Politics

Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger approved a package of legislation Wednesday intended to crack down on slave rings that force people — often poor and illegal immigrants — to perform menial and sometimes debasing work in sweatshops, construction and prostitution. “The practice of trafficking in human beings — modern-day slavery — is a horrific crime that our … Read more

Former Assemblyman Pat Nolan at the Capitol in Sacramento in 2007. (Rich Pedroncelli / For The Times) President Trump has pardoned Pat Nolan, a former Republican state legislative leader who spent years in prison after being convicted in the “Shrimpscam” FBI sting in the 1990s and later became a high-profile conservative apostle for criminal justice … Read more

President-elect Donald Trump meets with President Biden in the Oval Office of the White House on Nov. 13. (Evan Vucci / Associated Press) In the final weeks before President Biden leaves office, federal officials and climate advocates are scrambling to secure as much progress as they can before President Trump returns to the White House. … Read more

Rep. Tulsi Gabbard of Hawaii speaks at an event in Detroit on Tuesday. (Getty Images) Tulsi Gabbard is still running for president. The congresswoman from Hawaii hasn’t garnered much support in primary elections and she’s falling short of winning enough delegates to secure the Democratic nomination. She has two so far. But Gabbard appears set … Read more

Protesters before the Supreme Court hold the transgender flag, signs supporting LGBTQ+ people and signs in support of sex not gender in 2019. (Michael S. Williamson / The Washington Post / Getty Images) The outcome of the 2024 election has resulted in no shortage of Democratic finger-pointing. While the postmortem and soul-searching are necessary, the … Read more

The U.S. military’s Patriot air defense system, being demonstrated at a NATO site in Greece in 2017. Three more batteries like this could make a huge difference in Ukraine’s ability to defend against Russian onslaughts. (Sebastian Apel / Associated Press) Before leaving office in January, President Biden can still do much to bolster Ukraine’s security, … Read more

Incoming Sen. Adam B. Schiff says he wants to focus on the economy when he takes office. (Irfan Khan / Los Angeles Times) Sen.-elect Adam B. Schiff doesn’t really want to talk about President-elect Donald Trump. He wants to talk about the economy. “The issue of the last election — which we didn’t satisfactorily answer, … Read more

Nathan Hochman is scheduled to be sworn in Tuesday as district attorney, replacing George Gascón as L.A. County’s top prosecutor. (Wally Skalij / Los Angeles Times) Nathan Hochman will begin his term as Los Angeles County’s district attorney Tuesday, taking office after promising to restore balance to a criminal justice system he says was too … Read more

Assemblymembers Tri Ta (R-Westminster), front left, and Diane Dixon (R-Newport Beach), in red, say the Pledge of Allegiance at the state Capitol during the Assembly’s first meeting of the new legislative session Monday. (Paul Kitagaki Jr. / Associated Press) Hello dear readers. Laurel Rosenhall here, The Times’ California politics editor, filling in for Anita Chabria. … Read more

Stability is risk. That’s not Orwellian Newspeak. It’s the daunting dynamic in public opinion facing President Bush as he tries to catch Democrat Bill Clinton, key strategists in both campaigns believe. Bush hopes to overtake Clinton, who holds a double-digit lead in most national surveys, largely by convincing voters the Arkansas governor is too risky … Read more