There are cracks in the foundation of labor support for the California “billionaire tax” headed for the Nov. 3 ballot.
Former Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra (D) on Thursday advanced to November’s general election in the race to become California’s next governor, Decision Desk HQ projects. Fox News commentator Steve Hilton (R) and billionaire Tom Steyer (D) are currently battling for the second spot in November’s election, when Golden State voters will decide…
President Donald Trump's acting Attorney General, Todd Blanche, went to bat for one of the surviving parts of Trump's "settlement" with the IRS in his $10 billion lawsuit, and, in so doing, only cemented how improper it was, former federal prosecutor Harry Litman wrote for his "Talking Feds" Substack.Specifically, Litman said, he defended the provision that excuses Trump and his family from IRS audits going forward.Blanche, under pressure from lawmakers, "declared that 'nothing has changed' in that provision. But he talked out of both sides of his mouth," wrote Litman. To start with, "he characterized the provision as a freestanding 'Attorney General order,' independent of the settlement. In virtually the same breath, however, he defended it as part of 'that settlement.' He told the subcommittee, 'Anytime the IRS settles with an individual taxpayer or another company as part of the settlement, it’s standard, it’s typical…to get rid of past ongoing audits.'"In reality, Litman argued, Blanche's own words here show "that the whole settlement arrangement is collusive and, therefore, not a real case or controversy under the Constitution."The problem, he said, is that in an actual lawsuit, "one party can’t simply declare that the settlement is off. The disavowal would be legally worthless. The other party would be quick to enforce the benefit of its bargain." In the case of the IRS "settlement," Litman said, "there was no bargain — just a benefit — to Trump. They were on the same side of the 'v.,' which is why Blanche could purport to speak for them both."This comes after dozens of retired judges urged the court hearing the original IRS case to reopen it and examine whether it was a fraudulent use of the court system.
Mail-in ballots and security measures contribute to counting delays in California's close contests, an election expert says, and last-minute voters in the governor's race may slow things down further.
Three GOP senators join Democrats as dispute over proposed payouts exposes party divisionsUS politics live – latest updatesSenate Republicans on Thursday narrowly scuttled an attempt by Democrats to stop Donald Trump from creating a $1.8bn fund to pay his allies, even as signs emerged that dissent over the proposal was spreading inside the US president’s own party.Democratic Senate minority leader Chuck Schumer had proposed inserting language barring the payouts into Republican-backed legislation to fund Trump’s mass deportation campaign through the duration of his term. Continue reading...
Judy Chu, a Democrat who has been in Congress for 17 years, faced a straightforward question in the House Ways and Means Committee hearing this week: Who was the U.S. president during World War I? Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent tossed her that softball amid talk of inflation and wartime economics under President Donald Trump. Her reply,...
President Donald Trump accused California Democrats of “big cheating” in the state’s as the vote count continues — drawing a rebuke from Democratic Governor Gavin Newsom and other officials who have warned all along that the results would take time.
A California pro-life activist is on trial in criminal court for posting a video outside an abortion clinic in December. Jurors began their third day of deliberations […]
Sports broadcaster Stephen A. Smith says that California is sending a warning signal to Democrats nationwide. “If people in a blue state like California are entertaining seriously about putting Republicans in charge gubernationally and mayorally, could you imagine what other states in this union are contemplating doing?” Smith said Wednesday on The Stephen A. Smith […]