Newsletter: Today: Charlottesville Revisited

The “Unite the Right 2” rally fizzled out, but deep fears over rising racial divisions remain.

TOP STORIES

Charlottesville Revisited

A year after the deadly violence in Charlottesville, Va., that became of a symbol of polarization during Donald Trump’s presidency, white supremacists and their opponents gathered in Washington on Sunday. But this time, only a few dozen white nationalists showed up, vastly outnumbered not only by thousands of counter-protesters but also by the police. Shouting matches erupted, but the rallies ended with no reports of serious injuries or violence. Before Sunday’s marches, President Trump tweeted that he condemned “all types of racism and acts of violence” — wording that drew a new round of criticism — and called for the nation to come together.

The Bogeyman of the Far Right

George Soros is a Holocaust survivor, a billionaire many times over and one of Hungary’s most famous native sons. But you don’t have to spend much time on the internet to see the countless conspiracy theories with him at the center. Even in his native Budapest, Soros’ philanthropic Open Society Foundations office has received so many threats that it’s moving to Berlin. How exactly did Soros become such a favorite target of the far right?

Take Away Their Citizenship?

Soros is a naturalized U.S. citizen, which means he could in theory be stripped of his citizenship, as his opponents fantasize. For a growing number of naturalized citizens, this is becoming a reality. A Citizenship and Immigration Services team in L.A. has been reviewing more than 2,500 files, looking for identity fraud and willful misrepresentation as grounds to begin the complicated and rare denaturalization process.

More Politics

-- Federal prosecutors are expected to finish presenting their case against Paul Manafort today. Here are some key takeaways so far.

-- Days after being charged with insider trading, Republican Rep. Chris Collins of New York ended his reelection bid.

-- How Trump donor Elliott Broidy struck it rich, then got wrapped up in scandal.

In California, Police Officers’ Secrets Are Safe

This week, The Times is examining the special privacy protections granted to California’s police officers. The rules can prevent defendants, prosecutors and jurors from learning about information that could undermine an officer’s credibility. In one instance, an L.A. County sheriff’s deputy who often testified in the state court system about his arrests became a pariah in federal court, where the privacy protections don’t apply. In another case, a police lieutenant in Pittsburg, Calif., took it upon himself to reveal an officer’s troubled background. The result: the dismissal of 19 convictions secured with help from the disgraced officer and his partner.

The Summer of Hell

First, the good news: Cooler, calmer weather is helping firefighters get a handle on battling the largest wildfires burning across California and preventing new blazes from getting out of control. The bad news: It’s only August, which means plenty of more hot, dry weather to come. To columnist Steve Lopez, this summer feels different — and plenty of scientists would back him up. Meanwhile, the man accused of setting the Holy fire in the Cleveland National Forest has a history of disturbing behavior, according to his neighbors.

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OUR MUST-READS FROM THE WEEKEND

-- Before Michel Moore was promoted to become the Los Angeles Police Department’s new chief in June, he took a brief, highly unusual retirement with a $1.27-million payment.

-- Peter Arbogast, the voice of USC football, volunteers in a service that offers companionship to dying patients.

-- One of the original Rosie the Riveters, Elinor Otto, now 98, returned for the first time to the place where she began her career.

-- A Times analysis shows a surge in “Netflix Original”-branded titles in the U.S., a change that brings benefits and challenges for the streaming giant.

-- Some people are sick of those pay-per-minute electric scooters and taking matters into their own hands.

MUST-WATCH VIDEO

-- The cast and creators of the film “Crazy Rich Asians” hope their groundbreaking rom-com is a watershed moment for underrepresented voices.

CALIFORNIA

-- Columnist George Skelton looks at how election officials are defending against cyberattacks, but without any help from Washington.

-- Los Angeles officials have signed off on about $1 billion in taxpayer assistance for hotels and other development since 2005, but the city controller says more accountability is needed.

-- UC Santa Cruz is facing a housing shortage as the state demands it accept more students and the community pushes back against more development.

-- A homeless couple who were living in their Jeep Grand Cherokee and were profiled in The Times now have a home.

HOLLYWOOD AND THE ARTS

-- John David Washington, the star of Spike Lee’s “BlacKkKlansman,” spent time with the real black cop who infiltrated the KKK to prepare for the film.

-- How the team behind “The Meg” set out to build a better giant-shark movie.

-- Nicki Minaj, traditionalist? On her new album, “Queen,” she continues to put her faith in the old way of doing things.

-- At KCON, the L.A. convention of all things K-Pop, serious topics including mental health, cultural appropriation and gender dynamics took the floor.

CLASSIC HOLLYWOOD

Was it really over 50 years ago that “The Carol Burnett Show” took America by storm? Carol Burnett couldn’t believe it herself. Last year’s golden anniversary show is up for an Emmy, and Burnett is still counting her blessings.

NATION-WORLD

-- A Republican brothel owner running for office in Nevada is getting all the headlines, but Democratic opponent Lesia Romanov, an assistant elementary school principal, has her own story to tell.

-- One of Cuba’s most prominent dissidents has been arrested and held incommunicado for days, sparking international pleas for his release.

-- China threatened to demolish a mosque on the same day it faced questions at the U.N. over its treatment of Muslims.

-- A NASA spacecraft is rocketing toward the sun on an unprecedented quest to get closer to our star.

BUSINESS

-- A San Francisco jury has awarded $289 million to a school groundskeeper who said Monsanto’s Roundup pesticide gave him lymphoma.

-- The fight over Anaheim’s living wage ballot measure is heating up, as Disney and other opponents say it will have severe consequences for businesses and neighborhoods.

SPORTS

-- Has LeBron James changed? Just ask the people in his hometown of Akron, Ohio.

-- Columnist Dylan Hernandez says the hype is real: USC freshman JT Daniels has shown he’s ready to start at quarterback.

OPINION

-- A program to divert accused criminals from the justice system based on claims of mental illness is actually a pretty good idea, but critics have a point: It has problems that need to be fixed.

-- One year after Charlottesville, the Republican Party has lost all ability to condemn racism, writes Juan Williams, co-host of Fox News Channel’s “The Five.”

WHAT OUR EDITORS ARE READING

-- The Iraqi spy who infiltrated Islamic State. (New York Times)

-- Women’s health and the gaslighting of patients. (The Atlantic)

-- Can killer whales survive dramatic changes to their world? (National Geographic)

ONLY IN L.A.

Back in 1972, Sandra Kinder was taking out the trash in the alley behind her Hermosa Beach apartment when she saw a man in a silver Jaguar XKE. She went back inside. Was it love knocking at her door? After a date at the Poopdeck and 44 years, they’re still together. But she has some advice: “I personally wouldn’t advise anyone to open up the door to a stranger today.”

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