Politics Election category, Page 50
Former U.S. Sen. Alan Simpson of Wyoming, who bridged partisan gaps with his quick wit, dies at age 93
CHEYENNE, Wyo. — Former U.S. Sen. Alan Simpson, a political legend whose quick wit bridged partisan gaps in the years before today’s political acrimony, has died. He was 93. Simpson died early Friday after struggling to recover from a broken hip in December, according to a statement from his family...
What to know about tariffs: Experts warn of harm, but some want ‘pound of flesh’
The trade war launched by President Donald Trump against Canada, China and Mexico and what could end up involving countries around the world is unprecedented, national economic and legal experts say. “Businesses no longer have any idea how to plan,” said Timothy Meyer, an international business law professor at Duke...
Some universities are freezing hiring and laying off staff as Trump cuts federal funding
Universities across the country have announced hiring freezes, citing new financial uncertainty as the Trump administration threatens a range of cuts to federal contracts and research grants. Some have announced layoffs. Johns Hopkins University said Thursday it is eliminating more than 2,200 workers because of a loss of funding from...
Democratic Rep. Raúl M. Grijalva of Arizona dies at 77
WASHINGTON — Democratic U.S. Rep. Raúl M. Grijalva of Arizona, who championed environmental protection during his 12 terms in Congress, died Thursday of complications from cancer treatments, his office said. Grijalva, who was 77, had risen to chair the U.S. House Natural Resources Committee and was the top Democrat on...
Trump administration asks Supreme Court to partly allow birthright citizenship restrictions
WASHINGTON — The Trump administration is asking the Supreme Court to allow restrictions on birthright citizenship to partly take effect while legal fights play out. In emergency applications filed at the high court on Thursday, the administration asked the justices to narrow court orders entered by district judges in Maryland,...
Top diplomats from G7 countries meet in Canada as Trump threatens more tariffs on U.S. allies
LA MALBAIE, Canada — Top diplomats from the Group of 7 industrialized democracies gathered in Canada on Thursday as U.S. President Donald Trump’s trade and foreign policies have thrown the bloc’s once solid unity into disarray. The meeting began just after Trump threatened to impose 200% tariffs on European wine...
Judge orders Trump to rehire probationary workers let go in mass firings across multiple agencies
SAN FRANCISCO — A federal judge in San Francisco ordered President Donald Trump’s administration to rehire thousands, if not tens of thousands, of probationary workers let go in mass firings across multiple agencies, blasting their tactics Thursday as he slowed the new president’s dramatic downsizing of the federal government. U.S....
Reflecting on RFK Jr.’s 1st month as health secretary
WASHINGTON — There sat Robert F. Kennedy Jr., the nation’s top health official, at a Steak ‘n Shake with Fox News host Sean Hannity, raving about the fries. “Steak ‘n Shake has been great, we’re very grateful for them,” Kennedy said, in between nibbles of fries that the Midwestern franchise...
Pete Buttigieg won’t seek U.S. Senate seat in Michigan, leaving door wide open for 2028 run
SAUGATUCK, Mich. — Former Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg announced that he will not seek an open U.S. Senate seat in Michigan, a move that leaves the door wide open for him to seek a much bigger role as his party’s next presidential nominee. Since his role in the Biden administration...
Schumer to support GOP funding bill, unwilling to risk government shutdown as deadline nears
WASHINGTON — Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer relented Thursday rather than risk a government shutdown, announcing he’s ready to start the process of considering a Republican-led government funding bill that has fiercely divided Democrats under pressure to impose limits on the Trump administration. Schumer told Democrats privately during a spirited...
Trump administration yanks CDC director nomination just before Senate hearing
WASHINGTON — The White House withdrew the nomination of former Florida congressman Dr. David Weldon to lead the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention because he wasn’t assured of getting enough Republican support to be confirmed. The Republican-controlled Senate health committee announced Thursday morning that it was canceling a planned...
Fetterman says he’ll back a GOP spending bill to avoid a government shutdown. Will other Democrats follow?
WASHINGTON — The heat is on for Senate Democrats this week as they weigh whether to support a GOP-led government spending bill that they oppose or risk being blamed for shutting down the federal government. And front and center is Pennsylvania Sen. John Fetterman, who has vowed to support the...
