Democrat charged in voter fraud scheme over dozens of absentee ballots
A Queens man was indicted this week for allegedly submitting 20 falsified absentee ballot applications for the Democratic primary in 2022, the county district attorney’s office announced. “Every vote has to count. Election integrity is the foundation of a viable, working democracy. We will vigorously prosecute anyone who threatens in any way to undermine that integrity. To investigate and prosecute anyone for voter fraud takes time and resources I am willing to commit,” Queens County District Attorney Melinda Katz said in a press release. The suspect was identified as 32-year-old Abdul Rahman of Queens’ Floral Park neighborhood, who could face up to seven years in prison if found guilty of 140 charges against him. Rahman is described by outlet the Gothamist as a man “active in Democrat and South Asian circles.” The District Attorney’s press release detailed that Rahman is accused of casting 20 ballots in August of 2022. Prosecutors said he had applied to collect 118 ballots for voters in the area, and gained approval for 32 of the 118 ballot applications. JESSE WATTERS: VOTER FRAUD NEEDS TO BE INVESTIGATED, INVALIDATED AND PROSECUTED The district attorney’s office did not say which candidates received support from the ballots Rahman allegedly cast. FLORIDA OFFICIALS CHARGE WOMAN WITH FELONY FRAUD FOR VOTING IN TWO STATES DURING MULTIPLE ELECTIONS One man, identified by the office as Jordan Sandke, said he visited his polling station on August 23, 2022, to vote in the Democratic primary election, but was told that he could not vote, as he had requested an absentee ballot. Investigators were able to track down Sandke’s ballot application, which included his personal information and a signature and was dated August 1, 2022. Investigators also found that Rahman was listed as the authorized individual to pick up Sandke’s ballot, according to the DA’s office. “Sandke, however, had not filled out, signed or submitted the application, and said he had never met the defendant or authorized him to pick up an absentee ballot on his behalf,” the press release stated. Law enforcement officers later interviewed voters whose names and information were listed on the other ballot applications and learned that “none of them had themselves submitted the form, much less authorized Rahman to pick a ballot up for them,” according to the DA’s office. “The Board of Elections in the City of New York is proud to once again have identified and referred an election integrity issue to law enforcement,” Board of Elections Deputy Executive Director Vincent Ignizio said in the press release. IOWA ELECTED OFFICIAL’S WIFE CONVICTED OF VOTER FRAUD IN BALLOT-STUFFING SCHEME “Our government partners in the Queens District Attorney’s Office did an amazing job at investigating this case and bringing it to indictment. Protecting our democracy and the elections process is the responsibility of all Americans – and the Board is grateful to District Attorney Melinda Katz and her staff for all of their efforts in this investigation.” In all, Rahman is facing: 20 counts of falsifying business records in the first degree; 20 counts of criminal possession of a forged instrument in the third degree; 20 counts of falsifying business records in the second degree; 20 counts of offering a false instrument for filing in the second degree; 20 counts of illegal voting; and 20 counts of offering a false instrument for filing in the first degree. Rahman faces up to seven years in prison if convicted. He pleaded not guilty and was ordered to return to court on January 30, 2024. “I thank my Public Corruption Bureau and the Board of Elections for their important work on this case. The integrity of elections will be upheld in this borough,” the Queens DA added.
Could Israel’s war on Gaza cause a wider conflict?
Regional tensions are rising over the US-backed war. More than 20,000 Palestinians killed in Gaza by Israel, armed and backed by the United States and European allies. More fighting nearby too: Hezbollah in Lebanon and the Houthis in Yemen among the groups involved. Could Israel’s war trigger a wider conflict? Presenter: Dareen Abughaida Guests: Omar Rahman – fellow at the Middle East Council on Global Affairs. He focuses on Palestine, Middle East geopolitics and American foreign policy in the region. Miko Peled – human rights activist and author of The General’s Son: Journey of an Israeli in Palestine, which is based on his experiences as the son of a former military governor of the Gaza Strip Elijah Magnier – military and political analyst who, as a former war correspondent, has covered more than 35 years of conflict in the Middle East and North Africa Adblock test (Why?)
