Washington state Democrats propose replacing term ‘sex offender’ to advance a ‘person-first’ approach
Democrats in the Washington state legislature have introduced a bill that would replace the term “sex offender” in an apparent attempt to avoid defining a sex offender by their crime. House Bill 2177, if passed, would change the name of the Sex Offender Policy Board, or SOPB, to the Sex Offense Policy Board. The bill also adds a convicted sex offender to the board, as proponents argue the offender’s “lived experiences” are “invaluable.” “One representative with lived experience with incarceration for a sex offense appointed by the chair of the sex offense policy board and approved by a majority vote of the board’s voting membership” would serve on the board, the bill states. Board membership is not restricted to Level One sex offenders, who are least likely to recommit a sex offense, but rather, the bill allows Level Three, the most dangerous felons, to serve on the board, KTTH radio host Jason Rantz reported. The sex offender will serve alongside victims of sex crimes, who would be another new addition to the board. MISSING WASHINGTON GIRL, 14, MAY BE WITH PREDATOR SHE MET ONLINE, MOM SAYS The SOPB was created in 2008 to “promote a coordinated and integrated response to sex offender management and create an entity to respond to issues that arise, such as integrating state and federal laws in a way that enhances the state’s interest in protecting the community with an emphasis on public safety,” according to its website. State Rep. Tarra Simmons, a Democrat sponsoring the bill, called for a sex offender to serve on the board alongside sex offense victims and their advocates. Simmons served time for three felony convictions for possession of controlled substances and retail theft in 2011. “I think that we all do better when we have a diverse legislature. That’s why I’m here,” Simmons said at a House Community Safety, Justice, and Reentry hearing. “And I’m proud to be here. I think I bring some lived experience that was missing from here. And while some people may have a stigma for people who have committed a sex offense, I think they have invaluable information to share that can really guide this board.” SOPB chair Brad Meryhew spoke at the hearing in support of the proposal, saying he believes it brings to the board “that sort of reality check that we always need in public policy.” “And I welcome the opportunity to have those voices at the table and to do everything I can to facilitate their active participation in our process,” he said. Republican state Rep. Dan Griffey opposes the measure and questioned why the board would “advocate” for a sex offender. TRIBAL LEADERS ASK WASHINGTON STATE LAWMAKERS FOR FUNDING TO COMBAT OPIOID CRISIS During public testimony at the hearing, SOPB coordinator Whitney Hunt defended the legislation by arguing that the proposed change moves forward a “person-first” approach. “This bill incorporates recommendations the board has previously indicated its support for regarding the use of person-first language,” she said. “This change aligns with best practices and research, and encompasses all the individuals involved and impacted by the sex offense management system, including victims.” The apparent effort by Washington state Democrats to destigmatize sex offenders comes after other attempts to release them from prison. CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP In 2021, Democrats passed legislation to more easily distribute conditionally-released sexually violent predators across the state, including encouraging the predators to pursue a Less Restrictive Alternative, an outpatient treatment program in a community setting. State Sen. Christine Rolfes, a Democrat who sponsored the bill, said at the time that it is, in part, about letting “people who are potentially dangerous, but not necessarily dangerous, back into communities where they can live safely and with their constitutional liberties protected.” In 2022, the SOPB recommended the state end a rule prohibiting Less Restrictive Alternatives from being placed within 500 feet of a childcare facility. The board argued that “there is no particular increase in risk associated with proximity to the location where individuals who have committed sexual offenses are housed.”
