Politics
Newsom denies meddling in Activision lawsuit. How much influence does the company wield?

Gov. Gavin Newsom is pushing again on claims that he unduly interfered with a discrimination case being introduced in opposition to Activision Blizzard Inc. after an legal professional on the state company dealing with the lawsuit recommended Newsom was doing the bidding of the online game large.
“Claims of interference by our workplace are categorically false,” mentioned Erin Mellon, Newsom’s communications director.
Melanie Proctor resigned from her place as assistant chief counsel for the state’s Division of Truthful Employment and Housing on Wednesday in protest of the governor’s current firing of her boss, Chief Counsel Janette Wipper. In an e mail to colleagues, Proctor wrote that over the previous few weeks Newsom’s workplace “started to intervene” with a swimsuit the company was bringing in opposition to Activision, pushing for early discover of the company’s authorized methods and “mimicking the pursuits of Activision’s counsel.”
Proctor and Wipper stopped engaged on the Activision case earlier this month.
Mellon mentioned that the governor’s administration “helps the efficient work DFEH has carried out … and can proceed to assist DFEH of their efforts to struggle all types of discrimination.”
The DFEH swimsuit accuses Activision, a Santa Monica-based firm that just lately agreed to be acquired by Microsoft in a $69-billion deal, of working a office awash with sexual harassment, wage discrimination and misogynist administration.
Alexis Ronickher, the lawyer who’s now representing each Proctor and Wipper, mentioned in a press release that Wipper is now “evaluating all avenues of authorized recourse,” together with a state legislation that protects whistleblowers.
Ronickher wrote that Newsom’s workplace fired Wipper on March 29, “within the midst of her success in pursuing DFEH’s intercourse discrimination and sexual harassment case in opposition to Activision.” On Wednesday, Wipper’s final day with the company, Proctor resigned in protest of her boss’ dismissal, she mentioned.
“For there to be justice, these with political affect should be compelled to play by the identical set of legal guidelines and guidelines,” Ronickher wrote.
It’s not clear what is likely to be the premise of Activision’s alleged political affect. The Instances was unable to determine any members of Newsom’s administration who’ve skilled ties to the online game firm, or vice versa. Nor have executives at Activision Blizzard made any notable donations in assist of Newsom’s current political endeavors.
Nevertheless, one member of the corporate’s board of administrators, Casey Wasserman, put ahead $40,200 for Newsom’s 2018 gubernatorial marketing campaign, and a further $100,000 to counter the marketing campaign final yr to recall Newsom. Activision didn’t reply to a request for remark from Wasserman.
Activision’s controversial chief govt, Bobby Kotick, contributed $29,200 to Antonio Villaraigosa, one among Newsom’s main opponents in 2018.
Activision can also be a member of the Leisure Software program Assn., a commerce group of the online game trade comprising the 31 high recreation publishers within the U.S. that has lengthy lobbied the federal government in opposition to online game regulation. The group contributed greater than $48,000 to Newsom’s 2018 marketing campaign for governor and, to this point, $20,000 to his 2022 marketing campaign. It additionally donated $50,000 in opposition to the recall.
Roughly $40,000 of Activision’s group dues have been used for political contributions or expenditures throughout fiscal yr 2020, Activision wrote in a political actions disclosure report.
Microsoft has been extra energetic in California politics.
As an organization, Microsoft donated greater than $45,000 to Newsom’s 2018 and 2022 election campaigns, and a further $15,000 by means of a political motion committee. A member of its board of administrators, Reid Hoffman, has donated over $57,000 to Newsom’s campaigns.
Proctor‘s and Wipper’s exits come lower than two weeks after one other authorities company, the federal Equal Employment Alternative Fee, settled its personal, comparable lawsuit in opposition to Activision for $18 million. The choice included a proviso that any staff who take a payout from the fund need to waive their proper to obtain no matter damages that come out of the state-level DFEH swimsuit.
The 2 businesses have been locked in a turf battle over the case since final yr. The DFEH strenuously objected to the EEOC’s federal settlement because it was filed, claiming it might hamper the state’s case. On the day the decide signed the consent decree, DFEH lawyer Jahan Sagafi reiterated the company’s objections, claiming that “the EEOC by no means ought to have filed this case.”
The EEOC received the day, and received in some jabs in opposition to the California company alongside the way in which. Final fall, because the DFEH was trying to intervene within the federal case, the EEOC filed an objection alleging that two DFEH attorneys concerned within the Activision case labored on the EEOC investigation earlier than switching jobs — a battle that might have run afoul of the State Bar of California’s guidelines {of professional} conduct. The decide denied the DFEH’s intervention on different grounds.
The 2 attorneys who allegedly moved from the EEOC to the DFEH went unnamed within the filings. Wipper labored for the California department of the EEOC till she was appointed chief counsel on the DFEH in 2018. Proctor hasn’t labored for the EEOC within the final 5 years.
A former deputy legal professional normal mentioned the governor’s involvement within the Activision case is just not notably uncommon and didn’t represent interference.
The company works in tandem with the governor and legal professional normal’s places of work and should get approval for its lawsuits and authorized actions, the previous deputy legal professional normal famous.
What’s uncommon, this particular person mentioned, is the dispute between DFEH and EEOC — two businesses that always collaborate on instances and consider one another as “companions.” The previous deputy legal professional normal speculated that the battle might have spurred Newsom’s workplace to pay nearer consideration to DFEH’s dealing with of the case.
Kevin Kish, director of the DFEH, mentioned the company continues to pursue its legacy of litigating “groundbreaking” civil rights instances with the “full assist” of Newsom’s administration.
“Our instances will transfer ahead primarily based on the details, the legislation, and our dedication to our mission to guard the civil rights of all Californians,” he mentioned in a press release.
Instances workers author Phil Willon contributed to this report.

