Politics Election category, Page 3
Justice Department asks judge to unseal Epstein grand jury transcripts
WASHINGTON — The Trump administration asked a federal court to unseal grand jury transcripts related to the case of late, disgraced financier Jeffrey Epstein following a torrent of criticism that government officials are hiding documents and information. Justice Department lawyers made the requests to a federal court in Manhattan on...
Judge limits small part of a court order blocking Trump’s election overhaul
NEW YORK — A federal judge on Friday modified part of a previous ruling that blocked much of President Donald Trump’s sweeping executive order seeking to overhaul elections in the U.S. The minor change affects just one aspect of a preliminary injunction that U.S. District Court Judge Denise J. Casper...
Trump appointees pushed more marble in Fed building renovation White House now attacks
WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump has looked to the marble finishes and hefty price tag of the Federal Reserve headquarters to claim grounds to fire Chair Jerome Powell, with whom he has tussled for years over interest rates. But the extensive use of marble in the building is, at least...
Trump administration seeks release of Epstein grand jury records but not Justice Department files
WASHINGTON — Under intense pressure from President Donald Trump’s own supporters, his administration now says it will push a court to unseal secret documents related to Jeffrey Epstein’s case in an effort to put to rest for good a political crisis largely of its own making. But even if those...
House Republicans grasp for response to demands for transparency in Epstein case
WASHINGTON — House Republicans were grasping late Thursday to formulate a response to the Trump administration’s handling of records in the Jeffrey Epstein sex trafficking case, ultimately putting forward a resolution that carries no legal weight but nodded to the growing demand for greater transparency. The House resolution, which could...
House approves Trump’s $9 billion cut to public broadcasting, foreign aid
WASHINGTON — The House gave final approval to President Donald Trump’s request to claw back about $9 billion for public broadcasting and foreign aid early Friday as Republicans intensified their efforts to target institutions and programs they view as bloated or out of step with their agenda. The vote marked...
$5,000-per-plate dinner with McCormick at Carnegie museum spurs backlash
A private event billed as a dinner and fireside chat featuring U.S. Sen. Dave McCormick and his wife at the Carnegie Museum of Art has generated backlash and raised concerns about the propriety of the museum offering space for such a gathering, which cost $5,000 to attend. The dinner occurred...
Trump has no plans to appoint special council for Epstein case, White House says
White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said President Donald Trump would not recommend a special counsel to look into the Jeffrey Epstein case in the face of bipartisan calls for further investigation. “The president would not recommend a special prosecutor in the Epstein case. That’s how he feels,” Leavitt said...
Some Pennsylvania lawmakers want to ban fluoride in public drinking water. Here’s what to know
A bill recently introduced to the state Senate would ban fluoride in Pennsylvania’s public drinking water, part of growing skepticism toward the naturally-occurring mineral that dental health experts have considered essential for decades. The Fluoride Choice Act, introduced by Sen. Dawn Keefer, R-York, would prevent fluoride from being added to...
Senate passes $9B in spending cuts to public broadcasting, foreign aid requested by Trump
WASHINGTON — The Senate has passed about $9 billion in federal spending cuts requested by President Donald Trump, including deep reductions to public broadcasting and foreign aid, moving forward on one of the president’s top priorities despite concerns from several Republican senators. The legislation, which now moves to the House,...
Fetterman says deals announced at Pittsburgh summit are ‘huge wins and investments’ in Pa.
U.S. Sen. John Fetterman described the flurry of development deals announced at Tuesday’s Pennsylvania Energy and Innovation Summit in Pittsburgh as “huge wins and investments” in the state. Companies attending the summit at Carnegie Mellon University, organized by U.S. Sen. Dave McCormick, R-Pittsburgh, announced plans to invest more than $90...
WQED leader vows to continue work in face of possible federal funding cuts
Pittsburgh’s public radio and television stations will remain in business even if federal financial support ends, their leaders maintain. They’re also encouraging their listeners and viewers to lobby their legislators to preserve the $1.1 billion the government provides the Corporation for Public Broadcasting each year. The matter remained unsettled Wednesday...
Jill Biden aide invokes Fifth to decline testimony in Republican investigation
WASHINGTON — A former senior aide to Jill Biden on Wednesday became the second person to invoke the Fifth Amendment and decline to answer questions from House Republicans who are investigating President Joe Biden’s mental state and use of the autopen while in office. Anthony Bernal, who previously served as...
