Obama's bid to deport children complicates immigration reform effort

President Obama's surprise request that Congress give him authority to quickly deport thousands of Central American children illegally crossing the border is likely to renew the on-again, off-again immigration reform debate that many Republicans had hoped to avoid.

The administration is asking Congress to approve $2 billion in emergency funding for beefed-up border security and assistance, as the children — many traveling without their parents under the mistaken impression that they will be allowed to stay — slip across the Southwest border. Amid a growing humanitarian crisis, many of the children are being sent as far away as California and Oklahoma for processing and shelter.

The request, expected to be formally made Monday, seems intended to blunt criticism that White House immigration policies have inadvertently encouraged the crush of youngsters.

But the proposal presents lawmakers with an unpleasant vote on whether to deport children, something the U.S. has historically resisted. It also would undo part of a bipartisan 2008 law passed under President George W. Bush that mandated certain protections for minors fleeing violence and poverty in Central American countries and other nations.

Some conservative lawmakers may decide, particularly in an election year, that deporting the children is an appropriate response that would send a hard-line message against illegal immigration.

But for many others, particularly Democrats and Republicans representing areas with large immigrant populations, the prospect of such a heart-wrenching vote could fuel arguments that the time has come for broader immigration reform.

"It's pretty sad if the one thing they pass this year is deporting a bunch of kids — not just deporting, but permanently rolling back due process," said Michelle Brané, director of migrant rights and justice at the immigration advocacy group Women's Refugee Commission.

Democratic aides said Sunday that the president's proposal would provide an opportunity to reopen the legislative debate. But passage of an immigration overhaul remains a long shot, given deep resistance from the Republican-led House; many consider the bipartisan reform package that passed the Senate last year all but dead.

Once lawmakers return from their weeklong Independence Day break, the White House intends to ask Congress to move quickly to address its latest border request, which it views as an "aggressive deterrence strategy focused on the removal and repatriation of recent border crossers," a White House official who was not authorized to speak publicly said Sunday on condition of anonymity.

On Tuesday, Secretary of State John F. Kerry will meet with the leaders of El Salvador, Honduras and Guatemala on the sidelines of the Panamanian president's inauguration to reinforce items agreed to during Vice President Joe Biden's visit to the Central American countries earlier this month, the official said.

Authorities have apprehended more than 52,000 unaccompanied minors at the Southwest border so far this fiscal year — about double the number from a comparable period in the last fiscal year. Many are fleeing violence at home, or reacting to false rumors that children and families will be given permission to stay.

Although no program grants residency to such migrants, in a strange way, the rumor has become somewhat true. After 72 hours, the Department of Homeland Security must transfer detained children to the Office of Refugee Resettlement, which is required to "act in the best interest of the child." That often means reuniting the child with a parent or relative living in the U.S. With the massive backlog in immigration courts, migrants can spend years in the U.S. before their cases are heard.

As the number of immigrants grows, U.S. lawmakers have reacted with a mix of partisan fervor against the administration's policies and, at times, exasperation over what to do next.

"I think, you know, we have to be humanitarian, but at the same time let them know that if they do come, they cannot stay here," Rep. Michael McCaul (R-Texas), chairman of the House Homeland Security Committee, said Sunday on CBS' "Face the Nation." "Otherwise, we'll never stop the flow."

Democrats who have pushed for the Republican-controlled House to take up an immigration measure after the Senate approved its bipartisan bill a year ago said the border crisis only amplified the need for Congress to act.

"We never give up," House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-San Francisco) said during a weekend trip to the border in south Texas. "There's still the month of July and, again, public sentiment is everything."

The $2 billion in emergency border funding to detain and process arrivals specifically in the Rio Grande Valley along the Southwest border will probably appeal to all but the most conservative deficit hawks in Congress, who tend to oppose any new spending. An administration official said Sunday that the amount requested was likely to rise.

But the administration's proposal to undo part of the 2008 law that provided specific protections for minors from countries with noncontiguous borders — all but Mexico and Canada — has already raised alarms, especially from the president's Democratic allies.

Under current law, children from Central American countries are afforded an immigration or asylum hearing, a process that smugglers, or coyotes, portray to immigrants as a permiso — permission to remain in the U.S.

The change sought by the administration means the children would no longer get that hearing. Instead, they would have just one opportunity to make their case to immigration officials as soon as they were detained.

"This is what's shocking about what this administration is asking for," Brané said. "Even under the Bush administration, before the law was codified, it was [accepted] that children shouldn't be put through that process. The idea was if you're going to put a kid on a plane, you need to think about that a little more."

Immigration activists said the White House's sudden strategy was little more than a quick fix to deeper problems that have been exacerbated by Congress' failure to act. It could also fuel the disenchantment of some activists who have dubbed Obama the "deporter in chief" in an effort to goad him into relaxing deportations by executive order.

Republicans say the rise in new arrivals shows the president's executive actions have become a magnet for immigrants. They point to his 2012 decision to give young adults who arrived illegally as children temporary permission to stay in the country as long as they are enrolled in school or have served in the military.

Others, though, say the broken system has left immigrants little choice but to take their chances with illegal entry if they ever hope to reunite with family members already in the U.S. or escape the poverty or wartime conditions in their own countries. The waiting list for legal entry can stretch for decades.

"It is incredible we're reacting from crisis to crisis instead of solving the problem," said Alfonso Aguilar, a Republican strategist who supports immigration reform and blames both parties for failing to pass legislation. "It is sad if they could reach an agreement on [Obama's latest request] but not anything else."

lisa.mascaro@latimes.com

brian.bennett@latimes.com

Twitter: @LisaMascaroinDC

Twitter: @ByBrianBennett

Copyright © 2014, Los Angeles Times

12.18 | 0 komentar | Read More

Obama's bid to deport children complicates immigration reform efforts

President Obama's surprise request that Congress give him authority to quickly deport thousands of Central American children illegally crossing the border is likely to renew the on-again, off-again immigration reform debate that many Republicans had hoped to avoid.

The administration is asking Congress to approve $2 billion in emergency funding for beefed-up border security and assistance, as the children — many traveling without their parents under the mistaken impression that they will be allowed to stay — slip across the Southwest border. Amid a growing humanitarian crisis, many of the children are being sent as far away as California and Oklahoma for processing and shelter.

The request, expected to be formally made Monday, seems intended to blunt criticism that White House immigration policies have inadvertently encouraged the crush of youngsters.

But the proposal presents lawmakers with an unpleasant vote on whether to deport children, something the U.S. has historically resisted. It also would undo part of a bipartisan 2008 law passed under President George W. Bush that mandated certain protections for minors fleeing violence and poverty in Central American countries and other nations.

Some conservative lawmakers may decide, particularly in an election year, that deporting the children is an appropriate response that would send a hard-line message against illegal immigration.

But for many others, particularly Democrats and Republicans representing areas with large immigrant populations, the prospect of such a heart-wrenching vote could fuel arguments that the time has come for broader immigration reform.

"It's pretty sad if the one thing they pass this year is deporting a bunch of kids — not just deporting, but permanently rolling back due process," said Michelle Brané, director of migrant rights and justice at the immigration advocacy group Women's Refugee Commission.

Democratic aides said Sunday that the president's proposal would provide an opportunity to reopen the legislative debate. But passage of an immigration overhaul remains a long shot, given deep resistance from the Republican-led House; many consider the bipartisan reform package that passed the Senate last year all but dead.

Once lawmakers return from their weeklong Independence Day break, the White House intends to ask Congress to move quickly to address its latest border request, which it views as an "aggressive deterrence strategy focused on the removal and repatriation of recent border crossers," a White House official who was not authorized to speak publicly said Sunday on condition of anonymity.

On Tuesday, Secretary of State John F. Kerry will meet with the leaders of El Salvador, Honduras and Guatemala on the sidelines of the Panamanian president's inauguration to reinforce items agreed to during Vice President Joe Biden's visit to the Central American countries earlier this month, the official said.

Authorities have apprehended more than 52,000 unaccompanied minors at the Southwest border so far this fiscal year — about double the number from a comparable period in the last fiscal year. Many are fleeing violence at home, or reacting to false rumors that children and families will be given permission to stay.

Although no program grants residency to such migrants, in a strange way, the rumor has become somewhat true. After 72 hours, the Department of Homeland Security must transfer detained children to the Office of Refugee Resettlement, which is required to "act in the best interest of the child." That often means reuniting the child with a parent or relative living in the U.S. With the massive backlog in immigration courts, migrants can spend years in the U.S. before their cases are heard.

As the number of immigrants grows, U.S. lawmakers have reacted with a mix of partisan fervor against the administration's policies and, at times, exasperation over what to do next.

"I think, you know, we have to be humanitarian, but at the same time let them know that if they do come, they cannot stay here," Rep. Michael McCaul (R-Texas), chairman of the House Homeland Security Committee, said Sunday on CBS' "Face the Nation." "Otherwise, we'll never stop the flow."

Democrats who have pushed for the Republican-controlled House to take up an immigration measure after the Senate approved its bipartisan bill a year ago said the border crisis only amplified the need for Congress to act.

"We never give up," House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-San Francisco) said during a weekend trip to the border in south Texas. "There's still the month of July and, again, public sentiment is everything."

The $2 billion in emergency border funding to detain and process arrivals specifically in the Rio Grande Valley along the Southwest border will probably appeal to all but the most conservative deficit hawks in Congress, who tend to oppose any new spending. An administration official said Sunday that the amount requested was likely to rise.

But the administration's proposal to undo part of the 2008 law that provided specific protections for minors from countries with noncontiguous borders — all but Mexico and Canada — has already raised alarms, especially from the president's Democratic allies.

Under current law, children from Central American countries are afforded an immigration or asylum hearing, a process that smugglers, or coyotes, portray to immigrants as a permiso — permission to remain in the U.S.

The change sought by the administration means the children would no longer get that hearing. Instead, they would have just one opportunity to make their case to immigration officials as soon as they were detained.

"This is what's shocking about what this administration is asking for," Brané said. "Even under the Bush administration, before the law was codified, it was [accepted] that children shouldn't be put through that process. The idea was if you're going to put a kid on a plane, you need to think about that a little more."

