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Kentucky Republican reintroduces bill to end odd-year elections

A Kentucky lawmaker resumed his long-running effort to shift elections for governor and other statewide offices to coincide with presidential elections, winning approval from a Senate panel on Wednesday. Republican Sen. Chris McDaniel says Kentucky’s constitution should be amended to end the tradition of holding elections for governor and other state constitutional offices in odd-numbered years. His proposal would switch those contests to presidential election years, starting in 2032. Doing so would boost turnout for elections for governor, attorney general, secretary of state, auditor, treasurer and agriculture commissioner since more Kentuckians vote in presidential elections, McDaniel said. It would save millions of dollars in election costs, he said. KENTUCKY REPUBLICANS INTRODUCE ‘THREE-STRIKES’ MEASURE AMID BROADER CRIME CRACKDOWN EFFORT And it would spare Kentucky voters from the fatigue of having elections three out of every four years, as is now the case, he said. If ratified, his proposal would give Kentuckians more time off from campaigns. “If you ask them, would you enjoy a year free from political ads interrupting the Kentucky basketball game, Monday night football, or whatever program they’re trying to enjoy during their time off and, most importantly, during your time with your families, I think this constitutional amendment would probably pass pretty soundly,” McDaniel said. The measure easily cleared the Senate State and Local Government Committee and advances to the full Senate. If the proposal passes the Senate and House, it would be placed on the November ballot this year for Kentucky voters to decide whether to end odd-year elections for state constitutional offices. Republicans have supermajorities in both legislative chambers. If voters approve the change, the state would still have one more round of statewide elections in 2027. Gov. Andy Beshear and Lt. Gov. Jacqueline Coleman, both Democrats, won reelection last year while Republicans won the other constitutional offices. This year, Kentucky’s elections include contests for president, Congress and the legislature before voters get a break from elections in 2025. Democratic Sen. Cassie Chambers Armstrong opposed the bill, saying state issues would be overshadowed by national concerns if elections for statewide offices coincided with presidential contests. “I think it’s really important that the people of Kentucky have space to focus on Kentucky issues and issues that impact us here in the commonwealth,” she said. REPUBLICANS, DEMOCRATS FINALIZE CANDIDATE LINEUPS FOR KENTUCKY ELECTIONS IN 2024 Republican Sen. Damon Thayer made a counterargument in supporting the bill, predicting interest in state issues would rise if campaigns for statewide offices coincided with presidential elections. “What better way to get them focused on state issues than put the races in a year where they are already interested and already coming to vote,” said Thayer, the Senate’s majority floor leader. Terms for governor and the other statewide offices would remain four years, though candidates elected to those offices in 2027 would get an extra year added to their terms if the proposal wins ratification. That would be necessary to bring those elections in line with the presidential election in 2032. McDaniel has pushed for the constitutional change for a decade. His proposals passed the Senate in the past but died in the House. “There is no time limit on a good idea,” McDaniel quipped in presenting the bill Wednesday.

Tennessee governor, music leaders launch push to protect songwriters and other artists against AI

