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Oklahoma Parole Board will recommend clemency for inmate who insists double homicide was in self-defense
The Oklahoma Pardon and Parole Board narrowly voted Wednesday to recommend sparing the life of a man set to be executed later this month for what he claims were the self-defense killings of two men in Oklahoma City in 2001.
The board voted 3-2 to recommend clemency for Phillip Dean Hancock, who has long maintained he shot and killed Robert Jett Jr., 37, and James Lynch, 58, in self-defense after the two men attacked him. Republican Gov. Kevin Stitt must now decide whether to grant clemency to Hancock, who is scheduled to receive a lethal injection on Nov. 30.
The board’s decision came after it heard from Hancock, 59, his attorneys, lawyers from the state and members of Jett and Lynch’s families. Two Republican state legislators who say they strongly support the death penalty, Reps. Kevin McDugle and Justin Humphrey, also testified on Hancock’s behalf.
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“If any one of us were in that same exact situation … we would have fought for our lives,” said McDugle, R-Broken Arrow.
Hancock’s attorneys claim that Jett and Lynch were members of outlaw motorcycle gangs who lured Hancock, who was unarmed, to Jett’s home and that Jett ordered him to get inside a large cage before swinging a metal bar at him. After Jett and Lynch attacked him, Hancock managed to take Jett’s pistol from him and shoot them both.
Hancock’s attorneys also argued that his trial attorney has admitted he struggled with drug and alcohol addiction at the time of the trial and did not properly represent Hancock.
But attorneys for the state argued Hancock gave shifting accounts of what exactly happened and that his testimony didn’t align with the physical evidence at the scene. Assistant Attorney General Joshua Lockett said the jury took all of this into account before rendering its verdict, which has been upheld by numerous state and federal appeals courts.
“Hancock’s credibility was absolutely eviscerated at trial because his claims conflicted with the evidence,” Lockett said.
Lockett also said after Hancock shot Jett inside the house, a witness who was at the scene testified Hancock followed Jett into the backyard and heard a wounded Jett say: “I’m going to die.” Hancock responded, “Yes, you are,” before shooting him again, Lockett said.
“Chasing someone down, telling them you are about to kill them and then doing it is not self-defense,” Lockett said.
Jett’s brother, Ryan Jett, was among several family members who testified and urged the panel not to recommend clemency.
“I don’t claim that my brother was an angel by any means, but he didn’t deserve to die in the backyard like a dog,” Ryan Jett said.
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Hancock also was convicted of first-degree manslaughter in a separate shooting in 1982 in which he also claimed self-defense. He served less than three years of a four-year sentence in that case.
Hancock, who testified Wednesday via a video link from the Oklahoma State Penitentiary in McAlester, said he arrived at the home “unarmed and unsuspecting” and that he was terrified when an armed Jett ordered him into a cage.
“Please understand the awful situation I found myself in,” Hancock said. “I have no doubt they would have killed me. They forced me to fight for my life.”
Stitt has granted clemency only one time, in 2021, to death row inmate Julius Jones, commuting his sentence to life without parole just hours before Jones was scheduled to receive a lethal injection. Stitt has denied clemency recommendations from the board in two other cases: Bigler Stouffer and James Coddington, both of whom were later executed.
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Governors call for more funds to secure places of worship as threats toward Jews and Muslims rise
LANSING, Mich. (AP) — A Democratic group of governors led by Michigan’s Gretchen Whitmer have joined national leaders in calling for an increase in funding for security at places of worship as concerns grow over threats against Jewish and Muslim communities sparked by the Israel-Hamas war.
Governors of 10 states and the territory of Puerto Rico sent a letter Wednesday, first obtained by The Associated Press, that was addressed to leaders in both chambers of the U.S. Congress. It calls for an increase in funding to the federal Nonprofit Security Grant Program, which is set to give $305 million this year to nonprofits to help secure their facilities against potential attacks.
