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Kenosha shooter can't associate with white supremacists, judge says

https://www.latimes.com/world-nation/story/2021-01-23/judge-kenosha-shooter-cant-associate-with-supremacists

An 18-year-old Illinois man charged with fatally shooting two people during a protest in southeastern Wisconsin last year is prohibited from associating with known white supremacists under a judge’s recently modified bail conditions. Kyle Rittenhouse was 17 during the Aug. 25 demonstration in Kenosha, Wis., as hundreds protested the police shooting of Jacob Blake, a Black man. Rittenhouse has been charged with multiple counts, including reckless and intentional homicide, endangerment and being a minor in possession of a firearm. Prosecutors allege Rittenhouse, who is white, left his home in Antioch, Ill., and traveled to Kenosha to answer a call for militia members to protect businesses. Kenosha was in the throes of several nights of chaotic street demonstrations after a white officer shot Blake several times in the back during a domestic disturbance, leaving Blake paralyzed. Rittenhouse opened fire with an assault-style rifle during the protest, killing Joseph Rosenbaum and Anthony Huber and wounding Gaige Grosskreutz, authorities said. Rittenhouse has pleaded not guilty to all counts and argued that he fired in self-defense. Many conservatives have rallied around him, generating enough money to make his $2-million cash bail. According to online court records, a Wisconsin judge modified Rittenhouse’s conditions of release Friday to note that Rittenhouse “shall not knowingly have conduct with any person or group of persons known to harm, threaten, harass or menace others on the basis of their race, beliefs on the subject of religion, color, national origin, or gender.” He is also barred from possessing and consuming alcohol and from having firearms. World & Nation Wisconsin prosecutors decline to file criminal charges against the white police officer who shot Jacob Blake, a Black man, in the back last summer. Jan. 5, 2021 Prosecutors had requested the modifications after Rittenhouse was seen drinking at a bar in the southeastern Wisconsin city of Mount Pleasant, about 25 miles south of Milwaukee, earlier this month. The legal drinking age is 21, but in Wisconsin, Rittenhouse could legally drink alcohol because he was with his mother. According to WMTV, prosecutors wrote in their request that Rittenhouse also posed for a photo outside Pudgy’s Pub with two men as they made the “OK” sign with their hands, a symbol used by white supremacists. Prosecutors also alleged five men at the tavern serenaded Rittenhouse with a song that has become the anthem of the Proud Boys, a violent neo-fascist group.

'Barney Miller,' 'Sanford and Son' actor Gregory Sierra dies at 83

https://www.latimes.com/world-nation/story/2021-01-23/barney-miller-sanford-and-son-actor-gregory-sierra-dies

Gregory Sierra, who had memorable roles in the 1970s sitcoms “Barney Miller” and “Sanford and Son,” has died after battling cancer. He was 83. Sierra’s widow, Helene, said Saturday in a phone interview with the Associated Press that the actor died on Jan. 4 in Laguna Woods. Sierra’s breakthrough came in 1972 when he played the role of Fred G. Sanford’s neighbor, Julio Fuentes, on “Sanford and Son.” He also earned major attention for playing Sgt. Miguel “Chano” Amanguale on “Barney Miller,” which launched in 1975. “He was an amazing human being, different than any other person, male or female, that I have ever known,” Helene told the Associated Press. “He just was extremely intelligent and a brilliant actor. He had a heart [of gold]. Anytime that somebody needed something, he would be there for them and he defended the underdog anytime. And he was a very charming man. He was truly a man’s man and women fell in love with him all the time.” Sierra, who was of Puerto Rican descent, was born on Jan. 25, 1937 in New York City. His other TV credits include “All in the Family,” “Soap,” “Miami Vice,” “Zorro and Son,” “Hawaii Five-O,” “Hill Street Blues” and more. He also appeared in films such as “Beneath the Planet of the Apes,” “Papillon,” “The Towering Inferno,” “Honey I Blew Up the Kid” and “The Other Side of the Wind,” which was released in 2018 after more than 40 years in development. In addition to Helene, Sierra is survived by daughters Kelly and Jill and granddaughter Emma.

In his first days in office, Biden highlights action as deep problems loom

https://www.latimes.com/world-nation/story/2021-01-23/in-first-days-biden-flashes-action-as-deep-problems-loom

Inside the White House, President Biden presided over a focused launch of his administration, using his first days in office to break sharply with his predecessor while signing executive orders in a showy display of action to address the historic challenges he inherited. But outside the gates at 1600 Pennsylvania Ave., there are signs everywhere that those crises are deep and intractable. The COVID-19 pandemic surges, the economy teeters and Republicans in Congress have signaled objections to many of the Democratic president’s plans. Biden is looking to jump-start his first 100 days in office with action and symbolism to reassure a divided and weary public that help is in the offing. He also knows that what a president can do on his own is limited, so he is calling for Congress to act while he is being candid with Americans that more dark days are ahead. “The crisis is not getting better. It’s deepening,” Biden said Friday about the impact of the pandemic. “A lot of America is hurting. The virus is surging. Families are going hungry. People are at risk of being evicted again. Job losses are mounting. We need to act.” “The bottom line is this: We’re in a national emergency. We need to act like we’re in a national emergency,” he said. California People eager to get the COVID-19 vaccine ahead of schedule have flocked to some L.A. clinics, spending hours in an unofficial standby line for doses left over at the end of the day. Jan. 23, 2021 Biden’s first moments as president were meant to steady American democracy itself. He took the oath of office just before noon Wednesday in front of a Capitol that still bore scars from an insurrection exactly two weeks earlier that was aimed at stopping his ascension to power. That violence underscored the fragile nature of the peaceful transfer of power and led to the historic second impeachment of President Trump. Biden resisted calls to move the inauguration to a more secure indoor setting. He was intent on preserving many of the usual inauguration trappings as a signal that normality could be achieved even though there were signs everywhere that things were far from normal: a military presence that resembled a war zone, guests on the dais wearing masks, a National Mall filled with 200,000 American flags to honor the nation’s COVID-19 victims — standing in place of the American people who were asked to stay away from the inauguration due to the pandemic. Biden was plainspoken and direct about the confluence of crises the nation faces. More than 417,000 Americans have lost their lives to the pandemic, millions are out of work, and the aftershocks of a summer reckoning with racial justice are still felt. “You can hear this collective sigh of relief that Trump is gone, but we have no time for a sigh of relief because of the cascading crises,” said Eddie S. Glaude Jr., chair of the Department of African American Studies at Princeton University. “We don’t want to assume that the election of Biden solves everything. The scale of the problems is immense and the question for us is, do we respond at scale?” The changes within the White House have been swift. After Trump’s departure, his remaining staff cleared out and a deep clean began. The White House had been the site of multiple COVID-19 outbreaks and, in a physical manifestation of a new approach to the virus, plastic shields were placed on desks and scores of new staff members were told to work from home. New pictures were hung on the West Wing walls, and the Oval Office received a fast makeover. Gone were a painting of Andrew Jackson and the button Trump used to order Diet Coke; in came images of Robert F. Kennedy and Cesar Chavez. But the most important symbol — the clearest break from the previous administration — came from the new president himself. When Biden sat down at the Resolute Desk to sign his first batch of executive orders on Wednesday, he was wearing a mask. Trump had resisted wearing one, putting one on only occasionally and turning the precaution against coronavirus transmission into another polarizing political issue. Biden urged all Americans to wear masks for the next 100 days and used his platform to model the same behavior, one of several ways he has tried to change the tone of the presidency in his first few days. Daily media briefings returned, absent the accusations of “fake news” that marked the sporadic briefings in the Trump era. Biden held a virtual swearing-in for hundreds of White House staffers, telling them to treat one another with respect or they would be dismissed — a marked change from the contentious, rivalry-driven Trump West Wing. The president’s calls to the leaders of Canada and Mexico were made without drama. The executive actions Biden signed during the week were a mix of concrete and symbolic actions meant to undo the heart of Trump’s legacy. Biden halted construction of Trump’s wall at the U.S.-Mexico border, rejoined the World Health Organization and the Paris climate accord, and bolstered the means for production for vaccines. But the might of the executive actions pales in comparison to the $1.9-trillion COVID-19 relief package he requested from Congress. Biden has not ruled out asking Senate Majority Leader Charles E. Schumer (D-N.Y.) to push it through using tactics that would require only Democratic support. But the president, who spent decades in the Senate, is hoping to persuade Republicans to support the measure. “Leaning on executive action makes sense at the start. You can get things going and show momentum right away without waiting for Congress,” said Robert Gibbs, who was President Obama‘s first press secretary. “But this is going take a while. Like it was for us in 2009, change doesn’t come overnight.” “Everything he inherited is likely to get worse before we see improvement,” Gibbs said. “One thing you learn on Jan. 20 is that you suddenly own all of it.” Just two Cabinet nominees were confirmed by week’s end, to the frustration of the White House. But with the announcement Friday night that Trump’s impeachment trial will not begin until the week of Feb. 8, Biden aides were optimistic that the Senate would confirm more before then. The trial looms as a distraction for the administration. But while Trump will shadow the White House, Biden aides have noted that without his Twitter account, the former president commands far less attention. They have expressed confidence that the Senate can balance the impeachment proceedings with Cabinet confirmations and consideration of the COVID-19 relief bill. Biden has made clear that steering the nation through the pandemic will be his signature task, and some Republicans believe Trump’s implosion could create an opening to work across the aisle on a deal. “There is a very narrow permission structure for congressional Republicans who want to move past the Trump era and want to establish their own political identities,” said Kevin Madden, a Republican strategist who was a senior advisor on Mitt Romney’s 2012 presidential campaign. Romney is now a Utah senator. “There is an old saying: ‘Make the main thing the main thing.’ And the Biden White House knows that’s the main thing,” Madden said. “If they can improve the pandemic response in the next 100 days, then they can move on to other priorities. “They’ll have the capital for legislative fights,” he said. “But they need to get it right.” Lemire writes for the Associated Press.

U.K. doctors raise concerns over 12-week gap between vaccine doses

https://www.latimes.com/world-nation/story/2021-01-23/uk-doctors-seek-review-of-12-week-gap-between-vaccine-doses

A major British doctors group says the U.K. government should “urgently review” its decision to give people a second dose of the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine up to 12 weeks after the first, rather than the shorter gap recommended by the manufacturer and the World Health Organization. The U.K., which has Europe’s deadliest coronavirus outbreak, adopted the policy in order to give as many people as possible a first dose of vaccine quickly. So far almost 5.9 million people in Britain have received a shot of either a vaccine made by U.S. drugmaker Pfizer and Germany’s BioNTech or one developed by U.K.-Swedish pharmaceutical giant AstraZeneca and Oxford University. AstraZeneca has said it believes a first dose of its vaccine offers protection after 12 weeks, but Pfizer says it has not tested the efficacy of its vaccine after such a long gap. Television Appreciation: It was Larry King’s gift and job to be curious. It made him a memorable interviewer — and a larger-than-life figure in his own right. Jan. 23, 2021 The British Medical Assn. on Saturday urged England’s chief medical officer to “urgently review the U.K.’s current position of second doses after 12 weeks.” In a statement, the association said there was “growing concern from the medical profession regarding the delay of the second dose of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine as Britain’s strategy has become increasingly isolated from many other countries.” “No other nation has adopted the U.K.‘s approach,” Dr. Chaand Nagpaul, chairman of the BMA council, told the BBC. He said the WHO had recommended that the second Pfizer vaccine shot could be given up to six weeks after the first but only “in exceptional circumstances.” “I do understand the tradeoff and the rationale, but if that was the right thing to do, then we would see other nations following suit,” Nagpaul said. Yvonne Doyle, medical director of Public Health England, defended the decision as “a reasonable scientific balance on the basis of both supply and also protecting the most people.” Researchers in Britain have begun collecting blood samples from newly vaccinated people in order to study how many antibodies they are producing at different intervals, from three weeks to 24 months, to get an answer to the question of what timing is best for the shots. The doctors’ concerns came a day after government medical advisors said there was evidence that a new variant of the virus first identified in southeast England carries a greater risk of death than the original strain. Britain’s chief scientific advisor Patrick Vallance said Friday “that there is evidence that there is an increased risk for those who have the new variant,” which is more transmissible than the original virus. He said the new strain might be about 30% more deadly, but emphasized that “the evidence is not yet strong” and more research is needed. Research by British scientists advising the government said that although initial analyses suggested that the strain did not cause more severe disease, several more recent ones suggest it might. However, the number of deaths is relatively small, and fatality rates are affected by many things, including the care that patients get and their age and health, beyond having COVID-19. Britain has recorded 97,329 deaths among people who tested positive, the highest confirmed virus toll in Europe and the fifth-highest in the world. The U.K. is in a lockdown to try to slow the latest surge of the virus, and the government says an end to the restrictions will not come soon. Pubs, restaurants, gyms, entertainment venues and many shops are closed, and people are required to largely stay at home. The British government is considering tightening quarantine requirements for people arriving from abroad. Already travelers must self-isolate for 10 days, but enforcement is patchy. Authorities are considering requiring arrivals to stay in quarantine hotels, a practice adopted in other countries including Australia. “We may need to go further to protect our borders,” Prime Minister Boris Johnson said Friday.

Trump shuns 'ex-presidents club' — and the feeling is mutual

https://www.latimes.com/world-nation/story/2021-01-23/trump-shuns-ex-presidents-club-and-the-feeling-is-mutual

It’s a club Donald Trump was never really interested in joining and certainly not so soon: the cadre of former commanders in chief who revere the presidency enough to put aside often bitter political differences and even join together in common cause. Members of the ex-presidents club pose together for pictures. They smile and pat one another on the back while milling around at historic events, or sit somberly side by side at VIP funerals. They take on special projects together. They rarely criticize one another and tend to offer even fewer harsh words about their White House successors. Like so many other presidential traditions, however, this is one Trump seems likely to flout. Now that he’s left office, it’s hard to see him embracing the stately, exclusive club of living former presidents. “He kind of laughed at the very notion that he would be accepted in the presidents club,” said Kate Andersen Brower, who interviewed Trump in 2019 for her book “Team of Five: The Presidents Club in the Age of Trump.” “He was like, ‘I don’t think I’ll be accepted.’” It’s equally clear that the club’s other members don’t much want him — at least for now. Politics The House will send the article of impeachment to the Senate on Monday. A trial will take place two weeks later. Former Presidents Obama, George W. Bush and Clinton recorded a three-minute video from Arlington National Cemetery after President Biden’s inauguration on Wednesday, praising peaceful presidential succession as a core principle of American democracy. The segment included no mention of Trump by name, but stood as a stark rebuke of his behavior since losing November’s election. “I think the fact that the three of us are standing here, talking about a peaceful transfer of power, speaks to the institutional integrity of our country,” Bush said. Obama called inaugurations “a reminder that we can have fierce disagreements and yet recognize each other’s common humanity and that, as Americans, we have more in common than what separates us.” Trump spent months making baseless claims that the election had been stolen from him through fraud and eventually helped fire up the crowd at a rally before a deadly assault on the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6. He left the White House without attending Biden’s swearing-in, the first president to skip his successor’s inauguration in 152 years. Obama, Bush and Clinton recorded their video after accompanying Biden to lay a wreath at the Tomb of the Unknown Solider following the inauguration. They also taped a video urging Americans to get vaccinated against COVID-19. Only 96-year-old former President Carter, who has limited his public events because of the pandemic, and Trump, who had already flown to post-presidential life in Florida, weren’t there. Jeffrey Engel, founding director of the Center for Presidential History at Southern Methodist University in Dallas, said Trump isn’t a good fit for the ex-presidents club “because he’s temperamentally different.” “People within the club historically have been respected by ensuing presidents. Even Richard Nixon was respected by Bill Clinton and by Ronald Reagan and so on, for his foreign policy,” Engel said. “I’m not sure I see a whole lot of people calling up Trump for his strategic advice.” Former presidents are occasionally called upon for big tasks. Business With a flurry of executive orders, Joe Biden shows he’s planning to annihilate all memory of the Trump years. George H.W. Bush and Clinton teamed up in 2005 to launch a campaign urging Americans to help the victims of the devastating Southeast Asia tsunami. When Hurricane Katrina blasted the Gulf Coast, Bush, whose son George W. Bush was then president, called on Clinton to boost hurricane relief fundraising efforts. When the elder Bush died in 2018, Clinton wrote, “His friendship has been one of the great gifts of my life,” high praise considering he was referring to the man he ousted from the White House after a bruising 1992 campaign — making Bush the only one-term president of the last three decades until Trump. Obama tapped Clinton and the younger President Bush to help lead a fundraising drive for Haiti after its devastating 2010 earthquake. George W. Bush also became good friends with former First Lady Michelle Obama, and cameras caught him slipping her a cough drop as they sat together at Arizona Sen. John McCain’s funeral. Usually presidents extend the same respect to their predecessors while still in office, regardless of party. In 1971, three years before he resigned in disgrace, Nixon went to Texas to participate in the dedication of Lyndon Johnson’s presidential library. When Nixon’s library was completed in 1990, then-President George H.W. Bush attended with former Presidents Reagan and Ford. Trump’s break with tradition began even before his presidency did. After Trump’s election win in November 2016, Obama hosted Trump at the White House, promising to “do everything we can to help you succeed.” Trump responded, “I look forward to being with you many, many more times in the future” — but that never happened. Instead, Trump falsely accused Obama of having wiretapped him and spent four years continuing to savage his predecessor’s record. Current and former presidents sometimes loathed each other, and chastising their successors isn’t unheard of. Carter criticized the policies of the Republican administrations that followed his, Obama chided Trump while campaigning for Biden and also criticized George W. Bush’s policies — though Obama was usually careful not to name his predecessor. Theodore Roosevelt tried to unseat his successor, fellow Republican William Howard Taft, by founding his own Bull Moose Party and running for president again against him. Politics Several key Obama administration policies survived Trump’s four-year onslaught, easing Biden’s way as he assumes office. Still, presidential reverence for former presidents dates back even further. The nation’s second president, John Adams, was concerned enough about tarnishing the legacy of his predecessor that he retained George Washington’s Cabinet appointments. Trump may have time to build his relationship with his predecessors. He told Brower that he “could see himself becoming friendly with Bill Clinton again,” noting that the pair used to golf together. But the odds of becoming the traditional president in retirement that he never was while in office remain long. “I think Trump has taken it too far,” Brower said. “I don’t think that these former presidents will welcome him at any point.” Weissert and Riechmann write for the Associated Press.

Democrats start reining in expectations for immigration bill

https://www.latimes.com/world-nation/story/2021-01-23/democrats-start-reining-in-expectations-for-immigration-bill

It’s taken only days for Democrats gauging how far President Biden’s bold immigration proposal can go in Congress to acknowledge that if anything emerges, it will likely be significantly more modest. As they brace to tackle a politically flammable issue that’s resisted major congressional action since the 1980s, Democrats are using words like “aspirational” to describe Biden’s plan and “herculean” to express the effort they’ll need to prevail. A similar message came from the White House on Friday when Press Secretary Jen Psaki said the new administration hopes Biden’s plan will be “the base” of immigration discussions in Congress. Democrats’ cautious tones underscored the fragile road they face on a paramount issue for their minority voters, progressives and activists. Even longtime immigration proponents advocating an all-out fight concede they may have to settle for less than a total victory. Paving a path to citizenship for all 11 million immigrants in the U.S. illegally — the centerpiece of Biden’s plan — is “the stake at the summit of the mountain,” Frank Sharry, executive director of the pro-immigration group America’s Voice, said in an interview. “If there are ways to advance toward that summit by building victories and momentum, we’re going to look at them.” The citizenship process in Biden’s plan would take as little as three years for some people, eight years for others. The proposal would make it easier for certain workers to stay in the U.S. temporarily or permanently, provide development aid to Central American nations in hopes of reducing immigration, and move toward bolstering border screening technology. World & Nation The ‘Remain in Mexico’ program, ‘metering’ and a pandemic shutdown of asylum processing left thousands of asylum seekers stranded in Tijuana for months. No. 2 Senate Democratic leader Richard J. Durbin of Illinois said in an interview this week that the likeliest package to emerge would create a path to citizenship for so-called Dreamers. They are immigrants who’ve lived in the U.S. most of their lives after being brought here illegally as children. More than 600,000 of them have temporary permission to live in the U.S. under Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals, or DACA. Former President Obama created that program administratively and Durbin and others would like to see it enacted into law. Durbin, who called Biden’s plan “aspirational,” said he hoped for other elements as well, such as more visas for agricultural and other workers. “We understand the political reality of a 50-50 Senate, that any changes in immigration will require cooperation between the parties,” said Durbin, who is on track to become Senate Judiciary Committee chairman. He said legislation produced by the Senate likely “will not reach the same levels” as Biden’s proposal. The Senate is split evenly between the two parties, with Vice President Kamala Harris tipping the chamber in Democrats’ favor with her tiebreaking vote. Even so, major legislation requires 60 votes to overcome filibusters, or endless procedural delays, in order to pass. That means 10 Republicans would have to join all 50 Democrats to enact an immigration measure, a tall order. “Passing immigration reform through the Senate, particularly, is a herculean task,” said Sen. Robert Menendez (D-N.J.), who will also play a lead role in the battle. Many Republicans agree with Durbin’s assessment. “I think the space in a 50-50 Senate will be some kind of DACA deal,” said Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.), who’s worked with Democrats on past immigration efforts. “I just think comprehensive immigration is going to be a tough sale given this environment.” Opinion Congress has failed for years to fix our broken immigration system. Biden’s immigration proposals could give the members a chance to redeem themselves. Illustrating the detailed bargaining ahead, Sen. Susan Collins (R-Maine), a moderate who’s sought earlier immigration compromises, praised parts of the bill but said she wants more visas for foreign workers her state’s tourism industry uses heavily. Democrats’ hurdles are formidable. They have razor-thin majorities in a House and Senate where Republican support for easing immigration restrictions is usually scant. Acrid partisan relationships were intensified further by former President Trump’s clamorous tenure. Biden will have to spend plenty of political capital and time on earlier, higher priority bills battling the pandemic and bolstering the economy, leaving his future clout uncertain. In addition, Democrats will have to resolve important tactical differences. Sharry said immigration groups prefer Democrats to push for as strong a bill as possible without making any concessions to Republicans on issues like boosting border security spending. He said hopes for a bipartisan breakthrough are “a fool’s errand” because the GOP has largely opposed expanding citizenship opportunities for so long. But prevailing without GOP votes would mean virtual unanimity among congressional Democrats, a huge challenge. It would also mean Democrats would have to either eliminate the Senate filibuster, which they may not have the votes to do, or figure out other procedural routes around the 60-vote hurdle. “I’m going to start negotiating” with Republicans, said Durbin. He said a bipartisan bill would be far better “if we can do it” because it would improve the chances for passage. World & Nation Guatemalan forces have broken up a group of hundreds of weary migrants who had spent two nights on a rural highway in their quest to reach the U.S. Democrats already face attacks from Republicans, eyeing next year’s elections, on an issue that helped power Trump’s 2016 victory by fortifying his support from many white voters. House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-Bakersfield) said Biden’s bill would “prioritize help for illegal immigrants and not our fellow citizens.” Sen. Rick Scott (R-Fla.), who heads the National Republican Senatorial Committee, the Senate GOP campaign arm, said the measure would hurt “hard-working Americans and the millions of immigrants working their way through the legal immigration process.” Democrats say such allegations are false but say it’s difficult to compose clear, sound-bite responses on what is a complex issue. Instead, it requires having “an adult conversation” with voters, Rep. Abigail Spanberger (D-Va.) said in an interview. “Yeah, this is about people but it’s about the economy” as well, said Spanberger, a moderate from a district where farms and technology firms hire many immigrants. “In central Virginia, we rely on immigration. And you may not like that, but we do.”

Ticket sold in Michigan wins $1-billion Mega Millions jackpot

https://www.latimes.com/world-nation/story/2021-01-22/1-winner-of-mega-millions-1b-prize-3rd-largest-ever-in-us

One winning ticket was sold in Michigan for the $1-billion Mega Millions jackpot, making it the third-largest lottery prize in U.S. history. The winning numbers drawn Friday are: 4, 26, 42, 50, 60 and a Mega Ball of 24. The Mega Millions top prize had been growing since Sept. 15, when a winning ticket was sold in Wisconsin. The lottery’s next estimated jackpot is $20 million. Friday night’s drawing comes two days after a ticket sold in Maryland matched all six numbers drawn and won a $731.1-million Powerball jackpot. Only two lottery prizes in the U.S. have been larger than Friday’s jackpot. Three tickets for a $1.586-billion Powerball jackpot were sold in January 2016 and one winning ticket sold for a $1.537-billion Mega Millions jackpot in October 2018. The jackpot figures refer to amounts if a winner opts for an annuity, paid in 30 annual installments. Most winners choose a cash prize, which is $739.6 million for the Mega Millions jackpot. The odds of winning a Mega Millions jackpot are incredibly steep, at 1 in 302.5 million. The game is played in 45 states as well as Washington, D.C., and the U.S. Virgin Islands.

Man pleads guilty to deaths of 36 people in Ghost Ship warehouse fire

https://www.latimes.com/world-nation/story/2021-01-22/man-charged-in-deaths-of-36-people-in-2016-san-francisco-bay-area-warehouse-fire-pleads-guilty-avoiding-second-trial

The master tenant of a Bay Area warehouse where 36 people perished when a fire ignited during a dance party in 2016 pleaded guilty Friday to the deaths, avoiding a second trial after the first ended in a hung jury. Derick Almena, 50, pleaded guilty to 36 counts of involuntary manslaughter in exchange for a 12-year sentence. Already free on bail, Almena probably won’t return to jail because of the nearly three years he already spent behind bars and credit for good behavior. His sentencing was scheduled for March 8 and will determine whether he will continue to be monitored electronically at his home in rural Northern California and be subject to supervised probation. Prosecutors say Almena was criminally negligent when he illegally converted the industrial Oakland warehouse into a residence and event space for artists dubbed the Ghost Ship, stuffing the two-story building with flammable materials and extension cords. It had no smoke detectors or sprinklers. The Dec. 2, 2016, fire broke out at the warehouse during an electronic music and dance party, moving so quickly that victims were trapped on the illegally constructed second floor. Prosecutors said the victims received no warning and had little chance to escape down a narrow, ramshackle staircase. The case has been emotionally wrenching for the victims’ family and friends, many who packed a courtroom for months in 2019, only to see a jury split on whether to convict Almena, who leased the building. The jury also found co-defendant Max Harris, who was the Ghost Ship’s “creative director” and would collect rent, not guilty at the same trial. Colleen Dolan, mother of victim Chelsea Faith Dolan, told the East Bay Times that families were not informed of the plea deal possibility before last week. “My heart dropped, especially when I heard it was going to be a slap on the wrist. I want my daughter back; we want to be with our family members who died. He gets to be with his family,” she said. Almena had been jailed since 2017 until he was released in May because of coronavirus concerns and after posting a $150,000 bail bond. He is on house arrest with an ankle monitor in the city of Upper Lake, where he lives with his wife and children. Tony Serra, Almena’s attorney, said Thursday that he could not comment because lawyers are under a gag order imposed by Superior Court Judge Trina Thompson. The Alameda County district attorney’s office did not respond to a request for comment.

NFL will allow 22,000 fans, including 7,500 health workers, to attend Super Bowl

https://www.latimes.com/world-nation/story/2021-01-22/nfl-giving-free-super-bowl-tickets-to-7-500-health-workers

The NFL announced Friday that 7,500 healthcare workers vaccinated for the coronavirus will be given free tickets to next month’s Super Bowl in Tampa, Fla. NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell also said in a news release that attendance at the Feb. 7 game would be limited to those workers and about 14,500 other fans. Raymond James Stadium, home of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, has a capacity of just under 66,000, according to its website. Most of the healthcare workers who will get free tickets will come from the Tampa Bay area and central Florida, Goodell said. But he added that all 32 NFL teams will choose some workers from their cities to attend the game. “These dedicated healthcare workers continue to put their own lives at risk to serve others, and we owe them our ongoing gratitude,” Goodell said. “We hope in a small way that this initiative will inspire our country and recognize these true American heroes.” There will also be what Goodell called “a variety of special moments” to honor healthcare workers in the stadium during the game and also on the CBS television broadcast. Tampa Mayor Jane Castor said the NFL’s decision is a perfect way to honor healthcare workers at such a high-profile event. “Our country has endured to much over the last year and we can’t lose sight of those who worked day in and day out to keep us safe,” Castor said in the NFL release. As with NFL games throughout the season, the Super Bowl will include mandatory wearing of masks, social distancing, touchless concession stands and controlled entry and exits. The NFL has had about 1.2 million fans attend 116 games so far during the regular season and playoffs, Goodell said.

Biden ordering stopgap help as talks start on big aid plan

https://www.latimes.com/world-nation/story/2021-01-22/biden-ordering-stopgap-help-as-talks-start-on-big-aid-plan

President Biden plans to take executive action Friday to provide a stopgap measure of financial relief to millions of Americans while Congress begins to consider his much larger $1.9-trillion package to help those affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. The two executive orders that Biden is to sign would increase food aid, protect job seekers on unemployment and clear a path for federal workers and contractors to get a $15 hourly minimum wage. “The American people cannot afford to wait,” said Brian Deese, director of the White House National Economic Council. “So many are hanging by a thread. They need help, and we’re committed to doing everything we can to provide that help as quickly as possible.” Deese emphasized that the orders are not substitutes for the additional stimulus that Biden says is needed beyond the $4 trillion in aid that has already been approved, including $900 billion this past December. Several Republican lawmakers have voiced opposition to provisions in Biden’s plan for direct payments to individuals, state and local government aid and a $15 hourly minimum wage nationwide. Most economists believe the United States can rebound with strength once people are vaccinated from the coronavirus, but the situation is still dire as the disease has closed businesses and schools. Nearly 10 million jobs have been lost since last February, and nearly 30 million households lack secure access to food. Business An 11th-hour Trump administration proposal foreshadows a tough balancing act for Biden on public lands. One of Biden’s orders asks the Agriculture Department to consider adjusting the rules for food assistance, so that the government could be obligated to provide more money to the hungry. Children who are unable to get school meals because of remote learning could receive a 15% increase in food aid, according to a fact sheet provided by the White House. The lowest-income households could qualify for the emergency benefits from the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program. And the formula for calculating meal costs could become more generous. The order also tries to make it easier for people to claim direct payments from prior aid packages and other benefits. In addition, it would create a guarantee that workers could still collect unemployment benefits if they refuse to take a job that could jeopardize their health. Biden’s second executive order would restore union bargaining rights revoked by the Trump administration, protect the civil service system and promote a $15 hourly minimum wage for all federal workers. The Democratic president also plans to start a 100-day process for the federal government to require its contractors to pay at least $15 an hour and provide emergency paid leave to workers, which could put pressure on other private employers to boost their wages and benefits. These orders arrive as the Biden White House has declined to provide a timeline for getting its proposed relief package through, saying that officials are beginning to schedule meetings with lawmakers to discuss the proposal. White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki said at a Thursday briefing that the proposal has support ranging from democratic socialist Sen. Bernie Sanders to the U.S. Chamber of Commerce. But not all components of the package are popular among Republicans, and that could delay passage in ways that could injure the economy. Psaki stressed that Biden wants any deal to be bipartisan and that the process of meeting with lawmakers to talk through the plan is just beginning. Politics There was never a doubt President Biden would call for unity at his swearing-in, but in his inaugural address, he coupled it with something sterner. Biden must balance the need for immediate aid against the risk of prolonged negotiations. Psaki said that Biden would not take options off the table but later added, “Part of the discussion we’ll be having with members is, what do you want to cut?” Neil Bradley, chief policy officer at the Chamber, told reporters Thursday that Congress should act fast to approve the roughly $400 billion for national vaccination and reopening schools and other elements of the plan with bipartisan support, rather than drag out negotiations. “We’re not going to let areas of disagreement prevent progress on areas where we can find common ground,” Bradley said. “We cannot afford six months to get the vaccination process working right. ... We can’t even wait six weeks to get vaccinations distributed and schools reopened.”

Dog spent days outside Turkish hospital waiting for owner

https://www.latimes.com/world-nation/story/2021-01-22/dog-spent-days-outside-turkish-hospital-waiting-for-owner

A devoted dog spent days waiting outside a hospital in northern Turkey where her sick owner was receiving treatment. Boncuk, which means bead, followed the ambulance that took her owner, Cemal Senturk, to the hospital in the Black Sea city of Trabzon on Jan. 14. She then made daily visits to the facility, private news agency DHA reported. Senturk’s daughter, Aynur Egeli, said she would take Boncuk home but the dog would repeatedly run off and return to the hospital. Hospital security guard Muhammet Akdeniz told DHA: “She comes every day around 9 a.m. and waits until nightfall. She doesn’t go in.” “When the door opens she pokes her head inside,” he said. On Wednesday, Boncuk was finally reunited with Senturk when he was pushed outside in a wheelchair for a brief meeting with his dog. “She’s very used to me. And I miss her, too, constantly,” he told DHA. Senturk was discharged from the hospital later Wednesday and returned home with Boncuk.

Islamic State claims responsibility for twin suicide bombings in Baghdad

https://www.latimes.com/world-nation/story/2021-01-22/islamic-state-claims-deadly-and-rare-twin-blasts-in-baghdad

Islamic State has claimed responsibility for a deadly twin suicide bombing that killed at least 32 people and wounded dozens in central Baghdad. The group said the bombing “targeted apostate Shiites,” according to a statement circulating on an Islamic State-affiliated website late Thursday. The statement said the first bombing was carried out by Abu Youssef Ansari and the second by Mohammed Arif Muhajir. Some of the more than 100 people wounded in Thursday’s blasts were in serious condition. According to officials, the first suicide bomber cried out loudly that he was ill in the middle of the bustling market, prompting a crowd to gather around him, and he then detonated his explosive belt. The second detonated shortly after. The U.S.-led coalition recently ceased combat activities and is gradually drawing down its troop presence in Iraq, sparking fears of an Islamic State resurgence. The group has rarely been able to penetrate the capital since being dislodged by Iraqi forces and the U.S.-led coalition in 2017. The attack was the first in nearly three years to hit the capital. Elsewhere, in northern Iraq and the western desert, attacks continue and almost exclusively target Iraqi security forces. An increase in attacks was seen last summer as militants took advantage of the government’s focus on tackling the COVID-19 pandemic and exploited security gaps across disputed territory in northern Iraq.

Democrats ask ethics panel to investigate Sens. Cruz and Hawley

https://www.latimes.com/world-nation/story/2021-01-21/democrats-ask-ethics-panel-to-investigate-sens-cruz-hawley

Seven Democratic senators on Thursday asked the Senate Ethics Committee to investigate the actions of Republican Sens. Ted Cruz and Josh Hawley “to fully understand their role” in the Jan. 6 insurrection at the Capitol by supporters of former President Trump. Thousands had gathered that day as Congress voted to formally certify President Joe Biden’s victory over Trump in November. Hawley and Cruz led objections in the Senate to Biden’s victory, despite the widespread recognition that the effort would fail. In the end, Congress certified Biden’s electoral college victory, but not before thousands marched to the Capitol at Trump’s urging, overwhelmed security and interrupted the proceedings. The violence led to five deaths, injured dozens of police officers and caused extensive damage to the Capitol. The Democratic senators said the question for the Senate to determine is not whether Cruz and Hawley had the right to object but whether the senators failed to put loyalty “to the highest moral principles and to country above loyalty to persons, party, or Government department.” They also said the investigation should determine whether Cruz, of Texas, and Hawley, of Missouri, engaged in “improper conduct reflecting on the Senate.” “Until then, a cloud of uncertainty will hang over them and over this body,” the Democratic senators wrote in a letter to the leaders of the Senate Ethics Committee. California Biden was inaugurated in a city that depressingly resembled an armed camp — as did California’s state Capitol and statehouses around the country. The Democrats said Cruz and Hawley announced their intentions to object even though they knew claims of election fraud were baseless and had led to threats of violence. “Their actions lend credence to the insurrectionists’ cause and set the stage for future violence. And both senators used their objections for political fundraising,” the Democratic senators said in their letter. Cruz and Hawley have condemned the violence. Cruz called it a “despicable act of terrorism.” Hawley said those who attacked police and broke the law must be prosecuted. Cruz helped force a vote on Biden’s victory in Arizona, while Hawley helped force one on Biden’s victory in Pennsylvania. “Joe Biden and the Democrats talk about unity but are brazenly trying to silence dissent,” Hawley said in a prepared statement. “This latest effort is a flagrant abuse of the Senate ethics process and a flagrant attempt to exact partisan revenge.” “It is unfortunate that some congressional Democrats are disregarding President Biden’s call for unity and are instead playing political games by filing frivolous ethics complaints against their colleagues,” said Cruz spokeswoman Maria Jeffrey Reynolds. The Democrats requesting the investigation are Sens. Sheldon Whitehouse of Rhode Island, Ron Wyden of Oregon, Tina Smith of Minnesota, Richard Blumenthal of Connecticut, Mazie Hirono of Hawaii, Tim Kaine of Virginia and Sherrod Brown of Ohio. Freking writes for the Associated Press.

Judge says Amazon won't have to restore Parler web service

https://www.latimes.com/business/technology/story/2021-01-21/judge-says-amazon-wont-have-to-restore-parler-web-service

Amazon.com Inc. won’t be forced to immediately restore web service to Parler after a federal judge ruled Thursday against a plea to reinstate the fast-growing social media app, which is favored by followers of former President Trump. U.S. District Judge Barbara Rothstein in Seattle said she wasn’t dismissing Parler’s “substantive underlying claims” against Amazon but said it had fallen short in demonstrating the need for an injunction forcing it back online. Amazon kicked Parler off its web-hosting service Jan. 11. In court filings, it said the suspension was a “last resort” to block Parler from harboring violent plans to disrupt the presidential transition. The Seattle tech giant said Parler had shown an “unwillingness and inability” to remove a slew of dangerous posts that called for the rape, torture and assassination of politicians, tech executives and many others. The social media app, a magnet for the far right, sued to get back online, arguing that Amazon Web Services had breached its contract and abused its market power. It said Trump was probably on the brink of joining the platform because a wave of his followers flocked to the app after Twitter and Facebook expelled Trump in the wake of the Jan. 6 assault on the U.S. Capitol. Rothstein said she rejected “any suggestion that the public interest favors requiring AWS to host the incendiary speech that the record shows some of Parler’s users have engaged in.” She also faulted Parler for providing “only faint and factually inaccurate speculation” about Amazon and Twitter colluding with each other to shut Parler down. Technology and the Internet Parler, the social network popular with the alt-right and conspiracy theorists, reappeared with the help of a Russian-owned web security service. Jan. 19, 2021 Parler said Thursday it was disappointed by the ruling but remains confident it will “ultimately prevail in the main case,” which it says will have “broad implications for our pluralistic society.” Amazon said it welcomed the ruling and emphasized that “this was not a case about free speech,” a point also underscored by the judge. Parler Chief Executive John Matze had asserted in a court filing that Parler’s abrupt shutdown was motivated at least partly by “a desire to deny President Trump a platform on any large social-media service.” Matze said Trump had contemplated joining the network as early as October under a pseudonym. The Trump administration last week declined to comment on whether he had planned to join. Amazon denied its move to pull the plug on Parler had anything to do with political animus. It said Parler had breached its business agreement “by hosting content advocating violence and failing to timely take that content down.” Parler was formed in May 2018, according to Nevada business records, with what co-founder Rebekah Mercer, a prominent Trump backer and conservative donor, later described as the goal of creating “a neutral platform for free speech” away from “the tyranny and hubris of our tech overlords.” World & Nation Activists see a double standard in social media companies’ response to the Capitol attack and their tolerance for violent rhetoric abroad. Jan. 15, 2021 Amazon said the company signed up for its cloud computing services about a month later, thereby agreeing to its rules against dangerous content. Matze told the court that Parler has “no tolerance for inciting violence or lawbreaking” and has relied on volunteer “jurors” to flag problem posts and vote on whether they should be removed. More recently, he said the company informed Amazon it would soon begin using artificial intelligence to automatically pre-screen posts for inappropriate content, as bigger social media companies do. Amazon last week revealed a trove of incendiary and violent posts that it had reported to Parler over the last several weeks. They included explicit calls to harm high-profile political and business leaders and broader groups of people, such as schoolteachers and Black Lives Matter activists. Google and Apple were the first tech giants to take action against Parler in the days after the deadly Capitol riot. Both companies temporarily banned the smartphone app from their app stores. But people who had already downloaded the Parler app were still able to use it until Amazon Web Services pulled the plug on the website. Parler has kept its website online by maintaining its internet registration through Epik, a U.S. company owned by libertarian businessman Rob Monster. Epik has previously hosted 8chan, an online message board known for trafficking in hate speech. Parler is currently hosted by DDoS-Guard, a company whose owners are based in Russia, public records show. DDoS-Guard did not respond to emails seeking comment on its business with Parler or on published reports that its customers have included Russian government agencies. Technology and the Internet Banning President Trump’s account was “the right decision for Twitter,” said CEO Jack Dorsey, though he added that it reflects on Twitter’s failure to promote healthy conversation. Jan. 13, 2021 Parler said Thursday it is still working to revive its platform. Although its website is back, it hasn’t restored its app or social network. Matze has said it will be difficult to restore service because the site had been so dependent on Amazon engineering, and Amazon’s action has turned off other potential vendors. The case has offered a rare window into Amazon’s influence over the workings of the internet. Parler argued in its lawsuit that Amazon violated antitrust laws by colluding with Twitter, which also uses some Amazon cloud computing services, to quash the upstart social media app. Rothstein, who was appointed to the Seattle court by Democratic President Carter, said Parler presented “dwindlingly slight” evidence of antitrust violations and no evidence that Amazon and Twitter “acted together intentionally — or even at all — in restraint of trade.” O’Brien writes for the Associated Press. AP technology writer Frank Bajak in Boston contributed to this report.

