Copyright © 2020, Los Angeles Times | | | |AdvertisementSacha Baron Cohen is still effectively duping Americans into embarrassing stunts. And he does much of it in the just-released “Borat” sequel with the help of Maria Bakalova, the actress you may already know from her “sexy-time” scene with Trump attorney Rudy Giuliani.Her arc in the film — officially called “Borat Subsequent Moviefilm: Delivery of Prodigious Bribe to American Regime for Make Benefit Once Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan” — is much larger than that much-talked about moment. She joins the fictional Kazakh journalist in a...…Copyright © 2020, Los Angeles Times | | | |AdvertisementSacha Baron Cohen is still effectively duping Americans into embarrassing stunts. And he does much of it in the just-released “Borat” sequel with the help of Maria Bakalova, the actress you may already know from her “sexy-time” scene with Trump attorney Rudy Giuliani.Her arc in the film — officially called “Borat Subsequent Moviefilm: Delivery of Prodigious Bribe to American Regime for Make Benefit Once Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan” — is much larger than that much-talked about moment. She joins the fictional Kazakh journalist in a...WW…

Copyright © 2020, Los Angeles Times | | | |AdvertisementStrong, gusty expected to develop Sunday night will raise fire weather concerns on land and potentially some big waves off the Southern California coast, the National Weather Service said.The prospect of the strongest, most widespread so far this season has led to the issuance of red flag fire warnings, most of which take effect in the early hours of Monday morning. Super-dry air will drive relative humidity down to the single digits, causing critical fire conditions late Sunday night through Tuesday. Fuels are after months with...…Copyright © 2020, Los Angeles Times | | | |AdvertisementStrong, gusty expected to develop Sunday night will raise fire weather concerns on land and potentially some big waves off the Southern California coast, the National Weather Service said.The prospect of the strongest, most widespread so far this season has led to the issuance of red flag fire warnings, most of which take effect in the early hours of Monday morning. Super-dry air will drive relative humidity down to the single digits, causing critical fire conditions late Sunday night through Tuesday. Fuels are after months with...WW…

Copyright © 2020, Los Angeles Times | | | |AdvertisementAs football fans tailgated without masks outside Texas Tech University’s 60,000-seat stadium in West Texas this weekend ahead of the Red Raiders’ homecoming game, it was easy to forget that Lubbock — a rural county of 310,000 — has one of the highest COVID-19 infection rates in the country.The outbreak at Texas Tech, which has infected at least 2,200 students, comes as the U.S. reported a national single-day record of new infections — 83,757 — Friday. Part of what’s driving the national spike in infections has been where restrictions...…Copyright © 2020, Los Angeles Times | | | |AdvertisementAs football fans tailgated without masks outside Texas Tech University’s 60,000-seat stadium in West Texas this weekend ahead of the Red Raiders’ homecoming game, it was easy to forget that Lubbock — a rural county of 310,000 — has one of the highest COVID-19 infection rates in the country.The outbreak at Texas Tech, which has infected at least 2,200 students, comes as the U.S. reported a national single-day record of new infections — 83,757 — Friday. Part of what’s driving the national spike in infections has been where restrictions...WW…

Copyright © 2020, Los Angeles Times | | | |AdvertisementWhat’s the biggest difference between the Donald Trump of 2016 and the one who appeared on the debate stage Thursday night? The bubble may be the answer.Four years ago, then-candidate Trump had many of the same character traits that a majority of Americans have wearied of — the boastfulness, the quarrelsomeness, the self-absorption. But along with that, he also had a keen grasp of how to pitch to a mass audience, a skill honed by years of success in marketing his businesses and himself.He used that skill relentlessly in his 2016...…Copyright © 2020, Los Angeles Times | | | |AdvertisementWhat’s the biggest difference between the Donald Trump of 2016 and the one who appeared on the debate stage Thursday night? The bubble may be the answer.Four years ago, then-candidate Trump had many of the same character traits that a majority of Americans have wearied of — the boastfulness, the quarrelsomeness, the self-absorption. But along with that, he also had a keen grasp of how to pitch to a mass audience, a skill honed by years of success in marketing his businesses and himself.He used that skill relentlessly in his 2016...WW…

