Stefanik hits back at House Democrat pushing to censure her: ‘Desperate free fall’
House GOP Conference Chair Elise Stefanik, R-N.Y., is hitting back at a House Democratic bid to have her censured. Rep. Dan Goldman, D-N.Y., introduced a resolution to censure Stefanik on Wednesday, accusing her of “providing aid, comfort and support” to people who stormed the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021. Stefanik responded by releasing a statement from top aide Alex DeGrasse blasting Goldman as a “corrupt radical,” pointing out that he’s been scrutinized for possible ethics violations in the past. “Failed Far Left House Democrats are in absolute desperate free fall that Elise Stefanik continues to be one of the most effective Members of Congress going on offense every single day exposing Democrats and Joe Biden’s corruption and lies,” DeGrasse said. MORAL ‘FAILURES’ OF ACADEMIC LEADERS WOULDN’T HAVE SEEN ACCOUNTABILITY IF NOT FOR CONGRESS: STEFANIK He continued, “Dan Goldman is a corrupt radical New York Democrat who unethically traded tens of millions of dollars in stocks while failing to pay rent, took money from a Jeff Epstein associate, funds terrorist groups like Hamas through his family foundation, launders millions through his family foundation to attack Republican Members of Congress, and supports radicals like Tish James who are engaging in witchhunts against President Trump while releasing violent criminals on our streets.” Past reports from the New York Post and Washington Free Beacon, as well as other outlets, have accused Goldman of raising questions with his stock trade activity. Last March, Fox News Digital found Goldman was tied to a left-wing dark money group funneling money into trying to impede the House GOP’s investigations into President Biden. REP. LOUDERMILK BLASTS JANUARY 6 COMMITTEE FOR TARGETING HIM: ‘THERE IS A WAR ON THE TRUTH IN THIS COUNTRY’ DeGrasse also pointed to Goldman’s past comments calling for Trump to be “eliminated.” “Dan Goldman and Democrats are desperate because they know Joe Biden is going to lose this November,” the Stefanik aide said. Fox News Digital reached out to Goldman’s office for comment. Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., threw his support behind Stefanik as well, telling reporters that the censure resolution is “patently absurd.” “She’s one of the best leaders and communicators in Congress. She’s doing an exceptional job. The idea that he would use a censure to attack a political opponent is just absurd,” Johnson said. KEY MODERATE REPUBLICAN COMES OUT IN FAVOR OF IMPEACHING MAYORKAS, SAYS HE SHOULD BE ‘TRIED FOR TREASON’ Addressing reporters outside the Capitol on Wednesday, Goldman referenced Stefanik calling those jailed in connection to Jan. 6 “hostages” and claimed it downplayed the situation faced by Israelis being held captive by Hamas in Gaza. However, he decided against introducing the resolution as privileged for now, a move that would have forced House leaders to take it up within two legislative days. “We plan today to file it without raising the privileges. Our hope is that there are other Republicans, especially those in New York, where both Ms. Stefanik and I come from, who recognize that this kind of rhetoric is unacceptable, and that the Republicans will bring it up on their own,” Goldman said. “But if they don’t, we are prepared to consider moving forward with a privileged resolution.”
