Newsletter: Today: Red States, Blue Cities. A Princely Sum, but for Whom?

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

GOP Donors’ Bum Investment

California’s Republican donors spent $55 million in the 2016 presidential race, mostly on candidates who have dropped, according to a Times analysis of financial disclosure documents. Now, just as the Ted Cruz and John Kasich campaigns have joined a divide-and-conquer strategy against Donald Trump, many of those donors have said they plan to keep their checkbooks closed. Some are spending money, though -- to stop Trump. Read on to see why one venture capitalist says, “I’m going to be on the sidelines for a long time.”

Red States, Blue Cities

Charlotte, N.C., is one of a growing number of Southern cities that find themselves in a political standoff: liberal locals squaring off with a conservative state government. It’s not just an LGBT issue, either. In Alabama, legislators blocked Birmingham from raising its minimum wage. In Tennessee, a state law prevents Nashville, Memphis and other cities from banning guns in local parks. Take a look at the culture wars, Southern style.

Questions About Trutanich’s Conduct

A U.S. district judge has thrown out a South L.A. gang member’s murder conviction and death sentence in a 1982 killing. The reason: According to the judge, prosecutor Carmen Trutanich failed to correct false testimony by his key witness and withheld the identity of another witness. Trutanich, who would later become the L.A. city attorney, denies it: “I’m sure as hell not going to my grave and meeting my maker having hid information in a death penalty case.”

The White House’s Honduras Dilemma

Bertha Caceres won international acclaim fighting against a large hydroelectric dam in her native Honduras. On March 3, masked men shot her to death, making her one of as many as 100 indigenous activists to be slain in recent years. The killing and subsequent investigation have caused Congress members to question a $750-million package of aid designated for northern Central America.

Fare Thee Well, Byron Scott

A little more than a week ago, Lakers General Manager Mitch Kupchak appeared to give Coach Byron Scott a vote of confidence. So much for keeping up appearances. Scott won’t be back with the team after the Lakers won only 38 games over two seasons. He didn’t have a dream team to work with. Could Luke Walton be a candidate to replace him?

A Princely Sum, but for Whom?

Prince was an artistic original, but perhaps lesser-known is that he was the master of his own economic destiny. By owning his recording and publishing copyrights and often playing nearly every instrument on his tracks, he amassed an estate said to be worth about $300 million. Its value is expected to soar as the years go by. But who will control it?

OUR MUST-READS FROM THE WEEKEND

-- How L.A. County sheriff’s deputies deal with homeless river dwellers, now that the El Niño danger has passed.

-- One million cheese rolls in a month: How long lines keep Porto’s Bakery affordable and growing.

-- A billionaire is willing to bring back public access to Martins Beach, for a pretty penny.

-- What happens when you take a nice boy from Baghdad and bring him to Coachella? Lorraine Ali worried that she had made a huge mistake bringing Abdullah, until ...

-- A celebrity L.A. art dealer, charged with ripping off Michael Ovitz and others, is held on $1-million bail.

-- Can L.A.’s landmark homes survive the test of new owners?

-- Your summer movie guide: “Captain America,” “Ghostbusters,” “Money Monster” and more.

CALIFORNIA

-- English-only crusader Ron Unz sets his sights on the Senate race.

-- How the state’s U.S. Senate ballot could cause problems for the June 7 primary.

-- Thousands rally in Los Angeles to commemorate the 101st anniversary of the Armenian genocide.

-- A Mexican immigrant in the country illegally serves in the U.S. military, then becomes a citizen.

NATION-WORLD

-- Will Trump Democrats play a role in the 2016 presidential race?

-- The Border Patrol sees an increase in the number of migrants being detained at the Mexico border.

-- Why a lawsuit filed by three alleged torture victims against two CIA psychologists is going forward.

-- Life in a shed: One year after a devastating earthquake in Nepal, reconstruction has barely begun.

-- A ruby-red seadragon species is spotted in the wild for the first time.

HOLLYWOOD AND THE ARTS

-- TV review: In Season 6, “Game of Thrones’ goes off-book but, as always, keeps us guessing.

-- Steve Julian, host of NPR’s “Morning Edition” on KPCC, has died at age 57.

-- How Coachella pulled off the Guns N’ Roses reunion. Plus: Highlights of the festival’s second weekend.

-- Beyoncé goes full shock and awe with her new album, “Lemonade.”

-- Art review: Marilyn Minter’s “Pretty/Dirty” show allures and repulses all at the same time.

-- How “Shuffle Along” director George C. Wolfe brought back a 1921 show that changed Broadway.

BUSINESS

-- How currency shows the changing American psyche.

-- All hail our robot overlords: IBM makes a big shift into cognitive computing.

SPORTS

-- There’s still no place like home for the Trail Blazers, as the Clippers are finding out.

-- Why defense, not quarterbacks, is the real story of the coming NFL draft.

-- The “Magna Carta” of baseball has sold at auction for nearly $3.3 million.

OPINION

-- Whichever candidate gets elected come November should expect a miserable honeymoon.

-- The trial of Peter Liang and confronting the reality of Asian American privilege.

WHAT OUR EDITORS ARE READING

-- Authorities say a former Louisiana district attorney repeatedly abused his power to prey on vulnerable women. His attorney calls it a smear campaign. (Associated Press)

-- A Robert Mapplethorpe documentary serves as a reminder of a generation of artists wiped out by AIDS. (The Guardian)

-- A rare white giraffe is photographed in Kenya. (The Telegraph)

ONLY IN CALIFORNIA

The upside of downsizing: When designer Amy Shock thought that a four-bedroom house was too big, she bought an 800-square-foot mobile home for $5,200 in Ojai. The next step? Keep two windows and a door, strip away everything else and create a home with floor-to-ceiling glass panels and a midcentury feel. See the before-and-after pictures here.

Please send comments and ideas to Davan Maharaj.