Politics

The Democratic-led Senate confirmed the 235th federal judge nominated by President Joe Biden, marking a milestone for the outgoing occupant of the White House by giving him one more than former President Donald Trump secured. The latest confirmation Friday could be Biden’s last, meaning he will leave office having secured one Supreme Court justice, 45…

Elon Musk has been a constant companion to President-elect Donald Trump as Trump meets with foreign leaders — an ever-present personality at Mar-a-Lago since November, even accompanying Trump to Paris on his first foreign trip since winning the election.   Musk’s proximity to the incoming president has given him invaluable access to heads of state, including French President…

On Jan. 1, 2025, many new laws will be going into effect in California. They range from a ban on legacy admissions to a ban on octopus farming.  Here is a list of significant bills signed in 2024 and some of the laws going into effect this upcoming year. Click on the bill number to learn…

Facing a government shutdown deadline, the Senate rushed through final passage early Saturday of a bipartisan plan that would temporarily fund federal operations and disaster aid, dropping President-elect Donald Trump‘s demands for a debt limit increase into the new year. House Speaker Mike Johnson had insisted Congress would “meet our obligations” and not allow federal operations to shutter ahead of the…

If the government shuts down days before Christmas, holiday travel could be hit but holiday shipping spared. By Friday morning, lawmakers were still scrambling to reach a deal that would avoid a U.S. government shutdown at 12:01 a.m. Saturday, after President-elect Donald Trump throttled a bipartisan funding bill Wednesday. There hasn’t been a government shutdown since 2019 — under…

It was government shutdown season in Washington, and all through the House, many creatures were stirring — most notably Elon Musk. Lawmakers in Congress were expecting a glide path to the holidays. They had a bipartisan deal that would keep the government funded and send them all on their merry way back to their districts. …

President-elect Donald Trump announced his nominations to lead key offices tasked with delivering his campaign promise of cutting fossil fuel regulations and increasing oil and natural gas production to lower energy prices and inflation. During his campaign, as we’ve detailed, Trump vowed to exit the “horribly unfair” and “disastrous” Paris Agreement, which he will be able to…

A Southern California political operative, who served as the campaign manager for a successful city council race, was arrested on a federal complaint that accuses him of acting on behalf of the People’s Republic of China (PRC) as an illegal foreign agent.  The Chino Hills man, Yaoning “Mike” Sun, 64, is expected to make his…

U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement deported more than 270,000 people to 192 countries over a recent 12-month period, the highest annual tally in a decade, according to a report released Thursday that illustrates some of the financial and operational challenges that President-elect Donald Trump will face to carry out his pledge of mass deportations. ICE,…

A day before a potential government shutdown, the House resoundingly rejected President-elect Donald Trump’s new plan Thursday to fund operations and suspend the debt ceiling, as Democrats and dozens of Republicans refused to accommodate his sudden demands. In a hastily convened evening vote punctuated by angry outbursts over the self-made crisis, the lawmakers failed to reach the two-thirds…