Biden pays a visit to ailing former GOP Sen. Bob Dole
President Joe Biden's motorcade departs the Watergate complex after Biden made a stop to visit with former Sen. Bob Dole, Saturday, Feb. 20, 2021, in Washington. (AP Photo/Patrick Semansky)WASHINGTON โ President Joe Biden paid a visit Saturday to former Sen. Bob Dole, days after the World War II veteran and 1996 Republican presidential nominee announced he'd been diagnosed with stage 4 lung cancer. Biden, who served in the Senate with Dole for more than two decades, arrived Saturday afternoon at the Watergate complex where Dole, 97, and his wife, Elizabeth, have maintained a longtime residence. โHeโs doing well,โ Biden said of Dole, after departing Holy Trinity Catholic Church later Saturday evening. Dole had unsuccessfully sought the GOP nomination in 1980 and 1988, and he was President Gerald Fordโs vice presidential running mate in 1976, when Ford lost to Democrat Jimmy Carter.
Bob Dole says he's been diagnosed with Stage 4 lung cancer
FILE - In this July 18, 2016 file photo, political icon and 1996 Republican presidential nominee Sen. Bob Dole is seen at the Republican National Convention in Cleveland. Dole says he has been diagnosed with stage 4 lung cancer. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistribuTOPEKA, Kan. โ Bob Dole, a former longtime senator and the 1996 Republican presidential nominee, announced Thursday that he has been diagnosed with Stage 4 lung cancer. Kansas Sen. Jerry Moran, a Republican who holds the seat Dole once did, expressed sadness at the cancer diagnosis and offered his prayers. He remained the Republicans' longest-serving Senate leader, at nearly 11 1/2 years, until current Minority Leader Mitch McConnell broke the record in 2018.
Candidate concessions have been colorful, funny โ or absent
FILE - In this Nov. 4, 1992, file photo, President George H.W. Bill Clinton won the 1992 president election. Most concessions are gracious โ less about the loser and more about closure for the country. โJust moments ago I spoke with George W. Bush and congratulated him on becoming the 43rd president of the United States. President John Adams was glum, too.
EXPLAINER: 1876 election holds record for highest turnout
The voter turnout for the 2020 presidential election was massive by recent standards. That year, 81.8% of eligible American voters went to the polls. But during the last two-thirds of the 19th century, voter turnout of more than 70 percent of those eligible was common โ often reflecting sharp discord. The second highest turnout โ 81.2 percent โ was in 1860, when Abraham Lincoln defeated Stephen Douglas. In 1920 and 1924, turnout dropped to 49.2 percent and 48.9 percent, respectively, as women gained suffrage and the number of eligible voters doubled.
Biden, Harris dodge questions about Supreme Court expansion
PHOENIX โ There are few topics that Joe Biden isn't willing to opine on โ except the Supreme Court. The debate is likely to intensify next week when Senate Republicans start confirmation hearings for Amy Coney Barrett. The progressive movement clamoring for a larger Supreme Court also wants a single-payer health insurance system, tuition-free college for all Americans and a complete phase-out of fossil fuels. โTheyโre denying the American people the one shot they have, under constitutional law, to be able have their inputโ by electing a president, Biden said. As Judiciary chair in 1987, he presided over a hearing and vote that ended with conservative luminary Robert Bork being denied a Supreme Court seat.
Trump, Biden appeal to Catholics at virtual charity dinner
(AP Photo/Andrew Harnik)WASHINGTON โ President Donald Trump and former Vice President Joe Biden appealed to the nation's Roman Catholic voters on Thursday during a charity dinner that traditionally has been used to promote collegiality and good humor. The event comes as Biden and Trump make fierce plays for Catholic voters, a large swath of the electorate that spans the U.S. political spectrum, including a significant slice of swing voters in battleground states. Trumpโs appearance at the dinner four years ago along with Democratic rival Hillary Clinton produced some laughs, but several cringe-worthy moments, too. When Trump described Clinton as corrupt, he crossed the line for many of those in attendance and was booed loudly. On Thursday, Trump sought to highlight his administration's accomplishments benefiting Catholic voters.
'Justice Joan' Larsen emerges as finalist for Supreme Court
In just five years, Joan L. Larsen has gone from a little-known University of Michigan legal scholar to a prominent federal appeals court judge and now a candidate for the high court. For Trump, picking Larsen could give him a boost in the critical battleground state of Michigan, where she has raised her two children, advanced her career and won election to the state Supreme Court. At 52, Larsen would be a candidate who could serve on the high court for three decades or longer. Rick Snyder appointed her to fill a vacancy on the state Supreme Court in September 2015, praising her as a โsuperb attorneyโ who had experience in government, academia and private practice. She said that Scalia taught her โthat the law governs, not personal interest.โLarsen is married to University of Michigan law professor Adam Pritchard.
Kansas Senate race tests GOP leaders' power to block Kobach
Trump didnt intervene to help Rep. Roger Marshall in a crowded field, despite prodding from Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell and others. Trump didnt intervene to help Rep. Roger Marshall in a crowded field, despite prodding from Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell and others. The GOP already faces a potentially tough year in trying to retain its 53-47 Senate majority with competitive races in other states, including Arizona, Colorado and Maine. Counties could accept ballots until Friday so long as they were postmarked Tuesday, creating uncertainty that the GOP Senate primary would be decided before then. He also had the backing of 97-year-old political icon Bob Dole, the former U.S. Senate majority leader and 1996 GOP presidential nominee.