Colorado to include Trump on 2024 primary ballot as state GOP appeals to Supreme Court
The Colorado secretary of state will include former President Donald Trump on the 2024 Colorado primary ballot after Republicans filed an appeal to the Supreme Court. On Wednesday, the Colorado GOP filed an appeal with the U.S. Supreme Court after the state Supreme Court’s decision to remove Trump from the primary ballot. Following the appeal, Colorado Secretary of State Jena Griswold announced that she will include Trump on the primary ballot on the January 5 certification deadline, unless the U.S. Supreme Court affirms the lower court’s ruling or declines to take up the case. COLORADO GOP ASKING US SUPREME COURT TO OVERTURN RULING DISQUALIFYING TRUMP FROM 2024 BALLOT “Donald Trump engaged in insurrection and was disqualified under the Constitution from the Colorado Ballot,” Griswold said in a press release. “The Colorado Supreme Court got it right. This decision is now being appealed,” she continued. “I urge the U.S. Supreme Court to act quickly given the upcoming presidential primary election.” Trump’s inclusion on the ballot creates an unprecedented situation for the U.S. Supreme Court amid two dueling rulings — the controversial Colorado ruling and the Michigan Supreme Court’s ruling batting down an attempt to remove Trump from the primary ballot there. The Colorado Supreme Court stayed its ruling until January 4 to allow time for an appeal to its decision. The two states’ contradicting rulings will likely spur the U.S. Supreme Court to take up the case, which will set the legal precedent for the rest of the country. The U.S. Supreme Court has a ticking political time bomb on its hands: the body will have to decide the case before Super Tuesday, March 5. The deadline, however, comes with a few wrinkles. According to Griswold’s press release, the deadline for 2024 primary ballots to be sent out to military voters is January 20. Additionally, February 12 is the first day that ballots will be mailed out to voters, and at the end of the month, on February 26, the first day of primary voting takes place. It is unclear what would happen to any released ballots if the U.S. Supreme Court declines the appeal or doesn’t take up the case after they are sent out. Fox News Digital has reached out to the Colorado GOP for comment. Earlier this month, the Colorado Supreme Court, in a 4-3 vote, overturned a lower court ruling that allowed Trump to appear on the ballot as a presidential candidate. The initial ruling said a president is not among the officials subject to disqualification on a ballot. On December 19, the Colorado Supreme Court ruled Trump is ineligible to appear on the primary ballot due to the Fourteenth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution. The Colorado Supreme Court simultaneously stayed that ruling until January 4, with that stay remaining in place in the event of an appeal. “By excluding President Trump from the ballot, the Colorado Supreme Court engaged in an unprecedented disregard for the First Amendment right of political parties to select the candidates of their choice and a usurpation of the rights of the people to choose their elected officials,” attorneys for the state Republican party wrote in a petition after the December 19 ruling. Fox News Digital’s Kerri Kupec and Louis Casiano contributed reporting.
Georgia lawmaker appointed to judgeship, triggering special election for House seat
A prominent Georgia state lawmaker was appointed Wednesday to a judgeship, and a special election for his House seat will be needed in coming months. Rep. Barry Fleming of Harlem will serve as a superior court judge in Columbia County, replacing Judge James Blanchard Jr., who retired, Gov. Brian Kemp said in a news release. Fleming will be sworn in on Jan. 10, said Kemp spokesperson Garrison Douglas. Kemp chooses judges from lists of candidates prepared by the Judicial Nominating Commission, whose members are appointed by the governor. Fleming lost a race for House speaker to Jon Burns in 2022. He’s been most recognized in recent years for leading the committee that authored a new election law in 2021 which restricted voting by mail and gave the legislature greater control over how elections are run. But House Speaker David Ralston stripped Fleming of his chairmanship after Fleming unsuccessfully ran for whip later in 2021. He was seen as a more right-wing alternative to Burns and Ralston. His law practice, which has represented municipalities and counties around the city of Augusta, became a target of protests after the 2021 election law was enacted. Fleming had previously served as whip starting in 2004, when Republicans took control of the chamber for the first time in more than 100 years. Among his other achievements then were passing a law requiring voters to show photo identification. Fleming stepped down to run an unsuccessful congressional race in 2008, but won reelection to the state House in 2012 and has served since. Kemp must call a special election within 10 days of Fleming stepping down. That election must occur no sooner than 30 days and no later than 60 days after Kemp issues the call. That means the election could be timed to coincide with Georgia’s March 12 presidential primary. Fleming’s 125th House District includes parts of Columbia and McDuffie counties. Kemp on Wednesday also named Alison Sosebee as a superior court judge for Fannin, Gilmer and Pickens counties in north Georgia’s Appalachian Judicial Circuit. Sosebee has been the district attorney in that circuit since 2013. She will replace Judge John Worcester, who died in August. The governor named Mark Hendrix, solicitor general in Liberty County, to a newly created judgeship in the coastal Atlantic Circuit. That circuit covers Bryan, Evans, Liberty, Long, McIntosh and Tattnall counties.