Russia hands down criminal charges following rare large protest
Activists in Bashkortostan face 15 years in prison on charges of organising ‘mass riots’, assaulting public officials. Russian authorities have laid serious criminal charges against four people following a large protest in the central region of Bashkortosan. Security forces in the city of Ufa, in the Urals mountains, arrested the fourth suspect on Sunday evening, local media reported. The charges follow protests by thousands last week over the jailing of an Indigenous rights activist. Police were swift to crack down on what was a rare large showing of dissent in Russia since Moscow’s war against Ukraine started. Dim Davletkildin was detained after being summoned by police in the town of Baymak, the scene of the rally, which was sparked by the sentencing on Wednesday of Fail Alsynov to four years in a penal colony. Among the charges faced by Alsynov’s fellow activists are organisation of “mass riots” and assault of public officials, reported the OVN-Info monitoring group. The charges carry a potential sentence of 15 years. OVD-Info added that authorities have already opened dozens of lesser administrative cases, accusing demonstrators of joining unsanctioned rallies. The same court in Baymak, 1,400km (870 miles) east of Moscow, that last week sentenced Alsynov for inciting ethnic hatred has jailed several people for eight to 15 days for taking part in the protest, which saw police pelted with snowballs. The authorities responded with tear gas. The charges against Alsynov followed a speech he delivered last year as locals opposed plans for the development of a gold mine. The regional governor said the activist had made racist comments about people from Central Asia and the Caucasus. Alsynov claims that his words were mistranslated from the Bashkir language. The protesters said the verdict was delayed revenge for his role in protests years prior, when activists successfully blocked plans to mine for soda on a hill considered sacred by locals. Large protests are rare in Russia due to the risks of arrests. Thousands of people have been detained in the past two years for opposing the war. Often coming from regions with few economic prospects, Indigenous peoples from across Russia have been actively courted by recruitment officials and heavily represented in the ranks that Russia has sent to the front line in Ukraine. Alsynov was fined last year for criticising the invasion online, saying the war was not in Bashkortostan’s interests. He heads Bashkort, a grassroots movement working to preserve the culture, language and ethnic identity of the region’s people that was banned as an “extremist organisation” in 2020. Bashkortostan is an oil-producing region of 4.1 million people and is one of more than 80 entities that make up the Russian Federation. The Bashkir ethnic minority are among Russia’s 260,000 people who are recognised as Indigenous to Russia. Indigenous peoples living in Russia have long fought for their rights and to protect their traditional territory, which is often located in areas that are used for natural resource extraction, such as mining. Adblock test (Why?)
Spain’s Housing Battles: A pensioner-turned-activist fights evictions
Under threat of eviction, Antonio emerges from his quiet retirement to fight for housing rights in Spain. Antonio and Maria are a Spanish couple in their 80s from Madrid. For the first time in their lives, they are finding it difficult to afford gas and electricity bills. They are struggling with the rising cost of living taking grip across Europe. To make matters worse, their rent has just been increased and there are no housing laws to protect them. Antonio and his wife have nowhere else to go. They decide to join their neighbours who are applying pressure on the Spanish authorities to bring in fair rental regulations. Faced with the possibility of losing his home, Antonio unwittingly goes from a quiet retirement to becoming the face of a grassroots movement that is giving hope to his community. Spain’s Housing Battles is a documentary film by Rodrigo Hernandez and Adriana Cardoso. Adblock test (Why?)
