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Just blocks from where a handful of die-hard protesters faced police in Los Angeles on Wednesday, residents were enjoying lunch in the sun and shrugging off Donald Trump’s claims their city was burning.Six days after unrest began — prompting the US president to send soldiers into the streets, over the furious protests of local officials — life in the City of Angels was going on largely as normal.”Everything is hunky dory right here at Ground Zero,” Lynn Sturgis, a retired teacher who was protesting outside the federal complex that has been at the heart of the demonstrations in Downtown Los Angeles, told AFP. “Our city is not at all on fire, it’s not burning down, as our terrible leader is trying to tell you.”The demonstrations began Friday as immigration authorities carried out raids on undocumented migrants in the sprawling metropolis.They have continued each day since — mostly peacefully, but tarnished by several spectacular incidents of violence, including torched cars and sporadic clashes with law enforcement.  Trump has insisted that if he had not taken the extraordinary step of sending troops into Los Angeles over the weekend, “it would be burning to the ground right now.”- ‘Manufactured’ -“Not at all… this is very calm,” protester Ellen Carpenter, a retired federal worker who was demonstrating alongside Sturgis, told AFP.”I lived in Washington, DC for a long time, so I was part of very large protests there, you know, millions and millions of people. This is a little wimpy by comparison.””This whole thing has been manufactured by the current administration,” Sturgis said.Trump’s promises to crack down on illegal immigration helped propel him back into the White House.He seized the opportunity presented by the Los Angeles rallies to order the California National Guard to deploy along with hundreds of Marines — a move state governor Gavin Newsom called “dictatorial.”Los Angeles real estate agent Tracey, who declined to give her last name, said the deployment was a “mistake.””I don’t feel safe” with the military presence in the city, she said, even as she admitted that the protests had at times been “scary”.Retired actor Thomas welcomed the troops, however. – Not taking chances -“As soon as it gets dark, thugs come out and cause trouble,” the 69-year-old told AFP downtown. It is the National Guard that has calmed things down, he argued — “bringing in more force. That’s all they understand… You have to step in and put your foot down.”Restaurants in the streets surrounding the protest area were packed at lunchtime Wednesday. Workers cleaned graffiti sprayed by protesters on federal buildings as curious passers-by stopped to watch and snap photos. But there were some signs of apprehension as a handful of businesses were boarding up, worried that protests planned for the weekend could spiral into more violence.Trump will hold a military parade in Washington for his birthday on Saturday that coincides with planned protests in more cities across the country. “There’s lots of expensive glass behind these boards that we’re worried about, so we’re not going to take any chances,” Chis Gonzalez, who was overseeing the boarding up of one downtown business, told AFP.”Saturday, you know, seems like it’s going to be a big protest. We’re just anticipating the worst… Not saying the protests are bad, but it’s definitely scary when you have a business to protect.”

At just 39 years old, Fidji Simo is poised to become OpenAI’s second-in-command after leaving her mark at two other major tech firms, including Meta.Reporting directly to CEO Sam Altman, the move to the ChatGPT-maker represents the latest chapter in a career that has taken Simo from a fishing family in France’s Mediterranean port of Sete to the heights of Silicon Valley.As the current CEO of grocery delivery platform Instacart, she cuts a unique profile: a French woman in the male-dominated American tech landscape — who resists advice to blend in.”I can put all my energy trying to be someone else or I can be myself and pour all of that energy into what I can create,” she told CNBC in February.This philosophy will likely be on display when she appears Thursday at the VivaTech conference in Paris.Raised in Sete, Simo attended the elite HEC business school before joining eBay in 2006, first in France then in California.”People expect a very business-like story for why I decided to come to the US. It wasn’t. The American Dream was on TV every night and that was an incredibly appealing thing,” she said.- ‘Never Intimidated’ -In 2011, Simo joined Facebook, now Meta. She was given responsibility for video and monetization in 2014, a role she considers the defining moment of her career.Simo championed the company’s pivot to video, which became central to Meta’s strategy despite initial internal skepticism.”She never let herself be intimidated,” recalled David Marcus, who worked at Meta alongside Simo and now serves as CEO of online payment company Lightspark.”She had an ability to challenge Mark (Zuckerberg) and push him, when others would have hesitated.”Joining Instacart in 2021, Simo inherited a company that had been bleeding money for a decade.Under her leadership, the grocery delivery platform achieved profitability in 2022 through aggressive diversification: data monetization, expanded retail partnerships and a robust advertising business.Now Simo faces her biggest test yet. As OpenAI’s number two, she’ll free up CEO Altman to focus on research and infrastructure while she tackles the company’s operational challenges.Despite being one of history’s most highly funded startups and ChatGPT’s phenomenal success, OpenAI is burning cash at an alarming rate.The company has also weathered significant leadership turnover, including Altman’s own brief ouster and reinstatement in 2023, raising questions about management stability.But French investor Julien Codorniou, who worked alongside Simo at Facebook, said she will more than rise to the occasion.”Fidji’s arrival is a declaration of ambition by OpenAI,” he said.

