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Newsom vetoes slew of bills over the weekend, bucks Dem legislature on progressive initiatives

California Gov. Gavin Newsom tossed out a slew of bills over the weekend, bucking several of his Democratic Party’s more progressive initiatives on things like standards for transgender care, regulating gas stoves and providing additional benefits for noncitizens. Newsom, who has had to review more than 1,000 bills over the last few months ahead of Monday’s legislative deadline, vetoed AB 2442, AB 2513 and SB 227.  AB 2442, which would have expedited medical licenses for applicants seeking to perform transgender surgical procedures and abortions, was declined by Newsom on Friday.  NEWSOM’S DEEPFAKE ELECTION LAWS ARE ALREADY BEING CHALLENGED IN FEDERAL COURT “As the number of applicants who qualify for expedited licensure grows through legislation, the benefits of mandated prioritization may start to diminish, at the expense of potential negative impacts to other applicants,” Newsom said in his veto letter. “Additionally, the increase in staff needed to ensure expedited applications may lead to licensing fee increases.” AB 2513 – a bill that would have required gas stoves to be sold with a warning label on them for potential toxins emitted – was also a hotly debated bill in the legislature but ultimately shot down by Newsom and dubbed a “static approach” that would fail to allow for timely updates to labeling content according to the most up-to-date scientific knowledge.  “While I appreciate the author’s intent to provide consumers with information about the products they purchase, I am concerned that this bill codifies highly prescriptive labeling content that could only be changed by a future statutory amendment,” Newsom said in the veto letter. 800-PLUS BILLS LEFT ON NEWSOM’S DESK ILLUSTRATE CALIFORNIA’S OVERRGULATION PROBLEM: EXPERTS Among the progressive bills shot down was also SB 227, which would’ve required the Employment Development Department (EDD) to create an Excluded Workers Program to provide unemployment-style benefits to noncitizens.  Newsom said that while “California has taken taken important steps to advance inclusion and equity for undocumented workers and mixed-status families who contribute significantly to California’s economy and local communities,” Congress must uphold its duty to create solutions that offer a legitimate pathway to citizenship for long-term residents who have made significant contributions. NEWSOM VETOES BILL THAT WOULD LET NONCITIZEN STUDENTS WORK AT STATE’S PUBLIC UNIVERSITIES “We can have a fair immigration system that works for families, U.S. workers, and employers, and also have a safe border,” Newsom said. “However, this bill sets impractical timelines, has operational issues, and requires funding that was not included in the budget.” Also on Sunday, Newsom vetoed a bill to create safety measures for large artificial intelligence models, which would have been the first such law in the nation.  CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP Some high-profile bipartisan bills aren’t immune to being tossed out, either. Last week, Newsom vetoed a bipartisan accountability legislation that would’ve required more accountability and data reporting on the state’s spiraling homelessness crisis. Already, Newsom has signed a package of public safety bills aimed at reducing organized retail theft. He’s also vetoed a number of progressive bills, including several that would have expanded aid to illegal immigrants through housing loans and permitted employment through the University of California (UC) system, and a reparations package for Black residents. Promising to tackle the mental health crisis among young people, the blue state governor also signed a historic bill restricting cellphones in schools. Newsom often vetoes bills if they appear redundant or the cost would further burden the state’s budget shortfall, according to a CalMatters analysis. Last year, Newsom vetoed 156 bills and signed 890, reflecting a veto rate of about 15%, similar to the previous year. His veto rate in 2021 was under 8%.

Texas’ economy could take a hit if Houston dockworkers’ strike persists

Workers who load and unload shipping containers from cargo ships are at an impasse in labor contract negotiations.

