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

Latest From The Los Angeles Post

Political

Federal judges review Alabama’s new congressional map, lack of 2nd majority-Black district

A panel of federal judges on Monday began a review of Alabama’s redrawn congressional map which opponents argued defies the court’s mandate to create a second district where Black voters have an opportunity to influence the outcome of an election. The three-judge panel, which blocked the use of the state’s old map last year, will decide whether to let Alabama’s new districts go forward or step in and draw new congressional districts for the state. Alabama was forced to draw new district lines after the U.S. Supreme Court, in a surprise June decision, upheld the panel’s

Federal judges review Alabama’s new congressional map, lack of 2nd majority-Black district
Political

'No Labels' movement says it could offer bipartisan presidential ticket in 2024

A national political movement that could offer a bipartisan presidential ticket in 2024 as an alternative to major-party nominees said Monday it has now won ballot access in 10 states, after North Carolina election officials formally granted official status to a “No Labels” affiliate. The State Board of Elections voted 4-1 on Sunday to recognize the No Labels Party as an official North Carolina party following a successful petition effort. It joins four other recognized parties with which voters can now choose to be registered and field candidates. The new North Carolina party is linked to

'No Labels' movement says it could offer bipartisan presidential ticket in 2024
Political

How a law associated with mobsters could be central in possible charges against Trump

Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis opened her investigation into Donald Trump after the release of a recording of a January 2021 phone call between Trump and Georgia’s secretary of state, Brad Raffensperger. Trump suggested during the call that Raffensperger, a Republican and the state’s top elections official, could help “find” the votes needed to overturn his narrow loss to Democrat Joe Biden. More than two years later, the indictment that could soon be brought by a grand jury could go far beyond that phone call, alleging a web of crimes committed by Trump and others. Willis

How a law associated with mobsters could be central in possible charges against Trump
Political

Judge in Donald Trump's hush-money case denies bias claim, won't step aside

The judge in Donald Trump’s Manhattan hush-money criminal case has rejected the former president’s demand to step aside, denying defense claims that he’s biased against the Republican front-runner because he’s given cash to Democrats and his daughter is a party consultant. New York Judge Juan Manuel Merchan acknowledged in a ruling late Friday that he made several small donations to Democratic causes during the 2020 campaign, including $15 to Trump’s Democratic rival Joe Biden, but said he is certain of his “ability to be fair and impartial.” Removing himself from the case “would not be in

Judge in Donald Trump's hush-money case denies bias claim, won't step aside
Political

Tommy Tuberville reportedly doesn't live in Alabama − should he still be its senator?

Alabama voters elected Sen. Tommy Tuberville on Nov. 3, 2020. AP Photo/Butch Dill Alabama GOP Sen. Tommy Tuberville has come under scrutiny following reports that he recently sold the last remaining properties he owns in the state that he represents in the U.S. Senate. Instead, Tuberville appears to live almost full time at his beach house in the Florida panhandle. Although details are still emerging about Tuberville’s precise living situation, The Washington Post’s Glenn Kessler has reported that the Auburn, Alabama, address Tuberville listed when he declared his candidacy for Senate in 2019 is co-owned by his wife and son.

Tommy Tuberville reportedly doesn't live in Alabama − should he still be its senator?
Political

Biden says auto workers need "good jobs that can support a family" in union talks with carmakers

President Joe Biden is asking major U.S. automakers and their workers’ union to reach an agreement that takes “every possible step to avoid painful plant closings” as the sector transitions to electric vehicles. The president has not yet been by the United Auto Workers as he seeks reelection, despite his broad support from organized labor going into the 2024 campaign. The UAW represents 146,000 workers at Ford, General Motors and Stellantis, which are commonly known as the big three automakers. The workers’ contracts expire at 11:59 p.m. Sept. 14. Biden said in a statement Monday that as

Biden says auto workers need "good jobs that can support a family" in union talks with carmakers
Political

Prosecutors have started presenting Georgia election investigation to grand jury

Prosecutors in Atlanta who have been investigating whether then-President Donald Trump and his allies illegally meddled in the 2020 election in Georgia have begun presenting their case to a grand jury. Former Democratic state Sen. Jen Jordan, who had been subpoenaed to testify before the grand jury, said as she left the Fulton County courthouse late Monday morning that she had been questioned for about 40 minutes. News outlets reported that former Democratic state Rep. Bee Nguyen and Gabriel Sterling, a top official in the secretary of state’s office, were seen arriving at the courthouse earlier Monday.

