Newsletter: Today: In France, the Center Holds — for Now
What’s next in France, where voters overwhelmingly chose a centrist candidate over a far-right nationalist to be their next president? 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
In France, the Center Holds — for Now
France’s presidential election featured nasty debate, allegations of coordinated hacking against centrist Emmanuel Macron’s camp and much wondering whether the polls had underestimated the appeal of his far-right rival, Marine Le Pen. But in the end, the 39-year-old Macron won in a landslide to become the youngest president-elect in French history and keep the country as one of the driving forces of the European Union. Though President Trump had praised Le Pen, he tweeted his congratulations on Macron’s “big win.” Now comes the hard part: governing. Here’s why that could be particularly difficult.
Protecting the Trumps: See the World on at Least $30 Million in 100 Days
The White House, Trump Tower, Mar-a-Lago … and this weekend, Bedminster, N.J. How much does it cost to protect President Trump and his family as they jet about, including business trips overseas? The Secret Service does not release information about such costs, but based on publicly available information reviewed by The Times, the total for Trump’s first 100 days was at least $30 million. By comparison, the conservative think tank Judicial Watch found that costs for President Obama and his smaller family averaged $12 million a year.
More Politics
-- Trump tweeted about the Russia inquiry before former Deputy Atty. Gen. Sally Yates testifies today in the Senate about former national security advisor Michael Flynn.
-- A look at what’s at stake as Trump gets to “see you in court” in two major travel ban cases.
-- Trump pledged to help his voters. In the meantime, he doesn’t mind punishing the opposition.
Behind the Scenes of ICE’s Raids in Los Angeles
Since Trump took office, arrests by Immigration and Customs Enforcement are up 35% nationwide, but in L.A. they remain relatively flat. The director of enforcement and removal operations here says agents are doing little, if anything, different from what they were under the Obama administration. What has changed, he says: a more intense, politically charged spotlight, or “as one of my bosses put it, ‘Fifty percent of the country is mad at us 100% of the time.’ ” Here’s an inside look at ICE’s arrests of those with criminal pasts.
The Teen Angst of Not Knowing if Mom or Dad Will Be Deported
Though the number of arrests by ICE haven’t significantly increased in Los Angeles, that hasn’t stopped the rise of anxiety in immigrant communities. Particularly affected are children who were born in the U.S. to parents who are in the country illegally. Some teenagers have more than the usual high school worries: They’re trying to take on the adult responsibilities of protecting their loved ones and friends from deportation, and are thinking about what they would do if one or both parents were taken away.
Hooray for … Tollywood?
The highest-grossing Indian movie release of all time isn’t from Bollywood. It’s from Tollywood — aka Hyderabad, which has its own big film industry in the Telugu language. How did the swords-and-armor epic “Baahubali 2: The Conclusion,” which was No. 7 at the U.S. box office this weekend, cut across language barriers and geography? Read on.
OUR MUST-READS FROM THE WEEKEND
-- As Europe braces for hundreds of militants to return from the battlefields in Iraq and Syria, the U.S. military is targeting Islamic State’s virtual caliphate by hunting and killing its online operatives one by one.
-- Columnist Steve Lopez finds out how an L.A. teen of modest means earned a wealth of options at America’s top universities.
-- Insects and disease are ravaging Southern California’s urban trees. Who’s going to stop them?
-- From “The Handmaid’s Tale” to “I Love Dick,” the female gaze is thriving on television.
-- Some Hollywood executives are worried that this summer is once again relying too heavily on sequels from aging franchises.
MUST-WATCH VIDEO
-- Silicon Valley’s tech boom has created a nightmare for these mobile home residents.
-- Actress Danielle Brooks of “Orange Is the New Black” answers a lightning round of questions.
-- A view of Saturn as Cassini swooped between the planet and its rings.
CALIFORNIA
-- Accused of mismanagement, the state tax collection agency known as the Board of Equalization “is in complete disarray,” according to one official.
-- Anatomy of a tragedy: San Diego police say two officers fatally shot a 15-year-old boy who was holding a BB gun at a high school.
-- Activist Ron Kovic, who was portrayed in the film “Born on the Fourth of July,” tells columnist George Skelton that people “just aren’t thinking” when they misuse disabled parking placards.
-- A bar in Dana Point sparked a furor over its Cinco de Mayo event featuring “green cards” and an inflatable wall.
HOLLYWOOD AND THE ARTS
-- The highlights and the red carpet at the MTV Movie & TV Awards in photos.
-- These historically black colleges in Atlanta are some of Hollywood’s best-kept filming secrets.
-- Could $499,000 in grants that help our soldiers be one reason Congress spared the NEA?
-- Gustavo Dudamel dedicated a Friday concert to a slain student in Venezuela and opened a new chapter with the L.A. Phil.
CLASSIC HOLLYWOOD
The 1990 James Ellroy novel “L.A. Confidential” was supposedly unadaptable. Then came Curtis Hanson’s 1997 film, which won Oscars for screenplay adaptation and actress Kim Basinger. This week, it gets a 20th anniversary screening in L.A., followed by a Q&A with Basinger. Take a look back at a neo-noir film that has become a classic in its own right.
NATION-WORLD
-- North Korea claimed it detained another U.S. citizen, stoking further discord as the two countries face their biggest tensions in years.
-- The killing of 15-year-old Jordan Edwards in Dallas shows again how black males, even children, are viewed as a threat.
-- The 82 freed Chibok schoolgirls arrived in Nigeria’s capital to meet President Muhammadu Buhari, as families looked forward to reuniting after three years.
-- Suggestions by Mexican officials that a young victim’s lifestyle was responsible for her violent death have triggered outrage.
-- Israel has taken steps to define itself as a Jewish state and demote the status of the Arabic language.
BUSINESS
-- Former Wells Fargo employees say they were told to target immigrants in the U.S. illegally, as well as Native Americans and college students, for opening sham accounts.
-- With the maiden flight of a Chinese-built jetliner, China is heralding a new era in its industrial development.
SPORTS
-- When did things go so awfully off track for the Anaheim Ducks in their 7-1 loss to the Edmonton Oilers? “Puck drop,” the Ducks’ captain said.
-- Always Dreaming won the Kentucky Derby, but is he good enough to win the Triple Crown?
OPINION
-- Regardless of court fights, the Trump administration is quietly stalling refugee resettlements.
-- How to fight fake news on Google, Facebook and elsewhere.
WHAT OUR EDITORS ARE READING
-- In Beijing, the Kushner family touted $500,000 investor visas for wealthy Chinese. Journalists got kicked out of the presentation. (Washington Post)
-- Police in Ireland are investigating a complaint of blasphemy against comedian Stephen Fry. (The Guardian)
-- Do you know the special kind of chewy goodness called “Q” in Taiwan? (Roads and Kingdoms)
ONLY IN L.A.
In 1994, at age 72, Chuck Hatfield said he was done coaching baseball, but Chatsworth High coaxed him into staying until the school could find someone else. As it turns out, he’ll be 95 soon — and he isn’t done yet. “People say, ‘Why don’t you go and enjoy yourself? Retire, travel.’ I did that after I left General Motors. It got tiresome. No more of that. My life is trying to help kids. That’s all I want to do.”
Please send comments and ideas to Davan Maharaj.
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