Four dead, 2 wounded, including suspect, in shooting near Los Angeles

ORANGE, California - Four people were killed, one of them a child, in a shooting on Wednesday at an office building in suburban Los Angeles before the suspect, wounded in an exchange of gunfire with police, was taken into custody, police reported.

The bloodshed in the city of Orange, about 30 miles southeast of downtown Los Angeles, marked the third deadly mass shooting in the United States in less than a month. Authorities offered no explanation as to a possible motive.

Orange Police Department Lieutenant Jennifer Amat told reporters that police officers arrived on the scene at about 5:30 p.m. local time as shots were being fired and "engaged with the suspect."

She said three adults and one child were found shot dead, and two other people struck by gunfire, including the shooter, were transported to area hospitals.

Audio of Amat's on-scene briefing with reporters was played for Reuters afterward by the video news service OnScene.TV. The police department said in a message posted to its Facebook page that the situation had since been "stabilized" with no further threat to the public.

The shooting erupted in a two-story office building that opens onto an inner courtyard ringed by several businesses. The larger neighborhood consists of homes, apartments and other commercial properties.

Officials had no further details of the incident immediately available.

The shooting came a little more than two weeks after eight people were shot to death by a gunman who went on a rampage at three Atlanta-area day spas on March 16. Ten people were killed on March 22 when a man opened fire at a supermarket in Boulder, Colorado. The lone suspects in both those shootings were arrested.

Reacting on Twitter to Wednesday's events in Orange, California Governor Gavin Newsom called the latest bloodshed "horrifying and heartbreaking." 

-reuters-

Boxing: Tyson comeback fight at 54 ends with draw against Jones

LOS ANGELES -- Mike Tyson's return to boxing at age 54 ended in a draw with 51-year-old Roy Jones Jr. on Saturday in an eight-round exhibition battle of former heavyweight champions.

Fifteen years after retiring with a 2005 loss to journeyman Kevin McBride, Tyson made his comeback at Staples Center in Los Angeles without spectators in a pay-per-view matchup that mixed curiosity and nostalgia.

California State Athletic Commission officials required two-minute rounds instead of the usual three-minute rounds, mandated larger than normal 12-ounce gloves, said neither fighter could seek a knockout and declared there could be no official winner in safety moves for the over-50 fighters.

"Sometimes that two minutes felt like three minutes," Tyson said. "I'm glad I got this under my belt and I'm looking forward to doing it again."

An "unofficial" panel of former World Boxing Council champions at ringside scored the bout a draw, an outcome that Tyson applauded despite appearing to dominate.

"I'm good with that," Tyson said, admitting he thought he had won the fight. "Yeah, but I'm good with a draw. The crowd was happy with that."

Jones, who looked tired and grabbed Tyson much of the fight, was unhappy at a draw.

"I ain't never happy with a draw. I don't do draw," Jones said, admitting that Tyson hurt him throughout the bout, particularly with body blows.

"If he hits you with his head, punches, body shots, it don't matter, everything hurts. Body shots definitely took a toll. Body shots are what makes you exhausted."

Tyson, who entered 50-6 with 44 knockouts, lost 100 pounds and began training again, his desire to get back in shape becoming a hunger to strap on the gloves once more.

Jones, who entered 66-9 with 47 knockouts, had not fought since a February 2018 cruiserweight victory. He hoped a solid effort against Tyson might set up a fight with 45-year-old Brazilian mixed martial arts star Anderson Silva.

- 'It's going to hurt' -

Tyson came out aggressive and fast, swinging and connecting often to the body of Jones, who was able to hit and evade at times, then hugging Tyson often when all else failed.

"You came back. I hit you with good shots and you took it," Tyson told Jones. "We have to do this again."

A hard left to the head stung Jones in round two and he spent much of the third and fourth rounds holding and moving into clenches with Tyson.

"It's something in there taking punches from Mike," Jones said. "Once I go in there, I'm game. I'll go to the end. I know when he hits me it's going to hurt."

Tyson landed an inside right and a hard left to the head of Jones in the fifth round, then connected to the body with a solid right and left in the sixth, Jones evading a right uppercut and tying up Tyson before he could land major combinations.

Tyson stung the midsection of Jones in round seven but was held before he could press the advantage.

In the eighth and final round, Tyson pounded a pair of left hooks to the body but Jones tied him up and they finished trading inside punches.

"I was very happy to go the eight rounds," Tyson said. "I'm more happy with going the distance.

"I was afraid I might get hurt. Why is nobody worried about my ass? I haven't done this in 15 years.

Tyson ruled the heavyweight division in overwhelming fashion in the late 1980s but struggled through the 1990s, losing his title, being convicted of rape and serving a ban after biting a chunk out of Evander Holyfield's ear.

He faded from the scene after a 2002 world title loss to Lennox Lewis and has returned now to help launch his Legends Only League for over-age star athletes.

"This is bigger than fighting for championships," Tyson declared. "I'm helping people now."

Agence France-Presse

Los Angeles to impose new COVID-19 restrictions on social gatherings

LOS ANGELES— Nearly all social gatherings of individuals from more than a single household will be banned in Los Angeles County for at least three weeks starting Monday under new restrictions local health officials unveiled on Friday, citing a continued surge in COVID-19 infections.

The public health order specifically exempts religious services and protests under constitutionally protected rights in an apparent nod to Wednesday's US Supreme Court decision striking down a New York state order that had restricted the size of religious gatherings.

The Los Angeles County measures, affecting some 20 million people living in and around the nation's second largest city, go beyond a curfew imposed last week by California Governor Gavin Newsom barring social gatherings and other non-essential activities across most of the state between 10 p.m. and 5 a.m.

Taken together, they represent the most stringent COVID-19 measures imposed on the Los Angeles area since California's first-in-the-nation statewide lockdown in March, early in the pandemic. They also are among the most restrictive in effect nationwide.

