Headlines From The Times

Over the past couple of years, a slew of weather disasters afflicting the United States have shown how fragile our energy system truly is, from electrical grids to solar panels, wind farms to coal. Add aging infrastructure and a clapback by Mother Nature, and zap: No power. For days.Today, we convene our monthly Masters of Disasters panel — earthquake and COVID-19 reporter Ron Lin, wildfire reporter Alex Wigglesworth and energy reporter Sammy Roth — to talk about the future of energy in a rapidly warming world.More reading:Sign up for our Boiling Point newsletterWill blackouts be Gavin Newsom’s downfall? A former governor weighs inRidgecrest earthquake packed the power of 45 nuclear bombs, but its impact was muted

Packed stadiums. Hard-fought games. Boisterous, mostly maskless fans. The National Football League kicked off its season this past weekend almost as if the coronavirus had never existed. But it didn’t get to this point by ignoring the pandemic — far from it. With careful planning and close attention to who in the league was getting sick, the NFL helped advance science and show us all how to live in a world with COVID-19.Today, as the 2021 football season begins, L.A. Times reporter Sam Farmer delves into the NFL’s coronavirus experiment: its successes, its failures and lessons for the rest of us.More reading:The NFL had a secret COVID-19 plan. Here’s why the league didn’t need itFive things we learned from behind-the-scenes look at the NFL’s COVID-19 season in 2020Column: The NFL discovers how to trounce vaccine hesitancy

Twenty years ago, the 9/11 terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center, the Pentagon and on United Airlines Flight 93 killed nearly 3,000 people. It’s a day that launched wars and shifted politics in the United States forever.It’s also the day that pushed the U.S. Muslim community under a microscope — and has kept them there ever since.Today, we focus on how 9/11 and its aftermath continue to loom over their lives.More reading:20 years after 9/11, an American Muslim recalls the costs of war you didn’t see on TVMuslim youth in America: A generation shadowed by the aftermath of 9/11Former Rep. Keith Ellison recalls how political opponents attacked his Muslim faith after 9/11

U.S. Rep. Adam Schiff, chair of the powerful House Intelligence Committee, became a household name as lead impeachment manager against former President Trump. Now the Southern California-based congressman is investigating the Jan. 6 Capitol insurrection. It’s been an unlikely career path for Schiff. When he began his first term in the House of Representatives in January 2001, his big issue was U.S. recognition of the Armenian genocide. Then came Sept. 11. Today is Part 1 of our series on the legacy of 9/11 in California. We’ll begin with national political correspondent Melanie Mason interviewing Schiff on how that one day in 2001 changed the trajectory of his career and American politics forever.More reading: Adam Schiff’s command of impeachment hearings draws Trump’s anger and colleagues’ praiseColumn: Adam Schiff has finally been vindicated. But it brings him no pleasureOp-Ed: Adam Schiff: Why my colleagues and I are introducing the first major democracy reforms since Watergate

In 2018, Gavin Newsom was elected California’s governor with nearly 62 percent of the vote. It was the largest margin of victory in a California gubernatorial election in nearly 70 years and cemented Newsom’s reputation as the state’s marquee Democrat. But now Newsom faces a recall election, and all of liberal America is asking: What happened? Today, in the second part of our series on California’s recall election, we examine the rise and potential fall of Newsom. The former lieutenant governor and San Francisco mayor seems like the perfect official to lead deep-blue California,  but now there’s a chance he might be on the wrong side of a historical political upset.More reading: Read all of the L.A. Times California gubernatorial recall election coverage hereQ&A: What you need to know about the attempt to recall Gov. Gavin NewsomColumn: In California governor recall, Latinos have a chance to cause political ‘desmadre’

