Maryland lawmakers push legal online gambling, tax and toll hikes in budget blueprint
A budget showdown at the Maryland General Assembly is brewing, with top House leaders outlining on Friday a $1.3 billion plan for new state revenues to pay future education and transportation costs that Senate leaders think is too hefty now and unsuitable for the state’s current economic climate. The House’s revenue package includes tax, fee and toll increases, as well as the legalization of internet gambling, which would make casino games available for wagering online. House Speaker Adrienne Jones, a Baltimore County Democrat, kicked off a news conference with top Democrats who control the chamber by saying, “We can no longer rely on quick fixes or short-term approaches.” MARYLAND SENATE NEARING VOTE ON $63B BUDGET LEGISLATION FOR NEXT FISCAL YEAR “They will only land us right back in the same place next year,” Jones said. “At this point, we know what the solution is, and it’s finally time that we just say it. The answer is revenues.” The plan is targeting the rising costs of the state’s K-12 education funding plan known as the Blueprint for Maryland’s Future. The blueprint, approved in 2020, phases in larger amounts of money to expand early childhood education, increase teachers’ salaries, and provide aid to struggling schools. While the budget approved by the Senate fully funds the blueprint for the next fiscal year, the state has yet to find the answer to rising costs in the years after that. The House plan attempts to solve that with revenue from internet gambling. However, gambling expansion would require a constitutional amendment, which needs a three-fifths vote in each chamber and approval by voters in November. Corporate tax reform is also part of the plan to help fund the blueprint. The House plan also aims to address the state’s transportation funding woes by raising the vehicle excise tax from 6% to 6.5% and adjusting a vehicle trade-in exemption to apply only when a vehicle is traded in for a zero-emissions or hybrid vehicle. It also would raise revenues by changing vehicle registration fees, based on new weight classifications, and imposing a statewide ride-sharing fee of 75 cents. More money from tolls also is part of the plan. “They haven’t gone up for 10 years, and they were reduced for political reasons during the previous administration,” said Del. Marc Korman, a Montgomery County Democrat who chairs the House Environment and Transportation Committee. So far, neither the Senate nor the governor have appeared supportive of the House’s proposal. The $63 billion spending plan submitted by the governor and approved by the Senate Thursday night balances the budget, with a large rainy day fund remaining. “To the hardworking Marylanders out there who are feeling the challenges of stubborn inflation, we do not want you to bear additional burden,” Senate President Bill Ferguson, a Baltimore Democrat, said Friday. Gov. Wes Moore, a Democrat who submitted his budget plan in January without tax increases, remained wary of backing them now. “Any conversation with the General Assembly around taxes is going to have a very high bar for the governor, and any of those conversations will focus on creating fiscally disciplined ways of making Maryland’s economy grow,” said Carter Elliott, the governor’s spokesman. But Del. Ben Barnes, who chairs the House Appropriations Committee, said the state’s current budget isn’t sustainable enough to meet the needs identified as priorities by the governor, the Senate and the House. “We are facing a high bar. We are facing shortfalls in our Transportation Trust Fund that are not sustainable, so we believe we’ve met the high bar,” Barnes, a Prince George’s County Democrat, said. House changes to the state’s budget legislation for the next fiscal year have to be worked out with the Senate before the General Assembly adjourns April 8 at midnight. The two chambers already appear to have near agreement on some new revenue to help pay for the rising costs of the state’s medical trauma system. Both are advancing measures to increase revenues from vehicle registration fees that support emergency services. The House and Senate also are advancing bills to tax guns and ammunition to help pay for emergency services needed for gunshot patients.
