Rough & Tumble ®
A Snapshot of California Public Policy and Politics
       
 
 
 
 
 

California Policy and Politics Saturday

Under court order, UC publicly releases Trump administration’s $1.2-billion settlement proposal -- The California Supreme Court rejected UC’s request to keep a $1.2-billion Trump UCLA settlement proposal private. The document, which UCLA published online, demands vast changes to UCLA’s admissions policies and calls for more protest restrictions and a ban on gender-affirming healthcare for minors. UC warned that releasing the proposal would cause “irreparable harm” to its negotiations with Trump. Jaweed Kaleem in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 10/25/25

Justice Department says it will send election monitors to California on Election Day -- The unusual announcement comes amid sky-high tensions between state leaders and federal officials and as voting is underway in California on Proposition 50, a measure to enact new congressional maps designed to help Democrats flip five U.S. House seats in the 2026 midterms. Sophia Bollag in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 10/25/25

 

Kamala Harris hints she is ready to run again for US president -- Former United States Vice President Kamala Harris suggested she may run again for U.S. president. The Democratic Party presidential hopeful, who lost to Republican Donald Trump in 2024, told the BBC in an interview to be aired Sunday that she is “not done” with politics. “I have lived my entire career as a life of service and it’s in my bones,” she said. Louise Guillot Politico Lisa Lerer in the New York Times$ -- 10/25/25

 

‘Yes on Prop 50’ campaign vastly outspends opponents as Election Day nears -- With a national fundraising blitz in full swing and Election Day just around the corner, Democrats stumping for Proposition 50 have far out-raised and out-spent their opponents — even though a California megadonor with Republican ties single-handedly spent $30 million to defeat it. Grant Stringer in the San Jose Mercury$ -- 10/25/25

How much does California’s Prop 50 matter in the battle for control of the House? -- California voters have a big decision to make on Nov. 4 with Proposition 50, which would temporarily redraw the state’s congressional lines to boost Democrats. But a bigger question looms if the measure passes: With Republican-leaning states redrawing their own districts, how much will Prop 50 matter in the battle over control of the House? Sophia Bollag in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 10/25/25

Steve Hilton, Katie Porter lead latest poll in the California governor race -- As speculation continues about another heavyweight contender jumping into the race, polling also shows a plurality of voters are still undecided about the race. Kaitlyn Schallhorn in the Orange County Register$ -- 10/25/25

 

Meet the Bay Area pastor shot in the face with pepper ball at Coast Guard Island protest -- Even when the Border Patrol agent raised his weapon, the Rev. Jorge Bautista didn’t think anything would happen. There was no way the agent would shoot. Then something crashed into his face, just above his chin. Fumes from a pepper ball round filled the air, making him cough as his eyes burned and his vision blurred. St. John Barned-Smith in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 10/25/25

Mayor Bass selects longtime LAFD leader to head embattled fire department -- Jaime Moore, currently a deputy chief, will take the reins after a lengthy, nationwide search during which the mayor interviewed fire chiefs of other major cities. Bass also visited firehouses, hearing from firefighters on what they were looking for in a chief. Noah Goldberg in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 10/25/25

First West Nile virus death confirmed in L.A. County, as studies show that drought conditions may increase risk -- The individual, whose details have been kept anonymous, was hospitalized in the San Fernando Valley for neurological illness caused by the mosquito-borne virus. In Southern California, October is the middle of mosquito season. Katerina Portela in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 10/25/25

Drugs, crime and homelessness plague MacArthur Park. Can a multimillion-dollar fence rescue it? -- The city of Los Angeles is moving ahead with plans to build a $2.3-million iron fence around MacArthur Park. The proposal has sparked debate over the best way to increase security at the park and help serve the homeless who frequent it. Nathan Solis in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 10/25/25

‘Reckless’ scrap yard with history of endangering a Watts high school is shuttered -- A judge closed a Watts scrap metal plant permanently and imposed $2 million in fines for exposing Jordan High students to toxic dust and explosions. Operated for 70 years adjacent to the school, the facility may have exposed generations of children to dangerous lead contamination. Tony Briscoe in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 10/25/25

