LOS ANGELES (AP) — The race for California governor features former presidential wannabes, a county sheriff, two women who could become the first female to hold the office, House members current and former, an ex-Cabinet secretary and at least one billionaire with another in the wings. The contest has been singed by scandal and witnessed one campaign nearly melt down.

And it hasn’t officially started yet.

The pending exit of term-limited Gov. Gavin Newsom has created the most wide-open and crowded field for the state’s highest office in memory. The job pays $242,000 a year but provides an arguably more valuable national political platform and the ability to engage in trade, climate and other global affairs. By default the California governor, in a state of nearly 40 million people, is a national figure. Newsom is widely expected to launch a White House run after the Democrat’s term ends in early January 2027.

The lure of the powerful job attracted its latest candidate Thursday — Democratic Rep. Eric Swalwell, who served as a House manager in President Donald Trump’s 2021 impeachment trial and briefly sought his party’s 2020 presidential nomination.

The eventual winner will also inherit a long list of problems, from an unchecked homeless crisis to multibillion-dollar projected future budget gaps.

The primary is June 2. Candidates can begin taking the first steps needed to qualify for the ballot next month. Newsom has not endorsed a successor.

How do Democrats stand out among Democrats?

Democrats are strongly favored to hold the seat in a liberal-leaning state where a Republican hasn’t won a statewide race in nearly two decades. Democrats outnumber registered Republicans by nearly 2-to-1 statewide, a staggering advantage.

One challenge for the growing list of Democratic candidates will be trying to stand out when they largely agree on most issues — dealing with the state’s affordability crisis and countering Trump will top the agenda. Former Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa has positioned himself toward the center political lane and has been talking about his record of cutting taxes. He also boosted police force numbers and saw crime drop when he was LA’s mayor.

Billionaire businessman Tom Steyer, a recent entrant into the contest who ran for president in 2020, says the state can “break up the monopolistic power of utilities” to reduce its second-highest-in-the-nation electricity rates.

How many is too many?

Even in a field of recognized names, there is no dominant candidate.

“It’s a five-way, six-way jump ball and that ball could go in any direction,” Democratic consultant Michael Trujillo said. “Any one of these Democrats running currently could be our next governor.”

In California, the top two vote-getters advance to the November general election, regardless of party. With many candidates dividing up the electorate, that means the two candidates who advance could get to November with just over 20% of the vote — and maybe less. The winning advantage separating the top two finishers from the rest of the field could be a percentage point or two.

Along with Swalwell, Villaraigosa and Steyer, other Democrats in the contest include former U.S. Rep. Katie Porter, former Biden administration health secretary Xavier Becerra, former state controller Betty Yee, schools superintendent Tony Thurmond and real estate developer Stephen Cloobeck. Attorney General Rob Bonta, who previously said he wasn’t running, is now reconsidering a bid.

Unwelcome publicity sours Porter’s start

Porter — who in the House became a social media celebrity by brandishing a whiteboard at congressional hearings while grilling CEOs — joined the unfolding race in March and moved quickly to establish herself as a leading contender.

But her momentum collapsed in early October, after a snippet of a recent TV interview went viral showing her in an awkwardly tense back-and-forth with a reporter. At one point, she threatened to walk out. Shortly afterward, a video surfaced of a 2021 interview showing her loudly berating a staffer.

After a deluge of online mockery, rivals quickly questioned whether she was too unsteady for the job. But Porter’s campaign lined up supporters to help her weather the fallout. It is unclear if the unflattering episode will influence voters.

Becerra’s name pulled into Sacramento scandal

Prosecutors allege longtime Becerra aide Sean McCluskie was at the center of a plan to steal money from one of Becerra’s dormant state campaign accounts to pad his salary after he accepted a job as Becerra’s chief of staff in Washington.

Becerra is a former House member and state attorney general.

Villaraigosa launched a digital ad spotlighting Becerra’s connection to the scandal. Becerra is not implicated in the indictment. But the ad attempts to raise doubts about his judgment and features clips from a TV interview in which Becerra said he knew payments were being made from his account but didn’t know they were being improperly used.

A Republican surprise?

Even in a heavily Democratic state, Republicans can pull off surprises.

