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Trump calls for death penalty for drug dealers; Fox's Baier notes it would apply to woman he championed

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 13:25:15 GMT

(The Hill) - Former President Donald Trump in a Fox News interview advocated for imposing the death penalty on convicted drug dealers, even as anchor Bret Baier pointed out that the policy would have applied to Alice Johnson, a woman Trump granted clemency to and promoted in a Super Bowl ad for his 2020 campaign.Trump told Baier that he believed the country had to enact stronger punishments against drug dealers to bring down crime, including the death penalty. In defending his own record on crime, which has come under scrutiny in the 2024 primary, Trump said his pardon powers were focused largely on nonviolent offenders.Trump cited the case of Alice Johnson, whose sentence he commuted in 2018. Johnson was serving life in prison dating back to 1996 on charges stemming from cocaine distribution and money laundering. Johnson was later featured in a Super Bowl ad promoting Trump’s work on criminal justice reform. Despite his claims, Colorado says Joe Exotic isn’t on state’s presidenti...

Utah school district reverses decision on Bible, returns it to library shelves

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 13:25:15 GMT

DAVIS COUNTY, Utah (KTVX) - A northern Utah school district has reversed its earlier committee-based decision that removed the Bible from elementary and junior high school but kept it in high school libraries.This comes after a months-long debate in the Davis School District on whether the book was appropriate for all school-age children or only high school students. In December, the Davis School District received a request from an unknown person asking for the book to be reviewed amid a statewide law passed in 2022 that allowed residents to challenge the books found in school libraries. “Utah Parents United left off one of the most sex-ridden books around: The Bible,” the challenge said, referring to one of the primary groups involved in curriculum battles. “You’ll no doubt find that the Bible .. has no serious values for minors because it’s pornographic by our new definition ... If the books that have been banned so far are any indication for way lesser offenses, this should be a ...

Senate recesses without revealing rules for impeachment trial of Texas AG Ken Paxton

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 13:25:15 GMT

AUSTIN (Nexstar) — After meeting behind closed doors for close to seven hours Tuesday, the Texas Senate recessed without agreeing on proposed rules for how the upcoming impeachment trial of suspended Attorney General Ken Paxton will work. The Senate is scheduled to reconvene Wednesday morning at 10 a.m.A committee made up of seven senators was assigned the task of forming the rules for how the Senate trial will operate. The panel was expected to present its recommendations to the full Senate on Tuesday. The rules could dictate everything from the duration of the trial, the rules of evidence and witness examination, as well as whether Paxton's wife, State Senator Angela Paxton, would be required to recuse herself.The decision on the rules could significantly impact Paxton’s prospects of keeping his position in an impending trial, which Lt. Governor Dan Patrick vowed to begin by Aug. 28 at the latest. Texas Senate proposes $18B property tax relief compromise While state...

Texas baseball lands lefty Will Mercer from transfer portal

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 13:25:15 GMT

AUSTIN (KXAN) — The Texas Longhorns baseball team added a left-handed pitcher out of the transfer portal Tuesday.Will Mercer, who pitched 120 innings over a 4-year career for Notre Dame, announced his intention to join the Longhorns next season. Mercer was exclusively a bullpen arm for the Irish this season, tossing 26 innings in 14 appearances with a 2.77 ERA.In his second season with the Irish in 2020-21, he started 11 games and finished with a 4-3 record and a 4.92 ERA. He threw 56.2 innings that season with 44 strikeouts and 19 walks.Mercer is a Houston native and went to Strake Jesuit Prep. He compiled a 9-4 overall record with a 4.42 ERA and 107 strikeouts and 43 walks for the Irish in his career.

St. Paul school board approves first $1 billion budget

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 13:25:15 GMT

The St. Paul school board on Tuesday approved its first billion-dollar budget for the coming academic year.The $1.035 billion in spending will require the district to dip into its general fund reserves to cover a $34 million revenue shortfall, but it will allow St. Paul Public Schools to avoid laying off any teachers or paraprofessionals.The budget gap is largely the result of declining enrollment and the expiration of federal COVID-19 relief grants, which funded scores of jobs in mental health, human resources, finance and other fields within the district. District officials hope to retain many of these employees with this year’s deficit spending.Other expenditures include funding for a new East African magnet school, teacher recruitment efforts, increased bus routes and safety improvements.“Never did I think I would be leading a district with a $1 billion budget,” Superintendent Joe Gothard said. “This is an incredible, long-overdue investment in our young ...