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“My fellow governors and I are calling for an increase to the federal Nonprofit Security Grant Program so we can help keep people safe amid rising threats and violence targeted towards Jewish, Muslim, and Arab communities and houses of worship,” Whitmer said in a statement.
The letter echoes calls from other national Democrats to increase the program’s funds to address concerns over potential hate crimes motivated by the Israel-Hamas war. President Joe Biden asked for an additional $200 million for the security grant program in a supplemental budget request last month.
U.S. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer said on social media Monday that he was asking for an additional $1 billion for the grant program to “counter acts of hate targeting places of worship and gathering like schools, religious community and senior centers,” and more. Other U.S. senators, including Nevada’s Jacky Rosen, have made similar requests.
In addition to Whitmer, the letter was signed by Democratic governors in Wisconsin, North Carolina, New Mexico, New York, New Jersey, Minnesota, Colorado, Louisiana, Maryland and Puerto Rico. They asked for “swift consideration” of the funding increase “in light of ongoing concerns within our states and territories.”
The letter cites the fatal stabbing of a 6-year-old Muslim boy in Chicago and a man arrested in Michigan after saying he wanted to hunt Palestinians as examples of the rising hate crimes related to the Israel-Hamas war. The increased fears of violence follow a familiar pattern of crimes against Jewish and Muslim communities rising when conflict erupts in the Middle East and Americans have been killed or taken hostage.
“Vigilance comes at a cost, and we must ensure our constituencies who are threatened by violence have the robust supports they need to stay safe,” the letter says. “We must secure the safety of our homeland, especially at its heart — where people gather to find comfort and identity in their faiths, cultures, and beliefs.”
In its annual report released last month, the FBI estimated hate crimes increased by 7% to 11,634 cases in 2022 compared to the previous year. With 1,124 incidents, anti-Jewish attacks were the second-most reported hate crime, after anti-Black cases. There were 158 reported incidents of anti-Muslim attacks and 92 reports of anti-Arab cases, according to the report.
States across the U.S. are looking for ways to bolster security in the wake of threats. In New York, state education officials on Tuesday announced the release of $45 million in existing funds for school safety equipment for non-public schools to address the rise in antisemitism and anti-Muslim threats. Schools including Islamic or Jewish schools will now be able to access the money immediately.
“As our communities face increased threats and violence in our schools statewide, these funds will help ensure safety and peace of mind for our students, staff, and families,” Khadijah Jean Pryce, head of Islamic Cultural Center School in Manhattan, said in a statement.
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Liberal and moderate candidates take control of school boards in contentious races across US
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When it comes to the next shutdown fight in Congress, silence is golden
It sometimes seems like Congress wrestles with a potential government shutdown every month these days.
Such was the case just five weeks ago, under the leadership of a former House speaker, whose name may as well have been lost to history.
It’s still the case today as Congress, now under the watch of new House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., hurtles toward a potential shutdown at the end of next week.
For your calendars, government funding expires at 11:59:59 p.m. on Nov. 17. The government is out of dough at 12:00:00 a.m. Nov. 18. Just in time for Thanksgiving.
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Silence is golden when it comes to determining where the sides stand to avoid a shutdown late next week.
This reporter asked House Majority Leader Steve Scalise, R-La., on Tuesday afternoon if the House would put an interim spending bill on the floor this week.
“We’re still discussing things,” relied Scalise.
Another reporter asked Johnson if he would unveil a stopgap spending package this week or wait until next week.
“I’m not going to comment on that yet,” replied a harried Johnson as he hustled from the speaker’s office to the House floor.
In recent days, Johnson floated the idea of a “laddered” CR — short for “continuing resolution.” A CR simply avoids a shutdown by temporarily renewing all old funding at the same levels to keep the lights on.
Johnson lofted the “laddered” CR as a trial balloon. The concept was to fund some agencies and departments right away (a lower step of the ladder) while waiting to produce other bills down the line on a higher “rung” of the ladder.
