Kentucky Republicans introduce ‘three-strikes’ measure amid broader crime crackdown effort
Republican lawmakers in the Kentucky House unveiled a three-strikes measure on Tuesday that would keep people locked up after being convicted of a third violent felony. The proposal is part of a broader anti-crime bill designated as a priority for Republicans in the 60-day session. The measure surfaced during the second week of the session after lawmakers spent months meeting with stakeholders and tinkering with many of the provisions. “This bill is about putting people who are going to continue to commit crime, getting them off our streets,” said Republican Rep. Jason Nemes, among the bill’s leading supporters. REPUBLICANS, DEMOCRATS FINALIZE CANDIDATE LINEUPS FOR KENTUCKY ELECTIONS IN 2024 The proposal would result in life in prison without the possibility of parole for those who commit three violent felonies in Kentucky, GOP Rep. Jared Bauman, a lead sponsor of the bill, told reporters. Crime was a central issue in last year’s gubernatorial campaign, won by Democratic Gov. Andy Beshear. Both candidates offered public safety plans. The American Civil Liberties Union of Kentucky criticized the three-strikes measure, with Kungu Njuguna, a policy analyst for the group saying that “criminalization penalties don’t make us safe.” Njuguna pointed to already-high incarceration rates in Kentucky and said a better strategy for improving public safety is to invest more in mental health and substance use treatment, affordable housing, transportation and education. “We need to get at the root causes of what get people into the criminal legal system and prevent them from getting into the system,” Njuguna told reporters.
Dems announce 8-figure campaign targeting communities of color with hopes of winning back House
The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee (DCCC) announced a $35 million campaign investment targeting Black, Latino, Asian American and Native Hawaiian-Pacific Islander voters before the elections later this year. It comes at a time when Democrats, including President Biden, have been bleeding support among this powerful group of voters. In a press release, the DCCC announced what it called an historic eight-figure investment called P.O.W.E.R. – Persuade. Organize. Welcome. Educate. Reach – The People, aimed at persuading and mobilizing AANHPI, Black and Latino voters. Axios reported that the DCCC’s campaign was a whopping $35 million, up $5 million from what the committee spent during the last election cycle. The DCCC said it is engaging communities of color to help take back the House of Representatives, which currently has more Republicans than Democrats. DCCC GIVES TALKING POINTS TO HOUSE DEMS AMID JORDAN’S BID FOR SPEAKERSHIP: ‘GOP EXTREMISM’ The campaign dollars will go toward research and polling, paid media, in-district organizing, voter protection and education and pushing back against misinformation that may confuse or distract voters of color. “Democrats are committed to bringing responsible governance back to the House so that we can continue the important work of lowering costs, protecting and expanding health care, and delivering for our constituents,” DCCC Chair Suzan DelBene said. “We know that voters of color are critical to Democrats’ coalition and the DCCC’s investments highlight our commitment to continuously engaging with communities of color on issues they care about.” The committee said it will use “qualitative and quantitative” research to connect with communities of color, so it can address their priorities. One of the ways the committee plans to reach out to the community is through “culturally competent and resonant” media paid for with its funds, which aim to persuade and mobilize the voters through creative and localized messaging across different mediums. DNC CRITICIZES NEW HAMPSHIRE DEMOCRATIC PARTY FOR ‘DETRIMENTAL’ PRIMARY PROCESS The messages will also be dispersed on a variety of platforms the communities are most responsive to, and will be available in English, Korean, Mandarin, Spanish, Spanglish and Vietnamese. The DCCC did not immediately respond to inquiries from Fox News Digital about the campaign. The committee also said it plans to track and counter disinformation spread across social media and traditional media, which could dissuade people of color from voting, through an online hub called, “In It Together.” HALEY SPARKS STRONG REACTIONS FROM CAUCUS-GOERS AFTER TELLING NH VOTERS TO ‘CORRECT’ IOWA CAUCUS The group said the hub will provide content and resources that can be shared with family and friends to help push back against “false narratives,” while stressing the accomplishments of House Democrats. “The DCCC is making an historic investment to persuade and engage voters of color who are critical for Democrats’ path to taking back the House,” DCC national Engagement Director Mariafernanda Zacarias said. “We know how important it is to have ongoing culturally inclusive and resonate outreach with voters of color including in TV, digital, print, mail, and radio, through in-district organizing staff, and informed by in-depth research and polling. P.O.W.E.R. The People builds on the DCCC’s prior cycles of engagement with communities of color to tell the story of how Democrats are delivering for working people, and the danger Republicans pose to our fundamental rights.”
