Politics Election category, Page 178
GOP seeks vote in May on Dem vacancies in House power struggle
HARRISBURG — The Pennsylvania House’s Republican leader on Thursday submitted paperwork seeking to wait until the May primary before holding special elections in two vacant districts, the latest move in a power struggle over control of the nearly evenly divided chamber. Republican Leader Bryan Cutler of Lancaster County sent Allegheny...
New York bans pet stores from selling cats, dogs, rabbits
ALBANY, N.Y. — New York on Thursday became the latest state to ban the sale of cats, dogs and rabbits in pet stores in an attempt to target commercial breeding operations decried by critics as “puppy mills.” The new law, which was signed by Gov. Kathy Hochul and takes effect...
Ohio education bill, transgender athlete ban die in House
COLUMBUS — The latest proposal to give Ohio’s governor more power overseeing K-12 education cleared the state Senate with a ban on transgender student-athletes in girls sports — but hit a roadblock hours later when the legislation fell several votes short of passage in the House early Thursday. The bill...
Rep. Sara Innamorato joins crowded field of Allegheny County executive candidates
A fifth Democratic candidate for Allegheny County executive has entered the field, and one with arguably the largest base of progressive support. State Rep. Sara Innamorato, D-Lawrenceville, announced her candidacy Thursday at an event in Millvale. She was flanked by more than 60 supporters inside the Millvale Food + Energy...
House approves referendum to ‘decolonize’ Puerto RicoVideo
WASHINGTON — The U.S. House passed a bill Thursday that would allow Puerto Rico to hold the first-ever binding referendum on whether to become a state or gain some sort of independence, in a last-ditch effort that stands little chance of passing the Senate. The bill, which passed 233-191 with...
Democrat Dave Fawcett announces run for Allegheny County Executive
A former Allegheny County councilman said Thursday that he is running to replace outgoing County Executive Rich Fitzgerald. Attorney Dave Fawcett, 64, of Oakmont, said he is seeking the Democratic nomination in next year’s race. He joins a growing Democratic field, which already includes Allegheny County Councilwoman Liv Bennett, Pittsburgh...
Trump, quiet since announcing reelection bid, makes ‘major announcement’ to hawk trading cards of himself
Former President Donald Trump has kept a low profile since announcing last month that he’s running for president again. That is, until Thursday. Trump took to social media and the internet to make what he called “a major announcement.” No, it wasn’t to announce his running mate or weigh in...
Mitch McConnell: Trump’s candidates fumbled 2022 away for GOP in Senate
WASHINGTON — Mitch McConnell said former President Donald Trump’s overwhelming influence in Republican Senate primaries led to hobbled candidates in 2022 who lost winnable general election races, leaving Democrats in control of the upper chamber for at least another two years. “Our ability to control the primary outcome was quite...
House passes bill to extend government funding for 1 weekVideo
WASHINGTON — The Democratic-led House passed a short-term spending bill Wednesday to keep government agencies funded at current levels through Dec. 23, giving lawmakers more time to craft a roughly $1.7 trillion appropriations package that would cover the full fiscal year. Congress faces a deadline of midnight Friday to pass...
Biden signs gay marriage bill at White House ceremony
WASHINGTON — President Joe Biden signed gay marriage legislation into law Tuesday before a crowd of thousands, a ceremony that reflected growing acceptance of same-sex unions. “This law and the love it defends strike a blow against hate in all its forms,” Biden said on the South Lawn of the...
Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene claims she was only joking about ‘winning’ Jan. 6 attack on Capitol and carrying gunsVideo
Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene said Monday she was only joking when she boasted that extremists would have been armed and would have “won” the Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol if she had led the attempted insurrection. The far right-wing firebrand said critics should “learn how sarcasm works” after she...
Despite midterm losses, Pa. Republicans appear unlikely to abandon combative agenda
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 — Republicans inside and outside Pennsylvania government say that despite a disastrous midterm election, they don’t see signs that the...
Fettermans to appear in Pennsylvania-shot Netflix film starring Christian Bale
John and Gisele Fetterman already have become political celebrities after the high-profile victory in this year’s Pennsylvania Senate race. Their profiles are poised to rise even higher as both will appear in a new Netflix film that premieres later this month. In a tweet, John Fetterman shared a photo of...
