Fox News Politics: Unbiased juror quest
Welcome to Fox News’ Politics newsletter with the latest political news from Washington D.C. and updates from the 2024 campaign trail. What’s happening? – White House says Biden will not testify in Hunter’s business investigations – Fetterman calls out anti-Israeli agitators in profanity-laced social media post – Soros nonprofit becomes huge spender in 2024 election The second day of jury selection in former President Trump’s Manhattan criminal trial saw a similar dynamic play out: Many New Yorkers don’t think they can be impartial when it comes to the presumptive Republican nominee. More than 50 of the original 96 prospective jurors were excused Monday, some of them admitting they could not serve as impartial jurors. Several were excused due to other issues. On Tuesday, several more were dismissed from the pool of nearly 100. Some said that after further consideration, they simply did not think they could be impartial towards the divisive former president. Nevertheless, six jurors were sworn in by late Tuesday afternoon — one half of the 12 needed. The court will also select a handful of alternate jurors. One of the jurors excused (for scheduling reasons) told reporters outside the courtroom that though she was not a fan of Trump, she believed she could have been impartial in the trial. “Everyone was really taking it upon themselves to step in and do civic duty here, regardless of what people came into it thinking about the defendant,” the excused juror said. NOT CONVINCED: Only 35% of US adults think Trump broke the law in NY hush money case, poll finds …Read more JAIL TIME THREAT: Prosecutor wants to hold Trump in contempt for alleged gag order violations, threatens 30 days of jail time …Read more ‘TRUMP-HATING’: Trump kicks off second day of hush money trial railing against ‘conflicted’ judge …Read more TRAIL TO A TRIAL: House delivers impeachment articles against Biden official to Senate …Read more ‘NO IMPAIRMENT’: AG Garland pressed on Hur report …Read more BIDEN STAYING SILENT: White House says president will not testify regarding ties to Hunter’s businesses, deems impeachment probe ‘over’ …Read more ‘POSITIVE DEVELOPMENT’: Biden touted niece’s China role in revealing Obama-era speech that could haunt re-election …Read more ‘UTOPIAN FANTASY’: Biden adviser’s 6-month-old claim comes back to haunt him after Iran attacks Israel …Read more WORLD WAR: Johnson likely forced to see Dem help amid GOP rebellion over border …Read more CHOICE WORDS: Democrat Fetterman calls out anti-Israel agitators in profanity-laced social media post …Read more HOLY WAR: Speaker Johnson says it’s U.S.’s ‘biblical admonition’ to help Israel …Read more ABORTION REPORTS: New bill from Tommy Tuberville that would require quarterly reporting from the VA on abortions …Read more PROTECTING BATTLEGROUNDS: Senate Dems reveal $79M ad plan ahead of pivotal battleground match ups …Read more BIG BUCKS: Soros nonprofit drops eye-popping amount of cash into 2024 election cycle …Read more ON THE ROAD AGAIN: Biden returns to campaign trail as Trump forced to remain in court for second day of New York hush money trial …Read more Subscribe now to get Fox News Politics newsletter in your inbox. Get the latest updates from the 2024 campaign trail, exclusive interviews and more on FoxNews.com.
