United Nations set to call on Americans to reduce meat consumption
A lead United Nations agency overseeing food and agriculture policy is expected to issue a road map in the coming weeks which will call on the West, including America, to dramatically reduce its meat consumption. The UN’s Food & Agriculture Organization (FAO) will publish its so-called global food systems’ road map during the upcoming COP28 climate summit in Dubai which will kick off on Thursday and extend nearly two weeks until mid-December. FAO’s first-of-its-kind document will recommend nations that “over-consume meat” to limit their consumption as part of a broader effort to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, Bloomberg reported. “The failure of leading meat and dairy companies to reduce emissions underlines the urgent need for more policy focus on the food and agriculture sector,” Jeremy Coller, the chair and founder of the FAIRR Initiative, an investor network that works with financial institutions to promote climate-friendly agriculture worldwide, said in a recent statement. “Food system emissions deserve a place at the top of the table, alongside energy and transport, as they represent an estimated third of greenhouse gas emissions and 40% of methane,” he continued. “Investors hope the first-ever publication of a food and agriculture road map at COP28 this month will catalyze the transition to 1.5 degrees and a more sustainable food system.” DARK MONEY FUND POURED MILLIONS OF DOLLARS INTO ECO ACTIVIST GROUPS BLOCKING HIGHWAYS, DESTROYING FAMOUS ART In addition to issuing guidelines for reducing meat consumption in the West, the FAO is expected to highlight how farmers should adapt to “erratic weather” and tackle their emissions produced from food waste and use of fertilizer, according to Bloomberg. The recommendations, which the U.S. COP28 delegation may sign onto, will not be binding. Overall, the road map will seek to guide policy on lowering the climate impact of the global agriculture industry, which has rarely received such attention at past UN climate conferences. Past COP summits have been far more keen to address emissions generated from the global power, transportation and manufacturing sectors. “We already have solutions to tackle climate change, and many of these solutions, whether it is agroforestry, restoration of soils, sustainable livestock, or fisheries management, have multiple benefits as they can also support the sustainable use of biodiversity, as well as help with food security — multiple benefits from the same solutions that only agriculture and food systems offer,” Kaveh Zahedi, the director of the FAO Office of Climate Change, said last week. BIDEN ADMIN QUIETLY DEVELOPING SETTLEMENT WITH GROUPS SEEKING TO TEAR DOWN KEY POWER SOURCE The global food system — which includes land-use change, actual agricultural production, packaging and waste management — generates about 18 billion tons of carbon dioxide per year, the equivalent of 34% of total worldwide emissions, according to a March 2021 study published in the Nature Food journal. FAO data indicates livestock alone is responsible for around 14.5% of global greenhouse gas emissions. The UN has, for years, called for individuals to ditch animal-based diets, which it says “have a high impact on our planet.” Instead, individuals should choose plant-based foods, according to the UN, which can reduce a person’s annual carbon footprint by up to 2.1 tons. In the U.S., though, agriculture alone generates about 10% of total greenhouse gas emissions, federal data shows. The American agriculture sector accounts for just 1.4% of global emissions and has implemented a wide range of solutions, making it the nation’s lowest-emitting economic sector. WHITE HOUSE PROHIBITING OFFICIAL TRAVEL TO FOSSIL FUEL CONFERENCES, INTERNAL MEMO SHOWS “America’s farmers and ranchers are climate heroes, reducing emissions while providing abundant and affordable food, fiber, and fuel,” House Agriculture Committee Chairman Glenn Thompson, R-Pa., told Fox News Digital in a statement. “Regulating producers out of business in the U.S. will not effectively address global climate change, but export production to foreign countries with hostile regimes and worse emissions profiles while harming food security and affordability. Simply put, the world needs American farmers and ranchers more than the UN,” he added. According to the American Farm Bureau Federation, U.S. farmers are getting more than three times the production compared to what they put in. And emissions have significantly declined in pork and beef production. In May, meanwhile, Thompson joined a group of fellow House Republicans in rebuking President Biden’s special climate envoy John Kerry over his comments singling out food emissions. They called on President Biden and Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack to disavow the comments which were delivered at the Department of Agriculture’s AIM for Climate Summit earlier that month. “A lot of people have no clue that agriculture contributes about 33% of all the emissions of the world,” Kerry remarked at the time. “We can’t get to net-zero, we don’t get this job done unless agriculture is front and center as part of the solution. So all of us understand here the depths of this mission.” “Food systems themselves contribute a significant amount of emissions just in the way in which we do the things we’ve been doing,” he continued. “With a growing population on the planet – we just crossed the threshold of 8 billion fellow citizens around the world – emissions from the food system alone are projected to cause another half a degree of warming by mid-century.” Neither FAO nor Kerry’s office responded to a request for comment by time of publication.
