Tuesday’s forecast: Arraign and clouds

Presented by TikTok: POLITICO's must-read briefing on what's driving the afternoon in Washington.

Mar 31, 2023 View in browser   By Eli Okun Presented by TikTok Donald Trump's lawyer said the former president is “upset, angry,” but “not worried at all” about his indictment. | Evan Vucci/AP Photo ARREST DEVELOPMENT — It’s been a whirlwind day of fallout since news broke that DONALD TRUMP has been criminally indicted, a historic moment in American politics and law. Everybody’s mostly waiting for Tuesday now, when the charges are expected to be unsealed and former president is expected to surrender, but there were some developments today: The Tuesday timing and logistics: The arraignment hearing in Manhattan is expected to take place at 2:15 p.m., a court spokesperson told multiple outlets. Trump lawyer JOE TACOPINA told CBS that he expects Trump not to be handcuffed, in line with Secret Service protocols, but that’s not up to his legal team. The Secret Service is meeting today with police, court and DA officials to iron out the logistics, per CNN. Tacopina described Trump as “upset, angry,” but “not worried at all.” Braggadocio: Manhattan DA ALVIN BRAGG’s office once again hit hard at House Republicans for their efforts to wade into the case. In a new letter, general counsel LESLIE DUBECK accused House GOP committee chairs who have asked for information of making a move to “collaborate” with Trump through their “unlawful political interference” in the criminal justice system. More from WaPo Not wading in: President JOE BIDEN and VP KAMALA HARRIS both declined to comment on the developments today. Biden demurred four separate times as reporters peppered him with questions on his way out of the White House. Very much wading in: Rep. MARJORIE TAYLOR GREENE (R-Ga.) tried to mobilize Trump supporters to demonstrate in NYC on Tuesday, saying she’d be there: “We MUST protest the unconstitutional WITCH HUNT!” Related read: “Many Democracies Have Prosecuted Ex-Leaders. The Politics Can Be Tough,” by NYT’s Richard Pérez-Peña BOOGIE WOOGIE WOOGIE — The Treasury Department put out its much-anticipated rules for electric vehicle tax credits from the Inflation Reduction Act, trying to strike a balance between moving fast to tackle climate change and bolstering domestic manufacturers. James Bikales breaks down the details, which “will make it harder for many electric vehicles to qualify for federal tax breaks — but could, over the long term, foster the growth of entire new U.S.-based industries based on clean energy.” One major question is whether the sourcing requirements will hamper the industry so much that they prevent a rapid transformation to EVs. But the political fallout is already intense, and for Sen. JOE MANCHIN (D-W.Va.), the rules on domestic production aren’t nearly strict enough. “It is horrific that the Administration continues to ignore the purpose of the law,” he said in a statement, warning that it “further cedes control to the Chinese Communist Party.” Tanya Snyder has a rundown of the winners and losers from today’s “watershed” announcement: a win (eventually) for Europe, a grudging win for automakers, a partial win for consumers, a mixed result for the climate and the critical mining industry, and a loss for Manchin. News you can use: “You only have until April 17 to get a hot deal on an EV before stricter tax credit rules go into effect, making some models ineligible,” Insider’s Alexa St. John warns. Among the vehicles that could partially lose their subsidies: the Tesla 3. Happy Friday afternoon. Thanks for reading Playbook PM. Drop me a line at eokun@politico.com (or Venmo me so I can afford a Tesla).   A message from TikTok: TikTok is building systems tailor-made to address concerns around data security. What’s more, these systems will be managed by a U.S.-based team specifically tasked with managing all access to U.S. user data and securing the TikTok platform. It’s part of TikTok’s commitment to securing personal data while still giving the global TikTok experience people know and love. Learn more at http://usds.TikTok.com.   