South Carolina becomes 29th state in nation with constitutional carry law: ‘Hard-fought victory’
FIRST ON FOX: South Carolina Gov. Henry McMaster signed permitless carry into law Thursday, marking the second Republican-led state in two days to adopt constitutional carry gun laws. “This new law will provide strict increased penalties for illegal gun use and possession by criminals. Now, law enforcement, prosecutors and judges can keep career violent criminals behind bars where they belong, where they can no longer hurt innocent South Carolinians,” McMaster said this week of the legislation. The NRA- backed bill allows eligible citizens 18 and older to carry a firearm in public without gaining approval and a permit from the government. The state Senate passed the bill Wednesday in a 28-18 vote, while the state House passed the legislation the day prior, with lawmakers voting 86-33. The bill’s primary sponsor, Republican state Rep. Bobby J. Cox, told Fox News Digital that the signing of the legislation marks “a long and hard-fought victory for South Carolina.” LOUISIANA BECOMES NATION’S 28TH STATE WITH CONSTITUTIONAL CARRY LAW ON THE BOOKS: ‘LANDMARK VICTORY’ “Gov. McMaster and my colleagues across both chambers of the Legislature have sent a resounding message: South Carolinians should never require government permission to defend themselves, their families, and their communities. Our God-given right to self-defense, as enshrined in the Second Amendment to the Constitution, is unequivocally affirmed, just as our founding fathers intended. Thank you to my fellow NRA members, gun owners, and patriots throughout South Carolina who have tirelessly worked to make this day a reality,” he said. McMaster is the second Republican governor this week to sign such legislation into law, following Louisiana Gov. Jeff Landry approving his state’s version on Tuesday. National Rifle Association interim Executive Vice President and CEO Andrew Arulanandam applauded the NRA and its supporters securing constitutional carry in a second state in a matter of roughly 48 hours. “Thanks to the unwavering support of our members, in about 48 hours, the NRA has secured Constitutional Carry victories in two states, Louisiana and South Carolina, bringing the total to 29 states that have enacted this critical legislation – 13 since Joe Biden took office,” Arulanandam said in an exclusive comment to Fox News Digital. CONSTITUTIONAL CARRY: 2023 SAW NEW MILESTONE FOR GUN RIGHTS “The NRA is here to stay, relentlessly fighting across this entire nation. Make no mistake, doubting the NRA and our members is a sure path to defeat, as history has consistently shown that challenging the NRA’s resolve results in a loss every time. South Carolina is the 29th state in the nation to enact constitutional carry into law. Florida had the honor last year to tip the U.S. as a permitless carry-majority nation, when Gov. Ron DeSantis signed his state’s legislation last April. Under South Carolina’s law, carrying a firearm is still banned in certain locations, such as schools, courthouses and polling places on election days. Residents can still obtain a permit if they wish to do so. The bill also increases penalties against those who are barred from carrying a firearm, such as convicted felons, if they are found with a gun, and establishes penalties against those who repeatedly carry a firearm in restricted areas. GEORGIA GOV. SIGNS MAJOR CONSTITUTIONAL CARRY BILL INTO LAW “The NRA celebrates another significant milestone as South Carolina becomes the 29th state to enact the landmark NRA-backed Constitutional Carry legislation. This pivotal move ensures South Carolinians are no longer required to obtain permission to defend themselves and their families, reinforcing the fundamental right to self-defense,” NRA-ILA Executive Director Randy Kozuch told Fox News Digital in an exclusive comment. “Governor McMaster honored his commitment by swiftly signing this vital legislation into law, doing so less than 24 hours after its passage by the South Carolina Legislature. This prompt action has garnered widespread praise from the NRA’s millions of members,” Kozuch continued. DESANTIS’ SIGNATURE TIPS US INTO MAJORITY ‘CONSTITUTIONAL CARRY’ NATION WITH NEW FLORIDA GUN RIGHTS LAW He thanked Cox for advocating for the bill as its primary sponsor, alongside state lawmakers such as Speaker G. Murrell Smith Jr., Sens. Shane Martin and Wes Climer, and Reps. Jason Elliot and Micah Caskey, for their “collective dedication” which “has been instrumental in advancing the right to self-defense in South Carolina.” “Most importantly, thank you, NRA members, because without you, none of this would be possible.” Critics of the bill argued it could drive crime and gun-related deaths as more people will likely carry firearms. “With all of the killings, in South Carolina and in America, why do we want to promote, what we consider to be the Second Amendment right, why won’t we put restrictions on it, why are we going to allow people to carry more guns and this time without