COVID-19 critical trends, worldwide

This image is from Johns Hopkins Coronavirus Resource Center, among their charts reporting critical trends. The data are up-to-date.

The good news: the US is definitely flattening the curve (i.e., each day, fewer cases crop up compared to the previous day, although that's only an average; hot spots [states] remain). On the other hand, the US has numbers like nowhere else: 183,000 deaths! The above chart makes that clear. So we're definitely "doing better," though we've been hit harder, by far, than any other nation in the world.

Thanks, Donald Trump and the new GOP.

Brazil is a special case, I think. It is flattening the curve (but not by much), but it is the only country with numbers anything like the US. In Brazil, over 120,000 have died. Many more will likely perish.

India has 65,000 deaths thus far, which is much less than 183K, but that's still a big number, and India's rate of cases is rapidly increasing over time. Very worrisome.

AMONG THE STATES:

Here's a graphic (hot off the press!) from the New York Times, showing the states with the greatest increases in Covid cases in recent days:

Meanwhile, California is definitely among the states where new Covid cases are decreasing.

Earlier today, I noted that the numbers for OC in particular look much better lately. Today, there were only 94 new cases and 1 death reported. The trends are much better. Whew! (But now's the time to double down on social distancing and wearing masks.)

8-31: What were the Humanities, anyway? August Cal's deadliest month. Scott Atlas alarms experts.

The Humanities under threat

✅What Were the Humanities, Anyway?
This dangerous moment demands that we give an elusive concept its history.
—CHE

     Over the last couple of decades, the humanities have often been defended. Too often. Those defenses have been most useful when they have segued into what has also become a thriving field over the same period, a field with much to tell us still: the history of the humanities.

. . .

     To begin with, there is no adequate “idea of the humanities.” There is instead a humanities world: a loosely linked conglomeration of practices, interests, comportments, personae, moods, purposes, and values, and the various settings which these practices, interests, and so on inhabit. This world is both open ended and limited. It is open in that from inside the humanities world one doesn’t see clear boundaries. But it is limited because we, as if intuitively, know that the humanities are distinct from other worlds — from the worlds of science, sport, business, and so on — even if, on reflection, we can see that these worlds and the humanities sometimes overlap. By “world,” I mean, then, that the humanities has a sense of itself as a contained, practical, and historical enterprise.

     But first: Why ask these questions now? There are at least three reasons. A good part of the answer is, of course, that the humanities are currently under financial and ideological pressure. This has had the effect of flattening them, so that the humanities are often no longer regarded as a suite of specialized disciplines but rather as a distinct formation. When politicians, businesspeople, and university administrators worry that the humanities are insufficiently geared toward training students for the workplace, for instance, they usually don’t distinguish among history, philosophy, archaeology, and so on — it is simply the humanities that are in their sights. We might say, therefore, that the humanities are becoming a “meta-discipline.” But a concept of the humanities that transcends or overflows the established disciplines is a beast that has been vaguely denoted rather than concretely apprehended…. [continue]

✅Long-Dormant County Police Watchdog Plans First Set of Probes into OC Agencies in Years
—Voice of OC

     Orange County’s police watchdog agency, which for years remained vacant and steeped in controversy, is currently a one-man shop.
     Yet the new head of the Office of Independent Review (OIR), Sergio Perez, in an Aug. 27 report announced three investigations centered on law enforcement use-of-force policies and practices, evidence-booking issues, and employee hiring and psychological evaluation practices at the Orange County Sheriff’s Dept. and District Attorney’s office.
. . .
     But there are questions as to whether Perez in his role will be truly immune from the influence of the elected officials and agencies he’s reviewing.
. . .
     Over the last several weeks, there have been concerns raised about county Public Health Officer Dr. Clayton Chau, who’s supposed to act independently of the county supervisors who hired him, but has approached coronavirus public health measures in a way that’s in step with the rhetoric and pressure of his elected bosses.
. . .
     The upcoming use-of-force policies investigation is a response to local and national movements questioning the role of law enforcement in public safety – and it will be the priority, he said….

