Overnight Energy: Biden campaign says he would revoke Keystone XL permit | EPA emails reveal talks between Trump officials, chemical group before 2017 settlement | Tensions emerge on Natural Resources panel over virtual meetings

May 19, 2020 KANKENNEWS

HAPPY MONDAY! Welcome to Overnight Energy, The Hill’s roundup of the latest energy and environment news. Please send tips and comments to Rebecca Beitsch at rbeitsch@thehill.com. Follow her on Twitter: @rebeccabeitsch. Reach Rachel Frazin at rfrazin@thehill.com or follow her on Twitter: @RachelFrazin.

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COMING SOON, TO A COMPUTER NEAR YOU: On Thursday, May 21 The Hill hosts Advancing the American Economy, a national virtual summit to discuss a responsible reopening of the US economy. Treasury Secretary Steven MnuchinSteven Terner MnuchinOn The Money: Recipients of PPP loans face big decision | Fed chair: US economy will rebound from coronavirus, but not by end of 2020 | White House adviser says fourth stimulus package may not be necessary Overnight Health Care: Trump says he’s been taking hydroxychloroquine despite safety concerns | US coronavirus death toll tops 90,000 | Moderna reports ‘positive’ results from early data on coronavirus vaccine Treasury to deliver millions of coronavirus relief payments by prepaid debit card MORE joins Editor-in-Chief Bob CusackRobert (Bob) CusackOvernight Health Care: Trump says he’s been taking hydroxychloroquine despite safety concerns | US coronavirus death toll tops 90,000 | Moderna reports ‘positive’ results from early data on coronavirus vaccine Overnight Defense: State Dept. watchdog was investigating emergency Saudi arms sales before ouster | Pompeo says he requested watchdog be fired for ‘undermining’ department | Pensacola naval base shooter had ‘significant ties’ to al Qaeda, Barr says Overnight Energy: Biden campaign says he would revoke Keystone XL permit | EPA emails reveal talks between Trump officials, chemical group before 2017 settlement | Tensions emerge on Natural Resources panel over virtual meetings MORE for a headline interview followed by an afternoon of discussions with leading CEOs and national health experts. Additional speakers to be announced. Register Now!

WHAT THEY ARE SAYING:

A pause on the pipeline… Presumptive Democratic presidential nominee Joe BidenJoe BidenOvernight Energy: Biden campaign says he would revoke Keystone XL permit | EPA emails reveal talks between Trump officials, chemical group before 2017 settlement | Tensions emerge on Natural Resources panel over virtual meetings The Hill’s Campaign Report: DOJ, intel to be major issues in 2020 Obama’s Trump attacks electrify Democrats, anger GOP MORE‘s campaign said on Monday that he would rescind the Keystone XL Pipeline permit if elected, undercutting what has been a top priority of President TrumpDonald John TrumpTrump slams Fox after hydroxychloroquine warning: ‘Looking for a new outlet’ Trump threatens permanent freeze on WHO funding without ‘major’ reforms within 30 days Schumer: Trump’s statements on hydroxychloroquine ‘is reckless, reckless, reckless’ MORE.

“Biden strongly opposed the Keystone pipeline in the last administration, stood alongside President Obama and Secretary Kerry to reject it in 2015, and will proudly stand in the Roosevelt Room again as President and stop it for good by rescinding the Keystone XL pipeline permit,” Stef Feldman, the Biden campaign’s policy director, said in a statement.

“Stopping Keystone was the right decision then and it’s still the right decision now,” Feldman added.

The pipeline, which would deliver oil from Canada to the U.S., has been blocked in court and is facing an appeal from the Trump administration.

Read more on that here.

‘Redlining’… Energy Secretary Dan Brouillette is accusing major U.S. banks of discriminating against the oil and gas industry, comparing their refusal to finance Arctic drilling projects to tactics used to prevent minorities from buying homes.

