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On the first Tuesday in April, one month after cruising to the GOP nomination for his third term as governor, Greg Abbott made a bold prediction about Novembers general election. Every year that Ive run for governor, I got about forty-five percent of Hispanics. Thats good, hetold an upbeat crowdof about 150 at a Texas Latino Conservatives luncheon in San Antonio. But let me tell you whats going to happen this year: I will get more than half of the Hispanic vote.

Its not the first time that Abbott has made such boasts. When he officially launched his campaign for a third term in January, the governor picked a symbolically important setting: the Hispanic Leadership Summit in the border city of McAllen. After introducing his wife, Cecilia Phalen Abbott, as The first Hispanic first lady of Texas,Abbottproclaimed that Democrats dominance among Hispanic voters was near its end. Former president Donald Trumps surprisingsurge of supportin McAllen and across majority-Hispanic South Texas in 2020 had proven, Abbott said, that in the heart of Hispanics, they are really Republicans.Since then, Abbott has stayed on message. The majority of Hispanics in Texas truly embrace the values of faith, family, and freedom that are at the heart of the Republican Party, hetweeted in March.

The governor may be getting ahead of himself. One of the most in-depth polls of Tejano voters, released earlier this month by the Texas Hispanic Policy Foundation, paints a cloudier picture for Abbott. The TxHPF, a nonprofit affiliated with centrist Republicans, is the only polling and research organization focused specifically on Texan Hispanics. And its poll shows Abbott getting clobbered by Democratic challenger Beto ORourke among Hispanic likely voters by an eighteen-point margin, 54 percent to 36 percent.The governor has said its his mission to win a majority of Hispanics in Texas, said Jason Villalba, CEO of the group and a former Republican member of the Texas House. Were now, what, six months out from Election Day, and I think hes short. I dont think hes going to be able to overcome his deficit.

Even though Abbott has made dozens of visits to the Rio Grande Valley as governor (more than any previous Texas governor,he claims) and has actively courted Hispanic conservatives, Villalba thinks the governor has struggled to come across as substantive or tolerant. Governor Abbott is to be commended for...trying to appeal to Hispanics, Villalba told me. He does genuinely care. But...there are concerns about his authenticity. He talks a big game, and hes down in the Valley often, but what has he done for the Hispanic community there lately?

In his announcement speech, Abbott noted that during his time in office, the RGV had opened its first level I trauma center and a Texas A&M Higher Education Center in McAllen. However, the vast majority of Abbotts frequent trips to the Valley have focused on immigration and border enforcement; hehas spent billions in taxpayer moneyto arrest migrants who he says have invaded border residents property. While Villalba says that Hispanics in the Valley generally support strong immigration enforcement, he thinks Abbotts harsh messaging on the issue has alienated voters who might otherwise have supported him: Theres a way you approach those questions; theres a way you can talk about those issues that can be softer, Villalba said.

Despite media portrayals of Hispanics as single-issue voters, many polls have found that immigration, as an issue, ranks surprisingly low among Hispanics priorities, well behind the economy and health care. Abbotts focus has not necessarily been on those kitchen-table issues that drive Hispanics, Villalba said. Hes focused on those culture-war issues that drive Republican primary voters. Villalba also thinks that memories of Abbotts most recent border initiative will hurt him with Hispanic voters. The governors short-lived planfor state troopers to perform enhanced inspectionsunited South Texans in fury when truck lines backed up for as long as36 hours, clobbering a local economy that relies on cross-border traffic of everything from produce to components for Texas car and truck assembly plants.

But Abbotts chances of a Hispanic majority were already slim before trucks started backing up at the border. ADallas Morning News/UT-Tyler pollconducted in February found that only 36 percent of Hispanic voters said they would vote for Abbott, compared to ORourkes 45 percent. If Abbott cant do better than that among Hispanic voters in November, hell be merelymatchinghis performance from 2018, when he performed 9 points worse than his44 percent showing in his first run for governor in 2014.

