By JOSH BOAK and CALVIN WOODWARD

WASHINGTON  — President Donald Trump offers an incomplete picture of American trade in making his case for penalties on foreign goods. Here’s a look at his recent comments as he prepares to impose big tariffs on imported steel and aluminum and threatens action on a broader trade front:

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TRUMP: “If the E.U. wants to further increase their already massive tariffs and barriers on U.S. companies doing business there, we will simply apply a Tax on their Cars which freely pour into the U.S. They make it impossible for our cars (and more) to sell there. Big trade imbalance!” — tweet Saturday.

THE FACTS: He’s wrong that automakers find it impossible to sell U.S.-made cars in Europe and that European cars come into the U.S. “freely.” He’s right about a big imbalance, but his impulse to exaggerate is on display here.

The U.S. Census Bureau shows $13.8 billion in U.S. auto and parts exports last year to four countries in Europe: Germany, Britain, Belgium and France.

It shows $51.3 billion in U.S. imports of autos and parts from five countries in Europe: Germany, Britain, Sweden, Italy and Austria.

The EU applies a 10 percent duty on cars made in the U.S. The U.S. applies a 2.5 percent duty on cars made in Europe.

In addition, Ford and Fiat Chrysler make vehicles in Europe, while Mercedes, Volkswagen-Audi and BMW have factories in the U.S. — operations that could also become part of a trade war.

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TRUMP: “The United States has an $800 Billion Dollar Yearly Trade Deficit because of our ‘very stupid’ trade deals and policies. Our jobs and wealth are being given to other countries that have taken advantage of us for years. They laugh at what fools our leaders have been. No more!” — tweet Saturday.

THE FACTS: No, the trade deficit is not $800 billion. It’s $566 billion. The U.S. in 2017 bought $810 billion more in foreign goods than other countries bought from the U.S., says the Census Bureau. That deficit in goods was offset by a $244 billion trade surplus in services, like transportation, computer and financial services, royalties and military and government contracts.

Similarly, Trump has complained about a trade deficit with Canada even though the U.S. runs an overall surplus with that country — thanks to the value of services.

The president said in December that he corrected Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau on this matter when they spoke. But the U.S. Trade Representative’s Office said the U.S. enjoyed a $12.5 billion trade surplus with Canada in 2016. A $12.1 billion U.S. deficit in goods was overcome by a $24.6 billion surplus in services.

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TRUMP: “When a country (USA) is losing many billions of dollars on trade with virtually every country it does business with, trade wars are good, and easy to win. Example, when we are down $100 billion with a certain country and they get cute, don’t trade anymore-we win big. It’s easy!” — a tweet on Friday in support of his announcement that he will impose tariffs of 25 percent on steel imports and 10 percent on aluminum imports.

THE FACTS: Trade wars have not been easy to win.

The president’s argument, in essence, is that high tariffs will force other countries to relent quickly on what he sees as unfair trading practices, and that will wipe out the trade gap and create factory jobs. But the record shows that tariffs, while they may help certain domestic manufacturers, can come at a broad cost. They can raise prices for consumers and businesses because companies pass on at least some of the higher costs of imports and imported materials to their customers. A trade war is also bound to mean that other countries will erect higher barriers of their own against U.S. goods and services, thereby punishing American exporters.

The United States first became a net importer of steel in 1959, when steelworkers staged a 116-day strike, according to research by Michael O. Moore, a George Washington University economist. After that, U.S. administrations imposed protectionist policies, only to see global competitors adapt and the U.S. share of global steel production decline.

Ten years after a financial crisis rocked the nation’s economy, the Senate is poised to pass legislation that would roll back some of the safeguards Congress put into place to prevent a relapse.

The move to alter some key aspects of the Dodd-Frank law has overwhelming Republican support and enough Democratic backing that it’s expected to gain the 60 votes necessary to clear the Senate. Several Democratic lawmakers facing tough re-election races this year have broken ranks with Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y. and Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass.

The legislation would increase the threshold at which banks are considered too big to fail. Such banks are subject to stricter capital and planning requirements, and lawmakers are intent on providing them relief in hopes that it will boost lending and the economy.

Banks have long complained about the cost of complying with the many requirements of Dodd-Frank. Under the Senate bill, some of the nation’s biggest banks would no longer have to undergo an annual stress test conducted by the Federal Reserve. The test assesses whether a bank has enough capital to survive an economic shock and continue lending. Dozens of banks would also be exempted from making plans called “living wills” that spell out how the bank will sell off assets or be liquidated in a way that won’t create chaos in the financial system.

The legislation increases from $50 billion to $250 billion the threshold at which banks are considered critical to the system. The change would ease regulations on more than two dozen financial companies, including BB&T Corp., Sun Trust Banks Inc. and American Express.

Opponents of the bill argue that the same banks getting regulatory relief through the Senate bill also got about $50 billion in taxpayer-funded bailouts during the financial crisis. They note Countrywide Financial, which was at the center of the mortgage crisis, was smaller than some of the banks targeted for relief now.

“There is no reason at all to roll back the rules on these big banks so they can pad their pockets even more – and cut them loose to take on wild risks again,” wrote Warren, who before joining the Senate led a congressional oversight panel for the bailout programs.

