WASHINGTON — Negotiators from Congress and the White House scrambled Monday to complete work on the remaining government funding bills for the fiscal year and avoid a partial shutdown for key departments that would begin this weekend without legislative action. Six months into the fiscal year, Congress is about halfway home in passing spending measures […]
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WASHINGTON — Negotiators from Congress and the White House scrambled Monday to complete work on the remaining government funding bills for the fiscal year and avoid a partial shutdown for key departments that would begin this weekend without legislative action.
Six months into the fiscal year, Congress is about halfway home in passing spending measures expected to total about $1.65 trillion. Lawmakers passed the first portion of spending bills in early March, funding about 30 percent of the government. Now lawmakers are focused on the larger package, and in what has become routine, are brushing up against the deadline when federal funding expires.
Agreement has been reached on five of the six spending bills that make up the second package, but negotiators have clashed over the measure that provides funding for the Department of Homeland Security, which is responsible for securing and managing U.S. borders, among other things.
A senior Republican aide not authorized to speak publicly said progress is being made in the negotiations.
The stakes for both sides are immense as border security emerges as a central issue in the 2024 campaigns and the flow of migrants crossing the southern border far outpaces the capacity of the U.S. immigration system to deal with it.
Negotiators had been moving toward a simple solution: passing a continuing resolution that would mostly extend funding for the Department of Homeland Security, though with some increase from 2023 levels.
But the Republican aide said House Republicans pushed for more resources for the border than the continuing resolution would have provided. The White House also eventually rejected the continuing resolution approach but didn’t make that clear in communications with congressional allies until the “11th hour,” the aide said, increasing the risk of a short-term shutdown.
White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre on Monday declined to speak to timelines during the negotiations but emphasized that funding the government is lawmakers’ responsibility.
“It is their job to keep the government open,” she said.
Drilling down more specifically on funding for the Department of Homeland Security, she said the administration has “maximized their operations” and removed more people in the past 10 months than during any year since fiscal year 2013. She said it was important to continue “that operational pace.”
“Obviously, we believe DHS needs additional funding. We’ve always said that,” Jean-Pierre said.
Even with the possible release of legislative text early this week, it’s unclear whether Congress can avoid a brief partial shutdown.
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]]>SAN DIEGO (FOX 5/KUSI) — San Diego County’s voting centers were lined with drivers dropping of their ballots Monday. The county has 217 voting centers this election season. San Diego’s guide to elections during the Mar. 5 presidential primary On Monday, more than 360,000 San Diego voters had already mailed in their ballots while others […]
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SAN DIEGO (FOX 5/KUSI) — San Diego County’s voting centers were lined with drivers dropping of their ballots Monday.
The county has 217 voting centers this election season.
On Monday, more than 360,000 San Diego voters had already mailed in their ballots while others still prefer the experience of walking in to cast a vote.
“I’m 81 years old, so I think that every time I vote I’m doing something that I think is right. This is what our country needs, doing the right thing,” said voter Tom Orred.
The Registrar of Voters says centers have been open since Feb. 24 for early voting.
“I love being able to vote,” said one woman driving up to drop off her ballot. “I’ve never missed a vote since I was 18. It’s important. I think women getting to vote is a big deal. We worked hard for it for a long time.”
Many local measures and races are drawing attention, including Chula Vista City Attorney and the San Diego Mayoral race.
California’s race for the Senate is overcrowded, but two front runners have emerged — Congressman Adam Schiff and former Padre Steve Garvey. Recent polls show the two are in a statistical tie.
For many San Diegans, casting their vote is critical.
“In a nutshell, the survival of our country. Putting the right people in office and getting back to a good way of life, economy and securing the borders,” said San Diego resident David Buchanan.
This primary will decide who squares off in the 2024 presidential election in November. Many are casting votes with hope and anticipation of a different future.
“It’s important to do your civic duty and to show others it’s easy to do,” said Buchanan. “Its fast and easy.”
The Registrar of Voters says 1.9 million San Diegans are registered to vote, and Tuesday will be a very busy day with many people showing up to vote last minute.
“As we head into tomorrow, the unofficial election night results that come in shortly after 8 p.m. on Tuesday, March 5 will include all mail in ballots we have received and processed prior to Election Day. It will also include early voting in our office as well,” said Cynthia Paes, Registrar of Voters.
