Headlines From The Times

For decades, American restaurants have been super-sizing their menus. Now, with about 30 million Americans on GLP-1 weight-loss drugs like Wegovy and Ozempic, many are scaling back. Customers who eat less are ordering less, often choosing smaller items like appetizers over full-priced entrées. McKinsey found GLP-1 users are buying fewer snacks and sodas, a sign the weight-loss drugs are changing how and what people eat. For restaurants, that means smaller checks just as costs climb.

Former White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt is joining Fox News as an on-air contributor, following her exit from the White House i...

Nvidia is making a big bet on itself. The chipmaker authorized what it calls the largest stock buyback in history, adding $150 billion to its existing program and bringing its total authorization to $235 billion.

Meanwhile, the Chargers are still looking for their 1st win after a 24-16 loss to Buffalo. L.A.’s defense forced 5 turnovers, but the offense turned those takeaways into just 10 points. The Chargers also settled for 3 field goals on 4 red-zone trips as Justin Herbert & the offense struggled to capitalize.

And, the Rams fell to 1-2 after blowing a 16-0 halftime lead in a...

Diesel prices are hitting record highs, averaging $6.50 a gallon, up more than 70% since the start of the Iran war, according to AAA. The spike comes right as U.S. farmers are harvesting corn and soybeans, two of the country's largest commodities. Missouri farmer Jason Kurtz says he's paid twice as much for diesel this year. Farmers are also experiencing elevated costs for fertilizer and chemicals.

Because diesel also powers much of the nation's supply chain, those costs could eventually show up in grocery prices. Now the Trump administration is weighing a 90-day export ban, though the U...

CNN, MS NOW and Politico are suing the Trump administration after their reporters were denied entry to the White House and stripped of their press credentials.

The news organizations say the credentials were pulled without “notice or process,” while President Trump says he's blocking them over reporting he calls "fake news." The case has been assigned to the same federal judge who sided with CNN in 2018 when one of its journalists was blocked from covering the White House, and a hearing is set for Wednesday. Meanwhile, the White House press pool, which includes CNN, ABC, CBS, NBC and...

House of Troy is a new podcast from LA Times Studios tracing the rise and fall of USC football, from coach Pete Carroll’s back-to-back national titles in the 2000s, to the Reggie Bush scandal, to the series of missteps that followed. It’ll feature exclusive interviews with coaches, players, and USC officials who saw it all up close — and shine new light on how a college football dynasty came undone.

The Federal Communications Commission approved Paramount’s request to allow foreign investors to take a substantial stake in the $110 billion takeover of Warner Bros. Three Middle Eastern sovereign wealth funds from Saudi Arabia, Qatar and Abu Dhabi plan to invest a combined $24 billion. Collectively, the funds would hold 38.5% of the combined company’s equity, while the Ellison family and RedBird Capital would retain 100% of the voting shares.

The FCC approval comes despite concerns raised by Democratic lawmakers and FCC Commissioner Anna Gomez about potential foreign influence over major U.S. media properties including CBS and CNN. The deal...

For the first time since 1995, three American men — Ben Shelton, Frances Tiafoe, and Alex Michelsen — have reached the US Open quarterfinals. It feels like a milestone moment for American tennis. Now they're chasing history: no American man has won on home soil since Andy Roddick in 2003. On the women's side, Jessica Pegula, Emma Navarro, and 2023 champion Coco Gauff make up the most US women's quarterfinalists since 2017.

Meanwhile, the Rams and 49ers are set to make history in the NFL's first-ever regular-season game in Australia. The matchup at the Melbourne Cricket Ground features a Super Bowl-style atmosphere, Sean McVa...

A new one-dollar coin featuring President Trump's portrait is making headlines after the U.S. Mint put sleeves up for sale this week to celebrate the country's 250th birthday. The "heads" side shows Trump's portrait with "liberty" above it and the years 1776–2026, while the reverse features the Seal of the United States. Federal law generally bans living presidents from appearing on U.S. currency, but there's an exception for certain commemorative coins with Treasury Secretary approval. It's also not completely unprecedented: Calvin Coolidge appeared on a $1 coin 100 years ago while still in office.

