Today: October 07, 2024
Today: October 07, 2024

Latest From The Los Angeles Post

Political

Marine veteran freed from Russia in 2022 prisoner swap is injured while fighting in Ukraine, US says

A former U.S. Marine who was released from Russia in a prisoner swap last year has been injured while fighting in Ukraine, the State Department and a person familiar with the matter said Tuesday. Trevor Reed was injured several weeks ago, according to the person, who was not authorized to discuss the matter by name and spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity. He has been taken to Germany for medical care, said State Department spokesman Vedant Patel. “I want to be explicitly clear about something. Mr. Reed was not engaged in any activities on

Marine veteran freed from Russia in 2022 prisoner swap is injured while fighting in Ukraine, US says
Political

House Speaker Kevin McCarthy floats an impeachment inquiry into President Joe Biden

House Speaker Kevin McCarthy says Republicans may consider an impeachment inquiry of President Joe Biden over unproven claims of financial misconduct, as he faces enormous GOP pressure to demonstrate support for Donald Trump ahead of the 2024 presidential election. Speaking Monday on Fox News, McCarthy said the questions raised by House Republicans about the Biden family finances need to be investigated. So far, he acknowledged, the House’s probes have not proven any wrongdoing, but an impeachment inquiry “provides Congress the strongest power to get the rest of the knowledge and information needed.” An impeachment inquiry by the

House Speaker Kevin McCarthy floats an impeachment inquiry into President Joe Biden
Political

Lawmakers press for more scrutiny over China's 'malign influence' at development bank

Lawmakers intent on reducing China ‘s influence on the U.S. economy are pushing the Treasury Department to help curb the outsized role of Beijing at the Inter-American Development Bank, which supports economic and social development in Latin America and Caribbean. The bipartisan group of lawmakers say Beijing is using the bank as a tool to expand its influence in the region. And they want the U.S., the biggest voice at the bank, to do more to rein in the awarding of projects to Chinese firms and to block Chinese attempts to acquire more shares at the bank.

Lawmakers press for more scrutiny over China's 'malign influence' at development bank
Political

Biden's dog Commander has bitten Secret Service officers 10 times in four months, records show

President Joe Biden ‘s dog Commander bit Secret Service officers at least 10 times between October 2022 and January, including one incident that required a trip to the hospital for an injured law enforcement officer, according to records from the Department of Homeland Security. The conservative watchdog group Judicial Watch on Tuesday released nearly 200 pages of Secret Service records that it obtained through a Freedom of Information Act lawsuit. The group said it filed suit after the agency, a division of DHS, “failed to respond adequately” to its request last December for records about biting incidents

Biden's dog Commander has bitten Secret Service officers 10 times in four months, records show
Political

DeSantis is in a car accident on his way to Tennessee presidential campaign events but isn't injured

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis was in a car accident Tuesday as he traveled to campaign events in Tennessee for his 2024 presidential bid but wasn’t injured, his campaign said. The Republican White House hopeful “was in a car accident while traveling to an event in Chattanooga, Tennessee,” on Tuesday, campaign press secretary Bryan Griffin confirmed to The Associated Press. DeSantis “and his team are uninjured,” Griffin said. Representatives for DeSantis’ campaign did not answer questions about who was driving the governor or reveal details about the accident. DeSantis was continuing on to his event, spokesman Andrew Romeo

DeSantis is in a car accident on his way to Tennessee presidential campaign events but isn't injured
Political

A Russian fighter jet fired flares at a US drone over Syria and damaged it, the US military says

A Russian fighter jet flew within a few meters of a U.S. drone over Syria and fired flares at it, striking the American aircraft and damaging it, the U.S. military said Tuesday. A senior Air Force commander said the move on Sunday was an attempt by the Russians to knock the MQ-9 Reaper drone out of the sky and came just a week after a Russian fighter jet flew dangerously close to a U.S. surveillance aircraft carrying a crew in the region, jeopardizing the lives of the four American crew members. “One of the Russian flares struck

A Russian fighter jet fired flares at a US drone over Syria and damaged it, the US military says
Political

Calls for Judge Aileen Cannon to recuse herself from Trump's criminal case don't meet the standard of when a judge should step away

