Politics Election category, Page 132
House set for key vote on Biden impeachment inquiry as Republicans unite behind investigation
WASHINGTON — The House is pushing toward a vote Wednesday to formally authorize the impeachment inquiry into President Joe Biden as Republicans rally behind the charged process despite lingering concerns among some in the party that the investigation has yet to produce evidence of misconduct by the president. The vote...
Expansion of Pennsylvania permits to grow, sell medical marijuana headed to governor’s desk
A bill that will allow more of Pennsylvania’s medical marijuana growers and processors to also act as retailers — and vice-versa — fully cleared the legislature on Tuesday and will head to Gov. Josh Shapiro’s desk. Despite some legislators’ predictions earlier this year that the bill could — or should...
Florida GOP looks to remove Christian Ziegler as chair, analysts say
ORLANDO, Fla. — Embattled Florida Republican Party chair Christian Ziegler faces a vote on Sunday to remove him from his $120,000 a year job as a result of rape allegations lodged against him and the admission that he and his wife had a three-way affair. So far he has steadfastly...
Auto union boss urges New Jersey lawmakers to pass casino smoking ban
ATLANTIC CITY — Shawn Fain, the international president of the United Auto Workers union who recently won large raises for his workers, is taking aim at a new target: New Jersey lawmakers who are delaying votes on a bill to ban smoking in Atlantic City’s casinos. The head of the...
New York’s high court orders new congressional maps as Democrats move to retake control of U.S. House
ALBANY — New York’s highest court on Tuesday ordered the state to draw new congressional districts ahead of the 2024 elections, giving Democrats a potential advantage in what is expected to be a battleground for control of the U.S. House. The 4-3 decision from the New York Court of Appeals...
George Santos attorney expresses optimism about plea talks as expelled congressman appears in court
CENTRAL ISLIP, N.Y. — Former U.S. Rep. George Santos ’ lawyer expressed optimism about plea negotiations in Santos’ criminal fraud case Tuesday, successfully fending off prosecutors’ attempts to speed up the the ousted congressman’s trial. In Santos’ first court appearance since he was expelled from Congress earlier this month, his...
Western Pa. lawmaker’s bill would expand use of forensic genetic genealogy
A Western Pennsylvania lawmaker wants to expand law enforcement’s ability to use a more-detailed form of DNA analysis when identifying victims in cold cases. Rep. Guy Reschenthaler, R-Peters, introduced the Cold Case Modernization Act which would expand the criteria for federal Department of Justice grants funding the use of forensic...
Pennsylvania school choice program criticized as ‘discriminatory’ as lawmakers return to session
HARRISBURG — Public school advocates in Pennsylvania are criticizing publicly funded programs that help underwrite tuition at private and religious schools, saying many of the eligible schools discriminate by cherry-picking the students they want to teach. Pennsylvania’s Capitol is already gripped by a broader and mostly partisan debate over how...
Can the Pa. legislature finish the budget before a leaky roof closes the state House for months?
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 — State lawmakers will return to Harrisburg next week in hopes of finally ending nearly six months of partisan deadlock on the last pieces...
Biden goes into 2024 with the economy getting stronger, but voters feel horrible about it
WASHINGTON — President Joe Biden goes into next year’s election with a vexing challenge: Just as the U.S. economy is getting stronger, people are still feeling horrible about it. Pollsters and economists say there has never been as wide a gap between the underlying health of the economy and public...
New U.S. aid for Ukraine seems out of reach as GOP ties it to border security
WASHINGTON — A deal to provide further U.S. assistance to Ukraine by year-end appears to be increasingly out of reach for President Joe Biden. The impasse is deepening in Congress despite dire warnings from the White House about the consequences of inaction as Republicans insist on pairing the aid with...
Peek inside Joe Biden’s campaign fundraisers, where big money mingles with old jokes in swanky homes
LOS ANGELES — If you’re a Democrat with money to burn and friends in high places, you can spend thousands on tickets to a fundraiser with President Joe Biden. If not, keep reading to see what you’re missing. With an election year around the corner, Biden is accelerating his fundraising...
Fox News pushes back against reporter’s lawsuit claiming he was fired for challenging Jan. 6 coverage
WASHINGTON — Fox News pushed back Friday against a former reporter’s lawsuit saying he was targeted and fired for challenging false claims about the riot at the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021. The network argued Jason Donner had not shown he faced illegal discrimination. The nation’s capital bans discrimination...
