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A new bill, approved by California State Senate Health Committee last week, will force health clinics at California State University and University of California campuses to provide abortion pills. (plannedparenthood.org)
California Democrats approved a bill last week that will force health clinics on college campuses to provide abortion pills.
Senate Bill 24, or the “College Student Right to Access Act,” was approved in a 7-3 vote last Wednesday by the California State Senate Health Committee.
Former Gov. Jerry Brown vetoed the same bill in October. He argued that abortion services were already “widely available off-campus,” making the bill unnecessary.
But state Sen. Connie Leyva, the bill’s chief sponsor, argued that “students should not have to travel off campus or miss class or work responsibilities in order to receive care that can easily be provided at a student health center.”
At the time, Gavin Newsom, the former lieutenant governor who succeeded Brown as governor in January, told the San Francisco Chronicle that he “would have supported that [bill]” and subscribes to “Planned Parenthood and NARAL’s position on that.”
Newsom’s outspoken position has assured the bill’s proponents of its guaranteed passage.
According to the legislation, the bill would kick in beginning 2023 and would require $10.2 million in private funds to cover equipment and training, the Washington Times reported.
REP. ROB WHITTMAN: THE MOST VULNERABLE AMONG US DESERVE THE RIGHT TO LIVE
Per California law, abortion is covered by health insurance policies. Health clinics on college campuses offer birth control services but not the abortion pill itself.
Opponents argue that the bill will turn colleges into “abortion vendors,” and that students will inevitably go up to cover the costs. Others are concerned about the health risks involved.
To become law, the bill must pass through the state Senate’s education and appropriations committees before a full Senate vote. But with Democrats controlling both chambers, the bill’s passage is all but guaranteed.
Source: Fox News Politics
California Gov. Gavin Newsom, second from right, walks out with San Salvador Mayor Ernesto Muyshondtof, far left, after they visited the tomb of Archbishop Oscar Romero at Metropolitan Cathedral in San Salvador, El Salvador. (Associated Press)
California Gov. Gavin Newsom arrived in El Salvador on Sunday to begin a four-day trip to learn more about the root causes fueling migration to the U.S. and offer an alternative to what he regards as President Trump’s “demoralizing” rhetoric about the Central American nation.
The trip comes on the heels of President Trump’s Friday visit to California’s stretch of the U.S.-Mexico border. Newsom criticized Trump’s recent move to cut direct aid to El Salvador, Guatemala, and Honduras, nations who’ve seen many of their citizens flee north through Mexico in efforts to enter the U.S.
“Right now you have a president that talks down to people, talks past them, demoralizing folks living here and their relatives in the United States,” Newsom told reporters. “I think it’s important to let folks know that’s not our country — that’s an individual in our country who happens at this moment to be president.”
NEW MIGRANT CARAVAN OF 2,500 SETS OUT THROUGH MEXICO FOR US
Newsom, 51, a Democrat who took office in January after being elected in November to the top job in the nation’s most populous state, has taken the Trump administration to task on immigration, having sued over the president’s emergency declaration to build a southern border wall and pledging $25 million in state money to help asylum seekers.
Previously, Newsom and Trump battled on social media over costs associated with massive wildfires in California. Soon after Newsom took office, Trump argued that the state needed better forest management so the state would be less reliant on federal dollars for fire recovery.
“Billions of dollars are sent to the State of California for Forrest fires that, with proper Forrest Management, would never happen. Unless they get their act together, which is unlikely, I have ordered FEMA to send no more money. It is a disgraceful situation in lives & money!” Trump wrote.
Newsom’s office said the governor chose El Salvador for his first international trip because California is home to approximately 680,000 Salvadorans – the largest Salvadoran immigrant population in the U.S.
On Sunday, he visited the tomb of Saint Oscar Romero – the Salvadoran priest assassinated in 1980 at the start of the nation’s civil war – where he lit a candle and kneeled to pray.