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee on Wednesday unveiled new legislation designed to protect songwriters, performers and other music industry professionals against the potential dangers of artificial intelligence. Lee made the announcement while standing in the middle of Nashville’s famed RCA Studio A, a location where legends such as Dolly Parton, Willie Nelson and Charley Pride have all recorded. Packed inside were top music industry leaders, songwriters and lawmakers, all eager to praise the state’s rich musical history while also sounding the alarm about the threats AI poses. NASHVILLE MAN KILLS WIFE WITH HAMMER ON NEW YEAR’S DAY, BURIES HER BODY IN 6-FOOT GRAVE: POLICE “Tennessee will be the first state in the country to protect artists’ voices with this legislation,” Lee said. “And we hope it will be a blueprint for the country.” The legislation comes as states across the country and federal lawmakers wrestle with the challenge of curbing the dangers of AI. The bill hasn’t been formally introduced inside the Tennessee Legislature and the text of the proposal has yet to be publicly distributed. Lee said he wants to ensure that AI tools cannot replicate an artist’s voice without the artist’s consent. That involves turning to one of the state’s most iconic residents: Elvis Presley. The death of Presley in 1977 sparked a contentious and lengthy legal battle over the unauthorized use of his name and likeness, as many argued that once a celebrity died, their name and image entered into the public domain. However, by 1984 the Tennessee Legislature passed the Personal Rights Protection Act, which ensured that personality rights do not stop at death and can be passed down to others. It states that “the individual rights … constitute property rights and are freely assignable and licensable, and do not expire upon the death of the individual so protected.” The move was largely seen as critical in protecting Presley’s estate, but has since been praised as protecting the names, photographs and likenesses of all of Tennessee’s public figures in the decades since. It also was monumental in preserving name, photographs and likeness as a property right rather than a right of publicity. To date, only two other states — New York and California — have similar protections, making it easier to seek damages in court. But no state currently has enacted protections against vocal likeness. And with AI posing a threat to almost every industry, artists and other creatives are increasingly calling for stronger protections against new AI tools that produce imagery, music, video and text. “If a machine is able to take something from someone’s lifetime and experience and re-create it without permission, or take someone’s voice and use it without permission, let’s just call it what it is: It’s wrong,” said four-time Grammy-nominated songwriter Jamie Moore. Ultimately, the goal is to ensure that AI tools are not scraping and using an artist’s song or voice in order to learn how to spit out a song itself without the artist’s permission, said Bart Herbison, executive director of the Nashville Songwriters Association International. Another key aspect is fighting for proper payment. Herbison said he watched generative AI tools advance from writing awkward songs in February of last year to spitting out moving and emotional pieces by October. “What it can do now is freaky scary. It’s all people can talk about in the writer’s rooms,” he said. Other AI legislation is expected to pop up across the country as many statehouses resume work this month. Already in California, a lawmaker has proposed a measure requiring the state to establish safety, privacy, and nondiscrimination standards around generative-AI tools and services. Those standards would eventually be used as qualifications in future state contracts. Another proposal has been introduced to create a state-run research center to further study the technology. On the federal level, the U.S. Copyright Office is weighing whether to enact copyright reforms in response to generative AI. Meanwhile, a bipartisan group of U.S. senators has introduced legislation called the No Artificial Intelligence Fake Replicas And Unauthorized Duplications Act of 2024. Supporters say the measure will combat AI deepfakes, voice clones and other harmful digital human impersonations.

North Dakota lawmaker hit with misdemeanor charge in speculation case

A North Dakota lawmaker faces a misdemeanor charge in connection with a state-leased building he has ownership ties to. Republican state Rep. Jason Dockter, of Bismarck, was charged last month with speculating or wagering on official action. While the complaint offers few details, it says Dockter broke the law by “voting on legislative bills appropriating money to pay for property he had acquired a pecuniary interest in” and cites testimony from the state Ethics Commission’s executive director. Prosecutor Ladd Erickson confirmed the charge involves a building leased in 2020 under the late attorney general, Wayne Stenehjem. JUDGE CALLS FOR NEW NORTH DAKOTA LEGISLATIVE DISTRICT IN WIN FOR TRIBAL ADVOCATES Dockter is a co-owner of companies that own and renovated the building, which was leased by the attorney general’s office to house divisions of the office. Dockter was friends with Stenehjem, but has said the relationship was not a factor in arranging the lease. The building incurred a construction cost overrun of over $1 million under Stenehjem, who died in January 2022. Current Attorney General Drew Wrigley disclosed the cost overrun, which was covered by various attorney general funds, in June 2022 — shocking lawmakers, who raised concerns about trust and how the building project was handled. Soon afterward, records requests from the media revealed that Stenehjem’s assistant had directed the deletion of his state government email account days after his death, as well as that of his chief deputy after he resigned months later. Those deletions added to the public uproar and Stenehjem’s assistant resigned around the time reporters found out. Wrigley has said his office recouped about $625,000 after reconciling the initial estimate of the overrun with the building owner, but it’s unclear what the final number is. Wrigley said his office has provided “every bit of information that is available to us and will continue to do the same up ahead. Like everyone else, we await the results of the process playing out.” The controversy led to new leasing transparency and email retention laws by the Legislature, and also probes by North Dakota’s state auditor and a Montana investigator. Dockter, who has served in the North Dakota House since 2012 and was reelected in 2022, declined to comment on the charge. A woman who answered the phone at Dockter’s attorney’s office said his attorney is also not commenting on the case. Dockter has pleaded not guilty in the case and is scheduled for a jury trial on May 3. The misdemeanor carries a maximum penalty of nearly a year in jail and/or a $3,000 fine.

