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Here’s the scariest part of Paul Pelosi attack

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A unicorn costume, a hammer and a belief that pedophiles are using public schools to destroy democracy: The trial of David DePape for attacking Paul Pelosi was strange and disturbing. But take away the costume and the hammer, and the reasoning for DePape’s vicious attack is alarmingly mainstream — pedophile panic. By that, I mean … Read more

California Senate seat will be on your ballot four times in 2024 election. Here’s why

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In 2024, Californians will be asked to vote for a new U.S. Senator. Then they’ll be asked to vote again. And then again. And then again. Voters will see the Senate election twice on the March primary ballot: the regularly scheduled election for the six-year Senate term that begins in 2025, and a special election … Read more

Opinion: Trump promises vengeance and power grabs if he wins in 2024. Here’s the plan

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In the wake of this week’s terrifying news of the New York Times/Siena College polls showing Donald Trump beating President Biden in must-win battleground states, keep in mind two words and spread them: Insurrection Act. It’s been 31 years since a president last invoked the act and dispatched troops domestically to enforce federal law. That’s … Read more

Opinion: Jim Jordan should never be House speaker. Here’s why

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When House Republicans in January chose Rep. Kevin McCarthy as speaker, that was bad enough: The highest ranking official under the Capitol dome was someone who’d been complicit in then-President Trump’s stoking the worst attack on that very building since its burning by the British in 1814. Replacing the Bakersfield Republican with Ohio Rep. Jim … Read more

Here’s how we know the Republican Party has become an autocratic movement

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It’s often said that Donald Trump has a cultlike following. But that’s far too benign. “Star Wars” has a cultlike following. Taylor Swift has her cult of “Swifties.” A political organization that has no platform other than loyalty to the leader is not a cult, it’s an autocratic movement. The tragicomic chaos in the House … Read more

Kevin McCarthy is out as House speaker. Here’s what’s next

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After the House of Representatives voted Tuesday to oust Rep. Kevin McCarthy (R-Bakersfield) from his position as speaker, even some lawmakers were confused about what would happen next. “What now?” one congressman called out from the House floor moments after the vote. Some confusion is natural: McCarthy is the first speaker in U.S. history to … Read more