Whenever she goes to Las Vegas, she plays roulette.

Deb McCartney doesn’t usually bet the red or the black numbers. She places her money on double zero. The double zero spot on the roulette wheel is green.

Actually, picking one number is the worst bet on the board, when you consider the odds. The little ball has about a 2.6 percent chance of landing on double zero. (The best bet, by the way, is placing your money on all the red or black numbers, which gives you close to a 50 percent chance of winning).

But, when she hits the double zero, that bet pays off at a rate of 35 to 1.

“Always bet on green,” she said.

For some reason, she keeps putting her money on that same bad bet. Relying on a miracle, for her, makes winning more fun.

“It worked a lot,” she said.

Her life, what’s left of it, is a double zero bet.

As you read this, Deb McCartney, 61, has already checked off most of the items on her bucket list.  She is a cancer patient, who, by pure luck, was included in the study of a new drug. Her life was reduced to two things: planning for death and dying.

Sunrises are prettier, she said, when they are the last thing you will ever see.

Plans for the end

Deb McCartney had beaten cancer once, a battle with cervical cancer in 1989 that scared her but didn’t kill her.

“Dodged a bullet there,” she said.

But beating cancer twice? That seemed like too much to ask.

In February 2018, she was living in Durango, Colorado, working as an administrator in a hospital, when her back started to hurt. Then she developed a cough.

McCartney thought she had pneumonia.

She flew to Orange County – she was raised in Costa Mesa – for testing on her lungs. Hoag Hospital was the place she trusted.

The news she received on March 29, 2018, was as bad as it could possibly be.

She had lung cancer, and it was inoperable. By the time doctors confirmed it was there, the cancer had spread to her breasts, bones, lymph nodes and brain.

“I was dying,” McCartney said.

She wrote her sisters an almost upbeat email that started with a picture of Easter eggs (as the holiday was near) and went on to describe her horrible news.

The email ended this way: “As for now I am super skinny as I have lost a LOT of weight … So think of yummy fattening things for me to eat! Yummmm! LOVE LOVE LOVE YOU, Debbo”

McCartney moved almost immediately from Durango, deciding to live out her days with her older sister, Dayna.  Her home base became Dayna’s couch, which folded out into a bed.

“She was a mess,” Dayna said.

Food stopped tasting good. Her weight kept dropping. She said she dropped 40 pounds in a month. And that was just the beginning.

Dying, she learned, is hard.

She had to sell her condo in Durango. She had to pay off all her bills as not to leave debts for her family. She quit her job. McCartney started in a clinical trial for a drug that made her skin peel.

“It’s not working,” she told anyone who would listen.

She paid for a plot at Pacific View Memorial Park and Mortuary in Corona del Mar. Then, she made another big decision.

“I didn’t want to be buried cold under the ground,” she said, explaining her choice: cremation.

She flew to Hawaii and sat in first class. There were trips to Vegas and bets on double zero.

Her deterioration continued to the point that her next bucket list item – Disneyland – could only be achieved with the help of a wheelchair. She remembers going on Peter Pan, Dumbo and Mr. Toad rides … and the pain of it all.

“I couldn’t stay,” she said. “I was too weak.”

Confined to the couch, she started making a list of the last movies she wanted to see. “As Good as It Gets.” “Sleepless in Seattle.” “Pride and Prejudice.”

She made a list of the last songs she wanted to hear. “The River” by Garth Brooks. “Seminole Wind” by John Anderson.

“We would cry together,” Dayna said. “It was heartbreaking.”

It got to the point where Dayna had to wake her up and coax her to go look at the sunrise.

Each day could have been her last.

‘Given up hope’

Dr. Parkash Gill has been working in the clinic at USC for almost 10 years on a recombinant albumin fusion protein called sEphB4-hsa. It has been tested in humans since 2011.

“Certain tumors respond,” Gill said, clinically.

In March 2019, Gill had one spot left in his trial group for sEphB4-hsa.

What are the odds?

At Hoag Hospital, Dr. Jacob Thomas knew Deb McCartney was dying. He had told her that without any further treatment, her life expectancy was “a couple of months.” Nurse Cristina de Leon remembers seeing McCartney in March.

“She looked exhausted,” de Leon said. “It was like she had given up hope.”

Thomas called Gill, and McCartney got that last spot.

She started taking the test drug in April.

‘Gives me chills’

Oatmeal.

She wanted oatmeal. That was the first sign that something had gone right. Deb McCartney, who had once weighed 175 pounds and was down to 113, woke up on her sister’s couch/bed one morning last April, and she was hungry.

Dayna made her oatmeal with maple syrup and blueberries.

“Oh, it was good,” McCartney said.

On April 24, she went to Hoag for tests. Doctors said she had “thousands” of tumors in her body.

And they were shrinking.

Dr. Thomas thought, at first, she would have “modest success.” But the second scan showed more shrinkage than the first.

“We were looking at a rare, amazing response,” Thomas said. “It was the kind we don’t see enough.”

Thomas paused because he wanted to think of just the right words to describe what happened to Deb McCartney. He came up with four.

“Miraculous,” he said. “Oh, my gosh.”

In August, McCartney had another scan that showed her tumors were 80 percent smaller than they had been in April.

“It’s stunning,” Dr. Gill said. “It gives me chills. We’re talking about somebody at the end of their rope. It’s nothing short of a miracle. When thousands of tumors go away, it’s amazing.”

Looking forward

Today, Gill and Thomas are putting together a new study full of patients with the same cancer mutation they found in Deb McCartney.

“We’re learning from her,” Thomas said.

What happened to her may save many other lives.

“She is a pioneer,” Gill said. “We are taking a new approach in treating this particular mutation.”

And McCartney walked into Hoag Hospital last month with a job application. When you’re not dying, you need to get a job.

“Colors are brighter,” she said. “People are sweeter.”

Do you know what dying taught her?

“I don’t play computer games anymore,” she said. “Takes too much time.”

Here’s what survived her near-death experience: Movie night. That list of the last movies she wanted to see kept growing longer and longer. “French Kiss.” “Emma.” The list goes on an on. The sisters are literally writing down titles. It has turned into a weekly celebration.

Every Friday night, they order pizza. McCartney likes pepperoni, mushrooms and black olives.

They’re talking about another trip to Vegas. McCartney wants to go to brunch at the Bellagio.

When she’s there, she said she needs to stop by the roulette wheel.

“I’m very lucky,” McCartney said. “I’m living double zeros.”

“Bubble Watch” digs into trends that may indicate economic and/or housing market troubles ahead.

Buzz:  For the first time in three years, a major Wall Street debt-grading agency has upgraded California’s credit rating.

Source:  Fitch Ratings

The Trend

Citing improved financial habits of the state government, Fitch upped California’s grade to “AA” from “AA-minus“ — a level that is still below average for U.S. states. Fitch last upgraded California in August 2016. This is California’s fourth straight upgrade since the Great Recession from Fitch and while grading criteria have evolved over time, the last time California was AA was 2002.

The Dissection

Credit ratings are an odd slice of Wall Street mechanics that technically relates to what an institution — government or corporate — pays to borrow. These grades are by no means perfect measurements of risk but the reality is these ratings are often seen as one yardstick — historical or against peers — of fiscal fitness.

Fitch analyst Karen Krop says this isn’t simply about a powerful statewide economic recovery that, among other things, helped create a huge government budget surplus. She said California gets higher marks for its consistent trend of retooling its fiscal activities to make the state government less vulnerable to future economic downturns.

Due to these efforts, Krop says California’s government finances are far better prepared for a potential recession than it was before the last economic collapse. Everything from temporary tax increases to limits on spending growth — neither very politically popular actions — have been key.

“They really righted the ship,” she said. “They got just about everything back to where it ought to be.”

California joins Alaska, Hawaii, Maine, Michigan, Oklahoma, Rhode Island and West Virginia in the “AA” club. But 35 states have better grades.

And no discussion about California’s finances can ignore the state’s government workers’ large, underfunded pension obligations. And Kopp explains that pension-cost challenges are slow-moving burdens. “You would never see it as a falling off cliff,” she said.

California’s government has taken significant steps to improve the financial stability of its huge pension funds, noted Krop. As credit graders, though, she noted Fitch doesn’t weigh the grand political debate of how to fund these liabilities— are pensions too generous vs. the cost of higher taxes or less other services to pay for the benefits.

But Krop notes that California is by no means alone with the pension challenges, adding the pension risks to the state’s fiscal health, compared to other states, can be seen as “moderate.”

Other views

The two other big credit grades — Standard and Poor’s and Moody’s — latest upgraded the state in 2015 and 2014, respectively.

How bubbly?

On a scale of zero bubbles (no bubble here) to five bubbles (five-alarm warning) … ONE BUBBLE!

State government is a big slice of the economy. So perhaps this upgrade might slightly calm the fears of folks who think the state’s going broke — or will financially collapse during the next downturn.

Remember, too, this is not a pristine scorecard. Only six states have lower grades. Hopefully, the shortcomings are noted by the folks in charge.

A procession carrying the body of California Highway Patrol Officer Andre Moye Jr., shot during during a traffic stop last week, has arrived Tuesday morning, Aug. 20, at the church where fellow officers and members of the public will pay tribute to the fallen officer.

