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WASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden returns to his childhood hometown of Scranton on Tuesday to open three straight days of campaigning in Pennsylvania, capitalizing on the opportunity to work the battleground state while Donald Trump spends the week in a New York City courtroom for his first criminal trial. The Democratic president plans to use Scranton, a working class city of roughly 75,000 people, as the backdrop for his pitch for higher taxes on the rich. At the same, he will portray Trump, the presumptive Republican nominee and a billionaire himself, as a tool of wealthy interests. It’s all aimed at reframing the conversation around the economy, which has left many Americans feeling sour about their financial situations at a time of stubborn inflation and elevated interest rates despite low unemployment. Biden plans to spend Tuesday night in Scranton before continuing to Pittsburgh on Wednesday morning. He then goes back to the White House, only to return to Pennsylvania on Thursday, this time visiting Philadelphia. By the time the week is over, Biden or Vice President Kamala Harris will have visited the state eight times this year, reflecting its importance to Biden’s hopes for a second term. “It’s hard to draw paths to Biden winning the White House that don’t involve Pennsylvania,” said Daniel Hopkins, a political science professor at the University of Pennsylvania. No Democrat has become president without winning the state since Harry Truman in 1948. Scranton, the president’s first destination, will blend the personal and the political for Biden. He grew up in a three-story colonial home in the Green Ridge neighborhood until his father struggled to find work and moved the family to Delaware when the future president was 10. Although Delaware eventually became the launching pad for Biden’s political career, he often returned to Scranton and grounded his autobiography in the city. He visited so often, he was sometimes called “Pennsylvania’s third senator.” In 2020, Biden described the presidential campaign as “Scranton versus Park Avenue,” and his reelection team is framing this year’s race in a similar way. “You’ve got Joe Biden, who sees the world from the kitchen table where he grew up in Scranton, Pennsylvania, and Donald Trump, who sees the world from his country club down in Mar-a-Lago,” said Michael Tyler, the campaign’s communications director. Christopher Borick, director of the Muhlenberg College Institute of Public Opinion, described Scranton as a “mythical place in political culture,” and it will provide a test for Biden’s political appeal. “It’s an area that, on paper, aligns perfectly with the populist gains of the Republican Party during the Trump era,” Borick said. However, Biden won the city and the surrounding county in 2020. If he’s able to carry Scranton and similar places again this year, as well as limit Trump’s winning margins in rural areas, Biden may be able to secure another victory in Pennsylvania. “Everything is on the margin. Everything that we talk about are small shifts,” Borick said. Biden’s pitch on taxes is a key part of his effort to blunt Trump’s populist allure. When Trump was president, he signed into law a series of tax breaks in 2017 that disproportionately benefit the rich. Many of the cuts expire at the end of 2025, and Biden wants to keep a majority of them to fulfill his promise that no one earning less than $400,000 will pay more taxes. However, he also wants to raise $4.9 trillion in revenue over 10 years with higher taxes on the wealthy and corporations. His platform includes a “billionaire’s tax,” which would set a minimum rate of 25% on the income of the richest Americans. Biden’s travels in Pennsylvania overlap with the start of Trump’s first criminal trial, presenting an opportunity and a challenge for the president’s campaign. Trump is defending himself against criminal charges for a scheme to suppress allegations of affairs with a porn actress and a Playboy model. Biden’s team has quietly embraced the contrast of the former president sequestered in a courtroom while the current president has free rein to focus on economic issues that are top of mind for voters. However, the juxtaposition becomes less helpful if Trump soaks up the country’s attention during the first-ever criminal trial of a former president. Biden campaign officials said they weren’t worried about the trial. “No matter where Donald Trump is, whether it’s in Mar-a-Lago or a courtroom or anywhere else, he’ll be focused on himself, his toxic agenda, his campaign of revenge and retribution,” Tyler said. “That’s going to be a continuation of the contrast the American people have been able to see since this campaign began.” Sam DeMarco, chair of the Republican Party in Allegheny County, where Pittsburgh is located, said Democrats’ message is that “the economy is good, we’re just not smart enough to realize it.” However, DeMarco said, “across the board, it costs more to live today than it did when Joe Biden came to office.” “These are the things that families feel,” he said. “And a scripted appearance by the president is not going to change