Author:

Louisville sued by local paper over police records

A Kentucky newspaper has sued the state’s biggest city to get access to police records cited in a federal investigation. The Courier Journal reported on Monday that it filed a lawsuit against Louisville Metro Government after the city’s police department failed to respond to a request for search warrant applications cited in a Justice Department report. The Kentucky Open Records Act gives agencies five business days to respond to such requests, but the newspaper reports it submitted a request four months ago. RUBY-RED KENTUCKY BEGINS NEW LEGISLATIVE SESSION WITH BUDGET TALKS, POLICY CLASHES ON HORIZON The city’s only response was a Sept. 6 message from the city’s top records official saying she was checking with the police department and did not know when the records would be available. “LMPD’s refusal to comply with this request should be seen for what it is: a deliberate and willful attempt to shield its officers from unwanted public scrutiny by simply ignoring requests that would cast the Department in an unflattering light. But these warrant applications are the public’s records, and the public is entitled to see them,” attorneys representing The Courier Journal wrote in the lawsuit. Louisville Mayor Craig Greenberg said Monday that he has directed the city’s police department and records compliance “to take immediate steps to provide timely responses to these requests.” “This is unacceptable and is not consistent with the commitment to transparency that I have made a priority for my administration,” he said in a statement. The U.S. Justice Department announced last year that its investigation found Louisville police had engaged in a pattern of violating constitutional rights and discrimination against the Black community. Among the findings: police cherry-picked judges to review warrant applications instead of following the court’s rotating schedule, meaning just a few approved the majority of warrants. “The finding of the DOJ report was that the warrant process was deeply flawed and led to abuses of constitutional rights, and the public has a right to know all of those who were involved in that pattern or practice,” said Michael Abate, a Louisville First Amendment lawyer representing The Courier Journal in the suit. The investigation was prompted by the fatal police shooting of Breonna Taylor.

Mayorkas blames Mexico, Congress for historic border surge; calls for more funding and ‘reform’

Department of Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas visited Eagle Pass, Texas on Monday to discuss the ongoing crisis at the southern border. During a press conference, Mayorkas acknowledged there were unprecedented levels of illegal crossings that put “tremendous stress on our broken immigration system [and] our under-resourced facilities.”  “Our immigration system is outdated and broken and has been in need of reform for literally decades,” Mayorkas said.  He called on Congress to provide additional funding for more officers and judges who can resolve asylum claims quickly. Mayorkas also blamed historic surges in December on a lack of funding for the Immigration Enforcement Agency in Mexico.  MAYORKAS TELLS BORDER PATROL AGENTS THAT ‘ABOVE 85%’ OF ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS RELEASED INTO US: SOURCES The comments came days ahead of an impeachment hearing into the DHS Secretary over his handling of the southern border. Under his watch, hundreds of thousands of migrants crossed into the U.S., with Customs and Border Patrol (CBP) sources telling Fox News Digital last month that there were more than 276,000 migrant encounters near the end of December, setting a new record for crossings in a month.  The previous record was set in September when officials saw 269,735 encounters. The number includes illegal immigrants encountered between ports of entry and migrants entering at ports of entry via the CBP One app. If impeached, Mayorkas would be the first Cabinet secretary to receive the black mark since 1876.  In Eagle Pass, Mayorkas pushed back on the notion that DHS was not enforcing the border.  SENATE NOT EXPECTED TO RELEASE TEXT ON BORDER SECURITY PACKAGE THIS WEEK  “Some have accused DHS of not enforcing our nation’s laws. This could not be further from the truth,” Mayorkas said. “There is nothing I take more seriously than our responsibility to uphold the law and the men and women of DHS are working around the clock to do so.”  He noted that, through the end of the fiscal year, “DHS removed or returned more noncitizens without a basis to remain in the United States than in any other five-month period in the last ten years.”  “In fact, the majority of all migrants encountered at the Southwest border throughout this administration have been removed, returned, or expelled,” he said.  The comments appeared to be at odds with remarks he made earlier during a private meeting with agents in Eagle Pass, admitting to Border Patrol agents that the current rate of release for illegal immigrants apprehended at the southern border is “above 85%.”  As officials continue to be overwhelmed at the U.S. border, many court dates for asylum claims are being set years into the future including, in one case, as late as 2031. Senate negotiators met Monday morning as they raced to finish work on the legislative text for a bipartisan border security proposal aimed at reducing the number of migrants who travel to the southern border to apply for asylum protections in the U.S. The small group of senators has been working for months on the legislation after Republicans insisted on pairing border policy changes with supplemental funding for Ukraine, but disagreements remained. The Biden administration has also been directly involved in the talks as the president tries to both secure support for a top foreign policy priority — funding Ukraine’s defense against Russia — and demonstrate action on a potential political weakness — his handling of the historic number of migrants seeking asylum at the U.S. border with Mexico. Biden has faced staunch resistance from conservatives to his $110 billion request for a package of wartime aid for Ukraine and Israel as well as other national security priorities. In the Senate, Republicans have demanded that the funding be paired with border security changes. Fox News’ Houston Keene and Adam Shaw contributed to this report. 

