Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.), left, walks with Vice President-elect Sen. JD Vance (R-Ohio) on Capitol Hill. (Mark Schiefelbein / Associated Press) After several weeks working mostly behind closed doors, Vice President-elect JD Vance returned to Capitol Hill last week in a new, more visible role: helping Donald Trump try to get his most contentious Cabinet … Read more
When President Trump campaigned this spring at the Hermitage, the home of Andrew Jackson, one part of his predecessor’s approach got a special endorsement. “It was during the Revolution that Jackson first confronted and defied an arrogant elite. Does that sound familiar?” Trump asked to laughs from his audience. When Trump ally and National Rifle … Read more
Supervisors Lindsey Horvath and Hilda Solis put forward a proposal for how to make Measure G a reality. Supervisor Holly Mitchell, above, has her own idea. (Irfan Khan / Los Angeles Times) Good morning, and welcome to L.A. on the Record — our City Hall newsletter. It’s Rebecca Ellis updating you on L.A. local government … Read more
President-elect Donald Trump nominated a critic of COVID-19 health measures to lead the Food and Drug Administration. (Alex Brandon / Associated Press) President-elect Donald Trump on Friday nominated Dr. Marty Makary to lead the Food and Drug Administration, selecting a surgeon and author who gained national attention for opposing vaccine mandates and some other public … Read more
Laura Richardson was elected to California’s 35th Senate District, completing a comeback more than a decade after a tumultuous tenure in the U.S. House. (Courtesy of Laura Richardson) Laura Richardson emerged the victor of the competitive, costly and feisty election to win a South Los Angeles seat in the state Senate — completing her political … Read more
L.A. Times Today news anchor Lisa McCree, joined by senior editor David Lauter. Because they are all-or-nothing contests, American elections lend themselves to over-interpretation. In 1988, Republican Vice President George H.W. Bush defeated Massachusetts Gov. Michael Dukakis, winning more than 400 electoral votes — a mark that seemed routine at the time, but which no … Read more
Democrats rally behind first out transgender member of Congress, decry Republican attacks At a Democratic caucus meeting Tuesday, Rep. Becca Balint (D-Vt.) watched as colleagues approached and offered their support to Rep.-elect Sarah McBride (D-Del.), who will soon be sworn in as the first out transgender member of Congress. “We have your back,” Balint recalled … Read more
The governing board of the State Bar of California for the first time Saturday endorsed giving judges the discretion to permit cameras in the courtroom. The measure was approved after a spirited debate in which bar President James E. Towery of San Jose said there was a critical reason to allow televised trials: “What goes … Read more
Hedge fund manager Scott Bessent, 62, served for years as a top money manager for George Soros, a billionaire donor to Democrats. Bessent is an advocate for deficit reduction. (Vincent Alban/Getty Images) President-elect Donald Trump announced Friday that he’ll nominate billionaire hedge fund manager Scott Bessent, an advocate for deficit reduction, to serve as his … Read more
Monterey, a California coastal tourist town, was the backdrop for sexual assault allegations involving Pete Hegseth (Kent Nishimura/Los Angeles Times) On the afternoon of Oct. 12, 2017, a nurse at Kaiser Permanente called the Monterey Police Department to report that a patient had come in for a sexual assault exam. The woman, the nurse told … Read more