As Palantir Cashes In on Trump 2.0, Peter Thiel Is Bankrolling Republicans Again
Mother Jones, DAN FRIEDMAN/DAVID CORN: "In 2023, Peter Thiel, the billionaire tech titan and investor, issued a proclamation: He would not make political donations in 2024 to any candidate, including Donald Trump, whom he had backed in 2016.
Now, after sitting out the 2024 election cycle, Thiel is back in the game. He has quietly donated more than $850,000 this year to finance Republican incumbents attempting to retain their party’s control of the House in next year’s midterm elections."
Edison offers to pay Eaton fire victims for damages, in move to avoid litigation
LAT, MELODY PETERSEN: "Seeking to avoid lengthy litigation, Southern California Edison said Wednesday it will offer to compensate Eaton fire victims directly for damages suffered, even though it has yet to formally concede that its equipment ignited the blaze on Jan. 7.
Edison said it planned to launch a Wildfire Recovery Compensation Program this fall that would be open to those who lost homes, businesses or rental properties in the fire that killed 19 people and destroyed more than 9,400 homes and other structures in Altadena. It would also cover those who were harmed by smoke, suffered physical injuries or had family members who died."
California seeks buyer to save Bay Area refinery as gas prices soar
The Chronicle, AIDIN VAZIRI: "In a rare move to safeguard California’s fuel supply, state officials are actively seeking a buyer for Valero Energy’s Benicia refinery, according to a report Wednesday from Reuters citing sources familiar with the matter.
Valero, the nation’s second-largest refiner by capacity, plans to shut down the 145,000-barrel-per-day facility by April 2026. The closure reflects declining fuel demand in the state and growing regulatory pressure on fossil fuel producers."
Did Gavin Newsom call for ‘eliminating sanctuary policy’ in California?
Sacramento Bee, NICOLE NIXON: "A Republican candidate for governor this week claimed Gov. Gavin Newsom as a “potential new ally” in his fight against California’s sanctuary state law.
In a video posted on Instagram, Riverside County Sheriff Chad Bianco said the controversial law “does absolutely nothing to protect Californians” and said he was “encouraged and excited about a potential new ally in this fight to keep California safer” before cutting to a video of Newsom speaking with podcaster Shawn Ryan last week."
‘The rule was going down’: Inside the House GOP’s Epstein meltdown
Politico, MEREDITH LEE HILL/HAILEY FUCHS: "Inside his cavernous office on Monday afternoon, Speaker Mike Johnson was facing a growing crisis. The House GOP conference, which included some of the Louisiana Republican’s key allies, was in full rebellion over the spiraling Jeffrey Epstein situation.
Rules Committee Chair Virginia Foxx of Virginia and panel member Erin Houchin of Indiana informed House leaders that Republicans on the panel would not advance any rule for the week — the prerequisite for the chamber to fully function — without a better solution to the Epstein problem, according to two people with direct knowledge of the conversation."
READ MORE -- Did That Weird Birthday Letter to Jeffrey Epstein Sound Like the Work of Donald Trump? -- Mother Jones, JUDD LEGUM
Trump is undermining his own ‘action plan’ for AI, experts say
LAT, MICHAEL WILNER: "President Trump revealed an “action plan” for artificial intelligence on Wednesday ostensibly designed to bolster the United States in its race against China for AI superiority.
But experts in the field warn the administration is sidestepping safety precautions that sustain public trust, and is ignoring the impacts of research funding cuts and visa restrictions for scientists that could hold America back."
Trump’s directive to erase ‘partisan ideology’ hits this California national monument
The Chronicle, GREGORY THOMAS: "An exhibit at Muir Woods National Monument highlighting the historic work of women’s groups and indigenous tribes to preserve the park area has been removed at the order of the Trump administration, according to news reports.
A May order from Interior Secretary Doug Burgum directed national park units to evaluate their signs, statues and other features for traces of “partisan ideology” and “take action” so that they “do not contain descriptions, depictions, or other content that inappropriately disparage Americans past or living (including persons living in colonial times), and instead focus on the greatness of the achievements and progress of the American people.”"
The nuanced politics of Bonta’s daily fantasy opinion
Capitol Weekly, BRIAN JOSEPH: "News that Attorney General Rob Bonta had ruled in early July that daily fantasy is illegal in California sparked a flurry of one–day stories about the opinion and reactions to it, most notably Gov. Gavin Newsom’s blunt disagreement with the AG.
