Newsletter: Today: Trump’s Troubles on Two Fronts

After 19 tumultuous months in office, President Trump is feeling pressure from prosecutors in New York and Washington.

TOP STORIES

Trump’s Troubles on Two Fronts

President Trump now finds himself at the center of two legal battles that could threaten his White House tenure, separately or combined. Longtime Trump “fixer” Michael Cohen directly implicated the president in campaign finance law violations when he pleaded guilty to eight federal charges Tuesday. The next day, his lawyer said that Cohen could tell prosecutors about Trump’s knowledge of illegal Russian hacking of Democratic Party computers during the 2016 campaign. But at this point, it’s not clear how much Cohen can or will help special counsel Robert S. Mueller III’s investigation.

More About the Presidency

-- What happens now that Trump has been accused in court of helping commit a crime? Here are a few answers.

-- Can Democrats leverage Trump’s legal problems in the midterm election or will they overreach with talk of the i-word?

-- Trump’s dark “everybody does it” view of politics may have resulted in actions that could imperil his presidency.

-- Conservative media have generally stood by Trump or reacted by focusing on other stories. On Tuesday, Fox News’ usually stellar ratings dropped.

No Longer a Sure Thing

California may be a blue state, but Rep. Duncan Hunter’s district in San Diego and Riverside counties has long been solidly red. Now that he and his wife have been indicted on campaign corruption charges, the door has opened for the Democratic candidate, Ammar Campa-Najjar, to challenge him for his seat in the House of Representatives. Will it flip? That’s far from a foregone conclusion.

Can You Hear Them Now?

When firefighters from Silicon Valley headed north to help battle the largest wildfire in modern California history, their mobile internet service slowed to a crawl. The reason: The Santa Clara County Fire Department had exceeded its data plan limit, so Verizon Wireless had throttled down its connection. The only way to get them quickly back up to speed, a Verizon representative said, was for fire officials to buy a more expensive plan. They did — and then told their story as part of a lawsuit looking to overturn the Federal Communications Commission’s repeal of net neutrality rules.

Verizon slowed critical internet service during a recent wildfire battle, according to the Santa Clara County Fire Department. Here, a firefighter battles the Mendocino Complex fire in July.

(Marcus Yam / Los Angeles Times)

A Political Adventureland

Disneyland may be “the happiest place on Earth,” but its relationship with its hometown of Anaheim has been awfully tense and complex. Now the president of the Walt Disney Co. wants a reset and has asked the city to end the tax incentive deals the company benefits from as a way to promote “cooperation and goodwill.” It could also help Disney, beyond being neighborly, by ensuring that it won’t be forced by a November ballot measure to pay all its resort workers a living wage.

One Side Effect of Sanctions

The harsh American sanctions on Iran that took effect after Trump pulled the U.S. out of the nuclear deal aren’t just adding to the economic woes of the Islamic Republic; they’re contributing to a mass exodus of young Afghan men who’ve been in Iran, often working illegally as laborers. They’re returning from Iran to Afghanistan, which is plagued by violence and uncertainty. That could increase as the ranks of jobless men grow.

Sign up to get Today’s Headlines delivered to your inbox. »

MUST-WATCH VIDEO

-- Firefighters battle a blaze in a commercial building in downtown L.A.

CALIFORNIA

-- A young actor who accused actress Asia Argento of having sex with him when he was underage said his trauma resurfaced last year when the Italian actress accused producer Harvey Weinstein of rape.

-- After a string of suicides within the first two weeks of classes, Rancho Cucamonga school districts are refocusing their attention on mental health services and suicide prevention.

-- Authorities have taken a woman into custody in connection with vandalism at Buddhist temples in Orange County, and they’re urging the public to report more “possible hate crimes.”

HOLLYWOOD AND THE ARTS

-- Ten years after it changed Hollywood, “The Dark Knight” is back in theaters. Accept no substitutes, says film critic Justin Chang.

-- As “Adventure Time” wraps up, take a look back at how the series broke barriers and changed the cartoon genre.

-- Violinst Itzhak Perlman showed his staying power at a Hollywood Bowl concert that marked his 50th anniversary of performing there.

-- Producer Craig Zadan, who died this week at age 69, sparked a renewed interest in live musicals with his TV productions.

CLASSIC HOLLYWOOD

Brock Peters is most remembered for his portrayal of a black man wrongly accused of raping a white woman in the film “To Kill a Mockingbird.” Gregory Peck won the Oscar for playing his lawyer, Atticus Finch. And the on-screen chemistry between Peck and Peters, who died at age 78 on this date in 2005, extended off screen too, with a long-lasting friendship.

NATION-WORLD

-- Hurricane Lane has weakened as it approaches Hawaii, but it’s still expected to pack a wallop. You can track its path here.

-- The attorney for a Mexican man accused of killing Mollie Tibbetts in Iowa has challenged the government’s statement that the suspect has been living in the U.S. illegally.

-- The most powerful woman in Mexico was known simply as “The Teacher.” After being held on corruption charges, Elba Esther Gordillo has been released and is making a comeback.

-- When Pope Francis lands in Ireland on Saturday morning, he’ll be confronting the legacy of the Catholic Church’s sex abuse scandal.

-- Anthropologists have just hit the genomic jackpot: a bone fragment from a rare hominin hybrid, a female with a Denisovan dad and a Neanderthal mom.

BUSINESS

-- Within the Securities and Exchange Commission, there’s worry that the agency will take a beating from politicians and in the media if Tesla Chief Executive Elon Musk avoids a sanction.

-- All Orchard Supply Hardware stores will close by February. Lowe’s bought most OSH stores out of bankruptcy five years ago.

SPORTS

-- Ohio State has suspended football coach Urban Meyer for three games for his mishandling of domestic violence allegations against a former assistant.

-- The L.A. Sparks are preparing for their next WNBA playoff game with rest as their first priority.

OPINION

-- The Manafort verdict and Cohen guilty plea, and Trump’s reaction to them, have brought things to a crisis point. Do Republicans have the spine to do something about it?

-- “I’m a Los Angeles teacher, and I am going to vote to strike.”

WHAT OUR EDITORS ARE READING

-- Let school districts buy guns with federal funds? Education Secretary Betsy DeVos is said to be considering such a plan. (New York Times)

-- Tamera “Ty” Young, the WNBA’s biggest sneakerhead, has a room full of them but no endorsement deal. (The Undefeated)

-- Mmhmm. You probably say it a lot. Do you know where it comes from? (NPR)

ONLY IN L.A.

It was a hit at the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival this year in Indio. Now, the vegan burger that bears a resemblance to another Southern California institution, In-N-Out, has a permanent home in Koreatown. You can get it with fries, a kale Caesar salad and a shake (dairy-free, natch) — but definitely not Animal style.

If you like this newsletter, please share it with friends. Comments or ideas? Email us at headlines@latimes.com.