Author:

Biden wins Michigan despite pushback from Arab-American voters

President Biden secured another Democratic Primary victory in Michigan despite late pushback from Arab-American voters upset over the president’s support for Israel’s war in Gaza. Biden won Michigan easily Tuesday, according to a projection from the Associated Press, claiming his fourth primary victory as he inches closer to securing the Democratic nomination. There were 117 pledged delegates up for grabs in the battleground state. The landslide victory comes despite a movement among the state’s Arab-American population to “Abandon Biden” and vote “uncommitted” on primary ballots in protest of Biden’s support of Israel’s war in Gaza. RASHIDA TLAIB ‘PROUD’ TO NOT VOTE FOR BIDEN IN MICHIGAN DEMOCRATIC PRIMARY The protest was supported by Rep. Rashida Tlaib, D-Mich., who said Tuesday that she was “proud” to vote against the president in the primary election while calling for a “ceasefire” of hostilities in Gaza. “Hi everyone, it’s Rashida. I was proud today to walk in and pull a Democratic ballot and vote uncommitted. We must protect our democracy, we must make sure that our government is about us, about the people,” Tlaib said in a video message shared by Listen To Michigan, a group supporting the protests against Biden in the primary. “When 74% of Democrats in Michigan support a ceasefire yet President Biden is not hearing us, this is the way we can use our democracy to say listen.” Nevertheless, Biden emerged victorious again in his bid to represent the Democratic Party for another presidential election, setting up a potential rematch with former President Donald Trump. NATO MEMBERS BRACE FOR TRUMP WIN AS RECORD NUMBER OF MEMBERS MOVE TO MEET SPENDING PLEDGES Michigan promises to be a key swing state in that potential rematch, having voted for Trump in 2016 by under one percentage point before flipping to Biden in 2020 by less than three percent. The president, who has yet to lose a state in this year’s primary, will now shift his focus to “Super Tuesday,” when voters in 14 states and American Samoa will head to the polls to vote for their preferred presidential candidate. The results continue to lead to an all-but-certain rematch in 2024, with Biden expected to easily win the Democratic nomination and faceoff with Trump, who has a commanding lead in the GOP primary.

Trump wins the Michigan GOP primary, bringing him one step closer to securing Republican nomination

Former President Trump will win the Michigan Republican Primary Tuesday night, winning yet another early contest and additional delegates — bringing him one step closer to being able to formally secure the GOP nomination. The Associated Press projected Trump will win the primary shortly after polls closed Tuesday night.  With the Michigan win, Trump has claimed victory in every primary and caucus of the 2024 GOP presidential primary cycle.  Trump, who will likely secure the GOP nomination by next week after the Super Tuesday primary contests, dominated the Iowa caucuses, left New Hampshire with a commanding victory, swept caucuses in Nevada and the U.S. Virgin Islands, won South Carolina with a “bigger win” than he anticipated. MICHIGAN PRIMARY PUTS MAJOR BATTLEGROUND STATE IN PLAY FOR 2024 Trump needs 1,215 delegates to formally secure the nomination.  Both Republican and Democratic voters in Michigan hit the polls Tuesday to cast their ballots in the state-run primaries. Republican voters on Tuesday had their choice from Trump, the clear frontrunner, former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley — the only two GOP candidates in the race — and others who have since dropped out, including former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, businessman Vivek Ramaswamy, and former Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson. JAMES CARVILLE FRETS OVER ‘UNCOMMITTED’ PROTEST VOTE AGAINST BIDEN IN MICHIGAN: ‘HUGE PROBLEM’ There are 16 delegates at stake. Democratic voters also had their chance to vote in the primary, casting ballots for President Biden or his Democratic challengers, Rep. Dean Phillips and Marianne Williamson. Those voters also had the option to cast an “uncommitted” vote. This is a developing story. Please check back for updates. 

