Politics

Feb. 26, 1984. Temple Adath Yeshurun, Manchester, N.H. The campaign, and the candidate, were at a breaking point. Ramrod straight, Jesse Jackson strode to the front of the synagogue, his fists clenched tight at his sides, his eyes darting across the tense crowd. Later, he would describe the scene as “Daniel in the lion’s den,” … Read more

Riot police clear the hallway inside the U.S. Capitol on Wednesday. (Kent Nishimura / Los Angeles Times) When pro-Trump rioters overran police and attacked the U.S. Capitol on Wednesday, forcing lawmakers into lockdown, acting Homeland Security Secretary Chad Wolf was in Bahrain, meeting with U.S. Coast Guard personnel working in South Asia. On Thursday, amid … Read more

Dave Loebsack believes in giving credit where credit is due. Believes it so much that he recently bought an ad on television here declaring, among other things, that his congressman, Republican Jim Leach, is a “good man.” When a reporter asked what had prompted Loebsack to say that, the bearded college professor replied: “Congressman Leach … Read more

twitterfacebookenvelopeangle-double-rightangle-downangle-uplong-arrow-right California is playing an important role in the 2024 general election. Voters in potential swing congressional districts in Orange County, the Inland Empire and Central Valley could tip the balance of power in the House. For the Senate, voters were asked to pick both a short-term and long-term replacement for the late Sen. Dianne … Read more

He wielded extraordinary power in Washington for more than three decades, eventually holding sway over nearly $800 billion a year in federal spending. But outside the halls of the U.S. Senate, which is a world of personal wealth so rarified some call it “the Millionaires’ Club,” Sen. Ted Stevens (R- Alaska) had struggled financially. Then, … Read more

The Rev. Jesse Jackson waves as he appears on stage Monday night at the Democratic National Convention. (Robert Gauthier/Los Angeles Times) The Democratic National Convention will mark many transitions, not the least of them a generational passing of the torch. President Biden this week is in effect handing control of the party, and the 2024 … Read more

Kamala Harris: Everything you need to know Kamala Harris’ life has been filled with milestones. Her elementary school class in the 1970s was the second one to integrate Berkeley schools. Harris was the first woman elected as San Francisco’s district attorney. She was the first woman to be elected as California’s attorney general. She was … Read more

Marco Antonio Firebaugh, a former California Assembly majority floor leader and chairman of the California Latino Legislative Caucus who was a strong advocate for immigrants and working families, died Tuesday. He was 39. Firebaugh, a Democrat from Whittier, died at UCLA Medical Center. Doctors attributed Firebaugh’s death to influenza and liver failure, Firebaugh spokesman Ricardo … Read more

Maj. Gen. William J. Walker testifies about the Jan. 6 Capitol riot. (Julio Cortez / Associated Press) The Pentagon took more than three hours to dispatch National Guard troops to help quell the Jan. 6 siege of the U.S. Capitol even as police pleaded for assistance in repelling the pro-Trump mob, the commander of the … Read more

Iowa Secretary of State Paul Pate speaks during a news conference on Oct. 9 in Nebraska. (Nikos Frazier / Associated Press) Four voters and a Latino civil rights group sued Iowa’s top election official, alleging he infringed upon their rights when he directed election workers to challenge some voters’ ballots in an attempt to keep … Read more