mercurynews--2020-11-22--Trump’s legal team cried vote fraud, but courts found none

PHILADELPHIA — As they frantically searched for ways to salvage President Donald Trump ’ s failed reelection bid , his campaign pursued a dizzying game of legal hopscotch across six states that centered on the biggest prize of all : Pennsylvania .
The strategy may have played well in front of television cameras and on talk radio to Trump ’ s supporters .
But it has proved a disaster in court , where judges uniformly rejected their claims of vote fraud and found the campaign ’ s legal work amateurish .
In a scathing ruling late Saturday , U.S. District @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Federalist Society member in central Pennsylvania — compared the campaign ’ s legal arguments to “ Frankenstein ’ s Monster , ” concluding that Trump ’ s team offered only “ speculative accusations , ” not proof of rampant corruption .
The campaign on Sunday filed notice it would appeal the decision to the 3rd U.S .
Circuit Court of Appeals , a day before the state ’ s 67 counties are set to certify their results and send them to state officials .
So , as the legal doors close on Trump @ @ @ @ @ @ @ what voters would not do on Election Day and deliver him a second term , his efforts in Pennsylvania show how far he is willing to push baseless theories of widespread voter fraud .
It was led by Rudy Giuliani , Trump ’ s personal lawyer , who descended on the state the Saturday after the Nov. 3 election as the count dragged on and the president played golf .
Summoning reporters to a scruffy , far-flung corner of Philadelphia on Nov. 7 , he held forth at a site that would soon @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
The 11:30 a.m. news conference was doomed from the start .
Only minutes earlier , news outlets had started calling the presidential contest for Democrat Joe Biden .
The race was over .
Just heating up was Trump ’ s plan to subvert the election through litigation and howls of fraud — the same tactic he had used to stave off losses in the business world .
And it would soon spread far beyond Pennsylvania .
“ Some of the ballots looked suspicious , ” Giuliani , 76 , said of the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ behind a chain link fence , next to a sex shop .
He maligned the city as being run by a “ decrepit Democratic machine.
” “ Those mail-in ballots could have been written the day before , by the Democratic Party hacks that were all over the convention center , ” Giuliani said .
He promised to file a new round of lawsuits .
He rambled .
“ This is a very , very strong case , ” he asserted .
Justin Levitt , a Loyola Law School professor who specializes in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ dangerous .
“ It is a sideshow , but it ’ s a harmful sideshow , ” Levitt said .
“ It ’ s a toxic sideshow .
The continuing baseless , evidence-free claims of alternative facts are actually having an effect on a substantial number of Americans .
They are creating the conditions for elections not to work in the future.
” Not a single court has found merit in the core legal claims , but that did not stop Trump ’ s team from firing off nearly two dozen legal challenges @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , including an early morning suit on Election Day filed by a once-imprisoned lawyer .
The president ’ s lawyers fought the three-day grace period for mail-in ballots to arrive .
They complained they weren ’ t being let in to observe the vote count .
They said Democratic counties unfairly let voters fix mistakes on their ballot envelopes .
Everywhere they turned , they said , they sniffed fraud .
“ I felt insidious fraud going on , ” Philadelphia poll watcher Lisette Tarragano said when Giuliani called her to the microphone @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , a Republican runs the city ’ s election board , and has said his office got death threats as Trump ’ s rants about the election intensified .
No judges ever found any evidence of election fraud in Pennsylvania or any other state where the campaign sued — not in Michigan , Wisconsin , Arizona , Nevada or Georgia .
Instead , Trump lawyers found themselves backpedaling when pressed in court for admissible evidence , or dropping out when they were accused of helping derail the democratic process .
“ I am @ @ @ @ @ @ @ bar of this court , are people representing the Donald J. Trump for president ( campaign ) … in that room ?
” U.S. District Judge Paul Diamond asked at an after-hours hearing on Nov. 5 , when Republicans asked him to stop the vote count in Philadelphia over their alleged banishment .
“ There ’ s a nonzero number of people in the room , ” lawyer Jerome Marcus replied .
The count continued in Philadelphia .
The Trump losses kept coming .
By Friday , Nov. 6 , when a state @ @ @ @ @ @ @ provisional ballots and a Philadelphia judge refused to throw out 8,300 mail-in ballots they challenged , Biden was up by about 27,000 votes .
Nationally , the race had not yet been called .
But it was becoming clear that a Biden win in Pennsylvania , with its 20 electoral votes , was imminent .
When it came , Trump quickly pivoted to litigation .
It did not go well .
A U.S. appeals court found Pennsylvania ’ s three-day extension for mail-in ballots laudatory , given the disruption and mail delays cause @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and Arizona , finding no evidence of fraud , refused to block the certification of county vote tallies .
Law firms representing the campaign started to come under fire and withdrew .
That left Giuliani , who had not argued a case in court for three decades , in charge of the effort to overturn the election .
“ You can say a lot at a driveway ( news conference ) .
… When you go to court , you can ’ t , ” said lawyer Mark Aronchick , who represented election @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in several of the Pennsylvania suits .
“ I don ’ t really pay attention to the chatter until I see a legal brief.
” On Tuesday , Giuliani stepped into the courtroom .
He was a late addition to the docket after election lawyers from Porter Wright Morris & Arthur had bowed out over the previous weekend .
He had an entourage in tow , a show of force that had everything but a compelling legal argument .
Giuliani asked Brann to hold up the certification of the state ’ s 6.8 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ mail-in ballots were tossed over technical errors .
“ We were ready to argue the one count .
Instead , he treated us to an even more expanded version of his Total Landscaping press conference , ” Aronchick said .
“ It didn ’ t bear any relationship to the actual case.
” Giuliani , admired by some for his tough talk as Manhattan ’ s top prosecutor and his leadership as New York City ’ s mayor during the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks , struggled to answer even basic legal questions .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ conspiracy to rig the state election .
“ The best description of this situation is widespread , nationwide voter fraud , ” Giuliani argued .
Under questioning , though , he acknowledged their complaint no longer included a fraud claim .
And then , just as it had at Four Seasons , reality came crashing down on him , when news broke in the courtroom that the Pennsylvania Supreme Court had rejected the campaign ’ s appeal over observer access in Philadelphia .
It was one of the campaign ’ s last remaining @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
“ The notion that presumptively valid ballots cast by the Pennsylvania electorate would be disregarded based on isolated procedural irregularities that have been redressed … is misguided , ” Chief Justice Thomas G. Saylor wrote for the minority in the 5-2 decision .
Brann , who sits in Williamsport , let the federal court hearing drag on past the dinner hour , and gave both sides time to file additional motions .
The campaign filings were replete with typos , spelling mistakes and even an errant reference to a “ Second Amendment @ @ @ @ @ @ @ complaint .
The campaign took the opportunity to answer one of the more puzzling questions that its election challenge raised : It only wanted the presidential election results set aside , not votes on the same ballots for other offices .
The briefs were filed by Giuliani and co-counsel Marc Scaringi , a local conservative talk radio host who , before he was hired , had questioned the point of the Trump litigation , saying “ it will not reverse this election.
” Aronchick balked at the campaign ’ s core premise that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the Mafia , as Giuliani suggested — had plotted to spoil Trump ’ s win .
“ You ’ re going to suggest part of them are in a conspiracy ?
How does that work ?
” Aronchick asked .
“ Who ?
Where ?
When ?
How ?
” Brann , in his ruling , said he expected the campaign to present formidable evidence of rampant corruption as it sought to nullify millions of votes .
Instead , he said , the campaign presented “ strained legal arguments without merit and speculative @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in Philadelphia , may have already tipped its hand .
In its Nov. 13 ruling , the appeals court called it “ indisputable in our democratic process : that the lawfully cast vote of every citizen must count.
” Biden ’ s lead in the state has expanded to more than 80,000 votes .
“ Our system depends on the possibility that you might lose a fair contest .
If that possibility doesn ’ t exist , you don ’ t have a democracy , ” said Levitt , the law school professor @ @ @ @ @ @ @ like that .
It just doesn ’ t describe America .
”

