Politics
The Senate is considering the Laken Riley Act. Here's what it would do
WASHINGTON — The Senate could vote Tuesday on the Laken Riley Act, a Republican-led bill that mandates federal detention for immigrants who are charged with minor crimes and grants broad enforcement powers to states.
It passed the House earlier this month as the first bill taken up by the new, Republican-controlled Congress and moved forward in the Senate with significant support from Democrats.
The bill’s advancement illustrates the new willingness by more Democrats to consider conservative immigration policies after losing favor with voters on border security, a front-line issue in the November presidential election.
Immigrant rights groups and other opponents have warned that the bill would violate due process rights and be extremely costly to the federal government.
What happened to Laken Riley?
The bill is named for Laken Riley, a 22-year-old nursing student who was murdered last year in Athens, Ga., by a Venezuelan immigrant who had entered the U.S. illegally in 2022. Border Patrol agents released him, like many migrants, with temporary permission to stay in the country.
Jose Antonio Ibarra, 26, had previously been cited in Georgia with misdemeanor shoplifting from Walmart and was arrested in New York for driving a scooter without a license and with a child who wasn’t wearing a helmet. Supporters of the bill say federal authorities should have detained Ibarra after he was charged with those crimes.
In November, Ibarra was convicted of murder and sentenced to life in prison without parole.
Allyson and John Phillips, Riley’s mother and stepfather, wrote in a statement that the bill has their full support.
“Laken would have been 23 on January 10th,” they wrote. “There is no greater gift that could be given to her and our country than to continue her legacy by saving lives through this bill.”
What would the Laken Riley Act do?
The Laken Riley Act has three significant provisions: to require detention of immigrants convicted of certain crimes; to authorize state governments to sue the federal government over its handling of individual immigrants; and to give states the power to demand that the State Department stop issuing visas for countries that refuse to accept the return of deported nationals.
“If you came into the U.S. illegally and then you chose to commit a crime against Americans — whether that’s against persons or property — on U.S. soil, you should go to the front of line when it comes to detention and removal,” Sen. Katie Britt (R-Ala.) wrote on X.
The bill would require immigration agents to take into custody people who have been arrested for burglary, theft, larceny or shoplifting. It would override the current discretion afforded to federal officials to prioritize the detention of people with violent criminal records.
The legislation requires detention if a person is even charged with theft-related crimes. That means someone could be deported before getting the chance to defend themselves in court.
The bill also gives state attorneys general the power to sue the federal government over alleged mishandling of people in its custody, overriding the longstanding broad authority of the federal government over immigration matters. State officials could get a court to instruct immigration agents to track down people it had released from detention.
States would also be empowered to insert themselves into U.S. foreign policy matters. Some countries refuse to accept back their citizens whom the U.S. attempts to deport. The bill would allow state attorneys general to sue the State Department to stop visas from being issued for any country refusing to accept deportations.
What are the political and legal ramifications?
Opponents say the law would lead to chaos in federal courts and the separation of longtime residents from their U.S. citizen family members as they are detained indefinitely.
“I don’t think that people understood what was in the bill when they were cosponsoring it,” said Kerri Talbot, executive director of the advocacy group Immigration Hub, who works with Congress to develop policy.
Jason Houser, who was chief of staff for Immigration and Customs Enforcement from 2021 to 2023, said the legislation would force federal agencies to divert manpower from the most dangerous offenders.
“If this bill is enacted, you will see less individuals in detention that are violent convicted criminals than you do today,” he said, noting that the federal government has a finite amount of resources, detention beds and staff.
Immigration and Customs Enforcement said it would need more than $3 billion to detain the 60,000 people it had identified to meet bill’s parameters.
Aaron Reichlin-Melnick of the left-leaning American Immigration Council said the visa provision raises serious constitutional and international relations concerns with potentially sweeping ramifications for the U.S. economy.
“You could see [Texas Atty. Gen.] Ken Paxton suing to block all H-1B visas from China. You could see somebody trying to prevent all business tourism from India,” Reichlin-Melnick said. “The prospect of 677 different federal district court judges around the country having the power to order the secretary of State to impose sweeping visa bans on other countries threatens to upend our system of government, giving states and the judiciary more power over diplomacy and immigration than the federal government itself.”
What is its history in Congress?
The Laken Riley Act passed the House last week, 264-159, with 48 Democrats in support. Among them were seven Democrats from California, including Reps. George Whitesides (D-Agua Dulce), Adam Gray (D-Merced) and Derek Tran (D-Garden Grove), who flipped seats previously held by Republicans.
Senators voted 82-10 on Monday to take up consideration of the measure. California Sens. Alex Padilla and Adam B. Schiff, both Democrats, did not vote.
In an interview Sunday on NBC, Padilla said he would vote against the bill in its current form.
“It opens the doors for people simply being charged — without a conviction — to be detained and deported,” he said. “That includes minors, that includes Dreamers, that’s [for] shoplifting a pack of bubble gum. There has to be more of a focus on a piece of legislation like this.”
When the bill was first introduced in the House last year, it passed 251-170, with 10 fewer Democrats in support. The Senate, which then held a slim majority, declined to take it up for consideration.
