Republicans in a Texas county ditched technology and counted votes by hand. Here’s what happened.
The Texas Secretary of State and other election experts warned Gillespie County Republicans the process would be expensive, time-consuming and less reliable.
House passes $460 billion government funding bill blasted by GOP hardliners
The House of Representatives has passed a $460 billion bill to fund part of the federal government for the remainder of fiscal year 2024. As expected, more Democrats voted for the bill than Republicans, and it passed 339-85. The issue of how to fund the government has splintered the House GOP’s razor-thin majority for much of this congressional term, with Republican hardliners pressuring their conference to drift toward significant spending cuts and conservative policy riders that the Democrats who control the White House and Senate have called nonstarters. The 1,050-page bipartisan legislation is a package of six bills dealing with departments and agencies whose funding expires on Friday — Agriculture and the Food and Drug Administration (FDA); the Justice and Commerce Departments; Energy and Water Development; the Department of Interior; and Transportation and Housing. ALABAMA SEN KATIE BRITT TO DELIVER REPUBLICAN RESPONSE TO BIDEN STATE OF THE UNION ADDRESS: ‘TRULY HONORED’ Funding tied to Congress’ six remaining bills, which include the Department of Homeland Security and the Pentagon, expires on March 22. Fox News Digital first reported last month that House GOP leaders were planning to jettison an earlier promise to pass 12 individual spending bills, something conservatives rallied around. Sources who spoke with Fox News Digital at the time blamed the Senate’s inaction on the seven individual bills passed by the House, which included elements Democrats dismissed as “poison pills.” BIDEN’S STATE OF THE UNION ADDRESS: BRET BAIER, MARTHA MACCALLUM TO LEAD FOX NEWS CHANNEL’S SPECIAL COVERAGE Confronted with the broken promise during his weekly press conference on Wednesday, House Speaker Mike Johnson countered that change was incremental in Washington and pointed out that splitting the 12 bills into at least two packages ended the Democrat-backed tradition of folding them all into a massive “omnibus” spending bill, which has been the case since 2018. “We committed to do 12 separate appropriations bills… the reason that it’s been so difficult to do it is because Washington has no muscle memory on how to do that,” Johnson said. “It takes a long time to turn an aircraft carrier, and we’re doing that gradually. We’re forcing reforms, trying to force Congress back into the mode, the statutory mode, the lawful mode, and the way in which it’s supposed to work with regard to government funding.” But GOP hardliners are still unhappy with the bill, arguing Johnson did not fight hard enough for conservative policy reforms and steeper spending cuts. CONGRESSIONAL LEADERS STRIKE SHORT-TERM DEAL TO AVOID GOVERNMENT SHUTDOWN The House Freedom Caucus insisted, without elaborating, that it was still an “omnibus” spending bill. “Despite giving Democrats higher spending levels, the omnibus text released so far punts on nearly every single Republican policy priority. Worst of all, the omnibus surrenders Republicans’ leverage to force radical Democrats to the table to truly secure the southern border and end the purposeful, dangerous mass release of illegal aliens into the United States,” the group said. Democrats, meanwhile, were jubilant that the bill did not include right-wing measures on abortion access, transgender care and critical race theory, among others. “I am very proud to say we successfully defeated the vast majority of the extreme cuts and hundreds of harmful policy riders proposed by House Republicans,” Rep. Rosa DeLauro, D-Conn., the top Democrat on the House Appropriations Committee, said before the final vote. The bill now heads to the Senate, where it’s expected to pass, before hitting President Biden’s desk.
