Politics Election category, Page 22
Democrats feared Republican efforts to oust Pa. Supreme Court justices. They spent significantly more on the race
The three Pennsylvania Supreme Court justices on the ballot this year, and the Democratic-leaning groups supporting them, appear to have raised and spent exponentially more money than the Republican-backed groups working to oust them. As of Oct. 20, more than $14 million had been raised in the retention race by...
Shutdown stalemate set to drag into 6th week as Trump pushes Republicans to change Senate rulesVideo
WASHINGTON — Republicans and Democrats remained at a stalemate on the government shutdown over the weekend as it headed into its sixth week, with food aid potentially delayed or suspended for millions of Americans and President Donald Trump pushing GOP leaders to change Senate rules to end it. White House...
Sen. Fetterman: ‘I’m representing 13 million Pennsylvanians, not just Democrats’Video
U.S. Sen. John Fetterman noted Saturday night on Fox News Channel’s “My View with Lara Trump,” hosted by the president’s daughter-in-law, that he’ll “get grief” for sitting down with her. Still, he said, having conversations is “really important.” “We can’t ever collectively turn our back to others and people are...
Obama tells Democrats to push back against Trump’s ‘lawlessness and recklessness’
Former President Barack Obama touted Democratic candidates for governor in two states at campaign rallies on Saturday, urging voters in next week’s election to reject what he called the “lawlessness and recklessness” of President Donald Trump’s administration. Obama, the two-term president still highly popular among Democrats, laid out a biting...
High-stakes Pa. judicial races, mail-in voting to boost election turnout, experts predict
Voter turnout typically craters in the year after a presidential election, but experts predict it will be higher than usual Tuesday because of high-stakes judicial retention races and the ease of mail-in voting. Allegheny County Elections Director Dave Voye estimates that about 35% of the county’s registered voters will cast...
Syrian president Sharaa expected to visit Washington, U.S. envoy says
MANAMA — U.S. Special Envoy to Syria Tom Barrack said Saturday that Syrian President Ahmed Sharaa was expected to visit Washington. During the visit, Syria would “hopefully” join the U.S.-led coalition to defeat Islamic State, Barrack told reporters on the sidelines of the Manama Dialogue in Bahrain, an annual global...
Trump gives 1st ’60 Minutes’ interview following CBS lawsuit settlement
CBS News said President Donald Trump sat down with CBS anchor Norah O’Donnell for an exclusive interview for “60 Minutes” on Friday afternoon, the first with the network after his lawsuit against it. O’Donnell interviewed Trump at Mar-a-Lago in Palm Beach, Fla., a spokesperson for the network said. It will...
White House issues new rule restricting access for journalists
A new White House rule issued Friday restricts the ability of credentialed journalists to freely access the offices of press secretary Karoline Leavitt and other top communications officials in the West Wing, near the Oval Office. The new memorandum from the National Security Council bans journalists from accessing Room 140,...
Consequences mount as federal government shutdown, state budget impasse drag on
As the federal government shutdown moves into its second month and the state budget impasse drags into its fifth, the consequences of political inaction are mounting. Affordable Care Act premiums are poised to skyrocket, energy assistance is stalled, and a federal judge Friday ordered the Trump administration to keep SNAP...
Trump administration announces $100 million in funding to upgrade coal plants
The U.S. Department of Energy on Friday announced it will make $100 million available to refurbish and modernize existing coal-fired power plants. The move is part of the Trump administration’s effort to reverse the decline of coal use in the United States. The Energy Department said last month it would...
U.S. judge permanently blocks Trump order requiring voters to prove citizenship
A federal judge Friday permanently blocked part of an executive order from President Donald Trump, ruling the president cannot require voters to show passports or similar documents as proof of citizenship before voting. Several lawsuits have challenged the president’s March 25 executive order, a sweeping order aimed at overhauling federal...
Judges order Trump administration to use contingency funds for SNAP payments during shutdown
BOSTON — Two federal judges ruled nearly simultaneously on Friday that President Donald Trump’s administration must continue to fund SNAP, the nation’s biggest food aid program, using contingency funds during the government shutdown. The judges in Massachusetts and Rhode Island gave the administration leeway on whether to fund the program...
