earlier, leaving soil and vegetation parched by late summer even if it does rain, said Erica Fleishman, director of the Oregon Climate Change Research Institute at Oregon State University. Last fall’s blazes were driven by “extremely rare” powerful, sustained winds, and in combination with the arid conditions, a major wildfire was almost inevitable, she said. “If we had a spark — and any time we have people, we have a spark — there was a high likelihood that a fire would ignite.” Fire on the Oregon coast isn’t without precedent. A series of blazes starting in the 1930s scorched 355,000 acres in what’s known as the Tillamook Burn. In 1936, a wind-driven fire killed 10 people in the seaside town of Bandon. But what happened last fall across western Oregon was extreme, said Larry O’Neill, Oregon’s state climatologist. The Cascade Mountains run north-south and separate the notoriously rainy part of the state to the west and the drier climate to the east, where fires usually burn in less populated areas. Last year multiple blazes raged in the western Cascades where “you think of it being a rainforest with ferns” and closer to population centers, O’Neill said. “I thought we still had a generation or so to get our ducks in a row to prepare for this, and these last couple fire seasons here have been a huge wake-up call that we are experiencing it now,” said O’Neill. One fire in southwest Oregon obliterated thousands of homes in two towns along Interstate 5, and was unique for Oregon because it was fueled by houses, gas stations and fast-food restaurants — not forest, said Doug Grafe, head of the Oregon Department of Forestry. “To lose the number of communities that we did was eye-opening,” he said. “That’s new ground for Oregon, but California was the canary in the coal mine.” Last fall, that new reality reshaped the Smalls’ life — and the lives of hundreds of other Oregon residents — in just a few hours. The Echo Mountain Fire burned nearly 300 homes and displaced about 1,000 people. Like many of their neighbors, the Smalls were underinsured and did not have wildfire coverage for their white house with green trim. They bounced around for weeks — an emergency evacuation site, camping by a stream and staying with relatives in Washington state. An insurance payout of $50,000 was not enough to buy a manufactured home big enough for their family. Eight months after the fire, the money goes to keep their kids in a single room at a local Comfort Inn, while the parents sleep in a borrowed trailer outside. The family had two rooms paid for by the state, but when wildfire survivors were asked to move to a different motel, the Smalls decided to stay and pay their own way rather than uproot their family again. They said they didn’t qualify for federal disaster assistance and that the pandemic cost Tye Small his job as a gas station attendant. “Our 5-year-old, she had a really hard time. She kept saying ...‘We need to go home. We need to feed the fish. We need to feed the chickens,’” Melynda Small said, gazing at her home’s ruins. “And so we actually had to bring her here to show her that we didn’t need to come feed the fish or feed the chickens.” Unsure of the future, the couple has filled days helping neighbors clear their properties and serving as cheerleaders for the devastated community while their children — ages 18, 15, 9 and 5 — do school work at the motel. Every time a new manufactured home is delivered to a fire survivor, Melynda Small is there in her “Otis Strong” sweatshirt, beaming with excitement and taking photos for a community Facebook page. By her last tally, there are 38 new manufactured homes and six “stick builds” in progress. This spring, pink tulips she had planted in front of her house, under the kitchen window, bloomed in the ashes. “It’s actually a lot of progress. It seems like it’s been really fast, but it’s been almost a year,” she said. “I think the time is just going by faster for me because I’ve been so busy doing all of the other things, keeping my mind busy, my hands busy.” Flaccus writes for the Associated Press. AP Science Writer Seth Borenstein contributed to this report.

'I'm proud a legend hates me!' Why Liza Minnelli shunned Rufus Wainwright's Judy Garland tribute

https://www.latimes.com/entertainment-arts/music/story/2021-06-07/rufus-wainwright-judy-garland-carnegie-liza-minnelli-renee-zellweger

On a recent Saturday morning at Hollywood’s Capitol Studios, Rufus Wainwright stepped up to a microphone once used by Judy Garland and belted out the 1928 song “When You’re Smiling (The Whole World Smiles with You).” The 47-year-old singer-songwriter was performing a setlist made famous by Garland orchestrally in a packed house, but here with a four-piece ensemble (piano, bass, guitar and drums) and an audience of one: Renée Zellweger, who won an Oscar in 2020 for portraying Garland in “Judy,” tapping her feet to the rhythm. It was a kind of seance, summoning the ghost of a night from 50 years ago. Those who were at Carnegie Hall on April 23, 1961, described it as like a religious experience. Men and women, many of them showbiz elite, gathered at the feet of Judy Garland as she doled out numbers from the Great American Songbook, getting lost in her one-of-a-kind warble. Some even rushed the stage, just trying to make contact. “Being a child and seeing adults act like that was very sort of scary and odd to me,” said Lorna Luft, Garland’s daughter, by phone. Luft was 8 at the time and was hoisted on stage by Rock Hudson. “They were all dressed up in their finery, and then they lost their minds and they ran towards the stage.” “Judy at Carnegie Hall” is widely considered one of the greatest live albums — part time capsule, part sacred object. So it was almost sacrilegious when, in 2006, Wainwright decided to recreate the exact same program in the same venue. Garland’s other famous daughter, Liza Minnelli, was conspicuously absent and, according to Wainwright, she even tried to stop it from happening. “It was definitely like a nerve that I hit,” he recalled. “You know, ‘Why would you want to do that? What do you want to do with my mother?’” His audacity paid off, though. The sold-out crowds lapped it up, and “Rufus Does Judy at Carnegie Hall” earned Wainwright his first Grammy nomination. (His second came earlier this year for the album “Unfollow the Rules.”) Over the years he’s continued to sing these songs — “Stormy Weather,” “The Trolley Song,” “Over the Rainbow” — and he staged a tenth-anniversary concert at Carnegie in 2016. Music Liz Phair’s new album, ‘Soberish,’ reunites her with the producer of ‘Exile on Guyville,’ her influential indie-rock masterpiece. June 3, 2021 Now, having performed through his catalog of albums in a series of mini-concerts streamed from his home throughout the pandemic, the only one left was Judy. So Wainwright decided to record the Carnegie set once again — but instead of staying in his house, he booked a different venue she used to haunt, full of Great American Songbook history. The filmed concert will premiere on the live-streaming platform Veeps on June 10, on what would have been Garland’s 99th birthday. Wainwright was also joined for a duet in the studio by Kristin Chenoweth, and virtually by his sister, Martha Wainwright. He plans on releasing the new recording as an album down the road. Even in the middle of the pandemic, Wainwright had one or two guests on the couch in his music room for the home concerts — people from his Rolodex of famous friends, including Paul Rudd, Jamie Lee Curtis and James Corden. He’s been friends with Zellweger for years, and knowing their shared love of Garland, she asked him to sing a duet (“Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas”) on the “Judy” soundtrack. “He seems to carve out a space for himself among the iconic singer-songwriters of the ages,” said Zellweger, who was at Capitol purely for moral support (and star power, of course). “To me, he’s one of the most gifted songwriters and brilliant vocalists of my generation, anyway, and he’s on my top 10 list of, you know, everything.” Wainwright did the home concerts, initially, out of economic necessity — his tours to promote “Unfollow the Rules” were canceled by the pandemic — and it forced him to strip his often lavishly orchestral arrangements down to piano and guitar. It revealed the inner strength of each song, as it did with the Judy Garland standards (with their famous Nelson Riddle and Conrad Salinger charts), which is something he learned from his parents. Loudon Wainwright III and Kate McGarrigle were both folk singers who “ended up at a place in their careers where they had to go out alone, mostly, and play little clubs every night,” he said, “and just the song itself, like, elevating the room into the heavens. It was never about the glitz or the money or the fame. It was about the song.” Back in 2006, Wainwright had just experienced “a real fall from grace” before he first mounted the Carnegie show. The Canadian indie darling, whose songs including “Cigarettes and Chocolate Milk” were operatic in their lushness and sophistication, had been living a rock ‘n’ roll lifestyle of drugs and hard partying for more than a decade. “And then all of a sudden, at the eleventh hour, everything just collapsed, and I had to go to rehab and take care of business,” he said. “So I was in a delicate frame of mind.” He felt this was an opportunity to do the show clean, “because Judy wasn’t. I’m not saying she was drunk when she did the show, but she was definitely embroiled in that world. So I did have this kind of torch to carry, for people who are in that similar struggle.” It was also noteworthy that this openly gay performer was paying tribute to a gay icon. Add to that the newly raging Iraq War, and “the Judy Garland album was sort of this thread that kept my hope alive, in terms of what the United States can represent,” he said. Whatever qualms Minnelli may have had with Wainwright’s tribute — she declined to be interviewed for this article — Luft supported it and even joined him on stage for a surprise duet, which she continued to do as he took the concert to Paris and London and, finally, the Hollywood Bowl. The original show can’t be recreated, Luft clarified. “It’s like saying, ‘I want to recreate this part of history.’ Well, that’s sort of impossible. What you can do is you can pay homage to it, you can pay tribute to it, you can love it so much that this is basically saying ‘thank you.’ My mother’s Carnegie Hall is still selling, and people are still discovering it. I think when Rufus does it, he introduces all of that to a new generation. And I think that’s important.” The Garland / Wainwright saga actually goes back two generations. Rufus’ grandfather, Loudon Wainwright Jr., was a reporter for Life magazine and living in Hollywood in the 1950s. Rufus’ father remembers going to the Garland-Luft home for dinner when he was 9 and playing outside with Liza in her battery-powered cars: She was the celebrity, he was the chauffeur. And he was smitten. After the Wainwrights moved back east, young Loudon wrote a puppy love letter to Liza, who never replied, and his heart was “stomped.” In 1974, after he became a respected folk singer and she won an Oscar for “Cabaret,” Loudon wrote an a cappella song called “Liza” about that afternoon when they were kids. A Danish reporter played the song for Minnelli during an interview and asked her if she recognized Wainwright’s voice. “Oh, Loudon!” she said. “Oh dear. No, but I have a great vocal teacher that he’s got to go to. He’s going to ruin his throat if he keeps singing like that.” “Which is ironic, because guess who lost their voice?” said Rufus, sitting in the Laurel Canyon home he shares with his husband, Jörn Weisbrodt, and their daughter Viva. “But I don’t want to go do too much Liza bashing, because she’s an icon and she deserves all the fame and the success that she’s worked hard to get over the years. I will say, she hasn’t been totally into this project.” Rufus and Liza used to be friendly, but “something rubbed something the wrong way” and she avoids him at parties, he said. He occasionally “pokes” her; taking after his father, he wrote a song called “Me and Liza” in 2014, singing: “Daddy writing unanswered love letters, why? Come on Liza, give me a try!” She never took the bait, though, and Wainwright said, “I actually started to feel somewhat proud and excited that such a legend would hate me! But look, I wish her the best, and she’s always welcome to come back into my fold. I’m a big fan.” There may be winking mischief to the Liza-trolling, but Wainwright’s love for her mother is sincere. When he took on the Carnegie Hall show in 2006, he realized just how Herculean an achievement it was on her part, and that’s when he began taking his vocal performance more seriously. “I was from the ’90s,” he said, “so bad pronunciation and heavy breathing were part of the norm.” Garland’s stamina was especially amazing, Luft said, “because she was so tiny — she was only four foot 11. Just to get the proper breathing and air and all of that, it’s a workout. It’s basically the Olympics.” Today Wainwright’s voice sounds arguably better than ever, and — in addition to composing two operas in the past decade and continuing to write his own songs — he followed in Garland’s footsteps of becoming an interpreter of great American songs. Just before the pandemic, he did three nights of shows at McCabe’s Guitar Shop, performing everything from “A Hard Rain’s Gonna Fall” to his mother’s song “Heart Like a Wheel,” popularized by Linda Ronstadt. “There’s something so purely emotive in his delivery of a lyric, that it just touches you,” said Zellweger. “It’s very powerfully moving. And, to me, that’s something that he and Judy share.”

Letters to the Editor: Judge Benitez's praise for the AR-15 is really disturbing

https://www.latimes.com/opinion/story/2021-06-07/judge-benitez-praise-for-ar15

To the editor: In throwing out California’s 32-year-old assault-weapons ban, U.S. District Judge Roger Benitez compared the AR-15 to a Swiss Army knife and praised it as a “perfect combination of home defense weapon and homeland defense equipment.” He failed to mention the AR-15’s versatile offensive uses: to kill people watching a “Batman” movie in a theater, to mow down observants attending religious worship, and to slaughter first-graders. We can debate how effective gun bans are, but it is disturbing to hear such effusive praise for these weapons that have inflicted so much death and suffering on innocent families, friends and fellow Americans with so little social utility in return. Richard Keavney, Torrance .. To the editor: In the grand scheme of things, I am no one special. But even voiceless stay-at-home moms like me must speak out every now and then. Was this judge trying to be glib or funny with his comparison of an assault weapon to a Swiss Army knife? Really? I think that is a massive insult to everyone who has lost loved ones to bullets fired from such military-style rifles. This nonsense about the 2nd Amendment protecting the right to bear military-style weapons has to stop. The founding fathers in their wildest nightmares could never have dreamed up this type of weaponry for home protection. I hope that someone more powerful than a stay-at-home mom like me successfully stands up to this judge and gets this ruling tossed out. Margaret Blanchard, Torrance .. To the editor: Considering that the U.S. Constitution make no mention of sports, hunting or personal self-defense, exactly what kind of firearm does the 2nd Amendment actually protect? If not a militia-grade firearm such as the civilian AR-15, then what? The 2nd Amendment is a fully ratified portion of the Constitution and is therefore part of the supreme law of the land. The federal judge in this instance made the right call. The 2nd Amendment must be taken at its word until such time as it is modified or repealed. Brian Bloedel, Accomac, Va. .. To the editor: Yes, both the AR-15 and the Swiss Army knife are tools, as are hammers and automobiles. All can be used to kill people. But a hammer can build a house. A knife can chop vegetables. An automobile can get me to a loved one’s home. What other, helpful use does an assault weapon have besides killing people? None. Try again, Judge Benitez. That argument is weak. Diane Schofield, Vista .. To the editor: So, if I understand the judge’s logic, this means an AR-15 can be conveniently used to efficiently slaughter family members just as it can for strangers? David Salahi, Laguna Niguel

Gun recovered, new details emerge in apparent road rage killing of 6-year-old Aiden Leos

https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2021-06-07/how-officials-found-suspects-shooting-aiden-leos

California Highway Patrol officials said Monday that they believe they have recovered the gun used to kill 6-year-old Aiden Leos on the 55 Freeway last month, as well as the vehicle from which a passenger fired the deadly shot. Surveillance, investigation and tips all played a part in identifying the suspects in the killing of Aiden, officials said. After the May 21 shooting on the 55 Freeway left the Orange County community saddened and in shock, investigators with the California Highway Patrol circulated an image of a white vehicle said to belong to the suspects. In the weeks that followed, officials received hundreds of calls and emails, they said. A reward for an arrest and conviction — funded by family members, donations, county officials and local businesses — climbed to $500,000. The effort led to two suspects, 24-year-old Marcus Anthony Eriz and 23-year-old Wynne Lee, who were taken into custody at their home in Costa Mesa on Sunday. On Monday, CHP officials said they received a tip and worked to enhance an image of the license plate on the vehicle, which led them to identify the couple. They then began to investigate the couple’s backgrounds and determined that they commuted along the 91 corridor to two workplaces in the Inland Empire. Investigators were then able to determine that the couple were in the area of the shooting at the time it occurred. California Aiden Leos was fatally shot while riding in his mother’s car on the 55 in Orange. Two people have been arrested in the alleged road rage incident. June 7, 2021 At a Monday afternoon media briefing, Orange County Dist. Atty. Todd Spitzer said Eriz and Lee would be arraigned Tuesday and a decision on the charges to be filed would be made by then. “We are reviewing the evidence and we’re looking at every single legal theory in conjunction with that evidence,” he said. Spitzer said the suspects had ignored his requests to turn themselves in and now they would be held accountable. “At this point, quite frankly, I have absolutely no empathy or sympathy whatsoever,” he said. Louis Shapiro, a prominent criminal defense attorney in Los Angeles, said Spitzer is more likely to file a second-degree murder charge against the shooter because the prosecutor needs to be able to demonstrate to a jury that the shooter “acted deliberately with conscious disregard for human life.” He said it would be difficult to prove beyond a reasonable doubt that the shooter committed first-degree murder because it has not appeared to have been a premeditated act. Shapiro said the driver will probably be charged with being an accessory to the crimes for which the shooter is charged. CHP Assistant Chief Donald Goodbrand said information from the public had been “extremely helpful” but he declined to discuss the reward money and whether someone was eligible to claim it. He said the gun was found someplace other than the Costa Mesa home where the two suspects live. California On Sunday night, two arrests were made in the fatal shooting on the 55 Freeway. June 7, 2021 A white 2018 Volkswagen Golf SportWagen SE registered to Lee’s parents was recovered by CHP officials and impounded Sunday evening as evidence in a murder case, according to records reviewed by The Times. It fits the description of the vehicle circulated by officials in connection with the fatal shooting. The Volkswagen was registered to an address where Lee had lived with her parents, but it was recovered from an address in Whittier where Eriz’s father lived in the mid-1990s, according to public records. The owner of the home may be one of Eriz’s relatives. Eriz had also received at least four traffic citations in Orange County in recent years, including a November 2020 citation for failing to obey lane signs for high occupancy vehicles. Authorities believe Lee was the driver and Eriz was the shooter the day of Aiden’s death. Eriz also showed knowledge and ownership of firearms through purchases and on social media. One of the weapons he displayed in posts on his Instagram account was capable of delivering the deadly round, officials said. California Six-year-old Aiden Leos lay dying in his mother’s arms on the 55 Freeway in Orange last month. June 6, 2021 Aiden was riding in a booster seat in the back of his mother’s car when he was struck by a bullet in an apparent act of road rage. His mother held him in her arms until paramedics arrived. Doctors could not save him.

As 'Pose' wraps up, Elton John spills the tea: He's the show's biggest fan

https://www.latimes.com/entertainment-arts/tv/story/2021-06-07/elton-john-pose-fan-panel-rose-bowl

Goodbye, yellow brick road, and hello surprise “Pose” panel appearance. Elton John and husband David Furnish joined FX’s “Pose” stars Billy Porter and Mj Rodriguez and series co-creators Steven Canals and Ryan Murphy for a discussion Saturday night at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena. The duo, who rescheduled their vacation to attend the For Your Consideration panel, spoke onstage about their love for the show. “My motto is no one gets left behind. No one should be left behind, no sex worker, no prisoner, to trans person, no intravenous drug user, no gay people. We have to embrace all of us, we have to embrace everybody,” John said during the drive-in event. “This program touched me more than any other series because of the journey that these people are on.” “Pose,” which aired its final episode Sunday, broke barriers with its representation of the Black and Latinx LGBTQ community in New York City’s ballroom scene. The show takes place during the 1980s and 1990s, at the height of the AIDS epidemic, which the “Tiny Dancer” singer lived through. The Elton John AIDS Foundation, launched in 1992, has raised more than $500 million to provide resources for those affected by the disease. Music When Elton John flew to Los Angeles to make his U.S. debut at the Troubadour on Aug. 25, 1970, the prospect of a visit to America was so tantalizing to his British pals that many accompanied him. May 23, 2019 “This is a series where you laugh, and you cry, and you get angry, and you see people’s journey and how they fight,” the “I’m Still Standing” hitmaker said of the show, which made history as the first television series to have a predominantly transgender cast. “And they are real people, and they are trans people who have made their life possible but, by God, they had to fight for it,” John continued. “They still have to fight for it, and they shouldn’t.” Although Dominique Jackson, who plays the glamorous Elektra Abundance on “Pose,” wasn’t at the panel, there was still talk about her character, who has one admirer in particular. “I mean, I am Elektra,” John said. “I am totally Elektra.”

Ellie Kemper apologizes for participating in debutante ball with 'racist, sexist' past

https://www.latimes.com/entertainment-arts/story/2021-06-07/ellie-kemper-apologizes-for-participating-in-debutante-ball

A week after resurfaced photos resulted in an online uproar accusing “The Office” and “Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt” star Ellie Kemper of being a “KKK princess,” the actor has issued a detailed Instagram apology. “Hi guys - when I was 19 years old, I decided to participate in a debutante ball in my hometown. The century-old organization that hosted the debutante ball had an unquestionably racist, sexist and elitist past. I was not aware of this history at the time, but ignorance is no excuse. I was old enough to have educated myself before getting involved,” she wrote in a five-slide post Monday. “I unequivocally deplore, denounce, and reject white supremacy. At the same time, I acknowledge that because of my race and my privilege, I am the beneficiary of a system that has dispensed unequal justice and unequal rewards,” she continued. “There is a very natural temptation, when you become the subject of internet criticism, to tell yourself that your detractors are getting it all wrong. But at some point last week, I realized that a lot of the forces behind the criticism are forces that I’ve spent my life supporting and agreeing with. “I believe strongly in the values of kindness, integrity, and inclusiveness. I try to live my life in accordance with these values. If my experience is an indication that organizations and institutions with pasts that fall short of these beliefs should be held to account, then I have to see this experience in a positive light,” Kemper added. “I want to apologize to the people I’ve disappointed, and I promise that moving forward I will listen, continue to educate myself, and use my privilege in support of the better society I think we’re capable of becoming.” Entertainment & Arts ‘Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt’ star Ellie Kemper was named Queen of Love and Beauty in 1999 by a group with a racially exclusionary past. Now Twitter is on fire. June 1, 2021 The brouhaha began when newspaper photos from 1999 emerged of Kemper being named Queen of Love and Beauty at the former Veiled Prophet Ball in her native St. Louis (the entire celebration was renamed Fair Saint Louis in 1992). Because of longstanding charges of the Veiled Prophet group’s racism and elitism, and because of a notorious image celebrating a “Veiled Prophet” figure extremely reminiscent of a Ku Klux Klansman, Twitter users were quick to brand Kemper a “KKK princess.” Thomas Spencer, a historian who wrote the book “The St. Louis Veiled Prophet Celebration: Power on Parade, 1877-1995,” described the Veiled Prophet organization as a society of white St. Louis elites formed in the 1870s with an eye toward maintaining the social order they desired. “The first parade has some pretty overt racial symbolism and intimidation,” Spencer told The Times last week, specifying the first Veiled Prophet’s strong resemblance to a Klansman, hood and all. “The VP was armed, and there was an executioner’s block on the float, etc.” Television May 13, 2017 However, Spencer said he found no direct links to the Klan in his research and explained the organization, while “lily white” until 1979, had changed from being something like a “shadow government” until the 1950s to something “purely social.” Of the VP event at which Kemper won her crown, Spencer said, “It’s a debutante ball that has existed for a long time ... The daughters are doing it because their dad wants them to do so, and it’s a way to honor their father.” Whether the Twitterverse would accept Kemper’s apology remained to be seen, but celebs such as Mindy Kaling, Wendi McLendon Covey, Rob Delaney and Katie Couric immediately responded with their support, sharing heart emojis on Kemper’s Instagram. Within two hours, nearly 115,000 users had liked the post. “You are understood and loved,” commented Alec Baldwin.

Dwyane Wade sells Miami Beach mansion for $22 million

https://www.latimes.com/business/real-estate/story/2021-06-07/dwyane-wade-sells-miami-beach-mansion-22-million

On the waters of Biscayne Bay, NBA legend Dwyane Wade just sold his Miami Beach mansion complete with a Miami Heat-themed basketball court for $22 million. Wade and his wife, actress Gabrielle Union, have been busy on the real estate front lately. They moved to Hidden Hills last year, shelling out $17.9 million for a 17,000-square-foot showplace, before selling their scenic villa in Sherman Oaks for $5.5 million in May. The $22-million deal is far shy of the $32.5 million he was originally asking for the waterfront abode, but it’s more than double the $10.645 million he paid for the property in 2010. Over the years, the three-time NBA champion renovated the home into a 12,000-square-foot stunner with a wine cellar, movie theater and a backyard with pool, cabana and private dock. A long, covered walkway and leafy courtyard approach the two-story home, which has a Mediterranean-style exterior and, inside, boasts rustic spaces with beamed ceilings and hardwood floors. On both levels, walls of windows overlook the bay. Six bedrooms and 10 bathrooms complete the estate, including a primary suite with a private terrace and salon. A spiral staircase descends to the waterfront backyard, and off to the side, there’s a playground and basketball court painted red and black after the Miami Heat, with whom Wade spent the majority of his NBA career. Wade, 39, spent 16 years in the NBA, making 13 All-Star teams. As a member of the Miami Heat, he won three NBA titles and was the league-scoring champion in 2009. He retired after the 2019 season and purchased an ownership stake in the Utah Jazz earlier this year. Brett Harris of Douglas Elliman handled both ends of the deal.

After 43 years, the original rainbow flag is coming home to San Francisco

https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2021-06-07/after-42-years-the-original-rainbow-flag-is-coming-home-to-san-francisco

For decades, the primary LGBTQ symbol was a small pink triangle — first displayed on the uniforms of prisoners at Nazi concentration camps who had been labeled as homosexual. In 1978, San Francisco resident Gilbert Baker stitched a new symbol: a striped rainbow flag of pink, red, orange, yellow, green, turquoise, blue and purple. Since its first flight above the United Nations Plaza during San Francisco’s Gay Freedom Day Parade, the rainbow flag has grown to global significance, painted on city crosswalks, flown at U.S. embassies and symbolizing inclusivity across the world. Now, after a four-decade-long journey from a leaky storage unit to a dusty closet, a piece of the original fabric is returning home to San Francisco. “It was born here,” Gilbert Baker Foundation President Charley Beal said Friday at the flag’s unveiling at the GLBT Historical Society Museum. “You see that flag up at Castro and Market Street, and you think that’s Gilbert’s flag. But it’s home to something that’s global, and it means something to a lot of people around the world. We’ll never forget that there’s people out there that don’t have it so good.” California An LGBTQ+ night at Dodger Stadium and a Pride-themed movie screening at Hollywood Forever Cemetery are both scheduled for June. May 20, 2021 A group of at least 30 volunteers, including tie-dye artist Lynn Segerblom, seamster James McNamara and Baker hand-stitched and dyed two eight-striped rainbow flags for the 1978 parade, according to Beal’s statement. When Baker returned to collect them at the San Francisco Gay Community Center the following year, he discovered they had been badly damaged with mildew from a leaky roof. He salvaged a piece — measured at 10 feet by 28 feet — and kept it until his death in 2017, when it was given to his sister, Ardonna Cook. For the New York Pride parade in 2019, commemorating the 50th anniversary of the Stonewall uprising, Beal asked Cook to use a rainbow flag from Baker’s collection. Unknowingly, she gave him her brother’s first flag fragment. After flying at the event, the flag was tucked into Beal’s closet, where it collected dust for several months, a news release said. A chance phone call with flag expert James Ferrigan led Beal to realize that he possessed a piece of the original pride flag. When Ferrigan saw the remnant in person, the vexillologist confirmed its identity as the 1978 artifact. Lifestyle June is Pride Month. Celebrate and learn about LGBTQ organizations and creatives through our list. June 7, 2021 “It was so amazing to touch it and say, ‘Somebody had this idea. Somebody had to start this thing,’ ” said Terry Beswick, executive director of the GLBT Historical Society. “It creates safe space, and it is a political statement. It has been an emblem of our movement, but it has also propelled the movement forward, and given people a vision of what it could mean to be an inclusive society that doesn’t oppress us, that doesn’t force us down in dark corners, and allows us to be colorful and free and fabulous.” Following the 1978 debut, the rainbow flag’s pink and turquoise stripes were eliminated because of cost, according to the GLBT Historical Society, and the remaining six-color design flourished as a symbol for gay pride worldwide. The rainbow flag is perhaps the most famous of Baker’s sartorial protest pieces, although he later designed a “gay Betsy Ross” costume, based on the creator of the American flag. Later in life, he committed to the massive project of a mile-long rainbow flag that marchers carried through New York in 1994 to mark the 25th anniversary of the Stonewall uprising, a wave of bright colors snaking down 1st Avenue. His longest rainbow flag — a 1.25-mile-long piece — debuted in Florida for the flag’s 25th anniversary at the 2003 Key West Pride event, according to the GLBT Historical Society. California It was the summer of 1978, and the Gay Community Center in San Francisco swarmed with dozens of young hippies flitting between ironing boards, sewing machines and trash cans filled with colorful dye. June 8, 2018 When President Obama met Baker in 2016, according to the historical society, the president lauded him as an activist “who spoke up and came out, blazed trails for others and pushed us closer to our founding ideal of equality for all.” Just before he died, Baker embarked on his final design: a re-creation of the Nazi concentration camp uniform with the pink triangle sewn on the front and a cheerful rainbow adorning the back. The original flag fragment is on display at the GLBT Historical Society Museum in San Francisco, as centerpiece of the exhibit “Performance, Protest & Politics: The Art of Gilbert Baker.” Watch L.A. Times Today at 7 p.m. on Spectrum News 1 on Channel 1 or live stream on the Spectrum News App. Palos Verdes Peninsula and Orange County viewers can watch on Cox Systems on channel 99.

Mariah Carey rejects reports of Jay-Z feud, cursing 'people who make up these lies'

https://www.latimes.com/entertainment-arts/music/story/2021-06-07/mariah-carey-rejects-reports-of-jay-z-feud

Reports of an “explosive” meeting between Mariah Carey and Jay-Z have struck a sour note with the multiplatinum diva, who fought back against days’ worth of rumors with a blistering tweet Monday. “The only ‘explosive’ situation I’d ever ‘get into’ with Hov is a creative tangent, such as our #1 song ‘Heartbreaker’!! To the people who make up these lies I say ‘Poof! —Vamoose, sonofa*****’!,” Carey tweeted, including a clip from the video of the pair’s 1999 collaboration, “Heartbreaker.” “Hov” is a reference to one of the rapper and hip-hop mega-mogul‘s many nicknames: “Hova,” for “J-Hova,” a play on the Hebrew word for God. The Sun had reported Friday that Carey, who has been with Jay-Z’s management company, Roc Nation, for more than three years, had “sensationally quit” after a “blazing row between the two music superstars.” Books ‘The Meaning of Mariah Carey,’ the pop star’s tell-some memoir, sparkles and entertains and explains its subject, despite a few too many I-don’t-know-hers. Sept. 23, 2020 The report quoted a “source close to the situation” as saying the two had “an explosive meeting that did not go well at all” and Carey would “formally depart in the next few weeks.” Following Carey’s emphatic denial, typical fan reactions were joyous, with “so happy to hear that queen” and “We knew it was fake queen!” among the tweets. One wrote, “Mariah, I don’t even waste my time neither believing these tabloids nor fueling their nonsense, but I can’t deny I love when you come and put them in their places # POW” Carey’s next announced project is a single, “Somewhat Loved,” with the iconic production duo of Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis for the upcoming “Jam & Lewis: Volume 1.”

After long search for safety, transgender Salvadoran is killed

https://www.latimes.com/world-nation/story/2021-06-07/safety-transgender-salvadoran-killed

Rejected by her family, Zashy Zuley del Cid Velásquez fled her coastal village in 2014, the first of a series of forced displacements across El Salvador. She had hoped that in the larger city of San Miguel she could live as a transgender woman without discrimination and violence, but there she was threatened by a gang. She moved away from San Miguel, then back again in a series of forced moves until the 27-year-old was shot dead April 25, sending shockwaves through the close-knit LGBTQ community in San Miguel, the largest city in eastern El Salvador. “Zashy was desperate; her family didn’t want her because of her sexual preference and the gangsters had threatened her,” said Venus Nolasco, director of the San Miguel LGBTQ collective Pearls of the East. “She knew they were going to kill her. She wanted to flee the country, go to the United States, but they killed her with a shot through her lung.” One day after Del Cid’s murder, U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris identified anti-LGBTQ violence in Central America as one of the root causes of migration in the region during a virtual meeting with the president of neighboring Guatemala, Alejandro Giammattei. She is scheduled to visit Guatemala and Mexico this week. Transgender migrants were present in the Central American caravans that attempted to reach the United States border in recent years, fleeing harassment, gang extortion, murder and police indifference to crimes against them. Even in those large migrant movements, they say they faced harassment. Things had been rough during Del Cid’s first stint in San Miguel. She and Nolasco had been living in a neighborhood where, as in many parts of the country, the MS-13 gang was the ultimate local authority. Gang members began to harass her, then brutally beat her, breaking her arm in 2015, Nolasco said. “They warned her to leave, but she didn’t listen,” Nolasco said. Instead of leaving, Del Cid moved in with Nolasco in the same neighborhood. One day, the gang grabbed Del Cid again. “They took her, they wanted to kill her,” Nolasco said. “I begged them not to kill her, to let her go and she would leave the neighborhood.” Del Cid moved back to her hometown, but her family rejected her again. She tried to please them, but she couldn’t, Nolasco said. Del Cid joined a church, got a girlfriend, had a baby girl, but could not maintain that life, she said. She returned to San Miguel, where initially things seemed to go better. In 2020, Del Cid received humanitarian and housing support from COMCAVIS TRANS, a national LGBTQ rights organization, and the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees. Del Cid rented a home and opened a beauty salon there. She hired another woman to help her and was participating in an entrepreneurship program. She was preparing a business proposal to move the salon out of her home into its own space. But Del Cid was shot in the back walking alone at night down the street. Passersby tried to help her and took her to a local hospital, where she died. So far, police have made no arrests and Nolasco believes that like other hate crimes in the country, “it will be forgotten; they’re not interested in what happens to us.” Laura Almirall, UNHCR representative in El Salvador, said Del Cid’s killing frightened her community and saddened everyone who knew her. “She was excited about her new plans and her new life. And unfortunately and tragically, everything came to an end,” she said. Nolasco said that in San Miguel, some 90 miles east of the capital, the transgender community endures constant harassment from intolerant residents and gangs. They have rocks thrown at them, are beaten and extorted. If they go to police to make a report, they are insulted and demeaned. “Don’t come here to claim rights, because there are no rights for you,” police tell them, Nolasco said. The Pearls of the East group has a parade squad in which Del Cid participated. It started with some 50 people, but crime and forced displacement have shrunk it to 35, Nolasco said. “No one does anything here to protect us,” Nolasco said. Bianka Rodríguez, director of COMCAVIS TRANS, said the forced displacement of transgender people in El Salvador increases each year. Even though a law exists to protect people displaced by violence, it hasn’t been effective, she said. A report prepared by the organization found that gangs were responsible for nearly two-thirds of the violence against the LGTBQ community, while government authorities accounted for an additional 21%. Since 1993 in El Salvador, a country of only 6.5 million inhabitants, more than 600 LGBTQ people have been killed, according to the organization’s tally. It registered 84 cases of internal displacement in 2019 and eight more who left the country, but were deported and needed protection. “Regrettably, [multiple displacements] are very common not only for the LGBTI community, but thousands of people in El Salvador have been displaced because of gang violence and often we find that displacement does not occur only once, but families and individuals are displaced more than once,” Almirall, the UNHCR representative, said. Del Cid “was displaced so many times in the country and finally she managed to get a new life project and to be part of the community again and everything ended so abruptly and so tragically,” Almirall said.

Ex-boyfriend kidnaps woman, kills man who tried to intervene, LAPD says

https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2021-06-07/lapd-north-hollywood-shooting-woman-kidnapped-man-killed

Authorities on Monday were searching for a man they say kidnapped his ex-girlfriend and killed a bystander who tried to intervene. The shooting happened at an apartment complex in the 11300 block of Hatteras Street in North Hollywood just before 2:30 p.m. Sunday, according to the Los Angeles Police Department. Investigators said the suspect, 37-year-old Shane Winfield Rayment, was arguing with his ex-girlfriend when Roberto Fletes tried to step in. Rayment shot Fletes, 42, before forcing his ex-girlfriend into a green four-door truck and fleeing the scene, police said. Rayment and Fletes did not know each other, according to LAPD Det. Efren Gutierrez, and Fletes was a friend of the kidnapped woman’s sister. He died at a hospital shortly after the shooting. “He tried to help,” Gutierrez said. “He was trying to prevent the kidnapping from occurring, and he was shot in the process. He was trying to do a good thing.” Rayment was accompanied by four other suspects, a man and three women, officials said. They are now asking for help locating Rayment and his ex-girlfriend, who has been identified as 31-year-old Jenny Marie Downes. “We’re making every effort to find her before something bad happens to her,” Gutierrez said. Officials described Rayment as 6-foot-1, weighing 235 pounds. He has blond hair and blue eyes. He and Downes had been in a long-term relationship and had one child together, who is safe, Gutierrez said. The apartment where the shooting happened belonged to one of Downes’ family members. According to Gutierrez, Rayment is a “career criminal” with a record of arrests relating to charges of narcotics and violent crimes. Anyone with information is asked to call LAPD detectives at (818) 374-1923 or (877) 527-3247.

California has one of the lowest coronavirus transmission levels in the U.S.

https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2021-06-07/california-among-lowest-covid-19-transmission-rates-us

California continues to record one of the lowest COVID-19 case rates in the nation, underscoring its sustained progress toward extinguishing the pandemic a week ahead of the state’s planned reopening. As of Monday, California’s seven-day case rate per 100,000 people was 11, tied with Nebraska for the third-lowest among all states, according to data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. California is behind only Vermont, with a 6.9 seven-day case rate, and South Dakota, with 9.2 The latest update knocked California just outside the threshold necessary to meet the CDC’s definition of having a low level of community coronavirus transmission, an assessment based on the number of new cases confirmed statewide over the last week as well as the rate at which conducted tests were coming back positive. Earlier in the day, California and Vermont were the only two states in that exclusive club — which requires a seven-day case rate under 10 per 100,000 residents and a rate of positive test results of less than 5%. Now, Vermont stands alone in the low ranking, because South Dakota’s test positivity rate is still too high. California Here are five things to expect as L.A. County fully reopens after COVID-19 restrictions. June 7, 2021 Despite the slight back step into the CDC’s much broader category of moderate transmission, which encompasses areas with rates of positive test results from 5% to 7.99% and case rates from 10 to 49.99, California continues to measure up well. Its seven-day case rate is less than half the nationwide figure of 28, and also below those seen in Florida, 63.6; Pennsylvania, 29.9; Texas, 27.6; New York City, 18.7; and the rest of New York state, 20.7. For more than a month, California has been among the states with the lowest coronavirus case rates — a dramatic turnaround from the fall and winter, when a viral tsunami overwhelmed the state and pushed hospitals close to the breaking point. The progress California has made is particularly pronounced when looking at raw case counts. During the height of the last surge, the state was recording, on average, more than 40,000 new cases per day. Over the last week, California has reported a daily average of about 900 new cases, data compiled by The Times show. According to the CDC, transmission is considered moderate in the vast majority of the nation. But five states — Colorado, Wyoming, Florida, Washington and Utah — are considered to have substantial transmission; all have seven-day case rates that are over 50 per 100,000 residents. During a briefing last week, CDC Director Dr. Rochelle Walensky said the nationwide weekly average of newly confirmed coronavirus cases had fallen by 94% since its peak in January. “This is the type of news I like to deliver,” she said Thursday, “and certainly these data are encouraging and uplifting as we battle this pandemic.” California The state’s economy will reopen, but ‘the disease has not been extinguished,’ governor says. June 4, 2021 Despite the state’s strides, however, Gov. Gavin Newsom said Friday the danger posed by COVID-19 has not evaporated. “This disease has not been extinguished,” he said. “It’s not vanished. It’s not taking the summer months off.” Newsom also said California’s state of emergency order — which gives him and health officials broad authority to temporarily impose new rules and restrictions — would remain in place beyond what had been billed as the state’s full reopening on June 15. The governor’s office later said that preserving the emergency declaration “ensures that the state can continue to respond quickly to evolving conditions as the pandemic persists” and that Newsom would end it “once conditions no longer warrant an emergency response.” The revelation drew swift condemnation from Republicans, who have long objected to the scope of Newsom’s emergency powers. Politics The COVID-19 changes promised to take effect in California on June 15 are the beginning, not the end, of the effort to return to normality. June 7, 2021 State officials have said California’s progress, as well as its long-sought wide reopening, has been made possible through the continued rollout of COVID-19 vaccines. California is one of 13 states where 70% or more of adults have received at least one vaccine dose, a threshold the Biden administration is seeking to hit nationwide by July 4. However, more work needs to be done. About 68% of eligible Californians 12 and older have gotten at least one shot, but only 52.7% are fully vaccinated — meaning they either received the single-dose Johnson & Johnson vaccine or both required doses of Pfizer-BioNTech or Moderna. And with the inoculation campaign now more than 5 months old, experts and officials acknowledge that reaching those who have yet to roll up their sleeves will be challenging and entail both tearing down any remaining barriers to vaccine access and knocking down concerns or misinformation surrounding the shots’ efficacy or safety. “Getting from 30% to 40% of people vaccinated, that’s an easy 10%,” Newsom said recently. “Moving from 70% of adults to 75% and beyond, that’s stubborn. That’s difficult work.” California Gov. Gavin Newsom, facing a recall election, draws the names of the first winners of California’s COVID-19 vaccine lottery in an upbeat event. June 4, 2021 State officials are hoping the chance for cash will be enough to tempt some of the remaining holdouts. On Friday, the initial winners of the state’s vaccine lottery were drawn — with 15 Californians securing $50,000 prizes. Another 15 $50,000 winners will be selected this Friday, and the drawings will conclude June 15, when 10 residents will win $1.5 million each. As part of the $116.5-million incentive program, 2 million vaccine recipients (those with a first shot as of May 27 or later) will also be eligible for either a $50 prepaid gift card or a $50 grocery card. California California’s ‘Vax for the Win’ program seeks to boost interest in vaccines by offering cash rewards. If you’ve gotten a shot, you’re already eligible. May 28, 2021 Though it’s probably too soon to determine whether the 12-day-old program is having the desired effect — there’s a delay in accounting for all the vaccines administered, and the recent Memorial Day holiday weekend may have skewed the data — California is not alone in turning to prizes in hopes of boosting flagging inoculation rates. States and private companies across the country are offering a variety of items, including cash giveaways and free beer, in hopes of getting more Americans inoculated. “If you’re on the fence,” Newsom said, “if you’re just a little bit hesitant or you just were unwilling in the past but all of a sudden you think, ‘Wait a second, I could really use $50,000,’ we’re doing all this to encourage that and to get you to think anew and, hopefully, act anew.” California As the coronavirus fades, there is a growing belief among even the most conservative health experts that it’s fine for vaccinated people to largely shed their face coverings — though it’s still essential for the uninoculated to adhere to mask-wearing and physical distancing rules. June 3, 2021 Perhaps the most powerful incentive of all, though, isn’t a lottery ticket but a ticket back to something more closely resembling pre-pandemic normality. Given the protection afforded by the vaccines, officials are increasingly in agreement that those who are inoculated not only can resume more activities but can do so without having to abide by the strict masking and social distancing requirements that have long been a hallmark of the COVID-19 era. The California Department of Public Health on Monday updated its guidance pertaining to testing, now stating that fully vaccinated individuals don’t need to undergo diagnostic screenings in nonhealthcare workplace settings. So long as they’re not showing symptoms, fully vaccinated people also largely don’t need to be tested after being exposed to someone who has or is suspected of having COVID-19 — unless they live or work in congregate settings or work in crowded environments such as food-processing plants — and don’t need to be tested before entering venues, businesses or events, the guidance states. “As more Californians become vaccinated, adapting testing guidance to focus testing on high-risk populations and individuals who have not been vaccinated allows us to further mitigate the spread of the virus,” the department explained in unveiling the changes.

