Texas Weekly Online

Menu
Menu
Facebook Twitter Youtube

Author:

GOP lawmaker calls trans Dem ‘Mr. McBride,’ abruptly ends hearing after ultimatum from another Dem

GOP lawmaker calls trans Dem ‘Mr. McBride,’ abruptly ends hearing after ultimatum from another Dem

Rep. Keith Self, R-Texas, abruptly adjourned a congressional hearing on Tuesday after Rep. Bill Keating, D-Mass., vehemently objected to Self recognizing Rep. Sarah McBride, D-Del., as “the representative from Delaware, Mr. McBride.” McBride, who identifies as a transgender woman, responded to Self — who chairs the House Foreign Affairs Committee’s Europe Subcommittee — by saying, “Thank you Madam chair.” As McBride sought to continue speaking, ranking member Keating interrupted, asking Self, “could you repeat your introduction again please?” HOUSE REPUBLICAN INTRODUCES TRANSGENDER LAWMAKER AS ‘THE GENTLEMAN … MR. MCBRIDE’ FOR FLOOR SPEECH “Ah, yes,” Self replied, adding, “we have set the standard on the” House floor. “What is that standard Mr. Chairman?” Keating questioned, before again asking Self to repeat what he had said when introducing McBride. “I will,” Self replied. “The representative from Delaware Mr. McBride,” Self repeated. “Mr. Chairman you are out of order,” Keating declared. “Mr. Chairman, have you no decency?” he asked, going on to say “this is not decent.” Self said they would continue the hearing. “You will not continue it with me unless you introduce a duly-elected representative the right way!” Keating declared. In response to the ultimatum, Self announced, “This hearing is adjourned.” GOP LAWMAKER SCRAPS WITH DEMOCRAT IN HEARING OVER TRANSGENDER ‘SLUR,’ BATHROOM RIGHTS: ‘NOT GOING TO HAVE IT’ Last month Rep. Mary Miller, R-Ill., recognized McBride for a House floor speech by saying, “The chair recognizes the gentleman from Delaware, Mr. McBride, for five minutes.” In a tweet after the episode on Tuesday, Miller sided with Self, saying that Self “is right to state the biological reality that Tim ‘Sarah’ McBride is a man. Enough with the lies. As God ordained and President Trump declared, there are only TWO GENDERS: Male and Female!”   Rep. Nancy Mace, R-S.C., said in a post on Tuesday, “You know what’s indecent? A mentally ill man pretending to be a woman. Biology. Science. The Left should try it some time(sic).” AFTER DECLINING TO STATE WHETHER TRANS REP-ELECT IS A MAN OR WOMAN, JOHNSON SAYS ‘A MAN CANNOT BECOME A WOMAN’ CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP McBride stated in a Tuesday post on X, “No matter how I’m treated by some colleagues, nothing diminishes my awe and gratitude at getting to represent Delaware in Congress. It is truly the honor and privilege of a lifetime. I simply want to serve and to try to make this world a better place.”

Oregon legislature weighing trio of bills that could result in less oversight for convicted sex offenders

Oregon legislature weighing trio of bills that could result in less oversight for convicted sex offenders

