Today: October 10, 2024
Today: October 10, 2024

Latest From The Los Angeles Post

Political

Kamala Harris has tied the record for the most tie-breaking votes in Senate history – a brief overview of what vice presidents do

Vice President Kamala Harris arrives to cast a tiebreaking vote in the U.S. Senate. Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images On Jan. 20, 2021, Kamala Harris became the first African American, the first person of South Asian descent and the first woman to serve as vice president of the United States. More recently, she made history again by casting her 31st tie-breaking vote in the Senate, matching only one other vice president’s record for such votes. John C. Calhoun, who was vice president from 1825 to 1832, needed all eight years of his term to reach that number. In contrast, Harris has only

Kamala Harris has tied the record for the most tie-breaking votes in Senate history – a brief overview of what vice presidents do
Political

DeSantis replaces his campaign manager as he continues a reset of his 2024 presidential bid

Republican presidential candidate Ron DeSantis is replacing his campaign manager as the Florida governor continues to reset his stagnant presidential campaign. The Florida governor is bringing on James Uthmeier, his chief of staff from his state office, to serve as his campaign manager, replacing Generra Peck, who led DeSantis’ reelection campaign last year before jumping into the same role on his presidential bid. Peck will stay on as a strategist. The changes come after DeSantis made two big staff cuts in the past few weeks, laying off about a third of his staff in late July

DeSantis replaces his campaign manager as he continues a reset of his 2024 presidential bid
Political

Pence says he's now met polling and donor qualifications for first Republican debate

Former Vice President Mike Pence announced Tuesday he has qualified for the first Republican debate of the 2024 presidential cycle, securing the required number of donors with just two weeks until candidates gather in Milwaukee. According to his campaign, Pence has amassed 40,000 unique donors, checking off the final debate requirement set by the Republican National Committee. His advisers say he did so quickly, nine weeks after launching his campaign. Pence had long ago met the RNC’s polling requirements for the Aug. 23 debate — at least 1% in three high-quality national polls or a mix

Pence says he's now met polling and donor qualifications for first Republican debate
Political

Who's in, who's out: A look at which candidates have qualified for the 1st GOP presidential debate

With two weeks until the first Republican presidential debate of the 2024 campaign, eight candidates say they have met qualifications to be on stage in Milwaukee, with former Vice President Mike Pence announcing this week he had secured enough donors. But a handful of candidates in the broad GOP field are running short on time to make the cut. To qualify for the Aug. 23 debate, candidates need to satisfy polling and donor requirements set by the Republican National Committee: at least 1% in three high-quality national polls or a mix of national and early-state polls,

Who's in, who's out: A look at which candidates have qualified for the 1st GOP presidential debate
Political

Harris says new rule means 'thousands of extra dollars' for workers on federal construction projects

Vice President Kamala Harris on Tuesday announced changes to labor rules that could give higher wages to construction workers on federal projects. Harris will say in a speech in Philadelphia that the Labor Department has provided the first update in decades to the Davis-Bacon Act of 1931, a law that requires the payment of prevailing local wages on public works. The new rule is something of a return to the past in that it will use the definition of prevailing wage that the Labor Department previously used from 1935 to 1983, likely raising the hourly earnings of

Harris says new rule means 'thousands of extra dollars' for workers on federal construction projects
Political

Medical exploitation of Black people in America goes far beyond the cells stolen from Henrietta Lacks that produced modern day miracles

A photo of Henrietta Lacks sits in the living room of her grandson. Jonathan Newton/The Washington Post via Getty Images In a case that revealed the exploitation of a Black woman beginning in the 1950s and extending for 70 years, Thermo Fisher Scientific Inc. settled a lawsuit that the estate of Henrietta Lacks had filed against the biotech firm for its role in what the lawsuit called “a racially unjust medical system.” In 1951, Lacks was diagnosed with cervical cancer at Johns Hopkins Hospital in Baltimore, one of the only hospitals in the area that would treat African Americans at

Medical exploitation of Black people in America goes far beyond the cells stolen from Henrietta Lacks that produced modern day miracles
Political

When Confederate-glorifying monuments went up in the South, voting in Black areas went down

