The White House News

The Republican-controlled Wisconsin Legislature on Thursday delayed giving final approval to a $2 billion income tax cut that’s part of a package also targeting child care costs, which Democratic Gov. Tony Evers is expected to veto.

The Senate passed the proposal last month, so the Assembly’s approval will send it to Evers.

WISCONSIN GOVERNOR EXPECTED TO APPROVE BILL FOR EARLY PROCESSING OF ABSENTEE BALLOTS

Republicans gutted a $1 billion Evers package he called on them to pass in a special session in September and instead put forward an income tax cut Evers has already vetoed.

Evers and the Legislature have been at odds for months over tax cuts and funding for child care services.

Evers had called on the Legislature to pass a package that included $365 million in new child care funding; a $65 million boost in University of Wisconsin funding; $200 million to pay for a new engineering building at UW-Madison; $243 million to create a new 12-week family medical leave program for Wisconsin workers and millions more for workforce education and grant programs.

Republicans rejected that in favor of their alternative plan. It was originally up for final approval Thursday, but the vote was delayed until Tuesday.

The measure would cut taxes from 5.3% to 4.4% for individual income between $27,630 and $304,170 and married couples between $18,420 and $405,550.

RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) — North Carolina State Auditor Beth Wood announced on Thursday that she will resign from her elected post next month, a decision coming two days after she was indicted on charges that she misused her state-owned vehicle for personal activities.

Wood, a Democrat who was first elected auditor in 2008, had already announced last week that she wouldn’t seek reelection in 2024. That came before a Wake County grand jury formally accused her of a pair of misdemeanors.

BO HINES LAUNCHES SECOND NORTH CAROLINA CONGRESSIONAL BID

“I will step down as State Auditor on December 15, 2023, completing 30 years of service to the State of North Carolina,” Wood said in a written statement, “I made this decision because we have such a great team doing incredibly important work and I don’t want to be a distraction. It has been an honor and privilege to work with such a talented staff and to serve the citizens of this great state.”

The indictment followed an eight-month investigation by state agents that appeared to germinate after she was cited last December for leaving the scene of a crash when she drove her state-owned vehicle into a parked car. She pleaded guilty in March to misdemeanor hit-and-run involving the crash.

The state constitution directs Democratic Gov. Roy Cooper to appoint someone to fill the remainder of her four-year term through the end of 2024. Cooper also could initially name an interim auditor before making a full appointment.

Wood informed Cooper of her resignation decision on Thursday afternoon, the governor’s office said.

Cooper “respects her decision and thanked her for her years of service to North Carolina,” spokesperson Jordan Monaghan said in a text message. “Our office will have more information about the appointment process for this position in the coming days.”

This week’s indictment alleged that in 2021 and 2022, Wood used an assigned state-owned vehicle for “hair appointments and dental appointments out of town, traveling to shopping centers and spa locations where she was not engaged in business in her official capacity.”

Wood, 69, said on Tuesday that she was “very disappointed” that Wake County District Attorney Lorrin Freeman had brought the charges against her. Wood said that she had reimbursed the state to cover personal use of the car by purposely overpaying for miles in which she commuted to her job.

A Craven County native, Wood is a certified public accountant who worked in the State Auditor’s Office for nearly 10 years before she defeated incumbent Auditor Les Merritt in the 2008 election.

The state auditor’s job is one of 10 posts within the Council of State, which also includes the governor, attorney general and other statewide executive branch officials.

When she announced her decision last week to not seek reelection, Wood didn’t mention any legal troubles except to say that she has “made mistakes along the way, but I have acknowledged them and have learned from them.” She said she wanted to now embark on a public speaking career.

A western Illinois judge could face removal from office after a judicial oversight body considered allegations this week that he circumvented the law when he decided to reverse a rape conviction.

The move sparked outrage in the victim’s hometown of Quincy, Illinois, and beyond.

The Illinois Courts Commission, which rules on complaints against judges in the state and has the power to remove, suspend, or reprimand them, heard arguments in Chicago on Wednesday over the allegations Adams County Judge Robert Adrian acted with willful misconduct by throwing out his own decision to avoid sending the defendant to prison.

ILLINOIS SENATE APPROVES REVERSAL OF DECADES-OLD NUCLEAR POWER MORATORIUM

Adrian presided over a three-day bench trial in which Drew Clinton of Taylor, Michigan, was accused of sexually assaulting a 16-year-old girl during a graduation party in May 2021.