Voting centers will be open from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. on Tuesday. Mail in ballots must be postmarked by March 5. If you’re voting in person you must be in line by 8 p.m.
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]]>Denny Hamlin won the NASCAR Cup Series race at Bristol Motor Speedway on Sunday, passing Joe Gibbs Racing teammate Martin Truex Jr. in the final laps for his fourth victory at the famed short track. Hamlin also won at NASCAR’s bullring last September. This one was much different. Tire issues hampered most everyone all afternoon […]
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Denny Hamlin won the NASCAR Cup Series race at Bristol Motor Speedway on Sunday, passing Joe Gibbs Racing teammate Martin Truex Jr. in the final laps for his fourth victory at the famed short track.
Hamlin also won at NASCAR’s bullring last September.
This one was much different. Tire issues hampered most everyone all afternoon as only five cars finished on the lead lap — the first time that has happened in the Cup Series in 20 years. The Gibbs cars were the class of the field.
“My favorite racetrack!” Hamlin exclaimed over his radio while taking the checkered flag. “We got another.”
He was booed — no surprise considering Hamlin has become arguably the series’ biggest villain — as he stood atop his No. 11 Toyota following a smoky burnout.
It was Hamlin’s 52nd career win and locks him into the playoffs. Brad Keselowski finished third in a Ford, Alex Bowman was fourth in a Chevrolet and Bowman’s Hendrick Motorsports teammate Kyle Larson rounded out the top five.
“It was weird,” Larson said. “I accidentally finished fifth. I’ll take it. I hope I never have to run another race like that again.”
The other two Gibbs cars — driven by Ty Gibbs and Christopher Bell — finished ninth and 10th, respectively.
The race was chaotic from the start, with cars burning through tires at such an alarming rate that NASCAR issued each team an extra set. That gave them 11 sets total, including the one used in qualifying.
It made for four hours of tire management that put gave control to drivers and crew chiefs. It also led to the most lead changes (54) in NASCAR’s short-track history, breaking the previous mark of 40 set in 1991 at Bristol.
JGR handled it better than the rest of the field.
“Our Toyotas are really working well right now,” Truex said.
NASCAR returned Bristol to “normal” for the first time in four years for the spring race. The track added red clay each of the last three years. Reviews were mixed, and as the novelty wore off, sub-par racing inside the high-banked oval overshadowed any excitement that came with the series running on dirt for the first time since 1970.
In an effort to improve the racing and make sure the track had two equal lanes, workers put down a resin-based traction compound through the turns. It was far from perfect.
GOODYEAR RESPONDS
Goodyear felt the need to make a rare statement during the race. Greg Stucker, the tire manufacturer’s director of racing, said a test at Bristol Motor Speedway last year was intended to find a setup that led to more tire wear.
But he called Sunday’s outcome “too drastic.”
The rubber that was supposed to leave tires and adhere to the racing grooves came off in chunks that looked like shredded cheese. Those loose pieces called “marbles” create a slippery situation around the 0.533-mile track.
Part of the culprit may have been the tracks’ decision to put down a new and different traction compound.
“Now we’re trying to understand what’s different,” Stucker said. “Why is the racetrack behaving differently this weekend than what it did a year ago? It’s the same package. It’s the same tire combination.
“Obviously, the difference is resin was place on the lower groove instead of the (previous substance). Yet I still think the racetrack should be taking rubber as it did last fall; it took rubber immediately during that race.”
UP NEXT
The series moves to its first road track of the season, with a Sunday race at Circuit of the Americas in Austin, Texas. Tyler Reddick won the 2023 race there.
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AP auto racing: https://apnews.com/hub/auto-racing
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]]>According to the Guardian, at a 2019 meeting, Mr Hester was alleged to have said: “It’s like trying not to be racist but you see Diane Abbott on the TV, and you’re just like I hate, you just want to hate all black women because she’s there, and I don’t hate all black women at […]
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According to the Guardian, at a 2019 meeting, Mr Hester was alleged to have said: “It’s like trying not to be racist but you see Diane Abbott on the TV, and you’re just like I hate, you just want to hate all black women because she’s there, and I don’t hate all black women at all, but I think she should be shot.”
He has since apologised for making “rude” comments but claimed his words “had nothing to do with her gender nor colour of skin”.
