Category: Fox News

Schiff leads California Senate fundraising race with $6.5M in first quarter

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Rep. Adam Schiff’s California Senate campaign has so far raked in more cash than his two rivals combined, in what’s shaping up to be one of the most closely watched primary races of the 2024 election cycle.

The retirement of Sen. Dianne Feinstein, D-Calif., has sparked a fierce competition between three House Democrats all vying to represent the Golden State in the Senate.

But Schiff is already off to a commanding start, after he announced a first-quarter fundraising haul of $6.5 million. The campaign of Rep. Katie Porter, D-Calif., announced that she had raised $4.5 million in the same time period. Coming in at a distant third is Rep. Barbara Lee, D-Calif., with $1.4 million raised.

ADAM SCHIFF CALLED OUT BY MSNBC HOST FOR FUNDRAISING OFF TRUMP INDICTMENT

Schiff said his campaign’s formidable haul came from grassroots donations rather than corporate dollars, and touted support from every part of California.

"Wow, just wow. Team Schiff raised an outstanding $6.5 million in the first quarter. Without taking a dime of corporate PAC [money]. With an average contribution of $45. From every county in [California!’ Schiff’s statement said.

"The grassroots support we've received has been incredible. And we've only just begun!" the former Donald Trump impeachment manager added.

CALIFORNIA DEM SENATE CANDIDATES ALL BACK FAR-LEFT CLIMATE PROPOSALS

Porter’s average donation was slightly lower, at $36. A statement on her campaign site said her $4.5 million is nearly twice that of what Vice President Kamala Harris brought in when she was in the Senate. Porter also pointed out that it’s more money than her would-be colleague, Sen. Alex Padilla, D-Calif., raised in the same time period.

"Californians deserve to feel confident that their next senator will fight for them, not corporate special interests," Porter’s statement said. "This is a people-powered campaign, and I’m so grateful and touched by all the support we’ve received so far from every part and pocket of California."

DIANNE FEINSTEIN ANNOUNCES SHE WILL NOT SEEK RE-ELECTION IN 2024

Fox News Digital has reached out to Lee for comment. Her campaign told Politico that she "doesn’t need as much money as her opponents. She just needs enough money to get through the Top Two primary."

Both Porter and Schiff are prolific fundraisers for the Democratic Party. Their battle is projected to be one of the most expensive Senate races in political history.

Porter raised a whopping $26 million in the 2022 election cycle – second only to House Speaker Kevin McCarthy and just ahead of Speaker Emerita Nancy Pelosi, then the leader of Porter’s party.

Schiff came in just after Pelosi with slightly over $25 million.

Progressive Democrats call for Clarence Thomas impeachment after reported undisclosed gifts from GOP megadonor

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Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., and other congressional progressive lawmakers called for the impeachment of Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas amid reports he failed to disclose gifts he accepted from a Republican megadonor. 

"This is beyond party or partisanship. This degree of corruption is shocking - almost cartoonish," Ocasio-Cortez tweeted Thursday. "Thomas must be impeached. Barring some dramatic change, this is what the Roberts court will be known for: rank corruption, erosion of democracy, and the stripping of human rights."

A report by ProPublica said Thomas took luxury trips on yachts and private jets owned by Texas businessman Harlan Crow without reporting them on financial disclosure forms. A 2019 trip to Indonesia, the story detailed, could have cost more than $500,000 had Thomas chartered the plane and yacht himself, the report said.

SUPREME COURT REJECTS APPEAL FROM LOUISIANA DEATH ROW INMATE SEEKING NEW HEARING

Supreme Court justices are required to file annual financial disclosure reports, which ask them about gifts they've received. 

Reps. Rashida Tlaib, D-Mich., Ilhan Omar, D-Minn., both called for Thomas' impeachment, with Omar tweeting: "I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: Clarence Thomas needs to be impeached."

Other Democrats said the high court should have higher ethical standards. 

"Justice Thomas’ lavish undisclosed trips with a GOP mega-donor undermine the trust that our country places in the Supreme Court," Sen. Dick Durbin, D-Ill., said. "Time for an enforceable code of conduct for Justices."

Sen. Chris Murphy, D-Conn., noted that federal judges are bound by a code of conduct "except 9."

"It's no longer ok for the Supreme Court to be the only federal court without a binding ethical code," Murphy tweeted. "For over a decade, every Congress I've introduced the Supreme Court Ethics Act. It's time to pass it."

Fox News Digital has reached out to the high court. 

Last month, the federal judiciary beefed up disclosure requirements for all judges, including the high court justices, although overnight stays at personal vacation homes owned by friends remain exempt from disclosure.

