Politics Election category, Page 131
Tom Suozzi, Mazi Melesa Pilip enter final stretch in New York race for George Santos’ seat
Voters in eastern Queens and Long Island are due to make their call Tuesday in a special congressional election to replace George Santos, with Tom Suozzi and Mazi Melesa Pilip on the ballot. The race, which has taken a deeply negative tenor, has appeared to be less a referendum on...
Republican Michigan lawmaker loses staff and committee assignment after online racist post
A Republican lawmaker in Michigan lost his committee assignment and staff Monday, days after posting an image of a racist ideology on social media. House Speaker Joe Tate, a Democrat who is Black, said he will not allow the House to be a forum for “racist, hateful and bigoted speech.”...
In a first for Summer Lee, Allegheny County Dems back the incumbent congresswoman
Allegheny County Democrats on Sunday endorsed U.S. Rep. Summer Lee, D-Swissvale, marking the first time that the progressive lawmaker has secured the local party’s backing in what is expected to be a hotly contested primary election. Lee, who has had a somewhat contentious relationship with Southwest Pennsylvania’s Democratic establishment, secured...
How Trump urging Russia to invade ‘delinquent’ NATO members distorts how the alliance works
WARSAW, Poland — Donald Trump, the front-runner for the Republican Party’s nomination this year, says he once warned that he would allow Russia to do whatever it wants to NATO member nations that are “delinquent” in devoting 2% of their gross domestic product to defense. Trump’s comment on Saturday represented...
Trump asks Supreme Court to put off his election interference trial, claiming immunity
WASHINGTON — Former President Donald Trump is asking the Supreme Court to extend the delay in his election interference trial, saying he is immune from prosecution on charges he plotted to overturn his 2020 election loss. His lawyers filed an emergency appeal with the court on Monday, just four days...
First lady questions whether special counsel referenced son’s death to score political points
WILMINGTON, Del. — First lady Jill Biden said in an email to campaign donors on Saturday she didn’t know what the special counsel was trying to achieve when he suggested President Joe Biden could not remember his son’s death. “We should give everyone grace, and I can’t imagine someone would...
Trump says he warned NATO ally: Spend more on defense or Russia can ‘do whatever the hell they want’
NEW YORK — Republican front-runner Donald Trump said Saturday that, as president, he warned NATO allies that he “would encourage” Russia “to do whatever the hell they want” to countries that are “delinquent” as he ramped up his attacks on foreign aid and longstanding international alliances. Speaking at a rally...
Uproar over Biden classified documents report carries echoes of 2016 Clinton email case
WASHINGTON — The release of a harshly critical Justice Department special counsel report on President Joe Biden has triggered instant flashbacks to history-shaping events of 2016. That’s when FBI Director James Comey castigated Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton over her email practices despite recommending against charges. In this year’s already heated...
A canceled Pitt event for congressional candidate heats up 12th District race
The University of Pittsburgh recently canceled a speaking event with a local congressional candidate, adding tension to a three-way Democratic contest among Allegheny and Westmoreland county voters that is becoming increasingly contentious, and local political experts predict things will only get louder and nastier in the run up to the...
Putin uses Tucker Carlson interview to press his Ukraine narrative, hints at swapping WSJ reporter
Russian President Vladimir Putin used an interview with former Fox News host Tucker Carlson to urge Washington to recognize Moscow’s interests and persuade Ukraine to sit down for talks. Putin also said that Russia stands ready to negotiate a potential prisoner exchange that would free Wall Street Journal reporter Evan...
Near-total abortion ban rejected by Virginia House panel
RICHMOND, Va. — Lawmakers in the Virginia House of Delegates — controlled by Democrats who flipped the chamber in November after campaigning on abortion rights — decisively voted down a bill that would have instituted a near-total abortion ban. On a bipartisan 8-0 vote Wednesday night, a House subcommittee rejected...
Haley plans a 2-week bus tour before South Carolina’s GOP primary as Trump returns to the state
COLUMBIA, S.C. — Nikki Haley is launching a bus tour before South Carolina’s Republican presidential primary on Feb. 24, hoping the two-week push will show the former governor’s commitment to her home state heading into the first-in-the-South vote. It’s a tall order in a state where support remains strong for...
Supreme Court seems poised to reject efforts to kick Trump off ballot over Capitol riot
WASHINGTON — The Supreme Court seems poised to reject attempts to kick former President Donald Trump off the 2024 ballot. A definitive ruling for Trump, the leading Republican candidate for president, would largely end efforts in Colorado, Maine and elsewhere to prevent his name from appearing on the ballot. Conservative...
