Researchers develop chemistry needed to create marijuana breathalyzer
by University of California, Los Angeles

The legalization and decriminalization of marijuana in California and elsewhere have made marijuana detection especially important, said senior author Neil Garg. Credit: Jesse Herring

UCLA chemists have reported the key chemical discovery necessary for the creation of a small, electronic marijuana breathalyzer. The research is published in Organic Letters, a peer-reviewed journal of the American Chemical Society.


The legalization and decriminalization of marijuana in California and elsewhere have made marijuana detection especially important, said senior author Neil Garg, UCLA's Kenneth N. Trueblood Professor of Chemistry and Biochemistry and chair of UCLA's department of chemistry and biochemistry.

"When I grew up, people were taught not to drive drunk," Garg said. "I haven't seen the same type of messages for marijuana yet, and statistics indicate more than 14 million people in the U.S. smoke marijuana and drive. Our goal was to devise a very simple solution that could be adopted by society. We have shown in this study we can change the chemical structure and properties of THC—the primary psychoactive ingredient in marijuana—using perhaps the simplest chemical means possible: electricity, to determine whether a person is impaired."

"We want a simple breathalyzer that doesn't require specialized training because a police officer is not a trained synthetic organic chemist," said lead author Evan Darzi, a former postdoctoral scholar in Garg's laboratory.

While Darzi and Garg have developed the chemistry that would be at the heart of a marijuana breathalyzer, they have not created an actual device. "We have established the fundamental proof of concept," said Garg, who received the 2018 Robert Foster Cherry Award—which is the largest university teaching prize in the U.S., awarded by Baylor University—and was named the 2015 California Professor of the Year.

Darzi and Garg developed a simple oxidation process similar to that used in an alcohol breathalyzer. Oxidation is the loss of an electron from a molecule. The researchers removed a hydrogen molecule from THC (whose full name is delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol). Alcohol breathalyzers convert ethanol to an organic chemical compound, and hydrogen is lost through the oxidation process.

"The chemistry we are doing with THC is the same thing," Garg said. "We remove a molecule of hydrogen from THC. That is oxidation. This leads to changes in the color of the molecule that can be detected."


Darzi and Garg report two ways to do the oxidation of THC. Their preferred, inexpensive approach is to use electricity.

"Some of our initial ideas involved trying to get complicated molecules to bind to THC in order to detect a signal," Garg said. "After a while, we realized the simplest solution is to pump electricity into THC and have a chemical reaction occur that produces a change we can detect. It doesn't matter what the change is, as long as it is easy to detect. Oxidation is one of the simplest reactions one can do to a molecule."

The structure of THC includes a unit called a phenol. When chemists oxidize a phenol, the oxidation produces a member of a class of organic compounds called quinones. "We know how to oxidize a phenol into a quinone," Garg said.

THC and the quinone absorb light differently. "Once we knew that," Garg said, "we decided to use electricity to perform the oxidation." Darzi used a new device in Garg's laboratory (called an ElectraSyn 2.0 by IKA Works) that allows him to perform electrochemical reactions.

The chemists saw a change in where the molecules absorb light. THC absorbs light at a certain wavelength, and Darzi and Garg found that when it is oxidized, it absorbs light at a different wavelength.

"Doing organic chemistry using electrochemistry is not something that people in my field historically have done regularly," Garg said. "Evan studied different variations of how to set up the chemical reactions until he found the best way to oxidize THC."

In order to conduct the research, the chemists first obtained a license from the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration to study THC in their laboratory.

The chemists said they have had positive responses from other chemists with whom they have shared their research.

The next big step, Garg said, is to achieve the same result with a breath sample from a person who has very recently consumed marijuana, and to avoid false positives. Studies suggest marijuana on the breath can reliably reveal whether marijuana was smoked or otherwise consumed in the last four or five hours, Darzi said. Garg hopes his laboratory will continue this research in collaboration with a company interested in developing the technology. However, he noted there are significant challenges to develop this technology at a university due to federal regulations. UCLA has filed a provisional patent application on the THC oxidation.

Garg's hope is that a marijuana breathalyzer would be inexpensive enough for consumers to buy so they can test themselves before deciding whether to drive. Garg and Darzi expect that a marijuana breathalyzer would produce a numerical result, perhaps similar to the blood alcohol level measurements of an alcohol breathalyzer—but the details go beyond the scope of this research.

"Professor Garg and I both have young children," Darzi said, "and our children will grow up in a world where marijuana is legal. We're glad we can play a role in helping society address this issue."


Explore further  Researchers create breathalyzer that can detect marijuana

More information: Evan R. Darzi et al, Electrochemical Oxidation of Δ9-Tetrahydrocannabinol: A Simple Strategy for Marijuana Detection, Organic Letters (2020). 

DOI: 10.1021/acs.orglett.0c01241

Journal information: Organic Letters

Provided by University of California, Los Angeles

New genetic study of lions may help to prevent them going extinct

by Bob Yirka , Phys.org

Credit: CC0 Public Domain

A large international team of researchers has conducted an extensive genetic analysis of lions, and in so doing, has learned about their evolutionary history. In their paper published in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, the group describes how they confirmed long-term divisions between extant lion populations and showed genetic diversity among modern samples.


Prior research has shown that historically, lions have lived in many parts of the word, even in America. Most such species went extinct, however, including the cave lions that once roamed what is now Eurasia approximately 15,000 years ago. Today, lions live in parts of Africa and India and are endangered—just 20,000 African lions remain in the wild today, and their numbers are dwindling. In this new effort, the researchers carried out an extensive examination of the lion genome as part of an effort to save them from extinction.

The work involved analyzing the genomes of 20 specimens, including the cave lion and 12 historic lines that were known to live sometime between the 15th and 20th centuries—and six specimens from modern African and Asiatic lions.

One of the major findings was that modern lions and several extinct lions shared a common ancestor. They also found that approximately 70,000 years ago, two unique lineages of modern lion lineages emerged—and that cave lions lived in cold climates.

The researchers note that prior studies of the lion genome involved analysis of mitochondrial DNA—in this study, they went much further by looking at the whole genome—some of which was derived from 30,00-year-old lion fossils. They learned that modern lines split off from two different lineages in Africa—one in northern parts of Africa, the other in the south.

The researchers also found that the Asiatic lions living in the Gir forest in India have low genetic diversity due to their small population. And they found that the Asiatic lions evolved from the northern range lions in Africa, though they still had remnants of southern lions in their genome. They did not find any evidence of African lions being introduced into India in modern times. The researchers suggest their findings will help with lion conservation efforts in both India and Africa.

Amphibian study shows stress increases vulnerability to virus
by Washington State University

Credit: CC0 Public Domain

Even the anti-freeze frog is not invulnerable to stress, according to a new study led by Washington State University researchers.


The study, published in Proceedings of the Royal Society B on May 5, found that wood frogs, known for their ability to survive being frozen through, are more susceptible to lethal ranavirus infections if they have been raised in ponds high in salinity from road deicer. The findings lend more weight to the stress-induced susceptibility hypothesis, which could help explain dramatic wildlife population declines in recent years.