Trial for ex-FBI informant accused of fabricating Biden bribery story delayed until after 2024 election
The trial for Alexander Smirnov, the ex-FBI informant who has been charged with making false statements related to Joe Biden and Hunter Biden’s business ties in Ukraine, has been delayed until early December, just weeks after the 2024 presidential election. Smirnov’s trial had been scheduled to begin in Los Angeles April 23, but special counsel David Weiss and Smirnov’s defense attorneys filed a joint stipulation motion last week requesting additional time to prepare for the trial. Smirnov’s attorneys said a failure to grant the time would “deny them reasonable time necessary for effective preparation, taking into account the exercise of due diligence.” The motion also pointed to additional time necessary to bring classified material into discovery, noting they would have to go through the Classified Procedures Act. FBI INFORMANT CHARGED WITH GIVING FALSE INFORMATION ABOUT HUNTER BIDEN IN 2020 U.S. District Judge Otis Wright, who is presiding over the trial, granted the request. Smirnov’s trial is now scheduled to begin Dec. 3 at 9:30 a.m. Weiss charged Smirnov, 43, in February after he alleged Joe Biden and Hunter Biden were paid millions in exchange for their help in firing a Ukrainian prosecutor who was at the time investigating the Ukrainian energy firm Burisma Holdings. Hunter Biden sat on the board of that company when Shokin was removed from his post. JUDGE RULES NO BAIL RELEASE FOR FBI INFORMANT ACCUSED OF LYING ABOUT BIDEN BUSINESS TIES Prosecutors have accused Smirnov of peddling lies “that could impact U.S. elections,” highlighting his alleged lies about a supposed multimillion-dollar bribery scheme involving the Bidens and Burisma Holdings. Prosecutors say Smirnov falsely told his handler that Burisma executives paid Vice President Joe Biden and his son Hunter $5 million each around 2015. Smirnov pleaded not guilty to making a false statement. He is being held without bail after a judge denied his request for release. Wright ordered that Smirnov remain in detention ahead of his trial in April, concurring with prosecutors who argued he presented a high flight risk. It is unclear whether Smirnov will remain in detention until December. According to the indictment, Smirnov gave “false derogatory information” to the FBI despite “repeated admonishments that he must provide truthful information and that he must not fabricate evidence.” The indictment says Smirnov told an FBI agent in March 2017 that he had a phone call with Burisma’s owner concerning the firm potentially acquiring a U.S. company and making an initial public offering (IPO) on a U.S-based stock exchange. In reporting this conversation to the FBI agent, Smirnov said Hunter Biden was a board member of Burisma, though this was publicly known. Smirnov is accused of having told the FBI for the first time In June 2020 about two meetings he had four to five years earlier, where executives associated with Burisma supposedly admitted they hired Hunter Biden to “protect us, through his dad, from all kinds of problems.” During this meeting, the indictment alleges, Smirnov said the executives paid $5 million to each of the Bidens while Joe Biden was still in office. The indictment alleges Smirnov falsely claimed the Bidens were paid so that Hunter Biden, with his dad’s help, could take care of a criminal investigation being conducted by then-Ukrainian Prosecutor General Viktor Shokin into Burisma. BIDENS ALLEGEDLY ‘COERCED’ BURISMA CEO TO PAY THEM MILLIONS TO HELP GET UKRAINE PROSECUTOR FIRED: FBI FORM The indictment alleges this information given by Smirnov in June 2020 was a fabrication. Prosecutors say Smirnov did have contact with Burisma executives in 2017, but when Joe Biden was out of public office and had no ability to influence U.S. policy and after the Ukrainian Prosecutor General had been fired in February 2016. The indictment alleges Smirnov transformed his “routine and unextraordinary” business contacts with Burisma in 2017 and later bribery allegations against Joe Biden after expressing bias against him and his presidential candidacy. Smirnov is accused of repeating some of his false claims during an interview with FBI agents in September 2023, while changing other bits of information and promoting a new false narrative after claiming to have met with Russian officials. If convicted, Smirnov faces a maximum of 25 years in prison. House Oversight Committee Chairman James Comer and GOP Sen. Chuck Grassley were approached by a whistleblower last summer who alleged the FBI was in possession of a document — an FD-1023 form, dated June 30, 2020 — which explicitly detailed information provided by a confidential source alleging Biden, while serving as vice president, was involved in a multimillion-dollar scheme with a foreign national in exchange for influence over policy decisions. The source told Fox News Digital the confidential source was used by the FBI for “at least several years,” dating back to the Obama administration, before the FD-1023 form, and was “found to be highly credible” by the FBI. House Republicans demanded the FBI turn over the document, but FBI Director Christopher Wray refused a request from Comer and Grassley last summer for the public release of the form because the bureau “claimed it would jeopardize the safety of a confidential human source who they claimed was invaluable to the FBI.” Wray was at risk of being held in contempt of Congress and eventually brought the FD-1023 form to Capitol Hill for House lawmakers to review in a secure location. Fox News Digital first reported on the contents of the document. An FD-1023 form is used by FBI agents to record unverified reporting from confidential human sources. The form is used to document information as told to an FBI agent, but recording that information does not validate or weigh it against other information known by the FBI. Comer said the FBI’s FD-1023 form is not being used in the impeachment inquiry against the president.