Supreme Court to hear arguments in key First Amendment case challenging Biden admin teamwork with Big Tech
The Supreme Court on Monday will hear arguments challenging the Biden administration’s alleged coordination with Big Tech to censor certain messages, in a case that one side says could impact the discourse around the 2024 election. The nine justices will decide if a temporary ban on the Biden administration limiting their communication with social media companies should stay in place while the merits of the case are litigated in lower courts. The case stems from a lawsuit brought by state attorneys general from Missouri and Louisiana that accused high-ranking government officials of working with giant social media companies “under the guise of combating misinformation” that ultimately led to censoring speech on topics that included Hunter Biden’s laptop, COVID-19 origins and the efficacy of face masks. BIDEN AGENCY ‘LIKELY’ VIOLATED FREE SPEECH BY WORKING WITH BIG TECH TO CENSOR ELECTION CONTENT: COURT The Justice Department has argued that the temporary ban will cause “irreparable harm” because it may prevent the federal government from “working with social media companies on initiatives to prevent grave harm to the American people and our democratic processes.” “I think it is absolutely critical that that injunction be affirmed as we move into this election cycle in order to continue to build the wall of separation between tech and state, in order to protect our election and integrity as part of our First Amendment right to free speech,” Missouri Attorney General Andrew Bailey told Fox News Digital in an interview. “In other words, if you look at the speech that was suppressed, censored at the federal government’s demand, it was exclusively conservative speech,” Bailey claimed. “Having the injunction in place ensures that there is a free, fair and open marketplace of ideas and that the federal government isn’t discriminating against one viewpoint in order to rig the election,” he said. FBI MET WEEKLY WITH BIG TECH AHEAD OF THE 2020 ELECTION, AGENT TESTIFIES In a July 4 court order last year, U.S. District Court Judge Terry A. Doughty imposed the temporary injunction preventing White House and executive agency officials from meeting with tech companies about moderating content, arguing that such actions in the past were “likely” First Amendment violations. “During the COVID-19 pandemic, a period perhaps best characterized by widespread doubt and uncertainty, the United States Government seems to have assumed a role similar to an Orwellian ‘Ministry of Truth,’” Doughty wrote. “If the allegations made by Plaintiffs are true, the present case arguably involves the most massive attack against free speech in United States’ history,” the injunction said. “In their attempts to suppress alleged disinformation, the Federal Government, and particularly the Defendants named here, are alleged to have blatantly ignored the First Amendment’s right to free speech.” The injunction also claims that “the censorship alleged in this case almost exclusively targeted conservative speech,” but that issues the case raises are “beyond party lines.” “Viewpoint discrimination is an especially egregious form of content discrimination,” Doughty argued. “The government must abstain from regulating speech when the specific motivating ideology or the perspective of the speaker is the rationale for the restriction.” The Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals extended the scope of the injunction in October to include the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) within the Department of Homeland Security. The DOJ argued in its appeal to the Supreme Court to overturn the injunction orders that the states lack Article III standing, meaning that they haven’t proved direct injury at the hands of the federal government. “A central dimension of presidential power is the use of the Office’s bully pulpit to seek to persuade Americans – and American companies – to act in ways that the President believes would advance the public interest,” the DOJ wrote in its petition to the high court. “Of course, the government cannot punish people for expressing different views. Nor can it threaten to punish the media or other intermediaries for disseminating disfavored speech,” the petition states. “But there is a fundamental distinction between persuasion and coercion. And courts must take care to maintain that distinction because of the drastic consequences resulting from a finding of coercion: If the government coerces a private party to act, that party is a state actor subject ‘to the constraints of the First Amendment,’” it says. BIDEN LIKELY VIOLATED FIRST AMENDMENT DURING COVID-19 PANDEMIC, FEDERAL JUDGE SAYS The Supreme Court, when it agreed to hear arguments over the injunction in the case, temporarily lifted the injunction until they make a final decision. Still, Bailey said he feels confident the high court will ultimately rule in the states’ favor. “One of the elements that we had to prove in order to obtain the preliminary injunction was a likelihood of success on the merits, “Bailey said. “We’ve put on evidence, the trial court made factual findings. I believe that there is a sufficient reason to believe that we’re likely to succeed on the merits, and I think the court is going to review that,” Bailey said. The Supreme Court will hear arguments in the case Murthy v. Missouri at 10 a.m. on Monday.
Spanish protesters’ tribute to Gaza war victims
NewsFeed Hundreds of protesters in Spain’s San Sebastian lay together on the ground in a tribute to victims of Israel’s war on Gaza, next to a banner inspired by Picasso’s famous anti-war painting ‘Guernica’. Published On 18 Mar 202418 Mar 2024 Adblock test (Why?)