JD Vance touts tax breaks in Pennsylvania as he makes White House’s 1st big pitch on Trump’s new law
WEST PITTSTON — Vice President JD Vance on Wednesday made the Trump administration’s first big pitch to sell the public on President Donald Trump’s sweeping budget-and-policy package in the swing political turf of northeastern Pennsylvania. The vice president, whose tiebreaking vote got the bill through the Senate, touted the legislation’s...
Pa. lawmakers push to move federal energy office to Pittsburgh
A bipartisan group of congressmen say Western Pennsylvania’s status as a growing energy hub justifies moving a key federal office here. U.S. Reps. Chris Deluzio, D-Fox Chapel, John Joyce, R-Altoona, and Guy Reschenthaler, R-Peters, introduced legislation Tuesday that would relocate the Department of Energy’s Office of Fossil Energy and Carbon...
Trump slams his own supporters as ‘weaklings’ for falling for what he now calls the Epstein ‘hoax’
NEW YORK — President Donald Trump is lashing out at his own supporters, accusing them of being duped by Democrats, as he tries to clamp down on criticism over his administration’s handling of much-hyped records in the Jeffrey Epstein sex trafficking investigation, which Trump now calls a “Hoax.” “Their new...
How Trump could use a building renovation to oust Fed Chair Powell
WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump says he has finally found a way to achieve his goal of removing Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell, accusing him of mismanaging the U.S. central bank’s $2.5 billion renovation project. The push comes after a monthslong campaign by Trump to try to rid himself of...
Adelita Grijalva wins Democratic primary for Arizona U.S. House seat held by her late father
PHOENIX — Adelita Grijalva won the Democratic primary Tuesday for a southern Arizona U.S. House seat long held by her father, the late U.S. Rep. Raúl Grijalva, one of the most senior and progressive power brokers on Capitol Hill. Adelita Grijalva will face Daniel Butierez, a painting company owner who...
DNC launches website on impact of ‘Trump tax’ bill, tariffs on Pa.
The Democratic National Committee is launching a new website Wednesday to show the impact of President Donald Trump’s tariffs and spending bill on Pennsylvanians. TrumpTax.com “includes Pennsylvania data about the Trump Tax with one underlying truth — if you’re not a billionaire, the Trump Tax will screw you over,” said...
Trump joins McCormick at CMU to tout $90B energy and AI investment wave
As the Pennsylvania Energy and Innovation Summit drew to a close Tuesday at Carnegie Mellon University, event organizer U.S. Sen. Dave McCormick said the day could wind up being remembered as the start of an “economic renaissance” in Pennsylvania. That prediction came on the heels of nearly two dozen companies...
Here are the blockbuster deals unveiled at the Pa. Energy and Innovation Summit
U.S. Sen. Dave McCormick said Tuesday during the Pennsylvania Energy and Innovation Summit in Pittsburgh that companies are planning to invest more than $90 billion in data centers, energy and power infrastructure, and workforce and AI training projects across Pennsylvania. Fifteen of the companies plan to invest at least $1...
Independents who want to vote in Pennsylvania’s closed primaries seek help from state’s high court
HARRISBURG — Voters hoping to open up Pennsylvania’s closed primary system to independents asked the state Supreme Court on Tuesday to declare the current system violates the state constitution’s right to free and fair elections. Four independent voters asked the justices to take up the case directly, arguing that in...
Trump tells Texas Republicans to redraw the state congressional map to help keep House majority
WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump said Tuesday that he is pushing Texas Republicans to redraw the state’s congressional maps to create more House seats favorable to his party, part of a broader effort to help the GOP retain control of the chamber in next year’s midterm elections. The president’s directive...
Senate votes to move ahead with Trump’s request for $9 billion in spending cuts
WASHINGTON — Senate Republicans on Tuesday advanced President Donald Trump’s request to cancel some $9 billion in previously approved spending, overcoming concerns from some lawmakers about what the rescissions could mean for impoverished people around the globe and for public radio and television stations in their home states. The Senate...
Trump urged supporters to see conspiracies everywhere. With Epstein, that’s coming back to haunt him
NEW YORK — As his supporters erupt over the Justice Department’s failure to release much-hyped records in Jeffrey Epstein’s sex trafficking investigation, President Donald Trump’s strategy has been to downplay the issue. His problem? That nothing-to-see-here approach doesn’t work for those who have learned from him that they must not...
