Politics Election category, Page 241
Biden aims for quicker shots, virus ‘independence’ by July 4
WASHINGTON — One year after the nation was brought to a near-standstill by the coronavirus, President Joe Biden pledged in his first prime-time address Thursday night to make all adults eligible for vaccines by May 1 and raised the prospect of “independence from this virus” by the Fourth of July....
As climate fight shifts to oil, Biden faces a formidable foe
CASPER, Wyo. — President Joe Biden’s bid to tackle climate change is running straight through the heart of the U.S. oil and gas industry — a much bigger, more influential foe than Democrats faced when they took on the coal industry during the Obama years. Coal dominated U.S. power generation...
White House: $1,400 individual checks may arrive soon
WASHINGTON — The White House says the $1,400 direct payments for most Americans funded by the American Rescue Plan will start showing up in bank accounts as early as this weekend. Press secretary Jen Psaki says the government will make the first direct deposits this weekend. She says payments will...
Biden signs $1.9T relief bill before speech to nation
WASHINGTON — Marking a year of loss and disruption, President Joe Biden on Thursday signed into law the $1.9 trillion relief package that he said will help the U.S. defeat the coronavirus and nurse the economy back to health. The signing came hours before Biden delivers his first prime-time address...
House renews push to expand background checks for guns
WASHINGTON — Emboldened by their majorities in the House and Senate, Democrats are making a new push to enact the first major new gun control laws in more than two decades — starting with stricter background checks. The House is poised to pass two bills on Thursday that would require...
Former presidents, first ladies urge Americans to get covid shots
WASHINGTON — Four former presidents are urging Americans to get vaccinated as soon as covid-19 doses are available to them, as part of a campaign to overcome hesitancy about the shots. Two public service announcements from the Ad Council and the business-supported covid Collaborative feature Presidents Barack Obama, George W....
DeSantis and Cabinet end 5-year clemency wait for Florida felons
TALLAHASSEE — Gov. Ron DeSantis and the Florida Cabinet approved major changes to the state’s clemency process on Wednesday that automatically restore the right to hold office and serve on a jury for Floridians with felony convictions who have completed their sentence and paid off their court debts. The changes,...
Police groups endorse Biden’s pick for civil rights chief
WASHINGTON — Some of the largest law enforcement groups in the U.S. are throwing their support behind President Joe Biden’s nominee to run the Justice Department’s civil rights division. The support for Kristen Clarke, who is nominated to be assistant attorney general for civil rights, includes some of the nation’s...
Report: Cuomo groped female aide in governor’s residence
ALBANY, N.Y. — An aide to New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo says he groped her in the governor’s residence, a newspaper reported Wednesday, in the most serious allegation made yet by a series of women against the embattled Democrat. The Times Union of Albany reported that the woman, who it...
Biden immediately begins selling virus aid plan to public
WASHINGTON — The White House began highlighting the $1.9 trillion covid relief bill immediately after it gained final congressional approval on Wednesday, wasting no time in selling the public on President Joe Biden’s first legislative victory. The West Wing began an ambitious campaign to showcase the bill’s contents while looking...
Senate confirms Merrick Garland to be U.S. attorney general
WASHINGTON — The Senate has confirmed Merrick Garland to be the next U.S. attorney general with a strong bipartisan vote, placing the widely-respected, veteran judge in the post as President Joe Biden has vowed to restore the Justice Department’s reputation for independence. Democrats have praised Garland, a federal appeals court...
Congress OKs $1.9T virus relief bill in win for Biden, Dems
A Congress riven along party lines approved a landmark $1.9 trillion covid-19 relief bill Wednesday, as President Joe Biden and Democrats claimed a triumph on a bill that marshals the government’s spending might against twin pandemic and economic crises that have upended a nation. The House gave final congressional approval...
GOP struggles to define Biden, turns to culture wars instead
WASHINGTON — President Joe Biden and the Democrats were on the brink of pushing through sprawling legislation with an eyepopping, $1.9 trillion price tag. But many Republican politicians and conservative commentators had other priorities in recent days. A passionate defense of Dr. Seuss. Serious questions about the future of Mr....
