mercurynews--2020-08-02--Coronavirus: Spread slows in California after deadliest day on record

Following the deadliest day on record in California since health officials began to grapple with the novel coronavirus , the disease continued to spread across the state , according to new numbers , but at a slower pace .
According to data compiled by this news organization , health officials in California reported 751 new cases Saturday and no new deaths — a number nearly certain to reflect slow weekend counts more than any major progress fighting the disease after a record-setting week of troubling fatality tolls .
On Friday health officials reported 215 deaths , surpassing the previous record @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Through Thursday , the state ’ s seven-day average was 117 fatalities .
With a population of just over 260,000 , Marin County is the Bay Area ’ s biggest coronavirus hotspot by population with about 4,987 cases as of Saturday and a death count of 70 .
But Imperial County in Southern California remains the state ’ s worst outbreak , with 4,909 cases in a population of about 191,000 .
About 220 people have died from coronavirus in Imperial County .
The number of patients in the state hospitalized with @ @ @ @ @ @ @ by 2.4 percent to 7,999 on Thursday , according to data from the California Department of Public Health .
The number of patients in intensive care unit beds with confirmed or suspected cases of COVID-19 declined 2.6 percent to 2,163 .
So far 9,364 Californians have died from Coronavirus , including an Oakland couple who died a week apart .
Keith Robinson , 61 , of Vallejo and his wife of 35 years Gwendolyn Robinson , 62 , died from complications of the disease after possibly contracting it at work .
Keith Robinson @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and Gwendolyn Robinson worked at the Veterans ’ Home of California in Yountville .
But the disease isn ’ t affecting everyone the same way .
In Redwood City , 63-year-old Rick Wright said he displayed no symptoms even through he tested positive for the coronavirus after contracting it aboard the Diamond Princess cruise in February .
Seven months into a pandemic that has claimed the lives of hundreds of thousands , scientists are still trying to figure out why the virus affects some people and not others .
In a report by @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a person ’ s genetic immune response could determine the severity of illness .
At the same time the coronavirus wreaks havoc across the state , the economic implications of its spread are becoming more clear as Bay Area residents are pushed to the brink — and sometimes the streets — even in some of Silicon Valley ’ s wealthiest neighborhoods .

Following the deadliest day on record in California since health officials began to grapple with the novel coronavirus, the disease continued to spread across the state, according to new numbers, but at a slower pace.
According to data compiled by this news organization, health officials in California reported 751 new cases Saturday and no new deaths — a number nearly certain to reflect slow weekend counts more than any major progress fighting the disease after a record-setting week of troubling fatality tolls.
On Friday health officials reported 215 deaths, surpassing the previous record of 193 deaths set on July 29. Through Thursday, the state’s seven-day average was 117 fatalities.
With a population of just over 260,000, Marin County is the Bay Area’s biggest coronavirus hotspot by population with about 4,987 cases as of Saturday and a death count of 70. But Imperial County in Southern California remains the state’s worst outbreak, with 4,909 cases in a population of about 191,000. About 220 people have died from coronavirus in Imperial County.
The number of patients in the state hospitalized with confirmed or suspected cases of COVID-19 declined by 2.4 percent to 7,999 on Thursday, according to data from the California Department of Public Health. The number of patients in intensive care unit beds with confirmed or suspected cases of COVID-19 declined 2.6 percent to 2,163.
So far 9,364 Californians have died from Coronavirus, including an Oakland couple who died a week apart. Keith Robinson, 61, of Vallejo and his wife of 35 years Gwendolyn Robinson, 62, died from complications of the disease after possibly contracting it at work. Keith Robinson worked as a US Postal Service carrier and Gwendolyn Robinson worked at the Veterans’ Home of California in Yountville.
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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 But the disease isn’t affecting everyone the same way. In Redwood City, 63-year-old Rick Wright said he displayed no symptoms even through he tested positive for the coronavirus after contracting it aboard the Diamond Princess cruise in February.
Seven months into a pandemic that has claimed the lives of hundreds of thousands, scientists are still trying to figure out why the virus affects some people and not others.
In a report by this news organization, emerging evidence suggests a person’s genetic immune response could determine the severity of illness.
At the same time the coronavirus wreaks havoc across the state, the economic implications of its spread are becoming more clear as Bay Area residents are pushed to the brink — and sometimes the streets — even in some of Silicon Valley’s wealthiest neighborhoods.


mercurynews--2020-08-02--Map: Apple Fire perimeter and evacuation near Banning

The Apple Fire has burned more than 20,000 acres and forced evacuations in Riverside and San Bernardino counties .
The @ @ @ @ @ Friday along Oak Glen Road near the community of Cherry Valley .
The cause is @ @ @ @ @ report from the San Bernardino National Forest .
In addition to the residential evacuations ( @ @ @ @ @ map above ) , there were closure orders for the San Gorgonio Wilderness — roughly @ @ @ @ @ the west and north — and a section of the Pacific Crest Trail .
The @ @ @ @ @ above reflects data from a mapping flight late Saturday .
Intense heat and smoke prevented @ @ @ @ @ ; the black area shows the likely burn area as indicated by hot spots on @ @ @ @ @ a.m. Sunday , the burned area was estimated at 20,516 acres ( 32 square miles @ @ @ @ @ report said .
At that time , heavy smoke from the fire had reached Las @ @ @ @ @ .

Monday morning update: The burn area was estimated at 26,450 acres (41 square miles), with most of the overnight growth at the north edge. The mandatory evacuation area remains the same.
The Apple Fire has burned more than 20,000 acres and forced evacuations in Riverside and San Bernardino counties.
The wildfire started around 5 p.m. Friday along Oak Glen Road near the community of Cherry Valley. The cause is under investigation, said the report from the San Bernardino National Forest.
In addition to the residential evacuations (shown in orange on the map above), there were closure orders for the San Gorgonio Wilderness — roughly bounded by Highway 38 on the west and north — and a section of the Pacific Crest Trail.
At 7 a.m. Monday, the burned area was estimated at 26,450 acres and 5% containment, the National Forest report said.
Steep terrain has hindered firefighting efforts. On Sunday evening, the flames were about a mile from the 11,503-foot summit of San Gorgonio Mountain.
Significant smoke from the fire reached Arizona and Utah on Sunday and was expected to extend as far as Idaho and Wyoming on Monday, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration reported.


mercurynews--2020-08-02--San Quentin: Protesters demand action as coronavirus outbreak continues at prison

CLICK HERE if you ’ re having a problem viewing the photos on a mobile device .
SAN QUENTIN — The waves of protests that have swept across America reached the shores of the infamous San Quentin State Prison on Sunday as about 1,000 people demonstrated against conditions that have led to a public health crisis inside the 275-acre complex .
The grassroots organization No State Execution by COVID-19 and a coalition of prison reform advocates marched Sunday afternoon in Larkspur to denounce what they called the lack of action from Gov .
Gavin Newsom and state policymakers as prisoners @ @ @ @ @ @ @ novel coronavirus pandemic .
“ Their mishandling of the pandemic at a time when they shut down the state but didn ’ t care to mitigate the pandemic within the prison system is a crime , ” said Courtney Morris , one of the event organizers .
Demonstrators on Sunday marched about a mile from the Larkspur ferry landing down Sir Francis Drake Boulevard to the West Gate of San Quentin prison where they chanted , “ Let them go.
” The protest continued to cast attention on prison conditions and a disastrous @ @ @ @ @ @ @ San Quentin from the California Institute for Men in Chino — a facility already in the midst of an outbreak — on May 30 .
The men had not been recently tested for COVID-19 leading up to their transfer to San Quentin .
In less than two months , 19 San Quentin inmates have died , including at least eight on Death Row .
The San Quentin toll represents 40 percent of all COVID-19-related deaths among state prisoners , according to the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation database .
The state agency @ @ @ @ @ @ @ its website Sunday .
Officials say about two-thirds of the San Quentin prison population — 2,184 incarcerated people — have contracted the disease , with another 258 staff infected .
But the numbers do not include some prisoners who refused to get tested .
Two prisoners spoke to the crowd Sunday through phone calls from their families that were broadcast over a speaker system .
“ They brought this on themselves , ” inmate Charles Sydney said of the outbreak .
“ They brought people here so we could catch it .
With @ @ @ @ @ @ @ like I ’ m on Death Row.
” Protesters have demonstrated outside Newsom ’ s house near Sacramento , demanding that the governor use his executive power to free prisoners at risk of catching the illness .
They say conditions inside California ’ s oldest prison are ripe for spreading novel coronavirus .
The overcrowded 168-year-old facility on the edge of San Francisco Bay between Larkspur and the Richmond Bridge has poor ventilation , prisoners have said .
The prisoners who spoke Sunday said they aren ’ t getting warm meals during the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of medical care .
“ These institutions are built to be death camps , ” said Morris , 34 .
“ They are not built to rehabilitate.
” San Quentin , the first of California ’ s 36 state prisons , has faced questions about practices for decades .
Agency officials said on their website that the nature of prison setups poses “ significant challenges ” to handling a highly contagious disease .
“ While measures such as mandating the use of cloth face coverings , providing increased hygiene and disinfecting supplies , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ gyms and chapels has greatly slowed the spread , we must continue to decompress the population in order to achieve adequate physical distancing , ” a prison bureau statement said .
About 35 corrections officers stood guard beyond the gate as demonstrators shouted slogans and tried talking to them about their incarcerated husbands and fathers .
“ San Quentin is bad air , ” former inmate Luis Talamantez told the crowd .
“ It ’ s a bad vortex .
Nothing good ever happens here.
” Talamantez is known as part of the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ participating in an escape attempt in 1971 that left six people dead , including inmate and author George Jackson .
Talamantez and two others were found not guilty of various charges .
Courtney said No State Execution by COVID-19 started on April 24 in response to the health crisis in state prisons .
She said advocacy groups such as California Prison Focus , the Labor Action Committee To Free Mumia Abu-Jamal and the Oscar Grant Committee have joined forces to address the current crisis but also broader issues of prison reform .
The @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Channel looked and sounded like a Mardi Gras parade , with a marching band and choreographed chants .
Courtney said it was the group ’ s fifth staged protest at San Quentin .
Jessica and Jesse Hurtado of Concord said they represented the Brown Beret National Organization that has been part of social justice protests for a half-century .
“ If police on the streets are openly killing people imagine what they would be doing behind walls when the public doesn ’ t see , ” Jessica Hurtado said .
A group called @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Thursday at Soledad State Prison south of Salinas and Saturday at the Sierra Conservation Center in Jamestown .
• Coronavirus : Spread slows in California after deadliest day on record • Pelosi says GOP condescends to jobless by plan to trim benefits • Those coronavirus vaccines leading the race ?
Don ’ t ditch the masks quite yet • Pac-12 players threaten to sit out season , demand revenue sharing , extended health care and more Natia Woodfork , a VTA bus driver from San Jose , said the protests won ’ t @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the 8,000 prisoners Newsom has promised to let out .
“ They are freaking human beings like you and me , ” said Woodfork , whose husband Ray Woodfork is in Soledad State Prison .
“ Even if I have to go every day , I will be heard .
”