Pentagon slammed for calling Lloyd Austin’s surgery to remove cancer ‘elective’: ‘Arguing semantics’
Doctors are calling out the Pentagon for calling Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin’s recent medical procedure to treat prostrate cancer an “elective” surgery,” saying that characterization is misleading. The 70-year-old Defense secretary was hospitalized on Jan. 1 for complications from what officials are still calling an “elective” medical procedure that was later revealed to be related to prostate cancer. The Pentagon chief’s cancer diagnosis was made public Tuesday. The administration had previously only disclosed on Friday that Austin had been hospitalized earlier that week. The Biden administration has taken heat for its handling of Austin’s absence, particularly on the issue of transparency, and, now, its facing backlash for telling the public last week when details of Austin’s condition were scarce that he had undergone an “elective” surgery. Speaking Tuesday with Fox News Digital, Fox News contributor Dr. Marc Siegel, said Austin’s prostatectomy is “technically an elective surgery,” but that characterization is misleading. BIDEN NOT INFORMED OF SECRETARY AUSTIN’S CANCER DIAGNOSIS UNTIL WEEKS AFTER, SAME DAY AS PUBLIC: ‘NOT OPTIMAL’ “Elective is divided into emergency and non-emergency. We take elective mostly to mean a nose job and so the word elective is misleading. This is prostate cancer,” Siegel said. “Not all prostate cancer is operated on, but they decided to take it out because they thought it was aggressive-probably from the biopsy,” he said. Siegel said it is misleading to call Austin’s prostate cancer surgery a minimally invasive surgery. “Even though the da Vinci robot is technically considered minimally invasive surgery, it implies that it’s a small operation. It would be better to define Austin’s surgery as robotic prostate surgery.” “But going under anesthesia and general surgery is not a walk in the park that needs to be taken very seriously, even if our technology has improved greatly,” Siegel said. BIDEN’S HANDLING OF DEFESNE SEC AUSTIN’S MYSTERIOUS ABSENCE FACES BACKLASH FROM FORMER AMBASSADOR: ‘ALARMING’ Dr. Nicole Saphier, a Fox News contributor and radiologist, told Fox News Digital that she would not consider a cancer surgery to be elective. “Anyone would think that cancer treatment is not elective, but as we learned during COVID, the definition of elective is very different from a physician or even a patient’s perspective, Dr. Saphier said. “Cancer surgeries were delayed during the early stages of COVID when all elective cases were put on hold.” “Ultimately, cancer is life-threatening, so it is really arguing semantics whether you want to call cancer treatment, elective or not,” she said. “My personal opinion as a cancer specialist and human, I would not consider a cancer surgery to be elective, but the reality is, his prostate cancer was not immediately life-threatening at the moment,” Dr. Saphier said. “Therefore, he was able to be scheduled on an outpatient, non-emergency basis.” Pentagon press secretary Maj. Gen. Pat Ryder defended the use of “elective surgery” in a Tuesday press briefing, deferring to medical professionals. “I’m going to defer to medical officials on this,” Ryder said. “Again, we released this information as soon as we had it. And so, again, I’m going to refer back to the statement and, you know, going forward, we will use that as the baseline in terms of describing it.” PELOSI SAYS LLOYD AUSTIN HOSPITALIZATION ‘COULD HAVE BEEN HANDLED MUCH BETTER’: BIDEN ‘SHOULD HAVE KNOWN’ Ryder said that Austin’s doctor previously defined his surgery as elective and the initial statement from the Pentagon was written after consulting his doctors at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center. “So to my knowledge, that initial statement was coordinated in consultation with his doctors,” Ryder said. Following Austin’s surgery, he was hospitalized following “complications,” Ryder said on Friday, Jan. 5. DEFENSE SECREATARY AUSTIN UNDER FIRE FROM WASHINGTON POST FOR KEEPING AMERICA ‘IN THE DARK’ ON HOSPITALIZATION House Armed Services Committee Chairman Mike Rogers on Tuesday announced a formal inquiry into the lack of transparency surrounding Austin’s hospitalization. “With wars in Ukraine and Israel, the idea that the White House and even your own Deputy did not understand the nature of your condition is patently unacceptable,” Rogers wrote in a letter to Austin on Tuesday. Seigel said that Austin should use this experience as a “great teaching moment” and bring public awareness to prostate cancer. “This should have been a great teaching moment and still could be for Black Americans, given the fact that they have 2.5 times greater risk of prostate cancer and 2.5 greater chances of dying,” Siegel said. “I would have liked to see the defense secretary come out for public awareness rather than hide– and he still could,” he said. WHITE HOUSE LAUNCHING REVIEW OF CABINET PROTOCOLS AFTER DEFENSE SECRETARY’S HOSPITALIZATION: MEMO Austin was admitted to Walter Reed National Military Medical Center on Dec. 22 and underwent surgery to treat the 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. The Pentagon did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment.
