Category Archives: Second Amendment

Two constitutional amendments will appear on the Student Government Association spring election ballot on March 8 and require two-thirds of student voters approval.

The first amendment was initially written in April 2021 by former First Year Councilor David Ware and would require the Elections Board to publish alleged violations and rulings on violations to the SGA website.

Under the proposed amendment, the Elections Board reserves the ability to redact all contact information of the complainant upon publication, including name, phone number and email address, to prevent harassment of the complainant.

Upon publication of the alleged violation, at the request of the complainant, all personal identifiable information shall be redacted including the name of the complainant and any information that could directly implicate the complainant, the legislation reads.

This amendment is not the first time SGA aimed to share election violations online. When Wares amendment passed in First Year Council last year, former SGA press secretary Jackson Fuentes said the Elections Board posted violations online in the past.

They stopped the practice due to privacy concerns, but Fuentes said the SGA wanted to begin posting violations online again to remain transparent with the campus.

During the spring 2021 election cycle, The Crimson White requested a complete list of violations six times beginning Feb. 28, 2021. The Elections Board did not respond to these requests. Multiple senators faced election violations last cycle, and some believed it was a targeted act.

The second amendment, initially drafted in January by Sen. John Richardson, would formally end SGAs responsibilities in homecoming elections and remove all constitutional language referencing the SGAs former role in homecoming.

Richardson proposed a resolution for the SGA to break ties with homecoming in January that was approved by the Senate. The amendment on the spring election ballot would officially end SGA involvement with homecoming and strike all mentions of the event from the Constitution.

Richardson also chairs the homecoming task force, which was created this semester to develop a new manual for the homecoming queen selection process following this years election cycle.

Questions? Email the news desk at newsdesk@cw.ua.edu.

Continued here:
SGA amendments seek to break homecoming ties, publicize election violations - The University of Alabama Crimson White

On today's episode of the 5 Things podcast:West unveils sanctions on Russia

The moves come afterRussiaordered troops to eastern Ukraine this week. Plus, Washington Bureau Chief Susan Page talks about healthcare workerburnoutin the late pandemic, trucker protests head for the capital, national correspondent Kevin McCoy reports onSecond Amendmentbattles in courts nationwide and the Major League Baseball work stoppage hits Day 84.

Podcasts: True crime, in-depth interviews and more USA TODAY podcasts right here.

Hit play on the player above to hear the podcast and follow along with the transcript below. This transcript was automatically generated, and then edited for clarity in its current form. There may be some differences between the audio and the text.

Taylor Wilson:

Good morning. I'm Taylor Wilson and this is 5 Things you need to know Wednesday, the 23rd of February, 2022. Today, sanctions on Russia, plus healthcare worker burnout, and more.

Taylor Wilson:

Here are some of the top headlines:

Sanctions are going into effect against Russia from countries around the world. The response comes after Russian President Vladimir Putin ordered troops this week into two pro-separatist regions of Ukraine. Germany made one of the first big moves, taking steps to stop the process of certifying the Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline, which links Russian energy to Germany and other parts of Europe. Chancellor Olaf Scholz:

Taylor Wilson translating Olaf Scholz:

The situation today is fundamentally different. Therefore, in view of the latest development, we have to reassess the situation also with regard to Nord Stream 2.

Taylor Wilson:

And British Prime Minister Boris Johnson announced sanctions on Russian finance.

Boris Johnson:

Today, the UK is sanctioning the following five Russian Banks: Rossiya, IS Bank, General Bank, Promsvyazbank, and the Black Sea Bank. And we are sanctioning three very high net worth individuals: Gennady Timchenko, Boris Rotenberg and Igor Rotenberg. Any assets they hold in the UK will be frozen. The individuals concerned will be banned from traveling here, and we will prohibit all UK individuals and entities from having any dealings with them.

Taylor Wilson:

As for the US, President Joe Biden announced sanctions against Russian oligarchs and more.

Joe Biden:

Who in the Lord's name does Putin think gives him the right to declare new so-called countries on territory that belonged to his neighbors? This is a flagrant violation of international law, and it demands a firm response from the international community. So today, I'm announcing the first tranche of sanctions to impose costs on Russia in response to their actions yesterday. These have been closely coordinated with our allies and partners and we'll continue to escalate sanctions if Russia escalates.

We're implementing full blocking sanctions on two large Russian financial institutions: VEB and their military bank. We're implementing comprehensive sanctions on Russian's sovereign debt. That means we've cut off Russia's government from Western financing. It can no longer raise money from the West and cannot trade in its new debt on our markets or European markets either.

Starting tomorrow and continuing in the days ahead, we'll also impose sanctions on Russian's elites and their family members. They share in the corrupt gains of the Kremlin policies and should share in the pain as well.

Taylor Wilson:

Putin had called for pledges from the West that Ukraine and other former Soviet states not join the NATO Alliance, but many Western leaders have accused him of plans to expand the Russian empire, something Putin shrugged off yesterday.

Taylor Wilson translating Vladimir Putin:

We see and also have anticipated speculations on this issue, that Russia wants to restore the empire within the empire's borders. This is totally false.

