Today’s Headlines: Biden cuts migrants’ access to lawyers, echoing Trump policy as Title 42 expires

Hello, it’s Friday, May 12, and here are the stories you shouldn’t miss today:

TOP STORIES

Cutting the time asylum seekers have to find attorneys

With pandemic-era measures that allow border officers to easily turn away migrants set to expire a minute before midnight Thursday, the Biden administration has slashed the amount of time asylum seekers have to find attorneys before their crucial first interview with immigration officials.

The Trump administration issued a similar policy in 2019, but that effort was later blocked in federal court. The move is the latest example of Biden adopting a Trump-style scheme in an attempt to manage high numbers of border crossings.

California Sen. Dianne Feinstein is back at work, but needs lots of help

Feinstein’s first day back at the Judiciary Committee — a forum where she spent decades sparring with nominees — after an extended absence for shingles was short.

Feinstein’s nearly three-month absence has prompted debate over whether the 89-year-old, who appeared frail when she arrived at the Capitol, should leave before the end of her term. And it has raised broader questions about whether aging lawmakers grow too dependent on their staffs, and if that makes leaving the comforts of Washington that much harder.

Supreme Court upholds California animal cruelty law

The Supreme Court on Thursday upheld an animal welfare law approved by California’s voters, ruling that the state’s restrictions on the sale of pork that is produced by the cruel confinement of breeding pigs does not violate the Constitution.

Justice Neil M. Gorsuch, writing for the court, said the Constitution leaves it to states and their voters to decide on the products that will be sold there. He said these questions should not be decided by federal judges.

Sign up for our California Politics newsletter to get the best of The Times’ state politics reporting and the latest action in Sacramento.

How to stay safe as the COVID public health emergency ends

The country’s public health emergency touched off in January 2020 by the sudden appearance of a novel coronavirus formally entered the history books Thursday.

So as we mark the end of an era, a sense of unease has been hard for many to shake. We get it: You have concerns.

After more than 1,200 days of living with and covering the pandemic, we have perspective.

Many professional boxers are missing out on California pensions

The California Professional Boxers’ Pension Plan, the nation’s only state-administered retirement plan of its kind, was designed specifically as a safety net for the sport’s most vulnerable.

But more than a dozen boxers contacted by The Times said they were unaware they were beneficiaries of the 40-year-old pension program. Many retired boxers said they could not recall ever receiving information from the California State Athletic Commission, which administers the plan, informing them that they qualified or how to apply.

PHOTO OF THE DAY

Mahya, 4, from Afghanistan waits with her parents and four sisters in Tijuana to get into the United States. One of her sisters said life for five daughters was too difficult in Afghanistan under Taliban rule. Read more: “Photos: Migrants mass along the border as Title 42 nears expiration”

(Carolyn Cole / Los Angeles Times)

CALIFORNIA

Federal hate crime charges were filed in the Taiwanese church shooting. In a sweeping new federal indictment, a Las Vegas man accused of killing one person and injuring five others last year at a Taiwanese Presbyterian church in Orange County has been charged with hate crimes, murder and attempted murder, prosecutors announced Thursday.

Orange County’s big shift: Older cities lose population as Irvine, south county boom. As California’s population has dropped, some Orange County cities have seen high numbers of movers in, while others have struggled.

A Christian nonprofit that was punished for feeding homeless people gains the backing of the Justice Department. The DOJ is siding with Orange County nonprofit Micah’s Way, which was penalized and threatened with prosecution by the city of Santa Ana for feeding homeless people.

Young doctor Julissa Gutiérrez is the new head of L.A.’s Honduran Consulate. Can she heal it? Gutiérrez, 28 years old and originally from Tegucigalpa, aspires for the Honduran Consulate to become an institution focused on the community.

A victim of unprovoked street violence or a vigilante who ‘terrorized’ homeless San Franciscans? Video shows ex-San Francisco Fire Commissioner Don Carmignani being struck in the head with a metal pipe. Defense attorneys for the suspect say it was an act of self-defense that followed a series of bear-spray attacks on homeless people.

NATION-WORLD

New blood donation rules allow more gay and bisexual men to give in the U.S. New rules allow sexually active gay and bisexual men in monogamous relationships to give blood in the U.S. All donors will be screened with a questionnaire.

New York man to be charged in the subway chokehold killing of Jordan Neely. Daniel Penny, 24, will be arrested on suspicion of second-degree manslaughter in the May 1 death of Neely, a spokesperson for the Manhattan district attorney’s office said in a statement.