On Monday, Senate Minority Leader Charles E. Schumer said he was hoping for a robust debate and the ability to offer improvements on the bill.
“Americans deserve for us to debate the issue seriously, including by considering amendments from the Democratic side,” he said. “We’re going to ask our Republican colleagues to allow for debate and votes on amendments.”
Politics
Video: Walz Drops Re-Election Bid as Minnesota Fraud Scandal Grows
new video loaded: Walz Drops Re-Election Bid as Minnesota Fraud Scandal Grows
transcript
transcript
Walz Drops Re-Election Bid as Minnesota Fraud Scandal Grows
Governor Tim Walz of Minnesota abandoned his re-election bid to focus on handling a scandal over fraud in social service programs that grew under his administration.
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“I’ve decided to step out of this race, and I’ll let others worry about the election while I focus on the work that’s in front of me for the next year.” “All right, so this is Quality Learing Center — meant to say Quality ‘Learning’ Center.” “Right now we have around 56 kids enrolled. If the children are not here, we mark absence.”
By Shawn Paik
January 6, 2026
Politics
Pelosi heir-apparent calls Trump’s Venezuela move a ‘lawless coup,’ urges impeachment, slams Netanyahu
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A San Francisco Democrat demanded the impeachment of President Donald Trump, accusing him of carrying out a “coup” against Venezuelan strongman Nicolás Maduro.
California state Sen. Scott Wiener, seen as the likely congressional successor to Rep. Nancy Pelosi, also took a swipe at Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
Wiener has frequently drawn national attention for his progressive positions, including his legislation signed by Gov. Gavin Newsom designating California as a “refuge” for transgender children and remarks at a San Francisco Pride Month event referring to California children as “our kids.”
In a lengthy public statement following the Trump administration’s arrest and extradition of Maduro to New York, Wiener said the move shows the president only cares about “enriching his public donors” and “cares nothing for the human or economic cost of conquering another country.”
KAMALA HARRIS BLASTS TRUMP ADMINISTRATION’S CAPTURE OF VENEZUELA’S MADURO AS ‘UNLAWFUL AND UNWISE’
California State Sen. Scott Wiener, D-San Francisco, speaks at a rally. (John Sciulli/Getty Images)
“This lawless coup is an invitation for China to invade Taiwan, for Russia to escalate its conquest in Ukraine, and for Netanyahu to expand the destruction of Gaza and annex the West Bank,” said Wiener, who originally hails from South Jersey.
He suggested that the Maduro operation was meant to distract from purportedly slumping poll numbers, the release of Jeffrey Epstein-related documents, and to essentially seize another country’s oil reserves.
“Trump is a total failure,” Wiener said. “By engaging in this reckless act, Trump is also making the entire world less safe … Trump is making clear yet again that, under this regime, there are no rules, there are no laws, there are no norms – there is only whatever Trump thinks is best for himself and his cronies at a given moment in time.”
GREENE HITS TRUMP OVER VENEZUELA STRIKES, ARGUES ACTION ‘DOESN’T SERVE THE AMERICAN PEOPLE’
In response, the White House said the administration’s actions against Maduro were “lawfully executed” and included a federal arrest warrant.”
“While Democrats take twisted stands in support of indicted drug smugglers, President Trump will always stand with victims and families who can finally receive closure thanks to this historic action,” White House spokeswoman Anna Kelly said.
Supporters of the operation have pushed back on claims of “regime change” – an accusation Wiener also made – pointing to actions by Maduro-aligned courts that barred top opposition leader María Corina Machado from running, even as publicly reported results indicated her proxy, Edmundo González Urrutia, won the vote.
“Trump’s illegal invasion of Venezuela isn’t about drugs, and it isn’t about helping the people of Venezuela or restoring Venezuelan democracy,” Wiener added. “Yes, Maduro is awful, but that’s not what the invasion is about. It’s all about oil and Trump’s collapsing support at home.”
EX-ESPN STAR KEITH OLBERMANN CALLS FOR IMPEACHMENT OF TRUMP OVER VENEZUELA STRIKES THAT CAPTURED MADURO
Around the country, a handful of other Democrats referenced impeachment or impeachable offenses, but did not go as far as Wiener in demanding such proceedings.
Rep. April McClain-Delaney, D-Md., who represents otherwise conservative “Mountain Maryland” in the state’s panhandle, said Monday that Democrats should “imminently consider impeachment proceedings,” according to TIME.
McClain-Delaney said Trump acted without constitutionally-prescribed congressional authorization and wrongly voiced “intention to ‘run’ the country.”
SCHUMER BLASTED TRUMP FOR FAILING TO OUST MADURO — NOW WARNS ARREST COULD LEAD TO ‘ENDLESS WAR’
One frequent Trump foil, Rep. Maxine Waters, D-Calif., cited in a statement that she has called for Trump’s impeachment in the past; blaming Republicans for letting the president “escape accountability.”
“Today, many Democrats have understandably questioned whether impeachment is possible again under the current political reality. I am reconsidering that view,” Waters said.