a CWP,” Democratic state Sen. Margie Bright Matthews argued this week. “This is something I’m deeply troubled we’re doing,” Democratic state Rep. Seth Rose told House members this week. “I have friends and citizens from both political parties… come up to me and say ‘What are y’all doing? What are you thinking?’” Republican state Sen. Shane Martin, who supported the legislation, told Fox News Digital that the law is “about nothing more and nothing less than our God-given Constitutional rights.” “I have sponsored Constitutional Carry legislation for more than a decade. I am proud and pleased that my perseverance on this fundamental question now means that law-abiding South Carolinians no longer must ask the government to exercise their freedoms,” he said. “I appreciate Senate Majority Leader Shane Massey for working with me to prioritize this bill in 2024, and I thank Senator Brad Hutto for his work on our conference committee. I was proud to lead this successful fight for our rights, and we need them now more than ever.” Robin Evans, founder and operator of a boutique self-defense training company catering to women called Chicks with Triggers, told Fox News Digital that the new law will further empower citizens, especially women, who are taking their safety into their own hands. “As a dedicated firearms instructor in South
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House passes Laken Riley Act requiring ICE to detain migrants arrested for theft
The House of Representatives on Thursday passed the Laken Riley Act that would require ICE to detain illegal immigrants charged with local theft or burglary, after a migrant accused of similar offenses was arrested for the murder of an American college student. The act, which was passed by a 251-170 vote, is named after 22-year-old Laken Riley, a college nursing student who was recently killed on the campus of University of Georgia. Jose Antonio Ibarra, the illegal immigrant from Venezuela charged with the brutal murder, had been arrested in New York prior to the murder, but was not detained by ICE. “The senseless murder of Laken Riley by Jose Ibarra, who had no business being in this country, was another wake-up call as Americans experience an illegal alien crime wave because of Joe Biden’s open border and local sanctuary city policies,” Rep. Mike Collins, R-Ga., who introduced the bill, told Fox News Digital earlier this week. He said Thursday after its passage in a post on X, “I now urge the Senate to take up this bill immediately.” Before being charged with felony murder, Ibarra was once arrested in New York for endangering a child, and he was cited in Georgia for misdemeanor shoplifting in October 2023 along with his brother, Diego Ibarra, according to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. REPUBLICAN CONGRESSMAN INTRODUCES ‘LAKEN RILEY ACT’ Collins, who represents Georgia’s 10th Congressional District of Athens – where the fatal attack occurred on Feb. 22 – said the murder of Riley is a “wake-up call” for America and the bill seeks to combat the “illegal crime wave” that he attributes to the ongoing border crisis. The Laken Riley Act would “require Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) to issue a detainer for illegal aliens who are charged or cited with local theft or burglary.” The bill will also allow individual states to take action against the federal government “if an immigration related action harms the state or its citizens.” LAKEN RILEY’S MOTHER SPEAKS OUT ABOUT ‘AVOIDABLE TRAGEDY’ AFTER DAUGHTER’S FUNERAL “Allow states to sue the federal government for injunctive relief if an immigration related action (parole, violation of detention requirements, etc.), harms the state or its citizens. This gives states legal resource to force the federal government to address certain failures related to border security,” a press release announcing the legislation read. During debate on the bill Thursday in Washington, the House Judiciary Committee ranking member, Rep. Jerry Nadler, D-N.Y., argued, “Unfortunately, instead of coming together to express our sorrow for Laken’s tragic loss, the majority appears to be exploiting her death for yet another partisan political stunt.” “Rather than approaching this tragic event in a thoughtful manner, Republicans appear to have just thrown together language from existing unrelated bills that target and scapegoat immigrants to score cheap political points in an election year while doing nothing to address the situation at the border,” he added. “This approach is fundamentally unserious.” Rep. Marc Molinaro, a Republican from New York, said, “Laken Riley’s future was taken away from her and she from her family because an illegal immigrant in the state of New York was arrested and released – my home state. “My colleague across the aisle knows this full well because of policies put in place by this administration, embraced by governors like Kathy Hochul in states like New York,” he added. “We have surrendered our southern border and made our communities less safe.”
