washingtontimes--2020-07-01--6 Do’s and Don’ts When Saving Money During a Crisis

Probably the last thing you want to think about during a crisis is working on healthy financial habits like saving money .
But if you ’ re able to save , you can make your eventual recovery easier .
“ Every time you put some ( money ) away , you ’ re looking out for your future self , ” says Saundra Davis , founder and executive director at Sage Financial Solutions , a San Francisco Bay Area-based nonprofit that offers financial coach training and services to people across the wealth spectrum .
Whether or not your financial situation @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , you may benefit from these saving strategies now or down the road .
Common advice to save money is to cut unnecessary costs .
During an ongoing crisis such as a pandemic , you might need to redefine what is “ unnecessary.
” Start with the cost of bare essentials to operate your household - rent or mortgage , utilities , food - and when you factor bills in , don ’ t treat them all the same .
For example , paying your credit card bill in full every month is @ @ @ @ @ @ @ hard times , it ’ s OK not to follow this rule and just pay the minimum .
For loan payments , see if your creditor can offer relief .
“ Don ’ t have your lender deciding what you can pay , ” Davis says .
“ Sketch out your own budget.
” This might mean working with your lender to reduce payments or suspend them temporarily .
Having a dollar amount to save up to is generally helpful .
An emergency fund , for example , is a standard goal that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ worth of living expenses .
But during an emergency , consider resetting expectations .
“ If your income changes , you aren ’ t beholden to saving a fixed amount , ” says LaKhaun McKinley , certified financial planner and owner of the firm MNM Vested in Katy , Texas .
The way you save might need to be tweaked , too .
If you use automatic transfers from checking to savings accounts , see if that amount is still doable for you .
If not , reduce the amount .
Or @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the transfers for the time being and make one-off transfers when possible .
When saving money , “ the habit is more important than the amount , ” Davis says .
Opening a high-yield savings account at an online bank is a good strategy , regardless of the economic environment .
The national average rate is 0.06 % , but some online savings accounts are currently offering over 1 % annual percentage yield .
The account-opening process can take a few minutes .
Opening a high-yield account “ can be such a simple @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Kelley Long .
She ’ s a Chicago-based certified public accountant , financial planner and member of the American Institute of CPAs ’ Consumer Financial Education Advocates .
DO : GET HELP FROM YOUR COMMUNITY TO SAVE COSTS If you ’ re experiencing financial hardship , call 2-1-1 or visit the website 211.org .
This is a free way to learn about resources in your community , including food banks , meal services for seniors and students , shelters , mental health services and more .
If you ’ ve never asked for @ @ @ @ @ @ @ feel uncomfortable .
But accepting meals or other support can be an important lifeline as well as help you save money .
“ We want to stay aware of what ’ s available in our community and give ourselves the emotional room to do things we ’ ve never done before , ” Davis says .
Some relief is nationwide , including postponed federal student loan payments and coronavirus-specific unemployment programs , but your local community might have additional resources .
If you have an emergency fund and you need it now , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ you need before withdrawing , and keep tabs on how you spend it .
You ’ ll eventually need to save up again , and you want to make that process manageable .
It might help to settle on a minimum amount you need to keep in a savings account to feel OK. “ Everyone has a different feeling ( for ) what would give them that security , ” Long says .
For some people , for example , “ seeing a comma in your account can have a formative effect on @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ T : WITHDRAW FROM SAVINGS TOO OFTEN Keep an eye on the frequency with which you turn to your savings account .
Banks can charge an excessive savings withdrawal fee if you go over six per month .
During COVID-19 , the Federal Reserve has paused this rule , but it ’ s up to each bank to choose whether to charge the fee .
Watch out for other fees , too , such as for overdrawing if you dip past your checking account balance .
If you ’ re running into @ @ @ @ @ @ @ needed more savings than expected .
“ We might be overaggressive in savings goals .
That ’ s usually due to failing to account for certain expenses in our spending plan , ” Long says .
“ In a crisis , ” she adds , “ we need to remember that there are times that we can ’ t be long-term in our thinking.
” This article originally appeared on the personal finance website NerdWallet .
Spencer Tierney is a writer at NerdWallet .
Email : [ email protected ] Twitter : @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ What It Is and Why It Matters https : //b it.ly/nerdwallet-fund NerdWallet : How to Get Student Loan Relief During the Pandemic and Beyond https : //bit.ly/nerdwallet-pandemic-loan NerdWallet : How to File for Coronavirus Unemployment if You ’ re Self-Employed https : //bit.ly/nerdwallet-covid-employment

Probably the last thing you want to think about during a crisis is working on healthy financial habits like saving money. But if you’re able to save, you can make your eventual recovery easier.
“Every time you put some (money) away, you’re looking out for your future self,” says Saundra Davis, founder and executive director at Sage Financial Solutions, a San Francisco Bay Area-based nonprofit that offers financial coach training and services to people across the wealth spectrum.
Whether or not your financial situation has changed since the start of 2020, you may benefit from these saving strategies now or down the road.
DO: REDUCE COSTS, INCLUDING BILLS IF NEEDED
Common advice to save money is to cut unnecessary costs. During an ongoing crisis such as a pandemic, you might need to redefine what is “unnecessary.”
Start with the cost of bare essentials to operate your household - rent or mortgage, utilities, food - and when you factor bills in, don’t treat them all the same. For example, paying your credit card bill in full every month is normally the best tactic, but in hard times, it’s OK not to follow this rule and just pay the minimum. For loan payments, see if your creditor can offer relief.
“Don’t have your lender deciding what you can pay,” Davis says. “Sketch out your own budget.” This might mean working with your lender to reduce payments or suspend them temporarily.
DO: ADJUST YOUR SAVINGS GOALS
Having a dollar amount to save up to is generally helpful. An emergency fund, for example, is a standard goal that involves building up three to six months’ worth of living expenses. But during an emergency, consider resetting expectations.
“If your income changes, you aren’t beholden to saving a fixed amount,” says LaKhaun McKinley, certified financial planner and owner of the firm MNM Vested in Katy, Texas.
The way you save might need to be tweaked, too. If you use automatic transfers from checking to savings accounts, see if that amount is still doable for you. If not, reduce the amount. Or, as a last resort, cancel the transfers for the time being and make one-off transfers when possible.
When saving money, “the habit is more important than the amount,” Davis says.
DO: FIND A HIGH SAVINGS RATE
Opening a high-yield savings account at an online bank is a good strategy, regardless of the economic environment. The national average rate is 0.06%, but some online savings accounts are currently offering over 1% annual percentage yield. The account-opening process can take a few minutes.
Opening a high-yield account “can be such a simple way to earn more,” says Kelley Long. She’s a Chicago-based certified public accountant, financial planner and member of the American Institute of CPAs’ Consumer Financial Education Advocates.
DO: GET HELP FROM YOUR COMMUNITY TO SAVE COSTS
If you’re experiencing financial hardship, call 2-1-1 or visit the website 211.org. This is a free way to learn about resources in your community, including food banks, meal services for seniors and students, shelters, mental health services and more. If you’ve never asked for help like this before, it may feel uncomfortable. But accepting meals or other support can be an important lifeline as well as help you save money.
“We want to stay aware of what’s available in our community and give ourselves the emotional room to do things we’ve never done before,” Davis says.
Some relief is nationwide, including postponed federal student loan payments and coronavirus-specific unemployment programs, but your local community might have additional resources.
DON’T: DIP INTO SAVINGS WITHOUT A PLAN
If you have an emergency fund and you need it now, use it. But estimate the amount you need before withdrawing, and keep tabs on how you spend it.
You’ll eventually need to save up again, and you want to make that process manageable. It might help to settle on a minimum amount you need to keep in a savings account to feel OK.
“Everyone has a different feeling (for) what would give them that security,” Long says. For some people, for example, “seeing a comma in your account can have a formative effect on your feeling of financial security.”
DON’T: WITHDRAW FROM SAVINGS TOO OFTEN
Keep an eye on the frequency with which you turn to your savings account. Banks can charge an excessive savings withdrawal fee if you go over six per month. During COVID-19, the Federal Reserve has paused this rule, but it’s up to each bank to choose whether to charge the fee. Watch out for other fees, too, such as for overdrawing if you dip past your checking account balance.
If you’re running into trouble with fees, examine why you needed more savings than expected.
“We might be overaggressive in savings goals. That’s usually due to failing to account for certain expenses in our spending plan,” Long says.
“In a crisis,” she adds, “we need to remember that there are times that we can’t be long-term in our thinking.”
This article originally appeared on the personal finance website NerdWallet. Spencer Tierney is a writer at NerdWallet. Email: spencer.tierney@nerdwallet.com. Twitter: @SpencerNerd.
RELATED LINKS
NerdWallet: Emergency Fund: What It Is and Why It Matters https://b it.ly/nerdwallet-fund
NerdWallet: Best High-Yield Online Savings Accounts https://bit.ly/nerdwallet-online-savings
NerdWallet: How to Get Student Loan Relief During the Pandemic and Beyond https://bit.ly/nerdwallet-pandemic-loan
NerdWallet: How to File for Coronavirus Unemployment if You’re Self-Employed https://bit.ly/nerdwallet-covid-employment


washingtontimes--2020-07-01--Austin City Limits music festival canceled as virus surges

AUSTIN , Texas ( AP ) - Austin City Limits has joined the ranks of major music festivals to be @ @ @ @ @ .
Festival organizers said in a statement Wednesday that scrapping the three-day October event was @ @ @ @ @ ” The announcement comes amid a surge in COVID-19 cases in Texas , with the @ @ @ @ @ Tuesday of 7,000 new confirmed cases and Republican Gov .
Greg Abbott urging people to @ @ @ @ @ is one of the largest in the country each year .
A lineup had not @ @ @ @ @ year ’ s headliners included Guns N ’ Roses , Cardi B , Billie Eilish @ @ @ @ @ Coachella music festival in California and Bonnaroo festival in Tennessee will also not take place @ @ @ @ @ is another big loss for Austin ’ s tourism economy .
The city ’ s @ @ @ @ @ which draws hundreds of thousands of visitors each year , was canceled in March as @ @ @ @ @ spread in Texas .