Speaker Johnson urges Biden to use executive powers to crack down on border crisis
Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., is urging President Biden to use his executive authority to impose strict measures to combat the ongoing migrant crisis at the U.S. southern border. “The wide-open border has caused unspeakable human tragedy for migrants and certainly for our own citizens. During FY2023, CBP seized ‘enough fentanyl to kill the entire U.S. population,’ and fentanyl poisoning is now the leading cause of death for Americans aged 18-45. Countless children and adults have been victims of human trafficking and cartels have been emboldened and enriched,” Johnson wrote. “Local communities have been devastated and terrorists and dangerous criminals have entered illegally and dispersed across our country. We are now more vulnerable to a terrorist attack on our homeland than ever.” UNION PACIFIC WARNS BORDER CROSSING CLOSING DUE TO MIGRANT CRISIS HURTS CROSS-BORDER TRADE AS CHRISTMAS NEARS Customs and Border Patrol (CBP) officials warned this week that the thousands of migrants coming across the border daily was straining their resources to critical levels, as communities along the border continue to also be stretched thin. “All of this is the direct result of your administration’s policies,” Johnson wrote. “You have clearly undermined America’s sovereignty and security by ending the Remain in Mexico policy, reinstating catch-and-release, suspending asylum cooperative agreements with other nations, ignoring existing restraints on the abuse of parole, and halting border wall construction.” 5,000 ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS RELEASED EVERY DAY INTO US, ADMIN OFFICIALS PRIVATELY TELL LAWMAKERS He called on Biden to impose an executive order empowering border agents to “turn back or detain all illegal aliens encountered between ports of entry,” as well as vastly narrowing parole authority for migrants. Johnson also demanded that Biden reinstate the Trump administration’s controversial Remain in Mexico policy, strengthen expedited removal processes and resume construction of the border wall. SOUTHERN BORDER HIT BY RECORD NUMBER OF MIGRANT ENCOUNTERS IN A SINGLE DAY AS THOUSANDS FLOOD INTO TEXAS Republicans in the House and Senate have forced the White House to the negotiating table on border security by holding up Biden’s $110 billion supplemental aid package for Ukraine, Israel and other causes. The bill also includes funding for the border, but GOP lawmakers argued that the money is meaningless without significant policy changes. Johnson has maintained both in public and in private that House Republicans would not agree to Ukraine funding unless the Senate takes up their marquee border security bill known as H.R. 2. The White House did not immediately respond for comment to Johnson’s letter.
Angola to leave OPEC over disagreement on oil production quotas
Oil minister says the country ‘gains nothing’ from remaining in the group after disagreements emerge over production cuts. Angola says it will leave the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) over a disagreement regarding production quotas, a move that will bring the group down to 12 members. Speaking on public television on Thursday, Diamantino Azevedo, minister for mineral resources, petroleum and gas, said Angola, which produces about 1.1 million barrels of oil a day, is leaving OPEC because it was not serving the country’s interests. “We feel that … Angola currently gains nothing by remaining in the organisation and, in defence of its interests, decided to leave,” Azevedo was quoted as saying in a statement issued by the president’s office. Angola, which first joined OPEC in 2007, has struggled to meet production quotas over the past several years. The country is joining others, such as Qatar and Ecuador, that have left OPEC in the past decade. Questions about potential production cuts sought by leading oil producers such as Saudi Arabia have been a source of recent debate within the group. Without Angola, OPEC countries will produce about 27 million barrels of oil per day, about 27 percent of the global supply. But while Angola was a relatively small player in OPEC, the country’s departure has raised larger questions about the future of the organisation. Crude prices dropped by more than 1.5 percent after the announcement. “From an oil market supply perspective, the impact is minimal as oil production in Angola was on a downward trend and higher production would first require higher investments,” said Giovanni Staunovo, a commodity analyst with UBS. “However, prices still fell on concern of the unity of OPEC+ as a group, but there is no indication that more heavyweights within the alliance intend to follow the path of Angola.” Oil and gas make up about 90 percent of Angola’s exports and are a crucial economic lifeline for the country. Last month, Azevedo’s office protested against an OPEC decision to reduce its production quota for 2024, concerned that it would damage Angola’s ability to increase its output capacity. OPEC and its allies in OPEC+ have agreed to cut production to prop up oil prices. Angola’s production capacity peaked in 2008 at 2 million barrels per day but has dropped since due to ageing infrastructure. Adblock test (Why?)