Fauci unleashed: Doctor takes 'liberating' turn at center stage

https://www.latimes.com/world-nation/story/2021-01-21/fauci-unleashed-doc-takes-liberating-turn-at-center-stage

Dr. Anthony Fauci is back. In truth, the nation’s leading infectious diseases expert never really went away. But after enduring nearly a year of darts and undermining comments from former President Trump, Fauci now speaks with the authority of the White House again. He called it “liberating” Thursday to be backed by a science-friendly administration that has embraced his recommendations to battle COVID-19. “One of the new things in this administration is, if you don’t know the answer, don’t guess,” Fauci said in one pointed observation during a White House briefing. “Just say you don’t know the answer.” Fauci’s highly visible schedule on Thursday, the first full day of President Biden’s term, underscored the new administration’s confidence in the doctor but also the urgency of the moment. Science & Medicine Monoclonal antibody treatment is now available to COVID-19 patients, but only about 30% of the delivered doses have been administered. His day began with a 4 a.m. virtual meeting with officials of the World Health Organization, which is based in Switzerland, and stretched past a 4 p.m. appearance at the lectern in the White House briefing room. The breakneck pace showcased the urgent need to combat a pandemic that has killed more than 400,000 Americans and has reached its deadliest phase just as the new president comes to office. Fauci made clear that he believed the new administration would not trade in the mixed messages that so often came from the Trump White House, in which scientific fact was often obscured by the president’s political agenda. “The idea that you can get up here and talk about what you know and what the science is ... it is something of a liberating feeling,” Fauci told reporters. White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki had invited Fauci to take the lectern first at her daily briefing. While choosing his words carefully, Fauci acknowledged that it had been difficult at times to work for President Trump, who repeatedly played down the severity of the pandemic, refused to consistently promote mask-wearing and often touted unproven scientific remedies, including a malaria drug and even injecting disinfectant. “It was very clear that there were things that were said, be it regarding things like hydroxychloroquine and other things, that really was uncomfortable because they were not based in scientific fact,” Fauci said. He added that he took “no pleasure” in having to contradict the president, a move that often drew Trump’s wrath. Biden, during his presidential campaign, pledged to making Fauci his chief medical advisor when he took office, and the 80-year-old scientist was immediately in motion. Fauci was up well before dawn Thursday for the virtual meeting with the WHO, which Biden had rejoined the previous day after Trump withdrew the U.S. from the group out of anger over how it dealt with China in the early days of the pandemic. Fauci told the group that the United States would join the WHO effort to deliver COVID-19 vaccines to poor countries. World & Nation The former management consultant is tasked by President Joe Biden to overhaul vaccination program. In the afternoon, the doctor stood alongside Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris in the White House as they unveiled a series of executive orders aimed at slowing the spread of the coronavirus, which is killing about 4,000 Americans a day, as well as bolstering the nation’s sluggish vaccine distribution program. Fauci had chatted amiably with reporters while awaiting the tardy new president. He acknowledged it was a long day and said that while he’d prefer to go for a run, he planned to powerwalk a few miles Thursday evening. It was all a stark contrast after being kept on a tight leash by the Trump administration. Its West Wing press shop had tightly controlled Fauci’s media appearances — and blocked most of them. The doctor went from being a constant presence in the briefing room during the first weeks of the pandemic to largely being banished as Trump grew jealous of the doctor’s positive press and resentful of Fauci’s willingness to contradict him. Moreover, Trump frequently undermined Fauci’s credibility, falsely insisting that the pandemic was nearly over. The president regularly referenced Fauci’s early skepticism about the effectiveness of masks for ordinary Americans, a position that Fauci quickly abandoned as more evidence arose. And he even made fun of Fauci’s first pitch at a Washington Nationals game. The president’s attacks on Fauci — and his dismissiveness of the science — handicapped medical professionals trying to get Americans to take the virus seriously. “There was clear political influence on the message of the pandemic. It became political to say that the pandemic was devastating our community because it was interpreted as a judgment on Trump,” said Dr. Nahid Bhadelia, an infectious diseases physician and a professor at the Boston University School of Medicine. “It actively created enemies of the public health folks in a segment of the population.” Having Fauci return to a central role, Bhadelia said, is a sign “that science was being repressed and now back.” Food Mexico City’s vibrant and risk-taking restaurant scene is on the verge of disappearing in the wake of the pandemic. As his handling of the pandemic became the defining issue in the 2020 campaign, Trump insisted on portraying the virus as a thing of the past. He also mercilessly attacked Fauci, retweeting messages that called for the doctor’s dismissal and reveled in “Fire Fauci!” chants at some of his rallies. Trump sidelined Fauci but dared not dismiss him, after aides convinced him of the move’s political danger. But Fauci, who has now served under seven presidents, persevered, telling friends that he would keep his head down and aim to outlast Trump and the obfuscations of his administration. “Clarity of message is the most important thing the government can be doing right now; the single biggest disservice Trump did was constantly telling people that pandemic was about to be over,” said Dr. Ashish Jha, dean of the Brown University School of Public Health, who has known Fauci for more than 20 years. In his return to the briefing room, Fauci joked with reporters, seemingly far more relaxed than at any point last year. And as he stepped off the stage, Psaki said she’d soon have him back.

Singer Randy Parton, Dolly Parton's brother, dies at 67 of cancer

https://www.latimes.com/world-nation/story/2021-01-21/singer-randy-parton-dolly-partons-brother-dies-at-67

Country star Dolly Parton said her brother Randy Parton, who sang and performed with her, as well as at her Dollywood theme park, has died. He was 67. The “9 to 5” hitmaker, who turned 75 this week, said in a statement released Thursday that her brother died of cancer. They were among 12 children in the Parton family, raised in Sevierville, Tenn. “We are a family of faith and we believe that he is safe with God and that he is joined by members of the family that have gone on before and have welcomed him with joy and open arms,” Parton said in a statement. My brother Randy has lost his battle with cancer. The family and I are grieving his loss but we know he is in a better place than we are at this time. We are a family of faith and we believe that he is safe with God… https://t.co/zAgHdHEdOQ Randy Parton sang, played guitar and bass in his sister’s band, and had hosted his own show at the Tennessee theme park since the opening in 1986. He also released music on his own. Parton said her duet with him on “Old Flames Can’t Hold a Candle to You” would “always be a highlight of my own career.” His last recording was a song with Dolly and his daughter Heidi called “You Are My Christmas,” which was on Parton’s most recent Christmas album. “He shined on it just like he’s shining in heaven now,” Parton said. California Roanoke Rapids, N.C., set Dolly Parton’s brother up with a high-end venue and funding. Now they say he squandered it, and he’s not allowed inside. Dec. 17, 2007

U.S. jobless claims decline to a still-high 900,000

https://www.latimes.com/world-nation/story/2021-01-21/us-jobless-claims-decline-to-a-still-high-900-000

The number of Americans seeking unemployment benefits fell slightly last week to 900,000, still a historically high level that points to ongoing job cuts in a raging pandemic. The Labor Department’s report Thursday underscored that President Biden has inherited an economy that faltered this winter as virus cases surged, cold weather restricted dining and federal rescue aid expired. The government said 5.1 million Americans are continuing to receive state jobless benefits, down from 5.2 million in the previous week. That suggests that although some of the unemployed are finding jobs, others probably are using up their state benefits and transitioning to separate extended-benefit programs. More than 10 million people are receiving aid from those extended programs, which now offer as many as 50 weeks of benefits, or from a new program that provides benefits to contractors and the self-employed. All told, nearly 16 million people were on unemployment in the week that ended Jan. 2, the latest period for which data are available. “Unemployment claims continue to show a job market unable to progress further as long as COVID-19 remains in the driver’s seat,” said Daniel Zhao, senior economist at Glassdoor. “While the vaccine offers a light at the end of the tunnel, we’re still far away from a complete reopening of the economy that could drive rehiring and stem further layoffs.” New viral infections have begun to slow after months of relentless increases, though they remain high and are averaging about 200,000 a day. The number of deaths in the United States from the pandemic that erupted 10 months ago has surpassed 400,000. Economists say one factor that probably has increased jobless claims in the last two weeks is a government financial aid package that was signed into law in late December. Among other things, it provided a $300-a-week federal unemployment benefit on top of regular state jobless aid. The new benefit, which runs through mid-March, may be encouraging more Americans to apply for aid. Once vaccines become more widely distributed, economists expect growth to accelerate in the second half of the year as Americans unleash pent-up demand for travel, dining out and in-person entertainment at movie theaters and concert halls. Such spending should, in theory, boost hiring and help the economy start to regain the nearly 10 million jobs lost to the pandemic. But for now, the economy is losing ground. Retail sales have fallen for three straight months. Restrictions on restaurants, bars and some stores, along with reluctance among most Americans to shop, travel and eat out, have led to sharp spending cutbacks. Revenue at restaurants and bars plunged 21% in 2020. The loss of so many jobs has meant hardship for millions of American households. In December, employers cut 140,000 positions, the first loss since April and the sixth straight month in which hiring weakened. The unemployment rate remained stuck at a still-high 6.7%. Yet there are signs that the $900-billion federal aid package enacted late last month may have begun to cushion the damage, in large part thanks to $600 checks being sent to most adults. The government began distributing the payments at the end of last month. Those payments probably have helped drive an increase in spending on debit and credit cards issued by Bank of America, economists at the bank wrote last week. Total card spending jumped 9.7% for the week that ended Jan. 9 compared with a year earlier. That was up from a 2% year-over-year increase before the stimulus payments, Bank of America said. Last week, Biden unveiled a $1.9-trillion coronavirus response plan that would provide, among other things, $1,400 checks for most Americans, which, on top of the $600 checks already being distributed, would bring the total to $2,000 per adult. The new plan would also make available $400 a week in federal benefits for jobless Americans and extend a moratorium on evictions and foreclosures through September. Biden’s proposal will require congressional approval, and some congressional Republicans have already expressed reservations about its size. Rugaber writes for the Associated Press.

Amazon offers assist with U.S. COVID-19 vaccine distribution

https://www.latimes.com/world-nation/story/2021-01-21/amazon-offers-assist-with-us-covid-19-vaccine-distribution

Amazon is offering its colossal operations network and advanced technologies to assist President Biden in his vow to get 100 million COVID-19 vaccinations to Americans in his first 100 days in office. “We are prepared to leverage our operations, information technology, and communications capabilities and expertise to assist your administration’s vaccination efforts,” wrote the CEO of Amazon’s Worldwide Consumer division, Dave Clark, in a letter to Biden. “Our scale allows us to make a meaningful impact immediately in the fight against COVID-19, and we stand ready to assist you in this effort.” Amazon said that it has already arranged a licensed third-party occupational healthcare provider to give vaccines on-site at its facilities for its employees when they become available. Amazon has more than 800,000 employees in the United States, Clark wrote, most of them essential workers who cannot work from home and should be vaccinated as soon as possible. Biden was expected to sign 10 pandemic-related executive orders on Thursday, his second day in office, but the administration says efforts to supercharge the rollout of vaccines have been hampered by lack of cooperation from the Trump administration during the transition. Officials say they don’t have a complete understanding of the previous administration’s actions on vaccine distribution. Biden is also depending on Congress to provide $1.9 trillion for economic relief and COVID-19 response. There are a litany of complaints from states that say they are not getting enough vaccine even as they are being asked to vaccinate a broader swath of Americans. According to data through January 20 from Johns Hopkins University, the seven-day rolling average for daily new deaths in the U.S. rose over the past two weeks from 2,677.3 on January 6 to 3,054.1 on Wednesday. More than 400,000 people in the U.S. have died from COVID-19.

President of Maryland university offers inaugural poet Amanda Gorman a job via Twitter

https://www.latimes.com/world-nation/story/2021-01-21/university-president-in-maryland-offers-inaugural-poet-a-job

The president of a historically Black university in Maryland was so captivated by inaugural poet Amanda Gorman’s poem during President Biden’s inauguration that he offered her a job — on Twitter. Morgan State University President David Wilson joined the many people lauding Gorman, 22, Wednesday after her recital of “The Hill We Climb,” a poem that summoned images dire and triumphant and echoed the oratory of John F. Kennedy and the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. among others before the global audience. “Ms. Gorman, I need you as our Poet-in-Residence at the National Treasure, ⁦@MorganStateU,” Wilson tweeted. “Outstanding!!!!! Consider this a job offer!” ⁦@TheAmandaGorman. ⁩ Ms. Gorman, I need you as our Poet-in-Residence at the National Treasure, ⁦@MorganStateU⁩ Outstanding!!!!! Consider this a job offer! pic.twitter.com/jJ8tJ6oPvn Wilson’s offer is certainly not the only opportunity that Gorman, the youngest inaugural poet in U.S. history, will receive since her widely praised performance. The Harvard University alum and Los Angeles native is already the country’s first National Youth Poet Laureate. She, along with Vice President Kamala Harris, inspired many people to tweet about #BlackGirlMagic on Wednesday. And Gorman hasn’t been shy to say she’ll run for president herself one day. Her career is already taking off: Penguin Young Readers announced Wednesday that “The Hill We Climb” will be published in a special edition this spring. Within hours after her performance, her illustrated book “Change Sings” was No. 1 on Amazon.com’s bestseller list, her September poetry collection was No. 2 and her Instagram followers grew to 1.3 million. But Wilson, who says he was “glued to the TV” while Gorman spoke, has hope. Books She became the national youth poet laureate at age 16; six years later, she read her poem at Joe Biden’s and Kamala Harris’ historic swearing-in. Jan. 20, 2021 “I’m very serious about opening an opportunity for her to come here as a poet in residence. We have all kinds of authors on campus, and we think that being at Morgan for a year would give her an even deeper and wider perspective on the issues she is addressing. If she would accept this offer, I would move on it in a heartbeat,” he told the Baltimore Sun. “I will be watching my emails.” World & Nation The national youth poet laureate read her galvanizing poem, ‘The Hill We Climb,’ just after Joe Biden was inaugurated as the 46th U.S. president. Jan. 20, 2021

Proud Boys organizer arrested in Florida over riot at U.S. Capitol

https://www.latimes.com/world-nation/story/2021-01-20/proud-boy-organizer-arrested-in-florida-over-riot-at-capitol

Two Florida men, including a self-described organizer for the Proud Boys, a far-right extremist group, were arrested Wednesday on charges of taking part in the siege of the U.S. Capitol earlier this month, authorities said. Joseph Biggs, 37, was arrested in central Florida and faces charges of obstructing an official proceeding before Congress, entering a restricted on the groups of the U.S. Capitol and disorderly conduct. According to an arrest affidavit, Biggs was part of a crowd on Jan. 6 that overwhelmed Capitol Police officers who were manning a metal barrier on the steps of the Capitol. The mob entered the building as lawmakers were certifying President Joe Biden’s election win. Biggs appeared to be wearing a walkie-talkie during the storming of the Capitol, but he told FBI agents that he had no knowledge about the planning of the destructive riot and didn’t know who organized it, the affidavit said. Ahead of the riot, Biggs told followers of his on the social media app Parler to dress in black to resemble the far-left antifa movement, according to the affidavit. World & Nation An AP review of records finds veterans of President Trump’s failed campaign were key players in the rally that spawned the U.S. Capitol assault. Biggs had organized a 2019 rally in Portland, Ore., in which more than 1,000 far-right protesters and anti-fascist counter-demonstrators faced off. The Proud Boys are a neofascist group known for engaging in violent clashes at political rallies. During a September presidential debate, Trump had urged them to “stand back and stand by” when asked to condemn them by a moderator. An online court docket did not indicate whether Biggs has an attorney who could comment. Jesus Rivera, 37, also was arrested Wednesday in Pensacola. He faces charges of knowingly entering a restricted building, intent to impede government business, disorderly conduct and demonstrating in the Capitol buildings. Rivera uploaded a video to Facebook showing himself in the U.S. Capitol crypt, authorities said. The five-minute video ends with Rivera starting to climb out a window at the Capitol, according to an arrest affidavit. An online court docket also did not list an attorney for Rivera. The cases are being handled by federal prosecutors in the District of Columbia. More than a half-dozen other Floridians have been charged in relation to the Capitol assault.

Amid crippling sanctions, Iranian traders seek lifeline in Iraq

https://www.latimes.com/world-nation/story/2021-01-21/amid-crippling-sanctions-iran-traders-seek-lifeline-in-iraq

Piles of plush carpets line the floors of a northern Iraqi shopping center hosting traders from neighboring Iran who hope the spangle of their ornate handicrafts might offer a lifeline out of poverty. In their own country, the economy is in tatters amid crippling U.S. sanctions. “Our money is so devalued, so when we come to this side — apart from the cultural exchange that we share — from a financial perspective it’s more profitable for us,” said Iranian Ramiyar Parwiz, the organizer of the exhibition who is originally from Sanandaj. “The money we receive … whether in dollars or dinars has a higher value on our side and it’s worth a lot.” At least 24 businesses from 15 Iranian cities set up shop this week in the city of Dahuk in the Kurdish-run northern region of Iraq. From Sanandaj to Bijar, they brought luxurious carpets. From Esfahan, Yazd and Hamadan, precious gems, copper and pottery. Iran is among Iraq’s largest trading partners and this cooperation has deepened since 2018 amid the Trump administration’s maximalist policy that has seen the U.S. pull out of Tehran’s 2015 nuclear deal with world powers and levy punishing sanctions on the country. Tens of thousands of Iranian pilgrims visit holy sites in Najaf and Karbala every year, boosting Iraq’s fledgling tourism sector. More than 100 trucks ferry construction materials, food, medicine and appliances into Iraq every day. The dependence on Iraqi markets has only deepened as economic conditions worsen in Iran. U.S. sanctions bar American companies and foreign firms from dealing with Iran, affecting Iran’s energy, shipping and financial sectors, and causing foreign investment to dry up. Oil exports have been hardest hit and Iran’s economy contracted with dreary forecasts for the future. Unemployment rose and rural populations were disproportionately affected. The exhibition of Iranian businesses is typically held every year in the city of Sulaymaniya, which borders Iran. This is the first year the traders have ventured to Dahuk, which shares closer economic ties with neighboring Turkey, in hopes of enticing new customers and creating greater demand for Iranian goods. Parwiz said the Dahuk venture was born of desperation. “There is huge pressure on people [in Iran], and the cost of living is unimaginably high,” he said. “We can’t afford to buy anything, we cannot even afford to buy medicine.” For Iranian businessmen experiencing difficult times, Iraq has always offered hope for respite. Haji Tousi, a businessman from Mashhad, sells his fine carpets at a lower price than local Iraqi traders. He knows the dollars he takes home to Iran will keep him afloat. “The type of carpet we are selling here is $200, whereas the same carpet in the market here is sold for $300-$350,” he said. But, to the dismay of many Iranian traders, the impact of Iraq’s own economic troubles was in plain sight: The exhibition attracts crowds of visitors, but many can’t even afford the marked-down items. “There are many visitors who have warmly welcomed this expo, but economic problems have kept them from [purchasing] ,” said Maryam Mradi, a businesswoman from Sanandaj. Iraq is grappling with an unprecedented liquidity crisis brought on by low oil prices. That has slashed state coffers in half and led the government to borrow from the central bank’s foreign currency reserves to make salary payments. Some of the Iranian vendors were skeptical their goods would be well received in Dahuk and other areas of Iraq, where Turkish brands dominate shopping aisles. “The people’s demand is mainly for Turkish goods,” said Shireen Mohammed, a resident. Yahya and Kullab write for the Associated Press.

Rape charges denied by lawyer for ‘’70s Show' actor Danny Masterson

https://www.latimes.com/world-nation/story/2021-01-20/rape-charges-denied-by-lawyer-for-70s-show-actor-masterson

An attorney for “That ’70s Show” actor Danny Masterson pleaded not guilty on his behalf Wednesday to the rapes of three women in the early 2000s. Defense lawyer Tom Mesereau entered the plea for Masterson, who was not present in court, to three charges of rape by force or fear in Los Angeles County Superior Court. The frequently delayed hearing coincided with the inauguration in Washington of President Joe Biden, resulting in far less media attention than Masterson’s initial court appearance in June. His arraignment has been postponed several times since. Prosecutors have alleged that Masterson, 44, who has been free on bond since his June 17 arrest, raped a 23-year-old woman sometime in 2001, a 28-year-old woman in April of 2003 and a 23-year-old woman between October and December of 2003. All of the alleged rapes happened at his Hollywood Hills home. Masterson could face up to 45 years in prison if convicted. Entertainment & Arts Actor Danny Masterson and the Church of Scientology are batting down a lawsuit brought by four women who claim the church took extreme efforts to silence them. Aug. 15, 2019 Mesereau, whose previous clients have included Michael Jackson and Bill Cosby, said in court in June that the charges were the result of unfair hype from media outlets and political pressure to prosecute his client. The lawyer said his team would prove that Masterson is not guilty. Masterson’s arrest came after a three-year investigation that resulted in the rare prosecution of a famous Hollywood figure in the #MeToo era. Despite dozens of investigations, most have led to no charges based on lack of evidence or too much time having passed since the alleged sexual assaults. The alleged rapes happened at the height of Masterson’s fame as he starred as Steven Hyde on Fox TV’s retro sitcom “That ’70s Show” from 1998 to 2006 alongside Ashton Kutcher, Mila Kunis and Topher Grace.

Biden honors dead at COVID-19 memorial ahead of inauguration

https://www.latimes.com/world-nation/story/2021-01-19/biden-arrives-for-inauguration-with-big-plans-big-problems

President-elect Joe Biden made a sober entrance to the nation’s capital Tuesday, ready to assume power as America reels from the coronavirus pandemic, soaring unemployment and grave concerns about more violence as he prepares to take the oath of office. Biden, an avid fan of Amtrak, had planned to take a train into Washington ahead of Wednesday’s Inauguration Day, but scratched that plan in the aftermath of the Jan. 6 insurrection at the U.S. Capitol. He instead flew into a military airbase just outside the capital on Tuesday afternoon and then motorcaded into fortress D.C. — a city that’s been flooded by some 25,000 National Guard troops guarding a Capitol, White House and National Mall that are wrapped in a maze of barricades and tall fencing. Shortly before Biden departed for Washington, the U.S. reached another grim milestone in the pandemic, surpassing 400,000 deaths from the virus, according to Johns Hopkins University. “These are dark times,” Biden told dozens of supporters in an emotional sendoff in Delaware before departing for Washington. “But there’s always light.” Biden, who ran for the presidency as a cool head who could get things done, plans to issue a series of executive orders on Day One — including reversing President Trump’s effort to leave the Paris climate accord, canceling his travel ban on visitors from several predominantly Muslim countries, and extending pandemic-era limits on evictions and student loan payments. Politics Nearly 25,000 National Guard troops are in Washington to provide security after the Capitol attack and to protect President-elect Joe Biden’s inauguration. Jan. 19, 2021 Trump won’t attend Biden’s inauguration, the first outgoing president to skip the ceremony since Andrew Johnson more than a century and a half ago. The White House released a farewell video from Trump just as Biden landed at Joint Base Andrews. Trump, who has repeatedly and falsely claimed widespread fraud led to his election loss, extended “best wishes” to the incoming administration in his nearly 20-minute address but did not utter Biden’s name. Trump also spent some of his last time in the White House huddled with advisors weighing final-hour pardons and grants of clemency. Trump plans to depart from Washington Wednesday morning in a grand airbase ceremony that he helped plan himself. Biden at his Delaware farewell, held at the National Guard/Reserve Center named after his late son Beau Biden, paid tribute to his home state. After his remarks, he stopped and chatted with friends and well-wishers in the crowd, much like an Iowa rope line at the start of his long campaign journey. “I’ll always be a proud son of the state of Delaware,” said Biden, who struggled to hold back tears as he delivered brief remarks. After arriving in Washington, Biden went directly to an evening ceremony at the Reflecting Pool near the Lincoln Memorial to honor American lives lost to COVID-19. He was joined by Vice President-elect Kamala Harris, who spoke of the collective anguish of a nation. Politics COVID-19, security threats and a boycott by the sitting president will make for an unusual inauguration ceremony this year. Jan. 19, 2021 “For many months we have grieved by ourselves,” Harris said. “Tonight, we grieve and begin healing together.” Biden followed with his own brief remarks, telling Americans that “to heal we must remember.” As he spoke with 400 lights representing the pandemic victims illuminated behind him, he faced the statue of Abraham Lincoln, the Civil War president who served as more than 600,000 Americans died. As he turned to walk away at the conclusion of the vigil, he faced the black granite wall listing the 58,000-plus Americans who perished in Vietnam. Inaugural organizers this week finished installing some 200,000 U.S., state and territorial flags on the National Mall, a display to represent the American people who couldn’t come to the inauguration, which is restricted under the tight security and COVID restrictions. It’s also a reminder of all the president-elect faces as he looks to steer the nation through the pandemic with infections and deaths soaring. Out of the starting gate, Biden and his team are intent on moving quickly to speed up the distribution of vaccinations to anxious Americans and pass his $1.9-trillion virus relief package, which includes quick payments to many people and an increase in the minimum wage to $15 an hour. Biden also plans to unveil a sweeping immigration bill on the first day of his administration, hoping to provide an eight-year path to citizenship for an estimated 11 million people living in the U.S. without legal status. That would be a major reversal from the Trump administration’s tight immigration policies. California Clearing the 3-million case mark means roughly 1 out of every 13 Californians has been infected at some point during the pandemic. Jan. 19, 2021 Some leading Republican have already balked at Biden’s immigration plan. “There are many issues I think we can work cooperatively with President-elect Biden, but a blanket amnesty for people who are here unlawfully isn’t going to be one of them,” said Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.), who is often a central player in Senate immigration battles. But Biden’s legislative ambitions could be tempered by the hard truth he faces on Capitol Hill, where Democrats hold narrow majorities in both the Senate and House. His hopes to press forward with an avalanche of legislation in his first 100 days could also be slowed by an impeachment trial of Trump. As Biden made his way to Washington, five of his Cabinet picks were appearing on Tuesday before Senate committees to begin confirmation hearings. Treasury nominee Janet Yellen, Defense nominee Lloyd Austin, Homeland Security nominee Alejandro Mayorkas, Secretary of State nominee Antony Blinken and Director of National Intelligence nominee Avril Haines were being questioned. Yellen at her confirmation hearing urged lawmakers to embrace Biden’s virus relief package, arguing that “the smartest thing we can do is act big.” Aides say Biden will use Wednesday’s inaugural address — one that will be delivered in front of an unusually small in-person group because of virus protocols and security concerns and is expected to run 20 to 30 minutes — to call for American unity and offer an optimistic message that Americans can get past this dark moment by working together. To that end, he extended invitations to Congress’ top four Republican and Democratic leaders to attend Mass with him at St. Matthew’s Cathedral ahead of the inauguration ceremony. As Biden presses bipartisanship, he’s also facing pressure from his left to go big right away, with the progressive wing of the Democratic Party calling on Senate Democrats to help by doing away with the chamber’s filibuster. “We are glad President-elect Biden is ready to start addressing the desperate needs of the American people and put forth a Covid aid proposal which begins to address the many issues we face,” the progressive groups Justice Democrats, Sunrise Movement and New Deal Strategies wrote in a memo on Monday. “We hope ten Senate Republicans will support it, but are not holding our breath. The big question is, what happens when Republicans block Biden?” Ahead of Biden’s arrival, 12 U.S. Army National Guard members were removed from the presidential inauguration security mission after they were found to have ties with right-wing militia groups or posted extremist views online, according to two U.S. officials. There was no threat to Biden, they said. The officials, a senior intelligence official and an Army official briefed on the matter, did not say which fringe group the Guard members belonged to or what unit they served in. The officials were not authorized to speak publicly and spoke to the Associated Press on condition of anonymity.

U.S. coronavirus death toll tops 400,000 in Trump's final hours

https://www.latimes.com/world-nation/story/2021-01-19/us-virus-death-toll-tops-400-000-in-trumps-final-hours

The U.S. death toll from the coronavirus eclipsed 400,000 on Tuesday in the waning hours in office for President Trump, whose handling of the crisis has been judged by public health experts a singular failure. The running total of lives lost, as compiled by Johns Hopkins University, is nearly equal to the number of Americans killed in World II. It is about the population of Tulsa, Okla.; Tampa, Fla.; or New Orleans. It is equivalent to the sea of humanity that was at Woodstock in 1969. It is just short of the estimated 409,000 Americans who died in 2019 of strokes, Alzheimer’s, diabetes, flu and pneumonia combined. And the virus isn’t finished with the U.S. by any means, even with the arrival of vaccines that could finally vanquish the outbreak: A widely cited model by the University of Washington projects the death toll will reach nearly 567,000 by May 1. While the Trump administration has been credited with Operation Warp Speed, the crash program to develop and distribute coronavirus vaccines, Trump has repeatedly downplayed the threat, mocked masks, railed against lockdowns, promoted unproven and unsafe treatments, undercut scientific experts and expressed scant compassion for the victims. Even his own bout with COVID-19 seemed to leave him unchanged. California Clearing the 3-million case mark means roughly 1 out of every 13 Californians has been infected at some point during the pandemic. Jan. 19, 2021 The White House defended the administration. “We grieve every single life lost to this pandemic, and thanks to the president’s leadership, Operation Warp Speed has led to the development of multiple safe and effective vaccines in record time, something many said would never happen,” said White House spokesman Judd Deere. President-elect Joe Biden takes office on Wednesday. The nation reached the 400,000 milestone in just under a year. The first known deaths from the virus in the U.S. were in early February 2020, both of them in Santa Clara County in California. While the count is based on figures supplied by government agencies around the world, the real death toll is believed to be significantly higher, in part because of inadequate testing and cases inaccurately attributed to other causes early on. It took four months to reach the first 100,000 dead. It took just over a month to go from 300,000 to 400,000. World & Nation Coronavirus deaths rise in nearly two-thirds of American states, pushing the overall toll toward 400,000, amid warnings of a new variant taking hold. Jan. 18, 2021

Janet Yellen pushes GOP senators on $1.9-trillion COVID-19 relief package

https://www.latimes.com/world-nation/story/2021-01-19/yellen-pushes-gop-senators-on-1-9-trillion-relief-package

Janet Yellen, President-elect Joe Biden’s choice as Treasury secretary, said Tuesday that the incoming administration would focus on winning quick passage of its $1.9-trillion pandemic relief plan, rejecting Republican arguments that the measure is too big given the size of U.S. budget deficits. “More must be done,” Yellen told the Senate Finance Committee during her confirmation hearing. “Without further action, we risk a longer, more painful recession now — and long-term scarring of the economy later.” Democrats voiced support for the Biden proposal while Republicans questioned spending nearly $2 trillion on top of the nearly $3 trillion in various packages that Congress passed last year. Republicans questioned elements of the Biden proposal such as providing an additional $1,400 stimulus check to individuals earning less than $75,000 per year. They also objected to the inclusion of such long-term Democratic goals as boosting the minimum wage to $15 an hour. Sen. Tim Scott (R-S.C.) said that the push for a higher minimum wage comes at a time when thousands of small businesses such as restaurants have gone under, and that it would lead to more job losses. Yellen said, however, that the increase in the minimum wage would help millions of front-line American workers who are risking their lives to keep their communities functioning and often working two jobs to put food on the table. “They are struggling to get by,” she said. Despite policy differences, Yellen, who would be the first woman to be Treasury secretary after being the first woman to be chair of the Federal Reserve, is expected to win quick Senate confirmation. Sen. Ron Wyden (D-Ore.), who will become Finance Committee chairman when Democrats take over the Senate, said it was his hope that Yellen could be confirmed by the full Senate as soon as Thursday. Biden last week unveiled a $1.9-trillion relief plan that would provide more aid to American families and businesses and more support for vaccine production and distribution as well as providing support for states and localities to avoid layoffs of teachers and first responders. Many Republicans raised the soaring budget deficits as a reason to be cautious in passing further relief. Last year, the budget deficit climbed to a record $3.1 trillion. Yellen said that she and Biden were aware of the country’s rising debt burden but felt that fighting the pandemic recession was currently more important. “Right now, with interest rates at historic lows, the smartest thing we can do is act big,” she said. “In the long run, I believe the benefits will far outweigh the costs, especially if we care about helping people who have been struggling for a very long time.” Also during Tuesday’s hearing, Yellen said that the U.S. won’t seek a weaker exchange rate to gain advantage over other nations, and that if she’s confirmed as Treasury secretary, she will work against any moves by other countries to pursue such a strategy. Yellen said she would work “to oppose any and all attempts by foreign countries to artificially manipulate currency values to gain advantage in trade.” Mark Sobel, a former U.S. Treasury official, said her stance felt like “a reiteration of the traditional policy.” “I think there was excessive market/media focus on the ‘strong dollar’ language” touted by the Trump administration, said Sobel, who is now at the Official Monetary and Financial Institutions Forum. “The dollar policy was traditionally always about letting the markets decide and keeping official views out of it, except in rare circumstances.” Yellen also said that the Biden administration will be prepared to take on China over what she said was its theft of intellectual property, dumping of products on global markets and adoption of subsidies for its businesses. Additionally, a noncommittal comment by Yellen convinced Treasury traders there’s a chance the U.S. will expand maturities in the world’s biggest bond market beyond 30 years. The Treasury Department has pondered ultralong bonds for years, but they’ve never been introduced, in part because of resistance from Wall Street. But Yellen touched on the topic Tuesday: “There is an advantage to funding the debt, especially when interest rates are very low, by issuing long-term debt, and I would be very pleased to look at this issue and examine what the market would be like for bonds of this maturity,” Yellen said when asked about longer-term debt, including 50-year Treasuries. Markets responded, with traders selling 30-year bonds. But that doesn’t mean a change is necessarily coming. “I think a 50-year bond is still a long shot,” said Subadra Rajappa, head of U.S. rates strategy at Societe Generale. Yellen was nominated to be chairwoman of the Fed by then-President Obama, and she stepped down in early 2018 after Trump decided not to nominate her for a second four-year term. Since leaving the Fed, Yellen has been a distinguished researcher at the Brookings Institution, a Washington think tank. In the financial disclosure forms filed with the committee, Yellen listed more than $7 million in speaking fees she has received from a number of top Wall Street firms such as Goldman Sachs and Citigroup since leaving the Fed. Yellen has agreed to recuse herself from Treasury matters involving certain firms that have compensated her for her talks. Yellen’s Treasury nomination was supported in a letter from eight previous Treasury secretaries serving both Republican and Democratic administrations. Bloomberg was used in compiling this report.

Meghan, Duchess of Sussex seeks court ruling over 'serious breach' of privacy

https://www.latimes.com/world-nation/story/2021-01-19/meghan-seeks-court-ruling-over-serious-breach-of-privacy

Lawyers for the Duchess of Sussex on Tuesday asked a British judge to settle her lawsuit against a newspaper before it goes to trial by ruling that its publication of a “deeply personal” letter to her estranged father was “a plain and a serious breach of her rights of privacy.” The former Meghan Markle’s latest attempt to protect her privacy laid bare more details of her fraught relationship with her estranged father, who claims he has been “vilified” as a dishonest publicity-seeker. The duchess, 39, is suing Associated Newspapers for invasion of privacy and copyright infringement over five February 2019 articles in the Mail on Sunday and on the MailOnline website that published portions of a handwritten letter to her father, Thomas Markle, after her marriage to Britain’s Prince Harry in 2018. Associated Newspapers is contesting the claim, and a full trial is due to be held in the autumn at the High Court, in what would be one of London’s highest-profile civil court showdowns for years. The duchess is seeking a summary judgment that would find in her favor and dismiss the newspaper’s defense case. Her lawyer, Justin Rushbrooke, argued that the publisher had “no real prospect” of winning the case. World & Nation The Duchess of Sussex lost an early round of a suit against a British tabloid that published excerpts of a letter she wrote to her estranged father. May 1, 2020 “At its heart, it’s a very straightforward case about the unlawful publication of a private letter,” he said at the start of a two-day hearing, held remotely because of COVID-19 pandemic restrictions. Lawyers for the duchess say Thomas Markle, a retired television cinematographer, caused anguish for Meghan and Harry before their May 2018 wedding by giving media interviews and posing for wedding-preparation shots taken by a paparazzi agency. In the end, he didn’t attend the wedding ceremony after suffering a heart attack. Rushbrooke said Meghan’s letter, sent in August 2018, was “a message of peace” whose aim was “to stop him talking to the press.” He said the duchess took steps to ensure that the five-page, 1,250-word letter wouldn’t be intercepted, sending it by FedEx through her accountant to her father’s home in Mexico. The letter implored Thomas Markle to stop speaking to the media, saying: “Your actions have broken my heart into a million pieces.” The last sentences, read out in court, were: “I ask for nothing other than peace. And I wish the same for you.” Rushbrooke said that the duchess is a public figure “does not reduce her expectation of privacy in relation to information of this kind.” He added that “the sad intricacies of a family relationship … is not a matter of public interest.” Entertainment & Arts Britain’s Prince Harry is suing the Mail on Sunday and its parent company over the publication of Meghan Markle’s private letter to her estranged father. Oct. 1, 2019 Lawyers for Associated Newspapers argue that Meghan wrote the letter knowing it would eventually be published. They say it came into the public domain when friends of the duchess described it in anonymous interviews with People magazine. Thomas Markle says he allowed the Mail to publish portions of the letter to “set the record straight” after reading the People article. In a written witness statement submitted by the defense, he said the article “had given an inaccurate picture of the contents of the letter and my reply and had vilified me by making out that I was dishonest, exploitative, publicity-seeking, uncaring and cold-hearted, leaving a loyal and dutiful daughter devastated.” “I had to defend myself against that attack,” he wrote. “The letter was not an attempt at a reconciliation. It was a criticism of me. The letter didn’t say she loved me. It did not even ask how I was. It showed no concern about the fact I had suffered a heart attack and asked no questions about my health. It actually signaled the end of our relationship, not a reconciliation.” In October, Judge Mark Warby agreed to Meghan’s request to postpone the trial, scheduled to begin this month, until October or November 2021. He said the reason for the delay should remain secret. Entertainment & Arts Prince Harry and Meghan preview their Archewell podcast with a special edition reflecting on 2020, featuring Stacey Abrams, Elton John, Tyler Perry and son Archie. Dec. 29, 2020 Meghan, an American actress and star of the TV legal drama “Suits,” married Harry, one of the grandsons of Queen Elizabeth II, in a lavish ceremony at Windsor Castle in May 2018. Their son, Archie, was born the following year. A year ago, Meghan and Harry announced they were quitting royal duties and moving to North America, citing what they said was the unbearable intrusions and racist attitudes of the British media. They recently bought a house in Santa Barbara, Calif.

Pompeo says China's policies on Muslims amount to 'genocide'

https://www.latimes.com/world-nation/story/2021-01-19/pompeo-says-chinas-policies-on-muslims-amount-to-genocide

On his way out the door, Secretary of State Michael R. Pompeo has hit China with new sanctions by declaring that China’s policies on Muslims and ethnic minorities in western Xinjiang province constitute a “genocide.” Pompeo made the determination on Tuesday just 24 hours before President-elect Joe Biden takes office. There was no immediate response from the incoming Biden team, although several members have been sympathetic to such a designation in the past. Pompeo’s determination does not come with any immediate repercussions. Many of those accused of having taken part in repression in Xinjiang are already under U.S. sanctions, and Tuesday’s move is the latest in a series of steps the outgoing Trump administration has taken against China. Since last year, the administration has steadily ramped up pressure on Beijing, imposing sanctions on numerous officials and companies for their activities in Taiwan, Tibet, Hong Kong and the South China Sea. Those penalties have gotten harsher since the beginning of last year when President Trump and Pompeo began to accuse China of trying to cover up the COVID-19 pandemic. Just on Saturday, Pompeo lifted restrictions on U.S. diplomatic contacts with Taiwanese officials, prompting a stern rebuke from China, which regards the island as a renegade province. Five days ago, the administration announced it would halt imports of cotton and tomatoes from Xinjiang, with Customs and Border Protection officials saying they would block products from there suspected of being produced with forced labor. Xinjiang is a major global supplier of cotton, so the order could have significant effects on international commerce. The Trump administration has already blocked imports from individual companies linked to forced labor in the region, and the U.S. has imposed sanctions on Communist Party officials with prominent roles in the campaign. World & Nation A vast system of Chinese surveillance, detention, cultural erasure and forced labor has devastated the Uighur people in Xinjiang, their homeland. Dec. 17, 2020 China has imprisoned more than 1 million people, including Uighurs and other mostly Muslim ethnic groups, in a vast network of concentration camps, according to U.S. officials and human rights groups. People have been subjected to torture, sterilization and political indoctrination in addition to forced labor as part of an assimilation campaign in a region whose inhabitants are ethnically and culturally distinct from the Han Chinese majority. China has denied all the charges, but Uighur forced labor has been linked by reporting from the Associated Press to various products imported to the U.S., including clothing and electronic goods such as cameras and computer monitors. China says its policies in Xinjiang aim only to promote economic and social development in the region and stamp out radicalism. It also rejects criticism of what it considers its internal affairs.

