Newsletter: Today: Another Quake Leaves Death and Destruction in Mexico
A deadly earthquake in Central Mexico on Tuesday toppled buildings and sent authorities and volunteers scrambling to find survivors in Mexico City and beyond. Here are the stories you shouldn’t miss today:
TOP STORIES
Another Quake Leaves Death and Destruction in Mexico
Apartment blocks swayed. Homes and bridges collapsed. The death toll: over 200 people and rising. Less than two weeks after a deadly temblor struck Mexico, the nation’s capital and central region were hit with a magnitude 7.1 earthquake Tuesday. It came on the 32nd anniversary of the 1985 quake that killed thousands in Mexico City. Since then, building standards for new structures have improved, but many old buildings were hard-hit this time in a city that sits on an old lake bed that amplifies the shaking. The death, destruction and terrifying videos also served as a somber reminder to anyone living in earthquake country: Turn that anxiety into action.
Trump’s Rhetorical ‘Fire and Fury’ at the U.N.
President Trump’s first address at the United Nations was at turns fiery and flowery, horrifying his critics, delighting his base. The big headline was his threat “to totally destroy North Korea” if the U.S. “is forced to defend itself or its allies,” along with his mocking of ruler Kim Jong Un as “Rocket Man on a suicide mission.” (What will Kim do now? Experts have some thoughts.) Other targets: “loser terrorists” and a “small group of rogue regimes,” including Iran. Beyond the bellicosity, Trump praised U.N. peacekeeping missions and spoke of “immense promise” in the world. And the speech offered the most fleshed-out definition yet of the Trump doctrine, focused on “sovereign” nations acting in their own best interests. You can read and comment on the full text of it here.
No Silence on ‘Sanctuaries’
Atty. Gen. Jeff Sessions has faced legal setbacks in the Trump administration’s push against so-called sanctuary policies, but he’s still on the verbal attack. On Tuesday, he went after California’s “sanctuary state” bill, calling it “unconscionable” and a threat to public safety. Gov. Jerry Brown, who has said he will sign it into law, defended it as “well-balanced” and a reaction to “this kind of xenophobia we see coming out of Washington.” The measure would limit how much information law enforcement officials can share with federal immigration agents.
More Politics
-- Trump and Republican leaders have joined a revived push to roll back the Affordable Care Act, while a bipartisan group of governors is opposing it. Here’s what the Graham-Cassidy repeal bill would do.
-- The White House has named a former NFL player to lead an initiative for historically black colleges.
-- An exercise in civil disobedience to protest Trump’s immigration policy got three congressmen arrested in New York.
Those Costco Onions? Think of Them as Free Kimchi
Costco’s American customers may not know what they’re missing when they buy a hot dog in the food court. In South Korea, the complimentary chopped onions, along with dollops of mustard and ketchup, have become known as “Costco kimchi” and serve as a kind of banchan, or side dish, on their own. So much so, that Costco cafe customers in South Korea consume 20 times the amount of onions as their American counterparts.
Figuring Out L.A. Sports Fans Is Simple: Just Win, Baby
All those empty seats at the Rams’ and Chargers’ home games this NFL season have caused quite the outcry on social media: “What is wrong with the fans in Los Angeles?” Columnist Bill Plaschke says there is nothing wrong with the fans, thank you very much. As L.A. sports history shows, the fans here have the power to effect change by voting with their wallets.
MUST-WATCH VIDEO
-- Scenes from the devastating quake in Mexico.
-- President Trump’s comments on North Korea at the United Nations.
-- Trump tweeted he was “saddened to see how bad the ratings were” for the Emmy Awards. In case you missed it, here are the biggest Trump burns from the show.
CALIFORNIA
-- Facing campaign-donation-related criminal charges, Ref Rodriguez is staying on the L.A. Board of Education but is stepping down as president.
-- L.A. County public health officials declared a hepatitis A outbreak, days after an emergency was declared in San Diego.
-- The most ambitious California water project in decades has been dealt a potentially fatal blow by the state’s largest irrigation district.
-- The man who killed a 20th Century Fox executive after catching him in a romantic tryst with his wife was sentenced to 11 years in prison.
HOLLYWOOD AND THE ARTS
-- How two works of art have become more poignant amid Trump’s DACA phase-out.
-- “Late Late Show” host James Corden kind of regrets kissing Sean Spicer at the Emmys.
-- Steve Martin is having serious fun with his banjo on “The Long-Awaited Album.”
-- “Foxtrot,” a politically charged tale of parental grief, swept the Israeli version of the Academy Awards.
CLASSIC HOLLYWOOD
She was born Sofia Costanza Brigida Villani Scicolone on this date in 1934 and would take the stage name Sophia Loren. In July 1962, Loren came to Los Angeles to pick up the Oscar she’d won months earlier — and to put her foot- and handprints outside Grauman’s Chinese Theatre. See the photo here.
NATION-WORLD
-- Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands braced for possible catastrophe as they remained locked in the crosshairs of the Category 5 Hurricane Maria.
-- British police have arrested a third suspect in connection with the bomb that partially exploded on a London subway last week.
-- With nearly half of Myanmar’s Rohingya Muslim population having fled the country in the last three weeks, leader Aung San Suu Kyi called the crisis a mystery.
-- The U.N. General Assembly continues. Follow along with our live blog.
BUSINESS
-- The Toys R Us bankruptcy filing isn’t a simple example of another conventional retailer being steamrolled by consumers’ radical shift to online shopping.
-- Southern California home prices have jumped again, and lots of residents are worried about affordability.
SPORTS
-- Kansas City’s Alex Gordon broke Major League Baseball’s season home run record with 12 days to spare, hitting the 5,694th long ball of 2017 on Tuesday night.
-- Whether by coincidence or design, the Angels put themselves into position to save at least $750,000 with the way they ordered their pitchers in a win over Texas on Friday.
OPINION
-- Some of what Trump said in his first address to the U.N. was directly on point. Then he gave the world a needlessly offensive campaign speech.
-- Will California lawmakers stick to their climate change goals when drivers threaten to revolt?
WHAT OUR EDITORS ARE READING
-- Some analysts say it’s time to rethink North Korea and its nuclear weapons. (NPR)
-- The rise of Trumpism leaves the old guard of professional conservative journalists wondering where they stand. (The Atlantic)
-- Why does Netflix offer so few classic films via streaming? (Newsweek)
ONLY IN CALIFORNIA
Two Yuba County sheriff’s deputies are recovering after being shot in a gun battle at a Rastafarian church’s marijuana farm outside Sacramento. A nearby strip club decided to help them — by raising $2,560 with a topless car wash. “While we appreciate the sentiment of support from the business owner,” the sheriff’s department said, “we do not endorse the event.”
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