San Francisco mayor pushes addiction screening for welfare recipients, new technology for police
The Democratic mayor of San Francisco is pushing a pair of controversial public safety proposals on the March 5 ballot, including one that would require single adults on welfare to be screened and treated for illegal drug addiction or else lose cash assistance. Mayor London Breed also supports a ballot measure that would grant police more crime-fighting powers, such as the use of drones and surveillance cameras. In November, she’ll face cranky voters in a competitive reelection bid. San Francisco is in a struggle to redefine itself after the pandemic left it in economic tatters and highlighted its longstanding problems with homelessness, drugs and property crime. Opponents say both ballot measures are wildly out of step with San Francisco’s support for privacy and civil liberties and will only hurt the marginalized communities the city prides itself on helping. $1.7-MILLION TOILET PROJECT IN SAN FRANCISCO STILL NOT DONE AFTER 15 MONTHS: ‘WHY ISN’T THERE A TOILET HERE?’ But Breed, the first Black woman to lead San Francisco, said at a January campaign stop that residents from poorer, Black and immigrant neighborhoods are pleading for more police, and recovery advocates are demanding change as more than 800 people died of accidental overdose last year — a record fueled by the abundance of cheap and potent fentanyl. “They said San Francisco makes it too easy for people to access and to use drugs on the streets of the city and we need to do something a lot more aggressive,” Breed said at Footprint, an athletic apparel and shoe store that has been repeatedly burglarized. While Breed’s name isn’t on the presidential primary ballots going out now — San Francisco uses a method where residents rank mayoral candidates by preference a single time in November — the two measures she’s pushing are. They serve as an opening salvo for her reelection campaign as she faces off against fellow moderates who say her approach to the city’s problems has been weak. Violent crimes are low in San Francisco, but the city has long struggled with quality-of-life crimes. Breed said rates of retail theft and auto smash-ins have declined recently, thanks in large part to strategic operations by city police. Similarly, police have stepped up enforcement of drug laws, including by issuing citations to people using drugs in public as a way to disrupt the behavior and an opportunity to persuade the person cited to seek help. But she said San Francisco needs to do more. If approved by voters, Proposition F would offer another way to compel treatment, by allowing the city to screen single adults on local welfare for substance abuse. People found to be abusing illegal drugs would be required to enroll in treatment if they want to receive cash assistance from the city, which maxes out at just over $700 a month. Opponents say coercion doesn’t work and homelessness may increase if the measure passes. Drug addicts are not criminals, they say, and there are not enough treatment beds and counseling services as it is. A crackdown on drugs is reminiscent of the failed war on drugs that disproportionately harmed Black families, said Chris Ballard, co-executive director of Coleman Advocates, which pushes for improvements for Black and Latino youth in San Francisco. “There are more ethical ways to address the issue aside from punitive measures, and that’s the proper way to take care of a community, to show true support,” he said. PLANE CRASHES INTO BUSY SAN FRANCISCO INTERSECTION, KILLING 1 Yet Trent Rhorer, executive director of the San Francisco Human Services Agency, which provides cash assistance and employment services to low-income residents without dependent children, said the current situation is in conflict with the agency’s mission: to improve lives. “To give someone who’s addicted to fentanyl $700 a month, I don’t think it helps improve their lives,” he said. “In fact, I think it does the opposite.” Compelling treatment has become more acceptable in Democratic California, despite angst over the potential loss of civil liberties, as visible signs of homelessness and mental illness, fentanyl addiction, and unsafe street behavior surge. Last year, several counties rolled out an alternative mental health court created by Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom, former mayor of San Francisco, to fast-track people with untreated schizophrenia and related disorders into care, and in March voters will take up a statewide mental health proposition that some say will increase involuntary treatment. Rhorer said the welfare program for single adults — which serves about 9,000 people per year — already asks applicants about substance abuse, with about 20% self-reporting an issue. A data check with the Department of Public Health revealed that almost one-third of recipients have been diagnosed with a substance use disorder, he said. The ballot measure would replace that question with a more rigorous screening test that would be verified by an addiction specialist. If substance abuse is found, Rhorer said, the specialist and applicant would agree on treatment options that include residential care, a 12-step program, individual counseling and replacement medication. There is no requirement that the person be sober, only that they make good-faith efforts to attend their program, with the hope that “at one point a light bulb will go off,” Rhorer said. The measure calls for the city to pay the rent of those accepted into the program for 30 days or longer to avoid eviction. About 30% of the people who fatally overdosed in 2023 were homeless, and more were living in subsidized city housing. Besides authorizing drones, cameras and other modern technologies, Proposition E would reduce paperwork so police have more time to patrol. It would also allow police to pursue more suspects by vehicle, and not just in cases of a violent felony or immediate threat to public safety — a policy store owner Michael Hsu learned of the hard way. Hsu has had his Footprint store broken into multiple times since he took over in 2020, most recently on Jan. 1. Police arrived as the suspects were leaving but