Last year, questions about Thomas’ ethics arose when it was disclosed that he did not step away from election cases following the 2020 election despite the fact that his wife, conservative activist Virginia Thomas, reached out to lawmakers and the White House to urge defiance of the election results.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

GOP Rep. Dan Knodl wins open Wisconsin Senate seat, creating a Republican supermajority in the chamber

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Republican state Rep. Dan Knodl defeated a Democratic attorney to win an open Senate seat in Tuesday’s special election, creating a GOP supermajority in the chamber that could be used to impeach Democratic Gov. Tony Evers and other office holders.

Knodl defeated Jodi Habush Sinykin in the 8th District race. The seat represents Milwaukee’s northern suburbs and has leaned red for years. It came open after longtime Republican incumbent Alberta Darling decided to retire in November. Evers called a special election to fill the position.

"This campaign has always been about focusing on the issues, like rising prices, crime, and education, and I am incredibly grateful to the voters of the 8th Senate District for placing their trust in me to represent them in the Wisconsin State Senate," Knodl said in a statement Wednesday.

"Whether you voted for me or my opponent, I intend to resolutely and faithfully represent all of my constituents," he said.

WISCONSIN SPECIAL ELECTION TO FILL OPEN STATE SENATE SEAT COULD GIVE GOP SUPERMAJORITY, IMPEACHMENT POWER

Knodl’s victory gives Senate Republicans 22 votes in the 33-seat chamber. That’s enough to override a gubernatorial veto in that house. A successful override takes a two-thirds vote in the Senate and Assembly, however, and Assembly Republicans remain two seats shy of the 66 they need.

Knodl’s win also gives Senate Republicans enough votes to convict a civil officer, including the governor, other constitutional officers such as the attorney general and judges in impeachment trials. Knodl has said he probably would not support an attempt to impeach Evers.

The state constitution says civil officers can be impeached, including the governor, lieutenant governor and judges. A February analysis from the Legislative Reference Bureau concluded that other constitutional officers such as the attorney general and the state schools superintendent can be impeached as well.

WISCONSIN TEEN WHO SHOT 8 PEOPLE AT A MILWAUKEE MALL SENTENCED TO 15 YEARS IN PRISON

Knodl has said he's not interested in impeaching Evers, saying he has been able to work with the governor. But he said he wants to impeach Milwaukee judges for being too lenient on criminal defendants. That list could include Milwaukee County Circuit Judge Janet Protasiewicz, he said. She won Tuesday's election to the Supreme Court and will take the seat in August.

Knodl also has his sights set on Milwaukee County District Attorney John Chilsholm. Republicans have criticized the Democratic prosecutor for years as too soft on crime. They've called for his job since he acknowledged his office's bail request for Darrell Brooks Jr. was far too low.

Chisholm's office requested a judge set bail at $1,000 for Brooks after he allegedly tried to run over his ex-girlfriend with his SUV in November 2021. The judge complied. Brooks posted the money and was released from jail. Days later he drove his SUV through a Christmas parade in Waukesha, a Republican stronghold. Six people were killed and dozens more were hurt.

Chisholm has said an assistant prosecutor handling Brooks' initial case never had access to his risk assessment and shouldn't have asked for such a low bail amount.

Habush Sinykin, who holds a law degree from Harvard, worked as an attorney for Midwest Environmental Advocates. She was a key litigator in a lawsuit challenging Wisconsin wolf hunters' right to use dogs. An appeals court ultimately rejected MEA's arguments in 2014.

She said she's running for the Senate to stop Knodl from winning the seat, saying it's crucial that checks on the Legislature's power remain in place.

Trump slams Bragg after pleading not guilty: ‘I never thought anything like this could happen in America’

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Former President Trump slammed Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg Tuesday from Mar-a-Lago, just hours after pleading not guilty to falsifying business records related to alleged hush-money payments made ahead of the 2016 presidential campaign, telling supporters he "never thought anything like this could happen in America." 

TRUMP PLEADS NOT GUILTY TO 34 FELONY COUNTS OF FALSIFYING BUSINESS RECORDS LINKED TO 2016 HUSH-MONEY PAYMENTS

Trump was arraigned Tuesday in New York City, after being indicted on 34 counts of falsifying business records in the first degree. Trump pleaded not guilty to the charges. 

The judge did not impose a gag order, so Trump was free to make remarks about the case Tuesday night when he returned to Mar-a-Lago. 

"I never thought anything like this could happen in America. I never thought it could happen," Trump said Tuesday night. "The only crime that I have committed is to fearlessly defending our nation from those who seek to destroy it." 

