mercurynews--2020-12-26--Salinas Valley: Growers contend with how to make sure leafy greens are safe

The Salinas Valley has long billed itself as the Salad Bowl of the World .
Last year alone , Monterey County grew $ 1.4 billion worth of lettuce .
But for years the leafy green industry and Salinas Valley , which grows the majority of the nation ’ s lettuce , have also increasingly been known for something else : dangerous contamination in its leafy greens – particularly romaine lettuce – and an apparent inability to solve the problem .
The recurring contamination has sparked distrust in international markets , leading to a bombshell announcement in October that Canada effectively @ @ @ @ @ @ @ lettuce until Dec. 31 .
The restrictions apply to romaine grown in four counties : Monterey , Santa Cruz , San Benito and Santa Clara .
Although the U.S. Food and Drug Administration had announced a sweeping plan in March aimed at reducing outbreaks related to leafy greens , Canada wasn ’ t willing to take the risk , the country ’ s food inspection agency said .
The move was a stark reminder to local growers who have been working vigorously for more than a decade to safeguard leafy greens from contamination @ @ @ @ @ @ @ has been an exercise in frustration .
“ We absolutely recognize that there are millions of servings of these products consumed every single day .
And the food is safe — except when it isn ’ t , ” said Trevor Suslow , a food safety expert at UC Davis who recently stepped down as the vice president of produce safety at the Produce Marketing Association .
Any level of illness caused by leafy greens , Suslow said , is not acceptable .
Salinas Valley ’ s contamination problem drew international attention in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ than 200 people across the U.S. and in Canada were sickened from eating raw spinach contaminated with E. coli O157 : H7 , a virulent strain of bacteria that can cause severe stomach pain , bloody diarrhea and kidney failure .
Even though the source of the outbreak was eventually traced to a remote valley in San Benito County , where a cattle ranch owner had leased land to a spinach grower , the eyes of the world were suddenly on the Salinas Valley .
Federal investigators could not say definitively how the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ find the outbreak strain in nearby cattle and wild pigs , theorizing the pigs had traipsed through the spinach field or bacteria from the animals ’ feces had made its way into wells used to irrigate spinach .
And the outbreaks didn ’ t stop there .
According to a recent study by several U.S. and Canadian government agencies , there were 32 E. coli O157 : H7 outbreaks in the U.S. and Canada linked to leafy greens from 2009 to 2018 .
In the fall of 2019 alone , three major outbreaks @ @ @ @ @ @ @ traced back to romaine lettuce grown in the Salinas Valley .
All told , 188 people across the U.S. and Canada got sick from those outbreaks , leading to 92 hospitalizations and 16 cases of hemolytic uremic syndrome , a potentially fatal condition caused by bacterial toxins damaging blood vessels in the kidneys .
Romaine lettuce and other leafy greens are particularly susceptible to contamination .
The crops are grown directly in the ground , sometimes putting it into direct contact with animal feces containing E. coli .
And romaine ’ s large @ @ @ @ @ @ @ spread by air and water .
Most importantly : Because romaine lettuce is eaten raw , there is no “ kill step ” — an opportunity to destroy pathogens through cooking .
Canada ’ s announcement took many in the industry by surprise , in part because there have been no outbreaks traced to the valley this year , said Norm Groot , executive director of the Monterey County Farm Bureau .
To some scientists , however , the Canadians ’ decision seemed like a no-brainer .
“ What took them such a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Samadpour , president of IEH Laboratories and Consulting Group in Seattle .
Years ago , Samadpour was hired by San Juan Bautista-based Natural Selection Foods — which had packaged the tainted spinach that triggered the 2006 crisis — to overhaul microbial testing procedures .
Despite numerous investigations , no one has been able to find the exact source of contamination in last year ’ s outbreaks .
As was the case in the 2006 outbreak , fecal contamination from nearby pastures is suspected , according to an investigative report by the FDA on @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Investigators found a strain of E. coli O157 : H7 that matched one of the outbreak strains at a cattle grate less than two miles upslope from a lettuce farm tied to the contamination .
Federal investigators said irrigation water was another suspect , as were environmental factors such as heat , humidity , wind and wildlife , making the source of the outbreaks a moving target .
The FDA recently launched a multi-year study aimed at determining how human pathogens persist in the environment and contaminate produce .
But growers need answers @ @ @ @ @ @ @ forward with practices and implement something that works when we don ’ t have that full understanding ?
” Groot asked .
UC Davis ’ Suslow said the food-safety system doesn ’ t need to be overhauled .
“ I think there are ways to more effectively and strategically apply what we do know , while we ’ re waiting to work out some of the things we don ’ t , ” he said .
One organization committed to improving the safety of leafy greens is California ’ s Leafy Greens Marketing @ @ @ @ @ @ @ farmers in response to the 2006 E. coli outbreaks .
Membership in the LGMA is voluntary and allows growers to agree to a layer of food-safety regulations that exceed government requirements .
To reduce the risk of contamination from neighboring livestock farms , the LGMA last spring stepped up its efforts to scrutinize adjacent land use and has extended the required distance of buffer zones — land where no grazing is allowed and no leafy greens can be grown .
But Samadpour said that while the larger buffer zones might curb direct produce @ @ @ @ @ @ @ t stop birds and other wildlife that routinely travel long distances from spreading contamination between pastures and row crops .
To combat pathogens in irrigation water , the LGMA in 2019 approved more stringent standards for testing and treating water used to irrigate leafy greens .
The new standards include treating within 21 days before harvesting all water from open sources like canals and rivers that will be used in overhead irrigation .
“ This is a pretty staunch new metric – something that ’ s never been done in fresh produce before @ @ @ @ @ @ @ s technical director , said at a Sept. 1 webinar outlining the new standards .
Samadpour , however , said that just testing for generic E. coli won ’ t do much to catch O157 : H7 .
He said that many common tests detect E. coli by observing a chemical reaction caused by a bacterial enzyme .
But many strains of O157 : H7 , he said , don ’ t cause this chemical reaction , allowing dangerous strains of E. coli to slip by undetected .
“ The problem is that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the haystack , ” said Steve Church , CEO of Church Brothers Farms in Salinas .
But Samadpour thinks there is a way to find the needle .
“ We make the haystack smaller , ” he said .
“ And we make our needle larger.
” Growers , he said , can shrink the “ haystack ” by testing smaller plots of land – say a quarter of an acre rather than 10 acres .
And the “ needle ” can be enlarged by taking dozens of sample leaves instead of just @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the likelihood that the test will pick up evidence of contamination , Samadpour said .
Bill Marler , a Seattle attorney who has represented thousands of food poisoning victims , said Salinas Valley growers need more government regulation to “ save them from themselves.
” “ They may not like regulation , ” but neither did the beef industry in the early 1990s , Marler said .
In 1993 , an outbreak of E. coli O157 : H7 in Jack in the Box hamburgers sickened more than 700 people and killed four children @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in how beef was regulated , including a federal mandate that burgers must be cooked to an internal temperature of 155°F .
In addition , E. coli O157 : H7 was classified as an “ adulterant ” in ground beef .
That meant that any beef containing the bacterial strain could not be sold .
“ They got their act together and , in fact , they put me out of business , ” Marler quipped .
Groot , however , argued that the LGMA has actually been outpacing the FDA when it @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and processing leafy greens .
The U.S. Food Safety Modernization Act of 2012 , he noted , incorporated food safety standards originally established by the LGMA .
“ The industry is a lot more nimble and can adapt itself a whole lot quicker , ” Groot said .
• California pistachio tycoon picks a fight with the U.S. Navy • Protesting farmers in India call for another strike Suslow points to a growing body of research on leafy greens contamination by various research groups .
But , he said , there needs to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a large scale so that growers , scientists and government officials can learn from each other .
“ No single grower or single commodity or industry , ” he said , “ is going to be able to fix this alone .
”

