Biden’s impeachment inquiry response urges GOP to address ‘important priorities,’ like the border crisis
President Biden on Wednesday said the southern border needs to be addressed as record numbers of migrants continue to overwhelm authorities while criticizing House Republicans over their impeachment inquiry into the business dealings of his son, Hunter Biden. In a statement released by the White House, Biden responded to the Republican-led House formally approving the impeachment inquiry. “The American people need their leaders in Congress to take action on important priorities for the nation and world,” the president said, before saying Congress should do more on a host of issues, including on Ukraine, Israel, the border, and the economy. On the border specifically, Biden said, “We have to address the situation at our southern border, and I am determined to try to fix the problem. We need funding to strengthen border security, but Republicans in Congress won’t act to help.” Republicans have long called for increased border measures, arguing the record number of migrants poses a security threat as border authorities cannot properly screen them. MIGRANT ENCOUNTERS AGAIN TOP 10K IN SINGLE DAY AS LAWMAKERS EYE NEW BORDER LIMITS Last week, a 49-51 Senate vote to issue billions of dollars in military and security aid to Ukraine, Israel and the Indo-Pacific fell short because Republicans wanted the president to focus on the border. Biden has asked Congress for nearly $106 billion to fund the wars in Ukraine and Israel and other security needs. On Wednesday, Biden noted that he met with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy this week. “He came to America to ask us for help. Yet Republicans in Congress won’t act to help,” he said. HUNTER BIDEN CASE MOVE TO LOS ANGELES MAY BE EVIDENCE THE FEDS ‘FOUND SOMETHING’: DERSHOWITZ Biden has signaled his willingness to make some compromises at the border, but has not said what policies he would embrace. He’s accused Republicans of wanting a political issue ahead of the 2024 presidential election more than bipartisan compromise. “Republicans think they get everything they want without any bipartisan compromise,” Biden said last week. “Now they’re willing to literally kneecap Ukraine on the battlefield and damage our national security in the process.” The president also accused the GOP of attacking his family amid a probe into his son. Hunter Biden on Wednesday defied a subpoena and refused to testify in front of House lawmakers about his business activities. He has maintained that his father was not involved in those deals. CLICK TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP “They belittled my recovery, and they have tried to dehumanize me, all to embarrass my father, who has devoted his entire life to public service,” the younger Biden said at a news conference on Capitol Hill. “For six years I have been a target of the unrelenting Trump attack team. ‘Where’s Hunter?’ Well, here’s my answer. I am here.” President Biden said Republicans were “choosing to waste time on this baseless political stunt that even Republicans in Congress admit is not supported by facts.”
What to know about Turkey’s football crisis after attack on referee
Turkey is set to resume its league football on Tuesday, ending a brief suspension in the domestic competition caused by an attack on a referee by a club’s president who was later arrested by local authorities. Turkish football’s “night of shame” has caused the country’s most popular sport to spiral into a crisis and has raised questions about on-pitch violence towards match officials. Here’s a look at the events that unfolded since the violent incident in Ankara: What happened during and after the match? The Turkish Super Lig match between MKA Ankaragucu and Caykur Rizespor ended in a 1-1 draw on Monday after the visitors equalised in the last minute of added time. After the full-time whistle was blown, Ankaragucu President Faruk Koca rushed onto the pitch with a group of men and knocked out referee Halil Umut Meler with a blow to the left side of his face. Meler was kicked several times in the ensuing melee, which occurred when fans invaded the pitch. The 37-year-old match official was shown standing minutes later with a black eye that had swelled up the left part of his face. He eventually made it to the dressing room with the help of the police. Why was the referee attacked? Koca appeared to be incensed at Meler for sending off one of his players and then awarding a stoppage-time goal that allowed Rizespor to leave Ankara with a draw. Meler released a statement on Tuesday saying Koca had threatened his life. “Faruk Koca punched me under my left eye, and I fell to the ground. While I was on the ground, they kicked my face and other parts of my body many times,” Meler said. “[He] told me and my fellow referees: ‘I will finish you.’ Addressing me in particular, he said: ‘I will kill you.’” Meler was released from hospital in Ankara on Wednesday after undergoing observation and receiving a phone call from President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. Meler, a respected referee with accreditation to officiate international matches, is expected to recover and join the refereeing crew of the Euro 2024 championship, to be held from June to July in Germany. Halil Umut Meler leaves the hospital in Ankara on December 13, 2023 [Cagla Gurdogan/Reuters] Who is Faruk Koca? MKE Ankaragucu’s Koca is a politician, former parliamentarian, aspiring Ankara mayor and member of Erdogan’s AK Party. “If I am entrusted with the task of being the metropolitan municipality mayor, I will do what is necessary,” Koca said this year. However, the ruling party has initiated procedures to expel Koca. Since the incident, Koca has resigned as club