Politics Election category, Page 17
As U.S. military leaders prepare for Virginia meeting, agenda comes into focus
WASHINGTON — U.S. military leaders deployed around the world have started to prepare to travel to Virginia for a meeting with Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth next week, which some officials on Friday billed as a gathering focused on the “warrior ethos.” Hegseth has summoned U.S. generals and admirals from around...
Democrats release Epstein records mentioning Musk, Bannon, Thiel, Prince Andrew
A breakfast appointment with MAGA leader Steve Bannon. A planned lunch with billionaire Peter Thiel. A mention of billionaire Elon Musk potentially coming to the “island,” with the notation “is this still happening?” Democrats on the House Oversight Committee released documents Friday from Jeffrey Epstein’s estate that mention a number...
White House threatens sharp cuts in workforce in shutdown standoffVideo
WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump’s administration has raised the stakes in a showdown with Senate Democrats over a looming partial government shutdown, threatening to permanently remove workers from some federal agencies if funding runs out on Tuesday. The White House’s Office of Management and Budget — which has played a...
Feds sue Pa. over failure to release voter information
The Department of Justice on Thursday sued Pennsylvania and five other states accusing them of failing to turn over voter information. The complaint, filed in federal court in Pittsburgh, alleges Attorney General Pam Bondi has requested voter information unsuccessfully from Pennsylvania three times since June. “Clean voter rolls are the...
O’Connor far outpaces Moreno in fundraising ahead of Pittsburgh mayoral election
With Pittsburgh’s mayoral race less than six weeks out, new reports show Democratic candidate Corey O’Connor holding a tremendous fundraising advantage over Republican nominee Tony Moreno. O’Connor has about $270,000 to spend ahead of the November 4 election — more than 60 times what Moreno has. Campaign finance reports filed...
Trump signs order declaring TikTok sale ready and values it at $14 billion
WASHINGTON - President Donald Trump signed an executive order on Thursday declaring that his plan to sell Chinese-owned TikTok’s U.S. operations to U.S. and global investors will address the national security requirements in a 2024 law. The new U.S. company will be valued at around $14 billion, Vice President JD...
White House budget office tells agencies to draft mass firing plans ahead of potential shutdown
WASHINGTON — The White House is telling agencies to prepare large-scale firings of federal workers if the government shuts down next week. In a memo released Wednesday night, the Office of Management and Budget said agencies should consider a reduction in force for federal programs whose funding would lapse next...
Trump is hosting Turkey’s Erdogan at the White House as the U.S. considers lifting ban on F-35 sales
WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump will hold talks with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan at the White House on Thursday as the Republican leader has indicated that the U.S. government’s hold on sales of advanced fighter jets to Ankara may soon be lifted. During Trump’s first term, the United States...
Pa. budget impasse nears 3 months as schools, counties and others feel the pain
Pennsylvania is one of just three states that has yet to adopt a complete budget for the 2025-26 fiscal year, according to an analysis by the National Association of School Budget Officers. In North Carolina, lawmakers passed a stopgap “mini budget” over the summer to keep the government running while...
Statue of Trump holding hands with Jeffrey Epstein removed from National Mall
First, it was the giant poop emoji statue. Now, it’s a statue of President Donald Trump holding hands with convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, who died in jail in 2019. The new 12-foot-tall, spray-painted bronze statue was titled “Best Friends Forever,” and it appeared on the National Mall in front...
Trump’s Rose Garden Club is a lavish new hangout for political allies and business elites
WASHINGTON — Washington’s hottest new club has everything — Cabinet secretaries, a new stone patio, food from the White House kitchen and even a playlist curated by President Donald Trump. But good luck getting a spot on the guest list. So far, only some of the president’s political allies, business...
Iran’s president says U.S., Israeli attacks inflicted ‘grievous blow’ on international trust
UNITED NATIONS — Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian took the stage at the U.N. on Wednesday to blast Israeli and U.S. attacks in June as inflicting “a grievous blow upon international trust and the very prospect of peace in the region.” His comments at the General Assembly are the first time...
The economy was a strength for Trump in his 1st term. Not anymore, according to recent polling
WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump’s second-term strengths look different from his first, according to new polling. Once strengthened by economic issues, Trump’s approval is now relatively low on the economy — and he’s leaning on his stronger issues of crime, border security and immigration. Concerns about the economy and immigration...