Religious leaders call on Congress to ‘take action now’ to combat antisemitism, defend Israel
Leaders of American religious communities and organizations pledged their support to Israel and the Jewish people this week, while urging Congress to “take action now” to help fund Israel’s defense and fight antisemitism. Faith & Freedom Coalition leaders were joined by more than a dozen religious leaders from across the country in writing a letter to House Speaker Mike Johnson, House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, and Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell this week. “We the undersigned leaders of American religious communities and organizations, join herein to defend the Jewish people, the State of Israel, and the values that unite us as people of faith,” they wrote, noting that the group represents “many faith traditions and have come together, in one voice, to defend our shared humanity against barbarism and terror.” The leaders called Hamas’ “barbaric” terror attack on Israel on October 7 the “most significant massacre of the Jewish people since the Holocaust.” AMERICAN JEWS EMBRACE THEIR FAITH AND TRADITIONS IN WAKE OF TERROR ATTACK, SURVEY OF RABBIS REVEALS “In the wake of this horrific terror, antisemitic protests erupted in the United States and around the world. We will not remain silent in response,” they wrote. The leaders noted that despite the antisemitic protests breaking out in cities across the nation, the “majority of Americans continue to stand by their Jewish brothers and sisters in the United States and in the Jewish homeland of Israel.” “As Jews remain the target of more than half of religion-motivated hate crimes in the United States and Israel faces a fight for its survival, Americans of all faiths and backgrounds must take action now,” they wrote. The faith leaders issued a “united condemnation of antisemitism” and proclaimed their “support for Israel’s right to self-defense.” “The United States government, and the people’s representatives in Congress, cannot waver both in combatting antisemitism and in supporting the State of Israel,” they wrote. SOARING ANTISEMITISM IN US STARTED WITH UN BASHING ISRAEL, ENVOY SAYS Faith & Freedom Coalition Chairman Ralph Reed, in an interview with Fox News Digital, said the letter lays out “tangible legislative action.” “It is nice to have the rhetorical condemnations, but what we really need right now is rigorous congressional oversight, a robust response by the Department of Justice and the Department of Homeland Security, and legislative action,” Reed said. Reed and the faith leaders called on Congress to make it a “top priority” to advance legislation that would help to fund Israel’s defense “as soon as possible.” They also Congress to pass the “Countering Hate Against Israel by Federal Contractors Act,” which is bipartisan legislation that would ensure U.S. taxpayer dollars are not “subsidizing the antisemitic movement to boycott Israel out of existence.” The faith leaders also called for the passage of the “Antisemitism Awareness Act,” which is bipartisan legislation that would revoke tax-exempt statuses of universities that refuse to fight antisemitism on campus. That measure would also direct the Biden administration to use the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance’s definition of antisemitism while investigating hate crimes. The faith leaders also demanded the passage of the “Maximum Pressure Act,” which would require any new deal with Iran to be ratified by the U.S. Senate. It would also restrict the president’s ability to lift sanctions on Iran. The leaders also called for the passage of the “No Funds for Iranian Terrorism Act,” which would permanently freeze the $6 billion of Iranian funds that were released as part of the Biden administration’s 2023 hostage deal. IRAN CELEBRATES NEW HYPERSONIC MISSILE AMID NEW THREATS BY ITS PROXIES AGAINST US, ALLIES Reed told Fox News Digital that faith leaders are “concerned that the response of the international community and United States policy has been focused singularly and almost solely on Hamas.” “As much as we agree that Hamas needs to be destroyed and it can no longer govern or lead Gaza, it is in fact, a symptom of a much deeper problem and that is Iran’s funding, directing, training and command and control of multiple terrorist proxies throughout the region and the world.” He added: “We want that dealt with.” Reed told Fox News Digital that he is “confident” that the letter will have a “tremendous impact.” “These faith leaders represent somewhere between 40 and 60 million Evangelical Christians and they are a huge and important constituency that will not and cannot be ignored,” Reed said. “The steps we lay out are bipartisan. They are very mainstream, and there is no reason why they can’t be embraced by both parties, and by Congress, as well as the administration.” Meanwhile, the faith leaders also called for “vigorous congressional oversight” to ensure that the Department of