Politics Election category, Page 139
Defendant in the Georgia election interference case: Trump won 2020 election
One of the defendants in the Fulton elections interference case is pursuing a unique legal strategy: trying to prove that former President Donald Trump won the 2020 election in Georgia. While other Trump allies, notably those who have reached plea deals with prosecutors, have backed away from election fraud claims,...
House approves $14.5 billion in assistance for Israel as Biden vows to veto the GOP’s approach
WASHINGTON — The House approved $14.5 billion in military aid Thursday for Israel, a muscular U.S. response to the war with Hamas but also a partisan approach by new Speaker Mike Johnson that poses a direct challenge to Democrats and President Joe Biden. In a departure from norms, Johnson’s package...
Senate confirms 3 military officers as Sen. Tuberville holds up hundreds more
WASHINGTON — The Senate confirmed three top military officers on Thursday — including the first female member of the Joint Chiefs of Staff — as bipartisan frustration swirled around Republican Sen. Tommy Tuberville for blocking hundreds more nominees. Republican senators plan to hold a closed-door meeting next week to discuss...
Minnesota justices appear skeptical that states should decide Trump’s eligibility for the ballot
ST. PAUL, Minn. — Minnesota Supreme Court justices appeared skeptical Thursday that states have the authority to block former President Donald Trump from the ballot, with some suggesting that Congress is best positioned to decide whether his role in the 2021 U.S. Capitol attack should prevent him from running. Justices...
Republicans confront Tommy Tuberville over military holds in extraordinary showdown on Senate floorVideo
WASHINGTON — Republican senators angrily challenged Sen. Tommy Tuberville on his blockade of almost 400 military officers Wednesday evening, taking over the Senate floor for more than four hours to call for individual confirmation votes after a monthslong stalemate. Tuberville, R-Ala., stood and objected to each nominee — 61 times...
House rejects effort to censure Rashida Tlaib over the Palestinian-American’s rhetoric about Israel
WASHINGTON — The House late Wednesday rejected an effort to censure Democratic Rashida Tlaib of Michigan, scrapping a Republican attempt to condemn the only Palestinian-American in Congress over her recent rhetoric around the ongoing Israel-Hamas war. A measure to move forward with a censure resolution of Tlaib, a punishment one...
The mayors of five big cities seek a meeting with Biden about how to better manage arriving migrants
WASHINGTON — The mayors of Chicago, Denver, Houston, Los Angeles and New York are pressing to meet with President Joe Biden about getting federal help in managing the surge of migrants they say are arriving in their cities with little to no coordination, support or resources from his administration. The...
House rejects effort to expel New York Rep. George Santos
WASHINGTON — Rep. George Santos easily survived a vote Wednesday to expel him from the House as most Republicans and 31 Democrats opted to withhold punishment while both his criminal trial and a House Ethics Committee investigation proceed. The effort to kick Santos out of the House was led by...
State House approves funding for Pitt, Penn State, 2 others — but with a stipulation the universities are balking at
The state House passed legislation Tuesday that Democrats and Republicans quickly hailed as progress toward ending a monthslong stalemate over this year’s appropriations to the University of Pittsburgh and other state-related institutions. But at least one potential glitch has developed — a big one. The House, where Democrats hold a...
Pittsburgh rabbis urge Rep. Summer Lee to take stand against Hamas, terrorism
A group of 40 rabbis and cantors from the Pittsburgh region are denouncing recent votes by U.S. Rep. Summer Lee, D-Swissvale, in connection with the Israel-Hamas war. Rabbi Dan Fellman of Temple Sinai in Squirrel Hill organized an open letter, released Tuesday, and said its signatories represent a broad swath...
U.S. military and diplomatic leaders urge a divided Congress to send aid to both Israel and Ukraine
WASHINGTON — The nation’s top military and diplomatic leaders urged an increasingly divided Congress on Tuesday to send major immediate aid to Israel and Ukraine, arguing at a Senate hearing that broad support for the assistance would signal U.S. strength to adversaries worldwide. The testimony from Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin...
Former White House press secretary Jen Psaki writes about her years in government in ‘Say More’
NEW YORK — Former White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki has a two-book deal with Scribner, starting with a book in which she will reflect on her years in government and offer advice on both public and private communication. Scribner announced Monday that Psaki’s “Say More: Lessons from Work, the...
