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Metro
2 hours ago
- Entertainment
- Metro
Erik Menendez hospitalised with 'serious' condition before hearing for release
Erik Menendez has reportedly been diagnosed with a 'serious' health condition and hospitalised just weeks before a parole hearing he and his brother have long awaited. The 54-year-old – who along with his brother Lyle, 57, has spent decades in prison for murdering their parents in 1989 – is so ill that his lawyer is urging California's governor to release him right away. 'It's a serious condition,' Mark Geragos told TMZ. 'I just think he should be parole furloughed, I think is the proper term, and he could be medically furloughed in advance of the hearing so that he can work with the parole attorney and get up to speed and be ready and do it and give it his best shot. Wake up to find news on your TV shows in your inbox every morning with Metro's TV Newsletter. Sign up to our newsletter and then select your show in the link we'll send you so we can get TV news tailored to you. 'I think that it's the only fair and equitable thing to do.' In an update on Tuesday afternoon, TMZ reported that Erik is being treated for kidney stones. Geragos said his client's condition is so serious that Governor Gavin Newsom should release him before the parole hearing scheduled for August 21 and 22. Though Erik is receiving medical treatment in prison, he presumably would benefit from seeing a specialist outside the confines of the Richard J Donovan Correctional Facility in San Diego. The siblings were sentenced to life in prison without parole for shooting dead their parents, José and Kitty Menendez, inside their Beverly Hills home. Erik and Lyle, then 18 and 21 years old, claimed that their father, who was RCA Records' chief operating officer, sexually abused them and that their former pageant queen mum turned a blind eye to that. The brothers have argued that their dad threatened to kill them if they told anyone, and that they acted in self-defence. But prosecutors said the brothers murdered their parents out of greed and pointed to their lavish spending after the killings. On May 13, the brothers were resentenced to 50 years to life in prison, which made them eligible for parole. The final decision on if the Menendez brothers are suitable for parole lies with Newsom. On Sunday, the Democratic governor spoke about the case with Ryan Murphy, who created the Netflix series Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story. More Trending The governor said he has not watched the Netflix show in order to avoid it influencing his decision on whether the brothers should be freed. 'I'm going to see if I made the right decision,' Newsom said with a laugh. 'Like, 'Jesus, I should've watched this before.'' Newsom could also seek to grant the brothers clemency, but has said he will hold off until their last parole board hearing to make that decision. Get in touch with our news team by emailing us at webnews@ For more stories like this, check our news page. MORE: Child, 4, bitten by mountain lion while hiking with family at popular national park MORE: Donald Trump pulls US out of UNESCO again over support for 'woke' causes MORE: Netflix fans 'completely hooked' on crime thriller storming into the top 10
Politico
11 hours ago
- Business
- Politico
The labor feuds that can undercut Dem governors looking at 2028
Ally Sullivan, a spokesperson for Polis, said in a statement that the governor is 'proud of the work his administration has done' to expand wages and benefits through collective bargaining for state employees. Democratic-led states like New York have previously feuded with public-sector unions on return-to-office orders as the pandemic eased. Some strategists believe that governors could stand to gain politically by setting boundaries with public-sector unions. 'I actually think — despite what the unions might have you think — what [governors] are doing is going to be seen as acts of principle and political bravery that are going to significantly accrue to their benefit in the Democratic presidential primary should any of them run,' said Jon Cowan, a former Clinton administration aide who is now president of Third Way, a center-left think tank. Walz's battle with unions comes despite his history as a longtime ally of organized labor, a movement that's been baked into the state's Democratic politics for generations. In recent years, he helped expand paid sick leave for workers and made noncompete agreements unenforceable in Minnesota. The Minnesota Association of Professional Employees is hoping to finalize a new contract with the Walz administration. The union sent a tentative agreement back to its members for ratification last month after successfully pushing back against previous proposals from Walz's budget agency that would've eliminated paid parental leave and raised employees' health care costs. MAPE also rebuffed a provision that would've created new categories for 'emergency layoffs,' allowing the state to idle workers without following the process laid out in their contract. 'Our state has a strong labor history and labor identity,' Dayton, the union president, said. 'So when [the] governor treats public workers like a cost center instead of a partner in governance, I think it's a betrayal of the very political tradition that has built our state.' In California, Newsom's administration worked with unions to secure agreements on retirement contributions and unpaid leave to help the state save money in the short-term. However, despite their outcry, the governor still sent thousands of employees back to the office on July 1. Ted Toppin, the executive director of Professional Engineers in California Government, said that the state's $12 billion deficit is making it more difficult for unions to deliver worker-friendly deals for their members. 'In California, we've got to be frank, we have an employer who is constantly dealing with multibillion-dollar budget deficits, so the answer is always no,' said Toppin, whose union of roughly 14,000 engineers and architects sued over the return-to-office policy and won a rare exemption. 'So it's a tough environment.' Newsom has argued that the return-to-office mandate would foster better collaboration and accountability across his administration.
