Today: October 06, 2024
Today: October 06, 2024

Latest From The Los Angeles Post

Political

Bill Richardson, a former governor and UN ambassador who worked to free detained Americans, dies

Bill Richardson, a two-term Democratic governor of New Mexico and an American ambassador to the United Nations who also worked for years to secure the release of Americans detained by foreign adversaries, has died. He was 75. The Richardson Center for Global Engagement, which he founded and led, said in a statement Saturday that he died in his sleep at his home in Chatham, Massachusetts. “He lived his entire life in the service of others — including both his time in government and his subsequent career helping to free people held hostage or wrongfully detained abroad,” said

Bill Richardson, a former governor and UN ambassador who worked to free detained Americans, dies
Political

Ohio votes on abortion rights this fall. Misinformation about the proposal is already spreading

An effort to guarantee access to abortion rights in Ohio, a November ballot measure, is already fueling misleading claims about how it could influence abortion care, gender-related health care and parental consent in the state. The proposed constitutional amendment would give Ohioans the right to make their own reproductive decisions. Backers say that since Roe v. Wade was overturned last year by the U.S. Supreme Court, the proposal would restore a commonsense abortion protection that most Ohio voters can support. But opponents argue would do far more than that. Ads portray the amendment as a gateway to children getting abortions

Ohio votes on abortion rights this fall. Misinformation about the proposal is already spreading
Political

An Ohio ballot measure seeks to protect abortion access. Opponents' messaging is on parental rights

The wording of a proposed constitutional amendment on Ohio’s fall ballot to ensure abortion rights seems straightforward: It would enshrine the right “to make and carry out one’s own reproductive decisions.” Yet as the campaigning for and against the nation’s latest tug-of-war over abortion begins in earnest this weekend, voters are getting a different message from the measure’s opponents. They are characterizing it as threatening a wide range of parental rights. “As parents, it’s our worst nightmare,” one particularly ominous online ad funded by Protect Women Ohio, the opposition campaign, says of November’s Issue 1. The

An Ohio ballot measure seeks to protect abortion access. Opponents' messaging is on parental rights
Political

Biden heads to Florida to see Idalia's destruction. But he won't be seeing Gov. DeSantis

President Joe Biden is heading to Florida on Saturday for a firsthand look at Hurricane Idalia’s destruction, but he won’t be seeing the state’s Republican governor and 2024 presidential hopeful, Ron DeSantis, who suggested such a meeting could hinder disaster response efforts. “We don’t have any plans for the governor to meet with the president,” DeSantis spokesman Jeremy Redfern said in a statement. “In these rural communities, and so soon after impact, the security preparations alone that would go into setting up such a meeting would shut down ongoing recovery efforts.” Idalia made landfall Wednesday morning along

Biden heads to Florida to see Idalia's destruction. But he won't be seeing Gov. DeSantis
Political

Texas AG Ken Paxton's impeachment trial is in the hands of Republicans who have been by his side

Billionaires, burner phones, alleged bribes: The impeachment trial of Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton is going to test the will of Republicans senators to oust not only one of their own, but a firebrand who has helped drive the state’s hard turn to the right for years. The historic proceedings set to start in the state Senate Tuesday are the most serious threat yet to one of Texas’ most powerful figures after nine years engulfed by criminal charges, scandal and accusations of corruption. If convicted, Paxton — just the third official in Texas’ nearly 200-year history

Texas AG Ken Paxton's impeachment trial is in the hands of Republicans who have been by his side
Political

DeSantis won't meet with Biden during president's trip to survey Idalia damage

Republican Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis ‘ office said Friday that he has “no plans” to meet with President Joe Biden when the Democrat flies to Florida this weekend to survey damage from Hurricane Idalia, suggesting that doing so could hinder disaster response. “In these rural communities, and so soon after impact, the security preparations alone that would go into setting up such a meeting would shut down ongoing recovery efforts,” DeSantis spokesman Jeremy Redfern said in a statement. Idalia made landfall Wednesday morning along Florida’s Big Bend region as a Category 3 storm, causing widespread flooding and

DeSantis won't meet with Biden during president's trip to survey Idalia damage
Political

