Headlines From The Times

Trump Media & Technology Group is launching a new service that gives paying customers real time access to President Donald Trump's Truth Social posts, potentially milliseconds before others see them. The new "Truth API" could benefit institutional investors and high frequency trading firms, where even fractions of a second can be worth millions of dollars.   In this episode, we speak with L.A. Times business columnist Michael Hiltzik about the legal and ethical questions surrounding the service, why Wall Street reacts so quickly to the president's posts, and whether the $100,000 per month product could become a m...

President Trump is threatening to bomb Iranian bridges and power plants for every attack Iran carries out against ships in the Strait of Hormuz, marking a dramatic escalation in the nearly five month conflict. Iran is warning of an "eye for an eye" response, while attacks in the Red Sea and rising oil prices are fueling concerns the war could spiral into a wider regional conflict.   Meanwhile, lawmakers have introduced the bipartisan "AI Kill Switch Act," which would require the nation's largest AI companies to build emergency shutdown capabilities into their most advanced systems. The p...

The Trump administration is withholding an additional $1 billion in Medicaid funding from California and Minnesota, marking the second time this year the federal government has targeted the states' public health insurance programs over suspected fraud. While the withheld funds make up a relatively small share of each state's Medicaid budget, the loss could still impact programs providing behavioral therapy for children with autism and in-home care services helping people with daily tasks like bathing, eating, and taking medications.  Meanwhile, the average cost of living in Miami is now more expensive than in the New York City metropolitan a...

The Paramount-Warner Brothers saga continues as a federal judge in California hit pause on one of Hollywood's biggest mergers. The ruling temporarily blocks the $111 billion merger of Paramount-Skydance and Warner Brothers Discovery after a coalition of 12 state attorneys general, led by California AG Rob Bonta, filed a restraining order to stop the deal.   Meanwhile, the United States' trade war is escalating with Canada as the Trump administration is slapping a new set of 50% tariffs on goods ranging from wine to hockey sticks to cement. The administration says the broad tariffs are in response to what t...

Christopher Nolan's nearly three-hour epic "The Odyssey" grossed over $124 million domestically this weekend, proving it was worth the risk for Universal despite being one of the priciest R-rated movies ever made. Shot entirely on IMAX 70-millimeter cameras, the film set a new IMAX record for the largest opening weekend in international markets, excluding China, Japan, and South Korea. Universal Pictures' president of domestic distribution says "it's something that truly has to be experienced on the big screen," and audiences are running to theaters to be part of this cultural moment.   Meanwhile, FIFA celebrated its own v...

The AI boom is fueling a race to build data centers across the United States. In New York, Governor Kathy Hochul is hitting pause, becoming the first state to temporarily ban approvals for the largest of those projects. The executive order halts new permits for "hyper-scale" data centers that use over 50 megawatts of power for one year. And, AI-generated character Tilly Norwood is set to star in the feature film "Misaligned," reigniting debate across Hollywood over whether artificial intelligence can truly be considered an actor. Meanwhile, a man was arrested in East Hollywood after police say he climbed on...

Lindsey Graham, the Republican senator from South Carolina, died on Saturday at 71 years old. According to the medical examiner, Graham died from an aortic dissection, a tear in the main artery. Graham served as a close advisor to President Trump. A fierce supporter of Ukraine and Israel, he pushed for more aggressive foreign policy measures. And for months, lawmakers called it a ‘once in a lifetime’ housing bill. Over the weekend, it quietly went into effect. The measure won't bring a single sweeping change; instead, it's a collection of 56 regulatory tweaks aimed at boosting the housing supply by l...

In Maine, Graham Platner is officially suspending his campaign for U.S. Senate after sexual assault allegations against him came to light this week. In an eleven-minute video posted to social media, Platner said his movement will continue, but that he can't carry the torch forward. Under Maine law, a political party can choose a new nominee when one steps aside, meaning Democrats have until July 27th to pick a replacement candidate for the general election in November.   Also, a federal judge ordered President Trump to pay writer E. Jean Carroll the more than $5 million t...

President Trump says the U.S. will let Ukraine manufacture Patriot air defense systems to help counter Russian missile attacks, which killed at least 21 people in Kyiv just days ago. Trump also shifted his tone while meeting with Zelensky, praising the Ukrainian leader as "very effective" in the war.   Meanwhile, the market is down and oil prices are surging after Trump announced the ceasefire deal between the U.S. and Iran is over, following Iran's retaliatory attacks on three ships in the Strait of Hormuz. Trump says Iran's civilian infrastructure could be next, after Iran t...

Just one month after winning Maine's Democratic Senate primary, Graham Platner is facing growing calls to end his campaign. Last night, a woman who dated Platner went on CNN and accused him of raping her in 2021. Platner called those allegations "categorically false" and said he's taking time to reflect on the best path forward for his campaign.   Also, Senator Mitch McConnell is reportedly "continuing his recovery" after being hospitalized more than three weeks ago. Since then, his office hasn't said anything about the condition of his health, or when he's expected to return to the C...

