Newsletter: Today: Silicon Valley vs. Trump. Viacom’s ‘Game of Thrones.’
I’m Davan Maharaj, editor-in-chief of the Los Angeles Times. Here are some story lines I don’t want you to miss today.
TOP STORIES
Trump Train Bypasses Silicon Valley
There’s no love lost between Donald Trump and Silicon Valley. Trump’s statements about immigration and trade, his threat to boycott Apple and his suggestion of a bubble in the tech industry have turned even longtime GOP backers in the tech community against him. Read on to see why it’s a good thing for Trump he’s in real estate.
More From the Campaign Trail
-- At a Santa Monica rally, Bernie Sanders vows to win the Democratic nomination.
-- Thanks, but no thanks — Hillary Clinton says no to a debate in California.
-- Trump’s rise has put evangelical Latinos in a difficult position.
Buenos Diás, Little Saigon
The Vietnamese retail district in Westminster, Garden Grove and Santa Ana is thriving — with some help from workers originally from Mexico and Latin America. Now that immigration from Vietnam has slowed to a trickle, businesses in Little Saigon are relying on Latinos for labor, but it can be hard for them to advance. Meet one man from Mexico who started as a dishwasher, learned Vietnamese and became the head waiter at a restaurant.
Portland’s Solution: Let Them Sleep on the Sidewalks
Like Los Angeles, Oregon’s largest city is struggling with a homeless crisis. Violence and drug use have become a problem in homeless encampments. So Portland is trying something different: letting the homeless sleep on sidewalks or pitch tents on public land during the night, so long as they move out by 7 a.m. As you might expect, the reception has been mixed.
Saved From a Life of Prostitution in India
In the Indian village of Simraha, a boarding school is providing a haven for girls who might otherwise be forced into prostitution as young as 12 or 13 years old. Many of the children there are the daughters of prostitutes, and their fathers regularly put pressure on the girls to follow in their mothers’ footsteps. Click through to see Times photographer Barbara Davidson’s photo essay on life in the school.
Viacom Plays the ‘Game of Thrones’
Analysts say they’ve never seen anything like it: the family and corporate drama surrounding the parent company of Paramount Pictures and cable channels MTV, VH1, Nickelodeon, Comedy Central and BET. One big shareholder calls it “Game of Thrones.” What will happen to Viacom as Sumner Redstone and his once-trusted advisors battle in court?
CALIFORNIA
-- The state is seeing a surge in voter registration, but the effect on the June election isn’t clear.
-- L.A. County ordered Southern California Gas Co. to stop cleaning Porter Ranch homes after concluding that the utility’s contractor was not properly trained or equipped.
-- The state Senate has voted to bar private communications between Coastal Commission members and developers, environmentalists and others.
-- Michael Hiltzik: As Lake Mead dwindles, can an interstate water war be far behind?
NATION-WORLD
-- The Supreme Court ruled 7-1 that prosecutors in Georgia intentionally kept blacks off a jury. Justice Clarence Thomas was the sole dissenter.
-- Nearly 1,400 people have been shot in Chicago so far this year. The city is bracing for more violence in the summer.
-- The acquittal of a Baltimore city police officer on four charges related to Freddie Gray’s arrest and death has left activists frustrated and legal experts with shaky confidence about five additional cases moving forward.
-- Bill Cosby is due in court today. Here are excerpts from his deposition in the case.
-- Human rights groups say Saudi Arabia improperly used U.S.-made cluster bombs in Yemen, posing a danger to civilians after a cease-fire.
-- In the fight against Type 2 diabetes, research points to treating the brain. But don’t expect treatments to change anytime soon.
HOLLYWOOD AND THE ARTS
-- “I had to deal with the Israeli military, the Palestinian Authority and Hamas”: Shooting a feature film in Gaza for the first time in 20 years was risky business.
-- The Who is 50 and still fabulous in Anaheim. Next stop: Staples Center in L.A.
-- A cello festival calls it a wrap, with 109 cellos and one obsession in Walt Disney Concert Hall.
BUSINESS
-- The date on the milk carton says it’s expired, but is it? A federal bill would bring uniform standards to frequently misunderstood food-expiration labels.
-- L.A. billionaire Patrick Soon-Shiong, already trying to cure cancer, dives into a newspaper takeover fight. He’s invested $70.5 million in the owner of The Times.
-- Facebook status update: The company says an internal investigation reveals no evidence of bias against conservative topics.
SPORTS
-- The Golden State Warriors’ Draymond Green avoided a suspension but was fined $25,000 fine for kicking the Oklahoma Thunder’s Steven Adams. The NBA playoff series resumes tonight.
-- Jordan Wilimovsky has taken the long route — marathon swimming — to the Rio Olympics.
OPINION
-- All of The Times’ endorsements in California’s June 7 election.
-- President Obama’s pivot to Asia is working.
-- Scenes from the first train from Santa Monica to downtown L.A. in 63 years.
WHAT OUR EDITORS ARE READING
-- ProPublica finds that risk assessment scores used in courtrooms during criminal sentencing are unreliable and more likely to falsely flag black defendants as future criminals.
-- A professor explains why she gives gifts to her students at the end of the semester. (Washington Post)
-- The history of how Chinese steam table buffets came to proliferate in Mexico City. (Eater)
ONLY IN CALIFORNIA
On Interstate 80 in Berkeley, the Highway Patrol went on a wild-goose chase. Or to be more accurate, a wild-baby-geese chase. The officers blocked all of I-80’s lanes on Sunday morning, as three patrol vehicles persuaded the gaggle of baby geese to pull over to the right-hand shoulder. “We returned them to their natural habitat,” said one CHP officer. “Nobody was taken into custody.” See the video of the “slowest pursuit ever” here.
Please send comments and ideas to Davan Maharaj.
