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Los Angeles Times

May 2026

'Unhelpful': Top Democrats say Jill Biden's memoir is reopening 2024 wounds

Then-First Lady Jill Biden, shown with President Biden and grandson Beau in 2022, has written a memoir, prompting criticism from some Democrats unhappy that the 2024 campaign is receiving new attention

Meghan Haysamerican communications executive
We have a lot of momentum in our favor... and when we get pulled back into conversations about age and the election in ‘24, it’s never gonna be a good place for Democrats,
Steve Schaleamerican political consultant
This is not going to be part of a conversation in the election. It’s going to be part of a conversation in Washington because that is what Washington does, but this is not going to move the needle in New Hampshire or other states where it matters,
I was frightened, because I had never ever seen Joe like that before or since. Never,
Daniel Pfeifferamerican political advisor and commentator
What I care about is what happens going forward,
Michael LaRosaspokesman
There is a deep reservoir of frustration among ‘formers’ who believe she enables the culture around her and the President rather than challenging it,
His keys should have been taken long before that night,
Unhelpful... Ripping open a healing scab is never helpful,
Donald Trumppresident
In other words, as many have asked, did my strong performance in that debate cause him to plain and simple ‘choke,’ leading to his ignominious defeat, or were other reasons the cause? Nobody else knows the answer to that, BUT I DO!!!

Trump enters perilous polling territory, raising questions over base support

Polarization has raised the floor and lowered the ceiling for approval ratings,
Christopher WlezienuS academic, Hogg Professor of Government at the University of Texas at Austin
It’s harder to get lower, but it’s possible depending on what he does,
Donald Trumppresident
MAGA is me. MAGA loves everything I do, and I love everything I do,
They are now widely produced, aggregated and interpreted, and no longer represent an area where Gallup can make its most distinctive contribution,
Approval ratings today are increasingly a measure of who the president is rather than what the president does,

Lopez: A second offering to Spencer Pratt, and 5 points about the L.A. mayor's race

You’re a left-wing idiot, and … it’s time for you to retire. You’re a joke!!! You always have been!!! God bless Spencer Pratt and the 45th and 47th President of the United States Donald Trump!!!!!”
You say Spencer has never done anything in his life…What credentials do you have? From what I’ve read about you, you are a lousy commie journalist who has never accomplished anything in your life!!”

After heated debate, California updates key climate limit. Critics say it's a retreat

Jacqui Irwinstate Assemblymember
If we fail now to adopt the proposed amendments to cap-and-invest, it would be without a doubt the greatest victory that the Trump administration could possibly hope for to achieve against California’s climate policies this year,
CARB has proposed creating exactly 118.3 million additional allowances... outside the cap, the precise number of allowances that must be removed from the cap to keep us on track for our 2030 targets,
These additional allowances would not only endanger our emissions targets, they would also flood the auction market and depress cap-and-invest revenues,
Lauren Sánchez Bezoscalifornia Air Resources Board Chair
It is no secret that climate policy is at a crossroads — under attack by an openly hostile and well-funded opposition and upended by global economic upheaval,
This could create serious consequences, including a potential zeroing out of the state’s support for critical emission reduction programs,

Judge orders removal of Trump's name from Kennedy Center, halts closure

Christopher R. Cooperjudge
Congress gave the Kennedy Center its name, and only Congress can change it,
We are confident that on appeal the court will uphold the Board’s will to recognize President Trump’s historic contributions to our nation’s cultural center,
Joyce BeattyuS Representative
Today’s ruling rightly affirms that this administration’s efforts to rename and close the Center have no basis in law,
The resources are in place and we remain committed to pursuing every lawful avenue to ensure the Trump Kennedy Center is restored as a national cultural landmark for all Americans to enjoy,

Trump signals optimism, but still hasn't signed off on an Iran peace framework

Donald Trumppresident
Iran must agree that they will never have a Nuclear Weapon or Bomb,
JD Vanceu.S. Vice President
It’s hard to say exactly when or if the president’s going to sign,
Mohammad Bagher Ghalibafparliament Speaker
No step will be taken before the other side acts first,
No money will be exchanged, until further notice,
JD Vanceu.S. Vice President
I do think that we’ve made a lot of progress here,

Democrats call Bondi's Epstein files interview a 'sham'