Sinéad O'Connor tells sad fans that her retirement is 'staggeringly beautiful news'

https://www.latimes.com/entertainment-arts/music/story/2021-06-07/sinead-oconnor-announces-her-retirement-from-music

Sinéad O’Connor, the iconoclastic singer-songwriter also known as Shuhada Sadaqat and Mother Bernadette Maria, is retiring from touring and recording. “This is to announce my retirement from touring and from working in the record business,” she wrote in a tweet Friday. “I’ve gotten older and I’m tired. So it’s time for me to hang up my nipple tassels, having truly given my all. NVDA in 2022 will be my last release. And there’ll be no more touring or promo.” O’Connor’s 11th album, “No Veteran Dies Alone” (the “NVDA” of her tweet), is being helmed by Irish producer David Holmes and scheduled for release next year. This is to announce my retirement from touring and from working in the record business. I've gotten older and I'm tired. So it's time for me to hang up my nipple tassels, having truly given my all. NVDA in 2022 will be my last release. And there'll be no more touring or promo. “Time for you now pet be good and kind to yourself ... but for goodness sake don’t be growing old prematurely or gracefully, you’ve too much sass and just as much class to be an aul Fuddy Duddy. I expect to see you gracing the cover of rolling stone on a Harley xx,” a well-wisher responded on Twitter. O’Connor, 54, tweeted back: “Yeah, but no more pissin’ in alleys, playing in clubs that have no toilets #TooFugginOld4Dat” Yeah, but no more pissin' in alleys, playing in clubs that have no toilets #TooFugginOld4Dat After fielding a number of responses from fans mourning the announcement, O’Connor tweeted, “It’s not sad news. It’s staggeringly beautiful news. A wise warrior knows when he or she should retreat: #MeTime.” She added, “It’s been a forty year journey. Time to put the feet up and make other dreams come true ; )” It's not sad news. It's staggeringly beautiful news. A wise warrior knows when he or she should retreat: #MeTime ❤️ The retirement news comes as O’Connor has been making headlines recently pegged to her memoir, “Rememberings,” prompting a reappraisal of how she’s been treated over the years. O’Connor’s deeply personal, unapologetic and inextricably Irish blend of folk and modern musical influences scored her a gold record and Grammy nomination with her 1987 debut album, “The Lion and the Cobra.” Despite the uncompromising nature of her work, she reached the heights of pop stardom in 1990 with the album “I Do Not Want What I Haven’t Got.” Its success was powered by her cover of the Prince-penned “Nothing Compares 2 U,” and the album earned her a handful of Grammy nominations and a win for alternative music performance. She has also been a lightning rod her entire career, garnering a reputation for shooting from the hip. Speaking out against the sexual abuse scandal roiling the Catholic Church, she tore up a photograph of the pope in 1992 on “Saturday Night Live,” telling the stunned audience: “Fight the real enemy.” Entertainment & Arts Before Britney, Demi or even the Dixie Chicks, Sinéad O’Connor said what she thought, did what she wanted and refused to be shut down. June 2, 2021 In her new book, she revisits such controversies, including previous claims of a physical altercation with Prince. (For the record, O’Connor also alleged that he was a “hard drug user” and that Arsenio Hall had been his supplier; she later had to apologize for those remarks after Hall sued her.) In her latest tweets, O’Connor says writing her memoir made her rethink some things, including how such an announcement should be made. “Apologies if any upset caused to booking agents or promoters or managers due to my tweeting about my retirement. I guess the book made me realise I’m my own boss. I didn’t wanna wait for permission from the men, as to when I could announce it. Also, I’d had a few whiskeys : )” Apologies if any upset caused to booking agents or promoters or managers due to my tweeting about my retirement. I guess the book made me realise I'm my own boss. I didn't wanna wait for permission from the men, as to when I could announce it. Also, I'd had a few whiskeys : )

Mali junta leader sworn in as president after second coup

https://www.latimes.com/world-nation/story/2021-06-07/mali-junta-leader-sworn-in-as-president-after-2nd-coup

Mali coup leader Col. Assimi Goita was sworn in Monday as president of a transitional government, solidifying his grip on power in the West African nation after carrying out his second coup in nine months. The inauguration ceremony in the capital, Bamako, came as Mali faces increasing isolation from the international community over the junta’s power grab. Already the African Union has suspended Mali’s membership and France has temporarily suspended its joint military operations with the Malian military to exert pressure on Goita to step aside. Goita, who first grabbed power in August 2020 by overthrowing Mali’s democratically elected president, eventually agreed to a transitional government led by a civilian president and prime minister. But two weeks ago he ousted those civilian leaders after they announced a Cabinet reshuffle that sidelined two junta supporters without consulting him. Mali’s constitutional court also approved him as interim president. During his inauguration speech, Goita called on Malians to display “cohesion and solidarity.” He pledged to reduce government spending and “to facilitate access to drinking water and primary health care.” He also promised that presidential elections would be held on schedule. “I would like to reassure the international community that Mali will honor all of its commitments,” he said. Goita faces international pressure to hold an election in February 2022, as required by the original transitional government agreement last year. Given the latest developments, however, it is unclear what will happen on the election front. Continued political instability in Mali, many fear, could further embolden Islamic extremists, who have been carrying out attacks for nearly a decade in the country’s volatile north. The West African regional bloc, known as the Economic Community of West African States, has been supporting mediation talks in Mali. ECOWAS also called for a new civilian prime minister in Mali to be nominated immediately, and a new inclusive government to be formed. Choguel Kokalla Maiga was appointed Mali’s new prime minister on Monday, according to a statement read out on the country’s national broadcaster a few hours after the inauguration. Maiga is a veteran politician who was a leader in the M5, a popular movement whose protests precipitated the fall of former President Ibrahim Boubacar Keita in the August 2020 coup. The regional bloc, and the AU, have made clear that the head of the transition government, the vice president and the prime minister should not under any circumstances be candidates in the next presidential election. Former Nigerian President Goodluck Jonathan is returning to Mali this week to continue mediation on behalf of ECOWAS. Islamic extremists took control of major towns in northern Mali after the 2012 coup. Only a 2013 military intervention led by former colonial power France pushed the extremists out of those towns. France and a U.N. force have continued to battle the extremists, who operate in rural areas and regularly attack roads and cities.

Photos: Remembering 6-year-old Aiden Leos, killed in alleged road rage shooting

https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2021-06-07/photos-the-road-rage-killing-of-6-year-old-aiden-leos

Two people have been arrested in the shooting death of 6-year-old Aiden Leos, who lay dying in his mother’s arms on the 55 Freeway in Orange last month in what officials have called a road rage incident. Marcus Anthony Eriz, 24, and Wynne Lee, 23, were taken into custody at their home in Costa Mesa on Sunday. The California Highway Patrol said in a statement that the agency expects the pair will be charged with murder. Eriz and Lee were being held in county jail on $1-million bail each. They are scheduled to be in court Tuesday.

Michaela Coel praises 'I May Destroy You' intimacy director during BAFTA speech

https://www.latimes.com/entertainment-arts/tv/story/2021-06-07/michaela-coel-baftas-speech-i-may-destroy-you

Michaela Coel, star and creator of the acclaimed HBO series “I May Destroy You,” received two British Academy Television Awards during Sunday’s ceremony. While accepting her second award of the night, for lead actress, Coel touted the importance of intimacy directorsguiding actors on set through sexually graphic and distressing scenes, such as those depicted in her TV drama about a young British writer grappling with the aftermath of a rape. “I want to dedicate this award to the director of intimacy, Ita O’Brien,” Coel said. “Thank you for your existence in our industry, for making the space safe. For creating physical, emotional and professional boundaries, so that we can make work about exploitation, loss of respect, about abuse of power without being exploited or abused in the process.” In addition to O’Brien, Coel also gave a shout-out and expressed a desire to collaborate with her fellow nominees, Billie Piper (“I Hate Susie”); Daisy Edgar-Jones (“Normal People”); Hayley Squires (“Adult Material”); Jodie Comer (“Killing Eve”); and Letitia Wright (“Small Axe”). Television Writer-producer-star Michaela Coel of the sitcom “Chewing Gum” mines her own experience of sexual assault for the HBO/BBC series “I May Destroy You.” June 14, 2020 “I know what it’s like to shoot without an intimacy director — the messy, embarrassing feeling for the crew, the internal devastation for the actor,” Coel continued. “[O’Brien’s] direction was essential to my show — and, I believe, essential for every production company that wants to make work exploring themes of consent.” While speaking with the press backstage, Coel elaborated on her choice to spotlight intimacy directors, who have become an increasingly common presence on film, TV and theater productions in recent years. In 2019, “I May Destroy You” distributor HBO announced its plan to hire intimacy coordinators for all of its projects, sparking greater conversation about safety and consent in the entertainment industry. Entertainment & Arts For actors, filming sex scenes can be a job requirement — and an uncomfortable one. Jan. 2, 2019 “The confidence that it gives you to be able to really tell a story that looks harrowing — that looks inappropriate — whilst being totally appropriate, whilst being protected, means that you’re able to properly tell that story,” she said. “I also think it’s a very vulnerable place ... for the crew as well, because the crew might have had experiences, and it triggers things for them. So to have her there protects everybody, and if you don’t have people like Ita on set when you’re shooting things like that, I think it’s quite thoughtless, and I think it’s really inconsiderate.” Prior to winning lead actress, Coel also accepted the prize for miniseries on behalf of the entire “I May Destroy You” crew, “because they don’t get enough credit,” she said. Among the other miniseries nominees were “Adult Material,” “Normal People” and “Small Axe.” Television Michaela Coel, creator, writer, star and co-director of HBO’s “I May Destroy You,” talks about channeling her personal trauma into the acclaimed HBO series. July 15, 2020 “They are the invisible presence in every single scene of this show — the unsung heroes who creates everything you see, hear and feel. Their attention to detail and work ethics has helped this show to come alive,” Coel said. “This is me seeing you, acknowledging all of you. All of our DNA exists in this show, and I am grateful to each and every soul for all of your dedication and hard work.” Coel’s BAFTA victories come several months after her groundbreaking series was snubbed by the Hollywood Foreign Press Assn., which hosts the Golden Globe Awards. The organization has come under sharp scrutiny in the wake of a Los Angeles Times investigation that revealed a history of corruption and lack of diversity. Television Michaela Coel’s “I May Destroy You” is one of summer’s must-see series. And costars Weruche Opia and Paapa Essiedu have been essential to that success. Aug. 24, 2020 On Sunday, Coel got emotional while reacting to her BAFTA wins and answering questions about her experience co-executive producing, co-writing, co-directing and starring in “I May Destroy You,” which is partly based on her experience of being drugged and sexually assaulted. “It really helped me get past some troubling stuff,” she said. “And what it enabled me to do is pair something quite tragic with something quite beautiful ... It kind of replaced bad memories with really nice ones. “I wasn’t expecting so many people to identify with the show, with the characters. I wasn’t expecting people to feel like I had represented them and that they saw the show as a mirror unto themselves. There isn’t really a word for that feeling.”

Ducks captain Ryan Getzlaf drops $5 million on a Coto de Caza retreat

https://www.latimes.com/business/real-estate/story/2021-06-07/ducks-captain-ryan-getzlaf-drops-5-million-on-a-coto-de-caza-retreat

Ryan Getzlaf, the Anaheim Ducks star who holds the franchise record for games played, assists and playoff points, just paid $5 million for a scenic estate in the guard-gated community of Coto de Caza. The Ducks captain has been a regular in Orange County real estate headlines in recent years, buying and selling homes in Tustin and Corona del Mar. Last year, he listed another house he owns in Coto de Caza, complete with a batting cage and ice hockey rink, for $10.8 million. There’s no hockey rink here, but Getzlaf will have plenty of opportunities to practice other sports. The backyard boasts a full-size basketball court and putting green, as well as a swimming pool and spa that take in sweeping views of the valley below. Tucked on two acres at the end of a cul-de-sac, the property was built around the turn of the century but recently renovated. Black shutters and fencing offset the white exterior, and inside, the single-story floor plan boasts indoor-outdoor spaces with modern fixtures and wide-plank floors. In just over 5,500 square feet there are five bedrooms, 5.5 bathrooms, an office, a media room, a wine cellar and a formal dining room. The chef’s kitchen adds a curved breakfast booth, a marble island and a custom pantry. The house wraps around the swimming pool out back. At the edge of the space, a cabana adjoins a triangular fire pit. Drafted in 2003, Getzlaf has spent his entire career with the Ducks organization, playing in three NHL All-Star Games and helping the team to a Stanley Cup championship in 2007. The 36-year-old Canada native also won gold medals with the Canadian national team at the 2010 and 2014 Winter Olympic Games. Ben Tate and Jerry LaMott of Compass held the listing. Garett Green of Joseph Martelli Real Estate Investment represented Getzlaf.

Is Disney's Avengers Campus worth an hours-long wait? Our expert advice

https://www.latimes.com/entertainment-arts/story/2021-06-07/disneys-avengers-campus-opening-weekend

In the Marvel Cinematic Universe, the so-called normal people are often nonessential. We get in the way, we muck things up, we need help, we get turned to dust and in the case of last year’s “WandaVision,” we mortals exist mostly to be playthings for those with powers. Disney California Adventure’s Avengers Campus aims to flip the script. Superheroes, they’re just like us, the land argues. They get captured, they need our help, they make mistakes and sometimes they just have to do dreary, daily work. Here’s Black Widow on security detail, patrolling the silver-sleek Avengers Headquarters building, a multitiered structure with a slanted base and an airship up top. There’s Ant-Man, apparently now a restaurateur, whose secret recipe, we’re told, is behind the fried chicken sandwich with a tiny bun atop an outsized fillet. And there’s Iron Man, making corny jokes and asking for photos. At times, the luckiest among us see superheroes spring to action as the land becomes activated with awe-inspiring, high-flying stunt shows or battle sequences. In one of these scenes, Black Widow and Black Panther are in a bout with Taskmaster, the villain from next month’s “Black Widow” film, a performance Disney had long teased but had been vague on whether it would launch with the land. It did. In five hours Saturday I caught it three times, and fans clapped each instance Black Panther jumped from the side of a wall. “It’s just very cool seeing these experiences realized in real life from when I was a kid,” says Louis Lopez, 35, who came down from Vacaville for the opening, and was taking a break to enjoy a beer-infused cocktail in a plastic beaker from the Ant-Man-inspired Pym Tasting Lab. “I saw Black Widow fighting on the rooftops. That’s really cool. Then I saw Spider-Man web-slinging. That was amazing. Here, it’s very hero-focused and they’re having shows. I was hoping Galaxy’s Edge would have more of that.” Avengers Campus, at six acres, isn’t a 14-acre transportive place such as Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge next door at Disneyland. It is, instead, a spot that is more homely, earning comparisons to an office park. When stepping into Galaxy’s Edge for the first time, guests tend to stop and stare, entering a place that looks like a mash-up of “Star Wars” planets but is also something alien and unreal, a world none of us has seen before as a fully realized physical environment. Avengers Campus, based on Disney’s largest global brand, goes for something more familiar, more down-to-earth — converted warehouses, city-like structures and a sanctum that, if it weren’t for Disney’s special effects prowess, could be a themed urban yoga retreat. Design details abound — I like the implication that odd-looking plant life is the result of Hulk-worthy gamma radiation — but at Avengers Campus we enter a relatively bite-sized land that looks like our world. Disney acquired Marvel in 2009 and Lucasfilm in 2012, but settled on a plan for “Star Wars” in its parks earlier. That is perhaps an indication of the challenge of representing a brand that reflects present-day realism, albeit one featuring characters with extraordinary feats, in theme parks based on our collective, idealized imaginations. Over the years, alternate Marvel plans have leaked, and those no longer with the company have regaled me with tales and rejected concept art for a grand New York set that could have sat in one of Disneyland’s off-site parking lots. Imagine a mock elevated Metropolitan Transit Authority train in Anaheim. Consider Disney California Adventure’s Avengers Campus a place influenced as much by San Diego Comic-Con as it is by any of the past endeavors of Walt Disney Imagineering, the company’s secretive arm dedicated to theme park experiences. And if opening weekend is any indication — a launch that wasn’t without its share of issues — Imagineering has tapped into the idea that fans today want photo-ready characters, and lots of them, as much as astounding rides. While many theme park guests like to be thrilled, perhaps what is most appealing about gathering in these meticulously designed environments is their sense of community. Entertainment & Arts Disney’s Spider-Man ride continues the park’s shift toward interactive, game-like experiences. Black Panther warriors inspire. June 2, 2021 While Disneyland curtailed its annual pass program in the pandemic and has yet to announce a replacement, Avengers Campus is most certainly designed for the park regular. At its center is a beer garden, implying this is as much a grown-up hangout as a place for kids, and even the stunt and training shows make a point to call attention to adults as much as little ones. On Saturday, I watched a performer acting as “Black Panther” character Okoye give a sermon about the importance of educators after the male adult she called upon revealed himself to be a teacher. The new ride, the video game-like Web Slingers: A Spider-Man Adventure, is specifically tuned for repeat visits, with interactive challenges baked in for players to best their previous score. We wave our arms and flick our wrists to shoot imaginary webs at digital robots making a muck of the Avengers Campus, a sort of next-generation take on the aging Toy Story Midway Mania!, an attraction with carnival games that are increasingly less sophisticated than anything we can do on a mobile phone. The Toy Story ride was an early experiment in merging digital games and theme park rides, and it put video games in a theme park rather than aiming to solve what theme parks can achieve with video games. Web Slingers is a video-game ride that shows the power of theme parks, giving us something we can do only in a physical realm — that is, eject virtual webs from our wildly motioning hands. We can even purchase plastic arm bands that can change the type of web we flick into digital domains. The high $30 buy-in for the toys — accessories for them are $25 each — would make sense only for those visiting the parks weekly or monthly, since they’re essentially video-game skins equivalent to those for purchase in games such as “Fortnite” and “Animal Crossing,” which can change appearances and interactions. Guests, however, are ready to call Avengers Campus their new hangout, especially those former passholders eagerly awaiting a new program that makes visiting the park regularly an actual affordable endeavor. It sounds weird to say this, but we’re all family. — Mayra Gutierrez, 35, Disneyland and Marvel fan “It sounds weird to say this, but we’re all family,” says Mayra Gutierrez, 35, of Los Angeles. Gutierrez, in a Black Panther-inspired outfit, had already ridden the new ride, declaring its arm-waving a “work-out,” and then immediately stumbled upon the Black Widow/Black Panther stunt show, where the once park regular was now people watching, hoping to catch a performance from the female Dora Milaje warriors of “Black Panther.” This was one of Gutierrez’s first times venturing out in our pandemic world. “It’s really nice to see another fan with another fan,” Gutierrez says. “I imagine that’s what musical festivals will be like and concerts will be like. You’re just happy to be around like-minded people and people with the same interests. Disneyland has definitely always been one of those places. It’s really dope just to be here and take it all in.” Spider-Man soaring 60-plus-feet in the air never gets old to watch, all the more impressive knowing that it is in fact a stunt robot, not a human. A Doctor Strange show in which the illusionist shows off some magic tricks is good theatrical fun, as are the royal guards of the “Black Panther” films, here stoic, philosopher warriors who offer a training session that’s more about boosting your self-esteem than it is teaching you to spin a spear. The first Marvel ride to open in a Disney theme park was the Iron Man Experience in early 2017 at Hong Kong Disneyland. California Adventure’s Guardians of the Galaxy — Mission Breakout! opened later that year, a re-theme of the Twilight Zone Tower of Terror that is now part of Avengers Campus (multiple Marvel attractions do exist at Universal’s Orlando, Fla., theme park via a deal that predates Disney’s acquisition of the brand, and impacts what characters can appear in Disney’s Florida parks). In an interview in 2017, a Walt Disney Imagineering creative said the Iron Man ride posed a challenge, noting that early concepts set the attraction in New York. Then Imagineering credited former Pixar chief John Lasseter, who left the organization after allegations of sexual misconduct in 2018, for suggesting that the Marvel lands and attractions essentially be self-referential places set in the Disney theme parks. “He posed the question to us,” said Ted Robledo at the time, the Imagineer who was the creative lead of Iron Man Experience. “He said, ‘Guys, it’s in Hong Kong. Why not Hong Kong? Why are we going somewhere else?’” Avengers Campus takes that concept and runs with it. We are, most definitely, in Anaheim, inside a land that is baked-in with flexibility to accommodate the Marvel characters and stories still to come to theaters and streaming service Disney+. While shows inside the land happen randomly throughout the day, there is rarely a moment when some Marvel character isn’t out and about for a meet-and-greet. “We set up the land in a certain way as a campus that allows us all in, but it allows other characters and other power sets and addresses,” says Scot Drake, a creative lead on the Disney California Adventure project. “This can evolve over time and it will,” Drake continues. “Every time you come, there [will] be new fun, surprises — mash-ups of stories, interconnected stories. These things are unique to Avengers Campus that we ... can do here and now. We can do a global story and a neighborhood story. That’s what is fun about this platform.” There were, of course, some real-world hiccups on opening day. Lines to get in the Avengers Campus on Friday stretched up to seven hours, and some jumped it by mobile ordering food to get in the land, a process that Disneyland curtailed Saturday, when lines were a lengthy but more manageable three-to-four hours. Entertainment & Arts Disneyland Imagineers anticipated criticism of the inclusion of ‘true love’s kiss’ in its Snow White ride redo. How they worked to empower Snow White. May 26, 2021 Still, Friday was marked with long lines, heavy crowds and confusion. Theme park fan sites erroneously reported Avengers Campus ran out of food, when in fact there was always plenty of shawarma to go around. Disney on Saturday began to fix its operational snafus, as mobile order slots for the Pym Tasting Kitchen and next-door bar opened only every two hours, thus targeting those in the land. Currently, however, Web Slingers requires a reservation via the Disneyland app in order to ride, similar to Galaxy‘s Edge’s Rise of the Resistance. This means that those who fail to score a ride time for Web Slingers are forced to wait in line just to get in the land for the older Guardians ride and a chance at seeing one of the Avengers shows. But at this time, schedules for the shows aren’t posted, so you may not find the experience worth the wait. “I think if I had waited six hours, I would have been a little disappointed,” says North Hollywood’s Gary Warren, who was in an Avengers sport coat and gave his age as mid-40s, saying his favorite thing about the land is the existing Guardians ride. “But the Spider-Man ride was a lot of fun,” Warren adds. “My arms were so sore after we got off that thing.” Entertainment & Arts Until June 15, Disneyland is for California residents only due to COVID-19 pandemic restrictions. Cast member insights on a day experiencing reduced-capacity lines. June 1, 2021 Warren and his partner, Sharon Wright, both expressed surprise at the relatively pint-sized feel of the land, with Wright wondering if it will be unmanageable when pandemic crowd restrictions are lifted June 15. “I think it’s good but it’s small. I wish the land were bigger and I’m glad it’s at a reduced capacity.” Disney and Marvel fans, of course, have long memories, and many fans expressed excitement for the still-to-come Avengers-focused ride that will feature the Quinjet that sits atop the Avengers headquarters. When asked directly about the status of the attraction, Imagineering’s Drake pivoted and didn’t mention it, reiterating only that the land is a platform that will be home to many stories. The ride, however, was promised in 2019 by Disney CEO Bob Chapek at the company’s D23 Expo. “Avengers Campus will be home to not only the Spider-Man experience and Guardians of the Galaxy — Mission: Breakout! but a brand new E-ticket attraction,” Chapek said then. He added: “For the very first time, we all get to step aboard a Quinjet and fly to Wakanda.” The ride was one of the first things on the mind of Lopez: “I’m just looking forward to that potential Avengers ride. Just wall-to-wall heroes. Seeing Captain America, Iron Man, Black Widow and Black Panther all on one ride. I’m very excited to see how Avengers Campus grows, when we can get a couple years into the future and get more experiences.” It was a reminder that while the opening weekend fans at Avengers Campus were happy to see their superheroes in the flesh and ready to roll with any hiccups, the land that opened still has a smaller footprint than even the nearby Cars Land. And when it comes to the Marvel Cinematic Universe, Disney has trained fans to expect a blockbuster. Avengers Campus: Complete coverage A look at the Times’ stories on Disney California Adventure’s Marvel addition to its Anaheim theme park.

The Zoot Suit Riots Cruise brings back 'a forgotten era'

https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2021-06-07/the-zoot-suit-riots-cruise-hopes-to-remember-a-forgotten-era

History lessons come in many forms. For Art Zamora, they’re carried by classic chassis rolling down the streets of Los Angeles. “You have to remember your culture and your roots,” said the co-organizer of the Zoot Suit Riots Cruise. “You have to learn your history.” The history is painful: In 1943 Los Angeles, over a span of 10 days in June, U.S. military men attacked young Latino men in zoot suits, who called themselves pachucos. For Zamora, seeing those dressed as pachucos cruising is a reminder of the perseverance within the Latino community. “So we don’t forget how we got this far,” he says. “It’s almost a forgotten era.” Only three cars took part in the first organized cruise, in 2018. The next year, more than 100 cars showed up. Now, organizers are expecting the event to grow. “Every day, se va tapando mas (it keeps getting bigger),” said co-organizer Pedro Haro, who also goes by “Chato.” “Somos como una esponja (we’re like a sponge),” he said, talking about how learning through cruising. “Es bien bonito (it’s quite beautiful).” The cruise was canceled in 2020 because of the pandemic. This year’s event was held Sunday. Participants met at Commerce Center before cruising along Whittier Boulevard. They crossed 4th Street Bridge and drove into downtown Los Angeles before cruising Broadway. Some of the cars then went on to Elysian Park. The car has a way of changing the driver, Haro said. “It’s like we’re in a tuxedo,” he said of the classic vehicles. “You can wear some shorts and sandals, but once you get in a tuxedo you keep your manners on the up and up. You can’t be lounging.” More visual journalism from the Los Angeles Times.

Buscaino launches run for mayor with focus on homelessness. Woman with a knife interrupts

https://www.latimes.com/homeless-housing/story/2021-06-07/rally-on-venice-boardwalk

One of the first in-person events in the 2022 Los Angeles mayoral election centered on the issue likely to animate the entire race: homelessness. It ended with a homeless woman being arrested Monday after she pulled out a knife a few feet from City Councilman Joe Buscaino. Buscaino had trekked from his harbor area district to the Venice boardwalk, where he spoke starting at 7:15 a.m. about how tents on sidewalks, in parks and beaches were inhumane and should be banned more forcefully. He spoke for 10 minutes as supporters — fed up with the state of homelessness in Venice — held signs and cheered him on. California In recent years, the boardwalk has become an open-air clinic for poor residents, people struggling with addiction and those in physical or mental distress. June 5, 2021 After speaking, Buscaino began shaking hands with the roughly 75 to 100 constituents who had come out to listen when Venice resident Nico Ruderman caught sight of a homeless woman standing behind Buscaino holding a knife. “She said, ‘I’m gonna start killing people,’ and I jumped forward and grabbed Joe,” Ruderman said. He was wearing a “Recall Bonin” sticker, in reference to the campaign to remove the current councilmember for the district, Mike Bonin. That’s when two private security officers pulled their guns and grabbed Buscaino and hustled him to a black SUV nearby. Police officers quickly detained the woman as the crowd looked on, filming with their cellphones. A roughly 6-inch blade dropped to the sand as the woman yelled that she had the knife for protection and to cut fruit. Ruderman and other people at the scene gave witness statements to officers. Officer William Cooper, a spokesman for the Los Angeles Police Department, identified the suspect as Alaia Smith, 19, a resident of Washington state. Smith was arrested at around 7:50 a.m. on suspicion of carrying a concealed dirk or dagger, Cooper said. As she was being detained, the suspect told the crowd watching that her name is Angel. A police captain who was cut during the arrest is stable and receiving medical treatment, another LAPD spokesman said. Afterward, Buscaino issued a statement expressing gratitude for his safety and “the quick action of the Los Angeles Police Department.” He added: “This is exactly why I was in Venice Beach today, charting a new course for our city, and I am convinced now, more than ever, that bold action is needed to make our city safer for everyone, regardless of housing status.” Buscaino, who represents a district stretching from Watts to San Pedro, served in the LAPD for 15 years and is currently a reserve officer. He is the first City Council member to enter the 2022 mayor’s race. His appearance in Venice was the latest indication that homelessness would be a central issue in the June 2022 mayoral campaign. Activists, business owners, nonprofit groups and homeowners are now locked in a debate over where homeless people should be permitted to camp and what type of strategies should be employed to address the crisis. In Echo Park, the city’s recent decision to clear an encampment with nearly 200 tents has drawn protests from advocates for homeless people. In downtown L.A., a federal judge recently instructed city and county officials to provide shelter to the more than 2,000 homeless people living on skid row — an order that is now on appeal. And on the Westside, a plan to evaluate several public parks and beach parking lots as sites for homeless facilities has sparked a backlash from neighborhood groups. California L.A.’s search for new solutions to a growing homelessness crisis is running up against residents’ love of their beaches and park spaces. May 14, 2021 Buscaino has favored restrictive rules that dictate where homeless people can sleep, arguing that such rules ensure that the sidewalks will remain passable for everyone. He also has pushed to resume cleanups at homeless encampments, a process that was paused because of health concerns during the pandemic. A federal court order in Boise, Idaho, that set a legal precedent also has restricted the extent to which cities can stop people from camping if there are no housing alternatives. Buscaino’s own district is grappling with homelessness, as are many parts of the city. But Venice Beach has emerged as a flashpoint in the debate over where to put services for homeless people, and has some of the most vocal critics of the city’s homelessness policies. So far, only two politicians have entered the race for mayor — Buscaino and City Atty. Mike Feuer. But several others have been weighing a run in recent months, including City Council President Nury Martinez and Councilmembers Kevin de León and Mark Ridley-Thomas. Since entering the race, Buscaino has railed about what he considers the ineffectiveness of the Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority, a city-county agency that coordinates the region’s response to homelessness. He called for the money being spent by the city to be diverted to other homelessness responses. Steps from the border with Santa Monica, which has kept homeless people from camping on its beach or boardwalk, he noted how no tents lined the beach looking north. “Behind me in Santa Monica is common sense,” Buscaino said. “Here in Venice is nonsense.” Protesters also came out to voice their discontent with the tone and tenor of Buscaino’s campaign. They set up a table on the boardwalk to hand out food and hot coffee to people sleeping nearby. “This is a hateful rally in front of people struggling to survive,” said Jane Nguyen, a member of the homeless outreach and advocacy group Ktown for All. Shortly after the Buscaino event wrapped, Los Angeles County Sheriff Alex Villanueva walked by in a cowboy hat, giving an interview to a local television reporter. He railed about the failures of local elected officials “to properly regulate public spaces” and said he’d like to see the boardwalk cleared of tents by the Fourth of July. The Venice boardwalk is usually policed by the LAPD, not the sheriff’s office, so it is not clear what Villanueva’s role would be in any clearance. But a few hours after the event, Villanueva wrote on his Twitter account that the Sheriff’s Department’s homeless outreach services team would be assessing Venice on Tuesday in order to “triage the crisis and develop an action plan.” Times staff writer Kevin Rector contributed to this report.

Supreme Court says TPS recipients who arrived illegally have no right to green card

https://www.latimes.com/politics/story/2021-06-07/supreme-court-says-tps-recipients-who-arrived-illegally-have-no-right-to-green-card

The Supreme Court on Monday dealt a setback to hundreds of thousands of immigrants who have so-called temporary protected status, ruling they can’t have a green card if they entered the country illegally. In a 9-0 decision, the justices said federal law protects these immigrants from deportation and it allows them to obtain a work permit, but it does not give them a right to lawful permanent status unless they are here “pursuant to a lawful admission.” That means TPS recipients who entered the county legally as students or tourists, and stayed under TPS may obtain a green card, said Justice Elena Kagan. But the same is not true of those who entered illegally. “Because a grant of TPS does not come with a ticket of admission,” she wrote in Sanchez vs. Mayorkas, “it does not eliminate the disqualifying effect of an unlawful entry.” Temporary protected status has been extended to about 320,000 immigrants from El Salvador, Haiti, Honduras, Nepal, Nicaragua, Sudan, Venezuela and Yemen. But lower courts had been divided over whether these migrants, many of whom have lived here for decades, may apply for and receive lawful permanent status. Four years ago, the 9th Circuit Court in California ruled that TPS recipients had a lawful status, and therefore, were eligible for green cards even if they had entered the country illegally. Monday’s ruling is the third in three weeks in which the high court has disagreed unanimously with the 9th Circuit on a matter of immigration law. Last week, the high court set aside a rule used by the 9th Circuit that presumed immigrants seeking asylum were telling the truth unless an immigration judge made an “explicit” find they were not credible. Two weeks ago, the court ruled immigrants who were once deported could be prosecuted for an unlawful entry, even if their original deportation was questionable. The case decided Monday by the Supreme Court began when Jose Sanchez and his wife, Sonia Gonzalez, sought green cards. They arrived from El Salvador in the late 1990s, established lives and careers in New Jersey and had four sons. But they were not lawfully admitted. Kagan said Congress is considering legislation that would allow such TPS recipients to obtain lawful permanent resident status, but only Congress, not the court, can change the law in this respect. “Sanchez was not lawfully admitted, and his TPS does not alter that fact,” she wrote. “He therefore cannot become a permanent resident of this country.” A grassroots group that lobbies for TPS families said the ruling should spur Congress to act. “Although this is a huge blow for one of the only available avenues for our families to adjust their status, this will not deter our struggle for obtaining green cards for all TPS holders,” said Claudia Lainiez, an organizer for the National TPS Alliance. “This news only emphasizes the fact that Congress must act now to guarantee permanent protections and for President Biden to expand the TPS status to everyone who deserves it.”

Cobby, 63-year-old chimpanzee, dies at San Francisco Zoo

https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2021-06-07/oldest-male-chimpanzee-in-us-dies-at-san-francisco-zoo

The oldest male chimpanzee living in an accredited North American zoo died Saturday at the San Francisco Zoo & Gardens. He was 63. The chimpanzee, named Cobby, had been a hand-reared performing chimpanzee before he was brought to the San Francisco Zoo in the 1960s. Although the zoo said in a news release that the chimpanzee’s cause of death had not been determined, the animal had recently been ill and zoo officials believe old age was a factor. The International Union for Conservation of Nature lists chimpanzees as endangered, and they are considered among the most at-risk primates in Africa due to hunting, habitat loss and disease. Climate & Environment More than 500 exotic animals have been relocated since the troubled Wildlife Waystation surrendered its permits and shut down for good a year ago. July 15, 2020 The average life expectancy of the 100,000 to 200,000 chimpanzees living in the wild is 33 years, but it is between 50 and 60 years under human care, the zoo said. Cobby was integral in bringing together the San Francisco Zoo’s chimpanzee population, officials said, and acted like the elder of the troop. “Cobby was part of San Francisco,” said Tanya M. Peterson, executive director of the San Francisco Zoological Society, in a statement. “He touched so many lives, and people have so many memories of him. He is irreplaceable, and our hearts are broken. We will all miss seeing his handsome grey beard watching over us from the top platform of the yard.”

Opinion: School bullying has become more elaborate during the pandemic. Parents should be prepared

https://www.latimes.com/opinion/story/2021-06-07/opinion-school-bullies-pandemic

Getting back together with friends in person was one of the main reasons students were excited to return to school after the pandemic lockdowns eased. But not all the returning children were happy to see their classmates. Although the country’s shift to online education had many shortcomings and resulted in learning loss for far too many students, it also had some upsides, one of which was keeping kids away from bullies. Some children could even improve their grades because they didn’t need to worry about facing their aggressors five days a week and could finally concentrate on their studies. As schools reopened, more and more news about bullying (and even suicides resulting from bullying) appeared all across the country. In California, where around 60% of elementary school students and 40% of secondary school students returned to in-person learning, specialists have seen an increased number of children in therapy because of bullying. Teachers who work with preschoolers shared that kids have become more aggressive and less capable of controlling their anger after coming back to the classroom. This might be the impact of pandemic trauma — being in isolation, experiencing the loss of relatives, and fear of getting COVID. Granted, the lockdowns didn’t help schoolchildren escape bullying completely. Instead of cafeterias, hallways and playgrounds, the main bullying territory was the internet. L1ght, a startup focusing on detecting and reducing online toxicity, found that hate speech between kids and teens online increased 70% in just a few months after schools were closed due to the pandemic. In Europe, 44% of the 10- to 18-year-olds who faced online bullying before the pandemic confessed that they were cyberbullied even more during the lockdown, according to the European Commission’s Joint Research Centre report. Lynda E. Bailey, executive director at Riverside Medical Clinic Charitable Foundation/Anti-Bullying Institute, thinks that children got engaged in cyberbullying because they got bored while stuck inside, and their parents couldn’t supervise them enough because they were busy working from home. Cyberbullying, which may include hurtful comments, rumors spread online and threats, is bad enough. Now that offenders have mastered social media, there is a risk that they might start menacing their victims both online and in person after returning to school. Schools should continue to teach children how to be more empathetic to others, given that many families are going through their own difficult circumstances due to the pandemic. But counting only on teachers in this situation may not be a good idea, knowing that they are overwhelmed. A year of online learning has left many of them feeling burned out. On top of that, now they are expected to recognize the mental health effects of COVID in students and respond to them. Among all other responsibilities, they might not notice the signs of bullying in the classroom. So it is important for parents to learn more about symptoms of bullying to be ready to help their children. Now that more students are expected to head back to the classrooms in the fall, it is the right time for parents to talk to their kids about the signs of bullying online and offline and let them know that they are supported. It is crucial to document all the online aggression and to report bullying to school and law enforcement if the situation escalates. Also, it is important not to forget that bullies need help as well, as they hurt others for a reason.

FDA approves much-debated Alzheimer’s drug panned by experts

https://www.latimes.com/science/story/2021-06-07/us-regulators-ok-alzheimers-drug-against-advice-of-experts

In a decision based as much on hope as on science, the Food and Drug Administration on Monday approved a drug designed to treat Alzheimer’s disease despite scant evidence that it improved the symptoms of patients who tested it. The lack of a clear clinical benefit after two late-stage clinical trials prompted an FDA advisory panel to urge that the drug, called aducanumab, be rejected. The agency acknowledged the uncertainties about the medication but said its approval was justified by the seriousness of the disease and the dearth of options for treating it. “We are extremely aware of the gradual and cumulative devastation that Alzheimer’s disease causes,” Dr. Patrizia Cavazzoni, director of the FDA Center for Drug Evaluation and Research, explained in a statement. “The need for treatments is urgent: right now, more than 6 million Americans are living with Alzheimer’s disease and this number is expected to grow as the population ages.” The drug, to be marketed by Biogen Inc. under the brand name Aduhelm, reduces the amyloid beta plaques that build up in the brains of people with Alzheimer’s. That “is reasonably likely” to offer “important benefits to patients,” Cavazzoni said. However, other experimental drugs have helped clear those plaques but not made any difference in patients’ ability to think, care for themselves or live independently. Dr. Marsel Mesulam, director of the Cognitive Neurology and Alzheimer’s Disease Center at Northwestern University’s Feinberg School of Medicine, said he didn’t envy the federal regulators who had to make the call to approve aducanumab. Now that they have, he said, “we all hope that this was the right decision and ... that the drug is going to surprise us on the upside.” Science & Medicine Researchers may have found a tiny culprit — human herpes virus -- in the progressive loss of memory, thinking ability and identity that comes with Alzheimer’s disease. June 21, 2018 Many scientists expect that Alzheimer’s patients will ultimately need a combination of drugs to successfully treat their disease. The approval of aducanumab could hasten their progress toward that goal by reinvigorating a field that hadn’t produced an FDA-approved drug since 2003. “It will be the start of more investments, more attention, more focus on disease-modifying therapies directed at changing the course of Alzheimer’s disease,” said Dr. Zaldy Tan, medical director of the Jona Goldrich Center for Alzheimer’s and Memory Disorders at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center. “And perhaps one day, we will find a really effective and safe medication for Alzheimer’s disease.” That sentiment was shared by Dr. Douglas Scharre, director of the division of cognitive neurology at Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center. “It’s not a cure by any means or a reversal or anything of that sort, but it represents a key step that we’re finally getting somewhere,” said Scharre, who helped test the drug. Researchers don’t fully understand what causes Alzheimer’s, but there’s broad agreement that plaques in the brain are just one factor, along with genetics, education and chronic health conditions such as diabetes and heart disease. The disease gradually attacks areas of the brain needed for memory, reasoning, communication and basic daily tasks. Aducanumab is made from living cells and must be delivered via an infusion every four weeks. It was tested against a placebo in two clinical trials that each enrolled about 1,650 patients. Both studies were stopped early because the drug didn’t seem to reverse patients’ mental decline. Biogen, which developed the drug with the Japanese pharmaceutical firm Eisai Co., later said that a new analysis of one of the studies showed the drug worked at higher doses. The initial trial results were poor because the dose given to some patients was too low, the company said. That after-the-fact analysis was met with skepticism by many experts, including the neurological experts on the FDA’s advisory panel who voted not to recommend the drug for approval. Patients taking aducanumab saw their thinking skills decline 22% more slowly than patients taking a placebo. But that meant a difference of just 0.39 on an 18-point scale of cognitive and functional ability. It’s unclear how such metrics translate into practical benefits, such as greater independence or ability to recall important details. Also unclear is whether the drug’s small possible benefit will justify its hefty price. Biogen said the drug would cost approximately $56,000 for a typical year’s worth of treatment, though most patients won’t pay anywhere near that thanks to insurance coverage and other discounts. The nonprofit Institute for Clinical and Economic Review, which studies drug value, estimated that a fair price for a drug with aducanumab’s modest benefits would be in the range of $2,500 to $8,300 a year. “Only a hypothetical drug that halts dementia entirely would merit” a list price of $56,000, the group said. About 900 U.S. medical facilities are ready to begin prescribing the drug, according to Biogen, with many more expected in coming months. The company’s shares jumped 38% in trading Monday on the news, with analysts forecasting billions in future sales. Science & Medicine The often-discouraging search for ways to prevent or treat Alzheimer’s disease may have flickered to life this week with a bright new idea — and a buzzy new soundtrack as well. March 15, 2019 Aducanumab got the green light under the FDA’s so-called accelerated approval pathway. That means Biogen will have to conduct a follow-up study to determine whether the drug works for patients in the real world, outside the parameters of a clinical trial. The company said it aimed to complete a follow-up trial by 2030. If the results are poor, the FDA could rescind its approval and pull the drug from the market, though that rarely happens. “Hopefully this is something that will work in the long run,” said Dr. Verna R. Porter, director of dementia, Alzheimer’s disease and neurocognitive disorders at Providence Saint John’s Health Center in Santa Monica. “But in terms of is this the right decision by the FDA, I think, only time will tell us.” The approval makes aducanumab the only treatment that U.S. regulators have said can probably address the underlying disease, rather than manage symptoms such as anxiety and insomnia. It was tested in people with mild dementia or early-stage Alzheimer’s, but the FDA label allows the drug to be prescribed to anyone with Alzheimer’s. The label also says patients should get a brain scan before the seventh and 12th infusions to check for signs of swelling in the brain, a possible side effect that could cause headaches, confusion and dizziness. Other side effects include allergic reactions, diarrhea and disorientation. The Associated Press was used in compiling this report.

The road rage killing of 6-year-old Aiden Leos: What we know about suspects, shooting

https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2021-06-07/road-rage-shooting-of-6-year-old-aiden-leos-what-we-know

It was an act of violence that stunned Southern California. A mother was driving with her 6-year-old son on the 55 Freeway on a Friday morning when gunfire rang out. The boy, Aiden Leos, was struck. His mother held him in her arms until paramedics arrived. Doctors could not save him. Investigators said the attack appeared to be an act of road rage. Aiden’s death has sparked anger and mourning. Massive rewards have been offered for information leading to the arrest and conviction of those suspected in the fatal shooting. A team of law enforcement officials has been investigating for the last two weeks. On Sunday night, two arrests were made in the case. California Investigators are revealing how they found the suspects in the killing of 6-year-old Aiden Leos, which left the Orange County community shocked. June 7, 2021 Here is what we know: Marcus Anthony Eriz, 24, and Wynne Lee, 23, were taken into custody at their home in Costa Mesa on Sunday afternoon. The California Highway Patrol said in a statement that the agency expects the pair will be charged with murder. Eriz and Lee were being held in the Orange County jail on $1-million bail each. They are scheduled to appear in court Tuesday. The CHP recovered at least one bullet at the scene of the shooting May 21. The agency has publicly said the bullet came from a pistol of unknown caliber. A law enforcement source who was not authorized to speak publicly about the case told The Times that Eriz, an auto detailer, is shown in one of his social media accounts with a type of weapon capable of discharging the round that killed Aiden. Officials on Sunday executed search warrants for possible evidence connected to the crime. Another law enforcement source who was not authorized to speak publicly about the case told The Times that the suspects were under surveillance before their arrests, which came one day after a memorial for Aiden. California Six-year-old Aiden Leos lay dying in his mother’s arms on the 55 Freeway in Orange last month. June 6, 2021 On the morning of May 21, Aiden was riding in a booster seat in the back of his mother’s car, a silver Chevrolet Sonic, heading north on the 55 Freeway in Orange. His mother, Joanna Cloonan, later told another motorist, Reyes Valdivia, that she and her son were in the carpool lane when another car cut her off as she started switching lanes to exit. She made an obscene gesture toward the people inside the other car and continued trying to get off the freeway. Officials believe the driver of the car that cut off Cloonan then maneuvered the vehicle behind her car and one of the people inside fired a gun at her car. A bullet entered Cloonan’s car from the rear, striking her son through his back. She pulled over and took the bleeding boy into her arms. California Aiden Leos was fatally shot while riding in his mother’s car on the 55 in Orange. Two people have been arrested in the alleged road rage incident. June 7, 2021 The CHP released photos of a 2018 or 2019 white Volkswagen Golf SportWagen that investigators said the suspects were in. A law enforcement source who was not authorized to speak publicly about the case said the two who were arrested Sunday fit the description of the pair in the white car. Witnesses reported hearing a gunshot from a white sedan right before the child’s mother pulled over to the shoulder of the freeway. In an interview last month, Valdivia recounted how he and his wife, Joanna, had just dropped their children off at school when they spotted Cloonan pulling her bleeding son from the car. Valdivia looked at the car and realized a bullet had entered the left side of the trunk and struck the child. “It went through the boy’s back,” he said. Valdivia, who said he served in the U.S. military, said seeing a child shot was especially hard to take. “There was no reason, no justification to shoot a child,” he said. “That shouldn’t happen.” California Hundreds of people attended a memorial service at Calvary Chapel Yorba Linda, where Aiden Leos was remembered for his ability to empathize with others. A reward for information about the fatal shooting grew to $500,000. June 5, 2021 At a memorial service Saturday, Aiden’s mother, his sister Alexis and grandmother recalled memories of the young boy, whom they described as a “little empath,” mature beyond his years. The 6-year-old had an uncanny ability to empathize with others. One day at the playground, a boy with autism flung himself to the ground. Most of the boys around him ran away. Aiden knelt down eye to eye with the child, who had said he didn’t want to talk. “It’s OK. You don’t have to talk,” he said in a gentle voice, extending a hand to help the boy up. Then, the two played together. Alexis said her little brother was an “angel, too pure and innocent for this world.” Her voice trembled when she recalled how Aiden would call her “beautiful” or “so lovely.” She described a gleeful kid who liked to hum, tell jokes and make up silly dances. But there were some things that made him different from other children his age. For instance, she said, Aiden regularly came into her room to sit down on the floor next to her while she was on her computer. He would hold his teddy bear and just watch her. “Aren’t you bored just watching me type on my computer?” she’d ask him. “No. I’m OK. I just want to be with you,” he told her. Alexis described her brother’s death as the “worst pain I’ve ever gone through in my life” and lamented what would never be. “I don’t get to play ‘Mario Kart’ with my brother or take him to the park ever again because of the monster who took Aiden’s life,” she said. In her address, Cloonan urged viewers to look within themselves “for the world to become safe and harmonious for our children and their children to come.” On his sixth birthday, Cloonan said, Aiden made a wish as he blew out his candles. He looked at his family and said: “I just wish for everyone to be happy.” California A Swiss Army knife has about as much in common with an AR-15 as a tricycle does with an Indy 500 race car, columnist George Skelton writes. June 7, 2021

Israel blocks Jewish ultra-nationalists' march in East Jerusalem, for now

https://www.latimes.com/world-nation/story/2021-06-07/israel-suspends-ultra-nationalist-march-east-jerusalem

Israeli police said Monday that they had blocked a planned procession by Jewish ultra-nationalists through parts of Jerusalem’s Old City, following warnings that it could reignite tensions that led to a punishing 11-day war with Gaza’s militant Hamas rulers last month. The parade, which celebrates Israel’s capture of East Jerusalem in the 1967 Middle East War, was first scheduled for May 10 and had gotten underway when Hamas fired rockets from Gaza toward the contested holy city in protest. Both Israelis and Palestinians claim Jerusalem, in part or in full, as their capital. The rocket fire triggered reprisals by Israeli forces, an engagement that continued until a cease-fire took effect May 21. Some 254 people were killed in Gaza and 13 in Israel. The war was preceded by weeks of confrontations between Israeli police and Palestinian demonstrators in Jerusalem’s Old City and in the nearby neighborhood of Sheikh Jarrah, where Jewish settlers have waged a decades-long campaign to evict Palestinian families from their homes. On Monday, Israel’s attorney general declined to intervene in the cases of several of the families, making it more likely that the evictions will be carried out — possibly in the coming weeks. That could also spark more violence. The procession, whose intended route goes through the Old City’s Muslim Quarter, is seen by Palestinians as a provocation. World & Nation As the latest cease-fire continues to hold, competing claims to Jerusalem by Israel and Palestinians will likely fuel new fighting, both sides say. May 30, 2021 In a statement, police said the proposal to hold the parade later this week was not approved but that new plans would be considered. Organizers accused the police of caving in to pressure from Hamas. Bezalel Smotrich, leader of the far-right Religious Zionism party, tweeted a warning to embattled Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu “not to give in to Hamas threats.” Renewed tensions in East Jerusalem or fighting with Hamas could complicate Israel’s shaky politics. Netanyahu’s opponents last week said they had formed a coalition that could remove him from the office he’d held for the last 12 years. The new coalition is expected to be sworn into office in the coming days. Over the weekend, Israeli police arrested and released a veteran reporter for the Al Jazeera satellite channel who had regularly been covering the Sheikh Jarrah protests. And on Sunday, authorities stormed the home of a leading activist in the neighborhood, arresting her and her brother. The siblings were later released. Technology and the Internet Social media users say they’ve been been censored for views expressing support for Palestinians and criticism of Israel. Employees of Facebook and Google have also accused the companies of bias. May 20, 2021 Before Muna Kurd was freed, police briefly clashed with a crowd outside the station, throwing stun grenades at the protesters. Israel captured East Jerusalem, which is home to sites sacred to Jews, Christians and Muslims, in the 1967 war and annexed it in a move not recognized internationally. Israel views the entire city as its capital, while the Palestinians want East Jerusalem as the capital of their future state. The settlers are using a 1970 law that allows Jews to reclaim formerly Jewish properties lost during the 1948 war surrounding Israel’s creation, a right denied to Palestinians who lost property in the same conflict. At least 150 Palestinian households, in Sheikh Jarrah and the neighborhood of Silwan, both near the Old City, are at risk of eventual eviction. A request by the attorney general at the height of the tensions last month led to the postponement of a Supreme Court hearing on the most imminent evictions, of four extended families comprising six households in Sheikh Jarrah. News Alerts Get breaking news, investigations, analysis and more signature journalism from the Los Angeles Times in your inbox. You may occasionally receive promotional content from the Los Angeles Times. But in a statement issued Monday, Atty. Gen. Avichai Mandelblit said that “there is no place” for him to intervene in the proceedings. That sends the matter back to the Supreme Court, which is expected to rule against the families. Ir Amim, an Israeli human rights group that closely follows the various court cases, says the four families could be evicted within the coming month, and that the attorney general’s decision could affect the cases of more than 80 other families threatened with eviction. “It paves the way for the evictions to be carried out,” said Amy Cohen, a spokeswoman for Ir Amim. But she added that Israeli authorities still had various options for postponing or halting the evictions. “There still is room for political intervention,” she said. The threatened evictions have been widely criticized internationally, including by the United States, Israel’s closest ally.

