Politics Election category, Page 63
Trump is holding off on tariffs but betting Day 1 moves can cut energy prices and tame inflation
WASHINGTON — Donald Trump is holding off on tariffs during his first day and placing a big bet that his executive actions can cut energy prices and tame inflation. But it’s unclear whether his orders will be enough to move the U.S. economy as he promised. “The inflation crisis was...
Just minutes before leaving the presidency, Biden pardons his siblings and their spouses
WASHINGTON — Minutes before leaving the presidency, Joe Biden pardoned his siblings and their spouses, saying Monday that his family had been “subjected to unrelenting attacks and threats, motivated solely by a desire to hurt me — the worst kind of partisan politics.” “Unfortunately, I have no reason to believe...
Trump returns to power after unprecedented comeback, emboldened to reshape American institutions
WASHINGTON — Donald Trump was sworn in as the 47th president Monday, promising a “revolution of common sense” and taking charge as Republicans assume unified control of Washington and set out to reshape the country’s institutions. He pledged to “completely and totally reverse” the actions of his predecessor. Trump, who...
Death of Democratic lawmaker leaves Pennsylvania House deadlocked at 101-101
HARRISBURG — A Democrat from McKeesport in Pennsylvania’s House of Representatives has died, the House Democratic caucus said Sunday night, leaving the chamber deadlocked at a 101-101 partisan divide. Rep. Matt Gergely, D-Allegheny, died Sunday. He was 45, House Democrats said. Neither House Democrats or Gergely’s family disclosed a cause,...
Trump pledges series of Day 1 executive actions to end ‘four long years of American decline’
WASHINGTON — President-elect Donald Trump used a raucous rally Sunday on the eve of his inauguration to promise swift Day 1 action remaking the federal government, shifting federal priorities at breakneck speed and ensuring that “the curtain closes on four long years of American decline.” Supporters filled nearly all of...
Trump promotes new meme coin before taking office on pro-crypto agenda
President-elect Donald Trump has launched a new cryptocurrency token that is soaring in value — and potentially boosting his net worth — just before his inauguration. It’s the latest norm-defying promotion by Trump, who has also helped sell branded bibles, gold sneakers and diamond-encrusted watches. “It’s time to celebrate everything...
‘We’re getting our president back’: Republicans excited about Trump’s return to office
Roberta Corpuz stood just feet behind Donald Trump when bullets rang out at the Butler Farm Show grounds during a July campaign rally. Six months after watching Trump fall to the ground and then rise with a bloodied ear and raised fist following the Butler assassination attempt, Corpuz will be...
On eve of Trump inauguration, some immigrants fearful, unsure what to expect over next 4 yearsVideo
All eyes will be on Washington, D.C., on Monday, as Donald Trump is sworn into office as the 47th president of the United States. Pittsburgh immigration attorney Ellen Freeman, however, will be watching for a different reason. “Immigrants feel scared,” she said. Trump made immigration a central theme of his...
Widow of Corey Comperatore, firefighter killed at Trump rally, to attend inauguration events
The widow of a Buffalo Township firefighter killed at President-elect Donald Trump’s campaign rally in Butler County over the summer plans to be in Washington for inauguration-related events. “It’s an honor to be invited. I am always so honored when the president invites us to spend time with him, and...
Bribery, fraud charges dropped against former New York Lt. Governor
NEW YORK — Federal prosecutors on Friday dropped bribery and fraud charges against former New York Lt. Gov. Brian Benjamin, citing the death of a cooperating witness against the Democrat who the governor had once chosen to be her second-in-command. Judge J. Paul Oetken signed an order closing the case...
Ohio Lt. Gov. Jon Husted expected to succeed JD Vance in the U.S. Senate, AP sources say
COLUMBUS, Ohio — Republican Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine is expected to select his lieutenant governor, Jon Husted, on Friday to succeed Vice President-elect JD Vance in the U.S. Senate. That’s according to two people familiar with the matter who spoke on condition of anonymity before an announcement planned for Friday...
Biden says the Equal Rights Amendment should be considered ratified
WASHINGTON — President Joe Biden announced Friday that the Equal Rights Amendment should be considered a ratified addition to the U.S. Constitution, making a symbolic statement that’s unlikely to alter a decades-long push for gender equality. “It is long past time to recognize the will of the American people,” Biden...