✅August was the deadliest month of the pandemic in California

—LA Times

     The state has reported 3,707 deaths connected to COVID-19, an 18% increase over July, a Times analysis found.

✅How the race for a Covid-19 vaccine is getting dirty

—Guardian UK

     …The accumulation of such incidents has left many scientists feeling deeply uneasy…..

     One potential risk with some kinds of vaccine, for example, is that they can cause the recipient to experience a worse bout of the disease if that person becomes infected naturally later on. This phenomenon, known as antibody-dependent enhancement (ADE), has been a problem with experimental vaccines against severe acute respiratory syndrome (Sars) – which is caused by a virus related to Sars-CoV-2 – and it will need to be ruled out by rigorous testing of vaccines against Covid-19….

 

✅California corporations would be required to diversify their boards under bill sent to Newsom -- California lawmakers on Sunday sent the governor a bill that would require greater diversity on corporate boards in the state.... Patrick McGreevy in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 8/31/20

 

✅Some police shootings would be investigated by California AG under bill nearing approval -- ...A bill that would require the state attorney general to investigate any incident in which a law enforcement officer kills an unarmed civilian passed the state Senate on a bipartisan vote of 33-1. Alexei Koseff in the San Francisco Chronicle$ Don Thompson and Adam Beam Associated Press -- 8/31/20

 

✅ New Trump adviser pushes ‘herd immunity’ strategy

—WashPo

     Scott Atlas has expanded his influence inside the White House by advocating policies that appeal to the president’s desire to move past the pandemic and get the economy going, alarming experts inside and outside the government who believe those strategies could lead to hundreds of thousands of deaths.

 

✅The dangerous overconfidence of Trump supporters

—WashPo

     What will a close contest look like if Trump's supporters refuse to believe he could lose fairly?

 

✅Covid-19 Live Updates: The Midwest Sees a Spike as Cases Decline Elsewhere

—NYT

     Coronavirus cases are flat in 26 states and falling in 15. But infections are still growing in nine states, setting new records in some. Here’s the latest.

 

✅Gag Order or Privacy Concern?

Inside Higher Ed

     …Some faculty members say they have no interest in sharing students’ medical information but believe that they -- and their other students -- have a right to know if someone with whom they’ve shared classroom air is sick. They also say that discussing student health without naming names is covered by academic freedom, since it relates to how well or how poorly campuses are handling outbreaks….

✅COVID-19 Roundup: Colleges Struggle to Control Outbreaks

—Inside Higher Ed

     …Indeed, it's not just parties at Greek houses and gatherings at bars that are fueling concerns. The Los Angeles Times reported that three students at the University of Southern California tested positive after gathering to play Monopoly. Four were infected when they gathered to study….

 

✅New Database Tracks Reversals in Colleges' Fall Reopening Plans

—Inside Higher Ed

     Inside Higher Ed today releases a map and database tracking changes in colleges' plans for reopening this fall. Scores of colleges and universities have in recent weeks reversed plans they announced in the spring or early summer, and this new feature allows readers to see how the changes have unfolded over time and by region, and to search for individual institutions.

✅Today's County Covid Numbers. Very low. 94 new cases, 1 death.

8-30: Melania didn’t want to have to use the same shower and toilet as former First Lady Michelle Obama; PLUS jobless benefits fail

✅8 juicy details from the new Melania Trump tell-all book

For his inauguration, the president wanted a North Korean-style military parade, right down to the “goose-stepping troops and armored tanks.”

—Politico
     First Lady Melania Trump’s former senior adviser and close friend has written a tell-all book that describes the first lady as someone who can’t be trusted and who often competed for influence in the White House with Ivanka Trump.
. . .
     Winston Wolkoff, a longtime Manhattan fashion and society party planner, was heavily involved in the planning of the president’s inauguration before leaving the White House in Feb. 2018 after negative reporting about her inauguration role appeared in the New York Times. In her book, she describes how Melania didn’t want to move to the White House right away in part because she didn’t want to have to use the same shower and toilet as former First Lady Michelle Obama and was waiting for the bathroom to be renovated.

. . .