AUSTIN, Texas (AP) - Austin City Limits has joined the ranks of major music festivals to be canceled because of the coronavirus.
Festival organizers said in a statement Wednesday that scrapping the three-day October event was “the only responsible solution.” The announcement comes amid a surge in COVID-19 cases in Texas, with the state reporting another daily high Tuesday of 7,000 new confirmed cases and Republican Gov. Greg Abbott urging people to stay home.
The festival is one of the largest in the country each year. A lineup had not been announced, but last year’s headliners included Guns N’ Roses, Cardi B, Billie Eilish and The Cure.
The Coachella music festival in California and Bonnaroo festival in Tennessee will also not take place this year.
The cancellation is another big loss for Austin’s tourism economy. The city’s South By Southwest festival, which draws hundreds of thousands of visitors each year, was canceled in March as the virus first began to spread in Texas.


washingtontimes--2020-07-01--Grim gift adds 500 body bags to Iowa's coronavirus stockpile

IOWA CITY , Iowa ( AP ) - Iowa ’ s executive branch is getting a grim gift from a company that has long made garments for meatpacking workers : a free supply of 500 body bags .
Dickson Industries is donating the body bags as the state prepares for a worst-case scenario in which the coronavirus or another health emergency would overwhelm hospitals and medical examiners .
The Des Moines-based company makes garments and products for the food processing , medical and other industries , including coats and insulated jackets for meatpacking workers .
Like the 500 ventilators the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ will be kept in a state stockpile “ to support possible medical surge operations within the state , ” Iowa Homeland Security and Emergency Management spokesman John Benson said .
In that event , state officials would move resources to locations with high volumes of patients .
More than 715 Iowa residents have died of the coronavirus since late March , although deaths have slowed in recent weeks , according to the Iowa Department of Public Health .
Confirmed cases are on the rise , particularly in college towns where young people have @ @ @ @ @ @ @ their reopening .
The state initially put out a solicitation to companies seeking quotes to purchase body bags that could be delivered in April and May , documents obtained under the open records law show .
That process ended when Dickson agreed to donate them , said Department of Administrative Services spokeswoman Tami Wiencek .
The company has delivered 94 of the black , adult-size body bags to date and the state expects to receive the rest shortly , Benson said .
In April , the state awarded Dickson Industries a $ 9.2 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ gowns to be worn by health care workers and patients to protect against the coronavirus .
That is one of the largest contracts the state has awarded as it works to rebuild its depleted stockpile of personal protective equipment .
The coronavirus has upended Iowa ’ s meatpacking industry - a sector that Dickson and its predecessor companies have helped supply since the 1940s .
The virus started spreading through crowded meatpacking plants in March and April , infecting thousands of workers across the state , prompting companies to add safety measures and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , the Iowa Department of Public Health has not released data showing how many meatpacking workers have died after getting the virus .
In May , a federal study that included data on meatpacking worker deaths from 18 states said the information from Iowa was “ not available.
” Department spokeswoman Amy McCoy said then that the agency “ did have the information collected in the manner they requested it ” but didn ’ t elaborate or provide it to AP .
Last month , the department said it would cost more than @ @ @ @ @ @ @ hasn ’ t responded to follow-up questions .
Nationwide , at least 113 meatpacking workers have died , according to data collected by the Food and Environment Reporting Network .
In Iowa , deaths have been confirmed among employees at several plants , including Waterloo , Sioux City and Storm Lake .
The AP learned about Dickson ’ s gift after obtaining a May 1 email under the open records law from a state purchasing official with the subject line , “ 500 side zipped body bags.
” The official asked a vendor @ @ @ @ @ @ @ could be delivered to Des Moines .
The state has not completed a mandatory disclosure report for the gift with the Iowa Ethics and Campaign Disclosure Board , but is working on it , Benson said .
A rarely enforced law requires departments to report all gifts worth $ 50 or more within 20 days of their receipt .

IOWA CITY, Iowa (AP) - Iowa’s executive branch is getting a grim gift from a company that has long made garments for meatpacking workers: a free supply of 500 body bags.
Dickson Industries is donating the body bags as the state prepares for a worst-case scenario in which the coronavirus or another health emergency would overwhelm hospitals and medical examiners.
The Des Moines-based company makes garments and products for the food processing, medical and other industries, including coats and insulated jackets for meatpacking workers.
Like the 500 ventilators the state is purchasing, the body bags will be kept in a state stockpile “to support possible medical surge operations within the state,” Iowa Homeland Security and Emergency Management spokesman John Benson said. In that event, state officials would move resources to locations with high volumes of patients.
More than 715 Iowa residents have died of the coronavirus since late March, although deaths have slowed in recent weeks, according to the Iowa Department of Public Health. Confirmed cases are on the rise, particularly in college towns where young people have spread the COVID-19 virus in bars since their reopening.
The state initially put out a solicitation to companies seeking quotes to purchase body bags that could be delivered in April and May, documents obtained under the open records law show. That process ended when Dickson agreed to donate them, said Department of Administrative Services spokeswoman Tami Wiencek.
The company has delivered 94 of the black, adult-size body bags to date and the state expects to receive the rest shortly, Benson said.
In April, the state awarded Dickson Industries a $9.2 million contract to purchase 1 million non-surgical gowns to be worn by health care workers and patients to protect against the coronavirus. That is one of the largest contracts the state has awarded as it works to rebuild its depleted stockpile of personal protective equipment.
A Dickson executive, Wells Dickson, hasn’t returned phone calls seeking comment.
The coronavirus has upended Iowa’s meatpacking industry - a sector that Dickson and its predecessor companies have helped supply since the 1940s.
The virus started spreading through crowded meatpacking plants in March and April, infecting thousands of workers across the state, prompting companies to add safety measures and slowing production.
Unlike some other states, the Iowa Department of Public Health has not released data showing how many meatpacking workers have died after getting the virus. In May, a federal study that included data on meatpacking worker deaths from 18 states said the information from Iowa was “not available.”
Department spokeswoman Amy McCoy said then that the agency “did have the information collected in the manner they requested it” but didn’t elaborate or provide it to AP. Last month, the department said it would cost more than $1,600 to retrieve the data and hasn’t responded to follow-up questions.
Nationwide, at least 113 meatpacking workers have died, according to data collected by the Food and Environment Reporting Network. In Iowa, deaths have been confirmed among employees at several plants, including Waterloo,Sioux City and Storm Lake.
The AP learned about Dickson’s gift after obtaining a May 1 email under the open records law from a state purchasing official with the subject line, “500 side zipped body bags.” The official asked a vendor for a quote with the time they could be delivered to Des Moines.
The state has not completed a mandatory disclosure report for the gift with the Iowa Ethics and Campaign Disclosure Board, but is working on it, Benson said. A rarely enforced law requires departments to report all gifts worth $50 or more within 20 days of their receipt.


washingtontimes--2020-07-01--Kellyanne Conway, GOP lawmakers join calls for mask-wearing in public to curb coronavirus

White House senior adviser Kellyanne Conway on Wednesday backed calls for people to wear masks in public and when social distancing may be difficult and encouraged Americans to take steps to prevent the spread of COVID-19 .
An increasing number of lawmakers and administration officials are joining calls for people to wear masks as states across the country see spikes in new COVID-19 cases as establishments , restaurants and bars begin to open .
“ Wearing masks , social distancing , all this stuff we know , it really does stop the spread .
And I encourage people to do @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to the president , told Fox News .
“ We need to have priorities in our states and in this nation , ” she continued .
“ Do you want to open the bars now , or do you want to open the schools and the day care centers in a few short weeks ?
I vote for the latter.
” Republican lawmakers have also suggested that President Trump should occasionally wear a mask to rid the political stigma surrounding the suggested precaution to prevent the spread of COVID-19 .
Mr. Trump has @ @ @ @ @ @ @ who are around him are constantly tested for COVID-19 , the disease caused by the new coronavirus .
Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell , Kentucky Republican , has urged people to wear a face mask in public and tweeted Tuesday that the country should have “ no stigma , none , about wearing masks when we leave our homes and come near other people.
” “ Wearing simple face coverings is not about protecting ourselves , it is about protecting everyone we encounter , ” he said .
The Centers for Disease Control @ @ @ @ @ @ @ cloth face coverings in public settings when around people outside of their household , especially when other social distancing measures are difficult to maintain .
”

White House senior adviser Kellyanne Conway on Wednesday backed calls for people to wear masks in public and when social distancing may be difficult and encouraged Americans to take steps to prevent the spread of COVID-19.
An increasing number of lawmakers and administration officials are joining calls for people to wear masks as states across the country see spikes in new COVID-19 cases as establishments, restaurants and bars begin to open.
“Wearing masks, social distancing, all this stuff we know, it really does stop the spread. And I encourage people to do that,” Mrs. Conway, counselor to the president, told Fox News.
“We need to have priorities in our states and in this nation,” she continued. “Do you want to open the bars now, or do you want to open the schools and the day care centers in a few short weeks? I vote for the latter.”
Republican lawmakers have also suggested that President Trump should occasionally wear a mask to rid the political stigma surrounding the suggested precaution to prevent the spread of COVID-19.
Mr. Trump has resisted wearing a mask, noting people who are around him are constantly tested for COVID-19, the disease caused by the new coronavirus.
Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, Kentucky Republican, has urged people to wear a face mask in public and tweeted Tuesday that the country should have “no stigma, none, about wearing masks when we leave our homes and come near other people.”
“Wearing simple face coverings is not about protecting ourselves, it is about protecting everyone we encounter,” he said.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends “that people wear cloth face coverings in public settings when around people outside of their household, especially when other social distancing measures are difficult to maintain.”
• Lauren Toms can be reached at lmeier@washingtontimes.com.


washingtontimes--2020-07-01--Washington state prison reports 220 confirmed COVID-19 cases

TRI-CITIES , Wash. ( AP ) - About 220 officers and inmates at a Washington state prison have tested positive for COVID-19 , nearly doubling since restricting movement in its medium-security unit last month .
The state Department of Corrections brought in the Washington National Guard last week to administer coronavirus testing at the Coyote Ridge Corrections Center .
The results showed 171 inmates and 47 staff members tested positive Tuesday , the Tri-City Herald reported .
Two inmates died .
For most people , the coronavirus causes mild or moderate symptoms .
For some , especially older adults and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ can cause more severe illness and lead to death .
Coyote Ridge , located in Connell about 100 miles ( 160 kilometers ) southwest of Spokane , has minimum- and medium-security units .
All employees in both units , and all inmates in the medium-security unit will now be regularly tested , the department said .
Employees are tested before their shift , and will be repeatedly tested every seven days until further notice , officials said .
Only employees who previously tested positive will be exempt from further testing .
Inmates who @ @ @ @ @ @ @ time , then will remain housed together .
Temporary housing was created at Coyote Ridge to allow inmates who have tested positive to also be housed together , Superintendent Jeffrey Uttecht said .

