Tennessee Dem introduces bill for ‘Thoughts and Prayers Tax’ on firearm sales
A Democratic Tennessee lawmaker introduced legislation that would impose a “thoughts and prayers” tax on the sale of firearms in the state. State Rep. Bo Mitchell’s bill would impose a 15% sales tax on firearms sold at retail, with the proceeds going to the Tennessee Department of Education to help hire school counselors. “Tongue-in-cheek, I made it AR-15 percent,” Mitchell told WKRN. “I call it the ‘Thoughts and Prayers Tax.’ If we’re going to do nothing else in this state, we’re going to put this taxation into a fund to fund K through 12 mental health counselors for our children.” “If we don’t solve this problem, we’re going to need a lot more mental health counselors in our schools, either for the school shooting or for the children who go home, and the guns are unsecured at home, and they either shoot themselves or their neighbors’ children. It’s either we act and do something, or we’re going to have to start taxing to pay for the other problem it’s causing,” he added. RED STATE’S NRA-BACKED BILL TO ALLOW ARMED TEACHERS IN CLASSROOM ONE STEP CLOSER TO PASSAGE Mitchell says he got the idea for the legislation from a Republican voter who spoke at a recent town hall event near Nashville, the area Mitchell represents. He said a man stood up and identified himself as a gun owner and frequent hunter, according to WKRN. INDIANA LAWMAKER FLASHES HOLSTERED GUN TO STUDENTS PROTESTING FOR GUN CONTROL IN STATE CAPITOL “He said if you want to solve this, one way to solve the gun problem is why don’t you sponsor a bill putting a tax on the sale of firearms,” Mitchell said. “I said, ‘I’ll be happy to file that bill for you.’” The legislation faces slim chances of success, however, as Republicans hold a supermajority in the state’s General Assembly. Mitchell went on to argue that no sale tax on guns would be necessary if the state’s legislature passed red flag laws, a safe storage law and an assault weapons ban. Read the full text of Mitchell’s proposed bill below:
59 Democrats vote with Republicans passing bill to deport illegal immigrants who committed DUIs
Fifty-nine House Democrats joined Republicans to pass a bill to deport illegal immigrants caught driving under the influence on Thursday. The measure passed 274-150 with mainly GOP votes. One hundred fifty Democrats voted against it. “In the United States, someone dies in a crash with an impaired driver every 45 minutes. I lost two of my young newlywed constituents to an illegal immigrant driving under the influence of alcohol,” Rep. Barry Moore, R-Ala., who introduced the bill, told Fox News Digital. KEY REPUBLICAN COMES OUT IN FAVOR OF IMPEACHING MAYORKAS, SAYS HE SHOULD BE ‘TRIED FOR TREASON’ The bill would make people who were charged with a DUI and are in the U.S. illegally automatically eligible for deportation and permanently inadmissible. Just last month, an undocumented migrant from El Salvador who had been deported four times was accused of killing a mother and son in a car crash that police said involved alcohol. Republicans have long pushed for stricter immigration and border security measures, but the issues have taken on a particular urgency this year as polls show likely 2024 voters being increasingly concerned about the state of both. President Biden has recently ramped up his rhetoric on the border as well, recently pledging to “shut” the U.S.-Mexico border if granted the ability in legislation that Senate and White House negotiators are currently working toward. WATCH: MIGRANTS CLAIM ASYLUM ON COLD JANUARY NIGHT AS CBP UNION LEADER TALKS BORDER CRISIS Meanwhile, Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., has made the border a central focus of his since taking the gavel in October. He led a delegation of more than 60 House Republicans to Eagle Pass, Texas, and has repeatedly hammered Biden over policies Johnson said have fueled the migrant crisis. House GOP leaders are also expected to hold a chamber-wide vote on impeaching Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas, who has been involved in the Senate-White House talks over the border. The White House and its allies have accused Republicans of playing politics with the border and insisted that the crisis must be fixed by Johnson approving more funding and authority for the president. MAYORKAS BLAMES MEXICO, CONGRESS FOR HISTORIC BORDER SURGE; CALLS FOR MORE FUNDING AND ‘REFORM’ “They don’t want to solve the problem, they want to keep the problem going as a campaign issue,” Rep. Jerry Nadler, D-N.Y., said during debate of the DUI bill. “So don’t come up here and talk about the problems on the southern border if you won’t give the president any means to deal with it.” Moore argued, “They made it a campaign issue when Biden came in on day one.” He accused Biden of fueling the border crisis by repealing Trump administration policies like Remain In Mexico. “Biden has every tool in the tool box to shut the southern border down… we don’t need more money, we need to apply the laws that are on the books,” Moore said.
