Trump citizenship question on 2020 census blocked by court
By Bob Van Voris and Chris Dolmetsch, Bloomberg News
January 15, 2019
Filed under National News
A federal judge blocked the Trump administration's plan to put a question about citizenship on the 2020 census, which will help determine U.S. elections, congressional seats and federal funding decisions for a decade. The ruling comes after a two-week trial in Manhattan that the government sought...
Dug-in Trump to Dems: ‘Only a wall will work’ as shutdown enters 25th day
By John T. Bennett, CQ-Roll Call
January 15, 2019
Filed under National News
A day after appearing to downplay the stature of his proposed southern border wall, President Donald Trump sent a message to congressional Democratic leaders: "Only a wall will work" as a partial government shutdown over his demands enters its 25th day. Trump sent mixed messages about his proposed...
Trump attorney general pick William Barr says Mueller is not on a ‘witch hunt’
By Del Quentin Wilber, Los Angeles Times
January 15, 2019
Filed under National News
William P. Barr, President Donald Trump's nominee for attorney general, told a Senate panel Tuesday that he did not believe special counsel Robert S. Mueller III was on a "witch hunt" and said he would consult with ethics lawyers on whether he needs to step aside from supervising the probe in light of...
If Democrats are looking for fresh, new faces, why are these septuagenarian white guys so popular?
By Evan Halper, Los Angeles Times
January 10, 2019
Filed under National News
After congressional elections in which Democrats in record numbers chose to elevate women, minority and gay candidates, casting ballots for diversity and youth in district after district, the list of presidential hopefuls most exciting to Democratic voters is a bit curious. At the top, several polls...
A $3 billion problem: Miami-Dade’s septic tanks are already failing due to sea rise
By Alex Harris, Miami Herald
January 10, 2019
Filed under National News
Miami-Dade has tens of thousands of septic tanks, and a new report reveals most are already malfunctioning _ the smelly and unhealthy evidence of which often ends up in people's yards and homes. It's a billion-dollar problem that climate change is making worse. As sea level rise encroaches on South...
Cybersecurity may suffer as shutdown persists
By Gopal Ratnam, CQ-Roll Call
January 10, 2019
Filed under National News
The partial government shutdown may be making some key federal departments and agencies running with skeletal staffs more vulnerable to cybersecurity breaches, experts said. Meanwhile, the House Homeland Security Committee, which oversees the Department of Homeland Security, said it remains in the...
U.S.-China trade talks end on an optimistic note, but differences remain
By Robyn Dixon, Los Angeles Times
January 9, 2019
Filed under National News
As trade talks closed on Wednesday afternoon, after continuing into an unscheduled third day, optimism boosted global stocks amid hopes that an all-out trade war might be avoided before a March 1 deadline to reach a deal. But differences remain, likely to be handled in talks between more senior officials...
Steyer sidesteps Warren’s criticism of billionaire campaigns
By John McCormick, Bloomberg News
January 9, 2019
Filed under National News
Billionaire Tom Steyer refused to say whether he would use his own fortune to fund a potential 2020 bid for the Democratic presidential nomination ahead of a scheduled announcement about his political plans. "If you look at look at what I've done over the last six years working full-time in grassroots...
Pompeo makes unannounced visit to Iraq, hears pleas for support
By Nabih Bulos and Tracy Wilkinson, Los Angeles Times
January 9, 2019
Filed under National News
Secretary of State Michael R. Pompeo on Wednesday made an unannounced trip to Iraq as part of his Middle East reassurance campaign, and heard pleas for more help in fighting Islamic State militants. Pompeo is attempting to explain to Arab allies President Donald Trump's abrupt decision to withdraw...
Trump attorney general pick will let Mueller finish Russia probe, Lindsey Graham says
By Niels Lesniewski, CQ-Roll Call
January 9, 2019
Filed under National News
The incoming chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee says he is confident President Donald Trump's nominee to be attorney general is committed to letting the special counsel probe led by Robert S. Mueller III run its course. William P. Barr, who previously served as attorney general during the...
Democrats sets Jan. 29 deadline for acting AG Whitaker to testify
By Griffin Connolly, CQ-Roll Call
January 9, 2019
Filed under National News
House Democrats sent a letter Wednesday to acting Attorney General Matthew Whitaker demanding that he appear before the House Judiciary Committee by Jan. 29, saying that the government shutdown is no excuse for delaying his testimony. Whitaker previously wrote to Chairman Jerrold Nadler of New York...
UC San Diego starts referring to Latinos as ‘Latinx’ in cultural shift
By Gary Robbins | The San Diego Union-Tribune
December 3, 2018
Filed under National News
The "gender specific" terms Latino and Chicano are being selectively replaced with "Latinx" and "Chicanx." The change was promoted by students, social justice activists and the LGBTQ community, which are trying to get people to look beyond conventional notions of gender, sex and appearance.
Trump seeks to end recounts in Florida’s Senate and governor elections, and alleges fraud without evidence
By Eli Stokols | Los Angeles Times
November 12, 2018
Filed under National News
President Donald Trump on Monday called for a halt to recounts in Florida, where Republican candidates for Senate and governor lead. He alleged without evidence that Democratic candidates' gains were the result of fraud. The president's statement, in a morning tweet, contradicted Florida officials...
