In the News
President Trump's gibes about the failure of our foreign policy establishment and his call for a still rudimentary "America first" policy have led hawkish Republican neoconservatives to close ranks with "indispensable nation" Democrats. A remarkably unrepentant establishment has moved to resistance. If the United States is to avoid the limited choice between the delusional and the disastrous, a new progressive stance on foreign policy is utterly imperative.
Alumni of the Obama administration are heeding their former boss' call to get in the game themselves and run for office in response the election of President Donald Trump and to continue what the former president started.
Sam Jammal, an Obama appointee in the Commerce Department who is running in California's 39th District against Republican Rep. Ed Royce, said he was heeding those words.
"The president's message was to get into the arena," Jammal said.
For Jammal, the son of a Jordanian father and a Colombian mother, President Barack Obama's personal story hit home.
President Trump's plan to limit immigration to all but highly skilled English speakers is bad news both for Silicon Valley and the country, said Democratic Rep. Ro Khanna, whose South Bay district includes includes that high-tech hub.
While talented immigrants are both needed and welcome in Silicon Valley, he said in a video discussion with Chronicle political writers Joe Garofoli and John Wildermuth, "people aren't just software engineers. They have mothers, sisters, families," all of whom want to be part of the American community beyond the tech world.
Democratic leaders in Congress are offering to cooperate with Republicans on solutions to stabilize the Obamacare exchanges, but progressive groups and their congressional allies are heading in the opposite direction.
Following the defeat of Republican efforts to repeal the Affordable Care Act, or Obamacare, left-leaning organizations are accelerating their long-standing goal of establishing a single-payer system in which the government provides health insurance for all.
Freshman Rep. Ro Khanna, 40, a California Democrat, talks about campaigning for President Barack Obama, getting mentored by former Rep. Tom Lantos, and his grandfather's role in the independence movement in India.
Q: What has surprised you about Congress so far?
Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT) is about to put Democrats' newfound embrace of single-payer health care to the test.
A House member is urging Congress to hold a hearing to analyze Amazon's proposed $14 billion acquisition of Whole Foods, a merger that critics say could cramp innovation and hurt workers.
The deal could affect grocery stores and consumers nationwide, Rep. David Cillicine (D-R.I.), the top Democrat on the House subcommittee on regulatory reform, commercial and antitrust law, warned Thursday in a statement: "Congress has a responsibility to fully scrutinize this merger before it goes ahead. Failing to do so is a disservice to our constituents."
As Democrats work to figure out their message going into next year's midterm elections, it's going to take more than just anti-Trump fervor to win, argues Rep. Ro Khanna, D-Calif.
"I think we need to stand up. The things Donald Trump are doing are outrageous and unconstitutional. There needs to be checks on the executive branch," Khanna told CBS News Chief White House Correspondent Major Garrett and CBS News Political Director Steve Chaggaris on this week's episode of "The Takeout" podcast.
If you want good job security, get elected to Congress. In 2016, the U.S. House had a 97 percent re-election rate, despite the latest Gallup poll placing the House's approval rating at 21 percent.