Newsletter: Today: All the Power ... and the Paralysis

Who knew it would be so hard for the GOP to get on the same page on healthcare? 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

All the Power ... and the Paralysis

Republicans have control of the House, the Senate and the White House, and for years they’ve campaigned on repealing Obamacare. Why can’t they agree on how to do it? One big reason beyond the complexity of healthcare: the populist, blue-collar voters who embraced Donald Trump. As Times Washington bureau chief David Lauter writes, the split “highlights a deep division that threatens to paralyze” the GOP as a governing party. Meanwhile, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell is aiming for a new bill by Friday. And if all else fails? There may need to be — gasp! — a bipartisan effort.

More Politics

-- President Trump plans to pressure South Korea’s president to make trade concessions when they meet Friday, while at the same time seeking closer cooperation against North Korea’s nuclear program.

-- Trump’s plan to slap tariffs on steel imports carries some big economic and political risks.

-- The travel ban in practice: A Pakistani Christian family is scheduled to arrive in the U.S. next week as refugees. Will they be allowed to stay?

The Film Academy’s Chosen Ones

Hollywood’s most exclusive club has opened its doors to its largest-ever class of new members as it continues to become more inclusive. The 774 invitees (see them all here) include stars such as Kristen Stewart, Dwayne Johnson, Gal Gadot and Jordan Peele. If everyone accepts, the academy says the overall representation of women will rise from 27% to 28% and minorities from 11% to 13%. Film critic Justin Chang says those selected from the world of international cinema are a perfect demonstration of how the academy can grow without lowering its standards.

The Mystery of a Bullet Hole in the Oregon Standoff

When Robert “LaVoy” Finicum, a spokesman for the armed occupiers of the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge in Oregon, was fatally shot by state troopers after a hectic chase last year, his death inflamed anti-government sentiment. Now, an FBI agent has pleaded not guilty to charges of lying about firing two shots at Finicum, and the case has stirred his supporters once again. Where did the bullet hole in the roof of Finicum’s truck come from?

That Laptop Can Stay Put

International travelers are breathing a sigh of relief after Homeland Security officials said they would not bar laptop computers and e-readers as carry-on items for all flights entering the U.S. The trade-off for not being bereft of one’s digital devices will be stricter passenger screening and other tougher security measures, “both seen and unseen,” as Secretary John Kelly put it. With officials concerned about terror in the sky, he said, “We cannot play international whack-a-mole with every new threat.”

Clipper Nation Weeps, Once Again

For six seasons, Chris Paul was the face of the Los Angeles Clippers — the team’s all-time leader in assists and arguably the best player in the NBA franchise’s less-than-storied history. That all came to an end when the Clippers dealt him to the Houston Rockets, their hand more or less forced by the prospect of losing Paul to free agency. Even after recently signing one of the league’s greatest minds in Jerry West, columnist Bill Plaschke writes, “the Clipper Curse lives.”

MUST-WATCH VIDEO

-- An automotive musical like no other: Our review of the film “Baby Driver.”

-- After 108 years, Dearden’s is closing its stores. For many Latinos, it was more than just about housewares.

-- Actor and musician Jared Leto has sold his home in Studio City for $2.05 million ($51,000 over the asking price).

CALIFORNIA

-- California lawmakers have tried for 50 years to fix the state’s housing crisis. Here’s why they’ve failed.

-- The L.A. City Council approved a contract that will provide six raises in five years for the Department of Water and Power’s biggest union.

-- The GOP is in dire straits in California, but recent moves suggest that the party of Reagan and Nixon will not go down without a fight in next year’s race for governor.

-- Amid a shortage of affordable housing, Los Angeles is exploring whether to require landlords to show “just cause” to evict tenants.

-- With all the recent hot weather, fires have hit Southern California. Here’s where the four biggest stand.

HOLLYWOOD AND THE ARTS

-- The new Wilshire Grand may be L.A.’s tallest building, but architecture critic Christopher Hawthorne says the city still hasn’t produced a skyscraper that qualifies as a great work of architecture.

-- Bassem Youssef, a.k.a “Egypt’s Jon Stewart,” is living in exile in L.A. and trying to make his satire work in America.

-- The politics of wedding cake: Bekah Brunstetter, a writer-producer for the TV show “This Is Us,” is having a big year with a timely play.

CLASSIC HOLLYWOOD

Gary Busey has more than 150 acting credits, but the character for which he’s become most famous is himself. Busey, who turns 73 today, credits a motorcycle crash with changing his life. “I had an out-of-body experience in ’88,” he told The Times last year. “I went to the other side. And I got information from the angels. They spoke to me.”

NATION-WORLD

-- Cardinal George Pell says he is taking a leave of absence as the Vatican’s finance czar after Australian police charged him with multiple counts of “historical” sexual assault. Pell has denied the accusations.

-- A Ten Commandments monument in Arkansas came tumbling down after a car rammed into it, and the man charged with doing so was arrested in 2014 on suspicion of hitting a similar monument in Oklahoma.

-- As world powers focus on North Korea’s nuclear capabilities, its drone program is raising concerns about espionage.

-- Hong Kong will commemorate 20 years under Chinese rule Saturday, but many residents wonder what there is to celebrate.

-- This cutting-edge bandage could make flu shots a thing of the past.

BUSINESS

-- Vegans have a beef over Target’s removal of Hampton Creek products.

-- Why does this UCLA professor think she inspired the video game “Halo”? It’s complicated.

SPORTS

-- The red-hot Dodgers don’t have any sure starters in the All-Star Game. You could blame it on the TV blackout.

-- Clinton Portis says he was ready to commit murder after being scammed out of his NFL fortune.

OPINION

-- What’s the right minimum wage? We still don’t have the answer.

-- The case for a universal basic income.

WHAT OUR EDITORS ARE READING

-- How Facebook’s rules on hate speech “tend to favor elites and governments over grassroots activists and racial minorities.” (ProPublica)

-- Why are our brains wired to think of “us versus them,” and what can we do about it? (Nautilus)

-- It’s not just a funny name: The yellow submarine named Boaty McBoatface has obtained “unprecedented data” from its first voyage. (The Guardian)

ONLY IN L.A.

He’s been called the king of L.A. radio, the prince of pop, “a famous groupie, now respectable” (that was from Mick Jagger) and the mayor of the Sunset Strip. For four decades, he was known simply as Rodney on the ROQ. But in May, KROQ gave DJ Rodney Bingenheimer the boot. Next month he’ll be back with a new weekly show for Sirius XM — though Rodney on the XM doesn’t have the same ring.

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