November 13, 2024 4:52 am
WASHINGTON (AP) — Just hours after Republican Sen. John Thune was elected as the incoming Senate majority leader, President-elect Donald Trump presented him with one of his first tests — an announcement that he intends to nominate House Republican Matt Gaetz as attorney general. Two months before Trump takes office, he is challenging congressional Republicans to defy him as he says he will nominate potentially controversial figures to his Cabinet, including Gaetz, former Democratic House Rep. Tulsi Gabbard for director of national intelligence, and conservative media personality Pete Hegseth for secretary of defense.
November 13, 2024 4:49 am
HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) — Republicans in the Pennsylvania House of Representatives have turned to a lawmaker from rural Bedford County to be their floor leader for the coming two-year session. The House Republican caucus voted behind closed doors on Tuesday for five-term Rep. Jesse Topper to head their 101-seat minority in 2025-26. Topper is currently the ranking Republican on the Education Committee. No districts flipped in last week’s election. That means the House will return to session in January with a 102-seat Democratic majority. Also Tuesday, Democratic lawmakers returned Majority Leader Matt Bradford of Montgomery County as floor leader. Speaker Joanna McClinton of Philadelphia is also in line to return as speaker.
November 13, 2024 2:14 am
Pennsylvania Department of Labor & Industry (L&I) Secretary Nancy A. Walker visited a Washington County construction company Wednesday to commend its managers and workers — including union-represented employees — for implementing innovative safety policies that protect workers on the job. Chapman Corporation, a family- and woman-owned business with more than 660 employees, is one of two employers recognized by the Shapiro Administration this year with a 2024 Governor’s Award for Safety Excellence (GASE). Since 1997, the highly competitive GASE award has recognized outstanding workplace safety programs, promoted management and employee collaborations, and encouraged the sharing of best practices and development of safety approaches across the Commonwealth. “An employer has no greater responsibility than the safety of its workers, and the Shapiro Administration is committed to supporting Pennsylvania employers in their efforts to ensure that every worker returns home safely at the end of a productive day,” Secretary Walker said. “The Governor’s Awards for Safety Excellence honor employers like Chapman Corporation and their workers — 100% of whom are union members — for setting a high standard of safety rooted in mutual respect and collaboration between labor and management.” Chapman Corporation, headquartered in Washington has been a provider of civil, mechanical, and electrical construction services for industrial clients since 1949. “I truly appreciate being part of a company with such a great reputation and so caring of its employees, and we are so proud and honored to receive this year’s Governor’s Award for Exceptional Workplace Safety,” said Chris Cipoletti, Chapman Corporation President.
November 12, 2024 5:42 pm
SAN DIEGO (AP) — President-elect Donald Trump named Stephen Miller his deputy chief of staff and Tom Homan as his “border czar,” appointing a battle-tested duo to design and direct immigration policy from the White House. Their plans include mass deportations and restoring Trump-era policies that President Joe Biden dismantled. Both had critical jobs in the first Trump administration and are unapologetic defenders of its immigration policies, which included separating thousands of parents from their children at the border to deter illegal crossings. Both spent the last four years angling for this moment.
November 12, 2024 6:57 am
BANGKOK (AP) — Chinese police say a driver has killed 35 people and injured another 43 severely when he deliberately rammed his car into people exercising at a sports center in the southern Chinese city of Zhuhai. Police had detained a 62-year-old man for the attack late Monday, on the eve of the country’s premier aviation exhibition by the People’s Liberation Army, hosted annually in the city. His dissatisfaction with a divorce settlement was cited by police as a possible motive in a preliminary investigation.
November 12, 2024 5:07 am
WASHINGTON (AP) — Republican Speaker Mike Johnson is beginning the hard fight to retain his gavel. The first test will come Wednesday during internal House Republican leadership elections that will establish the new power centers for a Washington dominated by President-elect Donald Trump. While Johnson has no serious challenger for the speakership, he faces dissent within his ranks, particularly from hard-right conservatives. Johnson needs just a simple majority in Wednesday’s closed-door voting to win the GOP nomination to become speaker. But he will need majority support of the full House, 218 votes, to actually take hold of the gavel on Jan. 3 when the new Congress convenes.
November 12, 2024 4:57 am
WASHINGTON (AP) — Congress returns to a changed Washington. Lawmakers are back in town this week for the start of what’s called the “lame duck,” the eight-week sprint to finish up this session before the new one begins in January. President-elect Donald Trump’s hard-right agenda is quickly taking shape, and he has eager GOP allies in Congress. The Senate flipped to Republicans, and even with control of the House still undecided as ballots are being counted, Republicans are eyeing a full sweep of power on Capitol Hill. House and Senate Republicans will hold their leadership elections this week. Democrats vow to be a check on the White House but are also sorting out what went wrong.
November 12, 2024 4:55 am
PHOENIX (AP) — Democrat Ruben Gallego has been elected Arizona’s first Latino U.S. senator. Gallego defeated Republican Kari Lake. Both parties targeted the closely watched race in their quest for a congressional majority. Gallego’s victory continues a string of Democratic successes in a state that was reliably Republican until Donald Trump was elected president in 2016. Arizona voters had rejected Trump-endorsed candidates in every election since, but the president-elect won the state over Democrat Kamala Harris this year. Gallego is five-term House member and an Iraq War veteran with a compelling up-by-the-bootstraps life story that he featured prominently in his public appearances and ads. He will replace independent and former Democrat Kyrsten Sinema.
November 12, 2024 4:54 am
SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — North Korea says it has ratified a major defense treaty with Russia stipulating mutual military aid. Russia last week completed the ratification process of the treaty that is considered both countries’ biggest defense deal since the end of the Cold War. North Korea said the Comprehensive Strategic Partnership treaty will take effect when both sides exchange documents on the ratification. The treaty requires them to use all available means to provide immediate military assistance if either is attacked. Details have not been disclosed, but some observers speculate the ratification could signal North Korea could formally enter the Russia-Ukraine war. The U.S., South Korea and Ukraine say North Korea has sent thousands of troops to Russia to support its war against Ukraine.
November 12, 2024 4:53 am
NEW YORK (AP) — A judge is postponing a decision on whether to undo President-elect Donald Trump’s conviction in his hush money case because of a U.S. Supreme Court ruling on presidential immunity. New York Judge Juan M. Merchan had been set to rule Tuesday. Instead, he told Trump’s lawyers Tuesday he’d delay the ruling until Nov. 19. According to emails filed in court, Trump’s lawyers asked for the delay over the weekend, arguing there are “strong reasons for the requested stay, and eventually dismissal of the case in the interests of justice.” A jury convicted Trump in May of falsifying business records related to a $130,000 hush money payment to porn actor Stormy Daniels in 2016. Trump denies any wrongdoing.