     An early copy of the book, which publishes Tuesday, was shared with POLITICO. Here are some of its most revelatory nuggets:

— Donald Trump wanted his inauguration to look like a North Korean military parade. When discussing the parade with Winston Wolkoff and Ivanka during the transition, Trump said: “I want tanks and choppers. Make it look like North Korea,” he told them. Winston Wolkoff wrote: “He really wanted goose-stepping troops and armored tanks? That would break tradition and terrify half the country.”

. . .

— Melania doesn’t place a high importance on other people’s wants and desires, according to the book. Winston Wolkoff says that she has sometimes said over the years: “Pleasing anyone else is not my priority!” The author said that she wished she had Melania’s confidence and her ability to put herself first without thinking much of others….

✅Colleges crack down on student behavior as virus threatens more closures
Institutions are quickly finding out the limitations of a we’re-all-in-this-together mindset.
Politico
     The biggest threat to universities' carefully drawn reopening plans? Their students.
     School leaders are dishing out suspensions, kicking students out of dorms and sanctioning Greek organizations over large gatherings during a budding semester that already has seen colleges close amid thousands of confirmed Covid-19 cases and dozens of deaths. In some cases students face the ultimate penalty of expulsion for disobeying mask rules while their schools set up tip lines and scour social media for any hint of parties or social distancing violations, both on and off campus.
. . .
     The stakes are high. In addition to the public health risk, the virus’ arrival this spring already has cost universities millions in refunds and lost revenue, and another round of campus shutdowns would send shock waves through already reeling communities. In areas relatively unscathed by coronavirus, there’s concern that an outbreak on campus would quickly spill over into the general population, with at least one New York school district citing its proximity to a nearby state college as a reason why it decided to start the year online…..

✅Deadly Shooting in Portland After Pro-Trump Ralliers Clash With Protesters -- A caravan of supporters of President Trump drove through downtown Portland, which has seen nightly protests against police violence and racial injustice. One person was shot and killed in the conflicts that erupted. Mike Baker in the New York Times$ Faiz Siddiqui in the Washington Post$ -- 8/30/20

 

✅Why no break on UC tuition despite the move to remote classes? COVID-19 costs are astronomical -- Most students aren’t in the classrooms this fall. They aren’t eating in the dining halls. They aren’t using university services. They’re living at home and watching lectures on Zoom — all while paying the same tuition charged for an in-person experience. And many aren’t happy. Jon Wilner in the San Jose Mercury$ -- 8/30/20

 

✅California legislators wanted to fund $600 in extra jobless benefits. What happened? -- A month ago, California legislators were almost unbridled in their ambition to ease the financial pain the coronavirus pandemic is causing to people and the economy. Dustin Gardiner in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 8/30/20

 

✅Slavery reparations study, diversity mandate for corporate boards advance in California -- California lawmakers advanced proposals Saturday to study reparations for slavery and require more diversity on corporate boards, part of a broader push to address racial disparities in the state. Alexei Koseff in the San Francisco Chronicle$ Don Thompson Associated Press -- 8/30/20

 

✅San Diego State University students ignoring anti-COVID 19 rules as infections spike -- For the second weekend in a row, large numbers of San Diego State University students appeared to be shrugging off the school’s demand that they wear masks and practice social distancing to fight the spread of the novel coronavirus. Gary Robbins in the San Diego Union-Tribune$ -- 8/30/20hronicle$ -- 8/29/20

 

✅Taylor: We’re witnessing a battle over America: Equality versus white supremacy -- After shooting three people during Tuesday night’s protests in Kenosha, Wis., the gunman, with his arms raised and a semiautomatic rifle dangling off his body, walked toward police in their armored vehicles as people angrily shouted at him. Otis R. Taylor Jr. in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 8/30/20

 

✅Dems outraged as Trump administration scales back election security briefings -- Director of National Intelligence John Ratcliffe indicated that leaks from Congress were the reason for ending in-person briefings. Betsy Woodruff Swan, Andrew Desiderio, Natasha Bertrand and Daniel Lippman Politico -- 8/30/20

 

✅Looking to Reopen, Colleges Become Labs for Coronavirus Tests and Tracking Apps

Universities are pioneering technology that could help society combat the pandemic.

