Updating . .   

California’s effort to buy thousands of COVID-19 ventilators falls behind schedule -- The state Department of General Services has received 188 ventilators out of 8,000 promised by Ashli Healthcare Inc. of Bakersfield, the state’s main supplier, department spokeswoman Monica Hassan said this week. Dale Kasler and Ryan Sabalow in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 7/31/20

July was California’s worst month of the pandemic -- With one day left to go, July has already amounted to California’s worst month of the COVID-19 pandemic in terms of cases and deaths. But, as it comes to a close, there are signs that the spread of the virus had begun to slow. Evan Webeck in the San Jose Mercury$ -- 7/31/20

These 8 Southern California doctors, nurses sacrifice to help hospitals fight coronavirus -- They work at frantic paces and risk infection of themselves and their families, but keep reporting to the 'front line of the pandemic' David Downey, Ryan Carter, Martin Wisckol in the Los Angeles Daily News$ -- 7/31/20

Imperial County was a warning for California. Will its shutdown be a model? -- A month ago, Gov. Gavin Newsom called on Imperial County to do something he hadn’t asked any other part of the state to do: halt the reopening of its economy and move backward. Dustin Gardiner in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 7/31/20

Fears grow that releasing thousands of California prisoners will spread COVID-19 into communities -- Missteps by corrections officials handling releases from state prisons are fueling fears in some California counties that thousands of inmates eligible for early release will spread the coronavirus in their communities. Anita Chabria, Richard Winton, Kim Christensen in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 7/31/20

School   

School is about to start, but Bay Area teachers’ unions and districts still can’t agree on key details for online learning -- Frustrated Bay Area families already know classes will be online when school starts in the coming weeks, but many still have no idea when their K-12 students will have to log on for lessons or how many hours of live instruction they would get. Jill Tucker in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 7/31/20

Workplace   

31 workers at 4 Bay Area Costcos are infected by COVID-19; stores stay open -- Health officials are investigating after 31 people who work at four Costco stores in Silicon Valley contracted the coronavirus. It’s likely those infected contracted the virus not at Costco, but elsewhere in the community, Dr. Marty Fenstersheib, the Santa Clara County COVID-19 testing officer, told reporters. Rong-Gong Lin II in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 7/31/20

L.A. County’s tracing team repeatedly failed to detect coronavirus outbreaks at workplaces -- One by one workers at the Farmer John pork processing plant began getting sick with the coronavirus in March. Melody Petersen in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 7/31/20

As COVID-19 cases surge, L.A. librarians join the ranks of contact tracers -- Lupie Leyva is good at tracking things down. A kind of detective, if you will. Dorany Pineda in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 7/31/20

Coronavirus deaths among L.A. County food processing workers bring dire plea from health officials -- With coronavirus deaths now surpassing 9,000 across California, health officials in Los Angeles County are investigating a deadly outbreak at a food processing plant in Commerce and issued another urgent plea for businesses and employees to report COVID-19 cases. Colleen Shalby, Leila Miller, Rong-Gong Lin II in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 7/31/20

Policy & Politics 

Fact check: This ad about Tom McClintock gets more than one thing wrong -- Congressman Tom McClintock, R-Elk Grove holds one of the safest Republican seats in California. But he has a well-funded 2020 challenger in businesswoman Brynne Kennedy, who has released her first ad attacking McClintock’s stances on Medicare, Social Security, COVID-19 relief and masks. MacKenzie Hawkins in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 7/31/20

The Karen Bass Los Angeles Knows -- The congresswoman is one of Joe Biden’s lowest-profile VP contenders. But in L.A., she’s known as a community-driven operator whose limited national exposure is part of her effectiveness. Sandy Banks Politico -- 7/31/20

CA120: DMV voter registrations hit slow lane -- The coronavirus pandemic has had clear impacts on our elections, with California launching a first-time system in which every voter will be mailed a ballot for November, both major political parties scrapping their traditional big summer conventions (replaced by what sounds like massively boring online affairs), and a halt to campaign rallies, fundraisers and local coffees. Paul Mitchell Capitol Weekly -- 7/31/20

