Politics Election category, Page 160
Pennsylvania Senate panel advances bill that would ban supervised injection site
A state Senate bill that would ban what are often called “supervised injection sites” has elicited a divide among Democratic lawmakers and potentially opened a new front in Republicans’ repeated efforts to circumvent the power of Philadelphia’s district attorney. The Senate Judiciary Committee on Tuesday discussed and ultimately approved Senate...
CNN says Trump to appear in New Hampshire town hall
NEW YORK — As president, Donald Trump frequently derided CNN as “fake news.” Now that he’s running again, Trump has agreed to appear on a live town hall forum from New Hampshire next week for CNN viewers. The event, scheduled for May 10 at St. Anselm’s College in Goffstown, N.H.,...
Treasury’s Yellen says U.S. could default as soon as June 1
WASHINGTON — Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen notified Congress on Monday that the U.S. could default on its debt as early as June 1, if legislators do not raise or suspend the nation’s borrowing authority before then and avert what could potentially become a global financial crisis. In a letter to...
The Pa. legislature appears to have met a tax break it doesn’t like: one for teachers, nurses, and cops
Spotlight PA is an independent, nonpartisan newsroom powered by The Philadelphia Inquirer in partnership with PennLive/The Patriot-News, TribLIVE/Pittsburgh Tribune-Review, and WITF Public Media. Sign up for our free newsletters. HARRISBURG — Harrisburg policymakers appear unlikely to embrace a signature selling point in Democratic Gov. Josh Shapiro’s first budget: a tax...
Trump accuser says many in her generation didn’t report rape
NEW YORK — A magazine columnist who says Donald Trump raped her in a department store’s dressing room two decades before he became president acknowledged Monday that she never followed her own advice to readers that they report sexual attacks to police. E. Jean Carroll told a Manhattan federal court...
Florida Gov. DeSantis board approves suing Disney in latest tug-of-war
ORLANDO, Fla. — Days after Disney sued Florida’s governor in federal court for what it described as retaliation for opposing the state’s so-called “Don’t Say Gay” bill, members of Disney World’s governing board — made up of Gov. Ron DeSantis appointees — authorized a lawsuit Monday against the entertainment giant....
Biden’s diverse coalition of support risks fraying in 2024
WASHINGTON — Former Sen. Joe Lieberman, the Connecticut Democrat-turned-Independent long known for his centrist views, voted for Joe Biden in 2020. But as Biden’s reelection campaign begins, Lieberman is preparing to recruit a third-party candidate capable of defeating the Democratic president. “Centrists and moderates feel that he’s governed more from...
Westmoreland again expected to be major factor in 2024 presidential race
Eyes could once again be on Westmoreland County as a key indicator ahead of the 2024 presidential election. With President Joe Biden’s announcement last week that he will seek a second term in office, political observers said the county is expected to play an outsized role in determining who wins...
Biden to huddle with top donors as 2024 effort kicks off
WASHINGTON — President Joe Biden thanked some of his top donors Friday night as he launches a reelection campaign that is expected to need to raise well over $1 billion to secure his second term. “It’s because of you, I’m standing here,” Biden said in the ballroom of a Washington...
Rising GOP star embroiled in tough Kentucky primary fight
LOUISVILLE, Ky. — Flagged as a rising Republican star who worked for Mitch McConnell and pitched Donald Trump’s campaign to Black voters, Daniel Cameron could have taken a cautious approach and run for reelection as attorney general. Instead, he took a career-defining risk by plunging into Kentucky’s competitive race for...
Pence testifies before election probe grand jury
WASHINGTON — Former Vice President Mike Pence testified Thursday before a federal grand jury investigating efforts by then-President Donald Trump and his allies to overturn the results of the 2020 presidential election, according to a person familiar with the matter. The person requested anonymity to discuss the private appearance before...
Trump back in New Hampshire, 1st event since Biden launch
MANCHESTER, N.H. — Former President Donald Trump is returning to New Hampshire on Thursday for his first campaign appearance since President Joe Biden launched his own reelection bid, heading for a potential 2024 rematch. The appearance at a downtown Manchester hotel, expected to be a smaller event than Trump’s typical...
Florida Gov. DeSantis says Disney lawsuit is political
JERUSALEM — Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis on Thursday shrugged off Disney’s lawsuit against him as politically motivated, and said that it was time for the iconic company to stop enjoying favorable treatment in his state. Disney sued DeSantis on Wednesday over the Republican’s appointment of a board of supervisors in...
