Politics Election category, Page 113
West Virginia GOP County Commissioners removed from office after arrest for skipping meetings
CHARLESTON, W.Va. — A three-judge panel ordered Wednesday that two county commissioners in West Virginia’s Eastern Panhandle be removed from office over a month after they were arrested for purposefully jilting their duties by skipping public meetings. Circuit Court Judges Joseph K. Reeder of Putnam County, Jason A. Wharton of...
Pa. Senate Republicans pass bill allowing certain energy projects to bypass administration
The Pennsylvania Senate on Wednesday passed a bill that would overhaul elements of the commonwealth’s energy development system — a move hailed by the Republican majority as a way to attract more investment but decried by Democrats as an attempt to skirt environmental regulations. The bill, which passed on a...
House passes bill to expand definition of antisemitism amid growing campus protests over Gaza war
WASHINGTON — The House passed legislation Wednesday that would establish a broader definition of antisemitism for the Department of Education to enforce anti-discrimination laws, the latest response from lawmakers to a nationwide student protest movement over the Israel-Hamas war. The proposal, which passed 320-91 with some bipartisan support, would codify...
Democrats advance election bill in Pennsylvania long sought by counties to process ballots faster
HARRISBURG — Pennsylvania’s House of Representatives on Wednesday approved a bill long sought by counties seeking help to manage huge influxes of mail-in ballots during elections in the presidential battleground state and to avoid a repeat of 2020’s drawn-out vote count. The bill comes barely six months before Pennsylvania could...
Arizona’s Democratic leaders get enough votes to repeal 19th century abortion ban
PHOENIX — Democrats in the Arizona Legislature made a final push Wednesday to repeal the state’s long-dormant ban on nearly all abortions, which a court said can be enforced. Voting wasn’t complete but the Senate had the 16 votes it needed to advance the bill. Fourteen Democrats in the Senate...
House Republicans launch investigation into federal funding for universities amid campus protests
WASHINGTON — House Republicans on Tuesday announced an investigation into the federal funding for universities where students have protested the Israel-Hamas war, broadening a campaign that has placed heavy scrutiny on how presidents at the nation’s most prestigious colleges have dealt with reports of antisemitism on campus. Several House committees...
Trump says he’ll use National Guard to deport migrants, doubling down on anti-immigration rhetoric
WASHINGTON — Donald Trump says he’d use the National Guard as part of efforts to deport millions of migrants across the country if he’s reelected, signaling that he’s doubling down on anti-immigration rhetoric that fueled his previous rise to power. Trump’s comments came during a lengthy in-person and telephone interview...
Bill co-sponsored by Rep. Summer Lee to improve plugging abandoned gas wells passes U.S. House
U.S. Rep. Summer Lee’s first major bill, which could accelerate efforts to plug up to 3 million abandoned gas and oil wells across the country, cleared the House Tuesday with strong bipartisan support. Abandoned wells leak copious amounts of methane and are a persistent problem in Western Pennsylvania. Speaking Monday...
Democrats say they will save Speaker Mike Johnson’s job if Republicans try to oust himVideo
WASHINGTON — House Democrats will vote to save Republican Speaker Mike Johnson’s job should some of his fellow Republican lawmakers seek to remove him from the position, Democratic leaders said Tuesday, likely assuring for now that Johnson will avoid being ousted from office like his predecessor, former Rep. Kevin McCarthy....
Politicians, dog experts vilify South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem after she writes about killing her dog
Politicians and dog experts are criticizing South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem after she wrote in a new book about killing a rambunctious puppy. The story — and the vilification she received on social media — has some wondering whether she’s still a viable potential running mate for presumptive Republican presidential...
Pa. bill to ban live pigeon shoots advances for first time in a decade
A bill to end the practice of captive pigeon shoots — cruel contests that involve the slaughter of hundreds of birds at close range — cleared the state House Judiciary Committee on Monday. Bill sponsor Rep. Perry Warren, D-Bucks County, called the legislation “progress” in addressing an issue that has...
Have you heard the one about Trump? Biden tries humor on the campaign trail
WASHINGTON — President Joe Biden is out to win votes by scoring some laughs at the expense of Donald Trump, unleashing mockery with the goal of getting under the former president’s thin skin and reminding the country of his blunders. Like a comic honing his routine, the Democratic president has...
