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New York lawmakers expand fracking ban to include liquid carbon dioxide

ALBANY, N.Y. (AP) — New York lawmakers passed a bill Wednesday that would expand the state’s existing fracking ban by blocking natural gas drilling companies from using an extraction method that involves injecting huge amounts of liquid carbon dioxide into the ground. The state Senate approved the legislation with some opposition from Republican lawmakers. It will now go to Democratic Gov. Kathy Hochul, who is in the midst of state budget negotiations. The state Assembly passed the bill on March 12. LINKS BETWEEN FRACKING, CANCER IN CHILDREN FOUND IN RECENT PENNSYLVANIA STUDY New York already banned hydraulic fracturing, which involves using a water-based solution to extract natural gas. But some lawmakers were quick to draft the new legislation after a Texas company sought to lease land in New York for drilling last fall. They said the company, Southern Tier Solutions, is attempting to use a loophole in the existing law by drilling with carbon dioxide instead of water. Senate Majority Leader Andrea Stewart-Cousins told reporters during a news conference Wednesday that while she hasn’t yet discussed the legislation with the governor, she is hopeful that it will be signed into law. “There’s a concern that if we don’t close this loophole sooner rather than later, it is going to essentially open up the proverbial gateway for further exploration, which is also going to be problematic,” Democratic state Sen. Lea Webb said ahead of the vote. Among thousands solicited by the company were many of Webb’s constituents in the Southern Tier, a region that runs along the border with Pennsylvania. The region has been eyed by energy companies because of its richness in natural gas, which is trapped underground in large rock formations. Hydraulic fracturing involves pumping vast amounts of water, sand and chemicals thousands of feet underground, under pressure that is intense enough to break layers of rock containing oil or natural gas deposits so that the fossil fuel can be extracted. Fracking, which is banned in a few states including Vermont and Maryland, can cause earthquakes and has raised concerns about groundwater contamination. State Sen. Thomas O’Mara, a Republican who voted against the bill, said during floor deliberations that the move to expand the ban on fracking is premature. “This utopian approach is a train wreck coming down the tracks,” he said. Southern Tier Solutions says on its website that it wants to use carbon captured from power plants to extract natural gas from inside the Marcellus and Utica Shales, vast rock formations that extend for hundreds of miles. Company officials and its president, Bryce P. Phillips, have not responded to email and phone requests from The Associated Press. But in past interviews, Phillips has claimed swapping water with liquid carbon dioxide could be more environmentally friendly. Supporters of the bill and some lawmakers cited concerns that pipelines carrying carbon dioxide for extraction could rupture, leading to poor air quality and major health risks. They pointed to a 2020 incident in the small town of Satartia, Mississippi, where a pipeline carrying compressed carbon dioxide ruptured, sending over 40 people to the hospital for treatment and prompting more than 300 to evacuate. Sandra Steingraber, a retired biologist and anti-fracking activist, applauded the bill’s passage. She argues that drilling of any kind — no matter what type of substance is used — is bad for the environment. “They took care of this really fast because they recognized how harmful it was,” she said of the lawmakers’ response. “It’s all risk and no reward for New York state pursuing this plan.”

Conservative artist handcuffed during pizza-tossing protest outside New York City Hall

