Texas Weekly Online

Texas-trans-white
Menu
Menu

Year: 2024

‘Molesters’ and ‘rapists’ would go free under California bill, state Senate GOP warns

‘Molesters’ and ‘rapists’ would go free under California bill, state Senate GOP warns

FIRST ON FOX — A Democrat-led bill meant to protect prisoners from sexual violence while incarcerated in California state facilities by addressing issues related to sexual abuse could wind up reducing violent criminals’ sentences altogether, state Republicans warn.  SB 898, authored by Berkeley Democrat state Sen. Nancy Skinner, aims to enhance protections for individuals incarcerated in California state facilities by addressing issues related to sexual abuse and expanding opportunities for legal relief. But Republicans say that a little-known provision in the bill would enable inmates serving sentences of 15 years or more to seek resentencing or release if there have been changes to sentencing guidelines since their conviction. “And you know, they’re touting that crime is going down, but it’s because the Democrats have decriminalized crime in California,” state Sen. Brian Dahle told Fox News Digital in an interview. “And so victims of homicide, heinous sexual crimes, rape, murder, molestation of children all can come up in every three years, can go have a potential hearing to get out, whether or not they’ve been rehabilitated or not.” EX-CALIFORNIA RESIDENT SLAMS STATE BILL THAT GIVES ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS HOUSING LOANS: ‘ASININE’ Dahle said this will create a cycle of frequent hearings and petitions, which means victims will have to repeatedly attend these hearings every three years and relive the trauma inflicted upon them by the perpetrator. Skinner dismisses the Republican criticisms, calling them “false accusations” about SB 898 that are “just the latest example of MAGA distortions and lies.” “SB 898 is focused first and foremost on providing protections for incarcerated people who have proven to have been raped or sexually assaulted by prison guards or staff,” she told Fox News Digital in a statement. “Its additional provision merely adds defense attorneys to the existing list of those who are eligible to request a court hearing if California changes a sentencing law. SB 898 does not release anyone from prison, period.” The California District Attorneys Association decried the bill, saying they “strenuously object to creating a revolving door of hearings for [murderers], rapists, and child molesters.” The provision allows defense attorneys to request hearings if California ever revises prison sentences for certain crimes, but it does not automatically release anyone from prison. The hearings are not guaranteed and can be denied by judges, with no assurance that a change in sentencing guidelines would result in immediate release. CALIFORNIA CLOSE TO APPROVING $150K LOANS FOR ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS TO HELP PURCHASE HOMES Meanwhile, Skinner’s bill focuses on several proposals regarding how sexual abuse and sentencing issues are handled within the California prison system. It mandates that the Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation monitor incarcerated individuals who report sexual abuse for 90 days to prevent retaliation.  “If somebody’s being raped in prison, then obviously we need to isolate those incidences and do something to correct that,” Dahle said in response. “That’s been an ongoing thing since people have been put in prison. Yes, there are some bad actors, but for the most part, we’re doing as good as we can in the situations we have, but they’ve made prisons a place where it’s hard to isolate somebody.” 5 CALIFORNIA TAXES KAMALA HARRIS COULD USE TO CRUSH THE MIDDLE CLASS According to the Senate Republicans’ analysis of the bill, the bill “is mislabeled by Legislative Counsel as a bill primarily dealing with ‘sexual assault resentencing.’” CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP “That title remains from the prior version and while [it] has some remaining provisions on that topic, the most important changes the bill makes to sentencing law have nothing to do with sexual assault, other than to potentially let individuals who have committed sex crimes out of prison earlier,” the analysis reads.

GOP senators look to tie crackdown on noncitizen voting to must-pass spending bill

GOP senators look to tie crackdown on noncitizen voting to must-pass spending bill