Hiltzik: California’s ballot measures will produce a deluge of special-interest cash -- You can lay the hand-wringing about the failing condition of the American economy aside for a moment, because one sector is blazingly fat and likely to become even more so between now and election day. Michael Hiltzik in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 7/31/20

Street   

Protester had hands up when LAPD officer shot him in head with projectile, video shows -- Footage from a Los Angeles police officer’s body camera shows a man with his hands up being shot in the head with a tactical round as officers advanced on a crowd of fleeing protesters in late May. Kevin Rector in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 7/31/20

How the debate about police reform could remake Oakland’s City Council -- When Richard Santos Raya announced his bid for Oakland City Council, he embodied a fervent moment of protest and generational conflict. Rachel Swan in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 7/31/20

Pastor says AME church struck by racist vandalism will move on as FBI investigates -- “I was just flabbergasted, just appalled .... It really hurts that someone would feel that way towards us when we’re open to the community and all we want to do is serve and help however we can for hurting people,” said Grizzell, who leads Murph-Emmanuel African Methodist Episcopal Church in North Highlands outside Sacramento. Jake Sheridan in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 7/31/20

Stressed Business  

Some of SF’s most popular restaurants are turning away diners as COVID cases surge -- At a time when restaurants in the Bay Area are struggling to generate revenue, some of San Francisco’s most celebrated chefs and restaurant owners are doing what previously might have been unthinkable: telling diners to stay away. Justin Phillips in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 7/31/20

Why San Francisco’s oldest restaurant Tadich Grill is going dark -- Tadich Grill’s crisp white tablecloths, bubbling bowls of cioppino and cold martinis will have to wait. The 171-year-old Financial District restaurant’s last day in business for the foreseeable future is Friday. Janelle Bitker in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 7/31/20

Pitching Sacramento   

Sacramento courts Bay Area tech workers: If you have to work from home, why not move here? -- With a 12.8% unemployment rate and a lengthy stretch of economic uncertainty looming, Sacramento is struggling through the COVID-19 pandemic about as poorly as most other metro areas. But the region’s business leaders believe the coronavirus also carries with it an economic silver lining — a chance to lure thousands of high-tech workers from the Bay Area. Dale Kasler and Phillip Reese in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 7/31/20

 

 

California Policy & Politics Friday Morning  

Lawmakers and jobless workers lash out at California’s unemployment agency -- California lawmakers lashed out Thursday at a state plan that would take two months to resolve a backlog of nearly 1 million unemployment benefit claims, warning at a legislative hearing that many jobless people are struggling to pay for food and rent. Patrick McGreevy in the Los Angeles Times$ Lauren Hepler and Stephen Council CalMatters Scott Rodd Capital Public Radio George Avalos in the San Jose Mercury$ -- 7/31/20

New federal unemployment benefits could take as long as 20 weeks to process, California EDD head says -- Amid a testy oversight hearing Thursday afternoon, Employment Development Department head Sharon Hilliard said that California could take as long as 20 weeks to process any additional federal employment benefits once they come. Matt Kristoffersen in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 7/31/20

Virus  

A new strain of the coronavirus is dominant now. Is it more contagious? -- A mutant strain of the coronavirus that some researchers believe is more infectious is rampaging across the globe and has moved into the Bay Area, but there are conflicting views about how this tiny deviant is impacting people. Peter Fimrite in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 7/31/20

Predicting ‘major surge,’ SF opens site to free hospital beds for COVID-19 patients -- Predicting a “major surge” in critical coronavirus cases in the coming weeks, San Francisco officials said Thursday they will shift non-COVID-19 patients to a new inpatient facility in the Presidio if it becomes necessary to clear hospital beds for virus patients. Tatiana Sanchez in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 7/31/20

With California deaths surging, will Newsom have to do more? -- In a little more than a week, the state has set four coronavirus death records, hitting an all-time high — 193 deaths — on Wednesday. Experts say those numbers are the expected result of the surge in cases that started last month after communities around the state eased their lockdown restrictions. Marisa Kendall, Harriet Blair Rowan, Evan Webeck in the San Jose Mercury$ -- 7/31/20

