Today: Blurred Lines at the Border

June 22, 2018 5 AM PT

Officials, attorneys and advocates are struggling to understand and implement President Trump’s revised immigration policy.

TOP STORIES

Blurred Lines at the Border

After President Trump claimed he had acted this week to keep migrant families together, there are more questions and few answers. In Washington, confusion reigned over the fate of more than 2,300 children held separately from their parents, as well as plans to use makeshift housing on military bases to hold as many as 20,000 people who crossed the border illegally. In Congress, one GOP immigration bill collapsed and another was put on hold till next week. In L.A., Justice Department officials asked a federal judge to change the rules on holding immigrant children in custody. And in Texas, Melania Trump visited a facility for children to get a firsthand look — but generated controversy by wearing a jacket bearing the words “I Really Don’t Care, Do U?” as she boarded a plane headed there.

A child from Guatemala waits with her family at a Catholic shelter in McAllen, Texas.

More About Family Separations

-- This is what family separation looks like: A Guatemalan man is deported, while his 6-year-old daughter remains behind in New York City.

-- Immigration and aid groups said nearly 100 kids separated under Trump’s policy have reached detention centers in the L.A. area, but details are murky. “We’re getting zero information,” said Mayor Eric Garcetti.

-- California is joining nine other states in filing a lawsuit against the Trump administration, alleging its family separation policy for immigrants in the country illegally violates due process.

Sales Tax Enters the Internet Age

The Supreme Court has ended a dispute as old as internet shopping: In a decision split along unusual lines, it ruled that states and localities may require the collection of sales taxes on all online purchases. That effectively standardizes the basic sales-tax rules for traditional physical retailers and internet stores, though it’s likely to create headaches for small-scale web merchants, who now have to keep track of and remit sales taxes for thousands of jurisdictions.

Talk to the Animals

Over the last five decades, Koko captured the world’s imagination: a gorilla able to understand more than 2,000 words of spoken English and to respond in American Sign Language. Though skeptics questioned some of the sentiments attributed to her, there was no doubt that Koko conveyed the emotional depth and intelligence of animals. This week, she died at age 46. Here’s a look back at Koko’s brushes with celebrities and love for her pet kitten — and what it was like to be interviewed for a job by Koko.

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FLASHBACK FRIDAY

On this date in 1927, the cornerstone of today’s Los Angeles City Hall was laid in ceremonial fashion. As a Times article the next day reported, “Just before the corner-stone was lowered into position, a copper box was placed inside which contained more than a score of historical documents and other articles.” What was inside? Read on.

MUST-WATCH VIDEO

-- For nearly six minutes amid the Las Vegas massacre, this police car became an ambulance, as a life hung in the balance.

-- Trump may have created a new “catch and release” problem after signing his executive order.

CALIFORNIA

-- Authorities are investigating the suspicious death of a 10-year-old boy at a Lancaster home, where L.A. County sheriff’s deputies and the Department of Children and Family Services had been previously called out.

-- A state audit has found that the University of California campuses at Berkeley, Los Angeles and Davis did not consistently discipline faculty accused of sexual harassment.

-- Jinx or coincidence? Being mayor of Los Angeles has sent many hopefuls for governor to the political graveyard.

YOUR WEEKEND

-- Restaurant critic Jonathan Gold looks over the 2018 list of the World’s 50 Best Restaurants and points out some notable omissions.

-- Apricots are now in season: Check out these recipes for tarts, salsa, jam and more.

-- One family’s story of making sure Mom and Dad are able to age in their own space.

-- Mentalist Santiago Michel is breaking new ground as a Las Vegas headliner with a show entirely in Spanish.

HOLLYWOOD AND THE ARTS

-- ABC is moving forward with a spinoff of “Roseanne,” saying Roseanne Barr will have no financial or creative involvement in the new series.

-- The movies changed “Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom” director J.A. Bayona’s life, and now he hopes to pass on his love of film.

-- Theater critic Charles McNulty says “The Humans” at the Ahmanson has quite possibly the best cast of actors you can see anywhere.

NATION-WORLD

-- Charles Krauthammer, a Pulitzer Prize-winning columnist and intellectual provocateur who championed neoconservatism, has died at age 68.

-- A new directive from the Trump administration instructs federal scientists with the U.S. Geological Survey to get approval from its parent agency before agreeing to most interview requests from reporters.

-- When Hawaii Volcanoes National Park fully reopens to visitors, it will look drastically different. The recent quakes and lava flows from the Kilauea volcano are reshaping the landscape of the park.

-- Trump’s bashing of German Chancellor Angela Merkel might help her remain in power.

BUSINESS

-- Millions of Americans don’t have a bank account. Reporter James Rufus Koren tried to do without one for a day and found the experience humbling.

-- Consumer columnist David Lazarus argues that there’s little economic justification for tipping. So, why can’t we stop doing it?

SPORTS

-- In the NBA draft, the Clippers landed a pair of 6-6 guards, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Jerome Robinson, while the Lakers selected Moritz Wagner with the No. 25 pick.

-- The Dodgers find themselves in position to acquire some roster help before the trade deadline. But who?

OPINION

-- Money bail punishes the poor and makes a mockery of California’s justice system.

-- That crisis actor spotted at a Texas child migrant detention center? It’s Melania.

WHAT OUR EDITORS ARE READING

-- Sources say the National Enquirer let Trump’s lawyer sign off on stories during the presidential campaign. The company denies it. (Washington Post)

-- Never end a sentence with a preposition? Here’s where that comes from — sorry. (Atlas Obscura)

-- Video: How to clean a dinosaur skeleton. Very carefully. (Vulture)

ONLY IN L.A.

There was a time not long ago when “mall food” in L.A. meant sticky buns, frozen lemonade and a sad slice of pizza. These days, some of the country’s biggest chefs, including Dominique Ansel, Dave Beran and Jonathan Waxman, are cooking up a storm at shopping centers across the city — with nary a hot dog in sight.

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