Simply ‘Lieberman’: The independent and enigmatic politics of the late Connecticut Democrat
As I write this, I’m befuddled as to how to identify the late Connecticut Sen. Joe Lieberman. He died from a fall at age 82 in New York this week. For writing purposes, do I stylize him as “Sen. Joseph Lieberman, D-Conn.?” Or do I write “Sen. Joseph Lieberman, I-Conn.?” This subject vexed me for years. It became even more acute after Lieberman departed the Senate in early 2013. I’ve had the opportunity to mention him or write about the late senator in passing. But the conundrum as to “what” Lieberman “was” politically is an enigma. And it attests to his staunch independence, refusing to align himself too closely with one party or another. CONGRESS EXPECTED TO CONSIDER EMERGENCY SPENDING MEASURE TO REPLACE BALTIMORE BRIDGE AFTER COLLAPSE Voters sent Lieberman to the Senate in 1988 as a Democrat. He defeated late Sen. Lowell Weicker, R-Conn. Ironically, Weicker later became governor of the Nutmeg State – as an independent. Lieberman plowed his own path in the Senate as a Democrat. The statement about Lieberman’s death by former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., was emblematic of how he frustrated his home party. “While we often disagreed on politics, no one could doubt his love of his family, his home state of Connecticut and his country,” said Pelosi. Lieberman drew anger from Democrats over his support for the war in Iraq. He faced criticism for seeming too cozy with Republicans and the administration of President George W. Bush. This issue metastasized for Lieberman after 9/11. Democrats lambasted Lieberman for supporting the administration’s energy policy. In 2006, Lieberman lost the Democratic Senate nomination to future Connecticut Gov. Ned Lamont (D). But Lieberman did not waver. He ran for the Senate as an independent. In fact he billed himself as an “independent Democrat.” This was a rhetorical sleight-of-hand of by Lieberman. He was in fact independent. That’s how he ran on the ballot. But Lieberman established himself as someone who did not kowtow to the party line. Yet, he still considered himself, politically, a “Democrat.” Shortly after Lieberman announced he was running as an “independent,” I struggled to characterize the senator for news purposes. I wound up one day speaking to a source in the office of the Secretary of the Senate. Senators naturally decide to caucus either with the Republicans or Democrats. But the source explained to me that at the time, senators must tell that office how they wished to be identified for publications, like in the Congressional Record. The source said senators obviously could present themselves as a Democrat, Republican or Independent. But “Socialist “or “Green” wasn’t out of the question. JOE LIEBERMAN, FORMER CONNECTICUT SENATOR, 2000 VICE PRESIDENTIAL NOMINEE, DEAD AT 82 I inquired if the office recognized the term Lieberman was using: “independent Democrat.” The source said that was a moniker the office had never heard of. Lieberman won re-election as an independent that fall. But he continued to caucus with the Democrats. Kind of like what Sen. Kyrsten Sinema, I-Ariz., does now. She had been a “Democrat” but switched to “Independent” in December, 2022. Sens. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., and Angus King, I-Maine, have always associated with the Senate Democratic Caucus. But neither listed themselves as “Democrats” when they entered the Senate. That’s always been the thing about divining Lieberman’s political taxonomy. He wasn’t fish nor fowl. And his term “independent Democrat” wasn’t even formally recognized in the Senate. That says a lot. In fact, maybe the best way to describe Lieberman wasn’t as an “independent Democrat.” He was just “Lieberman.” Lieberman started to catch heat from Democrats in September, 1998. Then-President Clinton was embroiled in the Monica Lewinsky sex scandal. The President testified in a video deposition that he had an “improper physical relationship” with Lewinsky. Lieberman then upbraided the President in a dramatic Senate floor speech. FETTERMAN CHARTS A DIFFERENT PATH, BREAKS WITH FELLOW DEMOCRATS IN THE SENATE “The president apparently had extramarital relations with an employee half his age and did so in the workplace. In the vicinity of the Oval Office,” said Lieberman. “Such behavior is not just inappropriate. It is immoral. And it is harmful. It sends a message of what is acceptable behavior to the larger American family.” Lieberman’s oration shook Washington. His colleagues viewed Lieberman as the conscience of the Senate. Lieberman’s words reflected what many others hoped they could say – but were unwilling to do so. Or perhaps, even incapable. “It is wrong and unacceptable, and should be followed by