Judges let Missouri lawsuit accusing China of pandemic-era PPE hoarding proceed

A Missouri lawsuit accusing China of hoarding masks and other protective gear during the COVID-19 pandemic can move forward, federal judges ruled Wednesday. A panel of the U.S. Eighth District Court of Appeals panel, however, otherwise agreed with a lower court’s 2022 ruling that tossed out Missouri’s case entirely, finding that federal rules prohibit a sovereign foreign entity from being sued in American courts. The state alleged that China’s officials were to blame for the pandemic because they didn’t do enough to slow its spread. The appeals panel found that only one claim may proceed: an allegation that China hoarded personal protective equipment. FAUCI TO BE GRILLED BY HOUSE GOP ON COVID ORIGINS, FUTURE PANDEMICS “Missouri’s overarching theory is that China leveraged the world’s ignorance about COVID-19,” Judge David Stras wrote in the ruling. “One way it did so was by manipulating the worldwide personal-protective-equipment market. Missouri must still prove it, but it has alleged enough to allow the claim to proceed beyond a jurisdictional dismissal on the pleadings.” Chief Judge Lavenski Smith dissented, writing that the whole lawsuit should be dismissed. “Immunity for foreign states under the Foreign Sovereign Immunities Act, while not impenetrable, is quite stout and stronger than the claim alleged in this case,” Smith wrote. “It is certainly not strong enough to justify judicial intervention into an arena well populated with substantial political and diplomatic concerns.” Missouri Republican Attorney General Andrew Bailey, whose office filed the lawsuit, lauded the ruling Wednesday on X, formerly known as Twitter. “We are headed back to court to pursue remedies,” he posted. The lawsuit, filed in April 2020, alleged that Chinese officials were “responsible for the enormous death, suffering, and economic losses they inflicted on the world, including Missourians.” Neither the Chinese government nor any other Chinese defendant named in the case has responded to the lawsuit in court. The Lawyers for Upholding International Law and The China Society of Private International Law filed briefs defending China against the lawsuit. Associated Press emails and voice messages left with lawyers for the groups were not immediately returned Wednesday. China has criticized the lawsuit as “very absurd” and said it has no factual and legal basis. Legal experts have mostly panned it as a stunt aimed at shifting blame to China for the COVID-19 pandemic.

House Democrat pressures Sec. Austin to resign after ‘lack of transparency’ in hospital debacle: ‘Lost trust’