Calif. white supremacists vowed to ‘reimagine’ racist movements with new look, tactics
By Alene Tchekmedyian and Brittny Mejia | Los Angeles Times
October 25, 2018
Filed under National News
From the beginning, the founders of the so-called Rise Above Movement had a goal: to reinvent what it meant to be a white nationalist. Members of the Southern California group were instructed to blend in at political rallies with polo shirts, khakis and military-style haircuts. They were told to avoid...
EPA aims to triple pace of deregulation in coming year
By Jacob Holzman | CQ-Roll Call
October 18, 2018
Filed under National News
The Environmental Protection Agency released a plan for eliminating regulations next year that would likely dwarf its current rule-cutting pace. The agency expects to finalize approximately 30 deregulatory actions and fewer than 10 regulatory actions in fiscal 2019, according to the Trump administration's...
Study: The more equal women and men are, the less they want the same things
By Deborah Netburn | Los Angeles Times
October 18, 2018
Filed under National News
Imagine an egalitarian society that treats women and men with equal respect, where both sexes are afforded the same opportunities, and the economy is strong. What would happen to gender differences in this utopia? Would they dissolve? The answer, according to a new study, is a resounding no. The...
Help wanted: Haley’s exit leaves White House without one of its best messengers
By Anita Kumar and Emma Dumain | McClatchy Washington Bureau
October 10, 2018
Filed under National News
The departure of Nikki Haley, one of the most polished messengers of President Donald Trump's policy, will leave a void in a chaotic White House where, after two turbulent years, few officials remain who are trusted by Republicans of all stripes. Haley, the former governor of South Carolina who has...
Senate narrowly approves Brett Kavanaugh to Supreme Court, cementing conservative majority
By Jennifer Haberkorn | Los Angeles Times
October 8, 2018
Filed under National News
The Senate on Saturday narrowly confirmed Brett Kavanaugh to the Supreme Court, securing a historic conservative majority on the nation's highest court after a tumultuous confirmation process marked by partisan rancor, tearful testimony and tense allegations of sexual assault and bad faith. Kavanaugh...
Sen. Jeff Flake calls Trump’s mockery of Ford ‘appalling’
By Griffin Connolly | CQ-Roll Call
October 3, 2018
Filed under National News
Sen. Jeff Flake called President Donald Trump's comments at a Mississippi campaign rally mocking a woman who has accused Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh of sexual assault "appalling." Christine Blasey Ford testified last week before the Senate Judiciary Committee that Kavanaugh sexually assaulted...
Tesla’s Elon Musk settles with SEC, to pay $20 million fine
By Karen Casto | The Mercury News
September 30, 2018
Filed under National News
Tesla CEO Elon Musk will give up his position as chairman of the company's board and pay a $20 million fine to settle a fraud complaint with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, the agency announced Saturday. He will remain CEO. The SEC sued Musk Thursday for misleading investors when he said...
Trump won’t ‘micromanage’ FBI’s Kavanaugh investigation, press secretary says
By Laura King | Los Angeles Times
September 30, 2018
Filed under National News
President Donald Trump is not seeking to "micromanage" the FBI's investigation of sexual-misconduct allegations against Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh, the White House press secretary said Sunday. Democrats raised concerns that important lines of inquiry were off limits to investigators. The...
Graham: Kavanaugh criticism ‘the most despicable thing’ he’s seen in politics
By Emma Dumain | McClatchy Washington Bureau
September 27, 2018
Filed under National News, Uncategorized
Sen. Lindsey Graham had kept quiet during Christine Blasey Ford's testimony that she was sexually assaulted by Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh in 1982. But by the time it was his turn to speak during Kavanaugh's rebuttal before the Senate Judiciary Committee, the South Carolina Republican became...
Jeff Flake remains conflicted on Kavanaugh nomination ahead of Friday vote
By Niels Lesniewski | CQ-Roll Call
September 27, 2018
Filed under National News
Sen. Jeff Flake, a member of the Judiciary Committee, sounded very conflicted Thursday evening following a meeting of the Senate Republican Conference on the Supreme Court nomination of Brett Kavanaugh. While the plan is for the judiciary panel to meet to markup the nomination Friday morning, the...
Botham Jean’s family to sue city of Dallas and former police officer, attorney says
By Dana Branham and Jennifer Emily | The Dallas Morning News
September 26, 2018
Filed under National News
The family of 26-year-old Botham Jean plans to sue the city of Dallas and the former Dallas police officer who shot him in his own apartment earlier this month. Attorney Lee Merritt said Allison and Bertrum Jean plan to file a federal lawsuit claiming excessive use of force by Amber Guyger. The...
Trump denounced ‘globalism’ at the UN — but what does that word really mean?
By Laura King | Los Angeles Times
September 26, 2018
Filed under National News
It was hardly the first time President Donald Trump had expressed his disdain for "globalism" — but his latest condemnation made the world sit up and take notice. "America is governed by Americans," he told the United Nations General Assembly on Tuesday. "We reject the ideology of globalism, and...
