West

The most unusual presidential candidate: Newsom is dyslexic, struggles with speeches, rejects ‘liberal’ label

Published

5 months ago

February 17, 2026

The most unusual presidential candidate: Newsom is dyslexic, struggles with speeches, rejects ‘liberal’ label

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Gavin Newsom, who delights in using Trump-like trolling tactics, is widely viewed as the Democratic Party’s presidential front-runner.

He is riding a wave of interviews and podcasts, boosted by a new memoir, and trying to make the case that as California governor he is not as liberal as his record might suggest. Unlike most of his party, for instance, he opposes trans women athletes competing against men.

NEWSOM SAYS TRUMP IS ONE OF THE ‘MOST DESTRUCTIVE’ PRESIDENT OF HIS LIFETIME: ‘THIS GUY IS RECKLESS’

But there is a central fact about Newsom that, while it may be known to insiders and to some in his home state, is undoubtedly news to most Americans.

Gavin Newsom is dyslexic. Seriously dyslexic. And as a new profile in the New Yorker makes clear, that affects his life every single day.

Newsom showed author Nathan Heller a “folder of his printed material, his reading from the previous evening. Almost every word of text was underlined. He flipped through a galley proof of his memoir, in which the underlining covered whole pages–the only way, he said, that he could read any book, even his own. He produced another folder filled with lined paper and covered with his handwriting; he copies all the text he underlines onto writing pads.”

California Governor Gavin Newsom listens to President Donald Trump address the World Economic Forum in the Davos Congress Center on Jan. 21, 2026 in Davos, Switzerland. ( Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)

And then it goes on yellow index cards.

The bottom line is that the governor struggles to do what every working politician needs to routinely do, and that’s deliver speeches. He has to copy each word down and memorize it. On a TelePrompTer, “he sees the lines of text … as a single image, like a Chinese character, which he uses to recall the next line.”

California congresswoman Lateefah Simon says a four-hour podcast is easier for Newsom than a 10-minute speech.

NEWSOM’S DAVOS DETOUR: 5 CRINGE MOMENTS THAT OVERSHADOWED HIGH-PROFILE SUMMIT

This disability affected his self-image growing up, when Newsom would sometimes fake being sick to be picked up early from school. “He always called himself stupid,” his sister said.

During the 90-minute commute to Sacramento with his wife, a documentary filmmaker, and their four children, he makes notations that are later transferred to cards and pads.

So if Newsom were to make it to the Oval Office, he would clearly rely heavily on verbal briefings rather than poring over reports and documents.

The governor describes himself as having a hardscrabble upbringing, getting by on giant bowls of mac and cheese. One former associate told the New Yorker this was Newsom’s “‘I was born a poor Black child’ story.”

California Gov. Gavin Newsom speaks to a crowd at the Kershaw County Center on July 8, 2025 in Camden, South Carolina. The governor is on the first of a two-day tour of rural counties in South Carolina, hosted by the state Democratic Party. (Sean Rayford/Getty Images)

In reality, he vacationed with John Paul Getty’s family, thanks to his father’s connections. Newsom’s parents separated when he was three,

There’s more to the narrative. Newsom’s sister Hilary chided him for continuing to work while their mother was engaging in assisted suicide.

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Other parts of the life story recounted here are better known. The failure of Newsom’s marriage to Kimberly Guilfoyle, then a left-leaning lawyer in the DA’s office (who later joined Fox News, had an ill-fated engagement to Donald Trump Jr. and is now ambassador to Greece). How he had an affair with the city’s appointments secretary, who was married to one of his top aides, and admitted: “Everything that you’ve heard and read is true.”

And most damaging, during the pandemic, when the governor was urging Californians to avoid large gatherings, he dined, maskless, with medical executives and a lobbyist at the super-chic French Laundry. That led to a recall effort, which Newsom trounced by 24 points.

California Gov. Gavin Newsom looks on during a bill signing event related to redrawing the state’s congressional maps on August 21, 2025, in Sacramento, California. (Justin Sullivan/Getty Images)

The governor, who has repeatedly failed to resolve the state’s homelessness problem, is an unusual dude. He worked against a union petition to raise taxes on billionaires, saying it would drive them out of the state. He told President Donald Trump that keeping the border sealed was crucial, and he wanted to drop California’s sanctuary-state status.

On Election Day last year, Newsom met with aides after spending three hours reading about electric vehicle policy.

“It’s a hell of a way to start every single day,” he said. “How many books I could have read! Literature! Philosophy!”

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Is America ready for Gavin Newsom, who has a massive social media following, as a potential president? Are voters ready for him as a person, dyslexia and all, and as a politician, when California is so easily caricatured as a liberal La-La-Land?