A Democrat representative called for Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin to resign following his delayed communication of his cancer diagnosis with the Biden administration. Rep. Chris Deluzio (D-Pa.), who sits on the House Armed Services Committee, shared his message regarding Austin on Wednesday afternoon. “I have lost trust in Secretary Lloyd Austin’s leadership of the Defense Department due to the lack of transparency about his recent medical treatment and its impact on the continuity of the chain of command,” Deluzio said in a X post. “I have a solemn duty in Congress to conduct oversight of the Defense Department through my service on the House Armed Services Committee,” Deluzio said. “That duty today requires me to call on Secretary Austin to resign.” LLOYD AUSTIN HOSPITALIZATION: NEW DETAILS EMERGE SURROUNDING INTERNAL DEFENSE DEPARTMENT COMMUNICATIONS Rhode Island Democrat Sen. Jack Reed, the chair of the Senate Armed Service Committee, was critical of Austin, but did not go so far as to call for his resignation. “I wish Secretary Austin a speedy and complete recovery. I remain concerned that vital chain of command and notification procedures were not followed while the Secretary was under medical care. He is taking responsibility for the situation, but this was a serious incident and there needs to be transparency and accountability from the Department,” Reed said in a statement.  “This lack of disclosure must never happen again,” Reed said.”I am tracking the situation closely and the Department of Defense is well aware of my interest in any and all relevant information.” While Rep. Deluzio is the first house Democrat to call for Austin’s resignation, the GOP-led House Armed Services Committee launched a formal inquiry into Austin on Tuesday over the incident.  PENTAGON OFFICIALS STUNNED BY DEFENSE SECRETARY KEEPING CANCER DIAGNOSIS SECRET FROM POTUS: ‘RECKLESS’ Armed Services Committee Chairman Mike Rogers (R-Ala.) announced the inquiry in a statement Tuesday afternoon, saying “everything from ongoing counterterrorism operations to nuclear command and control relies on a clear understanding” of Austin’s “decision-making capacity.” “The Department is a robust institution, and it is designed to function under attack by our enemies, but it is not designed for a Secretary who conceals being incapacitated,” Rogers wrote. Austin was admitted to Walter Reed National Military Medical Center on Dec. 22 and underwent surgery to treat cancer. He developed the infection a week later.  Biden and other senior administration officials were not told for days about his hospitalization or his cancer. According to the doctors, the cancer was detected when Austin had a regular screening in early December.  They said his prostate cancer was detected early, and his prognosis was excellent. Deluzio and Reed’s offices did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment. 

Denver to slash budgets by up to 15% due to ongoing illegal immigrant crisis

Denver Mayor Mike Johnston is warning the liberal city that budgets for city departments could be slashed by up to 15% in order to deal with the massive cost of the ongoing migrant crisis it is facing. Johnston said this week that the city needs to compensate for about $180 million in spending on sheltering illegal immigrants who have come there either by themselves or via buses from Texas. He said he has asked agency heads to begin to draw up plans for the cuts in the 2024 budget. He also said that the 4,800 migrants in shelters means that it does not have space to house anyone else at the moment.  DEMOCRATIC DENVER MAYOR CALLS FOR FEDERAL SUPPORT AMID ‘UNSUSTAINABLE’ MIGRANT CRISIS: ‘A SOLVABLE PROBLEM’  “We have a lot of suboptimal options which are either offering everyone onward travel to another location or trying to hope they have friends or family they can stay with here, but we think we are at a very different tipping point than we’ve seen any way up to this moment,” he said on Tuesday. Johnston is one of a number of mayors who have appealed for more federal aid, asking for over $5 billion. The Biden administration is currently seeking around $1.5 million from Congress as part of the border section of its supplemental funding request. “I have called the White House,” Johnston said on “America’s Newsroom” last week. “We’ve told them we need more federal aid. That’s why there’s dollars in that supplemental budget to do that.” Denver has previously confirmed considerable costs in handling the crisis, including $4.5 million for transporting around 12,000 migrants out of state to alternative destinations. Johnston has called for expedited work permits and a nationally coordinated entry system, as well as a coordinated effort to place migrants across the U.S. DENVER SPENDS MILLIONS ON TRANSPORTING MIGRANTS TO OTHER PARTS OF US  “What we know is, this works if you coordinate that entry, you know if you have cities and states that collaborate the same way we did when we brought in refugees from Ukraine or refugees from Afghanistan, we identified cities that had capacity, we brought them in with work authorization, we gave them some federal support and those people have succeeded tremendously,” he said on Fox News Sunday. Johnston’s budget cutting comes weeks after New York City announced deep budget cuts to multiple departments due to the migrant crisis it is facing. There, New York City Mayor Eric Adams has made similar calls for federal intervention. The mayors have also bristled at the practice by Texas Gov. Greg Abbott of sending migrant buses to their cities. Adams recently slapped restrictions on when and where buses can drop off, and also filed a lawsuit against more than a dozen transportation companies. Meanwhile, the border crisis remains ongoing, with over 302,000 migrant encounters in December alone after a record-breaking 2.4 million in FY 24.

