Headlines From The Times

The Dixie fire is now the largest single wildfire in California history. At more than 600,000 acres, it’s been burning in Northern California for over a month and has destroyed more than 500 homes in areas that never imagined wildfires to be a year-round risk.That inferno continues at the same time that the United Nations Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change has released its bleakest report yet, saying: “It is unequivocal that human influence has warmed the atmosphere, ocean and land.”Today, we welcome our good-natured Masters of Disasters — L.A. Times earthquake reporter Ron Lin, coastal reporter Rosanna Xia and wildfire reporter Alex Wigglesworth — to make sense of these dark and hot times.More reading:Dixie fire generates fire whirl, pyrocumulonimbus cloud at 40,000 feetPG&E power line suspected in Dixie fire was set to be buried underground in safety moveCalifornia builds a ‘Noah’s Ark’ to protect wildlife from extinction by fire and heat

Today, we continue our collaboration with our sister podcast “The Envelope” and its host Yvonne Villarreal. In this episode, she talks with Hannah Waddingham about Waddingham’s Emmy-nominated performance in “Ted Lasso,” the feel-good Apple TV + comedy series that centers on the upbeat, fish-out-of-water American coach of an English soccer team. Waddingham plays the coach’s initially vindictive and cynical boss, Rebecca.Waddingham also discusses her turn as the “Game of Thrones” nun who infamously yelled “Shame! Shame!” at Cersei Lannister, recounts how doors have opened for her during her career and reflects on her childhood as the daughter and granddaughter of opera singers.More reading:Those biscuits in ‘Ted Lasso’ look delish. Not so much, says Hannah Waddingham‘Ted Lasso’s’ Christmas episode wasn’t part of the plan. Here’s how they pulled it off‘Ted Lasso’ isn’t just a TV show. It’s a vibe

Today we talk to L.A. Times education and science reporters about the full reopening of schools, which will affect millions of families in California and beyond. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention mostly OKed this reopening, with the provision that everyone should mask up in schools and, if 12 or older, be vaccinated against COVID-19.But what if your kids are younger than that? How about if they develop symptoms or come into contact with someone who tested positive for the coronavirus? What safety measures should schools be prioritizing?More reading:California students are going back to school. We answer parents’ most pressing questions‘Que locura,’ this is madness. First-day-of-school delays frustrate students and parents$350 million. 1,000 healthcare workers. 500,000 tests weekly. Inside L.A. Unified School District’s virus testing effort

President Biden wants 40 percent of new cars to be electric by 2030. As automakers race to meet demand, they're setting off a mining rush worldwide from rare earth and critical metals. Cobalt, lithium, manganese and nickel here in the United States are hard to come by, but exist in sensitive habitats like the ocean floor and indigenous land. Now, environmentalists and activists are questioning whether electric cars are the wisest way to tackle climate change. In this episode we take you to the lithium mines of the Western U.S. in Nevada, to the geothermal vents of California’s Salton Sea, and to the seafloor of the Pacific Ocean.More reading:California’s electric car revolution, designed to save the planet, also unleashes a toll on itColumn: I was going to buy an all-electric car but chickened out. Here’s whyGood luck getting a state rebate on your new electric car

Black police officers are facing new challenges in the current atmosphere around policing, especially in the wake of George Floyd’s murder and the many demonstrations against police brutality that have taken place over the last 18 months.In addition to heckling from activists on the streets, some of whom call them traitors, Black officers experience internal racism within the police department — which has always existed but has surfaced in new ways since last year’s protests began.Today, Officer Michael Silva talks to L.A. Times reporter Kevin Rector about why he joined the Los Angeles Police Department, what he’s experienced and where he thinks we can go from here.More reading:For a Black LAPD officer, police reckoning brings pressure from protesters and fellow copsIn court, BLM says LAPD ‘failed completely’ to punish officers in protest abusesPolice Commission reinstates one of LAPD’s first Black officers, undoing 120-year-old injustice2019 analysis: LAPD searches Blacks and Latinos more. But they’re less likely to have contraband than whites

