Politics Election category, Page 386
Republicans slam Rep. Steve King for what they call racist remarks
WASHINGTON — House Republicans on Thursday criticized a fellow GOP lawmaker for making what they said were “racist” comments. Rep. Steve King of Iowa was quoted in The New York Times saying, “White nationalist, white supremacist, Western civilization — how did that language become offensive?” The comment drew a denunciation...
Military looking for possible wall funding
WASHINGTON — The Pentagon is informally scouring military construction projects it could cut or delay in preparation for a possible national emergency declaration by President Trump, which could force the Defense Department to divert funds from those planned initiatives to building a wall on the U.S. border with Mexico, according...
Bernie Sanders apologizes again to female staffers on his 2016 presidential campaign
WASHINGTON — For the second time this month, Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., has apologized to female staff members from his 2016 presidential campaign who have said they were sexually harassed by co-workers — including one who was expected to play a role in a potential 2020 bid. On Thursday morning,...
Michael Cohen to testify publicly before House panel in early February
President Trump’s former lawyer and fixer Michael Cohen has agreed to testify in a public hearing before the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee in early February, panel Democrats announced Thursday. Cohen agreed to the Feb. 7 hearing voluntarily, panel chairman Rep. Elijah Cummings, D-Md., said. “I want to make...
Trump threatens emergency declaration ahead of border visit
MCALLEN, Texas — President Trump threatened on Thursday to declare a national emergency to circumvent Congress if he can’t reach a deal with Democrats to fund his promised border wall. He spent most of the day in Texas near the U.S.-Mexico border to draw further attention to his case after...
West Virginia lawmaker to resign, focus on run for president
CHARLESTON, W.Va. (AP) — A retired Army paratrooper and West Virginia lawmaker who formalized his campaign for the presidency on Veterans Day is stepping down from the state Senate. Democrat Richard Ojeda told news outlets that he’s resigning as of next week because he doesn’t want his seat to sit...
Liberal lawmakers challenge Trump with drug cost legislation
WASHINGTON — Challenging the Trump administration on a high-profile consumer issue, leading congressional liberals plan to unveil a package of bills Thursday designed to radically reduce what Americans pay for prescription drugs by linking prices to lower costs in other countries. The legislation has little chance of becoming law under...
GOP senators promise Barr wouldn’t touch Mueller’s investigation if confirmed
WASHINGTON — Top Senate Republicans emerged Wednesday from meetings with attorney general nominee William Barr insisting that if confirmed, he would not hinder Robert Mueller III’s investigation of the Trump campaign’s Russia ties, despite previous statements blasting the probe for looking into whether President Trump attempted to obstruct justice. “Based...
Nielsen says 35 million people watched Trump speech
NEW YORK — An estimated 35.3 million people saw President Trump and Democratic leaders speak to the nation on border security and the partial government shutdown. That’s about 10 million fewer viewers than Trump had for his 2018 State of the Union address. The Nielsen company said Wednesday it was...
Trump, California spar over money for wildfire relief funds
SACRAMENTO — President Trump threatened Wednesday to withhold money to help California cope with wildfires, a day after new Gov. Gavin Newsom asked him to double the federal investment in forest management. Trump again suggested poor forest management is to blame for California’s deadly wildfires and said he’s ordered the...
Adviser: Billionaire Tom Steyer won’t run for president in 2020
DES MOINES, Iowa — Billionaire investor and Democratic activist Tom Steyer said Wednesday that he will not run for the White House in 2020 and will instead focus on calling for President Donald Trump’s impeachment. Steyer, who has spent $50 million on his Need to Impeach campaign and announced plans...
Trump stalks out of shutdown session with Dems — ‘Bye-bye’
WASHINGTON — President Trump stalked out of his negotiating meeting with congressional leaders Wednesday — “I said bye-bye,” he tweeted soon after — as efforts to end the 19-day partial government shutdown fell into deeper disarray over his demand for billions of dollars to build a wall on the U.S.-Mexico...
