Hours after sheltering in place in the House of Representative, Congressman Jim Costa said rioters who breached the U.S. Capitol are "traitorous." Costa (D-Fresno) spoke to the media from his Washington, DC office via Zoom. The Capitol was in lockdown and a 6 p.m. curfew in the District was already...
Congress Set to Confirm Biden’s Electoral Win Over Trump
WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump’s extraordinary effort to overturn the presidential election is going before Congress as lawmakers convene for a joint session to confirm the Electoral College vote won by Joe Biden. The typically routine proceeding Wednesday will be anything but, a political confrontation unseen to such intensity since the aftermath...
Fresno Woman Prepares to Cast Electoral College Ballots for President, VP
Marsha Conant was surprised to learn she'd have a role to play in the final step needed to confirm the next president and vice president of the United States. The Fresno woman has been picked to serve as a member of the Electoral College and will cast one of California's...
Vision 2020: Electoral College vs Popular Vote in America
WASHINGTON — Election Question: Why is it that one candidate can win the popular vote but another wins the electoral vote and thus the presidency? Answer: That’s how the framers of the Constitution set it up. This unique system of electing presidents is a big reason why Donald Trump won the presidency...
Supreme Court to Decide the Future of the Electoral College
Many Americans are surprised to learn that in U.S. presidential elections, the members of the Electoral College do not necessarily have to pick the candidate the voters in their state favored. Or do they? This month the Supreme Court will rule on the independent powers of electors, which will determine...
Trump's Unpopular But Base Is Growing and He Likely Will Win Again
Donald Trump is the first president to ever be elected while being actively disliked by the majority of Americans. Trump was also the first person elected president who was significantly less popular than his counterpart. Most Americans have heard of presidents losing the popular vote but winning the election. But...
Fact Check: Trump's Falsehoods on Electoral College, Border Wall
WASHINGTON — An eye toward his 2020 campaign, President Donald Trump is turning to a familiar playbook of exaggerated boasts about economic performance and overdrawn complaints about a race tilted against him. He insisted the Electoral College gives Democrats a "big advantage" in U.S. presidential elections, making it difficult for...
Immigrant-Heavy GOP States OK with Census Citizen Question
PHOENIX — It's not just Democratic-leaning states at risk of losing federal money and clout in Congress if the Supreme Court says the upcoming census can include a citizenship question. Fast-growing Arizona, Florida and Texas all have large groups of immigrants, especially Hispanics, who might choose to sit out the...
Someone Has to Give. Will it be Rest of U.S. or California?
Opinion By Joe Mathews America is terribly polarized. And it’s all on account of California. The trouble is not merely that California itself is such a politically polarized place. Or that California contributes to the many causes of polarization: partisan media, cultural atomization, large-scale political fundraising, technological change, economic anxiety,...
Someone Has to Give. Will it be Rest of U.S. or California?
Opinion By Joe Mathews America is terribly polarized. And it’s all on account of California. The trouble is not merely that California itself is such a politically polarized place. Or that California contributes to the many causes of polarization: partisan media, cultural atomization, large-scale political fundraising, technological change, economic anxiety,...