Pentagon plans to shrink US ‘footprint’ in Iraq, but declines to say by how much

The Pentagon has finalized plans to wrap up the U.S.-led mission to fight ISIS by next year, with many U.S. troops leaving the bases they have occupied for much of the past two decades.  The Biden administration insists their plan is not to fully pull out of the nation but declined to say how many of the 2,500 troops currently stationed in Iraq will remain.  “I think it’s fair to say that, you know, our footprint is going to be changing within the country,” Pentagon deputy press secretary Sabrina Singh told reporters Friday. The Iraqi government announced earlier this month it had reached a deal with the Biden administration to remove most U.S. troops from its nation over the next two years.  U.S. officials disputed characterizations of the plan as a withdrawal, prompting confusion about what the American presence there would look like over the coming months.  “I’d like to emphasize that this is an evolution of the military mission in Iraq,” a senior Biden administration official said.  The current mission is now set to end by September 2025.  The notion of pulling troops out of Iraq has prompted concerns about a lack of support for the 900 troops currently stationed in Syria.  US, IRAQ TEAM UP TO KILL 15 ISIS OPERATIVES “Not only will it undercut the fight against ISIS, but more importantly, in the effort to restrain Iran, forces in Iraq — particularly in the Kurdish north — are very important. We need Iraq forces in order to support our troops in northeast Syria,” Ambassador James Jeffrey, former presidential envoy to the coalition to combat ISIS in Iraq, told Fox News Digital.  “We have a very effective ally there, the Kurds, the Syrian Kurds, that we want to not abandon,” he went on, adding that a U.S. withdrawal would allow space for Russia and Iran to tighten their grip on the nation.  “​​At the end of the day, it’s a decision of the Iraqi Government, and if the Iraqi government is being pressured by the Iranians, just as they were in 2011, and want us out, then we have no choice.” Tehran and its influence have infiltrated the Iraqi government in a way that some say means a U.S. presence indirectly benefits Iran.  “With the current Iraqi government heavily influenced by Iranian-backed Shia factions, including the Popular Mobilization Front, maintaining U.S. troops doesn’t effectively counterbalance Iran. In fact, our resources end up indirectly benefiting those aligned with Iranian interests, making this a misguided strategy,” director of Concerned Veterans for America and Iraq War veteran Jason Beardsley told Fox News Digital. “ISIS may be a challenge, but it’s a challenge that the government of Iraq should be handling themselves.” HARROWING FOOTAGE SHOWS US TROOPS BEING FIRED AT  Baghdad and Washington have “reached an understanding” that U.S. forces in Syria will be supported from a presence on the Iraqi side of the border through at least September 2026.  U.S. Central Command announced over the weekend that forces in Syria had conducted two targeted strikes in Syria that killed 37 terrorists, including leaders of ISIS and Huras al-Din, an al Qaeda affiliate.  U.S. forces in Iraq, Syria and Jordan have come under increased attacks since the eruption of war between Israel and Hamas in Gaza nearly a year ago.  Three U.S. troops were killed by a drone attack in January at a U.S. base in Jordan supporting operations in Syria.  American forces have responded with periodic airstrikes in response, such as in July near Baghdad, which have drawn sharp rebuke from the Iraqi public.  Last month, seven U.S. troops were wounded in an operation to target ISIS in western Iraq.  At the same time, troops are planning to depart Iraq, elsewhere in the Middle East the U.S. military presence is growing. U.S. officials announced Monday a “few thousand” more troops would be added to the roughly 40,000 service members deployed in the region. 

‘Gone to Adani’s pocket’: LoP Rahul Gandhi claims BJP govt intends to snatch away pensions from Agniveers

Rahul Gandhi criticises the Agnipath scheme claiming it deprives Agniveers of pension benefits to benefit industrialist Gautam Adani.

VA employees improperly accessed JD Vance, Tim Walz’s medical records, prompting criminal probe: report