Elliott: Ducks goalie John Gibson has been excellent, but he needs some support from offense

https://www.latimes.com/sports/hockey/story/2021-01-19/ducks-john-gibson-shutout-wild

Probing the psyche of NHL goaltenders is a difficult task. The fortitude that enables them to face vulcanized rubber pucks flying toward them at 100 mph also makes them reluctant to discuss what they do — and even more reluctant to view themselves as supermen for preventing unreasonable numbers of pucks from getting past them. And so it was, after Ducks goalie John Gibson made 34 saves in a 1-0 victory over Minnesota on Monday at Honda Center, he barely shrugged when asked about the enormous weight he carried while leading the Ducks to a win in their home opener and their first triumph in three games this season. “It’s not up to me,” he said. “My job is to just stop the puck, so whether I get 10, 20 or 30, I mean, it’s my job and it’s what I’ve got to do.” He does it well. He also gets a lot of practice. Last season, behind a porous defense that got little help from the forwards, Gibson faced 1,613 shots in 53 games, the fifth-most shots any NHL goalie faced and an average of 30.43 shots per game. He often kept a bad team from being embarrassingly awful. Hockey When Kobe Bryant died in a helicopter crash, Ducks goalie John Gibson wanted to honor the Lakers legend with his mask. He knew just who to contact. Feb. 26, 2020 On Monday, with the Ducks’ defense depleted when defenseman Josh Manson sustained an upper-body injury late in the first period, Gibson was tested repeatedly and was up to each challenge. He had to be: The Ducks, who ranked 30th in the NHL in goals per game last season, have scored only four goals this season and haven’t converted any of their five power-play opportunities. Gibson, 27, became the fourth goalie in Ducks’ franchise history to record 20 shutouts, joining Jean-Sebastien Giguere (32), Guy Hebert (27) and Jonas Hiller (21). He also reduced his goals-against average at this early stage to 2.03 and increased his save percentage to a sparkling .937 while facing an average of just under 30 shots per game. “He’s been outstanding the last three games. And he gives us a chance to win every time,” said winger Nicolas Deslauriers, who took a feed from defenseman Kevin Shattenkirk and one-timed it past Minnesota goalie Cam Talbot for the Ducks’ goal, at 4:09 of the third period. Gibson’s best stretch came during a 14-save second period that included stops on three dangerous chances during a Minnesota power play. “On every play, even those really quick plays down from there’s a turnover or they’ve done a good job checking and bang, it’s right to the slot, he just looks so calm and so square and so big in the net,” Ducks coach Dallas Eakins said. “I always think when a goalie’s playing really well he makes big saves look really easy, and that’s certainly what he looked like tonight. He’s certainly dialed in and he’s faced a lot of work here, early. But he’s been excellent.” Gibson credited the team’s defensemen for their help, and that praise was deserved. Shattenkirk, who signed a three-year contract as a free agent before this season, played a game-high 29 minutes and eight seconds. His defense partner, Hampus Lindholm, was one second behind. The Ducks were credited with 14 blocked shots as a team, led by center Adam Henrique’s three blocks. “They all had to play well,” Gibson said of the remaining defensemen. “I think everybody stepped up, especially on the penalty kill, blocking shots. Minnesota is a good team, especially in front of the net.” Manson didn’t practice on Tuesday. Eakins said the veteran defenseman was “really tender” and will be evaluated on Wednesday, before the Ducks play host to Minnesota again. “We’re hoping that it settles down but my experience is that a guy doesn’t finish a game, it’s pretty rare he gets in that next one,” Eakins said. “We are crossing our fingers.” Andy Welinski, like Manson a right-handed shooter, would likely step in if needed. Kodie Curran also is a candidate. Defenseman Ben Hutton, a former King who signed a one-year deal with the Ducks last week, practiced with his new team for the first time on Tuesday but isn’t yet at full speed. Eakins is concerned about the early lack of offense, but that’s merely one item on his list. “We’re concerned about everything,” he said. “We’re concerned about how many goals we’re scoring, so we want to stay on that. We’re concerned with the number of goals that we give up, so we’re going to stay on that. We’re concerned about our power play, our penalty kill. We’re concerned about everything. Everything.” At least they don’t have to be concerned about their penalty killing — which is seven for seven — or about Gibson’s goaltending, which is a key reason their penalty killers have been successful. Hockey The Kings’ 4-3 loss to Minnesota was a mishmash of good and bad that shouldn’t have happened, even in a season opener that followed a 10-month break. Jan. 15, 2021 The only support Gibson got on Monday resulted from a clever play that featured Carter Rowney driving to the net. Rowney passed to his right to Shattenkirk, who held the puck before sliding a perfectly timed pass that Deslauriers snapped into the upper-left corner of the net from the bottom of the left circle. A few more goals like that — and maybe a goal or two during their rare manpower advantages — would mean Gibson won’t have to operate with such thin margins while carrying a weighty load most games. Just because he can handle a lot of shots doesn’t mean he should have to do that on a regular basis. “I just think the best is yet to come from him,” Eakins said. “I think he’s really, really maturing not only into an excellent goaltender but as a man, too. He’s got a family now. He’s got a lot going on in his life. I think it’s suiting him very well.” Carrying a heavy load suits Gibson and as long as he withstands that pressure, the Ducks have a hope of contending for one of the four West division playoff berths in this pandemic-shortened season. If they gave him some help carrying that load, their hopes could turn into something more solid.

Coronavirus deaths rising in 30 U.S. states amid winter surge

https://www.latimes.com/world-nation/story/2021-01-18/coronavirus-deaths-rising-in-30-us-states-amid-winter-surge

Coronavirus deaths are rising in nearly two-thirds of American states as a winter surge pushes the overall toll toward 400,000 amid warnings that a new, highly contagious variant is taking hold. As Americans observed a national holiday Monday, New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo pleaded with federal authorities to curtail travel from countries where new variants are spreading. Referring to new versions detected in Britain, South Africa and Brazil, Cuomo said: “Stop those people from coming here.... Why are you allowing people to fly into this country and then it’s too late?” The U.S. government has already curbed travel from some of the places where the new variants are spreading — such as Britain and Brazil — and recently it announced that it would require proof of a negative COVID-19 test for anyone flying into the country. But the new variant seen in Britain is already spreading in the U.S., and the Centers for Disease Control and Protection has warned that it will probably become the dominant version in the country by March. The CDC said the variant is about 50% more contagious than the virus that is causing the bulk of cases in the U.S. While the variant does not cause more severe illness, it can cause more hospitalizations and deaths simply because it spreads more easily. In Britain, it has aggravated a severe outbreak that has swamped hospitals, and it has been blamed for sharp leaps in cases in some other European countries. As things stands, many U.S. states are already under tremendous strain. The seven-day rolling average of daily deaths is rising in 30 states and the District of Columbia, and on Monday the U.S. death toll surpassed 398,000, according to data collected by Johns Hopkins University — by far the highest recorded death toll of any country in the world. One of the states hardest hit during the recent surge is Arizona, where the rolling average has risen over the past two weeks from about 90 deaths per day to about 160 per day on Jan. 17. Rural Yuma County — known as the winter lettuce capital of the U.S. — is now one of the state’s hot spots. Exhausted nurses there are now regularly sending COVID-19 patients on a long helicopter ride to hospitals in Phoenix when they don’t have enough staff. The county has lagged on coronavirus testing in heavily Latino neighborhoods and just ran out of vaccines. But some support is coming from military nurses and a new wave of free tests for farmworkers and the elderly in Yuma County. Amid the surge, a vast effort is underway to get Americans vaccinated, but the campaign is off to an uneven start. According to the latest federal data, about 31.2 million doses of vaccine have been distributed, but only about 10.6 million people have received at least one dose. In California, the most populous state, counties are pleading for more vaccine as the state tries to reduce a high rate of infection that has led to record numbers of hospitalizations and deaths. Although the state last week said anyone age 65 and older can start receiving the vaccine, Los Angeles County and some others have said they don’t have enough to inoculate so many people. They are concentrating on protecting healthcare workers and the most vulnerable elderly in care homes first. On Monday, the superintendent of the Los Angeles Unified School District sent a letter asking for state and county authorization to provide vaccinations at schools for staff, local community members — and for students once a vaccine for children has been approved. The death rate from COVID-19 in Los Angeles County — an epicenter of the U.S. pandemic — works out to about one person every six minutes. On Sunday, the South Coast Air Quality Management District suspended some pollution-control limits on the number of cremations for at least 10 days in order to deal with a backlog of bodies at hospitals and funeral homes. In other areas of the country, officials are working to ensure that people take the vaccine once they’re offered it amid concerns that many people are hesitant to take it. Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan, in a livestreamed event on Martin Luther King Jr. Day, received a shot, and urged other Marylanders to do likewise. “We’re all looking forward to the day we can take off and throw away our masks ... when we can go out for a big celebration at our favorite crowded restaurant or bar with all our family and friends,” Hogan said. “The only way we are going to return to a sense of normalcy is by these COVID-19 vaccines.” In New York, Cuomo said the state, which has recorded more than 41,000 deaths, is “in a footrace” between the vaccination rate and the infection rate. He said federal authorities needed to improve their efforts to get vaccine doses distributed swiftly. Similar challenges are surfacing worldwide. The World Health Organization chief on Monday lambasted drugmakers’ profits and vaccine inequalities, saying it’s “not right” that younger, healthier adults in some wealthy countries get vaccinated against COVID-19 before older people or healthcare workers in poorer countries. Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus began WHO’s executive board meeting by lamenting that one poor country received a mere 25 vaccine doses while over 39 million doses have been administered in nearly 50 richer nations. “Just 25 doses have been given in one lowest income country — not 25 million, not 25,000 — just 25. I need to be blunt: The world is on the brink of a catastrophic moral failure,” Tedros said. He did not specify the country, but a WHO spokeswoman identified it as Guinea. Tedros nonetheless hailed the scientific achievement behind rolling out coronavirus vaccines less than a year after the pandemic erupted in China. “Vaccines are the shot in the arm we all need, literally and figuratively,” Tedros said. “But we now face the real danger that even as vaccines bring hope to some, they become another brick in the wall of inequality between the worlds of the world’s haves and have-nots.”

Twitter suspends Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene over election fraud claims

https://www.latimes.com/world-nation/story/2021-01-17/twitter-suspends-us-congresswoman-over-election-fraud-claims

Twitter on Sunday temporarily suspended the account of Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, the Republican U.S. congresswoman from Georgia who has expressed racist views and support for QAnon conspiracy theories online. Greene’s account was suspended “without explanation,” she said in a statement, while also condemning big tech companies for “silencing” conservative views. The 46-year-old businesswoman and political newcomer was elected to represent Georgia’s 14th Congressional District in November. She’s gained large followings on social media in part by posting incendiary videos and comments and has also embraced QAnon, a far-right U.S. conspiracy theory centered around the debunked belief that President Trump is waging a secret campaign against enemies in the “deep state” and a child sex trafficking ring they say is linked to Democrats. World & Nation Protests by armed right-wing groups erupted at some state capitols, but remained small and peaceful Jan. 17, 2021 Before noon Sunday, Greene posted a clip from an interview with a local news outlet in which she condemned Georgia election officials and expressed support for debunked theories claiming that voting machines, absentee ballots and other issues led to widespread fraud in the state during the presidential election. Twitter responded to the tweet, and others, with a message that called the election fraud claim “disputed,” and saying it posed “a risk of violence.” A statement from Greene’s team on Sunday included screenshots from Twitter that appeared to show the company informing the congresswoman she had violated its rules and would be prohibited from interacting with content on the site for 12 hours. Greene urged Congress to “act to protect free speech” in her statement. The action comes a little more than a week after Twitter banned Trump from the platform, citing “the risk of further incitement of violence” following the deadly insurrection at the U.S. Capitol this month. Politics QAnon is the baseless conspiracy theory that President Trump is battling a powerful group of elites who, among other crimes, run a child sex ring. July 15, 2020 As of Jan. 12, Twitter had also suspended more than 70,000 accounts associated with QAnon as it attempted to rein in harmful activity ahead of the presidential inauguration. Twitter has said it is taking action against online behavior “that has the potential to lead to offline harm” after a mob of Trump supporters violently stormed the Capitol building on Jan. 6. The company did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Greene’s suspension.

Egypt unveils ancient funerary temple south of Cairo

https://www.latimes.com/world-nation/story/2021-01-17/egypt-unveils-ancient-funerary-temple-south-of-cairo

Egypt’s former antiquities minister and noted archaeologist Zahi Hawass on Sunday revealed details of an ancient funerary temple in a vast necropolis south of Cairo. Hawass told reporters at the Saqqara necropolis that archaeologists unearthed the temple of Queen Neit, wife of King Teti, the first king of the Sixth Dynasty that ruled Egypt from 2323 B.C. till 2150 B.C. Archaeologists also found a 13-foot long papyrus that includes texts of the Book of the Dead, which is a collection of spells aimed at directing the dead through the underworld in ancient Egypt, he said. Hawass said archaeologists also unearthed burial wells, coffins and mummies dating to the New Kingdom that ruled Egypt between about 1570 B.C. and 1069 B.C. They unveiled at least 22 burial shafts up to 40 feet deep, with more than 50 wooden coffins dating back to the New Kingdom, said Hawass, who is Egypt’s best known archaeologist. Hawass, known for his Indiana Jones hat and TV specials on Egypt’s ancient sites, said work has been done at the site close to the Pyramid of Teti for more than a decade. The discovery was the result of cooperation between the Antiquities Ministry and the Zahi Hawass Center at the Bibliotheca Alexandrina. The Saqqara site is part of the necropolis at Egypt’s ancient capital of Memphis that includes the famed Giza pyramids as well as smaller pyramids at Abu Sir, Dahshur and Abu Ruwaysh. The ruins of Memphis were designated a UNESCO World Heritage site in the 1970s. In recent years, Egypt has heavily promoted new archaeological finds to international media and diplomats in the hope of attracting more tourists to the country. The vital tourism sector suffered from years of political turmoil and violence that followed a 2011 uprising that toppled autocrat Hosni Mubarak.

Biden says his advisors will lead with 'science and truth'

https://www.latimes.com/world-nation/story/2021-01-16/biden-says-his-advisers-will-lead-with-science-and-truth

In a dig at the outgoing Trump administration, President-elect Joe Biden introduced his slate of scientific advisors Saturday with the promise that they would summon “science and truth” to combat the coronavirus pandemic, climate crisis and other challenges. “This is the most exciting announcement I’ve gotten to make,” Biden said after weeks of Cabinet and other nominations and appointments. “This is a team that is going to help restore your faith in America’s place in the frontier of science and discovery.” Biden is elevating the position of science advisor to Cabinet level, a White House first, and said that Eric Lander, a pioneer in mapping the human genome who is in line to be director of the Office of Science and Technology Policy, is “one of the most brilliant guys I know.” The president-elect, Vice President-elect Kamala Harris, Lander and other top science advisors never mentioned Trump’s name, but they framed the inauguration Wednesday as a clean break from a president who downplayed the threat of COVID-19 and declared the science behind climate change to be a hoax. “The science behind climate change is not a hoax. The science behind the virus is not partisan,” Harris said. “The same laws apply, the same evidence holds true regardless of whether or not you accept them.” California Los Angeles County surpassed 1 million coronavirus cases since recording its first infection nearly a year before. Jan. 16, 2021 Biden emphasized how scientific research leads to practical progress and better quality of life, from the COVID-19 vaccines and new cancer treatments to clean energy expansion that reduces carbon emissions. “Science is discovery. It’s not fiction,” Biden said. “It’s also about hope.” And, again without naming Trump, the president-elect said one of his team’s tasks will be to gird public faith in science and its usefulness. Lander added that Biden has tasked his advisors and “the whole scientific community and the American public” to “rise to this moment.” Biden and Harris also veered from their prepared texts to hold up the scientists as examples to children across the country. “Superheroes aren’t just about our imagination,” Harris said. “They are walking among us. They are teachers and doctors and scientists, they are vaccine researchers ... and you can grow up to be like them, too.” Lander is the founding director of the Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard and was the lead author of the first paper announcing the details of the human genome. He would be the first life scientist to have that White House job. His predecessor is a meteorologist. The president-elect is retaining the director of the National Institutes of Health, Dr. Francis Collins, who worked with Lander on the human genome project. Biden also named two prominent female scientists to co-chair the President’s Council of Advisors on Science and Technology. Frances Arnold, a Caltech chemical engineer who won the 2018 Nobel Prize in chemistry, and MIT vice president for research and geophysics professor Maria Zuber will lead the outside science advisory council. Lander held that position during Obama administration. Biden picked Princeton’s Alondra Nelson, a social scientist who studies science, technology and social inequality, as deputy science policy chief. The president-elect noted the team’s diversity and repeated his promise that his administration’s science policy and investments would target historically disadvantaged and underserved communities. Nelson celebrated that commitment. “As a Black woman researcher, I am keenly aware of those who are missing from these rooms,” she said. “I believe we have a responsibility to work together to make sure that our science and technology reflects us ... who we truly are together.” Science organizations were quick to praise Lander and the promotion of the science post to Cabinet level. The job as director of science and technology policy requires Senate confirmation. Elevating the position “clearly signals the administration’s intent to involve scientific expertise in every policy discussion,” said Sudip Parikh, chief executive officer of the American Assn. for the Advancement of Science, the world’s largest general scientific society. Lander, also a mathematician, is a professor of biology at Harvard and MIT, and his work has been cited nearly half a million times in scientific literature, one of the most among scientists. He has won numerous science prizes, including a MacArthur “genius” fellowship and a Breakthrough Prize, and is one of Pope Francis’ scientific advisors. “As a kid growing up in Brooklyn, I saw America go to the moon,” Lander said, adding that “no nation is better equipped than America to lead the search for solutions” that “advance our health, our economic welfare and our national security.”

In Germany, Angela Merkel's party elects the pragmatic Armin Laschet as leader

https://www.latimes.com/world-nation/story/2021-01-16/germany-merkels-party-elects-pragmatic-laschet-as-leader

Chancellor Angela Merkel’s center-right party on Saturday chose Armin Laschet, the pragmatic governor of Germany’s most populous state, as its new leader — sending a signal of continuity months before an election in which voters will decide who becomes the new chancellor. Laschet will have to build unity in the Christian Democratic Union, Germany’s strongest party, after beating more conservative rival Friedrich Merz. And he will need to plunge straight into an electoral marathon that culminates with the Sept. 26 national vote. Saturday’s vote isn’t the final word on who will run as the center-right CDU’s candidate for chancellor in September, but Laschet will either run himself or have a big say in who does. He didn’t address his plans at Saturday’s convention. Laschet, 59, was elected in 2017 as governor of North Rhine-Westphalia state, a traditionally center-left stronghold. He governs the region in a coalition with the pro-business Free Democrats, the CDU’s traditional ally, but would likely be able to work smoothly with a more liberal partner, too. Current polls point to the environmentalist Greens as a likely key to power in the election. Laschet pointed Saturday to the value of continuity and moderation, and cited the storming of the U.S. Capitol by supporters of President Trump as an example of where polarization can lead. “Trust is what keeps us going and what has been broken in America,” he told delegates before the vote. “By polarizing, sowing discord and distrust, and systematically lying, a president has destroyed stability and trust.” “We must speak clearly but not polarize,” Laschet said. “We must be able to integrate, hold society together.” He said that the party needs “the continuity of success” and “we will only win if we remain strong in the middle of society.” Laschet said that “there are many people who, above all, find Angela Merkel good and only after that the CDU.” He added that ”we need this trust now as a party” and that “we must work for this trust.” Laschet beat Merz, a former rival of Merkel who was making his second attempt in recent years to win the CDU leadership, by 521 votes to 466. A third candidate, prominent lawmaker Norbert Roettgen, was eliminated in a first round of voting. Merz’s sizable support suggests that a strong contingent would like a sharper conservative profile after the Merkel years. Merkel has led Germany since 2005 but said over two years ago that she wouldn’t seek a fifth term as chancellor. Merkel, 66, has enjoyed enduring popularity with voters as she steered Germany and Europe through a series of crises. But she repeatedly abandoned orthodox conservative policies, for example by accelerating Germany’s exit from nuclear energy and ending military conscription. Her decision in 2015 to allow in large numbers of migrants caused major tensions on the center-right and strengthened the far-right Alternative for Germany party. Saturday’s vote ends a nearly yearlong limbo in Germany’s strongest party since outgoing leader Annegret Kramp-Karrenbauer, who narrowly beat Merz in 2018 to succeed Merkel as CDU leader but failed to impose her authority, announced her resignation. A vote on her successor was delayed twice because of the coronavirus pandemic. Laschet called for unity after Saturday’s vote and said Merz remains “an important personality for us.” “All the questions that will face us after the pandemic need a broad consensus in our party,” he said. “And we will need this consensus for all the elections that are ahead of us, too. Everyone will be against us.” Laschet, a miner’s son who served as a member of the European Parliament from 1999 to 2005, shouldn’t expect much of a honeymoon in his new job. In addition to the national election, Germany is holding six state elections this year, the first two in mid-March.

Damaged roads, lack of gear hinder quake rescue in Indonesia

https://www.latimes.com/world-nation/story/2021-01-16/damaged-roads-lack-of-gear-hinder-indonesia-quake-rescue

Damaged roads and bridges, power blackouts and lack of heavy equipment Saturday hampered rescuers after a strong earthquake left at least 46 people dead and hundreds injured on Indonesia’s Sulawesi island. Operations were focused on about eight locations in the hardest-hit city of Mamuju, where people were still believed trapped following early Friday’s magnitude 6.2 quake, said Saidar Rahmanjaya, who heads the local search and rescue agency. Cargo planes carrying food, tents, blankets and other supplies from Jakarta landed late Friday for distribution in temporary shelters. Still, thousands of people spent the night in the open fearing aftershocks and a possible tsunami. Raditya Jati, a spokesperson for National Disaster Mitigation Agency, said rescuers had so far recovered the bodies of 37 victims in Mamuju and nine in neighboring Majene district. At least 415 houses in Majene were damaged and about 15,000 people were moved to shelters, Jati said. Bodies retrieved by rescuers were sent to a police hospital for identification by relatives, said West Sulawesi police spokesperson Syamsu Ridwan. He said more than 200 people were receiving treatment in the Bhayangkara police hospital and several others in Mamuju alone. An additional 630 were injured in Majene. Among those pulled alive was a young girl who was stuck in the wreckage of a house with her sister. The girl was seen in video released by the disaster agency Friday crying for help. She was being treated in a hospital. She identified herself as Angel and said that her sister, Catherine, who did not appear in the video, was beside her under the rubble and was still breathing. The fate of Catherine and other family members was unclear. The quake set off landslides in three locations and blocked a main road connecting Mamuju to Majene. Power and phone lines were down in many areas. Mamuju, the capital of West Sulawesi province with nearly 75,000 people, was strewn with debris from collapsed buildings. A governor office building was almost flattened by the quake and a shopping mall was reduced to a crumpled hulk. A large bridge collapsed and patients with drips were on folding beds under tarpaulin tents outside one of the damaged hospitals. Two hospitals in the city were damaged and others were overwhelmed. Many survivors said that aid had not reached them yet due to damaged roads and disrupted communications. Video from a TV station showed villagers in Majene, some carrying machetes, forcibly stopping vehicles carrying aid. They climbed onto a truck and threw boxes of instant noodles and other supplies at dozens of people who were scrambling to get them. Two ships headed to the devastated areas from the nearby cities of Makassar and Balikpapan with rescuers and equipment, including excavators. State-owned firm AirNav Indonesia, which oversees aircraft navigation, said the quake did not cause significant damage to the Mamuju airport runway or control tower. Indonesian President Joko Widodo said Friday that he instructed his Cabinet ministers and disaster and military officials to coordinate the response. In a telegram sent by the Vatican on behalf of Pope Francis, the pontiff expressed “heartfelt solidarity with all those affected by this natural disaster.” The pope was praying for “the repose of the deceased, the healing of the injured and the consolation of all who grieve.” Francis also offered encouragement to those continuing search and rescue effects, and he invoked “the divine blessings of strength and hope.” International humanitarian missions including the Water Mission, Save the Children and the International Federation of Red Cross said in statements that they have joined in efforts to provide relief for people in need. Indonesia, home to more than 260 million people, is frequently hit by earthquakes, volcanic eruptions and tsunamis because of its location on the Ring of Fire, an arc of volcanoes and fault lines in the Pacific Basin. In 2018, a magnitude 7.5 earthquake in Palu on Sulawesi island set off a tsunami and caused soil to collapse in a phenomenon called liquefaction. More than 4,000 people were killed, including many who were buried when whole neighborhoods were swallowed in the falling ground. A massive magnitude 9.1 earthquake off Sumatra island in western Indonesia in December 2004 triggered a tsunami that killed 230,000 people in a dozen countries.

12 Afghan militiamen killed in insider attack, police say; Taliban claims responsibility

https://www.latimes.com/world-nation/story/2021-01-16/official-2-insider-attackers-kill-12-afghan-militiamen

At least two members of an Afghan militia opened fire on their fellow militiamen in the western province of Herat, killing 12, in what provincial police on Saturday described as an insider attack. Herat police spokesman Abdul Ahad Walizada said the attackers fled with the slain militiamen’s weapons and ammunition, adding that Afghan government forces had regained control of the area. In a tweet, Taliban spokesman Yousaf Ahmadi claimed responsibility for the attack, which took place late Friday. Meanwhile, a sticky bomb attached to an armored police SUV exploded Saturday in Kabul, killing two policemen and wounding another, Kabul police spokesman Ferdaws Faramarz said. Faramarz did not specify the identities of the casualties. However, two members of the Afghan police force, speaking on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to brief the media, said Kabul’s deputy police chief, Mawlana Bayan, was wounded in the attack. Politics U.S. troops are rushing to exit Afghanistan as the insurgency it never managed to defeat regains ground across much of the country. No one immediately claimed responsibility for the bombing in Kabul. In the southern Helmand province, a suicide car bomber targeted a police compound late Friday, killing one policeman and wounding two others, provincial police spokesman Zaman Hamdard said. The attack took place in the Lashkar Gah district on the highway between southern Helmand province and the city of Kandahar. No one immediately claimed responsibility for the attack in Helmand. The Islamic State group has claimed responsibility for multiple attacks in the capital in recent months, including on educational institutions that killed 50 people, most of them students. Islamic State has claimed responsibility for rocket attacks in December that targeted the major U.S. military base in Afghanistan. There were no casualties. The violence comes as the representatives of the Taliban and the Afghan government earlier this month resumed peace talks in Qatar. However, the negotiations were off to a slow start as the insurgents continue their attacks on Afghan government forces while keeping their promise not to attack U.S. and NATO troops. The stop-and-go talks are aimed at ending decades of relentless conflict. Frustration and fear have grown over the recent spike in violence and each side blames the other. There has also been growing doubt lately over a U.S.-Taliban deal brokered by the outgoing Trump administration. That accord was signed last February. Under the deal, an accelerated withdrawal of U.S. troops ordered by President Trump means that just 2,500 American soldiers will still be in Afghanistan when President-elect Joe Biden takes office on Wednesday.

Fake U.S. leg band may save pigeon from execution in Australia

https://www.latimes.com/world-nation/story/2021-01-14/fake-us-leg-band-may-get-pigeon-a-reprieve-in-australia

A pigeon that Australia declared a biosecurity risk may get a reprieve after a U.S. bird organization declared its identifying leg band was fake. The band suggested the bird found in a Melbourne backyard on Dec. 26 was a racing pigeon that had left the U.S. state of Oregon, 8,000 miles away, two months earlier. On that basis, Australian authorities on Thursday said they considered the bird a disease risk and planned to kill it. But Deone Roberts, sport development manager for the Oklahoma-based American Racing Pigeon Union, said on Friday the band was fake. The band number belongs to a blue bar pigeon in the United States and that is not the bird pictured in Australia, she said. “The bird band in Australia is counterfeit and not traceable,” Roberts said. “It definitely has a home in Australia and not the U.S.” “Somebody needs to look at that band and then understand that the bird is not from the U.S. They do not need to kill him,” she added. Counterfeiting bird bands is “happening more and more,” Roberts said. “People coming into the hobby unknowingly buy that.” “If Joe has come in a way that has not met our strict biosecurity measures, then bad luck Joe, either fly home or face the consequences.” — Michael McCormack, acting Australian prime minister Pigeon racing has seen a resurgence in popularity, and some birds have become quite valuable. A Chinese pigeon racing fan put down a record price of $1.9 million in November for a Belgian-bred pigeon. Acting Australian Prime Minister Michael McCormack said he did not know what the fate of the bird named Joe, after the U.S. president-elect, would be. But there would be no mercy if the pigeon were from the United States. “If Joe has come in a way that has not met our strict biosecurity measures, then bad luck Joe, either fly home or face the consequences,” McCormack told reporters. But Martin Foley, health minister for Victoria state where Joe lives, called for the federal government to spare the bird. “I would urge the Commonwealth’s quarantine officials to show a little bit of compassion,” Foley said. Joe is ruffling a few feathers. I’m trying to hatch a plan to save him. Sign my petition for a pigeon pardon now: https://t.co/Sca5qfEi9R pic.twitter.com/DUC046g9Ly Andy Meddick, a Victorian lawmaker for the minor Animal Justice Party, called for a “pigeon pardon for Joe.” “Should the federal government allow Joe to live, I am happy to seek assurances that he is not a flight risk,” Meddick said. Melbourne resident Kevin Celli-Bird, who found the emaciated bird in his backyard, was surprised by the development and pleased that the bird he had named Joe might not be destroyed. “Yeah, I’m happy about that,” Celli-Bird said, referring to news that Joe probably is not a biosecurity threat. Celli-Bird had contacted the American Racing Pigeon Union to find the bird’s owner based on the number on the leg band. The bands have both a number and a symbol, but Celli-Bird didn’t remember the symbol and said he can no longer catch the bird since it has recovered from its initial weakness. The bird with the genuine leg band had disappeared from a 350-mile race in Oregon on Oct. 29, Crooked River Challenge owner Lucas Cramer said. That bird did not have a racing record that would make it valuable enough to steal its identity, he said. “That bird didn’t finish the race series, it didn’t make any money and so it’s worthless, really,” Cramer said. He said it was possible a pigeon could cross the Pacific on a ship from Oregon to Australia. “It does happen. We get birds in the United States that come from Japan,” Cramer said. “In reality, it could potentially happen, but this isn’t the same pigeon. It’s not even a racing pigeon.” The bird spends every day in the backyard, sometimes with a native dove on a pergola. Celli-Bird has been feeding it pigeon food from within days of its arrival. “I think that he just decided that since I’ve given him some food and he’s got a spot to drink, that’s home,” he said. Lars Scott, a carer at Pigeon Rescue Melbourne, a bird welfare group, said pigeons with American leg bans were not uncommon around the city. A number of Melbourne breeders bought them online and used them for their own record-keeping, Scott said. Australian quarantine authorities are notoriously strict. In 2015, the government threatened to euthanize two Yorkshire terriers, Pistol and Boo, after they were smuggled into the country by Hollywood star Johnny Depp and his ex-wife Amber Heard. Faced with a 50-hour deadline to leave Australia, the dogs made it out in a chartered jet.

Capitol insurrection displayed many of the symbols of American racism

https://www.latimes.com/world-nation/story/2021-01-14/years-of-white-supremacy-threats-culminated-in-capitol-riots

Amid the American flags and Trump 2020 posters at the U.S. Capitol during last week’s insurrection were far more sinister symbols: A man walking the halls of Congress carrying a Confederate flag. Banners proclaiming white supremacy and anti-government extremism. A makeshift noose and gallows ominously erected outside. In many ways the hate-filled display was the culmination of a series of such events over the last few years, including the deadly 2017 “Unite the Right” rally in Charlottesville, Va., that gathered extremist factions from across the country under a single banner. “These displays of white supremacy are not new,” said Lecia Brooks, chief of staff of the Southern Poverty Law Center. “Now it’s just reached a fever pitch.” Extremist groups, including the pro-Trump, far-right, anti-government Oath Keepers and the Three Percenters, a loose anti-government network that’s part of the militia movement, were among those descending on the halls of power on Jan. 6. World & Nation Race double standard seen by many observers as rioters storm U.S. Capitol Jan. 7, 2021 The hateful imagery included an anti-Semitic “Camp Auschwitz” sweatshirt created years ago by white supremacists, who sold them on the now-defunct website Aryanwear, said Aryeh Tuchman, associate director for the Anti-Defamation League’s Center on Extremism. Also among the rioters were members of Groyper Army, a loose network of white nationalists, the white supremacist New Jersey European Heritage Assn., and the far-right extremist Proud Boys, along with other known white supremacists, Tuchman said. Although not all the anti-government groups were explicitly white supremacist, Tuchman said many support white supremacist beliefs. “Anyone who flies a Confederate flag, even if they claim it’s about heritage and not hate, we need to understand that it is a symbol of white supremacy,” Tuchman said. Brooks said it was also important to note the demographics of the riotous crowd, which was overwhelmingly white. Within that context, even more traditional symbols of American patriotism, like the American flag, or political preference, such as “Trump 2020” signs, served to give the symbols of hate a pass. “You can wrap yourself in the American flag and call yourself a patriot and say you’re acting on behalf of the country, that you’re serving to protect the country. … But what America were you standing up for?” she asked. “One that continues to support and advance white supremacy? Or one that welcomes and embraces a multiracial, inclusive democracy? That’s the difference.” World & Nation Law enforcement officers ring state capitol buildings nationwide, bracing for protesters and attempted repeats of the storming of the U.S. Capitol last week. Jan. 14, 2021 The proliferation of white supremacist symbolism has a long history, with two clear peaks in the civil rights efforts following Reconstruction and during the civil rights movement of the 1950s and 1960s, Brooks said. Now, as the U.S. reckons with systemic racism following the police killing of George Floyd, she said Confederate symbols have been displayed more prominently, including at smaller-scale white supremacist rallies and by counterprotesters carrying Confederate flags at Black Lives Matter gatherings across the country. “This is a response, and it’s not a new response,” Brooks said. “Every time there is progress in asserting civil rights, there’s a backlash. Confederate iconography is a means to reassert white supremacy when it is thought to be threatened.” Confederate flags and white supremacist symbols were also present at the 2017 “Unite the Right” rally in Charlottesville that turned deadly when a driver mowed his car into counterprotesters. The rally, which left one counterprotester dead, brought several neo-Nazi, white supremacist and related groups together, much like the Capitol insurrection, Brooks said. “This merging of groups you see in Charlottesville and that you saw at the Capitol last week doesn’t usually happen,” she said. “But they’re desperate. They are convinced that they’re this grave minority that is being threatened and needs to stick together and rally under the moniker of hatred.” World & Nation The extremist groups behind Wednesday’s pro-Trump mob violence plan to take the fight to state capitols, but are also hobbled by divisions. One rioter, Josiah Colt, expressed regret. Jan. 8, 2021 Karen Cox, a historian of the American South and Confederate symbols, said the phenomenon echoes the so-called “Lost Cause” mythology, the pseudo-historical ideology that the cause of the Confederacy during the Civil War was just and heroic — an assertion that lives on in the hearts of many who tote the Confederate flag today. She said that for many extremists, including those present at the Capitol insurrection, President Trump’s election loss has become a new “Lost Cause” of sorts. “This is their new ‘Lost Cause’ and a continuation of the original ‘Lost Cause,’” she said. “They’ve lost, but they hold onto that [Confederate] flag to show that they still feel justified.” “Same thing here. ‘We lost this election, but our cause was just.’ And as long as they still hold onto this ‘Lost Cause,’ these symbols aren’t going away.” “We are 150 years after the Civil War and people are still waving that flag,” Cox added. “This has been here for so long, it’s going to take a long time to go away — if it can.” As rioters besieged Capitol Hill, demonstrations flared at statehouses across the country. An internal FBI bulletin has warned of plans for armed protests at all 50 state capitals and in Washington, in the days leading up to President-elect Joe Biden’s inauguration. Brooks said she worries the rampage at the Capitol and proliferation of white supremacist symbols will encourage similar actions at state capitals. “The insurrection last week helped embolden and radicalize people in such a way that it’s going to be even more threatening,” she said. “This risk of an insurrection like this happening again is hanging over us.” Democratic Rep. Jamie Raskin of Maryland was inside the Capitol as the violent mob made its way inside. Raskin, who is Jewish, chairs the Subcommittee on Civil Rights and Civil Liberties in Congress and has sat through multiple hearings about the dangers of violent white supremacy. He said he was shocked by the “open manifestations of pro-racist and pro-Nazi ideology.” “This massive attack on the Capitol and invasion of the Congress would be shocking and criminal enough even if these people had no racist or anti-Semitic intent at all,” he said. “But when you add in the elements of violent white extremism, you can see how profoundly dangerous this is to the future of our country.” Tuchman said he is encouraged by the disgust many Americans have expressed and hopes it will make such symbols less publicly acceptable. But he said these images hold a power that may continue to menace the nation’s democracy. “Images can encapsulate the beliefs of extremist movements,” he said. “They can popularize them. ... Symbols can be the entryway into extremism and radicalization.”

Man gets life prison sentence for killing on Maryland college campus

https://www.latimes.com/world-nation/story/2021-01-14/man-gets-life-prison-sentence-for-killing-on-college-campus

A white man who stabbed a Black college student to death at a bus stop on the University of Maryland’s flagship College Park campus was sentenced Thursday to life in prison for what prosecutors claimed was a racially motivated hate crime. Sean Urbanski, 25, apologized to the parents of 23-year-old Richard Collins III for the “horrible pain” he caused them and said he wishes he could “go back and change what happened” on the night in May 2017 when he killed the newly commissioned Army lieutenant. “There hasn’t been a day that’s gone by where I haven’t thought about what I’ve done to you, and if I could switch places with your son I would in a heartbeat,” Urbanski told Dawn and Richard Collins Jr. during a hearing conducted by videoconference. Prosecutors had sought the maximum sentence of life in prison without the possibility of parole, but Prince George’s County State’s Atty. Aisha Braveboy and defense attorney William Brennan said after the hearing that Urbanski will be eligible for parole under the judge’s sentence. Circuit Court Judge Lawrence V. Hill Jr. dismissed a hate-crime charge against Urbanski before a jury convicted him of first-degree murder in December 2019. But the judge said Thursday that he believes race and alcohol both were factors in the killing. Hill said he doesn’t believe it was a coincidence that Urbanski stabbed the only Black person at the bus stop that night. “Race is always amongst us in the things we do and things we say,” the judge said. Collins’ parents said they wake up every night around the same time that their son was killed. They can’t bring themselves to clean out his room. “With the passage of time, we have come to the realization that racist hate was the murderer’s only motivation for killing our son,” Richard Collins Jr. said. Urbanski’s mother told Collins’ parents that the “horror and devastation” of knowing that her son killed their son is with her every day. “Your son Richard should be here, and it’s my son Sean’s fault that he’s not,” Elizabeth Urbanski said. Before the jury’s verdict, Hill ruled that prosecutors didn’t meet their legal burden of showing that racial hatred motivated Urbanski to stab Collins, who didn’t know his assailant. But he noted Thursday that he made that ruling before the hate-crime law was changed. Last year, Maryland enacted legislation bearing Collins’ name to strengthen the state’s hate-crime law so prosecutors don’t have to prove hate is the only motivating factor in committing a crime. The change expanded the law to apply to crimes motivated “either in whole or in substantial part” by race, color, religious belief, sexual orientation, gender, disability or national origin. Collins’ parents had lobbied for a change in the law. The judge allowed prosecutors to present evidence that Urbanski saved at least six photographs of racist memes on his cellphone and liked a Facebook group called “Alt-Reich: Nation.” Prosecutors said alcohol and racist propaganda poisoned Urbanski’s mind and emboldened him to act on his hatred of Black people. “Every murder victimizes more than just the deceased,” a county prosecutor, Jonathon Church, told the judge. “A murder borne out of hate has a ripple effect on the human race.” Defense attorneys said there was no evidence of a racial motive for the killing. An expert witness for the defense concluded Urbanski’s blood-alcohol level was three times the legal limit at the time of the killing. Defense attorneys didn’t dispute Urbanski killed Collins and conceded he committed a crime, but they argued he was too drunk to have the intent or premeditation necessary to support a first-degree murder conviction. They urged jurors to convict Urbanski of second-degree murder, which carries a maximum sentence of 30 years in prison. Collins was commissioned as a second lieutenant in the U.S. Army shortly before his death. He was days from graduating from Bowie State University, a historically Black college, and was celebrating with a friend at bars on the night of his killing. Urbanski had been enrolled at the University of Maryland’s College Park campus. He too was drinking with friends at bars before the killing. About 3:30 a.m. May 20, 2017, Urbanski approached Collins while he waited at a bus stop for an Uber driver with a white man who was his friend and an Asian woman whom they had just met. Urbanski brandished a folding knife as he approached the friends from a wooded area, according to prosecutors. “Step left, step left if you know what’s best for you,” Urbanski told them, according to police. “No,” Collins said before Urbanski stabbed him once in his chest. Urbanski then pocketed the knife and sat down on a bench until police arrived and arrested him at the bus stop. “My son committed the unpardonable sin of saying, ‘No,’ to a white man,” a tearful Dawn Collins told the judge. She said her son, her husband and her father-in-law all proudly served their country. “Not white America. Not Black America. The United States of America,” she said.

