NH Senate kills pro-abortion constitutional amendment
Another attempt to enshrine abortion rights in the New Hampshire Constitution failed Thursday, this time in the Senate. State law prohibits abortion after 24 weeks of pregnancy except when the mother’s health or life is in danger or there is a fatal fetal anomaly. The Republican-led House earlier this month voted 193-184 in favor of a constitutional amendment to protect abortion rights up to that threshold, short of the three-fifths majority needed to advance the proposal. On Thursday, the Republican-led Senate rejected a similar measure outright, voting 14-9 along party lines against a more broadly worded proposal to add language to the constitution protecting “personal reproductive autonomy.” NEW HAMPSHIRE DEMOCRAT PROPOSES OFFICIAL PRONUNCIATION FOR STATE CAPITAL CONCORD Since the U.S. Supreme Court overturned the constitutional right to abortion in 2022, voters in seven states have either protected abortion rights or defeated attempts to curtail them in statewide votes. New Hampshire does not allow citizen-led ballot initiatives. Changes can be made to the state constitution if three-fifths of the Legislature agrees to put the question to voters, who must then approve amendments by at least a two-thirds majority. Sen. Becky Whitley, a Democrat from Hopkinton, argued that the state’s current absence of restrictions on abortion before 24 weeks does not equal an affirmative right. “I rise for the little girls ahead of me who now have less rights than I have, rights that led me directly to this chamber, and helped me build a career a family and life of my choice and of my dreams,” she said. Sen. Bill Gannon, a Republican from Sandown, said voters already have made their views clear by electing their representatives. “This Legislature has been crystal clear and consistent when it comes to abortion rights,” he said. The Senate also was taking up bills Thursday to expand access to medication-assisted abortions and to prohibit New Hampshire police from assisting with out-of-state investigations into “legally protected health care activity.” The House has rejected some measures to restrict abortion, including a ban on the procedure after 15 days of pregnancy. That would be akin to an outright ban as virtually no one knows they are pregnant at that point. Another rejected measure would have required abortions after 15 weeks to be performed with two doctors present and in hospitals with neonatal intensive care units.
Israeli forces storm besieged Nasser Hospital in Gaza
NewsFeed Israeli forces storm Gaza’s Nasser Hospital in Khan Younis, forcing everyone inside to evacuate and flee for their lives. Published On 15 Feb 202415 Feb 2024 Adblock test (Why?)
‘Catastrophic situation’ at Gaza’s Nasser Hospital amid Israeli raid
There have been scenes of chaos and panic at Nasser Hospital in Khan Younis as Israeli forces stormed the medical facility in the southern Gaza Strip and Palestinians tried to evacuate. The Israeli army has besieged the facility for weeks, isolating thousands of patients, medical staff and displaced families – many of whom remain trapped inside. Verified video footage showed those who tried to flee on Thursday came under attack after leaving the hospital. Gaza Ministry of Health spokesperson Ashraf al-Qudra said Israeli troops were forcing 95 medics, 191 patients and 165 displaced people into an old building at the medical centre under “harsh conditions” without water, food or milk for the children. “The Nasser Medical Complex is witnessing a catastrophic, worrying situation because of the dwindling medical capacity as fuel is set to run out in the next 24 hours, which directly threatens the lives of patients, including six on respirators in intensive care and three children in incubators,” al-Qudra said in a statement. The Israeli army accused Hamas of using the medical compound to hold captives, but it hasn’t provided evidence for the claim. The Palestinian group, which governs Gaza, has vehemently denied it. The raid has displaced patients and medical workers who spoke of terrifying and strenuous conditions. “I