Immigration activists said the White House's sudden strategy was little more than a quick fix to deeper problems that have been exacerbated by Congress' failure to act. It could also fuel the disenchantment of some activists who have dubbed Obama the "deporter in chief" in an effort to goad him into relaxing deportations by executive order.

Republicans say the rise in new arrivals shows the president's executive actions have become a magnet for immigrants. They point to his 2012 decision to give young adults who arrived illegally as children temporary permission to stay in the country as long as they are enrolled in school or have served in the military.

Others, though, say the broken system has left immigrants little choice but to take their chances with illegal entry if they ever hope to reunite with family members already in the U.S. or escape the poverty or wartime conditions in their own countries. The waiting list for legal entry can stretch for decades.

"It is incredible we're reacting from crisis to crisis instead of solving the problem," said Alfonso Aguilar, a Republican strategist who supports immigration reform and blames both parties for failing to pass legislation. "It is sad if they could reach an agreement on [Obama's latest request] but not anything else."

lisa.mascaro@latimes.com

brian.bennett@latimes.com

Twitter: @LisaMascaroinDC

Twitter: @ByBrianBennett

Copyright © 2014, Los Angeles Times

12.18 | 0 komentar | Read More

Obama's bid to deport children complicates immigration reform effort

President Obama's surprise request that Congress give him authority to quickly deport thousands of Central American children illegally crossing the border is likely to renew the on-again, off-again immigration reform debate that many Republicans had hoped to avoid.

The administration is asking Congress to approve $2 billion in emergency funding for beefed-up border security and assistance, as the children — many traveling without their parents under the mistaken impression that they will be allowed to stay — slip across the Southwest border. Amid a growing humanitarian crisis, many of the children are being sent as far away as California and Oklahoma for processing and shelter.

The request, expected to be formally made Monday, seems intended to blunt criticism that White House immigration policies have inadvertently encouraged the crush of youngsters.

But the proposal presents lawmakers with an unpleasant vote on whether to deport children, something the U.S. has historically resisted. It also would undo part of a bipartisan 2008 law passed under President George W. Bush that mandated certain protections for minors fleeing violence and poverty in Central American countries and other nations.

Some conservative lawmakers may decide, particularly in an election year, that deporting the children is an appropriate response that would send a hard-line message against illegal immigration.

But for many others, particularly Democrats and Republicans representing areas with large immigrant populations, the prospect of such a heart-wrenching vote could fuel arguments that the time has come for broader immigration reform.

"It's pretty sad if the one thing they pass this year is deporting a bunch of kids — not just deporting, but permanently rolling back due process," said Michelle Brané, director of migrant rights and justice at the immigration advocacy group Women's Refugee Commission.

Democratic aides said Sunday that the president's proposal would provide an opportunity to reopen the legislative debate. But passage of an immigration overhaul remains a long shot, given deep resistance from the Republican-led House; many consider the bipartisan reform package that passed the Senate last year all but dead.

Once lawmakers return from their weeklong Independence Day break, the White House intends to ask Congress to move quickly to address its latest border request, which it views as an "aggressive deterrence strategy focused on the removal and repatriation of recent border crossers," a White House official who was not authorized to speak publicly said Sunday on condition of anonymity.

On Tuesday, Secretary of State John F. Kerry will meet with the leaders of El Salvador, Honduras and Guatemala on the sidelines of the Panamanian president's inauguration to reinforce items agreed to during Vice President Joe Biden's visit to the Central American countries earlier this month, the official said.

Authorities have apprehended more than 52,000 unaccompanied minors at the Southwest border so far this fiscal year — about double the number from a comparable period in the last fiscal year. Many are fleeing violence at home, or reacting to false rumors that children and families will be given permission to stay.

Although no program grants residency to such migrants, in a strange way, the rumor has become somewhat true. After 72 hours, the Department of Homeland Security must transfer detained children to the Office of Refugee Resettlement, which is required to "act in the best interest of the child." That often means reuniting the child with a parent or relative living in the U.S. With the massive backlog in immigration courts, migrants can spend years in the U.S. before their cases are heard.

As the number of immigrants grows, U.S. lawmakers have reacted with a mix of partisan fervor against the administration's policies and, at times, exasperation over what to do next.

"I think, you know, we have to be humanitarian, but at the same time let them know that if they do come, they cannot stay here," Rep. Michael McCaul (R-Texas), chairman of the House Homeland Security Committee, said Sunday on CBS' "Face the Nation." "Otherwise, we'll never stop the flow."

Democrats who have pushed for the Republican-controlled House to take up an immigration measure after the Senate approved its bipartisan bill a year ago said the border crisis only amplified the need for Congress to act.

"We never give up," House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-San Francisco) said during a weekend trip to the border in south Texas. "There's still the month of July and, again, public sentiment is everything."

The $2 billion in emergency border funding to detain and process arrivals specifically in the Rio Grande Valley along the Southwest border will probably appeal to all but the most conservative deficit hawks in Congress, who tend to oppose any new spending. An administration official said Sunday that the amount requested was likely to rise.

But the administration's proposal to undo part of the 2008 law that provided specific protections for minors from countries with noncontiguous borders — all but Mexico and Canada — has already raised alarms, especially from the president's Democratic allies.

Under current law, children from Central American countries are afforded an immigration or asylum hearing, a process that smugglers, or coyotes, portray to immigrants as a permiso — permission to remain in the U.S.

The change sought by the administration means the children would no longer get that hearing. Instead, they would have just one opportunity to make their case to immigration officials as soon as they were detained.

"This is what's shocking about what this administration is asking for," Brané said. "Even under the Bush administration, before the law was codified, it was [accepted] that children shouldn't be put through that process. The idea was if you're going to put a kid on a plane, you need to think about that a little more."

Immigration activists said the White House's sudden strategy was little more than a quick fix to deeper problems that have been exacerbated by Congress' failure to act. It could also fuel the disenchantment of some activists who have dubbed Obama the "deporter in chief" in an effort to goad him into relaxing deportations by executive order.

Republicans say the rise in new arrivals shows the president's executive actions have become a magnet for immigrants. They point to his 2012 decision to give young adults who arrived illegally as children temporary permission to stay in the country as long as they are enrolled in school or have served in the military.

Others, though, say the broken system has left immigrants little choice but to take their chances with illegal entry if they ever hope to reunite with family members already in the U.S. or escape the poverty or wartime conditions in their own countries. The waiting list for legal entry can stretch for decades.

"It is incredible we're reacting from crisis to crisis instead of solving the problem," said Alfonso Aguilar, a Republican strategist who supports immigration reform and blames both parties for failing to pass legislation. "It is sad if they could reach an agreement on [Obama's latest request] but not anything else."

lisa.mascaro@latimes.com

brian.bennett@latimes.com

Twitter: @LisaMascaroinDC

Twitter: @ByBrianBennett

Copyright © 2014, Los Angeles Times

12.18 | 0 komentar | Read More

Dodgers lose two players during otherwise productive game

KEY MOMENT: The Dodgers blew open the game in the second inning, when they scored six runs to extend their lead to 7-0. In one 10-batter stretch, nine Dodgers reached base, including Andre Ethier, who did so twice. But the inning was as painful as it was productive. Justin Turner strained his left hamstring on a run-scoring double, and third base coach Lorenzo Bundy sustained a calf injury on the same play. Hanley Ramirez injured his left calf as he scored on a single by Matt Kemp.

ON THE MOUND: Zack Greinke made what was arguably his best start in the more than a month, limiting the Cardinals to one run and four hits over seven innings. He struck out 10 and walked none. The Dodgers were leading, 7-0, when he served up a solo home run to Matt Carpenter in the third inning. This marked the 32nd consecutive game for the Dodgers in which their starting pitcher walked two or fewer batters. The streak is the longest in the National League since at least 1914, according to Stats LLC.

AT THE PLATE: Dee Gordon remained on a hot streak, going three for five with two doubles, a run scored and a run batted in. Four other Dodgers had multi-hit games: Yasiel Puig, Kemp, Ethier and A.J. Ellis.

UP NEXT: Clayton Kershaw (8-2, 2.24 ERA) will face the Cardinals and Shelby Miller (7-6, 3.75) at Dodger Stadium on Sunday at 1 p.m. On the air: TV: SportsNet LA. Radio: 570, 1020.

KEY MOMENT: The Dodgers blew open the game in the second inning, when they scored six runs to extend their lead to 7-0. In one 10-batter stretch, nine Dodgers reached base, including Andre Ethier, who did so twice. But the inning was as painful as it was productive. Justin Turner strained his left hamstring on a run-scoring double, and third base coach Lorenzo Bundy sustained a calf injury on the same play. Hanley Ramirez injured his left calf as he scored on a single by Matt Kemp.

Copyright © 2014, Los Angeles Times

12.18 | 0 komentar | Read More

Baseball notes: Bryce Harper hits three home runs in rehab game

Washington outfielder Bryce Harper hit three home runs and drove in five runs Saturday for double-A Harrisburg in a minor league rehabilitation game against Akron. The Nationals are optimistic the 2012 NL rookie of the year, on the disabled list since April because of a torn ligament in his left thumb, will return early next week.

Etc.

Pittsburgh pitcher Gerrit Cole, on the DL since June 4 because of right shoulder fatigue, was activated and started against the Mets, giving up all New York's runs in four innings as the Pirates lost, 5-3. . . . Yankees left-hander CC Sabathia, on the DL since May 11 because of right knee inflammation, allowed two runs and three hits over 2 1/3 innings for Class-A Tampa in his first rehab game. . . . Oakland right fielder Josh Reddick re-aggravated a right knee injury and left Saturday's game at Miami in the fourth inning. . . . Boston promoted it top prospect, outfielder Mookie Betts, from Pawtucket, and sent right-hander Rubby De La Rosa to the triple-A club. Betts is expected to make his major league debut Sunday night in Yankee Stadium.

Copyright © 2014, Los Angeles Times

12.18 | 0 komentar | Read More

Dodgers lose two players during otherwise productive game

KEY MOMENT: The Dodgers blew open the game in the second inning, when they scored six runs to extend their lead to 7-0. In one 10-batter stretch, nine Dodgers reached base, including Andre Ethier, who did so twice. But the inning was as painful as it was productive. Justin Turner strained his left hamstring on a run-scoring double, and third base coach Lorenzo Bundy sustained a calf injury on the same play. Hanley Ramirez injured his left calf as he scored on a single by Matt Kemp.

