State announces $125 million award to OCTA for coastal rail protection

• October 24, 2024

The state announced $125 million in funding for the Orange County Transportation Authority to help protect a key rail line through San Clemente, a big boost toward an estimated $300 pricetag for projects identified to safeguard against the sea that batters the tracks along a vulnerable coastal stretch.

Another $38 million is going toward San Diego efforts to protect the tracks, both funding awards announced by the California State Transportation Agency during a gathering held at San Clemente State Beach on Thursday, Oct. 24. The site overlooks an area where a reactivated ancient landslide and big waves did enough damage to shut down the rail line for months in 2021 and 2022.

Toks Omishakin, the state’s transportation secretary, said the funds are part of $1.3 billion throughout the state being announced for transportation improvements.

“It’s not very often that you get a chance to work on programs, policies and projects where you see the direct impact that it’s going to have on people in the communities that we’re serving,” said Omishakin.

The funds for the project will help stabilize and protect four sections of a 7-mile stretch of the Los Angeles-San Diego-San Luis Obispo, or LOSSAN, Corridor for the next 25 to 30 years, Omishakin noted.

“It is simply not an option to accept regular shutdowns of rail service in this section of the corridor as the status quo,” he said. “We can’t normalize the fact that this corridor routinely shuts down, and has to consistently fight every winter season or every rainy season to try to get it back open. We cannot normalize that. We have to get to a place where we protect these shores and protect this rail line.”

San Clemente City Councilmember Rick Loeffler said the funding for OCTA’s plans is a welcome surprise.

“You never really believe it until something comes to fruition,” he said. “This is surprising, we know that the state’s been in such a challenge for money and so the fact that they’re actually writing a check is just great news.”

Tam Nguyen, chair of the Orange County Transportation Authority’s board of directors, called it a “momentous, celebratory day.”

The 351-mile LOSSAN line is used by both passenger and freight trains. Pre-pandemic, there were 8.3 million annual boardings, Nguyen said, with 70 daily freight trains that moved an estimated $1 billion in goods along the corridor. There are 150 daily passenger trains along this corridor.

Landslides and damage from waves have already cost taxpayers $37 million since 2021 and caused five closures of the rail line, some lasting for months and preventing train travel between San Diego and northern points.

“Its importance cannot be overstated,” Nguyen said of the rail corridor. “Our goal moving forward is to work hard to find solutions, both short term and long term to ensure these trains keep moving.”

Protecting the 7-mile stretch, much of which is within 200 feet of the ocean, is essential and a key component to reducing gas emissions and providing sustainable transportation, Nguyen said.

A Coastal Rail Resiliency Study identified four hot spots in San Clemente that need to be immediately addressed, said Fifth District OC Supervisor Katrina Foley, also an OCTA board member.

“Today’s funding is so critical to helping us advance our most urgent projects and to help us protect the rail line for the immediate future, while we look to the long-term future,” Foley said.

The OCTA held earlier this year a series of public meetings on what projects its experts are looking at. Early plans called for about 500,000 cubic yards of sand replenishment and the placement of large boulders and catchment walls to protect the tracks from waves and an eroding shoreline on one side and landslides on the other.

A half-mile-long catchment wall is proposed near last year’s landslide at the Mariposa Bridg, as well as using more boulders on the beach side to keep waves from crashing on the tracks.

There would be an “engineered revetment” on the south end of town and more rocks added at San Clemente State Beach, and rocks and sand added at the north end of the beach town.

The cost for the projects has been estimated at about $300 million, according to OCTA officials.

In addition to the state’s $125 million check, about $50 million has already been committed from other sources, officials said, and the OCTA is awaiting word on requests for $133 million in federal funding.

OCTA CEO Darrell E. Johnson said a “holistic approach” will be looked at for keeping debris from falling on the tracks from the inland side and how to protect the line from the sea using both sand and rock.

“They have to work together. We’re in the early stages of specifics,” he said, noting that permits from regulatory agencies need to be obtained.  “But more importantly, we want to do it in a way that makes sense for everyone … it’s going to take a little bit of time to get it right, but it’s important to get it right.”