Babri mosque to Ram temple: A timeline from 1528 to 2024
India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi has inaugurated a grand temple to the Hindu God Ram in Ayodhya in the northern state of Uttar Pradesh, culminating a four-decade campaign to build the temple by Hindu far-right groups. The temple, popularly known as Ram Mandir, is being constructed on the land where a 16th-century mosque stood until 1992, when Hindu far-right mobs demolished it, triggering a nationwide Hindu-Muslim riots that killed more than 2,000 people, most of them Muslims. Hindus claim the Babri Masjid was built on the site of a temple during the first Mughal ruler Babar, on land that was the birthplace of their chief deity Ram. Muslims offered prayers until 1949 when idols were placed inside the mosque allegedly by Hindu priests. An Indian Supreme Court ruling in 2019 gave ownership of the land to a Hindu trust. The inauguration of the temple is being seen as a symbol of religious triumphalism, turning India’s secular democracy into a Hindu-first nation, further polarising politics that will likely benefit the governing Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) months ahead of general elections. Here is a timeline of the mosque-temple dispute: 1528 – Mosque construction Babri Mosque is built by Mughal commander Mir Baqi under the rule of the first Mughal king, Babur. 1853 – First recorded instance of conflict A Hindu sect claims that a temple was destroyed during Babur’s reign to make way for the mosque. 1859 – The British erect a fence The British colonial administration partitions the site into two separate sections for Hindus and Muslims. Muslims allowed to pray inside, while Hindus allowed to worship in the outer courtyard. December 23, 1949 – Mosque becomes a ‘disputed property’ The government declares the mosque a “disputed property” and locks its gate after idols of Ram deity are allegedly placed by Hindu priests inside the structure, according to police reports. No Muslim prayers offered at the mosque after that. 1950-61 – Civil suits filed Four civil suits are filed in the court ranging from the rights to perform Hindu rituals at the site to a Muslim group seeking declaration and possession of the site. 1984 – Hindu temple committee A committee is formed by Hindu far-right groups, including the Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP), to spearhead the construction of a Hindu temple. 1990 – BJP’s Ram temple campaign BJP leader Lal Krishna Advani leads a nationwide campaign to build a temple in the place of the mosque. The nationwide campaign leaves a trail of violence in its wake, resulting in Advani’s arrest in the eastern state of Bihar. December 6, 1992 – Hindu nationalist mob tears down the mosque Tens of thousands of Hindus gather in Ayodhya, pulling down the 16th-century mosque. Hindu-Muslim riots break out across the country. December 16, 1992 – Liberhan Commission Ten days after the demolition of the mosque, the central government forms the Liberhan Commission to investigate the incident. 2003 – Archaeological survey Archaeologists begin a court-directed survey to determine whether a Hindu temple existed at the site. The survey says there is evidence of a temple beneath the mosque, but many archaeologists and Muslims dispute the findings. June 2009 Liberhan Commission report The commission submits its report 17 years after the demolition of the mosque. The report names several leaders of the BJP and its ideological mentor Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) as responsible for the demolition of the mosque. Some senior BJP leaders, including Advani, face trial. September 2010 – Site to be ‘shared’ Three judges of the Allahabad High Court rule that Hindus and Muslims should share the disputed site. The court says two-thirds of the 2.77-acre (1.12-hectare) site belongs to Hindu groups – Nirmohi Akhara sect and Ramlalla Virajman – and the rest to the Muslim group (Sunni Central Wakf Board, UP). May 2011 – Ruling suspended The Supreme Court suspends the High Court ruling following appeals by Hindu and Muslim groups. March 21, 2017 – Out-of-court settlement The chief justice of India suggests an out-of-court settlement between Hindus and Muslims. April 19, 2017 – Conspiracy charges The Supreme Court revives conspiracy charges against top governing party leaders – Advani, Murli Manohar Joshi – and 13 others in the mosque demolition case. December 5, 2017 – Supreme Court hearing The top court hears 13 appeals in the dispute. January 25, 2019 – Five-judge bench to hear case Chief Justice of India (CJI) Ranjan Gogoi sets up a five-judge bench to hear the case overruling an earlier order by then-CJI Dipak Misra to set up a three-judge bench. The new bench comprises Chief Justice Gogoi and Justices SA Bobde, DY Chandrachud, Ashok Bhushan and SA Nazeer. The top court sets up a mediation panel headed by former Supreme Court judge FM Ibrahim Kalifulla to reach an out-of-court settlement. The Supreme Court says mediation efforts have failed. August 6, 2019 – Day-to-day hearing Supreme Court commences day-to-day hearing on the Ayodhya land dispute. October 16, 2019 – Hearing concluded, order reserved The Supreme Court concludes the hearing; the five-judge bench reserves the judgement. November 9, 2019 – Supreme Court ruling The Supreme Court rules that the land must be handed over to a trust to oversee the construction of a Hindu temple, subject to conditions. A separate piece of land in Ayodhya is awarded to Muslim groups. February 5, 2020 – Trust set up A 15-member Shree Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust is set up to oversee the construction and management of the temple. August 5, 2020 – PM lays foundation stone Modi lays the foundation stone for the temple and unveils its plaque. September 30, 2020 A court in Lucknow acquits senior BJP leaders, including Advani – a one-time mentor of Prime Minister Modi – in the case for lack of evidence. January 22, 2024 – Temple consecration Despite the construction of some wings still pending, the Ram temple is consecrated. A large ceremony featuring prominent figures, Hindu spiritual leaders, and Modi is held in Ayodhya. The ceremony involves a procession of idols and a statue of
Ram Mandir Pran Pratishtha Ceremony: Invitees given prasad box with 7 items, know what they are
After the Pran Pratishta ceremony, guests are given a special “prasad” box
Ayodhya Ram Mandir: Know where old Ram Lalla idol will be placed?
