Pete Souza/The White House In the photo that has hung in the West Wing for three years, President Obama looks to be bowing to five-year-old Jacob Philadelphia, his arm raised to touch the president’s hair — to see if it feels like his. WASHINGTON — For decades at the White House, photographs of the president at work and at play have been hung throughout the West Wing, and each print soon gives way to a more recent shot. But one picture remains after three years, its staying power testifying to the thousand words it seems worth to those who see it. In the photo, President Obama looks to be bowing to a sharply dressed black boy, who stands erect beside the Oval Office desk, his ... Continue reading →
The Orange County district attorney’s office announced Monday it will seek the death penalty against a former Marine in the stabbing death of a mother and her son in Yorba Linda and the killings of four homeless men. Itzcoatl Ocampo, 24, of Yorba Linda, is charged with six felony counts of murder with special circumstances for multiple murders and lying in wait. He also faces sentencing enhancements connected with personal use of a deadly weapon, a knife, during the commission of a crime. District Attorney Tony Rackauckas said in a statement that he consulted with a “special circumstances committee” of several prosecutors before reaching his decision in the case against the Iraq War veteran. Ocampo was arrested Jan. 13 after John Berry, a 64-year-old homeless ... Continue reading →
California's budget deficit may be $900 million larger than Gov. Jerry Brown's $15.7-billion estimate, the Legislative Analyst's Office said on Friday. The difference lies in questions over money from defunct local redevelopment agencies. Brown wants to use $1.4 billion to help plug the budget gap, but the analyst predicts there will be much less money available. The analyst's report said there's "considerable uncertainty" surrounding the amount of redevelopment money, and lawsuits could further bog down the process. Other than the concern over redevelopment money, the report said Brown's proposal appears reasonable. But an uncertain economy makes it difficult to predict how much tax revenue the state will pull in. "This makes the adoption of realistic budgetary actions -- including realistic trigger cuts -- particularly important ... Continue reading →
Elinor Carucci/Redux, for The New York Times Michael, a 9-year-old whose periodic rages alternate with moments of chilly detachment, with his mother, Anne. One day last summer, Anne and her husband, Miguel, took their 9-year-old son, Michael, to a Florida elementary school for the first day of what the family chose to call “summer camp.” For years, Anne and Miguel have struggled to understand their eldest son, an elegant boy with high-planed cheeks, wide eyes and curly light brown hair, whose periodic rages alternate with moments of chilly detachment. Michael’s eight-week program was, in reality, a highly structured psychological study — less summer camp than camp of last resort. Elinor Carucci/Redux, for The New York Times Michael, left, with his mother, father and brothers, Jake, ... Continue reading →
Join in Wednesday at noon for a live chat with Jonathan Gold. You have questions? Say, where to find hand-pulled Uzbekistan noodles? He'll be here at lunchtime to answer. Continue reading →
