Politics

TODAY, THE U.S. Supreme Court will assemble to hear one of the most important cases of the term: Hamdan vs. Rumsfeld, which will test President Bush’s claim of near-absolute authority over detainees in the war on terror. But most of the attention will be fixed on the fourth seat from the right and its occupant, … Read more

Administration officials issued interim guidance Thursday to Immigration and Customs Enforcement to focus on “significant threats,” as President Biden’s order for a 100-day pause on most deportations remains hampered by court rulings out of Texas. Department of Homeland Security officials said ICE officers will be directed to prioritize for arrest and removal immigrants without legal … Read more

After he bought his first home, state Assemblyman Hector De La Torre uncovered a dark chapter in its history: A covenant attached to the original deed declared that the house, like all the others in his South Gate neighborhood, could be occupied by white people only. Minorities could stay there — but only as servants. … Read more

The next-generation foreign policy of Kamala Harris Vice President Kamala Harris spent nearly four years working alongside a U.S. president for whom foreign policy is a passion bordering on political religion — one rooted in Cold War memories and a largely unchallenged U.S. global dominance. Harris brings her own distinct worldview to the job of … Read more

California Gov. Gavin Newsom, shown on Dec. 2, has tapped Nathan Barankin, a former aide to Kamala Harris, as his chief of staff. (Rich Pedroncelli / Associated Press) Gov. Gavin Newsom on Monday announced the departure of his chief of staf.f Dana Williamson. and tapped Nathan Barankin, a former aide to Vice President Kamala Harris, … Read more

Colorado Sen. Ben Nighthorse Campbell, the only Native American in Congress, stunned the political Establishment on Friday by switching his party affiliation to Republican, citing unbridgeable philosophical differences with the Democratic Party. His switch boosts the Republicans’ majority in the Senate, giving them 54 seats to the Democrats’ 46. Beset by disputes with Democrats in … Read more

Less than four years after declaring California’s budget balanced for the foreseeable future, Gov. Jerry Brown on Tuesday said the state is projected to run a $1.6-billion deficit by next summer — a noticeable shift in the state’s fiscal stability that could worsen under federal spending cuts championed by President-elect Donald Trump. “The trajectory of … Read more

In the first half of this year, the eight Assembly members who represent the San Gabriel Valley raised more than $1.3 million for their reelection campaigns, while their opponents were collecting $30,000. Fund-raising for two of the three Senate seats at stake in the San Gabriel Valley on Nov. 8 has been nearly as lopsided, … Read more

(Jacquelyn Martin / Associated Press) Kevin McCarthy (R-Bakersfield) was ousted yesterday from his seat by eight members of his own party, aided by Democrats in no mood to help him. It made McCarthy the first speaker to be removed from office. The coup was orchestrated and led by one of Capitol Hill’s least popular figures, … Read more

California gubernatorial candidate and former L.A. Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa gives a pep talk to students at Cathedral High School in September. (Al Seib / Los Angeles Times) Antonio Villaraigosa has staked his candidacy for governor on his roots, telling voters he “grew up in a home rich in love, but limited in opportunity” while positioning … Read more