Andrew’s banishment from royal life welcomed by press and politicians in Britain
LONDON — British politicians, papers and the public welcomed King Charles’ banishment of Andrew from public life on Friday, after the monarch moved to protect the institution from his younger brother’s ties to the sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. Charles stripped Andrew of his title of prince and evicted him from...
The internet compares Grokipedia and Wikipedia
Earlier this week, Elon Musk introduced Grokipedia, an AI-powered online encyclopedia designed to rival Wikipedia. As users began exploring the new platform, social media quickly buzzed with comparisons between the information offered by the two sites. Musk, who has called Wikipedia “filled with left-wing propaganda,” according to the Associated Press,...
Why tracking spending in this year’s critical Pa. Supreme Court retention races is so difficult
Spotlight PA is an independent, nonpartisan, and nonprofit newsroom producing investigative and public-service journalism that holds power to account and drives positive change in Pennsylvania. Sign up for our free newsletters. HARRISBURG — How much are state and national groups spending to flood the airwaves, fill mailboxes, and buy up...
Louisiana and Virginia take steps toward redistricting in a growing battle for U.S. House power
Republican lawmakers in Louisiana and Democrats in Virginia pressed ahead Wednesday with plans that could allow mid-decade redistricting as part of a growing national battle for partisan advantage in next year’s congressional elections. Louisiana lawmakers passed legislation pushing back the state’s 2026 primary elections by a month — a move...
With full slate of candidates, GOP leaders hope to chip away at Allegheny County Council’s Democratic majority
If every registered voter in Allegheny County turned out, and Republicans joined forces with independents and third-party voters, Democrats would still win by nearly 90,000 votes. But the county’s GOP committee chairman told TribLive the party is feeling momentum heading into Tuesday’s election and hopes to pick up at least...
Trump says it’s ‘pretty clear’ he can’t seek a 3rd term
After toying with the idea of running for a constitutionally prohibited third presidential term for months, President Donald Trump conceded that the law is “pretty clear” against such a scenario. “I would say that if you read it, it’s pretty clear, I’m not allowed to run,” Trump told reporters aboard...
South Korea trade deal appears elusive as Trump seeks $350B investment
GYEONGJU, South Korea — After a charm offensive in Japan that culminated in $490 billion in investment commitments, President Donald Trump is set to meet with South Korea’s leader on Wednesday as a trade deal with that country appears more elusive. Top officials in Washington and Seoul say the sticking...
What to know as federal food help and preschool aid will run dry Saturday if shutdown persists
A new lawsuit by Democratic state officials Tuesday seeks to uncork emergency money to help tens of millions of Americans keep buying food for their families after federal SNAP funding is expected to run dry Saturday due to the U.S. government shutdown. The Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP, helps...
Trump administration shakes up ICE leadership across the country in major overhaul, AP sources say
WASHINGTON — The Trump administration is reassigning at least half the top leadership at Immigration and Customs Enforcement offices around the country in a major shake-up of the agency responsible for carrying out the president’s vision for mass deportations, according to one current and one former U.S. government official. The...
Trump’s popularity dips as Americans sweat cost of living, Reuters/Ipsos poll finds
WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump’s approval rating fell in recent days, tying the lowest level of his term, as more Americans frowned on his handling of the cost of living, according to a new Reuters/Ipsos poll. The three-day poll, which concluded Sunday, showed 40% of Americans approve of the Republican...
Republicans send Biden autopen report to Justice Department, urging further investigation
WASHINGTON — House Republicans on Tuesday unveiled their long-promised report on former President Joe Biden’s use of the autopen, delivering a blistering critique of his time in office and inner circle that largely rehashes public information while making sweeping accusations about the workings of his White House. The GOP report...
States sue over Trump administration suspending food benefits during shutdown
BOSTON — A coalition of Democratic-led states filed a lawsuit on Tuesday to stop President Donald Trump’s administration from suspending food aid benefits starting Saturday amid the ongoing U.S. government shutdown. Attorneys general and governors from 25 states and the District of Columbia filed the lawsuit in Boston federal court...
Top House Republican sees no path forward for 3rd Trump term
WASHINGTON — U.S. House Speaker Mike Johnson said on Tuesday he had discussed the limits of the U.S. Constitution with President Donald Trump, and that there was not enough time to amend the founding document to allow the Republican a third White House term. Trump, 79, on Monday declined to...