Ohio GOP Sen candidate blasted for alleged scheduled meeting with anti-Trump group
A Republican Senate candidate in Ohio is taking fire from his political opponents in the GOP Senate primary over an alleged scheduled meeting with No Labels, a third-party political group known for promoting liberal positions on gun control, abortion and other issues. The controversy started earlier this week when NBC News reporter Henry Gomez posted a screenshot of an email from No Labels promoting a Zoom call with Ohio Secretary of State Frank LaRose on Tuesday night and touting him as the group’s “longtime friend” who would be a better choice as an “independent senator” then Trump endorsed businessman Bernie Moreno whom the group called a “Trump senator.” The news generated criticism on social media, including from Moreno, who argued that a true conservative would not meet with No Labels. “No real conservative would be caught dead begging pro-amnesty and pro-gun control No Labels to fund their Senate campaign,” businessman Bernie Moreno posted on X on Tuesday night. “They only support Democrats and anti-Trump RINOs like Liz Cheney and Adam Kinzinger.” OHIO GOP SENATE HOPEFUL MAKES CAMPAIGN TRAIL PITCH AS CANDIDATE DEMS ‘MOST AFRAID OF’ IN TIGHT RACE “This is who the real Frank LaRose is.” “On any given day, it’s unclear which version of Frank LaRose is actually going to show up in this primary,” Chris Maloney, a strategist for LaRose’s other opponent State Sen. Matt Dolan told Fox News Digital in response to the No Labels controversy. “Ohioans clearly see Frank for who he really is, a political chameleon willing to change his stripes and undermine the will of Republican voters for financial support.” “Fake news,” LaRose campaign spokesperson Ben Kindel wrote on X in response to a report about the No Labels Zoom call. “There is no call with No Labels. Frank LaRose has nothing to do with this group and his labels are clear: Husband, Father, Green Beret, Conservative, Ohio Republican.” After that post, Gomez reported that LaRose had not ultimately taken part in the call, while an audio clip circulated on social media purportedly from the Zoom call with a voice saying that a “scheduling mishap” prevented LaRose from attending the Tuesday night Zoom. JD VANCE MAKES CHOICE IN CRITICAL SENATE RACE AS GOP CONTROL HANGS IN THE BALANCE The issue came up during the third primary debate at Miami University on Thursday night. “Last night at 5:30, what were you guys doing?” Moreno asked the crowd. “You know what Frank LaRose was supposed to be doing? Having a Zoom call with No Labels, which, oh my God, that’s so funny, they scheduled a Zoom fundraiser for him for No Labels, which is the most radical Planned Parenthood, amnesty, pro-open borders organization that’s too liberal for Nikki Haley. That’s the group that he was doing a fundraiser with last night.” LaRose pushed back on the criticism and called it “fake news.” “There was no call, there was no meeting,” LaRose said. No Labels and the LaRose campaign did not respond to a request for comment from Fox News Digital. “You get a lot of people that want to talk to Frank LaRose during the heat of the campaign…and if somebody wants to put out an email using Frank’s name for a call, then that’s what they did,” LaRose adviser Rick Gorka told NBC News. “Somebody got over their skis, put something out they weren’t supposed to. Frank was never going to be on this call. And he was on a radio interview at that time anyway.” LaRose has previously expressed support for the idea of a centrist No Labels ticket and posted on Facebook in 2019 that he has worked with them to make a “positive difference.” No Labels has previously advocated for liberal positions on gun control, amnesty, and abortion. CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP Arguing which of the candidates track records was the most conservative was a common theme in Wednesday’s debate with LaRose and Moreno criticizing Dolan for lukewarm support of former President Trump and his record as a state senator, Dolan and LaRose hitting Moreno for previous statements on key issues like immigration, and Trump endorsed Moreno making the case that he is the only candidate who will carry Trump’s agenda forward. An Emerson College poll released in January showed all three candidates essentially tied in a race to defeat incumbent Democratic Sen. Sherrod Brown. Internal polling from the Moreno campaign showed him up by 10 points, with 27% of voters still undecided with less than two weeks to go before the primary. The Cook Political Report ranks the Ohio Senate race in November as a “toss up.”
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Biden to have US military build a port in Gaza
President Biden is to announce on Thursday during his State of the Union address that the U.S. military will build a port in Gaza. The development was revealed earlier Thursday by a senior administration official discussing humanitarian aid for the Hamas-controlled territory. “Tonight in the speech, the president will announce that he’s directing the U.S. military to lead an emergency mission to establish a port in the Mediterranean on the Gaza coast that can receive large ships carrying food, water, medicine and temporary shelters,” the official said. AFTER MICHIGAN PRIMARY, DEMOCRATS WATCH FOR BIDEN TO THREAD THE NEEDLE ON ISRAEL AND GAZA Declining to get ahead of the Department of Defense in terms of the number of personnel involved in the operation and security questions, the official said mechanisms would be established with assistance from the United Nations and humanitarian partners to distribute the aid on land within Gaza.
