Politics Election category, Page 244
A man ahead of his time: Sen. John Heinz remembered 30 years after tragic death
Henry John Heinz III was a man in his prime. The 52-year-old U.S. senator and heir to the H.J. Heinz food empire had everything going for him April 4, 1991, the morning he climbed aboard a small, twin-propeller plane in Williamsport. The short flight to Philadelphia was for him to...
Big effort aims to elect candidates with science backgrounds
RALEIGH, N.C. — An advocacy group plans to spend millions next year to elect more doctors, scientists and other professionals to office, arguing the pandemic and Donald Trump’s handling of it have powerfully underscored a need to bring people with scientific backgrounds into policymaking. 314 Action, a nonprofit organization with...
Prosecutors examine possible payments for sex in Gaetz probe
Federal prosecutors are examining whether Florida Rep. Matt Gaetz and a political ally who is facing sex trafficking allegations may have paid underage girls or offered them gifts in exchange for sex, two people familiar with the matter told The Associated Press on Friday. The scrutiny of Gaetz stemmed from...
Republicans trod well-worn path to court to sue Biden
WASHINGTON — These are busy days for Republican state attorneys general, filing repeated lawsuits that claim President Joe Biden and his administration are overstepping their authority on immigration, climate change, the environment and taxes. Most of the action is in federal courts where former President Donald Trump was able to...
Biden’s infrastructure bill will face uphill battle in Congress
WASHINGTON — President Joe Biden this week passed the baton on his massive infrastructure plan to Democrats on Capitol Hill, who are already making demands on what the plan should include. It marks the start of what is likely to be a four-month grueling marathon to get the package through...
Mitch McConnell urges fellow Republicans to get covid-19 vaccines
LOUISVILLE, Ky — Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell urged his fellow Republicans to be vaccinated against covid-19 during a visit to a western Kentucky hospital Thursday. “As a Republican man, I wasn’t reluctant to get it when I was eligible and I would encourage everybody to do that,” he said....
Biden launches community corps to boost covid vaccinations
WASHINGTON — Seeking to overcome vaccine hesitancy, the Biden administration on Thursday stepped up its outreach efforts to skeptical Americans, launching a coalition of community, religious and celebrity partners to promote covid-19 shots in hard-hit communities. The administration’s “We Can Do This” campaign features television and social media ads, but...
New GOP-led voting restrictions move forward in Texas
AUSTIN, Texas — Texas Republicans advanced a slate of proposed new voting restrictions Thursday that would reduce options to cast ballots, limit polling hours and hand more power to partisan poll watchers. All those efforts are rolled into a single bill that cleared the GOP-controlled state Senate — a key...
Gaetz staying on Judiciary panel, despite investigation
WASHINGTON — Republican Rep. Matt Gaetz, a prominent, outspoken conservative and a close ally of former President Donald Trump who has been under federal investigation for a former relationship, would lose his House seat if convicted of a felony. But there are no rules addressing lawmakers under investigation. House Minority...
Braddock Mayor Chardae Jones spurns John Fetterman, endorses Rep. Kenyatta for SenateVideo
Braddock Mayor Chardae Jones on Wednesday endorsed state Rep. Malcolm Kenyatta in next year’s U.S. Senate race over her predecessor and fellow resident, Lt. Gov. John Fetterman. “When it comes to his beliefs against fracking and his involvement in mental health policy it was a no-brainer to endorse Rep. Malcolm...
In Pittsburgh visit, Biden unveils $2 trillion American Jobs Plan
President Joe Biden traveled to suburban Pittsburgh on Wednesday afternoon to unveil a $2.3 trillion plan intended to revive the nation’s pandemic-battered economy through new infrastructure and transportation-related projects around the country. Biden deemed his newly released American Jobs Plan to be the greatest American investment “since we built the...
Hunter Biden says he wouldn’t repeat work for Ukrainian firm
WASHINGTON — President Joe Biden’s son Hunter says his service on the board of a Ukrainian gas company, which Republicans tried to turn into a negative during the 2020 presidential campaign, wasn’t unethical and didn’t represent a lack of judgment on his part. But the younger Biden wouldn’t do it...
