Good morning. The first of four nationwide 48-hour RMT rail strikes set to cripple the network over the holiday period has begun. Given the impact of this public holiday strike and another planned closure for Christmas, train services are not expected to return to normal for another month.
Here is my colleague Julia Kolev's story about their situation this morning.
Related: Rail strike: UK commuters brace for disaster as soon as it begins
And here Jasper Joly's corporate blog goes into more detail.
Related: UK railways freeze as ONS data shows real wages fall by 2.7% – Immediate
This morning the meeting of the Council of Ministers. Strikes dominate politics, but the Times reports that Rishi Sunak could today announce his latest plan to reduce the number of small boat crossings. Matt Dutton and Stephen Swinford say in their story:
The prime minister is expected to announce the first part of his strategy to fight illegal immigration on Tuesday. The announcement is expected to include an expedited process for evaluating complaints from a list of "safe" countries, such as Albania.
Sunak said the proposal, first reported by The Times earlier this month, would automatically see all asylum applications from countries on the Home Office's "white list" rejected unless someone can prove that their claims are valid.
Government sources say there are plans to merge the asylum claims and modern slavery assessment process as part of a last-minute attempt to "cheat" the system by allowing non-asylum seekers to claim they are victims of modern slavery. avoid deportation.
Given all the other problems Sunak is facing, he desperately needs something that will give the government credibility with the electorate, but whether that will work remains to be seen. Yvette Cooper, the shadow interior minister, has announced plans to speed up asylum applications from countries like Albania, which will make it harder for Sunak to say the Conservatives are up to something special.
Related: Labor wants to speed up asylum claims from 'safe' countries to clear backlogs
Here is today's agenda.
09:30: Cabinet with chairs by Rishi Sunak.
10.00am: Ofsted publishes its annual report.
11.30am: Secretary of State James Cleverly answers questions in the House of Commons.
After 12:30: MPs discuss the remaining stages of the equity bill.
12:45pm: Security Minister Tom Tugendhat speaks at Policy Exchange think tank on protecting democracy. The annual report of Parliament's Intelligence and Security Committee will also be published today.
2pm: Wes Streeting, shadow health secretary, calls LBC.
2.30pm: Business Secretary Grant Shapps gives evidence to the House of Commons Affairs Committee.
Noon: Voters support Lib Dem bid to block legislation introducing voter identification in elections.
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Leave politics for later. Brittany Griner is coming home and it's time to celebrate.
A week ago, he seemed bound by history, autocracy and war. Now he is free. Thank God for this.
The fate of the Wild Man was in his hands. Vladimir Putin is the justice system in Russia, and Griner can only walk freely if he has the motivation to release him.
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We don't know why he supported the Russian dictator for years: surely it was because American prices were so high? Was it supposed to be a 1 for 1 exchange of prisoners, and not 1 for 2, as the Americans ask?
There is probably more to this story. And we will not know the fullness for many years.
A terrible fate awaited the athlete "Phoenix"
Considering the controversy and the grim fate Griner faced, it's almost a miracle. Thirty years after the collapse of the Soviet Union, he escaped from the Russian Gulag, which still exists today.
She is being held in IK-2, Russia's most dangerous women's prison in Mordovia, about 300 miles east of Moscow, said former Russian prisoner Nadya Tolokonnikova, a member of the Pussy Riot protest group. In Russian prisons they say: "I never served a sentence in Mordovia, never."
It is a prison known for cruelty and torture, slave labor, dirt and rotten food.
'This is our sister': WNBA players vow to keep Brittany Griner in the spotlight
No one deserves such treatment, and Griner, who does not care about the Russian people and country, was simply a supporter of the Kremlin. He was the leader of a government that took hostages worse than invading neighboring countries and massacring civilians.
The evil of this government, what it can do under Vladimir Putin, and indifference to human suffering show how lucky we are to have a home for Brittany Griner.
Griner never aspired to fame or fame.
Griner is a world-class athlete who has won Olympic gold, an NCAA championship, and a WNBA title with the Phoenix Mercury. But he is a modest man who grew up in difficult circumstances. Her father kicked her out of the house for being a lesbian, but reconciled with her.
Her agent told The New Yorker that she was not used to enjoying fame or notoriety.