By Maryclaire Dale | Associated Press
PHILADELPHIA — As they frantically searched for ways to salvage President Donald Trump’s failed reelection bid, his campaign pursued a dizzying game of legal hopscotch across six states that centered on the biggest prize of all: Pennsylvania.
The strategy may have played well in front of television cameras and on talk radio to Trump’s supporters. But it has proved a disaster in court, where judges uniformly rejected their claims of vote fraud and found the campaign’s legal work amateurish.
In a scathing ruling late Saturday, U.S. District Judge Matthew Brann — a Republican and Federalist Society member in central Pennsylvania — compared the campaign’s legal arguments to “Frankenstein’s Monster,” concluding that Trump’s team offered only “speculative accusations,” not proof of rampant corruption.
The campaign on Sunday filed notice it would appeal the decision to the 3rd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, a day before the state’s 67 counties are set to certify their results and send them to state officials.
So, as the legal doors close on Trump’s attempts to have courts do what voters would not do on Election Day and deliver him a second term, his efforts in Pennsylvania show how far he is willing to push baseless theories of widespread voter fraud.
[vemba-video id=”business/2020/11/22/trumps-string-of-legal-losses-includes-first-amendment-cases.cnn”]
It was led by Rudy Giuliani, Trump’s personal lawyer, who descended on the state the Saturday after the Nov. 3 election as the count dragged on and the president played golf. Summoning reporters to a scruffy, far-flung corner of Philadelphia on Nov. 7, he held forth at a site that would soon become legendary: Four Seasons Total Landscaping.
The 11:30 a.m. news conference was doomed from the start.
Only minutes earlier, news outlets had started calling the presidential contest for Democrat Joe Biden. The race was over.
Just heating up was Trump’s plan to subvert the election through litigation and howls of fraud — the same tactic he had used to stave off losses in the business world. And it would soon spread far beyond Pennsylvania.
“Some of the ballots looked suspicious,” Giuliani, 76, said of the vote count in Philadelphia as he stood behind a chain link fence, next to a sex shop. He maligned the city as being run by a “decrepit Democratic machine.”
“Those mail-in ballots could have been written the day before, by the Democratic Party hacks that were all over the convention center,” Giuliani said. He promised to file a new round of lawsuits. He rambled.
“This is a very, very strong case,” he asserted.
Justin Levitt, a Loyola Law School professor who specializes in election law, called the Trump lawsuits dangerous.
“It is a sideshow, but it’s a harmful sideshow,” Levitt said. “It’s a toxic sideshow. The continuing baseless, evidence-free claims of alternative facts are actually having an effect on a substantial number of Americans. They are creating the conditions for elections not to work in the future.”
___
Not a single court has found merit in the core legal claims, but that did not stop Trump’s team from firing off nearly two dozen legal challenges to Biden’s victory in Pennsylvania, including an early morning suit on Election Day filed by a once-imprisoned lawyer.
The president’s lawyers fought the three-day grace period for mail-in ballots to arrive. They complained they weren’t being let in to observe the vote count. They said Democratic counties unfairly let voters fix mistakes on their ballot envelopes. Everywhere they turned, they said, they sniffed fraud.
“I felt insidious fraud going on,” Philadelphia poll watcher Lisette Tarragano said when Giuliani called her to the microphone at the landscaping company.
In fact, a Republican runs the city’s election board, and has said his office got death threats as Trump’s rants about the election intensified. No judges ever found any evidence of election fraud in Pennsylvania or any other state where the campaign sued — not in Michigan, Wisconsin, Arizona, Nevada or Georgia.
Instead, Trump lawyers found themselves backpedaling when pressed in court for admissible evidence, or dropping out when they were accused of helping derail the democratic process.
“I am asking you as a member of the bar of this court, are people representing the Donald J. Trump for president (campaign) … in that room?” U.S. District Judge Paul Diamond asked at an after-hours hearing on Nov. 5, when Republicans asked him to stop the vote count in Philadelphia over their alleged banishment.
“There’s a nonzero number of people in the room,” lawyer Jerome Marcus replied.
The count continued in Philadelphia. The Trump losses kept coming. By Friday, Nov. 6, when a state appeals court rejected a Republican complaint over provisional ballots and a Philadelphia judge refused to throw out 8,300 mail-in ballots they challenged, Biden was up by about 27,000 votes.
Nationally, the race had not yet been called. But it was becoming clear that a Biden win in Pennsylvania, with its 20 electoral votes, was imminent.
When it came, Trump quickly pivoted to litigation. It did not go well.
A U.S. appeals court found Pennsylvania’s three-day extension for mail-in ballots laudatory, given the disruption and mail delays cause by the pandemic. Judges in Michigan and Arizona, finding no evidence of fraud, refused to block the certification of county vote tallies. Law firms representing the campaign started to come under fire and withdrew.
That left Giuliani, who had not argued a case in court for three decades, in charge of the effort to overturn the election.
“You can say a lot at a driveway (news conference). … When you go to court, you can’t,” said lawyer Mark Aronchick, who represented election officials in Philadelphia, Pittsburgh and elsewhere in several of the Pennsylvania suits. “I don’t really pay attention to the chatter until I see a legal brief.”
___
On Tuesday, Giuliani stepped into the courtroom. He was a late addition to the docket after election lawyers from Porter Wright Morris & Arthur had bowed out over the previous weekend. He had an entourage in tow, a show of force that had everything but a compelling legal argument.
Giuliani asked Brann to hold up the certification of the state’s 6.8 million ballots over two Republican voters whose mail-in ballots were tossed over technical errors.
“I sat dumbfounded listening,” said Aronchick, a seasoned trial lawyer.
“We were ready to argue the one count. Instead, he treated us to an even more expanded version of his Total Landscaping press conference,” Aronchick said. “It didn’t bear any relationship to the actual case.”
Giuliani, admired by some for his tough talk as Manhattan’s top prosecutor and his leadership as New York City’s mayor during the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, struggled to answer even basic legal questions.
But he waxed on about a supposed conspiracy to rig the state election.
“The best description of this situation is widespread, nationwide voter fraud,” Giuliani argued. Under questioning, though, he acknowledged their complaint no longer included a fraud claim.
And then, just as it had at Four Seasons, reality came crashing down on him, when news broke in the courtroom that the Pennsylvania Supreme Court had rejected the campaign’s appeal over observer access in Philadelphia. It was one of the campaign’s last remaining claims.
Even the dissent was crushing.
“The notion that presumptively valid ballots cast by the Pennsylvania electorate would be disregarded based on isolated procedural irregularities that have been redressed … is misguided,” Chief Justice Thomas G. Saylor wrote for the minority in the 5-2 decision.
Brann, who sits in Williamsport, let the federal court hearing drag on past the dinner hour, and gave both sides time to file additional motions. The campaign filings were replete with typos, spelling mistakes and even an errant reference to a “Second Amendment Complaint” instead of a second amended complaint.
The campaign took the opportunity to answer one of the more puzzling questions that its election challenge raised: It only wanted the presidential election results set aside, not votes on the same ballots for other offices. The briefs were filed by Giuliani and co-counsel Marc Scaringi, a local conservative talk radio host who, before he was hired, had questioned the point of the Trump litigation, saying “it will not reverse this election.”
Aronchick balked at the campaign’s core premise that local election workers — perhaps working for the Mafia, as Giuliani suggested — had plotted to spoil Trump’s win.
“You’re going to suggest part of them are in a conspiracy? How does that work?” Aronchick asked. “Who? Where? When? How?”
Brann, in his ruling, said he expected the campaign to present formidable evidence of rampant corruption as it sought to nullify millions of votes. Instead, he said, the campaign presented “strained legal arguments without merit and speculative accusations.”
The 3rd Circuit, based in Philadelphia, may have already tipped its hand. In its Nov. 13 ruling, the appeals court called it “indisputable in our democratic process: that the lawfully cast vote of every citizen must count.”
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“Our system depends on the possibility that you might lose a fair contest. If that possibility doesn’t exist, you don’t have a democracy,” said Levitt, the law school professor. “There are countries that run like that. It just doesn’t describe America.”


mercurynews--2020-11-22--‘Freaky’ repeats as winner of quiet U.S. box office with $1.2 million

Body-swap horror comedy “ Freaky ” repeated as the winner of a seriously subdued U.S. box office with $ 1.2 million at 2,057 locations in North America during the Friday-Sunday weekend .
The Universal and Blumhouse Productions ’ movie stars Vince Vaughn as a serial killer and Kathryn Newton as a low-profile high schooler who inadvertently switch bodies on Friday the 13th .
“ Freaky ” has taken in $ 5.6 million in its first 10 days amid the reluctance of many moviegoers to return to multiplexes until a COVID-19 vaccine is available .
Universal noted Sunday that the theatrical @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to a notable reduction in the number of theaters in North America , as the domestic theatrical footprint has shrunk to roughly 2,800 open locations from 3,400 last weekend .
The performance of “ Freaky ” contrasts sharply with the same weekend a year ago when Disney launched “ Frozen II ” with $ 130 million and overall North American business totaled $ 206 million , according to Comscore .
“ With the continuing surge of the virus this fall , another round of lockdowns and curfews are impacting theaters on a regional @ @ @ @ @ @ @ chief analyst at Box Office Pro .
“ Business is down sharply from last weekend as a result of temporary closures , even for films that had proven to hold quite well over the past few months .
While the encouraging news of vaccines on the horizon remains a light at the end of the tunnel for the industry , this weekend ’ s dip at the box office is an expected reminder of the endurance that will be required to push through a very challenging holiday and winter season.
” The seventh @ @ @ @ @ @ @ The War With Grandpa ” finished in a distant second place with $ 737,067 at 1,688 sites .
The Robert De Niro vehicle has earned $ 16.2 million after 45 days in theaters .
Focus Features ’ thriller “ Let Him Go , ” starring Kevin Costner and Diane Lane , followed in third with $ 710,000 at 1,907 locations .
The film , set in Montana in the 1960s , has pulled in $ 7.9 million in its first 17 days .
Focus ’ s fourth weekend of the horror movie “ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ with $ 510,000 at 1,364 screens .
After three weeks in theaters , the film has made $ 8 million .
Disney ’ s re-release of its 1994 holiday comedy-drama “ The Santa Clause ” pulled in $ 481,000 at 1,581 sites to finish fifth .
Starring Tim Allen , the film originally generated $ 190 million in worldwide box office .
Open Road ’ s seventh weekend of Liam Neeson action thriller “ Honest Thief ” followed in sixth place with $ 452,000 at 1,254 locations .
The film ’ s 45-day @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Gravitas Ventures ’ launch of Jackie Chan ’ s action-adventure “ Vanguard ” showed little traction at multiplexes with $ 400,000 at 1,375 theaters .
“ Vanguard ” was released in China on Sept. 30 and took in nearly $ 44 million in that market .
TriStar Pictures ’ R-rated wartime drama “ The Last Vermeer ” opened with $ 225,00 from 912 locations .
Guy Pearce stars as an art forger who swindles millions of dollars from the Nazis by forging Johannes Vermeer paintings .
Warner Bros. ’ 12th weekend of the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in $ 360,000 at 864 sites to lift its three-month domestic total to $ 56.9 million .
“ Tenet ” has been the only Hollywood tentpole movie released to North American theaters since the pandemic began in March .
The film , which carries a $ 200 million price tag , has performed far better in international markets and is expected to surpass $ 300 million internationally this week .
The comparatively downbeat domestic performance of “ Tenet ” served to spur other studios to either delay openings of other major titles or @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Amid the prospect of the domestic theatrical market remaining depressed for the foreseeable future , Warner Bros. announced on Nov. 18 that its superhero sequel “ Wonder Woman 1984 ” would debut on the streaming service HBO Max on Dec. 25 , the same day it will open in U.S. movie theaters .
Starring Gal Gadot , the film will open a week earlier in international theaters , including in China .
Only one wide domestic release is planned for the upcoming Thanksgiving holiday weekend with Universal launching “ The Croods : @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Paul Dergarabedian , senior media analyst at Comscore , said overall business will be tepid in the coming weeks with only about 40 % of North American sites open .
“ Given the ever-shrinking number of available open theaters , the industry heads into a very fallow holiday marketplace that will of course struggle against a brisk headwind that will require lots of heavy lifting by a very limited number of high-profile titles that remain on the theatrical release calendar , ” he said .

