California’s unemployment rate dropped to the lowest it has been in four decades as the Golden State outpaced the nation in job creation last month.

Joblessness stood at 4% in September, less than in any month since the current methodology was introduced in 1976, state officials reported. That was down from 4.1% in August and a year earlier.

Year over year, state payrolls grew by 320,000 jobs, to a total of 17.53 million. That was a 1.9% growth rate, compared with 1.4% nationwide.

Led by three sectors — professional services; arts, entertainment and recreation; and manufacturing — employers added 21,300 jobs during the month, down from an exceptionally strong 32,000 in August.

The U.S. unemployment rate was 3.5% in September.

“California is not immune to risks faced in the rest of the U.S. and the world, but for now, the state’s jobs machine continues to purr, defying recession fears,” said Lynn Reaser, an economist at Point Loma Nazarene University in San Diego.

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Robert Kleinhenz, an economist with the Los Angeles consultancy Beacon Economics, was equally upbeat. “With yearly job gains in nearly every one of the state’s major industries, including those most affected by trade conflicts, this is a reassuring report, especially at a time when there are concerns that the economy is cooling,” he said.

Nonetheless, some see the effects of President Trump’s trade wars beginning to take a toll.

“The ongoing trade war and the slowing global economic activities represent stiff head winds for the state’s economy,” Loyola Marymount University economist Sung Won Sohn said via email.

“Trade and transportation, which includes warehousing, remain lethargic. L.A. and Long Beach ports have reported significant slowdown in shipping activities compared to a year ago.

“Technology, a workhorse for the state’s economy, has lost some momentum in part due to the trade friction. For example, the job gains at the information sector — which includes web hosting, data storage, audio and video streaming, internet publishing, search portals — have been flat since its peak in December 2018.”

September payroll growth was notable in several Southern California areas, including the Inland Empire (6,300 jobs) and San Diego (4,900). Year over year, the Inland Empire (+2.3%) has experienced the fastest rate of job growth, followed by San Diego (+1.8%), Los Angeles (+1.1%) and Orange County (1.1%).

In Northern California, the San Francisco metro area added the most jobs (1,300), followed by San Rafael (600), San Jose (400) and the East Bay (200). Year over year, however, Northern California payrolls grew faster than those in the southern part of the state, with a 3.4% jump in San Francisco, a 3.1% increase in San Jose and a 1.9% rise in the East Bay.

Among the major industry sectors adding jobs across the state:

• Professional and business services added 12,700 jobs, for a year-over-year total of 83,700.

• Manufacturing payrolls rose by 4,100, for a year-over-year total of 13,900. Most of that was in computer and other electronic products, aerospace and motor vehicles. “Tesla is a source of exports,” Kleinhenz noted.

• Education and health services expanded by 4,100 positions, for a year-over-year increase of 83,300.

• Trade, transportation and utilities grew by 2,700 jobs, for a year-over-year total of 3,300.

• Leisure and hospitality added 800 positions, for a year-over-year total of 46,400.

The state’s monthly job report, released by the California Employment Development Department, is based on two surveys. The unemployment rate comes from a federal survey of 5,100 California households. The nonfarm payroll job numbers come from a separate federal survey of 80,000 California businesses.

As WeWork prepares to cut potentially thousands of jobs this month and more executives head for the exits, SoftBank Group Corp. is assembling a rescue financing plan for WeWork that may value the office-sharing company below $8 billion, according to people familiar with the discussions.

The new figure is a fraction of the $47-billion valuation the start-up commanded as recently as January. The talks are fluid and the terms could change, said the people, who requested anonymity because the discussions are private.

WeWork, reeling since it scrapped its initial public offering, has been considering dueling plans from SoftBank and JPMorgan Chase & Co. to shore up its finances before it runs out of cash as early as next month. The company’s board could make a decision as soon as this weekend, according to some of the people familiar with the situation.

Representatives for WeWork and SoftBank declined to comment.

JPMorgan has been pitching investors on a $5-billion junk-debt package for WeWork. The unsecured and secured notes portion of the bank’s plan are being offered on a “best-efforts” basis, according to people familiar with the matter, meaning banks haven’t committed to funding the deal irrespective of investor demand.

The bank has been sharing its proposal with about 100 investors as it tries to line up support for what would be one of the riskiest debt offerings in recent years, people with knowledge of the matter said earlier this week.

Uncertainty around WeWork’s future has whipsawed its bonds in recent weeks. The debt plunged to record lows on Tuesday as the company weighed a financing package that included debt that could yield 15%, only to erase those losses a day later amid reports that SoftBank was considering a new investment. The debt currently trades at about 85 cents on the dollar, and hasn’t been near par since before the company pulled its IPO last month.

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SoftBank, which with its affiliates already owns nearly one-third of WeWork, has been in discussions to provide the company with $5 billion of funding in a mix of equity and debt. The financing would come directly from the Japanese firm, rather than its Vision Fund, a person said earlier this week. SoftBank would not amass a majority of voting rights, though its stake would increase, the person said. Part of the package may include non-voting preferred stock.

Part of the appeal of the SoftBank plan is the office-sharing company’s long-standing relationship with the investment behemoth, one of the people said. At the same time it would further dilute existing shareholders and employees — a consideration in favor of the JPMorgan proposal.