Joanne Rogers, widow of TV's famed Mister Rogers and concert pianist, dies at 92

https://www.latimes.com/world-nation/story/2021-01-14/joanne-rogers-widow-of-tvs-famed-mister-rogers-dies-at-92

Joanne Rogers, the widow of Fred Rogers and an accomplished concert pianist, has died. She was 92. Rogers, who nurtured the memory and legacy of the gentle TV host who entertained and educated generations of preschoolers on “Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood” after his 2003 death, died Thursday, according to the Fred Rogers Center. No cause of death was given. Movies Making the most of a beautiful day with Mrs. Rogers. At 91, Joanne Rogers tends to the legacy of her late husband, known to generations as Mister Rogers. But she doesn’t want him put on a pedestal, even with Tom Hanks playing him in a movie, and she tells a reporter why. Nov. 26, 2019 Joanne and Fred Rogers were married for more than 50 years. Joanne, who had her own music career, “was a joyful and tender-hearted spirit, whose laughter and kindness will be deeply missed,” the Fred Rogers Center said in a Facebook post, calling her a “trusted anchor whose heart and wisdom have guided our work in service of Fred’s enduring legacy.” After her husband’s death, Joanne helped develop the Fred Rogers Center for Early Learning and Children’s Media at St. Vincent College in his hometown of Latrobe, Pa. Born Sara Joanne Byrd in 1928, she met her future husband at Rollins College in Florida. Fred Rogers Productions is deeply saddened by the passing of Joanne Rogers. The loving partner of Fred Rogers for more...

National Guard troops flood in as Washington locks down ahead of inauguration

https://www.latimes.com/world-nation/story/2021-01-14/national-guard-troops-flooding-in-as-washington-locks-down

All through downtown Washington, the primary sound for several blocks was the beeping of forklifts unloading more fencing. There were no cars or scooters and seemingly no tourists Wednesday, just the occasional jogger and multiple construction crews at work. The U.S. Capitol, which proved such a soft target last week, was visible only through lines of tall, black fence. Two blocks from the White House, a group of uniformed National Guard troops emerged from a tour bus and headed into a hotel as a state of lockdown descended on Washington that will last through the Jan. 20 inauguration. The number of National Guard troops coming to Washington to assist with security has so far grown to about 21,000, Army Gen. Daniel Hokanson, chief of the National Guard Bureau, told Vice President Mike Pence at a briefing Thursday. And officials have said the number could grow as law enforcement agencies review the ongoing threats. “Clearly we are in uncharted waters,” said Washington Mayor Muriel Bowser. Last week’s violent insurrection at the Capitol by supporters of outgoing President Trump has “impacted the way we are approaching working with our federal partners in planning for the 59th inauguration,” Bowser said Wednesday. Politics In a U.S. Capitol surrounded by troops, GOP lawmakers refuse to hold President Trump accountable for mob violence. Jan. 13, 2021 The FBI has warned that armed protests by violent Trump supporters were being planned in all 50 state capitals as well as in Washington for the days leading up to the inauguration of President-elect Joe Biden. Between the pandemic and the security threat, Bowser is asking people not to come to the District of Columbia for the inauguration. And at Bowser’s request, a National Special Security Event declaration was moved up to Jan. 13, a distinction she said “puts in place an entirely different command and control structure” for security. The NSSE status is normal for a presidential inauguration and other major events like an international summit or the Super Bowl. But it’s rare to start the lockdown so far in advance of the event. Police vehicles sealed off a huge swath of downtown D.C. on Wednesday, causing immediate traffic snarls. Starting Wednesday, Bowser said, anyone inside the inauguration perimeter might be stopped and questioned. Starting Friday, all parking garages in the downtown restricted zone will be sealed through the inauguration. Bowser is asking D.C. residents to avoid the downtown area entirely, and the city announced that 13 Metro stations inside the security perimeter will shut down for several days. Bowser is also being pushed to deny lodging options to potentially violent protesters. The local Black Lives Matter affiliate and Shutdown DC issued a joint statement Wednesday urging all downtown hotels to voluntarily close and pay their staffs. In addition to the threat of violence, the activist groups say Trump supporters are a threat to the health of hotel staff for their general refusal to wear face masks during the pandemic. Several downtown hotels, including one which had become a favorite hangout of the militant Proud Boy faction, chose to avoid trouble by closing last week. “Closing hotels completely for these six nights is the only way to guarantee the safety of hotel workers, neighbors, vulnerable and unhoused residents, incoming administration officials, members of Congress, and our democracy,” the statement said. “If hotels do not willingly close, we ask Mayor Bowser to extend today’s emergency order and close all hotels in the city.” World & Nation Law enforcement officers ring state capitol buildings nationwide, bracing for protesters and attempted repeats of the storming of the U.S. Capitol last week. Jan. 14, 2021 On Wednesday, Airbnb announced it was canceling all reservations in the Washington metro area. Bowser said she had been in regular contact with Airbnb officials since last week, but did not specifically request this step. “We are aware of reports emerging yesterday afternoon regarding armed militias and known hate groups that are attempting to travel and disrupt the Inauguration,” a company statement said. “We are continuing our work to ensure hate group members are not part of the Airbnb community.” On the ground, much of the most visible security will come in the form of the National Guard troops, some of them armed. Pentagon officials approved requests to have some of them carry either long guns or handguns, particularly those assigned near the Capitol building. The officials spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss security details. National Guard members operate under strict rules of engagement on the use of force. But generally speaking, troops can use lethal force to protect the lives of others and themselves. D.C. Police Chief Robert Contee estimated Wednesday that more than 20,000 National Guard members would be active in the city on Inauguration Day. But officials said Thursday that law enforcement had requested many more, and the number approved by the Pentagon is now 21,000. As of Thursday, there were roughly 7,000 already in the city, with thousands more en route. The length of their missions may vary, but Defense Department officials were authorized to deploy the Guard for up to 30 days for the inauguration and surrounding protests. U.S. defense officials say state leaders have made it clear that their priority is to protect their own capitals, which are on alert against violent protests or attacks, but they also have given assurances that they will have enough troops to send some support to the U.S. Capitol.

Flint water probe brings charges against ex-governor, others

https://www.latimes.com/world-nation/story/2021-01-14/flint-water-probe-brings-charges-against-ex-governor-others

A new investigation of the Flint water disaster led to charges against nine people, including former Michigan Gov. Rick Snyder and key members of his administration, who are accused of various crimes in a calamitous plan that contaminated the community with lead and contributed to a fatal outbreak of Legionnaires’ disease, authorities said Thursday. Nearly seven years after the doomed decision to use the Flint River, pipes at more than 9,700 Flint homes have been replaced and water quality has greatly improved. But prosecutors said it’s not too late to pursue people responsible for one of the worst human-made environmental disasters in U.S. history. It’s the second time that six of the nine people have faced charges; their previous cases were dropped in 2019 when a new prosecution team took over. Snyder is the biggest new name in the bunch, though his alleged crimes are not as serious as others: two misdemeanor counts of willful neglect of duty. Snyder’s former health director, Nick Lyon, and ex-chief medical executive, Dr. Eden Wells, were charged with involuntary manslaughter in the 2015 deaths of nine people with Legionnaires’. Authorities said they failed to alert the public about a regional spike in Legionnaires’ when the water system might have lacked enough chlorine to combat bacteria in the river water. “The Flint water crisis is not some relic of the past,” Fadwa Hammoud of the state attorney general’s office told reporters. “At this very moment, the people of Flint continue to suffer from the categorical failure of public officials at all levels of government who trampled upon their trust and evaded accountability for far too long.” The charges stemmed from evidence presented to Judge David Newblatt, who served as a secret one-person grand jury. All nine defendants pleaded not guilty during a series of brief court appearances. The indictment alleges that Snyder failed to check the “performance, condition and administration” of his appointees and protect Flint’s nearly 100,000 residents when he knew the threat. The Republican served as governor from 2011 through 2018. Wearing a mask, Snyder, 62, said little during his hearing, which was conducted by video. He replied, “Yes, your honor,” when asked if he was living in Michigan. A conviction carries up to a year in jail. Snyder has acknowledged that his administration failed in Flint. But his attorney, Brian Lennon, said a criminal case against him was a “travesty.” “These unjustified allegations do nothing to resolve a painful chapter in the history of our state,” Lennon said. “Today’s actions merely perpetrate an outrageous political persecution.” In 2014, a Snyder-appointed emergency manager, Darnell Earley, who was running the financially struggling, majority Black city, carried out a money-saving decision to use the Flint River for water while a pipeline from Lake Huron was under construction. The corrosive water, however, was not treated properly, a misstep that freed lead from old plumbing and into homes. Despite desperate pleas from residents holding jugs of discolored, skunky water, the Snyder administration, especially drinking water regulators, took no significant action until a doctor publicly reported elevated lead levels in children about 18 months later. Lead can damage the brain and nervous system and cause learning and behavior problems. Flint’s woes were highlighted as an example of environmental injustice and racism. The city resumed getting water from a Detroit regional system in October 2015, though bottled water and filters were distributed for months. Former Mayor Karen Weaver, who was elected in 2015 after the disaster was recognized, said Snyder deserved more than misdemeanors. “Snyder got a slap on the wrist, and Flint got a slap in the face. ... Not only did people lose their lives through Legionnaires’, we know women who had stillbirths and miscarriages,” Weaver said. Authorities counted at least 90 cases of Legionnaires’ disease in Genesee County during the 2014-15 water switch, including 12 deaths. Legionella bacteria can trigger a severe form of pneumonia when spread through misting and cooling systems. Defense attorney Chip Chamberlain said Lyon, the former health director, relied on the advice of experts when following the Legionnaires’ spike and forming policy as head of a sprawling agency. “This is a dangerous day for state employees,” Chamberlain said of the charges. Prosecutors charged Earley and another former Flint manager, Gerald Ambrose, with misconduct. Rich Baird, a friend and close adviser to Snyder, was charged with extortion, perjury and obstruction of justice. Jarrod Agen, who was Snyder’s chief of staff, was charged with perjury. Attorney Charles Spies disputed the charge against Agen and said he cooperated “fully and truthfully” with investigators. The indictment accuses Baird, a Flint native, of making threats during a university-led investigation of the Legionnaires’ outbreak. He’s also accused of lying during an interview with Flint water investigators in 2017. “There are no velvet ropes in our criminal justice system,” Hammoud said. “Nobody — no matter how powerful or well-connected — is above accountability when they commit a crime.” Separately, the state, Flint, a hospital and an engineering firm have agreed to a $641 million settlement with residents. A judge said she hopes to decide by Jan. 21 whether to grant preliminary approval. Melodie Ingraham, 61, whose skin was irritated by the tainted water, said the criminal charges don’t mean much to her. “It’s awful late in the day. They’re worried about the wrong thing,” Ingraham said. “The issue is getting Flint back up and running, being safe again.”

Groups sue EPA to rescind transfer of wetlands authority to Florida

https://www.latimes.com/world-nation/story/2021-01-14/groups-sue-federal-epa-to-rescind-florida-wetlands-authority

Environmental groups filed suit in federal court Thursday to undo a decision by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency last month that handed Florida officials primary regulatory authority over the state’s wetlands. The groups contend that the decision could further destroy the state’s dwindling inventory of marshes, swamps and other sensitive ecosystems that account for a fifth of the country’s remaining wetlands. In their lawsuit filed in U.S. District Court in Washington, D.C., the groups say the EPA’s decision last month would allow developers in Florida to get projects fast-tracked by avoiding the federal scrutiny that developments in other states get under a host of federal environmental laws. “EPA is lowering the bar to allow a state, for the first time, to run the federal wetlands program without meeting federal standards,” said Tania Galloni, Earthjustice’s managing attorney for Florida. “Developers have called this the ’holy grail’ because it would make it easier, faster and cheaper for them to get permits for big projects with less oversight and accountability for environmental impacts.” Florida had about 20 million acres of wetlands around the time it became a state in 1845. By 1996, the state had lost nearly half of that because of dredging, draining and filling. The state’s population growth has spawned a boom in development, which has prompted much of that destruction. Among the state’s most prized environmental jewels is the Florida Everglades, which is currently the focus of a massive restoration project costing billions of dollars to undo decades of damage, including the draining of huge swaths of its marshes. Wetlands serve a key role in the ecosystem, including helping maintain water quality and absorbing floodwaters. The state Department of Environmental Protection said the lawsuit was under review and had no immediate comment. Florida’s request to gain sole permitting authority was launched under the administration of Gov. Rick Scott, now a U.S. senator, who said the EPA’s action does away with “duplicative rules on the state and federal levels” that, he said, “were a waste of taxpayer dollars and created confusion for everyone involved.” Current Gov. Ron DeSantis took on that mantle and recently formally petitioned the federal government to transfer that authority. Florida became the third state to gain broader permitting authority of wetlands under the federal Clean Water Act. Michigan and New Jersey had been granted similar authority decades ago. The lawsuit says that granting Florida greater authority over wetlands could “threaten to open the floodgates” for other states to seek similar authority. Environmentalists had hoped to delay the decision to allow the Biden administration to weigh in. Environmental groups have vowed legal challenges, arguing that the application was rushed and failed to take into account a host of issues, including the state’s ability to adequately perform the environmental analysis that the U.S. Army Corp of Engineers and other federal agencies had performed. Florida’s secretary of environmental protection, Noah Valenstein, had said the state would respect “the underpinnings and protections of law and the Clean Water Act” and would use his department’s local expertise to drive development decisions. “We are passionate about our resources in the state of Florida. Whenever we can have our team of scientists and permitters issue the permits that allows us to be in the driver’s seat, that’s what we want to do,” Valenstein said last month when the EPA granted the state’s request for broader wetlands oversight. The announcement by EPA Administrator Andrew Wheeler was long sought by developers and Republican allies, who argued that the layers of regulatory scrutiny were cumbersome, expensive and unnecessary. Supporters touted the move as a step that would streamline the permitting process when property owners seek to develop wetlands. Florida officials pushed through the request ahead of the inauguration of President-elect Joe Biden on Wednesday, and permitting oversight of wetlands now shifts to the state Department of Environmental Protection. The lawsuit was filed by Earthjustice on behalf of the Center for Biological Diversity, Defenders of Wildlife, the Sierra Club, the Conservancy of Southwest Florida, Florida Wildlife Federation, Miami Waterkeeper and St. Johns Riverkeeper.

New York attorney general sues NYPD over Floyd protest response

https://www.latimes.com/world-nation/story/2021-01-14/ny-attorney-general-sues-nypd-over-floyd-protest-response

New York’s attorney general sued the New York Police Department on Thursday, calling the rough treatment of protesters against racial injustice last spring part of a long-standing pattern of abuse that stemmed from inadequate training, supervision and discipline. Atty. Gen. Letitia James’ lawsuit includes dozens of examples of alleged misconduct during the demonstrations after George Floyd’s death at the hands of police, including using pepper spray and batons on protesters, trapping demonstrators with a technique called kettling, and arresting medics and legal observers. “We found a pattern of deeply concerning and unlawful practices that the NYPD utilized in response to these largely peaceful protests,” James said at a news conference announcing the lawsuit. James was tasked by Gov. Andrew Cuomo with investigating whether NYPD officers used excessive force to quell unrest and enforce Mayor Bill de Blasio’s nightly curfew. She issued a preliminary report in July that cited a “clear breakdown of trust between police and the public.” James is seeking reforms including the appointment of a federal monitor to oversee the NYPD’s policing tactics at future protests and a court order declaring that the policies and practices the department used during the protests were unlawful. The lawsuit in federal court named the city, De Blasio, Police Commissioner Dermot Shea and Chief of Department Terence Monahan as defendants. James criticized De Blasio for saying the use of kettling was justified and Shea for saying that the NYPD “had a plan which was executed nearly flawlessly” when officers aggressive cracked down on protesters on June 4 in the Bronx. In June, at the height of the protests, De Blasio was accused of misleading the city when he told reporters that he personally saw “no use of force around peaceful protests,” even after officers had been caught on video moving on demonstrators without provocation and bashing them with batons. De Blasio said he met with James on Wednesday and that they share the goal of pushing for major police reforms, such as implementing recommendations in previous reports on the NYPD’s protest response. De Blasio said however that he did not agree a lawsuit was the solution. “A court process and the added bureaucracy of a federal monitor will not speed up this work,” De Blasio said. “There is no time to waste, and we will continue to press forward.” John Miller, the NYPD’s deputy commissioner of intelligence and counter-terrorism, said that the department is committed to reform but that James’ lawsuit “doesn’t seem to meet the standard for a federal monitor, and it doesn’t seem to illustrate a pattern and practice” as required. The head of the city’s largest police union blamed a “failure of New York City’s leadership” for sending officers “to police unprecedented protests and violent riots with no plan, no strategy and no support.” “They should be forced to answer for the resulting chaos, instead of pointing fingers at cops on the streets and ignoring the criminals who attacked us with bricks and firebombs,” Police Benevolent Assn. President Patrick Lynch said. James’ lawsuit is the second major legal action to stem from the NYPD’s handling of the protests. In October, the New York Civil Liberties Union and the Legal Aid Society sued the city on behalf of protesters who say they were assaulted and abused by police. Andrew Smith, a Black man who was seen on video getting pepper-sprayed in the face by a white officer who’d tore down his face mask, said that officer “showed the world the inadequate training, the violent racist culture of the NYPD when he attacked me when my hands were high up in the air.” A civil rights organization and a city watchdog agency have also criticized the department’s actions. Human Rights Watch issued a report in November on the Bronx crackdown, and the city’s inspector general issued a report in December that found that the NYPD was caught off guard by the size of the protests and resorted to aggressive tactics that stoked tensions and stifled free speech. Mark Winston Griffith, a spokesman for the advocacy group Communities United for Police Reform, applauded the lawsuit, saying, “NYPD violence against protesters is a long-standing problem, and it’s a credit to Atty. Gen. James that she’s using the power of her office to challenge the systemic lack of accountability for this violence.” In a statement, the New York Civil Liberties Union and the Legal Aid Society said, “We hope this will be the beginning of a serious reckoning over police violence and militarized use of force against protesters, especially people of color, and a check on the impunity many officers have come to see as their right.”

Expanded vaccine rollout in U.S. spawns a new set of problems

https://www.latimes.com/world-nation/story/2021-01-14/expanded-vaccine-rollout-in-us-spawns-a-new-set-of-problems

The rapid expansion of COVID-19 vaccinations to senior citizens across the U.S. has led to bottlenecks, system crashes and hard feelings in many states because of overwhelming demand for the shots. Mississippi’s Health Department stopped taking new appointments the same day it began accepting them because of a “monumental surge” in requests. People had to wait hours to book vaccinations through a state website or a toll-free number Tuesday and Wednesday, and many were booted off the site because of technical problems and had to start over. In California, counties begged for more coronavirus vaccine to reach millions of their senior citizens. Hospitals in South Carolina ran out appointment slots within hours. Phone lines were jammed in Georgia. “It’s chaos,” said New York City resident Joan Jeffri, 76, who had to deal with broken hospital web links and unanswered phone calls before her daughter helped her secure an appointment. “If they want to vaccinate 80% of the population, good luck, if this is the system. We’ll be here in five years.” Up until the last few days, healthcare workers and nursing home patients had been given priority in most places around the U.S. But amid frustration over the slow rollout, states have thrown open the line to many of the nation’s 54 million senior citizens with the blessing of the Trump administration, though the minimum age varies from place to place, at 65, 70 or higher. On Thursday, New Jersey expanded vaccinations to people between 16 and 65 with certain medical conditions — including up to 2 million smokers, who are more prone to health complications. The U.S., meanwhile, recorded 3,848 deaths on Wednesday, down from an all-time high of 4,327 the day before, according to Johns Hopkins University. The nation’s overall death toll from COVID-19 has topped 388,000. More than 11.1 million Americans, or over 3% of the U.S. population, have gotten their first shot of the vaccine, a gain of about 800,000 from the day before, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said Thursday. The goal of inoculating anywhere between 70% and 85% of the population to achieve herd immunity and conquer the outbreak is still many months away. Hard-hit Los Angeles County, the nation’s most populous county with 10 million residents, said it couldn’t immediately provide shots to senior citizens because it had inoculated only about a quarter of its 800,000 healthcare workers. “We’re not done with our healthcare workers, and we actually don’t have enough vaccine right now to be able to get done more quickly,” Public Health Director Barbara Ferrer said. “We haven’t heard back from the state about vaccine availability and how it would be distributed.” Santa Clara County health officials said the county of 2 million people had only enough vaccine to inoculate people 75 and older, not the 65-and-older crowd. “It’s almost like a beauty contest. And this should not be a beauty contest,” County Supervisor Cindy Chavez said. “This is about life and death.” In Mississippi, officials said new appointments will probably have to wait until a hoped-for shipment of vaccines in mid-February. In South Carolina, Kershaw Health in Camden implored people not to call its hospitals or doctors to schedule vaccine appointments after receiving more than 1,000 requests in two days. State health authorities said their hotline got 5,000 calls on Wednesday. Francis Clark said she tried repeatedly to schedule an appointment for her 81-year-old mother, who lives alone outside Florence, S.C, and doesn’t have internet access. But the local hospital had no openings on Wednesday, Clark said, and the other vaccination sites are too far away. “My mom can’t drive to Charleston,” Clark said. “She’s too old.” Allison Salerno, an audio producer from Athens, Ga., said she spent the better part of a day calling her state’s health department to get a vaccine appointment for her 89-year-old mother. “I started calling at 8:30 a.m. and on the 67th call I was finally put on hold,” Salerno said. “I had already pre-registered her two weeks before online, but I never received a confirmation.” After Salerno had spent 65 minutes on hold, someone finally came on the line and gave her mother a Saturday appointment. “My mother has not been out since the beginning of the pandemic,” Salerno said. “She’s a very healthy woman and she wants to go to the grocery store, she wants to get her hair done.” Meanwhile, some states, like Minnesota, are waiting before throwing open the doors. “As we learn more, we will work to make sure everyone who is eligible for a vaccine knows how, where, and when they can get their shots,” the state Health Department said in an email. “Everyone’s opportunity to get vaccinated will come; it will just take some time.” Arizona, which had the nation’s highest COVID-19 diagnosis rate over the last week, will start signing up people 65 and older next week. It also plans to open a vaccination site at Phoenix Municipal Stadium in addition to the one dispensing thousands of shots daily at the home of the NFL’s Arizona Cardinals. To step up the pace of vaccinations, South Carolina made a rule change allowing medical students, retired nurses and other certain professionals to administer the shots. California lawmakers are increasing the pressure on Gov. Gavin Newsom to likewise expand authorization for who can give injections to include nursing students, retired medical workers, firefighters and National Guard members with medical training. Newsom said the state’s priority is to deliver vaccines “as quickly as possible to those who face the gravest consequences.” He urged patience for those not yet eligible, saying: “Your turn is coming.” Jeffri, the New Yorker, spent several days trying to book a vaccination and once actually received a slot, only to get a follow-up text saying they didn’t have the doses. Finally, with some online sleuthing from her daughter, the retired arts administration professor got an appointment for her first shot — two weeks from now. “It’s a relief,” said Jeffri, who wrote to Gov. Andrew Cuomo about her ordeal. “But I’m not sure I trust it until it’s done.”

Tyler Perry and MPTF to get humanitarian award at Oscars

https://www.latimes.com/entertainment-arts/awards/story/2021-01-14/tyler-perry-and-mptf-to-get-humanitarian-award-at-oscars

Filmmaker Tyler Perry and the Motion Picture and Television Fund are being honored with the Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences said Thursday. The group that puts on the Oscars decided to give the award to two recipients this year in recognition of the “widespread generosity” that they’ve witnessed amid the pandemic. It’s also the first time an organization has received the award. Both Perry and the MPTF have strived to help people in the entertainment industry impacted by the health crisis. Perry helped create a safe way for many to return to work at his Tyler Perry Studios while the MPTF has provided social services to nearly 9,000 members. Awards Our BuzzMeter film experts predict the 2021 Oscar winners. You can vote, too - polls are open in all 10 categories they pick. April 22, 2021 “Tyler’s cultural influence extends far beyond his work as a filmmaker,” said academy president David Rubin in a statement. “He has quietly and steadily focused on humanitarian and social justice causes from the beginning of his career, caring for people who are most often ignored.” Rubin added that, “the work of the MPTF is more vital than ever, and the organization has gone above and beyond to help our community.” There have been 39 Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Awards given since 1957, with recipients including Bob Hope, Oprah Winfrey and, most recently, Geena Davis. Perry and the MPTF will receive their Oscar statuettes at the 93rd Academy Awards on April 25. For over 10 years, the award has been presented at the untelevised Governors Awards, but this year because of the pandemic it is shifting back to the main ceremony.

Biden taps Jaime Harrison to serve as Democratic chairman

https://www.latimes.com/politics/story/2021-01-14/biden-taps-jaime-harrison-democratic-chairman

Jaime Harrison, the failed South Carolina Senate candidate and longtime Democratic Party official, is President-elect Joe Biden’s choice to lead the national party, according to multiple party officials. Harrison is expected to be elected without any significant opposition when the Democratic National Committee convenes in a virtual session next Thursday, the day after Biden is inaugurated. The officials spoke on condition of anonymity because the decision hasn’t been announced. The 44-year-old comes to the job with strong support from state party chairs around the country and from House Majority Whip Jim Clyburn (D-S.C.), a close Biden ally and the highest-ranking Black member of Congress. Harrison is also Black, giving Biden a boost in his pledge to assemble a racially and ethnically diverse Cabinet and leadership team. “Everyone cleared the field for Jaime,” said Texas Democratic Chairman Gilberto Hinojosa. “Everybody was supportive of this. The state parties really felt it was important to get somebody like Jaime because of the importance of ensuring the national committee keeps strengthening state parties.” Politics As a candidate, Joe Biden promised to restore “normal” government and transform America. To help, his Cabinet will be historically diverse but heavy on Obama alumni. Dec. 19, 2020 Harrison served previously as South Carolina Democratic Party chairman. He ran for DNC chair in 2017, when Tom Perez was elected to become the party’s first Latino chairman. He challenged Republican Sen. Lindsey Graham in 2020, drawing record sums of campaign contributions from across the country. But Graham, a close ally of President Trump, ultimately won by nearly 10 percentage points. A Yale University and Georgetown Law graduate who tells often of growing up in poverty in South Carolina, Harrison first rose to prominence working on Capitol Hill in Clyburn’s office.

Justice Department failed 'zero tolerance' border policy management, report says

https://www.latimes.com/world-nation/story/2021-01-14/govt-watchdog-doj-failed-zero-tolerance-management

Justice Department leaders under President Trump knew their 2018 “zero tolerance” border policy would result in family separations but pressed on with prosecutions even as other agencies became overwhelmed with migrants, a government watchdog report released Thursday has found. The report from the inspector general for the Justice Department found that leadership failed to prepare to implement the policy or manage the fallout, which resulted in more than 3,000 family separations and caused lasting emotional damage to children who were taken from their parents at the border. The policy was widely condemned by world leaders, religious groups and lawmakers in the U.S. as cruel. Former Atty. Gen. Jeff Sessions, along with other top leaders in the Trump administration, were bent on curbing immigration. The “zero tolerance” policy was one of several increasingly restrictive policies aimed at discouraging migrants from coming to the Southern border. Trump’s administration also vastly reduced the number of refugees allowed into the U.S. and all but halted asylum at the border, through a combination of executive orders and regulation changes. President-elect Joe Biden has said Trump’s restrictive immigration policies are harmful, but it’s not clear yet what he will do when he gets in office to alter the system. The “zero tolerance” policy meant that any adult caught crossing the border illegally would be prosecuted for illegal entry. Because children cannot be jailed with their family members, families were separated and children were taken into custody by Health and Human Services, which manages unaccompanied children at the border. The policy was a colossal mess; there was no system created to reunite children with their families. The watchdog report found that it led to a $227-million funding shortfall. Opinion Trump used executive action to carry out his immigration agenda, so Biden can unwind it in the same way. Dec. 2, 2020 According to the report, department leaders underestimated how difficult it would be to carry out in the field and did not inform local prosecutors and others that children would be separated. They also failed to understand that children would be separated longer than a few hours, and when that was discovered, they pressed on. The policy began April 6, 2018, under an executive order that was issued without warning to other federal agencies that would have to manage the policy, including the U.S. Marshals Service and Health and Human Services. It was halted June 20, 2018. The watchdog report found that judges, advocacy groups and even federal prosecutors raised concerns over the policy. But Sessions and others wrongly believed that arrests at the border would not result in prolonged separation, and ignored the difficulty in reuniting families. Justice leadership looked at a smaller version of the policy enacted in 2017 in West Texas, but ignored some of the same concerns raised by judges and prosecutors at that time. Top leaders were focused solely on increased illegal activity and didn’t seek information that would have shown concerns over the family separations that would result. The report follows other scathing investigations of the policy, adding to the evidence that Trump administration officials knew a zero-tolerance policy would result in family separations and inflict trauma on immigrant parents and children. A watchdog report from Department of Health and Human Services found that children separated at the border, many already distressed by their life in their home countries or by their journey, showed more fear, feelings of abandonment and post-traumatic stress symptoms than children who were not separated. The chaotic reunification process only added to their ordeal. In a November 2017 email, a top Health and Human Services official wrote that there was a shortage of “beds for babies” as an apparent result of separations in and around El Paso, Texas, that occurred months before the national policy began. Other emails suggest that the Department of Homeland Security did not tell HHS officials about the pilot program, even as government facilities for minors run by HHS saw an uptick of children who had been taken from their parents. The emails were released by congressional Democrats in an October 2020 report. And close to three years after the Trump administration enacted zero-tolerance, more than 600 parents who were separated from their children have still not been located by a group of outside lawyers working to reunite families, according to a court filing Wednesday.

Lady Gaga to sing anthem, Jennifer Lopez to perform at Biden-Harris inauguration

https://www.latimes.com/world-nation/story/2021-01-14/lady-gaga-to-sing-anthem-j-lo-to-perform-at-inauguration

Lady Gaga will sing the national anthem at Joe Biden’s inauguration, and Jennifer Lopez will give a musical performance on the West Front of the U.S. Capitol when Biden is sworn in as the nation’s 46th president next Wednesday. The announcement of their participation comes one day after word that Tom Hanks will host a 90-minute prime-time TV special celebrating Biden’s inauguration. Other performers include Justin Timberlake, Jon Bon Jovi, Demi Lovato and Ant Clemons. At the swearing-in ceremony, the Rev. Leo O’Donovan, a former Georgetown University president, will give the invocation, and the Pledge of Allegiance will be led by Andrea Hall, a firefighter from Georgia. There will be a poetry reading from Amanda Gorman, the first national youth poet laureate, and the benediction will be given by the Rev. Silvester Beaman of Bethel African Methodist Episcopal Church in Wilmington, Del. Television Tom Hanks will host “Celebrating America,” a Biden-Harris inauguration TV special featuring Justin Timberlake, Demi Lovato, Jon Bon Jovi and others. Jan. 13, 2021

Australia to kill pigeon that crossed the Pacific from Oregon

https://www.latimes.com/world-nation/story/2021-01-14/australia-to-kill-pigeon-that-crossed-pacific-from-oregon

A racing pigeon has survived an extraordinary 8,000-mile Pacific Ocean crossing from the United States to find a new home in Australia. Now authorities consider the bird a quarantine risk and plan to kill it. Kevin Celli-Bird said Thursday that the exhausted bird arrived in his Melbourne backyard on Dec. 26. He later discovered that it had disappeared from a race in Oregon on Oct. 29. Experts suspect the pigeon that Celli-Bird has named Joe, after the U.S. president-elect, hitched a ride on a cargo ship to cross the Pacific. Joe’s feat has attracted the attention of the Australian media but also of the notoriously strict Australian Quarantine and Inspection Service. Celli-Bird said quarantine authorities called him on Thursday to ask him to catch the bird. “They say if it is from America, then they’re concerned about bird diseases,” he said. “They wanted to know if I could help them out. I said, ‘To be honest, I can’t catch it. I can get within [20 inches] of it and then it moves.’ ” He said quarantine authorities were now considering contracting a professional bird catcher. The Agriculture Department, which is responsible for biosecurity, said the pigeon was “not permitted to remain in Australia” because it “could compromise Australia’s food security and our wild bird populations.” “It poses a direct biosecurity risk to Australian bird life and our poultry industry,” a department statement said. In 2015, the government threatened to euthanize two Yorkshire terriers, Pistol and Boo, after they were smuggled into the country by Hollywood star Johnny Depp and his then-wife Amber Heard. Faced with a 50-hour deadline to leave Australia, the dogs made it out in a chartered jet. Pigeons are an unusual sight in Celli-Bird’s backyard in suburban Officer, where Australian native doves are far more common. “It rocked up at our place on Boxing Day. I’ve got a fountain in the backyard, and it was having a drink and a wash. He was pretty emaciated, so I crushed up a dry biscuit and left it out there for him,” Celli-Bird said. “Next day, he rocked back up at our water feature, so I wandered out to have a look at him because he was fairly weak and he didn’t seem that afraid of me, and I saw he had a blue band on his leg. Obviously he belongs to someone, so I managed to catch him,” he added. Celli-Bird, who says he has no interest in birds “apart from my last name,” said he could no longer catch the pigeon with his bare hands since it had regained its strength. He said the Oklahoma-based American Racing Pigeon Union had confirmed that Joe was registered to an owner in Montgomery, Ala. Celli-Bird said he had attempted to contact the owner, but had so far been unable to get through. The bird spends every day in the backyard, sometimes sitting side-by-side with a native dove on a pergola. Celli-Bird has been feeding it pigeon food from within days of its arrival. “I think that he just decided that since I’ve given him some food and he’s got a spot to drink, that’s home,” he said. Australian National Pigeon Assn. secretary Brad Turner said he had heard of cases of Chinese racing pigeons reaching the Australian west coast aboard cargo ships, a far shorter voyage. Turner said there were genuine fears pigeons from the United States could carry exotic diseases and that he agreed Joe should be destroyed. “While it sounds harsh to the normal person — they’d hear that and go: ‘this is cruel,’ and everything else — I’d think you’d find that A.Q.I.S. and those sort of people would give their wholehearted support for the idea,” Turner said, referring to the quarantine service. It is claimed that the greatest long-distance flight recorded by a pigeon is one that started at Arras in France and ended in Saigon, Vietnam, back in 1931, according to pigeonpedia.com. The distance was 7,200 miles and took 24 days. There are some known instances of long-distance flights, but whether these are one-offs performed by the marathon runners of the pigeon world or they are feats that could be achieved by the average pigeon is not known.

Enduring second impeachment, Trump stands largely silent and alone

https://www.latimes.com/world-nation/story/2021-01-14/enduring-2nd-impeachment-trump-stands-largely-silent-alone

His place in the history books rewritten, President Trump endured his second impeachment largely alone and silent. For more than four years, Trump has dominated the national discourse like no one before him. Yet when his legacy was set in stone on Wednesday, he was stunningly left on the sidelines. Trump now stands with no equal, the only president to be charged twice with a high crime or misdemeanor, a new coda for a term defined by a deepening of the nation’s divides, his failures during the worst pandemic in a century and his refusal to accept defeat at the ballot box. Trump kept out of sight in a nearly empty White House as impeachment proceedings played out at the heavily fortified U.S. Capitol. There, the damage from last week’s riots provided a visible reminder of the insurrection that the president was accused of inciting. Abandoned by some in his own party, Trump could do nothing but watch history unfold on television. The suspension of his Twitter account deprived Trump of his most potent means to keep Republicans in line, giving a sense that Trump had been defanged and, for the first time, his hold on his adopted party was in question. Politics In a U.S. Capitol surrounded by troops, GOP lawmakers refuse to hold President Trump accountable for mob violence. He was finally heard from hours after the vote, in a subdued video that condemned the insurrection at the Capitol and warned his supporters from engaging in any further violence. It was a message that was largely missing one week earlier, when rioters marching in Trump’s name descended on the Capitol to try to prevent Congress from certifying Biden’s victory. “I want to be very clear: I unequivocally condemn the violence that we saw last week,” Trump said. He added that “no true supporter” of his “could ever endorse political violence.” But that message, partially motivated to warn off legal exposure for sparking the riot, ran contrary to what Trump has said throughout his term, including when he urged his supporters to “fight” for him last week. Trump said not a word about his impeachment in the video, though he complained about the ban on his social media. With only a week left in Trump’s term, there were no bellicose messages from the White House fighting the proceedings on the other end of Pennsylvania Avenue and no organized legal response. Some congressional Republicans did defend the president during House debate in impeachment, their words carrying across the same space violated by rioters one week earlier during a siege of the citadel of democracy that left five dead. In the end, 10 Republicans voted to impeach. It was a marked change from Trump’s first impeachment. That December 2019 vote in the House, which made Trump only the third president ever impeached, played out along partisan lines. The charges then were that he had used the powers of the office to pressure Ukraine to investigate a political foe, Joe Biden, now the president-elect. At that time, the White House was criticized for failing to create the kind of robust “war room” that President Clinton mobilized during his own impeachment fight. Nonetheless, Trump allies did mount their own pushback campaign. There were lawyers, White House messaging meetings, and a media blitz run by allies on conservative television, radio and websites. Trump was acquitted in 2020 by the GOP-controlled Senate and his approval ratings were undamaged. But this time, as some members of his own party recoiled and accused him of committing impeachable offenses, Trump was isolated and quiet. A presidency centered on the bombastic declaration “I alone can fix it” seemed to be ending with a whimper. California In likening last week’s mob invasion of the U.S. Capitol to the Nazis’ 1938 Night of Broken Glass attack on Jews across Germany and his native Austria, former California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger asserted that “spineless” fellow Republicans were also to blame for the deadly riot. The third-ranking Republican in the House, Rep. Liz Cheney of Wyoming, said there had “never been a greater betrayal” by a president. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) told colleagues in a letter that he had not decided how he would vote in an impeachment trial. For the first time, Trump’s future seemed in doubt, and what was once unthinkable — that enough Republican senators would defy him and vote to remove him from office — seemed at least possible, if unlikely. But there was no effort from the White House to line up votes in the president’s defense. The team around Trump is hollowed out, with the White House counsel’s office not drawing up a legal defense plan and the legislative affairs team largely abandoned. Trump leaned on Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) to push Republican senators to oppose removal. Graham’s spokesman said the senator was making the calls of his own volition. Trump and his allies believed that the president’s sturdy popularity with the lawmakers’ GOP constituents would deter them from voting against him. The president was livid with perceived disloyalty from McConnell and Cheney and has been deeply frustrated that he could not hit back with his Twitter account, which has kept Republicans in line for years. Trump watched much of the day’s proceedings on TV from the White House residence and his private dining area off the Oval Office. A short time before he was impeached, Trump was in the White House East Room presenting the National Medal of Arts to singers Toby Keith and Ricky Skaggs as well as former Associated Press photographer Nick Ut. Politics The U.S. military and law enforcement are taking unprecedented measures to lock down the nation’s capital to prevent violence tied to Trump’s impeachment and President-elect Joe Biden’s inauguration. His paramount concern, beyond his legacy, was what a second impeachment could do to his immediate political and financial future, according to four White House officials and Republicans close to the West Wing. They were not authorized to speak discuss private conversations and spoke on condition of anonymity. The loss of his Twitter account and fundraising lists could complicate Trump’s efforts to remain a GOP kingmaker and potentially run again in 2024. Moreover, Trump seethed at the blows being dealt to his business, including the withdrawal of a PGA tournament from one of his golf courses and the decision by New York City to cease dealings with his company. There’s the possibility that if the Senate were to convict him, he also could be barred from seeking election again, dashing any hopes of another presidential campaign. A White House spokesman did not respond to questions about whether anyone in the building was trying to defend Trump, who was now the subject of half of the presidential impeachments in the nation’s history. One campaign adviser, Jason Miller, argued Democrats’ efforts will serve to galvanize the Republican base behind Trump and end up harming Biden. He blamed the Democrats’ swift pace for the silence, saying there wasn’t “time for mounting a traditional response operation.” But he pledged that “the real battle will be the Senate where there’ll be a more traditional pushback effort.” The reminders of the Capitol siege were everywhere as the House moved toward the impeachment roll call. Some of the Capitol’s doors were broken and windows were shattered. A barricade had gone up around outside the building, and there were new checkpoints. Hundreds of members of the National Guard patrolled the hallways, even sleeping on the marble floors of the same rotunda that once housed Abraham Lincoln’s casket. And now the Capitol is the site of more history, adding to the chapter that features Clinton, impeached 21 years ago for lying under oath about sex with White House intern Monica Lewinsky, and Andrew Johnson, impeached 151 years ago for defying Congress on Reconstruction. Another entry is for Richard Nixon, who avoided impeachment by resigning during the Watergate investigation. But Trump, the only one impeached twice, will once more be alone.

