Progressive lawmakers push to slash defense budget during pandemic

A bloc of progressive House lawmakers wants to slash the Pentagon’s budget in defense policy legislation, arguing extra money that would go toward military hardware would be better spent fighting the coronavirus. Twenty nine House Democrats insisted in a letter to leaders of the House Armed Services Committee that the National Defense Authorization Act should…

Newsom trims California budget — but pins trigger cuts on Trump and Congress

SACRAMENTO — California Gov. Gavin Newsom on Thursday proposed a slimmed-down $203 billion state budget that relies on help from Senate Republicans and President Donald Trump to avoid $14 billion in trigger cuts, with the state facing its first deficit in eight years after being blindsided by the coronavirus pandemic. The trigger cuts go back…