The procession arrived at Harvest Christan Fellowship Church at 7:55 a.m., minutes after departing Acheson & Graham Mortuary on Magnolia Avenue. Hundreds of motor officers had followed it.

Supporters were lined up along the route, including Dave DeMartino, 71, of Mira Lima who held an American flag.

DeMartino’s son is a motorcycle officer.

“Over driving in the carpool lane, a guy loses his life?” DeMartino said, referring to Moye having apparently pulled over the shooter for driving solo in a carpool lane.

Live coverage: Funeral of CHP Officer Andre Moye Jr.

A funeral service is set to start at 10 a.m. for Moye, a 34-year-old motorcycle officer from Moreno Valley.

A large contingent of motorcycle police officers from Whittier, Garden Grove and Santa Ana police departments — up to this moment— have arrived at Harvest Christian Fellowship as part of memorial service honors for slain CHP Officer Andre Moye Jr. pic.twitter.com/LQsuqvUgYD

— Richard K. De Atley (@RKDeAtley) August 20, 2019

A three-year veteran of the department, Moye was known as a giving and caring person, CHP officials said last week. He is survived by his wife, Sara, father, mother, stepfather, brothers and sisters.

Officers from all over the country are expected for the memorial service, which will be the second held at the Riverside church campus this year. Law enforcement officers paid their final respects to CHP Sgt. Steve Licon, who authorities said was mowed down by a drunk driver as Licon wrote a traffic ticket on the 15 Freeway in Lake Elsinore on April 6.

Riverside fire Truck 13 is one of two that posted what’s called the garrison flag. Truck 13 (but not this crew) responded to the shooting that killed CHP Officer Andre Moye Jr. pic.twitter.com/IRv7yMwZJ1

— Brian Rokos (@Brian_Rokos) August 20, 2019

The 2,800-seat sanctuary was filled to capacity for Licon’s memorial, while additional mourners sat on chairs on a hillside watching the tribute on a screen.

Moye’s interment following the ceremony will be private.

The CAHP Credit Union has set up a memorial fund for Moye’s family: Donations can be made online at www.cahpcu.org/OfficerAndreMoyeJrMemorialFund or mailed to: Officer Andre Moye Jr. Memorial Fund, P.O. Box 276507, Sacramento, CA 95827.

By CHRISTOPHER WEBER

LOS ANGELES — Like many urban singles, the mountain lion P-22 lives a solitary life in a too-small habitat. And he has a hard time finding a mate in the big city.

Famous for traveling across two freeways and making a huge Los Angeles park his home, the lonesome big cat has become a symbol of the shrinking genetic diversity of wild animals that must remain all but trapped by sprawling development or risk becoming roadkill.

Hoping to fend off the extinction of mountain lions and other species that require room to roam, transportation officials and conservationists will build a mostly privately funded wildlife crossing over a major Southern California highway. It will give big cats, coyotes, deer, lizards, snakes and other creatures a safe route to open space and better access to food and potential mates.

The span along U.S. 101 will only be the second animal overpass in a state where tunnels are more common. Officials say it will be the first of its kind near a major metropolis and the largest in the world, stretching 200 feet above 10 lanes of busy highway and a feeder road just 35 miles northwest of downtown LA.

“When the freeway went in, it cut off an ecosystem. We’re just now seeing impacts of that,” Beth Pratt of the National Wildlife Federation told The Associated Press.

Scientists tracking mountain lions fitted with GPS collars found that roadways are largely trapping animals in the Santa Monica Mountains, which run along the Malibu coast and across the middle of Los Angeles to Griffith Park, where P-22 settled.

“They can’t get out of here to get dates, and cats can’t get in to get dates. … For those of us in LA, having a romance prospect quashed by traffic is something we can all relate to,” Pratt said.

The result of that isolation, researchers say, is imminent genetic collapse for mountain lions. Habitat loss has driven the populations to inbreeding that could lead to extinction within 15 years unless the big cats regularly connect with other populations to increase their diversity, according to a study published this year by the University of California, Los Angeles; University of California, Davis; and the National Park Service.

The $87 million bridge last month entered its final design phase. It’s on track for groundbreaking within two years and completion by 2023, according to engineer Sheik Moinuddin, project manager with the California Department of Transportation. Construction will take place mostly at night and won’t require any lengthy shutdowns of the 101 freeway, officials said.

Moinuddin said Caltrans considers it a “special” project that the agency hopes will inspire others like it across the state.

One of the reasons it’s special is that 80% of the money to build it will come from private sources, Pratt said. She’s in charge of fundraising and is using P-22 — “the Brad Pitt of the cougar world” — as the poster cat for the campaign.

“He is world famous, handsome, everybody loves him,” she said about the cougar that’s been photographed in his park home with the Hollywood sign as a backdrop.

Despite being the face of the project, P-22 is unlikely to use the bridge because he’s confined to the park many miles away. But many of his relatives could benefit, Pratt said.

More than $13.5 million in private funding has already been raised, Pratt said. Officials are considering offering naming rights to the bridge if an entity or individual — perhaps a Hollywood studio or star — ponies up a significant donation, she said.

The remaining 20% will come from public funds already allocated toward conservation projects, officials said.

Some 300,000 cars a day travel that stretch of the 101 in Agoura Hills, a small city surrounded by a patchwork of protected wildland that the new crossing will connect. Residents regularly spot tarantulas, coyotes and bobcats in their yards and enjoy a short walk to hiking and biking trails that offer sweeping views of the Pacific Ocean.

Drivers on the busy freeway in the Liberty Canyon area might do a double-take as they speed under a bridge 165 feet wide with brush and trees growing on top, seamlessly joining hillsides on both sides of the lanes.

“And who knows, you might see an animal peeking over as it’s crossing,” Pratt said.

From the perspective of that animal meandering to or from the Santa Monica Mountains, the topography will hopefully be indistinguishable from the scenery on either side, said architect Clark Stevens. His design will total about 8 acres of landscape — of which the bridge top occupies about an acre.

He’s working with biologists and engineers to design berms and hollows with high edges that will block sound and light from the lanes below.

“Ideally the animals will never know they’re on a bridge,” said Stevens, with the Resource Conservation District of the Santa Monica Mountains. “It’s landscape flowing over a freeway. It’s putting back a piece of the ecosystem that was lost.”

Wildlife crossings — bridges and tunnels — are common in western Europe and Canada. A famous one in Banff National Park in Alberta spans the Trans-Canada Highway and is frequently used by bears, moose and elk. The first one in California opened with little fanfare last October near Temecula, about 60 miles north of San Diego.

The Los Angeles-area bridge has enjoyed nearly universal support, unusual for a public works project. The draft environmental impact document received nearly 9,000 comments — with only 15 opposed, according to the NWF.

Agoura Hills resident Fran Pavley, a retired state senator, said one of her neighbors was initially concerned about cost.

“He came on board after learning it would be funded privately,” she said.

Stevens said he’s encouraged by Caltrans’ devotion to the project and its promise to consider more like it.

“Every hole in the freeway ought to be exploited. It’s a game of odds,” he said. “The more options animals have, the better off they’ll be.”

The bride wore a bandolier.

The image of Samara Weaving draped in shotgun shells and a wedding dress for the comic horror film “Ready or Not” has already become somewhat iconic. And when people see what the 27-year-old Australian actress gets up to in the gory dark thriller, which hit theaters this week, she’s likely to leave even stronger impressions (not to mention her role in the upcoming “Bill & Ted” sequel, but more on that later).

“Especially with a horror movie like this, it’s easy to fall into the damsel in distress mode,” the tall, blue-eyed blonde says during an interview in West Hollywood. “I really wanted to steer clear of that. So it was things like how can I do shock without crying too much and melting down. Of course, she’s going to have that response, but to get to a place where she’s angry and determined and her survival instincts kick in, I really wanted to get to that. Then you see the strength of a woman, and I’m pretty sure that’s how most women would react in that situation.”

Fortunately, few if any women would ever actually be stuck in the predicament Weaving’s newlywed Grace tries to survive in “Ready or Not.”

Grace and Alex Le Domas (Mark O”Brien), the runaway heir to his family’s board game fortune, have returned to the big, creepy family house for their wedding. While Grace doesn’t feel entirely welcomed by the snooty rich in-laws, she and Alex are very much in love and the garden ceremony goes off like a dream.

That night, though, Alex springs it on her that Le Domas tradition demands they all play a game that Grace needs to choose from a mysterious, possibly magical old device. She draws hide-and-seek, and everyone else is shocked. What she doesn’t know is that’s the one game that the family believes means they must hunt and kill the new spouse before dawn for, or else something horrible will happen to everyone in the clan.

Still in her wedding gown, the unsuspecting Grace accommodatingly heads off to hide among the mansion’s many corridors, secret passageways and dumbwaiters while the in-laws – Alex’s alcoholic brother Daniel (Adam Brody) and his wife Charity (Elyse Levesque), his mom (Andie MacDowell) and dad (Henry Cezerny), coked-up sister Emilie (Melanie Scrofano) and her spouse Fitch (Kristian Bruun), and scary Aunt Helene (Nicky Guadagni) – among others, choose weapons ranging from medieval to modern and commence the hunt.

Grace soon discovers what’s up, though, and after some initial and bloody close calls, fights back.