In an interview with Axios published Monday, Brouillette charged that some of the largest banks were “redlining” the oil and gas industry by declining to finance new drilling in parts of northeast Alaska.

Goldman Sachs, JPMorgan Chase, Wells Fargo, Citibank and Morgan Stanley — five of the eight largest U.S. banks — have said they will not provide loans or credit that support oil and gas drilling in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge. The 2017 tax-cut law lifted a decades-long ban on drilling in the region, drawing praise from the fossil fuel industry and criticism from Democrats and environmentalists.

Brouillette said the moves by major banks were similar to the systemic discrimination from the financial sector faced by nonwhite families throughout U.S. history.

“We didn’t want banks redlining certain parts of the country. We don’t want that here. I do not think banks should be redlining our oil and gas investment across the country,” said Brouillette, a former vice president of financial services firm USAA.

Throughout the 20th century, banks would often decline to extend home loans and other credit products to applicants from majority-minority areas, typically drawing red lines on maps around neighborhoods under the discriminatory assumption that they were too risky to serve.

That practice, known as redlining, is now illegal, but it prevented millions of nonwhite families from reaping the full benefits of the post-World War II economic boom and the federal government’s support for homeownership.

Read more on that here.

Hypothetically… Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) Chairman Neil ChatterjeeIndranil (Neil) ChatterjeeOvernight Energy: Biden campaign says he would revoke Keystone XL permit | EPA emails reveal talks between Trump officials, chemical group before 2017 settlement | Tensions emerge on Natural Resources panel over virtual meetings FERC chairman mulls run for Virginia governor Energy regulator declines states’ request for moratorium on pipeline approvals MORE is considering running for governor in Virginia next year, Politico reported Monday.

A Facebook group titled “Hypothetical: Draft Neil Chatterjee for Virginia Governor 2021” was formed over the weekend, featuring a photo of Chatterjee wearing a Nats baseball cap while holding a gavel.

Chatterjee, a Republican tapped by President Trump to lead the commission in 2018, told Politico he was “just playing around” when he created the group, and plans to finish out his term, which ends in June of next year.

“My focus from now until June 30, 2021 is on my duties at FERC,” he told Politico. “Only after my term is complete will I start to give any thought to what I do next in life.”

Read more on that here.

Billionaires only? Former Interior Secretary Ryan ZinkeRyan Keith ZinkeOvernight Energy: Biden campaign says he would revoke Keystone XL permit | EPA emails reveal talks between Trump officials, chemical group before 2017 settlement | Tensions emerge on Natural Resources panel over virtual meetings Ex-Interior chief rips attacks, says being a billionaire ‘can’t be a prerequisite’ for public office The case for transferring federal lands back to Native Americans MORE criticized the investigations into his tenure at the department in an interview published Monday, saying that his experience suggested public officials would have to be billionaires in order to afford to fight politically motivated attacks.

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“For the future of our country, we need really good people to serve, and the resume shouldn’t start with a billionaire on the front of it,” Zinke told the Washington Examiner in an interview. “I have nothing against billionaires. I worked for one, love him to death. But it can’t be a prerequisite for serving in the highest levels of our government.”

Zinke claimed the investigations into him were “intended to harass” and that he stepped aside so he wouldn’t have to risk his personal savings on expected legal fees.

Read more on that here.

GETTING CONNECTED: When the chemical company Brenntag received a fine in 2017, the National Association of Chemical Distributors asked for help from two new Trump administration appointees who previously worked in chemical lobbying, according to emails obtained by The Hill through a Freedom of Information Act request.

The two appointees were Mandy Gunasekara, a former NACD lobbyist who is now chief of staff at the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), and Nancy Beck, former senior director at the American Chemistry Council. Beck, now detailed at the White House, has been nominated by President Trump to lead the Consumer Product Safety Commission.

Brenntag was ultimately fined, although the penalty it received was roughly 20 percent lower than the one initially proposed by the EPA.

