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Colorado residents in uproar over rumors Lakewood could become sanctuary city for migrants

Residents of a Colorado city have expressed outrage over the idea that they could become a sanctuary for migrants crossing the southern border, although city officials have denied such an effort. Hundreds of residents in the city of Lakewood attended an emergency community meeting hosted by the group Lakewood Concerned Citizens on Tuesday, when they voiced their complaints over city officials allegedly wanting to help the state’s capital Denver, a self-declared sanctuary city, by potentially bringing migrants into their own community. Residents want to know what is happening, and the number of attendees was so vast that some overflowed into the parking lot, according to FOX31 Denver. Lakewood has not used the word “sanctuary,” but resident Karen Morgan, who spoke at the meeting, said the city’s use of the words such as “good neighbor, welcoming, inclusive, supporting, sheltering,” were still troubling, FOX31 reported. “One definition of a sanctuary is the condition of being protected or comforted. Synonym: shelter.” 800 MIGRANT FAMILIES BEING BOOTED FROM DENVER SHELTERS AS CITY NEARS BREAKING POINT The emergency meeting came after Lakewood officials met with Denver government officials in January, when they discussed the migrant crisis. “Why did our city manager go to the city of Denver to see how they can help? How is Lakewood going to help the city of Denver with this migrant issue?” asked Mary Janssen, former Lakewood City Council member, FOX31 reported. Fox News Digital reached out to Lakewood City officials, including the City Public Information office and the Community Resources office, for additional information, but a response was not immediately received. The city has since pushed back on rumors the city could house migrants, according to FOX 31, specifically saying, “Lakewood City Council is not considering designating Lakewood as a ‘sanctuary city.’” DENVER MAYOR WARNS CITY IS ‘VERY CLOSE’ TO A ‘BREAKING POINT’ WITH MIGRANT SURGE “I would like to make it very clear that City Council has never, in my time sitting on council, has never had a conversation around becoming a sanctuary city,” Lakewood Mayor Wendi Strom said. “I have met with my city manager, who was in the meeting, and there was not a request for Lakewood to house migrants at all,” Strom continued. “This has created a lot of frustration and anger in our community that is not necessary. We are not making these big sweeping changes. And these would be changes that we would bring to the public if that was something that we were going to do. But that’s not happening.” The city of Lakewood added “The only action City Council has taken during its January meetings has been to direct the city manager to meet with the City of Denver’s staff as quickly as possible to better understand the migrant crisis, its impacts and the needs as well as possible options for Lakewood to work with Denver on this crisis in the spirit of ‘being a good neighbor.’” “To keep residents as informed as possible, we want to address incorrect information that has appeared in opinion pieces in the news media and on social media regarding the City Council’s discussion about migrants arriving in Denver,” the city told FOX31. It continued, “No council member has made this proposal, and it is not something the City Council is considering or planning to consider in the near future. The only action City Council has taken during its January meetings has been to direct the city manager to meet with the City of Denver’s staff as quickly as possible to better understand the migrant crisis, its impacts and the needs as well as possible options for Lakewood to work with Denver on this crisis in the spirit of ‘being a good neighbor.’” The city also said the focus of its initial Jan. 8 meeting with Denver officials was to “address the humanitarian crisis through such avenues as mobilizing nonprofit organizations in Lakewood to support Denver’s needs and are not an attempt to offer housing in Lakewood. The city’s role in this example could be providing access to information and resources or connecting individuals in need with nonprofits and volunteers in our community. This kind of work is a proactive step to keep the community safe, to ensure resources aren’t overwhelmed and to respond strategically and compassionately to everyone who is involved.” The next city council meeting is on Feb. 12.