AMERICA AND THE WORLD EVAN GERSHKOVICH LATEST — POLITICO banded together with Bloomberg, the NYT and WaPo today to put out a statement condemning the WSJ reporter’s detention in Russia and calling for his release. “Evan’s detention is intended to have a chilling effect on independent journalism and deprive the public of essential news,” they warned. “Let him go,” Biden said as he was leaving the White House this morning. First person: “The arrest of an American journalist in Russia is awful. For me, it’s also painfully personal,” by The Guardian’s Margaret Sullivan … “The Unimaginable Horror of a Friend’s Arrest in Moscow,” by The New Yorker’s Joshua Yaffa VP ABROAD — “China’s global influence looms over Harris trip to Africa,” by AP’s Chris Megerian, Cara Anna and Andrew Meldrum with a Lusaka, Zambia, dateline: “When Vice President Kamala Harris arrived in Zambia on Friday for the final stop of her weeklong trip across Africa, she touched down at an airport that’s doubled in size and features glittering new terminals. Rather than a symbol of promising local development, it’s a reminder of China’s deep influence. Beijing financed the project.” THE ECONOMY INFLATION NATION — We got some better news in the fight against inflation today: The Personal Consumption Expenditures Index, which is the Fed’s favored metric for inflation, slowed to 5% growth year over year in February, lower than economists expected and down from January’s 5.3%. Inflation hasn’t been this low since September 2021. The index was up only 0.3% month over month, half the rate of January’s increase. And the core measure of inflation, excluding fuels and food, dropped to 4.6% annually and 0.3% on the month. Despite the positive trend, inflation is still running more than double the Fed’s target, and high prices continue to pinch Americans across an array of daily purchases. So central bankers will have to weigh the conflicting signals as they consider next steps at April’s meeting. More from the NYT In another sign of slowdown, consumer spending ticked up just 0.2% on a seasonally adjusted basis in February, way down from January’s big 2% leap. Accounting for inflation, consumer spending actually fell 0.1%. More from the WSJ   GO INSIDE THE 2023 MILKEN INSTITUTE GLOBAL CONFERENCE: POLITICO is proud to partner with the Milken Institute to produce a special edition "Global Insider" newsletter featuring exclusive coverage, insider nuggets and unparalleled insights from the 2023 Global Conference, which will convene leaders in health, finance, politics, philanthropy and entertainment from April 30-May 3. This year’s theme, Advancing a Thriving World, will challenge and inspire attendees to lean into building an optimistic coalition capable of tackling the issues and inequities we collectively face. Don’t miss a thing — subscribe today for a front row seat.     POLICY CORNER ENTITLEMENTS D-DAY — “Social Security funding crisis will arrive in 2033, U.S. projects,” by WaPo’s Jeff Stein and Amy Goldstein: “The report projects that Medicare funds will be exhausted in 2031, three years later than the trustees previously estimated, which would give lawmakers more time to address the program. The date for Social Security benefits to be exhausted, however, was moved up to 2033, or one year earlier than the trustees projected last year.” BEYOND THE BELTWAY EAST PALESTINE LATEST — The Justice Department and the EPA have sued Norfolk Southern over the recent train derailment and toxic material release in East Palestine, Ohio, alleging that the company illegally polluted the environment in the incident. The government is seeking to make Norfolk Southern pay for the full cost of the cleanup and response. More from Matt Berg — “CDC team studying health impacts of Ohio train derailment fell ill during investigation,” by CNN’s Brenda Goodman 2024 WATCH ENDORSEMENT WATCH — Three Republican Jewish Coalition board members are backing NIKKI HALEY, Jewish Insider’s Matthew Kassel scoops. PHIL ROSEN, CHERYL HALPERN and FRED ZEIDMAN call Haley “[t]he best candidate for Jewish Republicans.”   JOIN POLITICO ON 4/5 FOR THE 2023 RECAST POWER LIST: America’s demographics and power dynamics are changing — and POLITICO is recasting how it covers the intersection of race, identity, politics and policy. Join us for a conversation on the themes of the 2023 Recast Power List that will examine America’s decision-making tables, who gets to sit at them, and the challenges that still need to be addressed. REGISTER HERE.     PLAYBOOKERS IN MEMORIAM — “Nick Galifianakis served NC in Congress, had history-making clash with Jesse Helms,” by The News & Observer’s Rob Christensen: “At one time, Galifianakis was regarded as the hope of the moderate-to-progressive wing of the Democratic Party — a big strapping ex-Marine who could barely contain his exuberance for life or politics.” Fun fact, per Daily Kos Elections Editor Jeff Singer: “The congressman’s nephew got a small measure of revenge on Jesse Helms in his 2012 movie ‘The Campaign.’ The racist father of Zach Galifianakis’ character just happened to be a former operative for none other than Helms.” SPOTTED: Megyn Kelly dining at BLT yesterday with Ruthless Podcast hosts Josh Holmes, John Ashbrook, Michael Duncan and Comfortably Smug. … Don Baer, Geoff Morrell and Dianna Dunne, Patrick Steel, Alexis Williams, Bennett Richardson, Roy Schwartz, Brendan Sullivan and Andrew Friedman eating breakfast at various tables at the Four Seasons today. OUT AND ABOUT — SPOTTED at American Global Strategies’ annual conference yesterday at the St. Regis: Sens. Mike Lee (R-Utah) and Markwayne Mullin (R-Okla.), Reps. Chris Stewart (R-Utah) and Stephanie Bice (R-Okla.), Robert O’Brien, Alexander Gray, John Ratcliffe, Philippe Etienne, Todd Chapman, Allison Hooker, Brian Cavanaugh, Shigeru Kitamura, Swiss Ambassador Jacques Pitteloud and Lord Mark Sedwill. — The Best Friends Foundation hosted its “Make Music Not Madness” 35th anniversary benefit last night at the Four Seasons, with entertainment from Dionne Warwick. SPOTTED: Sens. Thom Tillis (R-N.C.) and Ted Cruz (R-Texas), Reps. Debbie Dingell (D-Mich.), David Rouzer (R-N.C.), Robert Aderholt (R-Ala.) and Bill Johnson (R-Ohio), Bill Bennett, Alma Powell, Caroline Aderholt, LeeAnn Johnson, Debbie and Mark Meadows, Marlene Malek, Marty Makary, Aldona Wos, Todd and Vicki Tiahrt, Bill O’Reilly, John and Krista Bennett, Kara Krause and Barbara Harrison. — Last night at Christie’s at Rockefeller Center, NBC News hosted a celebration to honor longtime journalist Martin Fletcher and a new exhibit featuring digital images from his nearly 40-year career there. Rebecca Blumenstein, Lester Holt and Andrea Mitchell were among those who spoke to celebrate Fletcher. Also SPOTTED: Morgan Chesky, Brian Cheung, Rehema Ellis, Tom Llamas, Joe Fryer and Steven Romo. — SPOTTED at an interfaith iftar last night hosted by the UAE Embassy and Ambassador Yousef Al-Otaiba: Rep. Brad Schneider (D-Ill.), Deborah Lipstadt, Israeli Ambassador Michael Herzog and Shirin Herzog, Rashad Hussain, Aaron Keyak, Shelley Greenspan, Max Neuberger, Frank Luntz, Hans Nichols, Tala Alrajjal, Norman Brownstein and Levi Shemtov. — The Plant Based Products Council hosted its inaugural conference on the state of the bioeconomy at the JW Marriott from Monday to Wednesday, with speakers including Sen. John Boozman (R-Ark.) and Reps. David Scott (D-Ga.) and Glenn “G.T.” Thompson (R-Pa.) sharing remarks on the next farm bill. Also SPOTTED: Nebraska Gov. Jim Pillen, Xochitl Torres Small, Dominique Carter, John Bode, Jessica Bowman, Erica Stark, Alexa Combelic and Josie Montoney-Crawford. — Future Forum Foundation celebrated its relaunched program at Officina last night recognizing its new chair, former Rep. Stephanie Murphy (D-Fla.), and executive director, Molly Allen. SPOTTED: Reps. Haley Stevens (D-Mich.) and Darren Soto (D-Fla.), Macey Matthews, Justin German, Isabel Sanchez, Paige Hutchinson, Liz Amster, Yardena Wolf, Xenia Ruiz, Kana Smith, MacKensie Kvalvik and Mitchell Rivard. TRANSITIONS — Anastasia (Kessler) Dellaccio is now SVP for external affairs for the Export-Import Bank. She most recently was director of public policy and stakeholder engagement at Core Scientific and was on the Biden campaign’s national finance committee. … Dwayne Clark will be a professional staff member for the House Foreign Affairs GOP handling export controls. He currently is national security adviser for Rep. Robert Aderholt (R-Ala.). … Nicholas Gladd is now senior counsel in Wilson Sonsini’s energy and climate solutions practice. He most recently was at Pierce Atwood, and is a FERC alum. Did someone forward this email to you? Sign up here. Send Playbookers tips to playbook@politico.com or text us at 202-556-3307. Playbook couldn’t happen without our editor Mike DeBonis, deputy editor Zack Stanton and producers Setota Hailemariam and Bethany Irvine. Corrections: Yesterday’s Playbook PM misstated Michigan Rep. Bill Huizenga’s party affiliation. He is a Republican. It also misspelled Rep. Raja Krishnamoorthi’s (D-Ill.) name.   A message from TikTok: data security and privacy. your concern. our commitment. Learn more at http://usds.TikTok.com..     Follow us on Twitter Rachael Bade @rachaelmbade Eugene Daniels @EugeneDaniels2 Ryan Lizza @RyanLizza Eli Okun @eliokun Garrett Ross @garrett_ross   Subscribe to the POLITICO Playbook family Playbook  |  Playbook PM  |  California Playbook  |  Florida Playbook  |  Illinois Playbook  |  Massachusetts Playbook  |  New Jersey Playbook  |  New York Playbook  |  Ottawa Playbook  |  Brussels Playbook  |  London Playbook View all our politics and policy newsletters Follow us

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California Today: Why San Bernardino County is so immense

The Southern California county is bigger by area than Switzerland, Belgium and dozens of other countries.