Cheers but also boos met US President Donald Trump as he attended a performance Wednesday of “Les Miserables” at Washington’s premier cultural institution, which he has effectively seized control of since returning to power in January.Trump’s appearance at the opening night of the hit musical “Les Miserables” at the renowned Kennedy Center could hardly have been more politically charged.The 78-year-old Republican recently orchestrated a conservative takeover of the famed arts venue, reportedly prompting some “Les Mis” cast members to boycott the show.”I couldn’t care less. Honestly, I couldn’t. All I do is run the country well,” Trump told reporters when asked about a boycott as he arrived with First Lady Melania Trump.The show’s tale of revolutionary fervor, featuring street protesters in 19th century France manning the barricades against a repressive leader also seemed to take on new relevance as the United States itself faces fresh turbulence over Trump’s governance.When the presidential couple appeared Wednesday evening on the central balcony, emblazoned with a presidential seal, booing audience members appeared to struggle to make themselves heard over cheers and chants of “USA! USA!”- ‘Dictatorial’ behavior -Trump, who was joined by Vice President JD Vance and second lady Usha Vance at the premiere, has recently sent in troops to deal with protests against immigration raids in Los Angeles.”We’re going to have a safe country… Remember, if I wasn’t there… Los Angeles would have been burning to the ground,” Trump insisted to reporters.California officials accuse him of “dictatorial” behavior and of manufacturing a confrontation by deploying thousands of National Guard troops and US Marines.”I think the irony is probably lost on him,” Peter Loge, director of George Washington University’s School of Media, told AFP.California’s Democratic governor Gavin Newsom, who has harshly criticized Trump’s actions in his state, reacted on X to news that Trump was attending the musical with the plea: “Someone explain the plot to him.”The social injustice portrayed in Victor Hugo’s 1862 novel — coupled with songs such as “Do You Hear the People Sing?” and “I Dreamed a Dream” — has long resonated with audiences around the world. Billionaire Trump, who had announced his decision to attend “Les Miserables” before the Los Angeles protests erupted, says he too has long been a fan. – ‘Love the songs’ -The real estate tycoon has played songs from the show at his rallies and political events. “I love the songs, I love the play,” Trump told Fox News Digital last week.Asked which of the play’s characters he most identified with, however, Trump punted to his wife. “That’s a tough one… you better answer that one, honey,” Trump replied.His attendance is yet another show of strength after installing himself as chairman of the center and replacing the entire board with loyalists in February.Loge said Trump’s presence there was part of a broader effort at image-making by the reality TV star-turned-president. “Les Mis is a great spectacle. And it sounds smart. It’s not just a show, it sounds like it stands for something,” he said.Trump’s takeover of the John F. Kennedy Center faced opposition in some quarters. A historically bipartisan-supported institution, it has never been led by a US president before.Hit show “Hamilton” canceled its run there in response. Trump countered by saying he had “never liked” the rap musical, which is about the birth of the United States and its first treasury secretary.Several key figures at the Kennedy Center — including TV producer Shonda Rhimes who created “Grey’s Anatomy” and musician Ben Folds — resigned from their leadership positions. And the Vances — Usha Vance is one of the new board members — were booed by the Kennedy Center audience at a performance of the National Symphony Orchestra in March.Trump’s takeover of the Kennedy Center comes amid a broader assault on what he deems “woke” programming at cultural institutions, including the famed Smithsonian museums, as well as universities.

