Tag: Tom Wolf

On Monday, Judy Woodruff sat down with three governors trying to work across party lines: Larry Hogan, R-Md., Chris Sununu, R-N.H. and Tom Wolf, D-Pa. Read the Full Transcript Judy Woodruff: As Washington, D.C., feels more divided now than ever before, some leaders at the state level are aiming for something often unheard of in today's politics, common ground. But the governors also struck a hopeful note about the state of American politics. : You know, I know people are very frustrated. I'm frustrated, not just with Washington, but the divisive, angry politics. And I know a lot of people are ready to give up, and they say that the system is broken and that we can't do anything about it. Know what respect is, and practice it. And that should give people hope. The system really, really works. Judy Woodruff: Our conversation at Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore also touched on the 20 presidential contests and speculation over Governor Hogan's own ambitions. And I'm flattered that people are talking about that as a possibility, but it's not something I'm focused on.

You’ve been an advocate for shutting down the Berks County Residential Center. If we’re appalled by what we’re seeing at the border and the separation of families, then we should be equally appalled when we’re doing this less than an hour away from Philadelphia with families here in our own state, on our watch. So we’re pushing to end the 10-year tax abatement as we currently see it, and to create a much more fair and realistic program that we’re going to see across the city of Philadelphia. I will say and recognize that I believe I’m in the minority, when I talk about ending poverty I don’t believe that jobs alone will do it. Because the jobs that people get when they are poor are largely going to be in the service sector that we talked about earlier with my fair workweek legislation, they’re at $7.25 an hour. We’re putting blinders on when we talk about how we want to end poverty, when what we should really be talking about is how we’re going to end things that would directly address poverty. That means that we go out there and vote… It means that we go out there and make a lot of noise about the issues that we care about and the people that we love, and we make changes. We saw, with the ending of PARS, with the seize back of our local school system, with the fight to end horrible conditions for our young people, to fight for housing, those things don’t have to be on a 20 or 30-year trajectory. If we’re struggling to put a roof over our heads, our lives are going to be political. Councilwoman Helen Gym City Council fair work week Berks County Detention Center

Scott Wagner, Pennsylvania’s Republican candidate for governor, posted a video on Facebook Friday in which he threatened violence toward his opponent, Democratic Gov. Wolf, let me tell you, between now and Nov. 6, you’d better put a catcher’s mask on your face because I’m going to stomp all over your face with golf spikes, because I’m going to win this for the state of Pennsylvania and we’re throwing you out of office.” Several hours later, and after it had received national attention, the video was removed from Facebook. We’ll set aside the debate over what is and isn’t a metaphor to make these initial points, in plain English: — Wagner made a violent threat toward his opponent. (To be clear, when examining the issue of incivility at the national level there are examples of unacceptable rhetoric all across the political spectrum.) Wagner’s video did not help. In his second video Friday, Wagner walked back his threat, stating: “I may have had poor choice of words. But he still deserves strong criticism for making the statements in the first place. But the reality is that if anyone else had made such a statement toward another individual, they would have likely faced the criminal charge of making a terroristic threat. Pennsylvanians shouldn’t just shrug and accept an outburst like Wagner’s. And try to return to civility, one conversation at a time.

Good evening, I’m Ben Jacobs with the latest from Washington and beyond. Will this help Republicans? He is still running in red state Texas and O’Rourke has consistently lagged behind Ted Cruz in the polls. Even though O’Rourke is not likely to make it over the top, his strength will help ensure Democrats pick up House seats in the Lone Star State. Wagner is upset that Wolf is refusing to debate him and the video, which goes on for several minutes, has other criticisms of Wolf as well. Poll of the day In September, Democrat Phil Bredesen had a narrow lead in Tennessee’s Senate race against Republican Marsha Blackburn. However, the popular former governor was their best candidate and gave Democrats a chance until the Kavanaugh fight energized Republicans and refocused the race on national issues. Does this mean Republicans will hold the Senate? : If Bredesen loses, there is almost no real path for Democrats to gain the two seats they need to regain control of the upper chamber. Ad of the day Incumbent Republican Mike Coffman faces a tough race in a district that Hillary Clinton won by nearly 10 points.

Tom Wolf in a state that President Trump won in 2016, Obama told the crowd that the approaching election “is more important than any I can remember in my lifetime.” The former president carried Pennsylvania in both of his presidential races, and Democrats hope the state can help them retake control of Congress from the GOP. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke) Noting that the coming elections are not for the White House, Obama highlighted a tendency among some constituents to sit on the sidelines. “The Republicans in Congress right now … they’re no check on the White House. They’re bending over backwards to shield … folks from scrutiny and accountability,” he said. On Nov. 6, you have a chance to restore some sanity to our politics.” He went on to say that people across the political spectrum “should be concerned about the current course of this country,” apparently taking a subtle swipe at President Trump. “You don’t have to be a Democrat or a Republican … to say that it’s not good to pressure the attorney general or the FBI to use the criminal justice system to punish political enemies," Obama said. "That’s what they do in some dictatorships. I might just complain. I might say to Michelle, ‘Hey, that’s not fair.’” Obama's trip is the latest in a string of appearances before the midterms. The Associated Press contributed to this report.

