Newsletter: Today: Trump Wins Again. TV Diversity.
I’m Davan Maharaj, editor of the Los Angeles Times. Here are some story lines I don’t want you to miss today.
TOP STORIES
Trump in the Win Column Again
Donald Trump won the Nevada caucuses, his third straight victory and another bump in momentum heading into next week’s Super Tuesday. Though Trump’s supporters were all smiles at a victory party in Las Vegas, a poll revealed that half the GOP caucus-goers were angry at the federal government and about 60% said they wanted the next president to come from outside the political establishment. More about the race is here, along with a county-by-county map of results.
The Tao of Marco Rubio
Can Marco Rubio win by not winning? Republican leaders are looking to Rubio as their only hope to stop Trump from becoming the GOP nominee, but the senator from Florida has lost in every primary or caucus so far. The not-so-shocker: At some point, Rubio will have to start winning. Take a closer look here at this curious kind of “Marco-mentum.”
Amid #OscarsSoWhite, TV Is #NotAsBad
While the film industry has taken its lumps this Oscar season, TV has emerged as a more inclusive alternative — at least by comparison. “TV diversity is not great, as we know, but film is pretty abysmal” is how one UCLA professor puts it. So what’s the difference between mediums? For one, the TV business has a greater number of opportunities. Read on to see the other factors in how television gives women and minorities more screen time.
A Tax to Help the Homeless?
Amid all the talk of fighting homelessness, one big issue hadn’t been addressed: how to pay for the plans. It’s about to get real. L.A. city officials, including Mayor Eric Garcetti, are looking at a ballot measure in November to seek voters’ approval of a bond, tax or fee. Here are the options the city is looking at and what you might face.
Tales From the Encrypt
In the showdown between Apple and the FBI, the tech industry is standing with its Silicon Valley brethren — and pushing ahead with plans to give you more privacy from potential hackers or the government, not less. Here’s why the companies don’t want to have a key to your data in the first place, and why it’s less about lofty talk and more about dollars and sense.
Wyoming’s Black Hole
Under U.S. law, when mining companies dig up land, they must restore it to more or less its original condition. It has worked that way for about 40 years. But a recent collapse in the coal industry is now raising questions: How will those giant holes in Wyoming and across the West be filled, and who will pay for it?
CALIFORNIA
-- Steve Lopez: Questions big and small about the Coastal Commission remain unanswered.
-- A 23-year-old man has been arrested on suspicion of killing a 1-year-old girl in Compton, authorities said.
-- A bride’s father who went missing during his daughter’s wedding reception in Walnut Grove has been found dead.
-- A long legal fight ends over century-old Korean papers that were found in L.A.
NATION-WORLD
-- President Obama gives Congress a plan to close the Guantanamo Bay prison. Tell us on Facebook what you think of the proposal.
-- Hard-line media groups in Iran increase the bounty for killing Salman Rushdie.
-- A Chinese social media platform plays a role in the U.S. rallies for NYPD officer Peter Liang.
-- Here’s what it’s like to usher in the Year of the Monkey at 180 mph on China’s bullet train.
-- Take a look at astronaut Scott Kelly’s photos from the International Space Station.
HOLLYWOOD AND THE ARTS
-- Whoa. Keanu Reeves is the subject of art-book photos by L.A. artist Alexandra Grant.
-- Why the Oscars keep disqualifying Alejandro Iñárritu’s movies from the original score competition.
-- The Oscar-nominated “A Girl in the River” looks at so-called honor killings in Pakistan.
-- Theater review: “Romeo and Juliet,” with dumpsters and graffiti, at A Noise Within in Pasadena.
BUSINESS
-- CBS Chairman Leslie Moonves tells us how he reversed the TV network’s lagging fortunes.
-- Pssst, wanna buy a studio? Viacom is exploring the sale of a minority stake in Paramount Pictures.
SPORTS
-- Bill Plaschke: A reduction in spring telecasts is just the latest outrage in the Dodgers’ ongoing TV boondoggle.
-- Dylan Hernandez: Why all the animosity toward Lakers Coach Byron Scott? Firing him won’t change anything.
WHAT OUR EDITORS ARE READING
-- The trains didn’t run on time: How a mechanical failure caused hundreds of delays on the New York subway. (New York Magazine)
-- An examination of how social media is affecting teens, especially girls, in America. (Time)
-- What would happen if you removed all the words from novels and left only punctuation? (Medium)
ONLY IN CALIFORNIA
José Montoya had swagger. He sketched lowriders, zoot suiters, pachucas and Aztec warriors. He wrote poetry in English, Spanish and Spanglish. And as a member of the activist art collective the Royal Chicano Air Force, he wore pilot regalia as they traveled in VW buses into Central Valley farming towns. Montoya died in 2013, but see how his legacy lives on — and get a look at that pilot gear.
Please send comments and ideas to Davan Maharaj.
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