Chris Williams homers again, Saints beat Toledo, 6-2

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 13:25:15 GMT

Chris Williams remained torrid at the plate and Josh Winder struck out four in two innings of relief as the Saints won the first of a six-game series in Toledo with a 6-2 victory over the Mud Hens in front of 5,077 at Fifth Third Field.Williams, the reigning International League player of the week after going 7 for 19 with six home runs and 14 RBIs in six games against Louisville, was 2 for 3 with a home run, two runs and a walk.Williams has team highs of 14 home runs and 42 RBIs, and the Saints extended their home run streak to 24 games, tied with Binghamton Rumble for the longest streak by any team in baseball this season.Simeon Woods Richardson started for the Saints and allowed one earned run on three hits and four walks over 4⅔ innings. He fanned four.Jose Miranda went 2 for 5 with two RBIs and two runs.Winning pitcher Winder (4-1) relieved Woods Richardson and gave up one earned run on one hit and a walk. He fanned four for the Saints (41-28).The teams meet Wednesday for an 11...

Twins fall to Red Sox once again as bats wake up way too late

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 13:25:15 GMT

After appearing to turn the corner last week with a series win over the Toronto Blue Jays, the Twins followed it up with a series sweep over the Milwaukee Brewers.That suddenly feels like a lifetime ago.The latest setback came on Tuesday night at Target Field as the Twins suffered a 10-4 loss to the Boston Red Sox. They have lost five of their past six games and their lead in the AL Central continues to dwindle.Even though Bailey Ober got tagged with the loss on this particular night, it’s hard to blame him too much. He pretty much would’ve had to be perfect given the way the Twins swung the bats for most of the night.That wasn’t the case as Ober gave up a pair of solo home runs in the fourth inning, serving up a slider that Adam Duvall demolished, then hanging a fastball that Carlos Arroyo annihilated.Meanwhile, the Twins never really threatened to score in the early stages, their best chance coming in the fifth inning when Carlos Correa struck out swinging with R...

Assembly takes up controversial bills in two-day session

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 13:25:15 GMT

ALBANY, N.Y. (WTEN) -- The State Assembly has reconvened for a two day session scheduled until Wednesday. What once was on the agenda was the Seneca Nation Gaming Compact –  which would create a casino in the Rochester area, but that’s been dropped from the docket. The Assembly passed a bill that would prohibit the disposal of radioactive chemicals into the Hudson River. This was part of a company’s plan to decommission the Indian Point Power Plant. Sponsor of the bill, Assemblywoman Dana Levenberg debated on the floor for an hour and a half before it passed. Levenberg says this method of disposing of radioactive chemicals into our rivers has been done for years, but it’s time for a change. "We want to make sure that we don’t take advantage of our beautiful Hudson river to dump radiological waste in that has the potential to impact people's health, biotia, and anything else in the Hudson River, and that we don’t take advantage of our beautiful natural resources in a way a...

You Paid For It: Getting answers for Affton residents plagued by flooding

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 13:25:15 GMT

AFFTON, Mo. - Affton residents on Hannover Street are getting slammed repeatedly by flooding. They contacted FOX 2 to get answers about whether a buyout is in their future."In the current situation, we have a ceiling, if you will, qualification level of $3.7 million in damages before FEMA ever comes into play," said St. Louis County Councilman Ernie Trakas. "We never reached that this time, so federal funds are not an option for the county to apply for or create an avenue for residents to apply for to affect buyouts. That’s main reason is there’s no money for buyout."Homeowners are not too thrilled about that."I would have loved a buyout. They’ve tried every other fix, and I don’t know what else it could be," said Susie Reuter. How many Missouri bridges need to be repaired or replaced? Depends who you ask Trakas said the county government stepped up with dumpsters and emergency workers when the last big flood hit. However, he said had another idea."Let's take a look at MSD. Why ar...

Teen suspect in mass shooting released from custody

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 13:25:15 GMT

ST. LOUIS - The teenager arrested after a mass shooting in downtown St. Louis has been released from custody.A court spokesperson said they took the charges the police requested under advisement but then requested detectives keep investigating.The St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department said they requested the Juvenile Family Court hold the juvenile suspect, but the court refused and asked for additional investigative work to be done. Missouri family finds relative 10 hours after hearing she died Police and court officials have not said what charges they have requested."This is still an ongoing investigation, and despite the fact that this juvenile suspect was released, he may still face additional charges," said Sgt. Charles Wall for the St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department.The city's police chief said earlier in the week that multiple guns were used in the shooting that left 10 teens shot.Authorities announced Tuesday that they needed assistance searching for additional sus...