left with my husband, who is blind. I was doing kidney dialysis. They destroyed the walls surrounding us as well as the doctor’s room. They ordered us to leave and fired at us, fired bombs and rockets on our heads from the top,” patient Rasmeya Saleem Abu Jamoos told Al Jazeera. “They demolished the building. We left from the door, and we walked through sewage along with my husband. The Israelis then took my husband, and I lost my two bags. I cannot find them,” she said. The Israeli military, which used drones and loudspeakers to tell people to leave Nasser Hospital, said it opened “a secure route” to allow civilians to exit while medics and patients could remain inside. However, witnesses and the medical NGO Doctors Without Borders (Medecins Sans Frontieres, or MSF) said those sheltering inside were afraid to leave after reports that people were shot at on their way out. The Israeli army also fired on people inside the hospital, including a doctor and a nurse. MSF described a “chaotic situation” in the hospital after it was shelled early on Thursday. “Our medical staff have had to flee the hospital, leaving patients behind,” MSF said on X. It said one of its employee is unaccounted for and another was detained by Israeli forces. 🔴 Gaza update: Nasser hospital in Khan Younis, Gaza, was shelled in the early hours of this morning, despite Israeli Forces having told medical staff and patients they could remain in the facility. Thousands of displaced people were ordered to evacuate it on 13 February…🧵 — MSF International (@MSF) February 15, 2024 The Israeli army damaged two ambulances in the medical compound on Thursday, the Health Ministry said. Israeli soldiers have also stormed the maternity ward and were “sweeping” the area, it added. Israeli soldiers “threatened those inside with killing and with direct gunfire”, the ministry said. Ahmed al-Moghrabi, the head of plastic surgery at Nasser Hospital, recorded a message from inside the facility when Israel’s evacuation orders came in. “[The Israeli army] sent a hostage with cuffed hands into the hospital asking him to tell us that we should evacuate. And when people started really evacuating, they opened fire, and they shot at the people, and they killed the hostage as well,” he said. Speaking to Al Jazeera late on Wednesday, he said thousands of people, including critically ill patients, are being delayed at Israeli checkpoints as they try to flee the area. He also described the situation at the hospital as “dangerous”. Nasser Hospital, the largest health facility in southern Gaza, has been under siege for around three weeks. The bodies of several people killed by Israeli sniper fire in the hospital compound have been lying on the ground for days because it is too unsafe for staff to reach them. Israeli forces across the Gaza Strip have repeatedly besieged and raided hospitals, alleging that the facilities are being used as command centres by Hamas fighters. Hamas denies the accusation and the Israeli military has shown no concrete proof of such command centres. The World Health Organization (WHO) has described Nasser Hospital as a critical facility “for all of Gaza”, where only a minority of hospitals are even partly operational. WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said Wednesday that he was “alarmed” by reports from Nasser Hospital, which he described as the “backbone of the health system in southern Gaza”. In October, in the first 36 hours of the assault on Gaza, Israel targeted Nasser Hospital as well as the Indonesian Hospital and al-Quds Hospital, killing dozens of healthcare workers. By the end of November, 30 of Gaza’s 36 hospitals had been hit by Israeli rockets. Currently, only six of Gaza’s hospitals remain partially functional. The Ministry of Health in Gaza said at least 28,663 people have been killed in Israel’s attacks since October 7, and at least 68,395 have been wounded. Israel began the assault on Gaza after Hamas fighters from the territory led attacks on southern Israel, killing at least 1,139 people, according to an Al Jazeera tally based on official Israeli figures. Adblock test (Why?)
