Politics Election category, Page 38
Injured No Kings protest participant calls on Westmoreland commissioners to condemn political violence
A Smithton woman injured during an altercation at Saturday’s No Kings protest in Greensburg is calling on the Westmoreland County commissioners to formally condemn political violence. Karen Primm, 70, said she sustained a gash to right arm when she was struck by pole of a flag waved by an apparent...
Historic renovations at the White House: From 1792 to Trump’s latest project
Anyone scrolling on social media over the past few days might’ve come across photos of the East Wing of the White House being partially demolished. Construction on President Donald Trump’s new White House State Ballroom is underway. It will cost approximately $200 million, and the White House said Trump and...
Sanae Takaichi becomes Japan’s 1st female premier
TOKYO — Hardline conservative Sanae Takaichi was voted in by parliament as Japan’s first female prime minister Tuesday, emulating her hero, Britain’s late leader Margaret Thatcher, after a whirlwind few weeks of political wrangling. Having won an all-male race to be chosen by her ruling Liberal Democratic Party as its...
Trump’s approval edges up despite Americans blaming Republicans for shutdown
WASHINGTON — Americans blame Republican lawmakers more than Democratic lawmakers for a partial government shutdown, according to a new Reuters/Ipsos poll that also showed Republican President Donald Trump’s approval rating increasing slightly. The six-day poll, which ended Monday, showed Trump’s approval at 42%, up 2 percentage points from earlier in...
Supreme Court told Trump tariffs are illegal $3 trillion tax
Small businesses challenging many of President Donald Trump’s global tariffs urged the U.S. Supreme Court to affirm lower court rulings that the import levies amount to a massive illegal tax on American companies. Trump usurped the power of Congress to tax when he issued levies in February and April under...
Kenny Loggins condemns use of ‘Danger Zone’ in Trump’s AI video ridiculing protesters
Millions protested across the country over the weekend in the second No Kings demonstration against the Trump administration. In response, President Donald Trump mocked the demonstrators with an AI-generated video of himself in a “Top Gun”-inspired fighter jet, bombing protesters with brown sludge to the tune of Kenny Loggins’ “Danger...
U.S. and Australia sign critical minerals agreement, discuss submarine deal
WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump and Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese signed a rare earths and critical minerals agreement on Monday aimed at ensuring a steady supply of the materials at a time when China is trying to tighten control over global supply. As they met at the White House...
Government shutdown on verge of tying 2nd longest, with no end in sight
WASHINGTON ‒ The federal government shutdown rolled on to its 20th day on Monday as a resolution remained elusive amid a bitter stalemate between Democrats and Republicans in Congress. If the shutdown reaches 21 days, it will tie the 1995-1996 standoff during the Bill Clinton presidency as the second longest...
VP JD Vance is charged with keeping Trump’s Gaza peace deal alive. Can he succeed?
WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump’s top messenger, Vice President JD Vance, will travel to Israel and is expected to try and rein in Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu while seeking to prevent the collapse of a week-old peace deal hailed as a coup for the United States in ending a brutal...
‘No Kings’ protests against Trump bring a street party vibe as GOP calls them ‘hate America’ rallies
WASHINGTON — Protesting the direction of the country under President Donald Trump, people gathered Saturday in the nation’s capital and communities across the U.S. for ” No Kings ” demonstrations — what the president’s Republican Party is calling “Hate America” rallies. With signs such as “Nothing is more patriotic than...
No Kings protests in Pittsburgh, Greensburg bring out thousands with varying concerns
Seventy-three-year-old Lee Vest couldn’t ignore the chance to revolt against what she called the downfall of our country. “I’ve never seen such a thing in all my life,” Vest said. “We need an administration that will fight for the people, not put it down.” Vest was among thousands who gathered...
Why are Democratic candidates for Allegheny County judge listed as Republican nominees on the ballot?
In the upcoming election for Allegheny County Common Pleas Court, all 13 candidates are registered Democrats. But it’s impossible to tell by looking at the ballot. Five of the candidates vying for eight positions on the bench are listed as Republicans, five are listed as Democrats and three are listed...
