Newsletter: Today: All the President’s Mentors Versus Trump
President Trump finds himself increasingly isolated after his comments on the clashes in Charlottesville, Va. 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
All the President’s Mentors Versus Trump
America’s top military officers, corporate executives, Republican leaders in Congress, the two living GOP ex-presidents and foreign leaders previously friendly to President Trump sent a message: Racial bigotry and extremism must be condemned. Some mentioned Trump by name; others didn’t. But coming after the president’s comments suggesting an equivalence between neo-Nazi groups and their opponents, and the ensuing wave of criticism, the intent was clear. Vice President Mike Pence said he’s cutting short his South American trip for meetings with Trump. To help weather the storm, Trump appointed Hope Hicks as interim communications director, the fourth (or is it fifth?) in just over 200 days.
When the ‘CEO President’ Becomes Toxic to CEOs
Much of America’s corporate elite once stood by Trump, even as his refugee ban, withdrawal from the Paris climate accord and other policies made them uncomfortable. Not so with Trump’s remarks on the clashes in Charlottesville, Va. So many executives had resigned from Trump’s economic advisory and manufacturing councils that the president tweeted he was disbanding them. (See what the CEOs said before they left.) But some members pushed back on that idea. The head of JPMorgan Chase & Co. said the economic advisory council had already decided to end on its own. Columnist Michael Hiltzik poses the question: Does this mark a true turning point?
More From the Charlottesville Aftermath
-- America’s far right stole the spotlight. Now comes the backlash.
-- President Trump says the “alt-left” was partly to blame for the violence at Charlottesville. Wait: What’s the alt-left?
-- President Obama, whose tweet of a Nelson Mandela quote over the weekend became the most-liked tweet ever, often spoke about race relations in the U.S. Here are some of his words.
-- “They tried to kill my child to shut her up. Well, guess what — you just magnified her”: Heather Heyer’s mother memorializes her daughter, who was killed when a car rammed into a crowd Saturday.
The Golden State’s Confederate Gray Past
While much of the debate over Confederate monuments is focused on the South, California has been grappling with the issue for years too. Though it was a Union state, public sentiment was hardly unanimous. Southern California in particular was a hotbed of support for the Confederacy. This week’s events brought about the swift removal of at least two memorials — a marker commemorating Confederate veterans buried at Hollywood Forever Cemetery and a plaque honoring Confederate President Jefferson Davis in downtown San Diego.
The New Urban Warfare: Pilots in Nevada, Missiles in a Syrian City
To see the latest evolution of warfare in the Middle East, a trip to Syria is not required; it’s playing out at Nevada’s Creech Air Force Base, where most U.S. Predator and Reaper drone pilots are based. From there, they control airborne vehicles in Raqqah, Islamic State’s self-declared capital and one of its last urban strongholds, and routinely launch missiles at militants with U.S.-backed forces nearby. The Pentagon calls these “danger-close” distances, and the practice began only last year. It’s risky for the soldiers and, some say, civilians too.
Preparing for the Eclipse-alypse?
When the sun, the moon and the Earth line up just right, a total solar eclipse will sweep across a swath of the United States on Monday. With its wide-open spaces, Idaho Falls, Idaho, is considered the optimal place to watch the roughly two-minute spectacle (as long as you have the proper protective spectacles). That’s been great for hotel business, but some residents have more apocalyptic visions of hundreds of thousands of people descending on their town of 50,000. “They’re telling us to have four days of water stored, prepare for power outages and even gas has already gone up 20 cents a gallon in the last week,” says one.
MUST-WATCH VIDEO
-- An L.A. resident says historical monuments, like the Confederate monument removed from Hollywood Forever Cemetery, need to be preserved and used as teachable moments.
-- The first day of school at L.A. Unified’s all-boys school in South L.A.
-- “Hamilton” creators tell fans: History is now; history is you.
CALIFORNIA
-- Officials in Northern California are pushing back against planned rallies in the region this month that they say will attract white nationalists.
-- The state’s campaign watchdog agency is poised to open the spigot for large political contributions that would help a Democratic state senator fend off a recall campaign.
-- At least one expanse of protected land in California is now safe from the Trump administration’s plan to eliminate or shrink some national monuments: the Sand to Snow National Monument east of Los Angeles.
-- The Metropolitan Transportation Authority is testing airport-style body scanners aimed at detecting guns and explosives at subway stations in L.A.
HOLLYWOOD AND THE ARTS
-- “We don’t engage in burning things to the ground. We point to things that are on fire and say, ‘Do you think that should be on fire?’ ”: Stephen Colbert discusses the tone of his late-night political commentary and more.
-- Why is the conversation about director Kathryn Bigelow’s film “Detroit,” about a race-charged incident of police brutality, only barely above a whisper?
-- The quartet you won’t forget: Iron Fist, Jessica Jones, Luke Cage and Daredevil team up in Marvel’s “The Defenders” on Netflix.
-- Trump got you down? Jimmy Kimmel has a novel idea: “Let’s make America Great Britain again.”
CLASSIC HOLLYWOOD
She was painted by Salvador Dali, admired by George Bernard Shaw, praised by critics, damned by censors and loved by audiences. Her name became an entry in the dictionary and is evoked by the line “Come up and see me sometime!” On this date in 1893, Mae West was born. “A friend of mine once wrote that I was ‘self-enchanted but never self-deceiving,’ and I hope that was always true.”
NATION-WORLD
-- The Trump administration backed away from causing an immediate crisis in healthcare marketplaces and agreed to continue making payments to insurance companies.
-- Atty. Gen. Jeff Sessions ripped Chicago for its defiant “sanctuary city” stance against turning over local prisoners for deportation.
-- A Muslim American radio host is accusing the operator of the Daily Stormer website of defaming him. Meanwhile, the fate of the notorious neo-Nazi site is up in the air.
-- Humanitarian groups fear aid is being diverted to a terrorist group after militants took over a Syrian province.
-- Tijuana’s big growth industry? Barbershops, with 100 opening in three years.
BUSINESS
-- The USC Village development officially opens today: It has beds for 2,500 undergraduates, and will bring a Trader Joe’s and Target to South L.A.
-- Conservative protesters have postponed plans to gather outside Google’s offices this weekend.
SPORTS
-- Last night’s Dodgers victory wasn’t the home debut Yu Darvish envisioned. But columnist Dylan Hernandez writes, on this team, it was enough.
-- In just six seasons, Los Angeles Sparks star Nneka Ogwumike already has amassed a career’s worth of accomplishments. Can she give the WNBA a higher profile?
OPINION
-- Hate speech is loathsome, but trying to silence it is dangerous.
-- Take it from former NFL player Nate Jackson: For pain, pot is better than opioids.
WHAT OUR EDITORS ARE READING
-- A chilling documentary on the “Unite the Right” rally in Charlottesville. (Vice)
-- On the effect of firearms on the streets and the exercise of free speech. (The Atlantic)
-- See where Confederate symbols are most concentrated with these maps. (Politico)
ONLY IN L.A.
He has cooked sold-out pop-up dinners for 50 guests a night, started a culinary events company and has starred on a TV chef competition show. Up next: a YouTube channel with recipes, how-to videos and restaurant reports. Well, that and beginning his junior year at Palos Verdes Peninsula High School. Meet Holden Dahlerbruch, who should have plenty to say when it comes time to write his college entrance essays.
Please send comments and ideas to Davan Maharaj.
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