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Proposed CA legislation would ban fake gunfire, require advanced notification in active-shooter drills

Proposed CA legislation would ban fake gunfire, require advanced notification in active-shooter drills

Fake gunfire would be banned from active-shooter drills in California’s public schools under legislation proposed Tuesday that would also require schools to notify students, teachers and parents ahead of time whenever a drill was planned. The measure was introduced by Democratic Assemblymember Chris Ward, who argues that some districts have gone too far in their efforts to prepare students for possible tragedy, such as by too realistically re-creating shooting scenes. Schools across the state have ramped up active-shooter drills in recent years in response to the rise of mass shootings, but there has been little guidance about how the drills should be run. NEBRASKA JUDGE DISMISSES LAWSUIT FILED BY WOMAN WHO SUFFERED INJURIES DURING ACTIVE SHOOTER DRILLS Without formal guidelines, some drills have been conducted with trainers acting as school shooters, students playing dead and fake weapons being used to shoot blanks, Ward said when introducing the bill. Last month, a principal at an elementary school outside of Los Angeles was put on leave after pretending to shoot students and announcing that they were “dead” during a drill, KTLA reported. In some cases, schools also don’t notify teachers, parents and students about the shooter drills, resulting in confusion and panic. Ward said such simulations could “do more harm than good.” “When it comes to fire drills, we are not filling the halls with smoke and turning up the thermostat,” he said. “We should not be doing the same to our kids when it comes to active-shooter drills.” With school security ballooning into a multibillion-dollar industry in recent years, some groups are pushing lawmakers to do away with shooter drills. A 2021 study by Everytown for Gun Safety and the Georgia Institute of Technology associated active-shooter drills with an increase in depression, stress and other mental health issues among students. The legislation would require the state Department of Education to provide standardized guidance on active-shooter drills. It also would ban the use of fake gunfire, require schools to notify parents about a shooter drill before and afterward and make a schoolwide announcement before a drill begins. Schools would also have to design age-appropriate drills and make mental health resources available afterward. “Currently, there are no standardized processes for school shooting drills, which is mind-boggling to me,” said Democratic Assemblymember Mike Gipson, who supports the bill. “This is a commonsense piece of legislation.” Ireana Marie Williams, a member of Students Demand Actions at California State University, Sacramento, said shooter drills and lockdowns are traumatizing for students. Williams was locked out of her classroom when her high school went into lockdown a few years ago. She didn’t know if it was a drill or not. “There are no words, no way for me to describe the sheer horror of feeling like a sitting duck, waiting for a gunman to turn the corner and start shooting,” Williams said Tuesday. “Every lockdown, every drill, every second spent scanning for exits is a type of gun violence.”

Trump, Biden nearly tied as general election kicks off: poll

Trump, Biden nearly tied as general election kicks off: poll

Former President Donald Trump holds a slim advantage over President Biden after the two candidates secured their parties’ nominations, a new poll shows.  The two politicians unofficially secured their respective parties’ nominations on Tuesday after both passed the required threshold of delegates. The USA Today poll – conducted in partnership with Suffolk University – found that 40% of respondents favored Trump, compared to 38% for Biden. LOCKING IT UP: TRUMP CLINCHES 2024 REPUBLICAN PRESIDENTIAL NOMINATION DURING TUESDAY’S PRIMARIES A key finding of the survey was the number of registered voters who are open to changing their minds.  Approximately 25% of those surveyed said they would consider switching their vote between now and the election – 14% of likely Biden voters and 15% of likely Trump voters. Among those polled, 15% of respondents reported disliking both candidates, according to USA Today. Approximately 25% of these individuals leaned toward Trump, 18% toward Biden and 44% of them reported intending to vote for third-party candidates.  LOCKING IT UP: BIDEN CLINCHES 2024 DEMOCRAT PRESIDENTIAL NOMINATION DURING TUESDAY’S PRIMARIES With both Trump and Biden crossing the necessary threshold of delegates to all but guarantee their nominations on Tuesday, the public is expecting a 2020 rematch. Both candidates have proven exceptionally unpopular with voters, and their presidencies have experienced similar tepidity in approval polls. It is still unclear if Biden will accept Trump’s challenges for a public debate – the administration has thus far dodged questions on the topic. The USA Today/Suffolk University poll surveyed 1,000 registered voters. Respondents were contacted via cellphone and landline. It was conducted from March 8 to 11 and reports a margin of error of +/- 3.1%.

Mississippi allows automatic Medicaid coverage for pregnancy while applications are processed

Mississippi allows automatic Medicaid coverage for pregnancy while applications are processed