president – a role he took up in 2021 – but insists that his team was cheated by the referee. “No matter how great an injustice or how wrong [the officiating] was, nothing can legitimise or explain the violence that I perpetrated,” Koca said in a club statement. “I apologise to the Turkish refereeing community, the sports public and our nation,” he added. Turkish Football Federation (TFF) chief Mehmet Buyukeksi said the sport’s governing body will announce penalties for the altercation. Justice Minister Yilmaz Tunc said Koca and two others were formally arrested for “injuring a public official” after prosecutors took statements from them. “The investigation is continuing meticulously,” he said on the social media platform X. Turkey’s president was also quick to condemn the incident. “Sports means peace and brotherhood. The sport is incompatible with violence. We will never allow violence to take place in Turkish sports,” Erdogan wrote on X. What has FIFA said? FIFA President Gianni Infantino said the events after the match were “totally unacceptable and have no place in our sport or society”. “Without match officials, there is no football,” he added. European football’s governing body, UEFA, also condemned the incident. “We urge the authorities and the responsible disciplinary bodies to take decisive and necessary action against anyone involved in acts of abuse and violence against referees,” UEFA said. Statement from FIFA President Gianni Infantino: 🔗 https://t.co/mBhi38Nf40 pic.twitter.com/YqJ3KqeWqy — FIFA Media (@fifamedia) December 12, 2023 Matches were suspended indefinitely hours after the incident, but on Wednesday, the TFF said action will resume next week. Is there a history of violent attacks on referees and match officials? Violence in football is commonplace in Turkey despite efforts to clamp down on it although direct attacks on top-level referees are rare. Still, Buyukeksi blamed the attack on a culture of contempt towards referees. “Everyone who has targeted referees and encouraged them to commit crimes is complicit in this despicable attack,” he said. “The irresponsible statements of club presidents, managers, coaches and television commentators targeting referees have opened the way for this attack.” Pierluigi Collina, chairman of FIFA’s referees committee, said the incident was horrific. “Neither the referee nor the man deserved to live the experience he lived yesterday in Ankara. He was doing his job when he was assaulted on the field of play at the end of a match he just officiated,” Collina said on Tuesday. Hugh Dallas, Turkish Super Lig’s head of referee education, was in the stadium when the incident happened and has called for governments to take action. Referees in Turkey are often criticised by club managers and presidents for their decisions. “I think a lot of club presidents, media and others will take a look at themselves today and realise when you whip up that type of mass hysteria regarding refereeing, this is the result,” he told the BBC. “There has to be legislation and punishments put in place for clubs, players, owners or whoever when they behave in such a manner because it definitely can’t continue.” Adblock test (Why?)
Tesla recalls nearly all US vehicles over autopilot system defects
The firm’s largest-ever recall comes after a two-year investigation by federal safety regulator focused on autopilot function. Tesla is recalling more than two million cars in the United States, nearly all of its vehicles sold there, after a federal regulator said defects with the autopilot system pose a safety hazard. In a recall filing on Wednesday, the carmaker said autopilot software system controls “may not be sufficient to prevent driver misuse”. “Automated technology holds great promise for improving safety but only when it is deployed responsibly,” said a spokesperson for the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), which has been investigating the autopilot function for more than two years. “Today’s action is an example of improving automated systems by prioritizing safety.” The decision marks the largest-ever recall for Tesla, as autonomous vehicle development in the US hits a series of snags over safety concerns. The company has said that it will install new safeguards and fix current defects. The recall covers models Y, S, 3 and X produced between October 5, 2012, and December 7, 2023. Speaking before the US House of Representatives on Wednesday, acting NHTSA Administrator Ann Carlson said she was happy Tesla had agreed to a recall. She said that the agency first started investigating Tesla’s autopilot function in August 2021 after hearing about several fatal crashes that occurred when the autopilot was on. “One of the things we determined is that drivers are not always paying attention when that system is on,” she said. Documents posted on Wednesday by the agency said the current autopilot design can lead to “foreseeable misuse of the system,” and that the changes to be instituted will “further encourage the driver to adhere to their continuous driving responsibility”. Some experts have raised questions over whether such steps go far enough. “The compromise is disappointing,” Phil Koopman, a professor of electrical and computer engineering at Carnegie Mellon University who studies autonomous vehicle safety, told The Associated Press. “Because it does not fix the problem that the older cars do not have adequate hardware for driver monitoring.” Driverless cars, exalted by supporters as an exciting technological advancement, have faced a series of setbacks in recent months. In October, California suspended testing by the self-driving car firm Cruise, after California’s Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) raised questions about safety concerns. Adblock test (Why?)
