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Georgia poised to mandate parental permission for children under 16 to use social media

Georgia poised to mandate parental permission for children under 16 to use social media

Georgia could join other states in requiring children younger than 16 to have their parents’ explicit permission to create social media accounts. Lawmakers on Friday gave final approval to Senate Bill 351, which also would ban social media use on school devices and internet services, require porn sites to verify users are 18 or over and mandate additional education by schools on social media and internet use. The House passed the measure 120-45 and the Senate approved it 48-7. The bill, which Republican Sen. Jason Anavitarte of Dallas called “transformative,” now goes to Gov. Brian Kemp for his signature or veto. FLORIDA GOV RON DESANTIS SIGNS CONTROVERSIAL BILL TO BAN SOCIAL MEDIA FOR CHILDREN UNDER 14 A number of other states including Louisiana, Arkansas, Texas and Utah passed laws last year requiring parental consent for children to use social media. In Arkansas, a federal judge in August blocked enforcement of a law requiring parental consent for minors to create new social media accounts. Some in Congress also are proposing parental consent for minors. State Rep. Scott Hilton, a Peachtree Corners Republican, argued the state should do more to limit social media use by children, saying it’s causing harm. “Every rose has a thorn, and that’s social media in this generation,” Hilton said. “It’s great for connectivity and activism, but it has reared its ugly head on mental health.” But opponents warned the bill would cause problems. For example, Rep. David Wilkerson, a Powder Springs Democrat, said that the ban on use of social media in schools could ban teachers from showing educationally valuable YouTube videos. “If we do pass this, we’ll be back fixing this next year, because there are too many issues with this bill,” Wilkerson said. The bill says social media services would have to use “commercially reasonable efforts” to verify someone’s age by July 1, 2025. Services would have to treat anyone who can’t be verified as a minor. Parents of children younger than 16 would have to consent to their children joining a service. Social medial companies would be limited in how they could customize ads for children younger than 16 and how much information they could collect on those children. To comply with federal regulation, social media companies already ban kids under 13 from signing up to their platforms, but children have been shown to easily evade the bans. Up to 95% of teens aged 13 to 17 report using a social media platform, with more than a third saying they use them “almost constantly,” the Pew Research Center found. The Georgia bill also aims to shut down porn sites by requiring submission of a digitized identification card or some other government-issued identification. Companies could be held liable if minors were found to access the sites, and could face fines of up to $10,000. “It will protect our children,” said Rep. Rick Jasperse, a Jasper Republican who argues age verification will lead porn sites to cut off access to Georgians. In March, the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals upheld a Texas law, leading Pornhub to cut off access to Texans. The Free Speech Coalition, which represents adult film makers, says the bill would be ineffective because users could mask their location and because people would be forced to transmit sensitive information. They also argue it’s unconstitutional because there are less restrictive ways to keep children out and discriminate against certain types of speech. The coalition has sued multiple states over the laws. The ban on school social media excludes email, news, gaming, online shopping, photograph editing and academic sites. The measure also requires a model program on the effects of social media and for students in grades 6-12, and requires existing anti-bullying programs to be updated. The move comes after U.S. Surgeon General Vivek Murthy warned in May that social media hasn’t been proven to be safe for young people. Murthy called on tech companies, parents and caregivers to take “immediate action to protect kids now” and asked tech companies to share data and increase transparency and for policymakers to regulate social media for safety the way they do car seats and baby formula. Meta, the parent of Facebook and Instragram, announced in 2022 it was taking steps to verify ages. Meta says it provides “age-appropriate experiences” for teens 13-17 on Instagram, including preventing unwanted contact from unknown adults. Dozens of U.S. states, including California and New York, also are suing Meta Platforms Inc., claiming the company harms young people and contributes to a youth mental health crisis by knowingly and deliberately designing features on Instagram and Facebook that addict children to its platforms. Florida recently passed a law banning social media accounts for children under 14 regardless of parental consent and require parental permission for 14- and 15-year-olds.

