Author
Jacob covers federal policy as a senior reporter for States Newsroom. Based in Oregon, he focuses on Western issues. His coverage areas include climate, energy development, public lands and infrastructure.
Missouri Independent is part of States Newsroom, the nation’s largest state-focused nonprofit news organization.
Kamala Harris picks Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz as her running mate
By: Jacob Fischler - August 6, 2024
Vice President Kamala Harris selected Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz as her running mate Tuesday in a move meant to boost the Democratic ticket’s appeal in key Midwestern states and with blue-collar voters. Walz, a former social studies teacher and Army National Guard veteran who won challenging elections in a rural U.S. House district before running […]
Democrats step up pressure on Trump to debate Harris in new swing-state ad campaign
By: Jacob Fischler - August 2, 2024
The Democratic National Committee will unveil a confrontational digital ad campaign in battleground states, starting Friday in Atlanta, to press Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump to debate Vice President Kamala Harris, the likely Democratic nominee, States Newsroom has learned. Trump has not committed to debating Harris, who has said she is eager to keep a […]
Harris to appear as sole candidate for Dem presidential nomination on virtual roll call
By: Jacob Fischler - July 31, 2024
Vice President Kamala Harris is the only candidate for the Democratic presidential nomination, the Democratic National Committee said late Tuesday. Harris was the only person to reach the threshold of 300 delegates petitioning for her to become the party’s nominee after President Joe Biden dropped his bid for reelection, setting her up to officially become the […]
With 2024 campaign growing intense, watchdogs warn of election threats
By: Jacob Fischler - July 31, 2024
Voter intimidation, an exodus of election workers fed up with harassment and continued misinformation and disinformation campaigns threaten the integrity of the November elections, officials with the government watchdog group Common Cause said Tuesday. This year will be the first presidential election since “the big lie,” Common Cause President Virginia Kase Solomón said on a […]
VP Harris cites Biden’s ‘legacy of accomplishment’ as endorsements pile up for her bid
By: Ariana Figueroa, Lia Chien and Jacob Fischler - July 22, 2024
WASHINGTON — Vice President Kamala Harris’ path to the Democratic nomination cleared Monday as she secured endorsements from potential rivals and other high-profile party members the day after President Joe Biden ended his reelection bid. A swarm of Democratic legislative leaders, governors — including some thought to harbor presidential ambitions of their own — and influential […]
President Joe Biden bows out of reelection campaign, endorses Kamala Harris
By: Jacob Fischler and Ashley Murray - July 21, 2024
WASHINGTON — President Joe Biden dropped out of the 2024 presidential race Sunday, he said in a letter posted to social media, creating an unprecedented vacancy atop the Democratic ticket one month before he was scheduled to officially accept his party’s nomination. In a followup post less than 30 minutes later, Biden endorsed Vice President Kamala Harris to […]
Democratic calls for a new nominee ramp up as Biden camp pledges to stay the course
By: Jacob Fischler and Ariana Figueroa - July 19, 2024
WASHINGTON — Ten more congressional Democrats called on President Joe Biden to drop his reelection bid Friday, the most in a single day since a poor debate performance shook confidence among his fellow Democrats in his ability to win November’s election. The 10 Democrats on Friday, the day after former President Donald Trump officially accepted his […]
Biden says ‘bullseye’ remark about Trump was a mistake but defends criticism
By: Jacob Fischler - July 16, 2024
President Joe Biden called for a de-escalation in political rhetoric but kept up criticism of former President Donald Trump on Monday, in Biden’s first interview since a Saturday assassination attempt on Trump. Talking to NBC News anchor Lester Holt, Biden said he called the injured Trump on Saturday to convey his well wishes. But he […]
Biden camp works to stem growing Democratic unease over reelection prospects
By: Jacob Fischler - July 11, 2024
President Joe Biden faced perhaps the most consequential day yet for his ailing reelection campaign Thursday, with a press conference at the NATO annual meeting scheduled for late afternoon, as private talks among Democrats on Capitol Hill about his fitness for office extended and calls for him to withdraw from the race spread. Biden’s solo […]
Biden tells congressional Dems he is staying in the race, urges end to speculation
By: Jacob Fischler - July 8, 2024
President Joe Biden pledged Monday to stay in his race for reelection, even after a weekend in which a growing number of Democrats asked for him to withdraw and a key U.S. House Republican called for an investigation into the president’s doctor. In a letter to congressional Democrats, Biden argued that the calls for him to drop […]
‘No kings in America’: Biden slams U.S. Supreme Court ruling granting Trump immunity
By: Jacob Fischler - July 1, 2024
Monday’s U.S. Supreme Court decision granting the presumption of criminal immunity for official actions taken by a president fundamentally altered U.S. democracy, President Joe Biden said from the White House Monday evening. Speaking for less than five minutes, Biden said the 6-3 decision contradicted the spirit of the country’s founding — set to be celebrated nationwide this week on […]
Presidential immunity extends to some official acts, Supreme Court rules in Trump case
By: Ashley Murray and Jacob Fischler - July 1, 2024
WASHINGTON — U.S. presidents enjoy full immunity from criminal charges for their official “core constitutional” acts, but no immunity for unofficial acts, the Supreme Court ruled Monday, sending former President Donald Trump’s case back to the lower courts. The justices left open the question of how far official acts can reach, possibly reshaping the contours […]