Thorny question of presidential ‘age limit’ grows in US political discourse
The question of whether there should be an age limit for US presidents was raised in a particularly high-profile public forum this week when Congresswoman Katie Porter said in a televised debate that such restrictions “are a conversation for all elected officials that we ought to be having”. Porter’s acknowledgement was made during a candidate debate for the US Senate seat left vacant by Dianne Feinstein’s death in September and represents the latest instance of a thorny issue that is increasingly becoming a topic of discussion in mainstream political life, as the inevitable rematch between 81-year-old Joe Biden and 77-year-old former President Donald Trump takes shape. If elected, Biden would become the oldest sitting president in US history, a mantle he first claimed when he took office in 2021, while Trump would tie Biden for the record if he were to enter office next January at the age of 78. It is an unprecedented situation that has brought potentially uncomfortable questions of age to the fore on cable and internet news talk shows, academia, and public opinion polls. Discussions of cognitive decline in the elderly have proven particularly fraught, raising the spectre of ageism and ableism and a delicate question: How old is too old to lead the wealthiest and most powerful nation in the world? “This year, there’s been an exceptional focus on the age of the candidates, particularly the age of President Biden,” Steven Austad, a professor focusing on ageing at the University of Alabama in Birmingham, said on Thursday while moderating a webinar on presidents and age. “It is an issue that’s not simply being raised by his political opponents, but it’s also been whispered about among people in his own party.” As Porter – a left-leaning Democrat who has aligned with Biden in the past – showed on Monday, those whispers can sometimes be deafening. As the election season draws near, lawmakers, particularly Democrats, have been forced to confront the issue of age more directly, according to Nicholas Beauchamp, a professor at Boston’s Northeastern University who studies political discourse. “Whereas before they sort of avoided it in various ways,” he said. Beyond concerns that advanced age could undermine an official’s ability to perform in demanding jobs, critics have also called it a feature of party politics that favour loyal incumbents and seeks to shut out potentially disruptive upstarts who are more representative of the country’s youth. Porter’s comments “speak to the cleavage within the Democratic Party between the younger members and the older members”, according to Beauchamp, who noted that the 50-year-old congresswoman is competing for the same demographic as 77-year-old progressive stalwart Barbara Lee in the race for the open California seat. “So she’s kind of in the strategic position where she needs to emphasise her youth and empathise with younger Democrats, who may be more concerned about Biden’s age,” he said. Uncomfortable question Recent times have seen public discourse over the subject grow to a fever pitch; elected officials are staying in office longer as life expectancies have extended. Infirmities and illnesses affecting Congressional leaders in recent years – including Feinstein, who died in office at the age of 90, 81-year-old Mitch McConnell and 90-year-old Chuck Grassley – have increasingly stoked calls to impose age or term limits for members of the Senate and House of Representatives. Supporters have argued such limits would discourage parties from continuing to prop up elderly incumbent candidates who are seen as electoral safe bets. But Porter’s articulation of the need to at least explore age limits elevates the argument of those who say term limits are not enough. To be sure, Porter, who was responding to a question on presidential age limits during the debate, said she was not using age as a metric to measure Biden. US presidents are already constitutionally constrained by two four-year terms. There is a minimum age requirement of 35 years, but no maximum age limit. Adding one would require a constitutional amendment, which in itself would require massive – and near-impossible – bipartisan support in both chambers of Congress. It would also require lawmakers to answer a question that many bioethicists and ageing experts see as impossible: What would the cut-off age be? Speaking at Thursday’s webinar, Dr Bradley Willcox, a geriatrician, pointed to the difference between “chronological age” and “biological age”. Put simply, people age differently and maintain vastly different levels of functionality, despite some broad trends. He said it is not feasible to determine an age limit without it being arbitrary. “It totally abrogates the relationship [between biological age and chronological age], because you can be 20, 25 years younger biologically,” he said. “So are you going to make it a calendar age or your biological age that is the limit?” He also pointed to problem-solving capacities like inductive reasoning – the ability to draw larger conclusions based off of specific evidence – and crystallised intelligence – the ability to make decisions based on accumulated knowledge – which are shown to increase with age. Meanwhile, memory and the capacity to learn new problem-solving approaches tend to diminish. Jay Olshansky, a professor of epidemiology and biostatistics at the University of Illinois, Chicago, also described the folly of attempting to use other physical and medical measures to determine a president’s fitness to serve based on their age. “I’m waiting for the cartoon to come out with two presidential candidates on treadmills – connected to every conceivable device,” he said. “This is what running for president will be, a measure of just cognitive functioning and physical functioning and no longer about all the issues that everyone’s interested in.” Still, the question of presidential age – and age limits – is unlikely to leave the political discourse any time soon. That is consistent with public opinion polls that have shown widespread support for imposing age limits. In October of last year, 82 percent of Republicans and 76 percent of Democrats supported imposing a maximum age limit for federal elected officials, according to a
After 7 years of state oversight, Texas starts process of returning local control to Marlin ISD
The transition at the Waco-area school district will shed light on how the TEA returns control after a takeover. The state is currently overseeing Houston and La Joya ISDs.
