Biden tells crowd he recently met with Mitterand, former French president who died in 1996
President Biden told a crowd in Las Vegas on Sunday that he recently met with Francois Mitterand, the French president who has been dead for nearly 30 years. The comments came while Biden was warning of the dangers of a potential second Trump presidency, as he aimed to shore up enthusiasm ahead of Tuesday’s Democratic primary in Nevada. Biden recounted a story he has told many times during his presidency, about a meeting he had with French President Emmanuel Macron during a G7 meeting in England, some months after Biden had taken over the White House. “I sat down and I said, ‘America’s back,’” Biden recalled. “And Mitterand from Germany – I mean from France – looked at me and said…” WHAT TO KNOW ABOUT THE 2024 NEVADA REPUBLICAN CAUCUS AND PRIMARY Biden appeared to trail off before collecting his thoughts to finish the sentence: “Well, how long are you back for?” The president continued, saying the “Chancellor of Germany” asked him how he – and by extension, the U.S. – would respond if, hypothetically, thousands of people stormed Britain’s House of Commons and killed two “bobbies,” or British police officers, to stop the election of a Prime Minister. François Mitterrand was France’s president between 1981 and 1995. He died in 1996. In Tuesday’s Nevada Democratic presidential primary, Biden faces only token opposition from author Marianne Williamson and a few relatively unknown challengers. He won Nevada in November 2020 by fewer than 3 percentage points. But he came to Nevada to rouse voters for the fall campaign as well. The state known largely for its casino and hospitality industries is synonymous with split-ticket, hard-to-predict results. It has a transient, working-class population and large Latino, Filipino and Chinese American and Black communities. Nevada has a stark rural-urban divide, with more than 88% of active registered voters — and much of its political power — in the two most populous counties, which include the Las Vegas and Reno metro areas.
Maine must release voter rolls to conservative group for independent audits, federal court rules
A federal appeals court has ruled that Maine must release its voter list to a conservative-backed group that’s conducting independent audits, concluding that state restrictions on distributing the list violated the National Voter Registration Act. The Public Interest Legal Foundation sued Maine over its decision to prevent the wholesale release of voter registration lists without restrictions, such as prohibiting the information from being published online. Organization spokesperson Lauren Bowman said the group sued to ensure its researchers can compare voter rolls in one state against those in another and that it had no intention of publishing the rolls. PILF President J. Christian Adams called the decision issued Friday by the 1st U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Boston a “monumental victory for transparency in elections.” MAINE LAWMAKER WARNS OF ‘CALIFORNIA AGENDA’ BEING PUSHING IN HIS PURPLE STATE Maine Secretary of State Shenna Bellows said she remains “deeply concerned” because voter information has been previously shared online, something state officials had argued could subject voters to harassment. “Promises aren’t good enough,” said Bellows, a Democrat. “No Mainers should be afraid that by registering to vote that their information will be published online and that they’ll face threat, harassment and other harms.” Baseless claims of widespread voter fraud are part of what’s driving efforts to obtain the rolls, leading to lawsuits over whether to hand over the data in several states, including New Mexico and Pennsylvania, in addition to Maine. State election officials and privacy advocates have raised alarms about a push by several conservative groups to access state voter rolls, fearing that the lists could be used to intimidate voters or cancel registrations. In New York, prosecutors sent a cease-and-desist order to the group New York Citizens Audit, demanding that it halt any “unlawful voter deception” and “intimidation efforts” after voters reported that so-called auditors were showing up on their doorsteps. Maine historically provided voter registration lists to candidates and political parties before being sued in 2019 for failing to provide the rolls to the Public Interest Legal Foundation. Rules governing voter lists vary by state. Nearly every state, including Maine, prohibits using the rolls for commercial purposes and several confine access to political candidates and parties for campaign purposes. Maine still has some prohibitions, such as protecting the addresses of people who have received a protection-from-abuse order, Bellows said. The state is still evaluating the impact of Friday’s court ruling. “We will do everything in our power in accordance with the law and court decision to protect voter information from abuse,” Bellows said.
