Kentucky House passes bill to have more teens tried in adult courts for gun offenses
FRANKFORT, Ky. (AP) — Legislation intended to prosecute more Kentucky teenagers on gun-related felony charges in adult courts where they could face harsher penalties moved closer Tuesday to clearing the legislature. The bill passed the House on a 68-19 vote and now returns to the Senate, where it could receive a final vote if senators accept the changes made by the House. Senate Bill 20 is part of a broader push by the Republican-dominated legislature to toughen penalties for a range of crimes. 2 BLACK OFFICERS SUE LOUISVILLE PD FOR DISCRIMINATION The vote came as lawmakers took action on stacks of legislation ahead of their extended break starting Friday to give Gov. Andy Beshear time to decide whether to sign or veto bills sent to him. The biggest task still awaiting lawmakers is to pass the next two-year state budget. Under the juvenile-related bill, youths would be transferred to circuit court for trial as adults when charged with serious felony offenses and if they used a gun when allegedly committing the crime. It would apply to youths 15 years old and up. Republican state Rep. Patrick Flannery said the bill would improve public safety. “I think it’s very important to realize that while we use terms like ‘youthful offenders, teenagers,’ we are talking about very violent criminals, regardless of their age, that are using a firearm to kill others, to permanently injure others,” Flannery said. The measure would roll back a criminal-justice policy enacted three years ago in Kentucky. At that time, lawmakers ended the automatic transfer of youths from juvenile court to circuit court in certain cases. Judges now have to hold a hearing to determine whether a transfer is appropriate based on evidence. Once in circuit court, teens can face the same penalties as adults, including prison. Under the new bill, teens convicted in circuit court would be held in a facility for juveniles until turning 18. CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP Democratic state Rep. Lindsey Burke argued against the policy rollback. “Here we are three years later, going back to a presumption that teenagers ought to be punished to the full extent of the law, with very limited consideration of how we might rehabilitate them rather than punishing them,” Burke said. The bill’s lead sponsor, Republican state Sen. Matthew Deneen, has said the changes would ensure that “the time fits the crime” for gun-related offenses committed by teens. Deneen has said that many of the victims of teen gun violence are other teens.
GOP Sen blasts Biden admin claiming abortion travel policy is essential to military readiness
FIRST ON FOX: Sen. Roger Wicker, R-Miss., the ranking member on the Senate Armed Services Committee, is questioning President Biden’s Department of Defense over its abortion travel assistance policies that Secretary Lloyd Austin has previously said are important for force readiness. Wicker suggested that recently-revealed data casts doubt on the Biden administration’s justifications for the policies. The Department of Defense has said the abortion travel policy is important for ensuring troop readiness. PENTAGON RELEASES DATA ON CONTROVERSIAL ABORTION TRAVEL POLICY FOR SERVICE MEMBERS In a letter sent on Monday, the senator requested evidence from the Pentagon on how its abortion travel allowances are necessary for force readiness in the wake of Roe v. Wade’s reversal, as Austin previously claimed. In a development on Tuesday, the department announced new figures regarding the policy, soon after being asked for comment by Fox News Digital, and one day after Wicker’s letter prompted it to explain new data he obtained through another Senate committee. According to Deputy Pentagon press secretary Sabrina Singh, the travel allowance policy was used 12 times from June-December of 2023. The allowances can be used for “non-covered” abortions, but are also approved for other procedures and treatments. The cost to the Pentagon was roughly $40,800, she said. While the department offers authorized allowances for travel and transportation assistance, this does not mean that all service members who travel to obtain abortions