As WeWork’s board debates the best option for keeping the lights on, its executive ranks are rapidly thinning, with at least six C-level executives and the vice chairman leaving since last month.

Adam Kimmel, WeWork’s chief creative officer, is the latest to submit his resignation, according to two people familiar with the matter who asked not to be identified discussing a personnel matter. Kimmel joined the company in 2017 after a long career as a fashion designer and took on projects such as designing the company’s San Francisco offices. WeWork parent We Co. didn’t immediately have a comment on the departure.

Chief Executive Adam Neumann and his wife, Chief Brand and Impact Officer Rebekah Neumann, departed last month, followed by the chief product officer, the top spokesman and the head of marketing.

WeWork could cut about 2,000 jobs in the coming weeks, though the decisions haven’t been finalized.

The Standard & Poor’s 500 index closed out an uneven week of trading on Wall Street with its second straight weekly gain, even though stock indexes lost ground Friday.

Technology companies led the slide, which erased the major U.S. indexes’ gains from the day before. Communication services, industrial and healthcare stocks also fell, outweighing gains in real estate companies, banks and elsewhere in the market.

Investors continued to focus on company earnings reports, searching for a clearer picture of the U.S.-China trade war’s effects on companies and the broader economy.

“To some extent, the bleeding’s stopped, but now you need to figure out how healthy the patient is,” said Willie Delwiche, investment strategist at Baird. ”Earnings help with that, and economic data that we receive over the next couple of months will help with that.”

The S&P 500 index fell 11.75 points Friday, or 0.4%, to 2,986.20. The index is 1.3% below the all-time high it set in July.

The Dow Jones industrial average dropped 255.68 points, or 1%, to 26,770.20. The Nasdaq fell 67.31 points, or 0.8%, to 8,089.54. The Russell 2000 index of smaller-company stocks fell 6.36 points, or 0.4%, to 1,535.48.

All told, the S&P 500 ended the week with a gain of 0.5%. Last week, it notched a 0.6% gain. Smaller stocks outpaced the broader market, a sign that investors were growing more confident. The Russell 2000 ended the week with a gain of 1.6%; last week, it rose 0.8%.

Bond prices were little changed Friday. The yield on the 10-year Treasury held steady at 1.75%.

While trading turned choppy this week, investors mostly applauded companies’ results so far, including those from JPMorgan Chase, UnitedHealth Group and railroad operator Kansas City Southern.

That helped investors temporarily brush aside worries over the U.S.-China trade conflict. The early round of mostly good results could also help calm investors’ fears about another dismal forecast for earnings growth.

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For companies in the S&P 500, analysts expect profit to shrink nearly 5%, according to FactSet. Still, forecasts for declines in the first and second quarters were tempered as reporting progressed, and companies finished those earnings seasons with only tiny contractions instead.

Earnings forecasts in the third quarter are low enough that most companies should beat them, Delwiche said.

“The question is what happens with 2020 earnings,” he said. ”You still have robust 2020 numbers out there. Those likely need to come down.”

Chipmakers helped drag down technology-sector stocks Friday. Micron Technology dropped 4.5%. Nvidia fell 2%.

Communication services stocks also accounted for a big slice of the selling. Netflix led the slide, tumbling 6.2%.

Boeing declined 6.8%, lead industrial-sector stocks lower, after news that the aircraft manufacturer waited months to disclose troubling internal communications between two of its employees about its now-grounded 737 Max jet.

ETrade Financial climbed 4.6% after reporting surprisingly good third-quarter profit.

Coca-Cola advanced 1.8% after the company edged out Wall Street’s third-quarter revenue forecasts on improved sales of Coca-Cola Zero Sugar and other drinks.

Meanwhile, Johnson & Johnson fell 6.2% after the company said it is recalling a single lot of its baby powder because a test found trace amounts of asbestos in one bottle.

Another busy week of corporate earnings reports is coming up. McDonald’s is to report on Tuesday; Boeing and Microsoft, on Wednesday; and Amazon and American Airlines Group, on Thursday.

Benchmark crude oil fell 15 cents to settle at $53.78 a barrel. Brent crude oil, the international standard, fell 49 cents to close at $59.42 a barrel. Wholesale gasoline stayed at $1.62 a gallon. Heating oil stayed at $1.95 a gallon. Natural gas stayed at $2.32 per 1,000 cubic feet.

Gold fell $4.10 to $1,488.20 an ounce. Silver fell 4 cents to $17.50 an ounce. Copper rose 4 cents to $2.63 a pound.

Stock indexes in Europe closed broadly lower ahead of a weekend vote by Britain’s Parliament on the latest proposed deal covering its exit from the European Union. Britain is set to leave the trading bloc Oct. 31.

Trail running has made big gains in recent years, rising from 4.8 million participants in 2009 to 9.15 million in 2017, according to market data researcher Statista. What’s not to like? No cars to dodge, more nature to love, and less asphalt-induced pounding on your knees.

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As the sport grows, so does the variety of tough and grippy trail running shoes — some better for mud runs, others adapted for fire roads and hiking. Here are five to consider if you’re ready to hit the dirt.

The runner-hiker-biker shoe

La Sportiva Akyra: A burly do-it-all mountain running shoe

What we like: Monster sole with massive lugs makes it great for hiking, backpacking, even mountain biking as well as running. It has a protective rubber toe cap and a breathable mesh upper and, to lock the shoe in place on the upper, a thermoplastic polyurethane exoskeleton that uses triangular forms said to be inspired by origami structures.

