Headlines From The Times

In this episode of The Envelope podcast, Teyana Taylor describes the “slingshot” of success that’s come with “One Battle After Another” and shares her insights as to why fictional revolutionary Perfidia Beverly Hills does what she does in the film.

President Trump delivered the longest State of the Union address on record Tuesday night, presenting an upbeat, defiant vision of America. But recent polling tells a different story: 57% of Americans disapprove of Trump's handling of the economy and 64% disapprove of his tariff policy. Meanwhile, Dr. Casey Means, Trump's controversial nominee for U.S. surgeon general, testified before the Senate on Wednesday seeking confirmation after the role sat empty for over a year. And in Los Angeles, autonomous delivery robots require an entire field team to keep them clean, charged, and safe, creating a new gig economy job: robot wranglers. In business, developer Kali P. Chaudhuri has agreed to purchase downtown Los Angeles’ unfinished Oceanwide Plaza that became infamous for its graffiti, and Public Storage becomes the latest company to leave California. Read more at https://LATimes.com.

President Trump’s State of the Union comes as a majority of American voters disapprove of how he is handling the economy, immigration, tariffs, healthcare, and foreign policy, according to a recent Wall Street Journal poll. Also, Savannah Guthrie is offering a $1   million reward for information leading to her mother Nancy's recovery. Meanwhile, the San Diego-based fast food chain, Jack in the Box, has struggled quite a bit. The chain lost over $400 million on the acquisition of Del Taco; Jack in the Box closed more than 60 locations, raised prices, and are now embroiled in tension over their board chairman. In business, seven candidates have entered the race for California Insurance Commissioner following a devastating wildfire season, and Uber announced it’s preparing to launch robotaxis in Los Angeles within the next few months under its "Uber Autonomous Solutions" program. Read more at https://LATimes.com.

For the first time in nearly 400 years, a senior member of Britain's royal family was arrested. Prince Andrew was arrested by British police on Thursday and questioned about his ties to Jeffrey Epstein. Meanwhile, Bari Weiss, the new CBS News editor-in-chief, cemented her media career around championing free speech. Weiss was slated to give a talk at UCLA for their prestigious Daniel Pearl Memorial Lecture Series. But, she’s withdrawing from the event, citing security concerns. UCLA, however, says the decision was made solely by Weiss and her team and that the university was ready to put in place comprehensive measures to ensure her safety. In business, California regulators decided not to suspend Tesla’s sales after the company revised the marketing language for its "Full Self-Driving" feature, and OpenAI has been temporarily blocked from using the name “Cameo” for an AI video feature after the celebrity video platform sued over trademark infringement. Read more at https://LATimes.com.

President Trump's Board of Peace met for the first time to discuss goals for redevelopment in Gaza, where more than 70,000 Palestinians have died over two years of war. And, more news is coming out about a High Sierra tragedy—the avalanche that left eight skiers dead and one still missing; of the 15 skiers who set out with Blackbird Mountain Guides, six were rescued and two remain hospitalized, but are expected to recover. It's now the deadliest avalanche in modern California history. Meanwhile, in Los Angeles, Senator Bernie Sanders is taking aim at billionaires, helping a campaign to tax California's wealthiest residents. The proposal would impose a one-time 5% tax on the total wealth of billionaires in the state. In business, L.A's westside is getting its first Ikea, and California regulators approved new rules that would ban blackjack in card rooms. Read more at https://LATimes.com.