Justice, Department of Homeland Security and other agencies “take all necessary measures to prevent, prosecute, and punish antisemitic hate crimes in the United States.” The faith leaders also asked for support to Israel’s efforts to “degrade and destroy” Hamas and “Palestinian Islamic Jihad” in Gaza; help Israel with its Iron Dome protection; press for economic and diplomatic “normalization” between Israel and regional Arab nations; maintain sanctions on the Iranian regime; and measures to force Qatar to “choose between remaining a major non-NATO ally of the United States or continuing its support for Hamas leadership and terrorism.” “As faith leaders representing many traditions, we affirm our support for the Jewish people and the State of Israel,” they wrote. “We call on Americans of all religious backgrounds to join us in pledging our unwavering commitment to stand by our Jewish brothers and sisters.”
Sen Marshall urges GOP to say ‘Hell no’ to supplemental funding request without tighter border security
Tackling the Biden administration’s national supplemental funding request is at the top of the agenda as the Senate returns from Thanksgiving recess this week, but it may prove to be a difficult feat for GOP lawmakers in the upper chamber who are trying to strike a deal on including tighter border security provisions. Disagreement over tying Israel and Ukraine funding together also persists, as GOP lawmakers who have grown skeptical of aid to Ukraine since the start of the Russian invasion last year are more in favor of pausing aid to the Eastern European country. Sen. Roger Marshall, R-Kansas, one of the lead lawmakers striving to split up Israel and Ukraine aid, told Fox News Digital that funding for Israel and stronger border security measures, like stricter asylum standards and more border patrol agents, should go hand in hand. “What we need is Republican leadership to stand up and say, ‘Hell no, we will not vote cloture on anything that doesn’t include meaningful border security,’” Marshall told Fox News Digital in an interview Monday. BORDER PATROL SAYS IT’S PAUSING SOCIAL MEDIA TO DEAL WITH MIGRANT SURGE Marshall said the GOP-controlled House leadership “are on a different planet” than the Democrat-controlled upper chamber and are no closer to a deal than they were at the start of October on border security negotiations. However, the “cry for border security becomes louder,” he added. Republican senators released a series of measures that are largely drawn from the House GOP signature border and immigration legislation, H.R. 2, passed in the Republican-controlled House earlier this year. The measures would be a condition for Republicans to agree to a $106 billion request for aid for Ukraine and Israel, which also includes $14 billion for border operations. GOP Sens. Marshall, Ted Cruz, JD Vance and Mike Lee introduced a stand-alone bill to funnel aid to Israel without tying it to Ukraine aid in October. The bill, called the Israel Supplemental Appropriations Act, is an alternative to President Biden’s $106 billion emergency supplemental bill. “We can’t even get a small amount of GOP lawmakers to agree on Ukraine funding, on border security, let alone Republicans and Democrats in the Senate and the House,” Marshall told Fox News Digital. “That’s why we gotta pull out Israel funding.” WHITE HOUSE, SENATE DEMS REJECT GOP BORDER SECURITY PROPOSALS: ‘TOTAL NON-STARTER’ The Israel Supplemental Appropriations Act, if passed, would provide $14.3 billion to Israel, including $10.6 billion for assistance through the Department of Defense (DOD), $3.5 billion for foreign military financing and $200 million to help protect U.S. embassies and personnel. But Senate Democrats blocked the proposal when it was brought to the floor this month. Senate Democrats have said a package without Ukraine funding would be dead-on-arrival. Meanwhile, Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., and House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., have both signaled the GOP will pass more Ukraine funding if a deal is struck for tighter immigration laws. The White House’s supplemental request, which was sent to Congress in October, includes $61.4 billion for Ukraine, $14.3 billion for Israel (with $10.6 billion allocated for military aid), $13.6 billion for some border security provisions, and significant investments in Indo-Pacific security assistance, totaling around $7.4 billion. Additionally, there’s $9 billion earmarked for humanitarian aid in Ukraine, Israel and Gaza. Republicans in the upper chamber say the border provisions, as outlined by the White House, do not address much-needed policy changes like stricter asylum standards at the southern border. WHITE HOUSE FUNDING REQUEST INCLUDES $14 BILLION FOR BORDER AS CRISIS HITS NEW RECORDS In a “Dear Colleague” letter sent Sunday night, Sen. Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y. announced a classified all-senators briefing on the Ukraine-Russia war in the coming days. “The biggest holdup to the national security assistance package right now is the insistence by our Republican colleagues on partisan border policy as a condition for vital Ukraine aid. This has injected a decades old, hyper-partisan issue into overwhelmingly bipartisan priorities,” Schumer said in the letter. But Marshall said he’s not budging. The U.S. government already sent more than $100 billion to Ukraine, and “they’re making no progress,” he said. “Every three days they try to shove Ukraine down our throat, and I don’t get it,” he said. “Everything that could be said has been said about it. We’re not dumb. This is not a rocket science deal going on in Ukraine. I’m almost insulted they keep trying to just say the same thing over and over, louder and louder like it’s going to change my mind.”
Iran flexes military advancements, increasing calls on Biden to act: ‘Weakness only invites more aggression’
The Iranian government is flexing its military power via a series of recent announcements as questions continue to grow as to whether the United States is doing enough to push back against the regime’s increased attacks on American interests in the aftermath of the Hamas terror attack in Israel on Oct. 7. On Monday, Iran unveiled a new sophisticated warship for its Caspian Sea fleet that it says will be “a “sea of peace and friendship” and said Iran’s naval power there will serve “peace, security of commercial fleets, confronting terrorists and probable incidents in the future.” The announcement comes shortly after the country claimed to have developed a new hypersonic ballistic missile, allegedly expanding one of the most dangerous military capabilities at their disposal. “Iran is continuing to try to signal that its military industries are impervious to and cannot be set back by sanctions, hence the pomp and circumstance here,” Behnam Ben Taleblu, senior fellow at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies, told Fox News Digital about the new Iranian warship. “Of note, the new vessel is to be deployed in the Caspian Sea, a sign of the regime’s increased securitization of the world’s largest lake and a major conduit for the drone trade with Russia.” As Iran announces military advancements, Iranian-backed proxies have carried out dozens of attacks on American bases and interests in the Middle East since the Iran-backed Hamas terror organization attacked Israel, including in international waters where Yemen’s Houthi rebels have fired upon and hijacked ships in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden. IRAN ON ‘EXECUTION SPREE’ SINCE START OF ISRAEL-HAMAS WAR, KILLING 107 ANTI-REGIME ACTIVISTS, ETHNIC MINORITY “Iran’s evolving anti-access, area-denial capabilities are likely to continue to trickle to proxies like the Houthis in Yemen, which already boast anti-ship cruise and anti-ship ballistic missiles,” Taleblu said. The increased attacks, along with what many have said is a lack of proportionate response by the United States, have caused increased criticism from top Republicans in Congress. CRITICS SLAM BIDEN ADMIN FOR WAIVER THAT GIVES IRAN ACCESS TO $10B FUND: ‘ABSOLUTELY OUTRAGEOUS’ “Since Joe Biden took office, Iran has attacked American positions in the Middle East over 150 times, with over 70 of those attacks in the last month,” Republican Sen. Tom Cotton of Arkansas told Fox News Digital on Monday. “Iran and its proxies know they can get away with this because the Biden administration rarely hits back. And when it does respond, the strikes only target empty warehouses or inconsequential proxy forces in Iraq or Syria.” “President Biden seems to be going out of his way to avoid targeting Iranians or the resources Iran holds dear. This weakness only invites more aggression from Iran and will continue unless the administration sends a clear message these attacks are unacceptable.” Fox News Digital reached out to the White House and National Security Council for comment but did not receive a response. “You’ve seen some saying there should perhaps be a more robust response to these ongoing attacks, whether it’s from Iranian-backed militias in Syria or Iraq, whether it’s the Houthis,” a reporter asked National Security Council spokesperson John Kirby at a Monday press briefing. “Is there any thought of changing up how that’s done?” “I don’t think we’re going to get into [the] business to telegraphing our punches,” Kirby replied. “We’ve responded forcefully against the threats to our forces in Iraq and Syria and now our forces in the Gulf region, the Gulf of Oman, Gulf of Aden. We’ll continue to do that as appropriate.” Taleblu told Fox News Digital that “while some may be tempted to write off any Iranian military changes as bluster,” the “administration cannot afford to ignore the overall trajectory of Iran’s military programs.” “Greater capability will generate greater risk tolerance and testing of red lines by Tehran. That is something no U.S. president [can] afford to ignore.” Fox News Digital’s Peter Aitken contributed to this report.