Judge calls for new North Dakota legislative district in win for tribal advocates

A federal judge on Monday ordered a new joint North Dakota legislative district for two Native American tribes that successfully argued a map created through redistricting in 2021 violated the Voting Rights Act by diluting their voting strength. U.S. District Court Chief Judge Peter Welte’s decision to adopt and implement a new map comes after a flurry of court filings in the lawsuit since his Nov. 17 ruling that the state’s 2021 redistricting map “prevents Native American voters from having an equal opportunity to elect candidates of their choice.” The judge had given North Dakota Republican Secretary of State Michael Howe and the GOP-controlled Legislature until Dec. 22 “to adopt a plan to remedy the violation.” The deadline passed with no new map as Howe and lawmakers sought a delay of the judge’s ruling and more time to respond. NORTH DAKOTA’S TOP ELECTION OFFICIAL APPEALS RULING PROTECTING NATIVE AMERICAN VOTING RIGHTS Welte said the new map “requires changes to only three districts and is the least intrusive option that complies with the Voting Rights Act and the Constitution.” The Turtle Mountain Band of Chippewa Indians and the Spirit Lake Tribe brought the lawsuit in early 2022. They alleged the 2021 redistricting map “simultaneously packs Turtle Mountain Band of Chippewa Indians members into one house district, and cracks Spirit Lake Tribe members out of any majority Native house district.” In an emailed statement, plaintiffs’ attorney Tim Purdon said the tribes welcome the ruling for the 2024 elections. “The map that will be used in 2024 is the same Voting Rights Act-compliant map the Tribes originally recommended to the Redistricting Committee and the full Legislature during the 2021 redistricting process,” he said. “The time has come for the Legislature and the Secretary of State to stop spending taxpayer dollars litigating against fair maps in North Dakota.” It wasn’t immediately clear which lawmakers are affected by the new boundaries, such as who might have to run against a colleague to keep his or her seat in the Legislature. North Dakota’s assembly only meets in odd-numbered years and is not in session. Days after Welte’s November ruling, Howe announced his plans to appeal, citing a new 8th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ruling that private individuals and groups such as the NAACP can’t sue under a critical section of the landmark civil rights law. Welte and the 8th Circuit denied Howe’s requests to delay the November ruling pending appeal. Late last month, the 8th Circuit denied the Legislature’s request to extend the Dec. 22 deadline to Feb. 9., Soon afterward, the Legislature asked Welte for the same extension, saying it “has made substantial headway toward the development of a remedial redistricting plan.” At the same time, the tribes asked the judge to deny the extension and to impose one of their two maps presented in federal court, by Dec. 31. On Monday, Welte denied the Legislature’s request for more time and granted the tribes’ request for a new map. Republican House Majority Leader Mike Lefor said lawmakers have postponed the Tuesday meeting of the Legislature’s Redistricting Committee. The panel began meeting last month to address the November ruling and to review options of maps, including the tribes’ plans. Top lawmakers also plan to meet with the secretary of state, attorney general and the Legislature’s attorneys, Lefor said. “We’ve got to get our ducks in a row to kinda comprehend the ruling and the different things that could come into play here,” he said. Howe did not respond to a phone message or a text message. In 2021, the two tribes unsuccessfully proposed a single legislative district encompassing the two reservations, which are roughly 60 miles apart. Their lawsuit culminated in a trial in June in Fargo; Welte ruled months afterward. North Dakota has 47 legislative districts, each with one senator and two representatives. Republicans control the House of Representatives 82-12 and the Senate 43-4. At least two lawmakers, both House Democrats, are members of tribes. The Legislature created four subdistricts in the state House, including one each for the Fort Berthold and Turtle Mountain Indian reservations. Lawmakers who were involved in the 2021 redistricting process have previously cited 2020 census numbers meeting population requirements of the Voting Rights Act for creating those subdistricts. Lefor has said the process was done correctly.