Marianne Williamson suspends her presidential campaign, ending long-shot primary challenge to Biden
WASHINGTON — Self-help author and spiritual guru Marianne Williamson on Wednesday announced the end of her long-shot Democratic challenge to President Joe Biden. The 71-year-old onetime spiritual adviser to Oprah Winfrey contemplated suspending her campaign last month after winning just 5,000 votes in New Hampshire’s primary, writing that she “had...
Massachusetts governor nominates former romantic partner to state’s highest court
BOSTON — Gov. Maura Healey on Wednesday nominated an appeals court judge and former romantic partner with whom she shared a home for several years to an open seat on the state’s highest court. Massachusetts Appeals Court Associate Justice Gabrielle R. Wolohojian would serve as an associate justice of the...
Senate Republicans block bipartisan border package, scuttling deal they had demanded from Democrats
WASHINGTON — Senate Republicans blocked a bipartisan border package Wednesday, scuttling months of negotiations with Democrats on legislation intended to cut back record numbers of illegal border crossings. Many Republicans said the election-year compromise wasn’t enough, even as supporters of the bill insisted it was the best possible in divided...
Trump’s presidential bid hangs in the balance at the Supreme Court. Here’s what to know
WASHINGTON — The fate of former President Donald Trump’s attempt to return to the White House is in the hands of the U.S. Supreme Court. On Thursday, the justices will hear arguments in Trump’s appeal of a Colorado Supreme Court ruling that he is not eligible to run again for...
Aid package for Israel fails in the House, dealing another setback to GOP leaders
WASHINGTON — A bill to provide Israel with more military aid went down to defeat Tuesday in the House, spoiling Speaker Mike Johnson’s attempt to separate Israel from other national security priorities, including helping Ukraine defend itself from Russia’s military invasion and deterring crossings at the U.S.-Mexico border. The vote...
RNC Chair Ronna McDaniel has discussed stepping down, AP sources say. But no decision has been made
NEW YORK — Republican National Committee Chair Ronna McDaniel has discussed the possibility of stepping down during a private meeting with former President Donald Trump, with both agreeing to delay a decision until after South Carolina’s primary later this month, according to two people familiar with the matter. McDaniel has...
House vote to impeach Homeland Security Secretary Mayorkas fails, thwarted by Republican defections
WASHINGTON— In a dramatic setback, House Republicans failed Tuesday to impeach Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas, forced to shelve a high-profile priority — for now — after a few GOP lawmakers refused to go along with the party’s plan. The stunning roll call fell just a single vote short of...
Project Veritas admits there was no evidence of election fraud at Pennsylvania post office in 2020
ERIE — The conservative group Project Veritas and its former leader are taking the unusual step of publicly acknowledging that claims of ballot mishandling at a Pennsylvania post office in 2020 were untrue. The statements from Project Veritas and founder James O’Keefe came as a lawsuit filed against them by...
Court cases lead to new voting districts in some states. Could it affect control of Congress?
Since most Americans last voted for Congress, thousands of people have been added to certain voting districts — and subtracted from others — under new political maps enacted following court rulings. The sum of that redistricting math, assuming no major political shift in either major party’s direction, figures to provide...
Trump ballot clash thrusts Supreme Court into 2024 White House race
WASHINGTON — A historic showdown over Donald Trump’s eligibility to reclaim the White House puts pressure on the U.S. Supreme Court to provide a clear political road map as the nation braces for the prospect of a tumultuous year. Thrust into the fray by a Colorado ruling that barred Trump...
Senate Republicans resist advancing on border policy bill, leaving aid for Ukraine in doubt
WASHINGTON — Facing a torrent of criticism from conservatives, Senate Republicans on Monday resisted advancing on a bipartisan proposal intended to clamp down on illegal border crossings, signaling a likely defeat in Congress that would leave leaders with no clear path to approve wartime aid for Ukraine. In a dramatic...
Senators release a $118 billion package that pairs border policies with aid for Ukraine, Israel
WASHINGTON — Senators on Sunday released a highly anticipated $118 billion package that pairs border enforcement policy with wartime aid for Ukraine, Israel and other U.S. allies, setting off a long-shot effort to push the bill through heavy skepticism from Republicans, including House Speaker Mike Johnson. The proposal could be...