ON THE MOUND: Zack Greinke made what was arguably his best start in the more than a month, limiting the Cardinals to one run and four hits over seven innings. He struck out 10 and walked none. The Dodgers were leading, 7-0, when he served up a solo home run to Matt Carpenter in the third inning. This marked the 32nd consecutive game for the Dodgers in which their starting pitcher walked two or fewer batters. The streak is the longest in the National League since at least 1914, according to Stats LLC.

AT THE PLATE: Dee Gordon remained on a hot streak, going three for five with two doubles, a run scored and a run batted in. Four other Dodgers had multi-hit games: Yasiel Puig, Kemp, Ethier and A.J. Ellis.

UP NEXT: Clayton Kershaw (8-2, 2.24 ERA) will face the Cardinals and Shelby Miller (7-6, 3.75) at Dodger Stadium on Sunday at 1 p.m. On the air: TV: SportsNet LA. Radio: 570, 1020.

KEY MOMENT: The Dodgers blew open the game in the second inning, when they scored six runs to extend their lead to 7-0. In one 10-batter stretch, nine Dodgers reached base, including Andre Ethier, who did so twice. But the inning was as painful as it was productive. Justin Turner strained his left hamstring on a run-scoring double, and third base coach Lorenzo Bundy sustained a calf injury on the same play. Hanley Ramirez injured his left calf as he scored on a single by Matt Kemp.

Copyright © 2014, Los Angeles Times

12.18 | 0 komentar | Read More

Restaurant review: At Night + Market Song, just eat, don't ask

If you want to understand Night + Market Song, Kris Yenbamroong's new Thai restaurant in Silver Lake, you could do worse than to look at the luu suk, a puddle of warm pig blood, strewn with feathery Southeast Asian herbs, served in a shallow bowl. The herbs are fragrant, pungent and fresh; the bowl is made of tin, of a sort you may associate with Asian street food but that you can also purchase at Ikea. There are crunchy pork rinds, like Thai chicharrones, a scattering of toasted noodles and a tiny dish of sweet, honey-colored "MSG sauce" — the only MSG you will find anywhere in the restaurant, Yenbamroong claims.

To eat the luu suk, you mix the herbs into the soup, scatter the pork rinds over the top and scoop up the mixture with balls of sticky rice. It is actually fairly mild in taste, much less intimidating in flavor than it is in appearance, although your napkin will soon begin to resemble the aftermath of a knife fight. Luu suk can be a gruesome prospect even for the most jaded eaters among us. I have been eating with Ruth Reichl for more than 25 years, and this is the one dish I have ever seen her refuse to touch.

Is it authentic? Undoubtedly, although I have not tried the original. But the question remains: Whom is the dish meant to please?

The clientele at Night + Market Song is overwhelmingly non-Thai, and very few of them are likely to have grown up with a taste for blood soup. The flavors are pleasant but not especially vivid, at least compared with the intensely herbal catfish "tamales" baked in banana leaves, the red-hot jungle curry or the marbles of fermented Isaan sausage. Even in northern Thailand, Yenbamroong admits, this blood soup is rare; late-night sustenance for drunkards and gamblers. The expat hunger for a Hollywood version probably doesn't exist.

So is luu suk on the menu because the chef thinks his customers, appetites whetted at nose-to-tail restaurants like Animal and the original West Hollywood Night + Market, will love it? Is it a dish that exists to be Instagrammed? Does it enhance foodie street cred when you dine in a restaurant that serves warm pig blood, even if you personally wouldn't touch the stuff? Are you also happy to know that you could get an unbelievably stinky old-hen soup with shrimp paste in the style of Chieng Rai if you wanted it, or strong-tasting fried meatballs made with pork liver and blood, or bitter hand-chopped beef larb enhanced with raw liver and a bit of cow bile?

There are a lot of questions here. And you can bet that Yenbamroong, whose degree comes from New York University's film school and not from of a culinary academy, has thought his aesthetic of culinary transgression through. I like it a lot.

Night + Market Song may be the sparest restaurant in a neighborhood not known for luxury: an entry hall lined with chairs, a small counter that may turn into a bar when the alcohol license comes through, and a long, bare room, painted Mets orange, with a Cindy Crawford poster on the wall. The place looks like the rec room in a Downey apartment complex, needing only a half-broken pingpong table to complete its verisimilitude. There is a Michael Jackson shrine in the men's room and a parade banner in the hall. This is Thai restaurant as experimental theater.

You will find a few of the cheerful dishes that make the original Night + Market so fun — the delicious, fatty bits of grilled pig neck that Yenbamroong calls pork "toro," the sweet grilled chicken wings, the Chiang Mai-style khao soi noodles in a curried coconut broth with chicken and the crab fried rice. There is a kind of Bloomin' Onion version of papaya salad, with the shredded green papaya battered and fried instead of pounded, and served with the citrus and chiles in a bowl on the side.

The chef is liberal in his use of dried fish, bitter Thai herbs and all sorts of chiles, but it is possible, if only barely, to have an unchallenging dinner here. The pad Thai is hotter, more tamarind-forward than you may be used to, but it is still recognizably pad Thai. Slabs of pork shoulder marinated in condensed milk before hitting the grill come out sweet and moist, just blackened at the edges. The crisped rice salad, nam khao tod, is quite spicy, but the balance of tart lime juice and smoky chile, herbal sharpness and a hit of porkiness from the house-cured "Spam" is pretty hard to resist, as is the traditional grilled pork salad called "startled pig."

But you are basically going to approach the restaurant on Yenbamroong's terms, whether you know it going in or not. The crunchy, garlicky fried chicken thighs, perhaps the most accessible thing on the menu, are served with a fragrant, spicy northern Thai condiment made with roasted green chiles ... and steamed water bugs, which in this context taste more like an exotic herb than they do like insects. (You wouldn't know there were bugs in the sauce unless somebody told you.)

Instead of the user-friendly pad kee mao, fried rice noodles, at the Sunset Strip restaurant, there is something the chef calls "Bangkok mall pasta," an aggressively spicy dish of spaghetti stir-fried with toasted garlic, smelly chunks of dried fish and baby peppercorns still on the branch — the Thai equivalent of Italian aglio e olio and just as likely to haunt your breath for the better part of a week.

The most subversive dish on the menu may also be the most innocuous, a plate of rice fried with ketchup, frozen peas and carrots, the kind you used to get in your Swanson dinners when you were a kid, a handful of raisins and wiener blossoms — hot dogs cut so that they spread into pink, meaty flowers as they cook. Yenbamroong says that this is what you get with your drinks at strip clubs in Thailand. And it is too bad that the restaurant closes at 11, because khao pad American is exactly what you crave at 3 a.m.

jonathan.gold@latimes.com

Follow me on Twitter @thejgold

Night + Market Song

Authentic Thai or art project (or both), it's delicious.

LOCATION

3322 W. Sunset Blvd., Silver Lake, (323) 665-5899, nightmarketla.com

PRICES

Snacks, $7-$12; dips, $9-$10; soups and curries, $9-$15; salads, $9-$12; noodles, $9-$14.

DETAILS

Dinner 5 to 10:30 p.m. Mondays to Thursdays, 5 to 11 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays. Credit cards accepted. No alcohol. Difficult street parking only. No reservations. Takeout.

RECOMMENDED DISHES

Pork "toro," nam prik ong, Burmese vegan curry, crispy rice salad, catfish larb, startled pig.

12.18 | 0 komentar | Read More

Senate bill seeks to increase access to government records

Hoping to make some of the most significant reforms to the Freedom of Information Act in decades, the Senate has introduced bipartisan legislation — similar to one already passed in the House — to improve public access to government records.

The Freedom of Information Improvement Act, introduced Tuesday by Sens. Patrick J. Leahy (D-Vt.) and John Cornyn (R-Texas), would limit the most commonly used — and criticized — exemption to FOIA. The exemption, which critics see as vague and overused, permits government officials to refuse to release documents deemed to be part of any "deliberative" process.

The bill would also codify the "presumption of openness" that President Obama declared on the first day of his first term in office.

"Open government is the hallmark of a healthy democracy," Cornyn said in a statement. "And the American people have a fundamental right to know what their government is doing."

Given the gridlock in Congress and distractions of midterm election campaigns, prospects for passage this year remain unclear, but supporters said they were encouraged.

"It is a real bipartisan effort," said Thomas Blanton, director of the National Security Archive at George Washington University. "It represents a real possibility for actual congressional movement."

The 48-year-old act, commonly used by journalists and research groups, requires the government to disclose documents upon public request, but allows for exceptions, such as records that might endanger national security or reveal trade secrets.

The Senate bills targets so-called Exemption 5, which excuses records that are a part of a decision-making process, such as ones that could be a part of civil or criminal litigation, or policymaking. Many transparency advocates refer to the provision as the "withhold it because you want to" provision.

Despite Obama's promise to make government more transparent, in 2013 his administration cited "national security" to withhold FOIA-requested information a record 8,496 times, according to an Associated Press analysis of government FOIA requests. Agencies cited "deliberative process," or Exemption 5, nearly 82,000 times that year.

Nearly half — 50 out of 101 — agencies have not updated their FOIA regulations to comply with amendments Congress made to the law in 2007, according to a National Security Archive report released in March. Even more agencies — 54% — have not changed their guidelines to reflect Obama's 2009 directive.

The administration "hasn't had good control," said Nate Jones, the FOIA coordinator for the National Security Archive. "They haven't been able to beat that message into the FOIA shops" at government agencies.

Under the proposed Senate legislation, documents that agencies consider to be a part of a decision-making process would be subject to a public-interest balancing test. If the public interest in seeing the records outweighs the agency's interest in protecting the information, the law would mandate disclosure.

Additionally, any document created more than 25 years ago could not be withheld under Exemption 5.

The House version, sponsored by Rep. Darrell Issa (R-Vista) and passed unanimously in February, would set a six-month deadline for agencies to update their FOIA regulations.

Transparency advocates applauded the Senate for addressing FOIA's weakness, but warned that other disclosure obstacles remained.

"There is still the problem of over-classification," said Courtney Radsch, advocacy director for the Committee to Protect Journalists. "That's not going to be addressed by legislation, but it's a step in the right direction."