Coronavirus outbreak at USC’s fraternity row leaves at least 40 people infected -- “A significant number of the cases were associated with four fraternity houses,” Van Orman said. To date, around 150 USC students and employees have tested positive. Jake Sheridan in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 7/31/20

She’s only 27 — and COVID-19 nearly killed her. Why young adults need to take this seriously -- Just hours after the 27-year-old Sacramentan had managed to walk haltingly into the Kaiser Permanente Medical Center on Morse Avenue in early July, doctors were telling her they possibly needed to perform an emergency tracheotomy on her – cutting a hole in her throat. Sawsan Morrar and Tony Bizjak in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 7/31/20

Gyms remain open despite recent outbreak at Pacific Beach business -- Multiple gyms across San Diego County remained open Thursday, despite the outbreak reported this week at one Pacific Beach fitness business, The Gym, that had been operating illegally. Morgan Cook, Phil Diehl in the San Diego Union-Tribune$ -- 7/31/20

California local leaders take harder line on pandemic order violations -- California cities and counties are cracking down on violators of Covid-19 orders, even as the governor has advocated a less “punitive” approach. Victoria Colliver Politico -- 7/31/20

Sacramento adds coronavirus test sites in four communities, promises 3-day results -- As coronavirus infections and deaths continue to climb, Sacramento County officials on Thursday announced they have come up with enough testing materials to add new test sites in four communities – Folsom, North Highlands, Rancho Cordova and Galt. Tony Bizjak in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 7/31/20

San Diego County promises broader hiring for COVID-19 tracing workforce -- Under pressure to expand the diversity of its coronavirus investigation workforce, San Diego County officials said Thursday they will “refocus on matching the ethnicity of contact tracers with those testing positive.” Paul Sisson in the San Diego Union-Tribune$ -- 7/31/20

An inmate tested positive for COVID-19. Prison staff housed him with uninfected inmates, he says -- Midway through explaining how an inmate who’d tested positive for COVID-19 had been placed in his unit at Chuckawalla Valley State Prison, Gary Croom paused. “Here,” he told a reporter. “I’m going to give him the phone.” Matthew Ormseth in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 7/31/20

San Diego Superior Court seeks delay in starting criminal jury trials as memo outlines unique challenges -- San Diego Superior Court officials are once again asking for an extension of the legal time limit for bringing a case to trial, citing the difficulty inherent in working out “a multitude of unprecedented safety and constitutional issues” in the state’s second-largest court system before juries can be called. Greg Moran in the San Diego Union-Tribune$ -- 7/31/20

San Diego Hair Salon Owner Joins Lawsuit Against Governor’s Order To Force Salons Outdoors -- San Diego’s only haircutter for children with autism and other special needs announced that she’ll be joining the Bols v. Newsom lawsuit, to overturn the governor’s order that salons must do their work outdoors. Sarah Katsiyiannis KPBS -- 7/31/20

SF archbishop tells priests to hold more Masses to avoid overcrowding -- San Francisco’s archbishop on Thursday urged priests to hold more Masses — within public health guidelines — to accommodate more Catholic church-goers without overcrowding services. Anna Bauman in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 7/31/20

Nine employees at Sunnyvale Costco test positive for the coronavirus -- Thirty-one Costco employees in Santa Clara County have gotten coronavirus infections over the past two weeks, according to county officials: 13 in Sunnyvale, 8 in San Jose (at the Senter Road location), six in Gilroy and four in Mountain View. Danielle Echeverria in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 7/31/20

Why San Francisco’s oldest restaurant Tadich Grill is going dark -- Tadich Grill’s crisp white tablecloths, bubbling bowls of cioppino and cold martinis will have to wait. The 171-year-old Financial District restaurant’s last day in business for the foreseeable future is Friday. Janelle Bitker in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 7/31/20

Street  

L.A. County deputy alleges ‘Executioner’ gang dominates Compton sheriff station -- Days after Austreberto Gonzalez anonymously reported a fellow Los Angeles County sheriff’s deputy to internal affairs for assaulting a colleague behind the parking lot of Compton station, a text popped up on his phone. It was a photo of graffiti scrawled on a dial pad at the station’s parking lot entrance: “ART IS A RAT,” it read. Alene Tchekmedyian, Maya Lau in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 7/31/20

