Newsletter: Today: Pop Quiz: What Has Trump Accomplished?

What has President Trump accomplished so far? 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

Pop Quiz: What Has Trump Accomplished?

With the much touted 100-day mark still a few days away, President Trump can point to one big accomplishment: holding onto the support of his base. A new USC Dornsife/L.A. Times Daybreak poll finds that more than 90% of people who voted for Trump said they would do so again. But overall, only 40% of Americans approved of his job performance. Of 30 major promises Trump made during the campaign, an L.A. Times survey reveals only a handful that have been fulfilled so far. This graphic breaks down the promises kept and not. And don’t miss our big-league quiz on Trump’s first 100 days versus those of Barack Obama and George W. Bush.

Trump’s ‘Weapon’ Against Sanctuary Cities Is Blunted

Speaking of Trump’s track record … the president’s policies have hit more turbulence. He backed away from his demands that Congress fund the border wall this week, with the White House saying it will revisit it in the fall. Then came bad news from the courts again: A federal judge in San Francisco placed a nationwide hold on Trump’s order targeting so-called sanctuary cities and counties, saying it was unconstitutional.

More Politics

-- Lawmakers say Trump’s former national security advisor, Michael Flynn, may have violated the law when he failed to disclose large fees from business dealings in Russia and Turkey.

-- Blame Canada! The Trump administration is slapping hefty duties on billions of dollars of lumber imported from Canada, marking an escalation of trade tensions.

-- Trump plans to sign an executive order today that could lead to the reduction or elimination of some national monuments.

25 Years After the Riots, L.A. Has a Sense of Foreboding

Twenty-five years ago Saturday, Los Angeles erupted, after police officers were acquitted in the beating of Rodney King. Much has changed since then, but a poll by Loyola Marymount University has found that for the first time since the riots, there has been an increase in the number of L.A. residents who fear that another civil disturbance is likely — even though most feel optimistic about race relations in the city. Meanwhile, columnist Steve Lopez checked in on the changing South L.A. neighborhood around Eso Won Books. We’ll have more on the anniversary throughout the week.

University of Spoiled Administrators?

Spending at the University of California is always a hot-button issue, especially as the system looks to raise tuition for the first time in six years. A new state audit is turning up the heat one more notch. The report says UC executives get much better salaries and benefits than their counterparts working for the state. It also says the university president’s office failed to disclose up to $175 million in budget reserve funds, but UC President Janet Napolitano contests that.

Video: Old Spacecraft Never Die — They Just Fly Away

The 20-year-old Cassini has spent 13 years orbiting Saturn, traveled 4.1 billion miles and is about to run out of fuel. For its final mission, it will dive into the mysterious space between the cloud tops of Saturn and the inner edge of its rings. Then, after several months, it will burn up in Saturn’s atmosphere. Get a preview of Cassini’s swan song.

CALIFORNIA

-- L.A.’s $1.1-billion elephant in the room: City employees’ pensions and healthcare after they retire eat up nearly 20% of the general fund, and there’s little the mayor can do to lower the cost any time soon.

-- Ann Coulter says she’ll speak at UC Berkeley on Thursday, whether she’s invited or not.

-- State legislators took the first step to ban government contracts for any company that helps build Trump’s promised wall.

-- Another secret witness will testify in Robert Durst’s murder case in L.A.

HOLLYWOOD AND THE ARTS

-- Margaret Atwood’s novel “The Handmaid’s Tale” is being told anew in a Hulu series, and TV critic Robert Lloyd says it has a disquietingly contemporary feel.

-- Geoffrey Rush plays Albert Einstein in Nat Geo’s “Genius,” and chats up what he’d really like to see is an Einstein emoji.

-- The latest in our “L.A. Without the NEA” series: This nonprofit provides low-income and previously homeless people with free mosaic art workshops to build skills, self-confidence and income.

-- How did L.A. celebrate “La La Land” Day? With aerial dancers, a jazz band and Mayor Garcetti on the piano, of course. See the video for yourself.

CLASSIC HOLLYWOOD

“Life takes guts,” Lucille Ball once said. “If you don’t take chances, you’ll never bathe again because you might get dirty again.” She practiced what she preached, as the head of one of Hollywood’s major studios and as the undisputed queen of TV comedy. Still, the birth of her two children, she always would add, ranked above her greatest career accomplishments. She died on this date in 1989 at age 77.

NATION-WORLD

-- Groans and hisses greeted Ivanka Trump in Berlin when she defended her father as a champion of women and families.

-- The two candidates in France’s hotly contested presidential election called a brief truce to honor a police officer gunned down last week on the Champs-Elysees.

-- Authorities say about 50 people attacked an armored car company in Paraguay with explosives, grenades and anti-aircraft machine guns and made off with $40 million.

-- A Thai man killed his 11-month-old daughter on Facebook Live, then killed himself.

-- A South African who lost his leg to a shark has gone on to become a Paralympian and one of the world’s most prominent defenders of sharks.

BUSINESS

-- Fox News has been hit with new race discrimination lawsuits and allegations of “plantation-style management.”

-- Wells Fargo shareholders vented their frustration with the San Francisco financial giant’s board of directors during its annual meeting.

-- The Southern California real estate market is going “insane.” Here’s why.

-- The tech-heavy Nasdaq composite index closed above 6,000 for the first time yesterday as part of a broad rally in stocks.

SPORTS

-- Wladimir Klitschko is one fight away from tying Muhammad Ali as a three-time champion, or from retiring.

-- Columnist Bill Plaschke says the Clippers’ breakdowns in their NBA series against the Utah Jazz could lead to a breakup.

OPINION

-- Two veterans of the Clinton White House offer a three-step recovery plan for Trump’s presidency.

-- Trump’s first 100 days accomplished little but changed a lot: See the David Horsey cartoon.

WHAT OUR EDITORS ARE READING

-- Here’s how Trump’s plan to kill the Energy Star program could benefit him financially. (CNN)

-- Postcards from South Dakota: How a red state benefits from the many arts grants it receives, even as Trump wants to eliminate them. (New York Times)

-- The frustrations of writing about Chinese food if you are of Chinese descent. (Vice)

ONLY IN CALIFORNIA

If you’ve never been to the One Gun Ranch in Malibu, you’re not alone. The “biodynamic” ranch — which fuses agriculture with spirituality, exercise offerings and simple recipes — is one of the toughest tickets in town. Meet Clementine the alpaca, Blue the horse and Othello the pig in these photos, even if you can’t make it there in person.

Please send comments and ideas to Davan Maharaj.

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