Giants slugger Barry Bonds could tie or break Hank Aaron's home run record during a three-game series with the Dodgers that starts tonight.

Some fans are planning to protest.  They say, because Bonds is accused of using steroids, his record should come with an asterisk.

In fact, a guy named Tom Wilson is selling giant foam asterisks with the word "steroids" on them.  He wants fans to bring them to the Giants-Dodgers series.

Another L.A.-based group, BoycottBarry.com, is selling blindfolds, so that fans at the games can "shield their eyes from the disgrace" of Barry Bonds.

Dodgers management will not let anyone bring negative signs or banners into the stadium... and they may  confiscate the foam asterisks and blindfolds.

Baseball commissioner Bud Selig plans to attend the games.  By the way, Bonds may not even be in the lineup tonight.

Bonds has his supporters, too.  A Southern California NAACP chapter has put out a press release comparing Bonds to Jackie Robinson.  Earl Ofari Hutchinson, of the L.A. Urban Police Roundtable says, "Bonds like Robinson is set to break another sports barrier.  The Dodgers, the league, and Aaron should honor him and that achievement."

Here's an example of how large corporations try to influence the news.

Last week, we reported a story on Blue Cross, the biggest and most profitable health insurer in California.  Next month, the company is cutting its reimbursement rates for some doctors in its Preferred Provider Organization.

Naturally, that is making doctors angry.  Some have threatened to dump Blue Cross. Others say the new rates will make it impossible to stay in practice because the new fees won't even cover the cost of medical supplies for the treatments and procedures they perform.

The PR director at Blue Cross, Peggy Hinz, didn't like how we presented this information.  She writes:

Some reimbursement rates will increase, while many will decrease. In fact, according to projections, approximately 45% of practices contracted with Blue Cross may see an increase in reimbursement, 49% may see a decrease, and 6% may have no change.. 

Whose projections?  Are these Blue Cross figures?  Will the company allow an independent auditor to verify them?  Also, forget about the percentages, what is the dollar amount of the decreases vs. increases?

Hinz also objected to my statement that "several hundred doctors" are threatening to cancel their agreements with Blue Cross.

She argues:

Less than one percent of the physicians in our network have indicated their intention to terminate their contracts due to the new fee schedule.

Again, she's not saying that what I reported is inaccurate.  But she likes the idea of looking at it on a percentage basis, because if you evaluate it that way, the number is more favorable to her employer.

Finally, she wants us to include the following in any future reports on this subject:

Blue Cross of California's priority is always to ensure continued quality care for our members at the right price. In our ongoing efforts to maintain member access to affordable health care coverage, and also balance our participating physicians’ needs for fair and competitive reimbursement, Blue Cross is updating its physician fee schedule.

Here, again, you see a public relations specialist trying to use language to burnish the corporate image.  She wants us to report that Blue Cross isn't "slashing fees" to doctors.  Why, no!  The insurer is just "updating its physician fee schedule."

A heckler ripped into Mayor Villaraigosa at today's Metropolitan Transportation Authority meeting, suggesting that he get therapy for his "sex addiction."

It happened during the public comment period.  A man named John Walsh, who attends most MTA meetings and is known as a gadfly, walked up to the podium and castigated the mayor for being an hour late.

Villaraigosa serves as the vice-chairman of the MTA board of directors.  Walsh called him "the vice-chair, no pun intended."

Then he called on the mayor to resign from his position as co-chair of the Hillary Clinton campaign.

The mayor did not respond, and he later left the meeting without talking to reporters.

To see Walsh's tirade, click on the link below.

Download villaraigosaheckler.wmv

I'm a little tired of talking about this young woman's latest run-in with the police, so I think I'll just let some of you viewers speak out.

Sharon from Orange: The first thing I heard this morning when I turned on the TV was about POOR Lindsay Lohan!  Give me a break!!  What a difference between her treatment and Paris Hilton's.  She better not end up with Paris's attorney or she just might end up in jail.  ( Where at this point she belongs!)  Thanks for letting me vent!

Amanda from Port Hueneme:

Surprise Surprise --> Lindsay AGAIN!!  C'mon, These young girls (NOT EVEN CLOSE TO BEING ANY DECENT WOMEN) are such losers!!  I'm 30 years old. Work hard everyday to pay my bills to live and what do I have to show for it----> RESPONSIBILITY!! Thanks Mom and Dad for raising me with wonderful morals!!  Please drop ALL these  young idiots from the news!!

First, a point of disclosure:  My health care comes from the Blue Cross PPO, so I have some personal experience with what's going on in this area.

Maybe you saw the article in today's LA Times.  Starting next month, Blue Cross is cutting payments to 50,000 doctors in its PPO network.  Some doctors are saying they've had enough.  They tell the newspaper they cannot afford to stay in practice.  In some cases, they will be reimbursed 50% less than what they used to get for treatments and procedures they provide. 

Some physicians are threatening to cancel their agreements with the insurer.  Other doctors are notifying patients they'll have to pay out of pocket for the difference between what a service costs and what the insurance will cover.

Dr. Matt Escobar of Northridge e-mails:

It has become extremely difficult to be a privately practicing doctor especially with the fact that Blue Cross is so big and so many of my patients use them as their carrier.  I have had to make many sacrifices in my practice due to the "insurance problems" facing us today, now retiring from private practice is becoming more and more real...I'm only 40.  Shame on insurance companies and shame on Blue Cross. It may seem unfair to doctors, but it is even more unfair to the patients who depend on their insurance to take care of their health problems...and they can already barely afford their co-payment.  Hey are you guys hiring?

Sorry, Dr., I don't think we are.