Abbotts first term in office marked a steep rightward turn on immigration for Texas Republicans. His predecessors, Rick Perry and George W. Bush, each worked to sideline anti-immigration extremists during their time in office and offered messages of outreach and inclusion. That work paid off, at least for Bush. When he ran for reelection as president in 2004, hecollected 49 percent of the Hispanic votein Texas. Abbott, as state attorney general under Perry, alsoopposedfar-right legislation on immigration, claiming that enforcing immigration laws was not Texass job. However, upon entering the Governors Mansion, Abbott began courting the GOPs right wing and transformed into a border hawk. Despite the claim he made to the Texas Latino Conservatives, his portion of the Hispanic vote plunged to 35 percentnot about forty-fivewhen he ran for reelection in 2018.

Texas Republicans have been trumpeting their surge of Hispanic support since 2020. Following Trumps shocking performance in South Texas, where he improved his numbersin some counties by 40 percentage points or more over 2016, Abbott and his GOP compatriots have woven a story that 2020 was just the beginningthe first wave in a tidal surge of Hispanics shifting into the GOP. Democrats, they say, have alienated Hispanic voters with their positions on abortion rights, immigration, law enforcement, and the oil and gas industry, and the GOP is ready to accept them with open arms. Not only will I win [the] Hispanic vote in Texas, Republicans for the first time will win counties on the border; were going to win counties in the Rio Grande Valley. Were gonna win counties that have never been won before, Abbott proclaimed at the Texas Latino Conservatives luncheon. But, based on the data his group has collected, Villalba thinks Democrats will still comfortably carry the Hispanic vote this year, even if the trend line is heading rightward over time. One reason: President Bidens favorability ratings remain solid among registered voters in the Hispanic community statewide, 50 percent favorable versus 44 percent unfavorable. (Thats significantly better than Bidens40 percent favorabilityamong all registered voters in Texas.)

The largest portion of Hispanics in Texas, from the Rio Grande Valley to the Panhandle, from El Paso to Tyler, are going to favor the Democratic candidate, Villalba said. Polling indicates that 2020 might have been an anomaly, rather than part of a long-term trend of Hispanic Texans shifting Republican.

Two years ago, Villalba says, Democrats in Texas faced a perfect storm. In the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic, the party almost entirely abandoned door knocking and other in-person campaigning. Republicans enthusiastically filled the gap, canvassing thousands of South Texas homes and holding cookouts andTrump Train events. Republican attack ads also proved brutally effective. Many South Texans work in law enforcement and in the oil and gas industry. During a year rocked by the George Floyd protests, the GOP convinced many that Democrats wanted to defund the police (a position Biden specifically disavowed). They also succeeded at painting Biden, who has spoken about combating the climate crisis (but recently signed new drilling leases), as a threat to fossil-fuel jobs. After a year of mass layoffs during the early stages of the pandemic, many in South Texas worried that Democrats might threaten their livelihoods.

And there was another confounding variable in 2020. Most importantly, Villalba told me, you had a once-in-a-lifetime candidate like Donald Trump. Trumps iconoclasm and performative machismo appear to have been especially appealing to some Hispanic men. Indeed, while Trump scored significant gains, down-ballot Republican candidates in South Texas saw far more moderate improvements.

Does this mean that Abbott and other Republicans are celebrating too early? Maybe not. Even if ORourke wins Hispanics by a large margin, its unlikely to derail Abbotts reelection. The Republican party doesnt need Hispanic majorities to win statewide offices. Democrats, on the other hand, very muchdoneed to win the vast majority of Hispanic voters if they ever hope to win another statewide election after 27 years in the political wilderness.

Regardless of the percentage of Hispanic votes they win, Republicans might have something fresh to boast about after November: one or two members of Congress representing South Texas, for the first time in history. Monica De La Cruz, an insurance agent who came within three points of unseating a veteran Democratic congressman in 2020,is running againin a district that tilts more to the GOP after last years redistricting. And the recent retirement of Filemon Vega, Brownsvilles Democratic congressman, createdan opening for a right-wing Latina Republican upstart, Mayra Flores, to win his seatin a special election.

In that context, the optimistic rhetoric from Abbott and other Texas Republicans serves a tangible political purpose: it might spur turnout from conservative Hispanic voters, whove historically had little to vote for in the solidly Democratic region. Ultimately, Abbott has every reason to overstate how well he thinks hell do. Hes not making predictions; hes rallying the troops.