"Brittany Griner doesn't want to be famous," says Lindsey Colas. "He wants to skateboard down the ice cream street at night."
I think he will be a very strong defender of the Americans who are now in Russian prisons. Why? Because he did not forget them in his relationship with the house.
Some Americans do not want to forgive him for protesting against the flag and the national anthem and believe that he deserved his fate for violating Russian law.
This is a misunderstanding of how selective Russian law is. Vladimir Putin could have met him any time during the decade he started playing professional basketball in Russia.
Soldiers kill Ukrainian men and women without trial or investigation. His thugs kill Russian journalists and opponents. No excuse is needed to hold an American hostage.
Take a moment and enjoy the good news.
A week before the Russians invaded Ukraine, Griner was arrested for possession of a small amount of marijuana. There were big scams at work.
We can discuss your release policy and pricing later. For now, let's enjoy the moment.
Brittany Griner is American. He is Phoenician. She is our sister. He's free.
And God is good.
Phil Boas is a columnist for the Arizona Republic. Email him at [email protected].
This article was originally published in The Republic of Arizona: Enjoy the Miracle by Brittany Griner. Politics may come later.
FBI raids Trump's Mar-a-Lago home as Fox News focuses on law enforcement | Day program
I am grateful for the opportunity to enjoy politics again this year.
America is not out of the woods yet. There is still a serious threat to the Republic. But the defeat of anti-democratic candidates in key elections, especially in lawless states, is a major victory for the rule of law and constitutional government. This will be even more true if Republicans view the 2022 midterm elections as an example of what happens when one party violates democracy. If that message is lost, American politics will be much simpler.
Politics is always a serious business. Sometimes it’s scary—just ask the opposition in Iran, the warring soldiers in Ukraine, or the targets of bigotry in the United States. Even when lives are not at stake, politics has all kinds of important consequences, from the development of our environment, to the provision of health care, to the policies that shape the economy, to the possibility of a secure retirement.
But politics is not just about who gets what. It can also be funny and sometimes deep.
I’ll start with fun. There are nearly half a million elected officials in the United States who run for office throughout the election cycle. With so many people participating in the political system, some are bound to be fools.
Politicians and politicians are always a source of humor or public interest, and our work includes drawing attention to the consequences of political action.
At Thanksgiving, whether we smile with them or laugh together, I express my gratitude for the relief. About Bernie Sanders and his gloves at President Joe Biden’s inauguration. To Senator Ted Cruz for fleeing to Cancun during the Texas power crisis.
But it’s reassuring to know that extreme behavior has real and dire consequences for the country. It can be funny when an obscure state legislator says he lost the election because a dead foreign dictator rigged the election machine. When a similar claim is made by a lawyer representing the President of the United States, it is not ridiculous.
I have not celebrated the fun side of politics in recent years with so many political actors trying to undermine our democracy, and I will not do so this year.
But I will never hesitate to celebrate what political philosopher Hannah Arendt calls “the public happiness.” Drawing on the wisdom of our founding fathers, Arendt believes that we enjoy some form of participation in collective self-governance. People enter politics for various reasons and it is a personal matter. But many have found that working with others for a public cause (even if the end goal is personal gain) leads to a joy that can’t be found anywhere else.
Indeed, the Declaration of Independence’s famous appeal to the right to “life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness” can be read as a right to derive personal benefit from public policy, or the right to the positive emotions involved. . Upholding the common good of society.
An inclusive and participatory republic is important not only because it provides a fair way to determine who gets what, but also because everyone deserves access to public happiness. Selfishness is bad not only because it leads to an arbitrary and unjust distribution of public benefits, but also because it is only the autocrat who cares about the people’s happiness.
Very happy, thank you all. And it’s a hope that political joy, funny and silly, can continue to spread to all who want it.For holiday and weekend reading, here are some great recent articles by political scientists:
• Julia Azari on Trump and the Republican Party.
• Feminism on Republicans, abortion and the middle class.
• Bloomberg’s David A. Hopkins suggests what Republicans should learn from the midterms.
• Dan Drezner on the medium term and foreign policy.
• Bethany Lacina, Nicholas Karnes and Lily J. Goren on Wakanda and Awakening Marvel at The Washington Post’s Monkey House.
This column does not necessarily represent the views of the publishers or Bloomberg LP and its owners.
