Russia offers to restore direct air links with the US, during Istanbul talks

• February 28, 2025

By VLADIMIR ISACHENKOV, Associated Press

MOSCOW (AP) — Russia has offered the United States to restore direct air links between the two countries during the latest round of consultations with Washington, the Russian Foreign Ministry said Friday.

Russian and U.S. diplomats met in Istanbul on Thursday to discuss normalizing the operation of their respective embassies that has been crippled by multiple round of diplomats’ expulsions during previous years.

The Russian Foreign Ministry hailed the talks as “substantive and businesslike” and noted in a statement that “joint steps were agreed upon to ensure unimpeded financing of the activities of diplomatic missions of Russia and the United States on a reciprocal basis and to create appropriate conditions for diplomats to perform their official duties.”

The ministry said that it also offered the U.S. “to consider the possibility of restoring direct air traffic.” It didn’t add any details or possible time frame, and there was no immediate comment from Washington on the issue.

U.S. and other Western nations cut air links with Russia as part of a slew of sanctions imposed on Moscow after it sent troops into Ukraine on Feb. 24, 2022.

The U.S.-Russia talks in Istanbul followed an understanding reached during U.S. President Donald Trump’s call with Russian President Vladimir Putin, and negotiations between senior Russian and U.S. diplomats and other officials in Saudi Arabia earlier this month.

In Riyadh, Moscow and Washington agreed to start working toward ending the fighting in Ukraine and improving their diplomatic and economic ties. That includes restoring staffing at embassies, which in recent years were hit hard by mutual expulsions of large numbers of diplomats, closures of offices and other restrictions.

The U.S. State Department said that during Thursday’s talks in Istanbul, the U.S. delegation “raised concerns regarding access to banking and contracted services as well as the need to ensure stable and sustainable staffing levels at the U.S. Embassy in Moscow.”

“Through constructive discussions, both sides identified concrete initial steps to stabilize bilateral mission operations in these areas,” it said in a statement.

Sonata Coulter, U.S. deputy assistant secretary of state for Russia and Central Europe who led the U.S. delegation, and Alexander Darchiyev, the head of the North America department of the Russian Foreign Ministry who headed Moscow’s team of negotiators, “agreed to hold a follow-up meeting on these issues in the near term,” the U.S. State Department said.

Putin on Thursday hailed the Trump administration’s “pragmatism and realistic view” compared with what he described as the “stereotypes and messianic ideological cliches” of its predecessors.

“The first contacts with the new U.S. administration encourage certain hopes,” Putin said. “There is a mutual readiness to work to restore relations and gradually solve a colossal amount of systemic strategic problems in the global architecture.”

​ Orange County Register 

Social Security Administration could cut up to 50% of its workforce

• February 28, 2025

By FATIMA HUSSEIN, Associated Press

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Social Security Administration is preparing to lay off at least 7,000 people from its workforce of 60,000, according to a person familiar with the agency’s plans who is not authorized to speak publicly. The workforce reduction, according to a second person who also spoke on the condition of anonymity, could be as high as 50%.

It’s unclear how the layoffs will directly impact the benefits of the 72.5 million Social Security beneficiaries, which include retirees and children who receive retirement and disability benefits. However, advocates and Democratic lawmakers warn that layoffs will reduce the agency’s ability to serve recipients in a timely manner.

Some say cuts to the workforce are, in effect, a cut in benefits.

Later Friday, the agency sent out a news release outlining plans for “significant workforce reductions,” employee reassignments from “non-mission critical positions to mission critical direct service positions,” and an offer of voluntary separation agreements. The agency said in its letter to workers that reassignments “may be involuntary and may require retraining for new workloads.”

The layoffs are part of the Trump administration’s intensified efforts to shrink the size of the federal workforce through the Department of Government Efficiency, run by President Donald Trump’s advisor Elon Musk.

A representative from the Social Security Administration did not respond to an Associated Press request for comment.

The people familiar with the agency’s plans say that SSA’s new acting commissioner Leland Dudek held a meeting this week with management and told them they had to produce a plan that eliminated half of the workforce at SSA headquarters in Washington and at least half of the workers in regional offices.