Civil society urge nationwide strike, protest in Senegal after vote delay

The call for mass mobilisation comes as a major political upheaval continues in the usually stable West African nation. A coalition of Senegalese civil society groups on Thursday called for mass mobilisation against the delay to this month’s presidential poll, outlining a series of planned actions including a protest and strike. The normally stable West African nation has plunged into its worst political upheaval in decades after lawmakers backed President Macky Sall’s decision to postpone the February 25 election until mid-December. “We invite all citizens concerned by the preservation of democratic gains to mobilise en masse throughout the country and in the diaspora to prevent this seizure of power,” the newly formed platform Aar Sunu Election (Let’s protect our election) said in a statement. The collective includes some 40 citizen, religious, and professional groups, including several education unions. “A major demonstration is planned for Tuesday,” Malick Diop, who described himself as one of the platform’s coordinators, told journalists in Dakar. The speakers at the event also mentioned a call for a general strike on an unspecified date and a walkout in the education sector from Friday. The platform called on Muslims to attend Friday prayers wearing white and flying the national colours. The call comes as West African foreign ministers are holding emergency talks in Nigeria’s capital Abuja to discuss the political crisis in Senegal. Ahead of Thursday’s meeting, the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) has urged Senegal – one of its most stable member states – to return to its election timetable. But critics have already questioned the group’s sway over increasingly defiant member states. Adblock test (Why?)

In Romania, some fathers opt to take on the lion’s share of childcare

Bucharest, Romania – In an eastern Bucharest neighbourhood filled with apartment blocks, Oana wakes up and makes breakfast as her husband, Vlad, tends to their baby, a little girl named Mara. After a nappy change and with full bellies, father and daughter head to the park. Oana switches on her laptop and in a flash, the living room is transformed into an office as she hosts Zoom meetings for the public relations agency she operates. In 2022, 36,507 fathers and 223,100 mothers took parental leave in Romania, according to data provided by Romania’s Ministry of Labor and Social Solidarity. The trend continued into 2023, with 33,689 men and 201,108 women taking parental leave between January and October. Maternity leave is 126 days, with 85 percent of a salary paid. Paternity leave is a far shorter 15 days. But beyond these periods, either mothers or fathers can opt to take childcare leave until their infant blossoms into a two-year-old toddler. Typically, mothers take childcare leave. “[But] I am 40 and I feel that I have accomplished enough things, so I would not be frustrated for being home for a while with my daughter,” said Vlad, explaining why Oana’s career was prioritised. Vlad is among a growing number of Romanian dads who are opting to take parental leave [Lola García-Ajofrín/Al Jazeera] At 33, she has just started her own communications company. “I run a small business, and I could not put it on pause for two years,” Oana said. Most of her income comes from the company’s earnings. Parental and childcare allowance only applies to salaries. Romania’s parental leave is among Europe’s longest. By comparison, women in Austria receive 16 weeks of paid maternity leave, after which either parent can take unpaid parental leave until the child is two. In Bulgaria, paid maternity leave is 58 weeks. When it comes to fathers, Spain is home to the longest paternity leave in Europe, which at 16 weeks is the same for maternity. Sergiu, a 24-year-old father in Brasov, is also on parental leave, looking after his one-year-old. “The first six months we managed things together. Since then, I am in charge,” Sergiu said proudly. His partner is 20 and studying medicine. “We agreed she could follow further more classes if stay home with the toddler,” he said. For Gabriela, 34, an actress who gave birth in October, and her partner, Silviu, 34, a pharmacist manager, there was only one option. “I am a freelancer, and in Romania if you don’t work under a permanent contract, you are inexistent for fiscal administration,” said Gabriela. “The most challenging part will be not to go to work”, said Silviu, who started his leave allowance in January. “And for the rest, we will wait and see what happens.” “We go with the flow but I don’t think we found a rhythm yet,” Gabriela said, adding that while grandparents visit, the bulk of the childcare is down to them. Silviu and Gabriela take their baby for a walk on a snowy day in Romania’s capital, Bucharest [Lola García-Ajofrín/Al Jazeera] Sweden’s parental package is considered pioneering: paid leave for 480 days. Fathers who enjoy the time to look after their children, often with a coffee in hand, have been nicknamed “latte dads”. Romania’s latte dads can usually be seen in parks. While playing with Mara on a seesaw, Vlad said their decision will be useful in the long term, “for the relationship I am building with my daughter”. Near them, another two fathers play with their respective children. “I did not have something like this with my father,” he said. Diana, meanwhile, opted to take the extended leave because in her family, she’s the higher earner. “This two-year parental leave is a blessing”, said Diana. “I have a permanent job and a better salary.” But in a quip that could be heard among mothers the world over, she added: “Among all my female friends there is a lot of frustration because we are doing everything … It is so easy having children when playing is the only thing you do with them.” Raluca Popescu, a sociology professor at the University of Bucharest, said it is “remarkable” that men often choose to take parental leave, “especially in rural areas”. While she would like to think that this trend could represent a better work-life balance, “considering the whole picture of gender equality in Romania, this explanation becomes hard to believe”. Popescu, who was pregnant when she was researching parental leave, said men are more involved now rather as a “strategy of adaptation to the lack of resources”. In many cases, men are more likely to be the only employed partner in the household, meaning they can benefit from paid allowance. In other cases, they probably earn less than the mother and so a decision is made to sacrifice some of his salary instead, she said. Romania’s parental leave is the expression of reforms throughout history, from socialism until the country’s entry into the European Union. Professor Anca Dohotariu, who has studied maternity leave, said that during the socialist era, Nicolae Ceausescu, the former authoritarian president, aimed to boost the Romanian population by implementing a strict pro-natalist policy and limiting abortion, while also exerting pressure on women’s participation in the workforce. “We got this very long maternity leave, but they were more interested in children than in women’s position in the labour market,” Dohotariu said. “They were obsessed with the needs of children.” She lauded the current parental leave as providing an incentive to fathers, but warned “it is not enough to make sure that fathers get more involved in parental obligations”. Romania’s parental leave package is considered generous, but some families still struggle [Lola García-Ajofrín/Al Jazeera] In 1965, maternity leave of 112 days was introduced, but it was exclusively for mothers. Romanian fathers have only had the right to paternity leave since 2000. In 1992, the EU adopted a directive on maternity leave for the first time, entitling mothers with a minimum of

