Opinion

WASHINGTON —  The Supreme Court on Monday issued a code of conduct for itself for the first time, but it acknowledged the rules are “not new” and simply restate the principles it says its justices have long followed.The announcement said the justices hoped the code would “dispel this misunderstanding” that they “regard themselves as unrestricted by any ethics rules.”But this modest effort is unlikely to end the controversy created by Justice Clarence Thomas and his free luxury vacations, paid for by Texas real estate billionaire Harlan Crow.That’s because there is still no enforcement mechanism behind the court’s code of conduct, and each of the justices remains free to decide for themselves whether particular gifts or travels cross a line and are prohibited. All federal judges already fol...

House Speaker Mike Johnson, the obscure former backbencher vaulted out of the far-right field to Congress’ highest-ranking job just over two weeks ago, told Sean Hannity that the many Americans wondering about his worldview should simply “pick up a Bible” and read it.It’s funny, though — my copy doesn’t say anything about funding the U.S. government (or foreign policy, climate change, LGBTQ+ rights, gun policies and much more, for that matter). And MAGA Mike, as he’s affectionately dubbed on the right, must also be having a hard time locating the pertinent passage. He adjourned the House on Thursday for a long weekend, still without a funding plan that would avert the government’s shutdown Friday at midnight. Opinion Columnist Jackie Calmes Jackie Calmes brings a ...

WASHINGTON —  As he battles criminal prosecutors and civil suits in four jurisdictions, former President Trump is relying on three tactics: denounce, disrupt and delay.In the short run, that may be good politics; Trump’s self-portrayal as a martyr appears to have cemented his hold on the Republican presidential nomination.But as a legal strategy, it’s been a bust.Trump has denounced prosecutors as thugs, judges as unfair and his indictments as illegitimate, which hasn’t solved any of his problems in court.In New York last week, the former president was intent on disrupting the state’s civil suit against him on allegations of financial fraud. “This is a very unfair trial,” he lectured Judge Arthur Engoron. “We have a very hostile judge.”Engoron largely ignored the jabs. “You can attack me...

SAN FRANCISCO —  Crouching at the entrance of San Francisco City Hall, Jason Jacobs brushed gold paint onto the ornate doorway of the Beaux-Arts building.“Whether I paint the gates or not, they’re gonna get their breath taken away,” said Jacobs, a San Francisco native who often marvels at the stunning architecture.Fresh paint. Street cleanings. Homeless sweeps. Colorful art. Workers like Jacobs beautified the city, days before politicians, executives and journalists from around the world descend on San Francisco for the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation conference. From Saturday to Nov. 17, the international event is expected to bring more than 20,000 people to the city and attract thousands of protesters.APEC is made up of 21 member economies, including the U.S., China, Japan, Russia and ...

Amber Hollibaugh, a vocal advocate for LGBTQ+ rights over the last five decades, died last month at the age of 77.A former sex worker and self-described Marxist feminist, Hollibaugh was active in a number of LGBTQ+ organizations, including the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force, the Gay Men’s Health Project and the group Queers for Economic Justice, which she co-founded.“Amber really pushed our movement to go beyond where it was,” said Roberta Sklar, a fellow activist who worked alongside Hollibaugh for more than 30 years. “She could see a need where other people didn’t see it.”Hollibaugh was born June 20, 1946, to a poor working-class family in Bakersfield. She had a difficult childhood, and was the victim of incestuous abuse. After graduating high school, she moved out of her parents’ h...

After years of secrecy, the B-21 Raider emerged from its Palmdale hangar Friday morning and took its first flight, soaring through the sky and giving plane enthusiasts, contractor employees and the public its first glimpse of the futuristic-looking bomber in air.The B-21 bomber, which is being built by Northrop Grumman Corp., took off from the secretive Air Force Plant 42 in Palmdale before heading north toward Edwards Air Force Base, said Matt Hartman, a photographer who was out in Palmdale in hopes of taking photos of the plane after he’d heard rumors that a flight might be imminent.About 80 people crowded near the Palmdale Regional Airport to try to see the first flight with their own eyes. Once the bomber flew by, “you could hear a pin drop,” Hartman said.The U.S. Air Force confirmed t...

Six months after picket lines first formed outside iconic studio gates, Hollywood can finally return to work.Wednesday’s hard-fought tentative agreement on a new contract between SAG-AFTRA and studios sparked jubilation, with performers flocking to local watering holes, including a brewery near the guild’s Wilshire Boulevard headquarters. Sound stages mothballed since last spring are poised to reopen, welcoming back thousands of actors and film crew members. There was palpable relief among studio executives who were desperate to salvage the current television season, awards shows, film festival appearances and their 2024 movie releases. Union leaders hailed the proposed three-year accord, saying it would make acting a more sustainable career. But the industry isn’t expecting to quickly bou...

Over the last 16 years, I’ve managed a major military base, run a government contracting business, appeared in two motion pictures and made motivational speeches before hundreds of audiences all over the country, most notably to the New York Giants when they beat the New England Patriots in the 2008 Super Bowl. Do these sound like the accomplishments of a disabled person? In 2007 I lost both my legs above the knee in an IED explosion in Iraq. My first job was to recover. But my next task after being wounded was figuring out how to stay in the Army. I am a 26-year Army veteran. During that time, I served in every major conflict in which the United States was involved, including Operations Desert Shield/Desert Storm in Kuwait, Operation Joint Forge in Bosnia-Herzegovina; Operation Enduring F...

The current baseball free-agent market is stocked with quality starting pitchers. Yet it’s a starter who can’t pitch until 2025 that could sign the largest contract in baseball history. Shohei Ohtani, 29, spent the six seasons leading into free agency with the Angels, establishing himself as perhaps the best hitter in the major leagues and one of the best pitchers. So even though recovery from surgery to repair a torn UCL in his right elbow will restrict him to designated hitter duties in 2024, Ohtani is projected to come away with a contract worth in excess of $500 million over 10 to 12 years. No other free agent this offseason will come anywhere close to that number, although the next-most lucrative contract could also be a player from Japan: right-handed starter Yoshinobu Yamamoto. Star...

Nov. 7, 2023 2 AM PT ABOARD THE OCEAN WARRIOR ON THE SOUTH ATLANTIC —  On the high seas roughly a thousand miles north of the Falkland Islands, an 18-year-old Chinese deckhand working on a Chinese squid ship nervously ducked into a dark hallway to whisper his plea for help.“Our passports were taken,” he said to the reporters who had just come aboard. “They won’t give them back.”Fearing he would be overheard, he typed out a message on his cellphone: “Can you take us to the embassy in Argentina?”Few workplaces are as brutal as distant-water fishing ships from China, and there are a lot of them: The nation today operates the world’s largest fleet, which is more than double the size of its next competitor. It’s rarely easy for crew members to leave these ships, and often it’s forbidden. Work...