Friday, September 11, 2020

The Rundown: 500,000 Evacuate Wildfires

Some 500,000 people in Oregon -- more than 10 percent of the state's population -- have evacuated from their homes because of the threat from wildfires, the Oregon Office of Emergency Management reported late Thursday. Wildfires in the heavily-populated northwest part of the state were growing, with two large fires in Clackamas County threatening to merge. In the southern part of the state, much of Phoenix, a small town of about 4,000, was destroyed by a wildfire that the Federal Emergency Management Agency estimated burned 600 homes. The state's Office of Emergency Management said 37 wildfires were burning in Oregon, with Governor Kate Brown saying more than 900,000 acres had burned in the state in just the past three days, nearly double the amount that burns in a typical year. There have been at least four wildfire-related deaths in the state.


Across the border, California was continuing to deal with its own record wildfires, including the North Complex fire in the northern part of the state, which has killed at least 10 people, with 16 others missing and four hospitalized with critical burns. However, the wildfire's rapid spread and ferocity from earlier in the week began slowing early today after the winds died down and sun-blocking smoke lowered the temperature. More than 2,000 homes and other buildings have been burned by the fire. So far this year, 19 people have been killed by wildfires in California and at least 4,000 structures burned. Battalion chief Sean Norman with the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection said, "It’s a historic season on top of a historic season that replaced a historic season. We just keep setting new precedents, and then we keep destroying them." Wildfires are also burning in Washington state.

➤TRUMP DENIES LIED ABOUT CORONAVIRUS, DESPITE HAVING ADMITTED DOWNPLAYING ITS DANGER: President Trump on Thursday denied that he'd lied when he publicly downplayed the seriousness of the the coronavirus, something he told journalist Bob Woodward he did in interviews for Woodward's new book, Rage, excerpts of which were published Wednesday. When asked by a reporter yesterday why he'd lied when he repeatedly downplayed the virus to the public, including saying it was like the flu even though he'd told Woodward at the same time that it was worse, Trump said, "I didn't lie. What I said is we have to be calm, we can't be panicked." Trump told Woodward he downplayed the seriousness of the virus because he didn't want to create panic. He repeated that defense during a rally in Michigan yesterday, comparing himself to British Prime Minister Winston Churchill during World War Two and saying, "They wanted me to come out and scream, 'People are dying, we're dying.'" Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden again blasted Trump yesterday over the revelations, saying in a virtual fundraiser, "Donald Trump knew all along just how deadly this virus is. He knew and purposefully played it down because all he was concerned about was his reelection, didn’t want to affect economic growth."


➤SENATE REPUBLICANS' CORONAVIRUS RELIEF PACKAGE BLOCKED BY DEMS, WHO SAY MORE NEEDED: A $650 billion coronavirus relief package put forward by Senate Republicans yesterday was blocked by Democrats, who said much more aid is needed in what would be a fifth coronavirus aid package since the pandemic began. The failed vote comes after weeks of talks that have failed to reach a compromise, and likely means there'll be no new aid package before the election. The $650 billion measure was significantly smaller than what Republican leaders had promoted this summer, but it was reduced because of opposition from conservative members of the party. House Democrats passed a much larger $3.5 billion package back in May, which the Senate didn't take up for a vote.

➤JUDGES RULE TRUMP CAN'T EXCLUDE THOSE IN U.S. ILLEGALLY FROM COUNT USED TO DRAW DISTRICTS: A three-judge panel in New York ruled yesterday that President Trump exceeded his authority when he ordered in July that people in the country illegally be excluded from the U.S. Census figures used to redraw congressional districts. The judges granted an injunction blocking Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross, whose agency oversees the Census Bureau, from following through on Trump's order. They wrote, "Throughout the Nation’s history, the figures used to determine the apportionment of Congress . . . have included every person residing in the United States at the time of the census, whether citizen or non-citizen and whether living here with legal status or without." The decision can be appealed to the U.S. Supreme Court.