Danielle Benskyvictim
Pam Bondi and Todd Blanche have derailed the lives of so many survivors,
There were ground rules laid with the committee before we walked in there and we simply wanted to stick to those,
Dave McCormickdemocratic Rep.
I have an election in four days, a very important one,
I’m not certain of the extent of his knowledge,

'This is a hijacking': UFC White House fight and race cars take over National Park Service land

Construction continues for the upcoming UFC match alongside the ballroom addition on the South Lawn of the White House

Jonathan Jarvisu.S. National Park Service director
I think the foundation is being told what to do,
Jonathan Jarvisu.S. National Park Service director
The ideologues in power now take a very dim view of the federal government in general, and the last thing they want is a highly popular and successful federal agency,
Jonathan Jarvisu.S. National Park Service director
These events are inappropriate and disrespectful to the history and importance of the White House and the National Mall,
Essentially, this is a hijacking of one of America’s oldest and most well-respected conservation organizations,
Many groups have adopted ‘Freedom 250’ branding as part of their festivities, even though it does not mean it is backed by Freedom 250 funding,
We are in uncharted territory, on uncharted ground.”

Becerra leads governor's race, with Hilton and Steyer in tight contest for second spot, poll finds

Mark DiCamillopoll director
I’m not saying it’s likely, but it’s possible that two Democrats could emerge, and that would have huge implications on turnout in the [November] election,
Chad Biancoriverside County Sheriff
Hilton has got the much broader base of support, and then he got Trump’s endorsement,
Mark DiCamillopoll director
What’s interesting about Hilton is that he hasn’t really done much of his campaigning in the traditional way. He hasn’t run huge amounts of television advertising, you don’t see his name out there in the traditional media, other than in free media,
Mark DiCamillopoll director
We’re assuming that... the Democrats will in fact turn out in the final week after we had concluded our poll and begin to make up ground on what looks like an early lead for Hilton, and those voters favor Becerra,

Bondi is set to face questions about the Epstein files. It isn't clear how much she will say

It’s unclear if she is representing the interests of Bondi, the department, or herself,
Austin Hackerspokesperson
Unlike the Clintons who defied subpoenas for seven months, former Attorney General Pam Bondi voluntarily and quickly cooperated with the Committee to identify a mutually agreeable date,
It doesn’t just happen willy-nilly,
I don’t see where Harmeet Dhillon has the experience or the normal level of authority that this would be delegated to,

Newsom vows to levy 100% tax on California recipients of Trump's $1.8-billion 'slush fund'

Anyone from California that receives any of those funds, we want to tax 100% of those proceeds,
That’s why we have to step up and we have to draw the line,
Every single thing that Donald Trump is saying only suggests that he will do more, not less, to intimidate and to impact the outcome of this election,

Barabak: Texas is where Democratic dreams die. Did Trump change that with his Senate pick?

Paxton is going to be a much tougher guy [for Republicans] to haul over the finish line five months from now as opposed to Cornyn, who never lost an election until this one,
Jim Hensonamerican puppeteer (1936–1990)
This is as good an environment as Democrats are going to get realistically,

Donald E. Newhouse, newspaper publisher and heir to media empire, dies at 96

James Willseamerican journalist
He especially enjoyed it when we’d have a story about some politician caught with his hand in the cookie jar, or a spicy feature about stuffed shirts behaving badly,
Thomas Maieramerican journalist
His conservative approach left both the papers and its employees somewhat unprepared for the realities of the internet,
Anna Wintourenglish magazine editor
You reveled in his company. He filled you with energy and humor when you felt doubtful and weak,
His voice was never the loudest in the room, but it was often the wisest,
He could come across as self-effacing and deferential, but in Don’s skilled hands those were qualities that made him an enormously strong and effective leader,
He was a smart and shrewd businessman but as thoughtful and kind a man as you’ll find. Being in his presence was always a joy,
Each of our newspapers operates independently, with publishers who are strong, who set policy for their individual organizations and who have the authority and responsibility of carrying out the policies they set,
He was scrupulous about not interfering in editorial business, but if you turned to him for counsel, he invariably offered judicious advice,
My dad spent his life in the newspaper business and was devoted to it, built it up and enjoyed many good years. When it became more challenging, he was first in line to work through, finding solutions to keep the local journalism franchise going,