Venezuela orders suspension of UN rights office, gives staff days to leave
Earlier this week the UN agency expressed ‘deep concern’ over the detention of prominent rights activist, Rocio San Miguel. Venezuela has ordered the local office of the United Nations human rights body to suspend operations and given its staff 72 hours to leave, accusing it of promoting opposition to the South American country. Foreign Affairs Minister Yvan Gil announced the decision at a news conference in the capital Caracas on Thursday. He said the office – the local technical advisory office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights – had been used by the international community “to maintain a discourse” against Venezuela. The move came two days after the UN agency expressed “deep concern” over the detention of prominent rights activist Rocio San Miguel and called for her “immediate release”. Gil said the UN rights office had taken on an “inappropriate role” and had become “the private law firm of the coup plotters and terrorists who permanently conspire against the country”. He said the decision would remain in place until the agency “publicly rectify, before the international community, their colonialist, abusive and violating attitude of the United Nations Charter”. In a statement, Venezuela’s government said it decided to suspend the activities of the UN rights office and “carry out a holistic revision of the technical cooperation terms”. It said the review would take place over the next 30 days. It was not immediately clear if the Venezuelan government had notified the UN directly of its order to close the office. UN spokesperson Stephane Dujarric said during his daily briefing on Thursday that he had just been made aware of the decision and would get back to members of the press. The UN human rights office has operated in Venezuela since 2019. Rights activist detained San Miguel, 57, was arrested last Friday in the immigration area of an airport in Caracas, sparking an international outcry. Prosecutors have accused her of taking part in the latest alleged plot to assassinate President Nicolas Maduro, which the government has said was backed by the United States. Authorities said in January that they had uncovered five plots to assassinate Maduro, implicating rights activists, journalists and soldiers. The UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, based in Geneva, Switzerland, on Tuesday expressed “deep concern” over San Miguel’s detention. In a post on the social media platform X, the office urged “her immediate release” and respect for her right to legal defence. Shortly before Gil’s Thursday announcement, the UN agency called for the respect of “due process guarantees, including right to defence” in her case. The detention of San Miguel comes in a crunch election year that has already seen Maduro block his main opposition rival, prompting the US to threaten to reimpose recently eased oil sanctions. San Miguel is the founder of an NGO called Citizen Control, which investigates security and military issues, such as the number of citizens killed or abused by security forces. She has detailed military involvement in illegal mining operations, and a recent femicide in the army. International rights groups see in the arrests a coordinated plan to silence government critics and perceived opponents. Adblock test (Why?)
Special Counsel Robert Hur to testify publicly at House hearing on Biden classified records probe
Special Counsel Robert Hur is expected to testify in a public hearing at the House Judiciary Committee next month, Fox News Digital has learned. A source with direct knowledge told Fox News Digital Hur will testify on March 12 in a public hearing on his findings following months of investigating President Biden’s improper handling of classified records. 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. Those records included classified documents about military and foreign policy in Afghanistan and other countries, among other records related to national security and foreign policy, which Hur said implicated “sensitive intelligence sources and methods.” Hur did not recommend any charges against the president but did describe him as a “well-meaning elderly man with a poor memory” — a description that has raised significant concerns for Biden’s 2024 re-election campaign. This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.
Joe Manchin suggests Mitt Romney, Rob Portman as potential running mates as he flirts with third party ticket
Sen. Joe Manchin, D-W.V., said he’d pick Sen. Mitt Romney or former Ohio Republican senator Rob Portman as potential running mates in a hypothetical third party presidential run. “Hypothetically, if I was picking my running mate… really, who I would ask right now is Mitt Romney,” Manchin said at the City Club of Cleveland breakfast forum on Thursday. “Maybe Rob Portman would be right there too,” Manchin added. “Rob is a dear friend of mine. What a good man, what a good man.” MANCHIN HINTS AT POTENTIAL THIRD-PARTY RUN AFTER SUPER TUESDAY: ‘PEOPLE ARE LOOKING FOR OPTIONS’ City Club CEO Dan Moulthrop moderated the forum, which had roughly 150 people in attendance, and repeatedly probed Manchin on whether he would jump in the race. “Guys, listen, I’m not running for anything,” Manchin said. “I’m basically running to try to get people involved.” Manchin’s comments come as he has been flirting with a third party presidential bid in recent months, with his two-month “listening tour” sparking even more speculation that he will throw his hat in the ring. Both Manchin and Romney announced last year they would not seek re-election to the Senate in 2024. The West Virginia Democrat has positioned himself as a centrist politically compared to his more progressive colleagues in the Senate and has repeatedly expressed dissatisfaction with both President Joe Biden and former President Donald Trump. Manchin’s daughter, Heather, started a nonprofit last summer called “Americans Together,” aiming to unite the country’s moderate voters away from the “extremes” of the left and right. If Manchin does announce a presidential run, he’ll likely use the nonprofit to bolster his campaign. “We stand against extremism in politics. It has taken over our political system and taken away our voice,” the Americans Together campaign website states. “As proud Americans, we agree on more than we disagree. We demand that our politicians put country before party to get things done. Enough is enough.” MANCHIN ‘ABSOLUTELY’ CAN SEE HIMSELF AS PRESIDENT, THINKS BIDEN HEALTH OR TRUMP CONVICTION COULD GIVE OPENING Manchin has previously said he would decide after Super Tuesday — when multiple states hold their primary elections or caucuses simultaneously, making it a significant day for candidates to secure delegates — on March 5. “Super Tuesday pretty much confirms whatever is going to happen, what we believe will happen, and we’ll see where we go from there,” Manchin told reporters on the day of the New Hampshire primary. Fox News Digital reached out to Romney and Portman for comment.