“F*** you Mayor Adams!” Those are the defiant words of conservative artist and activist Scott LoBaido seconds before he was driven away in a police van after being cuffed for protesting new pizza-making rules in New York City. Seconds earlier, LoBaido had hurled several pizza slices over a fence and into the grounds of New York City Hall to protest the new environmental rules which will require wood and coal-fired stoves to cut carbon emissions by 75%.  The mandate requires affected pizzeria owners to install a filter, then hire an engineer to regularly inspect the carbon emissions. NEW YORK CITY TAKING A SLICE OUT OF ICONIC PIZZA SHOPS WITH NEW GREEN RULE LoBaido, a Staten Island resident and enthusiastic Donald Trump supporter, says that the rule is just the latest example of government overreach and will impose unnecessary costs on struggling pie-makers and bakers. He says that New York City Mayor Adams should be focused on more pressing issues like illegal immigration and migrant crime instead of targeting small business owners with Draconian rules. “This invasion of illegal aliens that are beating the cops up, raping, killing and slaughtering,” LoBaido said to a small group of supporters and a media scrum that had assembled outside the location before his demonstration. “He’s worried about pizza because he hates the small business owner. He hates you New Yorkers,” he added.  LoBaido then compared the pizza-throwing act to that of the Boston Tea Party of 1773, where colonists in Massachusetts dumped 342 chests of tea imported by the British East India Company into the harbor at Griffin’s Wharf. The move was a demonstration aimed toward Britain for imposing taxes on colonists without them having representation in parliament. “Those Bostonians loved their tea. They worshiped their tea. That’s all they had some of them and they sacrificed and threw it in the harbor,” LoBaido roared. “And that’s what we’re doing here today. You gotta make sacrifices to make history, to make f***ing change. And that’s what us New Yorkers are here to do, we’re New Yorkers period.” NEW YORK CITY TAKING A SLICE OUT OF ICONIC PIZZA SHOPS WITH NEW GREEN RULE LoBaido and another man then grabbed several slices of pizzas from pie boxes stacked outside City Hall.  As they walked to the fence with pie slices in hand, a group of police officers race after them – and once they hurled the pizzas into City Hall they were collared by NYPD officers.  “How is he being arrested for littering, littering is a fine,” another man could be heard saying. “This mayor is corrupt… this is not an arrestable offense and you guys should be ashamed of yourselves for following his orders,” the man barks. The pair were then put into an NYPD minivan. Prior to the protest, LoBaido had said he was going to feed pigeons with the pizza. It is not illegal to feed pigeons, but a violation or summons may be issued for failing to clean up unsanitary conditions that result from the activity. The NYPD tells Fox News Digital that the pair were not arrested or charged. Some city businesses have already coughed up more than $600,000 for new smoke-eating systems in anticipation of the expected mandate, the New York Post reports. About 130 Big Apple businesses will be affected by the new rule, the publication reports. LoBaido had been calling on pizzeria owners and bakeries throughout the city to join him in the protest to push back against the rule, but it appears few backed him up. The New York City Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) rule, which will take effect April 27, applies to restaurants with cook stoves installed before May 2016. Advocates of the plan argue that carbon emissions from the ovens are helping cause the earth to warm. Fox News Digital reached out to the mayor’s office for a statement but did not immediately receive a response.  It is not the first time LoBaido has flung pies onto the grounds of City Hall, the painter carried out the same feat in June protesting the new rules.  “They handcuffed me for f***ing throwing pizza and feeding the pigeons,” Lobaido told Fox News Digital after being released from custody Wednesday. “Last year, I did it, and they just gave me a summons. This year the mayor made sure that I got cuffed.” “It’s ridiculous. And what is New York known for? Pizza and Bagels. It’s just it’s insane. It’s bulls***.”

Top chaotic moments from the House Oversight hearing into Biden family’s ‘influence peddling’

