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  • Trump plans to deploy National Guard in Illinois, governor says

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    The Trump administration plans to federalize 300 members of the Illinois National Guard, Democratic Gov. JB Pritzker said Saturday.Related video above: “Full force, if necessary:” Why President Trump is sending troops to Portland, OregonPritzker said the guard received word from the Pentagon in the morning that the troops would be called up. He did not specify when or where they would be deployed, but President Donald Trump has long threatened to send troops to Chicago.“This morning, the Trump Administration’s Department of War gave me an ultimatum: call up your troops, or we will,” Pritzker said in a statement. “It is absolutely outrageous and un-American to demand a Governor send military troops within our own borders and against our will.”The governor’s office did not immediately respond to a request for additional details. The White House and the Pentagon did not respond to questions about Pritzker’s statement.The escalation of federal law enforcement in Illinois follows similar deployments in other parts of the country. Trump deployed the National Guard to Los Angeles over the summer and as part of his law enforcement takeover in Washington, D.C. Meanwhile Tennessee National Guard troops are expected to help Memphis police.California Gov. Gavin Newsom sued to stop the deployment in Los Angeles and won a temporary block in federal court. The Trump administration has appealed that ruling that the use of the guard was illegal, and a three-judge panel of the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals has indicated that it believes the government is likely to prevail.Pritzker called Trump’s move in Illinois a “manufactured performance” that would pull the state’s National Guard troops away from their families and regular jobs.“For Donald Trump, this has never been about safety. This is about control,” said the governor, who also noted that state, county and local law enforcement have been coordinating to ensure the safety of the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Broadview facility on the outskirts of Chicago.Federal officials reported the arrests of 13 people protesting Friday near the facility, which has been frequently targeted during the administration’s surge of immigration enforcement this fall.Trump also said last month that he was sending federal troops to Portland, Oregon, calling the city war-ravaged. But local officials have suggested that many of his claims and social media posts appear to rely on images from 2020, when demonstrations and unrest gripped the city following the killing of George Floyd by Minneapolis police.City and state officials sued to stop the deployment the next day. U.S. District Judge Karin J. Immergut heard arguments Friday, and a ruling is expected over the weekend.Trump has federalized 200 National Guard troops in Oregon, but so far it does not appear that they have moved into Portland. They have been seen training on the coast in anticipation of a deployment. Associated Press reporter Rebecca Boone contributed.

    The Trump administration plans to federalize 300 members of the Illinois National Guard, Democratic Gov. JB Pritzker said Saturday.

    Related video above: “Full force, if necessary:” Why President Trump is sending troops to Portland, Oregon

    Pritzker said the guard received word from the Pentagon in the morning that the troops would be called up. He did not specify when or where they would be deployed, but President Donald Trump has long threatened to send troops to Chicago.

    “This morning, the Trump Administration’s Department of War gave me an ultimatum: call up your troops, or we will,” Pritzker said in a statement. “It is absolutely outrageous and un-American to demand a Governor send military troops within our own borders and against our will.”

    The governor’s office did not immediately respond to a request for additional details. The White House and the Pentagon did not respond to questions about Pritzker’s statement.

    The escalation of federal law enforcement in Illinois follows similar deployments in other parts of the country. Trump deployed the National Guard to Los Angeles over the summer and as part of his law enforcement takeover in Washington, D.C. Meanwhile Tennessee National Guard troops are expected to help Memphis police.

    California Gov. Gavin Newsom sued to stop the deployment in Los Angeles and won a temporary block in federal court. The Trump administration has appealed that ruling that the use of the guard was illegal, and a three-judge panel of the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals has indicated that it believes the government is likely to prevail.

    Pritzker called Trump’s move in Illinois a “manufactured performance” that would pull the state’s National Guard troops away from their families and regular jobs.

    “For Donald Trump, this has never been about safety. This is about control,” said the governor, who also noted that state, county and local law enforcement have been coordinating to ensure the safety of the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Broadview facility on the outskirts of Chicago.

    Federal officials reported the arrests of 13 people protesting Friday near the facility, which has been frequently targeted during the administration’s surge of immigration enforcement this fall.