See the original post:
Are Texas Republicans on the Verge of Winning Hispanic Majorities? - Texas Monthly

The effort to make marijuana legal at the federal level gained ground as the U.S. House passed a measure April 1, 2022 that would eliminate criminal penalties for anyone who manufactures, distributes or possesses the substance.

The proposal faces an uncertain future in the U.S. Senate, but a Wisconsin state senator who has advocated for similar reforms in the state argues the time is right for such a move.

"The people of Wisconsin are ready for cannabis reform," state Sen. Melissa Agard, D-Madison, said in an April 11, 2022 tweet. "It is supported by the majority of the residents of our state, including a majority of Republicans."

The last part of the tweet caught our attention. There have long been differing views on permitting marijuana for medicinal uses, when compared to outright legalization.

Has the needle on legalization really moved that far?

Poll results

When asked to provide backup for her claim, Agards office cited a Marquette Law School poll of 802 registered Wisconsin voters taken from Feb. 22 to 27, 2022. It has a margin of error of 3.8 percentage points for the full sample.

A summary of the poll noted that "support for legalization of marijuana has grown since the question was first asked in 2013, with 61% now in favor of legalization and 31% now opposed." It also noted that support has grown in each partisan group since that time, with a slim majority of Republicans now supporting legalization.

According to the poll, 51% of those who identified as Republican supported legalization, while 42% were opposed and 7% undecided. (In 2013, the situation was the virtual opposite 43% support, 51% opposed).

In the new poll, among Democrats, 75% supported legalization, with 19% opposed. Another 5% said they didnt know.

Charles Franklin, director of the Marquette Law School Poll, said Agards statement "is basically right, but depends on whether Republican includes those who say they are independent but lean Republican or not."

Franklin said that for many purposes the MU poll includes leaners with partisans, but "for other analysis we keep them separate."

In this case, the 51% figure included independents who lean Republican.

Indeed, those who say they are "Republican" are still just slightly more opposed to legalization, by 0.6 percentage points. The "leaners" are much more likely to support legalization, which dramatically shifts the over picture.

Party Legal Illegal Dont know

1 Rep 46.5 47.1 6.43

2 Lean Rep 59.2 33.6 7.20

3 Ind 60.2 27.6 11.5

4 Lean Dem 79.6 16.9 3.52

5 Dem 71.5 20.8 6.51

Barry Burden, director of the Elections Research Center at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, in an email to PolitiFact Wisconsin, noted cannabis reform can mean many different things including changing regulations about buying, selling, and using marijuana for either medicinal or recreational purposes.

"What share of Wisconsinites support changing laws surely depends on exactly what kind of reform is being proposed," Burden said.

"It appears that Democrats and Independents in Wisconsin are generally supportive of legalization but that Republicans' opinions probably depend more on the kind of reform being considered."

National poll

The results of the Wisconsin poll are on par with residents across the United States.

A CBS News poll released April 20, 2022, found that two-thirds of Americans want recreational marijuana use to be legal under federal law and in their own state. And most people said they wouldn't mind if a licensed marijuana business opened in their neighborhood.

Most Democrats, liberals, independents and moderates favor legalization under federal law, the poll found, but Republicans and conservatives are split on the issue, mainly based on age.

In terms of supporting legalization, 79% of Democrats, 67% of independents and 49% of Republicans were in favor. Opposed were 21% of Democrats, 33% of independents and 51% of Republicans.

The picture changes when age is added to the equation for Republicans.

When looking just at Republicans under age 45, some 59% said it should be legal and 41% opposed legalization. For Republicans over age 45, some 44% said it should be legal, and 56% said it should not be legal.

Our ruling

Agard claimed cannabis reform "is supported by the majority of the residents of our state, including a majority of Republicans."

Recent polling of Wisconsin residents found 61% in favor of legalization and 31% opposed. Among Republicans, 51% supported legalization, while 42% were opposed.

But that comes with a footnote: To reach the 51% level, one has to include those who identify as Republican, as well as those who lean Republican. This is often done in polling, so its not surprising here. But it is worth noting.

We rate the claim True.