CLICK HERE if you’re having a problem viewing the photos on a mobile device.
SAN QUENTIN — The waves of protests that have swept across America reached the shores of the infamous San Quentin State Prison on Sunday as about 1,000 people demonstrated against conditions that have led to a public health crisis inside the 275-acre complex.
The grassroots organization No Justice Under Capitalism and a coalition of prison reform advocates marched Sunday afternoon in Larkspur to denounce what they called the lack of action from Gov. Gavin Newsom and state policymakers as prisoners have suffered the deadly consequence of the novel coronavirus pandemic.
“Their mishandling of the pandemic at a time when they shut down the state but didn’t care to mitigate the pandemic within the prison system is a crime,” said Courtney Morris, one of the event organizers.
Demonstrators on Sunday marched about a mile from the Larkspur ferry landing down Sir Francis Drake Boulevard to the West Gate of San Quentin prison where they chanted, “Let them go.”
The protest continued to cast attention on prison conditions and a disastrous state decision to transfer 121 inmates to San Quentin from the California Institute for Men in Chino — a facility already in the midst of an outbreak — on May 30. The men had not been recently tested for COVID-19 leading up to their transfer to San Quentin.
In a statement Sunday night, state prison officials said 48-year-old death-row inmate Orlando G. Romero died Sunday at an outside hospital of complications related to COVID-19. A coroner will pronounce an exact cause of death for Romero, the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation said.
Romero had been on death row since Sept. 4, 1996, a week after his Riverside County sentencing for first-degree murder and second-degree robbery while armed with a firearm, as well as three life-with-parole sentences for attempted first-degree murder armed with a firearm, attempted first-degree murder with other offenses, and kidnapping/robbery while armed with a firearm and several robbery offenses.
In less than two months, 21 San Quentin inmates have died, including at least nine on Death Row. The San Quentin toll represents 40 percent of all COVID-19-related deaths among state prisoners, according to the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation database. The state agency did not report any new deaths on its website Sunday.
Officials say about two-thirds of the San Quentin prison population — 2,184 incarcerated people — have contracted the disease, with another 258 staff infected. But the numbers do not include some prisoners who refused to get tested.
Two prisoners spoke to the crowd Sunday through phone calls from their families that were broadcast over a speaker system.
“They brought this on themselves,” inmate Charles Sydney said of the outbreak. “They brought people here so we could catch it. With this pandemic going on it sure feels like I’m on Death Row.”
Protesters have demonstrated outside Newsom’s house near Sacramento, demanding that the governor use his executive power to free prisoners at risk of catching the illness. They say conditions inside California’s oldest prison are ripe for spreading novel coronavirus.
The overcrowded 168-year-old facility on the edge of San Francisco Bay between Larkspur and the Richmond Bridge has poor ventilation, prisoners have said. The prisoners who spoke Sunday said they aren’t getting warm meals during the crisis. They also denounced the lack of medical care.
“These institutions are built to be death camps,” said Morris, 34. “They are not built to rehabilitate.”
San Quentin, the first of California’s 36 state prisons, has faced questions about practices for decades. Agency officials said on their website that the nature of prison setups poses “significant challenges” to handling a highly contagious disease.
“While measures such as mandating the use of cloth face coverings, providing increased hygiene and disinfecting supplies, and finding alternate housing sites such as gyms and chapels has greatly slowed the spread, we must continue to decompress the population in order to achieve adequate physical distancing,” a prison bureau statement said.
About 35 corrections officers stood guard beyond the gate as demonstrators shouted slogans and tried talking to them about their incarcerated husbands and fathers.
“San Quentin is bad air,” former inmate Luis Talamantez told the crowd. “It’s a bad vortex. Nothing good ever happens here.”
Talamantez is known as part of the San Quentin Six who were accused of participating in an escape attempt in 1971 that left six people dead, including inmate and author George Jackson. Talamantez and two others were found not guilty of various charges.
Courtney said No Justice Under Capitalism started on April 24 in response to the health crisis in state prisons. She said advocacy groups such as California Prison Focus, the Labor Action Committee To Free Mumia Abu-Jamal and the Oscar Grant Committee have joined forces to address the current crisis but also broader issues of prison reform.
The mile-long march next to the Corte Madera Channel looked and sounded like a Mardi Gras parade, with a marching band and choreographed chants. Courtney said it was the group’s fifth staged protest at San Quentin.
Jessica and Jesse Hurtado of Concord said they represented the Brown Beret National Organization that has been part of social justice protests for a half-century.
“If police on the streets are openly killing people imagine what they would be doing behind walls when the public doesn’t see,” Jessica Hurtado said.
A group called We Are Their Voices has announced rallies Thursday at Soledad State Prison south of Salinas and Saturday at the Sierra Conservation Center in Jamestown.
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Long Covid cases in US adults are on the decline, but many continue to struggle with symptoms Crime and Public Safety | COVID Q&A: Can I use an expired test? Time to get boosted? How to cope with California’s sneaky summer surge Natia Woodfork, a VTA bus driver from San Jose, said the protests won’t stop until lawmakers release way more than the 8,000 prisoners Newsom has promised to let out.
“They are freaking human beings like you and me,” said Woodfork, whose husband Ray Woodfork is in California State Prison, Solano. “Even if I have to go every day, I will be heard.”
Staff writer George Kelly contributed to this report.


mercurynews--2020-08-02--Giants place Drew Smyly on injured list, add former A’s pitcher to bullpen

SAN FRANCISCO — A day after needing to be removed from his start due to a finger issue , Giants starter Drew Smyly was placed on the 10-day injured list .
The club announced Smyly was diagnosed with a left index finger strain about 15 minutes prior to its series finale against the Texas Rangers .
Right-hander Andrew Triggs , who last pitched in the majors in 2018 with the Oakland A ’ s , will take Smyly ’ s roster spot and join the team in San Francisco on Sunday .
To clear a 40-man roster spot for Triggs @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Gustave for assignment .
Gustave posted a 2.93 ERA over 23 games with the Giants last season , but he struggled with command during spring training and was not included in the team ’ s 60-man player pool for summer camp .
Triggs dealt with a hip injury last year and pitched in just three games during the 2019 season at Triple-A Las Vegas before he was released on August 1 .
After signing with the Giants , he was in competition for an Opening Day roster spot in both spring training and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the season pitching at the team ’ s alternate camp in Sacramento .
Smyly ’ s loss will prevent him from being available during a tough 10-game road trip that features series with the Rockies , Dodgers and Astros .
The Giants used Smyly twice in their season-opening four-game series in Los Angeles as he pitched on Opening Night out of the bullpen before starting the series finale .
Smyly ’ s injury comes at a tough time for a pitcher who finally felt he had completely recovered from his 2017 Tommy John @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and 2018 seasons following surgery and his 2020 fastball velocity was much improved from where it stood a year ago .
Smyly threw four innings of two-run ball in Saturday ’ s 7-3 victory over the Rangers , but exited the game in the top of the fifth alongside trainer L.J .
Petra .
Over 8 1/3 innings this season , Smyly has a 3.24 ERA with 11 strikeouts .

SAN FRANCISCO — A day after needing to be removed from his start due to a finger issue, Giants starter Drew Smyly was placed on the 10-day injured list.
The club announced Smyly was diagnosed with a left index finger strain about 15 minutes prior to its series finale against the Texas Rangers.
Right-hander Andrew Triggs, who last pitched in the majors in 2018 with the Oakland A’s, will take Smyly’s roster spot and join the team in San Francisco on Sunday. To clear a 40-man roster spot for Triggs, the Giants designated right-handed reliever Jandel Gustave for assignment.
Gustave posted a 2.93 ERA over 23 games with the Giants last season, but he struggled with command during spring training and was not included in the team’s 60-man player pool for summer camp.
Triggs dealt with a hip injury last year and pitched in just three games during the 2019 season at Triple-A Las Vegas before he was released on August 1. After signing with the Giants, he was in competition for an Opening Day roster spot in both spring training and summer camp, but ended up beginning the season pitching at the team’s alternate camp in Sacramento.
Smyly’s loss will prevent him from being available during a tough 10-game road trip that features series with the Rockies, Dodgers and Astros. The Giants used Smyly twice in their season-opening four-game series in Los Angeles as he pitched on Opening Night out of the bullpen before starting the series finale.
Smyly’s injury comes at a tough time for a pitcher who finally felt he had completely recovered from his 2017 Tommy John surgery. Smyly missed the entire 2017 and 2018 seasons following surgery and his 2020 fastball velocity was much improved from where it stood a year ago.
Smyly threw four innings of two-run ball in Saturday’s 7-3 victory over the Rangers, but exited the game in the top of the fifth alongside trainer L.J. Petra.
Over 8 1/3 innings this season, Smyly has a 3.24 ERA with 11 strikeouts.


