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Utah school board member who questioned a student’s gender censured by lawmakers

Utah school board member who questioned a student’s gender censured by lawmakers

The Utah Legislature voted Thursday to censure a conservative member of the state Board of Education whose social media post questioning the gender of a high school basketball player triggered threats against the girl and led state officials to call for the board member’s resignation. Lawmakers passed a resolution condemning the actions of Natalie Cline a day after the Utah State Board of Education voted unanimously to strip Cline of her committee assignments and nearly all administrative responsibilities. The board will no longer allow Cline to attend meetings or place items on the agenda, and her colleagues have asked her to resign by Feb. 19. The legislative reprimand, which now heads to the governor’s desk, carries no real punishment but is a formal way for lawmakers to express their disapproval. The measure received unanimous support in the Senate after passing the House with only two votes against, one from a Democrat and the other from a Republican. GOP SENATE HOPEFUL KEPT TIES TO GEORGE SOROS-BACKED GROUP WHERE HUNTER BIDEN SERVED ON BOARD Both the Legislature and Board of Education have left it up to Cline whether to resign or remain in her role with limited authority. She is up for reelection in November. Democrats had urged the Republican legislative leaders to punish Cline more harshly, either by impeaching her or by allowing the board to impeach her — a power it does not currently have. Cline, who had previously come under investigation for inflammatory comments about LGBTQ+ students, singled out the Salt Lake City athlete in a Facebook post that falsely insinuated the girl was transgender. After she learned that the girl was not trans, Cline apologized for provoking a firestorm of vulgar comments. House Speaker Mike Schultz, a Hooper Republican, said ahead of the vote that members of his chamber were “scattered” on whether to impeach Cline or allow voters to decide her future in the fall. “If this body moves ahead with impeachment, this blows up like a mushroom cloud on the national stage,” Schultz said. “The hate that you’re seeing directed toward that family right now then becomes national. That’s a hard decision to make.” House Minority Leader Angela Romero said she was frustrated that Republican leaders cut off debate before she could propose an amendment that would instead initiate impeachment proceedings. She and her fellow Democrats nonetheless overwhelmingly voted in favor of the resolution to censure Cline. Republican Gov. Spencer Cox told reporters Thursday that he supports the board’s forceful censure and thinks it effectively has the same impact as impeachment. He had urged the board to take action against Cline, saying she “embarrassed the state.” Even when she apologized, Cline defended her initial suspicions, saying that a national push to normalize transgender identities makes it “normal to pause and wonder if people are what they say they are.” Cox pushed back Thursday against criticisms from LGBTQ+ rights advocates who argue he and Republican lawmakers enabled Cline’s behavior by passing a transgender bathroom ban that they say gives people license to question someone’s gender. “Even if this young person was transgender, it would still have been inappropriate,” Cox said. “That is not who we are or what we should be doing.” In a Facebook post Wednesday, Cline argued the board was taking away her right to represent her constituents without due process. She wrote that she did not have enough time to read all the materials and create a response before Wednesday’s meeting. The board determined that Cline violated policies requiring members to respect student privacy and to uphold state educator standards, which include not participating in sexual or emotional harassment of students and treating students with dignity and respect. The board’s resolution said Cline allowed negative comments about the girl to remain on her social media page while comments in support of the student were deleted, which together “appeared to constitute cyberbullying as defined” in Utah law. In a letter published Thursday in The Salt Lake Tribune, the girl’s parents, Al and Rachel van der Beek, also urged Cline to resign and called for her impeachment. CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP “Ms. Cline did the very thing we teach our children not to do — she blasted social media without fact checking, which ultimately led to a barrage of hateful and despicable comments that were directed at our daughter that lasted for more than 16 hours,” the letter said. “It was one of the most painful things we’ve had to endure.”

DOJ defends Special Counsel report on Biden’s memory: ‘Consistent with legal requirement,’ not ‘gratuitous’

DOJ defends Special Counsel report on Biden’s memory: ‘Consistent with legal requirement,’ not ‘gratuitous’

