NEW YORK — Facing intense scrutiny from President Donald Trump and his Republican allies, Hunter Biden says he will step down from the board of directors of a Chinese-backed private equity firm at the end of the month as part of a pledge not to work on behalf of any...
Walters: Holding Schools Accountable
Educational accountability is attracting a lot of political attention — or perhaps lip service — these days in California. Gov. Gavin Newsom has signed two bills touted as bringing more accountability to education. One, Assembly Bill 1505, applies new controls on charter schools that receive public funds but are independently managed...
E-Cigarette Maker Juul Facing Mounting Scrutiny by State AGs
WASHINGTON — E-cigarette giant Juul Labs is facing mounting scrutiny from state law enforcement officials, with the attorneys general in Illinois and the District of Columbia investigating how the company's blockbuster vaping device became so popular with underage teens, The Associated Press has learned. The company's rapid rise to the...
Federal New York Lockup Draws New Scrutiny in Epstein Death
NEW YORK — The apparent suicide of Jeffrey Epstein has brought new scrutiny to a federal jail in New York that, despite chronic understaffing, houses some of the highest-security inmates in the country. Epstein's death is also the latest black eye for the U.S. Bureau of Prisons, the jail's parent agency that...
Should Deputies Provide Security for Men-Only Bohemian Club?
SAN FRANCISCO — An annual retreat in California put on by an elite club whose ranks included former Presidents Ronald Reagan and Richard Nixon and powerful business leaders is facing scrutiny for excluding women after female county supervisors questioned whether they should continue allowing sheriff's deputies to provide security for...
Barr Says ‘I Think Spying Did Occur’ on Trump Campaign
WASHINGTON — Attorney General William Barr declared Wednesday he believes "spying did occur" on Donald Trump's presidential campaign, suggesting the origins of the Russia investigation may have been mishandled and aligning himself with the president at a time when Barr's independence is under scrutiny. Barr, appearing before a Senate panel,...
How 65 Women Came to Kavanaugh's Defense in Matter of Hours
NEW YORK — It started as a series of phone calls among old high-school friends and ended up embroiling 65 women in the firestorm over a sexual assault allegation that could shape the Supreme Court. In a matter of hours, they all signed onto a letter rallying behind high court nominee and...