Lawmakers in Oregon are considering three bills that, if passed, would ease public safety requirements for convicted sex offenders and significantly downsize the state’s backlog for reassessing offenders. Senate Bills 819, 820 and 821 all revolve around creating an easier process for the state Board of Parole and Post-Prison Supervision to classify convicted sex offenders, but the suggestions in the bills ultimately reduce the number of convicted sex offenders in the community that are being monitored. A letter from the Oregon District Attorneys Association (ODAA), which was listed as public testimony on the state legislature’s website, to the Senate Committee on Judiciary asks that all three bills be reconsidered. LOUISIANA BILL TO CASTRATE SEX OFFENDERS MOVING TOWARD GOVERNOR’S DESK FOR SIGNATURE  Senate Bill 819 aims to eliminate the hearing required when a sex offender’s requirement to report or classification level is changed.  The ODAA said it is concerned that the suggestion would make the process not as thorough as the Parole Board is currently required to consider ten criteria before making such decisions. The association is also worried that victims of sex offenders would not be allowed to give input on the decision if the hearing is no longer required. The bill does state that the attorney general, district attorney or a victim could request a hearing, but the ODAA said lack of resources or notice could result in a hearing not being possible. “For instance, who is going to be tasked with tracking down all the victims years after these cases have been completed and the offender is seeking to get off the sex offender registration list,” the letter states. LAWMAKER’S BILL MANDATES AUTOMATIC DEATH PENALTY FOR CHILD SEX CRIMES FOLLOWING EPSTEIN FILES RELEASE  Senate Bill 820 seeks to change the way sex offenders are currently classified by the state by limiting the criteria for who needs a classification. It suggests only the following sex offenders be classified: those with two or more convictions for sex crimes, those being released from the Department of Corrections and those younger than 35 years old on Jan. 1, 2026. “Some sex offenders may only have one crime conviction date, or one conviction for a sex crime, or a conviction for a lesser sex crime because of consideration from a plea agreement. This does not mean that they did not engage in serious conduct and have multiple sex crimes, victims, or dates of offense,” the ODAA wrote, in part. Lastly, Senate Bill 821 suggests that the Dec. 1, 2026, deadline for the Parole Board to complete all classifications for existing sex offenders be removed. Another deadline is not provided, but the ODAA suggested it be postponed three years. “ODAA understands that handling sex offender relief or classification hearings is only one of the Parole Board’s important duties and there are limited resources to get all the work done. At the same time, these are very important decisions for both the victims of these serious crimes and the community,” the association wrote. Local outlets in Oregon report that the Parole Board is facing a massive backlog of unclassified sex offenders that cannot be handled. Of the 33,000 registered in the state, approximately 18,000 were unclassified in January 2025, according to The News-Review in Roseburg, Oregon. All three bills have received massive backlash from community members, family members of victims, law enforcement agencies and other advocates for women and children. Though a few people have shown support for the suggestions, including Democratic Gov. Tina Kotek. The Senate Committee on Judiciary is set to hold a hearing Thursday afternoon.

First on Fox: House Republican campaign arm targets vulnerable Democrats who ‘voted to shut down’ government

First on Fox: House Republican campaign arm targets vulnerable Democrats who ‘voted to shut down’ government