View in browser|nytimes.com Continue reading the main story March 31, 2023 By Soumya Karlamangla California Today, Writer It's Friday. The story of how San Bernardino County ended up so huge. Plus, one of Los Angeles's most prominent politicians was found guilty of corruption charges. An 1874 map of Southern California, showing San Bernardino County in yellow.Department of Interior Land Office SAN BERNARDINO — Stretching across more than 20,000 square miles, from the edge of the sprawling Los Angeles metropolis in the west to California's desert border with Nevada and Arizona in the east, San Bernardino County is by far the largest county in the lower 48 states. It's bigger in area than nine states, as well as Switzerland, Denmark, Belgium and dozens of other countries, as advocates of a recent push for county secession often point out. You can see on any map of the 58 counties of California that San Bernardino dwarfs all others. The reason for its vast size? A Mormon settlement that took root in Southern California almost two centuries ago. In 1851, Brigham Young, the head of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and the governor of the Utah Territory — it wasn't yet a state — dispatched an envoy to Southern California to plant a Mormon colony that he hoped would expand the church's influence, gain converts and chart a snow-free wagon route to transport goods from the Pacific Coast. According to the historian Edward Leo Lyman, 437 Latter-day Saints, traveling in 150 covered wagons, made the treacherous 600-mile journey from central Utah to Southern California through the rocky Cajon Pass, "undoubtedly one of the most arduous pioneer treks in American history." (An imposing sandstone outcropping in the pass named the Mormon Rocks honors their voyage, though, of course, Native tribes lived near these rocks for hundreds of years before Spanish or Anglo settlers arrived.) Upon arriving in California, the Mormon travelers bought a 35,000-acre plot of land known as Rancho San Bernardino from the Lugo brothers, part of a prominent Los Angeles family, said Nathan Gonzales, who teaches history at the University of Redlands. They began to grow their settlement, building houses, devising a street grid and planting fruit trees and vineyards. Continue reading the main story ADVERTISEMENT At the time, the height of the gold rush, San Francisco was the political center of California — which had just joined the union in 1850 — and the southern half of the state was still referred to as "the cow counties" because of all the undeveloped land, Gonzales told me. The newly formed San Bernardino, about 60 miles east of the city of Los Angeles, fell within the boundaries of Los Angeles County and within a year became its second biggest city. That gave the Mormon community political power in the region. In 1852, Jefferson Hunt, a well-known Mormon settler, was elected to the California State Assembly — and at the top of his agenda was creating San Bernardino County. Hunt wanted his new territory to be wide enough to incorporate not just the growing Mormon settlement but also all existing and potential future routes from Southern California to Salt Lake City, which was a goal of Young's, according to the historian Tom Sutak. In April 1953, California lawmakers approved Hunt's proposal to carve out an eastern swath of Los Angeles County to form San Bernardino County. Continue reading the main story ADVERTISEMENT The county's trapezoidal boundaries shifted slightly over the next few decades, and a slice was removed to create neighboring Riverside County in 1893. But San Bernardino County has remained California's biggest county, encompassing much of the Mojave Desert and some of Joshua Tree National Park, with its northeast corner roughly 50 miles from Las Vegas and its southwest 50 miles from the Pacific Ocean. The Mormon Trail Monument.Soumya Karlamangla/The New York Times In downtown San Bernardino, at the palm-tree-lined entrance to a towering county courthouse, a green sign marks the site of the Mormon Stockade, the first place that the Mormon colonists lived when they arrived in California. A 30-minute drive northwest, through a harsh landscape that looks like the set of an old Western, barren but for a few ranch houses and yuccas, I recently spotted the Mormon Trail Monument, an old wooden wheel that points to the nearby mountains, where the pioneers entered — and eventually departed — the San Bernardino Valley. Continue reading the main story ADVERTISEMENT As the California colony expanded, Young became increasingly concerned that its residents were straying too far from the church, and that some had perhaps become disillusioned with some of its practices, including polygamy. (Hunt, the state assemblyman known as the "Father of San Bernardino County," had two wives and is believed to have had the most children — 21, as well as 154 grandchildren — of any state legislator in California history, said Jackie Peterson, a California State Library spokesperson.) In 1857, just six years after his followers arrived, Young recalled the San Bernardino settlers to Utah. His suspicions were at least partially confirmed, according to Lyman, the historian: Of the roughly 3,000 people living in the California settlement at the time, only about half went back to Salt Lake. The rest stayed in San Bernardino. Subscribe Today We hope you've enjoyed