Politics

Last year, a bill sponsored by state Sen. Byron Sher (D-Stanford) to put some teeth into the 1968 California Public Records Act and make it easier for citizens to gain access to state records sailed through the Legislature without a peep of opposition. Passing the Senate 35-0 and the Assembly 78-0, it went to the … Read more

As the abortion issue takes center stage in the new Bush administration, family planning clinics across the nation are spotting a curious dual trend–more assertive anti-abortion protesters and more willing abortion-rights volunteers. In official Washington, the climate on abortion has unquestionably chilled. Since taking office, President Bush has voiced opposition to research using aborted fetuses, … Read more

Congress is moving to respond to public calls for police reform as protests continue across the country over the death of George Floyd and similar cases of excessive force. A Minneapolis police officer has been charged with murder in killing Floyd, a handcuffed, unarmed Black man, by kneeling on his neck for more than eight … Read more

Former Rep. Gabrielle Giffords listens as her husband, Mark Kelly, speaks on Capitol Hill on Oct. 2, 2017. (Susan Walsh / Associated Press) Retired astronaut Mark Kelly, who rocketed to the national spotlight when his wife, Rep. Gabrielle Giffords, was shot in a failed assassination attempt, announced Tuesday he’s running to finish John McCain’s last … Read more

Following the so-called Watts riot in 1965 a major problem appeared–”redlining.” To overcome the crippling effect of major financial institutions’ refusing to make funds available for rebuilding within the riot “control” zone, it was vitally important for the federal government to authorize direct loans to owners of real property that had been damaged or destroyed. … Read more

When Rep. Patricia Schroeder (D-Colo.) came to the House of Representatives in 1972 and was assigned to serve on the House Armed Services Committee, her welcome was about as warm as her home district, Denver, in a howling snowstorm. Then-chairman F. Edward Hebert, an avowed segregationist and an old-bull Dixiecrat, made Schroeder share a seat … Read more

A son of conservative activist Phyllis Schlafly has publicly revealed that he is homosexual, while at the same time defending his mother’s political views and the Republican Party’s “family values” campaign theme. “The family values movement is not anti-gay,” said John F. Schlafly, a 41-year-old attorney who lives with his parents in Alton, Ill., and … Read more

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, second from left, and NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg in Madrid on June 28. (Bernat Armangue / Associated Press) Ceding to a long-standing Turkish demand, the State Department on Thursday agreed to begin spelling the country’s name in Turkish in its official documents. Turkey will now be referred to as … Read more

Column: From red bastion to blue bulwark: What political shift in Colorado and West means for U.S. Kevin Priola was a Republican before he could even vote. Inspired by Ronald Reagan, he preregistered with the GOP at age 17. He joined the College Republicans at the University of Colorado in Boulder — a true act of … Read more

While Republican ads do not condone violence, many use battle rhetoric that portrays House Speaker Nancy Pelosi as an enemy. (Kent Nishimura / Los Angeles Times) Republicans and allied groups nationwide pumped about $50million this election cycle into campaign ads invoking, condemning or demonizing House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, according to an analysis from AdImpact. In … Read more