Meanwhile, California’s rules allo...

Gloria Steinem, the author and activist who helped revolutionize the feminist movement, died Wednesday at her home in New York City. She was 92.  For more than half a century, Steinem fought for abortion rights, equal pay, and same-sex marriage, calling herself an "entrepreneur of social change." From her groundbreaking undercover exposé on the Playboy Club to becoming one of the most recognizable voices of the women's liberation movement, Steinem's life and legacy reshaped how the world sees gender, work, and power. We look back at her extraordinary story.

Meanwhile, the NBA is handing down massive penalties against th...

A new Marsh survey finds employers expect health benefit costs to rise about 8% next year — the biggest increase in more than two decades. Employers are already eyeing ways to shift more costs onto workers. That's on top of a separate Aon report showing employees paid nearly 10% more in out-of-pocket care in 2026 than the year before, an increase of roughly $2,100.

Meanwhile, Tiger Woods is Avoiding a DUI conviction after reaching a plea deal. He pleaded guilty to reckless driving and will lose his driver’s license for five years, pay at least $1,500 in fines, complete 50 hours of community serv...

The U.S. Open is a big money maker for New York City. A consulting group working with the USTA says the tournament brings in about $1.2 billion a year, fueled largely by tourism, with over a million visitors attending last year alone. Restaurants, hotels, and bars all get a major boost, and businesses respond by hiring. The US Open creates an estimated 7,000 seasonal jobs each year, with many going to residents near the Billie Jean King National Tennis Center in Queens.

Also, UCLA is shaking up its athletic department just as football season begins. Martin Jarmond is...

In his first major speech as Fed Chair, Kevin Warsh told the Fed's annual Jackson Hole conference that inflation — currently at 3.7%, above the Fed's 2% target — remains a top concern, and warned the central bank will act if prices don't ease. Warsh didn’t offer “forward guidance” on interest rates, signaling he wants a quieter Fed that lets economic data drive policy instead of public commentary. The Fed's next rate decision comes in mid-September.

Meanwhile, USC and UCLA are launching new degree programs focused on artificial intelligence in an effort to keep up with a fast-changing job market...

NYC Mayor Zohran Mamdani has tapped a fifteen member Business Advisory Council with executives from real estate, retail, dining, sports, and healthcare. But missing from the council are executives from the city's largest financial employers, like BlackRock and JPMorgan Chase. There's been tension between Mamdani's democratic socialist platform and a skeptical business community, including his public clash with Citadel's Ken Griffin over a proposed pied-à-terre tax.

Meanwhile, newly released police records reveal additional details surrounding the arrest of San Francisco 49ers owner Jed York in an Ohio prostitution sting. Investigators say York responded to an...

Meta has agreed to pay up to $16.7 billion to settle claims from California and other states that its platforms harmed the mental health of young users. The tech giant denies wrongdoing, but will roll out new daily usage limits and other measures on Facebook and Instagram. California alone could collect up to $2.1 billion.

LeBron James took out a nearly $300 million loan in 2018, right before joining the Los Angeles Lakers. The previously unreported deal involved companies advised by Guggenheim Partners, which was led by Mark Walter at the time. Walter later became the Lakers’ controlling owner.

Bitcoin had been sliding for months, down 31% over the past year. Then last week, everything changed.

News out of Washington sent the crypto surging back above $77,000, jumping 20% in just a few days. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent's plan to double long-term government bond buybacks pushed bond yields lower and pressured the dollar — and a weaker dollar sent investors hunting for alternatives, like Bitcoin.

A growing number of California’s richest residents are looking overseas as political unrest in the US mounts – not necessarily to leave, but because they want to have a Plan B...

The world's largest retailer, Walmart, just reported its worst sales growth in more than six years. Last quarter, the Arkansas-based company saw its store sales rise just 2.6 percent. This comes as overall retail spending dropped in July, and according to the University of Michigan, consumer sentiment fell about 8% this August.