Letter accuses US security agency of turning ‘blind eye’ to Gaza suffering
Washington, DC – More than a hundred staff members from the United States Department of Homeland Security (DHS) have signed an open letter to Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas denouncing the department’s handling of the war in Gaza. The letter, exclusively obtained by Al Jazeera, expresses frustration with the “palpable, glaring absence in the Department’s messaging” of “recognition, support, and mourning” for the more than 18,000 Palestinians killed in Gaza since the start of the war on October 7. “The grave humanitarian crisis in Gaza and the conditions in the West Bank are circumstances that the Department would generally respond to in various ways,” the letter, dated November 22, said. “Yet DHS leadership has seemingly turned a blind eye to the bombing of refugee camps, hospitals, ambulances, and civilians.” The letter’s signatories include 139 staff members from DHS and the agencies it manages, like Customs and Border Protection (CBP), the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS). But some staff members “elected to sign this letter anonymously” for fear of backlash, the document explained. It called for DHS to “provide a fair and balanced representation of the situation, and allow for respectful expression without the fear of professional repercussions”. DHS did not respond to Al Jazeera’s request for comment by the time of publication. The letter is the latest indication of fractures within the administration of President Joe Biden, who has faced internal criticism for his government’s stance on the Gaza war. Last month, more than 500 officials from 40 government agencies issued an anonymous letter pushing Biden to call for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza. Another letter, signed by 1,000 employees from the US Agency for International Development (USAID), expressed a similar appeal. But Biden has been reluctant to criticise Israel’s ongoing military offensive in Gaza, instead pledging his “rock solid and unwavering” support for the longtime US ally. In an internal message on November 2, Mayorkas echoed Biden’s stance. He denounced the “horrific terrorist attacks in Israel on October 7”, perpetrated by the Palestinian group Hamas, but made no mention of the humanitarian crisis in Gaza. “The impacts [of October 7] continue to sweep through Jewish, Arab American, Muslim and other communities everywhere,” Mayorkas wrote. “I am heartened knowing that our Department is on the front lines of protecting our communities from antisemitism, Islamophobia, and other forms of bigotry and hate.” US President Joe Biden has expressed ‘unwavering’ support for Israel as it conducts a months-long military offensive in Gaza [Leah Millis/Reuters] But two DHS staff members who spoke to Al Jazeera on the condition of anonymity felt that department leadership should be going further to address the mounting death toll in Gaza, where civilians remain under Israeli siege. United Nations experts have already warned of a “grave risk of genocide” in the territory, as supplies run low and bombs continue to fall. “I’ve been very dedicated to the federal government,” one anonymous DHS official said. “I’ve served in different capacities. I very much believed in our mission. “And then, after October 7, I feel like there has just been a drastic shift in this expectation of what we’re supposed to do when there’s a humanitarian crisis and what we’re actually doing when there’s politics involved, and that has a very, very scary, chilling impact.” The staff’s open letter calls for DHS to take actions in Gaza “commensurate with past responses to humanitarian tragedies”, including through the creation of a humanitarian parole programme for Palestinians in the territory. That would allow them to temporarily enter the US “based on urgent humanitarian or significant public benefit reasons”. The letter also pushed DHS to designate residents of the Palestinian territories eligible for “temporary protected status” or TPS. That would permit Palestinians already in the US to remain in the country and qualify for employment authorisation. Such programmes have been put in place for other conflicts, including