that.” Trump was last in Pennsylvania on Saturday night in Schnecksville, where he described Biden as a “demented tyrant” and blamed him for all of the country’s problems, in addition to his own legal woes. “All of America knows that the real blame for this nightmare lies with one person, Crooked Joe Biden,” Trump said. He attacked Biden’s tax plans, falsely claiming that “they’re going to raise your taxes by four times.” Trump also went on an extended riff about the Civil War battle in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, calling it “so vicious and horrible, and so beautiful in so many different ways,” and suggesting that the Confederate General Robert E. Lee is “no longer in favor.” ___ Associated Press writers Josh Boak and Will Weissert contributed to this report. Brought to you by www.srnnews.com

By Luc Cohen, Jack Queen and Andy Sullivan NEW YORK (Reuters) – Donald Trump’s historic hush-money trial enters a second day on Tuesday, as lawyers try to select 12 New York City jurors to consider the guilt or innocence of the first former U.S. president to face criminal charges. The first day on Monday underscored the challenges of the task. Roughly half of 100 potential jurors questioned were dismissed after saying they could not impartially judge the polarizing businessman-turned-politician, who is mounting a comeback White House bid while battling four separate criminal cases. A New York native who now lives in Florida, Trump was a fixture in the city’s tabloid press for decades before he won the presidency as a Republican in 2016. But as a politician, he has never been able to count on the heavily Democratic city for votes. Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg, a Democrat, has charged Trump with 34 felony counts of falsifying business records to cover up a hush-money payment to porn star Stormy Daniels shortly before the 2016 election. Daniels says she had a sexual relationship with Trump about a decade beforehand. Trump has pleaded not guilty and denies an encounter took place. To prove a felony, prosecutors must show that Trump covered up the payment to conceal a crime like an illegal campaign contribution. Trump has said that the payment was personal and intended to spare himself and his family embarrassment. In other jurisdictions, he stands accused of mishandling classified information and trying to overturn his 2020 loss to Democrat Joe Biden. But the hush-money case may be the only one to go to trial before Trump faces Biden again in the Nov. 5 election. If convicted, Trump would still be able to run for office and serve as president if he won. But a Reuters/Ipsos poll found that half of independents and a quarter of his fellow Republicans would not vote for him if he is found guilty. Trump has pleaded not guilty in all four criminal cases and says they are a plot by Biden’s Democrats to neutralize him politically. Though the New York case is centered on events that took place more than seven years ago, prosecutors are trying to hold Trump accountable for more recent conduct as well. On Monday, they asked Justice Juan Merchan to fine Trump $1,000 for each of three social media posts this month that criticized Daniels and Michael Cohen, Trump’s former fixer who is expected to be a prominent witness in the trial. Under a gag order imposed by Merchan, Trump is barred from making statements about witnesses, court staff and family members that are meant to interfere with the case. Trump’s lawyer Todd Blanche said the former president was only responding to their criticism of him. Merchan said he will consider the fines on April 23. NO SUPREME COURT VISIT Jury selection is expected to consume the rest of the week, and the trial is scheduled to last through May. Trump is required to be in court throughout, and on Monday Merchan denied a request for him to miss a session so he could attend a hearing at the U.S. Supreme Court, where his lawyers will argue that Trump should not be prosecuted for actions he took as president. “He thinks he’s superior, I guess, to the Supreme Court. We’ve got a real problem with this judge,” Trump said after Monday’s session. The 12 jurors selected for the trial, along with six alternates, will hear testimony from Daniels and Cohen, who has said he made the payments to buy her silence. Other expected witnesses include David Pecker, the former publisher of the National Enquirer tabloid, who prosecutors say ran stories to boost Trump’s 2016 campaign. Also due up is Karen McDougal, a former nude model for Playboy magazine who prosecutors say was paid by the National Enquirer to keep quiet about an alleged affair with Trump. (Writing by Andy Sullivan in Washington; Editing by Noeleen Walder and Howard Goller) Brought to you by www.srnnews.com