UN committee urges Russia to end ‘forcible transfer’ of Ukrainian children

Kyiv claims 20,000 children have been taken from Ukraine to Russia without families’ or guardians’ consent. The United Nations Committee on the Rights of the Child has urged Russia to end the forcible transfer of children from occupied areas of Ukraine and return them to their families. Last month, a panel of 18 independent experts pressed Russia on deportation allegations while reviewing its record. Their conclusions, published on Thursday, called on Russia to “put an end to the forcible transfer or deportation of children from occupied Ukrainian territory”. Russia, which launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, has argued that “placements for evacuated children are arranged, first and foremost, at their request and with their consent”. Yet Kyiv has alleged that 20,000 children have been taken from Ukraine to Russia without the consent of their families or guardians, and the International Criminal Court (ICC) is seeking the arrest of Russian President Vladimir Putin for alleged illegal deportation of children, an accusation the Kremlin denies. Russia’s commissioner for children’s rights, Maria Lvova-Belova, is also accused of abducting children from Ukraine and has been issued an arrest warrant by the ICC. The UN committee demanded that Moscow investigate war crimes allegations against Lvova-Belova but did not mention Putin. [Al Jazeera] The committee also asked Moscow to provide information about how many children were taken from Ukraine and where they are living, so “parents or legal representatives can track them, including through identification of such children and registration of their parentage, and ensure that children are returned to their families and communities as soon as possible”. They expressed concern at the impact that Russia’s war in Ukraine is having on children, outlining the “killings and injuries of hundreds of children as a result of indiscriminate attacks … with explosive weapons”. However, Russia has argued that it has only been protecting vulnerable children from a warzone. In January’s hearing in Geneva, the head of the Russian delegation, Alexey Vovchenko, the labour and social protection deputy minister, denied that any Ukrainians were forcibly removed from their country. He said 4.8 million residents of Ukraine, including 770,000 children, had been taken in by Russia. But UN committee chairperson Ann Skelton said the committee members and the Russian delegation had been “talking past one another” at the meeting. “We found often in the dialogue that we were using one type of terminology and they were using another,” she said. “We were using the word ‘adoption’, and they were denying that it’s adoption and talking about ‘fostering children’.” Last year, the UN added Russia to a list of countries that violate children’s rights in conflicts, referencing boys and girls who were killed during attacks on schools and hospitals in Ukraine. Adblock test (Why?)

