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Today’s Headlines: Newsom signs state budget bills, with gas refunds for Californians

Mario Beccera fills up his gas tank at a Mobil gas station.
Mario Beccera of Fontana fills up his gas tank at a Mobil gas station in Pasadena in April.
(Francine Orr / Los Angeles Times)
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By Elvia Limón and Laura Blasey

Hello. It’s Friday, July 1, and before we get into it, we’d like to talk about a Spanish-language weekly newsletter that’s hitting inboxes later this month: Kiosco Digital.

Many of our readers have expressed a desire for more Spanish-language stories in our coverage. We’ve heard you loud and clear. The newsletter, written by Alejandro Maciel, editor of the Los Angeles Times en Español, will highlight the amazing work of our Spanish-language journalists. Sign up here to get it in your inbox.

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Now, here are the stories you shouldn’t miss today:

TOP STORIES

Newsom signs state budget bills, with gas refunds

Gov. Gavin Newsom signed into law key elements of a new $307.9-billion state budget, a spending plan centered on gas refunds for 17.5 million taxpayers to soften the sting of high fuel prices and the cost of living. It comes at a period when economists warn that the Russian invasion of Ukraine, interest rates and inflation could weaken the U.S. economy and lead to a recession.

Meanwhile, Californians contending with the highest gas prices in the nation will pay an additional 3 cents per gallon starting today due to the state’s annual gas tax increase. Yes, you read that right: Gas prices will go up due to the state’s excise tax on gasoline, which is adjusted each year.

Supreme Court rules Biden can end Trump’s ‘Remain in Mexico’ policy

The Supreme Court upheld President Biden’s power to enforce immigration laws, ruling he may repeal the Trump-era “Remain in Mexico” policy, which barred most Central American migrants from entering the United States to seek asylum.

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The 5-4 decision in Biden vs. Texas reversed lower court rulings that held the Democratic administration must continue former President Trump’s strict border enforcement policy. Immigrant rights activists hailed the outcome as a major victory and a welcome surprise.

Supreme Court limits EPA’s power to fight climate change

The Supreme Court also ruled for the major coal-producing states and sharply limited the Biden administration’s authority to restrict the carbon pollution that is causing global warming.

The justices agreed with lawyers for West Virginia and said Congress did not give environmental regulators broad authority to reshape the system for producing electric power by switching from coal to natural gas, wind turbines and solar energy.

More about the Supreme Court

Pressure builds on Biden to turn to executive action

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Pressure is mounting on President Biden to take action. If only it were so easy, say those close to Biden, pointing to serious problems facing the president if he were to issue a flurry of executive orders in coming months.

More politics

  • Biden’s bold actions abroad help reflect an abrupt change in the West’s approach to its own defense in response to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. But the president has been slower to respond to changes, tearing at the democratic fabric of his own country.
  • More than 13 million Americans tuned in to watch bombshell testimony from a former White House aide this week.
  • About half of Americans believe former President Trump should be charged with a crime for his role in the U.S. Capitol attack on Jan. 6, 2021, a new poll shows.
  • Former White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows questioned the results of the 2020 election just one day after it took place, texting Atty. Gen. William P. Barr on Nov. 4 about looking into a fraud allegation.

Sign up for our California Politics newsletter to get the best of The Times’ state politics reporting and the latest action in Sacramento.

COVID boosters must target newer Omicron mutations

U.S. regulators told COVID-19 vaccine makers that any booster shots tweaked for the fall will have to add protection against the newest mutations of Omicron. The Food and Drug Administration said the original vaccines would be used for people still getting their first series of shots.

But with immunity waning and the super-contagious Omicron family of coronavirus variants getting better at dodging protection, the FDA decided boosters intended for fall need an update.

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More top coronavirus headlines

Stay up to date on variant developments, case counts and vaccine news with Coronavirus Today.

Sheriff Villanueva says gun permits will rise in L.A. County

People in Los Angeles County are no longer required to explain why they need to be armed when applying for permits to carry guns in public, Sheriff Alex Villanueva said. The change comes in the wake of the U.S. Supreme Court’s ruling that such restrictions are unconstitutional.

