Newsletter: Today: Trump’s Transgender Ban: Some Exclusions May Apply

A month after President Trump first tweeted about a ban on transgender people in the military, details of a proposal are emerging. Here are the stories you shouldn’t miss today:

TOP STORIES

Trump’s Transgender Ban: Some Exclusions May Apply

When President Trump tweeted one month ago that the military would no longer “accept or allow” transgender troops to serve in any capacity, it surprised top Pentagon officials. Their response was, essentially: We’ll wait for more specifics. Now, details of draft guidelines are emerging, and they suggest that the White House is backing away from a blanket ban. Instead, the policy could give Defense Secretary James N. Mattis discretion to keep current transgender service members. But the guidelines aren’t final, and Congress may try to undo any ban.

More Politics

-- After helping Democrats revamp California’s landmark climate change policy and drawing the ire of conservatives, Chad Mayes will step down as Republican leader of the state Assembly.

-- Nationally, Democrats are taking shots at one another in their hunt for a winning economic plan.

-- Meanwhile, on Twitter … Trump kept bashing the Republican leaders in Congress he needs to pass his agenda.

Texas Faces a Tempest

Winds greater than 110 mph. Up to 35 inches of rain. Texas is bracing for Hurricane Harvey, which could be the first major hurricane to hit the United States in 12 years. Forecasters have warned of “life-threatening and devastating flooding” along the middle Texas coast Friday and over the weekend. Houston officials told residents to stockpile water, food and medication for up to a week.

California’s Crime and Capital Punishment

California hasn’t executed a prisoner in more than 10 years, but that could change in the coming months after a state Supreme Court ruling this week. The court largely upheld Proposition 66, a ballot measure voters passed in November aimed at speeding up death penalty appeals. Now the focus will shift to Gov. Jerry Brown, who has the power to commute death sentences but didn’t take a public position on Prop. 66. California has 747 inmates on death row; this interactive feature explains the crimes that put each one there.

These Lands Are Your Lands

The White House is getting ready for a fight over monuments, but this time it has nothing to do with statues of Confederate generals. At issue are plans to shrink large swaths of land designated as national monuments, home to some of the West’s unique geological formations, archaeological artifacts and pristine landscapes. The Department of Interior’s recommendations haven’t been made public yet, much to the anger of environmentalists and others. Here’s a closer look at the monuments being reviewed.

Coming to Daytime TV: The Shocking Details!

Once upon a time, soap operas, courtroom dramas and game shows were the stuff of daytime TV. But in the age of streaming, people are turning away from “my stories.” In the 2016-17 season alone, traditional daytime TV viewing dropped 4% from the previous year, and even more among 18- to 49-year-olds. How to win back those eyeballs? Fox and CBS’ syndication unit are hoping celebrity gossip, in the form of “Page Six TV” and “Daily Mail TV,” will do the trick.

FLASHBACK FRIDAY

In 1944, the U.S. Navy built a pontoon bridge, a “6-month temporary emergency structure” linking downtown Long Beach with Terminal Island during World War II. Despite being the site of many a car crash, it was used until the 1968 completion of the Gerald Desmond Bridge — which today is in the process of being replaced itself. In 1966, bridge operator Toby Reed told The Times that he had seen eight cars and a motorcycle go over the side: “That’s when we grab the life rings and hurl them into the channel.”

MUST-WATCH VIDEO

-- Film critics Kenneth Turan and Justin Chang discuss the best little-seen movies over the last 20 years.

-- Chang reviews the violent South Korean thriller “The Villainess.”

-- Performance artist Ron Athey on the solar eclipse and his new exhibit at the Broad.

CALIFORNIA

-- Back-to-back rallies in the Bay Area this weekend are expected to draw far-right figures and large groups of counter-protesters. It will be a big test for police.

-- Cal State will no longer require all its general-education math courses to have a strict intermediate algebra prerequisite.

-- The University of California’s new payroll system will cost at least $200 million more than expected.

-- “We won’t let it happen again”: Canter’s restaurant vows to clean up its act after it was ordered closed this month for the first time in 20 years because of health violations.

YOUR WEEKEND

-- Perfect for breakfast, dinner and more: 15 favorite frittata recipes.

-- Wolfgang Puck is opening a Spago at the Bellagio in Las Vegas. Yup, it has a view of the fountains.

-- As it turns out, laser tag is an incredibly fun way to get in a workout.

-- Seniors age 62 and older can buy a pass for access to federal recreational lands for a lifetime. It costs $10, but don’t wait: The price will jump to $80 starting Monday.

HOLLYWOOD AND THE ARTS

-- Taylor Swift’s new single, “Look What You Made Me Do,” is the artist at her toughest. Listen to it here.

-- “Avatar” director James Cameron thinks “Wonder Woman’s” success is “misguided”: “She’s an objectified icon.”

-- In case you wondered: George R.R. Martin watches “Game of Thrones.” No, he’s not caught up on Season 7.

NATION-WORLD

-- Thirty-two years after the murder of a DEA agent in Mexico, a drug lord has been sentenced in the case.

-- A South Korean court has sentenced a billionaire Samsung heir to five years in prison after finding him guilty of offering bribes to the country’s former president.

-- Italy is taking an increasingly hard line on migrants. Police in Rome used a water cannon to scatter them from a piazza where some had camped for five days.

-- Washington state officials are asking anglers to catch as many Atlantic salmon as they can in the waters around the San Juan Islands. Sounds like fun, but the reason is troubling.

BUSINESS

-- Starting Monday, Whole Foods — a.k.a. “Whole Paycheck” — will cut prices on certain “best-selling staples” after Amazon finishes acquiring it.

-- See’s Candies, a California institution, has found that brick-and-mortar stores are still a sweet spot.

SPORTS

-- The tale of the tape: What’s going down when Floyd Mayweather Jr. and Conor McGregor enter the ring on Saturday. Plus, columnist Dylan Hernandez wonders whether it’s too dangerous.

-- Videos showing high school cheerleaders crying out in pain while being held in the splits position have led to an investigation by Denver police.

OPINION

-- Heaven forbid, a Republican willing to work with Democrats! The California GOP is shooting itself in the foot.

-- Sean Hannity hits a right note in a discordant time: See the David Horsey cartoon.

WHAT OUR EDITORS ARE READING

-- The demise of the Goldwater Rule? (The New Yorker)

-- A reporter tells the story behind the story of women in the alt-right. (Longreads)

-- Do you sleep under a blanket, even if it’s hot at night? Here are some theories why. (Atlas Obscura)

ONLY IN L.A.

You’ve checked them out on Yelp, Instagrammed their dishes and probably made a reservation on OpenTable, but if you want to cook like one of L.A.’s trendiest chefs, what do you do? Check out the printed page. Given the number of new publications celebrating local food and restaurants, we could be in a golden age of L.A. cookbooks. Check out seven of the best — just to whet your appetite.

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