As President Donald Trump’s military-backed crackdown on immigrants continues in Los Angeles and across the US, celebrities are speaking out against the tactics and what they say are the intolerant views driving them.Some pointed to the gulf between Trump’s apocalyptic descriptions of a city in flames and the reality of a vast and diverse metropolis where largely peaceful protests are limited to a small part of downtown.Here’s what the glitterati had to say:- ‘We have to speak up’ -Many celebrities touched on the disconnect between Trump’s claims about arresting dangerous criminals and raids that appear to be targeting day laborers and factory workers.”When we’re told that ICE (Immigration and Customs Enforcement) exists to keep our country safe and remove violent criminals — great,” LA native and reality star Kim Kardashian wrote on social media. “But when we witness innocent, hardworking people being ripped from their families in inhumane ways, we have to speak up.”The billionaire behind Skims underwear added: “Growing up in LA, I’ve seen how deeply immigrants are woven into the fabric of this city. They are our neighbors, friends, classmates, coworkers and family. “No matter where you fall politically, it’s clear that our communities thrive because of the contributions of immigrants.”Singer Doechii echoed that sentiment in her acceptance speech for best female hip hop artist at the BET Awards on Sunday.”There are ruthless attacks that are creating fear and chaos in our communities in the name of law and order. Trump is using military forces to stop a protest,” the “Anxiety” singer said.”We all deserve to live in hope and not fear”- ‘Not an apocalypse’ -Late night talk show host Jimmy Kimmel gave a blistering 12-minute monologue from his studio in the heart of Hollywood, opening with footage of tourists enjoying the nearby attractions and a movie premiere.”Not only is it not an apocalypse, they’re having a Disney/Pixar movie premiere right now for ‘Elio’, a movie about aliens — don’t tell Trump, he’ll send the Green Berets in, too,” the comedian said.There is something wrong, he said, with innocent people “being abducted — which is the correct word to use — by agents in masks, hiding their identities, grabbing people off the streets.”- ‘Un-American’ -Grammy- and Oscar-winning musician and producer Finneas, famous for collaborations with sister Billie Eilish and for work on the “Barbie” movie soundtrack, reported being caught up in a heavy-handed police response at a protest.”Tear-gassed almost immediately at the very peaceful protest downtown — they’re inciting this,” the LA native wrote on Instagram.”Desperate Housewives” star Eva Longoria, called the raids “un-American.” “It’s just so inhumane, hard to watch, it’s hard, it’s hard to witness from afar, I can’t imagine what it’s like to be in Los Angeles right now,” she wrote on Instagram.Longoria added that the protests were a result of “the lack of due process for law-abiding, tax-paying immigrants who have been a part of our community for a very long time.”

Donald Trump’s dream of hosting a grand military parade in Washington will come true on Saturday when tanks, helicopters and thousands of troops rumble through the capital on the US president’s 79th birthday.Long fascinated with military pomp, Trump has openly envied the military spectaculars seen in cities from Paris to Moscow and Pyongyang ever since his first term as president.The $45 million parade is officially being held to celebrate the 250th anniversary of the US army, which commander-in-chief Trump this week called the “greatest fighting force ever to walk the face of the Earth.”But critics say the parade is more about Trump than the army.Protesters have pledged to rally on Saturday against what they call Trump’s growing authoritarianism, at a time when he just ordered troops into Los Angeles after demonstrations against his immigration policy.So-called “No Kings” rallies — named after the idea that America’s Revolutionary War against the British was to free the country from monarchs and autocrats — are planned in dozens of cities, including just outside Washington. But Trump is unrepentant.The president said on a visit to the Fort Bragg army base on Tuesday that “we want to show off a little bit” with the parade, and vowed “very big force” if protesters try to disrupt it.  He made the comments in an extraordinary speech that breached the usual separation of politics and the military and saw Trump goad troops into jeering his opponents.- ‘Big birthday party’ -Trump’s long-cherished parade plans are also rare for a country which has traditionally preferred to avoid displays of military might on its own soil.The parade will be the biggest in Washington since 1991 after the first Gulf War — and before that for the inauguration of President Dwight D. Eisenhower in 1949, the army said.Nearly 7,000 army soldiers will march past historic landmarks including the Lincoln Memorial, the Washington Monument and the White House.Roaring overhead will be a fleet of more than 50 helicopters including Apache gunships, giant twin-rotor Chinook transport choppers and sleek Black Hawks.Around 150 military vehicles — including 28 M1A1 Abrams battle tanks, 28 Bradley armored vehicles and 28 Stryker vehicles — will rumble along the route.Following the parade, the army’s Golden Knights parachute team will jump in and present Trump with a US flag.Troops have been moving tanks and other hardware into place throughout the week.”I think the reception here is going to be very warm,” US army Colonel Kamil Sztalkoper told AFP