California Today: Trump’s National Guard Troops Are Questioning Their Mission in L.A.

July 17, 2025, 6:31 a.m. Pacific time

Good morning. Here are the top stories from across California.

Today’s Top Story

Mark Abramson for The New York Times

Trump’s National Guard Troops Are Questioning Their Mission in L.A.

Thousands of National Guard members have served in the L.A. region since last month. Six soldiers spoke in interviews about low morale over the deployment.

20 States Sue Trump Administration Over Ending FEMA Funding for Disaster Mitigation

FEMA announced in April that it was ending the funding to eliminate “waste, fraud and abuse.” The program saved taxpayers more than $150 billion over 20 years, the plaintiffs said.

They Grew Up on Mexican Coke. Trump’s Cane Sugar Plan Makes Them Uneasy.

After President Trump announced that Coke will be made with cane sugar in the U.S., as it is in Mexico, foodies of Mexican heritage said in interviews that they weren’t excited.

LeBron James expected to stay with Lakers next season

Both the Lakers and people close to the NBA’s all-time leading scorer expect James will be with the organization for training camp.

Why Did the Indie Film Studio A24 Buy an Off Broadway Theater?

The Hollywood upstart has upgraded the Cherry Lane Theater for plays and more. Coming this fall: films chosen by Sofia Coppola, food from Frenchette and the voice of Barbra Streisand.

2025 Emmy Nominations: ‘Severance’ and ‘The Penguin’ Lead the Pack

The nominees were announced Tuesday morning at the Television Academy’s Los Angeles headquarters.

The West’s Megadrought Might Not Let Up for Decades, Study Suggests

Clues from another dry spell 6,000 years ago are helping scientists understand what’s driving the latest one, and why it’s been so unrelenting.

University Leaders Reject Republican Attacks on Campus Antisemitism

Leaders from Georgetown, the City University of New York and the University of California, Berkeley, said they are working to protect Jewish students but also free speech on their campuses.

Ari Aster, Hollywood’s Master of Dread, Is Afraid of Everything

The man behind some of the 21st century’s most unsettling films takes his own anxiety and puts it onscreen.

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Today's Recipe

David Malosh for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Simon Andrews.

Skillet Chicken Thighs With Schmaltzy Tomatoes

By Melissa Clark

907

45 minutes

Makes 4 to 6 servings

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