Newsletter: Today: The Dream Is Deferred. What’s Next?

President Trump’s decision to phase out protections for hundreds of thousands of people brought to the U.S. as children — and make Congress come up with a solution — creates shock waves. Here are the stories you shouldn’t miss today:

TOP STORIES

The Dream Is Deferred. What’s Next?

To 800,000 people living in the United States, it is a dream deferred — a legal limbo that could end with them being deported to countries they may have not seen since toddlerhood. To President Trump, it’s about ending an “unconstitutional” program and putting “American jobs and American security first.” To former President Obama, it’s “wrong…. It is self-defeating…. And it is cruel.” Trump’s plan to end the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program gives Congress six months to come up with a solution, one that is likely to cause a fight among the Republican Party that could reshape its future. If Congress can’t, Trump tweeted, “I will revisit this issue!”

Gloria Mendoza demonstrates outside Trump Tower in New York.

(Carolyn Cole / Los Angeles Times)

Stunned, Disappointed … and Hopeful

Across the nation, the reaction to Trump’s decision to end DACA was swift. Protests in the streets; denunciations from business, religious and political leaders; vows to fight it in the courts. For the “Dreamers,” whose fate in the U.S. hangs in the balance, there was a mixture of anger and dismay. “DACA gave me a taste of the American life,” said one. “It was a Band-Aid … cruelly taken off.” As columnist Steve Lopez found out, for another “Dreamer” in L.A., the hardest part was telling his mother.

More About the DACA Decision

-- Gov. Jerry Brown and California lawmakers look for ways to protect the “Dreamers.”

-- For one Houston woman, first came Harvey. Then she learned her DACA status is in danger.

-- Are you a DACA participant? Share your experience.

Another Superstorm Looms

As Texas and Louisiana dig out from Hurricane Harvey, another potential catastrophe is brewing: Hurricane Irma, one of the most powerful storms ever recorded over the Atlantic Ocean, made its first landfall in the northeast Caribbean on Wednesday. Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands are bracing for life-threatening wind, rain and storm surges. Though Irma’s final path is not yet certain, Florida Gov. Rick Scott has already declared a state of emergency to aid in preparations. Meanwhile, yet another tropical storm in the Atlantic may become a hurricane by Friday.

Calling the Shots on Immunizations

To researchers, a California law designed to boost the immunization rate among kindergartners is a natural experiment: What happens when you eliminate exemptions based on personal beliefs? Though the overall rate has gone up, a new study has found that the number of medical exemptions for immunizations has also increased. The results have some interesting implications for the future.

The Bitcoin Bubble?

To bitcoin or not bitcoin? That’s been the question on some people’s minds after seeing the price of the virtual currency hit $5,000 last week, quintuple its value at the start of the year. Within hours, though, it had dropped to $4,600 and kept going. Tempted to buy in? Columnist Michael Hiltzik, who wrote in December 2013 that it was a dumb investment, has a message for those who want him to eat crow: “No, I don’t feel silly, but vindicated.”

MUST-WATCH VIDEO

-- Atty. Gen. Jeff Sessions, not Trump, makes the announcement that the administration would move to end the DACA program.

-- L.A. Mayor Garcetti responds to the move on “Dreamers.”

-- What’s the big deal about the Toronto International Film Festival? Allow us to explain.

CALIFORNIA

-- A top investigator says the clues to the failure of the Oroville Dam spillway during this winter’s epic rains “were all there in the files.”

-- Angels Flight, the downtown L.A. funicular that reopened last week to much fanfare, had to shut down again because of a damaged part. It’s expected to reopen Thursday.

-- State lawmakers approved designating a section of the 134 Freeway as the President Barack H. Obama Highway.

-- Freshly pardoned Joe Arpaio will be the guest speaker at the Fresno County Republican Party’s late September fundraiser.

HOLLYWOOD AND THE ARTS

-- Historical art or racist propaganda? How should Hollywood handle problematic classics such as “Gone With the Wind”?

-- Guillermo del Toro’s highly personal monster film “The Shape of Water” speaks to “what I feel as an immigrant.”

-- John le Carré is back in fine form with his novel “A Legacy of Spies.”

-- Another director and a “Star Wars” film have parted ways. This time, “Jurassic World” director Colin Trevorrow will no longer helm “Star Wars: Episode IX.”

CLASSIC HOLLYWOOD

Roger Waters has long been one of rock music’s most outspoken voices as a solo artist and member of Pink Floyd. He was born on this date in 1943 to two teachers. Earlier this year, he had his own lesson to impart: “Every human being has a responsibility … to, hopefully, advance the human race as a race, in ways that promote the general happiness of all, rather than the great wealth of the very few.”

NATION-WORLD

-- Representatives of the U.S., Mexico and Canada declared “progress” but unveiled no breakthroughs after a second round of talks on the North American Free Trade Agreement.

-- Bipartisan leaders in Congress have urged Trump not to withdraw from a trade pact with South Korea, especially when North Korea is making threats.

-- Pope Francis is making a five-day visit to Colombia to promote a peace accord ending a decades-long conflict between the government and leftist rebels.

-- Thousands of refugees have been languishing in an overcrowded camp in Greece for nearly two years.

-- Syrian government troops have broken an Islamic State siege on a key city.

BUSINESS

-- Nissan has revealed a new version of the Leaf, with a stronger battery and longer range of 150 miles. That’s putting more pressure on its electric car rivals.

-- After Lego sales drop for the first time in 13 years, it plans to cut jobs and “reset the company.”

SPORTS

-- The highflying New England Patriots are the most polarizing team in the NFL. The architect of their success is owner Robert Kraft.

-- Magic Johnson would like Lakers boss Jeanie Buss to take the team’s tampering fine out of his salary: “I don’t want her spending $500,000, because she didn’t do anything. That’s on me.”

OPINION

-- Ending DACA was an act of pure cruelty by Trump.

-- Can former militants, and their redemption stories, stop anyone from joining Islamic State?

WHAT OUR EDITORS ARE READING

-- Bobby Hadid joined the New York Police Department after 9/11. But when he began questioning the NYPD’s tactics, things fell apart for this Muslim cop. (The New Yorker)

-- “There are two conditions … [for attending] the Dinner Party. One: Experience earth-shattering loss. And two: Bring something to eat.” (Southwest)

-- The story of Ikea’s Billy bookcase (there are 60 million of them!) and how it helped change furniture. (Signature)

ONLY IN L.A.

What’s the oddest dish in an American eating establishment these days? Restaurant critic Jonathan Gold says the fish course at Vespertine in Culver City fits the bill. It looks “like an empty bowl, coarse and pebbly inside and out, of a blackness deep enough to suck up all light, your dreams and your soul.” With dinner and drinks pricing out at more than $1,000 for two, it may suck up your wallet too.

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