On Monday, during the ‘Pran Pratishtha’ ceremony in Ayodhya’s Ram Temple, the 51-inch Ram Lalla idol, crafted by Arun Yogiraj, found it rightful place. The Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust announced that the original Ram Lalla idol, along with the new one, and the two not selected idols, will be housed in the Ram Temple.
House Jan. 6 Committee deleted more than 100 encrypted files days before GOP took majority: sources
EXCLUSIVE: The former House Select Committee on Jan. 6 deleted more than 100 encrypted files from its probe just days before Republicans took over the majority in the House of Representatives, Fox News Digital has learned. The House Administration Committee’s Oversight Subcommittee is leading an investigation into Jan. 6, 2021, led by Chairman Barry Loudermilk, R-Ga. The panel is investigating the security failures on that day, as well as the “actions” of the former select committee investigating the Capitol riot. HOUSE INVESTIGATION INTO ‘WHAT REALLY HAPPENED ON JANUARY 6’ ENTERING ‘NEW PHASE’ WITH SPEAKER JOHNSON SUPPORT Loudermilk, last week, told Fox News Digital his investigation has entered a “new phase” with renewed support from House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., who has committed additional resources to the panel’s investigation. Sources familiar with Loudermilk’s investigation told Fox News Digital that, per House rules, the former select committee, which was chaired by Rep. Bennie Thompson, D-Miss., was required to turn over all documents from its investigation to the new, GOP-led panel, after Republicans secured the majority of the House of Representatives following the 2022 midterm elections. Sources told Fox News Digital that Thompson had told Loudermilk that the select committee would turn over four terabytes of archived data, but that the new committee only received approximately two terabytes of data. Fox News Digital has learned that Loudermilk’s committee hired a digital forensics team to scrape hard drives to determine what information they were not given. The forensics team, according to sources familiar with their search, determined that 117 files were both deleted and encrypted. Sources said those files were deleted on Jan. 1, 2023 – just days before Thompson’s team was required to transfer the data to the new committee. Fox News Digital has learned the forensics team has recovered all 117 deleted and encrypted files. Now, Loudermilk is demanding answers and passwords to access the data. Fox News Digital exclusively obtained a letter Loudermilk sent to Thompson, requesting access to recovered digital files by his forensic team. “As you acknowledged in your July 7, 2023 letter, the Select Committee to Investigate the January 6th Attack on the United States Capitol (Select Committee) did not archive all Committee records as required by House Rules,” Loudermilk wrote. “You wrote that you sent specific transcribed interviews and depositions to the White House and Department of Homeland Security but did not archive them with the Clerk of the House.” REP. LOUDERMILK BLASTS JANUARY 6 COMMITTEE FOR TARGETING HIM: ‘THERE IS A WAR ON THE TRUTH IN THIS COUNTRY’ Loudermilk added that Thompson also “claimed that you turned over 4-terabytes of digital files, but the hard drives archived by the Select Committee with the Clerk of the House contain less than 3- terabytes of data.” Loudermilk explained that after a forensic analysis of the data and archived hard drives, he was able to recover “numerous digital records from hard drives archived by the Select Committee.” “One recovered file disclosed the identity of an individual whose testimony was not archived by the Select Committee,” Loudermilk wrote. “Further, we found that most of the recovered files are password-protected, preventing us from determining what they contain.” Loudermilk asked that Thompson provide him “a list of passwords for all password-protected files created by the Select Committee” so that his committee can “access these files and ensure they are properly archived.” Meanwhile, Loudermilk also penned letters to White House general counsel and the general counsel of the Department of Homeland Security, requesting “unedited and unredacted transcripts” of White House and DHS testimony to the former select committee. Loudermilk’s committee knows the transcripts of these interviews exist, but said they were not turned over by the Thompson-led committee. Loudermilk demanded the White House and DHS comply with his request by Jan. 24. “It’s obvious that Pelosi’s Select Committee went to great lengths to prevent Americans from seeing certain documents produced in their investigation. It also appears that Bennie Thompson and Liz Cheney intended to obstruct our Subcommittee by failing to preserve critical information and videos as required by House rules,” Loudermilk told Fox News Digital. “The American people deserve to know the full truth, and Speaker Johnson has empowered me to use all tools necessary to recover these documents to get the truth, and I will.”
