Headlines From The Times

Los Angeles has cut street homelessness by 14% in two years, but $90 million in budget cuts threaten those gains. Nearly 900,000 Americans have lost their jobs this year, with AI cited in thousands of layoffs. Kawhi Leonard and the Clippers face an NBA investigation into a $28 million salary cap scheme involving a bankrupt company. Gov. Gavin Newsom says Trump’s Guard deployment cost L.A. taxpayers $120 million, while Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. faced bipartisan criticism in a Senate hearing. In business, Salesforce says AI replaced 4,000 support roles, while a federal judge ruled Google won’t have to sell its Chrome browser but must follow tighter rules.

California, Oregon, and Washington launch the West Coast Health Alliance to shield public health from political interference. Climate scientists issue a 500-page rebuttal to a federal report downplaying global warming. Survivors of Jeffrey Epstein’s abuse rally at the Capitol demanding release of DOJ files. Authorities shut down Streameast, the largest illegal sports streaming site, after a global investigation. A judge allows scrutiny of State Farm’s claims practices amid rate hike hearings. And Google faces backlash from YouTube creators after using their videos to train AI tools.

A federal judge ruled President Trump’s deployment of National Guard troops to Los Angeles was illegal under the Posse Comitatus Act. Israel mobilized 60,000 reservists as its Gaza offensive escalated, sparking protests and warnings from aid groups. In Los Angeles, a football booster admitted paying families to transfer athletes, while California faces triple-digit heat, lightning, and rising wildfire risk. In business, OpenAI was sued after parents alleged ChatGPT gave their son suicide instructions, and the U.S. suspended the “de minimis” exemption on cheap imports, raising costs for online shoppers and challenging retailers like Shein and Temu.

Thousands of migrants who once risked everything to reach the US are now turning back.  Duty-free shopping may be at risk.  LA public defenders are working to remove an acting US attorney.  Israel declaring Gaza's largest city a dangerous combat zone.  Open AI creating jobs despite negative pushback over teen suicide.  California workers not returning to office.

Russia launched one of its largest airstrikes on Kyiv since the war began, killing at least 18 and injuring dozens, with missiles striking government buildings and international offices. In Southern California, three high schools forfeited volleyball matches rather than face a team with a transgender athlete, thrusting a 17-year-old student into the spotlight of a national debate. California’s Attorney General announced a reform agreement with the Torrance Police Department after a racist text scandal exposed nearly a dozen officers. Meanwhile, federal officials say immigration raids will “ramp up” in Los Angeles and other sanctuary cities, with Chicago possibly next on the list. In business, AI company Anthropic settled a copyright lawsuit with authors and a Stanford study found entry-level coders face steep employment outlooks as AI adoption spreads.

President Trump is asserting greater federal power in Washington, D.C., seizing control of Union Station and pledging billions to remake the city. In South Asia, devastating floods in India and Pakistan have killed more than 800 people since June, displacing hundreds of thousands. In Minnesota, a gunman opened fire at a Catholic school, killing two students and injuring 17 others before taking his own life. Meanwhile, Florida’s controversial “Alligator Alcatraz” detention center could be empty within days after a federal judge ordered its closure. In business, State Farm faces fire-claim rebukes while California unions hold steady. 

President Trump moves to fire Federal Reserve Governor Lisa Cook, setting off a historic legal and financial battle. California faces rising COVID-19 cases tied to a new variant, while vaccine approvals remain stalled. Trump extends TikTok’s shutdown deadline once again, leaving its future uncertain despite a congressional ban. In Gaza, an Israeli airstrike on a hospital kills 20, fueling protests and renewed ceasefire demands. Beverly Hills schools weigh displaying the Israeli flag on campuses during Jewish Heritage Month. And in fashion, models confront AI-generated rivals as debates over consent and pay intensify.

Israeli airstrikes killed 19 people in Gaza, including five journalists working at Nasser Hospital, underscoring the dangers for media in the nearly two-year war. In the U.S., Kilmar Abrego Garcia has surrendered to ICE and faces possible deportation to Uganda, a move his lawyers call life-threatening. Meanwhile, investigators intensify the search for missing 7-month-old Emmanuel Haro as his parents face murder charges. And in Los Angeles, police announced the arrest of a burglary ring responsible for over 100 break-ins across the city. In business, L.A. short-term rentals continue to decline, while Google unveils its AI-powered Pixel 10 phone.

The FBI searched the home and office of former national security adviser John Bolton as part of a classified documents probe, highlighting the Trump administration’s legal fights with ex-officials. In California, the parents of missing 7-month-old Emmanuel Haro were arrested on suspicion of murder, though the infant has yet to be found. In Washington, D.C., nearly 2,000 National Guard troops will soon be armed as Trump expands his crackdown on crime. Meanwhile, a federal judge blocked Florida’s controversial “Alligator Alcatraz” detention camp expansion, citing environmental and human rights concerns. In business, Minnesota sues TikTok and HelloFresh settles a $7.5 million case.

Russia launched one of its largest assaults on Ukraine, firing more than 500 drones and dozens of missiles overnight. Former President Barack Obama endorsed Gov. Gavin Newsom’s controversial redistricting plan, intensifying the partisan fight over election maps. In the Middle East, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is set to approve a Gaza City takeover, sparking protests in Israel. And in business, Downtown L.A.’s graffiti towers continue to sit idle, while worker safety concerns mount amid California’s dangerous heat wave.