JD Vance makes choice in critical Senate race as GOP control hangs in the balance

Sen. J.D. Vance, R-Ohio, is weighing in on what is expected to be one of the most closely watched Senate races this year, making a not-so-surprising endorsement of who he’d like to see join him and his colleagues in winning control of Congress’ upper chamber for Republicans. “Kari Lake is a battle-tested warrior who will secure the border and advocate for policies that put the American people first,” Vance told the Daily Caller, who first reported his plans to endorse the former Arizona gubernatorial candidate and television anchor next week. “Kari is running against a far-left Democrat who has been a rubber stamp for all of Joe Biden’s destructive policies that have gutted the middle class. I am proud to endorse Kari as the next U.S. Senator for Arizona,” he added, referencing Phoenix area Rep. Ruben Gallego, the likely Democrat nominee. DEMS THRUST KARI LAKE, MCCAIN FEUD INTO SPOTLIGHT AS CRUCIAL SENATE BATTLE HEATS UP: ‘NO PEACE, B—-!’ Lake told the outlet she was “humbled” to receive the endorsement, which comes just two weeks after she got the official backing of the National Republican Senatorial Committee (NRSC), the official campaign arm for Senate Republicans, which rarely endorses candidates before a primary takes place. The conservative firebrand is also being backed by former President Donald Trump, Sens. John Barrasso, R-Wyo., Tommy Tuberville, R-Ala., Roger Marshall, R-Kan., Tom Cotton, R-Ark., and Reps. Jim Banks, R-Ind., and Burgess Owens, R-Utah. Barrasso, a member of Republican Senate leadership, is expected to join Lake for campaign stops in Arizona this week. DEMOCRAT IN CRUCIAL SENATE RACE UNDER FIRE FOR PAST AMNESTY, SANCTUARY CITY ‘SUPPORT’ AS BORDER CRISIS SPIRALS The race is widely seen as one of the best flip opportunities for Republicans, alongside West Virginia, Ohio, Montana and Nevada. Democrats currently hold a 51-49 majority with the support of incumbent independent Arizona Sen. Kyrsten Sinema and her fellow independent Sens. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., and Angus King, I-Maine. In recent cycles, races in the state have been decided within tight margins, including in 2022 when incumbent Democrat Sen. Mark Kelly defeated Republican businessman Blake Masters by less than 5%, a 2020 special election when Kelly defeated appointed Republican Sen. Martha McSally by less than 3%, and in 2018 when Sinema defeated McSally by just over 2%. CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP Lake’s only major opponent in the Republican primary is Pinal County Sheriff Mark Lamb, and, should she become the nominee, will likely face Phoenix-area Democrat Rep. Ruben Gallego in the general election. Early polling of a hypothetical matchup between Lake and Gallego suggests a tight race, even when including Sinema, who has not yet said whether she will run for re-election after announcing her departure from the Democrat Party in Dec. 2022. Get the latest updates from the 2024 campaign trail, exclusive interviews and more at our Fox News Digital election hub.

State Dems accused of pushing ‘backdoor gun tax’ on lawful firearm owners

A local news outlet accused Colorado Democrats of pushing a “backdoor gun tax” through legislation that would require firearm owners to purchase liability insurance.  Three state Democrats — two representatives and one senator — on Feb. 13 introduced the legislation, which would require gun owners to maintain insurance that covers anyone injured from an accidental shooting. Failure to buy the extra coverage would face a $500 fine for the first offense and $1,000 for the second. “That’s right, the same ‘justice reform’-obsessed lawmakers who had to be publicly shamed into cracking down on auto theft last year after previously reducing it to a misdemeanor — have no problem socking it to lawful gun owners,” The Denver Gazette’s editorial board wrote Sunday. One of the bill’s sponsors, Rep. Steven Woodrow, said the bill would encourage responsible firearm ownership amid escalating gun violence. He pointed to a study that found deaths and injuries from firearms cost Colorado nearly $12 billion each year. RED STATE’S NRA-BACKED BILL TO ALLOW ARMED TEACHERS IN CLASSROOM ONE STEP CLOSER TO PASSAGE But the Gazette editorial board said the bill was simply a guise to limit legal gun ownership.  “In other words, it’s gun control by another name,” the editorial board wrote. “It also amounts to a gun tax (as well as a boon to the insurance industry).” The proposal doesn’t provide an exception for firearms safely locked in an owner’s home, according to the Gazette. Gun owners must be denied insurance at least twice or prove they can’t afford the coverage before they’re granted an exception. “You can plead poverty, but you have to go to court first,” The Gazette editorial board wrote. “How considerate of the authors.” In January, a Maryland Democrat proposed similar legislation that would prohibit gun owners from carrying unless they paid at least $300,000 in liability insurance. The bill’s sponsor, Del. Terri Hill, called it “another effort at common sense gun legislation.” In California, meanwhile, Gov. Gavin Newsom signed a bill into law that in July will add an 11% excise tax on gun and ammunition sales on top of an existing 10% or 11% federal tax. DEMOCRATS DEMAND $1,000 EXCISE TAX ON ‘ASSAULT WEAPONS,’ HIGH-CAPACITY MAGAZINES “The carnage, it’s too much. We can’t normalize it, we can’t accept it,” Newsom said about the nation’s gun violence during a signing ceremony in Sacramento. “This is a small price to pay.” But critics have argued that slapping more gun control policies on lawful firearm owners doesn’t reduce violence and violates the Second Amendment.  “It is a blatant and egregious attack on the rights of law-abiding Californians and a calculated maneuver to dismantle the Second Amendment,” the National Rifle Association’s Western Regional Director Dan Reid previously told Fox News in response to the Golden State law. Neither Woodrow nor the other two sponsors, Rep. Iman Jodeh and Sen. Chris Hansen, returned requests for comment.

