The White House News

FRANKFORT, Ky. (AP) — Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear on Thursday announced the pending departure of the state’s juvenile justice commissioner but said a series of policy actions within the past year had created a “good road map” for the troubled agency.

Juvenile Justice Commissioner Vicki Reed submitted her resignation effective at the start of next year, the governor said at a news conference. Reed became a lightning rod for criticism as the state-operated system struggled to quell violent outbursts at some juvenile detention centers. The governor on Thursday called for a coordinated effort with state lawmakers to continue dealing with the agency’s issues.

DEMOCRAT ANDY BESHEAR WINS GOVERNOR RACE IN DEEP-RED KENTUCKY, A MAJOR BLOW TO REPUBLICAN HOPES AHEAD OF 2024

Fresh off his reelection victory last week, the Democratic governor offered an upbeat message about the Bluegrass State‘s future for additional economic gains. He began his press conference, as he typically does, by announcing the latest economic development projects landed by the state.

“This is the brightest, most optimistic opportunity that I’ve certainly seen in my lifetime for where we can go as a state, lifting up all of our people and moving us all, not right or left, but forward together,” the governor said.

Beshear also announced the departures of several administration officials as he prepares for his second four-year term. Some reshuffling is typical as any governor pivots from the first term to a second one and as some officials seek new opportunities.

In another notable departure, Jeremy Slinker is stepping down as director of Kentucky‘s emergency management agency to take a job with the Federal Emergency Management Agency, the governor announced. He praised Slinker as a “nonstop worker,” saying he “couldn’t have had a better partner” in dealing with the aftermath of devastating tornadoes that hit parts of western Kentucky in late 2021, followed by massive flooding that inundated sections of eastern Kentucky in 2022.

But the biggest shakeup was the announcement that Reed will leave the Department of Juvenile Justice. The agency has undergone a number of leadership changes in the past several years, and Reed was hired by Beshear as commissioner in 2021. The state has already started the search for her successor.

“We appreciate all of her efforts in pushing through preexisting challenges and helping us make some of the most significant changes since the creation of DJJ,” Beshear said. “I know it hasn’t been easy for Vicki Reed to push through. But every day she’s shown up and tried to do her best and I’m grateful for that.”

Kentucky’s juvenile justice system has struggled to house increasing numbers of youths accused of violent offenses. The result was a string of assaults, riots and escapes.

A riot broke out last year at a detention center, causing injuries to some young people and staff. Order was restored after state police and other law enforcement officers entered the facility. In another incident, some juveniles kicked and punched staff during an attack at another center.

Beshear responded with a series of policy changes to try to quell the violence. He announced that male juveniles would be assigned to facilities based on the severity of their offenses, and “defensive equipment” — pepper spray and Tasers — was provided for the first time so detention center workers could defend themselves and others if attacked. The juvenile justice agency hired a director of security, and visitor screenings were bolstered to prevent drugs or other dangerous items from infiltrating detention centers.

The state’s Republican-dominated legislature passed legislation and pumped additional money into the system to try to overcome the chronic problems. The legislation added stricter rules for youths charged with or convicted of violent crimes. Lawmakers appropriated money to boost salaries for juvenile justice employees, hire more DJJ correctional officers, upgrade security at detention centers and increase diversion and treatment services for detained youths. The appropriations reflected much of the funding requests from Beshear’s administration to retain and recruit workers in the understaffed facilities.

“I think we’ve got a good road map for DJJ,” Beshear said Thursday when asked what’s next for the department. “I believe that if we continue to work the plan in coordination with the General Assembly, that we are already in a better place and we are getting to a better place.”

The agency came under criticism in recent months for, among other things, improperly locking youths in isolation because of understaffing and for misuse of pepper spray by corrections officers, according to the Lexington Herald-Leader, which has reported extensively on the issue.

A New York judge has lifted the gag order imposed on former President Donald Trump in his civil fraud trial stemming from state Attorney General Letitia James’ lawsuit against him and the Trump Organization.

Citing concerns over free speech, appeals court Judge David Friedman issued a stay on the order Thursday, which was put in place by Judge Arthur Engoran in October.

Engoron, who is overseeing Trump’s trial, imposed the partial gag order to block all parties from making derogatory statements about his court staff. He fined Trump $5,000 for violating the order on social media on Oct. 20, and did so again on Oct. 25 for another $10,000 before threatening imprisonment if further violations were committed.

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At Thursday’s emergency hearing, Friedman questioned Engoron’s authority to limit Trump’s speech outside the courtroom, and argued gag orders were used more in criminal trials where there is a fear of swaying a jury. The ruling also applies to Trump’s lawyers, who say they have no plans to inhibit the former president’s First Amendment rights.

Trump celebrated the ruling in a post on Truth Social, in which he railed against Engoran.

“Judge Arthur Engoron has just been overturned (stayed!) by the New York State Appellate Division (Appeals Court), for the 4th TIME (on the same case!). His Ridiculous and Unconstitutional Gag Order, not allowing me to defend myself against him and his politically biased and out of control, Trump Hating Clerk, who is sinking him and his Court to new levels of LOW, is a disgrace,” he wrote.

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“They are defending the Worst and Least Respected Attorney General in the United States, Letitia James, who is a Worldwide disgrace, as is her illegal Witch Hunt against me. The Radical and Unprecedented actions of Judge Engoron will keep BUSINESSES and JOBS forever out of New York State,” he said.