READ MORE: Scottish Tories urge UK party to ‘review’ race row donation
Downing Street initially declined to describe the remarks as racist, with ministers sent out to defend Mr Hester and reject calls for the money to be returned.
No 10 only changed position after Business Secretary Kemi Badenoch intervened.
Last week, Tortoise Media, reported that Mr Hester had given another £5m to the party. However, there was some push back with party sources saying the money had not yet been handed over.
Mr Harper told the BBC’s Sunday With Laura Kuenssberg programme: “We took a donation that predated his comments and we’ve declared that in the usual way, which is how people know that he’s made that donation.
“He’s made comments and he’s apologised for them and the Prime Minister has made it very clear that the donation stands.
“If in the future there’s a future donation, that will be declared in the usual way. But that’s a hypothetical question that will be looked at.”
Mr Harper defended Mr Sunak for initially taking a day to describe to the remarks as racist.
“Although you said it took an age in political terms, it didn’t really take very long at all,” he insisted.
“The Prime Minister was very clear on Wednesday and his spokesman had been clear the evening before that they were racist comments.”
When it was put to him that No 10 only changed after Ms Badenoch said the remark was racist, Mr Harper said: “I’m sure people wanted to make sure and check the facts.
“Having an argument about how many hours it took to say something, I don’t really think is the issue here.”
READ MORE: Rishi Sunak found again in between a rock and hard place
Labour suspended Ms Abbott eleven months ago for saying Irish, Jewish and Traveller people do not face racism “all their lives”.
She withdrew her remarks the same day and apologised “for any anguish caused”.
However, she remains suspended while the party investigates. Unless she has the whip restored, she will not be able to stand in as a Labour candidate.
While speaking on Sky News, Mr Ashworth did not say whether he wanted the Labour whip restored to Ms Abbott but said there was an “independent process” for that, which in his view “shouldn’t be bent to political pressure by politicians”.
The Labour frontbencher told BBC’s Sunday With Laura Kuenssberg he did not know why the investigation into Ms Abbott’s comments had taken nearly a year.
“You’re asking me questions which I quite properly do not know the answer to, because – if it’s an independent process – they’re not going to be telling me as a politician the ins and outs of what is going on,” he said.
Asked if he could guarantee it would conclude before the general election, he said: “I would hope so.”
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]]>Denny Hamlin, driver of the #11 Sport Clips Haircuts Toyota, celebrates in victory lane after winning the NASCAR Cup Series Busch Light Clash at The Coliseum at Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum on February 03, 2024 in Los Angeles, California. Chris Graythen/Getty Images The NASCAR Food City 500 invites you to take a ride down memory […]
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The NASCAR Food City 500 invites you to take a ride down memory lane. The sporting world’s annual first trip to Bristol Motor Speedway in Bristol, TN, returns to its traditional concrete surface this weekend following three years on dirt. To celebrate the Food City 500 going back to its roots, organizers have labeled the race a “throwback weekend”, taking fans back to 1992 when Food City began its sponsorship of Bristol’s spring event.
So grab your baggy jeans, tell Alexa to play Sir Mix-A-Lot and keep reading to find out when and how to watch the NASCAR Food City 500 today.
The Food City 500 NASCAR will broadcast live from Bristol Motor Speedway on Sunday, March 17, 2024, at 3:30 p.m. ET (12:30 p.m. PT). The race will air on Fox and stream on Fubo and the platforms featured below.
While most cable packages include Fox it’s easy to watch the Food City 500 if Fox isn’t included in your cable TV subscription, or if you don’t have cable at all. Your best options for watching are below. (Streaming options will require an internet provider.)
If you don’t have cable TV that includes Fox, one of the most cost-effective ways to stream live NASCAR races this year is through a subscription to Sling TV. The streamer offers access to all four channels airing NASCAR this season, plus local ABC affiliates (where available) with its Blue Tier plan. Also worth noting: Sling TV comes with 50 hours of cloud-based DVR recording space included, perfect for recording all of NASCAR’s big moments this season.
That plan normally costs $45 per month, but the streamer is currently offering a 50% off promotion for your first month, so you’ll pay just $22.50. If you want to add ESPN, you can upgrade to the Orange + Blue Tier plan, which is currently $30 for the first month and $60 after that. You can learn more by tapping the button below.