Virginia ‘tech tax’ bill sparks backlash from business community

Trade associations representing hundreds of companies that do business in Virginia have come out swinging against a proposal to expand the state sales tax to cover digital goods, something Republican Gov. Glenn Youngkin proposed and Democrats endorsed in their budget legislation. Both chambers of the legislature included the new sales tax on purchases like streaming subscriptions, cloud storage and online downloads in the two-year budget plans they passed last week. The Senate went beyond the House of Delegates in also applying it to business-to-business transactions. VIRGINIA MAN CHARGED WITH THREATENING CHURCH HAS CASE TAKEN OVER BY FEDERAL PROSECUTORS In a letter sent to lawmakers beginning Tuesday, the Northern Virginia Technology Council and other business-focused lobbying and trade organizations said the General Assembly should reject the proposed “tech tax,” which budget documents from both chambers show is estimated to generate over $1 billion in revenue over the next two-year state budget. At a minimum, the letter said, if policymakers move forward with the proposal, they should broadly exempt business-to-business transactions — or companies may be forced to pass along costs to consumers or move to other states. “The proposed tech tax hike would put Virginia companies at a significant competitive disadvantage in industries where global competition is high and margins are narrow. The tax will very likely impact hiring and reduce internal research and development investment, the majority of which is currently concentrated here in Virginia,” Jennifer Taylor, president and CEO of the group, said in a statement included with the letter, which a representative of the organization shared with The Associated Press. The Technology Council says on its website it has nearly 500 members, ranging from Fortune 100 companies to academic institutions and government contractors. Additional interest groups, including the Virginia Chamber of Commerce, a data center coalition and a coalition of broadband providers, also signed onto the letter. So did the Virginia Manufacturers Association, whose president and CEO, Brett Vassey, said the proposed tax would drive up the cost of software and online training materials used by factories. Democrats have said the expansion of the tax is a commonsense adjustment that brings Virginia’s tax code in line with an increasingly digital world. Currently, individuals would pay sales tax on a CD but not a digital download, and a company would pay taxes on a physical server but not cloud storage, Democratic Sen. L. Louise Lucas, chair of the Senate Finance & Appropriations Committee, said while unveiling her chamber’s budget proposal. “I find it only fair that the same taxes apply to individuals and businesses when consuming the same services,” said Lucas, who dubbed the proposal a “new economy” tax. Youngkin called for the expansion of the sales tax to cover what he calls the “Big Tech” loophole when he unveiled his proposed version of the 2024-2026 budget in December. But he also coupled it with an income tax cut, which Democrats voted down, in a budget package that would have reduced tax revenues overall. “Governor Youngkin made it clear during his State of the Commonwealth address that he was only interested in a plan that reduced the tax burden for Virginians. While the governor will review any legislation that comes to his desk, his Unleashing Opportunity budget proposed a nearly $1 billion tax cut over the biennium, building upon the $5 billion in tax relief he delivered on a bipartisan basis to Virginians during his first two years in office,” spokesman Christian Martinez said in an emailed statement. CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP Later this week, lawmakers will send their competing budget plans to a conference committee, a group of legislators who will work to find a compromise plan to send to Youngkin. That process takes place out of public view and in recent years has not been finished on time.

Federal judge rules against pregnant workers in win for Paxton

Attorney General Ken Paxton sued the Biden administration over a pregnant worker protection law that he said was unconstitutional because it passed mostly by proxy vote.