Rudy Giuliani pleads not guilty to charges in Georgia election case

Rudy Giuliani on Friday pleaded not guilty to Georgia charges that accuse him of trying, along with former President Donald Trump and others, to illegally overturn the results of the 2020 election in the state. In filing his not guilty plea with the court, the former New York mayor and Trump attorney also waived his right to appear at an arraignment hearing set for Sept. 6. He joins the former president and at least 10 others in forgoing a trip to Atlanta to appear before a judge in a packed courtroom with a news camera rolling. Trump

Rudy Giuliani pleads not guilty to charges in Georgia election case
Political

840,000 Afghans who've applied for key US resettlement program still in Afghanistan, report says

More than 840,000 Afghans who applied for a resettlement program aimed at people who helped the U.S. war effort in Afghanistan are still there waiting, according to a report that lays out the challenges with a program intended to help America’s allies in the two-decade long conflict. The report released Thursday by the State Department’s inspector general outlines steps the department took to improve processing of special immigrant visas for Afghans. But two years after the U.S. pullout from Afghanistan and the return of the Taliban to power, challenges remain. The visa program was started in 2009

840,000 Afghans who've applied for key US resettlement program still in Afghanistan, report says
Political

Proud Boy who smashed Capitol window on Jan. 6 gets 10 years in prison, then declares, 'Trump won!'

A former member of the far-right Proud Boys extremist group who smashed a window at the U.S. Capitol in the building’s first breach of the Jan. 6, 2021, riot was sentenced on Friday to 10 years in prison — and then defiantly declared as he walked out of the courtroom, “Trump won!” The sentence for Dominic Pezzola is the latest handed down after leaders of the group were convicted of spearheading an attack aimed at preventing the peaceful transfer of power from Donald Trump to Joe Biden after the 2020 presidential election. Pezzola, 46, took a police

Proud Boy who smashed Capitol window on Jan. 6 gets 10 years in prison, then declares, 'Trump won!'
Political

Biden approves Medal of Honor for Army helicopter pilot who rescued soldiers in a Vietnam firefight

As an Army first lieutenant and Cobra helicopter pilot during the Vietnam War, Larry Taylor flew hundreds of missions and saved countless lives. But no rescue flight was as daring, or as meaningful to Taylor, as the one for which he will receive the Medal of Honor from President Joe Biden. Biden will recognize Taylor at a ceremony next week, the White House announced Friday. On the night of June 18, 1968, Taylor took off in his attack helicopter to rescue four men on a long-range reconnaissance team that had become surrounded and was in danger of

Biden approves Medal of Honor for Army helicopter pilot who rescued soldiers in a Vietnam firefight
Political

White men have controlled women’s reproductive rights throughout American history – the post-Dobbs era is no different

U.S. Rep. Cori Bush, a Democrat from Missouri, after participating in an abortion rights sit-in on July 19, 2022, in Washington. Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images More than a year after the Supreme Court ended federal protection for abortion rights in the United States, disagreements over abortion bans continue to reverberate around the country. Candidates sparred over the idea of a federal abortion ban during the Aug. 23, 2023, Republican presidential debate. And abortion is likely to figure prominently in the November 2023 contest for a seat on the Pennsylvania Supreme Court. When the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade in

White men have controlled women’s reproductive rights throughout American history – the post-Dobbs era is no different
Political

As concern about Mitch McConnell's health grows, his legacy remains strong

Mitch McConnell froze at a lectern in July 2023 and again more recently in August. Drew Angerer/Getty Images Even if Mitch McConnell’s health prevents him from accomplishing his stated goal of serving as Senate Republican leader through 2024, he will still be the longest-serving Senate leader of any party, one who remade the federal judiciary from top to bottom. The impact of that achievement will outlive the 81-year-old Kentuckian, who appeared to freeze during two recent public appearances, one in July 2023 at the U.S. Capitol and then again on Aug. 30 while talking with reporters at an event in

As concern about Mitch McConnell's health grows, his legacy remains strong
Political

