California lawmakers seek answers to spike in gray whale deaths
In a letter to NOAA acting Administrator Laura Grimm and NOAA Fisheries Director Eugenio Piñeiro Soler, the lawmakers referenced a 'dramatic surge' in eastern Pacific gray whale deaths so far this year, with 21 confirmed fatalities. The letter pointed out that this total is higher than the gray whale strandings in California in several of the years from 2019 to 2023, when the species experienced an 'unusual mortality event' that NOAA attributed to food source disruption in the whales' primary feeding grounds in the Arctic and sub-Arctic.
They also noted a significant increase in the number of whale sightings in the San Francisco Bay area, where the animals appear to be staying for longer than average.
Advertisement
'Many of the whales appear emaciated, with experts suggesting they may be driven into the Bay by diminishing food sources along their migratory path from Mexico to the Arctic,' the letter penned by California Rep. Sam Liccardo said. All of the lawmakers who signed the letter are Democrats.
Hashtags

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
26 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Democrat Katelyn Zach announces run for Missouri House seat in southwest Springfield
Katelyn Zach, a Springfield "community organizer and advocate for working families," announced Friday, Aug. 1 she will campaign as a Democrat for a Missouri House District in Springfield currently held by Rep. Melanie Stinnett. Stinnett, a Republican, was first elected to Missouri House District 133 in 2022, beating Democratic candidate Amy Blansit by about 400 votes, a margin of about 5 percentage points. Challenged in 2024 by Democrat Derrick Nowlin, Stinnett was reelected with more than 56% of the vote. She announced earlier this year she plans to run in 2026 for Senate District 30, currently held by term-limited state Sen. Lincoln Hough. In her campaign announcement Aug. 1, Zach, who has worked as a legislative assistant in the state capitol, said she wants to "bring bold, compassionate leadership to Jefferson City, and to flip a seat that's been out of touch with the needs of Missourians for far too long." 'I'm running because I believe every Missourian deserves a safe home, a great public school, access to affordable healthcare, and the freedom to make decisions about their own body,' Zach said. 'The people of Springfield are done being ignored by politicians whose only goal is climbing the ladder in Jefferson City. We're ready to build a future where everyone, not just the well-connected, gets a fair shot.' District 133 covers parts of central and southwest Springfield, generally west of Campbell Avenue between Chestnut Expressway and James River Freeway. Zach, who attended college in Springfield, said her campaign is focused on people, from youth and working families to small businesses, with the goal of "defending public education and reproductive rights to addressing the housing crisis and fighting for common-sense gun safety laws." More: Despite 2024 losses, Crystal Quade among women encouraging others to run for office 'I'm here to represent every voice in our community, no matter your political party or background,' Zach said in the release. 'I believe in leading with empathy, listening first, and fighting for solutions that actually help people.' Her campaign committee, Citizens for Katelyn Zach, lists former state representative and Democratic candidate for governor Crystal Quade as treasurer. She has candidate sites on Facebook and Instagram. This article originally appeared on Springfield News-Leader: Democrat Katelyn Zach announces run for Missouri House District 133 Solve the daily Crossword

USA Today
28 minutes ago
- USA Today
With their brand in the 'toilet,' Democrats commence shadow 2028 primary for president
Kamala Harris, Andy Beshear, Gavin Newsom and Ruben Gallego are part of a diverse and large field of White House hopefuls tiptoeing toward the starting 2028 line. When Kamala Harris was asked point blank if the reason she passed on running for California governor was because she is seeking a different office, the former Democratic vice president said she doesn't "want to go back in the system" just yet. "I want to travel the country, I want to listen to people, I want to talk with people and I don't want it to be transactional, where I'm asking for their vote," Harris said during a July 31 on "The Late Show with Stephen Colbert", her first interview since stiff arming the 2026 election to lead her native Golden State. But the 60-year-old can't help and leave bread crumbs out for supporters, such as when she hinted in her announcement that she will be "sharing more details in the months ahead" about her future. More: Kamala Harris' decision kickstarts the 2028 Democratic presidential primary: 5 takeaways "That's leaving more than the door ajar, that's pushing the door wide open," Michael Feldman, a former senior adviser to Vice President Al Gore, told USA TODAY. "I understand the optionality that creates for her: she shut a door, she's opening another. And by the way, nobody wants to foreclose their options and their opportunity." 'A contested primary' ahead If Harris does enter the fray for a third try at the presidency it will certainly stir the 2028 pot. She brings the highest name ID of any suspected contender and an even broader donor network with established relationships to boot. But campaign experts and strategists warn that no one should expect a red carpet to the nomination this time around. "There will be a contested primary," Feldman said. "There will be a large field of people who feel like it's their time and it's their moment." More: Town halls, f-bombs and Elon Musk: How Democrats are waging a new messaging war As the Democratic reboot continues, White House hopefuls such as Harris are tiptoeing into an earlier than usual shadow campaign that political observers say they believe will be among the party's most consequential presidential primaries in decades. "More is riding on this pre-primary race than in most years