Body-swap horror comedy “Freaky” repeated as the winner of a seriously subdued U.S. box office with $1.2 million at 2,057 locations in North America during the Friday-Sunday weekend.
The Universal and Blumhouse Productions’ movie stars Vince Vaughn as a serial killer and Kathryn Newton as a low-profile high schooler who inadvertently switch bodies on Friday the 13th. “Freaky” has taken in $5.6 million in its first 10 days amid the reluctance of many moviegoers to return to multiplexes until a COVID-19 vaccine is available.
Universal noted Sunday that the theatrical box office continues to be impaired due to a notable reduction in the number of theaters in North America, as the domestic theatrical footprint has shrunk to roughly 2,800 open locations from 3,400 last weekend.
The performance of “Freaky” contrasts sharply with the same weekend a year ago when Disney launched “Frozen II” with $130 million and overall North American business totaled $206 million, according to Comscore.
“With the continuing surge of the virus this fall, another round of lockdowns and curfews are impacting theaters on a regional basis,” said Shawn Robbins, chief analyst at Box Office Pro. “Business is down sharply from last weekend as a result of temporary closures, even for films that had proven to hold quite well over the past few months. While the encouraging news of vaccines on the horizon remains a light at the end of the tunnel for the industry, this weekend’s dip at the box office is an expected reminder of the endurance that will be required to push through a very challenging holiday and winter season.”
The seventh weekend of 101 Studios’ comedy “The War With Grandpa” finished in a distant second place with $737,067 at 1,688 sites. The Robert De Niro vehicle has earned $16.2 million after 45 days in theaters.
Focus Features’ thriller “Let Him Go,” starring Kevin Costner and Diane Lane, followed in third with $710,000 at 1,907 locations. The film, set in Montana in the 1960s, has pulled in $7.9 million in its first 17 days.
Focus’s fourth weekend of the horror movie “Come Play” came in fourth place with $510,000 at 1,364 screens. After three weeks in theaters, the film has made $8 million.
Disney’s re-release of its 1994 holiday comedy-drama “The Santa Clause” pulled in $481,000 at 1,581 sites to finish fifth. Starring Tim Allen, the film originally generated $190 million in worldwide box office.
Open Road’s seventh weekend of Liam Neeson action thriller “Honest Thief” followed in sixth place with $452,000 at 1,254 locations. The film’s 45-day total has hit $13 million.
Gravitas Ventures’ launch of Jackie Chan’s action-adventure “Vanguard” showed little traction at multiplexes with $400,000 at 1,375 theaters. “Vanguard” was released in China on Sept. 30 and took in nearly $44 million in that market.
TriStar Pictures’ R-rated wartime drama “The Last Vermeer” opened with $225,00 from 912 locations. Guy Pearce stars as an art forger who swindles millions of dollars from the Nazis by forging Johannes Vermeer paintings.
Warner Bros.’ 12th weekend of the Christopher Nolan thriller “Tenet” took in $360,000 at 864 sites to lift its three-month domestic total to $56.9 million. “Tenet” has been the only Hollywood tentpole movie released to North American theaters since the pandemic began in March. The film, which carries a $200 million price tag, has performed far better in international markets and is expected to surpass $300 million internationally this week.
The comparatively downbeat domestic performance of “Tenet” served to spur other studios to either delay openings of other major titles or move them to premium video on demand. Amid the prospect of the domestic theatrical market remaining depressed for the foreseeable future, Warner Bros. announced on Nov. 18 that its superhero sequel “Wonder Woman 1984” would debut on the streaming service HBO Max on Dec. 25, the same day it will open in U.S. movie theaters. Starring Gal Gadot, the film will open a week earlier in international theaters, including in China.
Only one wide domestic release is planned for the upcoming Thanksgiving holiday weekend with Universal launching “The Croods: A New Age” on Nov. 25. Paul Dergarabedian, senior media analyst at Comscore, said overall business will be tepid in the coming weeks with only about 40% of North American sites open.


mercurynews--2020-11-22--Los Angeles reaches grim milestone in homicides

LOS ANGELES ( AP ) — Los Angeles crossed a grim threshold Sunday as the city unofficially recorded its 300th homicide for the year — a milestone last reached a decade ago .
This year ’ s spike in violence in Los Angeles — including a 32 % increase in shootings — comes as other major cities are grappling with similar rises in crime despite the coronavirus pandemic .
The Los Angeles Times reported Sunday that four killings from Saturday into Sunday morning pushed the city into the 300-death mark for the first time since 2009 .
Los Angeles Police @ @ @ @ @ @ @ newspaper that the official count will come after additional determinations are made , including by the county ’ s coroner .
“ The reality is there are 300 , ” Spell said .
“ It ’ s tragic.
” One victim was a 17-year-old boy riding a bicycle , the newspaper reported .
The others were a 50-year-old homeless man , a 20-year-old man and a 41-year-old woman .
Much of the violence this year has occurred in South LA and Central LA .
Chief Michel Moore has said he believes some of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ related to the pandemic , such as economic struggles and virus-related restrictions on services and interventions .
• Preliminary hearing set for 2 brothers charged in Vacaville slaying of 50-year-old woman Last year , LA recorded 253 homicides , the LA Times reported , and 260 in 2018 .
In 2009 , the city had 312 killings .

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Los Angeles crossed a grim threshold Sunday as the city unofficially recorded its 300th homicide for the year — a milestone last reached a decade ago.
This year’s spike in violence in Los Angeles — including a 32% increase in shootings — comes as other major cities are grappling with similar rises in crime despite the coronavirus pandemic.
The Los Angeles Times reported Sunday that four killings from Saturday into Sunday morning pushed the city into the 300-death mark for the first time since 2009.
Los Angeles Police Department Capt. Stacy Spell told the newspaper that the official count will come after additional determinations are made, including by the county’s coroner.
“The reality is there are 300,” Spell said. “It’s tragic.”
One victim was a 17-year-old boy riding a bicycle, the newspaper reported. The others were a 50-year-old homeless man, a 20-year-old man and a 41-year-old woman.
Much of the violence this year has occurred in South LA and Central LA. Chief Michel Moore has said he believes some of the increased crime is due to problems related to the pandemic, such as economic struggles and virus-related restrictions on services and interventions.
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In 2009, the city had 312 killings.


mercurynews--2020-11-22--Michigan leader: Trump didn’t ask for election interference

LANSING , Mich. — President Donald Trump did not ask Michigan Republican lawmakers to “ break the law ” or “ interfere ” with the election during a meeting at the White House , a legislative leader said Sunday , a day before canvassers plan to meet about whether to certify Joe Biden ’ s 154,000-vote victory in the battleground state .
House Speaker Lee Chatfield was among seven GOP legislators who met with Trump for about an hour on Friday , amid his longshot efforts to block Biden ’ s win .
“ There was this outrage that the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ break the law , he was going to ask us to interfere , and that just simply didn ’ t happen , ” he told Fox News of the highly unusual meeting .
He did not elaborate on what was discussed , except to say the delegation asked for additional federal aid to help Michigan ’ s coronavirus response .
Michigan ’ s elections agency has recommended that the Nov. 3 results — including Biden ’ s 2.8-percentage point victory — be certified by the Board of State Canvassers , which has two @ @ @ @ @ @ @ National Committee and the state Republican Party want the board to adjourn for 14 days to investigate alleged irregularities in Wayne County , the state ’ s largest and home to Detroit .
Staff for the state elections bureau said that claimed irregularities , even if verified , would not significantly affect the outcome .
The Michigan Democratic Party said the total number of Detroit votes implicated by imbalanced precincts — where the number of ballots does not equal the number of names on the pollbook — is at most 450 , or @ @ @ @ @ @ @ separating Biden from Trump .
“ The certification process must not be manipulated to serve as some sort of retroactive referendum on the expressed will of the voters .
That is simply not how democracy works , ” chairwoman Lavora Barnes wrote to the board on Sunday .
If the board does not confirm the results and the Michigan Supreme Court does not subsequently order it to do so , Chatfield said “ now we have a constitutional crisis.
” He and other Republicans , however , have indicated that they would not @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Michigan election law clearly requires that the state ’ s electors must be those nominated by the party that received the most votes — not the Legislature , ” says a stock email House Republicans are sending in response to people who contact their offices .
Experts on Michigan election law have said the state board ’ s authority is limited in scope and that it must certify the results now that all 83 counties have reported theirs to the state .
There is concern , though , because Trump personally called the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ board last week and they said a day later that they were rescinding their previous vote — following an earlier deadlock — but it was too late .
Senate Majority Leader Mike Shirkey , a Republican who met with Trump , suggested in a Sunday tweet that the state canvassers might “ take the full time allowed by law to perform their duties ” instead of voting Monday and said “ it ’ s inappropriate for anyone to exert pressure on them.
” The deadline is Dec. 13 , but that is five @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ” date — when Congress can not challenge any electors named by that date in accordance with state law .
There is no evidence of widespread fraud in the 2020 election .
In fact , election officials from both political parties have stated publicly that the election went well and international observers confirmed that there were no serious irregularities .
The issues Trump ’ s campaign and its allies have pointed to are typical in every election .
Republican U.S. Rep. Fred Upton , Michigan ’ s current longest-serving member of Congress , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ voters spoke ” and the state had no razor-thin presidential race .
“ No one has come up with any evidence of fraud or abuse , ” he said .
He called the request to delay the certification “ out of bounds.
” The trip to the White House has come under heavy scrutiny .
The lawmakers stayed at the luxury Trump International Hotel , and two of them were photographed with expensive drinks at the hotel bar after the meeting .
Spokespeople for Shirkey and Chatfield said the legislators covered their expenses @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
However , they did not say if the men paid for the trip themselves or if it was paid for in some other way such as by them tapping into their nonprofit “ administrative ” accounts that can accept contributions from corporate or other donors .
Finding out about who runs such lawmaker-connected organizations , who donates to them and what the money is spent on can be extremely difficult , according to a 2016 joint investigation by MLive and the Michigan Campaign Finance Network .
Such accounts can be used to @ @ @ @ @

