Majority of 16k canceled Pa. mail-in ballots were from Dems
New state data shows that an election eve Pennsylvania court decision that said mail-in ballots without accurate handwritten dates on their exterior envelopes can’t count resulted in otherwise valid votes being canceled in the high-stakes November election.
Oprah delivers November surprise, endorses Fetterman over Oz
TV icon Oprah Winfrey is endorsing Democrat John Fetterman in Pennsylvania’s hotly contested Senate race and rejecting Republican Dr. Mehmet Oz. Winfrey helped launch Oz to stardom nearly two decades ago when she brought the heart surgeon on her popular daytime talk show as a regular guest.
Bank CEOs questioned on consumer protections, social issues
The CEOs of the nation’s biggest banks returned to Capitol Hill for a second day Thursday, and Senate Democrats strongly urged them to do more to help and protect their customers, while Republicans questioned whether banks should weigh in on hot-button social issues.
Fetterman agrees to Oct. 25 debate with Oz in Senate race
Democratic Senate candidate John Fetterman of Pennsylvania says he has agreed to an Oct. 25 televised debate against his Republican rival, Dr. Mehmet Oz. The debate, coming two weeks before the general election, follows weeks of cajoling by Oz. He has raised questions about the severity of Fetterman’s lingering effects from a May stroke and pushed for as many as seven debates.
Pa. Senate GOP primary too close to call, recount likely
Pennsylvania’s Republican primary for an open U.S. Senate seat is too close to call and is likely headed for a statewide recount to decide the winner of the contest between heart surgeon-turned-TV celebrity Dr. Mehmet Oz and former hedge fund CEO David McCormick.
Lamb revives gun incident to attack Fetterman in Senate race
Conor Lamb is accusing rival John Fetterman in Pennsylvania’s Democratic primary for U.S. Senate of skipping candidate forums to avoid talking about a 2013 incident in which he confronted a Black man, shotgun in hand, because he suspected the man was involved in gunfire nearby.
Climate change a rising Fed concern as nominees face hearing
How far the Federal Reserve can go to compel banks to consider the consequences of climate change in their lending policies could take center stage at a Senate hearing Thursday on the nominations of Sarah Bloom Raskin and two economists to the Fed’s influential Board of Governors.
Biden nominates 3 for Fed board, including first Black woman
President Joe Biden nominated three people for the Federal Reserve’s Board of Governors, including Sarah Bloom Raskin, a former Fed and Treasury official, for the top regulatory slot and Lisa Cook, who would be the first Black woman to serve on the board.
GOP paints Biden's choice for bank regulator as radical
President Joe Biden’s choice to become one of the top banking regulators endured a contentious nomination hearing Thursday, with Republican senators warning she would nationalize the U.S. banking system and Democrats saying she’s eminently qualified and would be tough overseer of Wall Street.
Local Democrats warn party: Growing Republican wave is real
Democrats in Bucks County, Pennsylvania, felt the Republican wave building over the summer when frustrated parents filled school board meetings to complain about masking requirements and an academic theory on systemic racism that wasn’t even taught in local schools.
A potential Powell renomination for Fed faces some dissent
Resistance to the potential renomination of Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell intensified this week, with Sen. Elizabeth Warren becoming the first senator to publicly oppose Powell and many progressive groups pushing for some alternative leader at the Fed.
Powell defends Fed's consideration of climate change risks
Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell on Wednesday defended the central bank’s increasing scrutiny of the impact climate change could have on banks, in the wake of criticism by Republican members of Congress that by doing so the Fed is overstepping its mandate.
A first: US Senate confirms transgender doctor for key post
Voting mostly along party lines, the U.S. Senate on March 24, confirmed Levine to be assistant secretary of health. She becomes the first openly transgender federal official to win Senate confirmation. (Caroline Brehman/Pool via AP, File)Voting mostly along party lines, the U.S. Senate has confirmed former Pennsylvania Health Secretary Rachel Levine to be the nation’s assistant secretary of health. She is the first openly transgender federal official to win Senate confirmation. She won confirmation by the Republican-majority Pennsylvania Senate.
A first: US Senate confirms transgender doctor for key post
Voting mostly along party lines, the U.S. Senate on March 24, confirmed Levine to be assistant secretary of health. She becomes the first openly transgender federal official to win Senate confirmation. (Caroline Brehman/Pool via AP, File)Voting mostly along party lines, the U.S. Senate on Wednesday confirmed former Pennsylvania Health Secretary Rachel Levine to be the nation’s assistant secretary of health. She is the first openly transgender federal official to win Senate confirmation. She won confirmation by the Republican-majority Pennsylvania Senate.