Student loan forgiveness ‘highly unlikely’ as Supreme Court reviews case, says expert
The federal Supreme Court rejected President Biden’s immediate request to revive his student debt relief plan on Dec. 1. The court will review oral arguments in February 2023 and then determine whether the leading lawsuit against the program has merit. As the case reaches the highest U.S. court of law,...
Divided Republicans point fingers over midterms disaster
With the midterm elections officially over, Republicans are pointing fingers over their disastrous performance — and the divisive role of former President Donald Trump. Herschel Walker’s loss in the closely watched Georgia Senate run off capped a campaign in which the GOP dramatically failed to engineer a sweeping red wave...
2nd Oath Keepers Jan. 6 sedition trial to get underway
WASHINGTON — After securing seditious conspiracy convictions against two leaders of the Oath Keepers, the Justice Department will begin Monday to try to make its Capitol riot case against four others affiliated with the far-right extremist group. Openings statements are expected in Washington’s federal court less than two weeks after...
Democratic Sen. Sinema has registered as an independent
WASHINGTON — Democratic Sen. Kyrsten Sinema of Arizona announced Friday that she has registered as an independent, but she does not plan to caucus with Republicans, ensuring Democrats will retain their narrow majority in the Senate. Sinema, who has modeled her political approach on the renegade style of the late...
Biden approval, views of economy steady, sour: AP-NORC poll
WASHINGTON — Fresh off his party’s better-than-anticipated performance in the midterm elections, President Joe Biden is facing consistent but critical assessments of his leadership and the national economy. A new poll from The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research finds 43% of U.S. adults say they approve of the...
‘Don’t Say Gay’ Florida lawmaker indicted on fraud charges
TALLAHASSEE — The Florida lawmaker who sponsored the controversial law critics call “Don’t Say Gay” has been indicted on charges of defrauding a federal coronavirus loan program for small businesses, officials said Wednesday. Federal prosecutors said Rep. Joe Harding, 35, illegally obtained or tried to obtain more than $150,000 from...
Elon Musk’s ‘Twitter Files’ stir controversy on social media
Drama surrounding billionaire Elon Musk’s takeover of Twitter continues to escalate as a series of tweets deemed “The Twitter Files” showcases the social media giant’s internal struggle over the 2020 story about the contents of Hunter Biden’s laptop. Hunter Biden is the son of President Joe Biden, who was a...
Congress set to rescind covid-19 vaccine mandate for troops
WASHINGTON — The covid-19 vaccine mandate for members of the U.S. military would be rescinded under the annual defense bill heading for a vote this week in Congress, ending a directive that helped ensure the vast majority of troops were vaccinated but also raised concerns that it harmed recruitment and...
DOJ subpoenas state election officials, including Allegheny County, for Trump documents
MADISON, Wis. —Special counsel Jack Smith has subpoenaed local election officials in Wisconsin, Michigan, Arizona and Pennsylvania, asking for communications with or involving former President Donald Trump, his 2020 campaign aides and a list of allies involved in his efforts to try to overturn the results of the election. The...
Warnock or Walker? Georgia runoff to settle last Senate seat
ATLANTA — Georgia voters on Tuesday are deciding the final Senate contest in the country, choosing between Democratic Sen. Raphael Warnock and Republican football legend Herschel Walker after a four-week runoff blitz that has drawn a flood of outside spending to an increasingly personal fight. This year’s runoff has lower...
Justices spar in latest clash of religion and gay rightsVideo
WASHINGTON — The Supreme Court ‘s conservative majority sounded sympathetic Monday to a Christian graphic artist who objects to designing wedding websites for gay couples, the latest collision of religion and gay rights to land at the high court. The designer and her supporters say that ruling against her would...
Arizona certifies 2022 election despite GOP complaints
PHOENIX — Arizona’s top officials certified the midterm election results Monday, formalizing victories for Democrats over Republicans who falsely claimed the 2020 election was rigged. The certification opens a five-day window for formal election challenges. Republican Kari Lake, who lost the race for governor, is expected to file a lawsuit...