As state legislators scramble to rewrite California’s gun laws while also trying to keep some checks in place, Villanueva said the Sheriff’s Department is seeing an increase in so-called concealed carry permit applications.

He speculated that eventually 50,000 people in L.A. County could receive permission to arm themselves in public.

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CALIFORNIA

The nation’s most sweeping law to phase out single-use plastics was approved by California lawmakers. The legislation heads off a November ballot measure, and it puts California at the forefront of national efforts to eliminate plastics that litter the environment and degrade into toxic particles.

Is California ready for ‘human composting’ as an alternative to caskets and cremation? Natural organic reduction is an eco-friendly alternative burial option. A bill would make California the fifth state to legalize human composting, though it’s the third time California lawmakers are considering the issue.

California’s eviction moratorium lifted at midnight, despite rent relief concerns. Lawmakers in March moved the eviction moratorium’s expiration date from April 1 to July 1 for California tenants who’d applied for rent relief. But tenant advocates say the state still hasn’t done enough to keep renters housed.

California to end its AIDS Healthcare Foundation contract. The state accused the high-profile nonprofit of engaging in improper tactics during negotiations over rates. Its controversial founder Michael Weinstein called the state’s move “pure retaliation” for his group’s push for higher rates.

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NATION-WORLD

Argentina’s green bandana makes its way to the United States. Here’s its story. It is a ubiquitous symbol at abortion rights rallies across Latin America: the bright green bandana. Now, from outside the Supreme Court in Washington to downtown Los Angeles, American crowds are dotted with green.

Xi’s Hong Kong visit marks its new era under Beijing’s control. In his first trip out of the mainland since the pandemic began, Chinese President Xi Jinping arrived in Hong Kong on Thursday afternoon. It was a moment for Xi to further cement his position as China’s most powerful leader since Mao Zedong.

‘No one wants to risk getting trapped’: In war, dangers multiply for Ukraine’s miners. The Ukrainian region known as the Donbas is full of mining cities. Their loss to Russia would be a devastating blow to Ukraine’s economy that also inflicts “serious psychological trauma” on the very idea of what it means to be Ukrainian.

HOLLYWOOD AND THE ARTS

The man who played Hollywood: Inside Randall Emmett’s crumbling empire. In recent years, Emmett was flirting with Hollywood glory. But court filings, records and interviews with three dozen former associates depict a once-high-flying producer who is facing lawsuits and mounting debts, as well as allegations of abuse against women, assistants and business partners.

The Jane Austen-influenced ‘Mr. Malcolm’s List’ gives a nod to diversity. Director Emma Holly Jones, working from a script (and novel) by Suzanne Allain, has said she was inspired by Broadway’s “Hamilton,” in which American history’s famous characters are portrayed by a non-white cast.

Travis Barker’s daughter, Alabama, shares the latest update on Blink-182 rocker’s health. The 46-year-old was reportedly first taken to West Hills Hospital and Medical Center on Tuesday, then taken by ambulance to Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in L.A. for additional care.

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‘Surviving R. Kelly’ helped bring the singer down. But #MeToo ‘blowback’ is real, the producer says. The executive producer of the 2019 Lifetime docuseries, dream hampton, spoke with The Times about her reaction to R. Kelly‘s sentencing this week, what it means for Kelly’s survivors and whether it has changed the way we consider claims of violence against women.

BUSINESS

Southern California housing prices will fall, some experts say. The question is how much. The fact some major forecasters now foresee sustained price declines — something that hasn’t happened in more than a decade — underscores just how quickly the housing market is changing.

EV demand is so hot that Tesla owners are flipping their cars like houses. Buying and reselling stuff is as old as commerce itself. Now, a new breed of flipper has emerged hoping zero emissions equal big profits, and helping them is an unusual confluence of factors plaguing manufacturers and car shoppers.

Powell says there’s ‘no guarantee’ the Fed can spare jobs while taming inflation. Speaking Wednesday in Portugal, Federal Reserve Chair Jerome H. Powell repeated his hope that the Fed can achieve a so-called soft landing — raising interest rates just enough to slow the economy without causing a recession and sharply raising the unemployment rate. But he said there’s “no guarantee.″

‘Stick a fork in them’: Bed Bath & Beyond’s recovery hopes fade. Mark Tritton was supposed to be the company’s savior. But the home-goods retailer watched its sales melt away during the pandemic and one last dismal quarterly report was all it took — Tritton was unceremoniously dumped Wednesday.