Wisconsin city’s mobile absentee voting van is illegal, judge rules
A Wisconsin judge has ruled that state law does not allow the use of mobile absentee voting sites, siding with Republicans who had challenged Racine’s use of a voting van that traveled around the city in 2022. Republicans opposed the use of the van, the only one of its kind in Wisconsin, saying its use was against the law, increased the chances of voter fraud and was used to bolster Democratic turnout. Racine officials, the Democratic National Committee and the Milwaukee-based voting advocacy group Black Leaders Organizing for Communities refuted those claims and defended the legality of the van, saying there was no specific prohibition against it. ILLINOIS ELECTIONS BOARD TO VOTE ON WHETHER TRUMP CAN APPEAR ON STATE GOP’S PRIMARY BALLOT The lawsuit over the mobile voting van is one of several in battleground Wisconsin that could affect voting rules in the upcoming presidential election. The van was first used in Racine’s municipal elections in 2022. It was purchased with grant money Racine received from the Center for Tech and Civic Life, the nonprofit created by Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg and his wife. Republicans have been critical of the grants, calling the money “Zuckerbucks” that they say was used to tilt turnout in Democratic areas. The van was used only to facilitate early in-person voting during the two weeks prior to an election, Racine City Clerk Tara McMenamin said. She said the vehicle was useful because it was becoming too cumbersome for her staff to set up their equipment in remote polling sites. It traveled across the city to meet voters in their neighborhoods and collect early ballots. The Wisconsin Institute for Law and Liberty, on behalf of Racine County Republican Party Chairman Ken Brown, filed a complaint the day after the August 2022 primary with the Wisconsin Elections Commission, arguing that the van was against state law. They argued that it was only sent to Democratic areas in the city in an illegal move to bolster turnout. McMenamin disputed those accusations, saying that it shows a misunderstanding of the city’s voting wards, which traditionally lean Democratic. The elections commission dismissed the complaint four days before the November election that year, saying that there was no probable cause shown to believe the law had been broken. That led the Wisconsin Institute for Law and Liberty to then file its lawsuit. Racine County Circuit Judge Eugene Gasiorkiewicz, in a ruling late Monday, overturned the elections commission’s dismissal of the complaint, saying state election laws do not allow for the use of mobile voting sites. “Nowhere can this Court find or has been provided any authority allowing the use of a van or vehicle as an alternate absentee voting vehicle,” the judge wrote. He rejected the argument from defendants that the use of mobile voting sites was allowable because there is no specific prohibition against them. The judge said his ruling wasn’t a determination on whether mobile voting sites were a good idea or not. That is up to the Legislature to decide, Gasiorkiewicz said. VIRGINIA DROPS LAST REMAINING CHARGE AGAINST DC-AREA ELECTIONS OFFICIAL The Wisconsin Elections Commission and the state Department of Justice, which represented it in the lawsuit, did not return messages seeking comment on whether the decision will be appealed. McMenamin said the decision was being reviewed and next steps would be more clear next week. Early in-person absentee voting in Wisconsin for the municipal spring election begins Feb. 6. The presidential primary is April 2, with absentee voting allowed two weeks before it. If appealed, the case could ultimately be decided by Wisconsin’s liberal-controlled state Supreme Court. Lucas Vebber, deputy counsel at the Wisconsin Institute for Law and Liberty, hailed the ruling. “Wisconsin voters should know that their elections are secure, and that election administration does not favor one political party over another,” Vebber said. “This decision does just that.”