Two former business associates of Hunter Biden testified publicly on Capitol Hill Wednesday as congressional Republicans pushed forward with their impeachment inquiry against President Biden, leading to several tense and revealing moments. Tony Bobulinski, a U.S. Navy veteran who formerly served as Hunter Biden’s business partner, appeared publicly for the House Oversight Committee hearing. Jason Galanis, another Hunter Biden business associate who is serving a 14-year prison sentence, testified virtually from Federal Prison Camp, a minimum-security prison for male inmates in Montgomery, Alabama.  Democrats invited Lev Parnas, who was sentenced to 20 months for violations connected to campaign finance, wire fraud and making false statements, to testify about his work with Rudy Giuliani on Ukraine. GOP LAWMAKER SAYS REPUBLICANS ‘DON’T HAVE THE GUTS’ TO IMPEACH BIDEN Bobulinski said Wednesday that Hunter Biden lied under oath while speaking to lawmakers earlier this year about his father’s involvement in his business dealings. Questioning Bobulinski, Rep. Jason Smith, R-Mo., said, “During his deposition, Hunter Biden repeatedly testified under oath that his father was not involved in his business in any capacity and that there wasn’t even a connection between his father and his businesses. Here is just one example, quote, ‘I just state for the record one more time, under oath and under penalty of perjury, my father has never been involved in my business. I have never asked my father to be involved in my business. My father has never benefited from my business, and I have never asked anyone or my father to do anything for the benefit of anyone I’ve ever done business for.’ “Yet the Ways and Means Committee released a WhatsApp message that was provided by the IRS whistleblowers showing that Hunter Biden wrote on July 30, 2017, quote, ‘I’m sitting here with my father, and we would like to understand why the commitment made has not been fulfilled. I’m sitting here waiting for the call with my father.’ Moreover, you testified that Hunter was not shy about his ability to get his father on the phone. And Devin Archer testified that there were multiple instances in which Hunter placed his dad on speaker phone. “Mr. Bobulinski, was Hunter Biden telling the truth when he testified under oath that his father was never involved in any of his business dealings?” Smith asked. Bobulinski responded, “No, he was not. Those are all blatant lies.” During Wednesday’s hearing, Bobulinski said Hunter Biden and Jim Biden, the president’s brother, committed perjury. Bobulinski, who claimed that Hunter Biden “lied throughout his testimony” in a transcribed interview to the House Oversight Committee in February, provided what he believed to be one example of Hunter Biden’s “perjury.” Hunter Biden “lied to the committee on important details concerning his money demands and threats to [the] CEFC” in text messages on July 30 and July 31 in 2017, according to Bobulinski. “He leveraged his father’s presence next to him in that infamous text to strong-arm CEFC to pay Hunter immediately,” Bobulinksi said. Additionally, Bobulinksi claimed Wednesday that James Biden, the president’s brother, “also lied extensively throughout his transcribed interview on Feb. 21 and perjured himself.” “An example of that, on page 100 of his transcript, Jim is asked specifically, ‘Do you recall having a meeting with Hunter Biden, Tony Bobulinksi and Joe Biden?’” “Jim’s response: ‘Absolutely not,’” Bobulinski added. Later in the hearing, Bobulinski claimed Jim Biden admitted to him during a 2017 meeting that the Biden family was able to conduct its business despite the president’s high profile because of “plausible deniability.” Democratic and Republican members sparred during Wednesday’s hearing over which party’s witnesses were more credible. Democrat Eleanor Holmes Norton, who represents Washington, D.C., began by noting Galanis’ conviction for financial crimes, saying he is serving a lengthy sentence at a federal prison. She was followed by ranking member Jamie Raskin, D-Md., who also noted Galanis’ convictions but also attacked Bobulinski for offering “a lot of rhetoric and a lot of hot air but absolutely no facts” that would warrant impeaching President Biden. “Nobody on their side can even tell us what is the impeachable high crime and misdemeanor, which suggests that they are moving in the direction of criminal referrals, and they should start by looking at their own witnesses,” Raskin said. Committee Chairman James Comer, R-Ky., pushed back by reminding Norton and Raskin “the witness, Mr. Galanis, was partners with Hunter Biden.” “That’s why he’s here. We have their partners. You could have invited partners, but you invited this guy,” Comer said, motioning toward Parnas, a former aide to Rudy Giuliani. The members began speaking over each other before Comer moved on to Rep. Glenn Grothman, R-Wis., for his questioning. Grothman began by noting that Parnas was also convicted of crimes and sentenced to federal prison. FORMER HUNTER BIDEN ASSOCIATES TESTIFY PUBLICLY IN NEXT PHASE OF IMPEACHMENT INQUIRY Bobulinski said Wednesday he “begged” Rep. Ro Khanna, D-Calif., and his staff to sit down with him to review the text message evidence he had on his Blackberry cellphone regarding the alleged wrongdoings by members of the Biden family. Bobulinski’s comments came after Khanna refused to question him and spoke only to Parnas. “If you noticed, Congressman Khanna scurried out of here very quickly, and I’m actually disgusted as I sit here that he didn’t address me based on the fact that I’m sitting here in front of the world trying to testify to the truth,” Bobulinski said shortly after Khanna’s time expired. “I have messages I’m willing to produce to both the Democrats and the Republicans that Ro Khanna sent to me saying, ‘You have always demonstrated to me that you’re nothing but honest with the highest integrity individual,’” Bobulinski said. “I was begging for him to go CNN and tell the world in October 2020. “I have extensive emails with Congressman Ro Khanna in 2021 and 2022, where I begged him and his staff to sit down with me and look at my BlackBerry phones that the Democrats are so focused

