Newsletter: Today: See You in Court 2.0. Trump vs. the Republic of California
I’m Davan Maharaj, editor-in-chief of the Los Angeles Times. Here are some story lines I don’t want you to miss today.
TOP STORIES
See You in Court 2.0
President Trump’s new travel ban was supposed to be tailored to withstand legal challenges. But as with the first go-round, a federal judge has put the travel ban 2.0 on hold, this time in Hawaii and just hours before it was to take effect. (Read the order here.) Trump vowed to take his fight against the ruling to the Supreme Court — then suggested he might try going back to the first ban.
Trump vs. the Republic of California
It’s budget release day for President Trump, and based on the previews, his plan could have a profound effect on not only the federal government but also the Golden State. On a national level, it would boost defense spending but cut most other departments by 10% to 12%. For California, it would be a painful financial blow — to police forces, schools, homeless housing programs, contamination cleanup efforts, help for the poor and more. But much remains to be determined on the budget’s final form. Meanwhile, the state is gearing up for a legal battle royal over Trump’s move to have the Environmental Protection Agency drop aggressive vehicle fuel economy targets.
More Politics
-- The leaders of the House Intelligence Committee said they had seen no evidence to support Trump’s claim that he was wiretapped by President Obama before he took office.
-- Secretary of State Rex Tillerson is visiting Japan, South Korea and China but the only reporter with him is from a conservative website.
-- A report released by the Trump administration says total sign-ups for Obamacare health plans have fallen since Trump took office.
ICE Trolls the Courthouse
Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents have returned to an old hunting ground to arrest immigrants who are in the country illegally: courthouses. Agents had stopped the practice after drawing criticism in California for raids that, according to the ACLU, included ensnaring women seeking restraining orders against abusive partners. In recent weeks, attorneys and prosecutors in California, Arizona, Texas and Colorado have reported raids by agents, some not in uniform. San Francisco’s district attorney worries about the return of a chilling effect.
This Time, the Charges Stick to ‘the Teflon Sheriff’
While overseeing the troubled L.A. County Sheriff’s Department, Lee Baca remained so popular, the L.A. Weekly started calling him “the Teflon sheriff.” That was before the feds started investigating allegations of abuse in the jail system. Now, in a retrial after a deadlocked jury last year, the former sheriff has been convicted of obstruction of justice, conspiracy and making false statements to federal investigators. Baca vows to appeal. Here’s why the jury found him guilty this time.
The Woman Who Runs the L.A. Phil Is Moving to New York City?!
For 17 years, Deborah Borda has been the driving force behind the L.A. Philharmonic. As president and chief executive, she oversaw the opening of Walt Disney Concert Hall, hired top conductor Gustavo Dudamel and turned around the orchestra’s economic fortunes. So when Borda announced she is off to run the New York Philharmonic, it took many by surprise. Times music critic Mark Swed talked with Borda and explains why it’s a homecoming for her.
CALIFORNIA
-- An L.A. County judge has thrown out the murder conviction of a man who served 32 years behind bars for a crime his attorneys say he didn’t commit.
-- John Van de Kamp, a former California attorney general and L.A. County district attorney who once made a run for governor, has died at 81.
-- Auntie Fee, a South L.A. personality whose foul mouth and fried food have made her an online sensation, has suffered a heart attack.
-- Columnist George Skelton says it’s time for lawmakers to figure out what the term “sanctuary state” means.
HOLLYWOOD AND THE ARTS
-- Film critic Justin Chang says the live-action remake of Disney’s “Beauty and the Beast” is a gilded monument to the more-is-more principle. Watch his video review.
-- One place you won’t see “Beauty and the Beast” in theaters: Malaysia, where it’s been pulled in a dispute over a “gay moment” in the film.
-- An Israeli film that was an unlikely box-office smash in its home country is in the process of repeating that feat in Los Angeles. Critic Kenneth Turan explains.
-- President Trump tweeted his displeasure about a new Snoop Dogg video, and he’s not the only one upset about it.
CLASSIC HOLLYWOOD
The French call him “Le Roi du Crazy.” Jerry Lewis turns 91 years old today. When he spoke with Times film reporter Mark Olsen last year, he talked about his movie “Max Rose” and gave Olsen a few death stares.
NATION-WORLD
-- The Russian spies wanted secrets; the hacker was motivated by money. Authorities say they orchestrated one of the largest thefts of consumer data ever from more than 500 million Yahoo accounts.
-- Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte appeared to handily defeat anti-Muslim candidate Geert Wilders in a Netherlands parliamentary vote.
-- North Korea has amped up worries about a potential threat to the U.S. power grid.
-- The Afghan defense ministry said that two dozen army personnel have been arrested for questioning after four assailants killed 50 people in the country’s main military hospital.
-- China’s premier Li Keqiang cautioned the U.S. against starting a trade war and is positioning Beijing as a leading proponent of globalization.
BUSINESS
-- Should Long Beach save the queen? That’s the $289-million question over repairing the Queen Mary.
-- Get used to rising interest rates. Fed officials bumped them up and also indicated that two more similar increases are coming this year.
SPORTS
-- The USC men’s basketball team came from behind to win its play-in game of the NCAA tournament.
-- Roger Federer decisively won the latest match in his long rivalry with Rafael Nadal, advancing to the quarterfinals of the BNP Paribas Open.
OPINION
-- Trump’s vehicle emissions plan: Make California smoggy again.
-- The Democrats’ stance on immigration will lead to electoral disaster.
WHAT OUR EDITORS ARE READING
-- Writer and journalist Amitava Kumar on what it’s like being Indian in America today. (The New Yorker)
-- Archaeologists have discovered the remains of an ancient Egyptian statue they think could be a depiction of Pharaoh Ramses II. (National Geographic)
-- Don’t get the “mulligrubs” over certain words dying out. Do something about it. (The Economist)
ONLY IN L.A.
Business can be a dog-eat-dog world, but some companies in L.A. are making it a dog-greet-dog world. At one Playa Vista ad agency, a mutt named Peanut has her own space under a desk, complete with artwork on the walls. Peanut’s real claim to fame? Co-starring in a GQ photo shoot with Rob Lowe.
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