“You’ve got a clean CR option. You’ve got a laddered approach, which is what I support,” said Rep. Ralph Norman, R-S.C. “Hopefully that’s what we’ll end up doing.”
But like most ladders, Johnson’s laddered CR gambit should come with a warning from the Consumer Product Safety Commission. Chevy Chase had more stability on the ladder he stood on while portraying late President Gerald Ford before tumbling over the Christmas tree on Saturday Night Live.
HOUSE REPUBLICANS SAY US NEEDS TO AVOID GOVERNMENT SHUTDOWN – BUT AGREE ON LITTLE ELSE
“I don’t really understand the laddered option,” said Rep. Don Bacon, R-Neb. “I’d probably [be for] a straight CR through mid-January or late January.
But no one is hitting the panic button yet. Senate Republicans are waiting on the House. Some House members told Fox they were waiting on the Senate. A senior Senate leadership source told Fox that during the previous run-up to the Oct. 1 government funding deadline, former House Speaker Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., was in “constant communication” with the Senate Democratic leadership team.
Not as much with Johnson. Such outreach is crucial because the Senate often requires more time to process a bill. Especially something as controversial as an interim CR. It may be a week-and-a-half before the funding deadline. But unless something moves quickly, lawmakers may have missed the deadline already. That’s because of the Senate’s complicated parliamentary mechanics.
“I’m not sure [Johnson] gets that yet,” said one House Republican ally of Johnson about the Senate’s arcane practices.
So there’s no panic yet on Capitol Hill — if for no other reason that no one seems to know which panic button to press.
Johnson may still enjoy goodwill extended to him from rank-and-file Republicans during a honeymoon period. But some of that charity is eroding. It was politically deft of Johnson to immediately build political capital with conservatives by depositing a bill on the floor last week to immediately send aid to Israel — and pay for it by raiding coffers at the IRS.
But maneuvering around the challenging politics of the House Republican Conference is simple compared to working with House Democrats and wrangling with the Senate. Remember, it was a band of eight House Republicans who showed McCarthy the door for cutting a deal with Democrats to avert a fall shutdown. Many conservatives were also smarting from McCarthy negotiating a pact with President Biden to avoid a collision with the debt ceiling in the spring. More House Democrats supported that package than did Republicans.
So, Johnson is treading on unforgiving ground.
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“He was always going to get pushback,” said one veteran House Republican. “That pushback starts now.”
It’s doubtful the “pushback” is catastrophic to Johnson the way it was with McCarthy. At least yet. Republicans seem to trust Johnson more than they did McCarthy. McCarthy had a decade-and-a-half in House GOP leadership to build up both good and bad will. The bad will — deserved or not — did him in.
“They just trust Johnson more,” said one GOPer.
But the cracks are already visible. You don’t even have to squint.
“Here we’ve got a new speaker that’s getting ready to do a CR. I voted against the other CRs. I won’t be voting for this one. We’ve got a new Speaker that’s interested in funding foreign wars. That’s not what our voters want,” ranted Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Ga. “I’m just refusing to be a part of a system of failure. I’d like to see a change in our party.”
Greene also railed against the House’s 2024 legislative calendar, just published this week by Scalise. She explained how the vaunted “August recess” contributes annually to a fire drill on Capitol Hill over government funding ahead of the September 30 fiscal year deadline
“We had a new schedule come out for next year. Didn’t change anything,” complained Greene. “We’re out for all of August and the first week of September. We’re only in session three weeks going into September 30 when the government shutdown happens again. So it’s unfortunate that the same things keep occurring.”
There has been a lot of chatter on Capitol Hill about President Biden’s international aid supplemental spending package for Isarel, Ukraine and Taiwain. Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., spoke this week with President Biden and Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen. McConnell says he’s “generally sympathetic with the broad approach to the supplemental.” But he’s insistent on increasing border security as a part of that package. That means McConnell won’t try to attach anything to a CR. McConnell also signaled he’s open to a “clean” CR. He also hinted that it did not matter to him where the aid to Israel landed.
