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The Republican-controlled chamber recently agreed without opposition to update its conflict of interest rule to clearly exclude from voting any member who has a direct personal or pecuniary interest in a proposed new law. Senate rules previously set guidelines for senators to consider when evaluating potential conflicts of interest. But the rules did not explicitly require senators to sit out votes on those matters. The updated rules state that a senator "is precluded" from voting on legislation when his or her personal interest in it is "so substantial as to affect the senator's independent legislative judgment." "When that is the case, we feel it's appropriate that member of the body not vote," said Senate President Rod Bray, R-Martinsville. The new conflict of interest rule, similar to the old one , allows a senator with a conflict to still participate in committee and floor debate on the legislation, so long as the senator openly discloses his or her conflict prior to speaking. Senators may also continue to request an opinion from the Senate Ethics Committee to determine whether a potential conflict of interest is sufficiently substantial as to require the senator to sit out a vote, according to the rules. The Senate's updated conflict of interest rule more closely aligns with the longstanding Indiana House rule that specifies any representative with a direct personal or pecuniary interest "shall" ask to be excused on any vote related to that interest — except the state budget or general revenue legislation. "Any member requesting to be excused from voting may make a brief statement of the reasons for making such request and the question then shall be taken without further debate," according to the House rules. In general, both state senators and state representatives are expected to vote on every question that comes up when they are physically present in their chamber at the Statehouse and not otherwise ineligible to vote due to a conflict of interest or another excuse permitted by the Senate or House rules. The four-month regular session of the Indiana General Assembly is set to begin Jan. 8 when the 100 representatives and 50 senators return to Indianapolis focused primarily on devising a new, two-year state budget, while also potentially tackling property tax reform, education policy, health care costs, and gambling expansion, among other issues.United Healthcare share price tanks amid outrage at greed after CEO shooting 'by Luigi Mangione'In a closely watched race, State Representative Court Boice has won reelection to represent Oregon's 1st House District, which encompasses parts of Coos, Curry, and Douglas counties. The Republican incumbent secured his position for another two-year term, reinforcing his commitment to addressing the region's pressing issues. Boice, a native Oregonian with deep roots in the district, campaigned on a platform emphasizing forest management, fire prevention, and economic development for the rural communities he represents. His victory comes as no surprise to many local observers, given his long-standing ties to the area and his reputation for hands-on involvement in community affairs. Throughout his campaign, Boice highlighted his experience in catastrophic fire awareness and prevention, positioning himself as a leader in addressing what he considers "the most defining natural resource and community safety issue of our time". This focus resonated with voters in a region that has grappled with the increasing threat of wildfires in recent years. The representative's background as a county commissioner and his involvement in various local boards and committees over four decades likely contributed to his appeal among constituents. Boice has often emphasized his deep understanding of the district's needs, stating, "No one will outwork me, and no one will care more!" In his upcoming term, Boice is expected to continue his efforts to reverse what he describes as "40 years of damaging Legislative Policies in Oregon". He has been vocal about his desire to protect the district's natural resources while promoting economic stability, a balance that many in the timber-dependent region view as crucial. In his campaign Boice also campaigned on economic development for rural communities, emphasizing his commitment to the needs of rural Oregon and its need for education reform. Boice advocated reversing what he saw as damages to education from lowering academic standards and eliminating political and social indoctrination from public schools. This fits in with his Pro-life stance. Boice describes himself as solidly pro-life, except in cases of risk to the mother's life, rape, or incest. He supported a top-down audit of Oregon's election processes. The reelection of Boice comes at a time when Oregon's political landscape is experiencing significant shifts. The state recently saw a Supreme Court decision barring several Republican senators from seeking reelection due to their participation in a prolonged walkout last year. While this ruling does not directly affect Boice, it underscores the heightened tensions in Oregon politics and the challenges facing lawmakers as they navigate partisan divides. As he prepares for another term in Salem, Boice will likely face pressure to deliver on his promises of economic revitalization and improved forest management practices. His constituents in the "beautiful Southwest Corner of Oregon," as he affectionately refers to his district, will be watching closely to see how he addresses their concerns in the state capitol. With the political dynamics in Oregon continuing to evolve, Boice's role as a Republican in a Democrat-dominated legislature will be scrutinized. His ability to work across the aisle while maintaining his conservative principles will be key to his effectiveness in the upcoming legislative sessions. As Oregon grapples with issues ranging from housing affordability to climate change, Boice's reelection ensures that the voice of rural Oregon will continue to be heard in the state's policy discussions. The coming term will test his skills as a legislator and his capacity to bring about the changes he has promised to his constituents.