The Senate bill emerged from lengthy negotiations between Sen. Mike Crapo, the Republican chairman of the Senate Committee on Banking, Housing and Urban Affairs, and Democratic members on the committee. The ranking Democrat, Sen. Sherrod Brown of Ohio, said the changes go too far and he walked away.

But many Democrats stayed on board, and the bill has 13 Republican and 13 Democratic or independent co-sponsors, a rare level of bipartisanship for substantive legislation in the current Congress. By contrast, the House effort to roll back Dodd-Frank didn’t generate a single Democratic vote in support.

Commercial banks are major players on Capitol Hill, spending $66 million on lobbying Congress last year and $44 million on federal election campaigns in the previous election cycle, according to the Center for Responsive Politics, which tracks campaign spending. About two-thirds of the money went to Republican campaigns and about a third to Democratic campaigns.

This cycle, commercial banks have targeted their campaign donations to major players on committees with jurisdiction over banking issues, including the incumbent senators in competitive races: Among the top 10 recipients of commercial bank donations are Democratic Sens. Heidi Heitkamp of North Dakota, Joe Donnelly of Indiana, Jon Tester of Montana and Republican Sen. Dean Heller of Nevada. All four are co-sponsors of Crapo’s bill.

Crapo said the Federal Reserve will have the authority to tailor tougher capital and liquidity requirements for individual banks when it believes it’s necessary. For the others, compliance costs should drop.

“It’s going to free up a phenomenal amount of capital in this country that right now for no good reason, no safety or soundness reason, is being held back,” Crapo said.

The Federal Reserve conducts annual stress tests of banks with $50 billion or more in assets. Under the Senate bill, banks with under $100 billion in assets won’t have to undergo the Fed’s yearly test. Banks with between $100 billion and $250 billion in assets will be exempted from the yearly stress test after 18 months. The Federal Reserve will have authority to accelerate the exemption or extend it.

Federal Reserve Chairman Jay Powell seemingly endorsed that approach when he appeared before the Senate’s banking committee last week.

“I think it gives us the tools that we need to continue to protect financial stability,” Powell said of the bill.

The largest dozen or so banks in the country will still have to undergo the yearly test.

The bill also exempts banks with less than $10 billion in assets from what is referred to as the Volcker Rule, which limits banks from using their own capitol to trade the markets.

GARDEN GROVE – Police are looking for a suspect who walked into a US Bank location inside a busy grocery store and fled with an undisclosed amount of cash late Monday morning, March 5, police say.

At 10:46 a.m., officers from the Garden Grove Police Department were sent to the bank location inside a Vons store at 11861 Valley View St. after the robbery took place, police spokesman Lt. Carl Whitney said in a release.

The male suspect, described as 30-40 years old, 6-foot-1 and 160-170 pounds with brown hair and a small goatee, entered the store and selected a shopping cart. Minutes later, the suspect approached a teller and presented a demand note.

The teller gave the suspect an undisclosed amount of cash and the suspect fled on foot out the west doors of the store and walked eastbound towards Valley View Street, Whitney said.

He added there were multiple customers in the parking lot at the time of the incident. Anyone with information about the suspect is asked to call Garden Grove Police at 714-741-5800 or the local FBI office.

Detectives will be working with FBI investigators on the case, Whitney said.

Winston Zuo certainly seems to have the spelling of winner down.

The eighth-grader from Fairmont Private School in Anaheim won the Orange County Spelling Bee for the second year in a row on Saturday, earning a trip to the national competition.

Genevie Nguyen of Irvine Intermediate School in Garden Grove made Zuo work for his win, matching the speller for 22 rounds of competition. They both spelled correctly words such as intaglio, vivace, bobbejaan and zeitgeber until Round 29.

Teff was the last word Zuo spelled correctly.

This is the county bee’s 55th year. Some 131 students in grades six, seven and eight were entered; 47 made it past the preliminary written contest to Saturday’s live spelling match.

Nguyen took home $300 with her second-place trophy. Zuo will have all of his expenses paid to the 91st annual Scripps National Spelling Bee in May.

LOS ANGELES — Middleweight boxer Canelo Alvarez has tested positive for a banned drug, and his promoters blame contaminated meat.

A voluntary test showed Alvarez had traces of clenbuterol. A statement from Golden Boy Promotions said the amount was consistent with meat contamination that has impacted athletes in Mexico and China.

Daniel Eichner, director of the World Anti-Doping Agency-accredited laboratory that conducted the test, wrote Monday: “These values are all within the range of what is expected from meat contamination.”

Alvarez is scheduled for a rematch with middleweight champion Gennady Golovkin on May 5 in Las Vegas, a highly anticipated fight after their draw last year.

Alvarez will move his training camp from Mexico to the United States and submit to additional tests, Golden Boy said.

Clenbuterol, often used by asthmatics, has fat burning properties and athletes have been known to use it to help them drop body fat and weight quickly. Among those who have tested positive for it are baseball players Raul Mondesi and Guillermo Mota, champion cyclist Alberto Contador, and a number of participants in the 2008 Beijing Olympics.

