Imagine a time more than 50 years ago when four of the biggest Black American celebrities in the world met up and spent hours discussing race, religion and politics. That's the premise of the film "One Night in Miami," out on Amazon Prime on Friday (January 14), which recounts a 1964 meeting between boxer Cassius Clay, soul singer Sam Cooke, civil rights activist Malcolm X and football player Jim Brown.

Amazon film recounts epic meeting of Cassius Clay, Sam Cooke, Malcolm X, Jim Brown

Actor Tom Hanks will host a primetime television special on Jan. 20 to celebrate the inauguration of Joe Biden as president, organizers said on Wednesday.

Tom Hanks to host televised special for Biden's inauguration

A nightly gathering of thousands of birds called a 'murmuration' has captured the attention of entertainment-starved people in Northern California.

Unusual bird spectacle in Northern California

The University of California's San Diego campus has launched the winter academic term with a unique twist to its coronavirus safety regimen: newly installed vending machines stocked with do-it-yourself COVID-19 tests for students.

UC San Diego offers students COVID-19 test kits by vending machine

PRC tests involve taking a swab of the throat and nose and testing for the genetic code (RNA) of the virus. The majority of tests performed globally use this method.

The world's first vending machine for COVID-19 tests

The San Diego campus of the University of California is attempting to reopen with precautions in place to fight COVID-19. Part of these measures include vending machines stocked with do-it-yourself coronavirus tests.

Currently, the campus has 11 dispensers, with none more on the way. School officials claim that these dispensers are one of a kind in the United States.

Based on the model of conventional vending machines, the systems intend to make testing more accessible and cheaper for students.

<img alt="People wearing masks queue up at a vending machine, placed by UC San Diego on campus for students and teachers to self-administer COVID-19 tests, during the outbreak of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) in San Diego, California, U.S., January 5, 2021." data-entity-type="file" data-entity-uuid="995c8deb-303e-46cc-a7ea-0f01f7c18cc1" src="//cdn.wionews.com/sites/default/files/inline-images/2_29.jpg" />

10,000 students live on the campus of UC San Diego. Even then 10,000 reflects a quarter of the college’s total enrollment. All students are required to get tested at least once a week. Earlier, students had to get tested every two weeks. The kits are completely free and can be taken from the machines at the swipe of a university identification card.&nbsp;

The test enables students to swab their own nostrils, after which the sample is collected by one of two campus laboratories for further analysis.

<img alt="People wearing masks queue up at a vending machine, placed by UC San Diego on campus for students and teachers to self-administer COVID-19 tests, during the outbreak of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) in San Diego, California, U.S., January 5, 2021." data-entity-type="file" data-entity-uuid="07a827e1-dfc8-453b-aa14-44024e198799" src="//cdn.wionews.com/sites/default/files/inline-images/3_26.jpg" />

Under usual circumstances, results can be accessed within 12-24 hours, as told by University Chancellor Pradeep Khosla to Reuters.

"They're an amazing innovation - simple, effective and impactful," he said while talking about the machines. The vending machines have dispensed thousands of tests everyday since beginning operations.

Besides this, the campus has set up around 7 testing centres across campus. In addition, the university had put up a 600-bed housing unit for students testing positive.

Over the last 10 months, less than 600 students on campus have contracted COVID-19.

Images by Reuters

The San Diego campus of the University of California is attempting to reopen with precautions in place to fight COVID-19. Part of these measures include vending machines stocked with do-it-yourself coronavirus tests.

The San Diego campus of the University of California is attempting to reopen with precautions in place to fight COVID-19. Part of these measures include vending machines stocked with do-it-yourself coronavirus tests. Currently, the campus has 11 dispensers, with none more on the way. School officials claim that these dispensers are one of a kind in the United States. Based on the model of conventional vending machines, the systems intend to make testing more accessible and cheaper for students. 10,000 students live on the campus of UC San Diego. Even then 10,000 reflects a quarter of the college’s total enrollment. All students are required to get tested at least once a week. Earlier, students had to get tested every two weeks. The kits are completely free and can be taken from the machines at the swipe of a university identification card. The test enables students to swab their own nostrils, after which the sample is collected by one of two campus laboratories for further analysis. Under usual circumstances, results can be accessed within 12-24 hours, as told by University Chancellor Pradeep Khosla to Reuters. "They're an amazing innovation - simple, effective and impactful," he said while talking about the machines. The vending machines have dispensed thousands of tests everyday since beginning operations. Besides this, the campus has set up around 7 testing centres across campus. In addition, the university had put up a 600-bed housing unit for students testing positive. Over the last 10 months, less than 600 students on campus have contracted COVID-19. Images by Reuters

University of California is offering coronavirus testing kits... in vending machines!

US President Donald Trump has vetoed a bill that would gradually end the use of large-mesh drift gillnets deployed exclusively in federal waters off the coast of California.

He on Friday, in his veto message to the Senate, said such legislation would increase reliance on imported seafood and worsen a multibillion-dollar seafood trade deficit.

Trump vetoed the fishing bill as the Republican-controlled Senate followed the Democratic-led House and voted to overturn his earlier veto of the annual defence policy bill, enacting it into law despite Trump's objections.

The fishing bill's sponsors said large-mesh drift gillnets, which measure between 1.6 kilometers and 2.4 kilometers long and can extend 60.9 meters below the surface of the ocean, are left in the waters overnight to catch swordfish and thresher sharks.&nbsp;

At least 60 other marine species - including whales, dolphins and sea lions - can also become entangled in the nets, where they are injured or die.

It is illegal to use these nets in US territorial waters of the Atlantic Ocean and the Gulf of Mexico, and off the coasts of Washington state, Oregon, Alaska and Hawaii. They remain legal in federal waters off California's coast.

The bill Trump vetoed would have extended similar protections to federal waters off California's shoreline within five years and authorised the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration to help the commercial fishing industry switch to more sustainable types of gear.

(with inputs)

US President Donald Trump has vetoed a bill that would gradually end the use of large-mesh drift gillnets deployed exclusively in federal waters off the coast of California.

US President Donald Trump has vetoed a bill that would gradually end the use of large-mesh drift gillnets deployed exclusively in federal waters off the coast of California. He on Friday, in his veto message to the Senate, said such legislation would increase reliance on imported seafood and worsen a multibillion-dollar seafood trade deficit. Trump vetoed the fishing bill as the Republican-controlled Senate followed the Democratic-led House and voted to overturn his earlier veto of the annual defence policy bill, enacting it into law despite Trump's objections. The fishing bill's sponsors said large-mesh drift gillnets, which measure between 1.6 kilometers and 2.4 kilometers long and can extend 60.9 meters below the surface of the ocean, are left in the waters overnight to catch swordfish and thresher sharks. At least 60 other marine species - including whales, dolphins and sea lions - can also become entangled in the nets, where they are injured or die. It is illegal to use these nets in US territorial waters of the Atlantic Ocean and the Gulf of Mexico, and off the coasts of Washington state, Oregon, Alaska and Hawaii. They remain legal in federal waters off California's coast. The bill Trump vetoed would have extended similar protections to federal waters off California's shoreline within five years and authorised the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration to help the commercial fishing industry switch to more sustainable types of gear. (with inputs)

Trump vetoes California fishing bill over seafood trade deficit

Two years ago, Democrats celebrated a sweep of seven Republican-held congressional seats in California as evidence of the party’s growing ability to compete in swing districts here and across the nation.

But this year, Republicans snatched back four of those seats even as Joe Biden swamped President Donald Trump in California. The losses stunned Democrats and contributed to the razor-thin margin the party will hold in the House of Representatives this January.

The turnaround is testimony to how competitive the seats are, particularly in Orange County, once a bastion of conservative Republicanism that has been moving steadily Democratic over the past 20 years.