Supreme Court won't review men-only draft registration law

https://www.latimes.com/politics/story/2021-06-07/high-court-men-only-draft-registration-law

The Supreme Court on Monday said it won’t take up a case that asked it to decide whether it’s sex discrimination for the government to require only men to register for the draft when they turn 18. In a statement, three justices said Congress is weighing whether to change the Military Selective Service Act, which requires men but not women to register for the draft. They said that was a reason for the court not to take the case. “It remains to be seen, of course, whether Congress will end gender-based registration under the Military Selective Act. But at least for now, the Court’s longstanding deference to Congress on matters of national defense and military affairs cautions against granting review while Congress actively weighs the issue,” Justice Sonia Sotomayor wrote in a statement for herself, Justice Stephen G. Breyer and Justice Brett M. Kavanaugh. The question of whether it’s unconstitutional to require men but not women to register could be viewed as one with little practical impact. The last time there was a draft was during the Vietnam War, and the military has been all-volunteer since. But the registration requirement is one of the few remaining places where federal law treats men and women differently, and women’s groups are among those arguing that allowing it to stand is harmful. Ria Tabacco Mar, the director of the American Civil Liberties Union’s Women’s Rights Project, who had urged the court to take up the issue, said that requiring men to register imposes a “serious burden on men that’s not being imposed on women.” Men who do not register can lose eligibility for student loans and civil service jobs, and failing to register is also a felony punishable by a fine of up to $250,000 and five years in prison. But Tabacco Mar said the male-only requirement does more than that. “It’s also sending a tremendously harmful message that women are less fit than men to serve their country in this particular way and conversely that men are less fit than women to stay home as caregivers in the event of an armed conflict. We think those stereotypes demean both men and women,” said Mar, who represents the National Coalition for Men and two individual men challenging the law. Even if the draft is never used again, retaining the men-only requirement sends a “really damaging message,” she said. Get our Essential Politics newsletter The latest news, analysis and insights from our politics team. You may occasionally receive promotional content from the Los Angeles Times. A group of retired senior military officers and the National Organization for Women Foundation were among those that had urged the court to take the case. The issue of who has to register for the draft has been to the court before. In 1981, the court voted 6-3 to uphold the men-only registration requirement. At the time, the decision was something of an outlier because the court was regularly invalidating gender-based distinctions in cases about other areas of the law. Many of those cases were brought by the founding director of the ACLU’s Women’s Rights Project, Ruth Bader Ginsburg, who became a justice in 1993. The last time the high court considered the Military Selective Service Act, then-Justice William H. Rehnquist explained that the purpose of registration “was to prepare for a draft of combat troops.” He said that because women could not serve in combat, the law was not unlawful sex discrimination that violated the Constitution. But military policy has changed. In 2013, the Department of Defense lifted the ban on women serving in combat. Two years later, the department said all military roles would be open to women without exception. Just last year, a congressional commission concluded that the “time is right” to extend the obligation to register to women. Sotomayor pointed to that report in noting Congress is studying the issue. The Biden administration had urged the justices not to take the case and to let Congress instead tackle the issue. Administration lawyers wrote in a brief that any “reconsideration of the constitutionality of the male-only registration requirement ... would be premature at this time” because Congress is “actively considering” the issue. The case is National Coalition for Men vs. Selective Service System, 20-928.

Jeff Bezos is leaving Earth: He plans a brief visit to space

https://www.latimes.com/business/story/2021-06-07/jeff-bezos-blue-origin-space-flight

Jeff Bezos will go to space next month when his Blue Origin company launches its first passenger-carrying mission. The 57-year-old, who plans to travel alongside his brother, Mark, made the announcement in an Instagram post Monday. The launch is scheduled for about two weeks after the billionaire plans to step down as chief executive of Amazon.com Inc. “Ever since I was five years old, I’ve dreamed of traveling to space,” Bezos said in the post. “On July 20th, I will take that journey with my brother. The greatest adventure, with my best friend.” Business Jeff Bezos’ Blue Origin space company will make one seat available to the public on the July 20 trip in its New Shepard space capsule. May 5, 2021 Blue Origin is one of several high-profile space-tourism companies backed by a wealthy entrepreneur, alongside Elon Musk’s Space Exploration Technologies Corp. and the Richard Branson-backed Virgin Galactic Holdings Inc. Both of those companies are making plans to carry paying customers. Blue Origin is auctioning off a seat on its New Shepard rocket for the July 20 flight, an 11-minute trip to suborbital space that will reach an altitude of about 62 miles. The spot will be the only one available for purchase on the flight, and the proceeds will go to a Blue Origin foundation that promotes math and science education. The high bid stood at $3.5 million Monday afternoon, according to the company’s website. Bidding will end Saturday with a live online auction. It will be Blue Origin’s 16th flight. The company has said that customers will have a four-day experience, including three days of preflight training at the company’s launch site near Van Horn, Texas. Blue Origin has built accommodations, including a cafeteria. The space capsule will be a first-class experience, with reclining leather seats designed to cushion the force of zipping into space. The capsule also has “the largest windows in spacecraft history,” according to Blue Origin’s website, so passengers can take in the view. Branson, 70, plans to fly on a Virgin Galactic flight to suborbital space, perhaps as early as this summer. The timing of that launch had been in doubt after several test failures and got back on track last month with a successful flight to space carrying two pilots. John Glenn was the oldest person to fly in space, at 77, when he hitched a ride aboard a space shuttle as a U.S. senator in 1998. Glenn had been the first American to orbit the Earth, as a NASA astronaut in 1962. Bezos has been slowly selling off his stake in Amazon to invest in Blue Origin. In 2017, he said he spent about $1 billion a year on the sideline. He has compared space tourism to stunt-flying barnstormers, which helped fuel public fascination with aviation and made it a common mode of transportation. Bezos has said he envisions millions of people living and working in space, and lowering the cost of space travel with rockets that can be reused like airplanes is the first step. Bezos plans to hand the reins as Amazon’s CEO to Andy Jassy on July 5. Business On Sunday, SpaceX will embark on the first of its regular missions to launch crew to the International Space Station. It’s expected to usher in more commercial opportunities in low-Earth orbit. Nov. 13, 2020

What will a reopened L.A. County look like? More freedom but also coronavirus tests and rules

https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2021-06-07/la-reopening-covid-vaccine-mask-testing-requirements

Los Angeles County is eagerly awaiting a full reopening June 15. But despite the excitement, it won’t be a complete return to a pre-pandemic normal. Here are five things to expect as L.A. County fully reopens. California officials have signaled they’ll end mask-wearing requirements for fully vaccinated people June 15. But there’s also an expectation that unvaccinated people may violate rules that generally instruct them to continue wearing masks. If they start shedding their masks in close contact with other unvaccinated people, and vaccination rates are not high enough to interrupt outbreaks from occurring, it’s possible more unvaccinated people will be at higher risk for contracting COVID-19. World & Nation Free beer is the latest incentive endorsed by the White House to persuade Americans to get vaccinated for COVID-19. June 2, 2021 “As we begin intermingling more with people outside our households, testing is really one of the best ways to stop outbreaks before they start,” L.A. County Public Health Director Barbara Ferrer said. “This will be an essential part of our strategy, especially after June 15.” Ferrer recommends getting tested in the following situations: • When anyone comes down with signs or symptoms of COVID-19, regardless of vaccination status. (It’s extraordinarily rare for a fully vaccinated person to come down with symptoms of COVID-19 — only 0.03% of 3.3 million L.A. County residents who had been fully vaccinated as of May 7 later tested positive for the coronavirus. Only 0.002% were hospitalized.)• Unvaccinated people who discover they’ve been in close contact with someone who has been confirmed to have COVID-19.• Unvaccinated people who have been potentially exposed to the coronavirus. “So if you are unvaccinated and you spent time indoors around a lot of people not wearing masks, get tested — whether you’ve had symptoms or not,” Ferrer said. “You don’t want to be the person spreading this infection onward to others.” People who test positive need to isolate themselves so they don’t infect other people, and should mask up when they’ve completed the isolation period and leave their home. People can get tested by their healthcare provider; coronavirus testing sites listed on L.A. County’s websites offer tests for free. California Increasing evidence about the effectiveness of COVID-19 vaccines and California’s low case rates convince experts it’s safe to stop wearing masks. May 27, 2021 Under a proposal recommended by the state Occupational Safety and Health Standards Board on Thursday, California is set to lift mask requirements June 15 for workers in situations where everyone in a room is fully vaccinated and doesn’t have COVID-19 symptoms. But if even one unvaccinated worker, or a guest for whom the employer doesn’t have vaccination records, enters, then every employee in the room will still have to mask up, according to the proposal, drafted by the California Division of Occupational Safety and Health, known as Cal/OSHA. The plan also proposes that, until July 31, all employees in indoor settings or outdoor events of 10,000 or more people must continue to either physically distance from others or be given the option to wear respirators — like an N95 respirator — for voluntary use. California Northern counties -- including Tehama and Lassen -- have low vaccination rates and the state’s highest rate of infection. June 2, 2021 Officials will still have special requirements for settings like schools, day camps, daycare, hospitals, healthcare facilities and high-risk congregate settings. And masking, distancing and infection control measures will still be required in those settings, Ferrer said. Science & Medicine The world’s leading COVID-19 vaccines may offer lasting protection that diminishes the need for frequent booster shots, scientists say. June 2, 2021 It’s possible that some businesses will require customers to wear masks even though the state and county will no longer require them. L.A. County next week will post a list of best practices that will help businesses to make plans. World & Nation Germany, Greece and five other European Union nations have introduced a COVID-19 vaccination certificate system on the eve of summer tourist season. June 2, 2021

The best L.A. and O.C. museum shows for June: 28 exhibitions to see now

https://www.latimes.com/entertainment-arts/story/2021-06-07/things-to-do-in-la-orange-county-museums

What are your best bets at Southern California museums for June? Jonathan Michael Castillo’s photographic exploration of Los Angeles car culture has opened, and you can catch a celebration of all things Disney before it closes June 20. Here’s what’s on view at the Broad, La Brea Tar Pits, California Science Center, Grammy Museum, Norton Simon and beyond. Check back here for weekly updates, and before you go, remember to call or check online for reservation requirements and other COVID-19 protocols. The shows that have our attention: “Jonathan Michael Castillo: Car Culture” Candid photographs examine Angelenos’ relationships with their automobiles. California Museum of Art Thousand Oaks at the Oaks, 350 W. Hillcrest Drive. Open Friday-Sunday. Free. (805) 405-5240. cmato.org “When I Remember I See Red: American Indian Art and Activism in California”On view through Nov. 14. Also on view: “What’s Her Story: Women in the Archives” (through Aug. 28)Autry Museum of the American West, 4700 Western Heritage Way, Griffith Park, L.A. Closed Mondays. $6-$14; children younger than 3 are free; reservations available online; walk-ups allowed at box office. (323) 667-2000. theautry.org “Invisible Sun”Works by Julie Mehretu, Keith Haring and others from the Broad’s collection explore social justice; on view through Oct. 3. The Broad, 221 S. Grand Ave., downtown L.A. Open Wednesday-Sunday. Free; advance timed-entry tickets required; no on-site standby line. (213) 232-6200. thebroad.org “Enunciated Life”Contemporary works exploring Black spirituality; on view through Aug. 15. California African American Museum, 600 State Drive, Exposition Park, L.A. Closed Mondays. Free; reservations required. (213) 744-7432. caamuseum.org “Mammoths and Mastodons”Fossils and exhibits recall the prehistoric mammals that once called Southern California home. La Brea Tar Pits and Page Museum, 5801 Wilshire Blvd., L.A. Open Wednesday through Sunday. $7-$15; California teachers and EBT cardholders, active and retired military, and kids 2 and younger are free; advance timed-entry tickets required. (213) 763-3499. tarpits.org “Cudra Clover: Hysteria” Biologically inspired silk paintings; on view through Sept. 5. Museum of Art & History, 665 W. Lancaster Blvd., Lancaster. Closed Mondays. Free; reservations required. (661) 723-6250. lancastermoah.org “The Art of the Brick” Artworks made from Legos. Also on view: “All in This Together,” the science behind COVID-19 and its effect on communities; “Dogs! A Science Tail”; “Mission 26: The Big Endeavour,” on the relocation of the space shuttle to Southern California. California Science Center, 700 Exposition Park Drive, L.A. Open daily. Permanent exhibits are free; special exhibits (including “The Art of the Brick”) and IMAX films vary in price. Advance reservations required. (323) 724-3623. californiasciencecenter.org “Inside the Walt Disney Archives: 50 Years of Preserving the Magic” On view through June 20. Bowers Museum, 2002 N. Main St., Santa Ana. Closed Mondays. $10-$15; children younger than 12 free; advance purchase recommended. (714) 567-3600. bowers.org. | TIMES FEATURE Entertainment & Arts Disney’s Spider-Man ride continues the park’s shift toward interactive, game-like experiences. Black Panther warriors inspire. June 2, 2021 “Making Time”Works by L.A.-based artists that explore the concept of time; on view through Sept. 12. Craft Contemporary, 5814 Wilshire Blvd., L.A. Open Thursday-Sunday. $7, $9; Sundays are pay what you can; reservations required. craftcontemporary.org “Free State” Exploration of human rights, democracy, the environment; on view through Sept. 18. ESMoA (El Segundo Museum of Art), 208 Main St., El Segundo. Open Fridays and Saturdays. Free; advance timed-entry tickets required. (424) 277-1020. esmoa.org “Photo Flux: Unshuttering L.A.”Photographs by 35 L.A.-based artists interrogate concepts such as culture, objectivity and representation; on view through Oct. 10. Getty Center, Sepulveda Boulevard and Getty Center Drive, L.A. Closed Mondays. Free; advance timed-entry tickets required. (310) 440-7300. getty.edu California The Getty Center, which has been closed since March 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic, reopens to the public. May 26, 2021 “Mesopotamia: Civilization Begins”Statuary, pottery, wall paintings and other antiquities from the Louvre; on view through Aug. 16. Also on view: “Assyria: Palace Art of Ancient Iraq.” Getty Villa, 17985 Pacific Coast Highway, Pacific Palisades. Closed Tuesdays. Free; advance tickets required. (310) 440-7300. getty.edu | TIMES REVIEW “Motown: The Sound of Young America”The storied record label is celebrated through stage costumes, musical instruments and more; on view though January. Also on view: “This Is Nat King Cole” and “Dave Matthews Band: Inside and Out”; “Y Para Siempre ... Marco Antonio Solís”. Grammy Museum, 800 W. Olympic Blvd., L.A. Open Friday-Sunday. $13, $15; ages 5 and under are free; advance timed-entry tickets required. (213) 765-6800. grammymuseum.org “Made in L.A. 2020: a version”The Hammer Museum’s pandemic-delayed fifth biennial is presented this year with the Huntington Library, Art Museum, and Botanical Gardens; on view through Aug. 1. Hammer Museum, 10899 Wilshire Blvd., Westwood. Closed Mondays. Free; reservations required. (310) 443-7000. hammer.ucla.edu. Also at the Huntington, 1151 Oxford Road, San Marino. Closed Tuesdays. $13-$29; children younger than 4, free; advance purchase required. (626) 405-2100. huntington.org | TIMES FEATURE | REVIEW “Carlos Almaraz: Evolution of Form”Times columnist Carolina A. Miranda called the work of this late painter, subject of a 2017 LACMA retrospective, “vital to the ways in which Los Angeles sees itself.” This exhibition explores the Chicano artist’s early life to reveal influences on his style and form. LA Plaza de Cultural y Artes, 501 N. Main St., downtown L.A. Thursday-Sundays. Free; reservations suggested. (213) 542-6200. lapca.org “Wayne Thiebaud: Clowns”Paintings, drawings and etchings on view through Oct. 24. Laguna Art Museum, 307 Cliff Drive, Laguna Beach. Closed Wednesdays. $5, $7; 17 and younger are free. (949) 494-8971. lagunaartmuseum.org. “Yoshitomo Nara”A three-decade survey of works by the Japanese artist; on view through July 5. Also on view: “Cauleen Smith: Give It or Leave It,” multimedia works by the L.A.-based artist. Los Angeles County Museum of Art, 5905 Wilshire Blvd., L.A. Closed Wednesdays. $10-$25; ages 12 and younger are free; advance timed-entry tickets required. (323) 857-6010. lacma.org| TIMES REVIEW | REVIEW “L’Epoque des Carrossiers: The Art and Times of the French Coach Builders”Mullin Automotive Museum, 1421 Emerson Ave., Oxnard. Open Fridays-Sundays. $10-$16; ages 2 and younger and active-duty military are free; advance purchase required. (805) 385-5400. mullinautomotivemuseum.com “Our House: Selections From MOCA’s Collection”Works by Mark Rothko and others, from the 1950s to the present. Museum of Contemporary Art, 250 S. Grand Ave., downtown L.A. Open daily. Also reopened: Geffen Contemporary at MOCA, 152 N. Central Ave., Little Tokyo. (213) 626-6222. moca.org Free; special exhibitions, $10, $18. “HERland: Women Artists in the MOLAA Collection”Works by Latina and Latin American artists including Leonora Carrington, Ofelia Rodriguez, Verónica Riedel and Carmen Argote; on view to members now, reopening to the public in July. Museum of Latin American Art, 628 Alamitos Ave., Long Beach. Open Tuesdays-Fridays. (562) 437-1689. molaa.org Butterfly Pavilion Open through Sept. 6. Also on view: “Rise Up L.A.: A Century of Votes for Women”; “Spiky, Hairy, Shiny: Insects of L.A.” Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County, 900 Exposition Blvd., L.A. Open Thursdays-Sundays. $8-$17; 2 and younger are free; advance timed-entry tickets required. (213) 763-DINO. nhm.org| TIMES FEATURE “The Swineherd”This 1888 painting by Paul Gauguin on loan from LACMA is exhibited with related post-Impressionist works in the museum’s 19th century art gallery; on view through Nov. 18. Norton Simon Museum, 411 W. Colorado Blvd., Pasadena. Closed Tuesday-Wednesday. $12, $15; students, active military and ages 18 and younger are free. (626) 449-6840. nortonsimon.org Your essential guide to the arts in L.A. Get Carolina A. Miranda's weekly newsletter for what's happening, plus openings, critics' picks and more. You may occasionally receive promotional content from the Los Angeles Times. “Supercars: A Century of Spectacle and Speed”Petersen Automotive Museum, 6060 Wilshire Blvd., L.A. Closed Mondays-Tuesdays. $11-$16; active-duty military and children younger than 4 are free; advance purchase required. (323) 930-2277. petersen.org “Ai Weiwei: Trace” This installation created by the Chinese artist features portraits, crafted from Lego bricks, of dissidents, prisoners of conscience and free-speech advocates; on view through Aug. 1. Skirball Cultural Center, 2701 N. Sepulveda Blvd., L.A. Open Tuesday-Sunday. $7-$12; kids under 2 are free; advance timed-entry tickets required. Partial reopening does not include the Noah’s Ark children’s area. skirball.org “Analogues: Travon Free” Photographs by the comedian and Oscar-winning filmmaker capture last summer’s street demonstrations in L.A. in response to the police killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis; on view through Jan. 16. UCR Arts (California Museum of Photography, Culver Center of the Arts), 3824 Main St., Riverside. Open Thursday-Sunday. Free; advance timed-entry tickets required. ucrarts.ucr.edu “See Thy Neighbor: Stern Photographers Thomas Hoepker and Harald Schmitt in the GDR”Two photographers with very different points of view on East German life in the 1970s and ’80s; on view through Oct. 24. Wende Museum, 10808 Culver Blvd., Culver City. Open Friday-Sunday. Free; advance reservations required. (310) 216-1600. wendemuseum.org “Intersections: World Arts, Local Lives” Exhibit explores the role art has played in the lives of the peoples of Africa, Asia, the Pacific and the Americas from the distant past to the present day; on long-term view. UCLA Fowler Museum, 308 Charles E. Young Drive North, Westwood. Closed Mon.-Tue. Free. (310) 825-4361. fowler.ucla.edu “Fragmentation and Harmony”Paintings by L.A.-based artists Joshua Elias and Soheila Siadate; on view through June 26. Orange County Center for Contemporary Art, 117 N. Sycamore St., Santa Ana. Open Friday-Saturday; Thursday-Sunday by appointment. Free. (714) 667-1517. occca.org Entertainment & Arts Incidents of Asian hate push the museum to review its collections and move exhibitions away from stereotypes toward a more complex view of Asian culture. May 29, 2021

Pack your patience as summer jobs go unfilled in national parks

https://www.latimes.com/travel/story/2021-06-07/packing-for-your-big-u-s-summer-vacation-bring-patience-service-may-be-spotty

As families in California and beyond prepare for their summer vacations, hotels and restaurants throughout the West are short on staff, including many in popular national parks. Industry veterans say this is partly because the pandemic recovery has put workers in high demand everywhere. But it’s also because tens of thousands of foreign student workers, who often take positions in Yosemite, the Grand Canyon and other popular destinations, are still unable to enter the U.S. “I can’t remember a year where we‘ve had this many vacancies at this point in the season,” said Matt Morgan, vice president and co-owner of Colorado-based Coolworks.com, which tracks hospitality jobs and other seasonal positions in national parks. What does this mean for travelers? “Anywhere you go, you’ve got to be prepared to be patient and be compassionate. The folks that are there are probably working really long hours because they’re short-staffed,” Morgan said. “I would expect long lines at times,” said Sonny Taylor, vice president of Janus International, a visa sponsorship agency that matches international college students with hospitality jobs and internships in U.S. parks and elsewhere. “There are definitely still a lot of empty jobs in many parts of the country, especially in the hospitality sector.” After a recent note seeking reader reports on park readiness, website nationalparkstraveler.org heard from several travelers who lamented the quality and quantity of park concession workers and accused concession companies of pinching pennies. What’s frustrating for visitors, however, might be encouraging for some job seekers. “I’m seeing a lot of jobs that previously paid $10 an hour [with free or subsidized room and board] going up to $12 or $13 an hour,” Morgan said. In addition, “we’re seeing a lot of employers offer free housing or discounted housing or bigger end-of-season bonuses.” In a few cases, Morgan said, employers are offering signing bonus of up to $500, something he’s never encountered. Morgan estimated that his company has 3,000 to 4,000 park concession jobs open, many of them kitchen and housekeeping positions. In Yosemite, where an Aramark subsidiary runs lodgings and restaurant concessions, management on June 2 had 54 jobs open, including barista, grill cook, campground host, Wawona Hotel piano player, tow truck driver, hotel housekeeper and front desk positions, along with positions in retail sales and custodial services. Also vacant: the general manager’s office at the Ahwahnee Hotel. Aramark spokeswoman Lisa Cesaro said those job postings are “similar to a normal year,” noting that some facilities remain closed “due to continued [pandemic] safety measures and limited housing for staff. “We typically have some international staff members in the summer season, but it is fairly low — approximately 5% of the total team. This year all our staff are based in the U.S.A.,” Cesaro said. To limit crowds this summer, the park requires day-trippers to make reservations. At the Grand Canyon, where Xanterra holds the concession, the company website listed 95 job openings, including mule wrangler, bus mechanic, trail crew member, gardener, firefighter, housekeeping inspector, many food-service jobs and the director of human resources. “We are hiring local and regional,” said Xanterra Travel Collection spokesman Rene Mack by e-mail. “As you know, there are millions of jobs available this summer and many industries are having staffing challenges.” Xanterra operates hotel, restaurant or retail operations at Yellowstone, Grand Canyon, Glacier, Zion and Rocky Mountain national parks and Mt. Rushmore National Monument. Until the coronavirus outbreak, hospitality industry veterans say international workers were part of the seasonal rhythm of the national park system. Many of those workers were college students from abroad, working under J-1 visas that permit seasonal employment, often in summer, sometimes in winter. By 2019, Taylor said, the U.S. State Department’s J-1 program had grown to include about 105,000 students from around the world, all headed for seasonal hospitality jobs in U.S. tourist destinations, including national parks. Last summer, global travel was out of the question and most park hotels and restaurants were closed or operating at substantially reduced capacity, which meant few workers were needed. As this summer begins, demand is booming, but Taylor estimated the number of incoming J-1 workers at 17,000 to 25,000 — “a quarter of what it was before the pandemic.” With pandemic conditions varying worldwide, many countries still ban travel, and many U.S. embassies abroad are operating on limited schedules. Taylor said that means fewer students have a chance at obtaining visas. Even those who get a coveted J-1 visa, he said, can face steep challenges in getting to the U.S., including vaccination and quarantine requirements. Taylor said Janus is sending about 200 Thai students to national parks this summer; they will be spread among the Grand Canyon, Mt. Rushmore and Death Valley. The hiring cycle starts in December or January and is usually completed by now, Morgan said. But it’s June and “we have the same number of jobs available that we usually see in a typical March. … I think people are going to be trying to fill positions all the way through August.”

In Guatemala, Harris tells would-be migrants to U.S., 'You will be turned back'

https://www.latimes.com/politics/story/2021-06-07/vice-president-harris-meets-with-guatemalan-leader-on-migration-issues

Speaking from Guatemala’s capital with its president at her side, Vice President Kamala Harris delivered a stark message Monday to would-be migrants from Central America, saying they “will be turned back” if they attempt to cross the U.S. border illegally. Harris, on her first foreign trip as vice president, also gently chided her host, Guatemalan President Alejandro Giammattei. He and other regional leaders, she said, must work to reduce poverty, violence and corruption and give their citizens reasons to stay in their home countries — to create “hope” for citizens about their futures there. “I believe if you come to our border, you will be turned back,” Harris said during a joint news conference with Giammattei. “So let’s discourage our friends or neighbors or family members from embarking on what is otherwise an extremely dangerous journey.” Harris was to continue to Mexico City later Monday for the second stop on a two-stop, two-day trip. She is to meet on Tuesday with President Andrés Manuel López Obrador, a left-wing populist who developed a collegial relationship with the Trump administration. World & Nation Mexican President Andrés Manuel López Obrador’s party and allies appear poised to maintain their majority in the lower chamber of Mexico’s Congress. June 7, 2021 Harris, in remarks to reporters before her meeting with Giammattei, said her visit here underscored the priority that President Biden placed on the region. “It is important that as we embark on a new era that we recognize the significance and the importance of this relationship,” she said. Giammattei, at the news conference, said Harris’ visit provided an “opportunity to be able to work on a joint agenda” to help the Guatemalan economy. But he also seemed defensive at Harris’ remarks on corruption, bristling at the implicit criticism of his government. He said the two discussed opening U.S. markets and expanding the availability of work visas — “a very simple process to allow people to migrate regularly to the United States.” “We can move forward mile after mile until we can turn this country into a country of opportunity where people want to stay,” Giammattei said. Harris, in what she called a “robust, candid” and thorough discussion, said she and Giammattei discussed “the fundamental belief that most people don’t want to leave home.” She said they agreed that illicit drugs and human trafficking are undermining security in both Guatemala and the United States. To improve conditions, she said the United States would start an initiative to empower young women, provide investment in agribusiness, housing and start-up businesses and encourage corporate executives globally to invest. Significantly, given the role of corruption in the region’s plight, Harris said, “The president and I discussed the importance of anti-corruption and the importance of an independent judiciary.” She said a task force will be set up to train people and support local prosecutors, adding, “Corruption does not know borders, and we want to make sure that this is about transnational crime... Follow the money.” Later, Harris sought to emphasize what she has described as a pillar of the new Biden administration policy: To work more closely with nongovernmental organizations and activist groups, channeling aid money away from corrupt politicians. Politics Officials have quietly deployed a mobile app relying on facial recognition technology to collect data on asylum seekers before they cross the border. June 6, 2021 She met with a large group of leaders in Guatemala’s civil society, including well known activists Rigoberta Menchú, a Nobel Peace laureate and veteran campaigner for indigenous rights; former Vice President Eduardo Stein, who has long worked on behalf of migrants and refugees; and Helen Mack, a prominent human rights defender whose anthropologist sister was assassinated by the Guatemalan military three decades ago. Harris had landed in Guatemala City on Sunday evening to a red-carpet reception and was greeted by a national honor guard under a slight breeze. This first trip outside the United States since taking office is one with historic significance. Harris is now the highest-ranking woman of color in the history of the United States to represent the country on foreign soil. She is doing so in her role as Biden’s emissary to address the root causes of Central Americans’ migration northward. Ahead of Harris’ trip, administration officials tried to lower expectations about any immediate results, stressing that this visit was her introduction to the region. But she is under political pressure to show results. Republicans have tried to tie her to the administration’s struggles to manage the border and have attacked her for not acting more aggressively in her assignment. And the continued flow of migrant families and unaccompanied children to the U.S. border has created an urgent humanitarian problem. Ricardo Zúñiga, the administration’s special envoy to the region, defended the decision for Harris to meet with Giammattei, despite attacks here on independent bodies trying to root out corruption in the government. Zúñiga told reporters Sunday night that Harris and Giammattei would talk “clearly and plainly as partners, as countries that have to get along.” In previous conversations with leaders in the region, Zúñiga said, “we talked about the easy things, but we talk mostly about hard things.” Specialists on the region looked to Harris’ diplomacy for further signs of the shift from the policies of President Trump. “This is a trip to Mexico and Guatemala, but it’s a trip that’s being viewed across the broader region as ... an indication of what is going to be the Biden administration’s broader strategy,” said Jason Marczak, director of the Adrienne Arsht Latin America Center at the Atlantic Council think tank, which held a discussion on the trip Friday. Biden asked Harris in March to tackle what the administration called the root causes that had led to an increased number of people from Guatemala, Honduras and El Salvador, including many families and unaccompanied children, to head toward the United States. The three countries, known collectively as the Northern Triangle, have been rocked by recent hurricanes and the COVID-19 pandemic. But they also have deeply embedded poverty and corruption that have allowed drug cartels and other criminals to thrive. Harris is not traveling to Honduras or El Salvador and has not met with either country’s leaders because of American concerns about corruption in both countries. Harris has spent months meeting with experts, activists and business leaders, often virtually, and has begun implementing a strategy that includes soliciting foreign investment as well as granting foreign aid, while exerting pressure on the governments to improve their governance and human rights records. Corruption is “kind of a driver of migration” because “when the governments are not reliable, they can’t deliver services,” said Steve Johnson, a top advisor on the region in the George W. Bush administration. But Ana Maria Mendez, Oxfam’s Central America director who is based here, said in an interview, “We should all be clear that one visit will not solve it all.” Harris has also emphasized the need for patience. Many of the problems have been festering for decades. Biden had a nearly identical assignment in 2014 when he served as vice president in the Obama administration but was unable to make a long-term impact. The vice president’s trip got off to a rough start as she left Washington on Sunday afternoon. Harris’ plane was turned back after takeoff because of mechanical problems, forcing her and those traveling with her to switch aircraft. “We all said a little prayer, but we’re good,” she told reporters as she walked off the troubled plane. Bierman reported from Guatemala City and Wilkinson from Washington.

The Sports Report: Clippers in seventh heaven after playoff series win

https://www.latimes.com/sports/newsletter/2021-06-07/clippers-mavericks-nba-playoffs-dodgers-olympics-sports-report

