Crooked Bough News Round-up

— Cocaine, crypto and soccer: Accused kingpin from Uruguay fights U.S. case

 

at 9/23/26 4:00am

Sebastian Marset allegedly smuggled tons of cocaine to Europe — but not a single gram to the U.S. Now, he's challenging his federal prosecution, alleging misconduct by DEA agents and arguing his charges should be dropped for lack of jurisdiction.

— Sons, mothers of people killed by ICE agents demand answers: 'We still have so many questions'

 

at 9/22/26 7:19pm

The forum, led by Rep. Robert Garcia (D-Long Beach), included the mothers of Renee Good and Ruben Ray Martinez, and the woman who filmed Alex Pretti's death.

— Trump, addressing U.N., threatens to 'annihilate' Iran if war continues

 

at 9/22/26 9:30am

The president's remarks at the United Nations come more than six months into a war that has grown increasingly unpopular at home.

— Trump threatens to send Iran 'into hell' if war carries on

 

at 9/22/26 9:30am

The president's remarks at the United Nations come more than six months into a war that has grown increasingly unpopular at home.

— Chabria: A 'fight worth fighting': Paramount settlement is less than desired, more than nothing

 

at 9/21/26 5:26pm

The company has to keep open and running both the Paramount and Warner Bros. lots — maybe one of the most visible wins for the city.

— As world leaders converge on U.S., Trump seeks to demonstrate control

 

at 9/21/26 4:28pm

The president's actions stand to color the backdrop of a week that will feature meetings with world leaders at the U.N. and a state visit by Chinese President Xi Jinping.

— Can Democrats flip the Senate? Here's the latest in key races

 

at 9/21/26 12:14pm

Democrats need to gain at least four seats, and not lose any, to retake control of the Senate. Here are five races to watch in the final weeks before Nov. 3.

— Despite court wins, California election war with Trump rages on

 

at 9/21/26 4:00am

L.A. County says it has received federal grand jury subpoenas demanding voter registration information on dozens of individuals the Trump administration suspects may not be U.S. citizens.

— Opposition grows to Paramount-Warner Bros. merger settlement as deal enters critical week

 

at 9/20/26 3:30pm

Critics of the $111-billion Paramount acquisition of Warner Bros. urged California Atty. Gen. Bonta and other state attorneys general to disregard pressure to reach a settlement.

— California Republicans walk a tightrope as Trump jumps into midterms campaigning

 

at 9/20/26 4:00am

California Republicans running in the state's most competitive House races are appearing to keep some measure of public distance from Trump ahead of the Nov. 3 election.

— Barabak: The worst, most vile candidate in Texas isn't who you might think

 

at 9/20/26 4:00am

The bigoted Bo French is running for railroad commissioner. His racist social media post drew scathing condemnation, though not from Gov. Greg Abbott or the ethically bankrupt Senate nominee Ken Paxton.

— California judge sentences former Syrian prison boss to 60 years for torturing inmates

 

at 9/19/26 1:28pm

Samir Ousman Alsheikh, 74, was previously found guilty of charges that he ordered and participated in the torture of prisoners while he headed the Adra Prison.

— Lopez: We don't need AI to threaten the future of humanity. We've got Trump's climate policies

 

at 9/19/26 6:00am

Trump's ambitious assault on the planet is fueling climate activism.

— California is losing its oaks. One man is planting 10,000, including in tree-scarce Altadena

 

at 9/19/26 4:00am

For years, he'd been a classroom science teacher in suburban San Diego County. Now he hopes to meaningfully contribute to the regrowth of oaks in burned Altadena.

— FCC approves foreign owners for a merged Paramount-Warner Bros.

 

at 9/17/26 5:08pm

Royal families of Saudi Arabia, Qatar and Abu Dhabi will own nearly 50% of the equity of a merged Paramount-Warner Bros. Discovery

— AI crisis heightens the stakes of Xi's visit to Washington

 

at 9/17/26 11:15am

Ahead of the meeting, rhetoric from Washington and Beijing has underscored only deepening acrimony and distrust over their rush to dominate the technological frontier.

— 'Convenient scapegoats': Boyle Heights warehouse company fights fire backlash

 

at 9/17/26 4:00am

The company that operates the vast cold storage warehouse scorched in a June blaze that plagued neighbors in Boyle Heights with smoke and stink said it doesn't deserve the pummeling it got for how it contained the catastrophe.

— The U.S. freed political prisoners in Nicaragua. Now Trump is trying to deport them.

 

at 9/17/26 4:00am

Journalists, human rights advocates and dissidents who were persecuted in Nicaragua and sought safety in the U.S. are increasingly being targeted for deportation.

— New evidence shows that you are only slightly hotter than a T. rex

 

at 9/16/26 12:00pm

These cold-blooded killers were probably as warm-blooded as mammals, according to new research.

— Prompted by new California and U.S. laws, two new lawsuits demand return of Nazi-looted art

 

at 9/16/26 4:00am

Two lawsuits were filed this week in California demanding prominent museums relinquish artwork seized by Nazi officials.

— California voters deeply frustrated by length of November ballot, state and nation's direction

 

at 9/15/26 10:00pm

Californians are deeply frustrated with the length of the November ballot, which includes 14 propositions, and gloomy about the direction of the state and the nation, according to a new Public Policy Institute of California poll.

As of 9/23/26 2:39pm. Last new 9/23/26 4:34am.