Biden revisits Wisconsin to announce $5 billion in funding for infrastructure, including Blatnik Bridge
The last time President Joe Biden visited Superior, Wisconsin, he warned of the danger posed by the deteriorating John A. Blatnik Memorial Bridge — pointing out the decades-old corrosion that had weakened the overpass connecting the two port cities in Wisconsin and Minnesota and vowing to fix it. Biden is returning to that bridge at the tip of Lake Superior on Thursday to announce nearly $5 billion in federal funding that would upgrade it and dozens of similar infrastructure projects nationwide, as the Democratic president jump-starts an election year push to persuade voters to reward him for his policy achievements in office. Biden is making his pitch in a critical swing state that’s part of the “blue wall” trio of states — Wisconsin, Michigan and Pennsylvania — where he defeated Republican President Donald Trump in 2020. More than 33,000 vehicles travel on the Blatnik Bridge every day, but heavy trucks are barred from it because of its decaying condition. That, in turn, has caused lengthy detours. Without additional federal funds, the bridge would have had to shut down by 2030, according to the White House. It is getting $1 billion in federal funding for upgrades and repairs. US NATIONAL DEBT TRACKER FOR JAN 24, 2024: SEE WHAT AMERICAN TAXPAYERS (YOU) OWE IN REAL TIME The money comes from a $1.2 trillion infrastructure package that Biden signed into law more than two years ago. “It will save families time on their commutes. It will allow trucks to get goods to shelves more quickly and will boost businesses and small businesses across Duluth, Minnesota, and Superior, Wisconsin, that are looking for just a little breathing room and the opportunity to build generational wealth,” White House deputy chief of staff Natalie Quillian said. Though the president’s visit on Thursday is not officially a campaign event, his sharpened focus on Wisconsin with the election less than 10 months away highlights its place as one of a shrinking handful of genuine battleground states. $1B ISSUED TO REPLACE BRIDGE CONNECTING MINNESOTA AND WISCONSIN Four of the past six presidential elections have been decided by less than a percentage point in Wisconsin, with Trump winning narrowly in 2016 against Democrat Hillary Clinton before losing to Biden by a similar margin in 2020. All signs point to Wisconsin remaining nearly evenly divided, even as Democrats have made gains in recent elections. A Marquette Law School poll released in November showed the 2024 presidential race to be a toss-up with the election a year away. Democratic leaders in Wisconsin have stressed the importance of Biden visiting the state. Clinton’s defeat in 2016 was blamed in part on the fact that she never campaigned in Wisconsin after winning the Democratic nomination. “He needs to be here, simple as that,” Democratic Gov. Tony Evers told The Associated Press in an interview earlier this month. Democratic U.S. Rep. Mark Pocan agreed, saying he has told Biden he must visit Wisconsin to highlight his investments in roads, bridges and broadband internet expansion and his efforts to bring down inflation and fight climate change. “He wants to do that,” Pocan said. “He certainly understands the importance of Wisconsin.” It’s not just Biden. Vice President Kamala Harris was in Wisconsin on Monday to promote the administration’s efforts to protect abortion rights, and Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen will be there Friday to talk up Biden’s economic policies. When Biden visits Wisconsin on Thursday, it will mark his eighth trip to the state as president and his second to Superior, a city of 27,000 residents along the shores of Lake Superior just across the border from Minnesota. He’s expected to tout the more than $1 billion in federal funding, including from the infrastructure bill he signed into law, to replace the Blatnik Bridge, which connects Superior and Duluth. Ahead of Biden’s visit, Democrats in Wisconsin have been on a winning streak. They have won 14 of the past 17 statewide elections, including Biden in 2020, Evers in 2022 and Janet Protasiewicz in April. Her victory in the Wisconsin Supreme Court race took majority control of the court away from conservatives for the first time in 15 years, and she sided with the liberal majority in December in striking down Republican-drawn legislative maps. The court is now considering new maps that would greatly reduce Republican legislative majorities. Republicans have had wins, including reelecting U.S. Sen. Ron Johnson last year, picking up a congressional seat and increasing majorities in the state Senate and the Assembly. But those gains were overshadowed by the losses in the presidential, governor’s and Supreme Court races. Democrats have been able to chip into the once-reliably conservative Milwaukee suburbs that saw GOP support drop in the Trump era. Democrats also capitalized on population gains in Dane County, home to the liberal capital city of Madison and the University of Wisconsin. MINNESOTA GOV. WALZ PROPOSES $982 MILLION INFRASTRUCTURE PLAN WITH FOCUS ON PRESERVATION The Democratic moves have been able to help offset Republican gains made in rural areas during the Trump era. Republicans chose Milwaukee for their national convention in July, with Democrats gathering just across the border the following month in Chicago. Longtime Wisconsin Republican strategist Brandon Scholz said even Republicans who are not firm backers of Trump, the front-runner for the 2024 GOP presidential nomination after wins in the Iowa caucuses and the New Hampshire primary, are driven to defeat Biden in what appears to be an increasingly likely rematch of 2020. “Republicans are like sharks smelling blood in the water,” Scholz said. “They see Biden as weak. … Biden can come to Wisconsin a thousand times, and I don’t think it’s going to change his position.”
