Powerful earthquake shakes southern Mexico, at least 5 dead

7.4 magnitude earthquake shakes southern and central Mexico

By MARÍA VERZA and CHRISTOPHER SHERMAN

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People brace themselves against a wall during a 7.5 earthquake, in Mexico City, Tuesday, June 23, 2020. The earthquake centered near the resort of Huatulco in southern Mexico swayed buildings Tuesday in Mexico City and sent thousands into the streets. (AP Photo/Fernando Llano)

MEXICO CITY (AP) — A powerful earthquake centered near the southern Mexico resort of Huatulco on Tuesday killed at least five people, swayed buildings in Mexico City and sent thousands fleeing into the streets.

Mexico President Andrés Manuel López Obrador said one person was killed in a building collapse in Huatulco, Oaxaca. Otherwise he said reports were of minor damage from the magnitude 7.4 quake, including broken windows and collapsed walls. Oaxaca Gov. Alejandro Murat said a second person was killed in an apparent house collapse in the mountain village of San Juan Ozolotepec and a third died in circumstances he did not explain.

Federal civil defense authorities reported two more deaths: a worker at the state-run oil company, Pemex, fell to his death from a refinery structure, and a man died in the Oaxaca village of San Agustin Amatengo when a wall fell on him.

Pemex also said the quake caused a fire at its refinery in the Pacific coast city of Salina Cruz, relatively near the epicenter. It said one worker was injured and the flames were quickly extinguished. Churches, bridges and highways also suffered damage during the quake.

López Obrador said there had been more than 140 aftershocks, most of them small.

Seismic alarms sounded midmorning with enough warning for residents to exit buildings. Power was knocked out to some areas.

Helicopters flew over downtown Mexico City and police patrols sounded their sirens.

Groups of people still milled around in close proximity on streets and sidewalks in some neighborhoods of the capital about an hour after the quake. Many were not wearing masks despite past appeals from municipal officials for them to do so as a way to curb the spread of the new coronavirus.

A man holds his dog as he stands outside his home while they wait for the all-clear to return to their apartment, after an earthquake in Mexico City, Tuesday, June 23, 2020. The earthquake struck near the Huatulco resort in southern Mexico on Tuesday morning, swayed buildings in Mexico City and sent thousands fleeing into the streets. (AP Photo/Eduardo Verdugo)

Inside a Mexico City military barracks converted to COVID-19 hospital, medical staff suited in protective equipment tried to calm anxious patients. Unable to evacuate isolation areas, patients huddled under a large beam in the women’s ward while a nurse tried to calm one having a panic attack.

Teresa Juárez could only wish for it to pass quickly from her hospital bed where she lay connected to oxygen. Diabetic and with high blood pressure, Juárez said she thought about her five children. “It’s horrible, you’re here and you don’t know what to do,” she said.

The U.S. Geologic Survey said the quake hit at 10:29 a.m. (11:29 a.m. Eastern) along Mexico’s southern Pacific coast at a depth of 16 miles (26 km). The epicenter was 7 miles (12 km) south-southwest of Santa Maria Zapotitlan in Oaxaca state

It was felt in Guatemala and throughout south and central Mexico.

In Huatulco, a laid-back beach destination known for surfing and small protected coves, the earthquake knocked goods off shelves and some rubble from buildings.

Mari González of the Princess Mayev hotel in Huatulco said staff and guests were able to evacuate the building before the quake, but that 45 minutes after the initial quake they were still outside as strong aftershocks continued.

“It was strong, very strong,” she said.

González said there was some visible broken glass and mirrors, but no major damage. The staff was waiting for the aftershocks to dissipate before fully evaluating the property.

Local news media reported damage to some buildings in the state capital, Oaxaca city. State officials said they were looking for damage.

7.4 magnitude earthquake shakes southern and central Mexico

The USGS estimated that some 2 million people felt strong or moderate shaking and another 49 million felt weak or light shaking.

The earthquake hit a quake-prone region where four underground tectonic plates come together. In the past 35 years, there have been at least seven magnitude 7 or greater earthquakes, killing around 10,000 people — most of them in a 1985 8.0 quake.

“This has the potential to be a deadly earthquake and cause significant damage,” U.S. Geological Survey seismologist Paul Earle said. “This area is capable of and has had larger earthquakes in the past.”

“There will be aftershocks,” Earle said. “It is not unexpected to see a magnitude 6 at this point and a number of smaller ones.”
Full Coverage: Mexico

This quake happened when the Cocos plate, which is to the southwest of the area, slipped under the North American plate, Earle said.

“You’ve got all sorts of plates and they’re moving quickly,” Earle said. “The important thing is how fast the plates are moving relative to each other.”

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Associated Press writers Chris Torchia in Mexico City and Seth Borenstein in Washington contributed to this report.