Scottie Scheffler closes with a 64 to repeat at The Players Championship
The world number one becomes the first player in tournament’s 50-year history to win at TPC Sawgrass in consecutive years. Already the best in the world, Scottie Scheffler added another layer to his legend on Sunday. The American became the first player to win back-to-back in 50 years of The Players Championship by matching the biggest comeback and the lowest closing round by a winner. Scheffler holed out for eagle from the fourth fairway and had four birdies in a five-hole stretch around the turn, sending him to an 8-under 64 and a one-shot victory that was not decided until the final putt. Xander Schauffele, Brian Harman and Wyndham Clark all had a chance to force a playoff with a birdie on the daunting 18th hole at the TPC Sawgrass. Clark had the last shot, a putt just inside 18 feet that dipped into the cup on the left side and came out on the right side, leaving him stunned as he placed his hand over his mouth. “I don’t know how that putt doesn’t go in,” Clark said. “Even when it kind of lipped, I thought it would lip in. I’m pretty gutted it didn’t go in.” Scheffler, who started the final round five shots behind, was on the practice range preparing for a three-hole playoff when he got the word and showed more emotion than usual for someone who is getting used to winning. “It’s tough enough to win one Players,” Scheffler said. “So, to have it back-to-back is extremely special. Yeah, really thankful.” Scheffler finished at 20-under 268 and won $4.5m, pushing the 27-year-old from Dallas over the $50m mark in his career. His 64 matched the lowest final round by a Players champion, last done by Davis Love III in 2003, and he tied Justin Leonard (1998) with his five-shot comeback. The Players Championship, despite not being a major, has been promoted by the PGA Tour as golf’s “fifth major” due to its reputation as the next most prestigious tournament in golf and lucrative $25m prize purse. Adblock test (Why?)
Israeli forces storm Gaza’s al-Shifa Hospital
Gaza officials report mounting casualties; Israeli military claims Hamas using medical complex to plan attacks. Israel’s military forces have stormed al-Shifa Hospital in Gaza City with tanks and heavy gunfire, resulting in deaths and injuries, Palestinian officials have said. The Israeli military said in a statement on Monday that it is conducting a “precise operation” at the medical facility. Gaza’s Ministry of Health said about 30,000 people, including displaced civilians, wounded patients and medical staff are trapped inside the complex. Israel, which wound down many of its operations in northern Gaza some weeks ago claiming to have destroyed Hamas’s military infrastructure, said in the statement that Hamas – which governs the enclave – has “regrouped” inside al-Shifa and is “using it to command attacks against Israel”. In a message in English on Telegram, Gaza’s Ministry of Health said anyone “who tries to move is targeted by sniper bullets and quadcopter”. It added that the raid, which began at 2am (00:00 GMT), has resulted in a “number of martyrs and wounded”. Al Jazeera Arabic reported that the hospital’s surgical building was on fire following the Israeli bombing. Israeli military spokesman Daniel Hagari said in a video posted earlier on X that the Israeli military would be conducting a “humanitarian effort” during the assault, providing food and water. He also insisted that there is “no obligation” for patients and medical staff to evacuate the hospital. However, Al Jazeera Arabic correspondents on the ground reported that Israeli forces used loudspeakers to order hundreds of people sheltering at the hospital to evacuate. Footage verified by Al Jazeera’s Sanad verification unit shows dozens of Palestinians fleeing the hospital as Israeli forces launched operations in the area. الجيش الإسرائيلي يجبر مئات العائلات على النزوح من مجمع الشفاء الطبي غربي مدينة غزة #حرب_غزة #فيديو pic.twitter.com/yxK9KQi2my — الجزيرة فلسطين (@AJA_Palestine) March 18, 2024 Translation: The Israeli army forces hundreds of families to flee al-Shifa Hospital, west of Gaza City. Palestinian journalist Wadea Abu Alsoud, trapped inside the medical complex, described the situation in the facility as “catastrophic” and reported “intense clashes”, in a video posted to Instagram. “This might be my last video,” he said. “We’re now besieged inside al-Shifa Hospital. We’re being heavily shot at. The occupation suddenly raided the hospital and its vicinity. As you can hear now, there are intense clashes in the vicinity of al-Shifa Hospital. We’re hearing sounds coming from the gate. There is shrapnel falling over the hospital’s yard.” Al Jazeera’s Willem Marx, in occupied East Jerusalem, quoted an Israeli statement saying its forces “encountered fire inside the hospital, responded with live fire and individuals were hit”. Marx noted that this is the fourth Israeli raid on al-Shifa since October 7. A long siege of the facility in November earned Israel an international outcry. The Government Media Office in Gaza condemned the operation, calling the attack a “war crime”. “The Israeli occupation is still using its fabricated narratives to deceive the world and justify the storming of al-Shifa,” it said in a statement. Israel has repeatedly accused Hamas of running military operations from hospitals and other medical centres, claims the group denies. The Health Ministry said it had received calls from people in the area around the hospital claiming there were dozens of casualties. “No one could transport them to the hospital due to the intensity of gunfire and artillery shelling,” the ministry said. According to the UN, 155 health facilities in the Gaza Strip have been damaged since the war began. Adblock test (Why?)
