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Supreme Court allows Illinois semiautomatic weapons ban to stay in place

The Supreme Court has allowed an Illinois law banning high-powered semiautomatic weapons to remain in place. In a Thursday order with no noted dissents or explanation of its decision, the Supreme Court denied a request from the National Association for Gun rights, which asked for a preliminary injunction. The ban, signed by Democratic Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker in January, includes penalties for individuals who, “carries or possesses… manufactures, sells, delivers, imports, or purchases any assault weapon or .50 caliber rifle.” The law also includes statutory penalties for people who, “sells, manufactures, delivers, imports, possesses, or purchases any assault weapon attachment or .50 caliber cartridge.” ILLINOIS GOV. JB PRITZKER SIGNS LAW BANNING FIREARM ADVERTISEMENTS THAT APPEAL TO CHILDREN Any kit or tools used to increase the fire rate of a semiautomatic weapon are also included in the ban, and the law includes a limit for purchases of certain magazines. After Thursday’s ruling, the law will stay in place while it’s litigated in the lower courts. FEDERAL JUDGE GRANTS INJUNCTION TEMPORARILY BLOCKING ENFORCEMENT OF ILLINOIS GUN LAW A 7th District U.S. Court of Appeals panel in November also refused a request to block the law. In August, the law was upheld by the Illinois Supreme Court  in a 4-3 decision. People who previously possessed guns that would otherwise be banned by the law can still own them if they are registered with the state prior to Jan. 1, 2024. The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Kentucky Gov. Beshear pushes for higher teacher pay, universal pre-K as legislative session nears

Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear renewed his pitch Thursday for greater investments in education to raise teacher pay and offer state-funded pre-K as he turns his attention to the upcoming legislative session. Two days after taking the oath of office for a second four-year term, the Democratic governor made repeated overtures to the Republican-dominated legislature, saying he wants to work with lawmakers. “We’ve got a chance to do special things, to focus on Kentuckians’ concerns when they wake up every morning – their job, the road that they’re going to drive on, their kids’ public school, whether they feel safe in their community,” Beshear said at his weekly news conference. KENTUCKY GOV. BESHEAR URGES FUTURE ADOPTION OF DISASTER RELIEF MODEL TO AVOID DELAYS Beshear’s first term featured annual policy clashes with Republican lawmakers, though he noted that he also signed more than 600 bipartisan bills into law, including measures to legalize sports betting and medical marijuana and to expand early voting. Looking ahead to the next legislative session that starts in early January, Beshear stressed two of his biggest policy objectives — hefty pay raises for school employees and state funded pre-K. Beshear has proposed an 11% pay raise for teachers and all public school personnel, including bus drivers, janitors and cafeteria staff. He has previously said it would amount to the single largest raise for Kentucky public school educators in at least 40 years. Such a raise is needed to make Kentucky more competitive with other states, the governor said. Kentucky ranks 44th nationally in average teacher starting pay and 40th in average teacher pay, he said. “This isn’t a red-or-a-blue issue,” the governor said. “This is a public education issue. And I look forward to continuing conversations with the General Assembly and trying to work to be more competitive with the states around us. Remember, our job is to beat Indiana and not beat up on each other. And this is one area that we’ve got to come together on.” In what could be seen as a pitch to rural GOP lawmakers, Beshear noted that school districts are the largest or among the biggest employers in some rural Kentucky counties. “What an 11% raise will do for local economies will be incredible,” he said. “But it’s also the right thing to do.” The governor also pressed for his plan to provide state-funded pre-K for all 4-year-olds in Kentucky. The proposal so far has made no headway in the legislature. Beshear framed his proposal Thursday as as a way to tackle student learning loss. “We talk about learning loss, rightfully,” he said. “But the biggest area of learning loss is kids not showing up kindergarten ready and never catching up. Let’s address it before it starts.” Learning loss blamed on the COVID-19 pandemic was a recurring issue in this year’s campaign. Beshear scored a convincing victory over Republican challenger Daniel Cameron in the November election. LONGTIME KENTUCKY SENATE LEADER DAMON THAYER SAYS HE WON’T SEEK REELECTION IN 2024 Statewide test scores released a few weeks ago showed Kentucky students made some improvement, especially in elementary schools, but education officials said considerable work remains to get back to pre-pandemic levels. Those struggles reflect a nationwide problem of lagging academic achievement. Beshear, meanwhile, praised lawmakers for the steps they have taken to bolster support for public education, but said more can be done. The two-year budget legislators passed last year funded full-day kindergarten and poured money into teacher pensions and infrastructure. They increased the state’s main funding formula — known as SEEK — for K-12 schools, but the amount was considerably less than what Beshear proposed. Lawmakers will craft the state’s next biennial budget during the 2024 session.

