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Los Angeles Times

In the current issue · 1

With Senate majority up for grabs, candidates fight for 'kingmaker' voters

Kirsten Gillibrandunited States Senator from New York since 2009
In this final stretch of the election, Democrats will continue to vigorously campaign and fight for every vote across the expanded map,
Karen Kedrowskiprofessor of political science
For Republicans who are running behind and are looking at a potentially devastating midterm election performance, what they really need to do is target the independents who lean Republican,
Corwin Smidtamerican political scientist
They’ve got to try to both win over people who have been paying attention, but also introduce themselves to the ones who haven’t been paying attention,
Republicans will defend the Senate majority across key battlegrounds that have trended reliably red,... with candidates like Mike Rogers [in Michigan] and Roger Marshall [in Kansas] winning over independents by exposing their Democratic opponents’ radical, unaffordable agendas.”
Alexandra Middlewoodwichita State University political science professor
Both campaigns are raking in ridiculous amounts of money... and they’re spending every penny because [they] have to,
Jeremy Grubera lawyer, writer, and public policy advocate and is the senior vice president at Open Primaries, He regularly https://openprimaries.org/research/ testifies before state legislatures on bills to open the primaries
Independent voters are going to be deciding this election in every respect,
They have to communicate to those folks and try to meet them where they’re at,
Independent voters,... are going to be responding to those candidates and parties that actually talk to them.”

October 2026

Commentary: Public executions are the work of tyrants. Now, the U.S. is joining in

Pete Hegsethdefense Secretary
It was a radical Islamist attack... so he’s going to get a firing squad of soldiers, as it should be,
Pete Hegsethdefense Secretary
He's gonna get a firing squad of soldiers, as it should be,

U.S. plan to livestream execution by firing squad draws bipartisan, international outrage

Pete Hegsethdefense Secretary
It was a radical Islamist attack in uniform inside the ranks, and so he’s going to get a firing squad of soldiers, as it should be, and we’ll make sure that people are able to watch it, that it’s public, because people need to understand there’s serious consequences for these types of things,
Howard Kurtzfox News commentator
I’m sensing revulsion on the left and right, not so much for killing a death row prisoner — although firing squad seems extreme in the modern age — but for the Pentagon to live-stream it, turning this into a horrifying TV show to entertain the masses. Is this America?”
There’s a pathology going on here that is so out of keeping with the dignity that ought to characterize the taking of a life as a result of a legal process,
Daniel H Lachanceresearcher
His whole brand is this kind of populist, anti-elitism. And when executions moved into the bowels of prisons in the early 20th century, they were really becoming bureaucratic affairs, run by experts, carried out in front of a small group of professionals and clergy,
Sonia Sotomayorliberal Justice
Boyd asks for the barest form of mercy: to die by firing squad, which would kill him in seconds, rather than by a torturous suffocation lasting up to four minutes. The Constitution would grant him that grace.”
Even people who are resigned to the death penalty, who don’t have religious or other scruples about the death penalty, have real heartburn over this,
I imagine the rest of the world, the civilized world, will see this and have the same response that I did,

The hidden cost of farmed fish: Pollution, forced labor and the depletion of wild fish

Daniel Paulycanadian biologist
Any accounting of the true impact of aquaculture has to start not with the farm, but with the feed,
We hold all suppliers across our global supply chain accountable” to uphold U.S., international and local laws, and Sysco suspends contracts when they do not
Vladimir Putinpresident
People have nowhere to go, no money,
That’s when investors will begin to see material, not just reputational risk, and companies will have to adjust.”
We’re fishermen, but there’s no fish left here, so we left,

With Hollywood's history of failed mergers, this is the rocky road ahead for David Ellison and Skydance

Doug CreutztD Cowen Global Research media analyst
They are going to be firing a lot of people,
Doug CreutztD Cowen Global Research media analyst
Until you actually get inside the company, there are things you won’t know,
Ynon Kreizco-CEO
Where David will focus on creative, technology, long-term strategy, including especially as it relates to the creative part of the business, I will focus more on the operations and the day-to-day management of the business,
David Ellisonskydance CEO
We are going to spend the next several months basically getting under the hood,
David Fubiniamerican writer
They have a whole new management team that will be expected to immediately lead this massive integration,
David Fubiniamerican writer
Now, the real work begins,
Eric Talleyamerican jurist
Interest rate increases made financing this transaction far more expensive than anyone anticipated,
David Ellisonskydance CEO
This was a turbulent process, and, at times, a really ugly process, to actually get this deal over the finish line,
Anderson Cooperamerican journalist (born 1967)
Do you stand with CNN and our effort to completely restore access to covering President Trump?”

