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Newsletter: Today: Rebooted, Then Booted

Roseanne Barr in January.
(Valerie Macon / AFP/Getty Images)
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How far is too far? Roseanne Barr found out.

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Rebooted, Then Booted

The “Roseanne” reboot was one of the most successful new TV shows in years, based around a star who has courted controversy for decades. But when Roseanne Barr unleashed a Twitter diatribe that included a tweet referring to former Obama aide Valerie Jarrett as the offspring of the Muslim Brotherhood and the “Planet of the Apes” film franchise, the racism of the statement was too bold to ignore. Though Barr apologized Tuesday morning, ABC pulled the plug on her show in a move that drew cheers and jeers. “I’m sorry 4 my tweet, AND I will also defend myself as well as talk to my followers,” Barr would tweet in the evening. As TV critic Lorraine Ali writes, the whole ugly affair resulted in the loss of a distinct voice on TV — that of the show’s central character, Roseanne Conner, an Archie Bunker for the MAGA era.

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It’s On. It’s Off. It’s Maybe On Again.

Secretary of State Mike Pompeo is expected to sit down with the general considered to be North Korean leader Kim Jong Un’s closest aide in New York today. Across the globe, American teams are meeting with officials of the Pyongyang government. Will it all lead to a summit between President Trump and Kim in Singapore? The meeting is tentatively back on the calendar for June 12, but this week’s action could be a turning point.

More Politics

-- Speaking of back-and-forth diplomacy, the Trump administration has revived its threats of tariffs on Chinese goods just days after declaring the trade war to be on hold.

-- Republican Missouri Gov. Eric Greitens says he will step down Friday, abandoning a months-long effort to stay in office as he faced felony criminal charges and threats of impeachment.

-- The Supreme Court extended the Constitution’s privacy protection to include vehicles that are parked in a home’s driveway or carport, ruling that police need a search warrant to inspect them.

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Grim Statistics in Puerto Rico

How many people in Puerto Rico lost their lives after Hurricane Maria hit in September? The official count is 64. A new study in the New England Journal of Medicine says that figure is off by about 4,600. “We have always expected the number to be higher than what was previously reported,” the executive director of the Puerto Rico Federal Affairs Administration says. But what’s the correct figure? Here’s a closer look at how the researchers arrived at their estimated death toll.

A funeral is held shortly after Hurricane Maria hit Puerto Rico in September 2017.
(Carolyn Cole / Los Angeles Times )

LAPD Is on the Case

The Los Angeles Police Department says it is investigating 52 complaints of misconduct filed by former patients of USC’s longtime campus gynecologist as a sweeping criminal investigation into the scandal begins. LAPD detectives also made an appeal for other patients who feel mistreated to come forward, noting that thousands of students were examined by Dr. George Tyndall during his nearly 30-year career at USC. Tyndall has previously denied wrongdoing.

Wazed and Confused

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It’s a complaint for our times: People living on once-quiet L.A. streets are upset about all the drivers coming their way thanks to navigation apps such as Waze and Google Maps. Columnist Steve Lopez traveled to Encino to see what was happening on Ballina Canyon Road and what might be done about it.

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-- An attorney for the family of a 14-year-old boy killed by a Los Angeles police officer released body-camera footage of the 2016 encounter, arguing that the recordings show that the boy had tossed his gun and was unarmed when he was shot.

-- Prentice Penny, showrunner of HBO’s “Insecure,” talks about lifting the veil on racism.

CALIFORNIA

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-- Democratic Assemblywoman Cristina Garcia was a #MeToo leader. After sexual harassment accusations, she is fighting to be reelected.

-- Two national paint companies are turning up the pressure on California lawmakers to absolve them of potentially hundreds of millions of dollars in legal penalties from lead paint hazards.

-- Authorities say a Tesla sedan in Autopilot mode crashed into a parked Laguna Beach Police Department vehicle. The driver suffered minor injuries and no officer was in the police cruiser.