Jonathan Bernstein is a Bloomberg columnist who covers politics and policy. A former professor of political science at the University of Texas at San Antonio and DePauw University, he writes about politics for the Plain Blog.
For more stories like this, visit bloomberg.com/opinion
LOS ANGELES (Reuters) – U.S. Representative Karen Bass defeated developer Rick Caruso to become the next mayor of Los Angeles on Wednesday, as voters named its first black woman mayor as the city grapples with numerous government trust scandals. The homeless crisis and rising crime.
With 70% of the votes counted, Bass won by an unassailable margin of nearly 47,000 votes.
Bass, a Democrat who was on Vice President Joe Biden's short list, has outspent billionaire Caruso by more than $100 million on the campaign trail, insisting he would build a coalition in a troubled city that could treat nearly 4 million people.
The election tested whether voters in the Democratic city were willing to shed their liberal leanings and embrace an approach that emphasized public safety.
Caruso, a former Republican who became a Democrat shortly before entering the race, summed up the swing to the right. He argued that Bass and other longtime politicians were part of the problem that led Los Angeles into its many crises. He promised to expand the police department to deal with the rising crime rate and to remove the ubiquitous homeless camps from the streets.
A former speaker of the state assembly, Bass had the distinction of being a lifelong Democrat in a city where Republicans are almost invisible. He was supported by Biden, Vice President Kamala Harris, and the Democratic establishment.
The election was historic, as she would become the first woman and second black person to hold the position, after former Mayor Tom Bradley. He will take office next month as the city council grapples with a racial scandal that led to the resignation of a former president and calls for the resignation of two other members. More than 40,000 people have been left homeless, and there is widespread concern about crime, from daytime robberies on city sidewalks to thefts from luxury stores.
The winner will replace Democrat Eric Garcetti, who is serving two grueling terms with the Senate nomination for US ambassador to India stalled amid allegations of sexual harassment against Garcetti's former top aide.
The race was largely motivated by Caruso's exorbitant spending and his inevitable fame. City records show his campaign spending has so far exceeded $100m, mostly out of his own pocket.
"It's not the power of money," said Bass, who owns only a fraction of that amount, "it's the power of the people."
California policy. An update on water rationing and the California economy.
Rishi Sunak will arrive in Bali later for the G20 summit but will speak to reporters on board about a deal announced this morning with France to strengthen cooperation against people using small boats to cross the strait. . This is the story of my colleagues Jessica Elgott (with Sunak) and Peter Walker.
RELATED : More guards promised as UK and France sign English Channel agreement to curb migration
“Nothing will solve the problem of small boats,” Sunak told reporters, “but we can definitely reduce their number over time.”
But the government did not say what changes the deal announced today with France will bring. Secretary of State James Cleverley was interviewed this morning and asked questions about this. He said that working with France on today’s program made a big difference and 29,000 people were unable to travel to the UK this year, twice as many as in previous years. But when TODAY’s Mishal Hussain asked him how the new deal would affect the number of passports (“I’m sure you have a way to measure it,” he said optimistically), Smart declined to give a number. And he answered.
It is very important that you understand that we are dealing with an evolving situation… Predicting the exact numbers is very, very difficult. It depends on many variables, but the main thing is that we are cooperating more closely [with France] … more French officers on the coast as a result of the agreement signed today by the Minister of the Interior and the French Minister. interior.
I recently published this interview.
Here is today’s agenda.
11.30 a.m .: Downing Street briefing in the lobby.
12:45 pm : Equality Secretary Michael Gove presents Margaret Thatcher’s Progress Lecture at the Center for Policy Studies.
14:30: City inquiries to the Ministry of Internal Affairs.
4:00 pm: Secretary of State James Aguilar presents evidence to the House of Commons Foreign Affairs Committee.
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If you want to get my attention quickly, maybe using Twitter is a good idea. I’m at @AndrewSparrow.
Good morning. Tony Blair’s communications chief Alastair Campbell says if news scandals continue to dominate the news for more than a few days, the minister involved should quit. No one knows exactly how many days (13, 11 a week? Campbell himself has forgotten), but the basic principles make sense and should be of serious concern to Cabinet Minister Sir Gavin Williamson. Last Friday, Turtle’s Kat Neilan reported that former whip Wendy Morton had complained to CCHQ about Williamson. The story reached the fifth day and did not go far, it grew like a snowball. Important event this morning.