Paramount, pushing to buy Warner Bros., girds for legal challenges

Ellison’s close ties to President Trump, and widespread concerns about the future of Hollywood, drive anxiety over the tech scion’s $111-billion deal for Warner Bros

Renewed U.S. strikes put Iran talks on verge of collapse

Benjamin Netanyahuprime Minister
We are not removing our foot from the pedal,
The commission of these aggressive acts — occurring concurrently with the ongoing diplomatic track mediated by Pakistan — has once again exposed the hostile nature and perfidy of the ruling establishment in the United States,

After raids, U.S. citizens and immigrants seek millions for shootings, injuries, trauma

Benjamin Zipurskyamerican legal scholar
So that’s what a lot of plaintiff’s lawyers are really anxious about, that the Trump administration is going to say, ‘Well, we’ve got our own immigration policies. Of course a lot of people disagree with them, but the statute is designed to give us the right to make those policy judgments,
Whenever I drive, if someone stays behind me for three, four or five minutes, I start to imagine that it’s them again,
Even now, our clients wake up some days thinking, ‘What am I doing suing the federal government?
There is no question in my mind that a lot of people — hundreds, thousands — have been harmed significantly and will be legally entitled to large damages payouts, which are going to come from the federal government,
The pattern is NOT of law enforcement using force. It’s a pattern of violent agitators attacking our law enforcement,
We’re going to be talking about Minneapolis in 2030,
I remember they broke down the door, entered, put him in handcuffs and threw him to the ground,
There’s [now] a more fundamental understanding that bad stuff does happen,
Now, if I were the plaintiff’s lawyer, I would say, ‘Yeah, but shooting somebody in cold blood because you’re just mad about their political views, and they’re not really threatening your life at all — that’s not a policy judgment,

Record-setting outside money pouring into California governor's race

Richard Hasenamerican legal scholar
There are technical rules that prevent certain types of communication, but it’s easy enough to communicate in public and be on the same page on messaging,
Each of these candidates represents a serious threat to the wages, rights and dignity of California’s working people,
Tom Steyercalifornia gubernatorial candidate
Chevron is charging Californians record gas prices on one hand and turning right around to spend $500,000 to elect Xavier Becerra with the other,
Richard Hasenamerican legal scholar
It has been a steady increase in the amount of money going to outside groups,
Xavier Becerraformer HHS Secretary
Tom Steyer made his billions off fossil fuels and private prisons, then decided that qualified him to run California,
Mark Macarropechanga Chairman
Secretary Becerra has stood with Indian Country for decades and understands Tribal sovereignty,
IEs are as free to go as negative as they want without that negativity boomeranging back to hurt the candidate,
He got in a little bit late and it was a big climb... with an apathetic electorate,
CalChamber is participating in an independent expenditure campaign because voters deserve to know more about Mr. Steyer,
Tom Steyercalifornia gubernatorial candidate
The Becerra campaign was running out of gas until the latest half-million dollar influx from Chevron,

News Analysis: Trump's framework deal with Iran includes few details, prompts fury on the right

The fact that we’re talking about a suspension of all enrichment, and the question is whether it will be five years, 20 years or halfway in between — that’s important,
I’m concerned that the administration is looking to cut some ‘Phase One’ deal” in which Iran is given “significant sanctions relief in exchange for agreement to reopen the strait,
Robert Kaganamerican historian (born 1958)
On the present trajectory, Iran will emerge from the conflict many times stronger and more influential than it was before the war,
An interim deal to buy time [is] probably where we end up,
John W. Limbertamerican diplomat
A basic agreement shouldn’t be impossible to achieve,
Iran does not measure success the same way Washington often does,
Tehran believes time is working against Trump politically and strategically,
Donald Trumppresident
An Agreement has been largely negotiated,

Los Angeles hotels are still waiting for a surge in demand from the World Cup

Simon Kuperjournalist
All the ticket prices in this World Cup are inconceivable for previous World Cups,
We are hopeful that momentum will build over the next few weeks in the lead up to the games,
FIFA room block over-commitment created an artificial early demand signal that has since unraveled,
All room releases were conducted in line with contractually agreed timelines with hotel partners, a standard practice for an event of this scale,
With just two months until kickoff, indicators suggest the anticipated economic lift may fall short of expectations,
L.A.’s purported hotel underperformance is compounded by a unique combination of early FIFA block over-commitment creating artificial demand, concerns about visa barriers and operating costs,