Ukraine prime minister calls for more investment in war-torn country during Chicago stop of US visit
CHICAGO (AP) — Ukraine Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal kicked off a United States visit Tuesday with multiple stops in Chicago aimed at drumming up investment and business in the war-torn country. He spoke to Chicago-area business leaders before a joint news conference with Penny Pritzker, the U.S. special representative for Ukraine’s economic recovery, and her brother, Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker. UKRAINE PRIME MINISTER URGES US AID APPROVAL FOR AMMUNITION TO END RUSSIA’S INVASION Shmyhal’s trip comes comes as Congress is considering an aid package for Ukraine, Israel and other allies. “We would warmly welcome the participation of Illinois companies in projects related to the recovery of Ukraine,” he told reporters, calling it the country’s “most difficult time” in recent history. He cited World Bank estimates of $486 billion needed for recovery over the next decade. For example, more than 250,000 residential buildings have been damaged or destroyed since Russia invaded in 2022, he said. Shmyhal also thanked Illinois for sending hundreds of ambulances. Penny Pritzker, former U.S. Commerce secretary, said the U.S. aid package is critical to save Ukraine’s economy and win the war. She said the mission was also personal with her family’s Ukrainian roots. The Pritzkers are heirs to their family’s Hyatt hotel fortune. Their great-grandfather fled Kyiv, Ukraine, more than 140 years ago, Penny Pritzker said.
Sen Hawley calls on Energy Secretary Granholm to resign in heated exchange over stock trades
Sen. Josh Hawley, R-Mo., called on Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm to resign Tuesday following a heated exchange over her past financial transactions. Hawley’s tense back-and-forth with Granholm came during a Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee hearing held to review the Department of Energy’s (DOE) 2025 budget request. The Missouri Republican excoriated the energy secretary for violating the STOCK Act and for continuing to own shares of individual companies last year despite testifying that she did not own any individual stock. “It is outrageous that you misled us. It is outrageous that you are continuing to mislead us,” Hawley remarked. “This has got to change. And, frankly, you should go.” Early in her tenure leading the Department of Energy, it was revealed that Granholm violated the STOCK Act nine times by failing to disclose $240,000 worth of stock sales within the legally-mandated time frame. GOP REP CALLS FOR IMPEACHMENT INQUIRY INTO BIDEN ENERGY SECRETARY GRANHOLM: ‘SHE LIED, UNDER OATH’ And separately, in a June 2023 letter to Energy and Natural Resource Committee leadership, Granholm said she owned shares of six unnamed individual companies worth up to $120,000 and that her husband owned $2,457.89 worth of shares in Ford Motor Co. at the time of her under-oath testimony before the panel months prior. During the April 20, 2023, hearing, Granholm told Hawley that she was “not owning individual stocks.” After discovering her and her husband’s ownership of stock, Granholm sold her husband’s Ford shares on May 15, 2023, and sold her remaining individual stock holdings days later, according to her letter. BIDEN ENERGY SECRETARY REVEALS STOCK OWNERSHIP OF EV LOBBY GROUP FOUNDING COMPANY “You neglected to report it to this committee for months afterwards,” Hawley asked Granholm during the hearing Tuesday. “Why did you mislead this committee?” “Oh, my goodness,” Granholm responded. “I believed that I had sold all individual stocks, and I was incorrect. So, I came back as soon as I found out that, in fact, I had not sold all individual stocks.” Hawley then interrupted her, saying she had waited a month before informing the committee of the transactions. “I did not hide it because I brought it forth to the committee when I realized that we had made a mistake,” Granholm added. In addition, the GOP lawmaker blasted Granholm for allowing agency employees to own individual stocks. Last year, the Wall Street Journal reported that hundreds of senior DOE officials owned stocks related to the agency’s work, a potential conflict-of-interest violation. He said that senior DOE officials owning stocks reveals the “institutionalized corruption in the Department of Energy.” Granholm responded by saying officials strictly own stocks in companies in areas they do not have any influence over. She also said the agency has a strong ethics office that reviews relevant transactions.
