And onto the news!
USA TODAY Trump holding rallies in Wisconsin and Michigan as polls tighten
His Midwest trip comes as a new poll shows the race tightening in those key swing states.
Prep for the polls: See who is running for president and compare where they stand on key issues in our Voter Guide
New York Post Biden campaign courts Nikki Haley supporters with new ad calling on them to ‘Save America' from Trump
In New Hampshire, where Haley spent a large chunk of her resources and time in a bid to overtake Trump, 70% of her voters were registered as undeclared or independents, while 27% were registered Republicans, a CNN exit poll found.
In Haley's home state of South Carolina, the former governor won the independent vote by 25% and defeated Trump by 49 percentage points (74%-25%) among those who identified as moderate or liberal, NBC News exit polling found.
The Associated Press Trump's immigration rhetoric makes inroads with some Democrats. That could be a concern for Biden
Roughly two-thirds of Americans now disapprove of how Biden is handling border security, including about 4 in 10 Democrats, 55% of Black adults and 73% of Hispanic adults, according to an Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research poll conducted in March.
A recent Pew Research Center poll found that 45% of Americans described the situation as a crisis, while another 32% said it was a major problem.
The Associated Press Many Americans say immigrants contribute to economy but there's worry over risks, AP-NORC poll finds
WASHINGTON — Americans are more worried about legal immigrants committing crimes in the U.S. than they were a few years ago, a change driven largely by increased concern among Republicans, while Democrats continue to see a broad range of benefits from immigration, a new poll shows.
The poll from The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research found that substantial shares of U.S. adults believe that immigrants contribute to the country's economic growth, and offer important contributions to American culture. But when it comes to legal immigrants, U.S. adults see fewer major benefits than they did in the past, and more major risks.
ABC 8News - WRIC Youngkin, Miyares react to Biden declaring Transgender Day of Visibility when it's also Easter Sunday
Attorney General Jason Miyares shared a similar sentiment, wondering at how the president 'could find the time to get the @whitehouse to make tomorrow, Easter Sunday, a ‘national transgender day''' because he's too afraid to offend his left wing backers.'
New York Post Joe Biden's Easter insult in the name of trans activism
An avalanche of polls reveal the majority of Americans recognize Biden's activist-driven agenda harms emotionally vulnerable young people and endangers the women in sports, prisons and other female spaces.
In a 2023 Gallup poll, 69% of Americans reported they believe athletes should compete on teams that align with their sex, an increase from 62% in 2021.
WVTF Biden, transgender and queer Virginians celebrate Easter and Transgender Day of Visibility
'Any time you can tell someone you see the presence of god in them there's going to be transformation and that's where we're leading from,' Cook said. As for Governor Glenn Youngkin, he took to X, formerly known as Twitter, Saturday to tell Biden quote 'The only thing to declare on Easter Sunday is Alleluia, He Is Risen.' Virginia Attorney General Jason Miyares joined in on criticizing the President, saying Biden honored Easter as a 'national transgender day' because he's 'too afraid to offend his left wing backers.' Requests for additional comment from Youngkin and Miyares were not returned by publication time.
Richmond Times-Dispatch Editorial: In the arena flop, Virginia is winning for losing
Leonsis and the mayor of Alexandria, along with a growing chorus of Youngkin allies and business leaders, cited the political rancor in Richmond — led by hardballer Louise Lucas, the unabashed Democratic senator from Portsmouth — as the culprit.
Republicans and Democrats alike routinely fall under the spell of the 'big, shiny project.' And that's not to say that some projects are better than others. Maybe Youngkin, a supposed financial whiz, and Richmond Mayor Levar Stoney are both number-crunching magicians who have cracked the code. Perhaps both have figured out a way to manufacture new spending that will ultimately create a net positive for taxpayers.
ExBulletin Youngkin's arena flop is hardly a loss for VA
Margo Wagner, Times-Dispatch Leonsis and the mayor of Alexandria, along with a growing chorus of Youngkin allies and business leaders, blamed Richmond's political nastiness, led by hardline Democratic Sen. Louise Lucas of Portsmouth, as the culprit.