Stacey Abrams’ once-powerful voting rights group faces massive layoffs as it struggles with millions in debt
Fair Fight, the once-powerful voting rights group founded by two-time failed gubernatorial candidate Stacey Abrams in Georgia, is laying off nearly all of its staff amid continuing struggles with millions in debt, according to a report earlier this week. Fair Fight, which played a pivotal role in recent Democrat victories in the state by helping boost voter turnout, has racked up massive legal bills from its court battles pertaining to voting rights, the Atlanta Journal-Constitution reported. As a result, around 75% of its staff will be cut, which includes slashing its grassroots organizing, voting rights, fundraising and media efforts, as well as cutting back on the use of outside consultants and vendors. DISPUTED TRUMP-BACKED MICHIGAN GOP CHAIRMAN INVESTED THOUSANDS IN COMPANY DISPOSING ABORTED FETAL REMAINS Lauren Groh-Wargo, the former campaign manager for Abrams’ unsuccessful bid to unseat Republican Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp in 2022, told the AJC that she would be returning to the group as its interim leader in a “restructuring” effort in the face of its $2.5 million in debt and only $1.9 million on hand. Additionally, Salena Jegede, Fair Fight’s board chair, told the AJC that slower fundraising, coupled with increasing litigation costs had left the group with a “serious funding deficit that makes our current trajectory unsustainable.” HISPANIC COMMUNITY LEADER RAISES BIG BUCKS IN QUEST TO FLIP DEM-CONTROLLED BORDER CONGRESSIONAL SEAT “While we are disappointed by these realities, we are not discouraged,” Jegede told the outlet. “We will adapt to this new phase of the fight for democracy by restructuring the organization to focus on how we serve Georgia and American voters for the 2024 cycle and beyond.” Abrams founded Fair Fight in 2018 to address alleged voter suppression in the wake of her first loss to Kemp. The group’s operation expanded in 2019 to include a political arm in the form of Fair Fight PAC. It played an outsized role in President Biden’s victory in the state in 2020, as well as those of Democrat Sens. John Ossoff and Raphael Warnock, who were both elected in tight runoff races in Jan. 2021. Fair Fight most notably challenged Georgia’s 2021 voting law aimed at ensuring election integrity, something Abrams frequently referred to as “Jim Crow 2.0.” Its suit against the law was ultimately unsuccessful, and the group was ordered to pay a quarter million dollars in legal costs by a federal court last year. Fox News Digital has reached out to Fair Fight for comment. Get the latest updates from the 2024 campaign trail, exclusive interviews and more at our Fox News Digital election hub.