A project timeline aims at earning project approval in January, with contract for designing and building secured by July 2026. Construction could be complete by the end of 2027.

Related Articles

​ Orange County Register 

Justin Herbert says Chargers still seek offensive identity

• October 24, 2024

EL SEGUNDO — Greg Roman made his intentions clear almost from the moment he was hired as the Chargers’ offensive coordinator. He asked reporters if they could imagine quarterback Justin Herbert’s standout passing accompanied by a complementary running game in the 2024 season and beyond?

No, the reporters joked among themselves later.

They couldn’t imagine it because they had never seen it during the current pass-heavy era.

The Chargers’ determination to deploy a sound ground game for this season was admirable, and it has had its moments of success, as when running back J.K. Dobbins began the season with consecutive games of 100 yards rushing or more. But there have been an almost equal number of misses, too.

Herbert said Wednesday the Chargers are still in search of their offensive identity. Roman agreed wholeheartedly Thursday.

“Oh yeah, it’s a complete evolutionary process,” Roman said. “I said it Week 1, Week 2, probably, we’re going to evolve as the season goes on, as guys are in and out of the lineup, as guys get healthy who weren’t healthy, it’s going to change. The profile is going to change. What we do is going to change.”

“I don’t think we’ve nailed down that identity yet. In order to do that, it takes real consistency week in and week out. That’s what we’re building toward. I don’t think when you start a new program, it just jumps out. I can remember when we started in San Francisco, five weeks in, there was some rough-looking stuff.

“It takes a while, the chemistry, the offensive line playing together, quarterbacks and receivers playing together, practicing — all that stuff adds up. You’re trying to get better every day, every week. We just have to clean up some things from the other night. One more play and the questions are different.”

In fact, as it stands now, the Chargers’ identity could change from possession to possession depending on the circumstances. That much was evident during their 17-15 loss Monday night to the Arizona Cardinals when it was apparent the passing game was hot and the ground game was not.

Herbert ended up throwing for a season-high 349 yards, completing 27 of 39 passes.

The Chargers combined to rush for only 59 yards on 22 carries.

Neither the passing nor the ground games produced a touchdown, however.

The Chargers’ points came via five field goals from Cameron Dicker.

“We didn’t run the ball as well as we would have liked,” Herbert said. “Everyone is still getting settled in. We’re still finding our identity on offense, so as long as we’re able to do that and put everything together, whether it’s the run game and pass game married together, I still think we’re finding our way.”

LESSON LEARNED?

No question, rookie cornerback Cam Hart’s unnecessary roughing penalty that prolonged what turned out to be the Cardinals’ winning drive Monday night was “devastating,” as safety Derwin James Jr. put it after the game. It gave the Cardinals a free first down and 15 additional yards after an incomplete pass.

Defensive coordinator Jesse Minter said he had a simple message for Hart.

Related Articles

“We believe in you,” Minter said. “Let’s move on, and we’ve got a lot of faith in Cam Hart. You have to be very cognizant of the angle you go in (to tackle) with your head. That’s at all levels of football now, so it’s not new to the NFL, it’s not new to those types of plays. Guys have been getting ejected from games in college for that play for a while now. It’s not like, ‘Oh, I can’t believe they called this (penalty).’

“That’s going to be called. There’s a lot of different angles you can look at it from (on replays of Hart’s helmet-to-helmet hit on Arizona wide receiver Marvin Harrison Jr.). Some look better than others. Some look worse than others. There’s so many different ways to look at it. It’s one of those things that happens. You can’t change it right at the moment. You can only control how you respond to things like that.”

​ Orange County Register 

How the San Quentin prison baseball team sent one player to the pros

• October 24, 2024

On Saturday mornings during baseball season at the San Quentin prison yard, 22 incarcerated athletes ditch their prison clothes to slip on black and orange baseball uniforms, a gift from the San Francisco Giants.

The prisoners hit, pitch, catch and throw like elite athletes. Some of them actually are. And were it not for the razor wire-topped wall standing between the ballfield and the peak of Mount Tamalpais on the horizon, a visitor might briefly forget they’re inside a prison.