Newsom will meet with President Salvador Sanchez Ceren, U.S. Ambassador Jean Manes and President-elect Nayib Bukele during his visit. He’ll also tour a reintegration center that processes Salvadorans deported from the U.S. and Mexico, see a cultural demonstration in a rural town, meet with human rights groups and discuss economic development and gang intervention.
Newsom said he’s figuring out what California can do to help tackle the root causes of migration, namely deep poverty and gang violence. El Salvador is one of the world’s most violent countries, with the gangs MS-13 and Barrio 18 exerting strong control.
MEXICO TO HAND OUT SOME HUMANITARIAN VISAS AS THOUSANDS OF CARAVAN MIGRANTS GATHER IN CHIAPAS
Republicans in California criticized Newsom’s purported aims, arguing that he should instead focus on poverty at home.
“The tragic circumstances that drive migrants from their homes should remind us that we have people living in crushing poverty in our own communities. Our attention and resources should be focused there,” Republican state Assemblyman Devon Mathis said in a statement.
Matt Fleming, a spokesman for the California Republican Party cited by the Sacramento Bee, said Newsom “should spend less time raising his national profile and more time in California serving the people who elected him.”
Newsom has defended the trip on the grounds that immigration is, more than in any other state, fundamental to California’s politics.
“How do you understand California without understanding all the diverse cultures that make it the most diverse state?” he said. “It’s fundamental, it seems to me, to governing a state. That’s why I’m here in the first months.”
Newsom said he hopes to show Salvadorans there’s “a completely different conversation” happening in the United States outside of Trump’s comments.
“There are people in the U.S. who think folks down here matter and we care to understand their plight and challenges and see if there’s ways we can soften things,” he said.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Source: Fox News World
FILE – In a Jan. 9, 2019 file photo, Maryland House Speaker Michael Busch speaks in the House of Delegates chamber in Annapolis, Md., the first day of the state’s 2019 legislative session. Busch died Sunday, April 7, 2019 surrounded by loved ones, according to Alexandra Hughes, the speaker’s chief of staff. He was 72. (Associated Press)
Michael Busch, a champion of the Chesapeake Bay and progressive causes during his record-tenure as Maryland‘s Democratic House speaker, battled for the environment up until the end of his life. He died Sunday at age 72.
His environmental policies were especially high-profile in his final days as he sponsored a bill to permanently protect five oyster sanctuaries under Maryland law. The measure drew a veto from Gov. Larry Hogan, but the House overrode the veto Friday, and the Senate was expected to vote on an override Monday — the last day of the legislative session.
Bush died after developing pneumonia arising from a follow-up procedure to a 2017 liver transplant after being diagnosed with nonalcoholic steatohepatitis, a liver disease. He also had heart bypass surgery in September, after experiencing shortness of breath. Chief of staff Alexandra Hughes said Busch died surrounded by loved ones.
EX-MARYLAND GOV. HARRY R. HUGHES DIES AT 92; SERVED 2 TERMS
Alison Prost, the Maryland executive director of the Chesapeake Bay Foundation, praised Busch’s legacy of defending the waterway’s fragile ecosystem.
“The Chesapeake Bay lost a champion today,” Prost said. “While there were many issues that were near and dear to Speaker Busch, he elevated saving the Bay to a priority for the General Assembly, and legislators followed his lead.”
“The Chesapeake Bay lost a champion today. While there were many issues that were near and dear to Speaker Busch, he elevated saving the Bay to a priority for the General Assembly, and legislators followed his lead.”
Busch also fought for expanded health care, educational improvements and other issues as Maryland’s longest-serving House speaker. He was elected to the speakership in 2003.
“Nobody has done more to expand health care access and improve public health in Maryland than Speaker Mike Busch,” said Vincent DeMarco, president of Maryland Citizens’ Health Initiative.
A progressive Democrat, Busch as speaker oversaw Maryland’s approval of same-sex marriage and the repeal of the death penalty. Legislation raising the state’s minimum wage was passed twice under his House leadership.
Maryland Senate President Thomas V. Mike Miller called Busch a model delegate who cared for every corner of the state.
