Politics Election category, Page 123
Trump assails Jewish voters who back Biden: ‘Should have their head examined’
ATLANTA — Donald Trump on Wednesday lashed out at Jewish voters who back President Joe Biden and framed this year’s election as a referendum on the strength of Christianity in the U.S., part of his sharp-edged continuing appeal to evangelical conservatives who are a critical element of his political base....
Conservative revolt in the House blocks effort to reauthorize a key spy tool
WASHINGTON — A bill that would reauthorize a crucial national security surveillance program was blocked Wednesday by a conservative revolt, pushing the prospects of final passage into uncertainty amid a looming deadline. The legislative impasse follows an edict earlier in the day from former President Donald Trump to “kill” the...
GOP lawmakers offer alternative to Gov. Shapiro’s higher ed plan
Senate and House Republican lawmakers have crafted a college affordability plan that seeks to make Pennsylvania more competitive for both in-state and out-of-state students in high-demand fields in exchange for a requirement that they remain in the state after graduation. The Grow PA proposal introduced on Wednesday also establishes a...
Shouts of ‘Shame! Shame!’ erupt in Arizona House as fight over abortion ban engulfs lawmakersVideo
PHOENIX — The Arizona Legislature devolved into shouts of “Shame! Shame!” on Wednesday as Republican lawmakers quickly shut down discussion on a proposed repeal of the state’s newly revived 1864 law that criminalizes abortion throughout pregnancy unless a woman’s life is at risk. The state Supreme Court cleared the way...
Why independents can’t vote in the 2024 Pa. primary, and the slow-moving push to change that
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 — Millions of voters are expected to cast ballots during Pennsylvania’s April 23 primary, choosing candidates to represent the Democratic and Republican parties in...
Trump says Arizona’s abortion ban goes too far and defends the overturning of Roe v. Wade
ATLANTA — Donald Trump said Wednesday that an Arizona law that criminalizes nearly all abortions goes too far and the former president called on Arizona lawmakers to change it, while also defending the overturning of Roe v. Wade that cleared states to ban the procedure. “It’ll be straightened out and...
As medical perils from abortion bans grow, so do opportunities for Democrats in a post-Roe world
WASHINGTON — For much of her life, Angela Crawford considered herself a fairly conservative Republican — and she voted that way. But then a wave of court rulings and Republican-led actions in states restricted abortion and later in vitro fertilization, the very procedure that had helped her conceive her daughter....
Pennsylvania poised to become the next state to ban using a handheld device while driving
Pennsylvania is on its way to becoming the next state to ban the use of handheld cellphones while driving. The House of Representatives on Tuesday voted 124-77 to approve an amended version of a Senate-passed bill championed by Sen. Rosemary Brown, R-Monroe County, that would make it illegal for a...
Appeals court rejects Donald Trump’s latest attempt to delay April 15 hush money criminal trial
NEW YORK — A New York appeals court judge Tuesday rejected Donald Trump’s latest attempt to delay his hush money criminal trial, taking just 12 minutes to swat aside an argument that it should be postponed while the former president fights a gag order. Justice Cynthia Kern’s ruling was the...
GOP’s Marjorie Taylor Greene delivers fresh threats of ousting Speaker Johnson in scathing rebuke
WASHINGTON — Hard-right Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene escalated her criticism Tuesday of House Speaker Mike Johnson, blistering his leadership in a lengthy letter to colleagues and renewing threats of a snap vote that could remove him from office. As lawmakers returned to work from a two-week spring recess, the fresh...
Latino voters, coveted by both major parties, targeted with election misinformation
PHOENIX — As ranchera music filled the Phoenix recording studio at Radio Campesina, a station personality spoke in Spanish into the microphone. “Friends of Campesina, in these elections, truth and unity are more important than ever,” said morning show host Tony Arias. “Don’t let yourself be trapped by disinformation.” The...
Biden could miss the deadline for the November ballot in Ohio, the state’s election office says
TOLEDO, Ohio — President Joe Biden could be left off the ballot in Ohio this fall unless the state’s Republican-dominated legislature creates an exception to the ballot deadline or the Democratic Party moves up its convention, according to the office that oversees the state’s elections. Ohio’s deadline to certify presidential...
