Politics

Vice President Kamala Harris speaks during a campaign rally Tuesday in Atlanta. (John Bazemore / Associated Press) Vice President Kamala Harris has secured enough delegates to become the Democratic presidential nominee, according to Democratic National Committee Chairman Jaime Harrison, but it’s not time for the balloon drop just yet. Harrison made the announcement Friday, but … Read more

A demonstrator cuts her hair during an Oct. 2 rally in Istanbul against the Iranian government’s crackdown on protests after the death of Mahsa Amini in Iranian custody. (Bulent Kilic / AFP/Getty Images) With efforts to revive the Iran nuclear deal languishing, the Biden administration on Wednesday hit Tehran with a new batch of economic … Read more

Elon Musk has tapped a longtime deputy, Steve Davis, to recruit staff for DOGE. (NurPhoto via Getty Images) Elon Musk’s deputy Steve Davis has spent more than 20 years helping the billionaire cut costs at businesses such as SpaceX, the Boring Company and Twitter — making the engineer by training a natural choice for his … Read more

Last summer Washington’s Government Accounting Office ripped Sacramento officials for failing to discipline hundreds of grossly negligent California nursing homes. Now, a year later, the state has yet to take action on oversight, leading some reform advocates to ask whether it ever will. They point out that the GAO study identified the same problems that … Read more

Native Americans in Arizona could swing the election. Activists are pushing them to vote On a recent sweltering Saturday in Phoenix, about 40 Native American leaders and community organizers gathered in an art gallery, where a backdrop had been decorated with posters proclaiming “Native Americans for Harris-Walz.” Mark Kelly, Arizona’s Democratic senator, quickly assessed the … Read more

John W. Busterud will lead the EPA’s Pacific Southwest office, which oversees California, Nevada, Arizona, Hawaii and other western territories. (Pablo Martinez Monsivais / AP) Days after the Environmental Protection Agency’s top official in California was abruptly removed, the agency announced Tuesday that it would replace him with John W. Busterud, a former lawyer for … Read more

Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump shakes hands with Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton after the presidential debate at Hofstra University. (David Goldman / Associated Press) The first debate between Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump was one of the most anticipated skirmishes in presidential history. It didn’t disappoint. Monday’s feisty showdown took on a sprawling range of topics, … Read more

The state Capitol in Sacramento. A state audit on Tuesday alleged nepotism in one agency (Rich Pedroncelli / Associated Press) A former state government administrator allegedly engaged in “gross misconduct” by using the influence of her position to circumvent California’s civil service employment process in hiring and promoting her daughter, according to a state auditor’s … Read more

David Bernhardt, a former oil and gas lobbyist, speaks before the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee at his confirmation hearing last month to head the Interior Department. (J. Scott Applewhite / Associated Press) David Bernhardt, President Trump’s pick to the lead the Interior Department, was confirmed by the Senate on Thursday amid persistent ethical … Read more

A new housing development in Middlesex Township, Pa. (Gene J. Puskar / Associated Press) With would-be first-time homebuyers struggling to afford a mortgage and tens of millions of tenants across the country facing high rents, housing affordability is becoming prominent in a U.S. presidential campaign for the first time in decades. Vice President Kamala Harris … Read more