OPINION

Op-Ed: A debunked legal theory could be used to turn our elections into chaos. For the last several years, a small group of conservative legal activists has been trying to transform a radical reading of the Constitution known as the independent state legislature theory into the law of the land. It isn’t just a terrible idea — it’s also flat wrong.

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SPORTS

USC and UCLA are leaving the Pac-12 for the Big Ten. The schools are aiming to leave as early as 2024, and the Midwestern migration is expected to include all sports except beach volleyball, men’s volleyball and men’s and women’s water polo.

‘What the heck?’ High school recruits react to UCLA and USC moving to Big Ten. The decision will change the recruiting landscape for USC and UCLA as well as the other Pac-12 schools that have used Southern California as a recruiting hotbed.

Jordyn Poulter’s stolen Olympic medal was found in a trash bag. Poulter, the starting setter for the U.S. Women’s Olympic Volleyball Team in the 2020 Tokyo Summer Olympics, reported the medal stolen from her unlocked rental vehicle parked in her garage on May 25.

YOUR WEEKEND

Various fireworks exploding in the sky.
(Li Anne Liew / Los Angeles Times)

L.A.’s pyrotechnic legends share the best fireworks to see this weekend. While all fireworks shows are spectacular to see, there’s also plenty of variety. The brocade kamuro, which erupts into golden dust and shimmers down slowly, takes up the bulk of the sky. The medusa shell, also called a jellyfish, lives up to its name, with bright tentacles sprouting from a rounded head. Here’s what to pay attention to as you’re watching a display this weekend.

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If you’re heading out of town for the holiday and need a good book to read while you relax, here are 10 recommendations to add to your list. Whatever your taste or mood, these promising titles offer something to meet you where you are — or wherever you want to be.

WHAT OUR EDITORS ARE READING

Note: Some of the sites we link to may limit the number of stories you can access without subscribing.

Meet the billionaire and rising GOP mega-donor who’s gaming the tax system. You may not know Jeff Yass, but you know plenty of companies and efforts he’s involved in. “If you have bought stock or options on an app like Robinhood or E-Trade, there’s a good chance you traded with Susquehanna without knowing it,” ProPublica reports. He also owns a large stake in TikTok’s parent company. And he’s using the wealth he’s accrued to not only quietly avoid paying $1 billion in taxes — he’s funding efforts to further cut taxes and support election deniers. ProPublica

We’re entering an era of product placement. Companies and their wares appearing in popular shows and movies isn’t new. The idea goes back to at least 1896, at the birth of film. But why does every character seem to be drinking the same kind of bottled water lately? Using the same Dell computers? The answer is streaming. More consumers are skipping ads, so advertisers are working their way onto your screen through other means. New York Times

Review: Five weed drinks for summer that taste so good they’re dangerous. While we’ve been preoccupied with double masking and errant sneezes, the cannabis-infused beverage category has been growing faster than Pete Davidson’s social clout. To find the perfect poolside palate pleaser, roughly a dozen co-workers and friends dubbed the Elite Beverage Tasting Squad (EBTS) decamped for a 17-beverage test. Here are the top five suggestions. Los Angeles Times

FROM THE ARCHIVES

A man with a Sony Walkman jogs past an elderly couple seated on a park bench in Santa Monica in 1981.
A jogger with a Sony Walkman passes an elderly couple seated on a park bench in Santa Monica in 1981.
(Los Angeles Times)
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The first Sony Walkman went on sale 43 years ago today. While it might seem like a piece of ancient technology in today’s smartphone world, the handheld device’s release took the world by storm.

The device came to be after Sony Chairman Akio Morita, seeking to soften his children’s blasting stereos, asked his development team for something that would let the kids rock out without deafening dad.

The Walkman “completely changed the way the world enjoyed music,” Sony Vice President Bob Nell said in 1999. This was on-the-go entertainment, a concept since expanded by Sony and others.

We appreciate that you took the time to read Today’s Headlines! Comments or ideas? Feel free to drop us a note at headlines@latimes.com.

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