India to replace its troops in Maldives with technical personnel: MEA

Following the recent meeting, the Maldivian foreign minister outlined a timeline for the replacement of Indian military personnel, with the first platform to see the transition by March 10, 2024

AOC declares victory in fight for Green New Deal 5 years later: ‘Social and ecological transformation’

Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., declared victory this week in the fight to push her Green New Deal package during an event celebrating the five-year anniversary of the controversial legislation. Ocasio-Cortez was joined at the event by Sen. Ed Markey, D-Mass., and several other Democrats and climate activists outside the U.S. Capitol, where she said the Green New Deal movement has sparked widespread climate policies and green energy projects nationwide. Additionally, she and Markey, the two original sponsors of the Green New Deal, released a five-year anniversary report highlighting their achievements and future climate goals. “What an incredible, amazing day. Five years ago, we introduced a 10-year vision for social and ecological transformation big enough to save our planet. The Green New Deal,” Ocasio-Cortez remarked. “When we unveiled the Green New Deal, the critics jumped against it nearly immediately,” she added. “They said it was an impossible dream, too impractical and not serious enough. And today we can say that they were wrong. In the last five years, we have made major strides in tackling the climate crisis and creating millions of jobs by building together a diverse coalition of people committed to a better future.” STATE AGS WARN BIDEN’S NATURAL GAS MORATORIUM VIOLATES FEDERAL LAW, DEMAND REVERSAL She added that the Green New Deal ultimately led to the passage of the Inflation Reduction Act, Democrats’ massive climate package signed into law by President Biden in August 2022 that funnels tens of billions of dollars to green energy programs. Ocasio-Cortez said the Green New Deal “paved the way for that to get done,” saying that activists “should not settle for anything less than transforming our society and economy.” In his remarks, Markey added that the American Rescue Plan Act and the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, two other billion-dollar packages passed during Biden’s presidency, also stemmed from the Green New Deal.  TIKTOK ACTIVIST SAYS HE ADVISED WHITE HOUSE ON BIDEN’S NEW NATURAL GAS MORATORIUM “We have to take even more ambitious steps forward towards rebuilding our public services, towards supporting union and clean economy workers, towards phasing out fossil fuels, towards holding Big Oil, Big Gas accountable for what they have done,” Markey said. “But if the past five years have taught us anything, it is that we will do it. We will win, and we will do it together.” “That is what we’re celebrating today, the progress that we’ve made, but also the commitment that we’re making to an even better future as we fight together to secure that future,” he said. In their report, titled, “Five Years of the Green New Deal,” Ocasio-Cortez and Markey outlined a series of state and federal climate-related achievements, in addition to the recent legislation, that they said was made possible because of their Green New Deal resolution. They also said public opinion has dramatically changed and that more adults believe global warming is happening than ever. They also boasted in the report that coal power production has declined while renewable energy has increased over the last two decades. Additionally, they said Biden’s actions aiming to electrify the power and transportation sectors closely resemble road maps included in the Green New Deal. “These key elements of a Green New Deal future cannot be left behind or forgotten,” the report concluded. “In the next five years, the Green New Deal movement will continue to fight for intersectional victories.” Ocasio-Cortez and Markey, meanwhile, first introduced the Green New Deal resolution in February 2019 amid calls from climate activists and environmental organizations for Congress to pass aggressive policies curbing carbon emissions. The bill has been backed by a wide range of left-wing environmental and labor groups in addition to other Democrats. While the Green New Deal is just 14 pages and includes little detail about how it would achieve its lofty greenhouse gas emissions reduction goals, the legislation would effectively end fossil fuel extraction and include massive investments in green energy alternatives. An analysis released by the American Action Forum shortly after the resolution was first introduced estimated that its provisions would cost up to $92.9 trillion. 