In short, the supplemental aid package is next month’s project. So we’ll talk about that in December.
But, there’s relative silence so far on what an immediate package to fund the government may look like. Part of that is because Johnson and the rest of the Republican leadership brass knows there may be only one thing which can pass: a clean CR. Remember, that is precisely what McCarthy advanced at the very last moment to avert a shutdown this past September 30. He was toast the following week.
Johnson & company are also reluctant to say much simply because they may know that a clean CR is inevitable. It would likely pass with a cocktail of Republican and Democratic votes – especially if it sticks to the spending levels negotiated by the President and McCarthy ahead of the debt ceiling.
To many House Republicans, the term “CR” is toxic. That’s why Johnson tried to alter the terminology with a “laddered” CR. Hint: it’s really just a version of an appropriations “minibus” where lawmakers lump several spending bills together.
However, Republicans are divided over this approach. But it could be how Johnson addresses this situation.
Republicans could find themselves hemmed in. Due internal fights, the House had to punt — again — the annual Transportation and Housing spending bill.
Republicans find themselves struggling to approve some of their own spending plans. That’s why they may need to rely on a CR — and Democrats — to avoid a shutdown.
The right will hammer Johnson if that happens — even if a CR is the only way to avoid a shutdown.
Thus, it may best to say as little about it as possible — until absolutely necessary.
Government shutdowns threats could come at any time of the year. This time it’s November. The month is clear. But few know what to say about it.
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Ramaswamy launches $1M ad buy in early primary states blasting politicians ‘leading us into World War III’
EXCLUSIVE – Republican presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy is launching a $1 million ad buy in the critical states of Iowa and New Hampshire, calling out politicians on both sides of the aisle he says are “leading us into World War III.”
“Corrupt politicians have spent trillions, killed millions and made billions for themselves in Iraq and Afghanistan. Now, they’re leading us into World War III. That ends on my watch,” Ramaswamy tells voters in the ad.
Shown in flashed images on a giant screen behind him are President Biden, GOP rivals Ron DeSantis and Nikki Haley and former President George W. Bush and former Vice President Dick Cheney.
RAMASWAMY UNVEILS ‘NO TO NEOCONS’ PLEDGE HIS APPOINTEES WILL HAVE TO SIGN IF ELECTED
Ramaswamy pledged in the ad that “as your next president, my sole duty is to you, the citizens of our nation, not another. I’ll keep us out of World War III, I’ll declare independence from Communist China and I’ll use our own military to protect our own borders, not somebody else’s.”
The video, which Ramaswamy shared on social media Wednesday ahead of the third Republican debate, is part of his campaign’s $11 million ad blitz.
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“There is a real divide between America First conservatives and the neoconservatives. Everyone else on the debate stage tonight supported the Iraq War and giving a blank check to Zelenskyy, even if they now want to pretend otherwise,” Ramaswamy told Fox News Digital. “The truth is a DeSantis or Haley administration will march us right into World War III, and we are going to highlight that fact early and often.”
On Tuesday, the biotech entrepreneur unveiled his “No to Neocons” pledge he says “every prospective political appointee must commit to and sign” before taking a job in a Ramaswamy administration.
The pledge requires officials to commit that “avoiding WW3 is a vital national objective,” “war is never a preference, only a necessity” and “the sole duty of U.S. policymakers is to U.S. citizens.”
Ramaswamy has been outspoken in cautioning the U.S. from entering into a World War III, particularly after the Oct. 7 terrorist attack against Israel by the terrorist group Hamas. He has also been vocal about limiting U.S. involvement in the ongoing Russia-Ukraine war, putting him at odds with fellow Republicans.