The Salinas Valley has long billed itself as the Salad Bowl of the World. Last year alone, Monterey County grew $1.4 billion worth of lettuce.
But for years the valley, which grows the majority of the nation’s lettuce, has also increasingly been known for something else: dangerous contamination in its leafy greens — particularly romaine lettuce — and an apparent inability to solve the problem.
The recurring contamination has sparked distrust in international markets, leading to a bombshell announcement in October that Canada was imposing harsh restrictions on the importation of Salinas Valley-grown romaine lettuce through the end of the year. The new import rules applied to romaine planted in four counties: Monterey, Santa Cruz, San Benito and Santa Clara.
Although the U.S. Food and Drug Administration had announced a sweeping plan in March aimed at reducing outbreaks related to leafy greens, Canada wasn’t willing to take the risk, the country’s food inspection agency said.
The move was a stark reminder to local growers who have been working vigorously for more than a decade to safeguard leafy greens from contamination — a journey that in many ways has been an exercise in frustration.
“We absolutely recognize that there are millions of servings of these products consumed every single day. And the food is safe — except when it isn’t,” said Trevor Suslow, a food safety expert at UC Davis who recently stepped down as the vice president of produce safety at the Produce Marketing Association.
Any level of illness caused by leafy greens, Suslow said, is not acceptable.
Salinas Valley’s contamination problem drew international attention in 2006 when three people died and more than 200 people across the U.S. and in Canada were sickened from eating raw spinach contaminated with E. coli O157:H7, a virulent strain of bacteria that can cause severe stomach pain, bloody diarrhea and kidney failure.
Even though the source of the outbreak was eventually traced to a remote valley in San Benito County, where a cattle ranch owner had leased land to a spinach grower, the eyes of the world were suddenly on the Salinas Valley.
Federal investigators could not say definitively how the spinach became contaminated. But they did find the outbreak strain in nearby cattle and wild pigs, theorizing the pigs had traipsed through the spinach field or bacteria from the animals’ feces had made its way into wells used to irrigate spinach.
And the outbreaks didn’t stop there. According to a recent study by several U.S. and Canadian government agencies, there were 32 E. coli O157:H7 outbreaks in the U.S. and Canada linked to leafy greens from 2009 to 2018.
In the fall of 2019 alone, three major outbreaks of E. coli O157:H7 were traced back to romaine lettuce grown in the Salinas Valley. All told, 188 people across the U.S. and Canada got sick from those outbreaks, leading to 92 hospitalizations and 16 cases of hemolytic uremic syndrome, a potentially fatal condition caused by bacterial toxins damaging blood vessels in the kidneys.
Romaine lettuce and other leafy greens are particularly susceptible to contamination. The crops are grown directly in the ground, sometimes putting it into direct contact with animal feces containing E. coli. And romaine’s large, open leaves can catch potential contaminants spread by air and water. Most importantly: Because romaine lettuce is eaten raw, there is no “kill step”— an opportunity to destroy pathogens through cooking.
Canada’s announcement took many in the industry by surprise, in part because there have been no outbreaks traced to the valley this year, said Norm Groot, executive director of the Monterey County Farm Bureau.
To some scientists, however, the Canadians’ decision seemed like a no-brainer.
“What took them such a long time?” said microbiologist Mansour Samadpour, president of IEH Laboratories and Consulting Group in Seattle.
Years ago, Samadpour was hired by San Juan Bautista-based Natural Selection Foods — which had packaged the tainted spinach that triggered the 2006 crisis — to overhaul microbial testing procedures.
Despite numerous investigations, no one has been able to find the exact source of contamination in last year’s outbreaks.
As was the case in the 2006 outbreak, fecal contamination from nearby pastures is suspected, according to an investigative report by the FDA on the 2019 outbreaks released last May. Investigators found a strain of E. coli O157:H7 that matched one of the outbreak strains at a cattle grate less than two miles upslope from a lettuce farm tied to the contamination.
Federal investigators said irrigation water was another suspect, as were environmental factors such as heat, humidity, wind and wildlife, making the source of the outbreaks a moving target.
The FDA recently launched a multi-year study aimed at determining how human pathogens persist in the environment and contaminate produce.
But growers need answers now.
“How do we move forward with practices and implement something that works when we don’t have that full understanding?” Groot asked.
UC Davis’ Suslow said the food-safety system doesn’t need to be overhauled. “I think there are ways to more effectively and strategically apply what we do know, while we’re waiting to work out some of the things we don’t,” he said.
One organization committed to improving the safety of leafy greens is California’s Leafy Greens Marketing Agreement. The LGMA was created by farmers in response to the 2006 E. coli outbreaks.
Membership in the LGMA is voluntary and allows growers to agree to a layer of food-safety regulations that exceed government requirements.
To reduce the risk of contamination from neighboring livestock farms, the LGMA last spring stepped up its efforts to scrutinize adjacent land use and has extended the required distance of buffer zones — land where no grazing is allowed and no leafy greens can be grown.
But Samadpour said that while the larger buffer zones might curb direct produce contamination from livestock, they won’t stop birds and other wildlife that routinely travel long distances from spreading contamination between pastures and row crops.
To combat pathogens in irrigation water, the LGMA in 2019 approved more stringent standards for testing and treating water used to irrigate leafy greens. The new standards include treating within 21 days before harvesting all water from open sources like canals and rivers that will be used in overhead irrigation.
“This is a pretty staunch new metric – something that’s never been done in fresh produce before,” Greg Komar, LGMA’s technical director, said at a Sept. 1 webinar outlining the new standards.
Samadpour, however, said that just testing for generic E. coli won’t do much to catch O157:H7. He said that many common tests detect E. coli by observing a chemical reaction caused by a bacterial enzyme. But many strains of O157:H7, he said, don’t cause this chemical reaction, allowing dangerous strains of E. coli to slip by undetected.
“The problem is that nobody’s found the needle in the haystack,” said Steve Church, CEO of Church Brothers Farms in Salinas.
But Samadpour thinks there is a way to find the needle.
“We make the haystack smaller,” he said. “And we make our needle larger.”
Growers, he said, can shrink the “haystack” by testing smaller plots of land – say a quarter of an acre rather than 10 acres. And the “needle” can be enlarged by taking dozens of sample leaves instead of just one and testing them together, increasing the likelihood that the test will pick up evidence of contamination, Samadpour said.
Bill Marler, a Seattle attorney who has represented thousands of food poisoning victims, said Salinas Valley growers need more government regulation to “save them from themselves.”
“They may not like regulation,” but neither did the beef industry in the early 1990s, Marler said.
In 1993, an outbreak of E. coli O157:H7 in Jack in the Box hamburgers sickened more than 700 people and killed four children. The tragedy led to immediate changes in how beef was regulated, including a federal mandate that burgers must be cooked to an internal temperature of 155°F.
In addition, E. coli O157:H7 was classified as an “adulterant” in ground beef. That meant that any beef containing the bacterial strain could not be sold.
“They got their act together and, in fact, they put me out of business,” Marler quipped.
Groot, however, argued that the LGMA has actually been outpacing the FDA when it comes to raising standards for safely growing and processing leafy greens. The U.S. Food Safety Modernization Act of 2012, he noted, incorporated food safety standards originally established by the LGMA.
“The industry is a lot more nimble and can adapt itself a whole lot quicker,” Groot said.
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“No single grower or single commodity or industry,” he said, “is going to be able to fix this alone.”


mercurynews--2020-12-26--Marin judge might let San Quentin inmates relocate over virus

A Marin County judge might soon begin ordering the transfer of San Quentin State Prison inmates to other prisons in response to a wave of coronavirus safety complaints .
Some inmates , however , might prefer to remain where they are if they can ’ t be released .
Charles Carbone , a prisoner rights lawyer in San Francisco , said that is because “ right now everywhere else is hotter than San Quentin.
” As of Saturday , there were 9,155 active coronavirus cases among inmates at California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation sites throughout the state .
Ten @ @ @ @ @ @ @ but San Quentin had just four , the third least of any prison in the state .
“ We are in COVID freefall in our prisons , ” Carbone said .
“ The numbers are just skyrocketing .
There is no end in sight.
” The situation at San Quentin , however , has changed dramatically since the summer .
Coronavirus infections at the prison began to climb dramatically in June after 121 inmates were transferred there from the California Institution for Men in Chino , where an outbreak was already underway .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ who were transferred were tested for the virus , but not close to the transfer date .
Cases at San Quentin exploded , reaching their height at around 1,413 on July 8 .
Eventually , 2,152 of San Quentin ’ s population of 2,763 inmates would contract the virus , and 28 would die , more than at any other prison in the state .
Nevertheless , by Aug. 7 there were only seven active cases at San Quentin .
Regarding San Quentin ’ s low case count now , Carbone said , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ get two-thirds of the population infected.
” During the summer , when the virus was still spreading rapidly at San Quentin , inmates there began filing petitions with the court .
The inmates asserted that their continued incarceration during the severe outbreak violated the Eighth Amendment of the U.S. Constitution , which prohibits “ cruel and unusual punishment.
” Their cases were taken up by Carbone and the public defender offices in Marin , San Francisco and Alameda counties , as well as the Santa Clara County Alternate Defender Office .
More than @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Superior Court Judge Geoffrey Howard consolidated all of the petitions and scheduled a trial to decide the matter for last month .
Carbone said about a week before the trial was set to begin , the 1st District Court of Appeal in San Francisco issued an opinion in a related case that essentially settled the matter .
In a ruling on the treatment of a single San Quentin inmate , Ivan Von Staich , the court ruled that the prison ’ s safety measures were “ morally indefensible and constitutionally untenable.
” The @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in Southern California in 1983 and sentenced to life with the possibility of parole , was housed for a time in a 5-by-9-foot cell with another prisoner who had tested positive for the virus .
As a remedy , the appeals court ordered at least half of the prison ’ s inmates transferred or released .
The state prisons department has appealed the decision to the state Supreme Court , which is scheduled to rule on the matter at the end of January .
Judge Howard announced on Dec. 9 that rather than @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ruling , he would begin ruling on the petitions on a case-by-case basis .
He gave the state prisons department the option of remedying the situation by either releasing inmates or transferring them to another prison where better distancing is possible .
Howard said he would only consider petitions filed by inmates who are 60 or older , or inmates who have serious medical conditions that place them at heightened risk .
The Marin County Public Defender ’ s Office , however , has filed briefs objecting to transfers at this time , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ other institutions , and called for the inmates ’ release instead .
The public defender ’ s office is handling 249 of the cases .
“ It doesn ’ t make any sense to transfer them , ” said Deputy Public Defender Christine O ’ Hanlon .
“ There is COVID everywhere now.
” O ’ Hanlon said the petitioners her office is representing are low-risk offenders .
“ Some of them are in their 70s , ” she said .
Carbone said the state has indicated it will not release the inmates @ @ @ @ @ @ @ six of the 19 inmates he is representing have abandoned the legal proceeding rather than risk being transferred .
O ’ Hanlon said perhaps as many as 15 of her clients had also decided to drop out for the same reason .
Late last week , Carbone said the state announced it was voluntarily halting all transfers out of San Quentin .
Dana Simas , a spokeswoman for the prisons department , said it is doing its best to balance public health with public safety .
• Relief and government funding in doubt @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Pelosi sets up showdown on Trump ’ s $ 2,000 checks after GOP balks • Benefits lapse for millions as Trump fails to approve stimulus “ The department has reduced its overall population by almost 23,000 inmates since March , ” Simas wrote in an email .
“ We are currently at the lowest number of inmates across the prison system in over 30 years putting us well below the court-mandated population cap , and that reduction has helped with COVID-19 response efforts , including having more isolation and quarantine space , as @ @ @ @ @ @ @ distancing within the incarcerated population .
”