Mitch McConnell open to convicting Trump in impeachment trial

https://www.latimes.com/world-nation/story/2021-01-13/mcconnell-open-to-convicting-trump-in-impeachment-trial

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell pointedly did not rule out Wednesday that he might eventually vote to convict the now twice-impeached President Trump, but he also blocked a quick Senate impeachment trial. Minutes after the House voted 232 to 197 to impeach Trump, McConnell (R-Ky.) said in a letter to his GOP colleagues that he has not determined whether Trump should be convicted in the Senate’s upcoming proceedings. The House impeachment article charges that Trump incited insurrection by exhorting supporters who violently attacked the Capitol last week, resulting in five deaths, widespread vandalism and a disruption of Congress while it was ratifying the presidential election result. “I have not made a final decision on how I will vote and I intend to listen to the legal arguments when they are presented to the Senate,” McConnell wrote. McConnell’s openness was a stark contrast to the support, or at times silence, he’s shown during much of Trump’s presidency, and to the opposition he expressed promptly after the House impeached Trump 13 months ago. McConnell, though he will soon be leading the minority in the Senate, will be Washington’s most powerful Republican once Democratic President-elect Joe Biden is inaugurated, and McConnell’s increasingly chilly view of Trump could make it easier for other GOP lawmakers to turn against the president. McConnell’s burgeoning alienation from Trump, plus the 10 House Republicans who voted to impeach him, underscored how the GOP’s long, reflexive support and condoning of Trump’s actions was eroding. Politics In a U.S. Capitol surrounded by troops, GOP lawmakers refuse to hold President Trump accountable for mob violence. McConnell also issued a statement saying Congress and the government should spend the next week “completely focused on facilitating a safe inauguration and an orderly transfer of power” to Biden. He suggested Trump’s Senate trial would begin no earlier than Jan. 19 — in effect rejecting a drive by the chamber’s Democrats to begin the proceedings immediately so Trump could be ousted from office. Senate Minority Leader Charles E. Schumer (D-N.Y.) said that unless McConnell reverses himself and agrees to quickly start the trial, it would begin after Jan. 19. That’s a day before Biden is inaugurated as president and about the time Democrats take over majority control of the Senate. The timetable essentially means McConnell is dropping the trial into Democrats’ laps. “Make no mistake, there will be an impeachment trial in the United States Senate,” Schumer said. He added, “If the president is convicted, there will be a vote on barring him from running again.” The Constitution requires a two-thirds majority to convict a president, meaning at least 17 Republicans would need to join all 50 Democrats and independents in the new Senate to oust Trump. If Trump were convicted, it would take only a simple majority of the Senate to prohibit Trump, who’s mentioned running again in 2024, from holding federal office again. Earlier Wednesday, a GOP strategist said McConnell has told people he thinks Trump perpetrated impeachable offenses. McConnell also saw House Democrats’ drive to impeach Trump as an opportune moment to distance the GOP from the tumultuous, divisive outgoing president, according to the strategist, who spoke on condition of anonymity to describe private conversations. McConnell’s views were first reported by the New York Times. McConnell spoke to major Republican donors last weekend to assess their thinking about Trump and was told that they believed Trump had clearly crossed a line, the strategist said. McConnell told them he was finished with Trump, according to the consultant. The Democratic-led House approved an impeachment article accusing Trump of inciting insurrection, an unprecedented second impeachment of his clamorous presidency. Trump exhorted a throng of his followers to march on the Capitol on Jan. 6. Politics These are the House Republicans who voted to impeach the president, the second impeachment Trump has faced. McConnell is looking out for his party’s long-term future, but moving toward a political divorce from Trump could mean that congressional Republicans will face challenges in GOP primaries. It is unclear how many Republicans would vote to convict Trump in a Senate trial, but it appears plausible that several would. Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska) on Wednesday told Alaska’s News Source, an Anchorage news outlet, that Trump “has committed an impeachable offense.” She stopped short of saying she’d vote to convict him. Sen. Ben Sasse (R-Neb.) has said he would “definitely consider” House impeachment articles. Complicating GOP thinking about Trump’s second impeachment is that Republicans will be defending 20 of the 34 Senate seats up for election in 2022. Thanks to Democratic victories this month in two Georgia runoffs, Democrats are about to take control of the chamber, with a 50-50 party divide and incoming Vice President Kamala Harris casting tiebreaking votes. Speaking out against impeachment Wednesday was Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.). A once-bitter Trump foe, Graham became one of his closest allies during his presidency, then lambasted him over last week’s Capitol invasion but has since spent time with Trump. Impeaching Trump now would “do great damage to the institutions of government and could invite further violence,” Graham said in a statement. He said Trump’s millions of backers “should not be demonized because of the despicable actions of a seditious mob,” but he did not specifically defend Trump’s actions last week. “If there was a time for America’s political leaders to bend a knee and ask for God’s counsel and guidance, it is now. The most important thing for leaders to do in times of crisis is to make things better, not worse,” Graham said. When the Senate voted against removing Trump in February after the House impeached him for pressuring Ukraine to provide political dirt on Biden, Sen. Mitt Romney (R-Utah) was the only Republican who cast a vote to oust him. Trump has falsely insisted that November’s presidential election was stolen from him by fraud. Those allegations have been rejected by state officials of both parties, state and federal courts and members of his own administration.

What's next after House impeachment vote

https://www.latimes.com/world-nation/story/2021-01-13/explainer-whats-next-after-house-impeachment-vote

President Trump has been impeached by the House days before leaving office, becoming the first American president to be impeached twice. The previous three impeachments — those of Presidents Andrew Johnson, Clinton and Trump — took months before a final vote, including investigations in the House and hearings. This time it took only a week after Trump encouraged a crowd of his supporters who attacked the U.S. Capitol. Democrats and 10 Republicans voted to impeach Trump on one charge: incitement of insurrection. Outgoing Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell has said the Senate will not begin a trial until Tuesday, at the earliest, the day before Democrat Joe Biden is sworn in as president. It’s unclear for now exactly how that trial will proceed and whether any Senate Republicans will vote to convict Trump. Even though the trial won’t happen until Trump is out of office, it could still have the effect of preventing him from running for president again. A look at next steps: Once the House votes to impeach, the speaker of the House can send the article or articles over to the Senate immediately — or she can wait a while. Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-San Francisco) hasn’t yet said when she will send it, but many Democrats in her caucus have urged her to do so immediately. Pelosi has appointed nine impeachment managers to argue the case against Trump in a Senate trial, a sign that she will send them sooner rather than later. Once the article is sent over — that is usually done with an official walk from the House to the Senate — then the majority leader of the Senate must start the process of having a trial. Politics Rep. Lieu of Torrance fired off that first text message: We ‘should start drafting articles of impeachment now, regardless of what leadership says.’ Jan. 13, 2021 The Senate is not scheduled to be in session until Jan. 19, which could be McConnell’s last day as Senate leader. Once Vice President Kamala Harris is sworn in, making her the president of the Senate, and Georgia’s two Democratic senators are also sworn in, Senate Democratic leader Charles E. Schumer will take charge and determine how the trial will proceed. McConnell said he will not bring the Senate back on an emergency basis to start the trial, so the earliest it could begin would be Tuesday. That means the trial is certain to take place after Trump has already left office. McConnell noted that the three previous Senate trials lasted “83 days, 37 days and 21 days respectively.” All eyes on McConnellMcConnell believes that Trump committed impeachable offenses and considers the Democrats’ impeachment drive an opportunity to reduce the divisive, chaotic president’s hold on the GOP, a Republican strategist told the Associated Press on Wednesday. And McConnell told major donors over the weekend that he was through with Trump, said the strategist, who spoke on condition of anonymity to describe McConnell’s conversations. His wife, former Transportation Secretary Elaine Chao, resigned from Trump’s Cabinet soon after the riots. But despite sending signals, McConnell has been characteristically quiet in public. In a note to colleagues Wednesday released by his office, McConnell said he had “not made a final decision on how I will vote.” If McConnell voted to convict, other Republicans would surely follow. But no GOP senators have said how they will vote, and two-thirds of the Senate is needed. Still, some Republicans have told Trump to resign, including Pennsylvania Sen. Pat Toomey and Alaska Sen. Lisa Murkowski, and few are defending him. Republican Sen. Ben Sasse of Nebraska has said he would take a look at what the House approves, but stopped short of committing to support it. Other Republicans have said that impeachment would be divisive. South Carolina Sen. Lindsey Graham, long a key ally of the president, has been critical of his behavior in inciting the riots but said impeachment “will do far more harm than good.” Utah Sen. Mitt Romney was the only Republican to vote to convict Trump in last year’s impeachment trial, after the House impeached Trump over his dealings with the president of Ukraine. In the House, 10 Republicans joined Democrats in voting to impeach Trump, including Wyoming Rep. Liz Cheney, the third-ranking Republican. Every single House Republican voted against Trump’s first impeachment in 2019. Politics In a U.S. Capitol surrounded by troops, GOP lawmakers refuse to hold President Trump accountable for mob violence. Jan. 13, 2021 If the Senate were to convict, lawmakers could then take a separate vote on whether to disqualify Trump from holding future office. Schumer said Wednesday: “Make no mistake, there will be an impeachment trial in the United States Senate; there will be a vote on convicting the president for high crimes and misdemeanors; and if the president is convicted, there will be a vote on barring him from running again.” In the case of federal judges who were impeached and removed from office, the Senate has taken a second vote after conviction to determine whether to bar the person from ever holding federal office again. Only a majority of senators would be needed to ban him from future office, unlike the two-thirds needed to convict. This impeachment trial is likely to differ from the last one in many ways. The House charges in 2019 on Trump’s dealings with the president of Ukraine, whom he urged to investigate Biden, came after a lengthy investigation and testimony from multiple government officials. While Democrats unanimously criticized the conduct and charged Trump with abuse of power, the charges wove together a complicated web of evidence. This time, Democrats felt there was little need for an investigation — the invasion of the Capitol played out on live television, and most members of Congress were in the building as it happened. Trump’s speech beforehand, in which he told his supporters to “fight like hell” against the election results, was also televised as Congress prepared to officially count the votes. House Intelligence Committee Chairman Adam B. Schiff, who led the last House impeachment team, said the insurrection at the Capitol was an “impeachable offense committed in broad daylight, in which the whole country was a witness.” He said the lightning-fast impeachment “was required by the exigency of the circumstances, and also made possible by the very nature of the crime.” Politics Three members of the House of Representatives introduced the article of impeachment, citing the president’s role in ‘incitement of insurrection.’ Jan. 11, 2021 The four-page article of impeachment says that Trump “gravely endangered the security of the United States and its institutions of Government.” It was introduced by Democratic Reps. David Cicilline of Rhode Island, Ted Lieu of Torrance and Jamie Raskin of Maryland, all of whom have been tapped to serve as impeachment managers in the Senate trial. The article says Trump’s behavior is consistent with his prior efforts to “subvert and obstruct” the results of the election and references his recent call with the Georgia secretary of state, in which he said he wanted him to find him more votes after losing the state to Biden. Trump has falsely claimed there was widespread fraud in the election, and the baseless claims have been repeatedly echoed by congressional Republicans and the insurgents who descended on the Capitol. As the rioters broke in, both chambers were debating GOP challenges to the electoral vote count in Arizona as part of the process for certifying Biden’s election win.

FAA to crack down on unruly airline passengers: 'First strike and you're out'

https://www.latimes.com/world-nation/story/2021-01-13/faa-steps-up-enforcement-against-unruly-airline-passengers

Federal safety officials said Wednesday that they’re stepping up enforcement against unruly airline passengers after confrontations took place on flights to and from Washington in the days before and after last week’s pro-Trump riot at the U.S. Capitol. The Federal Aviation Administration said there has been “a disturbing increase in incidents where airline passengers have disrupted flights with threatening or violent behavior. These incidents have stemmed both from passengers’ refusals to wear masks and from recent violence at the U.S. Capitol.” The FAA said that under an order signed by Administrator Stephen Dickson, unruly passengers will no longer get warnings. Instead, the agency said it will launch legal enforcement actions. Penalties can include fines up to $35,000 and jail terms for passengers who assault or threaten airline crews or other passengers. The new policy took effect immediately and is to continue through March 30. It won quick praise from the head of the largest U.S. flight attendants’ union. “First strike and you’re out. We applaud FAA Administrator Dickson for taking this clear stand for our safety and security,” Sara Nelson, president of the Assn. of Flight Attendants, said in a statement. The FAA said it has pursued more than 1,300 enforcement actions against passengers in the last 10 years. It did not immediately provide a count of recent cases, some of which involve passengers who assaulted flight attendants who told them to wear a face covering during the pandemic. Videos of several recent incidents have been shared widely on social media; some show people who were removed from planes for refusing to wear masks. The FAA has resisted calls for a federal mask rule, but all leading U.S. airlines require passengers to wear them with exceptions generally made only for children under 2. Some lawmakers and airline union officials have demanded that people who took part in the riot at the Capitol be placed on the federal no-fly list. The FAA said it does not have authority over that list but works with law enforcement agencies on security threats. Business The nation’s largest flight attendants union calls on airlines to ban D.C. riot participants from taking airline flights out of the Washington area. Jan. 7, 2021

COVID-19 vaccine push gains steam, but many still face wait

https://www.latimes.com/world-nation/story/2021-01-13/explainer-vaccine-push-gains-steam-but-many-still-face-wait

More Americans are now eligible to get a COVID-19 vaccine, but they may still have to wait for their first shot even as supplies increase. Drugstore pharmacists are providing the shots in many states, and officials at sports arenas and fairgrounds are planning big vaccination clinics. It’s all part of an effort to reach more people who are considered most vulnerable to the coronavirus. The federal government this week announced it will no longer hold back the required second doses of vaccines, boosting supplies for first shots. States will decide for themselves how to proceed. Here’s a closer look at the effort to vaccinate as many Americans as quickly as possible. It all depends on your age, your health and where you work or live. States ultimately determine the order in which people qualify for a COVID-19 vaccine, although the federal government is offering guidance. First up: Front-line healthcare workers and residents of nursing home or other assisted living facilities. People in these groups started receiving shots last month. States are expanding to other categories of essential workers, such as firefighters and teachers, and to people who face a higher risk of developing a severe case of COVID-19, like those who are 75 or older. Science & Medicine British scientists have bolstered their case that the new coronavirus variant spreads more easily than its predecessors. It could be worse in the U.S., they warn. Jan. 10, 2021 On Tuesday, federal health officials urged states to speed things up even more and lower the threshold to age 65. Florida and Georgia and Washington, D.C., had already started doing this. Federal officials also suggested including people younger than 65 who have certain health problems that make them more vulnerable if they get sick. The options are expanding, and they vary depending on where you live. Pharmacies and drugstores are already giving out vaccines to eligible customers in states such as California, Florida, New Jersey, Texas and Alaska — and that list will grow. In addition, football stadiums, major league ballparks and fairgrounds around the country are being turned into vaccination sites so health officials can ramp up their efforts while allowing people to maintain a safe social distance. A vaccination site opened Wednesday at New York City’s Jacob K. Javits Convention Center, which was used as a field hospital when the pandemic first struck last spring. Check with your state or local health department for information on sites near you. The federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has links to state health departments and their vaccination plans on its website. Science & Medicine Researchers share which numbers they’re watching to forecast when California’s deadly COVID-19 surge will end. Jan. 8, 2021 Some states, such as California, Arizona and Virginia, have allowed counties to determine who is eligible to receive the vaccine next, Jennifer Tolbert of the nonprofit Kaiser Family Foundation said. Yes. At least initially, sites will require people to sign up ahead of time and verify that they are eligible for a shot. Appointments can usually be scheduled online and by phone. But expect some delays in signing up and finding an available slot. For example, the registration system in Washington, D.C., was quickly overwhelmed after the city opened up vaccines to residents 65 and older on Monday. People reported problems with the website and hours-long waits to register by phone. You may have to sit in your car or stand in line depending on where you get the vaccine. But appointments are designed to minimize those delays and allow people to maintain a safe distance while they wait. Georgia pharmacist Jonathan Marquess said Tuesday that he has given out about 1,000 shots so far, and his customers haven’t had to wait long. The independent drugstore owner said he’s spaced appointments 10 minutes apart to avoid lines and keep people apart. “Be patient. We will get to you,” he said. The process is fairly simple, like getting a flu shot. People may have to show their identification or verify their eligibility before they get jabbed in the arm. Shots will be recorded in state and local vaccine registries. Those with a history of severe allergic reactions may be asked to wait 30 minutes after receiving the shot before leaving; most others will have to wait 15 minutes. This will be required even for people who use drive-through clinics. Pharmacists and nurses are trained to handle the rare allergic reactions that can occur, said Kathleen Jaeger, an executive with the National Assn. of Chain Drug Stores. “This is not new to the COVID vaccine,” she said, noting that some sort of waiting period is recommended for all vaccines. Science & Medicine Severe allergic reactions to Pfizer’s COVID-19 vaccine were rare in the first 10 days of its rollout, with 21 cases among nearly 1.9 doses, the CDC reported. Jan. 6, 2021 There are two vaccines available in the U.S., one made by Pfizer and BioNTech and the other from Moderna and the National Institutes of Health. Both require two doses given three or four weeks apart for full coverage. Recipients can expect to receive a card and phone or email reminders to return for their second shot of the same vaccine. It should be free. The government is paying for the vaccine itself. And you shouldn’t be charged a co-pay or other fee to get it. The cost for giving the shot will be covered by private and government insurance. If you don’t have insurance, providers can tap a government fund to cover costs.

Judge in Spain orders incapacitated woman to get COVID-19 vaccine

https://www.latimes.com/world-nation/story/2021-01-13/spain-judge-orders-incapacitated-woman-to-get-virus-vaccine

A judge in northwest Spain has overruled a family’s objections and decided to allow health authorities to administer a COVID-19 vaccine to an incapacitated woman in a nursing home. The case appears to be the first known instance of a court in Europe requiring someone to get a COVID-19 vaccine. The Spanish government repeatedly has stressed that shots would be voluntary, as have authorities in other European countries. In a ruling seen by the Associated Press on Wednesday, the judge for the court in the autonomous northwest community of Galicia recently ruled in favor of a request by a nursing home to override the refusal of the elderly resident’s family and to proceed with giving her the vaccine. The resident was deemed by the nursing home’s medical staff to have suffered a cognitive loss to the extent that she “was incapacitated to provide valid consent,” according to the ruling. Judge Javier Fraga Mandián said the court had the legal obligation to intervene in order to protect the woman’s health. He said his decision was not based on the welfare of other residents, but that the “existence of tens of thousands of deaths” from the coronavirus in Spain provided what he saw as irrefutable evidence that not taking the vaccine was riskier than any possible side effects. The company that runs the nursing home, DomusVi, told the AP through its public relations agency that out of all the homes it manages throughout Spain, this was the only case of a family not wanting to vaccinate a resident who had been deemed incapable of making personal health decisions. DomusVi said that 98% of the 15,000 residents in its nursing homes in the country agreed to receive the vaccine. It said the remaining 2% refused to get vaccinated — but unlike the woman, they were considered fit to make their own health decisions. DomusVi said it sought the court’s intervention in the interest of the health of all the workers and residents at the Galicia facility. Science & Medicine British scientists have bolstered their case that the new coronavirus variant spreads more easily than its predecessors. It could be worse in the U.S., they warn. Jan. 10, 2021 Spain has administered over 581,000 doses of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine since it was authorized by the European Union in late December. Spain is also set to roll out its first batches of the Moderna vaccine. Health Minister Salvador Illa said that Spain is seeing “a very low rejection of the vaccine.” Nursing homes in Spain and across Europe have been devastated by the coronavirus, which spreads quickly among the elderly and individuals weakened by preexisting medical conditions. More than 25,000 people with COVID-19 are estimated to have died in Spanish nursing homes since the start of the pandemic. Other court cases may be on the horizon. In southern Spain, a state prosecutor said recently that any family members acting as legal guardians for incapacitated nursing home residents could lose their guardianship if they refused to allow their relatives to be vaccinated. The Italian government approved a decree last week to explicitly authorize hospital chiefs and individual doctors to give inoculation consent on behalf of patients who cannot do so themselves. That includes nursing home residents who are incapacitated and without a guardian to give consent for them. The procedure requires doctors to submit written documentation to a judge, who has 48 hours to approve or deny the request. Nearly a dozen European countries have mandatory vaccination laws for diseases including polio, measles and diphtheria. But the laws are seldom enforced by the courts. Science & Medicine Americans’s interest in a COVID-19 vaccine is waning, with only 56% of adults saying they would get it if it were available. That’s down from 74% in April. Dec. 31, 2020 The World Health Organization has previously said it does not recommend making COVID-19 vaccines compulsory, fearing that could undermine public confidence in the available vaccines. Dr. Kate O’Brien, who heads the WHO’s vaccines department, said she thought it would be better if countries created “a positive environment” for immunization as opposed to mandates. But O’Brien acknowledged that it might make sense in some high-risk environments, such as hospitals, to require staff members and patients to receive vaccines. Some ethicists said the court’s decision to mandate the woman’s vaccination was probably justified by her high risk for COVID-19, given that she lives in an elder care home. “The court has to look at the balance of probabilities, and if the woman is elderly, she has a far higher risk of dying from COVID than from a low-probability adverse event,” said Julian Savulescu, director of the Oxford Uehiro Centre for Practical Ethics at the University of Oxford. Even in countries that don’t have mandatory vaccination laws, the state is obliged to protect people when those making decisions on their behalf may not be acting in their best interests. “If you don’t vaccinate this woman and she dies of COVID, then people will be saying, ‘Why didn’t you protect her?’” Savulescu said.

Airbnb to block or cancel all D.C. bookings ahead of inauguration

https://www.latimes.com/world-nation/story/2021-01-13/airbnb-to-block-cancel-dc-bookings-ahead-of-inauguration

Airbnb says it will be blocking or canceling all reservations in the Washington, D.C., area during the week of the presidential inauguration. The decision, announced Wednesday, was in response to various local, state and federal officials asking people not to travel to Washington. It came two days after the company said it was reviewing reservations in the area ahead of the inauguration and that it would bar any guests associated with hate groups or violent activity. The San Francisco-based home-sharing company said guests whose reservations were canceled would be refunded in full. It will also reimburse hosts — at Airbnb’s expense — the money they would have earned from those canceled reservations. Airbnb also said reservations at HotelTonight, a service owned by the company that handles last-minute deals at top-rated hotels, will also be canceled. Airbnb declined to say how many reservations had been canceled. “We are continuing our work to ensure hate group members are not part of the Airbnb community,” the company said in a corporate blog. Airbnb said it had learned through media or law enforcement sources the names of individuals confirmed to have been responsible for the criminal activity at the U.S. Capitol. And it’s investigated whether the named individuals have an account on Airbnb. Through this work, the company said it had identified numerous individuals associated with known hate groups or otherwise involved in the criminal activity at the Capitol, and they have been banned from Airbnb’s platform. Airbnb has had a policy of removing guests who are confirmed to be members of hate groups since 2017, when it blocked guests who were headed to a white supremacist rally in Charlottesville, Va. The company also said Monday that it wouldn’t give political donations to the Republicans who voted against certifying the results of the election last week. Airbnb joined Marriott, AT&T, Walmart and others in taking that stand. Airbnb’s political action committee donated $866,519 to candidates and political parties in the 2020 election cycle, according to Open Secrets, which monitors campaign donations. Democratic President-elect Joe Biden was the biggest recipient of Airbnb donations.

In pandemic era, older adults are isolated but resilient, study says

https://www.latimes.com/world-nation/story/2021-01-13/study-in-pandemic-era-older-adults-isolated-but-resilient

Older Americans have generally been viewed as among those most vulnerable to the coronavirus — some of them with serious medical conditions, figuring out how to navigate life in a COVID-saturated, increasingly isolated world. But when it comes to mental and emotional health, older adults in the United States are showing resilience and persevering despite struggles with loneliness and isolation, the latest results in an ongoing study suggest. The latest data from the National Social Life, Health and Aging Project, conducted by the social research organization NORC at the University of Chicago, is part of a longer-term study designed to track the physical and emotional well-being of older Americans over time. Only 9% of older adults reported having “fair or poor overall mental health” during the pandemic, similar to their previous answers and an indication of what the study calls “some signs of resilience.” Nevertheless, the study found that general happiness has declined. About half as many older adults now report they are very happy or extremely happy, and an increasing number report occasional feelings of depression or isolation. “It should sensitize everyone to the reality of isolation’s impact but also the reality that people are resilient — and maybe even more so older adults than younger adults,” said Louise Hawkley, a principal research scientist at NORC and the lead researcher on the study. “This isn’t their first show. They’ve been through things already. They know how to handle stress,” Hawkley said. “This is something we can learn from them — that there is survival.” Science & Medicine Changes wrought by the COVID-19 pandemic have upended the lives of millions of dementia patients and their caregivers, who rely on long-standing routines. Aug. 18, 2020 The information comes from 1,284 respondents between the ages of 55 and 99, interviewed in September and October — all of them participants in a longer-term study. No margin of error was provided. Other interesting findings from the responses include: California Children who spread coronavirus to their parents and grandparents are apologizing to them on their deathbeds as L.A. County reels. Jan. 12, 2021 Taken together, the responses form what Hawkley calls a portrait of a demographic that crosses generations, is persevering under challenging circumstances, and whose members need more engagement about isolation and emotional health even after the pandemic wanes. “There’s a lot we don’t appreciate about how well people do cope with age,” said Hawkley, who specializes in researching loneliness and social isolation in older adults. She said arrangements are being made to obtain physical data from the participants as soon as the pandemic ebbs. “We’re learning painfully how real a risk social isolation is to our mental health,” she said. “And I think we need to learn how it affects physical health.”

Visa-Plaid merger is called off after U.S. files antitrust lawsuit

https://www.latimes.com/world-nation/story/2021-01-12/visa-plaid-call-off-merger-following-antitrust-pressure

Visa Inc. on Tuesday called off its planned $5.3-billion purchase of payment-processing technology company Plaid, citing the Justice Department’s antitrust lawsuit filed last year to block the deal. Plaid provides the infrastructure that allows consumers and businesses to make payments directly from their bank accounts. Services such as Venmo, SoFi, Stripe and TransferWise use Plaid as a way for consumers to send money from their bank accounts to another party without having to use the debit-card infrastructure that’s largely controlled by Visa and its competitor Mastercard. After Visa bid to buy Plaid, politicians and antitrust experts argued that the deal would give Visa — which is already the largest payment-processing company in the world — even more power over how individuals and businesses pay for goods and services. The Justice Department’s lawsuit argued, among other things, that the deal would enable Visa to “maintain its monopoly position and supracompetitive prices in online debit.” Visa said that it still believes the deal between the two San Francisco companies would have benefited consumers, financial institutions and developers but that it decided to scrap it to avoid an extended court battle. “It has been a full year since we first announced our intent to acquire Plaid, and protracted and complex litigation will likely take substantial time to fully resolve,” Visa Chief Executive Al Kelly said in a statement.

Michigan plans to charge ex-Gov. Snyder in Flint water probe

https://www.latimes.com/world-nation/story/2021-01-12/michigan-plans-to-charge-ex-gov-snyder-in-flint-water-probe

Former Michigan Gov. Rick Snyder, his health director and other ex-officials have been told they’re being charged after a new investigation of the Flint water scandal, which devastated the majority Black city with lead-contaminated water and was blamed for a deadly outbreak of Legionnaires’ disease in 2014-15, the Associated Press has learned. Two people with knowledge of the planned prosecution told the AP on Tuesday that the attorney general’s office has informed defense lawyers about indictments in Flint and told them to expect initial court appearances soon. They spoke to the AP on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak publicly. Sports Flint produced basketball stars years before one of the worst water crises in modern U.S. history. Can the Flint Jaguars rise up and restore tradition? Sept. 18, 2020 The AP could not determine the nature of the charges against Snyder, former health department director Nick Lyon and others who were in the Snyder administration. The attorney general’s office declined to comment on details of the ongoing investigation. Spokeswoman Courtney Covington Watkins said investigators were “working diligently” and “will share more as soon as we’re in a position to do so.” Snyder’s attorney didn’t return calls seeking comment. Snyder, a Republican who has been out of office for two years, was governor when state-appointed managers in Flint switched the city’s water to the Flint River in 2014 as a cost-saving step while a pipeline was being built to Lake Huron. The water, however, was not treated to reduce corrosion — a disastrous decision affirmed by state regulators that caused lead to leach from old pipes and spoil the distribution system used by nearly 100,000 residents. The disaster made Flint a nationwide symbol of governmental mismanagement, with residents lining up for bottled water and parents fearing that their children had suffered permanent harm. The crisis was highlighted by some as an example of environmental injustice and racism. At the same time, bacteria in the water was blamed for an outbreak of Legionnaires’. Legionella bacteria can emerge through misting and cooling systems, triggering a severe form of pneumonia, especially in people with weakened immune systems. Authorities counted at least 90 cases in Genesee County, including 12 deaths. The outbreak was announced by Snyder and Lyon in January 2016, although Lyon conceded that he knew that cases were being reported many months earlier. World & Nation Michigan is reaching a settlement to pay $600 million to compensate Flint residents whose health was damaged by lead-tainted water, a source says. Aug. 20, 2020 In 2018, Lyon was ordered to stand trial on involuntary manslaughter charges after a special prosecutor accused him of failing to inform the public about the outbreak in a timely manner. His attorneys argued there was not enough solid information to share earlier with the public. By June 2019, the entire Flint water investigation was turned upside down. Prosecutors working under a new attorney general, Dana Nessel, dismissed the case against Lyon as well as charges against seven more people and said the probe would start anew.

Who's been charged in the deadly Capitol riot?

https://www.latimes.com/world-nation/story/2021-01-12/explainer-whos-been-charged-in-the-deadly-capitol-siege

Prosecutors have brought dozens of cases after the deadly attack at the U.S. Capitol, and more charges are expected in the coming days as investigators identify more members of the pro-Trump mob. Investigators are collecting tips from the public, interviewing witnesses and going through photos, videos and social media accounts to collect evidence against the attackers who overran the Capitol to stop the certification of Democrat Joe Biden as the next president. And those who’ve been charged so far could lead investigators to others who joined in the violent siege on Capitol Hill. Some questions and answers about the investigation into the Capitol breach: The U.S. attorney for the District of Columbia has brought federal charges against about 20 people so far, while 40 others have been charged in D.C.’s Superior Court. The people charged in Superior Court are mainly accused of curfew violations and gun crimes. Those being tried in federal court, where prosecutors can generally secure longer sentences, are charged with offenses such as violent entry and disorderly conduct on Capitol grounds, assaulting a federal law enforcement officer and threatening House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-San Francisco). On Tuesday, federal agents arrested the son of a New York City judge, who was seen inside the Capitol wearing a fur costume and a police vest authorities say he stole during the mayhem. Images posted on social media showed agents appearing to remove part of Aaron Mostofsky’s fur getup from the Brooklyn home where he was arrested. He faces charges that include theft of government property. Federal authorities on Sunday arrested two men who were photographed with plastic restraints inside the Capitol. Investigators said they used social media and livestream videos to identify Eric Munchel of Tennessee as the masked person seen in photos carrying plastic hand restraints in the Senate chamber. Retired Lt. Col. Larry Rendall Brock Jr. of Texas was photographed on the Senate floor carrying zip-tie handcuffs and wearing a military-style helmet and vest, authorities said. Brock’s ex-wife helped authorities identify him, according to court documents. He confirmed to the New Yorker that he was the man in the photographs and claimed he found the zip-tie handcuffs on the floor. “I wish I had not picked those up,” he said. Authorities are working to identify more suspects, and more charges are expected. Many people were allowed to leave the Capitol freely on the day of the attack, so investigators have to sort through a sea of photos, video, social media posts and tips from the public to see who was there and track them down. Federal prosecutors across the U.S. have also said people could face charges in their home states if they traveled to Washington and took part in the assault. Massachusetts’ top federal prosecutors said Monday that their office has received “lots of tips” and has investigations underway. But for prosecutors outside Washington to bring a case, they would need evidence that someone traveled there with plans to participate in the destruction and violence, said U.S. Atty. Andrew Lelling. “Much of what happened in the District looked like — at least for most of the participants — it was pretty spontaneous,” Lelling said in an interview. “So in many respects, we may be looking for something that just doesn’t exist. But we will look.” Prosecutors can tack on more serious charges as they gather more evidence. Michael Sherwin, acting U.S. attorney for the District of Columbia, has said authorities are not keeping anything out of their “ arsenal for potential charges.” The FBI has also opened a murder probe into the death of Capitol Police Officer Brian D. Sicknick, who was hit in the head with a fire extinguisher, according to law enforcement officials who spoke on the condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss the investigation publicly. Experts say federal prosecutors could bring rarely used seditious conspiracy charges, which call for up to 20 years in prison, against some of the attackers. After protests across the U.S. over police brutality in the summer, then-Deputy Atty. Gen. Jeffrey Rosen told prosecutors in September that they should consider using the sedition charge against violent demonstrators. Rosen, who took over the top Justice Department job when Atty. Gen. William Barr stepped down last month, said the charge does not require proof of a plot to overthrow the U.S. government and gave the hypothetical example of a group that “has conspired to take a federal courthouse or other federal property by force.” Trump urged the crowd to march on the Capitol, even promising to go with them, though he didn’t. The president told his supporters to “fight” to stop the “steal” of the election, while his personal lawyer, Rudolph W. Giuliani, called for “trial by combat.” The legal bar for charging the president or any other speakers at the rally with inciting violence is high. Experts say it might be tough to prove in a normal prosecution that the president intended for violence to happen on Capitol Hill. However, Trump faces a charge of “incitement of insurrection” in an impeachment resolution to be debated by the House on Wednesday as part of an extraordinary effort to remove Trump in the final days of his presidency. At least two Capitol Police officers, one who took a selfie with the attackers and another who put on a Make America Great Again hat, have been suspended. At least a dozen more are under internal investigation for their behavior during the uprising, according to lawmakers. The Capitol officer who shot Ashli Babbitt, a Trump supporter who was trying to climb through a broken window into the speaker’s lobby, has been placed on administrative leave per agency policy, and the shooting is under investigation by Capitol Police and the Metropolitan Police Department.

Gothams give virtual start to Oscar season, 'Nomadland' wins

https://www.latimes.com/entertainment-arts/awards/story/2021-01-11/gothams-give-virtual-start-to-oscar-season-nomadland-wins

Streaming from an empty banquet hall and with acceptance speeches made from living rooms, the 30th Gotham Awards gave a very strange Oscar season a virtual start Monday in a largely digital ceremony that crowned Chloe Zhao’s “Nomadland” the best film of 2020. As the first prominent award show to go forward during the pandemic, the Gotham Awards took a trial-and-error approach to mounting a show that couldn’t include the usual trappings of the annual independent film awards: a flashy red carpet, free-flowing cocktails, standing ovations. The Gothams nevertheless went ahead with a ceremony from its usual home of Cipriani Wall Street in downtown Manhattan, albeit without an in-person audience and with only a few presenters. Opening the show, Jeffrey Sharp, executive director of the Gotham Film & Media Institute, predicted that there would be “glitches and gremlins” throughout the event. The show was livestreamed on Facebook, with invitees placed digitally at tables via a poker program that Gotham organizers retooled to simulate being seated at the gala. “While we’re the first, we’re definitely not the last award show exploring new ways to come together,” Sharp said. Movies Chloe Zhao’s ‘Nomadland,’ a road trip drama starring Frances McDormand, won the Golden Lion for best film Saturday at the Venice Film Festival. Sept. 12, 2020 The results weren’t always smooth, but they were typical of a pandemic that has made any large gatherings — let alone glitzy ones like the Gothams — impossible. Winners, appearing by videoconference, were sometimes befuddled. “I think I’m supposed to be speaking right now, but I hear so many different people talking, I’m not really sure what’s going on,” said breakthrough actor winner Kingsley Ben-Adir (“One Night in Miami”) from a hotel room in London. Ramona S. Diaz, director of the Maria Ressa profile “A Thousand Cuts,” learned that she had won best documentary, in a tie with Garrett Bradley’s incarceration tale “Time,” while the livestream audience awaited her speech. “I’m sorry. I didn’t hear anything. What’s going on?” said Diaz, who then learned that she had won. “Oh, I did?” she said. But the Gothams, which had been postponed by about two months to coincide with the delayed Academy Awards calendar, fell into a kind of rhythm and a predictable winner. Zhao’s “Nomadland,” starring Frances McDormand as an itinerant widow living in her van, was the sensation of a similarly pandemic-marred film festival season, winning top honors at the Venice and Toronto film festivals, along with best picture from the National Society of Film Critics. “Nomadland” won both best feature and the Gothams’ audience award on Monday. All of the films nominated for best feature were directed by women, including lead-nominee getter “First Cow,” by Kelly Reichardt. Zhao, whose “The Rider” won best feature at the Gothams two years ago, thanked the festivals that, like the Gothams, carried on despite the trying circumstances. “They truly showed us and reminded us that we’re not alone,” Zhao said. “A strong community is brought together by our love for cinema.” Entertainment & Arts ‘Nomadland’ scores best picture from the National Society of Film Critics. The group held its vote on the best of 2020’s film Saturday. Jan. 9, 2021 Other awards were more surprising. Nicole Beharie won best actress for “Miss Juneteenth.” “Oh, my God,” she mouthed while still on mute. Turning her audio on, she said it again: “Oh, my God.” The best actor category included a posthumous nomination for Chadwick Boseman’s performance in “Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom,” but the award went to Riz Ahmed, for “Sound of Metal.” Boseman was still honored with a tribute award, as was his “Ma Rainey’s” co-star Viola Davis. The Gothams, which can steer momentum in the Oscar race, gave out a litany of tribute awards in taped presentations, including for Steve McQueen (“Small Axe”), the ensemble of Aaron Sorkin’s “The Trial of the Chicago 7,” Ryan Murphy (“The Prom”) and Jeffrey Wright. Simone Ledward Boseman, Chadwick’s widow, accepted his award in an emotional taped message. “Chad, thank you,” she said. “I love you. I am so proud of you. Keep shining your light on us.” Other awards included best screenplay for both Radha Blank (“The Forty-Year-Old Version”) and Dan Sallitt (“Fourteen”); breakthrough director for Andrew Patterson (“The Vast of Night”); and “Identifying Features” for best international film. Bradley, accepting the shared documentary award for “Time,” lamented that she couldn’t take the stage with her collaborators, and the subjects of her film, Sibil Fox Richardson and Rob Richardson. “If this were in real space, there would be so many more people up here right now,” Bradley said. “But we’re living in two dimensions right now.”

