Los Angeles Councilman Nithya Raman Defeats Mayor Karen Bass in City Leadership Race
The little-known council member secures control of the nation's second-largest city, ending the tenure of the embattled mayor.
By Lorenzo Patterson ·
Nithya Raman, a little-known Los Angeles City Council member, defeated Mayor Karen Bass on Thursday to become the head of the nation’s second most populous city. The result ends the administration of Bass, who has faced mounting pressure from voters and party leaders alike.
The shift in power in Los Angeles occurs amid a turbulent week for American politics and public finance. While Raman’s victory reshapes local leadership, national markets experienced a sharp decline driven by concerns over artificial intelligence infrastructure. Wall Street saw a brutal sell-off in stocks tied to the construction of AI data centers.
In Washington, President Donald Trump confirmed he met with a Russian envoy at the White House on Thursday. The administration stated that Trump did not meet with Ukrainian officials who were also visiting the capital on the same day. Meanwhile, court documents revealed that the Trump administration held secret discussions with Iran regarding the deportation of Iranians during the ongoing conflict.
State governments continued to adjust their approaches to capital punishment and executive power. Florida carried out its nineteenth execution of the year, a record-tying number, as three states administered the death penalty on the same day. In California, Governor Gavin Newsom announced a plan to convert all 548 death sentences in the state to life in prison without parole.
Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer declared that his party intends to block a presidential nominee to the Supreme Court if a vacancy occurs in the next two years. Schumer specified that Democrats would not allow President Trump to appoint a candidate he describes as a right-winger. The move signals a potential standoff over judicial appointments as the current term progresses.
