LOS ANGELES — The FBI has arrested a Southern California man who officials said falsely claimed to have developed a cure for the coronavirus and solicited investments in a company he said would market the medication, federal prosecutors said. Keith Lawrence Middlebrook, an actor with several uncredited film and TV...
Netanyahu Rival Becomes Parliament Speaker, Signaling Deal
JERUSALEM — Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's chief rival was chosen on Thursday as the new speaker of parliament, an unexpected step that could pave the way to a power-sharing deal between the two men as the country grapples with a worsening coronavirus crisis. The sudden turnabout by Benny Gantz,...
Trump Administration Urged to Free Migrants as Virus Surges
WASHINGTON — Pressure was mounting on the Trump administration Wednesday to release people from immigration detention facilities where at least one detainee has tested positive for COVID-19 and advocates fear tight quarters and overall conditions could cause rapid spread of the virus. The U.S. holds around 37,000 people in immigration...
PG&E's Falling Stock Price Worries Fire Victims Eyeing Deal
BERKELEY — The stock market turmoil triggered by the coronavirus pandemic is raising worries that Pacific Gas & Electric's $13.5 billion settlement with victims of catastrophic wildfires may be worth far less by the time the beleaguered company emerges from bankruptcy. A lawyer who represents more than 81,000 wildfire victims...
Federal Judges Urged to Free Thousands of California Inmates
SACRAMENTO — Attorneys representing California inmates late Wednesday filed an emergency motion asking federal judges to free thousands of infirm and lower-security prisoners to prevent what they predict will otherwise be the catastrophic spread of coronavirus through a vulnerable population. They want the judges to order the release of inmates...
3.3 Million Seek US Jobless Aid, Nearly 5 Times Earlier High
WASHINGTON — Nearly 3.3 million Americans applied for unemployment benefits last week — almost five times the previous record set in 1982 — amid a widespread economic shutdown caused by the coronavirus. The surge in weekly applications was a stunning reflection of the damage the viral outbreak is inflicting on...
Boy's Death No Longer Counted Among LA County's Virus Total
LOS ANGELES — Los Angeles County health officials said Wednesday that they no longer are including a 17-year-old boy in the tally of coronavirus deaths until they do more to determine his precise cause of death. The county’s public health director, Barbara Ferrer, said she’s asked the federal Centers for...
Walters: Virus Attacks California Ballot Measures
As the coronavirus pandemic was clobbering California — and the rest of the known world — this month, local government officials in Sacramento County enthusiastically decided to ask voters to approve a hefty sales tax increase for transportation improvements. Were members of the Sacramento Transportation Authority board smoking some of California’s newly...
Senate Approves $2 Trillion Economic Rescue Package on Unanimous Vote
WASHINGTON — The Senate late Wednesday passed an unparalleled $2.2 trillion economic rescue package steering aid to businesses, workers and health care systems engulfed by the coronavirus pandemic. It now moves to the House of Representatives, which is expected to pass it Friday. The unanimous vote came despite misgivings on...
Health Dept. Monitoring 350 in Fresno County for COVID-19 Exposure
About 350 people who may have been exposed to the new coronavirus are being monitored in Fresno County, health officials said Wednesday. David Pomaville, the county's health director, revealed the number during a media conference call on Wednesday afternoon. In addition, officials said one additional case of COVID-19 has been...