Newsletter: Today: Before ‘Pocahontas,’ Trump Went After the Mohawks. Ready for July 4?

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

Before ‘Pocahontas,’ Trump Went After the Mohawks

The ads warned of the evils an Indian casino would bring to the Catskills: “increased crime, broken families, bankruptcies and, in the case of the Mohawks, violence.” They were taken out by a self-described anti-gambling group supposedly supported by 12,000 “pro-family” donors. Except virtually all the money for the 2000 campaign, more than $1 million, came from Donald Trump. Take a look at the ads he approved and the elaborate means to conceal his role.

More Politics

-- Trump: “We’re better off paying a little bit more” for U.S.-made products.

-- Joe Biden is certain Bernie Sanders will endorse Hillary Clinton; France’s president already has.

-- Atty. Gen. Loretta Lynch defends meeting with Bill Clinton amid the email investigation.

A New Day for Transgender Rights in the Military

The Pentagon doesn’t know how many transgender men and women are in the military, though a prominent think tank estimates there more than 6,600. Now, a new policy allows them to serve openly — even though many senior military leaders think the process is happening too quickly. Here’s how the armed services are moving forward at a time when some states are arguing about bathroom laws.

The Legislature’s Call to Action on Guns

California lawmakers have sent a package of gun control bills to Gov. Jerry Brown, including a ban on the sale of semiautomatic rifles with detachable magazines and background checks for those buying ammunition. How many of them he’ll sign before he leaves today for vacation is unclear. Republicans generally opposed them on 2nd Amendment grounds, but even the ACLU objected to one measure, and Brown has vetoed previous firearms bills he thought went too far.

A Tragic First for Autopilot in Cars

Federal regulators are investigating a fatal crash in Florida involving the autopilot feature on a Tesla Model S. The electric car company says the driver died when a big rig turned left in front of him, and “neither autopilot nor the driver noticed the white side of the tractor-trailer against a brightly lit sky, so the brake was not applied.” What will it mean for the push toward self-driving vehicles? Read on.

Donnybrook Over Downing Street

Who will take David Cameron’s place at No. 10 Downing Street? Now that the financial fallout after Britain’s vote to leave the European Union has died down, the political drama keeps growing. Key Brexit proponent Boris Johnson, once thought to be the frontrunner, dropped out. Both Conservative and Labor parties are in turmoil. And it’s still unclear when, or even if, Britain will start the formal process to leave. Confused? Pay a visit to a pro-Brexit county in Wales that has received $200 million in redevelopment funds from the EU, and you may be even more stymied.

There Will Be Fireworks

The long Independence Day weekend is about to get started, if it hasn’t already for you. What to do with all that free time? You could sit down with one of the Great American Novels, as recommended by nine of our critics-at-large. Or try out one of our 42 favorite cocktail recipes. And of course, see where the Fourth of July fireworks are in the L.A. area with our interactive map.

CALIFORNIA

-- The state’s very long November ballot is now official.

-- Atty. Gen. Kamala Harris has issued subpoenas to oil refiners as part of an investigation into unusually high gasoline prices.

-- In San Francisco, a coordinated media strike to tackle homelessness has stirred the city.

-- Seven anti-KKK protesters have been charged with misdemeanors after an Anaheim rally turned violent in February.

NATION-WORLD

-- Authorities conducted raids in Turkey and identified where the Istanbul airport attackers were from.

-- “An assault on her is an assault on us all”: At 94, the U.S.’ oldest park ranger was beaten and robbed of her most prized possessions.

-- The U.S. Navy has disciplined nine service members who mistakenly wandered into Iran’s territorial waters.

-- The hanging of a dog on a Taiwanese military base is causing outrage on the island.

-- The hole in the ozone layer above Antarctica is showing signs of healing. See the time-lapse images.

HOLLYWOOD AND THE ARTS

-- Steven Spielberg’s “The BFG” seeks to recapture the heights of “E.T.” Does it succeed? Plus, all our movie reviews for the weekend.

-- Every Spielberg movie ranked, from first to worst.

-- “The Legend of Tarzan,” “The Jungle Book” and the perils of adapting colonial stories for modern audiences.

-- The Frank Zappa legacy: a look at where Moon Unit, Dweezil, Ahmet and Diva are today.

-- The new Main Museum in downtown L.A. will focus on art made locally.

-- Djimon Hounsou recounts seven key roles, from telling big Africa stories to hanging with Angelina Jolie.

-- Will the film academy’s new diverse class change Oscar voting?

BUSINESS

-- All those email addresses Sports Authority collected commanded a hefty sum in a bankruptcy auction.

-- Some companies are raking in record profits, but consumers won’t be getting a break on prices.

-- The Lionsgate movie studio is buying premium cable channel Starz for $4.4 billion.

SPORTS

-- He set aside his baseball career to give his mom a liver transplant. Sadly, she didn’t pull through.

-- A back injury has sidelined Dodgers ace pitcher Clayton Kershaw.

-- Bill Plaschke: The Lakers need a home run, but they’re way behind in the count. Less than an hour after free agency opened, L.A. agreed to a four-year, $64 million deal with former Cavaliers center Timofey Mozgov.

OPINION

-- L.A.’s minimum-wage increase is just part of the solution to help the working poor.

-- In flag-ambivalent America, when the flags come out, we are proclaiming a holiday, not a way of life.

WHAT OUR EDITORS ARE READING

-- “Never letting up is the point”: an inspirational letter from basketball coach Pat Summitt. (The Washington Post)

-- Can’t put that smartphone down? A psychological study tries to explain why. (Pacific Standard)

-- More than 50 actors, playwrights and others look back at the play “Angels in America,” which premiered 25 years ago. (Slate)

ONLY IN L.A.

“Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas.” “The Right Stuff.” “Rum Punch.” For the last four years, L.A. artist Tim Youd has been retyping great English-language novels in a series of performances called “100 Novels Project.” For each, he uses the same model typewriter the author used and selects a location significant to the book. His latest: John Rechy’s hustler novel “City of Night” on an old Underwood Model S, while perched on Hollywood Boulevard. So what’s the weirdest thing he’s seen while typing this time?

Please send comments and ideas to Davan Maharaj.