Maine regulators considering adoption of California EV use standards

Maine environmental regulators are set to decide whether the state will join a growing number of states adopting new standards designed to grow the use of electric vehicles. The rules, which originated in California, would require an increasing percentage of new light-duty vehicles to be zero emission vehicles every year. The new standards would start with 51% in 2028 and grow to 82% by 2032. The Maine Board of Environmental Protection is set to vote on the proposal Wednesday in a vote that has been anticipated for weeks. The proposal has encountered a mixed reception in Maine, where some have said it would speed up the already-growing adoption of electric vehicles. TRUMP CAMPAIGN RESPONDS IN FORCE AFTER BIDEN CRACKS DOWN ON GAS CARS, VOWS ‘DAY ONE’ REVERSAL “Consumers in Maine are already rapidly adopting electric vehicles,” said Sarah Krame, staff attorney with Sierra Club Environmental Law Program, in testimony. “Demand is so strong that lack of supply has been a major constraint on Maine residents looking to purchase EVs, with waitlists several months long for certain models.” Opponents of the proposal, including prominent state Republicans, have described the move as wrong for the state’s economy and geography, and said it would heap costs onto consumers. “Extremists seem to think that only 6% of consumers want EVs because the government hasn’t forced them to buy one. The truth is this plan isn’t feasible because of Maine’s geography and infrastructure,” said House Republican Leader Billy Bob Faulkingham late last year. A dozen states have adopted the electric vehicle standards, and 17 states have adopted all or part of California’s low-emission and zero-emission vehicle regulations, according to the California Air Resources Board. The proposals have found support in Democratically-controlled states. Meanwhile, sales of electric vehicles have begun to slow. The Biden administration announced new emissions standards on Wednesday that could boost the industry. Transportation is a major contributor to Maine’s greenhouse gas emissions, and Democratic Gov. Janet Mills has made tackling climate change a major piece of her tenure. The state received hundreds of comments about the electric vehicle proposal in advance of Wednesday’s meeting. The Alliance for Automotive Innovation, a trade group that represents car manufacturers, testified in support of the proposal. The proposal might still need to clear more hurdles, as state lawmakers are considering legislation that could allow them to ultimately make the final decision.

AOC says Trump ‘willing to sell the country for a dollar’ as lawmakers react to potential property seizures

Democrats on Capitol Hill don’t have much sympathy for former President Trump as he struggles to come up with a $464 million appeal bond due in less than a week. “He’s broke, and he’s willing to sell the country for a dollar in order to make whatever he needs for himself,” New York Democrat Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez told Fox News Wednesday. LEGAL EXPERTS WEIGH IN ON TRUMP’S OPTIONS AFTER FAILURE TO SECURE $464M APPEAL BOND: ‘UNCHARTED TERRITORY’ A New York Appeals Court judge late last month denied the 2024 GOP front-runner’s request to delay payment of the $464 million owed as a result of Attorney General Letitia James’ civil fraud lawsuit. Trump has until Monday to secure an appeal bond. If he doesn’t, James previously warned that she would move to seize his assets. Those could include prominent New York City properties like Trump Tower and 40 Wall Street. “A jury of his peers has decided on this case,” said Rep. Jahana Hayes, although there was no jury involved in the trial. “It’s not in the hands of Congress,” Hayes, a Connecticut Democrat, added. “So I think that people should obey the law.”  WATCH MORE FOX NEWS DIGITAL ORIGINALS HERE “If he didn’t want to get his property seized, if he didn’t want to be fined, he shouldn’t have committed crimes,” Rep. Sean Casten, a Democrat from Illinois, said of the civil case. Trump’s attorneys said in a court filing this week that obtaining a bond “of this enormous magnitude” is “unprecedented for a private company” and a “practical impossibility.” “It seems very punitive, directed in a political way, and it’s something that seems overwhelming,” Rep. John Moolenaar said. “I don’t know anyone that could put up that kind of money,” the Michigan Republican added. Rep. Michael Cloud said that although he had not read all the details of the former president’s case, the potential seizures rang alarm bells. “We are seeing a [Department of Justice] that is weaponized, in many ways, against the American people, President Trump being a key target of that,” the Texas Republican said. To hear more from lawmakers, click here.