This is the San Quentin Field of Dreams, a baseball field at California’s oldest prison and the home field for what’s believed to be the only prison baseball team in the U.S., a tradition that dates back a century.

“For three hours a couple of times a week, I’m not in prison, I’m on the baseball field,” said Martin DeWitt, a volunteer equipment manager who’s been with the San Quentin team since 2021.

San Quentin Giants’ Carrington “The Natural” Russelle (22), left, and San Quentin Giants’ Anthony T-tone Denard (21), right, laugh during a baseball game at San Quentin Rehabilitation Center in San Quentin, Calif., on Saturday, Sept. 28, 2024. (Shae Hammond/Bay Area News Group)

Roster spots are difficult to come by; about 65 men compete for the 22 uniforms.

RELATED: The Warriors visit San Quentin: Humanity, storytelling and sports

The team is regularly coached by Richard Williams, who has been incarcerated for more than 30 years, with help from a volunteer, San Francisco resident Steve Reichardt. The team exclusively plays home games, but any competitive men’s team can visit the prison and take a whack at the San Quentin Giants.

Most of those teams will lose.

“They’re so fast and have so much power,” said James Stapleton, who plays for the Bay Area Vintage League, which visits San Quentin each year. (And lost 7-4 last month.) “They’re so grateful and gracious. Getting to know them on the field, laughing with them, getting stuck in a pickle, hugging afterwards when you’re out, it’s a very humanizing experience.”

The San Quentin Giants high-five each other after a baseball game at San Quentin Rehabilitation Center in San Quentin, Calif., on Saturday, Sept. 28, 2024. (Shae Hammond/Bay Area News Group)

Just five years ago, the team rattled off 33 straight wins and finished 38-2 as the “greatest incarcerated team ever,” said Reichardt, now in his 16th year as the coach.

It was an unforgettable season. And it launched a second chance for one young man, Austin Thurman, who dreamed of getting his life back on track, getting out of prison and perhaps one day playing professional baseball.

Thurman grew up in the Sacramento suburbs as a boy who didn’t fit in. Living in a predominantly white neighborhood, he felt too Black. When he moved to a predominantly Black high school, he didn’t feel Black enough. He began skipping lunch just to avoid sitting by himself.

But there was one way Thurman found he could fit in: playing sports at Inderkum High and “chasing that high of acceptance.”

After high school, he played baseball at two junior colleges, but was kicked off those teams after run-ins with the law for robbery and possession of a weapon.

But in 2016, Thurman was arrested after an altercation in Grass Valley ended with an 18-year-old being shot in the head. Convicted as an accessory to attempted murder, the 19-year-old Thurman was sentenced to four years at San Quentin.

“Every day, I’d go through my day, go back in my cell, reflect, talk to myself: ‘What’d you do wrong and how could you do better?’” he recalled.

REALTED: San Quentin’s newest arrival — nation’s first prison film festival

Thurman discovered that San Quentin had a baseball team, when he noticed a few guys carrying gloves. He tried out and made the team.

“It gave you a chance to be free, to play the game you loved,” he said. “It gives you a reason to do better.”

Thurman became the star center fielder on the squad that won 33 straight games.

“Having that brotherhood, having people depend on you, it was more than just a game,” he said.

When Thurman finished his sentence in 2020, he moved to Houston to reunite with his dad, Leon — and he tried out for the independent Pecos Spring League.

Former San Quentin inmate Austin Thurman (right) with his dad, Leon, before a professional game with New Mexico’s Roswell Invaders in 2021 (courtesy Austin Thurman).

League commissioner Andrew Dunn noticed him right away, although he didn’t know his story.

“Here’s a guy who can play,” Dunn recalled thinking.

By the time he learned of Thurman’s past, Dunn was already committed to helping him. He guided Thurman, who signed first with Texas’ Galveston Sea Lions and later joined New Mexico’s Roswell Invaders.