A Marin County judge might soon begin ordering the transfer of San Quentin State Prison inmates to other prisons in response to a wave of coronavirus safety complaints.
Some inmates, however, might prefer to remain where they are if they can’t be released. Charles Carbone, a prisoner rights lawyer in San Francisco, said that is because “right now everywhere else is hotter than San Quentin.”
As of Saturday, there were 9,155 active coronavirus cases among inmates at California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation sites throughout the state. Ten prisons had 500 or more cases, but San Quentin had just four, the third least of any prison in the state.
“We are in COVID freefall in our prisons,” Carbone said. “The numbers are just skyrocketing. There is no end in sight.”
The situation at San Quentin, however, has changed dramatically since the summer. Coronavirus infections at the prison began to climb dramatically in June after 121 inmates were transferred there from the California Institution for Men in Chino, where an outbreak was already underway. It was later revealed that the inmates who were transferred were tested for the virus, but not close to the transfer date.
Cases at San Quentin exploded, reaching their height at around 1,413 on July 8. Eventually, 2,152 of San Quentin’s population of 2,763 inmates would contract the virus, and 28 would die, more than at any other prison in the state. Nevertheless, by Aug. 7 there were only seven active cases at San Quentin.
Regarding San Quentin’s low case count now, Carbone said, “That is what happens when you get two-thirds of the population infected.”
During the summer, when the virus was still spreading rapidly at San Quentin, inmates there began filing petitions with the court. The inmates asserted that their continued incarceration during the severe outbreak violated the Eighth Amendment of the U.S. Constitution, which prohibits “cruel and unusual punishment.”
Their cases were taken up by Carbone and the public defender offices in Marin, San Francisco and Alameda counties, as well as the Santa Clara County Alternate Defender Office. More than 300 petitions were filed.
Marin County Superior Court Judge Geoffrey Howard consolidated all of the petitions and scheduled a trial to decide the matter for last month.
Carbone said about a week before the trial was set to begin, the 1st District Court of Appeal in San Francisco issued an opinion in a related case that essentially settled the matter.
In a ruling on the treatment of a single San Quentin inmate, Ivan Von Staich, the court ruled that the prison’s safety measures were “morally indefensible and constitutionally untenable.” The inmate, who was convicted of murder in Southern California in 1983 and sentenced to life with the possibility of parole, was housed for a time in a 5-by-9-foot cell with another prisoner who had tested positive for the virus.
As a remedy, the appeals court ordered at least half of the prison’s inmates transferred or released. The state prisons department has appealed the decision to the state Supreme Court, which is scheduled to rule on the matter at the end of January.
Judge Howard announced on Dec. 9 that rather than wait for the Supreme Court’s ruling, he would begin ruling on the petitions on a case-by-case basis. He gave the state prisons department the option of remedying the situation by either releasing inmates or transferring them to another prison where better distancing is possible.
Howard said he would only consider petitions filed by inmates who are 60 or older, or inmates who have serious medical conditions that place them at heightened risk.
The Marin County Public Defender’s Office, however, has filed briefs objecting to transfers at this time, due to prevalence of the virus in other institutions, and called for the inmates’ release instead. The public defender’s office is handling 249 of the cases.
“It doesn’t make any sense to transfer them,” said Deputy Public Defender Christine O’Hanlon. “There is COVID everywhere now.”
O’Hanlon said the petitioners her office is representing are low-risk offenders. “Some of them are in their 70s,” she said.
Carbone said the state has indicated it will not release the inmates who have filed petitions. Carbone said six of the 19 inmates he is representing have abandoned the legal proceeding rather than risk being transferred. O’Hanlon said perhaps as many as 15 of her clients had also decided to drop out for the same reason.
Late last week, Carbone said the state announced it was voluntarily halting all transfers out of San Quentin.
Dana Simas, a spokeswoman for the prisons department, said it is doing its best to balance public health with public safety.


mercurynews--2020-12-26--Relief and government funding in doubt as Trump delays signing of bill

President Trump on Saturday again blasted a massive economic stimulus bill overwhelmingly approved by Congress this week as the ramifications of a last-minute veto threat came into greater focus for the millions of Americans set to lose enhanced unemployment benefits or face eviction from their homes without new legislation .
The standoff between Trump and Congress grew deeper Saturday with no clarity on how they might come to a resolution .
Congressional Republicans and Democrats have expressed frustration since Trump on Tuesday , the day after the legislation passed both houses , sharply criticized the package in a White House @ @ @ @ @ @ @ played little role in the long and difficult negotiations that led to its passage .
Trump on Saturday repeated his opposition to the size of the checks , suggesting he would not sign the legislation without increasing them .
“ I simply want to get our great people $ 2000 , rather than the measly $ 600 that is now in the bill , ” Trump tweeted , referring to the stimulus checks that would go to millions of Americans .
“ Also , stop the billions of dollars in ‘ pork.
’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ year stood to expire Saturday , threatening benefits for an estimated 12 million Americans , according to the Century Foundation .
Even if Trump does eventually sign the bill , people eligible for unemployment benefits are likely to lose at least one of those weeks because the bill was not signed quickly enough for computer systems to be updated in time for next week ’ s payments , according to Democratic lawmakers .
Without the $ 2.3-trillion spending bill , the federal government will run out of funding Monday evening , sparking the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
A federal moratorium on housing evictions , which would have been extended for another month under the legislation , will expire Thursday , allowing thousands of removal efforts to proceed .
In 27 American cities alone , landlords have filed more than 162,000 evictions during the pandemic , according to Eviction Lab , a tracking program at Princeton University .
The bill also contains billions of dollars for other time-sensitive initiatives , such as vaccine distribution and COVID-19 testing .
Trump said he would veto the bill because the checks were too @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Democrats , who have long demanded larger payments .
The standoff pits Trump against congressional Republicans , who don ’ t want to add to the debt to pay for the larger checks .
The potential veto comes as Trump and many congressional Republicans have been at odds over the president ’ s unsubstantiated claims that the presidential election was stolen from him .
Trump wants Republicans to object to the electoral college results in early January , an effort that Senate Republicans have so far refused to take up .
Eager to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , House Democratic leaders have scheduled a vote Monday on adding a $ 2,000 check to the bill , forcing Republicans into the uncomfortable position of siding with the president or sticking with their prior position against the larger payments .
“ If the president is serious about the $ 2,000 direct payments , he must call on House Republicans to end their obstruction , ” House Speaker Nancy Pelosi ( D-San Francisco ) said when she announced the vote on Thursday .
“ Democrats would love to [ give ] $ 2,000 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Rep. Maxine Waters ( D-Los Angeles ) said on CNN Saturday morning .
“ I don ’ t know what kind of game he ’ s playing .
I don ’ t know what the Republicans will do.
” Even if such a bill passed the Democratic-controlled House , as expected , the Senate is expected to block it , according to Senate Republicans .
Some on Capitol Hill suspect — or hope — that Trump will drop the veto threat , as he has done in similar circumstances .
“ The best @ @ @ @ @ @ @ president to sign the bill , and I still hope that ’ s what he decides , ” Sen. Roy Blunt ( R-Mo . )
told reporters Thursday .
If the stalemate continues , Congress could try to override Trump ’ s veto .
The bill passed with a large enough margin in both chambers to become law without Trump ’ s signature , so long as no one changes his or her vote .
But a veto override is fraught with uncertainty .
Sen. Lindsey Graham ( R-S.C. ) , who golfed @ @ @ @ @ @ @ he would not override Trump ’ s veto .
“ After spending some time with President [ Trump ] today , I am convinced he is more determined than ever to increase stimulus payments to $ 2000 per person and challenge Section 230 big tech liability protection , ” Graham tweeted , referring to the president ’ s simultaneous calls to remove liability protections from social media companies , such as Twitter and Facebook .
Critics have noted the irony in Trump ’ s efforts : Social media companies would surely boot Trump @ @ @ @ @ @ @ over his frequently false , disparaging and potentially libelous missives .
Congress is already prepared to override the first veto of Trump ’ s presidency next week .
The House is slated to vote Monday to overturn Trump ’ s veto Wednesday of a military spending bill .
If the chamber passes the bill by the required margin , the Senate plans to come back to Washington on Tuesday to do the same .
Frustrating congressional Republicans , Trump was all but absent from the negotiations .
Treasury Secretary Steven T. Mnuchin was @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of the White House .
The president did not publicly weigh in until shortly after Congress approved the bill , issuing a four-minute video criticizing the legislation — which was nearly 6,000 pages long — as a pork-laden giveaway .
Despite his last-minute objections , Trump ’ s own administration advanced many of the items he found objectionable , such as foreign aid programs and funding to keep the federal government open .
“ Congress found plenty of money for foreign countries , lobbyists and special interests , ” Trump said , “ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ American people who need it.
” • Benefits lapse for millions as Trump fails to approve stimulus • Trump , Pence reportedly met before president went to Florida • A look at the 29 people Donald Trump pardoned or gave commutations Lawmakers were blindsided by the veto threat , having been told by the Treasury secretary that the White House backed the deal .
“ We ’ ve been assured that the president would sign the bill , ” Blunt said , “ and I have no reason to believe that Secretary Mnuchin @ @ @ @ @ @ @