Several Republican lawmakers have called on their colleagues to support attaching a bill that would safeguard elections and require proof of citizenship to vote on an upcoming stopgap spending measure due at the end of next month.  Prominent conservative Sens. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, and Mike Lee, R-Utah, posted on X this week pushing for the bill, which would require proof of citizenship before registering to vote in federal elections, to be tethered to a spending bill extension to avoid a government shutdown at the end of the fiscal year.  “There isn’t a good argument against attaching the SAVE Act to the September spending bill,” Lee said in one of several posts promoting the idea.  HARRIS WAS ‘OPEN’ TO PACKING SUPREME COURT DURING 2019 PRESIDENTIAL BID Other Republican senators, including Tommy Tuberville, R-Ala., and Rick Scott, R-Fla., also shared their support for the legislation, known as the Safeguard American Voter Eligibility (SAVE) Act, in posts on X. However, they didn’t go as far as calling for the bill to be taken up as part of a continuing resolution to extend the current spending bill.  “Texas just announced that it has removed 6,500+ non-citizens from its voter rolls, almost 2,000 of which illegally voted in past elections. We cannot ignore this threat to our democratic process. It’s time to pass my SAVE Act & stop illegal voting,” Scott said.  HARRIS CAMPAIGN MANAGER IGNORES PRESS CONFERENCE QUESTION AS VP HITS 33 DAYS WITHOUT ONE The SAVE Act was initially passed in the House of Representatives by a vote of 221-198, primarily along party lines. Five Democrats split with their party to support it, including Reps. Henry Cuellar, D-Texas, Vicente Gonzalez, D-Texas, Jared Golden, D-Maine, Rep. Don Davis, D-N.C., and Marie Gluesenkamp Perez, D-Wash. Earlier this month, the ultraconservative House Freedom Caucus expressed its desire to see the measure included in the stopgap government spending package next month. Without the SAVE Act’s inclusion in a continuing resolution (CR), appropriators risk losing the support of Freedom Caucus members and enduring a potential government shutdown. “@HouseGOP must force the question by attaching the SAVE Act to a 6-month funding bill before the Sept. 30 funding deadline,” wrote House Freedom Caucus member Rep. Chip Roy, R-Texas, on X on Thursday. He also hit the Senate, led by Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., for refusing to take up the bill for a vote on its own.  BIDEN-HARRIS HHS SECRETARY SIDESTEPS BACKING ANY LIMIT ON LATE-TERM ABORTION While vocal conservative lawmakers see the necessary spending measure as an opportunity to force a vote on the Republican priority, which is backed by former President Trump, a top Republican appropriator has cast doubt on its inclusion.  “If it can’t pass the Senate, it isn’t going to be an effective CR,” House Appropriations Chair Tom Cole, R-Okla., told reporters last month. The idea of tying the SAVE Act to a spending bill also lacks the backing of Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky. A Senate GOP aide told Fox News Digital that keeping the government open and avoiding a shutdown is paramount to the Kentucky Republican. Notably, the Biden-Harris administration has come out in strong opposition to the SAVE Act, making clear it wouldn’t be signed by the president if passed. “It is already illegal for noncitizens to vote in Federal elections – it is a Federal crime punishable by prison and fines,” reads a statement of administration policy last month. The Trump campaign did not provide comment on whether the bill should be included in a spending measure but did reinforce support for the quick passage of the SAVE Act. His campaign pointed Fox News Digital to the former president’s Truth Social post last month in which he said, “Republicans must pass the Save Act, or go home and cry yourself to sleep.”