Former President Donald Trump’s classified documents trial will take place at the Alto Lee Adams Sr. United States Courthouse in Fort Pierce, Florida Joe Raedle/Getty Images The federal trial for former President Donald Trump’s alleged mishandling of classified documents is scheduled to start on May 20, 2024, U.S. District Judge Aileen Cannon announced on July 21, 2023. This trial date should be entered into calendars with a pencil, because Cannon’s order leaves open the possibility that the trial could be delayed. Reasons for such a delay could involve either the defense or prosecution filing various requests that draw the process

Calls for Judge Aileen Cannon to recuse herself from Trump's criminal case don't meet the standard of when a judge should step away
Political

NATO isn't the only alliance that countries are eager to join – a brief history of the Five Eyes

The July 2023 NATO summit in Lithuania saw movement toward expanding the alliance. Paul Ellis/Pool Photo via AP After the recent NATO summit in Vilnius, Lithuania, it is anticipated that Sweden will soon become the alliance’s 32nd member. The heart of this alliance – which was established in the aftermath of World War II to promote the collective security of its mostly Western European members – is Article 5 of the North Atlantic Treaty, which requires that if one member is attacked, then all of the other members will respond as if they themselves had been attacked. Its most recent

NATO isn't the only alliance that countries are eager to join – a brief history of the Five Eyes
Political

First Lady Jill Biden to mark US reentry into UNESCO with flag-raising ceremony in Paris

United States First Lady Jill Biden is in Paris on Tuesday to attend a flag-raising ceremony at UNESCO, marking the United States’ official reentry into the United Nations’ educational, scientific and cultural organization after a five-year hiatus. Biden will also make remarks about the importance of American leadership in preserving cultural heritage and empowering education and science across the globe. The U.S. had announced its intention to rejoin UNESCO in June, and the organization’s 193 member states earlier this month voted to approve the U.S. reentry. Tuesday’s ceremony, which will also feature a speech by UNESCO’s Director

First Lady Jill Biden to mark US reentry into UNESCO with flag-raising ceremony in Paris
Political

The Biden administration proposes new rules to push insurers to boost mental health coverage

President Joe Biden’s administration on Tuesday is announcing new rules meant to push insurance companies to increase their coverage of mental health treatments. The new regulations, which still need to go through a public comment period, would require insurers to study whether their customers have equal access to medical and mental health benefits and to take remedial action, if necessary. The Mental Health Parity and Addiction Equity Act requires that insurers provide the same level of coverage for both mental and physical health care — though the administration and advocates argue insurers’ policies restrict patient access. The

The Biden administration proposes new rules to push insurers to boost mental health coverage
Political

For Emmett Till's family, national monument proclamation cements his inclusion in the American story

When President Joe Biden signs a proclamation on Tuesday establishing a national monument honoring Emmett Till and his mother Mamie Till-Mobley, it will mark the fulfillment of a promise Till’s relatives made after his death 68 years ago. The Black teenager from Chicago, whose abduction, torture and killing in Mississippi in 1955 helped propel the civil rights movement, will be seen as more than just a cause of that movement, said Till’s cousin, the Rev. Wheeler Parker Jr. “We are resolute that it now becomes an American story and not just a civil rights story,” Parker told The Associated Press,

For Emmett Till's family, national monument proclamation cements his inclusion in the American story
Political

Ramaswamy slated to headline South Carolina county GOP fundraiser in return to early voting state

Biotech entrepreneur and Republican presidential hopeful Vivek Ramaswamy is slated to headline a GOP fundraiser in South Carolina as he returns to campaigning in the first-in-the-South primary state. Ramaswamy will be the featured speaker at the third annual Dorchester County GOP’s Faith, Family & Freedom Dinner, scheduled for Aug. 19 in Summerville at the Dorchester Shrine Club, county party Chair Steven Wright told The Associated Press on Tuesday. Wright said he and other Republican voters in South Carolina are hoping to see more of the broad GOP field at such county-level events. The double-digit field includes

Ramaswamy slated to headline South Carolina county GOP fundraiser in return to early voting state
Political

Justice Department to make prosecutor in Hunter Biden case available to testify before Congress

