Trump's picture with a baby goes viral

Aug. 23, 2015 4:41 PM PT

Decker: Democratic women seek to regain lost ground in California

Rep. Loretta Sanchez of Orange County, who is running for the U.S. Senate, is one of a dwindling number of Democratic women in California's legislative ranks.

In the 2016 presidential campaign, Hillary Rodham Clinton is the front-runner to secure the Democratic nomination.

But in California, women are vanishing from the state's legislative ranks.

Political columnist Cathleen Decker explores how Democratic women are seeking to regain lost ground in the state.

"California in 2003 was fifth among states ranked by the percentage of its legislators who were women," according to the Center for American Women and Politics at Rutgers University. "But the state now finds itself mired in a surprising 20th place," Decker notes.

3:01P.M.

The Sept. 16 GOP debate is in Simi Valley. Stay up-to-date on who is running for president

Republican presidential candidates from left, Chris Christie, Marco Rubio, Ben Carson, Scott Walker, Donald Trump, Jeb Bush, Mike Huckabee, Ted Cruz, Rand Paul, and John Kasich take the stage for the first Republican presidential debate at the Quicken Loans Arena Thursday, Aug. 6, 2015, in Cleveland. Republicans are steeling themselves for a long period of deep uncertainty following a raucous first debate of the 2016 campaign for president, with no signs this past week’s Fox News face-off will winnow their wide-open field of White House hopefuls anytime soon. (AP Photo/John Minchillo)

1:08 P.M.

Abcarian: 'Anchor baby' is a slur

Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump has called for an end to birthright citizenship for children he calls "anchor babies."

The term "anchor baby" has made its way into the 2016 presidential campaign.

Both Donald Trump and former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush have defended use of the term to describe children born in the U.S. to immigrants in the country illegally.

But Times columnist Robin Abcarian pushes back.

"In strictly Orwellian terms, the phrase describes a second-class kind of citizenship, one totally at odds with the 14th Amendment, which guarantees citizenship to any child born in the U.S.," writes Abcarian.

11:05 A.M.

Jerry Brown advice to vice president: 'If I were Joe Biden, I'd probably give it very serious consideration'

On Monday, Gov. Jerry Brown signed a measure striking the word “alien” — seen as derogatory to those not born in the U.S. — from California's labor laws.

All I can say is, if I were Hillary, I would say, 'Don't jump in.' If I were Joe Biden, I'd probably give it very serious consideration.

California Gov. Jerry Brown, on NBC's "Meet the Press," talking about the race for the 2016 Democratic presidential nomination.

9:30 A.M.

Trump's picture with a baby goes viral

MOBILE, AL- AUGUST 21: Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump greets supporters after his rally at Ladd-Peebles Stadium on August 21, 2015 in Mobile, Alabama. The Trump campaign moved tonight's rally to a larger stadium to accommodate demand. (Photo by Mark Wallheiser/Getty Images) *** BESTPIX *** ** OUTS - ELSENT, FPG - OUTS * NM, PH, VA if sourced by CT, LA or MoD **

The scene in Mobile, Ala., Friday night.

8:42 A.M.

Joe Biden, Elizabeth Warren talk economic policy

Vice President Joe Biden speaks at a New York event on July 27. Biden is at least a month away from deciding whether to enter the Democratic presidential race.

Vice President Joe Biden met with Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) on Saturday, according to several media reports.

The meeting comes as Biden considers a run for the Democratic presidential nomination.

Biden and Warren visited for about two hours and they discussed economic policy, according to CNN , which first reported news about the gathering.

Warren is widely lauded by liberals for her fiery rhetoric and policy proposals to regulate Wall Street.

Read more Times coverage about Biden and his thinking behind a 2016 presidential run.

7:47 A.M.

Ronald Reagan was a Democrat with a very, very liberal lean. And he actually became a Republican who was fairly conservative. I wouldn't say he was the most conservative but fairly.

Donald Trump, speaking on CBS' "Face the Nation," when asked about his conservative credentials. Trump has been assailed for donating to Democrats in the past.

6:15 A.M.

Rand Paul wins permission to run for Senate reelection and GOP presidential nomination

BALTIMORE, MD - JUNE 09: Republican presidential candidate Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY) addresses the Baltimore county Republican Party's annual Lincoln/Reagan Dinner at Martin's West June 9, 2015 in Baltimore, Maryland. Paul launched his campaign April 7 in Louisville, where he told supporters, "I have a message, a message that is loud and clear and does not mince words: We have come to take our country back." (Photo by Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images) ** OUTS - ELSENT, FPG - OUTS * NM, PH, VA if sourced by CT, LA or MoD **

Kentucky Republicans gave the OK to Sen. Rand Paul to run for reelection to his Senate seat and for the GOP presidential nomination.

State law bars a candidate from running for two offices in one election. But Republicans voted Saturday to hold a party caucus separate from the traditional primary, allowing Paul to essentially sidestep the law.

The Times' Christi Parsons has more.