By Jarrett Renshaw PHILADELPHIA (Reuters) – U.S. President Joe Biden kicks off a multi-city tour of the battleground state of Pennsylvania on Tuesday with a stop in his hometown of Scranton where he will renew calls to increase taxes on wealthy Americans and large corporations. With 19 electoral votes, one of the highest counts among all 50 U.S. states, and voters who swing between backing Democrats and Republicans, Pennsylvania is a top prize in the 2024 presidential election that features a rematch between Biden and his Republican rival, former President Donald Trump. Biden, who spent part of his childhood in Scranton before his family moved to Delaware, won Pennsylvania in 2020 by less than 1.5%, or roughly 80,000 votes. Trump beat Hillary Clinton there by fewer than 45,000 votes in 2016. Polls show another close race. Biden will head to Pittsburgh on Wednesday and Philadelphia on Thursday as part of an effort to draw contrasts with Trump on tax and economic policies. Trump was in Eastern Pennsylvania on Saturday for a campaign rally that drew thousands of supporters. “You got Joe Biden, a candidate who sees the world in the kitchen table where he grew up in Scranton, Pennsylvania, and Donald Trump, who sees the world from his country club down at Mar-a-Lago,” said Michael Tyler, the Biden campaign’s communications director. Biden is grappling with voter concerns about the U.S. economy despite job growth, healthy spending and better-than-expected GDP increases. Voters blame Biden for rising costs on an array of items from groceries to construction supplies, along with high interest rates. The latest Reuters/Ipsos poll found that voters trust Trump more than Biden to better manage the economy and jobs by a 39% to 33% margin. Biden is betting his economic populist message, which includes a new billionaire’s tax and closing corporate loopholes, will animate voters in a blue-collar region of Pennsylvania that Democrats dominated before Trump emerged. Scranton sits in Lackawanna County, which is whiter, poorer and less-educated, on average, than the rest of the state, the latest U.S. Census figures show. Biden must stem the defections of white, non-college educated voters in Pennsylvania and other rust-belt battleground states like Michigan and Wisconsin if he hopes to stay in the White House, campaign aides have said. Former President Barack Obama won Lackawanna county by roughly 62% in 2008 and 2012, while Hillary Clinton eked out a victory with 49.8% of the vote. Biden won the county by 53%. The state’s Republican and Democratic primary contests take place on April 23. Biden faces a loosely organized effort by critics who say he has not done enough to stop the humanitarian crisis in Gaza, where Israel’s air and ground campaign has led to widespread disease and famine in the Palestinian enclave. Amber Viola, a 38-year-old Scranton resident who runs a popular local political podcast, said she was invited by the Biden campaign to attend the Scranton event but turned it down. “I don’t feel comfortable posing for campaign photos when there are people dying,” Viola said. Voters mounted opposition efforts in Democratic primaries in other battleground states like Michigan, Wisconsin and North Carolina to register their protest. Biden has faced protests at many public events in recent months. (Reporting by Jarrett Renshaw; editing by Jeff Mason and Richard Chang) Brought to you by www.srnnews.com

HONOLULU (AP) — The Maui Fire Department is expected to release a report Tuesday detailing how the agency responded to a series of wildfires that burned on the island during a windstorm last August — including one that killed 101 people in the historic town of Lahaina and became the deadliest U.S. wildfire in more than a century. The release comes one day before the Hawaii Attorney General is expected to release the first phase of a separate comprehensive investigation about the events before, during and after the Aug. 8 fires. The reports could help officials understand exactly what happened when the wind-whipped fire overtook the historic Maui town of Lahaina, destroying roughly 3,000 properties and causing more than $5.5 billion in estimated damage, according to state officials. The Western Fire Chiefs Association produced the after-action report for the Maui Fire Department. After-action reports are frequently used by military organizations, emergency response agencies, government entities and even companies to help identify the strengths and weaknesses of the organization’s response to an emergency. A similar after-action report was released by the Maui Police Department in February. It included 32 recommendations to improve the law enforcement agency’s response to future tragedies, including that the department obtain better equipment and that it station a high-ranking officer in the island’s communications center during emergencies. Hawaiian Electric has acknowledged that one of its power lines fell and caused a fire in Lahaina the morning of Aug. 8, but the utility company denies that the morning fire caused the flames that burned through the town later that day. But dozens of lawsuits filed by survivors and victims’ families claim otherwise, saying entities like Hawaiian Electric, Maui County, large property owners or others should be held responsible for the damage caused by the inferno. Many of the factors that contributed to the disaster are already known: Strong winds from a hurricane passing far offshore had downed power lines and blown off parts of rooftops, and debris blocked roads throughout Lahaina. Later those same winds rained embers and whipped flames through the heart of