Good morning. It’s Tuesday, Sept. 15.
- Gavin Newsom says he’ll skip 2028 if Kamala Harris runs.
- Jensen Huang sides with President Trump on AI risk.
- And Matthew Rhys makes Emmy history with actor wins.
Statewide
1.
The U.S. Supreme Court on Monday blocked an effort by the Trump administration to impose new restrictions on mail voting just weeks before the Nov. 3 midterm elections in a case brought by California. In a brief explanation, the court’s majority said the government was “unlikely to succeed on the merits.” Justices Samuel A. Alito Jr. and Clarence Thomas dissented. In a statement, Gov. Gavin Newsom said, “Today is a good day for democracy, the rule of law, and the American people looking to exercise their Constitutional right to vote.” N.Y. Times | Washington Post
2.
Gov. Gavin Newsom told CNN’s Jake Tapper that he will not seek the White House in 2028 if Kamala Harris runs again. In a video clip recorded more than a month ago and released on Monday, Tapper showed surprise at Newsom’s remark. “Why would I?” Newsom said. “I wouldn’t do that to her. I wouldn’t do it to me. I wouldn’t do that to you. I won’t waste everyone’s time. Who needs that?” Harris has been quiet about her plans, but a July poll showed the former vice president beating Newsom by double digits. CNN | Politico
3.
As coastal communities in Southern California recover from last week’s destructive waves, meteorologists say an even fiercer onslaught could be shaping up. Months ago, winds pushed a pulse of warm water across the Pacific to South America, where it began sloshing north toward California. Known as a “Kelvin wave,” the phenomenon may raise sea levels by as much as a foot, potentially for weeks. In combination with a storm and high tides, it “would probably bring record-breaking coastal flooding,” said climatologist Daniel Swain. KTLA | Washington Post
- See an animation of a past Kelvin wave event.
4.
In the past, doctors were used to diagnosing silicosis, a devastating lung disease, in aging miners. Now patients are commonly stonecutters. California has identified more than 600 silicosis diagnoses linked to work on artificial stone used in countertops. Most patients are Latino, and many are in their 30s and 40s. “I wish they only had lung cancer,” said Jane Fazio, a pulmonologist who works with silicosis patients. “Lung cancer can be cut out.” Yet as workers seek damages in court, a group of House Republicans, including Darrell Issa and Tom McClintock, is trying to shield manufacturers from litigation. Bloomberg
Northern California
5.
Nvidia’s Jensen Huang was interrupted by a phone call while on stage at a conference in Los Angeles on Monday. It was President Trump, and he wanted to talk about the warnings over artificial intelligence. “It’s a hoax,” Trump said on speakerphone. “The robots are not going to be taking over the world.” Huang, who has downplayed fears of a techno-apocalypse, praised the president. “Good job, sir,” he said. “There’s a lot of complexity and the fact of the matter is you saw through all of that.” TechCrunch | N.Y. Times
- Trump elucidated his vision for AI safety on Truth Social earlier Monday: “The only control or ‘guardrails’ that AI needs is a STRONG AND SMART (High IQ!) PRESIDENT, and the U.S.A. has that, in spades!” The Atlantic
6.
On a Tuesday in April, Christina Lacourte went to her son’s bedroom to wake him for school. She found him turning blue. Black fluid oozed from his nose and mouth. He left the home in a body bag. Lacourte thought the autopsy would cite fentanyl. “Instead,” the New York Times reported, “it included a word new to her — ‘cychlorphine.’ It remains the only time it has appeared on a San Francisco coroner’s report. Dante Paul Lacourte was 16 years old.”
7.
Journalist Jeremy Stern interviewed Mark Zuckerberg, his parents, his MMA coach, and others for a long but highly readable profile in Collosus magazine on the “head of history’s largest nonterritorial empire.” A few memorable details:
- Zuckerberg is obsessed with Roman history. He used to end meetings by declaring Carthago delenda est — “Carthage must be destroyed.” The names of his three daughters are Maxima, August, and Aurelia.
- Asked if she wishes her son would stop, Karen Zuckerberg said, in part: “I mean, you can’t change what people do with the tools you give them. It doesn’t make the maker a bad person just because people do bad things with what you offer, right?”
- Zuckerberg’s wife, Priscilla Chan, once said to him, “Aren’t we tired? Can we be done? I’m tired.” Zuckerberg answered, “No, this is who I am.”
8.
The Bay Area is increasingly embracing the “pedestrian scramble,” a rethinking of intersection signals that stops all vehicles and allows pedestrians to cross the street every which way all at once. San Francisco already has 31 scrambles. The effect can be kinetic, as office workers, dog-walkers, senior citizens, and others pour into the street. “The first time I tried it, I felt powerful,” said Ryan Simpson, a scooter-rider, on a recent afternoon. “Like I was breaking rules or something.” S.F. Chronicle
9.
“I thought we’d still be here in 50 years.”
For a brief period in the late 1960s and early 1970s, large numbers of young people fled urban California clutching books on house-building and headed “back to the land.” In an ambitious new book, “Handmade Utopia,” a writer and photographer toured the epicenter of the back-to-the-land movement in Humboldt and Mendocino counties. They found a band of die-hards who have kept the movement alive. New Yorker
10.
Meet college football’s oldest player. Justin Buzzard, a 48-year-old father of three, had his college football career derailed by injuries 30 years ago. But he stayed in good physical shape. On a lark, he tried out this year for the San Jose City College Jaguars — and made the team. He then had to sign up for a full course load to be eligible. He took the field for his first game a few Saturdays ago. Teammates treated him like a star. “I feel good,” he said afterward. “I mean, I’m sore all the time.” ABC News
Southern California
11.
Matthew Rhys made Emmy history at the Peacock Theater in Los Angeles on Monday night, becoming the first to win two lead actor awards in the same year for his roles in “The Beast in Me” and “Widow’s Bay.” “Widow’s Bay” led the awards show with a record 14 trophies, including best comedy honors. Other highlights: “The Pitt” won outstanding drama series; Apple TV emerged as the winningest outlet with 28 awards; and Michael J. Fox was greeted by a standing ovation in one of the show’s most emotional moments. Hollywood Reporter | N.Y. Times
- Check out the 13 best red carpets looks, according to the New York Times, then dive deeper into a collection of 72 images curated by Reuters.
- See the full list of winners.
12.
No one wants to buy Los Angeles’ most celebrated midcentury home. When the L-shaped Stahl House in the Hollywood Hills was listed for $25 million last year, many in real-estate circles figured it would be snapped up quickly by a celebrity or billionaire. When a buyer failed to materialize, the price was dropped to $20 million in April. Still nothing. “I am surprised,” said architectural historian Alan Hess. He noted that tech moguls, by and large, aren’t that interested in architecture. SFGATE
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