Politics Election category, Page 287
Westmoreland Democrats formalize leadership changes in local party
New leadership of the Westmoreland County Democratic Committee will seek to reverse what has been two decades of election losses and erosion of control the party held over local politics for decades. Over the weekend, Tara Yokopenic was named as the committee’s new chairwoman, formalizing the job she has performed...
Trump: Convention speech locale is White House or Gettysburg
WASHINGTON — Searching for a symbolic substitute for his virus-scuttled plans for an arena celebration, President Donald Trump said Monday that his acceptance speech for the Republican presidential nomination will be held at either the White House or the Gettysburg battlefield. The president’s initial hopes for the event to be...
China sanctions 11 U.S. politicians, heads of organizationsVideo
BEIJING — China on Monday announced unspecified sanctions against 11 U.S. politicians and heads of organizations promoting democratic causes, including Senators Marco Rubio and Ted Cruz, who have already been singled out by Beijing. Foreign ministry spokesperson Zhao Lijian on Monday said the 11 had “performed badly” on issues concerning...
Why choice of running mate matters more than usual this year
NEW YORK — For all the secrecy and speculation that typically surrounds the search for a vice presidential candidate, the decision rarely sways an election. But ahead of Joe Biden’s imminent announcement, this year could be different. At a minimum, the decision will shift the force of the campaign —...
Puerto Rico halts primary voting in centers lacking ballots
SAN JUAN — Puerto Rico on Sunday was forced to partially suspend voting for primaries marred by a lack of ballots as officials called on the president of the U.S. territory’s elections commission to resign. The primaries for voting centers that had not received ballots by early afternoon are expected...
Trump end run around Congress raises questions on his claimsVideo
BRIDGEWATER, N.J. — President Donald Trump’s end run around Congress on coronavirus relief is raising questions about whether it would give Americans the economic lifeline he claims and appears certain to face legal challenges. Democrats called it a pre-election ploy that would burden cash-strapped states. “When you look at those...
10 most vulnerable House members in 2020 includes 1 in Pennsylvania
WASHINGTON — For the first time this election cycle, a Republican tops the list of the 10 most vulnerable House members. California Rep. Mike Garcia takes the No. 1 spot after winning a May special election for a seat President Donald Trump lost in 2016. The list now features the...
Postal Service emerges as flash point heading into election
WASHINGTON — Mail piling up. Constant attacks from the president. Cuts to overtime as record numbers of ballots are expected to pass through post offices this fall. The success of the 2020 presidential election could hinge on a most unlikely government agency: the U.S. Postal Service. Current signs are not...
Trump’s order to bypass Congress on coronavirus relief faces likely legal challenges
WASHINGTON — President Trump on Saturday said he was bypassing Congress and taking unilateral action to provide financial relief to Americans struggling during the coronavirus crisis, despite uncertainty about his legal authority to do so. Following the breakdown of talks on Capitol Hill to reach a bipartisan deal, Trump signed...
Trump orders more unemployment pay, payroll tax deferral
BEDMINSTER, N.J. — Seizing the power of his podium and his pen, President Trump on Saturday moved to bypass the nation’s elected lawmakers as he claimed the authority to defer payroll taxes and extend an expired unemployment benefit after negotiations with Congress on a new coronavirus rescue package collapsed. At...
Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine again tests negative for coronavirus
COLUMBUS, Ohio — The fourth covid-19 test result for Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine came back negative Saturday after he received conflicting positive and negative results two days before, ahead of a scheduled meeting with President Trump. The governor and first lady, Fran DeWine, were tested at Ohio State University “out...
Dem to visit every Tennessee county in uphill effort to flip Senate seat
MEMPHIS, Tenn. — U.S. Senate candidate Marquita Bradshaw said Saturday her campaign fundraising is in full swing and she plans to visit all 95 Tennessee counties as she tries to flip the seat from Republican to Democrat. Bradshaw won Thursday’s Democratic primary election in the contest to replace Republican U.S....
