Newsletter: Today: A Reprieve for ‘Sanctuary’ Cities
In the “sanctuary” legal feud, an appeals court hands a victory to municipalities in California.
TOP STORIES
A Reprieve for ‘Sanctuary’ Cities
President Trump may think California is “out of control,” but a U.S. 9th Circuit Court of Appeals panel has decided, 2 to 1, that his administration may not punish immigrant-friendly “sanctuary” cities and counties by withholding federal funds. At the same time, the court gave the president a victory by removing a nationwide injunction, saying no place outside California appeared to be affected. The decision is almost certain to be appealed, but it did include some gems such as quoting poet T.S. Eliot and a dissenting opinion referring to “a fearsome chimera.”
More Politics
-- Trump called on Atty. Gen. Jeff Sessions to “stop this Rigged Witch Hunt right now,” opening the president to further complaints that he is trying to obstruct the Russia investigation. Trump’s defenders say he was merely expressing an opinion.
-- A comment by Trump attorney Rudolph W. Giuliani has focused attention on a previously unknown and potentially significant event in the timeline being investigated by special counsel Robert S. Mueller III.
-- Federal authorities have disputed a claim made on social media by a Houston-based immigration lawyer that a migrant child had died in custody at a detention facility in Texas and said they were investigating whether a child died after being released.
Warning Signs About Emergency Alerts
It’s the new normal: Wildfires in California are burning hotter and faster. This week, Gov. Jerry Brown said they’re likely to cost the state billions of dollars over the next decade. Meanwhile, lives are being lost, as the traditional ways of warning residents and issuing evacuation orders aren’t keeping up. What needs to change and how? That’s what officials and experts are wrestling with now.
The Rising Stakes of Social Media
Should Disney have fired “Guardians of the Galaxy” director James Gunn after his years-old tweets joking about rape, pedophilia, 9/11 and the Holocaust resurfaced? Disney called the tweets “indefensible and inconsistent with our studio’s values.” Others say Gunn is the victim of an outrage mob incited by a right-wing conspiracy theorist. One thing’s clear: Social media are helping to create a cultural shift in Hollywood.
A Rocky Road for Female Saudi Drivers
When Saudi Arabia lifted its ban on women driving, it made headlines and photo ops that were seen around the world. But changing regulations is a lot easier than changing attitudes. Some female drivers have encountered resistance or harassment; one even had her car set on fire by disapproving men. Other women have seemed reluctant to get a driver’s license.
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MUST-WATCH VIDEO
-- The executive producers and cast of the new show “Mayans MC” promise that the series is much more than just a diverse take on “Sons of Anarchy.”
CALIFORNIA
-- A donation to USC from a political campaign fund of Los Angeles County Supervisor Mark Ridley-Thomas sparked an internal investigation by the university, which ultimately referred the matter to federal prosecutors. The $100,000 gift, sources said, ended up going to an outside nonprofit organization run by his son, former assemblyman Sebastian Ridley-Thomas.
-- A study says UC campus leaders would like more autonomy from President Janet Napolitano’s office, even as they value many of the systemwide services it provides.
-- An outside review says one of the reasons that 118,000 people were left off Los Angeles County voter rosters on election day in June was incompatible software.
-- Los Angeles could become the biggest city in the United States to ban businesses from selling fur, under a plan being vetted at City Hall.
-- The Huntington Library is on corpse flower bloom watch. Any day now, the smell of sweaty feet, rotting fish and boiled cabbage will fill its botanical gardens.
HOLLYWOOD AND THE ARTS
-- CNN will say goodbye to Anthony Bourdain with a final season of his hit series, “Parts Unknown,” this fall.
-- In the film “The Spy Who Dumped Me,” Mila Kunis and Kate McKinnon play a more real female friendship for laughs.
-- Singer Charlie Wilson has become an old soul who’s very much in demand. He’ll play the Hollywood Bowl on Friday and Saturday.
-- The Museum of Contemporary Art’s new director will have a lot to tackle when he starts the job. Art critic Christopher Knight has compiled this to-do list for him, including making admission free.
CLASSIC HOLLYWOOD
Mary Carlisle was a popular actress in the 1930s for her roles as a wholesome ingenue in musical comedies opposite singer Bing Crosby. Much to her frustration, that’s how she got typecast. But she never lost the mystique that goes along with old Hollywood, including what her true age was, saying that it was “none of your business.” This week, she died at … well, an age older than 100.
NATION-WORLD
-- Trump made good on his threat to impose sanctions on Turkey over the government’s continued detention of a U.S. Protestant preacher jailed two years ago on charges related to a failed military coup.
-- Trump says Mexico‘s violence is a threat to the U.S. But here are three ways the U.S. helps drive that violence.
-- As millions in Zimbabwe waited to learn who their next president would be, clashes broke out in the capital city of Harare. At least three people were reported dead.
-- Three Russian journalists investigating a shadowy private military group linked to a close associate of the Kremlin have been killed in the Central African Republic.
-- Thieves in Sweden walked into a small town’s medieval cathedral in broad daylight and made off with priceless crown jewels dating to the early 1600s before escaping by speedboat, police say.
BUSINESS
-- An elaborate Apple store will mark a comeback for the long-shuttered Tower Theatre on Broadway in downtown Los Angeles.
-- Tesla lost $717 million in the second quarter but vowed to make a profit … next quarter.
SPORTS
-- Brian Dozier left a variety of impressions in his Dodgers debut: shaky at first, strong at the end.
-- What to expect when the UCLA football opens camp on Friday.
OPINION
-- The legal fight over 3-D-printed guns isn’t about firearms. It’s about free speech, and defenders of the 1st Amendment should be wary of where the court battle may go.
-- Cronies, tariffs and sex scandals: President Warren Harding was a lot like a certain someone we know.
WHAT OUR EDITORS ARE READING
-- Kris Kobach, who led Trump’s defunct voter fraud commission, has helped cities craft anti-illegal-immigration ordinances, then made a lot of money unsuccessfully defending them in court. (ProPublica)
-- “I have a secret. My father is Steve Jobs”: In an excerpt from her memoir, Lisa Brennan-Jobs reflects on her famous father and their complicated relationship. (Vanity Fair)
-- What does a link between drought and the demise of Roman emperors tell us about today’s climate change? (The Economist)
ONLY IN CALIFORNIA
When the Alcatraz Federal Penitentiary was in operation, prisoners dreamed of escape. After it closed in 1963, people became fascinated with how to get back in. For years, the island in San Francisco Bay has hosted an annual reunion where former guards, prisoners and residents share their stories. But fewer and fewer of the alumni remain, and this month’s installment will be the last. Want to go? Here’s how you can get a last-minute piece of the Rock.
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