Newsletter: Today: Pardon the Interruption: Trump Vs. Clinton.
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
Pardon the Interruption: Trump Vs. Clinton
Last night’s debate began and ended with handshakes. In between, it was more like hand-to-hand combat. Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton sparred on matters of free trade, the economy, taxes, stop-and-frisk, race relations and Islamic State. And somehow, Rosie O’Donnell was mentioned. Relive the most important exchanges of the debate with our transcript (sans Trump’s sniffles) and video highlights.
So, Who Won — and What Does It Mean?
Three of our political writers and columnists scored the debate round by round. And as Cathleen Decker writes, analysts from both parties agreed with them: This first of three debates went to Clinton. It also is unlikely to shift a massive number of voters in her favor, especially as Republicans have rallied around Trump lately. But some of his off-the-cuff remarks (like not paying federal income taxes “makes me smart”) didn’t do him many favors outside the Trump Train.
More About the Debate
-- Fact checks on support for the Iraq war, the TPP, birtherism and so much more.
-- Among the key takeaways: Clinton wants to make the election all about Trump. He wants to remind voters that she is status quo.
-- Cartoonist David Horsey tracked the zingers on his Presidential Debate Zingometer.
-- Times editorial: Trump takes Clinton’s bait in the first debate.
The West’s Longest War Ends. Now Comes the Hard Part.
A peace accord has officially ended the longest war in the Western Hemisphere, a five-decade-long conflict in Colombia that killed nearly 270,000 people, by official count. Now the question facing Colombia is: Can the peace hold? The list of potential threats is long. “It took four years to make peace,” one U.S. official said, “and it can be destroyed in four minutes.”
Joshua Tree: ‘Not in My High Desert’
The natural beauty of Joshua Tree has long drawn people looking to get away from it all. There’s even a meditation retreat that offers “the science of the future” and “Super Yoga.” But when the Institute of Mentalphysics started hosting rock concerts, it put nearby residents into an uproar over the noise and lights — and the effects on the flora and fauna. Then neighbors began looking into the tax-exempt church and nonprofit’s records and the ideas of its founder.
Hollywood’s Ardent Chinese Suitor
The richest man in China made no bones about it: He wants to “change the world where rules are set by foreigners,” especially in entertainment. His Dalian Wanda Group owns AMC Theatres and is looking to buy Carmike Cinemas. It bought the production company Legendary Entertainment and announced a partnership with Sony Pictures. It tried unsuccessfully to acquire 49% of the historic Paramount Pictures movie studio, and now has its sights set on Dick Clark Productions. But these moves and others have some lawmakers concerned about the potential for censorship by Chinese investors.
CALIFORNIA
-- In all this heat, L.A. Unified schools had almost 700 unresolved complaints about problems with air conditioning as of Monday.
-- L.A. police said they are investigating a woman’s allegations that NBA star Derrick Rose and two friends raped her while she was intoxicated.
-- More than 100 small earthquakes, including three of a magnitude greater than 4, struck the Salton Sea area Monday.
-- Where do the Santa Ana winds come from? This graphic breaks it down.
HOLLYWOOD AND THE ARTS
-- Meet Haley Bennett, the actress who’s starring in three films over the next two months: “The Magnificent Seven,” “The Girl on the Train” and “Rules Don’t Apply.”
-- “Avenue Q” on Broadway staged its own debate, with puppet versions of Clinton and Trump.
-- In a first, a virtual-reality short will become a Hollywood movie.
-- Pulitzer Prize-winning author Viet Thanh Nguyen writes that cultural appropriation is about more than pho and sombreros.
NATION-WORLD
-- Authorities said a disgruntled lawyer wearing military-style apparel with old Nazi emblems wounded several people in Houston before he was shot and killed by police.
-- It’s been two years since 43 Mexican students disappeared, and we still don’t know exactly what happened to them.
-- After the Pentagon spent $1 billion to address scandals at nuclear bases, Defense Secretary Ashton Carter says there’s more to be done.
-- A news report alleges that the self-proclaimed “most charismatic philanthropist of China” falsified and exaggerated donations.
-- Got kidney stones? Try riding a roller coaster to dislodge them.
BUSINESS
-- Michael Hiltzik: How Wells Fargo exploited a binding arbitration clause to deflect customers’ fraud allegations.
-- Could the simplicity of Snapchat Spectacles make them more successful than Google Glass?
-- Mylan’s EpiPen profit was 60% higher than what the company’s CEO told Congress.
-- The Walt Disney Co. is rumored to be eyeing Twitter for a possible acquisition.
SPORTS
-- The new-look Lakers talked about the future on media day, while the Clippers say they can play with anybody and want a title.
-- The NFL’s five remaining unbeaten teams all have spun straw into quarterback gold.
OPINION
-- This law won’t make a dent in age discrimination against actors; it only dents the 1st Amendment.
-- Don’t scapegoat Big Sugar. Lots of food producers profited from the demonization of fat.
WHAT OUR EDITORS ARE READING
-- President Obama looks back at his presidency and looks forward to life after the White House. (Vanity Fair)
-- Bill Dwyre remembers his final meeting with Arnold Palmer. (LA Observed)
-- Honk if you read this: Why people put political bumper stickers on their cars. (Atlas Obscura)
ONLY IN L.A.
With L.A. in the middle of a heat wave and the drought in its fifth year, we’ll take anything resembling stormy weather these days — even if the clouds are made out of chicken wire and batting and the “rainstorms” consist of thousands of xylophone notes. These virtual thunderheads are part of a new art installation called “Nimbus” at Walt Disney Concert Hall, and they’re brought to you by the same folks who presented an opera in 24 cars driving in and around downtown L.A.
Please send comments and ideas to Davan Maharaj.