Newsweek
a day ago
- Business
- Newsweek
Kamala Harris Ranks 6th in 2028 Betting Odds as 3 Rivals Take Early Lead
Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content. Polymarket kicked off its betting odds for the 2028 Democratic presidential primary last week, and former Vice President Kamala Harris is trailing five other Democratic candidates as of Monday. Newsweek reached out to Harris' team for comment via her press contact form. Why It Matters In just a matter of days, more than $600,000 has been bet on Democratic candidates' chances of winning in the 2028 primary. Although the election is still years away, candidates are making moves like traveling to early-voting South Carolina to build support among primary voters or fundraising for potential campaigns. The Democratic Party could be holding the most open primary in years, particularly depending on whether Harris decides to run for president again or seek the governorship in her home state of California, as no other candidate has a clear, consistent lead in polling. What to Know Polymarket betting odds give California Governor Gavin Newsom the best chance of becoming the party's nominee at 21 percent. Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, a favorite among progressives, follows at 17 percent. Former Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg, whose decision not to run for statewide office in Michigan fueled speculation he will run for the White House, has a 13 percent chance of winning the nomination, according to Polymarket. Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro has a 6 percent chance, while Maryland Governor Wes Moore and Harris both have a 5 percent chance. As of early Monday afternoon, it cost slightly more to bet on Moore than on Harris. Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer, Georgia Senator Jon Ossoff and Kentucky Governor Andy Beshear each had a 4 percent chance of becoming the party's nominee in the early betting odds. Although Harris trails Polymarket odds, she still has a polling lead over other candidates in most surveys. However, she has not confirmed she plans to run and is also speculated to be considering a gubernatorial run—it's unclear whether or not her odds would increase if she chooses against that run. A decision is expected to come toward the end of the summer. The latest McLaughlin poll showed Harris with a lead. Twenty-five percent of respondents said they planned to support her, compared to nine percent for Newsom and Ocasio-Cortez and eight percent for Buttigieg. However, that still marked her lowest vote share in a McLaughlin poll. In June, for instance, the pollster found that 30 percent of respondents would support her. The McLaughlin poll surveyed 1,000 general election voters from July 9 to July 14, 2025. On the other hand, a new AtlasIntel poll found that 27 percent of Democrats leaned toward Buttigieg, 19 percent toward Ocasio-Cortez, 16 percent toward Newsom and 15 percent toward Harris. Former Vice President Kamala Harris speaks at the White House in Washington, D.C. on July 22, 2024. Former Vice President Kamala Harris speaks at the White House in Washington, D.C. on July 22, poll surveyed 1,935 respondents from July 13 to July 18, 2025, and had a margin of error of plus or minus 2 percentage points. Polymarket also found that Democrats have a 55 percent chance of winning the presidency in 2028 and that Vice President JD Vance has an early lead in the Republican primary. Polymarket correctly predicted Trump as the victor in last November's presidential race. What People Are Saying Kamala Harris, speaking about her plans earlier this year while visiting Los Angeles sites impacted by wildfires: "My plans are to be in touch with my community, to be in touch with the leaders and figure out what I can do to support them...I am here and would be here regardless of the office I hold, because it is the right thing to do, which is to show up in your community and thank the folks who are on the ground." Democratic influencer Harry Sisson wrote to X: "Polymarket just launched their 2028 election and nominee markets and Gavin Newsom is ahead. He would be a terrific nominee and an amazing president. MAGA wouldn't have a chance after Trump's disastrous presidency." What Happens Next The first votes of the primary will not be cast until early 2028, and most candidates are unlikely to announce whether they are running until after the 2026 midterm elections.