Continue reading here:
Yes, it's true cannabis reform supported in Wisconsin, including by Republicans - PolitiFact

Par Orr| Guest Columnist

Audio: McCarthy said he would urge Trump to resign

House Republican leader Kevin McCarthy told fellow GOP lawmakers shortly after the Jan. 6 Capitol insurrection that he would urge then-President Donald Trump to resign, according to audio posted by The New York Times. (April 22)

AP

As the Republican Party gleefully awaits the election day slaughter of their rival in November, they had better recall that history is only kind to winners who get things done! It wasnt that many years ago that Republicans captured both houses in the first mid-term election against liberal President Bill Clinton. Yet, Clinton won a second term as president two years later. It can be said that once in control, the Republican majority underperformed against their promises.

The battle lines and talking points to defeat the Republican agenda are already being used. In anticipation of Kevin McCarthys ascendency to the speakership, pundits, liberal media, and Democrats have used his Jan.6 discussions with then-President Trump to cast him as a hypocrite. Well, there is a shock! A national political leader holds one view in private and another in public.

This tells me that the Democrats are using the same playbook they did before the 2016 election. Discredit future leaders of the opposite party to obscure any policy conversations that voters may find attractive. It almost worked with the Russian dossier fraud against Trump, so why give up a good plan.

Wheres Trump?A campaign fixture in some states, his name is nearly absent in California

Let us jump forward to the winter of 2023. President candidates are lining up from both parties. There is more excitement on the Democratic side if only because there is a national guessing game about how party leaders get Joe Biden to step aside and Kamala Harris to disappear.

The real key is what to do with a wounded and dangerous ex-president who still commands loyalty among a sizable portion of voters?

For many of us who loved Trump's policies but disliked the Trump persona, we are hoping for a miracle of self-realization on Mr. Trumps part. Trump is currently involved in at least seventeen legal actions, four of which are criminal proceedings and one a pending national security issue. His businesses have taken a significant hit, as have those of his family members. Many of the currently pending suits are frivolous and political, trying to assign responsibility for Jan.6 to Trump. Still, a few others could have serious financial and criminal penalties. But Trump is a known-lawsuit abuser who has used the courts hundreds of times to attack others over the years, so litigation holds no fear for him yet.

Donald Trump launches his own social media app, Truth Social

Former President Donald Trump launches his own social media app, Truth Social, in attempt to "stand up" to Big Tech.

Staff Video, USA TODAY

For most of us, this turmoil would cause us to pause and reflect on whether we want to return to being the lead story of every newscast for the next several years by running again. Unfortunately, we know Trumps proclivity for the spotlight, so there is little hope he will voluntarily back off.

I believe Trump could have been reelected if he had just managed to be presidential in one of the debates with Biden. If he had followed his advisersand gotten candidate Biden to give longer, detailed answers to tough questions, the real Joe we now see might have emerged. But bombast won out over strategy. That is the character flaw that scares even the staunchest Trump supporters.

Until the new Congress is sworn in and seated in January of 2023, you will continue to see Republicans tip-toeing around the issue of full support for a 2024 Trump campaign. The scorecard of how Trump-endorsed candidates fare in 2022 will be reviewed, discussed, and indicate if any Republicans can jump the Trump ship without fear.

One critical race for Georgia governor has the incumbent, Kemp, polling far ahead of former Senator Purdue's challenger. Trump has endorsed and campaigned for Purdue and castigated Kemp for not overturning the Georgia Presidential vote in 2018. This month several primaries will be held, and the story of how effective a Trump endorsement is will be entirely laid out for examination.

Trump and his team have been clever in backing only candidates who have excellent name recognition or traction in early polls. If a candidate falters, they yank their endorsement.

The Trump Team has enough political sense to know they cannot back a trove of losers without suffering a hit to Trumps always a winner self-image. This may also be key to getting him to stand down in 2024. Does he want to suffer a primary challenge facing young, more facile challengers? Does being the former president makes him immune to any significant primary challenge if he runs? Is his thrice-married billionaire flirty persona still the right fit for the current hot button family-oriented social issues facing candidates?

If a well-known Republican jumps the gun and announces a run for president early in 2023 without waiting for dispensation from Team Trump, will all political hell be loosed? Does Floridas Gov. DeSantis have the courage to jump in while he still has momentum from the positive conservative press received from the parent-friendly laws he has rammed through?