Meanwhile, Disneyland is finally giving Tomorrowland the major makeover fans have been asking for. Disney announced at D23 that the iconic land will be reimagined with new attractions, more open spaces, and a renewed focus on Walt Disney's original vision for the future. While the project is...

The U.S. national debt hit a record high this week, topping $40 trillion. That’s double what it was in 2016 at the start of President Trump's first term. Most of that spending is going toward rising military costs, programs like Social Security and Medicare, and Trump's tax cuts. The war in Iran has already cost the U.S. more than $34 billion, according to the Center for Strategic and International Studies.

And, as NFL season approaches, CBS is moving forward with its coverage while Tony Romo remains on leave following his arrest. There’s no timetable yet f...

A record number of kindergartners are starting school this year, without required vaccinations, with new federal data showing that exemption rates are hitting an all-time high for the fourth year in a row.

After nearly 50 years, the Buss family’s run as owners of the Los Angeles Lakers could be coming to an end. The family has reportedly agreed to sell its remaining stake to new majority owners Bob Iger and Josh Kushner, but Jeanie Buss and her attorneys have come out to say she was not on board with the decision and plans to cha...

New data shows 24 million Americans traveled to Europe in 2025 alone — a record high, led by trips to the UK, France, and Italy. But the boom isn't reaching everyone equally: the wealthiest households are driving the surge, and by age, travelers 55-64 led the way, followed by 18-24 year olds.

And, a new UC Berkeley Institute of Governmental Studies poll, co-sponsored by the Los Angeles Times, shows California voters are divided on two major ballot measures ahead of the November election. Proposition 40, a one-time tax on billionaires to help fund healthcare, holds a narrow lead, while Pro...

Former Disney CEO Bob Iger and venture capitalist Josh Kushner are set to buy the Los Angeles Lakers for more than $12 billion — just over a year after Mark Walter took a controlling stake at a then-record $10 billion. The sale still needs NBA Board of Governors approval, which could take a few weeks.

And, federal health officials say jalapeños imported from Mexico are the likely source of a salmonella outbreak that has sickened at least 345 people across 27 states. Taylor Farms is recalling a wide range of ready-to-eat products from major retailers, including Trader Joe’s, Target...

Nvidia is partnering up with six asset managers, including BlackRock and Goldman Sachs, to bring half a trillion dollars into AI infrastructure — chips, power plants, and data centers. Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang says the goal is to connect its customers with lenders for loans and credit, though key details about the project remain unclear.  BlackRock’s Larry Fink says the move reminds him of the creation of mortgage-backed securities, treating AI compute as a new investable asset class.

Nithya Raman could lose her leadership role as chair of Los Angeles City Council’s Housing and Homeless...

The S&P 500 closed at a record high on Tuesday. Faith Pinnow from L.A. Times Studios breaks down what's driving the rally — from strong second-quarter earnings reports to growing optimism around a potential Iran ceasefire and the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz. Plus: a look back at how far the index has come since 1957.

California lawmakers have rejected a proposal that would have phased out pesticides containing PFAS, also known as "forever chemicals," on farms across the state. Supporters cited health concerns linked to PFAS exposure, while agricultural groups argued a ban would hur...

President Trump is threatening to drop Todd Blanche as his pick for Attorney General until he can lock down Senate approval. The warning comes after Republican Senators Thom Tillis and John Cornyn signaled they'd vote no — both objecting to a deal Blanche struck settling Trump's IRS lawsuit, including a controversial "anti-weaponization fund" Cornyn says protects Trump and his family from tax audits.

Plus, the Federal Reserve holds interest rates steady, even as inflation sits above the central bank’s target, with the war in Iran disrupting trade routes and pushing energy prices higher.

...

Truth Social's new Truth API is set to launch August 1, offering paying clients real-time access to posts from President Trump and other top administration officials. The service reportedly costs $100,000 per month and is designed to help institutional investors react to breaking news in milliseconds.

L.A. Times Studios' Faith Pinnow speaks with former White House chief ethics lawyer Richard Painter, who argues the service raises significant ethics and legal questions. He explains why he believes giving paying firms faster access to market-moving information could create an unfair advantage, benefit the president financially, and potentially draw s...