“I am an athlete who respects the sport and this surprises me and bothers me because it had never happened to me,” Alvarez said. “I will submit to all the tests that require me to clarify this embarrassing situation and I trust that at the end the truth will prevail.”

Alvarez, 27, of Mexico, and Golovkin, from Kazakhstan, are among the best active boxers. Alvarez, whose given name is Saul, is 49-1-2 with 34 knockouts. He relinquished his previous belts before meeting Golovkin last September, when Alvarez won on one card 118-110, lost 115-13 on another and third judge had it 114-114.

“It’s tough to comment on it, we’re waiting for the Nevada commission to do their due diligence,” Tom Loeffler, Golovkin’s promoter, told The Associated Press. “We would like the fight to continue if there is any way for that to happen.

“Triple G always has wanted to undergo testing because he hits so hard and is so well-conditioned, he didn’t want there to be any questions on his side. He had wanted both fighters to undergo testing to make for a level playing field as much as possible.”

The Register’s Orange County boys basketball athlete of the week for Monday, March 5:

Gum Majak
Crean Lutheran

He scored 13 points with game highs of 14 rebounds and six blocked shots in a 62-61 double-overtime win over Knight of Palmdale in the CIF-SS Division 3AA championship game. The 6-foot-8 junior forward from Sudan scored the winning points in overtime, putting in an inside bank shot after receiving a deft pass from Jake Conerty. His name is pronounced “Goom May-shawk.”

Maria Contreras-Sweet said her group is pulling out of its deal to buy Weinstein Co. after an examination raised questions about the viability of the film and TV studio.

The group included billionaires Ron Burkle and Len Blavatnik. Contreras-Sweet said she would consider acquiring Weinstein assets if they become available in bankruptcy, according to a statement Tuesday.

Contreras-Sweet, who served as head of the Small Business Administration under President Barack Obama, first made an offer for the studio in November, after a sex-harassment scandal forced co-founder Harvey Weinstein from the company. She’s also looking to buy other entertainment assets.

“I remain committed to working to advance women’s business ownership in all sectors and to inspire girls to envision their futures as leaders of important companies,” she said in the statement.

I want to be a tree when I grow up. Or at least personify the magical qualities of trees.  Just like people, trees come in all shapes and sizes. They have many different colors and like people, offer a bounty of gifts—flowers, fruits, leaves and more. As I write this, I’m reflecting on how trees have come and gone in my life.

During my childhood years, I spent hours up in the walnut tree just outside my bedroom. I told that tree everything and then some. When we moved across the freeway to a home without trees to climb, I turned into a beach kid driving to Huntington or Laguna Beach every chance I got.  As an adult, could not get enough of the surf and sand until ten years ago when I moved to Laguna Woods. The creek and Aliso Park called to me and trees with “knotty faces” was also the topic of a column.

My latest move offers me a gorgeous view of trees in the distance. However, I missed my creek walks; in particular, I missed the big pine trees that made me feel I was living in the mountains. Happily, on a recent walk I discovered a patch of pine trees with lots of knotty faces! The next day I returned to photograph my new tree friends and each day since, I’m there in my little forest talking to the trees, hugging them and leaning against them while meditating.

Many people share my tree passion. After 60 years of acting, Judi Dench is devoting a year to nothing but trees and has converted her six-acre garden into a secret woodland to live, breathe and communicate with the trees. In the promotion for her BBC special that aired in Great Britain only, she tells us she wants to “find out how trees survive the harsh winter, hear what’s going on beneath the bark when they burst back into life in spring, and how they fight back against invading hordes.” She expresses fascination with how woodlands have shaped history, how trees live in community, and that there are more trees than stars in the galaxy.

Not sure any of this explains why I want to be a tree when I grow up. Maybe it’s simply my way of saying how much I love them, relax around them, and feel so inspired by them. Trust this gives you something to consider the next time you feel drawn to a tree. If so, go ahead and give it a hug if you want.

Writer, editor and speaker Cheryl Russell is a Village resident. Contact her at Cheryl@starheart.com.

Gary D. Cohn, President Trump’s top economic adviser, plans to resign, becoming the latest in a series of high-profile departures from the Trump administration, White House officials said on Tuesday.

The officials insisted there was no single factor behind the departure of Cohn, who heads the National

“Gary has been my chief economic adviser and did a superb job in driving our agenda, helping to deliver historic tax cuts and reforms and unleashing the American economy once again,” Trump said in a statement to The New York Times. “He is a rare talent, and I thank him for his dedicated service to the American people.”

Cohn is expected to leave in the coming weeks. He will join a string of recent departures by senior White House officials, including Trump’s communications director and a powerful staff secretary.

Yet the departure of Cohn, a free-trade oriented Democrat who fended off a number of nationalist-minded policies during his year in the Trump administration, could have a ripple effect on the president’s economic decisions and on the financial sector.

Even the mere threat, last August, that Cohn might leave sent the financial markets tumbling.

And his planned exit comes as the president is making a more aggressive return to the nationalist policies that helped sweep him into office as the 2018 midterm elections approach.

Trump’s announcement last week that he would levy tariffs on aluminum and steel imports was the most immediate catalyst for Cohn’s departure, according to people familiar with his thinking. Cohn, a longtime proponent of free trade, believed the decision could jeopardize economic growth.