The stink from the Nuggets’ performance Monday might linger in Ball Arena for a while. “We’re not flushing,” Nuggets coach Michael Malone said of quickly moving on after Monday’s 145-118 loss to the Knicks. “You don’t flush when you get embarrassed. You don’t flush when you gave up 145 points. You don’t flush when you didn’t play hard, you didn’t play with effort, you didn’t play with physicality. I’m not flushing anything.” Maybe it’s a good thing the Nuggets didn’t formally hold practice before departing for Wednesday’s game in Utah. The Knicks came to Denver after a surprising loss to a Jazz team that took a 4-12 record into their game Tuesday. Denver returned home Sunday after spending Saturday night in Los Angeles following a win that moved Malone past Doug Moe for the franchise record. Jamal Murray confident consistency is coming | NBA Insider “Regardless of who’s in, who’s out, who do we want to be as a team? Leadership would be great. Toughness would be great. Physicality would be great. Playing like you actually care would be great. We didn’t do that tonight,” Malone said. “We played like we won a game in LA, and we could just show up tonight.” Malone pointed to two other recent performances that raised concerns. First was a 15-point loss to a Memphis team without Ja Morant on Nov. 17, a game that Nikola Jokic also missed. Then, there was the first half of Friday’s game against Dallas where the Mavericks led by 20 at halftime. Monday, the issue spanned all four quarters, resulting in Denver’s fourth home loss in nine games at Ball Arena to start the season. Last season, the Nuggets lost a total of eight games at home. “We didn’t show up tonight,” Jokic said. “It was one team today playing basketball.” There was no disputing the source of Monday’s struggles, as Jamal Murray and Jokic agreed there was nothing the coaches could do with that kind of effort from the players. Next the Nuggets go to Utah with plans of leaving Monday’s odorous performance in the past. “They just lost. They come back and win considerably. It’s the same thing we’re going to do next game,” Murray said. “It’s energy. It’s effort. It’s discipline. It’s how much you want it. It’s how much you care. We didn’t have that tonight.” Michael Malone leads Nuggets past Lakers, moves atop Denver's win list Monday’s loss dropped Denver into the play-in spots if the postseason started Tuesday. Fortunately for the Nuggets, there’s plenty of time to turn things around, but they’re clearly behind schedule. “Sixteen games in, and we’re talking about effort. We’re talking about toughness. We’re talking about physicality,” Malone said. “We’re just fooling ourselves. Yes, they’re a good team, but if that’s the effort we’re going to give forth, we won’t even be close to being a playoff team.” Nuggets' injury report Peyton Watson - probable (right adductor strain) Aaron Gordon - out (right calf strain) Vlatko Cancar - out (left knee sprain) DaRon Holmes II - out (right Achilles tendon repair) Jalen Pickett - out (G League) Spencer Jones - out (G League)Kopri-Pachpakhadi Thane election results: In Eknath Shinde vs Kedar Dighe, which Shiv Sena leader is winning
Dallas Police Department Welcomes New Senior Public Information Officer Corbin Rubinson to Enhance Community Relations
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WASHINGTON (AP) — Matt Gaetz withdrew Thursday as President-elect Donald Trump’s pick for attorney general amid continued fallout over a federal sex trafficking investigation that cast doubt on his ability to be confirmed as the nation's chief federal law enforcement officer. The announcement caps a turbulent eight-day period in which Trump sought to capitalize on his decisive election win to force Senate Republicans to accept provocative selections like Gaetz, who had been investigated by the Justice Department before being tapped last week to lead it. The decision could heighten scrutiny on other controversial Trump nominees, including Pentagon pick Pete Hegseth , who faces sexual assault allegations that he denies. “While the momentum was strong, it is clear that my confirmation was unfairly becoming a distraction to the critical work of the Trump/Vance Transition,” Gaetz, a Florida Republican who one day earlier met with senators in an effort to win their support, said in a statement. “There is no time to waste on a needlessly protracted Washington scuffle, thus I’ll be withdrawing my name from consideration to serve as Attorney General. Trump’s DOJ must be in place and ready on Day 1," he