Today’s Headlines: Trump provoked insurrectionists, Jan. 6 report concludes

Hello, it’s Friday, Dec. 23, and here are the stories you shouldn’t miss today:

Editor’s Note: We’re taking Monday off for the holidays, but Today’s Headlines will be back in your inboxes on Tuesday.

TOP STORIES

Jan. 6 report concludes Trump provoked insurrectionists

The highest-profile congressional investigation since Watergate concluded Thursday that former President Trump intentionally spread false claims about the 2020 election and provoked a mob of his supporters to attack the U.S. Capitol.

The report released Thursday includes new details, beyond what the committee presented during nine public hearings this year. It also details how Trump and his allies plotted to overturn the 2020 presidential election results by using state legislatures and the courts.

The 18-month investigation collected more than 1,000 depositions, including from many of Trump’s top aides, Cabinet officials and family members.

More politics

• Congressional leaders who wanted to strike a deal on immigration reform before the end of the year saw their hopes all but dashed Thursday.
• The racist audio leak raises a tough question: Why don’t Latinos vote more in L.A.?
• The House Jan. 6 committee delayed publishing its report, but released 34 transcripts from its investigation.

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Can Karen Bass secure enough beds for homeless people?

Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass’ “Inside Safe” initiative was unveiled Wednesday, nine days after she declared a citywide state of emergency on homelessness. The declaration she signed Wednesday formally kicks off a determined effort to clear encampments by offering people hotel and motel rooms.

Fellow politicians, nonprofit providers and some activists have applauded the urgency and focus that Bass is bringing to moving people off the street and into temporary housing, from which social workers can help them find permanent housing.

More buildings master-leased — a process in which the city would take control of entire hotels or motels — means more people off the streets. But it remains to be seen whether the city can lease enough beds to meaningfully reduce or eliminate large encampments across Los Angeles.

Weekly L.A. County COVID deaths top summer surge

Weekly COVID-19 deaths in Los Angeles County are higher than at any point during the summer surge, illustrating the persistent toll the pandemic continues to exact amid concerns that cases could surge again this winter.

Over the weeklong period ending Wednesday, the nation’s most populous county recorded 147 deaths — up 37% from the prior week’s tally of 107. Since Oct. 2, there have been 875 COVID-19 deaths reported countywide.

L.A. County’s COVID death toll in the last week is nearly as high as that for all of California from flu in the past two and a half months. Since Oct. 2, 160 flu-related deaths have been reported statewide, including 31 in L.A. County.

More top coronavirus headlines

• Dr. Anthony Fauci, who turns 82 on Saturday, wants the record to reflect that he is not retiring. He still wants to write, make public appearances and continue to shape research on infectious diseases.
• U.S. life expectancy, already declining since the onset of the pandemic, fell further in 2021, according to the CDC’s final accounting of death certificates.

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

Viral TikTok trend leads to shortages of key diabetes drug Ozempic

Ozempic, an injection that keeps blood sugar levels in check for patients with Type 2 diabetes, has been in shortage for about four months, according to the database maintained by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.

While increased demand and supply chain delays have left multiple medicines in short supply, the reason for a lack of certain diabetes drugs is unusual: Doctors are prescribing them to non-diabetics who want to use them for weight loss. On TikTok, some videos featuring the hashtag Ozempic have been viewed more than a million times.

For the more than 35 million people who live with Type 2 diabetes, the shortages have added yet another layer to managing a complicated and costly chronic illness.

CALIFORNIA

Groundwater in California’s Central Valley is disappearing at alarming rate. Heavy agricultural pumping has drawn down aquifer levels to new lows and now threatens to devastate the underground water reserves.

Most of the U.S. is facing a “bomb cyclone.” Here’s why California will be spared. The dangerous Arctic blast will touch more than 100 million people in nearly every state, while California’s geography will create a warm weekend for the West Coast.

L.A. feds seized enough fentanyl doses to kill everyone in 7 California counties. Agents with the Drug Enforcement Agency field office have confiscated 7 million fentanyl pills and more than 1,000 pounds of fentanyl powder in 2022 — accounting for 10% of the drug seized across the country.

NATION-WORLD

Fauci’s warning to America: “We’re living in a progressively anti-science era and that’s a very dangerous thing.” His reflections come as he prepares to leave the National Institutes of Health after 54 years as a government scientist and advisor to seven presidents.

Declining U.S. life expectancy fell further in 2021 due to COVID and drug overdoses. The numbers, released Thursday by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, mark the second consecutive year of decline.

Arizona to remove its border wall made of shipping containers. Arizona Gov. Doug Ducey agreed to take down the makeshift wall, settling a lawsuit and political tussle with the federal government over trespassing on federal lands.