during a media preview. “Who doesn’t like a big birthday party when you’re 250 years old?” – ‘Believe in democracy’ -But the display of American muscle is also a flex of Trump’s own strongman image as commander-in-chief, at the start of a second term when he has been pushing US presidential power further than ever before.Trump has been obsessed with having a parade since his first term as president when he attended France’s annual Bastille Day parade in Paris at the invitation of Emmanuel Macron in 2017.Back then he was put off by the huge cost, then estimated at $92 million, and warnings that heavy tanks could damage Washington’s streets. This time, the army says metal plates will protect the roads.At the time it also sparked comparisons to similar events in autocratic countries like Russia, China and North Korea — comparisons which have resurfaced in his second term.Peter Loge, director of George Washington University’s School of Media, said the American aversion to such displays went back to the earliest days of US independence.”We were founded by a group of merchants and farmers who were tired of a standing army invading their streets in the name of keeping them safe,” Loge told AFP.”We’ve always looked down on grand military parades in Russia across Red Square or in North Korea, because we’re not like that. We’re Americans, and we believe in democracy, not in military shows of force.” Trump’s show of US military might does however come at a time of mounting international tensions.Fears of a Middle East conflict are on the rise as talks on Iran’s nuclear talks wobble and Israel threatens to strike its facilities.

When immigration officers leapt out of unmarked vans and ran towards undocumented men waiting by a Home Depot in Los Angeles, the day laborers scattered, terrified at the prospect of arrest and deportation.”People were hiding under wood, in the trash, wherever they could find a little hole,” said Oscar Mendia, a Guatemalan who estimated 25 people were arrested.”It was like something out of a movie.”The raid was part of an anti-immigration crackdown ordered by President Donald Trump that has seen factories and work sites targeted since Friday, sparking days of angry protests in America’s second biggest city.”It all started here,” Mendia said, pointing to the parking lot where around 20 workers had gathered on Wednesday.Mendia, who has lived undocumented in the United States for 26 years, had never been involved in a raid before, not even during Trump’s first term.”It’s one thing to see it on television,” he said, “But it’s another to experience it firsthand.”- ‘Families to support’ -Stories of migrants being held in crowded cells, unable to speak to family or lawyers before being rapidly deported are frightening, said another man, aged 40, who did not provide a name.But they are not enough to keep these workers away from the parking lot, where they gather in the hope of snagging off-the-books work in construction, farming or manual labor.”It’s difficult, but we have to work, we have families to support,” said the man, who sends most of his money to Honduras to provide for his six children.Mendia, who also used remittances to educate and raise his three children in Guatemala, says men like him have less to fear in this anti-immigration climate.But for the new generation, the situation “is terrifying,” he said.”They come with hope, they come dreaming of a future.” Beside him, a 21-year-old nods nervously. The young man was saved from Friday’s raid because he had already been picked up for a construction project by the time the armed federal agents arrived. On Monday, he almost didn’t come back, but ultimately realized he had no choice.”We need to do it,” he told AFP.- Paying taxes -The men’s stories are echoed in parking lots, car washes and on construction sites all over Los Angeles and throughout the United States.They fled countries devastated by economic and political crises, or by violence, in search of work to support their families.After difficult and dangerous journeys, they work for low salaries, doing the kind of back-breaking jobs many Americans have long since abandoned — and often pay taxes.Undocumented migrants contributed nearly $90 billion to the public purse in 2023, according to an analysis by the American Immigration Council.- ‘Country of immigrants’ -Trump returned to power this year after campaigning on a pledge to conduct the biggest deportation operation in US history.The ramped-up raids this week appear to be part of a push to make do on that promise, and come after White House Deputy Chief of Staff Stephen Miller reportedly ordered ICE (Immigration Customs and Enforcement) bosses to make at least 3,000 arrests every day.In Los Angeles, a city with large foreign-born and Latino populations, the idea of these masked men swooping has horrified people, many of whom personally know undocumented people.”Why is Donald Trump doing this?” asked a Mexican man who arrived in the United States nearly three decades ago.The man, who asked not to be identified, said it was unfair to go after hard-working people who are just trying to make a living.”Why is he attacking Los Angeles? Because we are a power, because we are the ones who make the economy,” he said,”This country will fall without Latinos.” The migrants of the 21st century might be largely Latinos, but America’s rich history is one of waves of different people coming to these shores.”This is a country of immigrants,” said Mendia, recalling Trump’s own German roots. “Everyone from the president to the person who sweeps the streets.” 