The lead prosecutor in the case against President Joe Biden’s son Hunter says he is willing to testify publicly this fall, setting up a clash with House Republicans who have demanded he come in soon for a closed-door interview. In a two-page letter to Rep. Jim Jordan on Monday, the Justice Department offered to make U.S. Attorney David Weiss of Delaware available before the House Judiciary Committee for a public hearing after the August break as Republicans continue to escalate their ongoing investigation into his handling of the probe into Hunter Biden. “The Department believes it is

Justice Department to make prosecutor in Hunter Biden case available to testify before Congress
Political

US to send up to $400 million in military aid to Ukraine, officials say

The Biden administration is sending up to $400 million in additional military aid to Ukraine, including a variety of munitions for advanced air defense systems and a number of small, surveillance Hornet drones, U.S. officials said Monday, as attacks in the war escalated to include strikes in Moscow and Crimea. The package includes an array of ammunition — ranging from missiles for the High-Mobility Artillery Rocket System (HIMARS) and the National Advanced Surface-to-Air Missile System (NASAMS) to Stingers and Javelins. The weapons are being provided through presidential drawdown authority, which allows the Pentagon to quickly take items

US to send up to $400 million in military aid to Ukraine, officials say
Political

Man who beat officer with flagpole during Capitol riot is sentenced to over 4 years in prison

An Arkansas truck driver who beat a police officer with a flagpole attached to an American flag during the U.S. Capitol riot was sentenced Monday to more than four years in prison. Peter Francis Stager struck the Metropolitan Police Department officer with his flagpole at least three times as other rioters pulled the officer, head first, into the crowd outside the Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021. The bruised officer was among more than 100 police officers injured during the riot. Stager also stood over and screamed profanities at another officer, who was seriously injured when several other

Man who beat officer with flagpole during Capitol riot is sentenced to over 4 years in prison
Political

IRS is ending unannounced visits to taxpayers to protect worker safety and combat scammers

The Internal Revenue Service said Monday it is ending its decades-old policy of making unannounced home and business visits, in an effort to help keep its workers safe and to combat scammers who pose as IRS agents. Effective immediately, revenue agents will no longer make unplanned visits to taxpayers’ homes and businesses “except in a few unique circumstances,” the Treasury Department said in a statement. The agency will instead mail letters to people to schedule meetings. “Today’s announcement is the right thing to do, at the right time,” new IRS Commissioner Daniel Werfel told reporters on a

IRS is ending unannounced visits to taxpayers to protect worker safety and combat scammers
Political

As contentious judicial 'reform' becomes law in Israel, Netanyahu cements his political legacy

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in the country’s parliament in Jerusalem on July 24, 2023. AP Photo/Maya Alleruzzo Israel’s parliament passed a law on July 24, 2023, that limits the Supreme Court’s ability to rein in government actions, part of a broader proposal by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s government to strengthen the power of the country’s executive branch. The legislation has divided the country for months, sparking massive demonstrations. Opponents say the law threatens democracy; supporters argue it protects the will of the electoral majority. Netanyahu has been a political force and survivor in Israeli politics since the 1990s. Yet

As contentious judicial 'reform' becomes law in Israel, Netanyahu cements his political legacy
Political

Biden chooses a longtime Hill aide respected by Republicans as his new legislative affairs director

President Joe Biden is tapping Shuwanza Goff — a veteran congressional aide who also served as his main point of contact to the House at the start of the administration — as his new director of legislative affairs, making her the first Black woman to be the White House’s chief emissary to Capitol Hill. Goff succeeds Louisa Terrell in the role, a position that is especially vital for a president who spent more than three decades in Congress and takes pride in his connections to lawmakers. Goff comes into the job with deep relationships not just with

Biden chooses a longtime Hill aide respected by Republicans as his new legislative affairs director
Political

I asked immigrants from 28 countries why they're serving in the US military -- and it's not primarily to gain citizenship

Military personnel attend a special naturalization ceremony in New York on June 30, 2023. Lev Radin/Pacific Press/LightRocket via Getty Images As the U.S. military struggles through the worst recruitment crisis in 25 years, it has redoubled efforts to recruit from immigrant communities. Immigrants who are U.S. citizens or lawful permanent residents are eligible to join the armed forces – and have done so since the beginning of U.S. history. Service in the military means an expedited path to U.S. citizenship, and many assume that the desire to get U.S. citizenship is what pushes immigrants to enlist. I interviewed 72 noncitizens

