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Many Southern California beaches get top grades, report says

By Robert J. Lopez — Thu, 23 May 2013 20:34:00 PDT

Southern California beaches had overall good water quality during the last year, and a vast majority of beaches received good to excellent ratings, according to an annual report released Thursday by Heal the Bay.

Bridge section collapses on I-5 north of Seattle

By Kim Murphy and Rick Rojas — Thu, 23 May 2013 21:17:00 PDT

SEATTLE — A large section of a bridge on Interstate 5 north of Seattle collapsed Thursday evening, sending vehicles and people plunging into the swirling, icy waters of the Skagit River.

Heinrich Rohrer dies at 79; a father of nanotechnology

By Thomas H. Maugh II, Special to The Times — Thu, 23 May 2013 20:40:00 PDT

With IBM colleague Gerd Binnig, Rohrer invented the scanning tunneling microscope, which can show individual atoms on a surface and move them around.

The electron microscope revolutionized biology in the 1930s by providing magnifications thousands of times higher than that of light microscopes, allowing scientists to discern the inner workings of cells for the first time.

Boy Scouts of America lifts ban on gay youth

By Molly Hennessy-Fiske — Thu, 23 May 2013 15:34:00 PDT

GRAPEVINE, Texas — In a highly anticipated vote Thursday, the Boy Scouts of America lifted its ban on gay youth starting next year, the latest sign of a shift in American attitudes toward gays and lesbians.

Obama reveals conflicted thinking on drone strikes

By Kathleen Hennessey and Christi Parsons, Los Angeles Times — Thu, 23 May 2013 18:11:00 PDT

In a major speech, President Obama tries to answer critics of drone strikes but also raises his own questions.

WASHINGTON — At times defensive, solemn, lawyerly and personal, President Obama on Thursday offered a rare glimpse of the burden that the nation's fight against terrorism has placed on the man who leads it.

Obama puts restrictions on drone program

By Ken Dilanian and Christi Parsons, Los Angeles Times — Thu, 23 May 2013 18:07:00 PDT

Setting a new tone on U.S. counter-terrorism policy, he also lifts the ban on sending Guantanamo prisoners home.

WASHINGTON — Reining back the aggressive counter-terrorism strategy he has embraced for five years, President Obama declared clear, public restrictions for the first time on using unmanned aircraft to kill terrorists, a shift likely to significantly reduce U.S. drone strikes in Pakistan and elsewhere.

Villaraigosa, Garcetti pledge smooth transition in mayor's office

By Maeve Reston, Los Angeles Times — Thu, 23 May 2013 16:24:00 PDT

L.A. Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa and Mayor-elect Eric Garcetti meet over breakfast and promise an orderly transition of power.

Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa began the formal transition of power to his successor on Thursday, hosting Mayor-elect Eric Garcetti for breakfast at Getty House where he told reporters that the city councilman had his "full support."

Fourth U.S. drone victim influenced by Sept. 11, war

By Shashank Bengali, Los Angeles Times — Thu, 23 May 2013 16:02:00 PDT

Jude Kenan Mohammad's journey from suburban North Carolina to Pakistan is the tale of a young Muslim, disillusioned in America, who became radicalized.

WASHINGTON — In his early teens, Jude Kenan Mohammad was a familiar sight in his middle-class section of Raleigh, N.C., riding around on his bike to deliver groceries to elderly Muslim neighbors.

Conservative economists endorse immigration reform bill

By Lisa Mascaro — Thu, 23 May 2013 00:00:00 PDT

WASHINGTON -- More than 100 conservative economists will call on Congress to approve an immigration overhaul, highlighting the potential economic benefits.

Oklahoma turns to mammoth task of cleanup after tornado

By David Zucchino, Hailey Branson-Potts and Cindy Carcamo, Los Angeles Times — Wed, 22 May 2013 18:51:00 PDT

As details of victims emerge, residents of Moore, Okla., begin hauling away animal carcasses, trashed cars and the debris from 13,000 homes battered by the tornado.

MOORE, Okla. — Under a sunny sky, residents of this Oklahoma City suburb began cleaning up debris from the monstrous tornado that inflicted death and destruction — bodies of animals, overturned cars, homes reduced to rubble — as more information emerged about the human victims.