MTG to introduce bill targeting ‘swatters’ as Rick Scott becomes latest target
Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Ga., is pledging to fight for harsher penalties for people who falsely call emergency services to someone’s home or another specific location, a prank known as “swatting.” Greene, who has been a victim of the move multiple times herself, announced on X that a relative of hers had been swatted on Wednesday night. “The dangerous swatting harassment continues, as tonight, one of my family members was swatted at their house,” she wrote. “I will be introducing legislation to make it much easier for law enforcement to arrest and prosecutors to prosecute these criminals.” FBI INVESTIGATING RECORD NUMBER OF SWATTING INCIDENTS AGAINST JEWISH INSTITUTIONS; APPEAR TO BE COORDINATED Hours later, Sen. Rick Scott, R-Fla., announced Thursday morning that his home had been swatted. Scott said he and his wife were not home at the time. “Last night, while at dinner with my wife, cowards ‘swatted’ my home in Naples. These criminals wasted the time & resources of our law enforcement in a sick attempt to terrorize my family,” Scott wrote on X. ‘GRAND THEFT AUTO 5’ ACTOR VICTIM OF PRANK CALL DURING LIVESTREAM: ‘NOW THESE A–HOLES HAVE SWATTED MY HOUSE’ It’s the latest in a recent spate of incidents targeting Republican politicians. Both Greene and Rep. Brandon Williams, R-N.Y., said they were swatted on Christmas Day. “Our home was swatted this afternoon. Thanks to the Deputies and Troopers who contacted me before arriving. They left with homemade cookies and spiced nuts! Merry Christmas everyone!” Williams wrote. Greene wrote on the platform, “I was just swatted. This is like the 8th time. On Christmas with my family here.” HOUSE LEAVES FOR THE YEAR WITH CRITICAL BATTLES STILL ON HORIZON “My local police are the GREATEST and shouldn’t have to deal with this. I appreciate them so much and my family and I are in joyous spirits celebrating the birth of our savior Jesus Christ!” she added. Scott’s office declined to comment on Greene’s legislative proposal. Fox News Digital also reached out to Williams’ office about Greene’s plan to introduce a bill to crack down on swatting. NEW POLL REVEALS AMERICA’S LEAST FAVORITE LEADER IN CONGRESS WITH SHOCKING SINGLE-DIGIT APPROVAL Swatting, which is illegal, is used to target specific individuals or locations. A caller reports a false incident, such as a home killing or bomb threat, to emergency dispatchers with the goal of getting armed officers on high alert to respond. It’s also a practice that’s grown more frequent as information such as people’s private home addresses becomes easier to obtain on social media.
Biden administration to send Ukraine last batch of aid as US depletes available funds
The Biden administration announced it will send $250 million to Ukraine to aid in its continued war against Russia that began in February 2022. On Wednesday, the U.S. Department of State said the package would mark the final distribution of assistance to the Eastern European nation without lawmakers’ approval. “A coalition of more than 50 countries continues to provide critical support for Ukraine’s forces,” Secretary of State Antony Blinken said in a statement. “It is imperative that Congress act swiftly, as soon as possible, to advance our national security interests by helping Ukraine defend itself and secure its future.” The administration has been pressing Congress to approve the multibillion-dollar national security supplemental package initially requested in October. However, Republican lawmakers have linked the $60 billion additional aid to Ukraine with changes in border security policies as a prerequisite for its passage. SCHUMER AND MCCONNELL VOW TO TAKE ‘SWIFT ACTION’ ON SUPPLEMENTAL PACKAGE EARLY NEXT YEAR The package provides military equipment like air defense weapons, artillery ammo, anti-armor gear, and over 15 million rounds of ammunition. “Once these funds are obligated, the Department will have exhausted the funding available to us for security assistance to Ukraine,” Defense Department comptroller Mike McCord wrote in a letter, first obtained by Bloomberg News, to Congress’s defense committees last week. “It is essential that Congress act without delay on the Administration’s pending supplemental request,” the letter read. “Doing so is in our clear national interest, and our assistance is vitally needed so Ukraine can continue its fight for freedom and to ensure Russia continues to fail in Ukraine.” LAWMAKERS UNLIKELY TO ADVANCE BORDER SECURITY, UKRAINE FUNDING LEGISLATION BEFORE CHRISTMAS The federal government has sent upward of $100 billion to aid Ukraine since the Russian invasion started, with more than $46 billion earmarked for military assistance. The $250 million in aid is categorized under the Presidential Drawdown Authority, which allows the president to allocate or transfer defense resources, such as weapons, ammunition, or training, from existing U.S. military stocks to other nations without needing to seek congressional approval for each transfer. According to the most recent Fox News Poll, a majority of 54% favors sending financial aid to Ukraine, down nine points since January when 63% backed it. The downward shift in support comes mainly from Republicans — just 35% favor continuing aid to Ukraine, down from 51% in January. FOX NEWS POLL: SUPPORT FOR HELPING UKRAINE FADING Fox News’ Victoria Balara contributed to this report.