Biden admin abruptly reverses proposal opening public lands to foreign ownership after GOP opposition
The Biden administration abruptly rescinded a proposal that would have opened public lands to private ownership, a policy that received opposition from federal and state lawmakers over potential national security concerns. The Securities and Exchange Commission’s (SEC) Division of Trading and Markets said in a filing Wednesday that it had withdrawn the proposal which would have allowed a new type of public company, so-called Natural Asset Companies (NACs), to be traded on the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE). NACs are a type of company that is chartered to “protect, restore and grow the natural assets,” according to the Intrinsic Exchange Group, a non-profit which collaborated with the NYSE to develop the new corporate taxonomy. The Rockefeller Foundation, a left-wing non-profit and an early supporter of Intrinsic Exchange Group’s efforts, said the proposal would help combat climate change. “Of all the objectionable and extreme policies in the ESG menagerie, NACs are among the most egregious and least defensible legally,” Utah Attorney General Sean Reyes previously told Fox News Digital. “Not only do NACs suffer the same deficiencies as other ESG investments, but they represent a host of additional dangers to the American public.” BIDEN ADMIN APPEARS TO FABRICATE PAPER TRAIL IN PURSUIT OF MAJOR CHEMICAL PLANT SHUTDOWN: COURT DOCS “While masquerading as a novel tool for the public good, NACs are a brutish vehicle to accomplish an activist political agenda,” the attorney general added. “They deprive public use of land in multiple ways that will further jeopardize US energy independence and grid stability while illegally opening management, use and ownership of these lands to private parties, including hostile countries or entities.” Earlier this month, Reyes and Kansas Attorney General Kris Kobach led a coalition of 25 state attorneys general in penning a comment letter opposing the SEC’s proposal. They argued NACs may pose a threat to national security and subordinate the interests of millions of Americans “to the aims of environmental activists as well as to United Nations policies and mandates.” INTERNAL EMAILS SHOW SEC COORDINATED CLIMATE DISCLOSURE RULES WITH AI FIRM SET TO FINANCIALLY BENEFIT That comment letter came less than a month after the SEC agreed to delay its rulemaking on the issue and allow stakeholders more time to weigh in on the proposal. The delay was requested by Republican state financial officers from 22 states who requested a “reasonable public comment process,” instead of a rushed process. And last week House Republicans, led by Natural Resources Committee Chairman Bruce Westerman, R-Ark., opened an investigation into the SEC’s rulemaking process related to NACs. “The Committee is deeply concerned with the potential impact NACs may have on the management of federal lands, effective conservation of wildlife habitat, and responsible development of natural resources,” the Republicans wrote to SEC Chairman Gary Gensler and Haoxiang Zhu, the director of the SEC’s Division of Trading and Markets. “Most notably, the proposed rule would allow private investment interests to control and manage national parks and other publicly owned lands — an unprecedented power-grab and usurpation of federal authority,” they continued. “This possibility is alarming, but, when coupled with the proposal’s arbitrary designations and ill-defined terms, it may prove calamitous to the statutory multiple-use mandates of federal lands and responsible development of America’s natural resources.” CLICK HERE TO READ MORE ON FOX BUSINESS Republicans and experts have further warned that activity on federal lands controlled by NACs may be “determined by the whims of eco-activists” rather than Congress or government scientists. And they said NACs could lead to the offshoring of energy production to countries with poor human rights and environmental records while opening the door to foreign ownership of public property. However, environmentalists have lobbied for the federal government to open lands up for conservation purposes, a move the Bureau of Land Management is actively pursuing and which would align with the SEC’s NAC proposal. According to NYSE — which argues that NACs “capture the intrinsic and productive value of nature and provide a store of value based on the vital assets that underpin our entire economy and make life on earth possible” — natural assets that could be grouped into a NAC include forests, wetlands and coral reefs, as well as working lands such as farms.
