Fake Donald Trump electors settle civil lawsuit in Wisconsin, agree that President Biden won
MADISON, Wis. — Ten Republicans who posed as fake electors for former President Donald Trump in Wisconsin and filed paperwork falsely saying he had won the battleground state have settled a civil lawsuit and admitted their actions were part of an effort to overturn President Joe Biden’s victory, attorneys who...
GOP Rep. Kevin McCarthy of California is resigning 2 months after his ouster as House speaker
LOS ANGELES — Two months after his historic ouster as House speaker, Republican Rep. Kevin McCarthy of California announced on Wednesday that he is resigning from his congressional seat and will leave by the end of the year. His announcement marked the stunning coming end of the House career of...
A pregnant Texas woman is asking a court to let her have an abortion under exceptions to state’s ban
AUSTIN, Texas — A pregnant Texas woman whose fetus has a fatal diagnosis asked a court Tuesday to let her have an abortion, bringing what her attorneys say is the first lawsuit of its kind in the U.S. since Roe v. Wade was overturned last year. Texas is one of...
Washington’s center of gravity on immigration has shifted to the right
WASHINGTON — It was a decade ago that Capitol Hill was consumed by an urgency to overhaul the nation’s immigration system, fueled in no small part by Republicans who felt a political imperative to make inroads with minority voters by embracing more generous policies. But nothing ever became law and...
Court filing gives rare look inside FBI seizure of Pa. Rep. Scott Perry’s phone in 2020 election probe
HARRISBURG — Just how hard did some Republican members of Congress work to keep Donald Trump in office after his 2020 election loss? A court case is providing a few tantalizing clues. Snippets and short summaries of texts and emails sent by Rep. Scott Perry of Pennsylvania, a top Trump...
Trump declines to rule out abusing power to seek retribution if he returns to the White House
NEW YORK — Former President Donald Trump declined to rule out abusing power if he returns to the White House after Fox News Channel host Sean Hannity asked him Tuesday to respond to growing Democratic criticism of his rhetoric. The GOP presidential front-runner has talked about targeting his rivals —...
Heavy fighting in Gaza halts most aid delivery and leaves civilians with few places to seek safety
DEIR AL-BALAH, Gaza Strip — Israeli forces battled Hamas militants across Gaza on Wednesday in intense fighting that has prevented the distribution of vital aid in much of the territory and brought some of the devastation and mass displacement seen in the north to the south. As the focus of...
Sheriff: Gunman’s parents among 6 dead in Texas attacks; he was earlier arrested for family assault
AUSTIN, Texas — A Texas man suspected of killing his parents in San Antonio and four others in Austin in a violent trail of separate attacks had cut off his ankle monitor from a previous misdemeanor domestic violence arrest, authorities said Wednesday. The suspect, Shane James, 34, also had been...
A 2nd Trump administration will ‘come after’ people in the media in the courts, ally says
NEW YORK — A Donald Trump ally who worked in his Justice Department said Tuesday that if the former president is elected again, his administration will retaliate against people in the media “criminally or civilly.” Kash Patel, who was also chief of staff in the Defense Department and held a...
Biden says he might not have sought reelection if Trump weren’t running
President Joe Biden said he might not be running for a second term if former President Donald Trump were not seeking to return to the White House, arguing Trump poses a grave threat to American democracy. “If Trump wasn’t running, I’m not sure I’d be running,” Biden, 81, told donors...
Atmospheric river soaks Pacific Northwest with record-breaking rain, unusually warm temperaturesVideo
PORTLAND, Ore. — An atmospheric river has brought heavy rain, flooding and unseasonably warm temperatures to the Pacific Northwest, closing rail links, schools and roads as it shattered daily rainfall and temperature records in Washington state. Amtrak said Tuesday that no passenger trains will be running between Seattle and Portland,...
Trump’s defense at civil fraud trial zooms in on Mar-a-Lago, with broker calling it ‘breathtaking’
Former President Donald Trump’s civil business fraud trial turned Tuesday to one of the topics that has vexed him most — the value of his Mar-a-Lago club in Palm Beach, Fla. Testifying for Trump’s defense, a Florida real estate attorney said the property could be sold as a home, notwithstanding...
Vote to name PennWest interim president to lead West Chester University could happen this month
PennWest University interim President Lorraine “Laurie” Bernotsky is one vote away from being named the next president of West Chester University in suburban Philadelphia, effective in July. The State System of Higher Education board of governors is expected to call a special meeting this month to select the 16th president...
