WV prosecutor warns women about possibly faces charges over miscarriages
Amid a constantly changing reproductive landscape, West Virginia prosecutor Tom Truman is warning women who have miscarriages in his state that they could get in trouble with the law. Truman tells CNN's Pam Brown that although he personally wouldn't prosecute someone for a miscarriage, he made the suggestion out of an abundance of caution after hearing from other prosecutors and looking at the laws in West Virginia.
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‘We made a mistake': Pillen accepts responsibility for failed vetoes to Nebraska budget
Nebraska Gov. Jim Pillen. Dec. 10, 2024. (Zach Wendling/Nebraska Examiner) LINCOLN — Nebraska Gov. Jim Pillen has accepted responsibility for mishandled line-item vetoes to the state's next two-year budget while reiterating that many of the suggested cuts will be reconsidered in 2026. Pillen, speaking with the Nebraska Examiner after the Legislature adjourned for the year, said the veto process includes 'human beings' in his office, the Clerk of the Legislature's Office and the Secretary of State's Office. On May 21, his office delivered Legislative Bill 261 and LB 264 with line-item vetoes to the Secretary of State's Office, which is the right place for the bills to go when the Legislature is out of session, but not to the Clerk of the Legislature's Office on the other side of the Capitol, which is where bills must be returned when senators are in session. The Governor's Office says LB 261 was line-item vetoed at 1:08 p.m. on May 21 and LB 264 at 1:10 p.m. A spokesperson for the Secretary of State's Office said the bills were delivered to that office around 5 p.m. the same day. The Legislature did receive a separate letter from Pillen the night of May 21 detailing the line-item vetoes, as well as a copy of the bills with the inscribed vetoes, but lawmakers contended the next day that a line-item veto is constitutional only with the inscribed vetoes on the actual bills. Those bills remained at the Secretary of State's Office until morning. The Nebraska Constitution requires vetoes to be returned within five days of being presented to the governor, excluding Sundays. The bills passed May 15 and went to Pillen's office at 1:12 p.m., so the deadline was by the end-of-day May 21. Pillen said the mistake on the night of May 21 was 'a miscommunication on where it was supposed to go.' Pillen was in Washington, D.C., the following day, for a 'Make America Healthy Again' event at the White House. 'Bottom line: We made a mistake. I'd have thought, because we all work together, that a flag would have been thrown and said, 'Hey, let's do X,' but there wasn't, and then the glass of milk was spilled the next morning,' Pillen told the Examiner. The intended vetoes targeted $14.5 million to the state's general fund and $18 million in repurposed cash funds for improvements at Lake McConaughy. He sought to save $14.5 million that the Legislature's budget aimed to use from the state's 'rainy day' cash reserve by trimming spending — $152 million from the rainy day fund went to help balance the budget. The Nebraska Supreme Court, which faced about $12 million of Pillen's proposed general fund reductions (83%), has said the loss of those funds could close vital court services. This was Pillen's second two-year budget — he vetoed $38.5 million in general fund spending in 2023 for the 2023-24 and 2024-25 fiscal years. Lawmakers restored about $850,000 of the trims. Pillen, Secretary of State Bob Evnen and Speaker of the Legislature John Arch have pledged to clarify the line-item veto process for the budget ahead of 2026, and they've agreed that the suggested reductions should be considered when the budget is adjusted next year. Arch has said that to his knowledge, nothing like this had happened before. Pillen, whose office now insists the matter is resolved, said, 'As I told our team, we look in the mirror, we accept responsibilities. I've not met a human that doesn't make a mistake yet.' Pillen and his staff have declined to detail exactly what happened the night of May 21. Rani Taborek-Potter, a spokesperson for Evnen, said no one from the Secretary of State's Office delivered the actual LB 261 and LB 264 with the line-item vetoes to the Clerk of the Legislature's Office, 'nor is it our office's responsibility to do so.' 'When bills are vetoed by the Governor, the vetoed bills are delivered directly to the Clerk of the Legislature's Office by the Governor's office, as was the case for LB 319 and LB 287 to the best of our knowledge,' Taborek-Potter told the Examiner, referring to the two other bills vetoed this session related to expanding SNAP benefit eligibility and fighting bedbugs in Omaha. Taborek-Potter confirmed the Governor's Office delivered the budget bills to the administrative assistant in the Secretary of State's Office just before 5 p.m. on May 21. The Examiner on May 23 requested all records and communications regarding the line-item vetoes from when the budget bills passed May 15 to the date of the records request. The request sought texts, emails and digital messages. It also asked for communications within the executive branch and between Pillen's office and the legislative branch, including staff and state senators. Documents provided in response indicated that Pillen's veto letter detailing his objections was ready by 6:05 p.m., when the state budget administrator, Neil Sullivan, sent it to Pillen's staff. Around 6:27 p.m., Kenny Zoeller, director of the governor's Policy Research Office, the main research and lobbying arm for Pillen, confirmed the letter among gubernatorial staff. 'We are handing this off back to the Legislature POST adjournment,' Zoeller wrote of next steps. 