Headlines From The Times

The Justice Department is now authorizing firing squads as a method of execution, marking a major shift in federal death penalty policy. The method has rarely been used in modern U.S. history, with only three executions carried out this way since the 1970s. The move is part of a broader push to expand and speed up capital punishment under the Trump administration. Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche says the policy supports victims, while critics, like Alexis Hoag-Fordjour, Professor at Brooklyn Law School and Robin Maher, Executive Director at Death Penalty Information Center, pushback against the move and argue it’s a reaction to prior efforts to limit executions. And the Lakers failed to sweep the Houston Rockets in Game 4 of the first round playoff series. The Rockets capitalized on the excessive turnovers from the Lakers and a poor performance from Lebron James. The Lakers are coming back home for Game 5 with a 3-1 series lead, where they will face the Rockets with Kevin Durant back on the roster without key players like Luka Dončić and Austin Reaves. Read more at https://LATimes.com

Right now, Americans are paying on average $4 per gallon at the pump, and in California, where the average price of regular gas is $6 per gallon, rideshare drivers with companies, like Uber and Lyft, say it's becoming more and more difficult to make a living. LA Times Studios caught up with Sergio Avedian, a rideshare driver who's notched over 10,000 trips and is a senior contributor at "The Rideshare Guy" blog, and Mark Zandi, chief economist at Moody's Analytics for more on what’s happening. Read more at https://LATimes.com. 

 

Congressman Eric Swalwell suspended his campaign following reports that he sexually assaulted a former staffer; allegations also came out that he sent multiple women explicit photos and text messages. The congressman, who up until this weekend led the polls in a crowded field of Democratic candidates, now faces a criminal investigation and pressure from some members of Congress to resign, as a bipartisan effort to expel him from the House is quickly gaining steam. Meanwhile, Hungarians are celebrating Péter Magyar's win as the next president of their country, replacing far-right authoritarian Viktor Orbán in a massive moment that will affect the course of politics for Europe and the rest of the world. Read more at https://LATimes.com.

Anthropic is now briefing the government and starting an effort called Project Glasswing, giving 50 tech organizations like Microsoft and Nvidia access to their new platform Mythos Preview in an attempt to strengthen digital defenses. Meanwhile, an exclusive Wall Street Journal report reveals the U.S. Justice Department's investigation into whether the NFL is engaging in anticompetitive tactics that harm consumers. And, for nearly a decade, Californians watched as their neighbors left the state in record numbers, but research from the California Policy Lab shows the biggest driver is simple: affordability. Read more at https://LATimes.com.

The United States and Iran came to a ceasefire deal on Tuesday night, expected to last two weeks, but Iran is already saying Israel is violating it by continuing attacks on Lebanon. The ceasefire came just a day after President Trump warned he would destroy a "whole civilization" unless Iran reopened the Strait of Hormuz. Meanwhile, nearly 400,000 Los Angeles students could be out of class next week, as three major unions representing teachers, school staff, and administrators threaten a historic strike on April 14th, with the district now considering emergency "hubs" for families with no other childcare options. In business, the AI boom has propelled San Francisco's median home price to a record $2.15 million as high-earning tech workers flood a market with historically low inventory, and California’s data center expansion is facing significant local opposition, causing developers to scrap or delay multi-billion dollar projects, and even shift to other states like Texas. Read more at https://LATimes.com.