JEFFREY ROSS

Tall trees are venerated across California, but one towering Monterey Pine at the center of a heated dispute in San Francisco’s wealthiest neighborhood has to go, according to an appeals court ruling this week. A state appeals court on Wednesday ordered a couple in the hilltop Pacific Heights neighborhood to remove the tree, which is at least 32 feet (10 meters) tall. A neighbor argued the tree was blocking her view of the San Francisco Bay and other city landmarks, the San Francisco Chronicle reported.

President Joe Biden is facing a fresh challenge to his oft-repeated commitment to diversity in his administration: assembling a diplomatic corps that gives a nod to key political allies and donors while staying true to a campaign pledge to appoint ambassadors who look like America.