We're going to bring you conversations with three people who have been the driving forces behind major stories in this first half of 2020.........and yes, we're only halfway through this often grueling year.  From a pandemic to a nation-wide racial justice movement to a bitterly contested presidential election, these are the stories that have shaped our lives during these past six tumultuous months--and we're going to get into all of it on this special edition of In Depth.

We will hear from Martin Luther King the third, son of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., about how activists, political leaders and everyday Americans can seize the momentum to stamp out systemic racism, in the wake of George Floyd's death.

We will talk with Mark Cuban, billionaire owner of the Dallas Mavericks basketball team, on how to pull this country out of its deep economic hole brought on by the crippling coronavirus pandemic.

And we'll start with someone who's going to figure quite prominently in the upcoming presidential election:  Former Ambassador and National Security advisor, John Bolton.

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If you're confused about what you can and can't do this July 4th holiday weekend, you're not alone.  No, you can't go to the beach and you can't go to a bar.  But you can eat at a restaurant, but only if the seating area is outside.  You can workout at your gym, but you'll have to wear a mask and gloves; and you can still get a haircut.

The rules, and the logic of this, are all over the place, as we enter a kind of semi shelter in place status with coronavirus cases continuing to soar in California.

After fights and debates and lots of non compliance with orders to wear face masks in public, there's one city in LA County where if you don't wear a mask, you'll be subject to a big fine--we'll take you there.

And grim findings from a New York Times investigation:  COVID patients admitted to hospitals in lower-income neighborhoods had a higher chance of dying.

We're going to bring you some cautionary tales as we head into this weekend:  the infection and the initial illness...are really just the start of the struggle.

We'll be talking with a doctor who's treating COVID patients who are experiencing serious, and mysterious, symptoms; and we'll be talking with a COVID patient who is struggling to breath, to overcome fatigue and to get back to a normal life.............and he was infected back in April.

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If you feel like you've been walking backwards over the last few days, you're not alone.

Only a few weeks after California reopened in-restaurant dining, bars and retail stores...things are going to be shut back down again for over a dozen counties where coronavirus infection rates are soaring.  Governor Gavin Newsom didn't have much in the way of positive news to report today:  deaths from COVID-19, positive test results and hospitalizations are all up.

Can we walk back the surge in coronavirus infections? 

Later on....we'll talk again about whether our healthcare system is equipped for the rush of critical patients.........and why wearing face masks is still a debate in this country.

Then we're shifting gears and talking with two rarities in the news business:  two guys who have made careers out of reporting the news and reporting the weather in Southern California for nearly 4 decades, both hanging it up in the space of a week.  We bid a fond farewell to veteran CBS 2 reporter Dave Lopez and veteran NBC 4 weatherman Fritz Coleman.

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Back when the coronavirus pandemic was gaining steam here in the United States, California was ahead of the curve.  We were among the first states to order sheltering in place and the closures of restaurants, malls, gyms and more.........and we held down the spread of COVID-19 with what seemed like great success.

Well those earl days are gone.......and now California is one of the epicenters of a nearly nation-wide spike in infections and hospitalizations.  Where did we go wrong?  We will go In Depth.

Also: without state-wide coordination on what's opened and what's closed over this upcoming July 4th weekend, there could be confusion--and some bottlenecks--on beaches in different counties.

From the "really bad timing" file.......epidemiologists are following a swine flu strain in China that has pandemic potential.

The American Academy of Pediatrics makes a controversial recommendation over kids going back to their classrooms in the Fall.

And.......remembering Carl Reiner, a comedic legend and one of the nicest guys in Hollywood.

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In many ways, it seems we're back to square one in our efforts to contain the coronavirus.

In Texas, over 5-thousand people A DAY are being admitted to hospitals with COVID-19.  In fact, for the last five days the United States has set grim new records with the most new cases since the outbreak began!

So...while California is closing back down its bars and other states are either pausing or walking back some reopenings.........why aren't we shutting it all down again?  We will go In Depth.

Lots of coronavirus-related news to cover.........we'll also try to explain the falling death rates..........we'll look at whether the massive racial justice protests acted as super-spreader eventss............and we'll ask what the European Union got right that we got wrong.

And at the end of the show, there is another Trump-Russia scandal brewing.