Texas AG Ken Paxton sues 5 cities over marijuana amnesty policies, cites drug’s reported links to ‘psychosis’
Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton has filed lawsuits against five Texas cities – Austin, Denton, San Marcos, Killeen and Elgin – over their marijuana amnesty and non-prosecution policies. The litigation charges that the five municipalities adopted ordinances or policies instructing police not to enforce Texas drug laws concerning possession and distribution of marijuana, which the state attorney general’s office describes as “an illicit substance that psychologists have increasingly linked to psychosis and other negative consequences.” “I will not stand idly by as cities run by pro-crime extremists deliberately violate Texas law and promote the use of illicit drugs that harm our communities,” Paxton said in a statement Wednesday. “This unconstitutional action by municipalities demonstrates why Texas must have a law to ‘follow the law.’ It’s quite simple: the legislature passes every law after a full debate on the issues, and we don’t allow cities the ability to create anarchy by picking and choosing the laws they enforce.” The ordinances notably prevent city funds from going toward or personnel from even testing suspected marijuana seized by police officers, with limited exceptions. The attorney general’s office said Paxton “remains committed to maintaining law and order in Texas when cities violate the lawful statutes designed to protect the public from crime, drugs, and violence. He continues to seek accountability for the rogue district attorneys whose abuse of prosecutorial discretion has contributed to a deadly national crimewave.” LAWYER FOR CALIFORNIA WOMAN AVOIDING JAIL IN MARIJUANA STABBING STANDS BY ‘PSYCHOTIC’ DEFENSE: ‘NOT A CON JOB’ The lawsuits stress that Texas Local Government Code forbids any political subdivision from adopting “a policy under which the entity will not fully enforce laws relating to drugs.” Further, the Texas Constitution notes that it is unlawful for municipalities to adopt ordinances that are inconsistent with the laws enacted by the Texas Legislature (Article 9, Section 5). Namely, with the Democratically-run city of Austin, Paxton’s lawsuit takes issue with an order that became effective on July 3, 2020, instructing the Austin Police Department not to make an arrest or issue a citation for marijuana possession unless in the investigation of a violent felony or high priority felony-level narcotics case. A ballot measure known as Proposition A to further eliminate low-level marijuana enforcement later won the vote in 2022, and the City Council codified it into law as the Austin Freedom Act. In addition to limiting police from filing marijuana possession charges unless they come as part of a high-level probe or at the direction of a commander, the measure also states that no city funds or personnel shall be used to request, conduct, or obtain tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) testing of any cannabis-related substance, except in some limited circumstances. It adds the caveat that the prohibition shall not limit the ability of police to conduct toxicology testing to ensure public safety, nor shall it limit THC testing for the purpose of any violent felony charge. ALARMING NEW TREND IS EMERGING AS YOUNGER AMERICANS ESCHEW ALCOHOL ON DATES, GO MORE FOR CANNABIS Austin, Denton, San Marcos, Killeen and Eligin are all considered “home-rule” jurisdictions, meaning they have the “full power of self-government” and do not need grants from the state legislature to enact local ordinances. In Killeen, located next to the once embattled Fort Hood, since renamed Fort Cavazos, voters approved a Proposition A of their own in 2022. It similarly states that officers should not make arrests for marijuana possession or drug residue alone. If there is probable cause to believe a substance is marijuana, officers can seize the substance. But the ordinance requires that police then also write a detailed report and release the individual if possession of marijuana is the sole charge. In Denton, located in the Dallas Fort-Worth metro area, another similar measure enacted by City Council known as Proposition B says officers cannot issue citations or make arrests for Class A or B misdemeanor marijuana possession. Elgin, considered a suburb of Austin, and San Marcos, which sits on the corridor between Austin and San Antonio, also both adopted similar ordinances designed to stifle marijuana enforcement in conflict with state law, according to Paxton’s lawsuits. The litigation comes after headline-making news out of California, where a judge recently ruled a woman who stabbed her boyfriend 108 times before slicing her own neck as police tried to stop her will not serve any prison time because she had fallen into a pot-fueled psychosis after getting high on drugs at the time. Though unrelated, the marijuana lawsuits were filed just a day after the Texas Supreme Court on Tuesday agreed to temporarily halt Paxton’s scheduled testimony in a whistleblower lawsuit that was at the heart of the impeachment charges brought against him in 2023, delaying what could have been the Republican’s first sworn statements on corruption allegations.