Top features of Sling TV Blue tier:
You can also catch all NASCAR Cup Series races in 2024 on Fubo. Fubo is a sports-centric streaming service that offers access to NBC, USA, Fox and FS1, in addition to almost every NFL game next season.
To watch NASCAR without cable, start a seven-day free trial of Fubo. You can begin watching immediately on your TV, phone, tablet or computer. In addition to NASCAR races, you’ll have access to NFL football, MLB, NBA, NHL, MLS and international soccer games. Fubo’s Pro Tier is priced at $80 per month after your free seven-day trial, but Fubo is currently offering the first month at $60.
Sports fans will want to consider adding on the $7.99 per month Fubo Extra package, which includes MLB Network, NBA TV, NHL Network, Tennis Channel, SEC Network and more channels with live games. Or upgrade to the Fubo Elite tier and get all the Fubo Extra channels, plus the ability to stream in 4K, starting at $90 per month ($70 for the first month).
Top features of FuboTV Pro Tier:
You can watch NASCAR this season with Hulu + Live TV. The bundle features access to 90 channels, including Fox and FS1, NBC and USA. Unlimited DVR storage is also included. Watch every Cup Series race on every network with Hulu + Live TV, plus catch almost all live NFL games next season, exclusive live regular season games, popular studio shows (including NFL Total Access and the Emmy-nominated show Good Morning Football) and lots more. With Hulu + Live TV, you’ll have access to live local network affiliate programming without the hefty price of a cable subscription.
Hulu + Live TV comes bundled with ESPN+ and Disney+ for $77 per month.
You can watch Fox’s 2024 NASCAR coverage on TV with an affordable indoor antenna, which pulls in local over-the-air HDTV channels such as CBS, NBC, ABC, Fox, PBS, Univision and more. Here’s the kicker: There’s no monthly charge.
For anyone living in a partially blocked-off area (those near mountains or first-floor apartments), a digital TV antenna may not pick up a good signal — or any signal at all. But for many homes, a digital TV antenna provides a seriously inexpensive way to watch NASCAR without paying a cable company. Indoor TV antennas can also provide some much-needed TV backup if a storm knocks out your cable.
This amplified digital antenna with a 300-mile range can receive hundreds of HD TV channels, including ABC, CBS, NBC, PBS, Fox and Univision, and can filter out cellular and FM signals. It delivers a high-quality picture in 1080p HDTV, top-tier sound and features an 18-foot digital coax cable.
Below is the current 2024 NASCAR Cup Series schedule for the remaining races in the 2024 season. All times Eastern.
Olympic break
Playoff Round of 16
Playoff Round of 12
Playoff Round of 8
Championship
Because NBC Sports is the official broadcaster of the Paris Summer Games, NASCAR will take a two-week pause between races at Indy (July 21) and Richmond (Aug. 11).
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]]>MEXICO CITY (AP) — It’s her choice — but one on which the hopes of millions of Venezuelans fighting to restore their democracy depends. Barred from running for office, opposition leader María Corina Machado is facing pressure from foreign leaders and fellow government opponents to abandon her dead-end presidential candidacy ahead of a March 25 […]
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MEXICO CITY (AP) — It’s her choice — but one on which the hopes of millions of Venezuelans fighting to restore their democracy depends.
Barred from running for office, opposition leader María Corina Machado is facing pressure from foreign leaders and fellow government opponents to abandon her dead-end presidential candidacy ahead of a March 25 candidate registration deadline and make space for a substitute to take on the entrenched incumbent, Nicolás Maduro.
It’s an impossible choice that underlines Venezuela’s increasingly authoritarian tilt. The last election widely recognized as meeting international standards took place almost a decade ago, when the opposition swept control of the National Assembly in 2015. But the opposition’s boycotting of subsequent races has only strengthened Maduro’s grip on power.
Machado, a former lawmaker, rose to the top of the opposition leadership in 2023, filling a void left when other leaders went into exile. Her courage and principled attack on government corruption and Maduro’s mismanagement of the oil-dependent economy rallied millions of Venezuelans to overwhelmingly vote for her in an October opposition primary that the government tried to outlaw.
Success made her a target though. In January, in defiance of an electoral agreement Maduro signed with an opposition coalition, which earned him relief from U.S. economic sanctions, Venezuela’s rubber-stamping high court affirmed Machado’s ban on holding office.