At least a dozen staffers at the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs improperly accessed the medical records of both vice presidential nominees, Republican Sen. JD Vance, of Ohio, and Democratic Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, over the summer, according to a report.  Those employees are under criminal investigation for potentially violating federal health privacy laws, The Washington Post reported. The unauthorized views came from staffers within the Veterans Health Administration and were uncovered by Veterans Affairs investigators, who notified the Vance and Walz campaigns, sources familiar with the probe told the Post.  It’s the first time veterans were both parties’ vice presidential nominees since Democrat Al Gore and Republican Jack Kemp during the 1996 election.  Law enforcement officials told the Post that VA Inspector General Michael Missal’s office shared evidence with federal prosecutors related to several health system employees, including a physician and a contractor who “spent extended time” viewing the medical files of former President Donald Trump and Vice President Kamala Harris’ running mates.  FOX NEWS MEDIA WILL PRESENT SPECIAL LIVE PROGRAMMING OF VANCE-WALZ DEBATE The potential motive for accessing the medical records is under investigation, and investigators are still trying to determine if Vance and Walz’s information was shared as a result of the breaches, the Post reported.  “We reported to law enforcement allegations that VA personnel may have improperly accessed Veteran records,” VA Press Secretary Terrence Hayes said in a statement to Fox News Digital, regarding the report. “We take the privacy of the Veterans we serve very seriously and have strict policies in place to protect their records. Any attempt to improperly access Veteran records by VA personnel is unacceptable and will not be tolerated.”  Hayes referred Fox News Digital to the Department of Justice for further queries. The VA employees under investigation, including the physician and contractor, accessed the medical records using their VA computers and did so mostly from their government offices, the Post reported. Some of the staffers in question reportedly told investigators they were simply curious to see the files of Vance and Walz given both candidates have defended their military records on the campaign trail.  JD VANCE ACCUSES TIM WALZ OF ‘LYING’ ABOUT MILITARY SERVICE: ‘STOLEN VALOR GARBAGE’ Walz in particular faced criticism for ending his 24-year career in the Army National Guard to run for Congress months before his unit would deploy to Iraq.  Vance, who served four years in the U.S. Marines and deployed to Iraq for about six months in 2005, has accused Walz of being “dishonest” about having served in combat zones.  Law enforcement officials told the Post that the VA staffers under investigation did not access any disability compensation records, which have more security protocols than health information.  A source at VA shared with Fox News Digital an internal memo sent out Aug. 30, 2024, by VA Secretary Denis McDonough “upholding our commitment to protect privacy.”  The message reminded VA staffers that veteran information “should only be accessed when necessary to accomplish officially authorized and assigned duties as an employee, contractor, volunteer, or other personnel.” The secretary said “viewing a Veteran’s records out of curiosity or concern – or for any purpose that is not directly related to officially authorized and assigned duties – is strictly prohibited.”  The memo also warned VA employees that “failure to comply with these requirements may result in disciplinary action, including removal, as well as referral to law enforcement for civil penalties and criminal prosecution.” 

Harris-Trump showdown: Hurricane Helene in eye of the campaign storm

As the death toll and devastation from Hurricane Helene soars in the southeast, both Vice President Kamala Harris and former President Donald Trump will be briefed by officials on Monday, as the destructive storm is smack in the middle of the White House race with just over five weeks until Election Day. Trump will make a stop in Valdosta, Georgia, to receive a briefing on the devastation, assist with relief distribution and “deliver remarks to the press,” according to his campaign. Harris headed back to Washington, D.C., on Monday morning, cutting short a western campaign swing. The White House said the vice president would travel to Federal Emergency Management Agency headquarters once she arrives in the nation’s capital, where she will be briefed on the impact of the hurricane and the federal response to support rescue and recovery efforts. HEAD HERE FOR THE LATEST FOX NEWS REPORTING ON HELENE’S HAVOC Over 100 people have been killed by Helene since the hurricane made landfall in Florida late Thursday before tearing a path of destruction through the interior Southeast. The storm sparked millions of power outages and billions of dollars in property damage as it smashed through the southern Appalachian Mountains and into the Tennessee Valley.  SCENES FROM THE STORM’S PATH OF DESTRUCTION Among the hardest hit states were North Carolina and Georgia, two of the seven key battlegrounds whose razor-thin margins decided President Biden’s 2020 election victory over Trump and are expected to determine the outcome of the 2024 showdown between Harris and Trump. Trump at a Sunday rally in battleground Pennsylvania took aim at the administration and Harris over the storm, accusing the president of “sleeping” at his beach house in Delaware as the storm blasted the Southeast. Biden returned to the nation’s capital on Sunday afternoon to monitor federal relief efforts. The White House noted that over 3,300 federal workers have been deployed to support storm response efforts in the impacted states, and at least 50,000 personnel from across the country and Canada are responding to the massive power outages in affected areas.  Biden told reporters the federal government is giving states “everything we have” to assist with their response to the storm. CHECK OUT THE LATEST FOX NEWS POLLING IN THE HARRIS-TRUMP SHOWDOWN Biden said he would tour the storm-damaged areas later this week as long as his presence on the ground would not hamper rescue and recovery efforts. Trump, at his Sunday rally, attacked Harris for attending “fundraising events with her radical left lunatic donors” in California this weekend. He argued that Harris “ought to be down in the area” where the storm caused destruction. The White House said Harris spoke Sunday with the governors of Florida, Georgia, and North Carolina and that “the Vice President intends to visit impacted communities as soon as it is possible without disrupting emergency response operations.” In a Saturday statement, Harris said that she and the president “remain committed to ensuring that no community or state has to respond to this disaster alone.” The response by elected officials to natural disasters can vastly impact their political fortunes on the campaign trail. Trump faced criticism early in his White House tenure as Puerto Rico struggled to recover from a powerful storm. The then-president was criticized for throwing paper towels to the crowd as he stopped by a relief center during a storm-related visit to the island. Get the latest updates from the 2024 campaign trail, exclusive interviews and more at our Fox News Digital election hub.

