Newsletter: Today: The Trump Doctrine — Appear Tough, Very Tough. At Berkeley, ‘Free Speech’ Class Is in Session.
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, including our weekend recommendations and weekly look back into the archives.
TOP STORIES
The Trump Doctrine: Appear Tough. Very Tough.
President Trump doesn’t want you to fret about those reports of his combative phone calls with allies. “When you hear about the tough phone calls I’m having, don’t worry about it,” he said. “They’re tough. We have to be tough.” With talk of new sanctions against Iran, U.N. Ambassador Nikki Haley blaming Russia for renewed fighting in Ukraine, and a White House statement telling Israel that new settlements may not help the peace process, times are getting tougher as his administration shifts foreign affairs.
More Politics
-- Australia doesn’t want them. Trump doesn’t either. Who are these refugees trapped in bleak island camps?
-- Trump will take aim at financial regulations today, including ordering a review of the Dodd-Frank Wall Street reform law.
-- Trump’s Justice Department may crack down on the thriving pot industry, but is it too big to jail?
-- “I can see the fear”: Multicultural Los Angeles senses a different world under Trump’s travel ban.
At Berkeley, ‘Free Speech’ Class Is in Session
UC Berkeley got hundreds of requests to not let conservative provocateur Milo Yiannopoulos on campus, yet as the home of the free speech movement, it held steadfast: Let him speak. Then, despite extensive security, what appears to be a group of violent protesters from off campus shut it down. That didn’t stop Trump from hinting on Twitter that the school’s federal funding might be cut off and further roiling the debate about free speech. How likely is a defunding?
Super Bowl Ads: No Political Footballs, Please
Fox is charging nearly $5 million for each 30-second ad this Sunday when the New England Patriots meet the Atlanta Falcons. Add on millions in production costs, and advertisers are placing big bets on Super Bowl LI. So what happens if a commercial becomes a political football? Already, a Budweiser ad filmed before the election is making waves by telling the story of its immigrant founder (watch it here).
Return of the Mach?
Remember the flight of the Concorde? It’s been almost 14 years since the supersonic plane’s last run, but a few companies are looking to put the boom back in international travel by designing business jets and passenger planes that travel faster than the speed of sound. Don’t buy a ticket just yet, though.
How ‘Zoot Suit’ Sprang From the Fight in the Fields
When “Zoot Suit” opened at L.A.’s Mark Taper Forum in 1978, it was the first Chicano play to become a mainstream hit. Luis Valdez’s fictionalization of the Sleepy Lagoon murder and the so-called Zoot Suit riots of the 1940s went on to inspire a generation of theater artists. But to truly understand the play’s origins, you have to go to the fight in the fields led by César Chavez. Sylvie Drake, who was L.A. Times theater critic when the play premiered, takes us there.
FLASHBACK FRIDAY
Nat “King” Cole was a hit singer when he and his wife bought a $65,000 Tudor mansion in Hancock Park in 1948. An attorney for nearby property owners said, “We don’t want undesirable people coming here.” Cole’s reply: “Neither do I, and if I see anybody undesirable coming into this neighborhood, I’ll be the first to complain.” More snapshots from black history in L.A. are here.
CALIFORNIA
-- An Iranian man who was barred from entering the U.S. under President Trump’s travel ban returned to Los Angeles. He is the first person allowed into the country after a legal challenge to the White House’s executive order. See the video.
-- Southern California air quality regulators are poised to adopt a pollution-reduction plan that relies on voluntary measures from ports, warehouses and rail yards.
-- The Sierra Nevada snowpack has reached 173% of average, replenishing a third of the state’s “snow-water deficit.”
-- An Emmy-winning producer was convicted of trying to kill a roommate who laughed at him when the producer said he would win five Oscars someday.
YOUR WEEKEND
-- Ready for the Super Bowl? Score big with these 20 recipes.
-- Home design inspiration: Check out these fabulous fireplaces.
-- Special screenings around L.A. this month: women in film, romantic fare and a David Lynch fest.
-- Vacation planning: These half-cruise, half-cargo ships provide authenticity in place of cocktails and casinos.
HOLLYWOOD AND THE ARTS
-- “Pray for Arnold”: Trump keeps trashing “The Apprentice” ratings, but are they really that bad?
-- Raoul Peck’s documentary “I Am Not Your Negro” is unadulterated, uncompromising and unapologetic.
-- A look at the film “Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner,” 50 years after it hit theaters.
-- How many times have you seen “La La Land”? Bet you still didn’t know this.
NATION-WORLD
-- The governor of Texas isn’t happy about a sheriff who pledged to uphold her county’s sanctuary protections, so he’s threatened to push her out and withhold money.
-- Utah is the land of ski runs, pristine parks and a really bad smog problem.
-- In South Korea, Defense Secretary James N. Mattis promised to continue a united effort to confront North Korea.
-- Vietnam’s younger generation is pushing the country toward a new identity, after their parents’ lives were defined by war.
-- A new study says you can reset your body clock, and get better sleep, with hiking boots and a tent.
BUSINESS
-- Columnist David Lazarus says there is a good Obamacare replacement bill in Congress. Too bad it doesn’t have a snowball’s chance.
-- This small, animal-free circus in California is doing what Ringling Bros. couldn’t.
SPORTS
-- Bill Plaschke: Magic Johnson returns to the Lakers as an advisor to Jeanie Buss, and change is on its way.
-- Rich McKay, whose Atlanta Falcons are in the Super Bowl, draws on a lesson from his father, USC legend John McKay.
OPINION
-- America’s fate is in the hands of Trump’s bizarre inner circle of advisors: See the David Horsey cartoon.
-- We need the Johnson Amendment, which prohibits tax-exempt organizations from openly supporting political candidates.
WHAT OUR EDITORS ARE READING
-- The book “Amusing Ourselves to Death” may have predicted Trump. The author’s son explains. (The Guardian)
-- Why is it so easy to envision the apocalypse but not utopia? (The Baffler)
-- A violin teacher in Texas may have solved a great classical music mystery. (New Republic)
ONLY IN CALIFORNIA
Disneyland for the 1%? The park’s new 21 Royal dining room above the Pirates of the Caribbean ride serves a seven-course meal, paired with fine wine, and provides a balcony for prime show viewing. Cost: $15,000, for up to 12 people. A pirate’s life, indeed.
Please send comments and ideas to Davan Maharaj.
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