The Justice Department defended Special Counsel Robert Hur’s report on President Biden saying it was “consistent with legal requirements and Department policy” after the White House sent a pointed letter to the agency. In the letter, obtained by Fox News, Associate Deputy Attorney General Bradley Weinsheimer defended the Hur report and its release to the public as being “consistent” with the DOJ’s policy, and its legal requirements. “Having carefully considered your arguments, the Department concludes that the report as submitted to the Attorney General, and its release, are consistent with legal requirements and Department policy,” the letter, which was sent to White House Counsel Ed Siskel and Personal Counsel to Joe Biden Bob Bauer, said. BIDEN, NOT SPECIAL COUNSEL HUR, BROUGHT UP SON’S DEATH IN QUESTIONING Weinsheimer noted that the fall-out surrounding the release of Hur’s report on the president’s memory was not “gratuitous” or “unduly prejudicial.” “The identified language is neither gratuitous nor unduly prejudicial because it is not offered to criticize or demean the President,” the letter noted. “Rather, it is offered to explain Special Counsel Hur’s conclusions about the President’s state of mind in possessing and retaining classified information.” The associate deputy attorney general also pushed back against the White House’s claims that the report “inappropriately commented” on Biden’s conduct with classified documents. “Your claim that Special Counsel Hur inappropriately commented on uncharged conduct is misplaced,” Weinsheimer wrote. “As an initial matter, as described above, rather than commenting on uncharged conduct, Special Counsel Hur was applying the evidence he gathered to the applicable law.” KJP DISMISSES REPORTER’S QUERY ON BIDEN’S PROMISE TO SPEAK TO PRESS, CLAIMS HE ALREADY ‘TOOK QUESTIONS’ “Special Counsel Hur’s report provides significant detail on the basis of his declination decisions. This includes factors that support his determination o f whether the President knew he possessed classified information and whether he acted willfully in possessing and retaining it,” he said. “The language to which you object goes directly to these issues,” Weinsheimer said. Since Hur’s report, which was released last Thursday, the White House has pushed back against the findings that characterized Biden as an “elderly man with a poor memory.”  Biden has also been vocal about the report’s findings, lashing out that he “did not remember, even within several years, when his son Beau died.” “How the h— dare he raise that,’ Biden yelled during a press conference on Tuesday. ‘Frankly, when I was asked the question, I thought to myself, it wasn’t any of their d— business.” Two sources later revealed to Fox News that it was Biden who brought up his son’s 2015 death-not Hur. “We conclude that no criminal charges are warranted in this matter,” the report, released Thursday, states. “We would reach the same conclusion even if the Department of Justice policy did not foreclose criminal charges against a sitting president.” The White House and the Department of Justice did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment. Fox News’ David Spunt and Jake Gibson contributed to this report.

New Mexico governor and state legislature compromise on gun control and housing, but disagree on paid leave

New Mexico governor and state legislature compromise on gun control and housing, but disagree on paid leave

New Mexico’s Democrat-led Legislature delivered on a handful of the governor’s major priorities in her calls for public safety reforms, gun control, housing construction and the use of incentives to forge new solutions to climate change as lawmakers adjourned their 30-day annual session Thursday. Lujan Grisham praised a trio of public safety bills that ban some guns at voting locations, extend a waiting period on gun purchases to seven days and give judges an extra opportunity to deny bail to defendants who are charged with new crimes while already awaiting trial on a felony. But she also delivered a grim assessment of violent crime across the state — invoking the stabbing death last week of a Las Cruces patrol officer at the hands of a man with a record of crime and mental illness. NEW MEXICO HOUSE REJECTS PAID FAMILY LEAVE EXPANSION, CONSIDERS POLITICAL DEEPFAKE REGULATION “I just want to just say to New Mexicans, I don’t think it’s safe out there,” said Lujan Grisham at a news conference, warning she might call legislators back to the Capitol to debate public safety initiatives. “And I don’t think they think it’s safe out there because it plays out horrifically every single day.” The Legislature delivered enhanced penalties for second-degree murder, but a long list of gun control and public safety bills languished. The entire Legislature is up for election in November, and House Republican Leader T. Ryan Lane of Aztec said GOP lawmakers are aggressively defending gun rights as they also pursue public safety initiatives. “Guns are not the issue,” he said. “Our issues in New Mexico are more foundational.” Lujan Grisham declared a public health emergency over gun violence last year, suspending the right to carry guns in some parks and playgrounds in the greater Albuquerque area, in response to a spate of shootings there that killed children. Legislators forged an annual budget plan that slows down a spending spree linked to an oil production bonanza in the Permian Basin that overlaps southeastern New Mexico and portions of Texas. The budget bill, finalized Tuesday, funnels the lion’s share of a multibillion-dollar general fund surplus into a series of trust accounts designed to sustain future spending if the world’s thirst for oil falters, as well as debt-free spending on roadways. One new $960 million trust consolidates Democratic Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham’s yearslong campaign to guarantee tuition-free college for residents. Another new $75 million trust would help state and local governments compete for more federal infrastructure spending from the Inflation Reduction Act, the Biden administration’s signature climate, health care and tax package. “A lot of credit needs to go to President Biden for the infrastructure projects, and then our Legislature stepped up to provide matching funds,” Democratic House Floor Leader Gail Chasey said. But lawmakers also downsized the governor’s spending requests to finance housing construction and narrowly rejected a proposal for paid family and medical leave. Lane called the defeat of the paid leave bill a “resounding wakeup call.” House Republicans joined with 11 Democrats to defeat the bill on a 34-36 vote Wednesday. “The fact that that bill came to a screeching halt on the House floor, I think sends a huge message,” Lane said. “It’s not flexible for business owners, for employees who don’t want to participate in that system.” New Mexico lawmakers waded into whether to regulate artificial intelligence in the creation of political ads, sending a bill to the governor that would require disclaimers on campaign ads that feature “deepfake” images, audio or video. The bill doesn’t prohibit those ads. NEW MEXICO OFFICIALS APPROVE LEGISLATIVE BILL TO REDUCE GAS EMISSIONS IN VEHICLES BY 20% IN 2030 Legislators balked at a proposal to make it a crime to pose as a fake presidential elector, never bringing the bill to a floor vote. New Mexico is one of the few states where Republicans signed certificates in 2020 falsely declaring Donald Trump the winner. In the arena of climate change and energy, legislators passed a bill aimed at reducing climate-warming pollution from cars and trucks through financial incentives that reward businesses that produce cleaner fuels. Similar low-carbon fuel standards already are in effect in California, Oregon and Washington. Lujan Grisham indicated she’ll sign the bill. Climate-friendly provisions are threaded into a tax relief package negotiated by Democratic state Rep. Derrick Lente that also reduces personal income taxes rates across the earnings spectrum and boosts tax on income from investments. The bill provides refundable credits toward the purchase of new or used plug-in electric vehicles and household car-charging equipment. “We have decreased taxes for all New Mexicans today, providing the greatest cuts to our lowest and middle-income earners, reducing capital gains tax breaks to ensure our highest earners pay their fair share,” Lente said at a news conference. Lujan Grisham praised the tax relief bill that would reduce annual state government income by about $220 million. Last year, she vetoed most of a $1 billion tax relief package on worries it might undermine state finances. The new budget proposal increases general fund spending by $653 million, or 6.8%, to $10.2 billion for the fiscal year that begins in July. That spending increase is a fraction of the anticipated $3.5 billion surplus in general fund income for the same period. Roads, rural hospitals, public school, housing initiatives and Medicaid figure prominently in the spending plan, along with a 3% pay increase across state government, K-12 schools and public colleges and universities. The bill includes funding from a settlement with opioid manufacturers and pharmacies to better coordinate services to infants exposed to illicit drugs before birth. Most New Mexico families with infants exposed to illicit drugs, marijuana and alcohol in the womb have been forgoing subsidized addiction treatment and other voluntary support services since the state’s shift in 2020 that halted automatic referrals to protective services. Lujan Grisham can veto any and all provisions of the budget bill but can’t add appropriations. The governor has until March 6 to sign bills into law.

