Maryland Senate poll (Baltimore Sun): Hogan up by double digits

I dismissed the last poll where he was leading by a few, but this is not good.

General election
Hogan 53, Trone 40
Hogan 54, Alsobrooks 36

Democratic primary
Trone 48, Alsobrooks 29

https://www.baltimoresun.com/2024/04/16/poll-trone-alsobrooks-senate-hogan/

John Fetterman Shoots Down Biden's Approach on Iran

Source: Yahoo! News

Sen. John Fetterman (D-PA) pushed back on Sunday against President Joe Biden’s reported warning to Benjamin Netanyahu that the U.S. would not join in an attack against Iran, repeating his monthslong refrain that the U.S. should unconditionally support Israel.

“It’s astonishing that we are not standing firmly with Israel,” Fetterman told CNN’s Jake Tapper on State of the Union. “There should never be any time for conditions—all of that when a nation can launch hundreds of drones towards Israel—and I’m not going to be talking about conditions ever.”

Tapper asked Fetterman whether he agreed with Biden’s decision to tell Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu to “take the win” for intercepting Iran’s missiles and drones, and his discouragement of an Israeli response, as reported by Axios and others. Fetterman said that, while he still supported the president, he disagreed with Biden and urged him to maintain full-throated support for Israel.

“The president is entitled to his own views and whatever he decides to do, but I would never capitulate to the fringe,” Fetterman said. “In fact, that helps—that empowers Hamas, and Hamas is actually convinced that they are winning the PR war, and they’re never going to negotiate at this point. They think that they’re going to hold onto the very end.”

Read more: https://news.yahoo.com/john-fetterman-shoots-down-biden-150603395.html

Vatican stands firm on social issues like sex change and surrogacy

Source: BBC News

The Vatican has reiterated its staunch opposition to sex changes, gender theory, surrogate parenthood, abortion and euthanasia in a text dubbed "Dignitas Infinita" (Infinite Dignity).

Other social themes, such as poverty, migration and human trafficking are also emphasised as being potential threats to human dignity.

The text was signed by Pope Francis.

The pontiff has often been criticised by Catholic conservatives over his perceived liberal stance.

Read more: https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-68761487

Kurt Cobain died 30 years ago today

Hard to believe it's been that long. His music changed the world and his death brought an entire generation (X) to tears. RIP to an absolute legend.

Kurt Cobain's Death: Looking Back at the Rock Icon's Final Days and Legacy, 30 Years Later

Sonia Sotomayor's Retirement Is A 'Personal Decision': White House

Hogan is slightly ahead

Maryland Senate, two new polls out today from Goucher College:

Hogan vs. Trone: Hogan 43, Trone 42
Hogan vs. Alsobrooks: Hogan 44, Alsobrooks 40

Democratic Primary: Trone 42, Alsobrooks 33

https://www.goucher.edu/hughes-center/documents/Goucher-College-Poll-Spring-2024.pdf

Now, I don't think for one minute that this will be a certain loss, but it will certainly force us to spend money there. We were never supposed to put the needed resources there.

NY's highest court asked to weigh in on NYC's noncitizen voting law

Source: Gothamist

A 50-year-old civil rights law firm is asking the state’s highest court to overturn a lower court decision striking down New York City's noncitizen voting law and allow it to take effect a month after it was blocked.

Attorneys from the nonprofit LatinoJustice filed a notice of appeal on Friday after last month’s 3-to-1 ruling against Local Law 11. The law would apply to elections for local offices — including City Council, mayor, public advocate, comptroller and borough president — and would grant certain noncitizens in New York City, such as green card holders and those with work authorizations, the right to cast a ballot.

“This is a group that contributes financially to the success of the city. It’s a backbone of our culture and of our existence,” said Cesar Ruiz, associate counsel at LatinoJustice, referring to the city’s nearly one million legal immigrants who would be able to register as municipal voters under the law. “It was a blatant contradiction to us that they couldn’t vote.”

The drawn-out battle over the law runs in parallel with some of the thorniest and most controversial socioeconomic and policy challenges facing the city in recent years, where immigrant New Yorkers are repeatedly at the center of the debate, beginning with the COVID-19 pandemic and the more recent arrival of thousands of migrants.

Read more: https://gothamist.com/news/ny-highest-court-asked-to-weigh-in-on-new-york-citys-noncitizen-voting-law

Bernie Moreno wins Ohio Senate Republican primary, setting up high-stakes battle in November

Source: USA Today

Businessman Bernie Moreno will face Sen. Sherrod Brown, D-Ohio, this fall after winning Ohio’s combative Republican U.S. Senate primary on Tuesday.

He defeated state Sen. Matt Dolan and Secretary of State Frank LaRose in a contest that pitted the GOP’s old guard against allies of former President Donald Trump.

Results are unofficial until the votes are canvassed after election day.

Tuesday's election concluded a tight race that became increasingly vicious in its final weeks. The candidates and their allies spent millions of dollars to spar on the airwaves as they clamored for voters’ support. Most attacks centered around the candidates’ conservative credentials and whether they’d have Trump’s back if he’s reelected in November.

Read more: https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/politics/elections/2024/03/19/bernie-moreno-wins-ohio-senate-gop-primary/73035741007/

Supreme Court allows Texas to enforce immigration law

Source: NBC News

WASHINGTON — The Supreme Court on Tuesday allowed Texas to enforce a contentious new law that gives local police the power to arrest migrants.

The conservative-majority court, with three liberal justices dissenting, rejected an emergency request by the Biden administration, which said states have no authority to legislate on immigration, an issue the federal government has sole authority over.

That means the law can go into effect while litigation continues in lower courts. It could still be blocked at a later date.

"The court gives a green light to a law that will upend the longstanding federal-state balance of power and sow chaos," liberal Justice Sonia Sotomayor wrote in a dissenting opinion.

Read more: https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/supreme-court/supreme-court-allows-texas-enforce-immigration-law-rcna142971

New York City Mayor Eric Adams accused of sexual assault by former NYPD aide in new lawsuit

Source: CNN

A former NYPD aide is suing New York City Mayor Eric Adams, alleging he sexually assaulted her in 1993 while they both worked for the Transit Bureau when he demanded sexual acts in exchange for helping her get a promotion she was previously denied, according to a lawsuit filed Monday.

The plaintiff in the lawsuit alleges that Adams, who at the time was working in the New York City Police Department’s transit division and was then with the Guardians Association, a fraternal order of the police department, used his position to proposition her.

The suit follows a summons filed in New York County Supreme Court in November under the state’s Adult Survivors Act. Adams has denied the allegations and said he does not know the accuser.

The plaintiff is also suing the NYPD Transit Bureau and the NYPD Guardians Association. CNN has reached out to the parties for comment.

Read more: https://www.cnn.com/2024/03/18/politics/eric-adams-sexual-assault-lawsuit-nypd-aide/index.html