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Sen. Kyrsten Sinema rebukes election question that “makes Americans really hate politics”
Washington — Sen. Kyrsten Sinema, whose term expires at year’s end, dodged a question about her reelection prospects on Sunday, pushing back on the “endless questions” about elections.
“I think folks across Arizona and the country know that when I decide I’m going to work on something that’s important for our state and for our nation, I stay focused on it,” Sinema said on “Face the Nation.” “And I think that the endless questions about politics and elections are really exhausting and it’s what makes Americans really hate politics.”
Sinema has until April to file for reelection, which will require to garner around 42,000 signatures to qualify for the ballot in what would likely be a three-way race in the state against Democratic Rep. Ruben Gallego and Republican Kari Lake. She announced in late 2022 that she was leaving the Democratic party, switching her party affiliation to independent in what she called a move to “reject party politics” by declaring independence from “the broken partisan system in Washington.”
But Sinema appeared unfazed by the upcoming deadline, saying that she’s committed to staying “laser-focused” on policy and “solving real problems.”
“That’s what I’ve shown that I do with the work that I do in the United States Senate,” she said. “And it’s what I’ll stay focused on in the coming weeks as we seek to pass this legislation and make a real difference for the lives of Arizonans.”
Sinema has been working with Sens. Chris Murphy and James Lankford for months on a bipartisan border security agreement that would be seen as a major breakthrough, should it pass, for immigration policy, which hasn’t seen significant reform in Congress in decades.
“Each time I visit border communities in my state, and I hear from folks whether it’s in Bisbee, or Yuma or down in Oakville, they’re not asking about elections,” Sinema said. “They’re asking about their everyday lives, because this crisis pleases us every single day.”
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NEW YORK — Former New York Gov. David Paterson and his stepson were attacked in New York City on Friday night, authorities said.
The incident occurred just before 9 p.m. on Second Avenue near East 96th Street on the Upper East Side, according to the New York City Police Department.
Police said officers were sent to the scene after an assault was reported. When officers arrived, police say they found a 20-year-old man suffering from facial injuries and a 70-year-old man who had head pain. Both victims were taken to a local hospital in stable condition.
In a statement, a spokesperson for the former governor said the two were attacked while “taking a walk around the block near their home by some individuals that had a previous interaction with his stepson.”
The spokesperson said that they were injured “but were able to fight off their attackers.”
Both were taken to Cornell Hospital “as a precaution,” he added.
Police said no arrests have been made and the investigation is ongoing.
The 70-year-old Paterson, a Democrat, served as governor from 2008 to 2010, stepping into the post after the resignation of Eliot Spitzer following his prostitution scandal. He made history at the time as the state’s first-ever Black and legally blind governor.
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A 17-year-old boy was critically injured and a person is in custody after a gunman opened fire on a SEPTA bus in North Philadelphia Friday evening, police said.
At around 6:15 p.m., Philadelphia police were notified about a shooting on a SEPTA bus traveling on Allegheny Avenue near 3rd and 4th streets in North Philadelphia, Inspector D F Pace told CBS News Philadelphia.
There were an estimated 30 people on the bus at the time of the shooting, Pace said, but only the 17-year-old boy was believed to have been shot. Investigators said they believe it was a targeted attack on the teenager and that he was shot in the back of the bus at close range.
According to Pace, the SEPTA bus driver alerted a control center about the shooting, which then relayed the message to Philadelphia police, who responded to the scene shortly.
Officers arrived at the scene and found at least one spent shell casing and blood on the bus, but no shooting victim, Pace said. Investigators later discovered the 17-year-old had been taken to Temple University Hospital where he is said to be in critical condition, according to police.
CBS Philadelphia
Through their preliminary investigation, police learned those involved in the SEPTA shooting may have fled in a silver-colored Kia.
Authorities then found a car matching the description of the Kia speeding in the area and a pursuit began, Pace said. Police got help from a PPD helicopter as they followed the Kia, which ended up crashing at 5th and Greenwood streets in East Mount Airy. Pace said the Kia crashed into a parked car.
The driver of the crashed car ran away but police were still able to take them into custody, Pace said.
Investigators believe there was a second person involved in the shooting who ran from the car before it crashed. Police said they believe this person escaped near Allegheny Avenue and 4th Street, leaving a coat behind.
According to Pace, police also found a gun and a group of spent shell casings believed to be involved in the shooting in the same area.
“It’s very possible that there may have been a shooting inside the bus and also shots fired from outside of the bus toward the bus,” Pace said, “We’re still trying to piece all that together at this time.”
This is an active investigation and police are reviewing surveillance footage from the SEPTA bus.