But by any measure, the results were a setback for Democrats in this state and nationally, signaling the steep obstacles they will face in 2022 competing in the predominantly suburban swing districts that fueled their takeover of the House in 2018.

The Democrats’ losses came for a number of reasons, including forces particular to California and the complications of campaigning during a pandemic. But as much as anything, they reflected the potency of Republican attacks, some false or exaggerated, that Democrats were the party of socialism, defunding the police and abolishing private health insurance.

The attacks — led in no small part by Trump as a central part of his reelection strategy — came at a time when parts of California were swept by street protests against police abuses, some of which turned into glass-shattering bouts of looting and confrontations with law enforcement that were heavily covered on local television.

“Republicans hung around Democrats’ necks that we are all socialist or communist and we all wanted to defund the police,” said Harley Rouda, a Democrat from Orange County who was defeated by Michelle Steel, a Republican member of the Orange County board of supervisors. “In my opinion, we as a party did a less than adequate job in refuting that narrative. We won in 2018 and took the House back because of people like me — moderates — flipping radical Republican seats.”

Republicans said that attempts by Democrats to portray themselves as moderates were undercut by a shift of the party to the left and by the demonstrations.

“It was incredibly easy for us to draw contrasts,” said Jessica Millan Patterson, leader of the California Republican Party. She said the protests “were happening all over. It looked like a war zone.”

For all that, election outcomes are the result of many factors — and that was particularly the case in a campaign that played out against a deadly pandemic and with such a polarizing figure as Trump dominating the political debate.

Democrats said they were also hurt by a national policy, set by the party, to avoid door-to-door canvassing during the pandemic. Presumably, that will not be a factor in 2022.

“The No. 1 issue in our campaign is we didn’t canvass,” said Rep. T.J. Cox, a Democrat who represents the San Joaquin Valley and lost to David Valadao, the Republican he unseated in 2018. “We didn’t do the door-to-door.”

He said it was like playing for a football team that had been told “they can’t pass.”

Christy Smith, a Democrat from northern Los Angeles County who failed to win a district her party captured in 2018, said she had adhered to public health guidelines to her disadvantage. (The Democrat who won in 2018, Katie Hill, stepped down after being accused of having an inappropriate relationship with a staff member.)

“We couldn’t attend a forum or a town hall,” Smith said. “That’s my favorite way to campaign.”

California’s often lurching effort to combat COVID-19 was damaging in Republican-leaning districts where there has been public defiance of mask-wearing mandates and contempt for the state’s Democratic governor, Gavin Newsom.

“Everyone is concerned about COVID,” said Sam Oh, a Republican consultant to two of the Republican winners, Young Kim and Steel. “But we are trying to find a path to give small-business owners a way to keep making a life. This is incredibly important, and Democrats are tone-deaf to this.”

And Republicans, analysts said, recruited strong candidates, which is always the most critical task in an election. They included Steel and Kim, who will be among the first Korean-American members of Congress, and Mike Garcia, a former military pilot who won a special election in May to replace Hill and then beat Smith in November.

Democrats set their targets on seven Republican-held seats in 2018 and won all of them, cutting the size of California’s Republican congressional delegation in half. That sweep suggested that Democrats were encroaching on once-Republican areas of the state, presenting a road map for how the party could compete in swing districts across the country.

But Republicans succeeded this time by playing on themes that have long been resonant among moderate voters, particularly in places like Orange County: high taxes, intrusive government and law and order. Democrats said the debates on the national stage hurt them, particularly among Latino and Asian-American voters.

“I think we undervalued the strength of the attack,” said Dan Sena, who was the first Hispanic executive director of the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee. “The national socialism messaging, combined with the crime messaging, was a death by a thousand cuts in a place like California.”

Smith said she was frustrated in trying to campaign in an environment “where Republicans are so persistent in false narratives,” and that Democrats had failed to figure out how to address that.

“We never got our hands around it,” she said.

Republicans argued that the results here — and across the country — were powerful evidence that many voters were rejecting policies that Democrats on the left were advocating.

“Democrats said they were going to pick up 10 to 15 seats in the House,” said Torunn Sinclair, a press secretary for the National Republican Congressional Committee. “Obviously they are missing something. It has to go back to these far-left policies that people just didn’t want. ‘Medicare for All,’ defunding the police.”

The margins of victory in California’s pivot districts were narrow for the Democratic winners in 2018 — and for the Republican winners in 2020.

“These districts — including mine — were very difficult to flip,” said Rep. Katie Porter, one of the Orange County Democrats who won in 2018 and was reelected in 2020. “These are Republican districts. They were always going to be very competitive races.”

Two years ago, Democrats celebrated a sweep of seven Republican-held congressional seats in California as evidence of the party’s growing ability to compete in swing districts here and across the nation.

Two years ago, Democrats celebrated a sweep of seven Republican-held congressional seats in California as evidence of the party’s growing ability to compete in swing districts here and across the nation. But this year, Republicans snatched back four of those seats even as Joe Biden swamped President Donald Trump in California. The losses stunned Democrats and contributed to the razor-thin margin the party will hold in the House of Representatives this January. The turnaround is testimony to how competitive the seats are, particularly in Orange County, once a bastion of conservative Republicanism that has been moving steadily Democratic over the past 20 years. But by any measure, the results were a setback for Democrats in this state and nationally, signaling the steep obstacles they will face in 2022 competing in the predominantly suburban swing districts that fueled their takeover of the House in 2018. The Democrats’ losses came for a number of reasons, including forces particular to California and the complications of campaigning during a pandemic. But as much as anything, they reflected the potency of Republican attacks, some false or exaggerated, that Democrats were the party of socialism, defunding the police and abolishing private health insurance. The attacks — led in no small part by Trump as a central part of his reelection strategy — came at a time when parts of California were swept by street protests against police abuses, some of which turned into glass-shattering bouts of looting and confrontations with law enforcement that were heavily covered on local television. “Republicans hung around Democrats’ necks that we are all socialist or communist and we all wanted to defund the police,” said Harley Rouda, a Democrat from Orange County who was defeated by Michelle Steel, a Republican member of the Orange County board of supervisors. “In my opinion, we as a party did a less than adequate job in refuting that narrative. We won in 2018 and took the House back because of people like me — moderates — flipping radical Republican seats.” Republicans said that attempts by Democrats to portray themselves as moderates were undercut by a shift of the party to the left and by the demonstrations. “It was incredibly easy for us to draw contrasts,” said Jessica Millan Patterson, leader of the California Republican Party. She said the protests “were happening all over. It looked like a war zone.” For all that, election outcomes are the result of many factors — and that was particularly the case in a campaign that played out against a deadly pandemic and with such a polarizing figure as Trump dominating the political debate. Democrats said they were also hurt by a national policy, set by the party, to avoid door-to-door canvassing during the pandemic. Presumably, that will not be a factor in 2022. “The No. 1 issue in our campaign is we didn’t canvass,” said Rep. T.J. Cox, a Democrat who represents the San Joaquin Valley and lost to David Valadao, the Republican he unseated in 2018. “We didn’t do the door-to-door.” He said it was like playing for a football team that had been told “they can’t pass.” Christy Smith, a Democrat from northern Los Angeles County who failed to win a district her party captured in 2018, said she had adhered to public health guidelines to her disadvantage. (The Democrat who won in 2018, Katie Hill, stepped down after being accused of having an inappropriate relationship with a staff member.) “We couldn’t attend a forum or a town hall,” Smith said. “That’s my favorite way to campaign.” California’s often lurching effort to combat COVID-19 was damaging in Republican-leaning districts where there has been public defiance of mask-wearing mandates and contempt for the state’s Democratic governor, Gavin Newsom. “Everyone is concerned about COVID,” said Sam Oh, a Republican consultant to two of the Republican winners, Young Kim and Steel. “But we are trying to find a path to give small-business owners a way to keep making a life. This is incredibly important, and Democrats are tone-deaf to this.” And Republicans, analysts said, recruited strong candidates, which is always the most critical task in an election. They included Steel and Kim, who will be among the first Korean-American members of Congress, and Mike Garcia, a former military pilot who won a special election in May to replace Hill and then beat Smith in November. Democrats set their targets on seven Republican-held seats in 2018 and won all of them, cutting the size of California’s Republican congressional delegation in half. That sweep suggested that Democrats were encroaching on once-Republican areas of the state, presenting a road map for how the party could compete in swing districts across the country. But Republicans succeeded this time by playing on themes that have long been resonant among moderate voters, particularly in places like Orange County: high taxes, intrusive government and law and order. Democrats said the debates on the national stage hurt them, particularly among Latino and Asian-American voters. “I think we undervalued the strength of the attack,” said Dan Sena, who was the first Hispanic executive director of the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee. “The national socialism messaging, combined with the crime messaging, was a death by a thousand cuts in a place like California.” Smith said she was frustrated in trying to campaign in an environment “where Republicans are so persistent in false narratives,” and that Democrats had failed to figure out how to address that. “We never got our hands around it,” she said. Republicans argued that the results here — and across the country — were powerful evidence that many voters were rejecting policies that Democrats on the left were advocating. “Democrats said they were going to pick up 10 to 15 seats in the House,” said Torunn Sinclair, a press secretary for the National Republican Congressional Committee. “Obviously they are missing something. It has to go back to these far-left policies that people just didn’t want. ‘Medicare for All,’ defunding the police.” The margins of victory in California’s pivot districts were narrow for the Democratic winners in 2018 — and for the Republican winners in 2020. “These districts — including mine — were very difficult to flip,” said Rep. Katie Porter, one of the Orange County Democrats who won in 2018 and was reelected in 2020. “These are Republican districts. They were always going to be very competitive races.”

