Newsletter: Today: Trump Gets a ‘Special’ Surprise

And now, the special counsel takes charge. 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

Trump Gets a ‘Special’ Surprise

Thirty minutes. That’s how much of a heads-up Deputy Atty. Gen. Rod Rosenstein apparently gave the Trump administration before going public that he’d named former FBI Director Robert S. Mueller III to take over the investigation of Russia’s involvement in the election and possible collusion with President Trump’s associates. Democrats and Republicans hold Mueller in high regard, though some took his appointment as special counsel more enthusiastically than others. (As it turns out, this isn’t the first time Mueller and fired FBI Director James Comey have been at the center of some D.C. drama.) Meanwhile, Congress proceeds with its own inquiries, and Comey may testify next week. As Trump starts an eight-day overseas trip this weekend, he and his already-besieged team could have a lot more to worry about than meeting heads of state.

More From Washington

-- Rosenstein heads to Capitol Hill today to brief the Senate.

-- The highlights: What you need to know about the newly appointed special counsel.

-- Trump’s pick for a top Interior post has sued the department on behalf of powerful California water interests.

-- Milwaukee County Sheriff David Clarke, known for his provocative social media presence, says he’s taken a job in the Department of Homeland Security.

-- In Montana, miles from Trump’s Russia crisis, there’s no clamor to impeach.

100 Days, 40,000 Arrests

Trump’s plan to build a border wall has stalled, but his pledge to increase deportations has resulted in the arrests of more than 40,000 people since he signed an executive order in January. That’s a 38% jump over the same time frame last year. According to ICE, nearly 75% of those arrested this year are convicted criminals, but the data also show a significant rise in the number of noncriminals arrested. “There is no category of aliens off the table,” says ICE’s acting director.

Do They Make Crow-Flavored Yogurt?

When Greek yogurt manufacturer Chobani sued Alex Jones for defamation, the conspiracy theorist said he was “never backing down.” Yesterday, Jones retracted the inflammatory comments he made about refugees and the company in Twin Falls, Idaho, as part of an agreement to settle the suit.

They’re Republicans, but They’re Definitely Not the NRA

Charles and Mary Leigh Blek of Trabucco Canyon were at an Irvine town hall meeting that Rep. Mimi Waters refused to attend, but they aren’t your usual protesters. They’re moderate Republicans on a mission: gun control. “Our son was shot in 1994 by three 15-year-olds,” Mrs. Blek told columnist Steve Lopez. Matthew Blek was killed in an apparent robbery by teens who carried a cheap weapon known as a Saturday Night Special.

If the Chinese Theatre’s Walls Could Talk

In the beginning, it was Grauman’s Chinese. Today, it’s the TCL Chinese Theatre Imax. But this Hollywood landmark, by any other name, is just as classic. This week marks its 90th anniversary on Hollywood Boulevard, where celebrities have left impressions of their hands, feet and various other body parts in the cement of the Forecourt of the Stars. Here’s a look at the secrets it holds.

MUST-WATCH VIDEO

-- Trump: “No politician in history ... has been treated worse or more unfairly.”

-- Early-morning raids ended in the arrests of nearly two dozen MS-13 gang suspects across Los Angeles.

-- Chef Thomas Keller serves buttermilk fried chicken at his Beverly Hills French restaurant.

CALIFORNIA

-- Can more civilian involvement improve how police are disciplined? L.A. is about to find out. Here’s a brief history of how the city has dealt with it since the 1930s.

-- After Tuesday’s election, charter school-backed candidates now have a majority on the LAUSD board, but how much can they change from within?

-- Some L.A. residents are wondering who sent them a mailer shaming them for their voting records.

-- Police say three robbers held a woman at gunpoint and stole $1.5 million in jewelry from a Beverly Grove home belonging to rapper and producer A$AP Rocky.

HOLLYWOOD AND THE ARTS

-- Film critic Justin Chang says Ridley Scott’s “Alien: Covenant” is a sleek, suspenseful return to form.

-- Elisabeth Moss and Joseph Fiennes discuss their work together on “The Handmaid’s Tale” and the show’s scary relevance to today.

-- “Roseanne,” the family sitcom led by comic Roseanne Barr, ended in 1997 but is coming back for eight episodes in 2018.

-- Has the Palme d’Or, the Cannes Film Festival’s top prize, lost some of its sheen?

-- Rocker Chris Cornell, lead singer of Soundgarden and later Audioslave, has died at age 52.

CLASSIC HOLLYWOOD

“Murphy Brown” got off to a slow start when it premiered in 1988. Few could have predicted it would become a hit TV show, win 18 Emmys and ignite a national debate thanks to Vice President Dan Quayle’s disapproval of the lead character, a TV newswoman played by Candice Bergen, having a baby out of wedlock. The show ended on this date in 1998.

NATION-WORLD

-- The Turkish government and Washington’s mayor are trading blame for violence outside the country’s embassy in the District of Columbia.

-- It almost makes you WannaCry: the frustrating search for the audacious hackers who infected computers around the world.

-- Iran’s President Hassan Rouhani is the favorite in Friday’s elections, but he’s up against an influential conservative ... and voter apathy.

-- Activists say many Venezuelan protesters are facing abusive government treatment.

-- Scientists are getting closer to one of regenerative medicine’s holy grails: the ability to create customized human stem cells capable of forming blood safe for patients.

BUSINESS

-- The economy looks pretty good, and many signs point to even better days ahead. One X-factor, as we saw play out in the stock market yesterday: White House turmoil.

-- Are net neutrality supporters wasting their time by filing comments at the FCC?

SPORTS

-- Clayton Kershaw had little time for foolishness when a skirmish between the Dodgers and the Giants broke out; he was there to pitch another gem.

-- Whom will the Lakers pick in the NBA draft? Here’s a look at The Times’ mock draft.

OPINION

-- Better late than never in appointing Mueller to investigate Trump. Now it’s Congress’ turn to step up.

-- Mueller isn’t good enough. We need a special prosecutor who can’t be fired by the president.

-- Sorry, Trump supporters. Unlike the president’s Russian adventures, the Seth Rich story is nothing but noise.

WHAT OUR EDITORS ARE READING

-- Two sources say Michael Flynn told Trump’s transition team weeks before the inauguration that he was under federal investigation for secretly working as a paid lobbyist for Turkey. (New York Times)

-- “There’s two people I think Putin pays: Rohrabacher and Trump,” House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy is heard saying on tape to fellow Republicans last year. A spokesman says it was a joke. (Washington Post)

-- It turns out it’s pretty easy to hack into “the cyber” at Mar-a-Lago. (Gizmodo)

ONLY IN L.A.

If it looks like beef and it — ugh — bleeds like beef, is it beef? Not in the Impossible Burger being introduced today at Umami Burger. It is made entirely from plants, and the idea is to appeal not to vegetarians but to carnivores, with an ingredient that mimics the red juices that ooze out of a fresh-cooked beef burger.

Please send comments and ideas to Davan Maharaj.

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