Newsletter: At sixes and sevens at the G-7
A number of conflicting signals from the U.S. emerge at the Group of 7 summit.
TOP STORIES
At Sixes and Sevens at the G-7
Mixed signals over the trade war with China. Rifts over Iran. A veneer of harmony with other leaders, despite much evidence to the contrary. Those were the major themes from the start of President Trump’s third go-around at the G-7 summit, the annual meeting of the leaders of the world’s most powerful democracies, this time hosted by French President Emmanuel Macron in the beachfront resort of Biarritz. Asked by reporters if he had second thoughts about the trade war, Trump answered in the affirmative — twice — which White House officials quickly tried to walk back. On Monday, Trump claimed trade negotiations will start soon. Meanwhile, Trump offered a “no comment” when asked about the sudden arrival in Biarritz of Iran’s foreign minister at Macron’s invitation. That means things could get particularly interesting when Trump and Macron hold a joint news conference scheduled for this morning.
More Politics
-- Former Rep. Joe Walsh, a radio talk show host who was once a Trump supporter, says he is mounting a Republican primary challenge to the president because “we can’t take four more years of Donald Trump.”
-- North Korea said that leader Kim Jong Un supervised the test-firing of a “newly developed super-large multiple rocket launcher,” another demonstration of the North’s expanding weapons arsenal apparently aimed at increasing its leverage before a possible resumption of nuclear talks with the U.S.
-- Gov. Gavin Newsom said last week that California will join other states in filing a new lawsuit that seeks to block the Trump administration’s efforts to indefinitely detain immigrant minors and families with children.
Revered by the Left and the Right
Imagine a Supreme Court justice who commands respect, reverence and regard from across the political spectrum; who has 39 honorary degrees from top institutions around the world; who was born in a displaced-persons camp in Germany to a mother who survived Buchenwald; and whose theory of equality is one of the governing theses of law around the globe. Meet Rosalie Silberman Abella — or Rosie, as she prefers — who is about to become the longest-serving jurist in Canadian history.
Anatomy of a Hoax
L.A. County Sheriff’s Deputy Angel Reinosa could face criminal charges after authorities say he falsely claimed he was shot by a sniper last week outside the department’s Lancaster station. Reinosa’s call for help triggered a massive law enforcement response, but investigators say that within hours they were beginning to doubt his story. Over the weekend, Sheriff Alex Villanueva said Reinosa had confessed. “He admitted to cutting the holes in his shirt,” Villanueva said. “We know the ‘what’ and the ‘how.’ We don’t know the ‘why.’”
Counterfeit Cannabis
Clothing, electronics, toys, food … counterfeit products have long been the bane of virtually every industry’s existence. These days, California’s fledgling legal cannabis market is facing a similar rash of knockoff goods, such as marijuana vape pens and brownies that look like name brands but are unregulated copies that help stoke the black market for pot products.
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OUR MUST-READS FROM THE WEEKEND
-- The Department of Homeland Security stored sensitive data from the nation’s bioterrorism defense program on an insecure website where it was vulnerable to attacks by hackers for more than a decade, according to government documents reviewed by The Times.
-- A family that believes it descends from the first African American reflects on 400 years of history that is intensely personal.
-- How L.A.-based conservative radio host Dennis Prager became one of the internet’s biggest sensations.
-- At a South Los Angeles barbershop, columnist Steve Lopez discovers the consensus pick for who would beat Trump in 2020.
CALIFORNIA
-- The dialysis industry spent about $2.5 million in California on lobbying and campaign contributions in the first half of this year in its ongoing battle to thwart regulation, according to a California Healthline analysis of campaign finance reports.
-- With thousands of people potentially exposed to measles this month at Disneyland, Los Angeles International Airport and several other locations, health officials are urging those who may be vulnerable to watch for symptoms of the potentially deadly disease.
-- A brush fire broke out in Eagle Rock on Sunday afternoon, clogging freeways, threatening homes and sending up a large plume of smoke.
-- A video shows a group of gay men and transgender women being forcefully removed from a popular downtown L.A. bar. Now, police are investigating the incident as a possible hate crime.
HOLLYWOOD AND THE ARTS
-- “Avatar.” “Star Wars.” Marvel. As Disney theme parks shift their focus to known franchises and brands, are we losing the “theme” in our theme parks?
-- Taylor Swift’s latest album, “Lover,” is the longest she’s ever made. Pop music critic Mikael Wood ranked all 18 of its songs.
-- South L.A. native Charles “Calmatic” Kidd II directed the video for 2019’s most popular song, “Old Town Road” by Lil Nas X featuring Billy Ray Cyrus. Tonight, his creation is up for the top prize at the MTV Video Music Awards.
-- Two new shows, “Diagnosis” on Netflix and “Chasing the Cure” on TNT/TBS, put a new spin on the age-old question “What’s ailing me, doc?” by using crowdsourcing to diagnose people suffering from unexplained illnesses.
NATION-WORLD
-- Defense attorneys said arrests are expected shortly in the case of a Florida nursing home where 12 patients died after its air-conditioning power went out amid sweltering heat after Hurricane Irma in 2017.
-- Hong Kong police drew their guns Sunday night after protesters attacked officers with sticks and rods, and authorities brought out water cannon trucks for the first time, an escalation in the summer-long protests that have shaken the city’s government and residents.
-- Hezbollah and the Lebanese army have blamed Israel for a drone attack on Beirut, while the leader of the Iran-backed Shiite militia and political party threatened retaliation.
BUSINESS
-- Once the heir apparent to disgraced CBS chief Leslie Moonves, Joe Ianniello will now steer the media company through its second merger with Viacom. But he faces a host of challenges.
-- Two friends built the clothing company Revolve into a fashion empire ... with Instagram influencers, of course.
SPORTS
-- The Dodgers lost 5-1 to the New York Yankees in their series finale. It’s a defeat that could have implications in the postseason.
-- On a night of high emotions, the Paradise High School football team played its first game since the 2018 Camp fire destroyed its town.
OPINION
-- Proposition 13 is a political third rail in California. Columnist George Skelton explains why changing it will be a hard sell.
-- Laotian Americans’ stories are obscured by history. That’s why we need ethnic studies, writes columnist Frank Shyong.
WHAT OUR EDITORS ARE READING
-- Activists allied with Trump are targeting journalists over coverage deemed hostile to the White House. The activists are said to have dossiers of offensive social media posts and other problematic public statements by journalists and their families. (New York Times)
-- Should we send new missions to Venus to better understand the Earth? A planetary astronomer makes the case. (The Conversation)
-- A witch who writes about witches writes about Glinda the Good Witch of the North from “The Wizard of Oz” and the character’s place in pop culture history. (The Atlantic)
ONLY IN L.A.
Just sit right back and you’ll hear a tale, a tale of a fateful trip, that started … when columnist Chris Erskine tried to get to the bottom of rumor that some of the lagoon scenes in “Gilligan’s Island” were shot at Echo Park Lake. It ended up with Dawn Wells, a.k.a. Mary Ann, joining him at a Gilligan-themed tiki party.
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