Politics Election category, Page 3
Pittsburgh budget woes vindicate Controller Rachael Heisler, who issued early warnings
For two years, Pittsburgh Controller Rachael Heisler raised one red flag after another about the city’s precarious finances. She wrote letters, held press conferences and mercilessly skewered former Mayor Ed Gainey’s final budget proposal as “not an honest document.” Few took her alerts to heart. Public officials, from the former...
Petition argues Republican state House candidate in North Hills is ineligible to run
A petition filed in Commonwealth Court says a Republican state House candidate in the North Hills is not eligible to run because he doesn’t meet the state’s residency requirement. The candidate, Ehab Akkary of McCandless, called the challenge “antidemocratic” and said it is a “frivolous and politically motivated attempt to...
Trump’s next target: ‘Taking Cuba’
NEWS ANALYSIS “I do believe I’ll be having the honor of taking Cuba,” President Donald Trump told reporters in the Oval Office on Monday. “Taking Cuba in some form, yeah,” he added when a reporter asked for clarification. “Taking Cuba. I mean, whether I free it, take it — I...
Top counterterrorism official Joe Kent resigns over Trump’s Iran war, says Iran posed no imminent threatVideo
WASHINGTON — Joe Kent, the director of the National Counterterrorism Center, announced his resignation on Tuesday, citing his concerns about the justification for military strikes in Iran and saying he “cannot in good conscience” back the Trump administration’s war. “Iran posed no imminent threat to our nation, and it is...
Illinois voters set to pick a new generation of Democrats for House, Senate after near-record retirements
CHICAGO — Illinois voters are deciding primaries Tuesday for six open U.S. House and Senate seats that will spur a new generation of leadership in the state’s heavily Democratic congressional delegation. The retirement of longtime Sen. Dick Durbin, a Democrat, has triggered a competitive campaign, drawing as candidates two sitting...
Republicans are launching a voting bill debate that could last days or even weeks
WASHINGTON — Republicans are launching an unprecedented effort on Tuesday to hold the Senate floor and talk for days about a bill that they know won’t pass — an attempt to capture public attention on legislation requiring stricter voter registration rules as President Donald Trump pressures Congress to act before...
In choosing ‘Epic Fury,’ Trump names a war and defines his presidency
WASHINGTON — By his own account, President Donald Trump was asked to personally pick the name of the military operation against Iran and was bored by all the choices presented to him. “They gave me, like, 20 names, and I’m like, falling asleep,” he said last week. “I didn’t like...
Trump team applying pressure to media: Tell the war’s story the way we see it
Through lectures, scoldings and outright threats, President Donald Trump and his aides are ratcheting up the pressure on journalists to cover the war in the Middle East the way the administration wants. The Republican president has fumed on social media about stories he doesn’t like and berated a reporter on...
Trump lets slip Rep. Neal Dunn’s medical diagnosisVideo
WASHINGTON — Republican Rep. Neal Dunn was diagnosed with a “terminal” heart illness, President Donald Trump said Monday, adding that doctors initially predicted the North Florida lawmaker would “be dead by June.” “OK, that wasn’t public,” Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., said in an awkward moment. Trump patted him on the...
Trump faces new pressure on mass deportations as Republicans weigh Homeland Security nominee
WASHINGTON — The Department of Homeland Security will soon be under new management, an opportunity to reset President Donald Trump’s immigration agenda or to double down on his signature campaign promise to conduct the largest deportation operation in American history. The White House’s political director recently encouraged party lawmakers during...
Allegheny County sets dates for mail-in voting and certifies Feb. 24 special election
While certifying the results of Feb. 24’s special election in the South Hills, the Allegheny County Board of Elections approved plans for the upcoming midterms. Voters can expect much the same process that has been followed in recent years. This includes the option to request a mail-in ballot and return...
Republicans resist calls for Iran war hearings, creating a new standoff with Democrats
WASHINGTON — The United States’ war with Iran is entering its third week, but Congress has yet to publicly test the Trump administration’s case for the conflict. Republicans in Congress have so far side-stepped public debate over the war, even as Senate Democrats reach for every tool at their disposal...