China pushing US fentanyl crisis, House panel report reveals
The Chinese Communist Party (CCP) has subsidized the manufacturing and export of materials used to make fentanyl and other synthetic drugs, according to a new House report. The bipartisan report found that under the leadership of the CCP, the People’s Republic of China (PRC) gives tax rebates and grants to companies that make certain fentanyl and synthetic drug precursors used by drug traffickers as long as they are sold outside of China. “Through its actions, as our report has revealed, the Chinese Communist Party is telling us that it wants more fentanyl entering our country,” said Rep. Mike Gallagher, the Republican chairman of the special House committee. “It wants the chaos and devastation that has resulted from the epidemic.” The report found that the Chinese government holds ownership interest in several companies tied to drug trafficking, and even thwarted investigations into illicit manufacturers by warning the targets of an investigation when U.S. law enforcement sent a formal request for assistance. GRIEVING MOTHER OF FENTANYL VICTIM CALLS FOR MAYORKAS’ IMPEACHMENT: ‘MY DAUGHTER WAS MURDERED’ The committee also said the PRC has failed to prosecute fentanyl and precursor manufacturers, and found no evidence of new criminal enforcement actions by Beijing. Rep. Raja Krishnamoorthi, D-Ill., the top Democrat on the committee, said Chinese companies are also currently selling synthetic opioids on their websites, and pointed to a screenshot of one such solicitation that committee staff found just Monday night in advance of the hearing. MEXICO FACES DIRE MEDICAL FENTANYL SHORTAGE DESPITE BEING WORLD’ TOP ILLEGAL PRODUCER “There are hundreds of these website posts — hundreds,” Krishnamoorthi said. “This is completely unacceptable.” Gallagher and Krishnamoorthi called for forming a task force to combat the global illicit fentanyl supply chain and advised for more sanctions against those involved in drug trafficking. The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Excused juror reveals selection process for Trump’s hush money trial: ‘Not a fan’
A potential juror in former President Donald Trump’s hush money trial in New York City spoke to the media shortly after she was excused from the pool, highlighting the “serious” mood inside the courtroom. “Definitely serious,” former potential juror Kara McGee, who works in cybersecurity, said on Tuesday. “…Everyone was really taking it upon themselves to step in and do civic duty here, regardless of what people came into it thinking about the defendant.” McGee said that she told the court she could serve as juror in an unbiased manner, while noting in her comment to the media it would be “very difficult for anyone really in this country to not come to this without prior opinions.” “We all have prior opinions on the defendant, unless you’ve been living in a cardbox,” she said. McGee said she was excused from the jury pool due to scheduling conflicts with her employment in cybersecurity. “I’m not a fan,” McGee added of her personal thoughts on Trump. “During COVID-19, I lived with someone who was immunocompromised, and I think his handling of COVID-19 was abysmal,” she said. LIVE UPDATES: TRUMP HUSH MONEY TRIAL ENTERS DAY TWO AS JURY SELECTION CONTINUES The trial kicked off Monday with a pool of 96 jurors, before roughly 50 were excused on the first day for saying they could not be impartial in the case. An additional nine were removed Monday for other reasons. Of that pool, an estimated 35 candidates remained on Tuesday morning, with 14 of those excused by early Tuesday afternoon. TRUMP KICKS OFF DAY TWO OF HUSH MONEY TRIAL DIRECTING IRE AT ‘CONFLICTED’ JUDGE: ‘TRUMP-HATING’ McGee said two of the questions asked of potential jurors most clearly indicated how they felt about Trump and the case. “One of which is: Do you have opinions about the ability for a former sitting president to be tried in a court of law? Which I think the way people answered that showed how they felt about case,” she said. JUDGE PRESIDING OVER TRUMP HUSH MONEY CASE DECLINES TO RECUSE HIMSELF “The other one was: Do you have any opinions about legal limits for campaign finance donation amounts? Which I believe was another one that was kinda meant to gauge feelings about the particular case,” she said. McGee said she did make eye contact with Trump as she was excused from the trial. “I looked at him after I had finished giving final answer … I glanced over at him again, and made eye contact with him, and have no idea what he thought at that moment,” she said of her interaction with Trump. Tuesday is the second day of trial in the hush money case, which marks the first time a former president has stood trial on criminal charges. Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg announced last year that Trump was charged with 34 counts of falsifying business records. The charges stem from the 2016 election cycle, when former Trump attorney Michael Cohen paid former pornographic actor Stormy Daniels $130,000 to allegedly silence her claims she had an extramarital affair with Trump back in 2006. TRUMP CALLS HUSH MONEY TRIAL ‘ASSAULT ON AMERICA’ AS CASE OFFICIALLY KICKS OFF Prosecutors say the Trump Organization reimbursed Cohen for the payment to Daniels and falsely recorded the payments as legal expenses. Prosecutors are working to prove that Trump falsified the records with an intent to commit or conceal a second crime, which is a felony. Trump has repeatedly denied the affair and pleaded not guilty to the charges. Trump spoke to the media earlier Tuesday morning, ahead of entering the courtroom, where he railed against presiding Judge Juan Merchan as a “conflicted” judge. TRUMP TRIAL: JURY SELECTION TO RESUME AFTER POSSIBLE JURORS EXCUSED FOR SAYING THEY COULD NOT BE IMPARTIAL “We have a Trump-hating judge. We have a judge who shouldn’t be on this case. He’s totally conflicted. But this is a trial that should never happen. It should have been thrown out a long time ago,” Trump said Tuesday morning. “It’s a trial that is being looked upon and looked at all over the world. … They’re looking at, analyzing it. Every legal pundit, every legal scholar said this trial is a disgrace,” he added. The trial is anticipated to last at least six weeks, with jury selection expected to last at least a week.