Shadow Home Secretary Yvette Cooper described the language Williamson used in the incident as “absolutely appalling”. In an interview on the Today show, he also stated that while he denied, he did not deny that Williamson used the language in Pippa’s report. Cooper said:
It does not deny the use of language. The language is horrible and you can’t imagine how people are treated in the workplace.
Gavin Williamson was appointed to the cabinet, although Rishi Suna was aware of the new complaints against him. He also admitted that the wording of the previous complaint was unacceptable.
Note that he elevated the National Security Council to a cabinet supporting him, even though Gavin Williamson was previously sacked by Theresa May for leaking information from the National Security Council.
We also have another case where Rishi Suna reappointed Suella Braverman just six days after she was fired over ministerial code and security lapses, and since then more information and allegations of security breaches and investigations have come to light. too
You don’t have proper standards, you lack ethics. We haven’t appointed an ethics adviser yet and [the Tories] don’t take security seriously either.
Morton took his complaint against Williamson to the Independent Complaints and Complaints Scheme, a parliamentary scheme set up to deal with allegations of abuse against MPs. He had previously complained to CCHQ. This fact was significant to Williamson because the ICGS investigation was thorough and impartial, while the CCHQ investigation was less independent and opaque. ICTU can also propose expulsion of MPs as punishment. Stephen Swinford of The Times spoke about the new development.
Former Education Secretary Nikki Morgan said she was not surprised by the allegations against Williamson, based on her experience in government. “ Unfortunately, Gavin doesn’t have a very good reputation and I don’t know why they made Rishi Suna come back to the government,” he said. Asked if Williamson should be fired, Morgan said it would be “very difficult” for Suna not to ask for his resignation. At first, Williamson said it was better to resign. He said these words last night on Talk TV.
Here is today’s agenda.
In the morning: Altar wardrobe.
11.30. Downing Street speech in the lobby.
11:30: Secretary of State James Cleverley answers questions in the House of Commons.
From 12:30 p.m. MPs begin debating Labour’s proposal to keep the government in triple lock for the 2023-24 financial year.
13.10 (UK time). Scottish First Minister Nicola Sturgeon speaks at a panel discussion on Cop27 casualties and damage.
16:00 Around 00:00 , MPs begin debating the decision to reappoint Braverman as home secretary and a Labor bid to force the government to release government documents about security breaches or related leaks.
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The Supreme Court's June ruling overturned Roe v. Wade and leaving the issue of abortion rights to the states has put the question on the ballot in several states this fall.
Three states ask voters for some variance if they want to approve abortion rights, while only one state asks whether the constitution should be amended to say there is no right to abortion, abortion or government funding.
Kansas voters in August rejected a ballot measure that would have allowed lawmakers to tighten abortion laws or ban the practice, the first such attempt since the Supreme Court ruling.
Here's what voters will decide when the polls close on November 8:
Any questions and where are they on the ballot?
California, Michigan and Vermont are considering proposals to amend their state constitutions to establish certain types of abortion rights.
Kentucky is asking voters whether to change the state constitution to say it doesn't protect abortion rights.
Montana is asking voters whether they want medical care and treatment for babies born alive after attempted abortions.
Why these questions and why now?
The campaign's move comes after the Supreme Court ruled in June that the US Constitution does not grant abortion rights and that "the power to regulate abortion must return to the people and their elected representatives."
Vermont Gov. Phil Scott said in a statement this summer that the court's decision was made with renewed urgency.
"It's more important than ever to ensure that women in our region have the right to make their own decisions about their health, their bodies and their futures," she said.
Over the years, Kentucky has moved to tighten abortion restrictions since the GOP took control of the legislature in 2016, and Montana's Republican-controlled legislature endorsed the law this summer, overturning Roe and Wade and raising voter demands.
The Kentucky Supreme Court is hearing arguments on the state's blanket abortion ban after the November election, but has upheld the continued ban in this case.
Currently, pregnancy abortions are legal in Vermont, with no restrictions on when during pregnancy it can be performed. California and Michigan allow abortions, which are usually performed around 24 weeks. Montana has been restricting abortions since they are available, but a court has stayed a decision to stop the procedure after 20 weeks of litigation.
