TOM RIDGE

The statement is expected to outline 13 core values the group wants the party to support.

The statement is expected to outline 13 core values the group wants the party to support.

Pennsylvania, one of the states most likely to decide the presidential election, is bracing for one of the slowest ballot counts in the country. The coronavirus pandemic has driven a record 2.6 million Pennsylvanians to request mail-in ballots. The counties coping with the biggest numbers of mail-in ballots are the most populous — the ones where Biden will run up his strongest vote margins. “This could be a really destructive scenario,” said Richard Pildes, a constitutional law professor at New York University. AdvertisementMore than 350,000 voters in Philadelphia have requested mail-in ballots, up from just 15,000 four years ago.

NEW YORK As the Nov. 3 presidential vote nears, there are fresh signs that the nations electoral system is again under attack from foreign adversaries. There is no evidence that America's enemies have yet succeeded in penetrating campaigns or state election systems, but Democrat Joe Biden's presidential campaign confirmed this week that it has faced multiple related threats. When asked directly, the Trump campaign refused to say whether it had accepted materials related to Biden from any foreign nationals. Contrary to their narrative, the Democrats efforts to tear these safeguards apart as they sue in 18 states across the nation would open our election system up to foreign interference, Morgan said. Former Homeland Security Secretary Tom Ridge, a Republican, described Trump's warnings about mail voting absurd and ridiculous.He should be far more forceful and far more direct in condemning foreign interference, Ridge said in an interview.

Unlike its private competitors, the Postal Service cannot refuse to make costly deliveries to especially hard-to-reach addresses. Amid the pandemic, however, the Postal Service lost $4.5 billion in fiscal year 2020's second quarter. Since then, though, the Postal Service and the Treasury Department have had discussions about requirements to actually extend those loans. A 2018 Treasury Department task force also recommended the Postal Service increase package rates and cut labor costs. The Postal Service consistently ranks as Americans' favorite federal agency, with recent approval ratings topping 90%.

The aides include Betsy DeVos, the education secretary who has permanent absentee voting status in her home state of Michigan. Two other senior Trump campaign officials chief operating officer Michael Glassner and deputy campaign manager Bill Stepien have repeatedly voted by mail in New Jersey. Tim Murtaugh, the Trump campaign's communications director, defended the Trump aides who have voted by mail. Yet its unclear if he traveled to San Antonio, where his presence would have disqualified him from voting absentee. Glassner and Stepien have both voted repeatedly by mail in New Jersey, where Glassner has voted absentee four times since 2016.

Former Homeland Security secretaries warn Congress about a shutdown Former Homeland Security Secretaries Tom Ridge and Michael Chertoff say the political fight in Congress over funding shouldn't affect the men and women who work for the department.

Christie: "They're the party of intolerance, not us" New Jersey Governor Chris Christie stressed that the Democrats, and not the Republicans are the party of intolerance. Christie pointed to his party's inclusion of conservative abortion rights supporters, such as Tom Ridge, Colin Powell and Condoleezza Rice as an illustration of his point.