It’s a tale of revolutionary fervor, featuring street protesters manning the barricades against a repressive leader. And watching from the audience was US President Donald Trump.Trump’s appearance at the opening night of the hit musical “Les Miserables” at the renowned Kennedy Center in Washington on Wednesday night could hardly be more politically charged.The 78-year-old Republican recently orchestrated a conservative takeover of the famed arts venue, reportedly prompting some “Les Mis” cast members to boycott the show.The performance of the show, set against the backdrop of revolutionary 19th century France, comes as the United States itself faces fresh turbulence in its second-biggest city. “I couldn’t care less. Honestly, I couldn’t. All I do is run the country well,” Trump told reporters when asked about a boycott as he arrived with First Lady Melania Trump.”And we’re going to have a safe country, we’re not going to have what would have happened in Los Angeles. Remember, if I wasn’t there… Los Angeles would have been burning to the ground.”Trump, who was joined by Vice President JD Vance and second lady Usha Vance at the premiere, has recently sent in troops to deal with protests against immigration raids in Los Angeles.California officials accuse him of “dictatorial” behavior and of manufacturing a confrontation by deploying thousands of National Guard troops and US Marines.”I think the irony is probably lost on him,” Peter Loge, director of George Washington University’s School of Media, told AFP.The social injustice portrayed in Victor Hugo’s 1862 novel — coupled with songs such as “Do You Hear the People Sing?” and “I Dreamed a Dream” — has long resonated with audiences around the world. – ‘I love the songs’ -Billionaire Trump, who had announced his decision to attend “Les Miserables” before the Los Angeles protests erupted, says he too has long been a fan. The real estate tycoon has played songs from the show at his rallies and political events. “I love the songs, I love the play,” Trump told Fox News Digital last week.Asked which of the play’s characters he most identified with, however, Trump punted to his wife. “That’s a tough one… you better answer that one, honey,” Trump replied.His attendance is yet another show of strength after installing himself as chairman of the center and replacing the entire board with loyalists in February.Loge said Trump’s presence there was part of a broader effort at image-making by the reality TV star-turned-president. “Les Mis is a great spectacle. And it sounds smart. It’s not just a show, it sounds like it stands for something,” he said.Trump’s takeover of the John F. Kennedy Center faced opposition in some quarters. A historically bipartisan-supported institution, it has never been led by a US president before.Hit show “Hamilton” canceled its run there in response. Trump countered by saying he had “never liked” the rap musical, which is about the birth of the United States and its first treasury secretary.Several key figures at the Kennedy Center — including TV producer Shonda Rhimes who created “Grey’s Anatomy” and musician Ben Folds — resigned from their leadership positions. And the Vances — Usha Vance is one of the new board members — were booed by the Kennedy Center audience at a performance of the National Symphony Orchestra in March.Trump’s takeover of the Kennedy Center comes amid a broader assault on what he deems “woke” programming at cultural institutions, including the famed Smithsonian museums, as well as universities.