Shot in Ontario, “Ready or Not” is the first wide release by the horror movie collective of directors Matt Bettinelli-Olpin and Tyler Gillet and executive producer Chad Villella, who go by the group name of Radio Silence. Weaving reports that no matter how trying things got for Grace – who appears in some 90% of “Ready or Not’s” scenes – they went the extra mile to make the shoot a frighteningly good time.

“We planned it so well, and Radio Silence really had my back and held my hand throughout it,” she says. “They took all my ideas on board. And I made a lot of good friends in the ensemble; we all have big group texts and we hang out as much as we can. It made it so stress-free. It was the most fun I’ve ever had on a set.”

Though Grace gets beaten, wounded and worse as the night wears on, Weaving said mapping out the action and the character’s emotional states before each sequence made what looks draining actually relatively easy to perform.

“I’d just finished a film called ‘Guns Akimbo’ that’s at the (Toronto Film Festival) this year,” the actor explains. “I’d done four weeks of stunt training on that, and that was much more physically demanding. On this one, it was more of a challenge of being very, very cold and awake for a very long time. It was shot in the winter in Canada – it would snow some days – and we had two weeks of night shoots. So, pretty cold.”

And wearing an increasingly blood-drenched and torn-up wedding gown through the whole thing to boot. Again, movie magic made Grace’s attire look more awful than it really was to wear.

“Avery Plewes, the costume designer, was amazing,” Weaving enthuses. “She made 17 dresses, 17 doubles of those dresses and 17 for stunts. There was a skirt and top, so it looks like a dress. The corset is a weapon at one point; it’s a first aid kit at one point. They were all planned out so that the continuity was perfect.”

Yeah, but weren’t the crimson ones extra cold?

“None were wet unless it was immediately after the blood – well, it was not literal blood, it was syrup, I guess – was on me, and that was more sticky than wet,” Weaving recalls. “And it’s really sweet, tastes delicious. You can have it with ice cream; it’s great!”

Weaving is no stranger to horrific make-believe. She headlined the Netflix psychothriller “The Babysitter” and co-starred in the office bloodbath “Mayhem.” Weaving also appeared in the TV mini-series based on the classic Australian period mystery “Picnic at Hanging Rock,” had a role in the Oscar-winning “Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri” and was a regular on the Showtime comedy series “SMILF,” but left after conflicts with creator Frankie Shaw over the handling of nude sex scenes.

Weaving is currently working on the long-awaited sequel “Bill & Ted Face the Music,” in which she plays Bill’s daughter Thea, named after his best bud Ted. Shrouded in secrecy, the film catches up with the adult lives of Keanu Reeves’ and Alex Winter’s time-traveling teenagers from late 1980s/early ’90s San Dimas.

“Sure, I’d like to go there,” Weaving says of the San Gabriel Valley town she’s yet to have the chance to visit. Most of “Face the Music” is being filmed in Louisiana.

Far-flung locations have always been a part of Weaving’s life. Born in Adelaide, South Australia, she also spent her childhood in places like Indonesia, Fiji and Singapore, where her mother worked for art museums and her father was a business consultant (he’s also a filmmaker and professor, and directed the Canberra Film Festival).

“I grew up in lots of different countries,” Weaving says. “I don’t think it influenced me on a creative level, but on a cultural level, definitely. Most of those countries are Third World countries, and I saw things a kid like me wouldn’t see. It widened my perspective.”

She also didn’t see any of her famous actor uncle Hugo Weaving’s films until she was already working in the industry; they were too adult for kids. Once she did catch his work in the likes of “The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert” and as Agent Smith in the Keanu-starring “Matrix” movies, the niece was mightily impressed.

“Of course he’s a brilliant actor, but first and foremost he’s a brilliant uncle,” says Samara, who’s made a film that Hugo was also in, although they didn’t work together.

The acting showcase that “Ready or Not’s” beleaguered bride provides for Weaving should open up a wide range of professional possibilities. Personal ones aren’t needed; she became engaged to Jimmy Warden, a TV creative producer, in March.

Seeing “Ready or Not” has not given either fiancee cold feet.

“He loves it, he’s a fan,” Weaving says of Warden. “And I’ve met the in-laws already, so they’re good to go.”

By KEVIN FREKING and JOSH BOAK

WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump acknowledged his aggressive China trade policies may mean economic pain for Americans but insisted they’re needed for more important long-term benefits. He contended he does not fear a recession but is nonetheless considering new tax cuts to promote growth.

Asked if his trade war with China could tip the country into recession, he brushed off the idea as “irrelevant” and said it was imperative to “take China on.”

“It’s about time, whether it’s good for our country or bad for our country short term,” Trump said on Tuesday.

Paraphrasing a reporter’s question, Trump said, “Your statement about, ‘Oh, will we fall into a recession for two months?’ OK? The fact is somebody had to take China on.”

The Republican president indicated that he had no choice but to impose the tariffs that have been a drag on U.S. manufacturers, financial markets and, by some measures, American consumers.

China, though, said trade with the U.S. has been “mutually beneficial” and appealed to Washington to “get along with us.” A foreign ministry spokesman, Geng Shuang, on Wednesday expressed hope Washington can “meet China halfway” in settling disagreements.

Trump was clear that he didn’t think the U.S. is at risk of a recession and that a boom was possible if the Federal Reserve would slash its benchmark interest rate.

“We’re very far from a recession,” Trump said. “In fact, if the Fed would do its job, I think we’d have a tremendous spurt of growth, a tremendous spurt.”

Yet he also said he is considering a temporary payroll tax cut and indexing to inflation the federal taxes on profits made on investments, moves designed to stimulate faster growth. He downplayed any idea that these thoughts indicate a weakening economy and said, “I’m looking at that all the time anyway.”

Asked about his remarks, White House spokesman Judd Deere said, “The president does not believe we are headed for a recession. The economy is strong because of his policies.”

Trump faces something of an inflection point on a U.S. economy that appears to be showing vulnerabilities after more than 10 years of growth. Factory output has fallen and consumer confidence has waned as he has ramped up his trade war with China. In private, Trump and his advisers have shown concern that a broader slowdown, if not an outright recession, could arrive just as he is seeking reelection based on his economic record.

Trump rattled the stock and bond markets this month when he announced plans to put a 10% tax on $300 billion worth of Chinese imports. The market reaction suggested a recession might be on the horizon and led Trump to delay some of the tariffs that were slated to begin in September, though 25% tariffs are already in place for $250 million in other Chinese goods.

The president has long maintained that the burden of the tariffs is falling solely on China, yet that message was undermined by his statements to reporters Tuesday prior to a meeting in the Oval Office with the president of Romania.

“My life would be a lot easier if I didn’t take China on,” Trump said. “But I like doing it because I have to do it.”

The world economy has been slowing in recent months, and recent stock market swings have added to concerns that the U.S. economy is not immune. A new survey Monday showed a big majority of economists expect a downturn to hit by 2021.

Addressing that possibility, Trump focused anew on pressuring the Federal Reserve to cut interest rates. Presidents have generally avoided criticizing the Federal Reserve publicly, but Trump has shown no inclination to follow that lead. Rather, he’s positioning Fed Chairman Jerome Powell to take the fall if the economy swoons.

“I think that we actually are set for a tremendous surge of growth, if the Fed would do its job,” Trump said. “That’s a big if.”

Trump recommended a minimum cut of a full percentage point in the coming months.

Knott’s Berry Farm rekindled the memories of many long-time fans with an announcement of an upcoming centennial celebration in 2020 that will pay tribute to some of its most beloved retired rides and attractions.

The Buena Park theme park will celebrate 100 years of history with a summer-long Knott’s Family Reunion in 2020 that honors its founders and recalls some of its most popular former roller coasters, dark rides and classic attractions.

While you shouldn’t expect the return of any retired rides, Knott’s will commemorate many of the most popular attractions with limited-edition merchandise and photo opportunities throughout the park.

Additional details about Knott’s 100th Anniversary are expected to be revealed in November after the seasonal run of Halloween Haunt comes to an end.

So while we’re in a nostalgic mood, let’s take a retrospective look back at our 10 favorite former Knott’s rides and attractions from the 1950s, ‘60s, ‘70s and ‘80s.

1) Corkscrew

The 1975 Corkscrew was the first modern inverting roller coaster. Riders went upside down twice as the train traveled through a double corkscrew looping element.

The ride was removed in 1989 and eventually relocated to Silverwood amusement park in Idaho.

The Arrow Dynamics coaster reached a top speed of 46 mph over a 1,250-foot-long track, according to Roller Coaster Database. The legendary ride maker built many of the early Disneyland attractions and went on to create an impressive collection of the world’s first and record-setting rides that defined the modern theme park landscape in the second half of the 20th century.

2) Knott’s Bear-y Tales

The Bear-y Tales dark ride was a one-of-a-kind attraction with a catchy theme song that could only be found at Knott’s.

Bear-y Tales was designed by former Disney Imagineer Rolly Crump, who worked on the Enchanted Tiki Room, Haunted Mansion and It’s a Small World at Disneyland.

The ride opened in 1975 as the marquee attraction in the newly re-themed Roaring ’20s section of the park.

The dark ride journey took riders through a frog forest, thunder cave, fortune teller camp and the Weird Woods. The trip followed the bear family of Raz, Boysen, Girlsen, Elder and Flapper as they traveled to the annual Country Fair to sell their pies. A berry smell filled the pie and preserve bakery scene.