By David Eggert | Associated Press
LANSING, Mich. — President Donald Trump did not ask Michigan Republican lawmakers to “break the law” or “interfere” with the election during a meeting at the White House, a legislative leader said Sunday, a day before canvassers plan to meet about whether to certify Joe Biden’s 154,000-vote victory in the battleground state.
House Speaker Lee Chatfield was among seven GOP legislators who met with Trump for about an hour on Friday, amid his longshot efforts to block Biden’s win.
“There was this outrage that the president was going to ask us to break the law, he was going to ask us to interfere, and that just simply didn’t happen,” he told Fox News of the highly unusual meeting. He did not elaborate on what was discussed, except to say the delegation asked for additional federal aid to help Michigan’s coronavirus response.
Michigan’s elections agency has recommended that the Nov. 3 results — including Biden’s 2.8-percentage point victory — be certified by the Board of State Canvassers, which has two Democrats and two Republicans. The Republican National Committee and the state Republican Party want the board to adjourn for 14 days to investigate alleged irregularities in Wayne County, the state’s largest and home to Detroit.
Staff for the state elections bureau said that claimed irregularities, even if verified, would not significantly affect the outcome. The Michigan Democratic Party said the total number of Detroit votes implicated by imbalanced precincts — where the number of ballots does not equal the number of names on the pollbook — is at most 450, or “0.029% of the margin” separating Biden from Trump.
“The certification process must not be manipulated to serve as some sort of retroactive referendum on the expressed will of the voters. That is simply not how democracy works,” chairwoman Lavora Barnes wrote to the board on Sunday.
[vemba-video id=”politics/2020/11/22/rep-fred-upton-michigan-trump-election-votes-back-ip-vpx.cnn”]
If the board does not confirm the results and the Michigan Supreme Court does not subsequently order it to do so, Chatfield said “now we have a constitutional crisis.” He and other Republicans, however, have indicated that they would not undermine the voters’ will.
“Michigan election law clearly requires that the state’s electors must be those nominated by the party that received the most votes — not the Legislature,” says a stock email House Republicans are sending in response to people who contact their offices.
Experts on Michigan election law have said the state board’s authority is limited in scope and that it must certify the results now that all 83 counties have reported theirs to the state. There is concern, though, because Trump personally called the two Republicans on Wayne County’s board last week and they said a day later that they were rescinding their previous vote — following an earlier deadlock — but it was too late.
Senate Majority Leader Mike Shirkey, a Republican who met with Trump, suggested in a Sunday tweet that the state canvassers might “take the full time allowed by law to perform their duties” instead of voting Monday and said “it’s inappropriate for anyone to exert pressure on them.”
The deadline is Dec. 13, but that is five days after the federal “safe harbor” date — when Congress cannot challenge any electors named by that date in accordance with state law.
There is no evidence of widespread fraud in the 2020 election. In fact, election officials from both political parties have stated publicly that the election went well and international observers confirmed that there were no serious irregularities.
The issues Trump’s campaign and its allies have pointed to are typical in every election.
Republican U.S. Rep. Fred Upton, Michigan’s current longest-serving member of Congress, told CNN on Sunday that “the voters spoke” and the state had no razor-thin presidential race.
“No one has come up with any evidence of fraud or abuse,” he said. He called the request to delay the certification “out of bounds.”
The trip to the White House has come under heavy scrutiny. The lawmakers stayed at the luxury Trump International Hotel, and two of them were photographed with expensive drinks at the hotel bar after the meeting.
Spokespeople for Shirkey and Chatfield said the legislators covered their expenses and that no taxpayer money was used. However, they did not say if the men paid for the trip themselves or if it was paid for in some other way such as by them tapping into their nonprofit “administrative” accounts that can accept contributions from corporate or other donors.


mercurynews--2020-11-22--AOC praises Harry Styles for donning dress on Vogue cover

Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez praised Harry Styles for donning a dress on the cover of Vogue , calling it “ wonderful.
” The pop star made history by becoming the first man to appear solo on the magazine ’ s cover .
His decision to do so while wearing a dress has sparked much debate on social media about changing perceptions of masculinity .
While many liberals celebrated the December 2020 cover , some conservatives criticized it .
In a viral tweet , conservative commentator Candace Owens decried it as an example of the “ steady feminization of our men ” @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ” But Ocasio-Cortez , who represents New York ’ s 14th Congressional District , had a different take .
When an Instagram follower asked for her opinion on Saturday , she hailed the cover .
“ It looks wonderful , ” the Democratic lawmaker wrote on Instagram Stories .
“ The masculine and feminine elements are balanced beautifully.
” “ Some people are mad at it bc some folks are very sensitive to examining and exploring gender roles in society , ” she said .
“ Perhaps for some people it provokes some @ @ @ @ @ @ @ it does , then maybe that ’ s part of the point .
Sit with that reaction and think about it , examine it , explore it , engage it , and grow with it.
” The congresswoman often takes to social media to answer questions and connect with supporters .
In addition to the question about Styles , she also told followers what she had for dinner ( queso fundido ) and all about her plans for the weekend ( doing chores and playing with her dog ) .

Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez praised Harry Styles for donning a dress on the cover of Vogue, calling it “wonderful.”
The pop star made history by becoming the first man to appear solo on the magazine’s cover. His decision to do so while wearing a dress has sparked much debate on social media about changing perceptions of masculinity.
While many liberals celebrated the December 2020 cover, some conservatives criticized it. In a viral tweet, conservative commentator Candace Owens decried it as an example of the “steady feminization of our men” and said “bring back manly men.”
But Ocasio-Cortez, who represents New York’s 14th Congressional District, had a different take. When an Instagram follower asked for her opinion on Saturday, she hailed the cover.
“It looks wonderful,” the Democratic lawmaker wrote on Instagram Stories. “The masculine and feminine elements are balanced beautifully.”
“Some people are mad at it bc some folks are very sensitive to examining and exploring gender roles in society,” she said. “Perhaps for some people it provokes some anger or insecurity around masculinity/femininity/etc. If it does, then maybe that’s part of the point. Sit with that reaction and think about it, examine it, explore it, engage it, and grow with it.”
The congresswoman often takes to social media to answer questions and connect with supporters.
In addition to the question about Styles, she also told followers what she had for dinner (queso fundido) and all about her plans for the weekend (doing chores and playing with her dog).
The-CNN-Wire
™ & © 2020 Cable News Network, Inc., a WarnerMedia Company. All rights reserved.


mercurynews--2020-11-23--Coronavirus: Will schools remain safe amid case surge?

More than a thousand schools in California reopened classrooms this fall with an array of safety measures — face masks , hand sanitizer , distanced desks — to keep kids from spreading the coronavirus .
So far , for the most part , educators and experts say , it appears to be working .
But with the virus now spreading so alarmingly that officials are telling people not to gather for Thanksgiving and shutting down classrooms again in places like New York City , reopened schools across the Golden State will be put to the test like never before .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ likely will determine how millions of K-12 students will be educated through the rest of the pandemic .
Despite growing restrictions to slow the startling wave of new COVID-19 cases , some of the country ’ s most vigilant public health officials aren ’ t ready to give up on keeping classrooms open .
“ The infections that we ’ ve identified in schools when they ’ ve been evaluated were not acquired at schools , they were actually acquired in the community and in the household , ” said Robert R. Redfield @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Control and Prevention .
“ The truth is for kids K through 12 , one of the safest places they can be from our perspective is to remain in school.
” Santa Clara County Health Officer Dr. Sara Cody said that “ as our cases are rising — and they are rising sharply — we ’ ll get more reports from schools.
” But like Redfield , Cody sees cases coming into schools from the community , not spreading there .
And Cody , who led the Bay Area in the nation ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ her slow business reopening pace , is so confident in class safety protocols that she said she ’ ll continue to approve elementary school reopening waivers .
“ If we didn ’ t feel confident our protocols were going to protect students and staff , we wouldn ’ t go ahead and encourage opening classrooms , ” Cody said .
“ To date , we ’ ve seen very , very little transmission in school settings , and hope that continues to be the case.
” This past week , in one of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in schools around the state , Cody said there have been 216 cases linked to schools out of more than 29,000 to date countywide .
Of those , 169 were single cases , and 20 others involved two or more cases .
There were only three outbreaks involving three or more linked cases in students or staff within a two-week period : the largest involved a kindergarten class where five kids — four of them siblings — and a staff member were infected .
Not everyone shares Cody ’ s confidence .
In @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Mayor Bill de Blasio announced the country ’ s largest public school system would again close classrooms for its 1.1 million students and return to remote online instruction as was done during the spring case surge .
And in Kentucky , Gov .
Andy Beshear announced all public and private schools and universities statewide must close Nov. 23 .
Elsewhere , districts in Texas , Utah , Michigan , Georgia , Indiana and other states have temporarily closed schools that had already opened .
Others have put plans to reopen classrooms for the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Dr. George Lemp , an epidemiologist who has been tracking the pandemic in California by age group , said children are underrepresented among cases , suggesting that schools aren ’ t fueling infections .
Children younger than 18 represent 22.5 % of the state ’ s population but only 12.8 % of recent cases , Lemp said .
The recent case surge appears to be led more by 18- to 34-year-olds , he said , and by 35- to 49-year-olds to a lesser extent , driven by activities like social gatherings and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ surge , it ’ s still relatively safe for schools to remain open or open up , ” Lemp said .
In announcing more restrictions this past week , California health officials made a point of stating that schools that had already opened or were in the process of reopening would not have to close .
Even in the most restrictive purple-tier counties with widespread outbreaks where schools generally must teach remotely online , state officials said elementary schools can still reopen with an approved waiver .
All Bay Area counties except San @ @ @ @ @ @ @ are in that purple tier .
Like Santa Clara County , Contra Costa County will continue accepting waiver applications , but Alameda stopped offering them last week .
In San Mateo County ’ s Menlo Park City School District , among the first to bring kids back to classrooms Sept. 8 , Superintendent Erik Burmeister said they have had a total of 10 students and staff infected with the virus out of 2,900 preschool-8 students and 380 staff .
All were infected outside the schools , and the district shut down four classes @ @ @ @ @ @ @ see further spread , he said .
“ So far , the data are showing the very strict health and safety measures have resulted in no spread within our district , ” Burmeister said .
“ If that changes , we will move to distance learning.
” In many public schools , teacher unions have forestalled classroom reopening out of concern for their safety .
Even before the latest case surge , teachers complained that district provisions for protective equipment , testing and classroom ventilation were inadequate .
The latest case spike only @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Association spokeswoman Claudia Briggs .
“ The current surge in cases puts an exclamation point on why we have to prioritize putting all the proper safety measures in place in our schools , ” Briggs said .
But while parents have been divided over reopening , a growing number are losing patience with the remote “ distance learning ” that educators agree remains inferior to in-person instruction .
Many parents are turning to private schools with open classrooms after seeing friends ’ kids thrive there this fall .
Even with case rates soaring @ @ @ @ @ @ @ her two daughters out of their public elementary school where teaching is online and started them this past week at St. Frances Cabrini where classrooms are open .
Guinn said she has to stay in her car when she drops the girls off .
They wear masks all day .
The kids are kept in a stable cohort and don ’ t intermingle during the school day .
If any has so much as a sniffle , they have to stay home and can ’ t come back without a negative COVID-19 test @ @ @ @ @ @ @ daughters at Apostles Lutheran School last week after losing patience with San Jose Unified ’ s reopening plan and seeing her kindergartener struggle with distance learning .
Tuition she said is a financial strain , but she ’ s comfortable with the virus protections .
“ It ’ s definitely the right decision , ” Kemberling said .