added. Trump, in a social media post, said: “I greatly appreciate the recent efforts of Matt Gaetz in seeking approval to be Attorney General. He was doing very well but, at the same time, did not want to be a distraction for the Administration, for which he has much respect. Matt has a wonderful future, and I look forward to watching all of the great things he will do!” He did not immediately announce a new selection. Last week, he named personal lawyers Todd Blanche, Emil Bove and D. John Sauer to senior roles in the department. Another possible contender, Matthew Whitaker, was announced Wednesday as the U.S. ambassador to NATO. The withdrawal, just a week after the pick was announced, averts what was shaping up to be a pitched confirmation fight that would have tested how far Senate Republicans were willing to go to support Trump’s Cabinet picks. The selection of the fierce Trump ally over well-regarded veteran lawyers whose names had circulated as possible contenders stirred concern for the Justice Department's independence at a time when Trump has openly threatened to seek retribution against political adversaries. It underscored the premium Trump places on personal loyalty and reflected the president-elect's desire to have a disruptor lead a Justice Department that for years investigated and ultimately indicted him. In the Senate, deeply skeptical lawmakers sought more information about Justice Department and congressional investigations into sex trafficking allegations involving underage girls, which Gaetz has denied. Meanwhile, Justice Department lawyers were taken aback by the pick of a partisan lawmaker with limited legal experience who has echoed Trump's claims of a weaponized criminal justice system. As Gaetz sought to lock down Senate support, concern over the sex trafficking allegations showed no signs of abating. In recent days, an attorney for two women said his clients told House Ethics Committee investigators that Gaetz paid them for sex on multiple occasions beginning in 2017, when Gaetz was a Florida congressman. One of the women testified she saw Gaetz having sex with a 17-year-old at a party in Florida in 2017, according to the attorney, Joel Leppard. Leppard has said that his client testified she didn’t think Gaetz knew the girl was underage, stopped their relationship when he found out and did not resume it until after she turned 18. The age of consent in Florida is 18. "They’re grateful for the opportunity to move forward with their lives,” Leppard said Thursday of his clients. “They’re hoping that this brings final closure for all the parties involved.” Gaetz has vehemently denied any wrongdoing. The Justice Department’s investigation ended last year with no charges against him. Gaetz’s political future is uncertain. He had abruptly resigned his congressional seat upon being selected as attorney general, a move seen as a way to shut down the ethics investigation into sexual misconduct allegations. He did win reelection in November for the new Congress, which convenes Jan. 3, 2025, but he said in his resignation letter last week that he did not intend to take the oath of office. There are plans for a special election in Florida for his seat. Republicans on the House Ethics Committee declined this week to release the panel's findings, over objections from Democrats in a split vote. But the committee did agree to finish its work and is scheduled to meet again Dec. 5 to discuss the matter. As word of Gaetz's decision spread across the Capitol, Republican senators seemed divided. Oklahoma Sen. Markwayne Mullin, who served with Gaetz in the House, called it a “positive move." Maine Sen. Susan Collins said Gaetz “put country first and I am pleased with his decision.” Others said they had hoped Gaetz could have overhauled the department. Florida Sen. Rick Scott, a close ally of Trump, said he was “disappointed. I like Matt and I think he would have changed the way DOJ is run.” Kentucky Sen. Rand Paul said he hopes Trump will pick someone “equally as tenacious and equally as committed to rooting out and eliminating bias and politicization at the DOJ.” Gaetz is not the only Trump pick facing congressional scrutiny over past allegations. A detailed investigative police report made public Wednesday shows that a woman told police that she was sexually assaulted in 2017 by Hegseth, the former Fox News host now tapped to lead the Pentagon, after he took her phone, blocked the door to a California hotel room and refused to let her leave. “The matter was fully investigated and I was completely cleared,” Hegseth told reporters Thursday at the Capitol, where he was meeting with senators to build support for his nomination. Associated Press writers Michelle L. Price, Lisa Mascaro, Mary Clare Jalonick and Adriana Gomez Licon contributed to this report. Copyright 2024 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission. Get local news delivered to your inbox!McConnell to head subcommittee overseeing defense spending as he prepares to step down as GOP leader