Documents state that the EPA had originally proposed a $19,410 penalty.

It was eventually settled for $15,591 according to an EPA spokesperson.

While former EPA officials told The Hill they didn’t think the changed settlement figure was out of the ordinary, the correspondence between an industry executive and former industry officials who landed jobs in the administration underscores what critics say is a cozy relationship between business groups and Trump officials.

In one 2017 exchange, NACD Vice President of Regulatory Affairs Jennifer Gibson asked Beck and Gunasekara to “assist” with a settlement that followed an alleged failure by Brenntag to certify a certain chemical on an official report.

Trump administration advises 'extreme caution' in reopening nursing homes

May 19, 2020 KANKENNEWS

The Trump administration is urging states to proceed with “extreme caution” in reopening nursing homes, advising them to relax restrictions at the facilities much later than those on other businesses in the surrounding communities.

The new guidance from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) outlines three separate phases that build off the White House guidelines for state reopenings, but recommends that no nursing home in any state should start to reopen or relax any restrictions until all residents and staff have received a base-line negative test.

CMS Administrator Seema Verma told reporters that residents should be tested for COVID-19 weekly, but all residents and staff should be screened daily. The guidance says no visitors should be allowed into a facility until every resident has tested negative for four weeks straight.

The agency guidance comes more than two months after the administration ordered nursing homes across the country to ban visitors.

“It’s clear this virus will continue to be a threat to nursing homes,” Verma said, citing the vulnerable nature of nursing home residents. “We are urging nursing homes and states to exercise extreme caution.”

States and the Trump administration have said reopening plans need to protect the most vulnerable populations, and nursing homes have been hit hardest by the coronavirus.

According to a Kaiser Family Foundation analysis of publicly reported data, nursing homes and other assisted-living facilities account for 41 percent of COVID-19 deaths in the country. The figures vary by state, with some as high as 80 percent of deaths, but not every state is reporting.

A new administration rule that took effect on Sunday requires nursing homes to report to CMS their numbers of coronavirus infections and deaths, as well as staff shortages and access to personal protective equipment (PPE). The information will be made available to the public at the end of May.

The guidance recommends that even when a community begins to relax restrictions for other businesses, nursing homes should be among the last to reopen within the community.

The guidance recommends that a nursing home’s reopening should lag behind the general community’s reopening by 14 days, and visits should not resume until every resident and staff member has tested negative for 28 days.

The guidance also recommends states should take into account the level of infections in the community.

The administration’s guidance is just a recommendation, and ultimately the decisions on nursing homes are up to individual governors. While the suggestion is tied to the administration’s Opening Up America guidance, it recommends a much higher bar for states.

While many states have begun to reopen despite not meeting the administration’s reopening guidelines, with the urging of President TrumpDonald John TrumpTrump slams Fox after hydroxychloroquine warning: ‘Looking for a new outlet’ Trump threatens permanent freeze on WHO funding without ‘major’ reforms within 30 days Schumer: Trump’s statements on hydroxychloroquine ‘is reckless, reckless, reckless’ MORE, Verma said she thinks governors will proceed with caution and will do what’s best for families.

However, Verma said it will be up to the state to ensure nursing homes have enough tests and PPE for staff. She said governors told her they feel they have enough testing capacity.

New York, for example, has already mandated nursing homes test staff twice a week, and Gov. Andrew CuomoAndrew CuomoTrump administration advises ‘extreme caution’ in reopening nursing homes 12 things to know today about coronavirus De Blasio: Swimmers at New York City beaches will be ‘taken right out of the water’ MORE (D) said the state will be sending 320,000 testing kits to homes across the state. More than 5,500 people have died in New York long-term care facilities.

Surgical masks can reduce coronavirus spread by 75 percent: researchers

May 19, 2020 KANKENNEWS

A study by Hong Kong researchers suggests wearing surgical masks can reduce the spread of coronavirus by up to 75 percent.