mercurynews--2020-08-02--Pelosi says GOP condescends to jobless by plan to trim benefits

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said Republican lawmakers and the White House are engaging in “ condescension ” when they suggest a $ 600-per-week federal unemployment enhancement is too high and should be scaled back or ended .
Pelosi and Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin spoke on ABC ’ s “ This Week ” about progress toward a new coronavirus stimulus package , at a time enhanced jobless benefits for millions of Americans has just expired .
Many Republicans have said that the emergency payment started in March is a financial disincentive for Americans to return to work , since some people @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , and is disrupting labor markets .
Pelosi said that ’ s not supported by “ data ” but possibly by a few anecdotal cases .
She allowed that at some point , supplemental unemployment payments could be pegged to the jobless rate _ but not in the relief package now being negotiated .
“ It ’ s condescension , quite frankly , because they ’ re saying , ( people ) really don ’ t need it ; they ’ re just staying home because they make more money at $ 600 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ “ unified in our support for the $ 600 , ” but Pelosi said Republicans “ put on the floor a $ 200 proposal , ” which she said does not meet the needs of the American families .
Mnuchin said the administration proposed a one-week extension of the $ 600 as a bridge to a longer-term solution , and that he was “ surprised ” Democrats didn ’ t agree to that .
But he said there ’ s “ no question ” the $ 600 a week extra payment can be @ @ @ @ @ @ @ said the U.S. must be careful about piling up “ enormous ” amounts of debt with new stimulus measures , days after Fitch Ratings revised its outlook on U.S. credit score to negative from stable .
Mnuchin , Pelosi , White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows and Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer met for three hours on Saturday .
They ’ re attempting to close the gulf between the $ 3.5 trillion virus relief package that Democrats passed in the House two month ago and the $ 1 trillion plan Senate Majority @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Extra weekly aid for as many as 30 million jobless Americans has run out and the economy is sagging with a new surge of COVID-19 cases forcing many states to roll back reopening plans .
The most pressing issue in the talks is about extra federal unemployment benefits of $ 600 a week that ran out as of Friday , leaving millions of out-of-work Americans without an additional safety net at a time when the jobs market is still depressed .
In addition , a moratorium on evictions expired July 24 .
Democrats @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to extend lapsing supplemental unemployment benefits and the eviction moratorium temporarily while work on a broader package continues .
Hours after Saturday ’ s meeting was termed productive , Trump weighed in cryptically on the negotiations , tweeting “ Payroll Tax Cut plus Dollars !
” A payroll tax holiday was one of Trump ’ s initial demands , but the idea had almost no support from lawmakers in both parties and was quickly dropped in the talks .

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said Republican lawmakers and the White House are engaging in “condescension” when they suggest a $600-per-week federal unemployment enhancement is too high and should be scaled back or ended.
Pelosi and Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin spoke on ABC’s “This Week” about progress toward a new coronavirus stimulus package, at a time enhanced jobless benefits for millions of Americans has just expired.
Many Republicans have said that the emergency payment started in March is a financial disincentive for Americans to return to work, since some people can make more money by not working, and is disrupting labor markets.
Pelosi said that’s not supported by “data” but possibly by a few anecdotal cases. She allowed that at some point, supplemental unemployment payments could be pegged to the jobless rate _ but not in the relief package now being negotiated.
“It’s condescension, quite frankly, because they’re saying, (people) really don’t need it; they’re just staying home because they make more money at $600,” Pelosi said.
Democrats are “unified in our support for the $600,” but Pelosi said Republicans “put on the floor a $200 proposal,” which she said does not meet the needs of the American families.
Mnuchin said the administration proposed a one-week extension of the $600 as a bridge to a longer-term solution, and that he was “surprised” Democrats didn’t agree to that.
But he said there’s “no question” the $600 a week extra payment can be a disincentive for workers.
He also said the U.S. must be careful about piling up “enormous” amounts of debt with new stimulus measures, days after Fitch Ratings revised its outlook on U.S. credit score to negative from stable.
Mnuchin, Pelosi, White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows and Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer met for three hours on Saturday. They’re attempting to close the gulf between the $3.5 trillion virus relief package that Democrats passed in the House two month ago and the $1 trillion plan Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell unveiled last week.
Extra weekly aid for as many as 30 million jobless Americans has run out and the economy is sagging with a new surge of COVID-19 cases forcing many states to roll back reopening plans.
The most pressing issue in the talks is about extra federal unemployment benefits of $600 a week that ran out as of Friday, leaving millions of out-of-work Americans without an additional safety net at a time when the jobs market is still depressed. In addition, a moratorium on evictions expired July 24.
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Hours after Saturday’s meeting was termed productive, Trump weighed in cryptically on the negotiations, tweeting “Payroll Tax Cut plus Dollars!”
A payroll tax holiday was one of Trump’s initial demands, but the idea had almost no support from lawmakers in both parties and was quickly dropped in the talks.


mercurynews--2020-08-03--California coronavirus map: Hospitalizations up for first time in six days, 4,669 new cases and 41 n

California coronavirus map: Hospitalizations up for first time in six days, 4,669 new cases and 41 new deaths

Coronavirus-related hospitalizations in California increased for the first time in six days , by seven , bringing the total to 7,761 , according to unofficial counts from state websites on Sunday .
Hospitalizations are still 12 % below the high of 8,820 reported in the state tracker July 23 .
Sunday ’ s tracker , posted online Saturday , incorrectly reported the number of hospitalizations at 6,459 .
The correct number was 7,754 , but still registered a decline in hospitalizations for that day .
There were 4,669 new cases and 41 new deaths as of Sunday .
The state @ @ @ @ @ @ @ at least 511,125 and total deaths 9,395 , according to unofficial counts from county websites .
Modoc County reported its first two cases , making it the last county to report its first cases of the coronavirus .
The state ’ s breakdown of cases by age is as follows : • Harriette Cole : My friend asked nosy questions about what fell out of my purse • State prison official : San Quentin death-row convict dies in hospital of apparent COVID-19 complications • Coronavirus : Spread slows in California after deadliest day @ @ @ @ @ @ @ demand action as coronavirus outbreak continues at prison ; another inmate dies Sunday from COVID-19 • Pelosi says GOP condescends to jobless by plan to trim benefits The state ’ s breakdown of deaths by age group is as follows : To obtain the complete pdf archive of the coronavirus daily tracker page , send us your subscription number and you ’ ll also receive the daily newsletter .
You can also follow the daily tracker on Facebook

Coronavirus-related hospitalizations in California increased for the first time in six days, by seven, bringing the total to 7,761, according to unofficial counts from state websites on Sunday.
Hospitalizations are still 12% below the high of 8,820 reported in the state tracker July 23. Sunday’s tracker, posted online Saturday, incorrectly reported the number of hospitalizations at 6,459. The correct number was 7,754, but still registered a decline in hospitalizations for that day.
There were 4,669 new cases and 41 new deaths as of Sunday. The state’s number of total cases is at least 511,125 and total deaths 9,395, according to unofficial counts from county websites. Modoc County reported its first two cases, making it the last county to report its first cases of the coronavirus.
The state’s breakdown of cases by age is as follows:
5 and younger: 2% (9,972)5-17: 7.2% (36,584)18-34: 35.4% (180,410)35-49: 25.1% (127,704)50-59: 14.1% (71,672)60-64: 5.1% (25,879)65-69: 3.5% (17,869)70-74: 2.4% (12,438)75-79: 1.7% (8,624)80 and older: 3.4% (17,248)
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5 and younger: 0% (0)5-17: 0% (1)18-34: 1.5% (135)35-49: 5.7% (531)50-59: 9.9% (918))60-64: 7.7% (708)65-69: 9.7% (902)70-74: 11.2% (1,039)75-79: 11.4% (1,055)80 and older: 42.8% (3,963)
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mercurynews--2020-08-03--Apple fire in Southern California at more than 20,000 acres, 5% containment

