Weather update: IMD predicts heavy rain, dense fog in several states for next 3 days; check latest forecast here
In its forecast on Saturday, the India Meteorological Department (IMD) said that over the next two to three days, there is a very good chance of light to moderate rainfall, isolated thunderstorms, lightning, and gusty winds over Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Mahe, Puducherry, and Karaikal.
INDIA bloc to hold next round of meetings on Dec 19, to work on ‘Main Nahin, Hum’ motto
The meeting is being held in the backdrop of the Congress’ poor show in the just concluded assembly elections, where it suffered humiliating defeats in Rajasthan, Chhattisgarh and Madhya Pradesh.
State Department bypasses Congress to clear tank ammunition sale to Israel: ‘Vital to US national interests’
President Biden’s State Department said Saturday it approved the sale of $106.5 million worth of tank ammunition to Israel amid the war against Hamas in a deal that bypasses Congress. Secretary of State Antony Blinken has approved a possible foreign military sale to the government of Israel of 120mm M830A1 High Explosive Anti-Tank Multi-Purpose with Tracer (MPAT) tank cartridges and related equipment for an estimated cost of $106.5 million, according to a State Department press release Saturday. The Defense Security Cooperation Agency delivered the required certification notifying Congress of this possible sale on Friday. “The Government of Israel has requested to buy thirteen thousand nine hundred eighty-one (13,981) 120mm M830A1 High Explosive Anti-Tank Multi-Purpose with Tracer (MPAT) tank cartridges,” the State Department said. “Also included are publications and technical documentation; U.S. Government and contractor engineering, technical, and logistics support services; studies and surveys; and other related elements of logistics and program support.” UN REJECTS RESOLUTION CALLING FOR IMMEDIATE CEASE-FIRE IN GAZA Blinken “determined and provided detailed justification to Congress that an emergency exists that requires the immediate sale to the Government of Israel of the above defense articles and services in the national security interests of the United States, thereby waiving the Congressional review requirements under Section 36(b) of the Arms Export Control Act, as amended,” according to the release. “The United States is committed to the security of Israel, and it is vital to U.S. national interests to assist Israel to develop and maintain a strong and ready self-defense capability,” the press release continued. “This proposed sale is consistent with those objectives. Israel will use the enhanced capability as a deterrent to regional threats and to strengthen its homeland defense. Israel will have no difficulty absorbing this equipment into its armed forces. The proposed sale of this equipment and support will not alter the basic military balance in the region.” The move comes as Biden’s request for a nearly $106 billion aid package for Ukraine, Israel and other national security is languishing in Congress, caught up in a debate over U.S. immigration policy and border security. Some Democratic lawmakers have spoken of making the proposed $14.3 billion in American assistance to its Mideast ally contingent on concrete steps by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s government to reduce civilian casualties in Gaza during the war with Hamas. According to the Associated Press, the determinations to bypass the congressional review requirement for foreign military sales are rare, but not unprecedented, when administrations see an urgent need for weapons to be delivered without waiting for lawmakers’ approval. BLINKEN BLASTED FOR ‘LECTURING’ ISRAELIS, AS JOHN MCCAIN’S 2014 WARNING ABOUT DIPLOMAT RESURFACES “This will be a sale from U.S. Army inventory,” the State Department said. “There are no known offset agreements proposed in connection with this potential sale. Implementation of this proposed sale will not require the assignment of any additional U.S. Government or contractor representatives to Israel.” The State Department noted that there would be “no adverse impact on U.S. defense readiness” because of the sale. a Bypassing Congress with emergency determinations for arms sales is an unusual step that in the past has met resistance from lawmakers, who normally have a period of time to weigh in on proposed weapons transfers and, in some cases, block them. In May 2019, then-Secretary of State Mike Pompeo made an emergency determination for an $8.1 billion sales of weapons to Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and Jordan after it became clear that the Trump administration would have trouble overcoming lawmakers’ concerns about the Saudi- UAE-led war in Yemen. Pompeo came under heavy criticism for the move, which some believed may have violated the law because many of the weapons involved had yet to be built and could not be delivered urgently. But he was cleared of any wrongdoing after an internal investigation. At least four administrations have used the authority since 1979. President George H.W. Bush’s administration used it during the Gulf War to get arms quickly to Saudi Arabia. The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Vishnu Deo Sai to be new Chhattisgarh Chief Minister
Vishnu Deo Sai is the tribal face of the BJP and is also a former MP and former Union Minister.
