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Year: 2023

Federal judge declines to temporarily block key portion of Illinois high-power semiautomatic weapons ban

Federal judge declines to temporarily block key portion of Illinois high-power semiautomatic weapons ban

A federal judge in Illinois has declined to temporarily delay a portion of the state law banning some high-power semiautomatic weapons from going into effect. U.S. District Judge Stephen McGlynn on Friday declined a request from several gun rights groups that would have delayed the Jan. 1 deadline for residents of Illinois to register their guns that are under the ban, according to the Chicago Tribune. According to the report, those who have guns or accessories that are included in the ban are required to file “endorsement affidavits” with the Illinois State Police on their website. Individuals who fail to register could be charged with a misdemeanor for the first offense and a felony for any offenses after. SUPREME COURT ALLOWS ILLINOIS SEMIAUTOMATIC WEAPONS BAN TO STAY IN PLACE McGlynn wrote in his opinion that a temporary injunction would “create further delays in this litigation when the constitutional rights of the citizens demand an expeditious resolution on the merits.” President of Federal Firearms Licensees of Illinois, Dan Eldridge, told the outlet that the issue could end up in the Supreme Court. “There’s a lot of stuff in motion in here,” Eldridge said. ILLINOIS GOV. JB PRITZKER SIGNS LAW BANNING FIREARM ADVERTISEMENTS THAT APPEAL TO CHILDREN The ban, signed by Democratic Gov. J.B. Pritzker in January, includes penalties for individuals who, “carries or possesses… manufactures, sells, delivers, imports, or purchases any assault weapon or .50 caliber rifle.” The law also includes statutory penalties for anyone who, “sells, manufactures, delivers, imports, possesses, or purchases any assault weapon attachment or .50 caliber cartridge.” Any kit or tools used to increase the fire rate of a semiautomatic weapon are also included in the ban, and the law includes a limit for purchases of certain magazines. On Dec. 14, the Supreme Court allowed the law to remain in place after the National Association for Gun rights asked for a preliminary injunction. In November, a 7th District U.S. Court of Appeals panel also refused a request to block the law. In August, the law was upheld by the Illinois Supreme Court in a 4-3 decision.

Feds reopen railroad crossings along Texas Mexico border

Feds reopen railroad crossings along Texas Mexico border

The federal government on Friday reopened railroad crossings in two Texas border towns, five days after the shuttering of rail operations there disrupted trade and caused outrage. Customs and Border Protection closed railroad operations in Eagle Pass and El Paso, Texas, on Monday to reallocate their customs officers to help Border Patrol take migrants into custody. Both regions have seen the number of illegal border crossings soar this month. Operations resumed at both cities as of Friday afternoon. NEBRASKA SEN. FISCHER SLAMS ‘HIGHLY TROUBLING’ BORDER RAILWAY OPERATIONS SUSPENSION: ‘ECONOMIC CRISIS’ Troy Miller, U.S. Customs and Border Protection’s acting commissioner, said the closures at Eagle Pass and El Paso were a response to more migrants traveling on freight trains recently. Miller said authorities are seeing “unprecedented” arrivals at the border, topping 10,000 crossings on some days this month. The closures affected two of the six available rail border crossings between the U.S. and Mexico. Union Pacific and BNSF, the affected carriers, said automotive, agricultural, chemicals, and other consumer goods were halted. Union Pacific estimated that the closures cost $200 million in daily losses across affected industries. News of the reopening was received with relief, but both BNSF and Union Pacific said they would be working diligently to make up for lost time. “We will restore normal operations as quickly as possible as we work through the five-day backlog of shipments holding to cross the border,” a Union Pacific spokesperson said in a statement. CBP said they made the changes after observing a shift in the trends of smuggling operations in Mexico that used freight trains. Although migrants board trains traveling through Mexico, the railroad carriers said they have safety measures in place to deter and detect migrants attempting to cross into the U.S. aboard their cars. Union Pacific said it has found only five migrants trying to enter the U.S. illegally on its trains in the last five weeks. “Through our efforts, we have experienced very few people attempting to cross the border on trains at both ports of entry,” BNSF said via a statement. Other similar decisions to close down ports of entry and redirect officers to help with an uptick in migrant crossings are still in place. CBP said vehicular traffic is still suspended at one of the two international bridges in Eagle Pass. A pedestrian entry in San Diego, a port of entry in Lukeville, Arizona, and a border crossing in Nogales, Arizona, remained closed as of Friday. Even after the railroad operations resumed, stakeholders expressed disapproval over the federal government’s decision. “In the face of the unprecedented humanitarian crisis, CBP has been working under exceptionally difficult circumstances, but these ill-advised closures were a blunt force tool that did nothing to bolster law enforcement capacity,” said Ian Jefferies, the CEO and president of the Association of American Railroads. The stalled shipments of agricultural products affected farmers and ranchers. The Nebraska Farm Bureau, an organization representing 55,000 families who have farms or ranches, called for long-term solutions but stressed more immediate changes, too. “In the future, we call upon the Biden administration to allocate the resources necessary to secure our nation’s southern border before costing our nation’s agricultural and overall economy millions of dollars,” Mark McHargue, president of the Nebraska Farm Bureau, said in a statement. Frustrated politicians made similar pleas with the president. Sen. Pete Ricketts, a Republican representative from Nebraska, said the president needed to take the situation “seriously” but also called on Mexico to do more. TEXAS LT. GOV. REAMS ‘COLD-HEARTED’ BIDEN’S BORDER CRISIS AS CHICAGO REBUFFS BUSES: ‘SEND THEM TO REHOBOTH’ “Mexico also needs to do its part by enforcing its immigration laws and preventing thousands of illegal immigrants from riding Ferromex trains to our border,” Ricketts said in a statement. The temporary closures added pressure to talks between the U.S. and Mexico addressing the recent acceleration of border crossings. President Joe Biden spoke with Mexican President Andrés Manuel López Obrador on Thursday and agreed that additional border enforcement was needed so the crossings can be reopened, according to White House national security spokesperson John Kirby. Republican and Democratic lawmakers are debating border policy changes as part of a larger conversation over U.S. assistance for Ukraine and Israel, which are top foreign policy priorities for the White House. A delegation of top U.S. officials is expected to visit Mexico soon as negotiations over how to enforce immigration rules at the two countries’ shared border continue on Capitol Hill. López Obrador said Friday that he is willing to help reduce the number of migrants accessing the U.S. through Mexico and to continue establishing an agreement with Venezuela, which has one of the highest number of migrants entering the U.S. The Mexican president also wants the U.S. government to open talks with Cuba and send more development aid to migrants’ home countries.

