June 2026
Gerrymanders, judges and an alley-oop: A look at the midterm fight for control of Congress
With the redistricting battle just about over, Republicans come out ahead but are still at serious risk of losing the House. Democrats face an uphill fight to win the Senate, but their odds have improved.
Sensing political opportunity, Newsom touts investigation he says is Trump’s doing
As he eyes a run for president in 2028, Gov. Gavin Newsom of California is taking advantage of a federal investigation into him and his wife to boost his national profile.
People are betting on elections in prediction markets. Congress is watching
As prediction markets stir debate over betting on politics, the Los Angeles mayoral race raised a new question: What happens when people wager on elections?
22-year-old reinvents weather balloons so they can return home, saving money, reducing waste
Yohan Hadji, nicknamed ‘Gliderboy,’ has invented a lightweight foam glider that can bring sensors from weather balloons back from the stratosphere.
El Niño turns crumbling California pier into climate battleground over what to save — and who pays
Rep. Sam Liccardo wants to rebuild the Pacifica pier with help from the federal government. But does investing in this kind of infrastructure make sense?
Trump goes after Newsom’s wife? Unsurprising, but also a new level of authoritarianism
The Department of Justice investigating Jennifer Siebel Newsom has all the appearances of the Trump administration seeking to stop a political rival who has a real shot at knocking MAGA out of the top office.
Extreme weather makes US tomatoes more expensive this summer
A freeze in Florida and weather issues in Mexico drove prices higher earlier this year.
Newsom says DOJ conducting baseless investigation of him and his wife at Trump’s direction
Newsom said that in recent days, “federal agents have knocked on the doors of family friends and former employees,” and have been “demanding records” in a quest to find any kind of wrongdoing by him or his wife.
Slow vote counting creates the window for MAGA conspiracy, which is why California should fix it
Despite all the attention toward California’s slow vote count, the legislature doesn’t seem eager to fund faster counting.
What Colombia’s crackdown on illegal cattle ranching means for deforestation and beef exports
Colombia has enacted a law aimed at preventing cattle linked to deforestation from entering beef supply chains by connecting livestock traceability, land ownership and forest monitoring systems