FLASHBACK: Walz doubled down on support for government-run health care during gubernatorial campaign

Minnesota’s Democratic Gov. Tim Walz, who is currently running to be the next vice president of the United States, once said in a gubernatorial debate that he supports “single-payer health care,” also known as “Medicare-for-all.” “I think that’s probably the path where we end up,” Walz said in a 2018 debate while running for governor when asked, “Are you for single-payer?” “And I say that because, be very clear about this, there were no protections for preexisting conditions before the ACA,” Walz continued. “A vote for the ACA was the first time in this nation’s history we had those protections and making sure people have that protection, making sure they were covered, and then making sure we were focused on preventative care, people were finally getting that under the ACA, we started to see health outcomes improve and that’s the real key to driving down insurance premium prices.” Walz went on to say “let’s be very clear” that there is “no market in health care.” MINNESOTA GOP LEADER SOUNDS ALARM ON WALZ TRYING TO ‘BAMBOOZLE’ RURAL VOTERS: ‘BERNIE SANDERS IN FLANNEL’ “Because markets by nature would be a failure if someone didn’t have it, there’s not going to be, you cannot simply shrink a pool to the sickest people and say that’s where we are going to manage them when they’re in crisis. That’s not the way to go about this. The way to go about this is making sure everybody has that preventative care, making sure everybody has that access on the front end, you start to drive down prices. The ACA did that.” Walz’s opponent, Republican Jeff Johnson, then pressed Walz on the issue. “I’m not sure what your answer was. Do you support single-payer health care?” “Yes,” Walz said. “That was the answer I just gave you.” WALZ BLASTED FOR HUDDLING WITH GEORGE SOROS’ SON AT NYC LUXURY APARTMENT: ‘BILLIONAIRE NEPO BABY’ Johnson interjected, “Are you for it?” “Yes,” Walz said. “I’m going to push for not paying twice as much as any other industrialized nation. Getting half for it. I’m making sure that the 14 top nations that get the best returns at the least cost make sure you cut out that piece that is simply payer getting between people and their doctors.” When Johnson countered that “single-payer” means “everybody loses their insurance” and “forced on to one government plan,” Walz countered, “We can do better.” The comments from Walz come under the backdrop of Vice President Kamala Harris supporting “Medicare-for-all” when she ran for president in 2019. However, in August, her campaign claimed she will not push the subject of single-payer or “Medicare-for-all” during the campaign. In 2019, Fox News spoke to Harris in the hallways of Capitol Hill, asking about her plans for providing health care. “How important is it to your health care plan to get rid of private insurance companies? Because there is some confusion about that,” Peter Doocy asked Harris on Jan. 30, 2019. “I’m glad you asked. Yeah. So, the bottom line and the most important is that everyone have access to health care,” Harris said. “That is the goal. That is the purpose for me supporting the policy of ‘Medicare-for-all.’ “If Congress votes in a way that reflects the values and desires of the American people, then Congress will vote for a policy that gives everyone access to health care,” she later said. Her proposed solution was to provide “Medicare-for-all” because “Medicare works” and “it’s popular.” “‘Medicare-for-all‘ will cover all medically necessary services, including emergency room visits, doctor visits, vision, dental, hearing aids, mental health, and substance-use disorder treatment, and comprehensive reproductive health care services,” Harris wrote. “It will also allow the Secretary of Health and Human Services to negotiate for lower prescription drug prices.” Fox News Digital reached out to the Harris-Walz campaign for comment but did not receive a response. Fox News’ Greg Wehner and Peter Doocy contributed reporting.