Republican Virginia Gov. Youngkin to review Democrat-led gun control measures

Dozens of pieces of gun-related legislation that advocates say will bolster public safety are winding their way through Virginia’s Democratic-controlled General Assembly, including a measure that would halt the sale of certain semi-automatic firearms. The question hanging over all the bills is: Just how many will Republican Gov. Glenn Youngkin veto? Youngkin, who generally toed the GOP party line on firearms rhetoric in his campaign but notably did not receive the endorsement of the National Rifle Association, is a former private equity executive whose first two years in public office were spent with a GOP majority in the state House of Delegates that largely prevented Democratic gun bills from reaching his desk. SPILLED MILK DYED A VIRGINIA CREEK WHITE. SEE THE UNBELIEVABLE PICTURES TAKEN OF THE INCIDENT After that chamber flipped in November’s elections, the governor signaled to lawmakers in a speech on the session’s opening day that he wanted to see bills that would tighten the penalties on criminals who use guns rather than legislation further restricting the purchase and use of firearms. Still, he’s been assiduously quiet about where he might wield his veto pen, as he navigates a divided government dynamic and negotiations with the new Democratic legislative majority over a proposed sports arena deal in northern Virginia. Youngkin’s press office did not directly respond to questions about his position on a range of bills but said he would review any legislation that comes to his desk. The administration’s silence has left advocates on both sides of the issue uncertain of the final outcome. “He basically telegraphed a message of, ‘If you’re going to send me more gun control, I’m not going to be happy with it.’ But that’s all we know,” said Philip Van Cleave, president of the Virginia Citizens Defense League, a grassroots gun-rights group. Among the dozens of gun bills sponsored this year by Democratic lawmakers — who do not have the numbers to override a Youngkin veto — is legislation that would prohibit the importation, sale, manufacture, purchase or transfer of an “assault firearm” made on or after July 1 of this year. Possession of such a weapon would be banned for those under 21, and the measure would also prohibit the sale of certain ammunition-feeding devices that can hold over 10 rounds. Republicans and other opponents have questioned the constitutionality of the measure that would impact the sale of new models of the popular AR-15. Proponents have argued it would limit the number of “weapons of war” available for sale in the future, along with high-capacity magazines that have been used in mass shootings. On Wednesday, the Senate passed the legislation on a party-line vote after a lengthy debate in which one GOP legislator warned it would ultimately be vetoed. A House version cleared that chamber last week, also along party lines. Other gun-control proposals making their way through the General Assembly with Democratic support include measures that would ban assault weapons in public areas, ban plastic guns able to be missed by metal detectors, and prohibit the concealed carry of a gun by most people onto the premises of a restaurant or club that sells alcohol. Additional bills would create a civil penalty for people who leave guns unattended and visible in a motor vehicle, and require people purchasing a gun to complete a firearms safety course or otherwise “demonstrate competence” with a firearm. “We’re hopeful that if the governor wants to keep Virginia safe that he’ll sign these bills into law,” said Mike Fox, a volunteer who helps lead the Virginia chapter of Moms Demand Action. Meanwhile, a small handful of bills are moving toward Youngkin’s desk with broad bipartisan support. One would expand the types of firearm safety devices eligible for a previously enacted tax credit. Another would ban auto sears, which convert semi-automatic handguns into automatic weapons. Older ones permissible under federal law would be allowed, according to Van Cleave. A third measure aims to provide a legal mechanism for parents to be charged with a felony under the state’s child abuse and neglect law if they allow a child who is known to be a danger to have access to a firearm, said the measure’s sponsor, Democratic Sen. Schuyler VanValkenburg. VanValkenburg said he worked on the bill with the family of Lucia Bremer, a 13-year-old suburban Richmond girl who was shot nine times after she and a friend walked home from school in 2021. A teenager, who was 14 at the time but was tried as an adult, pleaded guilty last year to first-degree murder and other charges in Bremer’s killing. But the teen’s legal guardian, who was charged with contributing to the delinquency of a minor, a misdemeanor, on the basis of the boy having access to the gun, was found not guilty. “Lucia died on the floor of a garage while I stroked her hair and I tried to will her back to life. Lucia is dead in part because an adult gun owner made a choice to leave his firearm easily accessible to his teenager,” Bremer’s mother, Meredith Bremer, told a Senate committee. The bill cleared a Senate committee on a bipartisan 13-0 vote with two Republican abstentions. When Van Cleave stood to speak against the bill, he faced sharp questioning from Sen. Mark Peake, a Republican of Lynchburg, who asked that gun-rights groups meet with VanValkenburg to find compromise. The Democratic legislative majorities have also rejected a range of GOP-sponsored gun bills, including a measure that would have increased the mandatory minimum sentence for the use or display of a firearm during the commission of certain felonies.