TRI-CITIES, Wash. (AP) - About 220 officers and inmates at a Washington state prison have tested positive for COVID-19, nearly doubling since restricting movement in its medium-security unit last month.
The state Department of Corrections brought in the Washington National Guard last week to administer coronavirus testing at the Coyote Ridge Corrections Center.
The results showed 171 inmates and 47 staff members tested positive Tuesday, the Tri-City Herald reported. Two inmates died.
For most people, the coronavirus causes mild or moderate symptoms. For some, especially older adults and people with existing health problems, it can cause more severe illness and lead to death.
Coyote Ridge, located in Connell about 100 miles (160 kilometers) southwest of Spokane, has minimum- and medium-security units. All employees in both units, and all inmates in the medium-security unit will now be regularly tested, the department said.
Employees are tested before their shift, and will be repeatedly tested every seven days until further notice, officials said. Only employees who previously tested positive will be exempt from further testing.
Inmates who test negative will be tested a second time, then will remain housed together. Temporary housing was created at Coyote Ridge to allow inmates who have tested positive to also be housed together, Superintendent Jeffrey Uttecht said.


washingtontimes--2020-07-01--Mexico celebrates start of new trade accord with US, Canada

MEXICO CITY ( AP ) - Mexico celebrated the implementation of a new free trade agreement with Canada and the United States that it hopes will lead to more investment in its struggling economy .
President Andrés Manuel López Obrador said the accord , which replaces the North American Free Trade Agreement , will provide greater certainty to the three countries in their commercial relationships .
Their supply chains are deeply intertwined .
During the COVID-19 pandemic , there was pressure from the U.S. government to allow some Mexican assembly plants to quickly reopen or remain open to cause less @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , ” López Obrador said Wednesday .
“ You can ’ t have border closures or tariff increases on products without a legal-type procedure with the famous panels where representatives of the three countries participate.
” President Donald Trump had threatened crippling tariffs on Mexican imports last year unless Mexico did more to slow migration through its country .
Known as the USMCA in English , the new agreement began to be negotiated when López Obrador won Mexican elections two years ago .
It incorporates stronger regulations , especially regarding labor conditions , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ López Obrador will travel to Washington July 8-9 to meet with Trump and recognize the achievement of the new accord .
López Obrador ’ s first international trip of his presidency has garnered criticism at home , because Trump has been critical of Mexicans and Mexicans fear it could play to Trump ’ s electoral advantage .
López Obrador insists he has no interest in intervening in U.S. domestic politics and the trip is simply to celebrate the new trade accord .
In 2016 , Trump , then the Republican nominee , visited @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Mexico in his speeches and insisting that Mexico would pay for his border wall .
At the time , López Obrador was extremely critical of Peña Nieto ’ s invitation to the candidate .
Mexican Foreign Secretary Marcelo Ebrard did not provide details of next week ’ s visit , but said July 8 would be a bilateral encounter with Trump and a July 9 meeting would include Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau .

MEXICO CITY (AP) - Mexico celebrated the implementation of a new free trade agreement with Canada and the United States that it hopes will lead to more investment in its struggling economy.
President Andrés Manuel Obrador will travel to Washington July 8-9 to meet with with President Donald Trump and recognize the achievement of the U.S.-Mexico-Canada accord.
López Obrador said the accord, which replaces the North American Free Trade Agreement, will provide greater certainty to the three countries in their commercial relationships.
Their supply chains are deeply intertwined. During the COVID-19 pandemic, there was pressure from the U.S. government to allow some Mexican assembly plants to quickly reopen or remain open to cause less interruption.
“There are clear rules,” López Obrador said Wednesday. “You can’t have border closures or tariff increases on products without a legal-type procedure with the famous panels where representatives of the three countries participate.”
Known as the USMCA in English, the new agreement began to be negotiated when López Obrador won Mexican elections two years ago.
It incorporates stronger regulations, especially regarding labor conditions, that required changes to Mexican law.
But the arrest in June of crusading Mexican labor lawyer Susana Prieto on charges of inciting riot, threats and coercion has cast a shadow over the new trade pact, which was supposed to improve protections for workers rights.
United Steelworkers International President Tom Conway wrote that the arrest of Prieto proves “that Mexico hasn’t stopped the bullying of workers and their allies”
Lori Wallach, the director of Public Citizen’s Global Trade Watch, said “It’s a terrible start that on day one of a deal Trump said would transform trade, a leading Mexican labor lawyer has spent weeks in jail on trumped up charges.”
Mexican prosecutors say the charges stem from an intimidating protest this year at a local labor board hearing, and not from her leadership of strikes last year that won higher pay for workers at “maquiladora” assembly plants in the border city of Matamoros.
López Obrador’s first international trip of his presidency has garnered criticism at home, because Trump has been critical of Mexicans and Mexicans fear it could play to Trump’s electoral advantage. López Obrador insists he has no interest in intervening in U.S. domestic politics and the trip is simply to celebrate the new trade accord.
In 2016, Trump, then the Republican nominee, visited President Enrique Peña Nieto despite frequently targeting Mexico in his speeches and insisting that Mexico would pay for his border wall. At the time, López Obrador was extremely critical of Peña Nieto’s invitation to the candidate.
Trump had threatened crippling tariffs on Mexican imports last year unless Mexico did more to slow migration through its country.
But Trump has maintained surprisingly cordial relations with López Obrador.
“The United States appreciates the efforts of our partners in Mexico and Canada to ensure that North America is strengthening its economic ties while working to combat the coronavirus pandemic,” Trump said in a statement Wednesday. “To mark this historic achievement, I look forward to welcoming President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador of Mexico to the White House on July 8, 2020, to continue our important dialogue on trade, health, and other issues central to our regional prosperity and security.”
Mexican Foreign Secretary Marcelo Ebrard did not provide details of next week’s visit, but said July 8 would be a bilateral encounter with Trump and a July 9 meeting would include Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau.


washingtontimes--2020-07-01--Watching Sun Belt spikes, other states back off on reopening

NEW YORK ( AP ) - New York City and states that likewise seemed to have tamed their coronavirus outbreaks are hitting pause on some of their reopening plans because of the alarming surge in reported infections across the Sun Belt and other parts of the U.S .
The run-up in cases - blamed in part on “ knucklehead behavior ” by Americans not wearing masks or obeying other social-distancing rules - has raised fears that many states could see the same phenomenon if they reopen too , or that people from the South and West could spread the virus @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Bill de Blasio said Wednesday that the city is delaying its resumption of indoor dining at restaurants - not because of any rise in cases in the city but because of upticks elsewhere .
“ Even a week ago , honestly , I was hopeful we could .
But the news we have gotten from around the country gets worse and worse all the time , ” he said .
The number of confirmed cases in the U.S. per day has roughly doubled over the past month , hitting 44,800 on Tuesday , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Hopkins University .
That is higher even than what the nation witnessed during the deadliest stretch of the crisis in mid-April through early May .
Dr. Anthony S. Fauci , the nation ’ s top infectious-disease expert , warned Congress on Tuesday that the rise across the South and West “ puts the entire country at risk.
” New infections , he said , could reach 100,000 a day if people don ’ t start listening to public health authorities .
“ When you have an outbreak in one part of the country @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the country they ’ re doing well , they are vulnerable , ” Fauci said .
Outbreaks in Florida , Arizona , Texas and California have already forced those states to backtrack and take such measures as shutting down bars and beaches and curbing restaurant capacity .
On Wednesday , Vice President Mike Pence planned to visit hard-hit Arizona , where stay-at-home orders expired in mid-May and daily new cases now regularly exceed 3,000 .
Virginia Gov .
Ralph Northam on Tuesday reversed plans to reopen indoor areas of bars and restaurants , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ is happening in other states.
” Delaware , where daily cases are down to about 100 a day , also shut down newly reopened bars in beach communities and put off its “ phase three ” of reopening indefinitely .
In New Jersey , where cases had been declining since late April , Gov .
Phil Murphy announced a pause on Monday , in part because of people not wearing masks and social distancing .
“ Unfortunately , the national scene , compounded by instances of knucklehead behavior here at home , are @ @ @ @ @ @ @ restart of indoor dining for the foreseeable future , ” he said .