Politics
Hegseth to look into 'what went wrong' in Afghanistan and pledges accountability, slams diversity motto

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth on Friday addressed events in Afghanistan, saying they created the perception of “American weakness.”
While speaking to the Department of Defense and Pentagon workforce during a town hall on Friday, Hegseth said America “deserves to take accountability for” events in Afghanistan, the Oct. 7 Hamas-led attack on Israel, and the war that was unleashed in Ukraine.
“Chaos happens when the perception of American strength is not complete,” Hegseth said. “We aim to re-establish that deterrence.”
President-elect Donald Trump’s nominee for Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth testifies during his Senate Armed Services confirmation hearing on Capitol Hill on Jan. 14 in Washington, D.C. ( (Photo by Andrew Harnik/Getty Images))
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He discussed the three pillars he will focus on during his term – reviving the warrior ethos, restoring trust in the military and rebuilding it by matching threats to capabilities, and reestablishing deterrence by defending the homeland.
Hegseth also spoke about the broken windows theory in policing, explaining that disregarding the small things in the military can create large problems.
“I think the same thing exists inside our services – making sure at every level, there [are] standards and accountability, and that we live it at the highest levels,” he said.

UNITED STATES – DECEMBER 3: Pete Hegseth, President-elect Donald Trump’s nominee to be defense secretary, makes his way to a meeting with Sen. Ted Budd, R-N.C., in Russell building on Tuesday, December 3, 2024. (Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images) (Tom Williams)
That is why, Hegseth said, the U.S. will look back at what happened in Afghanistan.
He added the department will hold people accountable.
“Not to be retrospective, not for retribution, but to understand what went wrong and why there was no accountability for it,” Hegseth said.

Sec. Hegseth said he will focus on rebuilding the military. (U.S. Army Fort Leonard Wood)
Going forward, the military will find strength in unity, not diversity, according to Hegseth.
“I think the single dumbest phrase in military history is ‘our diversity is our strength,’” he said. “Our strength is our shared purpose – regardless of our background, regardless of how we grew up, regardless of our gender, regardless of our race.
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In the department, Hegseth said everyone will be treated equally.
“We will treat everyone with fairness,” he said. “We will treat everyone with respect.”
Service members and department civilian employees will be judged by their merit, commitment to the team, and the mission, according to Hegseth.
Politics
Trump to make himself chair of the Kennedy Center, says he'll dismiss board members