—NYT

 

✅Senior officials won’t brief Congress in person on election threats

     Briefings from intelligence officials on foreign threats will now be in writing. The move prompted outrage from top Democrats, who called it "shameful."

—WashPo

 

✅Trump suggested sending law enforcement to the polls. Can he do that?

     Historically, Republicans have used similar tactics to scare people of color away from the polls. Election law expert Rick Hasen and reporter Rosalind Helderman explain what the Republican National Committee is planning for Election Day and how today’s laws apply.

—WashPo

 

✅Saddleback Valley district sends layoff notices to 174 employees 

—OC Reg

✅Today's County Covid numbers

8-29: Preschoolers are mask-licking germ bombs WHILE third Cal Covid surge danger focuses on young people, essential workers

✅Orange County lands in most restrictive tier of new coronavirus tracking system Gov. Newsom announced Friday -- The state’s coronavirus watch list is out and a new, tiered monitoring system is taking its place.... Ian Wheeler in the Orange County Register -- 8/29/20

✅California Gov. Gavin Newsom announces new COVID-19 reopening rules for businesses, schools -- Recognizing that the coronavirus will be in California for the foreseeable future, Gov. Gavin Newsom on Friday unveiled a new color-coded reopening system for counties based on coronavirus prevalence and testing rates. Sophia Bollag in the Sacramento Bee$ Phil Willon, Taryn Luna, Colleen Shalby in the Los Angeles Times$ Jeremy B. White and Victoria Colliver Politico Emily DeRuy, Erin Woo, Daniel Wu in the San Jose Mercury$ -- 8/29/20

✅Here’s how California’s new coronavirus reopening rules will affect you -- The goal is to have a more uniform approach that prevents new outbreaks that put pressure on hospitals and force a rollback of the reopening. Los Angeles Times$ -- 8/29/20

✅Sacramento sheriff wants National Guard. Mayor says ‘we can handle our own business’ -- Sacramento County Sheriff Jones said Friday he has requested the National Guard be deployed to the city after a group of roughly 200 protesters broke windows at the downtown offices of the sheriff, district attorney and other government agencies.... Vincent Moleski, Tony Bizjak, Sophia Bollag, Molly Burke, and Theresa Clift in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 8/29/20

"Bang!"

✅Gavin Newsom has a deal on a California eviction ban. Here’s what you need to know -- California Gov. Gavin Newsom on Friday said his administration struck a deal to protect renters from eviction during the coronavirus outbreak, but it’s leaving some  disappointed. Hannah Wiley in the Sacramento Bee$ Patrick McGreevy in the Los Angeles Times$ Matt Levin CalMatters Joe Fitzgerald Rodriguez KQED Alexei Koseff in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 8/29/20

 

✅Orange County wants justices to reopen schools statewide. Experts say it’s a long shot -- [T]he state’s top court agreed to review two cases challenging Gov. Gavin Newsom’s limitations on in-classroom instruction.... Maura Dolan in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 8/29/20

 

✅Health experts decry Trump’s shunning of virus rules -- Public health experts expressed concern Friday about President Donald Trump’s largely mask-free, socially un-distanced Republican convention event on the White House lawn, saying some of his ... guests may have ... spread the coronavirus to others. Darlene Superville and Deb Riechmann Associated Press -- 8/29/20

 

✅Michelle Obama: ‘Systemic racism’ coming from the White House -- Former first lady Michelle Obama condemned what she called the “systemic racism” emanating from the White House and elsewhere around the country in an explosive statement on Friday that addressed recent killings and racial unrest in Kenosha, Wis. Quint Forgey Politico -- 8/29/20

 

✅California vs. Trump hits the 100-lawsuit mark with new challenge to environmental rules -- California reached a milestone Friday in its long-standing feud with President Trump when Atty. Gen. Becerra announced he has filed his 100th lawsuit against the administration.... Patrick McGreevy in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 8/28/20