By Jennifer Haberkorn | Los Angeles Times
President Trump on Saturday again blasted a massive economic stimulus bill overwhelmingly approved by Congress this week as the ramifications of a last-minute veto threat came into greater focus for the millions of Americans set to lose enhanced unemployment benefits or face eviction from their homes without new legislation.
The standoff between Trump and Congress grew deeper Saturday with no clarity on how they might come to a resolution. Congressional Republicans and Democrats have expressed frustration since Trump on Tuesday, the day after the legislation passed both houses, sharply criticized the package in a White House video and on Twitter, despite having played little role in the long and difficult negotiations that led to its passage.
Trump on Saturday repeated his opposition to the size of the checks, suggesting he would not sign the legislation without increasing them. “I simply want to get our great people $2000, rather than the measly $600 that is now in the bill,” Trump tweeted, referring to the stimulus checks that would go to millions of Americans. “Also, stop the billions of dollars in ‘pork.’”
[vemba-video id=”politics/2020/12/26/trump-coronavirus-relief-bill-opposition-westwood-ndwknd-vpx.cnn”]
Video: Trump doubles down on Covid-19 relief bill opposition
Enhanced unemployment benefits approved earlier this year stood to expire Saturday, threatening benefits for an estimated 12 million Americans, according to the Century Foundation. Even if Trump does eventually sign the bill, people eligible for unemployment benefits are likely to lose at least one of those weeks because the bill was not signed quickly enough for computer systems to be updated in time for next week’s payments, according to Democratic lawmakers.
Without the $2.3-trillion spending bill, the federal government will run out of funding Monday evening, sparking the third shutdown of Trump’s presidency.
A federal moratorium on housing evictions, which would have been extended for another month under the legislation, will expire Thursday, allowing thousands of removal efforts to proceed. In 27 American cities alone, landlords have filed more than 162,000 evictions during the pandemic, according to Eviction Lab, a tracking program at Princeton University.
The bill also contains billions of dollars for other time-sensitive initiatives, such as vaccine distribution and COVID-19 testing.
Trump said he would veto the bill because the checks were too small, bringing him in line with Democrats, who have long demanded larger payments. The standoff pits Trump against congressional Republicans, who don’t want to add to the debt to pay for the larger checks.
The potential veto comes as Trump and many congressional Republicans have been at odds over the president’s unsubstantiated claims that the presidential election was stolen from him. Trump wants Republicans to object to the electoral college results in early January, an effort that Senate Republicans have so far refused to take up.
Eager to take advantage of Trump’s position, House Democratic leaders have scheduled a vote Monday on adding a $2,000 check to the bill, forcing Republicans into the uncomfortable position of siding with the president or sticking with their prior position against the larger payments.
“If the president is serious about the $2,000 direct payments, he must call on House Republicans to end their obstruction,” House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-San Francisco) said when she announced the vote on Thursday.
“Democrats would love to [give] $2,000 to all of our families,” Rep. Maxine Waters (D-Los Angeles) said on CNN Saturday morning. “I don’t know what kind of game he’s playing. I don’t know what the Republicans will do.”
Even if such a bill passed the Democratic-controlled House, as expected, the Senate is expected to block it, according to Senate Republicans.
Some on Capitol Hill suspect — or hope — that Trump will drop the veto threat, as he has done in similar circumstances. “The best way out of this is for the president to sign the bill, and I still hope that’s what he decides,” Sen. Roy Blunt (R-Mo.) told reporters Thursday.
If the stalemate continues, Congress could try to override Trump’s veto. The bill passed with a large enough margin in both chambers to become law without Trump’s signature, so long as no one changes his or her vote.
But a veto override is fraught with uncertainty. Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.), who golfed with Trump on Christmas Day, said he would not override Trump’s veto.
“After spending some time with President [Trump] today, I am convinced he is more determined than ever to increase stimulus payments to $2000 per person and challenge Section 230 big tech liability protection,” Graham tweeted, referring to the president’s simultaneous calls to remove liability protections from social media companies, such as Twitter and Facebook.
Critics have noted the irony in Trump’s efforts: Social media companies would surely boot Trump from their platforms to reduce their liability over his frequently false, disparaging and potentially libelous missives.
Congress is already prepared to override the first veto of Trump’s presidency next week. The House is slated to vote Monday to overturn Trump’s veto Wednesday of a military spending bill. If the chamber passes the bill by the required margin, the Senate plans to come back to Washington on Tuesday to do the same.
Frustrating congressional Republicans, Trump was all but absent from the negotiations. Treasury Secretary Steven T. Mnuchin was dispatched to haggle with lawmakers on behalf of the White House.
The president did not publicly weigh in until shortly after Congress approved the bill, issuing a four-minute video criticizing the legislation — which was nearly 6,000 pages long — as a pork-laden giveaway. Despite his last-minute objections, Trump’s own administration advanced many of the items he found objectionable, such as foreign aid programs and funding to keep the federal government open.
“Congress found plenty of money for foreign countries, lobbyists and special interests,” Trump said, “while sending the bare minimum to the American people who need it.”
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This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.


mercurynews--2020-12-27--49ers’ C.J. Beathard says of emotional victory: ‘You couldn’t write a script like this’

It was a new-look C.J .
Beathard that won Saturday as the 49ers ’ starting quarterback .
First , we saw his freshly cut hair .
He ’ d grown it out the past year as a tribute to his youngest brother , Clayton , who was murdered a year ago outside a Nashville bar .
Second , look at the stats .
He ’ d never thrown three touchdown passes in a game in his career , which shouldn ’ t be surprising considering he went 1-9 with those 2017 and ’ 18 teams lacking a talented pit crew @ @ @ @ @ @ @ can really put into words , ” Beathard said .
“ Everything I ’ ve been through the last year and it being the year anniversary of my brother passing , you can ’ t put it into words other than it ’ s God , and you couldn ’ t write a script like this.
” Beathard also showed familiar traits , such as a third-down sack on the first series but also the most mobility by a 49ers quarterback since Colin Kaepernick ’ s 2016 farewell .
Most of all , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Just his leadership out there , the way guys gravitated to him , you could feel it all week in practice , ” coach Kyle Shanahan said .
“ You could tell how hard they played for him too .
I was very impressed by C.J .
and very happy for him , too.
” Beathard ’ s response : “ I appreciate that compliment .
I just felt this week in general , as an offense and defense , with everything we ’ d been through , and it was Christmas so @ @ @ @ @ @ @ around , and guys were in a hotel without their families , I credit the guys , and they inspire me more than anything.
” Player after player praised Beathard for his poise and his work behind the scenes these past couple years as a backup .
“ The guy inspires us so much and we ’ re so happy to go perform for him , ” fullback Kyle Juszczyk said .
“ A lot of guys could have bowed out tonight and we didn ’ t have to do what we did @ @ @ @ @ @ @ tight end George Kittle , who returned from a Nov. 1 foot fracture to enjoy another dose of Saturday football with his former Iowa teammate .
Kittle and Beathard arrived at Iowa in 2012 as redshirt freshmen , and the 49ers drafted them both in 2017 .
“ ” He was incredible .
I ’ d said he was going to play inspired and would play relentless , and he was today .
He made play after play , ” Kittle said .
“ Overall he handled himself incredible and it was really @ @ @ @ @ @ @ with my brother again.
” Beathard ’ s postgame attire honored his late brother , Clayton .
Beathard wore a jacket with the word “ King ” next to a picture of his Clayton , whose pastor in New York recently sent the jacket to the 49ers ’ quarterback as a cherished gift .
“ It ’ s got a lot of meaning for me , ” Beathard said .
“ First and foremost , the King is our lord and savior Jesus Christ .
It has a lot of irony with me @ @ @ @ @ @ @ middle name was King ; so Clayton King Beathard was his full name .
And my other brother , Tucker , dedicated his album to Clay and it was called ‘ King.
’ • 49ers report card : Heroics abound at Arizona in what could be Robert Saleh ’ s penultimate act • What the 49ers are saying after beating Cardinals • 49ers ’ George Kittle wins over Bears fans , relishes more Saturday football with Beathard • Jeff Wilson , 49ers continue to burn Cardinals with same passing route “ Clay ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ made for me and sent it to me .
It drove me to tears when I saw it.
” Beathard did have a more light-hearted moment en route to Saturday ’ s win .
He noted that the 49ers ’ mood was “ pretty light ” as they drove for what should have been a win-clinching field goal , which Robbie Gould missed with 65 seconds to go .
“ I haven ’ t been in the huddle in a game where we were up with two minutes left and getting ready to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ said .
“ It was pretty light but not over yet .
It was too close for comfort .
“ It was fun and every run felt like a gash .
No matter what we called , we knew we ’ d execute and it would be a positive play for us.
” They now have one more game to play , against the NFC West-leading Seattle Seahawks , back at Arizona ’ s State Farm Stadium , where the 49ers ’ relocated to this month because of Santa Clara County ’ s @ @ @

It was a new-look C.J. Beathard that won Saturday as the 49ers’ starting quarterback.
First, we saw his freshly cut hair. He’d grown it out the past year as a tribute to his youngest brother, Clayton, who was murdered a year ago outside a Nashville bar.
Second, look at the stats. He’d never thrown three touchdown passes in a game in his career, which shouldn’t be surprising considering he went 1-9 with those 2017 and ’18 teams lacking a talented pit crew.
“It means more than I can really put into words,” Beathard said. “Everything I’ve been through the last year and it being the year anniversary of my brother passing, you can’t put it into words other than it’s God, and you couldn’t write a script like this.”
Beathard also showed familiar traits, such as a third-down sack on the first series but also the most mobility by a 49ers quarterback since Colin Kaepernick’s 2016 farewell.
Most of all, Beathard oozed leadership and poise.
“Just his leadership out there, the way guys gravitated to him, you could feel it all week in practice,” coach Kyle Shanahan said. “You could tell how hard they played for him too. I was very impressed by C.J. and very happy for him, too.”
Beathard’s response: “I appreciate that compliment. I just felt this week in general, as an offense and defense, with everything we’d been through, and it was Christmas so a lot of practice stuff was moved around, and guys were in a hotel without their families, I credit the guys, and they inspire me more than anything.”
Player after player praised Beathard for his poise and his work behind the scenes these past couple years as a backup.
“The guy inspires us so much and we’re so happy to go perform for him,” fullback Kyle Juszczyk said. “A lot of guys could have bowed out tonight and we didn’t have to do what we did for him.”
One unmistakable guy was tight end George Kittle, who returned from a Nov. 1 foot fracture to enjoy another dose of Saturday football with his former Iowa teammate. Kittle and Beathard arrived at Iowa in 2012 as redshirt freshmen, and the 49ers drafted them both in 2017.
“”He was incredible. I’d said he was going to play inspired and would play relentless, and he was today. He made play after play,” Kittle said. “Overall he handled himself incredible and it was really fun to play some Saturday football again with my brother again.”
Beathard’s postgame attire honored his late brother, Clayton. Beathard wore a jacket with the word “King” next to a picture of his Clayton, whose pastor in New York recently sent the jacket to the 49ers’ quarterback as a cherished gift.
“It’s got a lot of meaning for me,” Beathard said. “First and foremost, the King is our lord and savior Jesus Christ. It has a lot of irony with me, just because my brother’s middle name was King; so Clayton King Beathard was his full name. And my other brother, Tucker, dedicated his album to Clay and it was called ‘King.’
“Clay’s pastor in New York got this made for me and sent it to me. It drove me to tears when I saw it.”
Beathard did have a more light-hearted moment en route to Saturday’s win. He noted that the 49ers’ mood was “pretty light” as they drove for what should have been a win-clinching field goal, which Robbie Gould missed with 65 seconds to go.
“I haven’t been in the huddle in a game where we were up with two minutes left and getting ready to kick another field goal,” Beathard said. “It was pretty light but not over yet. It was too close for comfort.
“It was fun and every run felt like a gash. No matter what we called, we knew we’d execute and it would be a positive play for us.”
They now have one more game to play, against the NFC West-leading Seattle Seahawks, back at Arizona’s State Farm Stadium, where the 49ers’ relocated to this month because of Santa Clara County’s COVID-19 regulations.