“The findings implied to the world and the public is that the effectiveness of mask-wearing against the coronavirus pandemic is huge,” microbiologist Yuen Kwok-yung of Hong Kong University said on Sunday, according to Sky News.

Yuen and his team researched two cages of hamsters, one group of which was infected with the virus and another which was healthy, and used a fan to push air towards the infected group.

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Without any masks between the cages, two-thirds of the healthy group were infected within a week, but with masks over the cage with the infected group, the infection rate of the healthy group fell to just over 15 percent. The infection rate dropped by about 35 percent when hamsters were placed on the healthy group’s cage.

“In our hamster experiment, it shows very clearly that if infected hamsters or humans – especially asymptomatic or symptomatic ones – put on masks, they actually protect other people,” Yuen said in a press conference Sunday.

“That’s the strongest result we showed here. Transmission can be reduced by 50 percent when surgical masks are used, especially when masks are worn by infected individuals,” he added. “Up to this stage, we do not have a safe and effective vaccine. What remains practical is still either social-distancing measures or wearing masks.”

Although public health officials were initially unsure of the effectiveness of masks, several countries that saw major outbreaks of the virus, including Italy, the U.K. and the U.S., have now begun recommending wearing them in public.

Hong Kong previously saw the second-highest number of deaths from SARS after China in the early 2000s, with 298 fatalities, but only four deaths have been reported from the coronavirus thus far, according to Sky. Overall, 1,056 cases have been reported in the city.

Chinese ambassador to Israel found dead in his home: reports

May 19, 2020 KANKENNEWS

Chinese Ambassador to Israel Du Wei was found dead in his official residence on Sunday, Israel’s Foreign Ministry said in a statement to multiple news outlets.

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The 57-year-old’s death at his home in Herzilya, Israel, is not being treated as suspicious, a Foreign Ministry spokeswoman told CNN, and police are outside his home as a matter of procedure.

Du had taken on his post in February and most recently offered a public rebuke of Secretary of State Mike PompeoMichael (Mike) Richard PompeoChina emerges as potential strain on US-Israel relationship Pompeo warns China over alleged interference in US reporting in Hong Kong Afghan president, rival end stalemate MORE for criticizing Beijing during the secretary’s quick trip to Jerusalem last week.

In public remarks, Pompeo alluded to criticizing the Chinese government’s handling of the novel coronavirus pandemic and in media reports urged Israel to halt cooperation with China on infrastructure and communications systems.

The Chinese embassy responded by publishing opinion articles in English-language Israeli press calling Pompeo’s remarks and accusations “absurd” and said it hoped Israeli officials would defeat the “political virus.”

The Chinese embassy in Israel and the Foreign Ministry in Beijing have yet to issue comment on the ambassador’s death.

Du had served in multiple roles within China’s Foreign Ministry over a three-decade long career. He leaves behind a wife and a son.

Outside judge appointed to Ahmaud Arbery case

May 19, 2020 KANKENNEWS

A judge from outside the Georgia community where Ahmaud Arbery was shot and killed in February is slated to preside over the case after all five judges in the district recused themselves, according to The Associated Press.

Superior Court Judge Timothy R. Walmsley, who is based 70 miles north in Savannah, was appointed to take on the case.

Gregory McMichael and Travis McMichael face charges of murder and aggravated assault in the death of Arbery, a black 25-year-old, who was shot and killed on Feb. 23.

A video of the shooting that surfaced earlier this month sparked outrage across the country and demands that charges be brought.

Gregory and Travis McMichael say that they thought Arbery was a burglary suspect and that he attacked the younger McMichael before being shot. Arbery’s family says he was out for a run.

The charges came more than two months after Arbery’s death, after the Georgia Bureau of Investigations took over the case.

Gregory McMichael is a retired investigator for the local district attorney and had close ties to law enforcement, which attorneys for the Arbery family say caused the delay in charges.

