California Governor Gavin Newsom will spend more than $230 billion on a train that may never run, yet he won’t let a single trainload of Wyoming coal reach a port taxpayers already funded.

Last month, the California governor signed a bill to kill a coal export terminal in Oakland before it even opens. The project would be the West Coast’s first terminal, a direct link between Wyoming miners and buyers across the globe who want affordable, reliable power. President Trump backed it this summer with $75 million through the Defense Production Act. Far-left politicians in Sacramento responded to this historical investment with a new layer of environmental review written to stall the project until its investors give up.

California Democrats introduced the bill immediately after the president’s announcement. The bill’s author sold it as a way to block coal and defy the president. At least she was honest about her intentions.

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The Oakland terminal spent years navigating the gauntlet of California’s burdensome regulatory and legal regime. The project passed environmental review, among the most punishing in the country. Hundreds of millions of dollars were invested in the site, including more than $240 million from California taxpayers. After years of litigation, all won by the developers, the City of Oakland conceded and began advancing development of the terminal.

California politicians didn’t like the result — so they changed the rules.

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That should alarm anyone who builds anything in California, whatever they think of coal. America and the world need affordable, available, reliable energy. If lawmakers can void a permit retroactively because they dislike the product or the president who supports it, no approval in the state is safe. Today it is Wyoming coal. Tomorrow it could be an oil refinery, a manufacturing facility or a housing development that runs afoul of Sacramento’s political priorities.

The governor further revealed his extreme priorities that same day when he vetoed another bill to speed up the hiring of auditors for California’s high-speed rail project. California spent $15 billion over 18 years. It has failed to lay a single mile of track.

California promised voters a passenger line connecting Los Angeles to San Francisco by 2020 for a cost of $33 billion. It is now estimated to cost between $126 to $231 billion with completion not expected until 2040.

When Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy revoked $4 billion in federal grants to California’s bullet train boondoggle last year, Newsom sued and lost. He still defends the wasteful spending. Meanwhile, California Democrats continue to sacrifice economic growth, jobs and taxpayer dollars at the altar of climate extremism.

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Wyoming offers the opposite model. We sit atop more than 600 years of coal reserves. Demand for electricity across Asia is climbing fast. Those nations will burn coal whether California approves of it or not. The only question is whose coal. American coal offers the United States an abundance of affordable, reliable power here at home and enhanced diplomatic leverage abroad.

Wyoming will not sit quietly while California politicians attempt to shut our energy producers out of global markets. Wyoming has made clear that we will use every tool at our disposal, including legal action, to defend our state and its industries. Wyoming coal supports families and communities across our state, strengthens America’s energy security and can help meet enormous global demand for reliable energy.

This fight is bigger than coal. California has already driven out its builders and manufacturers. Now it wants to export its dysfunction to every state that relies on its port.

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Wyoming will keep mining. California can keep its train.

U.S. Sen. Cynthia Lummis is a Republican from Wyoming who sits on the Senate Banking, Commerce, and Environment and Public Works committees. 

Harriet Hageman, a Republican, is the lone member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Wyoming. 

A New Jersey Republican mayor charged toward a resident during a chaotic township council meeting this week and had to be physically restrained as he shouted threats at the man, dramatic video shows.

Pemberton Township Mayor Matthew Bianchini, a Republican, rushed toward the resident during Wednesday night's meeting before several people intervened and pulled him away.

The resident, Michael Sawka, is a vocal critic of the mayor, according to WPVI-TV.

"I'm getting you," Bianchini can be heard shouting.

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Video of the meeting shows Bianchini lunging toward Sawka before being restrained by others in attendance.

As he was removed, Bianchini could be heard shouting additional threats at Sawka, including profanity.

Following the meeting, Bianchini admitted that he lost his temper.

"I just basically snapped," Bianchini told WPVI. "I hate to put it this way, but it's a long time coming."

The mayor acknowledged that his conduct was inappropriate.

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"I should not have said that," he told the station. "That was wrong. It was in the heat of the moment. I'm not gonna get anybody."

The confrontation happened while a recently fired township employee was addressing the council.

Bianchini and members of his family told WPVI that Sawka and another resident made rude comments toward the mayor's wife and daughter, who were seated in the room.

