Newsletter: Today: Remembering the Fallen
On this Memorial Day, a look at the stories of California’s war dead.
TOP STORIES
Remembering the Fallen
“I feel very proud of my son. But I also feel very, very sad. Nothing can compare to the loss of my only son.” That’s one of the moving remembrances posted by those who knew and loved the more than 760 members of the military from California who have died in the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq since 2001. On Memorial Day, dedicated to all U.S. armed forces personnel who died while serving, you can read their stories — or take part in one of the events around Southern California, including an annual vigil in Boyle Heights.
Politics’ Year of the Woman? Not So Fast
In California and nationwide, record numbers of female candidates are vying for seats in the House of Representatives. Many are running to oppose President Trump, but at the same time, a lot of them are going up against incumbents, who historically have the advantage. So while some see this year’s elections as a potential watershed moment for women, it may not be — especially in California, where the top-two primary system is another factor that could work against them.
More Politics
-- Trump said Sunday that a U.S. team was in North Korea to plan a summit with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, raising expectations that the on-off-on meeting would indeed take place.
-- Even with the North Korea news and the release of a prisoner from Venezuela, Trump spent much of Memorial Day weekend tweeting angrily about the media and the Russia investigation.
-- The Supreme Court is heading into the final month of its term, facing decisions on gerrymandering, unions, gay rights, abortion and Trump’s travel ban.
USC’s Path Forward
On Friday night, word came that USC President C.L. Max Nikias would be stepping down amid an uproar over allegations against the longtime campus gynecologist, Dr. George Tyndall. Though it’s unclear exactly when Nikias will move on and how quickly the Board of Trustees will name a replacement, faculty members and students say the university needs more transparency, communication and ethical leadership at the top. Nikias is leaving behind a legacy of dramatic growth but also a series of scandals. Meanwhile, more women filed lawsuits against USC last week, and Tyndall defended himself in a letter to The Times.
Danger Under the Joshua Trees
With its natural beauty, Joshua Tree National Park expects 3.1 million visitors this year, more than double the number it drew just five years ago. But the number of paid park workers has stayed roughly the same: only about 110. So when visitors experience trouble or go missing in the park’s unforgiving landscape, volunteer search-and-rescue workers increasingly get the call.
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MUST-WATCH VIDEO
-- About 36 million Americans were expected to hit the road this weekend. Pick up some more Memorial Day travel stats in this 87-second trip to LAX.
-- With its attention to detail, the TNT show “The Alienist” puts its actors in a different time and place, star Daniel Brühl says.
CALIFORNIA
-- That “motor voter” program that started last month? State elections officials have found potentially thousands of cases where two voter registration forms were created for one person.
-- Just ahead of the 50th anniversary of the assassination of Sen. Robert F. Kennedy in Los Angeles, his son Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has joined the ranks of those who believe there was a second gunman.
-- As Ramadan enters its second week, this Thai Muslim mosque in Azusa is embracing diversity.
-- A Fontana man was sentenced to two years in federal prison for impersonating an ICE agent.
HOLLYWOOD AND THE ARTS
-- “Solo: A Star Wars Story” is No. 1 but still coming in well under expectations at the box office for the holiday weekend. The film’s writers Lawrence and Jonathan Kasdan talked about the project’s bumpy history, along with spoilers, sequels and why Han shot first.
-- The HBO documentary “John McCain: For Whom the Bell Tolls” is as candid as the maverick himself, writes TV critic Lorraine Ali.
-- With Philippe Vergne leaving as director of L.A.’s Museum of Contemporary Art, critic Christopher Knight says MOCA needs to pick an effective leader, something it hasn’t had for 20 years.
-- At the Venice Architecture Biennale in Italy, there are exhibitions devoted to quiet prayer and the pursuit of sex (not at the same time).
CLASSIC HOLLYWOOD
The 1946 drama “The Best Years of Our Lives” tells the story of three World War II veterans readjusting to civilian life. Harold Russell, a real-life veteran who was plucked from obscurity by director William Wyler, would become the only person to win two Oscars for the same role: Homer Parrish, a soldier with a pair of prosthetic hooks where his hands used to be. As this article from 2016 recounts, it was a case of art imitating life.
NATION-WORLD
-- “When I started to film and I saw the woman, I got mad, so I started shouting at the man”: A witness recounts the fatal Border Patrol shooting of a young Guatemalan woman in Texas.
-- A sweeping crackdown on alleged drug dealers has left at least 91 people dead in less than two weeks in Bangladesh, sparking fears of a Philippine-style “drug war” marked by extrajudicial killings.
-- Hawaiian officials estimate Kilauea’s eruption has already cost the state millions in tourism dollars, but they’re trying to get the word out that most of Hawaii is safe.
-- Colombia‘s presidential race is headed for a runoff next month between conservative candidate Ivan Duque, the front-runner, and leftist Gustavo Petro.
BUSINESS
-- Could blockchain have solved the mystery of the romaine lettuce E. coli outbreak? Some food safety advocates think so.
-- When buying a car, be strategic with your money. Here’s how.
SPORTS
-- A big playoffs day: The Golden State Warriors and Houston Rockets play Game 7 to decide which team will face LeBron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers. And in hockey, the Vegas Golden Knights and Washington Capitals face off tonight for Game 1 of the Stanley Cup Finals.
-- Australian driver Will Power won the Indianapolis 500. Meanwhile, Danica Patrick, who had decided this would be her final race, crashed.
OPINION
-- A Memorial Day message: War is still hell.
-- Enjoy the lines at Disneyland? You’ll love Elon Musk’s idea for an underground “personal rapid transit” system.
WHAT OUR EDITORS ARE READING
-- “For Pop, it seemed to me, every day was a kind of Memorial Day.” (CNN)
-- “What about WKRP in Cincinnati?”: A selection of tweets that got people blocked by @realDonaldTrump. (New York Magazine)
-- When drinking coffee in public was punishable by death. (Atlas Obscura)
ONLY IN L.A.
Thai Elvis has not left the building. Yes, the Elvis impersonator who once performed at Palms Thai in Hollywood has, according to his friend, moved back to Thailand. But it turns out there are dozens of performers known as Thai Elvis — and at least one of them (real name: Manuel Toi GB) is on tour performing at restaurants around L.A. He claims to have once had an encounter with Priscilla Presley in which she told him, “Nice snake shoes.”
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