Newsletter: Today: Honor, Our Commander in Chief and an ‘Axis of Evil’
What’s driving North Korea’s nuclear program? 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.
TOP STORIES
Honor, Our Commander in Chief and an ‘Axis of Evil’
President Trump said he would be “honored” to meet with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un “under the right circumstances,” which the White House later added don’t exist right now. So what is Pyongyang after as it develops nuclear weapons and missiles? One longtime analyst says the ultimate goal is reuniting the Korean peninsula under its own terms, and that means first driving a wedge between Seoul and Washington.
Wall Off Mexico? First, the White House Fence
President Trump’s border wall has been a cornerstone of his rallies, and just this Saturday, he said, “We will build a wall, folks, don’t even worry about it.” But will it ever get built? For many Republicans in Congress and administration officials, “the wall” has become a catchall for border security, rather than a permanent physical structure. Even so, the $1-trillion deal to keep the government running doesn’t include money for new fencing or new border agents. One barrier it does fund: upgrades to the fence around the White House.
More Politics
-- Congress is on track to deliver to Trump his first big bipartisan agreement this week with the $1-trillion spending bill, but don’t expect other major legislative accomplishments any time soon.
-- Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue rolled back stricter nutritional standards for school lunches that were championed by former First Lady Michelle Obama.
-- Trump followed up his comments about Andrew Jackson and the Civil War with a tweet that appeared to defend them.
Once Demoted, Later Promoted, in the Sheriff’s Department
One L.A. County sheriff’s official was suspended for a month in 1999, department documents show, after making false statements and putting false information into records. Another was demoted in 2008 after authorizing a deputy to fire a Taser at an inmate who then fell from a jail bunk. Despite their histories of serious discipline, Sheriff Jim McDonnell recently promoted them to high-ranking positions — at a time when he’s gone to court to try to fire several deputies.
A Dangerous Pursuit of the Truth in Mexico
Mexico is on track to have its most recorded homicides ever. It’s also become the third-deadliest country in the world for journalists, after Syria and Afghanistan. Times foreign correspondent Kate Linthicum traveled to Tijuana to see how those who report on the misdeeds of drug cartels or the government keep going under constant threat.
A Nail-Biter in Hollywood
In true Hollywood fashion, it was a cliffhanger — this one with an apparently happy ending. After negotiations stretched past a midnight Monday deadline, the Writers Guild of America has reached a deal with the major studios and networks for a new film and TV contract. That would avert the first writers strike in nearly a decade and avoid widespread disruption to productions nationwide.
MUST-WATCH VIDEO
-- Thousands of pro- and anti-Trump supporters demonstrated in downtown L.A., but things stayed relatively calm thanks to the LAPD’s preparation.
-- Threats of violence, broken glass, fire and looting: Times photographers remember the L.A. riots.
-- A selection of protest music in the era of Trump.
CALIFORNIA
-- Police in San Diego say a man who opened fire on a pool party was distraught over a recent breakup and there is “zero information to indicate that race played a factor.”
-- The contest to become the next governor is already awash in cash. This graphic shows one candidate got donations from Trump supporter Peter Thiel and Democratic backer George Soros.
-- A turnover of leadership at the California High-Speed Rail Authority could signal a shake-up as it wrestles with higher costs and construction falling behind schedule.
-- A report says an oil drilling site at a Westside golf course has flouted city rules by repeatedly installing new equipment without city approval.
-- A shallow magnitude 3.0 earthquake struck Santa Monica and West L.A. late Monday.
HOLLYWOOD AND THE ARTS
-- Actor and art collector Cheech Marin is teaming with the city of Riverside and the Riverside Art Museum to create a Chicano art center.
-- Organizers of the ill-fated Fyre Festival have been hit with a $100-million class-action lawsuit alleging fraud and breach of contract.
-- Jean Stein, the literary editor and author known for producing oral histories, has died at 83. Police say she fell to her death.
-- These teachers waited in line nearly 24 hours to be the first for “Hamilton” tickets in L.A., but it wasn’t without controversy.
CLASSIC HOLLYWOOD
Fifty years ago this week, Elvis Presley wed Priscilla Ann Wagner at the Aladdin Hotel in Las Vegas. Though they divorced in 1973, Priscilla said she tried to make decisions about the late King and his work as he might have made them. Asked last year whether Elvis would be on Twitter were he still alive, she responded: “No. No. No, no, no. He wouldn’t.”
NATION-WORLD
-- As May Day protests took place around the U.S., those in Portland, Ore., turned violent.
-- The Supreme Court ruled that cities such as L.A. can sue banks for discriminatory lending practices that hurt low-income neighborhoods during the Great Recession.
-- The U.S. military has reexamined the way it reports whether its daily bombing runs over Iraq and Syria are inadvertently killing civilians.
-- Hamas, the Palestinian group that rules the Gaza Strip, unveiled a new manifesto moderating its position toward Israel, if only slightly.
-- Seattle’s big tunnel project has reached a milestone, but it’s way behind schedule and $400 million over budget.
BUSINESS
-- Housing construction is on the rise in California, but developers still can’t add enough homes fast enough.
-- Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin defended Trump’s proposal to eliminate a tax deduction that benefits many Californians, including himself.
-- Bill Shine, the co-president of Fox News who faced growing criticism over his handling of sexual harassment claims, is stepping down.
SPORTS
-- A kidnapped trainer and an orphaned colt have made it to this weekend’s Kentucky Derby.
-- Why the Angels’ Mike Trout should never be counted out, regardless of the count.
OPINION
-- Hulu’s “Handmaid’s Tale” isn’t timely because of Trump. It’s timely because we live in a liberal elite dystopia that already matches Margaret Atwood’s vision.
-- This writer has a soft spot for Reagan. Will her kids have one for Trump?
WHAT OUR EDITORS ARE READING
-- It wasn’t “Hamilton.” Steve Bannon once co-wrote a hip-hop musical based on Shakespeare and set amid the L.A. riots, and a group of actors did a table read of it. (Vanity Fair)
-- In case you missed it in history class, here’s why there was a Civil War. (The Atlantic)
-- The gun-toting Buddhist monks of southern Thailand. (Aeon)
ONLY IN CALIFORNIA
San Francisco has a lot of old bars, but the Saloon in North Beach is one of the oldest with a paper trail that dates to 1861. Outside is bouncer Greg Stathes, who says he has snapped more than 30,000 photos of people and events in neighboring Fresno Alley. Inside, there’s 15-year regular Paul Nachtsheim, who said that at first, “I was little afraid to come here. It looked rough. But I love blues.” It’s just one stop on our travel staff’s ever-growing California Bucket List. Be brave.
Please send comments and ideas to Davan Maharaj.
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