Eastbound and down: Why Congress may be running out of road to avert a government shutdown

There was some ballyhooing on Sunday that bipartisan congressional leaders managed to avert a potential, partial government shutdown on January 20th. First of all, fat chance. This was a framework agreement. A number. Not a bill. Second of all, have you met Congress lately? Third, there may not be enough time to avoid a shutdown before the 11:59:59 pm deadline to fund the government on January 19. THE HITCHHIKER’S GUIDE TO WHERE WE STAND WITH A POTENTIAL GOVERNMENT SHUTDOWN Spending which covers four appropriations bills expires at the end of the day on January 19. Those are measures dealing with Agriculture, Military Construction/VA, Energy & Water and Transportation/Housing & Urban Development. The other eight annual spending bills run out at the end of the day on February 2, including Defense and Homeland Security. The main reason this proposal may not douse the government shutdown flames? There simply isn’t enough time. FOX is told that House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) intends to process the four bills due on January 19 individually – although it’s hard to see how that would work. No appropriations bills are slated for activity this week. So everything likely comes up next week. When asked if the House might glom the bills together, a senior House leadership source said no. But, one would never rule out the possibility of lawmakers stitching a few of the bills together. Even if the House was able to advance four bills next week successfully (and the GOP’s track record on that score has not been great), that chews up time. It also hamstrings the Senate to align with the House. So, they are running out of track. Fast. The House could expedite the process by putting the bills on the floor via a procedure called “suspension of the rules.” This is where the bill goes directly to the floor and not through the more cumbersome House Rules Committee. The House also spends less time debating the bill on the floor. The tradeoff is that it requires a two-thirds vote to pass the bill. That means a coalition of Republicans and Democrats must team up to approve the measure. Ultra-conservatives won’t support an approach like that. But a large group of GOPers will. Couple that with most Democrats and the bills probably pass with more than 300 yeas – well above the two-thirds threshold required. But what will the right say about Johnson? Remember, conservatives started to hammer former House Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) for passing bills with more Democrats than Republicans. That’s a strike against the Speaker right there.  In addition, Johnson also opposes doing any sort of interim spending bill to avert a shutdown, known as a “continuing resolution” or “CR.” THE HITCHHIKER’S GUIDE TO WHY THE BIPARTISAN SPENDING AGREEMENT DOESN’T NECESSARILY AVERT GOVERNMENT SHUTDOWN So back to the Senate in this equation. The Senate can move lightning fast if all 100 senators are in agreement. In fact, much faster than even the House. But processing several spending bills by the book could consume days on end in the Senate. And remember, the House and Senate must be synced up before Congress can send a bill to President Biden to sign. This is why the chances of a possible government shutdown remain high – unless the sides decide to do a CR. Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) is now endorsing a short-term CR to give appropriators time to write the spending bills to the levels agreed upon in the bipartisan accord. McConnell knows the sides are almost out of time. “The simplest things take a week in the Senate,” said McConnell. “I think frequently the House doesn’t understand how long it takes to get something through the Senate.” Here’s another dynamic. There are some conservatives who want a government shutdown. They will argue it’s best to shutter the government until there’s a border deal. In fact, it’s hard to believe there hasn’t been at least one government shutdown so far this Congress. So perhaps this is the time when a shutdown hits. “We need to get our work done. And if we have to shut down for a few days to finish up the work, then we should,” said Rep. Kevin Hern, R-Okla., the Chairman of the Republican Study Committee, the largest bloc of conservatives in the House. That doesn’t sit well with some veteran Republicans. “I’ve lived through more than a few shutdowns. A shutdown is a road to nowhere,” said Sen. Shelley Moore Capito (R-W.Va.). “Nobody wins in a shutdown. And particularly, the American people.” And consider the bills which expire on January 19. Some lawmakers would say the bills on the clock right now cover the least important federal departments and programs. Agriculture and HUD is on the list. Not the Pentagon and Homeland Security. So never rule out the possibility of a government shutdown – just because politically, it may just need to happen to satisfy some on the right or to make a point. Conservatives are particularly exercised about the border crisis. Some arch-conservatives say they won’t support funding the government until the border is secure – even though the January 19 deadline and its set of bills has nothing to do with the border. SENATE NOT EXPECTED TO RELEASE TEXT ON BORDER SECURITY PACKAGE THIS WEEK Perhaps not ironically, Johnson may score some political points from skeptical conservatives if there’s a government shutdown.  McCarthy wasn’t willing to go to the mat. Johnson could pick up applause right there. Right-wing House members in rock-ribbed Republican districts might score plaudits from some of their constituents if there’s a shutdown. Those conservatives are outraged that Johnson forged the topline spending deal. “Speaker Johnson is doing all the same stupid crap that we opposed,” said Rep. Chip Roy (R-Texas) to FOX colleague Aishah Hasnie. Roy is not ruling out pushing an effort to remove Johnson as Speaker. “I’m not going to say what would trigger it or what wouldn’t trigger it,” said Roy. “What I would

