Today’s Headlines: Senators reach a bipartisan deal on gun safety

By Elvia Limón

Hello, it’s Monday, June 13. Before we get into it, we have some news for Sriracha lovers: Huy Fong Foods, maker of the iconic hot sauce, is warning of a shortage this summer. That is due to weather conditions in a single region of Mexico, a representative for the company said. (The region of Mexico and name of the supplier were kept secret by the company.)

Some Los Angeles restaurants are bracing for the shortage, hoping the news doesn’t prompt a run on the hot sauce or hoarding. But don’t panic. If you cannot find it at your grocery store, there’s always this option: a DIY Sriracha that uses five ingredients and comes together in about 25 minutes.

Plus, the shortage isn’t expected to be permanent. A company spokesperson said the supply was at a “very reduced amount” but not wiped out.

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

TOP STORIES

Senators reach a bipartisan deal on gun safety

A bipartisan group of senators said it had reached a framework for enacting modest gun restrictions, such as closing loopholes and increasing background checks for purchases by people between ages 18 and 21.

If enacted and signed by President Biden, the measure would become the most significant piece of firearms legislation produced by Congress in nearly three decades.

Although the proposal falls far short of the gun safety reforms Biden has lobbied Congress to pass and is far less sweeping than the comprehensive package that advanced in the House, it garnered the immediate support of anti-gun groups and the White House.

More politics:

• Members of the House committee investigating the Capitol riot said they have uncovered enough evidence for the Justice Department to consider an unprecedented criminal indictment against former President Trump. Additional evidence is set to be unveiled in hearings that will demonstrate how Trump and his advisors engaged in a “massive effort” to spread misinformation and pressured the Justice Department to embrace his false claims.
• For years, Washington and Colombia have shared close relations on a wide variety of issues. But in an election runoff scheduled for later this month, an outsider will win Colombia’s presidency. Both candidates are questioning some of the fundamental tenets of the U.S.-Colombian relationship.
• President Biden and representatives of 19 other nations signed the Los Angeles Declaration on migration despite key absences at the Summit of the Americas.
• While allies have rallied around Ukraine, Biden’s broader foreign policy mission has delivered symbolism and summitry but little progress.

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Eastern Ukrainian cities are slowly dying

Ever since Moscow turned its sights on the Donbas, which encompasses the war-riven east Ukrainian provinces of Luhansk and Donetsk, the city of Severodonetsk, Kyiv’s seat of power in Luhansk, has been a key target.

Since its late-February invasion of Ukraine began, the Russian army has made a torturously slow — but steady — advance in the east, unleashing the full power of its arsenal and pummeling its way to almost full control of Luhansk.

This has turned onetime industrial hubs into what Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky described in a recent speech as “dead cities.”

Improving air quality in schools after COVID-19

Many schools in California and nationwide were in dire need of upgrades long before the pandemic drew attention to the importance of indoor ventilation in reducing the spread of infectious disease. So, one might assume school districts would welcome the opportunity created by billions of dollars in federal COVID relief money available to improve air quality and filtration in K-12 schools.

But a report released this month from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention found that most U.S. public schools have made no major investments in improving indoor ventilation and filtration since the start of the pandemic.

Instead, the most frequently reported strategies to improve airflow and reduce COVID risk were notably low-budget, such as relocating classroom activities outdoors and opening windows and doors, if considered safe.

More coronavirus headlines:

• L.A. County averaged about 5,100 coronavirus cases a day for the weekly period that ended Friday; that’s up 20% from the prior week.
• Children whose mothers had coronavirus infections during pregnancy were more likely to be diagnosed with neurodevelopmental problems, a study finds.
• The British government plans to burn billions of dollars worth of unusable protective equipment purchased during the COVID-19 pandemic.
  

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

Stepping in after a computer model predicts homelessness

An unusual effort by L.A. County seeks to marry predictive modeling with homelessness prevention. The county is using a predictive tool, developed by UCLA researchers, that pulls data from eight agencies to help outreach workers focus their attention on people believed to be at the gravest risk of losing their homes.

L.A. County has struggled to keep up with the number of people who become homeless annually, even as it steps up efforts to get people into housing. Figuring out whom to help is crucial because millions of residents seem vulnerable yet avoid homelessness, said Janey Rountree, founding executive director of the California Policy Law at UCLA.

How a Black family’s Bible ended up at the Smithsonian

The Diggs family came across a dusty and worn Bible in the 1980s while combing through a cardboard box of books earmarked for charity in San Bernardino. In the Bible’s pages, the family found notes from an enslaved, literate ancestor who documented five generations of births, deaths and marriages. His neat script provided clues necessary for the family to trace its lineage to the shores of Africa.