Campus

An elite East Coast university is in ‘stealthy’ discussions to expand into Oakland -- A spokesperson for Howard University, a historically Black, private university in Washington, D.C, confirmed to the Chronicle that the school has been engaged in talks with Oakland Mayor Barbara Lee about expanding into the East Bay city — but stopped short of confirming concrete plans. Laura Waxmann in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 10/25/25

Education

California sued over bond program that sends more money to fix facilities in wealthy school districts -- Districts with the smallest tax bases per student — and generally the most low-income students — have gotten less state money for school upgrades. Districts with the most taxable property per student can afford bigger school construction projects; they’re often first in line for state aid. John Fensterwald EdSource -- 10/25/25

Homework faces an existential crisis. Has AI made it pointless? -- Homework has long been a topic of debate, but in 2025 it is facing an existential crisis: Has artificial intelligence and its instant answers made it pointless or even counterproductive? Howard Blume in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 10/25/25

Street

Ex-LAPD officer indicted on murder charge for on-duty killing of homeless man -- Prosecutors indicted Clifford Proctor, 60, a former Los Angeles Police officer, on a murder charge. Proctor faces charges for his on-duty actions in a 2015 incident that left a homeless man dead in Venice. James Queally and Libor Jany in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 10/25/25

Also

Average price for a new car surpasses $50,000 for first time -- The head of California’s car dealers worries that higher prices are not healthy for both consumers and the industry. Rob Nikolewski in the San Diego Union Tribune$ -- 10/25/25

A rogue Santa Cruz otter is terrorizing surfers: the redux -- A sea otter is harassing Santa Cruz surfers at legendary Steamer Lane, biting riders and stealing surfboards in a repeat of incidents from two years ago. Authorities cannot confirm if it’s the notorious otter known as 841, whose flipper tag may have fallen off or been chewed away. Susanne Rust in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 10/25/25

After ‘Megalopolis’ flops, Francis Ford Coppola puts his pricey watch collection up for auction -- Francis Ford Coppola wants an offer he can’t refuse — on his timepieces. Stacy Perman in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 10/25/25

California wolves are endangered. The state just killed four -- California wildlife officials confirmed Friday that they took the extraordinary step of killing four gray wolves in a remote, mountain basin north of Lake Tahoe, saying the endangered carnivores were too frequently preying on cattle. Kurtis Alexander in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 10/25/25

California city reopens historic dining spot — the only one left in the country -- The Woolworth’s lunch counter was once a nucleus of community in Bakersfield. Now, new owners hope a revamp of the historic space will breathe life back into the city’s struggling downtown. Lucy Hodgman in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 10/25/25

POTUS 47

Apple, Google and Meta help fund Trump’s $300 million White House ballroom -- Apple, Google, HP, Meta and Palantir are among a cluster of Bay Area tech companies helping to bankroll President Donald Trump’s plan to build a $300 million ballroom, according to the White House. The project has already leveled the East Wing and roiled preservationists and ethics watchdogs. Aidin Vaziri in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 10/25/25

Donor Who Gave $130 Million to Pay Troops Is Reclusive Heir to Mellon Fortune -- Timothy Mellon, a reclusive billionaire and a major financial backer of President Trump, is the anonymous private donor who gave $130 million to the U.S. government to help pay troops during the shutdown, according to two people familiar with the matter. Tyler Pager in the New York Times$ -- 10/25/25

How Trump’s ballroom will dwarf the White House -- Trump’s new 90,000-square-foot White House ballroom would be almost as large as the rest of the complex. Aaron Steckelberg, Manuel Canales, Maureen Linke and Javier Zarracina in the Washington Post$ -- 10/25/25

Trump’s Plans for the East Wing Keep Changing. Here’s a Look -- Will President Trump’s East Wing ballroom hold 650 people, or 999, as Mr. Trump said this week? Or maybe it will hold 1,350 people, according to a drawing Mr. Trump held up in the Oval Office this week. Marco Hernandez, Junho Lee and Ashley Wu in the New York Times$ -- 10/25/25

