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A pilot has explained the real reason passengers need to switch their phones to airplane mode during flights, and it’s not just a formality

Flying remains one of the safest ways to travel, largely due to meticulously crafted safety protocols. Whilst some procedures might appear mundane or superfluous, each serves a vital purpose in safeguarding passengers and crew alike.

However, a pilot (@PerchPoint) has taken to TikTok to clarify whether one specific procedure genuinely needs following. Whether through absent-mindedness or simply not knowing better, switching your phone to aeroplane mode matters – and it’s not “a conspiracy theory,” the pilot cautions.

But what actually occurs if you don’t bother? In the video, the pilot explained: “This is just a friendly PSA, that the airplane mode button is not a conspiracy.

“If you forget to put your phone on airplane mode, no, it’s not the end of the world, the plane will not fall out of the sky, and it won’t even mess with the systems on board.”

However, does this mean passengers can disregard the procedure? “If you have an aircraft with 70, 80, or 150 people on board and even three or four people’s phones start to try and make a connection to a radio tower for an incoming phone call, it sends out radio waves.

“There’s a potential that those radio waves can interfere with the headsets that the pilots are using.”

He proceeded to describe his own encounter with this interference whilst attempting to land safely, noting there was an irritating noise in the headset that “sounded like a mosquito.”

The pilot explained: “No, it’s not the end of the world, but it’s pretty annoying when you’re trying to copy down instructions and it sounds like a wasp or something flying around you. So if you’re ever curious why you need to put on airplane mode, that’s why.”

According to Travel and Leisure, it goes beyond mere irritation. Pilots frequently operate with restricted visibility, meaning they depend heavily on information relayed from ground control, particularly during takeoff and landing – the phases when most aviation incidents take place.

Consequently, it’s vital that they remain focused and their communication isn’t compromised.

Rule or courtesy?

Per Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) regulations, all passengers must enable airplane mode during flight to avoid potential signal interference.

It’s also a straightforward gesture of consideration that contributes to a seamless journey for all passengers, according to Booking.com.

“When smartphones and devices were first introduced, it was found that cell phones that aren’t in flight mode can overload the networks on the ground, especially during takeoff and landing, as phones try to connect to multiple towers at once.

“How much phones affect aviation technology hasn’t been studied in-depth, but pilots say they can hear background noise and interference from phones while flying, especially when they’re landing, and mobile phones begin to make contact with towers again.

“So, while your phone may work at times during flight, do you really want to distract your pilot while they’re speaking with air traffic control to execute a safe landing?”

Why are flight crew permitted to use devices?

According to Lovely Planet, pilots and flight attendants are seen with devices right in the cockpit, which gives them access to digital charts and documents.

However, unlike passenger devices, this equipment has undergone rigorous testing to guarantee it won’t disrupt the aircraft’s systems.

GORDON Ramsay has hailed David and Victoria Beckham as fantastic parents — and said time will help Brooklyn heal their heartbreaking family feud.

The Michelin-starred restauranteur, 59, said he loves the aspiring chef, 26, and has been in contact offering support.

He also spoke for the first time about that dance at Brooklyn’s 2022 wedding to Nicola Peltz – which he attended alongside wife Tana.

Loyal Gordon, a long-time family friend, said: “It’s a very difficult situation.

“Victoria is upset, and I know 24/7, seven days a week, just how much David loves Brooklyn.

“Brooklyn and I have messaged a little bit, our relationship is solid. I love him – his heart is incredible.

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“But it’s hard, isn’t it, when you’re infatuated? Love is blind. It’s easy to get up on that rollercoaster, and get carried away. But it will come back.

I know just how many times they have got Brooklyn out of the s***

Gordon on David and Victoria’s parenting

“I’ve seen first-hand just how good parents they are. David as a dad is just incredible.

“They’ve both put so much energy into their kids, and I know just how many times they’ve got Brooklyn out of the s***.

“I think it’s going to be a matter of time before Brooklyn takes a good look at himself and understands just what his parents mean to him.

