South Korea president charmed Trump. Will the bromance last?
SEOUL — The first summit between South Korean President Lee Jae Myung and President Trump was a picture of easy chumminess.On Monday, the two leaders bonded…
Trump blocks $4.9B in foreign aid Congress OK’d, using maneuver last seen nearly 50 years ago
WASHINGTON — President Trump has told House Speaker Mike Johnson that he won’t be spending $4.9 billion in congressionally approved foreign aid, effectively cutting the budget without…
From Lamborghinis to jail: Ex-LAPD cop accused of crypto heist with reputed Israeli mob figure
In December 2021, Eric Benjamin Halem was riding high.Beyond his day job as an LAPD officer, he was juggling several lucrative side hustles, business records…
Could apartments with only one stairway be a solution to L.A.’s housing crisis?
Architect Simon Ha was trying to squeeze an apartment building onto a 6,400-square foot lot in Hollywood. The city of Los Angeles requires two stairways…
‘It’s happening everywhere’: 1 in 3 ICE detainees held in overcrowded facilities, data show
WASHINGTON — Mattresses on the floor, next to bunk beds, in meeting rooms and gymnasiums. No access to a bathroom or drinking water. Hourlong lines to buy…
Slain L.A. Times columnist Ruben Salazar matters more than ever
The afternoon sun glimmered off the ocean as I drove down MacArthur Boulevard in Newport Beach to fulfill a promise.This September marks five years since…
U.S. diplomat apologizes for using the word ‘animalistic’ in reference to Lebanese reporters
BEIRUT — A U.S. diplomat apologized Thursday for using the word “animalistic” while calling for a gaggle of reporters to quiet down during a news conference in…
In D.C., a heated standoff between police, neighbors shows unease amid Trump’s law enforcement surge
WASHINGTON — The street, normally quiet, was abuzz. The block lit up with flashing police cruisers and officers in tactical vests. Some had covered their faces. Neighbors…
Florida taxpayers may lose $218 million on ‘Alligator Alcatraz’ as judge orders shutdown
ORLANDO, Fla. — Florida taxpayers could be on the hook for $218 million the state spent to convert a remote training airport in the Everglades into an…
Departing CDC officials say director’s firing was the final straw
NEW YORK — When the White House fired Susan Monarez as director of the premier U.S. public health agency, it was clear to two of the scientific…
ICE will ‘ramp up’ immigration raids in L.A., other ‘sanctuary cities,’ border advisor says
President Trump’s border advisor told reporters Thursday that federal authorities planned to increase immigration raids in Los Angeles and other so-called “sanctuary cities,” with Chicago…
Torrance Police agree to reforms with state after racist text scandal
The Torrance Police Department and the California Attorney General’s Office have entered into an “enforceable agreement” meant to reform the troubled agency following a scandal…
California Democrats and Republicans agree on one thing: They support UC, poll shows
Republican and Democratic voters share common ground when it comes to the University of California: Both sides express widespread support for UC, its research, medical…
Mystery surrounds $1.2 billion Army contract to build huge detention tent camp in Texas desert
WASHINGTON — When President Trump’s administration last month awarded a contract worth up to $1.2 billion to build and operate what it says will become the nation’s…
Acrimony Lingers From an Eerily Similar Battle for ’84 House Seat
WASHINGTON — It happened once before: a chaotic, contested, anger-plagued election that haunts American politics to this day.The vote was a virtual tie. Recounts were demanded--then rejected.…
Column: When the president has to say ‘I’m not a dictator,’ we’re in trouble
“I am not a crook,” President Nixon said in 1973.“I’m not a dictator,” President Trump insisted on Monday.And with that, another famously false presidential proclamation…
The challenge facing the Democratic Party is ‘weakness,’ Newsom says
SACRAMENTO — Gov. Gavin Newsom said Wednesday that his social media posts mocking President Trump, his podcast interviews with right-wing influencers and his push to redraw California’s…
Trump’s D.C. death penalty threat is a dangerous assault on civil rights
President Trump declared Tuesday that federal prosecutors in Washington, D.C., should seek the death penalty for murders committed in the capital, claiming without explanation that…
Filmmaker settles LAPD lawsuit after confrontation with a livestreamer
Attorneys for a documentary filmmaker who sued the city of Los Angeles for excessive police force said Wednesday that they had reached a settlement over…
As Congress returns, so does the Epstein scandal
WASHINGTON — The ghost of Jeffrey Epstein is back in Washington as Congress prepares to return for the fall.Republican House Speaker Mike Johnson called an early start…