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Year: 2024

Kentucky to consider bill that would hold parents accountable for children’s gun crimes

Kentucky to consider bill that would hold parents accountable for children’s gun crimes

Kentucky’s legislature is primed to consider a bill in the new year that would make parents responsible for their juvenile child committing a crime involving the discharge of a firearm. State Rep. Kim Banta, R-Erlanger, modeled her legislation after similar laws that hold parents accountable for property crimes and motor vehicle accidents. In the Bluegrass State, parents are liable for up to $2,500 in cases where their kids deface property and the guardian who signed a minor’s driver’s license application is “jointly and severally liable” for any findings of negligence or damage behind the wheel. “The most important thing is that I am absolutely not trying to stop gun sales or enact gun control,” Banta told Fox News Digital in a Friday interview. BIDEN TO SIGN EXECUTIVE ORDER AIMED AT REDUCING GUN VIOLENCE “I’m simply trying to make parents aware that whether it is driving a car or doing anything else their child does, they need to know what they’re doing, and they need to exercise caution.” Similar to the language in the car-crash law, Banta’s bill imputes “negligence or willful misconduct” of a minor on their parents/guardians for civil damages stemming from injuries to another person that are caused by a person with a gun. Factors in determining parental liability include whether the elder allowed the child to have the gun, was aware of previous gun law violations or believes the minor to have the propensity to be violent, according to the Lexington Herald-Leader. On Friday, Banta said there had been a recent case in Kentucky where several 15-year-olds got into a disagreement, purportedly over drugs, and one boy went home, retrieved a gun, and came back and shot the two other youths. WATCHDOG SEEKS TO HALT 11TH-HOUR BIDEN DOJ EFFORT TO HANDCUFF KY POLICE OVER BREONNA TAYLOR INCIDENT “A 15-year-old does not have the mental ability to make snap decisions that adults do; not in anger, not in routine life, so a gun in their possession unsupervised is a little different than an adult with a gun,” she said. Foster parents, however, would be exempt from the law, according to Murray State University’s NPR affiliate. The bill will be presented in January and Banta said if it makes it to a committee vote, there is a high likelihood it will make it to a full floor vote and be sent to Gov. Andrew Beshear’s desk. CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP Fox News Digital reached out Beshear for comment but did not receive a response by press time.  Both legislative chambers in Frankfort are held by Republican majorities, while Beshear is a Democrat.

Trump’s convincing 2024 victory sets House GOP up for homefield advantage in 2026 midterm elections

Trump’s convincing 2024 victory sets House GOP up for homefield advantage in 2026 midterm elections

The returning head of the House Republican campaign committee says that “the battlefield is really playing out to our advantage” as he works to defend the GOP’s razor-thin majority in the chamber in the 2026 midterm elections. While House Republicans held on to control of the House in November’s elections, the Democrats made gains, and the GOP will hold a fragile 220-215 majority when at full strength. The party in power traditionally loses House seats in the ensuing midterm elections. But thanks to President-elect Trump’s popular vote victory and sweep of all seven key battleground states as he won back the White House, National Republican Congressional Committee chair Rep. Richard Hudson looks forward to some home-field advantage on the campaign trail. VANCE TO LIKELY BE 2028 GOP PRESIDENTIAL FRONT-RUNNER, BUT RNC CHAIR ALSO LIKES PARTY’S ‘BENCH’ “There are 14 Democrats who won seats also carried by Donald Trump. There are only three Republicans in seats that were carried by Kamala Harris. So that tells me we’re going to be on offense,” Hudson emphasized in a recent Fox News Digital interview. Eight years ago, when Trump first won the White House, and the GOP held onto their House majority, Democrats targeted roughly two-dozen Republicans in the 2018 midterms in districts that Trump lost in the 2016 election. The Democrats, in a blue-wave election, were successful in flipping the House majority.  SENATE REPUBLICAN CAMPAIGN COMMITTEE CHAIR SPELLS OUT HIS 2026 MISSION Fast-forward eight years, and it’s a different story, as this time Republicans will be defending seats on friendly turf in districts that the president-elect carried. And Hudson argues that home-field advantage will help the GOP cut through the traditional midterm headwinds. “There’s a whole lot more opportunity for us to go on offense,” Hudson, who’s represented a congressional district in central North Carolina for a dozen years, touted. Hudson also made the case that House Republicans who will once again be targeted by the Democrats in the upcoming election cycle are “really battle-tested. I mean, they’re folks who’ve been through the fire before. They’ve gone through several cycles now with millions of dollars spent against them.” “They’ve been able to succeed because they work very hard in their districts. They’ve established very strong brands, as you know, people who know how to get things done and how to deliver for their community,” he emphasized. “The Republicans who are in tough seats are our best candidates.” The three House Republicans who are in districts that Harris carried last month are Reps. Don Bacon of Nebraska, Brian Fitzpatrick of Pennsylvania and Mike Lawler of New York. But there will be a big difference in 2026: Trump, who helped drive low-propensity voters to the polls this year, won’t be on the ballot in the 2026 midterms.  “I certainly would rather have him on the ballot, because he turns out voters that don’t come out for other candidates,” Hudson acknowledged. But he argued, “If you look at the way this race is shaping up, we campaigned on a key set of issues of things that we promised we would deliver. If we deliver those things and have Donald Trump there with us campaigning with our candidates, I believe we can drive out a higher percentage of those voters than we have in midterms in the past.” Hudson said that Trump “was a great partner” with House Republicans this year and will be again in the upcoming election cycle. “[Trump] cares deeply about having a House majority, because he understands that a Democrat House majority means his agenda comes to a grinding halt. And so he’s been very engaged, was a very good partner for us this last election, and I anticipate that continuing.” Rep. Suzan DelBene of Washington State, chair of the rival Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, says she wants “to build on” the “things we did right” as she aims to win back the House majority Democrats lost in the 2022 midterms. “We won in tough districts, outperformed across the country,” DelBene emphasized in a recent Fox News Digital interview. DelBene, who is also sticking around for a second straight tour of duty steering her party’s House campaign committee, said that the 2024 successes are “a good example of what we need to continue to follow, heading into 2026.” “Number one, have great candidates who are independent-minded, focused on the needs of their communities,” DelBene said as she listed her to-do list. “Those candidates and their voices were critically important in this election.” DelBene said that “making sure that they [the candidates] have the resources they need to get information out to voters and to continue to address, head-on, the issues that are most important to their communities, lowering costs, making sure there’s economic opportunity” are also top priorities. With Trump returning to the White House and the GOP in control of both chambers of Congress, DelBene said Republicans are “going to be accountable for what they do in this country and the impact that has on working families.” “We’re going to hold them accountable for their votes and the actions they take, especially if they aren’t supporting working families,” she emphasized. “I think people want to see governance work. So, if Republicans aren’t willing to work in a bipartisan way to get things done, that’s going to be a key part of the 2026 election as well.” Looking to the 2026 map, DelBene touted that Democrats will have “opportunities across the country.” And she said it’s the DCCC’s job to “reach voters where they are and make sure they’re getting accurate information about where our candidates stand.” Fox News’ Emma Woodhead contributed to this report.