HOLLYWOOD AND THE ARTS

Hollywood’s 2022 box office reality check: Not enough hits, and a movie shortage. When the hits came, they reminded audiences and studio executives of the good old days. There just weren’t many movies of that caliber.

HBO’s buzzy “Sort Of” just had its “messiest” moment yet. Let star Bilal Baig explain. The sophomore season of the hit half-hour comedy set out to explore love in all its forms through the lens of a lead character who has seldom been represented on television.

Review: A striking look elevates Christian Bale murder-mystery “The Pale Blue Eye.” What the gothic mystery-thriller adapted by director Scott Cooper may lack in fully propulsive storytelling and consistent narrative focus is more than made up for by its handsome physical production and gorgeous camerawork.

Sexism on set made Sarah Polley “squirm.” So she made a film by a new set of rules. Fed up with “casual sexual comments” and misogynist dismissal, the writer-director used “Women Talking” to build a better film set. Here’s how.

BUSINESS

Sam Bankman-Fried’s $250-million bail bond is approved by a judge. Bankman-Fried was released on bail after making his first U.S. court appearance to face fraud charges over the collapse of FTX. Separately, two of his associates pleaded guilty to criminal charges.

Holiday shopping procrastinators are back in force. Blame inflation. This year, supply chain snags have eased and shoppers aren’t as worried about availability as they are about higher prices on rent and food.

OPINION

The lonely exit of Adam Kinzinger. The House committee investigating Jan. 6 concluded its work. For the seven Democrats on the committee, they can finally go home. But for the two Republican members, who chose country over party, “home” is now a complicated word, writes columnist LZ Granderson.

SPORTS

Google lands the NFL’s Sunday Ticket package for YouTube TV. The NFL and the Mountain View, Calif., company announced Thursday that the package will be offered as a subscriber product through its YouTube TV streaming service starting in the 2023 season.

Dodgers pitcher Trevor Bauer reinstated immediately after his suspension is reduced. An arbitrator reduced Bauer’s suspension from 324 to 194 games and reinstated him immediately. He lost $37.5 million in salary from his $102-million Dodgers contract. Even with the reduction, the suspension is the longest under baseball’s policy on sexual assault and domestic violence.

NFL on Christmas Day: Most memorable games of the last 51 years. With Christmas falling on a Sunday this year, the NFL has front-loaded the schedule with 11 games on Christmas Eve, and — as on Thanksgiving — three on Christmas Day, including Denver at the Rams. The Chargers play at Indianapolis on Monday night. Here’s a closer look at some of the most memorable Christmas Day NFL games.

YOUR WEEKEND

Motorcycle riders, getting into the Christmas spirit, make their way along Maple Street in downtown Los Angeles.

(Mel Melcon / Los Angeles Times)

Catch up on Christmas specials old and new, traditional and offbeat. The Times’ Robert Lloyd offers you a look at the many specials available for your holiday viewing. Love Dolly Parton? There’s a special for you. Into crime and also comedy? He’s got a special for you. Check out the full rundown here.

Step into a cocktail time machine with rare vintage spirits and aged liqueurs. At Michelin-starred Manzke, a small team of drinks professionals has built a jukebox time machine of rare vintage spirits and aged liqueurs, sourced from around the world and across the decades. For drinks geeks and history buffs, there’s nothing else quite like it.

WHAT OUR EDITORS ARE READING

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

Infotainment bloggers are shaping the conversation around the Tory Lanez trial. As with the Johnny Depp and Amber Heard case, content creators are using their platforms to share provocative, unverified and misleading rumors as rapper Tory Lanez faces trial in the Los Angeles shooting of hip-hop star Megan Thee Stallion. The result is online fervor fueled by misogyny and misinformation. NBC News

How a Nepo Baby Is Born. In 2022, the internet uncovered a vast conspiracy: Hollywood was run on an invisible network of family ties — and everybody was in on it! In truth, nepo babies have always been a fact of Hollywood. Today, they’re not only abundant — they’re thriving. In an industry built on reboots, a famous last name can be valuable intellectual property. New York Magazine

As more GOP governors race to ban TikTok on state devices, a federal ban looms. As the U.S. Senate considers banning TikTok on federal devices as a part of its end-of-year spending bill, at least 16 Republican governors have recently taken that step at the state level. NPR

FROM THE ARCHIVES

Twenty-eight members of the Sears, Roebuck Santa Claus school in 1976 get some final tips before they begin a four-week stint as St. Nick.

(John Malmin / Los Angeles Times)

Forty-six years ago this holiday season, 28 Santa Claus candidates gathered for a two-hour class at the Sears Roebuck and Co. regional headquarters in Alhambra. The Santas received diplomas from the school and were booked by Sears through personnel agencies or the photographers who will operate photo concessions at the Santa corners. The Santas earned about $2.50 to $3 an hour.

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