Donald Trump's battle with Republicans is intensifying after he refuses to endorse Arizona Sen. John McCain, a Vietnam POW, and House Speaker Paul Ryan in their upcoming elections.
Matthew Artz reporting with Mercury News writes: "Donald Trump's ongoing war of words with the parents of a fallen U.S. soldier is threatening to not only damage his electoral prospects but also those of Republicans across the country, including some in California."
"Putting congressional Republicans in a no-win situation, President Barack Obama on Tuesday called on them to repudiate their nominee, no doubt well aware that his blunt appeal would make it even more difficult for them to do just that without angering their base."
"Trump didn't make it any easier for Republicans to stick by him on Tuesday when he announced that he would not endorse Arizona Sen. John McCain or House Speaker Paul Ryan in their upcoming primary elections. McCain, a former Vietnam prisoner of war who Trump once said wasn't a hero because he was captured, joined several veterans groups this week in criticizing Trump for sparring with Khizr and Ghazala Khan, the parents of an Army captain who sacrificed his life to save his troops in Iraq."
READ MORE related to Beltway: Gold Star mom to Trump: 'How would he feel if he lost his child?' -- Hamed Aleaziz with SF Chronicle; Former Trump campaign manager revives Obama birther questions -- Elizabeth Koh with Sac Bee
In 2011, Gavin Newsom toured California and talked about his planned endeavour to get back jobs for the state's citizens. In one view, his plans have been put into effect and have produced desirable results.
David Siders with Sac Bee writes: "Back when he first became California’s lieutenant governor, in 2011, Gavin Newsom held out hope that he might turn his largely ceremonial post into something more consequential."
"So Newsom, taking office at a time of economic unrest, spent his first six months in office focusing on economic development. He traveled the state, met with hundreds of people and published a jobs plan."
"You could be forgiven for not noticing."
California's recently signed bill that restricts unvaccinated children from attending public school is producing the realization that many families affected by the quarantining-policy can not afford alternative sources of education for their kids.
Lisa Renner with Capitol Weekly reports: "At least three lawsuits have been filed seeking to overturn California’s new law that prevents children from attending public or private school or day care without getting mandatory vaccinations."
"The law, SB 277, went into effect July 1, a day after Gov. Brown signed it. It removes the personal beliefs exemption, which previously allowed parents to skip vaccinations for their children because of religious or personal objections. Now, the only way to avoid vaccinations is to get a medical exemption from a doctor or to home school children."
"Passions are high now as its get closer to the first day of school and the reality sinks in that unvaccinated children will be denied admittance to class. Advocates on both sides of the vaccination issue reported being harassed and persecuted for their views."
Speaking of health care issues, here's a tale about dying.
From Soumya Karlamangla in the LAT: When doctors told Robert Stone last year that he had terminal cancer, he didn’t feel scared of dying."
"Stone, a handsome man with glasses and a salt-and-pepper goatee, said he’d come to accept death as a natural part of life. What he did fear was having too little energy or too much pain to enjoy his remaining days."
"So last month Stone, 69, became one of the first people in California to obtain lethal medications under a new state law that allows doctors to write prescriptions for terminally ill patients to kill themselves."
Commercial space travel just took a giant step forward after a Silicon Valley based startup gets the government-OK to man a trip to the moon.
Marissa Kendell with Mercury News reports: "MOUNTAIN VIEW -- In what could be a giant leap for commercial space travel, a Silicon Valley startup on Wednesday became the first private company to win government approval for a mission to the moon."
"Moon Express, which operates out of Cape Canaveral, Florida, and the NASA Ames Research Center in Mountain View, got the OK to proceed with plans to send a small robotic lander to explore the moon's surface in the fall of 2017. It's an important step, experts say, as lunar exploration has previously fallen to NASA and other government programs. While the commercial space industry is booming, with entrepreneurs like SpaceX's Elon Musk leading the charge, private companies have been stuck within the confines of Earth's orbit."
"Nobody has ever left Earth," said Moon Express co-founder and chairman Naveen Jain. "Everything that people have done so far as a private company is to go to the Space Station at most, which is still in the lower orbit."
Davis chanceller Linda Katehi has used the UC school system's funding to foot the bill for lavish travel expenses, documents show.
Diana Lambert reporting for Sac Bee: "During her tenure as UC Davis chancellor, Linda P.B. Katehi has flown first class, hired tour guides, taken limousines and made numerous expensive travel changes that were billed to the University of California, according to documents obtained by The Sacramento Bee."
"Katehi made 26 international trips between December 2010 and February 2016, the period covered by records released this week in response to a request by The Bee. She flew to Chile, Dubai, France, Austria, Switzerland, China, Mexico, Brazil, Cyprus, Germany, Italy and Greece to attend conferences and woo donors, according to university records. She also made dozens of trips out of state."
"Katehi’s international trips alone cost the university more than $174,000, according to records. Because Katehi was often accompanied by her husband and other university staff members, who filed separate expense reports, the cost was actually much higher."
In the Los Angeles area, as raves move to the suburbs, deaths from drug overdoses are on the rise.
From the LAT's Rong-Gong Lin II and Richard Winton: "The heart of Los Angeles was once home to some of Southern California’s most memorable rave concerts."
"But the geographic center of the scene is rapidly moving east as the popularity of the concerts increases and concerns about drug abuse by ravegoers has sparked a backlash in Los Angeles County."
"All of the region’s biggest electronic dance music festivals are now held deep in the suburbs and exurbs of Southern California, centered in San Bernardino County. There, the rave scene has been largely welcomed by government officials and local businesses hoping for an economic boost from the large crowds."