Politics Election category, Page 20
Operation Warp Speed was one of Trump’s biggest achievements. Then came RFK Jr. and vaccine skeptics
WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump launched Operation Warp Speed in the throes of the covid-19 pandemic, an effort he has credited with saving tens of millions of lives. During a Cabinet meeting last week, he likened it to “one of the greatest achievements ever.” Sitting at the table as a...
Trump administration ditches Biden-era plan to make airlines pay compensation for flight disruptions
The Trump administration said Thursday it is abandoning a Biden-era plan that sought to require airlines to compensate stranded passengers with cash, lodging and meals for flight cancellations or changes caused by a carrier. The proposed rule would have aligned U.S. policy more closely with European airline consumer protections. It...
White House pans Shapiro for questioning National Guard deployments
The White House dismissed Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro’s opposition to President Trump potentially deploying National Guard troops to Philadelphia to fight crime, touting the results of the deployments elsewhere. “Another wannabe presidential candidate is desperate to get into the news cycle by attacking the president’s highly successful operations to drive...
Republicans move to lift drilling and mining restrictions in Western states
BILLINGS, Mont. — Republican lawmakers in Congress are clearing the way for President Donald Trump’s plans to expand mining and drilling on public lands by moving to eliminate energy development limits in several Western states. House Republicans on Wednesday night repealed land management plans adopted in the closing days of...
Kennedy tries to defend covid-19 vaccine stance in raucous Senate hearingVideo
WASHINGTON — U.S. Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., facing pointed bipartisan questioning at a rancorous three-hour Senate committee hearing on Thursday, tried to defend his efforts to pull back covid-19 vaccine recommendations and explain the turmoil he has created at federal health agencies. Kennedy said the fired CDC director...
Trump to host top tech CEOs except Elon Musk at a White House dinner
WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump will host a high-powered list of tech CEOs for a dinner at the White House on Thursday night. The guest list is set to include Microsoft cofounder Bill Gates, Apple CEO Tim Cook, Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg and a dozen other executives from the biggest...
C-SPAN announces deal for its service to be carried on YouTube TV, Hulu
NEW YORK — C-SPAN said Wednesday that it had reached a deal to have its three channels air on YouTube TV and Hulu’s live television feed, ending a dispute that had led to a revenue squeeze for the public affairs network in the cord-cutting era. The network said the streaming...
Left and right joining forces to ban lawmakers from trading stock
WASHINGTON — An unusual alliance emerged in the House on Wednesday as lawmakers who agree on little else rallied support for a bill that would prohibit members of Congress and their families from owning and trading individual stocks. The group included darlings of the far right, the left, moderates and...
Shapiro says Pa. prepared should Trump decide to send National Guard to Philadelphia
Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro said the state has been preparing for the possibility that President Donald Trump could deploy the National Guard to Philadelphia ever since the White House sent troops to Los Angeles in June — a move that a federal judge ruled Tuesday was illegal. “Ever since the...
Fetterman, McCormick call on Pa. universities to combat antisemitism
Pennsylvania’s two U.S. senators are calling on five of the state’s universities, including the University of Pittsburgh, to ensure that Jewish organizations on their campuses are “equipped to protect the students they serve.” U.S. Sens. John Fetterman, D-Braddock, and Dave McCormick, R-Pittsburgh, said their request comes on the heels of...
Media quickly forced to revisit a thorny question: How should a president’s health be covered?
Early in Donald Trump’s news conference Tuesday, Fox News’ Peter Doocy asked a question that surely baffled people who avoided social media for Labor Day. “How did you find out over the weekend that you were dead?” Doocy said to the president. Doocy was referring to speculation about Trump’s health...
CVS requires prescription for covid shots in Pa. amid federal vaccine turmoil
CVS is requiring prescriptions for covid-19 shots in Pennsylvania because of delays on a federal panel that recommends vaccines. The new requirement reflects uncertainty over the nation’s vaccine policy under the Trump administration. Such turmoil has led several Democratic Pennsylvania lawmakers to explore whether they can put more power in...
