Kathy Hochul Begs Millionaires to Ask Their Friends Who Fled NY to Return So She Can Tax Them

New York Governor Kathy Hochul delivered a stark admission this week: the state’s tax base is eroding
as high-net-worth residents continue to depart for lower-tax destinations, leaving behind a funding gap for the expansive social programs that define the Empire State’s approach to governance.

Speaking at Politico’s New York Agenda: Albany Summit, Hochul openly pleaded for wealthy individuals—many now residing in places like Florida and Texas—to return or persuade their peers to do so, acknowledging that these taxpayers are essential to sustaining the generous welfare framework New York has built.

The governor’s remarks came amid mounting pressure from progressive voices, including New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani, who has pushed for significant tax increases on the rich to address budget shortfalls. Hochul resisted those calls, arguing instead for retention rather than coercion.

Gianforte Petitions to Block Montana Property Tax Lawsuit

Almost a year after its passage, the Montana GOP fight is intensifying over Gov. Greg Gianforte’s property tax legislation package — a signature policy effort to reduce property taxes for primary residences and long-term rentals, in part by raising rates on others.

The governor’s office on Monday petitioned the Montana Supreme Court to take up a case filed in state District Court in Bozeman in January by a group of Republican lawmakers who voted against the property tax bills during the 2025 session.

If the higher court assumes jurisdiction of the lawsuit, Gianforte said, the court could answer the legal questions about the constitutionality of Senate Bill 542, one bill central to the administration’s property tax effort. Among other questions, Gianforte’s office asked the court to affirm that SB 542 met the constitutional requirement that legislation be limited to a single subject properly aligned with a bill’s title.  

Illinois Physician-Assisted Suicide Bill Opposed

Effingham County Board has taken an official stance against the recently advanced Illinois Physician-Assisted Suicide Bill, known as the End-of-Life Options for Terminally Ill Patients Act. The resolution, opposing the legislation, passed Monday after considerable discussion.

Board member Sandi Rich cited concerns regarding the responsibilities that would fall on county coroners and first responders when handling deaths under the new law. She also questioned the protocol for unused medication if a patient chooses not to proceed.  

County Coroner Kim Rhodes echoed those concerns, stating uncertainty over which medications would be used and how such deaths would be reported. County Democrat Chairman Pat Lewis expressed the need for ongoing review and potential revisions to the measure, but stopped short of supporting a complete repeal.

Scottish Parliament Votes Down Assisted Suicide Legislation

The Scottish Parliament has voted down legislation that would have allowed terminally ill adults to choose an assisted suicide. Euthanasia laws have passed across the western world.

The Assisted Dying for Terminally Ill Adults (Scotland) bill fell on March 10 with 69 Members of the Scottish Parliament (MSPs) voting against and 57 in favor, short of the 64 votes required to pass.

Liberal Democrat MSP Liam McArthur, who tabled the bill, called the result “devastating” but said the conversation “isn’t going away.” McArthur has championed assisted dying since his re-election in 2021 and serves as one of Holyrood’s deputy presiding officers. He will need to be re-elected on May 7 to bring the issue forward again, reports the BBC.

The legislation underwent intense scrutiny, including 175 stage-three amendments. MSPs debated the bill passionately, with some speaking for the last time before the upcoming election. The measure is the third attempt to legalize assisted dying in Scotland over the past 16 years.

Independent MSP Margo MacDonald first proposed similar legislation in 2010, which was rejected 85–16. A second bill from Scottish Green MSP Patrick Harvie was defeated 82–36 in 2015. Last year, MSPs approved the bill’s general principles by 70–56.

9-0: Supreme Court Sides With Street Preacher’s Right to Sue Over City’s Speech Restriction Fred Lucas

 March 20, 2026 

The Supreme Court, in a unanimous decision on Friday, allowed a Christian pastor to proceed with his lawsuit against a Mississippi city’s law restricting where he could preach.

In the case of Olivier v. City of Brandon, Justice Elena Kagan, a Barack Obama appointee, wrote for the court in the case involving free speech and religious freedom.

The high court determined that pastor Gabriel Olivier could sue the government of Brandon, Miss., over an ordinance he contends unconstitutionally prevents him from sharing his Christian faith near a public amphitheater.

He was arrested for preaching outside the designated free speech area in 2021 and pleaded no contest.

Allen West Greets Patty Morin

This past Monday, I was in Maryland, and I had the privilege of meeting Patty Morin. [pictured here] I say privilege because when you stand in the presence of a mother who has buried her daughter, a mother who channels her grief into a fight for justice, you are in the presence of something sacred. Something that should humble every politician, every judge, and every governor who has decided that ideological posturing matters more than the lives of American citizens.  

Patty’s daughter was Rachel Morin. A 37-year-old mother of five children. Let that settle in for a moment. Five children. Rachel went for a walk on the Ma & Pa Trail in Bel Air, Maryland, on August 5, 2023. She never came home. Her body was discovered the next day. She had been brutally raped and murdered.