Newsletter: Today: Trump vs. Comey, and Where Are Those Tapes?
It may be “apprentice week” at the White House, but elsewhere it’s still about the Russia investigation. 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
Trump vs. Comey, and Where Are Those Tapes?
It’s the “cloud” that just won’t lift: Once again, the investigation into Russian interference in the election will be center stage this week. Atty. Gen. Jeff Sessions said he wanted to appear before the Senate Intelligence Committee on Tuesday to answer questions raised during fired FBI Director James B. Comey’s testimony. Meanwhile, President Trump and his supporters continued to assail Comey’s statements (except for the ones Trump says “vindicated” him). On Friday, Trump said he would be “100%” willing to testify under oath; on Sunday, a Trump defense attorney signaled the president won’t unconditionally cooperate with special counsel Robert S. Mueller III. As for the possible “tapes” … stay tuned, but don’t hold your breath.
So About All the Cuban Rum and Cigars …
As Trump has done with so many Obama-era moves, he is expected to roll back parts of the historic opening with Cuba, siding with Sen. Marco Rubio and others who take a hard line on Havana. The president could announce the decision as early as this week, possibly putting a crimp in tourism to Cuba and restoring limits on the amount of rum and cigars that American travelers can bring home. Why? Don’t tell Turkey, the Philippines or Russia, but Trump spokesman Sean Spicer said “human rights” are a consideration.
More Politics
-- Remember “infrastructure week”? This week at the White House, it’s all about apprenticeships. (Really.)
-- A new generation of Democrats isn’t waiting for the party to tell it what to do.
-- Dartmouth College says Trump’s nominee for a post as a powerful banking regulator misrepresented a college degree on his resume.
A Boy’s Seemingly Peaceful Death, Now Under Investigation
In 2013, the death of Cole Hartman was a tragedy. The 8-year-old boy, born with a genetic abnormality that causes intellectual and physical disabilities, ended up headfirst in a washing machine. He was taken to Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center, where doctors said he “would never recover normal neuro function and … could never awaken,” according to his medical chart. His family decided to take him off life support and donate his organs. Now, his death is the subject of an investigation by Los Angeles police and the district attorney’s office. It centers on an allegation by a coroner investigator that an anesthesiologist gave Cole a fatal dose of the opioid fentanyl to hasten his death and increase the likelihood his organs could be harvested. No charges have been filed, and the anesthesiologist’s lawyer says the allegation is “factually wrong and patently offensive.”
In the Name of Pride and Protest
The LA Pride festivities have long been a reflection of the LGBTQ community’s heartaches and victories. This year, the parade returned to its roots as a civil rights march. Unlike in 1970, it had a hashtag — #ResistMarch, against “gathering forces in government that intend take away our hard-won basic human rights” — and “Babadook” signs. It also remembered those killed in the Pulse nightclub shooting last year.
This Was About Soccer, Right?
Fifteen-hundred miles away from Hollywood and West Hollywood, President Trump’s image made appearances on the streets of Mexico City too. The occasion: a clash between the U.S. and Mexican national soccer teams in the run-up to the 2018 World Cup. Of course, the game itself was all about the score, but Trump’s rhetoric concerning Mexicans brought a little something extra. Fittingly, the game ended in a 1-1 tie.
OUR MUST-READS FROM THE WEEKEND
-- A grim pattern has emerged in the attacks in Europe: missed chances to pinpoint terrorism suspects beforehand.
-- Being Sikh in Trump’s America: “You have to go out of your way to prove you’re not a threat.”
-- Women in their own words: Why we’re not working.
-- She was 13 when Roman Polanski sexually assaulted her. Forty years later, she wants a judge to drop the case against him.
-- TV critic Robert Lloyd on why Adam West was the only Batman that matters.
MUST-WATCH VIDEO
-- What do you get in a $3-million car? Go on a test drive of this Bugatti Chiron.
-- Route 66 was decommissioned in 1985. What keeps us coming back to the Mother Road?
-- Home cooking in Little Saigon, where cooks provide a type of food service known as com thang, literally translated as “monthly rice.”
CALIFORNIA
-- A state-sponsored study says California is on the verge of creating a legal market for marijuana worth more than $5 billion and a destination for pot-loving tourists.
-- UC Irvine is now the most popular UC choice for Latino freshmen applicants, topping longtime leader UCLA for the first time last fall.
-- A simple test is helping thousands of diabetics in L.A. County who face an increased risk of going blind.
-- A single winning Powerball ticket matching all six numbers has been sold in Sun City and will claim an estimated $447.8 million jackpot.
HOLLYWOOD AND THE ARTS
-- “Dear Evan Hansen,” a heart-wrenching musical about a lonely high school student, won six Tony Awards. Theater critic Charles McNulty looks at the awards in their first post-“Hamilton” year.
-- The legend and the legacy of Bill Cosby are under scrutiny in his sexual assault trial.
-- The motion picture academy, pushing 90 years old, gets ready for its next act: that long-delayed museum.
-- Ethan Hawke let us in his editing room and revealed what the late Philip Seymour Hoffman taught him.
CLASSIC HOLLYWOOD
Thirty-five years ago this week, “E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial” was released. Here’s something to phone home about: The Steven Spielberg film would go on to become the highest-grossing movie of the 1980s.
NATION-WORLD
-- Speaking out about what they believe are the ills of Islam, anti-Sharia law activists demonstrated around the U.S. They were met by counter-protesters who assailed their rhetoric as insensitive and demeaning.
-- Puerto Rico’s governor announced that the U.S. territory has overwhelmingly chosen statehood in a nonbinding referendum. But this won’t be the final word.
-- In Las Vegas, sports books are expanding their betting options. Will wagers on presidential elections be next?
-- Ever wanted to live in a house that straddles two nations? It’s a fixer-upper on the market for just $109,000.
BUSINESS
-- Uber CEO Travis Kalanick is in the hot seat after the company’s board of directors met to discuss potentially far-reaching changes.
-- Rep. Jeb Hensarling fought the bailouts in 2008. His next move: Take down Dodd-Frank.
SPORTS
-- The Pittsburgh Penguins have become the first NHL team to win back-to-back Stanley Cup championships in nearly 20 years.
-- Could Lakers icon Jerry West really work for the Clippers? Columnist Bill Plaschke says the Lakers should be afraid of the potential fallout.
OPINION
-- The Times Editorial Board weighs in on whether Trump should be impeached.
-- Tax reform proposals from Trump and Congress would kill the deduction for state, local and property taxes. That’s something Californians can’t afford.
WHAT OUR EDITORS ARE READING
-- Remembering the victims of the Pulse nightclub shooting. (Orlando Sentinel)
-- New reporting shows two NPR journalists who were killed in Afghanistan last year were not the victims of random violence, as initially thought; they were targeted. (NPR)
-- What’s left to chase for Usain Bolt, the world’s fastest man, on his farewell tour? (The Undefeated)
ONLY IN L.A.
For decades, E.L. Woody was a fixture in Hollywood, ever present and often vilified. As the self-proclaimed “King of the Paparazzi,” he had his share of run-ins. (Just ask Sylvester Stallone about a 1991 encounter.) But Woody, who died last month at age 70, sometimes won over those he chased too, including Mark Wahlberg, who cast the paparazzo in the HBO series “Entourage” as — what else? — himself.
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