Sawka can be seen gesturing toward the back of the room before making an obscene gesture toward Bianchini, shortly before the mayor charged at him.

"Was it wrong? Absolutely. Was it justified? Absolutely. And I would do it again if I had to," Bianchini said.

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He added, "Don't attack my family."

Sawka denied making comments directed at Bianchini's family and said he remained seated during the confrontation.

"I'm just sitting there. I never got up. I sat there the whole time. I was calm the whole time," he told WPVI.

Sawka filed a municipal court complaint Thursday seeking assault and terroristic threats charges against Bianchini, according to WPVI.

Police have not said whether they will pursue charges. Fox News Digital has reached out to Pemberton Township police for comment.

The Pemberton Township Democratic Club responded to the confrontation by saying the township deserves leaders who can "stay composed and professional" and urged residents to participate in the upcoming election, in which Bianchini is seeking to retain his position.

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Fox News Digital has reached out to the mayor's office for comment.

The entire full-time police force and city manager in a small town in Georgia recently resigned from their positions, officials revealed during a city council meeting on Monday.

Milner, Georgia, City Manager Tausha Grose told the city council Monday night that the town's entire full-time police force and most of its part-time volunteer officers have resigned. Grose also announced her own resignation during the meeting.

"It is with my extreme sorrow that our entire full-time police department has resigned, most of our part-time police. And also, I've also filed my resignation with the city clerk today," Grose said.

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Milner Police Chief Lamar Bunn accused city hall of secretly placing a tracker on his truck, paid for with personal funds and without the knowledge of anyone else in city government. He also said he had been falsely accused of having an affair with the city manager.

"City Hall every day, it's got a tracker on my truck, it was bought with personal funds and placed on my vehicle without the city council or my supervisor, city administrator knowing it," Bunn said at the meeting. "Here's the thing, still I'm looking for a glimmer of hope to stay in the city. I don't know why. It's because I've devoted my life to Lamar County. 15, 16 years with the sheriff's office and now I'm back here in this county. My dad was here in '74 policing with his police department. I got roots here."

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During the meeting, Mayor Craig Timmons acknowledged the concerns and said he hopes the situation can be resolved. Officials had disagreed over police overtime and a proposal to bar officers from using city vehicles for part-time work, but those disputes were not cited as the reason for the resignations.

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In resignation letters obtained by Fox News Digital, Bunn said he was stepping down over what he described as conflicts with city leadership on legal and ethical issues.

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"I have determined that it is in my best interest to step down at this time due to fundamental differences regarding leadership, governance, and ethical alignment. Regrettably, recent actions and governance decisions within city leadership — specifically regarding legal compliance, ethical standards, and core values — have compromised my ability to perform my duties with integrity," Bunn said.

Other full-time employees at the police department echoed Bunn's concerns, with Milner Police Captain Craig Walton demanding an investigation into Timmons in his resignation letter.

"I sincerely hope that the residents of Milner and the members of the City Council will take these concerns seriously and pursue an independent investigation into the mayor's conduct, including any potential violations of his oath of office or the rights of city employees," Walton said.

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Several other police department employees also cited disagreements with the mayor and city council as the reason for their resignations.

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Fox News Digital reached out to Timmons for comment.

A California mayor insisted that handing out monthly cash payments is an effective tool to combat the state's soaring cost of living, even as local leaders face steep hurdles in securing permanent taxpayer funding to keep guaranteed income programs alive.

"I believe that guaranteed income programs like our Rise Up Alameda (RUA) pilot program are a valuable and effective tool to address the affordability crisis, based on the documented experiences of program participants," Alameda Mayor Marilyn Ezzy Ashcraft told Fox News Digital. 

"The average age of the 150 program participants was 49 years, with 26% being 62 years or older, and most participants were either employed or retired."

Ashcraft’s comments follow the completion of Rise Up Alameda, the city's first-ever guaranteed income pilot project. City staff presented the program's final 24-month evaluation report to the Alameda City Council on Oct. 6.

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According to city documents, the pilot aimed to "reduce economic instability for program participants, help to change local narratives and perceptions surrounding poverty and the provision of public benefits and help to support and inform the national discussion regarding public benefits and anti-poverty policies."

