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The Morning's Stories: State of the Union

Congress has cut federal funding for public media — a $3.4 million loss for LAist. We count on readers like you to protect our nonprofit newsroom. Become a monthly member and sustain local journalism.

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We have to confess that we didn't watch the State of the Union last night. Every year, no matter who the President is, we're increasingly more convinced that little of substance is going to be said and last year when the President railed against "Steroid Abuse in Professional Sports" and "Gay Marriage" we realized our lofty ideals about political discourse had been officially dashed. With Republican members of Congress coming with ink on their fingers last night, we know we didn't miss much more than a dog and pony show.

While we were celebrating democracy,militants (insurgents? revolters? anti-revolutionaries?) killed 26 Iraqis and 2 US Marines. Our heads hurt. We can't think about global politics and the like today so let's just look at the interesting and happy stories around town.

That Hawaiian shirted alleged rapist was captured yesterday. He even still had the shirt. The Great Western Forum loves The Lamb of God but can't stand to Burn the Priest. Yahoo! is coming to Santa Monica and that exotic cat we said was running around the Hollywood Hills is actually a serval and, much like Hawaiian Shirt Guy, was also taken off the streets yesterday.

As Editor-in-Chief of our newsroom, I’m extremely proud of the work our top-notch journalists are doing here at LAist. We’re doing more hard-hitting watchdog journalism than ever before — powerful reporting on the economy, elections, climate and the homelessness crisis that is making a difference in your lives. At the same time, it’s never been more difficult to maintain a paywall-free, independent news source that informs, inspires, and engages everyone.

Simply put, we cannot do this essential work without your help. Federal funding for public media has been clawed back by Congress and that means LAist has lost $3.4 million in federal funding over the next two years. So we’re asking for your help. LAist has been there for you and we’re asking you to be here for us.

We rely on donations from readers like you to stay independent, which keeps our nonprofit newsroom strong and accountable to you.

No matter where you stand on the political spectrum, press freedom is at the core of keeping our nation free and fair. And as the landscape of free press changes, LAist will remain a voice you know and trust, but the amount of reader support we receive will help determine how strong of a newsroom we are going forward to cover the important news from our community.

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