Howdy, I’m your host, Austin Knoblauch, filling in for Houston Mitchell, who is on vacation (probably perfecting his spin rate). Let’s get right to the news. Andre Greif on the Clippers: As the Clippers left Staples Center last week, trailing again in this first-round playoff series and unsure whether they would return, Paul George called the third quarter when so much had gone wrong something “that’s going to haunt us.” Go beyond the scoreboard Get the latest on L.A.'s teams in the daily Sports Report newsletter. You may occasionally receive promotional content from the Los Angeles Times. It was an off-the-cuff remark by an All-Star. It also happened to be the perfect description of another imperfect game for a franchise that, for 50 years, has been defined by such postseason shortcomings. All season, the Clippers have called that a thing of the past and last season’s second-round collapse against Denver a non-factor. They believed that winning short-handed throughout the season had steeled them, and that their shooting would sustain them. Offered a chance to add another ignominious chapter to their history Sunday, nine months after crumbling in their previous Game 7, the Clippers instead continued their redemption tour into the second round following a 126-111 win against the Dallas Mavericks, their most forceful declaration yet that this roster is not haunted by the past. The top-seeded Utah Jazz now await. Game 1 is Tuesday in Salt Lake City. Kawhi Leonard had 28 points with 10 rebounds, Marcus Morris scored 23, Paul George contributed 22 points and six rebounds, and Reggie Jackson had 15 points for the Clippers, who shot 50%. Leonard is only the fourth player in NBA history to score at least 200 points while shooting at least 60% in a playoff series, joining Shaquille O’Neal (2000), Bernard King (1984) and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (1977). The mental mistakes that lost the Clippers’ first three home games of this series, particularly the way Game 5 unraveled, were gone amid a 24-4 run over the final six minutes of the third quarter. When Dallas cut a 19-point lead to seven with two minutes to play, behind Luka Doncic’s 46 points, their resilience could have finally wobbled. But Jackson and Morris answered with three-pointers on consecutive possessions and fans gripped one another in almost stunned celebration. The Clippers’ 20 three-pointers are the most made in Game 7 history. Enjoying this newsletter? Consider subscribing to the Los Angeles Times Your support helps us deliver the news that matters most. Become a subscriber. Bill Plaschke on the Clippers: Seventh heaven. Kawhi Leonard drives the baseline for a vicious two-handed slam and the building fills with chants of “M-V-P, M-V-P!” Marcus Morris Sr. nails one, two, three, four, five, six, seven three-pointers — seven! — and fans are pounding their Thunderstix into plastic pulp. Luke Kennard makes three straight shots and suddenly heard is a dirge of “Luuuuke.” You read that right. Luke Kennard. Three straight shots. Somebody saying his name. It was that crazy. It was that perfect. For once the Clippers were not cursed, they were blessed, playing their best game of the season on their most important day of the season Sunday in game that was uproariously loud and eminently lovable. In the same arena where three days earlier the Lakers collapsed, the Clippers flew, walloping the Dallas Mavericks 126-111 in the deciding Game 7 of their first-round playoff series in front of 7,342 at Staples Center. You sure you’re ready for this, L.A.? Jorge Castillo on the Dodgers: Trevor Bauer was on the mound for the first six innings of the Dodgers’ 4-2 loss to the Atlanta Braves at Truist Park on Sunday, but the ace that the Dodgers made one of the highest paid pitchers in Major League Baseball was missing. This version of Trevor Bauer wasn’t the version that won the 2020 National League Cy Young Award. It wasn’t the version the Braves encountered in Game 1 of the wild card series last September. That one was dominant, striking out 12 without a walk over seven scoreless innings for the Cincinnati Reds. This version of Trevor Bauer labored. This one gave up six hits, walked four — setting a season high for baserunners allowed — and yielded three runs. He threw 100 pitches, 38 fastballs. Those fastballs averaged a spin rate of 223 revolutions per minute (rpm) lower than his league-leading average entering the day. The Braves (28-29) sat on the pitch and had success, cracking their first three hits off it. Coincidentally, it was Bauer’s first start since MLB informed team owners of its plan to begin enforcing the rules against pitchers using illegal substances to doctor baseballs for increased spin rates. After the game, Bauer did not deny the two developments are linked. ————— Dylan Hernández on Trevor Bauer: Under their current owners, the Dodgers have taken pride in refusing to adhere to the fundamental spirit of baseball’s compensation system, which is to reward players for what they’ve done in the past and not necessary for what they’ll do in the future. Ironically, that’s the very position the Dodgers are now in with their high-profile free-agent acquisition from the winter who characterized the organization’s forward-thinking culture. Just two months into the season, Trevor Bauer isn’t the same pitcher the Dodgers signed in the winter. The Dodgers invested $102 million in the right-hander believing he was a frontline starter, but who knows what they’re paying for now that the commissioner’s office has informed teams it would start enforcing rules prohibiting the doctoring of baseballs. The transformation was as instantaneous as it was pronounced. In a 4-2 loss to the Atlanta Braves on Sunday, the spin rate and usage of Bauer’s four-seam fastball were noticeably down. Bauer held the Braves to three runs in six innings, but he didn’t pitch well. The 10 baserunners he allowed were a season-high. “Hot, humid day in Atlanta,” Bauer said sarcastically. To his everlasting credit, Bauer didn’t deny having previously used foreign substances to improve his grip on baseballs, coming as close to admitting he did without actually saying it. “I just want to compete on a fair playing field,” he said. John Scheibe on the Angels: The Angels went into Sunday’s game against the Seattle Mariners with a modest two-game winning streak and chance to win their ninth game in 13 tries, but after scoring 12 runs Saturday night, they could manage just two through eight innings and eventually lost 9-5 at Angel Stadium. On a near-perfect 72-degree, sun-splashed day, the Mariners opened the game with a run in the first inning on a walk, a wild pitch, an infield single and a sharply hit sacrifice fly by Kyle Seager that scored J.P. Crawford. It took 26 pitches from Angels starter Patrick Sandoval to retire the side, but he did strike out two of his career-high 10. The Angels responded immediately when Justin Upton hit his third career leadoff home run and 13th homer of the season, a line drive into the Angels bullpen off Seattle starter Logan Gilbert. It was Upton’s fifth home run in his last six games in Anaheim. The Mariners took a 3-1 lead in the third on four hits that included Donavon Walton’s second home run of the season and a double by Crawford that skipped off the top of the glove of right fielder Taylor Ward. Helene Elliott on the U.S. gymnastics championships: Simone Biles’ fearlessness and unmatched skills created little doubt that she would win the women’s all-around title at the U.S. gymnastics championships. But Biles, who’s trying to repeat as the Olympic all-around champion in Tokyo and lead the U.S. to another team gold medal, left nothing to chance in Sunday’s national finale, bringing the power and sizzle that make her the best gymnast who has graced a mat. Biles put on a show in the finale for an adoring crowd at Dickies Arena, topping her first-day score while wrapping up her seventh national all-around title and setting herself up nicely for the Olympic trials June 24-27 in St. Louis. She controlled the overexuberance that had carried her out of bounds three times during her floor exercise routine on Friday, stepping out once but otherwise preserving her trademark strength and amplitude. This woman — and her spirit — can soar. “It’s so crazy because in training I never go out of bounds and I never have this much power, but adrenaline is where it comes, so we just have to focus on working with that,” she said. “It’s not a bad thing, but it could be if I keep going out of bounds.” The only misfortune she experienced was minor: she snapped a fingernail on her first vault. “I’m very upset about it because they’re pretty cute this time,” she said, holding her fingers toward the camera during her post-event webinar. She couldn’t be too upset. Discomfort that resulted from jamming her ankles on Wednesday led her to skip the daring Yurchenko double pike vault she pulled off last month — she’s the only woman in the world to land it — but the vaults she did instead were effortless and stunning. She racked up 60.10 points on Sunday and 119.65 overall, ahead of dynamic Sunisa Lee (114.95), who had the meet’s top uneven bars score. “I feel like I’m on the correct road for the trials,” Biles said, adding that she plans to do the Yurchenko double pike vault at least once in the two-day trials. David Wharton on American dominance in the Olympics: The story goes back a ways, back to the mid-1980s, when Michael Johnson was still in high school. The famous sprinter was years away from winning gold medals at three consecutive Summer Olympics. He wasn’t yet known for those glittering golden spikes. A nerdy kid, Johnson was running track at a small magnet school in Dallas. The team’s coach, Joel Ezar, who taught health class during the day, knew only a little about technique but could spot raw talent. “No one was paying attention to me,” Johnson recalls, “until he started writing letters to all these colleges.” Baylor University offered the unpolished athlete a chance to hone his skills with a coaching staff versed in speed and strength training. “It was a critical moment for me,” says Johnson, who wonders whether he might otherwise have fallen through the cracks and never become an Olympian. “I made a huge leap when I got to college.” This story might sound quaint but it shows how college sports have served as a vast feeder system, helping the Americans dominate every Summer Games for the past 25 years and making them favorites to again win a lion’s share of medals at the Tokyo Olympics. People need to know how it works, Johnson says. They need to understand because the U.S. winning streak could be history — no more piles of gold, silver and bronze — by the time the 2028 Los Angeles Games come around. —————— J. Brady McCollough on the Pac-12’s Olympic-sized problem: Painful memories will endure from Misty Hartung’s year fighting for Stanford athletes in their battle with university leaders who chose to turn their backs on them. First, there was Hartung’s son, men’s volleyball player Kyler Presho, telling her the news in July 2021 the school was cutting his program along with 10 other varsity sports virtually out of nowhere. “The look in my son’s eyes the day he got cut is just something I will never forget,” Hartung says. Stanford gave the affected coaches and players zero notice. Other schools had announced cuts in the months prior, using the pandemic as cover for budgetary slashes that may have felt inevitable for some time. But this was Stanford, long the emblem of what the “student-athlete” experience should be, and now the West Coast’s Ivy League peer with a $28 billion endowment was saying there wasn’t enough money to save sports that routinely bred U.S. Olympians? Hartung, who lives in San Clemente and works in sales, soon found herself playing the role of fraud investigator, joining parents from each of the discarded programs on the front lines. While putting together the vision and funding for a lawsuit against the school, she heard stories of Stanford’s administrative indifference straight from the confused athletes and absorbed their heartbreak over a Zoom screen. Former NFL player Toi Cook on the league denying his concussion settlement claim: Same old, same old. That’s the feeling I had this past week when I heard about “race-norming,” which curves the cognitive test scores of NFL players who are Black, assuming they have a lower level of intellect. I wasn’t familiar with the specific term, but I wasn’t at all surprised. It’s kind of like when Dez Bryant made that catch against the Green Bay Packers in the playoffs, the one that was ruled a non-catch on the field. We all saw it. The whole world knew it was a catch. But it took the NFL a few years to come out and say, “Oh, yes, it was a catch after all.” Gee, thanks. It was another slap in the face. Allow me to introduce myself. My name is Toi Cook, and I spent 11 seasons as a defensive back in the league, my first seven with New Orleans and two each with San Francisco and Carolina. I grew up in Los Angeles, went to school at Montclair Prep in the San Fernando Valley and Stanford, and relied on my intellect to have as long a professional career as I had. You’ve got to be pretty smart to make it that long as an eighth-round draft pick. Obviously, you’ve also got to be the kind of athlete who can compete at a high level. If you just look at the way we practiced and played, where hitting was a way of life, you have to assume I might have lost some cognitive ability. While mine is still high, and I’m not as bad off as many former players, I still lost something. How much may not be determined until later, as it was with the tumultuous journeys of Junior Seau, Dave Duerson and John Mackey, men who truly gave their lives for the game. From the Associated Press: Serena Williams turns 40 in September. Roger Federer hits that milestone the month before. No one knows how many more French Open appearances each will make, and this year’s tournament ended for both Sunday. Williams fell way behind and could not put together a comeback against a much younger and less-experienced opponent in the fourth round at Roland Garros, losing 6-3, 7-5 to Elena Rybakina — who wasn’t even born when the American made her tournament debut in 1998. Asked whether that might have been her last match at the clay-court major, Williams responded: “Yeah, I’m definitely not thinking about it at all. I’m definitely thinking just about other things, but not about that.” Her defeat came hours after Federer withdrew, saying he needed to let his body recover ahead of Wimbledon after a long third-round victory that ended at nearly 1 a.m. on Sunday. Wimbledon — which Federer has won eight times and Williams seven — begins June 28. From the Associated Press: Christian Pulisic converted a penalty kick in the 114th minute, backup goalkeeper Ethan Horvath stopped Andrés Guardado’s penalty kick in the 124th and the United States overcame an early defensive blunder to beat Mexico 3-2 on Sunday night in a final of the first CONCACAF Nations League that turned on three video reviews. Gio Reyna and Weston McKennie scored as the 20th-ranked U.S. twice overcame deficits against No. 11 Mexico, which led after just 63 seconds. Pulisic, fresh off of winning the Champions League with Chelsea on May 29, cut inside the penalty area and was pulled down by Carlos Salcedo in the 108th minute. Panamanian referee John Pitti did not initially signal a penalty but consulted a video review and then pointed to the spot. Mexico coach Tata Martino appeared to receive a red card for putting a hand on an official during the review and Hirving Lozano was given a yellow card for arguing after the decision. From the Associated Press: Easton Murrell went 3 for 3 with a walk, two RBIs and two runs, Mason Montgomery had eight strikeouts in five innings and Texas Tech beat UCLA 8-2 on Sunday night to win the Lubbock Regional. No. 8 overall seed Texas Tech (39-15) advances to its third consecutive Super Regional. Kevin Kendall scored on a sacrifice fly by Matt McLain to give UCLA (37-20) a 1-0 lead in the bottom of the first inning. From the Associated Press: Floyd Mayweather Jr. outclassed YouTube personality Logan Paul but couldn’t stop him inside the distance. Mayweather and Paul boxed an eight-round exhibition Sunday night at Hard Rock Stadium. With the bout not being scored, no winner was declared. The 44-year-old Mayweather used the ring skills that propelled him to world titles in five divisions and a 50-0 career record to frustrate Paul with solid lead and counter shots. “You’ve got to realize I’m not 21 anymore but it’s good,” Mayweather said in the ring. “He’s better than I thought he was. Good little work. Tonight was a fun night.” From the Associated Press: Yuka Saso birdied the third playoff hole to beat Nasa Hataoka on Sunday and become the second teenager to win the U.S. Women’s Open after Lexi Thompson collapsed down the stretch. Saso overcame back-to-back double bogeys early in the round to make the playoff. She then won it with a 10-foot putt on the ninth hole to become the first player from the Philippines to win a golf major. Saso matched 2008 winner Inbee Park as the youngest U.S. Women’s Open champion at 19 years, 11 months, 17 days. Both players made pars at Nos. 9 and 18 in the two-hole aggregate playoff, sending the tournament to sudden death back at the ninth hole. That set the stage for Saso to win it just up the road from Daly City, dubbed the Pinoy Capital of the United States for its large population of Filipinos. Thompson, who had a five-stroke lead after the eighth hole, played the final seven holes in five over to finish a stroke back. ————— From the Associated Press: Patrick Cantlay delivered a clutch birdie late in the round and a 12-foot par putt in a playoff to win the Memorial on a Sunday filled with drama, a little rain and no Jon Rahm. Cantlay closed with a one-under 71 and won the Memorial for the second time in three years, and he said he felt the same range of emotions in the final hour at Muirfield Village in his duel with Collin Morikawa. But it wasn’t the same. Only a day earlier, Cantlay walked off the 18th green six shots behind Rahm, whose 64 ranked as one of the great rounds at the course Jack Nicklaus built and tied two Memorial records, including largest 54-hole lead. But he tested positive for the coronavirus — Rahm had been in the contact tracing protocol — and was withdrawn from the tournament. Just like that, Cantlay and Morikawa went from six shots behind to tied for the lead. FIRST ROUNDAll times Pacific WESTERN CONFERENCE No. 1 Utah vs. No. 8 Memphis Memphis 112, Utah 109Utah 141, Memphis 129 Utah 121, Memphis 111Utah 120, Memphis 113Utah 126, Memphis 110Utah wins series, 4-1 No. 2 Phoenix vs. No. 7 Lakers Phoenix 99, Lakers 90Lakers 109, Phoenix 102Lakers 109, Phoenix 95Phoenix 100, Lakers 92Phoenix 115, Lakers 85Phoenix 113, Lakers 100Phoenix wins series, 4-2 No. 3 Denver vs. No. 6 Portland Portland 123, Denver 109Denver 128, Portland 109Denver 120, Portland 115Portland 115, Denver 95Denver 147, Portland 140 (2OT)Denver 126, Portland 115Denver wins series, 4-2 No. 4 Clippers vs. No. 5 Dallas Dallas 113, Clippers 103Dallas 127, Clippers 121Clippers 118, Dallas 108Clippers 106, Dallas 81Dallas 105, Clippers 100Clippers 104, Dallas 97Clippers 126, Dallas 111Clippers win series, 4-3 EASTERN CONFERENCE No. 1 Philadelphia vs. No. 8 Washington Philadelphia 125, Washington 118Philadelphia 120, Washington 95Philadelphia 132, Washington 103Washington 122, Philadelphia 114Philadelphia 129, Washington 112Philadelphia wins series, 4-1 No. 2 Brooklyn vs. No. 7 Boston Brooklyn 104, Boston 93Brooklyn 130, Boston 108Boston 125, Brooklyn 119Brooklyn 141, Boston 126Brooklyn 123, Boston 109Brooklyn wins series, 4-1 No. 3 Milwaukee vs. No. 6 Miami Milwaukee 109, Miami 107Milwaukee 132, Miami 98Milwaukee 113, Miami 84Milwaukee 120, Miami 103Milwaukee wins series, 4-0 No. 4 New York vs. No. 5 Atlanta Atlanta 107, New York 105New York 101, Atlanta 92Atlanta 105, New York 94Atlanta 113, New York 96Atlanta 103, New York 89Atlanta wins series, 4-1 *-if necessary SECOND ROUNDAll times Pacific WESTERN CONFERENCE No. 1 Utah vs. No. 4 ClippersTuesday: at Utah, 7 p.m., TNTThursday: at Utah, 7 p.m., ESPNSaturday: at Clippers, 5:30 p.m., ABC*Monday, June 14: at Utah, TBD, TNT*Wednesday, June 16: at Clippers, TBD, ESPN*Sunday, June 20: at Utah, TBD, TBD No. 2 Phoenix Suns vs. No. 3 Denver NuggetsToday: at Phoenix, 7 p.m., TNTWednesday: at Phoenix, 6:30 p.m., TNTFriday: at Denver, 7 p.m., ESPNSunday: at Denver, 5 p.m., TNT*Tuesday, June 15: at Phoenix, TBD, TBD*Thursday, June 17: at Denver, TBD, ESPN*Sunday, June 20: at Phoenix, TBD, TBD EASTERN CONFERENCE No. 1 Philadelphia vs. No. 5 AtlantaAtlanta 128, Philadelphia 124Tuesday: at Philadelphia, 4:30 p.m., TNTFriday: at Atlanta, 4:30 p.m., ESPNMonday: at Atlanta, TBD, TNT*Wednesday, June 16: at Philadelphia, TBD, TNT*Friday, June 18: at Atlanta, TBD, ESPN*Sunday, June 20: at Philadelphia, TBD, TBD No. 2 Brooklyn Nets vs. No. 3 Milwaukee BucksBrooklyn 115, Milwaukee 107Today: at Brooklyn, 4:30 p.m., TNTThursday: at Milwaukee, TBD, ESPNSunday: at Milwaukee, Noon, ABC*Tuesday, June 15: at Brooklyn, TBD, TNT*Thursday, June 17: at Milwaukee, TBD, ESPN*Saturday, June 19: at Brooklyn, TBD, TNT SECOND ROUNDAll times Pacific East Division New York Islanders vs. Boston Boston 5, New York 2New York 4, Boston 3 (OT)Boston 2, New York 1 (OT)New York 4, Boston 1Monday: at Boston, 3:30 p.m., NBCSNWednesday: at New York, 4:30 p.m., NBCSN*Friday, June 11: at Boston, TBD, TBD Central Division Tampa Bay vs. Carolina Tampa Bay 2, Carolina 1Tampa Bay 2, Carolina 1Carolina 3, Tampa Bay 2 (OT)Tampa Bay 6, Carolina 4Tuesday: at Carolina, 3:30 p.m., NBCSN*Thursday: at Tampa Bay, TBD, TBD*Saturday, June 12: at Carolina, TBD, TBD West Division Colorado vs. Vegas Colorado 7, Vegas 1Colorado 3, Vegas 2 (OT)Vegas 3, Colorado 2Vegas 5, Colorado 1Tuesday: at Colorado, 6 p.m., NBCSNThursday: at Vegas, TBD, TBD*Saturday, June 12: at Colorado, TBD, TBD North Division Winnipeg vs. Montreal Montreal 5, Winnipeg 3Montreal, 1, Winnipeg 0Montreal 5, Winnipeg 1Today: at Montreal, 5 p.m., NBCSN*Wednesday: at Winnipeg, 5 p.m., CNBC*Friday, June 11: at Montreal, TBD, TBD*Sunday, June 13: at Winnipeg, TBD, TBD *-if necessary 1930 — Gallant Fox, ridden by Earle Sande, wins the Belmont Stakes by three lengths over Whichone, becoming the second horse to capture the Triple Crown. 1941 — Whirlaway, ridden by Eddie Arcaro, becomes the fifth horse to win the Triple Crown by capturing the Belmont Stakes by 2½ lengths over Robert Morris. 1952 — One Count, ridden by Eddie Arcaro, wins the Belmont Stakes by 2½ lengths over heavily favored Blue Man. 1969 — Arts and Letters, ridden by Braulio Baeza, ends Majestic Prince’s bid for the Triple Crown with a 5½-length victory in the Belmont Stakes. 1978 — The Washington Bullets beat the Seattle SuperSonics 105-99 in Game 7 to win the NBA Championship. 1980 — Temperance Hill, a 53-1 long shot ridden by Eddie Maple, wins the Belmont Stakes by two lengths over Genuine Risk. 1986 — Danzig Connection, ridden by Chris McCarron, wins the Belmont Stakes by 1 1/4 lengths over Johns Treasure to give trainer Woody Stephens his fifth straight Belmont win. 1995 — Hakeem Olajuwon’s tip-in with .3 seconds left gives Houston a 120-118 overtime win in Game 1 of the NBA Finals. Houston, trailing by 20 points in the first half, are led back by Kenny Smith, whose Finals record seventh three pointer sends the game into overtime. 1998 — Utah breaks the record for fewest points in an NBA game since the inception of the shot clock, losing 96-54 to Chicago in Game 3 of the NBA Finals. It’s the highest margin of victory in NBA Finals history. Utah’s 54 points break the NBA-record of 55 set earlier in the season by Indiana. 2004 — Ruslan Fedotenko scores twice, including the critical first goal, and the resilient Tampa Bay Lightning hold off the Calgary Flames 2-1 in Game 7 to win their first Stanley Cup. 2006 — New Jersey becomes the first state to institute a statewide steroid-testing policy for high school athletes. 2008 — Da’ Tara spoils Big Brown’s bid for a Triple Crown by winning the Belmont Stakes. Da’ Tara, a 38-1 longshot ridden by Alan Garcia, goes wire-to-wire winning by 5 1/4 lengths over Denis of Cork. Big Brown, the 1-4 favorite, is eased up in the homestretch by jockey Kent Desormeaux finishing so far behind at the end that his margin of defeat isn’t even charted. 2009 — Roger Federer completes a career Grand Slam, winning his first French Open title. Federer wins his 14th major title to tie Pete Sampras’ record by sweeping surprise finalist Robin Soderling 6-1, 7-6 (1), 6-4. 2014 — California Chrome fails in his bid to win the first Triple Crown in 36 years, losing the Belmont Stakes to long shot Tonalist and leaving his owner to complain others took “the coward’s way out” by skipping the first two legs of the Triple Crown. 2014 — Miguel Cotto becomes the first Puerto Rican fighter to win world championships in four weight divisions, stopping Sergio Martinez in their WBC world middleweight title fight. Martinez doesn’t get off the stool when the bell rings for the 10th round. 2015 — LeBron James turns in a triple-double to remember, Matthew Dellavedova makes the go-ahead free throws in overtime, and the Cavaliers overcome a fourth-quarter collapse to outlast the Golden State Warriors 95-93 in Game 2 of the NBA finals. James finishes with 39 points, 16 rebounds and 11 assists in 50 minutes, carrying Cleveland’s depleted roster to victory on the NBA’s toughest home floor. 2018 — The Washington Capitals raise the Stanley Cup for the first time in franchise history after a 4-3 victory over the Vegas Golden Knights in Game 5 of the finals. Simone Biles put on a show on her way to winning a seventh U.S. gymnastics championship. Watch it here. Until next time... That concludes today’s newsletter. If you have any feedback, ideas for improvement or things you’d like to see, email me at houston.mitchell@latimes.com, and follow me on Twitter at @latimeshouston. 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Essential Politics: California's reopening confusion

https://www.latimes.com/politics/newsletter/2021-06-07/confusion-over-california-reopening-essential-politics

This is the June 7, 2021, edition of the Essential Politics newsletter. Like what you’re reading? Sign up to get it in your inbox three times a week. The events of the last few days raise the question: In eight days, will Californians mistakenly believe that the COVID-19 pandemic is over? After all, Gov. Gavin Newsom has promised a “full reopening” of the state on that date. Get our Essential Politics newsletter The latest news, analysis and insights from our politics team. You may occasionally receive promotional content from the Los Angeles Times. In reality, the changes taking place on June 15 are only the beginning of California’s journey back to normality. But the facts have been blurred by imprecise messages, some delivered by Newsom, repeated on social and news media platforms for weeks. The simmering issue boiled over late last week, leaving the governor’s administration scrambling to explain why the “reopening” will not bring an end to the state’s emergency declaration. It began at the end of a campy event on Friday, designed to look like a classic TV game show with Newsom as the host selecting the initial $50,000 winners of California’s vaccine lottery. After posing with an oversized check as confetti rained down on the studio, Newsom opened up the event to questions from the news media. And he seemed annoyed that reporters wanted to change the subject. California Here are five things to expect as L.A. County fully reopens after COVID-19 restrictions. June 7, 2021 One journalist asked whether his promise of “reopening” June 15 would include the cancellation of California’s pandemic state of emergency. “The emergency remains in effect after June 15,” Newsom said, then offering this explanation: “Because we’re still in a state of emergency, this disease has not been extinguished. It’s not vanished.” For starters, the governor’s epidemiological standard — the full eradication of COVID-19 — is probably unreachable for the foreseeable future. But what stood out most to observers was the admission that Newsom’s promised “reopening” won’t bring to an end the broad powers he’s exercised over the last 15 months. Republicans, who dismissed the vaccination cash as part of a political ploy to help lessen Newsom’s chance of being recalled by voters, quickly pivoted to the reopening confusion. “California will NOT fully reopen on June 15 as Gavin Newsom had previously indicated,” former San Diego Mayor Kevin Faulconer, a recall candidate, wrote on Twitter. “Other states have been safely open for months, but Newsom refuses to follow the science. It’s time to recall him.” The issue ultimately eclipsed the day’s vaccine sweepstakes news and now threatens to inflict lasting political damage. So let’s clear up the confusion. A top advisor to Newsom, who spoke to The Times on background, laid out the complicated nature of dismantling California’s pandemic emergency rules — an explanation that hasn’t been clearly conveyed to either the media or the public. On March 4 of last year, the governor declared a state of emergency that broadened his authority to respond to the COVID-19 crisis. States of emergency are frequently used as a response to wildfires or natural disasters and are one of the tools that ensure quick access to resources and cash, including disaster funds provided by the federal government. But unlike other incidents, this emergency declaration was not for a singular event. Instead, it became the foundation for almost five dozen executive orders Newsom issued over the intervening months, spanning a variety of pandemic-related issues. To cancel the declaration while those executive orders are still needed, the advisor said, would be like yanking out the bottom blocks of the tower that players build in the popular game Jenga. Many of the executive orders legally depend on the existence of the state of emergency, and the governor’s advisor said it will probably be the last thing rescinded, not the first. It’s also important to note that states of emergency aren’t always canceled when immediate dangers subside. Proclamations made in the wake of the devastating Woolsey and Camp fires, for example, remain operational to ensure the completion of recovery efforts and continued federal reimbursement for some costs. Back to the Jenga analogy: The Newsom administration plans to remove the blocks (executive orders) as conditions improve, a sequenced removal of the scaffolding built on top of the emergency order. Which brings us to June 15 and the rescission of the state’s “Blueprint for a Safer Economy” that placed restrictions on activities and businesses using a multicolored county tier system. All but four California counties are now in either the moderate or minimal risk categories. Newsom has insisted that removing those restrictions will “fully reopen our economy.” But even that seemed uncertain on Thursday, after confusion arose over new workplace mask rules issued by a standards board of California’s Division of Occupational Safety and Health. And it’s not just average Californians who have been uncertain about what to expect on June 15. Local government officials asked the Newsom administration in May whether this month’s reopening would trigger an end to an executive order allowing local agencies and boards to conduct virtual public meetings. Ana Matosantos, the governor’s Cabinet secretary, wrote to local representatives last week that the administration envisions an “orderly return” to normal practices “at the earliest possible date.” Taken together, the misunderstandings and miscues have created a policy and political quandary, possibly complicating the efforts of businesses and local officials to answer questions about what’s allowed, when it’s allowed and why. The clamor also threatens to end Newsom’s recent streak of good news, from improving vaccination rates to encouraging poll numbers about his chances to beat back a recall election. We’ll see whether the governor recalibrates his message in light of last week’s criticisms, perhaps focusing less on a single day of dramatic change and more on what sounds like a multistep process to loosen California’s pandemic rules, one step at a time. One of Newsom’s signature issues has been thrust back into the spotlight by a federal judge, who issued a blistering rebuke Friday of the state’s most high-profile gun control law. U.S. District Judge Roger Benitez ruled that California’s 30-year-old ban on assault weapons is unconstitutional, likening the AR-15 semiautomatic rifle to a Swiss Army knife as “good for both home and battle.” The ruling came in response to a lawsuit filed in August 2019 by pro-gun groups and was stayed by Benitez while California officials filed an appeal — which they will do this week, after angrily denouncing the tone and substance of the sweeping ruling. “There is no sound basis in law, fact, or common sense for equating assault rifles with Swiss Army knives — especially on Gun Violence Awareness Day and after the recent shootings in our own California communities,” state Atty. Gen. Rob Bonta said in a statement Friday. Perhaps no decision was more consequential to the success of qualifying a recall petition against Gov. Newsom than a Sacramento judge’s decision last year to allow extra time for the governor’s critics to gather voter signatures in light of COVID-19 restrictions on public activities. Known to few, though, was that the judge in the case was once a law partner with the attorney hired by the effort’s proponents to plead their case. Judge James Arguelles and Bradley Benbrook were attorneys at the Sacramento law firm of Stevens, O’Connell & Jacobs before 2010 and, according to federal court records, the two served as co-counsel on at least two cases. Scott Cummings, a professor of legal ethics at the UCLA School of Law, said Arguelles probably should have recused himself from the case given his history with Benbrook. But Cummings emphasized that “judicial ethics is one of those murky areas” in the law, in part because judges have past lives as lawyers, and said he wasn’t confident that Arguelles did anything improper. Still, if it’s determined that a judge committed an ethics violation, that could potentially provide a “basis for reopening and overturning the case,” Cummings said. Enjoying this newsletter? Consider subscribing to the Los Angeles Times Your support helps us deliver the news that matters most. Become a subscriber. — Vice President Harris’ trip to Central America is her most high-profile act yet on the first international assignment President Biden gave her, in March, to tackle the root causes of migration from the region. — West Virginia Sen. Joe Machin III said Sunday that he will not vote for the largest overhaul of U.S. election law in at least a generation, defying his party and the White House and virtually guaranteeing the legislation’s failure. — Biden on Friday rejected the latest counteroffer on infrastructure spending from a group of Senate Republicans as far too little, leaving the bipartisan talks at what looks to be an unresolvable impasse. — The Justice Department said Saturday that it no longer will secretly obtain reporters’ records during leak investigations, a policy shift that abandons a practice decried by news organizations and press freedom groups. — With the release of a trove of Dr. Anthony Fauci’s emails, Republicans’ attacks on the nation’s top government infectious-diseases expert have gone into overdrive. — Fox News declined to broadcast an ad Sunday about the violence that law-enforcement members faced as they tried to stop the Jan. 6 insurrection at the U.S. Capitol, according to the creators of the political commercial. — Former President Trump on Saturday pushed Republicans to support candidates who are loyal to him in next year’s midterm elections. — Democrats face an uphill fight to keep their majority in Congress and hope quick action on Biden’s agenda will help them to defy historical trends that put the president’s party at a disadvantage. — A conservative talk radio host once backed the Arizona GOP election recount. Now he’s warning Republicans against it. — Michaela Kennedy-Cuomo, the daughter of New York’s governor, used a social media post Thursday to share her “queer identity” and call for allies to speak up against homophobia. — Democratic leaders of the California Legislature have unveiled a state budget blueprint that would boost public schools and small businesses beyond the levels in a proposal made last month by Newsom. — California Assembly members declined Thursday to vote on a bill that would have awarded “hero pay” to healthcare workers who helped steer the state through the pandemic, effectively killing the $7-billion effort for the year. — The leadership body of the Los Angeles teachers union is expected to vote in September on a resolution that would urge the U.S. government to end all aid to Israel, sparking debate and diverting some of the union’s focus from post-pandemic education issues. — California’s top court weighs overturning hundreds of death penalty sentences. — A federal judge has prohibited Bank of America from freezing accounts for California unemployment benefits based solely on an automated fraud filter. Stay in touch Keep up with breaking news on our Politics page. And are you following us on Twitter at @latimespolitics?Did someone forward you this? Sign up here to get Essential Politics in your inbox.Until next time, send your comments, suggestions and news tips to politics@latimes.com.

The creator of the Ramen Burger is opening a new restaurant in San Juan Capistrano

https://www.latimes.com/food/story/2021-06-07/the-creator-of-the-ramen-burger-is-opening-a-new-restaurant-in-san-juan-capistrano

Before the viral success of Keizo Shimamoto’s Ramen Burger, before his Ramen Shack pop-up rolled its way into New York’s Smorgasburg, and certainly before he ate 55 bowls of ramen in 28 days, he was a 6-year-old kid who encountered a bowl of Chinese-inspired egg noodles in a soy-sauce broth. Shimamoto remembers being on one of his annual trips to Japan to visit family and refusing to eat. His frustrated mother took him to a ramen-ya, and the flavorful bowl of soup and noodles triggered a lifelong fascination and eventual transformation into a blogger, a chef and one of the world’s preeminent ramen authorities. He can’t recall the exact place where he had his first ramen encounter — there are countless regional varieties across Japan, and even more ramen shops — but to this day, that Tokyo-style shoyu with chuka soba noodles is still Shimamoto’s favorite. This summer, when he opens a permanent Ramen Shack restaurant in San Juan Capistrano, you’ll be able to taste his version. “My ramen is like a ramen geek made it,” he said. “I pay attention to all the styles and … I’m continually studying. Even if I eat a bad bowl of ramen, that’s good information for me.” Those annual family trips from Southern California to Japan introduced Shimamoto, 43, to ramen culture, but a 2008 visit to Yokohama’s Shin-Yokohama Ramen Museum — where a map revealed the full extent of ramen’s geography and possibility — opened his eyes to how much there was yet to learn. In the spring of 2009, after losing his job in finance and computer programming, he returned and ended up consuming 55 bowls of ramen across Japan’s prefectures in one month. Later in the year, he moved to Tokyo where he worked at ramen houses Ivan Ramen and Bassanova and became a perpetual student devoted to his craft. (Shimamoto estimates he’s made 70 to 80 varieties of ramen in the last decade or so, thanks to both restaurants.) He returned to the U.S. in 2013 and introduced his Ramen Burger at the New York food festival Smorgasburg (and that led to the launch of the Ramen Shack pop-up). The burger consisted of a shoyu-glazed beef patty placed between two secret-recipe ramen “buns,” and it instantly went viral around the same time as the Cronut, making 2013 a banner year for marketable mash-up foods and one that helped inspire an onslaught of photo-minded food trends. (The Ramen Burger came to Los Angeles in 2014 and was served from a small takeout window in Koreatown until it shuttered in 2016.) Rising costs forced Shimamoto to close his New York operation in 2019, and he returned to Southern California with his wife and three children. Of course, he couldn’t stay away from ramen. Shimamoto plans to spotlight a handful of varieties at the new place, which he hopes will open in July. “I used to go to San Juan Capistrano as a kid, for field trips and stuff. [But ] all I knew was the mission.” Later trips convinced him that “this could be the next great food city.” :: San Juan Capistrano, primarily known for its 1776-founded mission, is now a flourishing food destination thanks in part to a downtown main drag where some of the most exciting new restaurants in Orange County can be found only steps from one another. Ramen Shack will be right in the middle of it all, at 31751 Camino Capistrano, Suite 4. “Just the look of the town has changed so much,” said George Barker, the owner of Mayfield. The restaurant, market and coffee shop, known for its Middle Eastern, Mediterranean, North African and California flavors, is just south of Shimamoto’s restaurant. “It was quite a sleepy, quiet town when I first started coming here three or four years ago. Now it’s packed. It’s busy. It’s vibrant. … It’s really cool. There’s so much history and culture here as well.” There’s also the smell of smoked meats in the air, emanating from another of San Juan Capistrano’s new culinary draws, Heritage Barbecue. The Texas-style barbecue operation opened last summer across the street from the mission, serving up heaping trays of smoked meats and sides such as choriqueso mac and cheese. On weekends, lines can wrap around the patio and into the back parking lot; the restaurant is a draw for locals as well as barbecue aficionados from Southern California and the rest of the country. “I think some of the local people here, in the beginning, were a little standoffish, just because I think anything new … they’re a little bit worried about. They just want to make sure that their community is not going to be exploited,” said Heritage co-owner and pitmaster Daniel Castillo. “That being said, there’s room for improvement and a shift. People are really educated when it comes to food and drink these days. Palates have changed and there’s a younger generation, and they demand the best. Food is always evolving.” And more food is on the way. Pandemic-borne bakery outfit FKN Bread (pronounced “F.K.N.”) launched in the nearby home of husband-and-wife Dave and Bree VandenBerg when Dave, a professional chef, temporarily lost his job. The hobby and side project expanded to multiple weekly farmers market appearances, and this summer the VandenBergs will open a bricks-and-mortar bakery on Camino Capistrano to sell their signature loaves of sourdough bread and cafe fare. “People who are local know, but other people outside don’t know that all these businesses are truly family-run and -owned businesses,” said Bree. “[At] every single local business in downtown San Juan, the owner is busting their booty, running it for their family. That makes you want to spend your money, show your friends, tell your neighbor.” In addition, a new nearby development project called River Street Marketplace from Frontier Real Estate Investments — which owns a number of restaurant properties in San Juan Capistrano — is set to reimagine the city’s Los Rios District with restaurants, shopping and a market that could feature a fishmonger, a butcher and other food vendors. :: As Shimamoto waits for his own restaurant’s construction to be completed, he spends his days in the garage of his Irvine home, where he’s developing noodle recipes for wholesaler and retailer Myojo, which he’ll most likely use as a source for his own restaurant. It all begins with water and kansui, an alkaline salt that gives the soup’s noodles a chewy springiness. Then the mix is added to flour — in Shimamoto’s case, usually a blend of three or four varieties for any given recipe. As his Taisei noodle machine whirs to life, it mixes the crumb-like dough. The dough then is flattened into sheets that are rolled together, again and again, mimicking the kneading process to form the noodles’ gluten. Years of experience have allowed Shimamoto to develop a graceful and rhythmic choreography during the many phases of the process: A snowfall of cornstarch falls without sticking as the dough runs through the cutter, and the chef folds the trimmed noodles into loose knots right off the conveyor belt. For now, Shimamoto is planning a relatively simple menu — three varieties of noodles and a range of broths — at the San Juan Capistrano site, but friends and family tease him because they doubt he’ll be able to limit himself for long. (And, yes, it’s likely he will offer the Ramen Burger at some point.) “I get bored because I’ve tasted so many different styles,” Shimamoto said from his garage. “I want to play around, and I have so much in my imagination I want to get out. That’s kind of why I go crazy sometimes: I just can’t make one bowl every single day. I’m studying.”

Bill Bratton talks L.A. police, George Floyd and his memoir

https://www.latimes.com/entertainment-arts/books/story/2021-06-07/the-opportunity-to-get-it-right-bill-bratton-former-lapd-chief-reflects-on-a-changed-world

Over his three-plus decades running police departments in Boston, New York City and Los Angeles, Bill Bratton branded himself as America’s top cop. At the time, that was generally a good thing: He won accolades for overseeing big-city police departments during a historic decline in crime throughout the U.S., ushering in changes that reshaped how the job is done and confronting the LAPD’s history of racism and abuse a decade after the Rodney King beating. Throughout, he was an improbable blend of progressive reformer and ideologue, someone who didn’t hesitate to call out the failures of the profession and individual cops while also insisting that aggressive, data-driven policing would lower crime and improve race relations. Today, of course, things are more complicated and fraught. Since the murder of George Floyd by a Minneapolis cop, American policing has become as polarizing as politics at large. With his new book, “The Profession,” Bratton weighs in with what he freely admits is his large ego and loud voice. With assistance from co-author Peter Knobler, he revisits his career with an eye toward explaining and defending his approach. And he attempts to wrestle with the current moment, arguing that Floyd’s killing has set policing back decades while sticking to his long-held, but now highly controversial, belief that a civil society depends on robust enforcement. Bratton spoke with The Times last week about the movement to defund the police, the responsibility and the burden of his profession and what’s become of old boss Rudy Giuliani. This conversation has been edited for clarity and length. Opinion One response to George Floyd’s death was rejection of police reform, which, opponents argued, only perpetuates a racist system. Still, reform is needed. May 30, 2021 It’s a timely book. It was originally scheduled to come out before George Floyd was killed. Thank God we weren’t ready. I would argue so much of what is out there about policing has been from the other side. This is from an inside policing perspective. The headline in the New York Post this morning is about the return of the squeegee guys who cleaned windshields at red lights. In 1994, I came to New York when Giuliani was mayor and he told me, “We’ve got to get rid of the squeegee pests.” So here we are. This is what the book is about; in some respects, we’re right back where we started. In the ’70s, it was the depolicing, decriminalization and deinstitutionalization. In 2021, what are we talking about? We’re talking about defunding, we’re talking about decriminalization of many of the laws we used to work with and, in many respects, we’re talking about deinstitutionalization. But this time, instead of emptying out the mental institutions, we’re emptying out the prisons. It’s deja vu all over again. Is that disheartening to you? It’s the optimist in me that I see this as a real opportunity. In many respects, this crisis is worse than back in the ’70s or back in the ’90s. The good news is we’ve learned so much in the last 50 years. I would argue that in 2016, when I was leaving policing, we had arrived at a good place. And it all blew apart with George Floyd. We had not realized how thin the scab was over the race issue. So much of the book is a defense of policing… I don’t see it as defending the police. I don’t think they need defending. I’m advocating for their importance, their essentiality. Almost everything that I have advocated for, created, implemented in Boston, New York twice, L.A. is now under attack. I wanted to make sure that my voice was not lost. Reading the book, one thing that jumped out is how policing in America goes through cycles of progress and setbacks or crisis. Do you think it will always be like this? Policing is like medicine. It’s a practice. It’s never going to arrive at a final destination. We’re still wrestling, for example, with what the appropriate police role should be with the mentally ill, the homeless, the drug-addicted. And that’s 50 years after those responsibilities were first dumped on us in the ’70s. There isn’t a police chief in America who wouldn’t like to get rid of that responsibility, but I’ll predict for you that most of it is not going to be taken away, because they won’t fund it. If that’s the case, then train us better how to deal with it. California The George Floyd protests have brought forward discussion about having the police step back from mental health calls. The LAPD had already been moving in that direction. June 24, 2020 You mentioned Giuliani earlier. In the book, you say he is not the man you knew in the 1990s. Giuliani was smart. He was hard charging. And from what he did as U.S. attorney, I saw him as a man with great integrity. He was a man with a big ego. I have a big ego, so I understand people with big egos. And I honestly don’t know what happened to him. The Rudy I knew would never subjugate himself to anybody. Whether it was him trying to get back in the game or to make money, as he was going through a very expensive divorce ... Whatever happened, he became a caricature of himself. Throughout your career, and again in the book, you’ve rejected the idea that crime rates are driven up or down by larger societal and economic forces. Police, you believe, are the deciding factor. After years of declines, violent crime is rising again in L.A., New York and elsewhere. Why? Basically, the police are being handcuffed. Handcuffed in the sense that because of the abuses of some, Derek Chauvin [the now former officer convicted of murdering Floyd] and others, police are not trusted by the community to effectively enforce laws. And it’s also the continuing failure of governments to deal with the emotionally disturbed, the homeless, the drug addiction problem. Government is failing very badly at that. And who ends up being the net catching all of that debris? The police. I would say that we have the formula. We know what works. We should build on that formula, rather than some of the mistakes we’ve made in the past. These are incredibly tough times. But, God, we have the opportunity to get it right. I wish I was a little younger, to get back in the game. You write that George Floyd’s killing was “100% a murder,” but you also say there is no epidemic in the U.S. of police killing Black men. That puts you at odds with many who see this as a systemic problem. Do you think any good has come out of the country’s reckoning last summer? Certainly. I think Blacks, to borrow from [Los Angeles community leader] Sweet Alice [Harris], are being seen, being heard. Look at the societal change in the last year. And, going forward, we hopefully will evolve in a better way. And I really believe that out of this chaos, out of all this turmoil, we’ll come out the better for it. Books Walter Mosley, Luis Rodriguez, the coiner of #BlackLivesMatter and others sketch a hopeful future for L.A. and the U.S. after George Floyd protests. June 8, 2020 But you also say the damage done to policing has been dramatic. A tremendous, tremendous amount. And, so it’s going be a matter in some respects of the phoenix rising from the ashes. But we’ve got a very strong phoenix in those ashes. In Los Angeles, the LAPD is a minority majority department, and there’s a very heavy Latino influence. You’ve got a lot of gay officers. You’ve got a much stronger foundation now to build on. But I’ve never seen morale as bad as it is at this moment, and it’s having an impact on recruiting new officers. I arrived in Los Angeles in 2002. Starting a few years before that, until effectively the George Floyd demonstrations, there were no large-scale, racial disturbances in Los Angeles. Think about that in the city of Los Angeles, nearly 20 years where things had quieted down. And I felt very good about that, because it was a lot of work that we had done. So similarly, coming out of the turmoil this time, maybe we can go forward.

Prep Rally: It's high school basketball championship time

https://www.latimes.com/sports/newsletter/2021-06-07/high-school-basketball-championships-prep-rally

Hi, and welcome to Prep Rally. My name is Eric Sondheimer. It’s basketball championship time. The Southern Section and City Section championships will be held this week with some great matchups. On Friday, Sierra Canyon will play host to Corona Centennial for the Open Division boys’ title. On Thursday, Santa Ana Mater Dei will play at Corona Centennial for the Open Division girls’ title. The City finals will be Saturday depending on the outcome of Wednesday’s semifinals. Everyone, keep their fingers crossed. So far no forfeits have happened despite continuing COVID-19 testing. That’s an accomplishment itself. Sierra Canyon hasn’t lost a playoff game since losing to Mater Dei in the 2018 Open Division final. The Trailblazers are going for their third straight championship, and this is one of coach Andre Chevalier’s best coaching jobs. He has relied on the talent of junior guard Amari Bailey, who has been the best player in Southern California, averaging 28 points a game and coming through in the clutch when Sierra Canyon needs him late in games. Bailey figures to receive lots of attention on Friday from Centennial’s young but talented guards. From Kylan Boswell to Donovan Dent to Jared McCain, the Huskies are relentless on defense and don’t fear making big plays under pressure. They are 20-2. Sierra Canyon is 15-0. Having the championship game at Sierra Canyon is an advantage for the Trailblazers. Centennial owes a big thank-you to Damien because it only got into the final after Damien knocked off Harvard-Westlake. Centennial coach Josh Giles used to play for Damien coach Mike LeDuc at Glendora. You can always count on the mentor helping out the pupil. The girls’ final is a big-time matchup of unbeaten teams. No. 2 Mater Dei thought it deserved to be seeded No. 1 ahead of Centennial, so this game will settle it. Coach Kevin Kiernan has lots of depth and a McDonald’s All-American in Stanford-bound Brooke Demetre. Centennial is at its best when three-pointers are falling, so beware if the Huskies get hot from outside. Centennial is 22-0. Mater Dei is 19-0. Here’s the link for the schedule ahead. Get our high school sports newsletter Prep Rally is devoted to the SoCal high school sports experience, bringing you scores, stories and a behind-the-scenes look at what makes prep sports so popular. You may occasionally receive promotional content from the Los Angeles Times. A visit to the modern Orthodox Jewish school Shalhevet last week gave every indication that the fun is back in high school gyms. Shalhevet supporters were loud, excited and packed their small gym in a 3A quarterfinal victory over El Segundo. “Electric,” is how coach Ryan Coleman put it. Shalhevet 67, El Segundo 52. Can’t wait to see how they celebrate a championship. 28 points for Avi Halpert. 27 for El Segundo’s CJ Hardy. pic.twitter.com/5Y37FcICiN There was dancing and fans storming the court after the final buzzer. Even though Shalhevet lost in the semifinals to Marina, the team will be back in the regional playoffs and could end up hosting another playoff game. At Shalhevet they don’t wave photos of players. They wave hand drawn portraits. pic.twitter.com/b2d1ssKiyu Enjoying this newsletter? Your support helps us deliver the news that matters most. Become a Los Angeles Times subscriber. Taka Mahe, 17, is headed on a journey that could lead to a book deal, Netflix series or a movie. Like many adventures, it depends on how it turns out. He’s a senior at Wiseburn-Da Vinci, a charter school in El Segundo with no football team. He’s 6 feet 6, 330 pounds and a standout for the basketball team. He last played football when he was 13. While playing for a travel basketball team this last year, he said a staff member for UCLA’s football team spotted him and inquired about his background. His father is from Tonga and being big creates excitement for college recruiters. Suddenly, the conversation turned to whether Mahe would be interested in playing football. “Me and my parents had a lengthy conversation about my commitment and how I had to be in all the way,” Mahe said. “I’ve been committed for two months.” With no idea how to be a lineman, let alone put on pads correctly, he started learning the game two months ago from former San Francisco 49ers great Jesse Sapolu, a four-time Super Bowl winner who has a school for linemen. “He’s got athletic ability,” Sapolu said. “We’ve been working on his fundamentals trying to introduce how to recognize schemes. There’s no question that kid has great potential.” He plans to attend UCLA this fall as a preferred walk-on. Here’s the link to his story. As usual, the pitchers came out in peak form for the start of the Southern Section baseball playoffs. Omar Serrano of Downey threw a rare perfect game in a 1-0 win over Westlake. Here’s the link to performances of top pitchers on Friday. They included Brian Uribe of Camarillo throwing his fifth consecutive complete-game shutout; Mason Molina of Trabuco Hills allowing no hits and striking out 11 in five innings; Miles Weiss of Thousand Oaks throwing a shutout. On Tuesday, top-seeded JSerra will play its first game in the Division 1 playoffs, with ace Gage Jump scheduled to start against Capistrano Valley. Here’s the link to the complete schedule of games. The most intriguing game will have No. 3-seeded Orange Lutheran playing Mira Costa at Hart Park at 6 p.m. Mira Costa held ace Thatcher Hurd from a starting spot on Thursday and only used him in relief so he could pitch against the Lancers. He has signed with UCLA. Don MacLean has never seen a shot he didn’t like. During his days at Simi Valley High in the 1980s, he was one of those rare 6-foot-10 big men who could score from anywhere. He led Simi Valley to a Southern Section championship in 1988, became the then Pac-10 all-time scoring leader at UCLA and was a first-round NBA draft choice. Jim Harrick recruited him to UCLA. He averaged 31.5 points and 12.3 rebounds his senior year at Simi Valley while making 66% of his shots and 88% from the line. He was an offensive scoring machine. He also was a great player to interview, so it came as no surprise when his playing days ended, he went into broadcasting and was good at it. He says what’s on his mind and doesn’t care if you disagree. He’s also a great parent. His son Kyle was a standout at Westlake and he has another son about to enter the high school ranks. Doing well academically is his message. And working hard at the game of basketball. It’s not every day that a professional team hires a high school coach. That’s what the Seattle Storm of the WNBA did, promoting Bishop Montgomery girls’ basketball coach Noelle Quinn to head coach. The former UCLA star has been working with the team as an assistant. "What moves me is my impact." 👊In her first press conference as Head Coach, @Noey_Quinn spoke about becoming the first Black head coach in Storm history and the Black women who have coached in the WNBA that paved the way for her. #TakeCover pic.twitter.com/ZRk1NdMffe Top-seeded Oklahoma is one of six schools in the eight-team bracket at the Women’s College World Series with Southland high school graduates on their rosters. NFCA softball All-Americans from SoCal. pic.twitter.com/pXs7Jx14Bp The freshman of the year is Tiare Jennings of Oklahoma, who starred at Long Beach St. Anthony. She has tied the national record for most RBIs as a freshman with 90. Kinzie Hansen from Norco is hitting .433 with 16 home runs and 45 RBIs. Taylon Snow from Chino Hills has a .343 average. Here’s the link to other players to watch. Here’s a feature story on UCLA’s Rachel Garcia, a Highland grad. Former El Toro pitcher/designated hitter Paul Skenes enjoyed an amazing freshman baseball season for the Air Force Academy. He was so good that he was named freshman of the year in the Mountain West Conference. He batted .410 with 77 hits, 11 home runs, 43 RBIs. On the mound, he was a perfect 11 for 11 in save attempts. At the end of football games, receiver Jason Thompson of Studio City Harvard-Westlake breaks away from teammates and makes his way to the end zone alone. “I’ll go to the goal posts. I’ll say a prayer,” he said. It’s his moment to honor his father, Bobby, who died at age 42 when Thompson was 5. Bobby was Arizona State’s all-time basketball assist leader and used to take his son to the park to shoot baskets. Thompson’s mother, Shelitta, used to run track at Playa del Rey St. Bernard. His grandfather, Robert, is a member of Arizona’s Hall of Fame for his exploits in football and track in the 1960s. Jason clearly has the genes to do great things in athletic competition, and it’s happening. On May 1, only two weeks after football season ended, he went 45 feet 7 inches in the triple jump, breaking a 29-year-old school record. On May 8, he won the Arcadia Invitational with a school-record leap of 47-2. Not bad for someone who competed in two triple jumps in 2020 because of COVID-19 restrictions and continues to learn the meaning of hop, step and jump. On Saturday, he’ll be trying to win the triple jump at the Southern Section Division 3 championships. Here’s the link to a profile on Thompson. There are four divisional championships at four different sites because of COVID-19 restrictions and no Masters Meet and no state championship meet. Here’s the link to results from last weekend’s prelims. A group of Newbury Park runners decided to bypass the Southern Section track and field championships and start preparing for the fall cross country season by traveling to Tennessee for the Music City Carnival. Junior Colin Sahlman won the mile in 4:05.79. The Panthers also took places fifth, sixth and seven with Leo and Lex Young and brother Aaron Sahlman. No word if they celebrated with Tennessee barbecue. The best girls’ tennis team in Southern California is the Westlake Warriors. They won the regional championship with a 5-2 win over Peninsula. Emma Sun, Essence Wang and Rachel Sherrill all won at singles. Freshmen Ariana Liu and Megan Sun and seniors Cindy Zhang and Emma Victor won at doubles. Congratulations to the Westlake Warriors 2021 CIF SoCal Girls Tennis Champions! 🎾 5-2 over Peninsula pic.twitter.com/m6uCgS5M11 Mira Costa and Harvard-Westlake finished up as the Southern California regional champions in Division I boys and girls soccer. Each had amazing seasons. Mira Costa, a team of neighborhood kids, knocked off this season’s powers — Servite, Loyola, Cathedral, Loyola, El Camino Real and finally Birmingham in a memorable 4-3 overtime final. Here’s the link to the Mustangs’ emotional win. Then there’s Harvard-Westlake. The Wolverines went 19-0 in girls soccer and no one really came close to beating them. The Thompson sisters finished off an incredible run by combining to score all six goals in a 6-1` win over Pacifica. Alyssa Thompson finished with 48 goals and had four goals in the final. Gisele Thompson had two goals in the final. Alyssa is a sophomore and Gisele a freshman. There’s probably a few more titles left to be won before they graduate. Mira Costa won the Southern Section Division 1 championship in boys’ volleyball by defeating Newport Harbor. Here’s the link to a story on the championship match. Chatsworth won the City Section Open Division boys’ championship over Taft. The regional playoffs begin this week. Here’s the schedule. There were no girls’ volleyball playoffs in the Southern Section. Officials declined to delay the season until the spring, but the City Section did just that, enabling Palisades to win the title on Saturday. Winning the City Section girls’ volleyball championship is hardly news at Palisades. The Dolphins have done so 31 times since the CIF sanctioned the sport in 1973. Palisades’ latest title came in a three-set sweep of Granada Hills, and what made it unique from all the others is that the Dolphins got to celebrate on their home floor, even if the gym was just one-fourth full. Here’s the link to a report. The Southern Section is holding its first lacrosse championships, and Village Christian won the Division 3 girls’ title with a victory over Vista Murrieta. Here’s the link to this week’s girls’ championship schedule. It will be No. 3 Newbury Park at No. 1 Foothill on Wednesday in Division 1. For boys, it will be No. 1 Loyola at No. 2 Foothill on Tuesday for the Division 1 title. If it’s the summer, it’s time for a summer sports movie. “12 Mighty Orphans” opens Friday and tells the true story of the Mighty Mites, the football team of a Fort Worth orphanage who, during the Great Depression, went from playing without shoes — or even a football — to playing for the Texas state championship. Here’s the link to trailer. From 247 Sports, a primer on football recruiting changes and camps going into June. From ESPN, a story on Bishop Montgomery coach Noelle Quinn becoming head coach of the Seattle Storm. From 11alive.com, a story in Atlanta about doctors seeing increasing stress fractures in youth athletes. Rule reminder: No batting practice on day of a Southern Section baseball playoff game https://t.co/1oNg9YMOn7 Junior season highlights - https://t.co/4HwDoq1L6O City Section scholar athletes of the year. Six receive $1,000 checks. pic.twitter.com/LVpxZEwPuM OMG. Another marvelous assist by David Diaz to Enrique Pineda. Birmingham takes 3–1 lead over Clovis. pic.twitter.com/Ly0u0tO07O Granada Hills has advanced to the City Section girls' volleyball championship match on Saturday. Its star player is Carolyn Lindsay, whose mother, Tammy, is the sister of basketball icons Reggie and Cheryl Miller. https://t.co/k6N0ot85LY Bosco releases its 2021 football schedule. Aug. 20 Nike Kickoff Classic. Possible SoFi Stadium. Other games: Alemany, Bishop Amat, East St. Louis, trip to Chesapeake, Va. Oct. 1 vs. Mater Dei. https://t.co/LiVUDefq3Q Two of the best high school basketball coaches anywhere. Lloyd Webster of King/Drew and Anthony Hilliard of Narbonne. pic.twitter.com/kYWLoH2pMa Here he goes again. Kosy Akametu with the slam. King/Drew 33, Narbonne 26. Late third. pic.twitter.com/TGUU1oQpUY Until next time... Have a question, comment or something you’d like to see in a future Prep Rally newsletter? Email me at eric.sondheimer@latimes.com, and follow me on Twitter at @latsondheimer.Did you get this newsletter forwarded to you? To sign up and get it in your inbox, click here.

