The bloom of a giant and stinky Sumatran flower nicknamed the “corpse plant” because it smells like a dead body is drawing huge crowds to a Southern California botanical garden.

The 12 members of the first U.S. Olympic skateboarding team stepped on their boards and skated through a corridor of tall American flags in a joyful pack, headed toward an outdoor stage to meet the world together. It was an appropriate introduction for a bunch of world-class skaters who will represent the best aspects of this American-born sport in Tokyo: No leaders, no followers — and plenty of love and support for the whole crew.

Launching a bus tour with a live Kodiak bear named Tag ambling behind him in the hot sun, Republican John Cox promised to bring “beastly" changes to state government. He spent $5 million to air a 30-second version on television statewide, his campaign said, a major amount this early in the campaign and indicative of the need to raise his profile.