Newsletter: Today: The Trumpshake Diplomacy Tour
President Trump meets with G7 leaders today, as his overseas trip winds down. 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
The Trumpshake Diplomacy Tour
It may be awkward at times, but it’s hard to let go: That’s what President Trump is finding out on his overseas trip, and not just in the white-knuckle handshake he shared with France’s Emmanuel Macron. After telling NATO allies in Brussels yesterday they need to pay their share (while standing next to a 9/11 relic, a symbol of the only time NATO’s mutual defense clause has been invoked), Trump begins meeting with leaders of the developed world’s major economic powers in Sicily today. One message he’ll keep hearing: Don’t back out of the Paris climate accord.
The Travel Ban: ‘See You in Court’ Again and Again
Trump suffered another legal defeat when the U.S. appeals court in Virginia (no, not the “bananas” 9th Circuit) ruled his travel ban may not be enforced. Next stop: Supreme Court? It’s possible. The procedural status of the case could allow the high court to hear at least a partial appeal rapidly. Meanwhile, a report by the Pew Research Center says the number of refugees entering the United States has sharply declined.
More Politics
-- Republican Greg Gianforte overcame a last-minute assault charge to win Montana’s special congressional election, keeping its lone House seat in GOP hands.
-- The Washington Post reported that the FBI is investigating meetings that Trump’s son-in-law, Jared Kushner, had in December with Russian officials.
-- Trump administration lawyers are urging the Supreme Court to reject a 2nd Amendment claim by two Pennsylvania men convicted of nonviolent crimes two decades ago.
Farmers Need a ‘Big, Beautiful Door’ in the Wall
When Trump was campaigning on his “big, beautiful wall” idea, he also promised a “big, beautiful door” for legal immigration. California farmers are counting on him to keep that door open. More than 11,000 foreign guest workers were approved last year to harvest crops in the state’s $47-billion agricultural industry — a fivefold increase from 2011, according to L.A. Times data analysis. The farmers want even more, but labor activists say the rush has also opened the door to abuse of the workers.
Who You Gonna Call? Leak Busters
There was a time when Trump said, “I love WikiLeaks,” but since taking office, his ardor for leaks has abated, especially for those that paint him in a bad light. Now he has an ally in his war on leaks in the British government, which is upset over the publication of forensic photos from the scene of the Manchester bombing. Whether they were provided by U.S. officials isn’t publicly known, but Trump has vowed a “complete review” of possible intelligence leaks.
When Special Ops Face ‘Mission Creep’
They work in harsh conditions, in small numbers, to hunt militants and gather intelligence around the globe. The number of raids they conduct is classified. Yet one thing that is known about the 8,600 special operations ground forces overseas is that President Trump, like President Obama before him, is increasingly relying on them. The Pentagon says the rapid rate of deployments has taken its toll in casualties — five have been killed this year — and more.
FLASHBACK FRIDAY
The holiday we now know as Memorial Day began in 1868 as Decoration Day, established by an organization of Union Civil War veterans known as the Grand Army of the Republic. Here’s a look back in pictures at how Los Angeles has marked the occasion.
MUST-WATCH VIDEO
-- Auto review: Chevy’s new electric hatchback Bolt EV is Detroit’s answer to the promised Tesla Model 3.
-- Military veteran Kenneth Salazar, 60, gets a permanent home after being homeless since being discharged.
-- A Times reporter takes a turn on the “American Ninja Warrior” obstacle course and finds the humanity in failure.
CALIFORNIA
-- Trump’s budget would eliminate federal funding for an earthquake early warning system being developed for California and the rest of the West Coast.
-- The L.A. Metro board of directors has withdrawn its support for the proposed 710 Freeway tunnel that would have connected the freeway to the 210.
-- Federal immigration agents arrested nearly 200 people in the Los Angeles area during a five-day dragnet targeting criminal offenders living in the country illegally.
-- A 20-year-old man will serve four months in jail for drugging and raping a family member. A Northern California district attorney calls the case “more egregious than Brock Turner.”
YOUR WEEKEND
-- Great burger recipes: beef, veggie, duck and more.
-- When self-improvement is self-destruction: the warning signs.
-- Our book section’s picks for 27 essential Memorial Day books.
-- All of this weekend’s movie openings.
HOLLYWOOD AND THE ARTS
-- Brad Pitt plays a general in the film “War Machine,” a nervy, dark satire on America’s involvement in Afghanistan.
-- Meet Disney’s philosopher king. He’s the brains behind California Adventure’s new Guardians of the Galaxy ride and Pandora at Walt Disney World.
-- Classical piano virtuoso Yuja Wang could have gone anywhere for her interview with The Times. Her pick: Universal Studios.
NATION-WORLD
-- Dozens were killed and many others injured after a bus carrying Coptic Christians was attacked by militants in Egypt. It’s the second major attack on Christians in the country in recent months.
-- After narrowly escaping execution seven times, an Alabama inmate dubbed the “Houdini of death row” has been put to death.
-- A Pentagon investigation into a Mosul airstrike that killed more than 100 civilians says that a U.S. bomb ignited explosives planted by Islamic State.
-- The Mexican band Los Tigres del Norte has been fined $25,000 for singing about drug smugglers.
-- Surprise! The results from Juno’s first two orbits around Jupiter are defying expectations about the planet.
BUSINESS
-- Can a new killer whale attraction help rescue SeaWorld?
-- Sean Hannity is going on vacation as advertisers drop out of his show on Fox News.
-- Layoffs at Carrier will start soon, targeting some of the jobs Trump vowed to save.
SPORTS
-- D’oh! Homer Simpson is headed to the National Baseball Hall of Fame.
-- Oscar De La Hoya is urging boxing fans to turn their backs on a possible “circus” match between 40-year-old Floyd Mayweather Jr. and top MMA fighter Conor McGregor.
OPINION
-- How much can you read into Trump’s praise of brutal Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte when he says so many others are doing a “great job” or are “amazing”?
-- Some advice for Chelsea Manning: Beware of fame.
WHAT OUR EDITORS ARE READING
-- The rocket scientist, the “big potato” and the mystery man behind North Korea’s nuclear program. (Reuters)
-- “Ambient computing”? Veteran tech journalist Walt Mossberg says computers will fade into the background. (Recode)
-- Long before Instagram filters, travelers would look at landscapes with a mirror called a Claude glass. (Atlas Obscura)
ONLY IN L.A.
As president of the California Institute of the Arts for 29 years, Steven Lavine has seen it all: near-bankruptcy, devastating earthquake damage and experimental concerts that drew bad reviews. He’s leaving the job with CalArts now thriving. But he does have one Indiana Jones-like weakness: snakes. Ask him about the time a man showed up at graduation wearing only a boa constrictor.
Please send comments and ideas to Davan Maharaj.
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