Prosecutors have started presenting Georgia election investigation to grand jury
Political

Hunter Biden's lawyers say gun portion of plea deal remains valid after special counsel announcement

Attorneys for Hunter Biden are pushing to keep part of a plea deal they reached with the prosecutor whose new status as special counsel intensified the tax investigation into the president’s son ahead of the 2024 election. Biden’s attorney argued in court documents late Sunday that an agreement sparing him prosecution on a felony gun charge still is in place even though the plea agreement on misdemeanor tax offenses largely unraveled during a court appearance last month. His lawyer argues the Justice Department decided to “renege” on its end of the deal on tax charges. The agreement

Hunter Biden's lawyers say gun portion of plea deal remains valid after special counsel announcement
Political

Biden administration urges colleges to pursue racial diversity without affirmative action

New guidance from the Biden administration on Monday urges colleges to use a range of strategies to promote racial diversity on campus after the Supreme Court struck down affirmative action in admissions. Colleges can focus their recruiting in high minority areas, for example, and take steps to retain students of color who are already on campus, including by offering affinity clubs geared toward students of a certain race. Colleges can also consider how an applicant’s race has shaped personal experience, as detailed in students’ application essays or letters of recommendation, according to the new guidance. It also encourages them to

Biden administration urges colleges to pursue racial diversity without affirmative action
Political

Trump assails judge in 2020 election case after she warned him not to make inflammatory remarks

Donald Trump is assailing the federal judge overseeing the election conspiracy case against him, days after she warned him not to make inflammatory statements about the case. The former president made posts Monday on his social media network calling U.S. District Judge Tanya Chutkan “highly partisan” and “ VERY BIASED & UNFAIR!” because of her past comments in a separate case overseeing the sentencing of one of the defendants charged in the Jan. 6, 2021, riot at the U.S. Capitol. Chutkan in a hearing Friday imposed a protective order in the case limiting what evidence handed

Trump assails judge in 2020 election case after she warned him not to make inflammatory remarks
Political

Underpaid and overlooked, migrant labor provides backbone of Maryland Eastern Shore's local economy

A migrant worker picks crabs in Hoopers Island, Maryland. Jim Watson/AFP via Getty Images Every summer, people flock to Maryland to eat blue crabs. Named for their brilliant sapphire-colored claws, blue crab is one of the most iconic species in the Chesapeake Bay. The scientific name for blue crabs, Callinectes sapidus, means “beautiful savory swimmer.” In restaurants and at home, diners pile steamed and seasoned blue crabs in the middle of a table covered in paper. Then, using small mallets, knives, bare hands and fingers, they break open the hard shells and extract the juicy meat from inside. It is

Underpaid and overlooked, migrant labor provides backbone of Maryland Eastern Shore's local economy
Political

How Fani Willis oversaw what might be the most sprawling legal case against Donald Trump

Long before the FBI began investigating Donald Trump ‘s hoarding of classified documents or Attorney General Merrick Garland appointed a special prosecutor to probe the former president, Fani Willis was at work. Just one month after Trump’s infamous January 2021 phone call to suggest Georgia’s secretary of state could overturn his election loss, the Fulton County district attorney announced she was looking into possible illegal “attempts to influence” the results in what has become one of America’s premier political battlegrounds. As she built her case, Willis called a parade of high-profile witnesses before a special grand jury,

How Fani Willis oversaw what might be the most sprawling legal case against Donald Trump
Political

David McCormick is gearing up for a Senate run in Pennsylvania. But he lives in Connecticut

David McCormick had a clear explanation for why his fellow Republican, Dr. Mehmet Oz, lost a critical Pennsylvania Senate seat: Voters viewed the daytime television celebrity as an interloper from New Jersey with limited ties to the state he hoped to represent. “People want to know that the person that they’re voting for ‘gets it,’” McCormick, who narrowly lost to Oz in a GOP primary, said in March when asked to offer a postmortem of the general election defeat. “And part of ‘getting it’ is understanding that you just didn’t come in yesterday.” As Republicans aim to

