Politics Election category, Page 214
Pennsylvania redistricting: New proposed maps for state House, Senate districts released
This article is part of a yearlong reporting project focused on redistricting and gerrymandering in Pennsylvania. It is made possible by the support of Spotlight PA members and Votebeat, a project focused on election integrity and voting access. HARRISBURG — A panel of Pennsylvania’s most powerful lawmakers released new proposed...
AP source: Biden-Manchin talks on $2T Dem bill going poorly
WASHINGTON — Negotiations between President Joe Biden and Sen. Joe Manchin over the Democrats’ huge social and environment bill are going poorly, a person familiar with the talks said Wednesday, the latest sign that leaders’ hopes of moving the bill through the Senate before Christmas were increasingly bleak. Manchin, D-W.Va.,...
Duggar fails to make runoff in Arkansas state Senate primary
SPRINGDALE, Ark. — A former city council member and a retired U.S. Navy captain are headed toward a runoff for the Republican nomination for an Arkansas state Senate seat, beating out candidates in a special primary that included “19 Kids and Counting” father Jim Bob Duggar. The poll results from...
Trump loses bid to block his tax returns from Congress
WASHINGTON — A federal judge dismissed a lawsuit Tuesday that was brought by former President Donald Trump in his attempt to block congressional lawmakers from obtaining his tax returns. The ruling, handed down by U.S. District Judge Trevor McFadden — a former Justice Department official and Trump appointee — found...
Congress sends Biden $2.5T debt limit hike, avoiding default
WASHINGTON — Congress averted a catastrophic debt default early Wednesday morning after Democratic majorities in both chambers voted to send a $2.5 trillion increase in the nation’s borrowing authority to President Joe Biden over lockstep Republican opposition. Capping a marathon day, the House gave final approval to the legislation early...
Far too little vote fraud to tip election to Trump, AP finds
An Associated Press review of every potential case of voter fraud in the six battleground states disputed by former President Donald Trump has found fewer than 475 — a number that would have made no difference in the 2020 presidential election. Democrat Joe Biden won Arizona, Georgia, Michigan, Nevada, Pennsylvania...
Donald Trump Jr. led text-message chorus pleading for dad to end Jan. 6 riot: ‘He’s got to condemn this’
Donald Trump Jr. led a chorus of Trump insiders who pleaded with White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows to convince the former president to end the attempted insurrection at the Capitol on Jan. 6. As the full House of Representatives prepares to vote Tuesday on referring Meadows for contempt...
Dr. Oz is officially ending his show to focus on Pennsylvania Senate run
As expected, the long-running “Dr. Oz Show” will end in the wake of host Dr. Mehmet Oz’s announcement late last month that he’s running for U.S. Senate. The daily hourlong talk show, syndicated across the country by Sony Pictures Television, will end Jan. 14 after 13 seasons, Sony said in...
Senate passes bill easing way for debt limit increase
WASHINGTON — The Senate moved ahead Thursday with legislation that would create a one-time, fast-track process for raising the debt limit, overcoming a Republican filibuster and likely averting another last-minute rush to avoid a devastating federal default. The bill fits the two goals that Republican leader Mitch McConnell had set...
Philly lawyer may join GOP field running for U.S. Senate seat
HARRISBURG — George Bochetto, a prominent Philadelphia lawyer and Republican whose cases have often landed in the public spotlight, said Thursday that he is seriously considering running for Pennsylvania’s open U.S. Senate seat. In a brief interview, Bochetto, 69, said he is “looking at it very, very seriously and it’s...
Senate rejects Biden’s vaccine mandate for businesses
WASHINGTON — The Senate narrowly approved a resolution Wednesday to nullify the Biden administration’s requirement that businesses with 100 or more workers have their employees be vaccinated against the coronavirus or submit to weekly testing. The vote was 52-48. The Democratic-led House is unlikely to take the measure up, which...
House GOP chooses citizen map for proposed new Pa. congressional districts
This article is part of a yearlong reporting project focused on redistricting and gerrymandering in Pennsylvania. It is made possible by the support of Spotlight PA members and Votebeat, a project focused on election integrity and voting access. HARRISBURG — The long-awaited redistricting process in Pennsylvania kicked into high gear...