Zelenskyy hails ‘victory’ as EU agrees to open membership talks for Ukraine

European Council President Charles Michel says agreement a ‘signal of hope for their people and for our continent’. President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has hailed a “victory” for Ukraine and the European continent after European Union leaders agreed to open membership talks with his country despite months of opposition from Hungary about Kyiv joining. The decision was announced on Thursday at a summit of the 27 EU countries, at which the bloc also agreed to open formal membership negotiations with Moldova. European Council President Charles Michel, host of the summit, announced the agreement in a social media post, calling it “a clear signal of hope for their people and for our continent”. Zelenskyy welcomed the decision as “a victory for Ukraine. A victory for all of Europe. A victory that motivates, inspires, and strengthens,” he said in a post on X. European Commission chief Ursula von der Leyen said it was “a strategic decision and a day that will remain engraved in the history of our union”. “These countries belong to the European family,” German Chancellor Olaf Scholz said. Michel said the summit granted EU candidate status to Georgia and would also advance an EU bid by another hopeful – Bosnia and Herzegovina – once it reaches “the necessary degree of compliance” with criteria. From left, Bulgarian Prime Minister Nikolai Denkov, Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban, Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis, Austrian Chancellor Karl Nehammer and Slovenian Prime Minister Robert Golob speak during a round-table meeting at an EU summit in Brussels on December 14, 2023 [Omar Havana/AP Photo] Hungary not in the summit room EU diplomats said Hungary’s prime minister, Viktor Orban, was not in the summit room for the vote on Ukraine but knew and agreed other leaders would vote in his absence. For weeks, Orban had promised to block the deal, which on Thursday he called a “bad decision”. “Hungary’s stance is clear: Ukraine is not prepared for us to start talks on EU membership,” he said, calling the decision “irrational” and “inappropriate”. Hungary’s leader had gone into the summit also promising to deny Kyiv 50 billion euros ($54bn) in financial aid that the government desperately needs to stay afloat during its war with Russia. “Twenty-six member states were adamant that this decision must be made, so Hungary decided that if 26 decide so, they should go on their own path and Hungary does not wish to participate in this bad decision,” Orban said. The EU, whose members still cherish their independence on strategic and foreign affairs issues, generally works by consensus. Negotiations continue on the aid for Ukraine, Orban said. Earlier this week, Zelenskyy travelled to the US, where he lobbied for more American aid, but his request faces large hurdles in passing the US Congress. Some EU leaders had warned earlier in the day that not agreeing to start negotiations with Ukraine would have been seen as a victory for Russian President Vladimir Putin. Ukraine launched its bid to become part of the EU after Moscow’s invasion in February 2022 and was officially named a candidate to join in June that year. Fellow former Soviet republic and neighbour Moldova had applied at the same time as Ukraine. The war in Ukraine has breathed new life into the EU’s stalled push to take on new members as the bloc looks to keep Russian and Chinese influence at bay. In June 2022, the European Commission set Kyiv seven reform benchmarks to complete, including tackling corruption and curbing the power of its oligarchs, before talks should start. Ukrainian Prime Minister Denis Shmygal said the EU’s decision on Thursday showed that it “highly appreciated the reforms we have made in recent years and the implementation of all the recommendations of the European Commission”. “A difficult path lies ahead. We are united and ready,” he said. The talks themselves are likely to take years. EU treaties oblige members to help “by all means in their power” another EU country that is victim of armed aggression on its territory. If Ukraine becomes an EU member while the war with Russia is ongoing, EU countries would have to respect that. The EU would also acquire a long new border with Russia and Belarus with implications for security, migration and defence. Adblock test (Why?)