Perhaps both Mr. Youngkin, the supposed financial guru, and Richmond Mayor Levar Stoney are number-crunching wizards who have cracked codes.
Los Angeles Times Column:Â Trump loves fossil fuels; California wants clean energy. Cue collision
Oil companies know that any attempt to drill new wells off California would spark massive opposition. A PPIC poll in 2021 found that 72% of Californians, including 43% of Republicans, oppose the idea.
Los Angeles Times Newsom has approved three California prison closures but resists pressure to shutter more
Newsom finds himself in a precarious political spot. Crime was among the top issues that Californians want the Legislature and governor to work on in 2024, according to a Public Policy Institute of California pollreleased in February. But no matter what he decides to do, large swaths of California voters will disagree.
New York Post Speaker Johnson promises vote on Ukraine aid after Easter recess
A February poll conducted by the Associated Press and the NORC Center for Public Affairs Research found a majority of Republicans (55%) and a plurality of Americans (37%) believe the US is spending 'too much' on Ukraine aid.
HuffPost Republicans Aren't That Worried About RFK Jr. Maybe They Should Be.
'I'm trying to discern what it is,' said Chuck Coughlin, a political strategist and ex-Republican in Arizona whose consulting firm does frequent polling in the swing state. 'Does [Kennedy] attract Republican voters who are not Trumpers, who don't want to vote for Biden?
Kennedy, an environmental attorney and scion of the famous Democratic dynasty, is polling at roughly 12% nationally against Biden and Trump, though it's not entirely clear who his supporters are. Some election-watchers think he poses an equal threat to Biden and Trump, while others believe his candidacy is nominally worse for Biden.
The Hill Senate rankings: 5 seats most likely to flip
At the same time, there are warning signs flashing at the top of the ticket as President Biden has been unable to reverse his polling drop, giving Republicans a shot in the arm more than seven months out from Election Day.
Both campaigns have been on the air for months, with Tester holding a slight edge according to the latest public polling. An Emerson College/The Hill survey released in early March showed Tester with a 2-point advantage over Sheehy, who is steadily building name ID.
The Hill Most Americans favor hiring more border agents, immigration judges: Survey
When broken down by party, 79 percent of Republicans said they support hiring more border patrol agents, compared to 54 percent of Democrats and 56 percent of independents who said the same, per the poll.
Just over half, 58 percent, of adults rank immigration as an important issue to them, but it is still seen as less important than the economy, health care, crime or gun policy, according to the poll.
The Associated Press China's manufacturing activity expands in March after a 5-month lull
During the annual session of the National People's Congress in March, China said it would encourage consumers to scrap old appliances and trade in their cars for electric vehicles to help spur more domestic demand. And it said 10.4 billion yuan ($1.4 billion) would go to upgrading industries and modernizing manufacturing.
The Associated Press France presses China on trade and Ukraine ahead of upcoming Xi Jinping visit
European officials have expressed concern that a flood of low-priced Chinese-made electric vehicles could disrupt production and displace jobs in Europe. The EU is investigating whether Chinese government subsidies for EVs give an unfair advantage to Chinese auto exporters.
Syndicated By: The Washington Post, Star Tribune, Houston Chronicle, The Washington Times
The Associated Press In Indonesia, deforestation is intensifying disasters from severe weather and climate change
It also exports oil and gas, rubber, tin and other resources. And it also has the world's largest reserves of nickel — a critical material for electric vehicles, solar panels and other goods needed for the green energy transition.
Syndicated By: The Washington Post, The Hill, Atlanta Journal-Constitution, Star Tribune, The Washington Times, Las Vegas Sun
The Wall Street Journal Why Stellantis's CEO Remains All-In on EVs as Others Retrench
Stellantis Chief Executive Carlos Tavares in February made an intriguing announcement: The Chrysler-parent company would remain all-in on electric vehicles, even as competitors scale back and sales growth slows.
Axios Granholm eyes talks with Big Tech on AI power needs
In recent years, electricity consumption has been largely flat, but the needs of electric vehicles, AI computing and data centers — plus clean tech manufacturing — has added new demands on utilities.
