Politics Election category, Page 167
Western Pa. political leaders react to Trump indictment
Some called the criminal charges long overdue. Others called for caution. Still, others described the indictment of former President Donald Trump as “partisan” and unfair. Western Pennsylvania political leaders on Thursday had various takes on the historic indictment. Trump was indicted by a New York state grand jury Thursday on...
Florida OKs bill to carry concealed guns without a permit
TALLAHASSEE — Floridians will be able to carry concealed guns without a permit under a bill the Legislature sent to Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis on Thursday. The governor said at a suburban Atlanta gun store that he will sign the bill. The Senate passed the bill on a 27-13 vote....
Congresswoman Summer Lee speaks out on House floor about hoax shooting reports
U.S. Rep. Summer Lee, D-Swissvale, decried Wednesday’s hoax shooting reports that shut down schools in Pittsburgh and other Pennsylvania communities in remarks on the House floor. “Active shootings aren’t normal. Shooting hoaxes aren’t normal. The evacuations and drills are not normal. There’s nothing about this that’s normal,” Lee said Wednesday....
House GOP pushes sprawling bill to ‘unleash’ American energy
WASHINGTON — House Republicans are set to approve a sprawling energy package that seeks to undo virtually all of President Joe Biden’s agenda to address climate change. The massive GOP bill up for a vote Thursday would sharply increase domestic production of oil, natural gas and coal, and ease permitting...
West Virginia bans marriage for children age 15 or younger
CHARLESTON — West Virginia will no longer allow children under 16 to marry, after the governor signed a compromise bill Wednesday. The law signed by Republican Gov. Jim Justice continues allowing children ages 16 and 17 to get married with restrictions. Under the new law, those minors must get parental...
Idaho law could criminalize helping minors get abortions
Idaho lawmakers are considering making it illegal for an adult to help a minor procure an abortion without parental consent. The measure would create a new crime of “abortion trafficking,” barring adults from obtaining abortion pills for a minor and “recruiting, harboring, or transporting the pregnant minor.” To sidestep violating...
Florida Gov. DeSantis’ board says Disney stripped them of power
LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. — Board members picked by Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis to oversee the governance of Walt Disney World said Wednesday that their Disney-controlled predecessors pulled a fast one on them by passing restrictive covenants that strip the new board of many of its powers. The current supervisors...
GOP lawmakers override veto of transgender bill in Kentucky
FRANKFORT, Ky. — Republican lawmakers in Kentucky on Wednesday swept aside the Democratic governor’s veto of a bill regulating some of the most personal aspects of life for transgender young people — from banning access to gender-affirming health care to restricting the bathrooms they can use. The votes to override...
Congress approves measure to toss Biden’s water protections
WASHINGTON — Congress on Wednesday approved a resolution to overturn the Biden administration’s protections for the nation’s waterways that Republicans have criticized as a burden on business, advancing a measure that President Joe Biden has promised to veto. Republicans have targeted the Biden administration’s protections for thousands of small streams,...
Senate votes to repeal 2 Iraq military authorizations
WASHINGTON — The Senate on Wednesday passed a bill that would repeal two decades-old authorizations to use military force against Iraq after supporters of the legislation had fended off floor efforts to amend it, including proposals that would have singled out Iran as a threat in the Middle East. Sens....
Debt ceiling impasse: Kevin McCarthy presses Biden to negotiate
WASHINGTON — House Speaker Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., said Tuesday he’s increasingly concerned about President Joe Biden’s unwillingness to negotiate on lifting the nation’s borrowing authority, saying in a letter to the president that the White House position could “hold dire ramifications for the entire nation.” Rather than open direct talks...
North Hills GOP committee mounts write-in campaign for Democratic DA Zappala
Allegheny County District Attorney Stephen A. Zappala Jr. has taken some hits from his fellow Democrats recently, but some local Republicans are working to help him. An email obtained by the Tribune-Review shows that a GOP committee in the North Hills is encouraging Republican primary voters to write in Zappala’s...
Election Day ballot problems in Pennsylvania county examined
Election Day shortages of the paper needed to run voting machinery caused significant problems in a northeastern Pennsylvania county in November, but the extent of the problem or what caused it are still unclear, witnesses told a congressional committee Tuesday. The three-hour hearing of the U.S. House Administration Committee into...
Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp could sign measure to give state new power over DAs
ATLANTA — Gov. Brian Kemp could soon sign a measure to create a state board with powers to punish or even oust local district attorneys as Republicans seek sweeping oversight over prosecutors they accuse of skirting their duties. The House voted 97-77 on Monday to approve legislation to create the...
Elizabeth Warren running for 3rd U.S. Senate term in 2024
BOSTON — Massachusetts Democratic U.S. Sen. Elizabeth Warren announced Monday that she will seek a third term in 2024. Warren, a prominent voice for the liberal wing of the Democratic Party and a failed 2020 presidential contender, said she’s running for reelection to end corruption in Washington, make the economy...
Trump, facing potential indictment, holds defiant Waco rally
WACO, Texas — Facing a potential indictment, Donald Trump took a defiant stance at a rally Saturday in Waco, disparaging the prosecutors investigating him and predicting his vindication as he rallied supporters in a city made famous by deadly resistance against law enforcement. With a hand over his heart, Trump...
Biden’s pick to lead FAA withdraws amid shaky Senate support
WILMINGTON, Del. — President Joe Biden’s choice to run the Federal Aviation Administration has withdrawn his nomination, a setback for the administration that comes after Denver International Airport CEO Phillip Washington appeared to lack enough support in the closely divided Senate. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg confirmed Washington’s withdrawal in a...
Push to expand voting rights in U.S. for those held in jails
CHICAGO — The voting precinct could have been any one of hundreds throughout Chicago, except that these voters in the first round of the mayoral election were all wearing the same beige smocks. And the security at this polling place wasn’t intended to keep disrupters and campaigners out, but the...
Biden’s moves on Alaska drilling, TikTok test young voters
TEMPE, Ariz. — Recent moves by President Joe Biden to pressure TikTok over its Chinese ownership and approve oil drilling in an untapped area of Alaska are testing the loyalty of young voters, a group that’s largely been in his corner. Youth turnout surged in the three elections since Donald...
Weinstein fires back at Lamb, alleging violations in city controller’s office
Allegheny County Treasurer John Weinstein, a Democratic candidate for county executive, fired back at one of his opponents after a week of his campaign taking criticism over alleged ethics violations. On Wednesday, Pittsburgh Controller Michael Lamb, also a Democratic county executive candidate, said he was surprised and angered that Weinstein...
Sen. Fetterman expected back ‘soon,’ no certain timeline yet
HARRISBURG — Pennsylvania Sen. John Fetterman’s office said Thursday that he is expected to return soon to the chamber, although Democratic leaders are giving no timeline five weeks after he sought inpatient treatment for clinical depression. Fetterman, 53, was weeks into his service in Washington and still recovering from the...
Pro-labor? Biden aims to prove it with unionized 2024 staff
WASHINGTON — Joe Biden likes to say he’s the most pro-union president in U.S. history. When he announces his expected reelection campaign in the coming weeks, he’ll get the chance to prove it to his own staffers. Workers on his 2024 campaign will be unionized, political allies say, making him...
Another Allegheny County Executive candidate calls for ethics reform in local government
Pittsburgh Controller Michael Lamb, a Democratic candidate for Allegheny County Executive, has become the latest official to call for more ethics guidelines in county government. At a Wednesday news conference, Lamb called for all candidates and public officials to sign what he called a Pledge of Good Governance that would...
GOP hopefuls hold off presidential campaigns
NEW YORK — They are meeting with campaign donors and giving frequent interviews on cable news. They’re delivering speeches in early voting states like Iowa and New Hampshire and hobnobbing with local Republican groups. Some are even quietly discussing campaign jobs with political operatives. But don’t call them presidential candidates...
Oklahoma court OKs abortion to preserve mother’s life
OKLAHOMA CITY — A divided Oklahoma Supreme Court on Tuesday overturned a portion of the state’s near total ban on abortion, ruling women have a right to abortion when pregnancy risks their health, not just in a medical emergency. It was a narrow win for abortion rights advocates since the...
