Election fraud a felony in Texas again after Gov. Abbott signs bill
AUSTIN, Texas — Election fraud is once again a felony in Texas after Gov. Greg Abbott signed legislation into law that ups the criminal penalty.
The bill makes voter fraud a crime punishable by up to 20 years in prison. The offense was a misdemeanor for two years after a Republican effort in the Texas House reduced the penalty amid questions over inadvertent illegal voting
Abbott signed the bill without ceremony Tuesday. His office did not immediately respond to a message seeking comment.
Supporters of the measure, including its author, state Rep. Cole Hefner, R-Mount Pleasant, have said the law returns the penalty for illegal voting to what it was for nearly 50 years and that the change is necessary to restore confidence in elections.
Election fraud has remained a top priority for the GOP in Texas since Donald Trump’s leadership of the party began. In the aftermath of the 2020 election, Trump’s unproven allegations of widespread fraud fueled a push for a sweeping election law passed in 2021.
—The Dallas Morning News
Michigan Senate approves alcohol sales at university stadiums
LANSING, Mich. — The Michigan Senate voted overwhelmingly Wednesday to allow university athletic stadiums to sell alcohol, a change that would put the state's two largest schools on par with the majority of their counterparts in the Big Ten conference.
Approved 36-2, the bill now goes to the state House for consideration. Sen. Sean McCann, D-Kalamazoo, the sponsor of the proposal, said on Tuesday fans could "have beers in their hands in the fall."
McCann said Michigan had become an outlier compared to the rest of the Big Ten conference and universities wanted to be able to sell alcohol.
As it stands now, 11 of the 14 universities in the Big Ten conference allow alcohol sales, Marlon Lynch, MSU's vice president and chief safety officer, told a Senate committee this week. The three that don't are Michigan State University, University of Michigan and the University of Nebraska, he said.
Lynch said his colleagues at other schools didn't report increases in "alcohol-related issues" after permitting sales.
—The Detroit News
EU lawmakers vote to restrict AI use, ban public face-scanning
The European Parliament voted to completely ban real-time, remote biometric surveillance — a decision that will put lawmakers at odds with the EU’s 27 countries in upcoming negotiations.
The blanket ban, which was previously agreed by lawmakers, was up in the air after a political deal fell apart late last week.
Lawmakers also passed additional measures for general purpose AI and foundational models like GPT-4. Under the parliament’s plan, companies such as OpenAI Inc. and Google would have to perform risk assessments and summarize the copyrighted material used to train their models — regardless of how they’re used.
The parliament’s entire draft of the AI Act passed on Wednesday, with 499 voting in favor, 28 against and 93 abstaining. The vote paves the way for the so-called “trilogue” negotiations between the parliament, EU member states and European Commission. The commission wants a deal by the end of the year, after which the new AI Act rules could impact companies by 2026.
Some members of the center-right European People’s Party wanted to include exceptions for finding missing children and preventing terrorist attacks, but these amendments overwhelmingly failed in the plenary vote on Wednesday.
—Bloomberg News
5 dogs killed in Tampa dog show fire at Florida State Fairgrounds
TAMPA, Fla. — Five dogs died in an RV fire that broke out at the American Kennel Club All-Breed Dog Show at the Florida State Fairgrounds in Tampa on Tuesday, Hillsborough County Fire Rescue officials said.
Bystanders saw smoke pouring out of the vents of an RV parked in a lot outside of the fairgrounds, Herrin said. Some called for help while others tried to run into the RV to rescue the dogs, but they were overcome by smoke and could not enter. By the time firefighters arrived about 2:45 p.m., flames engulfed 50% of the vehicle, said Chief Rob Herrin, a spokesperson for Hillsborough Fire Rescue.
No people were injured in the fire, but all five dogs inside died. Herrin said investigators are still determining the cause of the fire, but have ruled out foul play.
Dog owners nationwide have taken to Facebook to express their sympathy for the families who lost their dogs in the fire. A GoFundMe circulating on Facebook titled “Tragic RV Fire in Tampa Dog Show” had amassed more than $27,000 as of Wednesday afternoon.
—Tampa Bay Times
———