The resignation also followed conversations Cohn held with the president in recent weeks about the possibility of replacing John F. Kelly as White House chief of staff, said people who were briefed on the matter. The president never formally offered Cohn the job, those people insisted, but Trump had discussions with him about whether he would be interested.

MESA, Ariz. – At least Yu Darvish still has his sense of humor.

The Dodgers’ starter in Game 7 of last fall’s World Series made his first spring start with his new team, the Chicago Cubs, Tuesday afternoon against his old team. After his two-inning stint, Darvish met with reporters and revealed he had lost 15 pounds during the offseason.

Asked what caused the weight loss, Darvish joked that it was, “Because of what happened in the World Series.”

A popular theory to explain what happened to Darvish in the World Series – he lasted just 1 2/3 innings each in Games 3 and 7, allowing nine runs in all – is that he was tipping his pitches. Darvish (who worked out with Clayton Kershaw in the Dallas area during the winter) said he made some adjustments during the offseason to “make sure” that isn’t an issue going forward and he maintains the same arm slot for all of his pitches.

But that doesn’t mean he is blaming his World Series failure entirely on tipping his pitches.

“Obviously, the Astros are a great, strong team,” Darvish said through his interpreter. “I don’t really know, honestly, if that was it or if the Astros are simply a good team. I think it was partly me not being at my top level in the World Series.

NOTES

Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said right-hander Wilmer Font’s start against the Cubs Tuesday was “most likely” his last of the spring. With Tom Koehler (shoulder) out indefinitely, Font (who is out of options) has a chance to make the Dodgers’ season-opening bullpen and will pitch in relief the rest of the spring, Roberts said. “Certainly for our roster, it makes the most sense to see him out of the ‘pen,” Roberts said. … Roberts said Corey Seager’s elbow has been “symptom-free” throughout his spring throwing program but the progression will continue to be “methodical.” … Austin Barnes made his first start of the spring behind home plate after suffering some elbow discomfort in January. He and Yasmani Grandal will alternate starts at catcher this week.

The colder start to Saturday morning didn’t dampen the fun at Mission Viejo’s expanded Oso Fit health fair and fun run.

Along with a new 5K for older participants there were shorter races for children. The Children’s Cerebral Palsy Movement collaborated to encourage those with disabilities to participate as well.

The Community Health Fair put on by the city celebrated its 30th year.

The iconic Barbie doll is getting a much-needed dose of diversity. Two years after El Segundo-based toy titan Mattel launched an upgrade to its unrealistically proportioned dolls, the toy powerhouse is not only diversifying its lineup, but it’s doing so with iconic historical and modern day women.

We’re proud to share @Barbie‘s commitment to inspiring girls through this amazing group of female role models in honor of #InternationalWomensDay

Join the conversation by sharing your role models using #MoreRoleModels. pic.twitter.com/WqI6GBtOcC

— Mattel (@Mattel) March 6, 2018

A new line of Barbies includes Southern California natives Patty Jenkins, who directed “Wonder Woman,” and Olympic gold medalist Chloe Kim. Jenkins is from Victorville and Kim lives in Torrance. The dolls, which are part of the Barbie “Shero” program, are being introduced by Mattel in honor of International Women’s Day on March 8. Other dolls include Lorena Ochoa, Nicola Adams, Bindi Irwin and Yuan Tan. They are also introducing a line of “Inspiring Women” dolls which include Frida Kahlo, Amelia Earhart and former NASA mathematician Katherine Johnson. For a full list of the new Barbie role models, click here.

Kim was super thrilled to hear about the news. In true form for the snowboarder, she took to Twitter to express her excitement.

Ahh! Im so happy to be honored as a @Barbie Shero alongside these incredible women! #InternationalWomensDay #Barbie pic.twitter.com/U0J7ajM0Sd

— Chloe Kim (@chloekimsnow) March 6, 2018

Patty Jenkins also posted on Twitter, calling it a “great way to inspire the girls of tomorrow.”

Can’t express how totally mind blowing and delightful it is to have your childhood favorite resemble you!! Thank you @Barbie, for this incredible honor, and for celebrating all kinds of women, everywhere. What a great way to inspire the girls of tomorrow! pic.twitter.com/X5FteJQltn

— Patty Jenkins (@PattyJenks) March 6, 2018

Misty Copeland, who already has a Barbie doll with Mattel, shared who her role model is among the Mattel lineup, too.

Excited that @Barbie is celebrating #InternationalWomensDay by honoring global role models, because you can’t be what you can’t see. My role model is ballerina Raven Wilkinson. Who is yours? Share with #MoreRoleModels! https://t.co/9HccKapdyU

— Misty Copeland (@mistyonpointe) March 6, 2018

A proposal will appear on Cypress voters’ June 5 ballot to rezone the Los Alamitos Race Course for homes and shops, to be built when the track eventually closes.

Proponents of the measure, including race course owner Edward Allred, collected enough signatures to place the measure before voters. The Cypress City Council on Tuesday voted to hold a city election to align with the state’s June 5 primary.

Allred has said he expects to keep the 70-year-old track open another eight to 10 years, but he’s planning ahead with the assumption no one would be willing or able to fund its operations once he’s gone.

