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Lawmakers backed a plan Monday that proponents call a necessary first step toward better understanding persistent homelessness, which out-of-town legislators get an up-close view of while in downtown Atlanta for the three-month session.

But critics argue the Senate bill steps on the authority of the local officials grappling with the complicated issue in their communities and say it will indirectly criminalize homelessness and poverty.

The bill passed with a 99-to-76 vote that largely fell along party lines after a lengthy and emotional debate about how best to compassionately address homelessness. The Senate then gave it final passage late Monday with a 36-to-20 vote that included a few Democrats, sending it to the governors desk.

When I come here from Rome and I get off of the interstate, I can always count on someone coming up to my car and asking me for money, said Rep. Katie Dempsey, a Rome Republican and the bills sponsor. Theyre not always very nice about it either. Ive had my car scratched. Ive had them jump on it.

Dempsey says the bill is meant as a start.

The measure requires the state auditor to inspect how public funding allocated to help unsheltered Georgians is spent statewide. Sen. Kim Jackson, a Stone Mountain Democrat who served on a Senate study committee that explored homelessness last year, tried unsuccessfully to strip the bill down to just the audit, which she says has the support of nonprofits as well as lawmakers from both parties.

I strongly encourage you, lets be deliberative, Jackson said to her colleagues Monday night. Once we have a full audit, then we can make some calculated and important choices and decisions about how to best use that money.

It would also bar hospitals and local authorities from dropping people off in another county, unless the individual previously resided there or arrangements were made with another organization.

And the proposal gives the state attorney general the authority to step in if local officials try to block the enforcement of ordinances prohibiting unauthorized public camping, sleeping, or obstruction of sidewalks if they have those laws on the books. Those cities and counties could then be ordered to reimburse the state for any costs incurred.

Dempsey, who oversees the human resources spending on the House Appropriations Committee, said she is troubled by reports of beds going unoccupied at shelters, particularly in Atlanta.

We should not have cities who are looking away as people choose or feel they must find different places to put their head every night, she said.

But Democrats argued the proposal takes the wrong approach and will pressure cities and counties to step up enforcement of their ordinances, which they say amounts to criminalizing homelessness.

At the end of the day, if you know that the attorney general is going to step in and prosecute a case that they believe you should have prosecuted and you dont want to spend the money on that, youre going to be incentivized to prosecute that case, said Rep. Ruwa Romman, a Duluth Democrat.

Rep. Roger Bruce, an Atlanta Democrat, called it just another hate-filled bill during Mondays debate.

People dont like to just be candid, but you got to be candid: Its a hate-filled bill, a bill to punish people for helping people who need help. That is mean. Thats just not the right spirit for any of us here, Bruce said.

Stacey Evans, an Atlanta Democrat, told her colleagues their focus was misplaced and that lawmakers should instead be focused on the issues underlying homelessness that can be tackled on the state level.

If you want to do something about the city of Atlantas homelessness situation, how about you move your butt to Atlanta and run for office? Evans said.

Rep. John LaHood, a Valdosta Republican who chaired the committee that advanced the measure, countered that the bill particularly the audit would help give lawmakers more clarity moving forward. But he justified the other parts as also being necessary.

We want to be sure that the cities in this state dont become like Los Angeles and Austin, Texas, where we encourage people to sleep on the street. Lets do something about it, LaHood said. Were not criminalizing poverty. Were looking for solutions.

The proposal emerged from a multiyear effort pushed by state Sen. Carden Summers, a Cordele Republican who chaired a study committee on homelessness last year and who is the Senate sponsor.

The bill aims to decrease the number of homeless people sleeping on the street and help them find safety in a shelter or a mental health facility, if needed, Summers said. But the south Georgia Republican sparked controversy last session when he first floated a proposal to impose misdemeanor offenses for camping on public property.

The House also passed a bill designed to build on last years major mental health bill, but that appears stalled in the Senate.

A handful of advocates lined up to testify at a recent subcommittee meeting, and many said they welcome the audits.