Maduro’s government has since also accused Washington of conspiring to assassinate him, arrested more political opponents and expelled the staff of the U.N. Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights.
Taken together, the actions indicate Maduro has no interest in a competitive race and is looking only to extend his decade-long rule, said Michael McKinley, who served as U.S. ambassador to Afghanistan, Brazil, Colombia and Peru.
“We’re no longer dealing with an imperfect electoral process,” McKinley said. “It’s a complete shutdown of all meaningful challenges to Maduro. In that context, it’s hard to argue that the opposition participating in elections without Machado and with a token candidate somehow advances a democratic opening.”
Polling suggests that Venezuelans overwhelmingly want to go to the polls and would trounce Maduro if given half a chance. And while Machado is their preferred candidate, a majority of opposition supporters want her to yield to someone else rather than have the opposition essentially sit out the race in which Maduro will be seeking a third six-year term.
“We’re with Maria Corina until the end,” retiree Sonia Alfonzo said, echoing Machado’s campaign slogan of “Hasta el final” — Until the end. “But if she can’t run, she must have an ace up her sleeve.”
Machado has repeatedly rejected the idea of renouncing her candidacy, but she has not explained her strategy to overcome the ban. Gerardo Blyde, who negotiated the opposition’s electoral agreement with Maduro’s representatives, told a radio station Friday “that there is still time” for the government to rectify and “allow our candidacy without obstructions.”
But other allies are already floating a plan B. Two-time opposition presidential candidate Henrique Capriles this week urged fellow Maduro opponents to get “a sense of realism” and rally behind an alternative. Capriles, who exited the primary as support for Machado increased during the campaign, asked them to put Venezuelans and “the country above all else.”
The pressure is coming from outside Venezuela as well. (backslash)Brazil’s leftist president, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, recently held up his own inability to run for president in 2018 while he was fighting corruption charges from jail as an example for Machado to follow.
“Instead of crying, I appointed another candidate,” said Lula, who was later cleared of criminal wrongdoing.
Machado’s meteoric rise as opposition leader last year was aided by careful messaging that softened her image as an elitist hardliner and allowed her to connect with skeptics. But throughout 2023, ruling-party leaders made clear she would never face off with Maduro.
There has been bad blood for decades between Machado and the disciples of Maduro’s mentor and predecessor, the late fiery leader Hugo Chávez.
Machado, a free-market conservative, once dared to interrupt Chávez as he gave a speech before the National Assembly, calling the expropriation of businesses theft. “An eagle does not hunt a fly,” he responded.
The Biden administration has tried to walk a fine line between expressing support for Machado — for years more closely aligned with Republicans in Washington — and keeping alive hopes for some sort of electoral participation.
A senior U.S. official said the Biden administration has not asked Machado to stand down and will respect whatever decision she makes. But the U.S. is stressing the need for the opposition to unite behind a common strategy, one that reflects the will of regular Venezuelans to cast ballots, said the official, who insisted on not being quoted by name to discuss the sensitive matter.
A key milestone in that delicate dance comes in April, when temporary sanctions relief that arose from the electoral agreement signed last year in Barbados expires and the White House must decide whether to reimpose restrictions blamed for a worsening humanitarian crisis that has led 7.4 million Venezuelans to abandon the country.
“As imperfect as the elections will be, they represent a huge opportunity for Venezuelans to mobilize and express their voice in ways they haven’t for a decade,” said Christopher Sabatini, a research fellow at the Chatham House in London. The group this month organized two days of closed door discussions on Venezuela attended by U.S. officials, international diplomats, human rights activists and members of the opposition.
Maduro’s government insists Machado’s ban is a done deal that cannot be revisited. After officials said election day would be July 28 — Chávez’s birthday — the government announced it would send invitations to international electoral observers like the European Union and the Carter Center, whose participation is part of the Barbados agreement. However, so far, the invitations haven’t been sent.
Entrenched, authoritarian leaders sometimes overestimate their strength and lose even heavily skewed elections. That’s what happened in Nicaragua in 1990, when Sandinista rebel leader Daniel Ortega was defeated after a decade in power, as well when Chileans in a 1988 referendum ousted dictator Augusto Pinochet.
But those examples have less relevance in a world where democracy is on the defensive and the United States’ ability to shape events is declining, said McKinsley, the former U.S. ambassador.