Louisiana Gov. Landry declares state of emergency over police shortage
Louisiana GOP Gov. Jeff Landry has declared a state of emergency due to a police officer shortage. Landry’s executive order issued Thursday lifts limits on how many new employees Louisiana sheriffs can hire and on payroll increases for their departments. Landry, who previously had a career in law enforcement, said that police departments in the state are experiencing record-low employments “resulting in increased crime and less public safety.” As of July, sheriff’s offices statewide were down 1,800 deputies, Landry said. LOUISIANA GOV. LANDRY SIGNALS PUSH FOR STATE TO RESUME DEATH ROW EXECUTIONS “We applaud Governor Landry for highlighting the importance of the law enforcement profession and our state’s desperate need to fill valuable front line deputy positions,” Michael Ranatza, executive director of Louisiana Sheriffs’ Association, said in a written statement Friday. Landry’s order removes restrictions that state law places on hiring and payroll for a period of time following a gubernatorial election. Landry was elected last year and took office in January. Agencies around the U.S. have experienced police shortages in recent years that many in law enforcement blame on a morale hit stemming from the coronavirus pandemic and criticism of police that boiled over with the police killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis. Small towns, including in Maine, Texas and Ohio, have disbanded their police departments, turning over law enforcement work to county sheriffs, a neighboring town or state police. Officer resignations were up 47% in 2022, compared with 2019,the year before the pandemic and Floyd’s murder, according to a survey of nearly 200 police agencies by the Police Executive Research Forum, a Washington, DC.-based think tank. Retirements are up 19%. Landry’s order is in effect until March 15. Lawmakers return to the state Capitol Monday for a special legislative session to address crime. The “executive order, and the upcoming crime special session, will ensure our law enforcement officers are supported and we can begin to bring law and order back to our state,” Landry said. Proposed bills that have been filed ahead of the session include legislation to expand methods to carry out death row executions, restrict parole eligibility, add harsher penalties for some crimes and publicize some juvenile court records. Landry, a former local police officer and sheriff’s deputy, has vowed to crack down on crime in Louisiana, which in recent years has had one of the highest homicide rates in the country. The issue was part of his gubernatorial platform, with him often pointing at New Orleans, which has been in the national spotlight for violent crime and will be the site of the 2025 Super Bowl. Earlier this month, Landry presented his first proposed state budget that included tens of millions in additional dollars for public safety. At least $32 million would fund various State Police initiatives, including expanding State Police presence in New Orleans, a uniform allowance increase and an independent review of the department, The Times-Picayune/The New Orleans Advocate reported.