In addition, the termination of office leases for Social Security sites across the country are detailed on the DOGE website, which maintains a “Wall of Receipts,” which is a self-described “transparent account of DOGE’s findings and actions.” The site states that leases for dozens of Social Security sites across Arkansas, Texas, Louisiana, Florida, Kentucky, North Carolina, and other states have been or will be ended.

“The Social Security Administration is already chronically understaffed. Now, the Trump Administration wants to demolish it,” said Nancy Altman, president of Social Security Works, an advocacy group for the popular public benefit program.

Altman said the reductions in force “will deny many Americans access to their hard-earned Social Security benefits. Field offices around the country will close. Wait times for the 1-800 number will soar.”

Social Security is one of the nation’s largest and most popular social programs. A January poll from The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research found that two-thirds of U.S. adults think the country is spending too little on Social Security.

The program faces a looming bankruptcy date if it is not addressed by Congress. The May 2024 Social Security and Medicare trustees’ report states that Social Security’s trust funds — which cover old age and disability recipients — will be unable to pay full benefits beginning in 2035. Then, Social Security would only be able to pay 83% of benefits.

Like other agencies, DOGE has embedded into the Social Security Administration as part of Trump’s January executive order, which has drawn concerns from career officials.

This month, the Social Security Administration ’s former acting commissioner Michelle King stepped down from her role at the agency after DOGE requested access to Social Security recipient information, according to two people familiar with the official’s departure who were not authorized to discuss the matter publicly.

Sen. Ron Wyden (D-Ore.) said in a statement that “a plan like this will result in field office closures that will hit seniors in rural communities the hardest.”

Other news organizations, including The American Prospect and The Washington Post, have reported that half of the Social Security Administration’s workforce could be on the chopping block.

​ Orange County Register 

Hundreds of weather forecasters fired in latest wave of DOGE cuts

• February 28, 2025

By SETH BORENSTEIN, Associated Press

WASHINGTON (AP) — Hundreds of weather forecasters and other federal National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration employees on probationary status were fired Thursday, lawmakers and weather experts said.

Federal workers who were not let go said the afternoon layoffs included meteorologists who do crucial local forecasts in National Weather Service offices across the country.

Cuts at NOAA appeared to be happening in two rounds, one of 500 and one of 800, said Craig McLean, a former NOAA chief scientist who said he got the information from someone with first-hand knowledge. That’s about 10% of NOAA’s workforce.

The first round of cuts were probationary employees, McLean said. There are about 375 probationary employees in the National Weather Service — where day-to-day forecasting and hazard warning is done.

The firings come amid efforts by billionaire Elon Musk and his Department of Government Efficiency to shrink a federal workforce that President Donald Trump has called bloated and sloppy. Thousands of probationary employees across the government have already been fired.

Rep. Grace Meng, D-N.Y., released a statement saying: “Today, hundreds of employees at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), including weather forecasters at the National Weather Service (NWS), were given termination notices for no good reason. This is unconscionable.”

Meng added: “These are dedicated, hardworking Americans whose efforts help save lives and property from the devastating impacts of natural disasters across the country. This action will only endanger American lives going forward.”

Rep. Jared Huffman, a California Democrat who is the ranking minority member in the House Natural Resources Committee, also said “hundreds of scientists and experts at NOAA” were let go.

Daniel Swain, a climate scientist at the University of California, Los Angeles, said on social media that the job cuts “are spectacularly short-sighted, and ultimately will deal a major self-inflicted wound to the public safety of Americans and the resiliency of the American economy to weather and climate-related disasters.”

​ Orange County Register 

At meeting with Trump, Zelenskyy will seek security assurances against future Russian aggression

• February 28, 2025

By JUSTIN SPIKE and AAMER MADHANI, Associated Press

WASHINGTON (AP) — Ukraine’s leader will meet with President Donald Trump in Washington on Friday at a pivotal moment for his country, one that hinges on whether he can persuade Trump to provide some form of U.S. backing for Ukraine’s security against any future Russian aggression.

During his trip to Washington, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s delegation is expected to sign a landmark economic agreement with the U.S. aimed at financing the reconstruction of war-damaged Ukraine, a deal that would closely tie the two countries together for years to come.

Though the deal, which is seen as a step toward ending the three-year war, references the importance of Ukraine’s security, it leaves that to a separate agreement to be discussed between the two leaders — talks that are likely to commence Friday.