Info: $140, lasportiva.com

The foot-shaped shoe

Altra Lone Peak 4: A super-comfortable shoe that follows the natural shape of a foot

What we like: It’s the only shoe with these two comfy, natural features: a super-wide toe box that does not smush toes together; and a zero-drop profile, meaning heel and forefoot are the same height off the ground (instead of the more-common elevated heel). It also has a gaiter trap in the heel, a convenient Velcro tie-down to secure a gaiter or cover that protects against dusty trails, stickers, insects and heavy bushes.

Info: $120, altrarunning.com

The mud/obstacle racing shoe

Salomon Speedcross 5: A shoe designed for obstacle course and mud runs

What we like: It has practical features for racing in muddy, wet conditions, such as a cinch-up “quick lace” that tightens with one pull, and a lace garage/pocket to stow it in; a welded exterior instead of stitched, which sheds mud and eliminates seams that could rub against your skin; and deep 1/4-inch lugs on the bottom that grip well and shed mud (but don’t hold up great on concrete). This shoe is available in a wide size.

Info: $130. salomon.com

The fire-road shoe

Hoka One One Stinson ATR 5: A super-cushioned shoe best for wide, hard-packed roads

What we like: The puffy, high-volume midsole cushioning (over an inch thick) will reduce pounding on all surfaces and may even relieve some runners’ knee and back pain, according to reviews. Loved by heavier runners, yet only 12.1 ounces in size 9, it may be best on non-technical paths such as flat, open fire roads that don’t require the ground feel and control you need on a single-track trail with tree roots and rocks.

Info: $160, hokaoneone.com

The build-your-own shoe

Saucony Mad River TR: A customizable shoe that lets you create your own level of traction, with drainage ports for running through creeks and puddles.

What we like: Two rows of eyelets give you the option of wide or narrow lacing or anything in between. The sole includes circle outlines that serve as guides for drilling drainage ports, a vital feature if your trail run includes creeks and seeps. You can also insert studs for running in snow. A gaiter-compatible D ring allows for extra debris protection, and an elastic lace keeper prevents snagging on branches.

Info: $110, saucony.com

Here is a short, steep workout of a walk in La Cañada Flintridge that starts in a leafy canyon and rises into sunny heights. Go early in the day to take advantage of the limited shade, and choose a clear day so you can enjoy the panoramic views.

Since it’s an out-and-back walk, you can go as long or short as you like and turn around when you run out of gas. Feel free to make it much longer: This path can take you all the way to the top of Mt. Lukens, the highest point in the city of Los Angeles, if you stay with it.

Wear sunscreen, take water and watch out for rattlesnakes, which have been seen in the area.

1. Begin this stroll in the Alta Canyada neighborhood, near the intersection of Jessen Drive and Solliden Lane. Park on the street and begin walking up the Earl Canyon Motorway. (There’s no street sign, but this is the narrow road that looks like a driveway running just to the left of the drainage canal under your feet.) Walk uphill past several houses, under the shade of oak and sycamore trees, and continue past a yellow gate onto a wide dirt path. You’ll know you’re going the right way when you see a sign that says Hall Beckley Canyon Recreation Area.

2. A short distance later, follow the main road as it doglegs hard to the left and begins to climb. And climb. And climb. Keep climbing! Though there is scant shade, most of it provided by oak trees beside the road, an early start will keep you out of the worst of the sun.

3. Soon you begin to get great views of Greater Los Angeles behind you. In the near distance are the communities of La Crescenta and Montrose. Behind those are the Verdugo Mountains, easily accessed by other L.A. Walks into Beaudry Motorway and La Tuna Canyon. Down to the left, you might find Descanso Gardens and another L.A. Walk through Cherry Canyon. Further still you will see the skyscrapers of downtown Los Angeles.

4. As the trail continues to climb and bend, you will begin to get eastern views of La Cañada Flintridge and Pasadena. To the west, your right, are Sunland-Tujunga and Lake View Terrace.

5. About 2.2 miles in, the wide dirt road bends left, with a narrower trail heading off to the right. Continue left a very short distance to any one of a number of lookout points — and the end of the road. Or, go right, and hike on! That trail will in time meet the Mt. Lukens Truck Trail and carry you to the 5,066-foot peak.

6. Retrace your steps back down the mountain, getting a good quad burn as you go, until you reach the Alta Canyada starting point.

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STATS

Distance: 4.4 miles round trip

Difficulty: 3 on a scale of 1 to 5

Duration: 2 hours

Steps: 11,500

Details: Free street parking. Dogs on leashes and bicycles OK. Bus service to Foothill Boulevard on Glendale lines 3, 32.

Fleming is the author of “Secret Stairs: A Walking Guide to the Historic Staircases of Los Angeles” and “Secret Walks: A Walking Guide to the Hidden Trails of Los Angeles.” Each month, he leads a free walk at one of his favorite spots in Southern California. Find out more at his Facebook page, Secret Stairs. He is on Twitter @misterfleming

WASHINGTON — 

The Supreme Court said Friday it will hear a constitutional challenge to the semi-independent status of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, a government agency created by Congress in the wake of the Great Recession to police mortgage providers, credit card issuers and other consumer lenders.