Liberal mayors push Biden for emergency declaration, additional funding to deal with migrant crisis
A coalition of liberal mayors renewed calls for the federal government to declare a federal emergency over the ongoing migrant crisis that has reached their cities and left them overwhelmed and out of capacity to shelter further arrivals. New York City Mayor Eric Adams, Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson and Denver Mayor Mike Johnston held a virtual press conference calling for more action from the federal government. “As temperatures drop in New York City, Chicago, Denver and other impacted cities, we are calling for the federal declaration of emergency, financial support and a national resettlement strategy,” Adams said. ADAMS SLAPS RESTRICTIONS ON MIGRANT BUSES COMING TO NYC FROM TEXAS AS NUMBERS RISE “Our cities have reached a point where we are either close to capacity or nearly out of room without significant intervention from the federal government,” Johnson said. “This mission will not be sustained.” Johnston, meanwhile, said that migrants getting court dates are receiving them as late as 2027, while they cannot work in many cases as they wait for work authorization. He emphasized the need for expedited work permits, and also stressed the financial situation Denver is facing. “We’re looking at about $160 million of potential costs going into next year’s budget. That’s almost 10% of our entire city budget. That’s a massive impact for us,” the Denver mayor said. The coalition has previously called for an additional $5 billion in help from the federal government. The White House has requested around $1.4 billion for help for communities across the country in its supplemental funding request, but that is being held up in Congress amid calls for more asylum limits from Republicans. The mayors have repeatedly hammered the administration over the crisis as they face their own political pressures at home. Adams recently slashed budgets for education and policing in order to cope with the costs of the crisis, and has warned it could “destroy” the city if it continues. New York City says it has received over 160,000 migrants since last year. MIGRANT CRISIS INCREASING STRAIN ON BORDER OFFICIALS, IMMIGRATION COURTS WITH MASSIVE NUMBERS The administration has pointed to actions it has taken to help communities, including more than $1 billion in grant funding, as well as additional efforts to give migrants work permits and speed up asylum requests. “This year, the Biden-Harris Administration, in collaboration with the states and cities across the country, launched a one-stop-shop work authorization and Temporary Protected Status clinics to help eligible non-citizens get work permits and decompress the respective shelter systems. To date, these clinics have served approximately 10,000 individuals and thanks to USCIS’ efforts, the median processing time for work permit applications is 30 days,” a White House spokesperson told Fox News Digital on Thursday. “President Biden is committed to addressing this problem, that’s why he submitted a supplemental funding request to Congress which includes additional resources to secure the border with more law enforcement, more grant funding for jurisdictions hosting migrants, and funding to accelerate the processing of work permits for eligible noncitizens,” the spokesperson said. The mayors also took aim at Texas Gov. Greg Abbott, who has bussed and transported tens of thousands of migrants to their cities since last year. Adams announced a new executive order limiting buses to certain time of the day and arrival points, while also requiring buses to give 32 hours’ notice. TEXAS MIGRANT FLIGHT HEADING TO NEW YORK CITY DIVERTED TO PHILADELPHIA “I’m proud to be here with my fellow mayors to call on the federal government to do their part with one voice and to tell Texas Gov. Abbott to stop the games and use of migrants as political pawns,” Adams said. But Abbott has hit back at the criticism he has faced, saying he is transporting migrants to cities that tout their “sanctuary” status, and is doing so to relieve overwhelmed border communities. In the last week, he has begun flying migrants to both Chicago and New York City. “The hypocrisy of Mayor Adams is astounding. Mayor Adams had touted New York City’s self-declared sanctuary city status, then sent his own buses of migrants out to small towns in New York. Texas has only transported about 32,000 migrants to New York City, while President Biden has been flying planeloads of migrants all around the country and oftentimes in the cover of night,” spokesperson Renae Eze said. “With millions of residents, New York is only dealing with a fraction of what our small border communities deal with on a day-to-day basis,” she said. “Until President Biden steps up and does his job to secure the border, Texas will continue bussing migrants to sanctuary cities to help our local partners respond to this Biden-made crisis.”