As Ukrainian forces hold out against slow but steady advances by Russia’s larger and better-equipped army, leaders in Kyiv have pushed to ensure a potential U.S.-brokered peace plan would include guarantees for the country’s future security.

Many Ukrainians fear that a hastily negotiated peace — especially one that makes too many concessions to Russian demands — would allow Moscow to rearm and consolidate its forces for a future invasion after current hostilities cease.

According to the preliminary economic agreement, seen by The Associated Press, the U.S. and Ukraine will establish a co-owned, jointly managed investment fund to which Ukraine will contribute 50% of future revenues from natural resources, including minerals, hydrocarbons and other extractable materials.

A more detailed agreement on establishing the fund will be drawn up once the preliminary one is signed.

Trump, a Republican, has framed the emerging deal as a chance for Kyiv to compensate the U.S. for wartime aid sent under his predecessor, President Joe Biden, a Democrat.

But Zelenskyy has remained firm that specific assurances for Ukraine’s security must accompany any agreement giving U.S. access to Ukraine’s resources. On Wednesday, he said the agreement “may be part of future security guarantees, but I want to understand the broader vision. What awaits Ukraine?”

Trump remains noncommittal about any American security guarantees.

“I’m not going to make security guarantees … very much,” Trump told reporters this week. “We’re going to have Europe do that.”

If a truce can be reached, British Prime Minister Keir Starmer and French President Emmanuel Macron have agreed to send troops for a potential peacekeeping mission to Ukraine to ensure that fighting between Ukraine and Russia doesn’t flare up again. Both leaders traveled to Washington this week before the Zelenskyy visit to discuss with Trump the potential peacekeeping mission and other concerns about the war.

White House officials are skeptical that Britain and France can assemble enough troops from across Europe, at least at this moment, to deploy a credible peacekeeping mission to Kyiv.

It will likely take a “consensual peace settlement” between Russia and Ukraine before many nations would be willing to provide such forces, according to a senior Trump administration official who briefed reporters on the condition of anonymity under ground rules set by the White House.

Zelenskyy and European officials have no illusions about U.S. troops taking part in such a mission. But Starmer and others are trying to make the case that the plan can only work with a U.S. backstop for European forces on the ground — through U.S. aerial intelligence, surveillance and support, as well as rapid-response cover in case the truce is breached.

“You’ve created a moment of tremendous opportunity to reach a historic peace deal — a deal that I think would be celebrated in Ukraine and around the world,” Starmer told Trump. “That is the prize. But we have to get it right.”

Zelenskyy has been vague on exactly what kinds of security guarantees would be suitable for his country, and while he continues to advocate for Ukraine’s eventual membership in NATO, he has also suggested a similar security arrangement would suffice.

But Trump on Wednesday said Ukraine “could forget about” joining the Western military alliance.

Still, Zelenskyy’s meeting with Trump, their first since the U.S. leader’s inauguration in January, is seen in Kyiv as a diplomatic win for Ukraine. On Wednesday, Zelenskyy said being able to meet personally with Trump before Russian President Vladimir Putin does “is a good signal.”

Zelenskyy said he hopes to discuss whether the U.S. plans to halt its military aid to Ukraine and, if so, whether Kyiv would be able to purchase weapons directly from the U.S.

He also wants to know whether Ukraine can use frozen Russian assets for the purchase of weapons and whether Washington plans to lift sanctions on Moscow.

Fears that Trump could broker a peace deal with Russia that is unfavorable to Ukraine have been amplified by recent precedent-busting actions by his administration. Trump held a lengthy phone call with Putin, and U.S. officials met with their Russian counterparts in Saudi Arabia without inviting European or Ukrainian leaders — both dramatic breaks with previous U.S. policy to isolate Putin over his invasion.

Trump later seemed to falsely blame Ukraine for starting the war, and called Zelenskyy a “dictator” for not holding elections after the end of his regular term last year, though Ukrainian law prohibits elections while martial law is in place.

As Zelenskyy seeks to lower the temperature with the U.S. while in Washington, American officials are saying the economic deal, if implemented, would itself provide a measure of security to Ukraine through the presence of U.S. investments on its territory.

On Wednesday, Trump said the U.S. working on mineral extraction in Ukraine would amount to “automatic security because nobody’s going to be messing around with our people when we’re there.”

