Politics

Days after The Times reported “crippling” vacancies at California’s Division of Occupational Safety and Health that led at least one employee to use Google Translate to decipher Spanish complaints and kept others from on-site inspections, the agency announced it will temporarily hire retired inspectors. The agency, better known as Cal/OSHA, said the decision had been … Read more

Democratic presidential candidate Elizabeth Warren and daughter Amelia Warren Tyagi did a guest appearance on the “Dr. Phil” show on Sept. 23, 2003. (Kirk McKoy / Los Angeles Times) When Elizabeth Warren’s supporters tried to get her appointed head of a new federal consumer agency nearly a decade ago, they enlisted a surprising ally: Dr. … Read more

Democrats Al Gore and Joseph I. Lieberman appealed to Florida’s influential senior and Jewish voters Wednesday by joining forces to pitch their plan for assisting those with long-term care costs. Lieberman told the residents of the Kings Point Community Center near Ft. Lauderdale that Republican presidential nominee George W. Bush’s tax cut plan doesn’t add … Read more

California formally moved to spread its can-do global warming gospel around the world, signing a declaration Wednesday with 11 other U.S. states and provinces or states in five other countries to help them slash their greenhouse gas emissions. Fighting climate change shouldn’t just go “nation by nation,” Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger told a climate summit in … Read more

Senate Majority Leader Charles E. Schumer and members of the Senate Judiciary Committee mark the confirmation of 235 federal judges nominated by President Biden. (J. Scott Applewhite / Associated Press) President Biden secured the 235th judicial confirmation of his presidency Friday, an accomplishment that exceeds his predecessor’s total by one after Democrats put extra emphasis … Read more

Two years ago, in the first months of his presidency, whenever Bill Clinton spoke at a military base his aides gritted their teeth and held their breath. The new President was the butt of sailors’ jokes when he visited the aircraft carrier Theodore Roosevelt, a target for hecklers at the Vietnam Veterans Memorial, and the … Read more

Palestinians look at the damage after an Israeli strike hit tents in a hospital courtyard in Deir al Balah, Gaza Strip, on Monday. (Abdel Kareem Hana / Associated Press) In a rare, direct threat, the Biden administration has told Israel it must allow humanitarian aid into the besieged Gaza Strip or risk losing U.S. military … Read more

Los Angeles City Councilmember Eunisses Hernandez, pictured at a rally last month in Lincoln Heights, came out a winner in this year’s batch of council committee assignments. (Jason Armond / Los Angeles Times) Good morning, and welcome to L.A. on the Record — our City Hall newsletter. It’s David Zahniser, giving you the info on … Read more

President-elect Donald Trump’s billionaire ally Elon Musk railed against a bipartisan funding proposal in a torrent of more than 100 X posts that included multiple false claims. (Brandon Bell / Associated Press) President-elect Donald Trump’s billionaire ally Elon Musk played a key role this week in killing a bipartisan funding proposal that would have prevented … Read more

President Biden walks off the stage during a break in his debate against former President Trump in June. Biden’s lackluster performance prompted calls for him to end his reelection campaign. (Gerald Herbert / Associated Press) President Biden withdrew from the presidential race Sunday and threw his support behind Vice President Kamala Harris as the Democratic … Read more