PHOENIX (AP) - California closed bars, theaters and indoor restaurant dining all over again across most of the state Wednesday, and Arizona’s outbreak grew more severe by nearly every measure as the surging coronavirus crisis across the South and West sent a shudder through the country.
The run-up in confirmed cases has been blamed in part on what’s been called “knucklehead behavior” by Americans not wearing masks or obeying social-distancing rules as economies reopened from coast to coast over the past two months.
“The bottom line is the spread of this virus continues at a rate that is particularly concerning,” California Gov. Gavin Newsom said in dramatically expanding the round of closings he announced over the weekend.
The shutdown announcement, which came just ahead of what is expected to be a busy Fourth of July weekend that could fuel the spread of the virus, applies to 19 counties encompassing nearly three-quarters of California’s 40 million people, including Los Angeles County.
Confirmed cases in California have increased nearly 50% over the past two weeks, and COVID-19 hospitalizations have gone up 43%. Newsom reported nearly 5,900 new cases and 110 more deaths in 24 hours.
With one of the biggest weekends of the summer approaching, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention advised Americans to wear face coverings at the beach, though not in the water.
Despite the resurgence of coronavirus across the U.S., President Donald Trump spoke Wednesday about the virus as if it were a nuisance he hopes will eventually just go away.
“I think we are going to be very good with the coronavirus,” he said in an interview with Fox Business. “I think that, at some point, that’s going to sort of just disappear, I hope.”
Meanwhile, a masked Vice President Mike Pence paid a visit to Arizona, where cases have spiked since stay-at-home orders expired in mid-May. The state reported record single-day highs for new cases (almost 4,900), deaths (88), ER visits (close to 1,300) and the number of people in the hospital (nearly 2,900).
In Florida, the biggest hospital in the hardest-hit county, Miami’s Jackson Health System, scaled back elective surgeries and other procedures as it and others around the state braced for an influx of victims.
Florida recorded more than 6,500 new cases - down from around 9,000 on some days last week, but still alarming - and a running total of over 3,500 deaths. Counties in South Florida are closing beaches to fend off large July Fourth crowds that could spread the virus.
“Too many people were crowding into restaurants late at night, turning these establishments into breeding grounds for this deadly virus,” Miami-Dade Mayor Carlos Gimenez said in forbidding restaurants with seating for more than eight people from serving customers inside from midnight to 6 a.m.
Louisiana saw its biggest daily spike since April, reporting 2,100 new cases in 24 hours. Georgia set a new daily record with nearly 3,000 new cases. Texas did too, with new infections skyrocketing past 8,000 in a single day for the first time.
Marilyn Rauth, a senior citizen in Punta Gorda, said Florida’s reopening was “too much too soon” and blamed Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis.
“The sad thing is the COVID spread will probably go on for some time, though we could have flattened the curve with responsible leadership,” she said. “Experience now has shown most people won’t social distance at beaches, bars, etc. The governor evidently has no concern for the health of the state’s citizens.”
The soaring numbers across the Sunbelt have raised fears that many other states could see the same phenomenon if they reopen too, and that people from the South and West could spread the virus to other regions.
Some distant states and cities that seemed to have tamed their outbreaks, including Colorado, Virginia, Delaware and New Jersey, hit pause or backtracked on some of their reopening plans for bars and restaurants as they watched the crisis unfold from afar.
Also, New York and New Jersey are asking visitors from 16 states from the Carolinas to California to quarantine themselves for two weeks.
New York Mayor Bill de Blasio said the city is delaying its resumption of indoor dining at restaurants, and not because of any rise in cases there.
“Even a week ago, honestly, I was hopeful we could. But the news we have gotten from around the country gets worse and worse all the time,” he said.
The number of confirmed cases in the U.S. per day has roughly doubled over the past month, hitting 44,800 on Tuesday, according to a count kept by Johns Hopkins University. That is higher even than what the nation witnessed during the deadliest stretch of the crisis in mid-April through early May.
Dr. Anthony S. Fauci, the nation’s top infectious-disease expert, warned on Capitol Hill on Tuesday that the rise across the South and West “puts the entire country at risk” and that new infections could reach 100,000 a day if people don’t start listening to public health authorities.
The virus in the U.S. is blamed for more than 2.6 million confirmed cases and over 127,000 deaths, the highest toll in the world, by Johns Hopkins’ count. Worldwide, the number of infections is put at more than 10.6 million, with over a half-million deaths.
The real numbers in the U.S. and globally are believed to be significantly higher, in part because of limited testing and mild cases that have gone unrecorded.
The number of deaths per day in the U.S. has continued to drop over the past week and is down to an average of about 550, compared with a peak of around 2,200 a day in mid-April, according to an Associated Press analysis.
But experts note that deaths are a lagging indicator - it takes time for people to get sick and die - and they warn that the trend could reverse itself.
In New Jersey, where cases had been declining since late April, Gov. Phil Murphy announced a pause on Monday, in part because of people not wearing masks and social distancing.
“Unfortunately, the national scene, compounded by instances of knucklehead behavior here at home, are requiring us to hit pause on the restart of indoor dining for the foreseeable future,” he said.
___
Associated Press reporters Adam Beam in Sacramento, California; Curt Anderson in St. Petersburg, Florida; Adriana Gomez in Miami; Kelli Kennedy in Fort Lauderdale, Florida; and Melinda Deslatte in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, contributed to this report. Coyle reported from New York.


washingtontimes--2020-07-01--Portland police declare riot, use tear gas

PORTLAND , Ore. ( AP ) - Police declared a riot , made multiple arrests and used tear gas to @ @ @ @ @ Oregon , as unruly demonstrations continue in the city .
KOIN reports a few hundred @ @ @ @ @ p.m Tuesday .
By 10:15 p.m. police in the North Portland neighborhood declared the gathering @ @ @ @ @ gas .
Authorities say protesters continuously threw things at officers including cans , water bottles @ @ @ @ @ were made as protests continued into early Wednesday morning .
Thousands of people have turned @ @ @ @ @ nearly a month in this liberal Pacific Northwest city since the death of George Floyd @ @ @ @ @ are peaceful , but smaller numbers of people break away most nights and set small @ @ @ @ @ and statues and clash with police .

PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) - More than two dozen protesters were arrested on charges including disorderly conduct, interfering with a police officer, riot and assault on a police officer during protests that stretched into the early morning hours of Wednesday, Portland police said.
Authorities said protesters threw cans, water bottles, fireworks and “baseball-sized rocks” at police, which prompted officers in riot gear to chase them away with tear gas after declaring a riot. Some demonstrators disputed the police characterization in Twitter posts and said officers seemed to react much faster and more aggressively than at past protests.
Oregon House Speaker Tina Kotek condemned the police response - and the use of tear gas - on Wednesday. In a strongly worded letter to Mayor Ted Wheeler, Kotek called the officers’ actions “unacceptable.” The protesters had been gathering near the police officers’ union headquarters when the conflicts broke out.
‘“It was an unnecessary escalation by the PPB against people exercising their freedom of assembly and freedom of speech,” Kotek said. “It showed an utter inability to exercise restraint. Smart policing is when an officer can differentiate a minor provocation from a serious threat. Nothing about this was smart.”
In a statement, Wheeler said he appreciated Kotek’s input and said peaceful protests over the past month have “brought the community together in new and transformational ways.”
“We look forward to providing her a briefing so that she has the benefit of the same information our team … is operating with,” he said of Tuesday night’s events.
Newly appointed Police Chief Chuck Lovell, who is Black, defended the decision to declare a riot.
“Some have said we are only protecting an empty building and the force used was excessive,” he said in a statement Wednesday. “My response to that is we would have seen one building lit on fire in a neighborhood where a commercial building fire could have led to residences being burned with families inside.”
The protests late Tuesday and into early Wednesday were in the same area where demonstrations late last week and on Monday night also escalated into violence. Protesters have been targeting the North Precinct police station and, last week, briefly set fire outside the building.
The police station is in a historically Black part of the city and many of the businesses in the same building as the police station are Black-owned. Wheeler and Lovell held a news conference last week with local business owners and community leaders condemning the protesters’ tactics.
Thousands of people have turned out every night for more than a month in the liberal Pacific Northwest city since the death of George Floyd in Minneapolis.
At its peak, 10,000 people marched every night to protest police brutality and racial injustice. In recent days, the protests have been smaller but have ended in violent clashes with police officers, most recently in North Portland.


washingtontimes--2020-07-01--Missouri man freed from prison with help from WNBA's Moore

JEFFERSON CITY , Mo .
( AP ) - A Missouri man was freed from prison Wednesday after a county prosecutor declined to retry his case , punctuating years of work by WNBA star Maya Moore and other supporters who argued he was falsely convicted of burglary and assault charges .
Moore was on hand when Jonathan Irons , 40 , walked out of the Jefferson City Correctional Center .
She clapped as Irons approached a group of people waiting for his release .
She then dropped to her knees at one point before joining a group hug around Irons @ @ @ @ @ @ @ prison sentence stemming from the non-fatal shooting of a homeowner in the St. Louis area when Irons was 16 .
But a judge threw out his convictions in March , citing a series of problems with the case , including a fingerprint report that had not been turned over to Irons ’ defense team , according to The New York Times .
The Missouri attorney general ’ s office unsuccessfully appealed the judge ’ s decision , and the lead prosecutor in St. Charles County decided against a retrial .
Moore and Irons @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , according to the Times .
The 31-year-old Moore , a Jefferson City , Missouri , native who starred at UConn before helping lead Minnesota to four WNBA titles , put her career on hold last season to help Irons .
Moore said in January she planned to sit out a second season and miss the Tokyo Olympics .
After Irons ’ convictions were thrown out in March , she told the AP her plans hadn ’ t changed .
“ ’ My decision to take another year was bigger than this case @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
“ But obviously this case was in the forefront of my mind .
I ’ m looking forward when this is done to finally getting some rest and time with my family .
”

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (AP) - A Missouri man was freed from prison Wednesday after a county prosecutor declined to retry his case, punctuating years of work by WNBA star Maya Moore and other supporters who argued he was falsely convicted of burglary and assault charges.
Moore was on hand when Jonathan Irons, 40, walked out of the Jefferson City Correctional Center. She clapped as Irons approached a group of people waiting for his release. She then dropped to her knees at one point before joining a group hug around Irons.
He had been serving a 50-year prison sentence stemming from the non-fatal shooting of a homeowner in the St. Louis area when Irons was 16. But a judge threw out his convictions in March, citing a series of problems with the case, including a fingerprint report that had not been turned over to Irons’ defense team, according to The New York Times.
The Missouri attorney general’s office unsuccessfully appealed the judge’s decision, and the lead prosecutor in St. Charles County decided against a retrial.
Moore and Irons became friends after meeting through prison ministry, according to the Times. The 31-year-old Moore, a Jefferson City, Missouri, native who starred at UConn before helping lead Minnesota to four WNBA titles, put her career on hold last season to help Irons.
Moore said in January she planned to sit out a second season and miss the Tokyo Olympics. After Irons’ convictions were thrown out in March, she told the AP her plans hadn’t changed.
“’My decision to take another year was bigger than this case,” she said at the time. “But obviously this case was in the forefront of my mind. I’m looking forward when this is done to finally getting some rest and time with my family.”
___
More AP sports: https://apnews.com/apf-sports and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports


washingtontimes--2020-07-01--Novartis pays $678M to resolve suit over sham doctor outings

