'Monster who killed him': Matthew Perry’s former assistant gets more than three years in prison ^8.7%

Los Angeles Times - By Brittny Mejia - 5/27/2026, 10:00 AM

Negativity Bias 23.2% - Appeal to Emotion 10.8% - Halo Effect 7.3%

A former live-in assistant to Matthew Perry was sentenced Wednesday to more than three years in prison after repeatedly injecting the actor with ketamine, including the fatal dose that killed him. Kenneth Iwamasa, who previously made $150,000 a year working for Perry, pleaded guilty in August 2024 to conspiracy to distribute ketamine... more

Crisis in ‘Chinese Beverly Hills’: Residents fear a backlash after mayor accused of working with China ^40.7%

Los Angeles Times - By Hannah Fry, Brittny Mejia, Cierra Morgan, Summer Lin - 5/13/2026, 10:00 AM

Negativity Bias 30.4% - Appeal to Authority 26.4% - Hasty Generalization 20.9%

Generations of Chinese immigrants have settled in Arcadia, transforming the San Gabriel Valley suburb, a typical bedroom community, into a “Chinese Beverly Hills” with high-end real estate and luxury shopping. But the city’s residents, many of them affluent, learned this week that a prominent local elected official had a relationship... more

The loophole that keeps a Trump loyalist serving as L.A.’s top federal prosecutor ^48.4%

Los Angeles Times - By James Queally, Brittny Mejia, Kevin Rector - 4/4/2026, 10:00 AM

Negativity Bias 35% - Biased Writer Voice 22.9% - Anecdotal 22.6%

Across the country, President Trump has installed handpicked loyalists as top federal prosecutors. Several have been pushed out after legal battles because they lack Senate confirmation to serve as U.S. attorneys. But in Los Angeles, Bill Essayli wields the power of a top prosecutor under a lesser title: “first assistant.” Essayli... more

'Amateur hour at the U.S. attorney's office': L.A. prosecutors face more losses in protest cases ^26%

Los Angeles Times - By Brittny Mejia - 4/3/2026, 10:00 AM

Negativity Bias 28.5% - Appeal to Emotion 12.7% - Framing Effect 8.9%

Federal prosecutors in L.A. have lost every assault on a federal officer case they’ve brought to trial against immigration protesters. A federal judge criticized the U.S. attorney’s office as “amateur hour” after prosecutors failed to disclose evidence during an assault trial. The office has charged more than 100 people since June,... more

Swalwell accuses Trump of trying to influence California governor's race with old FBI files ^68.7%

Los Angeles Times - By Brittny Mejia, Seema Mehta - 3/29/2026, 8:05 PM

Negativity Bias 28.7% - Confirmation Bias 19.8% - Appeal to Authority 17.3%

Rep. Eric Swalwell, a leading Democratic candidate for governor of California, has accused President Trump of trying to sway the election following reports that FBI Director Kash Patel may release documents from a decade-old investigation into the congressman’s ties to a suspected Chinese spy. Patel directed agents in the bureau’s San... more

DOJ to investigate California over housing of trans inmates at women’s prisons ^50%

Los Angeles Times - By Brittny Mejia - 3/26/2026, 10:42 PM

The U.S. Department of Justice announced Thursday that it has launched an investigation into two California women’s prisons to determine if they unconstitutionally provided housing and preferential treatment to “biological male prisoners.” In a letter to Gov. Gavin Newsom, Assistant Atty. Gen. Harmeet Dhillon — who heads the Justice... more

Push to strip Cesar Chavez’s name off streets, buildings, holidays catches fire after sex abuse allegations ^66.6%

Los Angeles Times - By Karen Garcia, Melissa Gomez, Brittny Mejia, Jaweed Kaleem - 3/18/2026, 11:58 PM

The sex abuse allegations against famed labor leader Cesar Chavez has prompted immediate calls that his name be stripped from schools, parks, streets, buildings and holidays. The claims immediately became a political issue across California and other states, where Chavez has been memorialized in many ways since his death in 1993. Gov.... more