Trump Whines After McCarthy Praises Capitol Officer
Shannon Stapleton/ReutersIn a racially tinged Truth Social post Thursday night, former President Donald Trump once again smeared the Capitol police officer who shot Jan. 6 rioter Ashli Babbitt. Trump wrote that he disagreed with House Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-CA), who told a reporter earlier in the day that Lt. Michael Byrd “did his job.”Despite having been exonerated by the Capitol Police, the D.C. Metropolitan Police and the Justice Department, Byrd was nevertheless branded a “coward” and a “
news.yahoo.comMcCarthy rejects Rep. Greene’s claim that Jan. 6 rioter Babbitt was murdered
House Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) rejected a claim by Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.) that Ashli Babbitt was “murdered” by a Capitol Police officer as she tried to breach the doors near the House chamber during the storming of the Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021.
washingtonpost.comMcCarthy rejects claim that Jan. 6 rioter was murdered
On Feb. 2 House Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) rejected Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene's (R-Ga.) claim that Ashli Babbitt was “murdered” by a Capitol Police officer while trying to breach the doors near the House chamber during the storming of the Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021.
news.yahoo.comNebraska lawmakers put off vote on 'heartbeat' abortion ban
Hundreds of people crowded the halls of the state Capitol for a committee hearing on a so-called heartbeat bill. The bill would ban abortions once cardiac activity can be detected in an embryo, which is generally around the sixth week of pregnancy. What I know is, an abortion ban won't end abortions. Nebraska, which in 2010 became the first state to ban abortions after the 20th week of pregnancy, recently has struggled to enact tighter abortion restrictions. Democrats in Nebraska's officially nonpartisan, one-house legislature hold 17 of the body's 49 seats, which would again leave abortion ban backers short of a supermajority.
wftv.comNebraska lawmakers put off vote on 'heartbeat' abortion ban
Hundreds of people crowded the halls of the state Capitol for a committee hearing on a so-called heartbeat bill. The bill would ban abortions once cardiac activity can be detected in an embryo, which is generally around the sixth week of pregnancy. What I know is, an abortion ban won't end abortions. Nebraska, which in 2010 became the first state to ban abortions after the 20th week of pregnancy, recently has struggled to enact tighter abortion restrictions. Democrats in Nebraska's officially nonpartisan, one-house legislature hold 17 of the body's 49 seats, which would again leave abortion ban backers short of a supermajority.
wftv.comNBC News reports federal law enforcement 'could have prevented' Jan. 6 riot: 'Did not act on intelligence'
NBC aired a segment Wednesday that highlighted federal law enforcement agencies' failures in the lead up to the Jan. 6 Capitol riot that occurred in the final days of Trump's first term.
foxnews.comHundreds show for Nebraska 'heartbeat' abortion ban hearing
— (AP) — Hundreds of people crowded the halls of the Nebraska state Capitol on Wednesday for a committee hearing on a so-called heartbeat bill that would outlaw abortion at a point before many women even know they're pregnant. The bill would ban abortions once cardiac activity can be detected in an embryo, which is generally around the sixth week of pregnancy. What I know is, an abortion ban won't end abortions. But Nebraska — which in 2010 became the first state to ban abortions after the 20th week of pregnancy — has recently struggled to enact tighter abortion restrictions. Democrats in Nebraska's officially nonpartisan, one-house legislature hold 17 of the body's 49 seats, which would again leave abortion ban backers short of a supermajority.
wftv.comNebraska lawmakers put off vote on 'heartbeat' abortion ban
The Nebraska Legislature’s Health and Human Services Committee took nearly eight hours of testimony Wednesday before adjourning without a vote on whether to advance a bill that would outlaw abortion at a point before many women know they’re pregnant.
Hundreds show for Nebraska 'heartbeat' abortion ban hearing
Hundreds of people crowded the halls of the Nebraska state Capitol on Wednesday for a committee hearing on a so-called heartbeat bill that would outlaw abortion at a point before many women even know they’re pregnant. The bill would ban abortions once cardiac activity can be detected in an embryo, which is generally around the sixth week of pregnancy. “This bill is about one thing: protecting babies with beating hearts from elective abortion,” Republican Sen. Joni Albrecht, of Thurston, told the Legislature's Health and Human Services Committee to kick off testimony on her bill Wednesday that drew scores of ban supporters, along with hundreds of opponents.
news.yahoo.comHochul's $227B budget helps NYC transit, migrant response
New York Gov. Kathy Hochul proposed dramatic spending to help New York City handle a wave of international migrants and to stabilize its reeling public transit system with her $227 billion state budget Wednesday, even as she warned of tougher economic times ahead.
