Politics Election category, Page 11
Analysis: Bulldozer and ballroom: Trump puts permanent stamp on the White House
WASHINGTON — When President Donald Trump met with donors for his new ballroom at the White House earlier this month, he relayed a story that thrilled his real estate mogul heart. “I said, ‘How long will it take me?’ ‘Sir, you can start tonight, you have no approvals,’” Trump said...
Pentagon accepts anonymous $130 million donation from Trump ‘friend’ to pay military
WASHINGTON ‒ The Pentagon said it has accepted an anonymous $130 million donation from an ally of President Donald Trump that it plans to use to pay military members during the government shutdown. The move marks a dramatic break from the government’s process to fund the military, which relies on...
Ontario to pull tariff ad that angered Trump ‒ but it will stay up for World Series games
WASHINGTON ‒ The Ontario, Canada, provincial government will continue airing an ad critical of tariffs on American TV through the weekend ‒ and then pause the commercial ‒ after President Donald Trump halted United States trade negotiations with Canada over his objections to the ad. Ontario Premier Doug Ford, in...
USDA memo says it will not use emergency funds for November food benefits
The U.S. Department of Agriculture will not use agency contingency funds to pay for food aid benefits set to lapse in November during the federal government shutdown, according to a memo seen by Reuters. More than 41 million people are set to lose Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program benefits, also known...
Staring at life without a paycheck, federal workers rally in Pittsburgh against shutdown
Saturday should be payday for local Internal Revenue Service workers like Elizabeth McPeak. But because of a federal government shutdown, she’s one of about 250 local IRS workers and about 1.4 million federal workers nationwide who won’t receive a paycheck this weekend. “Tomorrow is payday but there won’t be a...
Ontario premier doesn’t back down against Trump, posts video of Reagan opposing tariffs
TORONTO — The leader of Canada’s most populous province posted remarks by former U.S. President Ronald Reagan on social media on Friday showing Reagan opposed tariffs, hours after President Donald Trump announced he’s ending “all trade negotiations” with Canada because of a television ad that Trump said misstates Reagan’s opposition...
Violence, racism and Nazi praise: The dark side of U.S. political group chats
WASHINGTON — Three separate controversies involving leaked text messages from private online group chats have rocked U.S. political circles this month, revealing racist, antisemitic and violent statements from figures across the ideological spectrum. The messages — sent privately but now public — include racial slurs, praise for Nazis, and threats...
Virginia Democrats will try to reshape U.S. House districts in counter to Trump’s redistricting push
RICHMOND, Va. — Virginia Democrats are taking steps to redraw their state’s U.S. House districts, hoping to boost their party’s chances in next year’s midterm elections and counter President Donald Trump’s push for more partisan districts in Republican-run states. Virginia House Speaker Don Scott sent a letter Thursday to members...
U.S. mayors urge USDA to fund November food benefits amid shutdown
WASHINGTON — A group representing mayors of more than 1,000 U.S. cities has urged the Agriculture Department to use emergency funds to pay for food assistance benefits threatened by the ongoing federal government shutdown. Tens of millions of Americans might not receive food stamps and other food aid in November...
Trump pardons convicted Binance founder ‘CZ’ Zhao
WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump has pardoned Changpeng Zhao, the convicted founder of the Binance cryptocurrency exchange, the White House said Thursday, in the latest move by Trump to boost the crypto industry and expunge its past misdeeds. Zhao, a billionaire known as “CZ” who is one of the most...
Senate to vote on paying ‘essential’ workers as shutdown hits Day 23
WASHINGTON ‒ The Senate is set to vote Thursday on a Republican-backed bill to pay some federal workers who are working through the government shutdown as the shutdown rolls into Day 23. The bill, known as the Shutdown Fairness Act and sponsored by Sen. Ron Johnson, R-Wisconsin, would pay employees...
Fetterman, McCormick back Senate-rejected plan to pay some federal workers during shutdown
Pennsylvania’s two U.S. senators — Republican Dave McCormick and Democrat John Fetterman — voted Thursday to pay some federal workers during the government shutdown, but the GOP measure failed to get enough support in the Senate. Democrats tried to push through a measure of their own that would have paid...
U.S. hits $38 trillion in debt, after the fastest accumulation of $1 trillion outside of the pandemic
WASHINGTON — In the midst of a federal government shutdown, the U.S. government’s gross national debt surpassed $38 trillion Wednesday, a record number that highlights the accelerating accumulation of debt on America’s balance sheet. It’s also the fastest accumulation of a trillion dollars in debt outside of the covid-19 pandemic...
North Carolina adopts new Trump-backed U.S. House districts aimed at gaining Republican seat
RALEIGH — North Carolina’s Republican legislative leaders completed their remapping of the state’s U.S. House districts on Wednesday, intent on picking up one more seat for President Donald Trump’s push to retain GOP control of Congress in next year’s midterm elections. The boundaries approved by the state House aim to...
Maine Senate candidate Graham Platner says tattoo recognized as Nazi symbol has been covered
PORTLAND, Maine — His U.S. Senate campaign under fire, Maine Democrat Graham Platner said Wednesday that a tattoo on his chest has been covered to no longer reflect an image widely recognized as a Nazi symbol. The first-time political candidate said he got the skull and crossbones tattoo in 2007,...
Israel ‘not a protectorate’ of the U.S., Netanyahu says ahead of meeting with Vance
TEL AVIV, Israel — Israel’s prime minister toughened his stance Wednesday by declaring that his country is in charge of its own security and isn’t an American protectorate as he prepared to discuss progress on Gaza’s fragile ceasefire agreement with Vice President JD Vance. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s remarks ahead...
Pa.’s new Democratic chairman focused on pivotal upcoming races, growing the party
Pennsylvania’s new Democratic chairman is pulling a page from Ronald Reagan’s playbook in an effort to unify and grow his party. “We’ve got to get back to politics being a game of addition, trying to add to our coalitions and becoming a bigger tent,” Pennsylvania Democratic Chairman Eugene DePasquale said...
John Fetterman sides with Republicans on ending the filibuster to reopen the governmentVideo
Sen. John Fetterman, D-Braddock, said he’d back a Republican plan to override the Senate filibuster if it meant passing a bill to reopen the government. In an interview with The Inquirer Tuesday, Fetterman admonished fellow Democrats who balk at the notion of using the so-called “nuclear option” to end the...
Arizona sues U.S. House over delay in swearing in Democrat Adelita Grijalva
WASHINGTON — The state of Arizona on Tuesday sued the Republican-controlled U.S. House of Representatives over the delayed swearing in of Democratic Representative-elect Adelita Grijalva. Grijalva, 54, won a special election last month to fill the House seat that was left vacant when her father, Raul Grijalva, died in March....
Pa. Sen. Dave McCormick joins fellow Senate Republicans urging RFK Jr. to rescind approval for an abortion pill
U.S. Sen. Dave McCormick, R-Pittsburgh, has joined fellow Senate Republicans in signing on to a letter urging top health officials in the Trump administration to rescind approval for a drug used in one of the most common methods of abortion. In a letter to Health and Human Services Secretary Robert...
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...
