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Headlines From The Times

Russia’s Massive Drone Attack, Obama Backs Newsom, Gaza City Takeover, and L.A. Graffiti Towers

Headlines From The Times

L.A. Times Studios

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

4.1544 Ratings

🗓️ 22 August 2025

⏱️ 7 minutes

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

Russia launched one of its largest assaults on Ukraine, firing more than 500 drones and dozens of missiles overnight. Former President Barack Obama endorsed Gov. Gavin Newsom’s controversial redistricting plan, intensifying the partisan fight over election maps. In the Middle East, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is set to approve a Gaza City takeover, sparking protests in Israel. And in business, Downtown L.A.’s graffiti towers continue to sit idle, while worker safety concerns mount amid California’s dangerous heat wave.

Transcript

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0:00.0

This is an LA Times Studios podcast.

0:04.0

Hi, I'm Faith Pino, and you're listening to headlines from LA Times Studios.

0:12.0

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

0:17.0

Continued devastation in Ukraine overnight as Russia launched one of its largest attacks this year.

0:23.6

Hundreds of drones and dozens of missiles reigned onto the western region, killing at least one and injuring 15 Wednesday night.

0:31.6

Reporters say the strikes come as world leaders pushed to end the three-year war.

0:36.6

President Trump met with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Alaska nearly a week ago, before

0:42.9

hosting Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky and European leaders in Washington.

0:48.7

But the diplomatic efforts haven't provided any relief on the battlefield.

0:53.5

Since those talks, Russia has fired nearly

0:55.6

a thousand long-range weapons at Ukraine. Zelensky called the overnight attack, a sign

1:01.0

Moscow is not seeking an end to the war. Meanwhile, Secretary of State Marco Rubio held talks

1:07.4

with European leaders on Thursday to discuss what security guarantees for Ukraine could look like.

1:13.6

A demand Zelensky calls a non-negotiable for lasting peace.

1:17.6

Zelensky plans to meet with those leaders later this week, inviting Trump to the table for potential trilateral talks to end the war.

1:25.6

Former President Barack Obama is backing California Democrats in their push to redraw the state's congressional maps.

1:34.3

Seema Mehta reports his endorsement comes just before lawmakers were set to vote on the bill Thursday.

1:40.3

If approved, the final redistricting decision will be in the hands of California voters

1:45.8

during a special election this November. Obama says he opposes partisan gerrymandering,

1:52.5

but argued that it's necessary in response to Republicans in Texas. The GOP-led House voted to

1:58.9

redistrict their own state on Wednesday, a move that will likely

2:02.8

add five Republican seats to Congress ahead of the 26th election.

...

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