She noted that even if stronger legislation were approved, it's still up to the government to implement it.

rebratek@latimes.com

Copyright © 2014, Los Angeles Times

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Senate bill seeks to increase access to government records

Hoping to make some of the most significant reforms to the Freedom of Information Act in decades, the Senate has introduced bipartisan legislation — similar to one already passed in the House — to improve public access to government records.

The Freedom of Information Improvement Act, introduced Tuesday by Sens. Patrick J. Leahy (D-Vt.) and John Cornyn (R-Texas), would limit the most commonly used — and criticized — exemption to FOIA. The exemption, which critics see as vague and overused, permits government officials to refuse to release documents deemed to be part of any "deliberative" process.

The bill would also codify the "presumption of openness" that President Obama declared on the first day of his first term in office.

"Open government is the hallmark of a healthy democracy," Cornyn said in a statement. "And the American people have a fundamental right to know what their government is doing."

Given the gridlock in Congress and distractions of midterm election campaigns, prospects for passage this year remain unclear, but supporters said they were encouraged.

"It is a real bipartisan effort," said Thomas Blanton, director of the National Security Archive at George Washington University. "It represents a real possibility for actual congressional movement."

The 48-year-old act, commonly used by journalists and research groups, requires the government to disclose documents upon public request, but allows for exceptions, such as records that might endanger national security or reveal trade secrets.

The Senate bills targets so-called Exemption 5, which excuses records that are a part of a decision-making process, such as ones that could be a part of civil or criminal litigation, or policymaking. Many transparency advocates refer to the provision as the "withhold it because you want to" provision.

Despite Obama's promise to make government more transparent, in 2013 his administration cited "national security" to withhold FOIA-requested information a record 8,496 times, according to an Associated Press analysis of government FOIA requests. Agencies cited "deliberative process," or Exemption 5, nearly 82,000 times that year.

Nearly half — 50 out of 101 — agencies have not updated their FOIA regulations to comply with amendments Congress made to the law in 2007, according to a National Security Archive report released in March. Even more agencies — 54% — have not changed their guidelines to reflect Obama's 2009 directive.

The administration "hasn't had good control," said Nate Jones, the FOIA coordinator for the National Security Archive. "They haven't been able to beat that message into the FOIA shops" at government agencies.

Under the proposed Senate legislation, documents that agencies consider to be a part of a decision-making process would be subject to a public-interest balancing test. If the public interest in seeing the records outweighs the agency's interest in protecting the information, the law would mandate disclosure.

Additionally, any document created more than 25 years ago could not be withheld under Exemption 5.

The House version, sponsored by Rep. Darrell Issa (R-Vista) and passed unanimously in February, would set a six-month deadline for agencies to update their FOIA regulations.

Transparency advocates applauded the Senate for addressing FOIA's weakness, but warned that other disclosure obstacles remained.

"There is still the problem of over-classification," said Courtney Radsch, advocacy director for the Committee to Protect Journalists. "That's not going to be addressed by legislation, but it's a step in the right direction."

She noted that even if stronger legislation were approved, it's still up to the government to implement it.

rebratek@latimes.com

Copyright © 2014, Los Angeles Times

12.18 | 0 komentar | Read More

Violations surge after O.C. toll roads end cash option

Orange County's transition to making its network of toll roads cashless has now resulted in more than 13,000 violations a day — a figure that has prompted the toll agency to ease first-time penalty fees through the summer.

The Transportation Corridor Agencies closed down its tollbooths in mid-May in favor of a cashless system in which commuters would either use transponders or go online to pay tolls.

But that change appears to have caused confusion with some commuters, causing the number of violations to nearly double from the usual 7,000 each day.

"It was obviously more than we had anticipated," said agency spokeswoman Lisa Telles. "We want to educate the consumer on how to use the toll road."

To ease the transition, the toll agency is waiving a $57.50 penalty fee for first-time violators at least through Labor Day, provided they pay the toll within 30 days of receiving the violation.

Under the cashless system, motorists without accounts are supposed to pay one-time tolls online within 48 hours of their trip or be hit with a penalty.

"We're trying to make sure that first-time users are not penalized because they're just not familiar with the system," said Orange County Supervisor Todd Spitzer, who serves on two toll agency boards.

Before the changeover, the agency had been hard at work to spread the message among groups like the county's visitors bureau, hotel concierges and local residents, Telles said.

But apparently not everyone had gotten the word yet.

Drivers were pulling over on the roadside ahead of the tolls, trying to figure out how to pass through without getting in trouble, Spitzer said.

In Spitzer's view, information on the varied methods of payment have not been presented well enough for drivers who range from first-time visitors to daily users.

Even drivers who use the toll roads often, such as himself, may not be able to decipher it, Spitzer said.

"You can't possibly communicate all these messages simultaneously at 65 mph," he said.

Between now and Labor Day, the Transportation Corridor Agencies plans to monitor data and continue to make improvements. It will then evaluate whether a longer grace period is needed to ensure that drivers understand how the new pay system works, Telles said.

In the meantime, to further aid the transition, additional signs will be installed and messages will be flashed on the changeable freeway information boards. Ten additional customer service representatives are also being hired temporarily.

Spitzer suggested that a dial-in voice recording should be implemented.

Since the changeover, about 13,500 violation notices had been sent out daily, agency spokeswoman Lori Olin said. An estimated 250,000 people use the 73, 133, 241 or 261 toll roads each day.

Information about the payment options can be found on the agency's website.

emily.foxhall@latimes.com

Copyright © 2014, Los Angeles Times

12.18 | 0 komentar | Read More

A.J. Ellis takes a hit in Dodgers' 5-4 win over Royals

KEY MOMENT: A.J. Ellis, in the batter's box, turned his back to the mound. It was the eighth inning, with the score tied, 4-4. The bases were loaded. The ball was coming at him. Ellis realized the ball would hit him. He absorbed the hit by pitch, and his reward was the game-winning run batted in.

AT THE PLATE: Dee Gordon had four hits, including a triple. He also stole his 40th base — in his 80th game, getting to 40 faster than any player in Dodgers history except Maury Wills. No Dodger has stolen more than 40 in a full season since Juan Pierre had 64 in 2007. Matt Kemp hit his eighth home run — all off right-handers, for the right-handed Kemp — and Yasiel Puig tripled and doubled.

ON THE MOUND: Dan Haren delivered his shortest start of the season, giving up four runs and five hits in 4 1/3 innings. Haren gave up two home runs and has given up 16 this season, fourth-most among National League pitchers. Jamey Wright relieved Haren and earned the victory with 2 2/3 scoreless innings. Wright's earned-run average is 2.17; the 39-year-old never has posted an ERA below 3.00 in a full season. With Kenley Jansen used on four of the five previous days, Brian Wilson worked the ninth for his first save in two years.

RAMIREZ TO DOC: The Dodgers, not sure when shortstop Hanley Ramirez might return, plan to send him to team orthopedist Neal ElAttrache for testing and evaluation on Thursday. For the second consecutive game — and the fourth time in 14 games — Ramirez did not start because of an irritated joint in his right shoulder. Wednesday's game marks the eighth this season in which Ramirez has not started because of injury — four for this shoulder injury, three because of a bruised calf, and one because of a bruised thumb.

ROSTER MOVE: The Dodgers promoted first baseman Clint Robinson from triple-A Albuquerque and designated utilityman Jamie Romak for assignment. Romak, 28, batted .048 in his major league debut, with one hit and eight strikeouts in 21 at-bats. Robinson, 29, was promoted to serve as a left-handed pinch-hitter. He batted .309 at Albuquerque, including a .355 average against right-handers.

SHORT HOPS: The Dodgers expect to activate third baseman Juan Uribe on Thursday. Uribe has not played since May 20 because of a strained hamstring. … Outfielder Joc Pederson, the Dodgers' top prospect, is expected to sit out at least 10 days because of a separated right shoulder. Pederson is batting .319 in 74 games at Albuquerque, with 17 home runs and 20 stolen bases.

UP NEXT: The Dodgers' Josh Beckett (5-4, 2.28) faces the Cardinals' Adam Wainwright (10-3, 2.08) on Thursday at 7 p.m. at Dodger Stadium. TV: SportsNet LA. Radio: 570, 1020.

Copyright © 2014, Los Angeles Times

12.18 | 0 komentar | Read More

Violations surge after O.C. toll roads end cash option

Orange County's transition to making its network of toll roads cashless has now resulted in more than 13,000 violations a day — a figure that has prompted the toll agency to ease first-time penalty fees through the summer.

The Transportation Corridor Agencies closed down its tollbooths in mid-May in favor of a cashless system in which commuters would either use transponders or go online to pay tolls.

But that change appears to have caused confusion with some commuters, causing the number of violations to nearly double from the usual 7,000 each day.

"It was obviously more than we had anticipated," said agency spokeswoman Lisa Telles. "We want to educate the consumer on how to use the toll road."

To ease the transition, the toll agency is waiving a $57.50 penalty fee for first-time violators at least through Labor Day, provided they pay the toll within 30 days of receiving the violation.

Under the cashless system, motorists without accounts are supposed to pay one-time tolls online within 48 hours of their trip or be hit with a penalty.

"We're trying to make sure that first-time users are not penalized because they're just not familiar with the system," said Orange County Supervisor Todd Spitzer, who serves on two toll agency boards.

Before the changeover, the agency had been hard at work to spread the message among groups like the county's visitors bureau, hotel concierges and local residents, Telles said.

But apparently not everyone had gotten the word yet.

Drivers were pulling over on the roadside ahead of the tolls, trying to figure out how to pass through without getting in trouble, Spitzer said.

In Spitzer's view, information on the varied methods of payment have not been presented well enough for drivers who range from first-time visitors to daily users.

Even drivers who use the toll roads often, such as himself, may not be able to decipher it, Spitzer said.

"You can't possibly communicate all these messages simultaneously at 65 mph," he said.

Between now and Labor Day, the Transportation Corridor Agencies plans to monitor data and continue to make improvements. It will then evaluate whether a longer grace period is needed to ensure that drivers understand how the new pay system works, Telles said.

In the meantime, to further aid the transition, additional signs will be installed and messages will be flashed on the changeable freeway information boards. Ten additional customer service representatives are also being hired temporarily.