Three district attorneys have already passed on prosecuting the case, according to the AP.

French judge bans drones used to monitor compliance with coronavirus restrictions

May 19, 2020 KANKENNEWS

A judge in France has halted the government’s use of drones to enforce stay-at-home orders, citing privacy concerns.

Bloomberg News reported Monday that the Conseil d’État, one of the highest courts in the country, ruled that police authorities may only use drone surveillance to enforce social distancing and other coronavirus restrictions once concerns about the data collected by the drones are addressed.

The ruling comes after privacy groups including La Quadrature du Net filed a lawsuit arguing that the drones used by Paris police collected information on individuals without their knowledge and stored it without their consent without any limits.

“If the police intended to take advantage of the health crisis to test new gadgets, they got things wrong,” the groups said at the time, according to Bloomberg.

To address those concerns, the Conseil d’État ruled that lawmakers must pass a provision limiting the types of data that can be collected and limiting how long it remains stored, or equip drones with technology that shields individuals’ identities from drone operators.

“Drones surveillance is suspended,” Paris police said, according to Bloomberg. Police will review “the technical and legal conditions to respond to requirements,” they reportedly added.

One of the groups behind the lawsuit celebrated Monday’s ruling in a statement to Bloomberg.

“The decision recognizes the illegality of any drone flying low enough and being equipped with a camera that it allows the police to detect individuals, whether by their clothing or a distinctive sign,” said La Quadrature du Net’s spokesperson.

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US issues new visa restrictions for Chinese journalists

May 19, 2020 KANKENNEWS

The U.S. slapped new visa restrictions on Chinese journalists working in the country as the feud between Washington and Beijing over the coronavirus seeps into a burgeoning media war.

The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) announced Friday that Chinese journalists working for non-American news outlets would be able to obtain only 90-day work visas, a reversal from the open-ended visas for which they’d previously qualified. The journalists will be able to apply for 90-day extensions.

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The move, which the DHS said came in retaliation for actions against American outlets, raises the prospects of a protracted back-and-forth over media access in the U.S. and China.

The Chinese government in March announced that it was expelling reporters from The New York Times, The Washington Post and The Wall Street Journal, saying the move was “entirely necessary and reciprocal.”

The expulsion came in response to an announcement from American officials that only 100 Chinese workers employed by five state-controlled Chinese news organizations could work in the United States, down from 160.

“Based on the treatment by the [People’s Republic of China (PRC)] of foreign journalists, including U.S. citizens, DHS has determined that the PRC is not treating journalists in a manner that admitting … visa holders for the duration of status is sufficiently reciprocal to the treatment accorded by the PRC to U.S. journalists or in alignment with U.S. foreign policy,” the DHS said in its announcement.

The DHS added that China’s March expulsions marked “an escalation of hostile measures targeting a free press within its borders” and noted that American journalists had seen their visas granted for shorter and shorter amounts of time after writing articles critical of the Chinese government.

The drawn-out battle over reporters’ access has emerged as a top proxy for diplomatic clashes between Washington and Beijing over where the blame should lie for the coronavirus’s spread.

President TrumpDonald John TrumpFauci to enter ‘modified quarantine’: report CDC director will self-quarantine after contact with COVID-19 positive case Trump says US will purchase billion in agricultural products from farmers MORE and other top officials have repeatedly railed against the Chinese government, claiming it downplayed the extent of the initial outbreak, and some have even said the virus originated in a lab in Wuhan. Chinese officials have responded that the claims are baseless and levied unproven allegations of their own that the coronavirus originated in the U.S.

Trump and Republicans have said the country should be able to seek damages from China over the death toll and economic fallout in the U.S., though some Democrats say such talk is meant to distract from the White House’s botched response to the pandemic.

