Newsletter: Today: Clinton and Trump Say ‘Ahhh.’ Venice Contemplates a ‘Vexit’
I’m Davan Maharaj, editor-in-chief of the Los Angeles Times. Here are some story lines I don’t want you to miss today.
TOP STORIES
Clinton and Trump Say ‘Ahhh’
This week’s big campaign stop: the doctor’s office, or some facsimile thereof. Hillary Clinton released a new letter from her doctor to explain her pneumonia and provide vital statistics, most of which were shared more than a year ago. Donald Trump went the reality-TV route, taping an episode of “The Dr. Oz Show†that will air today. As the teaser makes clear, we’ll have to tune in to find out what was revealed.
More Politics
-- A tale of two candidates: Clinton has enough policy to fill a book, while Trump has said little about how he’d govern.
-- The complicated immigration history of Melania Trump: tourist visas, then work visas.
Why Venice Is Contemplating a ‘Vexit’ From L.A.
Hollywood and the San Fernando Valley tried and failed to secede from the city of L.A. in 2002. Will quirky Venice be next to give it a serious go? Some residents feel City Hall doesn’t serve their needs, as Venice struggles to deal with issues such as homelessness and mansionization. Others say cityhood would only accelerate its problems. Either way, they’re hoping to keep Venice weird and working-class.
After Scientology, Not in the Clear
Ronald Miscavige Sr. is the father of Scientology leader David Miscavige, who has run the church since L. Ron Hubbard’s death in 1986. When the elder Miscavige left the church to live in a small Wisconsin town, he thought he had cut all ties with the religion. Then police told him two private eyes had been watching his every move. Now he has a book out about his son, as he faces Scientologists calling him a liar.
Prisoner 1027820, a.k.a. O.J. Simpson
O.J. Simpson shares a bunk, toilet and sink with a cellmate at Nevada’s Lovelock Correctional Center, where he is serving nine to 33 years for an armed robbery and kidnapping committed in 2007. Next year, he is eligible for parole. Even if he gets out, there’s still that $33.5-million judgment against him. He “has never honored or paid one single penny of the judgment,†Fred Goldman, father of Ron Goldman, told The Times. Here is a look at O.J. Simpson’s life behind bars.
Inside the ‘Great Indian Kidney Racket’
In 1994, India banned organ sales and allowed only close relatives to serve as donors. But with no national system to collect organs from the deceased and an estimated 220,000 Indians in need of kidneys, a black market thrives. Meet one small-town migrant in Mumbai who blew the whistle on a scam at one of the city’s most respected hospitals.
CALIFORNIA
-- The U.S. Interior Department has adopted a plan for renewable energy development in the desert that puts 9.2 million acres of federal land off limits to solar, wind and geothermal development.
-- A majority of Californians support an initiative to require performers in adult films to use condoms, according to a new USC Dornsife/Los Angeles Times poll.
-- Laurene Powell Jobs, Steve Jobs’ widow, is giving two L.A. teachers $10 million to start a school for homeless and foster youth.
-- The USC School of Social Work received a $60-million donation from Suzanne Dworak-Peck. It is said to be the largest donation from an individual to a social work school.
HOLLYWOOD AND THE ARTS
-- “Platoon,†“Wall Street,†“JFK†and more: Oliver Stone walks us through his storied filmography.
-- VidAngel is a Utah-based streaming service that lets people filter out the swear words, sex and violence from Hollywood movies for $1 each, but the film industry wants to shut it down.
-- Here’s a look at some of the movies that played at the Toronto, Telluride and Venice film festivals, ranked in order of their likely success at the Oscars.
-- The band Wilco has just released what might be its most unsettling album, a work built for a time of tension.
-- “Mad Men†creator Matthew Weiner will release his debut novel, “a dark fable set in contemporary Manhattan,†in fall 2017.
-- Why is L.A. Lakers President Jeanie Buss putting her money into a female wrestling show?
NATION-WORLD
-- Nearly half a million U.S. citizens are enrolled in Mexican schools. Many of them are struggling.
-- The trial of an alleged “all-star team†of gangsters has opened in Chicago.
-- Germany’s intelligence chief warned that the number of Salafi Muslims there has been growing rapidly and is boosting the ranks of jihadist recruits.
-- Why millions of Indian workers staged one of the biggest labor strikes in history.
-- For prostate cancer, monitoring is an option, but a higher rate of metastasis is a risk.
BUSINESS
-- Cup Noodles is getting a new recipe, with lower sodium and MSG, for the first time in its 45-year history.
-- The Justice Department is investigating Wells Fargo & Co.’s improper sales tactics, according to a person familiar with the probe.
-- U.S. seedmaker Monsanto Co. has agreed to a $57-billion buyout offer from Germany’s Bayer.
SPORTS
-- You’ve heard it before: Boxing is dead. Except today, the sport looks as if it is really in trouble.
-- Podcast: So what does that blowout loss to the 49ers mean for the Rams’ Jared Goff and Jeff Fisher?
OPINION
-- It shouldn’t take a hack to get Colin Powell and other Republicans’ true thoughts on Trump.
-- Could a Clinton presidency unleash a post-gender society? Not a chance.
WHAT OUR EDITORS ARE READING
-- A look at the Trump Organization’s international dealings. (Newsweek)
-- China’s Mid-Autumn Festival is today. See how mooncakes are made by hand. (Eater)
-- The keepers of the emojis. (The Guardian)
ONLY IN L.A.
The 1973 film “The Exorcist†got 10 Oscar nominations and was selected for the Library of Congress’ National Film Registry. This year, it has finally inspired a haunted maze at Universal Studios, though its designer admits, “I’m afraid to watch the movie.†Take a behind-the-scenes tour, if you dare. Warning: There are spoilers ahead.
Please send comments and ideas to Davan Maharaj.