The Alameda City Council previously allocated $4.6 million in federal pandemic relief funds from the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) to finance the initiative, which provided 150 low-income households with $1,000 per month in no-strings-attached cash over two years. However, city notices confirm that because ARPA was a one-time federal allocation, the pilot has officially concluded, and the city has no plans or budget allocated for a permanent continuation.

"As mayor, I believe our responsibility is to advance practical, compassionate and evidence-informed policies that help residents meet their basic needs, preserve their dignity and build a more stable future for themselves and their families," Ashcraft told Fox News Digital when asked whether she planned to implement a permanent program.

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The faces behind the program

Ashcraft highlighted several personal accounts of local residents who received monthly payments through the pilot.

Among them was Andrea, a certified nursing assistant who used the funds to stay afloat following the death of her mother. The financial boost helped cover medical bills, rent, gas and Bay Area bridge tolls while allowing her to care for her father and ailing brother.

Another participant, Dolores, a retiree in her 70s living in affordable senior housing after a 41-year career at AT&T, used the extra $1,000 a month to pay off credit card debt and build an emergency savings account.

Other recipients included Haroon, a rideshare and transit driver; Julia, a woman with a disability who was able to buy new mattresses, groceries and a set of car tires after an eviction forced her to move in with her sister; and Tyronne, a Navy veteran and former truck driver at the decommissioned Alameda Naval Air Station who relied on the extra money to cover medical bills and stabilize his housing.

While Ashcraft praised these personal outcomes, she acknowledged that direct cash payments are not a full remedy for California's economic pressures.

"These stories demonstrate the value of direct, unrestricted cash in helping residents navigate financial hardship, maintain stability and improve their overall well-being," Ashcraft said. 

"While guaranteed income is not a stand-alone solution to the affordability crisis, programs like Rise Up Alameda can provide meaningful support as we pursue longer-term solutions to the high cost of housing, health care, transportation and other basic needs."

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How will municipalities fund these programs?

Alameda's program underscores a funding challenge local governments face across the nation regarding how to sustain guaranteed income pilot programs now that temporary federal pandemic relief funding is ending.

Many local guaranteed income pilots were underwritten by temporary pandemic-era ARPA allocations. With federal deadlines requiring municipalities to spend remaining relief funds, mayors and advocacy groups are searching for ways to convert short-term experiments into permanent, taxpayer-funded government programs.

A major organization advocating for guaranteed income is the Economic Security Project (ESP). Founded in 2016 by a network of entrepreneurs, activists and researchers, ESP has helped support more than 100 guaranteed income pilots nationwide. California leads the country with more than 60 pilot launches.

ESP has urged governments to consider taxpayer-funded measures to establish permanent minimum-income guarantees.

When asked by Fox News Digital whether local pilots are transitioning into permanent public policies, ESP indicated that multiple municipalities are actively working on legislative proposals.

"We can say, however, that there’s an active and growing movement for cash in hundreds of communities across the country," Shafeka Hashash, director of cash initiatives at the Economic Security Project, told Fox News Digital.

"We regularly take calls from some of the 1,500 members of the Guaranteed Income Community of Practice — researchers, nonprofits, local government officials and community leaders all interested in bringing cash to their neighborhoods," Hashash added. 

"We just can’t announce any pilots or policies before the localities do."

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One pilot program has become permanent in Cook County, Illinois. To sustain the initiative without federal aid, the Cook County Board of Commissioners approved $7.5 million for guaranteed income in the county budget, signaling a shift toward long-term local funding.

Republican state officials and conservative policy groups have sought to block guaranteed income programs. Critics argue unconditional handouts discourage work, increase dependence on government assistance and misuse taxpayer funds.

"The affordability crisis is hitting Americans across backgrounds, geographies and party lines, and it's imperative that state and federal leaders adopt a solutions-focused approach," Mayors for Guaranteed Income founder Michael Tubbs told Fox News Digital.

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"Banning policies that have proven effective at the local level is not only undemocratic, it is incredibly counterproductive to solving the key problem facing American families," he added. 

"We should be unlocking innovation at the local level to boost economic security, stabilize households and restore faith in the American dream."