More than a thousand schools in California reopened classrooms this fall with an array of safety measures — face masks, hand sanitizer, distanced desks — to keep kids from spreading the coronavirus. So far, for the most part, educators and experts say, it appears to be working.
But with the virus now spreading so alarmingly that officials are telling people not to gather for Thanksgiving and shutting down classrooms again in places like New York City, reopened schools across the Golden State will be put to the test like never before.
Can they remain safe? The answer likely will determine how millions of K-12 students will be educated through the rest of the pandemic.
Despite growing restrictions to slow the startling wave of new COVID-19 cases, some of the country’s most vigilant public health officials aren’t ready to give up on keeping classrooms open.
“The infections that we’ve identified in schools when they’ve been evaluated were not acquired at schools, they were actually acquired in the community and in the household,” said Robert R. Redfield, director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. “The truth is for kids K through 12, one of the safest places they can be from our perspective is to remain in school.”
Santa Clara County Health Officer Dr. Sara Cody said that “as our cases are rising — and they are rising sharply — we’ll get more reports from schools.”
But like Redfield, Cody sees cases coming into schools from the community, not spreading there. And Cody, who led the Bay Area in the nation’s first lockdown and drew criticism for her slow business reopening pace, is so confident in class safety protocols that she said she’ll continue to approve elementary school reopening waivers.
“If we didn’t feel confident our protocols were going to protect students and staff, we wouldn’t go ahead and encourage opening classrooms,” Cody said. “To date, we’ve seen very, very little transmission in school settings, and hope that continues to be the case.”
This past week, in one of the few detailed looks at the virus in schools around the state, Cody said there have been 216 cases linked to schools out of more than 29,000 to date countywide. Of those, 169 were single cases, and 20 others involved two or more cases.
There were only three outbreaks involving three or more linked cases in students or staff within a two-week period: the largest involved a kindergarten class where five kids — four of them siblings — and a staff member were infected.
Not everyone shares Cody’s confidence. In the past week, New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio announced the country’s largest public school system would again close classrooms for its 1.1 million students and return to remote online instruction as was done during the spring case surge. And in Kentucky, Gov. Andy Beshear announced all public and private schools and universities statewide must close Nov. 23.
Elsewhere, districts in Texas, Utah, Michigan, Georgia, Indiana and other states have temporarily closed schools that had already opened. Others have put plans to reopen classrooms for the first time this academic year on hold.
Dr. George Lemp, an epidemiologist who has been tracking the pandemic in California by age group, said children are underrepresented among cases, suggesting that schools aren’t fueling infections.
Children younger than 18 represent 22.5% of the state’s population but only 12.8% of recent cases, Lemp said. The recent case surge appears to be led more by 18- to 34-year-olds, he said, and by 35- to 49-year-olds to a lesser extent, driven by activities like social gatherings and indoor dining.
“Despite the current surge, it’s still relatively safe for schools to remain open or open up,” Lemp said.
In announcing more restrictions this past week, California health officials made a point of stating that schools that had already opened or were in the process of reopening would not have to close.
Even in the most restrictive purple-tier counties with widespread outbreaks where schools generally must teach remotely online, state officials said elementary schools can still reopen with an approved waiver. All Bay Area counties except San Francisco, San Mateo and Marin now are in that purple tier.
Like Santa Clara County, Contra Costa County will continue accepting waiver applications, but Alameda stopped offering them last week.
In San Mateo County’s Menlo Park City School District, among the first to bring kids back to classrooms Sept. 8, Superintendent Erik Burmeister said they have had a total of 10 students and staff infected with the virus out of 2,900 preschool-8 students and 380 staff. All were infected outside the schools, and the district shut down four classes for two weeks and didn’t see further spread, he said.
“So far, the data are showing the very strict health and safety measures have resulted in no spread within our district,” Burmeister said. “If that changes, we will move to distance learning.”
In many public schools, teacher unions have forestalled classroom reopening out of concern for their safety. Even before the latest case surge, teachers complained that district provisions for protective equipment, testing and classroom ventilation were inadequate. The latest case spike only amplifies those fears, said California Teachers Association spokeswoman Claudia Briggs.
“The current surge in cases puts an exclamation point on why we have to prioritize putting all the proper safety measures in place in our schools,” Briggs said.
But while parents have been divided over reopening, a growing number are losing patience with the remote “distance learning” that educators agree remains inferior to in-person instruction. Many parents are turning to private schools with open classrooms after seeing friends’ kids thrive there this fall.
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Long Covid cases in US adults are on the decline, but many continue to struggle with symptoms Health | COVID Q&A: Can I use an expired test? Time to get boosted? How to cope with California’s sneaky summer surge Even with case rates soaring in San Jose, Jeannette Guinn pulled her two daughters out of their public elementary school where teaching is online and started them this past week at St. Frances Cabrini where classrooms are open. Guinn said she has to stay in her car when she drops the girls off. They wear masks all day. The kids are kept in a stable cohort and don’t intermingle during the school day. If any has so much as a sniffle, they have to stay home and can’t come back without a negative COVID-19 test.
Likewise, Anne-Marie Kemberling enrolled her daughters at Apostles Lutheran School last week after losing patience with San Jose Unified’s reopening plan and seeing her kindergartener struggle with distance learning. Tuition she said is a financial strain, but she’s comfortable with the virus protections.
“It’s definitely the right decision,” Kemberling said.


mercurynews--2020-11-23--California man arrested in fatal assault of 3-year-old boy

A Desert Hot Springs man was arrested on Saturday suspected of murder after allegedly stomping his girlfriend ’ s 3-year-old child ’ s head into the ground , the San Bernardino Police Department reported .
Santos Rodriguez , 24 , was transported to the West Valley Detention Center and was being held without bail .
At about 8:30 p.m. Saturday , San Bernardino PD officers responded to a local hospital to investigate the suspicious death of a 3-year-old diagnosed with severe head trauma , the department said .
Rodriguez initially told medical personnel and investigators the child had fallen off @ @ @ @ @ @ @ on the pavement , police said in a statement .
However , Rodriguez eventually admitted to losing his temper and repeatedly stomping the child ’ s head into the ground , the statement said .
It was learned the incident happened in the 500 block of West Victoria Street , the department said .
The motive for the incident was under investigation and no additional information was available for release Sunday evening , the department said .
The victim ’ s name was not immediately released .
Anyone with information was urged to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ montez_ti @ sbcity.org

A Desert Hot Springs man was arrested on Saturday suspected of murder after allegedly stomping his girlfriend’s 3-year-old child’s head into the ground, the San Bernardino Police Department reported.
Santos Rodriguez, 24, was transported to the West Valley Detention Center and was being held without bail.
At about 8:30 p.m. Saturday, San Bernardino PD officers responded to a local hospital to investigate the suspicious death of a 3-year-old diagnosed with severe head trauma, the department said. Rodriguez initially told medical personnel and investigators the child had fallen off a Razor scooter and struck his head on the pavement, police said in a statement.
However, Rodriguez eventually admitted to losing his temper and repeatedly stomping the child’s head into the ground, the statement said. It was learned the incident happened in the 500 block of West Victoria Street, the department said.
The motive for the incident was under investigation and no additional information was available for release Sunday evening, the department said.
The victim’s name was not immediately released.
Anyone with information was urged to all Detective Montez at 909-384-5762 or at montez_ti@sbcity.org


mercurynews--2020-11-23--Inside the Raiders: Five things we learned in the Raiders’ loss to the Chiefs