Treasury to deliver millions of coronavirus relief payments by prepaid debit card

May 19, 2020 KANKENNEWS

The Treasury Department said Monday that it is starting to deliver nearly 4 million coronavirus relief payments to taxpayers via prepaid debit card, rather than paper check.

The announcement comes after Treasury Secretary Steven MnuchinSteven Terner MnuchinOn The Money: Recipients of PPP loans face big decision | Fed chair: US economy will rebound from coronavirus, but not by end of 2020 | White House adviser says fourth stimulus package may not be necessary Overnight Health Care: Trump says he’s been taking hydroxychloroquine despite safety concerns | US coronavirus death toll tops 90,000 | Moderna reports ‘positive’ results from early data on coronavirus vaccine Treasury to deliver millions of coronavirus relief payments by prepaid debit card MORE had indicated that the department planned to get some people their payments by sending them debit cards, in an effort to help get people their payments faster.

“Prepaid debit cards are secure, easy to use, and allow us to deliver Americans their money quickly,” Mnuchin said in a news release Monday. “Recipients can immediately activate and use the cards safely.”

Legislation President TrumpDonald John TrumpTrump slams Fox after hydroxychloroquine warning: ‘Looking for a new outlet’ Trump threatens permanent freeze on WHO funding without ‘major’ reforms within 30 days Schumer: Trump’s statements on hydroxychloroquine ‘is reckless, reckless, reckless’ MORE signed in March directs Treasury and the IRS to send most Americans one-time payments of up to $1,200 per adult and $500 per child.

Treasury said Monday that it has already delivered more than 140 million payments. The first tranche of payments was sent via direct deposit, and subsequently the department started issuing paper checks to people who haven’t provided the IRS with their bank account information.

Debit cards are being sent to people who have not given the IRS their direct deposit information and whose tax returns were processed by the IRS’s service centers in Andover, Mass., and Austin, Texas. MetaBank, Treasury’s financial agent, will start mailing the cards this week, and the mailings will include instructions about how to active and use the cards, Treasury said.

People who receive the debit cards will be able to use them online, at ATMs, and at retail locations that accept Visa cards. People will be able to use them to make purchases and get cash from in-network ATMs without incurring fees, and they will also be able to check the balance of the cards online or on their phones without incurring fees, Treasury said.

Separately Monday, the IRS announced that it is starting to add 3,500 telephone representatives to answer questions from people calling the agency about the direct payments.

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Tax provisions in House Democrats' bill would cost $883 billion: analysis

May 19, 2020 KANKENNEWS

The tax-related provisions in House Democrats’ proposed coronavirus relief bill would reduce federal revenue by a net of $883 billion from fiscal years 2020 to 2030, Congress’s tax scorekeeper said in an analysis released Friday.

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The analysis from the Joint Committee on Taxation (JCT) comes as the House is expected to pass the measure Friday on a near party-line vote. The bill is not expected to be taken up in the Republican-controlled Senate.

Much of the revenue loss from the bill’s tax provisions comes from those relating to direct payments to most Americans. The bill’s provision to create a second round of direct stimulus payments would lower federal revenue by $413 billion in fiscal years 2020 and 2021.

That amount is greater than the $292 billion of revenue loss the JCT estimated would result from the one-time payments established by a law President TrumpDonald John TrumpState Department inspector general fired House passes massive T coronavirus relief package Analysis: Most states fall short of recommended coronavirus testing levels as some reopen MORE signed in March. The direct payments in House Democrats’ bill are more generous for dependents.

In addition to the second round of direct payments, the JCT estimates that several other provisions in the Democrats’ bill would each lower federal revenue by more than $100 billion over a decade, including those to temporarily expand the child tax credit, eliminate the cap on the state and local tax deduction for two years, expand the employee retention tax credit, and provide COBRA subsidies to help workers losing their employer-sponsored health insurance.