Last year, former baseball star Steve Garvey finished second in the U.S. Senate primary, besting Porter and then-Democratic Rep. Barbara Lee and advancing to the November election. He lost to now-Democratic Sen. Adam Schiff. The leading Republicans in the governor’s race — Riverside County Sheriff Chad Bianco and conservative commentator Steve Hilton — are hoping to slip through into November, given the large Democratic field dividing the vote.

There are other unknowns. Billionaire shopping mall developer Rick Caruso hasn’t ruled out a run, after losing his bid to become Los Angeles mayor.

NEW YORK (AP) — The clock is ticking for the U.S. government to open up its files on Jeffrey Epstein.

After months of rancor and recriminations, Congress has passed and President Donald Trump has signed legislation compelling the Justice Department to give the public everything it has on Epstein — and it has to be done before Christmas.

But even that might not be enough for the curious and the conspiracy-minded.

While there’s sure to be never-before-seen material in the thousands of pages likely to be released, a lot of Epstein-related records have already been made public, including by Congress and through litigation.

And don’t expect a “client list” of famous men who cavorted with Epstein. Though such a list has long been rumored, the Justice Department said in July that it doesn’t exist.

Here’s a look at what’s expected to be made public, what isn’t, and a refresher on how we got to this point:

Who is Jeffrey Epstein?

Epstein was a millionaire money manager known for socializing with celebrities, politicians, billionaires and the academic elite who was accused of sexually abusing underage girls.

His relationships with powerful men, including Trump, former President Bill Clinton and the former British prince Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor, have been the subject of endless fascination and speculation. Neither Trump nor Clinton has been accused of wrongdoing. Andrew has denied abusing anyone.

Police in Palm Beach, Florida, began investigating Epstein in 2005 after he was accused of paying a 14-year-old girl for sex. The FBI then joined the investigation, but Epstein made a secret deal with the U.S. attorney in Florida to avoid federal charges, enabling him to plead guilty in 2008 to a relatively minor state-level prostitution charge. He served 13 months in a jail work-release program.

In 2019, during Trump’s first term, Manhattan federal prosecutors revived the case and charged Epstein with sex trafficking, alleging he sexually abused dozens of girls. He killed himself in jail a month after his arrest.

In 2021, a federal jury in Manhattan convicted Epstein’s longtime confidante and former girlfriend Ghislaine Maxwell of sex trafficking for helping recruit some of his underage victims. She is serving a 20-year prison sentence.

What’s in the Justice Department’s Epstein files?

Records related to the aborted Florida investigation, the Manhattan investigations, and anything else the Justice Department did to examine Epstein’s dealings in the time in between.

They could include notes and reports written by FBI agents; transcripts of witness interviews, photographs, videos and other evidence; Epstein’s autopsy report; and some material that may already be public, such as flight logs and travel records.

The law, dubbed the Epstein Files Transparency Act, mandates the Justice Department to release all unclassified documents and investigative materials, including files relating to immunity deals and internal communications about whom to charge or investigate.

What isn’t authorized for release under the law?

Anything containing a victim’s personally identifiable information.

The law allows the Justice Department to withhold or redact records that, if made public, would constitute “a clearly unwarranted invasion of personal privacy.” It also bars the release of any materials depicting the sexual abuse of children, or images of death, physical abuse, or injury.

That means that if videos or photos exist of Epstein or anyone else sexually abusing underage girls, they can’t be made public.

However, the law also makes clear that no records shall be withheld or redacted — meaning certain parts are blacked out — solely because their release would cause embarrassment or reputational harm to any public figure, government official or foreign dignitary.

When will the files be available to the public?

The legislation requires the Justice Department to make the documents public in a searchable and downloadable format within 30 days of Trump signing it into law. That means no later than Dec. 19.

However, the law also allows the Justice Department to withhold files that it says could jeopardize an active federal investigation. That’s also longstanding Justice Department policy. Files can also be withheld if they’re found to be classified or if they pertain to national defense or foreign policy.

While investigations into Epstein and Maxwell are long over, Attorney General Pam Bondi last week ordered a top federal prosecutor to lead an investigation into people who knew Epstein and some of Trump’s political foes, including Clinton.

That investigation, taken up at Trump’s urging despite the Justice Department previously finding no evidence to support such a probe, could give the government grounds to temporarily withhold at least some of the material.

What about the so-called client list?

Epstein’s so-called “client list” — a purported collection of his famous associates — has been the white whale of Epstein sleuths, skeptics and conspiracy theorists alike.