‘Main jaan ki baazi laga dunga…,’ PM Modi slams Rahul Gandhi over his ‘Shakti’ remark
The Prime Minister further said that on the one hand there are people who talk about the destruction of power while on the other hand there are people who worship Shakti.
Biden inner circle rallies to defense of senior aide accused of sexual harassment
EXCLUSIVE: President Biden and First Lady Jill Biden’s inner circle and former colleagues rallied to the defense of a top aide accused of sexual harassment in statements provided to Fox News Digital. Nearly a dozen current and former colleagues of Anthony Bernal, an assistant to the president and top aide to the first lady, have alleged he has a long-running history of bullying and verbal sexual harassment, including speculating on the penis sizes of staffers in conversations, which one individual described as an attempt “to make people feel uncomfortable and have power over them.” The anonymous staffers told the New York Post, which first reported the allegations, that they came forward in hopes that Bernal would be held accountable for his actions. Some, however, remained skeptical and labeled him as “untouchable” due to his closeness to the first lady. The White House and the first lady’s office did not directly answer Fox News Digital’s inquiries about whether Bernal would face an internal investigation into the matter. Instead, current and past members of Biden’s inner circle and former coworkers of Bernal provided statements to Fox News Digital defending his character in an attempt to counter the staffers’ charges. FORMER TOP BIDEN AIDE CONFIRMS REPORTS OF WH OFFICIAL’S ALLEGED BULLYING, SEXUAL HARASSMENT OF STAFFERS “Anthony is one of the most generous, conscientious, brilliant people working at the White House,” a White House official told Fox News Digital. “In the 20 years I’ve known him, I’ve never heard him to make comments like the ones alleged– in fact, he’s always been quite intentional and purposeful in making sure colleagues at every level feel valued and appreciated.” “I’ve worked with Anthony for almost 30 years — and I’ve always seen him act with the utmost professionalism and compassion toward his team,” Biden’s former chief of staff, Ron Klain, told Fox News Digital. Several other former colleagues of Bernal also defended him. An ex-staffer in the first lady’s office who worked with him for the first two years of Biden’s administration said they have “a lot of respect for him as a leader and a colleague.” “He has a good heart and always keeps the people we serve at the forefront of his decisions,” they said. “As one of the youngest staff in the office, he consistently asked for and valued my perspective and contributions.” Another individual, who said they have worked closely with Bernal for almost 30 years in the government and the private sector, said he routinely supports coworkers “and pushes them to exceed their own expectations to deliver extraordinary results.” REPUBLICAN LAWMAKERS RALLY AROUND GOLD STAR FATHER ARRESTED AFTER HECKLING BIDEN AT SOTU “All the while, he relentlessly exemplifies that family comes first, and the highest form of public service is to find more to give,” they added. “Anthony’s expectations are set high, but his grace is even higher. He is truly the epitome of a public servant-leader.” A separate long-time colleague, who said they have known and worked with Bernal for more than 15 years, said they have never heard him “utter an inappropriate word to anyone – ever.” “The White House is a demanding workplace requiring the best efforts of all its employees, and Anthony’s leadership has helped me and many others maximize our abilities,” they said. “He challenged me to be better than I ever thought I could be, and as a result I’m a far better person and co-worker because of that interaction.” The New York Post reported last week that the allegations against Bernal, who is openly gay, included him sharing his view with staffers that a person’s thumb size correlates with their penis size. He allegedly did so in the current White House, in prior roles in the Biden campaign and during Biden’s vice presidency. “It is to make people uncomfortable and to have power over them,” one source told the Post. “It is Me Too – classic Me Too.” Additional sources told the Post that Bernal told a colleague he had a small penis during a disagreement. He remarked on a “staffer’s bulge in his khakis” in another occurrence. HUR INSISTS THAT HE ‘DID NOT EXONERATE’ BIDEN, REPEATEDLY SHUTTING DOWN DEMOCRAT CHARACTERIZATIONS “It was a lot of inappropriate remarks — talking about other people’s attractiveness and speculating about their sex lives at very weird moments,” the source told the Post. “That’s actually sexual harassment.” The sources also said that Bernal would routinely question people’s sexuality and would attempt to pry into their personal lives. Following