Wisconsin Supreme Court tosses GOP-drawn legislative maps, orders new voting boundaries

Wisconsin Supreme Court tosses GOP-drawn legislative maps, orders new voting boundaries

The Wisconsin Supreme Court tossed out legislative maps drawn by Republicans, ordering new ones to be made. Friday’s 4-3 ruling came from a liberal-controlled bench, with the majority stating that the legislative maps aren’t contiguous, or physically touching one another, thus violating the state’s constitution. “Because the current state legislative districts contain separate, detached territory and therefore violate the constitution’s contiguity requirements, we enjoin the Wisconsin Elections Commission from using the current legislative maps in future elections,” Justice Jill Karofksy wrote. Commenting on the ruling, Democrat Gov. Tony Evers said, “I remain as optimistic as ever that, at long last, the gerrymandered maps Wisconsinites have endured for years might soon be history.” WISCONSIN REPUBLICANS PASS REDISTRICTING REFORM PLAN, GOV. EVERS CALLS IT ‘BOGUS’ “It’s clear to me that a Republican-controlled Legislature that has consistently gerrymandered itself into comfortable, partisan majorities for more than a decade is incapable of preparing fair, nonpartisan maps deserving of the people of this state. I agree with the Court’s determination that these maps are unconstitutional because the districts lack contiguity. Wisconsin is a purple state, and I look forward to submitting maps to the Court to consider and review that reflect and represent the makeup of our state,” Evers wrote. Revised maps from both parties involved in the lawsuit are due by Jan. 12. Dan Lenz, who’s an attorney for Law Forward, the organization that brought the lawsuit, called Friday’s ruling “a victory for a representative democracy in the state of Wisconsin.” “For too long, rightwing interests have rigged the rules without any consequences,” Lenz said in a statement. “Gerrymandered maps have distorted the political landscape, stifling the voice of the voters. It challenges the very essence of fair representation and erodes confidence in our political system.” Democratic Legislative Campaign Committee President Heather Williams applauded the court for striking down the map. “Wisconsin is one of the worst gerrymandered states in the country, and Republicans have robbed voters of true representation for far too long. We applaud the Wisconsin Supreme Court for finding these maps unconstitutional and urge that the next set of maps fairly reflect communities across the state. Make no mistake: this decision is a game-changer,” Williams said. WI GOP-DOMINATED LEGISLATURE ASKS NEW DEMOCRATIC-BACKED JUSTICE TO RECUSE HERSELF FROM REDISTRICTING CASE Justice Annette Kingsland Ziegler dissented from the ruling, writing that “This deal was sealed on election night.” “Four justices remap Wisconsin even though this constitutional responsibility is to occur every ten years, after a census, by the other two branches of government. The public understands this. Nonetheless, four justices impose their will on the entire Assembly and half of the Senate, all of whom are up for election in 2024. Almost every legislator in the state will need to respond, with lightning speed, to the newly minted maps, deciding if they can or want to run, and scrambling to find new candidates for new districts,” Ziegler wrote. The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Who might be the next US president?

Who might be the next US president?

Biden and Trump are frontrunners in an uncertain contest. Next year’s US presidential election is predicted to be a contest between Joe Biden and Donald Trump. But not even that is certain in the most uncertain of election campaigns. So who else might be in the mix? And what are the important issues? Presenter: Dareen Abughaida Guests: Tim Constantine – Senior vice president of diplomacy and external affairs at Washington Times and host of The Capitol Hill Show Thomas Gift – Director of the Centre on US Politics at University College London Arshad Hasan – Democratic political strategist Adblock test (Why?)