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis to send hundreds of National Guard troops to assist Gov. Abbott at southern border
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis announced on Thursday that he is sending National Guard troops from his state to support Texas Gov. Greg Abbott’s efforts to stop the influx of illegal immigration at the southern border. In a Thursday morning press conference, DeSantis announced he is sending a battalion of “up to” 1,000 soldiers of the Florida National Guard will be sent to Texas. “We are here to join as Floridians to say that we need to stop this invasion at our southern border once and for all,” DeSantis said standing in front of members of the Florida National Guard and a sign that said, “stop the invasion.” Additionally, the Florida State Guard will be deployed, which marks the first time that group has been deployed out of state. TEXAS GOV. ABBOTT SENDS STARK MESSAGE TO SANCTUARY CITIES AS MIGRANT CRISIS CONTINUES “Biden has the authority to close this border today,” DeSantis said. “If he wanted to, he lacks the will to get the job done. He lacks the capacity to see the problem for what it is and to get the job done.” Over a dozen states have announced that they support Abbott’s agenda on illegal immigration and have said they will provide resources to help him secure the border amid record levels of illegal immigration. Abbott is currently fighting multiple legal battles with the Biden administration. The federal government has threatened legal action over Texas’ seizure of Shelby Park near Eagle Pass, while lawsuits are ongoing over the administration’s cutting of razor wire set up by Texas and the establishment of buoys in the Rio Grande. The Supreme Court recently found in the administration’s favor when it granted an emergency appeal to allow agents to keep cutting border wire set up by Texas along the border. Texas this week published images of it strengthening physical barriers along Eagle Pass. The administration has also sued over a recently signed law that allows Texas state and local officials to arrest illegal immigrants. The administration has accused Texas of interfering with federal control over immigration and border security, and has said it is putting agents and migrants in danger. OHIO SENATE CANDIDATE SAYS GOP IMPEACHING ‘TRAITOR’ MAYORKAS A ‘NO BRAINER’: ‘GROTESQUELY UNQUALIFIED’ Abbott, however, cited constitutional language that demands the federal government “protect each [State] against invasion” and the right of states to protect their own borders. Abbott argues that “the failure of the Biden administration” to fulfill those duties triggers a clause in Article 1 that “reserves to this State the right of self-defense.” He notes he has already declared an “invasion” to invoke the authority, which he calls “the supreme law of the land and supersedes any federal statutes to the contrary.” “If the Constitution really made states powerless to defend themselves against an invasion, it wouldn’t have been ratified in the first place and Texas would have never joined the union when it did,” DeSantis wrote on social media recently.
Biden’s top super PAC receives millions in new dark money funds, filings show
The primary super PAC backing President Biden’s re-election efforts has received millions in new dark money donations, filings show. The Future Forward PAC, which Biden’s team elevated as the leading external group to raise money for his 2024 candidacy, received an $8 million contribution from its affiliated Future Forward USA Action nonprofit arm on Dec. 29, according to its new filings to the Federal Election Commission. Future Forward USA Action does not disclose the identities of its donors, meaning the origination of the millions that will ultimately benefit Biden is unknown. Earlier this month, Future Forward told Politico they raised $200 million between its nonprofit and super PAC last year. The super PAC’s new filings reveal it raised around $25 million in contributions in 2023, signaling most of this money is likely parked in its dark money nonprofit, positioning Biden to benefit from far more funds from unidentified sources. SOROS PUSHED $15M TO NONPROFIT LINKED TO BIDEN SUPER PAC TO TEST ‘CRITICAL’ POLICY ISSUES, TAX DOCS REVEAL “The same Joe Biden who once said ‘dark money erodes public trust’ is now being propelled by millions in dark money,” Caitlin Sutherland, executive director of Americans for Public Trust, previously told Fox News Digital. “It’s this type of blatant political hypocrisy that the American people can’t stand.” The new filings show that the latest transfer from Future Forward’s nonprofit to its super PAC accounted for roughly 30 percent of the $25 million the pro-Biden PAC raised during the second half of last year. Other recent donors include hedge fund billionaire James Simons ($2.5 million), Newsweb Corporation chairman Fred Eychaner ($2 million) and film producer and former Walt Disney Studios chair Jeffrey Katzenberg ($1 million). Future Forward has long passed dark money from its nonprofit to its super PAC. Fox News Digital previously reported that a considerable amount of Future Forward’s nonprofit cash itself was passed through a web of groups overseen by the Arabella Advisors consulting firm, which manages a billion-dollar dark money network. These actions add another layer of secrecy that additionally conceals its original supporters. One of the dark money groups, the Impetus Fund, had escaped detection for some time. The Impetus Fund sent most of its undisclosed cash – $55.8 million – to Future Forward USA Action during the last presidential cycle, according to tax documents. BIDEN’S PRIMARY 2024 OUTSIDE PAC PROPELLED BY DARK MONEY GROUP FLOODED WITH CASH FROM MYSTERIOUS ENTITY Meanwhile, Future Forward USA Action transferred $77 million to the Future Forward PAC between the 2020 election and June 2023, making up more than 40% of the $181 million the PAC raised during that span. After spending $141 million on independent expenditures in the last presidential cycle, senior White House adviser Anita Dunn said Future Forward “really earned its place as the pre-eminent super PAC” to back Biden this time. “In 2020, when they really appeared from nowhere and started placing advertising, the Biden campaign was impressed by the effectiveness of the ads and the overall rigorous testing that had clearly gone into the entire project,” Dunn previously told The New York Times. Future Forward did not immediately respond to a Fox News Digital request for comment. Get the latest updates from the 2024 campaign trail, exclusive interviews and more at our Fox News Digital election hub.
Virginia bill to expand revenge porn law advances
A bill that cleared an early hurdle Wednesday in the Virginia House of Delegates would broaden the state’s revenge porn law by adding a new category of “sexual” images that would be unlawful to disseminate. Democratic Del. Irene Shin, the bill’s sponsor, said the measure would build on the General Assembly’s previous work to protect victims from having their intimate images shared without their consent. The issue of so-called revenge porn took center stage in state politics last year when the news media was alerted to sex videos livestreamed by Democratic House candidate Susanna Gibson and her husband. FEDERAL JUDGE REJECTS VIRGINIA SCHOOL SYSTEM’S REQUEST TO DISMISS SEX ASSAULT SUIT Gibson argues that the dissemination of those videos violated the state’s existing revenge porn law. She said Wednesday’s 8-0 subcommittee vote advancing the latest legislation to a full committee showed the General Assembly understands the “severity and the extent of the damage that is done to victims.” The state’s current statute pertains to images of a person that depict them totally nude or in a state of undress with their genitals, pubic area, buttocks or breasts exposed. Shin’s bill would expand the law to cover images “sexual in nature” in which those body parts are not exposed. It does not define what constitutes “sexual in nature.” The measure would also extend the statute of limitations for prosecution to 10 years from the date the victim discovers the offense. It currently stands at five years from the date the offense was committed. “All too often, victims don’t even know that their personal images will have been disseminated,” Shin said. The Virginia Victim Assistance Network backs the new legislation. “Increasingly, relationships include consensually exchanging intimate images, which may later become fodder for humiliating cyberattacks,” said Catherine Ford, a lobbyist for the victims’ network. Virginia’s current law makes it a crime to “maliciously” disseminate or sell nude or sexual images of another person with the intent to “coerce, harass, or intimidate.” Gibson, who in a previous AP interview didn’t rule out another run for office, has said the disclosure of the sexual content she thought would only be livestreamed rather than preserved on video upended her personal life and led to harassment and death threats. She did not drop out of the House race, but lost narrowly. Later this week Gibson is set to officially announce the formation of a new political action committee to support candidates dedicated to addressing gender-based and sexual violence, including revenge porn issues. “These are crimes that can and do affect everyone, regardless of political party, age, race or class,” she said. Gibson did not testify Wednesday to avoid becoming a “polarizing figure,” she said. Asked for comment on the bill, Christian Martinez, a spokesperson for GOP Gov. Glenn Youngkin, said only that the governor will review any legislation that comes to his desk.
