Today’s Headlines: Inflation slowed in July. Has it peaked?

By Elvia Limón and Amy Hubbard

Hello, it’s Thursday, Aug. 11, and here are the stories you shouldn’t miss today:

TOP STORIES

Inflation slowed in July. Has it peaked?

After months of steadily climbing to a 40-year high, the pace of inflation slowed notably in July as gas prices fell sharply and Americans got relief on the cost of clothing, used cars and some other necessities. Food inflation, however, did not let up in July, with prices for bread and eggs up sharply.

“While the worst of it may be behind us, the central bank has years of hard work in front of it,” said one economist, “and the goal of restoring price stability may cause a recession next year.”

Trump invokes the 5th Amendment

Former President Trump says he invoked the 5th Amendment and wouldn’t answer questions under oath in the long-running New York civil investigation into his business dealings.

Trump arrived at New York Atty. Gen. Letitia James’ offices in a motorcade for his deposition, but sent out a statement more than an hour later saying he “declined to answer the questions under the rights and privileges afforded to every citizen under the United States Constitution.”

Trump’s appearance in New York came just days after FBI agents searched his Mar-a-Lago estate in Florida as part of an unrelated federal probe into whether he took classified records when he left the White House.

More politics

• Sen. Alex Padilla, Rep. Tony Cárdenas, Assemblymember Luz Rivas and Los Angeles City Council President Nury Martinez endorsed Rep. Karen Bass in the Los Angeles mayor’s race.
• Gov. Gavin Newsom nominated Justice Patricia Guerrero to be the next chief justice of the California Supreme Court.
• An Iranian operative has been charged in a plot to murder former U.S. national security advisor John Bolton in presumed retaliation for a U.S. airstrike that killed the country’s most powerful general.
  

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Some fear losing control of monkeypox in California

Monkeypox cases are rising exponentially in some gay and bisexual communities, dimming hopes that officials can quickly gain control of the virus that has the potential to establish a lasting foothold in the United States.

The U.S. is reporting about 450 monkeypox cases a day for the seven-day period that ended Tuesday, according to Our World in Data. That’s double the daily case rate from two weeks earlier. More than 1,800 monkeypox cases have been reported in California so far, according to a Times tally of data from L.A. and San Francisco counties and the state Department of Public Health.

Plus: Can monkeypox be contained? Theoretically, yes. The virus does not spread easily and there is a vaccine. But there are only about 16 million doses available now, and only one company makes the shot.

Walgreens fueled San Francisco’s opioid crisis, judge rules

Walgreens helped fuel the opioid epidemic in San Francisco by shipping hundreds of thousands of “suspicious orders” of prescription drugs to its pharmacies, a federal judge ruled.

More than 100 million prescription opioid pills were dispensed by Walgreens in the city between 2006 and 2020, and during that time, the pharmacy giant failed to investigate hundreds of thousands of orders deemed suspicious, U.S. District Judge Charles Breyer wrote in his 112-page opinion in a lawsuit filed by San Francisco against major prescription-drug sellers. How much the company will have to pay will be determined at a later trial date.

UC admits a record number of Californians

In a revised playbook guiding University of California admissions, the system’s nine undergraduate campuses accepted a record number of California first-year students for fall 2022, while significantly narrowing entry to out-of-state and international applicants, according to recently released preliminary data.

Campuses also set records for diversity, as students from underrepresented racial and ethnic groups increased to 43.8% of the admitted first-year class. For the third straight year, Latinos were the largest ethnic group, at 37.3%, followed by Asian Americans at 35%, Black students at 5.7%, and whites at 18.6%.

PHOTO OF THE DAY

A plane on the 91. A single-engine craft crash-landed on the Riverside Freeway at Lincoln Avenue on Tuesday, triggering a fire. The occupants escaped unharmed.

(Irfan Khan / Los Angeles Times)

CALIFORNIA

The Mercedes driver’s movements, mindset and medications are at the center of the deadly crash probe. Investigators are still trying to get a full account of what brought Nicole Lorraine Linton, 37, to the corner of Slauson and La Brea avenues on Thursday afternoon. Linton, who has been charged with multiple counts of murder and vehicular homicide, was speeding more than 90 mph when she approached the busy intersection, authorities said.

Ritz-Carlton must pay $535,000 for the improper disposal of hazardous waste in California. The penalties stem from a lawsuit filed in Riverside County Superior Court by the district attorneys of Riverside, Los Angeles, Orange, Placer, Santa Barbara, San Francisco and San Mateo counties as well as the Los Angeles city attorney’s office.

Free cash for college: How California parents can access CalKIDS funds. If you live in California and have a baby on or after July 1, the program will automatically start a CalKIDS account for your child with a $25 grant. There is no citizenship requirement.

Metro unveils a new South Los Angeles station dedicated to Nipsey Hussle. Los Angeles City Councilman Marqueece Harris-Dawson spoke about the late rapper’s commitment to the Hyde Park Station during a dedication ceremony. The station is located between the intersections of Crenshaw Boulevard with Slauson Avenue and 59th Street, near where Hussle opened his Marathon Clothing store.

NATION-WORLD

Democratic Republic of Congo tests the boundaries of democracy and climate action during Secretary of State Antony J. Blinken’s visit. Within hours of Blinken’s arrival — as he repeatedly urged free, fair and “on time” presidential elections next year — its government arrested a key opposition leader.

Russian oil shipments to Central Europe are set to resume. Russian state pipeline operator Transneft said that it had halted shipments through the southern branch of the Druzhba oil pipeline, which flows through Ukraine to the Czech Republic, Slovakia and Hungary.