✅Preschoolers are mask-licking germ bombs — yet few catch the coronavirus, data show -- But 2020 is not a typical year, and SARS-CoV-2 ... is no day-care germ. Now, with hundreds of large centers reopening across California, many families are asking: Is preschool safe? Sonja Sharp in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 8/28/20

✅Dangers of third coronavirus surge in California focus on young people, essential workers -- Even as California finally begins to see declines in both COVID-19 deaths and hospitalizations, health officials and experts are preparing for a potential third surge of coronavirus cases fueled by two groups...: low-wage essential workers and young people. Rong-Gong Lin II, Iris Lee in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 8/28/20

✅Monopoly, video games, study groups: How COVID-19 is spreading at USC -- A game of Monopoly among friends. A study group with...classmates. Dinner while chatting in the comfort of their apartment. These are the small group gatherings that are the source of the...surge of...infections among students. Andrew J. Campa, Los Angeles Times$ -- 8/28/20

✅Amid fears Trump might not leave office, legislators press Pentagon for assurances on election

WashPo

     Two moderate Dems with national security backgrounds questioned Joint Chiefs Chairman Milley and Defense Sec. Esper about the military’s obligations to the country and Constitution.

 

✅Post-Falwells, Liberty faces questions about faith, power, accountability

WashPo

     Jerry Fallwell Jr.'s departure leaves Liberty University at a turning point: Will the school continue its success as measured by assets and political clout?....

 

✅Former top Trump officials are betting he'll lose

Politico

     An unprecedented number of administration veterans have turned against the president — and even many of those who still back him think he's doomed.

✅Today's County COVID numbers. 408 new cases; 19 new deaths..

8-28: over 180K Covid dead; Cal looks to reopen; OC too; teacher donning "I can't breathe" T-shirt threatened; continued Kenosha protests & Trumpian lies

✅At the RNC, the claims about COVID-19 pandemic do not match reality -- Contrary to the impression left by many speakers at the Republican National Convention, it is still raging in the United States, with ... nearly 1,000 deaths per day. The U.S. death toll surpassed 180,000 on Thursday, higher than any other nation’s. Michael Finnegan in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 8/28/20

✅Nearly every California GOP state senator in quarantine after coronavirus exposure -- ... Dustin Gardiner in the San Francisco Chronicle$ Melody Gutierrez, Taryn Luna in the Los Angeles Times$ Adam Beam Associated Press -- 8/28/20-- 8/28/20

✅California poised to become national leader on mental health and addiction coverage -- Californians could see the most dramatic expansion of mental health and addiction coverage under state law in decades, if Gov. Gavin Newsom signs a bill that is likely heading to his desk in coming weeks. Jocelyn Wiener CalMatters -- 8/28/20

 

✅With improving virus data, California looks to reopen again -- California is poised to take another halting step toward normalcy with Gov. Gavin Newsom expected to announce plans for reopening businesses that were shuttered in July amid soaring coronavirus cases and hospitalizations. I[T]here was a common refrain from businesses and local governments buffeted by the outbreak: We need clarity. Michael R. Blood Associated Press -- 8/28/20

 

✅O.C. hopes history doesn’t repeat itself as it anticipates reopening guidelines -- Orange County is expected to receive the green light for in-person learning at all schools just before Labor Day.... Colleen Shalby in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 8/28/20

✅Pandemic tests an already-fragile college mental health system -- This spring, as the coronavirus pandemic disrupted campus life for college students across California, UC San Diego sophomore Kayla Monnette had trouble sleeping at night. The stress of moving to online classes, figuring out how to safely buy food during quarantine, and worrying about the well-being of her immunocompromised family manifested in what Monnette described as persistent anxiety. Ethan Edward Coston CalMatters -- 8/28/20

 

✅SDSU pleads with students to wear masks, social distance to fight COVID-19 -- San Diego State University on Thursday pressed students to wear masks and practice social distancing as the number of students testing positive for COVID-19 rose to four during the first week of fall classes. Gary Robbins in the San Diego Union-Tribune$ -- 8/28/20

 

✅State leaders to unveil eviction moratorium on Friday -- A bill to extend a statewide eviction moratorium is expected to be unveiled in the California Legislature Friday morning.... Jeff Collins in the Orange County Register -- 8/28/20

