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Idaho becomes first state to prefer death by firing squad for executions

Idaho becomes first state to prefer death by firing squad for executions

Idaho Gov. Brad Little signed his name on a bill Wednesday making Idaho the only state in the U.S. to have a firing squad designated as the preferred execution method for capital punishment, beginning next year. The governor’s action comes less than a week after Brad Sigmon, 67, of South Carolina, was executed by way of a firing squad for killing his ex-girlfriend’s parents with a baseball bat in 2001. Sigmon was pronounced dead nearly three minutes after being shot by three volunteer prison employees last Friday – a method used for the first time in 15 years in the U.S. The Idaho Statesman reported that Idaho has nine prisoners on death row, though the death penalty has not been carried out in the state in over a dozen years. IDAHO BEEFS UP FIRING SQUAD AS BRYAN KOHBERGER TRIAL NEARS Last year, the state was unable to execute Thomas Eugene Creech, one of the longest-serving death row inmates in the U.S. Medical personnel administering the lethal injection failed to establish an IV line despite trying for roughly an hour. The bill’s tracking sheet shows that over two-thirds of the Republican-controlled legislature supported the measure, which, along with making death by firing squad the preferred method, also kept lethal injection as the state’s backup method. Fox News Digital has reached out to Little’s office for comment on the matter. IDAHO SERIAL KILLER SURVIVES LETHAL INJECTION ATTEMPT, PROMPTING RENEWED PUSH FOR FIRING SQUAD Little approved a law in 2023 to add execution by firing squad as the state’s backup execution method, though at the time he said his preferred method was by lethal injection. Idaho, then became the fifth state in the country to legalize the practice, following Utah, Oklahoma, South Carolina, and Mississippi. This time around, bill sponsor Rep. Bruce Skaug, who previously pushed for legislation that restored the firing squad as a backup option to lethal injection, argued that the botched lethal injection of Creech last year highlights problems with that method. IDAHO’S MOVE TO RESURRECT FIRING SQUAD ‘MAKES SENSE’ AS ‘QUICKEST, SUREST’ DEATH PENALTY OPTION, EXPERT SAYS The newly legalized execution method could impact the state’s eight current death row inmates and possibly the future University of Idaho college murders suspect Bryan Kohberger.  Little signed the bill as prosecutors have said they will seek the death penalty for Kohberger if he is convicted. His trial is scheduled for later this year, and he faces four charges of first-degree murder and another charge of felony burglary. A judge entered not-guilty pleas on his behalf at his arraignment.  Fox News Digital’s Michael Ruiz and Stepheny Price contributed to this report.

Hegseth orders review of military fitness and grooming standards: ‘Our adversaries are not growing weaker’

Hegseth orders review of military fitness and grooming standards: ‘Our adversaries are not growing weaker’

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth is ordering a review of military fitness and grooming standards as the Trump administration continues to reverse policies critics say have made America’s fighting force appear weaker on the global stage.  In a memo Wednesday to senior Pentagon leadership, Hegseth ordered Darin Selnick, the under secretary of defense for personnel and readiness, to gather existing standards in all U.S. military branches related to physical fitness, body composition and grooming, including regulations on beards.  “We must remain vigilant in maintaining the standards that enable the men and women of our military to protect the American people and our homeland as the world’s most lethal and effective fighting force,” Hegseth said in a statement. “Our adversaries are not growing weaker, and our tasks are not growing less challenging.” SECRETARY HEGSETH SAYS THE DOD DOES NOT DO ‘CLIMATE CHANGE CRAP’ The review will “illuminate how the department has maintained the level of standards required over the recent past and the trajectory of any change in those standards,” he added.  DOGE INITIAL FINDINGS ON DEFENSE DEPARTMENT DEI SPENDING COULD SAVE $80M, AGENCY SAYS Leaders will look at how those standards have changed since Jan. 1, 2015, and provide insight into how they have evolved and the effect of those changes.   Hegseth has vowed to bring back tougher standards while reversing “woke” policies that don’t align with restoring the warrior ethos, rebuilding the military and reestablishing deterrence.    CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP “Our standards will be high, uncompromising, and clear,” he said in a Jan. 25 memo to service members. “The strength of our military is our unity and our shared purpose.”

