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Headlines From The Times

Prison Empires, Power Lines, and Billion-Dollar Tech Plays

Headlines From The Times

L.A. Times Studios

News, Daily News, Society & Culture, The Times, California

4.1544 Ratings

🗓️ 2 April 2025

⏱️ 4 minutes

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

A convicted killer running a criminal network from behind bars. A wildfire investigation zeroing in on a re-energized power line. Elon Musk’s surprise merger that gives X investors a stake in one of AI’s hottest startups. And OpenAI just raised a record $40 billion — but there’s a catch.

Transcript

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0:00.0

This is an LA Times Studios podcast.

0:10.0

Hi, I'm Angelica Cornado at LA Times Studios.

0:14.0

Here are some of today's top headlines from the Los Angeles Times.

0:19.0

Locked up since the 80s, Michael Lerma, also known as Pomona Mike, still ran a criminal empire from behind bars.

0:26.6

In a stunning report, Matthew Ormseth details how Lerma, convicted of murder and sentenced to life in prison,

0:33.6

continues to control an army of gang members and drug dealers. Prosecutors say he is part of the Mexican Mafia, a criminal syndicate based in California's prison system.

0:44.3

They alleged Lerma controlled gangs in Pomona, ordered murders, ran the drug trade from solitary,

0:50.3

and even set the rules for how other inmates lived.

0:53.3

This case exposes how one man

0:56.1

maintained total control for over four decades, despite being locked in a cell. Head to the article

1:02.1

to read the full story and uncover the chilling details of Michael Lerma's reach. Southern

1:08.5

California Edison is under intense scrutiny as crews investigate what sparked the

1:13.1

Eton fire. Reporter Salvador Hernandez says the company is facing lawsuits and a number of questions

1:19.5

about a transmission tower that was supposed to be unused. Somehow it was re-energized the day the fire

1:25.6

started and residents even got videos of flames burning near power lines.

1:30.3

Now investigators are climbing towers, testing soil, and analyzing thousands of images to figure out what happened.

1:38.3

Edison admits there were abnormalities in their system that day, but officials say it could take months or even years to determine

1:45.7

if they are responsible.

1:47.6

With dozens of lawsuits from residents and local governments, this case could lead to billions

1:52.3

of dollars in damages.

1:54.7

Open AI just locked in a record-breaking $40 billion funding deal.

2:01.6

Reporter Sharon Gaffari explains the AI powerhouse behind ChatGPT is now valued at a staggering

...

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