ERIE, Pa. — It was the last morning of the workweek, and Scott Bremner, a popular talk-radio host here, found himself — again — in the role of accidental referee on the issue of race. And again, the discussion was inspired by racial provocations from President Donald Trump. For one caller, critics...
Impeachment Watch: Nearly Half of House Dems Support Inquiry
WASHINGTON — Nearly half the House Democrats now support an impeachment inquiry of President Donald Trump — a milestone but still probably not enough to push Speaker Nancy Pelosi to launch proceedings. A tally by The Associated Press on Wednesday showed 114 Democrats in the House, and one Republican-turned independent,...
In Fundraising Surge, Vulnerable House Democrats Bank Cash
WASHINGTON — The Republican pathway for recapturing House control in next year's election charges straight through the districts of the most vulnerable Democratic incumbents, especially freshmen. Judging from early but formidable cash advantages those lawmakers have amassed, ousting them won't be easy. Each of the 62 freshmen House Democrats has raised more...
Time Running Short, Showdown Looms Over Border Aid Package
WASHINGTON — A House-passed $4.5 billion emergency border aid package faces a dim future in the GOP-held Senate, the chamber's top Republican said Wednesday, as pressure builds to wrap up the measure before the government runs out of money to care for thousands of migrant families and unaccompanied children. The...
Feds: Rep. Duncan Hunter Paid for Affairs With Campaign Cash
LOS ANGELES — U.S. Rep. Duncan Hunter of California illegally used campaign money to finance romantic flings with lobbyists and congressional aides, spending thousands of dollars on meals, cocktails and vacations, federal prosecutors say. A government court filing late Monday detailed allegations about the married Republican congressman’s affairs with five...
Census, Redistricting Top Remaining Supreme Court Cases
WASHINGTON — The Supreme Court enters its final week of decisions with two politically charged issues unresolved, whether to rein in political line-drawing for partisan gain and allow a citizenship question on the 2020 census. Both decisions could affect the distribution of political power for the next decade, and both...
White House Says Tariffs 'Going Forward' as Talks Continue
WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump's threatened tariffs on Mexico are set to take effect Monday as planned, the White House said Friday, even as negotiators continued to meet to try to stave off his latest push to force the U.S. ally to stem the flow of Central American migrants into the United...
GOP Senators Line up Against Trump's 5% Mexico Tariff Plan
WASHINGTON — In a rare confrontation, Republican senators are declaring deep opposition to President Donald Trump's threatened tariffs on all goods coming into the U.S. from Mexico. But it's unclear they have the votes to stop him, and Trump said they'd be "foolish" to try. All sides, including officials from Mexico meeting...
Walters: Secrecy Abounds on State Budget, Major Bills
Fair warning: By reading this you will be plunging into the Legislature’s almost impenetrably arcane thicket of internal procedures. To begin at the beginning, for decades the state budget was written in secret by the chairmen of the Legislature’s two fiscal committees, Assembly Ways and Means and Senate Finance. This...
Alabama Governor Invokes God in Banning Nearly All Abortions
MONTGOMERY, Ala. — Alabama's Republican governor has signed the most stringent abortion legislation in the nation, making performing an abortion a felony in nearly all cases. "To the bill's many supporters, this legislation stands as a powerful testament to Alabamians' deeply held belief that every life is precious and that...