I asked immigrants from 28 countries why they're serving in the US military -- and it's not primarily to gain citizenship
Political

The Taylor Swift Official State Sandwich: Politicians understand that Swifties are a key demographic

That’s a lot of potential voters behind Swift at her Denver concert on July 14, 2023. Tom Cooper/TAS23/Getty Images for TAS Rights Management Like any millennial pop music fan active on social media, I’ve been following Taylor Swift’s Eras Tour – the surprise songs, the scramble to get tickets, her brief romance with that guy from The 1975 with a history of racist comments. But as a political scientist, I was intrigued by something else: reaction to the tour by government officials. New Jersey renamed the state’s famed Taylor ham, egg and cheese in her honor – it’s now the

The Taylor Swift Official State Sandwich: Politicians understand that Swifties are a key demographic
Political

Former US Sen. Kelly Ayotte throws hat into race for New Hampshire governor

Former New Hampshire U.S. Sen. Kelly Ayotte on Monday announced she’s running for governor, days after fellow Republican Chris Sununu said he’s not seeking reelection to a fifth term in 2024. “Gov. Sununu did a great job, but there’s going to be a vacuum there,” Ayotte said on “Fox & Friends.” “We are one election away from becoming Massachusetts in New Hampshire, and I’m not going to let that happen,” she said. “We have something very special in New Hampshire — no income (tax), no sales tax, education freedom is so important in our state. So

Former US Sen. Kelly Ayotte throws hat into race for New Hampshire governor
Political

Democratic governor pushes back against transgender-related attacks by GOP in Kentucky campaign

Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear is pushing back hard against Republican efforts to cast him as an advocate of gender reassignment surgery for minors, saying his detractors have misrepresented his position and invoking his Christian faith and support for parental rights to explain why he vetoed a measure that banned gender-affirming care for children. Beshear, a Democrat seeking a second term in a race that could test the political potency of Republican messaging on transgender issues, said in an interview that he has always opposed gender reassignment surgery for children. “My position on this has always been

Democratic governor pushes back against transgender-related attacks by GOP in Kentucky campaign
Political

How Trump is gaining an advantage in the nitty-gritty battle for delegates

Set aside the polls, the fundraising numbers or Donald Trump’s name recognition as metrics of his early dominance of the Republican presidential contest. He has what could prove to be the most important advantage in the race: a leg up in winning the delegates needed to clinch the GOP nomination. While the delegate count won’t begin taking shape until voting begins next January, Trump’s edge in the race to win their votes is years in the making. Many state Republican parties made changes to their rules ahead of the 2020 election by adding more winner-take-all contests

How Trump is gaining an advantage in the nitty-gritty battle for delegates
Political

After decades of delays and broken promises, coal miners hail rule to slow rise of black lung

A half-century ago, the nation’s top health experts urged the federal agency in charge of mine safety to adopt strict rules protecting miners from poisonous rock dust. The inaction since — fueled by denials and lobbying from coal and other industries — has contributed to the premature deaths of thousands of miners from pneumoconiosis, more commonly known as “black lung.” The problem has only grown in recent years as miners dig through more layers of rock to get to less accessible coal, generating deadly silica dust in the process. One former regulator called the lack of

After decades of delays and broken promises, coal miners hail rule to slow rise of black lung
Political

Oui, oui: Jill Biden heads to Paris to help mark US return to UN educational and scientific agency

Jill Biden has represented her country at the Olympics in Tokyo, a king’s coronation in London and a royal wedding in Jordan. She gets another chance to put her ambassadorial skills to work this week when the United States formally rejoins a United Nations agency devoted to education, science and culture around the globe. Biden was arriving in Paris early Monday after flying overnight from Washington to join other VIPs and speak at a ceremony Tuesday at the headquarters of the United Nations Scientific, Educational and Cultural Organization. The American flag will be raised to mark the

Oui, oui: Jill Biden heads to Paris to help mark US return to UN educational and scientific agency

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