"From the beginning, the Democrats spied on my campaign--remember that they attacked me with an onslaught of fraudulent investigations Russia, Russia, Russia; Ukraine, Ukraine, Ukraine; impeachment hoax number one; impeachment hoax number two; the illegal and unconstitutional raid on Mar-a-Lago right here; the lying to the FISA court; the FBI and DOJ relentlessly pursuing Republicans; the uncontested judicial changes to election laws by not getting approvals from state legislatures," Trump said. 

Trump was referring to the original investigation by the FBI, then Special Counsel Robert Mueller, into whether he and members of his 2016 campaign colluded with Russia to influence the presidential election. After nearly two years, Mueller's investigation yielded no evidence of criminal conspiracy or coordination by the Trump campaign. 

TRUMP TARGETED: A LOOK AT THE INVESTIGATIONS INVOLVING THE FORMER PRESIDENT, FROM RUSSIA TO MAR-A-LAGO

Trump also referred to his impeachments. Trump was the first president in United States history to be impeached and acquitted twice. He also detailed a number of other investigations that clouded his administration. 

But Trump, on Tuesday night, slammed Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg as a "Soros-backed prosecutor" who "campaigned on the fact that he would get President Trump."

"A local failed district attorney charging a former President of the United States for the first time in history on a basis that every single pundit and legal analyst said there is no case—there’s no case," Trump said. "But it’s far worse than that, because he knew there was no case."

Trump called on Bragg to "resign" after "leaking" details of the indictment to the media before it was unsealed Tuesday.

Trump went on to slam the judge presiding over his case as a "Trump-hating judge," Bragg’s wife as a "Trump-hating wife and family whose daughter worked for Kamala Harris." 

The former president and 2024 GOP presidential front-runner's speech came after his unprecedented arraignment in New York City Tuesday. 

The indictment alleged that Trump "repeatedly and fraudulently falsified New York business records to conceal criminal conduct that hid damaging information from the voting public during the 2016 presidential election."

Federal prosecutors in the Southern District of New York opted out of charging Trump in 2019 related to the payments made to adult film actress Stormy Daniels and former Playboy model Karen McDougal. The Federal Election Commission also tossed its investigation into the matter in 2021.

Trump surrendered to the Manhattan District Attorney’s Office and was arraigned in court Tuesday afternoon after being indicted by a Manhattan grand jury last week.

Bragg is alleging that Trump falsified New York business records in order to "conceal damaging information and unlawful activity from American voters before and after the 2016 election."

The former president went on to deliver a point-by-point description of each investigation of which he is currently the target.

Trump defended himself against allegations out of Special Counsel Jack Smith’s investigation. Smith is investigating Trump’s alleged mishandling of classified records at Mar-a-Lago.

"Our justice system has become lawless," Trump said. "They’re using it now, in addition to everything else, to win elections."

Trump took a swipe at Hillary Clinton, who "got rid of 33,000 emails."

"That was okay," Trump said.

Trump slammed Smith as a "lunatic special prosecutor." 

The former president also slammed President Biden, who is also under special counsel investigation for his alleged mishandling of classified records, and claimed that the documents he held at Mar-a-Lago were declassified.

"As president, I have the right to declassify documents. If I take them with me, it’s automatic declassify," Trump said, adding that Biden was vice president, and said he "had absolutely no right to declassify." 

"They like to say that I’m obstructing, which I’m not, because I was working with NARA very nicely until the raid on my home."

Smith was appointed as special counsel after the FBI, in August, in an unprecedented move, raided Trump’s private residence at Mar-a-Lago in connection with an investigation into classified records the former president allegedly took with him from the White House on Aug. 8, 2022. 

Smith is also investigating whether Trump or other officials and entities interfered with the peaceful transfer of power following the 2020 presidential election, including the certification of the Electoral College vote on Jan. 6, 2021.

Shifting to New York, Trump slammed New York State Attorney General Letitia James as a "racist in reverse who also campaigned on ‘I will get Trump.’"

James, a Democrat, has been investigating Trump since she took office in January 2019. James brought a lawsuit against Trump in September alleging he and his company misled banks and others about the value of his assets.

Trump also slammed the Georgia grand jury investigating Trump's alleged efforts to overturn the 2020 presidential election in the state, including his phone call with Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger in which Trump suggested the Republicans "find" enough votes to change the results.

Trump slammed the "local racist Democrat district attorney in Atlanta who is doing everything in their power to indict me over an absolutely perfect phone call, even more perfect than the one I made with the president of Ukraine."

Trump was referring to his first impeachment—brought after a call with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, in which he suggested Ukraine should investigate the Biden family's business deals in Kyiv. 