Demonstrators hold Confederate flags near the monument for Confederacy President Jefferson Davis on June 25, 2015, in Richmond, Va., after it was spray-painted with the phrase ‘Black Lives Matter.’ AP Photo/Steve Helber Confederate monuments burst into public consciousness in 2015 when a shooting at a historically Black church in Charleston, South Carolina, instigated the first broad calls for their removal. The shooter intended to start a race war and had posed with Confederate imagery in photos posted online. Monument removal efforts grew in 2017 after a counterprotester was killed at the Unite the Right rally in Charlottesville, Virginia, where white

When Confederate-glorifying monuments went up in the South, voting in Black areas went down
Political

Mississippi candidates for statewide offices square off in party primaries

A bitter Republican primary for lieutenant governor is one of several races to watch in Mississippi party primaries. Republicans currently hold all eight statewide offices and a majority in the state House and Senate. Polls are open 7 a.m.-7 p.m. Tuesday. Primary runoffs are Aug. 29. The general election is Nov. 7, with runoffs Nov. 28. Here is a preview of statewide contests: LIEUTENANT GOVERNOR Republican incumbent Delbert Hosemann is challenged by state Sen. Chris McDaniel and educator Tiffany Longino. In November, the Republican primary winner will face business consult D. Ryan Grover, who is unopposed

Mississippi candidates for statewide offices square off in party primaries
Political

Proposed constitutional change before Ohio voters could determine abortion rights in the state

Ohio concludes a hastily called and highly charged special election Tuesday, a contest that could determine the fate of abortion rights in the state and fuel political playbooks nationally heading into 2024. On the ballot is Issue 1, a proposal to raise the threshold for passing future changes to the state’s constitution from a simple majority to 60%. But more passionately in the sights of the proposal’s backers — including Republican officeholders — is a proposed constitutional amendment on the November ballot that calls for enshrining access to reproductive care in the state’s foundational document. The

Proposed constitutional change before Ohio voters could determine abortion rights in the state
Political

Mississippi Gov. Reeves faces 2 GOP rivals in Tuesday's primary, while Democrat Presley is unopposed

Gov. Tate Reeves is hoping to breeze past two political newcomers in the state’s primary election Tuesday and secure the Republican nomination as he seeks a second term, setting up a general election contest with Democrat Brandon Presley. Reeves says Mississippi has momentum with a low unemployment rate and steady job growth, while Presley — a cousin of rock ’n’ roll icon Elvis Presley — says Reeves is out of touch with people who struggle to make ends meet in one of the poorest states of the U.S. Presley is running unopposed for the Democratic nomination.

Mississippi Gov. Reeves faces 2 GOP rivals in Tuesday's primary, while Democrat Presley is unopposed
Political

Republicans are talking up the possibility of impeaching Biden. Is it what voters want to hear?

Bill Mehlem recalls a time when his politics generally aligned with conservatives, enthusiastically backing Republicans such as John McCain during his 2008 presidential campaign. But the stay-at-home dad has grown dismayed with the tempestuous GOP molded by former President Donald Trump, who is now seeking a return to the White House. And the threat of a Republican-led impeachment inquiry into President Joe Biden’s family finances and the churning U.S. House probes of his son, Hunter Biden, have left Mehlem indignant, angry and remembering why he’s a political independent. “It’s all about revenge politics to keep

Republicans are talking up the possibility of impeaching Biden. Is it what voters want to hear?
Political

Biden to announce historic Grand Canyon monument designation during Arizona visit

President Joe Biden will use his visit to Arizona on Tuesday to formally announce a national monument designation for the greater Grand Canyon, making Native American tribes’ and environmentalists’ decades-long vision to preserve the land a reality. Biden is expected to announce plans for a new national monument to preserve about 1,562 square miles (4,046 square kilometers) just outside Grand Canyon National Park, National Climate Advisor Ali Zaidi confirmed a day earlier. It will mark the president’s fifth monument designation. Biden arrived Monday evening at Grand Canyon National Park Airport, where he was greeted by Democratic

Biden to announce historic Grand Canyon monument designation during Arizona visit
Political

Jeff Gunter, a dermatologist who was Trump's ambassador to Iceland, is running for Nevada Senate

