Newsletter: Today: Inside Boko Haram’s Rampage. Kobe’s Last Shot.
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
The LAPD and a Death in Venice
An L.A. police officer told investigators that he shot an unarmed homeless man in Venice because the man tried to grab his partner’s gun. But video from a security camera didn’t show the slain man’s hand “on or near any portion” of the holster, according to an LAPD report. Now, the Police Commission has sided with Chief Charlie Beck in finding the shooting unjustified. And the pressure is mounting on the district attorney’s office to file charges.
The NYPD and Asian Americans
Across the country, in another case of an on-duty shooting, Peter Liang will face sentencing Thursday after he fired into a stairwell and the ricocheting bullet killed an unarmed black man. Liang is the first New York City officer in more than a decade to be convicted in such a shooting, and his case has spurred protests by Asian Americans, as well as counter-protests by African Americans. Take a closer look at how Liang has become a proxy for years of perceived mistreatment of Chinese Americans.
Inside Boko Haram’s Rampage
When the Islamic terror group Boko Haram abducted at least 400 people — many of them children — from the Nigerian fishing town of Damasak in November 2014, it sparked no global hashtags, as did the kidnapping of hundreds of schoolgirls in Chibok seven months earlier. Local officials say they were told to keep quiet. Now, details are starting to emerge. “I’m in agony because those children taken, especially my 16 nephews, are like my own children,” one local chief said.
To Infinity and … Exposition Park
Can we reach Alpha Centauri, the nearest star system, and do it in our lifetimes? That’s the goal of a $100-million initiative announced by a Russian billionaire and physicist Stephen Hawking. The idea is to send a swarm of tiny probes, pushed along by light particles. Closer to home, a symbol of space travel’s past is beginning its journey to a museum in L.A.: A 15-story external tank, the last of a fleet of 136 designed for the space shuttle, is making its way by sea from New Orleans.
Kobe Bryant checks his phone as he soaks his feet in a bucket of ice water before a game with the Rockets in Houston.
Kobe’s Last Shot
Kobe Bryant will walk off the court one last time tonight, ending a 20-year career with the Lakers that included seven NBA Finals trips, five championships and plenty of fans and detractors. “The most polarizing figure in the history of Los Angeles sports,” as columnist Bill Plaschke writes. Here’s a look at the preparations for his last game and some key career moments, and don’t miss Wally Skalij’s remarkable photographs from Bryant’s road to retirement.
CALIFORNIA
-- After Bill Cosby’s accusers testify, the Legislature weighs eliminating the statute of limitations for sex crimes.
-- Soil testing by L.A. County finds widespread lead contamination near a former Exide plant in Vernon.
-- Workers in Los Angeles would get six paid sick days under a new proposal.
-- This mama coyote, blinded by a bullet, is alive thanks to animal rescuers.
NATION-WORLD
-- Paul Ryan makes it official, again. He’s not seeking the GOP nomination for president.
-- Paging Amy Schumer and Chris Rock! U2 singer Bono tells Congress comedy can help in the fight against extremists.
-- The gift for the country that has everything: Egypt gives Saudi Arabia two desert islands.
-- North Carolina’s governor backs down a bit on the state’s LGBT law.
-- In China, a judge rules against the first-ever same-sex marriage case.
-- Pinch me: Scientists capture “mesmerizing” video of swarming red crabs.
HOLLYWOOD AND THE ARTS
-- When showbiz meets presidential politics: Check out our celebrity endorsement tracker.
-- A copyright case over Led Zeppelin’s “Stairway to Heaven” is heading to trial.
-- Did someone find a $136-million Caravaggio painting in the attic in France?
-- Countdown to Coachella this weekend: A profile of the L.A. band Phases.
-- The restored Met Breuer (formerly the Whitney Museum) in New York has a new energy as well as a lived-in look.
-- The Tribeca Film Festival gives art-centric films their close-up.
BUSINESS
-- American Apparel lays off hundreds of workers and considers outsourcing some manufacturing.
-- Virtual reality looms large for Facebook as it plans for the future.
-- The gender pay gap: In California, it adds up to $39 billion.
SPORTS
-- The Dodgers’ opening day brought joy and frustration to residents near the stadium. By the way, the boys in blue lost.
-- The Stanley Cup playoffs start tonight. Here are Helene Elliott’s predictions for the first round.
OPINION
-- Here are the questions Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders really need to be answering.
-- Why cats and snakes prefer Ted Cruz.
WHAT OUR EDITORS ARE READING
-- The Guardian analyzes its reader comments and finds articles written by women draw more abuse.
-- Flowers and chocolate: Prosecutors track the alleged dealings of the Calabrian mafia worldwide. (Reuters)
-- Photographs from the great San Francisco earthquake. Next week is the 110th anniversary. (The Atlantic)
ONLY IN L.A.
A Rainbow coalition with a twist has formed in West Covina. The outrage? Over a Dunkin’ Donuts that is slated to open in 2017, practically next door to the mom-and-pop operation called Rainbow Donuts. Columnist Steve Lopez checks in on “the great doughnut rebellion.”
Please send comments and ideas to Davan Maharaj.