2024 showdown: Biden faces bigger polling deficit now than Obama did in 2011
Amid a spate of polls suggesting President Biden trails former President Donald Trump in a likely 2024 election rematch, the Biden campaign and Democratic allies point back nearly a dozen years. That’s when former President Barack Obama – with Biden as his running mate – won re-election to a second term in the White House in 2012 despite polls a year earlier predicting a ballot box defeat for the incumbent. “Predictions more than a year out tend to look a little different a year later,” Biden campaign spokesperson Kevin Munoz said earlier this month. “Don’t take our word for it: Gallup predicted an eight point loss for President Obama only for him to win handedly a year later,” Munoz added. HEAD HERE TO CHECK OUT THE LATEST FOX NEWS 2024 POLLING And Biden campaign manager Julie Chavez Rodriquez wrote in a recent fundraising email that “the year is 2011. It’s one-year out from Election Day, and the New York Times has just put out polling showing President Obama trailing significantly in battleground states.” But a trip down memory lane reminds us that while Obama was saddled in late 2011 with unfavorable polling a year before his re-election, his standing was not as troublesome as the deficits Biden currently faces. THE FINAL COUNTDOWN: TRUMP REMAINS COMMANDING FRONT RUNNER 50 DAYS BEFORE START OF GOP PRESIDENTIAL NOMINATING CALENDAR Obama mostly maintained a slight polling advantage over eventual 2012 GOP nominee Mitt Romney. A Fox News poll from early December 2011 indicated the incumbent with a 44%-42% edge over Romney, after trailing the then-former Massachusetts governor by two points in a November survey. And Obama topped another top contender for the 2012 Republican presidential nomination – former House Speaker Newt Gingrich – by five and six points in the November and December 2011 Fox News polls. Fast-forward a dozen years and Biden trails Trump – the commanding front-runner for the 2024 GOP presidential nomination as he makes his third straight White House bid – by four points. The same Fox News national poll, conducted Nov. 10-13, suggests the president down by five points to Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis and trailing by 12 points to former ambassador and former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley, in hypothetical 2024 general election showdowns. The president’s approval rating is also deeper underwater than Obama’s was a dozen years ago. Biden’s approval rating, which has been in negative territory for over two years, stood at 40%-59% in the latest Fox News poll. Obama stood at 42%-48% in the Fox News November 2011 poll, and at 44%-51% in the survey a month later. The new Fox News poll, and surveys from other organizations, also point to high disapproval ratings for Biden among key groups that traditionally support Democrats. Veteran Republican pollster Neil Newhouse noted that polls “aren’t necessarily predictive a year out.” “But that doesn’t mean you ignore these polls and they [Biden’s campaign] do so at their own risk,” he emphasized. Newhouse, the lead pollster on Romney’s 2012 presidential campaign, argued that “Joe Biden is not the campaigner and communicator that Barack Obama was. The Obama folks had the full resources of a strong candidate at their disposal and I don’t think the Biden campaign does.” Obama’s polling woes in 2011 came the year after Democrats were trounced in the 2010 midterm elections. The Biden campaign notes that twelve years later, the current Democratic president and his party are coming off ballot box successes in the 2022 midterms, as well as this month’s off-year elections. Get the latest updates from the 2024 campaign trail, exclusive interviews and more at our Fox News Digital election hub.