Democratic leader has 2 words for Republicans looking to impeach Homeland Security Secretary Mayorkas

Democratic leader has 2 words for Republicans looking to impeach Homeland Security Secretary Mayorkas

Democratic House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., shared a brief post on social media Thursday evening, criticizing Republicans who are pushing to impeach Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas. “Extreme MAGA Republicans are demanding a full impeachment trial in the Senate,” Jeffries wrote in a post on X. “They want to continue the phony political stunt targeting the Homeland Security Secretary.” He added: “My response? Get lost.” The post comes as the U.S. Senate is going to receive House-passed articles of impeachment against Mayorkas next month. JOHNSON TO FORMALLY HAND MAYORKAS IMPEACHMENT ARTICLES TO SENATE, URGES TRIAL ‘EXPEDITIOUSLY’ On Thursday, House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., notified Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., that the House of Representatives would formally send over the impeachment articles to his chamber on April 10. In his letter to Schumer, Johnson urged him to hold an impeachment trial “expeditiously.” “As Speaker and impeachment managers of the U.S. House of Representatives, we write to inform you that we will present to you upon the Senate’s return, on April 10, 2024, the duly passed articles of impeachment regarding Department of Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas. We urge you to schedule a trial of the matter expeditiously,” Johnson wrote. HOUSE VOTES TO IMPEACH DHS SECRETARY MAYORKAS OVER BORDER CRISIS In February, all but three House Republicans voted to impeach Mayorkas over his handling, or mishandling as Republican content, of the U.S. southern border. It was the first time since 1876 that a cabinet secretary had been impeached. Schumer‘s office told Fox News Digital that the Senate would initiate the impeachment trial once it receives the impeachment articles. “As we have said previously, after the House impeachment managers present the articles of impeachment to the Senate, senators will be sworn in as jurors in the trial the next day. Senate President Pro Tempore Patty Murray will preside.” The trial is highly unlikely to result in a conviction. Fox News’ Elizabeth Elkind and Julia Johnson contributed to this report.