He said it’s more likely Maduro is looking for inspiration to the presidential election in Russia, where Vladimir Putin is competing against a slate of candidates handpicked by the Kremlin, to dismantle Venezuela’s democracy even further.
“It’s hard to think Maduro isn’t watching Putin’s electoral example and believes he can follow suit,” he said.
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Goodman reported from Miami. Associated Press writer Jorge Rueda and videojournalist Juan Arraez, in Caracas, Venezuela, and writer Diane Jeantet in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, contributed to this report.
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]]>It is not clear when the cash was handed over, but if the report by Tortoise Media is accurate — and it has not been denied — it means Frank Hester has now given Rishi Sunak’s party over £15m. To put that into some context, last year the party’s total donations amounted to £48m. Their costs […]
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It is not clear when the cash was handed over, but if the report by Tortoise Media is accurate — and it has not been denied — it means Frank Hester has now given Rishi Sunak’s party over £15m.
To put that into some context, last year the party’s total donations amounted to £48m. Their costs for the 2019 general election were roughly £16m.
READ MORE: Douglas Ross calls Frank Hester donation to be ‘looked at’
According to the Guardian, at a 2019 meeting, Mr Hester was alleged to have said: “It’s like trying not to be racist but you see Diane Abbott on the TV, and you’re just like I hate, you just want to hate all black women because she’s there, and I don’t hate all black women at all, but I think she should be shot.”
He has since apologised for making “rude” comments but claimed his words “had nothing to do with her gender nor colour of skin”.
Downing Street initially declined to describe the remarks as racist, with ministers sent out to defend Mr Hester and reject calls for the money to be returned.
No 10 only changed position after Business Secretary Kemi Badenoch said that they were.
The deputy leader of the Scottish Tories has said she will seek clarification on reports of the further donation.
Speaking to BBC Radio Scotland on Friday, Meghan Gallacher said she could not comment on the “unverified” donation.
“I’ve certainly not had the time from when I first read the story, which was late last evening, to this morning appearing on your programme,” she said.
“Certainly that can be something that we’ll look at.”
Asked if she would seek clarification on Friday, the deputy leader said: “Of course, I will have a discussion about this, but again, it’s unverified and I can’t comment on unverified donations.”
READ MORE: Tories would take more money from Frank Hester, says minister
On Thursday, speaking to journalists following First Minister’s Questions, Douglas Ross insisted the Scottish Tories had not received donations from Mr Hester.
The Moray MP said the comments were “racist, unacceptable and wrong”.
Mr Ross said: “There can be no dubiety around that.
“I think it was unacceptable and wrong, and the party at a UK level needs to look at that donation.”
Pressed on whether the Tories should return the money, he said: “I think this should be looked at.”
Lib Dem MP Wendy Chamberlain said: “People like Mr Hester and his attitudes need to be nowhere near our politics.
“Conservative politicians need to learn that just because someone gives you millions of pounds that does not make the inexcusable, excusable.”
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]]>MEXICO CITY – Just a few months ago ruling party candidate Clara Brugada looked like a shoo-in to be elected the next mayor of Mexico City. But a worsening water crisis has many voters rethinking their choice to run Mexico’s largest and most important city. A severe nationwide drought has hit the capital particularly hard, […]
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MEXICO CITY – Just a few months ago ruling party candidate Clara Brugada looked like a shoo-in to be elected the next mayor of Mexico City. But a worsening water crisis has many voters rethinking their choice to run Mexico’s largest and most important city.
A severe nationwide drought has hit the capital particularly hard, and with it has come growing criticism of Morena – the party that has run the city and the country for the past six years.
In November, Brugada, a 60-year-old economist, had the backing of 47% of potential voters compared to 34% for opposition alliance candidate Santiago Taboada, according to a poll by newspaper El Financiero. By early March, the gap had tightened to 8 percentage points.
Internal polls conducted for Brugada’s team, and shared with Reuters, show the race as even narrower.
“There is fear,” a source working on Brugada’s campaign told Reuters on condition of anonymity. “In some internal polls they’re already nipping at our heels. The water problem is taking its toll on us.”
Spokespeople for Brugada and Taboada did not respond to requests for comment.
In February, for the first time, water scarcity surpassed security as the main concern of Mexico City’s almost 10 million residents, with the percentage of voters flagging the issue more than tripling from May, according to a survey by Aragon, a research firm.