Hundreds of parents demand Schumer take action on child social media safety bill: ‘Paid the ultimate price’

Hundreds of families who blame social media for the deaths of their children, teens and young adults penned a letter to Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer on Thursday, demanding he use his influence to pass legislation known as the Kids Online Safety Act to set requirements for Big Tech companies to protect minors from online harm. “We have paid the ultimate price for Congress’s failure to regulate social media,” the letter says.  It comes more than a week after the CEOs of Discord, Snap, TikTok, X and Meta testified before a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing to discuss online child safety.  “Our children have died from social media harms,” the families wrote. “Platforms have done everything and anything to maximize young people’s engagement – including designing products that invite our kids down dangerous and deadly rabbit holes of pro-suicide and eating disorder content; enticing them to attempt dangerous challenges; facilitating sextortion schemes; and implementing design features that leave children more vulnerable to predation, drug dealers, and cyberbullying.”  GRAHAM TELLS ZUCKERBERG, ‘YOU HAVE BLOOD ON YOUR HANDS,’ AUDIENCE CHEERS “These are not isolated incidents but rather a harrowing reflection of a broader, systemic mental health crisis that demands immediate legislative action,” the letter says. “Last week, many of us traveled to Washington to witness first-hand the historic hearing with social media CEOs. That hearing made clear for the American people what we understand all too well: Unregulated social media has been a disaster for young people’s privacy, safety and wellbeing. Platforms will never make meaningful changes unless Congress forces them to. The urgency of this matter cannot be overstated. If the status quo continues, more children will die from preventable causes and from social media platforms’ greed. We respectfully ask you to leverage your considerable influence and leadership to prioritize the safety of American children and bring the Kids Online Safety Act to a vote in the U.S. Senate.”  Notably, the first of hundreds of signatories on the letter is South Carolina state Rep. Brandon Guffey, who is suing Instagram after his 17-year-old son Gavin died by suicide after falling victim to an extortion group from Nigeria operating through the Meta-owned app. Referencing Guffrey’s case at the Jan. 31 hearing, Ranking Member Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., told Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg, “You have blood on your hands.” Later, at the urging of Sen. Josh Hawley, R-Mo., Zuckerberg stood mid-hearing and apologized to those seated in the gallery whose family members unknowingly bought fentanyl off social media and died or were victims of eating disorders, self-harm and suicide because of harmful social media content. The youngest victim whose relatives signed the letter to Schumer was 8-year-old Lalani Erika Walton, of Texas. Her parents are suing TikTok and parent company, ByteDance, alleging the girl died of self-strangulation while participating in the viral “Blackout Challenge,” which encouraged users to choke themselves with belts, purse strings or other similar items until passing out.  Republican and Democratic senators came together in a rare show of agreement throughout the hearing, though it is not yet clear if this will be enough to pass legislation such as the Kids Online Safety Act or other proposed measures intended to protect kids from online harms.  BIG TECH FACES BRUTAL QUESTIONING ON CAPITOL HILL OVER CONTENT HARMING KIDS Schumer is now dealing with the fallout after Senate Republicans resisted approving a bipartisan border bill Wednesday, and afterward, the Majority Leader tried to push ahead to a crucial test vote on a $95 billion package for Ukraine, Israel and other U.S. allies — a modified package with the border portion stripped out. After the Jan. 31 hearing, a spokesperson for Schumer focused on efforts to “pass the supplemental and keep the government funded in the coming weeks,” while promising the Majority Leader “will continue to work with the sponsors of the online safety bills to ensure the necessary support,” The Hill reported.  With all that on his plate, it is unclear if efforts to hold Big Tech accountable have again fallen to other priorities in the upper chamber.  The Senate floor settled into an hours-long stall Wednesday night as Republicans huddled to see if they could gain the votes necessary to push it through the chamber. Schumer then closed the floor, saying he would “give our Republican colleagues the night to figure themselves out” ahead of a crucial test vote Thursday. Co-sponsored by Sens. Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn., and Marsha Blackburn, R-Tenn., the Kids Online Safety Act would require social media platforms to provide minors with options to protect their information, disable addictive product features and opt out of personalized algorithmic recommendations. The bipartisan bill would also create a legal duty for Big Tech companies to prevent the promotion of content about certain topics, such as suicide, eating disorders and self-harm.     According to The Hill, an updated version advanced out of the Senate Commerce Committee in July with nearly half of all senators signing on as sponsors. Yet, the bill has not been called for a floor vote this session or last session. Before last week’s hearing, Blumenthal and Blackburn told reporters they were working with stakeholders on some of the bill’s provisions.  The version that advanced in July narrowed the definition of duty of care to appease advocates who feared the legislative proposal would do too much to stifle information for teens about sexuality, gender identity and reproductive health care.  The Associated Press contributed to this report. 