We welcome any audits, and we would all support making sure that were spending money in an effective way, Brad Schweers, the executive director of Intown Collaborative Ministries said.

But the advocates at the hearing said policymakers should focus more on proven methods that help homeless people find affordable housing, especially in cities like Atlanta where rent skyrockets each year.

Like Intown Collaborative Ministries LIFT 1.0 program, which has helped about 450 people find affordable housing. Tracy Woodard, a case manager at Intown Collaborative Ministries, says much of the funding they received this year will be put toward LIFT 2.0.

Unfortunately, the biggest barrier is the lack of affordable housing, Georgia is no longer affordable. Woodard said, Before the pandemic, I could take my clients and find places for them that were about $500 a month, which you can do if youre on Social Security benefits. That has completely changed.

I can go down all the way to McDonough and I cant find anything, I cant find a rented room for less than $800 a month. So affordable housing is our biggest barrier, Woodard said.

Daniel Page is a Georgia citizen who said he experienced homelessness after being hospitalized from 2014 to 2015 for infections of his diabetic ulcers. Page is one of Woodards clients and he testified at the hearing on how the LIFT 1.0 program helped him find a permanent home.

I was able to get by and exist. It took several years until I found, you know, permanent housing. And what helped me with the permanent housing was kind of what used to be called Section 8, Page said, You pay 30% of your security check for housing, and you dont have to worry about anything else. And Im able to live doing that.

Cathryn Vassell, CEO of the nonprofit Partners for Home an Atlanta-based non-profit in the Homeless continuum of care was amongst the string of advocates.

Vassell said much of the funding her organization receives comes from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development to the tune of about $10 million. And most of that is allocated to sustain permanent housing options, especially for people with disabilities who need their income subsidized.

So that 10 million goes to support permanent supportive housing and rapid rehousing. And that funds about 1000 units of housing for individuals. And as people move out of that housing, we replace or fill those units as people move out with people who are currently homeless.

Summers said that the audits could help boost funding for homelessness, especially in rural communities.

Homelessness is not indigenous to Atlanta, its everywhere. And were dealing with it in our community. And we had cities and counties, representatives, commissioners come up to testify that theyre not getting any funding. In Ben Hill County, in Irwin County, in Coffee County and Valdosta they need help.

Dempsey framed this years bill as a path toward other potential state-level changes, such as changing the minimum wage.

Supportive housing is the No. 1 thing we have, but we cannot afford to have enough supportive housing opportunities for all of the homeless people in our state, Dempsey said. So what are the steps we can do to understand who they are, where they are, what their needs are?

More here:
Republican lawmakers back plan to tackle homelessness that critics ... - Georgia Recorder

Despite lingering concerns about the citys pandemic protocols, leaders of the Republican Party of Texas chose San Antonio over Fort Worth to host its 2024 state party convention.

The state convention is where the party elects its leaders, determines its platform and policy objectives and sets party rules. In a presidential year, the party also chooses its delegates to the electoral college.

The event is expected to take place May 23-25 of next year, with the majority of the meetings hosted at the Henry B. Gonzlez Convention Center. The state GOPs executive committee selected San Antonio for the gathering in a special meeting April 26, 2022.

Spokesman James Wesolek said the 2022 GOP convention in Houston drew more than 10,000 attendees. The party expects a larger turnout in San Antonio because of the 2024 presidential race.

San Antonio last hosted the state GOP convention in 2018, a midterm election year when U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz faced a tougher than expected reelection race against Democrat Beto ORourke, then a member of Congress.

That same year the City Council passed on bidding to host the 2020 Republican National Convention, citing potential disruptions caused by then-President Donald Trump and his supporters.

Members of the State Republican Executive Committee, which includes one male and female representative from each state Senate district, heard competing pitches from the two cities marketing arms more than a year ago at their quarterly meeting in Austin.

Through a virtual presentation, Melanie Hoover, assistant vice president of convention sales and services for Visit Fort Worth, talked up her citys dedication to staying open for business throughout the pandemic.