Bumpy landing in London during Storm Gerrit
NewsFeed “Stop it! Stop it!” Aviation enthusiast excitedly narrates wind-whipped and bumpy landing of American Airlines jet coming into London’s Heathrow airport during Storm Gerrit. The storm brought wind gusts between 80-90 kmh and heavy rain across the UK, causing damage to homes, disrupting travel and significant electricity outages. Published On 28 Dec 202328 Dec 2023 Adblock test (Why?)
Photos: Israel’s war on Gaza’s children
More than 8,663 Palestinian children have been killed by Israeli forces in Gaza since October 7, according to the government media office, which added that thousands more are missing under the rubble amid relentless bombardment. An overwhelming number of more than 21,000 people killed in the nearly three months of Israeli bombardment, which is the most destructive in recent history, have been civilians. Israel has repeatedly targeted schools and even neo-natal care centres were have not been spared, resulting in the killing of newborn babies. According to Save the Children data in early November, a child was being killed every 10 minutes. The UN has called the besieged Palestinian enclave “a graveyard” for children due to the high casualty figures. “Our gravest fears about the reported numbers of children killed becoming dozens, then hundreds, and ultimately thousands were realised in just a fortnight,” James Elder, a spokesperson for the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), said on October 31. “Gaza has become a graveyard for thousands of children. It’s a living hell for everyone else.” The Defence for Children International-Palestine, an NGO, said early last month that Israeli forces killed twice as many Palestinian children in the Gaza Strip in October as the total number of Palestinian children killed in the occupied West Bank and Gaza combined since 1967. In nearly two years of the Russia-Ukraine war, 510 children were killed, which represents a little less than one child per day. Last week, the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) warned that limited access to clean water and sanitation amid Israel’s relentless bombardment posed a grave risk to children in Gaza. Displaced children in southern Gaza do not have enough water to meet their basic survival needs, the UN Children Agency’s Executive Director Catherine Russell said. “Without safe water, many more children will die from deprivation and disease in the coming days,” Russel said. In the southern city of Rafah, where hundreds of thousands of people – half of them estimated to be children – have fled since the beginning of December, water and sanitation situation systems are “in an extremely critical state”, Russel added. The water shortages have already contributed to 20 times the monthly average of cases of diarrhoea among children under the age of five, she said. More than half a million people in Gaza – a quarter of the population – are starving, according to a report from the United Nations and other agencies released on Thursday. Israel launched the brutal war in the wake of the Hamas attack that left some 1,139 people dead. The Palestinian resistance group also took some 240 people captive. Israel has pledged to continue its military offensive until what it calls the destruction of Hamas and the release of all the captives. But its military tactics have been criticised for the widespread bombardment that has caused unprecedented destruction and loss of lives. Human rights organisations and UN agencies have spoken against Israel’s collective punishment of the Palestinian people. Adblock test (Why?)
Indian journalists targeted by Israeli spyware again: What do we know?