British FM ‘worried’ Israel may have breached international law in Gaza
David Cameron spoke to a parliamentary committee about whether Israel was ‘vulnerable to a challenge’ from the ICC. British Foreign Minister David Cameron has said he is worried that Israel’s war on Gaza may have included breaches of international law, and while the advice he received so far was that Israel was compliant, there were questions to answer. Speaking to the British parliament’s Foreign Affairs Committee on Tuesday, Cameron said some of what he had seen during the war in the besieged Palestinian territory was “deeply concerning”. Asked during a question-and-answer session with lawmakers if Israel could be “vulnerable to a challenge” from the International Criminal Court (ICC) in the Hague over whether its actions were proportionate, Cameron said the stance was “close to that”. While the former prime minister did not directly answer questions about whether he had received legal advice that Israel might have broken the law, he said some incidents had raised questions over whether there had been breaches. “Am I worried that Israel has taken action that might be in breach of international law because this particular premises has been bombed, or whatever? Yes, of course,” Cameron said. He added that there was always a “question mark” over whether a given incident had broken international law, which lawyers would examine and advise him over. “The advice has been so far that they [Israel] have the commitment, the capability and the compliance [with international law], but on lots of occasions, that is under question,” he said. The United Kingdom has reaffirmed its support for Israel multiple times and backed its right to defend itself against Hamas, but has also called on the Israeli military to show restraint and act within international law in its offensive in Gaza. The Foreign Affairs Committee scrutinises the work of the UK’s foreign ministry, to which Cameron was appointed late last year. During Israel’s relentless bombardment of Gaza, at least 23,210 people have been killed, according to the Palestinian health ministry, and most homes in the Gaza Strip have been destroyed. Cameron, who sits in the parliament’s upper chamber as an unelected minister, said it would take “a giant effort” to rebuild Gaza due to the level of destruction being so “great”. “We’re going to need as many people as possible. It will take more than any one country to do it,” he said. He also said that he had seen figures that show Hamas fighters had lost “over 50 percent of their capability and capacity” to fire rockets into Israel. Amid growing concern over the Gaza death toll and the South Africa genocide case against Israel, United States Secretary of State Antony Blinken urged Israeli leaders on Tuesday to avoid future harm to civilians and civilian infrastructure. Adblock test (Why?)
Blinken says US wants to see end to Israel-Gaza war
NewsFeed “We want this war to end as soon as possible.” US Secretary of State Antony Blinken spoke to reporters following his meetings with Israeli leaders and other regional leaders who all share concerns about the Israel-Gaza war spreading. Published On 9 Jan 20249 Jan 2024 Adblock test (Why?)
