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Editorial: Joe Biden should commit to presidential debates

Politics / Political News /

Joe Biden famously ran a basement campaign during his successful 2020 presidential bid. But he emerged to participate in two debates with his opponent, Donald Trump. Will he agree to share the stage this fall? He’d better.

Last week, five major TV networks — ABC, CBS, NBC, CNN and Fox — sent a joint letter to Biden and Trump urging the ...Read more

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Commentary: Is Arizona's abortion ban a return to the 19th century? No, it's actually worse

Politics / Political News /

Arizona’s Supreme Court opened a new front in the war on women’s reproductive rights last week when it resurrected an obscure 1864 law that bans abortion in almost all cases. Critics of the ruling say the court has thrown Arizona back into the 19th century.

That isn’t entirely fair to the 19th century.

The irony of last week’s ...Read more

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Editorial: No debate about it: A fitting end to the ridiculous impeachment of Alejandro Mayorkas

Politics / Political News /

The 49 Senate Republicans spent Wednesday afternoon furiously sputtering that they weren’t allowed to debate if Alejandro Mayorkas, the secretary of homeland security, duly and formally impeached by the House, should be tried in the upper chamber.

It’s their own fault, having blocked a chance to engage in several hours of debate, so they ...Read more

Francine Orr/Los Angeles Times/TNS

Supreme Court tackles homelessness crisis. What that means for California

Politics / Political News /

WASHINGTON — The Supreme Court is poised to hear its most important case ever on the homelessness crisis, and to decide whether cities in California and the West may enforce laws against camping on sidewalks or other public property.

Homelessness has often been cited as the most intractable problem for cities in the West, and it has grown ...Read more

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Full jury selected for Trump hush money trial

Politics / Political News /

NEW YORK — The 12 New Yorkers who will decide whether or not Donald Trump is a felon before this year’s presidential election were seated during a dramatic day of proceedings Thursday, leaving the court to find five alternates before his historic hush money trial begins in earnest.

“We have our jury,” Manhattan Supreme Court Justice ...Read more

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More than 20 previously uncounted ballots discovered during California's Congressional District 16 recount

Politics / Political News /

SAN JOSE, Calif. — As the recount in the Congressional District 16 race entered its fourth day, more than 20 ballots excluded from the original count in Santa Clara County have been uncovered — a development that could swing the results of the election and break the tie for second between Assembly member Evan Low and Santa Clara County ...Read more

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Donald Trump will hold a May rally in Wildwood, Pennsylvania

Politics / Political News /

PHILADELPHIA — The mayor and commissioners of Wildwood, Pa., announced that former President Donald Trump will hold a campaign rally on the beach on May 11.

“What a great boost to our town at the start of the summer season! We host hundreds of large capacity events annually, so the city is ready to welcome the crowds and looks forward to ...Read more

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A Paul-Massie alliance fight FISA's renewal. They're running out of time

Politics / Political News /

WASHINGTON — Kentucky Sen. Rand Paul formed a noisy alliance with Rep. Thomas Massie this week that scrambled Congress’ plans to renew the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act without additional privacy protections for Americans and threatened the six-month tenure of the Republican speaker of the House.

The libertarian duo scored a ...Read more

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Full jury selected for Trump hush money trial

Politics / Political News /

NEW YORK — A full jury was sworn in Thursday for Donald Trump’s historic hush money criminal trial in Manhattan.

The seven jurors selected late in the day join the five panelists chosen earlier this week, and comes after two were dismissed Thursday morning.

The newest selections include someone who follows Trump on Truth Social and former ...Read more

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Proposed resolution would allow Georgia war hero to lie in state in US Capitol

Politics / Political News /

Ralph Puckett Jr. of Columbus, who died April 8 and was the last living person to receive the Medal of Honor for heroism during the Korean War, would lie in state in the U.S. Capitol Rotunda under a bipartisan resolution pending in Congress.