Israeli soldiers recite Jewish prayers, Hannukah songs inside Jenin mosque

NewsFeed Israeli soldiers have been disciplined after video surfaced of them singing Hannukah songs and reciting Jewish prayers inside a mosque. The soldiers, who are conducting raids in Jenin in the occupied West Bank, have been suspended from duty. Published On 14 Dec 202314 Dec 2023 Adblock test (Why?)

Labour leaders push President Biden for a Gaza ceasefire at US Capitol

Washington, DC – Influential labour leaders have joined progressive legislators in the United States Capitol to push the administration of President Joe Biden to support a ceasefire in war-torn Gaza. In a news conference on Thursday, representatives from United Auto Workers (UAW), United Electrical Workers and the American Postal Workers Union framed their appeal as part of a long history of labour movements supporting human rights at home and abroad. “We know unions provide a bridge toward fighting all forms of hatred, phobias, racism, sexism, anti-Semitism, homophobia, Islamophobia and more,” said Shawn Fain, president of the UAW. “Now it’s time for the rest of our elected leaders to step up and do what it takes to end the violence.” The news conference was organised by Democratic Representatives Cori Bush and Rashida Tlaib, who introduced legislation in October calling for a ceasefire. Over 18,700 Palestinians have been killed in Gaza so far, amid an ongoing Israeli military offensive. “As an activist and organiser and a proud daughter of a former union member, I know that the foundational message of every guild is to stand with the people, to fight for their dignity and to advocate for those most marginalised,” Bush said at the press conference. “Our humanity needs a ceasefire, and that is precisely why I’m so happy to have unions here today to join in this fight, because we know that unions know how to organise. Unions know how to mobilise and galvanise and energise.” ‘Time for workers to leverage our labour power’ Both the Congress members and the labour leaders used the press conference to underscore the political power that unions wield. The UAW, for instance, represents an estimated 400,000 active members, while the American Postal Service Union boasts 330,000 workers. They hinted there could be consequences for Biden at the ballot box, should he fail to heed their call for a ceasefire. “As the US funds Israel’s campaign of terror, we, the workers, are footing the bill for the massacre of innocents in Palestine,” said Janvi Madhani of the United Electrical Workers. “This is the time for workers to leverage our labour power and electoral power to stand in uncompromising solidarity with the cause of Palestinian freedom.” Judy Beard, a representative of the American Postal Workers Union, indicated that her organisation’s call for a ceasefire reflected wider views among the US public. “As a union that stands for equality, social justice, human labour rights and international solidarity, we unite with millions of good people [and] members of Congress,” she said. Her union first announced its support for a ceasefire on November 8. Most ‘pro-labour’ president in history Biden has long touted himself as the “most pro-union president in American history”. But while he enjoyed the endorsement of both the UAW and the American Postal Workers Union during the 2020 presidential race, his unwillingness to call for a ceasefire could alienate the unions as he seeks reelection in 2024. The Democratic president has been reluctant to criticise Israel’s military offensive in Gaza, citing the country’s “right to defend itself” in the wake of an October 7 attack that left 1,200 people dead. But the subsequent war on Gaza has killed thousands, many of them women and children. Entire neighbourhoods have been levelled, with United Nations experts warning of a “grave risk of genocide” in the Palestinian territory. The spiralling humanitarian crisis in Gaza has provoked widespread outcry. Even Biden has warned that “indiscriminate bombing” could cause Israel to lose public support. Still, many within Biden’s own party have criticised him for his “unwavering support” for Israel. As of Wednesday, an estimated 62 members of the US Congress have called for a ceasefire, according to the Working Families Party, a left-leaning political group. A Reuters/Ipsos poll released last month also showed 68 percent of Americans supported calls for a ceasefire. That number was even higher among Democrats alone. Rallying union support As the 2024 presidential race nears, surveys show Biden falling behind his chief Republican rival Donald Trump in key swing states like Michigan, which boasts large Arab and Muslim American communities. A Bloomberg News/Morning Consult poll released this month showed Trump leading Biden 46 percent to 42 in a one-on-one matchup in the state. But Biden has made strides in trying to woo Michigan’s relatively large body of union workers. An estimated 14 percent of “wage and salary workers” in the state belong to a union, higher than the national average of 10 percent. In September, Biden flew to Michigan, where he became the first sitting US president to visit a picket line of striking UAW workers. The auto union, at the time, was in the midst of its first-ever strike against all of the “Big Three” car companies: General Motors, Ford and Stellantis. The strike was also the union’s longest in nearly a quarter century, and it resulted in higher wages and better benefits for auto workers. But Trump also sought to appeal to auto workers during the strike, holding a rally a day after Biden’s appearance on the picket line. The UAW has yet to endorse a candidate for the 2024 race. With its headquarters based in Detroit, Michigan, it has significant sway in so-called “Rust Belt” states, where manufacturing has been a historic driver of the local economy. “I call on the rest of the labour movement to join us in this mission for peace and social justice for all of humanity,” Fain, the UAW president, said on Thursday, pushing other union leaders to join the call for a ceasefire. Adblock test (Why?)