The Apple fire that started in Riverside County ’ s Cherry Valley was at more than 20,000 acres Sunday , spreading its charred footprint by more than 16,000 acres in less than 24 hours as it headed into the heart of the San Bernardino National Forest , with its smoke plume visible as far away as Phoenix .
The first major wildfire in Southern California this year was at 5 % containment Sunday evening , the San Bernardino National Forest said , a reversal from an earlier assessment that put containment at 12 % .
It was measured in the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ was heading up the side of Mount San Gorgonio , and the U.S. Forest Service closed the San Gorgonio Wilderness .
The mountain community of Oak Glen was under an evacuation order and Forest Falls a voluntary evacuation advisory , the San Bernardino County Sheriff ’ s Department said .
The fire was in rugged terrain that hasn ’ t burned in recent memory and containment was low because it ’ s too dangerous for firefighters to try to surround the fire , said Lisa Cox , a spokeswoman for the U.S. Forest @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Sunday reached the high 90s .
A high pressure ridge created hot , dry conditions , the Forest Service said .
Pockets of westerly winds of 15 to 30 mph , with gusts of 40-50 mph , were expected to continue through Sunday night , the National Weather Service said .
On Monday , it ’ s expected to be hot and dry again with westerly wind gusts of 20 to 30 mph in the afternoon and evening , the Forest Service said .
The fire has also been developing pyrocumulus clouds , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , and if they become too unstable , can also generate strong downdraft winds , the NWS said .
“ We don ’ t want to put firefighters in a dangerous situation , ” Cox said .
“ It ’ s burning in a straight line up a mountain.
” The fire is being fed by dry brush and low humidity .
That ’ s why it exploded to 20,000 acres by Sunday morning since sparking just before 5 p.m. Friday near Apple Tree Lane , a street that branches off Oak Glen @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , and they ’ re ripe , ” Daron Wyatt , a spokesman for incident commanders at their outpost at Noble Creek Park in Oak Glen , said .
The Larason family smelled smoke near their Cherry Valley home Friday afternoon .
Heading outside , a towering column of smoke met them .
Immediately they packed up two cars and a camper and started searching for hotels .
“ It was too close for comfort , ” said Gary Larason , 40 .
Larason was watching his tiny , fluffy , white chihuahua @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a green area just outside their Beaumont hotel on Sunday .
Walking to the north side of the hotel , the south face of Mount San Gorgonio comes into view .
Except now it ’ s obscured in thick smoke , the line of the Apple fire creeping toward its peak on its journey north .
Larason said he could watch its progress from his window.
” We have a front-row seat to the fire , ” he said , gathering up Tucker and cradling the sleepy dog in his arm .
Hundreds @ @ @ @ @ @ @ residents from nearby Oak Glen and the north side of Beaumont were also forced to flee Friday .
Though none of their homes were threatened Sunday , it ’ s not clear when they ’ ll be allowed back .
A “ software glitch ” led to faulty information of 12 % containment from a database regarding the extent of lines dug around the fire , Wyatt said .
Some residents were “ understandably upset and confused ” about the number being revised back to 0 % during the day , said Cox @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 5 % .
Despite the fire ’ s furious spread , which took it into San Bernardino County , one home and two outbuildings remain the only reported damaged structures , Cal Fire/Riverside County said .
No injuries have been reported .
Evacuation orders remained in effect for several areas , along with voluntary evacuation advisories .
Unhealthful air quality was expected for parts of the San Gorgonio Pass , the Coachella Valley and eastern Riverside County due to smoke from fire , the South Coast Air Quality Management District said .
In @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , the San Bernardino National Forest closed all of the trails leading to it , as well as roads and parking lots associated with the area .
Also closed are the Big Falls Trail , Falls Picnic Area and the Pacific Crest Trail between the Forest boundary and Onyx Summit .
Cause of the fire remained under investigation .
CalFire investigators were still working Sunday to figure out where exactly the fire started and how , Wyatt said .
Reports of a man seen running away from the area where residents first saw @ @ @ @ @ @ @ said .
Firefighters on the ground and in the air were focused on the southeast edge of the burn area near where the San Bernardino National Forest meets the Morongo reservation .
They were trying to prevent the fire from menacing some foothill communities there .
Out of harm ’ s way ?
Other mountain communities on the north side of the fire , like Forest Falls , were considered out of harm ’ s way early Sunday afternoon .
But fire officials were worried the Apple fire could spread in that direction @ @ @ @ @ @ @ keep it from burning north of Highway 38 , Cox said .
The area is near Vivian Creek and Big Falls , which feature trailheads popular with hikers and campers .
Some of the trails are remote , Cox said , and forest officials were preparing for the possible evacuation of campers from the area .
For now , volunteers and rangers in helicopters were warning anyone using the trails they should be prepared to evacuate , Cox said .
Larason said his family is comfortable enough staying in their hotel room for @ @ @ @ @ @ @ has asthma and takes medication for COPD , and his sister is undergoing radiation treatments for cancer — made fleeing quickly difficult .
Nearby hotels filled up quickly .
They found their current room after calling two different hotels .
One denied them after learning the family has two dogs .
Their dad somehow missed the exodus and was still at home.
” We called him and said , ‘ What are you doing ?
’ and he said he didn ’ t know where we were all going , ” Larason said @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ s path turned northward , dad and home were fine as of late Sunday afternoon .
Far north of the fire is Big Bear Lake , which is not threatened , but between the fire line and the resort community are thousands of acres of forest that have not burned in recent memory .

The Apple fire that started in Riverside County’s Cherry Valley was at more than 20,000 acres Sunday, spreading its charred footprint by more than 16,000 acres in less than 24 hours as it headed into the heart of the San Bernardino National Forest, with its smoke plume visible as far away as Phoenix.
The first major wildfire in Southern California this year was at 5% containment Sunday evening, the San Bernardino National Forest said, a reversal from an earlier assessment that put containment at 12%. It was measured in the evening at 20,516 acres.
The fire was heading up the side of Mount San Gorgonio, and the U.S. Forest Service closed the San Gorgonio Wilderness. The mountain community of Oak Glen was under an evacuation order and Forest Falls a voluntary evacuation advisory, the San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department said.
The fire was in rugged terrain that hasn’t burned in recent memory and containment was low because it’s too dangerous for firefighters to try to surround the fire, said Lisa Cox, a spokeswoman for the U.S. Forest Service.
Temperatures in the Beaumont area Sunday reached the high 90s. A high pressure ridge created hot, dry conditions, the Forest Service said. Pockets of westerly winds of 15 to 30 mph, with gusts of 40-50 mph, were expected to continue through Sunday night, the National Weather Service said.
On Monday, it’s expected to be hot and dry again with westerly wind gusts of 20 to 30 mph in the afternoon and evening, the Forest Service said.
The fire has also been developing pyrocumulus clouds, which can lead to dry lightning strikes, and if they become too unstable, can also generate strong downdraft winds, the NWS said.
“We don’t want to put firefighters in a dangerous situation,” Cox said. “It’s burning in a straight line up a mountain.”
The fire is being fed by dry brush and low humidity. That’s why it exploded to 20,000 acres by Sunday morning since sparking just before 5 p.m. Friday near Apple Tree Lane, a street that branches off Oak Glen Road.
“The fuels are there, and they’re ripe,” Daron Wyatt, a spokesman for incident commanders at their outpost at Noble Creek Park in Oak Glen, said.
Incredible GOES-West satellite imagery showing smoke from the #AppleFire making it all the way to #Phoenix this morning!😲#CAwx #AZwx pic.twitter.com/lTAALjAXnL — NWS San Diego (@NWSSanDiego) August 2, 2020
‘Too close for comfort’
The Larason family smelled smoke near their Cherry Valley home Friday afternoon. Heading outside, a towering column of smoke met them. Immediately they packed up two cars and a camper and started searching for hotels.
“It was too close for comfort,” said Gary Larason, 40. Larason was watching his tiny, fluffy, white chihuahua mix Tucker gingerly paw the grass on a green area just outside their Beaumont hotel on Sunday.
Walking to the north side of the hotel, the south face of Mount San Gorgonio comes into view. Except now it’s obscured in thick smoke, the line of the Apple fire creeping toward its peak on its journey north.
Larason said he could watch its progress from his window.”We have a front-row seat to the fire,” he said, gathering up Tucker and cradling the sleepy dog in his arm.
Hundreds of others from Cherry Valley and more residents from nearby Oak Glen and the north side of Beaumont were also forced to flee Friday. Though none of their homes were threatened Sunday, it’s not clear when they’ll be allowed back.
Furious spread
A “software glitch” led to faulty information of 12% containment from a database regarding the extent of lines dug around the fire, Wyatt said. Some residents were “understandably upset and confused” about the number being revised back to 0% during the day, said Cox. Later, containment was measured at 5%.
Despite the fire’s furious spread, which took it into San Bernardino County, one home and two outbuildings remain the only reported damaged structures, Cal Fire/Riverside County said. No injuries have been reported.
Evacuation orders remained in effect for several areas, along with voluntary evacuation advisories. Unhealthful air quality was expected for parts of the San Gorgonio Pass, the Coachella Valley and eastern Riverside County due to smoke from fire, the South Coast Air Quality Management District said.
In addition to closing the San Gorgonio Wilderness, the San Bernardino National Forest closed all of the trails leading to it, as well as roads and parking lots associated with the area. Also closed are the Big Falls Trail, Falls Picnic Area and the Pacific Crest Trail between the Forest boundary and Onyx Summit.
Due to the #AppleFire, we are closing the San Gorgonio Wilderness, as well as inbound trails, associated parking lots/roads. Additionally, Big Falls Trail, Falls Picnic Area and the PCT between the Forest boundary and Onyx Summit are closed. (Photo taken from Forest Falls) pic.twitter.com/jmXlJU18Vu — San Bernardino National Forest (@SanBernardinoNF) August 2, 2020
Cause of the fire remained under investigation. CalFire investigators were still working Sunday to figure out where exactly the fire started and how, Wyatt said. Reports of a man seen running away from the area where residents first saw the fire were not confirmed, he said.
Firefighters on the ground and in the air were focused on the southeast edge of the burn area near where the San Bernardino National Forest meets the Morongo reservation. They were trying to prevent the fire from menacing some foothill communities there.
Out of harm’s way?
Other mountain communities on the north side of the fire, like Forest Falls, were considered out of harm’s way early Sunday afternoon. But fire officials were worried the Apple fire could spread in that direction — the plan was to try to keep it from burning north of Highway 38, Cox said.
The area is near Vivian Creek and Big Falls, which feature trailheads popular with hikers and campers. Some of the trails are remote, Cox said, and forest officials were preparing for the possible evacuation of campers from the area.
For now, volunteers and rangers in helicopters were warning anyone using the trails they should be prepared to evacuate, Cox said.
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Nearby hotels filled up quickly. They found their current room after calling two different hotels. One denied them after learning the family has two dogs.
Their dad somehow missed the exodus and was still at home.”We called him and said, ‘What are you doing?’ and he said he didn’t know where we were all going,” Larason said with a laugh. With the fire’s path turned northward, dad and home were fine as of late Sunday afternoon.
Far north of the fire is Big Bear Lake, which is not threatened, but between the fire line and the resort community are thousands of acres of forest that have not burned in recent memory.
#AppleFIRE has lead to some impressive pyrocumulus clouds! For more information about the fire please check out @CALFIRERRU pic.twitter.com/SWpu6bSgA0 — NWS San Diego (@NWSSanDiego) August 2, 2020
City News Service contributed to this story.


mercurynews--2020-08-03--75 years after atomic bombs fell on Japan, these authors say there’s more to the story