AP Election Brief | What to expect in Utah's special congressional primary

Three Republicans will compete in a special primary election in Utah next week for their party’s nomination to replace U.S. Rep. Chris Stewart, the six-term GOP lawmaker who will step down on Sept. 15. Vying for the nomination on Tuesday are former state representative Becky Edwards, businessman and former state party chairman Bruce Hough, and attorney and former Stewart aide Celeste Maloy. Delegates at the party’s special district convention in June preferred Maloy over Edwards, Hough and others, but Edwards and Hough both collected enough signatures to qualify for the ballot and force a vote in Tuesday’s

AP Election Brief | What to expect in Utah's special congressional primary
Political

AP Election Brief | What to expect in Rhode Island's special primaries

A crowded field of candidates will be on the ballot in Rhode Island on Tuesday with an eye on replacing former U.S. Rep. David Cicilline, the seven-term Democrat who resigned in May to run a nonprofit foundation. Among the 11 candidates competing in the special primary for the Democratic nomination are former Obama and Biden White House aide Gabriel Amo, state Sen. Sandra Cano, Lt. Gov. Sabina Matos and former state Rep. Aaron Regunberg. A 12th candidate, Don Carlson, suspended his campaign in late August after admitting he made a romantic overture to a student while he

AP Election Brief | What to expect in Rhode Island's special primaries
Political

Biden wants an extra $4 billion for disaster relief, bringing total request to $16 billion

The White House will seek an additional $4 billion to address natural disasters as part of its supplemental funding request — a sign that wildfires, flooding and hurricanes that have intensified during a period of climate change are imposing ever higher costs on U.S. taxpayers. The Biden administration had initially requested $12 billion in extra funding for the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s disaster relief fund, which helps with rescue and relief efforts. But a policy analyst in the Office of Management and Budget, Shelby Wagenseller, said that the fires in Hawaii and Louisiana as well as flooding

Biden wants an extra $4 billion for disaster relief, bringing total request to $16 billion
Political

US will regulate nursing home staffing for first time, but proposal lower than many advocates hoped

The federal government will, for the first time, dictate staffing levels at nursing homes, the Biden administration said Friday, responding to systemic problems bared by mass COVID-19 deaths. While such regulation has been sought for decades by allies of older adults and those with disabilities, the proposed threshold is far lower than many advocates had hoped. It seemed destined to draw ire from the nursing home industry as well, which opposes staffing minimums as unfunded mandates. With criticism expected, a promise made with fanfare in President Joe Biden’s 2022 State of the Union speech had its

US will regulate nursing home staffing for first time, but proposal lower than many advocates hoped
Political

After years of fighting, a praying football coach got his job back. Now he's unsure he wants it

An assistant high school football coach in Washington state who lost his job during a controversy over his public post-game prayers is back on the sideline after the U.S. Supreme Court held that his practice was protected by the Constitution. But after fighting to be rehired for seven years, Joe Kennedy isn’t sure he wants it anymore, and the thought of kneeling in the spotlight again makes him queasy. On Friday night, he is due to coach his first game since 2015, when he last pressed his knee to the turf at Bremerton High School’s Memorial

After years of fighting, a praying football coach got his job back. Now he's unsure he wants it
Political

US regulators might change how they classify marijuana. Here's what that would mean

The news lit up the world of weed: U.S. health regulators are suggesting that the federal government loosen restrictions on marijuana. Specifically, the federal Health and Human Services Department has recommended taking marijuana out of a category of drugs deemed to have “no currently accepted medical use and a high potential for abuse.” The agency advised moving pot from that “Schedule I” group to the less tightly regulated “Schedule III.” So what does that mean, and what are the implications? Read on. FIRST OF ALL, WHAT HAS ACTUALLY CHANGED? WHAT HAPPENS NEXT? Technically, nothing yet. Any

US regulators might change how they classify marijuana. Here's what that would mean
Political

Mississippi candidate for attorney general says the state isn't doing enough to protect workers

In Mississippi — one of the poorest states in the U.S. and where a 16-year-old worker recently died after becoming entangled in a factory conveyor belt — a candidate for attorney general said Thursday that elected officials must play a more aggressive role in protecting labor rights. At a news conference ahead of Labor Day weekend, Greta Kemp Martin, the Democratic nominee for attorney general, rolled out a plan to create a fair labor division within her office if elected. The division would investigate and litigate cases involving child labor, wage violations and unsafe working conditions,

