running

Some other year, under some other president, Republican Young Kim might have been a shoo-in to represent a majority-minority congressional district containing pieces of Orange, Los Angeles and San Bernardino counties.

Kim’s profile is as compelling as it is rare for someone running under the GOP banner: an immigrant, an Asian American and, perhaps most important, a woman in a year when female voter enthusiasm is surging. If she wins, she would be the first Korean American woman elected to Congress.

All of these facets might help her navigate the demographic changes that have been eroding Republican support for decades in the 39th Congressional District, where roughly two-thirds of residents are either Asian or Latino and immigrants make up about a third of the population.

But in this year’s tough midterm election, likely to be a referendum on Donald Trump’s divisive presidency, Kim will be forced to stitch together a majority out of disparate factions: die-hard Trump supporters, Trump-averse minorities and affluent suburban women. Kim, 55, finds herself in a race that’s virtually tied in a district where retiring GOP incumbent Ed Royce won the last three elections by double digits.

Republicans face big risks in contested California races as Democrats fight for control of the House »

On the campaign trail, she says, she’s faced questions about the president — his tweets, his policies, his tone. Kim says that Trump’s rhetoric concerns her and that his disparaging remarks about immigrants and women can be frustrating.

“I try to tell them I’m not running to be his spokesperson or represent Donald Trump in the White House,” she says.

Many GOP House candidates — in similarly diverse districts from the Virginia exurbs outside Washington to the bedroom communities east of Denver — share her plight.

In Southern California, Republicans’ tactics for dealing with Trump range from avoidance, as with two-term Rep. Mimi Walters of Laguna Beach, to a full embrace by Diane Harkey, who is running for a seat left open by retiring Rep. Darrell Issa of Vista.

Kim’s 39th Congressional District includes Chino Hills, Fullerton, Yorba Linda — the birthplace of Richard Nixon — and Diamond Bar.

Here, a taqueria can share a parking lot with a Taiwanese cafe. Spanish, Korean, Mandarin and Tagalog can be heard along with English in the upscale ethnic supermarkets that dot the area.

Will California flip the House? The key races to watch »

As she travels the region, Kim has tried to drive home two major points: that people living here know her, and that she understands their stories. She’s spent decades in the public arena, first as a longtime district staffer to Royce and then as a one-term state assemblywoman. She was once a TV talk show host on Korean-language television.

Kim speaks with a knowing ease about the sacrifices immigrants make for a shot at prosperity.

She often shares memories of interpreting for her parents and picking up cans and bottles on the beaches of Guam — a way station between Seoul and Hawaii, where her family later settled — to help raise money for their church.

“My personal experience of being an immigrant, having gone through what this diverse immigrant community has gone through, struggling,” Kim said. “Those are real life experiences that really helped me understand … the district.”

Kim, who owns a government affairs consulting business, moved to Southern California 37 years ago to attend USC. She lives in Fullerton with her husband, Charles; they have four adult children.

One recent Saturday at a campaign office in Rowland Heights, Kim bowed and greeted supporters with “Annyeonghaseyo!” — “Hello!” in Korean — before Saga Conroy took the stage.

“President Trump is not on the ballot, but his agenda is totally in this midterm election,” said Conroy, trying to pump up volunteers. “If we lose the majority in Congress, everything he achieved could be lost.”

It was a departure from Kim’s attempts to cast herself as an independent voice who will call out the president when she disagrees but is willing to work with him on policies that help the district. Kim’s campaign manager, wincing at the remarks, felt compelled to point out that Conroy isn’t a staffer but a volunteer coordinator for the California Republican Party.

“Voters want somebody to stand up to Trump and put a check on him,” said Ben Tulchin, a veteran pollster helping strategize for Kim’s opponent, Democrat Gil Cisneros. “A Republican who worked for a Republican member of Congress is not the person they’re looking for.”

As supporters snacked on spicy Korean rice cakes and egg rolls at the campaign office, one young woman approached Kim with a contribution and an invitation to speak at the next Rotary Club meeting in Fullerton.

“There’s three rotary clubs in Fullerton, so which one?” Kim said without missing a beat. “The main one,” the woman replied.

Kim insists that her strategy of showing up to dozens of groundbreakings, cultural fairs and community events will insulate her from national politics in a way she couldn’t manage in 2016, when she sought reelection to her Assembly seat.

Her Democratic opponent plastered the district with mailers featuring Kim’s face alongside the polarizing GOP presidential nominee and even released an ad disguised as a music video featuring lyrics declaring “Young Kim is like Donald Trump.” It contributed to her loss in the swing district.