Who is Vishnu Deo Sai, new Chief Minister of Chhattisgarh?
Vishnu Deo Sai resigned as MP after being elected as an MLA from the Kunkuri constituency in the Chhattisgarh elections 2023.
Trump calls claims he’s a threat to democracy a ‘hoax,’ says Biden is the real threat: ‘I will save democracy’
Former President Trump on Saturday described Democrats’ warnings that his potential return to the White House after the 2024 election would be a threat to democracy as a “hoax” and “misinformation,” and that President Biden is the “real threat.” Trump predicted in a speech hosted by the New York Young Republican Club that Biden’s “Banana Republic” would end following the presidential election in November 2024. “The radical left Democrats, their fake news allies have unveiled their newest hoax that Donald J. And the Republican Party are a threat to democracy … This is their new line. Here we go again — ‘Russia, Russia, Russia,’ ‘Mueller, Mueller, Mueller,’ ‘Ukraine, Ukraine, Ukraine.’ One hoax after another,” Trump said. “But no, I’m not a threat. I will save democracy. The threat is Crooked Joe Biden,” he continued. AMERICANS DON’T WANT A TRUMP VS. BIDEN REMATCH IN 2024 — SO WHY DOES IT FEEL INEVITABLE? The former president said claims that he is a threat to democracy are a “hoax” and a “new idea” and that “We call it now the threat to democracy hoax, because that’s what it is.” Trump went on to say that Democrats and the media “think the threat to democracy will save Biden from having created the worst inflation in our country’s history, a fragile economy that may soon end in a depression like 1929 … We are very, very close to a depression, the likes of which you have never seen. We owe $36 trillion and this guy has no clue.” He also called the threat to democracy claims a “desperate and shameless attempt to distract from the monstrous abuses of power the left is committing before your very eyes.” Biden and other Democrats have said that a second Trump presidency could damage U.S. democracy, as Biden and Trump prepare for a possible rematch of the 2020 election. Biden said at a fundraiser in Los Angeles on Saturday that “the greatest threat Trump poses is to the democracy.” Amid 91 federal counts against Trump from four separate investigations, the former president warned Biden that indicting him could lead to retaliation if he returns to the White House. CONFIDENCE IN US PRESIDENCY HITS LOWEST POINT EVER AS TRUMP LEADS BIDEN IN 2024 REMATCH: SURVEY “He’s opened up a Pandora’s box that will never let our country be the same. I can only say to Joe: Be very careful what you wish for, but what you have done is a terrible thing,” Trump said, adding, “These are Biden indictments against their political opponent.” Trump has recently spoken about imposing “retribution” against political enemies if he returns to the White House after next year’s election. He was asked by Fox News host Sean Hannity during a town hall last week if he would ever abuse power as retribution against anybody if elected, to which the former president said, “Except for day one.” “Except for day one. I want to close the border and I want to drill, drill, drill,” Trump told Hannity. During Saturday’s speech, Trump accused the media of mischaracterizing his comments to Hannity as him saying he wants to be a dictator. “I said I want to be a dictator for one day … and you know why I wanted to be a dictator? Because I want a wall … and I want to drill, drill, drill,” he said. Trump’s remarks to Hannity about being a dictator have drawn criticism from press freedom groups, who argued his statement is “anti-democratic.” Trump had previously suggested during a 2022 rally that he would jail reporters for not giving up their sources. “You tell the reporter, ‘Who is it’ … and if the reporter doesn’t want to tell you, it’s ‘bye bye.’ The reporter goes to jail,” the former president said at the time. In concluding his speech on Saturday, Trump predicted he would return to the White House and make America “great again.” “We will throw off the sick political class that hates our country,” Trump said. “We will rout the fake news media. We will evict Joe Biden from the White House and we will finish. This job of making our country great again once and for all.”