Spitzer suggested that a dial-in voice recording should be implemented.

Since the changeover, about 13,500 violation notices had been sent out daily, agency spokeswoman Lori Olin said. An estimated 250,000 people use the 73, 133, 241 or 261 toll roads each day.

Information about the payment options can be found on the agency's website.

emily.foxhall@latimes.com

Copyright © 2014, Los Angeles Times

12.18 | 0 komentar | Read More

Summer basketball as a shoe showcase

Basketball shoes take on a whole new artistic flavor during the summer months. If you want to see a display of color similar to what you might experience walking around a museum's rose gardens, come out to a summer basketball game and look at the shoes on the court.

During a game between Fairfax and Chino Hills high schools last week, 10 colors were on display.

Many were customized Nike shoes. On Nike's website, there are 15 different colors from which to choose: Flash Lime; Hero Blue; University Blue; Midnight Navy; Cool Grey; Pine Green; Atomic Teal; Game Royal; Court Purple; Gym Red; Volt; University Gold; Orange Blaze; Black; Geyser Grey.

For Nike's LeBron James shoes, you can add paint speckles in various colors.

People used to be embarrassed if they woke up groggy and put on two different colors of socks. Now it's fashionable to wear shoes of mismatched colors.

About the only color missing on the court is white. Fairfax Coach Harvey Kitani said it was at the turn of the 21st century that he can last remember his players wearing all-white shoes.

Fairfax point guard Lindsey Drew, who was wearing red Nikes, said of the shoe selections players make: "The brighter the color, the more they stand out."

During the season, most coaches require their players to wear matching shoes similar to their uniforms, but in the summer players get the opportunity to express their personalities on the court. Some of them like being noticed, judging from their neon-like color schemes.

On Monday at the Fairfax tournament, Donovan Ortiz of Lawndale made sure he was noticed by wearing pink Under Armour shoes.

"When I was playing, there were three options: white, black and gray," Chaminade Coach Todd Wolfson said.

Keisean Lucier-South, who plays for Orange Lutheran, explained the summer shoe spectacle this way: "It's mostly about fashion," he said, "trying to show off."

Copyright © 2014, Los Angeles Times

12.18 | 0 komentar | Read More

Summer basketball as a shoe showcase

Basketball shoes take on a whole new artistic flavor during the summer months. If you want to see a display of color similar to what you might experience walking around a museum's rose gardens, come out to a summer basketball game and look at the shoes on the court.

During a game between Fairfax and Chino Hills high schools last week, 10 colors were on display.

Many were customized Nike shoes. On Nike's website, there are 15 different colors from which to choose: Flash Lime; Hero Blue; University Blue; Midnight Navy; Cool Grey; Pine Green; Atomic Teal; Game Royal; Court Purple; Gym Red; Volt; University Gold; Orange Blaze; Black; Geyser Grey.

For Nike's LeBron James shoes, you can add paint speckles in various colors.

People used to be embarrassed if they woke up groggy and put on two different colors of socks. Now it's fashionable to wear shoes of mismatched colors.

About the only color missing on the court is white. Fairfax Coach Harvey Kitani said it was at the turn of the 21st century that he can last remember his players wearing all-white shoes.

Fairfax point guard Lindsey Drew, who was wearing red Nikes, said of the shoe selections players make: "The brighter the color, the more they stand out."

During the season, most coaches require their players to wear matching shoes similar to their uniforms, but in the summer players get the opportunity to express their personalities on the court. Some of them like being noticed, judging from their neon-like color schemes.

On Monday at the Fairfax tournament, Donovan Ortiz of Lawndale made sure he was noticed by wearing pink Under Armour shoes.

"When I was playing, there were three options: white, black and gray," Chaminade Coach Todd Wolfson said.

Keisean Lucier-South, who plays for Orange Lutheran, explained the summer shoe spectacle this way: "It's mostly about fashion," he said, "trying to show off."

Copyright © 2014, Los Angeles Times

12.18 | 0 komentar | Read More

Summer basketball as a shoe showcase

Basketball shoes take on a whole new artistic flavor during the summer months. If you want to see a display of color similar to what you might experience walking around a museum's rose gardens, come out to a summer basketball game and look at the shoes on the court.

During a game between Fairfax and Chino Hills high schools last week, 10 colors were on display.

Many were customized Nike shoes. On Nike's website, there are 15 different colors from which to choose: Flash Lime; Hero Blue; University Blue; Midnight Navy; Cool Grey; Pine Green; Atomic Teal; Game Royal; Court Purple; Gym Red; Volt; University Gold; Orange Blaze; Black; Geyser Grey.

For Nike's LeBron James shoes, you can add paint speckles in various colors.

People used to be embarrassed if they woke up groggy and put on two different colors of socks. Now it's fashionable to wear shoes of mismatched colors.

About the only color missing on the court is white. Fairfax Coach Harvey Kitani said it was at the turn of the 21st century that he can last remember his players wearing all-white shoes.

Fairfax point guard Lindsey Drew, who was wearing red Nikes, said of the shoe selections players make: "The brighter the color, the more they stand out."

During the season, most coaches require their players to wear matching shoes similar to their uniforms, but in the summer players get the opportunity to express their personalities on the court. Some of them like being noticed, judging from their neon-like color schemes.

On Monday at the Fairfax tournament, Donovan Ortiz of Lawndale made sure he was noticed by wearing pink Under Armour shoes.

"When I was playing, there were three options: white, black and gray," Chaminade Coach Todd Wolfson said.

Keisean Lucier-South, who plays for Orange Lutheran, explained the summer shoe spectacle this way: "It's mostly about fashion," he said, "trying to show off."

Copyright © 2014, Los Angeles Times

12.18 | 0 komentar | Read More

Dodgers' Zack Greinke is treated rudely in Kansas City

It took four years, but the good people of Kansas City finally got their chance to boo Zack Greinke.

His days were good ones here. The Kansas City Royals made him a first-round draft pick, stuck by his side when he asked for time off to treat an anxiety issue, beamed as he blossomed into a Cy Young Award winner in 2009. The Royals have not taken down the oversized, framed copy of the Sports Illustrated cover that proclaimed him "The Best Pitcher in Baseball."

The best pitcher in baseball wanted to play for a team that could play in October. Greinke said it loud and clear, and the Royals traded him in 2010. Four years have passed and still the fans remember the guy with the golden arm that essentially called their team a loser.

"Fans want people that want to be here," the Royals' Billy Butler said Monday. "I don't think they ever forgot that."

Greinke took the loss Monday, not the Royals. He gave up a season-high five runs in 52/3 innings, enough for the Royals to hang a 5-3 loss on the Dodgers.

The Royals traded Greinke to the Milwaukee Brewers, who got 49 starts out of him. The Brewers forwarded him to the Angels, who got 13 starts out of him.

And then came the big contract, the one Greinke had vowed he never would sign with the Royals. He got it from the Dodgers, for $147 million, at the time the most money ever lavished on a right-handed pitcher.

The Royals signed Jason Vargas for $32 million last off-season, and that was a big deal around here. Might the fans have booed out of spite, since the Dodgers play in an economic league in which the Royals cannot hope to compete?

"I don't know," Greinke said. "I was pretty rude on the way out. They have every right to be mad at me."

Any regrets?

"I didn't want to be rude," he said. "I felt I had to in order to get traded, and I wanted to get traded."

In his two previous starts in Kansas City as a visiting player, one with the Brewers and one with the Angels, he gave up one run each time. He said the fans treated him just fine both times.

"It's weird," he said. "I pitched good the last time I was here, and they cheered. I pitched good the first time, and they cheered. This time, they cheered when they announced my name, and they booed when I gave up the runs."

Might the fans be conflicted? Greinke wouldn't go there.

"I'm not a psychologist," he said.

On Monday, the Dodgers lost for the fourth time in Greinke's last five starts. He gave up 11 hits Monday, for the second time in four starts.

"I don't think he's been extremely sharp for three or four starts," Dodgers Manager Don Mattingly said. "He's still been good."

Greinke sounded reluctant to give himself that much credit on a night his fastball was working and his off-speed pitch, any off-speed pitch, was not.

"They didn't even have to respect it," he said. "It was like a favor if I threw them an off-speed pitch."

Here's the thing: The Dodgers, and their world-record payroll, are 42-36. The Royals are 40-36. Outfielder Lorenzo Cain and shortstop Alcides Escobar, two of the players the Royals got from Milwaukee for Greinke, each had two hits Monday.

History suggests Greinke made the right call here, if the rude one. The Royals have not appeared in the playoffs since 1985.

For now, however, the Royals are closer to first place in their division than the Dodgers are in theirs.

"They're playing good now," Greinke said. "You knew it was going to take time, and now is the time, it seems like."

Copyright © 2014, Los Angeles Times

12.18 | 0 komentar | Read More

Dodgers' Zack Greinke is treated rudely in Kansas City

It took four years, but the good people of Kansas City finally got their chance to boo Zack Greinke.

His days were good ones here. The Kansas City Royals made him a first-round draft pick, stuck by his side when he asked for time off to treat an anxiety issue, beamed as he blossomed into a Cy Young Award winner in 2009. The Royals have not taken down the oversized, framed copy of the Sports Illustrated cover that proclaimed him "The Best Pitcher in Baseball."

The best pitcher in baseball wanted to play for a team that could play in October. Greinke said it loud and clear, and the Royals traded him in 2010. Four years have passed and still the fans remember the guy with the golden arm that essentially called their team a loser.

"Fans want people that want to be here," the Royals' Billy Butler said Monday. "I don't think they ever forgot that."

Greinke took the loss Monday, not the Royals. He gave up a season-high five runs in 52/3 innings, enough for the Royals to hang a 5-3 loss on the Dodgers.

The Royals traded Greinke to the Milwaukee Brewers, who got 49 starts out of him. The Brewers forwarded him to the Angels, who got 13 starts out of him.

And then came the big contract, the one Greinke had vowed he never would sign with the Royals. He got it from the Dodgers, for $147 million, at the time the most money ever lavished on a right-handed pitcher.

The Royals signed Jason Vargas for $32 million last off-season, and that was a big deal around here. Might the fans have booed out of spite, since the Dodgers play in an economic league in which the Royals cannot hope to compete?

