Kamala Harris has to be an avatar not of hope but of give-’em-hell
Objectively, it is an amazing progression in a short window of time. In 2008, Barack Obama, a Democrat, became the nation’s first Black president. Sixteen…
Column: Is Kamala Harris too cautious, or wielding a larger strength?
Hi and welcome to the politics newsletter. I’m Shelby Grad, deputy managing editor for news at the L.A. Times, and there are 100 days until…
These 3 strategies could determine if Kamala Harris can overtake Trump
WASHINGTON — Almost everything has gone right for Vice President Kamala Harris in the initial days of her sudden presidential campaign — rapid consolidation of support…
Please, Kamala, give us something to believe in
Hello and happy Tuesday. There are 104 days until the election and today I fell out of a coconut tree and landed on Kamala Harris.…
Democrats are moving to replace Biden on the ticket. Will it work?
WASHINGTON — Donald Trump on Thursday finally got the full-on, adoring convention celebration he never achieved in 2016 or 2020, proclaimed as a “real American hero”…
The vibe at the Republican convention is worse than you can imagine
MILWAUKEE — Hello and happy Thursday. There are 109 days until the election and Lord help me, I’m in Milwaukee. Nothing against cheese curds and it’s…
Are calls for unity real, or politics?
Hello and happy Tuesday. There are 111 days until the election and man, what do you even say at this point?Like most of us, I…
Biden backers risk deluding their party into defeat
WASHINGTON — I’ve covered presidents for 35 years. One lesson above all sticks with me: Reality is always worse than what you see.There’s good reason for…
Column: George Clooney drops a truth bomb about Biden. Now what?
Hello. I can’t say it’s a happy Thursday, but it is Thursday. There are 116 days until the election, and today we’re talking unexpected truth…
Biden takes a page from Trump
Hello and happy Tuesday. There are 118 days until the election but honestly, can we please just hold it tomorrow and Get it Over With?I’ve…
As the empire falls, Democrats fiddle
Hello and happy Independence Day, may it not be our last. There are 123 days until the election and I don’t have to tell you…
It’s King Don vs. Doddering Joe. Now what?
Hello and happy Tuesday. There are 125 days until the election, and we are mired in terror. I’ll call this the “Humpty Dumpty” edition, because…
Supreme Court plays kick the can with two big cases
Hello and happy Thursday. There are 130 days until the election. Today we’re talking about flies, lies and kicking the can. First, flies. The presidential…
Biden lost a good opportunity to change the election debate
WASHINGTON — President Biden’s decision last month to call for a June debate against former President Trump was a gamble – a calculation that the campaign…
A few phrases for your Biden-Trump debate drinking games
Hello and happy Tuesday. There are 132 days until the election and today we’re talking about scary stuff, starting with the Orwellian-sounding Department of Life.…
Why both sides in America’s partisan war feel like they’re losing
WASHINGTON — Both sides in America’s ideological war agree on one striking point: They think their side is losing. Republicans hopped on the doom train first.…
Journalism doesn’t have to be this bad: A lesson from O.C.
Today’s newsletter is written by Deputy Managing Editor Shelby Grad. Anita Chabria will return next week. If you think election denial is reserved for rural…
The Trump-Biden debate rematch no one really wants is almost here
There are probably few things anyone wants to do less right now than think back to 2020. The year of the COVID-19 lockdowns, mass death,…
Biden vs. Trump: Black and Latino voters could make the difference
WASHINGTON — Two weeks after Donald Trump’s conviction on multiple felonies related to the payment of hush money to a porn actress, we have a pretty…
California’s knock-down, drag-out fight over addiction and theft
Hello and happy Thursday. There are 145 days until the election, and today we’re talking guns and drugs. And no, it’s not (entirely) Hunter Biden.…