Hunter has ties to nearly 2 dozen current, former Biden officials as federal charges, House probes loom
Nearly two dozen current and former officials serving in the White House and Biden administration, including the president’s national security adviser and the secretary of state, have extensive ties to Hunter Biden, who is accused by Republicans of selling access to his father dating back over a decade. A Fox News Digital analysis reveals the extent of Hunter’s potential reach in the White House as the embattled first son faces federal tax charges in California, as well as a congressional investigation into his alleged influence peddling and foreign business deals. Hunter pleaded not guilty during his initial court appearance this month after being charged with nine tax crimes stemming from an investigation by Justice Department Special Counsel David Weiss. A day earlier, he made a shocking appearance at a House Oversight Committee meeting where members were considering whether to hold him in contempt for defying a subpoena as part of the impeachment inquiry into his father, President Biden. The most notable individuals from Fox’s analysis include two members of Biden’s Cabinet, one former Cabinet member, a top aide to Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin, a national security adviser, four top Biden White House aides, the communications director for first lady Jill Biden, and multiple other former staffers. All emails were reviewed and verified by Fox News Digital. Former White House communications director Kate Bedingfield, who departed the role last year but is still a staunch defender of the Biden administration and serves as an outside surrogate, previously communicated with Hunter in 2016 about a column written by Joel Goldstein, a law professor, praising his father’s presidency. “It is excellent. We will move it around to the WH press corps,” she wrote to Hunter and a number of others. Bedingfield was serving as then-Vice President Biden’s communications director at the time. Other emails from 2015 showed Bedingfield later tried to quash a Bloomberg story about Hunter at the request of his firm, Rosemont Seneca. The emails showed a close relationship between Biden’s office, Hunter’s longtime business partner Eric Schwerin, and the media. Schwerin, who was the then-president of Hunter’s now-defunct Rosemont Seneca Partners investment firm, asked Bedingfield whether there was any “follow up” by other news outlets on a New York Times story that said the “credibility of the vice president’s anti-corruption message may have been undermined” by Hunter’s serving on the board of Burisma Holdings. VP BIDEN’S OFFICE TRIED TO QUASH BLOOMBERG STORY ABOUT HUNTER BIDEN AT HIS FIRM’S REQUEST, EMAILS SHOW Bedingfield, who is now a CNN political commentator, responded that a Bloomberg reporter had asked about it but was “doing everything she can to not use it.” “…VP just finished an interview with the Bloomberg reporter traveling with us and she asked about it, though she assures me she’s doing everything she can to not use it,” she wrote. “I will have a transcript soon but my quick notes on his answer are: No one has any doubt about my record on corruption, I don’t talk to my son about his business and my children don’t talk to me about mine, I have complete faith in my son.” Schwerin responded, “I would just urge her (as I know you are doing) that there is no new news there. And even if she uses it — she should avoid getting into past stories (Navy, etc.) that have nothing to do with this.” The story was ultimately published. John Nevergole, a business executive who was tapped in 2022 to serve another term on President Biden’s Advisory Council on Doing Business in Africa (PAC-DBIA), previously worked as a senior adviser to Rosemont Seneca and strategized with Hunter on brokering business deals in western Africa years prior to his appointment in the current administration. Emails show Nevergole’s relationship with Hunter dating back to at least 2011. In an Aug. 5, 2011, email chain, Schwerin, then-president of Rosemont Seneca Advisors, informed Hunter that Nevergole had requested to split a retainer fee 70/30 for helping broker a deal between Rosemont and Brazilian construction giant OAS. BIDEN ADMIN’S COMMERCE APPOINTEE WAS LONGTIME BUSINESS PARTNER OF HUNTER BIDEN, EMAILS REVEAL After Hunter pushed back on