"We're seeing these mass mortality events in wildlife that are often due to infectious diseases; while at the same time, we notice an association with some kind of environmental change," said Emily Hall, the lead author on the study, which was part of her dissertation at Washington State University.

The researchers studied wood frog larvae in ponds in the northeastern U.S. where the use of salt as a road deicer is common. Originally, Hall was interested in the effect of road salt in ponds on the frog's development, but at some of her study sites, all the tadpoles simply died.

"It's really dramatic when you go to a pond and suddenly all the little tadpoles are floating on the surface," Hall said. She discovered they had died of ranavirus, a common viral pathogen that healthy wood frogs often survive.

Working with her advising professor Erica Crespi, who specializes in stress physiology, and Jesse Brunner, a disease ecologist, Hall started a new study using a combination of field work and lab studies to look at the potential link between the stress of salinity and susceptibility to infection.

The researchers found the animals who had been exposed to salt had 10 times more intense infections when exposed to ranavirus. The salt-water tadpoles were also more infectious, shedding five times as much virus into the water as infected animals who had grown up in freshwater without salt added.

The researchers did not see an increase in the frogs' corticosteroids, stress hormones, just from salinity. It was only with the virus infection did they see the magnified hormone levels and that inhibited the immune response.


This finding has implications beyond the small northeastern ponds, said Crespi.

"We may be studying an amphibian-pathogen system, but what we saw is being played out right now with the COVID-19 epidemic," Crespi said. "Chronic non-lethal stressors can cause health outcomes that we aren't aware of until a crisis happens. People, who are in constant socioeconomic stress or have higher incidence of metabolic disease or asthma, are experiencing more severe infections and higher incidence of mortality. That's also what we saw in our salty ponds."

The WSU study also has implications for how scientists approach wildlife conservation and mass die-offs of species. Unlike other species of amphibians, the wood frog is not experiencing major population declines. It is a common, usually resilient frog with a range that extends from Alabama to the Arctic. Mass mortality events from the virus have been observed in many parts of the world, but why one population experiences a die-off and not another is an open question. Researchers hypothesized that underlying poor conditions that elevate stress could play a role in where these mortality events occur.

"Since wood frogs are not a species of concern, people might not consider this a conservation story, but I do," Crespi said. "No one predicts die-offs. It's not a linear progression of decline. It's always a confluence of multiple things that act synergistically to cause an outcome that's more severe than expected. We should consider looking at preventative medicine in conservation."

Practicing preventative conservation would require monitoring populations, evaluating the complex relationship of stressors and health threats as well as looking for ways to reduce the threats, Crespi said. In this case, the researchers recommended that road crews look for opportunities to reduce the use of salt in winter road treatments while balancing safety, such as using gravel as is done in parts of the Pacific Northwest.


Explore further  Study shows hope for fighting disease known as Ebola of frogs

More information: Salinity stress increases the severity of ranavirus epidemics in amphibian populations, Proceedings of the Royal Society B, rspb.royalsocietypublishing.or … .1098/rspb.2020.0062

Journal information: Proceedings of the Royal Society B

DESPITE COVID-19 SCIENCE MUST GO ON

Tummy rumbles? Otters juggle pebbles when hungry, study finds

Asian otters’ playfulness with rocks a mystery but Exeter study links juggling to hunger



Nicola Davis Wed 6 May 2020 THE GUARDIAN

Whether tossing pebbles between their paws or rolling stones on their chest and even into their mouth, otters are experts at rock juggling. Now researchers say the behaviour largely appears to be linked to a rumbling tummy.

Many species of otters are known to toss pebbles around, often while lying on their backs, in what appears to be an example of animals playing with inanimate objects. Mari-Lisa Allison, of the University of Exeter, said: “[I have seen] an otter at the fence putting a pebble through the mesh and then catching it underneath and rolling it round, round the fence”.

But quite why otters rock-juggle has been something of a conundrum. Now Allison and colleagues say their experiments back up the view that otters rock-juggle more when they are hungry.

“This seems to be the immediate driver of the behaviour. There, in that moment, they are rock juggling because they are hungry, they are anticipating food and they are getting excited,” said Allison. But, she noted, further research is needed. “The ultimate function is still quite a mystery,” she said.

Writing in the journal Royal Society Open Science, Allison and colleagues told of examining the behaviour of otters at three wildlife parks and zoos in the UK. The team recorded about 12 hours of observations for each of 48 otters, six of which were smooth-coated otters and 42 of which were Asian small-clawed otters.

The team note the small-clawed otters forage for shellfish and crabs, while the smooth-coated feeds on fish. This difference suggested the latter might juggle rocks more frequently as they relied on dexterous movements to a greater degree. However the team found no such difference, although they said that could be due to the small number of smooth-coated otters observed, adding that the two species did show different juggling actions.

Further analysis revealed that among otters aged 11 years or below, juggling was more frequent the younger the animal, suggesting, the team said, that the movements could help with the development of motor skills.

However, the behaviour was also common among senior otters. Perhaps, the team said, the juggling had a role in preventing cognitive decline, although more work is needed to explore the idea.

The researchers also found otters juggled more frequently if they had not been fed for two or more hours. The team said that that could support previous suggestions that rock juggling was a type of “misdirected foraging” – in other words the hungry otters could be performing the type of dexterous movements they would use when extracting meat from shellfish but on rocks or pebbles instead.

Yet rock juggling does not seem to be a way by which the otters practise or improve their skills. The team presented the otters with minced meat inside medicine bottles, tennis balls and between two plastic bricks, but those experiments gave no sign that otters who juggled more frequently had greater success with solving puzzles.

But the team say the experiment had limitations; many of the older otters were arthritic, and the animals could have been put off by the unfamiliar nature of the task or might not have understood the puzzle.


Prof Hannah Dugdale, of the University of Groningen, in the Netherlands, who was not involved in the work, welcomed the study. “The reason why otters juggle rocks has been difficult to study as there are many different variables that need to be considered at the same time, such as the age of individuals and how hungry they are,” she said, adding that the new study helped tease apart such factors.

But, she added, more work is needed to explore factors involved in rock juggling in wild otters, and its frequency, to fully understand the evolution of such behaviour.

Dr Elizabeth Chadwick, of Cardiff University, who is principal investigator of the Cardiff University Otter Project, also said questions remained. “Otters are absolutely captivating and rock juggling is one of their most intriguing behaviours,” she said. “The study helps explore and describe some of the differences in rock juggling between individuals, but is unable to provide the elusive answer as to why otters juggle.”

Otters juggle stones when hungry, research shows

by University of Exeter
 

Credit: CC0 Public Domain

Hunger is likely to be the main driver of stone juggling in otters, new research has shown.

Researchers from the University of Exeter have carried out an extensive study into why captive otters tend to play with stones, commonly referred to as "rock juggling".

The dextrous mammals are often seen lying on their backs and batting the stones into the air, catching them and rolling them around their chests and necks.