A stinging setback in California is a warning for Democrats in 2022

Much like the rest of the world, the therapy dogs have also been grounded due to COVID-19 outbreak. But nevertheless they continues to provide comfort virtually. Here's the report

Therapy dogs in California cheer people up virtually

As a veteran ICU nurse whose job is to care for the most critically ill patients at her hospital in Long Beach, California, Merlin Pambuan was well aware of the deadly ravages COVID-19 can inflict on the human body.

Last spring in a tragic role reversal, Pambuan became one of those patients - admitted to the intensive care unit of St. Mary Medical Center, her workplace for the past 40 years, where she was rendered unconscious by paralysis-inducing sedation and placed on a ventilator to breathe. A feeding tube was later added.

She came close to death on several occasions, her doctors later revealed. So dire was her condition at one point that end-of-life options were discussed with her family.

By the time she awoke and could breathe on her own again, she was too weak to stand. But she fought back and struggled through weeks of painful therapy to regain her strength and mobility, celebrating her 66th birthday in St. Mary’s acute rehabilitation ward in late October.

On Monday Pambuan beat the odds of her eight-month ordeal by walking out the front door of the hospital, drawing cheers, applause and exhilaration from colleagues lining the lobby to rejoice in her discharge.

“This is my second life,” Pambuan said moments earlier, as she prepared to leave her hospital room, accompanied by her husband, Daniel, 63, and their daughter, Shantell, 33, an aspiring social worker who spent months at her mother’s bedside as her patient advocate and personal cheerleader.

The spectacle of Pambuan striding slowly but confidently through the hospital lobby - she had insisted on making her exit without assistance of a wheelchair or walker, although was still connected to supplementary oxygen - marked a transformative victory for the diminutive but tough ICU nurse.

‘WHAT WE LIVE FOR’

The outpouring of affection she received from colleagues - including many of the physicians, fellow nurses and therapists who took part in her care - also reflected a rare moment of communal triumph for the pandemic-weary hospital staff.

“This is what we live for ... seeing our patients going home alive and in good condition,” said Dr. Maged Tanios, a pulmonary and critical care specialist at St. Mary. He said Pambuan’s recovery was especially rewarding since she is part of the hospital’s extended “family.”

Tanios said he was not aware of other St. Mary medical staff being admitted to the ICU for COVID. However, studies show frontline healthcare workers’ frequent, close contact with coronavirus patients puts them at higher risk of contracting the disease, hence the decision to give them top priority in getting immunized.

Pambuan's discharge, ironically, coincided with the recent rollout of COVID-19 vaccines to medical workers, as well as a crushing surge in coronavirus infections that have overwhelmed hospitals, and ICUs in particular, across California.

Pambuan said she has no recollection of the four months she spent hooked to a breathing machine - from early May to early September - but recalls first waking up from deep sedation unable to move her extremities.

With encouragement from nursing staff and her daughter Pambuan said she grew determined to regain her mobility and her life.

“I said, ‘No, I’m going to fight this COVID,’” she recounted. “I start moving my hand (and) a physical therapist come and say, ‘Oh, you’re moving your hands,’ and I said, ‘Oh, I’m going to fight, I’m going to fight. I’m trying to wiggle my toes. I’m going to fight it.’”

Pambuan spent the last few months of her hospital stay undergoing physical and respiratory rehabilitation and will continue recuperation from home, while making peace, she said, with a change in pace.

“It’s going to be very difficult for me,” she said. “But I have to accept it, that I’m going to be on oxygen for a while and slow down a little bit.”

When or if she will return to work in the ICU remains an open question, she said.

In the meantime, Pambuan said she feels indebted to her co-workers for their “really professional” care, grateful for the support of loved ones and newly convinced of the power of optimism.

Her message to others in her shoes - “Don’t lose hope. Just fight. Fight, because look at me, you know. I’m going home and I’m walking.”

As a veteran ICU nurse whose job is to care for the most critically ill patients at her hospital in Long Beach, California, Merlin Pambuan was well aware of the deadly ravages COVID-19 can inflict on the human body.

As a veteran ICU nurse whose job is to care for the most critically ill patients at her hospital in Long Beach, California, Merlin Pambuan was well aware of the deadly ravages COVID-19 can inflict on the human body. Last spring in a tragic role reversal, Pambuan became one of those patients - admitted to the intensive care unit of St. Mary Medical Center, her workplace for the past 40 years, where she was rendered unconscious by paralysis-inducing sedation and placed on a ventilator to breathe. A feeding tube was later added. She came close to death on several occasions, her doctors later revealed. So dire was her condition at one point that end-of-life options were discussed with her family. By the time she awoke and could breathe on her own again, she was too weak to stand. But she fought back and struggled through weeks of painful therapy to regain her strength and mobility, celebrating her 66th birthday in St. Mary’s acute rehabilitation ward in late October. On Monday Pambuan beat the odds of her eight-month ordeal by walking out the front door of the hospital, drawing cheers, applause and exhilaration from colleagues lining the lobby to rejoice in her discharge. “This is my second life,” Pambuan said moments earlier, as she prepared to leave her hospital room, accompanied by her husband, Daniel, 63, and their daughter, Shantell, 33, an aspiring social worker who spent months at her mother’s bedside as her patient advocate and personal cheerleader. The spectacle of Pambuan striding slowly but confidently through the hospital lobby - she had insisted on making her exit without assistance of a wheelchair or walker, although was still connected to supplementary oxygen - marked a transformative victory for the diminutive but tough ICU nurse. ‘WHAT WE LIVE FOR’ The outpouring of affection she received from colleagues - including many of the physicians, fellow nurses and therapists who took part in her care - also reflected a rare moment of communal triumph for the pandemic-weary hospital staff. “This is what we live for ... seeing our patients going home alive and in good condition,” said Dr. Maged Tanios, a pulmonary and critical care specialist at St. Mary. He said Pambuan’s recovery was especially rewarding since she is part of the hospital’s extended “family.” Tanios said he was not aware of other St. Mary medical staff being admitted to the ICU for COVID. However, studies show frontline healthcare workers’ frequent, close contact with coronavirus patients puts them at higher risk of contracting the disease, hence the decision to give them top priority in getting immunized. Pambuan's discharge, ironically, coincided with the recent rollout of COVID-19 vaccines to medical workers, as well as a crushing surge in coronavirus infections that have overwhelmed hospitals, and ICUs in particular, across California. Pambuan said she has no recollection of the four months she spent hooked to a breathing machine - from early May to early September - but recalls first waking up from deep sedation unable to move her extremities. With encouragement from nursing staff and her daughter Pambuan said she grew determined to regain her mobility and her life. “I said, ‘No, I’m going to fight this COVID,’” she recounted. “I start moving my hand (and) a physical therapist come and say, ‘Oh, you’re moving your hands,’ and I said, ‘Oh, I’m going to fight, I’m going to fight. I’m trying to wiggle my toes. I’m going to fight it.’” Pambuan spent the last few months of her hospital stay undergoing physical and respiratory rehabilitation and will continue recuperation from home, while making peace, she said, with a change in pace. “It’s going to be very difficult for me,” she said. “But I have to accept it, that I’m going to be on oxygen for a while and slow down a little bit.” When or if she will return to work in the ICU remains an open question, she said. In the meantime, Pambuan said she feels indebted to her co-workers for their “really professional” care, grateful for the support of loved ones and newly convinced of the power of optimism. Her message to others in her shoes - “Don’t lose hope. Just fight. Fight, because look at me, you know. I’m going home and I’m walking.”