Oklahoma Gov. Stitt faces renewed tribal sovereignty issue as legislative session begins
Tribal sovereignty is expected to again be a top issue facing lawmakers and Gov. Kevin Stitt as they return on Monday to begin the 2024 legislative session. Stitt, a Republican and himself a citizen of the Cherokee Nation, has had a contentious relationship with tribal leaders that began with a dispute during his first year in office over casino revenue and has worsened with conflict over agreements on tobacco sales, motor vehicle tags, taxes and criminal jurisdiction. The governor, now in his second term, has been a frequent critic of expanded tribal sovereignty and of the landmark 2020 U.S. Supreme Court decision that determined state prosecutors lack criminal jurisdiction over certain crimes committed in Indian Country. GOOSE FOUND INSIDE OKLAHOMA MEDICAL HELICOPTER FOLLOWING CRASH THAT KILLED 3 CREW MEMBERS In an interview with The Associated Press last week, Stitt said his role is to represent all 4 million Oklahomans and not allow tribal citizens to have an unfair advantage. He believes that could happen if the Oklahoma Supreme Court rules in favor of a Native American woman who claims she doesn’t have to pay state income taxes because she lives and works on a tribal reservation. “There’s no way I would be doing my job as governor if I said: ‘Oh, African Americans pay taxes, white people and Asians (pay taxes), but American Indians don’t,’” Stitt said. “It’s like I’m in a twilight zone having to explain this to people.” Stitt will deliver his State of the State address to the Legislature on Monday and release his proposed spending plan for the fiscal year that begins July 1. Last year the Legislature convened in special session to override the governor’s veto of a bill to extend agreements on tribal tobacco sales and motor vehicle tags and the issue is expected to surface again in the session beginning Monday. WILD OKLAHOMA DASHCAM VIDEO SHOWS TROOPER THROWN FROM SIDE OF HIGHWAY CRASH Many lawmakers hope the relationship between the tribes and Stitt has thawed somewhat following a deal the governor reached last month with the Chickasaw Nation for a 10-year agreement. “I see it as a very good indication that the state and the tribes will be able to work together,” said Sen. Brent Howard, chairman of the Joint Committee on State-Tribal relations. Among the other issues lawmakers are expected to tackle is a possible income tax cut, a top priority for Stitt. The House approved a 0.25% reduction in the rate last week, but Senate leaders have said such a move is premature since final revenue numbers haven’t been released.
PA Gov. Shapiro to present budget proposal focusing on education and economic growth
Gov. Josh Shapiro is set to deliver a second budget proposal to Pennsylvania lawmakers on Tuesday with a firmer grasp on how he wants to pursue several top priorities, his state in a relatively strong fiscal position and lessons learned from last year’s ugly budget fight. Most details of the Democratic governor’s budget plan for the 2024-25 fiscal year, which starts July 1, remain under wraps. But Shapiro has made it clear he will seek more money for higher education and public transit agencies and possibly underfunded public schools. He also wants to spend more money to attract major companies and seems ready to revisit the controversial item that helped sow a protracted budget fight last year: creating a new private school voucher program. IN 2024, PA GOV. SHAPIRO WILL FACE DEMANDING SCHOOL FUNDING CHALLENGES, PREPARE FOR PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION Shapiro’s first budget proposal disappointed many allies who felt it wasn’t bold enough. This year, he’s returning with bigger proposals based on recommendations from his task forces or appointees. Shapiro faces a number of cost pressures, too, from health care for the poor to county-run mental health services. One other difference this year is that Shapiro is expected to deliver his budget address to a joint session of the House and Senate in the Capitol Rotunda. Governors historically deliver the speech in the House chamber, but workers have put up scaffolding there to repair damage from a water leak a year ago. Whatever Shapiro proposes will require passage from the Democratic-controlled House of Representatives and the Republican-controlled Senate. Appropriations Committee hearings start Feb. 20. Here’s what to watch for Tuesday: Shapiro will almost certainly propose an operating budget that spends above this year’s $45 billion approved plan. That’s partly because an extra federal pandemic-era Medicaid subsidy, worth about $1 billion a year, is ending and Shapiro has said he wants to spend more money on several priorities. Those include nearly $300 million more for public transit agencies, a roughly 25% increase, and a substantial, but undisclosed, increase for state-owned universities. Shapiro also wants to spend big to attract large industrial facilities, such as a microchip factory, by getting large tracts of land permitted and prepared for construction. “We need to invest if we want