At issue is whether the bureau’s director has too much protection from being fired by the president. Under the law, the director can be fired by the president only for cause. It was designed that way by then-professor Elizabeth Warren, now a U.S. senator from Massachusetts and a leading Democratic presidential contender, to protect the agency from outside political pressure.

The Trump administration urged the court to hear the case and reject the director’s semi-independent status. Since it launched in 2011, conservatives and business groups have long complained the agency has too much power.

A ruling in the case could signal whether the court’s conservative majority is ready to rein in an array of other semi-independent agencies, such as the Securities and Exchange Commission, the Federal Communications Commission or even the Federal Reserve.

Throughout the 20th century, Congress created independent agencies and deliberately shielded them from direct political control by the president. Usually, they are governed by a board with officials named by different presidents.

But in recent decades, some conservatives, including the late Justice Antonin Scalia, championed the “unitary executive” theory, which holds that all the executive power is entrusted solely to the president, who should be free to hire and fire any executive branch employee at will.

That fight will now play out in the dispute over the director of the CFPB. Congress created the bureau as part of the Dodd-Frank Act following the collapse of Wall Street and the home mortgage market. It was charged with protecting consumers from financial scams involving home loans, credit cards, student loans and banking. And it did so by issuing new regulations and launching investigations.

But it quickly became a prime target of finance businesses and their lawyers. Critics include Justice Brett M. Kavanaugh, who, as an appeals court judge, argued in dissent that it was unconstitutional to have a federal agency operated by a director who could not be removed by the president. Under the CFPB law, the president appoints a director with the approval of the Senate, but once appointed, the director may be removed only for “inefficiency, neglect of duty or malfeasance in office.”

Kavanaugh said the CFPB director had unusually broad powers that included issuing regulations, undertaking investigations and handing out sanctions and penalties. “The director enjoys more unilateral authority than any other official in any of the three branches of the U.S. government,” aside from the president himself, he wrote last year prior to his nomination to the high court.

Not surprisingly, the lawyers challenging the agency’s structure cited Kavanaugh’s dissent as reason for hearing the case.
The case before the court, Seila Law vs. CFPB, began when the bureau looked into allegations that a law firm based in Orange, Calif., had violated its rules regarding telemarketing sales.

The bureau sent a demand for documents, but the firm refused to comply and went to federal court in Santa Ana, arguing the agency itself was unconstitutional because of its structure.

U.S. District Judge Josephine L. Staton upheld the agency and its subpoena, and the 9th Circuit Court affirmed her decision in May.

Judge Paul Watford, writing for the appeals court, said the Supreme Court in the 1930s had upheld the principle of independent agency officials who were not subject to firing by the president. Moreover, in 1988, the court upheld Congress’ creation of independent prosecutors who were shielded from firing by the president.

Scalia dissented alone in that case, but more recently conservatives have cited his views as a basis for reversing course.

The court will hear arguments early next year and issue a ruling by late June.

Consumer advocates urged the court to uphold the agency and its semi-independent status. “The CFPB was created as a strong, independent agency with a director who could only be removed for cause so the bureau could counter the entrenched political power of the financial industry,” said Lisa Donner, executive director of Americans for Financial Reform, a coalition of advocacy groups.

But in agreeing to hear the case, the court said the lawyers should provide arguments on whether the provision on removing the director, if found unconstitutional, may be “severed from the Dodd-Frank Act.” That suggests that at least some of the justices might favor a very broad ruling undercutting the financial reform law.

The agency is currently led by former White House aide Kathy Kraninger, whom Trump appointed last year to a five-year term.

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That came after the agency’s first director, Obama appointee Richard Cordray, resigned in November 2017, triggering a legal battle over whether the deputy director should take over, or the president could appoint someone else. Trump initially appointed White House budget chief Mick Mulvaney — a critic of the bureau and advocate for limiting in its powers — as its acting director.

The court also said Friday it will hear two cases to decide whether, and under what circumstances, immigrants facing deportation can seek a further appeal.

In March, the 9th Circuit broke new ground by ruling that an immigrant who was arrested for illegally crossing the border can nonetheless seek an appeal in federal court through a writ of habeas corpus.

The Trump administration, like the Obama and Bush administrations, had maintained that those who cross the border illegally are subject to “expedited removal” after a brief hearing. Government lawyers urged the high court to reverse the 9th Circuit decision in the case of Department of Homeland Security vs. Thuraissigiam.

At the same time, the court agreed to hear an appeal from Nidal Nasrallah, a Lebanese Druze man who said he would face torture if sent back to his homeland. He lost in the 11th Circuit Court in Atlanta, but the justices voted to hear the case of Nasrallah vs. Barr.

WASHINGTON — 

President Donald Trump is pushing back at criticism that his Syria withdrawal is damaging U.S. credibility, betraying Kurdish allies and opening the door for a possible resurgence of the Islamic State. He touted a cease-fire agreement that seemed at risk as Turkey and Kurdish fighters differed over what it required and whether combat had halted.

“We’ve had tremendous success I think over the last couple of days,” Trump declared Friday. He added that “we’ve taken control of the oil in the Middle East” — a claim that seemed disconnected from any known development there.

He made the assertion twice Friday, but other U.S. officials were unable to explain what he meant.

