Politics Election category, Page 5
Turning Point showcases the discord that Republicans like Vance will need to navigate in the future
PHOENIX — The next presidential election is three years away, but Turning Point USA already knows it wants Vice President JD Vance as the Republican nominee. Erika Kirk, leader of the powerful conservative youth organization, endorsed him on opening night of its annual AmericaFest convention, drawing cheers from the crowd....
Epstein files offer scant new insight into his crimes or how he avoided serious prosecution
NEW YORK — The Justice Department’s much-anticipated release of records tied to Jeffrey Epstein arrived in a flood of documents that did little to quell the long-simmering intrigue, largely because some of the most consequential records were nowhere to be found. The initial disclosures, spanning tens of thousands of pages,...
Trump’s ‘A+++++’ economy collides with reality in Allentown, a city critical to the midterms
ALLENTOWN — When Idalia Bisbal moved to this Pennsylvania city synonymous with America’s working class, she hoped for a cheaper, easier life than the one she was leaving behind in her hometown of New York City. About three years later, she is deeply disappointed. “It’s worse than ever,” the 67-year-old...
Takeaways from the Justice Department’s initial release of Epstein files, mandated by Congress
NEW YORK — The U.S. Department of Justice on Friday published thousands of files related to Jeffrey Epstein, a release long anticipated for its potential to reveal new details about the late sex offender and his connections to powerful people. But it was clear soon after the release that it...
Photos of Bill Clinton included in newly released Epstein files
WASHINGTON — Former President Bill Clinton featured prominently in the first batch of files released Friday by the Justice Department stemming from its investigation into convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, as the White House sought to move the focus of the highly anticipated documents from President Donald Trump. There were...
A timeline of the Jeffrey Epstein investigation and the fight to make the government’s files public
Two decades after Jeffrey Epstein was first reported to police, the Justice Department has started to release its investigative files on the late millionaire, who was accused of repeatedly sexually abusing underage girls. Enacted last month, the Epstein Files Transparency Act requires disclosure of government records on Epstein and his...
Rep. Elise Stefanik ends her campaign for New York governor and won’t seek reelection to House
ALBANY, N.Y. — Rep. Elise Stefanik suspended her campaign for New York governor on Friday and said she will not seek reelection to Congress, bowing out of what was expected to be a bruising Republican primary and ending a once-promising tenure in the House. Stefanik, an ally of President Donald...
Military lawyer swiftly fired from immigration bench after defying Trump deportation push
MIAMI — A U.S. Army Reserve lawyer detailed as a federal immigration judge has been fired barely a month into the job after granting asylum at a high rate out of step with the Trump administration’s mass deportation goals, The Associated Press has learned. Christopher Day began hearing cases in...
Conservatives clash at Turning Point USA conference over MAGA movement’s direction
PHOENIX — A simmering battle over the future of President Donald Trump’s political movement exploded on one of the right’s biggest stages Thursday, as prominent conservative influencers used Turning Point USA’s annual youth conference to attack each other and their competing visions. The feuding threatened to eclipse efforts to memorialize...
Squirrel Hill’s McCormick among GOP senators who urged Trump not to reclassify marijuana
U.S. Sen. Dave McCormick is at odds with President Donald Trump’s move to reclassify marijuana as a less dangerous drug, arguing that it could adversely impact Americans’ health and safety, tax revenue and economic growth. McCormick, a Republican from Pittsburgh’s Squirrel Hill, was one of 22 GOP senators to co-sign...
Trump’s handpicked board votes to rename Washington performing arts center the Trump Kennedy CenterVideo
WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump’s handpicked board voted Thursday to rename Washington’s leading performing arts center as the Trump Kennedy Center, the White House said, in a move that made Democrats fume, saying the board had overstepped its legal authority. Congress named the center after President John F. Kennedy in...
Belgium seeks protection from Russian retaliation as EU leaders weigh a massive loan for Ukraine
BRUSSELS — Belgium insisted on Thursday that its European Union partners must provide ironclad guarantees that it will be protected from Russian retaliation before it would back a massive loan for Ukraine. At a high-stakes EU summit in Brussels, the 27-nation bloc’s leaders are set to decide on whether to...
Trump gives a partisan prime-time address insisting the economy is stronger than many voters feelVideo
WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump delivered a politically charged speech Wednesday carried live in prime time on network television, seeking to pin the blame for economic challenges on Democrats while announcing he is sending a $1,776 bonus check to U.S. troops for Christmas. The remarks came as the nation is...
