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RNC Chair Ronna McDaniel to step down after South Carolina primaries: report

RNC Chair Ronna McDaniel to step down after South Carolina primaries: report

Republican National Committee Chair Ronna McDaniel plans to step down after the South Carolina primary this month and has given notice to former President Trump, according to reports. The New York Times reported that people familiar with the plans say Trump will likely move Michael Whatley, the chair of the North Carolina Republican Party, into McDaniel’s position. TRUMP MEETS WITH RONNA MCDANIEL – THEN CALLS FOR CHANGES AT REPUBLICAN NATIONAL COMMITTEE “Nothing has changed,” Republican National Convention spokesperson Keith Schipper told Fox News Digital. “This will be decided after South Carolina.” The former president met with McDaniel at his Mar-a-Lago home in Palm Beach, Florida, on Monday. Trump wrote in his Truth Social platform following the meeting that McDaniel was a “friend” but that he would be urging changes at the RNC after the Feb. 24 South Carolina GOP presidential primary, which is the next major contest in the Republican 2024 nominating calendar. “Ronna is now Head of the RNC, and I’ll be making a decision the day after the South Carolina Primary as to my recommendations for RNC Growth,” the former president wrote. Paul Steinhauser of Fox News Digital contributed to this report.

NY GOP calls on Gov. Hochul to remove Bragg following ‘unconscionable handling’ of migrant attack on NYPD

NY GOP calls on Gov. Hochul to remove Bragg following ‘unconscionable handling’ of migrant attack on NYPD

New York Republican lawmakers are calling on Gov. Kathy Hochul to remove Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg after the recent attack on New York police officers by a group of migrants in the Big Apple. State Senate Minority Leader Rob Ortt and 19 other senators called on the Democratic governor to remove Bragg, citing the “unconscionable handling” of the NYPD officers by a gang of migrants outside of Times Square. “Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg’s unconscionable handling of the recent attack on two NYPD officers by a gang of migrants outside a Times Square shelter must be the final straw,” the letter said.  “The public safety of New Yorkers is clearly at risk,” the letter said. MANHATTAN DA ALVIN BRAGG REACTS TO ‘HEINOUS’ ATTACKS ON NYPD OFFICERS BY MIGRANTS: ‘DESPICABLE ACTS’ The letter cited the recent video of a group of migrants who were caught-on-camera kicking two NYPD officers before running away. The GOP lawmakers said that it is “inarguable” that the alleged attackers should be in custody, but they were allowed by Bragg’s office to “waltz out of court” after they were released without bail. “Police report that a video capturing the attack shows that as many as twelve men may have been involved in attacking the two officers. It is inarguable that these attackers should have been held in custody,” the letter said. “And yet, as of the date of this letter, seven suspects have been arrested by police and DA Bragg’s office has let six of them waltz out of court after being released without bail.” The lawmakers noted that the suspects appeared to not have “a care in the world,” noting Jhoan Boada, 22, who was captured flipping the double bird after being released without bail, following his alleged involvement in the NYPD assault. “Several of these individuals were seen laughing and making obscene gestures as they left the courthouse, seeming to have not a care in the world,” the lawmakers said. ILLEGAL MIGRANT FLIPS MIDDLE FINGERS AFTER BEING CHARGED WITH ATTACKING NYPD IN TIMES SQUARE The Republican lawmakers blasted Bragg, saying that he “thumbed his nose” at crime victims, “turned his back” on law enforcement and has “selectively prosecuted criminals.” “From the moment he took office, DA Bragg has thumbed his nose at crime victims, turned his back on the police and has selectively prosecuted criminals for political reasons only,” the letter said. “His incredibly poor judgment is matched only by his unwillingness to take criminals off the streets.” The group implored Hochul to remove Bragg as District Attorney and appoint someone who would “enforce the law and do what is necessary to not only get the criminals off the streets, but also send the message that lawlessness will not be tolerated.” “It is clear that DA Bragg has no interest in prosecuting criminals and no desire to support law enforcement, which in turn, makes New Yorkers less safe,” the letter said. “We need a District Attorney that will enforce the law and do what is necessary to not only get the criminals off the streets, but also send the message that lawlessness will not be tolerated. NYPD CHIEF BLASTS MIGRANTS’ ATTACK ON OFFICERS AS MUGSHOTS OF SUSPECTS RELEASED “DA Bragg is failing at performing the basic duties of his position, and for the safety of all New Yorkers, you must remove him from the office of Manhattan District Attorney immediately,” the letter concluded. WATCH: The lawmaker’s outrage came after two officers were attacked on West 42nd Street at around 8:30 p.m. Saturday, Jan. 27 by a group of migrants. Footage of the attack, showed a NYPD officer asking the migrants to move, but a scuffle ensued as the officers were seen trying to subdue a person in a yellow jacket onto the ground. One hooded suspect wearing a backpack can then be seen kicking one of the officers twice in the head as he grapples on the ground, while another suspect in a red top kicks him in the back. As the struggle ensues, the suspect in the red jacket returns and kicks the other officer in the back. Another hooded suspect wearing a backpack then arrives on the scene and takes a big swinging kick aimed at one of the officer’s heads. The migrant falls to the ground as he tries to execute the kick. The suspects are then seen running off. The unidentified officers sustained minor injuries and were treated at the scene, police said. One officer sustained cuts to the face while the other had bruising to the body, according to sources. Authorities charged the four earlier this week with a variety of charges, including assault on a police officer, gang assault, obstructing governmental administration and disorderly conduct. The attack came as city leaders struggle with how to handle an influx of migrants from Texas as services are strained, and more residents continue to lose patience over how to address the surge.  New York State Senator Rob Ortt, Gov. Hochul and the Manhattan District Attorney’s offices did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s requests for comment. Fox News Digital’s Michael Ruiz and Louis Casiano contributed to this report.

