Pennsylvania Dem who backed police 'reform' is carjacked at gunpoint in Philadelphia

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Pennsylvania Dem who sponsored police 'reform' bill gets carjacked in crime-surging Philadelphia
U.S. Rep. Mary Gay Scanlon, D-Pa., was carjacked at gunpoint in Philadelphia on Wednesday as crime continues to surge in major cities across the country.

Scanlon, whose district includes parts of Philadelphia and its western suburbs, was returning to her vehicle after attending a meeting when the alleged crime occurred, her office said in a statement.

"The Congresswoman was physically unharmed," the statement added. "She thanks the Philadelphia Police Department for their swift response, and appreciates the efforts of both the Sergeant at Arms in D.C. and her local police department for coordinating with Philly PD to ensure her continued safety."

Police say Scanlon was approached by two Black males, age 20-30, who demanded she hand them the keys to her blue 2017 Acura MDX. One suspects drove away in her vehicle while the other drove away in a dark-colored SUV. 

The incident occurred just hours after Illinois’ Democratic state Senate Majority Leader Kimberly Lightford and her husband were carjacked in the Chicago area, where crime has been surging.

Scanlon, who represents Pennsylvania's 5th Congressional District, was a supporter of police reforms in the aftermath of the death of George Floyd in Minneapolis in May 2020. 

Scanlon is also one of 125 co-sponsors of the Mental Health Justice Act, which aimed to place some police officers as first responders with mental health specialists. CLICK HERE FOR MORE ON OUR TOP STORY. 

In other developments
- Rep. Scanlon’s vehicle, with 5 inside, pulled over in Delaware after alleged Philly carjacking: reports
- Philadelphia’s Dem mayor ‘appalled’ by Rep. Scanlon carjacking reports
- Illinois Dem senator carjacked, shots fired, police say
- San Francisco police union: Mayor's crime crackdown is 'acknowledgment' that defund police was 'mistake'
- 'Political servants, not public servants' behind nationwide crime crisis: Former Detroit police chief
- San Antonio police treating 3-year-old's disappearance as a missing person case, not an abduction

Biden says 2024 reelection run depends on his health
President Biden on Wednesday added a caveat to his contention that he is planning to run for reelection in 2024, saying he would do so if he remains in good health.

Biden made the assertion in response to a question from ABC News anchor David Muir, who asked the president if he intended to seek reelection, especially in light of the promise he made in 2020 that he would serve eight years if elected.

"Yes, but look, I'm a great respecter of fate," Biden answered. "Fate has intervened in my life many, many times. If I'm in the health I'm in now — if I'm in good health — then, in fact, I would run again."

Biden's remarks came amid speculation about whether the 79-year-old president will run again, especially given his age and plummeting poll ratings.

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Last week, White House deputy press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre assured the White House press corps that Biden intends to run for reelection in 2024 with Vice President Kamala Harris as his running mate, despite a report from The Wall Street Journal in which Harris said she and Biden have not discussed plans to seek a second term.

"Well, I mean, I can't speak to a conversation that the vice president and the president have," Jean-Pierre said at the time. "I could only say what and reiterate what Jen [Psaki] has said, and what the president has said himself, that he is planning to run for reelection in 2024. I don't have any more to add." CLICK HERE FOR MORE.

In other developments
- Psaki claims Biden 'saved Christmas' amid ongoing supply chain issues
- Progressives demand Biden act alone to implement agenda after Manchin kills massive spending bill
- White House takes victory lap about article crediting consumers, businesses with getting gifts on time
- Biden, Democrats face grim findings in 2 new polls
- Manchin blowback suggests civil war among Democrats that will backfire: Watters
- Why Democrats have a brighter future than Republicans

Supreme Court to hear oral arguments on challenges to Biden vaccine mandates
The U.S. Supreme Court is set to hear oral arguments in two separate challenges to President Biden's COVID-19 vaccine mandates.

The Court announced Wednesday it will hear oral arguments challenging both Biden's vaccine mandate for businesses with over 100 employees and for health care workers at facilities receiving Medicaid and Medicare funding.

Several Republican-led states, businesses, and other opponents have put Biden's mandates in legal limbo for weeks, with federal courts having halted their enforcement pending the outcome of the legal challenges.

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While courts have generally upheld the rights of private businesses and schools to implement their own vaccine mandates, the lawsuits over Biden's rules challenge whether the federal government has the authority to force employers and other entities to require vaccinations. 

"The reasoning across the cases is basically the same, which is that these statutes don’t give the president or the agency in question the authority to issue the mandates," said Gregory Magarian, a constitutional law professor at Washington University in St. Louis.

Arguments over the mandate for health care workers at facilities receiving Medicaid and Medicare funding remain murkier, with a federal appeals court lifting the ban on that mandate last week. The ruling created an avenue for enforcement of the mandate across the country, though it remains to be seen how the Supreme Court will ultimately rule. CLICK HERE FOR MORE.

In other developments:
- Biden 'wants schools to stay open,' Psaki says as classrooms go remote again nationwide
- South Africa COVID-19 omicron study indicates less likelihood of hospitalization, severe illness
- White House says Biden credit to Trump on vaccine shows COVID-19 fight shouldn't be 'political battle'
- White House garbles messaging on whether it saw omicron spread, testing problems coming
- Rubio on Biden's omicron plan: There’s a limit to what the government can make people do
- Former CDC director on 'America's Newsroom': We need at least a billion COVID tests a month

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SOME PARTING WORDS

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Former NFL star Tim Green opened up Wednesday night about how living with ALS has impacted his outlook on life.

"Having ALS has only heightened my gratefulness for all the blessings in my life, especially my beautiful wife and our five kids and five grandkids," Green, a defender for the Atlanta Falcons from 1986 to 1993, said on "Fox News Primetime." 

"I believe they will find a cure and the condition I’m in is just another challenge to overcome. Every day is a blessing," Green added. "I realize that now more than ever before, and I don’t want to waste a single minute."

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This edition of Fox News First was compiled by Fox News' David Aaro. Thank you for making us your first choice in the morning! Merry Christmas! Enjoy your holiday weekend and we’ll see you in your inbox first thing Monday.