"I don't know," Greinke said. "I was pretty rude on the way out. They have every right to be mad at me."

Any regrets?

"I didn't want to be rude," he said. "I felt I had to in order to get traded, and I wanted to get traded."

In his two previous starts in Kansas City as a visiting player, one with the Brewers and one with the Angels, he gave up one run each time. He said the fans treated him just fine both times.

"It's weird," he said. "I pitched good the last time I was here, and they cheered. I pitched good the first time, and they cheered. This time, they cheered when they announced my name, and they booed when I gave up the runs."

Might the fans be conflicted? Greinke wouldn't go there.

"I'm not a psychologist," he said.

On Monday, the Dodgers lost for the fourth time in Greinke's last five starts. He gave up 11 hits Monday, for the second time in four starts.

"I don't think he's been extremely sharp for three or four starts," Dodgers Manager Don Mattingly said. "He's still been good."

Greinke sounded reluctant to give himself that much credit on a night his fastball was working and his off-speed pitch, any off-speed pitch, was not.

"They didn't even have to respect it," he said. "It was like a favor if I threw them an off-speed pitch."

Here's the thing: The Dodgers, and their world-record payroll, are 42-36. The Royals are 40-36. Outfielder Lorenzo Cain and shortstop Alcides Escobar, two of the players the Royals got from Milwaukee for Greinke, each had two hits Monday.

History suggests Greinke made the right call here, if the rude one. The Royals have not appeared in the playoffs since 1985.

For now, however, the Royals are closer to first place in their division than the Dodgers are in theirs.

"They're playing good now," Greinke said. "You knew it was going to take time, and now is the time, it seems like."

Copyright © 2014, Los Angeles Times

12.18 | 0 komentar | Read More

After nine-run third inning, Vanderbilt holds off Virginia, 9-8

Vanderbilt capitalized on Virginia starter Nathan Kirby's sudden loss of control to score nine runs in the third inning, then held off the Cavaliers to win, 9-8, in Game 1 of the College World Series finals Monday night.

The Commodores (50-20) can win their first national championship in a men's sport with a win Tuesday night.

Tyler Campbell continued his improbable breakout for the Commodores, doubling twice in the third inning. His second double came off reliever Whit Mayberry with the bases loaded to put Vanderbilt up, 9-2.

But Virginia (52-15) chipped away, scoring three runs in the third, two in the fifth and another in the eighth to make it a one-run game.

Adam Ravenelle came on in the ninth to get the last three outs for his second save of the CWS.

It was the highest-scoring CWS game at TD Ameritrade Park, which opened in 2011, and the most runs given up by Virginia since an 11-6 loss to Mississippi State in super regionals last year.

The nine runs in the third, off three hits, five walks and a hit batsman, were the most in an inning in the CWS since Stanford scored 11 against Florida State in the ninth on June 14, 2008, at the old Rosenblatt Stadium.

Jared Miller (7-2) got the win for two innings of relief of Walker Buehler. Kirby (9-3) took the loss after his shortest outing of the season.

The Cavaliers got back into the game on Brandon Downes' two-run single in the third, and Nate Irving's double and Daniel Pinero's base hit in the fifth pulled the Cavaliers to 9-7.

Vandy's John Kilichowski, a 6-foot-5 freshman left-hander making his first appearance since May 17, pitched a 1-2-3 sixth and seventh inning, but gave up back-to-back singles to start the eighth. After Mike Papi's sacrifice moved over the runners, Joe McCarthy's RBI groundout made it 9-8.

Virginia held the Commodores scoreless every inning but the third. That inning proved too much to overcome.

Things went south for Kirby in a hurry after he struck out Chris Harvey to start the inning. He walked Jason Delay on four pitches, gave up Campbell's first double, and walked Dansby Swanson to load the bases.

Bryan Reynolds' infield single drove in a run, and then Kirby issued the first of three straight bases-loaded walks — all while Whit Mayberry was warming up in the bullpen. By the time Mayberry came on, after Rhett Wiseman reached on an error, Vandy led, 5-2.

Of Kirby's last 50 pitches, 31 were balls. He walked five in the third inning after having never walked more than three in a game in his 18 previous career starts.

Buehler wasn't nearly as sharp as he was a week earlier when he pitched 5 1/3 innings of no-hit relief against UC Irvine. He gave up five runs on eight hits in three innings before Miller took over.

Virginia reliever Austin Young kept the Commodores from adding to their lead in the seventh, striking out pinch-hitter Nolan Rogers and Delay after they had gotten two runners on base with one out.

Copyright © 2014, Los Angeles Times

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'The Young and the Restless' wins a stream of awards

The 41st Daytime Emmy Awards might forever be remembered as the one with the online buffering.

The best in daytime talk, soap operas and news gathered Sunday at the Beverly Hilton Hotel for the annual ceremony, hosted by crude funnywoman Kathy Griffin. The #trendingtopic throughout the night was the online elephant in the room.

This year marked the first time that the ceremony did not air on TV. Unable to secure a broadcast home, the long-running awards show, which drew as many as 20 million viewers in its heyday, instead was streamed live online — which didn't go unacknowledged.

Eric Martsolf, upon accepting the night's first award for supporting actor in a drama for his work as Brady Black on "Days of Our Lives," wondered if his sons were "watching me on [their] iPads, but I know [they're] not."

Griffin, during a comedy bit later, calmed the rowdy audience by saying, "It's not even a real show; it's like Twitter. Relax." Sharon Osbourne, a co-host on CBS' "The Talk," meanwhile, encouraged folks to "throw up in a toilet" since the ceremony was not being televised.

But awards, bestowed by the National Academy of Television Arts & Sciences, were indeed handed out during the commercial-free webcast.

"The Young and the Restless," which led all contenders heading into the ceremony, took six trophies Sunday night, including the top prize as best drama.

Keeping its streak going, "The Ellen DeGeneres Show" took the Emmy for entertainment talk show.

"Good Morning America" won best morning show, and Telemundo's "El Nuevo Dia" won best morning show in Spanish.

In the legal showdown, "The People's Court" won its case. Steve Harvey left with two trophies: one as game show host for "Family Feud," the other for "Steve Harvey," best informative talk show.

Syndicated veteran "Jeopardy!" was named best game show. Elsewhere, Dr. Mehmet Oz tied for best talk show host with Katie Couric, whose daytime talker was canceled after two seasons.

Given the ceremony's platform, achievements in the online space rightfully received airtime. In the category of drama series with new approaches, online serial "Venice: The Series" took a trophy. "One Life to Live," the long-running ABC soap that made its short-lived move to online in 2013 by producer Prospect Park, won for its directing team.

"We faced many challenges working without a network infrastructure," said Jill Mitwell, one of the drama's directors. "We're certainly sorry it didn't last longer." Production was halted indefinitely pending a lawsuit between Prospect Park and ABC.

That was one of six Emmys that "OLTL" and "All My Children," another broadcast veteran revived online, won this weekend. Creative categories were handed out on Friday.

The Creative Arts Emmys honored PBS with 12 awards, six of which were for "Sesame Street." Nickelodeon wasn't far behind with 10 awards, including prizes for teams behind "Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles" and "Peter Rabbit."

yvonne.villarreal@latimes.com

@villarrealy

Copyright © 2014, Los Angeles Times

12.18 | 0 komentar | Read More

Hyun-Jin Ryu leads Dodgers past Padres, 2-1

ON THE MOUND: Hyun-Jin Ryu won for the sixth time in his last eight starts, limiting the Padres to one run and four hits in six innings. Ryu retired the first nine batters he faced. The run he gave up came in the sixth inning, when he gave up doubles to Chris Denorfia and Tommy Medica.

AT THE PLATE: Hanley Ramirez collected the first of his two hits in the first inning, after which he stole second base, reached third on a wild pitch and scored on a groundout by Adrian Gonzalez. Dee Gordon drove in the Dodgers' other run with a second-inning single.

MEDICAL REPORT: Juan Uribe asked for his minor league rehabilitation assignment to be extended, Manager Don Mattingly said. Uribe will play at least two more games with Class-A Rancho Cucamonga. The third baseman is expected to be activated during the Dodgers' next homestand, which starts Friday against the St. Louis Cardinals.

UP NEXT: Zack Greinke (9-3, 2.57 ERA) will face the Kansas City Royals' Jeremy Guthrie (4-6, 3.86) at Kauffman Stadium on Monday at 5 p.m. PDT. On the air: SportsNet LA. Radio: 570, 1020 (Spanish).

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Hyun-Jin Ryu leads Dodgers past Padres, 2-1

ON THE MOUND: Hyun-Jin Ryu won for the sixth time in his last eight starts, limiting the Padres to one run and four hits in six innings. Ryu retired the first nine batters he faced. The run he gave up came in the sixth inning, when he gave up doubles to Chris Denorfia and Tommy Medica.

AT THE PLATE: Hanley Ramirez collected the first of his two hits in the first inning, after which he stole second base, reached third on a wild pitch and scored on a groundout by Adrian Gonzalez. Dee Gordon drove in the Dodgers' other run with a second-inning single.

MEDICAL REPORT: Juan Uribe asked for his minor league rehabilitation assignment to be extended, Manager Don Mattingly said. Uribe will play at least two more games with Class-A Rancho Cucamonga. The third baseman is expected to be activated during the Dodgers' next homestand, which starts Friday against the St. Louis Cardinals.

UP NEXT: Zack Greinke (9-3, 2.57 ERA) will face the Kansas City Royals' Jeremy Guthrie (4-6, 3.86) at Kauffman Stadium on Monday at 5 p.m. PDT. On the air: SportsNet LA. Radio: 570, 1020 (Spanish).

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Longhorns beat Commodores, 4-0, in CWS, force rematch Saturday

Nathan Thornhill and John Curtiss pitched Texas' second straight shutout at the College World Series in Omaha, and the Longhorns forced a second bracket final against Vanderbilt with a 4-0 victory Friday.

The Longhorns (46-20) and Commodores (48-20) will meet again Saturday, with the winner advancing to the best-of-three finals against Virginia or Mississippi, whose game Friday night was suspended in the second inning after a lightning delay with the score tied, 0-0. Virginia and Ole Miss will resume play at noon Saturday.