In Iztapalapa, a sprawling poor neighborhood, people rise early to source water, lining up to fill buckets from government water trucks. Often, government supply does not meet demand and users must wait until late at night or pay private tankers.
“I was thinking of voting for Morena, but they are responsible for us now not having water,” said Martin Juarez, an Iztapalapa resident.
For sure, the roots of the Mexican capital’s water problems go back decades. Under-investment and poor planning resulted in a system plagued by leaks and unequal distribution.
But with left-wing parties ruling Mexico City since 1997, voters are broadly blaming Morena and its rival the PRD for the shortages, with a particular focus on the incumbent.
Taboada, a 38-year-old politician for the conservative PAN party, has made water scarcity a central issue of his election campaign. A former municipal governor, he has promised to immediately address the water shortages through plans to improve collection, management and reuse.
The opposition blames the government for the decades of neglect and warns the city could run dry. Brugada, a former government leader of Iztapalapa, has rejected that as a “lie.”
Mexico City is the country’s beating economic and political heart and the job of mayor is one of the top jobs, as well as a common launching pad for a future presidential bid – as it was for the current leading candidate Claudia Sheinbaum.
A loss for Morena would be a huge blow for the party, an electoral juggernaut in recent years, although the water shortages are seen by pollsters as unlikely to play a significant role in June’s presidential election.
The growing role of water scarcity in voter decisions is, however, a potential window into the political future of Mexico and further afield as climate change increasingly impacts people’s lives. In Mexico, scientists predict there will be worsening droughts in the capital and north.
The Cutzamala System – made up of three dams and supplying 25% of the water consumed in the capital and almost half of that in the adjoining State of Mexico – is at 40% capacity, an historic low.
Last year was the driest and hottest since the 1940s, according to official figures, which meant reservoirs did not refill as much as usual. Authorities warn that if the Cutzamala System levels fall further, they could be forced to cut off supply entirely.
“The water crisis is getting worse,” said Gibran Ramirez, a founding member of Morena and political analyst who now represents opposition party Citizens’ Movement. “Without a doubt it will be an issue in the elections.” REUTERS
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]]>The measure, released Thursday with less than a month to go in the session, would use $400 million in state bonds to rebuild the home of the second jewel of horse racing’s Triple Crown, the Preakness Stakes. ANNAPOLIS, Md. (AP) — A new plan to rebuild Baltimore’s storied but deteriorating Pimlico Race Course and transfer […]
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The measure, released Thursday with less than a month to go in the session, would use $400 million in state bonds to rebuild the home of the second jewel of horse racing’s Triple Crown, the Preakness Stakes.
ANNAPOLIS, Md. (AP) — A new plan to rebuild Baltimore’s storied but deteriorating Pimlico Race Course and transfer the track to state control is making a late charge down the stretch of Maryland’s legislative session.
The measure, released Thursday with less than a month to go in the session, would use $400 million in state bonds to rebuild the home of the second jewel of horse racing’s Triple Crown, the Preakness Stakes.
The plan calls for transferring Pimlico from the Stronach Group, which is the current owner of Pimlico and nearby Laurel Park, to a newly formed nonprofit that would operate under the state.
Greg Cross, chairman of the Maryland Thoroughbred Racetrack Operating Authority, said in a statement Thursday that the authority supported the plan “that will help secure the future of horse racing here in Maryland.”
Cross thanked Belinda Stronach and the Stronach Group for the “professionalism and good faith they brought to this process with the Maryland Thoroughbred Racetrack Operating Authority.”
“We know the state is eager to see the long overdue improvements to Pimlico and investments in the Park Heights community come to fruition, and the governor looks forward to working with the General Assembly to finalize this deal and pass the authorizing legislation to make it a reality,” Cross said in the statement.
Craig Fravel, executive vice chairman of 1/ST Racing, the Stronach Group’s racing and wagering business, said extensive negotiations have taken place since an announcement in early January outlined a framework for an agreement between the Stronach Group, the Maryland Jockey Club and the Maryland Thoroughbred Racetrack Operating Authority.
“That agreement aims to secure a sustainable future for the Maryland Thoroughbred racing industry and ensure the successful operation of Pimlico Race Course and the Preakness in Baltimore,” Fravel said. “We thank Greg Cross and the MTROA board. We look forward to the legislative consideration process and collaborating with the MTROA and Maryland stakeholders to usher in a new era for racing in the state.”
