Politics

U.S. Rep. Maxine Waters takes the stage in July 2016 to speak during the third day of the Democratic National Convention in Philadelphia. (Paul Sancya / Associated Press) U.S. Rep. Maxine Waters (D-Calif.) takes the stage in July 2016 to speak during the third day of the Democratic National Convention in Philadelphia. (Paul Sancya / … Read more

People celebrate outside a Seattle federal courthouse on Friday after a second federal judge paused President Trump’s order against gender-affirming care for youth. (Manuel Valdes / Associated Press) A second federal judge has paused President Trump’s executive order halting federal support for gender-affirming care for transgender youth under 19. U.S. District Court Judge Lauren King … Read more

The Senate on Wednesday blocked a proposed constitutional amendment to ban same-sex marriage, delivering a defeat to President Bush but carving out a prominent role for the issue in the election campaign. Many gays and lesbians hailed the outcome. Many social conservatives condemned it and promised not to abandon the cause. “We’re not going to … Read more

The Supreme Court today refused to revive a lawsuit by the widow of one of the seven astronauts who died when the space shuttle Challenger exploded in 1986. The court, without comment, left intact a ruling that shields the federal government and a NASA engineer from being sued. Navy Comdr. Michael J. Smith, was one … Read more

Rep. John Duarte, seen in 2022 during his first campaign for Congress, owns one of the largest nurseries in California. (Keith Bedford / Los Angeles Times) California regulators have cited the Central Valley nursery owned by Republican Rep. John Duarte and his family for several safety violations during the years that the incumbent congressman was … Read more

Tom Tancredo is used to anger and hostility. But success is something else. So when the Senate buckled under a wave of popular protest and rejected an overhaul of the nation’s immigration laws, Tancredo wasn’t sure how people would respond. The five-term Republican congressman from Colorado is not just the hard-line face of immigration reform. … Read more

Mitt Romney told his top donors Wednesday that his loss to President Obama was a disappointing result that neither he nor his top aides had expected, but said he believed his team ran a “superb” campaign with “no drama,” and attributed his rival’s victory to “the gifts” the administration had given to blacks, Hispanics and … Read more

Susan Blad Seldin, 41, former Democratic Party grass-roots organizer who co-founded FieldWorks, a Washington-based campaign consulting and political strategy firm, died Saturday at UC San Francisco Medical Center. Blad Seldin had developed graft-versus-host disease after a successful bone marrow transplant to treat non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma. Blad Seldin started FieldWorks in 2001 with Laurie Moskowitz, a former … Read more

Electrician Jaime Sanchez works at a construction site in downtown Los Angeles in 2016. (Al Seib / Los Angeles Times) The union representing construction workers, State Building & Construction Trades Council of California, also known as the Building Trades, is the most powerful group influencing the Legislature’s response to the housing crisis. It has worked … Read more

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s aides say she just wants to get home to California now and then and would like to do it in a plane that can make it all the way without stopping to refuel. Critics say the San Francisco Democrat is abusing the perks of power by attempting to commandeer a fancy … Read more