A host of Republican Trump friends and adversaries are waiting in the wings for the opportunity to get into the 2024 race. The fact that another name Republican could enter the race without his permission would set off a round of Trump attacks that the press would love. It would also steal his spotlight, which would drive him crazy. The best plan is an early offensive forcing Trump to decide rather than keep voters in suspense.

That kind of Trump reaction could also seal his fate with the growing number of moderates and disaffected independents thatBidens leadership is providing in increasing numbers. Voters the GOP will need desperately.

According to April 25, 2022 polling averages reported by FiveThirtyEight.com, Donald Trump has an unfavorable rating of 52.5% and a favorable rating of 42.9%. According to all the polls, this is despite voters wanting Republicans back in charge of Congress.

I am not a polling expert, but Trumps support has lessened since he lost the last close election. It is time for the Grand Old Party to do a reality check on how their future could play out if no bold steps are taken to change direction.

Contact Pat Orr atavreviewopinion@gmail.com.

See the original post here:
Should the GOP dump Trump? It may be only way to take back White House - VVdailypress.com

According to a forthcoming book by two New York Times reporters, Sen. Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.) in February 2021 told a group of three Republican senators that he would become an independent and caucus with the GOP if Sen. John Thune (R-S.D.) were their leader in the Senate.

Asked about the excerpt from This Will Not Pass by Jonathan Martin and Alex Burns, Manchin on Thursday claimed his remark was being made out to be something it wasnt. Many Republicans like to get on his case about why he continues to stay a Democrat, he said, claiming that he didnt seriously consider switching parties. I get that question every day. These are all my friends, Manchin said, per The Hill, when asked if hed go to the other side of the aisle if Thune took Sen. Mitch McConnells place. John Thune is a most decent human being and a good friend of mine. But no.

Thune, one of the three Republicans at that dinner, told reporters on Thursday that Manchin made the comment in good humor, according to CNN.

They are always kidding back and forth. They would love for me I said, Guys listen, I am who I am, Im a West Virginia Democrat,' Manchin added: If people want to read into whatever conversations we have, they can read into it. But they all know who I am.

Talk of Manchin switching parties may have been all in good fun, but its not surprising considering the degree to which Manchin has stymied Democrats push for voting rights protections, taxing the rich, and a landmark social spending bill; his allegiance to the fossil fuel industry; and the fact that billionaire Republican benefactors love him. He hobnobbed with a bunch of them last month at a Palm Beach fundraiser hosted by Trump donor Nelson Peltz.

Joe is the most important guy in D.C. Maybe the most important guy in America today, Peltz told CNBC last year. I call him every week and say, Joe, youre doing great. Stay tough. Stay tough, buddy. Hes phenomenal.

Manchin hasnt formally announced whether he is running for reelection, but one attendee at that $5,000-per-plate fundraiser said the senator is planning on it. Hell probably have a good chance of winning, too. The 12-year senator saw the largest approval rating increase 16 percent of any of his 99 colleagues over the past year, according to a Morning Consult survey.

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Joe Manchin Has Worked So Hard to Kill the Democratic Agenda That He Jokes With Republicans About Switching Parties - Rolling Stone

Trump affadavit: I don't have documents NY attorney general is seeking

Donald Trump has told a New York court he doesnt have any of the documents the states attorney general Letitia James wants as she continues her criminal probe into his business dealings.

The former president is facing fines of $10,000 a day and was held in civil contempt by state court judge Arthur Engoron on Monday, and appealed the ruling two days later.

In a single-page, two-paragraph affadavit filed by his lawyers this afternoon seeking to overturn the fines, Trump argues:

To the best of my knowledge, (i) I do not have any of the documents requested in the subpoena dated December 1, 2021 in my personal possession; and (ii) if there are any documents responsive to the subpoena I believe they would be in the possession or custody of the Trump Organization.

Engoron denied the request to end the fines and overturn the contempt ruling on Friday, saying he was not satisfied with the affidavit and that there was no evidence he had conducted a thorough search for the records sought by James.

I am surprised he doesnt seem to have any documents, theyre all with the organization, the judge said.

I will consider your request to terminate the fine, he told Trumps lawyer Alina Habba. But if you dont hear from me, the clock is still ticking.

