Politics

Good morning. It’s Wednesday, March 22, and here’s what’s happening across California: TOP STORIES Trump effect? Reports of sexual assault and domestic violence made by Latino residents in the city of Los Angeles have plummeted this year amid concerns that immigrants in the country illegally could risk deportation by interacting with police or testifying in … Read more

Stacey Abrams, then the Democratic candidate for governor of Georgia, speaks to supporters at an election night watch party in Atlanta on Nov. 8, 2022. (Miguel Martinez / Associated Press) Georgia’s Republican-dominated state Senate is going forward with an investigation of Stacey Abrams, a move that comes as President Trump has made a target of … Read more

President Trump, left, appears with White House advisor Elon Musk. The speaker of California’s Assembly said the vast majority of Democrats in the chamber will stop sharing information and interacting with constituents through their official government accounts on X, Musk’s social media platform. (Brandon Bell / Associated Press) At the urging of Assembly Speaker Robert … Read more

A general’s downfall Re “General’s job hangs in balance,” June 23, and “McChrystal is out; Petraeus is in” and “General’s downfall was rapid-fire,” June 24 The comments by Army Gen. Stanley A. McChrystal and his staff are damaging not only to the rules and traditions of our military but to the special relationship between the … Read more

On placards and buttons, the name that dominated this city’s politics for more than two decades is back. With signs that read, “Burton Democrat,” John Burton, the flamboyant and eccentric liberal former congressman and younger brother of the late Rep. Phillip Burton, is making a comeback, running in Tuesday’s special election for the Assembly seat … Read more

Rep. Elise Stefanik (R-N.Y.) testifies during a Senate Committee on Foreign Relations hearing on her pending confirmation to be the United Nations ambassador on Capitol Hill on Jan. 21 in Washington. (Rod Lamkey / Associated Press) The White House has withdrawn Rep. Elise Stefanik’s nomination to be U.S. ambassador to the United Nations, a stunning … Read more

U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, hampered by poor organization and an overworked staff, will have trouble keeping up with the Trump administration’s plans to ramp up deportations of people in the country illegally, government inspectors have concluded. ICE has “overwhelming caseloads,” its records are “likely inaccurate” and its deportation policies and procedures “are outdated and … Read more

Here is Vice President Gennady I. Yanayev’s statement announcing to world leaders that he had taken over the Soviet presidency from Mikhail S. Gorbachev: At the instruction of the Soviet leadership, I hereby notify that a state of emergency is introduced in individual localities of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics for a period of … Read more

Ranking member Jack Reed (D-R.I.), left, and chairman Roger Wicker (R-Miss.) speaking during a hearing on Capitol Hill in Washington on Feb. 25. (Associated Press) The top Republican and Democrat on the Senate Armed Services Committee requested an investigation Thursday into how Trump national security officials used the Signal app to discuss military strikes, ensuring … Read more

The Associated Press logo is shown at the entrance to the news organization’s office in New York in 2023. (Aaron Jackson / Associated Press) A lawyer for the Associated Press asked a federal judge Thursday to reinstate the agency’s access to the White House press pool and other official events, saying the Trump administration’s ban … Read more