Axios Why Kia and Hyundai are becoming more popular than ever before
Kia and Hyundai electric vehicles (EVs) also nabbed three of the six World Car of the Year awards, presented annually at the New York show.
Richmond Times-Dispatch Dominion adding more solar farms, including one in Powhatan
"These projects deliver on our promise of reliable, affordable and increasingly clean energy for our customers," said Ed Baine, president of Dominion Energy Virginia.
"Through our investments in offshore wind, battery storage and solar, Virginia continues to make progress on its clean energy transition."
The Columbian Amazon bets $150 billion on data centers required for AI boom
Amazon data center chief Miller said the company was continuing to evaluate clean energy projects beyond wind and solar farms, including battery storage and nuclear power, that can substitute for fossil fuel plants. He pledged to work with utilities and find a way to 'match our need for energy with renewable, carbon-free power.'
Loudoun Times-Mirror Environmental group drops opposition to amended Maryland data center bill
In the weeks since, some environmental leaders, key lawmakers, and Eric Luedtke, Moore's legislative liaison who used to be the House majority leader, have hammered out a compromise. The bill now directs that 15% of all tax revenues that the state would collect from data center operators would be earmarked for the state's Strategic Energy Investment Fund, which the Maryland Energy Administration uses to fund clean energy and climate programs.
Star Tribune Biden's election-year energy policy
Where will the juice come from to power the electric vehicles that environmentalists want so badly? Or to support the build-out of data centers and other technologies that require huge amounts of electricity?
NJ.com Car dealers in N.J. are ready to sell more electric vehicles. There’s just no demand.
Statewide figures show EVs made up 11% of car sales in 2023 — up from a mere 1.4% in 2019 — but the Garden State has a lot of road to cover if it wants to hit Gov. Phil Murphy 's goals of having all new car sales be fully-electric vehicles starting in 2035.
The EValuateNJ dashboard, a collaboration between the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection and business consultancy Atlas Public Policy, reports that the state had 123,774 registered electric vehicles as of June 2023.
TribLive EPA sets strict emissions standards for heavy-duty trucks, buses
The 2022 Inflation Reduction Act also provides tax credits that subsidize the purchase price of new electric vehicles, Regan said. The new emissions limits will bring immediate health benefits, especially in communities burdened by heavy truck traffic, said Harold Wimmer, CEO of the American Lung Association.
The Post and Courier An Etsy entrepreneur is exposing Tesla's shortcomings to new owners taking delivery
Related: Major automaker issuing a massive recall due to dangerous rollaway risk A total of 4,027 Tesla Model Y and Model 3 electric vehicles, which will be sent to the Port of Zeebrugge in Belgium, wait to be loaded on board the roll-on-roll-off cargo vessel Theben operated by Wallenius Wilhelmsen at Nangang port in Shanghai, China.
Townhall New Birth for the Death Penalty?
She is former Special Counsel to Attorney General Jason Miyares and former Deputy Secretary of Public Safety and Homeland Security under the Youngkin administration.
Richmond Times-Dispatch Victims assistance group says AG's office threatened funding support
"To enable a fulsome analysis of your organization's need for these funds please answer the following questions in writing by replying all to this email," wrote Wrobleski, copying other members of Attorney General Jason Miyares' office.
The Times-Picayune House Speaker Mike Johnson is on the GOP hot seat. His post could be in jeopardy.
Rep. Abigail Spanberger of Virginia, a centrist Democrat who recently traveled to Kyiv, named the price: financial support for Ukraine. 'If they call forward that motion to vacate vote because he (Johnson) has brought Ukraine funding, I will whip votes to table that,' Spanberger told The Washington Post.
Culpeper Star-Exponent Spanberger calls for vote to codify ban on civilian use of bump stocks
U.S. Rep. Abigail Spanberger, D-7th, a member of the House Gun Violence Prevention Task Force, last week joined 67 of colleagues in urging Speaker Mike Johnson to bring the bipartisan legislation to the House floor for a vote.