the report, a former top Biden aide, who wished to remain anonymous, told Fox News Digital that the allegations within the Post’s report aligned with what they experienced while working in the administration. “I’m surprised it has taken this long for so many staffers to speak out,” they said. “I wouldn’t be shocked if this empowered current and past staff to move forward.” The former aide also believed “a dozen sources seem like enough to trigger that type of internal investigation.” Biden, meanwhile, has said he would not tolerate such actions within his orbit. “I am not joking when I say this: if you are ever working with me and I hear you treat another colleague with disrespect or talk down to someone, I promise you I will fire you on the spot,” Biden said on his first day in office. “On the spot. No ifs, ands or buts.” The White House and the first lady’s office did not answer whether they believe Bernal’s alleged actions violated Biden’s pledge. The Bidens indirectly addressed the issue through a statement from the president’s chief of staff, Jeff Zeints, who told the Post that he and the Bidens have “full confidence in Anthony’s character.” “His many fans at the White House know him to be both gracious and tough, holding himself up to the highest standards, with a heart dedicated to public service,” Zients said. “It is disappointing that he is the target of unfounded attacks from unnamed sources.”
House AI Task Force chairman eyes public and private hearings as lawmakers mull regulation
EXCLUSIVE: The chairman of the House of Representatives’ new AI Task Force said his panel will likely hold hearings on artificial intelligence as Congress seeks to get ahead of the rapidly advancing technology. “Our number one task is to, by the end of the year, issue a report that details a regulatory framework for artificial intelligence. That framework is going to have a number of different pillars. And those pillars will come out of the things that our task force members are concerned about,” Rep. Jay Obernolte, R-Calif., told Fox News Digital. “So we’re gathering that information, I think then we’ll have a series of hearings, maybe a hearing or two on each one of these broad-based pillars.” Obernolte said he’d be inclined to hold those sessions behind closed doors at first to give lawmakers and witnesses the ability to speak more freely, before a more public phase. HOW AI COULD MANIPULATE VOTERS AND UNDERMINE ELECTIONS THREATENING DEMOCRACY “I think our hearings are going to take a variety of different formats. Some of the hearings will be, as the first meeting was, not open to the public because we want to make sure our task force members feel comfortable asking the questions that might expose a little bit of hesitancy or ignorance,” he said. “In other committee hearings, I’m sure we’ll adopt a more traditional format where we have witnesses in a more formal structure of questions and answers from our task force members.” The task force, a bipartisan effort by Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., and House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., held its first meeting last week in Johnson’s office. Johnson told Fox News Digital in a separate interview that he discussed the group’s potential in opening remarks at the inaugural session. ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE EXPERTS SHARE 6 OF THE BIGGEST AI INNOVATIONS OF 2023: ‘A LANDMARK YEAR’ “We talked initially about some of the low-hanging fruit and the ideas that people have been thinking about, and I was really impressed with the group and the discussion we had,” the speaker said. “With regard to what the role of Congress is in this space, we don’t want to do anything by way of regulation that stifles innovation. We don’t want to hinder the free market development of all this, but at the same time, there is a sense, I think, across the board that there needs to be some guardrails placed upon this. Now what those guardrails are is what this task force is going to work on.” RITE AID BANNED FROM USING AI FACIAL RECOGNITION OVER LACK OF CONSUMER PROTECTIONS Obernolte said they discussed “the whole spectrum” of AI regulation. CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP “There were people that talked about worries about the use of deepfakes for interference in elections. There were people that talked about unfair biases, there were people that talked about intellectual property issues, we had a deep discussion about that. We had some discussions about the structure of potential federal regulation – whether or not that would involve the imposition of a new, broad-based licensing scheme as Europe has done, or more empowerment of our existing sectoral regulators, which is what we’ve been doing so far,” he said. “So it was a very useful, helpful discussion.” The task force meets again later this week, Obernolte said.
