Lovely story by jessica garrison on the Chicago Cafe of Woodland, Calif., which opened in 1903, likely making it the nation's oldest Chinese restaurant. It had operated without that distinction for decades until a professor got interested in the place in 2022: latimes.com/california/sto…

Wild story. Obsessed collectors. How Lego went from humble toy to black market item & fueled a crime spree. By ⁦Daniel Miller⁩ ⁦Summer Lin⁩ latimes.com/california/sto…

A '65 Chevy Impala. A pack of baseball cards. A grenade. A post office in Compton. And the Marine whose name now graces that building. This is the story of James Anderson Jr. Besieged in a Vietnamese jungle, he faced the biggest choice of his life. latimes.com/california/sto…

In popular American culture, vegetarianism often is perceived as “liberal, wimpy and feminine.” Meat, on the other hand, is “associated with physical strength and masculinity.” Daniel Miller on JD Vance and the politics of the dinner plate latimes.com/politics/story…

Ever since Usha Vance said her spouse "adapted" to her vegetarianism, a question has lingered: is JD Vance a vegetarian? To find out, I called eateries where he posed with, well, lots of meat. In a beef-eating GOP even a whiff of vegetarianism bucks norms: latimes.com/politics/story…

JD Vance’s wife mentioned her vegetarian Indian diet at the RNC. He later claimed at a rally that Harris “wants to take away your ability to eat red meat. That’s how out there she is.” Is Vance himself a vegetarian? Daniel Miller on the politics of food. latimes.com/politics/story…

“Kamala has no idea what the hell she’s doing. Her father is a Marxist professor and I believe he taught her well...I wonder if they knew that when they did an overthrow, or a coup, on Joe Biden?” Trump during tour of swing states this week latimes.com/politics/story… by me Los Angeles Times

Between Kamala Harris telling the president she loved him and "We ❤️ Joe" signs, the DNC was a big lovefest. Biden actually used the word "love" 12 times in his speech. Still, that lagged behind Trump, who, in his RNC acceptance address, said it 22 times. latimes.com/politics/story…

‘Same old con’: Michelle Obama delivers blistering attack on Trump at DNC. Nice summation by ⁦Daniel Miller⁩ latimes.com/politics/story…

Neil Young allowed the Harris campaign to use "Rockin' in the Free World" after Tim Walz’s DNC speech. So, it’s a good time to resurface this A+ story: when Young was set to play the song on SNL he worked out aggressively just beforehand to make sure he was “at peak blood level.”

Tim Walz is a car guy — and works on his own 1979 Scout SUV. Will it help him with voters? latimes.com/politics/story… Daniel Miller Elana Scherr

Tim Walz "wrenches on cars" and has a  "pistons-and-pushrods persona." So writes Daniel Miller--a car guy himself--in this story about the vice presidential candidate and his obsession with cars. latimes.com/politics/story…

Tim Walz owns a ‘79 Scout — a quirky SUV made by a defunct tractor company. That was a surprise to one Scout owner: “I just don’t picture a blue guy driving a f— Scout,” he said. Cars and politics have long mixed. So what does Walz’s ride say about him? latimes.com/politics/story…

Vice President Kamala Harris and Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz give their first interview since becoming the Democratic nominees tonight. Follow live updates from reporters Seema Hailey Branson-Potts, Kevin Rector, Daniel Miller and Jim Rainey: latimes.com/politics/liveb…

Read ‘til the end for a fun climate twist.

Fun mention of our piece on Tim Walz's car guy credentials...

Breaking: Electricity to be cut to 140 homes facing Rancho Palos Verdes landslide. Resident Mike Hong, who has been cooking with hot plates, pleaded, “Don’t abandon us. Where’s the humanity in this?” Power will be turned off Sunday. Story w/ Grace Toohey: latimes.com/california/sto…

Producer extraordinaire Grant Irving made this smart new show, and y’all should check it out!