The dynamics of the situation, however, are far more complex and nuanced than those basic narratives."
Employees Kept in the Dark as EPA Dismantles Scientific Research Office
Mother Jones, MOLLY TAFT: "Employees of the crucial scientific research arm of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) have been left with more questions than answers as the agency moves to officially wind down the office following months of back-and-forth.
On Friday evening, the EPA issued a press release announcing a reduction in force at the Office of Research and Development, citing the move as part of a larger effort to save a purported $749 million. On Monday, some employees at ORD, the largest office in the agency, began receiving emails saying that they’d been assigned new positions within the EPA."
To the California privacy agency, remember your mission (OP-ED)
Capitol Weekly, ROBERT M. HERTZBERG: "The California Privacy Protection Agency was created with Californians’ security top of mind. Its central mission: protect consumers’ personal data privacy, clear and direct. But the agency is at a pivotal moment that could dampen its legacy.
As someone who worked tirelessly to help craft and strengthen the California Consumer Privacy Act, I have long stood on the front lines of data privacy and argued for ensuring Californians are protected from invasive data practices. This was the impetus for the CPPA and why it was burdened with such a bold charge at its inception."
They worked with the U.S. in Afghanistan. Now Trump could return them to the Taliban
CALMatters, ALEXEI KOSEFF: "Marwa made it out of Afghanistan with only one of her children.
As Taliban forces retook control of the country in August 2021, Marwa and other Afghans working for the United States government headed to the Kabul airport to help facilitate a chaotic withdrawal. Following instructions from her supervisor at the U.S. Embassy, who told Marwa that her family would be sent for later, she brought nothing but her infant son who was still breastfeeding."
COVID pandemic isolation and stress aged our brains by nearly 6 months, study finds
The Chronicke, AIDIN VAZIRI: "The COVID-19 pandemic left an indelible mark on society — and now, new research suggests it may have also prematurely aged our brains by an average of 5.5 months, even among those who never caught the virus.
In a study published in Nature Communications on Tuesday, researchers from the University of Nottingham in Britain analyzed brain scans from nearly 1,000 adults taken both before and after the pandemic began."
Planned Parenthood of California loses $300 million in federal funding under court order
CALMatters, KRISTEN HWANG: "California Planned Parenthood, the largest abortion provider in the state, lost all federal funding this week under a preliminary court order that allows the money to be withheld while a larger legal dispute plays out.
Planned Parenthood Federation of America sued the Trump Administration on behalf of its members earlier in July over provisions of the congressional reconciliation bill — also known as the “One Big Beautiful Bill Act” — that prohibited Medicaid reimbursements for large nonprofit health clinics that provide abortions. The lawsuit argues that the law defunds Planned Parenthood’s services in violation of multiple constitutional amendments."
Kaiser Permanente to pause gender-affirming surgeries for patients under age 19
The Chronicle, CATHERINE HO: "Kaiser Permanente will pause gender-affirming surgeries for patients under age 19, the provider said Wednesday.
The decision by the nonprofit health giant, slated to go into effect Aug. 29, comes on the heels of other major health care providers in California, including Stanford Medicine and Children’s Hospital Los Angeles, that have similarly scaled back or halted gender-affirming care for adolescents. It applies to Kaiser locations nationwide."
Measles cases just reached 30-year high in the US. How bad is California surge?
Sacramento Bee, HANNAH POUKISH/FERNANDA GALAN: "Measles cases in California and the United States are climbing to levels the country hasn’t seen in years.
So far in 2025, the disease has infected 1,319 people nationwide, leading to 29 outbreaks and 165 hospitalizations, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention."
Cal State is still in the red despite tuition increase and spending cuts
CALMatters, MIKHAIL ZINSHTEYN: "California State University says it’s short $2.3 billion, a staggering budget gap that’s grown sharply since the system first revealed two years ago that it didn’t have the money to properly educate its students.
How the nation’s largest public four-year university system will generate that revenue is anyone’s guess, as annual tuition increases of 6% that kicked in last year and an influx of state taxpayer support have been insufficient to pay for Cal State’s growing labor, energy and education expenses."
Shuttered Oakland school was slated for affordable housing. Then squatters moved in
The Chronicle, MAGGIE ANGST: "About three decades ago, Franklin Wooten attended English classes at the Edward Shands Adult Education center in East Oakland. But nowadays, a dilapidated classroom on the same shuttered school campus is where Wooten sleeps at night.