'My second life': California nurse walks out of hospital after eight-month COVID-19 ordeal

As coronavirus cases surge across California, a Los Angeles holiday-themed drive-thru experience is allowing visitors to enjoy a traditional Christmas light display from the safety of their own cars.

Californians enjoy snow, millions of lights and Santa, without leaving their cars 

Facing the prospect of a grim Christmas with spiking coronavirus cases and tightened restrictions, Los Angeles residents are determined to keep the Christmas spirit alive by shopping for the perfect Christmas trees.

Pining for Christmas: Californians find joy in buying Christmas trees

A team of cryptography enthusiasts has successfully cracked one of the coded messages sent over 50 years ago by the “Zodiac Killer,” who terrorised northern California in the late 1960s and remains unidentified.

'Zodiac serial killer' message decoded after 50 years

The record-shattering report mirrors the consequences that officials had expected to see of travel and gatherings for the Thanksgiving holiday.

California coronavirus case explode to new daily high | WION-VOA Co-production | World News

US President-elect Joe Biden has selected Xavier Becerra, the Democratic attorney general of California, as his nominee for secretary of health and human services.

Biden picks Xavier Becerra as secretary of health and human services

California compelled much of the state to close shop and stay at home on Monday, when some of the harshest coronavirus restrictions in the United States came into effect one day after the state set a record with more than 30,000 new COVID-19 cases. 
 
Governor Gavin Newsom`s order was triggered in areas where fewer than 15 percent of intensive care hospital beds were available, affecting more than 23 million people in Southern California. 
 
In addition five counties in Northern California surrounding the San Francisco Bay area have voluntarily imposed the restrictions even before reaching the ICU threshold. 
 
California has been under a stay-at-home order for all but essential services since March. The new order, which will last at least three weeks, bans private gatherings of any size, shuts all but critical infrastructure and retail operations, and requires everyone to wear a mask and maintain physical distancing. 
 
Newsom, a first-term Democrat, has threatened to withhold funds from local governments that refuse to comply. 
 
Even so, the sheriffs of Los Angeles, Orange and Riverside counties have said they will refuse to enforce the order, emboldening non-essential businesses to remain open. 
 
Riverside County Sheriff Chad Bianco said in a videotaped message posted on the department`s website that his office "will not be blackmailed, bullied or used as muscle" to enforce the governor`s orders. 
 
"Orange County Sheriff`s deputies will not be dispatched to, or respond to, calls for service to enforce compliance with face coverings, social gatherings or stay at home orders," his counterpart in Orange County, Don Barnes, said in a written statement. 
 
Even so, the mayor of one Los Angeles County town said more enforcement was needed. 
 
"People absolutely should be arrested for not wearing masks," Lancaster Mayor R. Rex Perris told the Orange County Register. "Most of these people have never been arrested before. Spend one night incarcerated and they won`t do it again." 
 
California reported more than 30,000 new cases on Sunday, exceeding the state`s previous high of 21,986 set on Dec. 4, and marked a new record for hospitalized COVID-19 patients. 
 
New Jersey, North Carolina, Virginia and West Virginia also announced record one-day rises in new infections. 
 
Nationwide, COVID-19 infections in United States are at their peak with an average of 193,863 new cases reported each day over the past week, according to a Reuters tally of official data. 
 
There have been 14.7 million infections and 282,253 coronavirus-related deaths reported in the country since the pandemic began. 
 
States and cities are grappling with how to respond to the global pandemic in the absence of a national strategy. 
 
New York City on Monday will reopen schools for preschool to fifth-grade students, except those in high-risk "orange" zones. 
 
New York`s decision comes upon finding that infection rates for young children were lower than in the population at large. Grades six through 12 will continue remote classes until further notice. 
 
Departing President Donald Trump, a Republican, has downplayed public health measures such as mask-wearing, instead banking on the rapid development of vaccines, which could receive federal approval as soon as next week. 
 
Anticipating that approval from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, the White House will host a vaccine distribution summit on Tuesday with governors, retail pharmacy chains and shipping companies, Health Secretary Alex Azar told Fox News. 
 
The aim of the meeting was "to be very transparent and show the world how comprehensively we have planned out every aspect of this distribution," Azar said. 
 
President-elect Joe Biden, a Democrat, has said he will make the pandemic his top priority upon taking office on Jan. 20.

California compelled much of the state to close shop and stay at home on Monday, when some of the harshest coronavirus restrictions in the United States came into effect one day after the state set a record with more than 30,000 new COVID-19 cases.

California compelled much of the state to close shop and stay at home on Monday, when some of the harshest coronavirus restrictions in the United States came into effect one day after the state set a record with more than 30,000 new COVID-19 cases. Governor Gavin Newsom`s order was triggered in areas where fewer than 15 percent of intensive care hospital beds were available, affecting more than 23 million people in Southern California. In addition five counties in Northern California surrounding the San Francisco Bay area have voluntarily imposed the restrictions even before reaching the ICU threshold. California has been under a stay-at-home order for all but essential services since March. The new order, which will last at least three weeks, bans private gatherings of any size, shuts all but critical infrastructure and retail operations, and requires everyone to wear a mask and maintain physical distancing. Newsom, a first-term Democrat, has threatened to withhold funds from local governments that refuse to comply. Even so, the sheriffs of Los Angeles, Orange and Riverside counties have said they will refuse to enforce the order, emboldening non-essential businesses to remain open. Riverside County Sheriff Chad Bianco said in a videotaped message posted on the department`s website that his office "will not be blackmailed, bullied or used as muscle" to enforce the governor`s orders. "Orange County Sheriff`s deputies will not be dispatched to, or respond to, calls for service to enforce compliance with face coverings, social gatherings or stay at home orders," his counterpart in Orange County, Don Barnes, said in a written statement. Even so, the mayor of one Los Angeles County town said more enforcement was needed. "People absolutely should be arrested for not wearing masks," Lancaster Mayor R. Rex Perris told the Orange County Register. "Most of these people have never been arrested before. Spend one night incarcerated and they won`t do it again." California reported more than 30,000 new cases on Sunday, exceeding the state`s previous high of 21,986 set on Dec. 4, and marked a new record for hospitalized COVID-19 patients. New Jersey, North Carolina, Virginia and West Virginia also announced record one-day rises in new infections. Nationwide, COVID-19 infections in United States are at their peak with an average of 193,863 new cases reported each day over the past week, according to a Reuters tally of official data. There have been 14.7 million infections and 282,253 coronavirus-related deaths reported in the country since the pandemic began. States and cities are grappling with how to respond to the global pandemic in the absence of a national strategy. New York City on Monday will reopen schools for preschool to fifth-grade students, except those in high-risk "orange" zones. New York`s decision comes upon finding that infection rates for young children were lower than in the population at large. Grades six through 12 will continue remote classes until further notice. Departing President Donald Trump, a Republican, has downplayed public health measures such as mask-wearing, instead banking on the rapid development of vaccines, which could receive federal approval as soon as next week. Anticipating that approval from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, the White House will host a vaccine distribution summit on Tuesday with governors, retail pharmacy chains and shipping companies, Health Secretary Alex Azar told Fox News. The aim of the meeting was "to be very transparent and show the world how comprehensively we have planned out every aspect of this distribution," Azar said. President-elect Joe Biden, a Democrat, has said he will make the pandemic his top priority upon taking office on Jan. 20.