some measure of public rebuke and accountability,” said Lieberman of the President’s conduct. Then-Vice President Al Gore was aiming to succeed Mr. Clinton in the White House. Gore was the odds-on favorite to secure the Democratic nomination in 2000. But Gore had a problem. He was Clinton’s Vice President. Lieberman’s speech about the President resonated with Gore. After all, Gore needed to put some distance between himself and the President he served. Selecting Lieberman as his running mate did just that. But even though Lieberman nearly became Vice President after the controversial 2000 election, late Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., tinkered with tapping him as his running mate eight years later. Lieberman campaigned on behalf of McCain, the GOP’s 2008 standard-bearer, against future President Obama. Remember that Mr. Obama was a Democratic senator from Illinois at the time. Lieberman even spoke on behalf of McCain at the 2008 Republican convention in St. Paul, Minn. There were recriminations after the election. Some Democrats wanted to boot him out of the caucus. Or, at the very least, strip Lieberman of his chairmanship of the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee. Senate Democrats ultimately voted 42-13 to keep his gavel – even though he supported McCain for President. “It’s all over with,” said late Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev. Lieberman later said his colleagues welcomed him back into the fold “in the spirit of reconciliation.” But Lieberman remained a pebble in the shoe of the Democratic party. He’s one of the senators
Ukraine aid surpasses $113 billion; Pentagon seeks another $10 billion to replace depleted stockpiles
EXCLUSIVE: The United States government has spent at least $113 million on the war in Ukraine, but that total could be considered much greater due to the cost of replacing weapons and munitions sent to Kyiv, as estimated by the Pentagon, Fox News Digital has learned. Fox News Digital first reported in September that the United States had spent a total of $101 billion on the war. Since September, the U.S. has spent at least an additional $13 billion, according to documents from the White House Office of Management and Budget sent to Sen. JD Vance, R-Ohio. White House Office of Management and Budget Director Shalanda Young broke down some of the spending in a letter to Vance, which was obtained by Fox News Digital. US SENDING UKRAINE $300 MILLION IN WEAPONS DESPITE LACKING FUNDS TO REPLENISH ITS OWN STOCKPILES Young said Congress has provided $111 billion in supplemental funding in response to the war in Ukraine, including “life-saving security, economic, and humanitarian assistance through four supplemental appropriations acts.” Young also acknowledged an additional $2.4 billion in “shifted base” funding that “was not explicitly for Ukraine supplemental purpose,” so that funding was “excluded” from the total estimate she provided. Young sent Vance a spreadsheet breaking down the funding, which Fox News Digital obtained. Young said that total also includes funding “that has not gone directly to Ukraine but that is being used in support of Ukraine, which is why different figures for U.S. assistance ‘to Ukraine’ are sometimes used.” In addition to the supplemental funding packages, Young said that “out of regular appropriations,” the State Department and USAID provided $145 million and $189 million in fiscal year 2022 and fiscal year 2023, respectively. The funds went toward “core activities such as global health, as well as ongoing embassy operations funding.” Young also revealed that State and USAID have “reprogrammed approximately $350 million in prior year balances to support Ukraine.” Young’s letter is the first time those funds to Ukraine were disclosed, a source told Fox News Digital. FLASHBACK: WHITE HOUSE CONFIRMS MORE THAN $100B SPENT ON UKRAINE WAR “We are at a critical moment in our effort to assist Ukraine, as Russia seeks to exhaust what it views as Ukraine’s dwindling supplies of artillery and air defense munitions,” Young wrote. “We are already seeing the battlefield impact of the delays in our assistance, with Ukraine having recently been forced to withdraw from the town of Avdiivka due to supply shortages.” Young said “absent a swift infusion of U.S.