What's on TV Monday: 'In Treatment' on HBO; 'The Good Doctor' on ABC

https://www.latimes.com/entertainment-arts/tv/story/2021-06-07/whats-on-tv-monday-june-7

During the coronavirus crisis, the Los Angeles Times is making some temporary changes to our print sections. The prime-time TV grid is on hiatus in print but an expanded version is available in your daily Times eNewspaper. You can find a printable PDF online at: latimes.com/whats-on-tv. American Greed The mid-season premiere of this documentary series profiles the infamous billionaire drug lord El Chapo, whose real name is Joaquin Guzmán Loera. 7 and 10 p.m. CNBC American Ninja Warrior (N) 8 p.m. NBC The Bachelorette Quick-witted marketing manager Katie Thurston, who became an instant fan favorite on “The Bachelor,” is in the driver’s seat in this new season, filmed in New Mexico. Former Bachelorettes Tayshia Adams and Kaitlyn Bristowe host. 8 p.m. ABC Television Former Bachelorettes Tayshia Adams and Kaitlyn Bristowe will replace the besieged host, who has come under fire for making racially insensitive comments. March 12, 2021 Hell’s Kitchen The contestants have their first dinner service, which includes preparing meals for boxing legend Mike Tyson and NASCAR driver Kurt Busch. 8 p.m. Fox HouseBroken (N) 9 p.m. Fox Best Baker in America The season finale’s challenges feature dishes from the Southwest and Pacific regions of the U.S. First, the bakers get creative with Nevada’s famous Basque cake. Next they are tasked with turning California’s chiffon cake into a tsunami cake. Judges Gesine Prado and Jason Smith and host Carla Hall choose the season’s winner. 9 p.m. Food Network In Treatment “Laila: Week 3” and “Brooke: Week 3” (N) 9 and 9:30 p.m. HBO Awards The ‘Orange Is the New Black’ and ‘Mrs. America’ actress says the series can help destigmatize mental health issues in this time of pandemic-related concerns. May 26, 2021 American Pickers (N) 9 p.m. History North Korea: Inside the Mind of a Dictator The biographical series continues with “Dictator’s Dilemma” and “Taking the World Stage.” 9 and 10 p.m. National Geographic’ Cartel Crew (season premiere) (N) 9 p.m. VH1 Duncanville (N) 9:30 p.m. Fox Small Fortune (N) 10 p.m. NBC The Good Doctor In the conclusion of the two-part season finale, Shaun (Freddie Highmore) performs an operation on a patient after the power goes out at a Guatemalan hospital. Also, Dr. Lim (Christina Chang) discusses her post-traumatic stress disorder from dealing with COVID-19. Antonia Thomas, Hill Harper and Richard Schiff also star. 10 p.m. ABC Infamy: When Fame Turns Deadly Singer-songwriter Monica hosts this new true-crime series in which notoriety and fame take a fatal turn for some celebrities. 10 p.m. VH1 Barack Obama on Fatherhood, Leadership and Legacy Anderson Cooper interviews the former president in this new special. 5 and 9 p.m. CNN College Baseball NCAA Regional/Super Regional: 10 a.m., 1, 4 and 7 p.m. ESPN2 NHL Hockey Playoffs The New York Islanders visit the Boston Bruins, 3:30 p.m. NBCSP; the Winnipeg Jets visit the Montreal Canadiens, 6 p.m. NBCSP 2021 Women’s College Softball World Series Championship Finals, Game 1, 4:30 p.m. ESPN Baseball The Kansas City Royals visit the Angels, 6:30 p.m. BSW; the Chicago Cubs visit the San Diego Padres, 7 p.m. ESPN CBS This Morning Former Homeland Security Advisory Council chair William Bratton. (N) 7 a.m. KCBS Today (N) 7 a.m. KNBC KTLA Morning News (N) 7 a.m. KTLA Good Morning America (N) 7 a.m. KABC Good Day L.A. (N) 7 a.m. KTTV Live With Kelly and Ryan First Lady Jill Biden and Dr. Anthony Fauci; Anthony Ramos (“In the Heights”). (N) 9 a.m. KABC The View (N) 10 a.m. KABC Home & Family Brant Daugherty; Rob Lowe. (N) 10 a.m. Hallmark The Wendy Williams Show Devyn Simone. (N) 11 a.m. KTTV The Talk Ellen Burstyn; Marcela Valladolid; Steven Weber. (N) 1 p.m. KCBS Tamron Hall (N) 1 p.m. KABC The Kelly Clarkson Show (N) 2 p.m. KNBC The Ellen DeGeneres Show Ricky Martin; Carey Hart, Good Ride; Crowded House performs. (N) 3 p.m. KNBC Amanpour and Company (N) 11 p.m. KCET; 1 a.m. KLCS The Daily Show With Trevor Noah (N) 11 p.m. Comedy Central Conan Don Cheadle. (N) 11 p.m. and 12:30 a.m. TBS The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon Robert De Niro; Anthony Ramos; Anne-Marie and Niall Horan. (N) 11:34 p.m. KNBC The Late Show With Stephen Colbert Chris Matthews; Cynthia Erivo performs. (N) 11:35 p.m. KCBS Jimmy Kimmel Live! 11:35 p.m. KABC Late Night With Seth Meyers Patrick Wilson; Quinta Brunson; Brendan Buckley. (N) 12:36 a.m. KNBC The Late Late Show With James Corden Julianne Moore; Rufus Wainwright performs. (N) 12:37 a.m. KCBS Nightline (N) 12:37 a.m. KABC Ginger & Rosa (2012) 8 a.m. TMC Braveheart (1995) 8:03 a.m. Encore Ocean’s Eleven (1960) 9:30 a.m. TCM Back to the Future (1985) 10 a.m. and 5:30 p.m. MTV First Blood (1982) 10:30 a.m. Showtime Krisha (2015) 11 a.m. TMC Hellboy (2004) 11:03 a.m. and 9 p.m. Encore; 8 p.m. Syfy The Personal History of David Copperfield (2019) 11:55 a.m. HBO Some Came Running (1958) Noon TCM Back to the Future Part II (1989) 12:30 p.m. MTV Monster’s Ball (2001) 1:05 p.m. Epix A Few Good Men (1992) 2 p.m. AMC Snatch (2000) 2:15 p.m. TMC Ad Astra (2019) 2:20 p.m. Cinemax Rio Bravo (1959) 2:30 p.m. TCM Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon (2000) 2:51 p.m. Starz Beetlejuice (1988) 3 p.m. Freeform Back to the Future Part III (1990) 3 p.m. MTV World War Z (2013) 3:30 p.m. FXX Born on the Fourth of July (1989) 3:30 p.m. Showtime The Usual Suspects (1995) 4 p.m. Ovation Mary Poppins Returns (2018) 5 p.m. Freeform Megan Leavey (2017) 5:04 p.m. Encore Dallas Buyers Club (2013) 6 p.m. Showtime The Karate Kid (1984) 6 p.m. Sundance The Bank Job (2008) 6:30 p.m. Ovation The Hunger Games (2012) 7 p.m. Paramount Kajillionaire (2020) 7:10 p.m. HBO Tombstone (1993) 7:30 p.m. AMC Mrs. Doubtfire (1993) 8 p.m. Freeform Arbitrage (2012) 8 p.m. TMC Terminator 2: Judgment Day (1991) 9 p.m. Sundance True Grit (2010) 9:55 p.m. Cinemax Baby Driver (2017) 10 p.m. FX The Hunger Games: Catching Fire (2013) 10 p.m. Paramount The Ides of March (2011) 10 p.m. TMC The Negotiator (1998) 11:05 p.m. Encore At the Circus (1939) 11:15 p.m. TCM Television Movies on TV this week: June 6: ‘The Diving Bell And The Butterfly” on Cinemax; ‘Taxi Driver’ on TMC; ‘The Crying Game’ on Showtime and more June 4, 2021 Movies on TV for the entire week, June. 6 - 12 in interactive PDF format for easy downloading and printing June 4, 2021 TV Grids for the entire week of June. 6 - 12 in downloadable and printable PDF files June 4, 2021 Television Looking for what to watch on TV? Here are the television listings from the Los Angeles Times in printable PDF files. June 18, 2021

Fisher-Price recalls baby soothers after 4 infant deaths in a year

https://www.latimes.com/world-nation/story/2021-06-07/fisher-price-recalls-baby-soothers-infant-deaths

Fisher-Price says it is recalling a model of its baby soothers after the deaths of four infants who were placed on their backs unrestrained in the devices and later found on their stomachs. In a joint statement with the Consumer Product Safety Commission, Fisher-Price said Friday that it was recalling its 4-in-1 Rock ‘n Glide Soother, which is designed to mimic the motion of a baby being rocked in someone’s arms. The fatalities between April 2019 and February 2020 were a 4-month old from Missouri, a 2-month old from Nevada, a 2-month old from Michigan and an 11-week old from Colorado, according to the statement. Fisher-Price, a division of El Segundo-based Mattel, is also recalling a similar product, the 2-in-1 Soothe ’n Play Glider, although there were no reported deaths connected to it. “Inclined products, such as gliders, soothers, rockers and swings, are not safe for infant sleep, due to the risk of suffocation,” CPSC Acting Chairman Robert Adler said. Fisher-Price General Manager Chuck Scothon said the company was committed to educating parents and caregivers on the safe use of its products, “including the importance of following all warnings and instructions.” Business Fisher-Price recalled nearly 5 million infant sleepers on Friday after more than 30 babies died in them over a 10-year period. April 12, 2019 “We believe that every child should grow up in an environment surrounded by purposeful products that have been designed to keep them safe,” said a Fisher-Price spokesperson. “As part of our commitment to safety, we have added respected leaders in quality, safety, and compliance; recently formed the Medical and Scientific Safety Council (MSSC) comprised of renowned pediatricians; and launched the Safe Start education campaign focused on engaging parents and caregivers in important conversations about the safety, health, and development of babies and children.” The new recall follows a similar action two years ago, when Fisher-Price recalled nearly 5 million Rock ‘n Play sleepers after more than 30 babies died in them over a 10-year period. Those deaths also occurred after infants rolled over from their backs to their stomachs or sides while unrestrained. About 120,000 4-in-1 Rock ‘n Glide Soothers and 55,000 2-in-1 Soothe ‘n Play Gliders were sold from January 2014 through December 2020 for about $108. The 2-in-1 Soothe ‘n Play Gliders were sold from November 2018 through May 2021 for about $125. There were also 25,000 4-in-1 Rock ‘n Glide Soothers and 27,000 2-in-1 Soothe ’n Play Gliders distributed in Canada.

France fines Google $268 million for unfair online ads treatment

https://www.latimes.com/world-nation/story/2021-06-07/france-fines-google-unfair-online-ads-treatment

France’s antitrust watchdog decided Monday to fine Google 220 million euros ($268 million) for abusing its “dominant position” in the online advertising business — an unprecedented move, the body said. Practices used by Google “are particularly serious because they penalize Google’s competitors” in certain markets and publishers of mobile sites and apps, the statement by the French Competition Authority said. “The authority recalls that a company in a dominant position is subject to a particular responsibility, that of not undermining,” the statement said. Google, based in Mountain View, Calif., did not dispute the facts and opted to settle, proposing changes, the statement said. The head of the authority, Isabelle de Silva, said the decision was unprecedented. “[It’s] the first decision in the world to look into complex algorithmic auctions processes through which online display advertising works,” she said. Business A European Union court has overturned a ruling that said a tax deal between Amazon and the Luxembourg government amounted to illegal state support. May 12, 2021 The fine, along with Google’s commitments to make changes, “will make it possible to reestablish a level playing field for all players, and the ability for publishers to make the most of their advertising space,” De Silva said in the Competition Authority’s statement. Google France’s legal director, Maria Gomri, said in a blog post Monday that Google had been collaborating for the last two years with the French watchdog on issues surrounding ad technology, notably the editors’ platform Google Ad Manager. She wrote that commitments made during negotiations would “facilitate use by editors of data and our tools with other ad technologies.” After tests in the months ahead, changes will be deployed more broadly, “some on a worldwide scale,” Gomri said. The French authority’s investigation was prompted by complaints from Rupert Murdoch’s News Corp., French newspaper group Le Figaro and Belgium-based Rossel La Voix. Le Figaro later withdrew its complaint. Business The world’s richest countries signed an agreement to confront tax avoidance and make sure giant tech companies pay their fair share. June 5, 2021 U.S. tech giants have been facing intensifying scrutiny in Europe and elsewhere over their business practices. Germany became the latest country to launch an investigation of Google, using increased powers to scrutinize digital giants. The German competition watchdog said Friday that it was examining whether contracts for news publishers using Google’s News Showcase, a licensing platform launched last fall, include “unreasonable conditions.” European Union regulators have also charged Apple with stifling competition in music streaming, and accused Amazon of using data from independent merchants to unfairly compete against them with its own products. They are informally investigating Google’s data practices for advertising purposes.

Essential California: Meet your new newsletter writer

https://www.latimes.com/california/newsletter/2021-06-07/new-newsletter-writer-justin-ray-essential-california

Good morning, and welcome to the Essential California newsletter. It’s Monday, June 7. I’m Justin Ray. When I was a toddler, my family moved to California, where we would stay for nearly a decade. We lived in Alamo, in Contra Costa County, which I don’t remember too well. But I have vivid memories of another house we moved to in Fresno. During our stay there, I had many wonderful experiences, but there was one sad moment I had as a child that taught me about loss, and not knowing what the future holds — albeit at an immensely small scale. I had no way of knowing then that I’d be telling you about this in my first edition of the Essential California newsletter. But as I look forward to the challenge of writing about this complicated time for the state, I thought you should know something about me — and where this newsletter will be going. In Fresno, we lived on a farm where we kept our walnut trees watered, and burned smoke bombs in gopher holes. Our next-door neighbor Harold had a grape vineyard; I still remember the smell of his burning paper raisin trays in the night. We had a rabbit. We also had a big backyard with a pool. It was in that pool that I met my friend Sammy. He was a frog. I spent hours in the pool with my amphibian amigo. I would put on floaties and swim beside him, in awe of his aquatic skills, the way he effortlessly darted left and right. Even now, I remember how close I felt to him. My older brother had friends who lived close by. All of mine lived farther away and thus seldom visited. But that wasn’t a problem, because I had Sammy. I would hold him like a burger — a dark green one with a blank stare and the occasional grunt. He didn’t mind. Of course he never verbalized his fondness for me, but there was no need, because I just knew. Then, one day, everything changed. Sammy had gone missing. I searched the entire pool and even the nearby bushes for my frog friend for a few days without success. Then, I checked the basket of our pool skimmer. When I opened the top, I saw his upside-down, lifeless body. I remember the stinging sensation of tears as I stared at his white stomach and splayed legs. I don’t know how he died — maybe it was the chlorine, maybe he got trapped in the filter. Minutes later, I dug a hole and buried my croaking companion. I hadn’t felt so alone, and I didn’t know what I would do without him. I’ve been thinking about that moment as I begin my tenure writing Essential California. I don’t know what lies ahead, and to be honest, I have mixed feelings about this. Like so many of you, I have been feeling isolated during the pandemic, and reentering society is scary. The responsibility of writing this newsletter is daunting. I cannot help but note that I’m the second Black man being put in a visible place at this paper after a racial reckoning that made headlines last summer. Not only that, I’m a 31-year-old gay man without a family of his own, and with a mom who persistently pushes the topic of grandkids (“You know, Anderson Cooper adopted,” she constantly reminds me). It’s a lot to process. But I don’t have to process these feelings alone, because I will take this journey with you. That’s the part of my new job I’m most excited about — connecting with readers and forming a bond with them as I chronicle what’s going on in the state. During my tenure, three elements will make up the foundation of this newsletter: Relevance: I want this newsletter to appeal to anyone interested in what is happening in California. This state carries an outsize influence on the national stage, and we have the potential to identify, explore and start conversations about topics before they enter America’s cultural zeitgeist. My intention is to make my updates something you look forward to reading every day, whether I’m writing about Silicon Valley or gun control. Inclusivity: The Times’ newsletter team and I recognize that this newsletter can do more to give regions outside Los Angeles the attention they deserve. Of course, I am a Los Angeles Times reporter, and it makes sense that coverage would skew toward the region — but I promise to speak to the experiences of more Californians. For instance, I want to discuss the on-the-ground impact of legislation affecting people who are homeless, and how marginalized groups are recovering from the COVID-19 pandemic. Comprehensiveness: One element that has always been part of the newsletter that will remain is our commitment to conveying the important narratives and news coverage. We have tracked stories about homelessness, education, the pandemic and other topics salient to Californians. I’m committed to bringing you the most compelling coverage of issues affecting the 40 million people in our state, and the many millions more who look to its example. As I take this journey, I hope to initiate a dialogue with you. I want to integrate your thoughts into my newsletter. Please reach out with your comments, concerns or frog-related tales. And one programming note: I’ll be writing Essential California on Mondays through Thursdays, with other Times reporters contributing on Fridays, and my colleagues Laura Blasey and Daric L. Cottingham delivering the week in review on Saturdays. And now, here’s what’s happening across California: Blood-sucking arachnids are thriving. Ticks carrying Lyme disease are abundant at California beaches in the warmer months. That’s according to four years of field work in California’s San Francisco Bay Area and nearby wine country, Susanne Rust reports. How do these ticks survive? That isn’t clear, but the research might help determine whether Lyme disease — a potentially debilitating tick-borne infection — is on the upswing in the Bay Area and statewide. Los Angeles Times Note: Some of the sites we link to may limit the number of stories you can access without subscribing. A teachers union vote on cutting aid to Israel. Members of the L.A. teachers union’s leadership body will vote in September on a resolution that would urge the U.S. government to end all aid to Israel. Some critics of Israel welcome the vote as a chance to take a firm stance on the topic. Those who oppose it see the vote as one-sided and insensitive to Jewish students and school employees. Los Angeles Times “People wake up, lower their pants and go to the bathroom.” Venice homeowners tell Steve Lopez that their neighborhood is no longer safe due to the increasing number of people camping along the boardwalk. The situation was caused by a “failed investment in affordable housing and years of the wealth gap just being ignored,” according to Va Lecia Adams Kellum, chief executive of the nearby St. Joseph Center, which does homeless outreach. Los Angeles Times Support our journalism Subscribe to the Los Angeles Times. The Times’ editorial board has launched a new series: Reimagine California offers insights and suggestions for how we can make our state (and country) better after a pandemic that claimed the lives of thousands locally and exposed weaknesses in many systems that govern our life. “To move forward, America must recognize the fractures, weaknesses and inequalities in many of our systems,” writes The Times’ editorial board (which operates separately from the newsroom). “It is imperative that the nation address — not merely acknowledge — the realities we cannot afford to ignore.” Here are some highlights from the series: — The government should ensure all citizens have adequate housing. “It’s time to stop talking about ‘beds’ for homeless people — unless they need a hospital bed or a residential mental health facility,” Carla Hall writes. “Homeless people need homes.” Hall argues that this would include protection against forced eviction and legal counsel to people facing eviction. — The pandemic highlighted flaws in education. For instance, some parents could afford tutors while other students lacked reliable broadband. Karin Klein offers up Switzerland’s paid apprenticeship model as a new way we could make the economy fairer and discontinue using the college degree as a proxy for skill. — We’re stuck with our capitalist system, but that doesn’t mean we can’t look for ways to make it work for more people, writes Scott Martelle. He explains how we could implement New Deal-style government jobs programs to provide employment to people working part time and reimagine the role played by unions. — The novel coronavirus easily circulated through jails and prisons due to crowded facilities, spotty sanitation, and lacking health services. In response, state and county justice officials took extraordinary steps to reduce the number of people locked up. But this raises the question: “Why were we keeping them locked up in the first place, if they posed no risk to the outside world?” Robert Greene writes. The full series can be found here. L.A. County reports 285 new cases of the virus. In early April, Gov. Gavin Newsom said California would be able to reopen its economy on June 15, thanks to vaccination rates and low hospitalization numbers. However, less than two weeks away from the big day, the coronavirus continues to spread in Los Angeles County, as 15 new deaths and 285 new cases of the virus were reported Saturday. The deaths are occurring primarily among unvaccinated individuals, said Barbara Ferrer, L.A. County’s public health director. To assist the vaccination effort, mobile vaccination teams have been deployed at 188 neighborhood sites. Ferrer recently told The Times she wonders whether she could have better protected people living in the county’s poorest neighborhoods throughout the pandemic. Los Angeles Times Alameda County changed the way coronavirus deaths are recorded. Its death toll dropped from 1,634 to 1,223 after officials decided that the virus has to be directly involved with the death to qualify as a coronavirus death. Previously, Alameda counted anyone who was infected with the virus when they died. Officials made the modification to match state and national definitions, the county’s public health department said in a news release. Mercury News A conservative talk radio host changes course. Mike Broomhead is a two-time Arizona Trump voter, staunch conservative and onetime supporter of auditing the 2020 election in Maricopa County. Now, his radio show is a daily recitation of how the effort became a debacle. Melanie Mason explains why he’s now urging fellow Republicans to reconsider contesting the ballots cast seven months ago. Los Angeles Times A program to help inmates and end the labor shortage. There has been a lot of talk about the lack of available workers many shops and restaurants face as the state reopens. A San Francisco staffing agency has an interesting solution to the shortage: hire inmates released early due to good behavior credits. ABC 7 Hundreds attended a funeral for a 6-year-old killed in a road rage shooting. Aiden Leos was mourned at a memorial service Saturday at Calvary Chapel Yorba Linda. “If Aiden would like for anything to be transformed as he left this world and made his way to heaven, he would want all of us to love one another and be kind,” his mother, Joanna Cloonan said at the service. Two people have been arrested over the fatal shooting. Los Angeles Times “He told me he didn’t think I was Black.” Davina Dickens, co-owner of Oakland’s Graffiti Pizza, says a Black father and son came to her restaurant’s door. The father asked to speak with the owner after noticing a “Black-owned” sign in the window. “I told him I was. In fact, I even pulled my mask down.” But he didn’t believe her. Dickens told columnist Justin Phillips she didn’t initially think much of the interaction. Unfortunately, things didn’t end there. San Francisco Chronicle Fentanyl overdose deaths increase in Sonoma County. Data from the Sonoma County coroner’s office show that fentanyl-related overdose deaths have dramatically increased. A combination of the drug and other substances caused 80 deaths in the region last year, a 116% increase from 2019. Santa Rosa Press Democrat The Clippers won Game 7 and eliminated the Dallas Mavericks. The Clippers’ redemption tour continues to the second round after a 126-111 win. Los Angeles Times Free online games Get our free daily crossword puzzle, sudoku, word search and arcade games in our new game center at latimes.com/games. Los Angeles: sunny, 70. San Diego: isolated showers, 65. San Francisco: partly cloudy, 62. San Jose: sunny, 70. Fresno: hot north, cool south, 91. Sacramento: sunny, 82. A birthday for someone who made a mark in Southern California: Prince Rogers Nelson was born June 7, 1958. Not too long ago, our SEO editor Louisa Frahm explained how a local fan group preserves and celebrates the music legend’s legacy. One fan told us how Prince reacted when she showed the musician her Love Symbol tattoo on her lower back during a 2004 concert in Bakersfield. If you have a memory or story about the Golden State, share it with us. (Please keep your story to 100 words.) Please let us know what we can do to make this newsletter more useful to you. Send comments to essentialcalifornia@latimes.com.

Clippers vs. Jazz: What to expect when their second-round series starts

https://www.latimes.com/sports/clippers/story/2021-06-07/clippers-jazz-series-nba-playoffs-preview

Nearly two hours after playing 43 minutes during the Clippers’ 126-111 victory over Dallas to advance to the second round of the playoffs, Paul George emerged for his postgame videoconference after receiving treatment. Every moment of recovery since the final horn had become precious, not that the Clippers will complain — their season is still alive. Their reward for a first-round victory over the Mavericks is a quick turnaround against the top-seeded and well-rested Utah Jazz, who will have gone six days between games after beating Memphis in five. Tipoff for Game 1 of the best-of-seven series is Tuesday at 7 p.m. PDT in Salt Lake City. “At this point everyone has something going on” physically, George said Sunday. “I just try to get to a mindset to go out and perform and just help my team keep the series and the season alive. “At this point, it’s just all-in. It’s just all-in, committed to doing whatever it takes, and you know, help try to keep us going.” The Clippers’ last matchup against Utah, a 116-112 win on Feb. 19, was their lone victory in three games during the season and was notable because it was the first time in four weeks the Clippers’ usual, but battered starting lineup played together. The matchup was seen as a preview of how the full-strength rosters would fare. It was only Utah’s second loss in 22 games and marked a key moment in the Clippers’ season when reserve guard Terance Mann overtook Luke Kennard in the rotation. Mann played a key role in the first round against Dallas by averaging nearly 17 minutes over the last six games and scored 13 points in Game 7. Kennard added 11 in the finale, his role increasing in the last two games as the Clippers sought to add scoring and spacing. Both could play valuable roles against the Jazz too, because given Utah’s deep guard rotation and highly accurate shooting, its strengths overlap with many of the Clippers’. Los Angeles led the league in three-point shooting (41.1%) while Utah ranked fourth (38.9%). Since the postseason began, Utah stayed hot with 40.6% shooting from deep, while it took the Clippers until the end to shoot to their potential, making a Game 7-record 20 three-pointers. For the series they made 37.3%, seventh best among playoff teams. Utah guard Mike Conley averaged 17.4 points and 8.6 assists against the Grizzlies, but his availability remains unknown after he suffered a mild hamstring strain in the last game. Utah announced that his health will be re-evaluated before Game 1. After a right ankle sprain led Donovan Mitchell to miss his 17th consecutive game in the opener against Memphis, the All-Star guard averaged 28.5 points, 5.8 assists and 2.8 turnovers over his last four games while shooting 40% on three-pointers. Clippers After defeating Dallas in Game 7, the Clippers are trying to erase their curse by getting past top-seeded Utah for their first conference finals. June 6, 2021 The Jazz also can turn to Jordan Clarkson, recently chosen the NBA’s top reserve after a season in which he averaged 18.4 points. The 6-foot-4 Clarkson averaged 18.6 points off the bench against Memphis, though his three-point accuracy dipped to 23% on eight attempts per game. To beat Dallas, one of Clippers coach Tyronn Lue’s key adjustments was shifting to a starting lineup with no player taller than 6-8, with forward Nicolas Batum replacing traditional center Ivica Zubac in order to present a smaller, switching defense against Luka Doncic. Against the Jazz, who start 7-1 center Rudy Gobert, a two-time defensive player of the year, the Clippers’ big men could resume larger roles. The Jazz also played 6-9 center Derrick Favors off the bench 15 minutes per game in the first round, the type of matchup that could lead to a potential role for a backup, traditional center off the bench. Serge Ibaka (back spasms) missed the last five games against the Mavericks. DeMarcus Cousins, whom Lue said was “itching to play” against Dallas, could be another option should Ibaka be unavailable. The environment in Vivint Arena will be much different than the Clippers’ only previous visit this season on Jan. 1, when 1,932 fans watched Utah’s 106-100 win. More than 14,000 fans watched Utah’s first-round closeout victory, and that environment drew scrutiny earlier in the series after the team announced it indefinitely banned three spectators who were ejected from Game 2 after directing vulgar taunts toward the parents of Memphis guard Ja Morant.

Hernández: Why the Dodgers' oversized bet on Trevor Bauer might spin out of control

https://www.latimes.com/sports/dodgers/story/2021-06-07/trevor-bauer-dodgers-spin-rate-pitching-mlb-rules

Under their current owners, the Dodgers have taken pride in refusing to adhere to the fundamental spirit of baseball’s compensation system, which is to reward players for what they’ve done in the past and not necessarily for what they’ll do in the future. Ironically, that’s the very position the Dodgers are now in with their high-profile free-agent acquisition from the winter who characterized the organization’s forward-thinking culture. Just two months into the season, Trevor Bauer isn’t the same pitcher the Dodgers signed in the winter. The Dodgers invested $102 million in the right-hander believing he was a frontline starter, but who knows what they’re paying for now that the commissioner’s office has informed teams it would start enforcing rules prohibiting the doctoring of baseballs. The transformation was as instantaneous as it was pronounced. Dodgers The Trevor Bauer the Dodgers made one of the highest paid pitchers in MLB was missing in a 4-2 loss to Atlanta on the day MLB enforced a rule. Coincidence? June 6, 2021 In a 4-2 loss to the Atlanta Braves on Sunday, the spin rate and usage of Bauer’s four-seam fastball were noticeably down. Bauer held the Braves to three runs in six innings, but he didn’t pitch well. The 10 baserunners he allowed were a season-high. “Hot, humid day in Atlanta,” Bauer said sarcastically. To his everlasting credit, Bauer didn’t deny having previously used foreign substances to improve his grip on baseballs, coming as close to admitting he did without actually saying it. “I just want to compete on a fair playing field,” he said. Bauer’s refreshing candor doesn’t change the Dodgers’ predicament, however. An aversion to risk has characterized Andrew Friedman’s seven seasons as the team’s president of baseball operations, but the Dodgers made a sizable and potentially costly wager by signing Bauer. They gambled commissioner Rob Manfred wouldn’t remove his head from the sand. The Dodgers now have $102 million tied up in a pitcher who went into his Cy Young Award season last year with a career earned-run average of 4.04. Asked if he could be the caliber of pitcher the Dodgers paid for if the league takes substantive measures to discourage the use of foreign substances, Bauer replied, “Go look at the 2018 numbers and tell me what you think.” He spent that season with the Cleveland Indians and was 12-6 with a 2.21 earned-run average. He did that with a four-seam fastball that averaged 2,322 revolutions per minute, according to Baseball Savant. Bauer’s average spin rate for the pitch jumped to 2,779 rpm last year and was at 2,835 through his first 12 starts this year. Against the Braves on Sunday, Bauer’s first start since the league informed owners of its plans to police the problem, the figure dropped to 2,612 rpm. The Dodgers have improved their spin rates from last year by 7.04%, more than any other team, according to a report by Sports Illustrated, which called them “Spin City.” A crackdown on foreign substances could severely affect their chances of repeating as World Series champions, especially considering how reliant they are on pitching. Manager Dave Roberts said he hasn’t held any clubhouse meetings on the subject, even though a suspension to an offending pitcher could affect the entire team. Nor is Roberts interesting in finding out which pitchers were using what substances. “I’m not as curious as you are,” Roberts said. But in the eighth inning of a close game, wouldn’t he want to know if a certain reliever might have, say, a 300-rpm drop? Dodgers Major League Baseball informed owners that it will enforce rules on using foreign substances on baseballs. Dodgers manager Dave Roberts is fine with that. June 5, 2021 “I still think that he’s going to get guys out and execute pitches,” Roberts said. Roberts shared a concern about the midseason shift in MLB policy, making the case a pitcher who pitched under one set of conditions might be more susceptible to injury pitching under another. While he approved of Major League Baseball’s efforts to clean up the game, he also said he didn’t view the use of sticky materials as cheating. “I think that cheating is more when rules are imposed, are in place, and you break them,” he said. “But I think we’re getting to that point.” Is it too much to ask of players to follow rules for which there are no penalties? “It’s not just baseball, it’s sports and it’s life in general, if there’s not rules, distinct rules and consequences, people push limits,” Roberts said. “That’s just the way the world works.” Bauer, who was once a loud critic of the use of foreign substances, made a similar point. He said of the commissioner’s office, “If they’re serious about actually doing something, about the rule that’s on the books, then that’s all I’ve wanted for four years. “So, we’ll see what they do. Unfortunately, in MLB, a lot of times, nothing gets done until their hands gets forced and it becomes a public issue.” He’s right. Highlights from the Dodgers’ 4-2 loss to the Atlanta Braves on Sunday. Tuesday will mark the release of “Cheated,” a book by longtime New York-based baseball reporter Andy Martino that chronicles the Houston Astros’ sign-stealing scandal. The similarities between that controversy and this one are striking, Martino describing how Manfred’s efforts to incrementally legislate the issue allowed the practice of the game’s darks arts to escalate into a technologically enhanced arms race. (Full disclosure: Martino is a friend and I wrote a blurb for the book jacket.) The commissioner only seems interested in the integrity of the game as it relates to revenues. Until the bottom line is affected and he takes decisive action, however, players are in a no-man’s land of sorts. If they don’t cheat, they risk losing their jobs. If they cheat, they are in danger of being punished when the rules are enforced. Manfred’s missteps don’t excuse the Dodgers for the oversized bet they placed on Bauer. As Bauer implied in the wake of his loss to the Braves, his previous statements and pitch-tracking data made it clear what he was doing. “If you want to do research and make your own decision, go for it,” he said. Somehow, the suspected cheater is the only person here who doesn’t come across as negligent or devoid of character. This points to a greater problem, about the people who run the game, the culture they are creating and how the sport’s next scandal could be around the corner.

California moves to make abortion cheaper, as other states work to restrict it

https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2021-06-07/california-to-make-abortion-cheaper-unlike-many-states

Even as most states are trying to make it harder to get an abortion, California could make it free for more people. State lawmakers are debating a bill to eliminate out-of-pocket expenses such as co-pays and payments toward deductibles for abortions and related services, including counseling. The measure, approved by the Senate and headed to the Assembly, would apply to most private health plans regulated by the state. So far this year, 559 abortion restrictions have been introduced in 47 state legislatures, 82 of which have already been enacted, said Elizabeth Nash, a state policy analyst at the Guttmacher Institute, a nonpartisan research organization that studies abortion and reproductive healthcare. That’s already the third-highest number of abortion restrictions adopted in a year since the U.S. Supreme Court’s landmark Roe vs. Wade ruling of 1973, which affirmed the legal right to an abortion, she said. By comparison, just a handful of bills, including California’s, would make it easier or cheaper to terminate a pregnancy, she said. The state Legislature is considering the bill just as the fate of Roe vs. Wade has been thrown into question. The conservative-leaning Supreme Court has agreed to review this year a Mississippi law that bans abortions after 15 weeks, and its ruling could end or weaken Roe. “It’s tough to know your reproductive rights may be in question again after it’s been decided for 40 years,” said state Sen. Lena Gonzalez (D-Long Beach), author of the California bill, SB 245. “We’re taking a stance, not just to make abortions available but to make them free and equitable.” Politics A more conservative Supreme Court will weigh a woman’s right to choose abortion. May 17, 2021 Abortion opponents believe the state should instead make birth and maternity care more affordable, said Wynette Sills, director of Californians for Life. Instead of giving patients more choices in their reproductive healthcare and family planning, this bill promotes just one option, Sills said. “If we’re trying to look out for the economically disadvantaged, I think it’s repulsive that the best we can offer is a free abortion,” she said. California already offers broad protection for abortion. It’s one of six states that require health insurance plans to cover abortions, and most enrollees in the state’s Medicaid program for low-income people, Medi-Cal, pay nothing out of pocket for the procedure. When Bella Calamore decided to seek an abortion in May 2020, she thought the procedure would be free through Medi-Cal. But at the clinic, she learned that her father had recently enrolled her in his Blue Cross Blue Shield plan, which told her she would owe $600 after insurance was applied. “Financially, it just didn’t seem reasonable for me to spend that,” said Calamore, 22, of Riverside. A college student, she had lost her job as a waitress during the COVID-19 pandemic and had no income. The abortion cost more than her rent that month, she said. Calamore sat in her car, surrounded by antiabortion protesters, and tried to figure out what to do. She decided to pay for the abortion, leaving $200 in her bank account, barely enough for food for the rest of the month. Calamore later got involved with NARAL Pro-Choice America, a group that promotes abortion rights, and testified before the Senate Health Committee. The bill would not apply to the millions of Californians whose health insurance plans are regulated by the federal government. Out of approximately 23,000 women who get abortions in California each year, roughly 9,650 would be affected by this bill, according to an analysis by the California Health Benefits Review Program. The agency estimates the bill would lead to a 1% increase in abortions among those whose cost sharing would be eliminated, or the equivalent of about 100 additional abortions per year. Though the measure likely would not significantly increase abortions, waiving costs would help those who would otherwise have to make financial sacrifices, such as falling behind on rent or cutting back on groceries, said Jessica Pinckney, executive director of Access Reproductive Justice, a fund that helps people pay for abortions. “We’ve noticed a lot of callers who had private insurance plans and really restrictive co-pays or high deductibles,” Pinckney said. “They’re really creating a barrier.” The cost of an abortion rises as a pregnancy progresses. A medical abortion, in which pills are used to terminate a pregnancy, costs California patients an average of $306 out of pocket, according to the agency’s analysis, but isn’t available after 10 weeks. After that, the only option is a surgical abortion, which costs an average of $887 out of pocket in California. As a pregnancy advances, the cost goes up and fewer providers are willing to perform an abortion. “The moment that a person finds out that they’re pregnant, the clock is ticking, as well as the meter,” said Fabiola Carrión, a senior attorney with the National Health Law Program. Politics The U.S. Supreme Court announced it will hear a major abortion case, coinciding with a surge of abortion restrictions being passed on the state level. May 17, 2021 Several other states expanded abortion access this year. New Mexico repealed its pre-Roe law that banned abortion in case Roe is overturned, and Virginia repealed a ban on abortion coverage in plans sold through the state’s marketplace. Hawaii expanded the category of medical professionals who can provide abortions, and Washington now requires student health plans that cover maternity care to cover abortions as well. New Jersey lawmakers are considering a comprehensive abortion-rights bill that would eliminate cost sharing for abortions, but advocates aren’t optimistic about its chances. Meanwhile, total abortion bans have been passed in Oklahoma and Arkansas this year, as have bans on abortion after six weeks in Texas, Idaho, South Carolina and Oklahoma (Oklahoma has passed three different bans on abortion this year). None has gone into effect, leaving time for court challenges, said Nash, from the Guttmacher Institute. Eliminating abortion costs for patients has been tried in other states, including Oregon, which adopted a comprehensive abortion-rights law in 2017 that included language similar to California’s. A handful of other states have provisions to reduce out-of-pocket costs. States have learned — from contraception coverage and from California’s experience requiring health plans to cover abortions — that simply requiring something doesn’t ensure patients can get it, Nash said. “Cost sharing is a huge barrier to accessing services that you need to remove so people can actually get the care they need,” she said. Most essential healthcare, like routine immunizations, preventive services and contraception, is already covered at no cost to the patient. Advocates of SB 245 say abortion is just as essential and should be treated the same way. The California Assn. of Health Plans disagrees. This measure is one of several this year that would eliminate out-of-pocket costs for treatments or medicines, including insulin and other drugs for chronic diseases, said Mary Ellen Grant, a spokesperson for the association. “We find this concerning as these bills would cumulatively increase premiums for all health plan enrollees,” Grant wrote in an email. This story was produced by KHN (Kaiser Health News), one of the three major operating programs at KFF (Kaiser Family Foundation).

Column: An AR-15 is like a pocket knife? Maybe federal judges shouldn't get lifetime appointments

https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2021-06-07/skelton-assault-weapons-ruling-california-ar15-pocket-knife

The U.S. district judge began his 94-page ruling sanctioning the AR-15 assault rifle for home and militia use by equating it with a Swiss Army knife. Yes, you read that correctly. And it’s all you need to know about the quality of the judge’s tortured opinion — even if it is ultimately upheld, heaven forbid, by the conservative U.S. Supreme Court. But come on, that couldn’t actually happen. Right? We’ll probably find out. This is how San Diego-based federal Judge Roger Benitez — the gun lobby’s best friend in recent years — began his opinion: “Like the Swiss Army Knife, the popular AR-15 rifle is a perfect combination of home defense weapon and homeland defense equipment. Good for home and battle…. “Yet, the State of California makes it a crime to have an AR-15 type rifle. Therefore, this court declares the Californian statutes to be unconstitutional.” And just like that, the judge threw out California’s 3-decade-old ban on assault weapons. He granted a 30-day stay while the state appeals. Gov. Gavin Newsom, who has successfully championed gun controls that Benitez has previously blocked, hit the bulls-eye with his response to Friday’s ruling: “Today’s decision is a direct threat to public safety and the lives of innocent Californians, period. “As the son of a judge, I grew up with deep respect for the judicial process and the importance of a judge’s ability to make impartial fact-based rulings. But the fact that this judge compared the AR-15 — a weapon of war that’s used on the battlefield — to a Swiss Army knife completely undermines the credibility of the decision.” California Gun control advocates and California officials condemned the ruling, saying it could touch off a broader push to weaken firearm laws. June 5, 2021 Look, I never went to law school. But I know the difference between a Swiss Army knife and an AR-15. You can use a well-equipped Swiss Army knife as a screwdriver, a leather punch or scissors. You can open a beer bottle or sharpen a pencil or carve your initials into a gun stock. And you can stab someone, but not kill a dozen or more innocent people within seconds. An AR-15 is designed for one thing when equipped with a high-capacity ammunition magazine, another deadly tool Benitez has ruled is protected by the 2nd Amendment. And that purpose is mass shooting. It has a proven track record. With that firearm — holding, say, 30 bullets — you can mow down lots of stunned co-workers, shoppers or schoolchildren without pausing to reload. You’re pretty safe from being rushed by some desperate victim. A Swiss Army knife has about as much in common with an AR-15 as a tricycle does with an Indy 500 race car. In two separate previous cases, Benitez ruled against the state’s ban on the sale and possession of magazines holding more than 10 rounds. The state is appealing. And last year the judge blocked California’s attempt to require background checks for ammunition purchasers. The state is appealing that too. After all, guns don’t kill people; bullets do. California A federal judge has overturned California’s three-decade-old ban on assault weapons, ruling that it violates the constitutional right to bear arms. June 4, 2021 Both the ban on possession of high-capacity magazines and the requirement of background checks for ammo buyers were championed by then-Lt. Gov. Newsom and approved by voters as Proposition 63 in 2016. “The Bill of Rights prevents the tyranny of the majority from taking away the rights of a minority,” the judge wrote in his opinion. Sure, but in a democracy, there’s also something called majority rule. “The 2nd Amendment protects any law-abiding citizen’s right to choose to be armed to defend himself, his family and his home,” the judge said. “At the same time, the 2nd Amendment protects a citizen’s right to keep and bear arms to use should the militia be needed to fight against invaders, terrorists and tyrants.” On his first point, all these bad guys are law-abiding until they’re not. Then they sometimes become heavily armed mass killers. And on the second point, the judge sounds like a garden-variety conspiracy theorist, fearful of a foreign invasion that overwhelms our best-in-the-world military. Or he’s scared there’ll be a tyrant regime in Washington. Well, maybe after Donald Trump, that last thought isn’t so far-fetched. The judge’s lengthy opinion is replete with the need for “militia readiness.” “The versatile AR-15 type of modern rifle is the perfect firearm for a citizen to bring for militia service,” Benitez said. “It has been argued that citizens with nothing more than modern rifles will have no chance against an army with tanks and missiles. California If some Democrats had their way, the Senate would lose its No. 1 advocate for firearms regulation, writes columnist George Skelton. March 29, 2021 “But someone forgot to tell Fidel Castro, who with an initial force of 20 to 80 men armed with M-1 carbines, walked into power in Havana in spite of Cuba’s militarized forces.” The Havana-born Benitez, 70, was nominated to California’s Southern District bench by Republican President George W. Bush in 2003. GOP Gov. George Deukmejian and the Legislature enacted California’s initial assault weapons ban in 1989. In his ruling, the judge scolded the lawmakers for not being “concerned with maintaining” the citizens’ constitutional right “to have a common firearm of one’s choosing to defend hearth and home.” That’s basically true. Their main concern was about the five slain Southeast Asian immigrant children and 30 other kids wounded by a racist drifter who shot up a Stockton schoolyard with an AK-47. They then enacted the nation’s first assault weapons ban. “My thoughts simply were that regardless of what argument somebody might make about having the right to own and possess a gun, there was no commonsense reason for someone to have an assault weapon,” Deukmejian told me years later. Perhaps federal judges shouldn’t be given lifetime appointments. Like state judges, maybe they need to periodically face the voters — most of whom know the difference between a knife and a gun.