Unions attack 2.8% Government pay rise proposal for NHS workers and teachers
OTB hotel expansion delayedWASHINGTON, Dec 10 (Reuters) - The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics' leadership was to blame for a series of missteps this year that put the agency under scrutiny, a report said on Tuesday, noting that its shortcomings included being insufficiently focused on economic data releases, communication with users and providing adequate training. But the report from a team of experts made up of government and private sector members said none of the incidents were related to the quality or accuracy of the agency's core data work. No dishonest or nefarious underlying motives had been found, the report added. Acting Labor Secretary Julie Su ordered an inquiry after three incidents, including the early release of a portion of the Consumer Price Index for April. "I want to emphasize that throughout their conversations with me, the team emphasized that overall, their investigation revealed a really excellent organization with a highly capable staff, deeply committed to their mission and their agency," BLS Commissioner Erika McEntarfer told reporters. "My first hope and expectation is that you will see a seamless data release process. We've already taken a number of steps to further mitigate risk." The BLS compiles economic reports such as the closely followed monthly employment report and consumer price data. In May, the BLS reported that a subset of files had been inadvertently loaded to its website approximately 30 minutes prior to the scheduled 8:30 a.m. ET release for April's CPI and Real Earnings data. McEntarfer said there was no noticeable movement in the U.S. Treasury market on the day some of the CPI data was released early. Months earlier, a BLS economist was reported to have been sharing undisclosed technical calculations underlying some of the data from the CPI series with private-sector economists who were dubbed super-users. "It was an idiosyncratically collected group of emails of people who had been asking him questions that he put together against policies and procedures that BLS outlined, so, yeah, it was limited to one person and ceased at the moment its attention was brought to the agency," McEntarfer said. In August, the release of the preliminary annual benchmark revision for the nonfarm payrolls report was delayed for more than 30 minutes after its scheduled 10 a.m. release time, but it still found its way onto social media platforms before the agency posted it. The investigation found that the agency's technology and software modernization had been hampered by underfunding and a lack of multi-year funding to enable it to ensure its processes and systems kept pace with technological advancements. The panel of investigators recommended among other things that the BLS re-imagine enterprise training for front-line staff, communicate earlier and more frequently with users about upcoming revisions to survey methodologies in a manner that is appropriate for both expert and more general users, and revise contingency planning to mitigate the risk of untimely releases. "BLS management mandated accountability at the supervisory and manager levels, and added standards for those two levels in performance management plans," said Jonathan Schwabish, a member of the committee that conducted the inquiry into the BLS' procedures and practices. Schwabish, who is a senior fellow at the Urban Institute, also said the BLS had removed contractors from critical roles and limited those functions to federal staff. "So prior to these incidents, certain releases either had input or help from federal contractors, and so BLS, after these incidents, removed the contractors from those roles." Sign up here. Reporting by Lucia Mutikani; Editing by Chizu Nomiyama and Paul Simao Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles. , opens new tab
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Trump Media CEO Devin Nunes Congratulates Kash Patel On Nomination As FBI Director