Nikki Haley asks for Secret Service protection after increase in threats
Republican presidential candidate Nikki Haley has applied for Secret Service protection because of increasing threats she has received on the campaign trail, Haley’s team confirmed to Fox News on Monday. The former two-term South Carolina governor who later served as U.N. ambassador in former President Donald Trump’s administration is Trump’s last remaining major rival for the 2024 GOP nomination. Haley discussed the request for protection in an interview Monday afternoon with The Wall Street Journal. “We’ve had multiple issues,” the former South Carolina governor and United Nations ambassador said after a campaign event in Aiken, South Carolina. “It’s not going to stop me from doing what I need to do.” HALEY TOUTS JANUARY FUNDRAISING HAUL AHEAD OF FIRST RALLY IN SUPER TUESDAY STATE Haley was asked at a news conference in Columbia, S.C. late last week about increased levels of security at her events. WHAT NIKKI HALEY TOLD FOX DIGITAL ABOUT WHAT SHE NEEDS TO DO TO KEEP RUNNING “When you do something like this, you get threats,” she told reporters. “It’s just the reality.” Haley mentioned the need to “put a few more bodies around us,” but that it hadn’t affected her campaigning. CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP “At the end of the day, we’re going to go out there and touch every hand, we’re going to answer every question, we’re going to make sure that we are there and doing everything that we need to,” she added. Hours after Haley spoke to reporters, a heckler was removed from her campaign event in Hilton Head, South Carolina. Once a very long shot for the nomination, Haley enjoyed momentum in the polls in the late summer and autumn, thanks in part to well-received performances in the first three GOP presidential primary debates. Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis dropped out of the race last month, two days ahead of the Jan. 23 New Hampshire primary, making the nomination race a two-candidate showdown between Haley and Trump, who’s the commanding frontrunner as he runs a third straight time for the White House. Haley captured 43% of the vote in New Hampshire, trailing Trump by 11 points. The next major contest on the Republican schedule is Haley’s home state, which holds its GOP primary on Feb. 24. The latest public opinion survey indicates the former president has a large double-digit lead over Haley. Get the latest updates from the 2024 campaign trail, exclusive interviews and more at our Fox News Digital election hub.
Boston anticipates big economic bump from 2026 World Cup
Getting the chance to host seven matches for the 2026 World Cup was more than expected and offers a much-needed shot in the arm to the city’s economy, Boston officials said Monday. FIFA made the announcement Sunday, allocating the opener of the 39-day tournament to Mexico City’s Estadio Azteca and the finale to the home of the NFL’s New York Jets and Giants. Among the seven matches that will be played at Gillette Stadium in the Boston suburb of Foxborough will be five group stage matches, one match in the round of 32 and a quarterfinal match on July 9, 2026. Mike Loynd, president of Boston Soccer 26, acknowledged organizers were projecting about five or six matches and no quarterfinal, meaning the final schedule “is a great economic benefit.” METLIFE STADIUM CHOSEN TO HOST 2026 WORLD CUP FINAL “The later in the tournament, the more eyeballs,” he said. “For us, it’s just a matter of excitement … For us, it’s a perfect schedule. I don’t think FIFA could have done a better job.” Martha Sheridan, president & CEO of Meet Boston, said “nothing compares” to hosting World Cup matches. Foxborough hosted games at the 1994 World Cup, but Gillette Stadium is a different venue, built near the old Foxboro Stadium. Foxborough also hosted matches during the 1999 and 2003 Women’s World Cup. Sheridan said a FIFA study projected for a city hosting the World Cup would generate $400 million in spending, adding that the number would have to be adjusted now that the city is set to host seven games. “Our goal has been for the past four or five years since we were sort of decimated by COVID to really reestablish Boston as a major global destination,” Sheridan told reporters. “We are well on our way to doing that and this event is going to cement our reputation because I know we are going to do such a great job,” she said. “People will be able to share in this incredible city’s reemergence and renaissance. We cannot wait.” Sheridan also said the city will benefit from the fact that games will also be played in Philadelphia and New Jersey — allowing fans to travel by train to various venues. “If you think about the fact that people can come to Boston, stay in a hotel for maybe the whole month and travel back and forth on Amtrak to New York City, Philadelphia and New Jersey and catch games, that’s going to be huge for us,” she said. Brian Bilello, president of the New England Revolution and chair of the board of Boston Soccer 26, said the tournament will also be a boon to soccer in the region. “It solidifies our place in the world’s game in the United States,” Bilello said. “It really cements Boston and Massachusetts as one of the cornerstone soccer hotbeds in this country.” FIFA expanded the World Cup from 32 to 48 nations, increased the number of matches from 64 to 104 and announced the 16 sites in 2022. With the additional teams, the length of the tournament will grow from 29 days in the shortened 2022 schedule in Qatar and 32 days for the 2018 tournament in Russia. Seventy-eight of 104 matches will be played in the U.S., with 13 games each in Mexico and Canada, and there as many as six matches a day. The U.S. team will train in suburban Atlanta ahead of the tournament and open at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, California, on June 12, 2026. The Americans play seven days later at Seattle’s Lumen Field and finish the group stage at SoFi on June 25.
