WASHINGTON — Since Joe Biden ran away with the Democratic presidential nomination in March, leading progressives have accepted him — sometimes grudgingly — as their party's leader. But, in the final weeks of the campaign, the Supreme Court vacancy is threatening to inflame old divides. Some leading activists on the left...
Trump Won’t Commit to Peaceful Transfer of Power if He Loses
WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump on Wednesday declined to commit to a peaceful transfer of power if he loses the Nov. 3 presidential election. “We’re going to have to see what happens,” Trump said at a news conference, responding to a question about whether he’d commit to a peaceful transfer...
Who Isn’t That Masked Man? Cox, Valadao Trade Accusations.
It's hard to avoid the hard-hitting ads in the TJ Cox-David Valadao congressional race for anyone who watches TV. Cox, the first term Fresno Democrat, is in a rematch against Valadao, the former Republican office holder. Round 1 in 2018 went to Cox, winning the 21st Congressional District race by...
Cindy McCain Endorses Biden for President in Rebuke of Trump
PHOENIX — Democrat Joe Biden said Tuesday that Cindy McCain plans to endorse him for president, a stunning rebuke of President Donald Trump by the widow of the GOP's 2008 nominee. Trump has had a fraught relationship with members of John McCain's family since he disparaged the Arizona senator during...
Complaint Flushed: No Charge in Toilet Election Display
MASON, Mich. — A prosecutor in Michigan has flushed a complaint about a toilet that was promoted as a place to drop absentee ballots. The election clerk in Ingham County informed police about a toilet on the front lawn of a home in Mason, near Lansing. A sign said, "Place mail in...
Trump and Biden Hit Unlikely Battleground State of Minnesota
MINNEAPOLIS — Minnesota has backed Democratic presidential candidates for nearly half a century and rarely receives much attention during the final stages of the race. This is when campaigns typically focus their resources on more traditional swing states like Florida or Pennsylvania. But Minnesota will feel like a genuine battleground...
Takeaways: Trump’s Town Hall Offered Preview of Debates
WASHINGTON — The coronavirus cannot be wished away. Real people kept it real. Preparation — and the moderator — matters. President Donald Trump’s town hall in front of undecided Pennsylvania voters offered an intriguing preview of how he may approach his first debate against Democratic nominee Joe Biden in two weeks. Tuesday...
Oklahoma’s Epidemiologist Warned of Trump Rally Deaths
OKLAHOMA CITY — Oklahoma's former state epidemiologist warned that President Donald Trump's rally in Tulsa in June could lead to as many as nine deaths and 228 new cases of COVID-19, according to documents released Wednesday. The documents released by the Oklahoma State Department of Health in response to an...
Biden Courts Latino Voters in 1st Trip To Florida as Nominee
KISSIMMEE, Fla. — Joe Biden made his first trip to Florida as the Democratic presidential nominee on Tuesday with an urgent mission to boost support among Latinos who could decide the election in one of the nation's fiercest battleground states. “More than any other time, the Hispanic community, Latino community...
Harris Draws on Her Past as US Faces Reckoning on Police
SACRAMENTO — When Kamala Harris won her first election for San Francisco district attorney in 2003, the office's relationship with the city police force was in tatters. She promised to rebuild trust, but the goodwill didn't last. Three months after Harris took office, a young city police officer was shot...