RPTs 2020 convention was canceled by Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner days before it was supposed to take place, due to COVID-19 concerns.

Weve been so just blessed to have Gov. Abbott and everything that hes done for our economy, Hoover said. When Nevada shut down, we were able to host the National Finals Rodeo had we not hosted that event, we in Fort Worth, Texas, would not be where we are today as far as welcoming business back.

Alysia Roden, who was the director of sales for Visit San Antonio at the time, attended the SREC gathering in person in February 2022 and stressed the citys appeal to visitors who might want to extend their stay through the Memorial Day weekend. After her presentation she faced questions about the citys pandemic precautions.

Does San Antonio follow the governors requirements, such as mask mandates or do the local governmental authorities do things we need to be aware of? one man asked.

City and county leaders fought Abbott throughout the pandemic to be able to enforce local mask mandates. But Roden assured the SREC members, once you rent the convention center, its your space, your facility, you set the protocols.

God help us all, by 2024 I really hope that this is in our rearview, she said.

Karen Marshall, who represents part of San Antonio on the SREC and serves on the body Convention Planning Committee, said she expects the gathering to take up the entire convention center in 2024. Members of that committee plan to do a walk-through in the coming weeks.

Being a presidential year, and because so many people just like visiting San Antonio, it will host a couple thousand more delegates than the year before, Marshall said.

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San Antonio to host 2024 Republican Party of Texas convention - San Antonio Report

Jill Lochner, a Republican from Saratoga County, with one of her three sons on a hike in the Adirondacks. Photo courtesy of Jill Lochner

Mar 28, 2023

Back when Elise Stefanik was first elected to represent the North Country in Congress in 2014, Jill Lochner said she liked what Stefanik stood for.

"She presented herself as a moderate, more like myself," said Lochner, "but shes taken a turn and shes become increasingly far-right and ultra-MAGA since then."

Stefanik is one of Donald Trumps most loyal supporters. Since shes made that shift, her standing in the Republican party has skyrocketed. As conference chair, Stefanik is now the third-ranking Republican in the house.

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Lochner has never been elected to public office. Shes worked in special education and government consulting. Like Stefanik, Lochner now lives outside the 21st Congressional district, in the town of Greenfield just west of Saratoga Springs.

Lochner is running partly because shes frustrated by Stefaniks rhetoric in recent years, which she describes as "hateful and divisive."

I think we need to get back to respectful conversation, debate, dialogue," said Lochner. "I also dont believe that being a Republican means I need to hate and constantly criticize Democrats."

Republican Congresswoman Elise Stefanik declared victory at her election night party at the Queensbury Hotel in Nov. 2022. Photo: Emily Russell

"I believe that the government should stay out of womens bodies and those choices should be made between a woman and her doctor," said Lochner.

In order to get on the Republican primary ballot next summer, Lochner says she needs about 1,300 petition signatures. Stefanik hasnt been challenged in a primary since she first ran in 2014. Since then, she's defeated every Democrat by a double-digit margin and raises millions of dollars each election cycle.

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Meet the moderate Republican who wants to primary Rep. Stefanik - North Country Public Radio

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When the Legislature convened in January, Republicans trotted out their usual priorities border security, school vouchers, property taxes and anti-LGBTQ animus. But they also honed in on a new target: prosecutors.

District and county attorneys have typically garnered a lot of support from law- and- order conservatives. But a new fissure has emerged between Republican lawmakers who create the laws and left-leaning prosecutors tasked with enforcing them, especially around abortion, voter fraud and drug and property crime.

By declining to take these cases, prosecutors say they are merely exercising their prosecutorial discretion; lawmakers argue they are engaging in prosecutorial legislation, cherry-picking which laws do and do not apply in their jurisdictions.

Legislators have filed more than 30 bills aimed at reining in the power and purview of locally elected prosecutors. Some lawmakers are content with removing or disciplining rogue DAs who decline to pursue abortion or election cases. Others want to ensure those cases end up in the hands of a lawyer who will take them on like a neighboring district attorney, or even the Texas attorney general.

