Politics Election category, Page 294
Putin seizes moment to rule until he’s 83 amid fading popularityVideo
MOSCOW — After two decades in power, Vladimir Putin’s approval ratings are at an all-time low as Russia’s economy reels under the impact of the coronavirus epidemic and the slump in oil prices. What better time for him to seek to extend his presidency for potentially 16 more years? It’s...
Trump tweets video with ‘white power’ chant, then deletes it
WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump on Sunday tweeted approvingly of a video showing one of his supporters chanting “white power,” a racist slogan associated with white supremacists. He later deleted the tweet and the White House said the president had not heard “the one statement” on the video. The video...
Rolling Stones threaten to sue Trump over using their songs
LONDON (AP) — The Rolling Stones are threatening President Donald Trump with legal action for using their songs at his rallies despite cease-and-desist directives. The Stones said in a statement Sunday that their legal team is working with music rights organization BMI to stop use of their material in Trump’s...
Trump’s attacks seen undercutting confidence in 2020 vote
WASHINGTON — It was a startling declaration about one of the pillars of American democracy, all the more so given its source. The president of the United States last week publicly predicted without evidence that the 2020 presidential election would be “the most corrupt election in the history of our...
Trump ally Candace Owens sows division among other Black supporters
WASHINGTON — The White House’s embrace of a prominent Black advocate for President Trump who made inflammatory remarks about George Floyd has caused turmoil among other Black conservatives close to the president, threatening their support for his reelection. The dispute began this month, shortly after Floyd’s death in the custody...
Mississippi gov: I’d sign bill to remove flag’s rebel emblem
JACKSON, Miss. — Mississippi lawmakers could vote in the next few days to remove the Confederate battle emblem from the state flag, a symbol that has come under intensifying criticism in recent weeks amid nationwide protests against racial injustice. Republican Gov. Tate Reeves said Saturday, for the first time, that...
Advocates, experts warn against polling place reductions
LOUISVILLE, Kentucky — With only one polling place open on election day this week in Louisville, Kentucky, voting went relatively smoothly compared with other recent primaries held amid the global pandemic. Does that mean other cities should consider the same in November? Voting rights groups say no. They caution that...
Georgia governor signs hate crimes measure into law
ATLANTA — Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp signed hate crimes legislation into law Friday after state lawmakers brokered a compromise over the proposal after 16 years of debate over whether to extend protections to people who are targeted because of biases. The Republican signed the proposal at the state Capitol surrounding...
Attorney: Ex-Baltimore mayor surrenders for prison term
Baltimore’s disgraced former mayor surrendered to federal authorities Friday to begin serving a three-year prison sentence stemming from a public corruption scandal. Catherine Pugh’s attorney, Steven Silverman, told The Associated Press his client “surrendered as directed.” Pugh was sentenced in February for fraudulently selling her self-published children’s books to nonprofit...
Facebook to label all rule-breaking posts – even Trump’s
OAKLAND, Calif. — Facebook said Friday that it will flag all “newsworthy” posts from politicians that break its rules, including those from President Donald Trump. Separately, Facebook’s stock dropped more than 8%, erasing roughly $50 billion from its market valuation, after the European company behind brands such as Ben &...
Reporter at Trump’s Tulsa rally tests positive for COVID-19
OKLAHOMA CITY — A journalist who attended President Donald Trump’s rally in Tulsa last week said Friday he has tested positive for COVID-19. Oklahoma Watch reporter Paul Monies said he was notified Friday of his positive diagnosis. “I’m pretty surprised,” Monies wrote on Twitter. “I have zero symptoms (so far)...
Dueling Trump-Biden events offer contrasting virus responses
LANCASTER — A presidential campaign that has largely been frozen for several months because of the coronavirus is looking a bit more like those from other years. President Donald Trump and Democratic challenger Joe Biden swung through critical battleground states, presenting starkly different visions for America as it struggles with...
Trump tweets about plan for BLM mural in front of his Tower
NEW YORK — President Donald Trump has taken issue with New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio’s plan to paint “Black Lives Matter” in giant letters on the street in front of Trump’s namesake Manhattan tower. Trump tweeted Thursday that de Blasio “wants to paint the fabled & beautiful Fifth...