“He’s desperate to forge his own way, and I respect that from him. It’s such a good thing to do.

“But remember where you came from. And honestly, one day you’re not going to have your mum and dad, and you need to understand that.

“That penny will drop.

“I just want Brooklyn to take a moment to himself. And remember: you’re half mum, half dad. And you’re an amazing young man.

“But, boy, they’ve done more for you than anyone did in your entire life.

‘Time the best healer’

”Time’s going to be the best healer, and David will absolutely get that relationship back on track.”

While Brooklyn has blocked many of his relatives on Instagram, he and Gordon still follow one another.

The chef, who has almost 20million followers, has backed Brooklyn’s cooking endeavours where others were quick to mock.

Meanwhile, Posh and Becks and Gordon and Tana have been pals for nearly 2½ decades.

Of course, Gordon knows about family feuds in the wake of his recent troubles with new son-in-law Adam Peaty’s clan.

He and Tana also went through hell when her dad, Chris Hutcheson, was jailed for six months in 2017 for hacking company computers.

Gordon says: “Tana and I sat them down, and we buried the hatchet with her parents. It’s family, it’s what you do.”

In his damning statement last month, Brooklyn accused his mum of “dancing inappropriately” on him at his wedding.

His friends allege that she “grinded” on the groom. She has since become victim to hundreds of mocking memes.

However unnamed “friends” of the Beckhams hit back at the allegations. Over to Gordon, then, to set the record straight.

He says: “There was nothing salacious. There was nothing inappropriate. Everyone was having fun, having a dance.”

But, Gordon, DID SHE GRIND?

He says: “No! Nothing of the sort. It was fun. I haven’t seen any of the memes, I heard about them of course, but Victoria’s got a great sense of humour.

“She’s great. She’s right to be upset (about the wedding) but she can bat that other s*** away in a heartbeat.

“Victoria and Tana have spoken a lot, they are probably closer than ever – they’re like two peas in a pod, those two.”

When Gordon isn’t playing ace therapist/mediator, he’s been pretty busy on his own terms.

On Wednesday his new six-part Netflix documentary Being Gordon Ramsay airs, detailing his efforts to launch his latest ambitious project.

Britain’s highest eaterie, Restaurant Gordon Ramsay High is on the 60th floor of skyscraper 22 Bishopsgate in the City of London.

I never ever watch myself on telly because it’s just incredibly nerve-wracking.

Gordon Ramsay

The intimate 12-seater chef’s table experience has already earned him another Michelin star. 

I’ve seen the show, and it’s brilliant, giving a fly-on-the-wall look into Gordon’s frenetic and fabulous home life – he and Tana have six kids – as well as the hell of getting a new business off the ground.

He smiles: “I won’t watch it. I never ever watch myself on telly because it’s just incredibly nerve-wracking.

“When you’ve done it and lived it, the last thing you want to do is sit there with lots of popcorn. There’s a level of embarrassment.”

‘Getting softer with age’

Even without Gordon’s viewership, it is sure to be another Netflix smash. Contrary to his bravado, away from the kitchen, and whisper it, but Gordon is a bit of a pussycat, and definitely “getting softer with age”.

He regularly cries, he admits.

He turns 60 in November but in the doc we see super-fit Gordon running outdoors with his young son, Oscar, in the gym and pumping weights. He is ripped.

Wife Tana also recently smashed a Half Ironman in Greece, breezily qualifying for the World Championships in the process. They are a truly impressive power duo, and very clearly still massively in love.

Having trained under Marco Pierre White at the age of 35 Gordon set up his first restaurant, winning three Michelin stars shortly after. He now has eateries across the globe, and is arguably the planet’s most famous chef.

His work ethic is relentless – possibly a result of his humble upbringing. In one episode, Gordon gets emotional recalling his own childhood struggles, growing up on a council estate near Glasgow, and relying on school vouchers to eat.

Today, he has teamed up with a fantastic charity, Feeding Britain, to provide 800,000 kids in poverty with affordable food. Gordon has quietly donated “very heavily” to it.

