Politics Election category, Page 38
Minnesota’s election safeguards stopped a voter fraud scheme in its tracks, secretary of state says
MINNEAPOLIS — Two people have been charged with conspiracy to commit voter registration fraud in a case that shows Minnesota’s election safeguards work and prevented anyone from voting illegally, Secretary of State Steve Simon said Friday. The charges announced by the U.S. Attorney’s Office allege Ronnie Williams and Lorraine Lee...
Judge blocks State Department from firing workers while injunction is in effect
A federal judge in San Francisco on Friday stopped Secretary of State Marco Rubio from proceeding with plans to downsize the State Department, saying it is prohibited behavior under an injunction she issued last month. U.S. District Judge Susan Illston barred the Republican administration from carrying out much of its...
Low-income Pennsylvanians could lose access to weight-loss drugs as Harrisburg searches for savings
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. HARRISBURG — Low-income Pennsylvanians could lose access to medical coverage for popular weight-loss drugs like Ozempic and Wegovy as state lawmakers search for savings in...
Trump says Iran has ‘second chance’ to come to nuclear deal after Israeli strikes devastate Tehran
WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump on Friday urged Iran to quickly reach an agreement on curbing its nuclear program as Israel vowed to continue its bombardment of the country. Trumped framed the volatile moment in the Middle East as a possible “second chance” for Iran’s leadership to avoid further destruction...
Republican enthusiasm for Musk cools after his feud with Trump, a new AP-NORC poll finds
WASHINGTON — Tech billionaire Elon Musk has lost some of his luster with Republicans since his messy public falling-out with President Donald Trump last week, a new survey finds. Fewer Republicans view Trump’s onetime government efficiency bulldog “very favorably” compared with April, according to the poll from The Associated Press-NORC...
Ex-congressman Billy Long confirmed as commissioner of the IRS, an agency he once sought to abolish
WASHINGTON — Former U.S. Rep. Billy Long of Missouri was confirmed on Thursday to lead the Internal Revenue Service, giving the beleaguered agency he once sought to abolish a permanent commissioner after months of acting leaders and massive staffing cuts that have threatened to derail next year’s tax filing season....
U.S. House votes to pull $1.1B in funding for NPR, PBS
The U.S. House voted Thursday afternoon to slash nearly $1.1 billion in federal funding to the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, which supports local NPR and PBS stations such as Pittsburgh’s WESA-FM radio and WQED-TV. The Rescissions Act, which also would cancel $8.3 billion in foreign aid spending, passed the Republican-led...
Sens. Fetterman, McCormick team up on bill to bring federal energy office to Pittsburgh
U.S. Sens. John Fetterman and Dave McCormick have introduced bipartisan legislation to move a Department of Energy office to Pennsylvania. The bill would move the department’s Office of Fossil Energy and Carbon Management (FECM) from Washington, D.C., to Pittsburgh. In a joint statement, McCormick said it makes sense for the...
Trump admits immigration crackdown hurting farmers, hotelsVideo
President Donald Trump on Thursday admitted his immigration crackdown is hurting farms and hotels that rely heavily on undocumented immigrants for low-wage labor. As immigration protests spread from Los Angeles to other cities, Trump said he would consider tweaking his harsh mass deportation policy to spare the crucial agriculture and...
House approves Trump’s request to cut funding for NPR, PBS and foreign aid
WASHINGTON — The House narrowly voted Thursday to cut about $9.4 billion in spending already approved by Congress as President Donald Trump’s administration looks to follow through on work by the Department of Government Efficiency when it was overseen by Elon Musk. The package targets foreign aid programs and the...
President Aaron Rodgers? Bookmaker gives Steelers QB a 500-to-1 shot
So you’re saying there’s a chance? Newly signed Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Aaron Rodgers has the best odds among current and former professional sports stars to become the next president of the United States, according to betonline.ag. At 500-to-1, he shares the same odds as LeBron James, Peyton Manning, Steve Garvey...
Most U.S. adults say Trump’s military parade is not a good use of money, a new AP-NORC poll finds
WASHINGTON — As Washington prepares for a military parade this weekend to honor the 250th anniversary of the U.S. Army, a new survey finds that U.S. adults are more likely to approve than disapprove of President Donald Trump’s decision to hold the festivities, which officials have said will cost tens...