Thurman had done the unthinkable: gone from San Quentin prison to professional baseball. He lived with a host family and earned just $50 to $100 a week, but he was leading the league, hitting .313 with six home runs and 36 stolen bases in 47 games.

”Everyone said he was going to win a triple crown,” Dunn said.  “He’s one hell of a player.”

But at age 23, Thurman said, “I felt like I was extremely old. These guys are coming from high school, college ball. I’m competing and doing better than most, but to make it to the next level, you need to be fully committed.”

Thurman retired from baseball at the end of that season to focus on finding a career and supporting his newborn daughter. After applying, interviewing and ultimately being rejected for 15 jobs, when background checks revealed his past, Thurman finally found steady work as a truck driver.

Giving up on his baseball dreams hurt, of course. “I knew in my heart that if I (had) stayed on the right track when I was younger, if I trained like that growing up…” he said.

Looking back now, Thurman isn’t sure he would have made it out of prison, if it wasn’t for the San Quentin baseball team.

“I would’ve had a lot more time on my hands, and I could’ve been doing stuff I shouldn’t have been doing,” he said. “The people in there serving a lot of time need those activities.”

Branden Terrell, a teammate at San Quentin who served a decade for voluntary manslaughter, was released in 2022 and helped organize the partnership with the San Francisco Giants, who now sponsor the team, provide equipment and occasionally visit.

The San Quentin Giants line up to play a baseball game against a group of players from the Bay Area Vintage Base Ball League at San Quentin Rehabilitation Center in San Quentin, Calif., on Saturday, Sept. 28, 2024. (Shae Hammond/Bay Area News Group)

“That baseball program changed my life, gave me purpose and value,” said Terrell, now a father of five.

Related Articles

This season, the San Quentin Giants are 20-9-3 with just one game remaining and dreams that endure.

“Something unique happens on this team, beginning from tryouts,” said shortstop Carrington Russelle. “We get out here, and we have a blast. But there’s so much that we learn out here on the field that is immediately transferable to everyday life.

“This team is full of men that are growing, that have made horrible decisions, but are trying to rebuild their lives,” he said. “We can’t undo the harm we’ve done, but we can be a living amends going forward.”

San Quentin Giants’ Carrington “The Natural” Russelle slides into third base against San Quentin Giants’ D’wan Phillips, Sr. during a baseball game at San Quentin Rehabilitation Center in San Quentin, Calif., on Saturday, Sept. 28, 2024. (Shae Hammond/Bay Area News Group)
Prisoners watch a baseball game at San Quentin Rehabilitation Center in San Quentin, Calif., on Saturday, Sept. 28, 2024. (Shae Hammond/Bay Area News Group)
San Quentin Giants’ Patrick Poteat (11) signs a baseball that his team will give to Bay Area Vintage Baseball League team that play against them at San Quentin Rehabilitation Center in San Quentin, Calif., on Saturday, Sept. 28, 2024. (Shae Hammond/Bay Area News Group)
San Quentin Giants’ Angelo Meechi (18) throws the ball from the outfield during a game against Bay Area Vintage Baseball at San Quentin Rehabilitation Center in San Quentin, Calif., on Saturday, Sept. 28, 2024. (Shae Hammond/Bay Area News Group)
San Quentin Giants’ Aaron “June” Miles puts on his catching gear before a baseball game at San Quentin Rehabilitation Center in San Quentin, Calif., on Saturday, Sept. 28, 2024. (Shae Hammond/Bay Area News Group)
San Quentin Giants’ Martin DeWitt (27) talks with other prisoners during a baseball game at San Quentin Rehabilitation Center in San Quentin, Calif., on Saturday, Sept. 28, 2024. (Shae Hammond/Bay Area News Group)
San Quentin Giants’ Eli Guerra (5) speaks with a Vintage Baseball player during an alarm at San Quentin Rehabilitation Center in San Quentin, Calif., on Saturday, Sept. 28, 2024. (Shae Hammond/Bay Area News Group)
The San Quentin Giants gather for a team huddle before a baseball game at San Quentin Rehabilitation Center in San Quentin, Calif., on Saturday, Sept. 28, 2024. (Shae Hammond/Bay Area News Group)
San Quentin Giants’ Robert Nash (14) catches a ball during warmups before a game against players from the Bay Area Vintage Base Ball League at San Quentin Rehabilitation Center in San Quentin, Calif., on Saturday, Sept. 28, 2024. (Shae Hammond/Bay Area News Group)
The San Quentin Giants up on vintage baseball gloves before a game against players from the Bay Area Vintage Base Ball League at San Quentin Rehabilitation Center in San Quentin, Calif., on Saturday, Sept. 28, 2024. (Shae Hammond/Bay Area News Group)