James says her investigation has turned up evidence the Trump Organization, which manages hotels, golf courses and other real estate around the world, has given banks and tax authorities misleading financing information in order to obtain financial benefits such as favorable loans and tax breaks.

Read more:

Updated at 15.17EDT

Thats all from the US politics blog for today, and indeed the week. Please join us again on Monday.

Donald Trump learned that he would continue to be fined $10,000 a day by a court in New York for failing to hand over documents pertaining to the states criminal probe of his business dealings.

State court judge Arthur Engoron was scathing of a two-paragraph affadavit submitted by the former presidents lawyers claiming he didnt have any of the documents wanted by New Yorks attorney general Letitia James.

Heres where else our day went:

A quick reminder that you can follow developments in the Russia-Ukraine conflict on our 24-hour live news blog here.

The Biden administration has expressed its dismay to Indonesia over the Asian countrys invitation to Russian president Vladimir Putin to attend the G20 summit in Bali later this year.

Jen Psaki, the White House press secretary, said at her afternoon briefing:

The president has expressed publicly his opposition to President Putin attending the G20... weve conveyed our view that we dont think they should be a part of it publicly, and privately as well.

The UK, US and Canada staged a coordinated walkout of a G20 session in Washington DC earlier this month in protest against Russias invasion of Ukraine.

Biden has also publicly called for Russia to be expelled from the G20 group of the worlds leading industrial nations.

Indonesias president Joko Widodo said Friday he had spoken to Putin and the Ukraine president Volodymyr Zelenskiy by phone this week, and that both said they would attend the G20 gathering, according to the Associated Press:

I reiterated the importance of ending the war immediately. I also emphasized that peaceful efforts should continue and Indonesia is ready to contribute to these peaceful efforts.

Psaki said it was too early to predict what the summit would look like, or if both leaders would attend:

Theres a lot that can happen between now and then but we certainly havent seen an indication to date of Russias plan to participate in diplomatic talks constructively.

Joe Biden had a very constructive call with Mexicos president Andrs Manuel Lpez Obrador on Friday, the White House secretary Jen Psaki said at her afternoon briefing.

She said the two leaders spoke mostly about immigration, and the Biden administrations planned termination of Title 42 Covid-19 restrictions next month:

The majority of the conversation was about migration and continued work on coordination, economic coordination, on taking steps to reduce migration to the border.

They have been a partner in that over the last several months.

Lpez Obrador, meanwhile, said in a Spanish language tweet that he had a cordial conversation with Biden, and that his foreign minister Marcelo Ebrard would visit Washington DC next week to discuss the Summit of the Americas, scheduled to take place in Los Angeles in June.

The White House said their call lasted 52 minutes, ending just before 2 pm, the Associated Press reports.

Senior Biden administration officials said ahead of the conversation that it would also address Russias invasion of Ukraine, global economic challenges, the pandemic, climate change and the trade in illicit drugs.

Psaki said during her briefing that she didnt have full details of the conversation, but that the virtual conference had been very constructive.

Biden had been expected to press Mexico on tightening sanctions against Russia.

Donald Trump has told a New York court he doesnt have any of the documents the states attorney general Letitia James wants as she continues her criminal probe into his business dealings.

The former president is facing fines of $10,000 a day and was held in civil contempt by state court judge Arthur Engoron on Monday, and appealed the ruling two days later.

In a single-page, two-paragraph affadavit filed by his lawyers this afternoon seeking to overturn the fines, Trump argues:

To the best of my knowledge, (i) I do not have any of the documents requested in the subpoena dated December 1, 2021 in my personal possession; and (ii) if there are any documents responsive to the subpoena I believe they would be in the possession or custody of the Trump Organization.

Engoron denied the request to end the fines and overturn the contempt ruling on Friday, saying he was not satisfied with the affidavit and that there was no evidence he had conducted a thorough search for the records sought by James.

I am surprised he doesnt seem to have any documents, theyre all with the organization, the judge said.

I will consider your request to terminate the fine, he told Trumps lawyer Alina Habba. But if you dont hear from me, the clock is still ticking.