because the party's brand is in the toilet," said Matthew Dallek, a historian and professor of political management at George Washington University. But Democrats must be cautious about trotting too far to the left based on the outcome of a single or handful of recent elections, some strategists warn. Vice President JD Vance, thought by many to be next in line to inherit the MAGA mantle for populist-minded conservatives, is one of the more effective national communicators for Republicans with sharpened skills as Trump's attack dog. He and other potential GOP figures are ready to dig Democrats a deeper hole. More: JD Vance is now the MAGA heir-apparent. Does that make him the front-runner for 2028? While voting won't commence in the next White House race for 17 more months, that's not stopping a number of sitting governors, senators and other aspiring future Democratic presidents to be making pilgrimages to early voting states. They're also penning memoirs, doing marathon podcast interviews, squirreling away campaign cash and outlining their stances on topics that will be relevant to the progressive base, moderates and eventually independent voters down the line. More: Kamala Harris explores 'drama of running for president' in new book on 2024 bid All of the preliminary jockeying from such a diverse and crowded unofficial field suggests a resilience among rank-and-file Democrats despite abysmal approval ratings that haven't been this low among voters since 1990. "The only way to begin to improve it is through whoever the next presidential nominee will be," Dallek said "The stakes, in that sense, are higher. It's not just the presidency. It's not just the nomination. There's a sense among Democrats that they need to do this, and there's a big debate." Raising brands and saving campaign cash Several 2028 hopefuls have already begun to make strategic moves to keep their name in the mix with the party faithful. About a dozen have visited or have plans to make stops in the early primary states, such as Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker, 60, who in April caught attention for delivering a searing speech in New Hampshire aimed at 'do-nothing' Democrats. Sen. Ruben Gallego, 45, of Arizona, whose name has lately shot up on the rumored list of White House candidates, is set to attend two events in the Granite State later this month too, further fueling speculation that he's a possible contender. "I'll be on the ground in New Hampshire... taking on the GOP's billionaire agenda and standing up for working families," Gallego, who was elected to the Senate last fall, said in a July 29 post on X. California Gov. Gavin Newsom, 57, trekked through rural South Carolina in July. He was followed by Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear, 47, who talked up flipping red states with union leaders and later Rep. Ro Khanna, 48, D-Calif., who made a four-day tour featuring town halls and visits to Black churches. Former U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg, 43, may claim he "isn't running for anything" but his May trip to Iowa for a veterans-focused forum focused heavily on existential questions facing Democrats and the country. Buttigieg shot to fame running for president in 2020 as the mayor of South Bend, Indiana, and he has been raising his national brand through a podcast tour. Other potential contenders are also taking the podcast route, including Maryland Gov. Wes Moore, 46, who recently lamented how Democrats "gave up on" entire swaths of the country during a July 29 sit-down chat on former DNC chair Jaime Harrison's "At Our Table." "I'm very much am a person of action, and I think as a party we've got to stop being the party of 'no and slow' and start being the party of 'yes and now,'" said Moore, whose name is tossed around despite saying he isn't running for president. More: Harris campaign's embrace of social media influencers is years in the making Nina Smith, a Democratic strategist who worked on Buttigieg's 2020 presidential campaign, said these early moves serve the candidates by creating and maintaining local connections. They also lend to rebuilding the party's brand organically through the excitement of a nominee. "There's some juice, there's some fire, from the perspective of people who want to step up and lead and be the standard bearer for our party," Smith said. "We're kind of spoiled for choices in that regard. That's a good thing." Such an elongated presidential campaign can exhaust resources as much as voters, which may explain why notable 2028 contenders are storing up massive cash reserves. Khanna, whose California district is located in the heart of Silicon Valley, had roughly $14.2 million in his campaign coffers at the end of June, according to the latest Federal Election Commission report. Other congressional Democrats on the 2028 list who can legally transfer their funds to a presidential campaign include Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., 35, who had a record-breaking first quarter haul this year and had about $9.8 million in the bank. Sen. Chris Murphy, D-Conn., 51, a media maven with possible White House aspirations, holds approximately $10.2 million in his accounts. Big debates on Trump, affordability and Gaza lie ahead One feature of the pre-primary jockeying that is coming into focus is the major differences within the Democratic ranks, such as how best to oppose the Trump administration's bulldozing agenda. An example of that larger debate was on display on Capitol Hill this past week when Sen. Cory Booker, D-NJ, a rumored 2028 contender, blasted his fellow party members for supporting a bundle of proposals backed by the GOP administration that would increase resources and funding to police departments and officers. More: 'It's with a full heart that I share this news': Cory Booker drops out of 2020 race "This, to me, is the problem with Democrats in America right now is we're willing to be complicit to Donald Trump to let this pass through when we have all the leverage right now," said Booker, 56, who ran a short-lived 2020 presidential