Lobster fishermen claw at ‘unconstitutional’ boat tracking mandate

A group of lobster fishermen has sued fishing regulators in federal court, claiming that new electronic monitoring requirements designed to protect rare whales are unconstitutional. The new rules went into effect on Dec. 15 and require fishermen with federal lobster fishing permits to install 24-hour electronic tracking devices on their boats. The Maine Department of Marine Resources, which regulates fisheries in Maine, has promoted the new rule as a way to collect better data that can both benefit the fishery and help save the vanishing North Atlantic right whale, which is vulnerable to potentially lethal entanglement in fishing gear. Five lobstermen who are members of a lobster fishing union filed their lawsuit in federal court last week. The fishermen said they oppose the requirement that the tracking devices must be operational regardless of what the boat is being used for at the time. LOUISIANA ENDING INSHORE SHRIMP SEASON MONDAY, WITH SOME EXCEPTIONS IN STATE’S EAST “The plaintiffs contend that minute-by-minute surveillance of Maine’s federally licensed lobster fleet is unconstitutional, unwarranted and unfair to Maine lobstermen, who have proven through the actions of generations of lobstering families that they are good stewards of the ocean ecosystems essential to their livelihoods,” said Thimi Mina and Alfred Frawley IV, attorneys for the fishermen, in a statement. Fishing monitoring, whether by human workers or electronic surveillance, has long been a contentious issue among commercial fishermen. Regulators defend the rules as vitally important to collect data used to manage fisheries, but many fishing groups view them as overreach. The Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission announced the monitoring rules in 2022. The commission said in documents at the time that “it is critical to gather and provide updated” data about commercial fishing to aid the right whales, which number less than 360. The Atlantic States commission has not had time to fully review the fishermen’s complaint, a spokesperson for the commission said. Patrick Keliher, commissioner of the Maine Department of Marine Resources, said the data collected by the trackers would benefit lobster fishermen in the long run. “Data from the trackers is a critical component of the Atlantic states’ effort to ensure that the lobster industry is not burdened with management decisions based on assumptions derived from insufficient data,” Keliher said. The tracking devices were issued to Maine lobstermen using congressional funding, state officials said. Not all of the lobster fishermen issued the trackers have installed them, said Virginia OIsen, the Maine Lobstering Union’s political director. Olsen said the court case, filed in U.S. District Court for the District of Maine, does not yet have a hearing date.

New Hampshire’s attorney general fires off cease and desist letter to DNC over ‘deceptive’ comments on primary