NEW YORK ( AP ) - Novartis Pharmaceutical Corp. will pay $ 678 million to the U.S. government and various states to settle a lawsuit over a sham speaker program that distributed cash , expensive dinners and other treats to induce doctors to prescribe its products , federal authorities announced Wednesday .
The settlement of the lawsuit was announced by Acting Manhattan U.S. Attorney Audrey Strauss , who said the company splurged on “ speaking fees , exorbitant meals , and top-shelf alcohol that were nothing more than bribes to get doctors across the country to prescribe Novartis ’ s @ @ @ @ @ @ @ with lawyers for Novartis Pharmaceuticals , which is part of Swiss drug manufacturer Novartis International AG .
The settlement resolves a 2011 whistleblower lawsuit accusing Novartis of violating the federal False Claims Act and Anti-Kickback Statute .
The company admitted giving doctors cash , golf and fishing trips , and lavish meals at some of the nation ’ s fanciest restaurants to induce them to prescribe Novartis cardiovascular and diabetes drugs that were reimbursed by federal healthcare programs , the government said in a release .
Federal authorities alleged that Novartis earned hundreds @ @ @ @ @ @ @ for selling drugs sold by doctors benefiting from tens of thousands of sham educational events at high-end restaurants and other venues .
With the program , the company paid exorbitant speaker fees to doctors who gave no meaningful presentations while their guests enjoyed fine food and drinks , the government said in court papers .
In settling , Novartis made extensive factual admissions and agreed to strict limitations on any future speaker programs , according to terms of the deal .
William F. Sweeney Jr. , head of New York ’ s FBI @ @ @ @ @ @ @ conduct was “ reprehensible and dishonest.
” “ Not only did Novartis incentivize doctors to host these speaking events , reps bribed the doctors to write more prescriptions of the company ’ s drugs to give Novartis an advantage over competitors within their field , ” he said .
“ Greed replaced the responsibility the public expects from those who practice medicine.
” Some high-prescribing doctors received tens or hundreds of thousands of dollars for their work as Novartis often reimbursed the same group of doctors , colleagues and friends who had dinners @ @ @ @ @ @ @

NEW YORK (AP) - Novartis Pharmaceutical Corp. will pay $678 million to the U.S. government and various states to settle a lawsuit over a sham speaker program that distributed cash, expensive dinners and other treats to induce doctors to prescribe its products, federal authorities announced Wednesday.
The settlement of the lawsuit was announced by Acting Manhattan U.S. Attorney Audrey Strauss, who said the company splurged on “speaking fees, exorbitant meals, and top-shelf alcohol that were nothing more than bribes to get doctors across the country to prescribe Novartis’s drugs.”
Messages seeking comment were left with lawyers for Novartis Pharmaceuticals, which is part of Swiss drug manufacturer Novartis International AG.
Vas Narasimhan, chief executive of Novartis, said in a statement that the company has already changed, “with new leadership, a stronger culture, and a more comprehensive commitment to ethics embedded at the heart of our company.”
“With these agreements we mark an important milestone on our journey to build trust with society as we continue re-imagining medicine to improve and extend lives all around the world,” Narasimhan said.
The settlement resolves a 2011 whistleblower lawsuit accusing Novartis of violating the federal False Claims Act and Anti-Kickback Statute.
The company admitted giving doctors cash, golf and fishing trips, and lavish meals at some of the nation’s fanciest restaurants to induce them to prescribe Novartis cardiovascular and diabetes drugs that were reimbursed by federal healthcare programs, the government said in a release.
Federal authorities alleged that Novartis earned hundreds of millions of dollars in federal reimbursements for selling drugs sold by doctors benefiting from tens of thousands of sham educational events at high-end restaurants and other venues.
With the program, the company paid exorbitant speaker fees to doctors who gave no meaningful presentations while their guests enjoyed fine food and drinks, the government said in court papers.
In settling, Novartis made extensive factual admissions and agreed to strict limitations on any future speaker programs, according to terms of the deal.
William F. Sweeney Jr., head of New York’s FBI office, said the company’s conduct was “reprehensible and dishonest.”
“Not only did Novartis incentivize doctors to host these speaking events, reps bribed the doctors to write more prescriptions of the company’s drugs to give Novartis an advantage over competitors within their field,” he said. “Greed replaced the responsibility the public expects from those who practice medicine.”
Some high-prescribing doctors received tens or hundreds of thousands of dollars for their work as Novartis often reimbursed the same group of doctors, colleagues and friends who had dinners together repeatedly, the government said.


washingtontimes--2020-07-01--MVP plaque presenters to discuss Landis' name on MLB trophy

NEW YORK ( AP ) - The baseball organization that presents the annual MVP awards will consider whether the name of former commissioner Kenesaw Mountain Landis should be pulled from future plaques .
“ The issue is being addressed , ” Jack O ’ Connell , longtime secretary-treasurer of the Baseball Writers ’ Association of America , said Wednesday .
“ It will definitely be put up for discussion.
” Former NL Most Valuable Players Barry Larkin , Mike Schmidt and Terry Pendleton this week told The Associated Press they would favor removing Landis ’ name because of concerns over @ @ @ @ @ @ @ I could not agree more , ” decorated writer and broadcaster Peter Gammons tweeted .
Meanwhile , a lively debate has popped up on social media about whose name should be on the plaque , if anyone at all .
Among those being suggested are Hall of Famer Frank Robinson , the only player to win the MVP in both leagues , Negro Leagues star Josh Gibson and Brooklyn Dodgers owner Branch Rickey , who signed Jackie Robinson .
Landis was hired in 1920 as MLB ’ s first commissioner .
No Blacks @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that ended with his death in late 1944 - Robinson broke the color barrier in 1947 and Larry Doby followed later that season .
Landis ’ legacy is “ always a complicated story ” that includes “ documented racism , ” official MLB historian John Thorn said .
Every AL and NL MVP plaque since Landis ’ death has carried his name — in letters twice as big as the winner — and an imprint of his face .
Landis gave the BBWAA control of picking and presenting the MVPs in 1931 .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ the mechanics of dealing with the topic amid a pandemic , ” O ’ Connell said .
“ It will just be a matter of what form.
” “ It is safe to say that we would prefer to settle this matter before the Winter Meetings , ” he said .
The BBWAA ’ s next scheduled meeting is at the winter meetings in Dallas in December .
The MVP winners are usually announced in November .
Landis ’ name has been on the plaques for 75 years , but it is not @ @ @ @ @ @ @ constitution .
A vote by the membership could lead to a redesign by the end of the coronavirus-delayed , 60-game season set to start in three weeks .
“ I don ’ t know that it needs a name , ” Larkin said .
“ MVP says it all .
”

NEW YORK (AP) - The baseball organization that presents the annual MVP awards will consider whether the name of former commissioner Kenesaw Mountain Landis should be pulled from future plaques.
“The issue is being addressed,” Jack O’Connell, longtime secretary-treasurer of the Baseball Writers’ Association of America, said Wednesday. “It will definitely be put up for discussion.”
Former NL Most Valuable Players Barry Larkin, Mike Schmidt and Terry Pendleton this week told The Associated Press they would favor removing Landis’ name because of concerns over his handling of Black players.
“I could not agree more,” decorated writer and broadcaster Peter Gammons tweeted.
Meanwhile, a lively debate has popped up on social media about whose name should be on the plaque, if anyone at all. Among those being suggested are Hall of Famer Frank Robinson, the only player to win the MVP in both leagues, Negro Leagues star Josh Gibson and Brooklyn Dodgers owner Branch Rickey, who signed Jackie Robinson.
Landis was hired in 1920 as MLB’s first commissioner. No Blacks played in the majors during his tenure that ended with his death in late 1944 - Robinson broke the color barrier in 1947 and Larry Doby followed later that season.
Landis’ legacy is “always a complicated story” that includes “documented racism,” official MLB historian John Thorn said.
The only living relative of Landis who personally knew him said he’d be sorry to see the name come off the plaque.
“I would be devastated because my uncle had already started the difficult task of desegregating baseball by pressuring the owners and using his well-known popularity with the fans,” 97-year-old Lincoln Landis said Thursday in a statement relayed by his son, Timothy.
“In my judgment, he would have been totally supportive of Jackie Robinson’s entry into the Brooklyn Dodgers organization, while seriously concerned about the challenges that Jackie would have faced,” he said. “He would have been convinced that the entry of Blacks in the major leagues promised ‘what’s good for baseball,’ which happened to be his signature requirement for the national pastime.”
Every AL and NL MVP plaque since Landis’ death has carried his name — in letters twice as big as the winner — and an imprint of his face. Landis gave the BBWAA control of picking and presenting the MVPs in 1931.
“We are trying to work out the mechanics of dealing with the topic amid a pandemic,” O’Connell said. “It will just be a matter of what form.”
“It is safe to say that we would prefer to settle this matter before the winter meetings,” he said.
The BBWAA’s next scheduled meeting is at the winter meetings in Dallas in December. The MVP winners are usually announced in November.
Landis’ name has been on the plaques for 75 years, but it is not pledged to remain there under the BBWAA constitution. A vote by the membership could lead to a redesign by the end of the coronavirus-delayed, 60-game season set to start in three weeks.
“I don’t know that it needs a name,” Larkin said. “MVP says it all.”
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More AP MLB: https://apnews.com/MLB and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports


washingtontimes--2020-07-01--Police: 24 dead in attack on drug rehab center in Mexico

MEXICO CITY ( AP ) - Gunmen burst into an unregistered drug rehabilitation center in Mexico and opened fire Wednesday @ @ @ @ @ wounding seven .
Police in the north-central state of Guanajuato said the attack occurred Wednesday @ @ @ @ @ .
Three of the seven wounded were in serious condition .
Apparently the attackers shot @ @ @ @ @ ; state police said nobody was abducted .
Guanajuato is the scene of a bloody @ @ @ @ @ cartel and a local gang , and the state has become the most violent in @ @ @ @ @ given in the attack , but Gov .
Diego Sinhue said drug gangs appear to @ @ @ @