Jeff Gunter, a dermatologist who was ambassador to Iceland during Donald Trump’s administration, announced Monday he’s running for U.S. Senate in Nevada, joining an increasingly crowded field of Republicans looking to unseat first-term Democratic incumbent Jacky Rosen. In a three-minute introductory video, Gunter presented himself as a loyal Trump supporter committed to furthering the former president’s movement. “I’ll fight to support Donald Trump and his amazing and great America First agenda,” Gunter says in the video. Rosen is one of the top Republican targets in next year’s election as the GOP looks to wrest the Senate

Jeff Gunter, a dermatologist who was Trump's ambassador to Iceland, is running for Nevada Senate
Political

Carcinogens found at nuclear missile sites as reports of hundreds of cancers surface

The Air Force has detected unsafe levels of a likely carcinogen at underground launch control centers at a Montana nuclear missile base where a striking number of men and women have reported cancer diagnoses. A new cleanup effort has been ordered. The discovery “is the first from an extensive sampling of active U.S. intercontinental ballistic missile bases to address specific cancer concerns raised by missile community members,” Air Force Global Strike Command said in a release Monday. In those samples, two launch facilities at Malmstrom Air Force Base in Montana showed PCB levels higher than the thresholds

Carcinogens found at nuclear missile sites as reports of hundreds of cancers surface
Political

DC area braces for destructive evening storms, hail and tornadoes

The Washington area on Monday braced for a looming forecast of destructively strong storms, including tornadoes, hail and lightning, and officials warned residents to stay indoors and prepare for the worst. Rain began falling in the Washington shortly after 5 p.m. and the skies gradually turned an ominous dark gray, a precursor to the severe weather and mass power outages that were predicted. The National Weather Service issued a tornado watch for the greater D.C. area, lasting until 9 p.m., as well as a flood warning extending through Tuesday morning. A special Weather Service statement warned, “There

DC area braces for destructive evening storms, hail and tornadoes
Political

Trump lawyers say proposed protective order is too broad, urge judge to impose more limited rules

Donald Trump’s legal team on Monday urged the judge overseeing the election conspiracy case against the former president to reject prosecutors’ proposed protective order concerning evidence in the case, describing it as overly broad. Lawyers for the early 2024 Republican presidential primary front-runner said the judge should impose a more limited protective order that would prevent the defense team from publicly disclosing only materials deemed “sensitive,” such as grand jury witness testimony. “In a trial about First Amendment rights, the government seeks to restrict First Amendment rights. Worse, it does so against its administration’s primary political opponent, during an election

Trump lawyers say proposed protective order is too broad, urge judge to impose more limited rules
Political

Judge tosses Trump's defamation suit against writer who won sexual abuse lawsuit against him

A federal judge tossed out former President Donald Trump’s countersuit against the writer who won a sex abuse lawsuit against him, ruling Monday that Trump can’t claim she defamed him by continuing to say she was not only sexually abused but raped. The ruling shuts down, at least for now, Trump’s effort to turn the legal tables on E. Jean Carroll, who won a $5 million judgment against him in May and is pursuing her own defamation suit against him. Trump attorney Alina Habba said his lawyers would appeal “the flawed decision” to dismiss his counterclaim.

Judge tosses Trump's defamation suit against writer who won sexual abuse lawsuit against him
Political

Justice Department helping Ukraine in war crimes investigations, Attorney General Garland says

The U.S. Justice Department is cooperating with the International Criminal Court and supporting Ukrainian prosecutors carrying out war crime investigation s, Attorney General Merrick Garland said Monday as he reaffirmed his department’s aid more than a year after the Russian invasion. Congress recently allowed for new U.S. flexibility in assisting the court with investigations into foreign nationals related to Ukraine, and the Justice Department will be a key part of the United States’ cooperation, Garland said. “We are not waiting for the hostilities to end before pursuing justice and accountability. We are working closely with our international

Justice Department helping Ukraine in war crimes investigations, Attorney General Garland says
Political

President Biden hosts Astros, says he can relate to Dusty Baker, oldest manager to win World Series

