Los Angeles Times - Top News

Bridge section collapses on I-5 north of Seattle

By Kim Murphy and Rick Rojas — Fri, 24 May 2013 04:17:00 GMT

SEATTLE — A large section of a bridge on Interstate 5 north of Seattle collapsed Thursday evening, sending vehicles and people plunging into the swirling, icy waters of the Skagit River.

Heinrich Rohrer dies at 79; a father of nanotechnology

By Thomas H. Maugh II, Special to The Times — Fri, 24 May 2013 03:40:00 GMT

With IBM colleague Gerd Binnig, Rohrer invented the scanning tunneling microscope, which can show individual atoms on a surface and move them around.

The electron microscope revolutionized biology in the 1930s by providing magnifications thousands of times higher than that of light microscopes, allowing scientists to discern the inner workings of cells for the first time.

Obama reveals conflicted thinking on drone strikes

By Kathleen Hennessey and Christi Parsons, Los Angeles Times — Fri, 24 May 2013 01:11:00 GMT

In a major speech, President Obama tries to answer critics of drone strikes but also raises his own questions.

WASHINGTON — At times defensive, solemn, lawyerly and personal, President Obama on Thursday offered a rare glimpse of the burden that the nation's fight against terrorism has placed on the man who leads it.

Obama puts restrictions on drone program

By Ken Dilanian and Christi Parsons, Los Angeles Times — Fri, 24 May 2013 01:07:00 GMT

Setting a new tone on U.S. counter-terrorism policy, he also lifts the ban on sending Guantanamo prisoners home.

WASHINGTON — Reining back the aggressive counter-terrorism strategy he has embraced for five years, President Obama declared clear, public restrictions for the first time on using unmanned aircraft to kill terrorists, a shift likely to significantly reduce U.S. drone strikes in Pakistan and elsewhere.

Villaraigosa, Garcetti pledge smooth transition in mayor's office

By Maeve Reston, Los Angeles Times — Thu, 23 May 2013 23:24:00 GMT

L.A. Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa and Mayor-elect Eric Garcetti meet over breakfast and promise an orderly transition of power.

Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa began the formal transition of power to his successor on Thursday, hosting Mayor-elect Eric Garcetti for breakfast at Getty House where he told reporters that the city councilman had his "full support."

Fourth U.S. drone victim influenced by Sept. 11, war

By Shashank Bengali, Los Angeles Times — Thu, 23 May 2013 23:02:00 GMT

Jude Kenan Mohammad's journey from suburban North Carolina to Pakistan is the tale of a young Muslim, disillusioned in America, who became radicalized.

WASHINGTON — In his early teens, Jude Kenan Mohammad was a familiar sight in his middle-class section of Raleigh, N.C., riding around on his bike to deliver groceries to elderly Muslim neighbors.

Boy Scouts of America lifts ban on gay youth

By Molly Hennessy-Fiske — Thu, 23 May 2013 22:34:00 GMT

GRAPEVINE, Texas — In a highly anticipated vote Thursday, the Boy Scouts of America lifted its ban on gay youth starting next year, the latest sign of a shift in American attitudes toward gays and lesbians.

Conservative economists endorse immigration reform bill

By Lisa Mascaro — Thu, 23 May 2013 07:00:00 GMT

WASHINGTON -- More than 100 conservative economists will call on Congress to approve an immigration overhaul, highlighting the potential economic benefits.

Oklahoma turns to mammoth task of cleanup after tornado

By David Zucchino, Hailey Branson-Potts and Cindy Carcamo, Los Angeles Times — Thu, 23 May 2013 01:51:00 GMT

As details of victims emerge, residents of Moore, Okla., begin hauling away animal carcasses, trashed cars and the debris from 13,000 homes battered by the tornado.

MOORE, Okla. — Under a sunny sky, residents of this Oklahoma City suburb began cleaning up debris from the monstrous tornado that inflicted death and destruction — bodies of animals, overturned cars, homes reduced to rubble — as more information emerged about the human victims.

Kerry downplays Syria government's gains

By Nabih Bulos and Patrick J. McDonnell, Los Angeles Times — Wed, 22 May 2013 22:42:00 GMT

In Jordan for talks with the pro-opposition Friends of Syria bloc, he calls Bashar Assad's military advances 'very temporary.'

AMMAN, Jordan — Recent battlefield advances by the Syrian military against U.S.-backed rebels are "very temporary" and do not signal that the government of President Bashar Assad is gaining the upper hand, Secretary of State John F. Kerry said Wednesday.

Disgraced ex-congressman Anthony Weiner running for New York mayor

From the Associated Press — Wed, 22 May 2013 07:18:00 GMT

The former representative who resigned after his racy tweets surfaced may make it to a runoff for the office.

NEW YORK — Former Rep. Anthony Weiner, whose career imploded in a rash of raunchy tweets two years ago, announced in a YouTube video late Tuesday that he is running for mayor of New York.

Pentagon faces another sex scandal

By Shashank Bengali, Washington Bureau — Wed, 22 May 2013 02:32:00 GMT

Brig. Gen. Bryan T. Roberts, Army basic training camp commander, is suspended over allegations of 'adultery and a physical altercation,' military officials say.

WASHINGTON — The Army suspended the commander of its main basic training camp Tuesday for alleged adultery, the latest in a string of military officers accused of sexual misconduct.

IRS' last two commissioners deny lying; official to take the 5th

By Joseph Tanfani, Richard Simon and Melanie Mason, Washington Bureau — Wed, 22 May 2013 02:13:00 GMT

The Senate Finance Committee grills the IRS' Douglas Shulman and Steven Miller. Lois Lerner, director of exempt organizations, will invoke the 5th Amendment.