Trump Administration Won’t Use Emergency Funds for Food Stamps During Shutdown -- The Agriculture Department said that it would not use the funds to cover benefits in November, imperiling a program 42 million people use to pay for groceries. Linda Qiu and Tony Romm in the New York Times$ -- 10/25/25

Consumer prices in September rise to a pace not seen since January -- New data released Friday showed inflation heated up in September to a pace not seen since January, according to the first dataset to be released during the government shutdown. Andrew Ackerman in the Washington Post$ -- 10/25/25

Average Obamacare premiums are set to rise 30 percent, documents show -- The higher prices — affecting up to 17 million Americans who buy coverage on Healthcare.gov — reflect the largest annual premium increases by far in recent years. Paige Winfield Cunningham in the Washington Post$ -- 10/25/25

Amid the Rubble of the East Wing, Lessons in How Trump Exercises Power -- The gold in the Oval Office can be scraped off by a future president. The Rose Garden lawn can be replanted, reversing the experiment of turning it into a Mar-a-Lago-style patio. But the destruction of the East Wing is different, for two reasons that may explain why the images of giant metal claws ripping down a symbol of American power have struck such a chord in Washington and beyond. David E. Sanger in the New York Times$ -- 10/25/25

With East Wing gone, questions now turn to Trump’s ballroom donors -- Ethics experts and Democrats say they are eager to know whether private donors behind the planned $300 million ballroom are poised to receive any benefits in return. Dan Diamond and Victoria Bisset in the Washington Post$ -- 10/25/25

Trump’s Son Is Poised to Profit From Pentagon Drone Proposal -- A small company that has been manufacturing motors domestically for only a few weeks and has Donald Trump Jr. as an adviser won a parts order from the Army. Eric Lipton in the New York Times$ -- 10/25/25

How One Ad Sent U.S.-Canada Trade Talks Into a Tailspin -- Negotiators had worked for weeks on a potential agreement to reduce Trump’s steel and aluminum tariffs. Vipal Monga, Gavin Bade and Alex Leary in the Wall Street Journal$ -- 10/25/25

Trump Called a Canadian Ad Fake. It Faithfully Reproduces Reagan’s Words -- The anti-tariff ad, which President Trump pointed to in cutting off trade talks with Canada, uses several sound bites from an April 1987 speech, though not in the order President Ronald Reagan said them. Lynsey Chutel and Ana Swanson in the New York Times$ -- 10/25/25

Pentagon Orders Aircraft Carrier to the Caribbean -- Move is strongest sign yet that Trump administration envisions expanding its military campaign in region. Shelby Holliday and Lara Seligman in the Wall Street Journal$ Charlie Savage and Eric Schmitt in the New York Times$ Dan Lamothe in the Washington Post$ -- 10/25/25

Arellano: As Trump blows up supposed narco boats, he uses an old, corrupt playbook on Latin America -- Consumer confidence is dropping. The national debt is $38 trillion and climbing like the yodeling mountain climber in that “The Price is Right” game. Donald Trump’s approval ratings are falling and the U.S. is getting more and more restless as 2025 comes to a close. What’s a wannabe strongman to do to prop up his regime? Attack Latin America, of course! Gustavo Arellano in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 10/25/25

The Peril of a White House That Flaunts Its Indifference to the Law -- The White House has made no legal argument explaining its bald claim that the president has wartime power to summarily kill people suspected of smuggling drugs. Charlie Savage in the New York Times$ -- 10/25/25

Bannon Claims ‘There Is a Plan’ for Trump to Run for a Third Term -- The claim comes after months of President Trump toying with the idea, insisting that he is “not joking” about defying a constitutionally-mandated term limit. Chris Cameron in the New York Times$ -- 10/25/25

 

California Policy and Politics Friday

Immigration enforcement ‘surge’ called off for rest of Bay Area -- Federal officials have called off a planned immigration enforcement action for the entire Bay Area, Oakland Mayor Barbara Lee said Friday. Dominic Fracassa, Kate Talerico in the San Francisco Chronicle$ Shomik Mukherjee, Sierra Lopez, Jakob Rodgers in the San Jose Mercury$ Kevin Rector in the Los Angeles Times$ Lia Russell in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 10/24/25