A changing U.S. Supreme Court and lawsuits winding through federal courts seem sure to put abortion rights front and center in governor's races, including in Pennsylvania, where Wolf and Wagner are on opposite sides of abortion bills that could see votes in the Legislature. Wolf, a staunch supporter of abortion rights, vetoed a bill last December to shorten Pennsylvania's current legal abortion limit from 24 weeks to 20 and effectively ban dilation and evacuation, the most common method of second-trimester abortion. Wagner also backs a "heartbeat bill" in Pennsylvania's Legislature that would ban abortions after the detection of a fetal heartbeat, usually at around six weeks of pregnancy, and a bill prohibiting abortions on the basis of Down syndrome, his campaign said. One important question is how far state lawmakers who call themselves pro-life would go to limit abortion — or ban them — if they think Wagner would sign the bill. The 20-week abortion bill passed with 121 votes in the House and 32 in the Senate, not enough to override Wolf's veto. Wolf has said that he would veto a "heartbeat bill" — viewed as a six-week abortion ban — and that he opposes the Down syndrome bill. Wolf's office said he would veto a complete ban, while Wagner is making no commitment, his campaign said. Rep. Rick Saccone, R-Allegheny, the sponsor of Pennsylvania's "heartbeat bill," said he has no commitment from House Republican leaders to advance the bill in this legislative session, which ends Nov. 30. If the Down syndrome bill goes to Wolf's desk this fall, McMonagle sees electoral significance. "Wolf's veto," McMonagle said, "will be fresh in voters' minds before the election."

A changing U.S. Supreme Court and lawsuits winding through federal courts seem sure to put abortion rights front and center in governor's races, including in Pennsylvania, where Wolf and Wagner are on opposite sides of abortion bills that could see votes in the Legislature. Wolf, a staunch supporter of abortion rights, vetoed a bill last December to shorten Pennsylvania's current legal abortion limit from 24 weeks to 20 and effectively ban dilation and evacuation, the most common method of second-trimester abortion. Wagner also backs a "heartbeat bill" in Pennsylvania's Legislature that would ban abortions after the detection of a fetal heartbeat, usually at around six weeks of pregnancy, and a bill prohibiting abortions on the basis of Down syndrome, his campaign said. Meanwhile, President Donald Trump's nomination of Brett Kavanaugh to the U.S. Supreme Court is expected to be before the U.S. Senate in September or October. One important question is how far state lawmakers who call themselves pro-life would go to limit abortion — or ban them — if they think Wagner would sign the bill. The 20-week abortion bill passed with 121 votes in the House and 32 in the Senate, not enough to override Wolf's veto. Wolf has said that he would veto a "heartbeat bill" — viewed as a six-week abortion ban — and that he opposes the Down syndrome bill. Wolf's office said he would veto a complete ban, while Wagner is making no commitment, his campaign said. Rep. Rick Saccone, R-Allegheny, the sponsor of Pennsylvania's "heartbeat bill," said he has no commitment from House Republican leaders to advance the bill in this legislative session, which ends Nov. 30. However, Saccone said he believes it would pass the House, at least, while a complete ban would not.

A changing U.S. Supreme Court and lawsuits winding through federal courts seem sure to put abortion rights front and center in governor's races, including in Pennsylvania, where Wolf and Wagner are on opposite sides of abortion bills that could see votes in the Legislature. Wolf, a staunch supporter of abortion rights, vetoed a bill last December to shorten Pennsylvania's current legal abortion limit from 24 weeks to 20 and effectively ban dilation and evacuation, the most common method of second-trimester abortion. Wagner also backs a "heartbeat bill" in Pennsylvania's Legislature that would ban abortions after the detection of a fetal heartbeat, usually at around six weeks of pregnancy, and a bill prohibiting abortions on the basis of Down syndrome, his campaign said. One important question is how far state lawmakers who call themselves pro-life would go to limit abortion — or ban them — if they think Wagner would sign the bill. The 20-week abortion bill passed with 121 votes in the House and 32 in the Senate, not enough to override Wolf's veto. Wolf has said that he would veto a "heartbeat bill" — viewed as a six-week abortion ban — and that he opposes the Down syndrome bill. Wolf's office said he would veto a complete ban, while Wagner is making no commitment, his campaign said. Rep. Rick Saccone, R-Allegheny, the sponsor of Pennsylvania's "heartbeat bill," said he has no commitment from House Republican leaders to advance the bill in this legislative session, which ends Nov. 30. If the Down syndrome bill goes to Wolf's desk this fall, McMonagle sees electoral significance. "Wolf's veto," McMonagle said, "will be fresh in voters' minds before the election."