Wildfires across the Texas Panhandle force residents to evacuate, seek shelter

Firefighters are working to contain the ongoing spread of wildfires as red flag conditions persist.

Gov. Murphy $55.9B budget features spending hikes, new business taxes

New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy on Tuesday unveiled a $55.9 billion budget, up about 5% over his previous year’s proposal, calling for nearly $1 billion more in K-12 school funding as well as about $1 billion in new taxes on high-earning businesses to fund transit. Murphy, a two-term Democrat, cast the budget as the fulfillment of campaign pledges to identify a recurring source of funding for New Jersey Transit and to fully finance a state formula for schools that’s never before been fully implemented. “Our budget will ensure New Jersey retains its proud reputation as the best place anywhere to raise a family,” he said. NEW JERSEY DEMOCRATS SEEKING TO COVER OUT-OF-POCKET ABORTION COSTS The governor’s seventh budget comes amid declining revenues in the current fiscal year, something Murphy attributes to a hangover from 2022. The budget proposes drawing down the state’s surplus of about $8 billion to more than $6 billion to help close the gap. Murphy campaigned in 2017 on fully funding a school aid formula, which the state supreme court ratified in 2009 and that never was fully implemented. The proposal calls for increasing aid from nearly $10.8 billion to $11.7 billion, but Murphy also stressed the incremental increase of school funding since he took office. Aid had been largely flat at $8 billion annually throughout much of Republican Chris Christie’s two terms. The governor casts increased school aid as both a boon for schools and students and as an important factor in reducing pressure on local property taxes — the lion’s share of which go to schools. More state aid for education means towns can keep property taxes down, the argument does. The budget also takes aim at another campaign promise Murphy had made: setting up a funding source for the state’s often beleaguered transit system. The system has regularly had to use capital funds just to keep up operations, limiting resources for system-wide improvements. To help close the gap Murphy is proposing a 2.5% tax on business profits of companies that netting more than $10 million annually. The proposal comes after a temporary business tax increase ended at the end of last year. That surcharge affected some 3,100 businesses, according to the administration, while the new proposal would levy taxes from about 600 firms. Murphy said small and medium sized businesses would not be impacted. Business leaders decried the increase, arguing the governor essentially went back on a commitment to keep the corporate tax rate down. “When you make promises that drive investment, and then renege on them a few weeks later, it goes well beyond creating terrible policy,” said Michele Siekerka, president of the New Jersey Business and Industry Association. Advocates for groups representing workers who use transit said the increased taxes were necessary. “Governor Murphy’s move to reinstate a partial corporate business tax to fund NJTransit is an important step to make the wealthiest corporations — now reaping record profits — pay their part to keep our state afloat,” said Sara Cullinane, the director of Make the Road NJ, an immigrants rights advocacy group. The state’s budget has grown significantly since Christie left office after signing a $34.7 billion spending plan. The state takes in income, sales and business taxes to fund a mix of programs and services, including state government itself but also education and health care funding. Murphy is also proposing to continue a property tax relief plan first initiated in 2022 that doled out up to $1,500 in tax rebates to families that make up to $150,000, as well as aid for renters. As initially envisioned the program helped under a million households. The new budget would increase the benefit to 1.3 million households, Murphy said, though it’s not clear exactly how. The budget isn’t final and must first pass through the Democrat-led Legislature, which has until June 30 to pass a spending plan to Murphy.

Amid Alabama IVF blowback, Florida shelves bill allowing wrongful death suits for the unborn

A Florida bill to allow people to file wrongful death lawsuits over the death of a fetus is being shelved because of the political fallout from an Alabama Supreme Court decision that frozen embryos are legally protected children. Republican Sen. Erin Grall decided not to proceed with her bill Monday after opponents cited the Alabama ruling to raise questions about whether the legislation could be used to grant personhood to embryos. FOLLOWING IVF RULING, BIDEN TO SEND HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES SECRETARY TO VISIT ALABAMA “Although I have worked diligently to respond to questions and concerns, I understand there is still work that needs to be done. It is important we get the policy right with an issue of this significance,” Grall said in a statement released by her office. Grall tried to ease fears by changing the bill language to define unborn child as “a member of the species Homo sapiens, at any stage of development, who is carried in the womb.” She also included language that would have protected pregnant women from being held liable if they lost their embryo. Opponents raised concerns when Alabama in vitro fertilization clinics began suspending operations after the Supreme Court ruling there. Grall’s bill had one more committee stop before being heard by the full chamber. “This is a backdoor attempt at personhood. It’s a very scary time. People across the country are talking about it, people are finally looking at it,” said Senate Democratic Leader Lauren Book. “I think the Republicans across the country realize this is a problem. This isn’t something they should be doing.” A House version of the bill is ready for a vote by the full chamber but currently isn’t scheduled for a reading.