In October of that year, Adrian found Clinton — who was 18 — guilty of criminal sexual assault. The offense carries a minimum sentence of four years in prison in Illinois.

But at Clinton’s sentencing hearing three months later, Adrian reversed his decision and said the 148 days the teenager had spent in county jail were punishment enough.

Complaints against judges in Illinois must first pass through the Judicial Inquiry Board, where a majority must find there is a reasonable basis to believe a judge acted with willful misconduct, brought the court into disrepute, or failed or are unable to perform their duties. Although complaints against judges are common, only two or so cases a year make it past the board to the commission’s desk, according to Shelley Bethune, executive director and general counsel for the Illinois Courts Commission.

The board’s complaint against Adrian says the judge acknowledged he was supposed to impose the mandatory four-year sentence, but that he would not send Clinton to prison. “That is not just,” Adrian said at the sentencing hearing, according to court transcripts. “I will not do that.”

Adrian and his attorney maintained that his reversal was based on the evidence in the case and not an effort to “thwart the law.”

But Adrian’s lawyer, Daniel Konicek, made a broader argument Wednesday that “maybe the legislature is wrong” to mandate four years in prison for sexual assault.

Konicek urged commissioners not to base their decision on public outcry or social media, adding that his client has been maligned by the press and his family threatened as a result of the “hellstorm.”

The complaint also alleged Adrian retaliated against a prosecutor working on a different case by telling him to get out of the courtroom because he “liked” a Facebook post that was critical of Adrian in the days following the judge’s decision to reverse his own verdict.

The lawyer who Adrian removed from the courtroom, Joshua Jones, testified Wednesday that the post in question said: “Hold rapists accountable.”

Jones said he “was incredibly angry” after being kicked out of court over the post, which he felt represented part of his job as a prosecutor, and said Adrian later called him to apologize.

Cameron Vaughan, the victim of the 2021 assault, told The Associated Press this week that Adrian’s reversal of verdict left her “completely shocked” but determined to oust him.

“He does not deserve to be a judge at all,” said Vaughan, who attended this week’s proceedings along with family, friends and supporters.

CHAOS ERUPTS AT CHICAGO CITY COUNCIL MEETING OVER SANCTUARY CITY STATUS

Vaughan is now 18 years old. The Associated Press does not typically name people who say they were sexually assaulted unless they come forward publicly.

“It was just really shocking and upsetting for him to not only let (Clinton) go, but to then blame me, blame my parents, blame the parents at the party,” Vaughan said.

After throwing out the conviction, Vaughan said the judge told the court “this is what happens whenever parents allow teenagers to drink alcohol, to swim in pools with their undergarments on,” she recounted, which is supported by a court transcript of that day.

Her mother, Roxanne Lindley, said Adrian “completely took the blame off of Drew and put it on all of us.”

Adams County court records show the guilty verdict was overturned because prosecutors failed to meet the burden of proof to prove Clinton guilty. He cannot be tried again for the same crime under the Fifth Amendment. A motion to expunge Clinton’s record was denied in February of this year.

Court commissioners must now weigh all of the evidence in deciding whether Adrian will be disciplined, which may take several weeks or months.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in an exclusive interview with Fox News Chief Political Anchor Bret Baier insisted a cease-fire is not an option even though operations in Gaza have taken “longer” than planned. 

“One thing we haven’t agreed to is a cease-fire,” Netanyahu said during the interview that aired Thursday on “Special Report with Bret Baier.”

“A cease-fire with Hamas means surrender to Hamas, surrender to terror and the victory of the Iran’s axis of terror, so there won’t be a cease-fire without the release of Israeli hostages,” he insisted. 

Calls for a ceasefire have continued to plague both American and Israeli officials as the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) presses on with its efforts to wipe out Hamas and ensure the terrorist group can no longer operate within the Gaza Strip. 

The Hamas-run Gaza Health Ministry reported that over 10,000 people have died, with multiples more injured due to IDF bombings that aim to kill Hamas officers and bases of operation, including the extensive tunnel network that exists throughout Gaza City. 

Critics, including President Biden, have cast doubt on the numbers reported by the ministry, with some reports noting that the ministry does not distinguish between civilians and combatants in its counts, and Netanyahu this week claimed the IDF has killed “thousands” of terrorists. 