Unexpected Pennsylvania House speaker hopes to retain job
McClinton and all Democrats voted for him, along with all seven members of House GOP leadership and nine other Republicans. “Mark is not certain about how long his tenure lasts,” said a friend from the Reading area, Republican state Rep. Mark Gillen. Rozzi said he had engaged in pie-in-the-sky talks about becoming speaker several months ago with his main ally in the sex-abuse lawsuit window fight, Blair County Republican Rep. Jim Gregory. Despite their temporary, 101-99 majority, Republicans had fallen short of majority support for their caucus' choice for speaker, Rep. Carl Walker Metzgar of Somerset County. The lack of House floor action has effectively killed Republican hopes of getting a bundle of constitutional amendments on the low-turnout primary ballot.
wftv.comFour Oath Keepers convicted of Jan. 6 seditious conspiracy
WASHINGTON — (AP) — Four members of the Oath Keepers were convicted Monday of seditious conspiracy in the Jan. 6, 2021 Capitol attack in the second major trial of far-right extremists accused of plotting to forcibly keep President Donald Trump in power. The trial against Enrique Tarrio and his lieutenants opened earlier this month in Washington and is expected to last several weeks. They are some of the most serious cases brought so far in the sweeping Jan. 6 investigation, which continues to grow two years after the riot. Defense attorneys sought to downplay violent messages as mere bluster and said the Oath Keepers came to Washington to provide security at events before the riot. They seized on prosecutors’ lack of evidence that the Oath Keepers had an explicit plan to storm the Capitol before Jan. 6 and told jurors that the extremists who attacked the Capitol acted spontaneously like thousands of other rioters.
wftv.comFour Oath Keepers convicted of Jan. 6 seditious conspiracy
Four members of the Oath Keepers were convicted Monday of seditious conspiracy in the Jan. 6, 2021 Capitol attack in the second major trial of far-right extremists accused of plotting to forcibly keep President Donald Trump in power. The verdict against Joseph Hackett of Sarasota, Florida; Roberto Minuta of Prosper, Texas; David Moerschel of Punta Gorda, Florida; and Edward Vallejo of Phoenix, comes weeks after after a different jury convicted the group’s leader, Stewart Rhodes, in the mob’s attack that halted the certification of President Joe Biden’s electoral victory.
news.yahoo.comWomen's marches draw thousands on 50th anniversary of Roe
MADISON, Wis. — (AP) — Women’s marches demanding abortion rights drew thousands of people across the country on Sunday, the 50th anniversary of the now-overturned Roe v. Wade Supreme Court decision that established federal protections for the procedure. They said they plan to vote in the April Supreme Court election. In the absence of Roe v. Wade's federal protections, abortion rights have become a state-by-state patchwork. Both sides have been trading briefs since and it’s unclear when a ruling may come, but the case looks destined for the state Supreme Court. Wisconsin’s conservative-controlled Supreme Court, which for decades has issued consequential rulings in favor of Republicans, is likely to hear the case.
wftv.comJan. 6 defendant convicted on separate weapons charges
A jury has convicted a Navy reservist from Virginia accused of storming the Capitol on Jan. 6 on separate charges that he illegally possessed silencers disguised to look like innocuous cleaning supplies. The conviction Wednesday night against Hatchet Speed in U.S. District Court in Alexandria comes a month after a jury failed to reach a verdict in his first trial, resulting in a mistrial.
news.yahoo.comProsecutor: Riot was 'moment to celebrate' for Oath Keepers
WASHINGTON — (AP) — The Capitol riot was the culmination of weeks of preparation and a moment of triumph for the Oath Keepers, a federal prosecutor said Wednesday in closing argument in the second seditious conspiracy trial against members of the far-right extremist group. Three co-defendants were acquitted of seditious conspiracy, which carries up to 20 years behind bars. He is accused of breaching the Capitol with Moerschel and other Oath Keepers. Seditious conspiracy, a Civil War-era offense, can be difficult to prove, especially when the alleged plot is unsuccessful. Three other Oath Keepers have pleaded guilty to seditious conspiracy and agreed to cooperate with investigators in the hopes of getting lighter sentences.