Maryland Gov. Moore unveils $90M ‘down payment’ for climate initiatives
Maryland Gov. Wes Moore highlighted $90 million on Friday as a down payment to help reach the state’s ambitious goal to reduce greenhouse gas emissions to fight climate change. The money is set aside for three distinct initiatives, including $17 million to buy and lease electric school buses, $23 million to install electric vehicle charging infrastructure and $50 million for the electrification of schools and multifamily homes to cut emissions. “We think this is an important statement to show that this is a commitment that we plan on keeping,” Moore, a Democrat, said. “We know this will take time, but it’s time that we are planning on moving with a sense of urgency on, and we believe that this $90 million down payment shows not just a measure of sincerity, but also a measure of aggression in the way we’re hoping to address this issue.” FORMER MARYLAND GOV LARRY HOGAN ANNOUNCES REPUBLICAN RUN FOR SENATE The money was described as a start in how the state will reach the ambitious goals to reduce climate change that was charted in legislation approved two years ago known as the Climate Action Now Act. The law aims to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 60% of 2006 levels by 2031. The administration also aims to achieve 100% clean energy by 2035 and reach net-zero emissions by 2045. That means at least as much carbon would be removed from the atmosphere as what is being emitted. “I know that $90 million is not going to solve the climate crisis in the state of Maryland. But I also want to be clear, by working with the General Assembly, we can make a critical down payment now on a more sustainable future,” Moore said. Such a future includes clean air and “a future where power is drawn from nature instead of power being at conflict with nature,” he said. Serena McIlwain, who is the secretary of the Maryland Department of the Environment, said the money will help “jump-start Maryland’s green economy.” McIlwain pointed out that Maryland is seeing communities at risk in Baltimore, where residents are enduring extreme heat. She also pointed to communities on the Eastern Shore, where sea level rise is resulting in the loss of farmland because of saltwater intrusion. In December, McIlwain’s department released a plan that calls for an estimated $1 billion a year in new state spending to transition to clean energy and fight climate change. “We don’t have time to play around and waste time,” the secretary said at a news conference with Moore. “We have to do what we need to do to move forward. Climate change is here.” The governor emphasized that the funding outlined Friday will be steered to underserved communities that are being affected by climate change to a greater extent. For example, he said extreme heat is increasing asthma cases from bad air quality in some communities more than in others. Under his proposal, a minimum of 50% of the investments must go to communities that have been “historically undervalued, historically underseen and historically underestimated.” “It’s not hitting every community the same way, so therefore the way that we are addressing it means that we have to be intentional about making ‘Leave No One Behind’ mean something, that those who oftentimes were last, they come first,” Moore said. The $90 million is previously unallocated funding from the state’s Strategic Energy Investment Fund, the administration said. It will be put into the governor’s budget proposal as one-time funding to advance implementation of the Climate Solutions Now Act and the Maryland Department of Environment’s Climate Plan.
DOJ reviewing Biden, Hur interview to ID potential classified information in response to House GOP demands
The Justice Department on Friday said it will consult with various intelligence agencies and law enforcement to identify any classified information during a discussion between President Biden and Special Counsel Robert Hur in response to a request from House Republicans demanding the transcript, and any recordings of the interview. “Several of the materials listed in your February 12 letter require review for classification and protection of national defense information,” Assistant Attorney General Carlos Uriarte wrote in a letter to House Oversight Committee Chair James Comer, House Judiciary Committee Chair Jim Jordan and House Ways & Means Committee Chair Jason Smith. SPECIAL COUNSEL CALLS BIDEN ‘SYMPATHETIC, WELL-MEANING, ELDERLY MAN WITH A POOR MEMORY,’ BRINGS NO CHARGES The GOP lawmakers have requested Attorney General Merrick Garland turn over the transcript and any recordings of Biden’s October 2023 interview with Hur and the special counsel team. The three committee leaders are leading the impeachment inquiry against Biden. “We have already begun this process. The Department is committed to responding to the Committees’ requests expeditiously, consistent with the law, longstanding Department policies and principles, and available resources,” Uriarte wrote. The Justice Department will release the transcript to Congress if the White House gives the OK. The White House could invoke executive privilege, which could bar the release. Hur, who released his report to the public last week after months of investigating, did not recommend criminal charges against Biden for mishandling and retaining classified documents, and stated that he wouldn’t bring charges against Biden, even if he were not in the Oval Office. The report revealed Biden’s significant memory issues, as concerns about the president’s age and mental capacity continue to surface amid his re-election campaign. Hur said Biden came off “as a sympathetic, well-meaning, elderly man with a poor memory” and that “it would be difficult to convince a jury that they should convict him-by then a former president well into his eighties-of a serious felony that requires a mental state of willfulness.” He is expected to testify before Congress about his findings, according to reports. Fox News Digital’s Elizabeth Elkind and Brooke Singman contributed to this report.