2028 Watch: Here are the Democrats who may eventually jump into the next White House race

2028 Watch: Here are the Democrats who may eventually jump into the next White House race

As Democrats aim to rebound following stunning setbacks in the 2024 elections, the race for Democratic National Committee chair is very publicly heating up. Getting less attention, but also starting to quietly commence, are moves by Democratic politicians who may have national ambitions in the next White House race. And while 2028 may seem like a long way away, recent history shows that the early moves in the next White House race start, well, very early. The unofficial starting gun for the 2024 race was fired by then-former President Donald Trump less than two months after leaving the White House, with a CPAC speech that teased his eventual 2024 presidential campaign. BUTTIGIEG FUELS 2028 SPECULATION BY DOING THIS A few weeks later, the first visits to the key early voting states of Iowa and New Hampshire by potential GOP presidential contenders were also underway. Fast-forward four years, and expect similar actions by Democratic politicians who may harbor national ambitions. With the soon-to-be 82-year-old President Biden exiting the national stage, and Vice President Kamala Harris, in the wake of her defeat by Trump, in no immediate rush to decide her political future, the road to the 2028 nomination may be wide open. VANCE IN ‘CATBIRD SEAT,’ BUT HERE ARE THE OTHER REPUBLICANS WHO MAY ALSO RUN IN 2028  “The jockeying for 2028 took a brief pause when Harris became the nominee and looked to be in a strong position, which would have meant shutting out potential candidates for the next four to eight years. Now, though, it’s wide open, and it won’t be long before we see clear maneuvering from a litany of candidates,” seasoned Democratic political strategist Chris Moyer told Fox News. Moyer, a veteran of a handful of presidential campaigns, noted that “this will include travel to states like New Hampshire and South Carolina and Nevada, presumably under the auspices of helping candidates in the midterms. Democratic voters in the early states will soon want to find someone they can get excited about and a future to look forward to in the midst of the misery of another four years of Trump in the White House. These potential candidates will be more than happy to oblige.” The results of the 2026 midterm elections will have a major impact on the shape of the next White House race. For now, however, here is an initial look at Democratic Party politicians considered to be potential 2028 presidential contenders. Vice President Kamala Harris As the 60-year-old Harris finishes up her final weeks as the nation’s vice president, early polling in the 2028 Democratic nomination race indicates that she would be a front-runner, thanks in part to her name recognition within her party. While any decisions on her next political steps are months away, sources in the vice president’s orbit confirm to Fox News that top aides are divided on whether Harris should run again for the White House in 2028, or instead launch a 2026 gubernatorial campaign in her home state of California, which would likely prevent her from seeking the presidency two years later. While there are plenty of voices within the party who would like to move on from the Biden/Harris era following Trump’s sweeping victory, and there is little history of Democrats yearning for past defeated presidential nominees, Trump has re-written the rules when it comes to defeated White House contenders making another run.  And potential buyers’ remorse of a second Trump administration could boost Harris in the years to come. Gov. Gavin Newsom of California  California Gov. Gavin Newsom was a top surrogate for President Biden during the president’s re-election bid. With the blessing of the White House, the two-term California governor debated then-Republican presidential candidate and Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis last year on Fox News.  Newsom’s travels on behalf of Biden brought him to New Hampshire and South Carolina, two crucial early voting states on the Democratic Party’s nominating calendar. After the vice president, his friend and fellow Californian, replaced Biden atop the Democrats’ 2024 ticket, the governor continued — after a pause — his efforts to keep Trump from returning to the White House. With Trump’s election victory last week, Newsom became one of the Democratic Party leaders getting ready to lead the opposition. The governor announced that California state lawmakers would meet to quickly take legislative action to counter Trump’s likely upcoming agenda. The 57-year-old Newsom’s second term in Sacramento will finish at the end of next year, right around the time the 2028 presidential election will start to heat up. Gov. JB Pritzker of Illinois Illinois Gov JB Pritzker, similar to Newsom, is already taking steps to Trump-proof his state. “You come for my people, you come through me,” Pritzker told reporters of his efforts to protect Illinois. Pritzker was also a high-profile surrogate on behalf of Biden and then Harris during the 2024 cycle. Those efforts brought Pritzker to Nevada, a general election battleground state and an early-voting Democratic presidential primary state, and New Hampshire. However, before he makes any decision about 2028, the 59-year-old governor must decide whether he will run in 2026 for a third term steering Illinois. Gov. Gretchen Whitmer of Michigan Two-term Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer grabbed plenty of attention and became a Democratic Party rising star in 2020 when she feuded with then-President Trump over COVID pandemic federal assistance and survived a foiled kidnapping attempt. Trump, at the time, called her “that woman from Michigan.” Along with Newsom and Pritzker, Whitmer’s name was floated as a possible replacement for Biden following his disastrous debate performance against Trump in late June, before the president endorsed Harris and the party instantly coalesced around the vice president. Whitmer was a leading surrogate for Biden and then for Harris and made a big impression on Democratic activists during a stop this summer in New Hampshire on behalf of Harris. The governor is term-limited and will leave office after the end of next year. Gov. Josh Shapiro of Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro,

