Politics Election category, Page 303
Trump’s anti-China rhetoric aimed at boosting U.S. leverageVideo
WASHINGTON — The Trump administration is making ever louder pronouncements casting blame on China for the covid-19 pandemic, aiming to sidestep domestic criticism of the president’s own response, tarnish China’s global reputation and give the U.S. leverage on trade and other aspects of U.S.-China competition. President Donald Trump has vowed...
Ohio GOP lawmaker Nino Vitale refuses to wear a mask because faces are the ‘likeness of God’Video
At least the excuse Nino Vitale used for not wearing a mask was a little more interesting than what Vice President Mike Pence recently offered. Vitale, an Ohio state representative, said Monday he will not wear a mask during the coronavirus pandemic because faces are the “likeness of God.” “This...
In televised town hall, Trump pushes for economic reopeningVideo
WASHINGTON — Anxious for an economic recovery, President Donald Trump fielded Americans’ questions about decisions by some states to allow nonessential businesses to reopen while other states are on virtual lockdown due to the coronavirus. After more than a month of being cooped up at the White House, Trump returned...
Trump criticizes George W. Bush over call for unity amid coronavirus
George W. Bush’s evocative three-minute coronavirus video went out of its way to avoid controversy. The former president didn’t mention President Trump or any political leaders during his “Call for Unity” message. Instead, Bush praised the American spirit and vowed the nation will beat the pandemic. Trump’s reaction? Bush should...
Biden wins Kansas primary conducted with all-mail balloting
TOPEKA, Kan. — Joe Biden has overwhelmingly won a Democratic presidential primary in Kansas that the state party conducted exclusively by mail because of the coronavirus pandemic. The former vice president had been expected to prevail in Saturday’s vote and capture a majority of the state’s delegates to the Democrats’...
Sidelined by pandemic, Trump campaign turns to digital shows
WASHINGTON — The streaming video began and, within minutes, the president’s eldest son was musing that Osama bin Laden had endorsed Joe Biden. Subtle, it was not. Welcome to the Trump campaign, digital edition. Seven nights a week, President Donald Trump’s reelection team is airing live programming online to replace...
Tara Reade: ‘I didn’t use sexual harassment’ in Biden complaint
WASHINGTON — Tara Reade, the former Senate staffer who alleges Joe Biden sexually assaulted her 27 years ago, says she filed a limited report with a congressional personnel office that did not explicitly accuse him of sexual assault or harassment. “I remember talking about him wanting me to serve drinks...
Back in session: Senate returns but House stays away
WASHINGTON — The Senate will reopen on Monday as the coronavirus crisis rages and the House stays shuttered, a strategy that leaves Congress as divided as the nation. It’s a politically and physically fraught move by Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, convening 100 senators at the U.S. Capitol during a...
White House blocking Fauci testimony, panel spokesman says
WASHINGTON — A spokesman for a key House panel said Friday that the White House has blocked Dr. Anthony Fauci from testifying next week at a hearing on the coronavirus outbreak. House Appropriations Committee spokesman Evan Hollander said the panel sought Fauci — the highly respected director of the National...
Biden denies former staffer’s sexual assault allegationVideo
WASHINGTON — Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden on Friday categorically denied allegations from a former Senate staffer that he sexually assaulted her in the early 1990s, saying “this never happened.” Biden’s first public remarks on the allegation by former staffer Tara Reade come at a critical moment for the presumptive...
Report: More federal cash needed for a safe, secure 2020 election
A $400 million federal boost to help cover increased election costs nationwide this year because of the coronavirus pandemic is far less than the actual amount needed, according to a report authored in part by a University of Pittsburgh researcher. The report, “Ensuring Safe Elections: Federal Funding Needs for State...
Trump tweets raise speculation about potential Flynn pardonVideo
WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump on Thursday tweeted his support for his former national security adviser Michael Flynn, raising speculation that a pardon may be coming after Flynn’s lawyers released internal FBI documents they claim show the FBI was trying to entrap him. Trump has long said he is considering...
Biden reaches deal to let Sanders keep hundreds of delegates
WASHINGTON — Presumptive Democratic nominee Joe Biden has agreed to let former primary rival Bernie Sanders keep hundreds of delegates he would otherwise forfeit by dropping out of the presidential race in a deal designed to avoid the bitter feelings that marred the party in 2016 and helped lead to...