for Ukrainians facing full-scale invasion from Russia. Last month, 106 members of Congress — including Senator Dick Durbin and Representatives Pramila Jayapal and Jerry Nadler — even sent a letter to Biden, urging a TPS designation for the Palestinian territories. Biden has been criticised for offering temporary protected status for Ukrainians but not for Palestinians in Gaza [Evan Vucci/AP Photo] But one of the anonymous DHS officials who spoke with Al Jazeera said that, although there has been discussion about a possible TPS designation, action seems unlikely. “There have been a lot of serious systemic and programmatic obstacles driven purely by politics,” she said. Part of the challenge is that the US does not recognise Palestine as a foreign state, putting its eligibility for TPS in doubt. “We don’t recognise Palestine as a state. We don’t code them with that,” the DHS official explained. “And that’s something across Customs and Border Protection, ICE and USCIS. There have just been obstacles raised at the highest levels of those agencies.” The official suspects she knows why. “They’re worried about their own operations in terms of removing or deporting people to Gaza and the West Bank, if they were to change these codes.” But that inaction has levied a steep toll on employees’ mental health, according to the DHS officials Al Jazeera spoke to. One described how colleagues with family in Gaza had received no support from DHS leadership as they tried to bring their relatives to safety. The other, a senior staff member who has spent more than a decade working for the federal government, described having nightmares of losing his own children. He said he wakes up “with the knowledge that we’re not actually doing all that we can to provide programmes and relief for the Palestinians”. “It’s definitely distressing and dispiriting to feel like, for political considerations, we’re not addressing [the conflict] in the same way that we would other previous, recent humanitarian crises, for instance, like Ukraine.” Houses are left in ruin after an Israeli air strike in Rafah, part of the southern Gaza
Bhajan Lal to take oath as Rajasthan CM tomorrow; PM Modi, Amit Shah to attend swearing-in ceremony
The swearing-in ceremony of Bhajan Lal Sharma, the chief minister-designate, and his deputies Diya Kumari and Prem Chand Bairwa, will be held on Friday. The three will be administered oath by Governor Kalraj Mishra.
FLASHBACK: Biden said people who defy Jan. 6 Committee subpoenas should be held ‘criminally’ accountable
A newly resurfaced video clip shows President Biden saying in 2021 that those who defy the January 6 Committee’s congressional subpoenas should be held “criminally” accountable. Biden made the comments in October 2021 on the White House lawn while being questioned by reporters. “Do you have a message to people who defy congressional subpoenas on the January 6 Committee?” a reporter asked Biden. “I hope that the committee goes after them and holds them accountable criminally,” the president responded at the time. A little more than two years after those comments, Biden’s son, Hunter Biden, is facing the full fury of congressional Republicans after he skipped a deposition on his nine-count indictment involving tax evasion. WATCH: WHITE HOUSE SAYS BIDEN ‘PROUD’ OF HUNTER DESPITE MOUNTING LEGAL ISSUES, SUBPOENA DEFIANCE Republicans on the House Oversight Committee took to social media pushing back against Hunter’s “stunt,” demanding the president’s son be held in contempt of Congress. Other critics also pointed to the claims concerning his father’s relationship with his business dealings as “goalpost shifting,” but Hunter claimed his father was never “financially involved” in his business dealings. HUNTER BIDEN FACES BACKLASH AFTER DEFYING SUBPOENA WITH PRESS CONFERENCE ‘STUNT’: ‘HOLD HIM IN CONTEMPT!’ On Wednesday, White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said that President Biden and first lady Jill Biden were “proud” of their son, Hunter. President Biden also dodged reporters’ questions this week on whether Hunter defied the subpoena. If convicted, Hunter faces a maximum penalty of 17 years in prison. The White House did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment.