Taylor Wilson:

For his part, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said he would consider breaking diplomatic ties with Russia and did recall Ukraine's ambassador from Moscow. He said he was calling some of the country's military reservists, but that there was still no need for a full military mobilization. While Putin moved some troops into Ukrainian territory, most still remained stationed around the country's borders.

America's healthcare workers are reporting major levels of burnout and even anger in year three of the COVID-19 pandemic's worst effects. But despite the complications of COVID-related politics and rising abuse from patients and their families, polling shows that many actually still love their jobs. Washington Bureau Chief Susan Page reports.

Susan Page:

Here's one thing that's amazing. We're going into year three of COVID, and these healthcare workers who have been on the frontlines are really positive about their jobs. Three out of four say they love their jobs, and 80% of them say they're satisfied with their jobs. They have job satisfaction. That's pretty amazing. On the other hand, they're feeling pretty battered. One out of four say they are likely to leave the healthcare field sometime in the near future. That'd be a big exodus of medical expertise. And a third are not sure they would have chosen healthcare as their field if they had to do it all over again.

We're at a time when I think a lot of Americans see light it at the end of the tunnel when it comes to COVID. We see mask rules being lifted, for instance. We see COVID cases going down. Healthcare workers are not yet convinced that's true. Only about one in five say this pandemic is mostly under control or entirely under control. Most of them say we're still in the middle of things. And by two to one they say Americans are not doing enough these days to take care of their own health, by doing things like wearing masks and socially distancing, and especially getting vaccinations.

The biggest frustration, I think, that these healthcare workers have is the number of patients they have who have not been vaccinated. When they talk to these patients, they are more likely to hear from them that they are defiant about vaccines, that they don't believe in vaccines than they are to hear them express regret that they didn't get a vaccine, which of course, might have prevented them from getting COVID.

Taylor Wilson:

For Susan's full story, check out a link in today's episode description and you can find her on Twitter @SusanPage.

A series of trucker protest convoys are headed for Washington. Complaints at the heart of demonstrations vary, but center on issues with COVID-19 restrictions, including vaccine mandates. The Freedom Convoy said itplans to shut down the Capital Beltway, which surrounds DC today, and the People's Convoy will leave California today with plans to arrive in Washington in early March. It's not clear whether the protest will bring the same kind of chaos that paralyzed both Canada's capital of Ottawa and order towns in recent weeks. The Pentagon says it's approving the deployment of nearly a thousand unarmed troops to prepare for the convoys.

Escalating Second Amendment court battles could soon dramatically reorder the country's relationship with firearms. Gun rights groups are filing lawsuits that challenge local, state, and federal restrictions on the Second Amendment right to keep and bear arms, and they're winning. National Correspondent Kevin McCoy has more.

Kevin McCoy:

Well, we looked at six gun groups that filed lawsuits between the beginning of 2016 and the end of 2021. There's the National Rifle Association, which is probably the best known of all, the Second Amendment Foundation, and the Firearms Policy Coalition, the Gun Owners of America, the California Rifle & Pistol Association, which is a California affiliate of the National Rifle Association, and the National Association for Gun Rights.

There's a case that was filed by a different affiliate of the National Rifle Association, and it's called New York State Rifle & Pistol Association v. Bruen. It was filed in federal courts, and it has made its way all the way up to the US Supreme Court, which heard arguments in it last November. Now, that case is expected to result in a decision this coming summer, and it focuses on an issue in the Second Amendment.

The Second Amendment in the past was focused mainly on militias, but the Supreme Court changed that in 2008 under a ruling called the Heller decision. It said that the Second Amendment extends to self-defense. Now, the case that's before the Supreme Court now takes that a step farther. It argues that the New York State prohibition on licensing of people, unless they can show good cause, then they can't be allowed to get a firearms license to take a firearm away from their home for self-defense. Now, the court during the arguments seem to favor knocking down that law. If that happens, it's going to change the law across the country probably. There are about five different lawsuits that have already been teed up by these groups that are on hold pending the decision by the Supreme Court.

If the Supreme Court says that yes, you do have the right under the Second Amendment to carry a firearm away from your home for self-defense without having to prove that you have good cause for it, then you're going to have that kind of a change in all states. When you talk to people who are opposed to like absolute gun rights, they say, "Well, that means that you're going to have more firearms in crowded cities, rural areas, every place."

Taylor Wilson:

Check out the full story on USATODAY.com.

Major League Baseball and its players' union will meet again today to negotiate a new collective bargaining agreement. Less than a week remains in what both sides say is a Monday deadline to allow the season to start on time on March 31st. The league has already canceled the first week of spring training. Players did make a slight shift toward management yesterday on their proposal for increased salary arbitration eligibility. The union is also asking for increases in the Minor League minimum salary among other issues. Today is the 84th day of the second longest work stoppage in baseball history.

Thanks for listening to 5 Things. We're here seven mornings a week on whatever your favorite podcast app is. Thanks, as always, to PJ Elliott for his great work on the show, and I'm back tomorrow with more of 5 Things from USA TODAY.