No charges against 2nd BART officer in 2009 shooting of Oscar Grant

https://www.latimes.com/world-nation/story/2021-01-11/no-charges-against-2nd-officer-in-2009-shooting-of-black-man

A San Francisco Bay Area prosecutor will not file a murder charge against a second transit officer involved in the shooting death of a 22-year-old Black man at a train station in 2009, saying the officer did not personally kill Oscar Grant or aid or abet the officer who did. Grant was killed in the early hours of New Year’s Day, shot in the back by Bay Area Rapid Transit Officer Johannes Mehserle while on the floor of a train station in Oakland. A Los Angeles County jury found Mehserle guilty of involuntary manslaughter and he served 11 months. In October, Alameda County District Attorney Nancy O’Malley reopened the investigation into Anthony Pirone, a former BART officer who hauled Grant out of a train car and pinned his knee to Grant’s neck and back in a manner similar to that used in the death of George Floyd in Minneapolis last year. Grant’s family had sought criminal charges against Pirone for years. At a news conference Monday, his mother, the Rev. Wanda Johnson, continued her call for justice, the Bay Area News Group reported. “My son laid on the cold concrete with that Officer Pirone’s knee on his neck. My son’s head was smashed against the wall and he was kicked and he was pushed. Pirone still walks around free today,” Johnson said. In a 16-page memo, O’Malley said that no matter how “offensive or unacceptable” Pirone’s conduct that night, he did not fire the gun that killed Grant and there is no evidence that he knew Mehserle would fire his gun, which Mehserle said at trial he thought was his Taser. Pirone contributed significantly to Grant’s shooting, the Bay Area News Group reported in 2019 after obtaining a 2009 BART police internal investigation report through a new state police transparency law. The report found that Pirone disregarded his training and rushed through the initial investigation, starting a “cascade of events that ultimately led to the shooting of Grant.” Pirone was fired for his role in the incident. His attorney, Christopher Shea, did not immediately respond to an emailed requested for comment. The incident was depicted in the 2013 film “Fruitvale Station” with Michael B. Jordan.

Stocks slip following record-setting runs for markets worldwide

https://www.latimes.com/world-nation/story/2021-01-11/stocks-slip-as-wall-street-takes-a-breather-after-4-day-run

Stocks pulled back Monday on Wall Street as markets around the world paused following record-setting runs. The Standard & Poor’s 500 index fell 0.7%, breaking a four-day winning streak. Tesla, Amazon, Apple and other big gainers over the last year led the way lower, even as financial, healthcare and energy stocks notched gains. Treasury yields continued to rise. Analysts said a pullback was no surprise following the big rally recently for stocks, bond yields and commodities amid a wave of optimism. With Democrats set to take control of Washington, investors expect Congress to try soon to deliver more stimulus to the economy through larger cash payments for Americans and other programs. That added to enthusiasm about a powerful economic recovery coming later this year as more COVID-19 vaccines roll out. The market managed to look past much of last week’s bad news, including the attack on the U.S. Capitol on Wednesday, surging virus cases, and a disappointing employment report, said Julian Emanuel, BTIG‘s chief equity and derivatives strategist. That both speaks to the market’s resiliency and could signal a change in attitudes. “The fact that the market shrugged all of this news off, it’s ushering in a more speculative stage in the bull market,” he said. The S&P 500 dropped 25.07 points to 3,799.61. The Dow Jones industrial average fell 89.28 points, or 0.3%, to 31,008.69. The Nasdaq composite slid 165.54 points, or 1.3%, to 13,036.43. The three indexes set all-time highs Friday. The market’s record-setting run means stocks and other investments are even more expensive, leaving critics to say they’ve gone too high. One of the main ways professional investors gauge a stock’s value is by measuring its price against how much profit it made in the prior 12 months. Stocks in the S&P 500 are trading at roughly 29 times their earnings. That’s a much more expensive price tag than their average over the last decade of a little below 18, according to FactSet. “Given where we are in terms of valuation, there’s not going to be tolerance for news that isn’t good,” Emanuel said. At the same time, the worsening pandemic continues to slam the economy. U.S. employers cut more jobs last month than they added, for example, the first month of job losses since last spring. In the background, political uncertainty also continues to hang over markets. Democrats are pushing for the removal of President Trump, who has less than two weeks left in his term, after his words helped incite a group of loyalists to storm the Capitol last week. Shares of Twitter slid 6.4% for one of the largest losses in the S&P 500 after it banned Trump from his account and his 89 million followers. Facebook fell 4% after it suspended Trump’s accounts. In the bond market, Treasury yields have been shooting higher, in part on expectations that the U.S. government is set to borrow a lot more money for stimulus programs. That has investors raising their expectations for economic growth and inflation. The yield on the 10-year Treasury climbed to 1.13% from 1.09% late Friday. It was just 0.89% at the end of 2020 after setting a record low during the year. Strategists at Morgan Stanley have been saying for months that bond yields may be set for a big rise, and they said in a report Monday that stocks may have hit their peak for how much investors are willing to pay for each $1 of corporate earnings. That would put more pressure on companies to increase their earnings for their stock prices to rise further or even to hold steady. Analysts expect strong profit growth to return for companies later this year as the economy recovers. But in upcoming weeks, when chief executives are scheduled to tell shareholders how much profit they made during the last three months of 2020, Wall Street expects to see a sharp drop. Analysts forecast S&P 500 companies to report a decline of nearly 9% in earnings per share from a year earlier, according to FactSet. If they’re right, it would be the third-worst drop since the summer of 2009. European markets closed lower and Asian markets were mixed.

Mike Milbury will no longer appear on NBC Sports hockey broadcasts

https://www.latimes.com/sports/story/2021-01-11/milbury-out-babcock-in-for-nhl-broadcasts-on-nbc

Mike Milbury is out and Mike Babcock is in for NBC Sports’ coverage of the NHL this season. Milbury had been with the network since 2008 after coaching the Bruins and serving as coach and general manager of the Islanders. He stepped away from broadcasting during the 2020 playoffs after drawing widespread criticism for saying players should be more focused in the league’s coronavirus bubble because there were no women around to serve as a distraction. “It’s an unfortunate situation with Mike,” executive producer Sam Flood said Monday. “Mike is a friend. He’s a unique talent, and he’s given a lot to NBC and the NHL over the years. It was time to separate for a number of reasons.” Asked later for details, Flood declined to elaborate. Milbury’s ouster is the second in less than a year for the NHL on NBC, which parted ways with Jeremy Roenick in February after suspending the former player for making inappropriate comments about co-workers. Hockey Scrambling to make up for lost revenue, the NHL has sold naming rights to its divisions. The Kings and Ducks will play in the Honda NHL West Division. Jan. 5, 2021 In a statement, NBC Sports said: “We are grateful to Mike for all of his contributions to our coverage for 14 years, but he will not be returning to our NHL announce team. We wish him well.” Milbury in August apologized for his on-air remark about women, saying in a statement: “It was not my intention to disrespect anyone. I was trying to be irreverent and took it a step too far. It was a regrettable mistake that I take seriously.” Babcock, an NHL head coach for 17 seasons, joins NBC Sports more than a year after being fired by Toronto. The 2008 Stanley Cup-winning coach came under fire late last year for tactics that some considered to be mental abuse.

State Capitols step up security amid new safety concerns

https://www.latimes.com/world-nation/story/2021-01-11/state-capitols-step-up-security-amid-new-safety-concerns

State Capitols across the nation stepped up security Monday, deploying National Guard units, SWAT teams and extra police officers as several legislatures convened amid heightened safety concerns following last week’s violence at the U.S. Capitol. Hours after the protections began, the FBI issued bulletins warning of plans for armed protests in all 50 state capitals and in Washington, D.C., ahead of President-elect Joe Biden’s Jan. 20 inauguration. Washington state Gov. Jay Inslee activated hundreds of National Guard troops to help state police keep order at the state Capitol and defend security fencing. At least two people were arrested Monday, including a woman who, according to state police, used a recreational vehicle to block a roadway and refused to comply with orders to move. Later, about 20 people gathered outside the security fencing, including a man who tried to walk past authorities as lawmakers were to begin their session. He was taken into custody after shouting, “I have every right to witness this.” At the Georgia Capitol, a state patrol SWAT team walked the perimeter wearing fatigues and carrying rifles while lawmakers gathered inside for the start of a two-year term. In Michigan, a state commission voted Monday to ban the open carrying of weapons in the Capitol building. Legislatures convened in more than half a dozen states. Because of concerns about the coronavirus, many state Capitols had already adopted procedures to curb the potential for large crowds, including arranging for lawmakers to meet remotely. Those steps greatly reduced the number of people who are actually working in Capitol buildings. After insurrectionists backing President Trump overran the U.S. Capitol last Wednesday, some governors and lawmakers began ramping up security because of online threats suggesting that more mobs could target state Capitols. In Idaho, doors to the House and Senate chambers were locked Monday morning, and two Idaho state troopers were stationed at each entrance. In past years, the doors were propped open while an unarmed statehouse staff member controlled access. During a special session last August, a group of people including anti-government activist Ammon Bundy forced their way past overwhelmed troopers and filled the Idaho House gallery despite COVID-19 restrictions limiting the number of people allowed in. The group called People’s Rights was founded by Bundy and opposes the restrictions. Its leaders were urging members to show up Monday at the Capitol. Glen Thorne of Buhl, Idaho, about a two-hour drive to the southeast of Boise, wore a handgun in a holster on his right hip Monday at the Capitol. Openly carrying weapons in the building is legal. Thorne said he wanted to make sure Republican Gov. Brad Little “knows that we’re here.” “We want to end the state of emergency for Idaho. It’s ridiculous. We all want to go back to a normal state of living,” Thorne said. He did not think the group would cause trouble. “This is Idaho. We’re all gun-carrying, respectful Republicans,” he said. Republican Idaho Rep. Chad Christensen said he brought a bulletproof vest. “If I feel things are going to get heightened up, I may put it on,” said Christensen, who also carried a .45-caliber handgun on his belt, which is standard procedure for him. In Georgia, Republican Gov. Brian Kemp and other officials approved construction of a fence around the Capitol last year after racial injustice protests. Kemp has kept a group of National Guard soldiers on active duty to protect state properties since last summer, when protesters smashed windows and set a fire at state public safety headquarters in Atlanta. Georgia House Speaker David Ralston, another Republican, said he had “full confidence” that authorities would be “ready to do whatever needs to be done to to protect the members, staff, the public, the media and all the people that have to be here.” Inslee activated 750 members of the National Guard. On the same day as the deadly riot in Washington, D.C., a group of armed people broke down a gate outside the governor’s mansion in Olympia, Wash., and made it to the porch and front yard before being convinced to leave by police. On Monday, lawmakers had to drive through an area gated off and guarded by the National Guard to park outside the Capitol. A small group of protesters gathered in the morning, shouting that they should be let inside the building to observe lawmakers. “It’s a sad day for our country, isn’t it, where you have to have that kind of security around the people who were elected to represent you,” Democratic state Sen. Patty Kuderer said. “Unfortunately, we live in troubling times, and I do believe we’re going to get through it, but it’s going to take a lot of time and a lot of effort.” House Majority Leader Pat Sullivan said that both the pandemic protocols, plus the security concerns, will make lawmakers’ work more difficult, but he said that “people are counting on us to pass budgets and laws that help them in their daily life.” In Michigan, where armed demonstrators against coronavirus restrictions entered the Capitol last year, there was little discussion as the open-weapons ban was approved. Michigan lawmakers are to return to session Wednesday. Some of the anti-government extremists accused in a plot to kidnap Democratic Gov. Gretchen Whitmer had attended the lockdown protests. Prosecutors say the accused ringleader initially talked of recruiting 200 men to storm the building, take hostages and “execute tyrants.” A secondary plan involved locking exits and setting the statehouse on fire, according to court documents.

FBI warns of plans for nationwide armed protests this week

https://www.latimes.com/world-nation/story/2021-01-11/fbi-warns-of-plans-for-nationwide-armed-protests-next-week

The FBI is warning of plans for armed protests at all 50 state capitals and in Washington in the days leading up to President-elect Joe Biden’s inauguration, stoking fears of more bloodshed after last week’s deadly siege at the U.S. Capitol. An internal FBI bulletin warned that the nationwide protests may start this week and extend through Biden’s Jan. 20 inauguration, according to two law enforcement officials who read details of the memo to the Associated Press. Investigators believe some of the people are members of extremist groups, the officials said. The bulletin was first reported by ABC. “Armed protests are being planned at all 50 state capitols from 16 January through at least 20 January, and at the U.S. Capitol from 17 January through 20 January,” the bulletin said, according to one official. The officials were not authorized to speak publicly and spoke to the AP on condition of anonymity. The FBI issued at least one other bulletin — they go out to law enforcement nationwide on the topic — before the riots last week. On Dec. 29, it warned of the potential for armed demonstrators targeting legislatures, the second official said. Army Gen. Daniel Hokanson, chief of the National Guard Bureau, told reporters Monday that the Guard is also looking at any issues across the country. “We’re keeping a look across the entire country to make sure that we’re monitoring, and that our Guards in every state are in close coordination with their local law enforcement agencies to provide any support requested.” The riots followed weeks of online calls for violence in Washington in the waning days of Donald Trump’s presidency. A tweet in which Trump promised that Wednesday’s event “will be wild” fueled a “monthlong frenzy of incitements, strategizing and embrace of violence against lawmakers,” according to a research group that tracks online extremism activity. In a report issued Saturday, the SITE Intelligence Group also warned that the Capitol attack has emboldened Trump-supporting extremists. “No matter how all this plays out, its only the beginning,” posted a user on TheDonald message board, according to the report.

Biden's inauguration theme will be 'America United'

https://www.latimes.com/world-nation/story/2021-01-11/ap-exclusive-biden-inauguration-theme-america-united

The theme for President-elect Joe Biden’s inauguration will be “America United,” an issue that’s long been a central focus for Biden but one that’s taken on added weight in the wake of the violence at the U.S. Capitol last week. In an announcement shared first with the Associated Press, the Presidential Inaugural Committee says the theme “reflects the beginning of a new national journey that restores the soul of America, brings the country together, and creates a path to a brighter future. Politics House leaders set plans in motion to impeach President Trump for a second time, with a vote as early as Wednesday. Jan. 11, 2021 In keeping with the theme of unity, the committee also announced that after being officially inaugurated, Biden, Vice President-elect Kamala Harris and their spouses would lay a wreath at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier in Arlington National Cemetery. They will be joined there by former Presidents Obama, Bush and Clinton and their wives. It will be one of Biden’s first acts as president and a show of bipartisanship at a time when the national divide is on stark display. The focus on unity has characterized Biden’s presidential run from the start, and he’s said repeatedly since winning the White House that he sees unifying the country as one of his top priorities as president. But the scope — and urgency — of the challenge facing Biden became even clearer this week after President Trump sparked an armed insurrection at the Capitol with his repeated attempts to delegitimize Biden’s win. Security will be tight. The National Park Service announced Monday it would shut down public access to the Washington Monument until Jan. 24, citing threats surrounding the inauguration. Trump himself is skipping Biden’s inaugural, a decision Biden said was a “good thing,” though Vice President Mike Pence and his wife plan to attend. “This inauguration marks a new chapter for the American people — one of healing, of unifying, of coming together, of an America united,” said Presidential Inaugural Committee CEO Tony Allen. “It is time to turn the page on this era of division. The inaugural activities will reflect our shared values and serve as a reminder that we are stronger together than we are apart, just as our motto ‘e pluribus unum’ reminds us — out of many, one.” The committee also announced plans for a major public art display spanning multiple blocks of the National Mall that would feature 191,500 U.S. flags and 56 pillars of light, to represent every U.S. state and territory. After Biden asked Americans to stay home for his inauguration, the “Field of Flags” is meant to represent “the American people who are unable to travel” to the Capitol to celebrate his swearing-in, according to the committee. It’s not the only COVID-era change to the festivities. In keeping with crowd-size restrictions to slow the spread of the virus, Biden will have a significantly pared-down inauguration, with traditional activities like the parade and the inaugural balls moving to a virtual format. But even as the celebration itself will be smaller, inauguration officials are preparing a significant security presence in preparation for what may be more pro-Trump demonstrations across Washington.

Capitol police were overrun, 'left naked' against rioters

https://www.latimes.com/world-nation/story/2021-01-10/capitol-police-were-overrun-left-naked-against-rioters

Despite ample warnings about pro-Trump demonstrations in Washington, the U.S. Capitol Police did not bolster staffing on Wednesday and made no preparations for the possibility that the planned protests could escalate into violent riots, according to several people briefed on law enforcement’s response. The revelations shed new light on why the Capitol Police were so quickly overrun by rioters. The department had the same number of officers in place as it does on a routine day. While some of those officers were outfitted with equipment for a protest, they were not staffed or equipped for a riot. Once the mob began to move on the Capitol, a police lieutenant issued an order not to use deadly force, which explains why officers outside the building did not draw their weapons as the crowd closed in. Officers are sometimes ordered against escalating a situation by drawing weapons if superiors believe doing so could lead to a stampede or a shootout. Politics House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said Sunday evening that the House will bring articles of impeachment against Trump for his incitement of the Capitol riot last week. Jan. 10, 2021 In this instance, it left officers with little ability to resist the mob. In one video from the scene, an officer puts up his fists to try to push back a crowd pinning him and his colleagues against a door. The crowd jeers “You are not American!” One man tries to prod him with the tip of an American flag. “They were left naked,” Rep. Maxine Waters (D-Los Angeles) said of the police in an interview with the Associated Press. She had raised security concerns in a Dec. 28 meeting of House Democrats and grilled Steven Sund, the Capitol Police chief, during an hourlong private call on New Year’s Eve. “It turns out it was the worst kind of non-security anybody could ever imagine.” The Capitol Police’s lackluster response to the riots, poor planning and failure to anticipate the seriousness of the threat have drawn condemnation from lawmakers and prompted the ouster of the department’s chief and the sergeants at arms of both the House and Senate. As the full extent of the insurrection becomes clear, the FBI is investigating whether some of the rioters had plans to kidnap members of Congress and hold them hostage. Investigators are particularly focused on why some of the rioters were seen carrying plastic zip-tie handcuffs and had apparently accessed areas of the Capitol that are difficult for the public to locate, according to an official. The official was among four briefed on Wednesday’s incident who spoke to the AP on the condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss the ongoing investigation publicly. Larry Rendell Brock of Texas and Eric Gavelek Munchel of Tennessee — who both were photographed with plastic restraints as they broke into the Capitol — were arrested Sunday by the FBI. Prosecutors said Brock had donned a green helmet, tactical vest and camouflage jacket. The crowd that arrived in Washington on Wednesday was no surprise. President Trump had been urging his supporters to come to the capital, and some hotels had been booked to 100% capacity — setting off alarm bells because tourism in Washington has cratered amid the COVID-19 pandemic. Justice officials, the FBI and other agencies monitored flights and social media for weeks and were expecting massive crowds. A leader of the far-right extremist group Proud Boys was arrested coming into the city with high-powered magazine clips emblazoned with the group’s logo, police said. The clips were not loaded. He was planning to attend a rally near the White House. Capitol Police leaders, however, had prepared for a free speech demonstration. No fencing was erected outside the Capitol, and no contingency plans were prepared in case the situation escalated, according to people briefed. Rep. Jason Crow, a Democrat from Colorado, said Army Secretary Ryan D. McCarthy told lawmakers Sunday that the Defense Department and law enforcement officials had prepared for a crowd similar to protests in November and December, in the “low thousands,” and had been preparing for small, disparate violent events such as stabbings and fist fights. McCarthy also said Sund and Mayor Muriel Bowser had called for urgent reinforcements from the Defense Department as the crowd surged toward officers but were “unable to articulate what resources are needed and in what locations, due to chaos.” Waters grilled Sund on exactly these types of questions: about the Proud Boys and other groups coming, about keeping them off the Capitol plaza. The police chief insisted that the department knew what it was doing. “He kept assuring me he had it under control — they knew what they were doing,” she said. “Either he’s incompetent or he was lying or he was complicit.” Those decisions left the officers who were policing the Capitol like sitting ducks, the officials said, with little guidance and no cohesive plan on how to deal with the flood of rioters streaming into the building. The department’s leaders were scattered during the riots. The chief of police was with Vice President Pence in a secure location, and other high-ranking officials had been dispatched to the scene of bombs found outside the nearby headquarters of the Republican and Democratic national committees. The rioters had more equipment and weren’t afraid to use it, said Ashan M. Benedict, who leads the Washington field division for the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and was there that day. “They had apparently more bear spray and pepper spray and chemical munitions than we did,” Benedict said. “We’re coming up with plans to counteract their chemical munitions with some of our own less-than-lethal devices, so these conversations are going on as this chaos is unfolding in front of my eyes.” Officers have been criticized for their actions after snippets of videos taken by rioters showed officers posing for selfies and acquiescing to demands by screaming rioters to move aside so they could stream inside the building. But other videos show officers trying in vain to keep the crowd from breaking into the building. One disturbing video shows a bloodied Metropolitan police officer screaming for help as he is crushed by protesters inside the Capitol, pinned between a riot shield and a metal door. Bleeding from the mouth, he cries out in pain and screams, “Help!” In another stunning video, a lone police officer tries to hold off a mob of demonstrators from breaking into the lobby. He fails. One officer died in the riot, and at least a dozen were injured. The officials wouldn’t reveal the specific number of officers on duty over concerns about disclosing operational details, but they confirmed that the numbers were on par with a routine protest and day when lawmakers would be present. Capitol Police officials did brief lawmakers before Wednesday, saying they expected large numbers of protesters to attend a rally near the White House, but they offered no indication that they were preparing for an en masse movement to the Capitol, according to one Republican congressional aide. Still, they advised lawmakers to use the underground tunnels that connect House office buildings to the Capitol. Benedict was at the bomb scene when Capitol Police captains there told him their officers were being overrun. He immediately activated the special response team that was standing by and began to call in every ATF agent who works for him in Washington. When they began entering the Capitol complex at 2:40 p.m., the hallways were packed with rioters. Eventually, federal agents were able to secure the Capitol Rotunda. “We just started moving crowds of people out of the Capitol complex and then going through one by one, each room and rooms off of rooms, to identify friendlies from hostiles,” he said.

U.S. diplomats make extraordinary protest against Trump after riot

https://www.latimes.com/world-nation/story/2021-01-10/us-diplomats-in-extraordinary-protest-against-trump-for-riot

In a highly unusual move, American diplomats have drafted two cables condemning President Trump’s incitement of the deadly assault on the Capitol and calling for administration officials to possibly support invoking the 25th Amendment to remove him from office. Using what is known as the State Department’s “dissent channel,” career foreign and civil service officers said they feared Wednesday’s siege might badly undermine U.S. credibility to promote and defend democratic values abroad. “Failing to publicly hold the president to account would further damage our democracy and our ability to effectively accomplish our foreign policy goals abroad,” stated the second of the two cables, which were circulated among diplomats late last week and then sent to State Department leadership. California A Shasta County supervisors’ meeting was faced with verbal threats to government officials and talk of civil war. “You have made bullets expensive. But luckily for you, ropes are reusable,” one person threatened. Jan. 10, 2021 The cable called on Secretary of State Michael R. Pompeo to support any lawful effort by Vice President Mike Pence and other Cabinet members to protect the country including through “the possible implementation of the procedures provided for in Article 4 of the 25th Amendment, if appropriate.” The amendment allows for the vice president and a majority of the Cabinet to declare a president unfit for office, and the vice president then becomes acting president. The cables were an extraordinary protest against a sitting U.S. president by American diplomats, who have long complained that the Trump administration has ignored and diminished their role and expertise. The dissent channel is normally used to oppose specific foreign policy decisions. The two most recent cables appear to be unprecedented in their scope and characterization of the president as a danger to the country. The cables also reflect anger at the response to the riot by Pompeo, a loyal Trump ally. Pompeo has condemned the violence at the Capitol but has pointedly not addressed the role Trump played in encouraging his supporters who stormed the building. Nor has Pompeo addressed the aftermath or acknowledged that American diplomats overseas may now face new difficulty in promoting democracy. Trump himself has railed about what he sees as disloyalty at the State Department. He once referred to it publicly — and in front of Pompeo and reporters — as “the deep State Department,” a reference to what Trump and his supporters believe is a cabal of entrenched bureaucrats intent on subverting his policies. It was not immediately clear how many diplomats signed the cables, both of which were viewed by the Associated Press. The State Department did not immediately respond to a request for comment. “It is essential that the Department of State explicitly denounce President Trump’s role in this violent attack on the U.S. government,” said the first of the two cables, which added that the president’s own comments should not be used “as he is not a credible voice on this matter.” “Just as we routinely denounce foreign leaders who use violence and intimidation to interfere in peaceful democratic processes and override the will of their voters, the department’s public statements about this episode should also mention President Trump by name. It is critical that we communicate to the world that in our system, no one — not even the president — is above the law or immune from public criticism. “This would be a first step towards repairing the damage to our international credibility,” it said. “It would allow the beacon of democracy to shine on despite this dark episode. It would also send a strong message to our friends and adversaries that the Department of State applies an ethos of integrity and objective standards when it condemns assaults on democracy at home or abroad.”

Vaccine rollout confirms public health officials' warnings

https://www.latimes.com/world-nation/story/2021-01-10/vaccine-rollout-confirms-public-health-officials-warnings

Public health officials sounded the alarm for months, complaining they did not have enough federal support or money to get COVID-19 vaccines quickly into arms. Now the slower-than-expected start to the largest vaccination effort in U.S. history is proving them right. As they work to ramp up the pace that shots are administered, state and local public health departments across the U.S. cite a variety of obstacles, most notably a lack of leadership from the Trump administration. Many officials worry they are losing precious time at the height of the pandemic and that the delays could cost lives. States lament a lack of clarity on how many doses they will receive and when. They say more resources should have been devoted to education campaigns to ease concerns among people leery of getting the shots. And although the federal government recently approved $8.7 billion for the vaccine effort, it will take time to reach places that could have used the money months ago to prepare to deliver shots more efficiently. Such complaints have become a common refrain in a nation where public health officials have been left largely on their own to solve complex problems. “The recurring theme is the lack of a national strategy and the attempt to pass the buck down the line, lower and lower, until the poor people at the receiving end have nobody else that they can send the buck to,” said Gianfranco Pezzino, who was the public health officer in Kansas’ Shawnee County before retiring last month. California The work of discharge planners has never been more critical, as they try to free up beds in dangerously full hospitals confronting a deluge of COVID-19 patients in Los Angeles County. Jan. 10, 2021 Operation Warp Speed, the federal vaccine program, had promised to distribute enough doses to immunize 20 million people in the U.S. in December. It missed that target, and as of Friday, about 6.6 million people had received their first shot. About 22 million doses have been delivered to states. The American Hospital Assn. has estimated that 1.8 million people need to be vaccinated daily from Jan. 1 to May 31 to reach widespread immunity by the summer. The current pace is more than 1 million people per day below that. President-elect Joe Biden on Friday called the rollout a “travesty,” noting the lack of a national plan to get doses into arms and reiterating his commitment to administer 100 million shots in his first 100 days. He has not shared details and is expected to discuss the effort this week. His office announced a plan to release most doses right away, rather than holding second doses in reserve, the more conservative approach taken by the Trump administration. The Trump administration defined its primary role as developing coronavirus vaccines and delivering them to states, which would then take over and ensure that vaccine doses traveled “the last mile” into arms. Each state had to develop its own plan, including issuing guidelines for who gets vaccinated first. Several health experts complained about that approach, saying it led to confusion and a patchwork response. “Let’s just say that I was disappointed how they handled testing, and the vaccine deployment has reminded me of how disappointed I was when they handled testing,” said Dr. Mysheika Roberts, health commissioner in Columbus, Ohio. Several public health officials and experts say they believe some of the early glitches are smoothing out. Marcus Plescia, chief medical officer for the nationwide Assn. of State and Territorial Health Officials, said the slow start should not be surprising given the immense scale of the task. “It was not going to be seamless,” he said. Still, Plescia said the federal government could have done more ahead of the rollout — such as releasing billions of dollars earlier to help with staffing, technology and other operational needs. An ongoing investigation by the Associated Press and Kaiser Health News detailed how state and local health departments had been underfunded for decades. Public health officials have warned since the spring that they lack the staff, money and tools that are needed to deploy a vaccine. The money was not approved until the end of December. Vaccine distribution involves a long, complex chain of events. Every dose must be tracked. Providers need to know how much staffing they will need. Eligible people must be notified to schedule their shots, given the vaccine’s handling requirements and the need to observe people for 15 minutes after the shot — all while social distancing is observed. It’s difficult to plan too far ahead because the number of doses the state receives can fluctuate. Hospitals cannot give all their workers shots on the same day because of possible side effects and staffing issues, so they must be spaced out. Rhode Island health officials said it could take up to seven days to get doses out to people once they were received. Officials in several states, including Rhode Island, Pennsylvania, Kentucky and New Jersey, said the lack of supply was one of the biggest obstacles to getting more people vaccinated. Some communities have seen large numbers of medical workers put off getting the shot, even though they are first in line. Columbus, Ohio, has had lower-than-expected demand among top-priority groups, including emergency medical workers. A public education campaign could have helped address the hesitancy among healthcare workers that has slowed the rollout of the first shots, said James Garrow, a spokesman for the Philadelphia health department. Instead, officials for months talked about the speed at which they were developing the vaccines — which did not help alleviate concerns that it might not be safe. “There just hasn’t been good messaging about the safety and the purposefulness of the safety protocols,” Garrow said. The federal government has done little to provide information resources that local officials can tailor to their own communities, to address concerns of people such as pregnant women, said Dr. Michael Osterholm, an infectious disease expert at the University of Minnesota, who is a member of Biden’s COVID-19 advisory board. “You don’t need 50 different states trying to do this kind of work. What you want to have is a smorgasbord of information sources that address different populations that any one state can use,” Osterholm said. “That’s what we don’t have right now.” Some states are getting creative. Oregon held a mass vaccination event at the state fairgrounds with the help of the National Guard. The governor said it aimed to vaccinate 250 people per hour. New Jersey planned to open six vaccine “megasites,” where officials hope more than 2,000 people per day can eventually get their shots. But without a federal plan, such efforts can amount to “throwing spaghetti at a wall to see what sticks,” said Chrissie Juliano of the Big Cities Health Coalition, which represents metropolitan health departments. What’s needed is a national, wartime-type effort to get vaccines out to as many people as possible, multiple experts said. Medical emergencies can be covered 24 hours a day, seven days a week, said Pezzino, who is also a senior fellow at the Kansas Health Institute. Why not make vaccinations available on that schedule? “It is possible. It is feasible,” he said. “I don’t see the level of urgency, the feeling of urgency in anybody around here. And that’s really, honestly, that’s the only thing that could make a difference.”

Protesters detained for criticizing Kazakhstan's vote

https://www.latimes.com/world-nation/story/2021-01-10/protesters-detained-for-criticizing-kazakhstans-vote

Dozens of people protesting Kazakhstan’s opposition-free election were detained in the country’s capital and in its principal city but were released after several hours. Five parties are competing Sunday for seats in the lower house of Parliament, but all are loyal to the government. The country’s only registered opposition party declined to field candidates. More than 30 demonstrators were detained in the principal city of Almaty, according to the news agency Akipress. The Interfax news agency said more protesters were also detained in the capital, Nur-Sultan. Deputy Interior Minister Arystangani Zapparov said late Sunday that all those detained had been released without charges. The ruling Nur Otan party is expected to maintain or increase its current domination of the Parliament of the former Soviet republic, which is rich in oil, gas and mineral resources. The party is headed by former President Nursultan Nazarbayev, who was in power from independence in 1991 until his resignation last year. Although he stepped down, he retains significant power as head of the national security council.

Oaths questioned as Trump's backers fight against loss

https://www.latimes.com/world-nation/story/2021-01-10/oaths-questioned-as-trumps-backers-fight-against-loss

Before they take office, elected officials swear to uphold the U.S. Constitution. But what happens when they are accused of doing the opposite? As some Republicans continued to back President Trump’s doomed effort to overturn the election, critics — including President-elect Joe Biden — accused them of violating their oaths and instead pledging allegiance to Trump. The oaths, which rarely attract much attention, have become a common subject in the final days of the Trump presidency, invoked by members of both parties as they met Wednesday to affirm Biden’s win and a violent mob of Trump supporters stormed the U.S. Capitol. “They also swore on a Bible to uphold the Constitution, and that’s where they really are stepping outside and being in dereliction of duty,” said former New Jersey Gov. Christine Todd Whitman, a Republican who served as EPA administrator during former President George W. Bush’s administration. “They swore to uphold the Constitution against all our enemies, foreign or domestic, and they are ignoring that.” California A Shasta County supervisors’ meeting was faced with verbal threats to government officials and talk of civil war. “You have made bullets expensive. But luckily for you, ropes are reusable,” one person threatened. Jan. 10, 2021 The oaths vary slightly between government bodies, but elected officials generally swear to defend the Constitution. The U.S. Senate website says its current oath is linked to the 1860s, “drafted by Civil War-era members of Congress intent on ensnaring traitors.” Alaska Sen. Lisa Murkowski, a Republican, vowed to honor the oath she took and affirm the results of the presidential election while urging colleagues to do the same. Republican Sen. Todd Young, of Indiana, was seen in a video posted to social media telling Trump supporters outside a Senate office building that he took an oath to the Constitution under God and asked, “Do we still take that seriously in this country?” Corey Brettschneider, a political science professor at Brown University and author of “The Oath and the Office: A Guide to the Constitution for Future Presidents,” said the oath must be taken seriously and that Americans have to demand its enforcement or “the risk is to the entire system.” He said he would support censures, a formal statement of disapproval, for officials who clearly violated their oaths. “The worst that could happen is that people roll their eyes at the oath and they say, ‘Oh, none of them mean it,’ and I think what we’ve got to do at a time of crisis is exactly the opposite — is to say, this does mean something,” Brettschneider said. “When you break the law, you need to be held to account, and that’s what’s really up to the American people to be outraged when Trump does what he’s done.” Republicans who have filed or supported lawsuits challenging Biden’s win in November have claimed, without evidence, that the election was rigged against Trump. Their cases have failed before courts all the way to the U.S. Supreme Court. Both Republican and Democratic officials have deemed the election results legitimate and free of any widespread fraud. The oaths were mentioned often Wednesday during a joint session of Congress meant to confirm Biden’s victory. Some Republicans who launched objections to the election results claimed their oaths required them to do so, while Democrats urged their counterparts to honor their oaths and affirm Biden as the next president. “The oath that I took this past Sunday to defend and support the Constitution makes it necessary for me to object to this travesty,” said Rep. Lauren Boebert, a newly elected Republican from Colorado. As lawmakers met, violent protesters loyal to Trump stormed the Capitol in an insurrection intended to keep Biden from replacing Trump in the White House. While authorities struggled to regain control, Biden called on Trump to abide by his oath and move to ease tensions. “I call on President Trump to go on national television now to fulfill his oath and defend the Constitution and demand an end to this siege,” Biden said. The GOP effort to block the formal confirmation of Biden’s win eventually failed after Republicans recycled arguments of fraud and other irregularities that failed to gain traction. Democrats were quick to condemn Republicans who continued to oppose the results. Rep. Adam Schiff of California asked, “Does our oath to uphold the Constitution, taken just days ago, mean so very little? I think not.” He added that “an oath is no less broken when the breaking fails to achieve its end.” Rep. Cori Bush, a Democrat from Missouri, said she would introduce a resolution calling for the expulsion of Republicans who moved to invalidate the election results. “I believe the Republican members of Congress who have incited this domestic terror attack through their attempts to overturn the election must face consequences,” she tweeted. “They have broken their sacred oath of office.” Michigan Atty. Gen. Dana Nessel, a Democrat, said officials who continued to support Trump’s baseless claims of fraud violated their oath, and their rhetoric emboldened the rioters who stormed the Capitol. “They have an allegiance that they have sworn — not to the Constitution and not the United States of America, but to one man, and that man is Donald Trump,” she said. “And they refuse to walk away from that no matter what he says, no matter what he does, and I think history will not judge them kindly for that.”

Republican Sen. Toomey says Trump committed 'impeachable offenses'

https://www.latimes.com/world-nation/story/2021-01-09/top-republican-says-trump-committed-impeachable-offenses

Democrats’ momentum for a fresh drive to quickly impeach departing President Trump gained support Saturday, and a top Republican said the president’s role in the deadly riot at the Capitol by a violent mob of Trump supporters was worthy of rebuke. Sen. Patrick J. Toomey (R-Pa.) said he believed Trump had committed “impeachable offenses.” But he stopped short of saying whether he would vote to remove the president from office at the conclusion of a Senate trial if the House sent over articles of impeachment. “I don’t know what they are going to send over and one of the things that I’m concerned about, frankly, is whether the House would completely politicize something,” Toomey said Saturday on Fox News Channel, speaking of the Democratic-controlled House. “I do think the president committed impeachable offenses, but I don’t know what is going to land on the Senate floor, if anything,” Toomey said. The new Democratic effort to stamp Trump’s presidential record — for the second time and days before his term ends — with the indelible mark of impeachment gained momentum Saturday. Rep. David Cicilline (D-R.I.), a leader of the House effort to draft impeachment articles — or charges — accusing Trump of inciting insurrection, said his group had grown to 185 co-sponsors. Politics Trump’s bid to hold on to power through intimidation and insurrection dramatically raises the odds of the first-ever prosecution of an ex-president. Jan. 9, 2021 Lawmakers plan to formally introduce the proposal on Monday in the House, where articles of impeachment must originate. A vote could be possible by Wednesday — exactly one week before Democrat Joe Biden becomes president at noon on Jan. 20. The articles, if passed by the House, would then be transmitted to the Senate for a trial, with senators acting as jurors who would ultimately vote on whether to acquit or convict Trump. If convicted, Trump would be removed from office and succeeded by the vice president. Democratic House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, however, shared no details about her party’s plans as she addressed her hometown San Francisco constituents during an online videoconference on Saturday. “Justice will be done. Democracy will prevail. And America will be healed,” she said. “But it is a decision that we have to make.” A violent and largely white mob of Trump supporters overpowered police, broke through security lines and rampaged through the Capitol on Wednesday, forcing lawmakers to scatter as they were putting the final, formal touches on Biden’s victory over Trump in the electoral college. The crowd surged to the domed symbol of American democracy following a rally near the White House, where Trump repeated his bogus claims that the election was stolen from him and urged his supporters to march in force toward the Capitol. California Leandra Blades, of the Placentia-Yorba Linda Unified Board of Education, and Whittier City Councilwoman Jessica Martinez are facing calls to resign after they attended the rally of Trump supporters in Washington that culminated in the attack on the U.S. Capitol. Jan. 9, 2021 Five people, including a Capitol Police officer, died as a result of the siege. “It has been an epiphany for the world to see that there are people in our country led by this president, for the moment, who have chosen their whiteness over democracy,” Pelosi said of the attack. She added: “This cannot be exaggerated. The complicity — not only the complicity, the instigation of the president of United States — must and will be addressed.” No. 4 House Democratic leader Hakeem Jeffries of New York reiterated support for moving against what he deemed “an act of sedition that was incited and encouraged by Donald Trump.” Speaking of Trump, Jeffries said Saturday: “He should be impeached, convicted and thrown out of 1600 Pennsylvania Ave. and forever banished to the dustbin of history.” Outrage over the attack and Trump’s role in egging it on capped a divisive, chaotic presidency like few others in the nation’s history. There are less than two weeks until Trump is out of office, but Democrats have made clear they don’t want to wait that long. Politics President Trump, never one to nobly accept defeat, left plenty of clues he’d try to burn the place down on his way out the door. Jan. 9, 2021 Trump, meanwhile, has few fellow Republicans speaking out in his defense. He’s become increasingly isolated, holed up in the White House as he has been abandoned in the aftermath of the riot by many aides, leading Republicans and, so far, two Cabinet members — both women. Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska), who has long voiced her exasperation with Trump’s conduct in office, told the Anchorage Daily News on Friday that he simply “needs to get out.” Sen. Ben Sasse, another Trump critic, said more important than what happened to Trump was “what happens to the United States people and this union [in] 12 days and beyond.” But the Nebraska Republican also told “CBS This Morning” on Friday that he would “definitely consider” whatever articles the House sent over because he believed Trump had “disregarded his oath of office” to preserve, protect and defend the Constitution. Biden, meanwhile, reiterated that he had long viewed Trump as unfit for office. But on Friday he sidestepped a question about impeachment, saying what Congress does “is for them to decide.” After spending many weeks refusing to concede defeat in the November election, Trump promised — after the Capitol riot — to oversee a smooth transfer of power to Biden. He called for reconciliation and healing but then announced he would not attend the inauguration — the first such presidential snub since just after the Civil War.