GOP lawmakers threaten to hold government funding until border is secured

Republican lawmakers threatened to hold up government funding in exchange for stronger border security during a press conference led by Rep. Matt Rosendale, R-M.D., Wednesday afternoon.  A bipartisan group of lawmakers began talks with White House officials in December, but have been unsuccessful in reaching a deal. “What you’re going to start witnessing is the House of Representatives doing whatever we can with the tools that are available to us to let the administration know that they are not going to get additional funding for their priorities until we see a secure border,” Rosendale told reporters.  On Jan. 19, funding will expire for several federal departments, including Veterans Affairs, Agriculture, Energy, Transportation and Housing and Urban Development.  SENATE NOT EXPECTED TO RELEASE TEXT ON BORDER PACKAGE THIS WEEK On Feb. 2, Homeland Security, Labor, Health and Human Services, and the Defense Departments will also run out of funding. Congress may have to pass a continuing resolution, known as a CR, to keep agencies temporarily funded until a full budget is agreed upon. “Don’t tell me this is for want of federal legislation. This is for want of an utter, defiant, lawless refusal to enforce our border,” Sen. Mike Lee, R-Utah, a member on the upper chamber’s budget committee, told reporters on Wednesday.  “I tell President Biden, secure the border or shut it down. We’re not going to continue to fund your government as if nothing had changed, when we’ve got this crisis unfolding on monumental proportions, whether it’s all of government or just the White House toilet paper budget — I don’t know — but there have to be consequences for him doing this.” Sen. Rick Scott, R-Fla., also in attendance, said the only way to get border security passed is “to hold up whatever we can, whether it’s Ukraine funding, whatever it is they want, and say we don’t get that funding unless we get a secure border.” DEMS, GOP AT STANDSTILL ON BORDER SECURITY DEAL WITH SEVERAL ‘UNANSWERED ISSUES’ REMAINING “Otherwise … we’re going to continue to have an open border,” he said. Rep. Cory Millis, R-Fl., told reporters, “No American should be told that we must pay to secure the borders of another nation in order to negotiate to secure our own.” Lankford, alongside other lead negotiators Kyrsten Sinema, I-Ariz., and Chris Murphy, D-Conn., began negotiations with U.S. Department of Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas and other Biden officials a week before the upper chamber was scheduled to go on its holiday recess. Republicans want several measures included in a deal, including more restrictions on parole and reforming how asylum is granted, making the process more stringent for qualifying for asylum. They also want to increase detention beds and the presence of parole agents. Lawmakers hope to strike a deal that will tie border security measures into the national supplemental funding request that would provide some $60 billion to Ukraine and $14 billion to Israel. But GOP lawmakers have insisted that either the supplemental or government funding have some border security conditions attached to it.  Many hours of private negotiations have transpired since the talks began last month, but no deal has been agreed upon so far. Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., spoke with President Biden about the worsening crisis at the southern border on Wednesday, too, urging him to use his “executive authority to secure the southern border,” according to Johnson’s spokesman Raj Shah.  REPUBLICANS ACCELERATE PROBE INTO BIDEN ADMINISTRATION’S ACTIONS TO HOUSE MIGRANTS ON FEDERAL LANDS CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP There were over 302,000 migrant encounters in December, after fiscal year 2023 saw a record 2.4 million encounters overall. A recent Immigration and Customs Enforcement report said the agency removed 142,580 illegal immigrants in fiscal year 2023, up considerably from 72,177 in fiscal year 2022 and 59,011 in fiscal year 2021, but still down from the highs of 267,258 under the Trump administration in fiscal year 2019. Fox News’ Adam Shaw contributed to this report. 

