Days after “total authority“ over states, President Donald Trump on Thursday kicked responsibility for coronavirus-related shutdowns to state governors as he unveiled general for a phased reopening of the economy.In a call with governors and at a White House news conference, the president marked the moment — which he called “open up America again“ — as a key step in reviving a devastated economy and an opportunity for state leaders to tailor a response to their individual needs. But he left many critical questions unanswered for the states, including how testing will be ramped up...…Days after “total authority“ over states, President Donald Trump on Thursday kicked responsibility for coronavirus-related shutdowns to state governors as he unveiled general for a phased reopening of the economy.In a call with governors and at a White House news conference, the president marked the moment — which he called “open up America again“ — as a key step in reviving a devastated economy and an opportunity for state leaders to tailor a response to their individual needs. But he left many critical questions unanswered for the states, including how testing will be ramped up...WW…

On Nov. 7, the day after Democrats seized control of the House with what would become a 40-seat swing, President Donald Trump fired his attorney general, Jeff Sessions. That day, at his home in California, Smoke Wallin saw his phone blow up with congratulatory calls from friends and associates celebrating the political demise of the nation’s top law enforcement officer. Sessions had spent good parts of the preceding two years looming over a booming industry that is caught between a tidal wave of popularity at the state level and an implacable wall of illegality in Washington. Wallin, the...…On Nov. 7, the day after Democrats seized control of the House with what would become a 40-seat swing, President Donald Trump fired his attorney general, Jeff Sessions. That day, at his home in California, Smoke Wallin saw his phone blow up with congratulatory calls from friends and associates celebrating the political demise of the nation’s top law enforcement officer. Sessions had spent good parts of the preceding two years looming over a booming industry that is caught between a tidal wave of popularity at the state level and an implacable wall of illegality in Washington. Wallin, the...WW…

Republicans believe the recall election lends a platform to make their case both to would-be voters and prospective donors who had written off California as a lost cause.California Gov. Gavin Newsom looks at his notes before speaking at a news conference at the vaccination clinic at City College of San Francisco on April 6. | Justin Sullivan/Getty ImagesOAKLAND — Win or lose, California Republicans are hoping a campaign to recall Gov. Gavin Newsom could broaden their path out of the wilderness.A once-mighty party in the state that produced Richard Nixon and Ronald Reagan has struggled for...…Republicans believe the recall election lends a platform to make their case both to would-be voters and prospective donors who had written off California as a lost cause.California Gov. Gavin Newsom looks at his notes before speaking at a news conference at the vaccination clinic at City College of San Francisco on April 6. | Justin Sullivan/Getty ImagesOAKLAND — Win or lose, California Republicans are hoping a campaign to recall Gov. Gavin Newsom could broaden their path out of the wilderness.A once-mighty party in the state that produced Richard Nixon and Ronald Reagan has struggled for...WW…

One of the most durable myths in recent history is that the religious right, the coalition of conservative evangelicals and fundamentalists, emerged as a political movement in response to the U.S. Supreme Court’s 1973 Roe v. Wade ruling legalizing abortion. The tale goes something like this: Evangelicals, who had been politically quiescent for decades, were so morally outraged by Roe that they resolved to organize in order to overturn it.This myth of origins is oft repeated by the movement’s leaders. In his 2005 book, Jerry Falwell, the firebrand fundamentalist preacher, recounts his...…One of the most durable myths in recent history is that the religious right, the coalition of conservative evangelicals and fundamentalists, emerged as a political movement in response to the U.S. Supreme Court’s 1973 Roe v. Wade ruling legalizing abortion. The tale goes something like this: Evangelicals, who had been politically quiescent for decades, were so morally outraged by Roe that they resolved to organize in order to overturn it.This myth of origins is oft repeated by the movement’s leaders. In his 2005 book, Jerry Falwell, the firebrand fundamentalist preacher, recounts his...WW…