 ✅Trump Heads Into General Election He Casts as a Crusade for Law and Order -- President Trump accepted the Republican Party’s nomination for a second term on Thursday, joining a general-election contest against Joseph R. Biden Jr. that he and his party cast this week as a crusade against left-wing ideology and violent social disorder, fought against the backdrop of a virus that Republicans largely described as a temporary handicap on the economy. Alexander Burns and Maggie Haberman in the New York Times$ -- 8/28/20

✅What Donald Trump couldn’t bring himself to say: Takeaways from RNC night 4 -- But despite the statements and overstatements, Trump’s speech was most notable for what it lacked. Call it humility. Or self awareness. Or introspection.... Tim Alberta Politico -- 8/28/20

✅Many California police reform efforts have stalled despite push from George Floyd protests -- Three months after the police killing of George Floyd ignited national outrage and filled California streets with protesters, the Legislature is in the final hours of a session that is poised to deliver a much more modest law enforcement reform agenda than many expected. Anita Chabria in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 8/27/20

 

✅L.A. teacher flees home amid threats after wearing ‘I can’t breathe’ T-shirt to online class -- On the first day of class ..., an English teacher appeared before her ninth-grade students online wearing a T-shirt with the words “I can’t breathe” written across the front.... She had just attended a workshop at her school about how to create an anti-racist curriculum. Nina Agrawal in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 8/27/20

 ✅Trigger Warnings

Inside Higher Ed

     Fifty positive COVID-19 cases, or 100? Meeting 80 percent of quarantine capacity, or having more than 10 sick employees? Some colleges are publishing "triggers" that would lead them to consider closing; others refuse to boil decision making down to a few numbers.
     As colleges bring students back to campuses for the fall semester, questions are increasingly being raised about what it would take to send them home or revert to online instruction in the event of an outbreak of COVID-19….

 

✅#ScholarStrike
Inside Higher Ed
Professors are planning a work stoppage and virtual, public teach-in on police violence and racism next month.

✅Wisconsin Lutheran Revokes Invite to Pence

Inside Higher Ed

     Wisconsin Lutheran College has revoked an invitation to Vice President Mike Pence to speak at commencement on Saturday....

✅Today's OC Covid numbers

From "Communism, Hypnotism, and the Beatles"

The Exciters live in 1963: "orgiastic jerks"

Linda Manz: RIP

8-27: Trump again flouts scientific advice, pressing CDC for softer guidelines; Newsom says no - PLUS cop accidentally shoots a gal at John Wayne and 29 more people die of Covid in OC

✅AP Fact Check: Pence presses a distorted case on economy -- Vice President Mike Pence and fellow Republicans pressed a distorted case Wednesday that President Donald Trump took over a moribund economy from Barack Obama and supercharged it. That’s not what happened. Josh Boak, Hope Yen and Calvin Woodward Associated Press -- 8/27/20

✅Top U.S. Officials Told C.D.C. to Soften Coronavirus Testing Guidelines -- Trump administration officials on Wednesday defended a new recommendation that people without Covid-19 symptoms abstain from testing, even as scientists warned that the policy could hobble an already weak federal response as schools reopen and a potential autumn wave looms. Sheryl Gay Stolberg in the New York Times$ -- 8/27/20

 

✅California officials oppose CDC over looser coronavirus testing and travel protocols -- Gov. Gavin Newsom on Wednesday said he disagrees with the CDC’s new guidance and insisted that it will not impact California. “I don’t agree with the new CDC guidance. Period. Full stop,” he said. “We will not be influenced by that change.” Colleen Shalby, Phil Willon in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 8/27/20

✅California Supreme Court to weigh in on Orange County Board of Education lawsuit over distance learning -- The California Supreme Court has taken the rare step of quickly taking up two lawsuits – one of them filed on behalf of the Orange County Board of Education – to reopen schools for in-class learning. ... Roxana Kopetman in the Orange County Register -- 8/27/20

 