Washington Senate unanimously passes police hog-tie ban in Ellis incident’s wake

Washington Senate unanimously passes police hog-tie ban in Ellis incident’s wake

The Washington state Senate unanimously approved legislation Tuesday that would ban police from hog-tying suspects, a restraint technique that has long drawn concern due to the risk of suffocation. The legislation came nearly four years after Manuel Ellis, a 33-year-old Black man, died in Tacoma, about 30 miles south of Seattle, facedown with his hands and feet cuffed together behind him. The case became a touchstone for racial justice demonstrators in the Pacific Northwest. WASHINGTON STATE TO CONSIDER BAN ON HOG-TYING AFTER MANUEL ELLIS’ DEATH “He was loved and he was somebody’s family member,” Democratic state Sen. Yasmin Trudeau, who sponsored the bill, said during the Senate vote. “And I think any of us on the floor would not want our family member to spend the final moments of their life in this inhumane way.” Many cities and counties have banned the practice, but it remains in use in others. The U.S. Department of Justice has recommended against the practice since at least 1995 to avoid deaths in custody. Democratic Sen. John Lovick, who worked as a state trooper for more than 30 years, described his experience with this restraint technique. “I have lived with the shame of watching a person get hog-tied and it’s a shame that you have to live with,” said Lovick, who joined Trudeau in sponsoring the bill. “We know better now. And it is time for us to end the use of this dehumanizing technique.” The attorney general’s office in Washington recommended against using hog-tying in its model use-of-force policy released in 2022. At least four local agencies continue to permit it, according to policies they submitted to the attorney general’s office that year. Ellis was walking home in March 2020 when he passed a patrol car with Tacoma police officers Matthew Collins and Christopher Burbank, who are white. There are conflicting accounts of what happened next, but Ellis was ultimately shocked, beaten and officers wrapped a hobble restraint device around his legs and linked it to his handcuffs behind his back, according to a probable cause statement filed by the Washington attorney general’s office. A medical examiner ruled his death a homicide caused by lack of oxygen. Collins, Burbank and a third officer, Timothy Rankine, were charged with murder or manslaughter. Defense attorneys argued Ellis’ death was caused by methamphetamine intoxication and a heart condition, and a jury acquitted them in December.

WI justice’s campaign ads used horse imagery in nod to lewd inside joke about opponent, top staffer says

WI justice’s campaign ads used horse imagery in nod to lewd inside joke about opponent, top staffer says

Wisconsin Supreme Court Justice Janet Protasiewicz’s campaign consultant inserted images of horses in ads as a vulgar joke about her opponent, her campaign manager told a liberal podcast last month. The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reported Tuesday that Protasiewicz’s campaign manager, Alejandro Verdin, told The Downballot podcast on Jan. 25 that her campaign operatives had heard people make baseless jokes at campaign focus groups and functions that her opponent, Dan Kelly, looked like someone who fornicates with horses. Protasiewicz’s media consultant, Ben Nuckels, inserted hidden images of horses in television ads attacking Kelly as an inside joke, Verdin said. A review of Protasiewicz’s ads on her YouTube site turned up horses in the background in at least three ads. WISCONSIN SUPREME COURT AGREES TO HEAR GOV. EVERS’ SUIT AGAINST GOP LEGISLATURE FOR BLOCKING ‘BASIC FUNCTIONS’ Nuckels also produced a radio ad with a narrator with a western drawl saying “Dirty Dan” was riding off into the sunset as horses whinny in the background. That ad also was part of the joke, Verdin said. “It was quite hilarious,” Verdin said during the podcast. Kelly didn’t immediately respond to a message from The Associated Press on Tuesday. He told the Journal Sentinel that he found the joke “sick” and Wisconsin residents should be appalled. “This goes a long way towards explaining why Janet Protasiewicz’s campaign was so dishonest, undignified and lacking in respect for the office of Supreme Court justice,” Kelly told the newspaper. A Protasiewicz campaign spokesperson declined comment Tuesday, adding that Verdin and Nuckels would have no comment, either. State Supreme Court spokesperson Stephen Kelley said he would ask Protasiewicz if she has any comment. He did not immediately respond to a follow-up email. Protasiewicz defeated Kelly in a race for an open Supreme Court seat last April. The win handed liberals a 4-3 majority on the court. Protasiewicz leaned into anger over the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision to overturn its landmark 1973 Roe vs. Wade ruling that legalized abortion nationwide, declaring on the campaign trail that she supports abortion rights. Protasiewicz also declared during the campaign that she thought Republican-drawn legislative boundaries were “rigged.” Both moves were highly unusual; typically judicial candidates refrain from revealing their stances to avoid the appearance of bias. The court’s liberal majority overturned the GOP maps in December and has ordered the Legislature to draw new ones. The justices will likely decide in the coming months whether Wisconsin’s 174-year-old ban on abortion stands. A Dane County judge in September ruled the ban prohibits feticide — harming a woman in an attempt to kill her unborn child — but not abortion. Republicans have appealed the decision. Republican legislators have called for impeaching Protasiewicz over her campaign comments, but Assembly Speaker Robin Vos has backed off that position and such a move appears unlikely.