NYC judge rejects Trump family effort to halt tell-all book
WASHINGTON — A New York City judge has dismissed a claim by Donald Trump’s brother that sought to halt the publication of a tell-all book by the president’s niece. In a ruling handed down on Thursday, Judge Peter Kelly said the Surrogates Court lacked jurisdiction in the case. Mary Trump...
Biden, Trump stage rare dueling events in pandemic era
LANCASTER — Both President Donald Trump and his Democratic challenger, Joe Biden, are swinging through key battleground states on Thursday, presenting dueling events that haven’t happened much in the age of coronavirus and showcasing their contrasting styles in response to the pandemic. The former vice president wore a black face...
At age 24, N.C. Congress runoff victor may be rising star
RALEIGH, N.C. — After nearly dying in a car crash six years ago, western North Carolina congressional candidate Madison Cawthorn already has learned many life lessons by age 24. “There is no time to wait,” Cawthorn said in a recent interview. “Life is precious and it can be taken away...
Trump’s national security adviser takes aim at China
PHOENIX — President Donald Trump’s national security adviser warned China on Wednesday that the United States is waking up to the threat that it believes the Chinese Communist Party poses “to our great way of life” and will act to check the spread of Beijing’s ideology. Robert O’Brien said his...
Casey says blocked GOP police reform bill weak on accountability
U.S. Sen. Bob Casey said insufficient accountability is one reason a Republican police reform bill failed to progress Wednesday in the Senate. With a 55-45 tally, Senate Republicans failed to gain the 60 votes needed to proceed to a debate on the bill. Afterward, Casey said an alternate Democratic reform...
Appeals court orders dismissal of Michael Flynn prosecution
WASHINGTON — A federal appeals court on Wednesday ordered the dismissal of the criminal case against President Donald Trump’s former national security adviser Michael Flynn. The U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia said in a 2-1 ruling that the Justice Department’s decision to abandon the case...
Trump’s brother sues over niece’s book about ‘toxic’ family
President Donald Trump’s brother sued to block publication of a book by their niece Mary Trump, saying portions of the memoir violate confidentiality provisions of a settlement reached among family members almost two decades ago in a fight over money. Robert S. Trump filed the complaint Tuesday in state court...
Mitch McConnell wins GOP nomination in bid for 7th term
LOUISVILLE, Ky. — Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell cruised to the Republican nomination Tuesday night in pursuit of a seventh term, but his general election challenger might not be known for days as Kentucky awaits the outcome of a competitive Democratic primary. McConnell, the nation’s top-ranking congressional Republican, dispatched a...
Trump’s pick defeated in North Carolina GOP House primary
RALEIGH, N.C. — A 24-year-old real estate investment CEO won Tuesday’s Republican primary runoff for a western North Carolina congressional seat over President Donald Trump’s endorsed candidate for the nomination. Madison Cawthorn handily defeated Lynda Bennett to complete an upset for the GOP nomination in the 11th Congressional District. Bennett...
Allegheny County leads state in mail-in balloting; more expected in November
Faced with the coronavirus pandemic and the prospect of long lines at sharply reduced polling places, Allegheny County voters led the state in embracing Pennsylvania’s new mail-in voting option. A new report by the Center for Rural Pennsylvania found nearly one in three Allegheny County voters requested a mail-in ballot...
Carnegie Mellon appointment of ex-Trump cabinet member Richard Grenell draws criticism from faculty, staff
More than 200 Carnegie Mellon University faculty, staff and students have signed on to an open letter rebuffing the appointment of a former ambassador and Trump administration cabinet member as a senior fellow at the university’s Institute for Politics and Strategy. Richard Grenell, the former U.S. ambassador to Germany who...
2nd presidential debate moves from Michigan to Florida
The nonpartisan commission that sponsors the formal election year presidential debates announced Tuesday that an October debate that had been set for Michigan will now take place in Florida. The change comes after the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, determined it was no longer “feasible” to host the Oct. 15...
