West
New California bill named after Charlie Kirk, Melissa Hortman adds ‘political affiliation’ to hate crimes
NEWYou can now listen to Fox News articles!
A California bill introduced last week seeks to reduce political violence by adding political affiliation to the state’s protected characteristics in order to classify it as a hate crime.
The bill, AB 1535, as first reported by the Orange County Register, is called the Hortman-Kirk Political Violence Prevention Act, and is named after former Minnesota Democratic Rep. Melissa Hortman and Turning Point USA founder Charlie Kirk, who were both murdered last year.
Under existing California law, hate crimes are criminal acts committed because of a victim’s actual or perceived characteristics such as race, religion, disability or sexual orientation.
AB 1535 would expand that definition to include political affiliation, defined as “the state of belonging to a political party, the endorsement of a political party or a platform of a political party, or the endorsement of a politician or a platform of a politician.”
Former Minnesota House Speaker Melissa Hortman and Turning Point USA co-founder Charlie Kirk were both killed in 2025. (Glen Stubbe/The Minnesota Star Tribune via Getty Images/Andrew Harnik/Getty Images)
WHY POLITICAL ASSASSINATION CASES AREN’T AUTOMATICALLY DEATH PENALTY ELIGIBLE
State Assemblymember Laurie Davies, a Republican from Laguna Niguel, introduced the bill, saying it is intended to promote a culture in which free speech is valued and protected.
“Our nation was founded on political freedoms. However, political violence is detrimental to our democracy and shouldn’t be tolerated,” Davies said. “Leaders are required to cool the temperature, not fan the flames. AB 1535 isn’t just about protecting Californians; it’s about a cultural reset. It’s a commitment to the idea that every Californian has the right to their political views without fear of being targeted by those who see them as an enemy rather than a neighbor.”
Under current state law, political affiliation is already a protected category in civil contexts such as employment or housing, but not within criminal hate crime statutes, according to Davies. By expanding the scope of an existing crime, the bill would impose a state-mandated local program.
NEARLY 40% OF YOUNG AMERICANS SAY POLITICAL VIOLENCE CAN BE JUSTIFIED IN CERTAIN SITUATIONS
Flowers and tributes to conservative influencer Charlie Kirk have filled Utah Valley University’s campus in the wake of his assassination on Wednesday, Sept. 10, 2025. (Fox News Digital/Deirdre Heavey)
ANTI-ICE AGITATORS SWARM VEHICLE OF CONSERVATIVE INFLUENCER NICK SORTOR
“This measure ensures that our justice system recognizes political violence for exactly what it is: a hate-motivated crime,” she said.
Hortman and her husband were fatally shot in a targeted attack at their home in Brooklyn Park, Minnesota, on June 14, 2025.
Kirk was gunned down while speaking at Utah Valley University on Sept. 10, 2025, at a speaking event for Turning Point.
A Luigi Mangione supporter stands outside Federal Court in Manhattan, N.Y., Jan. 9, 2026, where a suppression hearing is underway. (Rashid Umar Abbasi for Fox News Digital)
CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FOX NEWS APP
A similar bill adding political affiliation as a protected characteristic in hate crime law was introduced in Washington in December.
Some law enforcement experts have warned that political violence is on the rise, citing high-profile attacks, including the assassination of United Healthcare CEO Brian Thompson and two assassination attempts against now-President Donald Trump in 2024.
Read the full article from Here
POCATELLO, Idaho — Idaho agriculture officials are taking aggressive action after five Japanese beetles, a highly destructive invasive pest, were detected in Acequia near Rupert, according to information provided by the Idaho Farm Bureau Foundation.
The Idaho Farm Bureau Federation reports the Japanese beetle, a non-native insect that feeds on more than 300 species of agricultural and ornamental plants, poses a significant threat to Idaho agriculture. In response to the discovery, the Idaho State Department of Agriculture (ISDA) has deployed about 800 traps in the Rupert area to determine the extent of the infestation.
“We take an aggressive approach to make sure we don’t see those numbers boom before we can actually handle the situation,” said Vene Stewart, an ISDA pest survey and detection specialist helping lead eradication efforts.
Stewart said Japanese beetles are not selective feeders.
“They eat about 300 different types of flowering plants. Pretty much anything that flowers, they would love to demolish,” Stewart said.
The ISDA is also conducting eradication efforts in Caldwell and Pocatello. Last year, the department detected 160 Japanese beetles in Caldwell and 12 in Pocatello. Residents in those areas, as well as Acequia, may notice the yellow traps used to monitor the pest’s presence.
“We will be treating all three of those areas this year,” Stewart said.
Caldwell, like Acequia, is located in a major agricultural region. About 700 traps have been placed throughout the Caldwell area.
“The Caldwell infestation isn’t moving at all,” Stewart said. “In fact, where we are finding the beetles is getting to be a smaller and smaller area. You like to see that.”