Back then, Kim tried to sidestep the issue, saying she’d never met Trump and calling the tactic “desperate.” This time, she’s drawing sharper distinctions between her views and the president’s.

In an interview, Kim maintained that her party has not been captured by one man. “There is no party of Trump,” she said, banging her hand on a table. She’s running, she said, “because I’ve been here, I’ve been working here, I’ve raised my family here, I know the district…. I’m not running for the party of Trump.”

Still, Trump so dominates political discussion these days Kim can’t help but be drawn into the conversation. Her strategy is to ignore the president and his serial controversies as best she can. Kim, for instance, declined this week to comment on Trump’s mocking of Christine Blasey Ford, who accused Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh of sexual assault.

Coverage of California politics »

Kim has sought to carve out her own identity on issues by opposing, for instance, Trump’s policy of separating children from their parents who crossed the border illegally, saying it “does not live up” to American values. She vows to fight for a pathway to citizenship for young people brought to the country illegally as children.

She also breaks with Trump by supporting what he refers to as “chain migration,” which allows citizens to sponsor family members to join them. Like many in her district, Kim’s family has benefited from the long-standing policy. Kim’s adult sister, who had married an American serviceman and joined the military herself, was able to sponsor her, both of her parents and four siblings.

But Kim echoes Trump in other ways.

She called California’s so-called sanctuary state law an “affront to law-abiding citizens and a threat to public safety.” She praised a decision by the Trump administration to weigh in on a lawsuit against Harvard that alleges the university’s admissions policies discriminate against Asian Americans.

One of her first campaign ads emphasized how her family came to the country legally “and not because we wanted handouts.”

Bernie Overland, left, speaks to Democratic congressional candidate Gil Cisneros, center, at his home in Fullerton.

(Christine Mai-Duc / Los Angeles Times)

Those positions may help Kim hold on to support from the Republican base, but they alienate others who want no part of Trump and his presidency. There are frequent reminders of the fine line she walks.

Bernie Overland, a 78-year-old Republican, opened his door in Fullerton one recent Saturday when Cisneros, the Democrat, came knocking. Cisneros was there to speak to Overland’s wife, who’s a Democrat, but he first asked Bernie what issues he cares about most.

“Well, Trump is certainly one,” he said with a laugh.

He’s angry about Trump’s plans to build a border wall (he called it “a waste”) and is incensed by the risk of ballooning national debt from recently passed tax cuts.

“I just think he is taking this country down the garden path to disaster,” Overland said in an interview later. Overland says that he wants to send a message to Trump in this midterm election and that nothing Kim does and says will change his mind.

His plan: Vote for any candidate who is not a Republican.

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Twitter: @cmaiduc

A GRIEVING mum has paid a heartbreaking tribute to her seven year-old-daughter who tragically died just days after she was seen “running and dancing.”

Tasmine Nichols, 28, has been left devastated following the death of her “beautiful and funny little girl.”

Bonnie Haydon’s family, from Plymouth, had to face the unimaginable and turn off their seven-year-old daughter’s life machine in August.

Tasmine explained that Bonnie had been in and out of Derriford Hospital since July.

Bonnie was diagnosed with asthma at a very young age but “had been doing fine over the years” until this year, according to her mum.

She was medicated for the asthma and had an inhaler, but was described as a happy child that was always full of energy.

The young girl was on her second admission on August 10 and was sent home, however, tragedy struck just 12 days later.

The concerned mother took her daughter straight back to hospital.

Tasmine explained that on August 25, Bonnie seemed full of life and was behaving like a normal, energetic seven-year-old.

She said: “She was running around the hospital playing, dancing and singing everything a child would do.

“But the next day she was placed into an induced coma in the early hours.”

Tasmine went on to tell PlymouthLive that at first she was told they were just going to sedate Bonnie, but soon after, she was informed that her daughter was going to be placed into a coma.

This was a coma that Bonnie would tragically never come out of.

She was later rushed to Bristol Royal Hospital for Children where Tasmine explained she was doing well, until 9am on August 27.

After being rushed in for a CT scan, Tasmine was delivered the devastating news that her daughter’s brain had no activity.

The following day, Bonnie was taken for an MRI where it was confirmed that the little girl had no brain activity at all.

In the early hours of August 29, the family had to face the unimaginable, and let Bonnie go.

In the wake of her death, family friend Charlie Wilkinson has set up a GoFundMe fundraiser to help support the family during this terrible time.

Charlie explained that Tasmine is facing every parent’s worst nightmare, planning a funeral for her child.

Writing on the fundraising page, Charlie said:  “Bonnie deserves the most beautiful and special send off and we want to help take that stress away so her family can focus on saying goodbye.