New Hampshire’s Republican attorney general is taking aim at the Democratic National Committee (DNC) for what he argues are “false, deceptive, and misleading” comments about the state’s first-in-the-nation presidential primary. And longtime state Democratic Party chair Ray Buckley, reacting to Monday’s move by state attorney general John Formella, emphasized that “it’s safe to say in New Hampshire” — where most baseball fans support the Boston Red Sox and despise the rival New York Yankees — “the DNC is less popular than the NY Yankees.” Formella cited a Jan. 5 letter sent to Buckley by the DNC’s Rules and Bylaws Committee — which oversees the party’s nominating calendar — telling the state party chair to inform local Democrats that New Hampshire’s upcoming presidential primary — which is in violation of the national party’s 2024 nominating calendar — is “meaningless.”  The state attorney general said calling the primary meaningless violates New Hampshire voter suppression laws. NEW HAMPSHIRE HOLDS TO TRADITION, THUMBS ITS NOSE AT BIDEN AND NATIONAL DEMOCRATS The development is the latest in a more than yearlong family feud between DNC and Democrats in the state that for a century has held the first primary in the race for the White House. Democrats for years have knocked both Iowa — whose caucuses kicked off both major parties’ nominating calendars for five decades — and New Hampshire as unrepresentative of the party as a whole because the state has a largely White population with few major urban areas. Nevada and South Carolina, which in recent cycles have voted third and fourth on the calendar, are much more diverse than either Iowa or New Hampshire. Nevada and South Carolina were added to the Democrat calendar nearly two decades ago to increase the diversity of the early states’ electorate. NEW HAMPSHIRE DEMOCRATS DEFY BIDEN, DNC OVER PRIMARY DATE While Republicans aren’t making major changes to their schedule, the DNC last year overwhelmingly approved a calendar proposed by President Biden to move South Carolina to the lead position on Feb. 3. New Hampshire and Nevada were scheduled to hold primaries three days later, with Iowa entirely losing its early state position. The president and supporters of the new calendar argued that it would empower minority voters, upon whom Democrats have long relied but have at times taken for granted. But New Hampshire has a nearly half-century-old law that mandates that it hold the first presidential primary, a week ahead of any similar contest. To comply with the DNC, New Hampshire would have needed to scrap its state law protecting its first-in-the-nation primary status and expand access to early voting. However, with Republicans in control of the governor’s office and both houses of the state legislature, Democrats repeatedly argued that was a non-starter. In November, New Hampshire Secretary of State announced that the state’s 2024 presidential primary would be held on Jan. 23, eight days after Iowa’s Republican caucuses.  The state faces sanctions from the DNC, which could result in the loss of half of New Hampshire’s delegates to next summer’s national convention. And the holding of an unsanctioned primary has led the president to keep his name off the New Hampshire ballot. However, Granite State Democrats have launched a write-in campaign in an attempt to prevent an electoral embarrassment for the president as he runs for a second term in the White House. The DNC letter last week to Buckley stated that “the NHDP must take steps to educate the public that January 23rd is a non-binding presidential preference event and is meaningless and the NHDP and presidential candidates should take all steps possible not to participate.”  “No delegates or alternates shall be apportioned based on the results of the January 23, 2024 event,” the DNC added.  The state attorney general’s office, in their letter, noted that “regardless of whether the DNC refuses to award delegates to the party’s national convention based on the results of the January 23, 2024, New Hampshire democratic Presidential Primary Election, this New Hampshire election is not ‘meaningless.’” The letter goes on to state that the “RBC’s statements to the contrary are false, deceptive, and misleading” and constitute “an attempt to prevent or deter New Hampshire voters from participating in the January 23, 2024, New Hampshire democratic Presidential Primary Election.” Buckley, in his statement, noted that “state law requires the New Hampshire Secretary of State to conduct the first-in-the-nation primary and he is going to follow the law — period. Nothing has changed, and we look forward to seeing a great Democratic voter turnout on January 23rd.” There are plenty of Democrats in Iowa and New Hampshire who see the upending of their lead-off positions as sour grapes from Biden, who finished a disappointing fourth in the 2020 Iowa caucuses and fifth in the New Hampshire primary — before a second-place finish in Nevada and a landslide victory in South Carolina propelled him toward the nomination and eventually the White House. Biden faces long-shot primary challenges from two Democrats who will be on the ballot in New Hampshire. Three-term Rep. Dean Phillips of Minnesota, one of the wealthiest members of Congress, formally announced his presidential bid as he filed at the State House on Oct. 27 to place his name on the state’s ballot. Also on the Granite State ballot is the other challenger, bestselling author and spiritual adviser Marianne Williamson, who is making her second straight White House run. While the 81-year-old president is the commanding front-runner for the nomination, polls indicate Biden faces serious concerns from Democrats over his age. Those surveys also suggest that many Americans, including plenty of Democrats, don’t want the president to seek a second term in the White House. There are concerns among Granite Staters that the move by the president and the DNC to revamp the nominating calendar, and his absence from the primary ballot, could lead to a ballot box setback for Biden in New Hampshire. Get the latest updates from the 2024 campaign trail, exclusive interviews and more at

Massachusetts Gov. Healey announces $375M in budget cuts amid anticipated shortfall