Copyright © 2020, Los Angeles Times | | | |AdvertisementRunning for state treasurer, Ronnie Chatterji’s folksy 30-second TV spot confronts one of the key issues in this battleground state. “Look, I can’t make these ads stop,” the Democrat admits, looking into the camera. “You can make this one stop,” pleads his daughter, who plays on a swing. His young son calls the ad “Boooring!”If the spot hits a nerve here, it’s because North Carolina has been swamped by more political ads than any other state — with a jaw-dropping 7,000 ads broadcast on Wednesday alone in a state with only six small to...…Copyright © 2020, Los Angeles Times | | | |AdvertisementRunning for state treasurer, Ronnie Chatterji’s folksy 30-second TV spot confronts one of the key issues in this battleground state. “Look, I can’t make these ads stop,” the Democrat admits, looking into the camera. “You can make this one stop,” pleads his daughter, who plays on a swing. His young son calls the ad “Boooring!”If the spot hits a nerve here, it’s because North Carolina has been swamped by more political ads than any other state — with a jaw-dropping 7,000 ads broadcast on Wednesday alone in a state with only six small to...WW…

Copyright © 2020, Los Angeles Times | | | |AdvertisementFaced with a deluge of fraudulent unemployment claims, California officials said Thursday that 350,000 of the debit cards they issued containing benefits have been frozen because of suspicious activity, including a high number of claims at a single address.The debit cards frozen by the state Employment Development Department and Bank of America could represent billions of dollars in benefits paid out since the COVID-19 pandemic began in March.“The Department’s top priority is to quickly verify the identity of any claimants in this...…Copyright © 2020, Los Angeles Times | | | |AdvertisementFaced with a deluge of fraudulent unemployment claims, California officials said Thursday that 350,000 of the debit cards they issued containing benefits have been frozen because of suspicious activity, including a high number of claims at a single address.The debit cards frozen by the state Employment Development Department and Bank of America could represent billions of dollars in benefits paid out since the COVID-19 pandemic began in March.“The Department’s top priority is to quickly verify the identity of any claimants in this...WW…

Copyright © 2020, Los Angeles Times | | | |AdvertisementIf you’re one of more than 49 million Americans , not to worry.Though they managed to behave better than in — a mute button helped — nothing that President Trump or Democratic challenger Joe Biden said or did onstage Thursday night seems likely to change a great many minds.Coming just 12 days before election day — or what might be more accurately called the voting cutoff — the mostly tame 90-minute session presented Trump his last best chance before a national audience to change the trajectory of a .President Trump and former Vice...…Copyright © 2020, Los Angeles Times | | | |AdvertisementIf you’re one of more than 49 million Americans , not to worry.Though they managed to behave better than in — a mute button helped — nothing that President Trump or Democratic challenger Joe Biden said or did onstage Thursday night seems likely to change a great many minds.Coming just 12 days before election day — or what might be more accurately called the voting cutoff — the mostly tame 90-minute session presented Trump his last best chance before a national audience to change the trajectory of a .President Trump and former Vice...WW…

Copyright © 2020, Los Angeles Times | | | |AdvertisementA new diversity study reveals that television still has a long way to go in order to make meaningful steps toward becoming a truly inclusive industry.On Thursday, UCLA released the of its annual Hollywood Diversity Report, and it once again found that despite gains, people of color and women remain underrepresented in nearly every employment area examined, both in front of and behind the camera.The study also questioned the extent of and inclusion. Various institutions issued statements supporting the Black Lives Matter movement and...…Copyright © 2020, Los Angeles Times | | | |AdvertisementA new diversity study reveals that television still has a long way to go in order to make meaningful steps toward becoming a truly inclusive industry.On Thursday, UCLA released the of its annual Hollywood Diversity Report, and it once again found that despite gains, people of color and women remain underrepresented in nearly every employment area examined, both in front of and behind the camera.The study also questioned the extent of and inclusion. Various institutions issued statements supporting the Black Lives Matter movement and...WW…