Haley spotlights Trump ‘chaos’ as judge sets former president’s hush money trial start for March
The move by a New York judge to set a March 25 trial date in former President Donald Trump’s hush money case is giving Republican presidential rival Nikki Haley more ammunition. “Donald Trump is in court today. There will be a verdict on another case tomorrow. And he has a trial starting March 25. Meanwhile, he’s spending millions of campaign donations on legal fees. All of this chaos will only lead to more losses for Republicans up and down the ticket,” Haley argued in a media post on Thursday. Haley, a former two-term South Carolina governor who later served as U.N. ambassador in the Trump administration, is the last remaining major rival challenging Trump for the GOP nomination. But she faces a steep uphill climb against Trump, who remains the commanding frontrunner in the 2024 Republican presidential race. TRUMP BID TO DISMISS HUSH MONEY INDICTMENT DENIED, TRIAL TO START NEXT MONTH Haley’s comments came soon after a New York City judge denied Trump’s request to dismiss the indictment. The former president faces 34 counts of falsifying business records in New York in connection with alleged hush money payments to adult-film actress Stormy Daniels made during the 2016 presidential campaign. COURT DATES AND PRIMARIES: TRUMP FACES COMPETING CALENDARS IN 2024 Prosecutors argue the payments were an effort by Trump to hide a potential sex scandal, both before and after the 2016 election. The former president has pleaded not guilty to all charges, which were brought by Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg, who is a Democrat. The ruling sets up the first criminal trial of a former president in the nation’s history. As he entered the courtroom, Trump claimed, “I’m here for something, it’s not a crime, it’s election interference and it’s being run by Joe Biden’s White House,” And he reiterated that it’s a “terrible time for our country. A real dark period.” Trump faces four trials this year, including two on charges he aimed to overturn his 2020 election loss to President Biden. ONE YEAR AFTER LAUNCHING 2024 BID, HALEY MAKES FINAL STAND AGAINST TRUMP Haley, pointing in part to Trump’s legal entanglements, has repeatedly charged that Trump is “unhinged” and argued that “chaos” will follow if Trump returns to the White House. And she has regularly highlighted general election polls that suggest she’s a stronger GOP nominee than Trump to take on Biden in November. The judge in the hush money case, Juan Merchan, said the trial could last five to six weeks, with a possible ending in late April or early May. Trump said ahead of today’s ruling that he should be out campaigning instead of in court. When pressed on when he will campaign during the trial, Trump replied: “I’ll do it in the evening.” Get the latest updates from the 2024 campaign trail, exclusive interviews and more at our Fox News Digital election hub.