Seventy-five years ago , the United States ended World War II by dropping atomic bombs on the Japanese cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki , wreaking havoc and destruction like nothing ever before seen .
The bombs killed perhaps 200,000 civilians and radiation sickness harmed thousands more , ushering in the Atomic Age and hastening the start of the Cold War .
The anniversary has already brought new books that recount the events or re-frame the narrative : “ The Bomb : Presidents , Generals , and the Secret History of Nuclear War , ” by Fred Kaplan ; “ Countdown @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 116 Days That Changed the World , ” by Chris Wallace and Mitch Weiss ; “ 140 Days to Hiroshima : The Story of Japan ’ s Last Chance to Avert Armageddon , ” by David Dean Barrett ; “ On The Horizon , ” a children ’ s book by Lois Lowry .
Now two books take unique angles to go behind the scenes in exploring what happened — from the impact of Russia ’ s planned invasion of Japan to the Japanese government ’ s actual readiness to surrender — and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ worked so hard to cover up the truth .
What follows are two interviews with authors who have written new books about these events : Lesley M.M .
Blume ’ s “ Fallout : The Hiroshima Cover-Up and the Reporter Who Revealed it to the World ” and Greg Mitchell ’ s “ The Beginning or The End.
” Each spoke about their books and the events of 1945 are still timely today ; the interviews have been edited for space and clarity .
Lesley M.M .
Blume had written the book “ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and was looking for a newsroom story — her father was a TV journalist and she started her career at ABC News .
“ I have been enormously disturbed for the last four or five years by the unprecedented assault on our free press and the designation of journalists as ‘ enemies of the people , ’ ” she said .
She was searching for a historical narrative tied to World War II when her husband suggested she look into how Hiroshima and Nagasaki were covered in the immediate aftermath .
That idea @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Cover-Up and the Reporter Who Revealed it to the World , ” a behind-the-scenes look at what it took for John Hersey , author of “ Hiroshima , ” and his editors at the New Yorker to tell the true story of what really happened when America dropped its atomic bombs .
Were you surprised by the extent of the government ’ s effort to keep journalists away and cover up the devastation caused by the bombs and by the radiation afterward ?
I was stunned by the extent of it .
By @ @ @ @ @ @ @ suppression , corralling , bullying and the expulsion of journalists .
I saw the mechanisms of the cover-up and how all the minutiae was controlled because of how the U.S. wanted to keep a lid on this atrocity story .
Did your research change your views on Hiroshima and Nagasaki ?
There ’ s still a predominant narrative in America that the bombs were a lifesaving mechanism , but after you have spent the amount of time I have on the entreaties to the Soviets the Japanese were already making about surrendering before @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the aftermath of the bombs , it ’ s hard to conclude they were necessary .
While there are arguments that can be made to defend the bombing of Hiroshima , the bombing just three days later of the civilians of Nagasaki has increasingly come to be seen by some as a war crime .
Do you think that ’ s fair ?
That ’ s what Hersey felt .
When he heard about Hiroshima , he had very mixed feelings about it — he had covered the Pacific theater and had written @ @ @ @ @ @ @ soldier ” so there was a measure of relief .
But when he heard about Nagasaki , he really felt that was a criminal action .
Hersey ’ s early war coverage was pro-American but also contained racist and demeaning descriptions of the Japanese .
How did that influence his writing of Hiroshima ?
It ’ s really rare that anyone changes their mind because to do so you have to admit you were wrong or ill-informed in the first place .
Hersey had the character to say , ‘ I was wrong @ @ @ @ @ @ @ about his initial attitudes .
A big part of writing “ Hiroshima ” was about how the racial dehumanization allowed the use of the bomb in the first place .
He felt strongly that the only hope humankind had for survival in the atomic age was to see each other in human terms .
The government felt compelled to respond to Hersey ’ s article by pushing back with an article by former Secretary of War Henry Stimson .
What impact did that have ?
It was a very glossy response .
It @ @ @ @ @ @ @ give a dispassionate review of facts , but it never mentioned the radioactive qualities of the bomb and the agonies it inflicted on this largely civilian population .
And it never addressed the US government covering up the aftermath and the nature of the aftermath .
Yet it was still partly successful .
The predominant feeling today is that the bomb saved lives and ended the war .
While that ’ s fairly widely accepted , now people are starting to look more at the human cost of how the war was won @ @ @ @ @ @ @ do that when they had a personal connection to the event or to the era .
Could the Truman Administration have been honest about how devastating the bombs were but said it was necessary to punish the Japanese and send a message to the Soviet Union ?
America was sensitive to its global reputation .
The war was a hard-earned physical and moral victory , and after the firebombing of Tokyo we were already concerned — as Stimson had said , we didn ’ t want to ‘ get a reputation for outdoing @ @ @ @ @ @ @ used experimental mega-weapons without understanding what they would do but it also wanted an unqualified moral victory .
It ’ s ironic that a government concerned about an unqualified moral victory felt the solution was to lie to the American people .
It didn ’ t exactly portend well for an honest narrative with the American people going forward when it came to global military affairs .
Hersey thought the bombings themselves and his story prevented further nuclear war .
Do you agree ?
His writing is one of the pillars of deterrents @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of the bomb set off the Cold War and the nuclear arms race that exists to this day and maybe heading into its most dangerous phase yet .
Can this kind of cover-up happen now , or in today ’ s politics is it all about controlling the narrative ?
My book documents a cover-up of a deadly existential threat , and right now we ’ re looking at a government that is trying to corral CDC statistics to make sure that death toll statistics go to a private company instead of straight @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the hallmarks of another cover-up .
“ The Beginning or The End ” author Greg Mitchell became editor of “ The Nuclear Times ” in 1982 and , like many in the anti-nukes movement of the 1970s and ’ 80s , he was initially focused only on stopping the arms race .
But a journalism grant for a monthlong trip to Hiroshima and Nagasaki , where he met with experts and survivors , opened his eyes and re-shaped his career , leading to three books : “ Hiroshima in America : A Half-Century @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Lifton ) and “ Atomic Cover-Up ” ( which he has now made into a documentary ) , and now “ The Beginning or The End , ” which recounts Hollywood ’ s attempt to tell the story of the Manhattan Project , the dropping of the bomb and how the government and military interfered with the film ( also called “ The Beginning or The End ” ) .
What would “ The Beginning or the End ” have been like without interference from the White House and General Leslie Groves , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the bomb ?
MGM originally played it down the middle : We ’ ll have the military point of view and the scientists ’ point of view .
The early scripts had a scene with generals touring Hiroshima seeing dead bodies and dead babies and having moral reflections .
There was a scene where [ atomic scientist ] Robert Oppenheimer testified before Congress , warning them about the path we were on .
But once they basically gave script approval to Groves and Truman , they totally lost control .
Groves was so @ @ @ @ @ @ @ dozens and dozens of revisions , some of them very minor .
They had to re-shoot one whole scene after Truman or his aide saw it , with the actor playing Truman being fired .
Why did the government interfere ?
Public opinion really supported the use of the bomb because it seemed like we were facing a drawn-out war and then it ended suddenly , so people said , “ Thank god for the atomic bomb.
’ But the narrative about Hiroshima and the whole future of nuclear weapons was really still @ @ @ @ @ @ @ nervous about atomic energy .
So there was fear in the government that people could turn against U.S. plans for building more and being the big boss in the postwar world .
There was concern about controlling the narrative .
People said , “ How can you question the military , ” but General Eisenhower had been against using the bomb and the government ’ s Strategic Bombing Survey said it wasn ’ t necessary .
Then Hersey ’ s article came out and it did pose a threat .
In forcing the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ revealed how defensive they were — there were falsifications , justifications and gilding the lily .
They deleted any mention of Nagasaki in the movie — let ’ s pretend it didn ’ t happen .
It shows either residual guilt or concern that eventually the full story was going to come out about the 200,000 civilians who died , and if we were not right to do it there were going to be massive questions .
What might have happened — to Truman ’ s presidency , to the atomic age , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ honest movie had come out right in the aftermath of Hersey ’ s article ?
You wouldn ’ t want to put too much on a Hollywood movie , but all those revisions caused delays and it didn ’ t come out until 1947 .
It ’ s possible that coming out in September right after Hersey ’ s article would have made a big difference .
But what makes this story interesting are the steps taking to undermine the movie and how it succeeded .
They won , they set the narrative @ @ @ @ @ @ @ away at but it has endured to this day : The majority American opinion is still that the bomb was necessary and the only thing that could have ended World War II .
People don ’ t know that Truman begged the Russians to enter the war against Japan and they agreed ; he had two separate journal entries that indicate that Russian entry alone would end the war soon , absent the bomb .
That ’ s pretty tough evidence .
But the media coverage has not changed : Chris Wallace ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ arguments but it got positive reviews and coverage and hardly anyone in the mainstream media pointed that out .
Does the lack of nuclear attacks since 1945 justify , to any extent , bombing Hiroshima , even if Nagasaki can ’ t be excused ?
That ’ s mainly rationalizing .
We could have released footage of the Trinity test or dropped a bomb in demonstration off the coast of Japan , which is what most of the scientists wanted .
And we kept the footage of the aftermath under wraps for decades @ @ @ @ @ @ @ US was showing these images as a warning .
We were trying to cover it up .
The bombs were dropped 75 years ago .
Why does it matter now ?
The US still has a first-strike policy , which very few people know about .
Any president has the okay to use the weapons first , not just in retaliation , but even just because of a threat .
So we could attack Iran or North Korea .
• Will one of these ideas become San Jose ’ s new landmark ?
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ of Americans would endorse an attack , which you don ’ t see elsewhere in the world .
The reason is the continued endorsement of the bombings in 1945 .
People say , ‘ We must never use them again ’ but justify those because ‘ we were trying to end the war and save American lives ’ but that will be in play today .
Those bombings set a precedent that has not been refuted .
Its an old issue , but that ’ s only true until we have one nuclear @ @ @ @ @ @ @ most important issue ever .
We ’ ll go from , ‘ I don ’ t want to think about it ’ to ‘ Oh my God , we ’ re all going to die , ’ and that can happen in a heartbeat .
So I think it ’ s worth looking back to move ahead .

