California Today: After Deaths, Lawsuits Against A.I. Companies Test a New Strategy

May 12, 2026, 6:31 a.m. Pacific time

Today’s Top Story

Ilana Panich-Linsman for The New York Times

After Deaths, Lawsuits Against A.I. Companies Test a New Strategy

The cases seek to use consumer product safety laws to rein in chatbot companies.

California Mayor Will Plead Guilty to Working as Agent of China

Eileen Wang, who resigned Monday as the mayor of Arcadia, Calif., published propaganda on a purported news site under direction from Chinese officials, prosecutors said.

Inside the Courtroom Circus With Elon Musk and Sam Altman

The tech leaders, with combined net worths exceeding $670 billion, have brought props to court and traded icy stares as their legal dispute reaches a denouement.

Can a ‘Street Taco’ Be Crunchy? A California Politician Is Finding Out.

Steve Hilton, a Republican front-runner for governor, posted a video of his Del Taco order. Social media users accused him of misunderstanding the state’s Mexican food culture.

At a Los Angeles Museum, Giving New Life to Dead Animals

The creation, care and keeping of creatures is a responsibility the last full-time museum taxidermist in the U.S. takes both seriously and joyfully.

China Sought Access to Anthropic’s Newest A.I. The Answer Was No.

The latest artificial intelligence models from Anthropic and OpenAI are extending the United States’ lead over China and intensifying the rivalry between the countries.

Angelina Jolie Lists Her Los Angeles Estate for $29.85 Million

The 1916 Beaux-Arts mansion, once owned by Cecil B. DeMille, sits in the hilly neighborhood of Los Feliz. In North Carolina, the TV-famous home from “Dawson’s Creek” has sold.

Inside the Hantavirus Isolation Unit Where 15 Americans Wait

The National Quarantine Unit in Nebraska is now the temporary home for many of the Americans who had been passengers on the MV Hondius.

The Dodgers Are Measuring Roki Sasaki’s Development With an Eye on the Future

Roki Sasaki was solid for the Dodgers through five inning Monday before things began to unravel.

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Tune in Today: Ezra Klein Moderates Forum for California Gubernatorial Candidates

California is one of the country’s least affordable states for housing, despite years of legislators passing bills to reduce red tape and build more. The Times Opinion columnist Ezra Klein is asking Xavier Becerra, Matt Mahan, Katie Porter, Tom Steyer and Antonio Villaraigosa, the top Democratic candidates for governor, how they plan to make progress on the issue. Watch the livestream today at 4:15 p.m. Pacific time here.