Copyright © 2020, Los Angeles Times | | | |AdvertisementCalifornia election rules prohibit clothing, signs and swag urging support for a specific candidate at polling places, but state officials have decided no such ban exists on items emblazoned with the slogan “Make America Great Again,” a mantra championed by President Trump.If there’s a distinction between a shirt bearing the name of Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden and the ubiquitous hats featured prominently in Trump’s online store, it may be lost on voters come election day.“I want to make sure the public knows what the...…Copyright © 2020, Los Angeles Times | | | |AdvertisementCalifornia election rules prohibit clothing, signs and swag urging support for a specific candidate at polling places, but state officials have decided no such ban exists on items emblazoned with the slogan “Make America Great Again,” a mantra championed by President Trump.If there’s a distinction between a shirt bearing the name of Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden and the ubiquitous hats featured prominently in Trump’s online store, it may be lost on voters come election day.“I want to make sure the public knows what the...WW…

Copyright © 2020, Los Angeles Times | | | |For months, Bui Van Thuan, a chemistry teacher turned crusading blogger in Vietnam, published one scathing Facebook post after another on a land dispute between villagers and the communist government.In a country with no independent media, Facebook provides the only platform where Vietnamese can read about contentious topics such as Dong Tam, a village outside Hanoi where residents were fighting authorities’ plans to seize farmland to build a factory.Believing a confrontation was inevitable, the 40-year-old Thuan condemned the country’s leaders in...…Copyright © 2020, Los Angeles Times | | | |For months, Bui Van Thuan, a chemistry teacher turned crusading blogger in Vietnam, published one scathing Facebook post after another on a land dispute between villagers and the communist government.In a country with no independent media, Facebook provides the only platform where Vietnamese can read about contentious topics such as Dong Tam, a village outside Hanoi where residents were fighting authorities’ plans to seize farmland to build a factory.Believing a confrontation was inevitable, the 40-year-old Thuan condemned the country’s leaders in...WW…

Copyright © 2020, Los Angeles Times | | | |Breaking NewsAdvertisementIn September of 1963, California lawmakers passed what had the potential to become one of the most important civil rights laws in America.The , as it was known, prohibited discrimination and racism in California’s housing market. In a state where housing segregation was rampant thanks to explicitly aimed at keeping people of color confined to urban ghettos and out of the expanding suburbs, Rumford was a potential civil rights game changer. It predated the federal Fair Housing Act by five years and could have helped turn...…Copyright © 2020, Los Angeles Times | | | |Breaking NewsAdvertisementIn September of 1963, California lawmakers passed what had the potential to become one of the most important civil rights laws in America.The , as it was known, prohibited discrimination and racism in California’s housing market. In a state where housing segregation was rampant thanks to explicitly aimed at keeping people of color confined to urban ghettos and out of the expanding suburbs, Rumford was a potential civil rights game changer. It predated the federal Fair Housing Act by five years and could have helped turn...WW…

Copyright © 2020, Los Angeles Times | | | |AdvertisementRick Jacobs, a top political advisor to Mayor Eric Garcetti, said Tuesday night he will “take a leave” from his work with Garcetti amid allegations of sexual misconduct. “For the past seventeen years, I have dedicated myself to advocacy and public service. I do not want this to be a distraction. Therefore, I will take a leave from my non-profit work and my volunteer political work with the mayor,” Jacobs said in an emailed statement.A who had been a bodyguard for Garcetti filed a lawsuit this summer alleging sexual harassment by...…Copyright © 2020, Los Angeles Times | | | |AdvertisementRick Jacobs, a top political advisor to Mayor Eric Garcetti, said Tuesday night he will “take a leave” from his work with Garcetti amid allegations of sexual misconduct. “For the past seventeen years, I have dedicated myself to advocacy and public service. I do not want this to be a distraction. Therefore, I will take a leave from my non-profit work and my volunteer political work with the mayor,” Jacobs said in an emailed statement.A who had been a bodyguard for Garcetti filed a lawsuit this summer alleging sexual harassment by...WW…