Early Monday, Russia launched a series of missile and drone attacks on Ukraine's capital, Kyiv, and the greater region, killing at least 21 people and wounding at least 60 others. Also, as parts of the world bake under extreme summer heat, Southern California is next, as a strengthening El Niño threatens to bring record-high temperatures there over the coming weeks. A heat advisory is in effect from Tuesday to Thursday, as temperatures are expected to climb into the high nineties, even reaching triple digits across inland Los Angeles, Ventura, Santa Barbara, and San Luis Obispo counties. And, in a rare m...

Four House Republicans joined Democrats to pass a resolution for the first time that would limit President Trump's powers over the Iran War. The resolution is symbolically powerful, because it represents a growing divide between GOP lawmakers, especially those concerned about the war's effect on rising gas and food prices here at home. Meanwhile, California's primary election results are still trickling in for the mayoral and gubernatorial races. Incumbent Karen Bass is advancing to the November general election, while Spencer Pratt is leading City Councilmember Nithya Raman in the L.A. mayor's race, though many mail-in ballots remain uncounted...

Explosions echoed overnight across Ukraine, as Russia fired hundreds of drones and dozens of missiles at Kyiv and nearby cities in one of the Kremlin's largest offensives in recent months. Meanwhile, in New Jersey, advocates are rallying on Tuesday to protest Trump's mass deportation policies, following weeks of demonstrations at the Delaney Hall ICE facility in Newark, where detainees have gone on hunger and labor strikes over what advocates say are harsh and inhumane conditions. And voters are heading to the polls today in California to cast ballots in some of the country's most high-profile primaries, from the race...

Gas prices dropped modestly on Monday morning, even as crude oil prices jumped following a new round of military strikes between the U.S. and Iran. The drop may not last long, as gas price changes typically trail oil prices by a few days. Meanwhile, in Los Angeles, voters across the city and county will also decide on several ballot measures that could impact taxes, healthcare, hotels, and the cannabis industry, with the biggest county-wide question being a proposed half-cent sales tax to help fund public hospitals and clinics. And Serena Williams, the greatest women's tennis player of all...

The showdown for LA mayor is tighter than ever. New polling from UC Berkeley co-sponsored by the L.A. Times shows Karen Bass at 26%, City Council Member Nithya Raman at 25%, and former reality TV personality Spencer Pratt at 22%, meaning Bass has a statistically insignificant lead. Governor Gavin Newsom endorsed Bass, and she's secured support from major political groups. But Pratt's anti-establishment campaign is gaining traction. Voters will also decide seven City Council seats, the City Attorney, Controller, three School Board spots, and ballot measures on hotel and cannabis taxes. On the county level, races include Sheriff, Board of Supervisors...

Down in Texas, a stunning Republican runoff election could give Democrats an edge in the upcoming U.S. Senate race after Trump-backed Attorney General Ken Paxton defeated longtime incumbent John Cornyn. Meanwhile, Leo is speaking about the risks of artificial intelligence, pushing for more significant regulations around AI. In his first encyclical, Pope Leo says artificial intelligence needs to be “disarmed." Read more at https://www.latimes.com

The fragile ceasefire between the UniteThe fragile ceasefire between the United States and Iran is under new pressure after the U.S. launched what they called ‘defensive’ strikes on southern Iran on Monday, with Tehran condemning the strikes as a sign of "bad faith and unreliability" as the two sides go back and forth on the terms of a long-term peace deal. Meanwhile, a chemical crisis in Southern California is cooling off. Orange County officials raised concerns late last week that a damaged chemical tank in Garden Grove could explode, forcing nearly 50,000 local residents to evacuate. But some of those evac...

SpaceX, Elon Musk's rocket and space company is preparing to go public next month in what could become the biggest IPO to hit Wall Street. New filings reveal a sky-high projection that values the company at just over $1 trillion and estimates the offering could raise between $50 and $75 billion when shares hit the market in June. If it does, the SpaceX IPO would shatter the current record held by Saudi Aramco or the Saudi Arabian Oil Company, which raised about $26 billion in 2019. Meanwhile, James Murdoch is buying half of Vox Media for more than $300 million, with the deal including their...

Thousands of families in Southern California's Simi Valley fled their homes on Monday, as crews raced to contain the fast-burning Sandy Fire, which has already scorched more than 1,300 acres, with strong Santa Ana winds threatening to make the fires worse Also, the World Health Organization says it is deeply concerned about a rapidly spreading Ebola virus outbreak, with over 500 suspected cases and more than 130 deaths in the Democratic Republic of Congo and Uganda. And in the first game of the NBA Western Conference Finals, the San Antonio Spurs beat the Oklahoma City Thunder in a double-overtime battle. Meanwhile, another...

In Beijing, China, thousands of people lined the streets hoping to catch a glimpse of President Trump as he arrived in China for his first visit in nearly a decade, setting the stage for a summit with Chinese President Xi Jinping. Trump invited 17 of the world's biggest financial leaders to join him on the trip, including Tesla's Elon Musk, Apple's Tim Cook, and Nvidia's Jensen Huang, with the White House pushing for new deals that could boost American agriculture and aircraft sales and establish a board of trade to help avoid another full-scale tariff war. Meanwhile, the former mayor...