‘Make or break moment’: Supreme Court is set to rule on Trump using troops in U.S. cities -- The Supreme Court is set to rule for the first time on whether the president has the power to deploy troops in American cities over the objections of local and state officials. A decision could come at any time. David G. Savage in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 10/24/25

Inside the Tech CEO Campaign to Stop Trump From Sending Troops to San Francisco -- Sam Altman, Jensen Huang and Marc Benioff helped Mayor Daniel Lurie to persuade the president not to deploy the National Guard. Keach Hagey, Sebastian Herrera and Robbie Whelan in the Wall Street Journal$ -- 10/24/25

Trump’s DOJ is sending election monitors to California with voting on Prop. 50 underway -- It’s common to see election observers at voting stations, but generally less so for them to come from the federal government. Some from the Trump administration will be on the ground in several California counties next month. Maya C. Miller Calmatters Lia Russell in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 10/24/25

The five California Republicans who could lose their seats in Congress if Prop 50 passes -- Currently, only nine of California’s 52 House members are Republicans. If Prop 50 passes, five will see their districts redrawn in ways that will include more registered Democrats, putting their re-elections at grave risk next November. Paul Rogers in the San Jose Mercury$ -- 10/24/25

UC must publicly release Trump administration’s $1.2-billion settlement proposal -- UCLA must release the Trump administration document that outlines the terms of the $1.2 billion settlement proposal at the center of talks between the University of California and the federal government, the California Supreme Court ruled Friday. Jaweed Kaleem in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 10/24/25

2 injured when security personnel open fire on truck at site of Oakland protests -- Security personnel opened fire Thursday night at a U-Haul truck that had been backing up to the entrance to Coast Guard Island, where protesters spent the day rallying against the planned arrival of federal immigration agents. Jakob Rodgers, Shomik Mukherjee in the San Jose Mercury$ -- 10/24/25

Shots fired at site of protest outside Coast Guard base near Oakland -- Video footage by the television station KTVU showed armed officials at Coast Guard Island firing shots at a U-Haul truck that was driving backward toward them. The officials appeared to have shouted at the vehicle, which was driving on a bridge that led to the base around 10 p.m., but the truck didn’t stop. The item is in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 10/24/25

Unions opposing Trump agenda pouring money into Proposition 50 campaign -- Labor unions and other special interests with business before Gov. Newsom have donated tens of millions of dollars to the main campaign committee supporting Proposition 50, the congressional redistricting proposal on the Nov. 4 ballot. Seema Mehta in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 10/24/25

Federal judge issues tentative ruling ordering that immigrant detainees have access to legal counsel -- The preliminary injunction would essentially extend a temporary restraining order that U.S. District Judge Maame Ewusi-Mensah Frimpong issued in July, requiring federal immigration agencies to allow legal visitation at the B-18 detention facility seven days a week. Brittny Mejia in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 10/24/25

Gavin Newsom cited 3 main reasons in his vetoes this year. Trump was one -- The analysis highlights how Newsom uses his veto pen to assert authority over a Legislature his fellow Democrats control while rejecting bills he deems too costly, redundant or politically risky. Newsom cited fiscal implications dozens of times in his veto messages, reflecting the challenges of a tough budget year. This year’s vetoes also gave him a chance to throw some shade at Newsom’s biggest enemy: President Donald Trump. Ryan Sabalow Calmatters -- 10/24/25

 

Trump calls off San Francisco ‘surge,’ but East Bay braces for action as protests erupt -- President Trump said Thursday that he had called off a planned federal “surge” into San Francisco after speaking with Mayor Daniel Lurie and other city leaders — a detente that officials and activists in the East Bay said they were not welcomed into and which some saw as potentially enlarging the target on their own communities. Kevin Rector and Jessica Garrison in the Los Angeles Times$ Ethan Varian, Shomik Mukherjee and Caelyn Pender in the San Jose Mercury$ -- 10/24/25 Nicole Nixon and Lia Russell in the Sacramento Bee$ Jeremy B. White Politico Jack Morphet, Sean McLain and Roshan Fernandez in the Wall Street Journal$ Heather Knight, Soumya Karlamangla and Shawn Hubler in the New York Times$ Carolyn Jones Calmatters -- 10/24/25