Haley trails Trump in home state of South Carolina ahead of state’s primary election: poll
Republican presidential candidate Nikki Haley continues to trail former President Donald Trump by a wide margin in her home state of South Carolina ahead of the state’s GOP presidential primary later this month, according to a recent survey. Trump, who carried the Palmetto State in both the 2016 and 2020 presidential elections, holds a commanding 22-point lead over Haley, who served as governor of South Carolina from 2011 to 2017, according to the findings of a Monmouth University-Washington Post poll released Thursday. Of the potential Republican primary voters who were surveyed, 58% said they currently support Trump, compared to 32% who said the same for Haley. Ever since the presidential contest became a two-person race, both Trump and Haley have witnessed an uptick in support. A similar Monmouth University poll released in September showed Trump with 46% support and Haley with 18% support among South Carolina Republicans. BIDEN TOPS TRUMP IN NEW POLL, BUT LEAD SHRINKS AGAINST THIRD-PARTY CANDIDATES In all age groups, the survey revealed that Trump leads Haley with a majority of support among both men and women. Those who were surveyed also believe Trump has a greater chance of defeating President Biden in November. Forty-two percent said they believe Trump could definitely beat Biden in the general election, while 29% said he probably could. Only 21% of South Carolina Republicans said Haley could definitely beat Biden, with another 42% saying she probably could. Trump’s legal woes are also not a concern among Republicans in the state, with 60% saying they believe the Republican Party should keep Trump on the ticket if he wins the nomination but is convicted of a crime related to the 2020 election. Similarly, 62% said they would still cast a general election ballot for Trump in that situation, while only 17% said they would vote for Biden. “Trump’s electability is a concern for some primary voters. It’s just that this group is nowhere near large enough to put Haley in striking distance of the front-runner,” Patrick Murray, director of the independent Monmouth University Polling Institute, said in a statement. HALEY EXPECTS TO HAUL IN $1.5 MILLION AT WALL STREET FUNDRAISERS TO FUEL GOP PRESIDENTIAL BID AGAINST TRUMP The poll also showed Trump, who placed first in both the Iowa caucuses and New Hampshire Republican primary elections, with greater support from South Carolina voters on a number of issues, including the economy and foreign policy. Additionally, Trump holds a slight advantage, 35% to 26%, over Haley when it comes to being trusted to handle abortion policy. Thirty-three percent said they trust both candidates equally on the issue. Earlier this week, it was reported that Betsy Ankey, Haley’s campaign manager, made the case for the former governor’s candidacy to a network of Republican mega-donors known as the American Opportunity Alliance. Susie Wiles, a top adviser on the Trump campaign, also attended the event in an attempt to woo donors. Trump, who has had a stormy relationship over the years with some in the GOP donor class, has been making a concerted effort this cycle to mend fences and court top-dollar contributors. “I think they’re running a much more sophisticated campaign this year than ever before,” a major GOP bundler, who asked to remain anonymous, told Fox News recently. “And so, as part of that, they’re looking to consolidate Republican support, both politically and financially.” The South Carolina Republican presidential primary election is slated to take place on Feb. 24, 2024. Get the latest updates from the 2024 campaign trail, exclusive interviews and more at our Fox News Digital election hub. Fox News’ Paul Steinhauser contributed to this report.