Feds conducted ‘broad’ and ‘unjustified’ surveillance of Americans’ private financial data: House Judiciary
FIRST ON FOX: A new report from the House Judiciary Committee and its Weaponization Subcommittee revealed that the federal government conducted “broad” and “unjustified” surveillance of Americans’ private financial data through financial institutions, while suggesting banks use information from anti-conservative organizations’ lists of “hate symbols” to determine potential persons of interest. Fox News Digital first obtained the committee’s report, titled “Financial Surveillance in the United States: How Federal Law Enforcement Commandeered Financial Institutions to Spy on Americans.” ‘ALARMING’ SURVEILLANCE: FEDS ASKED BANKS TO SEARCH PRIVATE TRANSACTIONS FOR TERMS LIKE ‘MAGA,’ ‘TRUMP’ “The Committee on the Judiciary and its Select Subcommittee on the Weaponization of the Federal Government are charged by the House of Representatives with upholding fundamental American civil liberties,” the report states. “As a part of this mission, the Committee and Select Subcommittee have uncovered startling evidence that the federal government was engaged in broad financial surveillance, prying into the private transactions of American consumers.” The report states that the “financial surveillance was not predicated on any specific evidence of particularized criminal conduct and, even worse, it keyed on terms and specific transactions that concerned core political and religious expression protected by the Constitution.” Fox News Digital first reported that following the events of Jan. 6, 2021, federal law enforcement officials from the Treasury Department’s Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCEN) and the FBI initiated multiple discussions with financial institutions. “These meetings were geared toward discussing options for financial institutions to share customer information voluntarily with federal law enforcement outside of normal legal process,” the report states. Fox News Digital first reported that federal investigators asked banks to search and filter customer transactions by using terms like “MAGA” and “Trump,” and warned that purchases of “religious texts” could indicate “extremism.” Fox News Digital also first reported that the officials suggested that banks query transactions with keywords like Dick’s Sporting Goods, Cabela’s, Bass Pro Shops and more. FEDS SUGGESTED BANKS SEARCH TRANSACTIONS FOR TERMS LIKE ‘BIDEN,’ ‘ANTIFA’ AND MORE AFTER JAN 6: SOURCES Fox News Digital also first reported that additional search terms included: “White Power,” “Camp Auschwitz,” “Antifa,” “Proud B,” “Storm, the,” “Capitol,” “Groyper Army,” “Threepers,” “boogaloo,” “civil war,” “last sons,” “kill,” “shoot,” “gun,” “death,” “murder,” “Biden,” “Kamala,” “Pelosi,” “Schumer” and “Pence.” “Despite these transactions having no criminal nexus, FinCEN seems to have adopted a characterization of these Americans as potential threat actors and subject to surveillance,” the report states. A source familiar with the documents held by the House Judiciary Committee told Fox News Digital that while Jan. 6, 2021, was the “impetus” for the queries and searches, he documents the committee has obtained do not reveal any specific time frames or limitations for banks searching customer transactions with the terms. The source said the federal government used the information for investigations beyond Jan. 6. It is unclear if the terms are still being used by banks to search private transactions. Meanwhile, the report revealed that FinCEN, in a January 16, 2021 email, shared with financial institutions a hyperlink to “relevant terms” from the Anti-Defamation League website. The report refers to the ADL as a “notorious anti-conservative activist group.” “In advance of today’s discussion, we have attached a slide from FinCEN containing some key terms applicable to matters related to racially and ethnically motivated violent extremism (REMVE), which may have application to the capitol riots and related activity,” the email from FinCEN states. FinCEN added that “many additional relevant terms maybe found on the Anti-Defamation League website.” The report states the “hate symbols” that ADL recommended monitoring included the “Celtic Cross,” the “Okay Hand Gesture,” “Pepe the Frog,” and “White Lives Matter” as hate symbols. “It should alarm Americans that FinCEN approved of and distributed a link to a database that considers symbols of faith such as the Christian Celtic Cross and other images opposing Antifa, a violent left-wing anarchist group—as hate symbols,” the report states. “This practice is reminiscent of the