‘Whoever gets elected’: Vulnerable Dem Tester digs in heels on not endorsing Harris

Vulnerable Sen. Jon Tester, D-Mont., is continuing to defend his decision not to endorse in the 2024 presidential race ahead of his tough re-election, but the Democrat’s opponent suggests his “record” signals support for Vice President Kamala Harris. Tester recently revealed that he would not be making an endorsement in the presidential race in order to focus on his re-election, despite being a key player in Harris’ recruitment to the Senate. Tester served as chair of the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee (DSCC) from 2015 to 2017, leading the efforts of the campaign arm to elect Democrats to the chamber when Harris first announced her senatorial aspirations. And after Harris launched her California Senate bid, the Los Angeles Times reported in January 2015 that, according to an adviser, Tester was one of the players who encouraged her to run. Asked again about withholding an endorsement, Tester’s response was that he would work with or hold accountable whichever presidential candidate gets elected. KAMALA HARRIS ISN’T ALONE: VULNERABLE DEMS WANT CURRENT FILIBUSTER GONE “Unfortunately, my opponent would rather talk about a national race that will be decided by the people of Montana. Whoever gets elected to the U.S. president, I can guarantee you one thing, just like all previous ones, I’ll work with them when they’re doing good things for Montana, and I’ll hold them accountable when they’re not,” Tester told MTN News in an interview. NEW YORKER SPENDS LARGE PART OF KAMALA HARRIS ENDORSEMENT REBUKING BIDEN: HE ‘STOOD IN THE WAY’ Tester endorsed Harris when she was selected as President Biden’s 2020 running mate. “My friend @KamalaHarris is a proven fighter and an excellent pick for Vice President. As VP, I’m confident she will continue to fight for working families across this country. Looking forward to supporting her and @JoeBiden in November,” Tester wrote in an August 2020 post on X, formerly known as Twitter. Montana Republican nominee and Navy SEAL Tim Sheehy, who endorsed former President Trump in the presidential race, suggested that Tester’s voting record is his endorsement for Harris. “Jon Tester votes with Kamala Harris 95% of the time. His voting record is his endorsement of the failed Harris agenda, and every time Montanans needed him to stop the insanity in Washington, he was the deciding vote to further her progressive liberal agenda,” a spokesperson for Sheehy for Montana told Fox News Digital.  “That same agenda has made costs for things like groceries and gas skyrocket, it’s brought us record high inflation, and has given us a wide-open southern border that has brought crime and deadly drugs into our communities. Tester also voted to allow benefits for illegal immigrants paid for by the American taxpayer – a hallmark of the Harris agenda. We can’t afford to re-elect Jon Tester because his voting record in Washington proves he’s changed and is and will continue to support the radical America Last agenda.” Tester is running for re-election in red state Montana, a race that could likely determine which party controls the chamber, and recent polling and political forecaster predictions suggest that Sheehy is currently leading the race just weeks before Election Day. A recent AARP survey found that Sheehy is leading by six percentage points in a head-to-head matchup against Tester. His lead against Tester widened to eight points in a multi-candidate field that included the state’s Green Party and Libertarian candidates. The Cook Political Report, an independent nonpartisan elections handicapper, recently shifted the race from “toss-up” to “lean Republican,” while Sabato’s Crystal Ball at the University of Virginia’s Center for Politics moved the race to “leans Republican.” Tester’s campaign did not respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment at the time of publication.