The campaign to oust Newsom went from unlikely to unavoidable this week as pervasive frustration with Newsom’s pandemic management cut sharply into his approval numbers.Two of the California's most respected polls this week showed that support for Gov. Gavin Newsom has plummeted amid the state's worst stretch of the pandemic so far. | Justin Sullivan/Getty ImagesOAKLAND, Calif. — California Gov. Gavin Newsom doesn’t want to talk about the recall. But his allies can’t ignore it.The campaign to oust Newsom went from unlikely to unavoidable this week as pervasive frustration with Newsom’s...…The campaign to oust Newsom went from unlikely to unavoidable this week as pervasive frustration with Newsom’s pandemic management cut sharply into his approval numbers.Two of the California's most respected polls this week showed that support for Gov. Gavin Newsom has plummeted amid the state's worst stretch of the pandemic so far. | Justin Sullivan/Getty ImagesOAKLAND, Calif. — California Gov. Gavin Newsom doesn’t want to talk about the recall. But his allies can’t ignore it.The campaign to oust Newsom went from unlikely to unavoidable this week as pervasive frustration with Newsom’s...WW…

The widening battle over George Gascón's policies offers a high-profile microcosm for larger tensions roiling law enforcement around the country.Within weeks of taking office, Los Angeles District Attorney George Gascón instructed prosecutors to stop seeking the death penalty and trying juveniles as adults. | Damian Dovarganes/AP PhotoOAKLAND, Calif. — Los Angeles District Attorney George Gascón ran on a vow to shake up America’s largest law enforcement jurisdiction. Sweeping progressive changes followed — and so has the California backlash.Within weeks of taking office, Gascón instructed...…The widening battle over George Gascón's policies offers a high-profile microcosm for larger tensions roiling law enforcement around the country.Within weeks of taking office, Los Angeles District Attorney George Gascón instructed prosecutors to stop seeking the death penalty and trying juveniles as adults. | Damian Dovarganes/AP PhotoOAKLAND, Calif. — Los Angeles District Attorney George Gascón ran on a vow to shake up America’s largest law enforcement jurisdiction. Sweeping progressive changes followed — and so has the California backlash.Within weeks of taking office, Gascón instructed...WW…

California Gov. Gavin Newsom speaks at a COVID-19 testing facility Friday, Oct. 30, 2020, in Valencia, Calif. | AP Photo/Marcio Jose SanchezOAKLAND, Calif. — Gov. Gavin Newsom has ordered California into a state curfew, escalating his response to rapidly rising coronavirus numbers.More than 94 percent of Californians must remain in their homes between 10 p.m and 5 a.m. unless performing essential activities. The requirement applies to the 41 counties that have landed in the state’s most restrictive tier due to wide coronavirus spread.“The virus is spreading at a pace we haven’t seen since...…California Gov. Gavin Newsom speaks at a COVID-19 testing facility Friday, Oct. 30, 2020, in Valencia, Calif. | AP Photo/Marcio Jose SanchezOAKLAND, Calif. — Gov. Gavin Newsom has ordered California into a state curfew, escalating his response to rapidly rising coronavirus numbers.More than 94 percent of Californians must remain in their homes between 10 p.m and 5 a.m. unless performing essential activities. The requirement applies to the 41 counties that have landed in the state’s most restrictive tier due to wide coronavirus spread.“The virus is spreading at a pace we haven’t seen since...WW…

“Would somebody please help me out here: I’m confused,” read the email to me from a conservative Republican activist and donor. “The Russians are alleged to have interfered in the 2016 election by hacking into Dem party servers that were inadequately protected, some being kept in Hillary’s basement and finding emails that were actually written by members of the Clinton campaign and releasing those emails so that they could be read by the American people who what, didn’t have the right to read these emails? And this is bad? Shouldn’t we be thanking the Russians for making the election more...…“Would somebody please help me out here: I’m confused,” read the email to me from a conservative Republican activist and donor. “The Russians are alleged to have interfered in the 2016 election by hacking into Dem party servers that were inadequately protected, some being kept in Hillary’s basement and finding emails that were actually written by members of the Clinton campaign and releasing those emails so that they could be read by the American people who what, didn’t have the right to read these emails? And this is bad? Shouldn’t we be thanking the Russians for making the election more...WW…