Kevin Rector

Kevin Rector

@kevrector.bsky.social

State and national politics reporter @latimes.com.

2K followers118 following323 posts

Kevin Rector
@kevrector.bsky.social

The court denied the Trump admin's request for lack of jurisdiction, as the district court hasn't weighed in yet. (Hearing there is tomorrow.) But two of the three judges - and particularly Judge Bennett, a Trump appointee - made clear they would have rejected the case on the merits too.

Kevin Rector@kevrector.bsky.social

BREAKING: 9th Circuit denies feds’ appeal over 20,000 ballots; district court hearing to proceed www.latimes.com/politics/sto...

latimes.com9th Circuit denies feds' appeal over 20,000 ballots; district court hearing to proceedThe decision clears the way for the lower court to proceed with hearing the case. A hearing is scheduled Tuesday afternoon before Judge David O. Carter in Los Angeles.
Kevin Rector
@kevrector.bsky.social

‘This is not normal’: Feds demand California counties set aside ‘likely’ noncitizen ballots (w/ @brittnymejia.bsky.social): www.latimes.com/california/s...

latimes.com'This is not normal': Feds demand California counties set aside ‘likely’ noncitizen ballotsThe Justice Department sent letters to more than a dozen county elections offices statewide Friday demanding they segregate ballots from voters the Trump administration believes are not U.S. citizens.
Kevin Rector
@kevrector.bsky.social

UPDATE: Trump admin is appealing its request for an emergency TRO requiring California to segregate ballots of 20K “likely noncitizens” straight to the 9th Circuit after Judge Carter’s “silence” on its “exigent” request he rule today — which it said was “constructive denial”

Kevin Rector@kevrector.bsky.social

Judge limits election-related immigration stops amid broader legal war ahead of midterms www.latimes.com/politics/sto...

latimes.comJudge limits election-related immigration stops amid broader legal war ahead of midtermsAn unprecedented election war is playing out between the Trump administration and California in federal court, with a slate of cases proceeding at breakneck speed ahead of the Nov. 3 election.
Kevin Rector
@kevrector.bsky.social

NEW: California residents accused by feds of voter fraud react with shock, confusion and anger (@brittnymejia.bsky.social and me): www.latimes.com/california/s...

latimes.comCalifornia residents accused by feds of voter fraud react with shock, confusion and angerSeveral green card holders arrested in a Trump administration crackdown on alleged California voter fraud appeared in court Monday, with some saying they had no recollection of ever registering to cas...
Kevin Rector
@kevrector.bsky.social

Breaking: Feds charge 28 alleged noncitizen voters across California amid broader election fight with state (w/ @brittnymejia.bsky.social): www.latimes.com/california/s...

latimes.comFeds arrest alleged noncitizen voters in California amid broader election fight with stateFederal authorities have charged 28 people from across California with illegally registering to vote or casting ballots in federal elections despite not being U.S. citizens — escalating an election ba...
Kevin Rector
@kevrector.bsky.social

BREAKING: DOJ sues Calif., alleging it's facilitating voter fraud; asks court to block counting of ballots from 20K "likely noncitizens" it ID'd CA officials say claims rely on questionable data, threaten eligible voters & are inappropriate amid election www.latimes.com/politics/sto...

latimes.comJustice Dept. sues California, asks court to force state to stop counting 20,000 ballotsThe Trump administration asked a federal court to bar California from counting ballots from about 20,000 voters it suspects aren't U.S. citizens. State officials blasted the lawsuit.
Kevin Rector
@kevrector.bsky.social

Gas prices, AI data centers and Trump’s long shadow: Top takeaways from the governor’s race debate (via our @latimes.com team): www.latimes.com/california/s...

latimes.comGas prices, AI data centers and Trump’s long shadow: Top takeaways from the governor’s race debateThe two candidates to become California’s next governor painted vastly different portraits of the state they want to lead during a televised CNN debate Wednesday night — though they both agreed the st...
Kevin Rector
@kevrector.bsky.social

The SF race for Pelosi’s seat has sharply divided the state’s Democratic establishment as a rare intraparty showdown between a deft legislator who has driven liberal California policy for years and a rising progressive with the powerful imprimatur of the icon they seek to replace.