California’s Democratic governor, Gavin Newsom, faces a once-unthinkable scenario: a recall. Election day is Sept. 14, just a week away. If he loses, his putative replacement would be one of the most conservative governors California has ever seen.How did California, one of the bluest states, get to the point where a Republican might win the governor’s seat? How did that candidate, radio talk show host Larry Elder, become the top challenger? And what would Elder do if he wins?Today, we start a two-part series on the California recall election, starting with a focus on Elder: his life, his beliefs and his sudden political rise. Our guest is L.A. Times columnist Erika D. Smith. More reading:Everything you need to know about Larry ElderColumn: Larry Elder is the Black face of white supremacy. You’ve been warnedColumn: Larry Elder says he’s not a face of white supremacy. His fans make it hard to believeInside Larry Elder’s base — longtime fans, new converts, evangelicals, Trump fans

Growing up in Queens, N.Y., Lucy Liu felt like she was from another planet — until she found the arts. But when the fiercely independent daughter of Chinese immigrants set her sights on acting, she was told repeatedly she wouldn’t make it in Hollywood, where opportunities for Asian American talent were scant.Now she’s a household name.In this crossover episode with The Los Angeles Times’ “Asian Enough” podcast, the actor talks about how her memorable roles — including Ling Woo on “Ally McBeal” and O-Ren Ishii in the “Kill Bill” movies — helped move the needle on Asian representation in Hollywood. Liu also discusses why she had to stand up to Bill Murray on the set of “Charlie’s Angels” and her feelings about the Destiny’s Child song that name-drops her.More reading: Lucy Liu gets personal on fame, art and standing up for herself on the ‘Charlie’s Angels’ set

The U.S. has seen a historic number of illegal border crossings this summer — a 21-year high, according to federal figures. Why is this happening? One reason: Thousands of migrants are waiting in northern Mexico — some for months — to claim asylum in the U.S. because President Biden extended a Trump-era pandemic policy that effectively bars them from entering the country.In Mexico, the migrants — many from Central America — are at risk of being kidnapped, extorted or killed by smugglers. Yet more decide to make the dangerous journey to the border every day, seeking refuge in the U.S.41-year-old El Salvador native Rosario Yanira Girón de Orellana was one of them. Her body was found on a ranch in Texas in June. This is her story.More reading:Losing Rosario: A mother sent her daughter across the border. Before they could reunite, one diedLa muerte de Rosario: Una madre envió a su hija al otro lado de la frontera. Ella falleció antes de que pudieran reunirseWhy Border Patrol is doing more to rescue and identify missing migrants

Fewer ethnic groups in the U.S. have been harder hit by COVID-19 than Native Americans. It’s killed them at more than twice the rate of whites. The pandemic has exacerbated longstanding health inequities, and a deep-rooted distrust in the federal government made tribal leaders fearful that members would reject the government-endorsed vaccines.But the opposite happened. Native Americans now have the highest vaccination rates of any major racial or ethnic group in the United States. L.A. Times Seattle bureau chief Richard Read and Navajo Nation President Jonathan Nez explain why.More reading:Despite obstacles, Native Americans have the nation’s highest COVID-19 vaccination rateCOVID-19 is crushing Native American reservations. But distrust of the government makes vaccines a hard sellThey know the sick. On Navajo Nation, contact tracers work to control coronavirus on vast lands

The pandemic has devastated national economies and the futures of young people. Few countries have been hurt more than Colombia. Since April, nationwide strikes — led by students, Afro-Colombians, and Indigenous people — have repeatedly shut down parts of the South American country. What’s happening here is a case study of whether the old adage of the Latin American left remains true in the age of COVID-19: Otro mundo es posible. Another world is possible.Today, L.A. Times Mexico City bureau chief Patrick J. McDonnell, who was in Colombia this summer, describes the social and political fallout and how the U.S. is involved. And we’ll hear from Colombians themselves about why they’re angry.More reading:The pandemic plunged millions of Latin Americans into poverty. Young people are inheriting the consequencesSlain Colombian activist becomes icon of resistance as protests and deaths mountColombia reaches 100,000 COVID-19 deaths as cases surge