have requested or received such allowances. In his Monday letter, Wicker noted he received data “indirectly through a different Senate committee,” which showed that the Army recorded “between August 2023 and December 31, 2023, three service members utilized the policy and claimed travel expenses totaling $2,097.” REPUBLICANS SEE EMBATTLED MENENDEZ’S POTENTIAL INDEPENDENT BID AS CHANCE TO FLIP SENATE SEAT The data on abortion policy usage and cost in 2023 was provided to another Senate committee by the Army, per Wicker’s office. It was then forwarded to Wicker. “Still, with today’s news, the fact remains: This administration has recklessly politicized the military with this farce of a policy,” said Wicker in a statement to Fox News Digital. “The Department even admitted today that those that use the policy may not have even used it for an abortion. The reality is that access to abortions is not a threat to readiness.” Wicker recalled Austin’s past claim that the Supreme Court’s decision in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization, returning the issue of abortion to the states, “has impacted access to reproductive health care, with readiness, recruiting and retention implications for the force.” COMER FUNDRAISING EMAIL DAMPENS PROSPECTS OF BIDEN IMPEACHMENT, SAYS ‘CRIMINAL REFERRALS’ ARE GOAL In the letter, Wicker slammed the department for providing only “incomplete, evasive, or outright non-answers” when he prompted it on three separate occasions in 2023 for information to justify the abortion policy and how it affects force readiness. He noted that in response to his most recent letter in December, the department focused on fertilization services and avoided discussing the “provision of non-covered abortion services that end the lives of unborn babies.” Wicker further criticized the department’s response for refusing to provide information on the usage of the policies and the amount of money that was being spent, prompting him to obtain the information elsewhere. He claimed the response, “is contradicted by the Army’s data which clearly provided the number of service members who have claimed reimbursement of travel expenses using the policy.” GOING, GOING, GONE: COULD THE REPUBLICANS’ SLIM HOUSE MAJORITY SLIP AWAY BEFORE NOVEMBER? “That number is essential to best capture the actual readiness impact on the force, if any,” he explained in the Monday letter. Wicker additionally requested the department to provide up-to-date data, “in the same form the Army has provided,” on usage of the policy since implementation. The senator had also requested “immediate delivery” of this data from the department, noting the other occasions on which it was not provided.
Dem campaign call reveals panic mode over RFK Jr.’s White House bid, scramble to save Biden re-election hopes
Democrats appear to be in panic mode as they scramble to save President Biden’s re-election hopes from the threat of independent candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s campaign, a call hosted by the Democratic National Committee (DNC) revealed Tuesday afternoon. The call with members of the press took place immediately after Kennedy announced tech entrepreneur Nicole Shanahan as his vice presidential running mate at a rally in Oakland, California, and included Rep. Robert Garcia, D-Calif., Pennsylvania Lieutenant Gov. Austin Davis, and Michigan state Sen. Mallory McMorrow, who all fretted that Kennedy would likely ruin any chance of Biden being re-elected. “We are doing everything in our power to get President Biden and Vice President Harris reelected. It’s critical that we take seriously every possible obstacle to that goal. And let me be clear, that’s exactly what Robert F Kennedy is in this election. He’s a spoiler,” Davis said. WHO IS NICOLE SHANAHAN? MEET THE WEALTHY ENTREPRENEUR RFK JR SELECTED AS HIS VP RUNNING MATE McMorrow agreed, saying it was important for her to be on the call to share “how horrifying this campaign is and what it really means on the ground for Michigan.” “Him being in the race means that there is a greater likelihood that Donald Trump will become president again,” she said. Earlier in the call, Garcia railed against Kennedy as “a tin foil hat