Sierra Leone court allows ex-President Koroma to go abroad for medical care
The former leader is charged with treason for his alleged role in a failed coup in November. A Sierra Leone court has allowed former President Ernest Bai Koroma, who is charged with treason, to travel abroad on medical grounds. Koroma, 70, was charged early this month with four offences for his alleged role in a failed military attempt to topple the West African country’s government in November. The High Court on Wednesday ruled in favour of Koroma, whose lawyers had asked it to allow the former leader a trip abroad for medical reasons. The ex-president, who has been under house arrest, will be allowed to travel to Nigeria for no more than three months, the magistrate said before adjourning the case to March 6. “The High Court approved the order, and that was transmitted to the Magistrate’s Court where [Koroma] has been appearing since the day investigations started into his case,” Al Jazeera’s Ahmed Idris said, reporting from the capital, Freetown. Chernor Bah, Sierra Leone’s minister of information, told Al Jazeera the state is “happy to abide by the ruling of the court because we believe in the rule of law”, adding that Koroma is leaving for medical attention but his case remains open. “At this stage, the case is still alive. It is adjourned,” he said, adding that the court’s instructions to the lawyers included continuing to send updates on Koroma’s health to the state and the judiciary for the duration of his absence. Nigeria had previously offered to allow Koroma to enter on a temporary basis, which he accepted, according to West Africa’s main regional bloc. “We know the Economic Community of West African States has been trying hard to convince the Sierra Leone government to think about releasing Mr Koroma to leave the country – probably into exile – but again, the court said he is going on medical grounds to be checked,” Idris said. Coup attempt On November 26, gunmen launched a series of attacks in Sierra Leone, breaking into a key armoury, military barracks and prisons, freeing about 2,200 inmates. More than 20 people were killed in the violence. The government said later that it was a foiled coup led mostly by Koroma’s bodyguards. They summoned the ex-president for questioning at the start of December and charged him with treason on January 3. Koroma condemned the attacks in a statement shortly after they happened and has denied any involvement. His lawyers have called the charges “trumped up” and part of a “political vendetta”. There are concerns Koroma’s indictment could stoke tensions that arose from a contentious election in June in which President Julius Maada Bio was re-elected for a second term. The main opposition candidate rejected the results, and international partners questioned the vote. Two months after Bio was re-elected, police said they arrested several people, including senior military officers planning to use protests “to undermine peace”. Koroma served as Sierra Leone’s president for 11 years until 2018. Although officially retired from politics, he remains an influential figure within his political party. Twelve other people were also charged with treason in connection with the failed coup, including former police and correctional officers and a member of Koroma’s security detail. According to Sierra Leone’s penal code, a person found guilty of treason could face life imprisonment. Adblock test (Why?)
Israel ramps up attacks on Khan Younis as aid for Gaza arrives in Egypt
Israel has increased attacks on Khan Younis in southern Gaza and sent tanks westwards, prompting accusations from Jordan that its field hospital in the city had been badly damaged by nearby shelling. The Jordanian army said on Wednesday that it held Israel responsible for a “flagrant breach of international law” due to the damage to the facility. Elsewhere in the city, people at and around Nasser Hospital were forced to flee as Israeli tanks approached the district overnight following a statement from the Israeli army that it had come under fire in the area. Palestinian health officials said at least seven people were killed by Israeli air raids that damaged homes near the hospital. At least 24,448 people have been killed in the Israeli assault on Gaza since October 7, the Palestinian health ministry has said. At least 1,139 people, mostly civilians, were killed in the Hamas attack on southern Israel on October 7 according to an Al Jazeera tally based on official figures. Al Jazeera’s Hani Mahmoud, reporting from southern Gaza, said there were growing fears that Nasser Hospital could soon not be operational as happened with several other facilities targeted by Israeli forces since the start of the war. “The vast majority of healthcare facilities were attacked, destroyed and left severely damaged to the point that they’re pushed out of service completely,” he said. [Al Jazeera] Israeli government spokesperson Eylon Levy said extra field hospitals were expected in the coming days. “These have, of course, been necessitated by Hamas’s strategic militarisation of Gaza’s existing hospitals,” he said. Hamas has repeatedly denied using hospitals for cover. Israel also announced on Wednesday that it had killed six Palestinian fighters in southern Gaza. In a statement, the military said its latest operation had resulted in the death of counterespionage officer Bilal Nofal and “significantly impacts the terrorist organisation’s capacity to develop and enhance its capabilities”. Airport workers unload crates with aid delivered from Qatar, destined for Gaza, at El Arish International Airport, El Arish, Egypt [Qatar’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs/Handout via Reuters] Aid Under a deal brokered by Qatar and France, desperately needed aid and medication has arrived in the Egyptian city of El Arish near the Gaza border. The International Committee of the Red Cross has welcomed the deal, which will see the 61 tonnes of medicine and food enter the enclave, and called it a “much-needed moment of relief”. Israel’s war on Gaza has left its population facing crisis levels of hunger and at growing risk of disease as supplies run low, aid agencies said. On Wednesday, the head of the Palestine Investment Fund, Mohammed Mustafa, told the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, that it would take at least $15bn to rebuild houses in Gaza, not accounting for basic infrastructure and hospitals. “If the war in Gaza continues, more people are likely to die of hunger or famine than war,” Mustafa said. [Al Jazeera] At the beginning of January, Israel announced it was scaling back operations in northern Gaza and beginning a new phase of lower-intensity bombing. However, Al Jazeera’s Tareq Abu Azzoum, reporting from Rafah in southern Gaza, said that does not seem to be reflected on the ground. “The strikes have not stopped over the last few hours across the Gaza Strip, despite the fact that Israel says that they’re moving to a completely new phase with low-intensity bombing,” he said. “We can see that the death toll and casualties among civilians keeps rising, to reach more than 163 Palestinians killed in the previous 24 hours,” he said, citing Palestinian authorities. Adblock test (Why?)