As opioid overdoses rise in L.A. jails, inmates get access to lifesaving drug

https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2021-06-07/opioid-overdoses-sheriff-narcan-jails

The man swayed and stumbled between two bunk beds in a Los Angeles County jail dorm, then collapsed onto another inmate who had fallen to the floor. The men were showing signs of having overdosed on an opioid — probably fentanyl, a powerful synthetic drug. Until recently, critical time would have been lost waiting for jail staff to come to their aid. But security cameras captured other inmates gathering around the men, then one inmate hustling down a flight of stairs. He grabbed two small canisters that were mounted on the wall next to a pay phone and rushed back up. In his hands were doses of naloxone, a drug that can quickly reverse the effects of opioids. He and another inmate administered the nasal spray to the two men who had overdosed — a move sheriff’s officials credit with saving their lives. The drugs were accessible as part of a pilot program the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department launched last month. Officials last week announced plans to expand it and put the drug in dorms across L.A. County’s sprawling network of jails. The straightforward but unusual strategy comes amid a rise in overdoses in the nation’s largest jail system, where officials continue to struggle to stop the illicit flow of fentanyl into lockups. Dr. Sean Henderson, a physician with the county’s Correctional Health Services, said the time that is saved by giving inmates quick access to the drug can be the difference between life and death. “We have an antidote; we know exactly what to do,” Henderson said. “Why not bring the antidote as close as possible?” Officials say the county is one of the first in the country to put naloxone in jails. The idea was born out of crisis, when a man died of a fentanyl overdose in March at the North County Correctional Facility. After the death, sheriff’s officials reviewed security camera video, which showed the man hiding between bunks and appearing to snort a substance into his nose, said Assistant Sheriff Brendan Corbett, who oversees jail operations. When deputies walked by to check on the dorm, which they do every 30 minutes, the man, who was identified as Kevin Jovel, waved and seemed fine. Jovel, 28, then took more drugs and soon appeared intoxicated, Corbett said. Other inmates helped him to his bed, and when deputies checked on him again, he seemed to be asleep. Later, when inmates were unable to awaken Jovel, they clothed him and spun his mattress around to make it look as though he’d moved. Deputies assumed he had — there was no vomit, and nothing looked out of place, Corbett said. Coroner’s officials determined Jovel was killed by the effects of fentanyl. In a meeting after the fatal overdose, Henderson proposed putting the naloxone nasal spray in the dorms. “We all looked at each other like, ‘Why not?’” Corbett said. “It’s the responsible thing to do.” They weighed potential downsides: If inmates took the medication from the dispensary boxes when it wasn’t needed, the jail would simply replenish the supply. The medication can’t be used to get high and actually triggers an unpleasant withdrawal reaction when used on someone who has overdosed. “If they take it without using it, I don’t care. Then they’ll have a stash, and that’s fine too,” Henderson said. The need to try something new was clear. Sheriff Alex Villanueva signed off on the plan to give inmates access to the drug, dispensed under the brand name Narcan. “Fentanyl is getting in,” Corbett said. “We’ve deployed Narcan four to five times this last week alone.… We’re just trying to get ahead of it,” he said. Narcotics, Corbett said, are coming into the lockup largely through the mail. He said synthetic marijuana, known as spice, is being laced with fentanyl, then dried onto paper. Inmates tear up little pieces and drop them into their tea or tobacco. Since 2018, sheriff’s deputies and custody assistants working in jails have carried on their work belts two doses of naloxone. So far this year, the drug has been used 85 times in county jails, Corbett said, compared with 54 incidents in all of 2020. Officials said the increase may be due in part to better tracking of cases. Sheriff’s officials tested the idea of giving inmates access to Narcan with a few dozen doses in 16 dorms and three barracks in its Castaic jails. Inmates were shown a video on how to administer the spray and were instructed to notify deputies if they ever used it so that medical staff could respond, Corbett said. “Our emphasis is always going to be putting them in appropriate therapy.... But we have a bit of an [opioid] crisis in the country, and our jail reflects the community,” Henderson said. “Trying to convince you not to take it doesn’t always work. While we’re working on that, we have to keep you safe.” The idea has quickly paid off. The two men overdosed in the North County Correctional Facility on May 26; it is believed to be the only time inmates have used Narcan so far. Within days of the incident, the Sheriff’s Department had placed Narcan in dozens more dorms and plans to continue to roll it out in other facilities. The Office of Diversion and Reentry, which provided the Narcan, said it has enough doses to supply the program for the next year. “The fact that they’ve already saved two people’s lives is pretty remarkable,” said Kevin Fiscella, a physician who teaches at University of Rochester Medical Center and has studied opioid overdose deaths in jails. He also serves as a board member of the National Commission on Correctional Healthcare. According to the federal Bureau of Justice Statistics, deaths in local jails across the U.S. due to drug or alcohol intoxication soared to 178 in 2018 from 37 in 2000, a rise Fiscella suspects is driven by the national opioid epidemic. In L.A. County jails alone, 10 people have died of overdoses since June 2019, sheriff’s officials said. People who use drugs face a greater overdose risk in jail or soon after their release, largely because their tolerance drops rapidly when they stop using, experts said. “You get locked up on Friday, and by Monday, a dose that would have been safe to take on Friday is enough to kill you on Monday,” said Peter Davidson, a professor at UC San Diego who studies drug abuse. “So you’ve got a whole bunch of people coming out who aren’t necessarily super aware of that and who resume opioid use very quickly.” That’s why L.A. County last year began offering Narcan to people leaving jail and has since distributed more than 34,000 doses through free vending machines set up at exits. A 2017 survey of people entering county jails found that 7% reported witnessing an overdose in the previous year, and 39% indicated that they were interested in overdose prevention and response training, according to the diversion office. “It’s so simple as just making a tool available that can change a life-or-death situation,” said Shoshanna Scholar, the diversion office’s director of harm reduction and community-based diversion.

Ultimate Glory: An oral history of Julio César Chávez versus Oscar De La Hoya

https://www.latimes.com/sports/story/2021-06-07/ultimate-glory-oral-history-julio-cesar-chavez-oscar-de-la-hoya

On June 7, 1996, Julio César Chávez faced Oscar De La Hoya. Promoters called the fight “Ultimate Glory.” Held outside of Las Vegas’ Caesars Palace on a hot Friday night, the fight was, in many ways, a clash of opposites. Chávez, 33, was a Mexican national hero entering the 100th professional fight of his career. De La Hoya, 23, was a once-in-a-generation Mexican American boxer about to enter his prime. But more than a fight between a once-great boxer versus another with expectations of greatness, Chávez versus De La Hoya symbolized something more in the United States’ Mexican community. Chávez versus De La Hoya divided people, even families, splitting them along generational, gender and class divides. The fight between Chávez and De La Hoya became a proxy for all the complexities that come from being of Mexican ethnicity, living in a place that was once Mexico. And when the fight began, 15,283 people gathered in Las Vegas. Across Mexico and the United States, hundreds of thousands more gathered to watch Chávez, a man some saw as a god, box against De La Hoya, a man who sought to escape from the Mexican’s shadow. This is the story of that fight — 25 years ago — between a man who epitomized everything Mexican boxing was and a man who’d be criticized for not being Mexican enough. :: Eric Gomez, president of Golden Boy Promotions, childhood friend of Oscar De La Hoya: In Mexico, there’s a rich history of world champions. We’ve been fortunate enough to have some really big stars even way back in the ’40s and ’50s. It’s a passion. It’s a tradition. Gene Aguilera, boxing author and East Los Angeles native: We would gather around the TV, have a party and watch boxing. Fernando Paramo, former La Opinión sports editor: When we first came in the ’60s, they used to transmit Mexican boxing every week in Los Angeles. Televisa used to send the link over to KMEX. We saw the careers of people like Sal Sanchez, all those guys, anybody fighting in Mexico City, in Arena Coliseo and Arena Mexico — which was pretty much the temple of boxing in Mexico — they would show it here. Joel De La Hoya Jr., Oscar’s older brother: Our father and grandfather fought professionally in Mexico. I remember watching fights on TV from Arena Coliseo in Mexico, religiously. Paul Rodriguez, comedian and friend of Chávez and De La Hoya: There has always been a major Mexican boxing champion. I think that’s what sustains a lot of us. A lot of Mexicanos have a lot of pride in that. “[Julio César] Chávez used to go a lot to the Vegas Hilton, and all the dealers were prohibited from speaking Spanish. ... After about six months, a year, they requested the dealers speak Spanish. ... He was the one that opened Vegas to the Spanish-speaking people.” — Fernando Paramo, former La Opinión sports editor Joe Cortez, referee for Chávez versus De La Hoya: The Mexican fans, when they see a fight, they are prepared to scream their lungs out and to get emotionally involved with the fight and with the fighters. You don’t see a better fight fan than a Mexican fight fan. Ruben Espinoza, professor and director of Latinx and Latin American Studies at Chapman University: Boxing is that space where it’s one-on-one. “You’re going to insult me? Now let’s get in the ring and settle it with our fists.” You can’t separate why Mexicans love the sport from that context. The context of migration, of discrimination, even social movements like the Chicano movement that made you proud to be Mexican. Rodriguez: We’re taught to fight back. It might not be socially acceptable, but I like that. I like the fact that we live difficult lives but we’re fighters. Life is a fight, sometimes difficult. That’s why we hold boxers in such esteem. Because it’s a metaphor for our lives. :: Chávez was a national hero to people of Mexican ethnicity on both sides of the United States-Mexico border. He’d fought his way from the obscurity that comes from fighting in the undercard of bouts in Mexico to becoming a main event attraction in the United States. Chávez built his career during the 1980s that U.S. news media and advertisers called the “Decade of the Hispanic.” He was Mexican machismo personified, the type of folk hero who inspired songs. Chávez was “El Gran Campeón Mexicano” — the great Mexican champion. Rodriguez: Before Chávez, [his hometown of] Culiacán wasn’t known for anything. “Los hombres vienen de Guadalajara” [a Mexican saying: “Real men come from Guadalajara” — birthplace of charros, Mexican horsemen, who influenced Mexican masculinity]. But Chávez put Culiacán on the map for something other than drug trafficking. Aguilera: I was at Olympic Auditorium when Julio fought Azabache Martínez for his first championship in 1984. Chávez was the underdog. It was a very unique night. Not too many people knew about Chávez. They were fighting for a vacant title, and Azabache was ranked No. 1 and Chávez was ranked No. 2. Chávez ended up just totally manhandling Azabache and turned him into a bloody mess by the end of the fight. I mean, he just totally overwhelmed him, controlled the fight. That night, a star was born with Julio César Chávez. Cortez: Chávez had a reputation of one of the toughest fighters to beat. Sports Boxing: Vanquished former champion says that De La Hoya reopened a wound suffered in a sparring incident five days before the fight. June 8, 1996 Larry Merchant, HBO Sports’ commentator during Chávez versus De La Hoya: Chávez was the epitome of the fierce Mexican warrior. He was tough-minded, he attacked the body. I think it’s fair to say he was primarily responsible for communicating the kind of warrior spirit that the top Mexican fighters had and that their fans expected. Aguilera: Julio fought like a man. He fought like a warrior. He was macho. He was cocky. He had confidence and people loved that about him. Espinoza: Mike Tyson was the first person that captured my imagination. And then Chávez after that in the early ’90s. He was pretty much like my deity, my god. I think a lot of Mexican and Mexican American kids will tell you the same. Gomez: Chávez was a hero, a god. He was incredible. Teresa Tapia, widow of Johnny Tapia, who fought on Chávez-De La Hoya undercard: Johnny, growing up, wanted to fight like Chávez. Joel De La Hoya Jr.: He represented Mexican boxing at its best, he was the face of boxing. Like every Chávez fan, we’d have parties every time he fought. It was a time to get together with friends and family to watch one of the greatest boxers of all time. Rodriguez: Chávez always kept an air of “soy puro Mexicano.” Hablaba muy común. No ponía aires. (“I am pure Mexican.” He spoke to the common man. He didn’t put on airs.) Paramo: Chávez used to go a lot to the Vegas Hilton, and all the dealers were prohibited from speaking Spanish. Then Chávez started coming in with his buddies, a lot of the heavy guys from Mexico, coming in with big rolls of money, and started playing the tables, and the whole place is full. After about six months, a year, they requested the dealers speak Spanish. Not just that, but all the guys — [Mexican singers] Juan Gabriel, Rocio Durcal — they were playing in the little bars, they weren’t playing at the big scenes. It wasn’t until Chávez came on that they started opening at Caesars for the big shows. Chávez should have a big statue right in Vegas because of what he did for the Mexican community. That’s something no one’s even thought about: that he was the one that opened Vegas to the Spanish-speaking people. Rodriguez: The thing that Chávez had, that not even De La Hoya had, and very few people are able to possess, was a certain kind of earthiness. He had a certain kind of approachability. I remember going with him to eat in East Los Angeles, to this little hole-in-the-wall, and he was already a superstar, but everybody — from the cab driver to the guy mowing the lawn to the business owner — they felt they knew him. Like they could walk up to him and shake his hand and say a couple of words. He never lost that, even at the height of his fame when he would stop traffic. :: De La Hoya was Mexican American. The son of immigrants, he was born and raised in East Los Angeles. He was a bilingual Olympic gold medalist with movie-star good looks, a soft voice and a warm smile. As De La Hoya built his career in the 1990s, when the country’s Hispanic population boomed — with Mexicans accounting for most of the growth — he became the ideal corporate pitchman. De La Hoya idolized Chávez. In and out of the ring, in both nickname and in terms of mass appeal, De La Hoya was “The Golden Boy” of boxing. Gomez: I’ve known Oscar since we were 5 years old. We met in kindergarten. Oscar De La Hoya (in a 1996 interview with Playboy): I was a little kid who used to fight a lot in the street and get beat up. But I liked it. So my dad took me to the gym. Aguilera: Boxing was very important to East L.A. It served as a vessel for the young kids to break out and become somebody. Using Oscar De La Hoya as an example, he grew up in a humble neighborhood, a small house, and he raised himself up. Paramo: I first knew about De La Hoya when he was about 9 years old. We did a report on him from the Resurrection Gym. We used to have him regularly, not too much, I’d say until the Olympics. We had him featured once every two years. Gomez: We were teenagers and he started winning these big tournaments. He started traveling a bit. I remember him talking about big tournaments that were coming up. He would let me know when he won. He kept talking about his dream of going to the Olympics. In high school, that’s when we knew it was real. That yeah, this guy’s got a good chance of making it to the Olympics. Sports Three days before Friday night’s World Boxing Council welterweight title fight at the Thomas & Mack Center, Oscar De La Hoya already had his game face on. Sept. 17, 1998 Aguilera: I met Oscar before he even went to Barcelona for the ’92 Olympics. He was looking for sponsorships. I was in the East L.A. Lions Club, and he came over and spoke to our club. We ended up giving him $500. He was very happy about it. Rodriguez: I met Oscar De La Hoya before he went to the Olympics. I had a talk show [“El Show de Paul Rodriguez”] and he came on. I remember giving him $50 when he went to Barcelona. It was the best investment I ever made. Gomez: He called me, like, three or four times when he was out there in Barcelona. He’d call me after pretty much every fight, and it was fun, it was exciting. The fights were coming on almost at midnight. I remember we stayed up to watch. Two of my brothers were with me. I remember Oscar was a little nervous in the fight. He was confident that he would win. He was prepared. He was ready. Just a proud moment for all of us. Espinoza: I liked De La Hoya; a lot of my friends did not. I supported him since I heard about him in the Olympics. ESPN and all those places had stories about De La Hoya, the story about his mom passing away and him winning the gold medal for her. Merchant: De La Hoya was almost a superstar when he became a professional prize fighter. At that stage of his career, he was already an important figure in boxing. He was a big attraction, and there aren’t many of those. There are great fighters that never became big attractions. Albert Perez, Spanish language journalist who grew up in East Los Angeles: In school, in Montebello, right next to East L.A., you either knew somebody that had met Oscar, or knew somebody who knew somebody that knew Oscar. So I grew up around a lot of De La Hoya fans. Aguilera: I went to most of De La Hoya’s fights — the ones in Vegas, New York. Because I’m from East L.A., he’s from East L.A., I was just proud of his ascent to greatness. Mark Taffet, then-senior vice president of HBO Sports: Oscar had Hollywood star good looks. When we used to go on press tours for all his pay-per-view mega-fights, there would be as many, if not more, women in attendance than men. He had a rock star appeal. He was the first pay-per-view star where we specifically targeted marketing and advertising to the female audience. Merchant: I was once in Spain with my wife. We were in a taxi, and hanging from the rearview mirror were a couple of little boxing gloves. And my wife says to the driver, “Who is your favorite fighter?” He says, “Oscar De La Hoya.” He was virtually an international star. Merchant: One of the ironies is that when he was called a crossover star, they wanted to promote De La Hoya as somebody who crossed over from just being another very good Mexican or Mexican American fighter to trying to find his fanbase among Americans. But as it turned out, Mexicans felt — from as much as I could observe — that because of that plan, because of that background, and his look, and his confident American style, that somehow, he had abandoned the Mexican base. That’s important in understanding the Chávez fights with De La Hoya. :: To help promote the fight, in March, Chávez, De La Hoya, and their respective teams went on a 23-city, 12-day tour. Caesars Palace supplied them each with a private jet that had “Ultimate Glory” and the boxer’s name on the side. Starting in California, then Arizona, New Mexico and Texas, the news conferences then went through East Coast states before circling back around to reach Washington and moving down the West Coast. “The blood of the old Aztec warriors flows in the veins of these fighters,” Bob Arum, co-promoter along with Don King, said at more than one stop. And at more than one stop, including Los Angeles, the crowd booed De La Hoya. “Oscar De La Hoya lives among you,” the Los Angeles Times quoted Arum telling the crowd. “He is part of your culture in Los Angeles. You should be very proud of him.” The boos continued, while the crowd cheered for Chávez. Taffet: It was a very difficult juxtaposition of the great Mexican-born legend and the great Mexican American who was leading the demographic change in the United States. Yxta Maya Murray, novelist and law professor: It was old guard versus new guard. It also seemed to be wrapped up in some sort of anti-capitalist critique, because De La Hoya was marketing himself as a made commodity. He was promoting himself as a product for a white audience, whereas Chávez was for the people. Oscar De La Hoya (in a 1996 interview with Sports Illustrated): People want to see blood and bruises, but I’m not going to give them that. I love boxing, but I hate fighting. Julio César Chávez (in a 1993 interview with the New York Times Magazine): I hate boxers who dance. To me, that is a stinky style. Paramo: Julio was almost on his way down, and Oscar was almost to the top. Gomez: When the Chávez fight came, it really split people. It was weird. It was different. It was confusing. But for us, we were happy that he got his opportunity. Oscar wanted to prove he belonged. Aguilera: When De La Hoya fought Chávez, it divided the people, it divided families. It was basically Mexican American — Chicanos — against Mexico. Joel De La Hoya Jr.: Oscar got some backlash from the Mexican nationals for going up against their hero. Oscar wasn’t considered Mexican enough, although both our parents were born in Mexico — dad in Durango and mom in Sonora. Aguilera: I was in the middle for this fight. I knew Oscar and I didn’t know Chávez — I met him a few times, but we weren’t friends. Because I’m from East L.A., he’s from East L.A., I guess my allegiance was for De La Hoya. I kind of knew he was going to win. He was a shooting star at that time, and Chávez was fading. Tapia: Johnny had loyalty to both. He didn’t want them to fight. Sports Boxing: Everything seems to be on challenger’s side, but champion is not one to be discounted. June 7, 1996 Gomez: Boxing is a solitary sport. It’s not a team sport, and potentially, you do fight friends and people that are from your stable. That’s just the nature of boxing. Tapia:We were in camp with Oscar, training up in Big Bear with him. Oscar did a lot for Johnny. … I was rooting for Oscar only because I knew him more. I knew Chávez, and who wouldn’t be a Chávez fan? But I knew Oscar on a personal level. We were seeing Oscar every single day. As a matter of fact, it was Oscar that changed Johnny’s ring name. Johnny used to be called “Baby Face Assassin,” and Oscar called him “Mi Vida Loca” because Johnny was also crazy in camp. Oscar was always very careful and had his stuff together. Johnny would show up with a broken finger, or a cut leg, or stitches on his face. Oscar, as soon as Johnny would walk in, he’d say, “Tapia, what happened?!” Johnny would say, “Oscar, I was over there, and I got into this fight.” Oscar would say, “Tapia, no! No!” He was always trying to lecture Johnny. So, after a few months of being with Oscar’s camp, he said, “You’re no longer ‘Baby Face Assassin,’ you’re ‘Mi Vida Loca.’” And Oscar went and got Johnny his very first endorsement with B.U.M. Equipment and surprised Johnny with trunks and a robe that said, “MI VIDA LOCA.” From that day on, the name stuck. Rodriguez: I interviewed Chávez one time, and he said something I never forgot. I said, “Do you ever contemplate a loss?” It was like I said a filthy word. He totally changed and said, “No me menciones eso de perder, nada de eso.” (Don’t mention losing or any of that.) He was really offended, and it wasn’t a show. You could tell that it just never crossed his mind, which, in my mind, made this a very dangerous fight. Because someone like that can die in the ring. Julio César Chávez (in a 1993 interview with Sports Illustrated): I could not bear the thought of losing, because it would hurt my family. Cortez: This is not a game. You don’t play boxing. You play baseball, basketball, soccer. But boxing, you don’t play that. Boxing is the hurt business. They’re there to attack each other, to hurt each other. Gomez: Oscar did everything perfect and by the book. For boxers — day in and day out, the training, the dieting, the sparring, the road work — just going to camp is tough. So, there’s days they’ll slack off. You got to rest the body. But for this fight, Oscar did everything textbook. Every workout, he didn’t skip a beat. It was laser focus. Sports Star boxers Oscar De La Hoya and Julio Cesar Chavez admit drug use Sept. 14, 2012 Rodriguez: Here was the Mexican American against the Mexican. And Mexicans always have a certain nostalgia for their country. They can never erase it. We’re here, we’re totally American, but you ask us, and we’ll say, “Yo soy de Sinaloa.” (I’m from Sinaloa.) If you have parents that were from there, they always had this nostalgia that someday they’ll make enough money, or be financially set, and they’ll return to their Mexico. The truth is, we die here and get buried here. But we have an affinity to Mexico. We love Mexico even though Mexico doesn’t love us. And we know that because we’re treated different. But that’s part of the mystery of us. We have this undying loyalty and patriotism to a country that doesn’t want anything to do with us. It’s strange. :: Chávez versus De La Hoya was not available on pay-per-view. “There have been estimates that for every home that buys a fight, two homes steal it,” Arum said of illegal black boxes in a March 1996 interview with the Los Angeles Times. Instead, the fight got broadcast on closed-circuit television at designated theaters, convention centers, casinos, fairgrounds, arenas and stadiums across the United States and Mexico. Taffet: I worked during the entire promotion with Bob Arum. I spent a lot of time trying to convince him to put the fight on pay-per-view. I greatly understood and respected Bob’s point. But I also felt that at the end of the day, the revenue in closed-circuit would never approach the revenue on pay-per-view. And I knew that in pay-per-view, we needed time to market and promote the event properly and to get all the information to the cable and satellite systems so they could make their customers aware. It became a real battle, and a nerve-racking one, as it got closer and closer to the event. Even as close as a week before the fight, I was still negotiating with the pay-per-view industry to try to enhance the terms. But in the end, Bob stood his ground and made a point. It was the last time that a big pay-per-view fight was ever on closed-circuit. “It was one of the most electric nights ever in boxing. You had the passion of Latino fight fans, there to watch their legend, Julio César Chávez, against the up-and-coming star who was not only Latino but also had tremendous appeal to a young American audience.” — Mark Taffet, then-senior vice president of HBO Sports Perez: I saw it at the Rose Bowl. I got those tickets, that same morning, from an oldies radio station. It was $40, it wasn’t cheap. If I hadn’t have gotten those tickets, I probably would not have gone. Murray: I watched at the L.A. Memorial Sports Arena. Gomez: I watched at East L.A. College. They opened the auditorium and showed it there. It was probably 80% Chávez fans and 20% Oscar fans. Taffet: It was one of the most electric nights ever in boxing. You had the passion of Latino fight fans, there to watch their legend, Julio César Chávez, against the up-and-coming star who was not only Latino but also had tremendous appeal to a young American audience and to females in a way that no boxing star had before him. Dr. Edwin “Flip” Homansky, chief ringside physician for Chávez versus De La Hoya: It wasn’t part of my job, but I did see it. I felt it. There’s no question in my mind De La Hoya felt it. And I think that psyched him up even more. De La Hoya knew the crowd — and this is even before fight night — at Caesars. They were a pro-Mexican, pro-Chávez group. Cortez: I believe it was 98 degrees ringside. It was hot. I’ve refereed fights with that type of heat, and I knew it was going to be tough for everybody. Homansky: It was hotter than normal. What people forget is beside the desert heat, the lights in the ring — the television lights — are hot themselves. This was a hotter-than-normal night. You combine that with the heat of the ring, and it was pretty brutal. Taffet: The events were done to maximize revenues, not to maximize the comfort of the attendees. We knew going in it was going to be a very, very hot Las Vegas night. And actually, in people’s minds, it became part of the magic of the event. Sports It wasn’t a fight, it was an execution. As one-sided as an electric chair. June 8, 1996 Tapia: It was very hot. Johnny actually fainted after his fight, and some fans had to help me carry him back to the dressing room. Homansky: Chávez was always supremely confident, and he was just as confident going into this fight. De La Hoya understood the cultural impact. He was a little on edge. Tapia: Johnny went to Oscar’s dressing room to tell him good luck and stuff. Oscar was very quiet, had soft music, and it was dark. Oscar De La Hoya (in a 1996 interview with the New York Times): Chávez was in the best shape of his life. I had to keep my composure. I had to keep cool. Cortez: Being inside that ring, listening to the national anthems, watching these fighters moving around, looking at them, I could see everybody was tense as they waited for the first bell to sound. Gomez: Fight starts. From the get-go, Oscar’s on. I mean, he’s sharp. He’s peppering him with the jab and taking control with the speed, the combinations. Chávez didn’t even land a punch. He couldn’t touch Oscar. Aguilera: Bam! De La Hoya pops him with a jab. Joel De La Hoya Jr.: I saw blood trickling from Chávez’s eye. Aguilera: It opens up, and Chávez is bleeding like a pig. Sports Boxing: Challenger, 36, puts up strong fight against De La Hoya before quitting in his corner after eighth round. Sept. 19, 1998 Homansky: I was focused on the cut and his eye. But because Chávez was such a veteran, I wasn’t worried about that. He wasn’t a young fighter, so I wasn’t worried what the cut would do psychologically. But obviously, the physical effects of the cut had to be watched. Cortez: De La Hoya, when he saw blood, he went after it. Like, “Oh, I got him now. I got him.” He became more aggressive. He went for the kill. Oscar De La Hoya (in a 1996 interview with the Washington Post): I knew when I cut his eye and broke his nose — I think I felt his nose break — I knew I had him. Paramo: Three weeks before, I went to see Julio when he was training up in Reno. He had a great camp, one of the best ever. The week before, over at Hollywood Park, they had a press conference and supposedly — I wasn’t there because I wasn’t with them 24/7 — one of the kids, Junior, is jumping back and forth. He throws his head back and cuts Julio in the brow. I didn’t see it, but everybody talked about it. “He’s cut! He’s cut! I don’t know if he’s going to fight, he’s cut!” It was like a secret, but everybody was talking about it. The day of the fight, I was about a foot and a half away from his face. I tried to look closely, and I really couldn’t tell anything. They said they put makeup on the cut, but I honestly could swear to God that I did not see anything out of the ordinary. … You could just see the normal wear and tear of any boxer. Then he gets hit and cut. I said, “Oh yeah, it was real. The cut was real.” Julio César Chávez (in a 1996 interview with Sports Illustrated): I never felt Oscar’s punch. I just was not able to see. Gomez: Oscar just landed a jab. If you followed Chávez’s career, he rarely bled. He was known for being able to take a punch. And for Oscar to just land a couple of jabs and do that, I believe there might have been prior injury or something. How it happened, I don’t know. Aguilera: He should have canceled the fight. But again, there’s millions of dollars on it so Chávez wanted to go through with it. Taffet: Chávez is a warrior. He wouldn’t let anything stop him from getting in the ring to fight Oscar De La Hoya, to stand up for his people, his country. His pride wouldn’t allow him to do anything but get in the ring. That’s why Chávez was adored by his fans. Julio César Chávez (in 1996 interview with the Los Angeles Times): I didn’t consider not fighting. It was too big of a fight. Homansky: There was no evidence of an earlier laceration. I’m not saying there wasn’t a cut during training, that’s really not that unusual for a boxer. But I can tell you, a stiff jab from De La Hoya really opened a small laceration, and then a devastating right hand in that first round is really what opened up this cut. I can’t really say if there was an earlier laceration or there wasn’t, but I know that Chávez says there was. Whether there was or there wasn’t, it was De La Hoya’s punch that opened the cut. “I could hear [Julio César] Chávez in his corner. He was screaming, ‘¡ESTÁ BIEN! ESTÁ BIEN! ÉCHAME LA POMADA! ESTOY BIEN!’ (‘It’s fine! It’s fine! Put on the ointment! I’m fine!’) It was his heart, of course. They let him go on for another couple of rounds. But it just got worse. It wouldn’t stop bleeding.” — Paul Rodriguez, comedian and friend of Julio César Chávez and Oscar de la Hoya Tapia: Johnny would say that Oscar had a deadly jab. When he would train, and you’d just watch Oscar and the way that he worked, how he hit the mitts, the sparring and all that — the cut was not surprising. Oscar’s punches were so sharp and precise. Joel De La Hoya Jr.: If there was a cut prior to fight or not, it doesn’t matter. Oscar busted him open and imposed his will on Chávez. He was not getting denied that night. Taffet: I knew that Julio César Chávez was a great, great fighter. And I knew that he was going to give Oscar a heck of a battle. The cut changed the complexion of the entire fight. That was the first moment, when I saw the cut, when I really started to believe, “OK, this night is going to end up Oscar’s night.” Prior to that, I was very nervous because I knew that Oscar De La Hoya could carry the entire pay-per-view industry on his back if he won the fight. From a business perspective, there was a lot on the line for the future. Rodriguez: I could hear Chávez in his corner. He was screaming, “¡ESTÁ BIEN! ESTÁ BIEN! ÉCHAME LA POMADA! ESTOY BIEN!” (It’s fine! It’s fine! Put on the ointment! I’m fine!) It was his heart, of course. They let him go on for another couple of rounds. But it just got worse. It wouldn’t stop bleeding. :: With about 30 seconds remaining in the fourth round, Cortez asked for a timeout. He asked Homansky to examine the cut. Chávez, his face covered in blood, his white mouthpiece and white trunks stained with red, walked to the ring doctor. Homansky stopped the fight. De La Hoya won. Until that fight, no one had ever stopped Chávez. Homansky: Mentally, he appeared to be a beaten fighter. His eyes were down, his posture — I noticed those things. At the same time, my main focus was on how dangerous the cut was. The cut was above the eye. It was a nasty gash, and it was bleeding profusely. The blood was coming down into the eye, not just around the eye. In addition to that, early in the fourth round, De La Hoya had landed a brutal punch right to Chávez’s nose. So his nose was bloodied too. There was a number of different things going on at the same time. Cortez: It was at least three inches. You see that blood coming out, you think to yourself, “The cut must be down to the bone.” I hated to stop a fight like this, but I was prepared for it. One thing people have to remember, a referee has to be prepared for the unexpected. Me, as a veteran referee, I was ready for it. I was shocked, but I was prepared for it. Gomez: When they called it off, people were very upset. They didn’t understand it. Murray: Chávez fans were melancholy. They shrugged when I asked them questions. They just wanted to get in their cars and go home. Espinoza: The way a lot of people rationalized the Chávez loss — and probably myself, too — was that he didn’t actually get knocked out. That it was just a freak cut he suffered from that jab in the first round. A lot of people took comfort in knowing that he wasn’t knocked out. Perez: They just couldn’t accept the fact it wasn’t Chávez’s night. You always got this at the time: “No, pues se vendió” [No, he took a dive]. That was the only explanation they had. It wasn’t because he was older. It wasn’t because De La Hoya was an electrifying young fighter. It was because Chávez sold himself out. Joel De La Hoya Jr.: During camp, we knew it’d be a matter of time before Oscar would stop Chávez. We just didn’t expect total domination. It was one of Oscar’s stellar performances. Gomez: Oscar was just super happy. And it was historic. It was almost like winning the gold medal. It was like a dream that’s not attainable, but Oscar pulled it off. Homansky: I think there was a lot of vindication with De La Hoya. With Chávez, the fear was not only was this a major loss but that this was the beginning of the end of his career. “[Julio César] Chávez said there’d be no excuses. And he said whoever wins takes the ultimate glory. And then here he is making excuses about this eye thing.” — Oscar De La Hoya in a 1996 interview with the New York Times Paramo: I interview Chávez. And he says, “Oh, well, the cut. I could have taken him.” But by then, it didn’t matter. Rodriguez: I talked to Chávez first. De La Hoya was unapproachable. De La Hoya was mobbed, and his attention was on girls and all the hangers-on that fame brings you. Chávez received me, but it was very sad. “Campeón, tu sabes, qué lástima.” [Champ, you know, I’m very sorry.”] And he’s like, “No, pa’ la otra” [No, next time]. But there shouldn’t have been a next time. Too much heart, too much courage is sometimes not a good thing. And of course, you have trainers and people around you that fuel that ego, telling you he got lucky. But there was nothing lucky. De La Hoya at the time was chiseled, cut, fast. He was as good as he was ever going to be. Julio César Chávez (in a 1996 interview with Sports Illustrated): If Oscar had knocked me down, I’d have retired last night. But he was lucky, and this doesn’t mean he’s better than me. Oscar De La Hoya (in a 1996 interview with the New York Times): Chávez said there’d be no excuses. And he said whoever wins takes the ultimate glory. And then here he is making excuses about this eye thing. Espinoza: I don’t remember that much criticism of De La Hoya taking the fight until after he won. I don’t remember in the lead-up, many people saying, “He shouldn’t do that because Chávez is old.” That’s something that happened after. That’s when I started hearing from friends saying, “That’s disrespectful, he shouldn’t have done that. De La Hoya shouldn’t have taken the fight.” Merchant: At 33 and 34 and 35 years old, it’s harder to be that immovable warrior. Rodriguez: I have great respect for De La Hoya, he’s a nice guy, he’s never been anything but a friend to me, but that fight in particular was a turning point in his career. People went, “Hey, man, you shouldn’t have done that.” Of course, you can’t blame him. Once in the ring, fighting for millions of dollars, this is a career. You’re out there to hurt somebody if you have to. But it wasn’t a high point. It was a low point, I think. Taffet: It really did establish Oscar De La Hoya as the next great pay-per-view star. It fueled the growth of Latino participation and viewing in pay-per-view events for the next 10 to 15 years. 1997 was a record year for Oscar De La Hoya. He had four pay-per-view fights. That all came about because [of] the big victory over Chávez in 1996. Rodriguez: De La Hoya mistakenly thought that by beating Chávez, that all of a sudden, he would take over. That he would be the icon. He realized it was quite the opposite. He had to make a lot of amends. He had to backtrack and say, “No, no, él sigue siendo campeón, un ídolo” [No, no, he remains a champion, an idol], that sort of thing. He was convinced, like, “once they know that I’m the champion.” I said, “Your history is wrong. Look what they did to Larry Holmes. He was a great fighter, but he was never beloved because he beat up Ali.” “To my mind — as a writer, a sportswriter, a Mexican, a follower of boxing, whatever — that was the night Julio pretty much gave the flag to Oscar. There was no way he’d ever beat him again.” — Fernando Paramo, former La Opinión sports editor Paramo: When he fought Julio, De La Hoya took away the biggest thing Mexico had. And I think Oscar handled it well. He was very respectful. He’d say, “I’m Mexican and Mexican American.” I think eventually people respected him. Most people respect him. Some can’t stand him, but that’s because of his other personal matters and also because of his association with Canelo [Álvarez]. But I think De La Hoya was treated normally. Perez: Chávez had set the expectations so high that people were not ready to see the downside of his career. Aguilera: We’re a very loyal group of people, and when we get a hero, we follow him to the very end. To the end of his career, even when he’s on ashes, running on fumes, we still love our heroes. And that’s what happened with Chávez. Paramo: To my mind — as a writer, a sportswriter, a Mexican, a follower of boxing, whatever — that was the night Julio pretty much gave the flag to Oscar. There was no way he’d ever beat him again. He was at the stage of his career that he could no longer come back and train for anything more. His body didn’t have anything else to give. Rodriguez: I knew Julio had passed his prime. But I didn’t know that it would be so sad. That it would be so bloody. Merchant: I didn’t expect to see a stoppage. I mean, my goodness, how do you stop Chávez? Rodriguez: That was an iconic fight. Every once in a while, I would watch it on YouTube. I just can’t see it all. Taffet: That fight really exemplified the social trends at the time. It was a very special night in boxing history. Not only because of the event and the participants and their greatness, but because it so clearly depicted the changing demographics in the Latino community and in the United States. :: Before the fight, Chávez claimed he would retire after fighting De La Hoya. But Chávez kept fighting. Two years later, Chávez and De La Hoya faced off in a rematch. The fight was on Mexican Independence Day weekend, one of the two biggest boxing days each year that Chávez and De La Hoya both helped popularize. They fought at Las Vegas’ Thomas & Mack Center in front of 17,125 people. Chávez, 36, showed flashes of his former greatness but not nearly enough to beat the 25-year-old De La Hoya. In the ninth round, with a cut inside their fighter’s mouth, Chávez’s corner stopped the fight. Chávez said he respected De La Hoya, that he had fairly beaten him. He then said he’d fight once more, then retire. Chávez fought until 2005. De La Hoya, who had claimed he’d retire at 26, fought until he was 35. Chávez, 58, will fight in an exhibition June 19. De La Hoya, 48, plans to fight again soon. Rodriguez: Comedians can tell jokes until they’re dead. But boxing, you’re like a butterfly. You have a certain amount of time when you’re in your prime. The intelligent ones know when it’s time to step away or it’ll shorten their lives. The worst are pushed by bad management and greed. They become just tragic stories like so many that died young. Those punches that they take, they have repercussions. It’s a heavy price they pay for a few moments of glory. Interviews edited and condensed for clarity. Roberto José Andrade Franco is an author, freelance journalist and writer-at-large for Texas Highways.

Gascón promised to review controversial police killings. After 6 months, is he too late for some?

https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2021-06-07/d-a-george-gascons-promise-controversial-police-killings-hits-roadblocks

In his bid to unseat Jackie Lacey as head of the nation’s largest prosecutor’s office last year, George Gascón didn’t simply attack her record of declining to prosecute police officers who killed unarmed people — he promised to go a step further and undo what he saw as her mistakes. Gascón identified four shootings that he believed should be reviewed, including the 2015 killing of a homeless man by an LAPD officer whom former police Chief Charlie Beck asked Lacey to file charges against. After his election, Gascón moved to hire a decorated special prosecutor, Lawrence Middleton, to review the cases. But nearly six months into Gascón’s tenure as Los Angeles County district attorney, Middleton has yet to sign his employment contract, and the delay could severely hinder Gascón’s ability to bring charges against officers in any of the cases he singled out. The statute of limitations to bring manslaughter charges in three of the four shootings Gascón cited has passed, meaning if Middleton reopened any of them, he would face the extremely difficult task of convicting a police officer of murder. California If there was ever a police shooting that would bring criminal charges against a law enforcement officer in Los Angeles, the killing of Brendon Glenn near the Venice boardwalk looked like it could be the one. March 18, 2018 Under California law, the statute of limitations for manslaughter is six years. In two of the cases that many believed ripe for a criminal filing — the 2015 killings of Brendon Glenn in Venice and Hector Morejon in Long Beach — those deadlines passed in April and May, respectively. “From a pure, intellectual, legal perspective, once you take manslaughter out of the equation because of the statute of limitations, these are not, and should not, be viable cases,” said attorney Michael Schwartz, who has successfully defended police officers in a number of controversial killings in California. Schwartz is not currently involved in any of the cases Middleton has been asked to review, though in 2013 he did briefly represent the officers who shot and killed Ricardo Diaz Zeferino in Gardena, the oldest of the cases that Gascón highlighted. The filing of murder charges against police officers is rare, and successful prosecutions are even less frequent. Since 2005, 142 police officers have been arrested on charges of murder or manslaughter in the U.S., according to data tracked by Phillip M. Stinson, a criminologist at Bowling Green State University in Ohio. Only 44 of those officers were convicted of any crime, according to Stinson’s research. Seven were convicted of murder. “What we see in those cases, quite often, is that officers are convicted of lesser offenses,” Stinson said. “If the lesser offenses are off the table because of the statute of limitations, that makes it an all-or-nothing proposition.” Middleton said it would not be appropriate to discuss cases he might eventually prosecute. Gascón said he was aware of the tight window to file manslaughter charges when he began discussing the cases on the campaign trail. Although he still thinks murder charges could be viable, he also said the blame for the delay rests with the county’s sluggish and bureaucratic hiring processes. “There’s still other charges, and we’re going to look very closely, but there’s a very intense bureaucratic process that the county operates under…. That’s my reality. The fact that the statute of limitations in a couple of these cases has run out, you have to go back to the origins,” he said, referring to Lacey’s decision not to file charges. Of the shootings Gascón highlighted, the only one in which Middleton could consider charges beyond murder is the 2018 killing of Christopher DeAndre Mitchell by Torrance police. Mitchell had been accused of driving a stolen car and officers said they saw him reaching for a weapon between his legs when they shot him seated inside the vehicle. Mitchell died at the scene and an airsoft rifle was recovered, according to 2019 memo issued by the district attorney’s office when prosecutors declined to charge the officers. Gascón decided to hire an outside attorney to review the cases because prosecutors in the office’s Justice Systems Integrity Division, which normally handles police shooting cases, previously declined to bring charges in each killing. California George Gascón wants the attorney who won federal convictions in the Rodney King beating to oversee police misconduct investigations in L.A. County. Feb. 12, 2021 Despite announcing the plan to review the old cases months before he was elected, Gascón said he did not have a job candidate in mind until he sought the Board of Supervisors’ permission to hire Middleton in February. The board approved the move in March, less than six weeks before the deadline to file manslaughter charges in Morejon’s death. Once he is hired, Middleton’s primary task will be to review the four cases Gascón highlighted during the campaign. That list could expand, according to Gascón, who said Middleton will have wide latitude to review any on-duty killing in which Lacey declined to charge officers. Cases that were pending when Gascón took office will remain in the purview of JSID, as well as new fatal use-of-force cases. The Board of Supervisors approved $1.5 million in funding for Middleton’s position, though Gascón said that will also be used to hire outside attorneys and investigators who will work under the special prosecutor. Gascón said he could not offer an exact amount that Middleton would be paid because he will have to bill the county for his hours. Middleton’s hire was further complicated by conflict-of-interest concerns. As of late May, he was still serving as counsel for two defendants in three criminal cases being tried by the district attorney’s office. Two of the cases involved a single defendant, Larthan Merriweather, who was facing weapons, theft and forgery offenses. Middleton was also representing a man accused of misdemeanor elder abuse in a third case. Last month, Deputy Dist. Atty. Sean Carney filed a motion asking a judge to remove Middleton in one of Merriweather’s cases, sparking another round of public criticism of Gascón from line prosecutors who have opposed many of his reform-minded policies. Even though the county’s lawyers had drawn up a document waiving concerns about any conflict, a position Gascón says he agreed with, Carney filed the motion without informing the district attorney, according to two people with knowledge of the situation who requested anonymity to discuss the matter candidly. Both Middleton and Carney declined to be interviewed for this article. California law prohibits an attorney from operating as both a “public prosecutor” and defense attorney within the same jurisdiction. In his motion, Carney argued Middleton’s involvement in Merriweather’s case violated that rule. In court last month, Middleton said Carney was aware he was trying to find a new lawyer for Merriweather and argued there was no need for the prosecutor to file the motion. California As he responded to a trespassing call last year, Long Beach Police Officer Jeffrey Meyer walked away from his partner and headed down an alleyway alongside an apartment complex tagged with gang graffiti. Oct. 15, 2016 “I was somewhat blindsided and felt somewhat sandbagged,” Middleton said. But Middleton also repeatedly argued that there was no conflict of interest since he had yet to formally accept the job, and his role as special prosecutor would be solely focused on the prosecution of law enforcement officials rather than defendants like Merriweather. Gascón said this month that Middleton would begin his role as special prosecutor soon but did not specify an exact date. L.A. County Superior Court Judge David Fields threw Middleton off the case after an hour-long hearing late last month. “The conflict has occurred and is occurring … this is in the public. You’re taking this job,” Fields said. “It’s the appearance of impropriety.” As of Friday, Middleton had voluntarily stepped away from the other two cases, according to Alex Bastian, a special advisor to Gascón. Laurie Levenson, a former federal prosecutor who teaches at Loyola Law School in Los Angeles, said the fracas over Middleton’s hire is indicative of the broader struggle Gascón has faced in trying to make seismic changes within the district attorney’s office. “Gascón is so eager to make big changes, and to bring in people to show the public that he’s going to be different, that nobody is focusing on the details,” she said. “And the details turn out to be important.” Times staff writer Richard Winton contributed to this report.