Trump Media & Technology Group is launching a new service that gives paying customers real time access to President Donald Trump's Truth Social posts, potentially milliseconds before others see them. The new "Truth API" could benefit institutional investors and high frequency trading firms, where even fractions of a second can be worth millions of dollars.

In this episode, we speak with L.A. Times business columnist Michael Hiltzik about the legal and ethical questions surrounding the service, why Wall Street reacts so quickly to the president's posts, and whether the $100,000 per month product could become a m...

President Trump is threatening to bomb Iranian bridges and power plants for every attack Iran carries out against ships in the Strait of Hormuz, marking a dramatic escalation in the nearly five month conflict. Iran is warning of an "eye for an eye" response, while attacks in the Red Sea and rising oil prices are fueling concerns the war could spiral into a wider regional conflict.

Meanwhile, lawmakers have introduced the bipartisan "AI Kill Switch Act," which would require the nation's largest AI companies to build emergency shutdown capabilities into their most advanced systems. The p...

The Trump administration is withholding an additional $1 billion in Medicaid funding from California and Minnesota, marking the second time this year the federal government has targeted the states' public health insurance programs over suspected fraud. While the withheld funds make up a relatively small share of each state's Medicaid budget, the loss could still impact programs providing behavioral therapy for children with autism and in-home care services helping people with daily tasks like bathing, eating, and taking medications. 

Meanwhile, the average cost of living in Miami is now more expensive than in the New York City metropolitan a...

The Paramount-Warner Brothers saga continues as a federal judge in California hit pause on one of Hollywood's biggest mergers. The ruling temporarily blocks the $111 billion merger of Paramount-Skydance and Warner Brothers Discovery after a coalition of 12 state attorneys general, led by California AG Rob Bonta, filed a restraining order to stop the deal.

Meanwhile, the United States' trade war is escalating with Canada as the Trump administration is slapping a new set of 50% tariffs on goods ranging from wine to hockey sticks to cement. The administration says the broad tariffs are in response to what t...

Christopher Nolan's nearly three-hour epic "The Odyssey" grossed over $124 million domestically this weekend, proving it was worth the risk for Universal despite being one of the priciest R-rated movies ever made. Shot entirely on IMAX 70-millimeter cameras, the film set a new IMAX record for the largest opening weekend in international markets, excluding China, Japan, and South Korea. Universal Pictures' president of domestic distribution says "it's something that truly has to be experienced on the big screen," and audiences are running to theaters to be part of this cultural moment.

Meanwhile, FIFA celebrated its own v...

The AI boom is fueling a race to build data centers across the United States. In New York, Governor Kathy Hochul is hitting pause, becoming the first state to temporarily ban approvals for the largest of those projects. The executive order halts new permits for "hyper-scale" data centers that use over 50 megawatts of power for one year. And, AI-generated character Tilly Norwood is set to star in the feature film "Misaligned," reigniting debate across Hollywood over whether artificial intelligence can truly be considered an actor. Meanwhile, a man was arrested in East Hollywood after police say he climbed on...

Lindsey Graham, the Republican senator from South Carolina, died on Saturday at 71 years old. According to the medical examiner, Graham died from an aortic dissection, a tear in the main artery. Graham served as a close advisor to President Trump. A fierce supporter of Ukraine and Israel, he pushed for more aggressive foreign policy measures.

And for months, lawmakers called it a ‘once in a lifetime’ housing bill. Over the weekend, it quietly went into effect. The measure won't bring a single sweeping change; instead, it's a collection of 56 regulatory tweaks aimed at boosting the housing supply by l...

In Maine, Graham Platner is officially suspending his campaign for U.S. Senate after sexual assault allegations against him came to light this week. In an eleven-minute video posted to social media, Platner said his movement will continue, but that he can't carry the torch forward. Under Maine law, a political party can choose a new nominee when one steps aside, meaning Democrats have until July 27th to pick a replacement candidate for the general election in November.

Also, a federal judge ordered President Trump to pay writer E. Jean Carroll the more than $5 million t...

