Politics Election category, Page 176
Classified documents at Mike Pence’s home, too, his lawyer saysVideo
NEW YORK — Documents with classified markings were discovered in former Vice President Mike Pence’s Indiana home last week, his lawyers says, the latest in a string of recoveries of confidential information from the homes of current and former top U.S. officials. The records “appear to be a small number...
Trump posed for picture with former Philly mob boss Joey Merlino at South Florida golf club
They share an affinity for golf and an aversion to cooperating witnesses who “flip” to help federal investigators. But former President Donald Trump and former Philly mob boss Joseph “Skinny Joey” Merlino don’t have much to say about how they wound up in a photo together at a South Florida...
Debt ceiling: 2011 showdown leaves lessons for Biden, GOP
WASHINGTON — The debate around raising the debt ceiling sounds eerily similar: Newly elected House Republicans, eager to confront the Democratic president in the White House, refused to raise the debt limit without cuts to federal spending. Negotiations over the debt ceiling consumed Washington in 2011, a high-stakes showdown between...
Democrats defy Kevin McCarthy with 2 selections for Intel panel
WASHINGTON — Democrats are picking an early fight with the House Republican majority over committee seats, nominating two California lawmakers for the Intelligence Committee in open defiance of House Speaker Kevin McCarthy’s vow to block them. Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, in a letter sent to McCarthy over the weekend, asked...
Refusal to release inaugural donors exposes gap in Pennsylvania law
HARRISBURG — The refusal thus far of Gov. Josh Shapiro to disclose who paid for his glitzy inaugural bash has exposed the gap in state law that lets governors in Pennsylvania escape the kind of transparency that is sometimes required elsewhere. Presidential inaugural committees are required by federal law to...
The senator’s spouse: Gisele Fetterman finds new role, larger platform for change
Gisele Fetterman loves that people talk about the way she dresses. It has nothing to do with vanity and all to do with advocacy. In November, while accompanying husband, newly elected member of the U.S. Senate John Fetterman, she sent social media abuzz when she wore a $12 thrifted dress...
Man who propped feet on Pelosi’s desk guilty in Jan. 6 caseVideo
WASHINGTON — An Arkansas man who propped his feet up on a desk in then-House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s office during the U.S. Capitol riot was convicted on Monday of joining a mob’s attack on the building two years ago. A jury deliberated for approximately two hours before unanimously convicting Richard...
Ex-Ohio House speaker relieved for corruption trial’s start
CINCINNATI — As his federal racketeering trial kicked off Monday, former Ohio House Speaker Larry Householder said he is optimistic and looking forward to telling his side of the story. “It should be a very good six weeks for me,” Householder told reporters as he awaited opening statements in the...
Pa. Gov. Josh Shapiro loosens his predecessor’s notoriously strict gift ban for top officials
Spotlight PA is an independent, nonpartisan newsroom powered by The Philadelphia Inquirer in partnership with PennLive/The Patriot-News, TribLIVE/Pittsburgh Tribune-Review and WITF Public Media. Sign up for our free newsletters. HARRISBURG — Top officials for Pennsylvania’s governor are now allowed to accept an occasional free lunch while on duty. In one...
Trump’s MAGA forces threaten to upend vote for RNC chair
NEW YORK — By week’s end, the Republican National Committee is set to resolve a bitter leadership feud that has exposed perilous divisions within a party that has struggled to move past a disappointing midterm ahead of a critical race for the White House. Those inside the fight believe the...
Democrats: Biden should be ’embarrassed’ by classified docs caseVideo
WASHINGTON — Senior Democrats, dismayed by a steady stream of startling disclosures, expressed criticism Sunday of how President Joe Biden handled classified material after leaving office as vice president and disappointment that the White House has not been more forthcoming with the public. Lawmakers who might have anticipated questions focusing...
Biden to pick Jeff Zients as his next chief of staff
WASHINGTON — President Joe Biden is expected to name Jeff Zients, who ran the administration’s response to the covid-19 pandemic at the start of Biden’s term, as his next chief of staff, according to two people familiar with the matter. Biden’s current top aide, Ron Klain, is preparing to leave...