FBI’s disdain for ‘Radical Traditionalist Catholics,’ and the FBI’s reliance on the Southern Poverty Law Center—another far-left activist group—as an authoritative source on the Catholic Church.” The report states that FinCEN also circulated a hyperlink to a report authored by the ISD. “The ISD is a left-wing organization that holds itself out as an ‘independent’ monitor of ‘disinformation’ that promotes the censorship of speech it decrees as false or extreme,” the report states. “FinCEN’s distribution of the ISD report amounts to an approval of its content, its methods, and its conclusions. Such an endorsement is concerning because the ISD report labels and demonizes various right-of-center groups in America as ‘hate groups.’” The ISD report “incorrectly characterizes several conservative groups such as the Center for Immigration Studies, Numbers USA, the Alliance Defending Freedom, along with several others, as ‘hate groups,’” the report states. “In fact, the ISD’s report draws a false equivalency between certain conservative civil society groups and the American Nazi Party and the Knights of the Ku Klux Klan, suggesting FinCEN views them equally.” The report added: “Still, FinCEN circulated the ISD report to some of the largest financial institutions in the world, including the very financial institutions that are likely responsible for providing financial services to many of the listed ‘hate groups,’ without regard for the chilling effect it would have on protected speech and its potential to be weaponized against the groups by financial institutions.” When asked for comment, a Treasury Department spokesperson told Fox News Digital that “FinCEN’s mission is to safeguard the financial system from illicit use, combat money laundering and its related crimes including terrorism, and promote national security through the strategic use of financial authorities and the collection, analysis, and dissemination of financial intelligence.” “FinCEN is deeply committed to fulfilling this important national security and criminal justice mission in accordance with the law,” the spokesperson said. House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jim Jordan told Fox News Digital that the committees’ report “shows that the surveillance of Americans’ private financial data was broad, unjustified, and jeopardized fundamental civil liberties.” The committee’s investigation is ongoing.
Biden sanctuary city pivot puts vulnerable Senate Democrats’ stances in spotlight
A new White House stance on sanctuary cities has put vulnerable Democratic senators up for re-election in a difficult position as they traverse the issues of border security and illegal immigration. On Wednesday, Fox News Digital asked several Democratic senators in competitive states whether they agreed with the White House’s shift toward encouraging local jurisdictions to cooperate with Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). This marks a change from President Biden’s previous statements. Sen. Tammy Baldwin, D-Wis., said in a statement to Fox News Digital: “Wisconsinites have said loud and clear they want real action that fixes our broken immigration system, secures our Southern border, and ensures that anyone who is a violent threat to our communities is prosecuted – and I am committed to working with anyone to do just that.” GOP SENATOR’S BILL WOULD FORCE BIDEN ADMIN TO ALLOW VA FACILITY UPDATES STALLED BY INFRASTRUCTURE LAW While Baldwin stated her support for addressing both illegal immigration and the border, she did not answer whether she believes local municipalities should cooperate with ICE or turn over illegal immigrants who are detained. In a statement last month, Biden’s White House said, “We welcome local law enforcement’s support and cooperation in apprehending and removing individuals who pose a risk to national security or public safety.” “When a local jurisdiction has information about an individual who could pose a threat to public safety, we want them to share that information with ICE,” the statement continued. The White House’s statement differed from Biden’s previous stance on sanctuary city policies. During a Democratic presidential primary debate in 2020, he notably said “no” when he was asked whether arrested illegal immigrants should be turned over to ICE. After he entered office, Biden attempted to place a moratorium on deportations for 100 days, which was ultimately blocked by a federal judge. MCCONNELL ENDORSES TRUMP FOR PRESIDENT AFTER SUPER TUESDAY RESULTS: ‘HE WILL HAVE MY SUPPORT’ “I voted for our bipartisan, Border Patrol Union-supported bill that would staff up our law enforcement, stop