I don’t know, and I don’t think he does, either. But we may soon find out.

Howard Kurtz is a media and political analyst and the former host of FOX News Channel’s MediaBuzz. Based in Washington, D.C., he joined the network in 2013 and regularly appears on Special Report with Bret Baier and The Story with Martha MacCallum among other programs.

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Utah

Utah Jazz vs Washington Wizards recap: Darryn Peterson is only a man

Published

5 minutes ago

July 10, 2026

Press Room

Utah Jazz vs Washington Wizards recap: Darryn Peterson is only a man

It’s on nights like these that I’m reminded of the ravine that divides the NBA from all other levels of basketball. This Summer League tilt was sloppy on both sides, and not many fringe players earned an NBA contract tonight, by the looks of it.

This matchup has always been about the number-one pick AJ Dybantsa and the number-two pick Darryn Peterson. Rivals since high school, these two are in an eternal struggle for the designation of being “number-one”. They wanted to be the best in their high school class. They wanted to be the first off the board in the NBA Draft. Rest assured, these two will be battling for Rookie of the Year honors by the season’s end.

Both stars were fully aware of the magnitude of this game, and both wanted to be the first to strike in the Thomas and Mack Center.

Dybantsa took his first touch all the way to the basket and forced up an off-kilter shot that missed everything.

Peterson took the ball the other way and forced up a top-of-the-key three-pointer that missed badly.

Dybantsa quickly picked up the slack, flipping an under-and-around lay-in and following that up with a good leading bounce pass through traffic to find a cutting teammate.

From there, the 1-2 combo settled in and let the game flow around them.

For the first time in a Utah Jazz uniform, Darryn Peterson walked among mortal men as a commoner. He had a very slow start in his Las Vegas debut, opening the night 0-for-3 from the floor and even whiffing on his first all-or-nothing foul shot. His steps were hurried, and he stood unstable before his first trip to the bench. Not quite so infallible outside of the mountain air in Salt Lake City.

AJ claimed the first quarter, dicing up the defense with fadeaways, dribble chains, and this vicious, inhumane slam that will dominate your social media feed for the next day or so.

Washington set the tone for some — should we say physical — defense out on the perimeter, and the officials gave the Wizards liberty to reside in Peterson’s chest for the majority of the game. The number-two pick couldn’t get himself into a rhythm as he’d step out of bounds, dribble off his foot, and sputter under the heat of the Wizards’ aggressive double-team scheme.

They were incredibly handsy from end to end, frustrating Jazz ball handlers as the whistles piled up at the other end.

AJ Dybantsa lives at the foul stripe — that’s his superpower — and he has since his days at BYU, where he led the nation in foul shots taken per game. Perfectly within his idiom, Dybantsa was 6-of-7 from the foul stripe — keeping in mind the experimental do-or-die free throw rule. Considering how much more physical the Wizards played at the defensive end, it’s a mystery how the Wizards managed to reside in the comfort of the bonus for the entire first half.

Neither player was efficient from the floor, but Dybantsa won the first half of this marquee matchup.

Dybantsa finished the first half with 19 points on 4-of-12 shooting.

Peterson lagged behind with 11 points on 3-of-9 shooting and a pair of dimes.

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Washington

Trump’s proposed 250ft Washington arch clears key planning hurdle

Published

20 minutes ago

July 10, 2026

Press Room

Trump’s proposed 250ft Washington arch clears key planning hurdle

Donald Trump’s plans to build a skyline-altering arch in the nation’s capital won initial approval Thursday from a key federal commission, but its members put off a decision on whether a federal law that limits building heights should be applied to this project.

Despite overwhelming public opposition, the National Capital Planning Commission voted to approve preliminary site and building plans for the 250ft (76m) arch the Republican president wants to build on a traffic circle at the Virginia end of the Memorial Bridge from Washington.

The project, one of several being pursued by Trump in his quest to reshape parts of the nation’s capital to his liking, moved a step closer to reality with the vote.

Staff had recommended in its report on the project that the commission grant such approval and request a series of changes so the arch would comply with the Height of Buildings Act. The suggested changes included redistributing the heights among the main structure of the arch, the habitable roof, where an observation deck is planned, and the statues that would top it.

But commissioners, led by chair Will Scharf, voted to continue deliberations on whether the law indeed applies.

The staff report said the commission has long applied the law in its approval process. Scharf said the applicant, which is the interior department, had, as requested, provided a legal analysis that he said makes a “compelling argument” that the law “is not binding on the federal government”.

The interior department oversees the federal land where the arch would be built.