to compete nationally and internationally,” Shapiro said last month. Also, pressure is on Shapiro to respond more fully to last year’s court decision that found Pennsylvania’s system of funding public schools violates the constitutional rights of students in poorer districts. Last month, Shapiro’s appointees backed a non-binding recommendation to send $1.3 billion more next year to public schools, including subsidies for high-tax districts and school construction. He hasn’t said whether his budget proposal will reflect that recommendation. Tax collections are meeting expectations and Shapiro has a strong cash cushion, for now. The state expects to have $13 billion in cash when the fiscal year ends June 30, thanks to federal COVID-19 aid over the past four years and inflation-juiced tax collections that filled up the state’s treasury. Meanwhile, a credit rating upgrade in November was Pennsylvania’s first since it drew six downgrades between 2012 and 2017, including two by each of the big three rating agencies, while grappling with entrenched post-recession deficits. Still, Pennsylvania is running deficits again, using $1 billion in surplus cash to prop up this year’s spending. The state also is saddled with a slow-growing economy and grim demographic trends showing a shrinking working-age population and a fast-growing retirement-age population that pays less in taxes and costs more to care for. Shapiro has made a list of items that he considers to be unfinished business. That includes raising the minimum wage to $15 an hour, which Republicans have blocked in the Senate, and creating a new $100 million private school voucher program that Democrats in the House have blocked. The voucher program is particularly radioactive for Democrats and Shapiro’s support for it sets him apart from other Democratic governors around the country. Like 19 other states, Pennsylvania’s minimum wage is at the federal minimum of $7.25. Shapiro has said he will propose a budget that cuts taxes, without offering further details. PA GOV. SHAPIRO SIGNS OFF ON BILL EXPANDING DISCLOSURE REQUIREMENTS FOR STATE-FUNDED UNIVERSITIES Shapiro and lawmakers in December approved an increase in the monthly fee on phone bills, from $1.65 to $1.95, to raise another $60 million for county 911 emergency response services. School boards say they are paying too much to charter schools and Democratic lawmakers are pushing to restart a dormant program subsidizing school construction projects. Meanwhile, providers of services for the intellectually disabled and autistic say the system is beset by underfunding and staffing shortages. Counties say the safety-net mental health services they manage are in dire need of more money to create more beds and attract more counselors for waiting lists of people who need help.
Blake Masters’ campaign shared misleading fundraising numbers, failed to disclose candidate loaned $1 million
Staff on Arizona Republican Blake Masters’ congressional campaign shared inaccurate and misleading fundraising numbers with Fox News Digital last month ahead of filing a campaign finance report with the Federal Election Commission (FEC). Masters’ campaign told Fox News Digital on Jan. 24 that the venture capitalist and conservative firebrand had raised $1.3 million in just the first two months after announcing his candidacy for Arizona’s 8th Congressional District, but that amount was too high by nearly $200,000. Additionally, the campaign did not disclose that the vast majority of that sum — $1 million — was a personal loan from the candidate. Masters’ FEC filing shows he only raised $1.16 million, not $1.3 million, from Oct. 26, when he officially launched his campaign, to Dec. 31, the end of the filing period. Of the $1.16 million, only $75,000 came in as contributions from individuals, while $88,000 came from Masters Victory Committee, a joint fundraising committee. STACEY ABRAMS’ ONCE-POWERFUL VOTING RIGHTS GROUP FACES MASSIVE LAYOFFS AS IT STRUGGLES WITH MILLIONS IN DEBT Masters’ $1 million dollar loan came on Dec. 28, just days before the end of the filing period. Without the loan, the campaign would have only raised around $163,000. “I am honored by the support and trust placed in me by so many great people, including many supporters from my run for Senate as well as new donors who want to see more strong conservatives in Washington … The trust placed in me by so many gives us over $1M to spread this message and earn the GOP nomination,” Masters told Fox News Digital after his campaign reported the misleading data. Fox News Digital has reached out to Masters’ campaign for comment. HISPANIC COMMUNITY LEADER RAISES BIG BUCKS IN QUEST TO FLIP DEM-CONTROLLED BORDER CONGRESSIONAL SEAT Masters first gained national name recognition after coming out on top in a contentious primary race for Senate in 2022. He ultimately lost that race to Sen. Mark Kelly, D-Ariz., and was reportedly considering running for Senate again in 2024 before deciding to run for Congress instead. Elections analysts view Arizona’s 8th Congressional District, which encompasses a chunk of the northern Phoenix suburbs, as a safe Republican seat. It’s currently represented by Republican Rep. Debbie Lesko, who announced last year she would not seek re-election. Masters faces a crowded primary field that includes former Rep. Trent Franks, who previously represented Arizona’s 2nd and 8th Congressional Districts for a combined seven terms, state Sen. Anthony Kern, state Rep. Ben Toma, and former Maricopa County prosecutor Abraham Hamadeh. Get the latest updates from the 2024 campaign trail, exclusive interviews and more at our Fox News Digital election hub.