Marjorie Taylor Greene hits Trump DA Fani Willis with ethics complaint

Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Ga., is hitting Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis with an ethics complaint on Thursday morning, accusing the Georgia official of misusing public funds and lying about it. Greene, a top ally of former President Trump, accused Willis of flaunting public disclosure rules and suggested that she was doing so in order to hide her relationship with special prosecutor Nathan Wade. Willis hired Wade to assist her investigation into the former president over charges related to pressuring Georgia officials to overturn his 2020 election loss.  TRUMP PROSECUTOR FANI WILLIS’ WHITE HOUSE MEETINGS WARRANT ‘VERY DEEP INVESTIGATION,’ EX-PROSECUTOR SAYS Greene’s four-page complaint to the State Ethics Commission accused Willis of having “allegedly paid her secret boyfriend a significantly higher hourly rate than another one of her special prosecutors who actually has significant RICO experience.” She said Wade took an income of nearly $700,000 and used it for the pair to go on “a luxury Caribbean cruise, a trip to Napa, and other lavish trips.” Greene argued that Willis, as a public official, is required by state law to regularly disclose her finances. She accused Willis of not doing so in 2019, 2021 and 2022. Willis’ 2020 filing is public, however. FANI WILLIS, WHO ‘RELISHED IN’ DONALD TRUMP PROSECUTION, SHOULD BE REMOVED FROM CASE FOR ILLICIT AFFAIR: EXPERTS “This pattern of behavior suggests that Fani Willis’ repeated failure to file such disclosures is intentional, or at least a wanton disregard for her duties and the law,” the congresswoman wrote. “On information and belief, Fani Willis received compensation for travel from her secret boyfriend and special prosecutor, Nathan Wade, to vacation on a luxury Caribbean cruise and a visit to Napa Valley.” Greene continued, “These disclosures would have allowed the public to discover her inappropriate relationship with her secret boyfriend and special prosecutor Nathan Wade, which has illegally tainted her already spurious prosecution against former President Trump and 18 co-defendants.” Willis had admitted to having a “personal relationship” with Wade in court documents earlier this month, but she denied any impropriety or reason to step aside from the Trump case. GEORGIA DA FANI WILLIS’ ALLEGED LOVER ASKS FOR PROTECTIVE ORDER IN DIVORCE CASE Willis claimed that while she and Wade “have been professional associates and friends since 2019,” “there was no personal relationship” between her and Wade in November 2021, at the time of Wade’s appointment. She also argued in court documents that Michael Roman, one of Trump’s 18 co-defendants who made the accusations of impropriety, and his lawyers “offer no support for their insistence that the exercise of any prosecutorial discretion (i.e., any charging decision or plea recommendation) in this case was impacted by any personal relationship.” Fox News Digital reached out to the Fulton County government for comment on Greene’s ethics complaint. It comes after Greene filed an ethics complaint against Wade last month.

More Republicans treating child care as workforce issue, supporting higher spending