Seventy-five years ago, the United States ended World War II by dropping atomic bombs on the Japanese cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, wreaking havoc and destruction like nothing ever before seen. The bombs killed perhaps 200,000 civilians and radiation sickness harmed thousands more, ushering in the Atomic Age and hastening the start of the Cold War.
The anniversary has already brought new books that recount the events or re-frame the narrative:
“The Bomb: Presidents, Generals, and the Secret History of Nuclear War,” by Fred Kaplan; “Countdown 1945: The Extraordinary Story of the 116 Days That Changed the World,” by Chris Wallace and Mitch Weiss; “140 Days to Hiroshima: The Story of Japan’s Last Chance to Avert Armageddon,” by David Dean Barrett; “On The Horizon,” a children’s book by Lois Lowry.
Now two books take unique angles to go behind the scenes in exploring what happened — from the impact of Russia’s planned invasion of Japan to the Japanese government’s actual readiness to surrender — and how and why the United States government worked so hard to cover up the truth.
What follows are two interviews with authors who have written new books about these events: Lesley M.M. Blume’s “Fallout: The Hiroshima Cover-Up and the Reporter Who Revealed it to the World” and Greg Mitchell’s “The Beginning or The End.” Each spoke about their books and the events of 1945 are still timely today; the interviews have been edited for space and clarity.
• • •
Lesley M.M. Blume had written the book “Everybody Behaves Badly” about Ernest Hemingway and was looking for a newsroom story — her father was a TV journalist and she started her career at ABC News.
“I have been enormously disturbed for the last four or five years by the unprecedented assault on our free press and the designation of journalists as ‘enemies of the people,’” she said.
She was searching for a historical narrative tied to World War II when her husband suggested she look into how Hiroshima and Nagasaki were covered in the immediate aftermath. That idea bloomed into “Fallout: The Hiroshima Cover-Up and the Reporter Who Revealed it to the World,” a behind-the-scenes look at what it took for John Hersey, author of “Hiroshima,” and his editors at the New Yorker to tell the true story of what really happened when America dropped its atomic bombs.
Were you surprised by the extent of the government’s effort to keep journalists away and cover up the devastation caused by the bombs and by the radiation afterward?
I was stunned by the extent of it. By covering the journalists, I saw the suppression, corralling, bullying and the expulsion of journalists. I saw the mechanisms of the cover-up and how all the minutiae was controlled because of how the U.S. wanted to keep a lid on this atrocity story.
Did your research change your views on Hiroshima and Nagasaki?
There’s still a predominant narrative in America that the bombs were a lifesaving mechanism, but after you have spent the amount of time I have on the entreaties to the Soviets the Japanese were already making about surrendering before the bombs were detonated, and about the aftermath of the bombs, it’s hard to conclude they were necessary.
While there are arguments that can be made to defend the bombing of Hiroshima, the bombing just three days later of the civilians of Nagasaki has increasingly come to be seen by some as a war crime. Do you think that’s fair?
That’s what Hersey felt. When he heard about Hiroshima, he had very mixed feelings about it — he had covered the Pacific theater and had written about “the tenacity of the Japanese soldier” so there was a measure of relief. But when he heard about Nagasaki, he really felt that was a criminal action.
Hersey’s early war coverage was pro-American but also contained racist and demeaning descriptions of the Japanese. How did that influence his writing of Hiroshima?
It’s really rare that anyone changes their mind because to do so you have to admit you were wrong or ill-informed in the first place. Hersey had the character to say, ‘I was wrong,’ and admitted to being ashamed about his initial attitudes. A big part of writing “Hiroshima” was about how the racial dehumanization allowed the use of the bomb in the first place. He felt strongly that the only hope humankind had for survival in the atomic age was to see each other in human terms.
The government felt compelled to respond to Hersey’s article by pushing back with an article by former Secretary of War Henry Stimson. What impact did that have?
It was a very glossy response. It tried to out-Hersey Hersey by seeming to give a dispassionate review of facts, but it never mentioned the radioactive qualities of the bomb and the agonies it inflicted on this largely civilian population. And it never addressed the US government covering up the aftermath and the nature of the aftermath.
Yet it was still partly successful. The predominant feeling today is that the bomb saved lives and ended the war.
While that’s fairly widely accepted, now people are starting to look more at the human cost of how the war was won — people were not as willing to do that when they had a personal connection to the event or to the era.
Could the Truman Administration have been honest about how devastating the bombs were but said it was necessary to punish the Japanese and send a message to the Soviet Union?
America was sensitive to its global reputation. The war was a hard-earned physical and moral victory, and after the firebombing of Tokyo we were already concerned — as Stimson had said, we didn’t want to ‘get a reputation for outdoing Hitler in atrocities.’ The government had used experimental mega-weapons without understanding what they would do but it also wanted an unqualified moral victory.
It’s ironic that a government concerned about an unqualified moral victory felt the solution was to lie to the American people.
It didn’t exactly portend well for an honest narrative with the American people going forward when it came to global military affairs.
Hersey thought the bombings themselves and his story prevented further nuclear war. Do you agree?
His writing is one of the pillars of deterrents. But some experts think the dropping of the bomb set off the Cold War and the nuclear arms race that exists to this day and maybe heading into its most dangerous phase yet.
Can this kind of cover-up happen now, or in today’s politics is it all about controlling the narrative?
My book documents a cover-up of a deadly existential threat, and right now we’re looking at a government that is trying to corral CDC statistics to make sure that death toll statistics go to a private company instead of straight to the CDC. It has all the hallmarks of another cover-up.
• • •
“The Beginning or The End” author Greg Mitchell became editor of “The Nuclear Times” in 1982 and, like many in the anti-nukes movement of the 1970s and ’80s, he was initially focused only on stopping the arms race.
But a journalism grant for a monthlong trip to Hiroshima and Nagasaki, where he met with experts and survivors, opened his eyes and re-shaped his career, leading to three books: “Hiroshima in America: A Half-Century of Denial” (with Robert Jay Lifton) and “Atomic Cover-Up” (which he has now made into a documentary), and now “The Beginning or The End,” which recounts Hollywood’s attempt to tell the story of the Manhattan Project, the dropping of the bomb and how the government and military interfered with the film (also called “The Beginning or The End”).
What would “The Beginning or the End” have been like without interference from the White House and General Leslie Groves, who oversaw the development and dropping of the bomb?
MGM originally played it down the middle: We’ll have the military point of view and the scientists’ point of view. The early scripts had a scene with generals touring Hiroshima seeing dead bodies and dead babies and having moral reflections. There was a scene where [atomic scientist] Robert Oppenheimer testified before Congress, warning them about the path we were on.
But once they basically gave script approval to Groves and Truman, they totally lost control. Groves was so involved in every little detail, forcing dozens and dozens of revisions, some of them very minor. They had to re-shoot one whole scene after Truman or his aide saw it, with the actor playing Truman being fired.
Why did the government interfere?
Public opinion really supported the use of the bomb because it seemed like we were facing a drawn-out war and then it ended suddenly, so people said, “Thank god for the atomic bomb.’
But the narrative about Hiroshima and the whole future of nuclear weapons was really still up for grabs. People were very nervous about atomic energy. So there was fear in the government that people could turn against U.S. plans for building more and being the big boss in the postwar world.
There was concern about controlling the narrative.
People said, “How can you question the military,” but General Eisenhower had been against using the bomb and the government’s Strategic Bombing Survey said it wasn’t necessary. Then Hersey’s article came out and it did pose a threat.
In forcing the script revisions the White House and Groves revealed how defensive they were — there were falsifications, justifications and gilding the lily. They deleted any mention of Nagasaki in the movie — let’s pretend it didn’t happen. It shows either residual guilt or concern that eventually the full story was going to come out about the 200,000 civilians who died, and if we were not right to do it there were going to be massive questions.
What might have happened — to Truman’s presidency, to the atomic age, to the Cold War– if the more honest movie had come out right in the aftermath of Hersey’s article?
You wouldn’t want to put too much on a Hollywood movie, but all those revisions caused delays and it didn’t come out until 1947. It’s possible that coming out in September right after Hersey’s article would have made a big difference. But what makes this story interesting are the steps taking to undermine the movie and how it succeeded.
They won, they set the narrative in stone. It has been chipped away at but it has endured to this day: The majority American opinion is still that the bomb was necessary and the only thing that could have ended World War II.
People don’t know that Truman begged the Russians to enter the war against Japan and they agreed; he had two separate journal entries that indicate that Russian entry alone would end the war soon, absent the bomb. That’s pretty tough evidence. But the media coverage has not changed: Chris Wallace’s book makes the same old tired arguments but it got positive reviews and coverage and hardly anyone in the mainstream media pointed that out.
Does the lack of nuclear attacks since 1945 justify, to any extent, bombing Hiroshima, even if Nagasaki can’t be excused?
That’s mainly rationalizing. We could have released footage of the Trinity test or dropped a bomb in demonstration off the coast of Japan, which is what most of the scientists wanted. And we kept the footage of the aftermath under wraps for decades so it wasn’t like the US was showing these images as a warning. We were trying to cover it up.
The bombs were dropped 75 years ago. Why does it matter now?
The US still has a first-strike policy, which very few people know about. Any president has the okay to use the weapons first, not just in retaliation, but even just because of a threat. So we could attack Iran or North Korea.
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Its an old issue, but that’s only true until we have one nuclear crisis or launch — then its the most important issue ever. We’ll go from, ‘I don’t want to think about it’ to ‘Oh my God, we’re all going to die,’ and that can happen in a heartbeat. So I think it’s worth looking back to move ahead.


mercurynews--2020-08-03--4 Marines from California among 8 service members presumed dead off San Clemente Island