United Nations Foundation is quietly fueling climate policy, funding staff in Dem states
EXCLUSIVE: The United Nations Foundation, a nonprofit founded in the 1990s to support global U.N. initiatives, is quietly fueling climate change policies in top Democratic state government offices nationwide, Fox News Digital has learned. The Washington, D.C.-based organization — which was “created to work closely with the United Nations” — houses the U.S. Climate Alliance, a coalition of Democrat-led states launched to coordinate environmental policy after former President Donald Trump withdrew from the U.N. Paris climate accords. As part of the initiative, the United Nations Foundation has wired millions of dollars to state governors and agencies, in many cases even funding state officials’ salaries. According to United Nations Foundation tax filings reviewed by Fox News Digital, the group wired a staggering $5.4 million to 12 state governments between 2020 and 2022, the most recent year with data available, with grants often being vaguely earmarked for “UN strengthening.” Further, information requests shared with Fox News Digital indicate another state, Michigan, received $451,000 from the group circuitously routed through the University of Michigan. “What we see is that wealthy donors are providing layers of ‘staff’ to do what is supposedly government work, led by a U.N. ‘strategic partner’ no less boasting that these millions to staff government offices in the United States is for ‘UN Strengthening,’” D.C. lawyer Chris Horner, who filed the information requests on behalf of watchdog groups Government Accountability & Oversight (GAO) and Power The Future, told Fox News Digital. FORMER CIA DIRECTOR LEON PANETTA WARNS CHINA MAY USE MICHIGAN EV PLANT FOR ESPIONAGE “They are staffing governors’ offices, to set the policies, and regulatory agencies — including at least one cabinet official — to ensure that official reports and rules are climate-industry produced,” Horner continued. “Meanwhile, the risk of blackouts across the U.S. has soared as this U.N. ‘energy transition’ agenda is implemented, by people they have placed on the inside.” Overall, United Nations Foundation filings show that, during the time frame with data available, North Carolina has been the largest beneficiary of the funding scheme, receiving nearly $1.2 million in U.S. Climate Alliance grants sent to the state’s Office of the Governor, Department of Commerce and Department of Transportation. FORD PLANS TO HIRE CHINESE MILITARY SOFTWARE SUPPLIER FOR EV FACTORY IN US: GOP INVESTIGATORS In the same time frame, the nonprofit sent $853,000 to Maine’s Office of the Governor, Energy Office and Department of Agriculture. And New Mexico’s government received another $725,193, sent to its Environment Department and Energy, Minerals and Natural Resources Department. “It is extremely concerning that global government activists may be secretly influencing public policy in New Mexico,” New Mexico state Senate Republican Leader Greg Baca told Fox News Digital. “If these grants are funding employees within our state agencies, the people of New Mexico deserve to know about it. We call on the Governor to disclose the details of what these funds are being used for and why New Mexico was selected as a beneficiary.” A spokesperson for North Carolina Lt. Gov. Mark Robinson, the state’s highest-ranking Republican, added that the United Nations Foundation and U.S. Climate Alliance funding structure raises concerns about how key climate policies are being crafted. “The United Nations Foundation funneling $1.19 million into North Carolina for influencing the policy of our state raises serious concerns about the potential of unaccountable bureaucrats bypassing the legislature’s budgeting power to push political agendas,” the spokesperson said in a statement. “Transparency is crucial – we need clear answers on how the funds are utilized.” “Currently, there’s unease that the money might be funding salaries for state officials involved in developing climate policies,” the statement continued. “It’s essential to ensure that the government officials tasked with crafting policies to benefit North Carolinians are accountable to the taxpayers, not beholden to global activist organizations promoting agendas.” CONSUMER GROUP REVEALS LEFT-WING GROUPS INCREASINGLY USING COURTS TO PUSH GREEN NEW DEAL The information requests shared with Fox News Digital reveal additional details about the purpose of the United Nation Foundation’s “U.N. strengthening” grants to states. Documents obtained by GAO show that the Michigan state government signed a memorandum of understanding with the University of Michigan in 2021 to use a U.S. Climate Alliance grant for $451,000 to hire two full-time climate policy staff through 2025. That same year, the United Nations Foundation reported sending that same amount to the Regents of the University of Michigan. According to the contract, the staff, whose salaries of more than $100,000 a year were funded by the U.S. Climate Alliance via the United