Newsletter: Inside John Bolton’s ouster

When it comes to national security advisors, the third time was not the charm for President Trump.

TOP STORIES

Inside John Bolton’s Ouster

Less than 24 hours after accusing the media of creating “the look of turmoil in the White House,” President Trump took to Twitter on Tuesday and said national security advisor John Bolton’s “services are no longer needed” after the two had repeatedly clashed over foreign policy priorities and decisions. As with so many previous Trump administration departures, whether Bolton quit or was fired depends on whom you ask. Regardless, Trump said he would name a new national security advisor — his fourth in less than three years — next week. This latest high-level shake-up comes amid Trump’s cancellation of peace talks with the Taliban in Afghanistan, his costly trade war with China, his “maximum pressure” campaign against Iran and his attempts to persuade North Korea to give up its nuclear arsenal.

More Politics

— Republican Dan Bishop won a special election for an open House seat in North Carolina, averting a Democratic capture of a GOP-leaning district. But his narrow victory did not erase questions about whether Trump and his party’s congressional candidates face troubling headwinds approaching 2020.

— Democratic primary voters nationwide see former Vice President Joe Biden and Sen. Elizabeth Warren as relatively close to their own political views but regard Sen. Bernie Sanders as significantly further to their left, a new USC Dornsife/Los Angeles Times poll shows.

— As the next debate among the Democratic presidential hopefuls nears, the trailing candidates are soldiering on in obscurity. What keeps them running?

From the Government and Here to Help?

At least a dozen Trump administration officials are in Los Angeles on a mission: to better understand the homelessness crisis in the city and in California at large. The visit comes after Trump’s relentless criticism of places run by the “liberal establishment” like Los Angeles and San Francisco over the large numbers of people who live in squalid conditions on the street.

Putting Some Suspensions on Hold

Elementary and middle schools in California will no longer be able to suspend students for disrupting activities or “willfully defying” the authority of teachers or administrators. Research has shown that suspensions disproportionately affect students of color, particularly African Americans. Under the law signed by Gov. Gavin Newsom, school authorities could still remove disruptive kids from class, and students could still be suspended for more serious actions, such as physical violence, theft or use of drugs.

Sumo in the Land of Samba

Sao Paulo’s Mie Nishi gym bills itself as the only gym outside Japan solely dedicated to sumo. Its location is no coincidence: The gym is a vibrant, and sweaty, reminder that Brazil has the largest Japanese population outside the homeland — about 1.5 million — and that Japanese culture has become an ever-present part of Brazilian life.

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FROM THE ARCHIVES

After the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, Los Angeles Times staff members rushed to New York, and photographer Gary Friedman was among the first to arrive. For a year after 9/11, Friedman covered the survivors and families of Rescue 5. “As the men would search through the rubble, Joe Esposito was not only looking for his fallen comrades but also for his brother Michael and cousin Frank,” Friedman would write on the 10th anniversary of the attacks. “They were with other engine companies when the towers fell, and they never returned.” Read the rest of Rescue 5’s story by Friedman, who died in 2017.

CALIFORNIA

— With a deadline nearing, state senators advanced sweeping legislation to limit the number of Californians classified as independent contractors. After an intense lobbying campaign, lawmakers also made a last-minute deal that would ease the measure’s effects on the newspaper industry.

— Officials will attempt to raise the sunken dive boat Conception — where 34 people died in a fire on Labor Day — as the investigation into the disaster intensifies.

— Jennifer Kent has resigned as director of the state Department of Health Care Services. The timing of her departure is raising questions about whether it was related to a Facebook post she shared criticizing vaccine bill protesters and calling them “flat-earthers.”

— Drones have become a permanent part of the Los Angeles Police Department’s crime-fighting arsenal, despite opposition from privacy advocates who fear the remote-controlled aircraft will be used to spy on people.

HOLLYWOOD AND THE ARTS

— Recent years have seen TV shows use footage of the 9/11 attacks as story elements to support character development, set the scene or re-create history. For some shows, there’s almost no getting around mentioning the attacks — it’s just a matter of if and how to use the actual footage.

— “Joker” reportedly received an eight-minute standing ovation when it premiered late last month at the Venice Film Festival, where it went on to win the Golden Lion prize for best film. The response was decidedly less enthusiastic at the Toronto International Film Festival.

— Robert Frank, the photographer and filmmaker known for his bleak yet poetic book “The Americans,” has died at 94.

NATION-WORLD

— Liberty University President Jerry Falwell Jr. says he is asking the FBI to investigate what he called a “criminal” smear campaign orchestrated against him by several disgruntled former board members and employees.

— As the disarray around Brexit grows in Britain, the rest of Europe is worried about the economic effects.

— A new report in Turkish newspaper says slain Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi, in his final words, asked his killers not to cover his mouth because he suffered from asthma and could suffocate.

— Returning to a time-tested electoral tactic, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced that he will move to extend Israeli sovereignty over part of the West Bank if reelected in next week’s vote.

BUSINESS

— In a bid to provide tenants stability and combat rising homelessness, the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors moved to make permanent a rent control measure for unincorporated communities.

— Ms. Monopoly is here. Psst: A woman invented the game in the first place.

SPORTS

— The Dodgers have clinched the NL West title behind Corey Seager’s two homers and Gavin Lux’s first.

— New England Patriots wide receiver Antonio Brown has been accused of rape by a former trainer. Brown has denied the allegations.

OPINION

— So much for Trump’s “team of rivals,” as Bolton gets the boot.

— California’s GOP is so desperate it’s going to bat for anti-vaccine uber liberals.

WHAT OUR EDITORS ARE READING

— The Trump dynasty? Ivanka was always Trump’s favorite, but Don Jr. is emerging as his natural successor. (The Atlantic)

— Could the popularity of FaceApp, despite its many problems, help increase empathy for the aging? (Scientific American)

ONLY IN L.A.

What would Larry David do? If you’ve ever pondered this question, there’s a tour for you. It’s called “Curb Tour Enthusiasm,” of course. For $35, Adam Papagan will pick you up in Brentwood in a white Ford Bronco — yes, he offers an O.J. Simpson tour too — and take you around to Sur La Table, Banana Republic and other West Los Angeles locations that are “pretty, pretty good.”

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