WATCH: Biden shifts blame away from administration after admitting prices ‘still too high’
President Biden attempted to shift blame away from his administration for the state of consumer prices on Monday after admitting they were “still too high.” His comments came during a speech on the supply chain issues facing the U.S. after days of his administration taking a victory lap for lower Thanksgiving meal prices, as a percentage, stemming largely from higher household earnings rather than an actual large scale reduction in the cost of groceries. “Wages for working families have gone up while inflation has come down 65%, giving families a little more money in their pockets, a little more breathing room this holiday season,” Biden said. “But we know that prices are still too high for too many things, that times are still too tough for too many families. We’ve made progress, but we have more work to do.” WATCH: BIDEN OFFICIAL BUTCHERS POPULAR PHRASE COINED BY RONALD REAGAN ABOUT GOVERNMENT’S ROLE IN EVERYDAY LIFE “Let me be clear: Any corporation that’s not brought their prices back down even as inflation has come down, even as supply chains have been rebuilt, it’s time to stop the price gouging. Give the American consumer a break,” he added. Biden also repeated his administration’s talking point that the cost of making a Thanksgiving meal this year was the “fourth cheapest ever on record,” despite the cost of the meal being 30% higher than in 2020 and 25% higher than in 2019, according to the American Farm Bureau, which has tracked costs associated with the holiday since 1986. The claim is true considering the slight reduction in the cost of certain common Thanksgiving meal items, including the turkey, along with higher household earnings, but misleading when compared to costs in previous years. WATCH: JEAN-PIERRE GIVES TERSE RESPONSE WHEN QUESTIONED ON POSSIBLE STAFF SHAKEUP AMID BIDEN POLLING CRISIS Biden’s call for companies to lower prices following years of record-high inflation under his administration echoes the tongue lashing he gave oil companies last year amid the then-record-high gas prices plaguing American families. “We haven’t seen the lower prices reflected at the pump though. Meanwhile, oil and gas companies are still making record profits, billions of dollars in profits,” Biden said at a meeting with the White House Competition Council in Sep. 2022. “My message is simple. To the companies running gas stations and setting those prices at the pump: Bring down prices you’re charging at the pump to reflect the price you’re paying for the product. Do it now,” he added.
Supreme Court compels depositions for Arizona Republican leaders in voting law dispute
A Monday decision from the U.S. Supreme Court compels Arizona’s top Republican leaders to sit for depositions in an ongoing federal lawsuit concerning state voting rights. In their brief order, the justices refused to block the testimony from Arizona House Speaker Ben Toma and Arizona Senate President Warren Petersen – both Republicans – where they must explain, under oath, why they supported state laws requiring proof of citizenship to vote. Civil rights groups have argued that those laws, passed last year, are racially discriminatory. The Biden administration has also filed a separate lawsuit. Toma and Petersen, meanwhile, have defended the laws from legal challenges after the state’s governor and attorney general refused to do so. A federal district court judge ordered Toma and Petersen to sit for depositions explaining their reasons for defending the law. THE FINAL COUNTDOWN: TRUMP HOLDS COMMANDING LEAD OVER DESANTIS, HALEY, WITH 50 DAYS UNTIL IOWA CAUCUSES The court’s decision on Monday effectively rejects claims from Toma and Petersen that a deposition would violate legislative privilege – meaning that lawmakers are shielded from criminal and civil liability. The GOP lawmakers had filed an emergency request with the court. A federal judge tossed out the state laws in September on the grounds that federal laws control proof-of-citizenship mandates. The case has not gone into effect or to trial, but it could potentially have significant ramifications in a swing state going into the 2024 presidential election. The lawsuits included a coalition of civil, political, and voting groups including Mi Familia Vota, Living United for Change in Arizona, the national and state Democratic Party, and three other individuals. Fox News’ Shannon Bream and Bill Mears contributed to this report.
Third time the charm: Will George Santos survive the latest move to oust him from the House?
