Syndicated Columnists

When George W. Bush ran for president in 2000, he faced a widespread public perception that he was callow and inexperienced, even though he was 54 years old and the

Rough&Tumble is an aggregator scouring California newspapers, websites and other media to produce a daily digest of political news and analysis that reveals, at a glance, which political issues are

Four high-profile races in today’s election will provide insight into how well the voting public has warmed to Trump 47’s agenda. The first three — Virginia and New Jersey gubernatorial

In the broadest sense, political campaigns resemble military operations with mission goals, strategic plans to achieve them, logistical support and tactical maneuvers to weaken opposing forces. However, as Prussian Field

On Tuesday it looks like the people of New York are going to elect a socialist. Unless there’s a last-minute miracle, the polls say Zohran Mamdani will defeat former Gov.

Well, sports fans, how about this scenario — long-time frenemies Gavin Newsom and Kamala Harris facing off for the Democratic Party’s presidential nomination three years hence? The two Californians’ parallel

The Justice Department is evaluating a criminal referral accusing former CIA Director John Brennan of lying to Congress. In the referral, Republican members of the House allege that Brennan lied

No wonder the dying legacy news media is increasingly distrusted and despised by the American people. They spent much of last week tearing their hair out over “King” Trump’s White

George Floyd, a Black man who had been detained by Minneapolis police after a store clerk alleged he had used a counterfeit $20 bill, died as Officer Derek Chauvin knelt

Democratic politicians throughout California — those already in office and those who want in — assume voters will rearrange the state’s 52 congressional districts Nov. 4 and create new career

District of Columbia Superior Court Judge Kendra Briggs was quite understanding with the 15-year-old who had pepper-sprayed a man while a friend pummeled him, and while others in her group

Will the ceasefire deal Donald Trump brokered in Gaza last? Will the end of the fighting between Israel and Hamas finally bring peace to a bloody and tragic corner of

This week saw the debut of a new alliance in the ongoing resistance to President Donald Trump. New York Attorney General Letitia James, already a hero on the left for

The two great debates of my lifetime have been the following: “Is it gravy or sauce” and “Can a pro-lifer support the death penalty.” The first conundrum is more controversial

CHARLESTON, S.C.  On an artificial island 4 miles from downtown stands an unlikely reminder of the cost of national disunion, a granite monument to discord, both a reminder of the

Last week I, along with millions of other Californians, received a one-page ballot for the Nov. 4 special election. My initial reaction as I opened the envelope was anger, perhaps

It was fun watching Kaitlin Collins of CNN the other day as she marveled at Donald Trump’s boundless energy and accessibility. Collins recently said Trump – unlike his sleepy and

One of the main themes of the second Trump administration has been the explosive collision between the president’s determination to enforce federal immigration law and many Democratic leaders’ determination not

Thankfully, last week’s explosion and fire at California’s second largest refinery, Chevron’s El Segundo plant, was not an environmental catastrophe. But it could have serious economic and political impact. It

I grew up calling myself “Italian.” I never used “Italian-American,” partly because it’s fairly obvious I am American and also because I didn’t want any grief from the tedious people