Last week, a measure was introduced that aims to honor all those who served in the U.S. military during ...Read more

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Two jurors, one too frightened to serve, excused from Trump hush money trial

Politics / Political News /

NEW YORK — Two jurors in the Donald Trump hush money trial were excused Thursday, one after telling the court she was too scared and intimidated to serve, as prosecutors renewed their request to hold Trump in criminal contempt over alleged gag order violations.

The first juror, one of seven initially chosen to serve on the case, told Judge ...Read more

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Kennedy family endorses Biden in bid to counter RFK Jr.

Politics / Political News /

WASHINGTON — President Joe Biden called it an “incredible honor” as he received endorsements from more than a dozen members of the Kennedy family, in a public show of force aimed at undercutting the presidential campaign of independent Robert F. Kennedy Jr.

Biden, flanked by his rival’s siblings on stage at the event in Philadelphia, ...Read more

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Key player in Adams campaign straw donor scheme pleads guilty

Politics / Political News /

Shamsuddin Riza pleaded guilty Thursday to helping orchestrate a straw donor scheme that pumped illegal cash into Mayor Adams’ 2021 campaign in what prosecutors say was a scheme aimed at currying political favor in the hopes of landing city contracts.

Riza is the fourth defendant to plead guilty after being charged by Manhattan District ...Read more

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Poll shows Florida abortion, marijuana referendums short of passage; bigger challenge for pot question

Politics / Political News /

MIAMI — The two high-profile referendums on the 2024 Florida ballot — on abortion rights and recreational marijuana — are polling short of what they need to pass.

A statewide public opinion poll released Thursday by Florida Atlantic University found less than 50% support for each. Passage requires 60% of the vote.

•Abortion: The ...Read more

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Juror too frightened to serve excused from Trump hush money trial

Politics / Political News /

NEW YORK — A juror in the Donald Trump hush money trial was excused Thursday after telling the court she was too scared and intimidated to serve as prosecutors renewed their request to hold Trump in criminal contempt over alleged gag order violations.

The juror, one of seven chosen so far to serve on the case, told Merchan that she was too ...Read more

Biden counters RFK Jr. with Kennedy family endorsements

Politics / Political News /

President Joe Biden will be endorsed by more than a dozen members of the Kennedy family at an event Thursday in Philadelphia, as he looks to blunt the outsider presidential bid of Robert F. Kennedy Jr.

Biden will be introduced by Kerry Kennedy — the sister of the third-party candidate — and joined by fellow siblings including Kathleen ...Read more

Cities with Black women police chiefs had less street violence during 2020’s Black Lives Matter protests

Politics / Political News /

Black Lives Matter protests in cities with Black women police chiefs experienced significantly lower levels of violence – from both police and protesters – than cities with police chiefs of other racial backgrounds and gender, according to our newly published paper.

After George Floyd’s death at the hands of Minneapolis police ...Read more

5 years after the the Mueller Report into Russian meddling in the 2016 US election on behalf of Trump: 4 essential reads

Politics / Political News /

In the long list of Donald Trump’s legal woes, the Mueller report – which was released in redacted form on April 18, 2019 – appears all but forgotten.

But the nearly two-year investigation into alleged Russian interference in the 2016 U.S. presidential election dominated headlines – and revealed what has become Trump’s ...Read more

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Editorial: Biden shrugs at inflation

Politics / Political News /

Over the past three years, the Biden White House has gradually passed through the five stages of grief when it comes to inflation. President Joe Biden has now reached the “acceptance” stage. The American public, however, may not be so accommodating.

Denial came first. Recall Biden’s famous assertion in July 2021 that, “There’s nobody ...Read more

Oman serves as a crucial back channel between Iran and the US as tensions flare in the Middle East

Politics / Political News /

Prior to launching a barrage of drones and missiles at Israel on April 13, 2024, Iran reportedly got word to Washington that its response to an earlier strike on its embassy compound in Syria would seek to avoid major escalation. The message was conveyed via the Gulf Arab state of Oman.

The current crisis in the Middle East is one ...Read more