Hello, it's Wednesday, April 12, and here are the stories you shouldn't miss today:
TOP STORIES
State water officials release forecast for record snowmelt
A clearer picture of California's flood risk is beginning to emerge as temperatures rise and officials release new forecasts for snowmelt and runoff. The legacy of the state's remarkably wet winter could linger through much of the year, the latest outlooks show.
The Tulare Lake basin and the San Joaquin River basin remain the areas of top concern, as record-deep snowpack in the southern Sierra Nevada is expected to send a cascade of water down into the San Joaquin Valley as it melts.
A big question remains amid LAPD photo scandal: What's an undercover officer?
As fallout continues around the Los Angeles Police Department's release of undercover officers' pictures, the question of who actually works undercover is far from settled.
The fraught and complicated issue of covert police activity has been made more so, as LAPD and police union officials try to claw back the images released in response to a March public records request. They argue that the danger such public photos present to officers who have assumed aliases to infiltrate the underworld overrides calls for transparency.
But some critics dismiss the LAPD's claims as overblown and accuse the department of drumming up hysteria in the media as cover for its efforts to expand the definition of which officers' identities should be kept from the public.
U.S. presents proposals for major water cuts on the Colorado River
The federal government on Tuesday laid out two options for preventing the Colorado River's depleted reservoirs from falling to critically low levels, saying it could either impose cuts across the Southwest by following the water-rights priority system or by using an across-the-board percentage.
The stakes of this decision are high for California, which receives the largest share of water from the Colorado River. An across-the-board cut could hit California harder, particularly agricultural regions.
Angered by Kanye West's antisemitism, Doug Emhoff takes a stand
When Vice President Kamala Harris' husband saw a banner over the 405 — "Kanye is right about the Jews" — he took it personally. Emhoff traveled to Europe to confront the fate his ancestors escaped.
As he settled into his new life in Washington, Emhoff found the accidental spotlight. No longer just a supporting character for his barrier-breaking wife, Emhoff emerged as an ambassador for his faith and heritage.
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Even tourists could face prison under Uganda's proposed anti-gay laws
Legislation approved last month by Uganda's parliament would impose some of the world's strictest anti-gay measures — with punishments that include the death penalty — if it is signed into law by President Yoweri Museveni.
An admission of being gay could result in a lengthy prison sentence, leaving many in this country's small but tightly knit gay community living in terror and considering fleeing. The law also criminalizes the failure to report people suspected of participating in homosexual activity, putting friends, former partners — even supportive parents — at risk of going to jail for remaining silent.
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PHOTO OF THE DAY
CALIFORNIA
Whole Foods closes its San Francisco flagship store after a year, citing employee safety. Whole Foods Market is one of the latest companies to close a store in San Francisco due to public safety issues.
Harley Rouda drops his congressional comeback bid in Orange County, citing a traumatic brain injury from a fall. The Laguna Beach resident said in a statement on social media that as a result of a fall last month, he'd sustained two intraparenchymal hemorrhages, which can cause oxygen loss and tissue damage in the brain, and had to be transported to the hospital.
The Los Angeles City Council reappoints Heather Hutt, skipping a special election for former Councilmember Mark Ridley-Thomas' seat. On an 11-1 vote, Hutt was chosen to remain on the council through December 2024, representing Ridley-Thomas' district for the rest of his unfinished term.
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NATION-WORLD
Fancy a dip? An Olympic reboot for Paris' toxic River Seine. For decades, Paris' River Seine was disgusting. It was ecologically dying, too toxic for most fish and for swimmers. Now, however, its admittedly unappetizing green-brown waters hide a tale of rebirth.
How to build a robot arm that can flex in the moon's frigid south pole The 6.5-foot (2-meter) arm is only one piece of a future lunar rover, but it's a crucial one. If it proves successful, it could supercharge the amount of experimentation that can be conducted in the chillier regions of our solar system.
Biden calls the family of a reporter detained as a spy in Russia. The call happened one day after the Biden administration formally declared Evan Gershkovich "wrongfully detained." The designation elevates Gershkovich's case for the U.S. government and means that a particular State Department office will take the lead in seeking his release.
HOLLYWOOD AND THE ARTS
Coachella 2023: What you need to know about this year's fest. The 2023 Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival is only a few days away. Knowing how to plan for it might be difficult; we get it. So allow us to help you with this guide.
Commentary: Queer TV shows are disappearing fast — just when we need them more than ever. When "The Owl House" premiered, there were other shows that were also unapologetically queer. It seemed like television was finally catching up to reflect the real world. Times have quickly changed.
Brittney Griner to detail 'unfathomable' Russian arrest and detention in a new memoir. Griner is ready to open up about her detention in Russia, more than a year after she was arrested in February 2022.
BUSINESS
FBI warns of a cyber threat from public USB charging stations. Officials are again warning travelers to avoid using public USB charging stations because the docks can be altered to introduce malware or tracking software onto personal devices.
Congressman's China censorship worries 'stronger than ever' after Disney meeting. Rep. Mike Gallagher is pushing studios to be more transparent about their experiences with Beijing and censorship. "It's unquestionably happening. Everyone was completely candid about that. It's a major problem."
SPORTS
Anthony Davis' return to prominence fueling Lakers surge: 'I came here to win.' After more than a season of losing, the chance to play in meaningful games as a Laker again has Davis energized. And doing it once won't be good enough.
A six-letter word for Angels' favorite clubhouse pastime? S-U-D-O-K-U. In MLB clubhouses, the Angels' included, having crosswords available for players is a tradition that dates back … a while. Having Sudoku in the Angels clubhouse, though, is something they've had regularly started about four years ago.
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OPINION
Editorial: California cities want to stop fast-tracking affordable housing construction. Bad idea. It sounds like some cities want local control in order to say no to projects they've already said yes to in their land-use plans. That's exactly what created the housing shortage that is driving up rents and home prices and fueling homelessness.
Opinion: Will the Texas judge's abortion overreach be matched by the Supreme Court? U.S. District Judge Matthew Kacsmaryk's ruling reads like it was written by someone already sure of a high court win. Soon enough, we will learn if that assumption is right.
ONLY IN L.A.
Barbara Chung is photographed on her patio surrounded by her plants at home in Santa Monica. (Christina House / Los Angeles Times)
Barbara Chung may have the tiniest habitat garden in Los Angeles — some 200 mostly native plants in pots on her 7-by-20-foot townhouse terrace. It's a polite but defiant reminder that sometimes the "experts" — like the ones who told her she needed land to grow native plants — are wrong.
FROM THE ARCHIVES
Actor Joaquin Phoenix waves to the audience during his interview with "Late Show" host David Letterman on Wednesday, Feb. 11, 2009 on the CBS Television Network. (John Paul Filo / CBS via Getty Images)
Happy Birthday, David Letterman! The late-night talk show personality was born 76 years ago.
Since 2018, he's hosted the Netflix series "My Guest Needs No Introduction." Prior to that, he spent 33 years in late night, with approximately 5,850 guests on "Late Night" and 14,082 on "Late Show." He's had a lot of great interviews, a few mediocre interviews and even some bad ones. In 2015, we highlighted a few stand-outs.
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