Political Headlines
Maine Democrats threaten to switch to winner-take-all delegate system
aimintang/Getty Images(AUGUSTA, Maine) -- Democratic leaders in Maine are threatening to eliminate the state's split-vote system for allocating Electoral College delegates if Nebraska Republicans move forward with their plan to do the same.The two states are the only ones in the country to allocate some delegates proportionally by congressional district, which in 2020 allowed President Joe Biden and former President Donald Trump to each secure one delegate in states that were otherwise won by the other – Biden in Nebraska and Trump in Maine.But in early April, Trump, Nebraska Gov. Jim Pillen and other prominent Republicans endorsed a legislative measure that would change Nebraska's allocation of Electoral College votes to a Trump-favorable, winner-take-all system. The state currently awards one vote ... Read More
US holds off on sanctioning Israeli military units accused of human rights violations in West Bank before start of war with Hamas
Official White House Photo by Adam Schultz(WASHINGTON) -- The Biden administration has determined that three military battalions with the Israel Defense Forces committed "gross human rights violations" against Palestinian civilians in the West Bank but will remain eligible for U.S. military aid regardless because of steps Israel says it's taking to address the problem, ABC News has learned.The administration assessment, which has not yet been made public and could change if Israel doesn't take specific steps, was outlined in an undated letter by Secretary of State Antony Blinken to House Speaker Mike Johnson obtained by ABC News.The U.S. determination "will not delay the delivery of any U.S. assistance and Israel will be able to receive the full amount appropriated by ... Read More
Former official told investigators Trump had ‘no standing declassification order’ regarding documents, filing says
In this Nov. 15, 2022, file photo, former President Donald Trump leaves the stage after speaking during an event at his Mar-a-Lago home, in Palm Beach, Fla. (Joe Raedle/Getty Images)(WASHINGTON) -- Prosecutors in former President Donald Trump’s classified documents case said in court filings that a former Trump administration official told investigators that Trump, as president, had "no standing declassification order" regarding documents in his possession.The filings, which are part of special counsel Jack Smith's response to a Trump legal team motion to compel discovery in the case, include notes from prosecutors' interview with a former administration official who the special counsel says "refused recording of the interview." The interview subject stated that having the interview recorded was a "far ... Read More
Five takeaways from historic Supreme Court arguments on Trump’s immunity claim
joe daniel price/Getty Images(WASHINGTON) -- The Supreme Court on Thursday heard historic arguments on whether former President Donald Trump can be criminally prosecuted related to his efforts to overturn his 2020 election loss.He denies all wrongdoing and insists he should have "absolute immunity" for any "official acts" while in office.His name and the specifics of the case were rarely mentioned -- just a handful of times -- as the justices, over the course of nearly three hours, grappled with questions about what their ruling will mean for the future of the presidency and how that should be reconciled with the principle of the rule of law.The former president, who lamented not attending arguments in Washington as he is on trial ... Read More
Biden spotlights Trump’s attacks on NFL and football with battleground state ad blitz
Michael Reynolds/EPA/Bloomberg via Getty Images(WASHINGTON) -- As the NFL draft kicks off this week, President Joe Biden's campaign is launching a new digital ad on Thursday taking aim at former President Donald Trump's past comments disparaging football and the league, the Biden campaign told ABC News.The short, 20-second ad, on YouTube, features a montage of Trump previously attacking football, calling it "boring as hell" and saying "nobody cares about football," juxtaposed with Biden greeting and touting his relationship with football players.The ad -- the latest skirmish in the early part of Biden's general election fight against Trump, which is expected to be close -- ends with the message: "Make the right pick in November."The ad plays into the longstanding feud ... Read More
Speaker Johnson alleges Hamas support for anti-Israel campus protests, threatens intervention
Alex Kent/Getty Images(NEW YORK) -- Speaker Mike Johnson, claiming that Hamas supports the pro-Palestinian, anti-Israel protests at Columbia University and other of the U.S. colleges, on Thursday threatened congressional intervention, including pulling federal funding from the institutions."The things that have happened at the hands of Hamas are horrific, and yet these protestors are out there waving flags for the very people who committed those crimes. This is not who we are in America," Johnson, the top House Republican, said in a post on X on Thursday morning. ABC News has not documented any cases of protesters waving Hamas flags, as Johnson suggested.Student protests at Columbia and other schools have primarily denounced Israeli military action in Gaza and expressed support for ... Read More
Could a president stage a coup? And 9 more key moments from Trump’s Supreme Court immunity hearing
Mark Peterson-Pool/Getty Images(WASHINGTON) -- As various Supreme Court justices themselves acknowledged during a high-stakes hearing on Thursday, they could potentially reshape the contours of presidential power when they rule on whether Donald Trump is entitled to some amount of immunity from prosecution for alleged acts in the White House as he pushed to overturn his 2020 election loss.Over nearly three hours on Thursday, with demonstrators gathered outside, the justices grappled with arguments from both Trump's attorney and an attorney for special counsel Jack Smith, who has charged Trump in connection with his effort to stay in office after losing to now-President Joe Biden.Trump denies all wrongdoing and disputes some of what he is accused of doing while he maintains that ... Read More
Trump held his tongue on Ukraine aid. McConnell says it may have made the difference.