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Doctor Anthony Fauci joins us for a provocative discussion about the fight against COVID-19. He called the change in the fight a "paradigm shift" that has largely been driven by young people. He also has hope that it's not too late to stop the virus and save lives. 

The number of people with the virus in hospitals around California is on the rise. But the vast majority are not ICU cases which means the prognosis for them is much better. With hospitals filling up again, should they automatically give a bed to everyone who comes in with COVID even if they're not terribly ill?  

Lots of people are still nervous about flying. That isn't stopping American Airlines from selling its middle seats again. Is this a good business move or will it scare passengers away? 

 

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The coronavirus outbreak is roaring back and now at record levels. Tracking from NBC News says the U.S. saw its highest-ever single-day number of new cases yesterday with more than 45,000. The previous peak was on April 26th. And the CDC said today that the virus may have infected 10 times more Americans than previously known. Is there anything we can do to stop this virus or are we all going to end up with it at some point?

When people hear about radiation in the medical field, it's about fighting cancer. But researchers now are using radiation to treat very sick COVID patients. The results are offering some promise and hope that it could be another life-saving option.   

President Trump gets a Supreme Court win. The justices strengthen his administration's ability to deport people seeking asylum without allowing them to plead their case to a federal judge. 

Martin Luther King III is following in his father's footsteps as a human and civil rights activist. He joins us to talk about the George Floyd protests, racial injustice and the fight for equity and equality.  

 

 

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There's really no other way to describe it:  Governor Gavin Newsom was *pleading* with Californians to act responsibly as coronavirus cases and hospitalizations are on the increase across the state.  Please practice social distancing, he said; please wear your masks, please stay home when ever possible.  There was no "or else" .... but that could be coming.

Californians could soon find themselves under a quarantine order if they're planning on traveling to the states of New York, New Jersey or Connecticut; that's where the biggest and deadliest outbreak of COVID-19 had been located, but now those states want some travelers to stay away.

And President Trump could soon be ending federal funding for several key community testing sites.

The examples of new technologies that claim to diagnose coronavirus are plentiful:  from thermal imaging cameras to a detection ring. It all sounds good..........but does any of this stuff actually work?

And President Trump and Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell reached a milestone today on confirming federal judges...and they're overwhelmingly white, male and conservative.

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Half of American states are now seeing steady increases in coronavirus infections, and no........it's not because there's more testing.

The origins of the spike can be tied to the early reopenings of economies in several states in late May; since then, the rates of infections and hospitalizations have been going up, even as social distancing and mask requirements have been decreasing.  Has the United States waived the white flag on coronavirus? 

Dr. Anthony Fauci was testifying on Capitol Hill today with an optimistic belief that a vaccine for COVID-19 could be developed by the end of this year.  How realistic is that?  We'll ask.

And nursing homes were the epicenters of the deadliest outbreaks of coronavirus; now several facilities are accused of kicking out elderly residents to bring in more lucrative COVID patients.......we'll explain that one.

Professional and amateur sports leagues keep striking out with plans to get up and playing again.  Star athletes are testing positive for COVID, safety protocols can't be agreed upon and owners are starting to panic--we'll look at sports in the coronavirus era.

And in non-virus news........a years long corruption probe of L.A.'s city hall resulted in the FBI arrested City Councilman Jose Huizar today; but the pay-to-play schemes have now ensnared several elected officials and their staffers. 

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The rate of coronavirus infections is now on the rise in about half of all American states; and in some areas the COVID cases and hospitalizations are reaching critical levels.

And yet........could the virus be weakening? There is thinking among some researchers that the COVID cases we've been seeing are not as intense as they were back in February and March; they believe there's even a chance the virus will run its course and fade away before a vaccine is developed.

Then...have your risks of being infected with coronavirus been overblown? Other research out today concludes concluded that  your chances of getting sick with COVID, especially if you follow basic social distancing guidelines, are remote.......so we'll look at that, as well.

Sure the economy might be depressed, but there is one growth industry that's hiring like crazy: contact tracing.  We'll look at what it takes to be on the front lines trying to track down the origins of a COVID outbreak. It's a lot of hoping that people pick up their phones.

President Trump hoped to jump start his reelection campaign with what he promised would be an epic rally in Tulsa, Oklahoma this weekend........it did not go according to plan.

And then we'll go back to what was a very busy Friday evening - which looked a bit like President Nixon's infamous "Saturday night massacre"...until it didn't. And then. Sort of did.

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