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Biden press secretary doubles down on president's Georgia voting claims -- despite fact check
White House press secretary Jen Psaki tried to advance President Biden's criticism of Georgia's new voting law Thursday -- even after a fact check determined his line of attack was false.
Biden had claimed Georgia's new law would block voters from accepting food and water while they waited in line at polling stations. He also accused the Republican-led state would end voting at 5 p.m., "when people are just getting off work."
Georgia's law actually standardizes what's considered "normal business hours" to mean 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. but still allows counties to extend their voting hours to as early as 7 a.m. and as late as 7 p.m. It also allows poll workers to provide self-service water from an unattended receptacle within 150 feet but prohibits people from actively distributing food and drink within that distance.
On Thursday, Psaki didn't back down from Biden's comments, but rather defended them. "It standardizes the ending of voting every day at five, right?" Psaki asked FOX Business' Edward Lawrence while referring to the law. "It just gives options. It gives options to expand it, right, but it standardized it at five. It also makes it so that outside groups can’t provide water or food to people in line, right?"
Her comments came after The Washington Post gave Biden four pinocchios for his claim about voting times. CLICK HERE FOR MORE ON OUR TOP STORY.
In other developments:
- Former Georgia Rep. Doug Collins hits back at Biden on voter suppression claims: 'Learn to read'
- Alveda King says the Georgia voting law is 'not an effort for voter suppression'
- Martha MacCallum pushes back on Democrat guest's claims about the Georgia election law: 'This is histrionics'
- Atlanta Journal-Constitution issues correction after echoing Biden's falsehood about new Georgia election law
- Gov. Kemp: Biden trying to distract from border crisis with call to pull MLB All-Star Game from Georgia
PROGRAM ALERT: Piers Morgan joins Tucker Carlson on Fox Nation's 'Tucker Carlson Today' at 4 p.m. ET Monday. Find out more HERE.
Derek Chauvin trial: George Floyd's ex-girlfriend testifies about his drug use, their relationship
George Floyd’s former girlfriend took the witness stand Thursday as the trial of former Minneapolis police Officer Derek Chauvin continued in Minnesota.
Courteney Ross told the court how she and Floyd met at a Salvation Army shelter where he worked as a security guard, and discussed their shared history of narcotics addiction.
"Both Floyd and I, our story, it’s a classic story of how many people get addicted to opioids," Ross said. "We both suffered from chronic pain. Mine was in my neck and his was in his back. We both had prescriptions. But after prescriptions that were filled, and we got addicted and tried really hard to break that addiction many times."
Ross, 45, testified through tears at the Hennepin County Courthouse in Minneapolis, where Chauvin faces murder and manslaughter charges in connection with Floyd's May 2020 death in police custody. The most serious charge against Chauvin carries a penalty of up to 40 years in prison. CLICK HERE FOR MORE.
In other developments:
- Shannon Bream: 'We have to trust' Derek Chauvin jurors to 'make a good decision' based on evidence
- GREGG JARRETT: Graphic video and testimony supports 3rd degree murder charge in Day 4 of Chauvin trial
- Axios attempts to diminish Florida's 'anti-riot' bill, insists George Floyd protests were 'largely peaceful'
- Chauvin told bystander Floyd was ‘sizable guy,’ ‘probably on something’
Abbott, Patrick defend Texas election bill from corporations 'that don't share our values'
The governor and lieutenant governor of Texas both sounded off Thursday after corporations including American Airlines criticized the state GOP’s proposal for revising voting laws in the Lone Star State.
The Texas Senate approved the bill earlier Thursday. It calls for changes to voting hours, the number of voting machines at polling places and would give the state greater authority over local-level elections, the Dallas Morning News reported. The bill now moves on to the Texas House.
Gov. Greg Abbott, a Republican, defended the bill as an attempt to "protect election integrity," the report said. Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick, also a Republican, slammed corporate critics for getting involved in the state’s policy debates, and called out American Airlines specifically.
"Texans are fed up with corporations that don’t share our values trying to dictate public policy," Patrick said in a statement. He also claimed that an American Airlines lobbyist "admitted that neither he nor the American Airlines CEO had actually read the legislation." CLICK HERE FOR MORE.
In other developments:
- Corporations line up to condemn Texas voting legislation
- Texas Senate advances voting legislation limiting early voting hours, absentee ballot applications
- Graham: CEOs attacking Georgia election law 'are full of crap' and 'running scared'
- Ingraham: Corporations who speak out against Georgia law should be treated as 'enemy of fair elections'
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TODAY'S MUST-READS:
- Taiwan train crash: At least 34 killed, 72 injured
- McConnell says Biden's infrastructure package won't get GOP support, will oppose it 'every step of the way'
- Cruz, AOC go at it on Twitter over immigration debate
- Police defunded: Major cities feeling the loss of police funding as murders, other crimes soar
- Jim Clyburn launches scathing attack on Joe Manchin over filibuster
- North Carolina sheriff releases 911 call in alleged road-rage shooting
THE LATEST FROM FOX BUSINESS:
- Stock futures trade higher ahead of jobs report on Good Friday
- Auto sales rise 11% in 1Q on strong showing in March
- IRS prepares to send stimulus cash to some Social Security and SSI recipients
- Companies ripping Georgia do business in China, silent on human rights
- Restaurants struggle to find employees, blame government benefits as a reason
- Supreme Court sides with Facebook in case of unwanted text messages
#The Flashback: CLICK HERE to find out what happened on "This Day in History."
SOME PARTING WORDS
Tucker Carlson went after Congress on Thursday night, accusing lawmakers of raising taxes against American citizens but delivering little in return.
"When politicians want something, they just print the money," Carlson said on "Tucker Carlson Tonight." "It’s been called modern monetary theory. They’ve been doing this for years and it’s accelerating. So there’s no actual reason to raise taxes anymore – for anything.
"But Joe Biden wants to raise taxes to punish you – and he’s plans to do that," he continued. "The administration is calling for a tax increase of about $3 trillion over 10 years. That includes taxes on individual income, investments and on corporations."
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Fox News First was compiled by Fox News' Jack Durschlag. Thank you for making us your first choice in the morning! Enjoy your Easter weekend and we’ll see you in your inbox first thing Monday.
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