President Donald Trump had already cut hundreds of millions to Columbia University over antisemitism allegations and put 59 other colleges on notice when word came down to staff that he wanted to punish more campuses. “Can we get something going on Twitter in a short bit?” Senior Policy Strategist May Mailman asked several members of the White...
California lawmakers celebrate AI moratorium stripped from bill
Lawmakers from both parties are celebrating the Senate’s decision to cut a provision that would have put a 10-year pause on state-level regulation of artificial intelligence from the reconciliation bill hours before it passed. California lawmakers are among those who are most relieved that they narrowly avoided this provision getting tucked into the legislation. The...
State could strip Silicon Valley’s homeless funding
The progress San Jose and Santa Clara County have made to reduce homelessness could be halted as the state cuts crucial funding for housing and homeless services. The California Legislature on June 13 passed a $325 billion preliminary budget for the 2025-26 fiscal year, and the state’s main source of homelessness funding — the Homelessness...
Lawmakers predict Trump will send troops to more states over immigration
Democratic senators are grappling with the possibility that cities they represent could become the center of the next fight over the military being used against American civilians. President Donald Trump’s weekend post calling for expanded deportation efforts in the biggest U.S. cities raised alarms for the Democratic lawmakers who represent California, Illinois and New York....
Agriculture, hospitality industries unclear on Trump’s deportation plan
The weekend of mixed messages from the Trump administration on the future of immigration crackdowns has left hoteliers, farmers and restaurateurs asking: Are we getting protections or not? Industry lobbyists and advocates are in the dark on details, with the White House keeping its plans close to the chest as President Donald Trump focuses his...
California lawmakers saw Sen. Alex Padilla’s forceful removal as ‘lawless’
California Democrats are calling for committee hearings and an investigation into how Sen. Alex Padilla was treated by federal agents when he was forcibly removed from a press conference held by Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem. The incident occurred at a press conference Thursday in Los Angeles. It immediately captured the attention of the rest of the...
Trump may shield undocumented farm workers from deportation
President Donald Trump said Thursday that he may create a carveout to his mass deportation efforts for hospitality and farm workers. After facing criticism over immigration raids that picked up people who have lived in the U.S. for years, Trump said the White House is looking at executive action that would exempt employees of some...
Trump says he supports arresting California Gov. Newsom
President Donald Trump advocated for California Gov. Gavin Newsom’s arrest even as another administration official insisted Monday morning there’d been no discussion of his arrest. “I would do it, if I were Tom,” Trump told reporters. “Gavin likes the publicity, but I think it would be a great thing.” Trump’s comments came as White House...
California Democrats want their state to hold the line on trans rights
California lawmakers said the state should stand up to President Donald Trump after his threat to impose large-scale fines on the state over trans student athletes. “We can’t bend the knee,” Rep. Ro Khanna told NOTUS. “You have to take it to court if we need to and make sure that we don’t get intimidated....
Trump wants to slash HUD — with an exception
Even as drastic budget cuts hit across the agency, the Department of Housing and Urban Development is boosting investment in one area: housing assistance for former foster youth. What’s uncertain is how much that new funding could be offset by the broader cuts. HUD this month announced a $1.8 million investment in its Foster Youth...