Kemp signs Georgia’s Republican redistricting into law
ATLANTA — Meeting a federal judge’s deadline, Gov. Brian Kemp signed into law new Republican-drawn political maps Friday that redistrict Georgia’s congressional and General Assembly seats before next year’s elections. The redrawn district lines preserve Republican majorities after the judge ruled Georgia’s previous boundaries illegally weakened Black voting power in...
Trump’s vow to only be a dictator on ‘day one’ follows growing worry over his authoritarian rhetoric
TUSCALOOSA, Ala. — As Donald Trump faces growing scrutiny over his increasingly authoritarian and violent rhetoric, Fox News host Sean Hannity gave his longtime friend a chance to assure the American people that he wouldn’t abuse power or seek retribution if he wins a second term. But instead of offering...
Biden showcases $8.2B for 10 major rail projects, including in W.Pa.
LAS VEGAS — President Joe Biden went to Las Vegas on Friday to say he’s “putting high-speed rail on the fast track,” and he used the moment to blast Donald Trump — his predecessor and likely 2024 challenger — as a do-nothing politician. “Trump just talks the talk. We walk...
Pennsylvania Rep. Scott Perry makes early witness list in Trump’s Georgia election case
U.S. Rep. Scott Perry is on an exhaustive list of potential witnesses that prosecutors in Fulton County, Ga., have prepared for a potential 2024 criminal trial against former president Donald J. Trump and 14 co-conspirators for alleged attempts to subvert the 2020 presidential vote in that state. The list, first...
The GOP’s slim House majority is getting even tighter with Kevin McCarthy’s retirement
WASHINGTON — House Speaker Mike Johnson’s margin for error in getting Republican priorities through the House is getting slimmer, complicating future votes and magnifying the ability of individual lawmakers to force concessions. Republicans had just a 222-213 margin before Rep. George Santos of New York was expelled in a broad,...
UPenn president says calling for Jewish genocide allowed ‘in context,’ then issues correction
Embattled University of Pennsylvania President Liz Magill is under fire yet again for her problematic response to antisemitic speech on campus, telling a congressional hearing that calling for Jewish genocide is allowed depending on its “context.” Then, after 24 hours of backlash, Magill released a video refuting her previous statement....
Nikki Haley targeted in the 4th Republican debate by her rivals. They all trail TrumpVideo
TUSCALOOSA, Ala. — Nikki Haley was targeted Wednesday from the opening moments of the fourth debate for Republican presidential hopefuls as time runs out for the shrinking field to shake up a race dominated by former President Donald Trump. Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis accused Haley of backing down from media...
Trump campaign staffer wanted rioting to obstruct Detroit vote counting, prosecutors say
DETROIT — Federal prosecutors alleged in a court filing Tuesday that a campaign employee of former President Donald Trump “encouraged rioting” to obstruct the counting of votes in Detroit after the November 2020 election. The revelation drew a direct connection between the frenzy that took place at Detroit’s riverfront convention...
Ross man gets probation for threatening congresswoman, senator
A Ross man who federal prosecutors said threatened members of Congress will serve a year of probation, including six months on house arrest. Harry E. Miller, 65, was sentenced Wednesday by U.S. District Judge Arthur J. Schwab. Miller was indicted by a federal grand jury in 2021 and charged with...
Ohio Republicans propose nixing home grow, increasing taxes in sweeping changes to legal marijuana
COLUMBUS, Ohio — Banning marijuana growing at home, increasing the substance’s tax rate and altering how those taxes get distributed are among vast changes Ohio Senate Republicans proposed Monday to a marijuana legalization measure approved by voters last month. The changes emerged suddenly in committee just days before the new...
GOP Rep. Kevin McCarthy of California is resigning 2 months after his ouster as House speaker
LOS ANGELES — Two months after his historic ouster as House speaker, Republican Rep. Kevin McCarthy of California announced on Wednesday that he is resigning from his congressional seat and will leave by the end of the year. His announcement marked the stunning coming end of the House career of...
Washington’s center of gravity on immigration has shifted to the right
WASHINGTON — It was a decade ago that Capitol Hill was consumed by an urgency to overhaul the nation’s immigration system, fueled in no small part by Republicans who felt a political imperative to make inroads with minority voters by embracing more generous policies. But nothing ever became law and...