campaign and has garnered renewed interest since delivering a record-breaking Senate speech. Booker's comment outraged Sen. Amy Klobuchar, D-Minn., 65, another prospective and former 2020 White House contender, who needled him for missing a committee hearing on the bipartisan package. There are other issues for Democrats to sort out as well, such as navigating the rising populism from the left over cost of living concerns that helped propel Zohran Mamdani's primary win in the New York City mayor's race. Former Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel, 65, a centrist-aligned Democrat who is being urged to run by more moderate voices, has cautioned against Democrats embracing the 33-year-old New Yorker who is hoping Big Apple voters will pick him this November to lead the nation's largest city. "Recognizing that the American dream is unaffordable and inaccessible and that working hard no longer guarantees getting ahead isn't a socialist observation; it's clear to people of all political stripes," Emanuel said in a June 26 op-ed to the Wall Street Journal. More: Rahm Emanuel warns Democrats in 2020 not to play to 'socialist' type "Affordable healthcare, lifetime retirement security and affordable community college are as American as apple pie, but they won't be realized by consulting the Democratic Socialists of America's playbook," added Emanuel, who most recently served as Biden's U.S. ambassador to Japan and previously was an Illinois congressman and White House chief of staff to then-President Barack Obama. Feldman, the former Gore advisor, said there's a lot of energy among the progressive wing of the party that can't be dismissed, but he questions if someone such as Mamdani could be competitive in a national general election. 'My argument would be, no, he couldn't be,' Feldman said. 'So, you know, there'll be an argument between the various factions in the Democratic Party about what policies we want to present to the American people, and can you harness the energy in the electorate.' More: Election 2024 recap: 'We accept the results,' Harris concedes Other Democratic thinkers agree these sort of sparring matches are inevitable but that they should be looked at more optimistically in the 2028 context given the presidential field is expected to include uber-progressives, centrists and even moderately conservative. "It's gonna be messy and personal, and it's going to feel bad sometimes in the process, but I think it's going to help us shape as a party, what we believe," Amanda Litman, a former Obama 2012 and Hillary Clinton 2016 campaign staffer who co-founded Run for Something, a progressive group that supports candidates for public office, told USA TODAY. Progressives versus everyone else? Every potential 2028 contender will have to talk about a voter's lived experiences and connect with them on the issues that matter most, according to various Democrats who spoke with USA TODAY. But they will also have to evolve with the progressive base on issues the mainstream party has been fearful to embrace. Former Rep. Jamaal Bowman, D-N.Y., who lost his reelection bid last year, is touting new polling by Data for Progress released in late July that shows of New York City primary voters strongly sympathize with Palestinians. The survey found support for Palestinian rights fueled much of Mamdani's support, including 78% of respondents who said Israel is committing genocide in the region and another 79% who said they support restricting weapons to the U.S. ally. Bowman, who was opposed heavily by pro-Israel groups, pointed out that Khanna stood up early as one of the first members of Congress to call for a cease-fire during the Biden era, saying his former colleague should get "a lot of credit for that." As the 2028 field takes shape, Bowman argued that the party cannot be seen as titling the scales against more left-leaning contenders. He also warned the possible presidential contenders that they should not ignore the shifting tides that populist-minded progressives are causing, especially amid widespread reports of starvation in Gaza. "I expect a robust primary debate," Bowman told USA TODAY. "And I hope that ideas rule the day over special interests and politics where we can see the rise of an authentic, historic leadership."


New York Times
29 minutes ago
- New York Times
Texas Pushes Redistricting Into an Era of ‘Maximum Warfare'
The aggressive push by President Trump and Republicans in Texas to squeeze as many as five House Democrats out of office before a single vote is cast in the 2026 midterm elections has opened up a new chapter in an era of unconstrained partisan warfare. For six months, Democrats have watched, sometimes haplessly and sometimes hopelessly, as Mr. Trump and his allies have bent much of the country's political, legal and educational systems to his will. But the bald attempt to redraw the Texas congressional map to shore up House Republicans has pushed many Democrats, including some longtime institutionalists, to a breaking point. Now, they are vowing to 'fight fire with fire' and even to embrace some of the very gerrymandering tactics they have long decried as anti-democratic. 'The Texas Republicans are taking us on a race to the bottom,' said Representative Jamie Raskin, a Maryland Democrat who lamented in an interview that his party must reluctantly participate in 'this rotten system.' Voters are the immediate casualty in this escalating arms race, reduced almost to bystanders as Republicans essentially admit to trying to determine the outcome of Texas races long before the elections are held. The result is a democracy determined less by public opinion than by raw political might. Mr. Trump has pressed Gov. Greg Abbott of Texas and Republican state legislators to redraw their lines, with a draft map released on Wednesday that all but erased three urban Democratic seats and forced two other incumbents in South Texas into more Republican terrain. The special legislative session Mr. Abbott called lasts until late August, but votes could come in the coming week. Want all of The Times? Subscribe.