Massachusetts Gov. Maura Healey announced $375 million in budget cuts for the current fiscal year Monday as the administration seeks to close an expected $1 billion shortfall with monthly revenues coming in at a slower pace than expected. The biggest cut will be to MassHealth, the state’s Medicaid program, but it won’t impact anyone’s eligibility to apply to the health insurance system. The rest of the anticipated $1 billion shortfall will be covered by $625 million in what administration officials describe as opportunities to increase revenue without the need for tax increases. TEMPORARY MIGRANT SHELTER FUNDING PACKAGE CLEARS MASSACHUSETTS HOUSE The spending cuts outlined Monday can be made unilaterally by the governor and don’t need the approval of state lawmakers. Healey’s top budget official, Matthew Gorzkowicz, said the administration opted not to dip into the state’s “rainy day fund” — now over $8 billion — because that money is for more extreme budget crises. “We see this as sort of a 12-18-month condition where we have to do some belt-tightening, but overall we don’t see this as a recessionary environment and believe the economy will continue to grow in 2025,” Gorzkowicz told reporters. He said the cuts amounted to less than 1% of the state budget and no layoffs were used to close the funding gap. Gorzkowicz also said that the state’s struggle to find emergency shelter for migrants and other homeless families was not a factor in the budget cuts. “None of the budget reductions are the result of the recent emergency shelter crisis,” he said. In a letter to lawmakers explaining the cuts, Healey said the state can’t wait until the start of the new fiscal year in July to address the budget shortfall. December was the sixth month in a row in which revenues fell below predictions, she said. “In crafting spending reductions, we have done our best to protect investments that are critical to Massachusetts’s future,” including protecting local aid funding to cities and towns and school funding, the Democrat wrote. Also Monday, Healey administration officials and Massachusetts House and Senate leaders unveiled a new estimated state revenue figure for the 2025 fiscal year of $40.2 billion — about $208 million less than what was used to build the current budget, officials said.

Virginia Legislature to take up proposed Wizards, Capitals stadium move in 2024 session