wftv.comWes Moore sworn in as Maryland's first Black governor
— (AP) — Maryland Gov. Wes Moore was sworn in as the state's first Black governor on Wednesday, punctuating his inauguration with references to Black history that included an acknowledgement of the enslaved people who once arrived by ship near the state Capitol. Deval Patrick, who was the second Black governor elected in the nation’s history in 2006. Virginia’s Douglas Wilder was the first Black governor elected in 1989, and Moore is the nation’s third. Steele, a former chairman of the Republican National Committee who was Maryland’s first Black candidate elected statewide, described the inauguration as an exciting day for the state.
wftv.comWes Moore to be sworn in as Maryland's first Black governor
— (AP) — Wes Moore 's inauguration as Maryland's first Black governor on Wednesday will be punctuated with references to Black history, including an acknowledgement of the enslaved people who once arrived by ship near the state Capitol and the Baltimore native who became the first Black U.S. Supreme Court justice. Moore was joined by other Black leaders at the ceremony on a bright sunny morning, including Maryland Rep. Kweisi Mfume, Attorney General Anthony Brown, former Lt. Gov. Deval Patrick, who was the second Black governor elected in the nation's history in 2006. Virginia’s Douglas Wilder was the first Black governor elected in 1989, and Moore is the nation's third. Steele, a former chairman of the Republican National Committee who was Maryland's first Black candidate elected statewide, described the inauguration as an exciting day for the state.
wftv.comProsecutor: Proud Boys attacked 'heart' of democracy on 1/6
Tarrio saw a Biden presidency as a “threat to the Proud Boys’ existence," the prosecutor said. Tarrio’s co-defendants are Ethan Nordean, of Auburn, Washington, who was a Proud Boys chapter president; Joseph Biggs, of Ormond Beach, Florida, a self-described Proud Boys organizer; Zachary Rehl, who was president of the Proud Boys chapter in Philadelphia; and Dominic Pezzola, a Proud Boy member from Rochester, New York. Defense attorneys challenged jurors who expressed support for causes such as Black Lives Matter, saying that could indicate prejudice against the Proud Boys. Communications cited in court papers show the Proud Boys discussing storming the Capitol in the days before the riot. Prosecutors say Tarrio cheered on the actions of the Proud Boys on the ground as he watched from afar.
wftv.comProud Boys sedition trial to open 2 years after Jan. 6 riot
Jury selection in the case took two weeks as a slew of potential jurors said they associated the Proud Boys with hate groups or white nationalism. Tensions bubbled over at times as jury selection slowed to a crawl and defense lawyers complained that too many potential jurors were biased against the Proud Boys. Defense attorneys challenged jurors who expressed support for causes such as Black Lives Matter, saying that could indicate prejudice against the Proud Boys. Tarrio’s co-defendants are Ethan Nordean of Auburn, Washington, who was a Proud Boys chapter president; Joseph Biggs of Ormond Beach, Florida, a self-described Proud Boys organizer; Zachary Rehl, who president of the Proud Boys chapter in Philadelphia; and Dominic Pezzola, a Proud Boy member from Rochester, New York. Communications cited in court papers show the Proud Boys discussing storming the Capitol in the days before the riot.
wftv.comColorado Gov. Polis targets affordability in inauguration
Jared Polis vowed to work toward housing affordability, transition the state completely to renewable energy by 2040 and tackle high crime rates in an inauguration speech delivered on the windswept steps of the state Capitol on Tuesday. “Colorado wants unity, not division, we want practical solutions, we want real results over partisan ideology,” he said. After the 2022 election, Polis is now joined by two other LGBTQ governors, Maura Healey of Massachusetts and Tina Kotek of Oregon. “It’s with great gratitude, love for Colorado, that I accept the responsibility of leading our incredible, amazing state, for the next four years,” said Polis, while sporting a tie of Colorado flags. Report for America is a nonprofit national service program that places journalists in local newsrooms to report on undercovered issues.