FCC leader says agency is no longer independent as he’s grilled by Democrats over Kimmel controversyVideo
WASHINGTON — Democratic senators on Wednesday hammered the Federal Communications Commission’s leader for pressuring broadcasters to take ABC late-night host Jimmy Kimmel off the air, suggesting that Brendan Carr was politicizing an independent agency and trampling the First Amendment. The FCC chairman refused to disown his comments about Kimmel and,...
John Fetterman says Trump’s blockade on Venezuelan oil shipments ‘makes a lot of sense’Video
Sen. John Fetterman has come out in support of President Donald Trump’s blockade of Venezuelan oil shipments in yet another move that will surely rankle fellow Democrats. Fetterman appeared via NewsNation on Tuesday night with host Chris Cuomo, who read a rambling post by Trump on his Truth Social platform...
Pa. GOP names new national committeewoman
The Republican Party of Pennsylvania has appointed Lori Hardiman to serve as a Republican National Committeewoman. Hardiman, of Fox Chapel, replaces Indiana County’s Christine Toretti on the national committee. Toretti, who became a national GOP committeewoman in 1997, stepped down after being confirmed as ambassador to Sweden in September. Hardiman...
Jack Smith tells lawmakers his team developed ‘proof beyond a reasonable doubt’ against Trump
WASHINGTON — Former Justice Department special counsel Jack Smith told lawmakers in a closed-door interview Wednesday that his team of investigators “developed proof beyond a reasonable doubt” that President Donald Trump had criminally conspired to overturn the results of the 2020 election, according to portions of his opening statement obtained...
Trump writes partisan plaques for predecessors in newly installed Presidential Walk of Fame
WASHINGTON — Months after President Donald Trump refashioned a West Wing walkway into what he calls the Presidential Walk of Fame, he has added partisan and subjective plaques to the display, deepening his fingerprints on the White House’s aesthetic and continuing his effort to bend the telling of history to...
Senate Democrats grill FCC leader over Jimmy Kimmel controversy
WASHINGTON — Senate Democrats hammered the Federal Communications Commission’s leader Wednesday for pressuring broadcasters to take Jimmy Kimmel off the air, suggesting he was politicizing an independent agency and trampling the First Amendment. FCC Chairman Brendan Carr, appearing before the Senate Commerce Committee, was peppered with questions over his criticism...
Senate passes $901 billion defense bill that pushes Hegseth for boat strike video
WASHINGTON — The Senate gave final passage to an annual military policy bill Wednesday that will authorize $901 billion in defense programs while pressuring Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth to provide lawmakers with video of strikes on alleged drug boats in international water near Venezuela. The annual National Defense Authorization Act,...
3 Pa. Republicans defy Speaker Johnson to force House vote on extending ACA subsidies
WASHINGTON — Four centrists Republicans — three of whom are from Pennsylvania — broke with Speaker Mike Johnson on Wednesday and signed onto a Democratic-led petition that will force a House vole on extending for three years an enhanced pandemic-era subsidy that lowers health insurance costs for millions of Americans....
Trump to preview his 2026 agenda in an address to the nation as his popularity wanes
WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump intends to preview his agenda for next year and beyond in a live speech from the White House on Wednesday night, remarks that come at a crucial juncture as he tries to rebuild his steadily eroding popularity. The White House offered few details about what...
JD Vance touts Trump record on economy during Lehigh Valley visit amid voter concerns
Vice President JD Vance touted the Trump administration’s economic record Tuesday at an address in the Lehigh Valley, highlighting jobs and inflation numbers, even as polls suggest a majority of Americans remain unsatisfied with the state of the U.S. economy. Vance, speaking before a crowd of hundreds at the Uline...
House Speaker Mike Johnson rebuffs efforts to extend health care subsidies, pushing ahead with GOP plan
WASHINGTON — House Republican leaders are determined to push ahead with a GOP health care bill that excludes efforts to address the soaring monthly premiums millions of Americans will soon endure as pandemic-era tax credits for people who buy insurance through the Affordable Care Act expire at year’s end. Speaker...
Trump plans prime-time address Wednesday but gives no hints on topic
President Donald Trump said he will deliver a prime-time speech from the White House on Wednesday night but gave no details on what the topic will be. “My fellow Americans: I will be giving an address to the nation tomorrow night,” Trump wrote on his social media site. “I look...