What is the current state of abortion in the United States?
State legislatures and courts have changed the state of abortion laws in the United States.
A dozen states have bans for all pregnancy states.
Clinics in Wisconsin have banned abortions, although there is debate over whether the ban will be enforced.
In Georgia, abortion is prohibited when a heartbeat is detected, usually at about six weeks and often before women become pregnant.
Seven states, including the District of Columbia, do not prohibit abortion at any stage of pregnancy.
Mike Catalini can be reached at https://twitter.com/mikecatalini.
___
For more information on the issues and circumstances surrounding the 2022 midterm elections, visit https://apnews.com/hub/explaining-the-elections.
It is the United States government that has control mechanisms between the executive, legislative, and judiciary branches that prevent a clear separation of powers and the excessive use of force by any one force.
Political parties were not united when the constitution was written, but they were united very quickly. Controversy arose over the last-minute nomination of defeated President John Adams after the first handover of power from one party to the other. An important legacy of the case was the Supreme Court's decision that the law could be declared unconstitutional. This did not sit well with incoming President Thomas Jefferson, but his administration won the case and accepted the decision.
The nation did the same, reiterating Chief Justice John Marshall's testimony — repeating what Adams had done: "The government of the United States is clearly established as the rule of law, not the government of men," and the courts would decide. what does the law mean…
To ensure fairness and independence in party systems, the courts must distance themselves from party politics, and the state does so to varying degrees. Kentucky, where we've elected bipartisan judges since 1976, is at risk of secession.
More: Big money goes to GOP outsider Joe Fischer's allegation for the Kentucky Supreme Court race
In two races for the Supreme Court and the Circuit Court, which hears most cases involving the state governments, he spent a fortune beating judges outside of Kentucky that Republicans didn't like and bought it. About deceptive and misleading advertising, which is very popular in guerrilla racing.
A foreign-funded challenger, State Assemblyman Joe Fisher of Fort Thomas, supports partisan judicial elections, describes himself as a "conservative Republican," and sued the state commission in federal court for violating First Amendment rights by investigating the party. the type of campaign.
Sugar Daddy Fischer is the Republican Board of Governors' Judicial Justice Initiative and announced Oct. 13 that it will spend $375,000 on cable TV advertising for Fischer, bringing a total of $54,000 to the Supreme Court's 6th Circuit campaign will contribute. It stretches from Bracken County to Shelby County.
Fisher is also on the list of favorites from Fair Courts America, a subsidiary of Restoring America, the largest political action committee promoting social conservatism. He said he plans to spend $22.5 million on the seven-state judicial race — $1.64 million in Kentucky — in plans first reported in the Courier Journal in August.
Fischer's opponent was Fort Mitchell Judge Michelle Keller, a chartered independent who was first appointed to a vacancy by a Democratic governor and then re-elected to an eight-year term. He collected around 285,000 rupees for this competition.
Read more : Don't follow the "black money" agenda: we must elect judges who respect the independence of the judiciary
Kelly Thompson Jr. before the 2nd Circuit Court of Appeals. The appeals court judge said he switched from independent to Republican to win votes, but said he hopes to aim for fair courts in his race against Bowling Green attorney Shawn Alcott.
Fair Courts is suing Franklin County District Judge Phillip Shepherd, who is being sued by Joe Bilby, the attorney for Agriculture Commissioner Ryan Quarles, the Republican nominee for governor next year. An email and a TV ad accused Shepherd of reducing prison sentences from five years to 23 months for home sex offenders. Defending Shepherd in the State Journal, Commonwealth Attorney Larry Cleveland (Frankfort) said: "Given the somewhat unique circumstances of this case, Judge Shepherd correctly applied the law and his actions not only brought about justice but were reasonable."
So what's Shepherd's worst fair trial? No, his unusual entry into the justice race was likely influenced by Kentucky Republicans' dislike of the Shepherd decision, so the next announcement could be the Supreme Court's decision in August that the judge abused his discretion to block Republican legislation. He passed legislation ending Democratic Gov. Andy Beshear's declaration of a state of emergency and set a deadline for emergency powers.
The issue is the distribution of power. However, money from outside and the participation of party officials in non-party races, such. B. The Jefferson County GOP's endorsement of nominees for judges and school boards.
