Topics
Barack Obama
Obama to announce expanded background checks as he aims to limit gun deaths
President Obama will announce Tuesday that he’ll act on his own authority to expand background checks for would-be gun buyers and increase enforcement of existing laws, a culmination of his effort to curb gun violence that nonetheless falls short of sweeping change he had long sought.
Though Obama is going around Congress yet again to act on a policy priority, as he did on immigration and climate, he is limited in what he can legally do without proposing legislative change. His executive actions neither close the so-called gun-show loophole nor require universal background checks, two possibilities he had directed aides to explore amid a spate of mass shootings in the...
Related "Barack Obama" Articles
Obama to announce expanded background checks as he aims to limit gun deaths
President Obama will announce Tuesday that he’ll act on his own authority to expand background checks for would-be gun buyers and increase enforcement of existing laws, a culmination of his effort to curb gun violence that nonetheless falls short of...
War on Islamic State requires persistence and patience
As the year ended, the campaign against the militant group Islamic State recorded some significant victories on the battlefield. Iraqi forces trained by the United States and supported by U.S.-led airstrikes regained control of the city of Ramadi and...
Today: War of Words. Oregon Standoff.
I'm Davan Maharaj, editor of the Los Angeles Times. Here are some story lines I don't want you to miss today.
TOP STORIES
War of Words in the Persian Gulf
Tensions between Saudi Arabia and Iran are high after the Saudi execution of an important...
Essential Politics: Clinton courting California's Asian voters
I’m Christina Bellantoni. Welcome to 2016 and the first edition of Essential Politics of the year.
Subscribe to the newsletter
California may not hold caucuses, but take a look at Hillary...
Five unknowns that could determine the winner in 2016
Anyone who confidently predicts the outcome of this year’s presidential race is either not serious or seriously delusional.
Particularly on the Republican side, the number of plausible scenarios outstrips anyone’s ability to forecast. But we can...
The GOP's California roots
Picture this: Republican leaders and wealthy businessmen argue that the president is a demagogue who panders to the most shiftless members of American society; that he seeks to destroy the Constitution, particularly the Bill of Rights; that he wants to...
Donald Trump's rise and the power of conservative media
To the editor: I am confident that Doyle McManus “missed” in his prediction that Donald Trump would flame out not because he underestimated the anger of the populace, but because he completely misjudged its low information level. ("Donald...
President Obama considering visit to Cuba to shore up relations – and his foreign policy legacy
President Obama may go to Cuba this year if its government bolsters its human rights record and opens its doors more fully to American business in the coming weeks, a senior advisor to the president said Saturday.
Obama would probably make such a...
Obama asks Americans to help stop 'epidemic of gun violence'
President Obama issued a New Year’s Day call to Americans to help him fight an “epidemic of gun violence” in the U.S., signaling it is a top priority as he prepares to decide whether to impose new gun control measures under existing federal law.
Obama...
The hardest worker on the 2016 presidential campaign trail? It could be Obama
You might think the candidates have the most invested in the 2016 presidential election, but someone else has nearly as much riding on the outcome: President Obama.
Though he will not appear on the ballot, Obama believes his legacy hangs in the balance...
Republican presidential candidates go their own way on climate change despite Paris agreement
A tale of environmental suspense unfolded throughout 2015: Would nations finally reach a global agreement to fight climate change?
Record drought and heat, wildfires, Pope Francis' encyclical on the environment, President Obama's Clean Power Plan and his...
Why Obama's accomplishments don't register with Trump supporters
To the editor: Doyle McManus inadvertently highlights what could be the reason the average, fair-minded Joe has a feeling that President Obama is just not quite capable. ("Obama's legacy depends on the 2016 election," Opinion, Dec. 27)
...
Supreme Court set to make pivotal rulings on abortion, affirmative action and immigration
As the nation heads into a presidential election year, the Supreme Court is set to decide half a dozen politically charged cases in 2016 on such topics as abortion, affirmative action, contraceptives and immigration.
In several cases, conservatives are...
Obama expands government anti-poverty efforts, frustrating Republicans
President Obama is entering his final year in office having quietly secured significant expansions to the federal government safety net in the face of Republican majorities in Congress and increasingly insistent calls from GOP presidential candidates to...
How immigration issues could unfold during the 2016 campaign
This year saw new influxes of Central Americans and Cubans on the southern border, Syrian refugees rejected by the leaders of more than 30 states and the president's executive action on immigration mired in legal challenges.
Next year, those stories...
Essential Politics: Dealings in Atlantic City, redemption in California
I’m Christina Bellantoni, the Essential Politics host today. Hope it was a lovely Christmas wherever you were. Let’s get started.
Subscribe to the newsletter
It was a quiet weekend in politics,...
Obama's legacy depends on the 2016 election
President Obama had a pretty good 2015 by most measures. The economy grew and unemployment fell. He achieved a long-sought nuclear deal with Iran, a long-sought trade deal with Asia and a long-sought climate agreement in Paris. He even signed some...
In New Hampshire, undeclared voters could be a key wild card in the primary
Catherine Johnson's day started at 6 a.m. She left her home in Hanover, drove 100 miles southeast across New Hampshire to a campaign event in Plaistow, then worked her way back with stops in Londonderry, Bedford and Goffstown.
Her itinerary rivals that...
Opinion: Trump didn't say 'schlonged' first. Does that make it OK?
Good morning. I'm Paul Thornton, and it is Saturday, Dec. 26, 2015. There are only 366 more shopping days until Christmas. Here's a look back at the week in Opinion.
Subscribe to the newsletter
...
Move by Rubio leaves U.S. without ambassador to Mexico
By most accounts, Roberta Jacobson’s confirmation as U.S. ambassador to Mexico should have been a shoo-in.
Fluent in Spanish, expert in Latin American politics and skilled in cross-border trade negotiations, the career diplomat was nominated by President...
Loading