many people

CNN’s chief national security correspondent Alex Marquardt, whose 2021 story on a military contractor led to a defamation suit loss in court, announced Monday he is leaving the network.

“Tough to say goodbye but it’s been an honor to work among the very best in the business,” Marquardt wrote on X. “Profound thank you to my comrades on the National Security team & the phenomenal teammates I’ve worked with in the US and abroad.”

Earlier this year, a Florida jury awarded $5 million to former CIA operative Zachary Young after a jury found he was defamed in a November 2021 report by Marquardt on how Afghans were being charged thousands of dollars to be evacuated after the U.S. military withdrawal from their country.

After deliberations began on punitive damages, CNN attorneys reached an undisclosed settlement with Young.

A CNN representative declined to comment on Marquardt’s departure, calling it a personnel matter. One network insider who was not authorized to comment publicly said there was a feeling among many people at CNN that Marquardt had to go after the loss in court.

Marquardt has served as CNN’s chief national security correspondent since 2017. He was previously a foreign correspondent for ABC News.

Young lives in Vienna and has his business based in Florida. He was seeking $14,500 for getting people out of Afghanistan after the chaotic U.S. military withdrawal. He claimed his services were limited to corporate sponsors.

The business was described in Marqurdt’s report alongside interviews with Afghans who spoke about desperate efforts by people to escape, but they had no connection to Young.

Young’s suit said his inclusion in the story, which used the term “black market” in an on-screen banner, implied that his activity was criminal, even though Marquardt’s segment made no such charge. “Black market” was also used in the introduction of the report when it first ran on “The Lead With Jake Tapper,” other CNN programs and the network’s website and social media accounts.

CNN lawyers argued that the term “black market” was used to describe an unregulated activity, even though the dictionary definition describes it as illegal.

Young claimed the story destroyed his reputation and ability to earn a living — driving his annual income from $350,000 to zero — and caused severe emotional and psychological distress.

Searching for patio furniture that is attractive, affordable and long-lasting is like seeking the holy grail: We want to believe it exists, but we’re not entirely sure.

“Outdoor furniture is tough,” said Tatiana Tensen, co-founder of the Eastside Staging Company that has been staging homes in L.A. for a decade. “While we look at the majority of our inventory as an asset, we understand that most patio furniture has a shelf-life of one, maybe two years. After that, most of it ends up being gifted to our local Buy Nothing group.”

Still, Tensen, who shops for furniture as part of her job, was able to offer a few tips on what to look for when investing in outdoor pieces.

“Certain brands like Salterini, Brown Jordan and Eames made outdoor furniture that lasted decades,” she said. “Materials also matter in terms of longevity. Powder-coated metals and well-patina’d teak will stay fresh and current for years.” She added that investing in good outdoor fabrics is also key. “There is a reason why Sunbrella is so popular,” she said.

Many people purchase patio furniture online from chain stores like Crate & Barrel, Restoration Hardware, Ikea, Costco and Home Depot or online retailers like Article and Wayfair. Others have had luck with Facebook Marketplace, where they say getting a deal is like finding a needle in a haystack but can yield a huge payoff if you’re willing to put in the time and energy. The list below is for people like me who prefer to shop at brick-and-mortar stores, aren’t afraid of vintage items and like supporting local businesses.

With help from designers, prop stylists, set decorators and the always informative Atwater Village Mom’s Facebook Group, I’ve assembled this road map to help you find whatever the patio furniture holy grail means for you. Maybe it’s a gorgeous teak peace that’s pricey but will last forever, or a mosaic tile table made by hand. Perhaps you can tolerate a little rust on a midcentury piece if the price is right, or you’re willing to shell out for a perfectly revamped chaise with new powder coating and fresh vinyl straps in the color of your choice.

Whatever it is you hope to find, I’m wishing you best of luck on your quest — and plenty of outdoor lounging.