conspiracy theorist,” referencing his past skepticism toward vaccines, particularly those aimed at combating the COVID-19 pandemic. He also accused Shanahan of holding an “anti-health agenda” despite a large portion of her introduction as Kennedy’s running mate being focused on Americans’ health, especially that of children. “He’s turning to Trump mega-donors to really support this, really, spoiler campaign. I think he’s likely interested in trying to get Donald Trump elected. Maybe that’s what this is about. And many of us are not sure, but he is someone that should not be taken seriously as a serious person. I mean, certainly his campaign is quite dangerous,” Garcia said, appearing to launch his own conspiracy theory about Kennedy’s candidacy. His reference to former President Donald Trump’s donors supporting Kennedy was likely referring to Timothy Mellon, the heir to the Mellon banking fortune who has given millions to outside groups supporting Trump’s third run for the presidency. Last year, Mellon donated millions to American Values 2024, a super PAC backing Kennedy. DEMOCRATS RIPPED FOR TRYING TO ‘KILL DEMOCRACY’ WITH EFFORT TO PROTECT BIDEN, SILENCE THIRD-PARTY CANDIDATES Garcia continued to harp on Kennedy’s past positions on vaccines, referring to his bid for the presidency as “disgusting and shameful,” and calling on him to end his “horrific campaign.” Davis also focused heavily on Kennedy’s past vaccine rhetoric, but repeated Garcia’s theories on the origination of Kennedy’s campaign. “The truth is that he was drafted into this race by Donald Trump’s top supporters and is being financed in this race by Trump’s largest donor. That isn’t merely a coincidence,” he said. “He has no realistic path to victory in Pennsylvania. All he can do is take away votes from President Biden and make it easier for Donald Trump to win, and we simply can’t afford to let that happen.” Davis went on to accuse Kennedy of “deliberately” targeting Black people “with dangerous lies and conspiracy theories” about vaccines, and claimed that any suggestion he was an ally of the Black community was “frankly outrageous, and it’s offensive.” McMorrow later added, “We cannot afford Donald Trump to be back in the White House, which is what is going to happen if people don’t see RFK for what he actually is, which is Donald Trump with a Kennedy name slapped on him.” WATCH: DEMOCRAT FRONTRUNNER IN TIGHT SENATE RACE DROPS RACIAL SLUR DURING HOUSE HEARING She went on to fret that Kennedy — like Green Party presidential candidate Jill Stein in 2016 — could spoil a key swing state like Michigan for Biden. “You don’t need significant support to throw an election to Donald Trump. We saw this play out in 2016 where Jill Stein got 50,000 votes and Hillary Clinton lost by 10,000 votes in Michigan. So it is this type of a campaign — and Kennedy should be smart enough to know better. But I don’t think he does. I think his ego is in the way,” she said. Earlier this month, the DNC launched an effort to silence the threat from third-party candidates, namely Kennedy, in the form of a team that is expected to actively combat them with legal challenges and opposition research. Democrat strategist Lis Smith, who helped lead Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg’s 2020 campaign and is consulting for the DNC on the project, set off a storm of X posts and reposts following Kennedy’s Tuesday speech, referring to the candidate as a “spoiler,” and sharing a video where she accused Shanahan of buying her inclusion on the ticket by donating millions to boost Kennedy before she was named his running mate. Recent polls have shown Kennedy, Stein and independent candidate Dr. Cornel West would pull significant support from both Biden and Trump, but with Biden appearing to be at risk of losing the most potential votes. The latest RealClearPolitics average of polls has Kennedy reaching 15% in a three-way race against Biden and Trump. The average shows Trump ahead of Biden by 4 points. A five-way race including West and Stein has Kennedy’s support at 11%, with Trump having a 2-point advantage over Biden. Get the latest updates from the 2024 campaign trail, exclusive interviews and more at our Fox News Digital election hub.