Led away in handcuffs, Bill Cosby will serve 3 to 10 years in prison for sexual assault
By Jenny Jarvie | Los Angeles Times
September 25, 2018
Filed under National News
Slowly, Bill Cosby removed the jacket of his navy pinstripe suit, undid his necktie and rolled up his sleeves before being handcuffed and led from the courtroom. "This is it; this is the day," said Tamara Green, a 70-year-old Cosby accuser who had traveled from San Diego to Pennsylvania to watch the...
Sen. Tim Scott could change his mind on backing Kavanaugh
By Emma Dumain | McClatchy Washington Bureau
September 25, 2018
Filed under National News
Sen. Tim Scott still backs Brett Kavanaugh to serve on the Supreme Court, but the South Carolina Republican also said he could change his mind. Scott's view is markedly different from most other GOP senators, who are not wavering in their support for Kavanaugh as he battles allegations of sexual misconduct...
Kavanaugh’s accuser commits to Thursday testimony
By Todd Ruger | CQ-Roll Call
September 23, 2018
Filed under National News
Christine Blasey Ford is now scheduled to testify Thursday morning at the Senate Judiciary Committee regarding her sexual assault allegation against Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh. The committee announced the rescheduling of Kavanaugh's continued confirmation hearing Sunday. The hearing had been...
Disneyland Resort hotel workers approve a new contract with a $15-an-hour minimum wage
By Hugo Martin | Los Angeles Times
September 23, 2018
Filed under National News
After months of demonstrations and protests, hotel workers at the Disneyland Resort in Anaheim overwhelmingly approved a contract that boosts hourly salaries by at least 40 percent over two years and clears the way for staff to get bonuses that were promised last year. The five-year contract establishes...
GOP congressman jokes Ruth Bader Ginsburg was groped by Abraham Lincoln
By By Lindsey McPherson | CQ-Roll Call
September 21, 2018
Filed under National News, Uncategorized
South Carolina Republican Rep. Ralph Norman opened an election debate Thursday by cracking a joke that attempted to play off the controversy over the sexual assault allegation against Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh. It did not go over well, according to a report from The Post and Courier. Norman,...
Duke Energy confirms new coal ash spill in North Carolina
By Will Doran | The News & Observer
September 20, 2018
Filed under National News
Duke Energy reported over the weekend that enough coal ash had spilled near one of its Wilmington power plants to nearly fill up an Olympic-sized swimming pool — and that a second coal ash site near Goldsboro was experiencing flooding but hadn't spilled yet. But Wednesday night, environmental activists...
Analysis: Primary challengers aren’t always more partisan in Congress
By Shawn Zeller | CQ-Roll Call
September 19, 2018
Filed under National News
It's often said that conservative challenges to Republican incumbents in primary elections — the prime example being Dave Brat's victory over House Majority Leader Eric Cantor in 2014 — have led to more polarization in Congress, with the challengers less willing to compromise than their predecessors. Now...
Rising waters continue to frustrate rescue efforts and residents, FEMA chief says after NC tour
By Molly Hennessy-Fiske | Los Angeles Times
September 18, 2018
Filed under National News
Rivers continued to rise out of their banks across the Carolinas on Tuesday, frustrating rescue efforts and residents hoping to return home. North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper and Brock Long, administrator of the Federal Emergency Management Agency, acknowledged the difficulties following a tour of flooded...
Obscure Pentagon fund nets $2 billion, sets pork senses tingling
By John M. Donnelly | CQ-Roll Call
September 18, 2018
Filed under National News
The Pentagon will soon have received about $2.3 billion in the last nine years — money the military never requested — for a special fund intended to help replace earmarks after Congress banned them, our analysis shows. Buried deep inside the $674.4 billion Defense spending measure for fiscal 2019...
Why even moderate Democrats are moving left and changing what it means to be centrist
By Alex Roarty | McClatchy Washington Bureau
September 17, 2018
Filed under National News
Betsy Rader's political agenda includes a check-list of liberal priorities: She unequivocally supports abortion rights, believes in universal health care, talks forcefully about the importance of gay rights, and — per an aide — is "incredibly dismayed" by President Donald Trump's immigration policy. So...
Brett Kavanaugh and accuser say they will testify about assault allegations
By Jennifer Haberkorn | Los Angelas Times
September 17, 2018
Filed under National News, Uncategorized
Supreme Court nominee Brett M. Kavanaugh's carefully planned confirmation — once seen as a sure bet — slipped into limbo Monday after he and the woman accusing him of a decades-old sexual assault offered to testify about the allegations. The Senate now appears increasingly unlikely to move ahead...
Violence Against Women Act extension included in stopgap spending deal
By Katherine Tully-McManus | CQ-Roll Call
September 14, 2018
Filed under National News
The Violence Against Women Act, which was set to expire Sept. 30, will be extended through Dec. 7 under a stopgap spending bill released Thursday. "Any program, authority or provision, including any pilot program, authorized under the Violence Against Women Reauthorization Act of 2013 shall continue...
