'California is not a trivial target'

'Donald Trump vs. California (and everywhere else)'

Philip Bump at The Washington Post

Los Angeles hasn't "suddenly turned into a metropolis riddled with criminal immigrants," says Philip Bump. The "president and his administration have been looking to California as they have been looking to crush any center of power that he views as adversarial." It's "wildly at odds with the traditional precept in conservative politics that states have a sovereignty independent of the federal government." But "we are well beyond the point of expecting Trump to adhere to traditional conservative rhetoric."

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'Our oceans are in crisis — this is the chance for the world to act'

John Kerry at the Financial Times

Our "global ocean, which feeds billions, supports coastal communities and regulates the climate, is in crisis," says former Secretary of State and climate envoy John Kerry. But "where there is urgency there is opportunity: the community of nations has a date with decisive action this week in Nice, France, at the United Nations Ocean Conference (UNOC)." This "can be an action-forcing event equal to the moment, driving progress on marine protection, plastic pollution, illegal fishing and blue economies" at an "important moment of shifting geopolitics."

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'In the age of AI, human emotion is journalism's superpower'

Rob Golub at the Poynter Institute

The "uncomfortable marriage of journalism and emotion has always mattered, but it's about to matter more than ever," says Rob Golub. In an "AI world, human connection is all we'll have left." Journalists "must not be outsiders, watching us all curiously like aliens from outer space. We must be a part of the community. We must feel like family." AI is "getting good at writing stories, at making content. Yet we, the consumers of it, are human."

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'Macron must lead the EU push to end Israel's war on Gaza'

Jo-Ann Mort at The Guardian

It's "urgently important for world leaders who want to maintain a two-state option to turn up and shout out," says Jo-Ann Mort. There is "no more important figure right now" for French President Emmanuel Macron to "have by his side" than Saudi Arabia's Prince Mohammed bin Salman, "who could also help influence a U.S. president who presently appears to have no consistent diplomatic strategy for Israel-Palestine." Macron has "broad support at home — including from political factions on the left — for this effort."

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