Trump trial: Why can’t Americans see or hear what is going on inside the courtroom?
NEW YORK (AP) — It’s a moment in history — the first U.S. president facing criminal charges in an American courtroom. Yet only a handful of observers are able to see or even hear what is going on. Instead, most of the nation is getting news of former President Donald Trump’s hush money trial secondhand. Starting with preliminary motions and jury selection Monday, reporters in a Manhattan courtroom must convey what is being said to the outside world after the fact. TRUMP TRIAL: JURY SELECTION TO RESUME AFTER POSSIBLE JURORS EXCUSED FOR SAYING THEY COULD NOT BE IMPARTIAL That’s all because New York state law regarding media coverage of court proceedings is one of the most restrictive in the country. Last week’s death of O.J. Simpson, whose murder trial beamed live from a California courtroom captivated a nation three decades ago, was a telling reminder of how New York is behind the times — or, at least, a holdout. WHY WON’T NEW YORK LET ME SEE IT? Regulations limiting media coverage in courtrooms date back nearly a century, when the spectacle of bright flashbulbs and camera operators standing on witness tables during the 1935 trial of the man accused of kidnapping and killing Charles Lindbergh’s baby son horrified the legal community, according to a 2022 report by the New York-based Fund for Modern Courts. Rules to enforce decorum spread nationally, amended to account for the invention of television, as defense lawyers worried that video coverage would harm their cases, the report said. Yet an interest in open government chipped away at these laws and — slowly, carefully — video cameras began to be permitted in courts across the country, often at the discretion of judges presiding in individual cases. New York allowed them, too, on an experimental basis between 1987 and 1997, but they were shut down. Lobbyists for defense lawyers remain strong in New York and hold particular sway among lawyers in the state Assembly, said Victor Kovner, a former New York City corporation counsel who advocates for open courtrooms. New York and Louisiana are the only states remaining that completely restrict video coverage, the Fund for Modern Courts said. To Kovner and others, that’s outrageous. “We’re the media capital of the world, we like to think, and the fact that cameras aren’t permitted in one of our three branches of government is unacceptable,” said New York State Sen. Brad Hoylman-Sigal, who has sponsored a bill to try to change that. “It’s one of the most consequential trials of our modern age,” the senator said. “I think the public has a right to see exactly what happens in that courtroom.” On the trial’s first day, some reporters suggested that it appeared there were times that Trump drifted off to sleep while watching the proceedings. The former president’s campaign disputed that. With no video camera in place and trained on him, there’s no way of knowing for sure. WAIT — I SAW A PICTURE OF TRUMP IN COURT AT THE TRIAL’S START That’s because the presiding judge, Juan M. Merchan, permitted a handful of still photographers to shoot photos of Trump before the day’s proceedings started. Once court was called into session, courtroom sketch artists — a dying communications form — hold sway. There is actually some video coverage of the trial, available on monitors in an overflow room adjacent to the main courtroom. It was packed Monday with reporters, court officers and a few members of the public, including Ron Sinibaldi, a former accountant from Long Island who lined up outside the courthouse before midnight for a seat. “I read presidential biographies,” Sinibaldi said. “I go to presidential libraries. I’m here for the history.” HOW CAN THOSE INVOLVED GET AROUND THE RESTRICTIONS? In a hallway outside of the courtroom, a limited number of cameras and a small pool of reporters are positioned to capture remarks of anyone involved in the trial who want to address the outside world. That included Trump, even before the proceedings started. Absent live coverage of the trial, how often the former president chooses to take advantage of those cameras and whether news organizations carry his remarks either live, taped or not at all will play a big role in how the case is perceived publicly. MSNBC carried his remarks live on Monday morning. “They’re trying to grab the narrative regardless of the outcome,” CNN reporter Phil Mattingly said of the Trump defense team. HOW ARE JOURNALISTS COVERING THE TRIAL HANDLING IT? With some difficulty. CNN stationed a team on the streets of Manhattan outside the courtroom, where a truck festooned with pro-Trump flags frequently drove by, blaring horns and music from loudspeakers. Reporters sometimes struggled to be heard. “It is kind of a circus down here,” CNN’s Kaitlan Collins said. Commentators and experts, many of them with experience in jury selection, offered opinions from outside the courtroom or from studios. Fox News analyst Jonathan Turley said “most cities, at least those outside of New York,” will see the case as a weaponization of criminal justice. With estimates that jury selection could take two weeks, and no way of showing it, journalists will have a lot of time to fill unless they turn