Newsletter: Elizabeth Warren in the spotlight

Oct. 16, 2019 5 AM PT

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Elizabeth Warren in the Spotlight

A record 12 Democratic candidates took to the debate stage in Westerville, Ohio, last night, and there was one thing they mostly agreed on: denouncing President Trump. Beyond that, they struck a more fractious tone on a range of issues, including healthcare, gun policy and money in politics.

But while Trump has hammered away at Joe Biden (and son), the Democratic candidates on stage took aim at Sen. Elizabeth Warren, who now leads Biden in many polls, testing her strengths and vulnerabilities as a candidate. Meanwhile, Sen. Bernie Sanders looked none the worse for wear in his first debate since a heart attack this month, and South Bend, Ind., Mayor Pete Buttigieg tried to position himself as the moderate alternative to the more left-leaning Warren and Sanders, if Biden stumbles.

Here are seven takeaways from the night.

More Politics

— Amid growing political pressure from Republicans, House leaders began seriously gauging support among Democrats for holding a vote to formally establish the impeachment investigation of Trump. But House Speaker Nancy Pelosi decided Tuesday there would be no House vote for now.

— Trump has vetoed legislation that attempted to overturn his use of emergency powers to divert military base construction funding to pay for his long-promised border fence. Congress is unlikely to have the votes to override the veto. In all, 127 military construction projects totaling $3.6 billion would lose funding.

— New York Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, a leading voice of the Democratic Party’s liberal wing, plans to endorse Sanders for president, according to his campaign.

Exit, U.S.; Enter, Russia

In northern Syria, there is a race to control the city of Manbij, which is part of the territory overseen by Kurdish fighters backed by the United States until Trump decided to pull that support. Turkish troops and Syrian rebel proxies appeared on the verge of rushing in, while the Kurds have turned to Syria’s government. Filling the void left by the U.S. is Russia, which is taking over as a power broker in the Mideast. And as this news analysis shows, an emboldened Russia is far from the only geopolitical fallout; even Israel is worried about whether Trump would turn his back.

How Californians Think About Immigration

Here’s something most California Democrats and Republicans agree on: Immigrants make the U.S. a better place to live. More than 80% of registered voters here say as much, per a UC Berkeley poll conducted for the Los Angeles Times, including 92% of Democrats and 60% of Republicans — reflecting the state’s long rift with the Trump administration on immigration. But voters are more split on how immigrants are treated. On that question, 56% say they’re treated unfairly, while 28% disagree.

The Future, and the Foes, of #MeToo

A British-Greek billionaire heir to a Coca-Cola bottling fortune has fashioned himself the ambassador for men who consider themselves wronged by #MeToo. As Alki David fights the seventh sexual harassment case against him in as many years, he’s working with a lobbyist to draft legislation to keep such cases from becoming public. With his penchant for litigation, he’s an improbable emissary for the cause, even as he says he relishes his “villainous image.” Meanwhile, as the #MeToo movement turns two, its founder Tarana Burke unveiled a new hashtag — #MeTooVoter — to mobilize people heading into 2020.

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FROM THE ARCHIVES

On this day in 1995, hundreds of thousands of black Americans converged on the Mall in Washington, D.C., for the Million Man March, where “strangers embraced as brothers” in “a celebration of their new image of unity and hope,” as The Times reported at the time. “The tidings were of redemption and reconciliation: The Rev. Jesse Jackson said that each man should leave the rally with the declaration, ‘I turned pain into power and promise.’”

Twenty years later, Nation of Islam leader Louis Farrakhan, instrumental in organizing the original march, returned to lead another, one year after the police killing of Michael Brown in Ferguson, Mo. Also on the 20th anniversary, The Times caught up with men who had marched — from a young Watts teacher who wanted to be “a walking example” for his fifth-graders to a real-estate developer who would later create the Taste of Soul family festival in Crenshaw — about the watershed event’s legacy.

Participants in the Million Man March gather on Capitol Hill and the Mall in Washington on Oct. 16, 1995.