fentanyl from coming into the U.S., and invest in border security,” Baldwin said in her statement, referencing a bipartisan border security and immigration measure that was killed by Republicans following former President Donald Trump’s coming out against it. “Republicans need to come back to the table on this compromise because the consequences of inaction are unacceptable.” In the past, the Wisconsin Democrat has voted against cloture on motions that would allow the Senate to move forward with bills seeking to withhold federal grants for sanctuary cities. Such occasions occurred in 2018, 2016 and 2015. Montana Democratic Sen. Jon Tester‘s campaign declined to comment, referring Fox News Digital to his office. “Senator Tester strongly believes local jurisdictions should cooperate with ICE,” his office said in a statement. “He does not support sanctuary cities and believes anyone who enters the country must be vetted and go through legal channels that keep our nation secure.” TOP REPUBLICANS RALLY BEHIND TRUMP, CALL FOR UNITY AFTER DOMINANT SUPER TUESDAY SHOWING: ‘PRIMARY IS OVER’ Tester’s strong stance against sanctuary cities presents a contrast with his voting history, however. Similar to Baldwin, the Montana Democrat voted against invoking cloture to proceed with bills aimed at preventing sanctuary city policies and halting federal grants from going to them. Sen. Bob Casey, D-Pa., joined Tester’s opposition to sanctuary policies via a statement from spokesperson Maddy McDaniel. “Senator Casey doesn’t support sanctuary cities and believes all jurisdictions must cooperate with ICE and law enforcement at all levels, and has opposed Republican efforts to defund the COPS program which helps law enforcement keep communities safe,” she told Fox News Digital. But on the same cloture motions to move forward with bills to stop federal funding for self-proclaimed sanctuary cities, Casey voted against it. BIDEN TO DELIVER STATE OF THE UNION SPEECH AT THE LATEST DATE EVER Sens. Martin Heinrich, D-N.M., Jacky Rosen, D-Nev., and Sherrod Brown, D-Ohio, are also up for re-election in states considered competitive, according to the Cook Political Report. Asked about their positions on sanctuary cities, they did not respond to inquiries from Fox News Digital. The National Republican Senatorial Committee slammed the group of Democrats in pivotal 2024 races, telling Fox News Digital in a statement, “Senate Democrats have spent decades voting to open America’s borders and give millions in taxpayer dollars to illegal immigrants, now cities across the country are paying the price for their radical agenda.” “None of their candidates will be able to hide their disastrous records from the public,” added NRSC spokesman Philip Letsou. The Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee was contacted by Fox News Digital for comment and did not hear back at press time. Get the latest updates from the 2024 campaign trail, exclusive interviews and more at our Fox News Digital election hub.
Houston-area sheriff scrutinized for mass shooting response loses re-election
A Texas sheriff whose office drew national scrutiny and an FBI investigation following a shooting last year in which a man is accused of killing five of his neighbors lost his reelection bid on Tuesday. Greg Capers had sought a fourth term as sheriff in San Jacinto County, which is about 60 miles north of Houston. TEXAS FIRE CHIEF KILLED FIGHTING HOUSE BLAZE AFTER BATTLING HISTORIC WILDFIRES IN PANHANDLE But on Tuesday, Capers lost the Republican nomination for sheriff to San Jacinto County Precinct 3 Constable Sam Houston. With no Democratic candidates on the ballot Tuesday, Houston is set to be elected the new sheriff in November. Capers drew criticism for initially providing inaccurate information about deputies’ response time to the April 2023 shooting in which Francisco Oropeza is accused of killing his neighbors after they had asked him to stop shooting his gun near their house. The attack happened near the town of Cleveland, north of Houston. Some residents said they felt neglected by the sheriff’s office, complaining about minimal or no responses by deputies to shootings and other incidents. In November, The Associated Press learned the FBI was investigating the sheriff’s office. The federal investigation came after an AP investigation found longstanding accusations that Capers had ignored deputies’ misconduct and neglected basic police work while pursuing asset seizures that boost his office’s $3.5 million budget but don’t always hold up in court. Capers spent decades as a deputy in the Houston-area before being elected sheriff in 2014.