their attention elsewhere. WILL OTHER TRUMP CASES BE TELEVISED? Georgia, where Trump faces charges of election meddling, gives judges discretion over whether to allow television cameras. Superior Court of Fulton County Judge Scott McAfee has said he will make all hearings and trials in that case available for broadcast. That has already included hearings on whether Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis would be allowed to argue the case. Federal courts do not allow cameras in criminal cases. Trump is facing separate federal cases for election interference and mishandling classified documents, although it is not clear when, or if, trials will take place. The feds offer one glimmer of hope: The U.S. Supreme Court permits audio of oral arguments to be broadcast outside of the courtroom. But there’s no indication that
Lawyer for former top lawmaker in Michigan House expects he will be charged
LANSING, Mich. (AP) — Prosecutors plan to file charges of financial crimes against the former leader of the Michigan House, his lawyer said Tuesday. Attorney General Dana Nessel said she would speak to reporters in the state capital at 2 p.m. EDT. Her office disclosed no other details. SWING STATE’S DEM GOVERNOR CONDEMNS ‘DEATH TO AMERICA’ CHANTS IN HER STATE MORE THAN A WEEK AFTER PROTEST Lee Chatfield, a Republican who is no longer a state lawmaker, was House speaker in 2019 and 2020 when the GOP controlled the chamber. “We’ve learned that the charges are financial in nature,” Chatfield’s attorney, Mary Chartier, told The Associated Press. “We’re prepared to fight them each and every step of the way.” “It took almost 2 1/2 years for the AG’s office to come up with charges. It’s going to be pretty flimsy if it took that long,” Chartier said. Chatfield has been under investigation since his sister-in-law said he sexually assaulted her. He has denied the allegations and said they had a consensual affair. “We’ve learned there is no CSC charge or something like that,” Chartier told AP, referring to criminal sexual conduct. Two people who were top aides to Chatfield when he ran the House were charged last year with crimes, including embezzlement from nonprofit funds created for political purposes. Rob and Anne Minard have pleaded not guilty.
House delivers Mayorkas impeachment articles to Schumer, setting up trial proceedings
House impeachment managers officially delivered two articles of impeachment passed against Department of Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas to Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., shortly after 2:30 p.m. on Tuesday. After delaying the planned delivery last week and pushing it to Tuesday, House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., directed impeachment managers to bring the long-anticipated articles to the Senate, which will set off a number of procedural actions. SENATE DEMS REVEAL MASSIVE $79M AD SPEND TO PROTECT MAJORITY AHEAD OF KEY MATCH UPS The articles were initially passed in February, but the House held off sending them to the Senate until after the appropriations process was over. With custody of the articles, Schumer has urged all senators to be present during the week as they will be sworn in as jurors for the impeachment trial on Wednesday. ALABAMA SENATOR SEEKS TO EXPOSE ABORTIONS AT THE DEPARTMENT OF VETERANS AFFAIRS Once sworn in, it’s unclear whether a trial will proceed. Republicans in the Senate have accused their Democratic counterparts of wanting to dismiss the trial, using a motion to table, effectively killing it. And while some Democrats, such as Sen. Tammy Baldwin, Wis., said they haven’t heard about plans for their caucus to do this, others have pushed for it. Sens. Jacky Rosen, D-Nev., and Sherrod Brown, D-Ohio, who are both up for competitive re-election races, as is Baldwin, revealed they want to dismiss the impeachment trial. TRUMP’S LOAN PROPOSAL FOR UKRAINE AID MAY BE COMMON GROUND FOR COMPREHENSIVE FOREIGN AID PACKAGE Several Democratic senators prepping for tough re-election battles in November have been considered the factors that will decide whether the trial moves forward. Sens. Bob Casey, D-Penn., Jon Tester, D-Mont., and Baldwin still haven’t revealed their plans. Each vote will be critical, as the Senate is divided narrowly 51 to 49, Democrats to Republicans. Schumer has not indicated whether Democrats will seek a procedural off-ramp for the trial, as some caucus members have said they would like to see. However, the majority leader said in a recent statement, “We want to address this issue as expeditiously as possible,” regarding the articles of impeachment. “As I’ve said repeatedly, impeachment should never be used to settle a policy disagreement,” Schumer also claimed. “That would set a horrible precedent for the Congress.” The National Republican Senatorial Committee (NRSC) has advised all Republican competitors in key states with vulnerable Democratic incumbents to pressure their opponents in the impeachment trial. If those candidates seeking re-election look to dismiss the trial, Republicans are expected to hold it against them during the campaign. This could be particularly persuasive as the southern border has become an increasingly important issue for voters across the country.
