Politics

Former President Trump and President Biden sparred over their golf prowess during Thursday night’s debate. (Manuel Balce Ceneta – Manuel Bal / AP) In one of the more bizarre presidential debate moments in recent memory, President Biden and former President Trump sparred over their prowess — on the golf course. After the octogenarian and septuagenarian … Read more

IAM A Washington lobbyist. In the 1970s and 1980s, I was a member of Congress, but I lost an election. These days, I’m back in D.C., where I spend my days trying to persuade my onetime colleagues to vote in the interests of my clients. I make a good living in the process. No doubt … Read more

Pedestrians walk by a recycling bin on the UCLA campus. (Wally Skalij / Los Angeles Times) Californians dutifully load up their recycling bins and feel good about themselves. They’re helping the environment and being good citizens. But their glow might turn to gloom if they realized that much of the stuff is headed to a … Read more

(Jakub Porzycki / NurPhoto via Getty Images) Weeks after former President Trump survived an assassination attempt in Butler, Pa., a video circulated on social media that appeared to show Vice President Kamala Harris saying at a rally, “Donald Trump can’t even die with dignity.” The clip provoked outrage, but it was a sham — Harris … Read more

A bill inspired by the murder of a local 7-year-old girl in a Nevada casino was signed into law Monday by Gov. Gray Davis. The legislation, authored by Assemblyman Tom Torlakson (D-Antioch), makes it a crime to witness the sexual assault of a minor without notifying police. The bill became known as the Sherrice Iverson … Read more

Defying the Republican Party leadership, presidential hopeful Patrick J. Buchanan said Sunday that he will not endorse front-runner Bob Dole before the national convention in August, even if his own bid for the nomination clearly is falling short. However, in a better piece of news for Dole and Republican Party peacemakers, former Housing and Urban … Read more

California state Senate leader Kevin de León introduced Senate Bill 54 on what was an unusually acrimonious first day of the 2017 legislative session, as lawmakers in both chambers were locked in bitter debate over the still newly elected President Donald Trump. State Senate President Pro Tem Kevin de León discusses legislation that would prevent … Read more

Gov. Bill Owens signed four gun bills Friday, saying that while the new laws might not have prevented the Columbine High School shootings they could have allowed for more charges to be filed. The new laws: * Make it a felony for a person to purchase or obtain a firearm for another person who reasonably … Read more

Dr. Jako Burgers examines Erik Eikelenstam at his offices in Gorinchem, a small city south of Amsterdam. Eikelenstam, a restaurant manager with low back pain, paid nothing for the visit because primary care visits in the Netherlands are free. (Noam N. Levey / Los Angeles Times) In France, a visit to the doctor typically costs … Read more

Americans routinely express frustration that politicians in Washington can’t rise above partisanship to find a compromise. That talk has been especially thick as Congress and President Obama posture and dig in on the tax-and-spending plan they must reach to avoid the onerous New Year’s rebudgeting known as the fiscal cliff. It appears, though, that the … Read more