He recalls: “I was hungry all the time, there was no food in the house.

“I was sometimes too embarrassed to use my vouchers to get my free shepherd’s pie in case, you know, aged 15 or 16, a girl I fancied saw me. I was a skinny f***ng bean.

I remember eating toothpaste thinking that was delicious because there were multiple nights where we never ate. It is appalling that we’re in this situation now.”

Meanwhile, Gordon has been a rock for 26-year-old daughter Holly’s new husband, Olympic swimmer Adam Peaty.

Last weekend Gordon said he’d treated the Peaty family “like royalty”, prompting a furious robust from Adam’s estranged mum, Caroline, who was not invited to his and Holly’s December wedding.

She labelled the Ramsays “bullies”. ”I am certainly not a bully, and it is so appalling to even suggest there was any bullying,” he sighs.

“That’s absolute nonsense. It was sad to see that barrage of negativity that was self-propelled by them.

“But Adam is an incredible young lad and he and Holly are a wonderful, happy, young couple.”

So, would Gordon fancy being a grandad?

He says: “Jesus Christ. They’re still on their f***ing honeymoon!

“But I do laugh sometimes when I’m in the park with [two-year-old son] Jesse.

“I was taking him to a football match last Saturday, and then this lady said, ‘Oh, it must be so nice to have the grandkids at the weekend!’

“And I’m like, ‘Are you f***ing serious woman? Grandkids?! That’s my son!’”

• Being Gordon Ramsay is available on Netflix from Wednesday.

60th WILL BE ADELE OF A PARTY

THE very sweary superstar — I counted 27 f***s in the new documentary’s first episode – hopes superstar singer Adele will bring birthday cheer on his 60th in November.

Obviously, for a man not feted for his thriftiness, there will be a huge party, also celebrating his 30th anniversary with Tana.

“We are hoping Adele will sing,” he grins. “Tana loves Adele and I saw her in Vegas when she was playing the Colosseum, and she was a customer of ours in Chelsea.

“She is an incredibly gracious, talented woman, and a real foodie. She loves that kind of fine dining style.”

If you’re reading this review of Gore Verbinski’s maniacal farce “Good Luck, Have Fun, Don’t Die” in newsprint, congratulations on being a Luddite.

But if you’re reading it on a smartphone, then you’re one of the suckers that Sam Rockwell is hoping to reach when his unnamed time traveler barges into a late-night Los Angeles diner screaming, “I am from the future and all of this goes horribly wrong!” The patrons pause scrolling to glance at this unhinged, unwashed man wearing a crown of computer wires wrapped around his head like an IT messiah. Then they get a good look at his shoes when he stomps on their tables, kicking cheeseburgers as he tries to make these regular folks engage with the tech-pocalypse he swears is coming.

It’s a sermon we’ve heard plenty of times before and possibly even delivered ourselves. Coming from the ever-charismatic Rockwell, a lecture to stop wasting our lives online sounds no more insurmountable, only more immediate.

Half of the world will die, he foretells. The other half will be too distracted to notice. That is, unless a handful of strangers join him right now, right this moment, to fight for humanity’s cerebral freedom. Unsurprisingly, volunteers don’t raise their hands. (The one eager guy who does has failed him too often in other scenarios.) But Rockwell’s time traveler — he really is one — is used to a firewall of resistance. He’s given this speech at this diner 117 times. Some combination of the 47 people in it is fated to succeed.

That opening scene sounds as if an AI merged “The Terminator” with “Groundhog Day.” True, Matthew Robinson’s funny, savage and surprising script doesn’t downplay its inspirations. (He even lets Rockwell rip off Indiana Jones’ line about snakes.) But the screenplay gets so intricate and angry — and so shamelessly ambitious — you can’t believe someone in today’s Hollywood was willing to put up the money to get it made. Even helmed by proven hitmaker Verbinski of the “Pirates of the Caribbean” franchise, it’s a feat akin to convincing someone to fund a skyscraper-sized cuckoo clock that has a bird that pops out and heckles the crowd.

