Sara Libby

The second (and more troubling) trend is that Obergefell v. Hodges, the now decade-old Supreme Court decision recognizing a right to same-sex marriage, is squarely in the judiciary’s crosshairs. Several nominees were asked whether cases like Brown v. Board of Education, which held school segregation unconstitutional, and Loving v. Virginia, which struck down bans on interracial marriage, were correctly decided, and all agreed that they were. But when asked if the same was true of Obergefell, they all demurred. Tung said only that “the Supreme Court granted such a right.” Mercer described it as “binding precedent,” but said it wasn’t his job to “grade the Supreme Court.” The implication of their careful treatment of Obergefell was clear to anyone listening: These nominees, like those during Trump’s first term who described Roe and Casey as “the law of the land” and “precedent on precedent,” are foaming at the mouth to undermine and eventually overturn Obergefell and relegate same-sex couples to second class status.

A pretty ominous trend to watch: Trump's second-term judicial nominees are providing the same cryptic answers about Obergefell v. Hodges that Trump's first-term judicial nominees provided when asked about Roe v. Wade ballsandstrikes.org/nominations/...

"NOBODY SAID THANK YOU" (These are Trump quotes from the latest pool report)

Literally bringing receipts.

Joan Baez shares new exclusive poetry in @sfchronicle.com www.sfchronicle.com/opinion/open...

“We’ll Smash the Fucking Window Out and Drag Him Out” We’ve documented nearly 50 incidents of immigration officers shattering car windows to make arrests — a tactic experts say was rarely used before Trump took office. ICE claims its officers use a “mini...

The White House says ICE officers are "heroically getting these violent illegal aliens off of American streets with the utmost professionalism."

This is what that professionalism looks like in America today.

Via @nicolefoy.bsky.social & @mckenziefunk.com:

Kamala Harris won’t run for California governor in 2026 The 2026 race will be shaped by California’s relationship with Trump’s administration, which under Newsom has been rocky.

Kamala Harris will NOT run for California governor in 2026. www.sfchronicle.com/politics/art...

Commentary: A new iteration of Taco María opens, in an unlikely place Carlos Salgado shocked his fans by closing Taco María. As his good friend, I have the exclusive on what’s next. Hint: It's not in California.

If you, like me, have been patiently awaiting the return of Taco Maria, it turns out you'll have to go to ... Wisconsin to experience it. www.latimes.com/california/s...

San Francisco Chronicle SUMMER SALE! 3 Months for 25¢ Sign in OPINION // OPEN FORUM Cancel the 2028 L.A. Olympics Hosting an Olympic Games requires working with a lawless U.S. regime — and its rights-violating security apparatus — as they openly wage war against California. By Joe Mathews, Syndicated columnist The image shows a packed Coliseum from the 1984 games, alive with color and motion from track and field stars running by

MARKETPLACE Search For & Place Classifieds VC Star. News Sports [ Opinion ] Entertainment Education Advertise Obituaries Newspaper Legals Mathews: L.A.'s Olympic show must not go on Joe Mathews Zócalo Public Square July 24, 2025, 9:00 a.m. PT This show must not go on. It's time, right now, for Los Angeles to halt all preparations to host the 2028 Summer Olympics - and find a different world city to take them over. Not because we don't love the Olympics. We are a proud Olympic city, shaped by the 1932 and 1984 Games. In normal times, our incomparable international connections, entertainment assets, and sports facilities would make us the perfect host for what LA 28 chair Casey Wasserman calls "the largest peacetime gathering in the history of the world." But it's no longer peacetime in Los Angeles.

bakersfield.com Opinion Home / Opinion NEXT UP Commentary: What California still doesn't understand about m... > JOE MATHEWS: LA's Olympic show must not go on By JOE MATHEWS Jul 26, 2025 Listen to this article now Powered by Trinity Audio 00:00 1.0x 05:06 f X 心 This show must not go on. It's time, right now, for greater Los Angeles to halt all preparations to host the 2028 Summer Olympics. Let's turn over these Games to a world city better positioned to host them.

This compelling column by Zocalo's Joe Mathews was syndicated to many major California papers: the San Francisco Chronicle, the Ventura County Star, and even Bakersfield.com: www.sfchronicle.com/opinion/open...

Where I can't find it: in a newspaper published in the host city of Los Angeles

He relied on Planned Parenthood for primary care. Now Trump cuts leave him doctorless Planned Parenthood doctors often provide primary care for people with severe disabilities. Recent clinic closures are leaving those patients stranded.

Planned Parenthood doctors are some of the only providers who will take on primary care roles for disabled patients on Medi-Cal. The abrupt closure of 5 CA clinics last week leaves those people doctorless. www.sfchronicle.com/politics/art...

Planned Parenthood closes 5 Northern California clinics, citing Trump budget bill Thursday’s announcement drives home the extent of the federal government’s tremendous power to impact abortion access.

BREAKING: The largest Planned Parenthood affiliate in the country abruptly closed 5 Northern California clinics, citing Trump's spending bill. www.sfchronicle.com/politics/art...

California Democrats are climbing on board with Newsom’s redistricting push After a couple of weeks of public silence among Democratic leaders following Newsom’s trial balloon, California Democrats are jumping on board with the idea.

After a couple of weeks of public silence among Democratic leaders following Newsom’s trial balloon, California Democrats are jumping on board with the idea.

Gavin Newsom’s hot troll summer In the courts, over the airwaves and on the internet, California’s governor has gone full troll.

Love this look at Gavin Newsom's summer of trolling. www.sfchronicle.com/politics/art...

Trump's top federal prosecutor in L.A. struggles to secure indictments in protest cases U.S. Atty. Bill Essayli has aggressively pushed for indictments in the high-profile prosecutions of people arrested during demonstrations against federal immigration actions in Southern California, le...