Elected district and county attorneys have wide prosecutorial discretion to decide which cases their office should pursue. Usually, that happens on a case-by-case basis, but occasionally, prosecutors adopt policies dictating their approach.

In 2019, Dallas District Attorney John Creuzot announced a policy of not prosecuting first-time marijuana offenses and thefts of personal items under $750 stolen out of necessity. Creuzot later clarified the theft policy and said it was expected to only affect a small portion of cases considered by his office.

After the overturn of Roe v. Wade last June, five Texas prosecutors, including Creuzot, signed on to a national letter saying they wouldnt use departmental resources to pursue abortion-related charges.

Travis County District Attorney Jos Garza told The Texas Tribune in April that he was making a strategic decision about priorities.

We are very focused on holding accountable people who commit acts of violence in our community, he said. Pulling resources away from that to focus on this kind of case would be reckless and endanger the safety of our community.

In a recent statement, Garzas office said, Regardless of which debates our Legislature takes up, the Travis County district attorneys office will remain focused on prosecuting violent crimes and on working to improve the safety of our community.

This discretion is a cornerstone of prosecutorial independence, said Sandra Guerra Thompson, a professor of criminal law at the University of Houston Law Center.

Its built into the system, and its expected that they will exercise that discretion wisely, she said. And if not, the electorate will vote for someone else.

State lawmakers trying to override that discretion is another attempt to exert statewide control over a traditionally local function, Guerra Thompson said. Were seeing a lot of that these days.

As county-level elected officials, prosecutors cannot be impeached by the Legislature or executive action, nor can they face a recall election. To remove a prosecutor from office, a resident of the county must file a petition alleging incompetency, official misconduct or intoxication. If a jury finds them guilty, a district judge can order them removed from office.

Its a rarely used tactic, but last year, the El Paso County district attorney resigned ahead of a removal trial. The rookie prosecutor was accused of endangering public safety by bungling even her most basic responsibilities, and her office has been implicated in possible criminal allegations over the handling of the 2019 Walmart shooting case.

Shortly afterward, a conservative activist sought to remove the Nueces County district attorney, a Democrat, using the same method. A judge has yet to rule on whether he will face a jury trial for removal.

If a prosecutor is removed, Gov. Greg Abbott appoints a successor until the next election.

The priority prosecutor bills House Bill 17 and Senate Bill 20 both operate within this existing disciplinary structure. They propose expanding the definition of official misconduct, allowing any resident to file a removal petition if a prosecutor adopts a policy that prohibits or materially limits the enforcement of any criminal offense.

House Bill 3307, filed by state Rep. David Cook, R-Mansfield, would allow removal petitions to be brought by district and county attorneys in neighboring counties. The removal trial could proceed in the neighboring county as well, per the legislation.

Several bills would allow the attorney general to bring a removal petition, as well as sue prosecutors who have a written or unofficial policy of not enforcing certain crimes. Under House Bill 1350 and its companion, Senate Bill 378, the attorney general could bring a civil suit seeking fines of $25,000 for each day a prosecutor doesnt enforce the law.

Legislators have also proposed constitutional amendments to allow prosecutors to be impeached by executive action or removed through recall elections; amendments require a two-thirds majority vote in both chambers before they go to voters for approval.

Two bills House Bill 1732 and Senate Bill 404 would reestablish the Prosecuting Attorneys Coordinating Council to review complaints and discipline prosecutors. The original PACC was created in 1977 and sunsetted in 1985, according to the Texas District and County Attorneys Association.

The new PACC would be made up of a county attorney and a district attorney, a police chief or sheriff, a criminal judge, two non-lawyers and a presiding officer appointed by the governor. The Legislature rejected proposals to restore the PACC in 1991 and 1993, the TDCAA found.