Lawyers argue whether the Constitution’s ‘insurrection’ clause blocks Trump from the 2024 ballot
DENVER — Lawyers for a group of Colorado voters on Monday focused on the January 2021 assault on the U.S. Capitol and former President Donald Trump’s role, opening a trial that could determine whether the Constitution’s insurrection clause bars Trump from running again for the White House. Attorney Eric Olson...
Trump says ‘no way’ Iowa votes against him as he flubs city’s name during state campaign stopVideo
DES MOINES, Iowa — Donald Trump predicted Sunday he would win Iowa’s Republican presidential caucuses in January, tossing aside what he called advisers’ caution not to overstate expectations, even as he greeted his audience by naming a city in a neighboring state. “I go around saying of course we’re going...
Biden will visit a Minnesota family farm this week as top officials kick off stops in rural America
WASHINGTON — President Joe Biden will visit a family farm in Minnesota on Wednesday as part of two weeks of stops in rural America by top administration officials that are intended to highlight how increases in government spending can help improve peoples’ lives. Biden’s focus on the state comes just...
Wisconsin judge rules GOP-controlled Senate’s vote to fire elections official had no effect
MADISON, Wis. — A vote by the Republican-controlled Wisconsin Senate last month to fire the state’s nonpartisan top elections official had no legal effect, and lawmakers are barred from ousting her while a lawsuit plays out, a Dane County judge ruled Friday. Administrator Meagan Wolfe will continue serving as head...
Pittsburgh synagogue shooting victims honored in Congressional resolution
Five years after tragedy struck Pittsburgh and the lives of 11 congregants at the Tree of Life synagogue were taken, U.S. Congress is honoring their memories. U.S. Rep. Summer Lee, D-Swissvale, and U.S. Sen. Bob Casey, D-Scranton, have introduced resolutions to remember the lives of the 11 victims and the...
Radio host Larry Elder ends Republican presidential campaign and endorses Donald Trump
Conservative talk radio host Larry Elder announced Thursday that he was ending his 2024 Republican campaign for president and endorsing former President Donald Trump. Elder, who sought to replace California Gov. Gavin Newsom in a failed 2021 recall effort, said in a statement that he had made the “difficult decision”...
U.S. Rep. Summer Lee votes against pro-Israel resolution on Hamas attack
U.S. Rep. Summer Lee, D-Swissvale, voted against a pro-Israel resolution that passed the House on Wednesday in the aftermath of the Hamas attacks on the Middle Eastern country. Lee, who has condemned Hamas’ recent attack on Israel, said she voted against Wednesday’s Meeks-McCaul resolution because it fell short of acknowledging...
DeSantis is sending weapons to Israel in move that could bolster him in the GOP primary
MIAMI — Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis said Thursday he’s arranged to send drones, weapons, and ammunition to Israel as it prepares for an incursion of Gaza in response to Hamas’ attack. It’s the latest official response DeSantis has taken to back Israel as he competes in the 2024 Republican primary....
Judge says Georgia’s congressional and legislative districts are discriminatory and must be redrawn
ATLANTA — A federal judge ruled Thursday that some of Georgia’s congressional, state Senate and state House districts were drawn in a racially discriminatory manner, ordering the state to draw an additional Black-majority congressional district. U.S. District Judge Steve Jones, in a 516-page order, also ordered the state to draw...
New U.S. House speaker tried to help overturn the 2020 election, raising concerns about the next one
The new leader of one of the chambers of Congress that will certify the winner of next year’s presidential election helped spearhead the attempt to overturn the last one, raising alarms that Republicans could try to subvert the will of the voters if they remain in power despite safeguards enacted...
Most of Justice Thomas’ $267,000 loan for an RV seems to have been forgiven, Senate Democrats say
WASHINGTON — All or most of a $267,000 loan obtained by Supreme CourtJustice Clarence Thomas to buy a high-end motorcoach appears to have been forgiven, raising tax and ethics questions, according to a new report by Senate Democrats. Anthony “Tony” Welters, a longtime friend of Thomas who made the loan...
Putting an armed security officer in every school gains Pa. Senate panel’s support
Pennsylvania lawmakers are considering requiring every public school building to have a trained armed security officer present during school hours. The Senate Education Committee on a party-line vote sent legislation to the full Senate for consideration that would impose this mandate, starting in 2024-25. Having an armed school police officer,...
Western Pa. congressional delegation weighs in on new House speaker
After weeks of turmoil and inaction, the U.S. House of Representatives elected Louisiana conservative Mike Johnson as its new speaker on Wednesday. The vote came more than three weeks after former House Speaker Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., was booted from the position in a historic vote. Johnson was the fourth nominee...
