Politics

Traci Lords came to Cal State Fullerton on Thursday simply to give an old-fashioned testimony, a somber and carefully rehearsed account of her descent into drugs and pornography and eventual rise–to sobriety and a niche in legitimate Hollywood. “Put your tongues back in your mouths, boys. I’m not going to pop out of a birthday … Read more

Progressive challenger Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez celebrates with New York gubenatorial candidate Cynthia Nixon at her victory party in the Bronx after upsetting incumbent Democratic Rep. Joseph Crowley on Tuesday. (Scott Heins / Getty Images) In the spring of 2017, before she ended the 20-year congressional career of Rep. Joe Crowley (D-N.Y.) and upset her city’s most … Read more

Emily Couric, a senator in Virginia who was co-chairman of the state’s Democratic Party, died Thursday of pancreatic cancer at her home in Charlottesville. She was 54. Couric, the older sister of Katie Couric, co-host of NBC’s “Today” show, was considering seeking the Democratic nomination for Virginia lieutenant governor when she was diagnosed with cancer … Read more

President Trump speaks at the Justice Department in Washington on Friday. (Photo Pool via Associated Press) President Trump on Saturday invoked the Alien Enemies Act for the first time since World War II, granting himself sweeping powers under a centuries-old law to deport people associated with a Venezuelan gang. Hours later, a federal judge halted … Read more

U.S. Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff last month at Diriyah Palace in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. (Evelyn Hockstein / Associated Press) President Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin are expected to speak this week as the U.S. tries to broker a cease-fire in the Russia-Ukraine war, according to Trump special envoy Steve Witkoff. It would be … Read more

CIA Director Robert M. Gates has provided a new, detailed account of one of the most historically significant and controversial actions of the Bush Administration: the decision to leave Iraqi President Saddam Hussein in power at the end of the Persian Gulf War. In an interview with The Times this week as he prepares to … Read more

Rep. Harriet Hageman (R-Wyo.) talks to attendees after holding a town hall meeting on Friday in Evanston, Wyo. (Spenser Heaps / Associated Press) In two congressional districts and vastly different political environments, two Republican congressmen were met with far different reactions at public meetings they held late last week. Against the suggestion of their leader, … Read more

The Trump administration has transferred hundreds of immigrants to El Salvador despite a federal judge’s order temporarily barring the deportations under an 18th century wartime declaration targeting Venezuelan gang members, officials said Sunday. Flights were in the air at the time of the ruling. U.S. District Judge James E. Boasberg issued an order Saturday evening … Read more

Julia Ritzo is a quiet-talking environmentalist who lives in an old country house warmed only by a fireplace and a wood-burning stove. It’s all part of her experiment in minimalist living. Normally, she’s happiest penning poetry or short stories on her lantern-lit front porch overlooking Warner Springs. But lately, something has altered her designs on … Read more

Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia said Saturday that he had not expected President Bush to nominate him to succeed the late William H. Rehnquist as chief justice. “I’m not even sure I wanted it, to tell you the truth,” Scalia told reporters at a media briefing before a gala dinner at the Waldorf Astoria Hotel … Read more