Daniel Lurie has avoided picking fights with Trump — it may have stopped federal deployment to S.F. -- The bet that San Francisco Mayor Daniel Lurie made to avoid picking a fight with President Donald Trump appears to have paid off — at least for now. J.D. Morris in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 10/24/25

Bay Area protesters were ready. But billionaires got to Trump first -- San Francisco had won, at least temporarily, not with massive demonstrations like the 50,000 people who peacefully marched, chanted and waved “No Kings” signs Saturday, but with the brute financial muscle of Silicon Valley. Rachel Swan, Joe Garofoli in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 10/24/25

Why Trump spared San Francisco -- The San Francisco mayor’s quiet diplomacy helped defuse a federal surge in a city bracing for confrontation. Dustin Gardiner and Jeremy B. White Politico -- 10/24/25

Are undocumented immigrants responsible for higher crime rates? Here’s what studies show -- But study after study has shown that immigrants do not commit crimes at higher rates than native-born citizens. If anything, the opposite is true, as research has often found immigrants commit crimes at lower rates. Susie Neilson in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 10/24/25

He tracked and posted videos of ICE raids in L.A. Now this TikTok streamer is in federal custody -- Carlitos Ricardo Parias had been tracking ICE raids around South L.A. and posting videos on TikTok for months, gaining hundreds of thousands of followers who looked to his social media accounts for vital updates on where federal immigration agents were. Brittny Mejia, Ruben Vives and Salvador Hernandez in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 10/24/25

Asylum seekers face deportation over failure to pay new fees — before being notified -- Trump administration’s new asylum fees left immigrants confused about payment methods and deadlines, with some facing case dismissals before payment options existed. Advocacy organizations are suing, arguing the chaotic rollout violates due process and unfairly threatens asylum seekers navigating an ‘unnecessary bureaucratic mess.’ Andrea Castillo in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 10/24/25

Skin color

Can ICE Stop People Solely Based on Their Race? -- For decades, federal officers have had to rely on more than race or ethnicity to stop and question someone over citizenship. That is now being tested. Jazmine Ulloa in the New York Times$ -- 10/24/25

 

California gives Planned Parenthood $140 million boost to keep clinics open -- An injection of public funding means the nonprofit organization can keep primary care clinics operating. But with more financial troubles looming, lawmakers say there’s more work to be done to protect reproductive health services. Kristen Hwang in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 10/24/25

Should billionaires pay more? California unions want voters to decide -- For years, Gov. Gavin Newsom has staunchly opposed increasing taxes on wealthy Californians even when the issue repeatedly reared its head during recent tough budget years. But faced with deep federal cuts to social services programs, labor and health care groups are asking voters to circumvent the governor – to tax a very small number of people. Kristen Hwang Calmatters Kate Wolffe in the Sacramento Bee$ -- 10/24/25

Santa Clara County will lose $223 million this year in Medicaid revenues as a result of federal cuts -- It’s the first wave of what is expected to be several rocky years financially for a county that operates four public hospitals and 15 clinics in the wake of Republicans’ decision to slash $1 trillion from the federal Medicaid program over the next decade. Grace Hase in the San Jose Mercury$ -- 10/24/25

 

Marines fired 30 100-pound artillery shells over I-5, train lines with no warning to commuters -- New questions are emerging about why there were no public warnings before the U.S. Marines fired over Interstate 5 and a major regional commuter rail line as a test run a day before the 250th birthday celebration for the Corps at Camp Pendleton. Hannah Fry and Rong-Gong Lin II in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 10/24/25

