Today’s Headlines: Not even Death Valley is immune to climate change
Hello, it’s Wednesday, July 19, and here are the stories you shouldn’t miss today:
TOP STORIES
Climate change in Death Valley
Even Death Valley — one of the most extreme places on the planet — is not immune to climate change. This past week, many tuned in to see if its all-time temperature record of 134 degrees would be broken, a possibility that was heralded by some as a barometer of climate change.
Though the park fell short of that record, many who know Death Valley best say they’re already seeing the impacts of climate change on a near-daily basis.
- Worse air quality in L.A. expected during heat wave. Why do high temperatures cause more smog?
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Trump says he’s the target of federal 2020 election overturn probe
Former President Trump said that federal prosecutors had told his legal team that he is a target of their investigation into efforts to overturn the 2020 election results and keep him in power.
In a statement released on his Truth Social platform, Trump said his attorneys were told in a letter from the Justice Department on Sunday night that he was the focus of the investigation and that he had four days to respond to the federal grand jury considering his indictment.
More politics
- The House approved a resolution declaring that Israel is not a “racist state,” effectively rebuking Rep. Pramila Jayapal, who had suggested otherwise.
- In a report filed Tuesday in a long-running case on conditions for migrant children in custody, Dr. Paul H. Wise says Anadith Danay Reyes Álvarez’s death was preventable.
- In the first hearing before federal Judge Aileen Cannon, who has set a trial for mid-August, prosecutors and Trump’s lawyers seek a later date, but disagree how much later.
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Migrants in U.S. rethink plans to go home
As violence engulfs large swaths of Mexico, migrants from particularly dangerous regions are being forced to reevaluate their ties to their home country. Some are deciding that returning is not worth the risk.
It’s a phenomenon that experts say could have profound economic and cultural consequences — reducing the flow of dollars into parts of Mexico that have long depended on them and straining connections between migrants and their homelands.
How SAG-AFTRA strike will affect San Diego Comic-Con
The presence of top film and TV talent at San Diego Comic-Con will be massively reduced amid the WGA and SAG-AFTRA strikes. So what can you expect from Comic-Con in the midst of a historic double strike in Hollywood? Here’s our guide from The Times’ resident convention experts.
PHOTO OF THE DAY
Watch: Rabbit fire in Riverside County eats up ground in time-lapse video. As of Tuesday afternoon, the Rabbit fire in Riverside County had burned more than 8,000 acres and over 1,500 fire personnel had been assigned to the blaze.
CALIFORNIA
He was making a documentary about police brutality. Then the LAPD tased him in his home. Filmmaker and actor Damien Smith says he was tased by police in his own apartment in Hollywood after he called 911 to report a burglary.
L.A. County courts to severely limit the use of cash bail. Cash bail will no longer be a condition of release for all defendants in misdemeanor and nonviolent felony cases in one of the nation’s largest court systems starting Oct. 1.
Hotel and union negotiation fails to break stalemate; more walkouts ahead, the union vows. Striking Southern California hotel workers and employers failed to make progress in the first bargaining session since walkouts began July 1.
Taco Bell and Taco John’s settle a trademark dispute. “Taco Tuesday’ is now free for everyone to use. Taco Bell had mounted a fierce campaign against the trademark, arguing that its customers could “Live Más” if only they could “freely say ‘Taco Tuesday.’”
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NATION-WORLD
Tupac Shakur killing: Police search Vegas-area home in connection with rapper’s fatal shooting. Nearly 30 years after the infamous shooting death of the hip-hop legend, Las Vegas police have served a search warrant at a home in the nearby suburb of Henderson, Nev.
Bribes. Murder. Suicide. The death of South Carolina’s Mexican combo-plate king. There are falls from grace, and then there’s the story of Gregorio Leon, who was found hanging in his prison cell after a jury found him guilty just a week earlier of murdering his wife’s lover after catching the two of them in the back seat of a truck the night of Valentine’s Day 2016.
HOLLYWOOD AND THE ARTS
The Roxy is turning 50. Explore the iconic L.A. club’s history, from Neil Young to ‘Rocky Horror.’ Beloved nightclubs come and go, but the Roxy has few peers in L.A. or elsewhere, both a hallowed venue where rock gods minted their legends and a still-thriving venue at the heart of the city’s musical nightlife.
How divided are SAG-AFTRA and the studios? Here’s what the two sides say. The heated back-and-forth gives a sense of how much work will have to be done to reach a deal once the union and the studios return to the negotiating table.
Travis Scott’s Egyptian pyramids concert permit revoked amid ‘false’ satanic claims. The decision comes on the heels of unsubstantiated claims that the “Sicko Mode” rapper promotes “Masonic thoughts” and “carries out strange rituals” during his live events.
BUSINESS
Here’s something you don’t often hear from the IRS: Don’t pay your taxes (yet). Well, that’s only if you live in an area covered by a disaster declaration.
In-N-Out bans employees from wearing masks. According to an internal memo leaked Friday, employees will no longer be allowed to wear face coverings come Aug. 14 unless they have a medical note.
SPORTS
Women’s World Cup schedule: Start times for every match and how to watch. The 2023 Women’s World Cup, which kicks off in Australia and New Zealand on Thursday, will be the largest ever, with 32 teams playing 64 games over a month. Here’s a look at each of the teams in the biggest and deepest women’s soccer tournament in history.
Yes, you should plan a summer trip around baseball. A guide to all 30 MLB ballparks. Whether it’s on your bucket list to take in a game at every site or you just want to soak in the atmosphere at a handful of specific fields, here’s some information to help start planning your trip.
Will the Lakers give LeBron James the Kobe treatment and retire both numbers when he hangs it up? What will the Lakers do when James calls it a career? They’ve already retired the jerseys of 12 players, and with Bryant’s two and Pau Gasol’s No. 16 retired in March, that’s a baker’s dozen of retired numbers.
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OPINION
Elected officials can stand with striking workers — no matter what the L.A. city attorney says. “Elected city officials are allowed to voice their views, including on matters that will ultimately come before them for a vote. They are not like judges who are expected to refrain from expressing public positions on issues,” Erwin Chemerinsky writes.
Was it OK for ‘The Bear’ to use this Jewish slur? “That depends,” writes Robin Abcarian. “We all get that it’s awful to use stereotypes to insult entire groups of people. We all get that we’re better for figuring out that, yes, there are things we ‘shouldn’t say.’ And yet, I don’t think ‘The Bear’ transgressed in its handling of this particular aspersion.”
ONLY IN L.A.
With historic Hollywood writers’ and actors’ strikes now underway, it seems the perfect time to pay homage to the homes of sitcoms past, and it’s reassuring to know that even if the fall TV schedule ends up being a dumpster fire, some of our fan favorites are just around the corner. Literally.
This curbside tour leads the way to some of TV’s most iconic houses in L.A.
FROM THE ARCHIVES
On July 19, 2007, “Mad Men” premiered on AMC and quickly became a critical and commercial hit.
Sixteen years ago, The Times’ Mary McNamara wrote about the pilot episode, which was “not so much a pilot as an hourlong seduction.”
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.
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