Politics Election category, Page 65
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...
JD Vance’s Ohio hometown struggles with how to recognize the incoming vice president
MIDDLETOWN, Ohio — It was a month after her son’s election as vice president of the United States and JD Vance ‘s mother wondered why the city of his birth had yet to recognize him. “I just think it would be really nice if we could acknowledge that this is...
Democrats’ crisis of the future: the biggest states that back them are shrinking
With America’s population shifting to the South, political influence is seeping from reliably Democratic states to areas controlled by Republicans. Coming out of a presidential election where they lost all seven swing states, Democrats are facing a demographic challenge that could reduce their path to winning the U.S. House of...
Trump’s outsider Cabinet picks are rapidly gaining support for confirmation
WASHINGTON — One by one, all the president-elect’s men, and women, are falling into place in his Cabinet. While Defense Secretary pick Pete Hegseth’s nomination was teetering toward collapse just weeks ago, he now appears on track for confirmation after a fiery Senate hearing that focused on his drinking, views...
Speaker Johnson removes chair of powerful House Intelligence CommitteeVideo
WASHINGTON — House Speaker Mike Johnson on Wednesday removed the GOP chairman of the powerful House Intelligence Committee, who was a vocal supporter of assistance for Ukraine and held other views that put him at odds with President-elect Donald Trump. Johnson told reporters late Wednesday that Rep. Mike Turner, an...
Biden warns in farewell address that an ‘oligarchy’ of ultrarich in U.S. threatens future of democracyVideo
WASHINGTON — President Joe Biden used his farewell address to the nation Wednesday to deliver stark warnings about an “oligarchy” of the ultra-wealthy taking root in the country and a “tech-industrial complex” that is infringing on Americans’ rights and the future of democracy. Speaking from the Oval Office as he...
Trump adviser says president-elect exploring options to ‘preserve’ TikTok
Trump’s pick for national security adviser, Florida Rep. Mike Waltz, said in an interview on Wednesday that the president-elect is exploring options to “preserve” TikTok. Waltz made the comment when Fox News anchor Bret Baier asked him about a report from The Washington Post that said Trump was considering an...
Pam Bondi claims she won’t play politics as attorney general but doesn’t rule out probes of Trump foesVideo
WASHINGTON — Pam Bondi, Donald Trump’s pick for attorney general, sought to reassure Democratic senators Wednesday that her Justice Department would not prosecute anyone for political purposes but also refused to rule out the potential for investigations into adversaries of the Republican president-elect. Her often-testy confirmation hearing centered on concerns...
Vivek Ramaswamy, an Ohio native, is interested in filling Vance’s old Senate seat
Former Republican presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy has expressed interest in the Ohio U.S. Senate seat that was vacated by Vice President-elect JD Vance, a person with direct knowledge of the biotech entrepreneur’s wishes told The Associated Press. The 39-year-old from Cincinnati has assumed a leading role with billionaire Elon Musk...
Rubio vows to prioritize freeing Oakmont teacher from Russian prison
U.S. Sen. Marco Rubio on Wednesday vowed to prioritize the release of Marc Fogel, an Oakmont history teacher who has been detained by Russia since bringing a small amount of legally prescribed medical marijuana into the country in 2021. Rubio’s comments came during a nomination hearing before the U.S. Senate....
Key takeaways from Pete Hegseth’s fiery confirmation hearing
WASHINGTON — Pete Hegseth, President-elect Donald Trump’s pick for defense secretary, publicly faced senators for the first time after weeks of questions from Democrats — and praise from Republicans — about his “unconventional” resume. Hegseth, a former combat veteran and TV news host, says he will be a “change agent”...
Pete Hegseth asked to define ‘jagoff’ at Senate confirmation hearing
The term “jagoff” is more than just an insult in Pittsburgh. Here, it holds great cultural significance. But that’s not what Pete Hegseth was trying to convey during his U.S. Senate confirmation hearing. Hegseth, a combat veteran and former Fox News host, is President-elect Donald Trump’s pick for defense secretary....
Speaker Johnson orders U.S. Capitol flags raised to full height for Trump’s inauguration
House Speaker Mike Johnson on Tuesday ordered that flags at the U.S. Capitol be raised to their full height on Inauguration Day, pausing a 30-day flag-lowering order as a result of the death of former President Jimmy Carter. The Republican leader’s decision means that President-elect Donald Trump will not take...
Biden moves to lift state sponsor of terrorism designation for Cuba, part of deal to free prisoners
WASHINGTON — The Biden administration on Tuesday is notifying Congress of its intent to lift the U.S. designation of Cuba as a state sponsor of terrorism, the White House announced, as part of a deal facilitated by the Catholic Church to free political prisoners on the island. Senior U.S. administration...
Trump says he will create an External Revenue Service agency to collect tariff income
WASHINGTON — President-elect Donald Trump on Tuesday announced plans to create a new agency called the External Revenue Service to collect tariffs and other revenues from foreign nations. “We will begin charging those that make money off of us with Trade, and they will start paying,” Trump said Tuesday on...
Trump’s Cabinet picks are set for Senate hearings. Here’s the schedule
After the initial crush of personnel announcements for President-elect Donald Trump’s incoming administration, now the nominations process officially begins. Senate hearings are scheduled this week for several of Trump’s picks for the Cabinet. Many nominees have met with senators individually. Now, they will go before the committees overseeing the agencies...
Wisconsin Legislature to put photo ID requirement on ballot for voter approval
MADISON, Wis. — Wisconsin’s photo ID requirement for voting would be elevated from a state law to a constitutional amendment under a proposal up for approval Tuesday in the Republican-controlled Assembly. Once passed by the Assembly, the proposed constitutional amendment would appear on the April 1 ballot for voter consideration....
Pete Hegseth confronts allegations of misconduct as senators grill Trump’s choice for Pentagon chief
WASHINGTON — President-elect Donald Trump’s choice for defense secretary, Pete Hegseth, vowed Tuesday to foster a “warrior culture” at the Pentagon and confronted allegations of sexual assault and excessive drinking and questions about his derisive views of women in combat during a heated Senate confirmation hearing. Hegseth repeatedly deflected the...
Special counsel report says Trump would’ve been convicted for Jan. 6 ‘unprecedented criminal effort’
WASHINGTON — Special counsel Jack Smith said his team “stood up for the rule of law” as it investigated President-elect Donald Trump’s efforts to overturn the results of the 2020 election, writing in a much-anticipated report released Tuesday that he stands fully behind his decision to bring criminal charges that...
Trump pronounces Sen. John Fetterman ‘impressive’ after Mar-a-Lago meeting
President-elect Donald Trump had several positive things to say about Sen. John Fetterman as a result of their meeting during the weekend at Mar-a-Lago, according to the Washington Examiner. Trump heaped praise on Pennsylvania’s senior senator calling him “impressive” and “fascinating.” “It was a totally fascinating meeting. He’s a fascinating...
DeSantis calls special session to implement Trump’s immigration policies
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. — Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis is calling state lawmakers into a special session to help carry out President-elect Donald Trump’s promises for a swift crackdown on immigration. Trump is preparing more than 100 executive orders starting Day One of the new White House administration, in what amounts to...