Climate change and wildfires divide California gubernatorial candidates at forum -- Four of California’s gubernatorial candidates tangled over climate change and wildfire preparedness at an economic forum Thursday in Stockton, though they all acknowledged the stark problems facing the state. Dakota Smith in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 10/23/25

Workplace

Hollywood Weeps as Warner Bros. Hangs a Sale Sign -- Hollywood mourned in 2019 when 20th Century Fox ended its 84-year run as a stand-alone studio — for the jobs lost, for the proud legacy ended. But it was measured grief, the kind that quickly fades into acceptance. An atmosphere of bereavement returned this week, as Warner Bros. headed to auction. Only this time the sadness is much more profound. Brooks Barnes and Nicole Sperling in the New York Times$ -- 10/24/25

Silicon Valley tech giant to cut more than 1,400 jobs despite record revenue -- Applied Materials, one of Silicon Valley’s largest semiconductor equipment makers, plans to lay off hundreds of employees worldwide, the company disclosed Thursday. Aidin Vaziri in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 10/24/25

LAFD union president accuses Mayor Bass of ‘retaliation’ in wake of firestorm, files claim -- After the Palisades fire broke out in January, the head of the powerful firefighters union, Freddy Escobar, quickly got on the news and continued to say what he always had: The Los Angeles Fire Department was underfunded. Noah Goldberg in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 10/24/25

EV truck maker Rivian is laying off hundreds amid a slowdown in demand -- Irvine-based Rivian plans to lay off more than 600 workers, a company spokesperson confirmed, or about 4.5% of its workforce. The company had just under 15,000 employees at the end of last year. Caroline Petrow-Cohen in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 10/24/25

SNAP

Federal freeze on money for food could hit more than 300,000 in Orange County -- State officials expect SNAP benefits to go dark starting Nov. 1, though U.S. senators might cut a deal to keep funding in place. Local food banks are bracing for impact. Andre Mouchard, Claire Wang in the Orange County Register$ -- 10/24/25

Education

‘You’re in!’ S.F. State launches guaranteed admissions plan with City College, S.F. schools -- San Francisco State’s enrollment is in free fall — but the university is banking on a new agreement with the city’s school district and City College of San Francisco to help all three institutions. Nanette Asimov in the San Francisco Chronicle$ -- 10/24/25

Wildfire

U.S. senators ramp up Palisades fire probe but give Eaton fire short shrift -- Two U.S. senators sent a letter to the L.A. City Council seeking records. Officials in L.A. County, where the Eaton fire burned, say they’ve received no request. David Zahniser, Grace Toohey and Ana Ceballos in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 10/24/25

Street

Deputies in L.A. County jails to be equipped with body-worn cameras -- The L.A. County Sheriff’s Department said the rollout of body-worn cameras by deputies in jails began Oct. 1. Connor Sheets in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 10/24/25

Driver accused of causing the collisions that killed 3 on the 10 Freeway was in the country illegally, fed officials say -- The San Bernardino County District Attorney’s Office announced, also on Thursday, Oct. 23, that Jashanpreet Singh, a 21-year-old from Yuba City, is charged with three counts of vehicular manslaughter with gross negligence, and one count of DUI causing injury. Sydney Barragan in the Orange County Register$ -- 10/24/25

Also

Melanie Winter, who fought for embracing nature along the Los Angeles River, dies -- Winter worked persistently for nearly three decades to spread her alternative vision for the river and its watershed, calling for “unbuilding” where feasible, removing concrete and reactivating stretches of natural floodplains where the river could spread out. Ian James, Robert Gauthier in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 10/24/25

Joshua Tree’s short-term rental frenzy cools. But the gold rush changed the desert forever -- Operators are fleeing the Joshua Tree Airbnb market after a short-term rental boom. Area residents are grappling with how the rental surge reshaped their towns. Alex Wigglesworth in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 10/24/25

Arellano: From L.A to New York, bumbling, aggressive ICE is its own worst enemy -- From Los Angeles to Chicago, Portlandand New York, the evidence is ample enough that wherever Trump sends in the immigration agency, people get hurt. And not just protesters and immigrants. That includes 13 police officers tear-gassed in Chicago earlier this month. And, now, a U.S. marshal. Gustavo Arellano in the Los Angeles Times$ -- 10/24/25