He is one of five presidential hopefuls who will participate in the third Republican debate in Miami. The other candidates who qualified and agreed to appear on the debate stage are DeSantis, the Florida governor; Haley, the former U.N. ambassador and former South Carolina governor; former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie; and South Carolina Sen. Tim Scott.
At the two previous debates, Ramaswamy had fiery clashes on foreign policy with Haley and former Vice President Mike Pence, who has since suspended his presidential campaign.
Ramaswamy is placing fourth in national Republican polls, according to the RealClearPolitics average, behind Haley, DeSantis and former President Trump, who maintains a commanding lead in the GOP field.
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5 Republicans will take the stage in Miami, while Trump holds a rally nearby. Follow live updates
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Santa Fe mansion tax approved by voters in landslide
Voters have approved a tax on mansions to pay for affordable housing initiatives in New Mexico’s capital city of Santa Fe.
Uncertified election results on Wednesday show that nearly three-fourths of ballots were cast in favor of the new tax on home sales of over $1 million, in a city prized for its high-desert vistas, vibrant arts scene and stucco architecture.
The ballot measure was pitched as a lifeline to teachers, service-sector workers, single parents and youth professionals who can’t afford local mortgages or struggle to pay rent amid a national housing shortage and the arrival in Santa Fe of high-income digital nomads.
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Tuesday’s vote signals newfound public support for so-called mansion taxes to fund affordable housing and stave off homelessness.
Voters in Los Angeles last year approved a tiered-rate tax on residential and commercial real estate sales of $5 million or more to address housing shortages, while Chicago may ask voters next year whether to raise real estate transfer taxes, starting with sales over $1 million, to fight homelessness.
The city of Santa Fe estimates that the tax would generate about $6 million annually for its affordable housing trust fund, which underwrites price-restricted housing, down-payment assistance for low-income homebuyers and rental assistance to stave off financial hardship and evictions. The trust awards funds each year to affordable housing providers who can secure matching funds from other government and nonprofit sources.
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The new tax is levied against the buyer for residential property sales of $1 million or more — with no tax on the first $1 million in value.
On a $1.2 million home sale, for example, the new tax would apply to $200,000 in value. The buyer would pay $6,000 to the city’s affordable housing trust fund.
Santa Fe voters previously shied away from prominent tax initiatives, rejecting a 1% tax on high-end home sales in 2009 and defeating a tax on sugary drinks to expand early childhood education in 2017.
The Santa Fe Association of Realtors has filed a lawsuit aimed at blocking the tax, arguing that the city overstepped its authority under state law.
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GOP flips New York seat held by Democrats for 20 years: ‘Political earthquake’
Republicans on Long Island, New York, scored a historic victory on Tuesday night, solidifying gains they have made in the area and providing a small bright spot in an otherwise disappointing night nationwide.
Republican Ed Romaine defeated Democrat Dave Calone on Tuesday to become the first Republican to win the Suffolk County executive position in 20 years.
Romaine won with 56% of the vote by a margin of 26,000 votes, the Associated Press projected.
Romaine’s victory gives Republicans commanding control on the eastern part of Long Island where the GOP occupies all the countywide seats in Nassau and Suffolk Counties as well as all four congressional seats.
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“This is a political earthquake,” former Sen. Al D’Amato, R-N.Y., told the New York Post.
Romaine told his supporters on Tuesday night that they have “given me a large mandate tonight and I plan to use that mandate to move this county forward.”
The Republican victory builds on the “red wave” that has swept across Long Island in recent years, which political analysts have attributed to spiking crime and the liberal push to defund police.
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Former Rep. Lee Zeldin, R-N.Y., often credited with being a key catalyst of New York’s “red wave,” called Romaine’s victory an “enormous flip” in a social media post.
“For the third year in a row, [Republicans] in New York had a great night, defeating incumbents and winning upset elections across the state,” New York GOP Chairman Ed Cox said in a statement, adding that Long Island has become a “Republican bastion.”
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Florida wraps up special session to support Israel as DeSantis campaigns for president
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