Politics

Senate Approves Funding Bill To Avert Govt Shutdown

The Associated Press reports: The Senate passed a $1.2 trillion package of spending bills in the early morning hours Saturday, a long overdue action nearly six months into the budget year that will push any threats of a government shutdown to the fall. The bill now goes to President Joe Biden to be signed into law. The vote was 74-24. …

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DeSantis Signs Bill Rolling Back Child Labor Laws

The Florida Phoenix reports: Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis signed a bill Friday authorizing 16- and 17-year-olds to work more than 30 hours per week with their parent’s approval. The governor’s signing of HB 49, which had garnered criticism from workers’ advocacy groups early in the session, came without fanfare. In fact, his office announced the approval in a press release …

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Another GOP Rep Screws Johnson By Resigning Early

CNN reports: GOP Rep. Mike Gallagher of Wisconsin will resign from Congress early, handing another blow to Speaker Mike Johnson and his razor thin Republican majority. In a statement, Gallagher confirmed he will resign effective April 19. Gallagher did not include a reason for stepping down but said he came to the decision after “conversations with my family.” The House …

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House Approves Spending Bill To Avert Govt Shutdown

NBC News reports: The House voted 286-134 Friday to pass a sweeping $1.2 trillion government funding bill, sending it to the Senate just hours before the deadline to prevent a shutdown. All 100 senators will need to greenlight a vote to pass the bill before the midnight deadline. If that doesn’t happen, the government would be forced into a partial …

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DeSantis Denies Having Criminalized Homelessness

Florida Politics reports: Gov. Ron DeSantis is defending legislation he signed this week that bans people from sleeping in public, saying it doesn’t punish the unhoused, but helps them. “It’s not criminalizing homelessness. What they’re saying is you don’t have a right to just sleep in front of somebody’s business or you don’t have a right to just take over …

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New York May Repeal 1907 Law Criminalizing Adultery

The Associated Press reports: For more than a century, it has been a crime to cheat on your spouse in New York. But adultery may soon be legal in the Empire State thanks to a bill working its way through the New York Legislature, which would finally repeal the seldom-used law that is punishable by up to three months behind …

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Ex-WI Election Official Found Guilty Of Ballot Fraud

Wisconsin Public Radio reports: A Milwaukee County jury found a former election official guilty of election fraud involving absentee ballots Wednesday afternoon. Kimberly Zapata, the former deputy director of the Milwaukee Election Commission, was also found guilty of misconduct in public office, a felony, after she admitted to using fake names to request military absentee ballots on her work laptop …

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Christie Won’t Rule Out Running On No Labels Ticket

The Hill reports: Former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie (R) is not ruling out running on a potential No Labels ticket in the 2024 presidential election. The former GOP presidential candidate, who dropped his White House bid in January, seemingly left the door open to a third-party run during an interview released Thursday with former Obama adviser David Axelrod on …

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Federal Judge Quotes Dr. Seuss In Blistering Denial Of Blagojevich’s Lawsuit To Overturn Ban On Holding Office

The Chicago Tribune reports: As a general rule, it’s never good when a federal judge feels compelled to address your case with a quote from Dr. Seuss. But that’s exactly what happened Thursday to disgraced former Gov. Rod Blagojevich, whose lawsuit challenging the state resolution prohibiting him from running for any state or local office in Illinois was excoriated by …

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Johnson: I’m Inviting Netanyahu To Address Congress

Axios reports: House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) said Thursday he will invite Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to address Congress. The idea was floated by several House Republicans as a way to hit back at Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) for his recent criticism of Netanyahu. “We’ll certainly extend that invitation,” Johnson said in an interview on CNBC’s “Squawk …

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GOP Calls For Rise In Social Security Retirement Age

Bloomberg News reports: The largest caucus of House Republicans called for an increase in the Social Security retirement age Wednesday, setting up a clash with President Joe Biden over spending on popular entitlement programs. The Republican Study Committee, which comprises about 80% of House Republicans, called for the Social Security eligibility age to be tied to life expectancy in its …

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Senate Moves To Beef Up Security For Local Judges

Axios reports: A bipartisan group of senators is introducing legislation to provide federal support for state and local judges’ security, Axios has learned. The Countering Threats and Attacks on Our Judges Act would establish a State Judicial Threat Intelligence Resource Center, according to a press release first shared with Axios Wednesday. The bill is being introduced by Sens. John Cornyn …

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DeSantis Signs Bill Banning Sleeping In Public Places

The South Florida SunSentinel reports: Gov. Ron DeSantis signed a controversial bill Wednesday that forbids homeless people from sleeping in public places and prevents local governments from allowing them to stay there unless the state authorizes them to do so. The governor was joined at a news conference announcing the signing by local South Florida leaders and representatives at Santorini …

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House Dem Wears Putin Mask To Hunter Biden Hearing

The Hill reports: Rep. Jared Moskowitz (D-Fla.) donned a rubber mask of Russian President Vladimir Putin on his way to the House Oversight Committee’s hearing investigating Hunter Biden’s business dealings on Wednesday, mocking the GOP effort. Moskowitz told media outside the hearing that he was there to thank Chairman Jim Comer (R-Ky.) “for taking our of all intelligence and using …

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YouTube Requires Disclosure Of AI Usage In Videos

Ars Technica reports: YouTube is rolling out a new requirement for content creators: You must disclose when you’re using AI-generated content in your videos. The disclosure appears in the video upload UI and will be used to power an “altered content” warning on videos. Google previewed the “misleading AI content” policy in November, but the questionnaire is now going live. …

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19% Of FL Republicans Vote Against Trump In Primary

Newsweek reports: Donald Trump suffered a blow in Tuesday’s primary in Florida, a state he only narrowly won in the 2020 presidential election, after thousands of Republicans refused to vote for him. While the former president won the primary with 910,857 votes, 81.2 percent of the overall share, some 197,000 people, or 17.8 percent, voted for either Nikki Haley or …

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Home Depot Founder To GOP: “Unite Behind Trump”

“For the first time in my 94 years on earth, I fear for the future of our democracy. I see the federal government using its enormous powers with contempt for the governed instead of with the consent of the governed as our founders envisioned. “Fundamental change in America is occurring by executive order or the force of the government’s police …

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DeSantis: I Will Send Haitians To Martha’s Vineyard

Florida Politics reports: The return of Air DeSantis may be imminent. Gov. Ron DeSantis said some undocumented immigrants intercepted while attempting to land in Florida from Haiti may lead to a trip to New England for those refugees. “We do have our transport program also that’s going to be operational,” DeSantis said. “So Haitians who land in the Florida Keys, …

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NE Republican Faces Calls To Resign After Inserting Rep’s Name Into Reading Of Graphic Rape Description

Omaha’s ABC affiliate reports: There are calls for Hastings Sen. Steve Halloran to resign his seat following explicit language used during debate over LB 441 on Monday night at the Nebraska State Capitol. The bill, introduced by Sen. Joni Albrecht, would remove a prosecution exemption for schools that provide obscene materials to students in kindergarten through 12th grades. Toward the …

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SCOTUS: Texas Police Can Arrest Migrants For Now

NBC News reports:  The Supreme Court on Tuesday allowed Texas to enforce a contentious new law that gives local police the power to arrest migrants. The conservative-majority court, with three liberal justices dissenting, rejected an emergency request by the Biden administration, which said states have no authority to legislate on immigration, an issue the federal government has sole authority over. …

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