Republican lawmakers push to ban feds from removing border barriers after Supreme Court defeat
Rep. Mike Collins, R-Ga., introduced legislation Thursday that would ban federal authorities from removing razor wire or other barriers from the U.S.-Mexico border. Collins’ move comes after the U.S. Supreme Court handed down a narrow 5-4 ruling earlier this week allowing federal authorities to do just that. Texas Gov. Greg Abbott is in a pitched battle with President Biden’s administration and has deployed the Texas National Guard to stem the flow of migrants. “President Biden is aiding and abetting illegal aliens who are swarming our border and raiding our country’s resources,” Collins said in a statement, according to The Hill. “Why else would he try to stop the state of Texas from turning them back to Mexico?” “With the Supreme Court siding with the America Last policies of the Biden administration, Congress must stand with Governor Greg Abbott as he fights for the sovereignty of his state and our nation,” he added. WATCH: MIGRANTS CLAIM ASYLUM ON COLD JANUARY NIGHT AS CBP UNION LEADER TALKS BORDER CRISIS The Restricting Administration Zealots from Obliging Raiders, or “RAZOR,” Act specifically prevents federal authorities like Customs and Border Protection from removing barriers erected by any state. Biden had ordered federal officers to cut razor wire Texas had placed along certain areas to prevent illegal crossings. CRITICS BASH SCOTUS DECISION ALLOWING FEDS TO CUT RAZOR TEXAS INSTALLED TO STEM ILLEGAL BORDER CROSSINGS Despite the blow at the Supreme Court, Abbott is pressing forward in his defiance of federal authorities. He published a lengthy statement on Wednesday declaring that the federal government had failed to uphold its compact with Texas by allowing an invasion of millions of illegal immigrants under the Biden administration. TEXAS AG PAXTON PROMISES ‘FIGHT IS NOT OVER’ AFTER SCOTUS RULE ON BIDEN ADMIN’S RAZOR WIRE CUTTING “The Executive Branch of the United States has a constitutional duty to enforce federal laws protecting states, including immigration laws on the books right now,” Abbott said. “President Biden has refused to enforce those laws and has even violated them.” “James Madison, Alexander Hamilton, and the other visionaries who wrote the U.S. Constitution foresaw that States should not be left to the mercy of a lawless president who does nothing to stop external threats,” he added. Biden has yet to publicly address Abbott’s most recent defiance.
