Gavin Newsom bashes Trump, seeks last-minute help from Biden during Washington trip

WASHINGTON — Gov. Gavin Newsom and California’s congressional Democrats met privately for an hour Wednesday to map out what they expect to be an ugly, uphill fight against President-elect Donald Trump’s anticipated efforts to roll back liberal policies in California.

In the eight days since Trump was elected president, Newsom has taken aggressive steps to combat any bids by the president-elect to deny the state needed federal funds, including calling a special session of the state Legislature that will begin next month to increase funding to the state Department of Justice to mount legal challenges to the incoming administration.

Newsom has once again tried to position himself as Trump’s most outspoken political foe — a drumbeat he kept up on Wednesday, calling Trump’s threats to without disaster relief from the state “pretty childish.”

The Capitol Hill meeting was the conclusion of three days of efforts by Newsom in Washington to boost support for programs he fears will be curtailed under Trump. But he did little to influence Republicans, who will control the White House, the Senate and probably the House starting in January.

—The Sacramento Bee

Stephen Miller returning to Trump administration. What his time as a Duke student reveals

Republican President-elect Donald Trump named Stephen Miller as his deputy chief of staff for policy on Wednesday.

Miller is an alumnus of Trump’s first stint in the White House, in which he served as a speechwriter and senior adviser to the president and played a major role in the administration’s decisions to separate thousands of migrant families at the U.S.-Mexico border and to institute a ban on travel to the United States from some predominately Muslim countries.

In his new role, Miller is expected to construct a strict, hard-line approach to immigration that will likely involve mass deportations of immigrants in the country without legal authorization, a move that Miller told Fox News last week would “begin on Inauguration Day, as soon as (Trump) takes the oath of office.”

CNN reported that Miller has said the second Trump administration could deport more than 1 million immigrants each year. But Miller’s time working for Trump is hardly his first foray into politics — or controversy.

—The Charlotte Observer

Gov. Greg Abbott tells Texas universities to freeze tuition

DALLAS — Texas universities should not approve tuition increases for the next two years, Gov. Greg Abbott said Wednesday. In a letter to higher education leaders, he cited families’ rising costs of living.

“When inflation and other economic pressures burden household budgets, our public universities must take every step possible to ease the financial burden on our students and their families,” he wrote.

Abbott wrote that his office spoke with the Board of Regents at every public university system, and they are in agreement about no tuition increases through the 2026 and 2027 academic years.

“I will not support any tuition increase at any public higher education institution in the upcoming biennium,” Abbott wrote. He promised college affordability will remain a “top priority” in the next legislative session.

—The Dallas Morning News

Taliban carries out public execution in sports stadium in Afghanistan

ISLAMABAD — The Taliban Supreme Court on Wednesday announced the public execution of a convicted murderer in Afghanistan’s eastern province of Paktia.

Taliban officials and local residents observed the execution, which took place in a sports stadium in the regional capital Gardez. In a statement, the Supreme Court identified the convicted murderer as Ayaz Asad, a local resident of the province who had intentionally killed another Afghan using a Kalashnikov rifle.

The execution was carried out after the victim’s family declined an offer of forgiveness. The court’s statement did not specify the motive for the crime.

The sentence was handed down in accordance with an Islamic law principle known as Qisas, which allows for retaliation in kind in cases where the victim or their family seeks punishment. The Taliban's return to power in Afghanistan has seen the reintroduction of corporal punishment, including executions and public flogging, for crimes such as murder, robbery and adultery.

—dpa