Some Republicans may argue that the bipartisan system isn't truly equal because it allows judges with ideological agendas to address the court without a real hearing. It's not a perfect system, but my observations of 50 years of judicial elections in this state tell me that the bipartisan system remains a vast improvement over the old system, marred by politics and partisanship, although candidates can and usually do. , to be in competition. in the primaries of both parties.
A court full of partisan support and the positions that accompany it will be tainted and our weak faith in the government will be further weakened. Somewhere in our system, and certainly in court, politics doesn't matter.
Al Cross, a former Courier Journal political writer, is a professor and director of the Institute for Rural Journalism and Community Affairs at the University of Kentucky. He wrote this column for the Kentucky Center for Public Service Journalism. Reach out to us on Twitter @ruralj.
This article originally appeared in the Louisville Courier Journal: Kentucky Election: Partisan Politics Invades Impartial Justice
Texas police officer resigns after video of pool party fight goes viral
I'm here to remind you that leaked audio recordings of conversations between Los Angeles City Council members, however interesting they may be, are not the only drama in California politics.
Instead, I want to take a few minutes to focus on the ongoing battle between Governor Gavin Newsom and big oil.
As the leader of the Democratic state in a country with a Democratic President, Newsom is free from natural barriers.
Donald Trump does not pose the same existential threat to California as he does at the White House. California's legislature is dominated by Democrats who coexist peacefully with the governor in public and try to express their frustration with him in less visible ways.
While Larry Elder gave Newsom the GOP bug to increase interest in his recall, his re-election challenger, Republican Brian Dale , is less scary to the average liberal voter.
Thus, Newsom left California and managed to create conflict between himself and GOP governors, most notably Florida Governor Ron DeSantis , as well as Texas Commander-in-Chief Greg Abbott . And, like many of Newsom's other political stunts, it makes sense for the governor of California to compare his state's policies on abortion, LGBTQ rights, and gun control with those of more conservative states.
This contrast makes Newsom the white knight of the Democratic Party, which he says has been "crushed" by Republicans. National media began covering Newsom's fight with DeSantis, comments he made between him and his national party, and speculation about his presidential ambitions.
Then the battle with DeSantis and the Florida advertisement brought on another major foe: the Western States Petroleum Assn.
Although Newsom was largely sidelined as lawmakers battled a powerful industry and lost his first term, the governor stepped into the fray after the oil company's association attacked Florida, which is responsible for the nation's highest gas prices with your own ad. California.
The debate has escalated from passing some tough climate laws to governors calling for a special legislative session in December to impose windfall taxes on oil companies.
However, at a time when Californians struggle to buy gasoline and the effects of climate change are felt statewide, Newsom's position in the industry is sound policy.
"This is the battle of our time," said one of the state legislature sources, who spoke on condition of anonymity because he feared it could damage his relationship with the governor. "There are wizards in Salem, and we have WSPA."
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Special Announcement
On September 30, Newsom's office issued a press release asking lawmakers to "impose additional taxes on oil companies that will be returned directly to California taxpayers."
At that time, the governor's team said that although the price of crude oil fell, oil companies continued to increase the price of gas stations. His team dismissed suggestions that refinery maintenance issues, hurricanes or government taxes were the only reasons for the increase.
The announcement raises at least one big question: how can lawmakers pass any tax if it's not in session?
The issue remained until Newsom told reporters at a press conference on Oct. 7 that he would hold a special session to approve a tax on excess profits for oil companies. The governor said he would start the special session once lawmakers returned to start the next session on December 5, a month after the November election.
“They can get away with it,” Newsom said of the oil companies. “They pocket hundreds of millions of dollars a week, fill their pockets at your expense, and then pollute the planet and leave us with all the externalities and costs that come with it.”
Pro Tempore Senate Speaker Tony G. Atkins (D-San Diego) and House Speaker Anthony Rendon (D-Lakewood) said they can't wait to consider "the governor's detailed proposal when we get it."
No parliament has yet passed the plan, and it is unclear how Newsom's proposal will work.
The surprise tax comes months after lawmakers urged lawmakers in August to pass a series of laws to tighten the state's climate change laws that the oil industry opposes.
Newsom promised to win support from lawmakers when they passed the bill, but in September he ruffled his feathers when he took over the law and invited Democrats in his state to commit to oil.
