Politics
Full written statement from President Joe Biden on his decision to pardon his son Hunter
Today, I signed a pardon for my son Hunter.
President Biden pardons his son Hunter despite previous pledges not to
The president spares the younger Biden a possible prison sentence for federal felony gun and tax convictions.
Biden pardons his son Hunter despite previous pledges not to
President Joe Biden's pardon of his son Hunter reversed previous promises not to pardon him.
Trudeau made his case against tariffs at dinner with Trump, ambassador says
“The message that our border is so vastly different than the Mexican border was really understood,” Kirsten Hillman said.
Trump says he will nominate Kash Patel as FBI director
In addition to his 2023 memoir, "Government Gangsters: The Deep State, the Truth, and the Battle for Our Democracy," Patel has published two children's books that lionize Trump.
Krugman: Hostility to immigrants will hurt America’s tech sector
If Trump follows through on anti-immigration pledges, the sweeps likely won't spare legal, highly educated workers.
California’s Republican caucus is growing and more diverse, but it’s a long way from power
While Democrats retain a supermajority, experts say Republican wins – and an increasingly diverse GOP Caucus – signal potential shifts in voter sentiment among non white voters
Trump’s incoming chief of staff is a former lobbyist. She’ll face a raft of special interests
There's the prospect that his second administration could face many of the same perils as his first, when there were influence-peddling scandals.
Was it all a joke? How stand-up comedy helped reelect Donald Trump
The rise of the comedian-hosted podcast has provided ample opportunity for candidates to sway voters. And the president-elect was all in.
California lets defendants challenge racism in court. Few have succeeded
A Garrison Project and CalMatters analysis of the Racial Justice Act found about a dozen successful cases in which judges took action on racial bias in the legal process.
California’s budget is ‘roughly balanced,’ but deficits could grow under Trump
The nonpartisan Legislative Analyst’s Office projects a relatively small $2 billion shortfall for 2025-26, but says the state can’t afford new programs. Gov. Newsom has complained about attention on the office’s deficit estimates.
California’s slow vote count sows doubt. Here’s how one group is trying to fix that
The California Voter Foundation launched a tool tracking daily vote counts in 18 close contests for Congress and the state Legislature. The tracker aims to show how counts change over time and dispel misinformation about election fraud, the group says.
Gavin Newsom pledged to release his tax returns every year. The last one was for 2020
Gov. Newsom just bought a $9 million house in Marin County, but his sources of income haven’t been made public recently. He had pledged to release his tax returns.
A California Republican won a seat he didn’t want. Now taxpayers are paying for a new election
Kern and Tulare county taxpayers are on the hook for a special election after Republican Vince Fong won his Congressional seat along with an Assembly seat he no longer wanted.
Lobbying activity this past summer cost a record-breaking $168 million. Here’s what we know.
Between the summer session of the California Legislature featuring hot topics like AI regulation and money for journalism, and a special one focusing on gas prices, powerful corporations poured in record-setting money to influence lawmakers.
2024 Election Results: In House race, Steel and Tran remain in dead heat
Plus highlights of other close races in the state Senate and in cities in Los Angeles County.
Trump says he is naming former Wisconsin Rep. Sean Duffy to be transportation secretary
Duffy is a former reality TV star who was one of Trump’s most visible defenders on cable news — a prime concern for the media-focused president-elect.
Bombshell report that warned of Oakland facing bankruptcy is deleted, replaced
"Fecklessness and failure to take dramatic and immediate steps to reduce expenditures will almost certainly result in insolvency."