Minnesota Gov. Walz taking ‘State of the State’ address on the road
Gov. Tim Walz is taking his 2024 State of the State address on the road to the southern Minnesota city of Owatonna. “Minnesota’s made a lot of progress in the last year, and I’m excited to talk about what’s next in our fight to make Minnesota the best place to live, work, and raise a family,” the Democratic governor said last week in a social media post previewing his Tuesday night speech. MINNESOTA AG SAYS AUTO MANUFACTURERS NEED TO MAKE SURE THEIR CARS ARE NOT ‘TEMPTING’ YOUNG PEOPLE TO STEAL Some of the themes Walz has said he will address include how Democrats have used their full control of the statehouse to try to make people’s lives easier, improving education, implementing gun safety laws and protecting abortion and other reproductive rights. He picked Owatonna High School as the setting to highlight how the community has made big investments in the relatively new school and in workforce development. This will be Walz’s sixth State of the State speech since becoming governor in 2019. Governors traditionally deliver them at the Capitol to large audiences of lawmakers, but he gave his 2020 address by himself via livestream from his official residence to stay socially distanced during the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic. He faced another online-only audience in 2021 when he spoke from Mankato West High School, where he was once a geography teacher and football coach. Walz returned to the Capitol for his 2022 address and again for last year’s address, which he used to draw stark contrasts between Minnesota and Republican-led states. He highlighted how Democrats used their new control over state government to enact an ambitious liberal agenda, bucking the backlash seen in red states against abortion rights, trans rights, pushes for racial equity and other cultural flashpoints. The governor and his fellow Democrats are pursuing a much more modest agenda this legislative session, given that the two-year state budget was set in 2023. While the state’s budget surplus inched up to $3.7 billion in a forecast released last month, Walz and legislative leaders agreed last week to spend only about $541 million of the extra money and bank the rest to stave off a potential shortfall in the next budget. So the main task this session is still a public infrastructure borrowing package known as a bonding bill. The governor proposed a combination of $982 million in borrowing and cash in January. Even after lawmakers weigh in, the final package is still expected to have an unglamorous focus on maintaining existing infrastructure, like roads, bridges and water treatment facilities.
Georgia senators again push conservative aims for schools
ATLANTA (AP) — Georgia’s Republican state senators are making another attempt to impose a conservative stamp on the state’s public schools, passing a bill Tuesday that would ban transgender girls from playing high school sports with other girls, limit sex education and require a system for notifying parents of every item a child obtained in a school library. GEORGIA TEENS ALLEGEDLY GRAB GUN, KNOCK OUT DEPUTY AND ESCAPE CUSTODY BEFORE BEING RECAPTURED BY POLICE The Senate voted 33-21 along party lines for House Bill 1104, a measure that originally dealt with suicide prevention, but was radically overhauled in Senate committee by adding a number of other bills that had earlier failed to pass the Senate. The measures mirror bills brought by Republicans in other states. “Simply, what this bill does is it protects children and it empowers parents,” said Sen. Clint Dixon, a Buford Republican who shepherded the bill. But Sen. Elena Parent, an Atlanta Democrat, called the measure “an amalgamation of a whole number of wrongheaded culture war bills.” Although it’s unclear whether the more moderate House will be receptive to the measure, it was pushed forward by Republican Lt. Gov. Burt Jones, who has been building a conservative record in advance of a possible run for governor in 2026. “As the father of a daughter who plays sports, I will never stop fighting to preserve the integrity of women’s sports so that the next generation of Georgia’s female athletes can compete on a safe and level playing field,” Jones said in a statement. The measure would ban transgender girls from competing in girls’ high school sports. It does not ban transgender males from competing against other males, and it applies not only to public schools but to private schools that compete against public schools. The Georgia High School Association, which regulates high school sports, already enacted such a ban after an earlier law encouraged it. It would also ban transgender boys and girls playing sports from using multi-occupancy restrooms or locker rooms of the gender with which they identify. However, the bill does not appear to ban transgender boys and girls from all bathrooms matching their gender identity. Jennifer Hadley of Bethlehem, who has a transgender