Texas Democrats and Republicans split on border proposal — not necessarily on party lines
The deal would also provide money to Ukraine, Israel and Taiwan, another priority for many Texas lawmakers.
Board taps current operations head as superintendent of New Mexico’s largest school district
The Albuquerque Public Schools board named the district’s current chief operations officer as its new superintendent Monday. UTAH SCHOOL DISTRICTS RESPOND TO ALLEGATIONS THEY CONCEAL STUDENTS’ GENDER STATUS FROM PARENTS Gabriella Durán Blakey will succeed current Superintendent Scott Elder when his contract expires on June 30. Elder has led New Mexico’s largest school district for more than three years. Blakey, 48, has served APS for more than 20 years as a teacher, assistant principal, principal and associate superintendent. Now the Albuquerque native will oversee instruction and services for the district’s more than 68,000 students as well as the daily operations of more than 140 schools. The Albuquerque Public Schools Board of Education selected Blakey by a unanimous vote following a nationwide search. “I’m committed to listening and I’m committed to delivering results to make sure that we achieve the goals that our community has very publicly outlined for us and for the school board,” Blakey said.
South Dakota bills criminalizing AI child porn, xylazine, head to Noem’s desk
South Dakota is poised to update its laws against child sexual abuse images to include those created by artificial intelligence, under a bill headed to Republican Gov. Kristi Noem. The bill, which is a combined effort by Republican Attorney General Marty Jackley and lawmakers, also includes deepfakes, which are images or videos manipulated to look like a real person. In an interview, Jackley said some state and local investigations have required federal prosecution because South Dakota’s laws aren’t geared toward AI. KRISTI NOEM SHARES VISION FOR AMERICA IN NEW BOOK AMID SPECULATION ABOUT RUNNING AS TRUMP’S VP The bill includes mandatory, minimum prison sentences of one, five and 10 years for first-time offenses of possession, distribution and manufacturing, respectively. The GOP-held House of Representatives passed the bill with others in a 64-1 vote on Monday. The Republican-supermajority Senate previously passed the bill unanimously. Another bill on Jackley’s legislative agenda also is headed to Noem, to make the animal sedative xylazine a controlled substance. Last year the Office of National Drug Control Policy designated the combination of xylazine and deadly fentanyl as an ” emerging threat.” Jackley has said xylazine has “become a national epidemic” and has appeared in South Dakota, mainly in Sioux Falls. Xylazine can cause health problems in humans, including difficulty breathing, dangerously low blood pressure, a slowed heart rate, wounds that can become infected and even death, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The bill, which allows xylazine for veterinary use, would create penalties of up to two years in prison and/or a $4,000 fine for possession and use of xylazine. The Senate passed the bill unanimously on Monday, after the House did the same last month. The South Dakota Health Department and Jackley brought the bill. Noem highlighted the xylazine issue in her State of the State address last month.
Biden campaign co-chair knocks president and other Democrats over border: ‘Strategic mistake’
Rep. Veronica Escobar, a Texas Democrat who co-chairs Biden’s re-election campaign, had a few choice words for the president and other Democrats who waited to act on immigration and are now backing a Senate border bill that includes billions in funding for additional Customs and Border Protection personnel, asylum officers, and Immigration and Custom Enforcement workers. Escobar, who backs progressive immigration reform of what she calls “outdated laws and policies,” spoke with Politico and explained why she thinks Biden and others in her party not moving earlier on such reforms made a “strategic mistake.” “This is the toughest domestic policy issue that we are facing today,” Escobar told the outlet. “Without a doubt, congressional inaction for decades has brought us to a moment where the country is sick and tired of inaction on this issue. At the same time, we are seeing mass displacement of people all over the globe. And Congress has used this as a political football for a long time. I can tell you even in El Paso, a community of such goodwill, such a loving community where people open up their wallets and their pantries to provide hospitality for migrants every single day, there’s exhaustion and there is this sense that the issue has gotten so bad that something has to happen.” GOP SENATORS DEMAND ‘ADEQUATE TIME’ TO REVIEW BORDER SECURITY BILL Escobar continued by saying Biden has attempted various immigration strategies while in office and has faced criticism from “all sides.” She further said individuals in Congress have placed the issue on Biden. “So, Congress has been very effective at deflecting and saying that it’s not our responsibility when it is,” she told Politico. “And I’ll be very candid, I wish the Democratic Party, the president included, had leaned in on this issue early on. It’s what I advocated for when we were in the majority. We should lean in and we should explain to the American people how difficult this is and how multifaceted the solution has to be. There’s not a quick fix. There’s not an easy band-aid. It will take years of public policy and appropriations to get to a point where things are more manageable, but nobody wanted to talk about it. And I think that was a strategic mistake on the part of my party and that includes everybody.” The long-awaited $118 billion supplemental spending deal, which includes funding for Ukraine, Israel and measures to stem the historic crisis at the southern border, was released late Sunday by Senate lawmakers ahead of an expected vote in the upper chamber later this week. MIGRANT CRISIS BROKE NEW RECORD IN DECEMBER WITH 302K ENCOUNTERS, OFFICIALS CONFIRM The