Even Bondi got in on the act, telling Fox News in February that the “client list” was “sitting on my desk right now to review.”

The only problem: the Justice Department concluded it doesn’t exist, issuing a letter in July saying that its review of Epstein-related records had revealed no incriminating “client list.” Nor was there credible evidence that Epstein had “blackmailed prominent individuals as part of his actions,” the unsigned memo said.

Why are these records being released now?

Congress is forcing the government to act after Trump reneged on a campaign promise last year to throw open the files. The Justice Department did release some records earlier this year — almost all of them already public — but suddenly hit the brakes in July after promising a “truckload” more.

That prompted a small, bipartisan group of House lawmakers to launch what was initially seen as a longshot effort to compel their release through legislation. In the meantime, lawmakers started disclosing documents they’d received from Epstein’s estate, culminating in a 23,000-page release last week.

As public and political pressure mounted, including from some Trump allies, Congress swiftly passed the Epstein Files Transparency Act on Tuesday and Trump signed it into law on Wednesday.

Haven’t some Epstein files already been made public?

Yes. Before Congress got involved, tens of thousands of pages of records were released over the years through civil lawsuits, Epstein and Maxwell’s public criminal case dockets, public disclosures and Freedom of Information Act requests.

Many documents — including police reports written in Florida, state grand jury records, depositions of Epstein’s employees, his flight records, his address book — are available already. In July, the Justice Department released surveillance video from the jail on the night Epstein died.

Even the FBI has previously released some Epstein-related files, posting more than 1,400 pages to its website, though much of the material was redacted and some hidden because it was under seal.

WASHINGTON (AP) — After a disruptive U.S. government shutdown, federal SNAP food assistance is again flowing to low-income households. But in the months ahead, many participants will have to abide by new work requirements.

The Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program provides monthly benefits — averaging around $190 per person — to about 42 million people nationwide. During the first couple weeks of November, many of those recipients missed their regular allotments as President Donald Trump’s administration battled in court over whether to tap into reserves to fund the program while the government was shut down.

Here’s what to know about SNAP:

The benefits are available across the country after lapses

For the first part of the month, the situation was chaotic after the federal government said SNAP would not be funded because of the government shutdown.

Some states replenished the electronic benefit cards used in the program either fully or partially, using their own funds or federal dollars that were part of court orders. Others didn’t.

Most states boosted food charities, but lines were long and some shelves were empty.

As soon as the government reopened on Nov. 12, many states rushed to get out benefits.

By Tuesday, all states either had loaded full November benefits onto people’s electronic spending cards or were working on it, according to an Associated Press review. Participants should receive December SNAP benefits according to their normal schedule.

More SNAP recipients will face work requirements

A massive tax and spending bill signed into law in July by Trump expanded requirements for many adult SNAP recipients to work, volunteer or participate in job training for at least 80 hours a month. Those who don’t are limited to three months of benefits in a three-year period.

The work requirements previously applied to adults ages 18 through 54 who are physically and mentally able and don’t have dependents. The new law also applies those requirements to those ages 55 through 64 and to parents without children younger than 14. It repeals work exemptions for homeless individuals, veterans and young adults aging out of foster care. And it limits the ability of states to waive work requirements in areas lacking jobs.

The Trump administration waived the work requirements in November, but the three-month clock on work-free SNAP benefits will be in full force in December.

The new requirements are expected to reduce the average monthly number of SNAP recipients by about 2.4 million people over the next 10 years, according to the Congressional Budget Office.

Agriculture secretary casts doubt about SNAP

In the aftermath of the shutdown, Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins, whose department administers SNAP, has cast doubt on the program. Rollins has said it is rife with fraud, including deceased people receiving benefits and some people receiving multiple benefits.

Rollins suggested that everyone who receives SNAP be required to reapply. But it’s not clear whether Rollins was suggesting an additional requirement or referring to the current one that mandates people to periodically recertify their income and other information.

An Agriculture Department spokesperson didn’t clarify but instead said in a statement that the standard recertification processes for households is part of a plan to eliminate fraud, abuse and waste.

Under federal law, most households must report their income and basic information every four to six months and be fully recertified for SNAP at least every 12 months. Full recertification can occur every 24 months for households where all adults are age 60 and above or have disabilities.

But states can require more frequent eligibility verifications. Last year, 27 states required at least some households to be fully recertified every four to six months, depending on their household circumstances, according to a USDA report.