Republicans in Florida’s Capitol restart push to lower the gun-buying age to 18
TALLAHASSEE — Gun rights advocates have fought to overturn a Florida law banning gun purchases by people under 21 ever since the day the measure was signed in 2018 as a result of the Parkland school shooting, one of the deadliest mass killings in the U.S. With new leadership in...
USDA ends program that helped schools serve food from local farmers
WASHINGTON — The U.S. Agriculture Department is ending two pandemic-era programs that provided more than $1 billion for schools and food banks to purchase food from local farmers and producers. About $660 million of that went to schools and childcare centers to buy food for meals through the Local Foods...
Trump administration weighs barring Cubans, Haitians from U.S. as part of new travel ban
The Trump administration is weighing including Cuba and Haiti on a list of countries whose nationals will face restrictions to enter the country, sources with knowledge of the ongoing discussions told the Miami Herald. Cuba, which is on a State Department list of countries that sponsor terrorism, might end up...
Explainer: What’s a recession and why is rising anxiety about it roiling markets?
WASHINGTON — Stock markets are plunging, consumers and businesses have started to sour on the economy, and economists are marking down their estimates for growth this year, with some even seeing rising odds of a recession. The tech-heavy Nasdaq stock index slipped into a correction last week, defined as a...
EPA head says he’ll roll back dozens of environmental regulations, including rules on climate change
WASHINGTON — In what he called the “most consequential day of deregulation in American history,” the head of the Environmental Protection Agency announced a series of actions Wednesday to roll back landmark environmental regulations, including rules on pollution from coal-fired power plants, climate change and electric vehicles. “We are driving...
Trump pardons former Tennessee lawmaker convicted in campaign finance scheme
NASHVILLE, Tenn. — President Donald Trump has pardoned a former Republican Tennessee lawmaker who was two weeks into a 21-month prison sentence for an illegal campaign finance scheme that he pleaded guilty to in 2022, before he tried unsuccessfully to take back his plea. Former Sen. Brian Kelsey announced the...
Wisconsin clerk who failed to count almost 200 ballots is suspended
MADISON, Wis. — The mayor of Wisconsin’s capital city said Wednesday she has placed the municipal clerk on leave as investigators work to determine how she failed to count almost 200 absentee ballots in the November election. Madison Mayor Satya Rhodes-Conway said in a statement that the city has launched...
Trump wants to dismantle U.S. Education Department. Here’s what it does
President Donald Trump has said he wants his education chief, Linda McMahon, to “put herself out of a job” and close the Education Department. McMahon, after being confirmed by the Senate on March 3, told employees it was the department’s “final mission” to eliminate bureaucratic bloat and turn over the...
EU retaliates against Trump’s trade moves and slaps tariffs on produce from Republican states
BRUSSELS — The European Union on Wednesday announced retaliatory trade action with new duties on U.S. industrial and farm products, responding within hours to the Trump administration’s increase in tariffs on all steel and aluminum imports to 25%. The world’s biggest trading bloc was expecting the U.S. tariffs and prepared...
New Pa. bill would relieve debt from childbirth, other medical care
This story first appeared in How We Care, a weekly newsletter by Spotlight PA featuring original reporting and perspectives on how we care for one another at all stages of life. Medical debt harms people in different ways. It can lead them to seek payday loans, take money out of...
Court asked to intervene after email tells USAID workers to destroy classified documents
WASHINGTON — A union for U.S. Agency for International Development contractors asked a federal judge Tuesday to intervene in any destruction of classified documents after an email ordered staffers to help burn and shred agency records. Judge Carl Nichols set a Wednesday morning deadline for the plaintiffs and the government...
Education Department plans to lay off 1,300 employees as Trump vows to wind the agency down
WASHINGTON — The Education Department plans to lay off over 1,300 of its more than 4,000 employees as part of a reorganization that’s seen as a prelude to President Donald Trump’s plan to dismantle the agency. Department officials announced the cuts Tuesday, raising questions about the agency’s ability to continue...
Pennsylvania Rep. Scott Perry co-sponsors bill to abolish Federal Reserve
A bill in the U.S. House to repeal the 112-year-old Federal Reserve Act and abolish the nation’s central bank has attracted several co-sponsors, including York County Republican Rep. Scott Perry. Kentucky GOP Rep. Thomas Massie introduced the bill on March 5 and Perry is one of 10 co-sponsors, all Republicans,...