“It’s a great deal for Ukraine too, because they get us over there and we’re going to be working over there,” Trump said. “We will be on the land.”

That perspective is echoed by the text of the economic agreement, which says the U.S. “supports Ukraine’s efforts to obtain security guarantees needed to establish lasting peace.”

Washington, it continues, has “a long-term financial commitment to the development of a stable and economically prosperous Ukraine.”

Spike reported from Kyiv, Ukraine.

​ Orange County Register 

Update: Wind advisory for 5 Freeway corridor near Santa Clarita until Friday morning

• February 28, 2025

The National Weather Service issued an updated wind advisory at 2:42 a.m. on Friday in effect until 10 a.m. for 5 Freeway corridor near Santa Clarita.

The NWS Los Angeles/Oxnard CA says to prepare for, “East winds 20 to 30 mph with gusts up to 40 mph.”

“Gusty winds will blow around unsecured objects. Tree limbs could be blown down and a few power outages may result,” according to the NWS. “Winds this strong can make driving difficult, especially for high profile vehicles. Use extra caution.”

​ Orange County Register 

Design of California’s standard license plate will stay the same

• February 28, 2025

Q: It was interesting to read your column about the change in sequence for California’s license-plate numbers once 9ZZZ999 is reached. Will the state consider improving the look of the plates when the new series starts? For example, why use space on the plate for the DMV web address, which serves no purpose that I can think of? Why not use “Golden State” instead? And what about using gold as the background color? Does the state have any plans to improve the appearance of our license plates?

– Irv Jones, Brea

A: Sorry, Irv.

“There currently are no plans to release a new design for California’s standard automobile license plates,” Geovana Herrera, a Department of Motor Vehicles spokesperson, told Honk in an email.

That standard design, with “California” in red script above the license-plate number in blue, block letters and numbers, and “dmv.ca.gov” in red block letters at the bottom — all with a white background — has been around since 2011. Curiously, unlike other California plate styles, this one doesn’t have a name.

The website is on the license plate to trumpet the agency’s push to get more and more motorists to do their DMV chores online.

The series configuration you mentioned, Irv, began in 1980. It is still expected to run out later this year, Herrera said. At that point, a DMV official told Honk in the past, the sequence will be flipped to three numbers, three letters and a number.

Q: I recently bought a Tesla and purchased my car insurance through that company. It’s been a month and I have received no paperwork, but it is stated in the app that I have insurance through Tesla. Will the police accept the app as evidence of having insurance?

– Kurt Hubler, Huntington Beach

A: Yes.

It is clearly written in the California Vehicle Code that you can show proof via “a mobile electronic device.” That would include on a cellphone and on an iPad, said Duane Graham, an officer and spokesman for the California Highway Patrol out of the Westminster station.

“It could be in the app as well — you just have to present something to us,” he said. “I would just look at what is on the screen.”

In fact, the law protects drivers — officers are not allowed to look at other stuff on the phone without permission.

Officer Graham says it is about 50-50 on what he sees these days for proof of insurance, hard copies versus apps.

HONKIN’ FACTS: In California, there are 27 commercial airports, 170 hospital heliports and 189 other heliports for fire and police agencies, commuters and private use, according to a 2024 Caltrans report.

To ask Honk questions, reach him at honk@ocregister.com. He only answers those that are published. To see Honk online: ocregister.com/tag/honk. To see him on the social media platform X: @OCRegisterHonk

​ Orange County Register 

Are egg producers inflating prices during the bird flu outbreak to boost profits?

• February 28, 2025

By JOSH FUNK, Associated Press Business Writer

OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — Egg producers blame the bird flu outbreak for driving prices to record highs, but critics believe giant companies are taking advantage of their market dominance to profit handsomely at the expense of budget-conscious egg buyers.

Advocacy groups, Democratic lawmakers and a Federal Trade Commission member are calling for a government investigation after egg prices spiked to a record average of $4.95 per dozen this month. The Trump administration did unveil a plan this week to combat bird flu, but how much that might ease egg prices — a key driver of inflation — remains to be seen.

“Donald Trump promised to lower food prices on ‘Day One’, but with egg prices skyrocketing out of control, he fired the workers charged with containing bird flu. Working families need relief now,” Sen. Elizabeth Warren said in a statement.

What’s behind the record egg prices?