That is a rare feat for most African Americans, because enslaved people were deemed property in much of the country until the end of the Civil War and emancipation. The federal government did not record their names until its 1870 census — a lack of documentation that, coupled with other racist policies, has left empty branches on many family trees.

The Bible is now on display in the National Museum of African American History and Culture in Washington, D.C.

OUR MUST-READS FROM THE WEEKEND

Employees at Birth Choice pregnancy center in Dallas pray every afternoon “for the courts and for the protection of the unborn.”

(Gina Ferazzi / Los Angeles Times)

The antiabortion movement fuels a growth industry: pregnancy centers. These centers vary in what they offer and their religious affiliations, but they have the same goals: persuading “abortion-minded” women to reconsider and supporting those who continue their pregnancies. With Roe vs. Wade expected to fall, the number of pregnancy centers in the U.S. is expected to grow.

L.A.’s top Pride celebrations say they’re better off apart. But did their breakup ‘split the baby’? Many LGBTQ Angelenos reveled in back-to-back Pride weekends after two years of no place to celebrate in person due to the pandemic. This year marked the first time L.A.’s Pride parade has marched outside the city of West Hollywood in more than 40 years.

Eighty years later, a San Diego burial for a sailor who was killed at Pearl Harbor. Paul Gebser, a 38-year-old machinist’s mate, was among some 400 “unknowns” from the battleship Oklahoma. Gebser’s journey to a final resting place is the result of a painstaking Department of Defense project, concluded late last year, to comb through 13,000 bones commingled in mass graves and match the remains with names.

CALIFORNIA

Foreign graduate students can’t afford to live in California. Foreign students’ difficulties in living in California have broad implications, not only for those who hope to remain here after receiving their degree but for the nation’s economic competitiveness as well.

Air quality worsens as drought forces California growers to burn abandoned crops. In a region that already suffers from some of the worst particulate pollution in the nation, San Joaquin Valley residents are learning that extreme drought conditions can be as hard on human lungs as they are on local crops.

Judge rules domestic violence case against the Ukiah police chief can go to trial. Amanda Carley, a onetime Mendocino County deputy probation officer, filed suit against the county and Chief Noble Waidelich in 2017 after years of alleged domestic abuse. Despite the lawsuit, Waidelich continued to be promoted in the small Northern California city’s Police Department.

A Malibu security guard died on the job. Three months later, questions remain. Inge Baumbach worked an overnight shift as a security guard at Trancas Canyon Nursery. It was March 28, his 58th birthday. The next morning, an employee at the nursery found Baumbach lying facedown in the parking lot. Friends wonder if he actually died alone on his birthday, was attacked or tripped and fell.

Cooler temperatures are forecast for the Los Angeles area, but a heat wave will return midweek. The system will weaken and shift eastward, which will bring more moderate weather through today. But the heat wave will begin to rebound Tuesday and will peak midweek, as Southern California moves into its sweltering summer.

NATION-WORLD

Thirty-one members of the white supremacist group Patriot Front were arrested near an Idaho pride event. A U-Haul truck with riot gear was stopped near where the North Idaho Pride Alliance was holding the Coeur d’Alene Pride in the Park event. Authorities found that the group was planning to riot in several areas of downtown, not just the park.

The U.K.’s Rwanda deportation ruling is appealed as Prince Charles sparks a row. Opponents of the British government’s plan to deport migrants to Rwanda are preparing for an appeals court hearing amid the political backlash following reports that Prince Charles had privately described the policy as “appalling.”

NATO chief: Turkey has ‘legitimate concerns’ over terrorism. Turkey has accused Finland and Sweden of supporting Kurdish militants and says it will not back the two Nordic nations joining NATO until they change their policies. Turkey has been battling the militant Kurdistan Workers Party, known as the PKK and considered a terrorist group by the U.S., since the 1980s.

Lawmakers from Iraq’s biggest bloc resign amid an impasse. The 73 lawmakers from powerful Shiite cleric Muqtada Sadr’s bloc submitted their resignation based on his request, to protest a persisting political deadlock eight months after general elections were held.

HOLLYWOOD AND THE ARTS

How Batman and Scotland Yard are helping Spotify move beyond the Joe Rogan fallout. Instead of retreating, the company says it is doubling down on podcasting. The plan: continue building exclusive, original content through its owned podcast production companies and partnerships.

With ‘Jurassic World’ ending, Bryce Dallas Howard is ready for her next act. (Hint: It’s not acting.) As Howard embraces a move behind the camera, including with the “Star Wars” franchise, she’s also wrapping the biggest series of her acting career.

