Newsletter: Today: Harvey Strikes at the Heart of Texas
The death toll from Tropical Storm Harvey rose as Houston and a wide swath of Texas face record rains and catastrophic flooding. Here are the stories you shouldn’t miss today:
TOP STORIES
Harvey Strikes at the Heart of Texas
With deadly power, Tropical Storm Harvey has inundated Houston and southeastern Texas, bringing up to 2 feet of rain in 24 hours in the nation’s fourth largest city and triggering flooding that the National Weather Service called “catastrophic” and “unprecedented.” At least five people were reported to have died, and authorities expect the death toll to rise. Meanwhile, 911 operators fielded 56,000 calls in less than 24 hours, pleas for help went out over social media, thousands of rescues took place, and some residents made desperate treks across Houston’s sprawling freeways. The White House says President Trump will travel to Texas on Tuesday.
A Guy Named Sheriff Joe
To President Trump and some of his supporters, Joe Arpaio is a hero. To others, the man who billed himself as “America’s toughest sheriff” built his career on fear and racism. After issuing a pardon to the 85-year-old Arpaio, who had been convicted of criminal contempt for violating a federal court order to stop profiling Latinos, Trump once again faced criticism by Democrats and some fellow Republicans, including House Speaker Paul D. Ryan, over a racially charged issue that many said undermined respect for the rule of law. Meanwhile, Trump’s secretary of State and a top homeland security advisor appeared to distance themselves from the president’s response to white supremacist violence in Charlottesville, Va.
More Politics
-- The Mexican government says it will not renegotiate the North American Free Trade Agreement via social media or traditional media, for that matter.
-- Hard-liners in the Trump administration appeared to be trying to pressure President Trump to stop the “Dreamers” program known as Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals.
-- On Friday, Trump ordered the Pentagon to reinstate a ban on transgender people in the military, and White House national security aide Sebastian Gorka exited.
Violence Mars Another Berkeley Protest
Clashes. Tear gas. Finger-pointing. After a day of relatively tame demonstrations in San Francisco, skirmishes broke out in Berkeley on Sunday during what what many hoped would be a peaceful march against bigotry and President Trump. Some anti-fascist protesters, wearing black and with their faces covered, chased or beat Trump supporters. Police, and in some cases other counter-protesters, tried to stop the violence or escort the victims away.
Uber Picks Up a CEO to Change Its Course
Uber has had a bumpy ride, with allegations of sexism, a high-profile lawsuit from Google’s self-driving vehicle arm Waymo, driver dissatisfaction and more jostling the company. That led to co-founder and Chief Executive Travis Kalanick being pressured to resign in June. Now, after a search filled with speculation, Uber has chosen Dara Khosrowshahi, the chief executive of travel booking website Expedia, to be its new CEO, according to a source.
How the LAPD Solved a 48-Year-Old Murder Mystery
In 1968, Wendy Jo Halison was found dead in the trunk of her green Thunderbird in L.A.’s Mid-Wilshire district. Her parents would never learn who killed their daughter. Her sister wondered whether she would die without knowing too. Nearly five decades later, she got the call from a detective at the Los Angeles Police Department: “We found who killed your sister.”
OUR MUST-READS FROM THE WEEKEND
-- Columnist Steve Lopez checks out some affordable housing for seniors in Playa Vista. The catch? You had to have won a lottery last year.
-- California passed a law boosting police transparency on cellphone surveillance. Here’s why it’s not working.
-- Hundreds of Haitians have been leaving California after a Trump administration decree in May. Many are headed for Canada.
-- At the doughnut shop across from the Americana, the mall workers rest and dream big.
-- The ultimate guide to music history along Sunset Boulevard.
MUST-WATCH VIDEO
-- A founder of Black Lives Matter answers a question on many minds: Where did it go?
-- In goat yoga, the point isn’t to sweat. It’s to have a baby goat climb on your shoulders during your plank.
-- What do Lionel Richie, Run the Jewels and David Bowie have in common? This instrument rental place on Sunset Boulevard.
CALIFORNIA
-- Forecasters say a dangerous heat wave will last at least until Thursday in Southern California.
-- The debate over single-payer healthcare in California isn’t going away any time soon.
-- Columnist George Skelton looks at the long history of California Republicans giving the boot to their leaders.
HOLLYWOOD AND THE ARTS
-- Susan Bro, whose daughter Heather Heyer was killed in Charlottesville, made an appearance at the MTV Video Music Awards. She was introduced by a descendant of Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee.
-- The Los Angeles independent film venue Cinefamily says it’s temporarily suspending all activities amid an investigation of sexual misconduct allegations.
-- Nine burning questions we have after the super-sized “Game of Thrones” finale.
-- Tobe Hooper, the horror-movie pioneer who created “The Texas Chain Saw Massacre,” has died at age 74.
CLASSIC HOLLYWOOD
Charles Boyer was suave and sophisticated, but his life was also marked by tragedy. Born on this date in 1899 in France, he would become one of Warner Bros.’ top stars and court a number of leading ladies in films during the 1930s and 1940s. Off screen, he was married to actress Pat Paterson. In 1965, their only son died in a suicide, and after Paterson succumbed to cancer in 1978, Boyer ended his own life.
NATION-WORLD
-- South Carolina has become the latest state trying to restrict abortions by cutting funding.
-- With the battle for Mosul, Iraq, finished, the families of those who fought for Islamic State present a conundrum: Should they be punished, or rehabilitated?
-- Singapore, which outlaws chewing gum, has a plan to track everything from someone smoking in a prohibited space to the number of vehicles on the road. Too Big Brother-ish?
-- Finding a life partner is hard enough. For those of the Druze faith, their future depends on it.
BUSINESS
-- Should California spend $3 billion to help people buy electric cars?
-- If Republicans scale back the ability to deduct mortgage interest from one’s taxes, Californians would be hit hardest.
SPORTS
-- L.A. has two of college football’s most intriguing quarterback prospects in USC’s Sam Darnold and UCLA’s Josh Rosen. The nephew of the late broadcaster Howard Cosell breaks down their strengths and weaknesses.
-- After Saturday’s big fight, in which Floyd Mayweather Jr. won, the boxer can now fade into the background as Conor McGregor takes the mantle as the king of combat sports.
OPINION
-- Trump is shedding supporters like no other president in modern history.
-- “I’m a black daughter of the Confederacy, and this is how we should deal with all those General Lees.”
WHAT OUR EDITORS ARE READING
-- “We are living through a battle for the soul of this nation”: Joe Biden calls on American citizens “to do what [President Trump] will not.” (The Atlantic)
-- What was it like spending time in Joe Arpaio’s tent jail? This man was there. (Washington Post)
-- Understanding addiction and the science behind trying to break the brain from its grip. (National Geographic)
-- In this 1937 mural, a man appears to be holding an iPhone. What is it really? (Motherboard)
ONLY IN L.A.
Jess Rona is on a first-name basis with Katy Perry, has a book deal and is writing a television pilot loosely based on her life. It all started at a PetSmart in Reseda. How? Rona is a dog groomer who turns her well-coiffed canine clients into music video stars. And she has some tips for how you can get your dog ready for his or her close-up.
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