Illinois Dem lawmaker pushes bill to legalize attacks on police for people having mental health episode

Illinois Dem lawmaker pushes bill to legalize attacks on police for people having mental health episode

An Illinois lawmaker has introduced a bill that critics say will make it legal for anyone experiencing a mental health episode to attack police officers. Democratic state Rep. Lisa Davis, an attorney in the Law Office of the Cook County Public Defender’s office, introduced House Bill 3458 in February.  Under the terms of the legislation, the bill would “[provide] that it is a defense to aggravated battery when the individual battered is a peace officer and the officer responded to an incident in which the officer interacted with a person whom a reasonable officer could believe was having a mental health episode and the person with whom the officer interacted has a documented mental illness and acted abruptly.” ‘PRO-CRIMINAL’: BLUE STATE SHERIFF UNLOADS ON ‘DISGUSTING’ BILL TARGETING THE RIGHT TO SELF-DEFENSE The bill has picked up two co-sponsors, Reps. Marcus Evans and Kelly Cassidy.  Currently, a person in Illinois can be charged with aggravated battery if they attack “an individual whom the person knows to be a peace officer, community policing volunteer, fireman, private security officer, correctional institution employee, or Department of Human Services employee supervising or controlling sexually dangerous persons or sexually violent persons.” Second Cop City, a blog that reports on Chicago policing matters, first reported on the bill. TRUMP SUPPORTING CALIFORNIA SHERIFF LAUNCHES REPUBLICAN RUN FOR GOVERNOR IN RACE TO SUCCEED NEWSOM “If this passes, mental illness will be an excuse to attack and beat police officers,” the blog states. “In fact, who wants to bet there will be thousands of people who suddenly have doctor notes that permit them to attack cops?” Davis’ proposal would legalize attacks on peace officers. Other first responders would be spared, such as firefighters, like her husband, CWB Chicago reported.  The bill has been referred to the Illinois General Assembly Rules Committee, where unpopular legislation goes to die, the news report states.  Fox News Digital has reached out to Davis and the Chicago chapter of the Grand Lodge of the Fraternal Order of Police. 

SpaceX launch scrubbed hours after Hegseth shares message to rescue mission crew: ‘Wish you Godspeed’

SpaceX launch scrubbed hours after Hegseth shares message to rescue mission crew: ‘Wish you Godspeed’

SpaceX and NASA scrubbed the planned rocket launch of Crew-10 to the International Space Station (ISS) on Wednesday due to a hydraulic issue with one of the ground systems, according to officials giving a live broadcast of the event. NASA and SpaceX will get their next opportunity to send the rocket into space when the launch window opens on Thursday at 7:25 p.m. Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth shared a message of support for NASA’s SpaceX Crew-10 ahead of their launch on Wednesday, highlighting the U.S. military’s prominent role in the mission. “I just want to take a brief moment to say we are praying for you,” Hegseth said in a video posted to X. “We wish you Godspeed, and we look forward to welcoming you all home soon.”  TRUMP SENDS SPECIAL MESSAGE TO STRANDED ASTRONAUTS, JOKES HE MAY GO ALONG FOR RESCUE: ‘WE LOVE YOU’ NASA’s SpaceX Crew-10 is slated to launch from the Kennedy Space Center at 7:48 p.m. on Wednesday. The SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket will carry a crew of four to the ISS for a six-month residency. The mission is set to usher in the much-anticipated homecoming of Barry “Butch” Wilmore and Suni Williams. “President Trump said to Elon Musk, ‘get the astronauts home and do it now’ – and they’re responding,” Hegseth continued. “And they’re bringing NASA astronauts, [who] also happen to be retired U.S. Navy Capt. Butch Wilmore and retired U.S. Navy Capt. Suni Williams, home.” The American astronauts have been stranded on the ISS for nine months after arriving there in June of last year. They were only supposed to stay for about a week.  Boeing’s Starliner spacecraft had transported the pair of astronauts from Earth to the ISS. However, it returned to Earth unmanned in September. This came after Starliner suffered “helium leaks” and “issues with the spacecraft reaction control thrusters” while docking with the ISS.  NASA ASTRONAUTS NOT ‘FRETTING’ OVER EXTENDED MISSION, ‘GRATEFUL’ FOR MORE TIME IN SPACE AFTER STARLINER WOES “Now, the Department of Defense is also proud to have multiple branches and two active-duty U.S. military officers represented in the mission that’s kicking off tonight between NASA and SpaceX. Yet, U.S. Army Colonel Anne McClain and U.S. Air Force Major Nichole Ayers,” Hegseth said. “So this is Army, Air Force and Navy tonight.” In addition to McClain and Ayers, Crew-10 also includes an astronaut from Japan and one from Russia.  BOEING’S STARLINER SPACECRAFT LANDS BACK ON EARTH WITHOUT A CREW Wednesday’s launch comes after President Donald Trump asked SpaceX CEO Elon Musk to rescue the stranded astronauts sooner than NASA had planned. Trump has repeatedly said former President Joe Biden “abandoned” them in space. Musk definitively told FOX Business’ Larry Kudlow earlier in the week: “We’re gonna get ’em back.” BOEING STARLINER UNDOCKS FROM SPACE STATION, HEADS TO EARTH UNMANNED AS CREW STAYS BEHIND NASA said there will be a “handover period” with the SpaceX Crew-10 before Wilmore and Williams head back to their home planet. They could return to Earth as early as Sunday. Last week, Trump shared a special message for Wilmore and Williams. NASA ASTRONAUT SAYS STARLINER CREW LIKELY TO CHANGE EXERCISE ROUTINE DURING EXTENDED ISS STAY  CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP “Elon [Musk] is right now preparing a ship to go up and get them,” the president told Fox News senior White House correspondent Peter Doocy. “We love you, and we’re coming up to get you, and you shouldn’t have been up there so long.” FOX Business’ Aislinn Murphy contributed to this report.

