Ben Wolfgang
Articles by Ben Wolfgang
Kelly Sadler’s John McCain ‘dying’ comment ‘disgusting,’ Lindsey Graham says
A White House aide's remark this week that Sen. John McCain's political positions don't matter because he's near death was "disgusting" and the White House should issue an apology, Sen. Lindsey Graham told CBS News in an interview that aired Sunday morning. Published May 13, 2018
Donald Trump: I still have confidence in EPA’s Scott Pruitt
President Trump said Friday he still has confidence in embattled EPA Administrator Scott Pruitt, telling reporters he's standing by the agency chief despite a rash of negative headlines and internal investigations. Published May 11, 2018
Free Market Environmental Law Clinic’s effort to roll back regulations splinters amid feuding
With the GOP in control of the White House and Congress, conservatives are finally poised to mount a coordinated attack on federal environmental regulations -- but some of their strength is being sapped by a nasty fight inside one of the movement's key advocates. Published May 9, 2018
Patrick Morrisey fends off Don Blankenship, Evan Jenkins in West Virginia Senate primary
West Virginia Attorney General Patrick Morrisey came out on top of the state's Republican Senate primary Tuesday night, edging out U.S. Rep. Evan Jenkins and soundly defeating ex-convict and former coal company CEO Don Blankenship -- welcome news for GOP leaders in Washington who actively tried to stop Mr. Blankenship's momentum during the final days of the campaign. Published May 8, 2018
Donald Trump slams West Virginia GOP Senate candidate Don Blankenship
With Don Blankenship mounting a last-minute surge, President Trump waded into the GOP Senate primary in West Virginia on Monday, stating flatly that the ex-convict "can't win" in November and would blow the party's chances of picking off vulnerable incumbent Democratic Sen. Joe Manchin. Published May 7, 2018
Donald Trump’s campaign style seen in Senate primary races
The race in West Virginia, like the Republican senatorial primaries in Ohio and Indiana on Tuesday, has turned into a test of Trumpiness. Published May 6, 2018
WV’s Morrisey sends Jenkins cease-and-desist letter over ‘fake campaign ads’
An already ugly West Virginia Republican Senate primary got even nastier Thursday as state Attorney General Patrick Morrisey accused his rival, U.S. Rep. Evan Jenkins, of blatantly lying for the second time in a campaign ad. Published May 3, 2018
Evan Jenkins slams Patrick Morrisey for representing ‘pill pushers’ in West Virginia debate
Insults and accusations flew Tuesday night as the three top Republicans seeking their party's nomination for Senate in West Virginia took to the stage in the final primary debate, with each seeking to lay claim to the "true conservative" title and all distancing themselves from Washington establishment figures, including Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell. Published May 1, 2018
Don Blankenship targets Mitch McConnell in West Virginia primary bid
With former President Barack Obama long gone from power and Republicans in full control of Congress, West Virginia's Don Blankenship has picked a new face to represent the unpopular Washington political establishment: Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell. Published April 30, 2018
Scott Pruitt, EPA chief, on hot seat as he appears before Congress
After weeks of bad headlines and ethical controversies, a defiant EPA Administrator Scott Pruitt on Thursday appeared before lawmakers and weathered blistering calls to resign, arguing that he's the victim of a media-driven witch hunt designed to halt President Trump's deregulatory agenda. Published April 26, 2018
Scott Pruitt pushes forward controversial plan that requires scientific studies to be transparent
Even as he faces increasing pressure within his own party to resign, Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Scott Pruitt pressed ahead Tuesday with yet another highly controversial policy move -- this time to change how the agency uses science in its rule making. Published April 24, 2018
West Virginia Republican Senate candidates direct their fire at Joe Manchin
The six Republicans vying to defeat Democratic Sen. Joe Manchin of West Virginia tried to outdo each other Monday night in clinging to President Trump, pitching themselves to voters in the deep-red state as the candidate best able to make the president's agenda a reality. Published April 23, 2018
Facebook hate speech, censorship policies upset both sides
Under more scrutiny than ever, Facebook finds itself caught in a no-man's land between activists who say it needs to adopt much stricter definitions governing hate speech and critics on the right who feel the social media giant is censoring conservative voices. Published April 22, 2018
Don Blankenship’s West Virginia Senate campaign fought by national Republicans
With less than three weeks until West Virginia's primary election, national Republican leaders seem to finally recognize that ex-con Don Blankenship has a very real chance to win the Senate contest and represent the party this fall against incumbent Democrat Joe Manchin III -- and they are unleashing a last-ditch effort to stop him. Published April 17, 2018
Half of 2016 election ads on Facebook had little financial information available, says report
Nearly half the groups that bought political ads on Facebook during the final, crucial weeks of the 2016 election season were black holes with little, if any, information available to indicate who they were or where their financial backing came from, researchers said Monday. Published April 16, 2018
EPA’s Pruitt broke law with $43,000 phone booth: Report
Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Scott Pruitt broke the law by building a soundproof $43,000 phone booth in his office and not telling lawmakers about it, a government watchdog said Monday in a report that calls on the agency to immediately acknowledge that it violated federal statutes. Published April 16, 2018
Scott Pruitt gets support from conservatives
Unlike other members of President Trump's Cabinet left to dangle in the wind when faced with controversy, conservatives have mounted a strong, coordinated defense of embattled EPA Administrator Scott Pruitt over the past two weeks, arguing he's become a target simply because he's done more to advance the Republican agenda than any other government official. Published April 15, 2018
In concession to ethanol industry, Trump says he backs E15 gasoline year-round
President Trump on Thursday said the administration will approve year-round sales of gasoline with 15 percent ethanol -- a major policy shift for the federal government that indicates the White House is looking to strike a deal between the biofuels industry and its critics. Published April 12, 2018
Pruitt knew about raises for top aides, tried to rent $100K-per-month private jet: EPA whistleblower
Despite repeated denials, EPA Administrator Scott Pruitt knew about and approved pay raises for two top aides, an agency whistleblower told congressional Democrats in a series of explosive accusations that raise fresh ethical questions around the EPA chief. Published April 12, 2018
Green groups spend to stop Donald Trump’s fossil fuel agenda
Green groups are opening their checkbooks ahead of the high-stakes November midterm elections, dolling out hundreds of thousands to protect what they call a "Senate firewall" against President Trump's pro-fossil fuels agenda. Published April 11, 2018
