News & Commentary

In recent years, the federal government has significantly ramped up its efforts to monitor people on social media. The FBI, for one, has repeatedly acknowledged that it engages in surveillance of social media posts. So it was surprising when the bureau responded to our Freedom of Information Act request on this kind of surveillance by saying that it “can neither confirm nor deny the existence of records.”

It's a new year, and that means it's awards season — or more specifically, the season for a slew of award nomination announcements devoid of women's names. As we know from Sunday night's Golden Globes, for instance, the list of honorees (again) included no women in the Best Director category.

Much too often, when officers in the Los Angeles Police Department break the rules, their disciplinary process fails to hold them accountable. Now is a moment for serious reform to the way the police department disciplines its officers. The L.A. City Council is preparing to vote on changes to the Board of Rights — the disciplinary appeal board that has the ultimate say in whether officers accused of serious misconduct are punished. The outcome will determine whether the board will be an effective tool to hold offices accountable for their misconduct, or yet another way for officers to escape responsibility for wrongdoing. That's why it's so troubling that the City Council is pushing forward with major changes to the Board of Rights without public input or even taking the time to learn what an effective disciplinary process looks like.

Despite attacking family members of fallen war heroes, criticizing Sen. John McCain for being captured in war, and recently deploying troops to the border for a costly and unnecessary political stunt, President Donald Trump has nonetheless boasted about his supposed support for military service

Last week, Jeff Sessions attacked a court ruling that gave a temporary reprieve to hundreds of thousands of immigrants facing imminent deportation after years of living lawfully in this country.

With all the tumultuous news these days, it's easy to forget a national, ongoing tragedy — the more than 200 children who have yet to be reunited with their parents since the Trump administration forcibly separated them. For them, there is no luxury of having their attention diverted by the day's latest news. They are experiencing a profound trauma.

California's 2018 legislative session has ended, and we have some huge victories to celebrate! This year, California passed groundbreaking legislation to increase police accountability, provide quality sexual education to charter school students and keep innocent people out of prison, to name just a few.

In a disturbing trend, government officials and police departments have been thwarting public oversight by using communications apps that automatically delete messages.

In January 2018, Border Patrol agents boarded a Greyhound bus in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, and demanded identification from passengers. Videos of the encounter went viral — showing these agents, with "POLICE" emblazoned on their vests, escorting a woman of Caribbean descent in her 60s off the bus. In the background, someone filming says, "This is new?"