Solano DA announces special prosecutor will investigate Vallejo police shooting of Willie McCoy -- The Solano County District Attorney announced Thursday that her office has appointed a special prosecutor to investigate the controversial 2019 shooting of Willie McCoy by six Vallejo officers, ending a back-and-forth between her and the state Attorney General as they both tried to avoid taking it on. Nate Gartrell in the San Jose Mercury$ -- 7/31/20

Policy & Politics 

California’s clean-air programs take a hit in new funding squeeze -- Some of California’s key environmental programs for battling smog and climate change have lost nearly $105 million as the state grapples with the economic fallout of the coronavirus pandemic. Rachel Becker CalMatters -- 7/31/20

SF Mayor Breed, unions in standoff over $250 million in raises for city workers — layoffs possible -- San Francisco Mayor London Breed is locked in a standoff with labor unions representing the city’s 37,000 employees over $250 million in pay raises scheduled to kick in over the next two years. For weeks, negotiations over the raises have played out against the backdrop of the city’s $1.5 billion budget deficit, the result of the ruinous economic effects of the coronavirus pandemic. Dominic Fracassa in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 7/31/20

Feds add bribery and money laundering charges against L.A. Councilman Jose Huizar -- Los Angeles City Councilman Jose Huizar, who was arrested and charged with racketeering last month, now faces additional charges including bribery and money laundering, federal prosecutors announced Thursday. Emily Alpert Reyes, Joel Rubin in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 7/31/20

California prison population drops below 100,000 for first time in 30 years -- The population decline comes amid pressure from advocates to release more inmates, especially those who are older or have chronic illness, during the coronavirus pandemic. Anna Bauman in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 7/31/20

McNamara: John Lewis’ funeral, a rhetorical master class, shows that great speeches still matter -- Befitting the man it memorialized, Thursday’s funeral of John Lewis in Atlanta was an oratorical symphony, a rhetorical masterwork of pride, praise and calls to continue the great man’s work. Mary McNamara in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 7/31/20

‘Building bridges’: How Bass became a leading VP contender -- California’s leaders were deadlocked and on the verge of financial catastrophe in 2008. Five negotiators, including Republican Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, couldn’t agree on a budget that would guide the nation’s most populous state through the Great Recession. Enter Karen Bass, who became Assembly speaker that May, the first Black woman to hold the role. She shifted the tone of the talks, helping the group find common ground. Kathleen Ronayne Associated Press -- 7/31/20

Unemployed  

Serving the newly poor in Silicon Valley’s wealthiest neighborhoods -- But West Valley Community Services, the sole social services provider serving low-income communities in Cupertino, West San Jose, Los Gatos, Monte Sereno, and Saratoga, said at a news conference Thursday that it has been struggling to meet a 500 percent increase in demand for food and financial support for housing since the pandemic hit. Laurence Du Sault in the San Jose Mercury$ -- 7/31/20

Environment   

Pandemic pollution wreaking havoc on San Diego County beaches -- Face masks, latex gloves and takeout containers are piling up on the coastline, environmentalists say. Deborah Sullivan Brennan in the San Diego Union-Tribune$ -- 7/31/20

Annual UC Davis study finds Lake Tahoe is losing clarity because of algae, shrimp -- The University of California, Davis has continually monitored the conditions of Lake Tahoe since 1968. And even a global pandemic didn’t stop the center from its annual findings. Maria Heeter in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 7/31/20

Warren Buffett controls dams in Northern California. Why Gov. Newsom wants them torn down -- Desperate to complete a historic but complicated dam removal on the California-Oregon border, Gov. Gavin Newsom has appealed to one of the world’s wealthiest men to keep the project on track: financier Warren Buffett. Dale Kasler in the Sacramento Bee$ Robert Jablon Associated Press -- 7/31/20

Also . . .   