President Donald Trump said US personnel were being moved from the potentially “dangerous” Middle East on Wednesday as nuclear talks with Iran faltered and fears grew of a regional conflict.Trump also reiterated that he would not allow Iran to have a nuclear weapon, amid mounting speculation that Israel could strike Tehran’s facilities. Iran threatened Wednesday to target US military bases in the region if conflict breaks out.A US official had earlier said that staff levels at the embassy in Iraq were being reduced over security concerns, while there were reports that personnel were also being moved from Kuwait and Bahrain.”Well they are being moved out because it could be a dangerous place,” Trump told reporters in Washington when asked about the reports of personnel being moved. “We’ve given notice to move out and we’ll see what happens.”Trump then added: “They can’t have a nuclear weapon, very simple. We’re not going to allow that.” Tehran and Washington have held five rounds of talks since April to thrash out a new nuclear deal to replace the 2015 accord that Trump abandoned during his first term in 2018.The two sides were due to meet again in coming days.Trump had until recently expressed optimism about the talks, but said in an interview published Wednesday that he was “less confident” about reaching a nuclear deal.Since returning to office in January, Trump has revived his “maximum pressure” campaign on Tehran, backing nuclear diplomacy but warning of military action if it fails.The US president says he has pressed Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to hold off striking Iran’s nuclear facilities to give the talks a chance, but has increasingly signaled that he is losing patience.Iran however warned it would respond to any attack.”All its bases are within our reach, we have access to them, and without hesitation we will target all of them in the host countries,” Iran’s Defence Minister Aziz Nasirzadeh said in response to US threats of military action if the talks fail.- ‘Suffer more losses’ -“God willing, things won’t reach that point, and the talks will succeed,” the minister said, adding that the US side “will suffer more losses” if it came to conflict.The United States has multiple bases in the Middle East, with the largest located in Qatar.In January 2020, Iran fired missiles at bases in Iraq housing American troops in retaliation for the US strike that killed top Iranian general Qassem Soleimani days before at the Baghdad airport.Dozens of US soldiers suffered traumatic brain injuries.Amid the escalating tensions, the UK Maritime Trade Operations, run by the British navy, also advised ships to transit the Gulf with caution.Iran and the United States have recently been locked in a diplomatic standoff over Iran’s uranium enrichment, with Tehran defending it as a “non-negotiable” right and Washington calling it a “red line.”Iran currently enriches uranium to 60 percent, far above the 3.67-percent limit set in the 2015 deal and close though still short of the 90 percent needed for a nuclear warhead.Western countries have long accused Iran of seeking to acquire atomic weapons, while Tehran insists its nuclear program is for peaceful purposes.Last week, Iran’s supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said enrichment is “key” to Iran’s nuclear program and that Washington “cannot have a say” on the issue.During an interview with the New York Post’s podcast “Pod Force One,” which was recorded on Monday, Trump said he was losing hope a deal could be reached.”I don’t know. I did think so, and I’m getting more and more — less confident about it. They seem to be delaying and I think that’s a shame. I am less confident now than I would have been a couple of months ago,” he said.Iran has said it will present a counter-proposal to the latest draft from Washington, which it had criticised for failing to offer relief from sanctions — a key demand for Tehran, which has been reeling under their weight for years.burs-dk/jgc

Brian Wilson, the Beach Boys co-founder who masterminded the group’s wild popularity and soundtracked the California dream, has died, his family announced Wednesday. He was 82.The statement on Instagram did not give a cause. Wilson was placed under a legal conservatorship last year due to a “major neurocognitive disorder.””We are at a loss for words right now,” said his family. “We realize that we are sharing our grief with the world.”The pop visionary crafted hits whose success rivaled The Beatles throughout the 1960s, a seemingly inexhaustible string of feel-good tracks including “Surfin’ USA,” “I Get Around,” “Fun, Fun, Fun” and “Surfer Girl” that made the Beach Boys into America’s biggest selling band.Wilson didn’t surf, but his prodigious pen and genius ear allowed him to fashion a boundary-pushing soundscape of beachside paradise.His lush productions were revered among his peers, with even Bob Dylan once telling Newsweek: “That ear — I mean, Jesus, he’s got to will that to the Smithsonian!”Dylan also paid tribute to Wilson on Wednesday, posting on X “about all the years I’ve been listening to him and admiring his genius. Rest in peace dear Brian.”After five years of extraordinary songwriting, in which he produced 200 odes to sun, surfing and suntanned girls, Wilson sank into a deep, drug-fueled depression for decades.He would emerge 35 years later to complete the Beach Boys’ unfinished album, “Smile” — widely regarded as his masterpiece.