Pelosi, Schumer rebuttal sparks ‘angry parents’ memes on Twitter
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif, and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., rebuttal to President Donald Trump’s address from the Oval Office drew lots sparked lots on comments and memes on Twitter Tuesday night. The top Democrats said Trump “has chosen fear” in his drive to build a southern border...
AP fact check: Trump and the disputed border crisis
WASHINGTON — In his prime-time speech to the nation, President Donald Trump declared a border crisis that’s in sharp dispute, wrongly accused Democrats of refusing to pay for border security and ignored the reality of how drugs come into the country as he pitched his wall as a solution to...
AP source: Rod Rosenstein expected to leave Justice Dept. in weeks
WASHINGTON — Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein, who appointed special counsel Robert Mueller and remains his most visible Justice Department protector, is expected to leave his position soon after William Barr is confirmed as attorney general, a person familiar with the plans said Wednesday. Barr, who served in the position...
Pelosi, Schumer respond to Trump speech on border security
Transcript of remarks by House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer in response to President Trump’s address Tuesday on border security, as provided by Pelosi’s office: PELOSI: Good evening. I appreciate the opportunity to speak directly to the American people tonight about how we can end this...
Trump’s address about security on the U.S. southern border
A transcript of President Trump’s Tuesday night address about security along the U.S. southern border, as provided by the White House: My fellow Americans: Tonight, I am speaking to you because there is a growing humanitarian and security crisis at our southern border. Every day, Customs and Border Patrol agents...
Watch: Trump to address nation, press for wall as shutdown continues
Fighting for advantage in the government shutdown battle, President Trump aims to use a prime-time address Tuesday night to convince Americans he needs billions of dollars from Congress for his long-promised border wall to resolve security and humanitarian problems he contends have reached a crisis pitch. His remarks were to...
Washington governor, NYC mayor push expanded health coverage
SEATTLE — Washington’s governor and New York City’s mayor unveiled major initiatives Tuesday to expand health insurance coverage, the latest moves by key Democratic leaders to address Trump administration health policies they say are keeping people from getting the care they need. Washington Gov. Jay Inslee, a likely presidential candidate,...
Democrats demand Mnuchin hold off on easing sanctions tied to Deripaska
WASHINGTON — Seven new Democratic chairmen of House committees demanded Tuesday that Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin hold off on the planned easing of sanctions against three companies tied to Russian billionaire Oleg Deripaska. “As the chairs of committees with oversight jurisdiction over the U.S. response to Russia’s attempts to interfere...
Paul Manafort shared polling data with Russian during presidential campaign, filing asserts
WASHINGTON — Paul Manafort, President Trump’s former campaign chairman, apparently shared polling data during the 2016 presidential campaign with Konstantin Kilimnik, a business partner in Ukraine who allegedly has ties to Russian intelligence, according to a court filing released Tuesday. It’s unclear whether the information involved internal campaign data or...
Fact check: Do ex-presidents actually support Trump’s border wall?
WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump’s recent claim that his predecessors endorsed his idea of a wall at the Mexican border got no support from the ex-presidents’ club. Trump stated in a Rose Garden news conference Friday: “This should have been done by all of the presidents that preceded me. And...
Networks to air Pelosi, Schumer rebuttal to Trump
NEW YORK — Television networks airing President Donald Trump’s Oval Office speech on his proposed border wall and the partial government shutdown have also committed to airing the Democratic response to the president. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer say they will make the case themselves....
The reality on the border: How much will a wall really help?
WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump says there is a security crisis at the U.S.-Mexico border that can be addressed only by spending $5.7 billion on a wall. Democrats have flatly refused to agree to the funding. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi called the wall an “immorality.” Trump will address the nation...
Eyeing 2020, Kamala Harris addresses prosecutorial past in memoir
WASHINGTON — As she nears a decision on whether to seek the presidency, Sen. Kamala Harris is taking on what could be a hurdle in a Democratic primary: her past as a prosecutor. In her memoir published Tuesday, the California Democrat describes herself as a “progressive prosecutor” and says it’s...
