Politics Election category, Page 8
Did Pete Hegseth cite Scripture or a line from ‘Pulp Fiction’?
After Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said a prayer during a Pentagon worship service Wednesday, viewers questioned whether the lines came from the Bible — or from the Quentin Tarantino movie “Pulp Fiction.” Hegseth’s prayer has drawn scrutiny and attention on social media. Christopher Hale, editor of the popular Letters from...
Redistricting battle narrows for U.S. House as states seek partisan edge in November elections
The battlefield is narrowing and the timeline is tightening in a congressional redistricting contest among states seeking a partisan advantage ahead of the November midterm elections. The end of Maryland’s legislative session this week marked the demise of Democratic efforts to reshape the state’s U.S. House districts. But Virginia voters...
Justice Jackson chides Supreme Court conservatives over ‘oblivious’ pro-Trump emergency orders
WASHINGTON — Supreme Court Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson has delivered a sustained attack on her conservative colleagues’ use of emergency orders to benefit the Trump administration, calling the orders “scratch-paper musings” that can “seem oblivious and thus ring hollow.” The court’s newest justice, Jackson delivered a lengthy assessment of roughly...
U.S. probes suspicious oil trades made before Trump pivots
The top U.S. derivatives regulator is investigating a series of suspiciously well-timed trades in the oil futures market ahead of recent policy pivots by President Donald Trump related to the war in Iran, according to people familiar with the matter. The Commodity Futures Trading Commission is leading the probe into...
Trump stokes controversy by posting new AI Jesus image
President Donald Trump on Wednesday posted a controversial AI-generated image of himself and Jesus Christ just a day after he yanked a meme that appeared to depict him as the holy man amid widespread criticism. Trump re-posted an image depicting Jesus blessing him, which was first posted by a right-wing...
Pa. House sends budget proposal to Senate earlier than it has in nearly a decade
The state House sent a proposed $53.3 billion budget for the coming fiscal year to the Senate on Tuesday — the earliest it has initially passed a spending plan in nearly a decade. The plan passed this week by the Democratic-controlled House has virtually no chance of making it through...
What is the ‘just war theory’ that U.S. Speaker Mike Johnson invoked to defend Trump from Pope Leo?
Following recent social media disagreements between President Donald Trump and Pope Leo XIV surrounding the Iran war, U.S. House Speaker Mike Johnson on Wednesday used the “just war theory” to defend the president’s criticism of the pontiff. But what exactly is the “just war theory”? Johnson, a Louisiana Republican, insisted...
Data center boom meets resistance in Maine as lawmakers pass yearlong freeze
PORTLAND, Maine — Maine is set to impose the nation’s first statewide moratorium on energy-hungry data centers in a sign of growing political opposition to tech giants’ massive structures that have stoked fears about blackouts, rising electricity bills and voracious water needs. The legislation arose in a state that isn’t...
Senate Republicans reject effort to halt Iran war, but some eye future war powers votesVideo
WASHINGTON — The Republican-led Senate on Wednesday rejected the latest Democratic attempt to halt President Donald Trump’s war in Iran, turning aside a resolution that would require the U.S. to withdraw forces from the conflict until Congress authorizes further action. The 47-52 vote was the fourth time this year that...
Sexual abuse allegations are spurring calls for a broader reckoning in Congress
WASHINGTON — Resignations came quickly this week from two congressmen accused of sexual misconduct toward staff members. Yet for many of the women of Capitol Hill, the moment of accountability was years in the making — and far from enough. Reps. Eric Swalwell, a California Democrat, and Tony Gonzales, a...
Prosecutors seek access to Federal Reserve building as Trump threatens to fire Powell
WASHINGTON — Federal prosecutors made an unannounced visit this week to a construction site at Federal Reserve headquarters that is the focus of an investigation into a $2.5 billion renovation project, according to two people familiar with the visit. Two prosecutors and an investigator from U.S. Attorney Jeanine Pirro’s office...
As Vance rallies with Turning Point, some supporters bristle at Trump’s war, memes and feuds
ATHENS, Georgia — Fresh from a marathon trip to Pakistan that failed to reach a deal for ending the war with Iran, Vice President JD Vance jetted to this Georgia college town for a campus tour organized by the conservative powerhouse Turning Point USA. But instead of showcasing the youthful...