Pennsylvania House back to 101-101 deadlock after Democrat’s resignation

The Pennsylvania House of Representatives is back to a 101-101 partisan split with the resignation of a Democratic lawmaker Thursday, teeing up another special election to determine the chamber’s majority early next year. The resignation of Rep. John Galloway, of Bucks County, had been expected for months after his election as a magisterial district judge in November. But it was made official after the chamber concluded its final business of the year late Wednesday, wrapping up a monthslong budget feud. A special election will be held Feb. 13. In the interim, Democrats who control chamber has scheduled no voting days for January and February while it is slated to be deadlocked. PENNSYLVANIA SENATE CLEARS WAY FOR SPENDING ON SCHOOL CHOICE, STUDENT-TEACHER STIPENDS If Republicans win the special election, it would grease the skids for GOP priorities to make it to Democratic Gov. Josh Shapiro’s desk, or go out to the voters through constitutional amendments. But Democrats have sought to defend their razor-thin majority since last year’s election, when they flipped enough seats to take the speaker’s rostrum for the first time in more than a decade. In the period of about a year, voters have cast ballots in three special elections determining party control. In those elections, Republican efforts to clinch seats in Democratic strongholds fell short. Republicans had long controlled Bucks County, a heavily populated county just north of Philadelphia. But the county has shifted left in recent years, helping Democrats win control of the county and many of its legislative seats. Galloway ran unopposed in 2022. He was reelected in 2020 with 60% of the vote in a district that leans Democratic. With the slim margin, Democrats have advanced a number of the party’s priorities — more funding for public education, broadened LGBTQ+ rights and stricter gun laws — but still have had to contend with the GOP-controlled Senate. Tensions between the chambers had embroiled the Legislature in a five-month stalemate over the budget, after negotiations soured between the Senate and Shapiro, who could not get the House to pass a school voucher program, a priority for GOP lawmakers. For months, funding for a number of programs was locked in the Legislature. Meanwhile, Rep. Joe Kerwin, a Republican from Dauphin County, will be on extended leave while he is deployed to East Africa in the Army National Guard. It will leave the Republican Party at 101 lawmakers, but he will not cast votes while deployed.