Trump-aligned super PAC sees surge in fundraising
A super PAC supporting former President Trump’s 2024 White House run hauled in over $46 million in fundraising during the second half of last year. Officials with Make America Great Again Inc. (MAGA Inc.) also confirmed to Fox News that they started the new year with more than $23 million in their coffers. MAGA Inc.’s fundraising during the final six months of 2023 is a dramatic increase from the $13 million it brought in during the first half of last year. Trump is the commanding frontrunner in the GOP presidential nomination race as he makes his third straight White House run. RNC CHAIR MCDANIEL TELLS FOX NEWS GOP NEEDS TO UNITE BEHIND TRUMP The former president crushed his rivals last week in Iowa’s low-turnout Republican presidential caucuses. On Sunday, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis suspended his campaign, making the race a two-candidate contest between Trump and Nikki Haley. HALEY LIVES TO FIGHT ANOTHER DAY, BUT FACES A ‘CHALLENGING’ ROAD AHEAD And on Tuesday, Trump topped the former South Carolina governor who later served as his ambassador to the United Nations by 11 points in New Hampshire’s GOP presidential primary. While Trump has long been known for his prowess when it comes to smaller, grassroots contributions, the MAGA Inc. fundraising figures suggest that the former president has been able to maintain connections with top dollar GOP donors. MAGA Inc., which notes that it has spent $38.5 million running ads supporting Trump so far this election cycle, has been urging donors to contribute to the super PAC in advance of what’s expected to be an onslaught of expenditures this year by President Biden’s re-election effort and other Democratic groups. “The general election has already started. President Trump has a clear path to win, but Democrats are spending more money and they are doing it earlier than ever before. MAGA Inc. is proud to be the organization entrusted to lead the outside effort to support President Trump and his America First movement into November,” Taylor Budowich, the super PAC’s CEO, told Fox News in a statement. Budowich was a top Trump adviser before moving over to MAGA Inc. in 2022. The super PAC is also steered by longtime Trump pollster and strategist Tony Fabrizio. And Meredith O’Rourke is its fundraiser. As Politico first reported, the biggest donation during the second half of last year came from Mellon banking fortune heir and transportation executive Timothy Mellon, who contributed $10 million. More than a dozen donors have contributed $1 million or more to MAGA Inc. in the past six months. Get the latest updates from the 2024 campaign trail, exclusive interviews and more at our Fox News Digital election hub.
Republic Day 2024: Meet the first Army couple, who are all set to march down Kartavya Path on Jan 26
Captain Supreetha expressed the pride they feel, stating, “It is a very proud moment for both of us that we are here with our respective contingents.” Their families are equally delighted and plan to attend the parade to witness this historic moment.
BJP demands apology from Lalu’s daughter Rohini for ‘insulting’ Bihar CM Nitish Kumar
The Bihar BJP on Thursday accused RJD supremo Lalu Pasad’s Singapore-based daughter Rohini Acharya of insulting Chief Minister Nitish Kumar and demanded a public apology from her.
Watch: PM Modi, French President Emmanuel Macron hold roadshow in Jaipur ahead of Republic Day celebrations
French President Emmanuel Macron is the Republic Day chief guest this year.
Susan Colins, key Senate GOP moderate, won’t back Trump in 2024
Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine, says she will not endorse former President Trump for president, even if he were to become the Republican nominee in the 2024 election. Collins, the ranking member on the Senate Appropriations Committee, is a moderate legislator and one of seven Republicans who voted to convict Trump on the impeachment charge of inciting an insurrection during his Senate trial in 2021. When asked by The Hill whether she would support Trump following his win in New Hampshire, Collins said, “I do not at this point.” Instead, she expressed optimism about former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley’s campaign and said she was happy that Haley would not drop out after losing to Trump by 11 points in New Hampshire. SEN. COLLINS ‘VERY UNLIKELY’ TO BACK TRUMP IN 2024, HITS BIDEN’S ‘CLUMSY’ SUPREME COURT ANNOUNCEMENT “I’m glad to hear last night that Nikki Haley is determined to stay in [the race.] I think the more people see of her, particularly since she appears to be the only alternative to Donald Trump right now, the more impressed they will be,” Collins said. However, the Maine Republican stopped short of endorsing Haley. Collins has previously said she was “unlikely” to support Trump and that the former president should not have pledged to pardon those convicted for participating in the Jan. 6, 2021, Capitol riot. However, other GOP senators have lined up behind the former president since his convincing primary election wins in Iowa and New Hampshire. SEN SCOTT SAYS DECISION TO ENDORSE TRUMP OVER HALEY CAME DOWN TO ‘ONE SIMPLE QUESTION’ Sens. John Cornyn, R-Texas, and Deb Fischer, R-Neb., endorsed Trump on Tuesday after he won 54% of the vote in the Granite State’s first-in-the-nation-primary. “It’s time for Republicans to unite around President Donald Trump and make Joe Biden a one-term president,” Fischer said in a statement. “These last three years have yielded a crippling border crisis, an inflationary economy that prices the American Dream out of reach for families, and a world in constant turmoil with our enemies on the march. I endorse Donald Trump for president so we can secure our border, get our economy moving again, and keep America safe.” Cornyn posted his endorsement on X, “To beat Biden, Republicans need to unite around a single candidate, and it’s clear that President Trump is Republican voters’ choice.” Sen. John Kennedy, R-La., joined his colleagues on Wednesday, declaring the primary “over.” HALEY PROJECTS OPTIMISM DESPITE WAVE OF TOP SOUTH CAROLINA POLS SIDING WITH TRUMP IN HER HOME STATE “Competition makes us all better, so I let the primary play out, but this thing’s over,” Kennedy posted on X. “It’s going to be Pres. Trump versus Pres. Biden: A choice between hope and more hurt. It’s not even close. I choose hope. I am endorsing Pres. Trump and look forward to working with him.” Despite her second loss, following another defeat in Iowa last week, former Gov. Haley has vowed to stay in the race, even with the prospect looming of an embarrassing home-state primary defeat in South Carolina on Feb. 24. “New Hampshire is first in the nation. It is not last in the nation,” Haley declared before leaving Tuesday night. “This race is far from over. There are dozens of states left to go.” Fox News Digital’s Jon Brown and Bradford Betz contributed to this report.