'I will text when it's handed off.' Laura Strimple, the governor's primary spokesperson, sent a draft news release regarding the vetoes at 8:21 p.m. to Sullivan. It was sent to reporters around 11:23 p.m. The Legislature adjourned at 9:20 p.m., and a reporter could see legislative staff discussing the veto letter. Through much of the day on May 22, legislative leadership met off the floor, including Arch. Several emerged just before adjournment at 2:37 p.m. when Arch announced the vetoes could not be accepted and that the Legislature had concluded they were constitutionally improper. Some members of the Appropriations Committee hugged, threw fists in the air and smiled after. Pillen's spokesperson, Strimple, sent a statement to reporters at 4:48 p.m. stating it was the governor's position that Pillen 'clearly took the legally required steps to exercise his veto authority by surrendering physical possession and the power to approve or reject the bills.' She said the Governor's Office would consult with the Attorney General's Office and other counsel. The Policy Research Office, executive branch budget staff and other members of the governor's staff met around 5 p.m. on May 22. Strimple sent her statement on the governor's position to all members of the governor's staff at 5:23 p.m., then to lawmakers at 5:53 p.m. On May 27, the next legislative day, Pillen, Arch and Evnen released their joint statement around 2:54 p.m., ending the possible constitutional dispute and returning to their respective corners, with no one taking blame for the situation until Pillen spoke with reporters this week. Pillen's office asserts that it searched texts and digital messages as part of the public records request but found no responsive records, including from Zoeller, who had pledged to text after delivering the veto letter in one of the emails. The Governor's Office provided no records reflecting communications with the legislative branch. None of the records indicate what happened to the bills after being delivered to Evnen's office. Evnen, speaking with the Examiner on Friday, reiterated that the Secretary of State's Office's role with legislation is to file it, and 'when it's brought to our office and we're asked to file it, that's what we do.' 'There's a certain amount of confusion, really between the legislative branch and the Governor's Office, about those line-item vetoes, and I think that what we will do is sit down and talk through together how that will be handled. That's a really good thing to do,' he said. Multiple lawmakers beyond Arch have quietly teased the suggestion with the Examiner, asking how much clearer the process can be. Asked if there was a reason the original bills in the Secretary of State's Office by about 5 p.m. could not be delivered by midnight on May 21, Evnen said: 'You would have to ask the Governor's Office.' Strimple, asked about the remaining timeline on May 21 and May 22, said that with the Arch-Evnen-Pillen joint statement, 'The matter is concluded.' One of the top targets of Gov. Jim Pillen's intended line-item vetoes to the state's budget bills was about $12 million in spending earmarked for the Nebraska Supreme Court. Corey Steel, state court administrator for Nebraska, told lawmakers that the line-item vetoes to the courts could eliminate various services, including three problem-solving courts in Lancaster and Sarpy Counties, a drug court in Gov. Jim Pillen's home of Platte County, transition living reimbursements for certain adults and non-statutory services for juveniles on probation. Pillen told the Examiner that while he has the 'utmost respect' for the separation of powers between Nebraska's branches of government, he believes each one must look at government differently. He said the courts have significantly increased spending and have money sitting around. Steel, as well as Chief Justice Jeffrey Funke, have said that position isn't accurate and that increased spending has been in part due to legislation that came without new funds. The judicial branch leaders have said that the 'money' held in various funds is now exhausted. However, Pillen said he's not backing down and that the reductions will be considered in 2026. 'We have to be fiscally responsible,' Pillen said, 'and that's all we're asking.' — Zach Wendling SUPPORT: YOU MAKE OUR WORK POSSIBLE
Yahoo
an hour ago
- Yahoo
L.I. man arrested after woman found fatally shot in car outside her home
A Long Island man has been arrested and charged after a woman was found fatally shot in a car outside her apartment building in Moriches on Friday, officials said. James Quininchetta, 40, of Ridge, was arrested early Saturday morning and charged with second-degree murder, a Suffolk County Police spokesperson confirmed to the Daily News. The victim, 33-year-old Rebecca Roth, was found by her mother inside a Hyundai Elantra in the parking lot of the Tall Oaks apartment complex on Long Tree Lane early Friday morning, according to police. Roth's mother, who has not been publicly identified, called 911 shortly before 8:30 a.m. Homicide Squad detectives responded and found Roth with an apparent gunshot wound. She was pronounced dead at the scene. Quininchetta was arraigned at First District Court in Central Islip on Saturday. He pleaded not guilty and was ordered held without bail, online court records show. George H. Duncan, Quininchetta's court-appointed attorney, told the Daily News that his client asserts his innocence and is eager to have his day in court. He's scheduled for another appearance on June 12. If convicted, Quininchetta faces 15 years to life behind bars. It's unclear what, if any, relationship he had with the victim.