Not every tax provision in House Democrats’ bill would result in reduced revenue. The JCT estimates that provisions relating to the tax treatment of businesses’ net operating losses would raise $254 billion from 2020 to 2030. These provisions would undo tax provisions in the CARES Act and make permanent a limit on the amount of losses owners of non-corporate businesses can deduct against non-business income.

The group’s analysis focuses just on the provisions in the bill that have an impact on federal revenue. The Congressional Budget Office is expected to release a fuller estimate of the cost of the bill at a later point. House Democrats expect the bill as a whole to have a cost of about $3 trillion.

Kobe Bryant, Daughter, 7 Others Killed In Helicopter Crash

May 19, 2020 KANKENNEWS

CALABASAS, CA — Los Angeles Lakers legend Kobe Bryant was killed along with one of his daughters and seven other people in a helicopter crash into a hillside near Malibu Sunday morning, according to the authorities and news reports. Bryant was 41 years old.

He was an icon in the word’s truest meaning, a global pop star of sorts with a gregarious personality off the court but loaded with an assassin’s mentality at game time, maintaining a hyper-competitive spirit from every opening tipoff to every final buzzer — and every dagger-in-the-heart impossible shot in between.

Bryant was headed to a travel basketball game with his daughter, Gianna, 13, according to multiple reports. A manifest showed that nine people had boarded the helicopter Sunday morning, Sheriff Alex Villanueva said Sunday afternoon. Villanueva declined to identify any of the victims.

Other victims have been identified as John Altobelli, head baseball coach at Orange Coast College, his wife, Keri Altobelli, and his 13-year-old daughter, Alyssa — a teammate of Gianna Bryant’s, the Los Angeles Times reported. The college confirmed Altobelli’s death, saying he had worked at the school for 27 years.

None of the people on board the helicopter survived the crash, which was called in at 9:47 a.m. on the 4200 block of Las Virgenes Road, according to officials. Authorities said at a news conference Sunday afternoon that nine people were believed to be on board.

Flight transmissions showed the the helicopter taking off from John Wayne Airport in Orange County before crashing on the Calabasas hillside.

Immediately following the crash, firefighters responded to the scene to douse the flames coming from the wreckage and a quarter-acre brush fire, Los Angeles County Fire Chief Daryl Osby said at Sunday’s news conference. Crews encountered difficulties as magnesium was at the crash site, which “is very hard for our firefighters to extinguish” due to its reaction with water and oxygen, he said.

Bryant played 20 seasons with the Lakers, becoming an A-level celebrity in Los Angeles and leading the team to five NBA titles. He retired in 2016, scoring 60 points in his final game. He ranks as the fourth-leading scorer in league history.

Officials from the City of Calabasas said nobody on the ground was hurt.

The Federal Aviation Administration and the National Transportation Safety Board are investigating.

NTSB Spokeswoman Jennifer Homendy said at a brief press conference Sunday that a team of 18 investigators was en route to California from Washington, D.C., and was expected to arrive Sunday evening.

The cause of the crash was not immediately clear, but conditions were foggy in the Calabasas hills Sunday morning, the Los Angeles Times reported.

The FAA says the aircraft involved in the deadly crash was a Sikorsky S-76, though the agency is not currently releasing the tail number of the helicopter.

Shock and sadness

Fans gathered by the dozens outside the Staples Center in Los Angeles, beside the mural of Bryant on Melrose Avenue, and at Our Lady Queen of Angels Catholic Church in Newport Beach, where Bryant attended Mass regularly with his family, to pay their respects to the NBA legend.

Images from the Los Angeles scene show fans are bringing flowers, signs and more to express their shock and grief at the news.

Just surreal at Staples Center – Kobe’s face on every screen as hundreds of people seem to just want to be somewhere they can cry together. Also: The Grammys are here tonight so there is the odd person wandering around in a tuxedo.
None of this feels real. pic.twitter.com/esukv1yNZs
— Rachel Nichols (@Rachel__Nichols) January 26, 2020

In Calabasas, authorities designated DeAnza Park, not far from the crash site, as a site to leave flowers or pay respects to the crash victims.