Northern Virginia could get casino as bill to allow Fairfax County referendum advances
Legislation that would allow a referendum on a casino in the northern Virginia suburbs of the nation’s capital cleared a hurdle Wednesday when a state Senate committee voted to advance the bill. The bill would allow Fairfax County to hold a referendum on placing a casino, as well as a convention center and concert hall, in Tysons Corner, in the heart of some of the nation’s wealthiest suburbs. The favorable vote came even as civic groups and homeowner associations in the neighborhoods around the proposed casino are expressing opposition. Several senators noted that they have received hundreds of emails and letters opposing the plan. NEW HAMPSHIRE CASINO FACES SHUTDOWN FOLLOWING ALLEGED COVID-19 RELIEF FUND FRAUD BY STATE SENATOR Supporters, though, say the legislation merely allows the residents of the county to decide for themselves whether to allow a casino. They also note that the county’s board of supervisors would have to sign off on a referendum as well. The bill now goes to the Senate Finance Committee for another round of review. It would then need to pass the full Senate, and then the House of Delegates, and finally get the signature of Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin. The bill’s sponsor, Sen. David Marsden, D-Fairfax, said a casino would help diversify the tax base of a county that has traditionally been the state’s economic engine and cash cow. But he said the post-pandemic economy has hit the county particularly hard, and that office space once filled with federal government contractors who desired physical proximity to the nation’s capital is empty now that many are working remotely. “This is the canary in the coal mine that our economy is changing in northern Virginia, and we need this help,” Marsden said Tuesday at a subcommittee hearing. The vote Wednesday in the Senate’s General Laws and Technology Committee was 10 in favor, with four opposed and one abstention. Virginia voted in 2020 to allow locations in five cities, subject to referendum. Bristol, Danville, Portsmouth and Norfolk all voted for a casino; Richmond voters twice rejected a proposed casino in that city. Another bill that passed the committee Wednesday would allow Petersburg to hold a referendum on a casino in place of Richmond. Marsden said allowing a casino in northern Virginia provides geographic diversity and fairness. Legislative studies have also shown that a northern Virginia casino would generate more tax revenue than anywhere else. He also said a northern Virginia location will draw gamblers from the wealthy Maryland suburbs like Potomac and Bethesda, allowing Virginia to recoup some of the money that now flows out of state when northern Virginia residents drive across the Potomac River to MGM’s massive casino in Maryland’s National Harbor. Opponents have expressed concerns about traffic and crime. The Northern Virginia Chamber of Commerce supports the bill. Also on Wednesday, the committee voted in support of legislation that would allow online sportsbooks to take wagers on games involving colleges located within the state.
