Newsletter: Today: ‘Lock Her Up, but Don’t Lock Me Up’

Michael Flynn could testify before Congress, “should the circumstances permit.” 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

‘Lock Her Up, but Don’t Lock Me Up’

Former national security advisor Michael Flynn, who led raucous chants of “Lock her up,” wants immunity. From what? Social media put words in Flynn’s mouth: “Don’t lock me up.” He’s hired a high-powered lawyer with deep links to the RNC. Meanwhile, the plot has thickened over the White House’s apparent involvement in Rep. Devin Nunes’ claim that the Trump camp was caught by surveillance. And an expert urged senators to follow the money and the trail of “dead Russians” in their investigation. If all this makes your head spin, check out this graphic on the Trump team’s network of ties to Russia. As for Vladimir Putin? “Read my lips, no,” he said of meddling in the U.S. vote. Europeans would disagree.

Trump’s War? The U.S. Quietly Sends More Troops to Mideast Battlefields

Away from the turmoil in Washington, the U.S. military is taking a greater role in the warfare in Iraq and Syria, and the Trump administration has stopped giving out key information about the size and nature of the commitment. Back in the campaign, Donald Trump said he wanted more of an “element of surprise” on the battlefield. But with lives at stake, Congress would like to have its say and hear what the longer-term strategy is.

For Trump, NAFTA, the ‘Worst Trade Deal,’ Might Not Be So Bad After All

During the campaign, Trump called the North American Free Trade Agreement the “worst trade deal” and vowed to drastically reshape or withdraw from it. Instead, it may just get a modest revamp, according to a draft letter provided to Congress. The draft brought little public comment from congressional Republicans. Then again, some were fending off the president’s increasingly open hostilities toward members of his own party.

More Politics

-- Secretary of State Rex Tillerson and Turkey can’t agree on the next moves in the fight against Islamic State in Syria.

-- The Department of Justice has appealed a Hawaii court order that brought President Trump’s travel ban to a national halt.

-- Republican senators are headed for the “nuclear option” if Democrats filibuster Neil Gorsuch’s nomination for the Supreme Court next week.

Sheriffs Feel Their Hands Are Tied

Damned if they do, damned if they don’t. That’s how a lot of sheriffs in California feel about cooperating with Immigration and Customs Enforcement. The feds routinely ask them to hold inmates for up to two days after their scheduled release date, so that they have time to pick up those targeted for deportation. But the L.A. Times has found no California sheriffs are willing to do so, primarily because of 4th Amendment concerns. Even if they otherwise cooperate, sheriffs are still being put on the Trump administration’s name-and-shame list.

And He Played Cricket: The Mind Behind the Mound at Dodger Stadium

Farhan Zaidi isn’t just a numbers guy. Sure, he’s an MIT grad, with a PhD in behavioral economics from UC Berkeley. Born in Canada, played high school baseball in the Philippines and cricket on family trips to Pakistan. Got an entry-level job under the tutelage of “Moneyball” maestro Billy Beane. Now, as the only Muslim general manager in Major League Baseball, he’s trying to bring a championship to the Dodgers while seeing the whole human playing field.

FLASHBACK FRIDAY

“If people give you their food, they’ll give you their hearts,” Cesar Chavez said. The founder of the United Farm Workers union learned that the hard way when he had to beg for food for his wife and eight children from the very workers he sought to help. Today, on Cesar Chavez Day, take a look back at a man who was likened to Gandhi.

CALIFORNIA

-- “You kind of keep your head down”: Trump supporters share their survival skills behind the Blue Curtain.

-- The state Supreme Court ruled the city of Newport Beach failed to adequately review the proposed Banning Ranch development.

-- What would single-payer healthcare look like in California? Lawmakers have released more details for a proposal.

-- Some lawyers say Wells Fargo’s proposed $110-million settlement is still not enough.

YOUR WEEKEND

-- Where to get vegan carne asada? Consider Tijuana as a weekend escape for foodies.

-- Thirteen great grilled chicken recipes.

-- L.A. Times critics’ picks in movies, theater, art and more.

-- Some L.A. designers have a favorite place to get that midcentury look at a discount.

HOLLYWOOD AND THE ARTS

-- Film critic Justin Chang says the ravishing sci-fi noir “Ghost in the Shell” is fascinating but not without its glitches. About that whitewashing …

-- When you make a movie about Scientology, Scientology comes to you: A walk with Louis Theroux through L. Ron’s hood.

-- Saying farewell to the surprisingly radical politics of the Fox series “Bones.”

-- Review: “13 Reasons Why” is Netflix’s newest must-see series.

-- The show must go on: L.A. Opera is pushing ahead as bronchitis takes out its stars.

NATION-WORLD

-- U.S. authorities say a Mexican state attorney general’s law-and-order image was a public relations façade concealing his involvement in the illegal drug trade.

-- Is the repeal of North Carolina’s law that limited transgender bathroom access a compromise or a capitulation? They’re still arguing about it in Raleigh.

-- South Korean authorities have arrested former President Park Geun-hye in connection with the corruption investigation that led to her ouster.

-- In what the opposition calls a coup, Venezuela’s high court has moved to seize power from the National Assembly.

-- Spacewalking astronauts lost an important piece of cloth shielding needed for the International Space Station.

BUSINESS

-- The story of how a $3-million real estate deal with Paul Manafort’s son-in-law went south for Dustin Hoffman and son.

-- SpaceX launched and landed a first-stage rocket booster that had previously flown. It could signal a new era of low-cost space transportation.

-- Bob Lutz, the auto industry’s 85-year-old bad boy, goes off on Elon Musk and President Trump.

SPORTS

-- Whether good or bad for the sport, the Connecticut Huskies’ dominance of women’s NCAA basketball is unquestionable heading into tonight’s Final Four.

-- Columnist Bill Plaschke drops in on a father-son lunch at Dodger Stadium that is filled with hopes and dreams of a World Series win.

OPINION

-- The commissioners of the FTC and FCC are worried about your privacy. Here’s their op-ed on the subject.

-- A former White House ethics lawyer suggests one way to vet Trump’s foreign entanglements is for Congress to amend a key statute.

WHAT OUR EDITORS ARE READING

-- Can Trump really change libel laws? Not by himself. (New York Times)

-- A lawyer writes about the real-world consequences of men following the Mike Pence dinner rule. (Cosmopolitan)

-- Remembering James “Smelly” Kelly, an Irish immigrant whose nose (and inventions) kept New York subways safe. (Atlas Obscura)

ONLY IN L.A.

Don’t go chasing waterfalls, as the classic TLC song goes. But we’re willing to make an exception this year. Thanks to record rains, waterfalls are roaring again. Here are a few to check out, including Eaton Canyon Falls, which John Muir once described as “a charming little thing, with a low, sweet voice, singing like a bird.”

Please send comments and ideas to Davan Maharaj.

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