Politics Election category, Page 28
U.S. hits $38 trillion in debt, after the fastest accumulation of $1 trillion outside of the pandemic
WASHINGTON — In the midst of a federal government shutdown, the U.S. government’s gross national debt surpassed $38 trillion Wednesday, a record number that highlights the accelerating accumulation of debt on America’s balance sheet. It’s also the fastest accumulation of a trillion dollars in debt outside of the covid-19 pandemic...
North Carolina adopts new Trump-backed U.S. House districts aimed at gaining Republican seat
RALEIGH — North Carolina’s Republican legislative leaders completed their remapping of the state’s U.S. House districts on Wednesday, intent on picking up one more seat for President Donald Trump’s push to retain GOP control of Congress in next year’s midterm elections. The boundaries approved by the state House aim to...
Maine Senate candidate Graham Platner says tattoo recognized as Nazi symbol has been covered
PORTLAND, Maine — His U.S. Senate campaign under fire, Maine Democrat Graham Platner said Wednesday that a tattoo on his chest has been covered to no longer reflect an image widely recognized as a Nazi symbol. The first-time political candidate said he got the skull and crossbones tattoo in 2007,...
Israel ‘not a protectorate’ of the U.S., Netanyahu says ahead of meeting with Vance
TEL AVIV, Israel — Israel’s prime minister toughened his stance Wednesday by declaring that his country is in charge of its own security and isn’t an American protectorate as he prepared to discuss progress on Gaza’s fragile ceasefire agreement with Vice President JD Vance. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s remarks ahead...
Pa.’s new Democratic chairman focused on pivotal upcoming races, growing the party
Pennsylvania’s new Democratic chairman is pulling a page from Ronald Reagan’s playbook in an effort to unify and grow his party. “We’ve got to get back to politics being a game of addition, trying to add to our coalitions and becoming a bigger tent,” Pennsylvania Democratic Chairman Eugene DePasquale said...
John Fetterman sides with Republicans on ending the filibuster to reopen the governmentVideo
Sen. John Fetterman, D-Braddock, said he’d back a Republican plan to override the Senate filibuster if it meant passing a bill to reopen the government. In an interview with The Inquirer Tuesday, Fetterman admonished fellow Democrats who balk at the notion of using the so-called “nuclear option” to end the...
Arizona sues U.S. House over delay in swearing in Democrat Adelita Grijalva
WASHINGTON — The state of Arizona on Tuesday sued the Republican-controlled U.S. House of Representatives over the delayed swearing in of Democratic Representative-elect Adelita Grijalva. Grijalva, 54, won a special election last month to fill the House seat that was left vacant when her father, Raul Grijalva, died in March....
Pa. Sen. Dave McCormick joins fellow Senate Republicans urging RFK Jr. to rescind approval for an abortion pill
U.S. Sen. Dave McCormick, R-Pittsburgh, has joined fellow Senate Republicans in signing on to a letter urging top health officials in the Trump administration to rescind approval for a drug used in one of the most common methods of abortion. In a letter to Health and Human Services Secretary Robert...
Injured No Kings protest participant calls on Westmoreland commissioners to condemn political violence
A Smithton woman injured during an altercation at Saturday’s No Kings protest in Greensburg is calling on the Westmoreland County commissioners to formally condemn political violence. Karen Primm, 70, said she sustained a gash to right arm when she was struck by pole of a flag waved by an apparent...
Historic renovations at the White House: From 1792 to Trump’s latest project
Anyone scrolling on social media over the past few days might’ve come across photos of the East Wing of the White House being partially demolished. Construction on President Donald Trump’s new White House State Ballroom is underway. It will cost approximately $200 million, and the White House said Trump and...
Sanae Takaichi becomes Japan’s 1st female premier
TOKYO — Hardline conservative Sanae Takaichi was voted in by parliament as Japan’s first female prime minister Tuesday, emulating her hero, Britain’s late leader Margaret Thatcher, after a whirlwind few weeks of political wrangling. Having won an all-male race to be chosen by her ruling Liberal Democratic Party as its...
Trump’s approval edges up despite Americans blaming Republicans for shutdown
WASHINGTON — Americans blame Republican lawmakers more than Democratic lawmakers for a partial government shutdown, according to a new Reuters/Ipsos poll that also showed Republican President Donald Trump’s approval rating increasing slightly. The six-day poll, which ended Monday, showed Trump’s approval at 42%, up 2 percentage points from earlier in...