Oddly enough, those bills were proposed 30 years ago as responses to alleged overzealous prosecutionsspecifically, the then-Travis County DA indicting the sitting House Speaker, TDCAA wrote in a blog post detailing the groups history. But in 2023, this idea is being resurrected for the opposite reason: non-prosecution, rather than over-prosecution.

Several bills would allow neighboring district attorneys to pursue election-related cases if the local prosecutor declines to do so, through several different mechanisms. One bill proposes allowing the attorney general to appoint them, while others would give a district attorney from any neighboring county concurrent jurisdiction on voter fraud cases.

Another proposal would create a new position of a statewide special prosecutor. Per House Bill 4026, filed by Rep. Mike Schofield, R-Katy, and Senate Bill 1096, filed by Sen. Bryan Hughes, R-Mineola, this special prosecutor would have statewide jurisdiction to pursue election, abortion, human trafficking, drug or corruption charges.

The special prosecutor would be appointed by the Supreme Court of Texas. In Schofields bill, the attorney generals office would be permitted to assist the special prosecutor in fulfilling the duties of their office.

The idea has rankled even some conservative district attorneys, said Tom Glass, founder of the conservative activist group, Texas Constitutional Enforcement.

Some of them have said It kind of grates on me to have anybody looking over my shoulder, Glass told a Senate committee Thursday. I said, Look, the jurisprudence of Texas is too important to accommodate that particular reservation. We've got a rule-of-law problem on our hands, and we've got to address it with this legislation.

Legislators are also looking for ways to empower the attorney general to prosecute certain offenses, including voter fraud and abortion. But to do so, theyll have to find a way around a recent court ruling that affirmed the Texas attorney general has virtually no independent prosecutorial authority.

In Stephens v. Texas, the state Court of Criminal Appeals ruled the attorney general can only intervene when explicitly asked to by the local prosecutor.

The 1876 Texas Constitution completely eliminated the specific constitutional authority of the Attorney General to represent the State in appeals of criminal cases in a deliberate response to the despotic control of the reconstruction governor, the ruling reads. Since then, it has had no authority to represent the State in a criminal case in any court, except when a county or district attorney requests it to assist.

In amicus briefs for the Stephens case, a group of Republican senators argued that preventing the attorney general from prosecuting election fraud would result in a substantial reduction of the constitutional power of the Legislature.

Without the Attorney Generals ability to step in when a district attorney does not move forward on the investigation or prosecution of an election crime, there will be no deterrent against election fraud in that district, the senators wrote in the brief.

The Court of Criminal Appeals declined to rehear the case.

When the district or county attorney chooses not to prosecute a case, they are permissibly exercising their prosecutorial discretion, wrote Judge Scott Walker in a concurring opinion. It is their prerogative to file or not file charges.

Republican legislators filed several bills that could circumvent that ruling by giving the Texas Supreme Court authority to overturn decisions from the Court of Criminal Appeals.

Texas is one of only two states that has two equally powerful high courts. These bills would put the Texas Supreme Court, which handles civil cases, over the Court of Criminal Appeals, which handles criminal cases, on constitutional questions like the one considered in Stephens.

In a hearing Thursday, Grant Dorfman, Texas deputy first assistant attorney general, argued that the Legislature wouldnt need a constitutional amendment to retool the judiciary. TDCAA has disagreed, writing in its legislative update that this reading of the law follows the same logic that got thrown out in the Stephens case.

That didnt pass the plain reading test, the grammar test, or the historical analysis test in the Stephens opinion(s), and it almost certain[ly] wont pass muster this time around either, the group wrote. But dont be surprised if advocates of expansive centralized prosecutorial authority go to that well once again.

Disclosure: The University of Houston has been a financial supporter of The Texas Tribune, a nonprofit, nonpartisan news organization that is funded in part by donations from members, foundations and corporate sponsors. Financial supporters play no role in the Tribune's journalism. Find a complete list of them here.