What’s behind North Korea’s shock change of policy towards the South?
Pyongyang announces it is scrapping its long-term aim of reunification with South Korea. In a dramatic shift, North Korea is tearing up its goal of unification with South Korea, a policy that has been in place for decades. North Korean leader Kim Jong Un also said his country does not want war – but will not avoid one either. So what’s behind his surprise move? Presenter: Adrian Finighan Guests: Ji-Yeon Yuh – board member of Women Cross DMZ and professor at Northwestern University Fyodor Tertitskiy – senior research fellow at the Institute for Korean Studies, Kookmin University Einar Tangen – senior fellow at the Taihe Institute Adblock test (Why?)
Maine Superior Court issues a stay on state’s decision to bar Trump from primary ballot
The Maine Superior Court issued a stay of the secretary of state’s decision to remove former President Trump from the state’s Republican primary ballot pending a decision from the United States Supreme Court. Trump appealed Maine Secretary of State Shenna Bellows’ ruling earlier this month, but the court on Wednesday said it will not consider the matter until the high court issues its own decision in a related case out of Colorado, saying it would be “imprudent” for the court to rule on it before then. The court denied Trump’s motion to “supplement the record,” denied his motion to “stay proceedings,” but also “stays the secretary of state’s ruling, pending the decision by the Supreme Court.” The court remanded the matter to the secretary “for further proceedings as necessary in light of the United States Supreme Court’s forthcoming decision in Trump v. Anderson.” “As part of this remand, the secretary is ordered to await the Supreme Court’s decision in Anderson, and no later than thirty days after Anderson’s issuance, to issue a new Ruling modifying, withdrawing, or confirming her prior Ruling dated December 28, 2023,” the court ruled. This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.
‘Alarming’ surveillance: Feds asked banks to search private transactions for terms like ‘MAGA,’ ‘Trump’
EXCLUSIVE: Federal investigators asked banks to search and filter customer transactions by using terms like “MAGA” and “Trump” as part of an investigation into Jan. 6, warning that purchases of “religious texts” could indicate “extremism,” the House Judiciary Committee revealed in a letter obtained by Fox News Digital Wednesday. Fox News Digital has learned the committee also obtained documents that indicate officials suggested that banks query transactions with keywords like Dick’s Sporting Goods, Cabela’s, Bass Pro Shops and more. The House Judiciary Committee and its subcommittee on the Weaponization of the Federal Government have been conducting oversight of federal law enforcement’s “receipt of information about American citizens without legal process and its engagement with the private sector.” HOUSE GOP INVESTIGATING BANK OF AMERICA FOR ‘VOLUNTARILY’ GIVING FBI LIST OF CUSTOMERS RELATED TO JAN 6 House Judiciary Committee Chair Jim Jordan said the documents obtained by the committee indicate that after Jan. 6, 2021, the Treasury Department’s Office of Stakeholder Integration and Engagement in the Strategic Operations of the Financial Crimes Enforcement Network, or FinCEN, distributed materials to financial institutions that outlined “typologies” of “various persons of interest” and provided the banks with “suggested search terms and Merchant Category Codes for identifying transactions on behalf of federal law enforcement.” The materials included a document recommending the use of generic terms like “Trump” and “MAGA” to “search Zelle payment messages” as well as a “prior FinCEN analysis” of “Lone Actor/Homegrown Violent Extremism Indicators.” “According to this analysis, FinCEN warned financial institutions of ‘extremism’ indicators that include ‘transportation charges, such as bus tickets, rental cars, or plane tickets, for travel areas with no apparent purpose,’ or ‘the purchase of books (including religious texts) and subscriptions to other media containing extremist views,’” Jordan detailed in a letter to the former director of FinCEN, Noah Bishoff, a career employee. “In other words, FinCEN used large