Politics Election category, Page 195
Doug Mastriano’s security bubble insulates him from prying eyes and dissenting views
On a weekday afternoon in late August, Doug Mastriano’s campaign bus pulled up outside Gatsby’s Bar & Grill in suburban Philadelphia just after 1 p.m. The words “Restore Freedom” were emblazoned on the side over a red outline of Pennsylvania. It had been billed as a meet-and-greet. Enthusiastic Republicans were...
Fighting bogus claims a growing priority in election offices
Election officials preparing for the rapidly approaching midterm elections have one more headache: trying to combat misinformation that sows distrust about voting and results while fueling vitriol aimed at rank-and-file election workers. Some states and counties are devoting more money or staff to a problem that has only grown more...
Joe Manchin’s big energy deal attracts pushback from many Democrats
WASHINGTON — Democrats desperately needed the vote of Sen. Joe Manchin of West Virginia to get their signature legislative priority across the finish line. So they did what Washington does best: They cut a deal. To help land his support for a bill hailed by advocacy groups as the biggest...
Chief Justice John Roberts defends legitimacy of court
DENVER — Chief Justice John Roberts defended the authority of the Supreme Court to interpret the Constitution, saying its role should not be called into question just because people disagree with its decisions. When asked to reflect on the last year at the court in his first public appearance since...
Wolf administration expands access to voter registration forms ahead of election
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 — Pennsylvania will now offer voter registration forms at libraries, state park offices and state-run veterans homes, among other locations,...
Judge tosses Trump’s Russia probe suit against Clinton, FBI
WASHINGTON — A federal judge in Florida has dismissed Donald Trump’s lawsuit against 2016 Democratic rival Hillary Clinton and former top FBI officials, rejecting the former president’s claims that they and others acted in concert to concoct the Russia investigation that shadowed much of his administration. U.S. District Judge Donald...
Amid campaign, Mastriano’s disputed dissertation made public
HARRISBURG — A Canadian university has quietly made public Pennsylvania gubernatorial candidate Doug Mastriano’s 2013 doctoral thesis about a legendary World War I hero, including six pages of recently added corrections that, in some cases, do not appear to fix anything. Researchers who have long criticized Mastriano’s investigation into U.S....
Grand jury probing Trump leadership PAC, reports say
WASHINGTON — A federal grand jury is reportedly seeking information about Donald Trump’s Save America leadership PAC as investigations into the former president continue to expand. ABC News first reported Thursday that subpoenas issued in recent weeks have asked recipients about the political action committee’s formation, its fundraising activities and...
Westmoreland Democrats say concerns abound as November election nears
Anger and discord among voters has made the campaign season leading up to the November general election a potential safety hazard for members of her party, Westmoreland County’s Democratic Committee chairwoman said Thursday. “It is not easy to be a Democrat in Westmoreland County, and it’s not always safe,” Michelle...
Pennsylvania school directors speak out against Doug Mastriano’s education funding plan
An open letter to Pennsylvania families and voters being circulated around the state by public school board members issues a warning about the threat that they believe Republican gubernatorial candidate Doug Mastriano poses to the public education system. The letter drew 59 signatures from school directors from 24 school districts...
Gloves off, Biden embraces tough tone on ‘MAGA Republicans’
WASHINGTON — In recent days, President Joe Biden has sharpened his attacks against Donald Trump and the so-called MAGA Republicans for posing a threat to democracy. He’s likened the philosophy undergirding the dominant strain of the modern-day GOP to “semi-fascism.” And Democrats are taking notice. The gloves-off, no-holds-barred approach from...
Texas judge rules against required coverage of HIV prevention drug
AUSTIN, Texas — A federal judge ruled Wednesday that required coverage of an HIV prevention drug under the Affordable Care Act violates a Texas employer’s religious beliefs and undercut the broader system that determines which preventive drugs are covered in the U.S. The ruling was handed down by U.S. District...
Gov. Tom Wolf announces $100 million in new funds to curb gun violence across Pennsylvania
PHILADELPHIA — Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Wolf on Wednesday announced more than $100 million in new funding for community groups working to curb gun violence across the commonwealth. The governor made the announcement from Mander Playground in North Philadelphia, one of many neighborhoods that have seen firsthand the toll of rapidly...