Russia-Ukraine war: List of key events, day 723

Russia-Ukraine war: List of key events, day 723

As the war enters is 723rd day, these are the main developments. Here is the situation on Friday, February 16, 2024. Fighting At least seven people were killed in the Russian city of Belgorod after what authorities said was a Ukrainian rocket attack. A shopping centre, sports centre and apartment blocks were damaged. Oleh Syniehubov, the governor of the northern Kharkiv region, said at least three people were killed and two more injured after a Russian bombing hit a car and set a residential building on fire. Russia launched missile attacks on seven Ukrainian regions, including the capital Kyiv, and the cities of Dnipro, Zaporizhzhia and Lviv, injuring at least 11 people. Air raid warnings lasted for more than two hours across the country. The air force said air defences shot down 13 of the 26 missiles Russia launched. Ukraine said it was withdrawing troops from some parts of eastern Avdiivka to more advantageous positions and deployed the battle-hardened Third Assault Brigade to reinforce its forces as Russia intensifies efforts to encircle the front-line town. White House spokesperson John Kirby, meanwhile, said Avdiivka was at risk of falling to Russia because Ukrainian troops were suffering a shortage of artillery ammunition. Admiral Viktor Sokolov, the commander of Russia’s Black Sea Fleet was dismissed, Russian military bloggers and a former Kremlin adviser said, a day after Ukraine said it had destroyed the Russian landing ship, the Caesar Kunikov. There was no official confirmation from Moscow. Ukraine’s military intelligence chief Lieutenant General Kyrylo Budanov told the Wall Street Journal that Russian troops were using thousands of Elon Musk’s Starlink satellite communications terminals after acquiring them from private Russian firms that purchased them from intermediaries. Politics and diplomacy Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy will visit Germany and France on Friday and sign bilateral agreements on security commitments with each country. Zelenskyy will also speak at the Munich Security Conference on February 17. Russia’s Supreme Court rejected two legal challenges by antiwar candidate Boris Nadezhdin after he was disqualified from next month’s presidential election, Nadezhdin said. Poland’s special services said they detained a Ukrainian citizen suspected of working for the Russian intelligence agency and planning an attack in the southwestern city of Wroclaw. The man could be jailed for as long as 12 years if convicted. Weapons The United Kingdom detailed plans to jointly lead an international “drone capability coalition” with Latvia aimed at delivering thousands of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) to Ukraine. The drones will include thousands of “first-person view” drones, which give operators the situational awareness to target positions, armoured vehicles and ships. Adblock test (Why?)