    Trump also said last month that he was sending federal troops to Portland, Oregon, calling the city war-ravaged. But local officials have suggested that many of his claims and social media posts appear to rely on images from 2020, when demonstrations and unrest gripped the city following the killing of George Floyd by Minneapolis police.

    City and state officials sued to stop the deployment the next day. U.S. District Judge Karin J. Immergut heard arguments Friday, and a ruling is expected over the weekend.

    Trump has federalized 200 National Guard troops in Oregon, but so far it does not appear that they have moved into Portland. They have been seen training on the coast in anticipation of a deployment.

    Associated Press reporter Rebecca Boone contributed.

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  • Hamas agrees to return hostages but resists other parts of Trump’s peace plan

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    JERUSALEM  — Hamas accepted most of President Trump’s terms for ending the war in Gaza on Friday, delivering a “Yes, but …” response that agreed to handing over all hostages and relinquishing control of the enclave, but stopped short of the full surrender outlined in the agreement.

    The response came the day Trump said that the Palestinian militant group had until Sunday to accept what was essentially a take-it-or-leave-it ultimatum.

    “If this LAST CHANCE agreement is not reached, then all HELL, like no one has ever seen before, will break out against Hamas,” wrote Trump on his messaging platform, Truth Social.

    After days of what it said was “thorough study” — and intense pressure from its Arab interlocutors in Qatar, Egypt and others — Hamas issued a statement late Friday saying it would release all Israeli hostages, dead or alive, according to “the exchange formula outlined in President Trump’s proposal, provided that field conditions for carrying out the exchange are secured.”

    Trump’s deal, which comprises 20 points and amounts to more of a framework than a comprehensive agreement, represents his administration’s most concerted push to not only end the Hamas-Israel war, but achieve a more comprehensive peace in the region.

    Upon acceptance from both sides, the agreement says, hostilities must immediately end and aid be allowed into Gaza, where Israel’s months-long blockade has triggered famine. Hamas fighters who lay down their arms would be granted amnesty and Gazans would not be forced to leave the enclave.

    The agreement was negotiated with Israel along with a raft of Arab and Muslim nations. Media reports after the deal’s terms were published said Israel had inserted eleventh-hour modifications more in line with the wishes of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who has refused during two years of war any ceasefire deal that would see Hamas remain in power.

    His move infuriated Arab nations. Still, they nevertheless issued statements cautiously lauding Trump’s initiative, which he unveiled Monday after meeting with Netanyahu at the White House.

    A few hours after Hamas’ affirmative response, Trump wrote on Trump Social that he believed the group was “ready for a lasting PEACE,” adding “Israel must immediately stop the bombing of Gaza, so that we can get the Hostages out safely and quickly!”

    “Right now, it’s far too dangerous to do that. We are already in discussions on details to be worked out,” he said. “This is not about Gaza alone, this is about long sought PEACE in the Middle East.”

    The deal stipulates Israel will release 1,700 Gaza residents detained by Israel after Oct. 7, 2023, along with some 250 Palestinian prisoners serving life sentences. It gives Hamas 72 hours to release the remaining 48 hostages, 20 of whom are still alive.

    Hamas also agreed to another Trump condition, all but relinquishing its 18-year-rule over the Gaza Strip and handing it over to what Trump said was a body of “technocratic” Palestinians overseen by a “Board of Peace” to be headed by Trump and former British Prime Minister Tony Blair.

    But Hamas’ acceptance Friday fell short of what could be an essential point for Israel: The notion of surrendering its weapons.

    Through Trump’s agreement stipulates the group should disarm and not be involved in any future governance, Hamas has long insisted it would hand over its weapons only as part of a deal that would lead to an independent Palestinian state — a position it reiterated again in its Friday statement, saying that any other issues would be discussed through a comprehensive national Palestinian framework that would include Hamas.

    “Regarding the future of the Palestinian issue, this is not a matter of Hamas alone. Hamas is a part of the Palestinian people, but it’s not alone,” said Moussa Abu Marzouk, a top-ranking Hamas official, speaking to Qatari broadcaster Al Jazeera after the release of Hamas’ statement.

    Abu Marzouk also emphasized the logistical difficulties the group faces in gathering all the remaining hostages within the 72-hour time frame, describing the condition to be “unreasonable.” He added that there would need to be further negotiations to specify withdrawal lines.