Lloyd Austin hospitalised for infection after prostate cancer surgery
Disclosure comes as Pentagon faces public backlash over its secrecy about US defense secretary’s hospitalisation. US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin has been hospitalised since January 1 with a urinary tract infection after a December surgical procedure to treat prostate cancer, Walter Reed National Military Medical Center says. The disclosure on Tuesday came after nearly a week of public backlash directed at the Pentagon over its secrecy about the hospitalisation with President Joe Biden and Austin’s own deputy kept in the dark for days. Once the Pentagon did disclose on Friday that Austin was in the hospital, it declined to say why he was there or offer details about his medical prognosis. The 70-year-old was admitted to Walter Reed National Military Medical Center on December 22 and underwent surgery to treat the cancer, doctors said. Austin later developed the infection and was rehospitalised. Senior White House and defence officials were not told for days about his hospitalisation or the cancer. Doctors said the cancer was detected when Austin had a regular screening in early December. They said he “underwent a minimally invasive surgical procedure” and went home the next day. But on January 1, he reported nausea and severe abdominal, hip and leg pain due to the infection. They said his prostate cancer was detected early, and his prognosis is excellent. The announcement came after days of questions about why Austin had been hospitalised and why Biden and other top officials hadn’t been informed immediately. Austin sits just below Biden at the top of the chain of command of the US military, the most powerful in the world. His duties require him to be available at a moment’s notice to respond to any national security crisis. Some Republican lawmakers have said Austin should be removed from his job. But the Pentagon said the retired four-star general had no plans to resign, and the White House said Biden, a Democrat, was not seeking to remove him. Austin remains at Walter Reed. “The secretary continues to remain focused on recovering but, more importantly, on carrying out his duties as secretary of defense and defending the nation,” Air Force Major General Patrick Ryder said at a news briefing. Adblock test (Why?)
McConnell and Johnson at odds over CR as spending deadline fast approaches
Sen. Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., and House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., are at odds over a path to government funding as the first deadline quickly approaches on Jan. 19. McConnell said Tuesday that Congress will have to pass another continuing resolution (CR) to prevent a government shutdown, but Johnson has asserted opposition to another CR agreement. “And so the question is, how long does the CR need to be? And that’ll be up to the majority leader and the speaker to determine the length of the CR,” McConnell told reporters following the GOP’s weekly luncheon. In November, Johnson stated he was “done” with short-term funding patches, known as a CR, which would fund government agencies temporarily until a permanent deal for the year is passed — placing him at odds with Republican leaders in the Senate. On Jan. 19, funding will expire for several federal departments, including Veterans Affairs, Agriculture, Energy, Transportation and Housing and Urban Development. On Feb. 2, Homeland Security, Labor, Health and Human Services, and the Defense Departments will also run out of funding. “The simplest things take a week in the Senate,” McConnell said. “I think frequently, the House doesn’t understand how long it takes to get something through the Senate.” Only three of the 12 spending bills the upper chamber’s appropriations committee approved have been passed. Sen. Majority Whip John Thune, R-S.D., added that a CR is “highly likely” for continued government funding “for the foreseeable future.” “We’re not going to get all the appropriations bills done by the coming deadline,” Thune said, adding that a CR is an “inevitability.” Meanwhile, Johnson and Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y. agreed to a “topline” spending figure of $1.59 trillion for the next fiscal year this week. Fox News Digital has reached out to Johnson’s office for comment.
