Newsletter: Today: The U.S. vs. the ‘Sanctuary’ State

The Trump administration is going after three California “sanctuary” laws passed by the Legislature last year.

TOP STORIES

The U.S. vs. the ‘Sanctuary’ State

Atty. Gen. Jeff Sessions will be in Sacramento today to speak with law enforcement officers. His message: “The Department of Justice and the Trump administration are going to fight these unjust, unfair, and unconstitutional policies that are imposed on you.” The administration’s lawsuit seeks to invalidate three California laws that it claims blatantly obstruct federal immigration law. Gov. Jerry Brown calls it a “stunt.” But unlike some other Trump administration legal moves aimed at immigrants, this time California is the one arguably in uncharted legal territory.

Leaving Over Trump’s ‘Loving’ Tariffs

Trump’s chief economic advisor, Gary Cohn, has become the latest White House official to announce his resignation. In this instance, it wasn’t over a scandal but rather a policy dispute: the president’s idea to impose steel and aluminum tariffs. Cohn, a Democrat and former Goldman Sachs president, had been among the many Republicans, American businesses and foreign governments urging Trump to drop his protectionist plan. Faced with another departure amid a slew of firings and resignations, Trump again contended that there’s no chaos in his administration, as has been widely reported. “Everybody wants to work in the White House,” he said, before admitting, “I like conflict. I like having two people with different points of view.” As for a possible trade war, Trump said tariffs would be imposed in “a loving, loving way.”

Beware of North Koreans Bearing Gifts

A potentially historic breakthrough, or a smoke screen to secretly develop a nuclear threat to the U.S. mainland? That’s one of the many questions after South Korean officials announced that North Korea has offered to freeze its nuclear weapons and ballistic missile programs to talk with the United States. Some say sanctions and Trump’s unorthodox approach, including his “fire and fury” threats and “Rocket Man” insults, may have opened the door. But as this timeline shows, progress with North Korea often has been illusory.

More Politics

-- Porn actress Stormy Daniels has sued Trump in an attempt to nullify an agreement that she keep quiet about her alleged affair with him in return for $130,000. So who are “David Dennison” and “Peggy Peterson”? Read the complaint.

-- Secretary of State Rex Tillerson has begun a seven-day, five-nation diplomatic mission through sub-Saharan Africa, one of the world’s most troubled regions.

-- A federal watchdog says White House counselor Kellyanne Conway violated the federal law prohibiting government officials from using their positions to influence political campaigns. It is up to Trump to decide what, if any, punishment she will receive.

Could These Parents Have Done More?

Friends say Daniel Panico and his wife, Mona Kirk, did the best they could. “We are just minding our own business, trying to raise three children on very little money, not wanting to impose on anybody,” explained Panico, as to why authorities found their three children sleeping in a makeshift structure made of plywood and tin in the Joshua Tree desert. On Tuesday, a judge released the couple on their own recognizance, but the two still face child abuse charges. The case has raised questions about the responsibilities of homeless parents, as well as the duties of law enforcement officials.

‘I’d Rather See a Female Doctor’

In 1970, 7% of gynecologists were women. Today, 59% are — as are 82% of residents training to be OB-GYNs. Many women, doctors and patients alike, say it’s about time in what has long been a field dominated by men. But some male physicians counter that it’s not only unfair but also could have unforeseen consequences.

MUST-WATCH VIDEO

-- Meet Nadia, who ended up in a shelter for homeless families with her children after she says she left an abusive relationship.

-- Requiem for a bookstore: Caravan writes its final chapter.

CALIFORNIA

-- Los Angeles police are defending their stepped-up enforcement involving the city’s homeless population, saying arrests and citations are needed to meet the crisis.

-- After five years, L.A. City Councilman Jose Huizar dropped his opposition to building a homeless housing project next to a Boyle Heights shopping and entertainment center.

-- A Golden West College professor and counselor identified in a viral video telling a Long Beach couple to “go back to your home country” will be on leave the next two weeks.

-- Officials say an L.A. man accused of stealing Frances McDormand’s Oscar and bragging about the prize in a Facebook video is facing a felony grand theft charge.

HOLLYWOOD AND THE ARTS

-- Jimmy Kimmel and Trump got into a “lowest-rated Oscars” spat on (where else?) Twitter.

-- George R.R. Martin, the author of the fantasy books that form the basis for the HBO show “Game of Thrones,” is taking a break from his blog to concentrate on some projects. (Ahem, the sixth novel?)

-- The digital startup Mitú is doubling down on TV with “Browntown,” its first sketch comedy series geared toward young Latinos.

-- At an L.A. concert, K.D. Lang showed why she can keep performing “Ingénue” the way she recorded it.

CLASSIC HOLLYWOOD

Bryan Cranston may be best known for playing Walter White on “Breaking Bad” and the dad on “Malcolm in the Middle,” but back in the 1970s, he worked for the Los Angeles Times — assembling papers. Watch this video of Cranston, who was born on this date in 1956 in the San Fernando Valley, describe the process and one of his colorful colleagues.

NATION-WORLD

-- West Virginia’s teachers won a 5% pay raise. Their strike has ended but could inspire educators in other states.

-- Democrats in deep-red Texas turned out in their largest midterm primary election numbers since 2002. See the results here.

-- British counterterrorism agents have taken over the investigation into the mysterious collapse of a former Russian spy in Salisbury, England.

-- For all their risks, opioids had no pain-relieving advantage over drugs such as Tylenol and ibuprofen in a yearlong clinical trial.

-- See these before-and-after views of the Caribbean island of St. Martin six months after Hurricanes Irma and Maria.

BUSINESS

-- The deal for an investor group to acquire the Weinstein Co. has collapsed again; a source says the studio has about $50 million more debt than previously thought.

-- The creator of Pepe the Frog has filed a copyright infringement lawsuit against the far-right-wing site Infowars for using Pepe without permission in a poster for sale on the site.

-- In case you wondered: No, the tax penalty related to Obamacare isn’t dead yet.

SPORTS

-- The young Lakers are beginning to figure out how the NBA works, columnist Bill Plaschke says, and watching them is starting to get fun.

-- Plaschke also spoke with Clippers owner Steve Ballmer, who is much more than a cheerleader.

OPINION

-- A death penalty absurdity: How sick is too sick to be executed?

-- The Chicanosauruses who have ruled in California should step aside, says columnist Gustavo Arellano.

WHAT OUR EDITORS ARE READING

-- Could “racial fluidity” make racism worse in America? (CNN)

-- Golf markers bearing the presidential seal? The Trump Organization says it has removed them from one of its golf courses. (ProPublica)

-- The invasion of the stinkbugs. Not for the squeamish. (New Yorker)

ONLY IN L.A.

If you live in Hollywood, do you feel glamorous? OK, probably not. But don’t tell that to the millions of tourists who come looking to mingle with the stars or at least take a selfie with the Hollywood sign. For them, the Walk of Fame, the TMZ Celebrity Tour and even the stands near the Oscars red carpet beckon. As reporter Carolina Miranda found out, “if you’re not a celebrity, accessing the Oscars is like going through the world’s most glamorous airport security line.”

If you like this newsletter, please share it with friends. Comments or ideas? Email us at headlines@latimes.com.