package has the backing of Senate leaders and the Biden administration, who have said the funding is for the two U.S. allies ($60 billion for Ukraine and $14 billion for Israel) coupled with a bipartisan agreement that will provide approximately $20 billion to control illegal immigration at the southern border, where numbers hit a record 2.4 million encounters in fiscal year 2023. “The bipartisan agreement in the Senate is tough, fair, and takes meaningful steps to address the challenges our country faces after decades of Congressional inaction,” Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas said in a statement. The deal, however, also faces significant opposition from Republicans and other conservatives, who say it does not do enough to tackle the border crisis and stop releases into the interior. Some liberal Democrats have also objected to the bill, arguing that it will hurt migrants seeking asylum. The package includes the likes of border funding and staffing, asylum rules, work permits for migrants, increased legal immigration pathways and “Border Emergency Authority.” The White House did not immediately respond to a Fox News Digital request for comment.
Kentucky appropriation meant to cover local matches for federal grants could spin off huge returns
FRANKFORT, Ky. (AP) — For years, Ballard County has longed to build a riverport to capitalize on its strategic location at the confluence of the Ohio and Mississippi rivers. Landing a federal grant would help launch the project, but there’s one catch — the rural Kentucky county can’t afford its share of the funding. Kentucky lawmakers are working to overcome those obstacles with a House-passed measure that includes $450 million to cover local funding matches for communities and nonprofits that struggle to scrape together the money to qualify for federal assistance. KENTUCKY HOUSE DELIVERS $1.3B EDUCATION FUNDING INCREASE BUT OMITS UNIVERSAL PRE-K “It’s going to be a game-changer,” said Ballard County Judge-Executive Todd Cooper. The appropriation has the potential to draw billions of dollars in federal grants into the Bluegrass State, fueling economic development, infrastructure, community revitalization, transportation and other projects that otherwise might never get off the ground. “From the state’s perspective that’s a fantastic return on investment,” said Hannah Conover, executive director of Grant Ready Kentucky, a charitable program that offers technical support to communities and nonprofits struggling with the complexities of submitting federal grant requests. “There’s an enormous amount of federal funding for a broad array of things,” she added. “But getting access to that federal funding is really hard. And this is going to open the door for folks that previously have been shut out of these opportunities.” The state GRANT program could unlock federal grants to support coalfield communities struggling from the loss of mining jobs. It could help communities recovering from devastating natural disasters, such as the 2021 tornadoes that hit parts of western Kentucky and 2022 flooding that inundated areas of Appalachia. The matching funds are part of a much larger appropriations bill. That measure, which taps into Kentucky’s massive budget reserves to make one-time investments, such as paying down state pension liabilities and supporting infrastructure and economic development, won 96-0 House passage last week to advance to the Senate. Republicans have supermajorities in both chambers. The Kentucky law that created the GRANT program passed with little fanfare in 2023, but the prospect of leveraging state dollars to win much larger federal grants is drawing considerable attention from communities and nonprofits. Lawmakers appropriated $2 million last year to get the program started and gauge grassroots interest by offering enough funding to cover matches for a few projects. Already, nearly 100 applications totaling more than $102 million in matching fund requests have been submitted to the Department for Local Government, which evaluates requests and awards funding. Those totals are expected to grow significantly if the next round of state funding wins final approval. Officials are hoping for stepped up efforts statewide to assist communities and nonprofits in requesting federal grants, with the proposed new round of state support looming to cover local matches. The initiative has drawn strong bipartisan support. Democratic Gov. Andy Beshear says the program has “tremendous potential to help communities across Kentucky secure much-needed federal funding.” Republican Rep. Richard Heath, the lead sponsor of last year’s measure, says it’s a “once-in-a-life opportunity to get some things done that probably would never have gotten done.” “We’re not looking for murals on walls,” Heath said recently. “We’re not looking for sidewalks. We want projects that are life-changing and game changers.” Building a riverport would be that kind of project for Ballard County, with the potential to attract business and increase markets for farmers, Cooper said. The county, situated along Kentucky’s westernmost tip, needs more jobs for young adults to halt its steady population decline, he said. The riverport project is expected to cost $50 million to $60 million. Area officials last year applied for a $9 million federal grant to help build the port at Wickliffe, the county seat 240 miles (386 kilometers) southwest of Louisville. The grant required a 20% local match, Cooper said. “That was almost $2 million we would have to come up with that we do not have,” Cooper said. In eastern Kentucky, the nonprofit group Backroads of Appalachia would like a federal grant to open more transitional housing for women in recovery from substance abuse, said Erik Hubbard, the group’s executive director. The group based in Lynch, 158 miles (254 kilometers) southeast of Lexington, hopes state dollars will help secure its match. “As always, it comes to the match,” Hubbard said. “We could get a lot more funds for our people in our region, but it all comes down to our budget.”