“My heart is broken for Mike Busch’s family, the State of Maryland, and the Speaker’s extended family — elected officials and staff that he has been a mentor and coach to over his time in public service,” said Miller, a Democrat who has been battling prostate cancer. “Mike has been a friend for years, and has led the state to new heights of environmentalism and education.”
Hogan, a Republican, ordered flags flown at half-staff for Busch, calling him “a giant in our government.”
“Speaker Busch and I came from different sides of the aisle, but we often came together in the best interests of the people of Maryland,” Hogan said. “He served with the decency and good nature of a teacher, a coach, and a family man. I was honored to … work closely with him.”
It’s unclear when the House will choose Busch’s successor. The speaker is elected by the 141 House members. Since Busch’s absence last month, Del. Adrienne Jones has presided as speaker pro tem.
Busch was first elected to the House in 1986. His district included the state capital of Annapolis, making him a frequent presence in the State House — even when the General Assembly wasn’t in session.
He was known as a consensus builder and good listener, qualities that helped him manage the diverse chamber.
Busch had a strong commitment to equal rights that resulted from growing up in the 1960s during the height of the civil rights movement against racial segregation.
“That was ingrained in me from my grandparents to my parents and through the ’60s,” he told The Associated Press in 2002.
At the time, he recalled two pictures on his grandparents’ mantel — Jesus and Franklin D. Roosevelt. Both sets of grandparents “believed that Roosevelt gave average people a piece of the American dream,” he said. “I really believe government is there to give people opportunity.”
Busch, a Catholic, was born in Baltimore, and lived in Anne Arundel County from age 10 until he left for college.
He was a record-setting running back at Temple University in 1969, peaking in his junior year when he ran for 185 yards in a game. But for a leg injury, he might have pursued a pro career. The Dallas Cowboys sent him a letter telling him “you are being considered by our ball club as one of our top draft choices,” but the team didn’t know his career was already over.
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After getting a degree in education, he returned home and taught in public and parochial schools. He was a football and basketball coach at St. Mary’s High School in Annapolis before quitting teaching in 1979.
His interest in politics was whetted in 1982 when he was a driver for Robert Pascal, an unsuccessful Republican candidate for governor. Busch finished fifth among 12 Democrats running for three House seats that year, then won in 1986.
Funeral arrangements weren’t immediately disclosed.
Source: Fox News Politics
San Francisco Mayor London Breed was heckled and jeered during a raucous community meeting Wednesday to discuss a controversial homeless center proposal along the city’s waterfront that has attracted dueling online fundraisers from critics and supporters.
“Homelessness is the number one problem that we face in our city. You cannot be upset about homelessness and then when I propose a real solution, then you’re upset about it,” Breed said while trying to discuss plans to build a 200-bed Homeless Navigation Center in the city’s Embarcadero section.
The area is part of California’s 12th Congressional District, represented by House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, a Democrat.
City officials described the planned facility and addressed security and noise concerns. The site is owned by the Port of San Francisco and is currently a parking lot surrounded by high-rise luxury condominiums. The center would occupy 44,000-square feet. A lease is planned for four years.
SAN FRANCISCO’S HOMELESS CRISIS HURTING TOURISM: ‘PEOPLE EAT OUT OF GARBAGE CANS’
“Today was a sales pitch. It was not a community meeting, as evidenced by them focusing on the lighting, and the colors and the look and feel of the facility, and not what’s happening to the people on the inside,” said resident Chris Curtis, who lives near the site.
Breed – who in 2018 had announced a plan to create 1,000 new shelter beds within two years – was eventually shouted down by critics and cut her address short.
“Either you let me speak, or you leave,” she responded. “I can’t continue, but I will stay and listen to the comments. The least we could do is show respect for one another.”
RICH SAN FRANCISCO BUSINESSES COULD FACE HOMELESSNESS TAX
The exchange was representative of the opposition from some waterfront residents who fear the 24-hour shelter will negatively impact the area and their quality of life, the San Francisco Chronicle reported.
“They all have mental health issues and drug and alcohol abuse,” said resident Shadan Golkar, who said she’d support low-income housing at the site, but rejected the idea of a homeless center.
