Good morning, and welcome to the Essential California newsletter. I hope you’re enjoying your Saturday. I know my husband is — he’s currently putting holiday outfits on our two dogs, Princess Leia and Sassy. Here’s what you need to know to start your weekend:
- The H5N1 bird flu may be one mutation away from being a threat to humans.
- The federal judge in Hunter Biden’s tax case denounced the president’s pardon.
- Here are the 101 best restaurants in Los Angeles.
- And here’s today’s e-newspaper
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The H5N1 bird flu virus may need just one mutation to be a threat to humans, a study found. Here’s what you need to know.
“Yikes,” “Oh great” and “You’ve got to be kidding me” were all reactions I got from friends when I texted them this news: The bird flu may only need one mutation in order to spread among humans, according to a study published this week in the journal Science.
The mutation “could open the door to widespread human infections and possibly even a pandemic,” experts told my colleague Susanne Rust. But there is a caveat — it’s unclear if this mutation will occur.
Here’s a look at what the study says, what it doesn’t say and why scientists are nervous about the growing number of dairy and poultry herds in California that have been infected with the virus.
Bird flu needs the right ‘key’ for human-to-human transmission
Scientists at the Scripps Research Institute wanted to know what it would take for the current strain of H5N1 bird flu to become a human pandemic, my colleague Susanna reports.
In order for the virus to latch onto the cells of its host and begin replicating, it needs the right spike or “key” to get in.
You might be thinking, “But haven’t people already been infected with the bird flu?” Yes, there have been more than 50 known cases in humans in the U.S.
But many of them involved dairy workers who were likely sprayed in the eyes and nose with infected milk from cows, Susanna reports. This type of repeated exposure allowed the virus to kick down a door rather than open it with the right key, researchers say.
The scientists at Scripps began looking at how H5N1 could gain a key to target human cells. They found a single mutation of the hemagglutinin protein — the “H” in H5N1 — would allow the virus to spread among humans.
Don’t stock up on face masks, toilet paper and flour just yet
The study shows what it would take for H5N1 to become a threat to humans, but it doesn’t say when — or even if — this mutation will happen.
“Although the researchers demonstrated that it was possible for the virus to become a threat to humans with just one genetic change, that does not mean nature will follow that specific path,” my colleague Susanna reports.
Several unpredictable factors can determine the trajectory of a virus, and that may be why H5N1 hasn’t been able to widely infect humans so far.
But H5N1 still has opportunities to evolve at dairy and poultry farms, scientists say
The increasing number of outbreaks at farms provides the virus with the right conditions to develop a mutation, scientists warn.
This week, all raw milk and cream from Fresno-based Raw Milk dairy farm were recalled from store shelves. The move came after public health officials found H5N1 in raw milk samples last month.
More than 700 dairy herds in 15 states have been infected with the virus, according to data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention posted on Thursday. And the virus has been reported at 23 commercial poultry farms in California in the last 30 days — affecting more than 5.6 million birds.
Amid the rising number of cases in the state, the lab charged with tracking and preventing the spread of bird flu has been roiled by workplace tensions, L.A. Times labor reporter Suhauna Hussain found.
Current and former employees say many workers have left the California Animal Health and Food Safety Laboratory due to poor management. That exodus has resulted in a skeletal crew at the lab that is overworked and burned out.
As the number of cases continues to grow, the U.S. Department of Agriculture on Friday ordered testing of the nation’s milk supply for H5N1 and laid out a staged testing strategy that will allow the federal agency to track and monitor the virus.
The week’s biggest stories
The federal judge in Hunter Biden’s tax case denounced the president’s pardon
- The judge accused the president of maligning law enforcement and the justice system in his rationale for issuing the clemency.
- President Biden claimed Hunter’s charges were politically motivated. Here are what the facts show.
- Meanwhile, two of California’s most prominent Democrats sharply criticized the pardon.
- And Hunter, now pardoned, looks at a future that could include podcasting, writing or another artistic endeavor, a friend told The Times.
A Northern California community is “devastated” after a school shooting left two boys injured
- Authorities say a 56-year-old man staged an attack Wednesday on a Christian elementary school that ended with the attacker dead.
- The Butte County sheriff described the gunman as a homeless, mentally ill man with a long criminal record who targeted the school due to its affiliation with the Seventh-day Adventist Church.
This week’s 7-magnitude earthquake in Northern California highlighted the potential danger of tsunamis
- A rare tsunami warning was issued and later canceled across the region, a reminder to prepare and know how to respond in case of such emergencies.
- The offshore earthquake and short-lived tsunami warning left some Northern California residents feeling “emergency whiplash.”
“Missing women” cases in Los Angeles go viral online, even as the facts get complicated
- In the same week, Chanel Banks and Hannah Kobayashi were reported missing. Banks was found in Texas, while authorities say Kobayashi is “voluntarily missing.”
- Officials with the Los Angeles Police Department said Kobayashi was seen crossing the border into Mexico. Here is a review of what we know about her case.
More big stories
- Gov. Gavin Newsom touted California’s efforts on curbing fentanyl at the border. Will it matter to Trump?
- California voters wanted stricter penalties for crime, raising questions about the future for reform advocates.
- A jury awarded $3 million to a former SWAT sergeant who alleged a “mafia” culture in Los Angeles Police Department unit.
- A city council race was tied, so this California city drew straws to decide who won.
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This week’s must reads
L.A. County left a baby in the care of her 11-year-old brother. Now, she’s dead. The baby’s mother left her children home alone for days without enough food, according to her son and calls to a child protective services hotline from school counselors.
But DCFS never opened a case.
More must reads
- Hollywood power player Ari Emanuel appears well positioned to navigate the new Trump administration.
- A man living in Laurel Canyon claimed to be part of the Rothschild banking family. But his death left questions.
- The casual moviegoer is a thing of the past. That’s a big problem for Hollywood.
How can we make this newsletter more useful? Send comments to [email protected].
For your weekend
Going out
- 🍴 Looking for somewhere to eat? Here are the 101 best restaurants in Los Angeles.
- 🍸 From coffee to cocktails, these seven spots prove it’s never been a better time to go out for a drink in Los Angeles.
- 🏗️ Here are the eight best new architecture projects in L.A. for 2024.
- 🤖 An AI-powered massage robot called Aescape has arrived in Los Angeles.
- 👃 What smells remind you of L.A.? We want to know for our reader poll.
Staying in
- 📺 “Shogun,” “Elsbeth” and “Fantasmas” are among the best TV shows of 2024, our critic writes.
- 📖 Songwriter and composer Randy Newman reveals what he learned from a new biography that examines his life.
- 🔪 Need some inspiration in the kitchen? These are the best cookbooks of 2024.
- 🛠️ A Los Angeles resident transformed her 600-square-foot apartment for $2,500.
- 🧑🍳 Here’s a recipe for mulled pomegranate juice.
- ✏️ Get our free daily crossword puzzle, sudoku, word search and arcade games.
How well did you follow the news this week? Take our quiz.
For what reason did Gov. Newsom call the special session of the state Legislature that started Monday? Plus nine other questions from our weekly news quiz.
Have a great weekend, from the Essential California team
Hunter Clauss, multiplatform editor
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