Newsletter: Today: Sessions’ Session in the Senate. A Twist of Justice in Orange County. Streep Fighter.
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
Sessions’ Session in the Senate
The Senate will hold several confirmation hearings this week, including Donald Trump’s nominees for director of the Central Intelligence Agency, and secretaries of State and Defense. But the one taking center stage today is attorney general pick Jeff Sessions, who helped shape Trump’s anti-free-trade, build-a-wall message. Of particular note: Sessions’ long-standing ties to groups that oppose not only illegal immigration but also want to limit legal entry.
More Politics
-- Trump has selected his son-in-law Jared Kushner as a White House senior advisor.
-- President Obama gives his farewell address tonight, and it’s intended to be a reminder of the message of hope that got him elected.
A Twist of Justice in Orange County
At one point, Michelle Suzanne Hadley spent 88 days in jail. She was facing the possibility of life in prison if convicted of the 10 felonies with which she had been charged, including stalking, making threats, assault and attempted forcible rape. On Monday, a judge in Fullerton told her, “You are free to go.” Why? Prosecutors now say she was the victim of a “diabolical scheme” hatched by Angela Maria Diaz of Phoenix.
California’s Snow Days
The storms that are hitting California this week won’t end the six-year drought, but they are making a dent: The Sierra Nevada snowpack is at 126% of its average for this time of year. With the next round of storms expected to be colder, more snow should stick as well. That’s the good news. The bad is that they’ve also been wreaking havoc in some parts of Northern California, Oregon and Nevada. Here’s the latest.
Streep Fighter: Presidential Edition
It’s a fight deserving of a Hollywood movie title: “Streep Fighter: Culture Wars.” Was Meryl Streep right to call out Trump at the Golden Globes? Was he right to lash back at her as “over-rated” and a “Hillary flunky”? As Cathleen Decker writes in her analysis, a billionaire who starred in reality TV makes for an unlikely culture war combatant. Nevertheless, the discussion our entertainment staff started this weekend about the Hollywood elite versus Main Street is well-timed. Scroll to the bottom of this newsletter for some of the comments that hit the inbox.
L.A. Finds Those Legal Payouts Add Up
Fatal LAPD shootings. Wrongful murder convictions. Broken sidewalks. The L.A. City Council has settled lawsuits involving these and other grievances over the years. Now, budget officials say the city needs to borrow $50 million to $70 million to avoid tapping its emergency reserve fund to cover the cost of payouts.
CALIFORNIA
-- A new analysis shows that a proposed change to the LAPD disciplinary system could result in more leniency for officers.
-- A Pomona artist known as “Jesus Hands” turned himself in and was arrested on suspicion of trespassing in connection with altering the Hollywood sign to read “HOLLYWeeD.”
-- Lynne Westmore Bloom, the artist who surprised Malibu with the guerrilla artwork “Pink Lady” above a tunnel in 1966, has died at age 81.
HOLLYWOOD AND THE ARTS
-- Film critic Justin Chang looks at “La La Land’s” sweep at the Golden Globes: Hollywood once again falls in love with itself.
-- First-world problems: What to do if you need comfortable shoes at a Globes after-party? In this video, reporter Jen Yamato tries out a flat-shoe vending machine.
-- U2 will perform its landmark 1987 album “The Joshua Tree” at a 30th anniversary concert at the Rose Bowl in May.
-- Sanrio’s newest character is a red panda filled with rage.
NATION-WORLD
-- Backpage, one of the world’s largest classified ad websites, closed its adult ads section in the United States, citing years of pressure by government officials.
-- Iraqi forces this week reached a bridge over the Tigris River that bisects the city of Mosul, gaining a strategic advantage over Islamic State, but many challenges lie ahead.
-- Protests ignited by gasoline price increases have continued to roil Mexico.
-- A renegade American Legion post in northeast Portland plots a revival of the aging veterans’ organization.
BUSINESS
-- Meet the Hollywood producer at the center of a scandal shaking the Israeli government.
-- Automakers are having to shift gears on a new challenge: Trump’s tweets.
SPORTS
-- Clemson upset top-ranked Alabama to win the College Football Playoff national championship.
-- The Rams’ search for a coach continues, minus one candidate. More interviews are scheduled this week.
OPINION
-- The Senate must subject Trump’s nominees to extreme vetting.
-- Does the comedy sketch “The Real Housewives of ISIS” deserve a laugh?
WHAT OUR EDITORS ARE READING
-- Canada may be the world’s first “postnational” state. (The Guardian)
-- From “Zoolander” to “Home Alone 2”: Trump’s movie cameos. (Vanity Fair)
-- Did the scientific method come from watching children play? (Aeon)
ONLY IN L.A.
Here’s the pitch: Renaming part of the 110 Freeway near Dodger Stadium the “Vin Scully Highway.” Assemblyman Jimmy Gomez of Los Angeles has introduced a resolution to do just that. Seem slightly familiar? It’s because he backed a similar measure last year that didn’t go anywhere. Much like the traffic on that 2-mile stretch.
WE HEARD YOU
Yesterday we asked our readers to weigh in on the question: Are Hollywood values truly out of sync with American values? Below are just three responses. You’ll find a lot more here.
Scott Kirby: The problem with Hollywood and the media is that they cannot come to terms with the fact that they have lost their ability to filter information. Hollywood loves to tell us what is right.
Anne Gayler: So, what are Main Street “American values”? Bigotry? Misogyny? Bald-faced lying? Personal aggrandizement at the expense of society? War profiteering? Racism? If those are “American values,” perhaps Hollywood is out of sync, and should be proud of that.
Roy Niles: Movies attempt to either glorify our culture or demonize it. There’s no “story” in relating the basic lack of self-examination where our cultural mores are concerned.
Please send comments and ideas to Davan Maharaj.
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