State and local authorities have instituted, or re-imposed, a wide range of limitations on social and economic activity in hopes of blunting a wave of coronavirus infections raging out of control across the country following a late-summer lull.

Political leaders and health officials have also escalated public appeals to pandemic-weary Americans in recent days urging them to stay home, avoid gatherings and limit Christmas shopping as they wait for promised vaccines.

In announcing the latest temporary constraints, L.A. county health officials said the daily tally of newly documented infections had exceeded 4,500 cases for five straight days, crossing a threshold previously set for additional measures to curb the contagion.

Under the new L.A. County order, which runs through Dec. 20, residents are advised - but not required - to stay home as much as possible and to always wear face coverings when outside their homes and around others.

But any social gatherings of people from more than one household are prohibited, whether in public or private, and whether indoors or outside. The latest order still permits some measure of commercial activity, albeit at reduced levels.

It lowers the maximum occupancy levels for "essential" retail businesses, including grocery stores, to 35% of capacity, while non-essential retail locations such as indoor shopping malls and personal care services such as nail salons can remain open at 20% of capacity.

Beaches, trails and parks remain open, too, so long as individuals keep their distance from others outside their households and wear a mask. The same applies to golf courses, tennis courts, skate parks and other outdoor recreational venues.

All indoor and outdoor service at bars, restaurants, wineries and breweries remains prohibited under an earlier county order that restricted them to takeout and delivery only.

Health officials around the country have warned that the holiday travel season and onset of colder weather - leading to greater social mixing and people congregating indoors - is fueling a COVID-19 surge that has sent infections, hospitalizations and deaths to record levels.

Nearly 388,000 COVID-19 cases have been confirmed across Los Angeles County to date, including more than 7,600 deaths, with 10% of all diagnostic tests coming back positive - twice the rate considered concerning by health authorities. 

The US has the world's highest number of COVID-19 infections with over 13 million cases, according to the tally by the Johns Hopkins University and Medicine.

-reuters-

'It's emotional whiplash’: California is once again at the center of the virus crisis

(Closing a Second Time)

LOS ANGELES — When everything shut down in March as the coronavirus took off in California, Canter’s Deli, a mainstay in the Fairfax District of Los Angeles, laid off dozens of employees.

A few months later, it called them back to work. By then, the state appeared to have emerged from the initial virus crisis in much better shape than other parts of the country.

But now California’s caseload is exploding, with rising deaths and hospitalizations. As quickly as things had opened up, they have shut down again.

"To have to call those people up so many times, starting March 15, to say, ‘I’m sorry, we have to lay you off, we have to furlough you,’” said Jacqueline Canter, 59, among the third generation of her family to run the restaurant. “Then call them back: ‘Oh, guess what, we’re opening again, come back.’ Then call them back: ‘Guess what, you don’t have a job anymore.’ It’s just a devastating experience for me.

“It’s an emotional roller coaster,” she added. “It’s emotional whiplash.”

If America is now experiencing a sense of national déjà vu, with coronavirus deaths rising and hospitalizations at a level similar to the spring peak, that feeling is perhaps nowhere more intense than in California.

In the Northeast, the crisis that was so acute this spring in places like New York and Connecticut has now abated and shifted to the Sun Belt, where states like Texas and Florida had managed at first to escape the worst of the virus. But California is now in the unwelcome position of having found itself at the center of the pandemic twice over.

California was the first state to issue a stay-at-home order this spring, helping to control an early outbreak. But after a reopening that some health officials warned was too fast, cases surged, leading to a new statewide mask mandate and the closure of bars and indoor dining again. With more than 420,000 known cases, California has surpassed New York to have the most recorded cases of any state, and it set a single-day record Wednesday with more than 12,100 new cases and 155 new deaths.

And as California struggles once again to contain the virus, the multitude of challenges playing out across America has collided in every corner of the state, as if it were a microcosm of the country itself.

Gov. Gavin Newsom is wrestling with how to convey a consistent message while dealing with local officials who have resisted both new shutdowns and enforcing a mandatory mask order. Some rural areas of the state remain relatively unscathed with low case counts, while cases in Los Angeles are skyrocketing. The city’s mayor, Eric Garcetti, has warned that a new stay-at-home order could come down in the coming days.

In many parts of San Francisco, Silicon Valley and Los Angeles, people do not leave home without a mask. In Huntington Beach and across Orange County, residents have openly defied mask orders and protested against them.

In Los Angeles and San Diego, classrooms will be empty this fall, after public school officials decided they were unwilling to risk in-person instruction. But in Orange County, a recommendation by the Board of Education that children return to school without masks became political fodder for debate, even as the governor announced that most California schools would not be able to teach in person.

The contradictions span the state, creating a sense of regional dissonance. In Imperial County, on the southern border with Mexico, hospitals have been so overwhelmed with virus cases that patients have had to be airlifted elsewhere. But in the northernmost tip, the virus has yet to hit Modoc County, an agricultural community of around 9,000, where there were zero known cases as of Thursday.

“It’s a small town,” said Cynthia Peña, owner of Java Doc, a coffee shop in Alturas, California, where seasonal fires were the most pressing issue for local officials. “Everyone is pretty much social distancing; we already know a cow’s length.” Still, she has shut down her dining room and asked her employees to wear masks when customers arrive at the drive-thru window.

In recent weeks, Newsom has walked a fine line between justifying the state’s reopening and imploring Californians to stay home and refrain from gathering. He has pleaded with residents to wear masks and chided them for allowing their children to hug their cousins or grandparents.

He has repeatedly pointed out that conditions across a huge state are varied, saying, “None of us live in the aggregate; it’s a very different picture you can paint depending on where you live in the state.”

