Newsletter: Today: Anger in the Gaza Strip
Desperate conditions in the Gaza Strip are fueling anger among Palestinians, not just at Israel but also at two Palestinian factions locked in a standoff.
TOP STORIES
Anger in the Gaza Strip
This week, tens of thousands of Gazans are expected to converge on the border to protest a blockade imposed by Israel and Egypt and to press for a right to return to lands in what is now Israel. The protests are expected to reach their peak today, when the U.S. formally moves its embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem, and Tuesday, when Palestinians mark being driven out during Israel’s war of independence. (On Monday, thousands of Palestinian protesters came together along the border, drawing Israeli fire that killed at least 16 people.) Already, over six weeks of demonstrations, Israeli soldiers have killed dozens of Palestinians and injured thousands more, according to Gaza authorities Israel says it is defending its border from Hamas, which Israel and the U.S. have designated a terrorist organization. Though Hamas has thrown its support behind the protests, many participants disavow any affiliation with it. More than anything, they say, they’re fed up.
Jared in the Spotlight
When President Trump began his term, son-in-law Jared Kushner became his Mr. Fix-It. Steering the Middle East peace process, revamping the federal government … it seemed as if nothing was beyond his purview. Since then, Kushner’s been pulled into the special counsel investigation for his still-murky private meetings with Russians, and Trump lawyer Rudolph W. Giuliani derided him as “disposable.” And then there are all those times he amended his application for a government security clearance. If Democrats win the House or Senate this fall, as some polls suggest, Kushner will face even more scrutiny over the vast and complicated financial holdings of his family’s business.
U.S. to North Korea: No Regime Change Needed
With a summit between Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un a month away, senior White House officials are offering a glimpse of what could be on the table: In exchange for giving up its nuclear weapons program, the North would see trade open up and private U.S. investment in key areas such as the power grid and agriculture. Sound familiar? It is. The difference, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo implied, is that Kim would have to make sweeping concessions upfront this time.
More Politics
-- Part of trade talks, North Korea negotiations or something else? Trump has told the U.S. Commerce Department to get ZTE Corp., the massive Chinese telecom equipment maker, back into business after denying the company export privileges in April.
-- Trump again promised to lower drug prices, but in releasing a “blueprint” on Friday, he stopped well short of backing any major new effort to use the federal government’s power to do so.
-- Auto executives got more than they bargained for in lobbying Trump to ease fuel economy standards, so they tried last week to rein in the Trump administration’s assault on California’s emissions rules.
‘Zero Tolerance’ Adds Pressure
One week ago, U.S. Atty. Gen. Jeff Sessions announced a “zero tolerance” policy on the border, calling for all illegal border crossings to be prosecuted and saying that it will be more likely that parents will be detained separately from their children. But because of the Trump administration crackdown that began about a year ago, detention space is already reaching capacity and courthouses can barely keep up. Without more judicial system resources, the “zero tolerance” goals could be difficult to achieve.
More Good News/Bad News on Homelessness
First, the bad news: L.A. city officials say that they won’t be able to reach their goal of adding 10,000 units of homeless and affordable housing in a decade, as envisioned by Proposition HHH, at the current rate of spending. As for the good news: L.A. County’s street outreach program is close to doubling its force and adding an online system that will allow anyone to report a homeless person needing services. It’s being funded by Measure H.
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OUR MUST-READS FROM THE WEEKEND
-- Mother’s Day special: This woman was the driving force behind one of the largest Latino grocers and abuelita Tere to 53 grandchildren. This woman donates coffins to families who can’t afford them. And this woman was columnist Bill Plaschke’s first editor and publisher.
-- A notorious mansion. An alleged assault by a Hollywood producer. A suicide. What happened to Brian Claflin?
-- Many DACA recipients have been slow to renew their legal protections. Those involved say confusion, calculation and fear all play a part.
-- Thousands of Venezuelans are pouring into Colombia. On the whole, they are hungry, sick and increasingly desperate.
-- Elon Musk shared a video of a trip through his Hawthorne tunnel, but his project in L.A. is facing a bumpier ride.