It was Jasmine Benjamin’s friend, the gallerist Jeffrey Deitch, who persuaded her she needed to make a book about L.A. style. From her early days going to shows and working the door at parties to her many years hustling as a stylist, Benjamin knew everyone — designers, skaters, musicians. She was fluent in the visual language that made up the city, knew its subcultures and neighborhoods like the back of her hand. In the intro to her new book, “City of Angels: A Book About L.A. Style,” Benjamin writes: “What happens in Los Angeles does not stay in Los Angeles,” referencing the immeasurable and often uncredited influence L.A. has had on fashion and culture around the world. Benjamin cites Alessandro Michele’s Gucci and Hedi Slimane’s Celine as just two of the many fashion houses who have drawn from L.A. culture in the last few years alone. Alongside a map of L.A. designed by artist Sickid that includes La Cita and the Troubadour, “City of Angels” features a foreword by British Vogue editor Chioma Nnadi: “I have Jasmine Benjamin to thank for opening my eyes to the city. … Standing in the middle of the crowd at a small music festival on the Eastside, and I couldn’t help but stop and stare: the kids here dressed with so much verve, pulling from a smorgasbord of sartorial references — skate, surf, goth, you name it. I was totally spellbound.”

Pia Davis and Autumn Randolph of No Sesso.

Sonya Sombreuil of Come Tees.

It was important to Benjamin that “City of Angels” be captured through her lens, marking her debut as a first-time photographer. She shot 124 photographs of L.A. icons in front of meaningful locations — from Tropical Juice in Highland Park to the Jewelry District — inspired by the format of old Japanese street-style shots in Fruits magazine. Flipping through “City of Angels” feels like going through the ultimate L.A. yearbook, where everybody wins “best dressed.” Part of the excitement is spotting how many people you know, charting L.A.’s creative communities as an interconnected web. There is a feeling that arises seeing this patchwork of faces in print: These are the artists, designers, musicians of our time — from Barrington Darius to Sonya Sombreuil, from YG to Isabelle Albuquerque, Pia Davis and Autumn Randolph to Lee Spielman, Lauren Halsey to Guadalupe Rosales. The list goes on.

With “City of Angels” the world is invited to understand that L.A. style has never just been about the clothes. It’s about the way people move here, the way they contribute to the city and each other.

Julissa James: I saw Jay 305 after the Vogue piece on your book came out. He was holding court at Canyon Coffee and was like, “Did you see my picture in Vogue?” He was so excited.

Jasmine Benjamin: I love that you just said that. There are so many reasons why I wanted to do this book, but that’s one of the reasons: For someone to uplift these people and this point of view. Everyone in L.A. knows Jay 305. He’s the flyest. He has so much charisma. He’s super around the way. I didn’t tell Vogue to pick him, but of course they picked him.

JJ: How did this book come about? I know that you are a collector of books and coffee-table books in general. I’m wondering, were you looking at your collection thinking, “Something like this is missing.”

JB: I am a lover of books and media because I came up before social media, so magazines were the most important thing. That’s how you figure out who’s at the parties — you look at a magazine. So archiving is important, but I do have to always make sure that I highlight Jeffrey Deitch, because he’s my friend, and he is the one who put this in my ear. He was just like, “You should do a book. You’re really smart, you have great taste and you have the most diverse group of communities that you know in L.A. that really represent L.A. You should do a book about L.A. style.”

JJ: I know that so many people featured in the book came from a natural connection. Can you tell me a little bit about your history and background in L.A., and how you got to know so many of these people in creative circles?

JB: I moved to L.A. in 2002 to go to FIDM. I had a roommate and my roommate’s cousin was friends with this girl. Literally, the first place they ever took me to was Leimert Park with [filmmaker and artist] Kahlil Joseph and his girlfriend. It was to a party called “Juju.” That’s back in 2002 or 2003. I was so lucky to have the first point be a local thing, and not just get caught up in the craziness of the Hollywood industry. Then I was interning in Interscope Records and going to shows. Then I was working the door at these speakeasies that were really important back then, called Temple Bar and Zanzibar. Everybody was there — Flying Lotus, Miguel, Thundercat, J*Davey, all those people. But they were babies! I was a baby.

JJ: How did you go about casting?

JB: I did start with putting an Excel sheet together of every single person that I thought should be in it, whether I knew them or not. Getting my Virgo moon and rising in gear. From that, I’d be like, “OK, who’s missing? What cultures am I not getting? Who do I know in those places, and what are the cultures that I want represented that I think are Los Angeles?” The first time I did it, I probably had 80 people I wrote down. The book is 124 [people].

JJ: What strikes me also — I know it’s a book about L.A. style, and the subject is front and center — but it also almost feels like an archive of the city.