It is in some ways California’s sprawling nature, with 40 million residents spread across urban downtowns and rural areas, liberal strongholds and conservative alcoves, that has aggravated the feeling of back and forth. What applies in one area may not feel necessary in another, even as residents live under statewide orders. And the sense of confusion is often made worse by conflicting political messages from local leaders, the governor and the White House.

“It’s very hard to go backwards,” said Jonathan Fielding, a professor of health policy and management at UCLA and former public health director for Los Angeles County, who worried that a lack of consistent messaging had allowed many Californians to choose which message they wanted to hear at various points in the pandemic.

“When people have been isolated and in some cases lost a job and are hearing all of these different things, what is the message?” he said. “What is the message when you are hearing, basically, a cacophony?”

In Los Angeles — which has seen the most cases in California and where hospitals are filling up — parts of the city feel under siege, and in other areas, there is little palpable sense of the severity of the situation. Unlike in New York City during the height of the outbreak, most Angelenos have not had to absorb the piercing wail of ambulance sirens at all hours, a sound that came to define the pandemic there.

California’s numbers are in part a reflection of its vast population, about double that of New York state, and testing is far more available now than in the spring. Antibody tests suggest that far more people than previously reported were infected in New York City at its peak. But because Los Angeles is so less dense than New York City, there are parts of Los Angeles where the reality of the virus at this stage of the pandemic can go unnoticed.

“It feels as normal as it always did,” said Michael Lee, the owner of a hair salon, Bang Bang LA, in the Los Feliz neighborhood.

For Lee, the past several months have been turbulent in the extreme. He was set to open his business just as the pandemic gained a hold in the country, forcing shutdowns.

“We opened March 19 and got shut down March 20,” he said.

Lee, who rents space to other hair stylists, did not collect any rent for the first months of the shutdown. Now he is charging tenants just 35% of their rent “just to keep the doors open for when we can go back to work.”

He was allowed to open for about five weeks beginning in early June, but many of his clients stayed away, saying they feared another coronavirus wave. “They were right, I guess,” he said.

The salon shut down again last week, and Lee has been spending his time cleaning it, touching up the paint on the walls and researching business loans to help him stay afloat. “I’ve just been watching the numbers every day, hoping to see them start dropping,” he said.

For essential workers, many of whom are people of color who have faced the risk of the virus on a daily basis for months, the latest upticks were especially worrisome.

“It’s scary,” said Christina Lockyer-White, a nursing assistant at a nursing home in Kern County, who watched as dozens of patients and fellow employees fell ill in April. “Nobody should have to go through or see what I experienced.”

As cases rise, Lockyer-White, who said she tested negative this spring, once again worries about contracting the virus and taking it home to her son. “You always wonder if a second wave can come back, because you hear that they can,” Lockyer-White said Thursday during a break from a shift at the nursing home. “It’s always, make sure you don’t let your guard down.”


-The New York Times Company-

Body found in US lake where 'Glee' actress went missing

Rescuers on Monday found a body at the California lake where "Glee" star Naya Rivera went missing last week.

The Ventura County Sheriff's office said "recovery is in progress" of the unidentified body, after a sixth day of searching for the US actress began again at first light.

Rivera, 33, is believed to have accidentally drowned in Lake Piru after renting a boat at the camping and recreational hotspot with her four-year-old son, authorities said last week.

She vanished on Wednesday afternoon, and a massive search involving divers, patrol boats and helicopters was launched after her son was spotted drifting alone in a boat on the lake.

"Investigators believe Rivera drowned in what appears to be a tragic accident," the sheriff's office said last week.

"Rivera's son told investigators that he and his mother had been swimming in the lake, and he got back in the boat, but Rivera did not," a statement said.

The lake, an hour's drive northwest of Los Angeles, has been closed to the public since, with around 100 personnel, including the US Coast Guard and rescuers from neighboring counties, joining the search.

With less than one foot (30 centimeters) of visibility underwater in daylight, the recovery operation has been "a very slow process" even with use of sonar equipment, officials said.

A news conference is scheduled for Monday afternoon. 

Rivera was best known for her role as high school cheerleader Santana Lopez in "Glee."

She starred for six seasons in the wildly popular musical television series set in a US high school that ended in 2015.

The "Glee" cast has been struck by tragedy before.

Actor Mark Salling took his own life in 2018, weeks before being sentenced for possession of child pornography.

Canadian castmate Cory Monteith died in July 2013 of an overdose of drugs and alcohol.

Agence France-Presse

Los Angeles records 'alarming' surge in COVID-19 cases to more than 100,000

LOS ANGELES - Los Angeles County recorded an "alarming" one-day spike of nearly 3,000 new COVID-19 infections on Monday, taking its total to more than 100,000 cases, public health officials said, warning that hospitals could soon be overwhelmed.

Los Angeles and neighboring counties have become a new epicenter in the pandemic as cases and hospitalizations have surged there despite California Governor Gavin Newsom's strict order last week requiring masks in nearly all public spaces.

"The alarming increases in cases, positivity rates and hospitalizations signals that we, as a community, need to take immediate action to slow the spread of COVID-19," Barbara Ferrer, director of public health for Los Angeles County, said in a statement announcing the sharp upswing.

"Otherwise, we are quickly moving toward overwhelming our healthcare system and seeing even more devastating illness and death," Ferrer said.

The county reported a single-day record of 2,903 new cases.

California, which on Sunday ordered bars in Los Angeles and six other counties to close, is among several US states including Florida, Texas and Arizona battling a new wave of infections as the nation emerges from weeks of clamp-downs on residents and businesses.

Texas and Florida ordered the closure of all their recently reopened bars on Friday.

Democrats leading the biggest metropolitan areas in Texas on Monday renewed calls for Governor Greg Abbott to give them the authority to make decisions on mandatory mask wearing and social distancing to protect their hard-hit populations.

Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner asked Abbott to give local leaders back the powers they had in April, until an executive order from the governor nixed it: their ability to fine people who do not follow rules mandating masks and social distancing.