Congressional leaders leave ‘intense,’ ‘frank’ White House meeting with government shutdown threat growing

The top four congressional leaders left the White House on Tuesday after an “intense” sit-down with President Biden as the clock ticks down to a possible partial government shutdown at the end of this week. The lawmakers — House Speaker Mike Johnson, House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, and Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell — affirmed that all four were committed to finding some kind of deal on government funding by Friday but gave little insight into how they planned to do so. The purpose of the meeting was to discuss the upcoming federal spending deadlines on March 1 and March 8, as well as the need to pass aid for Ukraine. Schumer described the discussions on government funding as “productive and intense,” and said he expressed that a short-term extension of fiscal year 2023’s funding, known as a continuing resolution (CR), might be needed to buy more time to reach a deal.  CONGRESS LIKELY TO PUNT GOVERNMENT SHUTDOWN DEADLINES AGAIN, SOURCES SAY Jeffries said the meeting was “honest” and “candid,” and that it included “firm discussions about the border.” Johnson, who met with Biden one-on-one after the main meeting concluded, called both conversations “frank and honest.” “The speaker said unequivocally he wants to avoid a government shutdown,” Schumer said after the meeting. “We made it clear that that means not letting any of the government appropriations bills lapse, which means you need some CRs to get that done. But, we’re making good progress, and we’re hopeful we can get this done really quickly.” He said that while differences remain, they are not “insurmountable.” HOUSE GOP LEADERS JETTISON PROMISE TO VOTE ON 12 INDIVIDUAL SPENDING BILLS Johnson has not given any indication, however, that he would agree to put another CR on the floor after having said he was “done” with CRs in November.  A government shutdown could mean government offices abruptly close and dozens of federal employees being furloughed — if it lasts beyond the weekend. “We have been working in good faith around the clock every single day, for months and weeks, and over the last several days, quite literally around the clock, to get that job done. We’re very optimistic,” Johnson said after the White House meeting. “I hope that the other leaders came out here and told you the same. We believe that we can get to agreement on these issues and prevent a government shutdown. And that’s our first responsibility.” The main tension in the meeting came from discussions about sending aid to Ukraine, Schumer later told reporters. “You could cut the intensity in that room with a knife,” he said. During the meeting, Johnson was cornered by the others in the room, including McConnell, the only other Republican present, according to Schumer. TOP HOUSE REPUBLICANS FLEE CAPITOL HILL AMID RISING CHAOS, DIVISION: ‘A BAD WORKPLACE’ “The meeting, on Ukraine, was one of the most intense I have ever encountered in my many meetings in the Oval Office,” he recalled. “The five of us, the president, the vice president, Leader McConnell, Leader Jeffries and myself made it so clear how vital this was to the United States. This was so, so important, and that we couldn’t afford to wait a month, or two months, or three months, because we would in all likelihood lose the war, NATO would be fractured at best, allies would turn away from the United States.” He added, “And so we said to the speaker, get it done.” Schumer also suggested Johnson maintained that border security measures must be levied in exchange for a House vote on Ukraine aid, a position he’s been under pressure from his right flank to stick to. Echoing this, Johnson told reporters he made the border crisis a main focal point of his in the meeting.  “When I showed up today my purpose was to express what I believe is that obvious truth. And that is we must take care of America’s needs first. When you talk about America’s needs, you need to talk further about our open border,” Johnson said. CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP “There’s a logic to solving the border,” Schumer countered. “We want to solve it, but we have to do Ukraine right now, because there’s a way that can get done quickly, because that has broad, bipartisan consensus. And the border will take some more work, which we’ll be happy to work on to get it done — but not hold up the Ukraine bill for it.” Senate and White House negotiators released a bipartisan deal on border security and foreign aid, including $60 billion for Ukraine earlier this year, but the effort died in the face of overwhelming criticism from Republicans who believed the border measures were inadequate.