- Social:
Staff Writer, San Francisco Chronicle
Staff writer at the San Francisco Chronicle, covering Oakland
PROFILE
Henry Lee
Guest
FROM Henry Lee
Press Play with Madeleine Brand
Undercover Agent U.C.E. 4599 This week, State Senator Leland Yee was one of two dozen people arrested by the FBI in a Bay Area sting. Most of the headlines have focused on Yee and his relationship with a one-time gangster known as Raymond “Shrimp Boy” Chow. But there’s another figure who played a big role in this story: “U.C.E. 4599.” Those initials are short for “Undercover Employee.” That’s all we know about the identity of the undercover FBI agent who cracked the case. But the details of his investigation are as surreal as everything else about this sting.
Which Way, L.A.?
BART Officer Charged with Murder in Shooting On New Year's Eve in Oakland, a 22 year-old supermarket worker was pulled off a Bay Area Rapid Transit district train by police investigating a fight. Though unarmed, he was thrown face down onto the platform and shot in the back by a BART security guard, an event recorded and spread on the Internet by other passengers with cell-phone video cameras. Today the guard, Johannes Mehserle, was arrested and charged with murder. Henry Lee reports from Oakland for the San Francisco Chronicle .
Recommended
Press Play with Madeleine Brand
Why did Jared Kushner want a back channel with Russians? News broke Friday that President Trump’s son-in-law and senior advisor, Jared Kushner, tried setting up a back channel between the Trump transition team and the Russian government. What are the consequences for Kushner, President Trump, and the investigation into Russian meddling?
Press Play with Madeleine Brand
Why is Trump so behind on filling staff jobs, establishing concrete policies? Yesterday Donald Trump signed a “decision memo” to revamp the air traffic control system. But there was little legislative detail in the plan. There’s not much to other splashy announcements from the White House, including tax cuts and the arms deal with Saudi Arabia. And hundreds of positions are unfilled in federal agencies.
Good Food
Shaking up the USDA, 'The Beef Cookbook' and 'Tartine All Day' Peggy Lowe explains why Trump’s pick for USDA Secretary is rattling rural America. Dario Cecchini talks future plans for Chianti ramen, and Richard Turner shares cuts from “PRIME: The Beef Cookbook.” Writer Matthew Sedacca looks at the controversy behind liquid smoke. Jonathan Gold tries Chengdu-style dishes, and Elisabeth Prueitt of Tartine fills us in on the latest. Plus, chef Michael Beckman shares a recipe for cactus confit.
Press Play with Madeleine Brand
Trump says goodbye Paris Accord: What does it mean for U.S. and the planet? President Donald Trump announced Thursday that the U.S. will withdraw from the Paris Climate Accord, the landmark international agreement to limit greenhouse gas emissions. Trump was to renegotiate a new deal, but will that happen?