Four California Marines are among the eight service members presumed dead off San Clemente Island following a training accident last week .
The Marines and sailor have been missing since Thursday , July 30 , when their seafaring vehicle — known as an AAV — took on water and sank during a routine training exercise near the island .
The Navy-owned island is about 50 miles west of Orange County and 20 miles south of Catalina Island .
It is the only ship-to-shore live-fire training range in the nation .
The AAV and 12 others had just left the island @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to the USS Somerset , an amphibious transport dock .
They had spent the day training on the island .
Eight other Marines managed to jump from the sinking AAV .
One Marine later died at the scene and two others were flown via helicopter to Scripps Memorial Hospital in critical condition .
Early Sunday , officials announced that after a 40-hour search and rescue effort involving multiple Navy ships , Navy and Marine Corps helicopters and U.S. Coast Guard vessels , the mission had turned to recovery .
On Sunday night , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ exercise identified one Marine who was killed and seven Marines and one sailor who are now presumed dead .
Lance Cpl .
Guillermo S. Perez , 20 , of New Braunfels , Texas , was pronounced dead at the scene on Thursday , July 30 , before being flown to Scripps Memorial Hospital in San Diego .
Pfc .
Bryan J. Baltierra , 19 , of Corona ; Lance Cpl .
Marco A. Barranco , 21 , of Montebello ; Pfc .
Evan A. Bath , 19 , of Oak Creek , Wis. @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 22 , of Stockton ; Pfc .
Jack Ryan Ostrovsky , 21 , of Bend , Ore. ; Cpl .
Wesley A. Rodd , 23 , of Harris , Texas ; Lance Cpl .
Chase D. Sweetwood , 19 , of Portland , Ore. and Cpl .
Cesar A. Villanueva , 21 , of Riverside .
• US to withdraw nearly 12,000 troops from Germany in move that will cost billions and take years All of the Marines were based at Camp Pendleton and were part of the 3rd Amphibian Assault Battalion .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ Landing Team 1/4 .
All were attached to the 15th Marine Expeditionary Unit .
Names of two injured Marines were not immediately released .
Both remain hospitalized at Scripps Memorial Hospital .
A Navy ship , specializing in undersea search and rescue , is now involved in looking for the missing service members and the AAV .

Four California Marines are among the eight service members presumed dead off San Clemente Island following a training accident last week.
The Marines and sailor have been missing since Thursday, July 30, when their seafaring vehicle — known as an AAV — took on water and sank during a routine training exercise near the island. The Navy-owned island is about 50 miles west of Orange County and 20 miles south of Catalina Island. It is the only ship-to-shore live-fire training range in the nation.
The AAV and 12 others had just left the island’s beaches and were heading out to the USS Somerset, an amphibious transport dock. They had spent the day training on the island.
Eight other Marines managed to jump from the sinking AAV. One Marine later died at the scene and two others were flown via helicopter to Scripps Memorial Hospital in critical condition.
Early Sunday, officials announced that after a 40-hour search and rescue effort involving multiple Navy ships, Navy and Marine Corps helicopters and U.S. Coast Guard vessels, the mission had turned to recovery.
On Sunday night, officials with command elements from the training exercise identified one Marine who was killed and seven Marines and one sailor who are now presumed dead.
Lance Cpl. Guillermo S. Perez, 20, of New Braunfels, Texas, was pronounced dead at the scene on Thursday, July 30, before being flown to Scripps Memorial Hospital in San Diego.
Presumed dead are:
Pfc. Bryan J. Baltierra, 19, of Corona; Lance Cpl. Marco A. Barranco, 21, of Montebello; Pfc. Evan A. Bath, 19, of Oak Creek, Wis.; U.S. Navy Hospitalman Christopher Gnem, 22, of Stockton; Pfc. Jack Ryan Ostrovsky, 21, of Bend, Ore.; Cpl. Wesley A. Rodd, 23, of Harris, Texas; Lance Cpl. Chase D. Sweetwood, 19, of Portland, Ore. and Cpl. Cesar A. Villanueva, 21, of Riverside.
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Names of two injured Marines were not immediately released. Both remain hospitalized at Scripps Memorial Hospital.
A Navy ship, specializing in undersea search and rescue, is now involved in looking for the missing service members and the AAV.


mercurynews--2020-08-03--49ers linebacker preview: Bigger year for Fred Warner or Kwon Alexander?

Kwon Alexander recently vowed to join his 49ers teammates next year on the NFL Network ’ s Top 100 list .
Good to have goals .
Fellow 49ers linebacker Fred Warner debuted on that list this year , clocking in at No .
70 — and climbing .
The 49ers linebacker corps revolves more around Warner than Alexander , as last season ’ s success proved , but having both in the lineup would be a boon for Super Bowl hopes .
Add in 2019 Seattle stopper Dre Greenlaw and the 49ers ’ unit looks even stronger .
Let ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 49ers linebackers : Fred Warner : The Pro Bowl and even All-Pro honors are realistic goals for one of the NFL ’ s top emerging linebackers .
He ’ s started every game through two seasons and is improving in coverage .
Kwon Alexander : In reworking his contract last season , Alexander ’ s base salary balloons from $ 976,000 this season to $ 12.6 million in 2021 , so he ’ ll need a superb 2020 to justify a high paycheck , even if another restructuring is done .
Pectoral and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ concerning but he seems intent on a “ legendary ” comeback tour .
Dre Greenlaw : The money is on Alexander to start at weak-side linebacker , where Greenlaw filled in for him the final eight games last regular season .
Spectacular , goal-line plays against Seattle — an interception at Levi ’ s Stadium , a fourth-down stop at Seattle — show just how athletic and intuitive Greenlaw is .
Strong-side linebacker is his likely job if he doesn ’ t unseat Alexander at weak-side .
Mark Nzeocha : Had eight special-teams @ @ @ @ @ @ @ last season , which was highlighted by his Week 1 interception at Tampa in place of an ejected Alexander .
Azeez Al-Shaair : Another year removed from ACL reconstruction should help his roster bid , after making last year ’ s club as an undrafted rookie .
He was inactive all postseason .
Joe Walker : After two seasons with the Eagles and the last two with the Cardinals , the 49ers get a veteran with starting experience who can excel on special teams .
Does this newcomer take a roster spot from @ @ @ @ @ @ @ He has the versatility to play linebacker and safety .
A leg injury last December sent him onto the practice squad ’ s injured reserve list .
Jonas Griffith : This undrafted rookie from Indiana State made 50 tackles for loss in his career there .

Kwon Alexander recently vowed to join his 49ers teammates next year on the NFL Network’s Top 100 list.
Good to have goals. Fellow 49ers linebacker Fred Warner debuted on that list this year, clocking in at No. 70 — and climbing.
The 49ers linebacker corps revolves more around Warner than Alexander, as last season’s success proved, but having both in the lineup would be a boon for Super Bowl hopes. Add in 2019 Seattle stopper Dre Greenlaw and the 49ers’ unit looks even stronger.
Let’s take a closer look at the 49ers linebackers:
PROJECTED STARTERS
Fred Warner: The Pro Bowl and even All-Pro honors are realistic goals for one of the NFL’s top emerging linebackers. He’s started every game through two seasons and is improving in coverage.
Kwon Alexander: In reworking his contract last season, Alexander’s base salary balloons from $976,000 this season to $12.6 million in 2021, so he’ll need a superb 2020 to justify a high paycheck, even if another restructuring is done. Pectoral and biceps surgeries within the past year are concerning but he seems intent on a “legendary” comeback tour.
Dre Greenlaw: The money is on Alexander to start at weak-side linebacker, where Greenlaw filled in for him the final eight games last regular season. Spectacular, goal-line plays against Seattle — an interception at Levi’s Stadium, a fourth-down stop at Seattle — show just how athletic and intuitive Greenlaw is. Strong-side linebacker is his likely job if he doesn’t unseat Alexander at weak-side.
BACKUP OPTIONS
Mark Nzeocha: Had eight special-teams tackles while appearing in all 19 games last season, which was highlighted by his Week 1 interception at Tampa in place of an ejected Alexander.
Azeez Al-Shaair: Another year removed from ACL reconstruction should help his roster bid, after making last year’s club as an undrafted rookie. He was inactive all postseason.
Joe Walker: After two seasons with the Eagles and the last two with the Cardinals, the 49ers get a veteran with starting experience who can excel on special teams. Does this newcomer take a roster spot from Nzeocha or Al-Shaair?Demetrius Flannigan-Fowles: He has the versatility to play linebacker and safety. A leg injury last December sent him onto the practice squad’s injured reserve list.
Jonas Griffith: This undrafted rookie from Indiana State made 50 tackles for loss in his career there.


mercurynews--2020-08-03--Horoscopes Aug. 3, 2020: Tony Bennett, adapt, and keep moving forward