White House targets Stanford, Caltech and tech giants in visa crackdown

Devashish Mitraeconomist (Syracuse University; Institute of Labor Economics (IZA); CESifo)
It’s only going to probably hurt some companies and hurt the best and the brightest that are coming here,
I think that all of these things are focused on bringing fewer international students into the United States, and we have been seeing that impact,
JD Vancevice President
There’s been no company, unfortunately, in the United States that has abused this system more than Microsoft,
They equal only 1% of our U.S. workforce. They are not new arrivals to our country,
They are using these visas way too much,

From killer-robot protests to tech talks for seniors, S.F. Bay Area residents wrestle with AI

That’s your decision in regard to whether or not you use it,
Sam Altman, get off it. Put people over profit,
I believe that the future, if we get this right, can be much more like a new renaissance than a new industrial revolution,
Gavin Newsom40th governor of California since 2019
AI should expand opportunity — not come at the expense of workers and families,
AI is being used to move us toward a surveillance state with no accountability,
I’ve never invited it into my space,
I want to have more human contact,
Maybe I’m too much of an optimist, but I hopefully believe that people will see the consequences of AI and not necessarily get rid of it, but work toward making it better,
I would much rather have a sincere person telling me what’s wrong than a robot, so from that aspect, I don’t think AI can really take over,

Trump says he won't let Iran strike L.A. or San Diego: 'Not going to let that happen'

Donald Trumppresident
You want to see a horror show? You want to see problems? Let them hit San Diego, let them hit Los Angeles,
We are not going to let that happen. We protect our cities. We protect our country.”
Steven Cheungwhite House Communications Director
The media freakout over President Trump’s comments is not rooted in reality,
Jim Desmondrepublican
I vehemently disagree with President Trump’s comments,
Todd Gloriasan Diego Mayor
San Diego is not collateral damage,

California diesel tops $8 a gallon, pushing truckers to the brink

Deoloperator
Your lettuce will go from $3.39 to $3.59 a pound in a week. You won’t even notice that because you don’t pay attention,
While big oil companies have seen their profits nearly double this year, the sharp increase in diesel cost has quickly eaten up what little margin mom-and-pop trucking businesses have left,
We have literally no margin on it. Like we are running and not making any money,
Any American trucking company cannot survive at $8 a gallon,
If we sleep, if we park, we can turn off the motors,

ChatGPT's teen safeguards failed to alert parents during suicide conversations, report finds

We welcome rigorous independent evaluation, but we do not believe Common Sense Media’s testing accurately reflects how ChatGPT’s teen safeguards work in practice or expert perspectives on how AI can support teens,
Tom Siegelcommon Sense Media Youth Safety Institute head
Teens are vulnerable and unprotected and we’re letting them loose on a product that is not just unproven, but proven to be high risk and dangerous,
Some protections, including refusing sexual role play, worked — but others failed to deliver on their commitments, or even got worse with the launch of ChatGPT for Teens,

Trump loves to bash California to rally the base. 'Let 'em take out' L.A. is just the latest

It’s a small price to pay for keeping the world safe, keeping our country safe,
Donald Trumppresident
That will end very quickly, one way or the other, very soon, maybe a little after the election, maybe a little before, but it is going to end very soon,
Whether you like Trump or not, he is good at getting his message out and coming up with a message that can resonate and catch fire,
I don’t think that message necessarily plays well here because Californians are Californians,
Donald Trumppresident
In Detroit, Philadelphia, California and numerous other U.S. Cities and States, the results, with much smaller numbers, will often take weeks to Rig, I mean, calculate,
Jim Desmondsan Diego County Supervisor
I vehemently disagree with President Trump’s comments,
Donald Trumppresident
What’s driving up Gasoline is no longer the Strait of Hormuz,

Jim Bakker, televangelist who rose to fame and fell from grace, dies at 86

He was a pioneer of Christian television, but to me, he was my husband, my best friend, and the man I was honored to walk beside through so many seasons of life and ministry,
We couldn’t agree on which was worse — the thick potato soup that felt like eating wet cement, the strong chemical overtones in the chocolate pudding or the disturbing radioactive orange of the macaroni and cheese,
You can worship money or you can worship God,
Jim Bakkertelevangelist
Please don’t do this to me,
Imagine — the world is dying and you’re having breakfast like a king,
SOS, save our station, save our ship, help us stay on the air,

Bernie Sanders boosts wealth tax while labor argues it would devastate California's economy

Andrew Gonzalesfigure skater
We’re not opposed to making the wealthy pay their fair share. We’re not opposed to creating a high-quality and low-cost health insurance plan for Californians,
In the trades, we know you always read the blueprints and you always read the fine print,
What you are showing people from coast to coast and all over is that, yes, we can take on the greed of the oligarchs,
My biggest fear is that I will see some of my coworkers lose their jobs,
Our workers are not billionaires; they are working people. After 20, 30, or even 40 years of breaking their backs on the job sites, our members have the opportunity to have a decent pension, some retirement savings, and equity in a home that they’ve been working to pay off,
That’s already having an immediate impact to the state’s budget,