​ Orange County Register 

Trump’s culture war meets historic era in transgender rights

• October 24, 2024

By Kelsey Butler and Maeve Sheehey, Bloomberg News

Sarah McBride is set to make American history as the first openly transgender lawmaker in Congress. She also steps onto the national stage in a country deeply divided over trans rights — a rupture set to widen if Donald Trump wins the presidency next month.

In the first half of October, Trump and his supporters released a barrage of television ads attacking rival presidential candidate Kamala Harris for her past support of transgender people, spending more than $21 million to air them during NFL games, college football broadcasts and in swing states, according to CNN. He’s also amped up the rhetoric around transgender issues during his rallies and made rolling back rights for the community a cornerstone of his campaign platform.

Yet McBride, the 34-year old Democratic candidate who is all but assured to win a seat in the House of Representatives for strongly-blue Delaware next month, said she plans to fight back against Trump’s fear-mongering by focusing on other issues — not herself.

“I didn’t run for office to talk about my identity,” McBride said in an interview at her Wilmington campaign headquarters.

To explain her thinking, McBride recounts her experience as state senator in Delaware, where she won bipartisan support for a bill banning ‘gay and trans panic,’ a legal defense that excuses crimes like murder and assault on the grounds that the victim’s sexual orientation or gender identity is to blame for the defendant’s violent reaction. In the end, every single Republican present voted in favor. How did she do that? Through gaining respect on other policy issues first, and offering olive branches across political divides, she said.

“We have to be willing to talk with and engage with people who hold positions that we might find personally hurtful or offensive,” she said. “That’s the only way democracy will logistically function.”

The fissure over transgender issues stretches beyond the walls of the Capitol building. A survey earlier this year of 2,000 Americans found that while most supported protecting transgender people from hate crimes and discrimination in their jobs, a majority also disagreed with allowing transgender athletes in sports and access to puberty blockers for transgender youths.

‘Smart politician’

“There is obviously an ongoing conversation that needs to continue around trans rights in this country,” McBride said. “But I think most voters aren’t really that concerned with other people’s bodies and other people’s lives. They’re concerned about their own life and they’re concerned about their own family.”

When asked about McBride, California Democrat Mark Takano — who in 2012 became the first openly gay person of color elected to the House — said “there’s no running away from your experiences” but “if you’re smart, you use your life experience, your lived experience as a point of leverage.”

“And she’s a smart politician,” said Takano, who also serves as co-chair of the Equality PAC, which has endorsed McBride.

Related Articles

McBride’s brand of bipartisan politics echoes Vice President Harris, who’s said she would appoint a Republican to her cabinet if she’s elected, promising to “be a president for all Americans.” It also breaks from the more progressive members of her party like New York Democrat Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, who has publicly criticized not only Republicans but President Joe Biden over a proposal that could limit transgender students’ participation in sports.

McBride is close with Biden, and has been credited with helping to shape the president’s view on transgender issues. Tackling the rising costs of housing, child care and health care, and securing reproductive rights, are among her biggest priorities. She plans to join the center-left New Democrat Coalition and the Congressional Progressive Caucus next year.

McBride isn’t naive to the idea that a Trump presidency means the fight for acceptance will get harder. A record 661 bills targeting the community were introduced by state lawmakers this year. Though only 45 have actually passed, Trump has promised more policies threatening the LGBTQ community if he’s elected, including outlawing gender-affirming care for minors and asking Congress to pass a bill “establishing that the only genders recognized by the United States government are male and female, as assigned at birth.”