IRAPUATO, Mexico (AP) - The killing of 26 people in an unregistered drug rehabilitation center in central Mexico is the deadliest such attack in a decade and has led to calls for change in a prosperous state that has become a cartel battleground.
Authorities in the city of Irapuato in Guanajuato state on Thursday raised the death toll from 24 after two of the seven people injured in the attack died.
Police in Guanajuato state said Wednesday’s attack occurred at a modest two-story house on the outskirts of Irapuato. Apparently the attackers shot every male at the rehab center, letting only the females go.
Rosa Alba Santoyo, three of whose sons were killed in the attack, said a female addict at the center said the gunmen told the women to get out, before gunning down the men.
Santoyo said two of her sons, construction workers aged 29 and 39, were at the center because they had problems with drugs. Her youngest son, 27, had been at the center previously and recovered, and had only returned Wednesday to bring his brothers soft drinks when the gunmen killed all three of them.
Two of her sons were in a photograph of the massacre on the front page of the local newspaper. Their bullet-ridden bodies lay next to the other victims, prone on the floor of the center amid piles of blankets. They were apparently made to lie down before being massacred. Her youngest son was found shot to death at another spot.
Santoyo, who works at a factory that make cleaning products, said that up until a month or two ago, there had been a military post across the street from the center, but that for some reason it had been withdrawn. Mexico’s army and national guard have been given a number of tasks in dealing with the coronavirus pandemic that may have required those troops.
A woman who lives near the center, Mary Moreno, said the gunmen simply burst into the rehab and started shooting. Guanajuato, a prosperous industrial hub with foreign auto plants, has become Mexico’s most violent state, a situation the government seems unable to remedy.
“The government doesn’t do anything anymore,” said Moreno.
The state is the scene of a bloody turf battle between the Jalisco New Generation Cartel and a local gang - the Santa Rosa de Lima Cartel - and the state has become the most violent in Mexico.
No motive was given in the rehab center attack, but Gov. Diego Sinhue Rodríguez Vallejo said drug gangs appeared to have been involved.
“The violence generated by organized crime not only takes the lives of the young, but it takes the peace from families in Guanajuato,” the governor wrote. Rodríguez Vallejo belongs to the conservative opposition party National Action, and the state’s crime problem has been the subject of political divisions.
President Andrés Manuel López Obrador said Thursday that “changes must be made to solve Guanajuato’s problem, because the circumstances demand it.”
“The problem was allowed to grow, it grew a lot and we have to see if there was some sort of cooperation, criminal conspiracy between the criminals and officials,” López Obrador said, without specifying who he was accusing.
There have been persistent reports that state authorities who once tolerated the Santa Rosa de Lima gang, turned in the recent years to allowing the Jalisco cartel to enter the state in hopes they would the end the local gang’s systematic extortion of businesses.
But while Santa Rosa is a less sophisticated gang that started out with robbing freight trains and stealing fuel from government pipelines, it has proved tougher than expected for Jalisco to crush, in part because Jalisco’s rival, the Sinaloa Cartel, may be contributing money and guns to Santa Rosa.
Mexican drug gangs have killed suspected street-level dealers from rival gangs sheltering at such facilities in the past. It was one of the deadliest attacks on a rehab center since 19 people were killed in 2010 in Chihuahua city in northern Mexico. More than a dozen attacks on such facilities have occurred since then.
Mexico has long had problems with rehab centers because most are privately run, underfunded and often commit abuses against recovering addicts. The government spends relatively little money on rehabilitation, often making the unregistered centers the only option available for poor families.
In addition, addicts and dealers who face attacks from rivals on the streets sometimes take refuge at the rehab clinics, making the clinics themselves targets for attack.


washingtontimes--2020-07-01--Father, 2 daughters dead in apparent Watts murder-suicide

LOS ANGELES ( AP ) - A man and his two young daughters were shot to death in what appeared @ @ @ @ @ a Watts home , police said Wednesday .
Police and paramedics were called to the @ @ @ @ @ about 8:15 a.m. and found the man and his daughters , ages 4 and 6 @ @ @ @ @ the scene and the man died at a hospital , authorities said .
Their names @ @ @ @ @ The man may have killed the girls and then himself , police said .
“ @ @ @ @ @ showing , quite tragically , is that this was a family dispute that turned into @ @ @ @ @ Kerri Potter said .
The mother and another child who live at the home are @ @ @ @ @ Neighbors said the family seemed happy , the station reported .
However , police said @ @ @ @ @ in an incident at the home in 2017 , although authorities didn ’ t provide @ @ @ @ @ .

LOS ANGELES (AP) - A man and his two young daughters were shot to death in what appeared to be a murder-suicide in a Watts home, police said Wednesday.
Police and paramedics were called to the home on Success Avenue at about 8:15 a.m. and found the man and his daughters, ages 4 and 6. The girls died at the scene and the man died at a hospital, authorities said.
Their names were not immediately released.
The man may have killed the girls and then himself, police said.
“What our initial investigation is showing, quite tragically, is that this was a family dispute that turned into a murder-suicide,” Lt. Kerri Potter said.
The mother and another child who live at the home are alive, KNBC-TV reported.
Neighbors said the family seemed happy, the station reported.
However, police said child welfare officials were involved in an incident at the home in 2017, although authorities didn’t provide details, the station said.


washingtontimes--2020-07-01--Michael Shellenberger, ex-alarmist, disputes climate narrative in new book

Environmentalist Michael Shellenberger got off to a rocky start with his book launch when Forbes deactivated his column apologizing for the “ climate scare , ” but the magazine may have done him a favor .
The backlash prompted a host of feisty contrarian websites , including Quillette , Zero Hedge and Watt ’ s Up With That , to reprint his Monday column , providing a spate of publicity in advance of Tuesday ’ s release of “ Apocalypse Never : Why Environmental Alarmism Hurts Us All ” ( HarperCollins ) .
“ Forbes apparently doesn ’ t want @ @ @ @ @ @ @ lost Michael Shellenberger , ” said the free-market Committee for a Constructive Tomorrow ( CFACT ) , which runs the Climate Depot website .
That said , the word is out .
Already climbing the Amazon bestseller charts , “ Apocalypse Never ” threatens to hit the climate movement harder than a wind turbine colliding with a bald eagle .
“ Apocalypse Never ” represents a rarity , a major release by a prestigious publisher that refutes widely repeated environmental talking points ; accuses climate activists of misleading the public , and contends @ @ @ @ @ @ @ are making matters worse .
“ I actually argue that renewables are worse than fossil fuels , ” Mr. Shellenberger told The Washington Times .
“ It ’ s a physical manifestation of lower power densities .
More land , more materials , more mining , more metals , more waste .
This is very well understood in the scholarly literature.
” Among activists , however , the strategy is to win over people with what he calls the “ appeal to nature fallacy , which is the idea that some things are @ @ @ @ @ @ @ by being more natural , they ’ re better.
” In the case of energy , he said , so-called natural solutions are worse for the environment .
Solar and wind energy require vast amounts of land and play havoc with bird and wildlife species .
Biomass essentially means burning wood and other plants , which chews up forests and produces carbon emissions .
For the last five years , Mr. Shellenberger , 49 , has been a prominent nuclear energy advocate — he heads a group called Environmental Progress — but before @ @ @ @ @ @ @ radical , ” moving to Nicaragua when he was 17 to show support for the Sandinistas , then fighting to save the California redwoods and championing renewables .
A Time magazine “ Hero of the Environment , ” he has testified before Congress and was enlisted as an expert reviewer for the U.N. International Panel on Climate Change .
“ Until last year , I mostly avoided speaking out against the climate scare , ” Mr. Shellenberger said in his column .
“ Partly that ’ s because I was embarrassed .
After @ @ @ @ @ @ @ alarmism as any other environmentalist .
For years , I referred to climate change as an ‘ existential ’ threat to human civilization , and called it a ‘ crisis.
’ ” But mainly , he said , “ I was scared , ” worried about losing his friends and his funding .
What helped change his mind was the impact of rising climate alarmism on children and teens .
“ Definitely a big part of this is that my concern that the mental health of adolescents is being harmed by this apocalyptic @ @ @ @ @ @ @ hurting other things , ” said Mr. Shellenberger , who has two children and lives in Berkeley , California .
The climate movement is “ obviously anti-nuclear , even though nuclear is the only way to reduce emissions significantly , ” he said .
“ And it ’ s being used to deprive poor countries of fossil fuels and frankly hydroelectricity and nuclear , because it comes from this Malthusian agenda that says there ’ s too many people in the world and everyone has to massively become much poorer.
” Mr. Shellenberger @ @ @ @ @ @ @ : The two biggest green groups , the National Resources Defense Council and Environmental Defense Fund , have a combined annual budget of $ 384 million , dwarfing that of the two largest skeptic groups — the Competitive Enterprise Institute and the Heartland Institute , which combine for about $ 13 million , according to the book .
“ Climate activists massively outspend climate skeptics , ” Mr. Shellenberger said.He traces the climate-change uproar to the zero-population movement , which was itself an outgrowth of theories promoted by Thomas Malthus , the 18th @ @ @ @ @ @ @ would lead to starvation .
“ It ’ s the same people , the same movement , ” said Mr. Shellenberger .
“ Climate emerges at exactly the moment when it was clear that overpopulation wasn ’ t going to be the big concern everybody thought it was .
When climate goes away as an apocalyptic concern , something else will emerge .
No doubt about it.
” He said the “ demands are the same : Don ’ t let poor countries have fossil fuels , for heaven ’ s sake .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ How terrible .
Don ’ t let them move to cities , keep them in the villages , let ’ s give them a solar panel and a battery , that ought to be good enough .
It ’ s pretty dark stuff.
” The apology column met with some snark from climate activists .
“ I had a couple of guys say ‘ you don ’ t speak on my behalf.
’ Okay , sure .
Well , do you speak on behalf of environmentalists ?
” said Mr. Shellenberger .
Despite @ @ @ @ @ @ @ for Forbes , and was back at it Tuesday with an article alleging that the House Democrats ’ Climate Crisis Action Plan would be a disaster for endangered species .
Forbes said that Mr. Shellenberger ’ s apology column failed to follow the magazine ’ s editorial guidelines without offering details .
“ Forbes requires its contributors to adhere to strict editorial guidelines , ” said a Forbes spokesperson in an email.
” “ This story did not follow those guidelines , and was removed.
” Like Patrick Moore , the former Greenpeace @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the movement , Mr. Shellenberger will undoubtedly make some enemies — he anticipates an “ intensely negative reaction ” to the book — but he believes the time is right for a fresh take on the climate .
“ Nations are reorienting toward the national interest and away from Malthusianism and neoliberalism , which is good for nuclear and bad for renewables , ” he said in his column .
“ The evidence is overwhelming that our high-energy civilization is better for people and nature than the low-energy civilization that climate alarmists would @ @ @ @ @