EPA says pollution limits proposed for U.S. coal and gas power plants reflect climate crisis ‘urgency.’ The Biden administration is proposing new limits on greenhouse gas emissions from coal- and gas-fired power plants to reduce planet-warming pollution.

HOLLYWOOD AND THE ARTS

Forget the romance. Natural hair and royal wigs steal the spotlight in ‘Queen Charlotte.’ In the Netflix series, the hairstyles and wigs worn by the actors are works of art that battle for viewers’ attention as much as the romance onscreen.

The ‘sort of dirty,’ semi-‘cynical’ story behind Hollywood’s hottest new trend. Experts tell The Times why Tetris, Air Jordans, BlackBerries, Flamin’ Hot Cheetos and more are suddenly getting a star turn at the movies.

How a show inspired by Jim Henson infuses personality into puppetry using adult improv. The Times spoke with creators Brian Henson and Patrick Bristow about the show’s origin, blending puppetry and adult improv comedy, and its L.A. roots.

Jimmie Allen is sued by a former manager for alleged sexual assault and sex trafficking. The country musician, known for the songs “Best Shot” and “Warrior,” is being sued by his former manager for alleged sexual battery, assault, false imprisonment, sex trafficking and emotional distress, according to legal documents obtained by The Times.

BUSINESS

CNN’s Trump town hall nabs 3.3 million viewers amid brutal criticism. CNN chief Chris Licht defends Trump’s interview with anchor Kaitlan Collins, which was the Republican candidate’s first sit-down on the network since 2016.

Elon Musk says he’s stepping down as Twitter CEO. The billionaire owner said Thursday that a new female chief executive, whom he didn’t name, will start in about six weeks.

Peloton is recalling more than 2 million exercise bikes. Here’s why. The recall includes approximately 2.2 million of the Peloton Bikes Model PL01. The bikes were sold from January 2018 through May 2023 for about $1,400.

SPORTS

Exclusive: Inside the Rams’ 2023 schedule release war room. NFL teams are given only a 30-hour head start ahead of the league’s schedule release. Here’s how the Rams carried out their plans.

A fitter Victor González is fitting in nicely in Dodgers’ bullpen. González put on so much weight after 2020 that it threatened his career. This season, he again became an important reliever for the Dodgers.

OPINION

Opinion: The Supreme Court says California can regulate pork. That’s big, even if you’re not a pig. The justices rejected the argument that the “dormant commerce clause” principle prohibits Proposition 12 from affecting how Iowa farmers raise their pigs.

Opinion: An AI chatbot may be your next therapist. Will it actually help your mental health? It will be tempting for insurers to offer up apps and chatbots to meet mental health parity requirements. But there’s little evidence that they help.

YOUR WEEKEND

(Inma Hortas / For The Times)

Pole dance changed my life. Here are 13 L.A. spots to try it for yourself. Pole dance made me value being physically strong for the first time in my life. Here are great pole dance studios in Los Angeles that cater to all.

Thirteen unmissable arts events we’re looking forward to this summer. Keith Haring’s first-ever L.A. museum survey, Sondheim celebrations, a groundbreaking Chicanx art show, intriguing Ojai Music Festival offerings and plenty more to check out this summer.

WHAT OUR EDITORS ARE READING

Note: Some of the sites we link to may limit the number of stories you can access without subscribing.

What’s happening to the trees in New Orleans? Between 2005 and 2009, according to satellite surveys, the city lost hundreds of thousands of trees to storm and flood damage. Today, around two-thirds of neighborhoods have less than 10% canopy cover. Bloomberg

The matriarch of the James clan has always been the one calling the shots. Savannah James came up in a time when other basketball wives were making names for themselves as reality TV stars and influencers, but instead of joining in, she opted for the sweet serenity of a private life — or as private as one’s life can be while married to one of the best basketball players to ever play in the NBA. The Cut

Why inflation price hikes are even worse behind bars. Rising food costs strain even the most well-planned budgets, since incarcerated people make meager wages if they are paid at all. The average hourly wages max out at 52 cents an hour. The Marshall Project

FROM THE ARCHIVES

Nearly 180 years ago, a group of American pioneers headed for California during the westward migration were trapped by a 22-foot snowfall in the Sierra Nevada, and when food ran out they reportedly resorted to cannibalism.

In May 1986, the Times wrote about the episode, which has been called the most spectacular disaster in the history of Western migration.

We appreciate that you took the time to read Today’s Headlines! Comments or ideas? Feel free to drop us a note at headlines@latimes.com.