Maryland Gov. Moore calls Orioles lease deal ‘imminent’
Maryland Gov. Wes Moore said Wednesday that he believes a new lease agreement with the Baltimore Orioles at Camden Yards is “imminent,” as an end-of-the year deadline approaches. Moore spoke to reporters after a meeting of the state’s Board of Public Works, which would need to approve a final deal. The governor spoke about the negotiations after his administration announced Friday that it would address concerns expressed by the state Senate president about a proposed agreement. “We’ve been working all throughout the weekend and the week with all the partners, and we feel very confident that a deal is imminent,” said Moore, who chairs the three-member board. ORIOLES’ BRANDON HYDE, MARLINS’ SKIP SCHUMAKER NAMED MLB MANAGERS OF THE YEAR It was the board’s last scheduled meeting this year, though Moore emphasized that it was the last regularly scheduled meeting, suggesting another one could be called to approve a new lease before the end of the year. “We have to do, and we’re going to do, the best deal for the taxpayers,” Moore said. “We’re going to make sure that this is a long-term deal. We’re not doing a one-year, we’re not doing a short-term deal. We are going to make sure that we are being good stewards of taxpayer dollars, and we have to make sure we’re creating winners, not just on the field but also winners off the field.” Maryland Treasurer Dereck Davis, a board member who expressed concerns about “foot-dragging” in the negotiations in July, said he was confident an agreement will be reached before the end of the year. “I believe that we’ll have a resolution real soon,” Davis said Wednesday. The Orioles’ lease at Camden Yards expires at the end of the year. In September, the team dramatically announced a new 30-year deal to stay at the ballpark — a message to that effect appeared on the scoreboard in the middle of a game the night the team clinched the AL East. The next day, the governor’s office released details of a memorandum of understanding involving Moore, the team and the Maryland Stadium Authority. WISCONSIN GOV. EVERS APPROVES HALF-BILLION DOLLAR BREWERS STADIUM OVERHAUL The September agreement included a 99-year development rights agreement for areas surrounding the ballpark, including the warehouse and Camden Station. That was a sticking point for Senate President Bill Ferguson, a Baltimore Democrat, whose district includes the stadium. “Fundamentally, I believe that the long-term lease for the use of the ballpark should not be conditioned on whether or not a private owner receives a 99-year ground lease to develop land owned by Maryland taxpayers,” Ferguson said in a statement Friday. “This is more relevant today, as recent news has heightened uncertainties about the future ownership of the team.” Bloomberg reported last week, citing unidentified sources, that Carlyle Group Inc. co-founder David Rubenstein has been in talks to acquire the Orioles. Last year, the state increased bond authorization for M&T Bank Stadium, home of the Baltimore Ravens, and Camden Yards. The measure allowed borrowing of up to $600 million for each stadium.
Former Obama adviser David Axelrod says poll showing Biden at record low approval is ‘very, very dark’
Former President Obama Senior Adviser David Axelrod commented on a recent Wall Street Journal poll that puts President Joe Biden’s approval figures at a record low, saying it is “very, very dark” for his re-election campaign. Axelrod made the comments during the “Hacks on Tap” podcast Saturday alongside political consultant Mike Murphy and former Obama White House press secretary Robert Gibbs. The Wall Street Journal poll Axelrod was discussing has former President Trump leading Biden 47% to 43% in a hypothetical with two people on the ballot. Trump leads 37% to 31% in a hypothetical ballot with five independent candidates also listed. Biden’s job approval only hit 37%, a new record low for the WSJ poll, and 61% of those who responded see the president’s overall image in a negative light. POLL SHOWS BIDEN HITTING RECORD LOW APPROVALS, FALLING BEHIND AGAINST TRUMP IN 2024 MATCHUP “Job approval down, ratings generally down, most of the comparatives with Trump not good,” Axelrod said on the podcast. “What I worry about, you guys, from a Biden standpoint, is these are the kinds of things you get when people are starting to rationalize their votes.” “And they just put out another photo op with the Bidenomics sign next to him…it’s just unbelievable to me,” he added. DEMOCRATIC ANALYSTS SOUND ALARM ON MORE ‘GRIM’ BIDEN POLLING SHOWING DIMINISHING SUPPORT IN KEY VOTER GROUPS On most issues such as the economy, border security, and inflation, respondents to the poll sided with Trump. Only on the issue of abortion did Biden beat Trump. The Wall Street Journal poll surveyed 1,500 registered voters between Nov. 29 and Dec. 4, with a margin of error of +/- 2.5 percentage points. Fox News Digital’s Michael Lee and Paul Steinhauser contributed to this report.