Politico
a day ago
- Politics
- Politico
Democratic governors face off with unions at home
With help from Nick Niedzwiadek QUICK FIX WHAT HAPPENS IN THE HOUSE…: Democratic governors who may be eyeing 2028 presidential runs have been at odds with public sector-unions in their states over a variety of issues, including return-to-office policies and the impact of the Trump administration's immigration crackdown. In Colorado, state workers sought to join a lawsuit after Gov. Jared Polis allegedly instructed employees to provide Immigration and Customs Enforcement with information on undocumented immigrants. Unions have also sparred with California Gov. Gavin Newsom over his order calling state workers back to the office for at least four days a week, with three of them securing eleventh-hour temporary exemptions. And Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz's office has been engaged in a tense bargaining process with state employees over health care benefits and paid parental leave. President Donald Trump's appeal among working-class voters was already upending the historical alliance between Democrats and unions. Now, a tough budget season has put some of the party's aspiring talent deep into negotiations that are creating new fissures in a Democratic coalition that hasn't yet coalesced around a message for 2026, let alone 2028. Newsom and Polis are seen as contenders for 2028. Walz, who was his party's vice presidential nominee last year, has waffled on whether he'll do a top-of-the-ticket run. 'Democrats are going to have a hard time getting elected if unions are not ... supporting them actively and vocally,' said Brian Melendez, former chair of the Minnesota Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party. Unions, which often play difficult with Democrats before backing them anyway, are warning that workers are increasingly cynical of both parties. Some high-profile unions stopped short of endorsing presidential candidates last election cycle. 'If Democrats want to be the party of working people, they can't just show up at Labor Day parades,' said Megan Dayton, president of the Minnesota Association of Professional Employees. 'They have to be at the table. They have to bargain in good faith.' Walz's office and Newsom's office did not respond to requests for comment. Ally Sullivan, deputy press secretary for Polis, said in a statement that the governor is 'proud of the work his administration has done' to expand wages and benefits for state employees. Lawrence has more for Pro subscribers. GOOD MORNING. It's Monday, July 21. Welcome back to Morning Shift, your go-to tipsheet on labor and employment-related immigration. Send feedback, tips and exclusives to nniedzwiadek@ lukenye@ rdugyala@ and gmott@ What if I told you AI talent is making more than some NBA players? Follow us on X at @NickNiedz and @Lawrence_Ukenye. And Signal @nickniedz.94. Want to receive this newsletter every weekday? Subscribe to POLITICO Pro. You'll also receive daily policy news and other intelligence you need to act on the day's biggest stories. AROUND THE AGENCIES G-G-G-G-UNIT: Trump last week signed an executive order creating another class of federal employees who are exempt from civil service protections and are expected to leave their positions at the end of a president's term. The new Schedule G will only apply to 'non-career' workers whose roles entail 'policy-making or policy-advocating work.' It is unclear how many roles or federal employees would fall under this new classification, but the White House specifically references the Department of Veterans Affairs as an agency that will benefit from the change. A number of public policy experts say it appears largely duplicative of the long-established Schedule C, as FedScoop reports. F for simplicity: The creation of a Schedule G further underscores the gangliness of the Trump administration's Schedule Policy/Career designation for career staffers. That category was formerly known as Schedule F when it was conceived in Trump's first term, but was rebranded in a January executive order after becoming a Democratic talking point on the campaign trail. Now there are Schedules A, B,C, D, E, and G with the proposed P/C squeezed in where F logically would sit. In the States RIPPLE EFFECT: New York Gov. Kathy Hochul warned that the cancellation of 'The Late Show with Stephen Colbert' could risk hundreds of local jobs after the state gave CBS $16 million in tax breaks and grants in 2014 to keep the show in the city. 