Advocates of Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin’s plan to build a new professional sports arena and entertainment district in northern Virginia say the project would be a generational job-creator so lucrative it will pay for itself. Critics, meanwhile, argue the proposal to lure the NBA’s Washington Wizards and NHL’s Washington Capitals across the Potomac from the nation’s capital will amount to an extravagant taxpayer handout to the wealthy owners of the teams’ parent company. In the coming 2024 legislative session that kicks off Wednesday, Virginia lawmakers will have to make their position on that divide clear, as they take up complex legislation to enable the move. WASHINGTON WIZARDS, CAPITALS PLAN TO DEPART DC AS CRIME CRISIS INTENSIFIES; YOUNGKIN CELEBRATES MOVE Youngkin, a Republican, and entrepreneur Ted Leonsis, an ultrawealthy former AOL executive and the CEO of Monumental Sports and Entertainment, announced publicly in December that they had reached an understanding on a deal to relocate the teams. If it comes to fruition, Youngkin could claim a major win. Virginia is the nation’s most populous state without a major pro-sports franchise, something government officials of both parties over the course of decades have sought to change. The plan — which comes amid a new wave of sports facility construction around the country — calls for the creation of a $2 billion development in the Potomac Yard section of Alexandria that would include an arena, practice facility and corporate headquarters for Monumental, plus a separate performing arts venue, all just miles from Capital One Arena, where the teams currently play in Washington. Monumental has hired several of Richmond’s top lobbying shops to work the deal. Monumental has pledged to put $403 million up front. Alexandria would commit $106 million up front for the performing arts venue and parking, pending city council approval. Most of the rest of the $1.5 billion in funding would come in the form of bonds that would be issued by a stadium authority, a governmental entity lawmakers are being asked to create, which would own the land and buildings and lease them to Monumental. Under the proposal, according to public documents and details provided by Youngkin’s office, about $1 billion in bond revenue would be repaid by new tax revenues from the project, money Youngkin argues would not exist were it not for the development. Christian Martinez, a spokesman for Youngkin, said in response to questions from the AP that the bond package would be “prudently structured and conservatively sized,” with revenues expected to be two to three times the needed debt service coverage. Officials have not, however, publicly released the outside analysis that arrived at that conclusion. Another $416 million in bonds would be repaid through rent paid by the Capitals and Wizards. It is expected that the teams would commit to Alexandria for 35 years, and if they leave, Monumental would pay off all outstanding authority debt, Martinez said. City officials who in recent weeks have hosted various presentations and forums on the deal have emphasized that while the city and state will be lending their borrowing power to finance the project, the vast majority of the cash is expected to ultimately be paid out by Monumental. “Ninety-five percent of this project is being funded by Monumental,” Alexandria City Manager James Parajon said during one public presentation. But opponents, who have ramped up their organizing, take issue with that characterization. Andrew Macdonald, a former Alexandria council member and an organizer of the Coalition to Stop the Arena at Potomac Yard, pointed out that taxpayers would be on the hook if the arena project generates insufficient revenue. At a rally Thursday of arena opponents, Alexandria resident Shannon Curtis said it’s still a taxpayer-funded project even if the money comes from taxes assessed on Monumental. “Tax revenue is taxpayer money. It does not belong to the governor. It does not belong to the mayor. It does not belong to Ted Leonsis,” she said. “It’s public money.” The group also questioned the projections of an economic windfall, citing work from sports economists who say that the economic benefits from professional sports franchises are overstated. Several rally speakers said they don’t like the idea that Alexandria is trying to boost its economy by poaching teams from the District of Columbia, where many officials say the Wizards’ and Capitals’ presence is crucial to support to city’s downtown. “It’s not new economic benefit. It’s simply pulling it from somewhere else and putting it in this new splashy area,” Curtis said. LAWMAKER PROPOSES CASINO COMPLEX IN NORTHERN VIRGINIA AMID STATEWIDE GAMBLING EXPANSION Many Republican legislators, who over the past two years have generally been aligned with Youngkin’s agenda, say they want to hear more about the specifics and possible benefits. While top Democratic lawmakers have generally signaled they’re open to supporting the project, its approval is far from certain, something Alexandria Mayor Justin Wilson acknowledged in a neighborhood town hall. “At any step of the way, this could absolutely still die,” said Wilson, who is personally advocating for the deal. Incoming Senate Majority Leader Scott Surovell has said in interviews with AP that the project seems to have merit but lawmakers will have a long list of questions. Incoming Democratic House Speaker Don Scott told the AP has was “optimistically cynical” about the plan’s future. And Democratic Sen. Louise Lucas of Portsmouth, who will lead the powerful Senate finance committee, has made clear she has no plans to hand northern Virginia a gift without consideration of her Hampton Roads region’s wish-list, including toll relief. Efforts to bring major professional sports to northern Virginia go back decades. Three decades ago, then-Gov. L. Douglas Wilder, a Democrat, and then-Washington NFL team owner Jack Kent Cooke unveiled a plan to bring Cooke’s team to the same Potomac Yard site. The deal collapsed. Two decades ago, Virginia also sought to bring Major League Baseball to the commonwealth. But concerns emerged over the financing, which shared many structural similarities to what is now proposed. MLB chose a site