NEW JERSEY, KANSAS TAKE NEW STEPS

New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy said on Monday that indoor dining will no longer resume on Thursday in the state as planned and would be postponed indefinitely.

In Kansas, Governor Laura Kelly imposed a statewide mandate requiring residents to wear masks in public spaces, a move she said was necessary to avoid another shutdown.

Beaches in Florida's Broward County and Palm Beach County will not open for the July 3-5 holiday weekend, officials said on Sunday, a blow to residents hoping to celebrate Independence Day there on Saturday. Miami-Dade County had already announced beach closures for the holiday weekend.

AMC, the largest US movie theater chain, on Monday said it was pushing back the reopening of its theaters to July 30 from July 15.

Arizona and Georgia were among states reporting record new cases this week. Last week, a total of 15 US states reported records, according to a Reuters tally.

In June, 22 US states reported record increases in new cases, often multiple times, including Alaska, Arkansas, Montana, New Mexico, North Carolina, Oregon and Utah.

Face coverings have become a political issue, with some conservative politicians and many supporters of US President Donald Trump arguing that such mandates are unconstitutional.

The city of Jacksonville, Florida, venue for part of the Republican nominating convention in August, said on Twitter it would be requiring masks for all public locations starting later on Monday.

White House Press Secretary Kayleigh McEnany said on Monday that Trump "has no problem with masks and to do whatever your local jurisdiction requests."

US Vice President Mike Pence on Sunday pressed Americans to adopt face masks during a trip to Texas and wore one himself, a sharp turnaround for the administration. Other Republican politicians in hard-hit states also are now calling for masks.

The New York Times reported on Monday that 43 percent of US deaths from COVID-19 were linked to nursing homes and long-term care facilities. The paper cited its own tracking database.

-reuters-

Los Angeles bars ordered to close again as virus spreads

LOS ANGELES - Bars in Los Angeles and six other Californian counties were ordered to close again on Sunday as parts of the United States reimpose shutdown measures to try to quell a surge in coronavirus cases.

New coronavirus cases have jumped in more than half of US states, reaching record highs after months of uneven mitigation efforts and sometimes contradictory messaging from government.

Texas and Florida have also once again cracked down, ordering bars to stop serving alcohol.

California, Texas and Florida are the three most populous states in the country.

"Due to the rising spread of #COVID19, CA is ordering bars to close in Fresno, Imperial, Kern, Kings, Los Angeles, San Joaquin, and Tulare," California Governor Gavin Newsom announced on Twitter.

About 13.5 million people live in the seven counties, accounting for roughly one-third of California's population.

The hardest-hit US states are currently in the south and west, where many state leaders pushed for early economic reopenings.

But Californian bars were only allowed to reopen from June 12, with the final decision left to local authorities. Bars in Los Angeles, the second-largest city in the United States, had been open since June 19.

The latest upsurge, pushing the nation's total of declared cases to more than 2.5 million and its death toll past 125,000, has prompted a growing chorus of calls for much tougher rules and enforcement of restrictions.

"This is a very, very serious situation and the window is closing for us to take action and get this under control," Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar said on CNN on Sunday.

Three northeastern states that made significant progress beating back the pandemic -- New York, New Jersey and Connecticut -- have urged visitors arriving from US hotspots such as Texas, Florida and Alabama to quarantine themselves.

President Donald Trump has pushed strongly for the US economy to reopen despite the surge in cases as he prepares for a tough battle to hold onto office in November elections.

Agence France-Presse

NBA: J.R. Smith beats up man he claims vandalized his truck

Longtime NBA player J.R. Smith said he beat up a looter in Los Angeles on Sunday because the man broke the window in his truck during protests in the area.

The video showing Smith kicking and punching the man was released by TMZ Sports and Smith addressed the incident via a different video.

"He didn't know whose window he broke and he got his (expletive) whooped," Smith said of the man.


Smith's vehicle was parked in a residential area.

The video shows Smith kicking a man on the ground multiple times. When the man finally gets up, Smith delivers a powerful right punch to the man's face. The man proceeds to scurry away.

"One of these (expletive) white boys didn't know where he was going and broke my (expletive) window in my truck," Smith said during his explanation video.

Smith, 34, said his display of violence was solely due to the truck incident and wasn't related to racial tension that has been soaring since George Floyd's death in Minneapolis on Monday.

Floyd, a black man, died after white officer Derek Chauvin kneeled on his neck for several minutes.

"I don't have no problem with nobody and nobody has problems with me," Smith said. "I have a problem with the (expletive) system."

Smith, who is currently an NBA free agent, ranks 13th in NBA history with 1,929 career 3-pointers. He has a 12.5 scoring average in 15 seasons with the then-New Orleans Hornets, Denver Nuggets, New York Knicks and Cleveland Cavaliers.

Field Level Media

Lessons from porn industry could help Hollywood adapt to coronavirus

LOS ANGELES -- As Hollywood tries to figure out how to resume production of movies and TV shows in the coronavirus era, one sector may be better prepared than others to deal with the challenges.

The porn industry in Los Angeles came up with its own testing system and database in the 1990s to protect actors during the HIV/AIDS epidemic.

Now it is using that system to develop protocols for making adult entertainment during the COVID-19 pandemic.

"When we first starting talking about COVID, we felt very well prepared because we have a whole history of testing within the industry as well as contact tracing and production shut-downs," said Mike Stabile, spokesman for the Free Speech Coalition, a trade association for the US adult entertainment industry.

"This is obviously a different type of virus, this is a different type of threat, but we understood in general how it would work and what we'd need to do in order to protect ourselves," he said.

The protocols were established in the late 1990s after a porn actor forged an HIV test and infected several others in the industry.

Porn star Sharon Mitchell, who is now a physician, created a system now known as PASS (Performer Availability Scheduling Services), in which porn actors are required to be tested for sexually transmitted diseases every 14 days. The results are entered into a database, which informs producers and directors who is clean and available for work.