JB: This is my first book, so I had an intention of what I wanted it to be from the beginning, but at the end, when I was putting it all together, I was like, “You know what? The book really is about the style, the people and the places.” A lot of these places that I shoot at with people, they mean something to me too. I also felt like I had to do this because I don’t know how long the regional style is going to stay with us because of the internet. Also people were dying, like Spanto. He’s been a friend of mine for many years. The urgency was just [building] more and more because of all the things that were happening in Los Angeles. I had to capture L.A. the way that I see L.A., the way I experience it, and how I love it, forever.

Lauren London.

Spoety.

Nathaniel Santos.

Duckwrth.

JJ: You talked about regional L.A. style. If you had to put some words to what that is, what would they be?

JB: I would always say classics and workwear — because that style, those two things, exist literally in every type of different subculture. They’re wearing it in their own way. When I say classics I mean white tees, dress shoes, denim. Dickies forever, canvas shoes. Those things are part of Los Angeles [style] no matter your age, economic background, race or gender.

JJ: You put together this book over the course of years. Are there any specific stories or interactions you had while making the book that stand out in your memory?

2Tone, left, and Spanto of Born X Raised.

JB: When I look at the photos, I can remember almost everything that happened that day. Definitely taking Spanto and Alex [2Tone]’s photo at the park, because it was just a normal day with Spanto. Nobody loves L.A. more than Spanto. I remember when I took the photo, I was still really early on taking photos, and I didn’t have my memory card in the camera. I only got one photo. They were like, ‘Well, we’re gonna be down the street at Alex’s, so you can just go home and get your memory card’ — because I lived close by — and I went and took more photos. But guess what ended up being the photo? The first photo. Another really great one was talking to YG — he is so enthusiastic and very intelligent and well-studied when it comes to Los Angeles style. I also loved talking to the [Polio] twins. I’ve known them for so many years, from shopping at Opening Ceremony or parties. When I came to their neighborhood, they were like, “We can’t believe you came to our neighborhood.” And I was like, “This is the whole point of the book!” They were just so kind to me. Barrington Darius on the block his entire family grew up on in Watts for almost 70 years. Even Jesse Jo Stark. Jesse’s a part of the conversation — L.A. girl, fashion royalty. Now we’re just friends forever.

JJ: Why do we need a book like this in the world?

JB: It’s way overdue. L.A. needs its own visual survey of what people look like that live here, not just work here.

Jesse Jo Stark.

Laura Harrier.

Daniela Barraza a.k.a. Dani.

Drewbyrd.

Boo Johnson.

Sandy Kim.

Annahstasia Enuke.

Andrew Dryden and Joseph Quinones of Departamento.

Shannon Johnson.

Bailey Quinones.

Johnny Valencia.

Lex Cabral-Orozco.

Some advice: If you love something, set it free — even the Miu Miu heels.

This was the notion that two friends, Quinn Shephard and Francesca Goncalves, were discussing in a sun-kissed setting (a “pool somewhere,” Shephard recalls). They wanted to barter their old clothing, but that was a sticky prospect in Los Angeles — the scene is riddled with suspicious stares from thrift store employees and digital cold wars with teenagers on Depop. There’s pomp and circumstance at every turn.

Kristen Vaganos and Kate Mansi help a shopper try on some shoes.

(Yasara Gunawardena / For The Times)

“So many people are like: I go to Wasteland or Crossroads and I get $3,” Shephard explains. “They’re not nice to me.”

Shephard and Goncalves wanted to start a closet sale that felt more like a fun hangout with friends. So one day last summer, Shephard and Goncalves hit the streets of Silver Lake, asking small businesses if they’d host an event that they were calling Outfit Repeater L.A. Shephard jokes that Goncalves is the “mayor of Silver Lake” — the kind of Gatsby-like woman who makes Los Angeles feel like a small town, chatting with strangers with an endearing openness. Finally, they arrived at Constellation Coffee, a contemporary, sleek coffee shop. To their surprise, the manager agreed to host Outfit Repeater L.A. that upcoming Sunday.

“She’s used to indie filmmaking, where you have to go up and ask people for things, and there’s power in that,” Goncalves says of Shephard, the director of TV shows including the Hulu drama “Under the Bridge.” Goncalves works in Stanford Medicine’s genetics department.

With their event fast approaching, Shephard and Goncalves created a blitzkrieg of advertisements across social media and posted fliers on lampposts throughout the neighborhood to drum up excitement. “We literally put up fliers until 2 am. It’s so funny because Quinn doesn’t do anything unless it’s 100%, and I’m like that too,” says Goncalves.