son, said she wasn’t sure how it would affect his participation in band. She said her son is “already having a hard enough time as it is just being a teenager, much less being a trans teenager.” “The uncertainty that this enters into their lives — it has its mental toll over time,” Hadley said. In another section of the bill, schools could drop sex education and students would only be enrolled if parents specifically opt in. The measure would ban all sex education in fifth grade and below. Currently state sex education standards call for little explicit discussion of human reproduction below eighth grade, although second graders are supposed to learn the names of all body parts and “appropriate boundaries around physical touch.” Fifth graders are supposed to learn about puberty, and most mandated sex education happens in a high school health course. The bill says schools can still talk about child abuse and assault awareness and prevention and menstruation. But it’s unclear if a teacher could explain to a fifth grader why she is menstruating. Dixon said in committee that his wife had explained menstruation to one of his daughters without explaining human reproduction. The measure would require school boards to provide 45 days of public review and comment, and two public hearings before adopting a sex education curriculum. Another two-week notice would be required before material is actually presented in school. “Children only have a finite time of innocence and we should be wanting to protect that,” Dixon said. But opponents warn that the opt-in provision will lead to many parents unintentionally failing to enroll their students. “What is this bill?” asked Sen. Josh McLaurin, an Atlanta Democrat. “It’s nothing more than banning everyone from talking about sex so a few parents who feel uncomfortable don’t have to have the talk until later in life. It’s weak.” A third portion of the bill would let parents choose to receive an email any time their child obtains library material. It also creates a parental right to all information about a student including reports of behavioral patterns, academic intervention strategies, or any material made available to a student including classroom, library and extracurricular activities. CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP Rep. Omari Crawford, the Decatur Democrat who sponsored the original part of the bill dealing with suicide prevention among high school athletes, said he’s now working against its passage. “The language that was added is probably going to exacerbate suicide rates,” Crawford said. “So I don’t think it’s going to prevent suicide.”
Jackson, Mississippi casino proposal dies in legislative committee
A Mississippi House leader said Tuesday that he won’t move forward with a bill to allow a casino in the capital city of Jackson — a proposal that would have been a dramatic change in a decades-old a state law that limits casinos to areas along the Gulf Coast and the Mississippi River. But, even as House Ways and Means Committee Chairman Trey Lamar made the announcement that will likely kill the bill for this year, he offered encouragement to people who might invest in a casino just over 1 mile from the state Capitol building. “Don’t give up,” Lamar said. EFFORT TO REVIVE MISSISSIPPI BALLOT INITIATIVE PROCESS IS SQUELCHED IN STATE SENATE Lamar filed the bill Monday, but then decided not to bring it up for vote Tuesday after House Republicans met privately and decided there were not enough votes to pass the bill. Republicans hold a majority in the 122-member House. Some Democrats also said they would oppose a new casino site. Rep. Robert Johnson of Natchez, the House Democratic leader, said a Jackson gambling site would hurt casinos along the Mississippi River, including in his hometown. “The coast may survive it,” Johnson said. “But there’s no way anybody else could survive it.” The first casinos opened in Mississippi in 1992. The state Gaming Commission site shows that 12 state-licensed casinos operate on the Gulf Coast, and 14 operate along the Mississippi River. The Mississippi Band of Choctaw Indians also operates three casinos that are not regulated by the state — two near Philadelphia and one near Laurel. Lamar’s bill specified that a Jackson casino would be owned by at least one person who already owns a licensed casino. The closest casinos to downtown Jackson are about 48 miles to the west, along the Mississippi River in Vicksburg. Two Vicksburg lawmakers — Democratic Rep. Oscar Denton and Republican Rep. Kevin Ford — said opening a Jackson casino would hurt their city. More than 1,100 people work in the four Vicksburg casinos and connected hotels. “It would’ve been devastating to us,” Denton said. Mississippi originally specified that casinos could be developed only over water. After Hurricane Katrina blew some of the massive casino barges onto land along the coast in 2005, legislators changed the law to allow casinos to develop a short distance on shore.