mercurynews--2020-12-27--Rubin: How Biden can approach the Russia mess that Trump left in his lap

This column is about a massive cyber attack and a pair of poisoned underpants that lead to a giant question : Can Joe Biden figure out how to handle Putin ’ s Russia after President Trump leaves town ?
Trump is ignoring the just-discovered hack of federal government and corporate America by Moscow ( even as he still claims the Russia election hack in 2016 was “ a hoax.
” ) Never mind that Secretary of State Mike Pompeo has named Russia as the culprit .
Trump blamed the “ Fake News Media ” and China .
The president falsely @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , ” but his former homeland security adviser Tom Bossert wrote that the attack ’ s magnitude “ is hard to overstate , ” and will take years to unravel .
In other words , Trump is leaving office just as he entered , covering up for Putin , while refusing to confront a Kremlin that is endangering America ’ s security .
And polls show his GOP base has become soft on Putin , thanks to Trump ’ s lies .
Meantime , the president has never publicly condemned the Kremlin ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ s leading opposition politician Alexei Navalny , who is recovering in Germany .
He has ignored irrefutable evidence produced by the internet investigative group Bellingcat and CNN .
They traced the attack to a top-level Russian hit team , which smeared a banned nerve agent on Navalny ’ s briefs in a Russian hotel room .
And Navalny conned one of the poisoners into confessing by phone .
So President-elect Biden will enter office facing a Russian opponent who has been enabled for four years by Trump ’ s incoherent policy – and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ prove his failing country is still strong .
Biden has said the right things : that he will make “ dealing with this breach a top priority from the moment we take office.
” He will also work to “ disrupt and deter ” adversaries from trying such attacks , by “ imposing substantial costs ” on those responsible , in coordination with U.S. allies .
Cynics will point out that President Obama and his team ( including Biden ) never managed to handle the Kremlin or reverse its 2014 invasion of Ukraine @ @ @ @ @ @ @ obeisance to Putin that Trump has .
So how can Biden approach the Russia mess that Trump has left in his lap ?
First of all , it ’ s necessary to ask a basic question : Who is Mr. Putin ?
Clearly Trump never grasped the answer , despite Putin ’ s two decades in office .
Putin was never his pal , but rather a hostile leader determined to prove his failing country was still a great power .
“ Putin has an obsession with being relevant , ” says Fiona @ @ @ @ @ @ @ s National Security Council , until her expertise put her at odds with the president .
“ He ’ s saying , ‘ We are a superpower in cyberspace .
We ’ ve gotten all your data.
’ ” She says Putin doesn ’ t mind that the hack was discovered , because it boosts the image of Russian technological prowess .
Moreover , understanding Putin ’ s background is the key to dealing with the Russian leader .
Yevgenia Albats , a leading Russian scholar and investigative journalist , explains that “ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ by the KGB [ the former Russian intelligence service ] under a new acronym — the FSB.
” Former KGB officer Putin has surrounded himself with ex-intelligence operatives .
“ You have to understand , ” she told me , “ that Russia is not the Soviet Union lite .
In the Soviet Union , the Communist Party respected certain rules .
Now you are dealing with KGB guys who hate [ America ] and who see cheating you as their main agenda .
Russia signed the chemical weapons treaty , yet they @ @ @ @ @ @ @ against Putin ’ s enemies in Europe .
So dealing with Putin requires full realization of his implacable hostility to the West .
That does not mean that Biden can ’ t deal with Putin on issues of mutual interest , such as renewing the New Start nuclear treaty , which will expire two weeks after he takes office .
However , it means doing so with fulling willingness to call out cheating .
And it certainly means setting out new markers on cyber , putting more government money and manpower into cyber @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
As Sen. Mark Warner , ranking Democrat on the intelligence committee , told CNN , “ We need a common doctrine on when we will strike back.
” Clint Watts , a former FBI special agent and Russian information warfare expert at the Foreign Policy Research Institute in Philadelphia , says the allies “ should do offensive cyber where Russia is running wild .
We have no hesitation to do it with Iran , but we take it off the table with Russia .
Sanctions are not a deterrent.
” Indeed , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ at Russia without some cyber-response that makes Putin aware of the risk of launching another massive attack .
Albats thinks it is also necessary to “ go after the money , of Putin and his people .
The only thing they value is money.
” She is referring to the property , yachts , and bank accounts Putin ’ s inner circle has all over the world .
But one thing is certain , once the days of Trump ’ s bizarre bromance with Putin end , Biden must set a new tone @ @ @ @ @ @ @ s incoming White House chief of staff , Ron Klain , said Sunday that the hack response will go beyond “ just sanctions.
” It should .

This column is about a massive cyber attack and a pair of poisoned underpants that lead to a giant question: Can Joe Biden figure out how to handle Putin’s Russia after President Trump leaves town?
Trump is ignoring the just-discovered hack of federal government and corporate America by Moscow (even as he still claims the Russia election hack in 2016 was “a hoax.”) Never mind that Secretary of State Mike Pompeo has named Russia as the culprit. Trump blamed the “Fake News Media” and China.
The president falsely tweeted “everything is well under control,” but his former homeland security adviser Tom Bossert wrote that the attack’s magnitude “is hard to overstate,” and will take years to unravel. In other words, Trump is leaving office just as he entered, covering up for Putin, while refusing to confront a Kremlin that is endangering America’s security. And polls show his GOP base has become soft on Putin, thanks to Trump’s lies.
Meantime, the president has never publicly condemned the Kremlin’s near fatal poisoning of Russia’s leading opposition politician Alexei Navalny, who is recovering in Germany. He has ignored irrefutable evidence produced by the internet investigative group Bellingcat and CNN. They traced the attack to a top-level Russian hit team, which smeared a banned nerve agent on Navalny’s briefs in a Russian hotel room. And Navalny conned one of the poisoners into confessing by phone.
So President-elect Biden will enter office facing a Russian opponent who has been enabled for four years by Trump’s incoherent policy – and who is ready to take risks to prove his failing country is still strong.
Biden has said the right things: that he will make “dealing with this breach a top priority from the moment we take office.” He will also work to “disrupt and deter” adversaries from trying such attacks, by “imposing substantial costs” on those responsible, in coordination with U.S. allies.
Cynics will point out that President Obama and his team (including Biden) never managed to handle the Kremlin or reverse its 2014 invasion of Ukraine. But Obama never demonstrated the pathological obeisance to Putin that Trump has.
So how can Biden approach the Russia mess that Trump has left in his lap?
First of all, it’s necessary to ask a basic question: Who is Mr. Putin? Clearly Trump never grasped the answer, despite Putin’s two decades in office. Putin was never his pal, but rather a hostile leader determined to prove his failing country was still a great power.
“Putin has an obsession with being relevant,” says Fiona Hill, who served on Trump’s National Security Council, until her expertise put her at odds with the president. “He’s saying, ‘We are a superpower in cyberspace. We’ve gotten all your data.’” She says Putin doesn’t mind that the hack was discovered, because it boosts the image of Russian technological prowess.
Moreover, understanding Putin’s background is the key to dealing with the Russian leader.
Yevgenia Albats, a leading Russian scholar and investigative journalist, explains that “Today’s Russia is run solely by the KGB [the former Russian intelligence service] under a new acronym — the FSB.” Former KGB officer Putin has surrounded himself with ex-intelligence operatives.
“You have to understand,” she told me, “that Russia is not the Soviet Union lite. In the Soviet Union, the Communist Party respected certain rules. Now you are dealing with KGB guys who hate [America] and who see cheating you as their main agenda. Russia signed the chemical weapons treaty, yet they used Novichok on Navalny” – and against Putin’s enemies in Europe.
So dealing with Putin requires full realization of his implacable hostility to the West.
That does not mean that Biden can’t deal with Putin on issues of mutual interest, such as renewing the New Start nuclear treaty, which will expire two weeks after he takes office.
However, it means doing so with fulling willingness to call out cheating.
And it certainly means setting out new markers on cyber, putting more government money and manpower into cyber defenses, and working closely with allies. As Sen. Mark Warner, ranking Democrat on the intelligence committee, told CNN, “We need a common doctrine on when we will strike back.”
Clint Watts, a former FBI special agent and Russian information warfare expert at the Foreign Policy Research Institute in Philadelphia, says the allies “should do offensive cyber where Russia is running wild. We have no hesitation to do it with Iran, but we take it off the table with Russia. Sanctions are not a deterrent.”
Indeed, it is hard to imagine pushing back at Russia without some cyber-response that makes Putin aware of the risk of launching another massive attack.
Albats thinks it is also necessary to “go after the money, of Putin and his people. The only thing they value is money.” She is referring to the property, yachts, and bank accounts Putin’s inner circle has all over the world.
But one thing is certain, once the days of Trump’s bizarre bromance with Putin end, Biden must set a new tone in dealing with Russia. Biden’s incoming White House chief of staff, Ron Klain, said Sunday that the hack response will go beyond “just sanctions.” It should.
Trudy Rubin is a Philadelphia Inquirer columnist.


mercurynews--2020-12-27--Skelton: Padilla appointment marks new chapter in California politics