'Go for Broke' Japanese American veterans get a postage stamp marking WWII service

https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2021-06-07/japanese-american-veterans-stamp

At 16, Don Miyada was wrenched from his family’s farm near Laguna Beach and sent to a prison camp in Arizona. Two years later, he was drafted into the U.S. Army, ready to give his life for the country that stole his home. Now, Miyada and the 30,000 or so other Japanese Americans who served in World War II are being honored with a postage stamp. On the stamp, a soldier stands in uniform and helmet with a serious expression on his face, the motto “Go for Broke” emblazoned vertically. The image is taken from a 1944 photo of U.S. Army Pfc. Shiroku “Whitey” Yamamoto of Hawaii, a member of the Japanese American 442nd Regimental Combat Team whose heroics in Europe earned them thousands of Purple Hearts, awarded to soldiers wounded in battle. “Go for Broke” meant they were putting it all on the line, both to fight the Germans and to demonstrate their patriotism as many of their families and friends remained in the prison camps for alleged disloyalty to the country. “In those days, we had very little chance to work outside of produce markets and the farms,” said Miyada, 96, at a ceremony unveiling the stamp at the Japanese American National Museum on Friday. “But the war changed all our lives. War is hell, but it leaves lessons.” Miyada served in the 100th Infantry Battalion, another all-Japanese American fighting unit that was eventually absorbed into the 442nd. The exploits of the 442nd members and other Japanese American soldiers, including those who used their Japanese language skills to collect intelligence on the enemy in the Pacific, have gained increasing recognition over the years. But it took a determined campaign, beginning in 2005, to make the stamp a reality. Travel & Experiences To mark the 75th anniversary of the internment of Japanese Americans during World War II, a group of California activists called on the U.S. government to honor them with a postage stamp. March 20, 2016 Fusa Takahashi and Chiz Ohira both married men who served in World War II. Aiko O. King had been a civilian nurse for the U.S. Army. All three women spent years in the prison camps where the U.S. government sent Japanese Americans during the war. Wayne Osaka, who has relatives who served in the war, joined the “Stamp Our Story” effort the following year. They collected endorsements from lawmakers, governors and mayors. They won support from people in the areas of France liberated by the “Go for Broke” troops. They sent the U.S. Postal Service 10,000 handwritten signatures and 10,000 online signatures. In 2009, postal officials told them that stamps were not allowed to honor individual military units. Years of silence ensued, until last November, when the Postal Service announced the “Go for Broke” stamp, along with stamps honoring Missouri statehood and the nuclear physicist Chien-Shiung Wu. Takahashi and King are now in their 90s. Ohira died during the campaign’s 15-year length. In a statement, U.S. Postal Service officials said they were “proud to honor the bravery and sacrifice of Japanese American soldiers during World War II. They lived up to their motto with legendary acts of heroism,” and their “spirit and perseverance continue to live on in generations of Japanese Americans ever since.” To Yoshio Nakamura, an ammunition carrier in the 442nd, the stamp’s debut is timely, considering the rise in anti-Asian attacks during the COVID-19 pandemic. “Not everyone knows of the Japanese American effort in the war, when, actually, we have helped the U.S. so much through the years,” said the Whittier resident, 95, who received a Bronze Star. Kerri Krueger, Fusa Takahashi’s granddaughter, said her grandmother taught her to be proud of her heritage and to know what Japanese Americans had suffered and overcome. Her grandfather, Kazuo Takahashi, was drafted into the U.S. Army from a Utah prison camp in 1943. He joined the Military Intelligence Service, which employed Japanese Americans as translators to pore over documents, interrogate prisoners and intercept messages from the Japanese military. “She wants the generations to try to understand what Asian Americans have been through, how they have progressed so far,” Krueger, 32, said of her grandmother. The 55-cent stamp, designed by Antonio Alcalá, will always be good for up to 1 ounce of first-class mail. Lynn Franklin, the Takahashis’ daughter, said the stamp represented “how much my father and all the men and women were Americans, in every sense, and how they were willing to give up everything for America.” At the same time, many of the soldiers were fluent in Japanese and understood Japanese culture — a tremendous advantage for the American side in the Pacific theater. Kazuo Takahashi, who died in 1977, rarely spoke about the war. But his wife always remembered what he did and wanted the world to know about it. “These people translated millions of documents. They did a lot of counterintelligence. They showed their patriotism at every turn,” said Franklin, 64. “That’s why my mom refused to give up in the struggle to get a stamp.... She intended to showcase courage.”

Connected by love and loss, they reaped what Rodney sowed — and gave it away

https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2021-06-07/widow-carries-on-husbands-california-organic-farming-legacy

On a spring day when the mustard greens were still tender, Sherril Wells stopped harvesting, raised her arms and danced to Curtis Mayfield’s “Superfly” playing over her SUV’s speakers. Her friend Liza Apper had told her that joy and grief could exist together. She thought this must have been what Apper meant: a flash of being alive, even as she grieved for Rodney Wells. She and Rodney — who died in December of a heart attack so sudden that he never cried out — had tried to make it as organic farmers. But they lost money every year. They decided that if they were going to pay to farm, it should be only a labor of love. In 2016, they sold the farm and in their yard started growing organic produce to give to people who couldn’t afford fresh food. They grew in planters in the front and back of their house on Huntington Boulevard, a stately street blocks from a troubled urban core. They chose the neighborhood because of its diversity, including other interracial couples such as Sherril, who is white, and Rodney, who was Black. Next to their driveway, they flew an American flag from a tall pole because of Rodney’s military background and because he did not want to cede its symbolism to racists. They expanded to a plot at the African American Farmers of California’s demonstration farm behind Kearney Park on Fresno’s west side. After Rodney’s death, there were days when Sherril wished that she had died too. But she was determined to keep growing food to give away. During the week, she worked as a judicial attorney with the Superior Court. On weekends, she worked at the farm and found solace where she could smell dirt, hear the bees buzzing in the nettles and get scolded by jays nesting in the oleander windbreak. Maybe it was because Rodney had loved the place. He was a retired command master chief, the highest noncommissioned rank in the Navy. (If someone called him “sir,” he always said, “No thanks, I work for a living.”) Olympics The Olympic trials for surfing are being held in El Salvador. The seeds for this were planted decades ago by young Californians looking for good waves. June 5, 2021 Will Scott, who founded the Black farmers group, was a retired submarine engineer, and there were Pete and Ken and Bill, all Vietnam veterans. They liked to walk the rows and make jokes that only they would get. But Rodney’s best friend was probably Carlos Luna, quietly weeding a few rows away. Sherril thought Luna came only on the weekends, which she had hired him to do. What she didn’t know was that Luna also came during the week on his way to his job at a farm and manufacturing plant. He checked the irrigation and fixed anything that needed to be fixed. Luna had started working for the Wellses when they owned their farm. Rodney always presented the day’s jobs with military precision: tools laid out, tasks listed. Luna would get straight to work, clearly sensing that Rodney was not one for chitchat. After 10 months of working silently together, Rodney initiated conversation: “What did you do this weekend? How are your children?” One day he said, “Carlos, you are a good man. I like you.” Carlos said, “Rodney, you are a good man. I like you too.” They started taking what Rodney called water breaks and talked over many things including their childhoods and the troubles each had seen, one as a Black man, one as a Mexican immigrant. During the pandemic, anyone who experienced loss did so in a vacuum. There was no funeral when Rodney died, no communal mourning with physical touch. Sherril liked to work at the farm with Luna because he loved Rodney too and he didn’t seem to mind when she cried while they worked. :: By the time the mustard greens, grown from seedlings that Rodney planted, were bolting, Luna found himself feeling — What was the word? He didn’t want to use “angry” — how could he be mad at Rodney for dying? But he was on his knees, weeding around the garlic, feeling upset, when he found himself talking to Rodney in his head: “You just left and didn’t say anything to me, man. You didn’t even say goodbye.” A week later, Luna had a dream. He saw Rodney in the field. He was showered and wearing clean clothes. Luna could feel Rodney wanted to say something, but in the dream, Luna just kept working. The next week he had the same dream, but this time his eyes met Rodney’s. Luna told Sherril about his second dream as they spread weed-suppressing cloth over the ground where they were going to plant herbs. “He looked happy. I think he was trying to tell me he is OK,” he said, tears slowly dripping from beneath his sunglasses. “It’s like he’s gone, but not gone-gone. You know?” Sherril had been reflecting on how Rodney’s life was in defiance of circumstance. His father had been impatient and cruel. Rodney was patient and kind. As a young seaman, other sailors had called him racial slurs. He and his best friend, Slim, had studied with flashlights under the covers for the petty officer test and soon outranked the bigots who had to show them institutional respect. “When you’re married, you can’t go around constantly bowing down, worshiping somebody. But truth was, I hero-worshiped him. There was an unshakable dignity about Rodney,” Sherril said. It was a late marriage, after they had both traveled far from home state Kansas. Whip-smart but awkward, Sherril had learned Mandarin, lived in China, moved to Los Angeles and collected all the shiny accoutrements to try to convince herself she was successful. She became an alcoholic like her father. She was nine years sober when she met Rodney, who was born in Kansas, raised in Compton and had been stationed all over the world. He’d had an earlier marriage and kept a self-imposed loneliness. Sherril and Rodney’s marriage hit a rough patch when he couldn’t understand why she would sometimes get rigid and demand things, such as engaging the parking brake when the car was on flat ground, or how, when she was tired, she’d talk in circles, repeatedly making the same points. She was diagnosed as being on the autism spectrum. Her lifelong best girlfriend said that fit with everything from before they had known a word for it. Once Rodney had an explanation, he always put on the parking brake. He showed his care by watching out for her. “Little things. He made sure I wore a hat so I wouldn’t get sunburned,” she said, touching her reddening face and walking to the car for the hat she’d forgotten. At her house that afternoon, she cleaned the mustard leaves, spinning them in her washing machine, then bagged them. In the backyard, she had hung curtains of drying garlic from clotheslines and draped them over citrus trees. The next morning, while it was still inky dark, she left 14 gallons of salad, 15 gallons of baby collards, 45 bunches of onions, 21 bunches of kale and a lot of garlic in Apper’s car to be delivered to people in an agricultural valley where many can’t afford fresh produce. California The man known as the godfather of California’s organic farming died of cancer at the farm where he loved to work. Dec. 29, 2020 Apper, the founder of the St. Benedict Catholic Worker in Fresno, was a woman who combined a dedication to feeding the hungry with an earthy humor. She had once declared it hotter than two squirrels mating in a wool sock, but she didn’t use the word “mating.” Apper had cut back on some of her work as she went through chemotherapy after a cancer diagnosis. But not the food deliveries. For one thing, there were too many panicked calls for help. But she also thought of her 39-year-old daughter, Mary, an Afghanistan veteran, who in 2017 was diagnosed with cancer possibly caused by breathing toxic fumes from military burn pits. Mary had once pulled a stranger from a crashed car while driving herself to a chemotherapy appointment. Apper told herself that if Mary, who died in January, could run toward a car that could explode, on her way to treatment, then she, Mary’s mother, could keep up with food deliveries. In June — after the mustard had reseeded, the jay’s eggs hatched, and the tomatoes started to ripen — Sherril retired. During her first week off work, she joined a quilting group to learn the art of stitching separate layers and pieces together into something strong, often as part of a sewing circle. Column One A showcase for compelling storytelling from the Los Angeles Times. She watched videos on how to braid the tops of garlic. She wanted to add something pretty to the produce box the African American Farmers of California was going to offer. She would also donate herbs to put in the box as an added value item — like getting a lipstick with purchase, she said. She finally received word that she had obtained nonprofit status for Rancho de Rodney farm. She planned to offer agricultural training to war veterans, produce more food for the Catholic Worker and add deliveries in Lemoore near the naval air station. It had angered Rodney that young, enlisted families often didn’t make enough money to afford healthful groceries. “It breaks my heart that Rodney isn’t here. We were supposed to do this together,” she said, beginning to cry — some of the women in her quilting group had told her to expect sudden, short sobs for a while to come. “But it feels good that what Rodney planted will keep giving,” she said. “It feels good being part of this community.” She said Apper was right. Joy and grief do coexist.

Judge and attorney in pivotal Newsom recall lawsuit were former law partners

https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2021-06-07/judge-attorney-newsom-recall-lawsuit-former-law-partners

The Sacramento County Superior Court judge whose ruling in November was pivotal to the recall campaign against Gov. Gavin Newsom, providing supporters extra time to gather the necessary petition signatures to trigger a special election, was once a law partner with the attorney hired by the effort’s proponents to plead their case. Judge James P. Arguelles and Bradley Benbrook were attorneys at the Sacramento law firm of Stevens, O’Connell & Jacobs before 2010 and, according to federal court records, the two served as co-counsel on at least two cases. Sacramento retiree Howard Herships, who opposes the campaign to recall Newsom, said he raised the issue last month in a complaint against the judge filed with the Commission on Judicial Performance, the state agency that investigates allegations of judicial misconduct. Herships, 77, said that he considered the work relationship to be a conflict of interest for the judge and that he should not have heard the case. Two experts in legal ethics, however, said judges often face similar situations and noted that it was unlikely to be an ethical violation. Benbrook represented recall proponents Orrin Heatlie and the California Patriot Coalition in the case before Arguelles last fall. The judge on Nov. 17 agreed with Benbrook’s argument that California’s COVID-19 shutdowns and restrictions had limited the recall campaign’s ability to circulate petitions. Arguelles gave them an additional five months to gather and submit 1.49 million petition signatures from California voters, the number required by state law to qualify the recall for the ballot, and they did so successfully by March 17. Were it not for that extra time, the recall would have failed to qualify. The recall proponents’ fight for more time to gather signatures began in early October when they filed a legal action in Sacramento County Superior Court against then-Secretary of State Alex Padilla, who is now serving in the U.S. Senate. The former work relationship between Arguelles and Benbrook was not known by attorneys representing Padilla, a person familiar with the defense team’s efforts told The Times. Scott Cummings, a professor of legal ethics at the UCLA School of Law, said Arguelles probably should have recused himself from the case given his history with Benbrook. But Cummings emphasized that “judicial ethics is one of those murky areas” in the law, in part because judges have past lives as lawyers, and said he wasn’t confident that Arguelles did anything improper. “If I were a judge in that situation, I would probably want to err on the side of recusal to avoid even the appearance of impropriety,” Cummings said. “It may have been something the judge should have done, but it may not be an ethical violation.” Still, if it’s determined that a judge committed an ethics violation, that could potentially provide a “basis for reopening and overturning the case,” Cummings said. Richard Zitrin, who has taught legal ethics for a quarter-century at the UC Hastings College of the Law, said it would be extremely unlikely for the judge’s decision in the recall case to be overturned because more than half a year has passed since it was handed down and the ruling was never appealed. Still, Zitrin said, Arguelles should have disclosed his history with Benbrook and given opposing counsel an opportunity to address the issue. “The judge should have informed them about the relationship and asked whether anyone had a problem with it. It’s as simple as that,” he said. “And if someone did have a problem, give them the opportunity to be heard.” Kim Pedersen, a spokeswoman for the Sacramento County Superior Court, said neither court officials nor Arguelles could comment on the matter because they have not seen the allegations. She referenced a “supposed complaint” filed with the state Commission on Judicial Performance. “We will have to let CJP review the matter and review the alleged facts,” Pedersen said in an email. Gregory Dresser, director and chief counsel at the Commission on Judicial Performance, said he could not comment on the issue. Benbrook could not be reached for comment. A spokesman for the secretary of state’s office did not respond to questions about the judge’s history with Benbrook or whether the agency’s counsel was aware of it. Under the California Constitution, recall campaigns have 160 days to gather the required number of voter signatures — equal to 12% of the ballots previously cast for the office being targeted — after the secretary of state approves the recall petition for circulation. For the Newsom recall, the clock began June 10, 2020, and was set to expire Nov. 17. In his petition to the court, Benbrook argued the COVID-19 restrictions imposed by Newsom made it much harder for recall organizers to circulate petitions because they were unable to gather signatures at traditional locations, such as shopping malls, sporting events, concerts, fairs and political rallies, among other places and events. The attorney representing the secretary of state’s office opposed granting the recall organizers more time, arguing that they failed to prove that the restrictions impeded their efforts. He noted that a previous effort to recall Newsom, launched before the pandemic, failed to come anywhere close to collecting enough signatures to qualify for the ballot. “The 160-day period for collecting signatures to initiate a recall election was included in the California Constitution for a compelling reason. Governors are elected by the majority and it should not be too easy for a minority to force a costly special election,” Kevin Calia, the outside counsel representing the agency, responded in a court filing. The case was initially assigned to Judge Shelleyanne W.L. Chang. However, Benbrook, on the same day he filed the initial petition, filed a notice of related case pointing out two similar cases that Arguelles was presiding over and arguing that the judge should hear the recall case as well. One of the cases involved a proposed ballot initiative to allow sports betting at tribal casinos and horse-racing tracks, and the other was related to a proposed ballot initiative on restrictions for the use of single-use plastic packaging. In legal filings months earlier, proponents for both initiatives cited similar constraints on circulating petitions because of the COVID-19 pandemic and asked to extend the deadline for gathering signatures. Arguelles granted those requests, with the support of the secretary of state’s office. Proponents of the sports betting initiative objected to having their case consolidated with the Newsom recall case, but Arguelles granted Benbrook’s request to join the cases Oct. 7. From that point, Arguelles presided over the Newsom recall case, Sacramento County Superior Court records show. On Nov. 17, Arguelles issued an order granting a five-month extension for the Newsom recall proponents to gather signatures in support of ousting the governor. Neither the secretary of state nor the governor’s office appealed Arguelles’ decision. Benbrook has represented conservative causes and Republican politicians in recent years. In 2018, he represented an Oregon high school student who was suspended for wearing a “Donald J. Trump Border Wall Construction Co.” shirt, leading to a $25,000 settlement and an apology from the school. Benbrook also worked for an independent expenditure committee that backed Newsom’s Republican opponent in the 2018 gubernatorial election, John Cox. Cox currently is running to replace Newsom if he is recalled. Campaign finance records show that the California Patriot Coalition, which was leading the Newsom recall effort, has paid Benbrook $57,000 in legal fees since Sept. 18. Former Republican Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger appointed Arguelles to the Sacramento County Superior Court in 2010. Arguelles earlier served as an attorney for Stevens, O’Connell & Jacobs starting in 2005 and was a judge advocate general in the U.S. Army Reserve. He also worked for the U.S. attorney’s office in Sacramento for five years. Former President Trump nominated Arguelles to become a federal judge in June 2020. The American Bar Assn. rated Arguelles as well qualified, but his nomination was never considered by the U.S. Senate and, after Trump lost his bid for reelection, it was returned to the White House in January without action. Times staff writer John Myers contributed to this report.

Today's Headlines: Democrats face trouble in 2022

https://www.latimes.com/world-nation/newsletter/2021-06-07/democrats-2022-midterm-elections-todays-headlines

Democrats worry about their chances in next year’s midterm election — and that’s shaping how they govern now. Democrats Face Trouble in 2022 Democrats are at high risk of losing control of Congress next year, and that prospect is shaping party strategy on every level. Defending thin House and Senate majorities in the 2022 midterm election, Democrats are scrambling to pass high-impact elements of President Biden’s agenda as quickly as possible. Vulnerable incumbents are building their campaign war chests and heading home to claim credit for economic and health benefits flowing from Washington. Start your day right Sign up for Essential California for the L.A. Times biggest news, features and recommendations in your inbox six days a week. You may occasionally receive promotional content from the Los Angeles Times. Biden ditched his penchant for bipartisanship and caution to push through a sweeping pandemic relief bill with no Republican support this year. Now, a sense of urgency is building as negotiations with Republicans over infrastructure spending are faltering, and some Democrats are clamoring to go it alone again. More ambitious Biden proposals to spend billions for child care, paid family leave and more are waiting in the wings. With midterm stakes looming large, Democrats are under intensifying pressure to pass voting rights legislation that could undercut some of Republicans’ advantages in redistricting, and override a recent spate of red-state laws that will restrict voting in ways Democrats believe disproportionately affect Black voters and others key to their coalition. But on Sunday, Democratic Sen. Joe Manchin III of West Virginia said he will not vote for the largest overhaul of U.S. election law in at least a generation, defying his party and the White House and virtually guaranteeing the failure of the legislation. More Politics — Vice President Kamala Harris is traveling in Central America, her most high-profile act yet on the first international assignment Biden gave her to tackle the root causes of migration from the region. — Fox News declined to broadcast an ad about the violence that law enforcement members faced as they tried to stop the Jan. 6 insurrection at the U.S. Capitol, according to the creators of the political commercial. — In a speech in North Carolina, Donald Trump pushed Republicans to support candidates who are loyal to him in next year’s midterm election. — On today’s episode of “The Times” podcast, Rep. Katie Porter talks about her political future and where she gets those famous whiteboards. For more news and analysis, sign up for our Essential Politics newsletter, sent to your inbox three days a week. An Economy in Ruins The sights and sounds of active combat are absent now in Gaza, with a May 21 truce still holding. Though life has quickly returned to normal in Israel, the business owners in a key industrial zone of Gaza — once billed as a showcase project designed to strengthen Israeli-Palestinian ties — and in Gaza at large see little hope for a swift recovery. Israeli assaults reduced entire commercial towers to rubble and chopped up major commercial thoroughfares. Israel blames Hamas for embedding its bases and infrastructure near civilian areas. Even so, in the past, Israeli forces spared areas such as the Karni Industrial Zone. A Gascón Plan Stumbles In his bid to unseat Los Angeles County Dist. Atty. Jackie Lacey as head of the nation’s largest prosecutor’s office last year, George Gascón didn’t simply attack her record of declining to prosecute police officers who killed unarmed people — he promised to undo what he saw as her mistakes. Gascón identified four shootings that he believed should be reviewed, including the 2015 killing of a homeless man by an LAPD officer whom former police Chief Charlie Beck asked Lacey to file charges against. After his election, Gascón moved to hire a decorated special prosecutor, Lawrence Middleton, to review the cases. But nearly six months into Gascón’s tenure, Middleton has yet to sign his employment contract, and the delay could severely hinder Gascón’s ability to bring charges against officers in any of the cases he singled out. A Lifesaver for Inmates With opioids such as fentanyl continuing to be find their way into Los Angeles County jails, the Sheriff’s Department has come up with a practical solution to deal with an increase in overdose deaths: giving inmates access to doses of naloxone, a drug that can quickly reverse the effects of opioid. Dr. Sean Henderson, a physician with the county’s Correctional Health Services, said the time that is saved by giving inmates quick access to the drug can be the difference between life and death. “We have an antidote; we know exactly what to do,” Henderson said. “Why not bring the antidote as close as possible?” Officials say the county is one of the first in the country to put naloxone in jails. The idea was born out of crisis, when a man died of a fentanyl overdose in March at the North County Correctional Facility. — The Biden administration has quietly deployed a new app that relies on facial recognition, geolocation and cloud technology for sensitive information on asylum seekers before they enter the United States, according to three privacy-impact assessments conducted by the Homeland Security Department and experts who reviewed them for The Times. That has privacy experts worried. — L.A. County Public Health Director Barbara Ferrer mourns the 24,000 dead in L.A. County and wonders if she did enough. — These Venice residents told columnist Steve Lopez that their home feels unsafe. They blame public officials, not homeless Angelenos. — Need help ditching your car for a train or bus? Columnist Nita Lelyveld met up with an L.A. public transit superfan. On June 6, 1944, news of the Allied invasion of France arrived in Los Angeles. The Times published an extra edition with the headline “INVASION!” Pictured below are workers at Douglas Aircraft Co. reading that edition. For more photos of that day, click here. Decades later, The Times continued to explore the history of that turning point in World War II, such as why it was called “D-day,” Gen. Dwight D. Eisenhower’s secret prewritten message to the troops in case the mission had failed, and a copy of Ike’s notes he prepared, win or lose. — Two people have been arrested in the shooting death of 6-year-old Aiden Leos, who died in his mother’s arms on the 55 Freeway in Orange last month in what officials have called a road rage incident. A memorial service on Saturday honored his memory. — Meanwhile, the California Highway Patrol is investigating two shootings on the 605 Freeway that occurred within hours and a few miles of each other Saturday in Irwindale. — Families of mass shooting victims, gun control advocates and California officials condemned a federal judge’s decision to overturn California’s 30-year-old ban on assault weapons, largely because of the manner in which he justified his ruling. — As wildfires decimate the giant sequoia, California is facing an unprecedented loss. Support our journalism Subscribe to the Los Angeles Times. — Mike Broomhead, a conservative talk radio host based in Phoenix, once backed the Arizona GOP election recount. Now he’s warning Republicans against it. — As political tensions rise in Israel, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, in Trump fashion, accuses his rival of the “greatest election fraud.” — German Chancellor Angela Merkel’s conservatives handily fended off a challenge from the far right in a state election that was seen as the last big test for Germany’s political parties before a national vote in September. — Our TV critic has reviewed nine Stephen King-related series. Here’s how they stack up, including the latest, “Lisey’s Story.” — How “Hacks,” HBO Max’s hot new comedy, took down the toxic man in “every single stand-up club.” — Lil Nas X will call you by your name, if you want, during a Pride Month campaign on Cameo, the personalized-video platform. — Prince Harry and Meghan have announced the birth of their second child, Lilibet “Lili” Diana Mountbatten-Windsor. — Long Beach has taken back control of the Queen Mary from the ship’s operating company amid concerns that the 87-year-old vessel has not been properly maintained. — For many entrepreneurs of color and women of all races, venture funding remains a mostly impenetrable barrier to success. — The Clippers have advanced to the second round of the NBA playoffs after defeating the Mavericks in Game 7, despite Luka Doncic’s 46 points for Dallas. — Americans have dominated every Summer Games for the last 25 years, making them favorites to again win a lion’s share of medals at the Tokyo Olympics. But could it be the last time? Free online games Get our free daily crossword puzzle, sudoku, word search and arcade games in our new game center at latimes.com/games. — After COVID-19 upended life, it’s time to reimagine California. Members of the Los Angeles Times editorial board have delved into an array of issues, including the future of working from home, health insurance, criminal justice and homelessness. — Big Food wants us addicted to junk food, writes Michael Moss, a Pulitzer Prize-winning investigative journalist. New brain science may break its grip. — The housing market is wild. If you’re looking to buy a home, what should you do? (The Atlantic) — How the newspaper crisis has played out in some of the most distressed areas of the U.S. (Literary Hub) Late spring is when Southern California erupts with small, fuzzy pastel-orange or -yellow fruit — loquats. The loquat is an immigrant originally from China but spread to many other communities that embraced the fruit as their own. For over a century, the treat can be found in places like Compton and Santa Monica, Santa Ana, Pasadena, East Los Angeles, and Long Beach. They’re remnants of an era when loquats, not avocados or oranges, were a marquee crop, as columnist Gustavo Arellano explains. Comments or ideas? Email us at headlines@latimes.com.

The Times podcast: California's unsinkable Katie Porter

https://www.latimes.com/podcasts/story/2021-06-07/the-times-podcast-katie-porter

Listen to this episode of The Times: Apple | Spotify | Stitcher | Google California Rep. Katie Porter (D -Irvine) has been a political rock star ever since the progressive won the 45th Congressional District seat in South Orange County — long a bastion of conservative politics — in 2018. We talk to her about her Iowa roots, the Jan. 6 U.S. Capitol invasion, her attempts at bipartisanship and the color of her favorite marker that she uses for her already-legendary whiteboard lectures during congressional hearings. Host: Gustavo Arellano Guest: 45th Congressional District Rep. Katie Porter More reading: Democrats loved Katie Porter when she bashed Trump. Now she is making them squirm Video: Katie Porter’s “Whiteboard of Justice” Video: Rep. Katie Porter on impeachment and the consequences of Jan. 6 Listen to more episodes of The Times here

Train slams into another one in Pakistan, killing at least 51

https://www.latimes.com/world-nation/story/2021-06-07/train-crash-pakistan-killing-at-least-40

An express train barreled into another that had derailed in Pakistan before dawn Monday, killing at least 51 people and setting off a desperate effort to search the crumpled cars for survivors and the dead, authorities said. More than 100 other people were injured. Cries for help pierced the night as passengers climbed out of overturned or crushed rail cars, and continued to echo throughout the day at the scene in the district of Ghotki, in the southern province of Sindh. Heavy machinery arrived to cut open some cars, and more than 15 hours after the crash, rescuers were carefully removing wreckage as they looked for anyone who might remain trapped — though hopes were fading for survivors. The military deployed troops, engineers and helicopters to assist. About 3:30 a.m., the Millat Express train derailed, and the Sir Syed Express train hit it minutes later, said Usman Abdullah, a deputy commissioner of Ghotki. It wasn’t immediately clear what caused the derailment, and the driver of the second train said he braked when he saw the disabled train but didn’t have time to avoid the crash. About 1,100 passengers were aboard the two trains, rail officials said. “The challenge for us is to quickly rescue those passengers who are still trapped in the wreckage,” said Umar Tufail, a police chief in the district. World & Nation A 2008 train crash in Chatsworth killed 25 people and broke a long congressional stalemate on a nationwide rail safety project known as “positive train control.” Twelve years later, that system is finally in place. Jan. 2, 2021 Authorities brought in lights so rescuers could work through the night. Relatives of some of the missing passengers waited nearby. Passengers with critical injuries were to be brought by helicopter to a nearby hospital. Engineers and experts were trying to determine what caused the collision, said Azam Swati, the minister for railways who headed to the scene of the crash. He told the Associated Press that all aspects would be examined, including the possibility of sabotage. The segment of the railway tracks where the crash took place was old and needed replacing, Habibur Rehman Gilani, chairman of Pakistan Railways, told Pakistan’s Geo News TV. He did not elaborate. Aijaz Ahmed, the driver of the Sir Syed Express, told the station that, upon seeing the derailed train, he tried his best to avoid the crash by braking but failed. Railway officials said Ahmed was slightly injured, and villagers pulled him from the train’s engine after the crash. Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan expressed his deep sorrow over the tragedy, saying on Twitter that he had asked the railway minister to supervise the rescue work and also ordered an investigation into the crash. World & Nation A decision to change cars to be closer to a station exit may have saved Erik Bravo when a Mexico City subway line collapsed, killing 25 people. May 7, 2021 According to local media, some of the passengers on the Millat Express were heading to a wedding party. Mohammad Amin, one of the passengers on the Millat Express, who had minor injuries, told the AP from a hospital that before the train departed from the southern port city of Karachi, he and his brother saw mechanics working on one of the cars. That led them to believe there was something wrong with it, but they were assured that all was fine. Amin said he believed the train car that was being worked on was the one that later derailed. Railway officials said they were recording statements of survivors, including the drivers. Train accidents are common in Pakistan, where successive governments have paid little attention to improving the poorly maintained signal system and aging tracks. In 1990, a packed passenger plowed into a standing freight train in southern Pakistan, killing 210 people in the worst rail disaster in Pakistan’s history.

Lakers offseason: What you need to know about roster changes

https://www.latimes.com/sports/lakers/story/2021-06-07/lakers-roster-offseason-changes-salary-cap

On his way into free agency, veteran Wesley Matthews made it clear that he wanted to re-sign, the pain from the Lakers’ unrealized potential after a first-round playoff exit forcing him to declare his desire to “run it back.” While the Lakers universally said they thought this team was good enough to win it all had it not been for key injuries, roster changes are almost always assured. The NBA is projecting a $112.4-million salary cap for next season, with teams spending more than $136.6 million subject to luxury tax penalties. Here’s a quick look at who is under contract, who can walk in free agency and how the Lakers can keep some key role players. The Core (2021-22 salaries via Spotrac) LeBron James — $41.2 million Anthony Davis — $35.4 million Any roster building happens around this foundation, a good head start for the Lakers’ front office. Lakers The Lakers’ biggest priority this offseason will be deciding what to do at center, with Marc Gasol under contract for next season, Montrezl Harrell holding a player option and Andre Drummond a free agent. June 5, 2021 Davis signed his max deal last offseason, and James re-upped by signing an extension, keeping the Lakers’ core under contract without much drama. The question becomes how to surround these franchise players with the best supporting cast. Locked up Kentavious Caldwell-Pope — $13 million Kyle Kuzma — $13 million Marc Gasol — $2.7 million In Caldwell-Pope and Kuzma, the Lakers have two key rotation players who provide some shooting and defensive versatility on the wings. If the Lakers make a trade, these are the names you’d almost certainly hear in order for the team meet salary requirements. Gasol proved to be the most trusted of the Lakers’ centers, though he sounded like someone who could end up not coming back during his exit interview on Friday. The ghost of contracts past Luol Deng — $5 million The Lakers still have some of Deng’s $72-million contract on their books after waiving him before the 2018-19 season. Next season will be the last time his name shows up on the team’s salary cap sheet. All things Lakers, all the time. Get all the Lakers news you need in Dan Woike's weekly newsletter. You may occasionally receive promotional content from the Los Angeles Times. The options Montrezl Harrell — $9.7 million Alfonzo McKinnie — $1.9 million Harrell’s player option is one of the most fascinating decisions of the Lakers’ offseason. Harrell followed up his sixth man of the year season with the Clippers by providing the Lakers scoring off the bench, but it was pretty clear the Lakers didn’t trust him defensively. That meant he was largely off the court against the Phoenix Suns in the playoffs. The question is, what’s his market if he opts out? Can he find a better situation where he’ll make more money? Charlotte was rumored to be interested last offseason, and the thought of Harrell running the pick-and-roll with LaMelo Ball and the Hornets’ guards is pretty interesting. McKinnie’s team option is cap-friendly — he’s under contract for the next two seasons without any guaranteed money. In addition to being a perfectly fine end-of-roster wing, those non-guaranteed deals can be valuable in making the financial aspects of a trade work. Unrestricted free agents (and what they counted against Lakers’ 2020-21 cap) Dennis Schroder — $16 million Andre Drummond — $554,988 Alex Caruso — $2.8 million Wesley Matthews — $3.6 million Markieff Morris — $1.6 million Ben McLemore — $455,090 Jared Dudley — $1.6 million Now we get into the weeds. The Lakers will be over the salary cap, but they’ll be able to exceed that number to sign Schroder and/or Caruso because the team owns their “Bird rights” — a provision that allows teams to go over the cap to re-sign their own players. Schroder turned down an extension during the season and has sought a deal paying him $100 million or more, but after an uneven playoff run, it’s tough to know his market value. The Lakers, because of their cap position, probably have to bring him back because they’ll be unable to replace him in free agency. A sign-and-trade could be a possibility, but that also has cap implications. Lakers Alex Caruso, one of the Lakers’ most popular and versatile players, talks about the season ending short of the team’s goal and his upcoming free agency. June 4, 2021 Caruso’s free agency could come down to factors other than money, with a bigger role possibly available elsewhere. However, he’s valuable to the Lakers and a good fit as a combo guard and two-way player. Matthews, Morris and Dudley could return on veteran’s minimum contracts, while McLemore could seek more consistent minutes somewhere else. The Lakers don’t have Bird rights for Drummond, a late-season acquisition they said they’d like to keep, and without cap room, they’d likely need to use a cap exception to sign him. They could give him a deal similar to the one they gave Harrell a year ago or they could use a mid-level exception, projected to be worth around $6 million per year. However, Drummond has commanded more than $20 million per season each of the last few years. Restricted free agent (2020-21 cap hit) Talen Horton-Tucker — $1.5 million The Lakers have the right to match any offer Horton-Tucker gets in free agency, though the team might not want to let it get that far by signing him to a deal before he accepts an offer elsewhere. The Lakers clearly want to keep him, but it could be costly. Like Caruso and Schroder, the Lakers have Bird rights for Horton-Tucker, but keeping all three could be incredibly costly, both in limiting roster flexibility and in the luxury tax bill the team would face.

Peru's presidential runoff election too close to call

https://www.latimes.com/world-nation/story/2021-06-07/keiko-fujimori-daughter-imprisoned-ex-president-leads-peru-election

A teacher-turned-politician and the daughter of an imprisoned former president traded the lead Monday in a close race for Peru’s presidency. With 95% of the ballots tallied in the runoff election, leftist Pedro Castillo had 50.2% of the vote, while conservative Keiko Fujimori had 49.7%, according to official results. This is Fujimori’s third run for president, a role her father held in the 1990s. The difference between the two polarizing candidates was just over 87,000 votes. The figures, released by Peru’s National Office of Electoral Processes, included almost all votes cast near the country’s electoral processing centers. The agency was still awaiting the arrival of votes from remote rural areas and abroad. “No one can say for sure at this point who is going to win,” Fernando Tuesta, a political scientist at the Pontifical Catholic University of Peru and former Peruvian elections chief, told a local radio station. In 2016, Pedro Pablo Kuczynski defeated Fujimori in a presidential election by just 42,597 votes. The partial map of votes showed a country split in two. Castillo overwhelmingly dominated the impoverished rural areas of the Andes and much of the Amazon. Fujimori was the candidate of the business elite, dominating in the capital and other cities on the Pacific coast. The cities hardest hit by the Shining Path rebel group during Peru’s internal conflict between 1980 and 2000, which left almost 70,000 people dead, voted for Castillo. It was an adverse result for Fujimori, who during the campaign accused the teacher, without evidence, of ties to terrorism. The areas where international mining companies are seeking to expand extractive projects also voted almost entirely for Castillo. In the country’s poorest district, Uchuraccay, he captured 87% of the votes, while in the richest district, San Isidro, Fujimori prevailed, with 88%. Neither candidate made statements Monday. Castillo left the Andean district of Tacabamba early to travel to Lima. The polarizing populist candidates have promised COVID-19 vaccines for all and other strategies to alleviate the health emergency that has killed more than 180,000 people in Peru and pushed millions into poverty. The election followed a statistical revision from Peru’s government that more than doubled the COVID-19 death toll previously acknowledged by officials. World & Nation Sunday’s presidential election in Peru comes as many citizens are losing hope for their economy and their democracy. June 5, 2021 Voters across Peru, where voting is mandatory, headed to the polls Sunday under a set schedule meant to minimize long lines. Pre-election polls indicated that the candidates were virtually tied heading into the runoff. In the first round of voting, featuring 18 candidates, neither received more than 20% support, and both were strongly opposed by sectors of Peruvian society. World & Nation Seizing on COVID-19 to expand its global influence, China has emerged as a major player in the vaccine sweepstakes — particularly in Latin America. Feb. 18, 2021 “The candidate who becomes [president], either Keiko or Pedro, the people, the only thing we have to do is accept it, but they better govern well,” said Lucia Carrion, a street vendor in Lima. “There is so much corruption. One of them has to stop so much corruption that there is here in Peru.” The coronavirus has not only overwhelmed Peru’s medical and cemetery infrastructure, left millions unemployed and highlighted longstanding inequalities; it has also deepened people’s mistrust of the government, which many believe mismanaged the pandemic response. A secret vaccination drive for the well-connected erupted into a national scandal. Amid protests and corruption allegations, Peru cycled through three presidents in November. Analysts warn that this election could be another tipping point for the population’s simmering frustrations and bring more political instability. World & Nation Ex-President of Peru Alberto Fujimori and three of his health ministers are facing prosecution for a program in which women were allegedly sterilized without consent. Oct. 29, 2019 President Francisco Sagasti said the candidates should respect the election results and ask their followers to refrain from staging protests over the outcome. Fujimori asked her followers to be prudent because “the margin is so small,” while Castillo demanded a review of all ballots to “guarantee the true popular will of the Peruvian people.” Fujimori, a former congresswoman, has promised various bonuses to citizens, including a $2,500 one-time payment to each family with at least one COVID-19 victim. She has also proposed distributing 40% of a tax for the extraction of minerals, oil or gas among families who live near those areas. Fujimori’s father, Alberto, governed between 1990 and 2000 and is serving a 25-year sentence for corruption and the killing of 25 people. Keiko Fujimori — who has also spent time in prison, as part of a graft investigation — has promised to free him if she wins the election. Breaking News Get breaking news, investigations, analysis and more signature journalism from the Los Angeles Times in your inbox. You may occasionally receive promotional content from the Los Angeles Times. Castillo until recently was a schoolteacher in the country’s third-poorest district, deep in the Andes. The son of illiterate peasants entered politics by leading a teachers’ strike. While his stance on nationalizing key sectors of the economy has softened, he remains committed to rewriting the constitution that was approved under the regime of Fujimori’s father. Peru is the world’s second-largest copper exporter; mining accounts for almost 10% of its GDP and 60% of its exports, so Castillo’s initial proposal to nationalize the mining industry set off alarm bells among business leaders. But regardless of who gets picked to succeed Sagasti on July 28, investors are expected to remain skittish. Both candidates oppose abortion and same-sex marriage. The stock market in Lima registered declines of more than 7% and, complying with regulations, closed its operations for 20 minutes and then reopened. The dollar exchange rate also reached a record high.

Harry Edwards: NFL 'race-norming' is morally unconscionable and legally indefensible

https://www.latimes.com/sports/story/2021-06-07/nfl-pledges-to-end-controversial-practice-of-race-norming

The NFL has promised to put an end to the controversial practice of “race-norming,” which assumed Black players started out with a lower level of cognitive function and thereby makes it harder for those retirees to prove they qualify for payouts in the administration of the 2017 $1 billion-plus concussion settlement. “We are committed to eliminating race-based norms in the program and more broadly in the neuropsychological community,” the NFL said in a statement, while maintaining that no such discrimination took place in the administration of the settlement. The revelation came to light last year when former players Najeh Davenport and Kevin Henry sued the league, alleging that race-norming led to them being denied a portion of the settlement. A judge dismissed the case earlier this year, and the NFL and Christopher Seeger, the lead attorney for the players in the concussion settlement, said the use of race-norms was not mandatory and up to the individual doctors to use or ignore while performing the evaluations. Sports The NFL is pledging to halt the use of ‘race-norming’ in the $1-billion settlement of brain injury claims and to review claims by Black players for any potential race bias. June 2, 2021 Harry Edwards, a sociologist and longtime staff consultant for the San Francisco 49ers, has spent a half-century studying the intersection of sports and society. He spoke Sunday to the Los Angeles Times about race-norming, what it suggests and what the NFL should do to repair the damage it has caused. When did you first become aware of race-norming as it relates to the NFL concussion settlement? Edwards: I’ve known about this since last August. When it first became an issue, I was contacted by some people who have been looking at this thing as a eugenics issue for quite some time. But the details of it didn’t start coming out until the NFL faced that lawsuit. Then as we got more and more into it, it became clear that this was simply unacceptable. It’s morally unconscionable, most certainly politically unsustainable and legally indefensible. You can’t have 74% of the players in the league Black but when it comes to actually being able to claim access to funds resulting from brain damage, dementia, CTE, other kind of cognitive-deficit-inducing conditions that are directly related to football, all of a sudden there’s a different standard for them. There’s a presumption that they come in at a cognitively lower ranking. A lower baseline. What was your initial reaction to the notion of race-norming? Edwards: It’s ridiculous, it’s asinine, it’s almost comedic that it would get this far. And not only that but that the NFL would be fighting a lawsuit by two Black players who say, “Hey, this isn’t fair.” And the response was to fight the lawsuit. So at the end of the day we’ve got some work to do. Some players say their requests to be included in the settlement were rejected with insufficient explanation. From your perspective, is that common among players? Edwards: Of course. You just get a no. But when you go back to it and start digging into it, you find out that the whole situation is race-normed, where you have to show greater decline to get the same benefits that a white player does. Because the presumption is that as a Black player, you start with lower cognitive capability to begin with. The Black dumb jock. Sports Despite evidence of cognitive issues, ex-NFL safety Toi Cook was denied compensation without explanation. Did a banned practice have something to do with it? June 7, 2021 Most of the time this stuff takes place within the context of gentlemen’s agreements. That was the case with the Black quarterback, Blacks being blocked from the league up until 1946, but those were based on gentlemen’s agreements. This was a matter of policy, and that’s what makes it different than segregation. That’s what makes it different than the lack of Black head coaches, the dearth of Black GMs and front-office personnel. This was policy, which made it not just different but dumb. What would you advise the NFL to do? Edwards: Complete transparency. “We’re going to rectify this. We’re going to go back and review every case that was turned down, Black and white. And where necessary, we’re not just going to grant access but do what we can in terms of reparations for the damage that has been done in the meanwhile.” Do you have reason to be optimistic that will happen? Edwards: One of the things I’m optimistic about is that there are some good people at the NFL, at the top, in the middle, and people who just came in. Coaches, administrators, front-office folks who want to get this right. Hopefully with the additional pressure of sunlight, they will have a greater chance of prevailing in terms of transparency, rectification, reparations when necessary, and turn the corner on this. I put [NFL Commissioner] Roger Goodell in that category. I know him off-site, off-script and out of the spotlight. He’s the commissioner when he sits up in that office on Park Avenue, but as a human being and a man he’s an eminently decent guy. If I didn’t think that was the case, I wouldn’t bother bringing this kind of stuff up to him. It’s a tough situation because, hey, that’s his job. He answers to 32 franchise owners. He can’t just fly off and say, “We’re going to do it this way,” if the medical committee or whoever says, “We’re going to do it that way.” But this is one the whole league should get behind and say, “This is not us. This is not who we are.”

