Author: rpnadmin

Washington — The California Supreme Court will not prevent Democrats from moving forward Thursday with a plan to redraw congressional districts.Republicans in the Golden State had asked the state’s high court to step in and temporarily block the redistricting efforts, arguing that Democrats — who are racing to put the plan on the ballot later this year — had skirted a rule requiring state lawmakers to wait at least 30 days before passing newly introduced legislation.But in a ruling late Wednesday, the court declined to act, writing that the Republican state lawmakers who filed the suit had “failed to meet…

August 19, 2025 Our grandparents would urge us all to defend and strengthen Social Security. Ad Policy Donald Trump, alongside Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, speaks during a bilateral meeting with Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Store in the Cabinet Room of the White House in Washington, DC, on April 24, 2025.(Saul Loeb / Getty Images) Last week, President Trump signed a proclamation celebrating Social Security’s 90th birthday, suggesting that his “one big beautiful bill” would “strengthen Social Security for generations to come.” Unfortunately, Trump’s mega bill does exactly the opposite. It does absolutely nothing to address Social Security’s looming insolvency…

Judge Frank Caprio, renowned for his compassion in Rhode Island courts, has died at the age of 88, his son, David Caprio, said in a social media post Wednesday. Caprio, a former judge for the Providence Municipal Court, died following a bout with pancreatic cancer, according to a statement posted to social media.”Beloved for his compassion, humility, and unwavering belief in the goodness of people, Judge Caprio touched the lives of millions through his work in the courtroom and beyond,” the statement reads. “His warmth, humor, and kindness left an indelible mark on all who knew him.””It was the love and…

A federal appeals court has cleared the way for the Trump administration to end temporary deportation protections for more than 60,000 people from Nicaragua, Honduras and Nepal — at least for now.A lower court last month blocked the Department of Homeland Security from ending Temporary Protected Status, or TPS, for the three countries until at least mid-November to give the court more time to weigh the issue. The judge sided with plaintiffs who argued the Trump administration’s plan to wind down TPS was “motivated by racial animus.” But on Wednesday, the U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals for the 9th Circuit put…

Members of the D.C. National Guard patrol outside Union Station as a storm approaches in Washington on August 17, 2025. Andrew Caballero-Reynolds/AFP via Getty Images hide caption toggle caption Andrew Caballero-Reynolds/AFP via Getty Images A National Guard military vehicle crashed into a car in Washington, D.C., on Wednesday morning, injuring the driver. The incident comes after President Trump ordered hundreds of Guard troops to the District as a part of his D.C. Safe and Beautiful Task Force. The Mine-Resistant Ambush Protected All-Terrain Vehicle (MATV) — a military vehicle that weighs up to 16 tons and is meant to withstand explosive…

Washington — A federal judge in New York on Wednesday declined the Justice Department’s request to unseal grand jury material in the case of late sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, saying prosecutors had failed to demonstrate that “special circumstances” warranted the disclosure.Judge Richard Berman of the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York issued his ruling in a 14-page decision denying the government’s motion to unseal the documents. Berman wrote that the grand jury material in question includes the testimony of just a single witness, an FBI agent “who had no direct knowledge of the facts of the case…

Jon Wiener: From The Nation Magazine, this is Start Making Sense. I’m Jon Wiener. Later in the show: It’s time to take a step back from the daily barrage of bad news to look at the big picture of the strategy Trump has been following: David Cole will explain how he’s exploited the power of the federal government, not just to attack his political opponents – the Democratic Party – but to weaken the institutions of civil society, which form the bedrock of democracy. But first: The Nation’s interview with Zohran Mamdani — Katrina vanden Heuvel and John Nichols will…

The Texas House of Representatives gaveled back into session Wednesday morning with the controversial proposal to redraw congressional maps up for a vote after Democrats fled the state to protest the earlier attempt to bring the bill to the floor. State Rep. Todd Hunter, the lead author of proposed Texas redistricting legislation, said on the House floor on Wednesday that the “underlying goal of this plan is straightforward: improve Republican political performance.”Texas Republicans took on the rare mid-decade redistricting last month after a push from President Trump and U.S. House Speaker Mike Johnson to maintain the GOP’s razor-thin majority in the…

Google tapped the star power of Jimmy Fallon and other celebrities on Wednesday to unveil several new products, including the company’s next generation of Pixel phones. Also participating in the event in Brooklyn, New York, were popular podcast host Alex Cooper, Formula One driver Lando Norris and singer Nick Jonas. Google’s new suite of products includes four Pixel 10 phones, the Pixel 4 Watch and a revamped set of Pixel earbuds. The hardware will include new AI features designed to help users retrieve information, automatically create videos and snap better photos. Google has been steadily layering AI capabilities into its Pixel products since 2023…

The Texas Legislature appears on the verge of redrawing congressional districts that will help Republicans in the midterm elections — a change requested by President Trump. A MARTÍNEZ, HOST: Texas Republicans are on the verge of redrawing the state’s congressional districts for President Trump.MICHEL MARTIN, HOST: Trump wants the change to help Republicans win, potentially, five more seats in next year’s elections. Now other states are looking to support or counter that. Texas Democrats left the state for a couple of weeks to try to slow it down.MARTÍNEZ: The Texas Newsroom’s Blaise Gainey is in Austin to discuss this. So,…