House delivers blow to Biden’s climate agenda, votes against natural gas moratorium
The House voted Thursday afternoon in favor of stripping the Biden administration’s authority to permit natural gas export projects in a blow to the president’s climate agenda. In a 224-200 vote, the House approved the so-called Unlocking Domestic LNG Potential Act, with 215 Republicans and nine Democrats voting in favor. Rep. August Pfluger, R-Texas, who chairs the House Energy Action Team, introduced the legislation on Feb. 1, arguing that it would ultimately overturn President Biden’s recent actions pausing permits for new liquefied natural gas (LNG) export projects. “Just last year, President Biden told the Europeans that they needed to get off Russian gas and that the U.S. would supply their liquid natural gas needs. Now that it is an election year, he is reneging on that deal to appease his radical climate base,” Pfluger told Fox News Digital ahead of the vote. “Two-thirds of the world’s natural gas is produced in four countries: Russia, Iran, the United States and Qatar. This effective ban on U.S. LNG exports is a gift to Putin and the Iranian regime that just killed three service members with their weapons to the Houthis,” the Texas lawmaker continued. “I am proud to stand up for American jobs when the president seems to only stand up for the interests of Russia and Iran.” VULNERABLE DEM SENATOR FLIP-FLOPS ON SUPPLYING ENERGY TO CHINA IN MIDDLE OF RE-ELECTION CAMPAIGN Pfluger also noted that Russian natural gas is 40% dirtier than U.S. gas, adding that Biden’s recent moratorium on LNG exports is a “horrible decision for the environment.” If enacted, Pfluger’s bill would amend the Natural Gas Act of 1938, giving the independent Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) exclusive authority to approve or deny applications for the siting, construction, expansion or operation of LNG export projects. And in approving or rejecting permits, FERC would be required under the bill to “deem the importation or exportation of natural gas to be consistent with the public interest.” DOZENS OF FORMER TOP FEDERAL OFFICIALS CALL ON CONGRESS TO STRIKE DOWN BIDEN’S NATURAL GAS CRACKDOWN “Joe Biden would rather appease the radical environmentalists in his party than protect hardworking Americans. House Republicans will not stand idly by while the Biden administration’s Green New Deal agenda destroys American jobs, stifles American energy, and benefits our adversaries,” House Majority Whip Tom Emmer, R-Minn., told Fox News Digital in a statement. Currently, FERC conducts a rigorous economic and environmental review of LNG export projects. However, following FERC’s review, the Department of Energy (DOE) is tasked with determining whether such projects, which export LNG to non-free trade agreement countries, serve the national interest and giving the final approval. Late last month, Biden ordered the DOE to pause pending permits for LNG export facilities while it conducts a rigorous environmental review as part of the agency’s national interest analysis, assessing the projects’ carbon emissions. That review could take more than a year to complete. Energy associations, Republicans and former federal officials blasted the actions, arguing that LNG exports are critical for maintaining low energy prices in the U.S., helping American allies to wean off Russian gas and decreasing global carbon emissions. They have noted that, in December 2023, more than 87% of U.S. LNG exports went to Europe, U.K. or Asian markets previously reliant on Russia. STATE AGS WARN BIDEN’S NATURAL GAS MORATORIUM VIOLATES FEDERAL LAW, DEMAND REVERSAL “Allies and trading partners around the world rely on clean, reliable, and affordable U.S. natural gas for energy and economic security, and to advance environmental progress through emission reductions,” said Marty Durbin, president of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce’s Global Energy Institute, which endorsed the Unlocking Domestic LNG Potential Act. “With Europe still relying on Russia for nearly 15% of its natural gas consumption, and global demand expected to increase for several decades, continued expansion of U.S. export capacity is essential to American interests,” Durbin added. But environmental activist groups and Democrats have criticized the legislation, arguing that stripping DOE of its authority to permit LNG exports would exacerbate climate change and mainly benefit Chinese industry. “Make no mistake: if this bill ever became law, Americans would pay more for the gas that heats their homes and keeps their lights on. It is an affront to middle-class families who cannot afford to deal with more fossil fuel price volatility,” remarked House Energy and Commerce ranking member Frank Pallone, D-N.J., who said the bill would “enrich China.” According to the most recent federal data, though, just 6.7% of U.S. LNG exports are shipped to China. The vast majority of exports are sent to Europe, which has relied on U.S. natural gas to wean itself off Russian energy amid the Ukraine war, and other Asian countries like Japan and South Korea. The legislation now makes its way to the Senate, where Sen. Tim Scott, R-S.C., Banking Committee ranking member, introduced companion legislation alongside 16 fellow Republicans. The White House, however, said Biden would veto the bill if it was passed. “The Administration believes that the critical protections current law provides, which this legislation would repeal, should be retained to protect residential and industrial consumers and national and domestic energy security,” the White House said Tuesday.