President Donald Trump left the arts world reeling with his announcement on Truth Social that he intends to appoint himself chairman of the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington, D.C., and immediately terminate multiple members of the board of trustees, “who do not share our Vision for a Golden Age in Arts and Culture.”
Shortly after the news broke Friday, the Kennedy Center’s website became difficult to reach due to “high traffic,” according to a note on its landing page.
“The Kennedy Center is aware of the post made recently by [the President] on social media,” the arts institution said in a statement over email. “We have received no official communications from the White House regarding changes to our board of trustees. We are aware that some members of our board have received termination notices from the administration.”
In its statement, the Kennedy Center noted that since it’s inception, the institution has “had a collaborative relationship with every presidential administration” and “a bi-partisan board of trustees that has supported the arts in a non-partisan fashion.”
“[T]he chair of the board of trustees is appointed by the Center’s board members,” the statement said. “There is nothing in the Center’s statute that would prevent a new administration from replacing board members; however, this would be the first time such action has been taken with the Kennedy Center’s board.”
Trump has long had a contentious relationship with the storied arts institution, considered the nation’s most prestigious avatar of culture. In 2017, he and First Lady Melania Trump skipped that year’s Kennedy Center Honors after being criticized by honorees, marking only the fourth time in the organization’s history that a president was not in attendance.
The Kennedy Center is a federal facility authorized by an act of Congress in 1958 and maintains a public-private partnership with the federal government, which funds the building’s maintenance and operations. Its arts programs, performances and educational initiatives are paid for through ticket sales and gifts from donors.
The current chairman for more than a decade is businessman and philanthropist David M. Rubenstein. Rubenstein had planned to retire last month, but after Trump’s election, it was announced that he would stay in his role for an additional year. Board members are appointed by the president. At present , there are 36 board members, some of whom were appointed by Trump during his first term, including Attorney General Pam Bondi and his former transportation secretary, Elaine Chao.
President Biden filled a number of board vacancies during his last weeks in office, naming, among others, former White House press secretary Mike Donilon. Honorary chairs of the Kennedy Center include first ladies Melania Trump, Jill Biden, Hillary Clinton, Michelle Obama and Laura Bush.
“Just last year, the Kennedy Center featured Drag Shows specifically targeting our youth — THIS WILL STOP.” Trump wrote on Truth Social. “The Kennedy Center is an American Jewel, and must reflect the brightest STARS on its stage from all across our Nation.”
This is not the first time in the early days of his second administration that the president has taken a muscular stance against existing cultural organizations. One of his first acts as president was to dissolve the President’s Committee on the Arts and the Humanities, which was established by President Ronald Reagan in 1982 to advise on issues of cultural and artistic import.
Trump did not say which board members he planned to oust in his Truth Social post.
Politics
The Hitchhiker's Guide to House Republicans releasing their tax and spending cut plan

House Republican leaders spent nearly five hours at the White House on Thursday – some of it with President Donald Trump – as they tried to finalize the outline of their tax and spending cut package.
The plan is to release a framework with some numbers in the coming days.
Fox is told to expect north of $1 trillion in spending cuts. The bill would make permanent the 2017 Trump tax cuts. It is also likely the bill includes a provision to bar taxes on tips.
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Congress is racing to be ready to execute the recommendations of President Donald Trump’s new DOGE commission. (Getty Images)
House Republicans hoped to have a bill ready to go before the Budget Committee this week after their retreat at Mar-a-Lago.
But no dice.
Republicans hope to prep this bill before the House Budget Committee next week.
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House Speaker Mike Johnson, right, discusses President Donald Trump’s agenda during an appearance on “Sunday Morning Futures.” (Photo by Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images | Photo by Mustafa Yalcin/Anadolu via Getty Images/ Fox News Channel)
When asked if a plan would be unveiled Friday, Speaker Mike Johnson told Fox News, “nothing today” on paper or details of a budget package.
He said the committee markup may come Tuesday, but that there are a couple of details to “work out.”
Republicans need a budget framework adopted on the floor so they can use the budget reconciliation tool to bypass a Senate filibuster. No budget? No reconciliation option.
House GOPers are feeling pressure from Senate Republicans who are pressing ahead with their own plan. Senate Republicans dine at Mar-a-Lago tonight with President Trump.
House Republicans are worried if they stumble at moving first, they could get jammed by the Senate.
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