Newsletter: Today: Will the Senate Return Us to Comity and Civility?
President Trump is facing pushback from Republican senators, who seem set to follow their own path — at least this week. 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
Will the Senate Return Us to Comity and Civility?
President Trump has belittled Republican senators as looking like “fools” and tried strong-arming them. Have they had enough? It sure seems that way this week. Senior Republican and Democratic senators are planning to work together on a new bipartisan effort to stabilize Obamacare, even as the president threatens to undermine the healthcare law. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell has brushed off Trump’s call to get rid of the filibuster rule. And Arizona GOP Sen. Jeff Flake is taking on Republicans’ “denial” over Trump and the chaos in the White House.
When Will Trump Stand Up to Putin?
Vice President Mike Pence, Secretary of State Rex Tillerson and other White House officials have all said President Trump intends to sign a sanctions bill that clamps down on Russia. Vladimir Putin has retaliated by demanding deep cuts in the American diplomatic mission. Yet over the last few days, Trump has been silent on the issue. As this analysis shows, the president is caught in the middle, a position made even more awkward by the investigation into whether Trump’s campaign colluded with Russia to win the election.
More Politics
-- The White House acknowledged that the president “weighed in as any father would” in helping draft a misleading statement for Donald Trump Jr. last month.
-- A lawsuit claims Fox News coordinated with the White House on a false story about the killing of former Democratic National Committee staff member Seth Rich.
-- The Senate easily confirmed Christopher Wray to lead the FBI, approving President Trump’s nominee to succeed James B. Comey.
Citius, Altius … Hey, Wait a Second
L.A.’s deal to host the 2028 Olympics was unveiled with much fanfare this week, but there are still several I’s to be dotted and T’s to be crossed before the deal is done. One of the biggest hurdles is gaining the approval of the City Council, which previously OKd an agreement to put taxpayers on the hook for hundreds of millions of dollars if there were cost overruns in 2024. Now that needs to be renegotiated for 2028.
The Old, Dusty Trail Is Covered in Snow
The stories are harrowing: Some hikers have slipped into creeks and been swept away; a few have drowned. Others have slid down steep, icy slopes or lost their way. After winter blizzard conditions in the Sierra Nevada, segments of the beloved Pacific Crest Trail remain treacherous, even in August. There’s still so much snow, you need to worry about sunburn.
Save the Rhino — With Shotguns, Spies and a Paradox
One rancher relies on her grandmother’s trusty shotgun. Another runs a multimillion-dollar security operation complete with drones and spies. Their goal is the same: to protect the rhinos living on their private reserves in South Africa from the “cruelty beyond words” of poachers looking to make money on the black market for horns. Much to the outrage of many wildlife advocates, the rhino owners say the best way to keep the animals from extinction is to lift an eight-year ban on horn trading.
MUST-WATCH VIDEO
-- Rep. Jimmy Gomez, L.A.’s newest member of Congress, discusses his first month in D.C.
-- Empowering LGBTQ youth, one haircut at a time.
-- The Pacific Palisades Task Force on Homelessness reunites a long-lost woman with her family.
CALIFORNIA
-- Amid uncertainty over the future of Obamacare, California officials say monthly premiums for health plans sold on the state’s exchange will rise by an average of 12.5% next year.
-- The Pentagon has failed to fully meet a deadline set by Congress to review and mostly reverse efforts to recover enlistment bonuses for up to 17,500 California National Guard soldiers and veterans.
-- A South Pasadena man has pleaded guilty to first-degree murder in the killing of his 5-year-old son after a trip to Disneyland. He will be sentenced to 25 years to life in prison.
-- In the race to become the next governor, Lt. Gov. Gavin Newsom has raised more money this year than his three top Democratic rivals combined.
HOLLYWOOD AND THE ARTS
-- Top CBS programming executives were grilled over the network’s lack of progress in casting people of color and females in leading and key roles.
-- Singer, poet and author Patti Smith has written a farewell note to her longtime friend and collaborator Sam Shepard.
-- “Harry Potter” author J.K. Rowling has apologized for her tweet accusing President Trump of not greeting a child in a wheelchair, but she didn’t apologize to Trump.
-- “I wanted to build a museum that had a chance of attracting people who are not natural museum-goers,” Harold Williams once said of the Getty Center. The founding president of the J. Paul Getty Trust has died at age 89.
CLASSIC HOLLYWOOD
She was born Myrna Williams on this date in 1905. After her father died in the 1918 influenza epidemic, she and her family moved from Montana to Los Angeles, where she was later discovered by Rudolph Valentino and typecast in silent films as an “Asian-looking” vamp. But by the late 1930s, Myrna Loy had become the Queen of Hollywood.
NATION-WORLD
-- “We are not thugs”: Leaders of a prominent black policing group are pushing back on Trump’s call to be rough with suspects.
-- The rise and fall of Arizona Sheriff Joe Arpaio: a timeline.
-- Pakistan’s lawmakers have elected a new prime minister, who’s likely to step aside in 45 days.
BUSINESS
-- For the seventh month in a row, U.S. car sales declined, and even those of trucks and SUVs are slowing.
-- The S&P 500 won’t include Snap because its stock gives new shareholders no power.
SPORTS
-- “We got Darvish”: How the Dodgers’ dramatic trade played out.
-- Pro Football Hall of Fame leader David Baker has big plans to make the hall, well, famous.
-- Neymar has told Barcelona that he plans to leave the club, with a blockbuster move to Paris Saint-Germain seemingly imminent.
OPINION
-- The Olympics could be a boon for Los Angeles, but it’s foolish to think we can’t lose.
-- Is swearing a sign of honesty? No … way.
WHAT OUR EDITORS ARE READING
-- “An oral history of the Era of the Mooch” as told by senators, Boy Scouts, soldiers, journalists and more. (Washington Post)
-- On what it’s like to play golf with Trump (“Is this not the most beautiful asphalt you’ve ever seen in your life?”) and his complicated relationship with the game. (Golf)
-- Are American-produced shows and websites killing off British English? (The Guardian)
ONLY IN CALIFORNIA
Out in the Mojave Desert, two Boeing 747s sit in a “boneyard” with other surplus or retired aircraft, only this pair of jumbo jets will reportedly be the next generation of Air Force One. The airline that originally ordered them went out of business in 2015 and never took ownership. Guess where it was based? Russia.
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