36 progressive House Dems vote against bipartisan green energy bill
Three dozen progressive House Democrats, led by Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., voted against a bipartisan bill that would streamline the federal permitting process for nuclear energy development. The House passed the so-called Atomic Energy Advancement Act — which was authored by Reps. Jeff Duncan, R-S.C., and Diana DeGette, D-Colo. — in a 365-36 vote Wednesday evening, with 199 Republicans and 166 Democrats voting in favor. However, all 36 nay votes were cast by progressive Democrats who have pushed green energy and, in the case of Ocasio-Cortez, pushed the Green New Deal. “Nuclear power delivers reliable, affordable, and clean energy to all Americans,” Duncan said in a statement after the vote. “With America’s electrical grid powering hospitals, military bases, homes, and businesses, we must build up reliable, dispatchable energy resources that bolster American nuclear independence to keep the power on for Americans and safeguard national security through energy security.” “Tackling the climate crisis means we must modernize our approach to all clean energy sources, including nuclear,” DeGette added. “From enhancing our energy supply chain to recruiting a highly trained and skilled workforce, this bill makes critical updates to improve safety and ensure our nuclear regulations are up-to-date, pushing us closer to a carbon-free energy future.” TIKTOK ACTIVIST SAYS HE ADVISED WHITE HOUSE ON BIDEN’S NEW NATURAL GAS MORATORIUM DeGette further stated that nuclear energy must be a “part of the mix” if the U.S. is to achieve goals of reaching net-zero carbon emissions by 2050. However, despite nuclear’s low carbon footprint, Ocasio-Cortez and other prominent Democrats, like Reps. Cori Bush, Jared Huffman, Pramila Jayapal, Ilhan Omar, Ayanna Pressley, Jamie Raskin and Rashida Tlaib, who have argued for a rapid transition from fossil fuels to green energy, voted against it. BIG OIL COMPANIES ASK SUPREME COURT TO INTERVENE IN HIGH-STAKES CLIMATE CASE Fox News Digital reached out to Ocasio-Cortez’s office for comment. “The time is now to create sustainable prosperity for all, not just the very few,” Ocasio-Cortez said earlier this month on the five-year anniversary of the Green New Deal. “And in transitioning to a clean economy, we can create millions of jobs in construction, manufacturing, education, engineering and beyond.” The Atomic Energy Advancement Act, would require the Nuclear Regulatory Commission to include efficient permitting as part of its mission, mandate that the agency provides efficient, timely and predictable reviews and proceedings for nuclear projects, reduce fees for nuclear developers, modernize environmental reviews for nuclear projects and broadly include nuclear in strategic energy policy. BILLIONAIRE-FUELED ROCKEFELLER FUND COORDINATED CLIMATE LAWSUITS WITH DEM STATE AG: INTERNAL DOCUMENTS Overall, nuclear power plants — which are carbon-free and dispatchable, meaning they are not weather dependent like other green energy sources — generate 18% of the nation’s electricity, roughly the same amount generated by wind, solar and hydropower combined. However, nuclear projects face a costly permitting review process that takes years and just two new reactors have come online since the 1990s. “Nuclear energy plays a critical role in decarbonization, particularly as global energy demand increases,” Evan Chapman, the U.S. federal policy director at the environmental group Clean Air Task Force, said Wednesday. “Today’s passage of the Atomic Energy Advancement Act is a welcome sign of bipartisan interest in preserving existing nuclear capacity and in deploying advanced nuclear energy technologies in the U.S.” Citizens for Responsible Energy Solutions also celebrated the bill’s passage, saying the advancement of nuclear energy is “key to ensuring Americans have access to more reliable, affordable and clean power.”
Texas law letting police arrest illegal border crossers blocked by federal judge
A federal judge has blocked Texas from enforcing a new law that would make illegal immigration a state crime. Federal judge David Ezra on Thursday granted a preliminary injunction that will block Texas’ SB4 from taking effect next week. The law would allow state authorities to arrest and jail illegal immigrants, and would give state judges the power to order deportations. In his ruling, the judge wrote that states “may not exercise immigration enforcement power except as authorized by the federal government.” This is a developing story and will be updated. Fox News’ Bill Melugin contributed to this report.
