BORDER/CALIFORNIA/TRANSPORTATION/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT/WALL: “If you weren’t already confused about the status of California’s controversial bullet train after Gov. Gavin Newsom’s State of the State address, you might be soon. During his speech last week, the governor said the high-speed rail network as it was initially envisioned — as a link between Los Angeles and the Bay Area — was taking too long and costing too much. So, he announced, the project would be scaled back for the time being, instead stretching from Bakersfield to Merced. Eventually, Mr. Newsom backtracked and blamed the news media for overstating the change of plan. But not before President Trump seized the opportunity to hammer a favorite target, tweeting that ‘California has been forced to cancel the massive bullet train project,’ and saying that the federal government wanted back $3.5 billion. That was a week ago, before a new battle between the president and the Golden State took shape. This time, it was over Mr. Trump’s declaration of a national emergency on the border in order to access more money for a border wall. California and 15 other states sued, arguing that the move was an illegal way of diverting funds that Congress designated for other things.”
–Jill Cowan, “How High-Speed Rail Got Caught Between Newsom and Trump,” The New York Times online, February 20, 2019