Month: January 2020

Salaries skyrocket at California state insurance fund following years of scandal

SACRAMENTO —  A California public agency that offers workers’ compensation insurance coverage to employers has recruited a high-priced team of former executives from the private sector to turn it around after years of scandal and financial problems. But the hires are earning six-figure salaries that dwarf others in state government, drawing concerns from some in the…

By JohnValbyNation January 6, 2020 0

Column: Trump’s Orwellian doublespeak on Iran

WASHINGTON  —  The U.S. missile strike that killed Iranian Quds Force leader Qassem Suleimani was a stunning escalation of the conflict between the United States and Iran — an act of open war in a struggle that has been carried out in the shadows for decades. Yet President Trump and his aides oddly called the…

By JohnValbyNation January 6, 2020 0

Democrats call Trump's Iran policy dangerous; administration says any new strikes lawful

WASHINGTON —  Secretary of State Michael R. Pompeo on Sunday defended last week’s killing of a top Iranian general and pushed back against reports that some senior Trump administration officials had privately voiced concerns before the strike that it could have deadly repercussions across the already volatile Middle East. Senior Democratic leaders said the president’s seemingly…

By JohnValbyNation January 6, 2020 0