MUST-WATCH VIDEO
-- Sarah Silverman, creator-host of “I Love You, America,” talks about how people just want to feel heard and why not paying attention can be heartbreaking.
-- Brendan Fraser on the importance of range: “I didn’t want to do ‘Encino Man.’ ... Then a point was made to me, ‘You know, kid, diversity is important.’ That’s why there’s a smiley mask and a frowny mask.”
CALIFORNIA
-- A judge has ruled that Los Angeles County wrongly canceled Medi-Cal coverage for thousands of residents, often leaving them without access to healthcare and needed medicines.
-- Austin Beutner says “it won’t be easy” when he officially starts as the superintendent of the Los Angeles Unified School District on Tuesday. Here are some of his views.
-- Residents of Koreatown are opposing a proposed homeless shelter there. Is it NIMBYism, or a community “blindsided” by the city?
-- In L.A., the gray skies aren’t going to clear up this week (but you can still put on a happy face).
HOLLYWOOD AND THE ARTS
-- During the “Solo: A Star Wars Story” news conference, director Ron Howard answered the one question on everyone’s mind.
-- At the Cannes Film Festival, passion and politics merge in the exquisite doomed romances of “Ash Is Purest White” and “Cold War.”
-- Actress Jessie Buckley has made her mark in British theater, but her role in “Beast” points to a promising future in film.
-- All the royals TV you need before Prince Harry weds Meghan Markle, plus the best way to watch on Saturday.
CLASSIC HOLLYWOOD
On this date in 1989, the TV sitcom “Family Ties” ended its seven-season run on NBC. The series focused on two former hippies trying to raise a family, including a conservative son played by Michael J. Fox. After the final taping, Michael Gross, who played the dad, said: “What the show meant to America — if I can presume to speak for the country — is that it came along at a time when America needed a strong family.”
NATION-WORLD
-- Kilauea’s continued eruptions, possibly a long windup to a major explosion at the summit, have forced more evacuations in Hawaii.
-- More and more states are passing “red flag” laws that allow authorites to temporarily take away guns from a person who has shown a pattern of violence.
-- The man behind a deadly knife attack in central Paris was born in Chechnya and had been on police radar for radicalism, and his parents have been detained for questioning, French authorities say.
-- The foundation that supports the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum says that memorabilia tied to the 16th president could be sold to help pay back a loan.
BUSINESS
-- As they do every year, TV networks will tout their new shows in front of advertisers in New York starting today, but with the rise of streaming video, they’re having to fight harder to keep the ad dollars flowing. Plus, here’s a guide to all the comedies and dramas of the 2018-19 broadcast season.
-- Does a credit freeze hurt your credit scores? Not if you keep using your card.
SPORTS
-- The Cincinnati Reds completed a sweep of the Dodgers. Their 16-24 start is the worst by any Dodgers team since 1958, the inaugural season in Los Angeles.
-- Former Rams, Buffalo Bills and Seattle Seahawks coach Chuck Knox has died at age 86. “I never had a guy that breathed intensity into a group of men before kickoff as well as he did,” says retired tackle Jackie Slater.
OPINION
-- The Trump administration’s undermining of an effective birth control funding program to promote abstinence is the height of stupidity.
-- The World Cup in Russia could be a display of bigotry, xenophobia and ultranationalism.
WHAT OUR EDITORS ARE READING
-- Why does the Trump White House have so many leaks? These leakers leak why they leak. (Axios)
-- James Harrison’s blood helped save the lives of 2.4 million babies. At 81, the “man with the golden arm” is retiring. (Sydney Morning Herald)
-- Photo essay: Revisiting the devastation of the Sichuan earthquake that resulted in nearly 70,000 deaths a decade ago. (The Atlantic)
ONLY IN L.A.
Eric Karros retired as the Dodgers’ all-time home run leader, so it’s only natural his two sons, Kyle and Jared, are swinging for the fences at Mira Costa High in Manhattan Beach. Growing up in an area that’s home to many pro athletes has had its surprises. When Kyle was going around the neighborhood selling Christmas trees for the baseball program, he knocked on a door and a shirtless Julius Randle of the Lakers answered. “He was ripped,” said Kyle, who added that Randle bought a tree and raffle tickets.
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