Trump signs measure blocking California’s ban on new sales of gas-powered cars
WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump signed a resolution on Thursday that blocks California’s first-in-the-nation rule banning the sale of new gas-powered cars by 2035. The state quickly announced it was challenging the move in court, with California’s attorney general holding a news conference to discuss the lawsuit before Trump’s signing...
Standoff with troops in Los Angeles reignites old feud as Newsom resists Trump’s immigration raids
WASHINGTON — It was earlier this year that California Gov. Gavin Newsom was making nice with President Donald Trump as he sought help for his wildfire-battered state and moderating his approach ahead of a potential bid for the White House. But now the gloves are off after Trump took the...
David Hogg won’t try to keep his DNC role amid dispute over Democratic primaries
David Hogg said Wednesday he will not fight to hold onto his leadership role in the Democratic National Committee after igniting a firestorm over his push to target long-serving Democrats in safe congressional seats. Hogg announced his retreat hours after the DNC removed him and another officer, Pennsylvania state lawmaker...
Key Pa. senator says bipartisan energy bills on hold until contested climate program settled
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. HARRISBURG — A group of bills aimed at boosting electricity production and regulating clean energy has rare, bipartisan support in Pennsylvania’s divided legislature. But a...
Elon Musk backs off from feud with Trump, saying he regrets social media posts that ‘went too far’
Elon Musk stepped back from his explosive feud with U.S. President Donald Trump, writing on X that he regrets some of his posts about his onetime ally. Early Wednesday morning, he posted “I regret some of my posts about President realDonaldTrump last week. They went too far.” Musk’s break with...
Wisconsin lawsuit seeks to ban Elon Musk from offering $1 million checks to voters
MADISON, Wis. — A government watchdog group in Wisconsin filed a lawsuit Wednesday seeking to prohibit billionaire Elon Musk from ever again offering cash payments to voters in the battleground state like he did in this spring’s hotly contested Supreme Court race. Musk handed out $1 million checks to three...
What’s targeted in Trump’s request for $9.4 billion in budget cuts from Congress?
WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump is looking to cancel $9.4 billion in spending already approved by Congress. That’s just a sliver of the $1.7 trillion that lawmakers OK’d for the budget year ending Sept. 30. The package of 21 budget rescissions will have to be approved by both chambers of...
Trump plans to attend ‘Les Misérables’ at the Kennedy Center after taking over the institution
WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump is set to take a seat at Wednesday’s opening night of the award-winning musical “Les Misérables” at the Kennedy Center, where he replaced the previous leadership with loyalists, had himself installed as chairman and pledged to rid the performing arts venue of programming he has...
Democrat Mikie Sherrill, Republican Jack Ciattarelli to face off in race for New Jersey governor
TRENTON, N.J. — Democratic Rep. Mikie Sherrill and Republican Jack Ciattarelli, who had President Donald Trump’s endorsement, won their primary elections in New Jersey’s race for governor, setting the stage for a November election, poised to be fought in part over affordability and the president’s policies. Sherrill emerged from a...
Correspondent Terry Moran out at ABC News, 2 days after suspension over Stephen Miller post
Correspondent Terry Moran is out at ABC News, two days after the organization suspended its correspondent for a social media post that called Trump administration deputy chief of staff Stephen Miller a “world class hater.” The network said Tuesday that it was at the end of its contract with Moran...
Fetterman: Dems lose ‘moral high ground’ when they don’t condemn protest violence, vandalism
U.S. Sen. John Fetterman slammed fellow Democrats who have not condemned incidents of violence and vandalism that have marred protests in Los Angeles over the Trump administration’s immigration raids there. “I unapologetically stand for free speech, peaceful demonstrations and immigration — but this is not that,” Fetterman, D-Braddock, said in...
Pentagon says deploying Marines and National Guard to L.A. will cost $134 million
WASHINGTON — Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth was quickly met with sharp questions and criticism Tuesday by lawmakers who pressed him about his early moves to deploy troops to Los Angeles, fire key military leaders and purge diversity programs. They expressed bipartisan frustration that Congress has not yet gotten a full...
Trump says he will ‘liberate’ Los Angeles in speech to mark the 250th anniversary of the Army
WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump called protesters in Los Angeles “animals” and “a foreign enemy” in a speech at Fort Bragg on Tuesday as he defended deploying the military on demonstrators opposed to his immigration enforcement raids. Trump, in his most aggressive language yet regarding the protests in Los Angeles,...