Trump pressured Georgia investigator to 'find the fraud' in earlier call

https://www.latimes.com/world-nation/story/2021-01-09/trump-pressured-georgia-to-find-the-fraud-in-earlier-call

While officials in Georgia were verifying signatures on absentee ballot envelopes, President Trump pressed the state’s lead elections investigator to “find the fraud” and said it would make the investigator a national hero. The December call, described by a person familiar with it who spoke on the condition of anonymity in order to describe the sensitive nature of the discussion, is yet another link in the chain of the extraordinary pressure campaign waged by Trump on state officials as he sought to overturn the results of the November election, which he lost to Democrat Joe Biden. It is one of at least three phone calls over the course of a month between early December and early January in which Trump sought help from high-level Georgia officials in subverting the election — only to be rebuffed each time. Trump lost to Biden in Georgia by 11,779 votes. Politics Trump’s bid to hold on to power through intimidation and insurrection dramatically raises the odds of the first-ever prosecution of an ex-president. Jan. 9, 2021 The call to the investigator preceded Trump’s Jan. 2 call to Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger in which he asked the state’s top election official to “find” enough votes to overturn Biden’s win. Raffensperger recorded the call. Trump’s call to the investigator came as election officials were conducting an audit of signatures on absentee ballot envelopes in Cobb County in suburban Atlanta. The audit, which reviewed more than 15,000 signatures, found no cases of fraud. The Georgia Bureau of Investigation helped conduct the signature audit. Trump and his allies have for months made false claims about Georgia’s signature verification process for absentee ballots and about the results of the November election. Among other things, they demanded an audit of the signature matches. The White House had no immediate comment. The call was first reported Saturday by the Washington Post, which said it was withholding the name of the investigator — who it reported did not respond to requests for comment — because of the risk of threats and harassment directed at election officials. Various election officials across the country and Trump’s former attorney general, William Barr, have said there was no widespread fraud in the election. Raffensperger and other officials in Georgia have repeatedly disputed Trump’s false claims about the election and said it was conducted freely and fairly. Congress certified Biden’s electoral college win early Thursday — hours after a violent throng of pro-Trump rioters stormed the Capitol. During another call in early December, Trump pressed Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp to order a special session of the state Legislature to overturn Biden’s victory. Kemp refused. Trump repeatedly lashed out at Raffensperger and Kemp, both fellow Republicans, and others he saw as standing in his way of overturning his election loss. In his call with Raffensperger, Trump urged the secretary of state to change the certified results. “All I want to do is this. I just want to find 11,780 votes, which is one more than we have,” Trump said. “Because we won the state.” Raffensperger said in response: “President Trump, we’ve had several lawsuits, and we’ve had to respond in court to the lawsuits and the contentions. We don’t agree that you have won.” Legal experts said the call raised questions about possible election law violations by Trump, and several Democrats in the state have called for an investigation to be opened.

Blizzard in Spain kills four and brings much of nation to a standstill

https://www.latimes.com/world-nation/story/2021-01-09/snow-blizzard-kills-4-brings-much-of-spain-to-a-standstill

A persistent blizzard has blanketed large parts of Spain with 50-year record levels of snow, killing at least four people and leaving thousands trapped in cars, train stations and airports as the snow kept falling on Saturday. The bodies of a man and woman were recovered by the Andalucía region emergency service after their car was washed away by a flooded river near the town of Fuengirola. The Interior Ministry said a 54-year-old man was also found dead in Madrid under a big pile of snow. A homeless man died of hypothermia in the northern city of Zaragoza, the local police department reported. More than half of Spain’s provinces remained on alert Saturday afternoon, five of them on their highest level of warning. In the capital, authorities activated the red alert for the first time since the system was adopted four decades ago and called in the military to rescue people trapped in their vehicles. More than 20 inches of snow fell in the capital. By 7 a.m. Saturday, the AEMET national weather agency had recorded the highest 24-hour snowfall seen since 1971 in Madrid. Sandra Morena, who became trapped late on Friday as she commuted to her night shift as a security guard in a shopping center, arrived home, on foot, after an army emergency unit helped her out on Saturday morning. “It usually takes me 15 minutes, but this time it has been 12 hours freezing, without food or water, crying with other people because we didn’t know how we were going to get out of there,” said Morena, 22. “Snow can be very beautiful but spending the night trapped in a car because of it is no fun,” she added. World & Nation The attack on the U.S. Capitol has spurred global concerns about the future of democracy and what lies ahead as alliances are being challenged. Jan. 9, 2021 AEMET had warned that some regions would be receiving more than 24 hours of continuous snowfall due to the odd combination of a cold air mass stagnant over the Iberian Peninsula and the arrival of a warmer weather system from the south. The system is expected to move northeast Saturday. to be followed by a cold snap, the agency said. Transport Minster José Luis Ábalos warned that “snow is going to turn into ice and we will enter a situation perhaps more dangerous than what we have at the moment.” He added that the priority was to assist those in need but also to ensure the supply chain for food and other basic goods. “The storm has exceeded the most pessimistic forecasts we had,” Ábalos added. Carlos Novillo, head of the Madrid emergency agency, said that more than 1,000 vehicles had become trapped, mostly on the city’s ring road and the main motorway that leads from the capital to the south, toward the Castilla La Mancha and Andalucia regions. “The situation remains of high risk. This is a very complex phenomenon and a critical situation,” Novillo said Saturday morning in a message posted on social media. “We ask all those who remain trapped to be patient, we will get to you,” he added. Airport operator AENA said that the Adolfo Suárez Madrid-Barajas International Airport, the main gateway in and out of the country, would remain closed throughout the day after the blizzard overwhelmed machines and workers trying to keep the runways clear. All train service into and out of Madrid and between the south and the northeast of the country was suspended, railway operator Renfe said. The storm had caused serious disruptions or closed altogether over 650 roads by Saturday morning, according to Spain’s transit authorities, which urged people to stay indoors and avoid all non-essential travel. The wintry weather even halted the country’s soccer league, with some La Liga top teams unable to travel for games. The regions of Castilla La Mancha and Madrid, home to 8.6 million people, announced that schools would be closed at least on Monday and Tuesday. In addition to breaking branches and toppling whole trees, the blizzard also yielded surreal images in Madrid, including a few brave skiers and a man on a dog sled seen on videos circulated on social media. Lucía Vallés, a coach for a Madrid-based ski club, was thrilled to see the white layers of snow accumulating literally at her doorstep. “I never imagined this, it has been a gift,” the 23-year-old said. “But I’ve never had so many photographs taken of me,” she added as she slid past the late-18th century building that hosts the Prado Museum.

'Brian is a hero': His family and hometown remember fallen Capitol officer

https://www.latimes.com/world-nation/story/2021-01-09/brian-did-his-job-family-remembers-fallen-capitol-officer

From his early days growing up in a New Jersey hamlet, Brian Sicknick wanted to be a police officer. He enlisted in the National Guard six months after graduating from high school in 1997, deploying to Saudi Arabia and then Kyrgyzstan. Joining the Guard was his means to joining law enforcement, his family said. He would join the U.S. Capitol Police in 2008, serving until his death Thursday after being attacked as rioters trying to overturn President Trump’s election loss stormed the U.S. Capitol, believing the president’s false claims of a rigged election. “His brother told me, ‘Brian did his job,’” said John Krenzel, the mayor of Sicknick’s hometown of South River, N.J. Sicknick’s death adds to a parade of shocks as the nation grapples with the reality that an armed mob could storm the halls of the U.S. Capitol as the presidential election results were being certified, sending hundreds of lawmakers, staff and journalists fleeing for safety. Videos published online show vastly outnumbered Capitol Police officers trying in vain to stop surging rioters, though other videos show officers taking no actions to stop rioters in the building. Politics Trump’s bid to hold on to power through intimidation and insurrection dramatically raises the odds of the first-ever prosecution of an ex-president. Jan. 9, 2021 Police leadership badly miscalculated the threat despite weeks of signals that Wednesday could get violent. And they refused Pentagon help three days before the riot, and again as the mob descended. Under withering criticism, the Capitol Police chief resigned, as have the sergeants at arms — the chief security officers — for both the U.S. House and Senate. The Capitol Police said in a statement that Sicknick was injured “while physically engaging with protesters.” During the struggle, Sicknick, 42, was hit in the head with a fire extinguisher, two law enforcement officials said. The officials could not discuss the ongoing investigation publicly and spoke to the Associated Press on condition of anonymity. Sicknick was the youngest of three boys growing up in South River, a small borough of about 16,000 people 20 miles from the New York City borough of Staten Island. He graduated from the Middlesex County Vocational and Technical School in East Brunswick, N.J., in June 1997. Supt. Dianne Veilleux said school records show Sicknick wanted to be in law enforcement. The school will honor him by planting an oak tree on campus to symbolize his strength. He enlisted in the New Jersey Air National Guard in December 1997, still a teenager, first deploying to Saudi Arabia in 1999. In 2003, he served in Kyrgyzstan, where the U.S. military operated a transit base supporting the war in Afghanistan. He was honorably discharged in December of that year. After the U.S. invasion of Iraq in March 2003, Sicknick became a vocal critic of the war, writing several letters to the editor of the local newspaper that sharply criticized former President George W. Bush for his management of the effort. In one July 2003 letter, published five months before his formal discharge, he said that “our troops are stretched very thin, and morale is dangerously low among them.” In a statement issued Friday, Sicknick’s family said he “wanted to be a police officer his entire life” and had joined the Guard “as a means to that end.” A biography issued by his family says Sicknick cared for rescued Dachshunds in his spare time and rooted for the New Jersey Devils hockey team. He is survived by his parents, Charles and Gladys Sicknick, his brothers Ken and Craig, and his longtime girlfriend, Sandra Garza. The family asked the public to respect its wishes “in not making Brian’s passing a political issue.” “Brian is a hero and that is what we would like people to remember,” the family said. On Saturday, New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy ordered that the U.S. and New Jersey flags be flown at half-staff at all state buildings in honor of Sicknick, saying he “embodied the selfless spirit of his native state.” “Officer Sicknick gave his life protecting the United States Capitol, and by extension, our very democracy, from violent insurrection,” Murphy said. “His needless murder at the hands of a mob bent on overthrowing the Constitution he had dedicated his life to upholding is shocking. It is my fervent hope that the rioters whose actions directly contributed to his death are quickly identified and brought to justice.”

Biden calls Trump 'unfit' but doesn't endorse impeachment

https://www.latimes.com/politics/story/2021-01-09/biden-calls-trump-unfit-but-doesnt-endorse-impeachment

President-elect Joe Biden says that President Trump isn’t “fit for the job,” but he repeatedly refused to endorse growing Democratic calls to impeach him a second time. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-San Francisco) said in a letter to members of her chamber that lawmakers could move as early as next week to impeach Trump for inciting a violent mob that overran the U.S. Capitol if the president didn’t “immediately” resign. Pelosi and Senate Democratic leader Charles E. Schumer of New York also have called on Vice President Mike Pence and the Cabinet to invoke the 25th Amendment to force Trump from office — a process for stripping the president of his post and installing the vice president to take over. Addressing reporters in his home state of Delaware after an event Friday introducing some of his Cabinet choices, Biden noted that a key reason he ran for president was because he’d “thought for a long, long time that President Trump wasn’t fit for the job.” “I’ve been saying for now, well, over a year, he’s not fit to serve,” Biden said. “He’s one of the most incompetent presidents in the history of the United States of America.” But he refused to back efforts to remove Trump from the White House and insisted that impeachment was up to Congress. Instead, Biden said he was focused on the start of his own administration on Jan. 20, and he said his top three priorities are beating back the coronavirus, distributing vaccines fairly and equitably, and reviving the struggling economy. His comments were evidence of the political balance Biden has worked to strike in the weeks since winning election. He has continued to sharply criticize Trump and nearly every facet of his administration but also worked to keep the public’s attention focused on what the new administration will do rather than indulging recriminations against the last one. World & Nation The attack on the U.S. Capitol has spurred global concerns about the future of democracy and what lies ahead as alliances are being challenged. Jan. 9, 2021 Biden nonetheless conceded that Trump “exceeded my worst notions about him. He’s been an embarrassment” and likened the “damage done to our reputation around the world” to “tin horn dictatorships.” The president-elect also suggested that a key hurdle to removing Trump was that he has less than two weeks remaining in his term. Biden and Vice President-elect Kamala Harris will be inaugurated Jan. 20. “If we were six months out, we should be doing everything to get him out of office. Impeaching him again, trying to evoke the 25th Amendment, whatever it took,” Biden said. “But I am focused now on us taking control as president and vice president on the 20th and to get our agenda moving as quickly as we can.” Trump would be the only president to be impeached twice. The House impeached him in late 2019, but the Republican-led Senate acquitted him. Removal from office could also prevent Trump from running for president again. Most Democrats, and many Republicans, put the blame squarely on Trump after hundreds of rioters broke into the Capitol on Wednesday and caused destruction and mass evacuations. The president had urged his supporters to protest as Congress was counting the electoral votes that confirmed Biden’s win. Five people died, including a Capitol Police officer. Politics Current and former top security officials and Trump supporters say yes — but have different answers on how to prevent further damage to national security in the next 11 days and beyond. Jan. 8, 2021 Biden called what happened a “god-awful debacle” and said it had “the active encouragement of the president of the United States.” The president-elect’s comments came hours after Trump tweeted that he planned to skip Biden’s inauguration, becoming the first president in more than 150 years — and just the fourth in history — to do so. Biden said he’d be “honored” to have Pence at the swearing-in, but didn’t feel the same way about Trump. That’s “one of the few things he and I have ever agreed on,” Biden said. “It’s a good thing, him not showing up.” Also Friday, Biden called on the Senate — which will be under narrow Democratic control thanks to a pair of runoff election victories this week in Georgia — to confirm his Cabinet choices “promptly and fairly.” “Given what our country’s been through the last few days,” Biden said, “they should be confirmed as close to Jan 20 as possible.”

News Analysis: Trump left many clues he wouldn't go quietly

https://www.latimes.com/world-nation/story/2021-01-09/no-surprise-trump-left-many-clues-he-wouldnt-go-quietly

President Trump left plenty of clues he’d try to burn the place down on his way out the door. The clues spread over a lifetime of refusing to acknowledge defeat. They spanned a presidency marked by raw, angry rhetoric, puffed-up conspiracy theories and a kind of fellowship with “patriots” drawn from the seething ranks of right-wing extremists. The clues piled on at light speed when Trump lost the election and wouldn’t admit it. The culmination of all that came Wednesday when Trump supporters, exhorted by the president to go to the Capitol and “fight like hell” against a “stolen” election, overran and occupied the building in an explosive confrontation that left a Capitol Police officer and four others dead. His followers went there so emboldened by Trump’s send-off at a rally that they livestreamed themselves trashing the place, figuring Trump had their back. Company Town The L.A. Times newsroom’s leadership transition has accelerated with the departure of Pearlstine, who served as executive editor for 2½ years. Dec. 14, 2020 This was, after all, the president who had responded to a right-wing plot to kidnap Michigan’s Democratic governor last year with the comment: “Maybe it was a problem. Maybe it wasn’t.” Over the arc of his presidency, and his life, by his own words and actions, Trump hates losing and has refused to own up to it when it’s happened. He has spun bankruptcies into successes, setbacks in office into glowing achievements, the stain of impeachment into martyrdom. Then came the ultimate loss — the election — and desperate machinations that politicians likened to the practices of “banana republics” or the “Third World” but were wholly America in the twilight of the Trump presidency. Often with a wink and a nod over the last four years, and sometimes more directly — “We love you,” he told the Capitol Hill mob in a video as he gently suggested well into the clashes that they go home now — Trump made common cause with fringe elements eager to give him affirmation in return for his respect. That made for a combustible mix when the stakes were highest. The elements had been coming together in plain sight, often in missives delivered by tweet. (On Friday, Twitter permanently suspended Trump’s account, denying him his megaphone of choice, “due to the risk of further incitement of violence.”) “I wish we could say we couldn’t see it coming,” President-elect Joe Biden said of the Capitol melee. “But that isn’t true. We could see it coming.” Mary Trump saw it coming from her unique vantage point as a clinical psychologist and the president’s niece. “It’s just a very old emotion that he’s never been able to process from when he was a little kid — terrified of the consequences of being in a losing position, terrified of being held accountable for his actions for the first time in his life,” she told PBS a week after the election. “He is in a position of being a loser, which in my family, certainly ... was the worst possible thing you could be,” she said. “So he’s feeling trapped, he’s feeling desperate ... increasingly enraged.” Post-election trouble was predictable because Trump all but said it would happen if he lost. Months before a vote was cast, he claimed the system was rigged and plans for mail-in voting was fraudulent, assailing the process so relentlessly that he may have hurt his chances by discouraging his supporters from voting by mail, which was otherwise embraced throughout the country as the COVID-19 pandemic spread. He pointedly declined to affirm in advance that he would respect the result, something most presidents don’t have to be asked to do. After the election, there was no evidence of the massive fraud or gross error that he and his team alleged in scores of lawsuits that judges, appointed by both Democrats and Republicans, including Trump himself, systematically dismissed, often as nonsense. The Supreme Court, with three justices placed by Trump, brushed him off. That didn’t stop him. “I hate defeat,” he said in a 2011 video. “I cannot stand defeat.” But the election aftermath ultimately left him with no fallback except his most militant supporters, his foot soldiers, who couldn’t countenance his losing, either. Trump’s history of advancing false and sometimes racist conspiracies rooted in right-wing extremism is long. He’s praised supporters of QAnon, a convoluted pro-Trump conspiracy theory, saying he didn’t know much about the movement “other than I understand they like me very much” and “it is gaining in popularity.” QAnon centers on an alleged anonymous, high-ranking government official — known as “Q” — who shares information via the internet about an anti-Trump “deep state.” The FBI has warned that conspiracy theory-driven extremists, such as QAnon followers, are domestic terrorist threats. In 2017, Trump said there was “blame on both sides” for deadly violence in Charlottesville, Va., the site of a clash between white supremacist groups and those protesting them. He said there were “fine people” on both sides. And during a debate with Biden, Trump wouldn’t criticize the neo-fascist Proud Boys group. Instead, Trump said the group should “Stand back and stand by.” The remark drew a firestorm and a day later he tried to walk it back. Trump didn’t condemn the actions of an Illinois teen accused of fatally shooting two people and wounding a third during summer protests on the streets of Kenosha, Wis. Kyle Rittenhouse has pleaded not guilty to charges. In October he chose not to denounce people accused of plotting to kidnap Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, a Democrat, and the governor took note of it. “When our leaders meet, encourage or fraternize with domestic terrorists, they legitimize their actions and they are complicit,” she said. “When they stoke and contribute to hate speech, they are complicit.” To Mary Trump, the manner of her uncle’s defeat helped to set the stage for the toxicity she presciently said in November would happen. Republicans in Senate and House races outperformed him, enlarging their minority in the House and clinging to their Senate majority until Georgia’s two runoff elections this month tipped the Senate balance to Democrats. Trump’s defeat Nov. 3 was on him, not the party. “So he also doesn’t have anybody else to blame,” his niece said. “I think that he is probably in a position that nobody can help him out of, emotionally and psychologically, which is going to make it worse for the rest of us.” Worse came. Oren Segal, vice president of the Anti-Defamation League’s Center on Extremism, called the attack Wednesday the “logical conclusion to extremism and hate going unchecked” during Trump’s presidency. “If you’re surprised, you haven’t been paying attention,” said Amy Spitalnick of Integrity First, a civil rights group engaged in lawsuits over the 2017 Charlottesville violence. Thursday night, Trump took a stab at a unifying message, after months of provocation, saying in a video “this moment calls for healing and reconciliation.” But Friday he was back to tending “his great American Patriots” and demanding they be treated fairly, and he said he won’t go to Biden’s inauguration. He acknowledged his presidency was ending, but did not — could not, may never — acknowledge defeat. For all of the insulting nicknames he’s tagged on his political foes — sleepy, shifty, cryin’, corrupt, crazy, little, brain-dead, wacky, pencil neck, low-IQ, watermelon head, dummy, deranged, sick puppy, low energy — none was meant to sting more than “loser.” And nothing, it seems, stung more than when the loser was him. Woodward and Riechmann write for the Associated Press.

State lawmaker charged after entering Capitol with rioters

https://www.latimes.com/world-nation/story/2021-01-08/state-lawmaker-charged-after-entering-capitol-with-rioters

A West Virginia state lawmaker has been charged with entering a restricted area of the U.S. Capitol during Wednesday’s incursion, the Justice Department announced Friday. Republican state Delegate Derrick Evans had livestreamed himself rushing into the building with a mob supporting President Trump. . Ken Kohl, a top deputy federal prosecutor in Washington, announced the charge against Evans on a call in which he presented dozens of new charges against members of the crowd that violently stormed the Capitol. Evans’ lawyer, John Bryan, said he hadn’t seen the complaint and couldn’t comment. He did not say if Evans had been taken into custody, but television station WSAZ posted a video on Twitter showing FBI agents escorting the handcuffed lawmaker from a home. Legislators from at least seven other states traveled to Washington, D.C., to support Trump and demonstrate against the counting of electoral votes confirming Democrat Joe Biden’s victory. It’s unknown if any other elected official joined the attack on the Capitol. World & Nation Race double standard seen by many observers as rioters storm U.S. Capitol Jan. 7, 2021 A growing number of Republicans and Democrats said they want to expel Evans from the legislature if he does not resign. Bryan said late Thursday that the delegate did not commit a crime and doesn’t plan to resign. In his now-deleted video, widely shared online, Evans is clamoring inside a jampacked Capitol building doorway, trying with others to push his way inside. He hollers along with other Trump loyalists and fist-bumps a law enforcement officer who let them in. “Our house!” Evans yells inside Capitol halls. “I don’t know where we’re going. I’m following the crowd.”

U.S. loses 140,000 jobs, first monthly loss since spring

https://www.latimes.com/business/story/2021-01-08/coronavirus-jobless-unemployment-december

U.S. employers shed jobs last month for the first time since April, cutting 140,000 positions, clear evidence that the economy is faltering as the viral pandemic tightens its grip on consumers and businesses. At the same time, the unemployment rate stayed at 6.7%, the first time it hasn’t fallen since April. Friday’s figures from the Labor Department suggest that employers have rehired roughly all the workers they can afford to after having laid off more than 22 million in the spring — the worst such loss on record. With consumer spending barely growing over the past few months, most companies have little incentive to hire. The economy still has 9.9 million fewer jobs than it did before the pandemic sent it sinking into a deep recession nearly a year ago. The pandemic will likely continue to weaken the economy through the winter and perhaps early spring. But many economists, along with the Federal Reserve’s policymakers, say they think that once the coronavirus vaccines are more widely distributed, a broad recovery should take hold in the second half of the year. The incoming Biden administration, along with a now fully Democratic-controlled House and Senate, is also expected to push rescue aid and spending measures that could accelerate growth. For now, the renewed surge in virus cases, as well as cold weather, has caused millions of consumers to avoid eating out, shopping and traveling. Re-imposed business restrictions have shut down numerous restaurants, bars, and other venues. Economists at TD Securities estimate that more than half the states have restricted gatherings to 10 or fewer people, up from about a quarter in September. New York City and California, among others, placed strict new limits on restaurants last month. Business Laws taking effect in 2021 will make California businesses offer employees more help to cope with the COVID-19 pandemic. Other topics include gig workers, minimum wage, and diversity on corporate boards. Dec. 31, 2020 The $900-billion financial aid package that Congress enacted last month should help accelerate the recovery, economists say. It will provide a $300-a-week federal jobless benefit on top of an average state benefit of about $320. In addition, millions of Americans stand to receive $600 payments, some as early as this week. This week, Goldman Sachs upgraded its forecast for economic growth this year to a robust 6.4% from its previous estimate of 5.9%. Its upgrade was based in part on the expectation that the Biden administration, with help from the now-Democratic Senate, will support another rescue aid package. For now, the evidence suggests that hiring and economic growth are faltering under the weight of the pandemic. On Wednesday, the payroll processor ADP reported that private employers shed 123,000 jobs in December, the first such monthly decline since April. ADP’s figures generally track the government’s jobs data over time, although they can diverge significantly from month to month. Last month, Coca-Cola Co. said it would cut 2,200 jobs from its global workforce, with about half those layoffs occurring in the United States. 3M, a major manufacturer, has said it will lay off 2,900 workers worldwide. In November, U.S. consumer spending declined for the first time in seven months, having steadily weakened since summer. Retailers have been especially hurt. Purchases at retail stores have dropped for two straight months. During the holiday shopping season, consumers pulled back on spending, according to debit and credit card data tracked by JPMorgan Chase based on 30 million consumer accounts. Such spending was 6% lower in December compared with a year ago. That was worse than in October, when card spending was down just 2% from the previous year. Restaurant traffic has also dropped, according to the reservations website OpenTable. Seated dining is down 60% this week compared with a year ago, much worse than two months earlier, when it was down about 35%.

Boeing will pay $2.5 billion to settle fraud charge over 737 Max

https://www.latimes.com/world-nation/story/2021-01-07/boeing-will-pay-2-5-billion-to-settle-charge-over-plane

Boeing Co. agreed to pay $2.5 billion to settle a criminal charge that it defrauded the U.S. government by concealing information about the ill-fated 737 Max, which was involved in two fatal crashes. The U.S. plane maker entered into a deferred prosecution agreement in the Northern District of Texas on Thursday, the Justice Department said in a news release. “The tragic crashes of Lion Air Flight 610 and Ethiopian Airlines Flight 302 exposed fraudulent and deceptive conduct by employees of one of the world’s leading commercial airplane manufacturers,” Acting Assistant Atty. Gen. David P. Burns of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division said in a statement. Boeing shares rose $1.68, or 0.8%, to $212.71 in regular trading Thursday but fell less than 1% to $211.26 after the markets closed. A design flaw in the Max helped lead to the two crashes within about five months in 2018 and 2019, killing 346 people. The jetliner was grounded worldwide after the second crash. Several investigative reports have found that the company altered a flight control system but didn’t fully explain the changes to Federal Aviation Administration inspectors. “I firmly believe that entering into this resolution is the right thing for us to do — a step that appropriately acknowledges how we fell short of our values and expectations,” Boeing Chief Executive David Calhoun said in a message to employees. “This resolution is a serious reminder to all of us of how critical our obligation of transparency to regulators is, and the consequences that our company can face if any one of us falls short of those expectations.” The action is the latest to hit the plane maker’s bottom line. The company’s inability to deliver planes during the 737 Max grounding and cancellations of previous orders have cost the company billions of dollars. Of the $2.5 billion, Boeing has already set aside $1.77 billion to reimburse airlines and other Max customers. The company said it expected to incur an additional $743.6-million charge for the fourth quarter of 2020, as it pays a $243.6 million penalty and $500 million in additional compensation for the families of the crash victims. Boeing is scheduled to report earnings for the quarter Jan. 27. The plane, Boeing’s bestselling model, was grounded for 20 months while the FAA and regulators in other nations oversaw design changes to address problems revealed in investigations. The FAA lifted its grounding Nov. 18, provided airlines completed a list of repairs and revamped pilot training. A criminal investigation into how the plane was designed and approved began after the Oct. 29, 2018, crash off the coast of Indonesia of a Lion Air flight, but before the second accident near Addis Ababa. “The misleading statements, half-truths, and omissions communicated by Boeing employees to the FAA impeded the government’s ability to ensure the safety of the flying public,” Erin Nealy Cox, U.S. attorney for the Northern District of Texas, said in a news release. “This case sends a clear message: The Department of Justice will hold manufacturers like Boeing accountable for defrauding regulators — especially in industries where the stakes are this high.”

Biden picks Boston Mayor Marty Walsh as Labor secretary

https://www.latimes.com/politics/story/2021-01-07/biden-marty-walsh-labor-secretary

President-elect Joe Biden will select Boston Mayor Marty Walsh as his Labor secretary, according to a source familiar with the decision, choosing a former union worker who shares his Irish American background and working-class roots. Walsh, 53, has served as the Democratic mayor of Boston since 2014. When he took the oath of office for his second term as Boston’s chief executive in 2018, Biden presided over the inauguration. Walsh’s selection was confirmed by a person familiar with the decision who spoke on condition of anonymity. Before that, Walsh served as a state representative for more than a decade. Walsh has a long history with labor. He served as president of Laborers Local 223 and, before becoming mayor, headed up the Boston Building Trades — a union umbrella organization. At Walsh’s second mayoral inauguration, Biden praised him for his character and efforts to create a thriving middle class, calling him a “man of extraordinary character” at a time “when we need more character and incredible courage.” “We’re at a moment when mayors and governors matter more than they ever did,” Biden said at the event. “We need leaders who will stand up against the ugly divisiveness spewing out of Washington every day.” Politics Biden chooses Connecticut schools chief Miguel Cardona — a former teacher and a proponent of reopening schools during the pandemic — for Education. Dec. 22, 2020 During his tenure as mayor, Walsh has overseen the city’s ongoing rejuvenation, which has led to challenges that include gentrification and rising housing costs. He’s also had to grapple with the city’s history of racial tensions to try to make the city more welcoming for people of all backgrounds. Most recently, Walsh has helped lead the city through the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic with its myriad challenges, helping maintain local businesses as well as ensuring widespread testing for the virus and figuring out how to maintain access to public schools. Walsh and Biden share an Irish American background. Last year, Biden videotaped a message for the city’s annual St. Patrick’s Day breakfast. The event pulls together the state’s top elected officials, Democrats and Republicans, to enjoy Irish music and food — and cringe-worthy jokes. “We Irish, as you know, we’re dreamers, yet we’re realists. We’re spiritual, yet we are doubters. We are compassionate, yet we’re demanding. Everything in us runs deep: sadness and joy, heartache and hope, fortitude and faith,” Biden said in his message last year. “We are the only people on earth who are always nostalgic for the future.” The son of Irish immigrants, Walsh grew up in a triple-decker in Boston’s working-class Dorchester neighborhood. As a child, he survived a four-year bout with Burkitt lymphoma starting when he was 7. Walsh said one of the toughest things about his cancer treatment was losing his hair, which he said was red at the time and hard to match for a wig. He later recalled how someone living on the top floor of the three-family home clipped a bit of his hair and came back later with an identical red wig. Politics As a candidate, Joe Biden promised to restore “normal” government and transform America. To help, his Cabinet will be historically diverse but heavy on Obama alumni. Dec. 19, 2020 Walsh has also been forthcoming about his early struggles with alcohol and has used his history with addiction to encourage others to seek help. He began his speech at the 2016 Democratic National Convention by saying: “Good evening. My name is Marty Walsh, and I’m an alcoholic. “On April 23, 1995, I hit rock bottom. I woke up with little memory of the night before and even less hope for the days to come,” he said at the time. “Everybody was losing faith in me, everybody except my family and the labor movement.” Walsh’s union history has led to some awkward moments as mayor, including when two former Walsh aides were charged with bullying music festival organizers into hiring union workers. Kenneth Brissette, the city’s former director of tourism, and Timothy Sullivan, who was chief of intergovernmental affairs, were convicted in federal court in 2019 of conspiring to extort the organizers of the Boston Calling music festival by withholding city permits. A federal judge later tossed the convictions, saying the government failed to prove the existence of a quid pro quo.

Chattanooga fires assistant coach after 'appalling' tweet directed at Stacey Abrams

https://www.latimes.com/sports/story/2021-01-07/chattanooga-fires-football-assistant-after-appalling-tweet

Chattanooga has fired an offensive line coach following a social media post disparaging the state of Georgia and referring to former gubernatorial candidate Stacey Abrams as “Fat Albert.” In the tweet caught by screen grabs, Chris Malone posted on Twitter on Tuesday night: “Congratulations to the state GA and Fat Albert @staceyabrams because you have truly shown America the true works of cheating in an election, again!!! Enjoy the buffet Big Girl!! You earned it!!! Hope the money is good, still not governor!” The Twitter account was deleted by Wednesday night. Chattanooga athletic director Mark Wharton issued a statement Thursday, saying the post was brought to his attention Wednesday night. Chattanooga confirmed Malone has been fired. Wharton did not refer to him by name, saying “that individual” is no longer a part of the program without specifying it was Malone. “A totally inappropriate social media post by a member of our football staff was brought to my attention,” Wharton said. “The entire post was appalling.” Statements below from head coach Rusty Wright and Director of Athletics Mark Wharton. pic.twitter.com/qRbQgbrvi3 Football coach Rusty Wright also referred to Malone as “that individual” and called the post unacceptable and said it violated the program’s standards. Malone was no longer listed on the Chattanooga staff website Thursday morning. Chattanooga played one game in the 2020 season, a loss at Western Kentucky.

Identical twins aren't perfect clones, research shows

https://www.latimes.com/world-nation/story/2021-01-07/identical-twins-arent-perfect-clones-research-shows

If you’re an identical twin who’s always resisted being called a clone of your sibling, scientists say you have a point. Identical twins are not exactly genetically the same, new research shows. Scientists in Iceland sequenced DNA from 387 pairs of identical twins — those derived from a single fertilized egg — as well as from their parents, children and spouses. That allowed them to find “early mutations that separate identical twins,” said Kari Stefansson, a geneticist at the University of Iceland and the company deCODE genetics, and coauthor of the paper published Thursday in the journal Nature Genetics. A mutation means an alteration in a sequence of DNA — a tiny change that is not inherently good or bad, but can influence physical features or susceptibility to certain diseases. They can occur when a cell divides and makes a slight error in replicating DNA. Science & Medicine For almost one year, NASA astronaut Scott Kelly circled the planet on the International Space Station, completing three spacewalks, conducting experiments on plants and playing ping-pong with a ball of water. April 11, 2019 On average, identical twins have 5.2 of these early genetic differences, the researchers found. But about 15% of identical twin pairs have more genetic differences, some of them up to 100, said Stefansson. These differences represent a tiny portion of each twin’s genetic code, but they could influence why one twin is taller or why one twin is at greater risk for certain cancers. Previously, many researchers believed that physical differences between identical twins were related mostly to environmental factors, such as nutrition or lifestyle. Jan Dumanski, a geneticist at Uppsala University in Sweden who was not involved in the new paper, praised it as “a clear and important contribution” to medical research. “The implication is that we have to be very careful when we are using twins as a model” for teasing apart the influences of nature and nurture, he said. Previous studies, including a 2008 paper in the American Journal of Human Genetics, have identified some genetic differences between identical twins. World & Nation Seventeen years ago, Chinese authorities abducted one of a set of twins and sent her to an orphanage. Aug. 8, 2019 The new study goes beyond earlier work by including DNA of parents, children and spouses of identical twins. That allowed the researchers to pinpoint when genetic mutations occurred in two different kinds of cells — those present in just one individual and those inherited by that person’s children. They also found mutations that occurred before the developing embryo split into two, setting the stage for twins. Stefansson said that his team had found pairs of twins where a mutation is present in all cells of the body of one twin, but not found in the other twin at all. However, “sometimes the second twin may show the mutation in some cells, but not all cells,” he said. Nancy Segal, a psychologist who studies twins at Cal State Fullerton and was not involved in the paper, called the research “heroic and really significant.” “This will force scientists to refine our thinking about the influences of genetics and environment,” she said. “Twins are very alike, but it is not a perfect similarity.”

U.S. Capitol locked down as Trump supporters clash with police

https://www.latimes.com/world-nation/story/2021-01-06/us-capitol-locked-down-as-trump-supporters-clash-with-police

The U.S. Capitol locked down Wednesday with lawmakers inside as violent clashes broke out between supporters of President Trump and police. An announcement was played inside the Capitol as lawmakers were meeting and expected to vote to affirm Joe Biden’s victory. Due to an “external security threat,” no one could enter or exit the Capitol complex, the recording said. Both chambers abruptly went into recess. The skirmishes occurred outside in the very spot where President-elect Joe Biden will be inaugurated in just two weeks. The mob tore down metal barricades at the bottom of the Capitol’s steps and were met by officers in riot gear. Some tried to push past the officers who held shields and officers could be seen firing pepper spray into the crowd to keep them back. Some in the crowd were shouting “traitors” as officers tried to keep them back. A suspicious package was also reported in the area, Capitol Police said. Politics President Trump falsely says Vice President Mike Pence could reverse the election result when he presides in Congress on Wednesday, setting Pence up for Trump’s wrath. Jan. 5, 2021 The skirmishes came just shortly after Trump addressed thousands of his supporters, riling up the crowd with his baseless claims of election fraud at a rally near the White House on Wednesday ahead of Congress’ vote. “We will not let them silence your voices,” Trump told his supporters, who had lined up before sunrise to get a prime position to hear the president.

More than a week later, FBI avoids terror label for Nashville bombing

https://www.latimes.com/world-nation/story/2021-01-05/more-than-a-week-later-fbi-avoids-terror-label-for-bombing

The FBI investigation into whether the Nashville bombing on Christmas Day was a terrorist act has sparked criticism about a possible racial double standard and drawn questions from downtown business owners whose insurance coverage could be affected by the bureau’s assessment. More than a week after an explosion that struck at the heart of a major American city, the FBI has resisted labeling it an act of terrorism, an indication that evidence gathered so far does not conclusively establish that the bomber was motivated by political ideology — a key factor in any formal declaration of terrorism. The bureau is still examining evidence and has not announced any conclusions, but investigators are known to be reviewing whether Anthony Warner believed in conspiracy theories involving aliens and 5G cellphone technology. Warner died in the Dec. 25 explosion of a recreational vehicle that wounded three other people. “When we assess an event for domestic terrorism nexus, it has to be tied to an ideology. It’s the use of force or violence in the furtherance of a political or social ideology or event. We haven’t tied that yet,” Doug Korneski, the agent in charge of the FBI’s Memphis office, told reporters last week at a news conference. The FBI investigates two types of terrorism that are defined not by the ethnicity or background of the suspect but by the person’s motivation or ideology. International terrorism involves acts by people who are inspired by, or acting at the direction of, foreign terrorist organizations. Domestic terrorism generally involves politically motivated violence intended to further a particular cause or agenda. The explosion in Music City’s historic downtown damaged more than 40 businesses. Since then, a handful of state and city leaders have raised concerns about the terrorism designation, arguing that authorities would have acted differently if the 63-year-old Warner had not been a white man. World & Nation Investigators named Anthony Quinn Warner as the man responsible for the downtown Nashville bombing. They say he acted alone. Dec. 27, 2020 “To those bending over backward to not call this an act of terror, if Warner had been a Muslim/immigrant/black, will you say the same thing or will you be one of the millions condemning not just him but his entire community?” Nashville City Council member Zulfat Suara tweeted days after the bombing. The classification of the attack could help determine insurance payouts for businesses that were damaged. At issue are the varying definitions of terrorism sprinkled throughout federal law. Small-business owners tend to opt out of terrorism coverage when selecting insurance policies, presuming that a terrorist act would be unlikely to affect their company, said Jason Schupp, founder and managing member of Centers for Better Insurance, an insurance industry think tank near Washington, D.C. Pete Gibson owns Nashville’s Pride and Glory Tattoo, directly across from the bomb site. He said terrorism coverage was the furthest detail from his mind when he was selecting an insurance policy seven years ago. He is still unsure what will be covered, but he has a meeting with attorneys this week to go over his policy. “I hadn’t even heard of terrorism coverage back then,” Gibson said. “So now it’s just a big mess. I’m hoping to know more soon.” Gibson said he and other small-business owners were approached earlier this year during Black Lives Matter protests about considering terrorism coverage, but they all brushed it aside. He has been able to visit the bomb site to assess some of the damage, but his tattoo parlor is still too unstable to walk through. He described “massive pieces of timber all around and lights flickering.” According to the Treasury Department, 30% to 40% of Tennessee businesses have excluded terrorism coverage from their policies. A 2002 federal law — enacted by Congress shortly after the 9/11 attacks — allows the Treasury secretary to certify an event as a terrorist act regardless of how law enforcement officials regard it. To date, the Treasury Department has never done so, including after the 2013 Boston Marathon bombing and the 2017 Las Vegas Strip mass shooting, Schupp said. Furthermore, domestic terrorism can be challenging to define, especially when it comes to prosecution. Though there is a definition in the U.S. criminal code, there is no federal domestic terrorism statute, meaning that Justice Department prosecutors must turn to other crimes, such as explosives charges, to prosecute acts that might otherwise be thought of as terrorism. The Nashville bombing occurred well before downtown streets were bustling with Christmas activity. Police were responding to a report of shots fired when they encountered the RV blaring a recorded warning that a bomb would detonate in 15 minutes. The audio switched to a recording of Petula Clark’s 1964 hit “Downtown” shortly before the blast. Investigators have not uncovered a motive, but they have learned that Warner may have believed in conspiracy theories, including the idea that shape-shifting reptiles assume human form to take over society. He also discussed taking trips to hunt aliens, officials said. The FBI has confirmed that Warner sent materials about his views to people he knew, but investigators have not released details about what the packages contained.