Gov. Ivey signs Alabama absentee ballot crackdown into law: ‘Under my watch…no funny business’

Alabama has placed new restrictions on assistance with absentee ballot requests, making it illegal to return another person’s ballot application and making it a felony to pay someone to distribute or collect applications. Alabama Gov. Kay Ivey on Wednesday announced she had signed the bill into law a day after it was given final approval in the Alabama Legislature. “Here in Alabama, we are committed to ensuring our elections are free and fair,” Ivey said in a statement Wednesday. “Under my watch, there will be no funny business in Alabama elections.” ALABAMA LAWMAKERS PASS LEGISLATION THAT BANS STATE FUNDING OF DEI, RESTRICTS TEACHING ‘DIVISIVE CONCEPTS’ Republicans in the Alabama Legislature had named the bill as a key priority for the year and aimed to get it in place before the November election. Republicans said it is needed to combat voter fraud through “ballot harvesting,” a term for the collection of multiple absentee ballots. Democrats argued that there is no proof that ballot harvesting exists and called it an attempt to suppress voting by absentee ballot. “It’s just another voter suppression. It’s just a means of suppressing certain people from having the ability and right to access to the free flowing of the vote,” Senate Minority Leader Bobby Singleton said during debate Tuesday afternoon. The absentee voting bill would make it a misdemeanor to distribute a pre-filled absentee ballot application to a voter. The bill also says that no one other than the voter applying for an absentee ballot can return the application to their county’s absentee election manager. Absentee ballot applications can be returned in person or by mail or commercial carrier. It would become a felony to give, or receive, a payment or a gift “for distributing, ordering, requesting, collecting, completing, prefilling, obtaining, or delivering a voter’s absentee ballot application.” “Free and fair elections are the foundation of our constitutional republic. The passage of SB1 signals to ballot harvesters that Alabama votes are not for sale,” Alabama Secretary of State Wes Allen said in a statement. The new law lists an exemption stating that voters who require assistance because of blindness, disability, or inability to read or write may be given assistance by an individual of the voter’s choice. CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP A federal judge in June blocked a Mississippi law from taking effect that named a short list of people who can “collect and transmit” an absentee ballot. The judge wrote that the Mississippi law violates the Voting Rights Act, a federal law that says any voter who is blind, disabled or unable to read may receive assistance “by a person of the voter’s choice.”

Popular ex-GOP governor trounces two Dem rivals in blue state Senate showdown: poll

Could a longtime deep blue state provide Republicans a path to winning back the Senate majority in November’s elections? A new poll suggests the answer may be yes. Former Republican Gov. Larry Hogan of Maryland holds double-digit leads over both of his potential Democratic rivals in his home state’s Senate race, a Washington Post/University of Maryland poll released on Wednesday indicates. Hogan, whose surprise announcement last month that he would launch a Senate campaign rocked the campaign world, tops Democratic Rep. David Trone 49%-37% if the general election were held today, according to the survey. MARYLAND SHOCKER: FORMER GOVERNOR MAKES SURPRISE CAMPAIGN ANNOUNCEMENT And the poll indicates that Hogan leads the other major Democrat running for their party’s Senate nomination — Prince George’s County Executive Angela Alsobrooks — by a 50%-36% margin. TRUMP ENDORSEMENT BOOSTS MORENO TO VICTORY IN GOP SENATE PRIMARY IN OHIO But the survey, which was conducted March 5-12, also indicates that by a 20-point margin, Maryland voters say they’d prefer if the Democrats retained control of the Senate. In the race to succeed retiring Democratic Sen. Ben Cardin, the poll indicates Trone leads Alsobrooks 34%-27% in their party’s primary on May 14, with nearly 4 in 10 Democratic voters undecided. SIX KEY SENATE SEATS REPUBLICANS AIM TO FLIP IN NOVEMBER  Trone, the co-founder and co-owner along with his brother of the successful alcohol retailer Total Wine and More, has vastly outspent Alsobrooks to date in the Democratic Senate primary. Hogan, a vocal GOP critic of former President Donald Trump, 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. Hogan, a successful business leader before entering politics, 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. 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.” But fast-forward two years, and Hogan is now running for the open seat in a state where it’s been nearly four decades since a Republican served in the Senate. Hogan, who steered Maryland in a bipartisan way, left office with high approval and favorable ratings. And the new poll indicates he remains popular, with a 64%-23% favorable/unfavorable rating. The survey also indicates that Trone and Alsobrooks are not well known among many Maryland voters. 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. Get the latest updates from the 2024 campaign trail, exclusive interviews and more at our Fox News Digital election hub.