✅UC students could face discipline for gatherings that violate health regulations, officials warn -- Top leaders of the University of California system warned Wednesday that students could face various disciplines if they violate health regulations and social distancing rules with the type of crowded parties that have spread Covid-19 infections at university campuses across the state and country. Larry Gordon EdSource -- 8/27/20

✅Confirmed COVID-19 Case in State Legislature Could Derail End of Session -- The office of state Sen. Brian Jones, R-Santee, tweeted, “Jones today, upon his return to Sacramento this week for the end of Session, received news that he has tested positive for COVID-19....” Katie Orr KQED Adam Beam Associated Press Jeremy B. White Politico -- 8/27/20

✅Coronavirus: Even parts of California with worst COVID-19 outbreaks see improvement -- New cases of COVID-19 and hospitalizations from the virus in California continued to nosedive Wednesday in the latest data released by state and local health departments, and even the hardest-hit regions appeared to be on the mend. Evan Webeck in the San Jose Mercury$ -- 8/27/20

 

✅2 more San Diego State University students report positive for COVID-19 -- SDSU says an additional 14 faculty, staff, vendors or contractors have tested positive for the virus since spring. Gary Robbins in the San Diego Union-Tribune$ -- 8/27/20

 

✅Demonstrators hit streets of Oakland, courthouse fire set -- Demonstrators marched in Oakland on Wednesday night in solidarity with protesters in Kenosha, Wisconsin, and police said they were responding to a courthouse fire, broken store windows and small fires in the streets. Lauren Hernández in the San Francisco Chronicle$ George Kelly in the San Jose Mercury$ -- 8/27/20

 

✅Protesters gather again in downtown L.A. to denounce violence in wake of Jacob Blake shooting -- Hundreds of protesters rallied near the Hall of Justice in downtown L.A. on Wednesday evening as nationwide demonstrations continue over the police shooting of Jacob Blake, a Black man in Wisconsin. Leila Miller in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 8/27/20

✅O.C. sheriff’s sergeant accidentally fires weapon at airport, injuring employee -- An Orange County Sheriff’s Department sergeant accidentally fired his weapon inside John Wayne Airport on Wednesday morning, injuring an airport employee. The incident, described as an “unintentional weapon discharge” in a statement by the Sheriff’s Department, occurred about 7 a.m. in an administrative office. Leila Miller in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 8/27/20

 

✅How did Orange County get off the coronavirus watch list while much of the Bay Area remains on it? -- Residents packed beaches to protest shutdown orders. The sheriff said he wouldn’t enforce mask requirements. The health officer resigned after facing public harassment and intimidation. That was just a few months ago, when Orange County seemed intent on leading a rebellion against public health mandates intended to stop the spread of the coronavirus. Emily DeRuy, Harriet Blair Rowan in the San Jose Mercury$ -- 8/26/20

 

✅UC Berkeley chancellor calls reopening amid crises ‘hardest situation I’ve ever encountered’ -- The University of California’s first two campuses to reopen this fall, Berkeley and Merced, begin classes Wednesday amid multiple crises: fear of COVID-19 spikes among students, shuttered classrooms that have forced online learning, and battered university budgets. Teresa Watanabe in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 8/26/20

 

✅Cal State Fullerton Removes Donor's Name From B-School

Inside Higher Ed

California State University at Fullerton has removed Steven Mihaylo's name from its business school. A statement from Fram Virjee, the president, said the College of Business and Economics was named for Mihaylo when he pledged $30 million to it in 2007. Since 2016, he hasn't given anything, and prior to then, he had given only $8 million of his pledge. In 2018, he said that if the university bought a telecommunications system from his company, he would make the donation. "The arrangement suggested by Mr. Mihaylo was an immediate nonstarter for the university for ethical and legal reasons, and we repeatedly informed him as such," Virjee said. "Faced with this response from Cal State Fullerton, Mr. Mihaylo pivoted to a different reason for refusing to fulfill his commitment to his alma mater: alleged financial waste by the university and a claimed lack of support for the First Amendment of political conservatism on campus. Both claims are completely without basis as we specifically shared with him."….

✅29 deaths reported in OC today. That's high.