‘He impregnated his kid’s nanny’: Psaki ripped after claiming Emhoff ‘reshaped’ masculinity

Social media critics are dragging second gentleman Doug Emhoff for his previously admitted affair with his family’s nanny after he joined MSNBC host Jen Psaki for an interview where he was lauded for reshaping “the perception of masculinity.” “​​Psaki to Doug Emhoff: ‘You reshaped the perception of masculinity’ PS: He impregnated his kid’s nanny,” popular conservative X account End Wokeness posted Sunday.  The account was reacting to a snippet from Emhoff’s interview with Psaki, who previously served as President Biden’s White House press secretary before joining MSNBC, where Psaki heaped praise on Emhoff for reshaping masculinity.  KAMALA HARRIS’ HUSBAND DOUG EMHOFF ‘RESHAPED THE PERCEPTION OF MASCULINITY’: MSNBC HOST “There is also an important, interesting part about how people have talked about your role is how your role has reshaped the perception of masculinity,” Psaki said. “I’m not sure you planned on that, but you are an incredibly supportive spouse. Has that been an evolution for you? Do you think that’s part of the role you might play as first gentleman?” “It’s funny. I’ve started to think a lot about this. I’ve always been like this. My dad’s always been like this. To me, it’s the right thing to do, support women. It is mutual with Kamala and I. We support each other, we have each other’s back,” Emhoff responded.  He added, “I’ve said many times when we lift up women, we support women, whether it’s pay equity, child care, family leave, and all of these issues in this post-Dobbs hellscape. Women should not be less than. Women should not have less rights and be treated differently. That’s not the American way.” MSNBC CONTRIBUTOR: TRUMP APPEALS TO MEN WITH ‘RETRO, MACHO’ VIEWS, WHILE EMHOFF EMBODIES ‘SUPPORTIVE’ MEN Clips of the exchange spread like wildfire on social media as critics cited that just last month, Emhoff admitted to having an affair with his family’s nanny during his first marriage years ago. The nanny’s close friend claimed to the media that the nanny became pregnant during the affair with Emhoff, but did not keep the baby.  Critics also slammed Psaki for the “softball interiew.”  “Emhoff also once impregnated his child’s nanny. Jen still says she’s a journalist,” Fox News contributor Joe Concha posted on X in reaction to the clip.  Psaki continued in the interview that aired Sunday by asking Emhoff if he’s familiar with “a pop-culture phrase, ‘wife guy,’ which you’ve kind of been known as.” KAMALA HARRIS’ HUSBAND DOUG EMHOFF ADMITS TO EXTRAMARITAL AFFAIR THAT LED TO BREAKUP OF FIRST MARRIAGE “I have heard about it,” Emhoff said. “A ‘wife guy,’ a ‘proud wife guy.’ How do you feel about it?” she asked. DOUG EMHOFF’S EX-WIFE RESPONDS AFTER SECOND GENTLEMAN ADMITTED TO AFFAIR WITH NANNY Emhoff joked, “If I do something annoying to Kamala, and she gets upset, I’ll just show her that article.” Emhoff admitted to having an affair with his family’s nanny shortly after the Daily Mail published a report in August that he got his daughter’s nanny pregnant. The nanny’s close friend told the outlet that she did not keep the baby, but did not elaborate further.  The affair with a nanny occurred before Emhoff’s relationship with and eventual marriage to Harris.  “During my first marriage, Kerstin and I went through some tough times on account of my actions. I took responsibility, and in the years since, we worked through things as a family and have come out stronger on the other side,” Emhoff said over the summer, acknowledging the affair, but not naming the nanny.  HOW KAMALA HARRIS’ HUSBAND’S CHEATING SCANDAL COULD HELP TRUMP, EXPERT SAYS Emhoff and his first wife, Kerstin Emhoff, were married from 1992 to 2008 and share two adult children. Harris married Emhoff in 2014, and helped co-parent his children, who call their stepmom “mommala.”  The divorce cited “irreconcilable differences” as the motivation behind parting ways, the New York Post reported.  CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP Harris knew about the affair before they married, and the Biden 2020 campaign knew about it when it was vetting her for Biden’s vice presidential pick. Fox News Digital reached out to the Harris campaign for comment on the interview and social media reactions as well as for comment on the affair itself, but did not immediately receive a response.  Fox News Digital’s Lindsay Kornick contributed to this report.  Get the latest updates from the 2024 campaign trail, exclusive interviews and more at our Fox News Digital election hub.

What is Green War Room, created to curb Delhi air pollution?

The Delhi government has launched a 24×7 ‘Green War Room’ and a 21-point Winter Action Plan to combat air pollution incorporating technology and public participation.