House Republican to file impeachment articles against Lloyd Austin

FIRST ON FOX: A House Republican lawmaker is introducing articles of impeachment against Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin, his office told Fox News Digital on Monday. Rep. Matt Rosendale, R-Mont., plans to target Austin on Tuesday as fallout continues over the Pentagon’s delayed disclosure about Austin being hospitalized last week. Rosendale told Fox News Digital that he believes Austin “violated his oath of office” on multiple occasions, citing the Biden administration’s withdrawal from Afghanistan, the migrant crisis at the border, and last year’s incident with a Chinese spy craft floating above the continental U.S. DOD SECOND IN COMMAND TOLD OF AUSTIN’S HOSPITALIZATION 2 DAYS AFTER TAKING OVER SOME OF HIS DUTIES “Sec. Austin knowingly put the American people in danger and compromised our national security when he allowed a spy balloon from a foreign adversary to fly over Malmstrom Air Force Base – home to ICBMs – and allowed the Chinese Communist Party to gather intel on American citizens,” the Montana Republican said.  “This dishonesty seems to be a repeated pattern for the Secretary as he once again lied to our military and the American people about his health last week.” DEFENSE SECRETARY AUSTIN HOSPITALIZED FOLLOWING SURGERY COMPLICATIONS The Pentagon publicly revealed on Friday that Austin had been in the hospital since Jan. 1 due to complications from elective surgery. But a Politico report later revealed that not only were media kept in the dark, but that the highest levels of the White House and top officials in the Pentagon itself were not aware until Thursday that Austin was in the hospital. The non-disclosure prompted a flurry of bipartisan concern, with top Democrats and Republicans on the House and Senate Armed Services committees both calling for more transparency about the incident. PENTAGON ANNOUNCES NEW RED SEA INTERNATIONAL MISSION TO COUNTER ESCALATING HOUTHI ATTACKS ON SHIPS Rosendale’s Monday evening statement went beyond the health scandal, arguing Austin “failed to uphold his oath of office during the Biden Administration’s disastrous withdrawal from Afghanistan which led to the death of 13 American soldiers and enabled unvetted migrants to flow into the United States.” “Sec. Austin is unfit for the Office of the Secretary of Defense, which is why I urge my colleagues to join me in impeaching him to protect the American people,” he said. A litany of top Republicans have called for Austin to be fired over how the disclosure of his hospitalization was handled. Fox News’ Liz Friden contributed to this report

Lloyd Austin’s chief of staff was sick and failed to notify anyone of his hospitalization, Pentagon says

President Biden and top officials weren’t immediately alerted about the hospitalization of Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin because his chief of staff was out sick, resulting in a breakdown in the notification process, the Pentagon said Monday.  Austin, 70, was admitted to the intensive care unit at the Walter Reed National Military Medical Center on Jan. 1 for severe pain for complications following a recent elective medical procedure,” Pentagon press secretary Maj. Gen. Pat Ryder said last week.  Biden and the National Security Council weren’t told about the hospitalization for a few days and the press and Congress weren’t notified until Friday.  SECRETARY OF DEFENSE LLOYD AUSTIN REMAINS HOSPITALIZED AFTER MYSTERY PROCEDURE; DOD REMAINS MUM ON RELEASE “The best I can tell you is that the secretary’s chief of staff (Kelly Magsamen) was ill with the flu, which affected the notification timelines,” Ryder said Monday. “We’re we’re going back now and looking at the processes and procedures, as I mentioned, to include both the White House and congressional notifications to ensure that we can improve those processes. You know, the bottom line is we know we can do better and we will do better.” Magsamen was “unable to make notifications before then” but she informed Deputy Defense Secretary Kathleen Hicks and national security adviser, Jake Sullivan, on Thursday. The National Security Council and Biden weren’t notified of Austin’s hospitalization until Thursday as well.  Ryder acknowledged that he and other public affairs and defense aides were told Jan. 2 that Austin had been hospitalized but did not make it public and did not tell the military service leaders or the National Security Council until days later.  “I want to offer my apologies and my pledge to learn from this experience, and I will do everything I can to meet the standard that you expect from us,” he said. PENTAGON FACING BACKLASH OVER FAILING TO DISCLOSE SEC. AUSTIN’S ILLNESS: ‘HARMS CREDIBILITY’ Hicks, who was on a previously scheduled vacation and not physically in the Pentagon, partially assumed some of Austin’s duties last week, an official told Fox News. She wasn’t told Austin was hospitalized at that time, the Pentagon said. Austin was taken to the hospital via ambulance on Jan. 1 and he was conscious during the ride, Ryder said Monday.  “The secretary did participate, in a call with the president on New Year’s Day,” Ryder said. “This was, of course, prior to him being admitted to hospital.” A Jan. 4 strike that killed a a militia leader in Baghdad was pre-approved by Austin and the White House before the secretary was admitted into Walter Reed, Ryder said.  He added that Austin has no plans to resign. No senior Defense Department officials have been asked to resign as well.  Ryder said staff in Austin’s front office will review notification procedures, including whether regulations, rules or laws were broken, and will take steps to improve the notification process. Those staff members, however, are among those who did not disclose the secretary’s hospitalization. The Pentagon‘s failure to disclose Austin’s hospitalization has enraged congressional leaders and the news media responsible for covering the Pentagon. “I was informed by the assistant to the Secretary of Defense for Public Affairs on Tuesday afternoon that the secretary was in the hospital,” Ryder said. “He didn’t have any additional information to provide, but I recognize that I should have tried to learn more and to press for an earlier public acknowledgment.” In a statement issued Saturday evening, Austin took responsibility for the delays in notification. “I am very glad to be on the mend and look forward to returning to the Pentagon soon,” he said. “I also understand the media concerns about transparency and I recognize I could have done a better job ensuring the public was appropriately informed. I commit to doing better. But this is important to say: this was my medical procedure, and I take full responsibility for my decisions about disclosure.” The Associated Press contributed to this report. 

