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No state has lost as much as California in the war on terror after the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks; 776 men and women who called the Golden State home have died — that’s 11% of the nation’s total casualties from the war. Nearly 20% of those Californians who perished were old enough to die for their country but too young to buy a drink. They left behind 453 children. 

For the families — and the state — the loss from the war on terror is incalculable. We spoke to three families about loss, grief and the years that have passed since their loved ones were killed in April 2004.

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What did California lose in the war on terror?

 More than any other state in the U.S. With prayers and promises, a California city remembers a fallen 

Marine The young Marines wanted to help. They were the last Americans to die in the Afghanistan war

We're delving into the term “Latinx.” Whom does it refer to? Who uses it? And why do people on both the left and the right, Latino and not, get so worked up about it?

Fidel Martinez, who writes the Latinx Files newsletter for the L.A. Times, breaks it down. We’ll also hear from folks who identify as Latinx, and from L.A. Times columnist Jean Guerrero. She used “Latinx” in a tweet recently and has been weathering a backlash ever since.

More reading:

Sign up for our Latinx Files newsletter

Why we chose the name Latinx Files for our new newsletter

Latinx Files: The story behind the name, and why Latinx voters are exhausted

The polls have closed, and even though the votes are still being counted, but the California gubernatorial recall election results seem decisive: Voters said no to recalling Gov. Gavin Newsom.

If the results hold — and it sure looks like they will — Gov. Gavin Newsom will remain in office. Voters rejected the idea that his progressive policies on COVID-19, on climate change, on everything, were ruining the California dream and that someone else on the ballot could do a better job. So ... what’s next for the Golden State? L.A. Times politics reporter Seema Mehta and Sacramento bureau chief John Meyers fill us in. 

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Newsom soundly defeats California recall attempt

5 takeaways from Newsom’s big win in California’s recall election

Column: The recall was a colossal waste. But don’t expect California’s GOP to learn from it

Over the past couple of years, a slew of weather disasters afflicting the United States have shown how fragile our energy system truly is, from electrical grids to solar panels, wind farms to coal. Add aging infrastructure and a clapback by Mother Nature, and zap: No power. For days.

Today, we convene our monthly Masters of Disasters panel — earthquake and COVID-19 reporter Ron Lin, wildfire reporter Alex Wigglesworth and energy reporter Sammy Roth — to talk about the future of energy in a rapidly warming world.

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Will blackouts be Gavin Newsom’s downfall? A former governor weighs in

Ridgecrest earthquake packed the power of 45 nuclear bombs, but its impact was muted

Packed stadiums. Hard-fought games. Boisterous, mostly maskless fans. The National Football League kicked off its season this past weekend almost as if the coronavirus had never existed. But it didn’t get to this point by ignoring the pandemic — far from it. With careful planning and close attention to who in the league was getting sick, the NFL helped advance science and show us all how to live in a world with COVID-19.

Today, as the 2021 football season begins, L.A. Times reporter Sam Farmer delves into the NFL’s coronavirus experiment: its successes, its failures and lessons for the rest of us.

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The NFL had a secret COVID-19 plan. Here’s why the league didn’t need it

Five things we learned from behind-the-scenes look at the NFL’s COVID-19 season in 2020

Column: The NFL discovers how to trounce vaccine hesitancy

Twenty years ago, the 9/11 terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center, the Pentagon and on United Airlines Flight 93 killed nearly 3,000 people. It’s a day that launched wars and shifted politics in the United States forever.

It’s also the day that pushed the U.S. Muslim community under a microscope — and has kept them there ever since.

Today, we focus on how 9/11 and its aftermath continue to loom over their lives.

More reading:

20 years after 9/11, an American Muslim recalls the costs of war you didn’t see on TV

Muslim youth in America: A generation shadowed by the aftermath of 9/11

Former Rep. Keith Ellison recalls how political opponents attacked his Muslim faith after 9/11

U.S. Rep. Adam Schiff, chair of the powerful House Intelligence Committee, became a household name as lead impeachment manager against former President Trump. Now the Southern California-based congressman is investigating the Jan. 6 Capitol insurrection. It’s been an unlikely career path for Schiff. When he began his first term in the House of Representatives in January 2001, his big issue was U.S. recognition of the Armenian genocide. Then came Sept. 11. 

Today is Part 1 of our series on the legacy of 9/11 in California. 

We’ll begin with national political correspondent Melanie Mason interviewing Schiff on how that one day in 2001 changed the trajectory of his career and American politics forever.

More reading: 

Adam Schiff’s command of impeachment hearings draws Trump’s anger and colleagues’ praise

Column: Adam Schiff has finally been vindicated. But it brings him no pleasure

Op-Ed: Adam Schiff: Why my colleagues and I are introducing the first major democracy reforms since Watergate

In 2018, Gavin Newsom was elected California’s governor with nearly 62 percent of the vote. It was the largest margin of victory in a California gubernatorial election in nearly 70 years and cemented Newsom’s reputation as the state’s marquee Democrat. 

But now Newsom faces a recall election, and all of liberal America is asking: What happened? Today, in the second part of our series on California’s recall election, we examine the rise and potential fall of Newsom. 

The former lieutenant governor and San Francisco mayor seems like the perfect official to lead deep-blue California,  but now there’s a chance he might be on the wrong side of a historical political upset.

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 Read all of the L.A. Times California gubernatorial recall election coverage here

Q&A: What you need to know about the attempt to recall Gov. Gavin Newsom

Column: In California governor recall, Latinos have a chance to cause political ‘desmadre’

California’s Democratic governor, Gavin Newsom, faces a once-unthinkable scenario: a recall. Election day is Sept. 14, just a week away. If he loses, his putative replacement would be one of the most conservative governors California has ever seen.

How did California, one of the bluest states, get to the point where a Republican might win the governor’s seat? How did that candidate, radio talk show host Larry Elder, become the top challenger? And what would Elder do if he wins?

Today, we start a two-part series on the California recall election, starting with a focus on Elder: his life, his beliefs and his sudden political rise. Our guest is L.A. Times columnist Erika D. Smith. 

More reading:

Everything you need to know about Larry Elder

Column: Larry Elder is the Black face of white supremacy. You’ve been warned

Column: Larry Elder says he’s not a face of white supremacy. His fans make it hard to believe

Inside Larry Elder’s base — longtime fans, new converts, evangelicals, Trump fans

Growing up in Queens, N.Y., Lucy Liu felt like she was from another planet — until she found the arts. But when the fiercely independent daughter of Chinese immigrants set her sights on acting, she was told repeatedly she wouldn’t make it in Hollywood, where opportunities for Asian American talent were scant.

Now she’s a household name.

In this crossover episode with The Los Angeles Times’ “Asian Enough” podcast, the actor talks about how her memorable roles — including Ling Woo on “Ally McBeal” and O-Ren Ishii in the “Kill Bill” movies — helped move the needle on Asian representation in Hollywood. Liu also discusses why she had to stand up to Bill Murray on the set of “Charlie’s Angels” and her feelings about the Destiny’s Child song that name-drops her.

More reading: Lucy Liu gets personal on fame, art and standing up for herself on the ‘Charlie’s Angels’ set