Like a lot of mothers, North Dakota state Rep. Emily O’Brien struggled to find infant care when her daughter Lennon was born in 2019. So O’Brien, a Republican who represents the Grand Forks region, brought Lennon along to meetings with local leaders and constituents. O’Brien had her second daughter, Jolene, in 2022, not long before legislators were due to meet. Wanting more time to bond before returning to work, O’Brien brought the newborn with her to Bismarck, where she snoozed through Gov. Doug Burgum’s State of the State address on her mother’s desk. Not long after, O’Brien persuaded her colleagues to back a plan to invest $66 million in child care, an unprecedented sum for a state that had, like others with Republican leadership, long resisted such spending. But O’Brien argued it could help the state’s workforce shortage by helping more parents go to work and attracting new families to the state. BIDEN ADMINISTRATION TAKES AIM AT POPULAR CHILDCARE PROGRAM “It was definitely not, you know, an easy sell, because this is probably somewhere where you don’t want the government to get involved,” O’Brien said. “But it’s a workforce solution. We have people that are willing and able to work, but finding child care was an obstacle.” Republicans historically have been lukewarm about using taxpayer money for child care, even as they have embraced prekindergarten. But the pandemic, which left many child care providers in crisis, underscored how precarious the industry is and how many working parents rely on it. In 2021, Congress passed $24 billion of pandemic aid for child care businesses, an unprecedented federal investment. Now, as that aid dries up, Republican state lawmakers across the country are embracing plans to support child care — and even making it central to their policy agendas. To be sure, the largest investments in child care have come not from Republicans but from Democratic lawmakers. In New Mexico, the state is covering child care for most children under 5 using a trust funded by oil and natural gas production. In Vermont, Democratic state lawmakers overrode a Republican governor’s veto to pass a payroll tax hike to fund child care subsidies. Red states are following suit with more modest — but nonetheless historic — investments in child care. In Missouri, Republican Gov. Mike Parson has proposed spending nearly $130 million to help low-income families access child care once the pandemic relief money dries up and to create tax credits to support child care providers. Republican state Rep. Brenda Shields, who sponsored the tax credit bill, said she tells conservative colleagues that child care accessibility is critical to grow the state’s economy. “Child care is a critical infrastructure, just like roads and bridges and ports and trains,” Shields said. “Businesses have been saying, ‘What are you doing about child care?’ So I’m trying to be part of the solution.” Elsewhere, Louisiana last year approved an unprecedented $52 million for child care subsidies for low-income families. Alabama provided $17 million worth of incentives for child care providers to get licensed. And Texas voters approved a property tax cut for some day care centers. TEACHER RAILS AGAINST PARENTS USING SOCIAL MEDIA TO RAISE KIDS More Republicans have pledged to tackle the child care crisis this year. In Missouri, Senate President Pro Tem Caleb Rowden, a Republican, said he hoped the Statehouse would focus less on culture war issues — like criminalizing drag shows and censoring library books — and more on expanding access to child care and school choice. Nebraska and Indiana have both pitched programs to make child care free for child care workers. Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin, a Republican who ran on a conservative education agenda, pitched boosting the state’s child care and education spending by $180 million. Child care advocates say the investments are not enough and called on Congress to authorize a new round of money to keep the child care industry afloat. Already, day care centers report they are raising tuition and losing workers because they are no longer receiving federal subsidies. Some have folded. GOP resistance to child care spending dates to the 1970s, when President Richard Nixon vetoed a bill to establish a national child care system, invoking fears of communism and saying it had “family-weakening implications.” Many of those arguments persist. Some conservative lawmakers have panned child care funding as “socialist,” arguing that people who can’t afford day care should not have children. Two years ago, an Idaho state lawmaker apologized after he opposed federal early childhood money because it encouraged women to “come out of the home and let others raise their children.” The new and expanded funding reflects a growing sentiment that the nation’s broken child care system will not be fixed without public support. Families have long faced issues finding affordable, reliable child care. But during the pandemic, many child care workers left the industry for better-paying jobs, and some child care centers closed for good, exacerbating the problem. Child care is a labor-heavy enterprise — in some states, one person may only care for four infants at once. Even before the pandemic, child care providers often had razor-thin margins. When families kept their children home during the pandemic, many day cares were barely hanging on. Many parts of the country do not have enough child care providers to offer slots for all children. Even when slots are available, the cost is out of reach for many families. It’s a problem that disproportionately affects women, who are typically the primary caregivers for children. But a lack of child care access is also keeping people from the workforce, contributing to a labor shortage in many states. Many industries have started lobbying for states to invest more in child care. One of the strongest proponents is the U.S. Chamber of Commerce Foundation, which surveyed a dozen states and estimated they lost billions of dollars in economic activity because of child care gaps. Resistance persists in many parts of the country. While North Dakota passed ground-breaking