-funded or supplied munitions and equipment, Russia stands to make further gains.” “For Ukraine to succeed in defending its freedom and preserving European security, continued United States support is absolutely critical,” she added. “Departments and agencies have done everything they can with their limited resources to continue to support Ukraine in the absence of additional supplemental funding, but these limited resources will not be sufficient to meet Ukraine’s critical needs in FY2024, and if left unchanged will provide an advantage for Russian forces.” The Pentagon told Fox News Digital that, since 2022, it has notified Congress of $25.85 billion in funding needed to replace what was sent to Ukraine through the Presidential Drawdown Authority (PDA). Under the PDA, the U.S. sends military equipment in DOD’s stockpiles abroad, and this process is being used to aid Ukraine. The process is swifter than buying new weapons for Ukraine, but it also depletes U.S. stockpiles. The Defense Department has asked Congress for an additional $10 billion it says is needed to replenish stocks of what has already been sent to Ukraine. “However, over $10 billion in additional funding is required to replace remaining DoD stocks and services that have been drawn down for Ukraine but have not yet been replaced,” a Pentagon spokesperson told Fox News Digital. “The over $10 billion PDA replacement backlog reflects the cost of replacement, which is distinct from the Presidential Drawdown Authority.” The spokesperson explained that “the cost of replacement items will nearly always be higher than the net book value of the older items they are replacing.” “For example, a service draws down two munitions of the same variant for Ukraine. One is 20 years old, and one is 3 years old. The value of the 20-year-old munition is significantly less than the value of the 3-year-old munition,” the spokesperson explained. “However, the cost to replace these munitions is the same; both must be replaced with new production munitions from the same production line.” The Biden administration has the authority to send an additional $4.1 billion in drawdown aid, $300 million of which was used this month by the Pentagon to assist Ukraine. The package is the Pentagon’s first for Ukraine since December, when it acknowledged it was out of replenishment funds, being deeply overdrawn and needing at least $10 billion to replenish the weapons it has pulled from its stocks to help Kyiv. That’s in addition to the $900 million already spent by the Department of Defense. Vance has blasted the Biden administration for covering up the actual cost of the war on the backs of U.S. taxpayers. “The Biden administration has consistently taken steps to obscure the cost of propping up the war in Ukraine,” a Vance spokesperson told Fox News Digital. “As European nations have failed to do their part, the reality is this conflict has been substantially more expensive for the American taxpayer than its backers previously admitted. “The massive Ukraine supplemental passed over the objections of the majority of Senate Republicans will make this problem worse, not better.” Last year, the Pentagon requested an additional $6 billion due to an accounting error at the Department of Defense. Vance and Sen. Josh Hawley, R-Mo., introduced legislation soon after to prevent such mistakes from being repeated. The bill came after the Pentagon admitted it overestimated the value of the weapons it has sent to Ukraine by $6.2 billion over the past two years, about double the early estimates.
South Carolina congressional map can stay for this year’s elections, panel rules
A federal court on Thursday ruled that this year’s congressional elections in South Carolina will be held under a map that it had already deemed unconstitutional and discriminatory against Black voters, with time running out ahead of voting deadlines and a lack of a decision on the case by the Supreme Court. In an order, a panel of three federal judges from South Carolina wrote that “with the primary election procedures rapidly approaching, the appeal before the Supreme Court still pending, and no remedial plan in place, the ideal must bend to the practical.” South Carolina’s primary elections are June 11, and early voting starts May 28. The deadline for overseas absentee ballots is April 27, ahead of which the judges wrote that it’s “plainly impractical” to make changes to the maps. EDUCATION VOUCHER EXPANSION PASSES SOUTH CAROLINA HOUSE, BUT CHANCES IN SENATE ARE UNCERTAIN The case hinges on South Carolina’s 1st Congressional District, currently held by Republican Rep. Nancy Mace. Last year, the same three-judge panel ordered South Carolina to redraw the district, which runs from Charleston to Hilton Head Island, after finding that the state used race as a proxy for partisan affiliation in violation of the equal protection clause of the 14th Amendment to the Constitution. When Mace first won her election in 2020, she edged out Democratic incumbent Rep. Joe Cunningham — who two years earlier had been the first Democrat to flip a House seat in South Carolina in 30 years — by 1%, under 5,400 votes. In 2022, following redistricting driven by the 2020 census results, Mace won reelection by 14%. After South Carolina’s