DONALD TRUMP AND STORMY DANIELS: WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW

"I kept saying that is a perfect call—this one was even more perfect," Trump said, referring to the Georgia call. 

"This fake case was brought only to interfere with the upcoming 2024 election and it should be dropped and immediately," Trump said. 

Trump also slammed Hunter Biden and the Biden family, saying had their business dealings and the infamous Hunter Biden laptop been revealed before the 2020 election, the election results "would have been in our favor."

The charges against Trump come after a years-long investigation opened in 2019 by then-Manhattan District Attorney Cyrus Vance. The probe was focused on possible bank, insurance and tax fraud. The case initially involved financial dealings of Trump’s Manhattan properties, including his flagship Fifth Avenue building, Trump Tower, and the valuation of his 213-acre estate Seven Springs in Westchester.

Last year, the investigation led to tax fraud charges against The Trump Organization and its finance chief Allen Weisselberg.

Schumer calls for calm after Trump’s arraignment: ‘Protests must be peaceful’

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Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., on Tuesday called for cool heads and a fair legal process shortly after Donald Trump made history as the first former president ever to face criminal charges.

"I believe that Mr. Trump will have a fair trial that follows the facts and the law," Schumer said in a statement. "There’s no place in our justice system for any outside influence or intimidation in the legal process. As the trial proceeds, protest is an American right but all protests must be peaceful."

Trump pleaded "not guilty" to 34 felony counts of falsifying business records, linked to alleged hush money payments made to porn star Stormy Daniels during the GOP leader’s 2016 campaign.

Whereas his Republican allies have spent Tuesday afternoon casting accusations of partisanship at New York County District Attorney Alvin Bragg for running the investigation, Democrats have mostly been restrained in their responses – emphasizing that the judicial process must be allowed to go on without interference.

TRUMP PLEADS NOT GUILTY TO GRAND JURY CHARGES DURING ARRAIGNMENT IN MANHATTAN COURT

Rep. Eric Swalwell, D-Calif., one of Trump’s loudest critics when he was in office, was also careful in his statement on the arrest.

"As Donald Trump challenges the legitimacy of our criminal justice system, let us give him the equal protection and due process he’s deprived everyone he’s accused of a crime," Swalwell said. "Justice benefits all of us."

TRUMP ALLIES SLAM HIS ARREST AS ATTACK ON RULE OF LAW: ‘A DARK DAY FOR OUR COUNTRY’

Democrats were similarly tepid in their reactions last week when Trump was indicted by a grand jury on the criminal charges. By contrast, the GOP coalesced around the ex-president and attacked Bragg as a left-wing ideologue.

Rep. Adam Schiff, D-Calif., who led the House’s first impeachment of Trump after his phone call with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, also stressed that his fate was now up to the justice system. But he took a shot at Trump by adding, "nobody is above the law."

TRUMP TARGETED: A LOOK AT THE INVESTIGATIONS INVOLVING THE FORMER PRESIDENT; FROM RUSSIA TO MAR-A-LAGO

"A somber moment in the life of our country, when it’s necessary to arraign a former president on criminal charges. As the case falls to the DA to prove, we must recognize what is most important: Even the most powerful are held to account, and that nobody is above the law," Schiff said.

Bragg explained the charges at a press conference after Trump left the courthouse on Tuesday.

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"Under New York state law, it is a felony to falsify business records with intent to defraud and intent to conceal another crime. That is exactly what this case is about – thirty-four false statements made to cover up other crimes. These are felony crimes in New York no matter who you are," he said.

Trump pleads not guilty to grand jury charges during arraignment in Manhattan court

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Former President Donald Trump pleaded not guilty to charges brought by a Manhattan grand jury Tuesday afternoon in court in New York City after surrendering to the Manhattan District Attorney’s Office earlier in the afternoon.

The former president of the United States, and the leading Republican presidential candidate for 2024, was indicted by a Manhattan grand jury Thursday after a years-long investigation by the Manhattan District Attorney's Office.

Trump pleaded not guilty during his arraignment before Judge Juan Merchan, the trial judge presiding over the case, in the courtroom on the 15th floor of 100 Centre Street in New York City.

The indictment was unsealed in court Tuesday. Trump has been charged with 34 counts of falsifying business records in the first degree. 

Trump was not handcuffed, as some are during an arraignment, after making arrangements with the Manhattan District Attorney's Office. Detectives within the office handled the arrest of the former president.

TRUMP SAYS DA BRAGG'S 'OBSESSION' WITH TRYING TO 'GET TRUMP' WILL 'BACKFIRE' AFTER GRAND JURY INDICTMENT

Law enforcement agencies, including the U.S. Secret Service, New York Police Department, FBI, New York State court officers and the DA's office, met Friday afternoon to finalize details about the logistics and security of Trump's arrest.