Suburban Philadelphia county joins climate change suit against oil industry
A large suburban Philadelphia county has joined dozens of other local governments around the country in suing the oil industry, asserting that major oil producers systematically deceived the public about their role in accelerating global warming. Bucks County’s lawsuit against a half dozen oil companies blames the oil industry for more frequent and intense storms — including one last summer that killed seven people there — flooding, saltwater intrusion, extreme heat “and other devastating climate change impacts” from the burning of fossil fuels. The county wants oil producers to pay to mitigate the damage caused by climate change. “These companies have known since at least the 1950s that their ways of doing business were having calamitous effects on our planet, and rather than change what they were doing or raise the alarm, they lied to all of us,” Bucks County Commissioner Gene DiGirolamo said in a statement. “The taxpayers should not have to foot the bill for these companies and their greed.” MAINE REJECTS SWEEPING ELECTRIC VEHICLE MANDATE IN BLOW TO GOVERNOR’S CLIMATE AGENDA Dozens of municipal governments in California, Colorado, Hawaii, Illinois, Maryland, New Jersey, New York, Oregon, South Carolina and Puerto Rico as well as eight states and Washington, D.C., have filed suit in recent years against oil and gas companies over their role in climate change, according to the Center for Climate Integrity. Bucks County, which borders Philadelphia and has a population of about 650,000, is the first local government in Pennsylvania to sue, the climate group said. The county’s 31 municipalities will spend $955 million through 2040 to address climate change impacts, the group forecast last year. Residents and businesses “should not have to bear the costs of climate change alone,” the county argued in its suit, filed Monday in county court. It cited several extreme weather events in Bucks County, including a severe storm in July that dumped seven inches of rain in 45 minutes and caused a deadly flash flood. The suit named as defendants BP, Chevron, ConocoPhillips, ExxonMobil, Philips 66, Shell and the American Petroleum Institute, an industry group. Chevron said through its attorney, Theodore J. Boutrous Jr., that “addressing climate change requires a coordinated international policy response, not meritless local litigation over lawful and essential energy production.” API said in response that the industry provides “affordable, reliable energy energy to U.S. consumers” while taking steps over the past two decades to reduce emissions. It said climate change policy is the responsibility of Congress, not local governments and courts. “This ongoing, coordinated campaign to wage meritless, politicized lawsuits against a foundational American industry and its workers is nothing more than a distraction from important national conversations and an enormous waste of taxpayer resources,” Ryan Meyers, the group’s senior vice president and general counsel, said in a statement. In 2021, the 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals dismissed a lawsuit by New York City against five oil companies to recoup damages caused by global warming.
New Mexico regulators worry about US plans to ship radioactive waste back from Texas
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) — Federal officials gathered Tuesday in southern New Mexico to mark the 25th anniversary of the nation’s only underground repository for radioactive waste resulting from decades of nuclear research and bomb making. Carved out of an ancient salt formation about half a mile (800 meters) deep, the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant outside Carlsbad has taken in around 13,850 shipments from more than a dozen national laboratories and other sites since 1999. AFGHAN REFUGEE CONVICTED OF MURDER IN NEW MEXICO KILLING OF MUSLIM MAN The anniversary comes as New Mexico raises concerns about the federal government’s plans for repackaging and shipping to WIPP a collection of drums filled with the same kind of materials that prompted a radiation release at the repository in 2014. That mishap contaminated parts of the underground facility and forced an expensive, nearly three-year closure. It also delayed the federal government’s multibillion-dollar cleanup program and prompted policy changes at labs and other sites across the U.S. Meanwhile, dozens of boxes containing drums of nuclear waste that were packed at the Los Alamos National Laboratory to be stored at WIPP were rerouted to Texas, where they’ve remained ever since at an above-ground