Household incomes hit new high, but rate of health coverage flattens
September 12, 2018
Filed under National News
With unemployment steadily declining and more people working full time in year-round jobs, household incomes in the United States rose moderately last year, and the nation's poverty rate fell to the lowest point in more than a decade, according to new federal government data. But in another important...
FDA cracks down on e-cigarette makers amid ‘epidemic of nicotine addiction’ among youth
By Melissa Healy | Los Angeles Times
September 12, 2018
Filed under National News, Uncategorized
Responding to an "epidemic of nicotine addiction" among young Americans, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration on Wednesday announced a comprehensive crackdown on e-cigarette manufacturers, directing the industry's giants to draw up detailed plans for halting sales to minors and threatening to pull a...
Document details Dallas officer’s account of shooting; victim’s attorney tells different story
By Nichole Manna | Fort Worth Star-Telegram
September 11, 2018
Filed under National News
An arrest affidavit released Monday afternoon gives additional details of what happened the night a Dallas police officer shot and killed a 26-year-old man inside his apartment. Amber Guyger, 30, is charged with manslaughter in the death of Botham Shem Jean on Thursday night. She claimed she mistook...
LA’s only LGBTQ-focused coffee shop fights to survive
By Laura Newberry | Los Angeles Times
September 11, 2018
Filed under National News
Before she leaves her house in a dress or skirt, or anything else perceived as feminine, Willow Fields braces for a hard day. At best, she expects to be gawked at and misgendered by cashiers and ride-hailing drivers. At worst, she fears becoming the target of violence in a country where at least 28...
Wind and solar farms can make their own weather, including rain over the Sahara
By Karen Kaplan | Los Angeles Times
September 6, 2018
Filed under National News
You already know that using solar and wind power can influence the climate by reducing our dependence on heat-trapping fossil fuels. Now scientists say these renewable forms of energy can change the climate more directly — and do it in ways that might surprise you. If wind turbines and solar panels...
Republicans aren’t asking Kavanaugh about abortion; Graham’s going there
By Emma Dumain | McClatchy Washington Bureau
September 6, 2018
Filed under National News
Most Senate Republicans are avoiding mere mention of Roe v. Wade during this week's hearings on whether Brett Kavanaugh should become a Supreme Court justice. Sen. Lindsey Graham isn't one of them. The South Carolina Republican is readily, even eagerly, wading into the abortion debate. A senior member...
Kavanaugh sticks to his position on guns, dodges questions about abortion, presidential power
By David G. Savage, Jennifer Haberkorn, and Sarah D. Wire
September 5, 2018
Filed under National News
WASHINGTON — Judge Brett Kavanaugh on Wednesday defended his broad view of gun rights and restrictions on abortion for young immigrant women, but refused to say whether a president can be ordered to answer questions in a criminal investigation. Facing senators during a second day of his confirmation h...
Nike took a calculated risk with Colin Kaepernick ad, experts say
By Samantha Masunaga | Los Angeles Times
September 5, 2018
Filed under National News
Nike Inc.'s decision to feature Colin Kaepernick in its latest "Just Do It" advertising campaign predictably blew up the internet. In one video, Nike shoes were set on fire. John Rich, half of the country music duo Big & Rich, showed that his soundman had cut Nike's iconic swoosh off his socks....
Attorney general announces review of social media platforms after hearing
By David Pierson | Los Angeles Times
September 5, 2018
Filed under National News
Lawmakers on Capitol Hill questioned top executives at Facebook and Twitter on Wednesday about their companies' ability to thwart foreign interference, and hinted that industry regulations may be coming. The "size and reach of your platforms demand that we, as policymakers, do our job, to ensure proper...
Why sexual assault survivors are fuming over DeVos proposal
By David Jesse | Detroit Free Press
August 30, 2018
Filed under National News
Proposed changes to how the nation's colleges and universities handle sexual assault investigations left sexual assault survivors and victim rights organizations sputtering mad, claiming the moves would tip the playing field toward those accused of sexual assault. "Is ruining lives your version of a...
California legislators advance bill to set strongest net neutrality protections in U.S.
By Jazmine Ulloa | Los Angeles Times
August 30, 2018
Filed under National News
California lawmakers advanced an ambitious proposal Thursday to prevent broadband providers from hindering or manipulating access to the internet, bringing the state closer to enacting the strongest net neutrality protections in the country. The legislation by Sen. Scott Wiener, D-San Francisco, would...
Huge monitor lizard terrorizes Florida family with repeat visits
By Wayne K. Roustan
August 29, 2018
Filed under National News
A terrified Florida family has enlisted the help of trappers, hunting dogs and state wildlife officers to try to catch a monitor lizard that has made repeated visits to their home in Davie. It's an estimated 7 feet long, weighs approximately 150 pounds and has shown up in their backyard at least three...
3 big reasons behind Andrew Gillum’s upset victory in Fla. gubernatorial primary
By Anthony Man and Skyler Swisher
August 29, 2018
Filed under National News
Andrew Gillum's supporters and campaign team spent the final weeks of the primary campaign telling anyone who would listen that their candidate was surging, and would end up as the Democratic nominee for Florida governor. Few people listened. Then, on Tuesday night, he upset the presumed frontrunner,...