financial institutions to comb through the private transactions of their customers for suspicious charges on the basis of protected political and religious expression,” Jordan wrote. Jordan and the committee are requesting Bishoff appear for a transcribed interview on the matter, saying he may “possess information necessary for our oversight.” The Treasury Department declined to comment. But a source familiar told Fox News Digital that “the effort by FinCEN to work with law enforcement to assist with their post January 6 efforts began under the previous administration.” Jordan said the committee obtained documents showing that FinCEN distributed slides, prepared by Key Bank, to other banks to explain how they could use merchant category codes (MCC) to detect customers whose transactions may reflect “potential active shooters, and who may include dangerous International Terrorists/ Domestic Terrorists/ Homegrown Violence Extremists (‘Lone Wolves’).” HOUSE INVESTIGATION INTO ‘WHAT REALLY HAPPENED ON JANUARY 6’ ENTERING ‘NEW PHASE’ WITH SPEAKER JOHNSON SUPPORT Jordan said the slide instructs financial institutions to query for transactions using certain MCC codes like “3484: Small Arms,” “5091: Sporting and Recreational Goods and Supplies,” and the keywords “Cabela’s” and “Dick’s Sporting Goods,” “Bass Pro Shops,” among others. Key Bank declined to comment. Dick’s Sporting Goods, Bass Pro Shops and Cabela’s did not respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment. A source familiar with the documents told Fox News Digital that while Jan. 6, 2021, was the “impetus” for the queries and searches, none of the documents the committee has obtained reveal any specific time frames or limitations for banks searching customer transactions with the terms. The source said the federal government used the information for investigations beyond Jan. 6. “Despite these transactions having no apparent criminal nexus — and, in fact, relate to Americans exercising their Second Amendment rights — FinCEN seems to have adopted a characterization of these Americans as potential threat actors,” Jordan wrote. “This kind of pervasive financial surveillance, carried out in coordination with and at the request of federal law enforcement, into Americans’ private transactions is alarming and raises serious doubts about FinCEN’s respect for fundamental liberties.” Jordan asked that Bishoff contact the committee to schedule the transcribed interview by Jan. 31. Bishoff did not respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment. Meanwhile, in a letter to FBI Director Christopher Wray on Wednesday and obtained by Fox News Digital, Jordan requested a transcribed interview with the senior private sector partner for outreach in the Strategic Partner Engagement Section at the FBI, Peter Sullivan. Jordan said the committee has received testimony indicating that Bank of America provided the FBI “voluntarily and without any legal process” with a list of individuals who made transactions in the Washington, D.C., metropolitan area using a Bank of America credit or debit card between Jan. 5 and Jan. 7, 2021. BANK OF AMERICA CUSTOMERS FURIOUS AFTER DATA SHARED WITH FEDERAL INVESTIGATORS Fox News Digital first reported on that portion of the committee’s investigation last year. Bank of America, in November, said the bank “followed all applicable laws” in its interactions with the government. The bank noted that the Treasury Department on Jan. 15, 2021, “shared information regarding potential criminal activity that could disrupt the upcoming inauguration.” “We have cooperated with the committee as they evaluate whether the laws we complied with should be changed,” Bank of America said. But in the Wednesday letter, Jordan states that when that list was later brought to the attention of the FBI, the former section chief of the Domestic Terrorism Operations Section, Steve Jensen, acted to “pull” that Bank of America information from FBI systems because “the leads lacked allegations of federal criminal conduct.” FBI INTERVIEWED PRIEST, CHURCH CHOIR DIRECTOR AHEAD OF ANTI-CATHOLIC MEMO, HOUSE GOP FINDS Jordan said the committees obtained documents that show FBI personnel, including Sullivan, “made contact with and provided Bank of America with specific search query terms, indicating that it was ‘interested in all financial relationships’ of BoA customers transacting in Washington D.C. and customers who had made ‘ANY historical purchase’ of a firearm, or who had purchased a hotel, Airbnb, or airline travel within a given date range.” Jordan also said