Union protesters blow cigarette smoke at NJ lawmakers as Atlantic City smoking ban remains in limbo

With prospects for a smoking ban in Atlantic City’s casinos looking hazier than ever, workers who want smoking banned took matters into their own hands, lips and lungs Thursday. Members of the United Auto Workers union disrupted a meeting of a state Assembly committee that had been scheduled to take a preliminary vote on a bill to ban smoking in the casinos by lighting cigarettes and blowing smoke toward legislators. That vote was canceled Wednesday night when one of the main champions of workers who want smoking banned in the gambling halls gave up on a bill that would end smoking in the nine casinos, and embraced some measures the casino industry wants, including enclosed smoking rooms. ATLANTIC CITY REPORTS OVER $280M IN THIRD-QUARTER EARNINGS That had some employees burning mad — literally. Seven members of the union, which represents dealers at three casinos in Atlantic City, began smoking in the meeting hall of the State House Annex, where, like virtually all other workplaces in New Jersey, smoking is prohibited. “We’re not allowed to smoke in your workplace, but you’re allowed to smoke in ours,” Daniel Vicente, a regional director of the union, told lawmakers through a cloud of exhaled smoke. He and the others were soon escorted from the hearing room by State Police, and released without charges. “They say it’s OK for secondhand smoke to be blown in our faces all day, every day,” Vicente said afterward. “We wanted to know if it’s OK if we did that in their workplace. They said it was inappropriate and not allowed here.” Angry workers said they want the state’s top Democratic leadership to force a vote on the original bill that would impose a total smoking ban, but the likelihood of such a vote remains unclear. State Sen. Vince Polistina, a Republican from the Atlantic City area who has appeared with casino workers at rallies in favor of a smoking ban, said the original bill is going nowhere. He said he’s writing a new measure incorporating proposals favored by the casino industry while still working toward the goal of keeping secondhand smoke away from workers and customers who don’t want it. “My conversations with leaders in both houses make it clear that there is not enough support for this bill,” he said, referring to the original measure that would ban smoking without exceptions. “It is disappointing that after two years of advocating and building support with our colleagues, we still do not have the necessary support in the Legislature to get a full smoking ban passed.” Polistina said he expects to introduce the new bill next year after the current legislative session ends. It would prohibit smoking at table games; gradually reduce smoking at slot machines over 18 months, with specific distances between table games and the nearest smoking-permitted slot machines; and give the casinos 18 months to build enclosed rooms where gamblers could still smoke, but which would be staffed by employees who volunteer to work in them. That proposal was denounced last week by Shawn Fain, international president of the United Auto Workers, which represents dealers at three Atlantic City casinos. He called the idea of smoking rooms “preposterous” and called on lawmakers to pass the original smoking ban bill. If enacted in early 2024, Polistina’s measure would end smoking on the unenclosed casino floor by the fall of 2025, he said. That did not go over well with the many casino workers. Pete Naccarelli, a Borgata dealer and a leader of the employee anti-smoking movement, said Polistina is “copying and pasting casino executive talking points and attempting to present them as a credible solution. It’s shameful and disgusting.” Senate President Nicholas Scutari declined comment Thursday. A spokesperson for Assembly Speaker Craig Coughlin did not immediately respond to a request for comment. ATLANTIC CITY’S DECISION TO NARROW MAIN ROAD SPARKS TRAFFIC SAFETY CONCERNS New Jersey’s public smoking law specifically exempts casinos — something that workers have long sought to change. But the casinos oppose a smoking ban on competitive grounds, saying Atlantic City would lose business and jobs to casinos in neighboring states where smoking is permitted. Workers dispute that, citing research showing business improved at numerous casinos after a smoking ban. Recently, the industry has floated a proposal for enclosed smoking areas, but has not publicly spelled out the details. The Casino Association of New Jersey declined earlier this week to provide details on its vision for smoking rooms. In a statement Thursday, the group said, “It is clear that more and more people realize that the bill, as drafted, will have a significant adverse effect on Atlantic City’s economy.” Vicente said union members who disrupted the meeting made their point. “Do I think this is going to change their minds and get a smoking ban passed? No,” he said. “Did we show them how angry we are that we’re the only ones who have to put up with this in our workplaces? Absolutely.”