Legislature, which Republicans lead, redrew the district, civil rights groups swiftly filed a lawsuit, charging state lawmakers with choosing “perhaps the worst option of the available maps” for Black voters, arguing they had removed Black voters and made it a safer seat for Republicans. Last year, a three-judge panel — the same that issued Thursday’s order — concluded that South Carolina’s Legislature “exiled” 30,000 Democratic-leaning Black voters from the 1st District to help safeguard Mace. The state appealed that ruling, and the Supreme Court heard arguments in October but has yet to issue a decision. Both the state and the civil rights groups challenging the district had requested a high court decision by January 1 to allow for orderly preparation for the upcoming elections. At arguments last year, justices appeared inclined to uphold the district and reject the lower court’s ruling. The state argued that partisan politics, not race, and a population boom in coastal areas explain the congressional map. On Thursday, the American Civil Liberties Union, part of the coalition that brought the case on behalf of the NAACP and voter Taiwan Scott, criticized the decision. “South Carolina’s failure to rectify its racially gerrymandered congressional map blatantly disregards our brave clients’ voices and the rights of Black voters,” said Adriel I. Cepeda Derieux, deputy director for the American Civil Liberties Union’s Voting Rights Project. “By refusing to take meaningful action, the legislature has undermined democracy and further entrenched voter suppression in the state. Rest assured, we will fight on.” Attorneys for the South Carolina leaders named as defendants did not immediately return messages seeking comment. The case differs from one in Alabama in which the Supreme Court ruled last year that Republican lawmakers diluted Black voters’ political power under the landmark Voting Rights Act by drawing just one district with a majority Black population. Justices’ decision led to a new map with a second district where Democratic-leaning Black voters comprise a substantial portion of the electorate.
Top court upholds Maine’s Sunday hunting ban
Maine’s highest court has ruled that the state’s longstanding ban on Sunday hunting is constitutional. The court considered a lawsuit that asked whether the ban on hunting game animals such as deer, turkey and moose on Sundays was still necessary. Maine is one of a dwindling number of states that restricts hunting on Sunday. MAINE REJECTS SWEEPING ELECTRIC VEHICLE MANDATE IN BLOW TO GOVERNOR’S CLIMATE AGENDA The lawsuit concerned a claim that the state’s “right to food” amendment to its Constitution should allow hunters to pursue game on Sundays. The amendment was the first of its kind in the United States when it passed in 2021. The Maine Supreme Judicial Court was not swayed by the argument. The court ruled Thursday that under the definition of poaching, the right to hunt “exists in situations in which hunting is otherwise legal but does not extend to situations in which hunting is illegal.” The court dismissed the complaint in a judgment that stated that “Maine’s longstanding Sunday hunting ban does not conflict with the Maine Constitution.” Some 40 states have no prohibition on Sunday hunting. Maine and Massachusetts are the final states with full bans.
Crackdown on ‘deceptive’ AI in political ads passes NH House without debate
Political ads featuring deceptive synthetic media would be required to include disclosure language under a bill passed Thursday by the New Hampshire House. WISCONSIN GOV. EVERS VETOES GOP VOTING, ELECTION AUDIT BILLS; GREENLIGHTS POLITICAL AI CRACKDOWN Sophisticated artificial intelligence tools, such as voice-cloning software and image generators, already are in use in elections in the U.S. and around the world, leading to concerns about the rapid spread of misinformation. In New Hampshire, authorities are investigating robocalls sent to thousands of voters just before the Jan. 21 presidential primary that featured an AI-generated voice mimicking President Joe Biden. Steve Kramer, a political consultant, later said he orchestrated the calls to publicize the potential dangers of artificial intelligence and spur action from lawmakers. But the attorney general’s office has said the calls violated the state’s voter suppression law. The bill sent to the Senate on Thursday would require disclosure when deceptive artificial intelligence is used in political advertising within 90 days of an election. Such disclosures would explain that the advertising’s image, video or audio “has been manipulated or generated by artificial intelligence technology and depicts speech or conduct that did not occur.” The bill, which passed without debate, includes exemptions for satire or parody.