Pennsylvania police slam longtime Dem Sen. Casey ‘aligning’ himself with defund the police group: ‘Dangerous’

Police leaders in Pennsylvania are railing against longtime Democratic Sen. Bob Casey for aligning himself with a pro-defund the police group as he gears up for a reelection campaign that is anticipated to be a nail-biter.  “At a time when there were four shootings in four days on our local public transit system, and law enforcement across the Commonwealth is understaffed, Casey’s decision to align himself with these defund the police activists is alarming and extremely dangerous,” Folcroft Deputy Police Chief and Delaware County FOP Lodge 27 President Chris Eiserman said Wednesday in a press conference while flanked by other law enforcement officials.  His comments were in response to Invisible Philadelphia and state chapter Pennsylvania Indivisible throwing their support behind Casey this week as he campaigns to retain his Senate seat.  “Indivisible Philadelphia and the #IndivisiblesOfPA enthusiastically support @Bob_Casey for re-election to the US Senate! #PASen,” Indivisible Philadelphia tweeted Wednesday, adding that the state chapter of the progressive group also endorsed Casey.  REPUBLICAN DAVE MCCORMICK LAUNCHES BID FOR VULNERABLE SENATE SEAT IN BATTLEGROUND STATE Indivisible Philadelphia describes itself as a “grassroots organization of volunteers determined to advance a progressive agenda by resisting corruption, authoritarianism, and inequality in our governmental institutions.” The group has also repeatedly advocated for police departments to be defunded, most notably in 2020 when defund the police and Black Lives Matter protests and riots unfolded in cities from coast to coast.  “We won’t stop until they #DefundThePolice,” the group’s website reads in a June 25, 2020 post titled, “Make Your Demand!” “When we said #DefundThePolice we meant fewer officers on the street terrorizing Black and Brown residents. We meant moving away from the racist system of criminalization and penal punishment, and moving toward community-led public safety methods and programs,” the post continued, which came following the death of George Floyd in Minneapolis that year.  When reached for comment Wednesday, the group’s leader told Fox News Digital that police should be funded for “policing work,” while other funds should be directed to support social workers and health officials to handle non-policing issues in communities.  “Our position has always been that police should be funded to do policing work. And that for other kinds of problems in the community, adequate funding should be provided for healthcare professionals, social workers, and mental health professionals as appropriate,” Indivisible Philadelphia group leader Vicki Miller said.  Eiserman continued during the press conference that Casey’s policies in office are more in line with Indivisible Philadelphia than with Pennsylvania voters.  “​​We all know [Philadelphia District Attorney] Larry Krasner progressive approach to letting criminals back on the street isn’t working. And yet Bob Casey supports Soros-funded prosecutors in Pittsburgh and Philadelphia, who have led crime get completely out of control. Casey voted against the $300 million to anti-narcotics and opioid activities carried out by the U.S. Customs and Border Protection. He voted against Kate’s Law twice, which would have set a mandatory imprisonment minimum for deported felons who illegally reenter the US,” he said.  PHILADELPHIA REACHED 500 HOMICIDES AS GUN VIOLENCE CONTINUES TO PLAGUE CITY STREETS Bob Casey for Senate spokesperson Maddy McDaniel detailed in comment to Fox News Digital on Wednesday that the senator has provided needed tools to law enforcement, while going after Casey’s anticipated Republican Senate challenger Dave McCormick. The spokesperson did not address whether Casey supports Indivisible Philadelphia’s support of defunding the police.  “Senator Casey has delivered hundreds of millions to fund bulletproof vests, SWAT gear, police cars, and ballistics shields for officers, and has worked alongside law enforcement to address threats like fentanyl trafficking. David McCormick went against law enforcement when he opposed a border deal that was supported by border patrol, and he spent his career investing for the Chinese government, which is now teaming up with Mexican cartels to pump fentanyl into Pennsylvania. We can’t trust him to prioritize our safety — only his bottom line.” Eiserman, along with dozens of other law enforcement officers – including 72 sheriffs in the state – have endorsed McCormick in his bid to unseat Casey, arguing he would support the rule of law and have police officers’ backs.  “Thankfully, Pennsylvania has a law and order Senate candidate that will work with the police and not against us: Dave McCormick. Dave’s a combat veteran who takes threats to Pennsylvanians’ safety seriously. He thoughtfully will consider how the actions of politicians in Washington affect us in our local communities,” he said Wednesday at the presser. Crime in Philadelphia spiraled after 2020, including 2021 ending with a record number of homicides, at more than 550, while 2022 ended the year with record carjackings, at more than 1,000. Homicides and carjackings have since dipped, but crime persists in the city, including repeat shootings on public transportation this year.  Violent crime across the nation rose in 2020, with murders spiking by nearly 30% that year compared to 2019, according to FBI data, marking the largest single-year increase in killings since the agency began tracking the crimes. Experts have pinned blame on that year’s spike, as well as following years’ crime trends, to the defund the police movement, which sparked a mass exodus of cops from the line of work.  MASSIVE INCREASE IN BLACK AMERICANS MURDERED WAS RESULT OF DEFUND POLICE MOVEMENT: EXPERTS PHILADELPHIA REACHES 1,000 CARJACKINGS FOR FIRST TIME EVER As of January, Philly was short more than 800 officers, while Pittsburgh was short roughly 110 offices as of last month, local news reports show.  Casey has positioned himself as a supporter of law enforcement, though stipulates on his Senate page that “we must reform” policing systems.  “Senator Casey believes that our Nation is at a moral crossroads, and we can no longer accept a criminal legal system – informed by centuries-old prejudices and racial bias – that turns a blind eye to the injustice and systemic racism impacting our communities of color.  He believes that we can and we must reform these systems, while still supporting our law enforcement and holding accountable those who abuse