Biden admin set to finalize major gas car crackdown over warnings from automakers, energy industry
The Biden administration is expected this week to finalize highly anticipated regulations targeting gas-powered vehicle tailpipe emissions, considered the tip of the spear in its efforts to electrify the transportation sector. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is slated to issue the final rulemaking — which officials have boasted will incentivize greater adoption of electric vehicles (EV), but which opponents have criticized as a de facto mandate — as soon as Wednesday, industry sources told Fox News Digital. The regulations, a key part of President Biden’s climate agenda, would ultimately force automakers to more rapidly expand electric options in their fleets beginning in a matter of years. “It certainly won’t do anything to improve human health. It won’t do anything to reduce pollution,” American Energy Institute president and CEO Jason Isaac, who has researched the EV market, told Fox News Digital in an interview. “We’ve proven in this country that we’re already a world leader in clean air. All it’s going to continue to do is push the costs of electric vehicles on to purchasers of internal combustion engine vehicles.” “This is purely being done for campaign reasons — to really appease the leftist large donor base that are the climate alarmists that are driving this movement towards really what is a forced energy transition, which is just increasing the cost of everything,” Isaac added. 17 RETIRED MILITARY OFFICIALS RAISE ALARM ON BIDEN’S ELECTRIC VEHICLE PUSH Overall, under the proposal, which EPA unveiled in April 2023 and will go into effect in 2027, the White House projected that 67% of new sedan, crossover, SUV and light truck purchases would be electric by 2032. In addition, up to 50% of bus and garbage truck, 35% of short-haul freight tractor and 25% of long-haul freight tractor purchases could also be electric by then. The White House said the proposal, which represents the most aggressive proposal of its kind ever proposed, would “accelerate the clean vehicle transition” and reduce oil imports by 20 billion barrels. Biden and climate activists have taken aim at the transportation sector over its high emissions profile — it alone produces roughly 29% of America’s greenhouse gas emissions, federal data shows. VIRGINIA DEMOCRATS UPHOLD STATE’S EV MANDATE DESPITE GROWING OPPOSITION: ‘DEFY COMMON SENSE’ In January, EPA submitted its final regulations to the White House for review, and in recent weeks, the Office of Management and Budget has hosted a flurry of meetings with energy industry officials, business leaders, automakers and environmental activist groups, according to federal filings. And last month, the New York Times reported that the agency had endorsed its so-called “alternative C” approach, which would loosen the rule implementation between 2027-2030, the early years of the proposal, before aggressively ramping up in 2031 and 2032. Industry groups said such an approach would be just as damaging for consumers, since the end result would remain unchanged. “President Biden has been clear since 2020 that he intends to use his federal agencies, and the State of California, to eliminate sales of new gas cars,” American Fuel & Petrochemical Manufacturers president and CEO Chet Thompson, whose group has advocated against EPA’s tailpipe regulations, told Fox News Digital in a written statement. “While multiple administration policies push us toward this end, the EPA’s passenger vehicle standards will do most of the damage on their own — requiring approximately 70% of new car sales to be electric in less than eight years,” Thompson said. “This policy is bad for consumers, the economy and national security. It will sacrifice our hard-won U.S. energy strength for even greater dependence on China and the EV battery and mineral supply chain China controls.” NEW REPORT UNMASKS TRUE COSTS OF ELECTRIC VEHICLE MANDATES: ‘REMAIN MORE EXPENSIVE’ He added that, for consumers, EPA’s regulations will “feel like a ban” and vastly restrict both their access to, and ability to afford, new gas cars, trucks, SUVs and traditional hybrids. Thompson further warned the EPA doesn’t include any “offramp” in its proposal in the event that U.S. charging and power infrastructure isn’t ready for such a rapid electrification of cars. According to the Alliance for Automotive