Biden heads to Pittsburgh region to unveil major infrastructure plan
Moments before boarding a plane at the Allegheny County Airport in late August, then-Democratic nominee for president Joe Biden paused to talk directly to Allegheny County Executive Rich Fitzgerald. While masked up and keeping 6 feet back, “He looked me in the eye and said, ‘I’ll be back when we...
House ethics panel rejects Louie Gohmert’s appeal of $5,000 metal detector fine
WASHINGTON — The House Ethics Committee rejected Rep. Louie Gohmert’s appeal of a $5,000 fine levied against him for evading the new metal detectors outside the House chamber in early February after he stepped out of the chamber to use the nearby restroom and then returned to the floor. Gohmert...
GOP Rep. Matt Gaetz investigated over alleged sexual relationship with underage girl
WASHINGTON — Republican Rep. Matt Gaetz, a prominent conservative in Congress and a close ally of former President Donald Trump, said Tuesday he is being investigated by the Justice Department over a former relationship but denied any criminal wrongdoing. Gaetz, who represents parts of western Florida, told Axios that his...
Pennsylvania election law reforms won’t be ready for primary
HARRISBURG — Five months after the state’s narrow and bitterly contested presidential race drew Republican claims of improper election procedures, it’s clear no changes will be enacted in time for Pennsylvania’s spring primary election. The GOP majorities in both legislative chambers have convened a series of hearings on election law...
Tennessee lawmakers sending governor permitless carry gun bill
NASHVILLE — Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee can soon sign off on his proposal to let most adults 21 and older carry handguns — concealed or openly — without a license that now requires a background check and training. Republican lawmakers in the supermajority finished their work on the bill Monday...
Arkansas Senate OKs ban on treatments for transgender youth
LITTLE ROCK — The Arkansas Senate on Monday approved banning gender confirming treatments for minors, sending the governor a restriction on transgender youth that has been criticized by medical and child welfare groups. The majority Republican Senate voted 28-7 in favor of the legislation. If the bill is enacted it...
Republican announces run for Murkowski’s Alaska Senate seat
JUNEAU, Alaska — An early Republican candidate announced plans Monday to seek the Alaska U.S. Senate seat that has been held since 2002 by Republican Sen. Lisa Murkowski. Kelly Tshibaka, who has led the sprawling Alaska Department of Administration since early 2019, in a statement said she is running “for...
Former Trump adviser takes prominent role in voting battle
A GOP lawyer who advised former President Donald Trump on his campaign to overturn the 2020 election results is now playing a central role coordinating the Republican effort to tighten voting laws around the country. Cleta Mitchell, a longtime Republican lawyer and advocate for conservative causes, was among the Trump...
Arizona GOP wants felony for protesters who damage statues
PHOENIX — Republicans in the Arizona Legislature are reacting to last year’s wave of damage to Confederate monuments by civil rights protesters here and across the nation by working to make it a felony to damage or destroy any public or private monument or statue. Rep. John Kavanagh supported his...
GOP 2024 contenders enter Iowa, wary of Trump’s long shadow
DES MOINES, Iowa — Ambitious Republicans are starting to make moves in Iowa, long a proving ground for future presidents. Their first step is finding out whether activists there have gotten over the last one. Former President Donald Trump remains a hulking presence in Iowa, where he won twice by...
Sweeping changes to Georgia elections signed into law by Gov. Kemp amid outcryVideo
ATLANTA — Gov. Brian Kemp quickly signed a vast rewrite of Georgia’s election rules into law Thursday, imposing voter ID requirements, limiting drop boxes and allowing state takeovers of local elections after last year’s close presidential race. Kemp finalized the bill just over an hour after it cleared the General...
Lawmakers press Big Tech CEOs on speech responsibilityVideo
WASHINGTON — The CEOs of tech giants Facebook, Twitter and Google faced a grilling in Congress Thursday as lawmakers tried to draw them into acknowledging their companies’ roles in fueling the January insurrection at the U.S. Capitol and rising covid-19 vaccine misinformation. In a hearing by the House Energy and...
Biden leaves door open for Senate changes to advance agendaVideo
WASHINGTON — President Joe Biden at his first news conference Thursday left the door open to backing fundamental changes in Senate procedure to muscle key parts of his agenda like immigration and voting rights past Republican opposition “if there’s complete lockdown and chaos.” The 78-year-old president also for the first...