➤TREASURY DEPT. SANCTIONS UKRAINIAN LAWMAKER FOR HELPING RUSSIA UNDERMINE U.S. ELECTION; HAS MET WITH GIULIANI: The Treasury Department yesterday issued sanctions against a Ukrainian lawyer for helping a Russian effort to try to undermine this year's election. Andriy Derkach has spread damaging misinformation about Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden, and met with President Trump's attorney, Rudy Giuliani, last year in Ukraine as the former New York City mayor was trying to find dirt on Biden and his son, Hunter Biden. Treasury alluded to Derkach's anti-Biden efforts, saying he, quote, "cultivat[ed] false and unsubstantiated narratives" about U.S. officials in this year's election and spread them through "audio tapes and other unsupported information." Treasury said Derkach, who was sanctioned along with three Russians, has been an "active Russian agent for over a decade" and had "close connections with the Russian Intelligence Services."


➤CHIEFS TOP TEXANS 34-20 IN NFL SEASON-OPENER: The Super Bowl champion Kansas City Chiefs beat the Houston Texans 34-20 last night in the NFL's season-opening game. The two teams played in Kansas City's Arrowhead Stadium before a socially-distanced crowd of about 17,000 people, at 22 percent of capacity because of the coronavirus pandemic. Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes threw for 211 yards and three touchdowns.




The Chiefs stood along the goal lines as Alicia Keyes performed "Lift Ev'ry Voice and Sing," considered the Black national anthem, in a video about racial inequality, and as Chloe x Halle did a virtual performance of the National Anthem, while the Texans stayed in the locker room for both. Shortly before kickoff, the two teams lined up together at midfield and linked arms as social justice messages, including "End Racism," were shown on the scoreboard. A moment of silence for the fight for equality was then held, during which some boos could be heard from the crowd.

➤DOLPHINS VIDEO SAYS WILL STAY IN LOCKER ROOM FOR ANTHEM: The Miami Dolphins players and coach Brian Flores released a video on social media yesterday saying they'll protest racial injustice by staying in their locker room during the national anthem before their opening game on Sunday at New England, as well as during "Life Ev'ry Voice and Sing," considered the Black national anthem, which will also be sung before every NFL game this weekend.


In the video, close to 20 players say brief phrases about the social justice movement, such as center Ted Karras saying, "If we could just right our wrongs, we wouldn’t need two songs." Flores ends the video, wearing a T-shirt that says VOTE and saying, "Before the media starts wondering and guessing, they just answered all your questions. We’ll just stay inside."

➤NBA PLAYOFFS: Results from Conference Semifinals yesterday:
  • L.A. Lakers 110, Houston Rockets 100 -- Los Angeles leads 3 games to 1 (West)

➤NHL PLAYOFFS: Results from Conference Finals yesterday:
  • Dallas Stars 3, Vegas Golden Knights 2 (OT) -- Dallas leads series 2 games to 1 (West)

➤SERENA WILLIAMS UPSET BY AZARENKA IN U.S. OPEN SEMIFINAL: Serena Williams was upset in her U.S. Open semifinal yesterday by Victoria Azarenka, falling to the Belarusian player 1-6, 6-3, 6-3. The loss means the 38-year-old Williams again fell short in her effort to get a 24th Grand Slam single title to tie the record. Azarenka will play for the championship Saturday against Naomi Osaka of Japan, who defeated American Jennifer Brady in their semifinal yesterday 7-6 (1), 3-6, 6-3. The men's semifinals will be played today.

➤KORDA IN LEAD AFTER OPENING ROUND OF ANA INSPIRATION: American Nelly Korda is in the lead after the opening round of the ANA Inspiration Thursday, one of the majors in women's golf. Korda shot a 6-under 66 at Mission Hills in Rancho Mirage, California, for a one-stroke lead over In Gee Chun of South Korea and Madelene Sagstrom of Sweden, who were tied in second place.

➤'FORBES': COWBOYS MOST VALUABLE NFL TEAM: The Dallas Cowboys are the NFL's most valuable team, worth $5.7 billion, according to Forbes' magazine, the 14th year in a row they've held the top spot. The New England Patriots are second at $4.4 billion, followed by the New York Giants at $4.3 billion, the Los Angeles Rams at $4 billion and the San Francisco 49ers at $3.8 billion. The bottom three teams are the Detroit Lions at $2.1 billion, followed by the Buffalo Bills at $2.05 billion, and the Cincinnati Bengals, who were last at $2 billion.
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