Experts had suggested the behaviour might help the animals practise the foraging skills they need to extract foods from complex prey such as mussels and clams.

However, while the new research showed that young and older otters tended to juggle more than reproductive adults, these frequent jugglers were no better at solving food puzzles—suggesting the practice does not hone foraging skills.

Instead, the study showed that otters juggle more when hungry, in anticipation of feeding times in captivity—suggesting that it could be excitement for food.

The study is published in Royal Society Open Science on Wednesday, May 6th 2020.

Mari-Lisa Allison, lead author of the study said: "Zoo visitors are often enthralled by the otters' playfulness. Surprisingly, very few studies have investigated why otters are so keen to juggle stones. Our study provides a glimpse into this fascinating behaviour. While hunger is likely to drive rock juggling in the moment, the ultimate function of the behaviour is still a mystery."

For the new study, the research team analysed rock juggling in Asian small-clawed (Aonyx cinereus) and smooth-coated (Lutrogale perspicillata) otters found in zoo environments.

While the species are closely related, Asian small-clawed otters perform extractive foraging movements to exploit crabs and shellfish, while smooth-coated otters forage on fish.

The team set a series of puzzles for the otters to solve in order to gain access to a reward of food, to see whether the otters that juggled more frequently were faster at solving the puzzles. They also investigated whether sex, age and hunger levels could explain why some otters juggled more than others.

The team found that both juvenile and senior otters juggled more than adults. The authors suggested that the function of the behaviour may change over an otter's lifetime—aiding development in juveniles while potentially keeping the brain active in seniors. Otter parents may have been juggling less as they did not have the time while looking after their pups. However, rock-juggling frequency did not differ between species or sexes.

Crucially, otters juggled more when "hungry", indicating that juggling may be a misdirected behaviour in anticipation of feeding time.

Senior author Dr. Neeltje Boogert added: "While it did not appear that frequent jugglers solved food puzzles faster, more research is needed to exclude the "practise makes perfect" hypothesis to explain rock juggling in otters.


Explore further  Otters learn by copying each other

More information: The drivers and functions of rock juggling in otters, Royal Society Open Science, royalsocietypublishing.org/doi/10.1098/rsos.200141

Journal information: Royal Society Open Science

Trump's Wuhan Lab Coronavirus Conspiracy Theory Is Bogus, According to, Uh, Everyone

The WHO and Dr. Anthony Fauci have both poured cold water on the conspiracy theory Trump and Mike Pompeo are spreading.

By Tim Hume May 5 2020

President Donald Trump and Secretary of State Mike Pompeo’s claims that the coronavirus originated in a Wuhan lab are getting little support elsewhere, with the World Health Organization, Western intelligence sources and even Trump’s top infectious disease expert Dr. Anthony Fauci all saying there is no evidence to back the theory.

Trump made the claims at a White House press briefing last Thursday, claiming he had seen evidence that COVID-19 had originated at the Wuhan Institute of Virology, before US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo doubled-down on Sunday, saying there was “enormous evidence” to back up the theory.

But the narrative has found little support elsewhere, with leading health and intelligence authorities pushing back on the claim and saying the evidence pointed elsewhere.

“If you look at the evolution of the virus in bats and what's out there now, (the scientific evidence) is very, very strongly leaning toward this could not have been artificially or deliberately manipulated,” Dr. Fauci, director of the U.S. National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, told National Geographic in an interview published Monday.

“Everything about the stepwise evolution over time strongly indicates that (this virus) evolved in nature and then jumped species.”

The World Health Organization — which Trump slammed last week as acting “like the public relations agency for China” — also dismissed the president’s claims Monday, describing the theory as “speculative.”

“We have not received any data or specific evidence from the United States government relating to the purported origin of the virus — so from our perspective, this remains speculative,” WHO emergencies director Michael Ryan told an online press conference.

Meanwhile, intelligence sources in Britain and Australia told The Guardian that there is no evidence that the virus had leaked from the Chinese lab.

The sources also cast doubt on a recent “15-page dossier” — purportedly leaked from the Five Eyes intelligence network comprising the U.S., U.K., Canada, Australia, and New Zealand and Canada — that was the basis of a report in Australia’s Daily Telegraph on Saturday, claiming that a researcher at the Wuhan lab was the virus’s patient zero, and that China had orchestrated a cover-up.

The sources told The Guardian that the dossier did not appear to be based on classified Five Eyes documents but rather on open source, public domain material.

Three of the four other members of Five Eyes have declined to back up Trump’s claims on the origin of the virus so far, with officials in Ottawa and London saying it was too early to draw conclusions, and that further investigations are needed. On Tuesday, Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison went further, saying it was “most likely” that the virus had come from a wildlife wet market in Wuhan, while calling for an independent international investigation.

As the virus has ravaged the U.S., both Washington and Beijing have sought to blame the other for the catastrophic spread of the virus, prompting warnings from the WHO that the politicized blame-laying could hamper efforts to respond to the pandemic.

The Trump administration, which has long angered Beijing by referring to coronavirus as the “Chinese virus” or the “Wuhan virus,” has recently ratcheted up efforts to paint China as the villain, reportedly pushing U.S. intelligence agencies for information that could support the theory that the outbreak began in the Wuhan lab. The push prompted concern among analysts that the intelligence could be distorted for use in a growing clash over the pandemic with Beijing.

For its part, China has sought to portray itself as a country that has successfully contained its own outbreak and has been using its resources and expertise to help the rest of the world, while spreading a conspiracy theory via state media that a U.S. military athlete brought the virus to Wuhan during the World Military Games in October.

READ: China is blaming a lone U.S. cyclist for coronavirus

Ryan, the WHO’s emergencies director, warned Monday against politicizing any inquiry into the origin of the virus, saying that if the questions were framed as an “aggressive investigation of wrongdoing, then I believe that's much more difficult to deal with.”

“Science needs to be at the center,” he said. “If we have a science-based investigation and a science-based inquiry... then that will benefit everybody on the planet.”

Already, the allegations from Trump and Pompeo have drawn a bristling response from Beijing, with Chinese state media editorials accusing the Secretary of State of “bluffing” with his “groundless accusations."

“Since Pompeo said his claims are supported by ‘enormous evidence,’ then he should present this so-called evidence to the world, and especially to the American public who he continually tries to fool,” read an editorial in the state-run Global Times newspaper Monday.

READ: The Chinese government has convinced its citizens that the U.S. Army brought coronavirus to Wuhan

“The truth is that Pompeo does not have any evidence, and during Sunday's interview, he was bluffing.”

Cover: President Donald Trump listens during a meeting with Daniel O'Day, CEO of Gilead Sciences Inc., in the Oval Office of the White House, Friday, May 1, 2020, in Washington. U.S. regulators are allowing emergency use of first drug shown to help coronavirus patients that is made by Gilead. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)

UPDATED

Mercenaries Behind Failed Venezuela Coup Claim to Have Done Trump Security

An Instagram post and promotional video by Jordan Goudreau's Silvercorp claims that the company did security for a Trump rally in November 2018.By Ben Makuch May 5 2020


Silvercorp, the mercenary company caught Sunday in a bizarre attempt to overthrow the Venezuelan government, claims to have provided security for President Trump two years ago at one of his political rallies in North Carolina.

