Politics Election category
Amtrak may make it easier to bring guns on its trains despite the alleged attempt on Trump’s life
Amtrak is considering allowing people to store guns in lockboxes on most of its trains, which critics say would weaken security measures that instead should be strengthened in light of the shooting at last weekend’s White House Correspondents’ Association dinner. The company has been considering the policy change since at...
Taiwan expresses concern after China calls the island biggest risk in U.S.-China relations
TAIPEI, Taiwan — Taiwan’s government expressed concern on Friday hours after a call between China and the United States’ top diplomats in which Beijing stressed that self-ruled Taiwan was the biggest risk in relations. “Taiwan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs is concerned about the press release issued by China … which...
After major enforcement operations, the Trump administration recalibrates its immigration crackdown
WASHINGTON — When Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin was questioned by senators during his confirmation hearing about his vision for implementing President Donald Trump’s mass deportation agenda, he said his goal was to keep his department off the front pages of the news. To some degree, he has. Gone are...
Congress approves short-term extension of divisive surveillance program hours before expiration
WASHINGTON — Congress has approved a short-term extension of a critical surveillance program used by U.S. spy agencies, staving off a Friday expiration as disputes over a longer reauthorization remain unresolved. The House sent the extension to President Donald Trump’s desk Thursday after the Senate cleared it earlier in the...
John Fetterman’s stock purchase draws scrutiny over timing and Senate committee role
A recent stock purchase by Sen. John Fetterman is raising eyebrows for its timing and because the company has reportedly received billions in federal funding that his committee oversees. Benzinga, a stock trading and news site, cited a post by an online stock tracker in reporting that Fetterman bought an...
What is Section 2, the provision of the Voting Rights Act at the heart of La. redistricting case?
It remains to be seen how the U.S. Supreme Court ruling on a congressional redistricting case in Louisiana will impact the political landscape. Critics say the court’s ruling Wednesday that the creation of a Black-majority congressional district in Louisiana represented “unconstitutional racial gerrymander” could open the door for more challenges...
Trump order aims to help more people get retirement savings plans in time for new federal match
WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump signed an executive order on Thursday calling for a new government website where people in the United States can find and compare private-sector retirement savings accounts, aiming to help millions of workers whose employers do not offer such plans. The order is intended to help...
Trump pulls Casey Means’ stalled surgeon general nomination and says he’ll put forth Nicole Saphier
WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump said Thursday he’s nominating former Fox News Channel contributor and radiologist Dr. Nicole Saphier for surgeon general after Dr. Casey Means’ path forward stalled in the Senate over questions about her experience and her stance on vaccines. In a social media post, Trump said he...
Trump signs bill funding the Department of Homeland Security, ending record shutdown
WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump swiftly signed bipartisan legislation Thursday funding much of the Department of Homeland Security, but not its immigration enforcement operations, after it won final approval in the House, ending the longest agency shutdown in history. The White House had warned that temporary funding Trump had tapped...
Hegseth clashes for a 2nd day with Democrats in Congress over the Iran war
WASHINGTON — Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth clashed with Democratic lawmakers in Congress for a second day Thursday, rejecting senators’ accusations that the Iran war was launched without evidence of an imminent threat and waged with no coherent strategy. The three-hour hearing of the Senate Armed Services Committee mostly traced the...
Maine Gov. Janet Mills drops Democratic U.S. Senate bid against Platner, lamenting a lack of campaign funds
PORTLAND, Maine — Maine Gov. Janet Mills on Thursday dropped her bid for the U.S. Senate, pointing to a lack of campaign funds to keep up in one of the most competitive races in the country that quickly became a reflection of an internal party debate over which candidates can...
Louisiana congressional primaries suspended as a result of Supreme Court ruling, state officials say
BATON ROUGE, La. — Louisiana’s congressional primaries won’t be going forward as scheduled in May, as a result of a U.S. Supreme Court ruling that struck down a majority Black congressional district, the state’s top elected officials said Thursday. Gov. Jeff Landry and Attorney General Liz Murrill said in a...
Supreme Court ruling will reshape American politics. The only question is when
The U.S. Supreme Court’s conservative majority on Wednesday handed Republicans their biggest victory yet in the perpetual battle to control the House of Representatives and statehouses across the country — but it may have come too late to have much of an effect on this year’s midterm elections. The 6-3...