Trump slams ABC for bringing Kimmel back, suggesting another lawsuit
President Donald Trump suggested he would go after ABC as late-night host Jimmy Kimmel resumed his show Tuesday on the network after nearly a week off the air. “I can’t believe ABC Fake News gave Jimmy Kimmel his job back,” Trump wrote on Truth Social. “The White House was told...
Democrat Adelita Grijalva wins special election for southern Arizona congressional seat
PHOENIX — Southern Arizona voters on Tuesday chose Adelita Grijalva to succeed her father, the late U.S. Rep. Raúl Grijalva, a progressive Democrat who represented the state for more than two decades in Congress. She defeated Republican candidate Daniel Butierez to represent a district that stretches from Yuma to Tucson...
Trump cancels White House meeting with Schumer and Jeffries despite risk of government shutdown
WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump has abruptly canceled this week’s planned meeting with congressional Democratic leaders, refusing to negotiate over their demands to shore up health care funds as part of a deal to prevent a potential looming federal government shutdown. In a lengthy Tuesday social media post, Trump rejected...
Trump tells U.N. in speech that it is ‘not even coming close to living up’ to its potential
UNITED NATIONS — President Donald Trump castigated the United Nations as a feckless institution in a speech to the world body on Tuesday, praising the turn America has taken under his leadership while warning Europe will be ruined if it doesn’t turn away from a “double-tailed monster” of ill-conceived migration...
Kamala Harris says she ‘had a certain responsibility’ to argue against Biden running again
WASHINGTON — Former Vice President Kamala Harris said Monday evening that she regrets not expressing her concerns about then-President Joe Biden running for a second term when a majority of Americans felt he was too old for the job. “I have and had a certain responsibility that I should have...
Pennsylvania’s state budget is nearly 3 months late. Leaders still can’t agree on the basics
HARRISBURG — Despite the contentious issue of mass transit funding being off the table, top Pennsylvania legislative leaders are still unable to agree on the most basic question when it comes to state budget negotiations: how much money they should spend. The state’s cooling financial outlook — plus federal uncertainty...
Supreme Court will weigh expanding Trump’s power to shape agencies by overturning 90-year-old ruling
WASHINGTON — The Supreme Court said Monday it will consider expanding President Donald Trump’s power to shape independent agencies by overturning a nearly century-old decision limiting when presidents can fire board members. In a 6-3 decision, the high court also allowed the Republican president to carry out the firing of...
Bracing for the worst: Allegheny County agencies, nonprofits fear further federal cuts
Already hamstrung in numerous ways by the Trump administration, state and local government agencies as well as nonprofits are bracing for the worst in the upcoming federal funding bill. “Everything has been destabilized with the work that we do,” Jordan Golin, president and CEO of Jewish Family and Community Services...
1000s of mail ballots have been rejected over Pa.’s dating rule. Will courts finally settle issue?
This article is made possible through Spotlight PA’s collaboration with Votebeat, a nonpartisan news organization covering local election administration and voting. Sign up for Votebeat’s free newsletters here. When Pennsylvania’s highest court gathered in Philadelphia on Sept. 10 to hear arguments on whether voters must write the date on their...
Mayor Gainey’s favorite Pittsburgh food joints
Pittsburgh’s Mayor Ed Gainey revealed his favorite food spots around the 412. Spoiler alert: Red Lobster made the cut. In a Pittsburgh-based Scoop TV interview for the WeArePgh series, originally posted on Sept. 15, Gainey ranked his Top 5 restaurants. The interview is circulating on social media platforms, including Instagram...
Trump appointee to Federal Reserve calls for steeper rate cuts
WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump’s appointee to the Federal Reserve’s Board of Governors said Monday that the central bank’s key interest rate should be much lower than its current 4.1% level, staking out a position far different than his colleagues. Stephen Miran, who is also a top economic adviser to...
Trump backer running for Wisconsin governor followed sexually explicit accounts online
MADISON, Wis. — A Republican manufacturer running for governor in Wisconsin as a conservative supporter of “family values” and President Donald Trump followed numerous sexually explicit accounts online, including a nonbinary pornography performer. The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reported Monday that Bill Berrien, the CEO of Pindel Global Precision and one...