Kevin Rector
@kevrector.bsky.social

California Atty. Gen. Bonta’s deal to allow Paramount-Warner Bros. merger was struck amid political pressure from state leaders and concern from other Dem attys general that studio concessions fell short, per multiple sources (w/ @megjames.bsky.social & TarynLuna): www.latimes.com/politics/sto...

latimes.comCalifornia deal on Paramount-Warner Bros. merger spurs frustration, questions about political pressureAtty. Gen. Rob Bonta’s agreement clearing the $111-billion merger followed intense pressure from state leaders including Gov. Gavin Newsom and dissent among fellow Democratic state attorneys general.
Kevin Rector
@kevrector.bsky.social

L.A. County election officials have received multiple federal subpoenas in recent months, @latimes.com confirms - seemingly part of a broader Homeland Security effort to identify noncitizen voters, a problem Trump says is widespread and experts say is rare. www.latimes.com/politics/sto...

latimes.comDespite court wins, California election war with Trump rages onL.A. County says it has received federal grand jury subpoenas demanding voter registration information on dozens of individuals the Trump administration suspects may not be U.S. citizens.
Kevin Rector
@kevrector.bsky.social

Bonta et al are already on file w/ a short opposition to the Trump admin's emergency appeal to SCOTUS on new USPS mail ballot rules, arguing DOJ's request makes 0 sense given the TRO it challenges is about to be moot and USPS said yesterday that its portal isn't even ready yet.

Kevin Rector
@kevrector.bsky.social

They'll respond fully by Tues, KBJ's deadline, but clearly wanted to note their ire - saying Trump admin has made "no effort to explain how they could possibly be entitled to emergency relief to effectuate a Rule that they currently lack the technological capacity to administer."

Kevin Rector
@kevrector.bsky.social

The top federal prosecutor in L.A. accused CA's attorney general of working to “shield fraudsters and illegals" who vote. The AG said the prosecutor was “more interested in currying favor with a desperate wannabe dictator than upholding the law himself.” www.latimes.com/politics/sto...

latimes.comTwo of California's top law enforcement leaders trade barbs over state election integrityBill Essayli, the top federal prosecutor in Los Angeles, and California Atty. Gen. Rob Bonta have engaged in a public and personal online spat this week.
Kevin Rector
@kevrector.bsky.social

Dolly showed that an all-American icon, beloved as much in rural dive bars as big city queer clubs, could transcend the bogus narrative that LGBTQ+ lives are a political issue rather than a part of our collective humanity — and that all of us can too. www.latimes.com/entertainmen...

latimes.comAppreciation: Dolly Parton was special to the LGBTQ+ community. She showed us our country loves usDolly Parton loved LGBTQ+ people, and we loved her — in part because she showed us that our country still loves us too.
Kevin Rector
@kevrector.bsky.social

ICYMI: Democrats & civic orgs are quietly preparing for a slew of scenarios in which the Trump admin attempts to “deceive” voters before the midterms, “disrupt” the vote or “deny” the results. @justinemcdaniel.bsky.social and I dove in for @latimes.com Sunday front: www.latimes.com/politics/sto...

latimes.comWill Trump interfere in the midterms? Democrats and their allies are preparingAcross California and the nation, Democratic leaders and voting rights advocates are ramping up coordination and gaming out responses to a raft of potential actions by the Trump administration to subv...
Kevin Rector
@kevrector.bsky.social

Sauer told SCOTUS that if it doesn't quickly lift the lower court’s “erroneous” rulings blocking Trump's USPS mail ballot plan, they “will effectively run out the clock on the government’s ability to implement” the changes for the November election. www.latimes.com/politics/sto...

latimes.comTrump again asks Supreme Court to save USPS mail ballot plan after second lower court lossThe Trump administration again asked the U.S. Supreme Court to intervene to save President Trump’s plan for the U.S. Postal Service to place new nationwide limits on mail voting.