California imposes strict stay-at-home orders amid record COVID cases

Joe Biden now officially has more than the 270 Electoral College votes -- which he needs to claim the US presidency -- after California certified its election results.

California certified its presidential election Friday evening and appointed 55 electors pledged to vote for Democrat Joe Biden.

Secretary of State Alex Padilla's formal approval of Biden's win in the state brought his tally of pledged electors so far to 279.

The electors will meet in their states on December 14 to cast their votes, which Congress will tally in a joint session on January 6.

Though it's been apparent for weeks that Biden won the presidential election, his accrual of more than 270 electors is the first step toward the White House.

Outgoing president Donald Trump continues to make unsubstantiated allegations of massive voter fraud. But his chances keep on narrowing as courts in several several states have rejected legal challenges brought by his campaign and supporters.

Courts in Nevada and Minnesota handed him two more losses on Friday, dismissing lawsuits seeking to decertify Biden’s victories in those states.

Notably lawmakers can still object to accepting the electors' votes, it would be almost impossible for Biden to be blocked at that point.

According to AP, Trump and his allies have also raised the far-fetched notion that Republican state legislatures in those states could appoint a rival set of electors pledged to Trump. But state Republican leaders have rejected that approach, and it would likely be futile in any case.&nbsp;

According to federal law, both chambers of Congress would need to vote to accept a competing slate of electors. If they don't, the electors appointed by the states' governors -- all pledged to Biden in these cases -- must be used.

This tactic has been tried -- a handful of congressional Democrats in 2000, 2004 and 2016 objected to officially making both George W. Bush and Trump president. But the numbers were not enough to block the two men from taking office.

(with inputs)

Joe Biden now officially has more than the 270 Electoral College votes -- which he needs to claim the US presidency -- after California certified its election results.

Joe Biden now officially has more than the 270 Electoral College votes -- which he needs to claim the US presidency -- after California certified its election results. California certified its presidential election Friday evening and appointed 55 electors pledged to vote for Democrat Joe Biden. Secretary of State Alex Padilla's formal approval of Biden's win in the state brought his tally of pledged electors so far to 279. The electors will meet in their states on December 14 to cast their votes, which Congress will tally in a joint session on January 6. Though it's been apparent for weeks that Biden won the presidential election, his accrual of more than 270 electors is the first step toward the White House. Outgoing president Donald Trump continues to make unsubstantiated allegations of massive voter fraud. But his chances keep on narrowing as courts in several several states have rejected legal challenges brought by his campaign and supporters. Courts in Nevada and Minnesota handed him two more losses on Friday, dismissing lawsuits seeking to decertify Biden’s victories in those states. Notably lawmakers can still object to accepting the electors' votes, it would be almost impossible for Biden to be blocked at that point. According to AP, Trump and his allies have also raised the far-fetched notion that Republican state legislatures in those states could appoint a rival set of electors pledged to Trump. But state Republican leaders have rejected that approach, and it would likely be futile in any case. According to federal law, both chambers of Congress would need to vote to accept a competing slate of electors. If they don't, the electors appointed by the states' governors -- all pledged to Biden in these cases -- must be used. This tactic has been tried -- a handful of congressional Democrats in 2000, 2004 and 2016 objected to officially making both George W. Bush and Trump president. But the numbers were not enough to block the two men from taking office. (with inputs)

Biden officially clinches electoral college win as California certifies

Sweet profits: US candy shop installs personal metal monolith to attract customers

A moderate to strong Santa Ana wind event, featuring winds blowing from the land to the sea and extremely low relative humidity

California wildfires erupt amid strong Santa Ana winds

It looks like December 2020 is the month for the mystery of the metal monoliths as the disappearance and re-appearance continues in different parts of the world. While there are numerous conspiracy theories coming up, some men decided to take over the trend and replace it with something else — a cross.

A few hours after a metal monolith appeared in the state of <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/new-mystery-metal-monolith-appears-atop-a-mountain-in-california-347112">California</a>, a group of men, dressed in hats of 'Make America Great Again' decided to go to the location of the monolith and replaced it with a wooden cross.

Also read|&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/mystery-continues-strange-metal-monolith-now-spotted-in-romania-after-disappearing-from-utah-desert-346664">Mystery continues: Strange metal monolith now spotted in Romania after disappearing from Utah desert</a>

The men live-streamed the whole uprooting process of the monolith while chanting 'Christ is King' and 'Make America Great Again'.

"We don’t want illegal aliens from Mexico or outer space, so let’s tear this b***h down," the group was heard saying on the video.

<div class="ui-state-default" contenteditable="false">
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<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/ChristIsKing?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#ChristIsKing</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Atascadero?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Atascadero</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/PineMountain?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#PineMountain</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Monolith?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Monolith</a> <a href="https://t.co/cgIOTCqwg5">pic.twitter.com/cgIOTCqwg5</a>
— Culture War Criminal (@CULTUREWARCRMNL) <a href="https://twitter.com/CULTUREWARCRMNL/status/1334525196611497984?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 3, 2020</a></blockquote>
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As per experts, the chants heard in the live-streaming suggest that the men might be related to the 'Groyper' movement which is a Gen Z group of right-wingers in the US, which rose to fame especially after the 1026 win of the outgoing US President Donald Trump —&nbsp;Pundit Nick Fuentes, the famous American YouTube, political commentator is one of the most popular faces of the movement.

Also read|&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/mysterious-monolith-reportedly-disappears-from-utah-desert-346180">Mysterious monolith reportedly disappears from Utah desert</a>

The California monolith is not the only one which was vandalised. The Utah monolith — which was the first one found — was also vandalised by a group of angry environmentalists while yelling <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/dont-leave-trash-in-the-desert-utah-monolith-removal-explained-346822">"this is why you don’t leave trash in the desert."</a>

There has been no explanation to who has been installing these monoliths in remote areas of the world. However, there are different conspiracy theories stemming out of these installations which look similar to the alien establishments seen in&nbsp;Stanley Kubrick’s ‘2001: A Space Odyssey’.

It looks like December 2020 is the month for the mystery of the metal monoliths as the disappearance and re-appearance continues in different parts of the world.

