Newsletter: Today: New Justice. No Peace.

The Kavanaugh battle is over, but its aftereffects could influence next month’s elections.

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New Justice. No Peace.

Brett Kavanaugh could take his seat on the Supreme Court as early as Tuesday after the Senate confirmed him in a historically close vote and he was sworn in over the weekend. But that doesn’t mean the fierce political battle touched off by his nomination will end anytime soon, especially with the midterm election four weeks away. Democrats are hoping the Kavanaugh battle will help them at the polls, without becoming a polarizing referendum on whether he should be impeached, as some on the left have called for. President Trump and Republicans say the fight (and impeachment talk) has only energized GOP voters. In the meantime, Kavanaugh’s staunch conservatism is expected to start having an effect on a number of small cases soon.

Rohrabacher’s Russia Problem

Three decades ago, Rep. Dana Rohrabacher called himself “viciously anti-communist” and against “authoritarian governments.” In more recent years, he’s made a name for himself defending Russian President Vladimir Putin and taking positions that mirror some of Moscow’s key talking points. Now the longtime congressman is facing a tough reelection battle against his Democratic challenger, Harley Rouda, amid questions about his involvement with figures in the special counsel investigation of Russian election interference.

More Politics

-- Secretary of State Michael R. Pompeo said that he had a “productive” meeting with North Korean dictator Kim Jong Un over the weekend and that a second summit between Kim and President Trump was discussed.

-- First Lady Melania Trump went her own way on a trip to Africa. (And she wished people would not focus on her pith helmet.)

The Graying of the Golden State

California is facing a reality that a lot of people find hard to accept when they look in the mirror: It’s getting old. In the next eight years, the number of Californians 65 and older is expected to climb by 2.1 million. Yet in the public discourse, the state’s aging population is an issue that’s rarely discussed. The latest installment of our Next California series looks at the graying of the Golden State and how the next governor will need to address it.

A Dragnet Under Investigation

After a Los Angeles Times report last week, the L.A. County inspector general has begun investigating whether a Sheriff’s Department highway enforcement team engaged in racial profiling when it stopped thousands of innocent Latino drivers in search of drugs on the 5 Freeway. The Times found that nearly 70% of drivers pulled over from 2012 through last year were Latino, and two-thirds of them had their vehicles searched. The department has said racial profiling plays no role.

OUR MUST-READS FROM THE WEEKEND

-- California beaches are supposed to be public. So why is the Hollister Ranch coast an exception? Money has something to do with it.

-- Columnist Steve Lopez catches up with two mental health advocates, one of whom is thriving while the other fights for his life.

-- After three years in a foreign prison, a Cambodian political activist wonders how he can help his homeland from California.

-- Are Airbnb-type rentals a boon or a threat for tenants under rent control?

-- Rod Stewart knows you want to hear the old songs. He’s writing new ones anyway.

MUST-WATCH VIDEO

-- Mexico City for beginners: A virtual visit to some of its oldest buildings and most popular visitor destinations.

FROM THE ARCHIVES

After Egyptian President Anwar Sadat was assassinated Oct. 6, 1981, the U.S. sent a delegation including Jimmy Carter, Gerald Ford and Richard Nixon to Sadat’s funeral. Their visit to the White House on this date in 1981 en route to Egypt marked a first in modern history: an incumbent president and three former presidents under one roof.

CALIFORNIA

-- A citizens committee overseeing spending of $1.2 billion in homeless housing bonds in L.A. is growing frustrated with the city’s inability to come up with innovative ways to cut costs and speed construction.

-- Romulo Avelica Gonzalez, who was detained by immigration officers while dropping his daughters off at school, says conditions at the Adelanto immigration detention facility need to change.

-- In a first, SpaceX launched and landed a rocket at Vandenberg Air Force Base. And people on social media freaked out about what they saw in the sky.

HOLLYWOOD AND THE ARTS

-- The Marvel film “Venom” is the latest hit to counter bad reviews with great box-office numbers. Critical darling “A Star Is Born” landed in second place.

-- Speaking of “A Star Is Born,” here’s how the new film compares with iterations of the past.

-- Rock ’n’ roll history came to life Saturday when Dave Grohl brought back his band Nirvana as the grand finale to the Cal Jam festival in San Bernardino.

-- British street artist Banksy pranked an auction by shredding one of his paintings just after it sold for $1.4 million. Now it may be worth even more.

NATION-WORLD

-- Officials in upstate New York say a limousine hit a parked unoccupied SUV, killing all 18 people in the limo and two pedestrians. It was the deadliest transportation accident in the U.S. in almost a decade.

-- Turkey’s president says he’s personally following the investigation into the case of Jamal Khashoggi, a Saudi journalist who disappeared after entering the Saudi consulate in Istanbul and was reportedly killed.

-- In India’s Catholic Church, a nun’s rape allegations are creating a #MeToo moment.

-- Brazil’s presidential election will go to a runoff after far-right candidate Jair Bolsonaro easily won the first round.

BUSINESS

-- A concert tour featuring a hologram of the late rocker Roy Orbison is creating new revenue opportunities as well as a legal and ethical debate.

-- Is the arrival of a Dollar General store in a community a blessing or a sign of civic decline?

SPORTS

-- After a disastrous second inning from pitcher Walker Buehler, the Dodgers rallied but still fell short in their attempt to sweep the Atlanta Braves. Game 4 is today.

-- It wasn’t easy, but the Rams are still unbeaten after rallying to defeat the Seattle Seahawks. Meanwhile, the Chargers beat the Oakland Raiders.

-- After defeating Conor McGregor to become UFC lightweight champion, Khabib Nurmagomedov could face suspension and have his belt stripped because of an attack on a training member of McGregor’s team.

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OPINION

-- Columnist Virginia Heffernan: Washington is in ruins, but Sen. Amy Klobuchar is still standing tall.

-- The early battles of the Mexican-American War are closer than we think, even though Los Angeles students don’t read much about them in school.

WHAT OUR EDITORS ARE READING

-- Read some of the columns of Jamal Khashoggi, the journalist who disappeared and is believed dead in Turkey. (Washington Post)

-- Dementia care facilities are using fake scenery, props and other simulations to comfort their residents. (The New Yorker)

-- Taylor Swift breaks her silence about politics in her adopted home state. (Nashville Tennessean)

ONLY IN CALIFORNIA

When Mighty Ducks of Anaheim goaltender Guy Hebert pulled up to the parking booth before the franchise’s first regular-season game in the National Hockey League on this date 25 years ago, the attendant didn’t recognize him. So he paid his $10 and walked into the Arrowhead Pond. Since then, a lot has changed. But he’ll always have that memory of the parking lot — and that time the team did a promotional shoot on Disneyland’s Pirates of the Caribbean ride.

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