David McCormick is gearing up for a Senate run in Pennsylvania. But he lives in Connecticut
Political

Yes, inflation is down. No, the Inflation Reduction Act doesn't deserve the credit

Even President Joe Biden has some regrets about the name of the Inflation Reduction Act: As the giant law turns 1 on Wednesday, it’s increasingly clear that immediately curbing prices wasn’t the point. While price increases have cooled over the past year — the inflation rate has dropped from 9% to 3.2% — most economists say little to none of the drop came from the law. “I can’t think of any mechanism by which it would have brought down inflation to date,” said Harvard University economist Jason Furman, who added that the law could eventually help to

Yes, inflation is down. No, the Inflation Reduction Act doesn't deserve the credit
Political

Biden and House Democrats hope to make curbing 'junk fees' a winning issue in 2024

Congressional Democrats are teaming up with the Biden administration and a progressive advocacy group to turn policy efforts to curb “ junk fees ” into a political rallying cry, betting that a small but potentially potent kitchen table issue will resonate with voters. President Joe Biden promised in this year’s State of the Union address to target unexpected fees tacked on to things like plane and concert tickets, hotel rooms, hospital and cellphone bills and housing transactions. He’s since worked with major businesses to see that pricing is more transparent about all fees. More than a dozen

Biden and House Democrats hope to make curbing 'junk fees' a winning issue in 2024
Political

Dueling GOP presidential nominating contests in Nevada raise concerns about voter confusion

Republicans in Nevada could have two chances next year to decide who they want to be their party’s presidential nominee. The catch: Only one will count. The Nevada GOP is insisting on holding its own caucus despite a new state law calling for a primary election, a move critics say is designed to benefit former President Donald Trump. The competing contests are likely to confuse some and require GOP campaigns to spend extra time and money educating voters in one of the earliest states to cast ballots for the presidential nomination. The results in the GOP

Dueling GOP presidential nominating contests in Nevada raise concerns about voter confusion
Political

Trump's Iowa state fair spectacle clouds DeSantis as former president is joined by Florida officials

Gone was the helicopter, but Donald Trump on Saturday renewed his reputation for defying norms and creating a mega-celebrity’s spectacle at the Iowa State Fair. Trump, in fewer than two hours on the steaming fairgrounds in Des Moines, attracted thousands of sweating, chanting supporters to his stops at the Iowa Pork Producers tent, a baby farm animal exhibit and a popular Grand Concourse pub. All the while, Trump not-so-subtly tried to set himself apart from Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, Trump’s main rival with more than five months until Iowa’s leadoff caucuses and who was on

Trump's Iowa state fair spectacle clouds DeSantis as former president is joined by Florida officials
Political

The failed Ohio amendment reflects Republican efforts nationally to restrict direct democracy

After Ohio voters repealed a law pushed by Republicans that would have limited unions’ collective bargaining rights in 2011, then-GOP Gov. John Kasich was contrite. “I’ve heard their voices, I understand their decision and, frankly, I respect what people have to say in an effort like this,” he told reporters after the defeat. The tone from Ohio Republicans was much different this past week after voters resoundingly rejected their attempt to impose hurdles on passing amendments to the state constitution — a proposal that would have made it much more difficult to pass an abortion rights

The failed Ohio amendment reflects Republican efforts nationally to restrict direct democracy
Political

Donald Trump is right − he is getting special treatment, far better than most other criminal defendants

The former president boards his plane at Reagan National Airport following his Aug. 3, 2023, arraignment in Washington. Win McNamee/Getty Images Former President Donald Trump often complains that he is being treated unfairly by the prosecutors charging him with crimes. Trump is now the subject of three federal and state criminal cases – and it is true that he is being treated unlike other criminal defendants. The prosecutors are treating Trump a lot better than the average criminal defendant. We are law scholars who have defended clients in criminal and civil cases, and we wish that our clients received the