It looks like December 2020 is the month for the mystery of the metal monoliths as the disappearance and re-appearance continues in different parts of the world. While there are numerous conspiracy theories coming up, some men decided to take over the trend and replace it with something else — a cross. A few hours after a metal monolith appeared in the state of California, a group of men, dressed in hats of 'Make America Great Again' decided to go to the location of the monolith and replaced it with a wooden cross. Also read| Mystery continues: Strange metal monolith now spotted in Romania after disappearing from Utah desert The men live-streamed the whole uprooting process of the monolith while chanting 'Christ is King' and 'Make America Great Again'. "We don’t want illegal aliens from Mexico or outer space, so let’s tear this b***h down," the group was heard saying on the video. #ChristIsKing #Atascadero #PineMountain #Monolith pic.twitter.com/cgIOTCqwg5 — Culture War Criminal (@CULTUREWARCRMNL) December 3, 2020 × As per experts, the chants heard in the live-streaming suggest that the men might be related to the 'Groyper' movement which is a Gen Z group of right-wingers in the US, which rose to fame especially after the 1026 win of the outgoing US President Donald Trump — Pundit Nick Fuentes, the famous American YouTube, political commentator is one of the most popular faces of the movement. Also read| Mysterious monolith reportedly disappears from Utah desert The California monolith is not the only one which was vandalised. The Utah monolith — which was the first one found — was also vandalised by a group of angry environmentalists while yelling "this is why you don’t leave trash in the desert." There has been no explanation to who has been installing these monoliths in remote areas of the world. However, there are different conspiracy theories stemming out of these installations which look similar to the alien establishments seen in Stanley Kubrick’s ‘2001: A Space Odyssey’.

California metal monolith replaced with a Cross amid chants of 'Christ is king' by Trump supporters

A new mystery metal monolith has appeared on the top of a mountain in California -- a week after a similar structure was pictured in the deserts of Utah.

A local newspaper in a town in the central California coast reported that the silvery column had been found atop Pine mountain. Local hikers later posted pictures on the internet.

“The three-sided obelisk appeared to be made of stainless steel, 10-feet tall and 18 inches wide. The object was welded together at each corner, with rivets attaching the side panels to a likely steel frame inside,” the Atascadero News reported.

The newspaper reported the Atascadero monolith was apparently a little wobbly and that it might be possible to push it over.

A similar structure was reportedly found in the mountains of Romania too.

UTAH MONOLITH

The shiny pillar, which protruded some 12 feet from the red rocks of southern Utah, was first spotted on November 18 by baffled local officials counting bighorn sheep from the air.

Images emerged Tuesday of four men working in the dead of night to remove the strange, triangular pillar that had garnered global attention from its remote resting place in the western United States desert.

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/dont-leave-trash-in-the-desert-utah-monolith-removal-explained-346822">Also read |&nbsp;'Don't leave trash in the desert': Utah monolith removal explained</a>

Photographer Ross Bernards, who visited the monolith Friday, described in an Instagram post accompanying the photos how four men suddenly appeared that night, pushed the object over and dismantled it before carrying it off in a wheelbarrow.

ROMANIA

The shiny metal monolith vanished on Tuesday from the mountainous Neamt county, four days after its sudden appearance close to an ancient Dacian fortress sparked speculation it may be related to a mystery structure seen in the United States.

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/after-utah-the-metal-monolith-has-now-disappeared-from-romania-where-could-it-appear-next-346951">Also read |&nbsp;After Utah, the metal monolith has now disappeared from Romania. Where could it appear next?</a>

A new mystery metal monolith has appeared on the top of a mountain in California -- a week after a similar structure was pictured in the deserts of Utah. A local newspaper in a town in the central California coast reported that the silvery column had been found atop Pine mountain.

A new mystery metal monolith has appeared on the top of a mountain in California -- a week after a similar structure was pictured in the deserts of Utah. A local newspaper in a town in the central California coast reported that the silvery column had been found atop Pine mountain. Local hikers later posted pictures on the internet. “The three-sided obelisk appeared to be made of stainless steel, 10-feet tall and 18 inches wide. The object was welded together at each corner, with rivets attaching the side panels to a likely steel frame inside,” the Atascadero News reported. The newspaper reported the Atascadero monolith was apparently a little wobbly and that it might be possible to push it over. A similar structure was reportedly found in the mountains of Romania too. UTAH MONOLITH The shiny pillar, which protruded some 12 feet from the red rocks of southern Utah, was first spotted on November 18 by baffled local officials counting bighorn sheep from the air. Images emerged Tuesday of four men working in the dead of night to remove the strange, triangular pillar that had garnered global attention from its remote resting place in the western United States desert. Also read | 'Don't leave trash in the desert': Utah monolith removal explained Photographer Ross Bernards, who visited the monolith Friday, described in an Instagram post accompanying the photos how four men suddenly appeared that night, pushed the object over and dismantled it before carrying it off in a wheelbarrow. ROMANIA The shiny metal monolith vanished on Tuesday from the mountainous Neamt county, four days after its sudden appearance close to an ancient Dacian fortress sparked speculation it may be related to a mystery structure seen in the United States. Also read | After Utah, the metal monolith has now disappeared from Romania. Where could it appear next?

New mystery metal monolith appears atop a mountain in California

The captain of a scuba diving boat that caught fire last year off the coast of California, leaving 34 people dead, was charged Tuesday with manslaughter, one count for each victim.

The blaze -- the worst maritime disaster in modern California history -- broke out while all six crew members and 33 passengers were asleep.

A federal jury said that Jerry Nehl Boylan, captain of the Conception, "was responsible for the safety and security of the vessel, its crew, and its passengers."

He was charged with 34 counts of manslaughter due to "his misconduct, negligence, and inattention to his duties," according to a statement from the central California prosecutor's office.

In the statement, Boylan is criticised for failing to have a night watchman, as required by federal law, and for not organising the training and evacuation drills necessary to respond to possible fires.

When the fire broke out on the night of September 2, five crew members tried to reach the 33 passengers and one crew member sleeping in the lower deck but jumped overboard after they were unable to open a forward window and were overwhelmed by smoke.

The fire was so intense that firefighters were unable to board the 75-foot (22 meter) vessel, which sank as they tried to extinguish the blaze.&nbsp;

The boat had been on a three-day diving excursion around the Channel Islands, off the coast of Santa Barbara in southern California.

The blaze broke out on the last day of the trip, as the boat was anchored off Santa Cruz Island.

Boylan was charged under a relatively uncommon criminal provision specific to seamen and people in related fields that opens the category to prosecution for negligence resulting in death.

If convicted, Boylan faces a 10-year prison sentence per charge of manslaughter.

The captain of a scuba diving boat that caught fire last year off the coast of California, leaving 34 people dead, was charged Tuesday with manslaughter, one count for each victim.

The captain of a scuba diving boat that caught fire last year off the coast of California, leaving 34 people dead, was charged Tuesday with manslaughter, one count for each victim. The blaze -- the worst maritime disaster in modern California history -- broke out while all six crew members and 33 passengers were asleep. A federal jury said that Jerry Nehl Boylan, captain of the Conception, "was responsible for the safety and security of the vessel, its crew, and its passengers." He was charged with 34 counts of manslaughter due to "his misconduct, negligence, and inattention to his duties," according to a statement from the central California prosecutor's office. In the statement, Boylan is criticised for failing to have a night watchman, as required by federal law, and for not organising the training and evacuation drills necessary to respond to possible fires. When the fire broke out on the night of September 2, five crew members tried to reach the 33 passengers and one crew member sleeping in the lower deck but jumped overboard after they were unable to open a forward window and were overwhelmed by smoke. The fire was so intense that firefighters were unable to board the 75-foot (22 meter) vessel, which sank as they tried to extinguish the blaze. The boat had been on a three-day diving excursion around the Channel Islands, off the coast of Santa Barbara in southern California. The blaze broke out on the last day of the trip, as the boat was anchored off Santa Cruz Island. Boylan was charged under a relatively uncommon criminal provision specific to seamen and people in related fields that opens the category to prosecution for negligence resulting in death. If convicted, Boylan faces a 10-year prison sentence per charge of manslaughter.

