At Hogwarts, politics becomes hot subject
I appreciated Dan Neil's column "Atheist Chic" (800 Words, Dec. 17). So I only offer one small critique.
He wrote, "There are no atheists in foxholes or in Congress." We know why there aren't any in Congress: It's difficult for atheists, or even agnostics, to get elected to most public offices.
A Poway businessman linked to disgraced U.
S. Rep. Randy "Duke" Cunningham has been fined the maximum of $4,000 for concealing campaign contributions to a San Diego mayoral campaign.
THE Yiddish writer Sholem Aleichem once remarked that in the Jewish hamlets of his native Ukraine there were only two people who really were serious about God. One was the local rabbi and the other was the village atheist.
SACRAMENTO Gov.
Arnold Schwarzenegger's assertion that his budget plan would wipe out California's chronic multibillion-dollar deficit was met with skepticism on Friday from the state's nonpartisan budget analyst, who said the proposal would probably fall short of that goal.
Schwarzenegger tells ABC News that the U.S.
can't pull out of the war as 'losers.' But he says a timeline is needed to prod the Mideast nation.
Jaramillo's request to bar county prosecutors from his trial because of conflicts is denied.
WASHINGTON Rep. John T. Doolittle (R-Roseville) said Friday that he would no longer employ his wife as his campaign fundraiser, a practice that gave his household a 15% cut of all donations.
The administration says planet warming will melt snowpacks, so more storage is needed.
The House legislation would end the Republican ban on the government seeking lower prices for seniors' prescriptions.
Washington eases post-9/11 security restrictions on some people who provided support to certain groups.
SACRAMENTO The California Teachers Assn., one of the state's most politically powerful unions, suffered a rare rebuke Thursday when Republican state senators blocked the confirmation of a union leader to another term on the state Board of Education.
Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa and the teachers union became reluctant foes Thursday when the mayor endorsed prosecutor Tamar Galatzan for the school board seat held by one of the staunchest allies of United Teachers Los Angeles.
While acknowledging he's a long shot, the Democrat trumpets his experience: 'I know what has to be done.'
The convention choice reflects party ambitions for the newly hospitable Mountain West region.
The Senate's new Democratic leaders were set back when nine Democrats joined with Republicans in support of stricter House-passed rules on lawmakers' pet projects.
Sacramento Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger has a bigger problem than Republican legislative resistance in trying to sell a core element of his healthcare overhaul. That problem is the public.
Americans listened to President Bush's strategy for Iraq with hope or despair, frustration or a growing confidence. Here are some of their reactions:
Bush's plan for Iraq fractures his own party.
Foes urge withdrawal.
Villaraigosa is expected to come out for Tamar Galatzan today in another race. He had delayed endorsements to avoid political strife.
WASHINGTON President Bush's speech outlining his troop increase in Iraq provoked several potential presidential candidates to stake out a position, including some Republicans who had avoided addressing the controversial proposal that could be a touchstone issue in the 2008 campaign.
SACRAMENTO A controversial member of the California Public Utilities Commission, serving on an interim basis, is set to win state Senate confirmation despite opposition from consumer groups.
He says that since surgery on a broken leg bone two weeks ago, he has had 'ongoing pain, 24 hours a day.
'
He was chief of staff to Bill Postmus, who was elected assessor.
The City Council moved Wednesday to review a controversial decision by the city's Airport Commission to nearly quadruple rents and other fees for low-cost carriers in Terminals 1 and 3 at Los Angeles International Airport.
Assemblyman Richard Alarcon has opened a lead in the fundraising for the March 6 election to fill the open 7th District seat on the City Council, according to campaign filings.
Sen. Christopher J. Dodd plans to launch his bid for the White House today on the Don Imus radio show.
The Interior Department's former No. 2 official has been told by federal investigators that he is a target in the corruption probe of onetime lobbyist Jack Abramoff.
Freshman and veteran lawmakers alike risk the ire of bloggers and other activists if they waver on an Iraq exit.
His proposal is said to focus on ending sectarian violence and increasing security in Iraq. Opponents see it as a dangerous escalation.
With the Senate in the hands of Democrats, the most controversial of Bush's judicial nominees are withdrawn.
Activists and experts offer mixed reactions to the gas alternative after the call for a low-carbon fuel initiative features a key backer of ethanol.
Environmentalists protest Bush's lifting of a long-standing ban in an area north of the Aleutian Islands.
FORT CAMPBELL, KY. An Army private charged with the slaughter of an Iraqi family was diagnosed as a homicidal threat by a military mental health team three months before the attack.
Jim Gilmore, Virginia's former tax-slashing Republican governor, took the first step in a long-shot bid for the presidency.
President Bush meets with groups of senators at the White House to drum up support ahead of announcing his plan.
An advisor to past presidents is chosen for White House counsel.
Los Angeles County Superior Court Judge Dzintra Janavs ruled Monday that Monica Rodriguez, a candidate for the City Council's 7th District, cannot call herself an "educator" on the March 6 ballot.
Former Assembly Speaker Willie Brown draws the limelight in subdued inaugural.
The Republican was a ruthless rules panel chief.
Now he cries foul. Democrats are amazed.
A key question about the intelligence veteran is whether he's tough enough for the job.
The president has been making conciliatory gestures to his old foes, the new power brokers.
Willie Brown will be a headliner tonight at Schwarzenegger's gala.
Lynwood, rattled by political scandal, looks at building a stadium to lure a football franchise.
Many residents protest the proposal.
Some say that his assignment to the State Department will leave the national intelligence office in a lurch.
In many ways, Schwarzenegger's administration recalls that of his predecessor, who will attend his swearing-in ceremony.
Administration wants to make insurers provide preventive programs that offer incentives.
Lisa Martellaro-Palmer, a candidate for the City Council's 6th District seat, on Thursday accused opponent Candido Marez of not living in the district.
WASHINGTON Eager to set themselves apart from a Republican-led Congress tarnished by scandal, Democrats outlined a plan Wednesday to end the secrecy around earmarks inserted in legislation to funnel public money to favored interests.
Illegal immigrants would be covered in his plan to overhaul the state health-care system.
Schwarzenegger is told to stay off his feet, so he is conserving energy for his swearing-in Friday.
`We're ready to get to work,' says Harry Reid, who will be the new majority leader if results in two states hold.
WASHINGTON In turning to former CIA Director Robert M. Gates to take the reins at the Pentagon, President Bush has selected a low-key loyalist who is in many ways the opposite of outgoing Defense Secretary Donald H.
Rumsfeld.
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