The industry, and most experts, squarely blame bird flu. More than 166 million birds have been slaughtered to contain the virus. Some 30 million egg layers have been wiped out just since January, significantly disrupting egg supplies. The Department of Agriculture’s longstanding policy has been to kill entire flocks anytime the virus is found on a farm.

As a result, the number of egg layers has dropped nationwide by about 12% from before the outbreak to 292 million birds, according to a Feb. 1 USDA estimate, but another 11 million egg layers have been killed since then, so it’s likely worse. When prices spiked to $4.82 two years ago and prompted initial calls for price gouging probes, the flock was above 300 million.

“This has nothing to do with anything other than bird flu. And I think to suggest anything else is a misreading of the facts and the reality,” American Egg Board President Emily Metz said.

“Our farmers are in the fight of their lives, period, full stop. And they’re doing everything they can to keep these birds safe,” Metz said. “This is a supply challenge. Due to bird flu. Nothing else.”

Farm Action suspects monopolistic behavior. The group that lobbies on behalf of smaller farmers, consumers and rural communities notes that egg production is only down about 4% from last year and some 7.57 billion table eggs were produced last month, yet some consumers are still finding egg shelves empty at their local grocery stores.

“Dominant egg corporations are blaming avian flu for the price hikes that we’re seeing. But while the egg supply has fallen only slightly, these companies profits have soared,” said Angela Huffman, Farm Action’s president. The Justice Department acknowledged receiving the group’s letter calling for an investigation but declined to comment on it.

The fact that a jury ruled in 2023 that major egg producers used various means to limit the domestic supply of eggs to increase the price of products during the 2000s only adds to the doubts about their motives now.

What do the numbers show?

Retail egg prices had generally remained below $2 per dozen for years before this outbreak began. Prices have more than doubled since then, boosting profits for egg producers even as they deal with soaring costs.

Most of the dominant producers are privately held companies and don’t release their results. But the biggest, Cal-Maine Foods, which supplies about 20% of the nation’s eggs, is public, and its profits increased dramatically. Cal-Maine reported a $219 million profit in the most recent quarter when its eggs sold for an average of $2.74 per dozen, up from just $1.2 million in the quarter just before this outbreak began in early 2022 when its eggs were selling for $1.37 per dozen.

Sherman Miller, Cal-Maine’s president and CEO, said in reporting the numbers that higher market prices “have continued to rise this fiscal year as supply levels of shell eggs have been restricted due to recent outbreaks of highly pathogenic avian influenza.”

But he said Cal-Maine also sold significantly more eggs — some 330 million dozens, up from 288 million the year before — in the quarter because demand is so strong and Cal-Maine has made a number of acquisitions. Cal-Maine also suffered few outbreaks on its farms, outside of a couple facilities in Kansas and Texas. The Mississippi-based company didn’t respond to calls from The Associated Press.

What about production costs?

Economists and analysts say the record egg prices aren’t a sure sign of something nefarious, and short-term profits might only last until farms get hit. Once a flock is slaughtered, it can take as long as a year to clean a farm and raise new birds to egg-laying age. The USDA pays farmers for every bird killed, but it doesn’t cover all the costs for farmers as they go without income.

“The consumer, I think, will probably feel like they’re getting the rough end of the stick. But I guarantee you, the farmers that are having to depopulate the barns, they’re having a rougher time,” CoBank analyst Brian Earnest said.

Inflation in the costs of feed and fuel and labor have contributed to rising egg prices, and farmers have been investing in biosecurity measures to help keep the virus away. So production costs also appear to be at an all-time high, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics’ producer price index.

“This isn’t a case where they’re taking the price up to gouge the market. It is the price is going up through auction at wholesale. And they’re benefiting from higher prices because supplies are tight,” University of Arkansas agricultural economist Jada Thompson said.

​ Orange County Register 

LeBron James, Luka Doncic help Lakers fend off Timberwolves for 4th straight win

• February 28, 2025

LOS ANGELES — The Lakers’ recent success, having the league’s best record since Jan. 15, has come in large part because they have consistently played with greater effort.

LeBron James had 33 points, 17 rebounds and six assists as they held off the Minnesota Timberwolves, 111-102, for their 16th win in 20 games on Thursday night, but the game illustrated the cost of consistently having to play as hard as they have.