The Raiders have six games to prove what is possible but far from a sure thing .
A 35-31 loss to the defending Super Bowl champion Kansas City Chiefs aside , the Raiders had a playoff-type look Sunday night .
They ’ ve played eight quarters against a team that ’ s lost exactly one game in in more than a calendar year — to the Raiders — and were 28 seconds away from making it two .
The driving forces are coach Jon Gruden and quarterback Derek Carr , but their presence doesn ’ t guarantee anything beyond the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the rest of the way .
Five things we ’ ve learned about the Raiders Sunday night : 1 .
The gap has been closed The offseason mission was to match up better with the Chiefs .
With a 40-32 win and a 35-31 loss , consider the gap closed .
Probably more than most thought possible .
The Chiefs are used to taking everybody ’ s best shot as the defending champion .
The rematch with the Raiders would allow them to reassert their dominance .
Surely coming off a bye and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Kansas City ’ s players had to be thinking they were going to be much sharper , much better and leave no doubt .
Instead , the Chiefs barely escaped .
The Raiders had the Chiefs on their heels defensively .
They went toe-to-toe as a peer rather than an also-ran .
The Chiefs , at 9-1 and with a three-game lead in the AFC West , will win the division again .
But a team they had little regard for has made huge strides in terms of head-to-head competition .
2 .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ left against Atlanta , the New York Jets , Indianapolis , the Chargers , Miami and Denver .
The Falcons , Jets and Broncos are on the road .
OK , so losing to the 0-10 Jets seems unlikely .
But with the way the Raiders play defense , you could see them going 3-3 and finishing 9-7 , which is far from a sure thing .
Or maybe 2-4 , which would mean 8-8 .
You don ’ t think Matt Ryan couldn ’ t go off ?
Or Philip Rivers ?
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ Mahomes , but they ’ re pretty good .
Miami is 6-4 and much improved .
And the Broncos , wiped out by the Raiders in Week 10 , just beat the Dolphins .
That ’ s how dire it is defensively .
A team with an offense that appears playoff worthy could fall short because the defense simply can ’ t hold up its end .
And if the offense has a bad day , good luck .
Football has six days to fill in a media sense before each game , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ during that time is dubious .
Like the Chiefs being incensed about the Raiders “ victory lap , ” for example .
Or the massive overreaction on social media when Raiders defensive coordinator Paul Guenther talked up how good the Chiefs were on offense and how difficult it would be to defend them even with everyone at practice .
You know , the truth .
Neither had anything to do with the outcome .
If the Raiders make a few more plays on offense , as good as they were , they win @ @ @ @ @ @ @ two defensively on the last drive , they win .
During those tense moments , I have doubts any Raiders were singing “ Wheels on the Bus ” or wiping away a tear because Guenther doesn ’ t think they ’ re any good .
That ’ s not saying such things shouldn ’ t be written about during the week to kill the time .
It ’ s not like baseball , where there ’ s a game every day .
But things are usually decided on the field .
Isn ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ was the best option the Raiders had going in to the season ?
I ’ m not a coach , but he seems locked in and in complete command of the offense and with the respect of his teammates .
“ His confidence is on another level , man , ” Raiders tight end Darren Waller said .
If week-to-week in-season stories can stretch a storyline to the limit , it ’ s not nearly as much as happens during the off-season .
Gruden wanting a new quarterback was a big topic .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ Gruden was watching Carr closely when he arrived .
But Carr went all-in , without reservation , from the first moment .
Carr is under contract through 2022 , and the way he ’ s going he could complete the five-year deal .
Looks like all that “ time in the system ” talk as well as surrounding Carr with a better supporting cast was legit .
5 .
Henry Ruggs has six games to join the party The fact that No .
12 overall draft pick Henry Ruggs III has little in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a huge concern , or that he was minimally involved in terms of production against the Chiefs .
The offense couldn ’ t have played much better .
• What the Raiders are saying after their last-minute loss to Chiefs • Chiefs , Mahomes rip out Raiders ’ heart in final minute of 35-31 win • Raiders inactives : Sam Young out , meaning seventh different O-line combination this season But just because the Raiders have done well with Ruggs as a decoy and clear-out guy doesn ’ t mean he can ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ just because CeeDee Lamb made an impossible catch for Dallas and Justin Jefferson is killing it for Minnesota as Class of 2020 wide receivers .
Carr outwardly supports everyone .
But real trust is something only he knows and is not sharing in a candid manner .
Right now he completely trusts Waller , Hunter Renfrow and Nelson Agholor , even with some recent drops .
As we ’ ve seen with Michael Crabtree and Amari Cooper , Carr can be fine with targeting receivers right up until the point where he ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Gruden should be looking for ways to involve him as well .
Together , Carr and Gruden can fix this , which is only fitting since they ’ re the two people most responsible for the Raiders ’ overall success through six games .

The Raiders have six games to prove what is possible but far from a sure thing.
A 35-31 loss to the defending Super Bowl champion Kansas City Chiefs aside, the Raiders had a playoff-type look Sunday night. They’ve played eight quarters against a team that’s lost exactly one game in more than a calendar year — to the Raiders — and were 28 seconds away from making it two.
The driving forces are coach Jon Gruden and quarterback Derek Carr, but their presence doesn’t guarantee anything beyond the Raiders at 6-4 being a watchable team the rest of the way.
Five things we’ve learned about the Raiders Sunday night:
1. The gap has been closed
The offseason mission was to match up better with the Chiefs. With a 40-32 win and a 35-31 loss, consider the gap closed. Probably more than most thought possible.
The Chiefs are used to taking everybody’s best shot as the defending champion. The rematch with the Raiders would allow them to reassert their dominance. Surely coming off a bye and and having lost at Arrowhead Stadium, Kansas City’s players had to be thinking they were going to be much sharper, much better and leave no doubt.
Instead, the Chiefs barely escaped. The Raiders had the Chiefs on their heels defensively. They went toe-to-toe as a peer rather than an also-ran.
The Chiefs, at 9-1 and with a three-game lead in the AFC West, will win the division again. But a team they had little regard for has made huge strides in terms of head-to-head competition.
2. They could lose to anyone
Six games left against Atlanta, the New York Jets, Indianapolis, the Chargers, Miami and Denver. The Falcons, Jets and Broncos are on the road.
OK, so losing to the 0-10 Jets seems unlikely.
But with the way the Raiders play defense, you could see them going 3-3 and finishing 9-7, which is far from a sure thing. Or maybe 2-4, which would mean 8-8.
You don’t think Matt Ryan could go off? Or Philip Rivers? Justin Herbert? They’re not Patrick Mahomes, but they’re pretty good. Miami is 6-4 and much improved. And the Broncos, wiped out by the Raiders in Week 10, just beat the Dolphins.
That’s how dire it is defensively. A team with an offense that appears playoff worthy could fall short because the defense simply can’t hold up its end. And if the offense has a bad day, good luck.
3. Talk is background noise
Football has six days to fill in a media sense before each game, so some of the stuff that emerges during that time is dubious.
Like the Chiefs being incensed about the Raiders’ “victory lap,” for example. Or the massive overreaction on social media when Raiders defensive coordinator Paul Guenther talked up how good the Chiefs were on offense and how difficult it would be to defend them even with everyone at practice.
You know, the truth.
Neither had anything to do with the outcome. If the Raiders make a few more plays on offense, as good as they were, they win. If they make a play or two defensively on the last drive, they win. During those tense moments, I have doubts any Raiders were singing “Wheels on the Bus” or wiping away a tear because Guenther doesn’t think they’re any good.
That’s not saying such things shouldn’t be written about during the week to kill the time. It’s not like baseball, where there’s a game every day. But things are usually decided on the field.
4. Carr . . . any questions?
Isn’t it pretty obvious by now Carr was the best option the Raiders had going into the season?
I’m not a coach, but he seems locked in and in complete command of the offense and with the respect of his teammates.
“His confidence is on another level, man,” Raiders tight end Darren Waller said.
If week-to-week in-season stories can stretch a storyline to the limit, it’s not nearly as much as happens during the off-season. Gruden wanting a new quarterback was a big topic. Has been since he got here.
Gruden was watching Carr closely when he arrived. But Carr went all-in, without reservation, from the first moment. Carr is under contract through 2022, and the way he’s going, he could complete the five-year deal.
Looks like all that “time in the system” talk as well as surrounding Carr with a better supporting cast was legit.
5. Henry Ruggs has six games to join the party
The fact that No. 12 overall draft pick Henry Ruggs III has little in the way of stats isn’t a huge concern, or that he was minimally involved in terms of production against the Chiefs. The offense couldn’t have played much better.
But just because the Raiders have done well with Ruggs as a decoy and clear-out guy doesn’t mean he can’t be more involved. And not just because CeeDee Lamb made an impossible catch for Dallas and Justin Jefferson is killing it for Minnesota as Class of 2020 wide receivers.
Carr outwardly supports everyone. But real trust is something only he knows and is not sharing in a candid manner. Right now he completely trusts Waller, Hunter Renfrow and Nelson Agholor, even with some recent drops.
As we’ve seen with Michael Crabtree and Amari Cooper, Carr can be fine with targeting receivers right up until the point where he’s not sure and then things change. Gruden should be looking for ways to involve Ruggs as well.
Together, Carr and Gruden can fix this, which is only fitting since they’re the two people most responsible for the Raiders’ overall success through six games.


mercurynews--2020-11-23--Sponsored: Kids go online to assess their parents’ seller’s agent, revealing ‘startling’ posts; owne

Sponsored: Kids go online to assess their parents’ seller’s agent, revealing ‘startling’ posts; owners wonder whether to take a step backward or move forward