Innovation, an industry group that represents major automakers, 9.3% of total car purchases in the U.S. last year were electric or plug-in hybrid, up from 7% in 2022. That uptick was driven largely by purchases in California and urban areas where the majority of EV purchases are made. At the same time, EVs remain far more expensive than traditional gas-powered cars. Even factoring in generous federal and state subsidies, the average cost of an EV is about $52,500 while the average subcompact car costs $24,000. In a memo crafted by the Alliance for Automotive Innovation late last week and reviewed by Fox News Digital, though, the group emphasized that loosening tailpipe emissions rules in the early years of the proposal would allow for companies to meet federal goals. BEIJING-BACKED GREEN ENERGY FIRM IS EXPANDING IN US, POSING SERIOUS NATIONAL SECURITY RISK: REPORT “Think of the upcoming rule like a six-year curve with higher electrification targets every year. Pay close attention to the administration’s EV adjustments in the earlier years. That’s the story,” the group wrote. The group also raised a number of questions related to how EPA will factor in plug-in hybrids, which it said consumers favor, but which EPA neglected to include in its April 2023 proposal. And it urged EPA to issue the regulations in coordination with other federal agencies, such as the Department of Energy and Department of Transportation, which are expected to finalize their own rules impacting the EV transition. And EPA’s regulations this week are likely to garner significant pushback from lawmakers who have already unleashed a number of efforts to curb the federal government’s authority on the issue. In December, the House voted 221-197, with five Democrats joining 216 Republicans, to pass a resolution nixing the EPA’s proposal, but that bill has yet to receive a Senate vote. “President Biden has made his intentions clear,” Rep. Randy Feenstra,
Russia-Ukraine war: List of key events, day 753
As the war enters its 753rd day, these are the main developments. Here is the situation on Sunday, March 17, 2024. Fighting One person was killed and another injured in the Velykopysarivska community of Ukraine’s Sumy region, which borders Russia, according to the region’s military administration. The attack was one of 60 reported shelling incidents of border territories and settlements, which damaged buildings including a hospital, kindergarten, library and a gas pipeline, Sumy officials said. Earlier on Sunday, one man was killed and at least eight people were wounded in a Russian missile attack on the Black Sea port city of Mykolaiv, Ukrainian officials said, after an overnight strike on the port city of Odesa. Russia’s President Vladimir Putin said his armed forces in Ukraine were “just tearing them – the enemy – apart right now”, after Russia claimed to have captured a string of towns and villages in the east of Ukraine. Ukrainian shelling in the southern Russian city of Belgorod killed two people and injured eleven others, regional Governor Vyacheslav Gladkov said on the Telegram messaging app. Five people were also wounded when a Ukrainian drone hit a car in the village of Glotovo, some 2km (1.25 miles) from the Ukrainian border, Gladkov said. The attack on Belgorod was one of many over several days of Ukrainian strikes that Moscow described as election sabotage. A Ukrainian drone attack caused a fire at a Russian oil refinery on Saturday, which burned for hours before it was brought under control. Politics and diplomacy President Putin has claimed victory after early election results in Russia showed he was heading for another six-year term with some 87 percent of the vote. Responding to the results, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy called Putin a “dictator”, “sick from power” and “doing everything he can to rule forever”. Yulia Navalnaya, the widow of Russian opposition leader Alexey Navalny, who died in a Russian prison colony last month, said, “Obviously I wrote Navalny’s name” on the ballot, after she voted in the Russian Embassy in Berlin. Rights group Amnesty International has decried Russia’s attempts “to alter the ethnic makeup” of Crimea by suppressing Ukrainian and Crimean Tatar identities. “These policies appear to be a blueprint for Russia’s designs on other areas of Ukraine it occupies,” Amnesty said. Russia annexed the Crimean Peninsula from Ukraine in 2014. Adblock test (Why?)