Supreme Court weakens Voting Rights Act and aids GOP efforts to control the House
WASHINGTON — The Supreme Court on Wednesday hollowed out a landmark Civil Rights-era law that has increased minority representation in Congress and elsewhere, striking down a majority Black congressional district in Louisiana and opening the door for more redistricting across the country that could aid Republican efforts to control the...
Deluzio, Hegseth spar during heated congressional hearingVideo
U.S. Rep. Chris Deluzio and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth sparred during a contentious congressional hearing Wednesday over accounts that a U.S. command post in Kuwait was unprepared for an Iranian drone attack that killed six troops and injured dozens more. When Deluzio asked Hegseth whether there was anything else that...
Pa. House passes bill opening door to separate public, private state playoffs
The state House on Wednesday overwhelmingly voted in favor of a proposal that would clear the way for the PIAA to hold separate postseason tournaments for traditional public high schools and private, parochial and charter schools. The bipartisan bill passed on a 178-23 vote and now goes to the Senate...
Florida legislature approves new congressional map intended to boost Republicans in midterms
TALLAHASSEE — The Florida Legislature approved a new congressional map intended to maximize Republicans’ advantage in the state as part of the national redistricting battle that President Donald Trump launched ahead of this year’s midterms. The vote came just two days after Gov. Ron DeSantis unveiled his proposal and the...
House approves bill to extend divisive surveillance program, but path forward uncertain
WASHINGTON — The Republican-controlled House approved a three-year reauthorization of a divisive U.S. surveillance program ahead of its expiration on Friday, adding new oversight measures but stopping short of the warrant requirement that critics have demanded. A large group of Democrats joined most Republicans to pass the bill in a...
Comey appears in court in Trump threat case that’s likely to pose a challenge for Justice Department
ALEXANDRIA, Va. — Former FBI Director James Comey appeared in court on Wednesday, kick-starting a criminal case against him that legal experts say presents significant hurdles for the prosecution and will likely be a challenge for the Justice Department to win. Comey, who didn’t enter a plea, was indicted in...
Hegseth will be grilled by Congress for the 1st time since the Iran war began
WASHINGTON — Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth will face questioning from lawmakers Wednesday for the first time since the Trump administration launched the war against Iran, which Democrats have contested as a costly conflict of choice waged without congressional approval. The hearing before the House Armed Services Committee is being held...
Environmental Protection Agency boss backs big budget cuts but Congress will get the final say
WASHINGTON — Senate Democrats accused the Trump administration of abandoning the Environmental Protection Agency’s mission to protect human health and the environment at a congressional hearing Wednesday, slamming agency leadership over a proposal to cut its budget in half. EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin’s appearance before the Senate environment committee was...
Supreme Court to weigh Trump administration push to end protections for Haitian, Syrian migrants
WASHINGTON — The Supreme Court will hear arguments Wednesday over the Trump administration’s push to end legal protections for migrants fleeing war and natural disaster, one in a series of immigration cases the high court is considering against the backdrop of the president’s far-reaching immigration crackdown. The government is appealing...
Federal judge dismisses DOJ lawsuit against Arizona seeking voter data
PHOENIX — A federal judge on Tuesday dismissed a U.S. Department of Justice lawsuit against Arizona seeking access to the state’s detailed voter records, the latest legal setback in a nationwide effort by the Trump administration. U.S. District Judge Susan Brnovich, a Trump appointee, wrote that Arizona’s statewide voter registration...
Ex-FBI Director Comey indicted in probe over online post officials say constituted Trump threat
WASHINGTON — Former FBI Director James Comey was indicted on Tuesday in an investigation over a social media photo of seashells arranged on a beach that officials said constituted a threat against President Donald Trump, according to a person familiar with the matter. The person was not authorized to publicly...
On social media, concerns and questions arise about a U.S. military draft
Since the U.S. and Israel launched war on Iran, concerns are cropping up on social media that the country’s first military draft since 1973 could return. Popular influencers like Spencer Hunt have been expressing such worries. A March TikTok post on the topic by Hunt (@spencewuah) — which garnered over...