Copyright © 2020, Los Angeles Times | | | |AdvertisementU.S. diplomats and security officials privately warned the state of Nevada not to use Chinese-made coronavirus test kits donated by the United Arab Emirates out of concerns over patient privacy, test accuracy and Chinese government involvement, documents obtained by the Associated Press show. The documents illustrate how the U.S. government actively — if quietly — tried to keep the state out of a project involving the Chinese firm BGI Group, which is the world’s largest genetic-sequencing company and which has expanded its reach during...…Copyright © 2020, Los Angeles Times | | | |AdvertisementU.S. diplomats and security officials privately warned the state of Nevada not to use Chinese-made coronavirus test kits donated by the United Arab Emirates out of concerns over patient privacy, test accuracy and Chinese government involvement, documents obtained by the Associated Press show. The documents illustrate how the U.S. government actively — if quietly — tried to keep the state out of a project involving the Chinese firm BGI Group, which is the world’s largest genetic-sequencing company and which has expanded its reach during...WW…

Copyright © 2020, Los Angeles Times | | | |AdvertisementFor years it shimmered on the far horizon, beckoning like a watery mirage: a blue Texas.Democrats and seizing its electoral votes, a stockpile that is crucial for Republicans. Inevitably, they fell short — typically by a lot.This time, however, it is not far-fetched to think Joe Biden could carry the Lone Star State, a sign of the difficult straits facing President Trump and the growing opportunities for cash-rich Democrats aiming not just to win the White House but and expand their House majority.Biden remains a distinct underdog....…Copyright © 2020, Los Angeles Times | | | |AdvertisementFor years it shimmered on the far horizon, beckoning like a watery mirage: a blue Texas.Democrats and seizing its electoral votes, a stockpile that is crucial for Republicans. Inevitably, they fell short — typically by a lot.This time, however, it is not far-fetched to think Joe Biden could carry the Lone Star State, a sign of the difficult straits facing President Trump and the growing opportunities for cash-rich Democrats aiming not just to win the White House but and expand their House majority.Biden remains a distinct underdog....WW…

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Copyright © 2020, Los Angeles Times | | | |AdvertisementThe 2020 presidential election is 15 days away. If you’re in California, today is your last chance to .But if you miss today’s deadline, you can still cast a ballot. Last year, California enacted . Sometimes called “same-day voter registration,” conditional registration lets you register up until the day of the election at your county elections office or a community vote center. Your ballot will be processed and counted after county election officials verify your registration.You can register to vote in English, Spanish, Hindi,...…Copyright © 2020, Los Angeles Times | | | |AdvertisementThe 2020 presidential election is 15 days away. If you’re in California, today is your last chance to .But if you miss today’s deadline, you can still cast a ballot. Last year, California enacted . Sometimes called “same-day voter registration,” conditional registration lets you register up until the day of the election at your county elections office or a community vote center. Your ballot will be processed and counted after county election officials verify your registration.You can register to vote in English, Spanish, Hindi,...WW…

Copyright © 2020, Los Angeles Times | | | |AdvertisementAdriana Camarena abhors the idea that George Gascón is being touted as a reformer in the nationally watched contest for control of the Los Angeles County district attorney’s office. The Bay Area organizer spent years leading rallies against Gascón in San Francisco, and her voice rises with annoyance as she rattles off the names of men killed in controversial police shootings during Gascón’s time as district attorney: Mario Woods, Luis Gongora Pat, Amilcar Perez-Lopez, Alex Nieto. Although each of the men Camarena named was armed, their...…Copyright © 2020, Los Angeles Times | | | |AdvertisementAdriana Camarena abhors the idea that George Gascón is being touted as a reformer in the nationally watched contest for control of the Los Angeles County district attorney’s office. The Bay Area organizer spent years leading rallies against Gascón in San Francisco, and her voice rises with annoyance as she rattles off the names of men killed in controversial police shootings during Gascón’s time as district attorney: Mario Woods, Luis Gongora Pat, Amilcar Perez-Lopez, Alex Nieto. Although each of the men Camarena named was armed, their...WW…