wftv.comSarah Huckabee Sanders to take oath as Arkansas governor
— (AP) — Former White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders will be sworn in as Arkansas' 47th governor on Tuesday, assuming a seat her father once held and becoming the first woman to hold the post. Sanders will take the oath of office in the state House of Representatives before delivering an address to a joint session of the Legislature. Sanders, who served nearly two years as White House press secretary, won the governor's election last year after focusing heavily on national issues and her time working for former President Donald Trump. Her father, Mike Huckabee, served as Arkansas' governor for more than a decade. Other items on Sanders' legislative agenda include a push for cutting the state's income tax and public safety measures.
wftv.comOregon's new governor to be sworn in, discuss her priorities
Kotek has said her top priorities will be housing and homelessness, mental health and addiction treatment, and education. Oregon has struggled for years to address a housing shortage and interwoven homelessness, addiction and mental health crises. The two worked together for years as respective speaker and governor, and they have similar profiles as progressives and open members of the LGBTQ community. Kotek was a state representative from 2006 until 2022, when she resigned to run for governor. As speaker, Kotek spearheaded and passed liberal agendas made possible by Democratic supermajorities, including the nation's first statewide rent control law.
wftv.comEx-Kentucky governor gives speech, skips filing for old job
Beshear has maintained high approval ratings while leading Kentucky through a series of tragedies — the COVID-19 pandemic and deadly tornadoes and flooding. But he faces a tough task to build a winning coalition in a mostly rural state tilted in favor of Republicans. That’s one reason the race will be closely watched nationally, coming the year before the next presidential election. He waged a running feud with public school teachers, sparked by his efforts to revamp the state’s public pension systems. Bevin won the GOP primary by a mere 83 votes and went on to win the general election.
wftv.comJan. 6 remembrance led by Dems; GOP wrestles with its rebels
A resolution to the immediate crisis may be near as GOP leadership continued negotiations to appease its hard-right flank. The event was focused on the Capitol Police officers who protected the building that day and families of law enforcement officers who died after the riot. Jeffries said 140 officers were seriously injured and “many more will forever be scarred by the bloodthirsty violence of the insurrectionist mob. “We must say clearly with a united voice that there is no place ... for voter intimidation or election violence." Yet many of the lawmakers who brought baseless claims of election fraud or excused the violence on Jan. 6 continue to serve and are newly empowered.
wftv.comAshli Babbitt's mother arrested during protest outside Capitol on 2nd anniversary of deadly insurrection
The mother of Ashli Babbitt was arrested during a protest in Washington, D.C., on Friday, two years after her daughter was fatally shot by police after storming the Capitol during the Jan. 6, 2021, attack.
news.yahoo.comMcCarthy nears victory for speaker after grueling fight
The changed votes from the conservative holdouts including the chairman of the conservative Freedom Caucus putting McCarthy closer to seizing the gavel. The agreement McCarthy presented to the holdouts from the conservative Freedom Caucus and others centers around rules changes they have been seeking for months. McCarthy had resisted allowing a return to the longstanding rule that former Speaker Nancy Pelosi had done away with, because it had been held over the head of past Republican Speaker John Boehner, chasing him to early retirement. Then he went further, moving the day from protest toward the absurd in formally nominating the former president to be House speaker on the 11th ballot. Ballots kept producing almost the same outcome with 20 conservative holdouts still refusing to support McCarthy, leaving him far short of the 218 typically needed to win the gavel.
wftv.com2 years after Jan. 6, speaker scrap paralyzes Congress again
Friday’s moment of silence at the Capitol to contemplate the Jan. 6, 2021, assault on it was expected to draw mostly Democrats. Yet many of the lawmakers who brought baseless claims of election fraud or excused the violence on Jan. 6 continue to serve and are newly empowered. Things are settling out.”But then came the fight for speaker, rare in the annals of Congress. Democrats voted unanimously for their new House leader, Rep. Hakeem Jeffries of New York, in a seamless transition from Nancy Pelosi. Two years after Jan. 6 and Trump's subsequent departure, Republicans, the party for which standing in line the longest usually meant victory, are now the party of factions and disorder.
