It’s a presidential election year, so what can California voters anticipate between now and Nov. 3? For one thing, not much presidential politicking, even though we’ve advanced our presidential primary from June to March in hopes of making California more than an ATM machine to finance campaigns in other states....
McConnell: GOP will Start Impeachment Trial, Delay Witnesses
WASHINGTON — Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell said Tuesday he has secured the Republican votes needed to start President Donald Trump’s impeachment trial and postpone a decision on witnesses or documents that Democrats want. McConnell is expected to launch the trial as soon as House Speaker Nancy Pelosi sends the articles of...
Bloomberg Sees California as Model on Climate Change, Guns
LOS ANGELES — Mike Bloomberg's plan for California - export it. The Democratic presidential candidate and former New York City mayor likes a lot of what he sees in the Golden State and thinks its efforts on climate change, gun control and criminal justice reform set a benchmark for other...
Bolton Willing to Testify in Impeachment Trial If Subpoenaed
WASHINGTON — Former White House national security adviser John Bolton said Monday that he is “prepared to testify” if he is subpoenaed by the Senate in its impeachment trial of President Donald Trump, a surprise statement that bolstered Democrats in their push for new witnesses. Bolton, who left the White House in...
Julián Castro Endorses Elizabeth Warren in Presidential Race
WASHINGTON — Former Obama administration housing chief Julián Castro is endorsing Elizabeth Warren's presidential bid, saying the Massachusetts senator is “the most qualified, best-equipped candidate to win the nomination” and defeat President Donald Trump. In an online video posted Monday featuring the two former 2020 White House rivals, Castro tells Warren, “No...
Congress Demands Answers From Trump About Soleimani Killing
WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump insists that Iranian cultural sites are fair game for the U.S. military, dismissing concerns within his own administration that doing so could constitute a war crime under international law. He also warned Iraq that he would levy punishing sanctions if it expelled American troops in...
AP Fact Check: Pence Misleadingly Links Iran General to 9/11
WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump closed out the old year by reprising a selection of his most familiar falsehoods and putting a few of his predecessor's accomplishments in his own win column. His vice president, seeking to justify the U.S. military’s targeted killing of a top Iranian general, helped begin...
Valley Congressmen Split on Trump Decision to Kill Iranian General
Iranian Gen. Qassem Soleimani helped oversee Iran's policy of state-sponsored terrorism that killed and injured thousands of people in the Mideast, and his death from a U.S drone strike early Friday was justified — and long overdue, U.S. Rep. Devin Nunes said Friday. But U.S. Rep. Jim Costa said other...
Cox: Trump Must Consult With Congress on Middle East
President Donald Trump must consult with Congress before taking any further action in the Middle East, where tensions intensified Friday after a U.S. military drone killed Iran's top general, U.S. Rep. TJ Cox said. The Trump administration has thus far not provided Congress with either clear objectives or alternatives to...
US Sending 3,000 Troops in Response to Iran Threat
BAGHDAD — Iran vowed “harsh retaliation” for a U.S. airstrike near Baghdad's airport that killed a top Iranian general who had been the architect of its interventions across the Middle East, and the U.S. announced Friday it was sending more troops to the region as tensions soared in the wake of the...