Eight of the 12 commissioners, including Scharf and two others appointed by Trump, voted for preliminary approval. One was against, and the remaining three commissioners voted present.

“This is a complex project,” Scharf said before the vote. He said a vote on final approval could come at the agency’s next meeting, in September.

All 12 commissioners listened to a summary of the staff report and its recommendations, and heard from several dozen people who had signed up to testify about the project.

As the commissioners met, construction continued at the White House on a $400m ballroom Trump is building there and crews draped tarps over the stone columns at the north entrance to the mansion, where work is being done to scrape off layers of paint.

Some of those who testified against Trump’s project opposed building a celebratory arch so close to Arlington national cemetery. Others suggested it would be more appropriate for a neighborhood near the Capitol and sporting venues.

Opponents say the arch is too big and would disrupt the carefully designed view between the Lincoln Memorial and Arlington national cemetery that was meant to symbolize the reunification of the north and the south after the civil war.

The arch would be more than twice as tall as the Lincoln Memorial, which is 99ft (30m) tall, and close to half the height of the Washington Monument, at about 555ft (169m) tall.

Concerns about vehicular traffic and pedestrian safety also were expressed on Thursday. Others insisted that Congress must approve the arch – a position Trump disagrees with.

The US Commission of Fine Arts, a separate federal agency, approved the design for the arch in May. The National Capital Planning Commission oversees construction on federal land in the city and began reviewing the arch plan in June.

Trump had said last year that the arch could be paid for with unused funds from the hundreds of millions of dollars he said he has raised from corporations, donors and other wealthy people to pay to build a new $400m ballroom at the White House.

But, as it turns out, some public money will be used for the ballroom project, as well as the arch. The White House has not released a cost estimate for the arch.

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Wyoming

Fourth Annual Wyoming Firearms & Outdoor Recreation Expo, Wyoming Governor’s Match returning to Casper July 18, 19

Published

35 minutes ago

July 10, 2026

Press Room

Fourth Annual Wyoming Firearms & Outdoor Recreation Expo, Wyoming Governor’s Match returning to Casper July 18, 19

CASPER, Wyo. — The Wyoming Office of Outdoor Recreation recently announced that the community is invited to a series of events happening on July 18 and 19.

The weekend will feature the Wyoming Governor’s Match, as well as the Firearms & Outdoor Recreation Expo.

A release from the Wyoming Office of Outdoor Recreation says that the 10th Annual Wyoming Governor’s Match, hosted in partnership with the Casper Shooter’s Club, will run July 18–19 at the Stuckenhoff Shooters Complex, 10 minutes outside of Casper.

The event will bring together spectators, shooting sports organizers and elected officials to interact with more than 360 competitive shooters from across the country.

Eye protection is required for spectators, and ear protection is highly recommended.

Additionally, on Saturday, July 18, the fourth annual Wyoming Firearms & Outdoor Recreation Expo is taking place at David Street Station from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.

The expo is free and open to the public, and it will feature exhibitor booths, a legislative panel and family-friendly activities. It will also feature local food and drink vendors, including WY Knot Pretzel Co., The Dog House and Kuver’s BBQ.

Expo attendees will be able to explore products and gear and will be able to witness demonstrations by the following Wyoming-based brands and organizations:

3C Guiding LLC
9×19 Fabrication
ACG
Adventure Ready RV Solutions
Cutting Edge Tactics and Training
Diamond R Saddlery
DVL Custom Lures
FEROX
Freedom Tactical Firearms
Guardian Warrior Solutions
Gunwerks
High Carbon Mercantile
Kimber Tracks Big Game Recovery/Rocky Mountain Big Game Recovery
Lucid Optics
Maven Optics
MOD Outfitters
National Wild Turkey Federation
Red, White and Blued
Ridgeline Customs LLC
Rocky Mountain Discount Sports
Scouting America
Sheridan Fly Rod Co.
Thunder Beast Arms
Wilkinson Tactical
Wyoming Department of Environmental Quality
Wyoming Game & Fish Department
Wyoming Gun Company
Wyoming Motorcycle Trials Association
Wyoming Patriots

The release notes that from 11:45 a.m. to 12:45 p.m., the Wyoming Office of Outdoor Recreation will facilitate an Outdoor Recreation Legislative Panel on the lawn of David Street Station. The panel discussion is also free and open to the public and will offer legislators and elected officials an opportunity to discuss the importance of growing and sustaining the outdoor recreation and shooting sports industry.

To RSVP or learn more about the Wyoming Firearms & Outdoor Recreation Expo, visit wyorec.info/Expo2026.

To register or learn more about the Wyoming Governor’s Match, visit wyorec.info/GovMatch2026.

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