"All it tells us is a binary. Are you clear to work or are you not clear to work?" Stabile said.

Stabile said the coronavirus, which is more easily transmitted, is a more complex problem but that the porn industry was open to working with mainstream Hollywood studios to share its expertise.

"The challenges for sports, for Hollywood and the porn industry are all different but in reality, we each have things we can learn from each other," Stabile said.

Hollywood movie studios, television networks and groups representing actors and directors have been brainstorming for weeks on how to restart production while protecting everyone from actors to make-up artists and camera crews.

Ideas include quarantining all cast and crew for the length of a shoot, medics on sets, temperature tests every 12 hours, and substituting extras and crowd scenes with computer generated imagery, according to leaked documents and industry sources.

Movie and TV production in Europe -- including Iceland, Denmark and the Czech Republic, where many Hollywood shows are filmed -- is expected to resume before the United States, according to the film commissions in those nations. But questions linger over insurance and how much actors and directors will want to travel when the outbreak has yet to be contained in many countries.

-reuters-

Packed California beaches prompt stricter virus measures

LOS ANGELES - Governor Gavin Newsom tightened California's coronavirus lockdown Monday, shutting parking lots at beaches and parks in the most populous US state after tens of thousands flouted social distancing rules over the weekend.

The state is already under orders to stay home, but images of record crowds flocking to beaches such as Malibu and Santa Monica went viral on Sunday.

"I had a little anxiety, as all of you did, watching the news of all those folks and crowds in our parks, out there on the beautiful California coast," said Newsom.

"We're going to shut down all state parking lots" immediately, he added, saying "we can't see what we saw over the weekend happen again." 

California, one of the worst-hit US states, has more than 1,700 confirmed cases, including at least 27 deaths.

Last week Newsom ordered all residents to stay home, barring essential activities, and to maintain social distancing.

But the order will likely not be enforced by police, Newsom said, expressing hope that people would self-regulate.

"We need to help you help yourself, a little bit more, those folks that were making their way out" at the weekend, Newsom said Monday, calling the new measure a "soft closure."

"To recognize when you're on a single-track trail out in our beautiful wilderness, that single track means going up the mountain, and down the mountain -- which means it's almost impossible to socially distance.

"When you're out there and you can't even find parking at a beach, it suggests you're not going to practice social distancing, and it may suggest you may want to find a new location."

Meanwhile, Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti loosened restrictions on restaurants delivering alcohol to people in their homes. Other US jurisdictions have made similar moves.

"This will not only be something nice for the people of LA, but good for those businesses to keep them alive, so that when this crisis is over your favorite neighborhood watering holes and restaurant will still, we hope, be there," he said.

Governor Newsom also praised entrepreneur Elon Musk for delivering 1,000 new ventilators to Los Angeles from where they will be distributed to hospitals, with fears that US medical facilities will not have enough of the crucial machines to cope with a surge of people sick with the COVID-19 illness.

amz/it

Agence France-Presse

Virus adds to constant fear of life as undocumented immigrant

LOS ANGELES - James can't afford to quarantine: he lost his job as a waiter in a Los Angeles restaurant and is two weeks away from running out of money for rent and food.

But as an undocumented immigrant, the 30-year-old Colombian cannot turn to the social aid programs being offered by the US government to deal with the coronavirus pandemic.

James is not his real name. It is the name on his fake social security card that, like many in his precarious position, he uses to get low-paying, hourly jobs.

He usually gets by on around $400 a week.

"I have to find a way to at least cover rent and food, and with this situation, getting a job is complicated," he told AFP.

Life as an undocumented immigrant is always anxiety-inducing, especially since Donald Trump became president having campaigned on a promise to crack down on illegal immigration.

Now there is the extra pressure of the pandemic, which has killed 417 people in the US out of more than 33,000 confirmed cases.

'HEALTH FIRST'

Luz Gallegos, from the TODEC non-profit which provides legal help to immigrants, held a workshop last weekend in a rural community north of Los Angeles.

Questions included: can I go to the hospital without insurance? Am I in danger of being deported? If I use government services for coronavirus, will it hurt me later applying for residency?

"COVID-19 is an additional stress for the community," Gallegos said. "It's a community that doesn't trust the government."

TODEC's message is "health first" -- but that does not erase the issue.

Many immigrants' chief concern is the new "public charge" rule, which allows health issues to be considered when granting visas or permanent residency.

US immigration officials insist medical tests to detect coronavirus or receive treatment for the disease will not be penalized.

Immigration and Customs Enforcement also announced it will temporarily stop arrests and deportations of undocumented immigrants during the crisis.

But uncertainty over the law means fear persists, especially as "the Trump administration keeps on changing" its policies on handling immigrants, said Gallegos. 

'START OVER'

The US has pledged $100 billion in social aid for workers directly hit by the fallout from the coronavirus pandemic.

This includes paid leave for employees who fall ill, and easier access to unemployment benefits and food stamps for those who lose their jobs.

But these benefits can appear unattainable for the country's 11 million undocumented, many of whom are Latino.

"When we were notified that our jobs were gone, we were given a link to apply for government aid," said James.

"But I read that it's for citizens who have fully legal social security."

Although California is a "sanctuary state" for immigrants, half of the 15 staff at his Japanese restaurant have no papers and remain concerned.

"I think the situation will get more difficult in 15 days, a month, when we can't afford rent and bills," said the young man, who pays $580 per month for a small room.

His immediate plan is to deliver goods using a second-hand car he bought just two weeks ago, before the crisis struck.

"After two years in this country I finally felt at the point where I was getting my life organized," he said.

"And then this coronavirus thing came."

jt/amz/bgs

Agence France-Presse

Trump says US on top as outbreak shuts largest cities

New York and Illinois followed California Friday in locking down to stem the coronavirus pandemic as President Donald Trump declared the United States was already "winning" the war despite a rapid rise in confirmed cases and deaths.