Led by Jordan Goudreau, a former special forces soldier, the Florida-based security company, has made headlines after two of its men were, according to Venezuelan president Nicolas Maduro, among a group of 13 "terrorists" detained by Venezuelan forces while attempting an armed incursion into the country. (Eight people were reportedly killed in the failed invasion attempt.) A photo posted to Instagram by the company is taken from what appears to be backstage at President Trump’s October 2018 political rally in Charlotte, North Carolina.

“Protecting our Greatest Assets,” reads the post. A suited man wears an earpiece in the background of the rally with two other individuals. The same photo is used on the company’s main website, with the figure's enlarged head in black and white, highlighting the security wire and earpiece on the back of his head.

A SILVERCORP EMPLOYEE AT A TRUMP RALLY.

One of the company’s promotional videos shows a Silvercorp employee among a security detail behind President Trump at that same Charlotte rally. In the video, Trump is seen addressing a large crowd behind a podium. Motherboard has independently confirmed that the video was taken at the same Charlotte rally by comparing people who appeared in the video uploaded by Silvercorp with press photos taken at the same rally.

The Associated Press reported that Goudreau had been introduced to Keith Schiller, President Trump’s longtime bodyguard, and accompanied him to a Miami meeting with representatives of Venezuelan opposition figure Juan Guaidó in May 2019.

A SCREENGRAB FROM A SILVERCORP PROMOTIONAL VIDEO THAT SHOWS A SILVERCORP EMPLOYEE (FRONT) BEHIND PRESIDENT TRUMP.

In another post from November 2018, Goudreau is pictured sitting down at a Houston restaurant with several other men and a “Make America Great Again” hat beside him. President Trump held a rally in Houston on the run-up to the midterm elections in 2018. Another post from March 2019 shows Goudreau walking toward a private jet; it's captioned with “#potussecurity” referring to the President.

Sunday, Silvercorp tweeted that a strikeforce was invading Venezuela, tagging the president:

The White House did not immediately respond to a Motherboard request for comment on its connections to Silvercorp.

Joseph Cox contributed reporting to this piece.

Captured American Mercenary Appears to Be Really Into Qanon

Airan Berry follows a few too many Q accounts on the ‘gram.
By Ben Makuch May 5 2020

IMAGE VIA MADELEIN GARCIA

Judging by the social media followings of one of the captured, Trump-connected American mercenaries who attempted a bizarre and spectacularly failed coup in Venezuela, he was highly interested in the QAnon conspiracy theory.

The identity of Airan Berry, a U.S. military veteran and former special forces operator apparently working for Silvercorp, a Florida-based mercenary company, was revealed yesterday on Venezuelan state television during a press conference by President Nicolas Maduro. He showed off Berry’s passport and an identification card, along with those of fellow special forces alumnus Luke Denman, also a part of the disastrous, hilarious coup attempt

According to Venezuela, 13 “terrorists” were captured (and eight people were reportedly killed) after a daring and amateurish armed incursion into the South American country, which has been under threat of invasion by the Trump administration for years. In all it played out like the work of people who desperately want to star in a movie starring The Rock and John Cena, and instead may well end up in prison for years.

Do you have information about Silvercorp? We’d love to hear from you. You can contact Ben Makuch securely on Wire at @benmakuch, or by email at ben.makuch@vice.com.

At first glance, Berry’s personal Instagram account is a mixed bag of workout highlights, beard obsession, and tattoo posts—not altogether uncommon themes in the typical social media activities of many veterans. But his following list, which could plausibly be assumed to offer a glimpse into his political interests and perhaps leanings, contains a laundry list of “redpill” accounts and several peddling QAnon conspiracy theories. (The outlandish conspiracy movement, which generally holds that a cabal of Deep State actors are plotting a covert overthrow of President Trump, has, according to the FBI, morphed into a bonafide domestic terrorism threat, and has pulled in people from all stratas of American society.)

Motherboard viewed more than 10 “Q” and truther accounts followed by Berry, some with tens of thousands of followers spreading, among other absurd conspiracies, blatant misinformation about the COVID-19 pandemic, which is helping fuel dangerous protests across the country defying social distancing orders. He is also following the hashtags "#qarmy" and "#qanon8kun."

Berry’s interest in QAnon is yet another bizarre detail in a coup attempt that makes more sense as the work a child would do narrating the movie playing in his mind as he played with Nerf guns than as anything else. It has not only made headlines around the world, but puzzled onlookers who wonder: Why?

Venezuelan authorities detain U.S. citizens allegedly involved in incursion

Venezuelan soldiers in balaclavas move a suspect from a helicopter after what Venezuelan authorities described was a "mercenary incursion", at an unknown location in this still frame obtained from Venezuelan government TV video, May 4, 2020.

 VENEZUELAN GOVERNMENT TV/Handout via REUTERS TV

Vivian Sequera, Brian Ellsworth

CARACAS (Reuters) - Venezuelan authorities have detained two U.S. citizens working with a U.S. military veteran who has claimed responsibility for a failed armed incursion into the oil producing country, President Nicolas Maduro said on Monday.

In a state television address, Maduro said authorities arrested 13 “terrorists” on Monday allegedly involved in a plot he said was coordinated with Washington to enter the South American country via the Caribbean coast and oust him.

Eight people were killed during the foiled incursion attempt on Sunday, Venezuelan authorities said.

Maduro showed what he said were the U.S. passports and other identification cards belonging to Airan Berry and Luke Denman, who he said were in custody and had been working with Jordan Goudreau, an American military veteran who leads a Florida-based security company called Silvercorp USA.

“They were playing Rambo. They were playing hero,” Maduro said, adding that Venezuelan authorities had caught wind of the plot before its execution.

Goudreau, who identified himself as an organizer of the invasion on Sunday, told Reuters on Monday that Berry and Denman were also involved.

“They’re working with me. Those are my guys,” he said by telephone.

The State Department did not provide any immediate comment on the alleged arrests. U.S. officials have strongly denied any U.S. government involvement in the incursions.

A person familiar with the matter said the two U.S. citizens were captured on Monday in a second-day roundup of accomplices and were believed to be in the custody of Venezuelan military intelligence.

The source, speaking on condition of anonymity, said the details came from contacts with Venezuelan security forces.

Opposition leader Juan Guaido cast doubt on the government’s version of Sunday’s events, insisting Maduro is seeking to distract from other problems in recent days including a deadly prison riot and a violent gang battle in Caracas.

Guaido’s communications team on Monday denied media reports that Guaido had hired Silvercorp to remove Maduro by force, adding the opposition leader and his allies “have no relationship with or responsibility for the actions of the company Silvercorp.”

In a statement on Monday evening, Guaido’s team said: “We demand the human rights ... of the people captured in recent hours be respected.”