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West unveils sanctions on Russia, trucker protests head for the capital: 5 Things podcast - USA TODAY

This week, numerous Second Amendment-related measures will be considered in the Tennessee Legislature. NRA Members and Second Amendment supporters are encouraged to remain active and in constant contact with their elected officials as they debate both pro- and anti-gun bills. Those measures to be considered are outlined below:

Pro-Gun

HB 2330strengthens the right-to-carry of Tennessee residents by turning the current enhanced handgun carry permit into a lifetime permit, while eliminating the existing lifetime handgun carry permit framework. In short, it would turn the standard permit into a lifetime permit and get rid of the existing lifetime permit language. This would have distinct benefits:

HB 1735lowers the age at which a person could exercise their Right-to-Carry without a permit to 18, regardless of military background. It would also lower the age to obtain an enhanced handgun carry permit to 18.

HB 1898alters the enhanced handgun permit carry statute (T. C. A. 39-17-1351), the temporary handgun carry permit statute (T. C. A. 39-17-1365), and the concealed handgun carry permit statute (T. C. A. 39-17-1366) to provide that these permit holders may carry afirearmfor self-defense rather than just a handgun.

Anti-Gun

HB 1830seeks to enact a raft of anti-gun measures through the guise of public health measures:

HB 2087creates a Class C misdemeanor for storing a firearm or ammunition in an unattended motor vehicle or boat unless the firearm or firearm ammunition is kept from ordinary observation and locked within the trunk, utility or glove box, or a locked container securely affixed to the motor vehicle or boat. The legislation would also heighten the existing storage requirement under the parking lot statute. HB2087 also creates a lost or stolen firearm reporting requirement whereby a person would be required to report a lost or stolen firearm within 24 hours of discovering it missing. A violation would be a Class C misdemeanor.

HB 2620requires anyone with firearms in the same residence as a minor under 18 years of age, to store those firearms, unloaded in locked containers, and to store ammunition in separate, locked containers. There are limited exceptions for firearms carried on the person, and firearms that are within two feet of both distance and eyesight.

This outlandish bill effectively bans home-defense firearms for anyone with a minor in the home. Many Tennesseans currently keep a loaded handgun, rifle, and/or shotgun locked in a quick access safe by the bed, ready to deploy immediately if needed, but still secured from access by children. HB 2620 would discourage and curtail the manner in which parents introduce their children to firearms, by placing a legal burden on the parents fora childs malicious or benign conduct.In more rural parts of the country, high school students have been known to hunt in the morning and, as unwise as it might be, at times neglect to take their firearms out of their vehicle before heading to school. You can imagine any number of benign scenarios where a high schoolstudent might mistakenly have a firearm in their car on school property after hunting or target shooting over the weekend. While these students would likely be severely punished, there is no reason to foist a misdemeanor on their parents.

With the extreme nature of the above anti-gun measures, it is important that you please contact members of the House Criminal Justice Subcommittee and ask them to Oppose House Bills 1830, 2087, and 2620.

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Tennessee: Your Action Needed - Big Week Ahead for Gun Bills in the Volunteer State - NRA ILA

The claim that the Justices opinions are politically neutral is becoming increasingly hard to accept, especially from Thomas, whose wife, Virginia (Ginni) Thomas, is a vocal right-wing activist. The New Yorker

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Please join me this Friday for a festive celebration and fundraiser. Its going to be a fun, low-key time. Also, my husband is on the Supreme Court.

In keeping with my ongoing philanthropic efforts, Ive pledged to make my birthday event all about giving back, and your generous donations are highly encouraged. Obviously, I cant promise you anything in return for participating other than the pure feeling of contributing to a worthy cause. Also, my husband does sit on the highest court in the United States.

It is my birthday, but no need to bring a giftjust yourself and your checkbook. (A $5,000 minimum donation is required to attend the party.) Contributions are tax deductible and, to keep things simple, checks can be made payable directly to me. My last name is spelled the same way as one of the justices on the Supreme Court.

The fundraiser benefits the BWF Foundation (Babies With Firearms), an incredible organization that makes sure that babies can easily register for guns at the hospitals theyre born at. We all know that life begins at conception, and gun ownership should begin at birth. (Side note: Christian babies only.)

If over $500,000 is raised, your name will also be etched on a commemorative plaque that will be installed on a bollard near the Supreme Court building as a reminder of your vital First and Second Amendment rights. And so that my husband can see it as he goes to work and can remember what a good time he had at this party.

The evening will include some light music, no dancing, and spirited conversation about what used to, and will again soon, make America so great. Have you thought about fireworks recently? How great are they? If you pledge at least $10,000 right now, Ill let you onto the lawn to watch a red, white, and blue firework displaywhich my husband will also be watching. Hell be the one in the robe.

Im already looking forward to your attendance so we can support a great cause and talk about important topics facing this country, like how January 6th was just a fun lawn party/indoor parade that the media blew totally out of proportion. What, we cant have indoor parades now? Also, did you know there are only nine Supreme Court justices, and my husband is one of them?

Well round out the evening with a patriotic toast from yours truly, reminding you how much freedom your money is helping to buyand that Im available for very private paid speaking engagements. If youre ready to commit $25,000 right now, Ill make sure you, or a think tank of your choosing, are mentioned by name (depending on your tax situation). My husband loves to hear me give toasts, and also, the Supreme Court is a lifetime appointment, and hell be there for the foreseeable future.

Hoping you (or your corporations chief philanthropy officer) will be able to attend. There will be a lot of governors there (but only from the good states). Looking forward to seeing you and your money soon!

