Politics Election category, Page 43
Election HQ: Voter guide for 2025 Primary Day in Western Pennsylvania
Primary election day in Pennsylvania is Tuesday, May 20. The biggest race in the area is for Pittsburgh mayor with the Democrat and Republican primaries being competitive. Pennsylvania has a closed primary system, which means voters not registered to a party cannot vote in the primary. Voters registered as Democrat...
Springsteen, Trump, Kid Rock trade political barbs
Bruce Springsteen’s songs have chronicled the working American’s hopes and dreams for 50 years. In that time, The Boss’ political bent has never been buried. Sure, some Reaganites may have misunderstood “Born in the U.S.A” as a patriotic anthem, but “American Skin (41 Shots)” clearly details the fears some have...
Trump’s ‘beautiful’ bill spans 1,116 pages. Here’s what’s inside it
WASHINGTON — House Republicans are advancing President Donald Trump’s big bill of tax breaks, spending cuts and beefed-up border security as Speaker Mike Johnson attempts to pass the package over unified Democratic opposition by Memorial Day. House committees have labored on the legislation, which runs a whopping 1,116 pages and...
Biden audio release pressures Democrats who would rather talk about Trump
PHOENIX — Joe Biden’s time in public office is now behind him, but his age and mental acuity have become a litmus test for the next leaders in his party. Audio was published Friday from portions of interviews Biden gave to federal prosecutors in 2023, the latest in a stream...
Conservatives block Trump’s big tax breaks bill in a stunning setback
WASHINGTON — In a massive setback, House Republicans failed Friday to push their big package of tax breaks and spending cuts through the Budget Committee, as a handful of conservatives joined all Democrats in a stunning vote against it. The hard-right lawmakers are insisting on steeper spending cuts to Medicaid...
U.S. Rep. Summer Lee reintroduces resolution for reparations
U.S. Rep. Summer Lee introduced a resolution Thursday that would effectively provide reparations to the descendants of Black American slaves amid a flurry of actions by President Donald Trump and a Republican-led Congress to remove what they term “woke” policies. Lee, a Swissvale Democrat who represents parts of Allegheny and...
Divisions emerge among House Republicans over how much to cut taxes and Medicaid in Trump’s bill
WASHINGTON — Cheers broke out early Wednesday as Republicans on the House Ways and Means Committee signed off on the GOP tax breaks bill after a grueling round-the-clock session that pushed President Donald Trump’s package past overwhelming Democratic opposition. But there’s still more work to do. House Speaker Mike Johnson,...
Pa. House gives this sweet treat its chef’s kiss of approval as the state candy
When you represent “the sweetest place on Earth,” you fight for the Kiss over its dreaded rival, the Peep. Rep. Tom Mehaffie of Dauphin County is making a second run to cement the iconic Hershey’s Kiss as Pennsylvania’s official state candy. A bill sponsored by Mehaffie, who represents Derry Township,...
1st female mayor of Omaha concedes in race against likely first Black mayor
OMAHA, Neb. — Omaha’s first female mayor has conceded the mayoral race to a man who will likely become the community’s first Black mayor. Voters in Omaha were making history Tuesday by either reelecting the city’s first female mayor to a rare fourth term or electing the community’s first Black...
Trump marvels at wealth of his Arab hosts while he eyes White House and Air Force One upgrades
DOHA, Qatar — Donald Trump is the most powerful and famous person on the planet, at the helm of the biggest economy and the strongest military. But on his trip to the Middle East this week, the American president is sounding more than a little envious of his Arab hosts....
Lawmakers question Kennedy on staffing cuts, funding freezes and policy changes at health departmentVideo
WASHINGTON — Republicans and Democrats alike on Wednesday questioned the deep staffing cuts, research funding freezes and drastic policy changes that U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has made in a few short months at the helm of the nation’s health department. Kennedy, who was to...
Democrats are deeply pessimistic about the future of their party, an AP-NORC poll finds
NEW YORK — Six months after Donald Trump’s presidential victory, Democrats remain deeply pessimistic about the future of their party, although neither the Democratic Party nor the Republican Party is viewed favorably by a majority of U.S. adults. A new poll conducted earlier this month by The Associated Press-NORC Center...
Judge in Johnstown becomes 1st in U.S. to uphold use of Alien Enemies Act to deport Venezuelans
A federal judge in Johnstown on Tuesday ruled the government may remove Venezuelan citizens thought to be members of a violent gang under the Alien Enemies Act — but only if they are given 21 days notice and “an opportunity to be heard.” The 43-page opinion, written by U.S. District...
