Journalism

California voters are deciding Proposition 40, which would impose a one-time 5% tax on the net worth of residents exceeding $1 billion, with revenue aimed at offsetting federal healthcare funding cuts. Backers, led by SEIU United Healthcare Workers West and Sen. Bernie Sanders, call it a fair-share measure to address wealth inequality. Opponents, including Gov. Gavin Newsom, Planned Parenthood, and tech billionaires like Sergey Brin and Larry Page, warn it could drive wealthy residents out of state. The "no" campaign has vastly outspent supporters, and recent polling shows the race tightening. Two companion measures on the same ballot could nullify the tax even if it passes.

A Los Angeles-area state Senate race between labor-backed West Hollywood City Councilmember John Erickson and business-supported media consultant Brian Goldsmith has become California's most expensive state Senate general election contest this cycle, driven by heavy outside spending. The district, covering Malibu, Santa Monica, the Pacific Palisades, Beverly Hills and West Hollywood, carries a 12-year term limit as both seek to succeed termed-out Sen. Ben Allen.

Business groups have targeted Erickson with attack spending, while tech-linked donors and Goldsmith's own personal funds have boosted his campaign; labor groups opposing Goldsmith have spent far less. Nancy Pelosi recently endorsed Goldsmith. Ads focus on affordability, housing, public safety and partisan loyalty, reflecting a broader business-labor struggle over California Democratic Party direction.

A little-known outlet called the Buckeye Bulletin, which presents itself as an Ohio local news source, has been running Facebook and Instagram ads promoting Republican gubernatorial candidate Vivek Ramaswamy, including a controversial ad featuring opponent Amy Acton's estranged mother. The site has no bylines, staff list, or funding disclosure, but its social accounts are managed by the Lincoln Media Foundation, tied to the Orange County-based Lincoln Club, a major California conservative donor group.

Researchers say the tactic mirrors "pink-slime" sites the foundation ran in 2024 targeting swing states. The outlet mixes political attacks on Acton with local-news-style filler to appear legitimate, raising concerns about undisclosed partisan influence ahead of Ohio's closely watched governor's race.

A Minneapolis teacher, Quentin Williams, has filed a federal tort claim against the U.S. government after immigration agents detained him outside Roosevelt High School on Jan. 7, hours after an ICE agent fatally shot Renee Good elsewhere. Surveillance video shows Williams tackled by an agent, who put a knee to his back, before he was handcuffed and taken to the Whipple Federal Building. He was held for roughly four hours and released without charges; agents reportedly confiscated his belongings, including a necklace containing his mother's ashes.

Weeks later, Attorney General Pam Bondi and other government accounts publicized Williams' mugshot, labeling him a "violent, anti-ICE anarchist." Attorneys from the MacArthur Justice Center filed the claim Tuesday, a precursor to a possible civil lawsuit, arguing the government exploited Williams' image and identity before abandoning the narrative. They are seeking accountability and a correction of the record. The Departments of Justice and Homeland Security have not responded to requests for comment. The incident adds to scrutiny of ICE conduct during enforcement operations involving former Border Patrol Commander Greg Bovino.

Florida's state-run public pension fund and the National Center for Public Policy Research, a conservative think tank, have sued the New York Times in a Manhattan state court, seeking to inspect corporate records to determine whether the paper's board is allowing biased anti-Israel editorial coverage. Both petitioners are Times shareholders and argue New York law entitles them to review the records, which the Times refused to provide.

The petition cites factual errors in Times reporting and claims from an unnamed former newsroom employee who says complaints about alleged anti-Israel bias dating to 2019 were dismissed by management. Florida officials, including Governor Ron DeSantis and Attorney General James Uthmeier, both SBA trustees, back the action. The Times called the suit meritless and an attempt to pressure and chill independent journalism. The case adds to broader disputes over media independence, including Trump's recent ban of CNN, MS NOW and Politico from the White House, which those outlets are separately challenging in court.

Florida's pension fund and a conservative think tank sue the New York Times, seeking records on alleged anti-Israel editorial bias.

CNN, MS NOW (formerly MSNBC) and Politico filed a joint lawsuit against the Trump administration after their reporters' White House press credentials were disabled over the weekend, calling the move an illegal "viewpoint discrimination" violating the First Amendment. Trump had announced he was barring the outlets over coverage he called "fake news," and reporters from all three organizations were turned away and had their badges deactivated on Saturday.

CNN was also removed from its rotating pool duties covering the president, and the broader TV pool said no replacement would cover presidential events in its place. The White House countered that access is "a privilege, not a right," while Vice President JD Vance called the outlets' coverage "far-left propaganda" and said the ban did not restrict their ability to report. Trump defended the move on Truth Social as targeting "fake news" rather than a free press he claims to "cherish." The case, assigned to U.S. District Judge Timothy Kelly, follows similar litigation by the Associated Press over prior access restrictions. Idaho Rep. Mike Simpson is so far the only Republican lawmaker to publicly criticize the ban, though Mediaite reports others privately call it problematic.

CNN, MS NOW and Politico filed a lawsuit in federal court in Washington seeking to restore White House access after their reporters were denied entry and had press credentials revoked following Trump's announcement banning the outlets over what he called "fake news" coverage. The suit, naming Trump, aide Steven Cheung, Chief of Staff Susie Wiles and Secret Service Director Sean Curran, argues the ban violates First Amendment press freedoms and 14th Amendment due-process rights, calling it unconstitutional "viewpoint discrimination." It cites the 1977 Sherrill v. Knight precedent barring arbitrary denial of press passes based on coverage content, as well as the earlier Jim Acosta case.

Trump denied targeting a free press, calling it instead an "assault on the FAKE News." The White House Correspondents' Association backed the outlets, warning the standard could be applied to any news organization. Separately, ABC, CBS, NBC and Fox News said they would no longer supply camera crews for White House pool coverage after CNN was removed from pool duties, leaving no television crews traveling with Trump to the UN General Assembly.