Calling his Syria approach “a little bit unconventional,” the president contended that Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan as well as the Syrian Kurdish fighters the Turks are battling agree that the U.S.-brokered cease-fire was the right step and were complying with it.

“There is good will on both sides & a really good chance for success,” he wrote on Twitter.

That optimism seemed at odds with Erdogan’s own words. He told reporters in Istanbul that Turkish forces would resume their offensive in four days unless Kurdish-led fighters withdraw “without exception” from a so-called safe zone 20 miles deep in Syria running the entire 260-mile length of the border with Turkey.

There was no sign of any pullout by the Kurdish-led forces, who accused Turkey of violating the cease-fire with continued fighting at a key border town.

They also said the accord covers a much smaller section of the border. And some fighters have vowed not to withdraw at all, dismissing the deal as a betrayal by the U.S., whose soldiers they have fought alongside against ISIS.

Eric Edelman, a former U.S. ambassador to Turkey who served as the Pentagon’s top policy official during the George W. Bush administration, said he doubts Turkey and its Syrian proxies could control the entire border area from the Euphrates to Iraq without help from Russia or others.

“That’s a very big expanse of territory to hold, albeit a lot of it is uninhabited,” Edelman said. “That probably means they’ve cut already some deal with the Russians and the Iranians.”

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Even so, Trump insisted peace was at hand.

“There is a cease-fire or a pause or whatever you want to call it,” he said. “There was some sniper fire this morning,” as well as mortar fire, but that was quickly halted and the area had returned to a “full pause,” he said.

Trump also asserted that some European nations are now willing to take responsibility for detained ISIS fighters who are from their countries.

“Anyway, big progress being made!!!!” he exclaimed on Twitter.

Trump said nothing further about the European nations he now contends have agreed to take some of the ISIS fighters, a demand he has repeated often. No European government announced an intent to take control of ISIS prisoners.

Speaking in Brussels after briefing NATO ambassadors on the Syria situation, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said, “We’ve seen comments today from a number of countries who said they may well be prepared to take back these fighters.” He too identified no such countries.

At the Pentagon, Defense Secretary Mark Esper said U.S. troops are continuing their withdrawal from northern Syria. He also said no U.S. ground troops will participate in enforcing or monitoring the cease-fire.

“The force protection of our service members remains our top priority and, as always, U.S. forces will defend themselves from any threat as we complete our withdrawal from the area,” Esper told reporters.

One important unknown in the wake of Turkey’s military incursion, which began Oct. 9, is whether ISIS fighters who have been held by U.S.-allied Kurdish fighters known as the Syrian Democratic Forces will escape in large numbers. Even before the Turkish offensive, some U.S. officials had noted signs that ISIS was seeking to regroup.

Officials have said a number of ISIS fighters, likely just over 100, have escaped custody since Turkey launched its invasion last week.

There are 11 prisons with ISIS detainees in the so-called safe zone between Tal Abyad and Ras al-Ayn.

Accounting for the broader border area that the Turks contend is the safe zone, that number grows to 16 prisons. It’s unclear exactly how many of those are currently under Turkish control, but as they push the Kurds out, the Turks are supposed to take control of the prisons.

While U.S. officials have insisted that Trump did not authorize Turkey’s invasion, the cease-fire codifies nearly all of Turkey’s stated goals in the conflict.

During a campaign rally in Texas on Thursday night, Trump said, “Sometimes you have to let them fight, like two kids in a lot, you got to let them fight and then you pull them apart.”

BARCELONA, Spain  — 

Masses of flag-waving demonstrators demanding Catalonia’s independence and the release from prison of separatist leaders jammed downtown Barcelona on Friday as the northeastern Spanish region endured its fifth straight night of unrest.

Chaotic scenes of violence erupted after more than half a million protesters, including families with children, marched in the Catalan capital, according to police. Many were clad in pro-independence “estelada” flags and shouted “Independence!” and “Freedom for political prisoners!”

Some of them had walked for three days in five massive “freedom marches” from towns across the northeastern Spanish region. They converged on Barcelona, a city of 1.6 million people, and joined students and workers who also took to the streets during a 24-hour general strike.

But at night, police resorted again to rubber bullets and, for the first time this week, to tear gas and water cannons to repel masked youths hurling cobblestones and flammable bottles, building barricades and setting dozens of bonfires with large garbage bins.

About 400 people, roughly half of them police officers, have been injured, according to regional and central authorities, and 128 people have been arrested since separatist sentiment surged Monday, when the Supreme Court sentenced to lengthy prison terms nine separatist politicians and activists. The nine had led a 2017 push for independence that triggered Spain’s deepest political crisis in decades.

On Friday, the huge displays of support were mostly peaceful, but protesters and police battled over the control of Barcelona’s center after protesters circled the gates of the national police headquarters. As clashes with police escalated, the chaos spread to other areas of the Catalan capital.

Albert Ramón, a 43-year-old public servant joining one of the rallies in the northern city of Girona, said the convictions — including fines for three more separatists — had soured the political climate.

“These verdicts violate fundamental rights and hence people are reacting,” Ramón said.

The separatist movement is proud of its history of mostly peaceful campaigning. Officials have accused a relatively small number of agitators of provoking the recent riots.