Dem lawmakers have history of praise for group whose leader said he was ‘happy to see’ Hamas attack Israel
Several Democrat members of Congress have a long history of public support for an organization whose leader recently ignited a firestorm over controversial comments regarding Hamas’ deadly attacks on Israeli citizens. Nihad Awad, the executive director and co-founder of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), recently said that he was “happy to see” the October 7 Hamas invasion of Israel and that the Jewish state did not have a right to self-defense because it is an “occupying power.” “The people of Gaza only decided to break the siege — the walls of the concentration camp — on Oct. 7,” Awad said at the 16th Annual Convention for Palestine in the U.S. on Nov. 24. “And yes, I was happy to see people breaking the siege and throwing down the shackles of their own land and walk free into their land that they were not free to walk in.” He continued, “And yes, the people of Gaza have the right to self-defense — have the right to defend themselves. And yes, Israel as an occupying power does not have that right to self-defense.” WHITE HOUSE SCRAMBLES TO DISTANCE ITSELF FROM ISLAMIC GROUP AFTER LEADER’S PRAISE FOR HAMAS’ OCT 7TH SLAUGHTER Awad’s comments forced the White House to scramble and scrub CAIR as a committed partner to fight antisemitism on its website. A White House spokesperson also strongly reprimanded his comments in a statement to Fox News Digital. “We condemn these shocking, Antisemitic statements in the strongest terms,” the White House spokesperson told Fox News Digital. “The horrific, brutal terrorist attacks committed by Hamas on October 7th were, as President Biden said, ‘abhorrent’ and represent ‘unadulterated evil.’” Meanwhile, dozens of federal lawmakers across the U.S. have previously expressed support for CAIR, as featured on the organization’s website, and some remained silent when asked by Fox News Digital about the co-founder’s stance on the horrific attacks that left 1,200 dead and others captured. Sen. Krysten Sinema, I-Ariz., who is facing re-election in the 2024 cycle, previously applauded CAIR’s work as “advocating for a more just society” and also accepted thousands of dollars in campaign donations from former directors and chairs of the group’s Arizona chapter. “I applaud the council’s devotion to our nation’s democratic values and your work advocating for a more just society,” Sinema said in November 2019, before she changed her party affiliation from Democrat to independent. Federal Election Commission filings show the independent senator accepted $2,500 in contributions from the former director of CAIR’s Arizona chapter, Deedra Abboud, $250 from the chapter’s former vice-chair, Mannan Abdul Mohammed, and $100 from the chapter’s former chair over the years. Sinema did not respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment regarding Awad’s statement on Israel and whether she stands by her comments praising the group. CAIR DIRECTOR SAYS HE WAS ‘HAPPY’ TO WITNESS OCT. 7 ATTACKS, ISRAEL ‘DOES NOT HAVE RIGHT TO SELF-DEFENSE’ “This organization’s inspiring service is a testimony to your success in creating a nurturing and supportive, responsive organization,” said Sen. Bob Menendez, D-N.J., who is currently facing criminal bribery charges. Menendez also did not respond when asked about CAIR’s stance on the Israel-Hamas war. In 2019, Sen. Sherrod Brown, D-Ohio, praised the group “for empowering American Muslims nationwide in political and social activism through our country,” as written on CAIR’s website. Brown, who is defending one of the Democrats’ most vulnerable Senate seats in 2024, condemned CAIR’s most recent comment about the conflict in the Middle East. “I condemn in the strongest possible terms these antisemitic statements — and anyone who tries to make excuses for Hamas’s murder of innocent civilians,” Brown told Fox News Digital. “I strongly support Israel’s right to defend itself and will continue to stand with the Israeli people as they fight back against Hamas’s terrorism.” Over 100 members of Congress, including then-Senator Vice President Kamala Harris, wrote personalized thank-you notes to CAIR in 2018 to congratulate them on over two decades of work. Sen. Tammy Baldwin, D-Mich., thanked CAIR in 2018 for “all that you do in defense of justice and civil liberties throughout our state and nation..Now more than ever, it is critical that you continue the fight for civil discourse and civic engagement.” Baldwin, however, also told Fox News Digital that she condemns CAIR’s “blatantly antisemitic comments.” “There are no two ways about this: Hamas’s October 7th terrorist attacks on Israel were completely horrific – innocent Israelis were slaughtered, hundreds of civilians were kidnapped, and now, countless families are grieving and afraid. I condemn these blatantly antisemitic comments in no uncertain terms, and these remarks have led to me completely losing faith in the organization and its work.” Far-left members of “the Squad” have expressed support for the group over the years. While running for Congress, Rep. Rashida Tlaib, D-Mich., wrote in a letter that CAIR has “played an instrumental role in helping America move forward.” Rep. Ilhan Omar, D-Minn., previously delivered a controversial speech at a fundraiser for the group in 2019 before being named CAIR’s “American Muslim Public Servant of 2021.” While CAIR was founded in 1994, Omar claimed in her speech that the group was “founded after 9/11 because they recognized that some people did something and that all of us were starting to lose access to our civil liberties.” The Democrat received immediate backlash for the “some people did something” comment, with RNC Chair Ronna McDaniel calling the statement a “brazen display of disrespect.” Fox News’ Timothy Nerozzi contributed to this report.