Fox News Politics: ‘It’s not optimal’
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? – More big names revealed in Epstein court docs – Fox News hosts town hall with DeSantis in Iowa – Gov. Newsom declares special election to replace Kevin McCarthy Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin went into the ICU on Jan. 1, but the White House, Congress and the rest of the world did find out until days later — while the cabinet member was still in intensive care. Now, Austin has announced that he was diagnosed with prostate cancer — another detail that the White House didn’t know about. What he initially referred to as an elective procedure was actually a prostatectomy he had last month, which led to complications. The White House on Tuesday said the way the whole situation, and the president being in the dark about his own secretary of defense’s medical condition, was “not optimal.” Still, the White House is standing by Austin. The Pentagon said Monday that Austin’s chief of staff was sick with the flu, which led to the breakdown in communication. There are mounting calls for Austin’s ouster. BILLABLE HOURS: Top Trump prosecutor met with Biden WH twice as he worked to investigate former president …Read more ‘EMPTY WORDS’: Biden kowtows to protester ‘passion,’ says he’s working to reduce Israeli presence in Gaza …Read more ‘UH, NO’: Washington Post upset with Lloyd Austin over mysterious absence …Read more ‘A HUGE WIN’: Biden’s war on appliances dealt major blow by federal appeals court …Read more ANOTHER ONE DOWN: Brother of Mike Pence becomes latest House Republican to retire after 2024 …Read more ‘SENSATIONALIZED ALLEGATIONS’: Menendez defends himself against mounting federal bribery charges …Read more ‘NOT DONE FIGHTING’: Veteran Air Force pilot joins race for Congress, says moment ‘too important’ for career politicians …Read more POWER RANKINGS: Fox News Power Rankings: What each candidate must do to make the GOP primary competitive …Read more BLAME BIDEN: Trump attorney: Biden ‘prosecuting his number one political opponent’ through Jack Smith at immunity hearing …Read more TAKING NO CHANCES: Trump ramps up in Iowa as presidential caucuses approach …Read more CHECKLIST 2024: Arizona governor declares top priorities for 2024 …Read more CONFLICT OF INTEREST: Top Trump prosecutor, Georgia DA alleged to be in ‘improper’ romantic relationship: New court filing …Read more ASKED AND ANSWERED: Clinton library trolled after people guessed ex-POTUS sent first email to Epstein …Read more
Texas hits major milestone for migrants sent to sanctuary cities despite liberal fury: ‘We will not back down’
Texas Gov. Greg Abbott on Tuesday announced that the state has now sent over 100,000 migrants to “sanctuary” cities across the United States, over a year and a half since he started the program to relieve what he says are overwhelmed border states. “Texas has transported over 100,000 migrants to sanctuary cities to relieve overwhelmed border towns,” Abbott said on X, formerly known as Twitter. “Until Biden reverses course on his open border policies, Texas will continue transporting migrants to these cities,” he said. “We will not back down on our efforts to secure the border.” NYC MAYOR ADAMS SUES TEXAS BUS COMPANIES FOR TRANSPORTING MIGRANTS TO SANCTUARY CITY, SEEKS $700 MILLION Abbott began busing migrants to Washington D.C. in April 2022, and has since expanded to cities including New York City, Denver, Philadelphia and Chicago. Additionally, the state has sent flights to some cities. The practice has proven to be enormously controversial with those liberal cities, and with the Biden administration, who have accused Texas of deliberately causing disruption with a political stunt. Both Chicago and New York City have put restrictions on charter buses coming to their cities and last week NYC Mayor Eric Adams announced a $700 million lawsuit against bus and transportation companies involved in migrant transport. “New York City has and will always do our part to manage this humanitarian crisis, but we cannot bear the costs of reckless political ploys from the state of Texas alone,” Adams said in a statement. The lawsuit argues that the companies have violated New York state law by not paying for the cost of caring for migrants, and seeks $708 million in damages that it has already spent on caring for them. It cites New York law that requires anyone who brings a “needy person” from out of state for the purposes of making them a public charge to either take them out of the state or support them. ADAMS SLAPS RESTRICTIONS ON MIGRANT BUSES COMING TO NYC FROM TEXAS AS NUMBERS RISE Abbott has repeatedly dismissed the criticism he has heard from Adams and other Democratic mayors, arguing that the numbers they are seeing at the border in Texas are significantly larger than the numbers being sent to those liberal cities. He has also called the lawsuit against the bus companies “baseless.” “Every migrant bused or flown to New York City did so voluntarily, after having been authorized by the Biden Administration to remain in the United States,” he said. “As such, they have constitutional authority to travel across the country that Mayor Adams is interfering with. If the Mayor persists in this lawsuit, he may be held legally accountable for his violations.” TEXAS MIGRANT FLIGHT HEADING TO NEW YORK CITY DIVERTED TO PHILADELPHIA There were more than 2.4 million migrant encounters in FY 23, and officials have told lawmakers last month that they are releasing an average of 5,000 a day into the U.S. Meanwhile, DHS Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas told Border Patrol agents this week that “above 85%” of migrants currently being encountered are being released into the U.S. interior.