Biden assault allegation prompts GOP attacks, Dem worriesVideo
WASHINGTON — A sexual assault allegation is raising Joe Biden’s first big challenge as the Democrats’ presidential nominee, fueling Republican attacks and leaving many in his own party in an uncomfortable bind. Biden’s campaign has denied the allegation from his former Senate staffer, Tara Reade, who has said Biden assaulted...
Trump son-in-law Jared Kushner touts administration’s response against the covid-19 pandemic ‘a great success story’Video
On a day when the nation’s death toll of covid-19 neared 60,000 and 26.5 million Americans filed for unemployment benefits, President Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner called the administration’s response a “great success story.” “The government, federal government rose to the challenge, and this is a great success story, and I...
Rep. Justin Amash exploring 2020 run for Libertarian nomination
WASHINGTON — Rep. Justin Amash of Michigan said Tuesday that he is launching an exploratory committee for the 2020 Libertarian Party’s presidential nomination. The Republican-turned-independent said on Twitter that the U.S. was ready for new leadership. He also posted a link to a new campaign website. “Americans are ready for...
Joe Biden wins Ohio’s mail-in primary delayed by coronavirusVideo
COLUMBUS — Joe Biden won Ohio’s presidential primary Tuesday, clinching a contest that was less about the Democratic nomination and more about how states can conduct elections in the era of the coronavirus. The primary was the first major test of statewide elections via mail amid an outbreak. And the...
Trump orders meat processing plants to remain openVideo
WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump took executive action Tuesday to order meat processing plants to stay open amid concerns over growing coronavirus cases and the impact on the nation’s food supply. The order uses the Defense Production Act to classify meat processing as critical infrastructure to try to prevent a...
AP source: Hillary Clinton to endorse Joe BidenVideo
Hillary Clinton will endorse Joe Biden’s presidential candidacy on Tuesday, according to a Democrat who requested anonymity to discuss the plan. The Biden campaign said Clinton would join the presumptive Democratic nominee for a virtual town hall later Tuesday to discuss the impact of the coronavirus on women. Clinton teased...
House won’t resume as planned next week due to virus risk
WASHINGTON — Facing fierce blowback, House Democratic leadership announced Tuesday the House will not resume session next week as planned because of risks associated with the coronavirus pandemic. Majority Leader Steny Hoyer declared the sudden about-face a day after a lawmakers revolted. He said after discussions with the Capitol physician,...
Trump says coronavirus testing ‘not a problem,’ but doubts persistVideo
WASHINGTON — The White House released new guidelines Monday aimed at answering criticism that America’s coronavirus testing has been too slow, and President Donald Trump tried to pivot toward a focus on “reopening” the nation. Still, there were doubts from public health experts that the White House’s new testing targets...
AG William Barr to prosecutors: Look for unconstitutional coronavirus rules
WASHINGTON — Attorney General William Barr on Monday ordered federal prosecutors across the U.S. to identify coronavirus-related restrictions from state and local governments “that could be violating the constitutional rights and civil liberties of individual citizens.” The memo to U.S. attorneys directs the head of the Justice Department’s civil rights...
Supreme Court rules insurers can collect $12 billion under Obamacare
WASHINGTON — The Supreme Court ruled Monday that when Congress makes a promise to pay, the government must indeed pay up, even if a later Congress changes its mind. That’s the essence of what could be a $12 billion win for health insurers who joined the Obamacare program in its...
Virus leads New York to nix Democratic presidential primaryVideo
ALBANY, N.Y. — In an unprecedented move, New York has canceled its Democratic presidential primary that was scheduled for June 23 amid the coronavirus pandemic. The Democratic members of the State’s Board of Elections voted Monday to nix the primary. New York will still hold its congressional and state-level primaries...
AP-NORC poll: Rising support for mail voting amid pandemicVideo
WASHINGTON — Americans’ support for mail-in voting has jumped amid concerns about the safety of polling places during the coronavirus pandemic, but a wide partisan divide suggests President Donald Trump’s public campaign against vote by mail may be resonating with his Republican backers. A new poll from the Associated Press-NORC...