EXCLUSIVE — The House GOP’s campaign committee is taking aim at congressional Democrats for voting against a measure to fund the federal government through Sept. 30 and avoid a government shutdown at the end of this week.  The National Republican Congressional Committee is launching digital ads against 35 House Democrats who may face challenging or competitive races in the 2026 midterms, when the GOP aims to defend its fragile majority in the chamber. The spots, shared first with Fox News Wednesday morning, are going up hours after the House, almost entirely along party lines, voted 217-213 to pass a Republican-crafted bill that cuts non-defense spending by roughly $13 billion, boosts defense spending by around $6 billion and gives President Donald Trump more leeway in how to spend the funds. Thanks to heavy last-minute lobbying by Trump and his allies inside and outside the chamber, the House GOP didn’t need a single Democrat’s vote to pass the bill. TRUMP-BACKED BILL TO KEEP GOVERNMENT FUNDED CLEARS KEY HURDLE One Democrat, moderate Jared Golden of Maine, who represents a district carried by Trump the past three presidential elections, voted for the Republican measure. And the one Republican to vote against the bill, far right Rep. Thomas Massie of Kentucky, is being threatened by Trump and his allies with a possible primary challenge next year when he’s up for re-election. CLICK HERE TO READ WHAT’S IN THE FULL BILL  The digital ads by the NRCC, which are identical for all the targets, will run online in the districts of Democratic representatives Josh Harder (CA-09), Adam Gray (CA-13), Jim Costa, (CA-21), Raul Ruiz (CA-25), George Whitesides (CA-27), Derek Tran (CA-45), Dave Min (CA-47) and Mike Levin (CA-49) of California; Darren Soto (FL-09) and Jared Moskowitz (FL-23) of Florida; Eric Sorensen (IL-17) of Illinois; Frank Mrvan (IN-01) of Indiana; Kristen McDonald Rivet (MN-08) of Michigan; Don Davis (NC-01) of North Carolina; Chris Pappas (NH-01) and Maggie Goodlander (NH-02) of New Hampshire; Josh Gottheimer (NJ-05) and Nellie Pou (NJ-09) of New Jersey; Gabe Vasquez (NM-02) of New Mexico; Dina Titus (NV-01), Susie Lee (NV-03) and Steven Horsford (NV-04) of Nevada; Tom Suozzi (NY-03), Laura Gillen (NY-04), Pat Ryan (NY-18) and Josh Riley (NY-19) of New York; Greg Landsman (OH-01), Marcy Kaptur (OH-09), and Emilia Syles (OH-13) of Ohio; Janelle Bynum (OR-05) of Oregon; Henry Cuellar (TX-28) and Vicente Gonzalez (TX-34) of Texas; Eugene Vindman (VA-07) of Virginia; and Marie Gluesenkamp Perez (WA-03) of Washington state. The NRCC says there’s a modest ad buy behind the digital spots. “House Democrats threw a tantrum at the expense of the American people, shutting down the government just to score political points. After months of failure, they’ve learned nothing and doubled down on their embarrassing dysfunction.” NRCC spokesman Mike Marinella said. HOUSE GOP CAMPAIGN COMMITTEE CHAIR MAKES PREDICTION ABOUT 2026 MIDTERM ELECTIONS Democrats disagree. “The strong House Democratic vote in opposition to this reckless Republican spending bill speaks for itself,” House Minority Leader Rep. Hakeem Jeffries of New York, the top Democrat in the chamber, told reporters after the vote. And House Democratic Caucus Chair Rep. Pete Aguilar of California took aim at what he called a “partisan” measure and emphasized that “we put up a strong vote in opposition of this bill because this hurts families.” 

NASA spent $13M on DEI under Biden while critical mission, quality controls flailed, watchdog group says

NASA spent M on DEI under Biden while critical mission, quality controls flailed, watchdog group says