Biden mingles with Obama, Clinton at ritzy NYC fundraiser on same day fallen cop is mourned just 40 miles away
President Biden and former President Trump were in the New York City area on Thursday, but they attended very different events. Biden was in town for a Democratic fundraising event, while Trump attended a wake for New York City Police Officer Jonathan Dille at a Massapequa Park, Long Island funeral home, some 40 miles from Manhattan. Biden was slated to be at a glitzy Democratic fundraising event at Radio Music Hall that will be attended by former presidents Barack Obama and Bill Clinton, as well as A-list celebrities. SUSPECTS IN SHOOTING DEATH OF NYPD OFFICER JONATHAN DILLER IDENTIFIED, HAVE LENGTHY RECORDS During a press gaggle on Air Force One en route to New York, White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre didn’t address why Biden missed the wake, but said the president “grieves for them (the NYPD) and honors their sacrifice.” “The President has stood with law enforcement his entire career and continues to stand with them as they put their lives on the line for their communities,” she said. “Under his leadership, we will continue to support police officers and ensure that they have resources they need to continue — to continue to do the work — the all-important that — work that they have to do on behalf of the community.” Fox News Digital has reached out to the White House and police unions. Meanwhile, Trump attended Diller’s wake, which had a massive law enforcement presence to pay their respects. NEW YORKERS SHOUT AT SUSPECT IN FATAL SHOOTING OF NYPD OFFICER, WHO NOW FACES CHARGES “Such a sad, sad event. Such a horrible thing. And it’s happening all too often and we’re just not going to let it happen,” Trump said. “We need law and order.” Jean-Pierre said violent crime under Trump surged while the Biden administration took “decisive action from the very beginning to fund the police and achieving a historic reduction in crime under his leadership. And so, we’re going to continue to do that.” Diller, 31, a father to a one-year-old boy, was killed Monday after Guy Rivera, 34, allegedly opened fire and killed him during a routine traffic stop in Far Rockaway, Queens. Both the driver of the vehicle and Rivera, who was in the passenger seat, had at least 20 prior arrests, according to New York City Mayor Eric Adams. Before his wake, the NYPD’s Sergeants Benevolent Association (SBA) sent a letter telling far-left Democratic leaders in New York City to stay away from the funeral because of their soft-on-crime policies. “I’m sure that many elected officials will attend PO Diller’s funeral, shed a few crocodile tears, and prominently seat themselves for a good photo opportunity,” SBA President Vincent Vallelong wrote in a letter to union members. “The sad reality is we don’t want them there.”
Dem who demanded ‘justice’ after subway chokehold death skewered for post about NYC assaults
A New York City Council member — who last year demanded “justice” for an “erratic” homeless man who died while being subdued by subway passengers he was threatening — is being cast as a hypocrite for questioning why ordinary citizens have seemingly ignored a recent string of violent attacks against women in the Big Apple. “Where are the men calling this out?” Amanda Farías, a Democratic member representing the 18th District, asked in a post on social media app X. Farías was responding to a post in which the New York City Women’s Caucus stated it was “deeply disturbed [and] concerned about widespread reports of attacks against women in NYC that have been confirmed by the NYPD.” NYC WOMEN ARE PUNCHED IN THE FACE ON STREETS: TIKTOK SOUNDS ALARM ABOUT FRIGHTENING ASSAULTS Several women have posted to TikTok and other social media in recent days claiming that strangers have punched them in the face or the head while walking in New York City. Shortly after she shared the comment, Farías, who was first elected to her post in 2021, began facing an onslaught of criticism from users who countered that most people choose not to defend others in the city due to fear of retaliation by government officials. “Afraid to step up because woke politicians will try to destroy their lives?” asked Robby Starbuck, a former Tennessee congressional candidate and conservative commentator. Starbuck’s post included an image of Daniel Penny, the Marine Corps veteran and college student charged with manslaughter in the chokehold death of Jordan Neely, a homeless Black man who eyewitnesses said became violent on a Manhattan subway in May 2023. Other users echoed Starbuck, including Christina Pushaw, a former aide to Republican Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis. NEW YORK JUDGE SETS TRIAL DATE FOR DANIEL PENNY IN SUBWAY CHOKEHOLD DEATH “Why aren’t men standing up against criminals who attack women in