Democrats bleeding the non-white, working-class vote, book says: ‘Look in the mirror’
A new book by political historians John B. Judis and Ruy Teixeira warns the Democrats they’re losing a critical voting base — working-class minorities. Two decades ago, Judis and Teixeira published a book claiming “The Emerging Democratic Majority” consisted of the working-class, minorities, young people, women and educated professionals. But in their new book, “Where Have All the Democrats Gone?: The Soul of the Party in the Age of Extremes,” Judis and Teixeira argue Democrats “have steadily lost the allegiance of ‘everyday Americans’ — the working- and middle-class voters that were at the core of the older New Deal coalition.” “Initially, most of these voters were white, but in the last elections, Democrats have also begun to lose support among Latino and Asian working-class voters as well,” they wrote. BERNIE SANDERS SCOLDS DEMS FOR LOSING WORKING-CLASS, MINORITY VOTERS TO GOP: ‘FRANKLY IT IS ABSURD’ “Democrats continued to enjoy huge margins among black voters, but even here, those margins declined in 2020 by 5 points relative to 2016,” they continued. “In 2022, Democrats lost more ground among black voters, compounding their losses from 2020.” Part of the reason, they argued, is the changing political landscape in the era of former President Donald Trump, as well as the left’s embrace of what conservatives would describe as woke politics. “What began happening in the last decade is a defection, pure and simple, of working-class voters,” they wrote. “That’s something that we really didn’t anticipate when we wrote ‘The Emerging Democratic Majority.’ The loss of working-class voters, who constitute the great majority of the electorate, could undermine Democrats’ chances not simply of being the majority party but of being competitive with the Republican Party. “Democrats, we believe, need to look in the mirror and examine the extent to which their own failures contributed to the rise of the most toxic tendencies on the political right.” Judis and Teixeira expanded on the Democratic Party’s losses among non-white, working-class Americans in a recent interview with Time magazine. Teixeira argued that Trump found a way to exploit the Democrats’ weaknesses in a way that is still benefiting him in the 2024 presidential election, where he remains the commanding frontrunner. “But another transition point then hits in 2020,” Teixeira said. “And that had been building for a while, which is the defection of non-white working-class voters for the Democratic Party. “We can see in the polling data that’s been collected in the last year or two that the weaknesses of Democrats among non-white voters, particularly Hispanic and Black working-class voters, is pretty significant,” Teixeira continued. “They’re sort of realizing this is a problem. On the other hand, they’re so invested in this whole vector of cultural issues. They’re worried about the blowback on social media and from the college-educated ‘liberalish’ voters who are increasingly a loyal base of the Democratic Party. “Trump understood that, and he played upon it. He continues to play upon it. He continues to get votes upon it. And the Democrats are oblivious to it.” Judis and Teixeira aren’t the only ones sounding the alarm about troubles facing the Democratic Party. Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., gave a speech at Saint Anselm College in August urging Democrats to focus on economic issues or risk losing the 2024 election. POLL SHOWS BIDEN HITTING RECORD LOW APPROVALS, FALLING BEHIND AGAINST TRUMP IN 2024 MATCHUP “It should be deeply worrying that, according to recent polls, Democrats are losing support within the Latino communities and even among African American men,” he said. “That has got to change, not just for the well-being of the Democratic Party, but for the future of our country.” A Times/Siena Poll conducted in July showed Biden leading Trump by only 16 points among non-white, non-college educated voters.