Here's a Blue Cross policyholder, Lauri from Camarillo:

Last year I had to switch doctors because my physician stopped accepting all insurance. Two tests ordered by my new physician left me with over $500.00 to pay. I can barely put food on the table and keep my utilities on. Now I can't afford to get sick. And my health insurance doesn't even cover my son.

My own personal anecdote:  Did you know that Blue Cross doesn't cover the anaesthesia for its patients who get colonoscopies?  Can you imagine having that kind of exam without being put under?  I cannot.

I've got an interesting assignment next week.  The LA Times website has asked me to take part in a debate with blogger Luke Ford.  They call it a 'dust-up'. The subject is gossip vs. news.  I've been asked to represent the traditional media, and Ford will stand up for the blogosphere.

He already has a chip on his shoulder when it comes to what I do for a living.  Here's an excerpt from his blog:

TV is for morons. It relies on exciting pictures not groundbreaking journalism. TV news provides a distorted view of the world because it can only report on stuff where there’s good video. Thus it is a sucker for staged photo-ops.  TV news, like prostitution and pornography, can not be cleaned up because definitionally it relies upon feeding the baser instincts. By contrast, I blog to elevate the human condition. Families can return home from a day spent working/studying/praying and receive from my blog the most profound insights on the eternal struggle between good and evil.

I will go home and shower all weekend.

If you care to read the conversation next week, check out the Times online Opinion page and look for the feature called Dust-up.

First we got David Beckham.  Now the latest British import is Virgin America Airlines. But, as with Beckham, just because something is popular in Europe doesn't guarantee success in this country.

Virgin began selling tickets early this morning on its website. It starts flying August 8th.

It is the U.S. cousin of Virgin Atlantic, the airline founded by British adventurer and billionaire Richard Branson.  The British love its flashy image and bargain fares.

Virgin will fly 5 roundtrips a day between LAX and San Francisco for $44 one way.  It will add LAX-JFK flights by the end of August, and is advertising promotional cross country fares of $139 one way.

But Virgin is not just selling cheap seats.  They also claim to have better service and cool amenities.  How about 'mood lighting' in the cabin?  I'm not quite sure what it is, but Virgin is advertising it.

They also have power plugs for laptops at every seat and TV screens that provide 18 channels of live entertainment.  Did I mention the first-class seats that give you a massage?

Can Virgin take a piece of the low-cost airline market that Southwest now dominates?   Could be difficult.  Southwest flies to Oakland for $49 one-way, if you purchase on the net in advance.

And they have flights leaving just about every hour.

I say forget about mood lighting.  Just get me there on time and don't lose my luggage.

I'm having a little trouble knowing how to treat all the recent talk about terrorism.

Last week, Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff said he had a "gut feeling" a terror group might strike the U.S. this summer.

Today, U.S. spy agencies have released a report saying al-Qaida is getting stronger.  It says terror groups have stepped up their training in Pakistan.  They may be plotting to sneak operatives into this country to carry out an attack.  The report also warns that "al-Qaida in Iraq" could pose a direct threat to U.S. soil.

We've had lots of warnings like this over the past five years. They are frightening. In each case, the information comes from anonymous tipsters or 'security experts' or 'declassified intelligence.'  Basically, it comes from somebody in the government who is saying "trust us, we know what we're talking about."

And in newsrooms across the country, the information is transmitted on the Associated Press wire service, and we pass it along to you.

But how do we really know if the material is valid?  How do we know if the government is releasing it at a particular time for some kind of political gain?  How can we check independently to see if the information is accurate?

We can't, and that's what is very frustrating.

(Home Depot Center, Carson) -- L.A. Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa's self-redemption tour hit a pothole here today.

The mayor had hoped to get a warm reception from a crowd of fans welcoming soccer superstar David Beckham to the L.A. Galaxy.  Villaraigosa has said he wants to 'focus on his job' after damaging revelations came out last week that he cheated on his wife of 20 years by having an affair with a local newscaster.

The reception he got here was chilly, to say the least.

When Villaraigosa was introduced to the crowd, they booed.  Loudly.  The catcalls could be heard on the podium mike.  And so you could definitely hear it on the live TV feed that people were watching all over the world.

The mayor tried to connect with the fans, asking them:  "Who says L.A. doesn't love soccer?!"

He was greeted mostly with silence.  Very few people shouted back.

He tried desperately to generate some enthusiasm, but the crowd would not play along. 

American Airlines Flight 136 was flying over Newfoundland early this morning on its way to London, when the pilot diverted back to New York's JFK airport -- all because of what authorities call a 'misunderstanding'.

The plane had started its journey last night at LAX.  It had taken off around 8 PM, bound for Heathrow.  A couple of hundred passengers were on board the 777.

A flight attendant became suspicious of one of the male passengers, who happened to be Middle Eastern. She told the captain.  He turned around the plane.

When it landed in New York, federal authorities came on board and took the passenger into custody.

Exactly what made this passenger 'suspicious' is still a mystery.

At first, Homeland Security Chief Michael Chertoff said the man was an airline employee who somehow bypassed security.

Then the airline indicated he wasn't an employee, but he had taken the airline employee shuttle bus at LAX, which raised suspicious.

Now the TSA says he was just a regular passenger who did NOT take the bus, and who did go through screening without incident.

So who knows what the reason was.

One thing's for sure though:  for the passengers, it was a big incovenience.

By the time they arrived at JFK, it was the middle of the night.  The plane couldn't take off again because the crew had already worked too many hours.

The airline was hoping to get them to London sometime today.

These days, if anything seems out of the ordinary, that's a good reason to fear a terror attack.

Secretary Chertoff says he has a 'gut feeling' terrorists could strike the U.S. this summer.

Is it any wonder that flight attendant was extra cautious?