CALIFORNIA

— Two moderate earthquakes in Northern California 100 miles from each other in less than 15 hours unnerved the Bay Area just days before the 30th anniversary of the Loma Prieta earthquake. They proved a stark reminder of the danger that awaits.

— In a stopgap effort to block no-fault evictions and rent hikes before new state rules kick in next year, the L.A. City Council moved to institute a moratorium on both.

— Dozens of new apartments for homeless people could rise in Chatsworth after the Los Angeles City Council voted Tuesday to fund a rare proposal to build such housing in the northwestern San Fernando Valley.

— One in four undergraduate women at leading universities nationwide say they’ve been sexually assaulted on campus. At USC, the share is higher; one in three say they have been.

— Felicity Huffman has reported to a federal prison in Northern California where she’ll spend two weeks for conspiring to rig her daughter’s SAT score amid the college admissions scandal.

HOLLYWOOD AND THE ARTS

— Julie Andrews spoke with columnist Mary McNamara about her new memoir “Home Work” and the hardest part of writing it. Next month, Andrews will discuss the book with readers with the L.A. Times Book Club. (Sign up for the club’s newsletter here.)

— Joni Mitchell made a rare public appearance this week, wearing her familiar braids and gaucho hat, to attend Brandi Carlile’s live tribute to her canonical album “Blue.”

— Among this year’s nominees to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame are Biggie, Whitney Houston and the MC5, plus 13 others.

— Mindy Kaling is glad the Television Academy changed its rules on Emmy credits after her own bad experience.

NATION-WORLD

— With the Trump administration sending Central American asylum-seekers back to Mexico pending their applications, Mexico itself has opted to bus them south in the hope they’ll return home, even if that imperils their asylum claims.

— The toll of death and destruction from Typhoon Hagibis that tore through central and northern Japan has climbed, as the government said it was considering approving a special budget for the disaster response and eventual reconstruction.

— France is reconsidering the legacy of Marie Antoinette.

BUSINESS

— In making amends for a massive data breach that affected billions, Yahoo is offering users up to $358.80 each — but there’s a catch, columnist David Lazarus writes.

— Amid all our reporting on the streaming wars, we asked some Angelenos how they watch TV.

SPORTS

— Federal agents have interviewed at least six current and former Angels players as part of their investigation into the drug-related death of pitcher Tyler Skaggs, according to a person with knowledge of the interviews.

— For LeBron James, injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere — well, except in China, columnist Bill Plaschke writes. In Hong Kong, protesters are slamming James for his comments about free speech, and celebrating Houston Rockets manager Daryl Morey for his.

— The Rams, coming off a three-game losing streak, traded cornerback Marcus Peters to the Baltimore Ravens and then went all-in by acquiring cornerback Jalen Ramsey in a trade with the Jacksonville Jaguars. The Rams traded three draft picks for Ramsey, including first-round picks in 2020 and 2021.

— Even with the addition of Kawhi Leonard and Paul George, Patrick Beverley remains one of the Clippers’ leaders. Doc Rivers credits the 31-year-old’s personal development, and looks forward to “the human step.”

OPINION

— Rudy Giuliani wants Hunter Biden’s work in Ukraine investigated — but what about his own, asks Jon Healey?

— That the president’s supporters decry the younger Biden for cashing in on his name while Trump’s children run a global company that bears theirs only shows “a new level of malignant hypocrisy,” Robin Abcarian writes.

WHAT OUR EDITORS ARE READING

— There’s water ice on the moon, but how much? For NASA, figuring that out is only one small step. (The Atlantic)

— Some colleges are tracking students even before they apply. (Washington Post)

ONLY IN L.A.

For the first episode of the show “Off Menu,” our food columnist Lucas Kwan Peterson spent an afternoon with Jazz Singsanong, the woman behind the beloved Thai Town restaurant Jitlada — first shopping at the giant supermarket known as Thai Costco, then returning to Jitlada’s kitchen to make a few dishes that aren’t on its regular menu. In the process, he learned about her community and her journey to becoming an ambassador for it, and her family recipe for a funky, salty and fiery shrimp dip.