- ‘Surfin’ USA’ -John Lennon said he considered “Pet Sounds” (1966) to be one of the best albums of all time, while Paul McCartney said Wilson was a “genius” — who reduced him to tears with one song from the album, “God Only Knows,” which Wilson wrote in 45 minutes.Its melancholic depths hinted at Wilson’s own painful secret.Born on June 20, 1942 in a Los Angeles suburb, Wilson found music as a haven of safety and joy after an upbringing in which he suffered abuse from his domineering father, who would go on to manage the group.Music was his protection, and The Beach Boys was a family affair: he formed the band with his two brothers Dennis and Carl, his cousin Mike Love and neighbor Al Jardine.Wilson did all the songwriting, arranging and sang and played bass guitar; his bandmates just had to sing in harmony.Their first song “Surfin,” in 1961, was a loose prototype for the unique sound that would become their signature, a fusion of the rock styles of Chuck Berry and Little Richard with the preppy vocal harmonies of “The Four Freshmen.”By late 1962, there was hardly a teen who did not know them thanks to the eternal ode to youthful nonchalance, “Surfin’ USA.”- Lost youth -But Wilson was ill at ease on stage and did not like recording studios. In 1964 he had a panic attack on a plane to France, after which he stopped touring.He was deaf in his right ear and his mouth sagged when he sang — the result of the many beatings he received from his father.”It was tough. My dad was quite the slave driver,” Wilson told Rolling Stone magazine in 2018.”He made us mow the lawn and when we were done, he’d say, ‘Mow it again.'”The Beach Boys’ early songs spoke of simple joys and innocence.But Wilson’s writing became darker as he began to eulogize lost youth. He channeled the group towards the more psychedelic rock central to the hippie culture taking hold in California.In 1966 he brought out “Good Vibrations,” a song recorded in four different studios that consumed over 90 hours of tape and included multiple keys, textures, moods and instrumentations.The single topped the charts and sold one million copies in the United States, but Wilson was at the brink.In 1967, his mental health deteriorated, worn down by his enormous workload and his wild consumption of drugs.He abandoned “Smile,” planted his grand piano in a sandbox, and took vast quantities of LSD and acid.Eventually diagnosed as schizophrenic, Wilson began hearing voices and thought the famed “Wall of Sound” producer Phil Spector was spying on him and stealing his work.The group eventually parted ways.- ‘Gentlest revolutionary’ -The troubled artist had long stints of rehab and relapses as well as legal issues including a lengthy, eyebrow-raising relationship with a controlling psychotherapist who was eventually blocked by a court order from contact with Wilson.The artist credits his marriage to former model Melinda Ledbetter as helping him to rebuild his life. He revived and finished “Smile,” releasing it in 2004. His brother Dennis drowned in 1983, while Carl died of cancer in 1998.Last year Wilson’s family successfully pursued a legal conservatorship following the death of Melinda, with his longtime manager and publicist being put in charge of his affairs.Wilson’s seven children were consulted by the conservators regarding major health decisions as a stipulation of the agreement.The musician’s many accolades included a Kennedy Center Honor in 2007, when that committee dubbed him “rock and roll’s gentlest revolutionary.””There is real humanity in his body of work,” they said, “vulnerable and sincere, authentic and unmistakably American.”

US regulators announced plans Wednesday to reverse rules aimed at sharply reducing polluting emissions from coal and gas power plants, in the latest environmental rollback from President Donald Trump’s climate skeptic administration.”We choose to both protect the environment and grow the economy,” Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) chief Lee Zeldin told a press conference.Regulations set to be repealed include limitations on carbon dioxide emissions by power plants and a rule curbing release of hazardous air pollutants such as mercury.The measures were meant to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by the United States, the world’s top polluter, and to protect people living near power plants and exposed to elevated levels of air pollutants that can damage the nervous system and harm breathing.Trump officials argue the regulations, enacted by prior Democratic administrations, are costly and rein in energy output at a time when the development of artificial intelligence is driving booming demand for electricity.More than 200 health care professionals slammed the move as a “direct contradiction” of the EPA’s mission to protect public health, warning in a letter that “it would lead to the biggest pollution increases in decades.”- A powerful polluter -Zeldin argued Wednesday that under the new regulations “no power plant will be allowed to emit more than they do today.”The US power sector is already one of the world’s top polluters, according to a recent report by the Institute for Policy Integrity, a nonpartisan think tank at New York University.Were it considered a country, it would have ranked as the world’s sixth-biggest emitter in 2022 and contributed five percent of total worldwide emissions from 1990-2022, the institute said in a May  briefing on the topic.”The best available evidence shows that each year of greenhouse gas emissions from US coal-fired and gas-fired power plants will contribute to climate damages responsible for thousands of US deaths and hundreds of billions in economic harms,” the institute said in its report.Regulations facing the axe include requirements for coal-fired power plants to capture CO2 emissions instead of releasing them into the atmosphere, using expensive capture and storage techniques that are still not widely in use.-  A change in course -Since Trump — a proponent of fossil fuels and climate change skeptic — returned to power in late January, federal authorities have reversed course on climate policy.In March, the EPA said it would undo dozens of environmental measures enacted during President Joe Biden’s term in office, including those cutting vehicle emissions and drastically reducing the amount of carbon dioxide that coal-fired power plants can emit.The proposed federal rules announced Wednesday will be subject to a period of public comment before being finalized. If they become law, they would most likely be challenged in court.