Outgoing House lawmakers lament chaos in Congress: ‘A bit of a carnival’
House lawmakers who are choosing to retire at the end of this term are lamenting the chaos and division that has plagued the chamber for much of this year. “My main reasons are personal,” said Rep. Dan Kildee, D-Mich., who is leaving at the end of his current term. “I decided when I first [entered office] that I’d stay for a decade, and it’ll be 12 years when I leave. But it’s hard to deny that the…personal sacrifice we make being away from our families seems less easily justified when we come here and not only is it a bit of a carnival, but we’re really not doing any substantive legislating.” This year saw the first time in history that a U.S. speaker of the House was forced out by their own members. The House GOP majority has seen deep divisions that have derailed House votes and seen normally sleepy procedural votes go down in flames. SPEAKER JOHNSON DRAWS BATTLE LINES AHEAD OF GOVERNMENT SPENDING SHOWDOWN “I don’t mind division. I actually don’t mind a small majority. I think it’s good. But I have a problem that we’re not governing here,” Rep. Victoria Spartz, R-Ind., told Fox News Digital. “We just do appeasement and drama and [are] not concerned with serious issues. So we have to figure out how we can better inform the American people to put pressure on this failed institution.” Spartz left the door open to running for the House again in the future, but for now, said she was departing at the end of this term due to several factors. JOHNSON’S FIRST WEEKS AS SPEAKER MARKED BY GOP INFIGHTING – AND SOME VICTORIES “I think it’s a combination of things, you know, it’s just being exhausted from what is happening here. You know, really, worrying about what’s happening with the country, spending more time with my kids and businesses,” she said. Rep. Earl Blumenauer, D-Ore., has served in the House of Representatives since 1996, but he said earlier this year that the current term would be his last. When asked if the chaos and divisions seen this year had anything to do with his decision, he said, “I think, in this circumstance, I can – on the things I care about most – I can have as much or more impact as a civilian.” Blumenauer told Fox News Digital that this Congress began with obvious fractures within the majority party, and he did not see how those could be resolved. HOUSE REPUBLICANS ANTICIPATE VOTE TO FORMALIZE BIDEN IMPEACHMENT INQUIRY ‘SOON’ “It’s quite clear the way this Congress started, that there were deep, deep, irreconcilable divisions with my Republican colleagues,” he said. “And it doesn’t look like it’s getting any better.” “It’s troubling, but you know, we’ll try our best this next year to help move some things.” CLICK TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP One GOP lawmaker who spoke with Fox News Digital said they anticipated more Republican exits after ex-Speaker Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., announced his intention to leave at the end of this year on Wednesday. “We’re going to lose a lot of experience, you know, and what you get in return sometimes are not really good policymakers. So it’s a real challenge,” the lawmaker said.
Soros DA blasted for psychological toll on cops after dismissing 17 ‘political’ indictments: ‘Travesty’
A progressive district attorney in Austin, Texas dropped indictments against 17 police officers involved in quelling Black Lives Matter riots in 2020 in a move Austin cops past and present tell Fox News Digital was a political smear from the beginning by a top prosecutor determined to demonize police regardless of the effect on the lives of law enforcement. Travis County District Attorney José Garza announced Monday his office dismissed 17 indictments against police officers after a grand jury indicted 19 of them in February 2022 on charges of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon after non-lethal rounds were fired into the crowd. “Our community is safer when our community trusts enforcement. When it believes law enforcement follows that law and protects the people who live here,” Garza said at the time. “There cannot be trust if there is no accountability when law enforcement breaks the law.” The indictments were filed despite the officers being exonerated of wrongdoing by the Austin Police Department and critics of Garza, who is backed by liberal mega donor George Soros, pointed to his campaign promises to prosecute police officers and progressive ideology accusing him of launching a “war on cops.” AUSTIN POLICE PAST AND PRESENT SOUND ALARM ON RIPPLE EFFECTS OF DEFUNDING POLICE: ‘IT’S CRUSHING MORALE’ “This has nothing to do with justice, has nothing do with any wrongdoing,” Austin Police officer Justin