CFPB student loan ombudsman resigns, blasts Mulvaney
By Kellie Mejdrich | CQ-Roll Call
August 27, 2018
Filed under National News
The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau's Student Loan Ombudsman Seth Frotman resigned Monday, citing political differences at the agency under Acting Director Mick Mulvaney.
Several slain in mass shooting at Florida video game tournament
By Monique O. Madan and Glenn Garvin | Miami Herald
August 26, 2018
Filed under National News
Among the dead was 24-year-old David Katz of Baltimore, a defeated contestant in the tournament. Police say he killed himself after opening fire on other competitors.
Former Vatican envoy accuses Pope of hiding sexual abuse allegations
By Tracy Wilkinson and Simon Roughneen | Los Angeles Times
August 26, 2018
Filed under National News
The former envoy's 11-page broadside rocked the Roman Catholic world as Pope Francis finished a two-day visit to Ireland.
Makers of driverless cars want Congress to free them from state safety standards
By Eliza Fawcett, Los Angeles Times
July 12, 2018
Filed under National News
The House passed a bill last fall and similar legislation is pending in the Senate. Both aim to boost the driverless car industry by streamlining rules and preventing states from imposing their own safety and performance standards.
Parkland students who survived shooting file federal lawsuit
By Rafael Olmeda, Sun Sentinel
July 12, 2018
Filed under National News
The lawsuit specifically names Broward County, retired school resource officer Scot Peterson, Broward Sheriff's Office Capt. Jan Jordan and campus monitor Andrew Medina as defendants.
US withdraws from UN Human Rights Council
By Tracy Wilkinson | Tribune Washington Bureau
June 19, 2018
Filed under National News
WASHINGTON _ The Trump administration announced Tuesday it is withdrawing from the U.N. body that oversees human rights around the globe, saying the 47-nation council has shown an "unconscionable" bias against Israel and a blind willingness to ignore abuse elsewhere. The decision to leave the U.N....
Diplomats hustle to prepare for still-uncertain Trump-Kim summit in Singapore
By Eli Stokols and Tracy Wilkinson |Tribune Washington Bureau
May 29, 2018
Filed under National News
The Trump administration moved on multiple fronts Tuesday to prepare for a possible nuclear summit with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un in Singapore next month, as U.S. diplomats scrambled to revive the meeting that Trump had publicly scrapped last week. Most importantly, the White House said Secretary...
Study: Hurricane Maria’s death toll 70 times higher than Puerto Rican officials have reported
By Karen Kaplan and Amina Khan | L.A. Times
May 29, 2018
Filed under National News
Officials in Puerto Rico say that 64 people lost their lives after Hurricane Maria slammed into the island in September. A new report says that estimate is off _ by about 4,600. If the analysis is correct, it means that for every hurricane-related death that's currently on the books, another 70 fatalities...
Blue State AGs fight for their jobs while fending off Trump
By By Kartikay Mehrotra | Bloomberg News (TNS)
May 17, 2018
Filed under National News
SAN FRANCISCO — Democratic attorneys general spent the past 16 months suing the current administration at a record pace, often thwarting President Donald Trump’s most ambitious policy maneuvers with lawsuits questioning their constitutionality. While the most prominent of Trump’s critics, New ...
Stormy Daniels’ attorney Michael Avenatti accused of stiffing law partner on $2 million debt
By Michael Finnegan| Los Angelos Times (TNS)
May 17, 2018
Filed under National News
Michael Avenatti, the attorney for porn actress Stormy Daniels, broke his promise to make a $2 million payment that was due Tuesday under the settlement of his firm’s bankruptcy, a new lawsuit alleges. To resolve the bankruptcy, Avenatti promised in December to pay $4.85 million to Jason Frank, a fo...
Women reaching new levels in political donations
By Kate Ackley | CQ-Roll Call
May 16, 2018
Filed under National News
WASHINGTON—An unprecedented rise in female donors to political campaigns, fueled largely by opposition to President Donald Trump, continues to grow in the run-up to the 2018 elections. The number of women donating to federal candidates has surged by 182 percent when compared with this time in the 2016 ...
Supreme Court’s embrace of states’ rights could aid California in its battle with the Trump administration
By David G. Savage | Tribune Washington Bureau
May 16, 2018
Filed under National News
WASHINGTON — The Supreme Court decision upholding states’ rights to offer sports betting was backed mostly by conservative justices, but it may also give a boost to California and other liberal states that are defying the Trump administration’s drive for stricter immigration enforcement. At i...
Shkreli pledges to be ‘honest’ if he gets a break on prison time
By Patricia Hurtado | Bloomberg News
February 28, 2018
Filed under National News
A remorseful Martin Shkreli promised the judge who's going to sentence him next week that he'll be "more careful, open and honest" if she doesn't impose a long prison term, acknowledging "I was a fool. I should have known better." "I assure you that any mercy shown at sentencing will be met with a...
FBI and White House in open conflict over classified GOP memo
By Joseph Tanfani and Chris Megerian | Tribune Washington Bureau (TNS)
February 1, 2018
Filed under National News
In an extraordinary public break with the White House, the FBI warned Wednesday that it has "grave concerns" about the accuracy of a disputed Republican memo on secret surveillance during the 2016 campaign that President Donald Trump has promised to release. The FBI said it only had a "limited opportunity"...