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Republicans aim to rein in local prosecutors - The Texas Tribune

Former Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson speaks at the Vision 24 National Conservative Forum in Charleston, South Carolina. | Win McNamee/Getty Images

DARK HORSE The Republican women who hosted Asa Hutchinson at an Orange County golf club on Wednesday had all sorts of questions for the former Arkansas governor and likely presidential candidate. But for the fourth or fifth straight meeting since he arrived in California this week, even he was surprised that nobody asked about the biggest story going in the GOP the expected indictment of Donald Trump.

There are several possible reasons. It could be that Hutchinson, a relative unknown, isnt really seen by Republican activists as a serious contender. Or it could be that far from Washington, there are simply other things on Republicans minds. Non-stop news about a potential indictment, said Elaine Gennawey, vice president of the Laguna Niguel Republican Women Federated, the group that met with Hutchinson, is a distraction.

But to Hutchinson, who has called for Trump to drop out of the race if he is indicted, the lack of questioning was evidence of something more.

It just illustrates the fact, he said, while theres an appreciation for a lot of what happened during the Trump administration, people are ready to move on.

Theres conflicting evidence among Republicans, at least, about whether this is true. Trump remains the frontrunner in the presidential primary, and recent polls suggest his grip on the contest, if anything, is tightening. An indictment may be deeply problematic for Trump in a general election. But it probably wont hurt him with the Always Trump set in the primary. In a race dominated by Trump and the similarly MAGA-powered governor of Florida, Ron DeSantis, there hasnt been much room for anyone else. Outspoken critics of the former president, like former Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan, have looked at the dynamics of the race and taken a pass.

But not Hutchinson, who appears to be edging toward a campaign, with a likely announcement next month.

I think my lanes getting bigger, he told Nightly. Its the non-Trump lane. Not an anti-Trump lane, but a non-Trump lane.

Hutchinson, to put it mildly, is a longshot. Survey Republican strategists, as Nightly has, and youll get reactions like, Nooooo, Nice guy. I just dont see that dog hunting much, or Who the fuck is Asa Hutchinson?

But whether Hutchinson or someone else, the real question is if there is an opening for any Trump-critical candidate in 2024. Sitting on a sun-splashed patio at the golf club, Hutchinson said, I think that theres a growing recognition that we need alternatives to Donald Trump.

Electorally, that might make sense for the GOP, after Trumps defeat in 2020 and a midterm in which high-profile, Trumpian candidates lost races in competitive states.

Republicans, Hutchinson told the GOP women in San Juan Capistrano, should keep in mind that a general election is not a primary, with a whole different swath of voters the party will need to win over. Republicans, he said, should use rhetoric that doesnt turn off voters. It should look forward, not back, and demonstrate that the GOP is the party of ideas.

The problem for Hutchinson and Republicans like him is that the coarser way of doing things isnt so easy to let go. On his way out, the group gave Hutchinson a bottle of wine as a gift. On the label of the 2013 Merlot was printed Lets Go Brandon not one of the partys most aspirational refrains.

Welcome to POLITICO Nightly. Reach out with news, tips and ideas at [emailprotected]. Or contact tonights author at [emailprotected] or on Twitter at @davidsiders.

Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer. | Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images

Michigan strikes right-to-work law detested by unions: In a major victory for labor unions, Michigan today became the first state in more than half a century to repeal a right-to-work law. Gov. Gretchen Whitmer signed legislation passed by the Democratic-controlled Legislature, overturning a 2012 GOP law that allowed workers to choose not to join unions or pay union dues as a condition of employment, even if the union represents them in negotiations.

U.S. launches airstrikes in Syria after drone kills U.S. worker: A strike yesterday by a suspected Iranian-made drone killed a U.S. contractor and wounded five American troops and another contractor in northeast Syria, the Pentagon said. American forces said they retaliated soon after with precision airstrikes in Syria targeting facilities used by groups affiliated with Irans Revolutionary Guard, with activist groups saying they killed at least four people.