Nations Foundation, work at the Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy’s Office of Climate and Energy (OCE), which was established by Democratic Gov. Gretchen Whitmer in 2019 to “advance climate action.” TOP REPUBLICANS LAUNCH PROBE INTO LEONARDO DICAPRIO-FUNDED BLUE STATE LAWSUITS AGAINST BIG OIL Among their responsibilities under the grant, the staff are tasked with helping develop the Michigan Healthy Climate Plan. That plan lays out a broad plan for the state under Whitmer’s leadership to achieve carbon neutrality by 2050 and outlines other environmental policies including expanding electric vehicle charging infrastructure, decarbonizing the residential sector and boosting conservation. “These two [Climate Leadership Grant Program] positions are essential for supporting OCE’s work as it pursues the state’s decarbonization goals,” the Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy wrote in an application to extend funding submitted with the U.S. Climate Alliance in December and obtained via information request. “I’m thrilled to let you know that the application has been approved for the full grant amount,” Katie Thomas, a senior U.S. Climate Alliance official, wrote to Michigan officials in an email on Dec. 20. “It’s clear that these two positions are critical to advancing all the great climate work happening in Ml and we are proud to support them.” And the documents obtained by Power The Future, show a similar arrangement was green-lit in New Mexico. In September, the New Mexico Department of Energy, Minerals and Resources, and the United Nations Foundation signed a U.S.
Biden says Americans will be living in a ‘nightmare’ if Trump wins re-election
President Biden declared that Americans would be living in a “nightmare” if former President Trump succeeds in winning re-election. Biden made the claim during a series of campaign events in Nevada Sunday ahead of the state’s primary. He decried Trump for his aspirations to being a “dictator” and his vow of “retribution” for his supporters following Jan. 6. “We have to keep the White House. We must keep the Senate,” Biden said, adding that only then “we can say we saved American democracy.” “Imagine the nightmare of Donald Trump,” he said. BIDEN TOPS TRUMP IN NEW POLL, BUT LEAD SHRINKS AGAINST THIRD-PARTY CANDIDATES Meanwhile, Trump’s own campaign responded with the same tone. Spokesman Steven Cheung declared that “Biden has been a nightmare for this country in just three short years in the White House, and no amount of gaslighting will make Americans forget about all the misery and destruction he has brought.” Biden’s re-election strategy so far relies on arguing that Trump is a major threat to American democracy. The White House’s other strategies for stirring up support have largely failed, with “Bidenomics” falling flat and Americans deeply skeptical of Biden’s ability to handle the border crisis. Biden trails Trump, the front-runner for the GOP presidential nomination, by 22 points when voters were asked who would be a better candidate to handle the economy, according to the results of a national NBC News poll released Sunday. According to the poll, 55% of registered voters said they believe Trump would be the better candidate to steer the economy, compared to 33% who chose Biden. Trump also boasted large leads over Biden when it comes to securing the border (+35 points), having the necessary mental and physical health to be president (+23), and dealing with crime and violence (+21). The former president also has double-digit leads over Biden when it comes to being competitive and effective (+16) and on improving America’s standing in the world (+11). Overall, the poll showed Trump leading Biden by five percentage points, 47% to 42%, among registered voters in a hypothetical 2024 general election rematch. Fox News’ Michael Lee and The Associated Press contributed to this report
Delhi court allows jailed Manish Sisodia to meet unwell wife once a week
Sisodia, a prominent member of the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), submitted a request to the court seeking weekly custody parole to visit his wife.
EC directs political parties to refrain from using children in campaigning
The Election Commission of India on Monday said that Political Parties should refrain from using children in election campaigns in any form whatsoever including the distribution of posters/pamphlets or participation in slogan shouting, campaign rallies, election meetings, etc.
From couch surfing to sleeping in a car: What one teen’s story tells us about homelessness in rural Texas
Georgia DeVries, an East Texas 17-year-old, shared her experience living in a car for one month last year on TikTok.
House Speaker Dade Phelan, enemy of the far-right, faces toughest reelection yet
Attorney General Ken Paxton, Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick, and former President Donald Trump are accusing Phelan of being a “RINO,” even as Phelan has overseen the passage of some of the most conservative bills in recent history.