the price, Schwerin, who was also a member of ABD’s board of advisers for several years, said, “So, I am OK with 70/30 … Mainly because I think the relationship can bear fruit in other areas down the line, e.g. in Africa if we choose to focus there.” A few years later, Schwerin emailed Hunter on May 29, 2014, saying he “talked to John Nevergole yesterday, and he said you had mentioned to him you wanted to discuss natural gas at some point.” At the time, Hunter had just been appointed to serve as a board member for Ukrainian oil and gas company Burisma Holdings, for which he had received intense scrutiny over several years that prompted him to later admit he used “poor judgment” and that he would not join the board again if he could do things over. The two communicated frequently from 2010 to 2017. Michael Hochman, a White House aide who has held multiple positions in the Biden administration, including White House deputy staff secretary, previously spent nearly two decades at a Delaware law firm that was heavily involved with corporate entities tied to Hunter, his business associates and other Biden family members. Between January 2021 and June 2022, Hochman served as the White House deputy staff secretary before joining the White House’s recently created Office of the National Cyber Director (ONCD), which advises Biden on cybersecurity policy and strategy. Hochman started out as the deputy general counsel and deputy chief of staff before being promoted to chief of staff last November. Fox’s analysis found several emails between Hochman and Hunter sent during the Obama-Biden administration, in addition to nearly a dozen Biden-linked corporate entities that were registered through the law firm where Hochman spent most of his career. TOP WHITE HOUSE AIDE WORKED AT LAW FIRM HEAVILY INVOLVED WITH CORPORATE ENTITIES TIED TO HUNTER, BIDEN FAMILY
Down and out: What went wrong with Ron DeSantis’ run for the Republican presidential nomination?
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis’ presidential campaign peaked before it even started. A year ago, DeSantis was still basking in the glow of his convincing gubernatorial re-election victory in Florida and was the clear alternative to former President Trump in the burgeoning Republican White House race. The former president was still facing plenty of criticism by fellow Republicans for contributing to the GOP’s lackluster performance in the 2022 midterms. Additionally, Trump’s 2024 presidential campaign launch at his Mar-a-Lago club in Palm Beach, Florida, a couple of weeks after the midterms was panned by many pundits. HALEY REVEALS HER PITCH FOR DESANTIS SUPPORTERS DeSantis was neck and neck with Trump in a slew of national and early state polls, but as winter turned to spring, the Florida governor came under repeated verbal assault by the former president and his allies. DeSantis was already bruised by the time he formally launched his campaign, an announcement on social media that was mired with technical difficulties – marking the first of many bad omens for the popular governor. RON DESANTIS ENDORSES DONALD TRUMP AS HE DROPS OUT OF THE 2024 GOP PRESIDENTIAL RACE The governor faced an onslaught of negative ads from the Trump world during late spring into summer. Veteran New Hampshire-based Republican strategist Michael Dennehy, who served on multiple presidential campaigns, argued that “Trump’s barrage of attacks was the beginning of the end of DeSantis.” DeSantis made headlines over the summer, with a series of campaign staff purges and resets. There were more staff shakeups in the fall, this time at the DeSantis-aligned super PAC Never Back Down, which had taken over many of the traditional duties of a presidential campaign, including grassroots outreach. Longtime Republican consultant Alex Castellanos, a veteran of half-a-dozen presidential campaigns, noted that DeSantis “ran a mechanical campaign and failed on two mechanical fronts.” “He wasted bazillions on door knocking when you don’t build a brand going door to door. And two – he’s a mechanical candidate who you don’t want at your door. You need to be a people person to run for public office,” he argued. Dennehy agreed, charging that DeSantis “just didn’t have the charisma to connect with voters in Iowa and New Hampshire.” CHECK OUT THE LATEST POLL NUMBERS IN THE NEW HAMPSHIRE PRESIDENTIAL PRIMARY Jim