Senate advances migrant detention bill that could be Trump’s 1st law to sign
WASHINGTON — The Senate is heading toward a final vote on legislation that would require federal authorities to detain migrants accused of theft and violent crimes and give states power to challenge federal immigration policies, setting a new tone on immigration as Donald Trump enters the White House. Newly in...
How Trump’s political and business interests will intersect in the White House
As he assumes the presidency for a second time, Donald Trump brings with him a broad expanse of business relationships and financial entanglements — and the possibility that those associations could influence his decision-making in the White House. Trump’s team dismisses such concerns. “President Trump removed himself from his multibillion-dollar...
Biden got an Oval Office letter from Trump and may leave one in the desk himself. It’d be a first
WASHINGTON — Ronald Reagan probably didn’t realize he was starting a tradition when he wrote a note congratulating his successor and left it in the Oval Office desk drawer after two terms as president. He did that for George H.W. Bush, his successor and vice president of eight years. Bush...
Progressives are frustrated by Biden’s final-days warning of billionaire influence
NEW YORK — The Democratic Party’s left wing has warned for decades that America is moving toward an oligarchy in which a handful of billionaires controls much of the nation’s wealth and political power. President Joe Biden elevated such concerns from the Oval Office for the first time this week,...
Biden sets record by commuting sentences of nearly 2,500 people convicted on nonviolent drug charges
WASHINGTON — President Joe Biden announced Friday that he was commuting the sentences of almost 2,500 people convicted of nonviolent drug offenses, using his final days in office on a flurry of clemency actions meant to nullify prison terms he deemed too harsh. The recent round of clemency gives Biden...
Fetterman was elected to challenge convention. Now, he’s challenging his fellow Democrats
HARRISBURG — When Democrat John Fetterman got elected to Pennsylvania’s U.S. Senate seat, many backers hoped he’d challenge convention and the status quo. He did and has — just not in the way many had expected. Fetterman has broken with his party on some policy matters and warmed to President-elect...
Arkansas governor wants to revive state’s Medicaid work requirements under Trump administration
LITTLE ROCK — Arkansas Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders said Thursday she wants to impose work requirements on some Medicaid recipients, hoping to revive and expand a restriction that was blocked by the courts but could get a new life under the Trump administration. Sanders’ comments come as fellow Republicans in...
Title IX memo throws wrench in plans for schools to pay NIL money directly to athletes
NASHVILLE — Plans for colleges to pay athletes directly for their name, image and likeness deals would run afoul of Title IX, the Department of Education said in guidance issued Thursday that adds more confusion to the shifting landscape in college sports. The nine-page memo from the department’s Office for...
Biden won’t enforce TikTok ban, official says, leaving fate of app to Trump
WASHINGTON — President Joe Biden won’t enforce a ban on the social media app TikTok that is set to take effect a day before he leaves office on Monday, a U.S. official said Thursday, leaving its fate in the hands of President-elect Donald Trump. Congress last year, in a law...
Speaker Johnson appoints new Intelligence chairman after surprise shakeupVideo
WASHINGTON — House Speaker Mike Johnson appointed Rep. Rick Crawford, R-Ark., as the new chairman of the House Intelligence Committee on Thursday after asserting that the panel needed a fresh start. “He has earned the respect of his colleagues through his years of faithful service on the committee and his...
Treasury nominee Scott Bessent warns of ‘devastating’ consequences if tax cuts lapseVideo
WASHINGTON — Taxes and tariffs took center stage Thursday at the Senate Finance Committee’s confirmation hearing for President-elect Donald Trump’s intended Treasury secretary nominee, Scott Bessent. Republicans and Democrats sparred over who would benefit most from extending more than $4 trillion in tax cuts enacted during the first Trump administration....
Governor’s office forced to reveal why it spent $368K on private law firms
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. HARRISBURG — An ethics investigation. Federal and state grand jury probes. Advice on taxes. These are the reasons the administration of former Pennsylvania Gov. Tom...
Trump’s EPA nominee stays vague on plans as senators press him on climate viewsVideo
Lee Zeldin said Americans deserve a clean environment “without suffocating the economy” during his Senate confirmation hearing Thursday to lead the Environmental Protection Agency, a department likely to play a central role in President-elect Donald Trump’s pledge to slash federal regulations and promote oil and gas development. “The American people...