A 2016 measure to rezone the property was narrowly defeated, so racetrack officials met with opponents and made a few changes such as lowering building heights and not having commercial buildings along Cerritos Avenue.

The current proposal would rezone about 155 acres, including the track and surrounding property, to allow up to 1,250 housing units, a 17.5-acre town center with restaurants and shops, and up to 20 acres of open space. Warehouses and distribution facilities would be prohibited.

One of the first rules of performance is don’t mess with a classic.

That maxim probably wasn’t on Terry Johnson’s mind when he wrote the stage version of “The Graduate,” now on hand at Laguna Playhouse in a production starring Melanie Griffith as Mrs. Robinson.

Director Michael Matthews’ staging has plenty of visual pizzazz, and it moves along at a pleasingly rapid clip, punctuated by a welcome raft of rock and pop songs from the ’60s  (sorry, only one Simon & Garfunkel tune – “Mrs. Robinson,” from the 1967 movie version).

“The Graduate” – both Charles Webb’s 1963 novel and Buck Henry and Calder Willingham’s film adaptation of it – is emblematic of the ’60s, with young protagonist Benjamin Braddock struggling to understand his place in a world rocked by bewildering changes.

Written in 2000, Johnson’s stage adaptation pulls from both sources but also makes curious choices in the introduction of new material and new scenes entirely of his own invention – in Laguna, the scenes that ring the most hollow.

Though Matthews and company do their best to spin this sow’s ear into silk, the results can only be described as middling. Wherever they stumble, the culprit is Johnson’s script, which seems to have been cut-and-pasted from bits of the film while deleting myriad details that gave the movie its distinct look and feel.

Johnson also adds extraneous items. Case in point: He gives Mrs. Robinson the first name of Judith. Part of the character’s mystique is that we never learn her first name. Adding one chips away at that aura.

Though the lightly comedic aspects of “The Graduate” are adeptly handled, the story is meant as seriocomic. In Laguna the needed tension is nil. The dramatic facets are reduced to superficialities, making this “Graduate” a comedy of shallowness populated with cardboard characters.

In the various London, Broadway and touring productions, Mrs. Robinson has been played by Kathleen Turner, Jerry Hall, Amanda Donohoe, Anne Archer, Linda Gray, Lorraine Bracco, Morgan Fairchild and Patricia Richardson.

As opposed to Anne Bancroft’s intimidating buzzsaw, Griffith is more of a purring pussycat used to getting her way, a cute, stylish living doll who takes an obvious sex-kitten approach to seducing Benjamin.

Plastic and artificial, she first wanders into Ben’s bedroom in a slinky black cocktail dress, hand on hip, stylishly blowing cigarette smoke. This Mrs. R. is less carnal and predatory and more emotionally needy than scripted, yet no warmer or more simpatico for it. Absent is Mrs. Robinson’s steely force and tough, sullied exterior – her inner hellcat, the self-protective, self-destructive alcoholic ever ready to pounce.

About the only fun in watching her is the saucy, cat-and-mouse approach of the initial scene and the wild, though pro-forma, hotel room scene, as stage hands push the bed in circles, providing us a revolving view of the steamy sex.

Nick Tag’s Ben is comically inept, green and untested, but his portrayal lacks Ben’s apathy, confusion, and disgust for himself and others. Tall and gangly, his feet usually clad in sneakers, he’s more like a squirrelly teen than the “really brilliant” recent college grad described by others.

Tag’s characterization sorely needs more of Benjamin’s inner conflict and sense of moral outrage – the idea that a young man has more ethics than the supposedly wiser adults surrounding him.

Ben’s disillusionment with his life, and his striking out on his own and winding up joining a team of Northern California firefighters, comes out of left field – another of Johnson’s errant additions.

Martha Magruder’s Elaine fares little better than Tag or Griffith. In place of the demure Katharine Ross is a whiny, emotionally brittle twit, robbing the idea of Ben and Elaine finding a meaningful connection of any poignancy. Only late in the play does Magruder find her footing, as Elaine teasingly toys with Ben’s pursuit of her.

Representing solid middle-class suburbia are the Braddocks (Richard Bergi and Valerie Perri) and Mr. Robinson (Geoffrey Lower).

Burgi’s portrayal of Mr. Braddock hints that dad desperately wants to connect with his son but is oblivious as to how. Lower’s Mr. Robinson is a squarish proclaimer (unlike the movie, here he’s the guy who delivers the famed one-word line “Plastics!”). His best moments come late in the evening, where the tightly wound husband and father explodes at Ben in bitter, venomous rage. In the underwritten role of Mrs. Braddock, Perri is loving and supportive of son Ben.

At Laguna Playhouse, snippets of valid, potent themes and ideas tantalizingly appear, only to evaporate. To Tag’s credit, he doesn’t try to mimic Dustin Hoffman, just as to her credit, Griffith doesn’t imitate Bancroft.

If playwright Johnson’s point is that Ben is just as vacuous as Mrs. Robinson, then that point is well made here. More likely, though, the way the characters are presented in Laguna’s production simply misses the boat.