Rep. George Santos, R-N.Y., has survived two other efforts to oust him from Congress in recent weeks. But the third time may be the charm for lawmakers who believe Santos is unfit to serve. The House likely votes in the coming days on a measure to expel Santos for his myriad of alleged misdeeds, campaign finance abuses and generally, contriving an entire, faux life story and lying his way into a seat in the House of Representatives. The House sidetracked two previous efforts to expel Santos – never directly casting a ballot on his worthiness to be a House member. Those who opposed the plan to expel Santos weren’t defending him. They just noted that a court has never convicted Santos of alleged wrongdoing. Prior to Thanksgiving, the House Ethics Committee hadn’t completed its investigation into the conduct of Santos. SANTOS ACCUSES COLLEAGUES OF VOTING HUNGOVER, SLEEPING AROUND IN PROFANITY-LADEN TIRADE AGAINST ETHICS REPORT Article I, Section 5 of the Constitution grants each body of Congress authority to have the ultimate authority of who gets sworn-in, determine its own rules of proceedings, mete out discipline and “with the Concurrence of two thirds, expel a Member.” Expulsions are extremely rare in the House. The two-thirds threshold is steep. The worst thing to happen to those pushing to give Santos the boot would be to have a failed expulsion vote. A majority certainly may have wanted to expel Santos. But the House needs two-thirds to do so. That’s 290 yeas needed to expel if all current 434 members cast ballots. Just hours into the job, House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., expressed concern about providing Santos “due process.” Lawmakers were mindful of the precedent set to expel other lawmakers. In 1861, the House voted to expel late Reps. John Bullock Clark, D-Mo., John William Reid, D-Mo., and Henry Cornelius Bennett, D-Ky., for siding with the Confederacy during the Civil War. The House voted to expel former Rep. Ozzie Myers, D-Penn., after he was convicted of taking bribes as part of an FBI sting in 1980. Lawmakers expelled late Rep. Jim Traficant, D-Ohio, in 2002. A court found Traficant guilty of conspiracy, fraud and tax evasion charges. So, the House has expelled a grand total of five lawmakers in history. And Santos didn’t associate with the Confederacy (as far as we know). Santos faces a litany of criminal charges. But his trial doesn’t start until February. Therefore, is the bar high enough for expulsion? MIKE JOHNSON ON THE CLOCK We’ll know in a few days. The House Ethics Committee published an incriminating report at the conclusion of its inquiry into Santos just before Thanksgiving. Within hours, House Ethics Committee Chairman Michael Guest, R-Miss., announced he would introduce a resolution to expel Santos. The lack of an Ethics Committee report gave lawmakers pause – as well as a fig leaf to hide behind – to hold off on expelling Santos. That may not be the case now. And as always, it’s about the math. The House leadership brass may want to make sure it has the votes to expel Santos before calling this vote. As bad as a failed expulsion vote would have been before, the damage would be exponentially worse if the body stumbled to toss Santos after the Ethics Committee report. Note that previous resolutions to expel Santos – and even censure Rep. Rashida Tlaib, D-Mich. – were what the House terms as “privileged” resolutions. Lawmakers craft a privileged resolution such as one for expulsion in a way that it advances to the front of the legislative line. The House must consider a privileged resolution immediately or within two legislative days. But heretofore, Guest introduced his measure in a way that is NOT privileged. It isn’t automatically in the queue to come up when lawmakers return to Capitol Hill. Moreover, House Majority Leader Steve Scalise, R-La., did not post anything about expulsion for Santos on the official House docket late last week. This may be a safety valve for leaders on both sides to make sure they have the votes to actually expel Santos, if and when Guest’s plan comes to the floor. This could also give Santos a chance to resign ahead of time. If lawmakers dither with pulling the trigger on Santos, one wonders if Santos might even draft his own expulsion resolution, make it privileged, and dare the House to expel him. Former House Speaker John Boehner, R-Ohio, would occasionally summon lawmakers to his office and beseech them to resign when their conduct ran afoul of acceptable standards. In fact, Boehner and other House Speakers often didn’t have to plead with offending members. Expectations were implied. Lawmakers who strayed from the straight and narrow knew what they had to do. THE DIVIDE: HOW A PROTEST OVER ISRAEL EXPOSED A SERIOUS RIFT IN THE DEMOCRATIC PARTY Late last week, Santos took to X, the social media platform formerly known as Twitter, to rant about his potential expulsion. “I know I’m going to get