California Secretary of State Alex Padilla is an excellent choice for U.S. senator .
He ’ s actually the only choice Gov .
Gavin Newsom could have made — intellectually and politically .
It was a historic appointment for a governor who takes pride in recording “ firsts.
” Padilla , 47 , will be the first Latino senator from California .
And that should be embarrassing for a state with such deep Mexican roots — where the largest ethnic group is now Latino , representing 40 % of the population .
It ’ s about time we had a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ something Newsom couldn ’ t ignore .
Moreover , Padilla is a loyal political pal of Newsom ’ s .
The governor and he go way back — to when Newsom was the San Francisco mayor trying to run for governor the first time in 2009 .
He dropped out when Jerry Brown entered the race and ran for lieutenant governor instead .
But Padilla was there from the start as Newsom ’ s campaign chairman , often traveling with him to hustle for votes .
Padilla supported Newsom again in 2014 when @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ s main challenger was fellow Democrat Antonio Villaraigosa , the Los Angeles mayor when Padilla was president of the LA City Council — the first Latino to hold that post .
“ We ’ ve known each other a long time — 20 years , ” Padilla told me Tuesday , referring to Newsom .
“ We ’ ve talked to each other about our future opportunities over the years.
” Like good friends do .
Padilla ’ s dream was to be a U.S. senator .
So if Newsom had selected @ @ @ @ @ @ @ term of Vice President-elect Kamala Harris , what kind of message would that have sent to other politicians the governor might ask for a favor in the future ?
The message would be : “ You scratch my back — but go find someone else to scratch yours.
” Newsom ’ s not that kind of guy .
And all politicians know that after Padilla ’ s selection .
Padilla was a state senator for eight years — he authored the legislation outlawing single-use plastic bags at grocery stores — then was elected @ @ @ @ @ @ @ he was the first Latino to hold that office .
Padilla ’ s parents were Mexican immigrants who met in Los Angeles .
His dad was a short-order cook ; his mom cleaned affluent people ’ s houses .
Padilla earned a mechanical engineering degree at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology .
The engineering grad returned to the San Fernando Valley , where he caught the political bug during the 1994 campaign to pass Proposition 187 .
The measure ’ s purpose was to deny most public services to immigrants living here illegally @ @ @ @ @ @ @ judge but inspired a generation of Latino politicians who championed immigrant rights .
“ It ’ s way past time to pass comprehensive immigration reform , ” Padilla told me .
“ For starters , ‘ Dreamers ’ should be brought out of the shadows and their status stabilized .
… And there should be a true path to citizenship.
” “ Dreamers ” are the young adults who were brought across the border as children by their undocumented parents .
They ’ ve known no other country than this one .
President @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
When I asked Padilla what his priorities would be as a senator , he replied : “ There ’ ll be three — COVID , COVID , COVID .
“ The first thing I want to do is get my arms around the pandemic and help the working families that have been devastated from both health and economic standpoints .
These families are going to need a lot more support.
” Padilla is not a spellbinding orator .
In fact , he could be a cure for insomnia .
But he ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ He goes about his business , like running a clean election process with an enormous voter turnout .
On Monday , the governor sent word to Padilla that he wanted to chat via Zoom in the evening .
On Tuesday , a link of the brief conversation was shared by a Padilla staffer .
Newsom asked about Padilla ’ s immigrant parents and they bantered a bit .
Then the governor said : “ What would your mom think now as I ask if you want to be the next U.S. senator from @ @ @ @ @ @ @ his dad cooking and his mom cleaning — and was interrupted by the governor .
“ You ’ ve got to say ‘ yes . '
” “ It would have been political malpractice if Newsom didn ’ t appoint a Latino or Latina , ” says political consultant Mike Madrid , a disenchanted Republican who ’ s about to reregister as an independent .
“ The Senate seat from California — the state with the largest Latino population — will provide a platform for an emerging America .
Padilla ’ s voice @ @ @ @ @ @ @ first need to get elected to a full term in 2022 .
But he ’ ll have an incumbent ’ s edge and the governor ’ s strong support .
Padilla represents a new chapter in California politics .
Hopefully it ’ ll be a page turner .

California Secretary of State Alex Padilla is an excellent choice for U.S. senator. He’s actually the only choice Gov. Gavin Newsom could have made — intellectually and politically.
It was a historic appointment for a governor who takes pride in recording “firsts.”
Padilla, 47, will be the first Latino senator from California. And that should be embarrassing for a state with such deep Mexican roots — where the largest ethnic group is now Latino, representing 40% of the population.
It’s about time we had a Latino senator. And it’s something Newsom couldn’t ignore.
Moreover, Padilla is a loyal political pal of Newsom’s.
The governor and he go way back — to when Newsom was the San Francisco mayor trying to run for governor the first time in 2009. He dropped out when Jerry Brown entered the race and ran for lieutenant governor instead. But Padilla was there from the start as Newsom’s campaign chairman, often traveling with him to hustle for votes.
Padilla supported Newsom again in 2014 when the governor ran for reelection. Newsom’s main challenger was fellow Democrat Antonio Villaraigosa, the Los Angeles mayor when Padilla was president of the LA City Council — the first Latino to hold that post.
“We’ve known each other a long time — 20 years,” Padilla told me Tuesday, referring to Newsom. “We’ve talked to each other about our future opportunities over the years.”
Like good friends do. Padilla’s dream was to be a U.S. senator.
So if Newsom had selected someone else to fill out the unexpired term of Vice President-elect Kamala Harris, what kind of message would that have sent to other politicians the governor might ask for a favor in the future? The message would be: “You scratch my back — but go find someone else to scratch yours.”
Newsom’s not that kind of guy. And all politicians know that after Padilla’s selection.
Padilla was a state senator for eight years — he authored the legislation outlawing single-use plastic bags at grocery stores — then was elected California secretary of state. Again, he was the first Latino to hold that office.
Padilla’s parents were Mexican immigrants who met in Los Angeles. His dad was a short-order cook; his mom cleaned affluent people’s houses. Padilla earned a mechanical engineering degree at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
The engineering grad returned to the San Fernando Valley, where he caught the political bug during the 1994 campaign to pass Proposition 187. The measure’s purpose was to deny most public services to immigrants living here illegally. It was tossed out by a judge but inspired a generation of Latino politicians who championed immigrant rights.
“It’s way past time to pass comprehensive immigration reform,” Padilla told me. “For starters, ‘Dreamers’ should be brought out of the shadows and their status stabilized. … And there should be a true path to citizenship.”
“Dreamers” are the young adults who were brought across the border as children by their undocumented parents. They’ve known no other country than this one. President Donald Trump was eyeing them for deportation.
When I asked Padilla what his priorities would be as a senator, he replied: “There’ll be three — COVID, COVID, COVID.
“The first thing I want to do is get my arms around the pandemic and help the working families that have been devastated from both health and economic standpoints. These families are going to need a lot more support.”
Padilla is not a spellbinding orator. In fact, he could be a cure for insomnia. But he’s bright, focused and energetic. He goes about his business, like running a clean election process with an enormous voter turnout.
On Monday, the governor sent word to Padilla that he wanted to chat via Zoom in the evening. On Tuesday, a link of the brief conversation was shared by a Padilla staffer.
Newsom asked about Padilla’s immigrant parents and they bantered a bit. Then the governor said: “What would your mom think now as I ask if you want to be the next U.S. senator from California?”
“You serious?” Padilla replied, his eyes tearing up. “I’m honored, man. I’m humbled.”
Padilla talked emotionally about his dad cooking and his mom cleaning — and was interrupted by the governor.
“You’ve got to say ‘yes.'”
“Absolutely. I will make you proud.”
“It would have been political malpractice if Newsom didn’t appoint a Latino or Latina,” says political consultant Mike Madrid, a disenchanted Republican who’s about to reregister as an independent.
“The Senate seat from California — the state with the largest Latino population — will provide a platform for an emerging America. Padilla’s voice will write history.”
He’ll first need to get elected to a full term in 2022. But he’ll have an incumbent’s edge and the governor’s strong support.
Padilla represents a new chapter in California politics. Hopefully it’ll be a page turner.
George Skelton is a Los Angeles Times columnist.


mercurynews--2020-12-27--Walters: COVID-19 may have permanent economic impacts on California

When the state Employment Development Department released a new report on jobs this month , it had a tinge of optimism .
California ’ s unemployment rate had dropped to 8.2 % in November , exactly half of the record-high 16.4 % recorded in the spring as the first wave of COVID-19 pummeled the state and Gov .
Gavin Newsom shut down large segments of the economy .
Viewed narrowly , the report indicated a strong recovery of about half of the more than two million jobs that had been quickly erased by the early shutdown orders .
But appearances @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the summer and early fall months , thus allowing many economic sectors to resume hiring , the stubborn disease exploded with a vengeance in late November and Newsom has once again clamped down on businesses deemed to be infection hot spots , such as restaurants .
Unemployment is also soaring again as affected employers shed workers , likely sending the jobless rate over 10 % again .
“ In isolation , California ’ s November job performance is not terrible ; in 2019 , a ‘ normal ’ year , it would have @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , ” Taner Osman , research manager at Beacon Economics and the UC Riverside Center for Forecasting , said .
“ But because job losses since February measure at more than a million workers , and because of the continued surge of new COVID cases in the state , this is not a report that will bring much-needed cheer to California ’ s workers.
” The pandemic is straining health care providers to the breaking point .
“ We are at or near capacity everywhere , ” Greg Adams , CEO of Kaiser @ @ @ @ @ @ @ executives pleaded last week with Californians to avoid infection-spreading holiday gatherings .
“ As the bed count continues to dwindle we simply will not be able to keep up if the COVID-19 surge continues to increase.
” The undulating nature of COVID-19 and the state ’ s economic decrees bode ill as 2020 stumbles to a close and a new year beckons .
We obviously don ’ t know how severe this current COVID-19 flareup will be or how long it will last .
Although vaccines have been approved and are beginning to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ perhaps a year — for enough Californians to be vaccinated to put at least a semi-permanent lid on the disease .
We can not know how long the current economic restrictions will be in place , but we do know that the longer they remain , affected businesses , especially small businesses , are less likely to reopen .
Their doors are closed and they have no revenue , but their rents and loan payments continue and many will not survive .
The pandemic has clearly widened California ’ s socioeconomic fault lines @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the economic ladder and their employers have fared relatively well because they have adjusted through working at home and other arrangements .
But service businesses that depend on personal patronage , such as restaurants and hotels , and their relatively low-income employees don ’ t have such options .
Between November 2019 and November 2020 , the state lost a net of 1.4 million jobs and a third of those were in the “ leisure and hospitality ” sector , more than twice the losses in any other category .
However , the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ banks , insurance companies and stock brokerages was actually employing 4,300 more Californians in November than a year earlier .
The economic effects of COVID-19 will be severe and in many cases permanent .
We may be seeing another economic mega-evolution , akin to the explosion of the state ’ s high-technology industry four decades ago or the collapse of its aerospace industry three decades ago , with life-changing impacts on housing , education , transportation and even politics .

