Newsletter: Today: Did Trump’s Charity Begin and Stay at Home?

President Trump got an unwelcome surprise on his 72nd birthday: a lawsuit from the New York attorney general.

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Did Trump’s Charity Begin and Stay at Home?

“Illegal.” “Persistent.” “Willful.” Those are some of the ways the New York attorney general has described the alleged violations of the Donald J. Trump Foundation, in filing a lawsuit against President Trump, three of his children and the foundation. The president called the prosecutors “sleazy New York Democrats” and vowed, “I won’t settle this case!” The 41-page suit alleges he misused his charitable foundation for personal and political gains over more than a decade. It puts forth many examples, including settling lawsuits, advancing Trump’s businesses and generating campaign publicity — and hinted at the possibility of criminal charges in the future.

Finding Fault With Comey

A review of the FBI’s actions during the 2016 campaign concludes former FBI Director James B. Comey and others mishandled the investigation into Hillary Clinton’s emails and improperly shared information with the public. It also says Comey was not motivated by political bias. Yet, like interpreting an ink blot, Republicans and Democrats have seized on parts of the inspector general’s report to see what they want. On Twitter, Comey called the conclusions “reasonable, even though I disagree with some.” As for Clinton: In response to the report’s note that Comey and other officials improperly used private email for official business, she tweeted, “But my emails.”

Breaking With Customs

In an unknown but growing number of cases, U.S. Customs and Border Protection agents have broken with long-standing protocol and refused to transfer suspects wanted by California law enforcement agencies for crimes including sexual assault and drug possession. Their reasoning: If local authorities won’t cooperate with them because of the “sanctuary state” law, they won’t either. Instead, they’ve deported some suspects back to Mexico or charged them with immigration-related criminal offenses to keep them in federal custody.

Remember the ‘Axis of Evil’?

Sixteen years ago, President George W. Bush branded Iraq, Iran and North Korea as the “axis of evil” in his State of the Union address. Since then, a lot of history has happened. And after this week’s summit between Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, some in Tehran feel they are left with being designated as “the last of the ‘axis of evil.’ ” With sanctions kicking in after Trump pulled the U.S. out of the Iran nuclear deal, many there wonder what the future will bring.

More Politics

-- House Republicans could move to strictly limit the Trump administration’s policy of separating children from their parents under immigration legislation expected to be considered next week. But Democrats object to other parts of the package and say the administration could end its policy now.

-- The United States and its Asian allies have been working to paper over any semblance of disagreement over Trump’s concession to Kim that the U.S. will halt military exercises with South Korea.

-- The Supreme Court gave voters slightly more freedom to wear political T-shirts or buttons when they go to cast a ballot, striking down a broad Minnesota law that imposed a “political apparel ban.”

Press Your Luck

From CBS Television City in Hollywood, it’s time to … have a land-use debate. For generations, the property at Beverly Boulevard and Fairfax Avenue has served as the home of some of TV’s most recognizable shows. But in a city looking to add housing, the sprawling complex has drawn the eye of developers. How to balance the past, the present and the future? A compromise deal would keep the main building intact while allowing development around it.

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FLASHBACK FRIDAY

Hughes Aircraft built the H-4 Hercules aircraft, a.k.a. Spruce Goose, section by section in Culver City. To move it to Terminal Island in preparation for what would be its first and only flight in Los Angeles Harbor, crews had to move it piece by piece at a speed of about 2 miles per hour. The delicate 28-mile trip took place this week in 1946.

MUST-WATCH VIDEO

-- When asked about separating families at the border, White House Press Secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders says, “it is very biblical to enforce the law.”

-- Members of the L.A. Rams toured their Inglewood Stadium site and liked what they saw as construction continues.

CALIFORNIA

-- Police detectives served search warrants at the Los Angeles home of a former USC gynecologist and at a storage facility as they investigate allegations that he sexually mistreated patients.

-- London Breed will be San Francisco’s first female African American mayor. The problems she plans to tackle are among the most difficult a city can face.

-- State lawmakers have sent over a $199.6-billion budget framework to Gov. Jerry Brown, with increases for K-12 education, healthcare and social services.

-- Yosemite’s Mariposa Grove of giant sequoias will reopen today after a three-year restoration.

YOUR WEEKEND

-- For Father’s Day, columnist Chris Erskine says, all most dads want is a good old game of catch.

-- Grilling burgers this summer? Up your game with these homemade bun recipes: brioche, pretzel and honey whole wheat.

-- Make your own popsicles and beat the heat.

-- Movie picks from The Times’ critics.

HOLLYWOOD AND THE ARTS

-- The stars and director of “Incredibles 2” reveal what it was like to make a sequel audiences actually are looking forward to seeing.

-- What to make of the revamped “Pirates of the Caribbean” ride at Disneyland, without the “wench auction”?

-- For Roseanne Barr, there’s been one constant: the fighting. A potential spin-off from her canceled show could lead to more.

NATION-WORLD

-- Are prescription medications making Americans depressed? A new study suggests a link.

-- With independence from Spain a far-fetched dream, Basque Country activists have downsized their ambitions.

-- More than 70 years after World War II stopped, the bomb squad in Berlin is still busy dismantling unexploded munitions from the past.

BUSINESS

-- That was fast: AT&T has completed its $85-billion acquisition of Time Warner just two days after a federal judge in Washington gave the deal the green light.

-- Elon Musk’s Boring Co. got the OK to work on a high-speed transportation project connecting downtown Chicago to O’Hare International Airport. The plans represent a victory and a reality check.

-- Livestreaming video is helping American boutiques connect with shoppers in China.

SPORTS

-- In ultra running, some battle for glory, while others just try to survive to the end of races that exceed 100 miles.

-- Max Muncy is making the most of the second chance given to him by the Dodgers.

OPINION

-- How a lone Republican, Colorado’s first-term Sen. Cory Gardner, changed Trump’s position on pot.

-- Father’s Day raids on “deadbeat” dads just perpetuate the cycle of poverty.

WHAT OUR EDITORS ARE READING

-- Should Trump have returned the salute of a North Korean general? The debate rages on. (Politico)

-- Albert Einstein’s private travel diaries reveal prejudiced views about people he saw in Asia. (The Guardian)

-- In the Victorian era, these photographers tried to document the “Old London” they thought they were losing. (Atlas Obscura)

ONLY IN L.A.

Nickelback bassist Mike Kroeger’s new haunt in the Hollywood Hills has an eerie past: The two-story home first belonged to Bela Lugosi, the late actor known for horror movies, including the 1931 film “Dracula.” Legend has it that Lugosi used to let his pet panther roam the half-acre grounds.

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