Rival online fundraisers have sprung up in recent weeks to support and oppose the shelter. Critics raised more than $91,000 as of Thursday morning to hire Andrew Zacks, a land-use attorney, to oppose the project from moving forward.
A competing fundraiser raised $162,000 to support the San Francisco Coalition on Homelessness, which supports the plan.
Matt Carson lives a block from the proposed site and brought his 1-year-old son to the meeting. He said he hopes to someday tell his child that his father and their neighbors “did everything we could to help the homeless. If this doesn’t happen, we’ll just keep seeing the same people in distress on the street,” he told the paper.
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Jeff Kositsky, director of the city’s Department of Homelessness and Supportive Housing, pointed out the number of homeless people sleeping on the street.
“We counted 179 people sleeping outside on the street in the area one night and if we open this facility, all of those people could be indoors,” KTVU-TV reported.
The Port Commission will vote on the matter on April 23.
Source: Fox News Politics
Virginia Lt. Gov. Justin Fairfax on Wednesday released the results of a polygraph test he said he took in response to two accusations of sexual misconduct by two separate women.
“Today, I am providing the full report of my polygraph examinations to the media so that all Virginians can read the report themselves,” he said in a news conference held in his office, WTKR-TV of Norfolk reported.
VIRGINIA REPUBLICANS SEEK TESTIMONY FROM JUSTIN FAIRFAX ACCUSERS BEFORE HOUSE COMMITTEE
Fairfax again denied the accusations, saying, “they are incredibly hurtful to me and my family and my reputation, which I have spent a lifetime building.”
In February, a woman named Vanessa Tyson accused Fairfax of forcing her to perform oral sex on him in a Boston hotel room while they were at the Democratic National Convention. Another woman, Meredith Watson, accused him of raping her while they were students at Duke University in 2000.
Fairfax maintains that both encounters were “completely consensual” and said that the women were “willing participants,” according to WTKR.
Fairfax’s polygraph examination was conducted by Hanafin Polygraph Services of Arlington, Va., the same expert who administered a polygraph to Justice Brett Kavanaugh accuser Christine Blasey Ford last year.
A statement from Alan J. Jennerich of the American Polygraph Association said that in his professional opinion Fairfax’s answers to questions of whether he engaged in non-consensual activity with either woman are “not indicative of deception,” WTKR reported.
Fairfax added that he will cooperate fully with any investigations and is willing to go under oath.
He concluded the news conference by saying he looks forward to clearing his name and returning to work and left without taking reporters’ questions, according to WTKR.
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The accusations against Fairfax coincided with the emergence of a college yearbook photo appearing to show Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam in racist attire at a party during the 1980s. Northam initially issued an apology then denied it was him in the photo.
Source: Fox News Politics
“Tommie,” a male pit bull, died in February after animal control officials said he was “intentionally lit on fire.” ( Richmond Animal Care and Control)
Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam signed into law on Monday a bill that will make animal cruelty a felony in the commonwealth.
Dubbed “Tommie’s Bill,” the legislation is set to change current law — which, according to WWBT, states that those who abuse animals “can only be charged with a misdemeanor unless the animal dies.”
WISCONSIN MAN FACES ANIMAL ABUSE CHARGES AFTER STARVING COWS ARE FOUND ON FARM: POLICE
But after the Democratic governor signed the bill into law, animal cruelty will be considered a Class 6 felony, which is punishable by a fine of up to $2,500, and up to five years in prison.
The bill was named after Tommie, a male brindle pit bull who was found tied to a pole after being “covered in accelerant and intentionally lit on fire” in February.
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Richmond Animal Care and Control wrote on Facebook at the time that 40 percent of Tommie’s body was burned. The dog later died.
The law, which the news station reports applies just to dogs and cats, is set to start July 1.
Source: Fox News National
The Baltimore City Board of Ethics has reportedly opened an investigation into Mayor Catherine Pugh, who recently announced an indefinite leave of absence.
The mayor’s office on Monday announced she was leaving to focus on her health after suffering from pneumonia. That followed claims that she received $500,000 from the University of Maryland Medical System (UMMS) in what critics have called a “self-dealing” book sale.