TRUMP INDICTED AFTER MANHATTAN DA PROBE FOR HUSH MONEY PAYMENTS

The unprecedented arraignment and indictment of the former president comes after Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg has been investigating Trump for hush money payments made leading up to the 2016 presidential election.

These include the $130,000 payment made to adult film actress Stormy Daniels, and the $150,000 payment made to former Playboy model Karen McDougal. Both women were paid for their silence on alleged affairs with Trump — affairs Trump has repeatedly denied.

Those payments had been investigated by the U.S. Attorney's Office in the Southern District of New York and by the Federal Election Commission.

Federal prosecutors in the Southern District of New York opted out of charging Trump related to the Daniels payment in 2019. The Federal Election Commission also tossed its investigation into the matter in 2021.

TRUMP TARGETED: A LOOK AT THE INVESTIGATIONS INVOLVING THE FORMER PRESIDENT; FROM RUSSIA TO MAR-A-LAGO

Trump has slammed the DA’s investigation and the indictment as "Political Persecution and Election Interference at the highest level in history."

"From the time I came down the golden escalator at Trump Tower, and even before I was sworn in as your President of the United States, the Radical Left Democrats- the enemy of the hard-working men and women of this Country- have been engaged in a Witch-Hunt to destroy the Make America Great Again movement," Trump said last week.

"You remember it just like I do: Russia, Russia, Russia; the Mueller Hoax; Ukraine, Ukraine, Ukraine; Impeachment Hoax 1; Impeachment Hoax 2; the illegal and unconstitutional Mar-a-Lago raid; and now this," Trump said, referring to the investigations that clouded his presidency.

"The Democrats have lied, cheated and stolen in their obsession with trying to ‘Get Trump,’ but now they’ve done the unthinkable—indicting a completely innocent person in an act of blatant Election Interference," Trump said. "Never before in our Nation’s history has this been done."

TRUMP TO BE ARRAIGNED TUESDAY WITHOUT HANDCUFFS, SOURCES SAY

He slammed Bragg as a "disgrace" and said he was "hand-picked and funded by George Soros."

"Rather than stop the unprecedented crime wave taking over New York City, he’s doing Joe Biden’s dirty work, ignoring the murders and burglaries and assaults he should be focused on," he said. "This is how Bragg spends his time!"

"I believe this Witch-Hunt will backfire massively on Joe Biden," Trump added. 

The investigation into Trump was opened in 2019 by then-Manhattan District Attorney Cyrus Vance. The probe was focused on possible bank, insurance and tax fraud. The case initially involved financial dealings of Trump’s Manhattan properties, including his flagship Fifth Avenue building, Trump Tower, and the valuation of his 213-acre estate Seven Springs in Westchester.

Last year, the investigation led to tax fraud charges against The Trump Organization and its finance chief Allen Weisselberg.

Michigan Republican announces bid to flip 1 of dozens of NRCC’s Democratic target seats in 2024

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EXCLUSIVE – Michael Markey announced his campaign to become the Republican nominee for Michigan's 3rd Congressional District.

The announcement makes him the immediate frontrunner to take on Rep. Hillary Scholten, who narrowly won the seat in 2022. 

The 3rd District is seen as a key pickup for Republicans to maintain their majority in the House of Representatives. 

"It is with great humility and excitement that I announce my campaign for Michigan’s 3rd Congressional District," Markey said in a statement exclusively obtained by Fox News Digital. "As a businessman, husband and father, I am concerned about the path our country is taking. We need a disruptor who will stand up to the Washington status quo that has gotten us into this mess. It is time for bold ideas to address inflation, usher in an era of energy independence, and disrupt the traditional ways of doing things in Washington."

HOUSE GOP CAMPAIGN CHAIR SAYS DOZENS OF DEMOCRATIC SEATS ARE IN PLAY FOR 2024

"I am humbled by the support my campaign is already receiving, and I look forward to campaigning against Congresswoman Scholten and her radical agenda that threatens our Michigan way of life," the Grand Haven businessman added. 

According to his campaign, Markey is a lifelong Michigander and entrepreneur. He started his first business – a claw machine at a local restaurant – when he was just 14 years old. 

On the heels of the 2009 financial crisis, he launched a successful investment firm, his campaign says. Markey's "days as an entrepreneur taught him how to disrupt the status quo with a result-driven mentality. Michael and his wife Vanessa have three children, who Mike says challenge and delight them daily." 

Markey previously ran among a crowded pool of GOP candidates gunning to oust Democratic Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer. Last summer, however, the Michigan Supreme Court ruled he and four other GOP candidates should not be included on the 2022 ballot after failing to turn in enough valid signatures to qualify for the August primary. 