‘The Graduate’

When: Through Mar. 25. 7:30 p.m. Tuesdays through Fridays, 2 and 7:30 p.m. Saturdays, 1 p.m. Sundays, 2 p.m. March 8, 5:30 p.m. March 18 and 25

Where: Laguna Playhouse, 606 Laguna Canyon Road, Laguna Beach

Tickets: $86-$111

Length: About two hours

Suitability: Adults and teens (for language and content)

Rating: **1/2

Information: 949-497-2787, lagunaplayhouse.com

THE GAME: The Angels gave up three runs in the third inning and lost 5-4 to the Arizona Diamondbacks on Tuesday at Salt River Fields. The Angels are 6-6 this spring.

PITCHING REPORT: Right-hander JC Ramirez gave up three runs, all on a David Peralta home run, in 3-1/3 innings. Ramirez retired the first six hitters of the game, three on strikeouts. Ramirez, who underwent stem-cell therapy to repair a damaged ulnar collateral ligament last year, said he feels his mechanics are better now. “Before, when the tear was there, I had to move my arm around to throw without pain,” he said. “Now it’s doing the same thing, same mechanics, same arm slot. I can repeat my pitches, and get my sinker down. It’s a huge thing for me.” … Right-hander Blake Parker pitched a scoreless inning, with a strikeout. … Right-hander Keynan Middleton pitched a scoreless inning. He has not allowed a run in three innings this spring.

HITTING REPORT: Shohei Ohtani struck out twice, both on breaking balls, and walked. He is 1 for 9 with three walks and three strikeouts so far this spring. “I still feel like my timing is not fully there yet but I feel like it’s getting better each time I go out there,” Ohtani said through his interpreter. “At this pace I think I’ll be fine by the season.” Ohtani might play again against the Dodgers (and Clayton Kershaw) on Wednesday, but the Angels will have to see how he feels in the morning. He also needs to throw a bullpen session on Wednesday. … Mike Trout went hitless in three at-bats, stretching his drought to start the spring to 0 for 10. … Ian Kinsler doubled and walked. He’s drawn three walks in 11 plate appearances so far this spring.

DEFENSE REPORT: Shortstop Andrelton Simmons made a diving catch of a line drive up the middle. … Center fielder Jahmai Jones misplayed a catchable ball, allowing it to drop for a single.

UP NEXT: Angels (Garrett Richards) vs. Dodgers (Clayton Kershaw), noon PT,  Tempe Diablo Stadium, Fox Sports West/KLAA (830 AM)

Tech companies such as Facebook, Twitter, Google and YouTube need to step up their game when it comes to policing hate groups and extremists on their sites, the Simon Wiesenthal Center said Tuesday, March 6 in releasing its annual digital terrorism and hate report card.

The center is handing out grades to tech giants for the fourth year. The goal, said Rabbi Abraham Cooper, associate dean of the Simon Wiesenthal Center in Los Angeles, is “to send a message to these companies.”

“The message is, it’s not enough to use your tech as an ATM machine and not have a sense of social responsibility,” he said. “We’ve found that legislation is not an effective way to do this. Naming and shaming seems to be effective.”

This year, the organization gave Facebook a B-plus grade and handed a B to Instagram and a B-minus to Twitter. Google and YouTube both got a C-plus and VK.com, the Russian social media site, got a D-plus.

Big tech companies such as Facebook and Twitter have recently gotten more heavy-handed when it comes to shutting down accounts that promote racism, anti-Semitism and extremism. However, hate groups and their sympathizers, Cooper said, have moved on to sites such as VK.com, which tend to be more lax.

The report also spotlighted alt-tech sites such as GoyFundMe — the alt-right’s anti-Semitic alternative to GoFundMe — which is used to raise money for white supremacist groups. The site received an F.

It also called out other sites that serve as havens for haters.

Hatreon, which received an F, is an invite-only crowdfunding website that has no hate speech restrictions; Voat (D-minus) is a social networking site, which also promises zero censorship; and Wrongthink (F) is a similar haven for alt-right groups that were shown the door by Twitter.

BitChute, an alternative to YouTube which promises users can load videos without censorship, has also gained popularity among white supremacist groups, Cooper said. The site received a D grade.

Cooper said the center grades companies based on whether they have rules about regulating hate and extremism on their sites and how well those rules are enforced.

“For example, YouTube has all the right rules, but they haven’t been able to remove hate content quickly and consistently,” Cooper said.

Twitter, on the other hand, has gotten much better when it comes to paying attention to hate hashtags, he said.

Cooper said he has been surprised by “the variety and viciousness of anti-black social media posts.” “This is because of a broader effort by white nationalists who have been able to recreate and re-brand themselves,” he said.

And ISIS is still a danger when it comes to recruiting young people, he said, “because while they are being defeated on the ground, their online activism hasn’t waned.”

ANAHEIM – Sitting in a mostly empty visitors’ locker room at Honda Center as he sits on the precipice of another major milestone, Alex Ovechkin didn’t need to be asked about the first game he played there.

Things that are unforgettable aren’t far from the mind.

“As soon as I stepped on the ice, I remember that,” Ovechkin said Tuesday. “We won 3-2. It was my rookie year. It was a pretty special moment.”