The Lakers’ offense sputtered after a strong start, partly because the short-handed Timberwolves (playing without Rudy Gobert and Julius Randle) tightened up their defense. But the Lakers’ offense also stagnated, and they seemed to lack the energy to pull themselves out of the rut.

The Lakers shot 69.6% from the free-throw line (32 for 46) – an indication their legs were waning as the game progressed.

“You could certainly speculate maybe that the shooting woes are because guys are playing so hard defensively, maybe,” said Coach JJ Redick, whose team is now 15 games over .500 at 36-21. “I don’t know. I know we’ve had some good games [shooting the ball] where we’ve played as hard as we played tonight. So, it’s something we’ll monitor for sure.”

James and Luka Doncic (21 points, 13 rebounds, five assists) helped get the Lakers across the finish line after their 23-point lead was cut to four late in the fourth quarter. James and Doncic combined for 14 of the Lakers’ 27 fourth-quarter points and 10 rebounds in the final period.

“We know we could have been a lot better offensively, but, we’ve been hanging our hat on our defense,” James said. “And when you don’t shoot the ball well, you got to be able to get stops and they made a run. They’re a really good team. But we were able to execute after that, get some timely stops and were able to come on with the win.”

Minnesota trailed 92-77 less than three minutes into the fourth quarter before going on a 13-1 run. With the Lakers clinging to a 95-91 lead, Doncic made an off-balance 3-pointer (off an assist from James) with 3:37 left and the shot clock winding down for a 98-91 lead.

“The shots I made, the shots I miss, it’s just, I have no idea what’s going on,” Doncic said. “But when it left my hand, I knew it was good. So it’s weird.”

It was the only 3-pointer Doncic made (on nine attempts) as he shot 6 for 20 from the field, but the Timberwolves didn’t get any closer than four for the rest of the night.

Doncic’s father was seen in the stands covering his face after Doncic’s lone 3-pointer.

“He probably said, ‘Finally, he made a shot,’” Doncic quipped. “I don’t think he was impressed.”

Since joining the Lakers, Doncic is shooting 11 for 49 from 3-point range (22.4%).

“The big thing for me is you gotta go through a lot of downs to get to the highest point,” he said. “But it’s a big challenge for me, just getting back into my rhythm. Making those easier shots for me. And it’s a big challenge for me. And I look forward to it.”

Austin Reaves finished with 23 points (six in the fourth), six rebounds and five assists.

The Lakers scored 25 points in the second and 26 third quarters after having a 33-17 at the end of the first.

They led by 23 (47-24) early in the second but the margin was trimmed to 11 (58-47) at halftime after the Timberwolves scored nine of the final 13 points of the second, including back-to-back 3-pointers from Terrence Shannon Jr. and Anthony Edwards.

Edwards was ejected midway through the third after picking up his second technical foul of the night, with the Lakers leading 74-59, seemingly upset about a non-call.

After briefly carrying the ball around after being ejected, Edwards threw it into the front row seats on the baseline near the Timberwolves’ bench instead of giving it to the referees, triggering a delay-of-game violation.

Edwards’ second technical on Thursday was his 16th of the season, which means he’ll be suspended for one game if a technical isn’t rescinded.

Lakers forward Rui Hachimura left the game early in the third, coming up gimpy after dunking in transition and immediately went to the locker room. The Lakers ruled Hachimura out later in the quarter because of a strained left knee.

“We’ll get more information over the next 24 hours,” Redick said. “Concern when any guy gets hurt in particular one of our best players and a guy who’s been so important to everything we’ve done [at both ends of the court] this year. I’m not going to speculate on the severity of the injury. I’m hopeful that it’s nothing serious.”

Shannon led Minnesota (32-28) with a career-high 25 points and five rebounds off the bench and Edwards, who is fourth in the league at 27.3 ppg, had 18 points, six rebounds and five assists before departing. The Timberwolves have dropped three of four games and five of their past seven.

The Lakers return to Crypto.com Arena on Friday night to host the Clippers on the second night of a back-to-back. The teams will square off again on Sunday night, also at Crypto.com Arena.

These will be the Clippers’ first games at the downtown venue since they started playing home games at the Intuit Dome in Inglewood this season.

Doncic said he’ll be questionable for Friday after banging knees with a Timberwolves player in the fourth.

​ Orange County Register