Donald Trump is right − he is getting special treatment, far better than most other criminal defendants
Political

The Pentagon plans to shake up DC’s National Guard, criticized for its response to protests, Jan. 6

The Pentagon is developing plans to restructure the National Guard in Washington, D.C., in a move to address problems highlighted by the chaotic response to the Jan. 6 riot and safety breaches during the 2020 protests over the murder of George Floyd, The Associated Press has learned. The changes under discussion would transfer the District of Columbia’s aviation units, which came under sharp criticism during the protests when a helicopter flew dangerously low over a crowd. In exchange, the district would get more military police, which is often the city’s most significant need, as it grapples with

The Pentagon plans to shake up DC’s National Guard, criticized for its response to protests, Jan. 6
Political

Rising political threats take US into uncharted territory as 2024 election looms

This week’s confrontation that ended with FBI agents fatally shooting a 74-year-old Utah man who threatened to assassinate President Joe Biden was just the latest example of how violent rhetoric has created a more perilous political environment across the U.S. Six days earlier, a 52-year-old Texas man was sentenced to three-and-a-half years in prison for threatening to kill Arizona election workers. Four days before that, prosecutors charged a 56-year-old Michigan woman for lying to buy guns for her mentally ill adult son, who threatened to use them against Biden and that state’s Democratic governor. Threats against public

Rising political threats take US into uncharted territory as 2024 election looms
Political

Allies of Niger president overthrown by military are appealing to the US and others: Save his life

After nearly three weeks of appealing to the United States and other allies for help restoring Niger’s president to power, friends and supporters of the democratically elected leader are making a simpler plea: Save his life. President Mohamed Bazoum, leader of the last remaining Western-allied democracy across a vast stretch of Africa’s Sahara and Sahel, sits confined with his family in an unlit basement of his presidential compound, cut off from resupplies of food and from electricity and cooking gas by the junta that overthrew him, Niger’s ambassador to the United States told The Associated Press. “They

Allies of Niger president overthrown by military are appealing to the US and others: Save his life
Political

How Vivek Ramaswamy is pushing — delicately — to win over Trump supporters

Republican presidential hopeful Vivek Ramaswamy was more than 40 minutes into a town hall in rural Iowa when a woman in the crowd posed a pointed question. Or perhaps it was a suggestion. “I know you want to be president,” she said. “But would you consider being Trump’s vice president?” The query drew light laughter from attendees and a lengthy response from Ramaswamy. (The short answer: No.) It also highlighted the central challenge facing the wealthy entrepreneur, who has risen from little-known newcomer to as high as third in some Republican primary polls since joining the

How Vivek Ramaswamy is pushing — delicately — to win over Trump supporters
Political

Pence signals debate plan to attack Trump and DeSantis for not pushing national abortion ban

Former Vice President Mike Pence said Friday he expected to call out former President Donald Trump and Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis during this month’s Republican presidential debate for not insisting on a national abortion ban, an issue Pence says requires federal action. “My former running mate, the governor of Florida and others are suggesting that the Supreme Court returned the question of abortion to the states,” Pence told reporters while touring the Iowa State Fair on Friday. The 2022 Supreme Court decision overturning Roe v. Wade stripped away constitutional protections for the procedure. “I truly

Pence signals debate plan to attack Trump and DeSantis for not pushing national abortion ban
Political

Trump’s free speech faces court-ordered limits, like any other defendant’s -- 2 law professors explain why, and how Trump’s lawyers need to watch themselves too

The E. Barrett Prettyman U.S. Courthouse in Washington, D.C., where an Aug. 11, 2023, hearing was held on the Trump case. Mandel Ngan/AFP via Getty Images) A 90-minute court hearing on Aug. 11, 2023, that would have been routine in almost any other case was, in fact, historic. It was the first time lawyers prosecuting and defending former President Donald Trump on charges he attempted to overturn the 2020 election appeared before the federal judge in the case. At issue in the hearing before Judge Tanya Chutkan were public statements about what in legal terms is called “discovery” – defined

Trump’s free speech faces court-ordered limits, like any other defendant’s -- 2 law professors explain why, and how Trump’s lawyers need to watch themselves too

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