Fox News Politics: Trump vows appeal
Welcome to Fox News’ Politics newsletter with the latest political news from Washington D.C. and updates from the 2024 campaign trail. What’s Happening? – NY judge orders Trump to pay hundreds of millions, bars him from operating business… – DA Fani Willis did not testify Friday after fiery courtroom appearance… – Biden visits East Palestine, Ohio, more than a year later… Former President Trump blasted “clubhouse politician” Judge Arthur Engoron Friday after he barred him from operating his business in New York for three years and fined him more than $350 million, defending the “great company” he built and telling Fox News Digital that the ruling is yet another example of Democrats “trying to stop” him, but that “they will not be successful.” Engoron handed down his ruling Friday after a months-long civil fraud trial beginning in October and stemming from New York Attorney General Letitia James’ lawsuit alleging the former president inflated his assets and committed fraud. Trump spoke exclusively to Fox News Digital shortly after Engoron’s ruling was made public Friday afternoon. “A crooked New York judge working with the very corrupt attorney general of New York State, who ran on the basis of ‘I will get trump’ before knowing me — before even knowing anything about me — just ruled that I have to pay a fine of $355 million based on absolutely nothing,” Trump told Fox News Digital. “No victims. No damages. Great financial statements, with full disclaimer clauses, only success.” ‘SOUTHERN GENTLEMAN’: Meet Nathan Wade, the special prosecutor accused of having ‘improper’ affair with Fani Willis …Read more FIERY DAY 2: DA Fani Willis doesn’t take the stand in second day of the hearing …Read more SEE IT: Top moments from the DA Fani Willis hearing over ‘improper’ affair with Nathan Wade so far …Read more ‘MENTAL DECLINE’: Republicans pressure Biden to take cognitive test, calling it a ‘national security concern’ …Read more ‘OUTRAGEOUS EFFORT’: Biden calls for an end to impeachment inquiry after indictment of FBI informant: ‘Outrageous effort’ …Read more ‘LASER FOCUS’: Biden insist’s he’s committed to helping East Palestine a year after toxic train derailment …Read more ‘FAR OVERDUE’: Trump-endorsed Ohio Senate candidate blasts Biden’s visit to East Palestine …Read more MANCHIN OUT: West Virginia senator declines third-party presidential run …Read more ‘WE’RE GOOD FRIENDS’: Romney reveals whether he has plans to run for president, serve as Manchin’s VP …Read more ‘COMMONSENSE CONSERVATIVE’: Former special forces soldier lands big endorsement in race to flip House seat …Read more ‘RACE OF HIS LIFE’: Dem Sen blasts GOP for not caring about immigration; record comes back to haunt him …Read more Subscribe now to get Fox News Politics newsletter in your inbox. Get the latest updates from the 2024 campaign trail, exclusive interviews and more on FoxNews.com.
Trump blasts ‘clubhouse politician’ judge after being fined $350M, defends the ‘great company’ he built
EXCLUSIVE: Former President Trump blasted “clubhouse politician” Judge Arthur Engoron Friday after he barred him from operating his business in New York for three years and fined him more than $350 million, defending the “great company” he built and telling Fox News Digital that the ruling is yet another example of Democrats “trying to stop” him, but that “they will not be successful.” Engoron handed down his ruling Friday after a months-long civil fraud trial beginning in October and stemming from New York Attorney General Letitia James’ lawsuit alleging the former president inflated his assets and committed fraud. TRUMP BARRED FROM OPERATING BUSINESS, ORDERED TO PAY OVER $350 MILLION IN NY CIVIL FRAUD CASE Trump spoke exclusively to Fox News Digital shortly after Engoron’s ruling was made public Friday afternoon. “A crooked New York judge working with the very corrupt attorney general of New York State, who ran on the basis of ‘I will get trump’ before knowing me — before even knowing anything about me — just ruled that I have to pay a fine of $355 million based on absolutely nothing,” Trump told Fox News Digital. “No victims. No damages. Great financial statements, with full disclaimer clauses, only success.” Trump told Fox News Digital that the “banks and insurance companies were thrilled — they made nothing but money. No defaults, no nothing at a time when many banks are losing money.” “This is a witch hunt where the judge ruled against me before he even saw the case,” Trump said, noting that Engoron “strongly stated that said Mar-a-Lago was worth $18 million- when it is worth anywhere from 50 to 100 times more than that.” In September, Engoron ruled that Trump and the Trump Organization had committed fraud while building a real estate empire by deceiving banks, insurers and others by overvaluing his assets and exaggerating his net worth on paperwork used in making deals and securing financing. Trump