Orange County Register editor killed in alleged street racing crash -- A longtime editor for the Orange County Register was killed Thursday in what authorities believe was a street racing crash, according to the Register and Santa Ana police. Alejandra Reyes-Velarde in the Los Angeles Times$ Alma Fausto in the Orange County Register -- 7/31/20

San Jose cop charged with exploiting workers in side security business -- 43-count criminal complaint alleges scheme in which Robert Foster hid his ownership role from SJPD and proceeded to underpay workers off the books, and threatened deportation to some who pushed back. Robert Salonga in the San Jose Mercury$ -- 7/31/20

POTUS 45  

Trump faces rare rebuke from GOP for floating election delay -- GOP officials from New Hampshire to Mississippi to Iowa quickly pushed back against Trump’s suggestion that it might be necessary to delay the November election — which he cannot do without congressional approval — because of the unfounded threat of voter fraud. Steve Peoples Associated Press -- 7/31/20

Beltway   

Poll: Gen Z Democrats say Trump is swamping Biden in digital ads -- Nearly half of the youngest Democratic voters said they'd seen digital advertising from President Donald Trump and the GOP, but only one-in-five said they'd seen Biden ads. Rishika Dugyala Politico -- 7/31/20

 

-- Thursday Updates   

Record economic plunge, bleak jobs numbers reveal virus toll -- The coronavirus pandemic sent the U.S. economy plunging by a record-shattering 32.9% annual rate last quarter and is still inflicting damage across the country, squeezing already struggling businesses and forcing a wave of layoffs that shows no sign of abating. Martin Crutsinger and Paul Wiseman Associated Press -- 7/30/20

California jobless claims reach 9.1 million since mid-March amid record-shattering economic plunge -- More than 1.4 million Americans filed new claims for unemployment this week, another grim marker of the economic devastation caused by the pandemic. The new figures released by the Department of Labor Thursday brings the total number of jobless claims since the onset of shelter-in-place to 54 million. Danielle Echeverria in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 7/30/20

Workplace  

Who’s social distancing? UC Davis study shows income levels, stay-at-home orders are factors -- How much are Americans staying home or maintain social distancing? It depends heavily on income, a new UC Davis study suggests. Alexandra Yoon-Hendricks in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 7/30/20

Remote work, child care, mask enforcement: COVID-19 is re-writing employment law -- Hundreds of pandemic-related labor lawsuits have been filed, and that’s just the beginning of what’s to come, legal experts say. Kristina Davis in the San Diego Union-Tribune$ -- 7/30/20

Policy & Politics 

Trump tweets about delaying election. California Republicans and Democrats say that won’t happen -- California lawmakers quickly denounced President Donald Trump’s tweet suggesting the November election should be delayed, with even the top Republican in the House of Representatives saying the election would be going forward as planned. Kate Irby in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 7/30/20

‘Pension spiking’ is not protected by California law, top court rules -- The California Supreme Court on Thursday unanimously upheld a 2013 law that forbade public employees from padding their future pensions by cashing in years of vacation or sick pay or working longer hours before retirement. Maura Dolan in the Los Angeles Times$ Wes Venteicher in the Sacramento Bee$ Ben Christopher CalMatters Teri Sforza in the Orange County Register -- 7/30/20

California tax revenue plummeted, but not by as much as Gov. Newsom projected -- The easy days of California budget surpluses are long gone with tax revenue plummeting in the new coronavirus recession. But as bad as the outlook stands, tax collections across the board so far are coming in a little better than Gov. Gavin Newsom projected in the $203 billion state budget he signed last month. MacKenzie Hawkins in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 7/30/20

Knight: It’s time to chop down the ‘lynching tree’ from this California city’s logo -- As night follows day, cries of “historical erasure” go up across the land when pro-Confederacy monuments come down. Christopher Knight in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 7/30/20

After missing DACA, she resented her U.S.-born siblings. Trump ruined her second chance -- Beatriz Basurto’s father is quick to point out that she — the 19-year-old middle child — is the most responsible of his six children. Cindy Carcamo, Molly O’Toole in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 7/30/20

