Manhunt for ex-officer in three California killings
LOS ANGELES — A former Navy reservist who was fired from the Los Angeles Police Department in 2008 has gone on a murderous rampage aimed at police officers and their families, law enforcement officials said Thursday, killing at least three people — including an 11-year veteran of the Riverside Police Department — and setting off a huge manhunt across Southern California.
In LA, food truck fad is about to go mainstream
LOS ANGELES — This is the place where food trucks really first took to the streets, catering to fanatical customers who relished — along with the food — the renegade and slightly outlaw nature of the whole business.
In California, a showdown on greenhouse gas emissions
LOS ANGELES — A ballot initiative to suspend a milestone California law curbing greenhouse gas emissions is drawing a wave of contributions from out-of-state oil companies, raising concerns among conservationists as it emerges as a test of public support for potentially costly environmental measures during tough economic times.
In California, a divided Republican Party smells blood
BURBANK, Calif. — If Republicans are to have a serious chance of capturing control of the U.S. Senate in November, they must win in traditionally Democratic states like California, where Sen. Barbara Boxer, a three-term Democrat, is showing signs of vulnerability.
Democrats reel as a senator <br />steps aside
WASHINGTON — Sen. Evan Bayh of Indiana announced on Monday that he would not seek re-election, sending a wave of distress over his fellow Democrats and focusing new attention on the view that unyielding partisanship had left Congress all but paralyzed.
White House Pushes In States’ Races
The White House’s intervention in the race for New York governor is the latest evidence of how President Barack Obama and his top advisers are taking an increasingly direct role in contests across the country, but their assertiveness has bruised some Democrats who suggest it could undercut Obama’s appeal with voters tired of partisan politics.
In Interview, Gop Chairman Strays From Party on Abortion
This was supposed to be the week that Michael Steele, the beleaguered new national Republican Party chairman, got his groove on, as he might put it: From filling vacancies left by the mass-firing he conducted upon taking office to issuing 100-day plans on how to make the Republican Party competitive on everything from fundraising to the Internet.
Race’s Last Stage Has Appearance of a Grudge Match
Sen. John McCain and Sen. Barack Obama entered their general election contest this summer denouncing American politics as trivial and negative, and vowing to run campaigns that would address the concerns of voters during a difficult time.
McCain Sets Course in RNC Speech, Vows to End ‘Rancor’
Sen. John McCain, the former prisoner of war whose bid for the White House appeared in complete collapse just one year ago, accepted the Republican presidential nomination on Thursday with a pledge to move the nation beyond “partisan rancor” and narrow self-interest. His speech came at the end of a convention marked by some blistering attacks on his opponent, Sen. Barack Obama.
With Internet, Presidential Race Rewrites the Rules
The 2008 race for the White House that comes to an end on Tuesday fundamentally upended the way presidential campaigns are fought in America, a legacy that has almost been lost with all the attention being paid to the battle between John McCain and Barack Obama.
With High Stakes and Low Expectations, Palin Survives
Gov. Sarah Palin made it through the vice-presidential debate on Thursday without doing any obvious damage to the Republican presidential ticket. By surviving her encounter with Sen. Joseph R. Biden Jr. and quelling some of the talk about her basic qualifications for high office, she may even have done Sen. John McCain a bit of good, freeing him to focus on the other troubles shadowing his campaign.
Lagging, McCain Can Still See Several Victory Scenarios
Sen. John McCain woke Thursday morning to what has become a fairly common greeting in these tough last weeks of his campaign. A raft of polls showing him well behind. Early post-mortems on his candidacy. Even Republicans speaking of him in the past tense.
Concerns About Palin’s Candidacy As She Crams for Thursday Debate
A month after Gov. Sarah Palin joined Sen. John McCain’s ticket to a burst of excitement and anticipation among Republicans, she is heading into a critical debate facing challenges from conservatives about her credentials, signs that her popularity is slipping and evidence that Republicans are worried about how much help she will be for McCain in November.
Risks Seen for McCain in Politics of Economic Crisis
Sen. John McCain had intended to ride back into Washington on Thursday as a leader who had put aside presidential politics to help broker a solution to the financial crisis.
With Democrats Worried, Obama Plans Sharper Attacks
Sen. Barack Obama plans to intensify his assault against Sen. John McCain, with new television advertisements and more forceful attacks by the candidate and surrogates beginning Friday morning, as he confronts an invigorated Republican presidential ticket and increasing nervousness in the Democratic ranks
Kennedy Provides Early Spark as Democrats Convene
Sen. Edward M. Kennedy, struggling with terminal brain cancer, arrived on Monday night at the Democratic National Convention in a triumphant appearance that provided an emotional start for the event as the party turned to a new era and gathered to nominate Sen. Barack Obama for president.
Kennedy Left Hospital Bed to Give Talk at Convention
Sen. Edward M. Kennedy had just left a hospital bed here when he delivered his speech to the Democratic National Convention on Monday night, after suffering a debilitating bout of kidney stones on Sunday upon arriving in town, aides said.
Democrats Convene in Denver To Plan Election Strategies
Democrats gathering here for their nominating convention are significantly more nervous about Sen. Barack Obama’s prospects this fall than they were a month ago, and are urging him to use the next four days to address weaknesses in his candidacy and lingering party divisions from the bitter primary fight.
Clinton Ready to End Bid and Endorse Obama, Aides Say
Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton will endorse Sen. Barack Obama on Saturday, bringing a close to her 17-month campaign for the White House, aides said. Her decision came after Democrats urged her Wednesday to leave the race and allow the party to coalesce around Obama.
Republicans Investigate New Lines of Attack Against Obama
When Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton goes after Sen. Barack Obama these days, she presses him on the details of his health care plan, criticizes the wording of his campaign mailings and likens his promise of change to celestial choirs.
Thompson Drops Out of Race; Candidates Seek His Supporters
Fred D. Thompson, the former senator from Tennessee, dropped out of the Republican race for president Tuesday after a third-place primary showing Saturday in South Carolina, a state he had hoped to win when he entered the race riding a wave of optimism among conservatives looking for a strong general election candidate.
Clinton Primary Upset Defies Predictions of Pollsters, Pundits
New Hampshire kept Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton alive.
GOP Voters Voice Anxieties on Party’s Fate; Iraq War Strategy
After years of political dominance, Republican voters now view their party as divided and say they are not satisfied with the choice of candidates seeking the Republican presidential nomination in 2008, according to the latest New York Times/CBS News Poll.
McCain and Brownback Discover Immigration is Big Issue For Iowans
Immigration, an issue that has divided Republicans in Washington for the last several years, is reverberating across the party’s presidential campaign field, causing particular complications for Sen. John McCain of Arizona.