White House refutes report of Biden-Harris split on Palestinians

The White House on Thursday doubled down on its insistence that there is “no daylight” between President Biden and Vice President Harris regarding support for the Palestinian people. At the daily White House press briefing, Fox News’ Peter Doocy asked National Security Council spokesman John Kirby about a Politico report that said Harris has urged Biden to show more concern for Palestinian casualties in the Israel-Hamas war. Kirby said the White House has already refuted “the basic premise of the story, that there’s some sort of daylight between the vice president and the president.”  KAMALA HARRIS AT ODDS WITH BIDEN OVER ISRAEL-HAMAS WAR, WANTS MORE SUPPORT OF PALESTINIANS: REPORT “I found the headline of the story interesting — that the vice president is pushing the White House to, you fill in the blank,” he said. “Last I looked, the vice president is part of the White House. She’s part of the team. And if she wasn’t offering her advice and counsel to the president on innumerable issues, that would be a story. Her job is to provide advice and counsel to the president.” Politico on Thursday cited three unnamed sources in a report that said Harris has been urging White House officials, including Biden, to show more sensitivity to Palestinian civilians.  KAMALA HARRIS’ NEW CAMPAIGN SPOKESMAN CALLED FOR DEFUNDING THE POLICE, PACKING THE SUPREME COURT Harris has reportedly argued internally that the White House needs a “day after” plan for when the fighting in Gaza stops and believes the U.S. should be “tougher” on Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. A senior administration official told Politico the vice president has called for being “more forceful at seeking a long-term peace and two-state solution.”  DEM LAWMAKER SCREAMS OVER KAMALA HARRIS’ HOLIDAY PARTY SPEECH, IGNITING RESPONSE: ‘RIGHT NOW, I AM SPEAKING’ In response to the story, Harris’ press secretary, Kristen Allen, said, “There is no daylight between the president and the vice president, nor has there been.”  She emphasized that the White House’s unified message is that Israel has a right and responsibility to defend itself, that humanitarian aid must be allowed to enter Gaza, that innocent Palestinians should be protected and that the U.S. “remains committed to a two-state solution.”  Kirby added that the “entire leadership team” in the Biden administration “wants to see no civilian casualties, wants to see the Israelis be more surgical, more precise” in their strikes on Hamas.  “The president is comfortable and confident that in Vice President Harris he has a real teammate and a significant leader who understands the foreign policy direction that he’s trying to take this country and our leadership on the world stage, and is candid, forthright, educated, smart and willing to tell him exactly what she thinks,” Kirby said. 

Congress greenlights psychedelic treatment bill for active duty service members suffering from PTSD

The measure would allow supervised clinical studies with active duty members. Psychedelic treatments for PTSD have found conservative supporters in the state for years.

Biden admin creates pathway with eco groups to shutter energy source serving millions of Americans