Vulnerable House Dem under fire for introducing only 5 bills that became law in 41 years: ‘Hasn’t done squat’
Ohio Democratic Congresswoman Marcy Kaptur, who is currently running for re-election touting her record in Congress, has introduced just five bills that have become law during a span of more than four decades she has spent in office, prompting criticism from her GOP opponents. Since taking office in 1983 representing Ohio’s 9th Congressional District in Toledo, Kaptur has introduced five bills on her own that have become law, including a joint resolution to designate 1986 as “Save for the U.S.A. Year,” the Veterans’ Home Loan Program Improvements and Property Rehabilitation Act of 1987, and the Ottawa National Wildlife Refuge Complex Expansion and Detroit River International Wildlife Refuge Expansion Act. Kaptur, who has co-sponsored hundreds of bills, has only introduced two bills that have become law since 2005, a law dedicating a Toledo courthouse in 2008 and legislation with over 300 co-sponsors authorizing the U.S. Mint to produce coins honoring World War II veterans. Kaptur, who has labeled herself a “champion for the Midwest in Congress” and made the case that she is focused on “delivering real results” for the people of Northwest Ohio, has made the case that her seniority in Congress is a reason to support her while campaigning over the years. POLLS SHOW BIDEN FACING ‘ENTHUSIASM GAP’ HEADING INTO 2024 ELECTION SEASON “Getting things done,” Kaptur said on a podcast recently when she was asked what her “super power” is. During the tenure of the 117th Congress, which concluded in 2023, Kaptur was ranked by the Center for Effective Lawmaking as the 160th most effective Democrat lawmaker. Additionally, the amount of federal grants and contracts Kaptur has brought back to her district consistently ranks among the lowest in the state, including in FY 2023 when the roughly $384 million in federal funding that came back to the 9th District was lower than any district in Ohio except for the 16th, which was eliminated at the end of 2023. “Marcy Kaptur’s four decades in Congress can be summed up as the one guest who was invited to dinner, didn’t bring anything for the table and then overstayed their welcome,” NRCC spokesperson Mike Marinella told Fox News Digital. 4TH GEN FARMER BLASTS BIDEN ADMIN FOR SENDING BILLIONS TO UKRAINE AS US FARMERS SUFFER: ‘FACING EXTINCTION’ “Northwest Ohio needs someone who will deliver results – not just mooch off her own constituents like some unwanted guest. It’s time to kick her to the curb.” Kaptur is expected to be involved in a tight re-election campaign as she defends her seat in a district former President Trump won by three points in 2020. The Cook Political report ranks the race as a “Lean Democrat” contest that Republicans are targeting as an opportunity to hold and improve on their slim majority in the House. Three Republicans are facing off in a March 19 primary to determine who will face Kaptur in November. The Republican candidates are J.R. Majewski, who lost to Kaptur in 2022, state Rep. Derek Merrin and former state Rep. Craig Riedel. All three Republicans running in the primary took issue with Kaptur’s record when contacted for comment by Fox News Digital. “When the voters of Northwest Ohio cast their ballot this November, their choice will be clear: continue the ineffective status quo, or elect a real leader who will deliver tangible results,” Merrin told Fox News Digital. “Marcy Kaptur hasn’t done squat for the four decades she has served in Congress, and I look forward to bringing forth the meaningful change Northwest Ohioans have deserved for years.” In a statement to Fox News Digital, Majewski said he was inspired to run for her seat in part due to Kaptur’s lack of accomplishments in Congress. “The ineffectiveness of Marcy Kaptur, one of the most biggest backbenchers on Capitol Hill, was what drove me to run for this seat – the people of Ohio’s 9th District need a representative that will fight for them, help repair the issues created by the disastrous Biden Agenda and put the needs of Americans first and I fully plan to deliver,” Majewski said. Riedel told Fox News Digital that Kaptur is a “failed politician” who “has failed the people of Northwest Ohio.” “She votes with Joe Biden 100% of the time,” Riedel added. “I’m not shocked to see that she has only passed 5 pieces of legislation.” Kaptur’s campaign and office did not respond to a request for comment from Fox News Digital, but a spokesperson with the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee (DCCC) pointed to the tens of millions of dollars Kaptur has brought to the district through appropriations funding and other avenues. “Congresswoman Kaptur is a proven champion for working families in Northwest Ohio who literally saved thousands of jobs at Jeep,” DCCC spokesperson Aidan Johnson told Fox News Digital. “In the last year alone, she has secured almost $14 million for a new battery assembly plant in Toledo, $20 million for new roads and bridges, nearly $11 million for the Napoleon, Defiance, and Western Railway, and more than $16 million for Toledo-area solar companies. Despite all this, Republicans are trying to smear her record because they have nothing of their own to run on.” Get the latest updates from the 2024 campaign trail, exclusive interviews and more at our Fox News Digital election hub.
