Newsletter: Today: Out of the Deal
President Trump has roiled international politics by pulling the United States out of the Iran nuclear deal, which he called “decaying and rotten.” What happens next is less clear.
TOP STORIES
Out of the Deal
As he promised many times on the campaign trail, President Trump pulled the U.S. out of the Iran nuclear deal and will reinstate an array of economic sanctions on Tehran that were lifted under the 2015 accord. But the big question is: What comes next? Trump didn’t offer specifics on how he would replace the deal or rein in Iran. For now, Tehran said it would stay in it and open negotiations with the remaining signatories about keeping the deal. Trump’s decision was more severe than diplomats had expected; though it could isolate the U.S. from its largest European allies, who had implored Trump to work through the deal’s flaws, Israel and Saudi Arabia were pleased. In Congress, the reaction split mostly along party lines. How it will affect oil prices and the economy at large remains to be seen.
More Politics
-- The shell company used by Trump lawyer Michael Cohen to pay off porn actress Stormy Daniels received about $500,000 last year from a business linked to a Russian billionaire who is close to President Vladimir Putin.
-- Secretary of State Mike Pompeo made his second unannounced visit to North Korea in just over a month to complete plans for a summit between Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un. Meanwhile, Kim made a second surprise trip to see Chinese President Xi Jinping in China.
-- Republican voters in West Virginia picked state Atty. Gen. Patrick Morrisey over wealthy felon Don Blankenship to run for the U.S. Senate. Blankenship, who had run racially charged ads aimed at Senate GOP leader Mitch McConnell and his family, came in third.
-- Gina Haspel, Trump’s nominee to run the CIA, will face a tough Senate confirmation hearing today.
Requiem for the ‘Iron Duke’
George Deukmejian built his political career on “law and order” and fiscal responsibility, eventually becoming a popular two-term Republican governor of California in the 1980s. His no-nonsense style earned him the nickname “Iron Duke” and his vetoes of 2,298 bills, none of them overridden, brought him another moniker: “Governor No.” But Deukmejian, who died Tuesday at age 89, took some surprising positions, including working out a deal with Democrats to ban military-style assault weapons and persuading the University of California to divest its retirement funds from firms that did business in apartheid South Africa.
And Then There Were Three
Who will succeed L.A. police Chief Charlie Beck when he retires June 27? Though officials including Mayor Eric Garcetti have declined to name the three finalists, sources say they are Robert Arcos, Michel Moore and Bill Scott — a racially diverse group of LAPD veterans. Take a closer look at each. Notably absent: female candidates.
California’s Solar Flare
California is trying to reduce greenhouse gas emissions; it’s also trying to provide more affordable housing. Those two issues are colliding head on as the state’s Energy Commission is expected today to approve new rules that would bring California closer to becoming the first state to require solar panels on all newly built single-family houses. The commission says that would raise the cost to build a house by $9,500 on average, but that buyers would save money in the long run on electricity bills.
A Contretemps in Cannes
Cannes has long been the world’s most important and prestigious film festival, but this year the doubters have come out to proclaim its irrelevance. The lineup lacks star power, they say, and the festival’s tête-à-tête with Netflix shows how stubborn it can be. Cannes has even banned — quelle horreur! — the red-carpet selfie. But Times film critic Justin Chang is betting that the rumors of Cannes’ demise are premature.
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MUST-WATCH VIDEO
-- Trump’s full remarks on pulling out of the Iran nuclear deal.
-- Actor Noah Schnapp talks about the early days of the show “Stranger Things.” At first it was awkward, but within a week, the young cast mates were best buddies.
CALIFORNIA
-- Opposition to the “sanctuary state” law has been gaining ground in various cities, but is it a pointless political ploy? Columnist Steve Lopez explores. Last night, that very topic was discussed in Santa Clarita.
-- At a debate among the candidates for governor last night, the personal and political attacks were flying fast.
-- FBI agents served search warrants at Adelanto Mayor Rich Kerr’s home, City Hall and a local marijuana dispensary amid an investigation into corruption in the city.
-- Be prepared: A magnitude 4.5 earthquake on Tuesday morning was another warning of the power of the San Andreas fault.
HOLLYWOOD AND THE ARTS
-- A bankruptcy judge has approved the planned sale of Weinstein Co., the studio co-founded by Harvey Weinstein, to a Dallas-based private equity firm.
-- Director Roman Polanski, who is considered a fugitive by the U.S. criminal justice system, is threatening to sue the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences after it expelled him.
-- Last night’s “Roseanne” had perfect timing: It looked at how Roseanne Conner fears that her new Muslim neighbors may be terrorists.
-- Meanwhile, the second season of FX’s otherworldly series “Legion” found an unlikely home in Los Angeles this week.
CLASSIC HOLLYWOOD
“Sunset Boulevard” is big, even if the pictures got smaller. The 1950 Billy Wilder classic will be ready for its closeup in numerous Southern California theaters Sunday and May 16.
NATION-WORLD
-- A Pentagon investigation into an ambush that killed four U.S. soldiers in Niger in October found that two officers in charge misinformed higher-ups about the mission’s danger, yet no punishment was recommended against them.
-- The Nevada Supreme Court heard arguments for and against using an untested paralytic drug in a death penalty case.
-- Armenia’s Velvet Revolution has culminated in the election of an opposition leader as prime minister.
-- Experts have new advice on prostate cancer screening, saying that men ages 55 to 69 should weigh the potential harms and benefits, then judge whether getting tested feels right to them.
BUSINESS
-- The fight over net neutrality is back. Supporters of the rules, struck down by the Federal Communications Commission, are starting a long-shot campaign to resurrect them.
-- All systems are go for SpaceX’s BFR rocket facility at the Port of Los Angeles after the City Council approved the company’s plan. Production is scheduled to begin in two to three years.
SPORTS
-- Episode 2 of HBO’s documentary series “Being Serena” delves into Williams’ difficult childbirth.
-- Injured Dodgers pitching ace Clayton Kershaw could resume throwing this week.
OPINION
-- Did Trump pull the plug on the Iran deal and put the world in danger for little reason other than to stomp on President Obama’s legacy?
-- Cal State Long Beach’s 49ers have a complicated history, but columnist Gustavo Arellano says it’s one worth rooting for.
WHAT OUR EDITORS ARE READING
-- EPA chief Scott Pruitt, conservative radio and television host Hugh Hewitt, and how the cleanup of a polluted Orange County site got put on the fast track. (Politico)
-- Dessert in a shoe? A meal at the official residence of Israel Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu for Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe leaves a bad taste. (Washington Post)
-- A look back at how author Ayn Rand gained a following thanks to a literary salon. (Smithsonian)
ONLY IN L.A.
L.A.’s roads are in notoriously bad shape, which is why officials have been touting a plan to spend more money fixing them. But some of the worst offenders aren’t even on the city’s to-do list. The reason? More than 200 streets were officially “withdrawn” from public use under an ordinance passed during the Depression, because the city said it didn’t have money to fix them way back then. Decades later, they still aren’t eligible to be repaved. The more you know ...
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