Spanish authorities suspect a secretive new group called Tsunami Democratic is using encrypted messages to orchestrate some of the attacks, which have included torched cars and burning barricades in the streets.

The group appeared Sept. 2 and in just over six weeks has gained nearly 340,000 followers on its main channel in Telegram, a messaging app.

A National Court judge on Friday ordered the closure of websites linked to the group.

Rights group Amnesty International called on “all authorities” to refrain from contributing to the escalation of tensions in the streets and to respond “proportionally” to outbreaks of violence.

The group said in a statement that it had observed “various cases” of “excessive” use of police force, “including inappropriate and unjustified use of batons and other defensive equipment against people who posed no risk.”

But the interim interior minister, Fernando Grande-Marlaska, defended the police action as “proportionate” and warned Catalan separatists that Spain will apply the criminal code “with all its force,” threatening them with prison terms of up to six years.

Tourists also felt the turmoil. At least two large cruise operators diverted their ships to other ports, and those which had already docked in the port of Barcelona canceled their passengers’ excursions to the city. Architect Antoni Gaudí’s modernist Sagrada Familia also closed its doors because of a protest blocking access to the basilica.

Naoya Suzuki, a 34-year-old tourist from Japan, complained about the disruptions to “people who have nothing to do with Spain.”

“I’ve had a look at the news, and I can just about understand why they are angry, but not why are they are doing all this and stopping the sightseeing of tourists,” he said.

Dozens of flights into and out of the region were canceled because of the strike called by pro-independence unions. Picketers also blocked roads to the border with France and elsewhere, sometimes with burning tires.

Commuter and long-distance train services were significantly reduced, and many shops and factories didn’t open for business.

Spain’s interim prime minister, Pedro Sánchez, said authorities would prosecute radicals who rioted this week while ensuring that peaceful protests can continue.

“Those who break the law have to answer for their deeds sooner or later,” Sánchez told a news conference in Brussels, where he was attending a European Union summit.

Sánchez faces a general election in less than a month, and the tensions in Catalonia are a test of his political skills.

The former head of the Catalan government, Carles Puigdemont, on Friday avoided being jailed after he voluntarily testified before Belgian judicial authorities over a new warrant that Spain issued this week following the Supreme Court sentences. He is also wanted for his part in the 2017 independence bid.

The Belgian judge ordered his release without bail but instructed him to remain in Belgium while awaiting an Oct. 29 extradition hearing, the Belgian prosecutor’s office said in a statement.

Instability in Catalonia led to the postponement of next week’s marquee soccer match between Barcelona and Real Madrid. The Spanish soccer federation said the game was being moved to avoid overlap with a large separatist rally, as officials fear more violence.

Emilio Morenatti, Bernat Armangue, Renata Brito, Joseph Wilson, Hernán Muñoz and Alicia León reported from Barcelona. Lorne Cook in Brussels and Barry Hatton in Lisbon, Portugal contributed to this report.

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Here are the stories you shouldn’t miss today:

TOP STORIES

‘Get Over It’

During a Thursday morning news conference, acting White House Chief of Staff Mick Mulvaney came out and said it: President Trump withheld roughly $400 million in aid to Ukraine earlier this year in part to pressure its new government to investigate Democrats.

After making that statement, which hits directly at the center of House Democrats’ impeachment inquiry, Mulvaney insisted that politics is always part of foreign policy: “I have news for everybody: Get over it.” Except later in the day, Mulvaney tried to walk back his comments.

Meanwhile, Gordon Sondland, the hotelier and Trump-donor-turned-ambassador to the European Union, joined the ranks of witnesses telling congressional investigators that they were troubled by the actions of the president and other officials to interject politics into U.S. foreign policy. (Read his opening statement here.)

And Energy Secretary Rick Perry, who is under scrutiny over the role he played in Trump’s dealings with Ukraine, has notified the president that he intends to leave his job soon.

The Five-Day Cease-Fire

The U.S. and Turkey have reached an agreement for a five-day cease-fire in Syria that will leave the Turks in control of a wide swath of Syrian territory, force formerly U.S.-allied Kurdish militias to withdraw and require the U.S. to drop its newly imposed sanctions against Turkey.

Trump called it “a great thing for civilization.” Turkey’s foreign minister said, “We got what we wanted.” But Sen. Mitt Romney, a Utah Republican, was among those not buying it: “Are we so weak and so inept diplomatically that Turkey forced the hand of the United States of America? Turkey?” In the Turkey-Syria border area, residents welcomed the cease-fire but, while they hope for calm, they see danger at every turn. Fighting indeed continued Friday morning in one border town despite the cease-fire.

More Politics

— Trump intends to host next year’s Group of 7 conference at his Doral International Resort in Miami in June, leveraging his official powers to benefit his private business holdings in a manner unprecedented for an American president. In announcing the plan at the White House, Mulvaney said Trump is “the most recognized name in the English language.”

— House Democrats’ hopes for a short and focused impeachment inquiry against Trump are being put to the test by a string of new leads that could lengthen their investigation, as well as by some moderate Democrats who remain skeptical about whether the case has been made for impeachment.

— The grieving parents of British teenager Harry Dunn, who was killed in a car crash involving a U.S. diplomat’s wife, said that Trump “doesn’t understand” how much the accident had broken their family. The parents’ spokesman called White House aides “a bunch of henchmen trying to make [Trump] look good.”