Merrilll, another longtime New Hampshire-based Republican strategist and presidential campaign veteran, said that the DeSantis “withdrawal is also a reminder of a simple rule – voters need to first like and connect with candidates before they can support them.” Merrill added that “DeSantis is an excellent governor whose national campaign time and again failed to put him in a position to succeed.” Castellanos stressed that “the biggest thing that hurt him is that Republican voters aren’t looking for an alternative to Donald Trump. Donald Trump is their incumbent president.” Dan Eberhart, a top DeSantis donor, bundler and surrogate, told Fox News Digital that “Ron DeSantis ran into a bump and the bump was named Trump.” “This wasn’t about money. The campaign insists they had enough money to get to Super Tuesday. I think this was about data and polling and Gov. DeSantis being realistic about whether or not Trump was beatable,” Eberhart said. He added: “more importantly, I think this was about 2028, and DeSantis doesn’t want a 5% to 8% showing in New Hampshire on his record. Let’s face it, he’s the Republican voters’ de facto second choice, and he’s Trump voters’ second choice, and so he’s decided to get out and govern Florida.” The latest public opinion polls in New Hampshire indicate Trump holding on to a double-digit lead over Haley with hours to go until Primary Day. Merrill said that DeSantis’ departure from the race “narrows Haley’s margin for error here. Many, if not most, of DeSantis voters are going to migrate over to Trump. And so it’s critical for her to do well in New Hampshire to give her some momentum heading into South Carolina.” But he added that “clearly the consolidation of the field over the last week indicates that there’s increasing pressure to bring the primary process to a close.” Dennehy was more blunt. “I think it puts a nail in her coffin,” he said of Haley. “I don’t think she’ll be able to keep under 50%. And I think there’s a very good chance that Trump hits 60% on Tuesday, which will signal the end of the Haley campaign and virtually seal the deal for the Trump nomination.” Get the latest updates from the 2024 campaign trail, exclusive interviews and more at our Fox News Digital election hub.
Energy developer axing key coal power plants to meet eco goals, jeopardizing power for millions
A major U.S. energy developer has initiated the process of shuttering two major coal-fired power plants serving more than a million homes in the upper Midwest, helping the company meet its corporate climate commitments. Minneapolis-based Xcel Energy announced this month that it closed one of three coal units at Sherburne County Generating Plant, Minnesota’s largest power plant, as part of its plans to deliver 100% carbon-free electricity to customers and shut down all of its remaining coal facilities. The company is planning to retire the two remaining units at the plant and another coal plant in Minnesota, the Allen S. King plant, by 2030. In response to Xcel Energy’s shutdown of the unit at Sherburne County Generating Plant and plans to shutter all remaining coal generation, the South Dakota Public Utilities Commission (SDPUC) fired off a letter urging the company to reconsider those plans. The company — which has pledged to replace the plants with electricity generation from green energy like solar — provides power to customers in both Minnesota and South Dakota. “The North American Electric Reliability Corporation recently released a long-term risk assessment that showed the MISO region as having a high reliability risk around the time period the plants are planned to be closed,” SDPUC Chair Kristie Fiegen told Fox News Digital. “One of the main contributors to that reliability risk is the premature retirement of dispatchable baseload generation before the appropriate replacement resources are added to the system.” ENVIRONMENTALISTS CALL ON BIDEN ADMIN TO TANK NATURAL GAS PROJECT AMID NATIONWIDE ARCTIC BLAST “While Xcel may have plans to replace part of the lost capacity from the early retirements with new solar and storage, the Commission is concerned that the replacement resources will not be dispatchable and, thereby, not as dependable as the Sherco and King plants have been for South Dakota’s customers over the years,” Fiegen continued. In December, the North American Electric Reliability Corporation — a nonprofit