For the second straight game, Texas pitchers didn't allow a runner past second base. The Longhorns have held opponents scoreless 19 straight innings and have given up four runs in their four games in Omaha.

Texas scored twice in each of the first two innings to lead 4-0, with a couple of the runs crossing the plate as a result of quirky plays.

The Longhorns are batting just .198 at the CWS, but have won three of four games.

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Longhorns beat Commodores, 4-0, in CWS, force rematch Saturday

Nathan Thornhill and John Curtiss pitched Texas' second straight shutout at the College World Series in Omaha, and the Longhorns forced a second bracket final against Vanderbilt with a 4-0 victory Friday.

The Longhorns (46-20) and Commodores (48-20) will meet again Saturday, with the winner advancing to the best-of-three finals against Virginia or Mississippi, whose game Friday night was suspended in the second inning after a lightning delay with the score tied, 0-0. Virginia and Ole Miss will resume play at noon Saturday.

For the second straight game, Texas pitchers didn't allow a runner past second base. The Longhorns have held opponents scoreless 19 straight innings and have given up four runs in their four games in Omaha.

Texas scored twice in each of the first two innings to lead 4-0, with a couple of the runs crossing the plate as a result of quirky plays.

The Longhorns are batting just .198 at the CWS, but have won three of four games.

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Longhorns beat Commodores, 4-0, in CWS, force rematch Saturday

Nathan Thornhill and John Curtiss pitched Texas' second straight shutout at the College World Series in Omaha, and the Longhorns forced a second bracket final against Vanderbilt with a 4-0 victory Friday.

The Longhorns (46-20) and Commodores (48-20) will meet again Saturday, with the winner advancing to the best-of-three finals against Virginia or Mississippi, whose game Friday night was suspended in the second inning after a lightning delay with the score tied, 0-0. Virginia and Ole Miss will resume play at noon Saturday.

For the second straight game, Texas pitchers didn't allow a runner past second base. The Longhorns have held opponents scoreless 19 straight innings and have given up four runs in their four games in Omaha.

Texas scored twice in each of the first two innings to lead 4-0, with a couple of the runs crossing the plate as a result of quirky plays.

The Longhorns are batting just .198 at the CWS, but have won three of four games.

Copyright © 2014, Los Angeles Times

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Health care for apes: L.A. Zoo works to help gorilla with valley fever

Veterinarian Cindy Stadler carefully pushed a 2-foot-long plastic breathing tube down the 360-pound gorilla's throat after he'd been sedated in preparation for a medical exam Thursday at the Los Angeles Zoo.

It was the first checkup of the year for Jabari, a 16-year-old western lowland gorilla recovering from a severe case of valley fever.

"The good news is that Jabari has finally turned the corner and is doing very well," said Curtis Eng, chief veterinarian at the zoo, as staffers tightened a tourniquet and shaved a patch of hair off the gorilla's massive right arm in order to draw blood samples. Jabari was sprawled on the concrete floor, his heartbeat steady.

The staff set to work, adjusting the flow of anesthesia while keeping a close eye on the digital heart monitor.

Putting any animal under anesthesia can be a risky proposition, yet Jabari has endured dozens of such procedures since he became the first great ape at the zoo to contract valley fever.

In late 2011, Jabari developed symptoms consistent with a bad cold: persistent cough, fever, runny nose, loss of appetite and lethargy. When he didn't respond to antibiotics, extensive testing revealed he was suffering from fungal pneumonia brought on by coccidioidomycosis, or valley fever.

Because gorillas share 98.5% of their genes with humans, they are susceptible to many of the same pathogens. And they often are treated with the same drugs

But Jabari was especially uncooperative and refused any oral medication. Zookeepers tried hiding it in bananas, papayas, oranges, and leafy vegetables.

"We even tried hiding it in oatmeal, mashed potatoes and cooked pasta doused in soy sauce and salad dressing," said Candace Sclimenti, senior animal keeper of the ape section. "No luck."

It wasn't long before Jabari was having serious trouble breathing. He lost a fifth of his body weight.

After consulting with veterinarians across the country and physicians who treat humans with the disease, zookeepers placed Jabari on a medication that needed to be administered intravenously after he was sedated.

"Jabari was immobilized 25 times over a period of about two months in 2012 to get him to start feeling better," Eng said.

Several months ago Jabari was put on posaconazole, a potent and expensive medication that he washes down with grape juice. He may end up taking it for the rest of his life, at a cost of roughly $17,000 a month.

In man and beast alike, valley fever is contracted by breathing fungal spores that are released into the air when soil is disturbed. The illness is prevalent in the desert areas of California and Arizona, but is rarely contracted in the Los Angeles area.

It is not contagious.

In most cases, contact with the spores results in lifelong immunity. In extreme cases, valley fever can cause death.

"We have a very limited array of drugs to treat it," said Lisa Shubitz, a veterinarian and associate research professor at the University of Arizona. "Since these drugs are only approved for use by humans, they are administered off-label with animals."

Toward the end of Jabari's exam, zoo staffers tucked their hands under the gorilla's arms, legs and head. "On three," Stadler said as they lifted him up and positioned him for X-rays.

A few minutes later, Stadler pulled the gorilla's tongue a few times, then checked the tracheal tube. "Everything good," she said, telling the others to leave through the enclosure's steel door before she sat down beside Jabari to monitor his emergence from sedation.

Three minutes later, the ape's hands and arms began to twitch. Stadler pulled the tube out of his throat and left the pen in a hurry.

Before too long, Jabari was back playing with his brother, Hasani.

"I hope he gets to live a long life and sire lots of kids," Eng said.

louis.sahagun@latimes.com

Twitter: @LouisSahagun

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Ole Miss holds off TCU to stay alive in College World Series

Will Allen drove in the go-ahead run in the seventh inning, Mississippi relievers held Texas Christian without a hit after Kevin Cron's homer in the fifth, and the Rebels stayed alive in the College World Series with a 6-4 victory Thursday night.

Ole Miss (48-20) will play Virginia on Friday night in a bracket final. The Rebels would need to beat the Cavaliers (51-14) on Friday and again Saturday to reach next week's best-of-three championship series.

It was the most runs allowed by TCU (48-18) in 16 games.

Allen, who was 0 for 8 in the CWS when he came to bat in the third inning, went three for five with three RBIs.

Josh Laxer (3-2) worked 22/3 innings of relief for the win, and Aaron Greenwood went the last 11/3 innings for his fifth save. Jordan Kipper (8-3), who relieved struggling TCU starter Tyler Alexander, took the loss.

Allen had a two-out, two-run double in the second for a 3-0 lead, the tiebreaking base hit in the seventh, and he scored an insurance run after he singled in the ninth.

Alexander, TCU's first 10-game winner in four years, struggled for a second straight start after winning six in a row. He gave up consecutive hits to start the fourth and left with his team down three runs.

Ole Miss starter Sam Smith lost his control and didn't make it out of the fourth either. Laxer came on with the bases loaded and issued a two-out walk to Cody Jones that tied it at 3-3. That marked the first time an inherited runner scored against the Rebels' bullpen in nine NCAA tournament games.

Each team added a run in the fifth, with Cron driving Laxer's high fastball 10 rows into the left-field stands for the CWS' second homer in 10 games.

Laxer and freshman Wyatt Short combined to retire nine straight after that. TCU threatened in the eighth, putting runners on first and second with one out. But Short struck out Dylan Fitzgerald, and Greenwood came on and got Keaton Jones to ground to shortstop, with Errol Robinson pumping his fist after throwing out Jones.

Ole Miss collected 11 hits and was four for 13 hitting with two outs. TCU, held to five hits, was 0 for 9 with two outs.

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Ole Miss holds off TCU to stay alive in College World Series

Will Allen drove in the go-ahead run in the seventh inning, Mississippi relievers held Texas Christian without a hit after Kevin Cron's homer in the fifth, and the Rebels stayed alive in the College World Series with a 6-4 victory Thursday night.

Ole Miss (48-20) will play Virginia on Friday night in a bracket final. The Rebels would need to beat the Cavaliers (51-14) on Friday and again Saturday to reach next week's best-of-three championship series.

It was the most runs allowed by TCU (48-18) in 16 games.

Allen, who was 0 for 8 in the CWS when he came to bat in the third inning, went three for five with three RBIs.

Josh Laxer (3-2) worked 22/3 innings of relief for the win, and Aaron Greenwood went the last 11/3 innings for his fifth save. Jordan Kipper (8-3), who relieved struggling TCU starter Tyler Alexander, took the loss.

Allen had a two-out, two-run double in the second for a 3-0 lead, the tiebreaking base hit in the seventh, and he scored an insurance run after he singled in the ninth.

Alexander, TCU's first 10-game winner in four years, struggled for a second straight start after winning six in a row. He gave up consecutive hits to start the fourth and left with his team down three runs.

Ole Miss starter Sam Smith lost his control and didn't make it out of the fourth either. Laxer came on with the bases loaded and issued a two-out walk to Cody Jones that tied it at 3-3. That marked the first time an inherited runner scored against the Rebels' bullpen in nine NCAA tournament games.

Each team added a run in the fifth, with Cron driving Laxer's high fastball 10 rows into the left-field stands for the CWS' second homer in 10 games.

Laxer and freshman Wyatt Short combined to retire nine straight after that. TCU threatened in the eighth, putting runners on first and second with one out. But Short struck out Dylan Fitzgerald, and Greenwood came on and got Keaton Jones to ground to shortstop, with Errol Robinson pumping his fist after throwing out Jones.

Ole Miss collected 11 hits and was four for 13 hitting with two outs. TCU, held to five hits, was 0 for 9 with two outs.

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Jury sees tape of deputies confronting FBI agent in jail probe

A videotaped encounter between two Los Angeles County sheriff's sergeants and an FBI agent shows a surprisingly polite exchange, even as the agent was advised that she would soon be arrested.

The one-minute piece of videotape played in federal court Wednesday is central to the federal government's case against the two sergeants, Scott Craig and Maricela Long. They and four other sheriff's officials are on trial on charges of obstructing an investigation into brutality and corruption in Los Angeles County jails.

Last month, the trial of a seventh deputy on similar charges ended in a hung jury.