Trump calls for debates with Biden ‘anytime, anywhere, anyplace’
Former President Trump is calling for debates between himself and President Joe Biden ahead of the 2024 general election, saying he is willing to participate “anytime, anywhere, anyplace.” Trump, the 2024 GOP frontrunner and presumptive nominee, posted his offer on his Truth Social Wednesday afternoon — just hours after former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley, his last-standing Republican opponent, suspended her campaign. “It is important, for the Good of our Country, that Joe Biden and I Debate Issues that are so vital to America, and the American People,” Trump posted Wednesday. “Therefore, I am calling for Debates, ANYTIME, ANYWHERE, ANYPLACE! The Debates can be run by the Corrupt DNC, or their Subsidiary, the Commission on Presidential Debates (CPD).” “I look forward to receiving a response. Thank you for your attention to this matter!” Trump added. The Republican National Committee in 2022 unanimously voted to withdraw from the Commission on Presidential Debates. The RNC clarified that it is not moving away from the presidential debate format, but is rather objecting to the CPD’s control over the process. The CPD has organized presidential and vice presidential debates for more than 30 years. “Debates are an important part of the democratic process, and the RNC is committed to free and fair debates,” RNC Chairwoman Ronna McDaniel said in a statement at the time. “The Commission on Presidential Debates is biased and has refused to enact simple and commonsense reforms to help ensure fair debates including hosting debates before voting begins and selecting moderators who have never worked for candidates on the debate stage.” The RNC, at the time, also added that a majority of the CPD’s board members had publicly disparaged former President Donald Trump prior to the 2020 debates. As for whether Biden would participate in debates against Trump, his re-election campaign did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment. Earlier in the day, White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre was asked if Biden would debate Trump, but she did not directly respond. “That’s something for the campaign to speak to,” Jean-Pierre said.
Florida bill banning homeless encampments on public property heads to DeSantis’ desk
Florida will ban thousands of homeless people from setting up camp or sleeping on public property under a bill lawmakers sent to Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis, who supports the idea. Counties, with approval from the state Department of Children and Families, would be able to designate areas for the homeless to camp for up to a year under the bill the Senate passed 27-12 late Tuesday. Anyone using those encampments would be prohibited from using alcohol or illegal drugs. Supporters say the bill will help eliminate the nuisance of homeless people living on public property and parks. They also argue it will be easier to provide local services to the homeless if they’re in one location. GOV. NEWSOM: ‘PEOPLE ARE DEMANDING MORE OF US’ — CALIFORNIANS TO VOTE ON HOMELESSNESS BALLOT MEASURE “It’s our responsibility to deal with homelessness and that’s why we can’t wait any longer to bring this solution. The current model is not working,” said Republican Sen. Jonathan Martin, the bill’s sponsor. “This bill is a compassionate response to the shortage of shelters.” Martin said about 30,000 Floridians don’t have a home, and about half of them don’t have shelter. But opponents said the bill is simply an effort to gather up the homeless and get them out of public view. “This bill does not and it will not address the more pressing and root cause of homelessness,” said Democratic Sen. Shevrin Jones. “We are literally reshuffling the visibility of unhoused individuals with no exit strategy for people who are experiencing homelessness.” Opponents also said there’s nothing in the bill that ensures sexual offenders and children won’t be living in close proximity in the government-designated encampments, or that the encampments will be safe and sanitary. The bill defines public camping as “residing overnight in a temporary outdoor habitation used as a dwelling or living space and evidenced by the erection of a tent or other temporary shelter, the presence of bedding or pillows, or the storage of personal belongings.” It wouldn’t apply to people sleeping in legally parked vehicles. It will take effect Oct. 1 if signed by DeSantis.
Gov. Evers signs off on 9-figure Universities of Wisconsin construction, renovation bill
Democratic Gov. Tony Evers signed a bill Wednesday that authorizes spending hundreds of millions of dollars on Universities of Wisconsin construction and renovation projects. WISCONSIN GOV. EVERS SIGNS OFF ON MASSIVE CHILD TAX CREDIT EXPANSION The governor signed the bill privately on Wednesday morning. The measure is part of a deal Republican lawmakers cut with UW regents in December that limits diversity positions across the UW system in exchange for money to cover staff pay raises and construction projects. The bill transfers $423.3 million from the state’s general fund to the capital improvement fund and authorizes $110.2 million in borrowing to build a new engineering building at UW-Madison, renovate dorms at UW-Whitewater and heating and cooling plants across the system and fund demolition work.
Watch an April 2 conversation on how new laws are affecting public education in Texas
As we approach the end of the school year, we’ll review how public schools were impacted by new legislation, how they’ve reacted and what challenges remain.
Watch an April 18 conversation on the future of Texas downtowns
We’re partnering with the LBJ School of Public Affairs Urban Lab for a panel conversation on the challenges and opportunities facing Texas downtowns.