Trump meets Ron DeSantis seeking to tap ex-rival’s donor connections
Donald Trump and Florida Governor Ron DeSantis met on Sunday to discuss the possibility of tapping DeSantis’ donor network, according to a person familiar with the matter. The Miami meeting is a sign of rapprochement between the former president and his one-time opponent after a period of rocky relations, heightened...
Senators wary of sending National Guard to quell campus protestsVideo
WASHINGTON — U.S. senators dismissed House Speaker Mike Johnson’s suggestion to send the National Guard to college campuses to quell growing protests against the war in Gaza and U.S. support for Israel. “I don’t know if you need to call in the National Guard, maybe you just call in the...
Chants of ‘shame on you’ greet guests arriving for White House correspondents’ dinner
WASHINGTON — An election-year roast of President Joe Biden before journalists, celebrities and politicians at the annual White House correspondents’ dinner Saturday butted up against growing public discord over the Israel-Hamas war, with large protests outside the event condemning Biden’s handling of the conflict and the Western news’ media coverage...
Charges revealed against former Trump aide, 4 lawyers in Arizona fake electors case
PHOENIX — Authorities revealed Friday the charges filed against an ex-aide of former President Donald Trump and four attorneys in Arizona’s fake elector case, but the names of former Trump chief of staff Mark Meadows and lawyer Rudy Giuliani remained blacked out. The Arizona attorney general’s office released a copy...
President Joe Biden says he’s ‘happy to debate’ Donald Trump during interview with Howard Stern
NEW YORK — President Joe Biden said Friday that he is willing to debate his presumptive Republican opponent, Donald Trump, later this fall — his most definitive comment yet on the issue. The comment came during an interview with the Sirius XM radio host Howard Stern, who asked Biden whether...
Rooting for Trump to fail has made his stock shorters millions
NEW YORK — Rooting for Donald Trump to fail has rarely been this profitable. Just ask a hardy band of mostly amateur Wall Street investors who have collectively made tens of millions of dollars over the past month by betting that the stock price of his social media business —...
Trading Trump: Truth Social’s first month of trading has sent investors on a ride
WASHINGTON — There have been lawsuits, short-selling and rampant speculation. Now, as Trump Media & Technology Group approaches its first month as a publicly traded company, it’s clear that — like the man it’s named after — there’s nothing typical about the stock. “If I woke up tomorrow and shares...
Casey, McCormick agree to 3 debates across Pa. in U.S. Senate race
With the primary election just barely in the rearview mirror, the candidates for Pennsylvania’s U.S. Senate wasted no time in thinking ahead to November. Incumbent Democratic U.S. Sen. Bob Casey announced Thursday he wants to participate in three debates this fall. Casey, of Scranton, proposed holding debates in Pittsburgh, Philadelphia,...
‘I just worked, worked, worked.’ Harrison’s Erin McClelland scores upset in Pa. treasurer primary
Outspent and facing an opponent who had won a slew of major endorsements, Erin McClelland engineered the biggest upset in Pennsylvania during Tuesday’s primary, securing the Democratic nomination for state treasurer. McClelland, 49, of Harrison said her public speaking skills, the missteps of her Democratic opponent and her travel across...
With Democrat Janelle Stelson’s win, analyst dials back chances for GOP to hold Rep. Perry’s seat
On the heels of Janelle Stelson’s win on Tuesday as the Democratic challenger to GOP U.S. Rep. Scott Perry, a well-known political forecaster has slightly downgraded Perry’s chances of victory in November. Kyle Kondik with University of Virginia political science professor Larry Sabato’s Crystal Ball said this week he was...
Supreme Court seems skeptical of Trump’s claim of absolute immunity but decision’s timing is unclear
WASHINGTON — The Supreme Court on Thursday appeared likely to reject former President Donald Trump’s claim of absolute immunity from prosecution over election interference, but it seemed possible Trump could still benefit from a lengthy trial delay, possibly beyond November’s election. Chief Justice John Roberts was among at least five...
Pittsburgh region sees lowest presidential primary turnout since 2012
It’s not your imagination if your polling place seemed emptier than usual on Tuesday. This week’s primary ranks as one of the sleepiest in recent memory during a presidential election year in Allegheny and Westmoreland counties. Not since 2012 have the counties seen lower voter turnout for a primary when...
Biden pardons 11 people and shortens the sentences of 5 others convicted of non-violent drug crimes
WASHINGTON — President Joe Biden has granted clemency to 16 people who were convicted of nonviolent drug crimes, issuing pardons to 11 men and women and commuting the sentences of five other people in the latest use of his clemency power to address racial disparities in the justice system. Biden...