NBA teams found a creative way to honor Bryant. The San Antonio Spurs and Toronto Raptors each committed 24-second shot clock violations to open their game Sunday afternoon, a tribute to Bryant’s jersey number. The Boston Celtics and New Orleans Pelicans later did the same.

President Donald J. Trump reacted on Twitter to reports of Bryant’s death, calling it, “terrible news!” Former President Barack Obama called Bryant a “legend on the court.”

“To lose Gianna is even more heartbreaking to us as parents,” Obama said in a tweet.

Meanwhile, the sports community shared messages of the grief for their loss and their admiration for Bryant as a basketball player and as a person.

“I am in shock over the tragic news of Kobe’s and Gianna’s passing,” Michael Jordan said in a statement. Words can’t describe the pain I’m feeling. I loved Kobe — he was like a brother to me.”

Shaquille O’Neal, who won three championships with the Lakers alongside Bryant, said there were “no words to express the pain” he felt following the news.

“Kobe was so much more than an athlete, he was a family man,” O’Neal wrote. “That was what we had most in common. I would hug his children like they were my own and he would embrace my kids like they were his.”

NBA Commissioner Adam Silver said the league was “devastated” by the passing of Bryant and his daughter.

“For 20 seasons, Kobe showed us what is possible when remarkable talent blends with an absolute devotion to winning,” Silver said.

Mark Cuban, owner of the Dallas Mavericks, also joined countless others in expressing their feelings over the basketball legend’s unexpected death.

“Damn. RIP Mamba. May your memory be a blessing,” Cuban wrote, referencing Bryant’s nickname, “Black Mamba.”

Former Vice President Joe Biden shared his thoughts Sunday on the sudden death of the basketball legend at a campaign event in Des Moines, Iowa. Biden mentioned he didn’t know Bryant well and told reporters he “only met him a couple of times.”

“But you know it makes you realize you gotta make every day count,” he said to local media. “Every single solid day count, every single day count.”

NBA leader

In addition to being one of the greatest NBA players of all time, Bryant held the distinction of being part of one of the worst trades in sports history.

The Charlotte Hornets drafted Bryant 13 picks into the 1996 draft but apparently had no idea they had just snagged a point guard who would become a legend. The Hornets dealt Bryant to the Lakers in a prearranged deal for center Vlade Divac.

A graduate of Lower-Merrion High School in Ardmore, Pennsylvania, Bryant entered the NBA straight out of the suburban Philadelphia school. Aside from his five NBA titles, he also won two Olympic gold medals representing the United States.

Bryant now sits fourth on the NBA’s all-time scoring list, with 33,643 points. He won two NBA Finals MVP awards and one NBA regular-season MVP honor during his long career. He is one of five players in NBA history to play at least 20 seasons with a single team.

Just yesterday, Bryant was passed by LeBron James for third place on the NBA’s all-time scoring list.

“Continuing to move the game forward,” Bryant tweeted at James Friday evening, in congratulations.

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Monthly Archives: May 2020

Overnight Energy: Biden campaign says he would revoke Keystone XL permit | EPA emails reveal talks between Trump officials, chemical group before 2017 settlement | Tensions emerge on Natural Resources panel over virtual meetings

Trump administration advises 'extreme caution' in reopening nursing homes

Surgical masks can reduce coronavirus spread by 75 percent: researchers

Chinese ambassador to Israel found dead in his home: reports

Outside judge appointed to Ahmaud Arbery case

French judge bans drones used to monitor compliance with coronavirus restrictions

US issues new visa restrictions for Chinese journalists

Treasury to deliver millions of coronavirus relief payments by prepaid debit card

Tax provisions in House Democrats' bill would cost $883 billion: analysis

Kobe Bryant, Daughter, 7 Others Killed In Helicopter Crash

Shock and sadness

NBA leader