Trump aims to bypass lawmakers on virus aid
BEDMINSTER, N.J. — Ready and willing to bypass elected lawmakers, President Trump seemed set to claim the power to suspend payroll taxes and extend expired unemployment benefits after negotiations with Congress on coronavirus rescue money collapsed. The White House signaled Saturday the president was soon expected to sign four executive...
Doctors, hospitals launch voter registration efforts
An emergency room doctor in Boston is assembling thousands of voter registration kits for distribution at hospitals and doctor’s offices. Later this month, students at Harvard and Yale’s medical schools are planning a contest to see which of the Ivy League rivals can register the most voters. And a medical...
Trump says he might sign order to boost unemployment checks. Can he?
WASHINGTON — Can President Trump quickly issue an executive order and start hundreds of dollars in unemployment payments flowing to millions of Americans again? Maybe, but he’d face significant hurdles. Like the Constitution. Congress, not the president, has the power “to lay and collect taxes” in order “to pay the...
Trump bans dealings with Chinese owners of TikTok, WeChat
NEW YORK — President Donald Trump on Thursday ordered an unspecified ban on “transactions” with the Chinese owners of the consumer apps TikTok and WeChat, although it remains unclear if he has the legal authority to actually ban the apps from the United States. The twin executive orders — one...
Republicans push Kanye 2020. But will it really hurt Biden?Video
WASHINGTON — Kanye West’s unlikely White House bid is getting help qualifying for presidential ballots in key states from Republicans around the country, fueling suspicions he’s being pushed to run by allies of President Donald Trump hoping to siphon support away from Joe Biden. The rapper qualified for Colorado’s presidential...
Playing electoral defense, Trump claims Biden opposes GodVideo
CLEVELAND — President Donald Trump billed his trip to Ohio Thursday as a chance to promote economic recovery, but he quickly pivoted to a deeply personal attack on Joe Biden, even questioning without foundation the former vice president’s faith in God. Even for a president known for his blunt criticism,...
Michigan senator launches investigation into Postal Service delaysVideo
WASHINGTON — A Democratic senator said Thursday he is launching an investigation into changes at the U.S. Postal Service that are causing delays in mail deliveries across the country just as big volume increases are expected for mail-in election voting. A plan imposed by Louis DeJoy, a Republican fundraiser who...
Democrats sue Georgia election officials over lines at polls
ATLANTA — Democrats are asking a federal judge to order Georgia election officials to take steps to prevent long lines at the polls on Election Day. A lawsuit filed Thursday in federal court in Atlanta alleges that the causes of long lines that have forced Georgians to wait hours to...
Ohio Gov. DeWine tests positive for covid-19 ahead of Trump visit
COLUMBUS, Ohio — Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine tested positive Thursday for the coronavirus just ahead a planned meeting with President Donald Trump. The Republican governor’s office said Thursday that he took the test as part of standard protocol before meeting Trump at an airport in Cleveland. He had planned to...
Playing electoral defense, Trump to promote recovery in Ohio
WASHINGTON — Forced to play defense in states he led comfortably months ago, President Donald Trump set his sights on Ohio on Thursday in an attempt to reframe the centerpiece of his reelection pitch. During his visit, Trump planned to promote the economic prosperity that much of the nation enjoyed...
Facebook, citing coronavirus misinformation, deletes Trump post
Facebook has deleted a post by President Donald Trump for violating its policy against spreading misinformation about coronavirus. The post in question featured a link to a Fox News video in which Trump says children are “virtually immune” to the virus. Facebook said Wednesday that the “video includes false claims...
Prognosticator with perfect track record says Biden will beat TrumpVideo
Joe Biden is leading President Trump in the polls — nationally and in a number of swing states. But a voter could be forgiven for not putting too much stock in those numbers — especially after Hillary Clinton’s lead over Trump in 2016 turned into an electoral college win for...
Trump’s bank subpoenaed by New York prosecutors in criminal inquiry
NEW YORK — The New York prosecutor who has been fighting, unsuccessfully so far, to get President Donald Trump’s tax returns had better luck last year getting a bank to turn over his financial records. The office of Manhattan District Attorney Cyrus R. Vance sent a subpoena last year to...
