Politics Election category, Page 299
Biden ally sees Klobuchar as less likely Biden running mate
WASHINGTON — Minnesota Sen. Amy Klobuchar seems a less likely choice to become Joe Biden’s running mate on his presidential ticket following this week’s death of a black man in police custody in Minneapolis, a key ally of the former vice president said. Rep. James Clyburn, D-S.C., told reporters on...
Trump, N.C. governor speak about GOP convention details
RALEIGH, N.C. — President Donald Trump and North Carolina’s governor disagreed on Friday over the viability of a full-fledged Republican National Convention, the governor’s office said, as Trump does not want to see signs of the pandemic in his renomination audience. Democratic Gov. Roy Cooper and Trump spoke by phone,...
Trump WHO funding cut prompts criticism as virus spreads
WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump’s announcement he was cutting U.S. funding for the World Health Organization prompted criticism Saturday, as spiking infection rates in India and elsewhere served as a reminder the global pandemic is far from contained. Trump on Friday charged that the WHO didn’t respond adequately to the...
How Twitter made its own rules for Trump to break
When Twitter slapped a warning label over President Donald Trump’s tweet Thursday night about riots in Minnesota’s Twin Cities, the company’s official explanation was that the president had violated a rule prohibiting “glorification of violence.” But that justification doesn’t explain why Twitter chose to leave the tweet on the site...
Lindsey Graham urges older judges to retire so GOP can fill openings
WASHINGTON — Lindsey Graham, the chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee, is publicly urging federal judges in their mid-60s or older to step aside so President Donald Trump and Senate Republicans can fill the vacancies with conservative jurists. Graham’s comments, in an interview Thursday with conservative radio host Hugh Hewitt,...
Pennsylvania House virus notification dispute mirrors growing divide in state politics
The growing divide in the Pennsylvania Legislature loomed large this week with the news that a Republican House member’s coronavirus diagnosis was not shared with Democrats. House Democrats say they were stunned to learn Wednesday that state Rep. Andrew Lewis, R-Dauphin County, was diagnosed with covid-19 on May 20. Political...
Trump escalating war on Twitter, social media protectionsVideo
WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump escalated his war on social media companies Thursday, signing an executive order challenging the liability protections that have served as a bedrock for unfettered speech on the internet. Still, the move appears to be more about politics than substance, as the president aims to rally...
Texas court: Coronavirus fear alone not enough for mail balloting
AUSTIN — Texas officials fighting to block widespread mail-in voting during the pandemic claimed victory after the state’s highest court ruled Wednesday that a lack of immunity to the coronavirus doesn’t qualify someone to cast a ballot by mail. The decision was unanimous by the Texas Supreme Court, which is...
Biden: Wolf doing ‘one hell of a job’ during coronavirus pandemic
Former Vice President Joe Biden and Gov. Tom Wolf traded compliments Wednesday morning while discussing what the country needs to overcome the coronavirus pandemic. Biden, the presumptive Democratic presidential nominee and a Scranton native, spoke with the governor just hours after Wolf formally endorsed the Democrat’s bid to oust President...
House Republicans sue Nancy Pelosi to block proxy voting rule
WASHINGTON — House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy, along with 20 other Republicans and four constituents, challenged the constitutionality of proxy voting in the chamber on Tuesday with a lawsuit aimed at Speaker Nancy Pelosi. The plaintiffs claim that the transition to proxy voting — spurred by the coronavirus pandemic —...
In a first, Twitter adds fact-check warnings to Trump tweets
For the first time, Twitter has flagged some of President Donald Trump’s tweets with a fact-check warning. On Tuesday, Twitter added a warning phrase to two Trump tweets that called mail-in ballots “fraudulent” and predicted that “mail boxes will be robbed,” among other things. Under the tweets, there is now...
Trump’s convention demand comes amid Charlotte coronavirus surgeVideo
CHARLOTTE, N.C. — President Donald Trump’s demand for a full-capacity Republican convention in August is putting pressure on North Carolina health officials — and local Republicans — as coronavirus cases surge in the host county and statewide. Democratic Gov. Roy Cooper’s administration has refused to give in, though, responding with...
