ATLANTA — Democrat Raphael Warnock won one of Georgia’s two Senate runoffs Wednesday, becoming the first Black senator in his state’s history and putting the Senate majority within the party's reach. A pastor who spent the past 15 years leading the Atlanta church where Martin Luther King Jr. preached, Warnock defeated Republican...
Pelosi Shreds Trump's Speech. Right There on the Podium.
WASHINGTON — And then she tore up the speech. No sooner had President Donald Trump finished his State of the Union address than House Speaker Nancy Pelosi ripped the paper it was printed on in two. Right there, on camera, behind Trump's back. As he stepped down, she ripped again. Then a...
Little and No Choice in Many Californian Legislative Races
SACRAMENTO — Millions of Californians have little or no choice when it comes to choosing a state legislator. In 24 of the 100 districts on the ballot, only candidates from one party are running. And in 15 of those districts, the incumbent lawmaker is unopposed and all but assured of...
California Threatened With Funds Loss Over Abortion Coverage
WASHINGTON — The Trump administration on Friday threatened California with a potential loss of federal health care funds over the state's requirement that insurance plans cover abortions. The announcement, timed to coincide with the anti-abortion March for Life in the nation's capital, came hours before President Donald Trump was scheduled...
24 Hours In, Senators Flout Quaint Impeachment Rules
WASHINGTON — So much for the Senate's quaint rules and tradition. Almost immediately after Chief Justice John Roberts gaveled in Wednesday's session of President Donald Trump's impeachment trial, bored and weary senators started openly flouting some basic guidelines in a chamber that prizes decorum. A Democrat in the back row leaned...
Walters: Winnowing Legislative Grain From Chaff
During the pre-industrial era, crops of wheat were planted, cultivated, harvested and processed by hand. The latter included “winnowing,” typically by using a shallow basket to toss the crushed kernels of wheat into the air, allowing the wind to separate edible grain from the lighter and disposable chaff. The term...
Gov. Newsom Had 'Baptism by Fire' in 1st Year
SACRAMENTO — During his inaugural address last January, Gov. Gavin Newsom made only a passing reference to wildfires and never mentioned the state's largest utility, Pacific Gas & Electric. Both soon became inescapable topics. PG&E filed for bankruptcy barely three weeks after the Democratic governor was sworn in, triggering a series of...
Gender Gap Opens Among Hispanics Who Could Be Key in 2020
COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. — Yolanda Avila and Andres Pico are friends who sit next to each other on the Colorado Springs' city council. But politically the two couldn't be further apart — Avila is a durable Democrat and Pico an unflinching Republican. It's a split that's common across the country,...
Nunes' Reliably Red District Remains So, But Is Slipping
Republican Devin Nunes has represented the Central Valley in Congress for the last 17 years, over nine terms. And, he's running for his 10th term in 2020. Recently released voter registration figures from the Secretary of State shows that the district remains red — but less so than in the...
GOP's Cookingham Likes His Chances in Valley's Blue CA-16
Many Republicans have tried to knock off Jim Costa since the congressman representing Fresno and the Central Valley first won federal office in 2004. Some have come close, like Johnny Tacherra in 2014 — to the point he attended freshman orientation in Washington, D.C. — before Costa was declared the...