The White House, in coordination with Native American tribes and environmental groups, announced actions Thursday that provide a pathway for breaching, or removing, four hydroelectric dams in Washington state to protect salmon. As part of the announcement, the federal government entered into a legal agreement with the Pacific Northwest tribes and environmental organizations filed earlier in the day in the U.S. District Court for the District of Oregon. Under that agreement, the tribes and eco groups — which had sued the federal government in an effort to forcibly breach the dams — agreed to stay the litigation through 2028. “President Biden understands that the Columbia River System is the lifeblood of the Pacific Northwest, and for the first time under his direction, federal agencies are putting all hands on deck to support regional and Tribal efforts to restore wild salmon in the region,” White House Council on Environmental Quality (CEQ) Chair Brenda Mallory said in a statement.  Mallory said the agreement charts a new path to restore the river. Environmental activists, Democrats and tribes have argued that the four federally-managed dams, which are located on the lower Snake River winding through Idaho and Washington before feeding into the Columbia River and Pacific Ocean, have decimated salmon and steelhead populations by blocking natural migratory patterns. HOUSE PANEL TO PROBE BIDEN ADMIN’S NEGOTIATIONS WITH ECO GROUPS TRYING TO TEAR DOWN KEY POWER SOURCE “Today’s historic agreement marks a new direction for the Pacific Northwest,” added White House clean energy czar John Podesta. “Today, the Biden-Harris Administration and state and Tribal governments are agreeing to work together to protect salmon and other native fish, honor our obligations to Tribal nations, and recognize the important services the Columbia River System provides to the economy of the Pacific Northwest.” Democratic Govs. Tina Kotek of Oregon and Jay Inslee of Washington, several involved tribes, including the Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla, and environmental groups like Earthjustice which represented plaintiffs in the case, all applauded the agreement as an unprecedented path forward.  MAJOR US POWER SOURCE FACING EXTINCTION THANKS TO RED TAPE, SPARKING CALLS FOR REFORM The agreement includes $1 billion for wild fish restoration and a plan to develop new clean energy power operated by tribes. And it further establishes the so-called Columbia Basin Restoration Initiative which includes a “comprehensive new roadmap” for salmon recovery involving a call to replace the energy, transportation, irrigation and recreation services provided by the lower Snake River dams, so they can be breached, according to Earthjustice. The initiative explicitly recommends that dams are breached within two fish generations, or approximately 8 years. While there isn’t an explicit plan to breach the dams, an action that the White House has acknowledged would require congressional approval, the agreement does include commitments to begin replacing the services provided by the dams. “Congress — and Congress alone — can authorize removal of the dams on the lower Snake River. Bureaucrats, activist litigation, nor this administration’s radical agenda will determine the fate of any of the Northwest’s federal dams,” Sen. Jim Risch, R-Idaho, said in a statement to Fox News Digital.  “This litigation effort was useless: It occurred behind closed doors, between two parties who wanted the same end result — to tear out our dams, and it completely excluded Idahoans who rely on the River System for its energy, transportation, agriculture, and recreation benefits,” he continued. “I will continue to fight any breaching efforts, and, at every turn, I will reject the Biden administration’s efforts to usurp Congressional authority.” BIDEN ADMIN PLAN TO RELEASE PREDATOR NEAR RURAL COMMUNITIES FACES WIDESPREAD OPPOSITION: ‘A HUGE THREAT’ Risch, other Republican lawmakers, power industry groups and agriculture groups have all loudly objected to any plan involving the breaching of the dams, pointing to their clean energy output and vital services providing passage for barges traveling along the river. The dams were constructed in the 1960s and 1970s by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers primarily to ensure the Snake River was passable for such barge transportation. However, since then, the main benefit has been their reliable clean energy output. They still provide about 8% of the state’s electricity, enough to serve millions of residents, and have a large total capacity of 3,000 megawatts. Removing the dams would also likely chip away at U.S. climate goals since their energy production would likely need to be replaced by fossil fuel alternatives. According to federal data, replacing hydropower generated by the dams with natural gas generation would increase carbon emissions by up to 2.6 million metric tons per year, the equivalent of 421,000 passenger cars. In addition to the impacts on energy and climate ambitions, removing the four Snake River dams would harm agriculture exports. Aided by the dams, barges traveling along the Columbia River system carry about 60% of Washington’s annual wheat exports and a staggering 40% of the nation’s total wheat production. “Instead of working with all interests, the U.S. Government chose for months to hold secret negotiations and refused to share any details with us, let alone allow our participation,” the executive directors of Northwest RiverPartners, the Public Power Council, and the Pacific Northwest Waterways Association, which collectively represent power utilities, ports, agriculture companies and other businesses dependent on the dams, said last month. “It is not surprising, then, that this proposal turns its back on over three million electricity customers as well as the farming, transportation, navigation, and economic needs of the region,” they continued. “By purposely excluding our respective organizations from the negotiations, literally millions of Northwest residents were deprived of fair representation in this process.” That statement came after lawmakers led by Rep. Cathy McMorris Rodgers, R-Wash., wrote to President Biden, calling for him to reject any agreement involving the breaching of dams. The letter included a leaked mediation document that paved the way for Thursday’s announcement.