#MeToo claims filed against Democratic lawmaker, but will investigations follow? -- Assemblyman Phil Ting admitted to a “personal failure” after a domestic worker who advocated for controversial labor legislation said they’d had a sexual relationship. Party activists are now pondering: Was this a private matter, or a professional breach? Laurel Rosenhall CalMatters -- 7/30/20

Fox: Going for Broke Chasing a Tax Gusher -- In this time of Covid-19, public sector unions see an opportunity for a tax gusher. The Proposition 15 property tax increase measure funded largely by public unions could raise $12.5 billion. Joel Fox Fox & Hounds -- 7/30/20

Covid-19  

Predicting ‘huge surge,’ San Francisco opens new site to free hospital beds for coronavirus patients -- Predicting a “huge surge” in hospitalizations in the coming weeks, San Francisco health officials on Tuesday announced a new in-patient facility in the Presidio that will clear hospital beds for COVID-19 patients who become seriously ill with the disease. Tatiana Sanchez in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 7/30/20

California breaks coronavirus death record for fourth time this month -- California has broken another record for the number of coronavirus-related deaths in a single day, cataloging at least 189 deaths Wednesday, according to a Los Angeles Times count of California’s 58 counties. Rong-Gong Lin Ii, Iris Lee, Colleen Shalby in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 7/30/20

Men are less likely to wear masks. They are also dying of coronavirus at higher rates in L.A. County -- Men have a mask problem. That is the view of Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti and health officials, who are urging guys to cover their faces in public to slow the spread of the coronavirus. Luke Money in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 7/30/20

Why Is San Diego Struggling To Keep Up With COVID Contact Tracing? -- For more than two weeks, San Diego County has failed to meet its goal to begin investigations of new COVID-19 cases within 24 hours. That means the close contacts of people who test positive for the coronavirus are not being alerted quickly and are not being told to quarantine. Claire Trageser KPBS -- 7/30/20

California scales back coronavirus testing task force despite long lines, new outbreaks -- In the early days of coronavirus testing, California public health officials teamed up with private industry executives for an immediate impact. Emily Baumgaertner in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 7/30/20

Free drinks, store credit and cries for help: How we’re handling the coin shortage -- A laundromat operator imploring friends and relatives to trade their stashes of quarters for his dollar bills. A restaurant offering customers free drinks instead of nickels and dimes. Supermarkets issuing pennies’ worth of store credit. A woman filling her purse with coins so she can pay in exact change. Samantha Masunaga in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 7/30/20

'I’m being treated like I'm not a person': Fear and disease inside San Quentin -- March 3 started out as a normal day for San Quentin Prison University Project students. Ariana Bindman in the San Francisco Chronicle -- 7/30/20

Dozens infected with COVID-19 at California youth prisons. Should inmates get released early? -- Jane Faalataina’s son is among the 47 teens and young adults who have tested positive for COVID-19 inside the walls of California’s youth prisons. So far, his symptoms are minor, but he’s locked in an isolation unit inside a Stockton facility, and his studies are suffering, she said. Ryan Sabalow in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 7/30/20

In San Bernardino, a legendary waitress gets a COVID-19-safe memorial, with tacos to go -- If ever there was a San Bernardino resident who deserved a fiesta for her funeral, it was Lucy Reyes. Gustavo Arellano in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 7/30/20

Street  

‘They didn’t deserve to die’: Sacramento community mourns death of 2 young Black women -- Zarrie Allen was visiting a grave site with friends on July 20 when someone opened fire on the group and took off. Allen, just 18 years old and a prospective Sacramento State student, died at the scene. In February, Taylor Blackwell was found dead in a south Sacramento hotel room. Her cause of death has still not been determined. She was 19. Molly Sullivan and Molly Burke in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 7/30/20

Beltway   

U.S. Backs Down, Allowing Michael Cohen to Write Trump Tell-All Book -- Michael D. Cohen now will be allowed to finish his tell-all book about President Trump after the government said on Thursday that it had given up a legal battle to prevent him from expressing himself on television, on social media or in books while he serves a prison sentence at home. Benjamin Weiser in the New York Times$ -- 7/30/20

 

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