Berry, one of the indicted officers who had his charges dropped last week, told Fox News Digital in 2022. “This is simply about politics and a political agenda that has taken place with these radical liberal district attorneys.” Dennis Farris, president of the Austin Police Retired Officers Association, told Fox News Digital it’s “stupid to think that those officers went out there with the idea that they were going to hurt people.” “That wasn’t the intention. The intention was to protect the police station and protect themselves from the rocks, bottles, frozen water bottles, bottles containing bodily fluids that were thrown at them, some bottles contained bleach — hell they even had a guy that was trying to light a molotov cocktail.” ’60 MINUTES’ PREVIEW ON AUSTIN’S ‘REIMAGINED’ POLICE FORCE SHRUGS OFF RECORD HOMICIDES, POLICE EXODUS The city has paid out more than $18 million to resolve civil lawsuits related to protests and eight civil suits remain pending, FOX Austin reported. Law enforcement members past and present that spoke with Fox News Digital said that Garza’s decision to prosecute these officers caused “irreparable damage” to their lives. “What Garza did to those officers is a travesty,” a current Austin police officer who wished to remain anonymous told Fox News Digital. “Most will never understand the psychological, physical, financial, and other impacts going through such an unjust nightmare entails. They will never be the same. More broadly, it had a huge negative impact on police morale, played a role in the exodus of officers from APD, and consequently made our city much less safe.” DEFUNDING POLICE, VILIFYING THEM ‘AT EVERY TURN’ CONTRIBUTING TO OFFICER SUICIDES, EXPERTS SAY “The sooner Garza goes, the better. It’s time to get back to real public safety in Austin.” Berry released a statement after the charges were dropped against him saying that Garza prosecuted him “not on facts” but “on unfiltered emotion to support his personal agenda.” “His pursuit for political power led to mine and 20 other officers civil rights being violated, our freedom and constitutional rights infringed upon, and reputations tarnished.” “Jose Garza has known for a long time now that none of us violated any law, yet carried on with his personal punishment,” Berry continued. “As it was told to me in the early days of this, ‘the process will be the punishment.’” In total, over 20 Austin police officers were indicted by Garza’s office and four officers remain charged by Garza’s office. Austin-area attorney Doug O’Connell, who represented 9 of the officers who had charges dropped, told Fox News Digital that prosecuting police officers is Garza’s “highest priority” and that the evidence never supported the charges. “We recognized early on that the evidence didn’t support an indictment or a conviction on the substance,” O’Connell said. “The dismissal of 17 out of 21 underscores and backs up what we’ve been seeing from the beginning, which was these were political indictments,” O’Connell’s colleague, attorney Ken Irvin, told Fox News Digital. “We don’t think they had really any interest in seeing them through.” AUSTIN CRIME VICTIM’S MOTHER RIPS CITY COUNCIL ‘COWARDS’ FOR DEFUNDING POLICE, TURNING CITIZENS INTO ‘TARGETS’ In total, over 20 Austin police officers were indicted by Garza’s office and four officers remain charged, including clients of O’Connell and Irvin. Despite dropping the charges, Garza’s office asked the Justice Department to open an investigation into the officers actions and the “pattern-or-practice” of the Austin Police Department. “No parent should fear that if their child chooses to voice their First Amendment right to assemble peacefully, they will walk away with serious bodily injury caused by the very person called upon to protect them,” Garza said. “We expect the Department of Justice will take our request seriously, and we look forward to working with Mayor Watson, interim APD Chief Robin Henderson, and City Council to ensure full cooperation with the DOJ investigation. We will also continue to hold law enforcement who break the law accountable.” Irvin told Fox News Digital the letter to the DOJ was simply an attempt by Garza to “save face.” FAMILY OF MURDERED TX MAN SAYS SOROS DA IGNORED THEIR WISHES, CUT DEALS WITH SUSPECTS: ‘ABSOLUTELY DISGUSTED’ “They needed some sort of reason why they’re getting rid of most of the cases and that’s it so they said, well, we think it’s a systemic problem, It’s in the Austin police department and so we’re going to address the Austin Police Department as a whole,” Irvin said. ” But that could have been done four years ago or three years ago, two years ago, one year ago. That’s why it’s a bogus reason.” “I think that the political