Supreme Court signals it might block Pennsylvania ruling against partisan gerrymandering
By David G. Savage | Tribune Washington Bureau (TNS)
January 30, 2018
Filed under National News
The Supreme Court signaled Monday it may be open to blocking a state ruling on partisan gerrymandering at the behest of Pennsylvania's Republican leaders. Last week Pennsylvania's high court struck down the state's election districts on the grounds they were drawn to give the GOP a 13-5 majority of...
Women’s Marches nationwide set sights on ballot box while praising #MeToo
By By Laura King, Andrea Castillo and Nina Agrawal | Tribune Washington Bureau
January 21, 2018
Filed under National News
WASHINGTON _ In a boisterous coast-to-coast outpouring, hundreds of thousands of marchers in dozens of cities staged a reprise of last year's massive Women's March, seeking to not only deliver a powerful rebuke to the policies of President Donald Trump, but also mount a crucial mobilization for this...
Eagles blow out Vikings to earn franchise’s third trip to Super Bowl
By Sam Farmer | Los Angeles Times
January 21, 2018
Filed under National News
The Philadelphia Eagles secured a Super Bowl rematch Sunday, and denied the Minnesota Vikings in their bid to make history. Led by quarterback Nick Foles and a smothering defense, the Eagles posted a 38-7 victory over Minnesota before a towel-swirling crowd so raucous at Lincoln Financial Field that...
Turkey, ignoring US warnings, attacks Kurds in Syria
By Selcan Hacaoglu | Bloomberg News (TNS)
January 21, 2018
Filed under National News
Turkey pushed ahead with a ground offensive against Kurdish forces in northwest Syria — in defiance of the United States — to create what it called a security buffer along the border. Turkish soldiers moved into the town of Afrin Sunday morning, penetrating 3 miles from the Turkish border, NT...
As Trump announces ‘Fake News Awards,’ GOP senators assail his attacks on the press as anti-democratic
By Noah Bierman | Tribune Washington Bureau (TNS)
January 17, 2018
Filed under National News
On a day President Donald Trump promised to deliver "Fake News Awards," two Republican senators as well as several Democrats warned Wednesday that his unceasing attacks on a free press are undermining a fundamental tenet of democracy and emboldening despots abroad. Sen. Jeff Flake of Arizona, who...
Kansas lawmaker apologizes for racist comments on African-Americans, marijuana
By Jonathan Shorman and Hunter Woodall | Kansas City Star (TNS)
January 8, 2018
Filed under National News
A Kansas state lawmaker made racist comments about blacks and marijuana, saying that because of their "character makeup, their genetics" African-Americans had the worst response to the drug. He apologized Monday after mounting criticism. Republican state Rep. Steve Alford of Ulysses made the statements...
Behind Myanmar’s Rohingya crisis
By Shashank Bengali | Los Angeles Times
January 8, 2018
Filed under National News
MANDALAY, Myanmar — Myawady Sayadaw, a crimson-robed monk whose eyes dance behind round spectacles, casts himself as a genial warrior in Myanmar's long struggle against military rule. Inside his monastery stands a tall stone monument to students killed in pro-democracy protests. In 2007, he an...
Alabama, Georgia brace for bruising national-title battle
By David Wharton | Los Angeles Times
January 8, 2018
Filed under National News
This is the type of football game that Alabama wants. "Grimy, hard," linebacker Rashaan Evans says. "Physical, violent." This is the type of football game the Crimson Tide defense feels it was built for. "We always try to out-physical our opponents," defensive back Minkah Fitzpatrick said. "Get...
No. 15 Miami hold off No. 24 Florida State in basketball
By Michelle Kaufman | Miami Herald
January 8, 2018
Filed under National News
While most of the nation braced for record-breaking cold weather and ice storms on Sunday, South Florida warmed up significantly, as did the 15th-ranked University of Miami men's basketball team. Playing in front of a near-capacity crowd and 17 NBA scouts, the Hurricanes made 13 of their first 14...
North Korea accepts proposal for talks next week on Olympics
By Kanga Kong | Bloomberg News
January 8, 2018
Filed under National News
SEOUL, South Korea _ North Korea accepted a proposal to hold talks with South Korea on Tuesday aimed at reducing tensions ahead of the Winter Olympics next month. The agenda would include North Korea's offer to send a delegation to the Games as well as overall inter-Korean relations, South Korea's...
Bannon apologizes over damning portrait in book as White House presses defense of Trump
By Laura King | Tribune Washington Bureau
January 8, 2018
Filed under National News
With President Donald Trump cheering from the sidelines, the White House Sunday pressed its defense of the president's fitness to govern, as fired former aide Steve Bannon reversed course and apologized for his role in a new book's explosive portrait of Trump. The president's critics, meanwhile, said...