‘They/Them/Turtle’: Oregon mental health advisory board includes member who identifies as terrapin species

‘They/Them/Turtle’: Oregon mental health advisory board includes member who identifies as terrapin species

A member of a state panel advising the director of Oregon’s Health Authority (OHA) on best practices and policies in mental health identifies as a “turtle.” JD Holt, who also goes by “JD Terrapin” on Facebook, is one of roughly two dozen “consumers” on the OHA’s Consumer Advisory Council (OCAC). The council, established by administrative statute, is appointed by OHA Director Dr. Sejal Hathi, who was appointed by Gov. Tina Kotek, a Democrat. The purpose of the OCAC is to advise Hathi on the state’s provision of mental health services, including through investigations and reviews of current practices.  “Hello everybody, it’s JD. I use they, them and turtle for my pronouns. I’m in the Springfield-Eugene area and I get to be part of the council,” Holt said during a Dec. 20 virtual OCAC meeting. Gender Wiki, a website that documents the list of non-binary genders, describes “turtlegender,” sometimes called “tortoisegender,” as “a xenogender identity in which one feels a gendered connection to turtles.” TRUMP ADMIN CUTS FUNDING TO MAINE UNIVERSITIES AS STATE DEFIES ORDER TO BAN TRANS ATHLETES FROM WOMEN’S SPORTS “One may feel their gender is replaced by a ‘turtle,’ or their gender is best described with the use of turtles,” the site reads.  During a Dec. 17 meeting, an OHA member introduced themselves as, “Luke A Shooting Star.” In a statement to Fox News Digital, OHA said that every member of the Consumer Advisory Council and the perspectives they bring “are highly valued.” “In following Oregon statute, every member of the Oregon Consumer Advisory Council is someone with lived experience, bring [sic] the voice and experiences of people across the state that have experienced behavioral health challenges,” said OHA spokesperson Amber Shoebridge. PARENTAL RIGHTS GROUP FILES COMPLAINT AGAINST OREGON SCHOOL SYSTEM FOR ALLEGED RACIAL DISCRIMINATION  In response to questions about how Hathi goes about appointing members of the committee, Shoebridge said it is a joint effort between existing members on the council, a seven-member committee appointed by the council and the director, who ultimately makes the final decision. Shoebridge added that those selected “represent independent, consumer-run organizations, consumer-run advocacy organizations and consumer-operated advisory councils that are active or headquartered in this state.” Duties of the advisory council, among other things, include the ability to “investigate,” “evaluate” and “recommend” the state’s behavioral health resources. Specifically, the OCAC develops a working plan with recommendations and goals every year, and is also given the authority to establish “committees to investigate specific areas of interest related to Behavioral Health services.” The council’s governing rules were updated as recently as last year, and state legislators have previously taken steps to strengthen its role in shaping decisions on mental health service policies. The OHA did not respond to questions about how much money gets allocated to the OCAC in time for publication; however, the OHA budget for the 2023-2025 biennium was $35.8 billion, according to the agency’s website.  PENTAGON SAYS TRANSGENDER TROOPS ARE DISQUALIFIED FROM SERVICE WITHOUT AN EXEMPTION Each council member serves for a term of two years and can be reelected once, according to the administrative statute establishing the panel.  According to a Fox News review of Holt’s public Facebook posts, Holt has promoted “anarchist” causes and encouraged people to obstruct immigration enforcement actions. “WHAT TO DO AT AN ICE CHECKPOINT, ESPECIALLY IF YOU ARE WHITE and/or FEEL THE NEED TO JAM UP THE WORKS,” Holt wrote in a Jan. 29 Facebook post. Holt’s post encouraged people to yell and scream at federal immigration authorities and make their jobs as “difficult and uncomfortable” as possible. Fox News Digital reached out to Holt, Hathi and Kotek, but did not hear back by press time.