Trump says he digs coal – but pneumoconiosis cases are at a 50-year high, and sick miners are mired in benefit delays

For 38 years, Josh Armes worked as a coal miner in West Virginia and Virginia.

After retirement, Armes, 74, of Grundy, Virginia, was diagnosed with black lung disease, medically known as coal workers’ pneumoconiosis (CWP), caused by breathing in coal dust over long periods, which irreversibly damages the lungs.

Meet the candidates with labor ties vying for Senate and House seats in midterm races. Most of the nominees are Democrats as the party looks to rebuild support among working-class voters

The US labor movement is having a banner election year.

More than three dozen nominees for open House and Senate races across the US have backgrounds as labor union representatives or members.