Under the plan, the Preakness would relocate to Laurel Park in 2026 while the new facility is being built, before returning to Pimlico, likely in 2027. The temporary move would come as the third Triple Crown race, the Belmont Stakes, is scheduled to return to Belmont Park from a two-year hiatus at Saratoga Race Course while the New York track undergoes a $455 million reconstruction.
Maryland lawmakers approved a plan in 2020 to rebuild the track, but it never got off the ground. The new plan increases the amount of state bonds to be used from $375 million to $400 million. The plan also calls for a training facility, with details to be determined.
“It’s always been the goal of the authority to put Maryland racing and breeding in a position where we can be a major player in the sport of Thoroughbred racing again,” said Tom Rooney, president and CEO of the National Thoroughbred Racing Association, who was appointed by Democratic Maryland Gov. Wes Moore to serve on the authority. “We are one step closer to achieving our goal.”
The bill is being introduced late in the General Assembly’s 90-day session, which is scheduled to adjourn April 8, but lawmakers had mentioned the possibility of a proposal coming before them.
“We knew it was coming,” Democratic Sen. Guy Guzzone, chairman of the Senate’s budget committee, told reporters Thursday, noting that “there are a whole host of issues that we’re going to have to review over the coming days.”
If the bill gets to the finish line, it would represent the biggest step forward for Pimlico, which has faced an uncertain future for several years and gone through several proposals for updates and changes.
In 2019, the Maryland Jockey Club closed off nearly 7,000 grandstand seats, citing the “safety and security of all guests and employees.” The Preakness has struggled to draw pre-pandemic attendance numbers in recent years, down to 65,000 people in 2023 for Friday and Saturday compared to more than 180,000 for the same days four years earlier.
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AP Sports Writer Stephen Whyno contributed to this report.
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AP sports: https://apnews.com/hub/apf-sports
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]]>By Tamara Prenn Published: 07:09 EDT, 14 March 2024 | Updated: 11:20 EDT, 14 March 2024 Advertisement Follow Mail Sport’s live blog as we provide you with all the latest updates, results, tips and coverage from day three of the 2024 Cheltenham Festival. It is St Patrick’s Day, with two centrepiece races, the Ryanair Steeple […]
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Follow Mail Sport’s live blog as we provide you with all the latest updates, results, tips and coverage from day three of the 2024 Cheltenham Festival. It is St Patrick’s Day, with two centrepiece races, the Ryanair Steeple Chase at 2:50pm, and the Stayers’ Hurdle at 3.30pm.
Maybe I looked like I was holding on to more than I was. He’s run another brilliant race.
I think it’s been 15 to 20 years, and two in 40 minutes, it’s unbelievable.
Fantastic. I can’t believe it. He really deserves this.
Izzy (Protektorat’s work rider) is an absolute saint, because she puts up with this horse everyday. He’s as mad as a wasp, you’d have to have the patience of a saint.
He really deserves this. Knocked at the door in all these big races.
For a long time, me and Dan had all the belief in Izzy to ride him every day – a lot of the credit goes to her.
Why not? That was fantastic. What a jockey, dearie me.
The jockey was fantastic.
I can’t believe this horse has just won that.
I thought he should be 125/1, just shows what I know!
The blinkers have made a massive difference, I think that’s been the decider.
We take on the Irish here and the racing just goes up two notches. I’m delighted to have this one.
He’s hopefully got a big long career. Being that colour, he might get a following.
Sometimes when you’re on a horse that’s that good, you only need a Plan A.
It’s magic. Thank you Cheltenham! Thank you very much. these people make it special.
He was great today. Absolutely pinged down over the last two. He’s a very good horse.
He’s brilliant and he’s so unassuming. He doesn’t know how good he is, but hopefully he’s a bit special.
Probably the best moment of my life. Unbelievable.
Totally (exceeded expectations), we didn’t really know what we were dealing with. He needs to prove himself again today, but he knows the track.
He needs to improve again.
If someone else wants to go faster than him, good luck to them.
He seems in great form, and he’s trying to defend his crown, so we’ll see.
It’s not serious, it’s just horrendous timing. If it had happened earlier we might have been able to do something about it, but that’s where we are.
We’ll get her right before we make any plans.
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