Newsletter: Today: Trump Nation Keeps the Faith. In the Olympic Spirit Yet? Rio Is, Sort of.
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 Nation Keeps the Faith
Joe Cervantes wishes Donald Trump would keep his mouth shut when it comes to verbal sparring with anyone other than Hillary Clinton. Peggy Hayes thinks Trump is “caustic” but the media are overdoing the controversy surrounding him. Patti Magnon calls him “the perfect anti-Obama.” We checked in again with members of Trump Nation, and here’s what they said.
More Politics
-- Trump loses ground among key voter groups, according to the USC Dornsife/Los Angeles Times national tracking poll of the race.
-- In complicated Ohio, Trump and Clinton swap voters as they vie for a key state.
-- Clinton’s post-convention bounce runs into a familiar wall: emails.
A Mother and Daughter, Killed in Cold Blood
Luis Anaya was going home with his girlfriend, Carina Mancera, and 4-year-old Jennabel when a man appeared on the street in Long Beach. “I couldn’t make his face,” he said. “When I tried to look at him, he shot at me.” The bullets struck mother and daughter, killing them both. Friends say Anaya and Mancera didn’t have any enemies. So far, police don’t have a motive or a suspect.
In the Olympic Spirit Yet? Rio Is, Sort of.
Teen swimming sensation Katie Ledecky broke her own world record in the 400-meter freestyle. Tennis’ Williams sisters lost in a first-round doubles stunner. Another gold medal for Michael Phelps. And Russian swimmer Yulia Efimova, caught up in a doping scandal but then reinstated, got a Bronx cheer. After all the handwringing, the Rio Olympics are in full swing. Even though tickets for most events are still readily available, it seems Brazil is finally starting to warm up to these Games. Here is the latest from Rio.
Inside Miami’s No-Go Zone for Mothers-to-Be
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has issued a travel advisory for pregnant women: Avoid a 1-square-mile area of Miami, where more than a dozen cases of locally transmitted Zika virus have been found. But what’s a local to do? They’re anxiously taking precautions, buckling down for a drop in business — and in a few cases, trying to maintain a morbid sense of humor. “Pizzika,” anyone?
CBS Says It Has an Eye on Diversity, but…
There was a time when CBS appeared to be ahead of the curve in terms of diverse casting, but few of its fall programs over the last decade have starred minorities. This week, the network will have to face critics when it unveils a lineup of six new shows that all star white men. Already, it has the lowest number of minority lead actors among its broadcast peers. Here’s why a top executive says, “Look, we need to do better and we know it.”
A Line in the Sand at Hollister Ranch
Hollister Ranch, west of Santa Barbara, contains 8.5 miles of pristine beaches, a 2.2-mile-long shoreline preserve and 136 parcels owned by hundreds of individuals, including Patagonia founder Yvon Chouinard, singer-songwriter Jackson Browne and filmmaker James Cameron. For decades, the property owners have fought to keep the coastline primarily to themselves, even though the law says it’s open to non-residents. Now, amid a fresh legal fight, they’re arguing that letting in the public could spoil their efforts to preserve the land.
OUR MUST-READS FROM THE WEEKEND
-- A harrowing road to Rio: Refugees who fled violence at home compete under the Olympic flag.
-- Protesters say a massacre took place in this Mexican town. Now it’s become a rallying cry against the government.
-- The Coliseum case is the latest embarrassment for the L.A. County district attorney’s corruption unit.
-- New federal charges accuse ex-Sheriff Lee Baca of obstructing justice and lying to authorities.
-- This TV producer and coastal commissioner thinks columnist Steve Lopez is a conspiracy theorist.
-- The Expo Line doesn’t have enough rail cars for its surging ridership.
-- Cheap fares fueled the rise of ride-hailing. But will rides stay cheap forever?
-- Baz Luhrmann shows hip-hop’s origin in Netflix’s “The Get Down.” Beats weren’t the only challenges.
CALIFORNIA
-- The Lunada “Bay Boys” surfer gang has been hit with another class-action lawsuit.
-- A state bill aims to make testifying in court easier for young victims of human trafficking.
-- Video: Meet One Feather, a colorful hippie character living out of his crazy van on the beach in Santa Barbara for 15 years.
NATION-WORLD
-- In a rare video message released Monday, Japanese Emperor Akihito, 82, suggested that he wished to abdicate.
-- Obama’s health secretary wants to make patients healthier by transforming how doctors and hospitals get paid.
-- Iran has executed a nuclear scientist accused of giving info to the U.S.
-- Syrian rebels may be turning the tables on President Assad’s troops in Aleppo.
-- A fringe Hindu group that believes in a divine kingdom is suspected in the deaths of Indian secularists.
-- Will the next generation of cellphone service pose health risks?
HOLLYWOOD AND THE ARTS
-- Adele’s flair for intimacy on a grand scale shines on her first of eight nights at Staples Center.
-- “Suicide Squad” proves to be a powerful box-office force.
-- What did you think of the Olympics’ opening ceremony? Our theater critic found it jubilant, serious and sensual.
-- Forget playing Terrorist No. 3. Middle Eastern actors seek roles beyond Hollywood stereotypes.
-- Remember “Scary Lucy”? A New York town gets a new Lucille Ball statue.
BUSINESS
-- Can Tesla go from sexy car company to clean-energy empire?
-- “Pokémon Go’s” maker dreams of video games played on contact lenses.
SPORTS
-- USC quarterback Max Browne, willing to wait for it, has two weeks to make patience pay off.
-- Clayton Kershaw throws, as the Dodgers hope for a September return.
OPINION
-- In the Black Lives Matter era, we need justice well beyond the legal sense.
-- UCLA economist: “I’m a Republican and I don’t like Hillary Clinton, but I’m voting for her.”
WHAT OUR EDITORS ARE READING
-- In Tanzania, straight women are marrying each other in hopes of a better life. (Marie Claire)
-- When online stars take advantage of their fans in real life. (Mashable)
-- Fleet Street was once synonymous with journalism in London, but the last two journalists there have left. (BBC)
ONLY IN L.A.
Look, up in the sky, it’s a … holographic mylar and monofilament art installation? Yes, “Liquid Shard” looks like a silvery cloud, or maybe a giant school of herring, as it shimmers in the breeze above Pershing Square in downtown L.A. The 15,000-square-foot installation is the brainchild of artist Patrick Shearn, who once built dinosaurs for the film “Jurassic Park.” Take a look at the video of it in action.
Please send comments and ideas to Davan Maharaj.