also said Engoron has “already been overturned on this case four times — a record.” TRUMP VISITS MANHATTAN COURT TO BLAST NYAG CASE, PRAISES APPELLATE RULING IN HIS FAVOR Trump was referring to the New York State Appellate Division ruling. “I built a great company and now this whacked out clubhouse politician judge bars me for three years,” Trump said, adding that the case “should have gone to the commercial division,” but said Engoron “wouldn’t allow it to happen.” Trump told Fox News Digital that Engoron “is a political hack working in conjunction with a crooked attorney general in the greatest case of election interference anyone has ever seen in this country.” In Engoron’s 92-page ruling, he criticized Trump and his testimony during trial, saying that he “rarely responded to the questions asked, and he frequently interjected long, irrelevant speeches on issues far beyond the scope of the trial.” “His refusal to answer the questions directly, or in some cases, at all, severely compromised his credibility,” Engoron wrote. When asked for reaction, Trump told Fox News Digital: “I answered the questions very directly and the financial statements speak for themselves — they are fantastic financial statements.” “He is just a clubhouse politician,” Trump said. “This country is becoming worse than Russia ever was.” “They are doing this because I am beating Biden in the polls by so much,” Trump told Fox News Digital. “They are trying to stop me, but they will not be successful.” He added: “I’m fighting for America. I’m fighting for the people.” Trump told Fox News Digital that he has “already won most of the appeal” at the New York State Appellate Division, saying Engoron has “refused to recognize after four losses there already,” but vowed to “appeal the rest of the decision also.” Engoron ruled that Trump and defendants were liable for “persistent and repeated fraud,” “falsifying business records,” “issuing false financial statements,” “conspiracy to falsify false financial statements,” “insurance fraud,” and “conspiracy to commit insurance fraud.” The judge also barred Donald Trump Jr. and Eric Trump from serving as an officer or director of any New York corporation or legal entity in New York for two years. Engoron also “permanently” barred defendants Allen Weisselberg, the former chief financial officer of the Trump Organization, and the ormer corporate controller Jeffrey McConney from “serving in the financial control function of any New York corporation or similar business entity registered and/or licensed in New York State,” and as a director of any New York corporation or other legal entity in New York for three years. New York Attorney General Letitia James brought the lawsuit accusing Trump and the Trump Organization of fraudulent business practices. The court proceedings were contentious, with Engoron repeatedly placing Trump under a partial gag order to prevent him from criticizing court staff. TRUMP’S GAG ORDER CHALLENGE IN NEW YORK AG LETITIA JAMES’ CIVIL SUIT REJECTED James had sought $370 million, plus 9% interest in penalties from Trump. Any awarded funds would go to the New York State Treasury, unless directed elsewhere by the state comptroller. Trump’s legal team also repeatedly blasted the lack of a jury in the trial. “There was never an option to choose a jury trial,” a Trump spokesperson told Fox News Digital last month. “It is unfortunate that a jury won’t be able to hear how absurd the merits of this case are and conclude no wrongdoing ever happened.” Trump and his family denied any wrongdoing, with the former president saying his assets had been undervalued. Trump’s legal team insisted that his financial statements had disclaimers, and made it clear to banks that they should conduct their own assessments. Trump has said his financial statements were “perfect,” and stressed that the bank loans were repaid and are “as happy as can be.” Throughout the trial, Trump attorneys brought witnesses, including former Deutsche Bank top executives, who testified the banks sought additional business from Trump, whom they viewed as a “whale of a client.” Trump’s defense also brought in expert witnesses, including New York University accounting professor Eli Bartov, who reviewed the Trump
Kyrsten Sinema did not hold a single public town hall as she spent $200K in taxpayer funds on private flights