“Every single penny will go towards giving Bonnie the most stunning and special day, one that shows just how loved she was and always will be.

“She will forever be seven, forever loved, and forever missed.”

Moyo Odebunmi, a junior running back at Cleveland High and native of Nigeria who had never played varsity football until this season, is quickly adjusting to the speed of the game.

On Thursday night against Arleta, his first three carries resulted in touchdown runs of 68, 85 and 59 yards. He also caught a touchdown and had a 99-yard kickoff return in Cleveland’s 70-37 win. He finished with 303 yards rushing.

Odebunmi, who is 5-foot-7 and 155 pounds, didn’t play football as a freshman, came out last season and learned the game on junior varsity. Now coach Mario Guzman can’t find enough spots to use him.

“We had him all over the field,” Guzman said. “He’s just an athlete we have to have out there.”

Another big contributor for Cleveland was soccer athlete Samael Cerritos, who was 10 for 10 on PATs.

This is a daily look at the positive happenings in high school sports. To submit any news, please email [email protected].

A SUPERSTAR Cheltenham Festival-winning horse has been blocked from a £175,000 race – amid a row over his handicap mark.

A Dream To Share won the Champion Bumper in 2023 and looked like being the sport’s next big name for legendary owner JP McManus.

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But he failed to win a race in his next season over hurdles and only recently returned to the winner’s enclosure with a 1m7f victory on the Flat at Leopardstown in June.

Iconic owner McManus entered the horse, who is trained in Ireland by John Kiely, for the Cesarewitch handicap at Newmarket on October 11.

He was made 7-1 favourite for the 2m2f marathon on the Flat with BetVictor while other firms made him joint-favourite.

But, as things stand, the seven-year-old gelding with almost £200,000 in winnings is not allowed to run because the Irish handicapper has twice refused to give him a mark, according to the Nick Luck Daily podcast.

McManus has apparently appealed the decision with the Irish and British boards.

But the BHA have declined the appeal on the grounds of reciprocity with the Irish Horseracing Regulatory Board.

The most recent appeal to be turned away came last week.

It is believed those acting for McManus claimed enough time had passed between A Dream To Share’s most recent run on June 19 and now for a mark to be awarded.

Especially as several of the horses he beat, including runner-up Royal Hollow, had subsequently raced enough for the handicapper to be able to judge A Dream To Share accurately.

Interestingly, respected journalist Dave Yates said on the podcast that a mark of 104 had been ‘offered’ to A Dream To Share.

But still, nothing official has been granted meaning, as it stands, the favourite for the big race cannot run.

A Dream To Share won the hearts of punters at the 2023 Cheltenham Festival when schoolboy John Gleeson rode him to victory.

McManus bought the horse just a month before from Claire Gleeson, wife of ITV Racing pundit Brian, dad of John.

John said after the win: “Mr McManus was very generous. He said I would definitely keep the ride here today.

“There was no pressure from him. It’s brilliant. I’m very grateful.

“I’ve been going to John Kiely for as long as I can remember.

“I ride out this horse every day before I go to school so it is very special.”

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BEIJING — Humanoid robots hip-hop danced, performed martial arts and played keyboard, guitar and drums at the opening ceremony of the first World Humanoid Robot Games in Beijing on Thursday evening.

The competition begins Friday with more than 500 humanoid robots in 280 teams from 16 countries, including the U.S., Germany and Japan, competing in sports including soccer, running and boxing. It comes as China has stepped up efforts to develop humanoid robots powered by artificial intelligence.

During the opening ceremony, the robots demonstrated soccer and boxing among other sports, with some cheering and backflipping as if at a real sports day.

One robot soccer player scored a goal after a few tries, causing the goalkeeper to fall to the ground. Another player fell but stood up unassisted.

The robots also modeled fashionable hats and clothes alongside human models. One robot model sadly fell and had to be carried off the stage by two human beings.

Teams from robot companies and Chinese universities including Tsinghua University and Peking University are competing in the games. Three middle schools are also participating.

China’s official newspaper People’s Daily quoted a government officer in Beijing as saying “every robot participates is creating history.”

The event will last three days, concluding on Sunday. Tickets sold to the public range from 180 yuan ($25) to 580 ($80).

Ting writes for the Associated Press. Olivia Zhang contributed to this report from Beijing.

Second in a series of stories profiling top high school football players by position. Today, Brian Bonner, Valencia running back.

There are many ways Brian Bonner of Valencia High impacts a football game. As a running back, using his 10.48-second speed in the 100 meters, any kind of opening creates the opportunity for a touchdown.