A generation of seabirds was wiped out by a drone in O.C. Scientists fear for their future

https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2021-06-07/thousands-of-eggs-abandoned-after-drone-crash-at-orange-county-nature-reserve

Eggs littered the sand, but there was no sign of life around or in them. The seabirds that should have been keeping watch had taken off, terrified by a drone that crash-landed into their nesting grounds on an island at the Bolsa Chica Ecological Reserve. For the record: 11:04 a.m. June 7, 2021The photo caption in an earlier version of this article stated 3,000 elegant tern eggs had been abandoned. It was 1,500 to 2,000 eggs. “We’ve never seen such devastation here,” said Melissa Loebl, an environmental scientist who manages the Huntington Beach reserve. “This has been really hard for me as a manager.” Some 3,000 elegant terns fled the reserve after the drone crashed May 12, leaving behind 1,500 to 2,000 eggs, none of them viable. It was the largest egg abandonment that scientists who work there can recall. As for the birds, which are highly sensitive to perceived threats — nobody is sure what happened to them. “We actually still don’t know where they are,” Loebl said. The mass abandonment was the culmination of a year of issues caused by increased traffic to the reserve, which has seen the number of visitors double as the COVID-19 pandemic sent droves of people outdoors. There has been an uptick in bicyclists, who sometimes carve trails off established paths and disturb sensitive areas, and more people have been bringing dogs, which can scare wildlife and leave behind waste. Both are prohibited in the reserve, as they threaten to flush birds off their nests. “They’re seen as predators,” Loebl said. “Think of a bird. When I migrate 100 miles, I want a safe place to nest, forage and breed, and they come here to do just that.” But nothing has been as catastrophic as drones, which are being flown over the reserve with increasing frequency. Drones are not permitted to fly over state wildlife reserves, precisely because they run the risk of disturbing habitats, said Officer Nick Molsberry of the California Department of Fish and Wildlife. If that happens, the operator can face additional charges for nest destruction and harassment of wildlife, he said. California Researchers now believe a wildfire last year killed 10% to 14% of the world’s natural sequoia population. June 5, 2021 The Bolsa Chica Ecological Reserve is one of the last remaining and largest coastal wetlands in Southern California, where 95% of the habitat has been destroyed, Loebl said. More than 800 species rely on the 1,000-plus-acre area for critical habitat. Of those species, 23 have special status, including the California least tern and Ridgway’s rail, which are endangered, and the Western snowy plover, which is classified as threatened. “These are all birds we put a lot of time and energy into managing their habitat so they can have a successful year breeding,” Loebl said. Volunteers spend the fall preparing two manmade islands — North Tern Island and South Tern Island — taking on vegetation management projects so the birds can nest, Loebl said. In April, thousands of terns arrive for the breeding season, including elegant terns that migrate from Central and South America. They stay until August, when they fly away with their chicks. Although elegant terns are not considered threatened or endangered, Bolsa Chica is one of just four known nesting sites, said Michael H. Horn, professor emeritus of biology at Cal State Fullerton. The others are at the Los Angeles Harbor, in San Diego and in Mexico’s Gulf of California. “We worry about them because there’s so few nesting sites, not so much because of their numbers,” he said. “So that’s a reason why if a nest site doesn’t produce or fails, that’s concerning.” Horn is waiting to hear whether the birds have established themselves in Mexico, which is usually the largest colony. There are now several thousand in San Diego. But they chose not to nest this year at the Los Angeles Harbor, making the abandonment at Bolsa Chica even more of a loss. “We have a person who monitors them and other seabirds at the port, and he said the birds have flown by, maybe stayed a little while, a few hours or overnight, and then they’ve left,” Horn said, noting that they may decide not to populate a site because of predators, disruptions to the food supply or other disturbances. The elegant terns, together with some 300 other avian species that frequent the reserve, draw birders and photographers from across the region and farther. In the case of the crashed drone, given the scope of the devastation, officials are seeking to aggressively enforce the law. Molsberry is working with the Orange County district attorney’s office to figure out how to get a warrant and lawfully retrieve video footage and location history from the drone. “We will hopefully have some great footage of the user and what the drone did, its flight path, and be able to articulate all the elements we need to fulfill the violation for this person,” he said. California Ecologist Jim Cornett is as fascinated with California’s driest places as ever. But the signs of stress brought on by climate change terrify him. June 5, 2021 Molsberry, who has been with the department eight years, said he’d never seen a drone crash-land in a reserve before this spring. But the May 12 crash was actually the second in a 24-hour stretch. The day before, a drone went down in Bolsa Chica near nesting sites of the California least tern and the snowy plover. The birds fled but eventually returned, “which was great,” Loebl said. “Still sad, but great.” That drone operator came forward to claim the device and received a citation. On Thursday, while KABC-TV Channel 7 was interviewing Loebl and Molsberry for a segment about the drone problem, a man pulled into the parking lot and started to fly a drone right above them, sending it directly toward another tern colony, Molsberry said. “I actually ended the interview, contacted the individual, identified myself and issued that person a citation right there on the spot,” he said. Television cameras captured yet another drone flying over the reserve whose operator couldn’t be located. The man Molsberry cited claimed he didn’t realize it was illegal to fly drones there because a Federal Aviation Administration app showed the airspace as a so-called “green zone,” Loebl said. “When it comes to the flying of drones in the airspace, the airspace does not belong to us,” Molsberry conceded, adding that the FAA might not list the reserve as a no-fly area, but there are signs all around Bolsa Chica stating that drones can’t be flown there, as he pointed out to the man who was cited. The reserve’s management is working with the volunteer groups Bolsa Chica Conservancy, Bolsa Chica Land Trust and Amigos de Bolsa Chica to develop a program that will have trained docents walk the property and educate the public about the rules. Loebl said the state is also hoping to work with federal authorities to ensure that airspace over the reserve and other sensitive areas is listed as restricted. In the meantime, the long-term effects of the nest abandonment remain unclear. Horn noted that there will be some 4,500 fewer birds feeding on anchovies and sardines in the waters near Bolsa Chica this summer. That could conceivably draw more predators that also like to feed on the fish, such as seals, sea lions and other seabirds. “The removal of one species might affect another species,” Loebl said. “We have such rich biodiversity here.” Horn said it’s possible the elegant terns fled to other nesting sites, and they could even nest again and produce more eggs before the summer ends. But there will be no elegant tern chicks at Bolsa Chica this year. “That’s a full generation of birds not established,” Molsberry said. “It’s just so abnormal not to see them there right now.”

Horse racing newsletter: Does racing have a rivalry?

https://www.latimes.com/sports/newsletter/2021-06-07/essential-quality-hot-rod-charlie-horse-racing

Hello, my name is John Cherwa and welcome back to our horse racing newsletter as we enter the final two weeks of the Santa Anita meet. Saturday’s Belmont Stakes was really a great race between Essential Quality and Hot Rod Charlie. And both came out of the race in very good condition. They’ve raced each other three times. In the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile, it was Essential Quality winning and Hot Rod Charlie second, same as in the Belmont. In the Kentucky Derby, Hot Rod Charlie was third (possibly moving to second) and Essential Quality fourth (and maybe third). So, is this a rivalry that racing could use to drive up interest in the sport? Maybe, but Hot Rod Charlie would have to win one of those races to really make it interesting. Both trainers Brad Cox (Essential Quality) and Doug O’Neill (Hot Rod Charlie) were still sky-high on their colts on Sunday morning. “He looks amazing,” Cox told NYRA communications. “It doesn’t look like he lost any weight. We jogged him up this morning and he was moving great,” Cox said Sunday. “He’s a very intelligent horse. It’s amazing to watch him. We train him on race day and whenever we put him back in, he’ll lay down the rest of the day. He knows what’s going on and he deserves a good rest [Sunday] after such a long race yesterday.” And O’Neill also had good news. “He looks awesome, just awesome,” O’Neill told NYRA communications. “He ate up everything and licked his feed tub. We scoped him after the race, and he scoped clean. He was definitely a little rubber-legged after the race, but by the time he got back to the barn area he had already recovered. He recovered quickly. He’s amazing.” Cox seemed pretty certain the Travers at Saratoga is in Essential Quality’s future. “It’s one of the more prestigious races out there for 3-year-old colts,” Cox said. “So that would be the logical spot. It’s a mile and a quarter and we know he can handle that. In regard to a race before, it would be nice. Saratoga is obviously a demanding track. I wouldn’t say we have to have a race before that, but it would be nice. I think the logical spot would be the Jim Dandy, but we’ll get him back to Churchill and let him tell us over the next couple of weeks how he’s feeling.” As for Hot Rod Charlie, O’Neill is playing it both ways depending on to whom he is talking. “I think that’s very logical,” O’Neill told NYRA communications about running in the Travers. “The great thing about this group of [owners] is that they’re so patient. I’m sure we’ll talk about that in the next week or two, but just knowing the way this journey has played out, and hopefully, there are plenty more chapters in the Charlie tale, we probably won’t decide for another three weeks or so. But it is the most logical next spot. If he takes us there.” But when O’Neill talked to Ed Golden of Santa Anita, it was a different take. Golden said the Pacific Classic at Del Mar was “under strong consideration.” “As a 3-year-old, we’d get a big break in the weights and a few of our owners live down there,” O’Neill told Golden about running at Del Mar. The Pacific Classic, which is for older horses, is Aug. 21 and the Travers, restricted to 3-year-olds, is Aug. 28. So, no, he can’t run in both races. It seems as if that decision really is up in the air for the connections of Hot Rod Charlie. And, there is no reason a decision has to be made right now. As for Cox, he’d love to see another rematch. “I think it would be great for racing, no doubt about it,” Cox said. Enjoying this newsletter? Subscribe to the Los Angeles Times. Southern California is getting a new member of its jockey colony as Joe Bravo is coming west from New Jersey to avoid the new whip rule there. The state just instituted a rule that the whip cannot be used except in the case of safety. “I’m flying out for the last few days of Santa Anita,” Bravo told Ron Flatter of Horse Racing Nation. “I’ll be at Santa Anita the 18th, 19th and 20th to show everybody that this is the truth. It’s not just a rumor that I’m going to Del Mar. I’ll ride the final three days [at Santa Anita] and then come home and have my truck shipped with my stuff. Then I’ll go back out to Del Mar.” Bravo says he will be in Southern California for a year before deciding his next move. For the full story on the move, read Flatter’s story. Just click here. Even during a holiday week the California Horse Racing Board was able to get the stewards’ minutes read and posted. Only three of them, but they involve a couple of big names. — Jockey John Velazquez has dropped his appeal of a three-day suspension and will serve it on June 6, 11 and 12. Velazquez was riding Following Sea in the 11th race on March 6 where the stewards concluded that his horse crossed over four paths leaving the starting gate and making contact with the inside horse. At the time, Velazquez admitted he made a mistake and took full responsibility. Following Sea was disqualified from second to third. The original days of his suspension, before asking for an appeal, were March 14, 19 and 20. Even though the infraction was in California, other jurisdictions, such as New York where he rides, will honor the suspension. — Trainer Richard Mandella was fined $500 when Jolie Olimpica tested positive for methocarbamol, a muscle relaxant, after running in the seventh race on March 13. The horse finished third. Mandella said he and his staff could not determine why or how the overage occurred. — Exercise rider Jelani Grant was fined $500 for using his riding crop during morning workouts. The use of the crop is not allowed during training unless it is for safety reasons. The feature on Sunday was the $75,000 Desert Code Stakes for 3-year-olds going six furlongs on the turf. The favorite, Whatmakessammyrun, got into some tight quarters but got to the outside and won by a widening 3 ¾ lengths. Whatmakessammyrun paid $3.60, $2.40 and $2.10. Mohawk King was second, followed by Love My Jimmy, Touchdown Brown, Missy P. and Enough Nonsense. Mark Glatt (winning trainer): “He’s got an awesome turn of foot, he’s a racehorse. I don’t know what makes him run but I’m glad he runs. Especially like that. He doesn’t like to be on the inside of horses and at the rail. … I was hoping Flavien [Prat] would be able to negotiate a trip and he was. It looked like he was running into a little bit of trouble around the turn but he didn’t make much of it. As soon as he got in the clear he looked like an airplane almost, getting ready for lift-off. He’s an exciting horse. Horses that have that kind of turn of foot and finish like that, they are fun to watch.” Prat (winning jockey): “I guess it looked like [we ran into trouble] on TV, but no I was fine. It was a little tight, but it was fine. He was a lot more professional when I got him outside and asked him to make a run. He was really going forward, it was nice.” A look at graded stakes or races worth $100,000 on Sunday. Belmont (7): $150,000 Jersey Girl Stakes, fillies 3-years-old, 6 furlongs. Winner: Australasia ($10.60) Monmouth (10): $100,000 Lady Secret Stakes, fillies and mares 3 and up, 1 1/16 miles. Winner: Altaf ($3.60) A final thought I love getting new readers of this newsletter, and you certainly can’t beat the price. If you like it, tell someone. If you don’t like it, you’re probably not reading this.Either way, send this along to a friend, and just have them click here to sign up. Remember, it’s free, and all we need is your email address, nothing more.Any thoughts, you can reach me at john.cherwa@latimes.com. You can also feed my ego by following me on Twitter @jcherwa. Now, the star of the show, Sunday’s results. See you on Friday. Santa Anita Charts Results for Sunday, June 6. Copyright 2021 by Equibase Company. Reproduction prohibited. Santa Anita, Santa Anita Park, Arcadia, California. 73rd day of a 81-day meet. Clear & Firm FIRST RACE. 6 Furlongs Turf. Purse: $63,000. Allowance Optional Claiming. 3 year olds and up. Claiming Price $40,000. Time 22.28 45.19 57.08 1:08.72 Winner–Unbridled Ethos Grr.g.6 by Mizzen Mast out of Seoul Unbridled, by Unbridled's Song. Bred by Donald Valpredo (CA). Trainer: Jeff Mullins. Owner: Donald J. Valpredo. Mutuel Pool $213,343 Exacta Pool $102,781 Superfecta Pool $32,567 Trifecta Pool $56,591. Scratched–I Will Not. UNBRIDLED ETHOS broke out, settled off the rail, went three wide around the turn, angled four wide into the stretch, rallied from outside, fought with GOLIAD inside the sixteenth pole, drifted in late and got up. GOLIAD stalked off the rail, went two to three wide around the turn, drew alongside at the eighth pole, put a head in front with a sixteenth remaining, drifted in late and was bested by the winner. BENCH JUDGE pressed the pace from outside, dueled around the turn and into the stretch, drifted in upper and continued to try to get in while battling with ONE FLEW SOUTH, then faltered in the final sixteenth. ONE FLEW SOUTH set the pace off the rail while under pressure from outside, steered to the inside, dueled past the five-sixteenths and into the stretch, held a narrow lead over BENCH JUDGE with a furlong remaining and yielded late. WRECKING CREW off a bit slow to begin, stalked on the inside to the stretch, moved off the rail and kept on through the final furlong. EVENING SUN (GB) was off a bit slow to begin, lacked room between rivals and off heels from the seven-sixteenths to the three-eighths, traveled two wide into the drive and never threatened. SECOND RACE. 1 Mile. Purse: $22,000. Claiming. Fillies and Mares. 4 year olds and up. Claiming Price $10,000. Time 24.44 49.05 1:14.17 1:27.26 1:40.57 Winner–You Wanna Ear Rip Dbb.m.5 by Richard's Kid out of To the Batcave, by Gotham City. Bred by Andreas Psarras (CA). Trainer: Sergio Morfin. Owner: Morfin, Efren and Morfin, Jaime. Mutuel Pool $108,916 Daily Double Pool $31,334 Exacta Pool $52,060 Trifecta Pool $39,952. Claimed–You Wanna Ear Rip by Saldana, Reed and Urbina, Leopoldo. Trainer: Reed Saldana. Claimed–Gotta Be Lucky by 5th Street Stables. Trainer: Reed Saldana. Scratched–none. YOU WANNA EAR RIP was put in tight between the top pair and checked entering the first turn, stalked outside a rival, bid three wide at the five-sixteenths, quickly took control, dueled with the runner-up through the stretch and prevailed. KIRSCH TRUFFLE pressed three wide around the first turn, took the lead at the three-eighths, lost command past the five-sixteenths pole, fought back from inside to regain the lead at the eighth pole, battled in the final furlong and just missed. MONGOLIAN WINDOW stalked the pace from inside, came off the rail on the far turn and exited three wide, then churned on willingly for the show honors. GOTTA BE LUCKY set the pace under pressure, lost command at the three-eighths, chased two wide into the lane and weakened. MISS YOU MOM stumbled badly at the start, raced on the inside then three to four wide on the far turn and was always outrun. THIRD RACE. 1 1/8 Mile Turf. Purse: $36,000. Starter Optional Claiming. Fillies. 3 year olds. Claiming Price $50,000. Time 24.26 49.37 1:13.90 1:38.32 1:50.24 Winner–Big Mama Sue Dbb.f.3 by Mr. Big out of Patsy G and Me, by Unusual Heat. Bred by George Krikorian (CA). Trainer: Paul G. Aguirre. Owner: Metanoia Racing, Gitipityapon, Andy, Homeidan, Abe Malek and Shagoyan, Vladimir. Mutuel Pool $206,995 Daily Double Pool $15,731 Exacta Pool $88,856 Trifecta Pool $57,450. Scratched–none. 50-Cent Pick Three (7-3-5) paid $52.15. Pick Three Pool $50,583. BIG MAMA SUE tracked outside a rival, rallied outside the top pair inside the eighth pole, took over with a sixteenth remaining and edged clear. ST HELENA stalked outside a rival, bid outside at the five-sixteenths, struck the front near the quarter pole, maintained a short lead to mid-stretch, lost command at the sixteenth pole and held the place. FRAZZLED controlled the pace from inside, lost command at the quarter pole, fought back through the lane and proved a game third. FOR THE GOOD TIMES was off a bit slow to begin, pulled early first time through the stretch and into the clubhouse turn, settled into a stalking position on the inside, lacked room behind the top pair in upper stretch, steered out mid-stretch and finished willingly. BASIL FLAVOR was unhurried in the early going, saved ground through both turns, angled out with a furlong remaining and failed to menace. FOURTH RACE. 6 Furlongs. Purse: $35,000. Maiden Claiming. Fillies and Mares. 3 year olds and up. Claiming Prices $50,000-$45,000. Time 22.48 45.74 58.05 1:11.27 Winner–V Bucks B.f.3 by California Chrome out of American Farrah, by Pioneerof the Nile. Bred by Rockingham Ranch & Peter Miller (CA). Trainer: Peter Miller. Owner: Altamira Racing Stable. Mutuel Pool $398,049 Daily Double Pool $16,559 Exacta Pool $138,400 Trifecta Pool $133,519. Scratched–Worldly Sermon. 50-Cent Pick Three (3-5-4) paid $73.25. Pick Three Pool $18,012. V BUCKS stalked off the rail, bid outside at the five-sixteenths, took over past the quarter pole, drifted four wide into the lane, cleared in upper stretch and was going away. SUPERSONIC FLYER sped to the front, pressured early then moved clear, challenged again midway through the turn, lost command past the quarter pole and was no match for the winner while clearly second best. BOSSY SOUL checked off the heels of HOT AND A MESS early while on the inside, chased two wide into the turn, four wide into the lane and went evenly through the final furlong. HOT AND A MESS showed brief speed inside SUPERSONIC FLYER early, chased that rival leaving the backstretch, saved ground through the turn and faded. ICONIC STORM broke out, chased three wide around the turn and was always outrun. FIFTH RACE. 1 Mile Turf. Purse: $35,000. Maiden Claiming. Fillies and Mares. 3 year olds and up. Claiming Prices $50,000-$45,000. Time 23.08 47.24 1:12.43 1:24.75 1:36.50 Winner–Cinnte Winnte (IRE) B.f.4 by Born To Sea (IRE) out of History Note (IRE), by Azamour (IRE). Bred by CDA Bloodstock (IRE). Trainer: Patrick Gallagher. Owner: Michael S. Day. Mutuel Pool $335,375 Daily Double Pool $38,150 Exacta Pool $170,993 Superfecta Pool $98,960 Super High Five Pool $15,141 Trifecta Pool $136,330. Scratched–none. 50-Cent Pick Three (5-4-1) paid $89.45. Pick Three Pool $46,400. 50-Cent Pick Four (3-5-4-1) 258 tickets with 4 correct paid $409.25. Pick Four Pool $138,339. 50-Cent Pick Five (7-3-5-4-1) 97 tickets with 5 correct paid $3,495.05. Pick Five Pool $394,187. CINNTE WINNTE (IRE) was off slow from inside, raced two wide into the far turn, angled out a path and advanced outside a pair of runners, came back to the two path leaving the bend, steered out in the stretch and surged clear. GOLDEN JOURNEY was closest in pursuit outside a rival, bid alongside into the lane, could not summon the needed late kick in the final sixteenth but outkicked MONGOLIAN MISSION for the place. MONGOLIAN MISSION set the pace to the far turn, coaxed around the bend, pressured entering the stretch, held a short lead into deep stretch and yielded late. BELLIZE stalked the leader near the rail, saved ground into the lane, angled out then back to the fence in the stretch but needed to find more late. I GIVE UP dropped back quickly soon after the start, angled to the rail around the first turn, came out on the second bend, entered the lane four wide and improved position. GLORY OF CHROME was off slow to begin, drifted out into the first turn, angled five to six wide into the stretch and never threatened. SWEET MEG raced in mid-pack outside a rival, navigated the far turn two wide and weakened. CLEVER INTRUSION went two wide around the first turn then moved inside on the backstretch, saved ground into the lane and tired. SIXTH RACE. 1 Mile. Purse: $63,000. Allowance Optional Claiming. Fillies and Mares. 3 year olds and up. Claiming Price $20,000. Time 23.57 47.61 1:12.69 1:25.70 1:39.09 Winner–Harper's Gallop Ch.m.5 by Suances (GB) out of Dypsy, by Broken Vow. Bred by Red Baron's Barn & Vaya Con Suerte (CA). Trainer: Leonard Powell. Owner: Red Baron's Barn LLC and Vaya Con Suerte, LLC. Mutuel Pool $347,914 Daily Double Pool $29,448 Exacta Pool $145,714 Trifecta Pool $114,195. Claimed–Tiz Wonderfully by Tim Bankers. Trainer: Manuel Ortiz, Sr. Scratched–none. 50-Cent Pick Three (4-1-2) paid $103.30. Pick Three Pool $66,703. HARPER'S GALLOP away quickly to take command near the inside, set all the pace and remained unchallenged into the lane, roused at the top of the stretch, asked left-handed then inched away under strong handling the final furlong. LITTLE MISS ELLIE chased outside a rival, took aim two to three wide into the stretch, could not threaten the winner in the final sixteenth and stayed on to secure the place. SMOOTHLIKEBUTTAH off alertly then settled at the back, angled four wide leaving the far turn, put in a mild late bid and was denied the place. ULTIMATE HY stalked off the rail, went three to four wide around the far turn and weakened. TIZ WONDERFULLY chased behind the leader from inside, lost some ground into the stretch and weakened. SEVENTH RACE. 6 Furlongs Turf. Purse: $75,000. 'Desert Code Stakes'. 3 year olds. Time 21.86 44.51 56.57 1:08.08 Winner–Whatmakessammyrun B.c.3 by We Miss Artie out of Reggae Rose, by Touch Gold. Bred by Kenneth L. Ramsey & Sarah K. Ramsey (KY). Trainer: Mark Glatt. Owner: Sterling Racing LLC. Mutuel Pool $398,937 Daily Double Pool $40,150 Exacta Pool $140,492 Superfecta Pool $58,183 Trifecta Pool $95,184. Scratched–none. 50-Cent Pick Three (1-2-1) paid $23.10. Pick Three Pool $66,894. WHATMAKESSAMMYRUN got bumped leaving the gate, settled early, went between runners leaving the backstretch, lacked room past the three-eighths pole, angled three wide into the stretch, drew alongside the leader with a furlong to go, then surged clear and won going away. MOHAWK KING (IRE) bobbled at the start, was up close in the two path, chased two wide to the stretch and bested the rest. LOVE MY JIMMY away quickly from outside, cleared and crossed over to the rail, set all the pace to the stretch, lost the lead in mid-stretch and was outfinished for the place honors. TOUCHDOWN BROWN broke in and bumped rival at the start, traveled along the inside then a bit off the rail into the stretch, moved out in the drive and improved position. MISSY P. saved ground stalking the pace, lacked room behind the leader from upper to mid-stretch, then tipped out and flattened late. ENOUGH NONSENSE chased off the rail, raced three deep on the turn, five wide into the stretch and weakened. EIGHTH RACE. 6 Furlongs. Purse: $36,000. Starter Optional Claiming. 3 year olds and up. Claiming Price $50,000. Time 21.96 45.33 57.85 1:10.81 Winner–Box of Chocolates Dbb.g.5 by Candy Ride (ARG) out of Lady Godiva, by Unbridled's Song. Bred by Peter E. Blum Thoroughbreds, LLC (KY). Trainer: John W. Sadler. Owner: Hronis Racing LLC. Mutuel Pool $248,185 Daily Double Pool $42,769 Exacta Pool $120,929 Superfecta Pool $60,475 Super High Five Pool $9,473 Trifecta Pool $99,760. Claimed–Rayray by Besecker, Joseph E. and Rothblum, Steve. Trainer: Doug O'Neill. Scratched–none. 50-Cent Pick Three (2-1-4) paid $47.35. Pick Three Pool $49,284. BOX OF CHOCOLATES settled off the pace, closed in two wide then eased out into the three path, moved out a bit further to be four wide in upper stretch, cleared near the eighth pole and held well. ALBIZU stumbled outward in front of the field then dropped back, went three wide into the turn, angled to the rail around the bend then angled back out into the lane, traveled five wide in upper stretch and finished willingly. FIRST PREZ chased outside a rival in the two path, coaxed around the turn and kept on for the show. HOLDEN THE LUTE chased the pacesetter along the inside next to a rival and failed to produce a bid. RAYRAY tracked off the inside, four wide into the turn, five wide exiting the bend, drifted inward in the stretch and had little left. WINHAPPY showed early speed from inside, rated past the nine-sixteenths, was overtaken in upper stretch and gave way. LUCK IS GOLDEN chased off the rail, three to four wide on the turn and faded. NINTH RACE. 1 Mile Turf. Purse: $63,000. Allowance Optional Claiming. Fillies and Mares. 3 year olds and up. Claiming Price $40,000. Time 23.21 46.88 1:11.09 1:23.18 1:35.17 Winner–Freedom Flyer B.f.3 by Constitution out of Rebuke, by Carson City. Bred by A. R. Enterprises, Inc. (KY). Trainer: Simon Callaghan. Owner: Branham, James D. and Naify, Marsha. Mutuel Pool $539,645 Daily Double Pool $92,780 Exacta Pool $272,447 Superfecta Pool $128,177 Super High Five Pool $25,983 Trifecta Pool $194,845. Scratched–none. 50-Cent Pick Three (1-4-3) paid $18.60. Pick Three Pool $203,604. 50-Cent Pick Four (2-1-4-3) 2122 tickets with 4 correct paid $198.60. Pick Four Pool $552,359. 50-Cent Pick Five (1-2-1-4-3) 1173 tickets with 5 correct paid $469.65. Pick Five Pool $721,458. 20-Cent Pick Six Jackpot (4-1-2-1-4-3) 555 tickets with 6 correct paid $4,649.36. Pick Six Jackpot Pool $2,838,921. FREEDOM FLYER stumbled and bumped at the start, stalked in the two path, tipped out in upper stretch, rallied and got up late. CASSIE BELLE forwardly placed in the early stages, drew alongside nearing the far turn, headed rival with a quarter mile to go, grabbed the lead near the eighth pole but could not fend off the winner. IVY LEAGUE bumped leaving the gate, settled outside a rival, steered four wide into the stretch, got bumped from inside at the top of the stretch, closed well and gained the show. FANTAIL (GB) set the pace inside then moved into the path on the first turn, showed the way under a hold from inside up the backstretch, pressured around the far turn, overtaken in upper stretch but fought back along the rail and finished gamely to the wire. DEL MAR DRAMA traveled in mid-pack in the two path, came three wide into the stretch, came out and bumped rival at the top of the stretch and could not rally. JAZZIQUE (IRE) tracked the pace on the inside, crept closer leaving the backstretch, cut the corner into the lane and failed to rally. HOLLYWOOD GIRL tucked inside on the first turn, saved ground to the lane and made no impact. BESTRELLA (IRE) stumbled leaving the gate, dropped to the last and was guided to the inside, moved off the rail on the backstretch, angled in for the second bend, came out into the stretch and never threatened.

Toi Cook draws the line from 'race-norming' to his denied concussion settlement claim

https://www.latimes.com/sports/story/2021-06-07/toi-cook-neurosurgeon-diagnosis-nfl-denies-claim-without-explanation

Same old, same old. That’s the feeling I had this past week when I heard about “race-norming,” which curves the cognitive test scores of NFL players who are Black, assuming they have a lower level of intellect. I wasn’t familiar with the specific term, but I wasn’t at all surprised. It’s kind of like when Dez Bryant made that catch against the Green Bay Packers in the playoffs, the one that was ruled a non-catch on the field. We all saw it. The whole world knew it was a catch. But it took the NFL a few years to come out and say, “Oh, yes, it was a catch after all.” Gee, thanks. It was another slap in the face. Allow me to introduce myself. My name is Toi Cook, and I spent 11 seasons as a defensive back in the league, my first seven with New Orleans and two each with San Francisco and Carolina. I grew up in Los Angeles, went to school at Montclair Prep in the San Fernando Valley and Stanford, and relied on my intellect to have as long a professional career as I had. You’ve got to be pretty smart to make it that long as an eighth-round draft pick. Obviously, you’ve also got to be the kind of athlete who can compete at a high level. If you just look at the way we practiced and played, where hitting was a way of life, you have to assume I might have lost some cognitive ability. While mine is still high, and I’m not as bad off as many former players, I still lost something. How much may not be determined until later, as it was with the tumultuous journeys of Junior Seau, Dave Duerson and John Mackey, men who truly gave their lives for the game. Still, the NFL rejected my claim for a portion of the concussion settlement, despite the diagnosis of an acclaimed neurosurgeon. They didn’t tell me why they rejected me. You’re just supposed to accept it. That’s typical of everything in our society. There’s no transparency. Things aren’t always as they seem. I learned that as a kid when I saw the magic of TV from a different perspective. My dad was a cameraman at Paramount and worked on shows like “Soul Train” and “Entertainment Tonight” and “What’s Happening!!” I grew up around Hollywood and went to school with Barry White’s daughters, Robert Conrad’s kids, the daughters of Tom Bosley and Peter Ueberroth. As a kid, I went on a date with Rosie Perez. I mention this because these experiences took something that is so mysterious to so many and demystified it for me. It wasn’t magic anymore. It was studios that were so cold the producers were running around in sweaters when it was 90 degrees outside. It was, “Oh, so that’s how this stuff happens.” Sports The NFL is pledging to halt the use of ‘race-norming’ in the $1-billion settlement of brain injury claims and to review claims by Black players for any potential race bias. June 2, 2021 When I got to college, the NFL was kind of demystified too. When I was a sophomore at Stanford, I got to work out in the summers with NFL players who would come around. Some of the 49ers like Ronnie Lott and Eric Wright, Joe Montana and Mike Wilson. Jim Plunkett would come back to Stanford, and so would Kenny Margerum. I’m out there covering pros who had been in the league for seven years. I’m all over them. That’s when Ronnie, Eric and Dana McLemore told me, “Toi, you can play in the league, no question.” Once I heard those words, that became my focus. But once I got to the NFL, I learned pretty quickly that I would be judged on more than my level of play. I was outspoken, and if I had a problem with something, I didn’t hold my tongue. I had conversations with the late Jim Finks, the former Saints general manager whom I still love, and with coach Jim Mora, whom I really love, and those conversations weren’t always pleasant. I should point out that Jim Mora by no means has ever done anything wrong to me. The only thing he did was help me play 11 years in the league. I wouldn’t have lasted that long without Jim Mora. That being said, I was kind of a problem player to him. After all, how many DBs have a call-in show after games? I had one in New Orleans. Those are usually reserved for quarterbacks, running backs, guys like that. But I had one. Like I said, I didn’t hold my tongue. One time, I was part of a group of New Orleans defensive backs holding out for better contracts. So the Saints signed a couple of players from the Canadian Football League and gave them, if I recall, $200,000 bonuses. They weren’t going to give that kind of money to us. I said at the time: “I didn’t know that the CFL was more valuable than the NFL. Maybe I should have gone from Stanford to the CFL first.” That didn’t go over well. Sports Race-norming assumed Black players started out with lower cognitive function, making it harder for them to qualify for league concussion case payouts. June 7, 2021 When I felt like we were mistreated, I said, “This isn’t slavery.” People didn’t forget that. They repeated it back to me a lot during my career. What I meant by that was, “Just because you have my rights as a player doesn’t mean you’re allowed to treat me this way.” God forbid someone say that. So now the NFL and lead attorney Christopher [Seeger] come out and promise they’re going to eliminate race-based norms, that they’re sorry for the pain this has caused Black former players and their families. The first thing that comes to mind for me is, somehow Christopher [Seeger] got paid and we didn’t. He didn’t play one down in the NFL, not one practice. He set up a system where he cut out a lot of us, and it’s a terrible system — except for the system for him. The question now is, how do you move forward? I believe the league should offer a different settlement to the players, call it an offer and a compromise. I think it should be $100,000 for each year that you played in the NFL. It’s a one-time offer and if you agree to that deal, you agree not to sue the NFL for any future dementia or whatever you might suffer. I would accept that deal ASAP, and I know a lot of people who would accept that deal. And the people who feel like they need more? I can’t fight that fight. Can the NFL afford it? Yes. The new TV deals will pay more than $300 million per team per year. The league was built on the shoulders of the players who came before this generation. You don’t practice the way we practiced, you can’t line up the same way, you don’t have the same formations in place. Because the NFL protects its players now in a way that it didn’t before. Why does the NFL not practice the way we did anymore? Why did the league legislate out certain hits and officiate plays differently than when I played? In my opinion, that’s a total admission of fault. Why else would the league change the rules on physicality in practice and games? As proof of the old days, we have those videos like “Crunch Course” that glorify those hits that are now outlawed. So if you’re now asking us to take another cognitive test, and then just give us some lame excuse about why we don’t qualify ... that’s just not right. We took a beating. Pay us for it.

After 10 years of early mornings, NBC's Savannah Guthrie still lives for 'Today'

https://www.latimes.com/entertainment-arts/business/story/2021-06-07/savannah-guthrie-today-nbc-morning-tv-news

When faced with a challenge, “Today” co-anchor Savannah Guthrie will often take a moment to say a prayer. It can happen in a makeup chair before she takes her seat at NBC’s Rockefeller Center studio, during a ride to the airport or just before she heads into an interview with a major newsmaker. Once, she prayed with co-anchor Hoda Kotb before they went on the air to tell viewers that their longtime colleague Matt Lauer had been fired. Based on the turbulent decade she’s spent on NBC’s morning franchise, even a non-believer would understand why Guthrie, 49, seeks support from a higher power. Over her 10 years at “Today,” Guthrie has mastered the balancing act of delivering serious breaking stories and smiling through the softer entertainment segments that are part of morning TV, the profit engine of network news divisions. But the attorney-turned-journalist also had to navigate several crises at the network and will have to lead the program into a future where a generation of viewers doesn’t have the same morning TV habit as their parents. In a recent Zoom call from her dressing room, Guthrie said she was grateful for having made it this far after being thrust into the spotlight to replace Ann Curry in 2012, a year after joining the program as a cohost for its 9 a.m. hour. Curry’s unceremonious departure angered some “Today” fans who believed she was treated poorly by Lauer. “I didn’t think I’d last six months or a year, let alone 10 years,” Guthrie said. “I really didn’t. I thought I’m some transitional person and I’m going to be the first casualty.” Steve Capus, the former NBC News president who chose Guthrie for the job, said he was confident that would not be the case. “By 2012, Savannah had thrived in high-pressure, difficult circumstances,” Capus said. “The ‘Today’ show needed a steady presence to put the turmoil of that time behind us.” Five years later, Guthrie had to walk through the fire again. In November 2017, she told viewers that Lauer — the longest-tenured host in the show’s long history — was banished over sexual harassment allegations. Alongside new co-anchor Hoda Kotb, she held the fractured TV family together. Company Town Kornacki becomes a multi-hyphenate with roles at NBC Sports and a prime-time game show in addition to MSNBC. May 13, 2021 “It was really heartbreaking because I adored Matt,” Guthrie said. “I loved working with him. But I knew the most important thing I could do was just stay focused and keep going. And having Hoda here — well, I think Hoda saved the show, full stop.” Kotb became a star on “Today” as Kathie Lee Gifford’s partner on the program’s more freewheeling fourth hour. She was happy to learn that the often serious Guthrie, a magna cum laude Georgetown Law graduate known for reading legal journals for fun, had a sharp sense of humor. “It can be quite terrifying when she says something out of the side of her mouth right before we go on,” Kotb said. Instead of seeing ratings collapse after Lauer’s departure, the program’s first all-female hosting team held the audience. The historic pairing also helped mitigate a rash of stories about sexual harassment allegations within the network’s news division. Guthrie was sent into another minefield last fall during the 2020 presidential campaign when the network asked her to moderate an NBC News town hall with Donald Trump. The network was seen as caving to the former president, who refused to participate in the second scheduled debate against Joe Biden that would be held virtually. It appeared to be a thankless task, as NBC brass was blasted by political pundits and social media for putting the telecast up directly against ABC’s previously announced event with Democratic nominee Biden. Some of the network’s stars signed a letter protesting the move. But Guthrie, a former White House correspondent, delivered a skillful grilling of Trump that made viewers and most critics forget about the mess her bosses created. Her suggestion to Trump that he was tweeting “like someone’s crazy uncle” is destined to be a part of campaign highlight reels in the years to come. Libby Leist, the NBC News senior vice president who oversees “Today,” said the interview was a success because of Guthrie’s tireless work ethic, which she has seen in action since they started working together in 2008 at the network’s Washington bureau. “She approaches every assignment she gets the same way,” Leist said. “She’s going to think through every interview top to bottom and think through every question three or four different ways.” Perseverance has served Guthrie well in the last decade. Viewers will see more of her in the coming months as she will be a guest host of “Jeopardy!” for two weeks starting June 14. She also will handle NBC’s coverage of the opening ceremony of the Summer Olympics in Tokyo on July 23 if they are not canceled due to COVID-19. But keeping “Today” competitive won’t get any easier in the years ahead. Morning shows had long been the most durable broadcast TV formats, holding up relatively well against competition from cable and time-shifting DVRs. The emergence of online streaming is pulling viewers away from traditional TV, which is cutting into the morning-show audience. Company Town CNN also is stepping up efforts to offer a direct-to-consumer streaming service to combat cable subscriber losses. May 25, 2021 “Today” finished the 2020-21 season with an average of 3.3 million viewers, down 14% from the previous year, according to Nielsen data. It trailed ABC’s first-place “Good Morning America” (3.9 million viewers, which was down 13%) and led “CBS This Morning” (2.8 million, down 8%). But “Today” has held onto its lead among viewers ages 25 to 54, the demographic advertisers want when they buy commercial time on news shows. “I think what the network thinks about more than anything is ‘where are the viewers going and how can we catch them?’” Guthrie said. The response so far is to offer Guthrie and the rest of the “Today” team — Kotb, Craig Melvin, Al Roker, Dylan Dreyer, Jenna Bush Hager, Sheinelle Jones and Carson Daly —across new digital platforms. NBC launched Today All Day, a streaming channel that delivers “Today” segments on YouTube, Roku, Peacock and other services. The program also has its own audio channel on SiriusXM. “Our goal is to meet the viewer where they are wanting the content,” Leist said. “That will require more of our anchors’ time.” Starting this week, Guthrie and Kotb will anchor a half-hour highlight program called “Today In 30,” which will feature the best moments from that day’s broadcast. The summary will be shown three times each day on Today All Day and the program’s other streaming platforms. Guthrie understands the added duties are needed to expand the show’s reach, especially among younger viewers (“It’s all quite manageable,” she said). But she believes job one is to serve the audience that watches the program live each morning to find out what happened overnight and learn the agenda for the day ahead. “I can’t get up every day having an existential crisis about broadcast news,” Guthrie said. “We still have a show to put on. We still put on, I believe, an excellent show.” After doing “Today” for several months from her homes in Manhattan and upstate New York and the socially distanced “Today” studio, Guthrie has started hitting the road again. Last month, she conducted three newsmaking interviews in three cities over 36 hours: Brian Houston, founder of the scandal-plagued Hillsong Church; Rep. Liz Cheney of Wyoming, after she was ousted from her Republican leadership role in Congress; and Ellen DeGeneres, following her decision to end her daytime talk show amid allegations that she ignored a toxic work environment. Guthrie, who has spoken more openly about her Christian faith in recent years, said the whirlwind day and a half is where prayer can come in handy. “The number-one thing I always pray for is to make sure that I come to an interview with sincerity and good faith, having done my homework,” she said. “I think that’s the best I can give to that person who agreed to be interviewed and may be in a difficult time.” When difficult times hit “Today,” Guthrie has her own in-house crisis communications expert: her husband Michael Feldman, managing director of the Glover Park Group and a former senior advisor to former Vice President Al Gore. (They have two children, Vale, 6 and Charley, 4.) “I am a client, but I don’t have to pay,” Guthrie said. “He’s an amazing partner. I couldn’t have gotten through any of this without him. When I came to the ‘Today’ show, I turned that Google alert off. But Mike has it on because he’s always watching, making sure in case there’s anything we’ve got to worry about.” While hard-news interviews are Guthrie’s strong suit, she never watches them afterward, even the Trump town hall. But she will occasionally review her Halloween performance on the program in which she re-created a scene from the musical movie “Grease.” “That was probably one of my favorite moments on the show,” Guthrie said. “Because there’s no young lady coming of age in the late ‘70s and early ‘80s that didn’t want to be Sandy from ‘Grease’ in those black pants, doing that dance.”

López Obrador on track to retain control of Mexico's Congress, but with reduced majority

https://www.latimes.com/world-nation/story/2021-06-07/mexico-lopez-obrador-appears-hold-key-majority-elections

President Andrés Manuel López Obrador’s party and its allies on Monday appeared poised to maintain their majority in the lower chamber of Mexico’s Congress, but fell short of a two-thirds majority as some voters boosted the struggling opposition, according to initial results. López Obrador’s Morena party will have to rely on congressional votes from its allies in the Workers Party and Green Party, but together they were expected to capture between 265 and 292 seats in the 500-seat lower chamber. Morena alone was expected to win 190 to 203 seats, according to preliminary vote counts. That would signal a significant decline for the president’s party. In the current Congress, Morena has a simple majority in the lower chamber, holding 253 seats on its own. The projected result would also deprive López Obrador of a qualified majority of two-thirds required to approve constitutional reforms. López Obrador appeared to acknowledge that new reality Monday. He praised the election as “free, clean,” and said Mexicans had shown a degree of political maturity “never seen.” “You voted for two different and opposed plans, above all in the federal election,” he said. “Those of the transformation plan are going to have the majority in the Chamber of Deputies, and this means guaranteeing the sufficient budget for the most in need.” World & Nation More than 100 members of Mexico’s LGBTQ community are participating as candidates in Sunday’s midterm election that will fill the 500 seats of the lower chamber of Congress, as well as state and local posts across the country. June 2, 2021 The results give the president sufficient budgetary control to continue his train and refinery-building plans and cash handout programs. But they may deny him congressional backing to escalate his ongoing spats with the courts and regulatory agencies, which have blocked some of his tougher proposals to empower state-owned industries and boost fossil fuels. Opponents have said López Obrador is trying to dismantle checks and balances created during Mexico’s decades-long transition to full democracy. “The voters have given a mandate that says ‘I am not writing a blank check for any of the movements in Mexico,’” said Luis Miguel Pérez Juárez, a political science expert at the Monterrey Technological university. The opposition alliance made up of the Institutional Revolutionary Party, National Action Party and Party of the Democratic Revolution was estimated to win 181 to 213 seats. Those would be gains for those parties, which have often appeared rudderless in the face of López Obrador’s popularity and which still face the challenge of coming up with a platform based on something other than just opposition to the president. Although the president’s name did not appear on the ballot, the midterm elections were seen by many as a referendum on his administration and his ability to continue what he calls the “Fourth Transformation” of Mexico. Turnout was high for a midterm poll, edging above 51% of eligible voters. López Obrador’s party did better than expected in state governors’ races, and appeared headed for wins in at least 10 of the 15 states up for grabs. One of those wins was for the daughter of a Morena candidate who was accused of rape; she replaced her father on the ballot after he was eliminated for failing to report campaign spending. “It’s an enormous achievement on the part of the president and his party’s coalition to have ratified their absolute majority, and to have won the election in spite of the Mexican economy going down as it has over the last three years … and the pandemic,” said Carlos Heredia of Mexico’s Center for Economic Research and Training. World & Nation The economy is cratering, COVID-19 deaths are escalating, and crime is rampant. But Mexican President Andrés Manuel López Obrador remains popular. Oct. 9, 2020 At the same time, the votes mean López Obrador will have to listen more to the opposition, which he has traditionally dismissed as conservatives defending the vested interests and corruption of the past. But the president’s party was battered in Mexico City, long considered his stronghold and where he once served as mayor. The capital suffered more than many other areas during the pandemic. While voting was disrupted at only a handful of polling places Sunday, violence marked the campaign and the days leading up to the vote. On Saturday, an employee of the state prosecutor’s office in Chiapas who was not authorized to be quoted said five people who were carrying voting material to polling places were ambushed and killed on a rural highway. And on Sunday, prosecutors said an additional four people were shot to death in another remote Chiapas mountain town in what appeared to be a politically motivated attack. World & Nation Mexico’s government is acknowledging that the country’s true death toll from the COVID-19 pandemic now stands above 321,000. March 28, 2021 Nationwide, three dozen candidates were killed during the campaigns; almost all of the victims were running for one of the 20,000 local posts including mayors and town councils up for grabs in 30 states. In Guanajuato state, Mexico’s most violent, a woman who stepped in as mayoral candidate after her mother was slain won an overwhelming victory in the town of Moroleón. López Obrador praised the largely peaceful voting on election day, and even sent a message of recognition to the drug cartels that fuel much of the country’s violence. “People who belong to organized crime behaved very well, in general; there were few acts of violence by these groups,” the president said. “I think the white-collar criminals acted worse.” Start your day right Sign up for Essential California for the L.A. Times biggest news, features and recommendations in your inbox six days a week. You may occasionally receive promotional content from the Los Angeles Times. López Obrador has raised minimum wages and strengthened government aid programs such as supplementary payments to older people, students and training programs for youths. He has also created a quasi-military national guard and given the army a huge role in building his pet projects, which include trains, an oil refinery and airports. But he has not hewed to a traditional leftist line, and has championed austerity in government spending. He has maintained friendly if sometimes tension-fraught relations with the United States and willingly helped keep tens of thousands of Central American migrants from reaching the U.S. border, an issue that will be the focus of a visit Tuesday by Vice President Kamala Harris. Politics The U.S. plans to send millions of doses of the AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine to Mexico and Canada. Those countries, but not the U.S., have authorized that vaccine. March 18, 2021 Opponents depict him as intolerant of criticism and obsessed with a nostalgic 1960s vision of Mexico, when oil was king and state-owned companies dominated many sectors of the economy. Socially conservative and a professed Christian “in the broadest sense,” he has angered feminists with his policies, but has pleased many Mexicans by living austerely. The elections represent the first mass public event since the COVID-19 pandemic hit the country more than a year ago, though case numbers have fallen and Mexico has vaccinated about a quarter of adults. The estimated death toll — 350,000, about two-thirds of them test-confirmed — does not appear to have played a major role in the campaigns, but weighed on voters’ minds.