Politics

California firefighting aircraft stymied by U.S. Forest Service policy, local chiefs say An aerial firefighting task force has been thwarted — and sometimes grounded — by a new interpretation of a U.S. Forest Service policy that prohibits contractors from providing flight supervision over federal lands, according to Southern California fire chiefs. “I don’t understand why … Read more

Insurrectionists loyal to President Trump try to breach a police barrier on Jan. 6, 2021, at the Capitol in Washington. (Julio Cortez / Associated Press) Donald Trump “laid the groundwork for his crimes” well before election day in 2020. He said “the details don’t matter” when told his election fraud claims would fail in court. … Read more

Tina Peters, former Mesa County, Colo., clerk, listens during her trial last year in Grand Junction. (Scott Crabtree / Associated Press) A judge ripped into a Colorado county clerk for her crimes and lies before sentencing her Thursday to nine years behind bars for a data breach scheme spawned from the rampant false claims about … Read more

Rep. Mike Lawler (R-N.Y.) is locked in a competitive reelection fight for his seat representing a Hudson Valley district. (Evan Vucci / Associated Press) U.S. Rep. Mike Lawler said he was sorry Thursday after the New York Times obtained photos of him wearing blackface about two decades ago at a college Halloween costume party where … Read more

Way down the Eastern Seaboard from where the Democrats are meeting, the state that broke their collective hearts last time is preparing for another presidential election. In Palm Beach County, Elections Supervisor Theresa A. LePore, the woman who designed the “butterfly” ballot that helped trigger a constitutional crisis in 2000, isn’t worried this time around. … Read more

Faith leaders and other supporters pray over New York City Mayor Eric Adams, center, during a rally and prayer vigil on the steps of City Hall in New York on Tuesday. (Seth Wenig / Associated Press) It wasn’t a shock to many Black New Yorkers that Mayor Eric Adams has surrounded himself with African American … Read more

The Gemini solar farm on public lands in southern Nevada, seen during construction in 2023. (Brian van der Brug / Los Angeles Times) Let’s say the American West could dedicate a landmass smaller than Delaware to all of the large-scale solar farms that will be needed in this part of the country to help phase … Read more

Los Angeles County Dist. Atty. George Gascón, left, is being challenged by former federal prosecutor Nathan Hochman. (Christina House, Dania Maxwell / Los Angeles Times) On Nov. 5, voters have a chance to help decide the future of criminal justice in Los Angeles County. The race for district attorney is a clash between the competing … Read more

Democratic challenger Joe Kerr and Republican Rep. Young Kim. (Joe Kerr campaign; J. Scott Applewhite / Associated Press) Republican Rep. Young Kim is up against Democratic challenger Joe Kerr, a retired fire captain, in the battle to represent California’s 40th Congressional District. Though President Biden won in the inland suburban district by a narrow margin, … Read more

(Los Angeles Times) For decades, redistricting in Los Angeles has been something of a blood sport. The once-a-decade drawing of new boundaries for the City Council’s 15 districts has resulted in power plays, self-dealing and even some score-settling at City Hall. That’s because the redistricting process has been largely overseen by the very people who … Read more