New York appeals judge rejects Donald Trump’s request to delay his April 15 hush money trial
NEW YORK — A New York appeals court judge on Monday rejected Donald Trump’s bid to delay his April 15 hush money criminal trial while he fights to move the case out of Manhattan — foiling the former president’s latest attempt to put off the historic trial. Justice Lizbeth González...
Trump declines to endorse a national abortion ban and says it should be left to the states
NEW YORK — Former President Donald Trump said he believes abortion limits should be left to the states, in a video released Monday declining to endorse a national ban after months of mixed messages and speculation. “Many people have asked me what my position is on abortion and abortion rights,”...
Anonymous users are dominating right-wing discussions online. They also spread false information
NEW YORK — The reposts and expressions of shock from public figures followed quickly after a user on the social platform X who uses a pseudonym claimed that a government website had revealed “skyrocketing” rates of voters registering without a photo ID in three states this year — two of...
Donald Trump to hold rally in Lehigh Valley next week
Former President Donald Trump is set to return to the Lehigh Valley next weekend for a campaign rally as he seeks a second term in the White House. A rally has been scheduled for the Schnecksville Fire Hall on Old Packhouse Road in North Whitehall Township at 7 p.m. April...
Former Trump officials among most vocal opponents of returning him to White House
NEW YORK — Former Defense Secretary Mark Esper has called him a “threat to democracy.” Former national security adviser John Bolton has declared him “unfit to be president.” And former Vice President Mike Pence has declined to endorse him, citing “profound differences.” As Donald Trump seeks the presidency for a...
Lee, Patel spar on TV over Biden support, Mideast war
Democratic U.S. Rep. Summer Lee and primary challenger Bhavini Patel sparred Thursday in their only scheduled televised debate, attacking each other over their positions on war in the Mideast and support of President Joe Biden. WPXI moderated the 28-minute debate, which was not open to other media. No primary race...
Tennessee lawmakers pass bill to require anti-abortion group video, or comparable, in public schools
NASHVILLE — Tennessee would become the latest state to require public school students to watch a video on fetal development produced by an anti-abortion group, or something comparable, under legislation that is headed to Republican Gov. Bill Lee’s desk. The GOP-dominated Senate passed the legislation Thursday, with the five Democrats...
No Labels abandons third-party campaign after trying to recruit a centrist presidential candidate
NEW YORK — The No Labels group said Thursday it will not field a presidential candidate in November after strategists for the bipartisan organization failed to attract a high-profile centrist willing to seize on the widespread dissatisfaction with President Joe Biden and Donald Trump. “No Labels has always said we...
New rule strengthening federal job protections could counter Trump promises to remake the government
WASHINGTON — The government’s chief human resources agency issued a new rule on Thursday making it harder to fire thousands of federal employees, hoping to head off former President Donald Trump’s promises to radically remake the workforce along ideological lines if he wins back the White House in November. The...
Months ahead of the presidential election, Nebraska’s GOP governor wants a winner-take-all system
OMAHA, Neb. — With only months to go before what is shaping up to be a hotly contested presidential election, Nebraska’s Republican governor is calling on state lawmakers to move forward with a “winner-take-all” system of awarding Electoral College votes. “It would bring Nebraska into line with 48 of our...
Trump accused of lying about speaking with murder victim’s family
Donald Trump lied during a Tuesday rally in Michigan when he said he spoke with the family of teenage murder victim Ruby Garcia, according to Garcia’s grieving family. For starters, Ruby Garcia was 25 years old when she was allegedly killed by a man who was in the U.S. illegally,...
Months ahead of the presidential election, Nebraska’s GOP governor wants a winner-take-all system
OMAHA, Neb. — With only months to go before what is shaping up to be a hotly contested presidential election, Nebraska’s Republican governor is calling on state lawmakers to move forward with a “winner-take-all” system of awarding Electoral College votes. “It would bring Nebraska into line with 48 of our...
Russia: U.S. shares blame in a concert hall attack claimed by Islamic militants
TALLINN, Estonia — The head of Russia’s national security council on Wednesday contended that the U.S. shares blame for the attack by gunmen on a Moscow concert hall that killed 145 people, even though a branch of the Islamic State group has claimed responsibility. Since the March 22 attack at...