On Memorial Day, Trump insults Marine Corps veteran Conor Lamb by calling him ‘American fraud’
On Memorial Day, President Trump called Marine reserve officer and Pennsylvania Rep. Conor Lamb an “American fraud” on Twitter. Almost a week before the state’s primary, Trump threw his support toward Sean Parnell, an Army combat veteran from Cranberry, who is running for Lamb’s seat in the 17th Congressional District....
Biden makes 1st in-person appearance in more than 2 monthsVideo
NEW CASTLE, Del. — Joe Biden made his first in-person appearance in more than two months on Monday as he marked Memorial Day by laying a wreath at a veterans park near his Delaware home. Since abruptly canceling a March 10 rally in Cleveland at the onset of the coronavirus...
Trump threatens to move RNC without assurances from governor
President Donald Trump threatened Monday to pull the Republican National Convention out of North Carolina if the state’s Democratic governor doesn’t immediately sign off on allowing a full-capacity gathering in August despite the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. Trump’s tweets about the RNC, planned for Charlotte, come just two days after North...
Judge rules against Florida on felons paying fines to vote
TALLAHASSEE — A Florida law requiring felons to pay legal fees as part of their sentences before regaining the vote is unconstitutional for those unable to pay, or unable to find out how much they owe, a federal judge ruled Sunday. The 125-page ruling was issued by U.S. District Court...
Joe Biden wins Hawaii presidential primary delayed by virus
HONOLULU — Joe Biden won the Democratic Party of Hawaii’s party-run presidential primary on Saturday, which was delayed by more than a month because of the coronavirus. Biden defeated Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders 63% to 37%. Biden won 16 of Hawaii’s delegates, and Sanders will take eight. Biden has a...
Trump to attend Wednesday’s NASA astronaut launch in Florida
STERLING, Va. — President Donald Trump plans to be on the Florida coast Wednesday to watch American astronauts blast into orbit from the Kennedy Space Center for the first time in nearly a decade. It will be the first time since the space shuttle program ended in 2011 that U.S....
Allies: Ex-Detroit mayor to be released from prison early
DETROIT — Former Detroit Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick is being quarantined at a federal prison while awaiting a likely release in June, which would be years before he was scheduled to finish his 28-year sentence for corruption, a pastor said Friday. The U.S. Bureau of Prisons declined to comment about Kilpatrick,...
Biden: If you can’t choose me over Trump, ‘you ain’t black’Video
ATLANTA — Joe Biden, the presumptive Democratic presidential nominee, had a testy exchange with a prominent black radio personality on Friday over his support among black voters and his potential running mate. Charlamagne Tha God pressed Biden on reports that he is considering Minnesota Sen. Amy Klobuchar, who is white,...
Missouri governor not only allows graduation, but keynotes
O’FALLON, Mo. (AP) — In a year when many states are prohibiting in-person graduation ceremonies due to the coronavirus, Missouri Gov. Mike Parson is not only allowing them, but also spoke at one. The Republican governor had a special connection to the indoor ceremony Thursday night at Sparta High School...
Trump declares emergency for flooded Michigan communities
MIDLAND, Mich. — Many Central Michigan residents remained cut off from their homes Thursday even as floodwaters receded, with senior citizens among the scores of displaced people staying in shelters after flooding overwhelmed two dams, submerged homes and washed out roads. President Donald Trump, who was in Michigan to visit...
Divided Senate confirms John Ratcliffe as national intelligence chief
WASHINGTON — A sharply divided Senate confirmed John Ratcliffe as director of national intelligence on Thursday, with Democrats refusing to support the nomination over fears that he will politicize the intelligence community’s work under President Donald Trump. All Democrats opposed Ratcliffe, making him the first DNI to be installed on...
As coronavirus deaths near 100K, Trump should lower flags, Pelosi, Schumer say
WASHINGTON — Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Senate Minority Leader Charles E. Schumer urged President Donald Trump to lower flags at all public buildings when the U.S. death toll from COVID-19 reaches 100,000. The Democratic leaders made their request Thursday in a letter to the White House saying the move would...
Ex-Trump lawyer Michael Cohen released from prison
WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump’s longtime personal lawyer and fixer Michael Cohen was released from federal prison Thursday to serve the remainder of his sentence at home, a person familiar with the matter told The Associated Press. Cohen had been serving a federal prison sentence at FCI Otisville in New...