Washington has imposed tough economic sanctions against Venezuela in an effort to oust Maduro, whom it accuses of having rigged elections in 2018. Maduro’s government says the United States wants to control Venezuela’s massive oil reserves.

‘ATTACK AGAINST OUR FATHERLAND’

Monday’s arrests come after Maduro’s government on Sunday said mercenaries had attempted to enter the South American country on speed boats from neighboring Colombia, saying eight people had been killed and two detained.

Later on Sunday, Goudreau released a video identifying himself as an organizer of the invasion, alongside dissident Venezuelan military officer Javier Nieto.

Goudreau said in the video that fighters on the ground continued to carry out operations in different parts of the country.

Slideshow (9 Images) https://tinyurl.osucom/y89tx

He identified one of the fighters as “Commander Sequea,” which appeared to be a reference to Antonio Sequea, who was identified on Monday by state television as one of the people arrested.

Silvercorp’s website describes Goudreau as a “highly decorated Special Forces Iraq and Afghanistan veteran.”

A Venezuelan state television anchor on Monday showed photos of men laid out on the ground with their hands behind their backs, adding that the group was traveling near the town of Chuao area in central Aragua state.

The group was “caught by popular force, by fishermen,” the anchor said.

Cabello posted a video of men in black with balaclavas pulling a shirtless man from a helicopter, whom they identified as part of the group captured.

“Without a doubt, the imperialists directed this attack against our fatherland,” Cabello said on Twitter, in reference to the U.S. government.

A U.S. official, who asked not to be named, said the U.S. government had no involvement with the incident. Another source familiar with U.S. intelligence analysis and reporting also said that U.S. agencies have nothing to do with any military incursions in Venezuela.

Trump denies ties to Venezuelan attack with 2 US men jailed

By SCOTT SMITH and JOSHUA GOODMAN, Associated Press 

CARACAS, Venezuela (AP) — President Donald Trump said Tuesday that the United States had nothing to do with an alleged incursion into Venezuela that landed two U.S. citizens behind bars in the crisis-stricken South American nation.

© Provided by Associated Press Security forces guard the shore area and a boat in which authorities claim a group of armed men landed in the port city of La Guaira, Venezuela, Sunday, May 3, 2020. Interior Minister Nestor Reverol said on state television that security forces overcame before dawn Sunday an armed maritime incursion with speedboats from neighboring Colombia in which several attackers were killed and others detained. (AP Photo/Matias Delacroix)

Trump said he had just learned of the detention of the pair, accused by Venezuela of being mercenaries. Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro said they were part of an operation to kill him that was backed by neighboring Colombia and the United States.

“Whatever it is, we’ll let you know,” Trump told reporters in Washington before departing from the White House to Arizona. “But it has nothing to do with our government.

Authorities in Venezuela identified the two men as Luke Denman and Airan Berry, both former U.S. special forces soldiers associated with the Florida-based private security firm Silvercorp USA.

A third U.S. ex-Green Beret and Silvercorp founder, Jordan Goudreau, claimed responsibility for leading “Operation Gideon,” which was launched with an attempted beach landing before dawn on Sunday that left eight suspected attackers dead.

The two ex-U.S. soldiers were detained Monday dozens of miles (kilometers) from the first attempted beach landing in a fishing village. Authorities say they've confiscated equipment and detained dozens of others.

© Provided by Associated Press Venezuela's Attorney General Tarek William Saab gives a press conference regarding what the government calls a failed attack over the weekend aimed at overthrowing President Nicolás Maduro in Caracas, Venezuela, Monday, May 4, 2020. The government’s claims that it had foiled a beach landing Sunday triggered a frenzy of confusing claims and counterclaims about the alleged plot. (AP Photo/Matias Delacroix)

Goudreau said the operation was designed to capture — and not kill Maduro. He said he carried it out on a “shoestring budget” after signing an agreement with U.S.-backed Venezuelan opposition leader Juan Guaidó, who Goudreau accuses of failing to pay him. Guaidó denies having any relationship with Goudreau.

Venezuela is gripped by a deepening social and economic crisis under Maduro's rule that has led nearly 5 million residents to flee crumbling social services, such as unreliable water, electricity and broken hospitals.

The U.S. is among nearly 60 nations that back Guaidó as Venezuela's legitimate leader, saying Maduro clings to power despite a sham election in 2018 that banned the most popular opposition candidates from running.

Venezuela and the U.S. broke diplomatic ties a year ago, so there is no U.S. embassy operating in Venezuela's capital of Caracas.

“It shocks me how insane they were,” said Mike Vigil, the former head of international operations for the Drug Enforcement Administration. “They walked right into a coiled rattlesnake without even having minimally studied the capacity of the Venezuelan armed forces. There’s no way the U.S. government would’ve supported an operation like this.”

Venezuela: 2 US ‘mercenaries’ among those nabbed after raid

By SCOTT SMITH and JOSHUA GOODMAN 5/4/2020

Venezuela's Attorney General Tarek William Saab holds up twitter posts during a press conference regarding what the government calls a failed attack over the weekend aimed at overthrowing President Nicolás Maduro in Caracas, Venezuela, Monday, May 4, 2020. The twitter posts are between two members of the opposition, Humberto Calderon and Yon Goicoechea. (AP Photo/Matias Delacroix)

BAY OF PIGS REDUX

CARACAS, Venezuela (AP) — Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro said authorities arrested two U.S. citizens among a group of “mercenaries” on Monday, a day after a beach raid purportedly aimed at capturing the socialist leader that authorities say they foiled.

Maduro held up a pair of blue U.S. passports, reading off the names and birth dates on them in a nationwide broadcast on state television. He showed images of the fishing boats the alleged attackers rode in on and equipment like walkie-talkies and night-vision glasses collected in what Maduro called an “intense” couple of days. He blamed the attacks on the Trump administration and neighboring Colombia, both of which have denied involvement.

“The United States government is fully and completely involved in this defeated raid,” Maduro said, praising members of a fishing village for cornering one group in the sweep netting the “professional American mercenaries.”

Before dawn on Sunday, officials say the first attack started on a beach near Venezuela’s port city of La Guaira, when security forces made the first two arrests and killed eight others attempting to make a landing by speedboats.

The two U.S. citizens arrested Monday were identified as as Luke Denman and Airan Berry, both former U.S. special forces soldiers.


Security forces guard the shore area and a boat in which authorities claim a group of armed men landed in the port city of La Guaira, Venezuela, Sunday, May 3, 2020. Interior Minister Nestor Reverol said on state television that security forces overcame before dawn Sunday an armed maritime incursion with speedboats from neighboring Colombia in which several attackers were killed and others detained. (AP Photo/Matias Delacroix)


Florida-based ex-Green Beret Jordan Goudreau said earlier Monday that he was working with the two men in a mission intending to detain Maduro and “liberate” Venezuela. Goudreau has claimed responsibility for the operation.

The two served in Iraq and Afghanistan with him in the U.S. military, Goudreau said, adding that they were part of this alleged mission in Venezuela called “Operation Gideon.” The aim was to capture Maduro.