California woman says she was raped by Rep. Eric Swalwell in 2018Video
LOS ANGELES — A California woman on Tuesday said she was raped by Rep. Eric Swalwell in 2018 and now plans to make a report to law enforcement. Lonna Drewes said during a news conference that the assault occurred at a hotel in Southern California. She said she had one...
Appeals court orders judge to end contempt investigation of Trump administration deportation flights
WASHINGTON — A federal judge must end his “intrusive” contempt investigation of the Trump administration for failing to comply with an order over flights carrying Venezuelan migrants to El Salvador last year, a divided appeals court panel ruled Tuesday. Chief Judge James Boasberg abused his discretion in forging ahead with...
Aviation safety bill based on deadly midair collision near Washington faces a House vote
An aviation safety bill seeking to address lessons learned from last year’s midair collision of a jet with an Army helicopter near the nation’s capital is up for a vote Tuesday evening in the House, but key senators and the families of the 67 victims think the bill needs to...
Pennsylvania GOP chairman considers re-election support for Fetterman if he switches parties
(The Center Square) – While the governor’s race took center stage at the conservative-backed Pennsylvania Leadership Conference over the weekend, there was another statewide Democrat’s 2028 campaign that wasn’t too far from mind. Pennsylvania Republican Party Chairman Greg Rothman told The Center Square he’s spoken with several people interested in...
Trump tips DoorDash driver $100 for delivering McDonald’s to Oval OfficeVideo
WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump had two bags of McDonald’s delivered to the Oval Office on Monday by a DoorDash driver he tipped $100, using his favorite food and a reality TV flourish to promote a tax policy he says has meant big rebates for Americans who earn gratuities. Sharon...
Many Catholics dismayed by Trump’s unprecedented broadside at the 1st American popeVideo
WASHINGTON — A majority of U.S. Catholic voters supported Donald Trump in his 2024 presidential victory. Yet across the broad Catholic political spectrum — even among conservative-leaning bishops — there is dismay over Trump’s unprecedented verbal assault on Pope Leo XIV, the first American to lead their church. Leo says...
Republican Rep. Tony Gonzales of Texas says he will retire after admitting to affair with staffer
WASHINGTON — Republican Rep. Tony Gonzales of Texas said Monday he will retire from Congress after bipartisan calls to expel him. Gonzales had already said he would not seek reelection after admitting to an affair with a staff member who had later died by suicide. His retirement announcement came just...
Rep. Eric Swalwell of California says he will resign from Congress after sexual assault allegations
WASHINGTON — Democratic Rep. Eric Swalwell of California announced Monday he will resign from Congress following multiple sexual assault allegations that prompted loud bipartisan calls for him to step down. The decision caps a swift political fall for the seven-term lawmaker, who had been seen as a frontrunner in California’s...
Canadian PM Carney is on the verge of a majority government in a special election
TORONTO — Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney is on the verge of securing a majority government as special elections are held in three districts on Monday. Votes are being cast in the Toronto-area districts of Scarborough Southwest and University-Rosedale, which are considered safe seats for Carney’s Liberals, and in the...
Eric Swalwell suspends campaign for California governor after being accused of sexual assaultVideo
WASHINGTON — Democratic Rep. Eric Swalwell has suspended his campaign for California governor after he was accused of sexual assault. Swalwell continues to deny the allegations. He said in a social media post Sunday he’s suspending his campaign but will fight what he called “serious, false allegations that have been...
Lessons learned in ’70s have made U.S., world economies less vulnerable to oil shocks
WASHINGTON — The world economy is experiencing a disorienting flashback to the 1970s. Oil prices are once again surging in the wake of war in the Middle East, driving up the cost of gasoline, diesel and jet fuel and threatening a return to stagflation — the toxic mix of higher...
He was willing to testify against the cartel — but ICE got to him first
LOS ANGELES — For Javier Hernandez, cooperating with federal prosecutors felt like the only option. Hernandez, 48, faced up to life in prison after U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration agents and Fontana police arrested him and seized nearly 22 pounds of meth during a 2015 operation targeting cross-border drug smuggling. Recovering...
Democrats embrace DEI as ‘American values’ at National Action Network
NEW YORK — Ever since President Donald Trump started purging diversity initiatives last year, the letters “DEI” have faded from corporate boardrooms and Democratic stump speeches. But that wasn’t the case for the past few days at the annual National Action Network conference in New York, where Democratic politicians and...