Pa. House passes bill officially recognizing Diwali
The state House nearly unanimously passed a bill Wednesday to officially recognize Diwali, the Hindu Festival of Lights celebrated in the fall. State Rep. Arvind Venkat, D-McCandless, introduced the bill and celebrated its passing. Venkat is the first Indian-American representative in Pennsylvania state House history. “This legislation is important in...
Gun control measures advance in Pennsylvania state House
HARRISBURG — Democrats advanced four gun-control bills in Pennsylvania’s state House of Representatives on Wednesday after years of a virtual standstill on legislation amid a politically divided government. The bills passed through committees on party lines. They could go before the full House as early as next week. The measures...
Montana lawmaker Zooey Zephyr barred from 2023 sessionVideo
HELENA, Mont. — Transgender lawmaker Zooey Zephyr was barred from participating on the House floor as Republican leaders voted Wednesday to silence her for the rest of 2023 session after she protested GOP leaders’ decision earlier in the week to silence her. The punishment of the freshman lawmaker caps a...
House Republicans pass U.S. debt bill, push Biden on spending
WASHINGTON — House Republicans passed sweeping legislation Wednesday that would raise the government’s legal debt ceiling by $1.5 trillion in exchange for steep spending restrictions, a tactical victory for Speaker Kevin McCarthy as he challenges President Joe Biden to negotiate and prevent a catastrophic federal default this summer. The bill...
2024 race won’t be like 2020. That’s good and bad for Biden
WASHINGTON — No honking geese are likely to interrupt his speeches this time. As President Joe Biden seeks a second term, he won’t have to depend on glitchy Zoom connections, or deliver remarks in largely vacant theaters with attendees in chairs ringed by circle markings on the floor to ensure...
Chief Justice John Roberts declines Senate request to testify on court ethics
WASHINGTON — Chief Justice John Roberts has declined a request from the Senate Judiciary Committee to testify at a hearing next week on ethical standards at the court, instead providing the panel with a statement of ethics reaffirmed by the court’s nine justices. Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Dick Durbin, D-Ill.,...
Florida GOP set to remove hurdle to Ron DeSantis White House bid
TALLAHASSEE — Florida Republicans are poised to change state law to allow GOP Gov. Ron DeSantis to run for president without having to leave office, according to legislation filed Tuesday. The proposal would exempt presidential candidates from Florida’s so-called resign to run law, which prohibits elected officials from qualifying as...
Pa. House passes 4th bill on child sex abuse lawsuit window
The Pennsylvania House of Representatives on Tuesday passed — for the fourth time this year — a measure that would open up a window in the commonwealth’s statute of limitations in order to allow survivors of childhood sexual abuse a two-year legal window to file suit. House Bill 1 —...
Sen. Scott bill would fund armed officers in all U.S. schools
Money earmarked for thousands of new IRS employees would be transferred to a grant program allowing schools nationwide to hire armed law enforcement personnel under legislation outlined Tuesday by U.S. Sen. Rick Scott of Florida. The School Guardian Act would take about $80 billion that Congress previously approved to expand...
Bill allowing counties to process mail ballots early clears 1st hurdle in Pa. House
Spotlight PA is an independent, nonpartisan newsroom powered by The Philadelphia Inquirer in partnership with PennLive/The Patriot-News, TribLIVE/Pittsburgh Tribune-Review, and WITF Public Media. Sign up for our free newsletters. HARRISBURG — After years of advocacy and political deadlock, Pennsylvania counties could be a step closer to getting more time to...
Pittsburgh region could prove pivotal in Biden reelection chances
President Joe Biden announced his reelection campaign Tuesday, and the Pittsburgh region could again prove pivotal for his chances at returning to the White House. “There is no doubt that Allegheny County is going to be pivotal to whoever the candidates are on both sides,” said Duquesne University political science...
Trump gets endorsed by Daines, GOP’s Senate campaign chief
COLUMBIA, S.C. — Former President Donald Trump has gotten his most high-profile endorsement from a Senate Republican yet, winning the backing of Montana’s Steve Daines, chief of the Senate’s GOP fundraising arm. “I’m proud to endorse Donald J. Trump for president of the United States,” Daines, chair of the National...