Justin Bieber postpones his tour after a syndrome leaves his face partially paralyzed. The announcement comes after the “Love Yourself” singer postponed a set of shows in Washington, D.C., and Toronto earlier in the week due to a previously undisclosed sickness.

As Ezra Miller grooming allegations deepen, a court ‘cannot locate or serve’ the actor. The parents of an 18-year-old from North Dakota and law enforcement are having a hard time locating Miller to serve him with a protective order, which accuses the actor of “physically and emotionally abusing” and grooming the teen.

BUSINESS

Big Tech attacks become the rallying cry for GOP candidates. Republicans are pushing an anti-Big Tech message in the midterm campaigns as they look to tap into the resentment toward technology companies that increasingly courses through their party.

It’s the end of the line for Farmer John, a smelly L.A. landmark of Dodger Dogs, tourists and protests. Many neighbors of the Vernon slaughterhouse are glad to be free of its stench. However, the factory’s 1,800 to 2,000 workers are left wondering what’s next.

OPINION

Can intermarriage spare California from America’s identity politics? When multiethnic or multi-religious populations mix and intermarry, they are less likely to vilify opponents, making it more likely that partisan fault lines will shift away from racial and religious identities to other sources of affinity — such as policy preferences.

I am the product of rape. Here’s why I support abortion rights. “I’m pro-bodily autonomy for every person. And why is that? It’s because my mother needed to have that choice. And focusing on what I’ve achieved says nothing about what my birth cost her — the trauma etched into her body forever,” writes Victoria Reyes.

SPORTS

Daniel Suárez celebrates after winning his first career NASCAR Cup race in the Toyota / Save Mart 350 on Sunday at Sonoma Raceway.

(Gary Coronado / Los Angeles Times)

Daniel Suárez becomes the first driver born in Mexico to win a NASCAR Cup race. Suárez, who came to the U.S. from Monterrey, Mexico, 11 years ago with little money and even less familiarity with English, took the lead from Chris Buescher at the start of the third stage and held it for most of the final 49 laps, beating Busecher to the finish line by more than 3.8 seconds.

Austin Reaves: His rise from Arkansas farm to Lakers fame. The rookie guard was nicknamed “Hillbilly Kobe” in college for his flashy play and Arkansas roots. While everyone in the family agrees that Reaves would’ve been a miserable farmer, Plan B — become an NBA player — seemed crazier.

Nevada judge dismisses rape case against Cristiano Ronaldo, citing lawyer’s conduct. U.S. District Judge Jennifer Dorsey in Las Vegas kicked the case out of court to punish the plaintiff’s attorney, Leslie Mark Stovall, for “bad-faith conduct” and the use of “purloined” confidential documents that the judge said tainted the case beyond redemption.

How fiery Phil Nevin won over the Angels: ‘The energy he brings is contagious.’ Nevin was once known for his hot temper. The interim Angels manager has harnessed the passion and now hopes to lead the team to success.

ONLY IN CALIFORNIA

San Diego does things differently than Los Angeles, including the Rady Shell at Jacobs Park. Instead of tucking its sleek, new outdoor music venue into a fetching fold in the foothills, as the Hollywood Bowl’s builders did a century ago, the San Diego Symphony plopped it down on the waterfront, at the edge of downtown.

Opened last August, the Shell is now in its first full summer season. Besides its core of classical artists, the lineup includes guest pop artists Common, Boyz II Men, Jennifer Hudson, Bernadette Peters and Pink Martini. This new venue is a fascinating combination of familiar and novel. That’s not a bad place to start when constructing a weekend away.

FROM THE ARCHIVES

Thurgood Marshall, Hyman Rickover and Newton Minow at convocation “Prospects for Democracy” in 1963 at the Beverly Hilton.

(Los Angeles Times)

Fifty-five years ago, Thurgood Marshall made history after President Lyndon B. Johnson appointed him as the first Black man to join the Supreme Court.

Marshall’s life was a reflection of a changing 20th century. It began in a sharply segregated city — Baltimore — in 1908. He built his reputation slowly, in backwater Southern towns, overwhelmed but not overmatched by a twisted white justice wrought by judges and sheriffs who had few second thoughts about beating Black residents. At times, his life was in danger, and at trial’s end, Marshall admitted, he took the first train out of town.

Before becoming a judge, Marshall argued 32 cases before the Supreme Court — and won 29 of them. One of his victories was 1954’s Brown vs. Board of Education, in which the high court ruled that segregation violated the 14th Amendment to the Constitution.

Marshall stepped down in 1991 because of failing health after serving for 24 years on the Supreme Court. He died two years later at 84.

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