Trump reiterated that he did “nothing wrong,” and again accused James of having run on a “Get Trump” platform during her campaign.

The Associated Press contributed to this report. 

The Hudson County Democratic Organization, a left-wing campaign group for New Jersey politicians that Sen. Bob Menendez once chaired, endorsed state governor first lady Tammy Murphy on Wednesday.

“From her strong record of advocating for progressive policy initiatives like protecting women and children’s health, to her incredible success raising millions of dollars for families in desperate need during the pandemic, to her business background and her long political record as a renowned Democratic fundraiser, it’s clear that Tammy Murphy is a uniquely qualified candidate for the U.S. Senate,” said Anthony Vainieri, the organization’s chairperson, in a statement.

“The Hudson County Democratic Organization is honored to give Tammy Murphy our full, unequivocal support,” he wrote. “We look forward to working closely with Tammy and her team to reintroduce her to Hudson County voters and help her become the first woman to represent New Jersey in the U.S. Senate.”

Murphy announced earlier Wednesday that she is running for the Senate seat currently occupied by Menendez.

SEN BOB MENENDEZ ACCUSED OF ACTING AS FOREIGN AGENT IN SUPERSEDING INDICTMENT

The county’s endorsement is a blow to the disgraced senator who is facing federal bribery charges. He has also been an officeholder in the Democrat organization for the last 40 years.

New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy previously called for Menendez’s resignation. 

“The Hudson County Democratic Organization’s decision today to endorse Tammy Murphy only proves why Phil Murphy rushed to call for my resignation,” Menendez said in a statement, the New Jersey Globe first reported. “It was a politically motivated power move in an effort to hand his wife a Senate seat. To those who’ve caved into the political pressure, the people of New Jersey deserve better than an out of touch, life-long Republican (sic) millionaire who will never understand their lived experiences or fight for their communities if she is elected.”

Menendez is facing federal charges of acting as a foreign agent and accepting hundreds of thousands of dollars in bribes to benefit the Egyptian government through his “power and influence as a Senator,” according to the superseding indictment filed by a grand jury in Manhattan last month.

Menendez previously beat separate indictment charges in 2017.

MSNBC’S ALICIA MENENDEZ ADDRESSES FATHER’S INDICTMENT: COLLEAGUES HAVE ‘AGGRESSIVELY’ COVERED

Menendez, along with his wife, Nadine, and three other New Jersey businessmen – Wael Hana, Jose Uribe and Fred Daibes – were first charged in the federal bribery scheme on Sept. 23.

“Among other actions, MENENDEZ provided sensitive U.S. Government information and took other steps that secretly aided the Government of Egypt,” the indictment states.

DEMOCRAT SEN MENENDEZ’S WIFE HIT, KILLED PEDESTRIAN WHILE DRIVING IN 2018: REPORTS

“It was a part and an object of the conspiracy that ROBERT MENENDEZ, the defendant, and others known and unknown, being a public official, directly and indirectly, would and did corruptly demand, seek, receive, accept, and agree to receive and accept something of value personally and for another person and entity, in return for being influenced in the performance of an official act and for being induced to do an act and omit to do an act in violation of his official duty,” the indictment reads.

Fox News Digital has reached out to Menendez for comment.

Several leading Pennsylvania universities that receive millions of dollars in state aid must publicly disclose more records about their finances, employment and operations, under legislation signed Thursday by Gov. Josh Shapiro.

Shapiro, a Democrat, signed the bill a day after it passed the Senate unanimously.

For years, lawmakers have sought to expand public disclosure requirements over Pennsylvania’s four state-related universities: the University of Pittsburgh and Temple, Lincoln and Penn State universities.

PA SENATE AUTHORIZES UNIVERSITY FUNDING AMID ONGOING FISCAL YEAR DISPUTE

The schools supported the bill that passed.

Under it, the universities will be required to publish various pieces of information about their finances, employment and operations. Some of it they already voluntarily produce, such as open meeting minutes from their boards of trustees, enrollment and staff employment figures.

In addition, the universities will be required to list the salaries of all officers and directors, as well as up to the 200 highest-paid employees, plus faculty salary ranges. They will have to report detailed financial information for each academic and administrative support unit and any enterprise that is funded by tuition or taxpayer money, plus detailed information about classification of employees and course credits.

The schools also will have to publish information about each contract exceeding $5,000 online and submit it to the governor’s office and Legislature.

PA HOUSE ADVANCES BILL TO PROTECT ABORTION ACCESS FOR OUT-OF-STATE RESIDENTS

The four universities, referred to as “state-related universities,” are not state-owned, but receive hundreds of millions in taxpayer dollars that support in-state tuition and operations.

The bill passed on the same day lawmakers resolved a partisan fight over the hundreds of millions of dollars in annual aid the state sends to the four schools.

Lincoln University received a $3 million increase after it kept tuition flat for the 2023-24 school year. The other three schools increased tuition, stiffening Republican opposition to giving them an increase. Shapiro signed the $603 million in aid into law Thursday.

The universities are otherwise exempt from Pennsylvania’s open records law that covers state agencies, including the state-owned universities in the Pennsylvania State System of Higher Education.