When the state Employment Development Department released a new report on jobs this month, it had a tinge of optimism.
California’s unemployment rate had dropped to 8.2% in November, exactly half of the record-high 16.4% recorded in the spring as the first wave of COVID-19 pummeled the state and Gov. Gavin Newsom shut down large segments of the economy.
Viewed narrowly, the report indicated a strong recovery of about half of the more than two million jobs that had been quickly erased by the early shutdown orders. But appearances were deceiving.
After seemingly retreating during the summer and early fall months, thus allowing many economic sectors to resume hiring, the stubborn disease exploded with a vengeance in late November and Newsom has once again clamped down on businesses deemed to be infection hot spots, such as restaurants.
Unemployment is also soaring again as affected employers shed workers, likely sending the jobless rate over 10% again.
“In isolation, California’s November job performance is not terrible; in 2019, a ‘normal’ year, it would have been by far the best preforming month,” Taner Osman, research manager at Beacon Economics and the UC Riverside Center for Forecasting, said. “But because job losses since February measure at more than a million workers, and because of the continued surge of new COVID cases in the state, this is not a report that will bring much-needed cheer to California’s workers.”
The pandemic is straining health care providers to the breaking point.
“We are at or near capacity everywhere,” Greg Adams, CEO of Kaiser Permanente said as he and other medical executives pleaded last week with Californians to avoid infection-spreading holiday gatherings. “As the bed count continues to dwindle we simply will not be able to keep up if the COVID-19 surge continues to increase.”
The undulating nature of COVID-19 and the state’s economic decrees bode ill as 2020 stumbles to a close and a new year beckons.
We obviously don’t know how severe this current COVID-19 flareup will be or how long it will last. Although vaccines have been approved and are beginning to be administered it will take months — perhaps a year — for enough Californians to be vaccinated to put at least a semi-permanent lid on the disease.
We cannot know how long the current economic restrictions will be in place, but we do know that the longer they remain, affected businesses, especially small businesses, are less likely to reopen. Their doors are closed and they have no revenue, but their rents and loan payments continue and many will not survive.
The pandemic has clearly widened California’s socioeconomic fault lines. Those on the upper rungs of the economic ladder and their employers have fared relatively well because they have adjusted through working at home and other arrangements. But service businesses that depend on personal patronage, such as restaurants and hotels, and their relatively low-income employees don’t have such options.
Between November 2019 and November 2020, the state lost a net of 1.4 million jobs and a third of those were in the “leisure and hospitality” sector, more than twice the losses in any other category. However, the “financial activities” sector that includes banks, insurance companies and stock brokerages was actually employing 4,300 more Californians in November than a year earlier.
The economic effects of COVID-19 will be severe and in many cases permanent. We may be seeing another economic mega-evolution, akin to the explosion of the state’s high-technology industry four decades ago or the collapse of its aerospace industry three decades ago, with life-changing impacts on housing, education, transportation and even politics.
Dan Walters is a CalMatters columnist.


mercurynews--2020-12-27--Me & My Car: Disastrous press day, SEC probe ruined Tucker’s dream

Editor ’ s note : David Krumboltz ’ s regular column is on hiatus until further notice due to the COVID-19 pandemic .
In its place , we ’ re running some of Dave ’ s favorite past columns .
This one originally ran in March 2018 .
In my last column , I told you of Preston Tucker and his dream after World War II to build the first truly new car in America in 50 years .
He had put together what appeared to be an excellent management team , including former executives from Ford and GM .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ Alex Tremulis , who designed a futuristic , 219-inch-long car on a 128-inch wheelbase that looked like no other car ever built , and most agreed it was beautiful .
It was a rear-engine car with six exhaust pipes and had safety features before anyone else had even considered them .
It had a perimeter frame for side collision protection , which also provided for a step-down design , and it even had a roll bar built into the roof .
The Tucker had a “ safety chamber ” where front-seat passengers could @ @ @ @ @ @ @ collision.
” Tucker had leased the former Dodge war plant on Chicago ’ s South Side , reportedly the largest manufacturing building in the country .
An impressive number of men had been signed to be Tucker dealers .
In August 1948 , the Los Angeles Examiner ran a Tucker advertisement listing the names and addresses of 27 dealers in Southern California .
So what happened ?
The world premier for the Tucker 48 was scheduled for June 19 , 1947 , at the Chicago factory .
It was reported more than 3,000 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ plant , lunch and the showing of the first prototype Tucker .
But this was not a good day for Preston Tucker .
Last-minute problems occurred .
Two of the independent suspension arms broke due to the heavier weight of the prototype model .
The experimental 589-cubic-inch engine was so loud that Preston Tucker asked the band to play as loud as possible to drown out the sound .
The engine needed to use a high-voltage starter from an outside source , so once the engine was running the engineering team kept it @ @ @ @ @ @ @ public wouldn ’ t see this problem .
One of the nation ’ s top newspaper columnists , Drew Pearson , wrote that the car was a fraud because it wouldn ’ t back up and it went “ goose-geese ” down the road .
That car was the prototype , and problems Pearson wrote about were limited to this first vehicle , but damage to the reputation of the car and the company was done , and many more negative articles followed .
There was a lot of pressure to get things @ @ @ @ @ @ @ time was not allocated for unexpected problems .
Naturally , Tucker wanted to get this car to the market before the Big Three could produce new models .
Tucker worked through the problems and in August of 1948 , one of the country ’ s most respected automotive writers , Tom McCahill , drove the Tucker and said it was the most amazing American car he had ever seen .
The car could go from 0 to 60 mph in 10 seconds and would get 26.2 mpg at 45 mph — very impressive @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Co. needed cash , and Tucker proceeded to issue $ 15 million of stock to finance his dream .
Unlike any other automobile manufacturer , Tucker raised $ 6 million by selling the franchises to local business people .
This was not a normal practice .
Manufacturers require dealers to meet certain requirements to be awarded a franchise , but it is not sold to the dealer .
Another unorthodox program was the Tucker Accessory Purchase Order Program , in which a customer could order additional items such as cowhide suitcases and seat @ @ @ @ @ @ @ heater .
A sequence allotment program determined the order of delivery of the vehicles based on the cost of accessories purchased .
• Me & My Car : Doomed ’ 48 Tucker dazzled auto press at first • Me & My Car : This 1981 Datsun 280 ZX is a fun compromise • Me & My Car : 1934 Bentley once owned by country singer Roy Orbison • Me & My Car : Rare , near-perfect Ford De Luxe woody made even better His quick moves brought about suspicions of his tactics by @ @ @ @ @ @ @ investigation followed , and Tucker was forced to surrender his corporate records to the SEC .
On Oct. 4 , 1949 , Tucker and seven associates went on trial for 31 counts of conspiracy and mail fraud .
On that same day , the Tucker plant closed with just 37 Tuckers built .
About 300 loyal employees returned to the plant , some without pay , and finished building 13 more cars for a total of 50 Tuckers , not counting the prototype .
Almost four months later , Tucker and all his @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and money spent defending themselves plus the change in the public ’ s interest and confidence killed Tucker ’ s dream .
But Tucker was a positive thinker and knew Henry Ford had declared bankruptcy before being successful .
He moved to Brazil , planning on building a two-seater sports car called the Carioca , but the one quality we all want and he lacked was good health .
He died of lung cancer the day after Christmas in 1956 .
He was only 53 years old .
Have an interesting vehicle ?
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
To view more photos of this and other issues ’ vehicles or to read more of Dave ’ s columns , visit mercurynews.com/author/david-krumboltz .

Editor’s note: David Krumboltz’s regular column is on hiatus until further notice due to the COVID-19 pandemic. In its place, we’re running some of Dave’s favorite past columns. This one originally ran in March 2018.
In my last column, I told you of Preston Tucker and his dream after World War II to build the first truly new car in America in 50 years.
He had put together what appeared to be an excellent management team, including former executives from Ford and GM. For his auto stylist, he hired Alex Tremulis, who designed a futuristic, 219-inch-long car on a 128-inch wheelbase that looked like no other car ever built, and most agreed it was beautiful. It was a rear-engine car with six exhaust pipes and had safety features before anyone else had even considered them. It had a perimeter frame for side collision protection, which also provided for a step-down design, and it even had a roll bar built into the roof. The Tucker had a “safety chamber” where front-seat passengers could dive “in case of an impending collision.”
Tucker had leased the former Dodge war plant on Chicago’s South Side, reportedly the largest manufacturing building in the country. An impressive number of men had been signed to be Tucker dealers. In August 1948, the Los Angeles Examiner ran a Tucker advertisement listing the names and addresses of 27 dealers in Southern California.
So what happened? The world premier for the Tucker 48 was scheduled for June 19, 1947, at the Chicago factory. It was reported more than 3,000 people attended for a tour of the plant, lunch and the showing of the first prototype Tucker.
But this was not a good day for Preston Tucker. Last-minute problems occurred. Two of the independent suspension arms broke due to the heavier weight of the prototype model. The experimental 589-cubic-inch engine was so loud that Preston Tucker asked the band to play as loud as possible to drown out the sound. The engine needed to use a high-voltage starter from an outside source, so once the engine was running the engineering team kept it running during the whole show so the public wouldn’t see this problem.
One of the nation’s top newspaper columnists, Drew Pearson, wrote that the car was a fraud because it wouldn’t back up and it went “goose-geese” down the road. That car was the prototype, and problems Pearson wrote about were limited to this first vehicle, but damage to the reputation of the car and the company was done, and many more negative articles followed. There was a lot of pressure to get things done quickly, and in doing so time was not allocated for unexpected problems. Naturally, Tucker wanted to get this car to the market before the Big Three could produce new models.
Tucker worked through the problems and in August of 1948, one of the country’s most respected automotive writers, Tom McCahill, drove the Tucker and said it was the most amazing American car he had ever seen. The car could go from 0 to 60 mph in 10 seconds and would get 26.2 mpg at 45 mph — very impressive for that time period.
The Tucker Co. needed cash, and Tucker proceeded to issue $15 million of stock to finance his dream. Unlike any other automobile manufacturer, Tucker raised $6 million by selling the franchises to local business people. This was not a normal practice. Manufacturers require dealers to meet certain requirements to be awarded a franchise, but it is not sold to the dealer. Another unorthodox program was the Tucker Accessory Purchase Order Program, in which a customer could order additional items such as cowhide suitcases and seat covers as well as a radio and heater. A sequence allotment program determined the order of delivery of the vehicles based on the cost of accessories purchased.
Related Articles Local News | Me & My Car: Doomed ’48 Tucker dazzled auto press at first
Me & My Car: Doomed ’48 Tucker dazzled auto press at first Local News | Me & My Car: This 1981 Datsun 280 ZX is a fun compromise
Me & My Car: This 1981 Datsun 280 ZX is a fun compromise Local News | Me & My Car: 1934 Bentley once owned by country singer Roy Orbison
Me & My Car: 1934 Bentley once owned by country singer Roy Orbison Local News | Me & My Car: Rare, near-perfect Ford De Luxe woody made even better His quick moves brought about suspicions of his tactics by the Securities and Exchange Commission. An investigation followed, and Tucker was forced to surrender his corporate records to the SEC. On Oct. 4, 1949, Tucker and seven associates went on trial for 31 counts of conspiracy and mail fraud. On that same day, the Tucker plant closed with just 37 Tuckers built. About 300 loyal employees returned to the plant, some without pay, and finished building 13 more cars for a total of 50 Tuckers, not counting the prototype. Almost four months later, Tucker and all his co-defendants were acquitted, but the time and money spent defending themselves plus the change in the public’s interest and confidence killed Tucker’s dream.
But Tucker was a positive thinker and knew Henry Ford had declared bankruptcy before being successful. He moved to Brazil, planning on building a two-seater sports car called the Carioca, but the one quality we all want and he lacked was good health. He died of lung cancer the day after Christmas in 1956. He was only 53 years old.
Have an interesting vehicle? Contact David Krumboltz at MOBopoly@yahoo.com. To view more photos of this and other issues’ vehicles or to read more of Dave’s columns, visit mercurynews.com/author/david-krumboltz.