Supreme Court told Trump tariffs are illegal $3 trillion tax
Small businesses challenging many of President Donald Trump’s global tariffs urged the U.S. Supreme Court to affirm lower court rulings that the import levies amount to a massive illegal tax on American companies. Trump usurped the power of Congress to tax when he issued levies in February and April under...
Kenny Loggins condemns use of ‘Danger Zone’ in Trump’s AI video ridiculing protesters
Millions protested across the country over the weekend in the second No Kings demonstration against the Trump administration. In response, President Donald Trump mocked the demonstrators with an AI-generated video of himself in a “Top Gun”-inspired fighter jet, bombing protesters with brown sludge to the tune of Kenny Loggins’ “Danger...
U.S. and Australia sign critical minerals agreement, discuss submarine deal
WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump and Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese signed a rare earths and critical minerals agreement on Monday aimed at ensuring a steady supply of the materials at a time when China is trying to tighten control over global supply. As they met at the White House...
Government shutdown on verge of tying 2nd longest, with no end in sight
WASHINGTON ‒ The federal government shutdown rolled on to its 20th day on Monday as a resolution remained elusive amid a bitter stalemate between Democrats and Republicans in Congress. If the shutdown reaches 21 days, it will tie the 1995-1996 standoff during the Bill Clinton presidency as the second longest...
VP JD Vance is charged with keeping Trump’s Gaza peace deal alive. Can he succeed?
WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump’s top messenger, Vice President JD Vance, will travel to Israel and is expected to try and rein in Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu while seeking to prevent the collapse of a week-old peace deal hailed as a coup for the United States in ending a brutal...
‘No Kings’ protests against Trump bring a street party vibe as GOP calls them ‘hate America’ rallies
WASHINGTON — Protesting the direction of the country under President Donald Trump, people gathered Saturday in the nation’s capital and communities across the U.S. for ” No Kings ” demonstrations — what the president’s Republican Party is calling “Hate America” rallies. With signs such as “Nothing is more patriotic than...
No Kings protests in Pittsburgh, Greensburg bring out thousands with varying concerns
Seventy-three-year-old Lee Vest couldn’t ignore the chance to revolt against what she called the downfall of our country. “I’ve never seen such a thing in all my life,” Vest said. “We need an administration that will fight for the people, not put it down.” Vest was among thousands who gathered...
Why are Democratic candidates for Allegheny County judge listed as Republican nominees on the ballot?
In the upcoming election for Allegheny County Common Pleas Court, all 13 candidates are registered Democrats. But it’s impossible to tell by looking at the ballot. Five of the candidates vying for eight positions on the bench are listed as Republicans, five are listed as Democrats and three are listed...
Trump commutes former congressman George Santos’ prison sentence
President Donald Trump commuted U.S. Rep. George Santos’ seven-year prison sentence, releasing him from jail on Friday. Santos, a 37-year-old Republican from New York, reported to the Federal Correctional Institution Flatiron Satellite Camp in New Jersey on July 25 to begin a seven-year prison sentence for wire fraud and aggravated...
Some GOP leaders deem ‘No Kings’ rallies as anti-American
Some Republican leaders are describing Saturday’s planned “No Kings” demonstrations across the country as anti-American. “We call it the ‘hate America’ rally,” House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., said during a news conference this week. “Let’s see who shows up for that. I bet you you’ll see Hamas supporters, I bet...
Ex-Trump adviser Bolton pleads not guilty to mishandling classified information charges
GREENBELT, Maryland — John Bolton, the national security hawk and former adviser to Donald Trump who has become one of the U.S. president’s biggest critics, pleaded not guilty on Friday to charges of mishandling classified information. Bolton, who was indicted on Thursday, is the third of Trump’s prominent critics to...
Financial pain for many Pa. service providers will continue after budget impasse ends
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 — Schools and nonprofits that provide critical services to Pennsylvania’s most vulnerable have not received billions in payments...
Many swings, few knockout hits as Cuomo and Mamdani trade jabs in heated 1st NYC mayoral debate
NEW YORK — Former Gov. Andrew Cuomo entered Thursday evening’s first New York mayoral debate trying to blunt Democratic front-runner Zohran Mamdani’s momentum. Instead he spent much of the contentious face-off on defense, batting away criticisms over his long tenure in office from Mamdani and Republican Curtis Sliwa. Cuomo, now...