Environmentalist Michael Shellenberger got off to a rocky start with his book launch when Forbes deactivated his column apologizing for the “climate scare,” but the magazine may have done him a favor.
The backlash prompted a host of feisty contrarian websites, including Quillette, Zero Hedge and Watt’s Up With That, to reprint his Monday column, providing a spate of publicity in advance of Tuesday’s release of “Apocalypse Never: Why Environmental Alarmism Hurts Us All” (HarperCollins).
“Forbes apparently doesn’t want you to know that team climate has lost Michael Shellenberger,” said the free-market Committee for a Constructive Tomorrow (CFACT), which runs the Climate Depot website.
That said, the word is out. Already climbing the Amazon bestseller charts, “Apocalypse Never” threatens to hit the climate movement harder than a wind turbine colliding with a bald eagle.
“Apocalypse Never” represents a rarity, a major release by a prestigious publisher that refutes widely repeated environmental talking points; accuses climate activists of misleading the public, and contends that policy solutions such as green energy are making matters worse.
“I actually argue that renewables are worse than fossil fuels,” Mr. Shellenberger told The Washington Times. “It’s a physical manifestation of lower power densities. More land, more materials, more mining, more metals, more waste. This is very well understood in the scholarly literature.”
Among activists, however, the strategy is to win over people with what he calls the “appeal to nature fallacy, which is the idea that some things are more natural than other things, and by being more natural, they’re better.”
In the case of energy, he said, so-called natural solutions are worse for the environment. Solar and wind energy require vast amounts of land and play havoc with bird and wildlife species. Biomass essentially means burning wood and other plants, which chews up forests and produces carbon emissions.
For the last five years, Mr. Shellenberger, 49, has been a prominent nuclear energy advocate — he heads a group called Environmental Progress — but before that, he was a self-described “radical,” moving to Nicaragua when he was 17 to show support for the Sandinistas, then fighting to save the California redwoods and championing renewables.
A Time magazine “Hero of the Environment,” he has testified before Congress and was enlisted as an expert reviewer for the U.N. International Panel on Climate Change.
“Until last year, I mostly avoided speaking out against the climate scare,” Mr. Shellenberger said in his column. “Partly that’s because I was embarrassed. After all, I am as guilty of alarmism as any other environmentalist. For years, I referred to climate change as an ‘existential’ threat to human civilization, and called it a ‘crisis.’”
But mainly, he said, “I was scared,” worried about losing his friends and his funding. What helped change his mind was the impact of rising climate alarmism on children and teens.
“Definitely a big part of this is that my concern that the mental health of adolescents is being harmed by this apocalyptic alarmism, but it’s also hurting other things,” said Mr. Shellenberger, who has two children and lives in Berkeley, California.
The climate movement is “obviously anti-nuclear, even though nuclear is the only way to reduce emissions significantly,” he said. “And it’s being used to deprive poor countries of fossil fuels and frankly hydroelectricity and nuclear, because it comes from this Malthusian agenda that says there’s too many people in the world and everyone has to massively become much poorer.”
Mr. Shellenberger said climate activists have the cash advantage: The two biggest green groups, the National Resources Defense Council and Environmental Defense Fund, have a combined annual budget of $384 million, dwarfing that of the two largest skeptic groups — the Competitive Enterprise Institute and the Heartland Institute, which combine for about $13 million, according to the book.
“Climate activists massively outspend climate skeptics,” Mr. Shellenberger said.He traces the climate-change uproar to the zero-population movement, which was itself an outgrowth of theories promoted by Thomas Malthus, the 18th century economist who warned that population growth would lead to starvation.
“It’s the same people, the same movement,” said Mr. Shellenberger. “Climate emerges at exactly the moment when it was clear that overpopulation wasn’t going to be the big concern everybody thought it was. When climate goes away as an apocalyptic concern, something else will emerge. No doubt about it.”
He said the “demands are the same: Don’t let poor countries have fossil fuels, for heaven’s sake. Don’t let them industrialize. How terrible. Don’t let them move to cities, keep them in the villages, let’s give them a solar panel and a battery, that ought to be good enough. It’s pretty dark stuff.”
The apology column met with some snark from climate activists. “I had a couple of guys say ‘you don’t speak on my behalf.’ Okay, sure. Well, do you speak on behalf of environmentalists?” said Mr. Shellenberger.
Despite the blackout, he remains a columnist for Forbes, and was back at it Tuesday with an article alleging that the House Democrats’ Climate Crisis Action Plan would be a disaster for endangered species.
Forbes said that Mr. Shellenberger’s apology column failed to follow the magazine’s editorial guidelines without offering details.
“Forbes requires its contributors to adhere to strict editorial guidelines,” said a Forbes spokesperson in an email.” “This story did not follow those guidelines, and was removed.”
Like Patrick Moore, the former Greenpeace leader who was vilified after turning against the movement, Mr. Shellenberger will undoubtedly make some enemies — he anticipates an “intensely negative reaction” to the book — but he believes the time is right for a fresh take on the climate.
“Nations are reorienting toward the national interest and away from Malthusianism and neoliberalism, which is good for nuclear and bad for renewables,” he said in his column. “The evidence is overwhelming that our high-energy civilization is better for people and nature than the low-energy civilization that climate alarmists would return us to.”
• Valerie Richardson can be reached at vrichardson@washingtontimes.com.


washingtontimes--2020-07-01--Corey LaJoie to drive 'Trump 2020' car in Brickyard 400 NASCAR race

It won ’ t all be “ Black Lives Matter ” messaging at Sunday ’ s NASCAR race at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway .
Corey LaJoie ’ s No .
32 car at the Brickyard 400 is being sponsored by a conservative political action committee and will sport a “ Trump 2020 ” paint scheme .
Patriots of America , which is supporting President Trump ’ s reelection bid , will back Mr. LaJoie ’ s Ford Mustang for nine races .
The car will be painted in red , white and blue and “ Trump 2020 ” signage .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ fans out there , I was surprised that about 15 million of those fans are not registered voters , ” Mr. LaJoie said in a statement reported by Fox Business News .
“ I will give my best effort to get NASCAR fans registered to vote , through our team efforts on and off the track .
When they see the car , hopefully it makes them race to the polls in November.
” Go Fas Racing , which owns the No .
32 car , is led by a Trump supporter .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ of the President ’ s re-election campaign through the Patriots of America PAC , ” team owner Archie St. Hilaire said .
“ As a Trump 2020 supporter , this team will do everything possible to secure victory on and off the track electing President Donald Trump to a second term .
Let us bring this country back and Keep America Great !
” The race comes just a couple of weeks after NASCAR banned once-ubiquitous Confederate memorabilia and a pull rope at a garage assigned to Rusty Wallace , the NASCAR Cup @ @ @ @ @ @ @ wrongly taken for a noose .
The mistake resulted in several NASCAR drivers and the organization making pro-BLM statements and all the Cup Series drivers accompanying Wallace on a lap .

It won’t all be “Black Lives Matter” messaging at Sunday’s NASCAR race at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway.
Corey LaJoie’s No. 32 car at the Brickyard 400 is being sponsored by a conservative political action committee and will sport a “Trump 2020” paint scheme.
Patriots of America, which is supporting President Trump’s reelection bid, will back Mr. LaJoie’s Ford Mustang for nine races.
The car will be painted in red, white and blue and “Trump 2020” signage.
“With an estimated 75 million NASCAR fans out there, I was surprised that about 15 million of those fans are not registered voters,” Mr. LaJoie said in a statement reported by Fox Business News. “I will give my best effort to get NASCAR fans registered to vote, through our team efforts on and off the track. When they see the car, hopefully it makes them race to the polls in November.”
Go Fas Racing, which owns the No. 32 car, is led by a Trump supporter.
“I am honored to be part of the President’s re-election campaign through the Patriots of America PAC,” team owner Archie St. Hilaire said. “As a Trump 2020 supporter, this team will do everything possible to secure victory on and off the track electing President Donald Trump to a second term. Let us bring this country back and Keep America Great!”
The race comes just a couple of weeks after NASCAR banned once-ubiquitous Confederate memorabilia and a pull rope at a garage assigned to Bubba Wallace, the NASCAR Cup Series’ only Black driver, was wrongly taken for a noose. The mistake resulted in several NASCAR drivers and the organization making pro-BLM statements and all the Cup Series drivers accompanying Wallace on a lap.
• Victor Morton can be reached at vmorton@washingtontimes.com.


washingtontimes--2020-07-01--Three arraigned in restraint death of Black teen in Michigan

KALAMAZOO , Mich. ( AP ) - Three former Michigan youth center staff members charged in the death of a Black teenager who was restrained after throwing a sandwich have been arraigned .
Michael Mosley of Battle Creek and Heather McLogan of Kalamazoo turned themselves in Wednesday to authorities and appeared in Kalamazoo County District Court on involuntary manslaughter and second-degree child abuse charges .
A third former employee of Lakeside Academy in Kalamazoo , Zachary Solis of Lansing , was arraigned Tuesday after turning himself in .
They were charged last week in the May 1 death of 16-year-old @ @ @ @ @ @ @ went into cardiac arrest April 29 while being restrained .
He was hospitalized but died two days later .
His manner and cause of death was listed as a homicide .
A doctor who performed the autopsy , said Fredericks had been restrained on the ground , resulting in asphyxia .
Mosley , 47 , and Solis , 28 , are accused of restraining Fredericks in a “ grossly negligent manner , ” Kalamazoo County Prosecutor Jeff Getting said last week while announcing the charges .
McLogan , 48 , is accused of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ medical care for the teen in a timely manner .
Each was released on bond pending probable cause conferences later this month .
“ She has no prior criminal history whatsoever , ” defense attorney Anastase Markou said of his client , McLogan , during her arraignment .
Solis was “ overcharged ” and only doing what he was told to do by his superiors , his attorney Donald Sappanos told MLive.com Tuesday .
Attorney Kiana Garrity , who represents Mosley , told MLive.com in a statement that Mosley was following Lakeside Academy @ @ @ @ @ @ @ filed against Lakeside Academy and Sequel Youth and Family Services by Fredericks ’ estate .
Lakeside Academy , a facility for teenagers with behavioral problems , last month lost its contract with the state of Michigan to care for youth in the state ’ s foster care and juvenile justice systems and its license to operate .