Tony Bobulinski attorney accuses Oversight Dems of ‘gaslighting,’ false smears against Hunter Biden associate
An attorney for Hunter Biden’s ex-business associate Tony Bobulinski accused House Democrats of “abusive conduct and disingenuous mischaracterizations” of his testimony on the Biden family’s business dealings. In a letter to Rep. Jamie Raskin, D-Md., the ranking member and lead Democrat on the House Oversight Committee, Bobulinski’s counsel Stefan Passantino asserted that Democrats were attempting to assassinate his client’s character. “We are watching the death throes of a political narrative that will be shattered upon the imminent public release of Mr. Bobulinski’s testimony before the House Committees on Oversight and Judiciary yesterday,” Passantino wrote. “The facts are before Congress and will soon be before the American people. Minority assassination of Mr. Bobulinski’s character and grotesque mischaracterizations of his words will only serve to highlight the gaslighting and vilification Mr. Bobulinski has endured since he reluctantly came forward almost four years ago to share with the public the facts of his business experience with the Biden family,” the letter continues. JOE BIDEN IS ‘THE BIG GUY,’ TONY BOBULINSKI SAID DURING ‘UNSHAKEABLE’ TESTIMONY AMID IMPEACHMENT INQUIRY “As the public will see soon enough, Mr. Bobulinski has the facts and the receipts, and no amount of character assassination will change that.” Bobulinski testified behind closed doors for more than eight hours on Tuesday as part of the House impeachment inquiry against President Biden. He is one of the Republicans’ star witnesses, having worked with Hunter Biden to create the joint-venture SinoHawk Holdings with Chinese energy company CEFC. Behind closed doors, sources said Bobulinski told the House Overisght and Judiciary Committees that he had “personally met” with Joe Biden in May 2017 in Los Angeles on the sidelines of the Milken Conference for somewhere between 45 minutes and an hour. Fox News Digital first reported on that meetings between Bobulinski and Biden in October 2020. JOE BIDEN ‘ENABLED’ FAMILY TO SELL ACCESS TO ‘DANGEROUS ADVERSARIES,’ TONY BOBULINSKI TESTIFIES Joe Biden, on May 3, 2017, spoke at the conference, hosting “A Conversation with the 47th Vice President of the United States Joe Biden.” Just days after the May 2, 2017, meeting came the now-infamous May 13, 2017, email, which included a discussion of “remuneration packages” for six people in a business deal with a Chinese energy firm. The email appeared to identify Biden as “Chair / Vice Chair depending on agreement with CEFC,” in a reference to the now-bankrupt CEFC China Energy Co. The email includes a note that “Hunter has some office expectations he will elaborate.” A proposed equity split references “20” for “H” and “10 held by H for the big guy?” with no further details. Bobulinski testified Tuesday that Joe Biden is “the big guy,” a claim he has made since 2020. IRS whistleblowers Gary Shapley and Joseph Ziegler, who claimed that politics had influenced the yearslong federal investigation into Hunter Biden, have also said “the big guy” was known to be Joe Biden. FLASHBACK: HUNTER BIDEN BUSINESS ASSOCIATE’S TEXT MESSAGES INDICATE MEETING WITH JOE BIDEN Bobulinski claims that Joe Biden was “the Brand” sold by Hunter Biden and other family members as part of a “foreign influence peddling operation.” President Biden has repeatedly denied any involvement in his son Hunter’s business dealings. House Democrats have rallied behind the president, with Raskin claiming that Bobulinski “offers absolutely no testimony that indicates any criminal activity by President Biden . . . or evidence that President Biden was involved in Hunter Biden’s businesses.” In the letter, Passantino said Raskin’s statement is “categorically false” and pushed back against other claims made by House Democrats, insisting that a soon-to-be-released transcript of Bobulinksi’s testimony will prove them wrong. “Equally concerning are the false allegations impugning Mr. Bobulinski’s character and statements about law enforcement. Unlike those making these