Senate sex tape: Capitol Police decline to press charges
The U.S. Capitol Police announced Thursday they have declined to press charges following the filming of a “sex video that was recorded inside the Hart Senate Office Building on the morning of Wednesday, December 13. “After consulting with federal and local prosecutors, as well as doing a comprehensive investigation and review of possible charges, it was determined that — despite a likely violation of Congressional policy — there is currently no evidence that a crime was committed,” the agency said in a statement to Fox News. “Although the hearing room was not open to the public at the time, the Congressional staffer involved had access to the room. The two people of interest were not cooperative, nor were the elements of any of the possible crimes met,” Capitol Police continued. “The Congressional staffer, who has since resigned from his job, exercised his Fifth Amendment right to remain silent and refused to talk to us,” authorities also said. “Our investigators are willing to review new evidence should any come to light.” SEN. CARDIN BREAKS SILENCE AFTER STAFFER ALLEGEDLY FIRED OVER SEX TAPE FILMED IN HEARING ROOM The Daily Caller, which first broke news of the video, reported that the footage was leaked in a chat and was “shared in a private group for gay men in politics.” A staff member for Sen. Ben Cardin, D-Md., was later fired over the video. SENATE SEX TAPE: CAPITOL HILL HEARING ROOM WHERE LEAKED VIDEO WAS RECORDED HOME TO SEVERAL HISTORIC EVENTS “I was angry. I was disappointed,” Cardin told Fox News in December when speaking about the scandal. “It’s a breach of trust.” Cardin would not name the staffer in question, only saying it was a “personnel issue.” The Democratic Senator said he was not aware of any further disciplinary issues against the staffer and hadn’t spoken to him since the firing. Room 216 in the Hart Senate Office Building is a storied hearing room. The dais where the graphic video was filmed is a place from which U.S. senators have grilled high-profile presidential nominees, including those who would go on to become justices of the Supreme Court. Fox News’ Bradford Betz, Anders Hagstrom and Kelly Phares contributed to this report.
Indiana lawmaker flashes holstered gun to students protesting for gun control in state Capitol
A Republican lawmaker in Indiana flashed his concealed firearm to students protesting for gun control at the state’s Capitol on Tuesday. State Rep. Jim Lucas approached the group of five teenagers to ask what brought them to the Capitol. He began to defend gun rights when they told him they were participating in a protest with a branch of the Everytown for Gun Safety advocacy group. One of the teens began recording the exchange. Lucas argued that Americans are not “truly free” unless they are equipped to defend themselves. RED STATE’S NRA-BACKED BILL TO ALLOW ARMED TEACHERS IN CLASSROOM ONE STEP CLOSER TO PASSAGE When a student asked if Lucas meant carrying a firearm, the lawmaker opened his jacket and said, “I’m carrying right now.” “Nothing about someone carrying a gun makes me feel safe,” another student said soon after. RED STATE’S NRA-BACKED BILL TO ALLOW ARMED TEACHERS IN CLASSROOM ONE STEP CLOSER TO PASSAGE Lucas later addressed the exchange on social media after local news outlets published the video. “I fear for, and pity those that are being indoctrinated to fear that which is their best means of self-defense. People are also being indoctrinated to depend on government for their ‘safety,’ even when shown that government has clearly ruled that government doesn’t have the duty to protect us,” Lucas wrote. One of the students involved in the incident, Alana Trissel, 17, spoke with The Associated Press afterward, saying the conversation “took a turn for the worst” after Lucas revealed his gun. “Since a state legislator had shown a weapon, I felt all the more powerless,” she said. “I felt scared. I felt alone. I was timid and almost petrified with fear.” INDIANA TROOPER CRITICALLY HURT BY SUSPECTED DRUNK DRIVER WHILE HELPING MOTORIST WITH FLAT TIRE Lucas last made national headlines after he was arrested on charges of driving while intoxicated and abandoning his car after a crash in May 2023. Lucas was arrested by a state trooper from ISP-Versailles Post after initially leaving the scene of the accident. The Sheriff’s Office listed the following charges for Lucas: motor vehicle – operating while intoxicated – endangerment; motor vehicle – leaving the scene of a crash – property damage crash; motor vehicle – operating a vehicle while intoxicated. He ultimately accepted a deal in the case, pleading guilty to misdemeanor charges of driving while intoxicated and leaving the scene of an accident, and was sentenced to supervised probation for one year and paid $4,000 in restitution for damage caused in the crash. He was also required to enter an alcohol and drug abuse program. A judge then agreed to cut his probation short after six months. The Associated Press contributed to this report.