NEW YORK — Nobel laureate Toni Morrison, a pioneer and reigning giant of modern literature whose imaginative power in "Beloved," ''Song of Solomon" and other works transformed American letters by dramatizing the pursuit of freedom within the boundaries of race, has died at age 88. Publisher Alfred A. Knopf announced...
Democrats' Internal Battle Over Health Care Goes Back Decades
WASHINGTON — Seventy years ago, before Medicare existed to inspire "Medicare for All," a Democratic president wrestled with a challenge strikingly similar to what the party's White House hopefuls face today on the issue of health care. Harry Truman, then in his fourth year of pressing for a national health...
Debate Takeaways: Democratic Divisions Intensify
DETROIT — From the beginning, Joe Biden knew he would take heat at Wednesday's presidential debate. He was right — but he was not alone. The evening marked some of the toughest attacks California Sen. Kamala Harris has faced as a candidate. The exchanges were part of a broader ideological fight...
Interview: Kamala Harris on Race and Her Electability in 2020
NEW ORLEANS — Kamala Harris can't forget the older black woman she met in Iowa while campaigning for Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama before the state's 2008 caucus. "I remember her saying to me, 'They're not going to let him win,'" Harris recalled. "She did not want to go to...
Poll: Trump Isn't Getting a Boost from Strong US Economy
WASHINGTON — The solid economy is doing little to bolster support for President Donald Trump. Americans give Trump mixed reviews for his economic stewardship despite the growth achieved during this presidency, according to a new survey by The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research. Nearly two-thirds describe as "good"...
Walters: A Cross-Continental Game of Political Chicken
There are dozens of cross-continental disputes between the Trump administration in Washington and California’s Democrat-dominated state government, most manifesting themselves in lawsuits. However, few if any surpass in importance their conflict over how much greenhouse gases cars will be allowed to emit in the future. The federal government saved General...
Amid Urgent Climate Warnings, EPA Gives Coal a Reprieve
WASHINGTON — Amid scientists' increasingly urgent warnings, the Trump administration ordered a sweeping about-face Wednesday on Obama-era efforts to fight climate change, easing restrictions on coal-fired power plants in a move it predicted would revitalize America's sagging coal industry. As miners in hard hats and coal-country lawmakers applauded, Environmental Protection...
Some House Members Considering Taking a Pay Raise This Year
WASHINGTON — Some senior House lawmakers, frustrated by a decade of frozen congressional salaries, are quietly exploring whether to accept an annual pay raise that they've shunned since Barack Obama was first president. It's a longshot at best, requiring comity that's in short supply in a Capitol riven with partisanship....
Beto O’Rourke Hires Obama Delegate Guru Jeff Berman
WASHINGTON — Beto O'Rourke has hired one of the masterminds behind Barack Obama's unlikely 2008 primary victory, part of the Democratic candidate's efforts to balance his freewheeling style with the organizational demands of a presidential campaign. Delegate guru Jeff Berman began working for O'Rourke in April. In his role as...
Obamas Unveil Slate of Series, Documentaries for Netflix
NEW YORK — Barack and Michelle Obama on Tuesday unveiled a slate of projects they are preparing for Netflix, a year after the former president and first lady signed a deal with the streaming platform. The Obamas' production company, Higher Ground Productions, on Tuesday announced a total of seven films...