3) Kingdom of the Dinosaurs

The Kingdom of the Dinosaurs dark ride replaced Knott’s Bear-y Tales in 1987.

The dinosaur-themed attraction used the same track, ride system and vehicles as Bear-y Tales.

A time machine transported riders back to the prehistoric era with scenes filled with animatronic dinosaurs, including a Brontosaurus, Triceratops, Stegosaurus and Tyrannosaurus.

The ride preceded a dinosaur craze that peaked with the 1993 release of the original “Jurassic Park” film.

Kingdom of the Dinosaurs closed in 2004 and the space sat unused for a decade. The Voyage to the Iron Reef 4D interactive dark ride now occupies the space.

4) Haunted Shack

The Haunted Shack walk-through attraction demonstrated distorted laws of physics and gravity to stunned visitors.

Chairs stuck to walls, water flowed uphill and brooms stood at odd angles in the middle of the room in a series of optical and perceptual illusions. Distorted rooms with ramped floors and tilted walls helped create the illusion of people changing heights right before your eyes.

Tours guides Slanty Sam and Shaky Sadie told stories of strange goings on inside the old shack.

The Haunted Shack was demolished in 2000.

5) Motorcycle Chase

The Arrow Dynamics steeplechase-style coaster featured riders racing on four side-by-side tracks.

The 1976 coaster with two chain lift hills featured an 1,800-foot-long undulating track that reached a peak height of 27 feet. The bikes hit a top speed of 40 mph.

A relatively high center of gravity led to rider safety concerns and the Motorcycle Chase coaster lasted only a few years.

6) Wacky Soap Box Racers

In 1980, Knott’s developed new, lower-profile ride vehicles for the Motorcycle Chase tracks and the Wacky Soap Box Racers were born.

The soap box derby-style cars raced past animatronic characters, advertising billboards and themed facades. Racers passed through a cat-themed town and a fireworks factory as they “crashed” through a series of breakthrough walls.

The overall speed of the Soap Box Racers was reduced to 30 mph.

“The Wacky Soap Box Racers opened to huge crowds and became one of the park’s most loved attractions and now one of the most missed ones too,” wrote Ultimate Roller Coaster.

7) Windjammer Surf Racers

In 1997, Knott’s removed the Soap Box Racers and built the new Windjammer Surf Racer dual-track looping roller coaster at the location.

The rare ride was the only looping wild mouse-style coaster by Japan-based Togo built in the United States, according to RCDB.

The twin red and yellow tracks reached a height of 69 feet over an 1,800-foot-long track. Windjammer’s top speed: 40 mph.

The short-lived ride was fraught with problems. Frequent mechanical issues led to expensive repairs and an eventual lawsuit by Knott’s against the ride maker, according to RCDB. A clothing company forced Knott’s to change the name of the ride to simply Jammer. The star-crossed coaster was demolished in 2001.

8) Parachute Sky Jump

Knott’s opened the Parachute Sky Jump free-fall drop ride in 1976 atop the existing Sky Cabin observation tower attraction.

The dual attraction combined the Intamin Gyro 1200 (Sky Cabin) and the Intamin Parachute 1200 (Sky Jump) on a single tower.

After ascending to the top of the tower, Sky Jump riders dropped toward the ground beneath parachutes that slowed the descent. The parachutes went up and down at different heights and speeds. The stand-up seats on the Sky Jump made the Knott’s ride distinctive from other similar attractions.

Knott’s removed the Parachute Sky Jump in 1999 while continuing to operate the Sky Cabin rotating observation tower attraction.

9) Jungle Island and Knott’s Lagoon

Jungle Island opened in 1964 on the east side of Beach Boulevard near where the Knott’s replica of Independence Hall still stands today.

Jungle Island was a dense jungle-like play area for kids with hand-carved “wood-imals” scattered throughout the grounds. The folk art wood-imals were made from twisted tree branches and gnarled tree stumps.

The nearby Knott’s Lagoon featured an artificial lake with row boats, paddle boats and the Cordelia K sidewheel riverboat, named for the wife of theme park founder Walter Knott.

A South Seas Island boat ride that traveled through caves under an active volcano was envisioned for the area but was never realized.

Starting in the mid-1980s, Knott’s Lagoon and Jungle Island were turned into corporate picnic areas and parking lots.

10) Tijuana Taxi

Tijuana Taxi was the last and most colorful name of the antique car ride at Knott’s. The attraction opened in 1958 as Merry Go Round Auto Ride and was later renamed Antique Auto Ride.

There were two steering wheels in each car, so kids didn’t have to fight over who got to steer. The cars followed an electric center-rail track.

Drivers rode in three-fifths scale two-passenger roadsters inspired by the 1906 Maxwell Gentleman’s Speedster and the 1910 Ford Model T Runabout. The serpentine route took riders through tunnels, across bridges and over hills.

The Arrow Dynamics ride featured a landscaped route created by Bud Hurlbut, who designed the 1960 Calico Mine Ride and 1969 Timber Mountain Log Ride at Knott’s.

The antique car ride was demolished in 1976 as part of the Knott’s Fiesta Village expansion.

The retired Knott’s attraction can now be found at Castle Park in Riverside as the Antique Car Ride.

Which former Knott’s rides and attractions do you miss the most? Tell us in the comments section below.

Check out our regular cartoon gallery featuring some of the best cartoonists from around the world, and across the political spectrum, covering current issues and figures.

LOS ANGELES — LA County temperatures will reach triple-digit territory in some valley areas Wednesday on what is expected to be the hottest day of the week.

The National Weather Service forecast sunny skies everywhere in LA County Wednesday and highs of 76 degrees at LAX and in Avalon and Torrance; 78 in San Pedro; 84 on Mount Wilson; 86 in Long Beach and downtown LA; 90 in San Gabriel; 92 in Burbank, North Hollywood, Whittier and West Covina; 93 in Studio City; 94 in Pasadena, Sherman Oaks and Van Nuys; 98 in Northridge, Granada Hills, Chatsworth and Winnetka; 99 in Santa Clarita; and 101 in Woodland Hills, Canoga Park, Palmdale and Lancaster. Temperatures will fall slightly Thursday in most communities but revert to triple digits in the Antelope Valley Saturday and Sunday while remaining in the high 90s in other valley areas.

Sunny skies were also forecast in Orange County Wednesday, along with highs of 73 in San Clemente; 74 in Newport Beach; 75 in Laguna Beach; 82 on Santiago Peak; 85 in Santa Ana; 88 in Irvine, Fullerton and on Ortega Highway at 2,600 feet; 89 in Anaheim; 90 in Mission Viejo and Yorba Linda; and 92 in Fremont Canyon and Trabuco Canyon. Temperatures will stay about the same or fall slightly over the next several days.

Summertime isn’t quite over yet, folks!

The annual LA County Fair kicks off on Friday, Aug. 30, and runs on select days through Sunday, Sept. 22. Although the theme of the fair this year is “Fair Goes Pop,” its End of Summer Concert Series, held Friday-Sunday evenings, is offering a mix of musical genres and stand-up comedy.

Take a look at our complete list of all of the acts playing the LA County Fair’s concert series at Fairplex in Pomona below.

All shows begin at 7:30 p.m. and ticket prices range from $25-$165 and are available at 800-745-3000 or Ticketmaster.com. Tickets include same-day admission to the LA County Fair.

As a special promotion, a limited number of free concert tickets will be available at the ticket booth (located on Rose Lane) beginning at 2 p.m. on concert days (except for Pitbull on Sept. 1, George Lopez on Sept. 2, Kelsea Ballerini and Hunter Hayes on Sept. 7, and Old Dominion on Sept. 21). These tickets are first come, first served and everyone wanting a single ticket must be present. These promotional tickets do not include fair admission.

The LA County Fair is located at the Fairplex, 1101 W. McKinley Ave. in Pomona. General parking is $15.

The O’Jays and The Spinners

An evening of R&B music headlined by The O’Jays, who are known for hits like “Love Train,” “Darlin’ Darlin’ Baby (Sweet, Tender, Love),” “Use Ta Be My Girl,” “Livin’ For The Weekend” and more. The legendary group will be joined by R&B icons, The Spinners, who made it big with hits like “I’ll Always Love You,” “Truly Yours,” “It’s a Shame” and “I’ll Be Around.” Friday, Aug. 30.

ABBA The Concert

A tribute to Swedish pop group ABBA that includes all of the hits like “Dancing Queen,” “Mama Mia,” “Gimmie! Gimmie! Gimmie!,” “Fernando,” “Take a Chance on Me” and more. Saturday, Aug. 31.

Pitbull

Rapper, singer-songwriter and record producer Pitbull, otherwise known as Mr. Worldwide, will headline the LA County Fair and bring his mix of reggaeton, Latin hip-hop and pop music with hits like “Fireball,” “Don’t Stop the Party,” “Hey Baby (Drop It to the Floor),” “International Love” and more. Sunday, Sept. 1.

George Lopez

Actor and stand-up comedian George Lopez will bring his latest comedy to the fair. The 58-year-old Los Angeles resident has hosted the Latin Grammy Awards, co-hosted the Emmy Awards, produced his own self-titled, award-winning sitcom and has several comedy specials under his belt. Monday, Sept. 2.