Pentagon says Iranian-proxy fighters ‘likely’ killed during US attacks in Syria and Iraq
The Pentagon says it is likely that Iran-proxy fighters were killed during U.S. strikes on Friday in Iraq and Syria, though the full results of the attacks continue to be assessed. During a press briefing on Tuesday, Pentagon press secretary Maj. Gen. Pat Ryder gave reporters a rundown of events that happened on Friday and Saturday, in which the U.S. conducted airstrikes in Iraq and Syria, as well as against Iranian-backed Houthi rebels in Yemen. The strikes came in response to attacks against U.S. forces, including an attack on Jan. 28 in northeastern Jordan, in which three U.S. service members were killed. On Friday, the U.S. conducted strikes on seven facilities in Iraq and Syria, Ryder said, which included over 85 targets used by Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) and affiliated proxies to attack U.S. forces. US FORCES ATTACKED AT LEAST 160 TIMES IN THE MIDDLE EAST SINCE MID-OCTOBER AFTER SUNDAY’S DRONE STRIKE Ryder also said the facilities targeted on Friday included command and control operations centers, intelligence centers, rockets, missiles and drone storage facilities. “I think it is fair to conclude that there likely were casualties associated with these strikes,” the Pentagon spokesperson said in response to questions about Iranian proxies being killed. “But to ensure that we’re providing accurate information, we need to allow time for Central Command to continue to conduct its assessment.” Ryder was also asked whether any Iranians died in the attacks, to which he responded that the initial indications are that they are not aware of any Iranians being killed. He also said they will continue to assess the damage done and provide updates when available. BIDEN ATTENDS DIGNIFIED TRANSFER OF FALLEN TROOPS KILLED IN JORDAN DRONE ATTACK The message provided by the Pentagon has continued to be that the U.S. is not looking for a war and that it was in the Middle East to ensure the Israel-Gaza war does not spread in the region. But since being in the region, tensions have escalated, and several Iranian-backed rebel groups have conducted attacks on U.S. troops. Houthi rebels in Yemen are one of the groups that continues to act against the U.S., and in response, the U.S. conducted strikes against the Iranian-backed proxy. US ‘NOT LOOKING FOR A WAR WITH IRAN,’ WHIT HOUSE SAYS, STRIKES DESIGNED TO ‘PUT AN END’ TO ATTACKS ON TROOPS “These strikes were intended to further disrupt and degrade Houthi capabilities to conduct their attacks against U.S. and international vessels lawfully transiting the Red Sea,” Ryder said. “Coalition forces targeted 13 locations, striking 36 Houthi targets associated with the Houthis.” Ryder also said the U.S. took unilateral action in self-defense to destroy missile launchers loaded to be fired, and unmanned surface vessels prepared to be deployed, posing an “imminent threat to merchant vessels and U.S. Navy ships in the region.” “As Secretary Austin highlighted in his statement, this is the start of our response and there will be additional actions taken to hold the IRGC and affiliated militias accountable for their attacks on U.S. and coalition forces,” Ryder added. He said the goal was not to be in Iraq and Syria for a “full scale war,” reminding reporters they were there to conduct a mission in support of the defeat of ISIS. Still, he would not go into specifics of what future operations against the IRGC and affiliated groups would look like, other than to say it will be at the time and choosing of the U.S.