Happy Birthday : Adapt , and keep moving forward .
You can ’ t stand in the way of progress , but you can look for ways to engage and make it work to your benefit .
Keeping up will play a major role in how well you do and the rewards you receive .
Call the shots , own your destiny and focus on building a secure future .
Your numbers are 8 , 19 , 24 , 27 , 32 , 38 , 47 .
ARIES ( March 21-April 19 ) : Stymie anxiety or anger you are @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Call on those you know and trust to help you make the changes that will propel you in the direction you want to pursue .
Personal improvement is favored .
4 stars TAURUS ( April 20-May 20 ) : If you want to change , it ’ s up to you to make it happen .
Don ’ t sit around , waiting for someone to step in and take over .
Put your emotions aside , and do what you need to do .
Strive for stability .
2 stars GEMINI @ @ @ @ @ @ @ from the mistakes others make .
Don ’ t fall into a pattern that will hold you back .
Pay less attention to what others do , and spend more time mapping out how to get ahead .
Knowledge and who you associate with will determine your future .
5 stars CANCER ( June 21-July 22 ) : Keep your eye on the money .
Spend less , and keep joint holdings under control .
Don ’ t take a risk when it comes to business , health or contracts .
Anger solves @ @ @ @ @ @ @ will lead to success .
3 stars LEO ( July 23-Aug. 22 ) : Put drama aside .
If you let your emotions take over , you will be left behind .
The best way to handle change is to find a way to fit in and to benefit in any way possible .
Think big , be positive and forge ahead .
3 stars VIRGO ( Aug. 23-Sept. 22 ) : Take a moment to contemplate your next move before making a change that can influence how you live or work .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ , or you may end up triggering a chain reaction that does more harm than good .
3 stars LIBRA ( Sept. 23-Oct. 22 ) : Look beyond what ’ s right in front of you .
Focus on being positive , and align yourself with people who motivate you , not those who are demanding or argumentative .
Expand your mind , and pursue creative endeavors .
Romance is favored .
5 stars SCORPIO ( Oct. 23-Nov. 21 ) : Put practicality first and emotions second .
When in doubt , gather @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Given a chance , someone will mislead you .
Let your intuition be your guide .
Learn from experience , and let success be your revenge .
2 stars SAGITTARIUS ( Nov. 22-Dec. 21 ) : Pay attention to what ’ s going on at home and with meaningful relationships .
Outside interference will cause problems between you and someone you love .
Focus on domestic matters and self-improvement projects .
Choose peace and love over discord .
4 stars CAPRICORN ( Dec. 22-Jan. 19 ) : Don ’ t agree to something @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ s essential to speak up and offer solutions that will benefit everyone .
Take control , and you will bring about positive change and better relationships .
A possible change , along with compromise , will improve your home life .
3 stars AQUARIUS ( Jan. 20-Feb. 18 ) : Pay close attention to the way you look , how you feel and how you present yourself to the world .
You ’ ll have an impact on those who look up to you if you are understanding .
Romance is on @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Feb. 19-March 20 ) : Do what ’ s best for everyone .
A change based on emotional influences will create a problem with someone close to you .
Consideration , trust and honesty will make matters more comfortable to deal with as you move forward .
3 stars Birthday Baby : You are energetic , spirited , insightful and unpredictable .
You are adventuresome and challenging .

CELEBRITIES BORN ON THIS DAY: Chandler Kenney, 20; Evangeline Lilly, 41; Michael Ealy, 47; Tony Bennett, 94.
Happy Birthday: Adapt, and keep moving forward. You can’t stand in the way of progress, but you can look for ways to engage and make it work to your benefit. Keeping up will play a major role in how well you do and the rewards you receive. Call the shots, own your destiny and focus on building a secure future. Your numbers are 8, 19, 24, 27, 32, 38, 47.
ARIES (March 21-April 19): Stymie anxiety or anger you are feeling by taking on a physical challenge. Call on those you know and trust to help you make the changes that will propel you in the direction you want to pursue. Personal improvement is favored. 4 stars
TAURUS (April 20-May 20): If you want to change, it’s up to you to make it happen. Don’t sit around, waiting for someone to step in and take over. Put your emotions aside, and do what you need to do. Strive for stability. 2 stars
GEMINI (May 21-June 20): Learn from the mistakes others make. Don’t fall into a pattern that will hold you back. Pay less attention to what others do, and spend more time mapping out how to get ahead. Knowledge and who you associate with will determine your future. 5 stars
CANCER (June 21-July 22): Keep your eye on the money. Spend less, and keep joint holdings under control. Don’t take a risk when it comes to business, health or contracts. Anger solves nothing, but discipline and hard work will lead to success. 3 stars
LEO (July 23-Aug. 22): Put drama aside. If you let your emotions take over, you will be left behind. The best way to handle change is to find a way to fit in and to benefit in any way possible. Think big, be positive and forge ahead. 3 stars
VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22): Take a moment to contemplate your next move before making a change that can influence how you live or work. Keep your emotions out of the equation, or you may end up triggering a chain reaction that does more harm than good. 3 stars
LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 22): Look beyond what’s right in front of you. Focus on being positive, and align yourself with people who motivate you, not those who are demanding or argumentative. Expand your mind, and pursue creative endeavors. Romance is favored. 5 stars
SCORPIO (Oct. 23-Nov. 21): Put practicality first and emotions second. When in doubt, gather the facts before you take action. Given a chance, someone will mislead you. Let your intuition be your guide. Learn from experience, and let success be your revenge. 2 stars
SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21): Pay attention to what’s going on at home and with meaningful relationships. Outside interference will cause problems between you and someone you love. Focus on domestic matters and self-improvement projects. Choose peace and love over discord. 4 stars
CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19): Don’t agree to something you don’t want. It’s essential to speak up and offer solutions that will benefit everyone. Take control, and you will bring about positive change and better relationships. A possible change, along with compromise, will improve your home life. 3 stars
AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18): Pay close attention to the way you look, how you feel and how you present yourself to the world. You’ll have an impact on those who look up to you if you are understanding. Romance is on the rise. 3 stars
PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20): Do what’s best for everyone. A change based on emotional influences will create a problem with someone close to you. Consideration, trust and honesty will make matters more comfortable to deal with as you move forward. 3 stars
Birthday Baby: You are energetic, spirited, insightful and unpredictable. You are adventuresome and challenging.
Visit Eugenialast.com, or join Eugenia on Twitter/Facebook/LinkedIn.


Bridge: Aug. 3, 2020

Another letter arrived from the Society of Finessers — they are nothing if not persistent — complaining that finesses never win in my column deals .
“ Sir : We must again protest your disdain for the finesse , an honorable technique that wins fully half the time , except when you write about it.
” Gentlemen , let me give you something else to complain about .
At four hearts , South takes the ace of spades , cashes the ace of trumps and finesses with his jack , losing .
South wins the next spade , comes to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and leads a diamond to dummy ’ s ten .
East produces the queen and cashes a spade and a club for down one .
After South wins the first spade , he should take the A-K of trumps , gaining time .
He continues with the A-K of diamonds and leads the jack .
East wins and returns a spade to dummy , but South discards his spade loser on the ten of diamonds .
He makes his game without taking a finesse .
You hold : S 5 4 2 H @ @ @ @ @ @ @ A 7 2 C 10 .
You open two hearts ( weak ) , and your partner responds 2NT .
The opponents pass .
What do you say ?
ANSWER : In every practiced partnership , partner ’ s 2NT is an artificial inquiry .
Partnerships use different rebidding schemes , some more complicated than others .
A common and simple treatment is for opener to show a side-suit feature — and ace or king — if he has one .
If that is your agreement , bid three diamonds .

Another letter arrived from the Society of Finessers — they are nothing if not persistent — complaining that finesses never win in my column deals.
“Sir: We must again protest your disdain for the finesse, an honorable technique that wins fully half the time, except when you write about it.”
Gentlemen, let me give you something else to complain about.
At four hearts, South takes the ace of spades, cashes the ace of trumps and finesses with his jack, losing. South wins the next spade, comes to his ace of diamonds, draws trumps and leads a diamond to dummy’s ten. East produces the queen and cashes a spade and a club for down one.
“Two finesses lose,” the Society grumbles.
TIME
After South wins the first spade, he should take the A-K of trumps, gaining time. He continues with the A-K of diamonds and leads the jack.
East wins and returns a spade to dummy, but South discards his spade loser on the ten of diamonds. He makes his game without taking a finesse.
DAILY QUESTION
You hold: S 5 4 2 H K J 10 9 5 2 D A 7 2 C 10. You open two hearts (weak), and your partner responds 2NT. The opponents pass. What do you say?
ANSWER: In every practiced partnership, partner’s 2NT is an artificial inquiry. Partnerships use different rebidding schemes, some more complicated than others. A common and simple treatment is for opener to show a side-suit feature — and ace or king — if he has one. If that is your agreement, bid three diamonds.
North dealer
N-S vulnerable
NORTH
S A K 3
H A 6
D K J 10 5
C Q 6 5 2
WEST
S J 10 9 8
H Q 8 4
D 8 6
C K 8 7 3
EAST
S Q 7 6
H 7 3
D Q 9 4 3
C A J 9 4
SOUTH
S 5 4 2
H K J 10 9 5 2
D A 7 2
C 10
North East South West
1 NT Pass 4 H All Pass
Opening lead — S J
(C)2020 TRIBUNE CONTENT AGENCY, LLC.


mercurynews--2020-08-03--Word Game: Aug. 3, 2020

Word Game: Aug. 3, 2020

Can you find 24 or more words in DEFICITS ?
The list will be published tomorrow .
SATURDAY ’ S WORD — SOUNDER send senor snore sone sore sound sour sued suer sunder surd sure onus ours under undo undoes used user nerd node nodus noes nose nude nurse doer does done dose dour douse drone dues dune euro redo rend resound rode rose roue round rouse rude rued rune ruse To purchase the Word Game book , visit WordGameBooks.com .
Order it now for just $ 5 while supplies last !
1 .
Words must be of four or @ @ @ @ @ @ @ acquire four letters by the addition of “ s , ” such as “ bats ” or “ dies , ” are not allowed .
3 .
Additional words made by adding a “ d ” or an “ s ” may not be used .
For example , if “ bake ” is used , “ baked ” or “ bakes ” are not allowed , but “ bake ” and “ baking ” are admissible .
4 .
Proper nouns , slang words , or vulgar or sexually explicit words are @ @ @

TODAY’S WORD — DEFICITS (DEFICITS: DEF-ih-sits: Inadequacies or insufficiencies.)
Average mark 17 words
Time limit 30 minutes
Can you find 24 or more words in DEFICITS? The list will be published tomorrow.
SATURDAY’S WORD — SOUNDER send senor snore sone sore sound sour sued
suer sunder surd sure onus ours under undo undoes used user nerd node nodus
noes nose nude nurse doer does done dose dour douse drone dues dune euro redo
rend resound rode rose roue round rouse rude rued rune ruse
To purchase the Word Game book, visit WordGameBooks.com. Order it now for just $5 while supplies last!
RULES OF THE GAME:
1. Words must be of four or more letters.
2. Words that acquire four letters by the addition of “s,” such as “bats” or “dies,” are not allowed.
3. Additional words made by adding a “d” or an “s” may not be used. For example, if “bake” is used, “baked” or “bakes” are not allowed, but “bake” and “baking” are admissible.
4. Proper nouns, slang words, or vulgar or sexually explicit words are not allowed.
Contact Word Game creator Kathleen Saxe at kzsaxe@gmail.com.