“I had to get the Democratic Party legislature to pass four of the 40 critical climate laws in the final weeks of our session,” he said during New York Climate Week. "Otherwise, all those special interests will take over again to be denied and postponed."
Newsom praised legislators at an event the following day, saying he was "very proud of his legislature."
If oil companies pass this tax on to consumers by raising gasoline prices, or say they will, lawmakers may be embarrassed by the unexpected tax. Each package of laws will most likely contain some provisions that will try to prevent this.
The tax message is also a sensitive and central theme in every proposal Newsom makes to lawmakers.
Newsom's office described the tax as an attempt to "put the oil windfall back into taxpayers' pockets." Republicans in the Legislature tried to call it just a new gas tax, arguing that it wouldn't save any Californians.
At the same time, the oil industry is gathering signatures for a referendum on SB 1137, one of the bills passed by lawmakers in August, to create a buffer zone between new oil and gas wells and areas. The industry, led by the California Independent Petroleum Association, hopes to wait until the law goes into effect and instead ask voters to repeal it by the 2024 vote.
The governor's team hopes to pass the surprise tax soon after the special session begins in December. Dozens of deputies will be sworn in for the first time on the day it starts, and the battle with the oil industry will be the new agency's first litmus test.
Stand up for and against abortion rights
While polls show that the vote to enshrine abortion rights in the California Constitution is getting closer to victory, that hasn't stopped major donors from opening their checkbooks in support.
This week the California Nurses Association. The Political Committee donated $500,000 to Senate President Tony Atkins' Committee on Accounts, and Kaiser Permanente donated $250,000 to support Proposition 1.
Supporters of the election move raised nearly $9 million during the last application period, which ended September 24, but donations have been pouring in. Opponents' campaigns raised nearly $1 million in the same application period, including a recent $20,000 donation this month from Dale's gubernatorial candidate selection committee.
Proposition 1 was put to a vote by the Democratic-controlled state legislature in November in response to the U.S. Supreme Court decision in Roe v. Wade was a landmark decision in 1973 that protected abortion rights across the country.
Supporters of the donation include singer and actress Barbra Streisand , who donated $5,000 to this month's event, and Clippers owner Steve Ballmer and his wife, Connie , who each donated $250,000 on September 30.
California philanthropists have also been hard at work in recent weeks, with Patty Quillin , wife of Netflix CEO Reed Hastings , donating $450,000, and Democratic mega-donor Susie Tompkins Buell donating $100,000.
“It's not about raising a lot of money that we don't need,” said Molly Widn , spokeswoman for the Yes on Proposition 1 campaign. “It's about raising money to ensure we can communicate with the communities most impacted. abortion bans introduced in the future.”
Governor Gavin Newsom used at least $2 million of his campaign funds to advertise in favor of Proposition 1 while he was lieutenant governor. Go. Eleni Kunalakis donated $100,000 .
Support The largest donation per person came from Graton Rancheria Indians, who donated $5 million on September 16.
"It is imperative to Federated Graton Rancheria Indians that all women, especially Indigenous women, and all low-income and women of color, have sovereign rights over their bodies and access to all health care services available to them," she said. Tribe by Greg Sarris .
Criminal background check
Crime became fashionable during the election campaign. Some evidence suggests that there are good reasons for this.
The California Department of Justice Crime Report 2021 shows a 6.7% increase in violent crimes, a 9.1% increase in homicides, and an 8.6% increase in rapes.
Similarly, crimes against state property increased, albeit slightly, by 3%, and auto theft by 8.2%. The numbers have become a political issue in the race for the best cop in California.
Nathan Hochman , Republican attorney and former federal prosecutor, frequently shoots Democratic incumbents. To General Rob Bonte for his relative inexperience in law enforcement and for advocating more progressive criminal justice reform policies as a state legislator.
Hochman said Bonta contributed to a "spiral of lawlessness" and the state Department of Justice needed a leader to "keep California safe and protected."
Bonta says the data tell a different story.
Bonta said crime had been on the rise and it was important to respond to this trend and ensure that people felt safe.
But, he adds, "when you turn the camera back, we're still at one of the lowest crime rates in California history."
According to the 2021 Crime Report, California's violent crime rate peaked in 1992. Property crime remains relatively low, well below the all-time high of 1980.