WASHINGTON — As the Internal Revenue Service's last two directors struggled to provide answers Tuesday about the agency's improper scrutiny of conservative groups, a lawyer for another key IRS official said she would invoke the 5th Amendment rather than answer questions about the screening and why she didn't tell Congress about it.

Guatemala full of questions after genocide conviction annulled

By Richard Fausset, Los Angeles Times — Wed, 22 May 2013 01:15:00 GMT

It's unclear what kind of retrial former dictator Efrain Rios Montt will face, or whether the nation's power brokers played any role in the high court ruling.

MEXICO CITY — The Guatemalan high court's decision to annul the genocide conviction of former military dictator Efrain Rios Montt on Tuesday revived questions about his responsibility for the slaughter of some 1,700 ethnic Maya people.

Rescue efforts ongoing as grim scene emerges after tornado

By Matt Pearce — Tue, 21 May 2013 10:53:00 GMT

MOORE, Okla. -- After darkness fell over this tornado-stricken city on Monday night and early Tuesday morning, rescuers confronted a strange and grim tableau.

Supreme Court to revisit church-state separation

By David G. Savage, Washington Bureau — Tue, 21 May 2013 03:42:00 GMT

Justices will decide whether a town council violates the 1st Amendment by opening its monthly meetings with a Christian prayer.

WASHINGTON — The Supreme Court has agreed to revisit the issue of church-state separation and decide whether a town council can begin most of its monthly meetings with a prayer from a Christian pastor.

Ray Manzarek dies at 74; keyboardist for the Doors

By Randy Lewis, Los Angeles Times — Tue, 21 May 2013 03:29:00 GMT

Manzarek, who was influenced by John Coltrane, added a jazz component to the band's rock sound and filled the role of bassist. The band charted 15 singles on the Billboard Hot 100 starting in 1967.

When the Doors were still a fledgling quartet, and the band members were honing their chops playing five sets a night at the London Fog club in Hollywood, it wasn't rock stardom on keyboardist Ray Manzarek's mind as he and his three band mates laid down an extended jam for their debut album that ran more than seven minutes.

Mile-wide tornado flattens school, homes near Oklahoma City

From the Associated Press — Mon, 20 May 2013 22:01:00 GMT

There are no reported deaths so far amid rubble and fire in suburban Moore, Okla.

MOORE, Okla. — A monstrous tornado as much as a mile wide roared through the Oklahoma City suburbs Monday, flattening entire neighborhoods, setting buildings on fire and landing a direct blow on an elementary school.

USC made its offer to neuroscientists a no-brainer

By Larry Gordon and Eryn Brown, Los Angeles Times — Sat, 18 May 2013 12:00:00 GMT

The school's 'all hands on deck' effort to lure Arthur Toga and Paul Thompson from UCLA included money and the prospect of new collaborations, as well as less tangible personal perks.

The courtship that has riveted the neuroscience world blossomed at a Saturday night dinner in a tony Brentwood restaurant.

Labor group won't back away from campaign mailer

By David Zahniser, Laura J. Nelson and Kate Linthicum, Los Angeles Times — Sat, 18 May 2013 03:37:00 GMT

Mailer to Latino voters urges support for Wendy Greuel because she 'will raise the minimum wage to $15 an hour,' but Greuel does not back that minimum pay level for all workers.

The most powerful labor organization in Los Angeles refused Friday to back away from a campaign mailer in which it urges voters to support Wendy Greuel for mayor because she "will raise the minimum wage to $15 an hour."

Analyst disputes Brown's budget outlook as too glum

By Chris Megerian, Los Angeles Times — Sat, 18 May 2013 02:27:00 GMT

Legislature's advisor sees $3 billion more in revenue, which could hamper the governor's bid to curb spending.

SACRAMENTO — California's financial picture is much brighter than Gov. Jerry Brown suggested in his latest spending plan, according to the Legislature's top budget advisor, who said the state will have $3.2 billion more at its disposal than the governor estimated.

Democrats seeking office have their eye on Sacramento

By Mark Z. Barabak and Richard Simon, Los Angeles Times — Sat, 18 May 2013 01:39:00 GMT

Lawmakers and candidates are increasingly feeling they can accomplish more at the state level than in Washington, where many would be serving in the minority.

WASHINGTON — Early this year, Leticia Perez and her husband flew here for a whirlwind 48 hours. The couple dined at the Italian Embassy, visited the Lincoln Memorial and joined the crowd on the National Mall watching as President Obama was inaugurated for a second term.

In Mexico, immigrants' relatives watch U.S. debate, and hope

By Richard Fausset, Los Angeles Times — Sat, 18 May 2013 00:59:00 GMT

Many are skeptical that Congress will pass immigration reform legislation, but if it happens, they say, it will mean the reunion of countless family members, some separated for 20 years.

TONATICO, Mexico — Armando Guadarrama was navigating his taxi through the narrow streets of this central Mexico pueblo on a recent Saturday morning, some 2,000 miles from the Beltway.

Ex-Compton fire official charged with arson, theft

By Abby Sewell, Angel Jennings and Richard Winton, Los Angeles Times — Sat, 18 May 2013 00:56:00 GMT

Marcel Melanson, once considered a charismatic department hero, pleads not guilty to stealing expensive radios while a battalion chief and denies setting a fire to cover up the theft.

Marcel Melanson was a hero in Compton.

California's unemployment rate drops to 9%

By Alana Semuels — Fri, 17 May 2013 14:37:00 GMT

California’s pace of job creation slowed in April, as employers added 10,300 jobs in April, nevertheless pushing the state’s unemployment rate down to 9% from 9.4% the month before.