While issues at NASA grew under former President Joe Biden, the space agency prioritized embedding diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) initiatives into its workforce, according to a new report from watchdog group OpenTheBooks. Amid preparations for its Starliner capsule mission — which ultimately went awry, leaving two astronauts stranded in space — NASA spent more than $13 million on related efforts between 2021 and 2024. During the ongoing Starliner spaceship debacle, an Inspector General report highlighted even further shortcomings by the agency, particularly related to quality control around NASA’s efforts to return astronauts to the moon. Simultaneously, while NASA was facing these mission-critical deficiencies, it was also reportedly taking substantial steps to embed DEI into agency practices through a variety of avenues, including grants, contracts, employee guidance, agency-wide strategic equity commitments, book talks and more. NEW STUDY REVEALS ‘STAGGERING’ SCOPE OF HOW MUCH DEI WAS INFUSED INTO GOVERNMENT UNDER BIDEN During President Donald Trump’s first term, he sought to root out DEI programs in the federal government, similar to his efforts today. Before ending his first term, in September 2020, Trump signed an executive order to combat race and sex stereotyping within federal government programs. His order was rescinded just a few months later by the Biden administration. During former President Joe Biden’s first few days in office, he signed several executive orders aimed at embedding the equity considerations Trump sought to get rid of in federal government programs. Following Biden’s directives, NASA went full force at embedding these principles into its day-to-day operations, OpenTheBooks’ report illustrates. At the same time, NASA was preparing its Starliner capsule to transport two astronauts to the International Space Station for what was intended to be a week-long mission. Instead, due to multiple malfunctions with the rocket that carried them there, the astronauts were stranded in space for months. Elon Musk’s SpaceX was ultimately tapped to help bring the astronauts home, and they are expected to return sometime this month. In 2021, the same year NASA’s Starliner capsule was undergoing test flights, NASA employees were engaged in a book talk about “open[ing] the lines of communication on anti-racism,” alongside author Uju Asika. Asika, who was also invited back the following year, spoke to parents at NASA about her book, “Bringing Up Race: How to Raise a Kind Child in a Prejudiced World,” in which she laments her “Eurocentric” education in the U.K., “colonialism,” and the results of the 2016 election. An earlier book talk at the space agency in 2020 included talks by infamous anti-racist scholar Ibram X. Kendi.  NASA ASTRONAUTS NOT ‘FRETTING’ OVER EXTENDED MISSION, ‘GRATEFUL’ FOR MORE TIME IN SPACE AFTER STARLINER WOES Around the same time as Asika’s talks to NASA employees, the agency also unveiled its 2022-2026 “Strategic Plan for Diversity, Equity Inclusion & Accessibility.” Major goals of the plan included race and sex-based hiring and promotion initiatives. The same year, NASA unveiled its 2022 Equity Action Plan, which included new DEI-related contractor policies. Those policies, among other things, included “a requirement for contractors to provide a DEIA plan upon award to demonstrate commitment to diversifying their workforce.” The Equity Action Plan also retooled NASA’s grant and procurement process, aimed at encouraging grant proposers to consider DEI principles, even when seemingly unrelated. In 2022, employees were also provided guidance “for Supporting Gender Transition/Affirmation in the Workplace.” The guidance encouraged employees to “be willing and available to collaborate with the transitioning employee on the development, implementation, and evolution of a Workplace Gender.” It added that any “transitioning employees” should be allowed to use the restroom, locker room, or other facility of their choice, and not compelled to use one that does not align with their choice. In total, NASA spent at least $13 million on DEI-related programs under Biden, according to OpenTheBooks. One contract uncovered by the organization provided more than $2.3 million for a consulting group to help “incorporate and deeply engrain diversity, inclusion, equity, and accessibility in the culture and business” at NASA.  ‘GUTFELD!’: HOLLYWOOD DITCHES DEI “NASA’s mission is too risky to get distracted by identity politics,” John Hart, CEO at OpenTheBooks, said.  “Newtonian physics and atmospheric reentry do not care about antiracism talks and gender ‘affirmation’ policies,” Hart added. “NASA has an opportunity to take one small step toward fiscal responsibility and one giant leap toward common sense.” Beyond the Starliner mission debacle that left two astronauts stranded in space, a report from the Inspector General last year detailed widespread quality control issues in NASA and contractor Boeing’s efforts to return astronauts to the moon. The report pointed out that workers on NASA’s Space Launch System program lacked sufficient experience, among other issues. This week, the Trump administration began a “phased reduction in force” at NASA, which included shuttering the agency’s Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Accessibility branch in the Office of Diversity and Equal Opportunity. CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP Acting NASA administrator Janet Petro said in a memo to employees at NASA this week that while the force reduction, which includes the closure of multiple offices, will mean “difficult adjustments,” the agency is viewing it as an opportunity to “reshape” its workforce and ensure it is “doing what is statutorily required … while also providing American citizens with an efficient and effective agency.”  “NASA is committed to engaging the best talent to drive innovation and achieve our mission for the benefit of all,” Cheryl Warner, a NASA spokesperson, told Fox News Digital when reached for comment. “As new guidance comes in, we’re working to adhere to new requirements in a timely manner. Our agency has complied with the requirements of executive orders and additional guidance from the U.S. Office of Personnel Management.”