Republicans see progress in border talks, but unclear if deal within reach as crisis rages
Senate Republicans say they are seeing progress in talks on potential border policy changes to be included in a supplemental spending package requested by the White House, although it isn’t clear if a deal is possible. Talks have been ongoing between Senate lawmakers and the administration over a supplemental funding request that includes border funding as well as aid for Israel and Ukraine. But Republicans and Democrats have found sharp disagreement on the contents of the border funding section, with Republicans demanding stricter limits on initial asylum screenings and the use of parole. House Republican leadership has called for the inclusion of a broader package passed in the chamber earlier this year, but Senate Republicans have shown openness to a more limited package. MIGRANT ENCOUNTERS AGAIN TOP 10K IN SINGLE DAY AS LAWMAKERS EYE NEW BORDER LIMITS President Biden said last week that he was open to “significant compromises,” and CBS News reported Tuesday that the Biden administration is open to a new Title 42-style authority, which was the COVID-era order that allowed for the rapid expulsion of migrants at the southern border until May this year. The administration was reportedly also open to a nationwide expansion of expedited removal, which allows for recently entered migrants to be quickly removed if they do not meet the initial asylum standard. It is currently only being used at and near the border. CBS reported that the White House was willing to mandate the detention of certain migrants as their claims are considered. While that report has sparked anger from left-wing Democrats, Republicans have responded positively, if cautiously. “It’s a start, but I think the most important thing is the White House has finally gotten engaged, and it’s taken a long time to get there, but they finally did on Monday,” Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas, told reporters. “But unfortunately, we’re so late in the year and with so little time left, it’s not practical to conclude between now and the end of the year.” Sen. Thom Tillis, R-N.C., said he is open to the idea of having something like the Title 42 authority, citing the large number of migrant encounters at the southern border, and said that lawmakers should stay in Washington until a deal can be hammered out. Lawmakers are scheduled to leave D.C. for their winter break on Thursday. “I’m going to take it as a good-faith offer, which is why I think we have to act in good faith and stay here until we get it negotiated out,” he said. 5,000 ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS RELEASED EVERY DAY INTO US, ADMIN OFFICIALS PRIVATELY TELL LAWMAKERS Multiple lawmakers told reporters that there was nothing yet in writing from the White House and that the key would be in the details. “We’ve been back and forth this morning, and we’ll continue to be able to work through. And again, yesterday was positive and we made a lot of progress on it to be able to go through it, and we’ll just keep working,” said Sen. James Lankford, R-Okla. Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., said that it was “good news” that the White House was involved in talks. “Whether we can land this plane, I don’t know,” he said. However, even if a package can be agreed to in the upper chamber, it is unclear if the agreement would gain the assent of the House, which has been eyeing more expansive moves. Meanwhile, Democrats in both the House and the Senate took aim at the reported proposals, blasting the Biden administration for what they see as a return to Trump-era policies. “It is truly shameful that President Biden and his administration are considering selling out migrants and asylum seekers in order placate extreme Republicans who are jeopardizing our national security and that of our allies just to score a political point,” Sen. Bob Menendez, D-N.J., said in a statement. Meanwhile, Fox News reported that Tuesday saw another day in which overwhelmed officials at the border encountered more than 10,000 migrants in a single day. Fox News’ Tyler Olson and The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Pennsylvania Senate clears way for spending on school choice, student-teacher stipends
Pennsylvania’s state Senate moved past a longstanding budget feud Wednesday and approved school-funding legislation that would send millions more to subsidize private school tuition and create a student-teacher stipend to try to stem a shortage of teachers. In addition to subsidies for private schools and student teachers, it also ties up some loose ends from a nearly five-month-old dispute over elements of the state’s spending plan for the 2023-24 fiscal year. The bill passed the Republican-controlled Senate, 43-7, and goes to the Democratic-controlled House of Representatives. PENNSYLVANIA POISED TO ALLOW LONGER SCHOOL DAYS, SHORTER WEEKS Those include allowing more than $300 million to flow to libraries and community colleges, as well as $100 million in federal aid to flow to school mental health services and $75 million to clean up lead, asbestos, mold and other environmental health hazards in school buildings. Previous versions of the bill had stalled, until Democrats dropped a provision that Republicans opposed to send another $100 million to the poorest public schools. Under the bill, the state will expand a tax credit program by $130 million — from $340 million to $470 million — that allows businesses to receive tax breaks in exchange for donating money to defray the cost of tuition at private and religious schools. Public school advocates have criticized the program as discriminatory, saying many of the eligible schools cherry-pick the students they want to teach and have policies that discriminate on the basis of religion, LGBTQ+ status, disability or another reason. PENNSYLVANIA SCHOOL CHOICE PROGRAM SLAMMED BY CRITICS CALLING FOR BOOST IN PUBLIC EDUCATION FUNDING The tax credit program is championed primarily by Republicans, who agreed to concessions sought by Democrats. Those include scaling back the amount of money that middleman administrators can keep — from 20% down to 10% — and requiring the disclosure of more demographic information about the students who benefit. The bill also boosts the amount of tax credits from $12 million to $60 million for donations that go to private schools that serve a larger proportion of students from lower-income families. To encourage more college students to become teachers, the bill would create a program to give a stipend of up to $15,000 to student teachers. With numerous schools having difficulty hiring or retaining teachers, the stipends are aimed at easing a hardship for college students finishing up a teaching degree who each must student-teach in schools for 12 weeks without pay.