Los Angeles rages over racist City Council audio

LA City Council president takes leave over disparaging remarks; Biden re-evaluates US-Saudi ties after OPEC+ slashes oil production.

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LA City Council president takes leave over racist remarks

Irfan Khan / Los Angeles Times via Getty Images

• Los Angeles City Councilwoman Nury Martinez (D) took a leave of absence Tuesday, a day after stepping down as city council president over leaked audio revealing she made racist comments. However, she did not submit to calls to resign from her job. [New York Times / Jill Cowan and Shawn Hubler]
• Last fall, Martinez referred to a white colleague’s Black son as a monkey who deserves a “beatdown” during a private conversation with two fellow council members and a local labor leader. [Politico / Jeremy B. White, Lara Korte, Sakura Cannestra, and Owen Tucker-Smith]
• Martinez’s comments came during a discussion about protecting Latino interests in redistricting. Her remarks underscore the history of racial tensions between Blacks and Latinos vying for influence in LA politics. [Associated Press / Christopher Weber and Michael R. Blood]
• In 2019, Martinez, 49, became the first Latina to serve as Council president. Her departure is the latest in a series of scandals involving council members. [Los Angeles Times / Dakota Smith, David Zahniser, Julia Wick, Benjamin Oreskes]
• Martinez’s exit also comes less than a month before elections that could shape the Council’s future, with several seats up for grabs. [USA Today / Cady Stanton]

Biden reconsiders US ties with Saudi Arabia

• President Joe Biden is reexamining US-Saudi Arabia ties after OPEC+ decided to cut oil production last week, according to White House national security official John Kirby. [Reuters]
• The group of oil exporting countries announced it would slash output by 2 million barrels a day starting in November to boost falling prices — a move that could help Russia continue financing the war in Ukraine. [Axios / Jacob Knutson]
• OPEC+ officials reportedly ignored warnings that production cuts could strain support for Saudi Arabia in Washington. They denied the Biden administration’s request to wait for a month. [Wall Street Journal / Summer Said, Benoit Faucon, Dion Nissenbaum, and Stephen Kalin]
• Biden’s re-evaluation comes a day after Senate Foreign Relations Committee Chairman Bob Menendez (D-NJ) called for a freeze on cooperation with Saudi Arabia and accused the kingdom of siding with Russia amid the war in Ukraine. [NYT / Peter Baker]

The U.S. Supreme Court heard arguments Tuesday in a case that will determine if California can set its standards for treating pigs. [Vox / Ian Millhiser]

• Deforestation and rising temperatures associated with climate change are forcing some monkeys and lemurs to spend more time on the ground instead of in trees in search of respite and water, according to a study released Monday. [New Scientist / Madeleine Cuff]
• Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky appealed for Western help with air defense Tuesday as Russia escalates missile attacks across Ukraine. [NBC News / Patrick Smith and Rebecca Shabad]
• Baltimore prosecutors dropped all charges against Adnan Syed, the subject of the hit 2014 podcast Serial. [Vox / Aja Romano]

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“I know I can never really know or comprehend the real weight of the daily relentless anti-Black racism my son is going to face, but man, I know the fire that you feel when someone tries to destroy Black boy joy. It’s a rage."

[LA City Council Member Mike Bonin on Martinez’s remarks about his son / L.A. Times]

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