Politics

People seeking asylum are detained by the Border Patrol after crossing from Mexico into the San Diego area in June. (Robert Gauthier/Los Angeles Times) A historic uptick in migration during Joe Biden’s presidency led to attacks as he ran for reelection, with Donald Trump and fellow Republicans blaming Democrats for the swelling number of people … Read more

Former President Donald Trump arrives at Manhattan criminal court on Monday (Jabin Botsford / Pool via Associated Press) The first criminal prosecution of a former president in American history begins Monday as Donald Trump, the presumptive Republican presidential nominee, stands trial in New York. Trump is accused of falsifying business records in an attempt to … Read more

“Nobody likes what the government does when it’s described as ‘spending.’ ” Those are the words of former Treasury Secretary Robert E. Rubin, drawn from the text of his forthcoming memoirs. Although Rubin’s nominal subject is the war he waged with conservative Republicans as a Clinton administration official, his perception is a useful key for … Read more

Sen. Robert F. Kennedy speaks his final words to supporters at the Ambassador Hotel in Los Angeles, moments before he was shot on June 5, 1968. (Dick Strobel / Associated Press) It was one of those horrific events — everyone remembers where they were, if they were anywhere. Fifty years ago, I was sitting at … Read more

John Davis, a polling judge volunteer, sanitizes a voting machine screen amid concerns about the coronavirus at a polling place in Chicago on Tuesday. (Charles Rex Arbogast/Associated Press) Voters are unnerved. Confusion is growing throughout the country as the coronavirus outbreak moves states to postpone primaries and change voting procedures in the midst of a … Read more

California’s broadcasters are bracing for a wild ride and a hefty windfall as millions of dollars in political advertising money are suddenly up for grabs at a time when demand for TV time is already strong. Analysts estimate that more than $40 million will be spent on campaign commercials leading up to the Oct. 7 … Read more

With the Los Angeles mayoral election five weeks away, the campaign to capture the public’s attention starts in earnest today, as Sherman Oaks lawyer Bob Hertzberg becomes the first candidate to begin advertising on television. The top mayoral hopefuls are expected to spend millions on television ads, the main vehicle for reaching Los Angeles voters. … Read more

Steve Soboroff leans back in a chair at his mayoral campaign headquarters in Sherman Oaks and ticks off the real estate deals that made him rich. The auto parts store in Torrance: “Wonderful.” The Ralphs supermarket in Canoga Park: “A beauty.” And his favorite, a Sav-on Drugs in Mar Vista, the one he bought and … Read more

Now that President Bush says he wants to put an end to the budgetary trench warfare that has paralyzed the federal government for much of the past decade, the previous stalemate over taxes shifts to a new and far bloodier battleground: Whose taxes should be raised? In any deal that might emerge from the budget … Read more

Adrian Tafoya, right, with the Homeless Outreach Program Integrated Care System talks to Jesus (no last name given) in Compton. In L.A. County, the Department of Mental Health has accumulated nearly $900 million in unspent funds meant to help treat the mental ill. (Francine Orr / Los Angeles Times) Good morning, and welcome to the … Read more