Ditto catching a ball out of the backfield and being allowed to improvise as he makes defenders miss. And then there’s kickoff returns, where he builds up speed like a locomotive and heads to the end zone faster than putting mustard on a hot dog.

“I think being versatile is very important,” he said. “A lot of teams in college look for a running back that can do more than run the ball. They want you to be able to catch and block.”

At 6 feet and 190 pounds, Bonner is ready to take a place among the many great Valencia backs of the past, from Manuel White to Shane Vereen to Steven Manfro, all of whom made it to the college ranks.

“It’s really cool to learn about the history of the other running backs and it would be an honor to be part of that group,” Bonner said. “I’ve learned all the great things they’ve done at Valencia.”

No one has been faster in Valencia history than Bonner, who started attracting attention when he ran 100 meters in 10.85 seconds during his last race as a freshman. A stampede of football offers started coming after his 10.48 time last year.

Brian Bonner of Valencia runs for yardage against West Ranch during his sophomore season.

(Craig Weston)

“My recruitment started to blow up,” he said. “They were really impressed by speed and my football form backed up my speed. The best way to determine how fast someone is by track times. People can see how fast you are as a player and it shows how important speed is to coaches.”

Bonner rushed for 1,493 yards and 25 touchdowns last season and also caught 40 passes for 498 yards and four touchdowns. He committed to Washington last month.

His combination of speed, size and versatility makes him a valuable offensive weapon. Add to that his patience and youth. He just turned 17 in July and was perfectly fine with playing junior varsity football as a freshman.

“I think everybody wants to play varsity as freshman,” he said. “Now that I look back, it was good. I learned things that I brought to varsity. I knew what to expect instead of being a freshman and not knowing what to expect.”

Valencia coach Larry Muir is plotting how to best use Bonner’s versatility and quickness.

“When you’re special, you have a skill set to catch the ball out of the backfield and he does that as well as anyone,” Muir said. “His speed is incredible, but when you get him in the open field and get him in open space, it’s fun to watch.”

It’s Bonner’s senior year, and he has no intention on relying what he’s done in the past or what 100-meter time he ran.

“You have to work hard, because everyone is going to get better,” he said. “You have to stand out and do things a lot of people won’t do to be the best. Putting in extra hours, learning the plays, learning defenses, becoming a student off the game.”

Thursday: St. John Bosco receiver Madden Williams.

Running backs to watch

Maliq Allen, St. John Bosco, 5-8, 180, Jr.: Showed flashes of brilliance with 1,003 yards rushing

Brian Bonner, Valencia, 6-0, 190, Sr.: Speed and hands make him explosive weapon

Justin Lewis, Mater Dei, 5-10, 195, Sr.: Thousand Oaks transfer gained 1,306 yards as junior

AJ McBean, Mira Costa, 5-11, 208, Jr.: Big back with speed and power

Sean Morris, Orange Lutheran, 5-10, 195, Sr.: Northwestern commit transfers from Loyola

Deshonne Redeaux, Oaks Christian, 6-0, 185, Sr.: USC commit has high expectations for senior season

Edward Rivera, Compton, 6-0, 185, Jr.: City Section transfer gained 1,843 yards and 21 TDs last season

Ceasar Reyes, Garfield, 5-11, 175, Jr.: Rushed for 1,520 yards, 22 TDs with relentless energy in 2024

Journee Tonga, Leuzinger, 5-8, 175, Sr.: Rushed for 2,267 yards, 29 TDs last season

Jorden Wells, Servite, 5-7, 150, So.: Let’s see what track speedster can do in first varsity season

‘Do you think I’m going to be cold?” asks my friend Ellie as we navigate the winding roads of Mosedale, on the north-eastern reaches of the Lake District, while rain batters against the windscreen. It’s a fair question. Both the Met Office and Mountain Weather Information Service are clear – being in the Lakeland hills will not be pleasant this Friday night, due to a sudden cold and wet snap. But there’s another reason she’s asking. I’m taking her to stay in her first bothy – that’s a mountain shelter left open, year-round, for walkers, climbers and outdoor enthusiasts to use, free of charge, with no way to book.

Unlike mountain huts in other parts of Europe and the world, they weren’t built for this purpose. They are old buildings left to ruin in wild places – former coastguard lookouts, gamekeepers’ cottages, remote Highland schoolrooms – before the Mountain Bothies Association (MBA) began to maintain them, offering shelter in a storm. And during this particular storm, shelter is definitely needed.

