California

Katie Zacharia left her role as White House press secretary less than five days after starting, the BBC confirmed, following a widely criticized first briefing that lasted under 15 minutes and took only three questions. She had faced scrutiny over her legal credentials and admitted Thursday she had not passed the bar exam, though she said she practiced international transaction law in China with appropriate credentials. President Donald Trump said he advised her she could reconsider the job, saying she had been treated "pretty nastily" by the media. Democrats seized on the departure ahead of November midterm elections.

32 reports · 6 sources · Updated Oct 16, 09:05 PM UTC

The Trump administration's Justice Department sued California officials over allegations that roughly 20,000 noncitizens are registered to vote, seeking to stop the state from counting about 20,000 ballots. The filing followed a DOJ demand that California review a thumb drive of "likely noncitizen" voters within 48 hours and prove citizenship for listed voters or have ballots withheld. California declined to open the drive, and CNN described the suit as a "long shot." California Secretary of State Shirley Weber has disputed the reliability of the administration's figures.

10 reports · 2 sources · Updated Oct 15, 11:39 PM UTC

President Donald Trump said at campaign rallies in Nebraska and Texas that Iran could "take out" Los Angeles and San Diego, calling it "a very small price to pay" amid high gasoline prices. California Governor Gavin Newsom called the remarks "deranged and dangerous" and urged the 25th Amendment; Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass and San Diego Mayor Todd Gloria also condemned them. The White House said Trump was warning that U.S. cities would be threatened by a nuclear Iran, while Trump later denied inviting an attack.

26 reports · 6 sources · Updated Oct 8, 08:57 PM UTC

Paramount Global reached a settlement with a coalition of U.S. state attorneys general, resolving antitrust lawsuits that had blocked its proposed $81 billion acquisition of Warner Bros. Discovery. The settlement, which includes commitments of at least $1.5 billion for domestic film production and no required sale of cable channels, removes a key legal obstacle. A judge has scheduled a hearing to review the terms, and the Block the Merger Coalition has filed a motion to reject the settlement.

29 reports · 5 sources · Updated Sep 25, 10:31 PM UTC

The California Supreme Court ruled that Riverside County Sheriff Chad Bianco illegally seized approximately 650,000 ballots during a voter fraud investigation. The court ordered the immediate return of the ballots, which were cast in California's 2025 special election on congressional redistricting. The ruling found the seizure violated election law and exceeded the sheriff's authority.

9 reports · 2 sources · Updated Sep 24, 11:48 PM UTC

California Governor Gavin Newsom has declared a statewide state of emergency to bolster preparedness for a potentially historic El Niño weather pattern. Forecasters warn the developing El Niño has become the strongest on record weeks before its expected peak, with potential for heavy rain, flooding, and coastal erosion. The declaration enables resource mobilization, pre-staging of crews, and federal reimbursement setup. Officials are considering controlled flooding in Central Valley areas as a mitigation strategy.

9 reports · 2 sources · Updated Sep 23, 10:57 AM UTC

On September 18, 2026, California Governor Gavin Newsom signed an executive order to accelerate independent oversight of AI companies and advance the creation of an AI "kill switch." The order convenes experts to recommend stronger safety laws, requires frontier AI companies to host independent auditors, and expands the definition of critical safety incidents. Critics argue the order could become a de facto national standard via the "California effect," potentially stifling innovation. Newsom previously vetoed similar legislation in 2024.

11 reports · 6 sources · Updated Sep 22, 07:00 PM UTC

Paramount Skydance reached a settlement with California and 11 other US states on September 21, 2026, resolving an antitrust lawsuit that sought to block its $110 billion acquisition of Warner Bros. Discovery. The agreement includes commitments to invest at least $1.5 billion in domestic film production over five years, release 30-32 films annually with penalties for shortfalls, establish independent editorial boards for CNN and CBS News, and maintain separate cable negotiations. The deal removes a major legal obstacle, allowing the merger to proceed.

38 reports · 13 sources · Updated Sep 22, 04:33 PM UTC

Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang said in a CBS News interview that he would view paying an estimated $8 billion in additional taxes over five years as a privilege if California voters approve a proposed one-time 5% billionaire tax on residents with net worth of at least $1 billion. Huang, whose net worth is estimated at over $180 billion, said he is not afraid of paying taxes but is afraid of being poor. The measure, set for a vote in fall 2026, would raise an estimated $108 billion for public healthcare, education, and food assistance.

11 reports · 5 sources · Updated Sep 22, 04:00 PM UTC

A class-action lawsuit filed in California federal court on September 18, 2026, accuses Anthropic, OpenAI, SpaceXAI, and Google of violating the Sherman Act by allegedly colluding to slow AI development. Four paid subscribers of ChatGPT, Claude, Grok, and Gemini claim the companies coordinated public statements to restrain progress, reducing subscription value. The suit cites a September 12 essay by Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei urging industry-wide coordination, publicly supported by other executives, and a July 2026 industry statement. Plaintiffs seek an injunction and treble damages.

18 reports · 12 sources · Updated Sep 22, 03:21 AM UTC