James says her investigation has turned up evidence the Trump Organization, which manages hotels, golf courses and other real estate around the world, has given banks and tax authorities misleading financing information in order to obtain financial benefits such as favorable loans and tax breaks.

Read more:

Updated at 15.17EDT

Armed citizens will soon be allowed to roam Florida with no requirement for any firearms training, the states Republican governor Ron DeSantis has said.

In what critics will see as another pitch for support from the partys rightwing base as he mulls a 2024 presidential run, DeSantis made the promise at a press conference Friday, the Miami Herald is reporting.

I cant tell you exactly when, but Im pretty confident that I will be able to sign constitutional carry into law in the state of Florida, DeSantis said, according to the newspaper.

The Legislature will get it done. I cant tell you if its going to be next week, six months, but I can tell you that before I am done as governor, we will have a signature on that bill.

Constitutional carry allows weapons to be carried without the need for a permit or training. It differs from open carry, which allows those with firearms to display them openly.

DeSantis is favored to win reelection in November, a springboard to a possible White House run in two years time. He has signed numerous culture war bills into law in recent weeks that will play well with his Republican base, including a dont say gay law that outlaws classroom discussions of sexual orientation or gender identity.

Florida has an unenviable record in mass shootings, notably the 2016 Pulse nightclub massacre in Orlando that left 49 dead, and the 2018 Marjory Stoneman Douglas high school shooting in Parkland in which 17 students and staff were murdered by a former student.

Nikki Fried, Floridas agriculture commissioner responsible for issuing gun licenses, a and the only statewide elected Democrat, slammed DeSantiss promise in a statement:

This is absurd political pandering from the governor of a state that has experienced some of the worst mass shootings in our countrys history and in a nation where we have the highest rates of gun violence in the world.

Its an insult to the memories and families of every victim of gun violence. We should be passing laws to prevent gun violence.

Fried is among the frontrunners for the Democratic partys nomination to challenge DeSantis for governor later this year.

Heres where things stand midway through the day:

The environmental protection agency (EPA) on Friday followed through on Joe Bidens demand to allow E15 fuel to be sold in the summer, which the president hopes will help reverse, or at least arrest soaring prices at the pump.

Biden announced the move in Iowa earlier this month, claiming that the fuel with a higher ethanol content than regular gasoline would save families about 10 cents per gallon. Sales of plant-based E15 are usually banned at gas stations beyond 1 June because it creates denser levels of smog in higher temperatures.

The White House, which has blamed what it calls Putins price hike on gasoline supply shortages created by Russias war in Ukraine, welcomed the EPAs issuance of an emergency fuel waiver. In a statement, press secretary Jen Psaki said:

The waiver is a critical step to address the fuel supply crisis and follows President Bidens announcement earlier this month laying out actions to increase use of biofuels in order to reduce our reliance on fossil fuels, accelerate the clean energy transition, build real US energy independence, support American agriculture and manufacturing, and save Americans money at the pump.

At current prices, E15 can save a family 10 cents per gallon of gas on average and many stores sell E15 at an even greater discount and todays waiver will allow families to pay that lower price for months to come.

Industry groups, however, doubt the impact of the plan. E15, they say, will be available only at about 2,300 of the nations more than 100,000 gas stations, concentrated in the Midwest and the South, including Texas.

Read the EPA statement here.

William Barr, Donald Trumps former attorney general, said in an interview on Thursday that it would be a big mistake for the Republican party to nominate Trump for president in 2024.

Appearing on the Newsmax television channel, Barr said Trump, who has hinted that he will run again, would not be a sound choice.

I dont think he should be our nominee the Republican party nominee, Barr said.

And I think Republicans have a big opportunity it would be a big mistake to put him forward.

In a poll in January 57% of Republican voters said they would choose Trump in 2024. Trump also won the less scientific Conservative Political Action Conference straw poll, in February, by a large margin.

Trump, who was impeached twice during his four years in the White House, has repeatedly teased his supporters with suggestions he will run again.

We did it twice, and well do it again, Trump told a crowd at the CPAC convention claiming again that he won the 2020 election.

Were going to be doing it again a third time.

Still, Barrs remarks will be sure to anger Trump, who has repeatedly clashed with his former attorney general since losing the 2020 election.