GOP governors rally behind Texas as Abbott defies Biden: ‘Dereliction of duty’
Top Republican governors from across the U.S. voiced their support for Texas Gov. Greg Abbott as he defies President Biden in an effort to stem the flow of illegal immigration across the U.S.-Mexico border. Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis vowed to keep assisting Texas with “personnel and assets as the crisis continues, while South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem accused Biden of “dereliction of duty.” Oklahoma Gov. Kevin Stitt also declared that his state “stands with Texas.” “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. “TX is upholding the law while Biden is flouting it. FL will keep assisting Texas with personnel and assets,” he added. SUPREME COURT SIDES WITH BIDEN IN TEXAS BORDER WIRE CASE; BORDER PATROL UNION BLASTS THE DECISION Abbott defied Biden in a lengthy statement Wednesday, arguing the federal government broke the compact between the U.S. and the individual states. “The Executive Branch of the United States has a constitutional duty to enforce federal laws protecting states, including immigration laws on the books right now,” Abbott said. “President Biden has refused to enforce those laws and has even violated them.” CRITICS BASH SCOTUS DECISION ALLOWING FEDS TO CUT RAZOR TEXAS INSTALLED TO STEM ILLEGAL BORDER CROSSINGS “James Madison, Alexander Hamilton, and the other visionaries who wrote the U.S. Constitution foresaw that States should not be left to the mercy of a lawless president who does nothing to stop external threats.” Noem also vowed assistance for Texas in a Wednesday statement, saying Texas has an absolute right to defend itself against invasion. WATCH: MIGRANTS CLAIM ASYLUM ON COLD JANUARY NIGHT AS CBP UNION LEADER TALKS BORDER CRISIS “[Abbott] is exactly right to invoke Texas’ constitutional authority to defend itself. The Biden Administration has created a national security crisis and put Americans in danger. Their failure is an unconstitutional dereliction of duty,” she asserted. Abbott is fighting multiple legal battles with the Biden administration, which has threatened legal action over Texas’ seizure of Shelby Park near Eagle Pass. Texas has also filed lawsuits against the administration, which cut razor wire set up by the state on the Rio Grande to prevent migrants from illegally crossing into Texas, as well as the establishment of buoys on the river. TEXAS AG PAXTON PROMISES ‘FIGHT IS NOT OVER’ AFTER SCOTUS RULE ON BIDEN ADMIN’S RAZOR WIRE CUTTING Meanwhile, Democrats have accused Abbott of using the National Guard to “create chaos” at the border. “If Abbott is defying yesterday’s Supreme Court ruling, [Biden] needs to establish sole federal control of the Texas National Guard now,” wrote Rep. Joaquin Castro, D-Texas, in reference to a narrow Supreme Court decision allowing federal authorities to cut razor wire along the border. Fox News’ Greg Wehner contributed to this report
Trump says Nikki Haley donors ‘permanently barred’ from MAGA movement
Former President Trump announced donors to his presidential primary opponent will be “barred” from the “Make American Great Again” community. In a lengthy Truth Social diatribe against former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley, who the former president called a “birdbrain,” Trump promised to reject any attempts by her donors to switch to his camp. “Nikki ‘Birdbrain’ Haley is very bad for the Republican Party and, indeed, our Country. Her False Statements, Derogatory Comments, and Humiliating Public Loss, is demeaning to True American Patriots,” the former president wrote. “Her anger should be aimed at her Third Rate Political Consultants and, more importantly, Crooked Joe Biden and those that are destroying our Country – NOT THE PEOPLE WHO WILL SAVE IT.” GOP STRATEGISTS SAY HALEY NEEDS ‘REALISTIC PATH’ TO WIN PRIMARIES AFTER NEW HAMPSHIRE LOSS TO TRUMP In the post, Trump reflected on past election experiences in which donors to opposing candidates would consolidate around him as campaigns came to an end. Objecting to portions of the Republican Party’s opposition to his re-election campaign, the former president swore not to take money from Haley’s donors in the future. “When I ran for Office and won, I noticed that the losing Candidate’s ‘Donors’ would immediately come to me, and want to ‘help out.’ This is standard in Politics, but no longer with me,” Trump continued. NIKKI HALEY SUGGESTS TRUMP MAY NOT BE ‘MENTALLY FIT’ TO BE PRESIDENT AFTER HE SEEMS TO CONFUSE HER WITH PELOSI He concluded, “Anybody that makes a ‘Contribution’ to Birdbrain, from this moment forth, will be permanently barred from the MAGA camp. We don’t want them, and will not accept them, because we Put America First, and ALWAYS WILL!” Trump also accused Haley, whom he appointed as the U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations in 2017, of being weak on the world stage. “I knew Nikki well, she was average at best, is not the one to take on World Leaders, and she never did. That was up to me, and that is why they respected the United States,” Trump continued. Haley projected optimism as the former South Carolina governor began campaigning in her home state Thursday. Nevertheless, Haley appears to have few allies in the upper echelon of the South Carolina GOP and the Republican Party, with both of her state’s senators endorsing Trump and RNC head Ronna McDaniel all but declaring Trump the victor in the 2024 primary. Rep. Nancy Mace also congratulated Haley on a well-run campaign but endorsed Trump earlier this week. Fox News Digital’s Anders Hagstrom contributed to this report.