"Capitol Hill is a ghost town; for most of the day, newspapers stacked up outside the closed door to the suite belonging to Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.). President Trump continued to fire off tweets signaling he was dug in on his demand for money to build a border wall. And Democrats tried a third time to get the House to approve a measure that the Senate approved unanimously last week, but which Trump rejected — because it lacked wall money."
Born on drugs: Babies from addicted moms are increasing at an alarming rate in California
From TERI SFORZA in the Riverside Press Enterprise: "While the number of kids in California’s child protection system plunged almost 50 percent between 2000 and 2018, the number of infants — younger than one year — shot up more than 9 percent."
"More than 2,200 children have suffered fatal and near-fatal incidents in California since 2009. The overwhelming majority of these tragedies — more than 90 percent, according to a Southern California News Group analysis of data from California Department of Social Services — occurred while the children were in the care of their own parents and legal guardians."
"When children died, the overwhelming majority — 77 percent — were from families who previously were involved with the child protection system, according to the state’s most recent figures."
California court answers the pointed question: When is a butter knife deadly?
From BOB EGELKO in the Chronicle: "Assault with a deadly weapon is a felony in California, and a knife can be a deadly weapon. But not a butter knife — unless it’s used in a way that’s likely to cause serious harm, the state Supreme Court said Thursday."
"The unanimous ruling resulted from a felony assault conviction of a 17-year-old girl in Ventura County who accused her sister of locking her out of their home in July 2016, grabbed a metal knife from a kitchen counter and began swinging at her sister’s blanket-covered legs, the court said. At trial, the sister testified that she was struck several times and felt strong pressure, but wasn’t cut."
"A juvenile court judge found that the knife — which had a 3-inch blade with a few ridges on one side but was rounded at the end, like a butter knife — had been used as a deadly weapon and sentenced the girl, identified in court papers as B.M., to 90 days of confinement. A state appeals court upheld the finding, saying the knife, regardless of its design, could have been used to stab or slash the sister’s face."
Former prisoners confront history of violence on way to commutations
The Chronicle's ASHLEY MCBRIDE: "When inmates at San Quentin State Prison began submitting applications for commutations last year, Shadeed Wallace-Stepter was skeptical."
"He didn’t think a commutation was attainable; it would be like winning the lottery."
"“When you think of commutations, you think of pardons, death row, a last-minute call from the governor,” Wallace-Stepter said. “In the 17, 18 years I’d been in prison, I’d never heard of anyone getting a commutation.”"
'Death by a thousand cuts': California's first year of legalized pot is no smooth trip
The Chronicle's PETER FIMRITE: "The legal marijuana market, so long a twinkle in the eye of the cannabis cognoscenti, has hit hard times in California, where high prices, red tape and competition from the black market have cast a pall over what was supposed to be a triumphant first year of recreational sales."
"The cost of legalization was so high in 2018 that hundreds of growers and retailers went out of business, the number of available products spiraled down, tax revenues from sales fell below projections and the black market revved up, according to industry officials and business representatives."
"It was, said one insider, “death by a thousand cuts.” And the drip, drip continued this month with the recall of thousands of pounds of marijuana, extracts and products after a Sacramento laboratory was caught faking test results for 22 pesticides over a four-month period."
OPINION: First 5: Helping children succeed
ROB REINER in Capitol Weekly: "In the past 20 years, a lot has happened in California to give young children a better start in life. Since voters made their voices heard and passed Proposition 10, the tobacco tax that created First 5 commissions in every county, great things have happened."
"First 5s have funded preschool opportunities; helped create a dental program for young children that become a model for the state; and they have supported scores of state and federal bills to improve equity and well-being for children, from prenatal care through age five."
"More recently, First 5s have pushed for policy in Sacramento, yielding new statewide investments in early childhood. And with its allies, First 5s have amplified the power of county partnerships, helping to craft and advance child abuse prevention plans by expanding home visiting for thousands of new mothers. It has also built broad support for early childhood by promoting collaboration across sectors, from business to education to public health."
Furious Iraqi lawmakers demand US troop withdrawal
AP's PHILIP ISSA: "President Donald Trump's surprise trip to Iraq may have quieted criticism at home that he had yet to visit troops in a combat zone, but it has infuriated Iraqi politicians who on Thursday demanded the withdrawal of U.S. forces."
"Arrogant" and "a violation of national sovereignty" were but a few examples of the disapproval emanating from Baghdad following Trump's meeting Wednesday with U.S. servicemen and women at the al-Asad Airbase."
"Trips by U.S. presidents to conflict zones are typically shrouded in secrecy and subject to strict security measures, and Trump's was no exception. Few in Iraq or elsewhere knew the U.S. president was in the country until minutes before he left."