holding site. After years of pressure from Texas environmental regulators, the U.S. Department of Energy announced last year that it would begin looking at ways to treat the waste so it could be safely transported and disposed of at WIPP. But the New Mexico Environment Department is demanding more safety information, raising numerous concerns in letters to federal officials and the contractor that operates the New Mexico repository. “Parking it in the desert of West Texas for 10 years and shipping it back does not constitute treatment,” New Mexico Environment Secretary James Kenney told The Associated Press in an interview. “So that’s my most substantive issue — that time does not treat hazardous waste. Treatment treats hazardous waste.” The 2014 radiation release was caused by improper packaging of waste at Los Alamos. Investigators determined that a runaway chemical reaction inside one drum resulted from the mixing of nitrate salts with organic kitty litter that was meant to keep the interior of the drum dry. Kenney said there was an understanding following the breach that drums containing the same materials had the potential to react. He questioned how that risk could have changed since the character and composition of the waste remains the same. Scientists at Sandia National Laboratories in Albuquerque were contracted by the DOE to study the issue. They published a report in November stating that the federal government’s plan to repackage the waste with an insulating layer of air-filled glass micro-bubbles would offer “additional thermal protection.” The study also noted that ongoing monitoring suggests that the temperature of the drums is decreasing, indicating that the waste is becoming more stable. DOE officials did not immediately answer questions about whether other methods were considered for changing the composition of the waste, or what guarantees the agency might offer for ensuring another thermal reaction doesn’t happen inside one of the drums. The timetable for moving the waste also wasn’t immediately clear, as the plan would need approval from state and federal regulators. Kenney said some of the state’s concerns could have been addressed had the federal government consulted with New Mexico regulators before announcing its plans. The state in its letters pointed to requirements under the repository’s permit and federal laws for handling radioactive and hazardous wastes. CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP Don Hancock, with the Albuquerque-based watchdog group Southwest Research and Information Center, said shipments of the untreated waste also might not comply with the Nuclear Regulatory Commission’s certification for the containers that are used. “This is a classic case of waste arriving somewhere and then being stranded — 10 years in the case of this waste,” Hancock said. “That’s a lesson for Texas, New Mexico, and any other state to be sure that waste is safe to ship before it’s allowed to be shipped.”
Donald Trump is selling $60 ‘God Bless the USA’ Bibles ahead of Easter
Former President Donald Trump announced on his social media platform, Truth Social, that he is partnering with country musician Lee Greenwood to sell “God Bless the USA” Bibles ahead of Good Friday and Easter Sunday. “Happy Holy Week! Let’s Make America Pray Again. As we lead into Good Friday and Easter, I encourage you to get a copy of the God Bless The USA Bible,” Trump wrote in a post. The former president said every American needs to have a Bible in their home and added that he has many copies himself. “All Americans need a Bible in their home, and I have many. It’s my favorite book,” Trump said in his video posted on Truth Social. “I’m proud to endorse and encourage you to get this Bible. We must make America pray again.” LETITIA JAMES RALLIES PRO-CHOICE CROWD OUTSIDE SUPREME COURT: ‘MARCH TO THE POLLS’ The website to purchase the Bibles lists these books as the only Bible inspired by America’s most recognized patriotic anthem, “God Bless The USA.” This is not the first time Trump has teamed up with the country music star, as he used his patriotic anthem often as his entrance song during his rallies and occasionally during events at the White House during his term as president. The Bible will also feature the United States Constitution, Declaration of Independence, Bill of Rights, The Pledge of Allegiance, as well as a handwritten chorus of “God Bless The USA,” according to the website. TRUMP TOPS BIDEN WITH DOUBLE-DIGIT LEAD IN DEEP-RED STATE BEING TARGETED BY DEMOCRATS: POLL The Bible is also described as being easy-to-read with large print, having a slim design, and