ICE extends evaluation of California detention facility left largely empty since 2020
Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) on Wednesday announced it is extending the evaluation of a California detention center that can house thousands of illegal immigrants but has been kept nearly empty since it was shut down by a COVID-related court order in 2020. The facility in Adelanto, California, can house nearly 2,000 inmates but was blocked by a September 2020 court order in response to a lawsuit from immigrant activists calling for fewer inmates due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Despite the COVID-19 emergency expiring last year, the facility has yet to re-open and has only a handful of inmates living there. Fox News Digital reported in November that the facility was expected to close in December, but ICE then launched a 60-day task order to evaluate the effect of ongoing litigation, the costs of maintenance and the operational requirements. ICE LAUNCHES 60-DAY EVALUATION OF CALIFORNIA DETENTION FACILITY AMID GOP DEMANDS TO FULLY REOPEN But on Wednesday, ICE announced a new 120-day task order with the GEO Group, which runs the facility. “The new task order will extend beyond the current 60-day task order issued on Dec. 19 – expiring Feb. 19 – and provides additional time for potential relief from ongoing litigation that prevents full use of the facility,” spokesperson Jenny Burke said. Burke said the location and availability of detention space impacts the agency’s ability to deport individuals, enforce immigration law and detain those who are a public safety or national security threat. “We appreciate the efforts of the vendor to work with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement as the agency continues to modernize the immigration system and realize cost efficiencies across the operational landscape while working with DHS leadership and Congress to secure supplemental funding for detention,” she said. The move suggests that the administration is considering legal action to have the limits on the facility lifted, something that some Republicans have called for previously. The fate of the facility, which had sparked concerns about the impact on jobs for more than 300 workers staffing it, comes amid an ongoing debate in Washington, D.C., about the detention of illegal immigrants. ICE DETENTION CENTER HOUSES HANDFUL OF INMATES DESPITE HAVING THOUSANDS OF BEDS: LAWMAKER While the Biden administration has moved away from the use of private detention facilities for illegal immigrants and closed multiple facilities, it recently requested more bed space as part of its supplemental funding request. Republicans are supportive of efforts to increase bed space and have said closing Adelanto would clash with claims the administration wants to increase detention. “The Adelanto ICE Processing Center with its over 1,900 beds should be a vital contributor to ICE’s capacity to detain and process illegal immigrants,” Rep. Jay Obernolte, R-Calif., told Fox News Digital. “Instead our country is experiencing the disastrous consequences of the administration’s continued reliance on the policy of catch and release, which has resulted in millions of immigrants flooding into our communities, causing states, counties, and cities to declare a state of emergency due to the financial burden that the federal government has forced upon them.” “Making better use of facilities like the one in Adelanto is critical to solving this urgent problem,” he said. RJ Hauman, president of the National Immigration Center for Enforcement (NICE), which calls for more detention of illegal immigrants, said that with COVID in the “rearview” and facilities fully operational nearby, the Department of Justice should be seeking to have the injunction lifted. “What is there to settle, and why even discuss a settlement? This is an enforcement show as we enter a critical election year,” he said.