accusations, Mr. Bobulinski has a proud and exemplary history of serving this country in the military and his patriotism cannot be questioned,” Passantino wrote. BOBULINSKI OFFERED TO TESTIFY AT HUNTER BIDEN GRAND JURY BUT ‘NEVER HEARD BACK’: SOURCE “As the transcript will show, Mr. Bobulinski did NOT accuse the FBI of lying about his voluntary statements before them in October 2020. The transcript will show that when Mr. Bobulinski was asked by the Minority about second-hand accounts of his words rather than asking him direct questions, Mr. Bobulinski simply corrected errors in the FBI’s internal 302 report about his statements. “As Mr. Bobulinski testified yesterday, these errors could have been corrected years ago if Mr. Bobulinski had been shown the FBI’s internal summary or if ANY government agency had reached out to us at the time,” the letter states. Reached for comment, a spokesperson for House Oversight Democrats pointed to several statements from committee members questioning Bobulinski’s credibility as a witness. Democrats have urged the committee to release the transcript of his testimony after Oversight Chairman Rep. James Comer, R-Ky., accused them of “witness intimidation.” “Let’s read between the lines here: we asked questions on the very real credibility issues with your witness,” Rep. Jasmine Crockett, D-Texas, posted on X. “If his claims can’t stand up to the most basic scrutiny, that’s on you.” “Hey Chairman Comer. You invited a sham witness and we asked basic questions — his lack of credibility is on you! Why not release the transcript?” posted Rep. Robert Garcia, D-Calif. President BIden’s brother, Jim Biden, will be the next witness to testify to the committee as part of the impeachment inquiry on February 21. Hunter Biden is expected to appear for his deposition on February 28. Fox News Digital’s Brooke Singman contributed to this report.
US lawmakers push back against EPA’s proposed manure emissions reporting requirement
U.S. Congress members from both political parties have been urging the Environmental Protection Agency not to propose a rule that would require farms to report on air emissions from animal waste, according to a letter seen by Reuters. The EPA is soliciting public comment on whether it should revoke or amend a rule from former President Donald Trump’s administration that exempts animal manure from an environmental statute requiring industry to report chemical releases for the purpose of community information. Environmental groups want EPA to revoke the rule, saying pollution from animal waste is sickening people in rural communities. NEW BIDEN ENVIRONMENTAL REGULATIONS ‘FAILED’ SMALL BUSINESSES, TOP HOUSE REPUBLICAN SAYS Animal manure can generate hazardous chemicals like ammonia and hydrogen sulfide which can cause irritation and burning to the eyes and respiratory tract. Reinstating the reporting requirement would create a paperwork backlog for EPA and regulatory burden for farmers, the representatives said in the letter, which was led by Republican Nick Langworthy and Democrat Jim Costa and signed by 44 others. “While we understand the need to reduce GHG (greenhouse gas) emissions, requiring the reporting of air emissions from family farms in the future would put an unnecessary and unjustifiable burden on our nation’s agricultural producers,” said the letter, sent to EPA on Wednesday. The letter is supported by top farm groups including the American Farm Bureau Federation, National Cattlemen’s Beef Association, and National Pork Producers Council, said a spokesperson for Langworthy. The Biden administration in 2021 said it would revise or rescind the 2019 rule as part of ongoing litigation brought by environmental groups. EPA’s comment solicitation indicates the agency is “waffling” on that commitment, said Tarah Heinzen, legal director at the environmental advocacy group Food & Water Watch. “Air pollution from factory farms is absolutely sickening people in these rural communities, and they have absolutely no information about what they’re being exposed to,” Heinzen said. An EPA spokesperson said the agency is reviewing the letter. The comment period closes on Feb. 15.