Special doesn’t begin to describe it. A barreling blur of a 20-year-old singlehandedly took apart the then-Mighty Ducks. Blessed with a rare combination of speed, power and shot-making ability, Ovechkin showed what the NHL was in for over the next dozen-plus years.

We would witness Jan. 13, 2006, becoming a date for the history books. To recall:

— The first goal saw Ovechkin blow up the ice, blazing past defenseman Francois Beauchemin and leaving a flailing forward Todd Fedoruk in his wake. He got a pass from Chris Clark and went to his backhand to beat Ducks goalie Jean-Sebastien Giguere.

— The second score had a heavy Washington forecheck force a turnover, with Ovechkin gathering the puck and then toying with the late Ruslan Salei as he went to a 360-degree spin move to put a low ice-scraping shot through Giguere.

— The third and final one dispatched the Ducks in overtime. Beauchemin was again the victim, with Ovechkin getting the puck at the Anaheim blue line and using him as a screen to end the game, punctuating the win with a trip and fall to the ice in celebration.

A massive hit to flatten a Ukrainian defenseman was even thrown in. “Vishnevski,” he immediately pulled up from the memory banks, referring to Ducks hard-hitting defenseman Vitaly Vishnevski.

The rest of his career reads like a first-ballot Hockey Hall of Fame resume. A three-time winner of the Hart Trophy as the league’s most valuable player. Six NHL goal scoring titles. Seven 50-goal seasons. At least 30 in all of his 13 seasons – including the lockout-impacted 2012-13 that was limited to 48 games.

He has 40 now – which he’s done 10 times – and a late flourish could get him to a number that he’s always coveted. And there in front of him is the nice round number of 600, which only 19 other players in the 100 years of the NHL have reached.

The superstar sits at 598 and it is only a matter of time for the greatest scorer of this generation. “It’s still two goals,” Ovechkin protested, ever so mildly. “It’s not easy to do.”

Nicklas Backstrom, his longtime teammate and set-up man, chimed in from two seats away. “He’ll get it tonight,” he said.

“When I play with Nick Backstrom, it’s much easier,” Ovechkin immediately responded. “He’s going to find me over there. Especially he’s so hot right now. Probably the hottest guy in the league.”

It didn’t come Tuesday. The Ducks shut him down, along with the rest of the Capitals in an impressive 4-0 win. But there remains a good chance Ovechkin gets to 600 on either of the two remaining stops on their California road trip – Thursday against the Kings at Staples Center and Saturday in San Jose.

Keeping him from scoring is a feat. But the numbers he continues to put up at age 32 are also a feat, which impresses the Ducks’ Rickard Rakell.

“It’s actually pretty amazing,” Rakell said. “It’s amazing to watch. It’s just at a different level. Even though people say he has a couple of down years or something, he still scoring 50. Scoring 40. I think that’s just what his expectations are right now because he’s doing it every year.

“I don’t know what to say. It’s something special for sure.”

One of the signature – and confounding – aspects of Ovechkin’s scoring ability is that many of his goals have come from his office – somewhere within or around the left faceoff circle. Every team knows where he will set up, particularly on the power play. Every team looks for ways to defend against it. It doesn’t matter.

In what seemed like an unwitting tribute, Rakell scored from that very place Tuesday with a wicked shot that might leave Ovechkin impressed. It was the 28th of the season for the Swede, who’s about to get 30 in back-to-back years. Now consider that he has 11 more years to do what Ovechkin has done.

Jason Chimera saw his former teammate up close for seven years. You may know where the winger is going to be to unleash his shot when the Capitals have the man advantage, but other factors make it difficult to keep him from getting it off.

“There’s numerous things,” said Chimera, who joined the Ducks at the Feb. 26 trade deadline. “They’ve got other dangerous weapons too that you got to cover over it. For one thing if you cover him, you’ve got [T.J.] Oshie who’s shooting it. If you cover Oshie, you’ve got Backstrom shooting it. And if you cover Backstrom, [Evgeny] Kuznetsov’s shooting it. And then you got [John] Carlson.

“There’s a lot of ways to do it. He always manages a way to get open and score goals. Sometimes you think the goalie has it but it goes right through the goalie. It’s not only accurate but it’s pretty hard too. He’s just a heavy guy and he scores a lot from that area.

“It’s funny that you say that because it seems like the majority of goals come from right there.”

There is also the reaction after he has punctured the net. Perhaps no one enjoys the act of scoring more than Ovechkin. There may be fewer goal celebrations containing a leap into some nearby glass but they’re no less boisterous. Rare is there one where his wide gap-toothed smile is not present.

“We’d all love to score goals if we could score 600 of them, that’s for sure,” Chimera said. “The thing with him, he’s just as happy when someone else scores. He’s a good dude and I think you look on the bench, when someone else scores, he’s just as happy.

“So I think he just loves when people score goals. Especially when he scores, he gets excited. Especially at home. People love it and the crowd goes crazy. He enjoys it for sure. There’s certainly a lot of joy in his face when he scores for sure.”

As the years go on, the joy and the goal scoring aren’t fading.