'The loss of 'The Late Show with Stephen Colbert' is more than just the end of a television show,' a Hochul spokesperson told Gothamist. 'It means the loss of hundreds of good-paying production jobs, lost income for dozens of vendors, and a hit to the local businesses that rely on the show's daily audiences.' The deal was inked amid the show's transition from former host David Letterman to Colbert and included $5 million to restore the Ed Sullivan Theater where the show is recorded. Gothamist has more. CAL/OSHA REVIEW: California's workplace safety arm does not have enough staff to keep workers safe at work, a report released last week from the state auditor general found. Nearly a third of jobs at the state's Division of Occupational Safety and Health, also known as Cal/OSHA, were vacant last fiscal year. The report also noted that the agency closed a number of complaints before conducting on-site inspections. A spokesperson for Cal/OSHA told the Los Angeles Times that they have taken steps to improve staffing and operations at specific offices. More state news: "From green icon to housing villain: The fall of California's landmark environmental law,' from our Jeremy B. White. Even more: "Prison staffing woes spiked New York's overtime costs,' from our Nick Reisman for Pro subscribers. Unions BUILDING SUPPORT: 1199SEIU United Healthcare Workers East voted last week to endorse Democratic nominee Zohran Mamdani for mayor. The union, which represents 200,000 health care workers, backed former Gov. Andrew Cuomo during the Democratic primary and is the latest of several unions pivoting toward endorsing Mamdani's upstart bid for mayor. The New York State Nurses Association, the United Federation of Teachers and District Council 37 — which represents municipal workers — have also endorsed Mamdani. Our Maya Kaufman and Emily Ngo have more for Pro subscribers. HEADING FOR THE EXIT: Lloyd Howell Jr. resigned as executive director of the NFL Players Association last week after documents revealed he expensed the union for two trips to strip clubs, ESPN reported. His resignation comes amid a flurry of damaging news reports that claimed he worked part-time for a private equity firm seeking ownership in NFL teams and that he was a defendant in a gender discrimination lawsuit at his former employer Booz Allen. Howell could not be immediately reached for comment by ESPN. Quite the transition: 'ChatGPT-maker OpenAI brings on former Sen. Laphonza Butler,' from our Christine Mui. In the Workplace AI MAX DEALS: Some of the offers that artificial intelligence companies are doling out massive amounts of money to recruit highly-coveted talent to get ahead of competitors. Alexandr Wang, an entrepreneur hired by Meta to lead its new AI lab, has extended offers to AI researchers and investors that mirror NBA offseason contracts. 'He's offered more than 10 of OpenAI's researchers eye-watering pay packages of $300 million over four years, including $100 million the first year, according to people familiar with the matter,' WSJ's Berber Jin, Keach Hagey and Ben Cohen write. More workplace news: ''United' WNBA All-Stars wear 'Pay Us What You Owe Us' shirts,' from ESPN. Even more: 'Maryland had largest single-month decrease in federal government jobs in almost 3 decades, report finds,' from WTOP. Immigration A TOUGH SELL: The Trump administration is working to tap retired immigration officers amid plummeting morale and grueling hours that have made the job a tough sell for recruiters, The New York Times reported. Officials have reached out to former officers directly in addition to posting openings on LinkedIn, while offering large bonuses to individuals who apply within the next two weeks. The hiring push comes just after Congress approved roughly $170 billion in funding for immigration-related enforcement and as the Trump administration announced a goal of hiring 10,000 ICE officers. WHAT WE'RE READING — 'The Cities Where College Grads Are Actually Landing Jobs,' from The Wall Street Journal. — 'Nantucket's Workers Are Living on the Margins,' from The New York Times. — 'How the 2017 Trump tax cuts ballooned the 'big, beautiful bill',' from our Taylor Miller Thomas, Paula Friedrich and Jonathan Lai. THAT'S YOUR SHIFT!