Latest Pittsburgh mayoral debate focuses on GOP candidates vying to reverse 100-year-trend
Pittsburgh’s Republican candidates for mayor were grilled for a solid, commercial-free hour Tuesday night during a live debate on WTAE. Artificial intelligence, education, economic development, homelessness and public safety were some of the issues the candidates touched on as they explained why Pittsburgh needs to break from a century of...
Democrats endorse set of changes to Pennsylvania election rules, sending bill to state Senate
HARRISBURG — Pennsylvania voters would get more than a week of early voting and county election officials would have more time to start processing mail-in ballots under an election law proposal that advanced out of the state House on Tuesday by a single vote, with all Republicans opposed. The wide-ranging...
Chuck Schumer vowing to hold up Justice Department nominees for answers about luxury plane from Qatar
WASHINGTON — Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer said Tuesday that he will hold up all Department of Justice nominations on the Senate floor until he gets more answers about the free Air Force One replacement that President Donald Trump says would be donated by Qatar. Trump said this week that...
Bill to sell legal marijuana through Pa. state stores rejected by GOP-led panel
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 Pennsylvania Senate panel has rejected a bill advanced by Democrats that would permit the sale of recreational cannabis to adults at state-owned...
Reports: Trump’s planned EPA overhaul jeopardizes Energy Star appliance program
Any budget-aware, environmentally conscious consumer scouting out new appliances knows to look for the Energy Star label. The familiar blue-and-white logo – stuck on refrigerators, stoves, dishwashers, heat pumps, washers, dryers, water heaters and air conditioners – signifies cost savings and efficiency. But the program, run by the U.S. Environmental...
Trump lays out Mideast vision as he looks to revamp U.S. approach in Iran, Syria and beyond
RIYADH, Saudi Arabia — President Donald Trump on Tuesday held out Saudi Arabia as a model for a reimagined Middle East, using the first major foreign trip of his term to emphasize the promise of economic prosperity over instability in a region reeling from multiple wars. Offering partnership to longtime...
Pa. lawmaker ignites budget talk, backlash with flamethrower videoVideo
Pennsylvania’s always-contentious budget season is heating up. In one instance, quite literally. Sen. Dawn Keefer, R-York County, got blowback from Democrats over the weekend after posting a video in which she torches Gov. Josh Shapiro’s budget proposal with a flame thrower. Keefer, one the legislature’s more hardline conservatives, posted the...
Republican group cozies up to John Fetterman in new ad as his relationship with Democrats becomes more strained
PHILADELPHIA — A conservative super PAC is urging Sen. John Fetterman to support President Donald Trump’s tax cut plan in a new ad wooing the Pennsylvania Democrat as his relationship with his own party has become increasingly strained. In the spot called “Stand out,” running on cable and digital platforms,...
Sen. Rand Paul points to business-sector resistance to Trump’s tariffs in solidly red Kentucky
LOUISVILLE — In solidly Republican Kentucky, resistance to President Donald Trump’s trade wars has sprung up from a cross-section of key business sectors, GOP Sen. Rand Paul said Monday. Paul said he’s heard concerns from agriculture, the auto sector, bourbon production, home building and package shipping in response to Trump’s...
House Republicans unveil Medicaid cuts that Democrats warn will leave millions without care
WASHINGTON — House Republicans have unveiled the cost-saving centerpiece of President Donald Trump’s “big, beautiful bill,” at least $880 billion in cuts largely to Medicaid to help cover the cost of $4.5 trillion in tax breaks. Tallying hundreds of pages, the legislation revealed late Sunday is touching off the biggest...
Norwin candidates seek fresh perspective on board
The political battles on the Norwin School Board in 2022 and 2023 may come to an end over the next two years as four incumbents will not be on the May 20 primary election ballot. Rob Bunovich, Monica Kitta, Jakub Sadowski, Chelsea Thomas and Ella Thompson, all of North Huntingdon,...
North Huntingdon: 3 vie for GOP nomination for Sixth Ward
Republican voters in North Huntingdon’s 6th Ward will be the only ones selecting from multiple candidates in a township commissioners race in the May 20 primary. Three candidates seeking the GOP nomination to succeed Fran Bevan in the ward are William Cummings, Antonio Lio and Leah McGhee. All three are...