Trump commutes former congressman George Santos’ prison sentence
President Donald Trump commuted U.S. Rep. George Santos’ seven-year prison sentence, releasing him from jail on Friday. Santos, a 37-year-old Republican from New York, reported to the Federal Correctional Institution Flatiron Satellite Camp in New Jersey on July 25 to begin a seven-year prison sentence for wire fraud and aggravated...
Some GOP leaders deem ‘No Kings’ rallies as anti-American
Some Republican leaders are describing Saturday’s planned “No Kings” demonstrations across the country as anti-American. “We call it the ‘hate America’ rally,” House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., said during a news conference this week. “Let’s see who shows up for that. I bet you you’ll see Hamas supporters, I bet...
Ex-Trump adviser Bolton pleads not guilty to mishandling classified information charges
GREENBELT, Maryland — John Bolton, the national security hawk and former adviser to Donald Trump who has become one of the U.S. president’s biggest critics, pleaded not guilty on Friday to charges of mishandling classified information. Bolton, who was indicted on Thursday, is the third of Trump’s prominent critics to...
Financial pain for many Pa. service providers will continue after budget impasse ends
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 — Schools and nonprofits that provide critical services to Pennsylvania’s most vulnerable have not received billions in payments...
Many swings, few knockout hits as Cuomo and Mamdani trade jabs in heated 1st NYC mayoral debate
NEW YORK — Former Gov. Andrew Cuomo entered Thursday evening’s first New York mayoral debate trying to blunt Democratic front-runner Zohran Mamdani’s momentum. Instead he spent much of the contentious face-off on defense, batting away criticisms over his long tenure in office from Mamdani and Republican Curtis Sliwa. Cuomo, now...
Sticker shock: Pennie expects Obamacare premiums to soar even more than first feared
The end of enhanced Obamacare subsidies could be even more costly than initially feared for Pennsylvanians who use the health insurance program. Pennie, the state’s Affordable Care Act health insurance exchange, now estimates the average enrollee will see premiums climb 102% if Congress lets the subsidies expire at the end...
Why a Supreme Court case from Louisiana will matter for the future of the Voting Rights Act
WASHINGTON — Voting rights activists were relieved in 2023 when, in a surprise to some, the Supreme Court upheld the most important remaining element of the Voting Rights Act. The ruling forced Alabama and later Louisiana to redraw their congressional maps to give Black residents greater representation, moves that eventually...
News outlets reject Pentagon press access policy
WASHINGTON — At least 30 news organizations declined to sign a new Pentagon access policy for journalists, warning of the potential for less comprehensive coverage of the world’s most powerful military ahead of a Tuesday deadline to accept new restrictions. The policy requires journalists to acknowledge new rules on press...
Far-right U.S. influencer Candace Owens loses legal fight to enter Australia
SYDNEY — Far-right U.S. influencer Candace Owens has lost her bid to enter Australia after the country’s highest court on Wednesday backed the government’s decision to deny her a visa over concerns she could “incite discord” in the community. Owens, who has built a large online following for her controversial...
U.S. Supreme Court conservatives appear willing to blunt key Voting Rights Act provision
WASHINGTON — Conservative U.S. Supreme Court justices signaled their willingness on Wednesday during arguments in a case involving Louisiana electoral districts to undercut a key section of the Voting Rights Act, the landmark 1965 federal law enacted by Congress to prevent racial discrimination in voting. Arguments in the case focused...
Trump awards Charlie Kirk nation’s top honor: Presidential Medal of Freedom
WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump on Tuesday awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the nation’s highest civilian honor, to slain activist Charlie Kirk, a prominent voice in the conservative movement before his assassination last month. “Today we’re here to honor and remember a fearless warrior for liberty, beloved leader who...
Sen. McCormick voices support for tax credit program that would further school choice movement
Supporters of a new federal program that would grant tax credits to donors funding private school scholarships say it would expand Pennsylvania’s school choice options and give parents greater control over their children’s education. Detractors say it would favor high-income families, lacks oversight and could hurt people who live in...
Marjorie Taylor Greene said she hasn’t changed, despite recent breaks from the GOP
U.S. Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Ga., has been making life uncomfortable for some members of her own party in Congress. Greene, a conservative firebrand who has been a staunch supporter of President Trump, has been critical of how Republicans have dealt with several key issues in recent weeks and months....