Craig testified Wednesday that sheriff's officials were building a criminal case against FBI Agent Leah Marx and her colleague for providing a cellphone to an inmate informant at Men's Central Jail.

When he spoke to Marx at her house, Craig said, he was trying to tell her "where this was going, the seriousness of it."

The Los Angeles County district attorney's office declined to file charges against the federal agents, saying that it did not have jurisdiction over them.

Prosecutors allege that Craig and Long tried to intimidate Marx by falsely claiming they were going to arrest her. The wide-ranging federal investigation resulted in criminal charges against 21 sheriff's officials, including the seven charged with obstruction of justice.

In the Sept. 26, 2011, videotape, Craig and Long approached Marx as she arrived home. Craig told her that she was "a named suspect in a felony complaint" and that sheriff's officials were in the "process of swearing out a declaration for an arrest warrant for you."

Despite the subject matter, the conversation was cordial, concluding with a cheerful "Absolutely" and "OK, thanks."

Also on Wednesday, Assistant U.S. Atty. Lizabeth Rhodes played an expletive-laced audiotape of Craig criticizing the FBI's attempt to interview a corrupt deputy, Gilbert Michel, at Michel's home. In January 2012, Michel pleaded guilty to federal charges of smuggling a cellphone to the inmate informant in exchange for a bribe.

Craig testified that he was feigning outrage at the FBI as an interrogation technique to get Michel to warm up to him. But in cross-examination, Rhodes suggested that Craig's "disparaging" language encouraged Michel not to cooperate with the FBI.

cindy.chang@latimes.com

Copyright © 2014, Los Angeles Times

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Jury sees tape of deputies confronting FBI agent in jail probe

A videotaped encounter between two Los Angeles County sheriff's sergeants and an FBI agent shows a surprisingly polite exchange, even as the agent was advised that she would soon be arrested.

The one-minute piece of videotape played in federal court Wednesday is central to the federal government's case against the two sergeants, Scott Craig and Maricela Long. They and four other sheriff's officials are on trial on charges of obstructing an investigation into brutality and corruption in Los Angeles County jails.

Last month, the trial of a seventh deputy on similar charges ended in a hung jury.

Craig testified Wednesday that sheriff's officials were building a criminal case against FBI Agent Leah Marx and her colleague for providing a cellphone to an inmate informant at Men's Central Jail.

When he spoke to Marx at her house, Craig said, he was trying to tell her "where this was going, the seriousness of it."

The Los Angeles County district attorney's office declined to file charges against the federal agents, saying that it did not have jurisdiction over them.

Prosecutors allege that Craig and Long tried to intimidate Marx by falsely claiming they were going to arrest her. The wide-ranging federal investigation resulted in criminal charges against 21 sheriff's officials, including the seven charged with obstruction of justice.

In the Sept. 26, 2011, videotape, Craig and Long approached Marx as she arrived home. Craig told her that she was "a named suspect in a felony complaint" and that sheriff's officials were in the "process of swearing out a declaration for an arrest warrant for you."

Despite the subject matter, the conversation was cordial, concluding with a cheerful "Absolutely" and "OK, thanks."

Also on Wednesday, Assistant U.S. Atty. Lizabeth Rhodes played an expletive-laced audiotape of Craig criticizing the FBI's attempt to interview a corrupt deputy, Gilbert Michel, at Michel's home. In January 2012, Michel pleaded guilty to federal charges of smuggling a cellphone to the inmate informant in exchange for a bribe.

Craig testified that he was feigning outrage at the FBI as an interrogation technique to get Michel to warm up to him. But in cross-examination, Rhodes suggested that Craig's "disparaging" language encouraged Michel not to cooperate with the FBI.

cindy.chang@latimes.com

Copyright © 2014, Los Angeles Times

12.19 | 0 komentar | Read More

Jury sees tape of deputies confronting FBI agent in jail probe

A videotaped encounter between two Los Angeles County sheriff's sergeants and an FBI agent shows a surprisingly polite exchange, even as the agent was advised that she would soon be arrested.

The one-minute piece of videotape played in federal court Wednesday is central to the federal government's case against the two sergeants, Scott Craig and Maricela Long. They and four other sheriff's officials are on trial on charges of obstructing an investigation into brutality and corruption in Los Angeles County jails.

Last month, the trial of a seventh deputy on similar charges ended in a hung jury.

Craig testified Wednesday that sheriff's officials were building a criminal case against FBI Agent Leah Marx and her colleague for providing a cellphone to an inmate informant at Men's Central Jail.

When he spoke to Marx at her house, Craig said, he was trying to tell her "where this was going, the seriousness of it."

The Los Angeles County district attorney's office declined to file charges against the federal agents, saying that it did not have jurisdiction over them.

Prosecutors allege that Craig and Long tried to intimidate Marx by falsely claiming they were going to arrest her. The wide-ranging federal investigation resulted in criminal charges against 21 sheriff's officials, including the seven charged with obstruction of justice.

In the Sept. 26, 2011, videotape, Craig and Long approached Marx as she arrived home. Craig told her that she was "a named suspect in a felony complaint" and that sheriff's officials were in the "process of swearing out a declaration for an arrest warrant for you."

Despite the subject matter, the conversation was cordial, concluding with a cheerful "Absolutely" and "OK, thanks."

Also on Wednesday, Assistant U.S. Atty. Lizabeth Rhodes played an expletive-laced audiotape of Craig criticizing the FBI's attempt to interview a corrupt deputy, Gilbert Michel, at Michel's home. In January 2012, Michel pleaded guilty to federal charges of smuggling a cellphone to the inmate informant in exchange for a bribe.

Craig testified that he was feigning outrage at the FBI as an interrogation technique to get Michel to warm up to him. But in cross-examination, Rhodes suggested that Craig's "disparaging" language encouraged Michel not to cooperate with the FBI.

cindy.chang@latimes.com

Copyright © 2014, Los Angeles Times

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Spurs might stick together for another run

Manu Ginobili had a simple message for his teammates during an emotional team meeting Tuesday.

Let's do this again.

With six potential free agents headed by Tim Duncan, the message was made clear: The San Antonio Spurs would like everyone back for a run at a sixth NBA championship.

"I'm pretty sure most of the team is going to come back," Ginobili said.

San Antonio met as a group for the first time since beating Miami 104-87 on Sunday night to close out the NBA Finals in five games. Coach Gregg Popovich used the meeting to take one last playful dig at his players.

"He did show us a couple of clips that we sucked at" in Game 5, guard Patty Mills said, laughing.

All the same, free agency, which begins July 1 could alter the team's close-knit roster.

"Manu spoke to us," Spurs guard Danny Green said. "He was really emotional, he's proud of us. In a short amount of words, [he said] 'Obviously I had fun, I don't know if you guys did, but I had a good time. You guys want to do it again?' "

Duncan has a player option, but his teammates expect him back and the 38-year-old forward did not give any indications otherwise throughout another resurgent season.

"It will come to an end, but I don't think next year," guard Tony Parker said of the team's run under the Big Three. "I think everybody's going to come back."

The future for Mills, Boris Diaw, Matt Bonner and Aron Baynes is less certain. Mills, Diaw and Bonner are unrestricted free agents.

"I haven't sat down with R.C. [Buford, Spurs general manager] and talked about what we want to do, but one would think it's logical to not make major changes with the group," Popovich said. "Usually we don't make major changes anyway, so, I wouldn't anticipate any."

The Spurs made minor changes following their previous title in 2007.

Those under contract include Ginobili, Green, Tiago Splitter, Marco Belinelli and finals most valuable player Kawhi Leonard, who turns 23 on June 29.

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Texans name Fitzpatrick starting quarterback

New Houston Texans Coach Bill O'Brien named Ryan Fitzpatrick the starter at quarterback, an announcement overshadowed somewhat by receiver Andre Johnson's absence Tuesday on the first day of a mandatory three-day mini-camp.

Johnson hasn't participated in any of the team's voluntary off-season workouts and said last month that he wouldn't attend these workouts either.

Fitzpatrick signed with the team in the off-season a day before Matt Schaub was traded to the Raiders and O'Brien made him compete with the three other quarterbacks on the roster for the starting job.

"He definitely earned it," O'Brien said. "He earned it with his preparation. He earned it with his accuracy. He earned it with his command at the line of scrimmage."

A former starter for the Buffalo Bills, the nine-year veteran started nine games last season for Tennessee after Jake Locker was injured. Fitzpatrick threw for 2,454 yards and 14 touchdowns last season.

The start of the San Francisco 49ers' three-day mandatory minicamp was overshadowed more by the players who were absent than the ones in attendance.

Two-time Pro Bowl tight end Vernon Davis and right guard Alex Boone skipped the first day of San Francisco's minicamp in Santa Clara, Calif. Both starters are seeking raises despite two years left on their contracts.

Coach Jim Harbaugh also said cornerback Eric Wright was not with the team because he's contemplating retirement.

Pro Bowl pass rusher Justin Houston was a no-show on the first day of the Kansas City Chiefs' mandatory three-day minicamp.

Houston, who is entering the final year of his contract, also skipped three weeks of voluntary workouts. He is due to make about $1.4 million this season.

Dallas Cowboys backup quarterback Kyle Orton was a no-show for the first mandatory off-season practice.

Orton missed all the voluntary workouts amid reports that he is contemplating retirement. Dallas Coach Jason Garrett has said he expected Orton to show up Tuesday.

The 31-year-old Orton has one year remaining on his contract. He can be fined about $70,000 for missing the minicamp.

Brandon Weeden, a first-round pick by Cleveland in 2012, is the No. 2 quarterback in Orton's absence.

The Oakland Raiders and the Cowboys will participate in two joint training camp practices this summer.

The Raiders said they will practice with Dallas at the Cowboys training camp base in Oxnard on Aug. 12 and 13.

The Raiders used to hold training camp in Oxnard before moving it to Napa, Calif., in 1996.

Dave Joyner, who became the acting athletic director at Penn State when the university was reeling in the midst of the Jerry Sandusky sex abuse scandal, announced that he will resign Aug. 1.

Joyner was appointed acting athletic director in November 2011 after Tim Curley was placed on administrative leave. The interim tag was removed in January 2013, and Joyner will assist the department in the transition to his successor.

Penn State will form a search committee and work with a consulting firm in looking for its next athletic director.

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