“Depending on what happens in November, I could be entering a dumpster fire,” said McBride.

But people on the far right of politics — like Marjorie Taylor Greene, who’s called the Delaware legislator’s campaign a “complete evil” — won’t be her focus.

“There are going to be certain Republicans who are going to be weird about me in particular,” McBride said. “They’re going to be off continuing their charade, their circus. They’re going to continue to be professional provocateurs parading as public officials. But I’ll be in the House working with Democrats and Republicans of conscience who are willing to collaborate.”

©2024 Bloomberg L.P. Visit bloomberg.com. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.

​ Orange County Register 

Drummond: Voter data gives multitude of insights

• October 24, 2024

Registered voters who marked and mailed their ballots earlier this month might have noticed they are receiving fewer election-related mailers and computer-generated telephone calls as the Nov. 5 election date approaches.

That’s because candidates and their campaign committees can purchase data regarding mailed-in ballots from the Orange County Registrar of Voters office for reasonable prices, ranging from $49 for a standard request to $98 for a special request.

Among the data available for purchase is a listing of returned ballots by specific contests. Candidates and committees can use this information to adjust mailings and phone calls to concentrate on voters with outstanding ballots.

Other data for sale includes a printable street index for a precinct, district or city, which is often described as a “walking list” that is used by door-to-door canvassers for candidates.

More data available for purchase are files of registered voters by county, district or city, with or without voting history, and voting records, with up to 10 specific voter registration records allowed per application. Costs range from $25 to $98.

Requests for data can only be made by “authorized recipients” of voter information who “are responsible for the security of all voter registration information provided through this request,” according to procedures outlined by registrar office officials.

Authorized recipients of the data are determined by a detailed application submitted by the person requesting the data. The applicant must explain how the information will be used, a requirement governed by state law.

“Any application that fails to refer to a specific, detailed intended use, will be rejected,” noted officials. A significant prohibition is “using the data to harass any voter or voter’s household.”

Other prohibitions: sharing or transferring data to another party without submission of a new application and permission from the registrar’s office; using data for any commercial, advertising or marketing purposes; and leaving data unsecured or publicly available.

According to the state’s election code, misusing the data is a misdemeanor offense that is subject to significant fines.

Deadline to file a statement of write-in candidacy for a non-partisan office was Tuesday, Oct. 22. Write-in votes for candidates who did not file a statement will not be tabulated.

* * *

Red Ribbon Week runs through Oct. 31.

A resolution by Placentia-Yorba Linda Unified School District trustees noted the week “is the nation’s oldest and largest drug prevention awareness program, designed to…foster a drug-free community… .”

Trustees further recognized participation in the week’s various school-related activities “as a critical component of the district’s comprehensive prevention and health education program.”

Yorba Linda’s City Council also issued a proclamation recognizing the week.

Jim Drummond is a longtime Yorba Linda resident. He gives his opinion on local issues weekly. Send e-mail to [email protected].

​ Orange County Register 

Striking CVS workers reach tentative agreement that boosts wages, makes health care more affordable

• October 24, 2024

The union representing CVS pharmacy clerks and technicians has reached a tentative agreement Thursday with CVS that includes higher wages, more secure staffing and affordable health care plans for members, bringing an end to a strike that started a week ago.

The bargaining committee will send the agreement to its members for a vote for approval.

“We are proud to announce a tentative agreement with CVS that we unanimously recommend to our co-workers. For the last five months, we have been fighting hard for a fair contract — from a strike to actions, delegations, rallies, petitions, and conversations with our co-workers and customers; we have shown the strength that comes when workers stand together for a better life,” the UFCW CVS Bargaining Committee said in a statement Thursday.

CVS workers picketed outside stores Saturday and Sunday. Bargaining sessions resumed Wednesday with a tentative agreement reached Thursday.

“Our strength was on display this past weekend as CVS workers from seven stores in Los Angeles and Orange County participated in an Unfair Labor Practice strike to protest CVS’ unlawful activities. Striking workers received customer and community support and showed their determination to secure a contract reflecting the value of our essential healthcare services free from CVS’ underhanded tactics,” the bargaining committee said.