Ukraine says US-made F-16 fighter jet crashed, killing pilot

Ukraine says US-made F-16 fighter jet crashed, killing pilot

The crash is the first involving in an F-16 since they began arriving in Ukraine late last month. Ukraine has announced that one of a handful of F-16 fighter jets given by its Western allies to fight Russia’s invasion crashed while repelling a major Russian aerial attack. The pilot was killed in the incident, which took place on Monday after Russia launched more than 200 missiles and drones in one of its biggest bombardments of the war. It is the first reported destruction of an F-16 in Ukraine, and comes just weeks after Kyiv began taking delivery of the planes. At least six of the aircraft are believed to have been delivered. “F-16 fighters of the Armed Forces of Ukraine were used to repel a missile attack on the territory of Ukraine by the Russian Federation, along with units of anti-aircraft missile troops,” the Ukrainian army said. It added that communication with the F-16 was lost as the planes approached their next target. “As it turned out later, the aircraft crashed, killing the pilot,” the military said. The statement did not name the pilot, but a unit of Ukraine’s air force said one of its pilots, Oleksiy Mes, had died in a crash on Monday. “On 26 August, while repelling a Russian massive combined missile and air strike, Oleksiy destroyed three cruise missiles and one attack drone,” Ukraine’s Western air command unit said. “Oleksiy saved Ukrainians from deadly Russian missiles. Unfortunately, at the cost of his own life,” it added. Investigation under way Mes, known by his call sign Moonfish, travelled to the US as part of Ukraine’s efforts to convince the United States and other NATO allies to send F-16s. When I met with Ukraine pilots Juice (left) and Moonfish (right) I had a sick feeling they wouldn’t make it through the war. Juice died in Aug 2023, Moonfish died on Monday. They fought like hell for Ukraine, and the F16. Nickel on the grass men. Slava Ukrainii pic.twitter.com/uErBmyQGBa — Adam Kinzinger (Slava Ukraini) 🇺🇸🇺🇦🇮🇱 (@AdamKinzinger) August 29, 2024 The US approved the plan in 2023 and the first aircraft arrived in Kyiv in late July. Belgium, Denmark the Netherlands and Norway have committed to providing Ukraine with more than 60 F-16s. Russia’s jet fleet, however, is about 10 times bigger. Ukraine’s Ministry of Defence opened an investigation into Monday’s crash. A US defence official told the Reuters news agency that the crash did not appear to be the result of Russian fire, and possible causes from pilot error to mechanical failure were being investigated. Russia has continued its aerial bombardment of Ukraine since Monday’s attack. On Thursday, Ukraine’s air force said air defences stopped two out of five Russian missiles and 60 of the 74 Shahed drones that were fired. It said the 14 other drones are presumed to have fallen before reaching their target. Authorities in the capital, Kyiv, said the debris of destroyed drones fell in three districts of the city, but there were no injuries. Ukraine says it needs at least 130 F-16s to neutralise Russian air power. F-16s can fly up to twice the speed of sound and have a maximum range of 3,200 kilometres (more than 2,000 miles). They can also fire modern weapons used by NATO countries. Adblock test (Why?)

New Zealand’s Maori King Tuheitia dies aged 69

New Zealand’s Maori King Tuheitia dies aged 69

Tributes pour in after the king’s death in hospital where he was recovering from heart surgery. New Zealand’s Maori Kiingi Tuheitia Pootatau Te Wherowhero VII has died at the age of 69. Aides for the king of the country’s Indigenous Maori people said he died in hospital on Friday. He had been recovering from heart surgery just days after celebrating the 18th anniversary of his coronation. “The death of Kiingi Tuheitia is a moment of great sadness,” a spokesperson said in a statement. “A chief who has passed to the great beyond. Rest in love.” The Kiingitanga – Maori King movement – was founded in 1858 with the aim of uniting New Zealand’s Indigenous Maori under a single sovereign. The position has significant political and symbolic weight, but no legal status. New Zealand media reported the king’s funeral was likely to take place next Thursday and that he would be buried alongside his mother, Queen Dame Te Atairangikaahu, and previous Maori kings on the sacred Taupiri Mountain. Tuheitia succeeded his mother in 2006 to become the seventh Kiingitanga monarch, although the position is not necessarily hereditary. New Zealand Prime Minister Christopher Luxon led the tributes as flags on government and public buildings were flown at half-mast. “Today, we mourn,” Luxon said in a statement from Tonga, where he is attending the Pacific Islands Forum. “His unwavering commitment to his people and his tireless efforts to uphold the values and traditions of the Kiingitanga have left an indelible mark on our nation. “I will remember his dedication to Aotearoa New Zealand, his commitment to mokopuna [young people], his passion for te ao Maori [customs], and his vision for a future where all people are treated with dignity and respect.” Britain’s King Charles III, New Zealand’s formal head of state, said he was “shocked” by the news, having recently spoken to King Tuheitia by phone. “My wife and I were profoundly saddened to learn of the death of Kiingi Tuheitia,” the king said in a statement. “I had the greatest pleasure of knowing Kiingi Tuheitia for decades. “He was deeply committed to forging a strong future for Maori and Aotearoa-New Zealand founded upon culture, traditions and healing, which he carried out with wisdom and compassion,” he said, using the country’s Maori and English-language names. There are some 900,000 Maori people in New Zealand, about 17 percent of the population. The Maori monarch has been a powerful voice on the legacy of colonialism. The arrival of Europeans in New Zealand plunged the country into a conflict that ended in the 1840 Treaty of Waitangi between the British and hundreds of Maori chiefs. The document is considered the country’s founding document and granted the Maori the same rights as British subjects and authority over “taonga” or treasures that can be intangible. The next king is likely to be chosen by the heads of tribes or iwi associated with the Kiingitanga at the end of next week’s tangihanga, or funeral rites, according to Radio New Zealand. The event is expected to last for at least five days. Adblock test (Why?)