expelled when this expulsion resolution goes to the floor,” declared Santos, characterizing himself as the “Mary Magdalene of the United States Congress.” Santos claims that the House is populated “by felons galore” and lawmakers “with all sorts of sheisty backgrounds.” Santos also said that his time in Congress should be “done when I say it’s done. When I want it to be done. Not when they want it to be done.” Santos contends he won’t resign from Congress. However, the New York Republican did reverse himself, announcing he would not stand for re-election. Santos also announced a press conference on the steps of the Capitol at 8 am et on Thursday. Santos can’t just summon the press to the Capitol steps if he’s no longer a member by that point. But the House schedule is far from clear at this writing. A removal of Santos will drop the GOP majority to 220 Republicans compared to 213 Democrats. That means Republicans can only lose three votes on their side and
California GOP Rep. David Valadao’s office vandalized by anti-Israel protestors
A California congressman is the latest victim of antisemitism attacks happening across the country as Rep. David Valadao’s (R-Calif.) Hanford office was vandalized Monday morning, according to a post on X from Rep. Valadao. Rep. Valadao posted a photo of his Hanford office Monday afternoon covered in “Murdered by Israel” posters and fake blood. “This morning, my Hanford office was vandalized by anti-Israel protestors. I strongly support the right to peaceful protest, but violence and vandalism are never acceptable. In a democracy, harassment and intimidation is not how you make your voice heard,” Rep. Valadao posted. Valadao’s office tells Fox News Digital the vandalism happened at their Hanford office just shortly before staff arrived Monday morning. NYC MAYOR ERIC ADAMS BLASTS STUDENTS’ ‘VILE SHOW OF ANTISEMITISM’ THAT FORCED TEACHER TO HIDE IN OFFICE “Our office has filed the proper reports with local law enforcement and Capitol Police. We hope to see those responsible held accountable to the fullest extent of the law,” Valadao’s office said. Valadao continued his post by calling out the protesters and denouncing their claims. MISS UNIVERSE JUDGE HIT WITH DEATH THREATS AFTER DEBATE AGAINST PALESTINIAN ACTIVIST: ‘YOU WILL BE KILLED’ “If these protestors truly cared about Palestinian children they would also support the eradication of Hamas terrorists, who are actively using Palestinian hospitals and schools as cover for their military operations and putting thousands of Palestinian civilians at risk,” Valadao posted. Valadao finished his post by stating that his office would remain open and accessible by appointment.
Pennsylvania to require written, verbal consent for pelvic, rectal exams by med students
A new Pennsylvania law will require doctors to get a patient’s verbal and written consent before medical students can perform pelvic or rectal exams on someone who receives anesthesia. At a press conference Monday, supporters touted the recently enacted legislation, which goes into effect in January. Tracking how often medical students are asked to perform pelvic, rectal or prostate exams on anesthetized patients is difficult, but concern about the procedures has led to a broad national effort to require informed consent for the procedures. At least 20 states have similar measures, with Colorado advancing some of the most extensive legislation so far. PENNSYLVANIA DEMOCRAT JACK STOLLSTEIMER ENTERS 2024 RACE FOR ATTORNEY GENERAL Often, patient paperwork contains broad consent for a range of procedures that might be medically necessary while someone is anesthetized. But the documents can also include consent for educational purposes, allowing students to conduct medically unnecessary exams as part of their training. Some doctors have called the legislative effort governmental overreach that will diminish trust. Supporters say the laws increase transparency and protect medical students from being made to conduct exams without informed consent. “If a coherent person declines a pelvic, prostate or rectal exam, one would not be performed. Their response would not be open to interpretation,” said Rep. Liz Hanbidge, D-Montgomery, a primary sponsor of the Pennsylvania legislation. “Unconscious persons should never be viewed as merely an object for learning.” South Philadelphia resident Keren Sofer approached her legislator in 2019 after she believed an exam was performed on her without consent. “Every single person, every time I shared my experience, were shocked because they too thought that being treated with dignity, respect and transparency in a medical facility — and especially when under anesthesia — was a given,” she said Monday. The law will impose at least a $1,000 penalty for violations by health care providers. If a student in a training program conducts an exam without consent, the health care provider will be held liable, according to the legislation.