Venezuela has been in a deepening political and economic crisis under Maduro’s rule. Crumbling public services such as running water, electricity and medical care have driven nearly 5 million to migrate. But Maduro still controls all levers of power despite a U.S.-led campaign to oust him. It recently indicted Maduro as a drug trafficker and offered a $15 million reward for his arrest.

Venezuela and the United States broke diplomatic ties last year amid heightened tensions, so there is no U.S. embassy in Caracas. Officials from the U.S. State Department did not respond Monday to a request by The Associated Press for comment.


Security forces patrol near the shore in the port city of La Guaira, Venezuela, Sunday, May 3, 2020. Interior Minister Nestor Reverol said on state television that security forces overcame before dawn Sunday an armed maritime incursion with speedboats from neighboring Colombia in which several attackers were killed and others detained. (AP Photo/Matias Delacroix)

“I’ve tried to engage everybody I know at every level,” Goudreau said of the attempt to help his detained colleagues. “Nobody’s returning my calls. It’s a nightmare.”

Goudreau’s account of the confusing raid has at times seemed contradictory — for example, he says he was plotting a rebellion for months while claiming not to have received a single penny. Meanwhile, a self-aggrandizing Maduro has thrived broadcasting videos on state TV of what he says was a flawless defense of the nation’s sovereignty.

Kay Denman, the mother of one of the Americans, said the last time she heard from her son was a few weeks when he texted her from an undisclosed location to ask how she was coping with the coronavirus pandemic. She said she never heard her son discuss Venezuela and only learned of his possible capture there after his friends called when they saw the reports on social media.

“The first time I heard Jordan Goudreau’s name was today,” she said when reached at her home in Austin, Texas.

Goudreau has said he reached an agreement with the U.S.-backed Venezuelan opposition leader Juan Guaidó to overthrow Maduro, which Guaidó has denied. The opposition leader said he had nothing to do with Sunday’s raid.

Goudreau says Guaidó never fulfilled the agreement, but the former Green Beret pushed ahead with an underfunded operation with just 60 fighters, including the two U.S. veterans.


He said he last communicated with Denman and Berry when they were adrift in a boat “hugging” the Caribbean coast of Venezuela. They were still in their boat following an initial confrontation with the Venezuelan Navy early Sunday, he said.

“They were running dangerously low on fuel,” Goudreau said. “If they had gone onto landfall, they would have gone to a safe house.”

Goudreau said the two were waiting for a boat on the Caribbean island of Aruba with emergency fuel to help extract them.


Security forces guard the shore area and a boat in which authorities claim a group of armed men landed in the port city of La Guaira, Venezuela, Sunday, May 3, 2020. Interior Minister Nestor Reverol said on state television that security forces overcame before dawn Sunday an armed maritime incursion with speedboats from neighboring Colombia in which several attackers were killed and others detained. (AP Photo/Matias Delacroix)

Venezuelan state TV showed showed images on state TV of several unidentified men handcuffed and lying prone in a street. One video clip showed authorities handling a shirtless man in handcuffs.

He was identified as a National Guardsman Capt. Antonio Sequea, who participated in a barracks revolt against Maduro a year ago. Goudreau said Sequea was a commander working with him in recent days on the ground in Venezuela.

Maduro ally and Attorney General Tarek William Saab said that in total they’ve arrested 114 people suspected in the attempted attack and they are on the hunt of 92 others.

Goudreau, a three-time Bronze Star U.S. combat veteran, claims to have helped organize the deadly seaborne raid from Colombia. Goudreau said the operation had received no aid from Guaidó or the U.S. or Colombian governments.

Opposition politicians and U.S. authorities issued statements suggesting Maduro’s allies had fabricated the assault to draw attention away from the country’s problems.

Goudreau said by telephone earlier Monday that 52 other fighters had infiltrated Venezuelan territory and were in the first stage of a mission to recruit members of the security forces to join their cause.

An AP investigation published Friday found that Goudreau had been working with a retired Venezuelan army general — who now faces U.S. narcotics charges — to train dozens of deserters from Venezuela’s security forces at secret camps inside neighboring Colombia. The goal was to mount a cross-border raid that would end in Maduro’s arrest.

___

Investigative researcher Randy Herschaft in New York contributed to this report.

Ex-Green Beret claims he led foiled raid into Venezuela

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Security forces patrol near the shore in the port city of La Guaira, Venezuela, Sunday, May 3, 2020. Interior Minister Nestor Reverol said on state television that security forces overcame before dawn Sunday an armed maritime incursion with speedboats from neighboring Colombia in which several attackers were killed and others detained. (AP Photo/Matias Delacroix)
CARACAS, Venezuela (AP) — A former Green Beret has taken responsibility for what he claimed was a failed attack Sunday aimed at overthrowing Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro and that the socialist government said ended with eight dead.

Jordan Goudreau’s comments in an interview with an exiled Venezuelan journalist capped a bizarre day that started with reports of a predawn amphibious raid near the South American country’s heavily guarded capital.

An AP investigation published Friday found that Goudreau had been working with a retired Venezuelan army general now facing U.S. narcotics charges to train dozens of deserters from Venezuela’s security forces at secret camps inside neighboring Colombia. The goal was to mount a cross-border raid that would end in Maduro’s arrest.


But from the outset the ragtag army lacked funding and U.S. government support, all but guaranteeing defeat against Maduro’s sizable-if-demoralized military. It also appears to have been penetrated by Maduro’s extensive Cuban-backed intelligence network.

MORE STORIES:
– Shipping tycoon defends Venezuela gas delivery amid shortage
– Ex-Green Beret led failed attempt to oust Venezuela's Maduro
– Venezuelan prison riot leaves dozens dead; warden injured

Both Goudreau and retired Venezuelan Capt. Javier Nieto declined to speak to the AP on Sunday when contacted after posting a video from an undisclosed location saying they had launched an anti-Maduro putsch called “Operation Gideon.” Both men live in Florida.

“A daring amphibious raid was launched from the border of Colombia deep into the heart of Caracas,” Goudreau, in a New York Yankees ball cap, said in the video standing next to Nieto who was dressed in armored vest with a rolled-up Venezuelan flag pinned to his shoulder. “Our units have been activated in the south, west and east of Venezuela.”

Goudreau said 60 of his men were still on the ground and calls were being activated inside Venezuela, some of them fighting under the command of Venezuelan National Guardsman Capt. Antonio Sequea, who participated in a barracks revolt against Maduro a year ago.

None of their claims of an ongoing operation could be independently verified. But Goudreau said he hoped to join the rebels soon and invited Venezuelans and Maduro’s troops to join the would-be insurgency although there was no sign of any fighting in the capital or elsewhere as night fell.

In an interview later with Miami-based journalist Patricia Poleo, he provided a contradictory account of his activities and the support he claims to have once had — and then lost — from Juan Guaidó, the opposition leader recognized as Venezuela’s interim president by the U.S. and some 60 countries.

He provided to Poleo what he said was an 8-page contract signed by Guaidó and two political advisers in Miami in October for $213 million. The alleged “general services” contract doesn’t specify what work his company, Silvercorp USA, was to undertake.