Link:
You're Invited to My Birthday FundraiserAlso, My Husband Is on the Supreme Court - McSweeney's Internet Tendency

ISLAMABAD: The Opposition, which enjoys a majority in Senate, faced an embarrassment in the Upper House after the government managed to pass theOil and Gas Regulatory Authority (OGRA) (Amendment) Bill, 2022.

Ahead of the vote, PPPs Yousaf Raza Gilani said that a public hearing was necessary before approving the price. However, Leader of the House Senator Shehzad Waseem said that the bill was already passed with consensus in the relevant standing committee.

Senator Raza Rabbani said that the bill should have been put before the Council of Common Interest. But on the other hand, Minister for Science and Technology Shibli Faraz clarified that the bill empowers OGRA and has "nothing to do with the IMF and CCI."

When the bill was presented before the House, the Opposition staged a walkout and the bill was passed by the Senate after the Dilawar Khan group voted in favour of the bill.

In the initial voting, 29 senators voted in favour and the same number of lawmakers voted against the bill. However, the bill was passed by the Upper House after Chairman Sadiq Sanjrani voted in favour of the bill.

The same happened during the allied health professional councils bill; the senate chairman cast the decided vote in favour of the law.

Chairman Sanjrani took a jibe at Energy minister Hammad Azhar after the latter arrived in the House late.

Hammad you can leave, the bill has been passed and youre late as always, said Sanjrani.

Under the bill, if the federal government fails to notify OGRAs recommended prices within 40 days, the regulator will be empowered to notify the new price.

The bill empowers OGRA to decide the price of RLNG and LNG without holding a public hearing.

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Opposition suffers another defeat as Senate approves OGRA second amendment bill - Geo News

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Texas lawmakers passed legislation last year that allowed the permitless carry of handguns, imposed a near-total ban on abortion and cracked down on the alleged teaching of critical race theory in public schools twice.

Now as Republican members of the Texas House return to the voters in the first primary election since what many of them deemed the most conservative legislative session ever, some are facing challenges from candidates who say they didnt push far enough to the right and ended the year with unfinished business.

If elected, those challengers, as well as some open-seat candidates, could push the state even further to the right seeking even more restrictive abortion laws, for example and end the Houses tradition of bipartisan committee chairs.

The primaries pose the first major electoral test for House Speaker Dade Phelan, who took over the gavel more than a year ago and steered House Republicans through four contentious sessions.

Combined with new district boundaries brought about through redistricting which made some districts even redder it has all made for a fluid, uncertain environment for incumbents and open-seat candidates.

The reelection bid of Rep. Kyle Kacal of College Station exemplifies the dynamic. His district has been significantly redrawn; it now encompasses part of Bryan and the outskirts of College Station and then stretches into rural areas to the north, east and south.

This is a new territory, Kacal said at a recent forum, acknowledging his districts significantly different boundaries. Its an incredible territory, and one thing you will get tired of is seeing me in town all the time.

Faced with challengers suggesting he is too moderate, Kacal has stuck to a common theme among incumbents in the hot seat this primary season.

We just came out of the most conservative session in the Texas Legislature, he said at the forum. I voted with it 99% of the time.

Speaking after Kacal, one of his challengers, Joshua Hamm, ripped the incumbents assessment of the session You gotta give me a break, Hamm said angrily while a second challenger, Ben Bius, piled on. Bius said Kacal is rated as the No. 1 most liberal state legislator in Texas and bashed Kacal for not fighting hard enough when House Democrats broke quorum last year over Republicans priority elections bill.

Folks, you dont negotiate with anarchists, Bius said.

The primaries are the first to happen since Phelan took over as speaker, and his campaign has spent hundreds of thousands of dollars assisting Republican members with primary opposition. While Phelan has ambitions to grow the GOP majority in November, particularly in South Texas, he first has to show he can shepherd incumbents through the political gauntlet that is the states action-packed primary season.

My team and I are carrying out one of the most robust strategies by a Texas House speaker for the 2022 primary election thats focused on supporting Republican incumbents and growing our majority in the chamber, Phelan said in a statement, calling his team's efforts this election cycle "unprecedented."

Leadership, which for years became accustomed to battling the anti-establishment Empower Texans in the primary, is confronting its modern iteration, the Defend Texas Liberty PAC. Led by former state Rep. Jonathan Stickland, R-Bedford, the political action committee has raised $5.4 million since the start of the year, mostly from a handful of hard-right donors, and had doled out nearly as much as of Saturday. Most of the money has gone to Don Huffines, a primary challenger to Gov. Greg Abbott, but the group has also cut checks to a host of other anti-establishment causes, including House primary challengers and groups that have targeted incumbents.

Defend Texas Liberty PAC exists to further the conservative movement in Texas, Stickland said in a statement. We aid the champions who fight for our values, and expose those who work against them.

Phelans No. 1 priority is Rep. Ryan Guillen, the former South Texas Democrat who switched to the GOP in November after the GOP-led redistricting process turned Guillens district, already Republican-leaning, into a solidly red one. He faces two primary challengers.

Phelan and his allies are out to set an example that new converts to their party will be welcomed with open arms and vigorously defended.