the town. The vast majority of the county’s fire crews were already tied up fighting other wildfires on a different part of the island, their efforts sometimes hindered by a critical loss of water pressure after the winds knocked out electricity for the water pumps normally used to load firefighting tanks and reservoirs. County officials have acknowledged that a lack of backup power for critical pumps made it significantly harder for crews to battle the Upcountry fires. A small firefighting team was tasked with handling any outbreaks in Lahaina. That crew brought the morning fire under control and even declared it extinguished, then broke for lunch. By the time they returned, flames had erupted in the same area and were quickly moving into a major subdivision. The fire in Lahaina burned so hot that thousands of water pipes melted, making it unlikely that backup power for pumps would have made a significant impact. Cellphone and internet service was also down in the area, so it was difficult for some to call for help or to get information about the spreading fire — including any evacuation announcements. And emergency officials did not use Hawaii’s extensive network of emergency sirens to warn Lahaina residents. The high winds made it hard at times for first responders to communicate on their radios, and 911 operators and emergency dispatchers were overwhelmed with hundreds of calls. Police and electricity crews tried to direct people away from roads that were partially or completely blocked by downed power lines. Meanwhile, people trying to flee burning neighborhoods packed the few thoroughfares leading in and out of town. The traffic jam left some trapped in their cars when the fire overtook them. Others who were close to the ocean jumped into the choppy waters to escape the flames. ___ Boone reported from Boise, Idaho. Brought to you by www.srnnews.com

MONTGOMERY, Ala. (AP) — Alabama voters are set to cast their ballots Tuesday to decide party nominees for the state’s 2nd Congressional District, which was redrawn by a federal court to boost the voting power of Black residents. The outcome of the hotly contested runoffs will set the match for the closely watched November race. Democrats are aiming to flip the Deep South seat, and Republicans, with control of the U.S. House of Representatives on the line, will try to keep it under the GOP column. A federal court redrew the district in October after ruling that the state’s previous congressional map — which had only one majority-Black district out of seven in a state that is about 27% Black — illegally diluted the voting power of Black residents. The new district stretches the width of the state, including Mobile, the capital of Montgomery and the state’s Black Belt. For the Democratic nomination, Shomari Figures, former deputy chief of staff and counselor to U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland, faces off against state Rep. Anthony Daniels, the minority leader of the state House. On the Republican side, former state Sen. Dick Brewbaker faces real estate attorney and political newcomer Caroleene Dobson to decide the party’s nomination. The non-partisan Cook Political Report rated the district as “likely Democrat,” meaning that it favors the Democratic candidate in November but isn’t considered a sure thing. The November race could lead to Alabama having two Black congressional representatives in its delegation for the first time in history. Figures and Daniels, who are both Black, were the top two vote-getters in the crowded field of 11 Democrats who sought the nomination. Both men have stressed their experience — Figures in Washington and Daniels in Montgomery. Figures, an attorney, also served as an aide to former President Barrack Obama, serving as domestic director of the Presidential Personnel Office, and as a congressional staffer for U.S. Sen. Sherrod Brown of Ohio. He is the son of two prominent Alabama legislators, long-time state Sen. Vivian Davis Figures and the late Senate President Pro Tem Michael Figures. Figures moved back to Mobile from Washington D.C. to run for the congressional seat. Daniels, a former teacher and business owner, was elected to the Alabama Legislature in 2014. He was elected minority leader in 2017, becoming the first Black man to hold the post. He lives in Huntsville, which is outside the 2nd District, but his campaign has emphasized that he grew up in the district and has worked on legislative issues for the entire state. Figures led in the initial round of voting, capturing about 43% of the vote. Daniels finished second at about 22%. Runoffs are required in both races because no candidate captured more than 50% of the vote in the March 5 primary. Brewbaker led in the March primary, capturing 37% of the vote to Dobson’s 24.76%. Dobson, who was raised in Monroe County, lived and practiced law in Texas before returning to Alabama and joining the Maynard Nexsen law firm in 2019. She is a member of the Alabama Forestry Commission. Brewbaker, a businessman and owner of a Montgomery car dealership, served a term in the Alabama House and two terms in the Alabama Senate. He did not seek reelection in 2018. Brought to you by www.srnnews.com