Newsletter: Today: Devastation in Florida’s Panhandle

Assessing Hurricane Michael’s path of destruction.

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Devastation in Florida’s Panhandle

With winds up to 155 mph and flooding, Hurricane Michael has devastated communities in Florida’s Panhandle and left more than a million people throughout the Southeast U.S. without power. At least six people were reported killed by the storm. In Panama City, Fla., the winds were so intense that a cargo train was blown off its tracks. In nearby Mexico Beach, residents surveyed what was left of their neighborhood. “It’s a miracle you and I are alive,” said one. Here is the latest.

Has the Fed Really Gone ‘Loco’?

What’s to blame for the stock market plunge this week? President Trump has pointed the finger at the raising of interest rates by the Federal Reserve, headed by his handpicked chairman, Jerome H. Powell. Or, as Trump memorably put it: “The Fed is going loco.” Fed officials, however, are doing exactly what they’ve publicly signaled for months. Many analysts say that the deficit and trade war with China are much bigger factors in the market dive and that blaming the Fed is just plain nuts.

Nunes Has a Bee in His Bonnet

Rep. Devin Nunes is facing perhaps the most difficult reelection fight of his career. What to do? Blame the media. Specifically, the Fresno Bee. Taking a page from Trump, Nunes has bashed the Bee in ads on TV and radio and even a 40-page, magazine-style mailer that devotes more space to attacking the newspaper than his Democratic opponent, Andrew Janz. It wasn’t always this way. Up until this year, the paper’s editorial board had endorsed him in eight elections.

More Politics

-- Reality TV: On Thursday, Trump preempted hurricane coverage for a morning with “Fox & Friends” and an afternoon in the Oval Office with Kanye West, who delivered a rant that included profanity, a provocative discussion of race, praise for the president, whom he called “bro,” and an assertion that time itself does not exist.

-- Trump has stated he flatly opposes stopping U.S. arms sales to Saudi Arabia in response to a diplomatic furor over missing journalist Jamal Khashoggi.

-- While campaigning for Democrats, Sen. Kamala Harris has hinted she’ll think about a presidential run after the midterm election.

L.A.’s Typhus Outbreak

A growing number of people falling sick with flea-borne typhus in Los Angeles County has prompted officials to corral stray animals, clean streets and encourage people to treat their pets for fleas. It’s also fueled debate about homelessness, as six of nine people infected in downtown L.A since July have been homeless — and typhus outbreaks are often associated with poor hygiene and overcrowding. Still, experts say they are unsure exactly why L.A. has seen an increase in typhus over the last decade.

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FLASHBACK FRIDAY

Long before the internet or Twitter, the Los Angeles Times presented the “electric newspaper.” On this date in 1931, the news of the world began to “march around the corner of 6th and Hill streets in incandescent letters four feet high…. Everything that is news — local, state, national and world — will pass across the board during the five hours of its nightly operation.”

MUST-WATCH VIDEO

-- Kenneth Turan reviews “22 July,” a film chronicling a 2011 terrorist attack in Norway and its aftermath.

CALIFORNIA

-- The fight is on at Hollister Ranch, as coastal officials have delayed development there in an effort to open up the beach to all.

-- Inglewood Mayor James T. Butts Jr.’s purchase of a home from a city consultant is raising questions. He says it was just a coincidence.

-- L.A. City Councilman Mitchell Englander says he will vacate his seat at the end of the year to work at a sports and entertainment firm.

-- Construction workers in Calexico have put up the final panel of a new border barrier, a project touted by Trump as the first part of his promised wall.

YOUR WEEKEND

-- Craft cocktail bars have been opening up and down the Vegas Strip. Their offerings are a far cry from those yard-long booze containers.

-- Five restaurant openings you should know about, including Sichuan Impression in Westwood.

-- Tour six Midcentury Modern gems at this Long Beach architecture tour.

-- In Santa Barbara’s wine country, you can enjoy a rustic-chic weekend escape.

HOLLYWOOD AND THE ARTS

-- Amazon Prime’s new anthology drama, “The Romanoffs,” from “Mad Men’s” Matthew Weiner, hops around the globe. TV critic Lorraine Ali says it yields mixed results.

-- The Music Modernization Act, signed by Trump, is being hailed by a coalition of musicians, music publishers, songwriters and broadcasters for its updating of royalty payments.

-- Banksy has renamed his shredded “Girl With Balloon” painting, as the winning bidder is said to be going through with her purchase.

NATION-WORLD

-- The Washington state Supreme Court has abolished capital punishment, calling the use of the death penalty there “arbitrary” and “racially biased.”

-- In one year, the U.S. Army discharged more than 500 immigrant enlistees who were recruited for their language or medical skills — and were promised a fast track to citizenship.

-- Lara Alqasem, an American student activist banned from entering Israel, is awaiting the results of her appeal at an airport detention facility.

-- Spain is still divided over the legacy of former dictator Francisco Franco. Will exhuming his body help the country heal?

BUSINESS

-- The average rate on a 30-year fixed mortgage is nearing 5%, after a surge this week that put borrowing costs at their highest level since 2011, according to Freddie Mac.

-- Facebook says it has purged more than 800 U.S. publishers and accounts for flooding users with politically oriented content violating its spam policies.

SPORTS

-- The Dodgers and the Milwaukee Brewers play Game 1 of the National League Championship Series today. On paper, the Dodgers are the better team, writes columnist Bill Plaschke. But on the field, these players need to come through.

-- The Pac-12 Conference commissioner has called for an immediate change to football replays and a broader evaluation in response to a non-call during a game between USC and Washington State last month.

OPINION

-- When it comes to attitudes toward sexual assault, how much has really changed? Columnist Robin Abcarian explores.

-- All girls should be taught to play poker. Here’s why.

WHAT OUR EDITORS ARE READING

-- Reporter Olivia Nuzzi: “My private Oval Office press conference with Donald Trump, Mike Pence, John Kelly, and Mike Pompeo.” (New York Magazine)

-- Lindsey Buckingham on life after Fleetwood Mac. (Rolling Stone)

-- American cheese is in a period of decline. (Bloomberg)

ONLY IN L.A.

Do you remember the fire that burned 400,000 books in downtown L.A.’s Central Library in 1986? Though many Angelenos have long put it out of mind, journalist Susan Orlean became fascinated enough by the fire and the mystery of who started it to write a book called — what else? — “The Library Book.”

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