Eventually, a dubious crew enlists: public school teachers Mark and Janet (Michael Peña and Zazie Beetz), grouchy ride-share driver Scott (Asim Chaudhry), assistant Boy Scout leader Bob (Daniel Barnett), jittery mom Susan (Juno Temple) and forlorn Maria (Georgia Goodman), who keeps sighing that all she wanted was a slice of pie. Rockwell also impulsively yokes in Ingrid (Haley Lu Richardson), a grungy girl in a princess dress, who seems to be on her own suicide mission. The actors are mostly just pegs in a complicated plot, but they snap into place well.

The man from the future doesn’t have a plan — and worse, he considers himself the only person who isn’t expendable. The others can die (and do). As the group shuffles toward catastrophe, Verbinski intercuts their mission with flashbacks to their civilian lives. Their ordinary days, the digital indignities they’ve borne, that’s where Verbinski really gets mean.

The film’s feints and twists are fabulous as they explore how the internet’s promise has soured. One plotline involves a corporate brainstorm to make people love and nurture their own talking adbot, essentially a human-sized Tamagotchi. In another, school shootings have become such an epidemic that when Temple’s Susan gets summoned to identify her ninth-grader’s corpse, the other grieving mothers at the station calmly chitchat about traffic until one glances over at her nonchalantly and says, “First time?”

At first, the not-so-original idea that phones have turned children into zombies is a Romero-style parody of brain rot. (The young actor Cassiel Eatock-Winnik has a great scene as a vicious teen who stares down one of her elders and says, “You’re 35? That’s, like, older than most trees.”) But Verbinski reveals an unexpected angle of attack: Here, society has groomed the next generation to behave like machines. We don’t know why, exactly, but we can imagine a few reasons.

Even coping mechanisms take fire. Susan meets more parents who’ve snapped under the strain and become nihilistic trolls raising their daughter to be toxic so it won’t matter as much if she dies. Another character is quick to insist that everything he’s looking at — the walls, the people — is a facade. A 20-something gig worker named Tim (Tom Taylor) wants to permanently live in a VR simulation. His story is a little rushed but we get the idea that Tim’s not a jerk, just an idealist who can’t handle the tawdriness of the 21st century. As he puts it, “Why would I choose this world over that one?”

Verbinski doesn’t say much outright about the creeping concern that we’re living in a highly surveilled, aggressive and unpredictable police state. He’s able to make that point without words when cops arrive and our heroes-slash-hostages, none of whom have yet done anything worse than skip out on their bill, all assume the itchy trigger finger of the law will shoot them on sight. (And they’re right.) He also makes an ominous refrain of “Thank you for your service.”

It’s easier to howl at a classic like “Dr. Strangelove,” which mocked the leaders giddyuping the planet’s destruction, than at a present-day satire where we ourselves are the joke. As with “Idiocracy” (and eventually “Eddington”), our ability to fully appreciate this merciless, furious comedy might take a decade of remove. Even then, though, I won’t like James Whitaker’s cinematography, which goes for a deliberate ugliness but just looks dishwater drab.

“Good Luck, Have Fun, Don’t Die” anticipates the audience’s resistance. We do think for ourselves and so we scour the movie for flaws that will justify the urge to roll our eyes. For example: Why does Rockwell let some characters die and not others? Is the movie just as shallow as its j’accuse of us? Some quibbles get answered. Larger questions are left coyly unresolved so that we leave the theater uneasy.

There are so many overwhelming ideas in “Good Luck, Have Fun, Don’t Die” that, at over two hours, it does have the sense of a dissociative doomscroll. There’s even a plot point involving an algorithmic overlord that creates randomly generated armies: “Ghostbusters” with AI slop. The normie survivors try to convince themselves it might send something good, like they’re thumbing TikTok hoping for a treasure worth the time. Rockwell assures them it won’t. Nothing good will ever come. And what does arrive is so hellacious that it makes the Stay Puft Marshmallow Man look sweet.