Copyright © 2020, Los Angeles Times | | | |AdvertisementSix current and former Russian military officers sought to disrupt through computer hacking the French election, the Winter Olympics and U.S. hospitals and businesses, according to a Justice Department indictment unsealed Monday. It details destructive attacks on a broad range of targets and implicates the same Kremlin unit that interfered in the 2016 U.S. election.The indictment accuses the defendants, all said to be officers in the Russian military agency known as the GRU, in hacks that prosecutors say were aimed at furthering the...…Copyright © 2020, Los Angeles Times | | | |AdvertisementSix current and former Russian military officers sought to disrupt through computer hacking the French election, the Winter Olympics and U.S. hospitals and businesses, according to a Justice Department indictment unsealed Monday. It details destructive attacks on a broad range of targets and implicates the same Kremlin unit that interfered in the 2016 U.S. election.The indictment accuses the defendants, all said to be officers in the Russian military agency known as the GRU, in hacks that prosecutors say were aimed at furthering the...WW…

Copyright © 2020, Los Angeles Times | | | |AdvertisementPoliticians often flatter their audiences, but at a rally in Bemidji, Minn., last month, President Trump found an unusual thing to praise about the nearly all-white crowd: its genetics. “You have good genes,” . “A lot of it is about the genes, isn’t it, don’t you believe? The racehorse theory. … You have good genes in Minnesota.”In case it was not clear from the sea of white faces that he was making a point about race, Trump later said the quiet part out loud. “Every family in Minnesota needs to know about Sleepy Joe Biden’s extreme...…Copyright © 2020, Los Angeles Times | | | |AdvertisementPoliticians often flatter their audiences, but at a rally in Bemidji, Minn., last month, President Trump found an unusual thing to praise about the nearly all-white crowd: its genetics. “You have good genes,” . “A lot of it is about the genes, isn’t it, don’t you believe? The racehorse theory. … You have good genes in Minnesota.”In case it was not clear from the sea of white faces that he was making a point about race, Trump later said the quiet part out loud. “Every family in Minnesota needs to know about Sleepy Joe Biden’s extreme...WW…

Copyright © 2020, Los Angeles Times | | | |AdvertisementHe is not on the ballot, but former looms large in Bolivia’s much-anticipated national elections Sunday. The socialist firebrand and longtime U.S. adversary remains in exile in neighboring Argentina after resigning from office under military pressure following a a year ago, when he sought a controversial fourth term in office.But his political party, which features Morales’ former economic minister as its presidential candidate, is leading in polls in the run-up to the new balloting in this landlocked Andean nation of 11...…Copyright © 2020, Los Angeles Times | | | |AdvertisementHe is not on the ballot, but former looms large in Bolivia’s much-anticipated national elections Sunday. The socialist firebrand and longtime U.S. adversary remains in exile in neighboring Argentina after resigning from office under military pressure following a a year ago, when he sought a controversial fourth term in office.But his political party, which features Morales’ former economic minister as its presidential candidate, is leading in polls in the run-up to the new balloting in this landlocked Andean nation of 11...WW…

Copyright © 2020, Los Angeles Times | | | |AdvertisementJacqueline Andrade and her husband both lost their jobs in March, at a point during the pandemic when grocery store shelves were being ransacked and government aid seemed far off.She was running low on groceries for her family, and formula and diapers for her 3-month-old son. She seriously contemplated having to make diapers out of cloth, and scrambling for ways to feed her hungry baby. “It was something I never thought I would have to face,” the 37-year-old Compton mother said. “We were unprepared for this.”With the help of her...…Copyright © 2020, Los Angeles Times | | | |AdvertisementJacqueline Andrade and her husband both lost their jobs in March, at a point during the pandemic when grocery store shelves were being ransacked and government aid seemed far off.She was running low on groceries for her family, and formula and diapers for her 3-month-old son. She seriously contemplated having to make diapers out of cloth, and scrambling for ways to feed her hungry baby. “It was something I never thought I would have to face,” the 37-year-old Compton mother said. “We were unprepared for this.”With the help of her...WW…