France and Juventus midfielder Paul Pogba banned for four years for doping
Former Manchester United star Paul Pogba was provisionally suspended in September for testing positive for testosterone. France and Juventus midfielder Paul Pogba has been banned for four years for a doping offence earlier this season, Italian media reported on Thursday. Sky Sport Italy and La Repubblica reported the sport prosecutor’s request for a four-year ban was granted. Pogba was provisionally suspended by Italy’s national anti-doping (NADO Italia) tribunal in September after testing positive for testosterone – a banned substance. The test, performed after Juve’s 3-0 Serie A season-opening victory at Udinese on August 20, detected testosterone, a hormone that increases athletes’ endurance. The 30-year-old was an unused substitute in that game. Pogba’s positive doping test was also confirmed in a counter-analysis on a second sample in October. Juventus did not comment but a source confirmed that the club had been notified about the decision of a four-year ban and would assess the next steps. The Frenchman has had a torrid second spell with the Turin-based outfit due to injuries following his departure from Manchester United on a free transfer in 2022. The 2018 World Cup winner barely played last season due to knee and hamstring injuries, as well as knee surgery, which prevented him playing for France at the World Cup in Qatar. Adblock test (Why?)
Price crisis in Gaza, where an onion can cost $2
NewsFeed Palestinians in Gaza say the dramatic rise in prices of what little food is available to buy has made surviving the war much harder. Published On 29 Feb 202429 Feb 2024 Adblock test (Why?)
INS Jatayu: Indian Navy to commission new base in Lakshadweep next week
The Indian Navy is also going to formally commission the multirole helicopter MH-60 Romeo at Kochi in the next week.
John Cornyn announces he’s running for Senate GOP leader
Cornyn said in a statement that the upper chamber is broken but he intends to help fix it.
“Nobody really knows what you’re supposed to do”: Leaking, exploding abandoned wells wreak havoc in West Texas
The Texas Railroad Commission is tasked with plugging wells. But the state regulators say their scope is limited.
Border Patrol union tells Biden to ‘keep our name out of your mouth’ ahead of Texas visit
The Border Patrol union issued a fiery warning on Thursday to President Biden, telling him to “keep our name out of your mouth,” hours before the president is due to meet with officials at the border and urge passage of a Senate border bill. Biden and former President Donald Trump are both heading to the border, with Biden visiting Brownsville, Texas, in the Rio Grande Valley. He will meet with Border Patrol, law enforcement and local leaders. “During his trip, the President will receive a briefing on border security operations and an operational briefing from CBP, ICE, and USCIS. Afterwards, the President will deliver remarks to emphasize the need for Congressional Republicans to stop putting politics ahead of our border security and pass the bipartisan border security agreement,” a White House official said. BORDER PATROL UNION SLAMS BIDEN BORDER VISIT AS ‘TOO LITTLE, TOO LATE’ JUST TO ‘TRY TO SAVE HIMSELF’ That bipartisan bill, which includes additional staffing for Border Patrol and other agencies, as well as funding for cities and states receiving migrants and limits on asylum, won the backing of the union. Conservative lawmakers, however, rejected the bill and said it would normalize unacceptably high levels of illegal immigration and the bill has not progressed. While it backed the bipartisan bill that Biden also supports, the National Border Patrol Council has otherwise been intensely critical of the Biden administration’s handling of the border crisis and put that in no uncertain terms in a post on X, formerly known as Twitter. “Attention President Biden: Keep our name out of your mouth today,” it said. Fox News Digital reached out to the White House for comment on the post. The union had issued a statement this week, calling the visit “too little, too late.” DUELING BIDEN, TRUMP VISITS TO BESIEGED BORDER COME AMID FRESH SLEW OF VIOLENT CRIMES BY ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS “But even if he were to put the proper policies in place at this late hour, he’d be doing it only to try to save his Presidency. And self-serving actions when time is winding down should always give Americans pause. Common sense dictates that as a lame duck, he’d revert to his open border policies if re-elected,” the union said. WHITE HOUSE CALLS FOR SANCTUARY CITIES TO COOPERATE WITH ICE AMID FUROR OVER ILLEGAL IMMIGRANT CRIMES “Biden is going to the border now solely to try to save himself. Border security should never be about politics, it should always be about the safety and security of this great nation and the American people,” it said. The trip comes as illegal immigration has become a top election issue, with polls showing a majority of voters see it as a critical threat to the country. Biden will seek to put the ball in the Republicans’ camp, repeating the administration’s argument that it is working within a “broken” system that needs funding and reforms from Congress. The White House has also pointed to a record of over 550,000 removals since May last year, more than any year since FY 23. But Republicans say that the three-year crisis, which saw a record 2.4 million encounters in FY 24 alone, is the result of Biden-era policies including more releases into the interior and reduced interior enforcement.