KALAMAZOO, Mich. (AP) - Three former Michigan youth center staff members charged in the death of a Black teenager who was restrained after throwing a sandwich have been arraigned.
Michael Mosley of Battle Creek and Heather McLogan of Kalamazoo turned themselves in Wednesday to authorities and appeared in Kalamazoo County District Court on involuntary manslaughter and second-degree child abuse charges.
A third former employee of Lakeside Academy in Kalamazoo, Zachary Solis of Lansing, was arraigned Tuesday after turning himself in.
They were charged last week in the May 1 death of 16-year-old Cornelius Fredericks.
Authorities have said Fredericks went into cardiac arrest April 29 while being restrained. He was hospitalized but died two days later. His manner and cause of death was listed as a homicide.
A doctor who performed the autopsy, said Fredericks had been restrained on the ground, resulting in asphyxia.
Mosley, 47, and Solis, 28, are accused of restraining Fredericks in a “grossly negligent manner,” Kalamazoo County Prosecutor Jeff Getting said last week while announcing the charges.
McLogan, 48, is accused of gross negligence for allegedly failing to seek medical care for the teen in a timely manner.
Each was released on bond pending probable cause conferences later this month.
“She has no prior criminal history whatsoever,” defense attorney Anastase Markou said of his client, McLogan, during her arraignment.
Solis was “overcharged” and only doing what he was told to do by his superiors, his attorney Donald Sappanos told MLive.com Tuesday.
Attorney Kiana Garrity, who represents Mosley, told MLive.com in a statement that Mosley was following Lakeside Academy protocol.
A civil lawsuit has been filed against Lakeside Academy and Sequel Youth and Family Services by Fredericks’ estate.
Lakeside Academy, a facility for teenagers with behavioral problems, last month lost its contract with the state of Michigan to care for youth in the state’s foster care and juvenile justice systems and its license to operate.


washingtontimes--2020-07-01--Champ can play under tour's latest coronavirus policy change

Cameron Champ was added to the field in the Rocket Mortgage Classic in Detroit under a modified PGA Tour policy that allows players who test positive for the coronavirus to be eligible if they had no symptoms and get two negative test results at least 24 hours apart .
The decision Wednesday was the latest change to an evolving “ Health and Safety Plan ” as the tour enters its fourth week back from the COVID-19 shutdown .
Champ is among six players and two caddies on the PGA Tour who have tested positive .
Ricky Elliott , the caddie @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the Travelers Championship last week in Connecticut , and then had a negative test .
The tour said after several asymptomatic positive tests that were followed by a negative test , it consulted with the CDC and is moving to a test-based model , which allows players or caddies to return if they have two negative tests at least 24 hours apart .
Previously , the tour relied on time-based protocols that required those who test positive to self-isolate for at least 10 days .
Champ tested positive on June 23 and withdrew @ @ @ @ @ @ @ said he had three negative tests over the 72 hours .
He still had to be tested at Detroit Golf Club upon arrival .
Champ was set to tee off as a single at 2:10 p.m. Thursday on the 10th tee .
“ Today ’ s changes — and those announced over the past week — illustrate our commitment to preserving the health and well-being of our athletes , constituents and our impact on the communities in which we play , as well as a willingness to make medically sound adjustments that allow @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ” PGA Tour Commissioner Jay Monahan said in a statement .
“ The continued success of our return to golf depends on that approach.
” Harris English and Chad Campbell tested positive when they arrived in Detroit for the Rocket Mortgage Classic , while Brandon Wu and Jonathan Hodge had positive tests in Colorado on the Korn Ferry Tour .
The tour said all were asymptomatic .
They would be eligible to play next week if they have two negative tests at least 24 hours apart .
The tour made two other adjustments @ @ @ @ @ @ @ coming off a break must take a home test for the coronavirus if they want to be eligible for a stipend to cover their costs if they test positive .
The stipend — reported to be worth up to $ 100,000 for PGA Tour players — will be the same amount for a positive test returned at home or a tournament site .
That makes eight changes to the evolving policy since the tour resumed its schedule June 8 at Colonial in Fort Worth , Texas .
Other changes include players being tested @ @ @ @ @ @ @ flight and when they arrive at the next event ; players not receiving a stipend for a positive test if they don ’ t follow safety protocols ; and players or caddies being banned from the golf course until their tests results are back .

Cameron Champ was added to the field in the Rocket Mortgage Classic in Detroit under a modified PGA Tour policy that allows players who test positive for the coronavirus to be eligible if they had no symptoms and get two negative test results at least 24 hours apart.
The decision Wednesday was the latest change to an evolving “Health and Safety Plan” as the tour enters its fourth week back from the COVID-19 shutdown. Champ is among six players and two caddies on the PGA Tour who have tested positive.
Ricky Elliott, the caddie for Brooks Koepka, tested positive before the Travelers Championship last week in Connecticut, and then had a negative test.
The tour said after several asymptomatic positive tests that were followed by a negative test, it consulted with the CDC and is moving to a test-based model, which allows players or caddies to return if they have two negative tests at least 24 hours apart. Previously, the tour relied on time-based protocols that required those who test positive to self-isolate for at least 10 days.
Champ tested positive on June 23 and withdrew from the Travelers Championship. The tour said he had three negative tests over the 72 hours. He still had to be tested at Detroit Golf Club upon arrival. Champ was set to tee off as a single at 2:10 p.m. Thursday on the 10th tee.
“Today’s changes — and those announced over the past week — illustrate our commitment to preserving the health and well-being of our athletes, constituents and our impact on the communities in which we play, as well as a willingness to make medically sound adjustments that allow our players to compete, safely,” PGA Tour Commissioner Jay Monahan said in a statement. “The continued success of our return to golf depends on that approach.”
Harris English and Chad Campbell tested positive when they arrived in Detroit for the Rocket Mortgage Classic, while Brandon Wu and Jonathan Hodge had positive tests in Colorado on the Korn Ferry Tour. The tour said all were asymptomatic. They would be eligible to play next week if they have two negative tests at least 24 hours apart.
The tour made two other adjustments to its policy.
Players who are coming off a break must take a home test for the coronavirus if they want to be eligible for a stipend to cover their costs if they test positive. The stipend — reported to be worth up to $100,000 for PGA Tour players — will be the same amount for a positive test returned at home or a tournament site.
That makes eight changes to the evolving policy since the tour resumed its schedule June 8 at Colonial in Fort Worth, Texas. Other changes include players being tested before taking a charter to the next flight and when they arrive at the next event; players not receiving a stipend for a positive test if they don’t follow safety protocols; and players or caddies being banned from the golf course until their tests results are back.
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More AP golf: https://apnews.com/apf-Golf and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports


washingtontimes--2020-07-01--California border county reverses economic reopening

EL CENTRO , Calif. ( AP ) - A farming region on California ’ s border with Mexico is closing many stores for a second time during the coronavirus pandemic , while further limiting religious services and shutting parks , authorities said Wednesday .
The Imperial County board of supervisors headed off restrictions imposed by Gov .
Gavin Newsom , who said last week that the county needed to reverse itself on reopening its battered economy because cases were surging .
Dr. Stephen Munday , the Imperial County health officer , said it was “ a hard decision.
” “ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the governor said if we didn ’ t make a decision to do something that he was going to make a decision for us , ” Munday said at a news conference .
“ So we decided we know this community and that we can make the best decisions to try to keep everyone safe here in our community rather than have something imposed on us.
” The order hews closely to a 13-point plan that the county released Monday night for state officials to review .
The county will close stores deemed @ @ @ @ @ @ @ allowed to open , though curbside pickup is still permitted .
Indoor religious services will again be prohibited , while outdoor services will be limited to 100 people with social distancing , Munday said .
County parks are closing .
Imperial , with a population of about 180,000 , has had about 6,500 cases among 32,700 tested , a positive rate of about 20 % .
Health experts largely agree that cross-border traffic with Mexicali is at least partly to blame for a surge since the middle of May .
About 500 coronavirus @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the region in recent weeks .

EL CENTRO, Calif. (AP) - A farming region on California’s border with Mexico is closing many stores for a second time during the coronavirus pandemic, while further limiting religious services and shutting parks, authorities said Wednesday.
The Imperial County board of supervisors headed off restrictions imposed by Gov. Gavin Newsom, who said last week that the county needed to reverse itself on reopening its battered economy because cases were surging.
Dr. Stephen Munday, the Imperial County health officer, said it was “a hard decision.”
“This health officer order was done because the governor said if we didn’t make a decision to do something that he was going to make a decision for us,” Munday said at a news conference. “So we decided we know this community and that we can make the best decisions to try to keep everyone safe here in our community rather than have something imposed on us.”
The order hews closely to a 13-point plan that the county released Monday night for state officials to review. The county will close stores deemed nonessential about four weeks after they were allowed to open, though curbside pickup is still permitted.
Indoor religious services will again be prohibited, while outdoor services will be limited to 100 people with social distancing, Munday said. County parks are closing.
Imperial, with a population of about 180,000, has had about 6,500 cases among 32,700 tested, a positive rate of about 20%. Health experts largely agree that cross-border traffic with Mexicali is at least partly to blame for a surge since the middle of May.
About 500 coronavirus patients have been transferred to hospitals outside the region in recent weeks.