Bonta said it was "important to stick to the data" and "not be afraid to use anecdotes and examples and generalizations".
But facts don't always triumph over feelings, and there is evidence that crime matters more to voters when they go to the polls.
A September poll by the California Public Policy Institute found that most voters see street violence and crime as a problem. 43% believe that it has increased over the past year.
California political flash
– The editorial board of the Los Angeles Times urged readers not to sign the petition to revoke SB 1137, stating that it was "an attack on our health and safety and should be categorically rejected."
— Mackenzie Mays reports California's first homeless hospital failed.
– The announcement of a congressional election bombarding Californians shows a clear division of priorities – Democrats focused on abortion access, Republicans focused on inflation.
– The race for the best California cop focuses on abortion, gun control and crime.
– Having trouble activating your California gas tax refund debit card? Please try again
Times staff writers Melody Gutierrez and Hannah Wylie contributed to this report.
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Why are gas prices so high in California? "This is an oil company, we have turned to the experts," said Newsom.
A deep sense of loss pervades Rebecca Gilman's eloquent and poignant new play, The Swing State, which has its world premiere at the Goodman Theatre.
Sometimes the loss is very specific: Peg, the main character, played with welcome sarcasm and irony by Mary Beth Fisher, spent the past year mourning her husband when, shortly after his retirement, he suddenly died of a heart attack. Start of the covid-19 pandemic.
But sometimes the loss comes from something not tied to a specific event, but from a more general feeling that the whole world is falling apart, largely because of our kind. In rural Wisconsin, this emphasis on ecological decline translates into misguided nostalgia for what bats saw in abundance—before the fungus wiped out the population—in their failed attempts to feed on wildflower seeds.
Peg's grief has reached a point where she is clearly wondering if she should continue. In the opening episode, we see him thinking about how he could use a knife to cut himself. And the other characters see it too, as he decides to quickly deliver what he once loved.
However, this is not a series like Marsha Norman's Mother of the Night, where we see an open discussion about a possible suicide. Instead, this work, full of poignant humor that counters melancholy, reflects a state of mind between hope and desperate surrender. .
This psychological situation defines the "wavering state" of Gilman's title. There are other characters that react differently to damage. Ryan (Bubba Weiler) lost both his parents and ended up in jail after having a bad bar. , now as Peg's faithful surrogate to help keep her sober and stable. Chris (Kirsten Fitzgerald), Peg's neighbor and local sheriff, lost his son to a fentanyl overdose. Chris' granddaughter Dani (Annie E. Thompson) has lost her sense of identity due to divorce and is trying to find a new one while working as an MP.
But the title of the play also has an undeniable political significance. After the midterm elections in rural Wisconsin, the state that swung from Trump to Biden, it's clear that Gilman's theme here – hope versus despair – spans much of the country, a chasm that will eventually collapse one way or another. .
Although there is little real politics in this play, Gilman clearly depicts two different worldviews, partly reflecting our national differences.
Peg sees beauty and bounty in the conservation of the prairie. Chris sees only losses, or at least a lack of productivity. Peg tries to see the best in people, especially Ryan, perhaps because he makes his weaknesses so clear. Chris, perhaps because of his job, tends to see the worst and sees Ryan as a symbol of irreplaceability.
Robert Falls is directing the play, his first performance since retiring from the theatre's artistic direction. With confidence and care, she undermines the sentimentality of the most emotional scenes, but at the same time successfully conveys that caring for each other is the only cure for human suffering.
And Falls certainly brings out the best in his actors. The performances here are superb, making for a very thin plot involving stolen equipment and weapons.
Fisher and Fitzgerald make a great pairing, their differences of character combined with a sensibility—typical Midwestern practicality—that makes clear what they have in common.
Raised on the Chicago scene since appearing on Goodman in 2008, Weiler has tactfully covered up Ryan's weaknesses for as long as he can. and Ann E. Thompson is the least damaged of the characters and loves their depth and naturalness. a complaint
The ending here is not entirely satisfying, it comes to a dramatic moment and then resolves its consequences with a certain optimism that seems absurd. But Gilman, whose constant connection to plays and theater has made him the most produced living playwright in Goodman's history, produces an impressive performance in Swing State, full of sympathy for his characters and country, with deep melancholy.
Dominican Speech Series: Hope and Despair in American Politics