Judge denies American women’s soccer immediate appeal


By RONALD BLUMtoday

FILE - In this March 8, 2020, file photo, United States forward Megan Rapinoe (15) runs over to take a corner kick during the second half of a SheBelieves Cup soccer match against Spain, in Harrison, N.J. U.S. national team players Megan Rapinoe, Tobin Heath and Christen Press have opted out of the National Women's Soccer League tournament kicking off this weekend in Utah. (AP Photo/Steve Luciano, File)

A federal judge has denied a request by American women’s soccer players to allow an immediate appeal of his decision to throw out their claim of unequal pay against the U.S. Soccer Federation.

U.S. District Judge R. Gary Klausner in Los Angeles has scheduled a trial for Sept. 15 on the players’ remaining claim of discriminatory work conditions.

Lawyers for the women had asked him to enter a final judgment on his decision to dismiss the pay claim, which would have allowed them to take the case to the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in San Francisco.

“The granting of an immediate appeal will not eliminate the possibility of two trials or the possibility of successive appeals involving interlocking facts,” Klausner wrote Tuesday. “The court has declined the parties’ request to stay trial pending the resolution of any appeal. And should a jury render a verdict unfavorable to plaintiffs on their remaining claims, there is no reason to think plaintiffs will not appeal that decision.

Klauser ruled May 1 the women could not prove discrimination over pay and granted in part the USSF’s motion for a partial summary judgment. He said the union for the women’s national team rejected an offer to be paid under the same pay-to-play structure as the men’s national team’s collective bargaining agreement and the women accepted guaranteed salaries and greater benefits along with a different bonus structure.

He also refused to let go to trial allegations the women were discriminated against because they played more games on artificial turf.

Klausner left intact claims the USSF discriminated in its use of charter aircraft, and in the money it spent on commercial airfare, hotel accommodations, and medical and training support services.

“One way or another, we intend to appeal the court’s decision which does not account for the central fact in this case that women players have been paid at lesser rates than men who do the same job,” Molly Levinson, a spokeswoman for the players, said in a statement.

“Tonight’s ruling simply means that an appeal may take longer to file and is a reminder that we must not give up our efforts both on and off the field to fight injustice,” Levinson said. “Though we face significant challenges, we are strengthened by the reality that our effort is one part of the greater movement for equality happening in our country right now.”

New USSF President Cindy Parlow Cone — a former national team player — has said she hopes a settlement can be reached. The current collective bargaining agreement expires on Dec. 31, 2021.

Players sued in March 2018 under the Equal Pay Act and Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, and they asked for more than $66 million in damages.
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Iowa finds no violations at Tyson plant with deadly outbreak

In this May 1, 2020, file photo, a worker leaves the Tyson Foods plant in Waterloo, Iowa. An employee at the Waterloo plant died Monday, May 25, 2020, after battling the coronavirus during a six-week hospitalization that was chronicled and widely followed online. (AP Photo/Charlie Neibergall, File)

IOWA CITY, Iowa (AP) — Iowa regulators say they found no workplace safety violations at Tyson Foods’ largest pork processing plant, which employed several people who died after contracting the coronavirus.

The Iowa Occupational Safety and Health Administration closed its inquiry into the Tyson plant in Waterloo earlier this month without sanctioning the meat company.

County officials and workers have alleged that in March and part of April workers did not have adequate personal protective equipment to stop the spread of the virus and were not social distancing. The company says it has taken numerous safety steps since then, including requiring masks, screening for symptoms, and frequent testing.

Black Hawk County has said that more than 1,000 of the Waterloo plant’s 2,800 workers had tested positive for the virus or antibodies by early May.

The Associated Press has confirmed that at least five workers have died after getting the virus, most recently a 44-year-old maintenance worker who died on Memorial Day after a lengthy illness. The other deaths have included a 65-year-old laundry department worker, a 58-year-old Bosnian refugee, a 60-year-old Latino father and a refugee from Congo.

Iowa health officials have not released the number of meatpacking workers who have died because of the virus in Waterloo or at other plants.

Iowa OSHA said it inspected the Waterloo plant April 20 after Democratic lawmakers filed a complaint alleging that unsafe working conditions caused the outbreak, which devastated the broader community. Within days, the plant suspended operations and reopened about two weeks later with new safety protocols.

Iowa OSHA Administrator Russell Perry said in a letter dated June 11 that his agency found “no violations of the Iowa occupational safety and health standards on the date of the inspection.”

“You may have listed conditions on your complaint that were not within the scope of our jurisdiction or items did not exist during the inspection,” he wrote to Rep. Ras Smith, a Waterloo Democrat who was among the complainants.
Smith, whose district includes the plant and provided the letter to AP, said Tuesday he was baffled by the decision. He said the agency appeared to be protecting the company and not its workers.

“If they didn’t find anything, why did Tyson feel the need to shut down and make some improvements?” Smith said. “It seems as though Iowa OSHA is either complicit or refusing to do the right thing.”

State Sen. Bill Dotzler, a Waterloo Democrat who also filed the complaint, said he was stunned.

“It’s pretty clear that they couldn’t find water if they were standing in a river,” he said of Iowa OSHA.