Supporting candidates and voters when they switch parties is critical for the long-term goals of the Republican Party, and we should encourage others to follow their lead, said Aaron De Leon, vice president of the Associated Republicans of Texas. Its simple math: More voters equal more wins and greater success.

Guillen has been airing a TV ad in which a narrator says Guillen was already one of us, citing an A+ rating from the National Rifle Association and support for the near-total abortion ban that Abbott signed into law last year. Guillen has the backing of not only Phelan, but also Abbott, Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick and former President Donald Trump.

Guillens primary challengers are unswayed, attacking him as a phony Republican. One of them, Mike Monreal, calls himself a Republican by conviction, not by convenience and notes that Guillen opposed legislation last year to restrict the teaching of so-called critical race theory, among other GOP priorities over the years.

Phelan is also deeply invested in the primary for House District 62, where Rep. Reggie Smith of Sherman is being challenged by Shelley Luther, the salon owner who became famous for refusing to shut down her business under COVID-19 restrictions. Luther, who unsuccessfully ran for state Senate in 2020, has become one of the loudest detractors of state Republican leadership both Phelan and Abbott and her defeat would be especially satisfying to them.

Luther has become even more of a lightning rod in her current race, saying Chinese students should be banned from Texas universities and lamenting that, when she was a teacher, her students could not laugh at transgender classmates.

With Phelans financial aid, Smith has been on TV in the race since December, and he has used airtime to tell voters Luther is all talk, saying in one ad that she has never voted Republican ever. However, election records show Luther has voted Republican at least once before, in the 2020 primary runoff for the party. A more recent Smith ad is more precise, saying she has never voted in a March Republican primary.

Luther and her allies are hitting back by invoking two sensitive issues for House leadership: the chambers tradition of appointing committee leaders from both parties and its decision last year to lower the penalty for illegal voting in a far-reaching bill that otherwise imposed new voting restrictions on Texans. Defend Texas Liberty PAC is airing a TV ad against Smith that attacks him over both issues, saying Smith talks conservative, votes liberal.

The PAC has flooded primaries with mailers bashing incumbents for allowing Democrats to chair committees, especially in light of their quorum break last summer over the GOPs priority elections bill. The attack is rooted in an amendment to the House rules last year from Rep. Bryan Slaton, R-Royse City, that proposed banning the minority party from having any chair positions. Only four other Republicans supported the amendment.

Incumbents have dealt with the attacks over committee chairs in various ways. During a forum earlier this month, Rep. Brooks Landgraf of Odessa responded to a question about the issue by telling voters to look at the results last year.

We shoved so many Republican Party principles down those Democratic chairs throats that they fled the state, Landgraf said, referencing the House Democrats move to break quorum and travel to Washington in an ultimately unsuccessful effort to block the voting bill. They choked on it. We got constitutional carry passed, the heartbeat bill passed, election integrity passed, all with those chairs. So when theyre on small committees like that, it doesnt really make a difference.

As for the decrease in the illegal voting penalty, it originated in the House and lowered the offense from a felony to a misdemeanor. Most Republicans supported the measure, and it flew under the radar until after Abbott signed the bill. Abbott ordered lawmakers to reinstate the penalty in another special session, but Phelan resisted, saying it was not the time to re-litigate the hard-fought elections bill.

As the primary nears, it is hard to find incumbents defending the penalty decrease. Landgraf, for example, wrote on Facebook last month he takes full responsibility for my vote, and I am going to fix that error when the legislature convenes next.

Across primaries, incumbent after incumbent is touting their role in the most conservative session ever while challengers seek to poke holes in the billing.

Rep. Stephanie Klicks primary has drawn considerable attention, if only because she has the most challengers: four. The Fort Worth representative chairs the House Public Health Committee, and her opponents are seizing on her failure to advance legislation to restrict what they call gender modification, or gender-affirming care for transgender kids.

One of her challengers, David Lowe, raises the issues in a radio ad that calls Klick an establishment moderate who cares more about what The Dallas Morning News wants than what Texans believe.

From historic advances in protecting the unborn, expanding Second Amendment freedoms, protecting religious liberty, working to protect girls sports, and increasing taxpayer rights Im extremely proud of my conservative record in the Texas House, Klick said in a statement for this story.

The debates regarding transgender kids also loom large in an open seat in North Texas where the four GOP candidates include Jeff Younger, who has waged a court battle over his childs transition. He has sharply blamed GOP leadership for failing to protect the child.

While some of the far-right primary challengers are long shots, they show how Republicans are not unanimous in their assessment of last years sessions.

You cant sit there with a straight face and tell me we had the most conservative legislative session ever when we got watered-down constitutional carry, Kacal challenger Joshua Hamm said at the forum. He did not say what was watered down about the permitless carry bill. You took voter fraud and took it from a felony to a misdemeanor and you got the heartbeat bill, which still isnt abolishing abortion, its just pushing it off for a couple weeks and then making it a civil [penalty] instead of criminal.

The push to totally end abortion in Texas has creeped into some other primaries. Klick and Rep. Lacey Hull have been hit with mailers from a group called Abolish Abortion Texas that bash them for failing to support a bill that would have made abortion punishable by the death penalty. The bill never got a committee hearing but became a litmus test for the far right.