Hundreds of Trump supporters flock to Washington ahead of vote to certify Biden's win

https://www.latimes.com/politics/story/2021-01-05/trump-supporters-dc-vote

Hundreds of supporters of President Trump descended on the nation’s capital Tuesday to cheer his baseless claims of election fraud a day before a congressional vote to affirm Joe Biden’s victory. Just blocks from the White House, protesters — many without masks — gathered in Freedom Plaza to decry the vote in the electoral college. As temperatures dropped to the low 40s and a steady rain swept onto the streets, hundreds remained in the plaza past nightfall. “I’m just here to support the president,” said David Wideman, a 45-year-old firefighter who traveled from Memphis, Tenn. Wideman said he was “confused” by a string of losses from the president’s legal team and its allies in their attempt to overturn the results of the election and didn’t know what options Trump had left. “I’m not sure what he can do at this point, but I want to hear what he has to say,” Wideman said. Trump tweeted his support for the protesters: “Washington is being inundated with people who don’t want to see an election victory stolen by emboldened Radical Left Democrats. Our Country has had enough, they won’t take it anymore! We hear you (and love you) from the Oval Office. MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN!” Politics President Trump falsely says Vice President Mike Pence could reverse the election result when he presides in Congress on Wednesday, setting Pence up for Trump’s wrath. Jan. 5, 2021 The speakers included former Trump national security advisor Michael Flynn, whom the president pardoned after he was twice convicted of lying to the FBI in special counsel Robert S. Mueller III’s Russia investigation. “We stand at a crucible moment in United States history,” Flynn told the mostly maskless crowd. “This country is awake now.” The president was expected to personally address his supporters in Washington on Wednesday during a rally on the Ellipse, just south of the White House. The protests coincide with Wednesday’s congressional vote expected to certify the electoral college results, which Trump continues to dispute without evidence. In a Tuesday evening tweet, Trump called on Democrats and fellow Republicans to look at the “thousands of people pouring into D.C.” In another tweet, he warned that antifa, the umbrella term for a leftist movement that Trump has said he wants to declare a terrorist organization, should stay out of Washington. The rallies had local officials and law enforcement bracing for potential violent street clashes. Many businesses in downtown Washington boarded up their windows, fearful that the protest could devolve into the unrest seen in May and June when dozens of businesses were vandalized. District of Columbia Mayor Muriel Bowser called in National Guard troops to help bolster the city’s police force. She urged residents to stay away from downtown Washington and to avoid confrontations with anyone who is “looking for a fight.” But, she warned, “we will not allow people to incite violence, intimidate our residents or cause destruction in our city.” Politics The House and Senate meet Wednesday to receive and announce the results of the 2020 election, and some Republicans will try to challenge them. Here’s why they will fail. Jan. 5, 2021 Election officials from both political parties, governors in key battleground states and Trump’s former attorney general, William Barr, have said there was no widespread fraud in the election. Nearly all the approximately 60 legal challenges from Trump and his allies have been dismissed by courts, including two challenges rejected by the Supreme Court. A pro-Trump rally Dec. 12 ended in violence as hundreds of Trump supporters, wearing the signature black and yellow of the Proud Boys, a far-right extremist group, sought out confrontations with a collective of local activists attempting to bar them from Black Lives Matter Plaza, an area near the White House. At least two local Black churches had Black Lives Matter banners torn down and set ablaze. On Monday, police arrested the leader of the Proud Boys, Henry “Enrique” Tarrio, 36, after he arrived in Washington ahead of this week’s protests. Tarrio was accused of burning one of the Black Lives Matter banners in December and was found with two high-capacity firearm magazines, police said. A judge signed an order Tuesday banning Tarrio from entering the District of Columbia, with very limited exceptions related to his criminal case. In addition to the National Guard, federal agents were on standby, in case they were quickly needed in the city this week. The federal Bureau of Prisons said about 100 “specially trained officers” were sent to the Justice Department headquarters to assist other security personnel but would remain “in a reserve capacity unless needed.” The Department of Homeland Security, meanwhile, said that unlike during the unrest in May and June in Washington, it did not plan to deploy agents from Customs and Border Protection to the demonstration Wednesday. Politics Democrat Raphael Warnock claims win in Georgia; Kelly Loeffler does not concede. Jon Ossoff leads David Perdue, but the race is too close to call. Jan. 6, 2021 “Right now, we have not been asked to deploy. However, we have a modest quick-reaction force that will be on standby just in case our assistance is requested,” said the agency’s acting commissioner, Mark Morgan. Organizers planned to rally into the night Tuesday and again all day Wednesday on the Ellipse. An afternoon march was also planned to the Capitol, where Congress will be voting to affirm the election results. A number of prominent Trump supporters were expected to attend, including Texas Atty. Gen. Ken Paxton and longtime Trump ally Roger Stone, the recipient of a pardon by the president. Stone was convicted of lying to Congress during the investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 election and sentenced to three years in prison. Trump commuted the sentence as Stone pursued an appeal and later issued a full pardon. A November pro-Trump rally drew about 15,000 participants. The Dec. 12 rally drew smaller numbers, but a larger contingent of Proud Boys. During previous pro-Trump protests, police sealed off Black Lives Matter Plaza itself, but the confrontations spilled out to the surrounding streets. Black Lives Matter Plaza was sealed off Tuesday.

Georgia election officials reject Trump call to 'find' more votes

https://www.latimes.com/world-nation/story/2021-01-04/ga-election-officials-reject-trump-call-to-find-more-votes

President Trump’s phone call with Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger on Saturday was the latest step in an unprecedented effort by a sitting president to press a state official to reverse the outcome of a free and fair election that he lost. The Republican president, who has refused to accept his loss to Democratic President-elect Joe Biden, repeatedly argued that Raffensperger could change the certified results. “I just want to find 11,780 votes, which is one more than we have. Because we won the state,” said Trump, who is scheduled to be at a rally in Georgia Monday evening. In an interview Monday, Raffensperger told the Associated Press that he is confident in Georgia’s general election outcome, despite an electoral college challenge supported by some Republicans in Congress. “If they support a challenge of the electors for Georgia, they’re wrong, dead wrong,” Raffensperger said. Members of Congress will have to make a decision about the other states, he added, “but in Georgia, we did get it right. I’m not happy with the result, as a Republican, but it is the right result based on the numbers that we saw cast.” Georgia counted its votes three times before certifying Biden’s win by a 11,779-vote margin. “President Trump, we’ve had several lawsuits, and we’ve had to respond in court to the lawsuits and the contentions,” Raffensperger told Trump on the call. “We don’t agree that you have won.” World & Nation Georgia election official Gabriel Sterling is girding for another battle with conspiracy theories and lies about the integrity of the voting system. Dec. 14, 2020 Raffensperger said the White House reached out to his office and he assumed the president wanted to talk about the status of the November election. The secretary of state said his deputy previously met with White House chief of staff Mark Meadows when Meadows was in Georgia last month, but that he hadn’t had any other direct contact with the White House since the general election. Asked if he felt as if the president was pressuring him to do something illegal, Raffensperger said, “I think he was looking for any kind of advantage he could get, and I just don’t see how he’s going to get it.” David Worley, a Democratic member of the Georgia State Election Board, sent an email to Raffensperger Sunday night requesting that his office open an investigation into the call. “To say that I am troubled by President Trump’s attempt to manipulate the votes of Georgians would be an understatement,” Worley wrote. Worley cited two violations of Georgia law that he said the president might have committed based on his reading of a transcript of the call: conspiracy to commit election fraud and criminal solicitation to commit election fraud. Once the secretary of state’s office completes an investigation, Worley wrote, the board will determine whether there is probable cause to refer the matter to the state attorney general and Fulton County district attorney. Audio of the conversation was first posted online by the Washington Post. The Associated Press later obtained the audio from a person on the call. Politics With control of the Senate at stake, Trump and Biden to campaign in Georgia, capping a campaign that has been shadowed by the president and COVID-19. Jan. 4, 2021 Trump’s renewed intervention and the persistent and unfounded claims of fraud came nearly two weeks before he leaves office and two days before twin runoff elections in Georgia that will determine which political party controls the U.S. Senate. At Trump’s rally in Georgia on Monday night, he is supposed to boost the two Republican candidates in close races. In a rage after the Raffensperger call, Trump floated the idea of pulling out of the rally, which would have potentially devastated GOP chances of maintaining Senate control. But Trump was persuaded to go ahead with the rally as a stage from which to reiterate his claims of election fraud and to present, as he tweeted Monday, the “real numbers” from the race. Republicans, though, were wary as to whether Trump would focus only on himself and potentially depress turnout by undermining faith in the runoff elections and not promoting the two GOP candidates. The president used Saturday’s hourlong phone conversation to tick through a list of claims about the election in Georgia, including that hundreds of thousands of ballots mysteriously appeared in Fulton County, which includes Atlanta. Officials have said there is no evidence of that happening. Also during the conversation, Trump appeared to threaten Raffensperger and Ryan Germany, the secretary of state’s legal counsel, by suggesting both could be criminally liable if they failed to find that thousands of ballots in Fulton County had been illegally destroyed. There is no evidence to support Trump’s claim. “That’s a criminal offense,” Trump says. “And you can’t let that happen.” Others on the call included Meadows and attorneys assisting Trump, including Washington lawyer Cleta Mitchell. Trump lost the Electoral College to Biden by 74 votes, and even if Georgia, with its 16 votes, had ended up in his column, it would have not impacted on the result of the election. The call was the first time Raffensperger and Trump spoke, though the White House had tried 18 previous times to set up a conversation, according to officials. Democrats and a few Republicans condemned Trump’s actions. Rep. Liz Cheney of Wyoming, a member of the GOP House leadership team, deemed the call “deeply troubling.” And Democratic Reps. Ted Lieu of California and Kathleen Rice of New York made a criminal referral to FBI Director Christopher Wray and called for an investigation into the president. Politics Eleven Senate Republicans said Saturday they plan to challenge Congress’ certification of electoral college results in a last attempt to deny Joe Biden’s victory and show their loyalty to President Trump. Jan. 2, 2021 Trump said in a tweet Sunday that he had spoken with Raffensperger. He attacked how Raffensperger conducted Georgia’s elections, tweeting, “He has no clue!” and he said the state official “was unwilling, or unable” to answer questions. Raffensperger’s Twitter response: “Respectfully, President Trump: What you’re saying is not true. The truth will come out.” Various election officials across the country and Trump’s former attorney general, William Barr, have said there was no widespread fraud in the election. Republican governors in Arizona and Georgia, key battleground states crucial to Biden’s victory, have also vouched for the integrity of their state elections. Nearly all the legal challenges from Trump and his allies have been dismissed by judges, including two tossed by the Supreme Court, which has three Trump-nominated justices. Still, Trump has publicly disparaged the election, raising concerns among Republicans that GOP voters may be discouraged from participating in Tuesday’s runoffs pitting Republican Sen. Kelly Loeffler against Democrat Raphael Warnock and Republican David Perdue against Democrat Jon Ossoff. Politics With control of the U.S. Senate at stake, all eyes are on a runoff election that has Republicans David Perdue and Kelly Loeffler facing Democrats Jon Ossoff and Raphael Warnock. Jan. 4, 2021 Biden also campaigned in Georgia on Monday. Vice President-elect Kamala Harris stumped in Garden City, Georgia, on Sunday, slamming Trump for the call. “It was a bald, bald-faced, bold abuse of power by the president of the United States,” she said. Loeffler and Perdue have largely backed Trump in his attempts to overturn election results. On Monday, Loeffler issued a statement saying that she will object to certifying the results when Congress meets Wednesday to affirm Biden’s 306-232 win in the Electoral College. Perdue, who was quarantining after being exposed to the coronavirus, said he supports the challenge, though he will not be a sitting senator when the vote happens because his term has expired. Still, he told Fox News Channel he was encouraging his colleagues to object, saying it’s “something that the American people demand right now.”

Trump rewarding allies Nunes, Jordan with Medal of Freedom

https://www.latimes.com/politics/story/2021-01-04/trump-medal-of-freedom-devin-nunes-jim-jordan

President Trump is set to present one of the nation’s highest civilian honors to two of his most outspoken congressional allies, California Rep. Devin Nunes and Ohio Rep. Jim Jordan, as he looks to reward loyalists with just over two weeks left in his term. A White House official confirmed that Trump would present Nunes with the Presidential Medal of Freedom on Monday. The former chairman of the House Intelligence Committee has been an ardent backer of Trump’s during probes into Russian interference in the 2016 election and the president’s 2019 impeachment by the Democratic-led House. The award, established by President John F. Kennedy, is meant to recognize those who have made an “especially meritorious contribution” to national security, world peace or ”cultural or other significant public or private endeavors.” The award comes as Trump has been rewarding supporters with the perks and prestige that come with serving on a host of federal advisory boards and commissions before he leaves office on Jan. 20. Jordan, one of the GOP leaders in trying to undermine confidence in the results of the 2020 presidential election, is expected to receive the award next week. Trump’s intent to present the award to the lawmakers was first reported by the Washington Post.

Biden inauguration to feature virtual nationwide parade

https://www.latimes.com/world-nation/story/2021-01-03/biden-inauguration-to-feature-virtual-nationwide-parade

President-elect Joe Biden’s inauguration will include a “virtual parade across America,” consistent with crowd limits during the coronavirus era, organizers announced Sunday. Following the swearing-in ceremony on Inauguration Day, Jan. 20, on the west front of the U.S. Capitol, Biden and his wife, Jill, will join newly sworn-in Vice President Kamala Harris and her husband in a socially distanced Pass in Review, a military tradition in which the president reviews the readiness of troops, on the Capitol’s opposite front side. Biden will receive a traditional presidential escort, with representatives from every branch of the military, from 15th Street to the White House. That will also be socially distanced, the Presidential Inaugural Committee said, while “providing the American people and world with historic images of the President-elect proceeding to the White House without attracting large crowds.” Politics President Trump was recorded pressuring the top Georgia election official, Brad Raffensperger, to alter votes and throw him the election. Raffensperger refused. Jan. 3, 2021 Workers in recent days began dismantling an inaugural parade reviewing stand in front of the White House as Biden’s transition team continued to prepare for festivities that would be mostly virtual. Accordingly, organizers said they would hold a virtual parade nationwide to “celebrate America’s heroes, highlight Americans from all walks of life in different states and regions and reflect on the diversity, heritage and resilience of the country as we begin a new American era.” The televised parade will feature “diverse, dynamic” performances in communities across the country, the inaugural committee promised. Participants will be announced in coming weeks. “We are excited about the possibilities and opportunities this moment presents to allow all Americans to participate in our country’s sacred inaugural traditions,” said Presidential Inaugural Committee Executive Director Maju Varghese in a statement.

Gerry Marsden, whose hit song became a soccer anthem, dies at 78

https://www.latimes.com/obituaries/story/2021-01-03/singer-gerry-marsden-whose-youll-never-walk-alone-became-an-anthem-dies-at-78

Gerry Marsden, lead singer of the 1960s British group Gerry and the Pacemakers that had such hits as “Ferry Cross the Mersey” and the song that became the anthem of Liverpool Football Club, “You’ll Never Walk Alone,” has died. He was 78. His family said that Marsden died Sunday “after a short illness in no way connected with COVID-19” and that his wife, daughters and grandchildren are “devastated.” His friend Pete Price said on Instagram after speaking to Marsden’s family that the singer died after a short illness related to a heart infection. “I’m sending all the love in the world to (his wife) Pauline and his family,” he said. “You’ll Never Walk Alone.” Marsden was the lead singer of the band that found fame in the Merseybeat scene in the 1960s. Though another Liverpool band — The Beatles — reached superstardom, Gerry and the Pacemakers will always have a place in the city’s consciousness because of “You’ll Never Walk Alone.” “I thought what a beautiful song. I’m going to tell my band we’re going to play that song,” Marsden told The Associated Press in 2018 when recalling the first time he heard the song at the cinema. “So I went back and told my buddies we’re doing a ballad called ‘You’ll Never Walk Alone.’” Marsden is best known for his band’s rendition of the song from “Carousel,” which was a 1945 Rodgers and Hammerstein musical that became a feature film in 1956. The Pacemakers’ cover version was released in October 1963 and became the band’s third No. 1 hit on the British singles chart. It was adopted by fans of the soccer club Liverpool and is sung with spine-tingling passion before each home game of the 19-time English champion — before coronavirus restrictions meant many matches being played in empty stadiums. “I was saddened by Gerry Marsden’s passing. His voice will always lead the way at Anfield, in times of celebration or lament,” singer Elvis Costello said, referring to Liverpool’s stadium. The song’s lyrics, showcasing unity and perseverance through adversity — including “When you walk through a storm, Hold your head up high, And don’t be afraid of the dark” — have been a rallying cry for the Liverpool faithful and the song’s title are on the Liverpool club crest. The song has also been adopted by supporters of Scotland’s Celtic and Germany’s Borussia Dortmund. Liverpool tweeted alongside a video of the fans in full voice that Marsden’s voice “accompanied our biggest nights” and that his ”anthem bonded players, staff and fans around the world, helping create something truly special.” The song was embraced during the outset of the coronavirus pandemic last spring when a cover of the song, which featured World War II veteran Tom Moore, reached number one. Moore had captivated the British public by walking 100 laps of his garden in England in the run-up to his 100th birthday in April to raise some 33 million pounds ($40 million) for the National Health Service. The Cavern Club in Liverpool, the music venue which was the venue for many of The Beatles’ early gigs, described Marsden as a “legend” and a “very good friend.” In 1962, Beatles manager Brian Epstein signed up the band and their first three releases reached No. 1 in 1963 — “How Do You Do It?” and “I Like It” as well as “You’ll Never Walk Alone.” Later hits included “Ferry Cross the Mersey,” and “Don’t Let the Sun Catch You Crying.” The group split in 1967 and Marsden pursued a solo career before reforming the bank a few years later. Paul McCartney from The Beatles said Marsden was “a mate from our early days in Liverpool” and that his group were “our biggest rivals” on the local scene. “His unforgettable performances of ‘You’ll Never Walk Alone’ and ‘Ferry Cross the Mersey’ remain in many people’s hearts as reminders of a joyful time in British music,” he said. Marsden is survived by his wife Pauline, whom he married in 1965. The couple had two daughters.

Bipartisan group of senators urges Biden's win be certified

https://www.latimes.com/world-nation/story/2021-01-03/the-latest-graham-criticizes-cruzs-bid-to-dispute-election

A bipartisan group of 10 senators has issued a statement calling for Congress to certify President-elect Joe Biden’s win. The senators, including four Republicans, said in the statement on Sunday that efforts by some Republicans to overturn the results in favor of President Trump were “contrary to the clearly expressed will of the American people and only serve to undermine Americans’ confidence in the already determined election results.” Politics Democrats have a slim majority in the House, and control of the Senate isn’t set. What can actually get done? Jan. 3, 2021 Republican Sens. Susan Collins of Maine, Lisa Murkowski of Alaska, Bill Cassidy of Louisiana and Mitt Romney of Utah signed on to the statement, which said “it is time to move forward.” A separate group of Senate Republicans, led by Sens. Josh Hawley and Ted Cruz, say they plan to object to the election results when Congress meets on Wednesday to tally Biden’s 306-232 electoral college victory over Trump. The objections will force votes in both the House and Senate, but none are expected to prevail. Republican Senate Leader Mitch McConnell has urged Republicans not to object. And several other GOP senators have criticized the efforts, splitting the party as the new Congress begins. Nebraska Sen. Ben Sasse said Sunday that the objections were “bad for the country and bad for the party.” Fraud did not spoil the 2020 presidential election, a fact confirmed by election officials across the country. Republican Sen. Lindsey Graham called the effort a “dodge” that didn’t go far enough in helping President Trump. Graham said in a statement Sunday that Cruz had a “high bar” to show there was evidence of problems with the election. The South Carolina senator also said Cruz’s proposal had “zero chance of becoming reality.” Graham, a top Trump ally, said the approach was “not effectively fighting for President Trump. It appears to be more of a political dodge than an effective remedy.”

IS gunmen kill 11 minority Shiite coal miners in Pakistan

https://www.latimes.com/world-nation/story/2021-01-03/is-gunmen-kill-11-minority-shiite-coal-miners-in-sw-pakistan

Gunmen opened fire on a group of minority Shiite Hazara coal miners after abducting them, killing 11 in southwestern Baluchistan province early Sunday, a Pakistani official said. The Islamic State group later claimed responsibility for the attack. Moazzam Ali Jatoi, an official with the Levies Force, which serves as police and paramilitary in the area, said the attack took place near the Machh coal field, about 30 miles east of the provincial capital of Quetta. Jatoi said armed men took the coal miners to nearby mountains, where they shot them. He said six of the miners died at the scene, and five who were critically wounded died on the way to a hospital. Jatoi said an initial investigation revealed the attackers identified the miners as being from a Shiite Hazara community and took them away for execution, leaving others unharmed. Police video of the bodies revealed the miners were blindfolded and had their hands tied behind their backs before being shot. Local television footage showed security forces working in a mountainous area to traffic and guide ambulances to the bodies. Security forces were also seen spreading out in the mountains to search for the perpetrators. News of the killings spread quickly among the Hazara community, and members took to the streets in Quetta and surrounding areas to protest, blocking highways with burning tires and tree trunks. Officials quickly closed the affected roads to traffic. The violence was largely condemned across the country, with Prime Minister Imran Khan saying the perpetrators would be taken to task and the affected families would be taken care of. Shiite cleric Nasir Abbas said protests over the incident would be organized across the country. Political and religious leaders from different segments of the population also expressed their grief and sorrow over the killings. Baluchistan is the scene of a low-level insurgency by Baluch separatist groups who also have targeted non-Baluch laborers, but they have no history of attacks on the minority Shiite community.

Rally in Baghdad marks 1 year since slaying of Iranian Gen. Qassem Suleimani

https://www.latimes.com/world-nation/story/2021-01-03/rally-in-baghdad-marks-1-year-since-iran-generals-slaying

Thousands of Iraqis converged on a landmark central square in Baghdad on Sunday to commemorate the anniversary of the killing of a powerful Iranian general and top Iraqi militia leader in a U.S. drone strike. Roads leading to Tahrir Square were closed off and security was tight as the crowds gathered in response to a powerful Iraqi militia’s call for a rally marking the occasion and demanding the expulsion of U.S. troops from Iraq. The killing of Gen. Qassem Suleimani and Abu Mahdi Muhandis pushed Tehran and Washington perilously close to all-out conflict and sparked outrage in Iraq, leading parliament to pass a non-binding resolution days later calling for the expulsion of all foreign troops from Iraq. Sunday’s rally was being held amid heightened tensions between Iran and the U.S. in the final days of President Trump’s administration. Already, America has conducted B-52 bomber flyovers and sent a nuclear submarine into the Persian Gulf over what Trump officials describe as the possibility of an Iranian attack on the anniversary of the strike at Baghdad airport that killed Suleimani and Muhandis. World & Nation The U.S. troop withdrawals from Iraq and Afghanistan are forcing military leaders to find other ways to deter potential attacks by Iran and its proxies, and to counter arguments that America is abandoning the region. Carrying Iraqi and militia flags and posters of the two men, thousands of Iraqis marched toward Tahrir Square for the rally Sunday, demanding the withdrawal of U.S. troops in implementation of the parliamentary resolution. The event was organized by mostly Iran-backed militias known as the Popular Mobilization Forces. Suleimani headed the elite Quds Force of Iran’s Revolutionary Guard, responsible for the Islamic Republic’s foreign operations and he frequently shuttled between Iraq, Lebanon and Syria. Muhandis was Iraq’s most powerful militia leader who was deputy commander of the PMF. Their killing dramatically ratcheted up tensions in the region and brought the U.S. and Iran to the brink of war. Iran hit back by firing a barrage of ballistic missiles at two Iraqi bases housing U.S. troops, some of whom suffered concussions. Iranian officials have suggested that more retaliation is coming. On Saturday night, thousands of people took part in a commemoration ceremony held at Baghdad airport, where the strike took place a year ago. Mourners, many of them members of the PMF, joined a march on the highway leading to the Baghdad airport. Posters of the dead men adorned both sides of the road, which was lined with tents that served food and drinks for those who walked the highway. The scene of the bombing was turned into a shrine-like area sealed off by red ropes, with a photo of Suleimani and Muhandis in the middle, as mourners lighted candles. Shrapnel marks were still visible on the asphalt and concrete blast walls in the area. The wreckage of two cars was on display on the road outside the airport as a reminder of the attack.

Tibetans in exile vote in India for their political leader

https://www.latimes.com/world-nation/story/2021-01-03/tibetans-in-exile-vote-in-india-for-their-political-leader

Hundreds of Tibetans in exile braved the rain and cold Sunday in India’s northern city of Dharamsala, where the exiled government is based, and voted for their new political leader as the current officeholder’s five-year term nears its end. The voters wore masks, maintained social distance and used hand sanitizer as they cast their ballots during the first round of the election. Many assisted elderly voters in filling out the correct forms. In this first phase of voting, two candidates for the top government post of president will be shortlisted, including 90 parliament members. The second and final round of voting will take place in April. “By this we are sending a clear message to Beijing that Tibet is under occupation but Tibetans in exile are free. And given a chance, an opportunity, we prefer democracy,” said Lobsang Sangay, who will soon be finishing his second and final term as the Tibetan political leader. “No matter what you do, the pride of Tibetans, the sense of Tibetans, is to be democratic and practice democracy.” Formed in 1959, Tibet’s government in exile — now called the Central Tibetan Administration — has executive, judiciary and legislative branches, with candidates for the office of sikyong, or president, elected since 2011 by popular vote. China says Tibet has historically been part of its territory since the mid-13th century, and its Communist Party has governed the Himalayan region since 1951. But many Tibetans say that they were in effect independent for most of their history, and that the Chinese government wants to exploit their resource-rich region while crushing their cultural identity. The Dalai Lama, the Tibetans’ exiled spiritual leader, and his followers have been living in Dharamsala since they fled Tibet after a failed 1959 uprising against Chinese rule. Many young Tibetans are contesting the parliamentary election this year. As the Dalai Lama grows older, there is a growing realization among the Tibetan youth that they should participate more in the government. “As somebody who has studied technology, I believe I can try and make the parliamentary communications more secure and fill the gaps in information database,” said Lobsang Sither, 48, who is contesting the current election. Sither said that the previous governments had largely focused on the Tibetan diaspora and not enough on Tibetans inside Tibet. “That has to change,” Sither said. “Unless we have reliable information on the situation inside Tibet, we cannot formulate policies to assist Tibetans there.” China doesn’t recognize the Tibetan government in exile and hasn’t held any dialogue with the representatives of the Dalai Lama since 2010. India considers Tibet as part of China, though it is hosting the Tibetan exiles. Some Tibetan groups advocate independence for Tibet, as little progress has been made in dialogue with China.

In Somalia, COVID-19 vaccines are distant as coronavirus spreads

https://www.latimes.com/world-nation/story/2021-01-03/in-somalia-covid-19-vaccines-are-distant-as-virus-spreads

As richer countries race to distribute COVID-19 vaccines, Somalia remains the rare place where much of the population hasn’t taken the coronavirus seriously. Some fear that’s proved to be deadlier than anyone knows. “Certainly our people don’t use any form of protective measures, neither masks nor social distancing,” Abdirizak Yusuf Hirabeh, the government’s COVID-19 incident manager, said in an interview. “If you move around the city [of Mogadishu] or countrywide, nobody even talks about it.” And yet infections are rising, he said. It is places like Somalia, the Horn of Africa nation torn apart by three decades of conflict, that will be the last to see COVID-19 vaccines in any significant quantity. With part of the country still held by the Al Qaeda-linked al-Shabab extremist group, the risk of the virus becoming endemic in some hard-to-reach areas is strong — a fear for parts of Africa amid the slow arrival of vaccines. “There is no real or practical investigation into the matter,” said Hirabeh, who is also the director of the Martini hospital in Mogadishu, the largest treating COVID-19 patients, which saw seven new patients the day he spoke. He acknowledged that neither facilities nor equipment are adequate in Somalia to tackle the virus. Fewer than 27,000 tests for the virus have been conducted in Somalia, a country of more than 15 million people, one of the lowest rates in the world. Fewer than 4,800 cases have been confirmed, including at least 130 deaths. World & Nation India has authorized two COVID-19 vaccines, paving the way for a huge inoculation program to stem the pandemic in the world’s second-most-populous country. Jan. 2, 2021 Some worry the virus will sink into the population as yet another poorly diagnosed but deadly fever. For 45-year-old street beggar Hassan Mohamed Yusuf, that fear has turned into near-certainty. “In the beginning we saw this virus as just another form of the flu,” he said. Then three of his young children died after having a cough and high fever. As residents of a makeshift camp for people displaced by conflict or drought, they had no access to coronavirus testing or proper care. At the same time, Yusuf said, the virus hurt his efforts to find money to treat his family as “we can’t get close enough” to people to beg. Early in the pandemic, Somalia’s government did attempt some measures to limit the spread of the virus, closing all schools and shutting down all domestic and international flights. Mobile phones rang with messages about the virus. But social distancing has long disappeared in the country’s streets, markets or restaurants. On Thursday, some 30,000 people crammed into a stadium in Mogadishu for a regional football match with no face masks or other anti-virus measures in sight. Mosques in the Muslim nation never faced restrictions, for fear of the reactions. “Our religion taught us hundreds of years ago that we should wash our hands, faces and even legs five times every day and our women should take face veils as they’re often weaker. So that’s the whole prevention of the disease, if it really exists,” said Abdulkadir Sheikh Mohamud, an imam in Mogadishu. World & Nation Italy has the world’s second-oldest population, and many of its people in their 70s and older have kept working through the coronavirus pandemic “I left the matter to Allah to protect us,” said Ahmed Abdulle Ali, a shop owner in the capital. He attributed the rise in coughing during prayers to the changing of seasons. A more important protective factor is the relative youth of Somalia’s people, said Dr. Abdurahman Abdullahi Abdi Bilaal, who works in a clinic in the capital. More than 80% of the country’s population is under age 30. “The virus is here, absolutely, but the resilience of people is owing to age,” he said. It’s the lack of post-mortem investigations in the country that are allowing the true extent of the virus to go undetected, he said. The next challenge in Somalia is not simply obtaining COVID-19 vaccines but also persuading the population to accept them. That will take time, “just the same as what it took for our people to believe in the polio or measles vaccines,” a concerned Bilaal said. Hirabeh, in charge of Somalia’s virus response, agreed that “our people have little confidence in the vaccines,” saying that many Somalis hate the needles. He called for serious awareness campaigns to change minds.

India authorizes COVID-19 vaccines from AstraZeneca and a domestic drugmaker

https://www.latimes.com/world-nation/story/2021-01-02/india-oks-astrazeneca-and-locally-made-covid-19-vaccines

India authorized two COVID-19 vaccines Sunday, paving the way for a huge inoculation program to stem the pandemic in the world’s second-most-populous country. The country’s drugs regulator gave emergency authorization for the vaccine developed by Oxford University and U.K.-based drugmaker AstraZeneca, as well as another developed by Indian company Bharat Biotech. Drugs Controller General Dr. Venugopal G. Somani said both vaccines would be administered in two doses. He said the decision to approve the vaccines was made after “careful examination” by the Central Drugs Standard Control Organization, India’s pharmaceutical regulator. Prime Minister Narendra Modi called the vaccine approval a “decisive turning point to strengthen a spirited fight.” “It would make every Indian proud that the two vaccines that have been given emergency use approval are made in India!” Modi tweeted. California Los Angeles County posted its third highest single-day total for coronavirus cases on New Year’s Day Jan. 2, 2021 AstraZeneca has contracted Serum Institute of India, the world’s largest vaccine manufacturer, to make 1 billion doses of its vaccine for developing nations, including India. On Wednesday, Britain became the first country to approve the shot. India, however, will not allow the export of the Oxford University-AstraZeneca vaccine for several months, Adar Poonawalla, Serum Institute’s CEO, said Sunday. The ban on exports means that poorer nations will probably have to wait a few months before receiving their first shots. The move was made to ensure that vulnerable populations in India were protected and to prevent hoarding, Poonawalla told the AP. But questions have been raised by health experts over the vaccine developed by Bharat Biotech. They point out that clinical trials have begun only recently, making it almost impossible for the firm to have analyzed and submitted data showing that its shots are effective in preventing illness from the coronavirus. India has confirmed more than 10.3 million cases of the virus, second in the world behind the U.S., though its rate of infection has come down significantly from a mid-September peak. It also has reported over 149,000 deaths. The country’s initial immunization plan aims to vaccinate by August 300 million people — healthcare workers, frontline staff including police, and those considered vulnerable due to their age or disease. For effective distribution, more than 20,000 health workers have been trained so far to administer the vaccine, the Health Ministry said. But the plan poses a major challenge. India has one of the world’s largest immunization programs, but it isn’t geared around adults, and vaccine coverage remains patchy. Still, neither of the approved vaccines requires the ultra-cold storage facilities that some others do. Instead they can be stored in refrigerators, making them more feasible for the country. Although Serum Institute of India doesn’t have a written agreement with the Indian government, Poonawalla said India would be “given priority” and would receive most of its stockpile of around 50 million doses. Partial results from studies for the Oxford-AstraZeneca shot in almost 24,000 people in Britain, Brazil and South Africa suggest that the vaccine is safe and about 70% effective. That isn’t as good as some other vaccine candidates, and there are also concerns about how well the vaccine will protect older people. The other vaccine authorized by India, known as Covaxin, is developed by Bharat Biotech in collaboration with government agencies and is based on an inactivated form of the coronavirus. Early clinical studies showed that the vaccine didn’t have any serious side effects and produced antibodies for COVID-19. But late clinical trials began in mid-November. The second shot was to be given 28 days after the first, and an immune response prompted two weeks later. That time frame means that it isn’t possible that the company has submitted data showing that the shots are effective in preventing infection from the virus, said Dr. Gagandeep Kang, an infectious diseases expert at the Christian Medical College at Vellore. All India Drug Action Network, a public health watchdog, issued a statement demanding greater transparency. Somani, the regulator, says “the vaccine has been found to be safe” but has refused to say whether any efficacy data have been shared. The Health Ministry said in a statement that permission was granted for Bharat Biotech’s shot for restricted use in the “public interest as an abundant precaution in clinical trial mode, especially in the context of infection by mutant strains.” But Kang said that the claim that the vaccine could help against a mutant variant of the virus was “hypothetical” and without any evidence. Indian regulators are still considering approvals for other vaccines, including one made by Pfizer.

McConnell's and Pelosi's homes are vandalized after $2,000 relief fails

https://www.latimes.com/politics/story/2021-01-02/mcconnell-pelosi-homes-vandalized-after-2-000-relief-fails

Vandals lashed out at the leaders of the U.S. House and Senate over the holiday weekend, blighting their homes with graffiti and in one case a pig’s head as Congress failed to approve an increase in the amount of money being sent to individuals to help cope with the COVID-19 pandemic. Spray paint on Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell’s door in Kentucky on Saturday read, “WERES MY MONEY.” “MITCH KILLS THE POOR” was scrawled over a window. A profanity directed at the Republican senator was painted under the mailbox. At House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s home in San Francisco, someone spray-painted graffiti and left a pig’s head and fake blood on New Year’s Day, police said. The vandalism was reported around 2 a.m. Friday, a police statement said, and a special investigations unit is trying to determine who did it. KGO-TV reported that graffiti found on the garage door of the Democratic leader’s home included the phrases “$2K,” “Cancel rent!” and “We want everything,” apparently referencing Democratic lawmakers’ failed efforts to increase the coronavirus relief checks from $600 to $2,000. The news station said security cameras surround the three-story brick home in the tony Pacific Heights neighborhood. McConnell released a statement on Saturday condemning the vandalism at his home in Louisville. “I’ve spent my career fighting for the First Amendment and defending peaceful protest,” he said. “I appreciate every Kentuckian who has engaged in the democratic process whether they agree with me or not. This is different. Vandalism and the politics of fear have no place in our society.” McConnell said he and his wife are not intimidated by the vandalism. “We just hope our neighbors in Louisville aren’t too inconvenienced by this radical tantrum.” Louisville police are investigating the incident at McConnell’s home, which occurred around 5 a.m. Saturday. There currently are no suspects, police spokesman Dwight Mitchell said in an email. On New Year’s Day, Senate Republicans refused to allow debate over a bill to increase the amount of COVID-19 relief. The increase, supported by President Trump, passed the Democratic-led House but was blocked by McConnell. The government has begun sending out the smaller payments to millions of Americans. The $600 payment is going to individuals with incomes up to $75,000. Congress approved the payment in late December.

Yemen's prime minister says airport attack aimed to 'eliminate' Cabinet

https://www.latimes.com/world-nation/story/2021-01-02/yemens-pm-says-airport-attack-aimed-to-eliminate-cabinet

Yemen’s prime minister says that a missile attack on the airport in Aden was meant “to eliminate” the country’s new government as it arrived in the key southern city — a daring assault he blamed on Iran-backed rebels. Prime Minister Maeen Abdulmalik Saeed spoke to the Associated Press on Saturday in an interview conducted at his office in the Mashiq Palace in Aden. It was his first interview with international media after he survived Wednesday’s attack that killed at least 25 people and wounded 110 others. “It’s a major terrorist attack that was meant to eliminate the government,” the premier said. “It was a message against peace and stability in Yemen.” Saeed repeated his government’s accusations that Yemen’s Houthi rebels were responsible for the missile attack on the airport and a drone assault on the palace shortly after the premier and his Cabinet were transferred there. California Los Angeles County posted its third highest single-day total for coronavirus cases on New Year’s Day Jan. 2, 2021 The new Yemeni government was formed in December to end a dangerous political rift with southern separatists who are backed by the United Arab Emirates. The internal rift threatened the Emirates’ partnership with Saudi Arabia that is fighting the Houthis in Yemen. Saeed said that the “techniques” used in the airport missile attack were hallmarks of the Houthis’ strategy. Houthi officials have denied being behind the attack and sought to blame unspecified groups in the Saudi-led coalition. The rebel leaders have not offered any evidence nor answered requests for comment. The Houthis have carried out similar attacks in the past. In 2015, former Yemeni Prime Minister Khaled Bahah and members of his Cabinet survived a missile attack, blamed on the Houthis, that struck an Aden hotel used by the government. Last year, the Houthis fired a missile at a military parade of a militia loyal to the Emirates at a base in Aden, killing dozens. Wednesday’s attack took place moments after a plane carrying Saeed and his Cabinet members landed at the airport. AP footage from the scene at Aden’s airport showed members of the government delegation disembarking as the blast shook the tarmac, with many ministers rushing back inside the plane or running down the stairs, seeking shelter. Saeed said three precision-guided missiles had struck the facility, targeting his plane, the arrival hall and the VIP lounge of the airport. “The guidance accuracy was great. The operation was huge,” he said. The prime minister said that Yemeni investigators have collected the remains of the missiles and that experts from the Saudi-led coalition and the U.S. would help determine the type and origins of the missiles. Saeed and his newly formed Cabinet were returning to Yemen a week after they were sworn in before Yemeni President Abdu Rabu Mansour Hadi in Saudi Arabia’s capital, Riyadh, where the embattled leader resides. The Cabinet reshuffle was part of a power-sharing deal between the Saudi-backed Hadi and the secessionist Southern Transitional Council, an umbrella group of militias seeking to restore an independent southern Yemen, which existed from 1967 until unification in 1990. Saeed, the prime minister, said his government would prioritize “security and stability” in government-held areas after months of infighting between Hadi’s government and the STC. “Whatever the challenges in Aden, the government remains,” he said. He also pointed to “huge” economic challenges as being the focus of his government. The conflict in the Arab world’s most impoverished nation began when the Houthis captured the capital of Sana in 2014, forcing Hadi’s government to flee. The following year, the Saudi-led coalition intervened against the Iran-backed rebels in what has turned into a stalemated war. Since then, more than 112,000 people — fighters and civilians — have been killed. Aden’s airport is expected to reopen Sunday, Transportation Minister Abdel-Salam Hamied announced while visiting the facility.

Iraq says it has dismantled a mine on a tanker in the Persian Gulf

https://www.latimes.com/world-nation/story/2021-01-02/iraq-says-it-has-dismantled-mine-on-tanker-in-persian-gulf

Iraq’s military on Saturday said explosives experts with its naval forces successfully dismantled a mine that was discovered stuck to an oil tanker in the Persian Gulf. The statement said Iraqi authorities have opened an investigation into the incident. No group has claimed responsibility for placing the mine. The announcement came a day after Iraq confirmed reports by private security firms that a mine had been discovered attached to the side of a tanker rented from Iraq’s Oil Marketing Co., known as SOMO, as it was refueling another vessel. It said that Iraqi teams were working to dismantle the mine. Iraq has not provided further details, but the two private security firms said the discovery was likely a limpet mine on the MT Pola, a Liberian-flagged tanker. A limpet mine is a type of naval mine that attaches to the side of a ship, usually by a diver-member of special forces. When it explodes, it can significantly damage a vessel. The discovery came amid heightened tensions between Iran and the U.S. in the final days of President Trump’s administration. Already, the U.S. has conducted B-52 bomber flyovers and sent a nuclear submarine into the Persian Gulf over what Trump officials describe as the possibility of an Iranian attack on the one-year anniversary of the U.S. drone strike in Baghdad that killed Iranian Gen. Qassem Suleimani and a top Iraqi militia leader. Iraq is marking the anniversary with a series of events this week, including a Saturday night ceremony at Baghdad’s airport, where the drone strike killed the two men last Jan. 3.