-- Developers want to build a skyscraper of at least 80 stories that would be one of the tallest buildings west of the Mississippi River, on a steep, barren hillside next to downtown L.A.’s Angels Flight railway.

HOLLYWOOD AND THE ARTS

-- “RBG,” a documentary chronicling Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg’s life and career, is punching above its weight at the box office: more than $6 million in four weeks in only 415 theaters.

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-- The return of the return of the show “Arrested Development” on Netflix is still funny after all these years, TV critic Robert Lloyd says.

-- Morgan Freeman’s attorney is demanding CNN retract its story accusing the actor of sexual harassment, but the network is not backing down.

-- The production of Tony Kushner’s “Angels in America” at the Berkeley Repertory Theatre may not be getting the ink of the Broadway revival, but theater critic Charles McNulty says it is no less welcome.

CLASSIC HOLLYWOOD

Clint Walker joined the U.S. Merchant Marines during World War II and did odd jobs after his service before getting his first break in the film industry doing bit parts. It wasn’t long before he auditioned for and won the role of Cheyenne Bodie in the TV western series “Cheyenne.” Walker, who was born on this date in 1927, died last week.

NATION-WORLD

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-- The Supreme Court has refused, for now, to block an Arkansas abortion law that could prevent most women there from ending their early pregnancies with medication.

-- Palestinians in Gaza launched what is believed to be their biggest rocket and mortar barrage in years, then claimed they have agreed to cease-fire. Seven Israelis, including three soldiers, were wounded.

-- In Iran, the return of U.S. sanctions is expected to sow misery among many, but for those with money, there is a haven: investing in dollars.

-- How to avoid the sting of Brexit? Britons living in Germany and elsewhere in Europe are going for dual citizenship.

BUSINESS

-- Stocks in the U.S. and Europe sank Tuesday amid political turmoil in Italy, stoking fears of instability in the euro bloc.

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-- A federal magistrate has blocked the U.S. Department of Education from paring back a loan relief program for defrauded students at the failed Corinthian Colleges chain. It’s the latest blow to Education Secretary Betsy DeVos’ policies on for-profit colleges.

-- Starbucks’ racial bias training, which closed down stores for hours yesterday, is said to be just the start of years of diversity and sensitivity programs.

SPORTS

-- Players weren’t consulted on the NFL’s new anthem rule. For them, it raises a red, white and blue flag: A lot of them are frustrated by it.

-- LiAngelo Ball was spotted wearing Lakers practice gear and sprinting around at a pre-draft workout, which makes columnist Bill Plaschke wonder: Is dad LaVar Ball now running the team?

OPINION

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-- USC professor Leo Braudy writes no one should be “thrilled” or “elated” with the downfall of university President C.L. Max Nikias, given his achievements.

-- A blue wave in Orange County? Columnist Gustavo Arellano says it’s more like a slow tide rising.

WHAT OUR EDITORS ARE READING

-- A Russian journalist who was reportedly killed at his apartment in Ukraine’s capital showed up alive and well at a news conference. (NPR)

-- “I’ve decided that … if he ever offered it, I’d be willing to accept Jake Tapper’s apology”: White House aide Stephen Miller just keeps trolling along. (The Atlantic)

-- A wildlife photographer had a close encounter with a crocodile. This is what happened behind the scenes. (National Geographic)

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ONLY IN L.A.

Choreographer Heidi Duckler is no stranger to staging dance performances in unexpected places. Among them: an abandoned Studio City gas station, an old Lincoln Heights jail, and the Frank Gehry-designed Cabrillo Marine Aquarium in San Pedro. Her next destination: a hospital campus in South L.A., where she hopes to strengthen the bonds among medical personnel, patients, students and residents. In this case, dance may be the best medicine.

If you like this newsletter, please share it with friends. Comments or ideas? Email us at headlines@latimes.com.

9:28 a.m.: This article was updated to reflect that the Russian journalist who was reportedly killed showed up alive at a news conference. This article was originally published at 5 a.m.

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