Redistricting is fueling a lot of the activity, too. The decennial process gave way to dozens of open seats and added new geography to seats that lured in fresh faces.

Kacal, for example, is reckoning with the addition of Walker County, which is now the biggest slice of the district population by county. That attracted Huntsville businessperson Ben Bius, who is challenging Kacal with the support of U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz and one of Kacals colleagues, retiring Rep. Ben Leman of Anderson.

Redistricting also fielded a crop of primary challengers to Rep. Ernest Bailes of Shepherd. His three opponents include Janis Holt, a former member of the State Republican Executive Committee who had been running for an open seat in East Texas before redistricting. But then redistricting added her native Hardin County to Bailes district, and she reoriented her campaign.

Holt said she was excited when she saw the new district, knowing she had already worked with activists in the area on the SREC. She is running as more conservative than Bailes and said that she finds the most engaged voters are livid about the Democratic committee chairs, especially considering some were part of the quorum break.

New geography is also fueling conflict. In North Texas, the addition of Parker County to Rep. Glenn Rogers district gave rise to his lineup of three primary challengers. One of them is Mike Olcott, the co-founder of Parker Conservatives who has loaned himself $300,000.

Redistricting also led to a new, open seat that favors Republicans in Collin County, now known as District 61. Abbott, in his only open-seat endorsement so far, has backed Frederick Frazier, a veteran Dallas police officer who could be the first active cop to serve in the House. Trump, who had appointed Frazier to a law enforcement commission, endorsed him Tuesday.

This is an essential race for Texas because youre about to make history and put somebody on that House floor that has an unlimited resource on keeping our public safe, Frazier said in an interview.

Redistricting also forced some tough decisions by rising stars in the party. The new House District 19 in Central Texas ended up pitting two onetime allies, Justin Berry and Ellen Troxclair, against one another. Berry is an Austin police officer who unsuccessfully ran against Rep. Vikki Goodwin, D-Austin, in 2020. He was recently indicted in Austin for allegedly using excessive force during the May 2020 racial justice protests, though he denies wrongdoing and calls the charges politically motivated. Troxclair is a former Austin City Council member who was running for state Senate earlier in 2021 before redistricting made that race untenable.

Carrie Isaac is another valued GOP recruit from 2020 who had to find her place on the new map. She settled on the new House District 73 in the Hill Country but could not avert a matchup against former New Braunfels Mayor Barron Casteel. The two are locked in a brawl over their support for veterans, centered on Isaacs management of a nonprofit that provides assistance for them.

There are more unusual circumstances in other GOP primaries for state House.

In House District 14, Rep. John Raney of College Station has drawn a challenger with a high profile locally: John Harvey Slocum, son of the former Texas A&M University football coach RC Slocum. The two are not necessarily arguing over whos the most conservative but who is best positioned to deliver for a region that is famously loyal to A&M.

I think we need leadership in Austin, Slocum said at a recent forum. Im running against an incumbent thats been there for 11 years. Theres been three speakers, and he hasnt chaired a committee.

In another primary that does not neatly split along ideological lines, Rep. Valoree Swanson of Spring is confronting three primary challengers, including the incumbent she beat in 2016, Debbie Riddle. In an interview, Riddle acknowledged they are both conservative, pro-life Republicans but said the big difference is she would provide better constituent services. She promised to open three offices across the district, which she said has a dearth of local elected officials, increasing the need for a responsive state representative.

One Riddle ad drives a more vivid contrast.

We have enough weak-kneed Republicans in Washington, a narrator says in a Riddle ad, showing Swanson wedged between two of Trumps biggest GOP critics in Congress, U.S. Reps. Liz Cheney and Adam Kinzinger. Valoree Swanson just isnt fighting for us.

Texas A&M University has been a financial supporter of The Texas Tribune, a nonprofit, nonpartisan news organization that is funded in part by donations from members, foundations and corporate sponsors. Financial supporters play no role in the Tribunes journalism. Find a complete list of them here.

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Redistricting, challenges from the right test Texas House GOP incumbents coming off most conservative session ever - The Texas Tribune

TheJustice Departmenthassued Missouriin an attempt to stop the enforcement of a measure in the state which deems some federal firearms laws invalid.

In a complaint filed Wednesday, the DOJ claimsMissouri House Bill 85is invalid under the Supremacy Clause, which prohibits state governments from passing laws that do not correspond with federal laws.

More commonly known as the Second Amendment Preservation Act, theMissouribill was signed into law last June by Republican Gov. Mike Parson and took effect last August. The bill, according toParsons officeprohibits state and local cooperation with federal officials that attempt to enforce any laws, rules, orders, or actions that violate the Second Amendment rights of Missourians.

Attorney General Merrick B. Garland accused the measure of impeding law operations in the state.

This act impedes criminal law enforcement operations in Missouri, Garland said in a statement. The United States will work to ensure that our state and local law enforcement partners are not penalized for doing their jobs to keep our communities safe.

According to the DOJ complaint, the restrictions imposed by H.B. 85 have hindered cooperation and other activities that assist federal, state, and local law enforcement efforts. In addition, it claimed federal law enforcement agencies within the state report that enforcement of federal firearms laws in Missouri has grown more difficult since H.B. 85 became effective.