Fox News Politics: 2024 GOP field shrinks

Welcome to Fox News’ Politics newsletter with the latest political news from Washington D.C. and updates from the 2024 campaign trail.  Subscribe now to get Fox News Politics newsletter in your inbox. What’s Happening?  – President Trump participates in Fox News town hall at 9 p.m. ET – Clinton, Newsom seen in Mexico amid Epstein doc drops Former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie suspended his presidential campaign, saying “it’s clear to me tonight that there isn’t a path for me to win the nomination.” Hunter Biden unexpectedly appeared with his attorneys at the House Oversight Committee’s meeting Wednesday morning to consider the resolution that would set up a full House vote on whether to hold him in contempt of Congress for defying a congressional subpoena as part of the House impeachment inquiry against President Biden. Biden and his attorneys Abbe Lowell and Kevin Morris came to Capitol Hill to sit in the audience as lawmakers on the panel considered whether to pass the resolution out of committee. Biden and his attorneys ultimately left before the vote on the resolution.  In the chaos that unfolded as Biden walked out, reporters peppered him with questions while an unidentified man shouted asked him, “Are you on crack today?” ‘UNACCEPTABLE’: White House under fire for housing migrants on national park lands …Read more ‘COMPLETE DERELICTION’: Former military pilots in Congress call for Austin’s resignation …Read more HOUSE BROKEN: GOP rebels plunge House into chaos amid government spending standoff …Read more ‘WORKING FOR JOE BIDEN’: Angry House Republicans at odds over hardliners’ threat to fire Speaker Johnson …Read more ‘NO BALLS’: Nancy Mace shreds Hunter Biden during surprise Capitol Hill appearance …Read more ‘POLITICAL SHAM’: Homeland Dems take aim at GOP ahead of Mayorkas impeachment hearing …Read more ‘DEEPLY DISTURBED’: Bipartisan lawmakers urge Bernie Sanders hold committee hearing on antisemitism on campus …Read more MOTION TO VACATE: Chip Roy makes pointed threat at Mike Johnson’s leadership …Read more ASSAULT AND MISCHIEF: Lauren Boebert’s ex arrested after altercation with congresswoman …Read more ‘MADNESS NEEDS TO END’: Stefanik slams NYC for shifting students to remote learning to house migrants at high school …Read more TOO ‘FAR LEFT’: Former NM Democrat sheriff switches parties, launches bid for Senate …Read more ZOOM ZOOM: Former NASCAR driver, GOP candidate gets endorsement from House speaker …Read more TRUMP TO IOWA: Trump to participate in Fox News town hall …Read more TRUMP STAYS: Another state court rejects effort to bar GOP front-runner from 2024 ballot …Read more ‘TOTALLY COMPROMISED’: Trump blasts Fulton County prosecutor Fani Willis after romantic partner allegations …Read more BRAGGING RIGHTS: Indiana Gov. Holcomb touts strong manufacturing, health initiatives in final state address …Read more PALLING AROUND: Clinton, Newsom seen palling around in Mexico amid Epstein doc release …Read more

Ted Cruz, under pressure to endorse Trump, says he’s watching Iowa

In recent weeks, Trump and his allies have grown increasingly frustrated with Cruz’s neutrality.