With George Santos out of Congress, special election to fill his seat set for February
ALBANY, N.Y. — A special election to pick a successor to George Santos, the New York Republican who was expelled from the U.S. House last week, will be held on Feb. 13, Gov. Kathy Hochul announced Tuesday. The race for a seat representing some Long Island suburbs and a small...
Voting experts warn of ‘serious threats’ for 2024 from election equipment software breachesVideo
ATLANTA — An effort to access voting system software in several states and provide it to allies of former President Donald Trump as they sought to overturn the results of the 2020 election has raised “serious threats” ahead of next year’s presidential contest, according to a group of experts who...
Man believed to have fired shots at officers before a Virginia house exploded is dead, police sayVideo
ARLINGTON, Va. — The suspect who fired at officers from a duplex in an Arlington, Virginia, neighborhood before the home exploded on Monday night is presumed dead, according to authorities. Fifty-six-year-old James Yoo was identified by Arlington County Police Chief Andy Penn at a press conference Tuesday as the the...
New Pa. House rules sought to strengthen bipartisanship, but insiders say they didn’t work
Spotlight PA is an independent, nonpartisan, and nonprofit newsroom producing investigative and public-service journalism that holds power to account and drives positive change in Pennsylvania. HARRISBURG — During the chaotic start to this year’s legislative session, Pennsylvania House Democrats used their new majority to pass a high-profile set of changes...
North Carolina Rep. McHenry, who led House through speaker stalemate, won’t seek reelection in 2024
RALEIGH — North Carolina Rep. Patrick McHenry, who presided temporarily over the U.S. House for three intense weeks while Republicans struggled to elect a permanent speaker after Kevin McCarthy’s ouster, announced Tuesday that he won’t seek reelection to his seat next year. McHenry, who was first elected to the House...
Vice President Harris breaks nearly 200-year-old record for Senate tiebreaker votes, casts her 32nd
WASHINGTON — Vice President Kamala Harris broke a nearly 200-year-old record for casting the most tiebreaking votes in the Senate when she voted Tuesday to confirm a new federal judge in Washington, D.C. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, a New York Democrat, called Harris’ 32nd tiebreaking vote a “great milestone.”...
Texas high school sends Black student back to in-school suspension over his locs hairstyle
A Texas high school sent a Black student back to in-school suspension Tuesday for refusing to change his hairstyle, renewing a monthslong standoff over a dress code policy the teen’s family calls discriminatory. The student, Darryl George, was suspended for 13 days because his hair is out of compliance when...
Iowa man still missing, 2 weeks after semi holding baby pigs was found on highway
DES MOINES, Iowa — David Schultz’s semi-truck was found two weeks ago on a rural highway in northwest Iowa, its trailer still filled with baby pigs he was transporting. Schultz’s wallet and phone were inside, and his jacket was on the side of the road. But Schultz was nowhere to...
Senate approves hundreds of military promotions after Sen. Tuberville ends blockade of nominees
WASHINGTON — The Senate in a single stroke Tuesday approved about 425 military promotions after Sen. Tommy Tuberville of Alabama ended a monthslong blockade of nominations over his opposition to a Pentagon abortion policy. Tuberville had been under pressure from members of both sides of the political aisle to end...
House Speaker Johnson is insisting on sweeping border security changes in a deal for Ukraine aid
WASHINGTON — House Speaker Mike Johnson told fellow Republicans on Tuesday that sweeping changes to U.S. border policy would be their “hill to die on” in negotiations over President Joe Biden’s nearly $106 billion package for the wars in Ukraine and Israel and other security needs. Johnson delivered the hard-line...
In a rare action against Israel, U.S. says extremist West Bank settlers will be barred from America
WASHINGTON — In a rare punitive move against Israel, the State Department said Tuesday it will impose travel bans on extremist Jewish settlers implicated in a rash of recent attacks on Palestinians in the occupied West Bank. Secretary of State Antony Blinken announced the step after warning Israel last week...
U.S. imposes new round of sanctions over Russia’s invasion of Ukraine
WASHINGTON — The U.S. on Tuesday imposed sanctions on a Belgian involved in procuring electronics for the Russian military, his companies and a group of Belarusian firms and people tied to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control targeted a network led by Belgium-based Hans De Geetere,...
