Politics

Sen. Kamala Harris endorses California Lt. Gov. Gavin Newsom on Friday. (Damian Dovarganes / AP) Citing their long friendship and shared experiences in San Francisco and Sacramento, Sen. Kamala Harris on Friday endorsed Gavin Newsom in the governor’s race. “Gavin and I have been friends for a very long time. We were friends before either … Read more

Elizabeth Hanford Dole, a former Cabinet secretary and the wife of Senate Majority Leader Bob Dole, received speaking fees from 1991 through 1994 in excess of $875,000–much of it from groups with a stake in policy matters pending before Congress, records show. The fees have enhanced substantially the couple’s joint income, which totaled about $600,000 … Read more

The gap between the wealthiest Americans and the poorest is bigger than at any time since the 1920s — just before the Depression. According to an analysis this year by Edward Wolff of New York University, the top 20% of wealthy individuals own about 85% of the wealth, while the bottom 40% own very near … Read more

An antiabortion provision in the recently unveiled House GOP plan to replace Obamacare could make it impossible for most Californians to take advantage of proposed tax credits meant to offset the cost of health insurance. The Republican healthcare proposal would offer individual tax credits to people who do not get insurance from their employer, but … Read more

Genia Hope moves into a hotel room being used for Project Roomkey in Whittier on July 7, 2020. Hope had been living in an encampment near the 710 and 105 freeways for two years. (Genaro Molina / Los Angeles Times) California cities and counties might be on the hook for more than $300 million they … Read more

Swarmed by antiwar protesters, Rep. Nancy Pelosi on Saturday called the invasion of Iraq “a grotesque mistake” but rejected calls for President Bush’s impeachment. Shouting to be heard above the boos and catcalls at a rowdy community forum, Pelosi — the leader of Democrats in the House — urged her constituents to instead channel their … Read more

Democratic presidential candidate Pete Buttigieg campaigns in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, in June. (Charlie Neibergall / Associated Press) By presidential campaign standards, Pete Buttigieg has been pretty much an open book — but with one chapter missing. The Democratic South Bend, Ind., mayor has let reporters sit on his campaign bus and pelt him with questions … Read more

President-elect Joe Biden has tapped Pennsylvania Health Secretary Rachel Levine to be his assistant secretary of health, putting her in position to become the first out transgender federal official to be confirmed by the Senate. A pediatrician and former Pennsylvania physician general, Levine was appointed to her current post by Gov. Tom Wolf in 2017, … Read more

A remark by Sen. Ernest F. Hollings (D-S.C.) comparing African leaders to cannibals was just the latest in a series that have angered minorities and made even his supporters cringe. The most recent came when Hollings, who is white, criticized African diplomats who traveled to Switzerland for international trade agreement talks concluded Tuesday after years … Read more

Secretary of State Antony Blinken speaks Tuesday about a global human rights report and criticizes the Trump administration’s focus on religious freedom above other rights. “There is no hierarchy that makes some rights more important than others,” he said. (Associated Press) The Biden administration Tuesday issued a sharp repudiation of Trump-era policies that diminished women’s … Read more