Conservative Tudor Dixon won the GOP nomination but ultimately failed to defeat Whitmer in the general election. 

GOV. WHITMER BLASTED FOR ‘GASLIGHTING' RESIDENTS ON COVID-19 RESTRICTIONS, ADMITTING SOME DIDN’T MAKE SENSE 

In March of this year, the National Republican Congressional Committee announced that it will target 37 Democratic seats in 2024 in a bid to expand the House majority. Michigan's 3rd District was included on that list, and Markey is the first to tap in on that GOP offensive line. 

Scholten, a former social worker and immigration attorney, defeated Trump-backed political newcomer John Gibbs in November, making her the first woman to represent Grand Rapids in the U.S. House and the first Democrat from the area since 1977, according to the Michigan Advance. Gibbs made waves for his comments attacking women's suffrage after winning the GOP primary against former Rep. Peter Meijer, who supported former President Donald Trump's impeachment following the Jan. 6 Capitol riot. 

In a profile published in the Michigan Advance Sunday, Scholten spoke of a "strong sisterhood in Congress" amid the growing number of women representatives. 

Rep. Lois Frankel, D-Fla., the chair of the Democratic Women’s Caucus, described Scholten as a "real standout in this freshman class" who is leading the charge on key issues such as gun reform and combating child labor. For the Democratic Women’s Caucus, Frankel said the "abortion issue is at the top of the list" of priorities. 

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"She’s moved up pretty quickly in her short term," Frankel said of Scholten, who was named a ranking member to the Subcommittee on Contracting and Infrastructure within the U.S. House Committee on Small Business and vice ranking member on the U.S. House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure’s Subcommittee on the Coast Guard. "She’s got an energy, and it’s like, ‘I’m a mom, and I’m here to fight for the families of this country.’"

In her first legislation introduced to Congress, Scholten and Rep. Nancy Mace, R-S.C., co-sponsored a bill last week that would significantly increase civil monetary penalties for those who violate child labor laws. The bills come after a recent New York Times piece revealed how migrant children "work brutal jobs across the U.S."

Kentucky Republicans leave abortion ban intact during Legislature’s annual session

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After years of setbacks, abortion-rights supporters in Republican-leaning Kentucky thought they achieved a breakthrough in November, when voters defeated a measure aimed at denying any constitutional protections for abortion.

But their hopes that the state's sweeping abortion ban might be relaxed vanished well before the GOP-dominated Legislature ended its annual session.

After years of making anti-abortion policies a cornerstone of their agenda, Republicans skipped over the issue this year, leaving intact a ban on abortion at all stages of pregnancy while it's hashed out in the courts. Instead, social conservatives focused on enacting legislation aimed at transgender youths during the session that ended Thursday.

A handful of abortion bills, including proposals to restore abortion rights or add rape and incest exemptions to the sweeping ban, either failed to get a committee hearing or never were assigned to a committee.

For most states, this was the first legislative session since the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade, and lawmakers on both sides have dug in. Republicans are moving to make abortion restrictions tougher, while Democrats are seeking to protect access.

In Kentucky, beleaguered abortion-rights proponents had hoped momentum would swing in their direction, only to be left frustrated.

SPORTS BETTING IN KENTUCKY WILL LIKELY BECOME LEGAL SOON

Democratic state Rep. Lindsey Burke filed legislation to restore abortion access, saying she believed "Kentucky voters spoke loud and clear last November."

"If passing my bill was not possible, then I definitely think more should have been done to carve out at least some exemptions," Burke added.

Republicans pointed to legal uncertainties surrounding Kentucky's ban that allows abortions only to save a woman's life or prevent disabling injury. That has largely been in place since the U.S. Supreme Court eliminated the constitutional right to abortion in their ruling last June. In February, Kentucky's Supreme Court refused to halt the law while sending the case back to a lower court to consider larger constitutional questions about whether abortion should be legal in the state.

"I still think there’s a desire to wait for more clarity from the courts before we move forward," said Republican Senate Majority Floor Leader Damon Thayer, a staunch abortion opponent who even before the legislative session began had predicted it would be difficult to persuade anti-abortion senators to add more exceptions for when a pregnancy could be ended.

Abortion-rights supporters trumpeted the defeat of the anti-abortion ballot measure in November as a clear mandate from voters. But key Republican lawmakers didn't see it that way.

KENTUCKY SENATE CONVICTS FORMER PROSECUTOR IN IMPEACHMENT TRIAL

"I saw it more as the opposing campaign ran a better campaign that scared people into voting ‘no,’" Thayer said.