Dark money-fueled law firm joins Massachusetts climate suit against Big Oil

Dark money-fueled law firm joins Massachusetts climate suit against Big Oil

FIRST ON FOX: A California climate-focused law firm, which has received millions of dollars from left-leaning nonprofits, has quietly joined Massachusetts’ persistent legal battle against the oil giant ExxonMobil. According to court filings reviewed by Fox News, Sher Edling’s founding partners, Vic Sher and Matt Edling, were admitted to the case of Commonwealth of Massachusetts v. ExxonMobil Corp. following a request from Seth Schofield, senior counsel for the Massachusetts Attorney General’s Energy and Environment Bureau. Both Sher and Edling affirmed in separate affidavits that they would appear on behalf of the state. Text from both affidavits, filed in Suffolk County Superior Court, read: “I am familiar with the facts and law relevant to the claims and defenses in this action, and my appearance and participation will aid the attorney general in her prosecution of this case.” It remains unclear what Sher Edling’s exact role in the case will be and how its involvement will impact the many other Big Oil cases it is pursuing on behalf of more than a dozen states and cities. Sher Edling and the Massachusetts Attorney General’s Office didn’t respond to multiple requests for comment. CONSUMER GROUP REVEALS LEFT-WING GROUPS INCREASINGLY USING COURTS TO PUSH GREEN NEW DEAL In October 2019, then-Attorney General Maura Healey, a Democrat who is now the state’s governor, filed the initial complaint against ExxonMobil, accusing the company of engaging in deceptive practices by failing to disclose the climate change risks posed by fossil fuels. The lawsuit came after a yearslong investigation into the company’s day-to-day operations. Healey said at the time that ExxonMobil “has known for decades about the catastrophic climate impacts of burning fossil fuels — its chief product.” BIG OIL COMPANIES ASK SUPREME COURT TO INTERVENE IN HIGH-STAKES CLIMATE CASE But ExxonMobil fired back, arguing in court that Massachusetts’ allegations implicate the company’s “right to petition as guaranteed by the First Amendment of the U.S. Constitution.” It added that the state objects to the company’s protected activities merely because they “influenced climate policy in a manner that is contrary to the policy objectives of the attorney general.” Sher Edling’s involvement, meanwhile, adds to the growing list of cases the firm has taken up. It was founded in 2016 to pursue climate-related litigation against oil companies, arguing they have known about their impact on global warming for decades.  The firm is pursuing such litigation on behalf of Delaware, Minnesota, Rhode Island, New Jersey, New York City, Chicago, Washington, D.C., San Francisco, Baltimore, Honolulu and several local governments across the country. Overall, more than 25% of Americans live in jurisdictions suing Big Oil for climate deception. BILLIONAIRE-FUELED ROCKEFELLER FUND COORDINATED CLIMATE LAWSUITS WITH DEM STATE AG: INTERNAL DOCUMENTS Though the entirety of Sher Edling’s funding structure is unknown, the firm has for years raised millions of dollars from nonprofit organizations. These nonprofits shield the identities of their individual donors, effectively ensuring that anonymous individuals and groups play a pivotal role in the firm’s climate litigation efforts.  According to tax filings, between 2017 and 2020, the Collective Action Fund for Accountability, Resilience, and Adaptation (CAF), a secretive group fiscally sponsored by Washington, D.C.-based New Venture Fund, wired more than $5.2 million to Sher Edling. In 2021, CAF funneled $3 million to the firm, and in 2022, it wired grants worth a total of $2.5 million to the firm. In 2021, CAF switched its fiscal sponsorship from a smaller, dark new money group to New Venture Fund, which is managed by Arabella Advisors, a firm that oversees a liberal billion-dollar dark money network. While CAF’s, and by extension Sher Edling’s, individual donors are also unknown, a previous Fox News Digital review showed past funding has flowed through the Leonardo DiCaprio Foundation, MacArthur Foundation, William and Flora Hewlett Foundation and Rockefeller Brothers Fund. “As I’ve warned, it’s clear that radical, left-wing dark money groups are footing the bill for Sher Edling’s climate crusade with the goal of bankrupting American energy employers,” Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, previously told Fox News Digital. “New Venture Fund and Sher Edling’s litigious gamble is nothing but an attempt at achieving a goal lacking majority support in Congress: the eradication of fossil fuels.” Cruz, who is the ranking member of the Senate Commerce Committee, and Rep. James Comer, R-Ky., the House Oversight Committee chair, have conducted a wide-ranging probe into Sher Edling and its ties to the Biden administration, an investigation which is ongoing. ExxonMobil didn’t respond to a request for comment for purposes of this story. 

Funding bill to replace Baltimore Key Bridge could take shape in ‘matter of weeks’: Top House Republican

Funding bill to replace Baltimore Key Bridge could take shape in ‘matter of weeks’: Top House Republican

