Donald Trump

Two individuals stand on an airport tarmac, engaged in an intense discussion. One person, wearing a dark button-up shirt, gestures emphatically while speaking. The other individual, dressed in a blazer and a cap with gold lettering, looks on attentively. A large aircraft and a clear blue sky serve as the backdrop, with microphones visible in the foreground.

Politics

Seeking LA fire aid, Gavin Newsom is set to meet Donald Trump in D.C.

The White House confirmed that President Trump, who has repeatedly threatened to impose an array of conditions for federal wildfire assistance, will meet with California's governor.

By Alexei Koseff • February 4, 2025

Health

LA clinics lose funding for transgender health care as Trump executive orders take hold

A Los Angeles community health clinic is considering a lawsuit against the Trump administration over a rescinded grant that was meant to support services for transgender patients.

By Kristen Hwang • February 4, 2025

A cubicle panel with posters hung on to it including one with the words "Dreamers Welcome!" and hand-drawn images of three people of different ethnicities plus four monarch butterflies.

College Beat

Demand for immigration legal services spikes at California colleges

California’s estimated 100,000 undocumented college students are grappling with President Trump's plans of mass deportations. Dream centers on many campuses are stepping in to provide guidance and meet the skyrocketing demand for legal services from students.

By Delilah Brumer and Mercy Sosa • February 3, 2025

A person in a dark blue suit with a purple tie stands at a podium with a mic while addressing reporters. The person is wearing an American flag pin on their lapel. In the background, a self of books can be seen along with an American flag.

Politics

This would be ‘devastating’: California sues to stop Trump’s chaos-inducing funding freeze

Following a Monday executive order from President Donald Trump that seeks to freeze all federal aid, California officials attempt to make sense of the chaos.

By Ben Christopher • January 28, 2025

A firefighter in protective gear switches off a fire hydrant, spraying water next to a burned-down structure. In the background is the Pacific Ocean, with the last rays of sunset crossing the horizon with the blue sky.

Commentary

Trump doesn’t understand California’s complex water network. But that’s not the point

President Trump's wild verbal justifications for his fire-related executive order, calling for a complete overhaul of Delta water delivery to California farms, provides the illusion that problems are being solved when, in fact, they are festering.

By Robert Greene • January 28, 2025

A law enforcement officer uses a metal chain to detain a person in handcuffs. The person is facing away from the camera while standing near a truck and other law enforcement officers.

Justice

Trump wants to break California’s sanctuary state law: 5 things to know

One of President Trump's first executive orders threatened to withhold federal funding from so-called sanctuary jurisdictions. California is one of them.

By Ana B. Ibarra • January 28, 2025

Commentary

Why California’s fire response could make or break the careers of several politicians

Several political figures in California could face a make or break moment in their careers depending on how they respond to the Los Angeles County fires and the threats from the federal government to condition aid.

By Dan Walters • January 28, 2025

A collage-style illustration in teal and green tones that includes several cut-out images including: two judges hold a gavel, gray columns, justice scales and the seal of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit.

Justice

Trump shifted the 9th Circuit to the right. What that means for abortion and reproductive care

President "Trump had a particularly significant impact on the 9th Circuit" in his first term, moving the reliably liberal appeals court to the right. That could influence abortion policy in the West.

By Kristen Hwang • January 27, 2025

Three individuals distribute supplies from the back of a pickup truck on a sunny day. One person, standing in the truck bed, hands a case of bottled water to another person carrying multiple cases. A third person in the foreground carries a large white bag. The background includes a street, utility poles, and residential buildings.

Politics

Why Trump’s conditions on LA fire aid put California Republicans in a tough spot

All the talk about attaching conditions to California’s federal disaster aid have placed the state’s Republican members of Congress in a quandary: Do they fight for speedy, unconditional relief dollars for wildfire victims in their home state? Or do they fall in line behind President Trump?

By Yue Stella Yu • January 27, 2025

The sea port of the city of Morro Bay on July 18, 2023. Morro Bay would have increase the size of its sea port when the state lease planned offshore wind farm is constructed. Photo by Larry Valenzuela, CalMatters/CatchLight Local

Environment

Trump’s order won’t halt California’s offshore wind leases. But will it derail the industry?

The president’s order has no immediate effect on offshore wind leases already authorized, including two large areas off California’s coast. But it sends a current of uncertainty through the fledgling renewable energy industry, which relies on federal and state support.

By Julie Cart • January 24, 2025