Walters: California’s gerrymander and generational rift could shake up its Democratic hierarchy -- Democratic politicians throughout California — those already in office and those who want in — assume that voters will rearrange the state’s 52 congressional districts next month and create new career opportunities. Dan Walters Calmatters -- 10/24/25

Matt Gaetz’s appearance sparks protests at GOP’s anti-Prop 50 rally in CA -- Merced GOP hosted a rally with Matt Gaetz and Matt Schlapp backing Vin Kruttiventi. About 100 attendees heard populist, pro-Trump speeches and anti-Prop 50 appeals. Counter-protesters objected to Gaetz's record with past probes. Caleb Sprous in the Fresno Bee -- 10/24/25

POTUS 47

U.S. Inflation Picked Up to 3% in September -- Annual inflation picked up slightly in September, though not as much as economists expected. However, government data show inflation remains a sticky issue, with price increases above where policymakers want them. Food and gasoline prices rose from August, while pressure on housing costs eased. Konrad Putzier and Harriet Torry in the Wall Street Journal$ Colby Smith in the New York Times$ Andrew Ackerman in the Washington Post$ -- 10/24/25

The Peril of a White House That Flaunts Its Indifference to the Law -- The White House has made no legal argument explaining its bald claim that the president has wartime power to summarily kill people suspected of smuggling drugs. Charlie Savage in the New York Times$ -- 10/24/25

A Pile of Rubble: After 123 Years, the East Wing Is Gone -- Mourners are outraged over President Trump’s demolition of the East Wing to make way for his $300 million ballroom. Others say it was time for change. Elisabeth Bumiller in the New York Times$ Jonathan Edwards, Dan Diamond and Olivia George in the Washington Post$ -- 10/24/25

Trump Pardons Convicted Binance Founder -- President Trump has pardoned Changpeng Zhao, the convicted founder of the crypto exchange Binance, following months of efforts by Zhao to boost the Trump family’s own crypto company. Rebecca Ballhaus, Josh Dawsey, Patricia Kowsmann and Angus Berwick in the Wall Street Journal$ -- 10/24/25

Trump says he’s ending trade talks with Canada over TV ads -- Trump ended all trade negotiations with Canada over an Ontario ad he says fraudulently used Ronald Reagan to oppose tariffs and influence courts. The Reagan Foundation confirmed the ad misused Reagan’s 1987 speech without permission, escalating tensions as the countries prepare to renegotiate a major trade deal. Will Weissert Associated Press Alex Leary, Gavin Bade and Vipal Monga in the Wall Street Journal$ Ana Swanson and Matina Stevis-Gridneff in the New York Times$ Andrew Jeong in the Washington Post$ -- 10/24/25

Republicans are barreling toward an Obamacare subsidy cliff — with no unified plan -- The White House has shown little urgency in extending the subsidies until shutdown ends. Alex Gangitano, Meredith Lee Hill, Mia McCarthy and Myah Ward Politico -- 10/24/25

Government Shutdown Will Hit Air-Traffic Controllers Soon -- Lawmakers failed to provide a last-minute reprieve for air-traffic controllers and other federal workers who are set to miss their next paychecks due to the government shutdown, with legislation failing in the Senate and Republicans warning they didn’t expect any financial rescue from the administration. Anvee Bhutani and Siobhan Hughes in the Wall Street Journal$ -- 10/24/25

President Won’t Go to Congress for Cartel Strike Authorization -- President Trump said that he would not seek congressional approval to carry out military strikes against drug cartels that traffic narcotics to the United States, even as he vowed to expand the operation from attacks at sea to targets on land. The item is in the New York Times$ -- 10/24/25

Frustration grows over Trump bailout of Argentina -- Republican officials are speaking out, but Trump says cattle ranchers don’t understand how much his policies have helped them. Natalie Allison, Abha Bhattarai and Riley Beggin in the Washington Post$ -- 10/24/25