At 73, Dusty Baker became the oldest manager ever to win the World Series when the Houston Astros took the title last year. On Monday at a White House celebration for the team, President Joe Biden said he could relate. “People counted you out saying you were past your prime. Hell, I know something about that,” joked Biden, who in 2020 became the oldest president ever elected, at age 77. Biden, now 80, is running for reelection in 2024. Baker has been around the game for decades. He won a World Series as a player with the

President Biden hosts Astros, says he can relate to Dusty Baker, oldest manager to win World Series
Political

Biden heads west for a policy victory lap, drawing an implicit contrast with Trump

President Joe Biden is setting out Monday on a Western swing aimed at showcasing his work on conservation, clean energy and veterans’ benefits as he seeks to draw an implicit contrast between his administration’s accomplishments and former President Donald Trump’s legal troubles. Biden’s first stop will be the Grand Canyon, where he’s expected to announce plans for a new national monument to preserve more than 1 million acres (405,000 hectares) and limit uranium mining. After Arizona, he will travel to New Mexico and Utah. The Democratic president will be in Albuquerque on Wednesday and will talk about

Biden heads west for a policy victory lap, drawing an implicit contrast with Trump
Political

DeSantis finally acknowledges the truth about Trump's 2020 election lies: 'Of course he lost'

Republican presidential candidate Ron DeSantis said definitively that rival Donald Trump lost the 2020 election, an acknowledgement the Florida governor made after years of equivocating answers. “Of course he lost,” DeSantis said an interview with NBC News posted Monday. “Joe Biden’s the president.” DeSantis has often sidestepped questions about whether he believes the 2020 election results were legitimate. But in recent days he has started publicly questioning the lies that Trump and his allies have made about the election’s legitimacy. Federal and state election officials and Trump’s own attorney general said there was no credible evidence

DeSantis finally acknowledges the truth about Trump's 2020 election lies: 'Of course he lost'
Political

Re-imagining democracy for the 21st century, possibly without the trappings of the 18th century

If people were dropped into a new situation tomorrow, how would they choose to govern themselves? Just_Super/iStock / Getty Images Plus via Getty Images Imagine that we’ve all – all of us, all of society – landed on some alien planet, and we have to form a government: clean slate. We don’t have any legacy systems from the U.S. or any other country. We don’t have any special or unique interests to perturb our thinking. How would we govern ourselves? It’s unlikely that we would use the systems we have today. The modern representative democracy was the best form of

Re-imagining democracy for the 21st century, possibly without the trappings of the 18th century
Political

Contacting your legislator? Cite your sources – if you want them to listen to you

If you’re going to write to your legislator, do your homework on the issues. digitalskillet/ iStock / Getty Images Plus Suppose you have an issue you are really passionate about – taxes, gun control or some other important policy. You want to do more than vent on social media, so you decide to write an email, place a phone call or even draft a letter to your state legislator expressing your views. As a citizen, I would praise your sense of civic responsibility and willingness to express your opinion. As a scholar, I would encourage your efforts – they’re more

Contacting your legislator? Cite your sources – if you want them to listen to you
Political

Democrats see Michigan and Minnesota as guides for what to do with majority power

Fueled by election gains, Democrats in Minnesota and Michigan this year enacted far-reaching policy changes that party leaders in other states are looking to as a potential roadmap for what they could swiftly achieve with similar control. Gun safety packages, expanded voting rights, free meals for all students, and increased protections for abortion rights and LGTBQ+ people were just some of pent-up policy proposals that Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz and Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer signed into law within months under the new legislative majorities. “We’ve definitely paid attention to what they’ve done,” Pennsylvania state Sen.

Democrats see Michigan and Minnesota as guides for what to do with majority power
Political

Trump's attack on 'filth and decay' in nation's capital just the latest in his personal feud with DC

Washington has never been a particularly friendly place for Donald Trump. And after pleading not guilty to federal charges that he had tried to overturn the 2020 presidential election, Trump was quick to show that the feeling was mutual. “It was also very sad driving through Washington, D.C., and seeing the filth and the decay and all of the broken buildings and walls and the graffiti,” he said on the tarmac of Reagan National Airport in Virginia, just a few miles away. “This is not the place that I left. It’s a very sad thing to see

Trump's attack on 'filth and decay' in nation's capital just the latest in his personal feud with DC

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