BALTIMORE MAYOR CATHERINE PUGH TAKES INDEFINITE LEAVE OF ABSENCE AMID BOOK CONTROVERSY
The city’s ethics board confirmed to Fox affiliate WBFF on Wednesday their decision to investigate whether Pugh, a Democrat, violated ethical codes over the deal.
Earlier this week, Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan, a Republican, called on the state prosecutor to investigate allegations of self-dealing by Pugh. State Comptroller Peter Franchot, a Democrat, urged the mayor to step down immediately.
Since 2011, Pugh has received $500,000 for selling the books to UMMS, The Associated Press reported. The $4 billion hospital network, one of the largest private employers in the state, reportedly paid Pugh for 100,000 copies of her books between 2011 and 2018.
The firm Pugh identified as her books’ printer said it produced only 60,000 copies and did not have any more orders from Pugh. She had acknowledged sales of her book to UMMS and said they were meant to be distributed to city schools and daycares.
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Pugh, at a news conference last week, described the book deal with the university-based health care system as a “regrettable mistake,” and apologized for “any lack of confidence or disappointment” citizens and colleagues may have felt.
Baltimore’s acting mayor, City Council President Jack Young, said on Tuesday said the city “is in good hands” until Pugh decides whether to return to office. He emphasized that he’s only acting as a “placeholder” for the embattled mayor and plans to run for City Council president again.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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Democratic socialists Byron Sigcho-Lopez, Andre Vasquez, Daniel La Spata and Carlos Ramirez-Rosa (L-R) have all won seats on Chicago’s City Council.
Democratic socialists are making a power play in Chicago.
After Tuesday’s runoff elections, a total of four – and possibly five – democratic socialists have won seats for alderman on the city council. This marks the highest number of elected socialists the Second City has had since the 1910s.
Upstart Andre Vasquez beat out Ald. Patrick O’Connor, who serves as outgoing Mayor Rahm Emanuel’s floor leader and the head of the city’s Finance Committee.
SOCIALISM RISING: DEMS TAKE HOUSE PUSHING MASSIVE GOVERNMENT EXPANSION
“Take a look around the room, we did this!” Vasquez said, according to local news reports. “Every person who knocked on a door and made a phone call … that’s what got us the win tonight.”
Along with Vasquez, Byron Sigcho-Lopez – a democratic socialist and public policy researcher at the University of Illinois at Chicago – won his runoff in the 25th Ward after longtime Ald. Danny Solis didn’t seek reelection.
A third democratic socialist candidate, Rosanna Rodriguez-Sanchez, is currently locked in a tight race with longtime Ald. Deb Mell – trailing Mell by only a few dozen votes. Mell is hoping that the mail ballots will help her retain her seat.
The victories for the democratic socialists on Tuesday come after two other candidates aligned with them won alderman seats back in February.
Alderman Carlos Ramirez-Rosa won his reelection bid two months ago and democratic socialist Daniel La Spata upset incumbent Ald. Proco “Joe” Moreno to take Chicago’s 1st Ward.
“The oligarchs are shaking in their boots tonight,” Ramirez-Rosa, who defeated challenger Amanda Yu Dieterich in Chicago’s 35th, said, according to the Chicago Sun-Times. “Our continued organizing and movement-building over the last four years is paying dividends. And it appears to be a total transformation of political power at City Hall from the bottom up.”
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Despite the gains the democratic socialists hope to make in Chicago, they will be far from the majority on the council. The Chicago City Council has 50 aldermen. Nearly all are Democrats, with only one Republican and one independent currently serving.
Still, the organization’s success in Chicago highlights the gains the DSA has made in the last few years, especially among younger voters. Aside from the impact of Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders’ presidential run in 2016, DSA members Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., and Rashida Tlaib, D-Mich., were elected to the U.S. House last year.
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In this June 3, 2017 file photo, North Carolina Republican Party Chairman Robin Hayes speaks during the North Carolina Republican Party State Convention at the Wilmington Convention Center in Wilmington, N.C. (AP Photo/Mike Spencer, File)
The chairman of the North Carolina Republican Party is stepping down from his post, after he was charged on federal bribery and wire fraud counts.