The film is too cynical to take itself that seriously; Verbinski would roll his eyes at any thoughts and prayers it could do much good. Yet, anyone born with “19” at the start of their birthyear still remembers how it felt to leave the house without a black rectangle in their hands. That makes us all time travelers of a sort, too, beacons of an increasingly distant era in which it was possible to be unplugged.

But it’s OK if you’re on your screen right now. Just sit before a bigger one to see this film.

Hi, and welcome to another edition of Prep Rally. I’m Eric Sondheimer. Playoff pairings have been announced for high school basketball. There’s only one unbeaten team left and what an intriguing story.

Unbeaten Elsinore stands alone

There’s only one unbeaten team in the Southern Section basketball playoffs. And what an intriguing story regarding 28-0 Elsinore.

Back in 1974, when Elsinore when 27-0 until losing at the L.A. Sports Arena in the Division 1-A final, Peter Rettinger rode to the game as a middle school student on the rooter bus and Rick Wolter played in the game as a sophomore.

They’ve been co-head coaches at Elsinore for 32 years. This season, they have a top junior guard in Kamrynn Nathan, averaging 25.2 points. “He’s fun to watch because he’s really creative,” Rettinger said.

Elsinore won the Mountain Pass League and has wins over Chino Hills, Murrieta Valley and Murrieta Mesa. Elsinore was placed in the Division 2 playoffs and opens at home Wednesday against Sonora.

Much has changed since Rettinger was a student at Elsinore, which used to be the only high school in the “Valley” from Corona to Temecula. Now there’s two new high schools in Elsinore, three in Temecula and three in Murrieta.

Wolter retired from teaching and Rettinger is still teaching.

“We’ve always had a positive experience,” Rettinger said. “The parents realized we are the product of the valley and tried to do the best we can with whatever we team have.”

They’re a true neighborhood team supported by loyal neighborhood families.

Boys basketball

The Southern Section playoff pairings released Saturday includes Sierra Canyon as the No. 1 seed for the Open Division. There are 12 teams and four divisions for pool play. Here’s a look.

Here are the Southern Section pairings.

Kaiden Bailey of Santa Margarita had zero points against St. John Bosco but contributed eight assists.

(Dylan Stewart / 1550 Sports)

The McDonald’s All-America Game revealed its rosters for the boys and girls games. Here’s the report.

Santa Margarita won the first Trinity League tournament with a 57-56 win over St. John Bosco. Here’s the report.

St. Bernard won the Del Rey League title behind junior guard Brandon Granger. Here’s the report.

Thousand Oaks’ Dylan McCord has had a great senior year shooting threes. He had 43 points and 10 threes in a win over Newbury Park. Here’s a report.

Palisades won its first Western League title in 30 years and gained the No. 1 seed for the City Section Open Division playoffs. Here’s the City playoff seedings.

Sun Valley Poly coach Joe Wyatt guided his team to a 12-0 record in the East Valley League and 28 consecutive league wins. Here’s the report.

The Times’ final regular season top 25 basketball rankings.

Girls basketball

Sophomore forward Kiara Wakabi helped Birmingham win its 32nd West League game in a row.

(Steve Galluzzo / For The Times)

Birmingham won the West Valley League title in a close game over Granada Hills and is seeded No. 2 for the City Section Open Division playoffs behind Westchester. Here’s a look at the Patriots’ win over Granada Hills.

Andrea Antonio, a freshman at Hamilton, scored 54 points in her team’s 85-83 overtime win over Palisades.

The Southern Section Open Division pairings were released, and the top three seeds are Ontario Christian, Etiwanda and Sierra Canyon.

Bow ties for Reggie

Reggie Morris Jr., in 2013. He has a collection of bow ties he brings out for the playoffs.

(Nick Koza)

It’s time to break out the bow ties for Reggie Morris Jr., the head basketball coach at Redondo Union. He has won Southern Section titles coaching at Redondo, Leuzinger and St. Bernard. He won a City title at Fairfax.

Here’s what Morris has to say about preparing to challenge Sierra Canyon and others in the Open Division playoffs.

