SACRAMENTO — When Crystal Orozco got sick with the coronavirus last month, she missed nearly two weeks’ worth of her salary as a shift leader at a fast-food restaurant and had to ask family members for a loan to help pay her rent. “My check was literally $86,” she...
Americans Are Tuning Out Olympics Hosted by China
NBC’s Mike Tirico began Friday’s Winter Olympics opening ceremony by saying, “just over six months ago in Tokyo, we said we were about to embark on an Olympics unlike any other. Now we’re about to top that.” In the case of ratings, though, topping that has meant producing record...
Chen’s Record Skating Performance Is Talk of Olympics
BEIJING — Nathan Chen had just shattered the world record for a figure skating short program, even throwing a defiant fist in a rare display of emotion, when he was asked how he'd spend the next 48 hours before his long-awaited Olympic coronation. “I've been here a while,” the...
GOP State Sen. Dahle to Challenge Newsom for Governor
SACRAMENTO — California state Sen. Brian Dahle will announce his candidacy for governor on Tuesday, one of the first Republicans to publicly challenge Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom since his decisive victory in a recall election just five months ago. The announcement poses little risk for Dahle, a relatively unknown...
Macron: Putin Told Him Russia Won’t Escalate Ukraine Crisis
KYIV, Ukraine — French President Emmanuel Macron said Tuesday that Russian President Vladimir Putin told him that Moscow would not further escalate the Ukraine crisis. Macron also said it would take time to find a diplomatic solution to the rising tensions, which represent the biggest security crisis between Russia...
Deadly Afghan Airport Attack Wasn’t Preventable: Pentagon
WASHINGTON — The military investigation into the deadly attack during the Afghanistan evacuation has concluded that a suicide bomber, carrying 20 pounds of explosives packed with ball bearings, acted alone, and that the deaths of more than 170 Afghans and 13 U.S. service members were not preventable. The blast...
California Drops Indoor Mask Rule but not for Schoolchildren
SACRAMENTO — California will end its indoor masking requirement for vaccinated people next week but masks still are the rule for schoolchildren, state health officials said Monday amid rapidly falling coronavirus cases. After Feb. 15, unvaccinated people still will be required to be masked indoors, and everyone — vaccinated...
LA Mayor Says He Held Breath During Maskless Football Game Photo
Facing blistering criticism for being photographed without a mask at the NFC title game, Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti says he was holding his breath during the snapshot. Garcetti offered the explanation at a news conference last week in which he urged fans headed for Sunday's Super Bowl to...
China Under Fire for ‘Not Getting Food’ to Olympic Athletes
BEIJING — Olympic organizers say they’re addressing complaints about isolation conditions for athletes who test positive for the coronavirus and are working to ensure they have clean rooms, better food, and access to training equipment and the internet. “These are exactly the kind of things we have to address....
Disappointing Day on Slopes for US Stars Shiffrin, Gerard
BEIJING — It was a disappointing day on the mountains outside Beijing for American stars Mikaela Shiffrin and Red Gerard. Shiffrin’s opening race in the Beijing Olympics ended quickly with a rare mistake and a rare DNF — Did Not Finish. Favored to defend her gold medal in the...