Under Siege by Narcos

It was like a scene from a civil war: Heavily armed criminals laid siege to the northern Mexican city of Culiacan after the government captured Ovidio Guzman Lopez, a leader of the powerful Sinaloa cartel and the son of jailed drug lord Joaquin “El Chapo” Guzman. Masked men with high-powered weapons faced off with soldiers and took control of major streets; gunmen blocked entrances to the city with burning vehicles. In the end, Mexican security forces released Guzman after apparently being overpowered by the combatants.

The Creeping Terror

You’ve probably never heard of the 160-mile-long Garlock fault on the northern edge of the Mojave Desert. After all, it’s never been observed to produce a strong earthquake or even to move. But scientists say the Garlock fault, which is capable of generating a magnitude 8 earthquake, has begun creeping as a result of this year’s Ridgecrest earthquake sequence. And if you were ever told smaller quakes make bigger quakes less likely, this discovery is a good example of why you should think again.

PS: It’s never too early to start preparing, as last night’s magnitude 3.8 quake near Ridgecrest and this morning’s magnitude 3.7 quake centered in Compton reminded us. Here’s how.

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FROM THE ARCHIVES

Decades before texting on cellphones was a thing, Roland C. Casad introduced a new form of advertising: text on squash. In 1933, Casad sent a squash to President Franklin D. Roosevelt.

On this date in 1933, The Times reported: “On the squash, which weighs eighteen pounds and is twenty-one inches long, the President will find a message addressed to himself and the citizenry at large, reading as follows: ‘When the people show as much interest in the solution of this depression as our President, Franklin Delano Roosevelt, does, this depression will soon be over. This is the people’s problem as much as his.’ ”

CALIFORNIA

— A pharmacy licensing exam cheating scandal has prompted the state to invalidate the scores of the more than 1,000 new pharmacists who took it in recent months — and upended their nascent careers.

— For years, Ed Buck was known for his abrasive behavior, but politicians still took his money. Who did? There are quite a few familiar names.

— The light rail to Long Beach is reopening next month. Just don’t call it the Blue Line.

— A wind-driven 443-acre brush fire burning west of Santa Barbara on Thursday afternoon prompted evacuations and the closure of a section of the 101 Freeway.

YOUR WEEKEND

— Here’s the recipe for a pumpkin spice treat you won’t be embarrassed to love. (And if you love it a little too much, could this workout routine help you lose 10 pounds?)

— If you’re a fan of Michael Connelly’s Harry Bosch novels — his latest lands Tuesday — try touring the fictional LAPD detective’s 15 most iconic L.A. haunts.

— Or if you feel like curling up with a new book, try tackling one of the 20 best L.A. crime books.

— Eight great things to do in L.A., including a Day of the Dead show with Lila Downs.

HOLLYWOOD AND THE ARTS

— Back home at Fox News, Megyn Kelly had some harsh criticism for her old employer NBC News.

— Paul Dano will play the Riddler in “The Batman.”

— Film critic Kenneth Turan says Taika Waititi’s uneven satire “Jojo Rabbit” is at its best making Nazis, and Hitler, the joke.

NATION-WORLD

— Cuban asylum seekers who have had a clear path to legal status in the United States since the 1960s are now finding that route blocked by the Trump administration’s Remain in Mexico policy, according to lawyers representing Cuban nationals.

— China’s economic growth slowed more than expected in the third quarter, with lackluster domestic demand and the ongoing downturn in global trade weighing on output.

— Born in South Korea, Christian Morales was raised by a Mexican abuela in East L.A. At his Mexican restaurant in Seoul, he’s re-creating the flavors of the home he can’t return to since being deported.

BUSINESS

— Telecommunications giant T-Mobile has agreed to partner with Quibi, a Hollywood start-up that plans to distribute bite-size entertainment designed for millennials.

— The former head of investment giant Pimco will plead guilty in the college admissions scandal, federal prosecutors say.

— Wells Fargo must offer 66 jobs to women and black applicants it rejected five years ago, now that the feds have found it discriminated against them.

— Commissioner Adam Silver admits the NBA’s China conflict has hit its bottom line hard. “I don’t know where we go from here,” he said. “The financial consequences have been and may continue to be fairly dramatic.”

SPORTS

— The UCLA Bruins football team beat Stanford, snapping an 11-game losing streak against the Cardinal that was their longest against any team in their 100 years of football.

— Young quarterbacks are taking over the NFL. Here’s why.

— The Lakers’ JaVale McGee says he wasn’t faking an injury. Social media isn’t so sure.

OPINION

— Boris Johnson’s Brexit deal makes the best of what’s still a terrible idea, The Times Editorial Board writes.

— Columnist Virginia Heffernan says Pete Buttigieg has the pedigree to clean up after Trump. But is that enough to win in 2020?

WHAT OUR EDITORS ARE READING

— “I guess I’m the Meryl Streep of generals”: Former Defense Secretary James N. Mattis reacts to Trump’s calling him “the world’s most overrated general” and claiming credit for defeating Islamic State himself. (Politico)

Click Here: pinko shop cheap

— “How indie went pop — and pop went indie — in the 2010s.” (Pitchfork)

— What looks like a fungus, acts like an animal and has almost 720 sexes? Meet “the blob,” otherwise known as the slime mold Physarum polycephalum, on display at the Paris Zoological Park. (The Guardian)

ONLY IN L.A.

