Reporting back, for now...

The incoming is on Delta, and #1 was the surprise to me. I had been under the impression that booking separate pnr removed all protections. Hooray.

So, the incoming got delayed more to where it's now not even going to be remotely possible to connect, so I called in about 3 hours ago to ask if they could do something better for the ineternational leg, and, consistent with point #1 above, they treated like one trip and fixed my onward flight to one that leaves the following morning. My first leg is now sufficiently delayed that I booked a hotel, grabbed some dinner, and made my way to my base.

After I checked in to my hotel, I checked the app to see if the flight was delayed any further, but I see a departure time of back to my original time, so I called up delta to see if I need to book it to the airport, and they told me that they had rebooked me on another airline, leaving just a couple of hours from now. Without telling me.

I asked the phone agent if I could be put back on my original flight and she resisted, but then said ok. Then she mentioned that it had been delayed farther, and now I will not make my newly rebooked onward flight from LA. I asked her if she could fix my onward travel and said no.

So, after feeling secure for a few hours, I'm back to wondering what to expect when I hit the ground in LA.

This has been a real adventure, and I appreciate the guidance provided!