Former President Jimmy Carter remembered and praised as a humanitarian around the world

Former President Jimmy Carter remembered and praised as a humanitarian around the world

World leaders from across the globe are expressing their sincere condolences as the U.S. mourns the death of former President Jimmy Carter, who passed away at the age of 100 on Sunday. Cuban President Miguel Diaz-Canel took to X to give his commiserations in the wake of Carter’s death, writing, “Condolences to the people and government of the United States, especially to the family and loved ones of President James Carter. Our people will remember with gratitude his efforts to improve relations, his visits to Cuba and his statement in favor of the freedom of the (Cuban) Five.” In his one term in the White House, Carter struck the Camp David Accords between Israel and Egypt, helped take the world further from nuclear proliferation with the second Strategic Arms Limitation Treaty (SALT), signed the Panama Canal Treaties, which ended a century of direct American control over the crucial canal, and deregulated the nation’s airline industry. JIMMY CARTER, 39TH PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES, DEAD AT 100 Carter was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 2002 for his efforts to find peaceful solutions when dealing with international conflicts, leaving many world leaders to applaud his work promoting economic and social development as well as human rights. “We express our heartfelt condolences to the American people and to the family of former US President Jimmy Carter on his passing. He was a leader who served during a time when Ukraine was not yet independent, yet his heart stood firmly with us in our ongoing fight for freedom. We deeply appreciate his steadfast commitment to Christian faith and democratic values, as well as his unwavering support for Ukraine in the face of Russia’s unprovoked aggression. He devoted his life to promoting peace in the world and defending human rights. Today, let us remember: peace matters, and the world must remain united in standing against those who threaten these values. May his memory be eternal,” said Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky. Long-time allies of the U.S. the Royal Family’s King Charles also took to social media to express his sorrow.  “It was with great sadness that I learned of the death of former President Carter. He was a committed public servant, and devoted his life to promoting peace and human rights. His dedication and humility served as an inspiration to many, and I remember with great fondness his visit to the United Kingdom in 1977. My thoughts and prayers are with President Carter’s family and the American people at this time.” JIMMY, ROSALYNN CARTER’S HABITAT FOR HUMANITY LEGACY WILL CONTINUE, ORGANIZATION SAYS Carter died at his home in Georgia surrounded by his family. “My father was a hero, not only to me but to everyone who believes in peace, human rights, and unselfish love,” said Chip Carter, the former president’s son. “My brothers, sister, and I shared him with the rest of the world through these common beliefs. The world is our family because of the way he brought people together, and we thank you for honoring his memory by continuing to live these shared beliefs.”