Los Angeles Times
a day ago
- Politics
- Los Angeles Times
Newsom needs to stop kidding around. He's running for president
SACRAMENTO — No outsider politicians venture into sultry South Carolina in July unless they are running for president. Certainly not a West Coast politician. Especially a California governor who lives in delightful Marin County near wonderful cool beaches. A governor who could easily vacation at spectacular Big Sur or hike a wilderness trail into the majestic Sierra. We can assume Gov. Gavin Newsom didn't choose South Carolina for its nightly light show of amazing fireflies or symphony of crickets. He was attracted to something so alluring that he was willing to brave skin-eating chiggers and oppressive humidity. The lure, of course, was that South Carolina will hold one of the earliest — perhaps the first — Democratic presidential primaries in 2028. The precise calendar for contests hasn't been set. But Newsom knows this: South Carolina propelled Joe Biden to the party's nomination in 2020. And it provided a huge boost for Barack Obama in 2008. 'What South Carolinians saw this week as … Newsom made a two-day swing through the state was more than a highly visible candidate who probably will run for president in 2028,' wrote Andy Brack, editor, publisher and columnist at the Statehouse Report and Charleston City Paper. 'They saw a guy sweating through a white shirt in the South Carolina heat who was having fun. Yep, he seemed to enjoy engaging with voters in rural places too often forgotten by many candidates.' Yes, Newsom, 57, loves campaigning on the stump — a whole lot more than he does toiling in the nitty-gritty of governing. I'd only bicker with Brack's word 'probably' when characterizing Newsom's White House bid. We're talking semantics. California's termed-out governor actually has been running for months. And he'll run as far as he can, slowly for a while and try to pick up speed down the road. That's conventional politics. Most candidates — especially office holders — initially claim that running for president is 'the furthest thing' from their mind, then ultimately declare their candidacy with all the hoopla of a carnival barker. OK, I admit to having been wrong about the governor in the past. I should have known better. I took him at his word. He persistently denied any interest in the presidency. 'Subzero,' he asserted. But to be fair, he and reporters previously were centered on the 2024 race and the distant 2028 contest got short shrift. I figured Newsom mostly was running for a slot on the 'A' list of national political leaders. He wanted to be mentioned among the roster of top-tier potential presidents. He clearly savors the national attention. But I've also always wondered whether Newsom might be leery of running for president because of his lifelong struggle with dyslexia. He could view the task with some trepidation. The governor has acknowledged having difficulty reading, especially speeches off teleprompters. That said, he has adapted and is an articulate, passionate off-the-cuff speaker with a mind full of well-organized data. He excels on the stump — especially when he restrains a tendency to be long-winded and repetitive. Newsom is finally starting to acknowledge the White House glimmer in his eye. 'I'm not thinking about running, but it's a path that I could see unfold,' he told the Wall Street Journal last month. More recently, in a lengthy interview with conservative podcaster Shawn Ryan, Newsom said: 'I'll tell you, the more Trump keeps doing what he does, the more compelled I am to think about it.' Newsom's proclaimed hook for traveling to South Carolina was to 'sound the alarm' about President Trump's brutish policies and to light a fire under Democratic voters to help the party win back the U.S. House next year. He's again trying to establish himself as a leader of the anti-Trump resistance after several months of playing nice to the president in a losing effort to keep federal funds flowing to California. But it's practically inevitable that a California governor will be lured into running for president. Governors have egos and ears. They constantly hear allies and advisors telling them they could become the leader of the free world. And, after all, this is the nation's most populous state, with by far the largest bloc of delegates to the Democratic National Convention — 20% of those needed to win the nomination. But there's a flip side to this California benefit. There's a California burden. In much of the country, we're seen as a socialist horror with dreadful liberal policies that should never be emulated nationally. 'People who live in other states just don't like us, whether they're Democrats or Republicans,' says Democratic strategist Darry Sragow. 'A Democrat from California is going to have an uphill fight no matter who they are. That's just a reality. 'The odds [for Newsom] are pretty long, although he has a shot because the field is totally open.' But Democratic strategist Bill Carrick — a South Carolina native — says the California burden 'is exaggerated. That's just the Republican stereotype of California. Who cares? 'If Newsom runs, he'll be competitive. He's smart. Good charisma. South Carolina was a good trip for him.' Former Democratic consultant Bob Shrum, director of the Center for the Political Future at USC, says: 'Too many people write Newsom off. He has a realistic chance. 'He's very good at pushing off against Trump. It all depends on whether he goes into the election with a message about the future. The message has to center around the economy. The two times Trump was elected he won the message war.' Can Newsom win the nomination? Maybe. The presidency? Probably not. But there's no certainty about anything in an antsy country that swings from twice electing Barack Obama to twice anointing Donald Trump. Newsom is smart to roll the dice. The must-read: Forget the high road: Newsom takes the fight to Trump and his allies The TK: Will she or won't she? The California governor's race waits on Kamala Harris The L.A. Times Special: The forgotten godfather of Trump's scorched earth immigration campaign Until next week,George Skelton —Was this newsletter forwarded to you? Sign up here to get it in your inbox.