Yahoo
an hour ago
- Yahoo
Opinion - Scott Jennings is correct about Wes Moore
Whatever CNN is paying Scott Jennings, it's not enough. His pragmatic, common-sense commentary offering realistic solutions to problems plaguing everyday Americans has become the glue holding the network's evening programming in place. Night after night, Jennings does rhetorical battle with far-left panelists who continually offer up the same two failing lines of attack: They hate Trump, and they believe everything should be viewed and addressed through the prism of identity politics. Surely, the executives at CNN understand that it was precisely those attack lines that enabled Trump to make substantial gains within the Hispanic community, the Black community, young men, independents and even a percentage of Democrats. All these voters switched to Trump because they knew that 'we hate Trump' and 'identity politics' were calculated rants and not a strategy to help keep them safe, lower the cost of essential items, protect their jobs, improve their health care or address the problem of failing public schools. Each evening on CNN, Jennings throws those bread-and-butter issues back at the liberal panelists — and they either sputter to come up with an answer or double down on the attack lines in allegiance to the vocal yet tiny minority making up the far-left wing of the Democratic Party. The next day, various conservative websites then sing the praises of Jennings for sticking it to the Democrats. Except … that is not what he does. Jennings is an honest broker who simply tries to call them as he sees them. His foundation is commonsense and logical, based on his real-world experiences. That acknowledged, Jennings offered up a valid opinion the other night that some Republicans and conservatives undoubtedly wish he had kept to himself — that Maryland Gov. Wes Moore (D) should be taken seriously as we approach 2028. This past Sunday on CNN's 'State of the Union,' Jennings made two statements that got immediate attention. The first: 'I'll defend the Democrats — they are for things. Illegal aliens, you're for boys in girls' sports. That's why you have such struggles right now in your party, because you're not for anything that's on the right side of any of the 80/20 issues that are driving this cultural divide in America.' Jennings's next opinion, about Maryland's Democratic governor, was also worth noting and filing away: 'I think Wes Moore is actually a pretty talented communicator. Moore is interesting, probably more interesting than some of the radicals you have out there, [Jasmine] Crockett, AOC. I mean those are the true leaders of your party right now, but you'd probably be better off replacing them with Moore.' Seconding the problems Democrats are having with voters because of their current 'leaders' and do-nothing policies is Harry Enten, CNN's chief data analyst. During an interview last week, Engen dropped two bombs. The first: 'Take a look at Reuters-IPSOS. What do we see here? Party with a better economic plan. Well in May of 2024, just before Donald Trump was reelected president, Republicans had a nine-point advantage. Look at where we are now in May of 2025. The advantage actually went up by three points. Now Republicans have a 12-point advantage when it comes to the party with a better economic plan.' Next came crushing bad news for Democrats with regard to middle- and working-class Americans. Reported Enten: 'Historically speaking, which is the party of the middle class has been a huge advantage for Democrats. I have polling from NBC going all the way back since 1989, when Democrats held a 23-point advantage. … And now in our latest CNN poll, among registered voters, which is the party of the middle class, it is tied. … Trump and the Republican Party have taken that mantle away. And now a key advantage for Democrats historically has gone. Adios amigos.' And then, on Sam Harris's 'Making Sense' podcast this week, Rep. Ritchie Torres (D-N.Y.) — the first openly gay person elected from the Bronx, who has long been a voice for common sense, the working class and the disenfranchised — said this: 'There is a divide between what I would say are two teams in the Democratic Party. 'Team Restraint' and 'Team Resistance.' There are those in Team 'Resistance' who feel like we should react hysterically to everything Donald Trump says or does. And then those who feel like we should pick and choose our battles and be strategic. But I worry that the momentum is on the side of hysterical, hyperbolic resistance.' Obviously, as with the nightly warnings issued by Jennings, Torres is talking about Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.), Rep. Jasmine Crockett (D-Texas) and others when he speaks of 'hysterical, hyperbolic resistance.' Questions for the Democrats: Is Torres correct? Has the momentum switched to the 'hysterical' and 'hyperbolic'? Is there no appetite in the Democratic Party for commonsense voices like Torres and Moore, who offer up strategies instead of insults? Or is the appetite there and growing, but the party is too afraid to confront its own bullies? No doubt CNN's Jennings will answer those questions and many more as we approach the midterms and the 2028 election. Ignore his opinions and truths at your own political peril. Douglas MacKinnon is a former White House and Pentagon official. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. 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