In Barrs book, One Damn Thing After Another: Memoirs of an Attorney General, he wrote that Trump had shown he has neither the temperament nor persuasive powers to provide the kind of positive leadership that is needed.

Trump, Barr said, has surrounded himself with sycophants and whack jobs from outside the government, who fed him a steady diet of comforting but unsupported conspiracy theories.

Read more:

Nancy Pelosi says the House will vote to pass Joe Bidens $33bn request for aid for Ukraine as soon as possible.

Speaking at her weekly press briefing on Friday morning, the House speaker framed the administrations request as one of a number of emergencies Congress needed to address urgently.

We have emergencies here. We need to have the Covid money, and time is of the essence because we need the Ukraine money... so I would hope that we can do that [soon], Pelosi said, according to Reuters.

The speaker, however, was unable to give any indication as to when any vote might be, saying only: We hope to as soon as possible pass that legislation.

Biden announced on Thursday plans to more than double US spending on military and humanitarian aid to Ukraine as the country fights the two-month old Russian invasion.

Funding for coronavirus relief, meanwhile, remains stalled in Congress. The White House wants more than $20bn; and a bipartisan $10bn agreement in principle was scuttled by Republican anger over the Biden administration planning to end the Title 42 immigration policy that blocked migrants because of the pandemic.

Read more:

Joe Biden and Mexicos president Andrs Manuel Lpez Obrador will discuss US plans to lift Covid-19 immigration restrictions at the southern border during a virtual conference at lunchtime, Reuters reports.

The two leaders will also talk about differences between the countries over how to respond to Russias invasion of Ukraine.

The meeting comes just days after a federal judge ordered the homeland security department to halt preparations to lift on 23 May the Trump-era Title 42 public health order that allows the expulsion of migrants to prevent the spread of the virus.

Mexican officials share concerns of the homeland security department that its repeal will create a spike in migration, are claims by Republicans in the US that a spike in gang activity and drug crimes will follow.

Mexico has also appeared reluctant to join the US and European allies in issuing sanctions against Russia.

We respect Mexico as a leader in the United Nations and we obviously hope that they will join us in imposing a cost on the Kremlin for what it is doing... by working with us to enforce sanctions implemented by the US and our partners, an anonymous senior Biden administration official told Reuters, acknowledging the inevitably different approaches by the countries.

Talking of Covid-19, the governments leading infectious diseases expert Dr Anthony Fauci is attempting clean-up over his comments in an PBS interview this week that the pandemic stage of the virus was over in the US.

Speaking at a virtual meeting hosted Friday by the National Press Club, Fauci said the pandemic was not over, and it was unlikely that the US would ever eliminate Covid-19 completely, Reuters reports:

When I said we are no longer in that fulminant acute phase, that does not mean that the pandemic is over. By no means is it over. We still are experiencing a global pandemic.

Fauci said health officials were instead hoping to get out of what he called the acute pandemic phase.

In his interview with PBS NewsHour posted on Tuesday, he pointed to decreases in deaths and hospitalizations and stated: Right now, we are not in the pandemic phase in this country, although he acknowledged that globally it was still ongoing.

On Wednesday, the White House press secretary Jen Psaki insisted: Theres no question that were in a different moment in our fight against Covid. But we also know Covid isnt over, and the pandemic isnt over.

At least 38 states this week reported an increase in new infections of Covid-19, fueled by the Omicron subvariant BA.2. Cases have spiked 50% in two weeks nationwide, the New York Times says.

Children younger than five will probably have to wait at least another two months before being able to receive Covid-19 vaccines, after the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) set a series of hearings for June.

The reviews are typically the final step before authorizing the shots, the Associated Press reports. The FDA said it plans to convene its outside panel of vaccine experts on June 8, 21 and 22 to review applications from Moderna and Pfizer for child vaccines.

On Thursday, Moderna submitted data to the FDA that it hopes will prove its two low-dose shots can protect children younger than 6.

Pfizer is soon expected to announce if three of its even smaller-dose shots work for very young children, months after the disappointing discovery that two doses werent quite strong enough.

The announcement follows months of frustration from families impatient for a chance to vaccinate their young children, along with complaints from politicians bemoaning the slow pace of the process, the AP says.

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