Bringing into question the constitutionality of the state law, the DOJ concluded that Missouri enacted H.B. 85 despite its conflict with the fundamental constitutional principles of supremacy of federal law, preemption, and intergovernmental immunity.

In response to the lawsuit, Missouri Attorney General Eric Schmitt accused President Bidens administration of a partisan lawsuit which seeks to attack Missourians Second Amendment rights and bring an end to the states crime-fighting tactics, including the Safer Streets Initiative.

Unfortunately, the Biden DOJ has used this lawsuit as a pretext for them to pull the plug on our successful and innovative federal-state crime-fighting partnership, the Safer Streets Initiative, Schmitt said in a statement. Since I launched the Safer Streets Initiative in 2019, weve filed over 650 charges against nearly 390 defendants with a conviction rate of roughly 98%. My Office has fought to continue the initiative, but this initiative has been suspended solely because of the Biden Administrations actions.

Schmitt said the Biden administration continues to put partisan politics ahead of public safety.

Make no mistake, the law is on our side in this case, and I intend to beat the Biden Administration in court once again, he added.

The Safer Streets Initiative is a federal-state partnership aimed at prosecuting violent crime, according toSchmitts office.

Thelawsuitwas filed in U.S. District Court for the Western District of Missouri.

Read more:
Justice Department sues Missouri over Second Amendment bill, state AG fires back - New York Post

1. Opinion: Lives and liberty hang on Second Amendment debate  The Detroit News
2. Protecting Second Amendment rights from Washington  Washington Examiner
3. Letter to the Editor: Second Amendment | Opinions | capjournal.com  The Capital Journal
4. Magazine Exclusive Second Amendment Rising? - AMAC - The Association of Mature American Citizens  AMAC
5. Roger Helle: Killing the Second Amendment  Patriot Post
6. View Full Coverage on Google News

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Opinion: Lives and liberty hang on Second Amendment debate - The Detroit News

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Grocery tax credit, Second Amendment rights among Legislature topics - Ontario Argus Observer

TYLER, Texas Even in deep red East Texas, even on a Tuesday afternoon, even after a failed bid for the Senate followed by a failed bid for president, Beto ORourke still draws a crowd.

More than 100 supporters gathered last week in a park in the city of Tyler, southeast of Dallas in the Piney Woods region. Among the friendly crowd, however, there was concern and even skepticism as Mr. ORourke tries to become the first Democratic governor of Texas in nearly 30 years.

The Texas primary is fast approaching on March 1 early voting began on Monday but his real challenge is the general election in November, when he is expected to face the Republican incumbent, Gov. Greg Abbott. Some of Mr. ORourkes comments aimed at wooing national Democratic voters in the 2020 presidential primary such as Hell yes, were going to take your AR-15 may have already weakened if not doomed his chances in November.

The comment about guns is going to be his biggest problem, said Holly Gage, 40, who arrived at the Tyler park early with her family. My husband is on the fence. Its due to the gun thing.

Texas, added her mother, Sheila Thrash, 63, believes in its guns.

Mr. ORourkes presidential campaign shadows his run for governor, complicating his effort to present himself as a pragmatic, there-for-you Texan who embraces responsible gun ownership and wants to win over moderate voters. His 2020 campaign remarks have figured prominently in attacks by Mr. Abbott and are familiar to many voters in a state where Democrats also proudly own guns. Mr. ORourke counts himself among their number he and his wife own firearms, his campaign said and he appears well aware of the liability.

Im not interested in taking anything from anyone, Mr. ORourke said during a news conference in Tyler, in response to questions from The New York Times. What I want to make sure we do is defend the Second Amendment.

Later in a telephone interview, he said he did not regret any policy positions he took while running for president and denied that he was walking back his comments about assault weapons. He said that as governor, he would push for universal background checks and requirements for the safe storage of firearms.

I dont think that we should have AR-15s and AK-47s on the streets of this state I have seen what they do to my fellow Texans in El Paso in 2019, he said, referring to a gunman who killed 23 people at a Walmart in the deadliest anti-Latino attack in modern American history. I havent changed a thing about that. Im just telling you Im going to focus on what I can actually do as governor and where the common ground is.

Mr. ORourkes predicament illustrates how hard it can be for a red-state Democrat to return to local politics after running for federal office in the national spotlight. What appeals to voters in a crowded Democratic primary for president may turn off those in a statewide race back home in a Republican-dominated state.

At the same time, Mr. ORourke has attracted legions of supporters and inspired Texas Democrats with his willingness to take on the states most powerful officeholders, and his charismatic insistence that Texas is not destined to remain in Republican hands.

No one is going to ride to our rescue, so we shouldnt expect that, Mr. ORourke said in the interview, citing new restrictive laws on abortion and voting passed by the State Legislature and signed by Mr. Abbott last year. Its on us, and thats OK, he added. Traveling the state, it renews my confidence that we can do this.

A former three-term congressman from El Paso, Mr. ORourke, 49, entered the race for governor late last fall, delivering a jolt to a contest that many Democrats saw as unwinnable: an off-year election favoring Republicans; an incumbent governor with a roughly $60 million campaign war chest; and that decades-long losing streak. No Democrat has won a statewide race in Texas since 1994.

