Californians tired of watching thieves and drug addicts overrun their communities voted overwhelmingly to pass a measure to impose harsher penalties for certain crimes.Proposition 36, otherwise known as the Drug and Theft Crime Penalties and Treatment-Mandated Felonies Initiative, is not so much a new proposal as a means of modifying a previous one.Proposition 36 seeks to alter Proposition 47, which passed a decade ago. Under Proposition 47, theft of items worth under $950 could not be prosecuted as a felony, effectively allowing thieves to smash-and-grab their way through drug and big-box stores with little more than a slap on the wrist.'Retailers were only concerned about their bottom lines and not true criminal sentencing reform.'Prop 36 promised to change the law to increase the penalties for theft and certain drug crimes, in some cases imposing sentences of up to three years behind bars, depending on a defendant's prior criminal history. It would also make certain drug crimes "treatment-mandated felonies," which means convictions for them can be dismissed in the event an offender completes treatment, the New York Post reported.Though failed Democratic presidential candidate Kamala Harris, a former U.S. senator from California, declined to say whether she voted in favor of Prop 36, other Democrat leaders and liberal outfits in her home state previously voiced opposition to the measure."Prop 36 takes us back to the 1980s, mass incarceration — it promotes a promise that can’t be delivered," Gov. Gavin Newsom claimed.The LA Times insisted that Prop 36 would be "disastrous" for the state.KTLA revealed its disapproval of the bill by suggesting that Californians merely "perceived" a recent increase in crime in their state. The outlet also indicated that those who backed the measure had impure motives."Big box stores like Walmart were among the major financial backers of Prop 36—some argued that the retailers were only concerned about their bottom lines and not true criminal sentencing reform," it said.Still, the measure did enjoy some support from other liberals, including San Francisco Mayor London Breed, who claimed it would "make targeted but impactful changes to our laws around fentanyl and help us tackle the chronic retail theft that hurts our retailers, our workers, and our cities."The vast majority of California voters likewise supported Prop 36, which passed with nearly 71% of the 7.6 million ballots cast, according to current totals.Like Blaze News? Bypass the censors, sign up for our newsletters, and get stories like this direct to your inbox. Sign up here!

Democratic incumbent Sen. Tammy Baldwin of Wisconsin narrowly won re-election Wednesday against Republican challenger Eric Hovde. Baldwin secured 49.4% of the vote, while Hovde brought in 48.5%, according to Politico. Although Democrats held on to the contested Wisconsin seat, Republicans have already managed to flip three seats, securing their Senate majority. Although Baldwin has won her seat by comfortable margins in the past, this race was much narrower. "The voters have spoken and our campaign has won," Baldwin said in a Wednesday post on X. "Wisconsinites chose someone who always puts them first, shows up, listens, and works with everyone to get the job done. I'm proud to head back to the Senate to keep fighting for our workers, farmers, and families that make our state great."Although Baldwin has won her seat by comfortable margins in the past, this race was much narrower. Leading up to the race, Hovde closed in on Baldwin's lead, turning her near eight-point advantage from July into less than a single-point victory on Election Day. While the votes were being counted, Hovde expressed skepticism about the election's integrity. "We’re watching the final precinct results come in," Hovde said in a Wednesday post on X. "We’re certainly disappointed that the Democrats’ effort to siphon votes with a fraudulent candidate had a significant impact on the race, with those votes making up more than the entire margin of the race right now. We will continue to monitor returns and make sure that every vote is counted."Like Blaze News? Bypass the censors, sign up for our newsletters, and get stories like this direct to your inbox. Sign up here!

The Department of Justice has moved to end the legal cases brought against President-elect Donald Trump following his victory on Wednesday. The DOJ reportedly cannot prosecute a sitting president, requiring the agency to disband any ongoing legal cases against Trump before Inauguration Day. Special counsel Jack Smith is expected to be "gone from his post" before Inauguration Day, meaning the cases will be dropped before January 20. 'I call on Attorney General Garland, Alvin Bragg, and Fani Willis to immediately terminate the politically-motivated prosecutions of President Donald Trump.'Trump's electoral victory was announced early Wednesday morning after he successfully won North Carolina and flipped Georgia and Pennsylvania. As of this writing, Trump has also flipped Wisconsin and Michigan. Following his victory, prominent Republican voices have called for an end to the lawfare.In the aftermath of his historic victory, several Republicans called for Trump's criminal cases to be dismissed, arguing that the "American people have spoken." "The American people have rendered their verdict on President Trump and decisively chosen him to lead the country for the next four years," former Attorney General Bill Barr said in the aftermath of the election. "They did that with full knowledge of the claims against him by prosecutors around the country, and I think Attorney General Garland and the state prosecutors should respect the people’s decision and dismiss the cases against President Trump now."Trump also received bids of support from members of Republican leadership. "The American people have spoken: the lawfare must end," House Majority Leader Steve Scalise said in a post on X following Trump's victory. "I call on Attorney General Garland, Alvin Bragg, and Fani Willis to immediately terminate the politically-motivated prosecutions of President Donald Trump."In the past few years, Trump has been the subject of an onslaught of legal battles. Most recently, Trump was convicted on 34 felony counts in New York and is scheduled to be sentenced on November 26. Like Blaze News? Bypass the censors, sign up for our newsletters, and get stories like this direct to your inbox. Sign up here!

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