“We are grateful for the solidarity and strength our co-workers have shown throughout negotiations as well as the overwhelming support we have received from our customers and community members during our strike.”

CVS officials told City News Service that the stores remained open and continued to serve customers and patients during the picketing.

Union leaders said they were protesting what they call unlawful activities that have interfered with bargaining and prevented employees from reaching a fair deal. UFCW officials allege CVS has engaged in illegal surveillance of workers, retaliation for union activities and prohibiting workers from engaging in union activities. The allegations came amid continuing labor talks for a new contract to replace one that expired in June.

Related Articles

“Today proves that when workers fight, we win. We look forward to discussing the details of this agreement with our co-workers before we make our voices heard during the voting process,” the bargaining committee said.

According to the union, the average CVS clerk makes less than $20 an hour and can’t afford to buy insurance from CVS, a health insurance company. Pharmacy technicians, who are required to complete an extensive CVS Pharmacy Technician Training Program as well as satisfy all registration, licensing and state certification requirements, currently make only $24.90 an hour after five years, union officials said.

Roughly 3,500 Rite Aid workers in California have also voted to authorize a strike, and they could soon form their own picket lines if negotiations fail to produce a new contract.

​ Orange County Register 

Trump says he will fire special counsel Jack Smith ‘within 2 seconds’ if re-elected

• October 24, 2024

By DAN MERICA and ERIC TUCKER

WASHINGTON (AP) — Former President Donald Trump said Thursday that he will fire special counsel Jack Smith “within two seconds” of taking office if re-elected in November.

Trump was asked during a friendly interview with conservative radio host Hugh Hewitt whether he’d first pardon himself or terminate Smith to remove the legal cloud hanging over him as president. Smith, who was appointed by Attorney General Merrick Garland in 2022, has charged Trump over his efforts to overturn the 2020 election and his mishandling of classified documents.

“It’s so easy. I would fire him within two seconds,” Trump responded. “He’ll be one of the first things addressed.”

Trump, who regularly assails Smith and has suggested before that he would fire him if he were president, called Smith a “crooked person.”

Trump, if elected, could order the Justice Department to remove Smith, though he would probably not be able to do it on his own since Smith is not a presidential appointee.

When he was investigated by a different special counsel as president, Trump urged his then-White House counsel, Don McGahn, to press the Justice Department to terminate Robert Mueller. McGahn refused.

Smith has brought two federal cases against Trump. One, accusing him of illegally retaining classified documents at his Mar-a-Lago estate in Florida, was dismissed in July, a decision that Smith is appealing. The other, charging him with plotting to overturn the 2020 presidential election, has been delayed by a Supreme Court opinion conferring broad immunity for official acts made while president.

After Trump said he would fire Smith, Hewitt raised the possibility that Congress could impeach Trump over that move. Trump said he did not believe that would happen.

“I don’t think they’ll impeach me if I fire Jack Smith,” Trump said. “Jack Smith is a scoundrel.”

Related Articles

Democrat Kamala Harris’ campaign has sought to use revelations from Smith’s investigations into Trump against the Republican candidate. They released an ad earlier this month that featured video from the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the Capitol and headlines from Smith’s investigation.

“He knew what he was doing,” the ad shows on screen.

While Trump criticized Smith, he praised U.S. District Judge Aileen Cannon, the Trump appointee who dismissed the classified documents case against the former president in July.

“We had a brave, brilliant judge in Florida,” Trump said. “She’s a brilliant judge, by the way. I don’t know her. I never spoke to her. Never spoke to her. But we had a brave and very brilliant judge.”

​ Orange County Register 

Stay warm and pain-free with these top heating pads

• October 24, 2024

Which heating pad is best?

Back in the day, people could only relieve their muscle pain with a hot water bottle and Epsom salt baths. But heating pads have come a long way, and advancements in technology have provided plenty of new features for this wellness tool. Hot water bottles became less popular after the first electric heating pads came along, which gave users sustained relief from aches and pains without the mess. Today, there are all kinds of heating pads you can choose from.

