Flake stokes presidential speculation as court debate rages
National Legal News
The Republican senator who suddenly sits at the center of the explosive debate over President Donald Trump's Supreme Court pick was set to address New Hampshire voters on Monday ahead of a possible run for president.
Arizona Sen. Jeff Flake was scheduled to speak in New Hampshire Monday evening, his second appearance this year in the state that hosts the nation's first presidential primary election.
Three days earlier, Flake single-handedly delayed Brett Kavanaugh's confirmation proceedings by insisting on an FBI investigation as a condition for his support.
Flake told CBS' "60 Minutes" on Sunday that he believed the woman accusing Kavanaugh of sexual assault and said the conservative judge's nomination would be "over" if federal investigators determine he lied to the committee.
Flake, a 55-year-old lifelong conservative who is retiring from the Senate at the end of the year, has quickly emerged as the centerpiece of a passionate lobbying effort from the right and left.
Organizers said a separate Flake appearance in Boston earlier in the day was moved to City Hall after security concerns emerged about the original location.
Hundreds of liberal protesters, victims of sexual assault among them, pleaded with Flake to block Kavanaugh's nomination outside the venue. A similar demonstration was planned for New Hampshire.
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Texas Adopts Statewide Texting-While-Driving Ban
Effective September 1, 2017, Texas will become the 47th state to pass a statewide ban on texting while driving. Governor Abbott’s signing of House Bill 62 is an effort to unify Texas under a uniform ban and remedy the “patchwork quilt of regulations that dictate driving practices in Texas.”
The bill specifically prohibits drivers from reading, writing, or sending an electronic message on a device unless the vehicle is stopped. That includes texting and emailing. It does not, however, prohibit dialing a number to call someone, talking on the phone using a hands-free device, or using the phone’s GPS system.
Violations would be punishable by a fine ranging from $25 to $99, to be set by each municipality. Although penalties could rise to as much as $200 for repeat offenders.
Studies have found that a driver’s reaction time is half as much when a driver is distracted by sending or reading a text message. According to state officials, in 2015 more than 105,000 traffic accidents in Texas involved distracted driving, leading to at least 476 fatalities.