wftv.comEx-D.C. officer Fanone calls on House GOP to condemn political violence ahead of Jan. 6 anniversary
On the eve of the second anniversary of the deadly Jan. 6, 2021, Capitol insurrection , former Metropolitan Police Officer Michael Fanone — who was brutally assaulted by a violent mob of then-President Donald Trump's supporters — called on members of Congress to publicly condemn political violence. “The events of that day felt like a wake up call for me and many others that political violence is real. Fanone also called out Rep.-elect Derrick Van Orden, R-Wisc., who as a civilian breached police barricades with the insurrectionist mob. On Wednesday, Fanone delivered a letter signed by over 1,000 veterans, active duty service members and military family members to GOP House leadership demanding that they "condemn political violence in all its forms." “We the people are calling on you to condemn political violence as you take on your new roles.”He added: “I will be watching and waiting for public statements from each and every one of you to do just that.
wftv.comBiden to award Citizens Medal to 12 on Jan. 6 anniversary
WASHINGTON — (AP) — President Joe Biden on Friday will present the nation's second highest civilian award to 12 individuals involved in defending the Capitol during the insurrection on Jan. 6, 2021, and safeguarding the will of American voters in the 2020 presidential election. The White House announced on Thursday that Biden will present the Presidential Citizens Medal during an East Room ceremony marking the second anniversary of the assault on the Capitol by supporters of former President Donald Trump whose siege interrupted the congressional certification of Biden's victory. Also being honored are two other Capitol Police officers, Harry Dunn and Caroline Edwards; Capitol Police Sgt. An award is going to Al Schmidt, a former Philadelphia election official who faced public pressure by Trump to stop counting valid ballots. The Presidential Citizens Medal, created by President Richard Nixon in 1969, is the country's second highest civilian honor after the Presidential Medal of Freedom.
wftv.comGroups urge GOP House leaders to condemn political violence
While the GOP leadership remains unsettled, the groups behind the effort consider the Georgia representative one of the de facto leaders of the new Republican majority in the House. They want top Republicans in the House not only to condemn political violence but to hold accountable those who spread violent and hate-filled messages. A core of conservative House Republicans has rejected McCarthy's attempts to be named speaker on multiple votes Tuesday and Wednesday. ”I’m not going to try predict what’s going to happen in the future, but what I can say is that you know political violence of all forms needs to be condemned." Once the groups finish in Washington, Shah said members will travel the country to talk to representatives in their districts about the need to condemn political violence and the language that stokes it.
wftv.comProud Boys go to trial on sedition as Jan. 6 probe heats up
The trial will put a spotlight on the Proud Boys, which remains an influential force in right-wing circles even with many of its top leaders behind bars. Proud Boys members have reveled in street violence since the group’s inception, typically clashing with anti-fascist activists at rallies. Proud Boys have recently disrupted story telling sessions by drag performers and other LGBTQ events. Tarrio's co-defendants are Ethan Nordean of Auburn, Washington, who was a Proud Boys chapter president; Joseph Biggs of Ormond Beach, Florida, a self-described Proud Boys organizer; Zachary Rehl, who president of the Proud Boys chapter in Philadelphia; and Dominic Pezzola, a Proud Boy member from Rochester, New York. Even after leaving Washington, Tarrio continued to exercise command over the Proud Boys on the ground on Jan. 6, prosecutors say.
wftv.comLawmakers announce 'framework' on bill to keep gov't open
Lawmakers leading the negotiations on a bill to fund the federal government for the current fiscal year say they’ve reached agreement on a “framework” that should allow them to complete work on the bill over the next week and avoid a government shutdown.
Rioter who assaulted cops at Capitol gets 5 years in prison
A Tennessee man who authorities say came to Washington ahead of the Jan. 6, 2021, riot ready for violence in a car full of weapons and assaulted officers who were trying to defend the Capitol has been sentenced to more than five years behind bars.
House panel says lax screening helped facilitate PPP fraud
A House investigations panel says financial technology firms “abdicated” their responsibility to screen out fraud in applications for a federal program designed to help small businesses stay open and keep workers employed during the pandemic.
Oath Keepers' Rhodes guilty of Jan. 6 seditious conspiracy
Oath Keepers founder Stewart Rhodes has been convicted of seditious conspiracy for a violent plot to overturn President Joe Biden's election, handing the Justice Department a major victory in its massive prosecution of the Jan. 6, 2021, insurrection.