What to know before you buy a heating pad

Types of heating pads

There are several types of heating pads, all of which have their pros and cons.

Hot water bottle: A hot water bottle is a rubber bladder with a threaded cap. If you want some substantial head for a smaller area, you can save money with these heating pads. However, they don’t hold heat as long as other methods.
Microwave heating pads: These are fabric bags filled with grains or microbeads. Consider this type if you want a pad for relaxation, muscle tension and occasional pain relief from cramps.
Chemical heating pads: These are small gel packs that heat up when you trigger a chemical reaction by shaking them or exposing them to the air. These are a great option if you need portable heat in a short amount of time.
Electric heating pads: These are perfect for those with chronic soreness in muscles and joints. These allow users to adjust the temperature and get the relief they want and include other features like timers, automatic shut-off and more.

What to look for in a quality heating pad

Temperature control

Hot water bottles, microwavable heating pads and chemical heating pads all have their drawbacks. You cannot adjust the temperature, and they inevitably cool down. An electric heating pad allows you to choose exactly how much heat you want for a sustained period. Budget electric heating pads might have only a few settings, while better electric heating pads have multiple options.

Automatic shut-off

The warm, toasty feeling you get from a heating pad can make you drowsy, which may cause you to fall asleep. Heating pads with automatic timers shut off after an hour or two. This is useful if you drift off to sleep or accidentally leave the heating pad unattended. It also saves you money.

Cord length

Some heating pads have very short power cords. Look for heating pads with long cords to avoid the hassle of wrangling an extension cord every time you want to use it.

Size

Each manufacturer has a different idea of what labels like XL and XXL mean. The best way to make sure your heating pad is the right size for your needs is to check the dimensions and not the label. Remember bigger is better, especially if you plan on using your pad on multiple areas.

How much you can expect to spend on a heating pad

Small electric heating pads and some microwavable pads cost $10-$20. If you want something with a few more size options, features and controls, you can expect to spend $25-$40. High-tech full-body heating pads cost as much as $2,500.

Heating pad FAQ

What setting should I use?

A. Therapists recommend you start at the lowest setting on your heating pad and gradually increase the heat as needed. The lower the setting, the longer the time you can use your heating pad.

How long can I use my heating pad in a single session?

A. Most manufacturers recommend using the highest temperature setting for no more than 15 or 20 minutes.

What’s the best heating pad to buy?

Top heating pad

Sunbeam Heating Pad with Auto Shut-off

What you need to know: This plush heating pad is eco-friendly and easy to use.

What you’ll love: It has four heat settings and shuts off automatically after two hours. It’s got a soft microfiber cover that is machine-washable.

What you should consider: Some people thought it was flimsy.

Top heating pad for the money

iReliev Weighted Moist/Dry Heating Pad

What you need to know: This gently weighted heating pad calms and soothes.

What you’ll love: This three-pound heating pad is clinically proven to reduce muscle tension by increasing blood flow to targeted regions of your body. It has an ultra-soft microfiber heating pad that is machine washable. It heats in seconds and has a two-hour auto shut-off timer.

What you should consider: There are only three heat settings.

Worth checking out

Pure Enrichment PureRelief XXL Electric Heating Pad

What you need to know: At 24 inches by 20 inches, this ultra-wide heating pad is large enough to wrap around your limbs or drape over your shoulders like a cape.

What you’ll love: This machine-washable microfiber heating pad is 60% larger than standard heating pads and has an extra-long nine-foot cord. The digital LCD controller has six heat settings to accommodate your personal comfort level and comes with a moist heat therapy option.

What you should consider: Some users don’t feel this heating pad gets hot enough.

Prices listed reflect time and date of publication and are subject to change.

Check out our Daily Deals for the best products at the best prices and sign up here to receive the BestReviews weekly newsletter full of shopping inspo and sales.

BestReviews spends thousands of hours researching, analyzing and testing products to recommend the best picks for most consumers. BestReviews and its newspaper partners may earn a commission if you purchase a product through one of our links.

​ Orange County Register