Super Bowl connections

Patriots special teams player Brenden Schooler during his high school days at Mission Viejo.

(Los Angeles Times)

Southern California was well represented in Sunday’s Super Bowl, with former local high school players on the rosters of the Seahawks and Patriots.

Here’s a look at the path those players took and why they made it, according to their high school coaches.

During Super Bowl week, the two NFL rookies of the year announced were from Southern California. Receiver Tetairoa McMillan from Servite and the Carolina Panthers and linebacker Carson Schwesinger from Oaks Christian, UCLA and the Cleveland Browns.

Wrestling

The City Section boys and girls wrestling championships will be held Saturday night at Roybal. Admission is $12. There’s a $5 parking charge.

The Southern Section individual championships will have six divisional finals Friday and Saturday at Westminster, Fountain Valley, Canyon Springs, Great Oak, Moorpark and Glenn. It will help determine qualifiers for the Masters Meet at Sonora on Feb. 20. Admission is $14.

Redondo Union won its first Southern Section Division 6 boys wrestling championship. El Modena won Division 5. Corona took Division 4. South Torrance took Division 3. Temecula Valley won Division 2. St. John Bosco won Division 1.

Santa Ana won the Diviison 1 girls title. Chaparral won Division 2. Oxnard Pacifica took Division 3. Sonora won Division 4.

Soccer

Palos Verdes is seeded No. 1 for the Open Division boys competition. Mater Dei is seeded No. 2.

Here’s the boys pairings.

Santa Margarita is seeded No. 1 in Open Division girls.

Here’s the Southern Section girls pairings.

The City Section playoff pairings will be announced Monday.

Notes . . .

Orange Lutheran coach Rod Sherman.

(Nick Koza)

There will be three new head football coaches in the Trinity League this fall after Orange Lutheran announced that Rod Sherman was no longer the football coach and Chris Reinert resigned at Servite. JSerra hired Hardy Nickerson as its new coach. Here’s the report on Sherman’s departure. Here’s the report on Reinert’s departure and the many changes happening in the nation’s toughest football league. . . .

The National Federation of State High School Assn. football rules committee has clarified and strengthened a rule that prohibits slapping the head of any player on offense or defense. Here are the rule changes for 2026. . . .

Noah Thayer, who was one of the best kickers in the Southland until suffering an injury at JSerra, has committed to Cal Poly. . . .

Junior receiver Michael Farinas of Chaparral has committed to UCLA. . . .

Junior linebacker Mike Davis Jr. of Mater Dei has committed to UCLA. . . .

Jaslene Massey of Aliso Niguel had the seventh-best girls shot put effort in state history at the winter championships at Arcadia High with a mark of 52-10 1/4,

Junior receiver Tycen Johnson of Chaparral has committed to Arizona State. . . .

Sophomore all-league linebacker Allen Kennett V has transferred from Servite to Santa Margarita. . . .

Spud O’Neil, the baseball coach at Lakewood since 1984, has announced 2026 will be his final season. He has 970 victories over 52 seasons that includes stints at St. Anthony and Colton. . . .

The Coliseum League is getting a change for football in the fall. Moving out are Dymally and Fremont, which will be switching to the Metro and Exposition leagues. Moving in is Marquez, which will join Crenshaw, Dorsey, King/Drew and Washington Prep. . . .

Lorenzo Hernandez, who was football coach at Garfield from 1999 through 2024, is the leading candidate to become head coach at Whittier, which has Garfield’s former principal. Hernandez served as athletic director at Garfield since the fall. He’d be taking over a program that is headed to a new league if they select him. . . .

Eddie Ficklin has resigned as football coach at Cantwell Sacred-Heart. . . .

Matt Casey is the new football coach at Arlington. . . .

Eric Carnohan is the new director of aquatics at Servite. . . .

Chace Holley from Bay League champion Redondo Union has committed to Pepperdine.

From the archives: Robert Garcia

Former San Fernando football coach Robert Garcia is now an assistant coach at Bishop Alemany.

(Robert Garcia)

Former San Fernando football coach Robert Garcia has joined Dennis Keyes’ staff as an assistant coach at Bishop Alemany.