The abortion debate drew widespread attention during the campaign, when both sides mounted grassroots efforts, but it turned to silence during Kentucky's ensuing legislative session.

One bill briefly received attention when it was introduced in late February, nearly a week after the state Supreme Court opinion. That measure would have permitted abortions caused by rape or incest for up to 15 weeks of pregnancy. Another exemption would have allowed abortions if two doctors determined that a fetus has an "abnormality that is incompatible with life outside the womb."

The bill's lead sponsor was Republican state Rep. Jason Nemes, the House majority party whip, but the measure was never assigned to a committee.

"That’s something I believe in and I’ll fight for," Nemes said in recent days when discussing his bill. "But I don’t think there’s a mandate across Kentucky either way" on the abortion issue.

Democratic state Rep. Rachel Roberts, who unsuccessfully pushed for rape and incest exceptions last year, said she wasn’t surprised the exemptions bill went nowhere.

"The voters’ rejection of the anti-abortion constitutional amendment meant nothing to their party, which is as tragic as it is unsurprising," said Roberts, the House minority party whip.

Other failed abortion bills this year ran the gamut — from a Republican freshman's bill to allow illegal abortions to be prosecuted as homicides to the bill to restore abortion access.

Abortion came up in casual conversations during the session, but House Republicans didn’t formally discuss abortion measures in caucus meetings, said Nemes, a chief House GOP vote-counter who called it a "divisive issue."

Kentucky's GOP lawmakers instead focused on another issue that's energized the party's base across the U.S. — restricting the rights of LGBTQ+ people. Republicans overrode Democratic Gov. Andy Beshear's veto to enact a bill that bans access to gender-affirming health care for transgender youths and restricts the bathrooms they can use in schools.

"With access to abortion care currently unavailable in Kentucky, those individuals needed another political football," said Angela Cooper, communications director for the American Civil Liberties Union of Kentucky. "Sadly, they chose to sit on the wrong wide of history and attack trans youth."

Wisconsin special election to fill open state Senate seat could give GOP supermajority, impeachment power

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A special election to fill an open Wisconsin Senate seat will determine whether Republicans gain a supermajority that would allow them to impeach Democratic Gov. Tony Evers and other office holders as well as move the GOP a step closer to overriding gubernatorial vetoes.

Voters on Tuesday will pick Democrat Jodi Habush Sinykin or Republican state Rep. Dan Knodl to represent Milwaukee's northern suburbs. The seat has been under Republican control for decades but came open in November after longtime incumbent Alberta Darling chose to retire after 30 years in the Senate. Evers scheduled a special election to fill the position to coincide with the state's spring Supreme Court election.

The stakes are huge. A Knodl win would give Republicans 22 votes in the chamber, enough to override gubernatorial vetoes if the state Assembly also votes to do so and enough to convict civil officers in impeachment trials.

Knodl denied accusations from Habush Sinykin that he would vote to impeach Evers if elected. He said in an email to The Associated Press that he has had success working with the governor.

Habush Sinykin said it's "essential" for Democrats to win the seat, saying impeachment isn't "just hypothetical."

WISCONSIN TEEN WHO SHOT 8 PEOPLE AT A MILWAUKEE MALL SENTENCED TO 15 YEARS IN PRISON

"It’s going to happen," she said. The election is "high stakes in every way for democracy, for the balance of power, to protect the governor’s veto, to protect against these nonsense impeachment threats. Will this be a government where we don’t have any checks or balances on the Legislature?"

Veto overrides, at least in the near future, appear unlikely. A successful override requires a two-thirds vote in both the Senate and Assembly and Republicans are two seats shy of the 66 they would need in the Assembly. But Democrats fear that if Senate Republican achieve a two-thirds majority their counterparts could launch a stealth override attempt during a floor session where two Democrats are absent.

Impeachment trials, though, could become a GOP tactic if Knodl wins.

Under state law, the Assembly can trigger a trial in the Senate with 50 votes. Conviction requires a two-thirds Senate vote. It's not clear who could be impeached, though. According to an analysis from the Legislative Reference Bureau, the state constitution says the Legislature can impeach "civil officers" but doesn't define that term.

The state Supreme Court has ruled that the constitution makes specific mention of the governor, lieutenant governor and judges as impeachable officers. The reference bureau analysis concludes that other constitutional officers such as the attorney general could be impeached as well. The Assembly has impeached someone only once, Judge Levi Hubbell in 1853, but the Senate ultimately acquitted him, according to the analysis.