Tennessee medical board takes coronavirus misinformation policy offline
NASHVILLE — Tennessee’s medical licensing board has voted to remove from its website its recently adopted policy against the spread of coronavirus misinformation by doctors, acting under pressure from a GOP state lawmaker and a new law imposing sprawling virus-related restrictions. The exchange spurring the vote Tuesday by the Tennessee...
Biden has new brand for infrastructure deal he’s promoting
WASHINGTON — Move over, BIF and BBB. Now there’s BBA. President Joe Biden, trying to rebound from sagging poll numbers, is rebranding his bipartisan infrastructure package as “Building a Better America” ahead of a Wednesday trip to Kansas City, Mo., to promote the deal. The economy has roared back during...
Congressional leaders reach deal to hike debt limit
WASHINGTON — Congressional leaders reached an elaborate deal Tuesday that will allow Democrats to lift the nation’s debt limit without any votes from Republicans, likely averting another last-minute rush to avoid a federal default. Hours later, the House passed legislation overwhelmingly along party lines that kicked off a multi-step process....
Attorney says Meadows won’t cooperate with Jan. 6 panel
WASHINGTON — In an abrupt reversal, an attorney for former White House chief of staff Mark Meadows said his client will not cooperate with a House committee investigating the Jan. 6 Capitol insurrection, citing a breakdown in negotiations with the panel. Attorney George Terwilliger said in a letter Tuesday that...
California Rep. Devin Nunes leaving Congress to lead Trump social media groupVideo
LOS ANGELES — Rep. Devin Nunes, a controversial congressman from California’s San Joaquin Valley, is leaving Congress to lead a social media company created by former President Donald Trump. “I will deeply miss being your congressman,” Nunes said in a message to his constituents. Shortly after he sent the note,...
Justice Department sues to block gerrymandered Texas congressional mapVideo
WASHINGTON — The Biden administration sued Texas on Monday to block its new congressional map, accusing the state of gerrymandering to shut out nonwhites in violation of federal voting rights law. Attorney General Merrick Garland announced the enforcement action at Justice Department headquarters, saying the redistricting plans Texas adopted in...
Socialist Kshama Sawant faces recall vote in Seattle
SEATTLE — At first, Henry Bridger II supported Kshama Sawant, Seattle’s combative socialist city councilmember. A liberal voter in one of the most liberal neighborhoods in an extremely liberal city, he liked her fresh outlook and support for a $15 minimum wage. Seven years later, Bridger is leading an effort...
Turning outrage into power: How far right is changing GOP
WASHINGTON — House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy appears to have settled on a strategy to deal with a handful of Republican lawmakers who have stirred outrage with violent, racist and sometimes Islamophobic comments. If you can’t police them, promote them. The path to power for Republicans in Congress is now...
CNN fires Chris Cuomo for helping with brother’s scandal
NEW YORK — CNN has fired anchor Chris Cuomo after details emerged about how he assisted his brother, former New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo, as the politician faced sexual harassment allegations earlier this year. The network suspended Chris Cuomo earlier in the week to investigate his involvement with his brother’s...
Vaunted Pennsylvania Society weekend loses luster among politicos
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 — For years, Pennsylvania Society has been the marquee event for the state’s politicians and the well-heeled special interests that...
Virginia GOP completes sweep of elections with House win
VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. — A three-judge panel overseeing a recount in a close Virginia Beach state House race upheld the Republican candidate’s victory on Friday, a decision that also reaffirms the GOP’s takeover of the chamber and completes the party’s sweep of last month’s elections. Republicans also claimed the statewide...
GOP gubernatorial candidate Jake Corman lays out platform in Pittsburgh campaign stopVideo
State Sen. Jake Corman, a Republican candidate for governor, made a campaign stop in Pittsburgh on Thursday, using a former Pittsburgh mill site being redeveloped as a tech hub as a backdrop. Corman, 57, of Centre County, is in his sixth term in the state Senate, where he serves as...
Senate passes stopgap funding bill, avoiding shutdown
WASHINGTON — The Senate passed a stopgap spending bill Thursday that avoids a short-term shutdown and funds the federal government through Feb. 18 after leaders defused a partisan standoff over federal vaccine mandates. The measure now goes to President Joe Biden to be signed into law. Earlier in the day,...