The suspect in the Albuquerque Muslim killings denies involvement. Investigators determined that bullet casings found in Muhammad Syed’s car matched the caliber of the weapons believed to have been used in two of the killings and that casings found at those crime scenes were linked to a gun found at Syed’s home, the criminal complaint said.

HOLLYWOOD AND THE ARTS

Emmys 2022: All you need to know about the limited-series races. Times columnist Glenn Whipp looks at the likely winners, such as, for series: “Yes, Emmy night is going to be one long Pineapple Suite plunge pool of an evening for ‘The White Lotus’ gang. Can we hope for a group canoe trip into the Santa Monica surf on the morning after the ceremony?”

Did you catch that crazy “Barry” chase scene? We detail how it came together. For instance: Complicated lane-splitting was rehearsed around 40 cars in the Forum parking lot. The Emmy-nominated stunt driver doubling for Barry feared the beignet bag hanging from his wrist might catch a side mirror on a car and make him crash. There were also freeway crashes, dropped guns and a rooftop shooting. And it’s all pretty funny.

How Patricia Arquette plays a villain even as she keeps tabs on humanity. The actress didn’t have much to go on in taking a role in the Apple TV+ brain-bender “Severance,” except her trust in executive producer Ben Stiller: “I know he knew what he was doing, even though I didn’t know what he was doing.”

Lamont Dozier: An appreciation of a song craftsman who wrote hits with heart and soul. The composer who helped write numerous classics of the Motown catalog, including “Where Did Our Love Go?,” “Reflections,” “Baby Love” and others died on Monday at 81.

Andrew Koji almost gave up on acting. Now the “Bullet Train” and “Warrior” star is leaving his mark. “There were no Asian roles in England,” Koji says. “I grew up in Britain but I was treated differently. I’m half-white but [in] this industry, you’re ‘Asian.’ We all go into the same box. It’s limiting.” By 2017 he was all but ready to give up when, at his mother’s urging, he auditioned for and landed “Warrior.” Now, his upcoming films include “Seneca — On the Creation of Earthquakes” with John Malkovich and the action thriller “Boy Kills World.”

BUSINESS

Explaining Hollywood: How to get a job as a production accountant. The role has been in particularly high demand in recent years. One popular misconception is that to be a production accountant, you have to come from the accounting industry. Often these roles are filled by those fresh out of high school or college who have a love for the entertainment industry, the professionals say. You just need to have an inclination for business and finance. More on getting started and career paths.

OPINION

Editorial: Safety should not be a secret. It is unacceptable that factual information about harmful products can remain secret when it involves public health and safety. Several states have passed laws that require information about defective products and environmental hazards be made public when parties to a lawsuit reach a settlement. Now it’s California’s turn to act.

Editorial: Mountain lions are being slaughtered on the roads. They need our help to cross safely. Crossing multi-lane highways and fast-moving roads is treacherous for every kind of wildlife, from slow-moving tortoises to swift-footed pumas. Some get lucky and evade traffic, but no animal, no matter how wily or predatory, is a match for vehicles. If we want mountain lions and other creatures to survive, the state has to do a better job of creating safe passageways for animals.

SPORTS

The world will be watching as Qatar hosts the 2022 World Cup ... for better or worse. With much of the globe focused on the World Cup, Qatar has fallen under the microscope — a fact that already has led to change, like the abandonment of the kafala system, a legal form of indentured servitude. Some are hoping to use the focus of the monthlong tournament to bring more progress.

Here’s how the Dodgers lineup is barreling baseballs and producing bushels of runs. The team was averaging nearly seven runs a game during a nine-game winning streak and nearly six runs a game during a torrid 31-5 stretch. “Scary enough, I think there’s still a lot more in there for the whole team,” said Max Muncy, who hit a home run and a double Tuesday night against the Twins.

USC football vs. its own donors and fans? A fight develops for control of endorsements. The school’s athletic department leaders have opposed the creation of ‘Student Body Right,’ an NIL group created by deep-pocketed donors and diehard fans.

ONLY IN L.A.

BlaqHaus in North Hollywood.

(Myung J. Chun / Los Angeles Times)

Black Restaurant Week is returning to Los Angeles. The national restaurant week supports Black-owned food businesses, and it’ll be held Aug. 19-28. Food writer Stephanie Breijo writes: “The celebration of pan-African and Caribbean cuisine spotlights dozens of bakeries, soul-food spots, bars, juiceries, sandwich shops and other culinary specialists across the region.” Among participants this year: BlaqHaus in North Hollywood, Sammiche Shop in Inglewood and Big Chicken in Glendale. You can get updates on the restaurant week by following @blackrestaurantweek on Instagram.

FROM THE ARCHIVES

Aug. 5, 1942: Hedy Lamarr at the “Tales of Manhattan” premiere at Grauman’s Chinese Theatre in Los Angeles.

(Los Angeles Times)

Eighty years ago today, on Aug. 11, 1942, Hollywood actress-inventor Hedy Lamarr and avant-garde composer George Antheil received a patent for an invention to help guide torpedoes without the signal being intercepted. The functionality of their “frequency hopping” technology was based on player pianos. They turned their idea over to the Navy, which shelved it and told Lamarr her time would be better spent raising money for the war effort.

Years later, after the patent had expired, their tech was used during the Cuban missile crisis. They never earned money from their invention, which was said to be the basis for GPS, WiFi and other technologies. And Lamarr, once called the most beautiful woman in the world, continued to have her brains dismissed for her beauty. Susan Sarandon, executive producer of the Lamarr documentary “Bombshell,” said the actress was one of the most recognized faces in the world but “was never seen for who she was.”

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