WHO IS BENJAMIN NETANYAHU?

“[The army] is fighting the terrorists both above ground and below ground,” Netanyahu told Baier. “We’re doing everything in our power to reduce civilian casualties: We’ve managed safe zones and safe corridors so civilians can hear our call to leave, even though Hamas is trying to keep them in.”

He claimed that 50,000 people departed Gaza City, in the northern part of the strip, to the southern safe zone two days ago, and another 70,000 on the day of the interview. Meanwhile, Hamas militants have tried to keep civilians in the north – an act that Netanhayu described to Baier and a Palestinian activist previously discussed with Fox News Digital. 

SQUAD DEMOCRAT SAYS HUMANITARIAN PAUSE IN GAZA NOT ENOUGH: ‘ETHNIC CLEANSING’ HAPPENING ‘BEFORE OUR EYES’

“Not only do they murder and mutilate, rape and murder women burn children alive, take hostages of toddlers, babies, elderly, Holocaust survivors, the worst savagery perpetrated on the Jewish people since the Holocaust … Not only do they do that, but they actually target their own civilians,” Netanyahu lamented. “That is, they want to keep their civilians as a human shield.”

Netanyahu admitted that the operations have not progressed at the pace he had initially anticipated, but he credited the support from the U.S. Congress and Biden as “very, very important” to the overall success of the IDF operations. 

“It’s taking a little longer than I had hoped,” Netanyahu said. “I hope we could do it very fast, but we have battled conditions on the ground, the safety of our own forces, the hostages. We want to get out and the humanitarian corridors.”

“So it’s taken a little while, but … I very much appreciate the support that President Biden has shown, the administration has shown, and frankly, the American people have shown and in the Congress have shown on both sides of the aisle,” he added. 

BRAWLS BREAK OUT DURING SCREENING OF GRAPHIC MOVIE DEPICTING HAMAS TERRORIST ATTACK

However, support has not remained unanimous across the U.S., and Netanyahu commented on the censure of Rep. Rashida Tlaib, D-Mich., following her comments related to the explosion at the al-Ahli Arab Hospital and her refusal to apologize for using the “From the River to the Sea” chant, which many have insisted is a call to wipe Israel off the map. 

The censure effort succeeded thanks to support from 22 Democrat representatives who agreed that her language required an official reprimand – a stance that Netanyahu supported. 

“What this congresswoman is calling for is Palestine and genocide, the elimination of the Jewish state, the one and only Jewish state of the Jewish people,” Netanyahu said. “That’s absurd, and I salute the Congress for censoring [sic] her.”

He acknowledged that the protests across the U.S. and some parts of the world, in which demonstrators repeat the chant among others – including a disturbing incident in Australia in which the crowds chanted “Gas the Jews” – may include “naïve people,” but he maintained that “there are a lot of people who know exactly what they’re saying.”

TURKEY’S ERDOGAN, ON ISRAEL-HAMAS WAR, SAYS WEST IS ‘TOO WEAK TO EVEN CALL FOR A CEASE-FIRE’

The protesters have aligned themselves with Hamas, according to Netanyahu. During his speech alongside German Chancellor Olaf Schulz last month, Netanyahu called Hamas “the new Nazis.” 

“This is what they’re aligning themselves with,” Netanyahu told Baier. “We have to protect not only our lives, but our future.” 

Netanyahu insisted that the future does not include an extended stay in the Gaza Strip once the IDF cripples and eliminates Hamas, saying that Israel does not “seek to govern Gaza.” 

“We don’t seek to occupy, but we seek to give it and us a better future in the entire Middle East,” he argued. “That requires defeating Hamas. I’ve set goals. I didn’t set a timetable because it can take more time.”

“I wish it’ll take a little time, but we’re proceeding step by step, reducing our casualties in the process, trying to reduce and minimize civilian casualties and maximize the casualties of the Hamas terrorists, and so far I think it’s proceeding well.” 

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

SPRINGFIELD, Ill. (AP) — The Illinois House on Thursday approved development of new nuclear reactors, reversing a 1987 moratorium and sending to Gov. J.B. Pritzker a plan that addresses the Democrat’s safety concerns over the proposal.

The 98-8 vote to allow construction of so-called small modular reactors beginning in 2026 came a day after developers of the only such project approved by federal regulators pulled the plug because of rising costs.