"On the overheard call, according to the three officials, Essayli, 39, told a subordinate to disregard the federal government’s “Justice Manual,” which directs prosecutors to bring only cases they can win at trial." www.latimes.com/california/s...

OMG bsky.app/profile/cong...

Hegseth Signal messages came from email classified ‘SECRET,’ watchdog told The revelation contradicts the Trump administration’s long-standing claims that no classified information was shared by the defense secretary’s account during the “Signalgate” scandal.

SCOOP: Hegseth's texts about bombing Yemen derived from a classified email labeled "SECRET/NOFORN," per info provided to the DOD Inspector General for a forthcoming report, flying in the face of Trump administration claims that no classified info was shared www.washingtonpost.com/national-sec...

California lawmakers are quietly working to roll back criminal justice reforms California lawmakers are attempting to claw back reforms their colleagues approved in pursuit of making racial profiling less common, police agencies more transparent and juries more representative.

California lawmakers from both parties are quietly working to roll back some of the major police and criminal justice reforms from the past decade. www.sfchronicle.com/california/a...

DHS Faces New Pressure Over DNA Taken From Immigrant Children The US government has added the DNA of approximately 133,000 migrant children and teens to a criminal database, which critics say could mean police treat them like suspects “indefinitely.”

NEW: @wyden.senate.gov is pressing DHS and DOJ to answer questions about the collection of children's DNA, which is being added to a criminal database. @dell.bsky.social has the scoop: www.wired.com/story/dhs-an...

ICE Lawyers Are Hiding Their Names in Immigration Court ICE attorneys fighting to deport immigrants are able to obscure their identities — no masks required.

In @theintercept.com, Debbie Nathan reports on ICE lawyers refusing to give their names in court - and immigration judges going along with it.

theintercept.com/2025/07/15/i...

California police are killing fewer people. The opposite is happening in red states California has been reducing violent encounters between residents and officers since before the racial justice protests sparked by George Floyd’s murder. It’s a trend with little fanfare.

California police are killing fewer people, and fewer California officers are being killed. The opposite is happening in red states. www.sfchronicle.com/california/a...

The White House praised In-N-Out for switching to beef tallow. It hasn’t The White House touted the purported change as an example of his Make America Healthy Again movement.

The White House sent out a MAHA announcement based on an In-N-Out April Fool's Day joke. www.sfchronicle.com/food/restaur...

Federal Court Rules Against Racial Profiling in "Roving" Immigration Enforcement Raids Racial profiling is a longstanding problem, exacerbated by Trump Administration deportation policies.

In this post, I analyze recent federal court ruling against racial profiling in "roving" immigration enforcement, and link it to broader problem of racial profiling in law enforcement. If you want color-blind government, you can't make an exception here: reason.com/volokh/2025/...

Two-thirds of the DOJ unit defending Trump policies in court have quit The U.S. Justice Department unit charged with defending against legal challenges to signature Trump administration policies - such as restricting birthright citizenship and slashing funding to Harvard University - has lost nearly two-thirds of its staff, according to a list seen by Reuters.

Wow. In just ~6 months, two-thirds of the DOJ unit defending Trump policies in court have quit
www.reuters.com/legal/litiga...

Federal immigration agents blockade Camarillo farm, clash with demonstrators Agents descended on a farm outside Camarillo, where they were met by a host of protesters.

We are aware that immigration authorities are in the area targeting farm workers in the Camarillo CA area. We are on the ground doing what we can to help and will update you shortly.

www.vcstar.com/story/news/l...

Afghan translator for US military arrested by ICE in San Diego courthouse A video showing ICE agents arresting a 33-year-old Afghan man inside San Diego's federal courthouse has gone viral.

Betrayal of allies.

A 33-year-old Afghan man who legally entered the US last year and worked as a translator for the US military was arrested by ICE agents inside a San Diego federal courthouse.
www.cbs8.com/article/news...

With a Jar of Blood as Evidence, Detained Man Tells Immigration Judge 'I am Dying Little by Little' Judge denies bond for Guatemalan man worried about colon cancer as his condition appears to have grown worse in recent court hearings.

Holy shit. A Guatemalan man with colon cancer arrested by ICE in January pulled out a jar of his own blood during his immigration hearing to detail to the judge the lack of care he's receiving. beyondthebordernews.substack.com/p/with-a-jar...

👀WH pool report: John and Jim Harbaugh, coaches for the Baltimore Ravens and Los Angeles Chargers, respectively, were also spotted exiting the West Wing a few minutes ago.

In the next district over (CA's Eastern District) Border Patrol is under an ongoing injunction (secured by the ACLU) preventing them from engaging in this very behavior. In other words, they are not allowed to do in Sacramento what they're doing in LA right now. bsky.app/profile/davi...

Trump’s DOJ blames egg prices on California in new lawsuit The Trump administration sued California over egg prices, claiming the state’s law protecting hens and pigs from being kept in small cages has driven costs skyward and violates U.S. farming laws.

From the team that brought you "Egg prices are Biden's fault" ... www.sfchronicle.com/politics/art...

The IRS says churches can now endorse candidates. In California, some already do In recent years, California has seen numerous conservative Christian pastors push the boundaries of the law.

The IRS says churches can now endorse candidates. Many conservative Christian pastors have been creeping up to -- or crossing -- the line for years. www.sfchronicle.com/politics/joe...

D.C. Reporter D.C. Reporter The San Francisco Chronicle has an opening for a driven and intellectually curious journalist to cover the 15-member Bay Area Congressional delegation in Washington, D.C. The reporter wi...

🚨We're hiring a D.C.-based correspondent to join the politics team @sfchronicle.com eevd.fa.us6.oraclecloud.com/hcmUI/Candid...