In the News

As the Russian invasion of Ukraine approaches the six-month mark, pressure is mounting on the Biden administration to designate Russia a state sponsor of terrorism. The move enjoys bipartisan backing in Congress and is seen by supporters as a proportionate response to mounting evidence of Russian war crimes in Ukraine. However, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken has expressed his reluctance to confirm the designation, while Moscow has warned that any such step would represent a diplomatic "point of no return" in relations between Russia and the United States.

California Democratic Rep. Ted Lieu told Raw Story on Friday that "extreme MAGA Republicans are batsh*t crazy."

Lieu, who was sworn in to the California legislature in the fall of 2005 and elected to Congress in 2014, was asked to reflect on how much things had changed during his political career.

"A huge amount has changed," he told Raw Story.

FIRST IN NATSEC DAILY –– Five House members will imminently introduce legislation to officially designate Russia as a state sponsor of terrorism, putting them and Congress on a collision course with the secretary of State, who argues only he can slap that label on a country.

Did Supreme Court Justices lie in their confirmation hearings before Congress, and are they subject to impeachment or other redress for doing so? Although none of the Justices Donald Trump nominated would explicitly answer the question of whether they'd overturn Roe v. Wade, and none explicitly promised not to do so, their confirmation hearings were characterized by a lot of assurances that Roe was ‘settled precedent.'

In a jointly signed letter, Democratic representatives Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and Ted Lieu have formally asked the Senate to decide whether Supreme Court justices Neil Gorsuch and Brett Kavanaugh lied under oath during their confirmation hearings in 2017 and 2018, respectively.

The letter begins, "We are writing because the legitimacy of the Supreme Court of the United States is at stake."

SANTA MONICA, CA — Santa Monica is about to receive a hefty injection of funds following Gov. Gavin Newsom's signing of a historic $308 billion state budget. The city has secured $16 million for three local projects.

The money will fund new city crosswalks, medians, landscaping, lighting access to safe temporary housing and more through projects led by Assemblymember Richard Bloom.

America's partners around the world must have a serious case of whiplash. The past 20 years have seen U.S. foreign policy ricochet from unilateralism to "leading from behind," from the isolationism of America First to an attempt to restore our diplomacy and global partnerships all at once. Foreign policy priorities always shift when the White House changes hands, but these swings are now more pronounced and jeopardize the credibility of U.S. commitments abroad.

July 6, 2022 -- The City of Santa Monica will receive $16.3 million in State funding for three projects, with another $1.5 million from the Federal Government likely to follow.

The State funding -- part of the $308 billion budget signed by Governor Gavin Newsom last week -- includes $10 million to help modernize the City yards and $4.8 million to improve a stretch of Lincoln Boulevard.

Another $1.5 million is earmarked to help fund the Santa Monica Behavioral Health Center project that will initially focus on the homeless.