Bannon apologizes over damning portrait in book as White House presses defense of Trump
By Laura King | Tribune Washington Bureau (TNS)
January 7, 2018
Filed under National News
With President Donald Trump cheering from the sidelines, the White House Sunday pressed its defense of the president's fitness to govern, as fired former aide Steve Bannon reversed course and apologized for his role in a new book's explosive portrait of Trump. The president's critics, meanwhile, said...
Grand jury report: Penn State failed to properly monitor fraternities, hazing
By Susan Snyder | The Philadelphia Inquirer (TNS)
December 15, 2017
Filed under National News
Pennsylvania State University failed to properly monitor and discipline its fraternities for years, leading to life-threatening conditions and widespread violations of policies involving alcohol, according to a grand jury report released Friday. The long-awaited report on Greek life at Penn State...
Assault rifle, open-carry appeals rejected by Supreme Court
By Greg Stohr | Bloomberg News (TNS)
November 28, 2017
Filed under National News
The U.S. Supreme Court steered clear of the intensifying gun debate after the mass shootings in Nevada and Texas, turning away two appeals from firearms advocates, including one that sought a constitutional right to own a semi-automatic assault rifle. The justices, without comment Monday, left intact...
Rep. John Conyers quits House committee post amid sexual harassment probe
By Tracy Wilkinson | Tribune Washington Bureau (TNS)
November 26, 2017
Filed under National News
Sexual abuse allegations continued to roil U.S. politics Sunday, with Democrat Rep. John Conyers Jr. stepping down from a powerful House post and President Donald Trump again voicing support for Republican Alabama Senate candidate Roy Moore. Conyers announced he was stepping down as ranking member...
Zimbabwe’s Mugabe remains president, at least temporarily, after ruling party fires him
By Robyn Dixon | Los Angeles Times (TNS)
November 19, 2017
Filed under National News
Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe, who was widely expected to resign Sunday after the ruling party sacked him and threatened to impeach him if he did not leave office, conceded a need for change but remained in the leadership post. Mugabe, stripped of executive power when the military took control...
House passes its tax reform plan as Senate version comes under new attack
By Lisa Mascaro and Jim Puzzanghera | Tribune Washington Bureau (TNS)
November 17, 2017
Filed under National News
House Republicans approved their sweeping tax-cut package Thursday, setting up a showdown with the Senate, where Republicans are struggling to win support for their own significantly different approach. Senate GOP leaders, after making some revisions this week, are facing mounting dissent and criticism...
Sparked by #MeToo campaign, sexual assault survivors rally and march in Hollywood
By Brittny Mejia | Los Angeles Times (TNS)
November 12, 2017
Filed under National News
Some wore T-shirts with the words "Me Too" emblazoned across the front, while others held up signs that said "No more sexual abuse" and "Rape is not a joke." On Sunday, several hundred survivors of sexual harassment and assault and their supporters gathered in front of the Dolby Theatre in Hollywood...
GOP’s Roy Moore pushed to quit Senate race after accusation he molested 14-year-old girl
By Michael Finnegan | Los Angeles Times (TNS)
November 9, 2017
Filed under National News
Republicans' lock on an Alabama seat in the U.S. Senate was thrown into doubt Thursday when the party's religious-right candidate was accused of initiating a sexual encounter with a 14-year-old girl when he was 32. The explosive allegation, in a Washington Post report, led Senate GOP leader Mitch...
Carter Page tells Russia probe he’s ‘biggest embarrassment’ to Trump
By Billy House | Bloomberg News (TNS)
November 6, 2017
Filed under National News
Carter Page, a foreign policy adviser to President Donald Trump's 2016 presidential campaign, refused last week to give a congressional committee documents related to the Russia investigation because he said they might not all "match up" with information from earlier wiretaps that caught his conversations. The...
26 dead in Texas church shooting, with children among the victims
By Matt Pearce and John Savage | Los Angeles Times
November 5, 2017
Filed under National News
At least 26 people were shot and killed Sunday when a 26-year-old gunman dressed in black opened fire at a Baptist church in a small town near San Antonio. An additional 20 people were injured in the attack, which happened as a church service was underway at First Baptist Church in the town of Sutherland...
Indictment expected from Mueller’s probe into Trump campaign aides
By David Willman | Tribune Washington Bureau (TNS)
October 29, 2017
Filed under National News
One of two former top strategists for the Trump campaign is "likely" to face indictment as early as Monday, a senior Democrat said Sunday, previewing what would be the first criminal charges in the intensifying probe led by special counsel Robert S. Mueller III into current and former members of President...
Trump divide trickles down to colleges
By Teresa Watanabe and Rosanna Xia | Los Angeles Times (TNS)
October 22, 2017
Filed under National News
LOS ANGELES — University of California, Irvine senior Ariana Rowlands is buddies with Milo Yiannopoulos, the right-wing provocateur who has sparked campus uproars over free speech. She writes for Steve Bannon’s Breitbart News. And she is unapologetically combative in campus culture wars. Leesa Danze...
38 women have come forward to accuse director James Toback of sexual harassment
By Glenn Whipp | Los Angeles Times (TNS)
October 22, 2017
Filed under National News
He prowled the streets of Manhattan looking for attractive young women, usually in their early 20s, sometimes college students, on occasion a high schooler. He approached them in Central Park, standing in line at a bank or drug store or at a copy center while they worked on their resumes. His opening...