A Saudi-led coalition says it has reclaimed territory overrun by Yemen's Iran-backed Houthi rebels

Obviously the Saudis have come under Houthi attack and see the threat that that poses, and they have a right to defend themselves,
The government doesn’t have the capabilities, the materiel, nor the cohesion of the forces,
They ran away into the sea. We captured some of them, and the rest were killed,
They want a better hand for when they sit down for negotiations — and inevitably there will be negotiations,
It would require a lot more investment, not only from Saudi Arabia, but also from the U.S,

When is war not 'war'? In Iran, according to the U.S.

Smoke rises after a strike in Tehran on March 1, the day after the U.S. and Israel first attacked Iran

Jamie Raskinamerican lawyer, politician, and U.S. Representative from Maryland since 2017
When things have turned south in the fortunes of this war, he has tried to pretend it’s something else,
Jamie Raskinamerican lawyer, politician, and U.S. Representative from Maryland since 2017
Trump has followed some of his predecessors in playing word games with the war power,
JD Vancevice President
I wouldn’t call it a war right now,
George W. Bushpresident
Major combat operations in Iraq have ended,
Marco Rubioiran, Secretary of State
That’s not an act of war, that’s a defensive measure. It’s a counter to what they have decided to do.”
Donald Trumppresident
The war itself is going unbelievably. It’s as good as it can be.”
Donald Trumppresident
Iran will never have a nuclear weapon. We’re gonna win that war very soon.”
Donald Trumppresident
I call it a military conflict, because it’s small potatoes for us,

Barabak: What's going to happen in the midterm election? Find out here. (Maybe)

Democrats are hoping for a blue wave and big gains in November

Nathan Gonzalezamerican journalist
It’s too late to fundamentally change the trajectory of this election,
Charlie Cookamerican political analyst
It starts getting into eyebrow-raising territory if it gets north of 35,... because that shouldn’t be possible with the few competitive districts we have now.”
Charlie Cookamerican political analyst
I’m not a meteorologist, but it’s kind of like three competing weather fronts collided,
Nathan Gonzalezamerican journalist
We had an unpopular Republican president, a war in the Middle East that drove up gas prices. Some members on Capitol Hill that were behaving badly,
Charlie Cookamerican political analyst
A party cannot lose a seat they don’t have.”

Provocative, sexually suggestive ad by Hilton campaign condemned by political allies on the right

Republican gubernatorial candidate Steve Hilton visits patrons at Victorio’s Ristorante in North Hollywood, where they held a watch party for the CNN debate between candidates Democrat Xavier Becerra and Hilton on Wednesday night

This is a bizarre and desperate ad from a person who has attacked the LGBTQ+ community and stands with Donald Trump,
I can’t believe I’m doing this,
Fred Kargercalifornian
The audience that he’s targeting there — the hipster, young hipster, lesbian audience — probably has a 1% chance of voting for him,
MAGA is melting down over Steve Hilton’s creepy ad because they’re finally seeing him for the sellout he really is, willing to abandon his own twisted values to get ahead,
I emphatically denounce the use of young women as a political tool,... California families deserve better, and as AG, I will fight every day to protect our girls, young women, and parental rights.”

Trump is campaigning in reliably red states, a sign of midterm concerns

I am going to ask ChatGPT what their name is and vote for them,
We have to do what we have to do.”
Donald Trumppresident
We need Ken so badly, that’s why I am here,
Donald Trumppresident
You have to get out and vote,
I haven’t thought about it, but maybe the economy,
In a non-presidential year, in a midterm election, that challenge is always voter turnout,

At Oktoberfest, nonalcoholic beer is no longer a punchline

People want to live healthier nowadays, and that’s especially true for the younger generations,
When I was growing up and coming here about 20 years ago, if someone ordered a nonalcoholic beer, everyone would look at you and say, ‘What’s wrong with you?’ or ‘Oh, you must be the designated driver,
Felix Heidecomputer scientist working primarily in the fields of computational imaging
Nonalcoholic beer doesn’t make any sense to me,
Amanda Nguyenfounder and CEO of Rise
I really like that there are options and that there’s something for everyone and everyone can enjoy it here,
I like to drink, love the beer here, love the taste, and like the way it hits me right away after the first two sips,
I want to participate, want to see how this culture works and still want to be here,

Lyft will pay more than $270 million in California wage-theft settlement

Lilia García-Browercalifornia Labor Commissioner
This settlement is about the workers who came forward and spoke up,
If approved, this settlement closes a chapter from a very different time, before Prop 22,
Lyft believes drivers have always been properly classified under the law, and we’re glad to put this case behind us,