The department has also placed approximately 550 traps in the Pocatello area.
Stewart said eradication efforts require ongoing monitoring and treatment.
“It’s unfortunately not something that we can just treat one time and assume everything’s going to be (OK) the following year,” she said. “It’s something we’re going to have to keep up on.”
According to a recent University of Idaho study, agriculture accounts for one in every nine jobs in Idaho, 17% of total sales and 12% of the state’s gross domestic product.
ISDA officials have worked to eliminate Japanese beetles wherever they appear in Idaho. About 15 years ago, large numbers of the beetles were detected in the Boise area. Officials say the state’s eradication campaign there resulted in no detections in Boise for several years. According to ISDA officials, the effort became the largest documented Japanese beetle eradication in U.S. history.
“We definitely want to protect our agriculture, especially in Caldwell where it is such an agriculture-(rich) area,” Stewart said. “It’s definitely important to the residents and the farmers out there to make sure that we keep our eye on it and make some progress.”
Stewart said the department’s eradication efforts have received support from farmers, local residents and city officials.
Adult Japanese beetles are about a half-inch long with metallic green bodies and copper-colored wing covers. The insects can skeletonize leaves and leave holes in plants while feeding.
Officials warn that if the beetle were to establish a permanent presence in Idaho, it could lead to reduced crop production, increased pesticide use and potential market restrictions through quarantine measures.
Native to Japan, the beetle was first detected in the United States in 1916 and is now found throughout most states east of the Mississippi River.
Although Idaho has preventative measures in place to reduce the risk of introduction from infested states, ISDA officials believe the beetles still arrive by hitchhiking with people moving from affected areas.
LAS VEGAS (FOX5) — Conservation groups are pushing back against a new state mapping tool that identifies federal lands potentially available for development in Nevada.
The governor’s office, in partnership with the Bureau of Land Management Nevada, unveiled the interactive map this week to make it easier to find federal land that may be available for development throughout the state and in the Las Vegas Valley.
“It is shocking to look at the map and see how many lands could potentially be sold off,” said Olivia Tanager, executive director of the Sierra Club Toiyabe Chapter.
Tanager said she was surprised at how many federal lands were identified for disposal when she first looked at the map.
“Places like Red Rock and Sloan Canyon in Southern Nevada are what draw people to live in Southern Nevada. We cannot continue to develop right up onto the boundaries or perhaps even in these precious places,” Tanager said.
The conservation group says the mapping tool is the latest effort to treat Nevada’s public lands as a real estate inventory rather than a shared public resource.
“We know that a lot of these areas are environmentally sensitive. We know that there are endangered species on these lands,” Tanager said.
MORE ON FOX5: Nevada unveils interactive tool mapping federal lands available for possible development, other uses
Housing concerns
Lawmakers have proposed using federal lands to create more affordable housing. Several areas at the edges of the Vegas Valley have been identified for potential development on the mapping tool. Tanager said she does not see that as a viable solution.
“The areas on the outskirts or far outside of existing urban areas are wholly inappropriate for affordable housing. Housing that is located that far away from services will never be truly affordable,” Tanager said. “As folks have to live further and further away from resources like schools and grocery stores, transportation costs go up substantially.”
The conservation group says the valley should fill in open lots and build upward within the existing urban core instead of building outward.
“We know that sprawl and developing on the outskirts of the valley worsens air quality as well from increased transportation,” Tanager said. “We know that sprawl is incredibly water-intensive. The further out you build, the harder it is to recapture that water.”
The Sierra Club Toiyabe Chapter says treating federal lands as disposable assets could set a dangerous precedent that accelerates privatization efforts and undermines the principle that public lands should remain in public hands for future generations.
Approximately 85% of Nevada’s total land area is owned by the federal government.
The state says the tool is designed to bolster information sharing about federal lands. The mapping tool is available here.
Copyright 2026 KVVU. All rights reserved.
-
Idaho4 minutes agoIdaho Targets Japanese Beetle in Caldwell to Protect Agriculture
-
Illinois7 minutes agoPedestrian fatally struck by Metra train in Palatine, Illinois
-
Indiana12 minutes agoMan dies after near east side apartment shooting
-
Iowa19 minutes agoIowa man injured in 3-vehicle crash on I-35 near Albert Lea
-
Kentucky22 minutes agoDemetrus Liggins disputes Fayette County board’s claim he resigned, attorneys allege misconduct
-
Kansas22 minutes agoWhere to watch St. Louis Cardinals vs Kansas City Royals: TV channel, start time, streaming for June 19
-
Louisiana34 minutes agoAfter redistricting battles, Southern gathers for Juneteenth celebration: ‘Continue the fight’
-
Maine37 minutes agoWhat a Maine researcher has learned studying woodchucks for nearly 3 decades