Senate Democrats could spoil Biden’s Muslim judicial nominee over ‘deeply concerning’ ties

President Biden’s chosen nominee for the 3rd Circuit Court of Appeals is in danger of failing to garner enough votes to be confirmed in the Senate after concerns rose over his affiliations with groups tied to criminal and alleged antisemitic figures. Adeel Mangi is a partner at Patterson Belknap Webb & Tyler LLP and received his master of laws degree from Harvard Law School in 2000. The nomination would be a first for Biden. Mangi would be the only Muslim to serve on a federal appeals court if confirmed.  However, Senate Republicans and Democrats have expressed concern over the nominee in recent days, putting his confirmation at risk. With a roughly evenly divided Senate, Mangi likely needs the support of every Democrat in the body, as well as all three independents.  GOP LAWMAKER SAYS REPUBLICANS ‘DON’T HAVE THE GUTS’ TO IMPEACH BIDEN Mangi has been affiliated with both the Center for Security, Race and Rights (CSRR) at Rutgers Law School and the Alliance of Families for Justice (AFJ), both of which have controversial records.  The CSRR has hosted numerous speakers that the advocacy group Jewish Federation of Greater MetroWest NJ and watchdog group Judicial Crisis Network (JCN), among others, have accused of antisemitism. The speakers included associate professor Noura Erakat, who was advertised in 2020 to be participating in a panel alongside senior Hamas leader Ghazi Hamad. Many of the center’s events that have been subject to public outcry have notably occurred after Hamas’ Oct. 7 terrorist attack on Israel.  The group has also welcomed speakers who have been accused by JCN and others of sympathizing with terrorists connected to the 9/11 terrorist attacks in New York City.  Mangi served on the organization’s advisory board from 2019 to 2023. The AFJ also has ties that concern some lawmakers. One of its founding board members, Kathy Boudin, was affiliated with the FBI-designated domestic terrorist organization Weather Underground and pleaded guilty to murdering two police officers and a security guard in 1981 while robbing an armored truck.  Mangi is listed as a current advisory board member for AFJ.  “Mr. Mangi’s affiliation with the Alliance of Families for Justice is deeply concerning,” Democratic Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto of Nevada said in a statement to Fox News Digital Wednesday.  “This organization has sponsored a fellowship in the name of Kathy Boudin, a member of the domestic terrorist organization Weather Underground, and advocated for the release of individuals convicted of killing police officers. I cannot support this nominee.”  BIDEN FAILS TO ACKNOWLEDGE HUNTER’S OUT-OF-WEDLOCK DAUGHTER DURING WOMEN’S HISTORY MONTH EVENT AT WHITE HOUSE Cortez Masto’s potential defection could upend Biden’s effort to confirm Mangi. The Nevada senator revealed Tuesday she was one of the Democrats who privately warned Biden about a lack of support for his nominee. A report had previously alleged several senators told the White House Mangi may not be able to earn enough votes for confirmation.  A number of Democratic senators refused to say whether they would support Mangi’s nomination, including Bob Casey, D-Pa., and Tammy Baldwin, D-Wis., who are both up for re-election in competitive matchups in November.  “When there’s a vote scheduled, we’ll talk about it then,” said Casey.  BIDEN FINALIZES CRACKDOWN ON GAS CARS, FORCING MORE THAN HALF OF NEW CAR SALES TO BE ELECTRIC BY 2030 The Pennsylvania senator declined to address whether he had reservations about the nominee.  “I give every nominee serious consideration,” Baldwin said. “We’re looking at it right now.” Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, a member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, has already raised concerns over Mangi. “It is becoming more and more clear every day that Mangi is not going to have the votes to get confirmed,” Cruz told Fox News Digital. “And it was foolish for President Biden to nominate an individual who has a record of serving on the board of an organization that has rationalized and apologized for 9/11 and has welcomed radical terrorists to its programming.” The only question left, he said, is “how long the White House will let Mr. Mangi hang out on a limb.” HISPANIC VOTERS DELIVER BLOW TO ‘LATINOS CON BIDEN-HARRIS’ CAMPAIGN: ‘THEY’RE PANDERING TO US’ At the same time, many Democrats reiterated their plan to support Mangi when speaking to Fox News Digital Tuesday. Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse, D-R.I., said he will vote to confirm Biden’s nominee “as I did in committee.” “No worries,” Sen. Tammy Duckworth, D-Ill., said of her support for Mangi.  But with such a divided upper chamber, it may only require a few Democratic votes to prevent his confirmation, making the support of the rest of the caucus moot.  Republican efforts to highlight Mangi’s controversies came to a head Wednesday, when Senate Judiciary Committee Ranking Member Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., called on Biden to withdraw his nomination.  “It has been a long-standing position of mine to give great deference to executive appointments, particularly judicial appointments, for both parties,” he said in a press release. “However, it is clear to me that concerns about this nomination are widespread, not just among Republicans in the Senate. FORMER HUNTER BIDEN ASSOCIATES TO TESTIFY PUBLICLY IN NEXT PHASE OF IMPEACHMENT INQUIRY “I urge President Biden to seriously listen to these concerns and withdraw Mr. Mangi’s nomination.” In a statement to Fox News Digital, the White House defended the president’s choice for the court.  “President Biden is proud to have nominated Adeel Mangi, whose extraordinary qualifications and integrity are gaining him new backing each day, including from the seventh law enforcement organization to endorse his confirmation, as well as retired circuit Judge Timothy Lewis, who was appointed by President George H.W. Bush,” said White House spokesperson Andrew Bates.  He claimed Mangi is “being targeted by a malicious and debunked smear campaign solely because he would make history as the first Muslim to serve as a federal appellate judge.” Bates further urged Senate Democrats to “side with the qualities that make America exceptional — which Mr. Mangi embodies — not the hateful forces trying to force America into

Gov. Greg Abbott says Texas is two House votes away from passing school vouchers

Abbott called on supporters to push through the primary runoffs to deliver the final pro-voucher members needed to pass his legislation, plus some padding.