mercurynews--2020-12-27--Raiders report card: Another defensive collapse — this one in the last 19 seconds

Grading the Raiders ’ 26-25 loss Saturday night to the Miami Dolphins at Allegiant Stadium : The Raiders were plenty explosive against one of the NFL ’ s top defenses as Derek Carr , playing with a groin strain , completed 21 of 34 passes for 336 yards including an 85-yard scoring pass to Nelson Agholor .
Agholor caught five passes for 155 yards and also drew the 49-yard penalty on Byron Jones that seemingly put the Raiders in position to win the game .
Darren Waller added five catches for 112 yards .
Consistency was a problem , as @ @ @ @ @ @ @ pretty good on third down was 0-for-10 against the top third-down defense in the NFL .
Bottom line is they did enough through the air to win even with settling for four field goals from the Dolphins 25 or better .
Josh Jacobs , who needed an in-game I.V.. because of an illness , gained 69 yards on 13 carries and had some good runs .
Jalen Richard had 19 yards on two tries , including a 18-yard run on third-and-19 that helped set up a field goal .
Devontae Booker converted the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ time all night the Raiders converted a third- or fourth down without help from a penalty .
That ’ s not the sign of a team that ’ s running the ball well .
The Raiders finished with 24 carries for 104 yards and their 4.3 average is better than they ’ ve done in recent weeks .
Still , the Raiders lost their power running game after relying on it heavily Weeks 8 through 10 and its been a part of a downfall that saw their record go from 6-3 to 7-8 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
The biggest , of course , was a 34-yard pop fly prayer that Ryan Fitzpatrick threw to Mack Hollins from the 25-yard line with 19 seconds to go , which also included a 15-yard roughing the passer penalty penalty on Arden Key .
The penalty was a no-doubter , too .
As for the coverage , Damon Arnette allowed Hollins to run unimpeded to the left sideline and neither he nor Isaiah Johnson appeared to understand their roles in the scheme .
The second play was routine flare to Myles Gaskin that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Fitzpatrick .
Fitzpatrick was 9 of 13 for 182 yards and the touchdown in relief of Tua Tagovaiola .
The Raiders actually played some solid defense at times but were brought down by the big mistakes .
It ’ s not like the Dolphins ran wild on the ground , but they did gain 130 yards on 25 carries and averaged 5.2 yards per attempt .
Gaskin had a 24-yard run and Clayton Fejedelem ran 22 yards as a personal protector on a fake punt to help up the yardage .
Missed tackles @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the run as well as against the pass .
Hunter Renfrow ’ s 32-yard punt return helped set up the Raiders first touchdown , a short-field drive that ended with Carr ’ s 1-yard dive over the pile for a 7-0 lead .
The Raiders fell hard for the Dolphins fake punt play , which came from the 50-yard line after MIami had initially run its offense on to the field .
The Raiders defense stiffened , but the Miami converted the play into one of four field goals , this one from @ @ @ @ @ @ @ on field goal attempts , all from inside the 40 , but somehow missed an extra point which ended up being the deciding point although there were other factors at work .
A.J .
Cole placed one punt inside the 20 and also had a touchback .
• What the Raiders are saying after stunning loss to the Dolphins • Raiders ’ Gruden defends strategy to take field goal over touchdown in loss to Dolphins • Raiders blow win against Miami in the final 19 seconds The constant reliance on field goals is @ @ @ @ @ @ @ up 25 points on a defense giving up 18 per game and were in position to win the game without a single-play horrific defensive meltdown with 19 seconds left .
It probably didn ’ t help that secondary coach Jim O ’ Neil and assistant Taver Johnson weren ’ t present because of COVID-19 concerns .
The Raiders had actually done some good things defensively in the first half .
The breakdowns in the secondary have been there all year , under Paul Guenther and now two games with Rod Marinelli .
And @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , not some kind of spectacular jump-and-catch play .
Finally , it ’ s hard to fault Gruden for the way he played the end of the game and getting the last field goal instead of scoring a touchdown..
He didn ’ t trust his defense with two minutes to go , but surely they could close it out with 19 seconds left , right ?
Nope .

Grading the Raiders’ 26-25 loss Saturday night to the Miami Dolphins at Allegiant Stadium:
PASS OFFENSE B
The Raiders were plenty explosive against one of the NFL’s top defenses as Derek Carr, playing with a groin strain, completed 21 of 34 passes for 336 yards including an 85-yard scoring pass to Nelson Agholor. Agholor caught five passes for 155 yards and also drew the 49-yard penalty on Byron Jones that seemingly put the Raiders in position to win the game. Darren Waller added five catches for 112 yards. Consistency was a problem, as a Raiders team that’s been pretty good on third down was 0-for-10 against the top third-down defense in the NFL. Bottom line is they did enough through the air to win even with settling for four field goals from the Dolphins 25 or better.
RUN OFFENSE: C
Josh Jacobs, who needed an in-game I.V.. because of an illness, gained 69 yards on 13 carries and had some good runs. Jalen Richard had 19 yards on two tries, including a 18-yard run on third-and-19 that helped set up a field goal. Devontae Booker converted the ensuing fourth-and-1. It was the only time all night the Raiders converted a third- or fourth down without help from a penalty. That’s not the sign of a team that’s running the ball well. The Raiders finished with 24 carries for 104 yards and their 4.3 average is better than they’ve done in recent weeks. Still, the Raiders lost their power running game after relying on it heavily Weeks 8 through 10 and its been a part of a downfall that saw their record go from 6-3 to 7-8.
PASS DEFENSE: F
Two plays create a failing grade. The biggest, of course, was a 34-yard pop fly prayer that Ryan Fitzpatrick threw to Mack Hollins from the 25-yard line with 19 seconds to go, which also included a 15-yard roughing the passer penalty penalty on Arden Key. The penalty was a no-doubter, too. As for the coverage, Damon Arnette allowed Hollins to run unimpeded to the left sideline and neither he nor Isaiah Johnson appeared to understand their roles in the scheme. The second play was routine flare to Myles Gaskin that went for a 59-yard touchdown pass from Fitzpatrick. Fitzpatrick was 9 of 13 for 182 yards and the touchdown in relief of Tua Tagovaiola. The Raiders actually played some solid defense at times but were brought down by the big mistakes.
RUN DEFENSE: C
It’s not like the Dolphins ran wild on the ground, but they did gain 130 yards on 25 carries and averaged 5.2 yards per attempt. Gaskin had a 24-yard run and Clayton Fejedelem ran 22 yards as a personal protector on a fake punt to help up the yardage. Missed tackles in the second half were costly against the run as well as against the pass.
SPECIAL TEAMS: C-plus
Hunter Renfrow’s 32-yard punt return helped set up the Raiders first touchdown, a short-field drive that ended with Carr’s 1-yard dive over the pile for a 7-0 lead. The Raiders fell hard for the Dolphins fake punt play, which came from the 50-yard line after MIami had initially run its offense on to the field. The Raiders defense stiffened, but the Miami converted the play into one of four field goals, this one from 39 yards. Daniel Carlson was 4-for-4 on field goal attempts, all from inside the 40, but somehow missed an extra point which ended up being the deciding point although there were other factors at work. A.J. Cole placed one punt inside the 20 and also had a touchback.
COACHING: C
The constant reliance on field goals is troubling, but the Raiders still put up 25 points on a defense giving up 18 per game and were in position to win the game without a single-play horrific defensive meltdown with 19 seconds left. It probably didn’t help that secondary coach Jim O’Neil and assistant Taver Johnson weren’t present because of COVID-19 concerns. The Raiders had actually done some good things defensively in the first half. The breakdowns in the secondary have been there all year, under Paul Guenther and now two games with Rod Marinelli. And usually someone has been left wide open, not some kind of spectacular jump-and-catch play. Finally, it’s hard to fault Gruden for the way he played the end of the game and getting the last field goal instead of scoring a touchdown.. He didn’t trust his defense with two minutes to go, but surely they could close it out with 19 seconds left, right? Nope.