NYC? Great question…,” Pushaw wrote in a sarcastic jab. “You support locking them up,” Ryan Girdusky, founder of the 1776 Project PAC, wrote in another reply. “They trying to not end up like Daniel Penny,” commentator Mike Cernovich wrote. Cernovich also pointed to a 2023 post in which Farías said she “continue[d] to be heartbroken and outraged by the death of Jordan Neely and the lack of justice.” “The @BLACaucusNYC stands together to demand justice for Jordan and to pay attention to the systems that failed him so we do not lose any more Black New Yorkers to senseless violence,” Farías wrote on May 11, 2023. Penny, 24, told police an “irate” Neely “was threatening everybody” and ranting about going to prison, according to court documents. Neely said he placed the “erratic” passenger in a chokehold, and video shows another man then helped Penny to restrain Neely until the subway car reached the next station. A Manhattan judge scheduled an Oct. 8 trial for Penny last week. The trial is expected to take four to six weeks, attorneys said. Penny’s next hearing is set for Sept. 17. One witness to the incident called Penny a “hero” and said she was afraid of what Neely might do. “I’m looking at where we are in the tube, in the sardine can, and I’m like, ‘OK, we’re in between stations. There’s nowhere we can go,’” she told Fox News Digital days after the incident. “The people on that train, we were scared. We were scared for our lives.” Another witness, who recorded the widely-circulated video of the incident, told the New York Post he did not think Neely was in danger as Penny and the other man held him down. Neely had a documented history of mental illness and a criminal record, which included prior subway assaults. Penny cooperated with police and was initially released. But he turned himself in 11 days later when District Attorney Alvin Bragg’s office charged him with manslaughter. Transit crime has continued to plague New York City following Neely’s death. New York Gov. Kathy Hochul has sent the National Guard and state troopers to assist with random bag checks. Farías did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment. Fox News’ Michael Ruiz and Angelica Stabile contributed to this report.
GOP Senate candidate pushes Republicans to rebuild Baltimore bridge
BALTIMORE, MD – Former two-term Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan says he’s urging fellow Republicans on Capitol Hill to support federal funding to rebuild the collapsed Francis Scott Key Bridge. “I’m going to push them as hard as I can. I’ve already called a couple of Republican Senate leaders and started working them,” Hogan, who’s running for a Democratic-controlled open Senate seat in his home state, emphasized in a Fox News Digital interview on Thursday. Six construction workers were presumed killed when the bridge collapsed on Tuesday moments after a large container ship slammed into a pillar. President Biden quickly pledged that the federal government would pay the “entire cost” to rebuild the near half-century old structure. Much of the funding will come from the Federal Highway Administration’s emergency fund, which needs to be replenished on an annual basis. POPULAR FORMER REPUBLICAN GOVERNOR LEADS DEMOCRATIC RIVALS IN BLUE STATE SENATE SHOWDOWN Hogan, who served eight years as Maryland governor, has been out of office for 15 months. “You go through dealing with crises and emergencies for eight years and there’s a reflex – I have to instantly take action,” Hogan said of his tenure as governor. He added that “it’s a little strange” not to be part of the crisis management team. Hogan noted that “I did immediately reach out to Gov. Wes Moore [his Democratic successor] and let him know that when it comes to a crisis like this, we’re all one Team Maryland and anything that I could do to possibly help him.” HEAD HERE FOR THE LATEST FOX NEWS UPDATES ON THE BALTIMORE BRIDGE COLLAPSE Hogan also noted that during his term as chair of the National Governors Association, he made infrastructure his signature issue. And he was a major supporter of President Biden’s $1.2 trillion infrastructure law, and helped shape the two-and-a-half old measure. Hogan spotlighted that the infrastructure law “has a lot of funding for this work right now. We’ve already got some federal funding that will really come in handy.” The former governor was interviewed moments after spending an hour greeting Baltimore Orioles fans, including a large contingent of first responders, at a former firehouse turned pub blocks from Camden Yards, just ahead of the major league baseball team’s home opener. Hogan won election and re-election in 2014 and 2018 as governor in a state where Democrats outnumber Republicans by a roughly 2-to-1 margin. A successful business leader before entering politics, he seriously mulled a run for the 2024 Republican presidential