Pentagon to install solar panels on rooftop as part of Biden clean energy push
The Pentagon is going green with the installation of solar panels as part of President Biden’s $104 million push to have federal buildings switch to clean energy. Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm, Deputy Defense Secretary Kathleen Hicks and Brenda Mallory, chair of the White House Council on Environmental Quality, announced the projects Wednesday at the Pentagon. In addition to the solar panels, the Pentagon will also have a heat pump system and solar thermal panels installed to reduce reliance on systems that use natural gas and fuel oil combustion. Solar panels will provide “an uninterrupted power source” at the Pentagon in case of a cyberattack or other outage to the bulk grid, as well as reduce strain on the building’s power load, Brendan Owens, assistant secretary of defense for energy, installations and environment, said. MAJOR WIND PROJECT WAS DEPENDENT ON BIDEN ADMIN WAIVING TAXPAYER SAFEGUARD: INTERNAL DOCS The Pentagon is just one of 31 government sites selected for the $104 million in Energy Department grants, which also include Naval bases in Georgia and Washington state, as well as the Naval Support Activity Mid-South in Tennessee and other agency buildings for Veterans Affairs and the Transportation Department. BIDEN’S EPA LOST TRACK OF BILLIONS OF DOLLARS IN TAXPAYER FUNDS: INSPECTOR GENERAL Energy Department officials said the program is also expected to leverage more than $361 million in private investment. The projects align with Biden’s 2021 executive order that called for a 65% reduction in greenhouse gas emissions from federal operations by 2030 and a net-zero building portfolio by 2045. The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Ramaswamy proposes debate with Harris on AI as speculation swirls over Trump’s running mate
Vivek Ramaswamy proposed that Vice President Harris debate him on the topic of artificial intelligence, as speculation over former President Trump’s choice of running mate swirls. “Kamala is in charge of AI policy right now. In a debate, I’d challenger [sic] her to see if she can spell ‘AI.’ I’d bet on the same blank stare I got from Nikki when I asked her to name 3 provinces in eastern Ukraine,” Ramaswamy wrote Tuesday night, referencing a moment from a GOP debate in December. Ramaswamy’s post challenging Harris came in response to Human Events senior editor Jack Posobiec writing, “Imagine what Vivek would do to Kamala in a debate.” In November, Harris notably gave a speech on the future of artifical intelligence in London, vowing that, the “United States will continue to work with the G7; the United Nations; and a diverse range of governments, from the Global North to the Global South, to promote AI safety and equity around the world.” VIVEK RAMASWAMY URGES DESANTIS AND HALEY TO DROP OUT OF RACE Just days earlier, speaking from the East Room of the White House, Harris also warned, “AI can lead to discrimination, bias and other abuses,” vowing to work with civil rights leaders. Harris added that the “Blueprint for an AI Bill of Rights,” an administration document that recommends “proactive equity assessments as part of the system design,” would establish “a minimum baseline of responsible AI practices” for private companies operating within the field. KAMALA HARRIS: ADMIN HAS DUTY TO STOP AI ‘ALGORITHMIC DISCRIMINATION,’ ENSURE BENEFITS ‘SHARED EQUITABLY’ Her comments came after the American Accountability Foundation (AAF), a conservative watchdog group, had recently warned the Biden administration was actively seeking to use AI to promote woke, progressive ideology with left-wing activists leading the effort. In another post on X on Wednesday, Ramaswamy reiterated his call for Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis and Haley to join him in suspending their 2024 presidential campaigns following Trump’s commanding victory at the Iowa caucuses. “It’s time to move forward,” Ramaswamy wrote. “Running the race through Iowa was fair game. But the people have spoken loud & clear. The game is over. We have a country to save.” “Last night, I asked all my supporters across New Hampshire who’ve *run through walls* for me to do one LAST thing this week: volunteer all-out for the next 6 days to make sure Trump defeats Nikki by *as wide of a margin* as possible. End this primary & do what’s right for America,” he wrote in another post. Ramaswamy bowed out of the race after coming in fourth at the caucuses Monday night, and immediately endorsed Trump. The next day, he went to New Hampshire to campaign for Trump. Ramaswamy re-shared a clip on X of him and Trump embracing on stage together as the crowd was heard shouting, “VP.” Trump has yet to announce his choice of 2024 running mate but told Fox News during a town hall last week his mind was already made up. Fox News’ Brandon Gillepsie contributed to this report.