Politics

A bill introduced by U.S. Reps. Judy Chu (D-Monterey Park) and Brad Sherman (D-Sherman Oaks) would require provide up to a year of forbearance on federally backed mortgages in disaster zones. (Gina Ferazzi/Los Angeles Times) The Southern California lawmakers who represent the Eaton and Palisades fire zones introduced a bill in Congress on Thursday that … Read more

In a rare public appearance, former First Lady Barbara Bush spoke Friday at the Richard Nixon Library & Birthplace, saying that her prayers were with the 37th President. Bush, whose appearance and speech had been scheduled long before Nixon’s Monday stroke, entertained 1,200 people with anecdotes from her four years in the White House. But … Read more

The departure of the Pentagon spokesman is the fourth this week from the inner circle of Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, shown Wednesday. Three other senior officials were escorted from the building after being implicated in an ongoing investigation into information leaks. (Nathan Howard / Associated Press) Former Pentagon spokesman John Ullyot was asked to resign … Read more

About once a week, usually on Thursday afternoons, half a dozen top White House and Justice Department officials meet to perform a little-noticed but profoundly important task: selecting, from among hundreds of candidates, those who will be recommended to President Reagan for nomination as federal judges. It is not an idle job. By 1989, when … Read more

Biden supporters in golf carts caravan to an elections office in The Villages, Fla., to cast their ballots during early voting. (Associated Press) Sara Branscome’s golf cart whizzed down the smooth asphalt path that winds through The Villages, the nation’s largest retirement community, an expanse of beautiful homes, shops and entertainment venues that bills itself … Read more

A statue of Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee stands in the middle of a traffic circle in Richmond, Va. (Steve Helber / Associated Press) Thirteen years ago, Brag Bowling was worried about green paint balls that had been splattered on a statue of Stonewall Jackson and the words “Death to Nazis” spray-painted on one of … Read more

Charred trees smolder along Highway 120 at the southwestern boundary of Yosemite National Park on Aug. 27, 2013. (Los Angeles Times) Happy Thursday. I’m Corinne Purtill, a science and health reporter for The Times, filling in this week for the incomparable Sammy Roth. Last week my family drove north from Los Angeles on State Route … Read more

Traditionally, Sen. Bob Dole has been among the most private of politicians. But increasingly this year, in an effort to make a stronger connection with voters, he has emphasized his personal story, as he did at a rally in New York this week. Here is an excerpt from his speech: I want people to know … Read more

Soldiers guard the prison entrance at the Terrorism Confinement Center in El Salvador on April 4. (Alex Pena / Anadolu / Getty Images) With cameras rolling in the Oval Office, President Trump told reporters this week that he would carefully study the law before deciding whether to exile Americans accused of violent crimes to prisons … Read more

The former law firm of Second Lady Usha Vance, which calls itself proudly progressive, has gone to court to fight President Trump’s efforts to bludgeon his legal foes into submission. (Allison Joyce / Associated Press) Lawfare makes for strange bedfellows. As part of his tightening grip on power, and his assault on 200-plus years of … Read more