War

Long Beach funk band War will entertain the masses with songs like “Low Rider,” “Why Can’t We Be Friends?,” “The Cisco Kid” and more. Latin rock groups Tierra and Malo will open the show. Friday, Sept. 6.

Kelsea Ballerini and Hunter Hayes

Country stars Kelsea Ballerini and Hunter Hayes will join forces for a co-headlining concert at the fair. Ballerini has had major success as her songs like “Dibs,” “Peter Pan,” “Legends” and “Miss Me More” have all landed in the top slots on the country music charts. As a noted guitar virtuoso, Hayes is also known for hits like “I Want Crazy,” “Wanted” and he has a new album due out later this year. Saturday, Sept. 7.

Juanes

Colombian rockstar and Grammy Award-winning singer-songwriter Juanes has an arsenal of hits at his disposal including songs from his Latin Grammy Award-winning best pop/rock album, “Mis Planes Son Amarte,” which came out in 2017. Sunday, Sept. 8.

.38 Special, The Marshall Tucker Band and The Outlaws 

Southern rock band .38 Special (“Hold On Loosely,” “Caught Up In You”) will be joined by rock group The Marshall Tucker Band (“Can’t You See,” “Heard It in a Love Song,” “Fire On the Mountain”) and country-rock outfit The Outlaws (“There Goes Another Love Song,” “Green Grass and High Tides”). Friday, Sept. 13.

Hammer’s House Party

An evening of hip-hop and R&B music from the late ’80s and early ’90s curated and hosted by MC Hammer (“U Can’t Touch This,” “2 Legit 2 Quit,” “Pray”) that will also include sets by En Vogue (“Free Your Mind,” “Give Him Something He Can Feel,” “Don’t Let Go”), Biz Markie (“Just a Friend”) and Coolio (“Fantastic Voyage,” “Gangsta’s Paradise” “1,2,3,4”). Saturday, Sept. 14.

Ramón Ayala y Sus Bravos del Norte 

The multi Grammy Award-winning singer-songwriter and King of the Accordion will headline the fair with his band Sus Bravos del Norte. Sunday, Sept. 15.

Charlie Wilson with Montell Jordan 

Singer, songwriter and The Gap Band frontman Charlie Wilson has also had a lucrative solo career that includes hits such as “There Goes My Baby,” ” You Are,” “Goodnight Kisses” and “I Wanna Be Your Man.” He’ll be joined by fellow singer-songwriter Montell Jordan who is known for his party jam, “This Is How We Do It” as well as well as the writer behind a slew of hits for artists like Deborah Cox, Christina Milian, 98 Degrees and more. Friday, Sept. 20.

Old Dominion 

Country music group Old Dominion is comprised of a quintet of Nashville songwriters that decided to form a band. The guys found success with singles like “Snapback,” “Break Up with Him,” “Song for Another Time,” “Hotel Key,” and “No Such Thing as a Broken Heart.” Saturday, Sept. 21.

Chicago 

Rock band Chicago will close out the 2019 LA County Fair concert season with hits like “If You Leave Me Now,” “Look Away,” “Does Anybody Really Know What Time It Is?,” “Hard Habit to Break,” “You’re the Inspiration” and many more. Sunday, Sept. 22.

So, this happened. I went into a private restroom at a Kaiser hospital Tuesday, and there was no place to put my favorite purse except the top of the trash can (Ick, don’t get me started) and so I set it on the edge of the sink. I turned around, heard a weird sound, and when I turned back I realized to my horror that the motion sensor had activated on the faucet and it was pouring water into my purse.

I grabbed the purse and realized it had become a very tiny Barbie swimming pool. I fished out all the soaking wet contents, laid them on paper towels on top of the trash can (still icky), drained the swimming pool and wiped everything off. Luckily, nothing was ruined, and my purse even dried out OK.

But this is a warning to everyone to watch out for rogue sinks. Amazingly enough, two other women told me the same thing happened to them at Kaiser. Gee, Kaiser, maybe you should provide a better place for women’s purses. Seriously, if more men carried purses, I really think they’d have purse hooks and shelves everywhere.

Meanwhile, my Facebook friends had some stories that even beat mine. Here’s a sample:

Barbara Bearden: I set mine on a large turtle I didn’t realize was there. It was just a tote bag, but had my room key and wallet inside!! It was hilarious, watching the hotel gardener chasing the turtle around!! It was a big turtle and they were all over this place/isle we visited in the Caribbean. There was some huts, in a garden sort of area, and there were all these big turtles!! They’d lumber around and I didn’t realize I’d put my tote on one. It was so funny watching this guy, attempting to follow the turtle through all this brush, all they while, my tote is having a great ride!!! And it never fell off!!!

Jennifer A. Becker: My crazy purse story happened a few weeks ago. I have an old “sack” purse that I was going to throw away but then decided to keep it to use as a “poop” holder for when I walk my dogs. Both of my dogs, as they have gotten older, have developed digestive issues and have the stinkiest poop I have ever smelled. As I walk them I triple bag the poop and put the bag into my ”purse” and usually by the end of the walk my “purse” is full of these bags of poop that I toss in the outside trash when I get home. So I was almost finished with the walk when suddenly I was mugged by 2 hollow-eyed, sunken-cheek teenagers on bikes who stole my purse and kept riding. I was just about to yell “Watch out it is full of s—!” but decided, nah let them find out for themselves!

Carol Bobke: My family loves pranks. One time at dinner my brother slyly put silverware, salt and pepper shakers, etc., into my mom’s big purse. When she went up to pay, she found the stash and had to explain it to the cashier. Another time he filled her purse with breakfast sausage.

Sandy Wolfe: Once at the Renaissance Festival I used the portable potties, came out and told my husband “How great is that, they have a little container to put my purse?” He cracked up when explaining that was the urinal! Ugh!

Cindy Goulet Merino: When I was a young single mother of three, my friend and I attended an annual St Patrick Day party at our church. She brought her own Jameson’s in a water bottle. She took a swig, slapped the top down, and tossed it under the table “into her purse” — only it wasn’t her purse it was mine. And the lid wasn’t on. She searched everywhere for her Jameson’s and decided someone took it. Until the next morning when we attended Catholic mass and I took out my checkbook for the offering, only to find it soaked and my purse reeking of Jameson’s.

Michael Curtiss: At a restaurant they seated our group of three couples in a large circular high back booth that was raised above floor level to improve the view. As the first wife slid in, she reached up to place her purse on a shelf that she expected to be behind the curve of the seating. As she let go of it, it dropped about 6 feet down the hole to the floor!! 2 Managers had to hold their skinniest busboy by the ankles and lower him headfirst into the opening with a flashlight to retrieve it!

Nancy Olguin: Growing up, every year we went back to Costa Rica for a month and stayed with my aunt and her family. I left my purse open one night. The next morning I was digging through my purse looking for something and what came out ON MY HAND was a huge roach! Mind you, roaches in tropical countries fly and are huge! To this day I have a true phobia of roaches.

Carleen Powers: My friend and I were at Dodger Stadium nursing beers the guys bought us. It took us so long to drink the beer the bottom of my friend’s cup broke open and it dumped right into the purse of the women sitting in front of us. She had placed her purse under her seat. We were very young and too scared to tell her what happened!

Catherine Yamaguchi: When I was in Italy, the continental breakfast had butter and I was so excited. I put a handful of pats in my purse for lunchtime. The day was hot. The butter melted and I had a very greasy purse.

Ingrid Eck Pullen: I was driving with my dog when he leaned forward and threw up in my purse.

For many years, the Aliso Viejo Community Foundation has awarded scholarships to graduating seniors from Aliso Niguel High School. Since 1988, the foundation has contributed nearly $750,000 to Aliso Viejo schools, events, programs and activities. The nonprofit’s impact has a far-reaching and positive impact on Aliso Viejo.

With the support of generous individuals, businesses and organizations throughout the community, the AVCF has provided invaluable opportunities to students and residents, including the Aliso Viejo Middle School Book Club Project and Passport to Mexico; Aliso Niguel High School grants and Soka University grants.

Guided by the Aliso Viejo Community Foundation Board of Directors — made up of Robert Bunyan, Eric Hauber and Russ Parker — the Foundation contributes to the community financially and serves as an example of civic engagement and support.

I want to thank the AVCF for its outstanding work to benefit people in our community.

Ross Chun in the mayor of Aliso Viejo.

Homebuying in what we’ll call the “Beach Blvd. Corridor” — in and around Huntington Beach, Fountain Valley, Garden Grove and Westminster — fell 12% as Orange County sales slumped to the slowest pace in eight years.

CoreLogic homebuying stats show 2019’s first six months were Orange County’s slowest-selling first half since 2011, just after the Great Recession ended. House hunters’ resistance to buy was certainly key to the countywide median selling price running flat over the year. Falling mortgage rates could not override slipping consumer confidence and a cooling California economy.

ICYMI: California home values a national laggard

How do these homebuying patterns translate locally? Well, CoreLogic found these 19 trends in 13 ZIP codes covered by the Orange County Register’s The Wave weekly, for 2019’s first half …

1. Purchases: Home sales totaled 2,023 vs. 2,305 a year earlier, a decline of 12% in a year.

2. Who’s up: Prices increased in 6 of the 13 ZIPs as sales rose in 3 ZIPs.

3. Countywide: $735,000 median selling price, flat in the period. Orange County saw 15,792 existing and new residences sell vs. 18,048 a year earlier, a decline of 12.5% in a year. Prices rose in 35 out of 83 Orange County ZIPs; sales were up in 17 out of 83 ZIPs.