was designed to deliver an easy reading experience in the trusted King James Version translation. “Religion and Christianity are the biggest things missing from this country. And I truly believe that we need to bring them back and have to bring them back fast,” Trump said in a video. “I think it’s one of the biggest problems we have. That’s why our country is going haywire. We’ve lost religion in our country.” The website also states that GodBlessTheUSABible.com is not political and has nothing to do with any political campaign. This latest move comes as the former president has faced a serious money crunch amid mounting legal bills while he fights four criminal indictments along with a series of civil charges. Trump saw some relief on Monday as the appeals court slashed his bond payment, saying Trump must pay $175 million within the next 10 days. ‘THE VIEW’ CO-HOST SUNNY HOSTIN ADMITS JUDGE SLASHING TRUMP’S BOND WAS ‘VERY APPROPRIATE’ Trump had previously faced a Monday deadline to pay a $454 million bond payment that came as a result of civil fraud allegations from New York Attorney General Letitia James. Trump said he will “abide” by the appeals decision and post the $175 million bond. If Trump does post the $175 million by the new deadline, it would effectively block James from attempts to seize Trump’s assets as he continues to appeal the judgment by New York Judge Arthur Engoron. LETITIA JAMES HAD TO ‘EAT EVERY SINGLE TWEET’ AFTER APPEALS COURT SLASHED TRUMP’S BOND, SAYS ALINA HABBA The Bible is the latest product Trump has promoted after releasing a line of $400 sneakers earlier this year. Fox News Digital reached out to Trump’s team for comment but has not yet heard back. The Associated Press, Fox News Digital’s Brooke Singman and Anders Hagstrom contributed to this report.
Biden claims he commuted ‘many, many times’ by train on vehicle-only Francis Scott Key Bridge in latest gaffe
President Biden falsely claimed that he commuted by train over the Francis Scott Key Bridge “many, many times,” despite the bridge not having any rail lines. During a press conference Tuesday on the major bridge collapse in Baltimore, Maryland, Biden told reporters that he has been over the Francis Scott Key Bridge “many, many times” by both train and by car. “At about 1:30 [a.m. Tuesday], a container ship struck the Francis Scott Key Bridge, which I’ve been over many, many times commuting from the state of Delaware either on a train or by car,” the president said. “I’ve been to Baltimore Harbor many times,” he added. SEARCH AND RESCUE FOR AT LEAST 6 ONGOING AFTER BALTIMORE BRIDGE COLLAPSE WATCH: In a statement, a White House official said that Biden was “clearly” describing driving. “The President was clearly describing driving over the bridge while commuting between Delaware and D.C.” the White House official said in a statement to Fox News Digital. The iconic bridge has never had any railway lines, and has been exclusively used as a roadway since it was built in the early 1970s. According to the Maryland Transportation Authority (MDTA), the Francis Scott Key Bridge opened in March 1977 as the final link to Interstate 695. The 1.6-mile Key Bridge crosses over the Patapsco River, where Francis Scott Key was inspired to write the words of the national anthem “The Star Spangled Banner,” the MDTA said. In recent months, Biden has dropped embarrassing gaffes. On March 8, he appeared to mix up the office he was running for during a campaign stop at Strath Haven Middle School in Delaware County. “Pennsylvania, I have a message for you: Send me to Congress!” Biden shouted at one point, appearing to mix up the office for which he’s running. BIDEN ‘DID NOT REMEMBER WHEN HE WAS VICE PRESIDENT,’ WHEN HIS SON BEAU DIED, DURING SPECIAL COUNSEL INTERVIEWS In February, Biden claimed he spoke to late German Chancellor Helmut Kohl in 2021 while recalling past conversations. Biden said that Kohl asked him what he would say if he learned 1,000 people stormed the British Parliament in an attempt to prevent the next prime minister from assuming office. Kohl, however, did not attend the annual meeting, as he had been dead for four years when it took place. Instead, former German Chancellor Angela Merkel was at the gathering. Also in February, the 81-year-old president also told a Las Vegas crowd that he met with François Mitterrand, a French president who has been dead for 28 years. In the fall of 2022, Biden told a group of supporters he spoke to the man who “invented” insulin. Insulin was co-discovered by Frederick Banting and John Macleod. Banting died in 1941, while Macleod passed away in 1935. Biden was born in 1942.