organization that makes periodic recommendations to boost reliability — published its annual Long-Term Reliability Assessment. According to the report, the region managed by Midcontinent Independent System Operator (MISO), which oversees much of the Midwest including Minnesota and South Dakota, faces some of the highest grid risks as a result of coal generation retirements that are projected to outpace new green energy development at certain points in the future. BIDEN ADMINISTRATION RIGGED INTERNAL ANALYSIS, SOFTENING BLOW OF POWER PLANT REGULATIONS: REPORT Xcel’s shutdown of the Sherburne County Generating Plant and Allen S. King Generating Plant would account for a sizable share of that existing coal generation scheduled to soon be taken offline. The two plants have a total capacity of nearly 3,000 megawatts, enough to power more than a million homes. MISO spokesperson Brandon Morris, though, said in a statement to Fox News Digital that the grid operator is both fuel agnostic and policy neutral and would continue to support the clean energy goals of its states and member utilities “across a diverse and complex system undergoing an energy transition while also maintaining system reliability.” Under Xcel’s plans, it will build a 710-megawatt solar farm at the site of the Sherburne County Generating Plant and solar projects with a total capacity of 650 megawatts to replace the Allen S. King Generating Plant. However, those plans wouldn’t produce enough power to replace the electricity generation of the two retiring coal facilities and would further represent intermittent forms of power that are dependent on weather conditions. “Being in a northern climate, the Commission’s main concern is that there are enough dispatchable resources on the system to meet South Dakotans’ winter heating loads during long cold spells when there is a chance that renewable resources are not producing energy,” Fiegen added. “Keeping the lights on and making sure we have a reliable, affordable electric grid is one of our greatest priorities at the South Dakota Public Utilities Commission.” “Premature closure of reliable baseload energy could put lives at risk if the electric system isn’t ready to absorb those retirements,” she said. “To this Commission, the NERC risk assessment is a flashing, bright-red warning light that there is good chance this could be the case.” MICHIGAN DEMS, GRETCHEN WHITMER ARE PURSUING A GREEN NEW DEAL, THREATENING FUTURE GRID STABILITY Energy experts have long warned that replacing fossil fuel power generation with green energy could present risks, since those alternatives produce a smaller share of their listed capacity. Solar panels, for example, produce just 25% and wind turbines produce 34% of their listed capacity, according to federal data. Coal, natural gas and nuclear power plants, meanwhile, produce 49%, 54% and 93% of their listed capacity, respectively. “You have people in hospitals, you have low-income people who are affected. You have farmers, you have small businesses,” Michelle Bloodworth, the president and CEO of America’s Power, a coal power trade group, told Fox News Digital in an interview. “They certainly, obviously, rely upon electricity, whether that’s for health and human safety.” “But, also, coal provides an insurance policy when either other resources, like intermittent, are not available, or natural gas prices. We saw a lot of high natural gas prices. Consumers can put food on the table instead of having to spend a significant portion of their income — which they really can’t afford to — on their electricity bill which, as we are seeing, continue to climb across the United States.” CONSUMER GROUP LAUNCHES CAMPAIGN TARGETING ENERGY COMPANY PUSHING ESG MEASURES Overall, Xcel — whose largest shareholders include BlackRock, Vanguard, and State Street, massive asset managers which have forwarded so-called environmental, social and governance (ESG) initiatives — has issued some of the most aggressive corporate sustainability goals of any developer in the nation, vowing to lower its electricity emissions 80% by 2030 and fully decarbonize its electricity generation by 2040. Those goals, according to Xcel, are based on United Nations climate projections and targets. And to achieve its goals, Xcel has pledged to shutter fossil fuel power generation and vastly expand its green energy development while