    The response, said Bader Al-Saif, a professor of history at Kuwait University, was “in the same style of the offer it received — vague and incomplete.”

    “We have a quasi response to a quasi offer — one in need of more details, guarantees and enforcement ability on both Hamas and Israel,” he said, adding that Hamas was throwing the ball back into Israel’s court, knowing the divisions within the Israeli government over any plan that falls short of annihilating the group and excising it from any future negotiations.

    Netanyahu’s government is composed of a fractious coalition that relies on hard-right figures to have sufficient numbers for its survival. Those figures want Netanyahu to continue the war until Hamas is destroyed and the territory of Gaza given over to settlements.

    Other Israelis point to Israel’s growing isolation with every day of the war’s passing, with the U.N., rights and aid groups and governments, including Western allies of the U.S. and Israel, accusing Israel of committing genocide in the enclave. Israel denies the charge.

    With Hamas’ “conditional acceptance,” said Mouin Rabbani, a nonresident fellow at the Qatar-based Center for Conflict and Humanitarian Studies, negotiations could be on a potential crash course.

    “It’s crunch time,” Rabbani said. “Hamas says, ‘We accept the proposal if the following issues are clarified to our satisfaction.’

    “We’ll now find out if the U.S. accepts entering discussions for these clarifications, or that Israel will persuade the Americans that Hamas has rejected it and the genocide should continue in full force.”

    Hamas’ action comes just days before the second anniversary of the Oct. 7, 2023, attack that launched the conflict. On that day, Hamas militants stormed into southern Israel, killing around 1,200 people and kidnapping 251 others. Israel’s response has been punishing, leaving vast portions of Gaza in ruins; more than 66,000 Palestinians have been killed, according to Gaza health officials.

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    Nabih Bulos

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  • Work begins on transformative condo and hotel development in Beverly Hills

    Work begins on transformative condo and hotel development in Beverly Hills

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    Construction has begun on One Beverly Hills, a nearly $5-billion condominium and hotel complex that promises to transform the Beverly Hills skyline and be a commanding presence on its western edge.

    With tall greenery-laden towers standing over a sprawling garden, the complex set to open by early 2028 is expected to house some of the priciest condos and hotel suites in the country, as developers seek to capitalize on the city’s international reputation for luxury and celebrity.

    Owners of the property at Wilshire and Santa Monica boulevards ceremonially broke ground Thursday on what they call a 17.5-acre “urban resort” that will unify the neighboring Beverly Hilton and Waldorf Astoria hotels with condo high-rises, 8.5-acres of botanical gardens and the first ultra-deluxe Aman hotel on the West Coast.

    Rendering of an entrance to One Beverly Hills on Santa Monica Boulevard near the retail portion of the complex.

    (Foster + Partners)

    The scope of the complex, which will have by far the two tallest towers in Beverly Hills, marks a departure from years past when the city made a point of keeping its commercial buildings small scale compared to next-door neighbors Los Angeles and West Hollywood.

    “Candidly, I think it marks a new generation of Beverly hills,” Mayor Julian Gold said. “Cities need to grow just like people grow. They can’t be stagnant, they cannot stay only the way they were.”

    One Beverly Hills will be “new and fresh in a big way,” he said. “The investment is enormous. It will redefine luxury in Beverly Hills.”

    The Beverly Hills City Council approved the project in 2021 over the objection of Councilmember and former Mayor John Mirisch, who called the proposed development “elitist, exclusive and exclusionary.”

    “Without affordable housing, the project has turned into a castle-fortress of exclusion,” Mirisch told the other four council members.

    Current Mayor Gold said tax revenue from One Beverly Hills will be used to fund affordable housing in other parts of the city. He estimated that the complex will generate tens of millions of dollars in annual taxes for the city.

    The two towers — 26 and 32 stories — will have a combined total of fewer than 200 condos. The number is variable because people may buy more than one unit and combine them, developer Jonathan Goldstein of Cain International said.

    Prices have not yet been set, but Beverly Hills is one of the most expensive housing markets in the country and units can be expected to cost tens of millions of dollars. Recent top-tier luxury condo listings in the Los Angeles area range from $20 million to $50 million.