nomination and made numerous trips in 2022 to New Hampshire, the state that holds the first primary in the GOP nominating calendar. But in March of last year, Hogan announced he wouldn’t seek his party’s presidential nomination. MARYLAND SHOCKER: FORMER GOVERNOR MAKES SURPRISE CAMPAIGN ANNOUNCEMENT During his last year as governor, Republican leaders in the nation’s capital and in Maryland heavily courted Hogan to run for the Senate in the 2022 midterm elections against Democratic Sen. Chris Van Hollen. But Hogan declined, saying in a news conference in February of that year that “as I have repeatedly said, I don’t aspire to be a United States senator.” Asked about his change of heart when it comes to running for the Senate, Hogan told Fox News “I was governor at the time and I loved being governor and I had a lot more work to still do.” “I don’t need a title and I don’t need a job, but I’m more concerned than ever about the direction of the country and I just became more convinced that I could make a difference there,” he emphasized. “A lot of people are leaving the House and the Senate and I thought it was time for somebody to go in the other direction and maybe bring some sanity back to the divisiveness and dysfunction.” Hogan has long been a vocal GOP critic of former President Donald Trump, who is now the Republican Party’s 2024 presumptive presidential nominee. That means as Hogan runs for the Senate, he’ll have Trump atop the ballot come November. “It’s a tough hurdle to overcome because he lost my state by 33 points,” he emphasized. “It’s not going to be helpful to me, but I think we’re going to be able to overcome that challenge.” SIX KEY SENATE SEATS REPUBLICANS AIM TO FLIP IN NOVEMBER A recent Washington Post/University of Maryland poll indicates Hogan remains very popular among voters in his home state, and holds double-digit leads over both of his potential Democratic rivals – Rep. David Trone and Prince George’s County Executive Angela Alsobrooks. “I would not put a lot of stock in polls right now. We’ve got a lot to do. We have not elected a Republican senator from Maryland since 1980, when Ronald Reagan was elected president,” Hogan pointed out. “It’s a tough state – the bluest state in America. But I think if we work hard, we have the ability to get people to vote their hearts and vote for the person they think can do the job and not just vote straight party line.” Democrats currently control the U.S. Senate with a 51-49 majority, but Republicans are looking at a favorable Senate map this year, with Democrats defending 23 of the 34 seats up for grabs. Three of those seats are in red states that Trump carried in 2020 — Ohio, Montana and West Virginia, where Democrat Sen. Joe Manchin is not running for re-election. And five more are in key general election battlegrounds. Now, Democrats also have to worry about holding the open Senate seat in blue Maryland. Since he jumped into the race earlier this year, Democrats have attacked Hogan over the combustible issue of abortion, criticizing him for not supporting federal legislation to codify the now-overturned landmark Roe v. Wade ruling which legalized abortion. “In November, Marylanders will reject Larry Hogan because they know that a vote for Larry Hogan is a vote for a Republican Senate majority to pass a national abortion ban,” the
White House says it’s putting US first in face of Mexico’s migrant demands
The White House on Thursday stressed that it is putting U.S. interests first when making policy decisions, emphasizing that it has a “constructive” relationship with Mexico after that country’s president made a number of demands related to migration policy. Lifting sanctions on Cuba and Venezuela, sending Latin American and Caribbean countries $20 billion in aid a year and granting legal status to Mexican illegal immigrants in the U.S. were among President Andrés Manuel López Obrador’s demands of President Biden in exchange for the Mexican government doing more to halt the surge of migrants to the U.S. border. López Obrador was asked about those demands by “60 Minutes” correspondent Sharyn Alfonsi this week. MEXICAN PRESIDENT SAYS THE ‘FLOW OF MIGRANTS WILL CONTINUE’ UNLESS THE US MEETS HIS DEMANDS “If they don’t do the things that you’ve said need to be done, then what?” she asked. “The flow of migrants will continue,” Obrador responded. Elsewhere in the interview, he emphasized the positive relationship between Mexico and the U.S., describing it as “very important” and “fundamental.” He also said Mexico does plan to slow down migration but wants the “root causes” of the crisis to be dealt with. He also said he would continue to try to secure his border even without those demands being met. In response, a White House National Security Council spokesperson told Fox News Digital that Mexico is “an important partner on multiple