Biden’s first 50 days: Where he stands on key promises
WASHINGTON — President Joe Biden laid out an ambitious agenda for his first 100 days in office, promising swift action on everything from climate change to immigration reform to the coronavirus pandemic. He hits his 50th day in office on Wednesday as his administration eyes a major milestone: final congressional...
House to vote Wednesday on massive coronavirus aid billVideo
WASHINGTON — The House will vote to clear the $1.9 trillion pandemic relief package for President Joe Biden’s signature on Wednesday, Majority Leader Steny Hoyer told reporters. House lawmakers received the paperwork on Tuesday from the Senate after that chamber’s marathon “vote-a-rama” that ended Saturday afternoon, resulting in numerous changes...
House approves pro-union bill despite dim Senate oddsVideo
WASHINGTON — The Democratic-led House on Tuesday approved legislation that would invigorate workers’ unions, following decades of court defeats and legislative setbacks that have kneecapped the labor movement’s once formidable ability to organize. The measure, which union leaders and labor allies have presented as a cure for decades of working-class...
Arkansas governor signs near-total abortion ban into law
LITTLE ROCK — Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson on Tuesday signed into law legislation banning nearly all abortions in the state, a sweeping measure that supporters hope will force the U.S. Supreme Court to revisit its landmark Roe v. Wade decision but opponents vow to block before it takes effect later...
Senate Republicans paint DOJ nominee Vanita Gupta as ‘strident’ partisanVideo
WASHINGTON — Civil rights lawyer Vanita Gupta told the Senate Judiciary Committee on Tuesday that she would abandon some of the harsh partisan rhetoric she used over the past four years if confirmed for the No. 3 position at the Justice Department. Committee Republicans aired their concerns at the confirmation...
Biden won’t put his name on relief checks, unlike TrumpVideo
President Joe Biden will not be attaching his signature to the $1,400 relief checks that are expected to be mailed soon — a break with his predecessor who last year had “President Donald J. Trump” printed on the economic impact payments approved by Congress. The next round of paper checks...
Jimmy Carter says he’s sad, angry over Georgia voting bills
ATLANTA — Former President Jimmy Carter declared his opposition Tuesday to a slate of restrictive voting proposals moving through his native Georgia’s General Assembly, saying he is “disheartened, saddened and angry” over moves to “turn back the clock” on ballot access after Democratic successes in 2020. Carter, a Democrat, said...
Pentagon approves extending Guard deployment at Capitol
WASHINGTON — Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin has formally approved an extension of the National Guard deployment at the U.S. Capitol for about two more months as possible threats of violence remain, the Pentagon said Tuesday. According to a statement issued by the department, close to 2,300 Guard troops will continue...
Wave of retirements signals battles ahead for Republicans
This is not the way Republicans wanted to begin the year. Missouri’s Roy Blunt on Monday became the fifth Republican senator to announce he will not seek reelection, a retirement wave that portends an ugly campaign season next year and gives Democrats fresh hope in preserving their razor-thin Senate majority....
Twitter sues Texas AG Ken Paxton, claiming retaliation for Trump ban
DALLAS — Twitter has filed a lawsuit against Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton, claiming the Republican used his office to retaliate against it for banning the account of former President Donald Trump following the riot at the U.S. Capitol. Days after the deadly January insurrection, Paxton announced an investigation into...
RNC maintains right to use Trump’s name in fundraising
WASHINGTON — The Republican National Committee is defending its right to use former President Donald Trump’s name in fundraising appeals after he demanded they put an end to the practice. In a Monday letter to Trump attorney Alex Cannon, RNC chief counsel J. Justin Riemer said the committee “has every...
GOP Sen. Roy Blunt of Missouri won’t seek reelection in 2022Video
COLUMBIA, Mo. — Sen. Roy Blunt of Missouri said Monday he will not seek reelection, making him the fifth Republican in the Senate to bow out rather than seek another term in a party searching for direction after President Donald Trump. Blunt, who turned 71 in January, was widely expected...