    The tower residences will be branded and serviced by Aman, a Swiss company owned by Russian-born real estate developer Vlad Doronin, that was described by Forbes as “the world’s most preeminent resort brand” and attracts such affluent guests as Bill Gates, Mark Zuckerberg, and George and Amal Clooney.

    Aman is best known for its small resorts in tropical locales or historically significant properties such as a 16th century palazzo in Venice, but also has urban outposts in Tokyo and New York, where suites start at about $1,800 a night.

    The Aman in Beverly Hills will have 75 suites in a 10-story building. It will also have a club that members can join for a price. Its New York club made news in 2022 by charging an initiation fee of as much as $200,000 while receiving mixed reviews in local publications. Residents in the Bevery Hills condos may receive Aman services such as housekeeping and room service.

    The most public aspect of One Beverly Hills will be the gardens designed by Los Angeles architecture firm RIOS, which also designed the 12-acre Gloria Molina Grand Park in downtown Los Angeles and created a new master plan for Descanso Gardens in La Cañada Flintridge.

    RIOS’ plan for One Beverly Hills calls for distinct sets of botanical gardens intended to reflect the diverse landscape of Southern California with mostly drought-resistant native plants living on recycled water. The gardens will have more than 200 species of plants and trees including palms, oaks, sycamores, succulents and olives.

    The Beverly Hilton hotel will receive renovations as part of the project.

    The Beverly Hilton hotel will receive renovations as part of the project.

    (Foster + Partners)

    “I am really interested in pursuing what a botanical environment is for the 21st century,” firm founder Mark Rios said when the project was first announced. It will consume tons of carbon dioxide while “teaching people that drought-quality planting doesn’t mean cactus.”

    About half of the gardens will be for the exclusive use of residents, Aman club members and hotel guests. The rest of the gardens will be open to the public.

    One Beverly Hills is “one of the biggest projects in North America,” with a total cost of between $4 billion and $5 billion, said Goldstein, chief executive of Cain International. The London-based investment firm is overseeing the development with OKO Group, an international real estate development firm created by Doronin, who called Beverly Hills “the natural next step for Aman as we continue our strategic growth into the world’s finest urban centers.”

    The development will produce more than 2,700 direct construction jobs, Cain International said. It estimated that One Beverly Hills will generate about $40 billion in total local spending across 30 years, $9 billion of which will be new.

    One Beverly Hills was master planned by Foster + Partners, with Aman designs by KHA (Kerry Hill Architects) of Australia and Singapore. London-based Foster + Partners is led by Norman Foster, an English lord perhaps best known for designing a landmark lipstick-like skyscraper in London known as the Gherkin and the hoop-shaped Apple Inc. headquarters in Cupertino, Calif.

    Significant upgrades and restorations to the historic Beverly Hilton will also take place as part of the project, Cain International said. The Beverly Hilton was hotelier Conrad Hilton’s most luxurious property when it opened in 1955 and has been the home to the annual Golden Globe Awards since 1961.

    One Beverly Hills will include shops and restaurants intended to complement the city’s upscale retail areas, Goldstein said.

    Most of the early interest in buying condos is from local residents looking to leave their large homes, he said, along with international buyers familiar with Aman hotels.

    Although the neighborhood is dominated by single-family homes, Beverly Hills real estate agent Bret Parsons of Compass said interest in condos has grown in recent years.

    “We have an aging population in Southern California who need to downsize and we don’t have enough one-level homes for this affluent population to move to,” Parsons said. “Condos are very appealing for an older person because they can be very, very luxurious, on one level, and you get all the services you can imagine.”

    The One Beverly Hills property includes vacant land formerly occupied by a famed Robinsons-May department store that sits west of the hotels. The site was considered one of the most desirable real estate development sites in the country but has lain fallow for years as previous plans to develop it failed to materialize. Cain International was able to secure control of the vacant land and existing hotel property and unite them in the new project designed by Foster.

    A guest suite at the Aman with a private pool.

    A guest suite at the Aman with a private pool.

    (Kerry Hill Architects)

    Merv Griffin Way, which cuts between the two parcels, will be covered by a new level that supports the gardens but remain a pass-through between Santa Monica and Wilshire boulevards. The garden will also cover an underground garage for 1,800 vehicles.

    “This is our western gateway,” the mayor said. “As you enter Beverly hills, it will be amazing.”

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    Roger Vincent

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