Mississippi candidate for attorney general says the state isn't doing enough to protect workers
Political

Hurricane, shooting test DeSantis leadership as he trades the campaign trail for crisis management

First a shooting, then a storm. Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis is facing a one-two punch testing his leadership at a critical moment for his presidential campaign, with the Republican moving to cast aside his role as culture warrior and show the country that he can govern through crises. His first challenge came last weekend when a white gunman killed three Black people at a convenience store in Jacksonville in a racist hate crime. Days later, Hurricane Idalia was barreling towards Florida’s Big Bend region. The storm, which made landfall as a Category 3, left a trail of devastation, snapping trees,

Hurricane, shooting test DeSantis leadership as he trades the campaign trail for crisis management
Political

US hits North Korean and Russian accused of supporting North Korea's ballistics missile program

In response to North Korea’s failed launch of a spy satellite last week, the U.S. on Thursday imposed sanctions on two men and a Moscow-registered firm accused of supporting North Korea’s ballistic missile program. The action was taken a day after the White House said it had new intelligence that shows Russian President Vladimir Putin and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un have swapped letters as Russia looks to North Korea to supply more munitions for the war in Ukraine. Treasury sanctioned Russia-based Jon Jin Yong and Sergei Kozlov, who it said worked together to coordinate the

US hits North Korean and Russian accused of supporting North Korea's ballistics missile program
Political

Senate GOP leader Mitch McConnell can continue with his work schedule, congressional physician says

The attending physician to Congress said Thursday that he had cleared Senate Republican leader Mitch McConnell to continue with his planned schedule after evaluating an incident in which McConnell appeared to freeze up at an event in Kentucky. McConnell, 81, remained silent for about 30 seconds during a news conference Wednesday, almost a month after he had a similar episode in Washington. In March, McConnell suffered a concussion and broke a rib after falling and hitting his head after a dinner event at a hotel. Dr. Brian Monahan, the congressional physician, released a brief statement saying that

Senate GOP leader Mitch McConnell can continue with his work schedule, congressional physician says
Political

Ex-Proud Boys organizer gets 17 years in prison, second longest sentence in Jan. 6 Capitol riot case

A former organizer of the far-right Proud Boys extremist group was sentenced on Thursday to 17 years in prison for spearheading an attack on the U.S. Capitol to prevent the peaceful transfer of power from Donald Trump to Joe Biden after the 2020 presidential election. The sentence for Joseph Biggs is the second longest among hundreds of Capitol riot cases so far, after the 18-year prison sentence for Oath Keepers founder Stewart Rhodes. Federal prosecutors had recommended a 33-year prison sentence for Biggs, who helped lead dozens of Proud Boys members and associates in marching to the

Ex-Proud Boys organizer gets 17 years in prison, second longest sentence in Jan. 6 Capitol riot case
Political

Wisconsin's new liberal Supreme Court justice hasn't heard a case but Republicans may impeach

Even before the newly elected justice who gave liberals a one-seat majority on the Wisconsin Supreme Court has heard a case, Republican lawmakers are talking about taking the unprecedented step of impeaching and removing her from office. And they have the votes to do it. Republicans worry that the legislative districts they drew 12 years ago, which are widely viewed as among the most gerrymandered in the country, will be undone in one of the court’s first actions under liberal control. It’s a legitimate concern, as Democratic-friendly groups brought two lawsuits in the first week of

Wisconsin's new liberal Supreme Court justice hasn't heard a case but Republicans may impeach
Political

Biden administration proposes rule that would require more firearms dealers to run background checks

The Biden administration is proposing a rule that would require thousands more firearms dealers to run background checks, in an effort to combat rising gun violence nationwide. The proposal comes after a mandate from President Joe Biden to find ways to strengthen background checks following the passage of bipartisan legislation on guns last year. People who sell firearms online or at gun shows would be required to be licensed and run background checks on the buyers before the sales under the rule proposed by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. The bureau estimates that the

Biden administration proposes rule that would require more firearms dealers to run background checks

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