Q : We are about to enter into a listing agreement to sell our home where we raised our children .
We agreed to let our eldest daughter , who recently had a bad experience with her seller ’ s agent , “ investigate ” our agent online .
The next morning , our out-of-state children were emailing a chock-full of startling examples of the seller ’ s agent ’ s improper social network postings .
In person he is charming and well-mannered .
He always wore a face mask at our meetings , kept his social distance and wore @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Yet online he mocks the concept of face mask usage and the validity of COVID-19 while using curse words and exclamation points .
The youngest son , who lost his house this year to fire , shared how our seller ’ s agent made a profanity-laced rebuttal that the more than 9,000 fires in California this year were not due to climate change but solely due to the lack of forest management .
Yesterday , it seemed implausible that the overqualified person to sell our house has personally , and maybe even professionally @ @ @ @ @ @ @ created a firestorm of controversy .
Raised never to discuss one ’ s politics , we thought we were inching toward normalcy by moving and relocating near our children .
Will the buyers and their agents be emulating our children ’ s online investigations of a seller ’ s agent ?
If so , how would it reflect on our listing if this man hired to list and sell our house is online socially interacting with profanity and exclamation points ?
Any ideas on moving forward or taking a step or two back @ @ @ @ @ @ @ with a customer , client or prospect ideally should be no different than how he treats vendors , support staff , women or children .
Since we ’ re not in a perfect world , there ’ s a type of salesperson who is sickeningly sweet to paying customers , and behind the scenes , perpetually revamps rudeness into an art form .
As a result , the consumer never knows to pose the question to himself or herself , “ I wonder if my salesperson gets along with others ?
” Before @ @ @ @ @ @ @ nearly impossible to find out if one ’ s salesperson is respected or loathed by their colleagues .
It ’ s an expensive proposition if the consumer is a home seller or homebuyer , and the salesperson is a seller ’ s agent or a buyer ’ s agent .
Real estate licensees can enthusiastically promote the advantages of doing business with well-mannered professionals to their clients and dissuade them from engaging with the unprofessional .
Again , not a reality that would cross the mind of a real estate consumer .
Your @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , medical , social and environmental awareness in your particular situation .
The result should only ignite your financial wariness .
You would be right to envision embers in your nest egg of equity .
Last week , producers of a blockbuster movie in production fired one of its movie stars for inappropriate activity outside his industry .
A practice not uncommon in business and professional sports .
Not to be left out , and responding to unacceptable behavior by licensees , memorialized on video , the World Wide Web , and audio @ @ @ @ @ @ @ updated its 107-year-old ethics code this month .
It states , “ This new Standard of Practice is effective immediately .
Standard of Practice 10-5 : REALTORS® must not use harassing speech , hate speech , epithets , or slurs based on race , color , religion , sex , handicap , familial status , national origin , sexual orientation , or gender identity.
” Selling a home is a production .
The seller ’ s agent is the lead actor .
You have a firehose of information to extinguish the firestorm of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ could ignite in and around your home ’ s listing .
Replace this lead role with someone who can adroitly put out fires , not start them .

Q: We are about to enter into a listing agreement to sell our home where we raised our children. We agreed to let our eldest daughter, who recently had a bad experience with her seller’s agent, “investigate” our agent online. The next morning, our out-of-state children were emailing a chock-full of startling examples of the seller’s agent’s improper social network postings. In person he is charming and well-mannered. He always wore a face mask at our meetings, kept his social distance and wore disposable shoe coverings in our home. Yet online he mocks the concept of face mask usage and the validity of COVID-19 while using curse words and exclamation points. The youngest son, who lost his house this year to fire, shared how our seller’s agent made a profanity-laced rebuttal that the more than 9,000 fires in California this year were not due to climate change but solely due to the lack of forest management.
Yesterday, it seemed implausible that the overqualified person to sell our house has personally, and maybe even professionally, we don’t know, created a firestorm of controversy. Raised never to discuss one’s politics, we thought we were inching toward normalcy by moving and relocating near our children. Will the buyers and their agents be emulating our children’s online investigations of a seller’s agent? If so, how would it reflect on our listing if this man hired to list and sell our house is online socially interacting with profanity and exclamation points? Any ideas on moving forward or taking a step or two back?
A: How a salesman deals with a customer, client or prospect ideally should be no different than how he treats vendors, support staff, women or children. Since we’re not in a perfect world, there’s a type of salesperson who is sickeningly sweet to paying customers, and behind the scenes, perpetually revamps rudeness into an art form.
As a result, the consumer never knows to pose the question to himself or herself, “I wonder if my salesperson gets along with others?” Before the internet, it would have been nearly impossible to find out if one’s salesperson is respected or loathed by their colleagues. It’s an expensive proposition if the consumer is a home seller or homebuyer, and the salesperson is a seller’s agent or a buyer’s agent. Real estate licensees can enthusiastically promote the advantages of doing business with well-mannered professionals to their clients and dissuade them from engaging with the unprofessional. Again, not a reality that would cross the mind of a real estate consumer. Your kids’ due diligence sparked their political, medical, social and environmental awareness in your particular situation. The result should only ignite your financial wariness. You would be right to envision embers in your nest egg of equity.
Last week, producers of a blockbuster movie in production fired one of its movie stars for inappropriate activity outside his industry. A practice not uncommon in business and professional sports. Not to be left out, and responding to unacceptable behavior by licensees, memorialized on video, the World Wide Web, and audio devices, the National Association of Realtors updated its 107-year-old ethics code this month. It states, “This new Standard of Practice is effective immediately. Standard of Practice 10-5: REALTORS® must not use harassing speech, hate speech, epithets, or slurs based on race, color, religion, sex, handicap, familial status, national origin, sexual orientation, or gender identity.”
Selling a home is a production. The seller’s agent is the lead actor. You have a firehose of information to extinguish the firestorm of controversy that this seller’s agent could ignite in and around your home’s listing. Replace this lead role with someone who can adroitly put out fires, not start them.
Questions? Full-service Realtor Pat Kapowich is a career-long consumer protection advocate and Certified Real Estate Brokerage Manager. 408-245-7700 Pat@SiliconValleyBroker.com DRE# 00979413 www.SiliconValleyBroker.com YouTube.com/PatKapowich


mercurynews--2020-11-23--AstraZeneca: COVID-19 vaccine shown to be ‘highly effective’

By DANICA KIRKA and JILL LAWLESS | The Associated Press LONDON — AstraZeneca said Monday that late-stage trials showed its coronavirus vaccine was up to 90 % effective , giving public health officials hope they may soon have access to a vaccine that is cheaper and easier to distribute than some of its rivals .
The results are based on interim analysis of trials in the U.K. and Brazil of a vaccine developed by Oxford University and manufactured by AstraZeneca .
No hospitalizations or severe cases of COVID-19 were reported in those receiving the vaccine .
AstraZeneca is the third @ @ @ @ @ @ @ for a potential COVID-19 vaccine as the world anxiously waits for scientific breakthroughs that will bring an end to a pandemic that has wrought economic devastation and resulted in nearly 1.4 million confirmed deaths .
Pfizer and Moderna last week reported preliminary results from late-stage trials showing their vaccines were almost 95 % effective .
But , unlike its rivals , the AstraZeneca vaccine doesn ’ t have to be stored at ultra-cold temperatures , making it easier to distribute , especially in developing countries .
“ I think these are really exciting @ @ @ @ @ @ @ chief investigator for the trial , said during a news conference .
“ Because the vaccine can be stored at fridge temperatures , it can be distributed around the world using the normal immunization distribution system .
And so our goal … to make sure that we have a vaccine that was accessible everywhere , I think we ’ ve actually managed to do that.
” The Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine is also cheaper .
AstraZeneca , which has pledged it won ’ t make a profit on the vaccine during the pandemic , has @ @ @ @ @ @ @ organizations that put its price at about $ 2.50 a dose .
Pfizer ’ s vaccine costs about $ 20 a dose , while Moderna ’ s is $ 15 to $ 25 , based on agreements the companies have struck to supply their vaccines to the U.S. government .
All three vaccines must be approved by regulators before they can be widely distributed .
The results come as a second wave of COVID-19 hits many countries , once again shutting businesses , restricting social interaction and pummeling the world economy .
AstraZeneca @ @ @ @ @ @ @ approval of the vaccine where possible , and it will seek an emergency use listing from the World Health Organization , so it can make the vaccine available in low-income countries .
The AstraZeneca trial looked at two different dosing regimens .
A half-dose of the vaccine followed by a full dose at least one month later was 90 % effective .
Another approach , giving patients two full doses one month apart , was 62 % effective .
The combined results showed an average efficacy rate of 70 % .
The vaccine @ @ @ @ @ @ @ cold virus that is combined with genetic material for the characteristic spike protein of the virus that causes COVID-19 .
After vaccination , the spike protein primes the immune system to attack the virus if it later infects the body .
The vaccine can be transported under “ normal refrigerated conditions ” of 2 to 8 degrees Celsius ( 36 to 46 degrees Fahrenheit ) , AstraZeneca said .
By comparison , Pfizer plans to distribute its vaccine using specially designed “ thermal shippers ” that use dry ice to maintain temperatures of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ) .
Peter Openshaw , professor of experimental medicine at Imperial College London , said the finding that a smaller initial dose is more effective than a larger one is good news because it may reduce costs and mean more people can be vaccinated .
“ The report that an initial half-dose is better than a full dose seems counterintuitive for those of us thinking of vaccines as normal drugs : With drugs , we expect that higher doses have bigger effects , and more side-effects , ” he said .
“ But @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that.
” The results reported Monday come from trials in the U.K. and Brazil that involved 23,000 people .
Late-stage trials are also underway in the U.S. , Japan , Russia , South Africa , Kenya and Latin America , with further trials planned for other European and Asian countries .
AstraZeneca has been ramping up manufacturing capacity , so it can supply hundreds of millions of doses of the vaccine starting in January , Chief Executive Pascal Soriot said earlier this month .
Soriot said Monday that the Oxford vaccine ’ s @ @ @ @ @ @ @ commitment to provide it on a nonprofit basis during the pandemic mean it will be affordable and available to people around the world .
“ This vaccine ’ s efficacy and safety confirm that it will be highly effective against COVID-19 and will have an immediate impact on this public health emergency , ’ Soriot said .
British Health Secretary Matt Hancock said he felt “ a great sense of relief ” at the news from AstraZeneca .
• US Rhodes Scholars chosen virtually for the 1st time • Raiders ’ Joyner rejoins @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Chiefs , seven others expected to be available Britain has ordered 100 million doses of the Oxford vaccine , and the government says several million doses can be produced before the end of the year if it is approved by regulators .
Just months ago , “ the idea that by November we would have three vaccines , all of which have got high effectiveness … I would have given my eye teeth for , ” Hancock said .