Pa. won’t take part in the national rush to redraw congressional maps
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. Sign up for our free newsletters. HARRISBURG — Despite a growing number of states exploring unusual, mid-decade redraws of congressional lines for political reasons, Pennsylvania...
Sen. Joni Ernst of Iowa confirms she will not run for reelection in 2026
DES MOINES — U.S. Sen. Joni Ernst said Tuesday that she will not seek reelection next year, confirming in a video post on social media that she will retire after months of speculation about her plans. Ernst’s departure opens up a Senate seat in the state known for its long-serving...
Trump announces Space Command move as rumor mill swirls about health
After multiple days of online chatter about President Donald Trump’s health, his announcement Tuesday afternoon from the Oval Office about relocating the U.S. Space Command cleared up any questions about the status of America’s leader. Trump announced that command headquarters will be located in Alabama — reversing the Biden administration’s...
China’s Xi redraws geopolitical map with embrace of Putin, Modi
President Xi Jinping used a mix of bonhomie and economic allure this week to send Donald Trump a clear message: Beijing has too much global clout to be dictated by the U.S. Cameras captured the Chinese leader in a rare, unscripted huddle on Monday with Vladimir Putin and Narendra Modi...
‘Sticker shock’ coming for Pennie users as health insurance premiums soar
The Health Insurance Marketplace is set to get more expensive for most Pennsylvanians who rely on it. Monthly premiums could rise by 300% for some residents who use the state’s Affordable Care Act (ACA) health insurance exchange, Pennie, to secure coverage. The average enrollee faces a possible 82% increase. All...
New York Democratic Rep. Jerry Nadler says he won’t run for reelection in 2026
WASHINGTON — Democratic Rep. Jerry Nadler of New York says he will not run for reelection next year, according to an interview published Monday night by The New York Times. Nadler told the Times that watching then-President Joe Biden’s truncated reelection campaign last year “really said something about the necessity...
A House committee investigating the Jeffrey Epstein case has withdrawn a subpoena to Robert Mueller
WASHINGTON — A House committee investigating the Justice Department’s handling of the Jeffrey Epstein sex trafficking case has withdrawn a subpoena to former FBI Director Robert Mueller, citing the state of his health. Mueller had been directed last month to appear before the House Oversight Committee on Tuesday for a...
Modi and Putin meet on summit sidelines as India faces steep U.S. tariff over Russian oil imports
TIANJIN, China — Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Russian President Vladimir Putin met on the sidelines of a regional summit in China on Monday in a show of deepening ties when New Delhi’s relations with Washington are strained over the purchase of Russian oil. The two leaders held talks...
Trump plans a hefty tax on imported drugs, risking higher prices and shortages
WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump has plastered tariffs on products from almost every country on earth. He’s targeted specific imports including autos, steel and aluminum. But he isn’t done yet. Trump has promised to impose hefty import taxes on pharmaceuticals, a category of products he’s largely spared in his trade...
Government shutdown looms as Congress returns after monthlong August recess
Congressional Republicans scored a massive victory this summer when they passed President Donald Trump’s “big beautiful bill” of tax and spending cuts without a single Democratic vote. But as they return to Washington this fall after a monthlong August recess, they will have to find a way to work with...
How the Fed losing its independence could affect Americans’ everyday lives
WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump’s attempt to fire a member of the Federal Reserve’s governing board has raised alarms among economists and legal experts who see it as the biggest threat to the central bank’s independence in decades. The consequences could impact most Americans’ everyday lives: Economists worry that if...
Trump wants to ax an affordable housing grant that’s a lifeline for many rural communities
Heather Colley and her two children moved four times over five years as they fled high rents in eastern Tennessee, which, like much of rural America, hasn’t been spared from soaring housing costs. A family gift in 2021 of a small plot of land offered a shot at homeownership, but...
Social Security whistleblower who claims DOGE mishandled Americans’ sensitive data resigns from post
WASHINGTON — A Social Security whistleblower whose complaint alleged that Department of Government Efficiency officials mishandled Americans’ sensitive information says he’s resigning because of actions taken against him since making the claim. Charles Borges, the agency’s chief data officer, alleged that more than 300 million Americans’ Social Security data was...