He was head coach at San Fernando from 2011 until the summer of 2021, winning two City Section Division II titles and a Division I title. He left to run a family restaurant business. He has helped coach with Keyes before since both have sons playing youth football.

Here’s a 2012 interview after winning a City title.

Here’s a story from 2018 when the Rams recognized San Fernando.

Recommendations

From the Daily Breeze, a story on new Bishop Montgomery coach Oscar McBride.

From The562.org, a story on Lakewood baseball coach Spud O’Neil announcing this will be his final season after 52 years coaching baseball.

From the Oklahoman, a story on the governor supporting open transfers in high school sports.

Tweets you might have missed

Until next time….

Have a question, comment or something you’d like to see in a future Prep Rally newsletter? Email me at eric.sondheimer@latimes.com, and follow me on Twitter at @latsondheimer.

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A central question in the congressional investigation of the firings of eight U.S. attorneys is whether Carol C. Lam in San Diego was dismissed, and Debra Wong Yang in Los Angeles eased out, to try to derail corruption probes of prominent California Republicans.

Whatever officials in Washington might have intended, Yang and Lam’s departures had no effect on the investigations, which continue unabated, sources close to the inquiries said this week. And several present and former federal prosecutors said it would be extremely difficult — though not impossible — to quash an investigation for political reasons.

“Most criminal prosecutors are an independent sort with a strong sense of pursuing truth and justice,” said William W. Carter, a Los Angeles federal prosecutor for 14 years before moving to the firm Musick, Peeler & Garrett in November. “They would be repulsed, and rebel, against any political order. There would be an uproar.”

Although the nation’s 93 U.S. attorneys are political appointees, their offices are staffed with career prosecutors who are tasked with pursuing justice without regard for any political agenda.

Those prosecutors — assistant U.S. attorneys — often come from top-flight law schools and see the job as a noble calling. Many of them could make much more money in private practice.

Calling a prosecutor off a case — particularly if the motive were transparently political — would cause an uproar, said Loyola Law School professor and former federal prosecutor Laurie L. Levenson. “You’d have to suspend reality to think you could get away with it,” she said.

The U.S. attorney’s office in San Diego is moving forward on the expanding investigation that netted Rep. Randy “Duke” Cunningham (R-Rancho Santa Fe), the sources said. And prosecutors in Los Angeles continue to examine Rep. Jerry Lewis (R-Redlands) over various dealings with lobbyists and contractors during the time he was chairman of the powerful House Appropriations Committee.

Neither Lam nor Yang had direct involvement in the corruption investigations, the sources said. According to one source close to the Lewis inquiry, Yang never asked to be briefed by her prosecutors, nor did she give them any input. “It was just nothing … which was good.”

The sources close to the probes requested anonymity because a Justice Department policy bars public comment on ongoing investigations.

Yang emphatically denied that she was pushed out or that she or her successor was asked to stop a politically charged investigation.

“You have so many players involved, it’s ridiculous that you could make an investigation disappear, especially one that is high profile — because those are the ones all the assistants want to work on,” she said.

Levenson said there are subtle ways, however, to let a case “die a slow death.”

Supervisors could assign the prosecutors other matters to work on or divert resources away from the case. They could balk at issuing subpoenas or seeking approvals of various sorts from Washington. And when it comes time to seek an indictment, particularly if the case is not a slam-dunk, the U.S. attorney or even the Justice Department in Washington could waver and tell the prosecutors that they need to do more investigating.

Yet even this scenario is more likely to happen in a John Grisham novel than in real life, Levenson said.

Congressional investigators first focused on the possibility that Lam was fired because of the expanding Cunningham inquiry or the Lewis investigation. Although Lam’s office was not involved in the Lewis probe, those involved in the firings might not have known that because both cases involved the same prominent lobbyist, several prosecutors suggested.

Now some of the focus has shifted to Yang, with testimony indicating that the White House might have been looking to push her out.