He also released via Poleo a four-minute audio recording, made on a hidden cellphone, in the moment when he purportedly signed the contract as Guaidó participated via videoconference. In the recording, a person he claims is Guaido can be heard giving vague encouragement in broken English but not discussing any military plans.
Full Coverage: Venezuela

“Let’s get to work!,” said the man who is purportedly Guaido.

The AP was unable to confirm the veracity of the recording.

There was no immediate comment from Guaidó on Goudreau’s claim that the two had signed a contract. Previously, Guaidó has said he hadn’t signed any contract for a military incursion.

Goudreau said he never received a penny from the Guaidó team and instead the Venezuelan soldiers he was advising had to scrounge for donations from Venezuelan migrants driving for car share service Uber in Colombia.

“It’s almost like crowdfunded the liberating of a country,” he said.

Goudreau said everything he did was legal but in any case he’s prepared to pay the cost for anything he did if it saves the lives of Venezuelans trying to restore their democracy.

“I’ve been a freedom fighter my whole life. This is all I know,” said Goudreau, who is a decorated three-time Bronze Star recipient for courage in deployments to Iraq and Afghanistan as a special forces medic.

Asked about why his troops would land at one of Venezuela’s most fortified coastlines — some 20 miles from Caracas next to the country’s biggest airport — he cited the example set by Alexander the Great, who had “struck deep into the heart of the enemy” at the Battle of Guagamela.

The government’s claims that it had foiled a beach landing Sunday triggered a frenzy of confusing claims and counterclaims about the alleged plot. While Maduro’s allies said it had been backed by Guaidó, Colombia and the U.S., the opposition accused Maduro of fabricating the whole episode to distract attention from the country’s ongoing humanitarian crisis.

“Those who assume they can attack the institutional framework in Venezuela will have to assume the consequences of their action,” said socialist party boss Diosdado Cabello, adding that one of two captured insurgents claimed to be an agent of the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration.

Authorities said they found Peruvian documents, high-caliber weapons, satellite phones, uniforms and helmets adorned with the U.S. flag.

Both U.S. and Colombian officials dismissed the Venezuelan allegations.

“We have little reason to believe anything that comes out of the former regime,” said a State Department spokesperson, referring to Maduro’s government. “The Maduro regime has been consistent in its use of misinformation in order to shift focus from its mismanagement of Venezuela.”

Venezuela has been in a deepening political and economic crisis under Maduro’s rule. Crumbling public services such as running water, electricity and medical care have driven nearly 5 million to migrate.

The United States has led a campaign to oust Maduro, increasing pressure in recent weeks by indicting the socialist leader as a drug trafficker and offering a $15 million reward for his arrest. The U.S. also has increased stiff sanctions.

In addition to U.S. economic and diplomatic pressure, Maduro’s government has faced several small-scale military threats, including an attempt to assassinate Maduro with a drone in 2018 and Guaidó’s call for a military uprising a year ago.

Cabello linked Sunday’s attack to key players in the alleged plot led by Goudreau and Ret. Maj. Gen. Cliver Alcala, who is now in U.S. custody awaiting trial after being indicted alongside Maduro on narcoterrorist charges. One of the men he said was killed, nicknamed “the Panther,” had been identified as involved in obtaining weapons for the covert force in Colombia.

Guaidó accused Maduro’s government of seizing on the incident to draw the world’s attention away from the country’s problems.

“Of course, there are patriotic members of the military willing to fight for Venezuela,” Guaidó said. “But it’s clear that what happened in Vargas is another distraction ploy.”

___

Goodman reported from Miami.

California is suing Uber and Lyft, accusing the ride-hailing companies of misclassifying their drivers


Gig workers protest in favor of Assembly Bill 5 in San Francisco. 
Megan Hernbroth/Business Insider

California lawmakers filed a lawsuit against Uber and Lyft on Tuesday.
A consortium of city attorneys from the state's largest cities accused the firms of misclassifying their workers as contractors in order to avoid paying some benefits.
In response, Uber said it would fight the action in court, while Lyft said it would work with the state to find a solution.

The state cited a law passed in September, which restricts which employees companies may classify as contractors.

California on Tuesday filed a lawsuit against Uber and Lyft, accusing the ride-hailing firms of misclassifying workers in violation of a law passed by state legislators in the fall.

The lawsuit, brought by a consortium of city attorneys from Los Angeles, San Francisco, and San Diego, accuses the companies of evading "workplace standards" to avoid the cost of providing benefits like minimum wage, paid sick leave, and health insurance benefits.

"Uber and Lyft owe their drivers these benefits and protections," the lawsuit claims.

A representative for Uber accused lawmakers of obstructing Californians' access to work amid record unemployment triggered by the coronavirus pandemic.

"At a time when California's economy is in crisis with four million people out of work, we need to make it easier, not harder, for people to quickly start earning," the company said. "We will contest this action in court, while at the same time pushing to raise the standard of independent work for drivers in California, including with guaranteed minimum earnings and new benefits."

A Lyft representative echoed those claims, and said it would work with lawmakers to find a solution.

"We are looking forward to working with the Attorney General and mayors across the state to bring all the benefits of California's innovation economy to as many workers as possible, especially during this time when the creation of good jobs with access to affordable healthcare and other benefits is more important than ever," the Lyft spokesperson said.
—Xavier Becerra (@AGBecerra) May 5, 2020

Signed into law in September 2019 by Gov. Gavin Newsom, Assembly Bill 5 codifies an existing legal framework, in the form of a three-part test, to determine if a worker can be classified as a contractor or not. If a company controls how a worker does the job, or if that job is a core of the company's business, they likely fall into the employee category.

In the months following Assembly Bill 5's passage, Uber, Lyft and other gig-economy startups like DoorDash vowed to fight the new law with a $90 million ballot drive. Protect App-Based Drivers and Services, an organization set up by the trio of companies to fight the law, did not immediately return a request for comment.

The organization has argued that a change in classification under the new law would strip workers of their flexibility, citing the overwhelming number of gig-workers who work less than full-time. They hope to gather enough signatures to force voters to decide in November if the law should stand.

"If successful, this lawsuit would force more Californians out of work and eliminate access to these essential services when millions are relying on them," the group said in a press release Tuesday.

Still, the state and other activists maintain that flexibility can still be offered if workers are considered employees.

"Both companies have launched an aggressive public relations campaign in the hopes of enshrining their ability to mistreat their workers, all while peddling the lie that driver flexibility and worker protections are somehow legally incompatible," the lawsuit reads.

Read the full lawsuit at BUSINESS INSIDER


California sues Uber, Lyft over misclassifying drivers as contractors

(Reuters) - California and three of its largest cities on Tuesday sued Uber Technologies Inc and Lyft Inc, accusing them of classifying their drivers improperly as independent contractors instead of employees, evading workplace protections and withholding worker benefits.

The suit, joined by Los Angeles, San Francisco and San Diego, was brought under a new state law intended to protect workers in the so-called gig economy. It argued the companies’ misclassification harms workers, law-abiding businesses, taxpayers, and society more broadly.