Captain of California scuba diving boat charged with 34 counts of manslaughter

New COVID-19 restrictions came into effect in Los Angeles County on Monday (November 30), leaving businesses wondering how they can survive.

"Everybody's worried": California businesses fear second shutdown

LOS ANGELES — As the pandemic spikes, the economy convulses and democracy fissures, the urgent need to restore faith in government cries out for leaders with authenticity.

Instead, in one costly dinner, Gov. Gavin Newsom dramatized the chasm that divides California — more severely than North versus South or inland versus the coast. Flouting his own guidelines and exhortations to Californians to avoid socializing, Governor Newsom and his wife joined a birthday celebration for a friend — and prominent lobbyist — at the luxurious French Laundry restaurant in the Napa Valley. It is hard to say which was more astounding, the hypocrisy or the hubris.

Blurry photos from the dinner capture a careless, Gatsby-esque vibe, the governor seated next to top officials for the California Medical Society. At the “board room” where the party appears to have been held, prix fixe meals can start at $450 per person; the political power broker and Newsom mentor Willie Brown wrote that he heard the meal’s wine bill alone “was $12,000.”

Sure, it’s just one dinner. And the governor did apologize, calling it a “bad mistake.” But the party at a restaurant where dinner for two costs more than many people earn in a week reinforced a fundamental schism between those who value government as a force for good and those who resent it as the bastion of an out-of-touch elite oblivious to peoples’ needs.

Coming during a profound economic and public health crisis, the incident reinforces the notion that the state government — indeed, government all across this country — is a mess of bureaucratic dysfunction and aristocratic indifference.

The starkest example in California is the state’s stumbles in performing the basic function of dispensing unemployment benefits. The state’s jobless rate, which peaked in May at 16 percent, in October dipped below double digits for the first time since the spring (though the new spike in Covid cases seems sure to reverse that trend). As usual, the burden falls hardest on the poor and working class.

Indeed, the disparities here could not be more stark: Because for the most part the rich have continued to flourish, the state is reaping an unexpected windfall of billions of dollars in tax revenue — producing an unexpected surplus to help the next budget. The stock market is doing well, and the state has benefited from a surge in capital gains tax.

But for millions who lost jobs and struggle to pay rent and buy food, the state has failed to deliver unemployment benefits reliably. After horror stories and hearings, a gubernatorial “strike force,” audits and the shift of hundreds of employees to help deal with the staggering demand for unemployment payments, the state’s Employment Development Department still has an enormous backlog.

Appeals, which are won in about half the cases, can’t be filed on time because letters of denial go unissued. More than 300,000 recipients recently found that the debit cards on which their benefits are loaded were inexplicably locked, a glitch that caused embarrassment, inconvenience and worse. A year after the agency was warned to stop including full Social Security numbers in mailings, the state auditor said last week the practice has continued, with numbers printed on more than 38 million pieces of mail since the pandemic began.

Yes, the onset of the coronavirus swamped an agency burdened by an obsolete computer system. But in California — home to Silicon Valley, proud of its innovation — surely in eight months, the government could do better.

The state has failed another vulnerable population with even less recourse, and less political clout: The virus has spread through all the state prisons; more than 19,000 inmates have been infected and more than 80 have died. State officials set off one of the worst outbreaks when they inadvertently transferred infected inmates to San Quentin. A recent court decision ordering the state to significantly reduce the population at San Quentin said officials had acted with “deliberate indifference” toward inmates’ health.

Crises create opportunity. The predations of pandemic are also a chance to spur changes that help bridge divides in California, to build faith in government and to promote the sense of a common good. Leadership could hasten efforts to deliver potable water to the million Californians with poisoned water, a task even more critical during the pandemic, or provide internet access so schoolchildren don’t have to sit in the parking lot of fast food restaurants to do their homework.

All across California are tangible reminders of another crisis, the Great Depression. Public works projects became popular economic saviors; hundreds of schools, parks, libraries, courthouses, murals, bridges, dams and hiking trails today are testament to the New Deal spending on services, recreation and art.

The public works of the Depression “continue to haunt” California with their “expressions of shared value and public life, achieved after a great controversy,” wrote the historian Kevin Starr. “Crossing the Golden Gate Bridge, visiting an improved campground, Californians of the 1930s, torn from each other by so much social controversy and economic tension, were re-reminded that they still possessed something in common: California improved. California as a public place.”

The pandemic is far from over; perhaps that sort of unity can still arise. That would take leadership more focused on nonglamorous but essential government functions. A strategy that looked to score runs by hitting single after single, rather than always swinging for elusive home runs. So far that leadership has been in short supply, and California remains in its own way just as divided as the rest of the nation.

(Miriam Pawel (@miriampawel) is the author of “The Browns of California: The Family Dynasty That Transformed a State and Shaped a Nation” and a contributing opinion writer.)

LOS ANGELES — As the pandemic spikes, the economy convulses and democracy fissures, the urgent need to restore faith in government cries out for leaders with authenticity.

LOS ANGELES — As the pandemic spikes, the economy convulses and democracy fissures, the urgent need to restore faith in government cries out for leaders with authenticity. Instead, in one costly dinner, Gov. Gavin Newsom dramatized the chasm that divides California — more severely than North versus South or inland versus the coast. Flouting his own guidelines and exhortations to Californians to avoid socializing, Governor Newsom and his wife joined a birthday celebration for a friend — and prominent lobbyist — at the luxurious French Laundry restaurant in the Napa Valley. It is hard to say which was more astounding, the hypocrisy or the hubris. Blurry photos from the dinner capture a careless, Gatsby-esque vibe, the governor seated next to top officials for the California Medical Society. At the “board room” where the party appears to have been held, prix fixe meals can start at $450 per person; the political power broker and Newsom mentor Willie Brown wrote that he heard the meal’s wine bill alone “was $12,000.” Sure, it’s just one dinner. And the governor did apologize, calling it a “bad mistake.” But the party at a restaurant where dinner for two costs more than many people earn in a week reinforced a fundamental schism between those who value government as a force for good and those who resent it as the bastion of an out-of-touch elite oblivious to peoples’ needs. Coming during a profound economic and public health crisis, the incident reinforces the notion that the state government — indeed, government all across this country — is a mess of bureaucratic dysfunction and aristocratic indifference. The starkest example in California is the state’s stumbles in performing the basic function of dispensing unemployment benefits. The state’s jobless rate, which peaked in May at 16 percent, in October dipped below double digits for the first time since the spring (though the new spike in Covid cases seems sure to reverse that trend). As usual, the burden falls hardest on the poor and working class. Indeed, the disparities here could not be more stark: Because for the most part the rich have continued to flourish, the state is reaping an unexpected windfall of billions of dollars in tax revenue — producing an unexpected surplus to help the next budget. The stock market is doing well, and the state has benefited from a surge in capital gains tax. But for millions who lost jobs and struggle to pay rent and buy food, the state has failed to deliver unemployment benefits reliably. After horror stories and hearings, a gubernatorial “strike force,” audits and the shift of hundreds of employees to help deal with the staggering demand for unemployment payments, the state’s Employment Development Department still has an enormous backlog. Appeals, which are won in about half the cases, can’t be filed on time because letters of denial go unissued. More than 300,000 recipients recently found that the debit cards on which their benefits are loaded were inexplicably locked, a glitch that caused embarrassment, inconvenience and worse. A year after the agency was warned to stop including full Social Security numbers in mailings, the state auditor said last week the practice has continued, with numbers printed on more than 38 million pieces of mail since the pandemic began. Yes, the onset of the coronavirus swamped an agency burdened by an obsolete computer system. But in California — home to Silicon Valley, proud of its innovation — surely in eight months, the government could do better. The state has failed another vulnerable population with even less recourse, and less political clout: The virus has spread through all the state prisons; more than 19,000 inmates have been infected and more than 80 have died. State officials set off one of the worst outbreaks when they inadvertently transferred infected inmates to San Quentin. A recent court decision ordering the state to significantly reduce the population at San Quentin said officials had acted with “deliberate indifference” toward inmates’ health. Crises create opportunity. The predations of pandemic are also a chance to spur changes that help bridge divides in California, to build faith in government and to promote the sense of a common good. Leadership could hasten efforts to deliver potable water to the million Californians with poisoned water, a task even more critical during the pandemic, or provide internet access so schoolchildren don’t have to sit in the parking lot of fast food restaurants to do their homework. All across California are tangible reminders of another crisis, the Great Depression. Public works projects became popular economic saviors; hundreds of schools, parks, libraries, courthouses, murals, bridges, dams and hiking trails today are testament to the New Deal spending on services, recreation and art. The public works of the Depression “continue to haunt” California with their “expressions of shared value and public life, achieved after a great controversy,” wrote the historian Kevin Starr. “Crossing the Golden Gate Bridge, visiting an improved campground, Californians of the 1930s, torn from each other by so much social controversy and economic tension, were re-reminded that they still possessed something in common: California improved. California as a public place.” The pandemic is far from over; perhaps that sort of unity can still arise. That would take leadership more focused on nonglamorous but essential government functions. A strategy that looked to score runs by hitting single after single, rather than always swinging for elusive home runs. So far that leadership has been in short supply, and California remains in its own way just as divided as the rest of the nation. (Miriam Pawel (@miriampawel) is the author of “The Browns of California: The Family Dynasty That Transformed a State and Shaped a Nation” and a contributing opinion writer.)