Rikki, don’t lose that paddle number? Hundreds of guitars, pedals, keyboards and other music gear are up for auction today and tomorrow in Beverly Hills. But this is hardly a random collection; it’s the result of musician Walter Becker’s decades-long pursuit of instruments and gadgets as co-founder of 1970s jazz-rock band Steely Dan. Fittingly enough, it includes “the weirdest rare boutique pedals that you’ve ever seen.”

If you like this newsletter, please share it with friends. Comments or ideas? Email us at [email protected].

I have a theory about being single. It’s called the ‘Secret Single Tax’. It’s unofficial, invisible, and you can’t ask an accountant to claim it back but trust me, it’s there. Spending twice as much on a night out because you don’t split the taxi home. Buying two gifts for your brother and his wife at Christmas, but receiving one. Where others save, single folk spend. And this no truer than at a wedding.

The Secret Single Tax is partly a monetary expense since you can’t split the cost of the wedding gift, or a hotel room, or a babysitter, like a couple can. But at weddings, it plays out in other ways, too; the whole experience can be lonelier and more anxiety-inducing. It can feel as though the entire event is reminding you that you’re on your own and, as every song played through the night attests, there’s something significant missing, leaving you incomplete. Even if you’re blissfully single, this isn’t always an easy message to swallow while clapping and cheering on the happy couple.

You can survive this day 
One friend recounts watching the newlywed’s first dance when she was single at a wedding and bursting into tears. “I just felt so alone,” she says. Another friend remembers happily dancing solo at a wedding, but then things got tricky. “Everything was fine until a slow song came on and everyone paired up. It was so awkward, I just shuffled off to the side.” Now she laughs, but at the time she was “ready to die”. 

It’s not just the dancefloor that can leave you feeling awkward. There are the after-ceremony drinks mingling and the seating plans, which means sitting at a table with people you don’t know. For some, weddings are a Richard Curtis-type movie finale, complete with fairy lights and a dog, but for others, they can be an endurance test without anyone on hand to high-five at the end.

And let’s not forget the guilt. While your head swirls, shouldn’t you be busy being happy for your friend? Why are you complaining? Of course, you want your friend to have nothing but happiness and success with their partner, but perhaps you take issue with the whole concept of weddings — the white ‘virginal’ dress, the father ‘giving away’ his daughter, the sheer cost, a heteronormative ceremony that is at best traditional, and at worse problematic. Instead, you don’t have much choice but to smile until your cheeks ache.

But, before you start inventing wild excuses as to why you can’t attend, take a deep breath and consider the following. The above is the worst-case scenario; you can survive this day — albeit an intense one — with your sense of self-worth intact.

’s six tips for attending a wedding, solo:  

Consider asking for a plus one
If you had a romantic partner, costs would be covered, so why not a close friend, or even a parent? First and foremost, be tactful. Do it well in advance to allow for planning and mostly be honest about why you’re asking. You want to celebrate this day with the happy couple to the fullest, rather than going for ‘downtime’ breathers in the bathroom. Failing that, if you’re truly attending solo, prime the WhatsApp group chat; your friends will keep the festivities in perspective.

Keep an open mind
See strangers as an opportunity for conversation. Make the most of the day and, since it’s not about you, don’t let it define you. You’re there as a valued part of the couple’s lives; celebrate your friend’s happy union and enjoy the spectacle for what it is. Sometimes it can be nice to stand peacefully on the sidelines.

Be prepared
If you’re going to a wedding without a plus one, you be talking to people you don’t know. It’s not easy entering a room full of strangers, but the great thing about weddings is that every guest will know at least one of the newlyweds, which is your common ground. Start by asking who they know and how; weddings are celebratory, so most people will be in the mood to talk. 

Dress the part
One of the simplest ways to combat nerves is to feel your best when you leave the house. Want your skin to glow? Treat yourself. Own a glittering eyeshadow that makes you grin? Wear it on the day. Find an outfit that makes you feel truly comfortable in your own skin — both literally and figuratively. Attending a wedding single can amp up the urge to ‘impress’, but it’s more impressive when you feel confident and at ease, not restricted in something that requires regular bathroom adjustments. I wore a silk pyjama-esque suit to wedding solo once, which made me feel wonderfully relaxed, not to mention a little bolder for actually doing it. 

Do your background work
If you’re worried about who you’ll get stuck next to at the meal, ask for pre-wedding intel. Table seating is generally a high-stakes diplomatic undertaking, planned with military precision to ensure maximum joviality and minimal meltdowns. But if you casually tease out a bit of background ahead of time, such as whose table you’ll be on and a little information about neighbouring guests, that way you can feel prepared — maybe there’ll be some common-ground to mine. 

Embrace being solo
Click Here: Fjallraven Kanken Art Spring Landscape BackpacksWhether you’re happily single or otherwise, sometimes a wedding can make others treat you like a sports player who’s eagerly waiting to make it on to the team — watch out for attempts to pair you off with another single wedding guest. Attending a wedding on your own has its benefits: you’ll meet twice as many new people; you won’t have to look after a partner; and you can slip off whenever you want. And when you do get in the taxi home, remember you found the courage to come alone. And that you — and just you — were more than enough.