“Never in a million years did I think I’d be here,” said the 53-year-old, “but it’s all what you make of it.”"
Rare purple sea creature found on SoCal beach. Could warming waters be why?
LAT, CLARA HARTER: "Oceanographer Anya Stajner was recently enjoying a sunset walk along the La Jolla Shores beach when a vibrant violet pop of color caught her eye in the sand.
She got down on her hands and knees and was astonished to realize she had stumbled upon a rare species of sea snail, Janthina janthina."
Will Cal Expo last in current form? New priorities could shape State Fair site
Sacramento Bee, CHRIS BIDERMAN: "Former Gov. Ronald Reagan stood in front of California Exposition on the first day of July 1968 and delivered a speech previewing the future home of the State Fair just before its opening.
“Since the first California State Fair was organized in 1854, Californians have teamed together to create the nation’s richest, most populous and most productive state,” Reagan regaled. “They’ve done so much so well, that a revolutionary new concept in state expositions and fairs, a concept like this California Exposition, was a natural development."
LA businesses open new front in battle with unions, target receipts tax
Politico, EMILY SCHULTHEIS: "Leading Los Angeles business figures are launching an initiative to repeal the city’s gross receipts tax, ratcheting up a rolling conflict with the city’s labor unions that was ignited by a minimum-wage increase.
The proposed ballot measure from a group of local business leaders would do away with the tax Los Angeles businesses pay on their overall revenues, with the exception of a tax on cannabis businesses approved by voters in 2017. Paperwork for an initiative was filed Wednesday morning with the Los Angeles city clerk, according to one of the measure’s proponents."
‘It’s insulting’: LA Times owner stuns staff with plans to go public
Politico, WILL McCARTHY: "Staffers at the Los Angeles Times say they have become accustomed to hearing announcements about the paper from outside media, rather than from their billionaire owner himself.
So when Patrick Soon-Shiong announced on “The Daily Show” with Jon Stewart this week that he was taking the West Coast’s paper of record public, news quickly reverberated across the company."
Blaize just made a $120M Asia AI deal. Could Sacramento become a chipmaking hub?
Sacramento Beee, TINA LEE: "El Dorado Hills-based Blaize Holdings announced a $120 million artificial intelligence infrastructure deal with a Hong Kong firm last week, sending the semiconductor startup’s shares up 59% to close at $4.81 on Friday.
Blaize develops chips and a software platform for AI computing. Its contract with Starshine Computing Power Technology is set to run through 2026 and will support “smart city” applications in Asia spanning urban surveillance, retail automation and agriculture technology, according to a July 17 news release."
Evidence in Her Brutal 1979 Rape Pointed to the Golden State Killer. The Police Didn’t Want to Hear About It.
Mother Jones, SAMANTHA MICHAELS: "In 2019, Susan Bowlus got a text from a friend that caught her off guard. “I’ve been watching the coverage on the Golden State Killer,” her friend wrote, referring to the California serial killer who’d been arrested in 2018.
The killer’s name was Joseph DeAngelo, a cop-turned-criminal who’d broken into homes to rape and kill people during the 1970s and 1980s. He was finally caught in Sacramento County, thanks to DNA evidence and a genealogy website. Soon, he’d be prosecuted. “It’s so creepy and I feel weird asking you about this,” the friend continued, but “I remember you telling me about an assault you had.”"
Trump’s top federal prosecutor in L.A. struggles to secure indictments in protest cases
LAT, JAMES QUEALLY/BRITTNY MEJIA: "To bystanders at the federal courthouse in downtown Los Angeles, it sounded as though U.S. Atty. Bill Essayli would not take no for an answer.
A prosecutor had the irate Trump administration appointee on speakerphone outside the grand jury room, and his screaming was audible, according to three law enforcement officials aware of the encounter who spoke on condition of anonymity for fear of reprisals."
We may not have flying cars, but more food delivery bots are coming to L.A.
LAT, PIPER HEATH/CAROLINE PETROW-COHEN: "The robot invasion is coming to your neighborhood.
Coco Robotics, a startup born on the UCLA campus, is about to carpet-bomb the city with hundreds of additional adorable delivery bots recently enhanced with some of the same AI that powers ChatGPT."