Gavin Newsom, what were you thinking?

California prisoners including high-profile serial killers and murderers on death row received hundreds of millions of dollars in pandemic relief funds in one of the biggest frauds in the US state's history, prosecutors said Tuesday.

Investigators alerted to reports of illegal unemployment claims made from prisons under Covid-19 relief schemes discovered tens of thousands filed in the name of inmates, Sacramento County district attorney Anne Marie Schubert told a press conference.

"Hundreds of millions of dollars -- that may well amount to upwards of a billion dollars -- having already been paid in their names... it will be one of the biggest fraud of taxpayer dollars in California history," warned Schubert, who is chairing a taskforce into the "behemoth" scheme.

A confirmed figure of $140 million already paid to 20,000 inmates is merely a "snapshot" based on state prison data for March to August, with the true cost of the fraud potentially many times higher.

More than $420,000 alone was paid to some 130 death row inmates, including notorious serial killer Wayne Ford, who murdered four women before handing himself in to a California sheriff's office in 1998 with a severed breast in his pocket.

Scott Peterson, convicted of killing his pregnant wife and unborn son, and "Yosemite Killer" Cary Stayner also received payments.

"Quite frankly, the inmates are mocking us," added Schubert, who sent a letter to Governor Gavin Newsom on Monday co-signed by nine district attorneys.

Many of the claims used prisoners' real names, addresses and social security numbers to obtain debit cards sent to homes across California and other US states under pandemic unemployment relief schemes.

The fraud was possible because, unlike other states, California did not cross-check lists of inmates against unemployment claims made for lost income since the coronavirus lockdown began in March, Schubert said.

A newly formed California taskforce carried out a partial cross-check within the last month, and found payments had been sent to "rapists and child molesters, human traffickers and other violent criminals in our state prisons."

Highlighting further dysfunction in California's Employment Development Department under the pandemic relief scheme, other fraudulent claims had been made under fake names including "John Doe" and "Poopy Britches," Schubert said.

Newsom responded with a statement later Tuesday calling the fraud "absolutely unacceptable" and pledging to "direct as many resources as needed to investigate and resolve this issue speedily."

Vern Pierson, president of the California District Attorneys Association, told Tuesday's press conference that the fraud is taking place in "essentially every [prison] institution."

"It is open and notorious within the correctional facilities, being discussed about how 'everybody's getting paid and we need to get ours,' things along those lines."

California prisoners including high-profile serial killers and murderers on death row received hundreds of millions of dollars in pandemic relief funds in one of the biggest frauds in the US state's history, prosecutors said Tuesday.

California prisoners including high-profile serial killers and murderers on death row received hundreds of millions of dollars in pandemic relief funds in one of the biggest frauds in the US state's history, prosecutors said Tuesday. Investigators alerted to reports of illegal unemployment claims made from prisons under Covid-19 relief schemes discovered tens of thousands filed in the name of inmates, Sacramento County district attorney Anne Marie Schubert told a press conference. "Hundreds of millions of dollars -- that may well amount to upwards of a billion dollars -- having already been paid in their names... it will be one of the biggest fraud of taxpayer dollars in California history," warned Schubert, who is chairing a taskforce into the "behemoth" scheme. A confirmed figure of $140 million already paid to 20,000 inmates is merely a "snapshot" based on state prison data for March to August, with the true cost of the fraud potentially many times higher. More than $420,000 alone was paid to some 130 death row inmates, including notorious serial killer Wayne Ford, who murdered four women before handing himself in to a California sheriff's office in 1998 with a severed breast in his pocket. Scott Peterson, convicted of killing his pregnant wife and unborn son, and "Yosemite Killer" Cary Stayner also received payments. "Quite frankly, the inmates are mocking us," added Schubert, who sent a letter to Governor Gavin Newsom on Monday co-signed by nine district attorneys. Many of the claims used prisoners' real names, addresses and social security numbers to obtain debit cards sent to homes across California and other US states under pandemic unemployment relief schemes. The fraud was possible because, unlike other states, California did not cross-check lists of inmates against unemployment claims made for lost income since the coronavirus lockdown began in March, Schubert said. A newly formed California taskforce carried out a partial cross-check within the last month, and found payments had been sent to "rapists and child molesters, human traffickers and other violent criminals in our state prisons." Highlighting further dysfunction in California's Employment Development Department under the pandemic relief scheme, other fraudulent claims had been made under fake names including "John Doe" and "Poopy Britches," Schubert said. Newsom responded with a statement later Tuesday calling the fraud "absolutely unacceptable" and pledging to "direct as many resources as needed to investigate and resolve this issue speedily." Vern Pierson, president of the California District Attorneys Association, told Tuesday's press conference that the fraud is taking place in "essentially every [prison] institution." "It is open and notorious within the correctional facilities, being discussed about how 'everybody's getting paid and we need to get ours,' things along those lines."

California inmates paid millions in pandemic unemployment relief scam

At least two people lost their live in a mass stabbing at a church in San Jose. Watch this video to know more.

US: At least two killed in mass stabbing at a church

The governor of California said he was activating an “emergency brake” and applying tougher coronavirus restrictions.

Covid-19 update: Emergency declared in California as cases double in 10 days

Families in the San Diego suburb of Carlsbad wanted their children to enjoy the annual Halloween celebrations as per usual, but in a COVID-safe way. Parents and costumed kids managed to enjoy the traditional trick-or-treating amid the coronavirus pandemic.

Kids in California enjoy a COVID-safe Halloween

The coronavirus pandemic has affected how people celebrate holidays like Halloween. The notion that the traditional trick or treating by children will be curtailed has inspired alternatives now, including various drive-through experiences in Los Angeles, California. Watch the report to know more.

Haunted drive-through Halloween in California

Wildfires continues to sweep across Southern California. The fast-moving blazes critically injured two firefighters and left more than 100,000 under evacuation orders.

Your Story: Fast-moving wildfires prompt evacuations in California

Wind-driven walls of flame spurred mass evacuations in Southern California and left two firefighters badly injured on Monday, as hundreds of thousands of residents endured a second day of power shutoffs meant to counter heightened fire risks from gusty, dry weather.

Southern California wildfires prompt mass evacuations, two firefighters injured

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