this newsletter, which is made possible through subscriber support. Subscribe to The New York Times with this special offer. Los Angeles County lost 90,000 residents in 2022, compared with a loss of 180,000 in 2021.Philip Cheung for The New York Times The rest of the news Population changes: The number of immigrants has increased in the country's 21 most populous counties, but many of these counties, like Los Angeles County, are still losing residents to suburbs, exurbs and other regions of the country. San Quentin: Gov. Gavin Newsom's plan to transform San Quentin State Prison deserves national attention, Bill Keller writes in an opinion essay. Gay rights: Democrats in the State Senate want to repeal a 2016 travel ban to states with anti-L.G.B.T.Q. laws, and instead create a publicity campaign in those states to encourage acceptance, The Los Angeles Times reports. Sick sea otters: A rare strain of a parasite normally found in mountain lions has killed four otters off the California coast, The Guardian reports. SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA Mark Ridley-Thomas verdict: The former Los Angeles councilman was found guilty on Thursday of federal corruption charges related to special benefits his son received at the University of Southern California, and could be sentenced to years in federal prison, The Los Angeles Times reports. Whittier College: One of California's oldest liberal arts colleges is facing rough economic times with enrollment and annual revenue dropping starkly in the last five years, The Los Angeles Times reports. Police brutality: Seven California Highway Patrol officers were charged with involuntary manslaughter in the 2020 death of a man in custody in Altadena, The Associated Press reports. CENTRAL CALIFORNIA Embezzlement: A bookkeeper who was charged with embezzling $620,000 from a Fresno County almond farmer has agreed to pay the money back as part of a plea deal, The Fresno Bee reports. NORTHERN CALIFORNIA Water: On the heels of a remarkably wet winter, Bay Area water agencies are ending drought surcharges, restrictions on outdoor watering and fines for using too much water, The San Francisco Chronicle reports. Coinbase: A San Francisco judge says the cryptocurrency giant Coinbase must go to court rather than confidential arbitration to resolve claims by four investors that the company lied about shoddy security practices, The San Francisco Chronicle reports. Andrew Purcell for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Barrett Washburne. What we're eating Crisp gnocchi with brussels sprouts and brown butter. The Flower Fields at Carlsbad Ranch.Gabriel Bouys/Agence France-Presse — Getty Images Where we're traveling Today's tip comes from Patrice Smerdu: "The city of Carlsbad is well worth a visit. The old downtown has great restaurants and boutique shops, and Legoland is close by. This time of year, the Flower Fields are a wonderful place to visit and are open until Mother's Day with almost 50 acres of flowers and other activities." Tell us about your favorite places to visit in California. Email your suggestions to CAtoday@nytimes.com. We'll be sharing more in upcoming editions of the newsletter. Tell us What foods do you consider quintessentially Californian? Sourdough bread? Wine? Oranges? California burritos? Tell us your favorite Golden State dish, drink or snack, and include a few sentences about what it means to you. Email us at CAToday@nytimes.com. We may include your email response in an upcoming newsletter or in print. By emailing us a response, you agree that you have read, understand and accept the Reader Submission Terms in relation to all of the content and other information you send to us ("Your Content"). If you do not accept these terms, do not submit any content. Cucumber melon fruits range from long and snakelike to oval. The Carosello Tondo Massafra's fat little globes have firm flesh and few seeds.The Cucumber Shop And before you go, some good news Jay Tracy, an itinerant teacher of the deaf, lives in the Bay Area with his wife and four children — and an extra refrigerator stuffed with pounds of heirloom cucumber seed. This seed stash represents the product of a yearslong treasure hunt. In 2009, Tracy, who was living in Tucson, Ariz., at the time, wanted to identify which types of cucumber might perform best in hot and dry environments. He's since become a foster parent to more than 50 cucumber varieties, many of which look nothing like what you would see in a grocery store. He's particularly interested in cucumber melons, which are genetically closer to a cantaloupe or honeydew than a cucumber. Their perk? "They are never bitter," he said, "and always easy on the digestion." Read more from The Times. Thanks for reading. I'll be back on Monday. Enjoy your weekend. — Soumya P.S. Here's today's Mini Crossword. Briana Scalia and Isabella Grullón Paz contributed to California Today. You can reach the team at CAtoday@nytimes.com. Sign up here to get this newsletter in your inbox. Continue reading the main story Need help? Review our newsletter help page or contact us for assistance. You received this email because you signed up for California Today from The New York Times. To stop receiving California Today, unsubscribe. To opt out of other promotional emails from The Times, manage your email preferences. 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