By DANICA KIRKA and JILL LAWLESS | The Associated Press
LONDON — AstraZeneca said Monday that late-stage trials showed its coronavirus vaccine was up to 90% effective, giving public health officials hope they may soon have access to a vaccine that is cheaper and easier to distribute than some of its rivals.
The results are based on interim analysis of trials in the U.K. and Brazil of a vaccine developed by Oxford University and manufactured by AstraZeneca. No hospitalizations or severe cases of COVID-19 were reported in those receiving the vaccine.
AstraZeneca is the third major drug company to report late-stage results for a potential COVID-19 vaccine as the world anxiously waits for scientific breakthroughs that will bring an end to a pandemic that has wrought economic devastation and resulted in nearly 1.4 million confirmed deaths.
Pfizer and Moderna last week reported preliminary results from late-stage trials showing their vaccines were almost 95% effective. But, unlike its rivals, the AstraZeneca vaccine doesn’t have to be stored at ultra-cold temperatures, making it easier to distribute, especially in developing countries.
“I think these are really exciting results,” Dr. Andrew Pollard, chief investigator for the trial, said during a news conference. “Because the vaccine can be stored at fridge temperatures, it can be distributed around the world using the normal immunization distribution system. And so our goal … to make sure that we have a vaccine that was accessible everywhere, I think we’ve actually managed to do that.”
The Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine is also cheaper. AstraZeneca, which has pledged it won’t make a profit on the vaccine during the pandemic, has reached agreements with governments and international health organizations that put its price at about $2.50 a dose. Pfizer’s vaccine costs about $20 a dose, while Moderna’s is $15 to $25, based on agreements the companies have struck to supply their vaccines to the U.S. government.
All three vaccines must be approved by regulators before they can be widely distributed.
The results come as a second wave of COVID-19 hits many countries, once again shutting businesses, restricting social interaction and pummeling the world economy.
AstraZeneca said it will immediately apply for early approval of the vaccine where possible, and it will seek an emergency use listing from the World Health Organization, so it can make the vaccine available in low-income countries.
The AstraZeneca trial looked at two different dosing regimens. A half-dose of the vaccine followed by a full dose at least one month later was 90% effective. Another approach, giving patients two full doses one month apart, was 62% effective. The combined results showed an average efficacy rate of 70%.
The vaccine uses a weakened version of a common cold virus that is combined with genetic material for the characteristic spike protein of the virus that causes COVID-19. After vaccination, the spike protein primes the immune system to attack the virus if it later infects the body.
The vaccine can be transported under “normal refrigerated conditions” of 2 to 8 degrees Celsius (36 to 46 degrees Fahrenheit), AstraZeneca said. By comparison, Pfizer plans to distribute its vaccine using specially designed “thermal shippers” that use dry ice to maintain temperatures of minus-70 degrees Celsius (minus-94 degrees Fahrenheit).
Peter Openshaw, professor of experimental medicine at Imperial College London, said the finding that a smaller initial dose is more effective than a larger one is good news because it may reduce costs and mean more people can be vaccinated.
“The report that an initial half-dose is better than a full dose seems counterintuitive for those of us thinking of vaccines as normal drugs: With drugs, we expect that higher doses have bigger effects, and more side-effects,” he said. “But the immune system does not work like that.”
The results reported Monday come from trials in the U.K. and Brazil that involved 23,000 people. Late-stage trials are also underway in the U.S., Japan, Russia, South Africa, Kenya and Latin America, with further trials planned for other European and Asian countries.
AstraZeneca has been ramping up manufacturing capacity, so it can supply hundreds of millions of doses of the vaccine starting in January, Chief Executive Pascal Soriot said earlier this month.
Soriot said Monday that the Oxford vaccine’s simpler supply chain and AstraZeneca’s commitment to provide it on a nonprofit basis during the pandemic mean it will be affordable and available to people around the world.
“This vaccine’s efficacy and safety confirm that it will be highly effective against COVID-19 and will have an immediate impact on this public health emergency,’ Soriot said.
British Health Secretary Matt Hancock said he felt “a great sense of relief” at the news from AstraZeneca.
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Just months ago, “the idea that by November we would have three vaccines, all of which have got high effectiveness … I would have given my eye teeth for,” Hancock said.
___
Follow AP’s coverage at https://apnews.com/hub/coronavirus-pandemic and https://apnews.com/UnderstandingtheOutbreak


mercurynews--2020-11-23--Sheriff: Rapper ‘Ace NH’ made music, then fatally shot 2 men

TAMPA , Fla. — A Florida rapper spent an evening recording music in a makeshift studio and then fatally shot two men who were with him , authorities say .
Hillsborough County Sheriff Chad Chronister said in a news release that Billy Bennett Adams III , 23 , was arrested Saturday on two counts of premeditated first-degree murder with a firearm and one count of armed burglary of a structure .
Adams , who records under the name Ace NH , was jailed in Tampa without bail Sunday .
It wasn ’ t immediately clear from jail records if he @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and one of the victims identify as members of the Crips gang and that the shooting was probably related to a gang feud .
The names of the victims have not been released , but both were Black men .
They were shot Thursday night in a backyard shed Adams regularly used as a recording studio in the suburb of Lutz , investigators said .
“ This was a violent execution this suspect performed , and although the attack was clearly targeted , we will not allow gang-related disputes to disrupt the comfort @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of our communities , ” Chronister said in the release .
“ It is clear that this suspect had no regard for human life , and now he will face the consequences for his actions , ” the sheriff added .
The Tampa Bay Times reports that Adams has recorded three albums , two EPs and several singles , most recently an album called “ Life Goes On .
”

TAMPA, Fla. — A Florida rapper spent an evening recording music in a makeshift studio and then fatally shot two men who were with him, authorities say.
Hillsborough County Sheriff Chad Chronister said in a news release that Billy Bennett Adams III, 23, was arrested Saturday on two counts of premeditated first-degree murder with a firearm and one count of armed burglary of a structure.
Adams, who records under the name Ace NH, was jailed in Tampa without bail Sunday. It wasn’t immediately clear from jail records if he had an attorney.
Chronister said Adams and one of the victims identify as members of the Crips gang and that the shooting was probably related to a gang feud. The names of the victims have not been released, but both were Black men.
They were shot Thursday night in a backyard shed Adams regularly used as a recording studio in the suburb of Lutz, investigators said.
“This was a violent execution this suspect performed, and although the attack was clearly targeted, we will not allow gang-related disputes to disrupt the comfort and safety of innocent residents in any of our communities,” Chronister said in the release.
“It is clear that this suspect had no regard for human life, and now he will face the consequences for his actions,” the sheriff added.
The Tampa Bay Times reports that Adams has recorded three albums, two EPs and several singles, most recently an album called “Life Goes On.”


mercurynews--2020-11-23--Looking for a job? This Bay Area university shared its database with thousands of remote job opening

Looking for a job? This Bay Area university shared its database with thousands of remote job openings

California State University , East Bay published a public database of remote job vacancies across the country to help people struggling to find employment due to the pandemic .
In a press release last week , the university said it wants to help “ pull the rising unemployment level in the country back to its normal level.
” The university , about 30 miles east of San Francisco , said it regularly shares resources and job opportunities with its students but chose to expand services to the rest of the country to “ enhance their chances of landing a job @ @ @ @ @ @ @ university says is regularly updated , has more than 3,000 active job openings across different fields and industries .
The list pulls from various job boards with remote-based positions , according to the university ’ s career and development page .
• ‘ It ’ s kind of like a nightmare ’ : How Bank of America helped fuel California ’ s unemployment meltdown Slack , Salesforce , Zillow , Wayfair and Rosetta Stone are among the companies with jobs listed .
The United States continues to smash unemployment records with more than @ @ @ @ @ @ @ through some government program .

California State University, East Bay published a public database of remote job vacancies across the country to help people struggling to find employment due to the pandemic.
In a press release last week, the university said it wants to help “pull the rising unemployment level in the country back to its normal level.”
The university, about 30 miles east of San Francisco, said it regularly shares resources and job opportunities with its students but chose to expand services to the rest of the country to “enhance their chances of landing a job again.”
The database, which the university says is regularly updated, has more than 3,000 active job openings across different fields and industries. The list pulls from various job boards with remote-based positions, according to the university’s career and development page.
Slack, Salesforce, Zillow, Wayfair and Rosetta Stone are among the companies with jobs listed.
The United States continues to smash unemployment records with more than 21 million Americans currently receiving jobless benefits through some government program.
The-CNN-Wire
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mercurynews--2020-11-23--3 found dead of apparent drug overdose in California home

Paramedics found three people dead after apparently suffering fatal drug overdoses in North Hollywood on Sunday , Nov. 22 .
@ @ @ @ @ home on the 7400 block of North Kraft Ave. , where they found two women @ @ @ @ @ “ beyond medical help , ” Los Angeles Fire Department spokesman Nicholas Prange said .
@ @ @ @ @ at the residence , as well as a 21-year-old woman and 31-year-old man who were @ @ @ @ @ the residence , Los Angeles Police Sgt .
Ethridge said .
Their identities were not @ @ @ @ @ .
Confirmations of the exact causes of their deaths were pending the findings of the @ @ @ @ @ s Office , Prange said .

Paramedics found three people dead after apparently suffering fatal drug overdoses in North Hollywood on Sunday, Nov. 22.
Paramedics were summoned to a home on the 7400 block of North Kraft Ave., where they found two women and a man who were “beyond medical help,” Los Angeles Fire Department spokesman Nicholas Prange said. A 29-year-old woman who lived at the residence, as well as a 21-year-old woman and 31-year-old man who were visiting were pronounced dead at the residence, Los Angeles Police Sgt. Ethridge said.
Their identities were not made public as of Sunday. Confirmations of the exact causes of their deaths were pending the findings of the Los Angeles County Coroner’s Office, Prange said.