The move effectively seals off America's largest cities -- New York, Los Angeles and Chicago -- with New Jersey also preparing to follow and Connecticut shutting.

But Trump insisted there was no need for a national lockdown, arguing that other parts of the US weren't hurting as much as its most populous states.

Governor Andrew Cuomo ordered non-essential businesses to close and banned gatherings in New York state, a day after his counterpart Gavin Newsom told California's 40 million residents to stay home.

"We're all in quarantine now," Cuomo told reporters, warning of civil fines and mandatory closures for anyone violating the order, which takes effect on Sunday evening.

The escalation came as COVID-19-linked deaths in the US rose to 216 -- more than doubling in three days -- with more than 16,600 confirmed infections, according to a tally by Johns Hopkins University.

Despite the surge, Trump said the world's number one power was "winning" and "going to win this war."

"Those are really two hotbeds. Those are probably the two hottest of them all in terms of hotspots," Trump told the daily White House news conference, adding that states in the American midwest were not registering as many confirmed cases.

"So no, we're working with the governors and I don't think we'll ever find that necessary," he added.

But shortly afterwards Illinois Governor J.B Pritzker announced an immediate stay-at-home order for the state "to avoid the loss of potentially tens of thousands of lives."

"The only strategy available to us to limit the increase in cases... is to mitigate the spread of coronavirus in the most robust manner possible," he said.

The order is in place from Saturday evening until April 7, Pritzker added.

The head of the US Army Corps of Engineers, Todd Semonite, said the agency was working on refitting more than 10,000 hotel and dormitory rooms in New York into temporary hospitals to alleviate the burden on health centers.

"We would like to think we can do this in three or four weeks and try to go as fast as we can," he said.

The number of confirmed infections in New York state jumped past 7,000 Friday, largely because of an increase in testing, Cuomo said, as he announced he would pass an executive order mandating that only essential businesses can remain open from late Sunday.

He stressed that essential services included grocery stores, pharmacies and food delivery.

Cuomo said that under "Matilda's Law," named after his mother, "non-essential gatherings of individuals of any size" were canceled.

[BOLD] 'Strong steps'

He ordered residents to exercise alone and not hold group activities outside, such as basketball.

He said citizens should avoid public transport "unless urgent and absolutely necessary."

"New York state (is) on pause," he said.

"These actions will cause disruption. They will cause much unhappiness. I understand that," Cuomo added.

He dismissed references to the measures as "shelter-in-place," which they have been called in California, but the rules effectively amount to the same thing.

California's statewide directive, which went into force Thursday evening, also instructs residents to remain at home.

It allows gas stations, pharmacies, banks and laundry services to remain open while restaurants can still provide take-out and delivery.

"They are taking strong steps. I applaud them," Trump said, referring to Cuomo and Newsom.

Trump also announced Friday that the US and Mexico have agreed to restrict non-essential travel across their border beginning on Saturday.

He said the move, similar to one already announced with northern neighbor Canada, was necessary to prevent the "spread of the infection to our border agents, migrants, and to the public at large."

On Capitol Hill, US senators began critical negotiations over a $1 trillion emergency stimulus package to help Americans ravaged by the coronavirus.

The version unveiled late Thursday includes one-time "recovery rebates" of up to $1,200 for adults earning under $99,000 annually, and hundreds of billions of dollars in loan guarantees to industries hard hit by the crises including airlines and small businesses.

Wall Street stocks finished a volatile session much lower Friday, with the Dow down 4.6 percent, bringing the market's worst week since 2008 to a grim conclusion.

source: news.abs-cbn.com

Ex-girlfriend of Floyd Mayweather found dead

LOS ANGELES -- Josie Harris, an ex-girlfriend of Floyd Mayweather who had three children with the former champion boxer, has been found dead at her suburban Los Angeles home, authorities said Wednesday.

Los Angeles County Sheriff Alex Villanueva told KABC-TV that 40-year-old Josie Lynn Harris was the mother of three of Mayweather's children.

She was found dead in a vehicle in the driveway of her apparent home in Valencia north of Los Angeles on Tuesday evening.

Sheriff's deputies were investigating the death, which was first reported by TMZ, with the celebrity news website reporting foul play was not suspected.

In 2010, Mayweather was accused of assaulting Harris and threatening two of their children during an argument.

He admitted hitting Harris and twisting her arm, eventually pleading guilty to a reduced domestic violence charge and serving two months in jail.

After Mayweather told an interviewer that he was simply trying to restrain Harris, who was on drugs during the incident, Harris sued him for defamation in 2015.

Agence France-Presse

Virus scare: US plane diverted after passengers upset by sneezing

LOS ANGELES - Mounting concern over the spread of coronavirus was apparently behind a US flight being diverted at the weekend after passengers became upset over someone sneezing and coughing.

United Airlines told AFP in a statement that the flight -- headed from Eagle, Colorado, to Newark, New Jersey -- was diverted on Sunday afternoon to Denver's international airport.

The plane was allowed to continue on to New Jersey after a small group of people who raised a ruckus over fears a passenger who was sneezing and coughing may be sick with the virus were taken off the flight, local media quoted officials as saying.

The airline said the incident "was in no way a medical situation."

It told local media that the passenger who was sneezing had allergies and was evaluated and allowed to stay on the flight.

"After landing safely, the aircraft was met by law enforcement" the airline said.

jz/bgs

Agence France-Presse

Uber closing office in downtown Los Angeles

LOS ANGELES - Uber Technologies Inc is closing its office in downtown Los Angeles, where the ride-hailing company employs customer support staff, to focus on its bigger locations.

The move was reported earlier on Tuesday by the LA Times newspaper, which also added that the step will result in the elimination of about 80 jobs.

