Audrey Kurth Cronin

California’s relentless clean-air enforcer, Mary Nichols, has divided the automobile industry. After weeks of secret negotiations, the Chair of the State’s Air Resources Board has announced that Ford, Honda VW and BMW of America won’t go along with President Trump’s rollback of Barack Obama’s fuel-economy standards. Nichols claims it’s an “olive branch,” giving car makers the “flexibility” to clean up the air at the same time they continue to market vehicles that make the most money. Brady Dennis of the Washington Post calls it a “big deal,” even if Toyota, GM and 11 other companies revert to Trump’s new federal standards--at least for the moment. Alan Baum is a consultant for both the industry and environmental organizations. He says the four who made the deal with California have a slight lead on their competitors in developing the technology of the future, with China currently far ahead of them all. He says the western car makers are doing a poor job of educating consumers about the benefits of hybrids and electrics. Nichols’s history with the Air Resources Board goes back to the 1970’s. She was named Chair by Republican Governor Arnold Schwartenegger and reappointed by Democrats Jerry Brown and Gavin Newsom. She made an international name for herself for years ago when she blew the whistle on Volkswagen for faking emissions tests on the diesel cars it sold for decades all over the world.

The House and Senate are looking into Facebook’s plan to launch a currency called Libra. Neither side of the political aisle trusts Facebook, believing it's too big.

Orange County Democrats are celebrating a victory that seemed almost impossible 10 years ago.

Last week's mass shooting in El Paso has been particularly painful for Angelenos, because so many have close ties to that city.

Berkeley’s City Council recently adopted an ordinance to drop certain gendered terms from the city’s municipal code.

Author and University of Michigan professor Alexandra Minna Stern traces the origins of America's burgeoning white nationalist movement.

Playboy Magazine built a culture of objectifying women that doesn't fly in the #MeToo era.

From Richie Havens to Jimi Hendrix, photographer Henry Diltz recalls his favorite moments of the historic festival.

Special Counsel Robert Mueller testifies before congress, but does he say anything new?