The state GOP said Wednesday that Chairman Robin Hayes would cede control to a regional party leader, but would keep the title of chairman until a new election for the post in June.
NORTH CAROLINA GOP CHAIRMAN, OTHERS INDICTED ON BRIBERY AND FRAUD CHARGES
Hayes, who served from 1999 to 2009 in Congress, and Greg Lindberg, the founder and chairman of Eli Global LLC and owner of Global Bankers Insurance Group, were among four people charged in the federal indictments unsealed on Tuesday.
Hayes, Lindberg and his two associates are accused of trying to sway an insurance regulator’s decisions in favor of the donor’s insurance companies. Federal prosecutors said that the four individuals promised or gave Republican Insurance Commissioner Mike Causey millions of campaign dollars to do things Lindberg wanted, including seeking the removal of a deputy insurance commissioner responsible for oversight of one of Lindberg’s businesses.
Hayes also was charged with three counts of making false statements to the FBI.
FBI agents interviewed Hayes in August 2018 about his involvement with and knowledge of the alleged misconduct and alleged improper campaign contributions. During that interview, Hayes allegedly lied to FBI agents about directing funds at Lindberg’s request, among other things.
US FALLS IN GLOBAL CORRUPTION RANKING REPORT
A lawyer for Hayes reportedly said his client “steadfastly” denies the allegations.
“Greg Lindberg is innocent of the charges in the indictment and we look forward to demonstrating this when we get our day in court,” Lindberg’s attorney Anne Tompkins also told Fox News.
“The indictment unsealed today outlines a brazen bribery scheme in which Greg Lindberg and his coconspirators allegedly offered hundreds of thousands of dollars in campaign contributions in exchange for official action that would benefit Lindberg’s business interests,” Assistant Attorney General Benczkowski said in a statement. “Bribery of public officials at any level of government undermines confidence in our political system. The Criminal Division will use all the tools at our disposal—including the assistance of law-abiding public officials—to relentlessly investigate and prosecute corruption wherever we find it.”
The indictment amounted to the latest political scandal to rock the state. Earlier this year, an operative allegedly at the center of a ballot fraud scandal was indicted for illegal possession of absentee ballots and obstruction of justice.
This was after the North Carolina State Board of Election decided to call a new election in the 9th congressional district because of questions surrounding the legitimacy of the victory claimed by Republican Mark Harris, who had hired the later-indicted operative.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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Lesley McSpadden, mother of the late Michael Brown, lost a City Council election to represent Ward 3 in Ferguson, Mo. (Associated Press)
Michael Brown’s mother was defeated Tuesday in a three-way race for a seat on the City Council in Ferguson, Mo., where her son was fatally shot by a police officer in 2014.
Lesley McSpadden, 39, finished third in the race for Ferguson’s 3rd Ward with 20 percent of the vote, the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reported. Fran Griffin, who has been active on several local boards, won with 44 percent. Incumbent Keith Kallstrom received 36 percent.
2 CALIFORNIA POLICE OFFICERS WHO SHOT UNARMED BLACK MAN WON’T FACE CHARGES, PROSECUTORS SAY
As a candidate, McSpadden had pledged to make police accountability one of her top priorities.
“I wanted to go back and do something right in a place that did something so very wrong to my son, and I think that’s what my son would want as well,” McSpadden told the AP.
Brown, an unarmed black 18-year-old, was fatally shot during a confrontation with Ferguson police Officer Darren Wilson, who is white, on Aug. 9, 2014. Brown’s death touched off months of protests and violence and helped give rise to the national Black Lives Matter movement, of which McSpadden has been a prominent leader.
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Wilson, who resigned from the force, was later cleared by a grand jury and the U.S. Department of Justice.
Following the fatal shooting, Justice issued a blistering report of the police and municipal court practices against poor and minority residents that led to a consent agreement requiring reforms that are still being implemented.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Source: Fox News Politics
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