An Uber spokesman confirmed the closure in an emailed statement.

The jobs from the office being closed will be shifted to a customer support office of Uber in Manila, the LA Times reported, citing sources and a recording of comments from an Uber manager.

Uber did not comment on the job losses mentioned in the report.

Earlier this month, Uber, which is backed by Japanese technology investment giant SoftBank Group Corp, moved forward by a year its target to achieve a measure of profitability to the fourth quarter of 2020, but added it still expects to lose a total of more than $1 billion this year.

In the fourth quarter of 2019, the company's total revenue rose 37 percent to $4.07 billion on a yearly basis while its net loss widened to $1.1 billion from a loss of $887 million a year earlier.

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Billionaire Bezos buys estate for $165 million: report

SAN FRANCISCO -- Billionaire Amazon chief Jeff Bezos has purchased a Los Angeles-area estate for $165 million, setting a new record for the region, The Wall Street Journal reported on Wednesday.

Bezos bought the Warner Estate from media mogul David Geffen, according to the Journal.

It said the deal topped a Los Angeles-area home price record set last year when Lachlan Murdoch paid around $150 million for a Bel-Air estate seen in "The Beverly Hillbillies," a 1960s television show.

The Warner Estate spans nine acres (3.6 hectares) in Beverly Hills. It is a Georgian-style compound with a floor once owned by Napoleon, guest houses, a tennis court, and a nine-hole golf course.

It was originally built in the 1930s by the late Jack Warner, former president of Warner Brothers, the Journal reported.

Bezos, whose worth has been estimated at more than $110 billion, started internet colossus Amazon and is considered the richest person in the world.

Amazon has expanded from its original mission as an online retailer and now is a major force in cloud computing. Its digital assistant Alexa has been incorporated into thousands of consumer products, and the firm operates one of the largest streaming video services.

Bezos also owns The Washington Post newspaper.

Agence France-Presse

Breaking the subtitle barrier: S.Koreans celebrate historic Oscar wins of 'Parasite'

SEOUL -- South Korean social media erupted in celebration on Monday after the dark comedy "Parasite" became the first non-English language movie to win the Best Picture award, already having netted three other Oscars in a historic first for the country.

Director Bong Joon-ho's "Parasite" vaulted over what he once called the "one-inch tall barrier of subtitles" to capture international attention like no previous South Korean movie.

Bong's win for Best Original Screenplay was the first Oscar for South Korea's large film industry.

But as the night continued, the film also came out on top of increasingly prestigious categories, including International Feature Film award, Best Director for Bong, and the top award, Best Picture.

"I'm ready to drink tonight," Bong joked, after thanking the cast and staff during his acceptance speech for the International Feature Film award.

Executive producer Kwak Sin-ae said she was "speechless" after the film won Best Picture.

"Parasite" had also snagged nominations for best production design and best film editing, and had already collected several other international film awards.

A satirical take on the vast gap between the rich and poor in South Korea, the movie came as South Korea grapples with the divide between "dirt spoons" -- those born to low-income families who have all but given up on social mobility -- and "gold spoons," as those from better-off families are known.

LANGUAGE BARRIERS FALLING

Although South Korea's film industry is one of the largest in the world, the Korean-language "Parasite" made unprecedented waves in international markets.

After the nominations were announced in January, Bong said he saw it as a sign that language is no longer a stumbling block for global success.

"I was so proud as a Korean to hear that a South Korean film defeated so many famous foreign films," said Chung Su-yoon, a Seoul resident who watched "Parasite" just two hours before the Oscars.

Pop culture critic Kim Hern-sik said the deeper messages of "Parasite" allowed it to resonate with people around the world.

"Just like BTS had a popular appeal by casting the problems the youth go through everywhere in the world, 'Parasite' gained global understanding by demonstrating the issue of the gap between the rich and poor," Kim said, referring to the K-pop group that has found wide success in the United States and around the world despite Korean-language lyrics.

One clip making the rounds on South Korean social media mocked a reporter who asked Bong why he shot the film in Korean.

"She should've asked Scorsese or Tarantino why they shot their own movies in English," one commenter said, referencing other directors who were nominated.

Another popular clip on South Korean social media was a slow-motion shot of the cast enjoying the night on the red carpet, cheering the stars and wishing them the best of luck.

U.S. Ambassador to South Korea Harry Harris tweeted, "we are doing a watch party at the embassy eating jjapaguri," referring to the noodle dish the rich family enjoys in the movie.

'HISTORIC MOMENT'

The movie's distributor, CJ ENM, said it was a "historic moment" that will go down in Korean film history.

"Over the past year, we have realized that the status of Korean films has dramatically increased thanks to 'Parasite,'" the company said in a statement.

South Korean President Moon Jae-in said the film's cast and crew helped instil "pride and courage in our people as we come together to weather difficulties."

"I am very pleased to see a Korean film shoulder to shoulder with those of other countries," he added.

Hashtags Parasite and DirectorBongJoonho were the most trending on Twitter South Korea, while the movie name was the most searched on the local Naver web portal after the victories.

Some South Koreans called the win a "national celebration."

"Global audiences will watch the movie and say that 'South Korea can also do it,'" said Kim Chan-dong, a pastor who watched "Parasite" on its second day in theaters. "The movie frankly portrayed the story of people in hardships, arousing deep sympathy from people."

source: news.abs-cbn.com

Renee Zellweger wins best actress Oscar for 'Judy'

LOS ANGELES -- Renee Zellweger was crowned best actress at the Oscars on Sunday for her portrait of Hollywood legend Judy Garland in "Judy," a biographical drama exploring the singer's personal and professional turmoil at the end of her life.

It marked the second Oscar victory in four nominations for Zellweger, 50, a Texas-born performer whose immersion in the role of Garland also earned Golden Globe, Screen Actors Guild and BAFTA awards.