Clockwise from left: A shopper looks at a skirt. Seller Samantha Rose and Liv Hoffner. Outfit Repeater L.A. co-founder Francesca Goncalves talks with seller Mitch deQuilettes. (Yasara Gunawardena / For The Times)

The first Outfit Repeater L.A. event was a success, drawing a crowd of fashion enthusiasts and women who wanted to sell their beloved wardrobes directly to buyers, bypassing the intermediary of a thrift store. Women attendees eagerly inquired about selling their own clothes at the next event, offering up locations and contacts. “New coffee shops wanted to host us, and new girls wanted to sell,” Goncalves says. “It snowballed into this thing where it’s just getting bigger and bigger, completely by accident.”

Since then, Outfit Repeater L.A. has garnered a reputation as the Eastside’s hippest trading post for “it” girls, creatives and fashion trendsetters. Sellers have included independent film darlings like Geraldine Viswanathan and Francesca Reale, as well as fashion influencers with enviable style, such as Macy Eleni.

Despite its newfound fame, at its core, the closet sale is inclusive and accessible to people of all income levels. “I wanted to keep it very accessible. I charge a seller fee that’s so low, just to cover expenses. It’s not just vintage resellers or influencers that can afford to sell,” says Goncalves.

Outfit Repeater L.A. co-founder Francesca Goncalves.

(Yasara Gunawardena / For The Times)

Goncalves attributes the success of the event to a hunger for social events that offer an alternative to the monotony of bar hangs. “People are tired of the bar scene,” she says.

Shephard explains that the appeal is simple: “It’s like going to a party with your friends for the day, plus you make money.”

At a recent Outfit Repeater L.A. event at Lamill Coffee in Silver Lake, actor Kate Mansi was selling her wardrobe after discovering the event through a friend’s recommendation. “I’m always selling stuff on Instagram,” Mansi says. “It’s nice to do it face to face. Clothes have a story. It’s nice to hear the story of the piece you’re inheriting.”

Kate Mansi in front of her closet rack.

(Yasara Gunawardena / For The Times)

Mansi adds, “I have a very Virgo system with my closet where I turn the hanger backwards if it’s something I haven’t worn, and if in a year, I still haven’t worn it, it must go.” On this Sunday, one of those items was a well-loved blue polka-dot romper with puff sleeves, which Mansi found at a vintage store years earlier, and she sold it for $20. Another was an All Saints trenchcoat, priced at $40, and a gray A.L.C. blouse, for $30. A classic denim Levi’s jacket found a new home for $30.

Mansi parted ways with a black dress by Jonathan Simkhai, one of her favorite designers. To the woman who bought it, Mansi wisely prescribed that she wear the dress casually with flats or boots.

At a time when fashion retail has shifted online due to the pandemic, an in-person thrifting event has been warmly received by the community. “I’m focused on each sale being a unique thing that people walk away from, having gotten a cool piece and making a few new friends and maybe a lover or boyfriend,” says Goncalves.

Alena Nemitz, who has been creating social media content for Outfit Repeater L.A., met her partner of five months at one of the events. “I was selling, and they were walking through and introduced themselves to me,” she says. “Now we’re dating, which is so cute.”

Eleni, who wrote a book on thrifting called “Second Chances,” was one of Outfit Repeater’s earliest sellers and champions. Growing up with a single mother in Dayton, Ohio, Eleni explains that she was bullied for thrifting during her childhood and is overjoyed to see a new generation embrace it. She believes some of the newfound eagerness for thrifting comes from an increased awareness of the devastating impact of fast fashion. “When I was a teenager, I wasn’t seeing videos on my phone of the inside of a Shein factory,” she says. “The curtains have been lifted, and there’s no way to claim ignorance as to where things are coming from anymore.”

Outfit Repeater L.A. has built a community of shoppers excited about clothing, Eleni explains. “Everyone is gassing each other up about how fabulous they look,” she says. “I love seeing people’s faces light up over other people’s things that they’re ready to be done with. It’s less [about] people trying to flip a profit and more people just trying to swap their clothes, share their clothes with each other.”

Goncalves describes the endearing experience of spotting items she sold from her closet on other women around Silver Lake. The world suddenly feels smaller and warmer. “I think clothes are so personal, but they are fleeting in a way,” she says. You love something and you want to pass it on, but it’s still your life and your ecosystem, even if it’s not right for you anymore.”

A furry friend passes through the event.

(Yasara Gunawardena / For The Times)