In his inaugural address one year ago, Gov. Gavin Newsom said of California, “This is where America’s future is made. This is our charge. That is our calling.” Gov. Newsom has had a full year, and a supermajority of Democrats in the Legislature. And yet with this power and ability...
Australian PM's Leadership Criticized During Wildfire Crisis
CANBERRA, Australia — As his country burned, Australia's prime minister was cursed and jeered out of a town, called an “idiot,” a “moron” and worse, and skewered at home and abroad for his dismissive response toward climate change. Australia’s deadly wildfires have proven to be not just a crisis for...
Aerosmith Named MusiCare's 2020 Person of the Year
SANTA MONICA — An organization that helps music professionals who need financial, personal or medical assistance will honor Aerosmith as its 2020 person of the year. MusiCares announced Friday it will recognize the four-time Grammy-winning band for its philanthropic efforts and for its impact on American music over five decades....
Iran’s Supreme Leader: No Talks With the US at Any Level
DUBAI, United Arab Emirates — Iran's supreme leader said Tuesday "there will be no talks with the U.S. at any level"— remarks apparently meant to end all speculation about a possible U.S.-Iran meeting between the two countries' presidents at the U.N. later this month. Iranian state TV quoted Ayatollah Ali...
Biden: Trump 'Fanning the Flames of White Supremacy'
BURLINGTON, Iowa — Joe Biden on Wednesday accused President Donald Trump of "fanning the flames of white supremacy" in his most aggressive attack yet on the character of the man he would like to defeat in 2020. "Trump offers no moral leadership," Biden declared in Burlington, Iowa. The president "seems...
'Mayor Pete' Joins 2020 Dem Race as Face of New Generation
SOUTH BEND, Ind. — Pete Buttigieg, the little-known Indiana mayor who has risen to prominence in the early stages of the 2020 Democratic presidential race, made his official campaign entrance Sunday by claiming the mantle of a youthful generation ready to reshape the country. "I recognize the audacity of doing this as...
Lies? Truth? Neither Side Backs Down in Explosive Trustee Debate
An explosive battle between two State Center trustees over one’s nomination as board vice president led to the district engaging in a fact-finding mission. At the Dec. 11 board meeting — the first meeting of the new term — Trustee Bobby Kahn objected to colleague Eric Payne’s nomination as board...
Pelosi Nominated by Dems for Speaker, But There Are Dissenters
WASHINGTON — Nancy Pelosi was nominated by fellow House Democrats to be speaker on Wednesday, but she still faces a showdown vote when the full House convenes in January. Pelosi entered the closed-door caucus election in an unusual position -- running unopposed despite the clamor by some Democrats for new...
Obama Foundation Awards Local Nonprofit $50K Grant
President Barack Obama's My Brother's Keeper Alliance has awarded Fresno Boys & Men of Color a $50,000 grant for its work in improving the lives of underprivileged youth. For Efrain Botello, the grant is an indicator of the hard work he and other youth leaders put into their community. "It is...