A senior House Republican is predicting that a funding package to help with the Francis Scott Key Bridge collapse in Baltimore would begin to take shape “in a matter of weeks.” House Rules Committee Chairman Tom Cole, R-Okla., who also leads the House Appropriations Committee’s subcommittee on transportation, spoke with Fox News Digital days after a barge struck the bridge, destroying the structure and forcing the Port of Baltimore to temporarily shut down. Six construction workers who were on the bridge at the time are since presumed dead. Cole said there are ongoing discussions about what role Congress has to play, and that a funding package could be “well beyond just the construction of the bridge.” “We have to wait for a damage estimate. And this could be a little more complex than normal. There’s obviously the bridge itself, but there’s also… potential damages relating to the interruption of traffic at the port,” Cole explained. “Certainly, we stand ready to work very closely with both federal and state officials.” LIVE UPDATES: BALTIMORE BRIDGE COLLAPSE  Any funding package for the bridge would likely have to go through Cole’s subcommittee — the House Appropriations Committee controls the purse strings of Congress. Asked about when Congress could start working on a package in earnest, Cole said, “Sometimes it takes a while, and you want to be very sure that you really do include everything. So it would probably be a matter of weeks.” “We’ve had a good exchange with the Department of Transportation. There are a number of things they are doing and can do right now. They have the ability to advance money for debris removal. They’ve got an emergency fund for meeting expenses. So there are resources there to do the things that need to be done,” Cole said. On the timing, he explained, “A lot of this depends on, you know, do you want to attach it to something else, or do you want it to stand alone?,” adding that figuring out the congressional committees of jurisdiction could also take some time. US ARMY CORPS OF ENGINEERS SAYS IT’S ‘TOO EARLY’ TO KNOW BRIDGE DEBRIS CLEANUP TIMELINE  “It’s a terrible tragedy. My heart breaks for people that have lost their lives in this. We’re certainly sensitive to the fact that this has real larger economic implications for the region and, frankly, for the national economy, as well. So we’re going to do the things we can to be helpful,” Cole said. Two House members from Maryland suggested to Fox News Digital that they’d prefer the package not be linked to other legislation. “Given the local, regional and national impact of this tragedy, our delegation will be pushing hard to ensure that the process for moving the funding legislation forward is expedited and straightforward,” said Rep. John Sarbanes, D-Md., who represents part of Baltimore. Sarbanes pushed for swift congressional consideration, telling Fox News Digital, “We will be pressing for quick action to deliver these essential funds to the families and communities who are feeling the impact of this horrific incident.” Rep. Andy Harris, R-Md., said bluntly, “If you attach unrelated legislation, it’s going to kill this.” 2 BODIES RECOVERED FOLLOWING BALTIMORE BRIDGE COLLAPSE  Harris, however, warned against committing funding until the federal government and Maryland state government could consider waiving environmental and other regulatory restrictions to hasten reconstruction. “I think certainly we shouldn’t commit any funds until we’ve addressed the issue of whether or not we’re going to streamline the regulation process. This regulation process adds cost,” Harris said. “We should discuss, you know, whether we can waive some of the environmental requirements and regulations for studies, as well as some of the labor regulations that the administration has sought for major projects that increase the costs.” Cole anticipated it was “likely” a package would not include unrelated measures. “There’s not likely to be much entangled with this. It’s pretty straightforward. I’ve just wanted to leave the possibility out there simply because, with all due respect to my two colleagues, none of the three of us make that decision,” Cole said. “But again, I have no reason to believe that the folks that do… will not be sympathetic.” It’s not immediately clear how much the rebuilding would cost. The White House and the Department of Transportation did not return multiple requests for comment on the price tag, which Bloomberg and Roll Call have reported the figure to be at least $2 billion. Fox News Digital also reached out to Speaker Mike Johnson’s office for comment.

Biden rolls out new endorsements for controversial judicial nominee as Dem support dwindles

Biden rolls out new endorsements for controversial judicial nominee as Dem support dwindles

