Home › Nov 5, 2026

Newsom moves to empty California's death row as 2028 looms

First seen Nov 5, 2026, 2:57 PM ET · Updated Nov 5, 2026, 3:57 PM ET · 6 outlets

Topics: California Politics2028 Presidential Race

6 outlets (Axios, The Hill, CBS News, PBS NewsHour, The Guardian US and BBC US) are covering this story.

How outlets are covering this: 6 outlets ran their own headlines on this story. Words most headlines share: “death”, “California's”, “Newsom”, “sentences”. Distinct wording: Axios uses “looms” and “empty”; The Hill uses “state” and “Gov”; PBS NewsHour uses “without” and “parole”; BBC US uses “governor” and “people”. (Computed from the headlines below.)

• Axios reports: “California Gov. Gavin Newsom announced Thursday he plans to commute all 548 of the state's death sentences to life without parole, a sweeping decision that could empty the nation's largest death ro…”
• The Hill reports: “Newsom said he is changing the penalty for all 548 death row inmates to life without parole.”
• CBS News reports: “The move does not repeal California's death penalty or prevent prosecutors from seeking it in future cases.”

Read the full coverage

• Axios: Newsom moves to empty California's death row as 2028 looms
• The Hill: California Gov. Gavin Newsom to commute all death sentences in state
• CBS News: Newsom moves to commute all California death sentences
• PBS NewsHour: Newsom says he will commute all 548 of California's death sentences to life without parole
• The Guardian US: Gavin Newsom commutes more than 500 death sentences in California
• BBC US: California governor commutes death sentences for all 548 people on death row

All political stories from Thursday, November 5, 2026 · Today’s top stories