COLD SHOULDER As Ron DeSantis emerges as a prospective rival for the Republican nomination, Donalds Trump campaign has put word out that anyone who works for the Florida governor will be blackballed. RealClearPolitics reports that Justin Caporale, who helps lead the advance team for the former president, has said that anyone who staffed a recent DeSantis book tour will be considered persona non grata. A top Trump ally was more comprehensive, telling RealClearPolitics that the prohibition would apply to more than just the junior aides tasked with setting up folding chairs and hanging banners. Its a time for choosing, the source close to the former president said. If you work for Ron DeSantis presidential race, you will not work for the Trump campaign or in the Trump White House.

BLOC BUSTER Trumps relationship with the evangelical movementonce seemingly shatterproof, then shaky after his violent departure from the White Houseis now in pieces, thanks to his social-media tirade last fall blaming pro-lifers for the Republicans lackluster midterm performance. Numerous other Republicans are preparing to make a play for conservative Christian voters, according to the Atlantics Tim Alberta. What unites these efforts is a common recognition that, for the first time since he secured the GOP nomination in 2016, Trump has a serious problem with a crucial bloc of his coalition.

CANDY CRUSHED France will prevent civil servants from downloading all types of social media platforms, gaming and video-streaming apps on their work phones because of cybersecurity and privacy concerns, according to a statement released today, writes Laura Kayali.

The ban, which is effective immediately, includes TikTok but is not limited to the Chinese-owned platform. Frances move follows bans by European institutions and other EU countries such as the Netherlands. Unlike Brussels and The Hague, however, the French government also targets Western apps and platforms from Europe and the United States.

These recreational applications are not designed to guarantee a sufficient level of cybersecurity to be deployed on the administrations digital tools, said Digital Minister Jean-Nol Barrot. TikTok, but also CandyCrush or Netflix are affected by this measure.

SEND MORE AMMO Germany has fallen short in supporting Ukraine, Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki told POLITICO, lashing out at Berlin as Europe searches for ways to continue arming Kyiv., writes Lili Bayer and Jacopo Barigazzi.

In an interview following the EU leaders summit in Brussels, the conservative Polish leader said the EUs biggest economy must step up and lead part of a broader call he made for the EU and NATO to revise their spending rules and unleash massive military investments.

Germany should be sending more weapons, sending more ammunition, and giving more money to Ukraine, because they are the richest and the biggest country by far, he said. They were not as generous as they should have been, the Polish prime minister said. I still encourage them to do so.

Poland, which leads the EU in military support to Ukraine, has joined with eastern capitals to repeatedly push western countries on their own aid for Kyiv. And while powerhouse countries like Germany and France note they have given Ukraine considerable stockpiles of arms, vehicles and money, their efforts have still left some eastern counterparts unmoved.

3,000

The number of hectares (equivalent to around 7,400 acres) engulfed as a forest fire raged in Spains eastern Castellon province today, causing 1,500 people to be evacuated and 18 water-dropping planes and helicopters, as well as 500 firefighters and soldiers, to be deployed to attack the growing flames. The fire signifies an earlier than normal beginning to Spains fire season amidst dry conditions and high temperatures. Last year was the hottest on record in Spain, and fires burned through area about four times the size of New York City. This year, major fires have begun even earlier.

UNCANCEL CULTURE Just about everything is a subscription these days. And sometimes, those subscriptions are difficult to cancel by design. In fact, sneaky companies know the more difficult they make it to stop paying for their services, the more cash they can take in from people who dont know they were signed up for a paid service in the first place. That could soon change. In fact, the Federal Trade Commission recently announced that it is proposing a click to cancel rule, which would compel businesses to make it as easy to sign off as it was to sign up. If the rule gets approved, say goodbye to handwritten letters, in-person visits, or waiting on hold for hours to cancel. Read Sara Morrisons report in Vox into the end of the era of impossible subscription cancellations.

On this day in 1958: Elvis Presley (right) indicating he had no sleep the night before reporting to his local Memphis draft board for military service. Presley, already a famous musician, spent two years in the army. | AP Photo

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