NY attorney general sues world’s largest beef producer over methane emissions, climate commitments
New York Attorney General Letitia James is suing JBS USA, the world’s largest producer of beef, over the company’s emissions and for “greenwashing” by allegedly misleading the public about its environmental impact. In an announcement, James noted that beef production has the largest greenhouse gas footprint of any major food commodity and that animal agriculture accounts for 14.5% of global greenhouse gas emissions. According to James, JBS USA’s various net-zero pledges for 2030 and 2040 are therefore misleading and “not feasible” given the scope of its worldwide beef production operations. “As families continue to face the daily impacts of the climate crisis, they are willing to spend more of their hard-earned money on products from brands that are better for the environment,” James said in a statement. “When companies falsely advertise their commitment to sustainability, they are misleading consumers and endangering our planet.” “JBS USA’s greenwashing exploits the pocketbooks of everyday Americans and the promise of a healthy planet for future generations,” she added. “My office will always ensure that companies do not abuse the environment and the trust of hardworking consumers for profit.” GOP REP INTRODUCES RESOLUTION CONDEMNING UN FOR CALLING ON AMERICANS TO STOP EATING MEAT The lawsuit was applauded by state Democrats and national climate advocacy organizations like Earthjustice, Mighty Earth, Friends of the Earth US, Citizens Campaign for the Environment and Stand.earth. “JBS repeatedly claims that it will reach net zero by 2040. This claim was found to be misleading and yet JBS continues to assert it,” said Peter Lehner, an attorney at Earthjustice. “While it is critical for every company to reduce its climate change impact, JBS would need to implement enormous operational changes to achieve this goal. However, JBS is doing very little and is not taking anywhere close to the steps that would be required.” UN CLIMATE SUMMIT SERVING GOURMET BURGERS, BBQ AS IT CALLS FOR AMERICANS TO STOP EATING MEAT In her announcement and lawsuit, James pointed to several instances in which JBS USA and its executives made pledges to reduce the company’s impact on the environment. She also stated the company – which has a market cap of more than $10 billion and whose North American beef business earns tens of billions of dollars annually – has acknowledged consumers are more interested in sustainable products. For example, in March 2021, JBS announced a pledge to achieve net-zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2040 across global operations and including indirect downstream emissions. The company then began a publicity campaign touting the pledge, running a full-page advertisement one month later in the New York Times stating “it’s possible” for meat production to be “part of the climate solution.” Since then, JBS and its subsidiaries have continued to tout the 2040 pledge and other sustainability goals. The company even presented at the United Nations climate summit in Dubai late last year, announcing additional sustainability initiatives and investments. TWO DOZEN REPUBLICANS CALL ON BIDEN TO DISAVOW JOHN KERRY’S REMARKS TARGETING FOOD PRODUCTION “JBS takes its commitment to a more sustainable future for agriculture very seriously,” JBS USA spokesperson Nikki Richardson said in an email to Fox News Digital. “We disagree with the action taken today by the New York Attorney General’s office.” “JBS will continue to partner with farmers, ranchers and our food system partners around the world to help feed a growing population while using fewer resources and reducing agriculture’s environmental impact,” she continued. “Our belief that American agriculture can help sustainably feed the world is undeterred.” James’ lawsuit comes as environmental groups and lawmakers worldwide increasingly set their sights on the agriculture industry. The global food system – which includes land-use change, actual agricultural production, packaging and waste management – generates about 18 billion tons of carbon dioxide per year, the equivalent of 34% of total worldwide emissions, according to a 2021 study published in the Nature Food journal. President Biden’s international climate envoy John Kerry warned last year that decarbonization would be impossible without a concerted effort from the agriculture industry to achieve green goals. “We can’t get to net-zero, we don’t get this job done unless agriculture is front and center as part of the solution. So all of us understand here the depths of this mission,” Kerry said.