Florida Republican who once claimed alien abduction announces House bid
By Griffin Connolly | Roll Call (TNS)
October 16, 2017
Filed under National News
Either Bettina Rodriguez Aguilera has been watching too much Syfy Channel or she's really just that special. We'll probably never know for sure. No matter, the 59-year-old Republican, who once recalled in an interview a visit from three blond-haired aliens who took her aboard their spacecraft, is...
276 killed in Somalia’s worst-ever bomb attack
By Robyn Dixon | Los Angeles Times (TNS)
October 15, 2017
Filed under National News
Hundreds of Somalis marched in the streets of Mogadishu on Sunday to protest a deadly blast that killed 276 people in a busy shopping district in the country's deadliest single bomb attack. About 300 others were reported injured in the attack, Information Minister Abdirahman O. Osman said. It occurred...
10 at LSU charged in alleged hazing that killed freshman
By Alexis Stevens | The Atlanta Journal-Constitution (TNS)
October 12, 2017
Filed under National News
ATLANTA — The arrests of 10 people associated with a college fraternity for an alleged hazing incident that killed a freshman are intended to send a tough message: Louisiana State University will not tolerate the alcohol-fueled behavior. But the arrests alone may do little to end a campus tradition t...
No evidence of shooting at USC after lockdown, search, LAPD says
By Richard Winton, Tracy Boucher and Joseph Serna | Los Angeles Times (TNS)
October 5, 2017
Filed under National News
LOS ANGELES — Los Angeles police said they found no evidence of a shooting on the University of Southern California campus Monday after reports of gunfire prompted a lockdown and a huge LAPD response. “No danger to community,” the LAPD said on Twitter after completing a search of campus build...
Rep. Tim Murphy announces he will not seek re-election
By Tracie Mauriello and Chris Potter | Pittsburgh Post-Gazette (TNS)
October 4, 2017
Filed under National News
Congressman Tim Murphy, R-Pa., announced Wednesday that he will not seek re-election. "After discussions with my family and staff, I have come to the decision that I will not seek reelection to Congress at the end of my current term," Murphy said in a statement. "I plan to spend my remaining months...
Anthony Scaramucci’s back. This time, he’s running his own news site
By Katie Glueck | McClatchy Washington Bureau (TNS)
October 2, 2017
Filed under National News
The last time much of America heard from Anthony Scaramucci, he was spewing graphic insults at White House colleagues in an infamous New Yorker interview and was promptly fired. That was about 60 days ago. Scaramucci is counting. But as he kicked back with a cauliflower steak in the softly lit...
From China to Las Vegas, the NHL has a lot going on
By Helene Elliott | Los Angeles Times
October 2, 2017
Filed under National News
The NHL will begin its second century with a franchise in Las Vegas, its marketing sights set on China, and its players unhappy that they can't compete in the 2018 Winter Olympics. None of those concepts would have made sense to the men who gathered at the Windsor Hotel in Montreal on Nov. 26, 1917...
Spanish leader unrepentant for crackdown on Catalan referendum
By Esteban Duarte and Maria Tadeo | Bloomberg (TNS)
October 1, 2017
Filed under National News
Spanish Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy said Sunday that his government's efforts to disrupt a referendum on independence in Catalonia had succeeded, despite hundreds of injuries as police tried to stop the voting. While pledging to bring parties together with talks starting Monday, Rajoy made no apology...
Health Secretary Tom Price says he will reimburse government for charter flights
By Noam Levey | Tribune Washington Bureau (TNS)
September 28, 2017
Filed under National News
Health and Human Services Secretary Tom Price, who faces mounting criticism over his use of charter flights for routine travel around the country, said Thursday he would personally reimburse the federal government for the travel. "I regret the concerns this has raised regarding the use of taxpayer...
USC assistant coach Tony Bland among 10 charged in college basketball corruption probe
By Nathan Fenno | Los Angeles Times (TNS)
September 26, 2017
Filed under National News
LOS ANGELES — Federal prosecutors have charged USC assistant men's basketball coach Tony Bland with conspiracy to commit bribery, soliciting a bribe and wire fraud as part of a wide-ranging series of indictments related to fraud and corruption in college basketball. Arizona assistant Emanuel Richardson,...
Trump administration says it won’t budge on deadline for ‘Dreamers’
By Patricia Hurtado | Bloomberg News (TNS)
September 26, 2017
Filed under National News
The Trump administration says it won't budge on an Oct. 5 deadline for young immigrants who were brought to the U.S. as children by undocumented immigrants to renew their permits to work legally in the U.S., prompting a judge to label the government's stance "unacceptable." U.S. District Judge Nicholas...
California suspends medical license of former USC dean tied to drug use
By Paul Pringle and Adam Elmahrek | Los Angeles Times (TNS)
September 26, 2017
Filed under National News
LOS ANGELES — The Medical Board of California has suspended the license of former University of Southern California medical school dean Carmen Puliafito pending a final decision on his fitness to practice medicine. The medical board opened an inquiry into Puliafito after a Los Angeles Times inves...