John Fetterman agrees to 1 debate against Mehmet Oz in Pa. Senate race
HARRISBURG — Democratic Senate candidate John Fetterman of Pennsylvania will participate in just one debate, his campaign said Wednesday, after weeks of his Republican rival, Dr. Mehmet Oz, pressuring Fetterman and aggressively questioning the severity of his lingering health problems from a stroke. Fetterman’s campaign said he will participate in...
Oz, Toomey call on Fetterman to debate in Pa. Senate raceVideo
HARRISBURG — Republican Senate candidate Dr. Mehmet Oz teamed up with U.S. Sen. Pat Toomey on Tuesday to publicly call on his Democratic rival, John Fetterman, to participate in a debate in their high-profile Pennsylvania race. Oz and Toomey, holding a news conference in Philadelphia, also questioned Fetterman’s fitness for...
Video fills in details on alleged Georgia election system breachVideo
ATLANTA — Two months after the 2020 presidential election, a team of computer experts traveled to south Georgia to copy software and data from voting equipment in an apparent breach of a county election system. They were greeted outside by the head of the local Republican Party, who was involved...
New Mexico bars commissioner Couy Griffin from office for insurrectionVideo
SANTA FE, N.M. — A New Mexico state district court judge has disqualified county commissioner and Cowboys for Trump cofounder Couy Griffin from holding public office for engaging in insurrection at the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021. State District Court Judge Francis Mathew issued a ruling Tuesday that permanently...
Red wave crashing? GOP momentum slips as fall sprint begins
NEW YORK — The possibility of a great red wave still looms. But as the 2022 midterm elections enter their final two-month sprint, leading Republicans concede that their party’s advantage may be slipping even as Democrats confront their president’s weak standing, deep voter pessimism and the weight of history this...
Biden talks about importance of labor unions, democracy in Labor Day speech in West Mifflin
President Joe Biden spoke about the importance of labor unions and democracy in a Labor Day speech Monday outside a Mon Valley union hall, while also touting his efforts to bring more infrastructure funding to Western Pennsylvania and boost manufacturing. At a United Steelworkers hall in West Mifflin, Biden addressed...
Judge grants Trump bid for special master in document search
WASHINGTON — In a legal victory for former President Donald Trump, a federal judge on Monday granted his request for a special master to review documents seized by the FBI from his Florida home and temporarily halted the Justice Department’s use of the records for investigative purposes. The decision by...
America’s secrets: Trump’s unprecedented disregard of norms
WASHINGTON — Donald Trump isn’t the first to face criticism for flouting rules and traditions around the safeguarding of sensitive government records, but national security experts say recent revelations point to an unprecedented disregard of post-presidency norms established after the Watergate era. Document dramas have cropped up from time to...
Wendy Bell talks with Trump: Pardons promised to Jan. 6 rioters
In an interview Thursday with conservative Pittsburgh broadcaster Wendy Bell, former President Donald Trump said — if he becomes president again — he would issue full pardons and an apology to rioters involved in the Jan. 6, 2021, insurrection at the U.S. Capitol. “We’ll be looking very, very seriously at...
Michigan high court asked to OK ballot question on abortion
LANSING, Mich. — An abortion-rights group on Thursday asked the Michigan Supreme Court to approve a November ballot question on whether a right to abortion should be enshrined in the state constitution. Reproductive Freedom for All filed its request with the high court after the state canvassing board rejected the...
Doug Mastriano sues Jan. 6 committee over deposition authority
HARRISBURG — Pennsylvania’s Republican nominee for governor on Thursday sued the congressional committee investigating the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol, contesting its legal ability to force him to answer questions about it. The lawsuit filed by Doug Mastriano contends that the committee lacks appointees of House Minority...
Biden at Independence Hall: Trump, allies threaten democracy
WASHINGTON — President Joe Biden warned Thursday night that “equality and democracy are under assault” in the U.S. as he sounded an alarm about his predecessor, Donald Trump, and “MAGA Republican” adherents, labeling them an extremist threat to the nation and its future. Aiming to reframe the November elections as...