The White House is moving forward with its campaign to confirm judicial nominee Adeel Mangi and pushing back on claims that he is antisemitic or against law enforcement, despite several Democratic senators expressing concern over the nominee’s organizational ties and casting doubt on his chances of garnering enough votes.  According to a White House official, Biden’s team is keeping the pressure on senators to confirm Mangi, who is nominated to serve on the 3rd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, dismissing attacks on him as false. The official said those focused on lobbying senators to support the nominee are White House chief of staff Jeff Zients, White House Director of Legislative Affairs Shuwanza Goff, Deputy Assistant to the President and Deputy Director of the Office of Legislative Affairs Ali Nouri, White House Counsel Ed Siskel, and White House senior counsel in charge of nominations Phil Brest. Zients said in a statement to Fox News Digital, “Some Senate Republicans and their extreme allies are relentlessly smearing Adeel Mangi with baseless accusations that he is anti-police.” TRUMP CAMPAIGN REVEALS BATTLEGROUND PLANS AMID 2024 CONCERNS “That could not be further from the truth and the close to a dozen law enforcement organizations that have endorsed him agree,” he said, pointing to several new endorsements of Mangi by three former attorneys general in New Jersey, two former U.S. attorneys who served in the state, the International Law Enforcement Officers Association, the Italian American Police Society of New Jersey and the National Organization of Black Law Enforcement Executives.  “The Senate must confirm Mr. Mangi without further delay,” Zients said.  DEMS TARGET FOUR COMPETITIVE HOUSE SEATS TO WRESTLE BACK MAJORITY FROM GOP Chances of Mangi being confirmed have appeared grim in recent weeks as allegations of antisemitism have been spotlighted due to his previous role on the board of advisers for the Rutgers University Center for Security, Race and Rights (CSRR). The center has sponsored events, including one on the 20th anniversary of the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, with controversial speakers like Hatem Bazian, who in 2004 called for an “Intifada,” according to video from an anti-war protest in San Francisco, and Sami Al-Arian, who in 2006 pleaded guilty to “conspiring to provide services to the Palestinian Islamic Jihad,” according to the Justice Department.  The CSRR has also hosted an event with Noura Erakat, who had previously been advertised as a panelist for a separate event alongside Hamas commander Ghazi Hamad. Mangi has also been accused of being against law enforcement because of his role as a current advisory board member for the Alliance of Families for Justice (AFJ). The alliance’s founding board member, Kathy Boudin, pleaded guilty to the felony murder of two police officers in 1981 after they died during the robbery of an armored truck. The robbery was carried out by Boudin’s group, the Weather Underground Organization, which was recognized as a domestic terrorist organization by the FBI.  Neither the CSRR nor AFJ provided comments to Fox News Digital.  Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, told Fox News Digital in a statement, “It is unsurprising that Mangi’s record has split Senate Democrats, and the White House should recognize their error, withdraw Mangi’s nomination, and instead nominate a candidate who can garner widespread bipartisan support.” Sen. Tom Cotton, R-Ark., said Mangi’s “well-known ties to this extreme organization that supports terrorists and cop killers makes him wholly unqualified to serve as an appellate judge.” JOHNSON TO FORMALLY HAND MAYORKAS IMPEACHMENT ARTICLES TO SENATE, URGES TRIAL ‘EXPEDITIOUSLY’ Biden’s White House has previously hit back at criticism of Mangi, calling it a “malicious and debunked smear campaign” prompted by the nominee’s potential to become the first Muslim appellate judge.  While Judiciary Republicans had already sounded alarm bells over Biden’s pick last year after probing Mangi about his connections to the groups, Democratic senators appeared likely to fall in line behind the president’s choice.  However, after a recent report indicated Biden was being privately warned that Mangi may not have enough votes for confirmation, Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto, D-Nev., revealed she was one of the lawmakers to reach out to the White House with concerns.  The senator previously confirmed her stance against the nominee to Fox News Digital, citing his connection to AFJ. Several other Democratic senators recently refused to say whether they would support Mangi. The office of Sen. Joe Manchin, D-W.Va., confirmed to Fox News Digital that he is also committed to voting against Biden’s pick.  Cortez Masto and Manchin were recently joined by Sen. Jacky Rosen, D-Nev., who said in a statement, “Given the concerns I’ve heard from law enforcement in Nevada, I am not planning to vote to confirm this nominee.” Patterson Belknap Webb & Tyler LLP, the law firm at which Mangi is a partner, did not provide comment to Fox News Digital.  The loss of any Democratic support is a concern for Mangi’s confirmation prospects, given the Senate’s close 51-49 split in favor of the Democratic caucus. MAN SENTENCED TO 11 MONTHS IN PRISON FOR THREATENING PHONE CALLS TO PELOSI AND MAYORKAS Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., called on Biden last week to withdraw the nomination, and now Republicans are reinforcing their campaign against Mangi’s confirmation.  “The White House can’t defend Adeel Mangi’s record. So, they’re launching personal attacks against anyone who notices the ties to cop-killers and antisemites that Mr. Mangi has forged of his own free will,” Sen. John Kennedy, R-La., said in a statement.  He added, “It’s not Islamophobic for senators to recognize” a nominee’s failure to meet qualifications.  “Now even his own Democrat party is rebelling against [Biden],” Sen. Josh Hawley, R-Mo., remarked in a statement, attributing it to the president’s “push for radical, anti-Israel nominees.” On Thursday, the Senate Judiciary GOP revealed three additional law enforcement groups were opposing Biden’s choice, bringing the total to 17. The Pennsylvania Fraternal Order of Police, Philadelphia Fraternal Order of Police Lodge 5 and Pennsylvania State Troopers Association penned a joint letter to Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y.; Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky.;