How Trump’s Homeland Security pick, a prolific investor, got a lot wealthier in Congress
A few days after Christmas, Sen. Markwayne Mullin’s expansive stock portfolio got significantly bigger. Mullin reported buying shares in Chevron, the only major U.S. oil company producing in Venezuela. Five days after the purchase, President Donald Trump attacked Venezuela, demanding that its leadership give better terms to U.S. oil companies....
Trump suggests he may delay China trip, but Bessent says it’s not to pressure on Strait of Hormuz
WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump may delay his China trip due to the Iran war, but Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said Monday it’s not to pressure Beijing on the Strait of Hormuz. Bessent said any delay to Trump’s month-end trip to Beijing would not be because of disagreements over the...
President Trump ripped for controversial fundraising email: ‘Mentally and morally sick’
President Donald Trump continues to face criticism after sending out a fundraising email that featured a photo of himself at the dignified transfer of the first six soldiers killed in the war with Iran. That photo also shows the President wearing the white USA hat that he failed to take...
Josh Shapiro doesn’t take Bill Maher’s ‘bait’ about presidential bidVideo
Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro was cagey Friday night about his presidential aspirations in an appearance on “Real Time with Bill Maher, ” but he spoke like someone who has his eyes set on 2028. “What is the story with always writing a book when you’re running for president?” Maher asked...
The biggest change to voting in Republican election bill could become a burden for many U.S. voters
COLUMBUS, Ohio — Joshua Bogdan was born and raised in the United States. The only time the New Hampshire resident has left the country was for a day and a half in seventh grade, when he went to Canada to see Niagara Falls. Even so, that did not mean proving...
Trump seeks to close $1.6 trillion revenue gap with raft of new tariffs
WASHINGTON — The Trump administration this week stepped up its ambitious effort to replace about $1.6 trillion in lost tariff revenue that was eliminated by the Supreme Court’s decision to strike down a range of the president’s import taxes. Recovering that lost revenue, which the White House was counting on...
Western Pa. lawmakers secure $406M in federal earmarks for local projects
Congressional earmarks have returned in a big way this fiscal year, with $15.7 billion tucked into non-defense appropriations bills to support more than 8,000 projects nationwide. Western Pennsylvania’s congressional delegation has secured more than $406 million for nearly 200 government and nonprofit projects, records show. Those lawmakers have requested another...
Analysis: Hegseth’s boasts of ‘maximum’ engagement authorities face scrutiny after school is hit
WASHINGTON — Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has made contempt for what he calls “stupid rules of engagement” — limits meant to reduce risks to civilians — central to his political identity, and has boasted that he unleashed the military to use “maximum authorities on the battlefield” in the Iran war....
Judge quashes subpoenas in Justice Department’s investigation of Fed chair Jerome Powell
WASHINGTON — A federal judge on Friday quashed Justice Department subpoenas issued to the Federal Reserve in January, a severe blow to an investigation that has already attracted strong criticism on Capitol Hill. The investigation into testimony last June by Chair Jerome Powell about a $2.5 billion building renovation has...
Michigan House votes to hike alcohol content limits for canned cocktails
LANSING, Mich. — The alcohol content in canned, ready-to-drink mixed spirits would increase significantly under legislation approved this week by the Michigan House. The lower chamber voted 82-22 on Thursday in favor of a bill that would increase the allowed alcohol content in canned mixed spirit beverages distributed by beer...
Cuban president says talks were recently held with the U.S. to resolve differences
HAVANA — Cuban President Miguel Díaz-Canel said Friday that his government has held recent talks with the U.S., marking the first time the Caribbean country confirms such speculation. He said the talks “were aimed at finding solutions through dialogue to the bilateral differences between our two nations. International factors facilitated...
Senate again deadlocks on Homeland Security funding as shutdown persists
WASHINGTON — The congressional impasse over funding the Department of Homeland Security is entering its second month after the Senate on Thursday again deadlocked over providing money for the agency, even as airports continued to experience security line backups. With Democrats refusing to back money for the agency without significant...
Will independents ever get to vote in Pa. primaries? Advocates hope a lawsuit moves the needle.
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 — Supporters of opening Pennsylvania’s primaries to more than 1 million unaffiliated voters hope the courts will accomplish...