Before we left, Ellie was worried about what to pack, and well she might be. Despite a bothy having four walls, a roof, windows and a front door (they range from tiny, one-room affairs to sprawling, multi-bedroom structures), they are still very basic. There is no running water (there’s usually a stream nearby for this), no toilet (each has a bothy spade so you can dig your own) and no electricity (tealights and a headtorch are a must), and the one we are heading to, Great Lingy Hut, doesn’t even have the usual bothy stove for warmth.

Yet it’s precisely for these reasons that I’ve chosen it to be Ellie’s first. I know that because of the bad weather it’s unlikely we’ll have to share with anyone else. We park at the base of Carrock Fell, where the River Caldew is now a raging torrent. It is past dusk; the rain has eased to a mere mizzle and we can just make out the shape of the building on the skyline. With backpacks shouldered we begin uphill, keeping our eyes open for signs of walkers who may have potentially beaten us to it.

“Visitor numbers have definitely gone up in recent years,” the chair of the MBA, Simon Birch, tells me when I speak to him the night before. “Of course, back in the day they were kept a secret – some old documents I was going through have ‘confidential’ written across them. But people can’t keep secrets like this.”

It was in 2009 that the MBA decided to publish grid references to its 100-strong network on its website – despite some internal protests. After that, the “cat was out of the bag”, says Birch. When the MBA celebrated its 50-year anniversary in 2015, I asked and was granted permission to write the first guidebook about bothies – as a love letter to them, rather than a definitive guide. There was a lot of pushback, though. When The Book of the Bothy was published, I experienced online trolling (from MBA members and others), abusive emails, complaints to my publisher and even threats. But at the same time, one of the MBA’s co-founders, Betty Heath, told me how much she loved my passion; Birch told me that younger members began to sign up (when there was a real danger of membership ageing out); and now there is even a female thirtysomething trustee.

Out of the 105 bothies they currently look after, only two are owned by the MBA. All the others are on leases. “Ultimately, we could lose all our bothies, if the owners decided to take them back,” says Birch – which proves just how special the network and ethos of bothies is.

The hut we head to in the Lakes was originally used by miners at the nearby and now disused Carrock Mine (which dates back to the 16th century). It was relocated to its higher location on the moor as a shooting box. During the 1960s it was leased to the “Friends” Quaker boarding school in Wigton as an outdoor base and was fitted with a sleeping platform. When that school closed in 1984, it became an open shelter, and eventually the Lake District national park took responsibility for its maintenance before handing it over to the MBA in 2017.

We pass the mine workings under a starry sky, so they appear only as silhouettes. We ford the stream with the help of walking poles and mutual words of encouragement. Finally, we reach the door and experience the anticipatory few seconds that anyone who’s ever stayed in a bothy will know – when after hours of walking you knock on the door with mild trepidation, to discover if anyone else has beaten you to it. The door swings open. It’s empty. We have it to ourselves.

“The biggest change has been the impact that the growing popularity of long-distance trails has had on the bothies,” Simon tells me. “Some of the spots are incredibly well used, and we now have a sanitation officer in the MBA.”

I give Ellie a brief rundown of bothy etiquette. Put candles and the camping stove in the designated area so as not to cause a fire risk. Use the spade for the toilet – well away from the building and any watercourses. Set up a bag for waste. As a countryside girl, she has a good idea of the code – but Birch says a problem the MBA is facing in its 60th year is that content creators are showing people the bothies on social media but not teaching good practice. As such, in a very modern move, the MBA is seeking creators to collaborate with it, to demonstrate responsible bothying.

We settle in, heating a pre-made tagine and making hot chocolates to keep us warm. I also fill hot-water bottles. We chat for hours, me regaling Ellie with stories of previous bothy visits – including the time I inadvertently crashed a stag party in Scotland.

The wind whistles through the cables that hold Great Lingy Hut down, but despite this, as mothers of young children, we both sleep well away from the madness of our day-to-day lives.

Recent figures put the MBA membership at 3,800 – with many more users who don’t pay the annual £25 donation to join. We’re staying at one of the newer buildings in the network, but Birch tells me there are no plans to take on any more.

We enjoy our breakfast beside the window, where a lifting fog offers tantalising views down this little-visited valley.

As we leave, I feel hopeful for the next 60 years of bothies in Britain. We pack not only our own rubbish but empty packets and used candle holders left by others. “I love it,” says Ellie, “leaving it better than we arrived.” She may have begun this adventure worried about feeling cold but, thanks to the magic of bothies, is leaving as many do, warmed by the whole wild and wonderful experience.

For more information visit the Mountain Bothies Association. The Book of the Bothy by Phoebe Smith is available for £12.95 from guardianbookshop.com