(The following was sent to Santa Margarita families …)

Dear families,

Due to unforeseen circumstances, SMCHS needs to close campus at 3 p.m. today. All faculty, staff and students have been asked by the Orange County Sherriff’s Department to leave campus by 3 p.m. so that law enforcement can conduct an investigation on campus. Deputies have determined there is no immediate risk to campus.

The safety and security of our students, faculty and staff is our highest priority. In an abundance of caution, all after-school activities have been canceled. We are grateful for the quick response of our local law enforcement and are fully cooperating with authorities as they conduct their investigation.

The boys CIF basketball game is postponed. The Front Office will remain open for any students that need to wait for a ride.

Following the conclusion of the Sherriff’s investigation, an update will be sent out with more information.

Sincerely,

The SMCHS Administration

Orange County, with Southern California’s tightest job market, managed to add 39,100 positions from January 2017 to January 2018, a growth rate of 2.5 percent, the state reported Wednesday, March 7.

The county’s jobless rate in January was 3.1 percent, up from a revised 2.9 percent in December. A year earlier, the county’s unemployment rate stood at 4 percent.

California also added jobs at a healthy clip of 2.4 percent over the year. The state’s January unemployment rate fell to 4.4 percent — a record low in data dating back to 1976.

The U.S. unemployment rate was 4.1 percent and total non-farm employment grew by 1.5 percent.

California officials’ January jobs report was delayed until Wednesday, due to an annual recalculation of the year’s data based on new information.

Significant year-over-year changes in Orange County’s job mix included:

— Professional and business services reported the largest payroll growth: 12,200 jobs. But most of it occurred in the lower-paid administrative and support roles, and waste services, which together added 13,000 positions. Better-paid professional, scientific and technical services suffered job losses of 600, while management positions dipped by 200.

— Educational and health services added 10,700 jobs, with 90 percent of the gain in health care and social assistance.

— Two other sectors reported declines: manufacturing was down 1,300 jobs; trade, transportation and utility positions dropped by 500 positions.

Orange County reported 50,700 unemployed people in January, down from 64,600 a year earlier.

The annual data revisions for Orange County showed 27,700 more jobs by the end of 2017 than originally reported — a 1.7 percent increase — for a total of 1,651,700 positions.

Several sectors showed significant jumps: Manufacturing employment was revised up by 6,600 positions or 4.4 percent. Information, which includes non-Internet publishing and telecommunications, added 1,100 more jobs than originally reported, a 4.2 percent rise. And educational and health services jobs were revised upward by 12,700 jobs or 6.1 percent.

Among other Southern California counties, January jobless rates stood at 4.7 percent for Los Angeles; 4.7 percent for Riverside, 4.3 percent for San Bernardino and 3.6 percent for San Diego.

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Staff writer Jonathan Lansner contributed to this report.

An Oceanside man who thought he was responding to a Craigslist ad for sex with a woman stabbed another man in his Mission Viejo apartment after discovering that the man had been masquerading as a woman online, a prosecutor said Wednesday.

Trial began on Wednesday for Adam Anthony Ingala-Whiting, 25, who is accused of killing 47-year-old Francesco “Joey” Bonomolo in his apartment in April 2014.

The prosecution alleges that Ingala-Whiting killed Bonomolo after he was deceived in a Craigslist sex ad. The defense maintains that Ingala-Whiting killed Bonomolo in self-defense after Bonomolo tried to rape him.

In his opening statement, Deputy District Attorney Troy Pino said Bonomolo was a gay man who sometimes dressed as a woman and would frequently post ads for sex on Craigslist under his female alter ego named “Jeanie.”

In 2014, “Jeanie” posted an ad on Craigslist looking for a man to join her in a threesome with her boyfriend. Ingala-Whiting responded, unaware that Jeanie and the boyfriend were actually just one man – Bonomolo, Pino said.

In corresponding with Jeanie, Ingala-Whiting indicated that had never been with a man before but was interested in experimenting with the couple, Pino said.

When he arrived at the Mission Viejo apartment, he was greeted by Bonomolo dressed in women’s clothing, he said.

The prosecutor said Ingala-Whiting suffered a cut to his hand as he stabbed Bonomolo more than 14 times.

Detectives found Ingala-Whiting’s blood on a doorknob and on Bonomolo’s computer as he tried to erase evidence of their online conversations, Pino said.

Authorities also tied him to the crime scene through cell phone records and obtained video of him visiting urgent care for the cut on his hand, he added.

Indicating possible premeditation, Pino said Ingala-Whiting expressed suspicion that he was being duped in prior conversations with Jeanie and on his cell phone had a diagram showing the anatomy of the neck.

Bonomolo, he said, was stabbed in the neck multiple times.

Ingala-Whiting’s defense lawyer, Peter Morreale, said Bonomolo was extremely active on Criagslist and would “bait younger men” to come to his home believing they were meeting Jeanie.

“Jeanie is not an alter ego,” he said. “Jeanie doesn’t exist.”

He said Ingala-Whiting went to the apartment expecting to meet a couple and then fought off Bonomolo with a pocket knife after he attacked him and tried to rape him.

Ingala-Whiting is expected to testify about his ordeal and will explain why he panicked and ran and later lied to police, his lawyer said.

The trial continues Thursday in Orange County Superior Court.