areas” including dealing with migration, as well as drug traffickers and economic cooperation, while pointing toward the comments the Mexican leader made elsewhere in the interview. “As President López Obrador noted in his interview with ’60 Minutes’ on Sunday, we mutually need each other. We are at a moment of incredible promise and consequence for the United States and Mexico with Mexico being our No. 1 trading partner. Last year, our bilateral trade hit a record $860 billion,” the spokesperson said. The spokesperson noted the Biden administration’s strategy to address the migrant crisis, which has included tackling “root causes” of migration, while also developing lawful pathways to the U.S. for migrants and improving regional enforcement. The spokesperson also mentioned the Los Angeles Declaration for Migration and Protection, signed in 2022, in which countries committed to measures to reduce migration in the Western Hemisphere. FORMER TOP ICE OFFICIAL SIDES WITH TEXAS GOV. ABBOTT OVER BIDEN IN ONGOING BORDER BATTLE The spokesperson also said López Obrador and President Biden “have a constructive relationship built on respect.” “President López Obrador has been a critically important partner to President Biden in developing a constructive bilateral approach to addressing issues of mutual interest, including migration and counternarcotics cooperation,” the spokesperson said. However, the White House also emphasized that national interest forms the basis of policy decisions. “As President López Obrador said, both Mexico and the United States are sovereign countries. We can have frank, candid and respectful conversations, and, at the end of the day, our policy decisions are based on what is in the best interest of the United States,” the spokesperson said. HOW EAGLE PASS BECAME THE CENTERPIECE OF ABBOTT’S EFFORTS TO SECURE THE BORDER The Mexican president’s comments came a day before the president of Guatemala met with Vice President Kamala Harris at the White House to discuss cooperation on migration. Immigration is looking to be a top issue in the November election, with both President Biden and former President Trump having visited the southern border with Mexico last month. Meanwhile, the Biden administration has been locked in a legal battle with the state of Texas over its efforts to secure the border. Republicans have called on the administration to reinstate Trump-era policies, including the Remain in Mexico policy, which would keep migrants in Mexico until their asylum claims are completed.
West Virginia bill adding work search to unemployment, freezing benefits made law without signature
CHARLESTON, W.Va. (AP) — West Virginia’s unemployed people will need to do more to prove they are searching for jobs to collect state benefits under a new law that will take effect later this year. A controversial bill passed by the GOP-majority Legislature on the final day of the 60-day legislative session went into law without Republican Gov. Jim Justice’s signature Thursday. Justice did not comment on why he didn’t sign or veto the bill before the midnight deadline. SMOKING WITH KIDS IN CAR NOW ILLEGAL UNDER WEST VIRGINIA LAW The legislation contains provisions that will go into effect July 1 requiring that people receiving unemployment benefits in the state must complete at least four work-search activities a week. Those activities could include applying for jobs or taking a civil service examination. The law also freezes the rates people receiving unemployment benefits are paid at the current maximum of $622 a week, instead of a system adjusting with inflation. People also would be able to work part time while receiving unemployment and searching for full-time work. Current average benefits are around $420 a week. Those in support of the measure said they were concerned about the long-term solvency of the state’s unemployment trust fund. Others said the fund is doing well and that they didn’t understand why the move was necessary. Speaking on the House floor March 9, Democratic Del. Shawn Fluharty said he didn’t like the message the legislation sends. “Here we are, just year in and year out, finding ways to chip away at who actually built this state: the blue-collar worker,” Fluharty said. CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP The legislation ultimately passed was a compromise between the House of Delegates and the Senate. An earlier version of the bill passed by the Senate would have drawn back benefit coverage from 26 to 24 weeks. Under the Senate bill, an unemployed person would have started by receiving weekly checks amounting to $712 — an increase from the current maximum rate of $662 — or 70% of their original wage. Those checks would have been reduced by 5% every four weeks until the fourth sixth-week period, when the checks would amount to 45% of a person’s original wage.