Headlines From The Times

Two years ago, Nikole Hannah-Jones launched “The 1619 Project,” a collection of New York Times Magazine articles, photography and podcasts. That project became a launching point to talk about Black people’s roles in shaping the United States. Hannah-Jones has been praised and vilified for her work ever since.Today, we share highlights from a L.A. Times Book Club chat between Hannah-Jones and L.A. Times executive editor Kevin Merida. They talked about how Black people can be patriotic despite centuries of mistreatment … and about using mountains of research to get back at haters. More reading:Nikole Hannah-Jones dives into the origins and language of ‘The 1619 Project’Nikole Hannah-Jones became a political target. What she’s learned from the ‘hurtful’ attacksHoward-bound Nikole Hannah-Jones plans to ‘even the playing field’ for HBCUs. Here’s how 

COVID-19 has been devastating for everyone, but in the United States, there’s one demographic hit particularly hard: Latinos. According to the California Department of Public Health, Latinos make up about 39 percent of the state’s population but nearly half of all cases and 45 percent of all deaths. A perfect storm of factors made Latinos especially vulnerable to the coronavirus: Multigenerational households. Crowded neighborhoods. Essential jobs that required us to show up in person. Vaccine hesitancy among too many. Today, we hear about the devastation.More reading: Pandemic portraits: The Latino experience COVID stole the heart of my family. It also divided it Column: Don’t be a ‘pandejo.’ Take the pandemic seriously

How the hell does a chain based on an orphaned mouse who plays in a band survive and thrive? Very carefully. Today, we’ll talk to L.A. Times business reporter Samantha Masunaga about the company, and we’ll hear from its new chief executive about everything Chuck E. Cheese, including its infamous animatronic band.More reading:How do you make a 44-year-old animatronic rodent appeal to today’s kids? Chuck E. Cheese unveils a new look for its mousy mascotListen to Chuck E. Cheese's Spotify playlist

A Gallup poll last fall found that 45% of full-time U.S. employees were still working from home at least some of their hours. A full quarter of them exclusively work from home. Because of this, companies are increasingly using technology to monitor the activities of their workers while they’re on the clock, wherever they are. Today, we examine how and why companies are spying on their workers at home… and whether there’s a backlash coming.More reading: Is your company secretly monitoring your work at home? Since COVID, the practice has surged How your employer can keep track of your work at home So your employer is monitoring you. What you should know

Issa Rae is the brilliant, hilarious mind behind the recently concluded HBO show “Insecure.” In this crossover episode with The Envelope, Rae talks about the incredible trajectory of her career, from a YouTuber turned Hollywood powerhouse, and how she repped South Los Angeles in a way that wasn’t just real but uplifting.More reading: Issa Rae almost ended ‘Insecure’ differently. But she couldn’t ‘deny Issa her soulmate’ Issa Rae on the music business: ‘It’s an abusive industry... it needs to start over’ How ‘Insecure’ achieved its ‘mission’ to forge a real bond with South L.A.

To fight climate change, municipalities across the United States are banning natural gas lines from being installed in new buildings. That means no gas stoves. Politicians and policymakers in those places — Berkeley being one of the first — want people to use electric appliances, such as electric stovetops or the more advanced induction stovetop. (There’s a health factor too. Open flames put out some gases you might not want to breathe.)But the natural gas industry is fighting back. Today, L.A. Times national correspondent Evan Halper talks about the multimillion-dollar battle being fought between gas companies and municipal and state governments. And that battle is being waged in your kitchen.More reading:Clash of the kitchens: California leads the way in a new climate battlegroundVideo: Would you get rid of your gas stove and go electric?California ditched coal. The gas company is worried it’s next

It’s been a season of crime in California. Smash-and-grab thefts, follow-home robberies, high-profile murders — national, even international news accounts have painted a Golden State of chaos.The numbers tell a different story: Some major crime indicators are up, but others are down, and they’re nowhere near historical highs. But that reality isn’t placating anyone. And when Californians get mad about crime — watch out, America.Today, L.A. Times columnist Erika D. Smith discusses California’s legacy of crackdowns. And business reporter Sam Dean discusses how some stores may be taking advantage of public fear.More reading:Column: Don’t let Jacqueline Avant’s shooting get pulled into L.A.'s crass politics of crimeSan Francisco confronts a crime wave unusual among U.S. citiesRetailers say thefts are at crisis level. The numbers say otherwise

Across Latin America, the political left is making a comeback not seen since the 2000s. Izquierdista presidential candidates won recent elections in Peru and Honduras. Activists are mounting protests against the conservative presidents of Brazil and Colombia.The left’s biggest win so far is in Chile, where Gabriel Boric was elected president last month. He’ll take office in a country that’s about to rewrite its constitution, which was put into place by dictator Augusto Pinochet.Today, L.A. Times Mexico City bureau chief Patrick J. McDonnell and Universidad de Chile professor Claudia Heiss speak with us about this “pink tide” and what it could mean for a region coming to terms with soaring inequality, a legacy of colonialism and a bloody, authoritarian history.More reading:Leftist lawmaker Boric wins polarized election in Chile, to become nation’s youngest presidentChile’s new president (Taylor’s version): Gabriel Boric is a SwiftieChileans approve rewriting of constitution in landslide vote

Hopefully the COVID-19 nightmare will soon wane, but it’s unlikely to be the last pandemic of our lifetimes. Because the virus that will cause the next pandemic is probably already out there.Animals carry hundreds of thousands of viruses that have the potential to infect humans. Buffer zones between where people live and where wild animals live lower the risk of viruses jumping from another species to our own. But now human behaviors such as deforestation and urbanization, along with climate change, are erasing those zones.Today, L.A. Times foreign correspondent Kate Linthicum, who recently traveled to the Amazon rainforest, and national correspondent Emily Baumgaertner, who focuses on medical investigations, explain the issue. And they talk about ways to solve the problem — or at least dial down the risks.More reading:Where will the next pandemic begin? The Amazon rainforest offers troubling cluesOp-Ed: What it will take to keep the next pandemic at bayLetters to the Editor: Want to help prevent the next pandemic? Go vegan

Los Angeles Times congressional correspondent Sarah D. Wire knew she was in for a historic day when she walked into the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021. She was there to cover the counting of the electoral college votes for the 2020 presidential election.Because of then-President Trump’s allegations of election fraud, she was expecting controversy. But she didn’t expect to be caught in the middle of an insurrection.Today, Sarah tells us about the day a mob of pro-Trump extremists stormed the Capitol, and she shares never-before-heard interviews with the Congress members who sheltered with her for hours. It’s a glimpse into the minds of our lawmakers as they worried for their lives while chaos invaded the seat of American democracy.More reading:I’m in a roomful of people ‘panicked that I might inadvertently give away their location’Jan. 6 committee prepares to go public as findings mountColumn: The Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol was bad. It may have set the stage for worse