State of the Union: Bill Clinton warned about immigration overwhelming ‘every place’ in America back in 1995
Former President Bill Clinton specifically addressed two major issues during his State of the Union address back in 1995: the economy and immigration. While his remarks on the economy — namely encouraging lawmakers to “cut more spending” and to “empower the American people to succeed in the global economy” — have been regularly repeated by his modern Democrats, his remarks on immigration and securing the border are a stunning contrast. “All Americans, not only in the States most heavily affected but in every place in this country, are rightly disturbed by the large numbers of illegal aliens entering our country,” then-President Clinton said from the floor of the House of Representatives. He added: “The jobs they hold might otherwise be held by citizens or legal immigrants. The public service they use impose burdens on our taxpayers. That’s why our administration has moved aggressively to secure our borders more by hiring a record number of new border guards, by deporting twice as many criminal aliens as ever before, by cracking down on illegal hiring, by barring welfare benefits to illegal aliens.” BORDER OFFICIALS SEE MASSIVE NEW SURGE AT SOUTHERN BORDER During Thursday night’s State of the Union address, Biden is expected to address immigration as his presidency has witnessed historic crossing at the U.S.-Mexico border — nearly 7.3 million under his presidency, according to data from the U.S. Customs and Border Protection. DEMOCRATS URGE BIDEN TO SEE ‘WARNING SIGN’ AFTER VOTERS ABANDON HIM: ‘NOT SOMETHING THAT SHOULD BE IGNORED’ That figure is larger than the population of 36 U.S. states and does not include an estimated additional 1.8 million known “gotaways,” who evaded law enforcement. In various public remarks, Biden has contended the border is secure and that crossing levels reflect a seasonal surge. In the 1995 speech, Clinton said he would crack down on illegal crossings and would increase deportations of those migrants who commit crimes. “In the budget I will present to you, we will try to do more to speed the deportation of illegal aliens who are arrested for crimes, to better identify illegal aliens in the workplace as recommended by the commission headed by former [Democratic] Congresswoman Barbara Jordan. We are a nation of immigrants. But we are also a nation of laws,” the former president said. “It is wrong and ultimately self-defeating for a nation of immigrants to permit the kind of abuse of our immigration laws we have seen in recent years, and we must do more to stop it.” MSNBC’S PSAKI, MADDOW LAUGH AT AND MOCK VIRGINIA VOTERS FOR CARING ABOUT BORDER CRISIS Immigration and border security have risen to be top concerns among voters ahead of November’s general election, and the leading presidential candidates, Biden and former President Trump, could not be more opposed. The issue has returned to the forefront of mainstream media headlines in the wake of the murder of University of Georgia student Laken Riley. Potential voters in November’s general election will undoubtedly be listening to Biden’s words Thursday night and whether he mentions Riley, the border or Trump.
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Lawmakers share the one thing Biden needs to talk about Thursday night
Republican and Democrat lawmakers want President Biden to address different issues at the upcoming State of the Union. Ahead of Biden’s State of the Union address Thursday, Fox News Digital asked members of congress to share what they think the president needs to talk about during his highly anticipated speech. The GOP members said that Biden needs to talk about how he will address the southern border crisis and rising costs, while Democrats think the president should focus on his first term wins. Several Republicans told Fox News Digital that while they would like to hear Biden address the issues at the southern border, they do not actually expect him to talk about it. ‘STATE OF MESS’: AHEAD OF STATE OF THE UNION ADDRESS, AMERICANS SAY COUNTRY IN ‘SAD STATE’ Sen. Ron Johnson, R-Wis., told Fox News Digital that he hopes Biden “would actually use his authority to secure the border,” but “I don’t actually expect to hear that though.” Similarly, Rep. Bruce Westerman, R-Ark., said that Biden “needs to address his failures,” but that the content of his State of the Union address “depends on what his speechwriters put in his speech.” “He needs to address his failures, but I don’t know if he’ll do that or not,” Westerman said. “He shouldn’t be talking about the border and the increased cost of food and energy that are a cause of his actions.” BIDEN TO DELIVER STATE OF THE UNION SPEECH AT THE LATEST DATE EVER Rep Tim Burchett, R-Tenn., would also like to see the southern border crisis be acknowledged during the speech, but that “if he says anything about the border, he’ll blame that on Republicans.” “I would hope he’d talk about the crisis at the border and just how a lot of Americans are really hurting, and what we’re going to do to try to help them. I would say he’ll probably just spin it and if he says anything about the border, he’ll blame that on the Republicans,” Burchett told Fox. “I’d like to hear he’d have to say. I just can’t imagine it being anything of any substance because the truth is damning.” Democrat Rep. Seth Magaziner, D-R.I., told Fox that he believes Biden should talk about his first term track record during Thursday’s address. “I think he needs to talk about the incredible first term track record that includes the infrastructure bill, negotiating with the drug companies, to lower prescription drug prices for Medicare, passing the Pact Act for veterans. And how he’s going to continue that momentum in the second term,” Magaziner said. Sen. Gary Peters, D-Mich., would also like Biden “to continue to talk about all the amazing work he’s done when it comes to bringing manufacturing back to the United States,” while fellow Democrat Sen. Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn., told Fox he wants to hear the president support the bipartisan Kids Online Safety Act. Another Democrat, Rep. Glenn Ivey, D-Md., said Biden should talk about “the good things the Biden administration has done.” “I think he needs to make sure he speaks to the American people and explain all of the good things the Biden administration has done for the American people and where we want to go in the future,” Ivey said ahead of the speech. Biden is scheduled to give the 2024 State of the Union address on Thursday, March 7.