Erika D. Smith

When Markwayne Mullin became secretary of the deeply troubled Department of Homeland Security two months ago, he told his former Senate colleagues

As governor of California, Gavin Newsom has a reputation for indulging in long-winded, over-the-top rants about his state. It has “no peers” as an “economic engine” and is “writing the rules of the future,” he often says, and anyone who doesn’t appreciate that obviously has “California derangement syndrome.”

For the first time in decades, Congress is on the cusp of passing housing legislation so significant that it could lower the cost of living for millions of Americans, incentivizing homebuilding and putting homeownership within reach.

When Michael Tubbs, a Democrat running for lieutenant governor of California, was elected mayor of one of the state’s most troubled cities almost a decade ago, he became the face of the public sector’s first major foray into universal basic income. For two years, more than 100 low-income residents were given cash payments, with no strings attached. Cities in 35 states followed suit.

California voters will settle a slew of nationally important primary races on Tuesday, most notably the chaotic race to succeed a termed-out and likely presidential-campaign-bound Gavin Newsom as governor.

Ballots are still being counted in some of California’s highest-profile primary election races — a process that will continue for several more days, perhaps even weeks, before the winners are announced. But one loser is already clear: Big Tech.

On primary election night in California last week, Democratic gubernatorial candidate Xavier Becerra took a moment to gloat, both in English and in Spanish. After trailing in the polls for months and resisting calls from his own party to drop out of the race, he is now advancing to a runoff election in November to succeed Gavin Newsom.

President Donald Trump is nothing if not consistent when it comes to election results he doesn’t like. And so it has been with California: When the Republican running for Los Angeles mayor failed to advance in last week’s primary, Trump doubled down on baseless conspiracy theories about mail-in ballots.

It was a year ago this month that President Donald Trump gave many Americans their first glimpse of his long-promised campaign of mass deportations. He deployed the military and immigration agents to Los Angeles for weeks of violent raids, and polls showed most Americans didn’t like it. They liked it even less when those violent raids moved to Minneapolis earlier this year and immigration agents fatally shot two Americans.

Gavin Newsom has his story and he’s sticking to it. The question is whether others will too.