SENATOR PROPOSES PLAN THAT LIFTS NUCLEAR MORATORIUM AND REQUIRES NEW OVERSIGHT RULES

The Illinois proposal is largely the same as one that earned overwhelming legislative approval but was vetoed by Pritzker last spring. It adds a study on the risks of new nuclear technology and puts a state agency in charge of oversight, issues missing from the original plan.

Thursday was the final day of the Legislature’s fall veto session, six days that saw a much lighter agenda than in recent years and which left on the table issues involving extending a private-school scholarship program and allowing legislative staff members to form a collective bargaining unit.

Small modular reactors limited to 300 megawatts or less would be allowed under the nuclear legislation in January 2026. That’s the same point at which a state study about the technology’s viability and safety risks is due. After that, the Illinois Emergency Management Agency would be responsible for overseeing decommissioning of reactors, environmental monitoring and emergency preparedness.

The legislation’s sponsor, Rep. Lance Yednock, a Democrat from Ottawa, said nuclear has to be part of the state’s mix of alternatives to fossil fuels in reaching its goal of carbon-free power production by 2045.

“You’ve had multiple energy facilities shut down and there are more on the way and that is forcing us to purchase dirty generated energy for a higher price from out of state,” Yednock said. “We need to be the leader in clean energy generation and small modular nuclear reactors are a potential part of that portfolio.”

On Wednesday, designers of a major development in the so-called advanced nuclear industry called it quits because of rising costs. NuScale had planned a campus of six 77-megawatt small modular reactors to come online in 2029 in Idaho Falls, Idaho.

NuScale is the first small modular project to get federal approval and there are 20 more pending, said Sen. Sue Rezin, the Morris Republican who sponsored the Illinois legislation in the Senate. With time and technological improvement, she said, costs will drop.

Environmentalists have opposed the plan for a variety of reasons, not the least of which is the lack of national consensus on storing nuclear waste, a major driver of the moratorium nearly four decades ago.

Rep. Lilian Jimenez, a Chicago Democrat who voted “no,” also argued that the state study on safety risks should be completed and digested before ditching the moratorium.

“Illinois has plenty of time to assess the risks and costs before deciding to open the door to these projects,” Jimenez said.

Despite continued pressure from Republicans and a constant presence around the Capitol of advocates in blue “Save My Scholarship” T-shirts, lawmakers left town without extending the $75 million “Invest in Kids” program providing needs-based scholarships to students to attend private schools. The five-year-old program, which produced about 40,000 scholarships, ends Dec. 31.

Scholarships are funded by private donations which yield a 75% state income tax credit, capped at $75 million a year. Opponents, led by teachers’ unions, say that money should go to public schools, denouncing “Invest in Kids” as a voucher program that harms student achievement.

They routinely said there’s no evidence that the program bolstered academic performance. But The Associated Press reported this week that the annual assessments required of scholarship recipients were delayed two years by the COVID-19 pandemic and the first report is not due until February.

Senate Minority Leader John Curran, a Republican from Downers Grove, said the Legislature should have been consulted before assessments were skipped. Late Thursday, he issued a statement that he’ll push to reignite Invest in Kids in the spring session.

Throughout Thursday, Republicans on the floor vilified Democrats who refused to call a vote on legislation that would scale back the program to $50 million for the next five years.

“I don’t really know how you did it, seemingly against everything: The voters, the polls, the kids, the facts, but you persevered through it all,” said Republican Rep. William Hauter of Morton. “I’m new to all this. I don’t know the pressure of taking orders from special interest groups, so thank you for educating me on how this game works. At least someone’s being educated.”

While meeting with reporters after the House adjourned, it was suggested to Minority Leader Tony McCombie, a Republican from Savanna, that perhaps Democrats planned to put the entire $75 million from Invest in Kids into the public school fund.

“I would love to hear that as the reason for the bill not being called, that that would be the commitment,” McCombie said.

Also left behind by legislators was a measure that would allow legislative staff members to unionize. It was brought by House Speaker Emanuel “Chris” Welch and won approval in that chamber during the first week of the fall session. But Republicans questioned whether it was simply a case of discontent among House Democratic staff. The employees argue that they don’t need a state law to allow them to organize.

Democratic Senate President Don Harmon of Oak Park picked up Welch’s bill but no action ensued. A spokesperson said it’s under review.

The legislation would create an office of legislative labor relations to start the process, but it would not begin its work until July 2025.