A new Mississippi law will allow earlier Medicaid coverage for pregnant women in an effort to improve health outcomes for mothers and babies in a poor state with the nation’s worst rate of infant mortality. The “presumptive eligibility” legislation signed Tuesday by Republican Gov. Tate Reeves will become law July 1. It says Medicaid will pay for a pregnant woman’s outpatient medical care for up to 60 days while her application for the government-funded insurance program is being considered. Processing Medicaid applications can take weeks, and physicians say early prenatal care is vital. REPUBLICAN-LED MISSISSIPPI HOUSE ADVANCES MEDICAID EXPANSION PROPOSAL, MOVES ON TO SENATE The advocacy group Mississippi Black Women’s Roundtable praised the new law, which passed the Republican-controlled Legislature with bipartisan support. “This represents a significant step forward in the effort to create better health for women and their families,” the group said in a statement. Black infants in Mississippi were nearly twice as likely as white ones to die over the past decade, according to a report unveiled Jan. 18 by the state Department of Health. Presumptive Medicaid eligibility during pregnancy would be based on questions about income, asked by health care providers such as county health department workers. If a woman’s Medicaid application is ultimately rejected because her income is too high, Medicaid would still pay for services provided during the time of presumptive eligibility. House Medicaid Committee Chairwoman Missy McGee, a Republican from Hattiesburg, said the total cost to the Medicaid program will be just under $600,000 a year. About 41% of births in the U.S. and 57% in Mississippi were financed by Medicaid in 2022, according to the health policy research group KFF. Only Louisiana had a larger share of births covered by Medicaid that year, at 61%. In Mississippi, Medicaid coverage for pregnant women 19 and older is based on income. A woman in that age category who has no dependents can receive up to about $29,000 and qualify for Medicaid during pregnancy. One with three dependents can get as much as $59,700 and qualify. Mississippi Medicaid coverage is available to all income levels for those who are pregnant and younger than 19. In 2023, Mississippi extended postpartum Medicaid coverage from two months to a full year, with Reeves saying the change was part of a “new pro-life agenda” to help mothers in a state where abortion is tightly restricted. Mississippi is among 10 states that haven’t expanded Medicaid eligibility to include people earning up to 138% of the federal poverty level, or $20,120 annually for a single person. Expansion is allowed under the federal health overhaul that then-President Barack Obama signed into law in 2010. The Mississippi House recently voted for Medicaid expansion. The state Senate has not voted on an expansion proposal this year, and Reeves has said for years that he opposes adding people to government programs.

Judge approves Trump’s $92M bond in NY defamation case

Judge approves Trump’s M bond in NY defamation case

Former President Trump’s bond money — which totaled just under $100 million dollars — was accepted by a federal judge ahead of his appeal. Trump posted the $92 million bond last week following a ruling that found him liable in his New York defamation case in January of this year. Judge Lewis A. Kaplan approved the bond on Tuesday, which will now serve as a guarantee that the former president will pay out if his appeal does not overturn the verdict. TRUMP POSTS $91M BOND, APPEALS $83M E JEAN CARROLL JUDGMENT Trump is appealing the January decision to the 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Manhattan. He has continued vehemently denying Carroll’s claim that he sexually assaulted her in a department store dressing room in 1996. A jury found him liable for $83.3 million in damages to E. Jean Carroll for defaming her through previous statements attacking her credibility — $18.3 million in compensatory damages, and $65 million in punitive damages. LOCKING IT UP: TRUMP CLINCHES 2024 REPUBLICAN PRESIDENTIAL NOMINATION DURING TUESDAY’S PRIMARIES The bond value is higher than the total damages due to a requirement for 110% of the judgment value to be posted during the appeal process. Federal Insurance Company — based in Chesapeake, Virginia — provided the bond money, according to documents signed by the former president. Trump’s lawyers said he made statements about Carroll in an effort to “defend his reputation, protect his family, and defend his Presidency.” A federal jury in New York City decided last year that Trump was not liable for rape but was liable for sexual abuse and defamation. The former president was ordered to pay $5 million in that trial.

Voters in 2020 battleground state lean towards Trump in 2024: poll

Voters in 2020 battleground state lean towards Trump in 2024: poll

Voters in the 2020 battleground state of North Carolina lean toward former Presiden Trump in 2024 by a 5.4 point margin over incumbent President Biden, a new poll conducted after Super Tuesday shows.  The statewide poll conducted by Cygnal from March 6-7 and published by the Carolina Journal on Tuesday found that 45.2% of likely voters said they are planning to vote for Trump, while 39.8% said they plan to vote for Biden.  A substantial amount – 9.4% – of likely voters indicated that they plan to vote for “someone else.” If that actualizes, as the Journal noted, that would be a marked increase from the less than 1.5% of North Carolina votes cast in 2020 for a third party candidate.  “Trump’s lead is somewhat unsurprising given that he won the state in 2016 and 2020, by 3.6% and 1.3%, respectively. However, it’s still 238 days to November 5, and we’ll be watching to see how this fluctuates,” Carolina Journal publisher and John Locke Foundation CEO Donald Bryson said.  NORTH CAROLINA SCHOOLS CHIEF LOSES REPUBLICAN PRIMARY TO HOME-SCHOOLING PARENT CRITICAL OF ‘RADICAL AGENDAS’ As for the state’s gubernatorial race, 43.8% of likely voters said they’d cast their ballots for Republican Lt. Gov. Mark Robinson, a sizable 4.8-point lead over the 39.0% who said they’d vote for Democratic Attorney General Josh Stein. The poll showed that a majority of rural voters, 53%, indicated that they planned to vote for Robinson.  A plurality of suburban and urban voters, 46% and 47%, respectively, said they’d vote for Stein.  “Both Josh Stein and Mark Robinson have shown the ability to win statewide races and raise money – the race for the Executive Mansion is the one to watch in North Carolina,” Bryson said.  MARK ROBINSON WINS GOP NOMINATION FOR NC GOVERNOR, SAYS ‘UNDERDOG’ STORY ‘JUST LIKE NORTH CAROLINA HERSELF’ The Journal noted increased support for Republican candidates in every race polled.  In a recent shakeup noteworthy for Trump’s influence on politics in the Tar Heel State, Republican newcomer Michele Morrow, a home-schooling parent critical of public schools’ “radical agendas” on race and gender ideology, recently won in the state GOP primary against current Republican North Carolina Superintendent of Public Instruction Catherine Truitt. The new poll published Tuesday found 40.8% of likely voters support Morrow, while 39.1% said they planned to vote for Democrat Maurice “Mo” Green to hold the top North Carolina schools position in November. “Superintendent Catherine Truitt’s primary election loss and four open seats make 2024 a volatile year for the North Carolina Council of State,” Bryson said. “Aside from the drama of these individual races, there is also the question of whether Republicans can maintain their majority on the Council, which also makes policy decisions.”  The poll found immigration was the top issue for voters statewide overall.