Copyright © 2020, Los Angeles Times | | | |AdvertisementChancellor Angela Merkel urged Germans to come together like they did in the spring to slow the spread of the coronavirus as the country posted another daily record of new cases Saturday.“Difficult months are ahead of us,” she said in her weekly video podcast. “How winter will be, how our Christmas will be, that will all be decided in these coming days and weeks, and it will be decided by our behavior.”Deaths from COVID-19 in the U.S. reach 200,000 as authorities across the country continue to struggle to curb its spread.More...…Copyright © 2020, Los Angeles Times | | | |AdvertisementChancellor Angela Merkel urged Germans to come together like they did in the spring to slow the spread of the coronavirus as the country posted another daily record of new cases Saturday.“Difficult months are ahead of us,” she said in her weekly video podcast. “How winter will be, how our Christmas will be, that will all be decided in these coming days and weeks, and it will be decided by our behavior.”Deaths from COVID-19 in the U.S. reach 200,000 as authorities across the country continue to struggle to curb its spread.More...WW…

Copyright © 2020, Los Angeles Times | | | |AdvertisementLos Angeles International Airport officials are investigating reports of someone wearing a jet pack in the flight path, the .An air traffic controller overseeing airline approaches warned a commercial pilot who was set up to land that an individual wearing a jet pack had been reported flying at about 6,500 feet.For the record:A China Airlines crew member reported seeing what appeared to be someone in a jet pack roughly seven miles northwest of the airport about 1:45 p.m. Wednesday, according to the Federal Aviation Administration. The...…Copyright © 2020, Los Angeles Times | | | |AdvertisementLos Angeles International Airport officials are investigating reports of someone wearing a jet pack in the flight path, the .An air traffic controller overseeing airline approaches warned a commercial pilot who was set up to land that an individual wearing a jet pack had been reported flying at about 6,500 feet.For the record:A China Airlines crew member reported seeing what appeared to be someone in a jet pack roughly seven miles northwest of the airport about 1:45 p.m. Wednesday, according to the Federal Aviation Administration. The...WW…

Copyright © 2020, Los Angeles Times | | | |Six hundred miles west of Ecuador’s coast, the Galapagos Islands are a chain of volcanic islands — some still active — home to some of the world’s richest biodiversity and endemism. Nearly 80% of the species found on the islands aren’t found anywhere else on Earth.Along the rocky outcrops, marine iguanas bathe in the hot sun before plunging into the cool waters, where they swim alongside Galapagos penguins, and below the soaring, diving blue-footed boobies.A confluence of oceanic currents meets at the Galapagos, giving rise to the extraordinary...…Copyright © 2020, Los Angeles Times | | | |Six hundred miles west of Ecuador’s coast, the Galapagos Islands are a chain of volcanic islands — some still active — home to some of the world’s richest biodiversity and endemism. Nearly 80% of the species found on the islands aren’t found anywhere else on Earth.Along the rocky outcrops, marine iguanas bathe in the hot sun before plunging into the cool waters, where they swim alongside Galapagos penguins, and below the soaring, diving blue-footed boobies.A confluence of oceanic currents meets at the Galapagos, giving rise to the extraordinary...WW…

Copyright © 2020, Los Angeles Times | | | |AdvertisementA on Iran that barred it from purchasing foreign weapons like tanks and fighter jets expired Sunday as planned under its nuclear deal with world powers, despite objections from the United States.While insisting it planned no “buying spree,” Iran in theory can purchase weapons to upgrade military armament dating back to before its 1979 Islamic Revolution and sell its own locally produced gear abroad. In practice, however, Iran’s economy remains crippled by , and other nations may avoid arms deals with Tehran for fear of American...…Copyright © 2020, Los Angeles Times | | | |AdvertisementA on Iran that barred it from purchasing foreign weapons like tanks and fighter jets expired Sunday as planned under its nuclear deal with world powers, despite objections from the United States.While insisting it planned no “buying spree,” Iran in theory can purchase weapons to upgrade military armament dating back to before its 1979 Islamic Revolution and sell its own locally produced gear abroad. In practice, however, Iran’s economy remains crippled by , and other nations may avoid arms deals with Tehran for fear of American...WW…