WISCONSIN MAN PLEADS GUILTY TO MAKING THREAT AGAINST COUNTY OFFICIAL

Knodl has served in the Assembly for 15 years. He was one of 15 Wisconsin Republicans who sent a letter to then-Vice President Mike Pence in January 2022 asking him to delay certifying presidential results that showed Joe Biden defeated Donald Trump.

While Evers apparently isn't in his impeachment sights, Knodl said on WISN-TV's "UpFront" earlier this month that he would consider impeaching Milwaukee County judges for being weak on crime. Asked whether that includes liberal Supreme Court candidate Janet Protasiewicz, should she remain a Milwaukee County judge, Knodl responded: "I certainly would consider it."

Protasiewicz faces conservative Dan Kelly in Tuesday's election, and a Protasiewicz win would give liberal justices a 4-3 majority on the court. State law doesn't specifically say that sitting justices can be impeached, but Wisconsin laws are based on federal law that opens up justices to impeachment and could be interpreted as permitting them to be impeached.

Republicans also could attempt to impeach her before she's sworn in as a justice. The question then would be whether releasing criminals on bail or handing out lenient sentences rises to the level of corruption.

Knodl also has said he would consider impeaching Milwaukee County District Attorney John Chisholm. Republicans have long criticized the Democratic prosecutor as being soft on crime.

Habush Sinykin holds a law degree from Harvard and has worked as an attorney for Midwest Environmental Advocates. She was a key litigator in MEA's lawsuit to block Wisconsin wolf hunters from using dogs. A state appeals court ultimately rejected the group's arguments in 2014.

Habush Sinykin held a massive financial advantage over Knodl as Election Day approached.

According to the latest campaign finance reports, she raised nearly $1.1 million between Jan. 1 and March 20. A huge chunk of that money — $453,550 — came from the State Senate Democratic Committee. She received another $25,000 from the state Democratic Party.

Knodl raised $324,200 between Jan. 1 and March 20. The largest contribution he received was $2,000 from a political action committee that represents the interests of health insurers.

Rep. Jim Banks backs Trump in wake of ‘flimsy’ indictment: ‘Despicable example of a political persecution’

Posted on by Latest Political News on Fox News

Rep. Jim Banks, R-Ind., expressed support for former President Trump on Friday and blasted the indictment against him as politically motivated.

"Here's the thing about Donald Trump that makes him different," Banks said during an interview with radio host Tony Katz. "The man does not back down. That's why I support Donald Trump. He doesn't back down. He's not going to back down on this, he's going to fight back, and this is just the beginning, I think, of yet another chapter where Donald Trump is going to come back on top in the end."

Banks also claimed the charges against Trump are "flimsy," describing them as "a despicable example of a political persecution" and a result of Democrats weaponizing the justice system "because they're afraid of him becoming the president again."

Noting he was "not stunned" by Trump's indictment, Banks said, "I watched what the Democrats did when he was in the White House, from the fake Russia collusion hoax to two impeachments, to the sham Jan. 6 committee. You remember the Russian bounty story about troops in Afghanistan."

INDICTMENT GIVES TRUMP A POLITICAL BOOST, BUT SOME GOP OPERATIVES WONDER HOW LONG IT CAN LAST

"I watched what the left did to this guy every single day he was in the White House and every single day since," Banks said. "I'm not surprised by how low and how far the Democrats will go to abuse their power to stop the most effective president of my lifetime from becoming president again."

Banks went on to predict that Trump's indictment will further embolden him and his supporters and that the Democrats will come to realize that it was "a political mistake on their part."

"Also keep in mind, Tony, that it is a federal crime to use the Justice Department to try to block someone from becoming the nominee of their party," Banks continued, adding that "there are so many angles of this that I believe are going to play out for years."

INDIANA REP. JIM BANKS LAUNCHES 2024 SENATE RUN, HIGHLIGHTS RECORD AS ‘CONSERVATIVE FIGHTER’

"It is obvious to the American people – you can count on this – it is obvious to the American people that these charges are politically timed, they're political in nature. We've become used to these types of activities from the left against Donald Trump, and he's going to fight back, and I believe he's going to win," he said.

TRUMP CAMPAIGN RAISES STAGGERING AMOUNT IN 48 HOURS AFTER INDICTMENT NEWS: REPORT

Trump, who endorsed Banks for his 2024 Senate run in Indiana, raked in more than $5 million in campaign donations within 48 hours of his indictment last Thursday.

Trump is expected to appear in court Tuesday in New York City over allegations that he gave hush money payments to adult film actress Stormy Daniels in 2016 to keep her quiet ahead of that year’s presidential election amid her claims the two had a sexual encounter years earlier.

The former president has denied sleeping with Daniels or falsifying business records to keep the payment concealed.