Democrats vow vote on gun bills; Biden says 'we have to act'
They are not even united themselves, as Sen. Joe Manchin, D-W.Va., told reporters Tuesday that he opposes the House legislation on background checks. The gun debate also highlights a larger difficulty for Senate Democrats as they try to move forward on gun legislation and other policy priorities of the Biden White House. Schumer has not said when he will bring the House legislation up for a vote. Democrats say they feel the environment around gun legislation has evolved, especially since that last major push in 2013. Many in the GOP base are still strongly opposed to gun control of any kind.
Biden says 'we have to act' after Colorado mass shooting
WASHINGTON – Democrats say they are pushing toward a vote on expanded gun control measures as the nation reels from its second mass shooting in a week. They are not even united themselves, as Sen. Joe Manchin, D-W.Va., told reporters Tuesday that he opposes the House legislation on background checks. It is unclear whether any of the bills up for consideration — most of them involving more restrictive background checks — would have made a difference in that case. Republicans have argued that background checks would not stop most mass shootings and would prevent some lawful gun owners from purchasing firearms. A second bill would extend a review period for background checks from three to 10 days.
Who deserves credit? Biden leans into pandemic politics
(AP Photo/Andrew Harnik)WASHINGTON – In President Joe Biden's war against the coronavirus, former President Donald Trump hardly exists. The Democratic president ignored Trump in his first prime-time address to the nation, aside from a brief indirect jab. AdThe truth is that both Biden and Trump deserve some credit, though Biden stands to benefit from being in power during the nation’s emergence from the pandemic. Well it wasn't,” Biden said, taking credit for putting the federal government on a “war footing” after he took office. AdIn his early days in the White House, Biden’s team made headlines as they said publicly that he had inherited no plan to combat the pandemic.
Advocates seek Biden push on gun bills, but prospects iffy
The House recently passed legislation that would require background checks for gun purchases, a signature Democratic issue for decades. The two bills that passed the House last week would expand background checks on gun purchases, the first significant movement on gun control since Democrats took control of both chambers of Congress and the White House. That leaves gun-control advocates hoping that the politics of gun control have shifted enough that more Republicans may be open to legislation that advocates argue is widely popular with the American public. Republican Sen. Pat Toomey of Pennsylvania and Democratic Sen. Joe Manchin of West Virginia, a moderate, have worked together for years to find compromise on background checks. John Feinblatt, president of Everytown for Gun Safety, pointed in particular to Democratic wins in the 2018 midterms while running openly for gun control as evidence the politics are changing.
House passes bill to expand background checks for gun sales
The House passed two bills Thursday to require background checks on all firearms sales and transfers and to allow an expanded 10-day review for gun purchases. While enhanced background checks are generally popular with the American public, even with some conservatives, Congress has so far not been able to find compromise on the issue. “These solutions will save lives.”President Joe Biden has called for Congress to strengthen gun laws, including requiring the background checks on all gun sales and banning assault weapons. AdThe second bill, which passed 219-210, would extend the review period for background checks from three to 10 days. While the House bills have Republican cosponsors and won a handful of GOP votes, most Republicans voted against them.
Toomey, who once unified the GOP, now on the outs over Trump
The state GOP chair, Lawrence Tabas, promptly emailed state party committee members to tell them he was planning a meeting to discuss the Senate’s action. That meeting — if it happens — is expected to involve a censure resolution, as a wave of county parties have already voted to censure Toomey. AdTabas and the party brass have kept silent this week, as Toomey supporters have begun to push back. A state committee member from Erie County, Jezree Friend, emailed members to try to talk them out of holding a censure vote. He refused to say whether he would vote for Trump until he voted an hour before polls closed, ultimately for Trump.
Pelosi says independent commission will examine Capitol riot
(AP Photo/Manuel Balce Ceneta)WASHINGTON – House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said Monday that Congress will establish an independent, Sept. 11-style commission to look into the deadly insurrection that took place at the U.S. Capitol. In a letter to Democratic colleagues, Pelosi said the House will also put forth supplemental spending to boost security at the Capitol. After former President Donald Trump’s acquittal at his second Senate impeachment trial, bipartisan support appeared to be growing for an independent commission to examine the deadly insurrection. AdInvestigations into the riot were already planned, with Senate hearings scheduled later this month in the Senate Rules Committee. An independent commission along the lines of the one that investigated the Sept. 11 attacks would probably require legislation to create.