Sundance doc looks into Brett Kavanaugh investigation
PARK CITY, Utah — A new documentary looks into the sexual misconduct allegations against Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh and raises questions about the depth of the FBI investigation in 2018. “Justice,” from filmmaker Doug Liman, debuted Friday night at the Sundance Film Festival to a sold-out theater surrounded by...
FBI searched Biden home, found items marked classified
WASHINGTON — The FBI searched President Joe Biden’s home in Wilmington, Delaware, on Friday and located additional documents with classified markings and also took possession of some of his handwritten notes, the president’s lawyer said Saturday. The president voluntarily allowed the FBI into his home, but the lack of a...
House GOP rewards hard-liners, George Santos with committee seatsVideo
WASHINGTON — The most far-right House Republicans, early opponents of Speaker Kevin McCarthy and even embattled new Rep. George Santos all are in line for coveted committee assignments. Some are set to serve on the high-profile oversight committee investigating President Joe Biden’s administration. Reps. Marjorie Taylor Greene of Georgia and...
It’s official: Greensburg native Michelle Henry nominated for Pa. attorney general
Pennsylvania’s new governor, Josh Shapiro, officially nominated acting Attorney General Michelle Henry to serve out the remainder of his term as state attorney general Thursday afternoon. Henry, 53, is a Greensburg native and Greensburg Salem High School graduate who previously served as first deputy attorney general under Shapiro when he...
Arkansas panel advances bill to restrict drag performances
LITTLE ROCK — Drag performances would be classified as adult-oriented businesses under an bill in Arkansas that a legislative panel endorsed Thursday. It’s the latest in a growing number of Republican-backed proposals nationwide to restrict or ban the shows. The state Senate City, County and Local Affairs Committee advanced the...
Florida blocks high school African American studies class
TALLAHASSEE — Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis’ administration has blocked a new Advanced Placement course on African American studies from being taught in high schools, saying it violates state law and is historically inaccurate. The state education department rejected the program in a letter last week to the College Board, which...
Pa. Gov. Josh Shapiro fills executive staff with loyal allies, political veterans
Spotlight PA is an independent, nonpartisan newsroom powered by The Philadelphia Inquirer in partnership with PennLive/The Patriot-News, TribLIVE/Pittsburgh Tribune-Review, and WITF Public Media. Sign up for our free newsletters. HARRISBURG — Newly minted Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro is stocking his executive staff of advisers, mediators, and policy experts with political...
Supreme Court says it hasn’t found abortion opinion leakerVideo
WASHINGTON — The Supreme Court said Thursday it has not determined who leaked a draft of the court’s opinion overturning abortion rights, but that the investigation continues. Eight months after Politico published its explosive leak detailing the draft of Justice Samuel Alito’s opinion that overturned Roe v. Wade, the court...
White House describes probe: Investigation? Nope, review
WASHINGTON — When Hillary Clinton was running for president, her campaign wanted a gentler way to talk about the criminal investigation into her private email server, so they called it a “security review.” Now President Joe Biden’s team is using similar language when talking about the discovery of classified documents...
President Biden at the 2-year mark
WASHINGTON — President Joe Biden notches two years in office on Friday. That represents 730 days since his inauguration — and a whole lot of other numbers as well. The story of the first half of Biden’s term, at least by the numbers, is a mixed bag. It includes a...
Alabama secretary of state announces withdrawal from voter registration group
MONTGOMERY, Ala. — Alabama’s new secretary of state announced the state’s withdrawal from a 32-state voter registration partnership, a data-sharing effort that was designed to maintain accurate voter rolls but has sometimes become the target of conservative ire and conspiracy theories. A day after being sworn in, Secretary of State...
Allegheny County special election date set, results will determine state House control
The dates for three pivotal state House special elections in Allegheny County are set following legal wrangling over who could schedule them and when they would be held. The outcomes of the races will determine which party controls the state House for the remainder of the two-year session. The Allegheny...
Kathy Hochul’s pick for New York top judge rejected by legislative panel
ALBANY — New York Gov. Kathy Hochul’s nominee to lead the state’s highest court was rejected by a state Senate panel Wednesday, dealing the governor a high-profile setback after weeks of criticism from progressive activists and union officials about the judge’s record. Members of the Senate Judiciary Committee voted not...