New Jersey Republican introduces bill to block child labor from use in domestic EV industry
FIRST ON FOX: New Jersey Republican Rep. Chris Smith has introduced legislation that would ensure minerals key to green energy in the U.S. are not extracted using child labor in the Democratic Republic of Congo. Smith’s legislation — called the Stop China’s Exploitation of Congolese Children and Adult Forced Labor through Cobalt Mining Act — would specifically block cobalt extracted or processed with the use of child or forced labor from entering the U.S. market. Cobalt is a vital component of electric vehicle (EV) batteries, but is largely sourced from the DRC where human rights investigations have found child labor is rampant. And Chinese companies often own cobalt mines in the DRC that export raw materials to China to be processed. The vast majority of worldwide cobalt is processed in Chinese facilities, according to the International Energy Agency. “The Communist Chinese government — which has gained almost full dominance of every single step of the cobalt supply chain — profits from child and forced labor used to extract cobalt in the Democratic Republic of Congo and power our so-called ‘green economy,’” said Smith, who chairs the House Foreign Affairs Global Human Rights Subcommittee. STUDY CASTS DOUBT ON ELECTRIC VEHICLES’ CLIMATE, COST BENEFITS: ‘WON’T ACHIEVE THE GOALS INTENDED’ Smith’s legislation was crafted alongside House Ways and Means Committee Chairman Rep. Jason Smith, R-Mo., whose committee has jurisdiction over the bill. The committee will mark the legislation up on Wednesday, setting it up for a potential floor vote in the near future. The bill was also written, in part, in response to a November congressional hearing chaired by Rep. Chris Smith that put a spotlight on forced labor in the DRC. BIDEN NOMINEE WANTS TO HIJACK LITTLE-KNOWN AGENCY TO RAM THROUGH CLIMATE AGENDA “America has long fought to end child and adult forced labor, yet the cobalt vital to the batteries in our technology is unethically mined with the use of forced labor under Chinese control,” Rep. Jason Smith said. “This legislation is a critical step to blocking material tainted by these inhumane labor practices from entering this country. I am thankful to Rep. Chris Smith for introducing this legislation to stop these dangerous practices.” Overall, in 2023, the DRC produced 74% of the world’s cobalt and is home to more than half of known global reserves of the mineral, according to U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) data. The U.S., on the other hand, mined less than 1% of the world’s cobalt supply and contains less than 1% of its reserves. While it remains unclear exactly how many of the mines are artisanal and employ child laborers, a USGS National Minerals Information Center study published in June determined that up to 11% of cobalt produced in the nation is tied to child labor. The Department of Labor’s Bureau of International Labor Affairs previously found that more than 40,000 children, including children as young as 6 years old, work in cobalt mines in the DRC. The Stop China’s Exploitation of Congolese Children and Adult Forced Labor through Cobalt Mining Act comes as the Biden administration continues to push for a rapid economy-wide transition to electric vehicles. In recent weeks, the administration has finalized rules pushing for more than 50% of car sales to be electric by 2030 and a large share of trucks to be zero-emissions in that same timeline. “Three years ago, I set an ambitious target: that half of all new cars and trucks sold in 2030 would be zero-emission,” President Biden said last month. “I brought together American automakers. I brought together American autoworkers. Together, we’ve made historic progress. Hundreds of new expanded factories across the country. Hundreds of billions in private investment and thousands of good-paying union jobs. And we’ll meet my goal for 2030 and race forward in the years ahead.”