President Trump says the U.S. will let Ukraine manufacture Patriot air defense systems to help counter Russian missile attacks, which killed at least 21 people in Kyiv just days ago. Trump also shifted his tone while meeting with Zelensky, praising the Ukrainian leader as "very effective" in the war.

Meanwhile, the market is down and oil prices are surging after Trump announced the ceasefire deal between the U.S. and Iran is over, following Iran's retaliatory attacks on three ships in the Strait of Hormuz. Trump says Iran's civilian infrastructure could be next, after Iran t...

Just one month after winning Maine's Democratic Senate primary, Graham Platner is facing growing calls to end his campaign. Last night, a woman who dated Platner went on CNN and accused him of raping her in 2021. Platner called those allegations "categorically false" and said he's taking time to reflect on the best path forward for his campaign.

Also, Senator Mitch McConnell is reportedly "continuing his recovery" after being hospitalized more than three weeks ago. Since then, his office hasn't said anything about the condition of his health, or when he's expected to return to the C...

Early Monday, Russia launched a series of missile and drone attacks on Ukraine's capital, Kyiv, and the greater region, killing at least 21 people and wounding at least 60 others. Also, as parts of the world bake under extreme summer heat, Southern California is next, as a strengthening El Niño threatens to bring record-high temperatures there over the coming weeks. A heat advisory is in effect from Tuesday to Thursday, as temperatures are expected to climb into the high nineties, even reaching triple digits across inland Los Angeles, Ventura, Santa Barbara, and San Luis Obispo counties. And, in a rare m...

Four House Republicans joined Democrats to pass a resolution for the first time that would limit President Trump's powers over the Iran War. The resolution is symbolically powerful, because it represents a growing divide between GOP lawmakers, especially those concerned about the war's effect on rising gas and food prices here at home. Meanwhile, California's primary election results are still trickling in for the mayoral and gubernatorial races. Incumbent Karen Bass is advancing to the November general election, while Spencer Pratt is leading City Councilmember Nithya Raman in the L.A. mayor's race, though many mail-in ballots remain uncounted...

Explosions echoed overnight across Ukraine, as Russia fired hundreds of drones and dozens of missiles at Kyiv and nearby cities in one of the Kremlin's largest offensives in recent months. Meanwhile, in New Jersey, advocates are rallying on Tuesday to protest Trump's mass deportation policies, following weeks of demonstrations at the Delaney Hall ICE facility in Newark, where detainees have gone on hunger and labor strikes over what advocates say are harsh and inhumane conditions. And voters are heading to the polls today in California to cast ballots in some of the country's most high-profile primaries, from the race...

Gas prices dropped modestly on Monday morning, even as crude oil prices jumped following a new round of military strikes between the U.S. and Iran. The drop may not last long, as gas price changes typically trail oil prices by a few days. Meanwhile, in Los Angeles, voters across the city and county will also decide on several ballot measures that could impact taxes, healthcare, hotels, and the cannabis industry, with the biggest county-wide question being a proposed half-cent sales tax to help fund public hospitals and clinics. And Serena Williams, the greatest women's tennis player of all...

The showdown for LA mayor is tighter than ever. New polling from UC Berkeley co-sponsored by the L.A. Times shows Karen Bass at 26%, City Council Member Nithya Raman at 25%, and former reality TV personality Spencer Pratt at 22%, meaning Bass has a statistically insignificant lead. Governor Gavin Newsom endorsed Bass, and she's secured support from major political groups. But Pratt's anti-establishment campaign is gaining traction. Voters will also decide seven City Council seats, the City Attorney, Controller, three School Board spots, and ballot measures on hotel and cannabis taxes. On the county level, races include Sheriff, Board of Supervisors...

Down in Texas, a stunning Republican runoff election could give Democrats an edge in the upcoming U.S. Senate race after Trump-backed Attorney General Ken Paxton defeated longtime incumbent John Cornyn. Meanwhile, Leo is speaking about the risks of artificial intelligence, pushing for more significant regulations around AI. In his first encyclical, Pope Leo says artificial intelligence needs to be “disarmed." Read more at https://www.latimes.com