Here is how prices and sales moved in and around Huntington Beach, Fountain Valley, Garden Grove and Westminster …

4. Fountain Valley 92708: $805,000 median, up 2.9% in a year. Price rank? 24th of 83. Sales of 234 vs. 266 a year earlier, a decline of 12% over 12 months.

5. Garden Grove 92840: $552,500 median, down 4.5% in a year. Price rank? No. 72 of 83. Sales of 197 vs. 196 a year earlier, a gain of 0.5% over 12 months.

6. Garden Grove 92841: $615,000 median, down 0.8% in a year. Price rank? No. 62 of 83. Sales of 94 vs. 92 a year earlier, a gain of 2.2% over 12 months.

7. Garden Grove 92843: $560,000 median, up 4.7% in a year. Price rank? No. 67 of 83. Sales of 96 vs. 118 a year earlier, a decline of 18.6% over 12 months.

8. Garden Grove 92844: $485,000 median, down 14.5% in a year. Price rank? No. 79 of 83. Sales of 64 vs. 83 a year earlier, a decline of 22.9% over 12 months.

9. Garden Grove 92845: $659,000 median, down 0.9% in a year. Price rank? No. 53 of 83. Sales of 100 vs. 100 a year earlier, flat in the period.

10. Huntington Beach 92646: $742,750 median, up 0.4% in a year. Price rank? No. 38 of 83. Sales of 314 vs. 369 a year earlier, a decline of 14.9% over 12 months.

11. Huntington Beach 92647: $740,500 median, down 1.9% in a year. Price rank? No. 39 of 83. Sales of 168 vs. 197 a year earlier, a decline of 14.7% over 12 months.

12. Huntington Beach 92648: $988,000 median, up 4.9% in a year. Price rank? No. 13 of 83. Sales of 231 vs. 303 a year earlier, a decline of 23.8% over 12 months.

13. Huntington Beach 92649: $790,000 median, up 1.3% in a year. Price rank? No. 29 of 83. Sales of 182 vs. 196 a year earlier, a decline of 7.1% over 12 months.

14. Midway City 92655: $665,000 median, up 5.6% in a year. Price rank? No. 51 of 83. Sales of 24 vs. 13 a year earlier, a gain of 84.6% over 12 months.

15. Stanton 90680: $425,500 median, down 1.0% in a year. Price rank? No. 81 of 83. Sales of 91 vs. 95 a year earlier, a decline of 4.2% over 12 months.

16. Westminster 92683: $659,000 median, down 3.2% in a year. Price rank? No. 53 of 83. Sales of 228 vs. 277 a year earlier, a decline of 17.7% over 12 months.

Plus, three more countywide trends found in 2019’s first six months vs. the first half of a year ago …

17. Single-family-home resales: 9,912 Orange County sales vs. 10,833 a year earlier, a decline of 8.5% in the period. Median: $780,000 — a dip of 2.4% in the period.

18. Condo resales: 4,308 sales vs. 4,813 a year earlier, a decline of 10.5% in 12 months. Median: $499,500 — a dip of 0.9% in 12 months.

19. New homes: Builders sold 1,572 residences vs. 2,396 a year earlier, a decline of 34.4% in 12 months. Median: $1,013,750 — a rise of 5.9% in a year.

By COLLEEN LONG and AMY TAXIN

WASHINGTON — The Trump administration is moving to end a long-standing federal agreement that limits how long immigrant children can be kept in detention. A court fight will almost certainly follow over the government’s desire to hold migrant families until their cases are decided.

The current court agreement now requires the government to keep children in the least restrictive setting and to release them as quickly as possible, generally after 20 days in detention.

Homeland Security officials say they are adopting their own regulations that reflect the court’s “Flores agreement,” which has been in effect since 1997, and there is no longer a need for court involvement, which was only meant to be temporary. But the new rules would allow the government to hold families in detention much longer than 20 days.

It is the latest effort by the administration to tighten immigration, President Donald Trump’s signature issue, and is aimed at restricting the movement of asylum seekers in the country and deterring more migrants from crossing the border. The news immediately generated fresh outrage, following reports of dire conditions in detention facilities, and it is questionable whether courts will let the administration move forward with the policy.

Immigrant advocates decried the move and said prolonged detention would traumatize immigrant children.

“The government should not be jailing kids, and certainly shouldn’t be seeking to put more kids in jail for longer,” Madhuri Grewal, policy counsel for the American Civil Liberties Union, said in a statement.

Peter Schey, a lawyer for the immigrant children in the Flores case and president of the Center for Human Rights and Constitutional Law, said if the regulations don’t match the settlement in that case, “they would be in immediate material breach, if not contempt of court.”

“I think all these things are now part of the 2020 campaign,” Schey said.

Acting Homeland Security Secretary Kevin McAleenan said Wednesday the regulations create higher standards to govern family detention facilities. The facilities will be regularly audited, and the audits made public.

The regulations are expected to be formally published Friday and go into effect in 60 days absent legal challenges.

They follow moves last week to broaden the definition of a “public charge” to include immigrants on public assistance, potentially denying green cards to more immigrants. There was also a recent effort to effectively end asylum altogether at the southern border.

The Flores agreement is a constant talking point by the president and his administration, which claims it is a loophole that encourages migrants to make a dangerous and potentially deadly journey to the U.S. The district judge overseeing the agreement has already refused government requests to increase the amount of time children can be detained, and advocates moved to block the regulations when the proposed rule was first announced last September.

There has been a drastic increase in the number of families crossing the border — about 475,000 so far this budget year, nearly three times the previous full-year record for families. Most are released into the U.S. while their asylum requests wind through the courts — a practice Trump has derided as “catch-and-release.”

The Flores agreement has been into effect since 1997 but mostly applied to children who came to the country alone. In 2015, U.S. District Court Judge Dolly Ghee ruled the requirements were applicable to children who crossed the border with families, after the Obama administration built family detention centers and started detaining families until their cases were completed.

Part of the issue was that children could not be kept in facilities that weren’t licensed, and no states license family detention centers. Homeland Security officials say by adopting the standards for education, healthy food and cleanliness used by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, which detains adult immigrants, they are satisfying requirements in lieu of state licensing requirements.

Homeland Security did not say how long it expects families to be kept, but McAleenan said under the previous administration it was about 50 days.

McAleenan said there was “no intent to hold families for a long period of time. The intent is for a fair and expeditious proceeding.”

Asylum cases involving detained families move much more quickly than cases for families released, taking months instead of years to resolve, in part because there are none of the delays that result when immigrants fail to show up for hearings.

The government operates three family detention centers that can hold a total of about 3,000 people. One is being used for single adults, and the other two are at capacity.

McAleenan said he didn’t expect to need more bed space because, together with other efforts to restrict the flow of migrants, he expects fewer people to be coming.

The massive influx of Central American families to the U.S.-Mexico border has vastly strained the system and foiled Trump’s tough talk on immigration, though agreements by Mexico to clamp down on migrants heading north and a new agreement with Guatemala forcing migrants to claim asylum there instead of heading north are expected to reduce the flow.

Trump administration officials have also forced more than 30,000 people to wait out their asylum cases in Mexico. It’s not clear how this change would affect that policy.

The Flores agreement governs more than just how long children can be held in detention, it sets standards of care for children who cross the border alone as well as with families. And lawyers in the case recently spoke out about what they said were deplorable, filthy conditions for children held at border facilities not meant to hold large groups of people for very long.

A report this week by the independent monitor overseeing claims of government noncompliance with Flores rules detailed the extreme overcrowding and poor conditions that immigrant youths faced in detention.

For example, a Border Patrol station in in Clint, Texas, an El Paso suburb, had a stated capacity for 105 children. On June 1, there were 676. Lawyers who visited in June described squalid conditions. Children cared for toddlers, the lawyers said, with inadequate food, water and sanitation.

At a detention center in McAllen, Texas, there were nearly 1,800 juveniles when the entire capacity for both juveniles and adults was 1,500.

The monitor in the Flores settlement visited some facilities, finding that they were as cold as 66 degrees Fahrenheit (19 degrees Celsius), and “even participants in the inspection and dressed in business clothes often found the temperature uncomfortably cool.”

A federal appeals panel found last week that detained children should get edible food, clean water, soap and toothpaste under the agreement, after a bid to limit what must be provided.

Flores surfaced again in the spring of 2018, when the Trump administration adopted a policy of prosecuting anyone caught crossing illegally. More than 2,900 children were separated from their parents as a result and sent to prison.

Trump eventually backed down and stopped the separation of families. A federal judge ruled children could not be separated from their parents, so immigration officials can’t send adults to immigration detention without their children, and can’t hold families longer than 20 days, which McAleenan and others have said is giving smugglers an opportunity to sell trips north.

Amy Taxin reported from Santa Ana, California. AP Writer Astrid Galvan in Phoenix contributed.

After months in limbo and more than two months on hiatus, the Mission Viejo Shuttle is back in service.

