Politics

I want to applaud the efforts of President Clinton and Atty. Gen. Janet Reno for getting little Elian Gonzalez removed–safely–from Miami. There are many sides to this difficult issue, but time had long passed for negotiation, and action was needed. The action was amazingly swift and error-free. This was the only conscionable thing that could … Read more

VA Secretary Doug Collins, shown at his confirmation hearing in January, asked employees for “names, dates, and locations” of any alleged incidents to be reported to an internal email address. (J. Scott Applewhite / Associated Press) The Department of Veterans Affairs is establishing a task force to investigate employee reports of alleged anti-Christian bias among … Read more

Darrell Isa is stuck in his silver Lxus on the rain-slicked streets of Washington, D.C., an hour late. A crowd has gathered around vegetarian grape leaves and pumpkin-filled kebabs at the Egyptian embassy, waiting to hear a few words from the distinguished gentleman from California. He is one of the lone Arab American voices in … Read more

For the better part of two decades, Bill and Hillary Rodham Clinton have counted on the support and money of the Tsakopoulos clan of the Sacramento Valley. Eleni Tsakopoulos-Kounalakis is one of Sen. Clinton’s most active fundraisers, having hosted numerous Northern California galas for her Democratic presidential campaign. Patriarch Angelo Tsakopoulos, a major Sacramento developer … Read more

Former President Trump was booked Thursday at the Fulton County Jail in Georgia. His campaign has promoted a series of products plastered with his mug shot. (Fulton County Sheriff’s Office via AP) If a picture is worth a thousand words, the mug shot of a former president is apparently worth over $7 million. President Trump’s … Read more

Grover Connell has no Washington office, no full-time lobbyist and no political action committee. He doesn’t hold fund-raisers for candidates and doesn’t like to schmooze at political events. But the New Jersey businessman, who runs a $1-billion export and leasing company, still has been able to make friends in Washington. At least once a week, … Read more

Historically, when U.S. leaders have spoken of pragmatism or realism in foreign policy, it has often been code for subordinating ideals to other strategic and geopolitical priorities. That’s why alarm bells went off among human rights activists last week over Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton’s policy of “principled pragmatism,” which she laid out in … Read more

Gov. Gavin Newsom, left, bows his head as Assemblyman James Ramos (D-Highland) of the San Manuel Band of Mission Indians opens a meeting Tuesday with tribal leaders from around the state at the future site of the California Indian Heritage Center in West Sacramento. (Rich Pedroncelli / Associated Press) In a Time Life book titled … Read more

Diane Watson is not one to mince words: “I’m a liberal, big-spending, Democrat, female African American,” she declares. “Take me or leave me. That’s who I am.” As her words suggest, Watson–a five-term state senator from Los Angeles–is an in-your-face politician. Forget delicate diplomacy. Forget charm, schmooze and tact. Watson, a former schoolteacher, behaves as … Read more

Constituents from California’s 45th Congressional District gather outside the Irvine office of Rep. Mimi Walters in an effort to get Walters to hold a town hall meeting. Walters has not had a district-wide meeting since before the inauguration of President Trump. (Luis Sinco / Los Angeles Times) Catherine Nadeau was never a supporter of Rep. … Read more