Iowa’s OSHA database also shows that the agency’s recent inspections of Tyson pork processing plants in Columbus Junction and Perry have been closed without finding any violations.
“We appreciate the important role of Iowa OSHA and are pleased with the results of its investigations,” Tyson spokeswoman Liz Croston said Tuesday. She said that the number of active infections among its Iowa workers “continues to decline.”

The Iowa Department of Public Health said in early May that 951 workers at the Columbus Junction and Perry plants had tested positive for COVID-19 after outbreaks in them. The company has acknowledged that at least two workers at Columbus Junction have died of coronavirus.

Iowa OSHA said that it inspected those plants only in response to “media referrals.” The agency had declined to inspect the Perry plant in April after receiving a complaint as the outbreak grew.

Charleston votes to remove statue of slavery advocate

A 100-foot monument to former U.S. vice president and slavery advocate John C. Calhoun towers over a downtown square Tuesday, June 23, 2020, in Charleston, S.C. Officials in Charleston voted unanimously Tuesday to remove the statue from a downtown square, the latest in a wave of actions arising from protests against racism and police brutality against African Americans. (AP Photo/Meg Kinnard)

CHARLESTON, S.C. (AP) — Officials in the historic South Carolina city of Charleston voted unanimously Tuesday to remove a statue of former vice president and slavery advocate John C. Calhoun from a downtown square, the latest in a wave of actions arising from protests against racism and police brutality against African Americans.

Council members approved the measure 13-0 at a late-day meeting. The resolution authorizes the removal of the statue of the former U.S. vice president and senator from South Carolina from atop a 100-foot (30-meter) monument in downtown Marion Square.

City officials said eventually that the Calhoun statue will be placed permanently at “an appropriate site where it will be protected and preserved.”

Just before midnight on Tuesday the Charleston Police Department tweeted that, “Calhoun Street between Meeting Street and King Street is closed for the removal of the John C. Calhoun statue,” adding that the street will be closed for several hours.

The vote comes a week after the mayor, John Tecklenburg, announced he would send the resolution to the City Council. He also took part in the vote.

“I believe that we are setting a new chapter, a more equitable chapter, in our city’s history,” Tecklenburg said, just before the vote. “We are making the right step. It’s just simply the right thing for us to do.”

Council members heard from dozens of residents for and against the statue’s removal. Councilman Karl L. Brady Jr. said he knew his support may cost him votes but that he was voting his conscience in a move he said shows that, in Charleston, “we place white supremacy and white supremacist thought back where it belongs - on the ash heap of history.”

The move comes days after the fifth anniversary of the slaying of nine Black parishioners in a racist attack at a downtown Charleston church. It also comes as cities around the U.S. debate the removal of monuments to Confederate leaders and others after the policy custody death of a Black man, George Floyd, in Minnesota.

The ultimate resting place of the statue has yet to be determined, a decision that will be left up to a special panel. The mayor has anticipated it would go to a local museum or educational institution.

Last Wednesday when Tecklenburg announced his plans to remove the statue, dozens of protesters linked arms around the monument, shouting, “Take it down!” Video posted on Twitter also showed signs and spray-painting on the monument. Police said they made several arrests for vandalism and ultimately closed off the area overnight.

In the heart of downtown Charleston, Calhoun towers over a sprawling square frequented by locals and tourists alike that is a frequent venue for festivals and large public events. Several organizers have said recently that they would no longer use the space while the statue remained.

About 40% of enslaved Africans brought to North America came through the port city of Charleston, which formally apologized in 2018 for its role in the slave trade. In its resolution, the city says the statue, in place since 1898, “is seen by many people as something other than a memorial to the accomplishments of a South Carolina native, but rather a symbol glorifying slavery and as such, a painful reminder of the history of slavery in Charleston.”

Calhoun’s support of slavery never wavered. He said in several speeches on the U.S. Senate floor in the 1830s that slaves in the South were better off than free Blacks in the North while calling slavery a “positive good.”

Tecklenburg said the removal isn’t covered under South Carolina’s Heritage Act, which protects historical monuments and names of buildings, as the monument is not on public property or in commemoration of one of the historical events listed in the act. According to the National Parks Service, the city technically leases the land where the monument sits, which “is to be kept open forever as a parade ground for the Sumter Guards and the Washington Light Infantry.”

Thus far, Tecklenburg’s interpretation has not been legally disputed. A two-thirds vote from the state General Assembly is required to make any changes under the Heritage Act, a tough task in a state where conservatives dominate the House and Senate, last used to remove the Confederate flag from Statehouse grounds in 2015.

During a news conference at the Statehouse on Tuesday, Gov. Henry McMaster described the Heritage Act as a “good state law” and a “deliberate process that is not influenced by passion and time.” When asked about Tecklenburg’s assertion that the law doesn’t apply in this instance, McMaster - a former prosecutor - called it a “legal question,” adding, “It depends on how you read the Heritage Act, and there are people who read it in different ways.”

Several Black lawmakers are urging local governments and colleges to act on their own and defy the monument protection law because it carries no stated penalties and hasn’t faced a court challenge, and several are planning to do so.

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Meg Kinnard can be reached at https://twitter.com/MegKinnardAP.