A new forensic investigation by Amnesty International and The Washington Post has shown the use of the Israeli Pegasus spyware, likely by the Indian government, to surveil high-profile Indian journalists. A report detailing the findings was published on Thursday. Here is what we know. What does the report say? The report, published by Amnesty’s Security Lab, found continued use of the software to target high-profile Indian journalists including a journalist who had also previously been a victim of attacks of the same spyware. Founding editor of The Wire, Siddharth Varadarajan, and South Asia editor at the Organized Crime and Corruption Report Project (OCCRP), Anand Mangnale, were among those recently targeted using Pegasus spyware on their iPhones. The latest attack was identified in October this year. On October 31, Apple, the manufacturer of iPhones issued notifications to users worldwide who may have been targeted by “state-sponsored” attacks. Out of the users warned, over 20 were opposition leaders and journalists in India. These included firebrand opposition legislator Mahua Moitra. Known for her sharp questions in parliament, Moitra was recently expelled over an allegation of misconduct after she had repeatedly raised questions about alleged benefits handed by the government to the Adani Group, a business house widely seen as close to Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Received text & email from Apple warning me Govt trying to hack into my phone & email. @HMOIndia – get a life. Adani & PMO bullies – your fear makes me pity you. @priyankac19 – you, I , & 3 other INDIAns have got it so far . pic.twitter.com/2dPgv14xC0 — Mahua Moitra (@MahuaMoitra) October 31, 2023 Amnesty was able to find an attacker-controlled email address used to target Mangnale, who was working on a story about an alleged stock manipulation by a large multinational conglomerate in India at the time of the attack. It is currently unclear whether the attempted target succeeded in breaking into and compromising Mangnale’s phone. The Washington Post article about the investigation said that Mangnale’s phone was attacked within 24 hours of reaching out to the tycoon Gautam Adani. What a coincidence! Within 24 hours after @OCCRP sought comments from Adani for a story on his brother’s involvement in alleged violations of Indian securities law, Pegasus is planted in OCCRP journalist @FightAnand’s phone. Cracker story by @gerryshih and @josephmenn. Link-… pic.twitter.com/TJoEvGSWBQ — Saurav Das (@SauravDassss) December 28, 2023 The same email address was used to target Varadarajan on October 16. There is also no indication as to whether this attack was successful so far. These attacks come just months before India’s national elections, in which a broad coalition of opposition parties is taking on Modi’s Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). When has Pegasus been used to attack Indian journalists before? Amnesty previously discovered that Varadarajan’s phone was targeted and infected by Pegasus in 2018. His devices were analysed by a committee established by the Indian Supreme Court in 2021. The investigation was concluded in 2022 and its findings were not publicised. “The court noted, however, that the Indian authorities ‘did not cooperate; with the technical committee’s investigations,” said the Amnesty report. In 2021, leaked documents showed that the spyware was used against over 1,000 Indian phone numbers as New Delhi was accused of using Pegasus to surveil journalists, opposition politicians and activists. This list was shared with news outlets by Amnesty and Paris-based journalism non-profit, Forbidden Stories. What is Pegasus and how exactly does it work? Pegasus is a spyware that was developed by Israeli cyber-arms and intelligence company – Niv, Shalev and Omri (NSO) Group Technologies. It was launched in August 2016. NSO claims that the spyware is only used by governments and official law enforcement agencies to help with rescue operations and curb criminal or terrorist activity. If a phone is attacked by Pegasus, the phone can turn into a surveillance device, allowing Pegasus to access text messages, phone calls, photos and videos. It can also access the phone’s camera, location and microphone, recording audio or video without the phone’s owner knowing. Early versions of the spyware targeted users through phishing attacks. This means a malicious link was sent to targets through emails or text messages. If the targets clicked on the link, the spyware would be installed on their phones. However, the technology has advanced since then and now Pegasus can be installed without the target having to click a malicious link. Instead, it can infect a device through what are known as “zero-click” attacks. This is done by exploiting vulnerabilities in phones’ operating systems that even the developers are unaware of. Encrypted applications such as WhatsApp are not only compromised but are now being used to infect devices with the spyware. In 2019, WhatsApp confirmed that its platform was used to send malware to more than 1,400 phones, including several Indian journalists and human rights activists. Users would get a WhatsApp call and the software would be installed on their phone even if they didn’t pick up the call. On iPhones, the iMessage software has also been used. Due to the rapid advancements in the technology, it has become harder to detect the presence of Pegasus through telltale signs. While it is unlikely for regular phones to be under threat, phones belonging to activists and high-profile journalists are under threat of being surveilled through the spyware. [embedded content] Is India suppressing freedom of speech? Many journalists’ bodies and rights groups have warned that press freedom has dwindled under the Modi government, with several journalists arrested. India has fallen to 161st in the World Press Freedom Index from 150th last year, its lowest ever. The Modi government rejects this index and questions its methodology, arguing that India has a free press. In early October, Indian police carried out raids against dozens of reporters, arresting Prabir Purkayastha, editor of the independent and critical NewsClick website. Many other reporters from NewsClick had their devices and homes searched. Adblock test (Why?)
Ordinance soon on Kannada signboards for shops in Karnataka: CM Siddaramaiah
A magistrate court in Bengaluru on Thursday sent over 53 arrested pro-Kannada activists, including Gowda, to 14 days’ judicial custody till January 10.
Ayodhya Ram Mandir inauguration: Leaders, actors and celebrities who are invited
Prominent cricketers, film stars, industrialists and renowned personalities from across the country have been invited.