She faced field of nominees that included Charlize Theron for "Bombshell," as well as Scarlett Johansson for "Marriage Story," Cynthia Erivo for "Harriet" and Saoirse Ronan for "Little Women."

Admittedly intimidated at the notion of playing one of America's most iconic show business figures 50 years after her death, Zellweger embarked on extensive preparations to transform herself for the role.

She took voice lessons for a year and worked with a choreographer to capture Garland's mannerisms. The movie focuses on a period when "The Wizard of Oz" star struggled with substance abuse, depression, insomnia, financial instability and a custody battle.

Garland arrived in London in late 1968 as part of a sold-out concert tour meant to help regain her economic footing. She died there at age 47 of an accidental drug overdose in June 1969, three months after her fifth marriage.

Zellweger's co-stars recalled being awestruck by her on-set metamorphosis for the role, while critics marveled at how she convincingly rendered the essence of Garland's persona and performance style without lapsing into mere impersonation.

Her "Judy" performance was a far cry from the scrappy, plain-spoken farmhand she played in the epic U.S. Civil War romance "Cold Mountain," a role that earned her an Academy Award for best supporting actress in 2004.

Her turn in "Cold Mountain" followed back-to-back Oscar nominations for her performance as Roxie Hart in the big-screen adaptation of musical "Chicago" and her title role as the British singleton in the romantic comedy "Bridget Jones's Diary."

A native of Texas, Zellweger got her start in several low-budget movies leading to a star turn in 1994 horror film "Texas Chainsaw Massacre: The Next Generation."

Her big breakthrough came in the role of the single mom who becomes the love interest of the struggling sports agent played by Tom Cruise in comedy "Jerry Maguire." Other credits include "One True Thing," "Me, Myself & Irene," and the dark comedy "Nurse Betty."

source: news.abs-cbn.com

South Korea's Bong Joon Ho wins best director Oscar win for 'Parasite'

LOS ANGELES -- South Korean Bong Joon Ho won the best director Oscar for dark social satire "Parasite" on Sunday, becoming the first person from the Asian nation to win the award.

The film was one of the biggest winners at the Academy Awards, having already taken best international feature film and best original screenplay.

Bong, 50, beat Hollywood veterans including Martin Scorsese and Quentin Tarantino for his Korean language movie about the violent clash between haves and have-nots in contemporary Seoul.

In his acceptance remarks, Bong gave a shout-out to both directors.

"When I was in school, I studied Martin Scorsese's films. Just to be nominated was a huge honor. I never thought I would win," he said as the audience rose to its feet in applause.

"When people in the U.S. were not familiar with my film, Quentin always put my films on his list. He's here," Bong added. "Quentin, I love you!"

And then reprising a remark he made after winning, best international picture, he said: "I will drink until next morning. Thank you."

Bong is known for weaving social themes into stories that play as both comedies and thrillers. His movies include the surreal animal activist movie "Okja," climate change sci-fi drama "Snowpiercer," and serial killer drama "Memories of Murder."

"Parasite" is by far his most successful film to date, reaching audiences beyond his home country and winning the top prize at the Cannes Film Festival.

"I did know that it had its own strength and that it would provide a lot of food for thought for people but I didn't realize it would be so successful in the US and Japan and France," he said.

"A lot of American audience members have told us that Parasite was very unpredictable and I think that's what the audience really enjoyed," he told Reuters.

Bong has described the main themes of "Parasite" as "courtesy toward human beings, human dignity."

He began his movie career by co-founding a cinema club on the campus of his university in South Korea in the early 1990s and going on to write and making short films.

He is currently developing a limited television series based on "Parasite" for U.S. cable channel HBO.

This year's other directing nominees were Martin Scorsese for "The Irishman," Quentin Tarantino for "Once Upon a Time in Hollywood," Sam Mendes for "1917," and Todd Phillips for "Joker."

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Joaquin Phoenix wins best actor Oscar for 'Joker'

LOS ANGELES -- Joaquin Phoenix won his first Oscar on Sunday for his terrifying performance as an isolated loner who becomes one of the world's best known comic book villains in "Joker," and invoked his late brother River Phoenix in one of the most emotional acceptance speeches of the night.

Phoenix, 45, won the best actor Oscar after three previous nominations, crowning an awards season that has seen him sweep every major prize for his role in the standalone origin story of Batman's archenemy.

"I've been a scoundrel in my life, I've been selfish, I've been cruel at times, I've been hard to work with. I'm grateful so many of you in this room have given me a second chance," Phoenix said in accepting his award.

"When he was 17, my brother wrote this lyric, he said: Run to the rescue with love and peace will follow," he said in concluding his speech tearfully to a standing ovation.

River Phoenix died of a drug overdose at a Hollywood night club in 1993 at age 23.

The actor, known for playing brooding or emotionally troubled characters, dropped more than 50 pounds (22 kg) to play Arthur Fleck, an emaciated mentally ill clown who finds fame through a random act of violence in 1980s era New York City.

His Oscar win made Phoenix the second person to get an Academy Award for playing the Joker character. Heath Ledger won a posthumous best supporting actor Oscar in 2009 for playing the Joker in "The Dark Knight."

Dark and unsettling, Phoenix's Joker is far removed from the comic book characters traditionally seen on screen. Matthew Belloni, editorial director of the Hollywood Reporter, described it last year as "among the most chilling characters I have ever seen in film."

Publicity averse and intense, Phoenix has a reputation for completely inhabiting characters that have ranged from country singer Johnny Cash in "Walk the Line," to Jesus Christ in "Mary Magdalene" and an impressionable drifter who enters a cult in "The Master."

In 2010, he almost succeeded in fooling the world that he had given up acting to try to become a rapper in the fake documentary "I'm Still Here."

A strict vegan and advocate for the environment, Phoenix was born to missionary parents who traveled through Central and South America before settling in Los Angeles, where he became a child actor. 

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