On Tuesday, Aug. 20, two buses resumed taking riders to landmarks in the city, such as the Norman P. Murray Community and Senior Center and the Laguna Niguel/Mission Viejo Metrolink Station. The buses also pick up and drop off Saddleback College, Capistrano Valley High and Mission Viejo High students as they commute.

There will be a few changes to the weekday service: the vehicles won’t run at midday (from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m.)  and buses will now visit Mission Viejo City Hall and the Shops at Mission Viejo, but the Casta del Sol retirement community is no longer a stop on the route.  Also, the program will only run from mid-August to mid-June.

Mission Viejo also plans to hire its own contractor by October to take over the buses’ operation from the Orange County Transportation Authority, with the goal of improving the program’s ridership, city Director of Public Works Mark Chagnon said.

“Even though the response hasn’t been as positive as we hoped, we feel there are a lot of people who do make use of it, especially students,” Chagnon said.  “We didn’t feel like just giving up completely.”

Earlier this year, OCTA proposed ending a grant for the program, citing low ridership of about eight passengers per hour of service. Since 2016, OCTA has paid about $400,000, covering 80 to 90 percent of the cost to run the buses. The city has spent $50,000 to $100,000 a year to fill the rest, Chagnon said. The agency has also operated the program using a contractor.

“Ultimately, it’s OCTA’s duty to protect taxpayer dollars and ensure that they are being used most effectively,” agency spokesman Eric Carpenter said in an e-mail.

City officials said several factors caused the low ridership figure, including OCTA inaccurately tracking passengers – a problem the agency has been working closely with the city to resolve, Carpenter said – and riders aren’t allowed to stand for safety reasons when no seats are available.

“Kids were being turned away,” Chagnon said.

City officials also see room for improvements. They’ve eliminated service during the least busy periods, such as middays and summers when schools are out. The two new stops right at City Hall and the shopping center will better serve seniors and children, who are most likely to use the service, Chagnon said.

And with Mission Viejo taking over the operation, it may add some new features, such as GPS tracking that lets riders know precisely when buses will come. Using different vehicles may allow riders to stand as well, Chagnon said.

“Obviously, we want to be safe, but it’s also very difficult when parents are relying on the service and children are turned away and they don’t have ways to get home,” he said.

The city will have until June 2020 to improve its ridership to retain OCTA’s grant and keep the program.

A late-morning shuttle on the first day of service didn’t have many riders, although the driver said earlier buses were almost packed with Capistrano Valley High students going to their first day of school.

Saddleback College student Eddy Nguyen was one of the few who took the 10 a.m. shuttle, riding four miles from La Paz and Felipe roads to the campus. He said he doesn’t have a driver’s license, and the shuttle has been a convenient option – he adjusted his classes to fit the bus schedule.

“It beats walking for three hours,” he said.

The complete schedule and route are available on the city’s website.

OROVILLE, Calif. — All 10 people aboard a small jet escaped injury Wednesday after the aircraft aborted its takeoff at a small Northern California airport, went off the runway and burst into flames, officials said.

The pilot of the twin-engine Cessna Citation jet aborted its takeoff at Oroville Municipal Airport for unknown reasons shortly before noon, Federal Aviation Administration spokesman Ian Gregor said.

The plane was carrying two pilots and eight passengers, and “all were accounted for, no injuries,” said Joe Deal, Oroville’s fire and police chief.

The jet had complications during takeoff that resulted in its catching fire, he said.

It slid off the end of the runway, sparking a fire in dry grass. Photos and video from witnesses shows the jet’s door open and its landing gear apparently retracted. Officials briefly closed nearby Highway 162 before controlling the grass fire at less than two acres.

“They were out of the plane quickly,” said Rick Carhart, a spokesman the CalFire/Butte County Fire Department that assisted at the scene. By the time the first fire engine arrived, “the people had already gotten off and vacated the area very quickly.”

Carhart said he didn’t know if the jet caught fire before or after it left the runway.

The plane was flying from Oroville to Portland International Airport in Oregon, Gregor said.

An FAA website says the model 560XL jet was manufactured in 2003 and is registered to Jotts LLC, with an address that tracks to a firm based in Wilmington, Delaware, that provides registered agent services to multiple companies.

Deal said it was a personally chartered jet, and its corporate passengers had stayed overnight in Oroville.

“It was attempting to take off, but early reports show that it never made it off the ground,” Deal said. The jet slid off the northern end of the runway onto a grassy area, but it never left the airport property. It was fully engulfed by the time firefighters arrived.

Firefighters were able to quickly control the grass fire, but it took more than an hour to extinguish the jet, partly because it had just taken on 400 gallons of jet fuel, he said. A crash truck from nearby Chico sprayed the jet with foam to help extinguish the blaze.

The airport, which does not have commercial flights, remained open.

The FAA and National Transportation Safety Board will investigate. It typically takes the NTSB a year or more to determine a probable cause of an accident, Gregor said.

Back-to-school season means juggling homework and earlier bedtimes. So long, relaxed summer evenings that linger with friends and ice cream cones. Now that you have to face reality, it is the ideal time to develop a habit of eating dinner together. The scientific literature strongly points to the academic, social, psychological, and physical health benefits for children and teens from eating meals family meals. Even if you don’t have young kids in the house, family meals provide a consistent space for connecting and bonding in a time where everyone is seemingly glued to their devices. Family meals are a time to unplug and catch up with the ones we love.

When it comes to parenting kids of all ages, there’s probably nothing more magical and more impactful than family meals. Because sitting down at the same time encourages dialogue, kids are able to talk about their day and their feelings. This allows closer relationships and fewer emotional and behavioral problems. In fact, kids that engage in regular family meals have better academic performance, higher self-esteem and resilience and lower risk of substance abuse and teen pregnancy. These are just some of the benefits of family meals.

It’s not surprising that families that eat together help foster better eating habits. Studies show that children ages nine to 14 who have regular family meals have overall healthier eating patterns. This includes eating more fruit and vegetables, consuming less saturated fat and trans fat, choosing fewer fried foods and sugar-sweetened beverages while getting more vitamins and minerals. Kids who enjoy regular family meals have fewer weight concerns and a lower rate of eating disorders.

It’s clear that family meals have huge paybacks, but they are not always practical. First, aligning everyone’s schedule to eat together can be a challenge. After-school activity schedules, school work, late meetings and traffic all compete for precious evening time. Plus, there’s the question of what to eat considering everyone’s different food preferences and health needs. Although these are the real-life hurdles to implementing family mealtime, you can start small and grow from there.

Here are some ideas that can help you achieve family mealtime success.

Plan Meals Ahead

Find a time to sit down and meal plan for the week ahead. You can even use a calendar or dry erase board to jot down the weekly menu for a visual cue. This may be a good time to involve other household members to gain buy-in and match up schedules. For busy families with excess evening activities and late work shift, planning for and carrying out one or two family meals per week can be a big success.

Set Expectations

It can take time and effort to create new habits, especially when there are multiple people involved. Communicate your expectation for family meal participation. Create a positive environment by encouraging upbeat, light and constructive conversation while eating. Family meals can serve a tranquil space for everyone to unwind together after a long day.

Unplug and Connect

Screens of any sort during mealtime are a distraction from enjoying both the food and the company. Plus, this distracted eating can lead to overeating and unwanted weight gain. Since the main goal of family meals is to enjoy being with a loved one, you can set the right tone by shutting off the television and putting away your cell phone.

Encourage Participation

Meals don’t need to be fancy; the goal is to engage everyone. Try by having each family member select a recipe or meal idea. This way everyone is empowered and has a meal of their choosing. Children can help with age-appropriate tasks like participating in grocery shopping, washing produce, setting the table and mixing ingredients. Kids often gain confidence when they are building skills and feel needed.

LeeAnn Weintraub, a registered dietitian, provides nutrition counseling and consulting. Check out her new blog, Familymealsinheels.com, for delicious recipes for busy families. Send LeeAnn an email at RD@halfacup.com.

By SYLVIE CORBET and DANICA KIRKA

PARIS — British Prime Minister Boris Johnson exuded confidence Thursday as he pressed French President Emmanuel Macron to accept his request to reopen Brexit negotiations, meeting in Paris on the second stop of his first European tour as U.K. leader.

After ticking off examples of close ties between the two countries, Johnson turned on a charm offensive, stressing that the U.K. wants a Brexit deal with EU. But even as he chummily called the French leader by his first name, Johnson added it was his duty to carry out the wishes of the British people, who by a narrow margin voted to leave the EU.

“As you yourself have just pointed out, Emmanuel, it is vital for trust in politics, that if you have a referendum, then you should act on the instructions of the voters. And that is why we must come out of the EU October 31, deal or no-deal,” Johnson said. “Then of course we can take our relationship forward. I agree with you wholeheartedly Emmanuel that it is a quite extraordinary relationship.”

But even as he smiled for the cameras, Macron dampened expectations, stressing “we have to respect what was negotiated.” He also reiterated what the EU has been saying for months — that it won’t re-open the Brexit withdrawal deal negotiated with Britain’s previous prime minister, Theresa May.

That Brexit deal includes an insurance policy known as the Irish backstop, which would keep the U.K. closely aligned in trade with the EU if the two sides can’t find another way to prevent the return of checks on the border between Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland.

Macron said that the backstop is indispensable. Johnson repeatedly countered that Britain would not place checks at the border, raising the possibility that the EU would be forced to decide how to deal with that land border between the U.K. and the EU.