The controversial law strikes at the heart of the business model of technology platforms like Uber, Lyft, Postmates, DoorDash and others who rely heavily on the state’s 450,000 contract workers, not full-time employees, to drive passengers or deliver food via app-based services.

“No business model should hang its success on mistreating workers and violating the law,” California Attorney General Xavier Becerra said during a virtual news conference with his city counterparts, adding that Uber and Lyft drivers lacked basic worker protections, including sick leave and overtime payment.

Shares in Uber and Lyft dropped briefly but recovered shortly after the lawsuit was announced.

Uber shares were up more than 2% and Lyft shares flat in a broadly positive market.

Uber in a statement said it will contest the action in court, while pushing for the implementation of its own proposal for additional driver benefits.


“At a time when California’s economy is in crisis with four million people out of work, we need to make it easier, not harder, for people to quickly start earning,” the company said.

Labor unions argue that Uber is trying to circumvent labor laws by creating a new “underclass” of worker entitled to significantly fewer benefits than traditional employees.

Lyft in a statement said it would work with the attorney general and mayors, “to bring all the benefits of California’s innovation economy to as many workers as possible.” The company declined to say whether it was pursuing a settlement or would fight the lawsuit in court.

Uber in December sued to block the new law, which is known as AB5, arguing that it punished app-based companies. The company on Tuesday said the new lawsuit was unfairly and arbitrarily singling out ride-hailing companies, but also posed a threat to independent workers across industries.

The companies in the past have said their drivers were properly classified as independent contractors, adding that the majority of them would not want to be considered employees, cherishing the flexibility of on-demand work.

The city attorneys on Tuesday did not say whether they had immediate plans to sue other gig economy companies.

The coronavirus crisis in particular has exposed gig workers’ lack of a safety net, with tens of thousands of them seeking sick leave and unemployment benefits.


“American taxpayers end up having to help carry the load that Uber and Lyft don’t want to accept. These companies will take the workers’ labor, but they won’t accept the worker protections,” Becerra said.

Becerra also referred to Uber’s and Lyft’s push to include its drivers in a federal coronavirus relief bill for unemployment benefits. Those benefits are generally reserved for workers whose employers pay into the unemployment insurance system, which Uber and Lyft do not.

California sues Uber, Lyft over alleged labor law violations

by Stefanie Dazio

Credit: CC0 Public Domain

California sued ride-hailing companies Uber and Lyft on Tuesday, alleging they misclassified their drivers as independent contractors under the state's new labor law.

Attorney General Xavier Becerra and the city attorneys of Los Angeles, San Diego and San Francisco announced the lawsuit Tuesday. The labor law, known as AB5 and considered the nation's strictest test, took effect Jan. 1 and makes it harder for companies to classify workers as independent contractors instead of employees who are entitled to minimum wage and benefits such as workers compensation.

California represents Uber and Lyft's largest source of revenue. The companies, as well as Doordash, are funding a ballot initiative campaign to exclude their drivers from the law while giving new benefits such as health care coverage. The initiative is likely to qualify for the November ballot.

Uber said in a statement it would contest the lawsuit in court "while at the same time pushing to raise the standard of independent work for drivers in California, including with guaranteed minimum earnings and new benefits."

"At a time when California's economy is in crisis with 4 million people out of work, we need to make it easier, not harder, for people to quickly start earning," the statement said.

Lyft, however, vowed to work with the attorney general and other officials to "bring all the benefits of California's innovation economy to as many workers as possible, especially during this time when the creation of good jobs with access to affordable health care and other benefits is more important than ever."

Becerra highlighted the coronavirus pandemic during Tuesday's virtual news conference, saying if drivers contract the virus or lose their jobs as a result they won't have access to health care coverage and other worker protections.

"They're the ones who would have to worry about how they'll pay their bills, what they'll do in the future, how they'll survive moving forward economically," Becerra said.

Jerome Gage, a Los Angeles Lyft driver, said in a statement that drivers haven't been given personal protective equipment during the pandemic.

"I am terrified of getting sick as passengers cough and sneeze in my car constantly. Uber and Lyft have abandoned drivers and passengers by failing to provide personal protective equipment," said Gage, who is also a leader of the Mobile Workers Alliance, a group of Southern California drivers urging the state to enforce the labor law against Uber and Lyft. "I am unable to stay home. If I don't drive, I have no income. I have no choice. If I don't risk my health, I won't have money to eat and pay my bills."

Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom said his upcoming state budget will include more money for state and local attorneys to file enforcement actions against companies in the gig economy that are not complying with the state's law on worker classifications.

He said Tuesday that roughly 450,000 Californians who have filed for unemployment have done so under a program for workers in the gig economy. He said issues around how gig workers receive unemployment benefits are heightened amid the pandemic.

But members of the Protect App-Based Drivers & Services coalition said in a statement they opposed the state's lawsuit, arguing it moves to take away drivers' choices to work as independent contractors.

A federal judge in February denied Uber and Postmates' request for a preliminary injunction that would have exempted them from the law. But separately, a federal judge in January indefinitely blocked the law from applying to more than 70,000 independent truckers, deciding that it is preempted by federal rules on interstate commerce.

A state judge, however, ruled in February that Instacart, a grocery delivery company, is likely misclassifying some of its workers as independent contractors instead of employees and flouting the labor law.

The state Legislature is also considering amending the law, though lawmakers are split whether to broaden or narrow it as other groups—such as freelance writers and photographers—contend they have been hurt by it through unintended consequences.

The state's lawsuit, filed in San Francisco, alleges that Uber and Lyft haven't paid enough payroll taxes as a result of the misclassification. The suit seeks restitution for unpaid wages owed to drivers, civil penalties and a permanent ruling that would prohibit the companies from misclassifying drivers in the future.

New Jersey's labor department filed a $640 million tax assessment last year against Uber, saying the company misclassified its drivers

Uber, Postmates sue to challenge California's new labor law

'Live and Let Die' blares as Trump tours mask factory

 May 5, 2020

As U.S. President Donald Trump, who was not wearing a mask, toured a Honeywell mask production assembly line in Arizona on Tuesday, Guns N' Roses' 'Live and Let Die 'cover played on the loudspeakers

WHAT? I CAN'T HEAR YOU OVER THE MUSIC AND THE MACHINERY? WHAT?

https:///video/watch/live-and-let-die-blares-as-trump-tours-m-id712602937?chan=6g5ka85

Trump says up to 100,000 Americans may die from coronavirus
U.S. President Donald Trump said on Sunday he now believes as many as 100,000 Americans could die in the coronavirus pandemic, after the death toll passed his earlier estimates, but said he was confident a vaccine would be developed by the year's end.

Trump Says America's Coronavirus Death Toll Could Hit 100,000. Experts Say It Already Has.

Epidemiologists say the official death toll is significantly underestimating coronavirus deaths
https://www.vice.com/en_us/article/m7qm8x/trump-says-americas-coronavirus-death-toll-could-hit-100000-experts-say-it-already-has

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