Corn is a part of modern life in all sorts of ways: It fattens up livestock and gets turned into biofuels. We eat it on the cob, as grits, polenta and tortillas, and as syrup that sweetens so many other foods.Most of the corn used in the U.S. is sprayed with weed killers such as glyphosate and is genetically modified to survive those weed killers and to create bigger yields — controversial practices.Mexico, corn’s birthplace, imports millions of tons of U.S. corn each year. But there’s about to be a dramatic change. The nation is preparing to shut its doors to GMO corn and ban glyphosate. Today we talk with reporter Renée Alexander, as well as the head of a company that’s devoted to buying from Mexican farmers who grow non-GMO corn, about what that means for both Mexico and the United States.Host: Gustavo ArellanoGuests: Journalist Renée Alexander and Masienda founder and CEO Jorge GaviriaMore reading:Mexico is phasing out imports of glyphosate and GMO cornChampion of poor or demagogue? Mexico’s president remains popularCourt upholds $25-million verdict against maker of glyphosate weed killer Roundup

In this collaboration with our sister podcast “The Envelope,” we talk all things Emmys, which are coming up Sept. 19. Who are the favorites? The snubs? The underdogs? In this roundtable, host Gustavo Arellano — who still subscribes to DirecTV and mostly watches local news and Bravo, so at least he’s familiar with “Below Deck” — joins his entertainment-side colleagues, columnist Glenn Whipp and television editor Matt Brennan. They know what’s up.More reading:Last year, we turned to TV for comfort. Emmy voters followed suitThis year’s Emmy nominations are clear: The age of the antihero is overThe BuzzMeter experts predict the 2021 Emmy winners — and so can you

The California Department of Fair Employment and Housing sounds like a bureaucratic borefest, but it’s actually pretty important. It files lawsuits against companies and landlords accused of discrimination.Now it’s tackling sexism in the world of video games.Today we talk about California’s lawsuit against Activision Blizzard. The Santa Monica company made $8 billion last year on the strength of classic video game titles like “Call of Duty” and “World of Warcraft.” But the state argues the company let fester a “pervasive frat boy workplace culture” that led to sexual harassment against women. The move comes during a years-long debate in video games about equity in a culture long dominated by white men.More reading:Activision Blizzard lashed out when accused of sexism. Workers don’t like that responseThis may be one of the most important entertainment lawsuits ever filed — and no one seems to careBlizzard president out in wake of discrimination lawsuit and employee walkout

The Medical Board of California was established to protect patients by licensing doctors and investigating complaints when things go wrong.But even when it accuses a doctor of causing patients to lose limbs, become paralyzed or die, the board often lets the doctor continue to practice. There’s no limit on the number of times the board can put a doctor on probation.Today we speak with L.A. Times investigative reporter Jack Dolan. He, along with our colleague Kim Christensen, looked into how and why the medical board rarely takes away doctors’ licenses and has long pushed back against calls to toughen its approach. We’ll also hear from people who were operated on by California doctors who were on probation and woke up from their surgeries worse off than they were before.More reading:Botched surgeries and death: How the California Medical Board keeps negligent doctors in businessA doctor was charged in a billion-dollar fraud scheme. But his license remains activeCritics say physicians ‘cartel’ obstructing efforts to punish bad doctorsFinding information about your doctor isn’t always easy. Here are some ways to dig deeper

When a warehouse filled with ammonium nitrate and fireworks exploded at the Port of Beirut on Aug. 4, 2020, it pushed out a fireball into the air, followed by a shock wave that raced inland at supersonic speed. A trail of devastation followed: 200 people dead, thousands wounded and 300,000 homeless.The Lebanese capital’s more than 2 million residents have spent the last year trying to rebuild not just their lives and buildings but also the pride and confidence of a city and country left in tatters. Their government hasn’t helped.Today we talk with L.A. Times Middle East bureau chief Nabih Bulos, who was injured in the explosion. And we hear from relatives of those affected.More reading:Once, they were symbols of promise. The Beirut blast turned them to monuments of despairLebanon’s people line up in ‘queues of humiliation’ as their country unravelsA roar, an explosion, then a blank: An L.A. Times reporter’s ordeal in the Beirut blast