Johnson was buoyed Wednesday by German Chancellor Angela Merkel, who raised the possibility in talks Wednesday that a negotiated departure from the EU may still be possible if Britain comes up with alternative plans for the Irish border within 30 days.

Macron did not discount that some movement was possible. He said he agreed with Merkel that “something clever” could be found in the next 30 days.

“I was always said to be the tough one of the gang,” he said, because he had made it “very clear” a deal that would endanger the EU would not be acceptable.

But it was clear that such concessions did not reach to changing a deal that was hard won on the European side.

Macron, a pro-business centrist, has been elected in 2017 on a promise to make Europe stronger to better protect EU citizens.

Macron also insisted the EU single market must be preserved. Otherwise, that would mean telling EU citizens “we can’t protect you as consumers and producers anymore because we must be nice to Mr. Johnson. No!” he said.

Macron added that France is prepared for a no-deal Brexit, even though that’s not the country’s preferred option.

Johnson is seeking concessions from the EU to win support in the British Parliament, which has already rejected three times the agreement negotiated by May.

Johnson became prime minister last month when May stepped down after failing to secure parliamentary approval for the Brexit divorce deal.

The EU has twice delayed Britain’s departure date, which is now scheduled for Oct. 31. Johnson says Britain will leave the EU on that date, with or without an agreement, raising concerns about economic damage on both sides of the English Channel.

The EU says the backstop is merely an insurance policy meant to avoid checkpoints that were a flashpoint for sectarian violence in the past, and won’t be needed if other solutions are found to regulate goods moving across the border.

But technological solutions have so far proved inadequate, and it is unclear what new proposals Johnson may offer in the next few weeks.

Kirka reported from London. Frank Jordans in Berlin contributed to this report.

I have written about Mona Lavender before but must do so again. Mona Lavender exhibits the power of plants like none other. Just recently, I took a stem over a foot long that had broken off of a Mona Lavender specimen and, after removing the bottom leaves and plunging it in water, witnessed roots begin to sprout all along the bottom several inches of the stem after only two weeks.

Mona Lavender is a hybrid spurflower (Plectranthus) species. It was birthed in a nursery in South Africa, a nation where 44 Plectranthus species, whose flowers range from white to pink to purple, with every color in between, cover the native landscape. Most species are ground covers or low-growing perennials such as Mona Lavender, which does not exceed two feet in height. Not only are its tubular, spurred flowers a delight to behold; it has unique foliage that is sea green on one side and violet-purple on the other.

Mona Lavender starts blooming about now and will continue to do so until cold weather is upon us. Should we enjoy a mild winter, with only a few dips of cold below 32 degrees, it should survive and keep flowering until spring. However, should a hard freeze occur that lasts for more than a few hours, Mona may die. Meanwhile, though, you should have propagated plenty of offspring by then since, like coleus, its cuttings root readily in potting soil or water and those new plants would be living happily indoors in a well-lit location by the time winter arrives.

Mona Lavender belongs to the mint family (Lamiaceae). In addition to mints of every kind (spearmint, peppermint, yerba buena, bergamot mint), many culinary herbs belong to this family, including rosemary, oregano, marjoram, hyssop, basil, thyme, lemon balm, and sage, as well as coleus and lavender. The many ornamental sages (Salvia species) are included in the mint family, too. All of these plants may be propagated by detaching 4-6 inch shoot tip cuttings and submerging the bottom inch or two of the cuttings in water, once all leaves have been removed except for those on the top third of the cutting.

Upon investigation of the matter, you quickly learn that water is a suitable growing medium for virtually any plant — the practice of growing plants in water is known as hydroponics — and that the stem or shoot-tip cuttings of a vast number of our favorite plants, in addition to mint family members, sprout roots in water with ease. It should be noted, however, that propagation from cuttings in water, for most species, is easiest in summer when temperatures are warmer and days are longer than at other times of the year.

Let’s start with succulents. Contrary to what you might intuitively think — based on their ability to survive on a bare minimum of water and their susceptibility to root rot in wet soil — nearly all succulents thrive in water. Stem cuttings of Kalanchoe species, for example, when placed in a glass of water, typically, within a week, start putting out roots which proliferate rapidly after that. Impatiens and begonias are also a sure bet when it comes to aqueous clonal propagation. The semi-succulent stems of hydrangeas and pelargoniums (geraniums) root reliably in water and, finally, virtually any leafy indoor plant, and all of those that trail or vine, may have their cuttings propagated in water.

Hibiscus and bougainvillea cuttings will also root in water, as will cuttings from citrus and guava trees, so that a general picture of water-friendly plants, from the standpoint of clonal propagation, begins to emerge. Cuttings from plants native to tropical and sub-tropical climates root more easily in water than those from temperate climates. This explains the relative ease of rooting woody stems taken from rose bushes in water since one of the ancestors of hundreds of rose varieties, including hybrid teas, is the China rose (Rosa chinensis). The China rose is native to three provinces of Southwest China and the prevailing climate in each of them is sub-tropical.

Tip of the Week: If you are trying to root cuttings directly into garden soil, or even into a soil mix in a pot, but your cuttings rot before they root, consider dipping them in honey or cinnamon prior to insertion. While some claim that the sugar content of these substances stimulates root growth, it is also a fact that both honey and cinnamon deter development of fungi and bacteria that are responsible for deterioration of shoot and stem tissue before they can send out roots.

If you love the bitter, citrusy or floral notes of an India Pale Ale, you can thank hops for that: The cone-like flowers provide a bitter kick and are what balance the malty, sweet characteristics in any beer. They are especially prevalent in the more bitter beers.

And if you love brewing with hops, or just like drinking beer, you should know the plants are easy to grow in your backyard. Many homebrewers across Southern California have plants of their own. The plants, perennials, leaf out every spring and usually put out pounds of buds in the late summer.

Growing your own hops is as simple as acquiring a rhizome (a segment of hop plant root), planting it in the ground in early spring against something it can climb upon and making sure it gets adequate watering and plenty of sunlight.

Getting started 

Rhizomes can typically be ordered online or in some specialty homebrew stores, and it’s usually best to plant them in the early spring after the last frost has finished.

If you’re not sure which variety to start with, a visit to the United States Department of Agriculture’s website may help. The website often has information on each hop plant variety, including where they came from, what their susceptibility to disease is and the amount of hops buds they yield.

Gary Glass, director of the American Homebrewers Association, said one of the most notable aspects of the plants is how quickly they can grow. He said the vine-like plants, often referred to as “bines,” can sometimes grow as much as a foot per day. That’s why it’s important to give them something large they can climb against.

“Commercial grows will grow them up to about 18 feet tall, but for those of us who aren’t going to put up poles and string them down, you can put them on a trellis or anything that’s going to allow them to grow and keep them off the ground,” he said. It’s important to do so: He explained that leaving the bines on the ground can make them more susceptible to mold and diseases.

There’s a reason commercial growers want to keep them that large.

“The taller they get the more hops they’ll produce,” said Ryan Burnett, who works at Star B Ranch and Hop Farm in Ramona. “An 18-foot hop vine will produce more than a 10-foot hop vine.”

The plants need not only plenty of sun but also a lot of water to keep going, according to Phillip Warren, who operates the pick your own hops farm Hopportunity Farms in Julian, California. He said he gives each of his plants roughly 3-4 gallons of water per week. He has a drip system that waters them every other day.

Warren said there is a fine line between enough water and too much. Overwatering can lead to root rot. He said the way to tell if a hop plant has been over-watered is by looking at the ground. If the soil looks muddy or if there’s sitting water anywhere, that means the plants have been watered too much.

Harvesting and beermaking 

The signature conular flowers are generally ready to be picked around August and September, though they can sometimes be ready earlier than that.

Warren said he can get as much as 1.5 pounds from each of his hop plants.

Robert Wise, a homebrewer who has grown hops at three different homes in Long Beach, Cypress and Coronado Island since 1992, said he has gotten a couple of pounds per plant each year but in one particularly good year he got 5 pounds from a plant.

It’s even possible to get as many as two harvests from a hop plant per year. Warren said there have been years where he gets a harvest in August and then by September the plants will have produced another batch for picking.

Wise often gets two harvests, which he says is a result of consistent picking.

“I pick the flowers as they come up and if you pick the plant completely bare in say, the end of June, early July, it’ll sprout a whole new batch of flowers by September,” Warren said.

Before the hop buds are picked, they need to be somewhat dried. They need to dry even more before they can be added to beer.

Glass said that when he was growing hops he would put them on a window screen on an elevated platform where air could blow through them and dry them. Wise put his hops in a tray and lets them dry out in a sunny area.

You don’t need a lot of hops for beer making. For a five-gallon brew, Wise said he uses anywhere from half an ounce to a full ounce of hops.

After the end of the season, Wise cuts his hop plants down to the rhizomes for them to sprout again around May or June of the following year.

Long term care and other considerations 

Warren and Glass both recommend starting small with one or two plants to see how they do.

Warren recommends going for well-known varieties with a proven track record of doing well in California, such as Cascade, Nugget, or Magnum hops and seeing how those fare. If those do well, after a couple of years you can cut some of their rhizomes from them and propagate new plants, he said.

“You never have to buy that variety again,” he said.