We dont get to pick and choose what the political environment is like, said State Representative Trey Martinez Fischer, a Democrat from San Antonio who has offered advice to Mr. ORourke during his campaign.

Mr. Martinez Fischer said he did not believe, as some Texas political analysts do, that Mr. ORourkes run was aimed at bolstering Democratic candidates in local races rather than actually winning. I dont think that Beto is looking to do any sort of suicide mission, he said.

Mr. ORourke remains the only Democrat in Texas with a strong statewide campaign organization, including thousands of devoted volunteers and an ability to raise money that rivals Mr. Abbott, the two-term Republican incumbent who has overseen a hard right turn in state government. During the most recent three-week filing period last month, Mr. ORourke raised $1.3 million, spent $600,000 and had $6 million in his campaign account. Mr. Abbott pulled in $1.4 million, spent $4.5 million and still had $62 million available in his account.

Much about the ORourke campaign echoes his 2018 race to try to unseat Senator Ted Cruz, which energized Democrats across Texas and brought donations pouring in from around the country. There are the same black-and-white Beto posters, the speeches he delivers from the center of fawning crowds and the sense that an upset is possible.

But much has changed. Mr. ORourke is no longer a fresh-faced newcomer. A poll last year found that he was better known among Texans than the actor Matthew McConaughey, who briefly flirted with a run for governor himself. Most Texans have an opinion of Mr. ORourke, and for many it is not favorable. So far, he has trailed Mr. Abbott in every poll, often by double digits.

Mr. ORourke has been running a more traditional campaign than he did in 2018, taking large contributions, conducting polls on issues and going on the attack early against Mr. Abbott, including in a new ad. He has also been more closely coordinating with the state party.

Weve already had discussions with him to get the Democratic Party and him in perfect sync, said Gilberto Hinojosa, the chairman of the Texas Democratic Party. Thats something that did not happen in 2018.

And Mr. ORourke does not benefit from the long runway he had in 2018, as he traveled the state and built his events from dozens of people to thousands. Now, as he drives around Texas highlighting the impacts of last years electrical grid failure, he is trailed by the opposition members of Mr. Abbotts campaign who have been coordinating with protesters at many of the stops.

In Tyler, Mr. Abbotts campaign spokesman, Mark Miner, arrived earlier than Mr. ORourke and helped to arrange a protest in favor of the oil and gas industry that included a big rig truck emblazoned with a heroic image of former President Donald J. Trump.

Its about the Green New Deal versus the energy industry, said State Representative Jay Dean, an East Texas Republican and general manager at Thomas Oilfield Services, as he stood near the big rig that he had helped bring to the protest. Im not that concerned about him, he added of Mr. ORourke. First of all, hes not going to win.

At events in three cities last week, it was clear that Mr. ORourke, still an energetic campaigner who drives himself around Texas, has become more careful in his remarks and packaged in his presentation, as he is tugged along on a tight schedule kept by his campaign handlers. And his crowds are full of people who have supported Mr. ORourke for years, raising the question of how much he can grow his current base.

During the more than 2,300-mile tour, which ended Tuesday on the anniversary of the day when the lights went out in most of Texas, Mr. ORourke delivered variations on a short speech focused on his proposals to address the wobbly Texas grid, such as connecting it with other states and prosecuting those who reaped huge profits from last years failure. He elicits cheers with promises to legalize marijuana and protect voting rights.

First time voters! Mr. ORourke yelled before posing with a group of young women he met in Waco, after a nighttime speech in a park that drew what looked to be more than 200 people.

In Austin the next day, Mr. ORourke visited a nonprofit that helped feed stranded residents during last years power grid failure, and he went along as their workers handed out meals to homeless men and women in a park between the Colorado River and a busy roadway.

You stay here? Mr. ORourke asked during a conversation with Josue Garcia, 35.

Yes, in the green tent, said Mr. Garcia, adding that he lived in the park with his wife and an adult stepdaughter, who works at Whataburger.

Im Beto and its an honor to meet you.

Ill vote for him for sure, Mr. Garcia said after Mr. ORourke went to talk to another man.

Later, as the sun set over the State Capitol, a young and enthusiastic crowd gathered to see Mr. ORourke in the parking lot of the Texas AFL-CIO, across from the governors mansion.

Mr. Abbott was out of town at the time but his campaign spokesman, Mr. Miner, a longtime senior communications aide to top Republicans, moved through the crowd of ORourke supporters, handing out fliers to reporters until he was escorted away by a union representative.

On the sidewalk, protesters waved a Trump flag and an American flag and shouted Free crack pipes! Communism doesnt work, Francis! in an attempt to interrupt Mr. ORourkes nighttime speech, calling him by his middle name. An advertising truck showed a black-and-white video of Mr. ORourke morphing into President Biden, which was paid for by Mr. Abbotts campaign.

Many of Mr. ORourkes supporters recalled losing power last year. But their anger at the handling of the freeze wasnt the only issue that drew them to the rally.

Nick Tripoli, 43, wore a mask with the words Abort Greg Abbott across it. He said he had heard Mr. ORourke speak in 2018 and had seen the enthusiasm he brought to Democrats.

I wanted to be a part of it, Mr. Tripoli said. Again.

Original post:
In Texas Governors Race, Beto ORourke Haunted by 2020 Campaign - The New York Times