Headlines From The Times

Every year, people in the American West die from scorching temperatures. Experts fear that the number of deaths is undercounted — and, that as the climate continues to heats up, the death rate is going to rise.

Officially, California says 599 people died due to heat exposure from 2010 to 2019. But a Los Angeles Times investigation estimates the number is way higher: about 3,900 deaths.

Today we talk to Tony Barboza and Anna M. Phillips, who, along with Sean Greene and Ruben Vives, spearheaded the L.A. Times investigation. We discuss why their count is so different from the state's, who's most vulnerable to the heat and how to protect yourself.

More reading:

Heat waves are far deadlier than we think. How California neglects this climate threat

Climate change is supercharging California heat waves, and the state isn’t ready

Poor neighborhoods bear the brunt of extreme heat, ‘legacies of racist decision-making’

Wildfires across the American West this summer spewed out smoke full of particulates that darkened skies, created unnaturally beautiful sunsets and boosted health risks far and wide. This problem has been getting worse as the years go by. So how will we move forward?

Today, we convene our monthly Masters of Disasters panel — L.A. Times air quality reporter Tony Barboza, wildfire reporter Alex Wigglesworth and earthquake and COVID-19 reporter Ron Lin — to talk about what makes wildfire smoke special, how to protect yourself and what the future might be. We also discuss reasons to be optimistic. And no, we’re not apologizing for the corny jokes. You’re welcome.

More reading:

Wildfire smoke now causes up to half the fine-particle pollution in Western U.S., study finds

Wildfire smoke may carry ‘mind-bending’ amounts of fungi and bacteria, scientists say

As ‘diesel death zones’ spread, pollution regulators place new rules on warehouse industry

How to keep the air in your home clean when there’s wildfire smoke outside

Across Latin America, the political left is making a comeback not seen since the 2000s. Izquierdista presidential candidates won recent elections in Peru and Honduras. Activists are mounting protests against the conservative presidents of Brazil and Colombia.

The left’s biggest win so far is in Chile, where Gabriel Boric was elected president last month. He’ll take office in a country that’s about to rewrite its constitution, which was put into place by dictator Augusto Pinochet.

Today, L.A. Times Mexico City bureau chief Patrick J. McDonnell and Universidad de Chile professor Claudia Heiss speak with us about this “pink tide” and what it could mean for a region coming to terms with soaring inequality, a legacy of colonialism and a bloody, authoritarian history.

More reading:

Leftist lawmaker Boric wins polarized election in Chile, to become nation’s youngest president

Chile’s new president (Taylor’s version): Gabriel Boric is a Swiftie

Chileans approve rewriting of constitution in landslide vote

When it comes to serving California's Black, LGBTQ (and Black LGBTQ) communities, Charles Stewart's resume is impeccable. The native of South L.A. worked for Rep. Diane Watson and former state Sen. Holly Mitchell, who's now an L.A. County supervisor. He has previously served as secretary of the city of L.A.'s LGBT Police Task Force, and he was editor at large for BLK, a national magazine for the black LGBTQ community, the first of its kind. Stewart is now retired, but we recently caught up with him to talk about his life, the state of Pride Month today, and much more.

More reading:

Queering the Black Press: Remembering BLK Magazine

An issue of BLK Magazine at the National Museum of African American History & Culture

BLK Publications papers at the ONE Archives at the USC Libraries