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“What we are witnessing is an unprecedented escalation of an unlawful invasion, the detention of foreign leaders, and a president openly asserting power far beyond what the Constitution allows,” she said, while appearing to agree with Trump that Maduro was involved in drug trafficking and “collaborat[ion] with… terrorists.”
Wiener’s upcoming primary is considered the deciding election in the D+36 district, while a handful of other lesser-known candidates have reportedly either filed FEC paperwork or declared their candidacy, including San Francisco Councilwoman Connie Chan.
Politics
California Congressman Doug LaMalfa dies, further narrowing GOP margin in Congress
California Rep. Doug LaMalfa (R-Richvale) has died, GOP leadership and President Trump confirmed Tuesday morning.
“Jacquie and I are devastated about the sudden loss of our friend, Congressman Doug LaMalfa. Doug was a loving father and husband, and staunch advocate for his constituents and rural America,” said Rep. Tom Emmer (R-Minn.), the House majority whip, in a post on X. “Our prayers are with Doug’s wife, Jill, and their children.”
LaMalfa, 65, was a fourth-generation rice farmer from Oroville and staunch Trump supporter who had represented his Northern California district for the past 12 years. His seat was one of several that was in jeopardy under the state’s redrawn districts approved by voters with Proposition 50.
Emergency personnel responded to a 911 call from LaMalfa’s residence at 6:50 p.m. Monday, according to the Butte County Sheriff’s Office. The congressman was taken to the Enloe Medical Center in Chico, where he died while undergoing emergency surgery, authorities said.
An autopsy to determine the cause of death is planned, according to the sheriff’s office.
LaMalfa’s district — which stretches from the northern outskirts of Sacramento, through Redding at the northern end of the Central Valley and Alturas in the state’s northeast corner — is largely rural, and constituents have long said they felt underrepresented in liberal California.
LaMalfa put much of his focus on boosting federal water supplies to farmers, and seeking to reduce environmental restrictions on logging and extraction of other natural resources.
One LaMalfa’s final acts in the U.S. House was to successfully push for the reauthorization of the Secure Rural Schools Act, a long-standing financial aid program for schools surrounded by untaxed federal forest land, whose budgets could not depend upon property taxes, as most public schools do. Despite broad bipartisan support, Congress let it lapse in 2023.
In an interview with The Times as he was walking onto the House floor in mid-December, LaMalfa said he was frustrated with Congress’s inability to pass even a popular bill like that reauthorization.
The Secure Rural Schools Act, he said, was a victim of a Congress in which “it’s still an eternal fight over anything fiscal.” It is “annoying,” LaMalfa said, “how hard it is to get basic things done around here.”
In a statement posted on X, California Democratic Sen. Adam Schiff said he considered LaMalfa “a friend and partner” and that the congressman was “deeply committed to his community and constituents, working to make life better for those he represented.”
“Doug’s life was one of great service and he will be deeply missed,” Schiff wrote.
Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom in a statement called LaMalfa a “devoted public servant who deeply loved his country, his state, and the communities he represented.”
“While we often approached issues from different perspectives, he fought every day for the people of California with conviction and care,” Newsom said.
Flags at the California State Capitol in Sacramento will be flown at half-staff in honor of the congressman, according to the governor.
Before his death, LaMalfa was facing a difficult reelection bid to hold his seat. After voters approved Proposition 50 in November — aimed at giving California Democrats more seats in Congress — LaMalfa was drawn into a new district that heavily favored his likely opponent, State Sen. Mike McGuire, a Democrat who represents the state’s northwest coast.
LaMalfa’s death puts the Republican majority in Congress in further jeopardy, with a margin of just two votes to secure passage of any bill along party lines after the resignation of Georgia Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene on Monday evening.
Adding to the party’s troubles, Rep. Jim Baird, a Republican from Indiana, was hospitalized on Tuesday for a car crash described by the White House as serious. While Baird is said to be stable, the Republican House speaker, Mike Johnson from Louisiana, will not be able to rely on his attendance. And he has one additional caucus member – Thomas Massie of Kentucky – who has made a habit of voting against the president, bringing their margin for error down effectively to zero.
President Trump, addressing a gathering of GOP House members at the Kennedy Center, addressed the news at the start of his remarks, expressing “tremendous sorrow at the loss of a great member” and stating his speech would be made in LaMalfa’s honor.
“He was the leader of the Western caucus – a fierce champion on California water issues. He was great on water. ‘Release the water!’ he’d scream out. And a true defender of American children.”
“You know, he voted with me 100% of the time,” Trump added.
A native of Oroville, LaMalfa attended Butte College and then earned an ag-business degree from Cal Poly San Luis Obispo. He served in the California Assembly from 2002 to 2008 and the California State Senate from 2010 to 2012. Staunchly conservative, he was an early supporter of Proposition 209, which ended affirmative action in California, and he also pushed for passage of the Protection of Marriage Act, Proposition 22, which banned same-sex marriage in California.
While representing California’s 1st District, LaMalfa focused largely on issues affecting rural California and other western states. In 2025, Congressman he was elected as Chairman of the Congressional Western Caucus, which focuses on legislation affected rural areas.
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