Biden admin drops nearly $1 billion on green bus program inspector general warned was unfeasible

The Biden administration is dispersing nearly another billion dollars in federal grants for school districts nationwide to decarbonize their bus fleets, despite recent inspector general findings casting doubt on the program. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), in a joint announcement with the White House, said it had selected 67 applicants to receive approximately $965 million to purchase electric and low-emission school buses. The funding means the agency has now awarded nearly $2 billion for thousands of new buses across hundreds of school districts under its Clean School Bus Program, which was created in late 2021. “As part of our work to tackle the climate crisis, the historic funding we are announcing today is an investment in our children, their health, and their education,” Vice President Kamala Harris said in a statement. “It also strengthens our economy by investing in American manufacturing and America’s workforce.” “Today we’re once again accelerating the transition to electric and low-emission school buses in America, helping to secure a healthier future where all our children can breathe cleaner air,” added EPA Administrator Michael Regan. “Thanks to President Biden’s historic investments in America, thousands more school buses will hit the road in school districts across the country, saving school districts money and improving air quality at the same time.” BIDEN ADMIN APPEARS TO FABRICATE PAPER TRAIL IN PURSUIT OF MAJOR CHEMICAL PLANT SHUTDOWN: COURT DOCS The grants unveiled Monday will help selected applicants purchase more than 2,700 electric or low-emissions school buses in 280 school districts serving more than 7 million students across 37 states, according to EPA. Those awards come a year after the EPA awarded more than $875 million to 2022 applicants under the program, funding the replacement of 2,366 buses at 372 school districts. The Clean School Bus Program was created under the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, which President Biden signed into law in November 2021. The legislation provides a total of $5 billion in federal grants through 2026 to replace existing diesel-powered school buses nationwide. The agency has projected the program will fund thousands of new electric school buses. CLIMATE ACTIVISTS WHO CHASED BUTTIGIEG, POWELL OFF STAGES REWARDED WITH PRIVATE WHITE HOUSE MEETING “I led the Bipartisan Infrastructure & Jobs Law to passage so communities across the country will have the federal funding needed to combat climate change, and now, for the second year in a row, this major investment sets the wheels in motion to put new electric school buses on the road, curbing carbon emissions, decreasing pollution, and improving the air quality for students and communities across America,” Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., said in a statement. However, the EPA Office of Inspector General in late December published the findings of an audit which determined that the Clean School Bus Program was largely dependent on utility companies’ ability to increase power supplies. Further, the program may also face significant delays, according to the inspector general, without construction of additional charging stations. Entities interviewed by the inspector general’s office specifically expressed concern about the ability of utility providers to bring power lines and transformers to school districts with electric buses. While some power providers have experience with electric bus infrastructure, they said they had never built such infrastructure at scale. Establishing charging stations and connecting them to the regional power grid could take as much as two years, according to the report. Additionally, bus charging stations that are expected to support more than 25 buses in larger school districts face other challenges since they require different technology.  “The Agency may be unable to effectively achieve program goals unless it can ensure that school districts will be able to establish the infrastructure necessary to support clean bus and charging purchases,” the EPA inspector general concluded. “There could be delays in utilities constructing the needed charging stations to make the buses fully operational in a timely manner.” “While early coordination with utilities is not a requirement, it could prevent the Agency from achieving its objective to remove older diesel buses and replace them with clean buses,” the report continued. “The increased demand on manufacturers and utility companies may impact the timeliness of replacing diesel buses and ultimately may delay program health and environmental benefits.”