How Newsom and Trump Have Made California the Unlikely Center of 2025 Politics

Thanks to Newsom, Trump and redistricting, the deep-blue state is in the thick of national politics.

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Senator Alex Padilla Will Not Run for California Governor in 2026

Mr. Padilla, a Democrat, held an impromptu news conference to announce he would not run for California’s top office.

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5 Things We’re Watching on Election Day in California

Proposition 50 is the only statewide question on the ballot, but there are numerous dynamics at play.

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The Interview: Senator Alex Padilla Says His Viral Moment Was a Sign of Things to Come

The California politician on his “wake-up call” at an earlier moment of political upheaval, and the one he’s experiencing today.

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ICE Imposes New Rules on Congressional Visits

The policy specifies that ICE field offices are not subject to an existing law that allows members of Congress to make unannounced oversight visits to immigration facilities that “detain or otherwise house aliens.”

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Elected Officials Who Have Been Detained in Protests

The arrest of Brad Lander was the latest case in which an official has been held while protesting President Trump’s immigration agenda.

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Senate Democrats Want Noem to Testify After Padilla Is Pushed and Handcuffed

Democrats asked the homeland security secretary to testify about Senator Alex Padilla’s removal from a news conference and Trump’s immigration enforcement.

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Dimming America’s Beacons to the World

Readers respond to articles about setbacks to the Fulbright program and Voice of America. Also: Senator Alex Padilla, handcuffed.

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Alex Padilla’s Unlikely Moment in the Spotlight

The senator is known on Capitol Hill for being kind and nerdy. His forcible removal from a news conference resonated as a call to action among Democrats.

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Democratic senators denounce the rough treatment of one of their own.

Senator Alex Padilla, Democrat of California, was forcibly removed from an event with Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem, forced to the floor and handcuffed.

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