The unprecedented firestorm that has devastated so much of Southern California will eventually wind down, possibly with the help of much-needed rain. But emergency and public works personnel may not have much time to rest: Any rain that follows the fires will bring a heightened risk of mudslides and debris flows that will test the limits of the ...Read more

Over his seven years on the federal bench, James C. Ho has acquired a reputation as one of the most conservative members of a notably conservative court, the U.S. 5th Circuit Court of Appeals.

So it's proper to take heed of Ho's position on a temporarily blocked issue that Donald Trump has lately placed on the front burner: Birthright ...Read more

Even before the terrible wildfires in Los Angeles County have been quelled, the dead mourned and evacuees sheltered, California leaders are taking steps to accelerate rebuilding. It’s natural to want to restore what was lost in such a tragedy as quickly as possible. But obscuring the true costs will only exacerbate future climate-fueled ...Read more

Free trade is in trouble. That’s hardly startling news when the U.S. has an avowed protectionist in the White House, but the problem runs deeper than it may at first appear.

Start with the distinction between trade in goods and trade in services. When a U.S. manufacturer sells tractors overseas, that’s goods. When a U.S. software firm ...Read more

Donald Trump has already issued a slew of dramatic proclamations, but it isn’t yet clear how many will come to fruition. In foreign policy, at least, the message is crystal clear, even if the impact isn’t yet.

That message is: Do what I demand or face the consequences. Trump has demonstrated that he intends to threaten his way to his ...Read more

SACRAMENTO, Calif. -- Former Vice President Kamala Harris took a wise step toward potentially running for governor in her first action after returning to California.

She visited wildfire victims, volunteers and firefighters in Aldadena and helped distribute free meals to people burned out of their homes.

That doesn't mean she's running for ...Read more

If you buy into stereotypes and myths, the climate in Southern California is splendid and the people are laid back.

Lies.

The conditions are harsh, with crazy winds and parched terrain cooking up one calamity after another, and anyone who isn't on edge is either in denial, sedated or a renter.

Until Jan. 7, when fires began to destroy ...Read more

There is a lot to unpack from President Donald Trump's second inauguration and first day in office. The tech oligarchy, which now controls how many Americans get their news and information, sat up front as honored guests. Then there were the orders that changed the names of the Gulf of Mexico and Mount Denali, for which there was no demand. And ...Read more

Faced with more drought and increasingly frequent wildfires, Southern Californians have been encouraged, for years, to rip out water-guzzling lawns. They have also been urged to forgo nonnative, aggressively growing, highly flammable plants that take over space from native species, particularly after fires.

But no expert believes even a Los ...Read more

In 2018, Vox commissioned me to write a story about medieval Catholic ideas and the radical transformation of American politics that had vaulted Donald Trump to the presidency. I thought it would be provocative to include some call-out boxes at the top that named names.

Exploring the vectors to these Catholic ideas invariably led to places such...Read more

Los Angeles is being investigated, pilloried and derided over the horrific loss of life and property in the 2025 fires. Certainly, Mayor Karen Bass, the City Council and the county Board of Supervisors, and many of their recent predecessors, have not convinced the world that L.A. is a governable city.

Fire preparedness isn’t the only problem....Read more

If it wasn’t already clear — after nearly 250 years — that the pardon power is a standing invitation to abuse and corruption, two presidents confirmed it on the same day this week.

On his way out of office, Joe Biden issued a “preemptive” clemency for his siblings and their spouses; for a raft of public officials, including former ...Read more

It is hard enough to promote or save democracy when the public is relatively united in its desire to do so. The experience of the “color revolutions” in former Soviet Republics offers powerful evidence for that proposition. It may seem almost impossible to do so when much of the public is disillusioned with the democratic system in which ...Read more

President Donald Trump’s swift move to withdraw the U.S. from the World Health Organization will compromise global health — and is no way to Make America Healthy Again.

Trump is picking up a task he started back in 2020, when he first tried to pull out of the WHO. At the time, he claimed the organization helped China cover up the extent and...Read more

Consent of the governed is one of the founding principles of our country. Embedded in the Declaration of Independence, it harks to the frustrations of American colonists over unjust laws and levies placed upon them by the mad king, King George III. Simply put, it is a reaction against the tyranny of centralized government and the ignorance of ...Read more

A good indication on how church-state issues will play out in Donald Trump’s second presidential term can be found in his shameless hawking of an “Inauguration Day Bible,” part of a merch promotion from which he’s personally receiving hundreds of thousands of dollars in royalties. In marketing this book ($69.99, not including shipping) ...Read more

Declaring the start of a new “golden age” for America, Donald Trump has returned to the White House. Even as his record of lies, division, and criminality continues to tarnish the office of the presidency.

Trump was sworn in at the U.S. Capitol on Monday, four years and 14 days after a mob of armed supporters stormed and desecrated the same...Read more

Greenland is one of the few places on Earth where climate change is sometimes referred to as an opportunity by making it less inhabitable for those who live there and more accessible to those who don’t, a point not missed by leaders elsewhere. With the landmass no longer safely insulated by sea ice, the world is knocking on Greenland’s door....Read more

Promises made, promises kept, President Donald Trump liked to crow during his first term, sometimes deservedly.

He's only days into his second term and already he's making that claim after a torrent of executive orders. In no case is his boast more justified, if shameful, than for his Day 1 blanket order pardoning 1,583 rioters who stormed the ...Read more

During his first term, Donald Trump pledged to kill two federal regulations for each new one imposed. In the spirit of the president’s hyperbolic manner, he now proposes during his second term to eliminate 10 federal rules for each new regulation.

“Already, preparations are underway to slash massive numbers of job-killing regulations — ...Read more