In October 2006 — less than two months before the firings — Yang announced her resignation to take a job at the Los Angeles firm Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher, which was defending Lewis and has strong Republican ties. Her new salary is reportedly about $1.5 million a year.

Yang said at the time that, as a recently divorced mother of three, she needed to enter the private sector to support her family.

U.S. Atty. Gen. Alberto R. Gonzales, in testimony before the House Judiciary Committee, was questioned Thursday about Yang’s resignation, but insisted that she left of her own accord.

But in recent testimony to congressional investigators, D. Kyle Sampson, the Justice Department aide who coordinated the firings, said the White House had inquired in September about pushing Yang out to “create a vacancy.”

“I remember [White House Counsel] Harriet Miers asking me about Debra Yang … and what her plans were, whether she might be asked to resign,” Sampson told investigators last month, according to a senior congressional aide.

An opinion piece by a New York Times editorial editor, Adam Cohen, suggested that Gibson Dunn might have lured Yang away with the rich salary offer to get her off the Lewis investigation.

Gibson Dunn lawyers took offense at the suggestion.

“It’s absurd,” said Randy Mastro, co-chairman of the firm’s crisis management group with Yang.

It was well known that Yang was looking for something new, he added, and at least three top firms were actively recruiting her.

As for her being pushed out, he said Yang notified Miers in January 2006 that she planned to leave by the end of summer.

Mastro would not comment specifically on the Lewis investigation.

joe.mozingo@latimes.com

Many money saving travel hacks are trotted out year after year, but do they really save money? Travel specialists have weighed in on some of the most common tips that are often repeated

January and February are peak times for booking holidays, and at this time of year you’ll often see lists of travel tips that claim you can save money by following certain ‘hacks’.

But do they really work? The travel insurance team at Tiger.co.uk has shed light on five travel hacks that are shared pretty much every year, but may end up being a waste of your time. Luckily, the team has also revealed some practical tips to save money that can actually help holidaymakers slash their travel costs.

1. Using incognito mode when booking

Some money saving sites will tell you to use incognito mode when you make a booking, claiming this can lead to cheaper fares. This is based on the assumption that if you make repeated searches, the airline or travel provider will take your history into account and raise the fares.

However, Tiger explained that flight pricing algorithms are much more sophisticated than that, and while fare prices do change over time, this is based on demand, availability, and pricing, rather than what’s in your search history. An article in Quartz backs up this theory, citing studies that have shown there’s very little effect on the overall cost.

Many airlines offer different fare classes even within economy, and once one type of fare sells out, it’ll automatically move to the next, higher-priced one. This is more likely to explain why a fare has jumped up in price the second time you search.

2. Booking flights during the night

In the early days of internet travel booking, airlines used to update their fares manually overnight. Savvy travellers could set an alarm for first thing in the morning to save money on their flights.

Nowadays, airline websites are much more sophisticated and update prices 24/7, meaning its unlikely to make a difference whether you book during the day or night. However, this outdated travel hack still gets repeated now and again.

3. Booking last-minute gets you the best deals

Travelling at the last minute used to be a great way to bag bargain holidays. If you’re not fussy about your destination and flexible on dates, there are still cheap package holidays to be found, though they seem to be getting harder to find.

However, Tiger says that if you’re looking for cheap flights, planning ahead is a better option. Fares often increase as the departure date approaches and seats become scarcer. Try using Skyscanner or a similar flight comparison site with a price tracker to alert you when fares to your destination drop.

4. Only looking at budget airlines

Budget airlines often appear the cheapest because they offer impressive headline fares, but once priced up, a budget carrier might not be the best option for saving cash.

Once you’ve added the basics, such as baggage and paid to select your seat, you may find the cost is comparable to standard airlines where these extras are included. Always look at the total cost for a true comparison.

5. Always book a return

In the past, travellers were always advised to book return tickets as it worked out cheaper. But nowadays, with flight comparison tools available, it’s easier than ever to compare return fares on the same airline versus buying two singles with different carriers. Mixing and matching could save you money and often makes it more convenient to book a flight time that suits you.

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