Andrew Harnik/Getty Images(WASHINGTON) -- Former President Donald Trump has blown up his fair share of deals on Capitol Hill, but Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell says Trump's decision to hold his tongue on a massive $95 billion foreign aid package -- including critical aid for Ukraine -- may have made all the difference in getting the legislation across the finish line.McConnell had staked his legacy on passage of a national security aid package Tuesday night, securing billions in aid to Israel, Ukraine and Taiwan, and to get it done, he pushed back hard against the isolationist wing of his own party, convincing 30 other Republicans to join him.And the win, he told ABC News in an interview Wednesday, will help ... Read More
Supreme Court to hear Trump’s ‘absolute immunity’ claim. The shape of the presidency is at stake.
Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images(WASHINGTON) -- Against the backdrop of a divisive 2024 presidential campaign, the U.S. Supreme Court on Thursday will take up the monumental question of whether a former president turned presumptive GOP nominee can be criminally prosecuted for his efforts to stay in power after the last election.The case, Donald J. Trump v. United States, presents an unprecedented constitutional quandary for the court brought about by equally unprecedented actions by former President Donald Trump in the aftermath of the 2020 presidential election, which he lost to Joe Biden by a margin of 7 million popular votes.The outcome could determine whether Trump faces a federal trial this year on four felony counts pressed by special counsel Jack Smith, including conspiracy ... Read More
Trump immunity case live updates: Supreme Court to hear historic arguments
Grant Faint/Getty Images(WASHINGTON) -- The U.S. Supreme Court on Thursday is hearing arguments on whether former President Donald Trump can be criminally prosecuted over his efforts to overturn his 2020 loss.The justices will take up the monumental question of if, and if so to what extent, former presidents enjoy immunity for conduct alleged to involve official acts during their time in office.The high court's decision will determine if Trump stands trial before the November election on four charges brought by special counsel Jack Smith, including conspiracy to defraud the United States.Here's how the news is developing:Apr 25, 9:10 AMHow we got hereTrump, seeking to quash the federal election subversion case brought against him by Smith last year, is claiming he ... Read More
EPA limits four types of power plant pollution with sweeping rulemaking
VisionsofAmerica/Joe Sohm/Getty Images(WASHINGTON) -- The Biden administration on Thursday announced a series of new rules to cut pollution emitted from coal and natural gas fired power plants impacting the air, water, land and climate."The electricity industry is central to America's economic growth and independence. These are the folks who keep the lights on and power our country forward," Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Michael Regan said. "At the same time, the power sector is also a major contributor to the pollution that drives climate change and threatens public health.""At EPA it is our responsibility to act within the bounds of our legal authority and assess impacts in a way that is smart, effective, follows the latest science and enables our economy ... Read More
Giuliani, Meadows indicted in Arizona fake elector scheme; Trump unindicted co-conspirator
In this Oct. 18, 2020 file photo, a person is seen depositing their mail-in ballots for the U.S. presidential election at a ballot collection box in Phoenix. (Robyn Beck/AFP via Getty Images)(NEW YORK) -- Several former and current key aides to former President Donald Trump appear to be among those charged by the Arizona State Attorney General over their alleged efforts to overturn the 2020 election. They include Rudy Giuliani, Mark Meadows and former Trump attorney John Eastman -- as well Boris Epshteyn, who remains one of Trump's closest advisers and a current member of his 2024 campaign team.Arizona Attorney General Kris Mayes also announced charges against 11 named alleged fake electors and seven people whose names are redacted in ... Read More
Expanded so-called ‘Don’t Say Gay’ education restrictions advance in Alabama
Stella/Getty Images(NEW YORK) -- A bill aimed at furthering restrictions on discussions of "gender identity or sexual orientation" in public schools is progressing in the Alabama legislature, passing the state House on Tuesday.Current law states that classrooms in kindergarten through the fifth grade "shall not engage in classroom discussion or provide classroom instruction regarding sexual orientation or gender identity in a manner that is not age appropriate or developmentally appropriate for students in accordance with state standards."The bill would expand this restriction to eighth grade and prohibit flags symbolizing sexual orientations or gender identities in K-12 schools.Gender identity, as defined by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, is "an individual’s sense of their self as man, woman, transgender, or ... Read More
At Columbia, Speaker Johnson calls on its president to resign if she can’t ‘bring order’ to protests
Speaker of the House Mike Johnson (R-LA) pauses as he speaks during a press conference at Columbia University on April 24, 2024 in New York City. (Michael M. Santiago/Getty Images)(NEW YORK) -- During a visit to Columbia University on Wednesday, Speaker Mike Johnson joined his New York House Republican colleagues in calling on the school's president, Minouche Shafik, to resign unless she can improve what he called her failure to handle the anti-Israel protests on campus.In a news conference on the university's campus, Johnson said Shafik should step down "if she can't immediately bring order to this chaos.""As speaker of the House, I am committing today that the Congress will not be silent as Jewish students are expected to run ... Read More
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