Sen. Kyrsten Sinema spent over $200,000 on taxpayer-funded private flights since 2020 despite previously backing legislation to “hold Congress accountable” for luxury air travel. During this time, however, the independent Arizona senator did not hold a single public town hall with constituents. Sinema has faced scrutiny over the use of the money from her Senate office budget on private air travel for her and her team members, including $116,000 in 2023 alone, according to past reports and figures verified by Fox News Digital. The senator’s spokesperson defended the taxpayer-backed trips by saying that the funds had been used to maximize her time with constituents in her state. DEM LAUNCHES CAMPAIGN TIKTOK ACCOUNT, AFTER SUGGESTING THE PLATFORM ‘MAY BE’ A NATIONAL SECURITY THREAT “Arizonans know it can take hours to get from Prescott to Yuma,” the spokesperson told the Arizona Republic in a written statement. “Senator Sinema maximizes her time in Arizona to connect with as many constituents in every corner of the state as possible.” SINEMA HIT WITH ETHICS COMPLAINT OVER ALLEGED FAILURE TO DETAIL FINANCES IN DISCLOSURE: ‘HIGHLY SUSPICIOUS’ Although the spokesperson said the private flights had been used to “connect with as many constituents” as possible, Sinema did not hold a single town hall open to the public as she burned through taxpayer cash on air travel. Sinema has participated in some tele-town halls over the years, but according to her website, the only in-person visit was to Honeywell in 2022, a group that has donated $75,000 to the senator’s Get Stuff Done PAC. That town hall, however, was only open to employees of the company and closed to the public. Rep. Ruben Gallego, an Arizona Democrat running for Sinema’s seat in 2024, has hit the senator several times for her lack of town halls. On April 1st, commonly known as April Fools’ Day, Gallego posted a pretend flyer for what appeared to be a Sinema town hall. “Glad to see Kyrsten Sinema finally holding a town hall in Arizona,” the Democrat posted on X. “Arizonans deserve a senator who will meet with them.” Sinema used the taxpayer cash on private flights despite previously supporting legislation to hold Congress accountable for luxury travel. In 2017, she openly supported the No Ongoing Perks Enrichment (NOPE) Act, which sought “to prohibit the use of funds provided for the official travel expenses of Members of Congress and other officers and employees of the legislative branch for first-class airline accommodations.” Sinema has not said if she will seek re-election in 2024, as candidates on both sides of the aisle line up to battle for her seat this fall. Sinema did not respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment.
Texas to build 80-acre base in Eagle Pass for National Guard troops
Gov. Greg Abbott announced Friday that the base will hold up to 2,300 soldiers who have been deployed to the border.
New Hampshire to send 15 National Guardsmen to Texas’ Mexican border
New Hampshire lawmakers approved Republican Gov. Chris Sununu’s request Friday to send 15 National Guard volunteers to the Texas border with Mexico after he called fentanyl the state’s most serious health crisis. Along with a dozen other Republican governors, he traveled to Eagle Pass, Texas, earlier this month to support Gov. Greg Abbott, who has been in a standoff with the Biden administration since Texas began denying access to U.S. Border Patrol agents at a park along the Rio Grande. The governors of Montana and Georgia also announced they’ll help Texas control illegal crossings by sending National Guard members, a trend that began in 2021. “There is no bigger health crisis in the state right now than losing 400-500 people a year, every year for the past 10 years,” Sununu told the Legislature’s Joint Fiscal Committee. “We’ve put a lot of money and a lot of effort into it. This is less than a million dollars to do something that should’ve been done by somebody else, but they’re unwilling to do it.” HOUSE REPUBLICAN INTRODUCES BILL TO REIMBURSE TEXAS THE NEARLY $4 BILLION IT SPENT TO SECURE BORDER That “somebody” is President Joe Biden, said Sununu, who said states must step up and help Texas. “The states are going to do what we do best, we’re going to stand up and protect our citizens.” Democrats on the committee blamed Republicans for torpedoing a bipartisan border security plan in Congress. “The real issue is the Congress funding what they should be funding to protect the southern border,” said Sen. Lou D’Allesandro, a Democrat from Manchester. “Our 15 guys aren’t going to make a great deal of difference. But indeed … your ability as a high ranking public official and a member of the Republican party, I think that effort should be spent getting the Republicans in Congress to come up with the money.” Rep. Peter Leishman, whose son died of a fentanyl overdose, argued that the money would be better spent on law enforcement or addiction prevention and treatment programs in New Hampshire. “No respect to the Guard, but 15? What kind of difference is that going to make on thousands of miles of border where people are just flowing across unchecked?” he said. “The $850,000 would be better spent here in New Hampshire.” But Republicans outnumber Democrats 6-4 on the committee, and they agreed with Sununu. Senate President Jeb Bradley said it’s entirely appropriate for Sununu to seek the money under the state’s civil emergency law. “If 400 deaths from fentanyl per year since 2015 is not a civil emergency, I don’t know what is,” he said.