Israel’s war on Gaza deadliest in modern history for journalists, CPJ says
The Committee to Protect Journalists says concentration of reporters killed in Gaza ‘unparalleled’ in the group’s history. As Israeli forces pound the Gaza Strip, journalists are being killed at a rate with no parallel in modern history, a press freedom watchdog says. The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) said on Thursday that 68 media workers have been killed in the 10 weeks of fighting – 61 of them Palestinian, four Israeli and three Lebanese. Among them is Al Jazeera cameraman Samer Abudaqa, who was killed in an Israeli drone strike last week while reporting from a school in Khan Younis. “More journalists have been killed in the first 10 weeks of the Israel-Gaza war than have ever been killed in a single country over an entire year,” the CPJ said in a statement. “More than half the deaths – 37 – occurred during the first month of the war, making it the deadliest single month ever documented by CPJ since it began recording journalist fatalities in 1992,” it added. The statement came as Palestinian reporters in Gaza continue to work under brutal conditions, facing constant bombardment, displacement and possible targeting by Israeli forces. The report drew attention to what CPJ called “an apparent pattern of targeting of journalists and their families by the Israeli military”, noting that it had recorded at least one instance in which a journalist was killed while wearing clearly marked press insignia with no fighting in the surrounding area. “The concentration of journalists killed in the Israel-Gaza war is unparalleled in CPJ’s history and underscores how grave the situation is for press on the ground,” CPJ President Jodie Ginsberg said. “Local Palestinian journalists continue to report from Gaza while living in fear for their lives.” The concentration of journalists killed in Gaza outpaces that of other conflict zones, such as Ukraine, Iraq, Syria and Afghanistan, it said. The CPJ said Iraq was the only country to approach the current death toll in Gaza when in 2006, 56 journalists were killed in the wake of the United States invasion of the Gulf country three years earlier. Another Al Jazeera journalist, Wael Dahdouh, lost his wife, son, daughter and grandson in an Israeli bombing last month and was wounded in the attack that killed Abudaqa. Al Jazeera has said it will refer Abudaqa’s killing to the International Criminal Court (ICC), stating that the strike took place within a context of “recurrent attacks on the Network’s crews working and operating in the occupied Palestinian territories and instances of incitement against them”. Adblock test (Why?)
EU top court rules FIFA, UEFA unlawfully blocked Super League plans
The two football governing bodies contravened law by stopping the formation of league, the European Court of Justice says. The European Union’s top court has ruled that UEFA and FIFA broke EU law in blocking the formation of a rival Super League competition. Thursday’s ruling by the European Court of Justice (ECJ) marks a serious legal setback for UEFA (Union of European Football Associations) and for football’s world governing body, FIFA. The court found that the two sporting bodies threatening to ban future Super League clubs and players from taking part in their competitions was illegal. “FIFA and UEFA rules making any new interclub football project subject to their prior approval, such as the Super League, and prohibiting clubs and players from playing in those competitions, are unlawful,” it said. In early 2021, 12 of Europe’s biggest clubs announced they had signed up to the planned Super League, triggering a furious backlash from fans and a stark warning from UEFA that clubs and players who took part would be barred from competitions like the World Cup. Chelsea fans protest in London against the club’s then decision to be included in a new European Super League [File: Matt Dunham/AP] Within 48 hours, nine of the 12 rebel clubs – including six from the English Premier League – backed down and the project collapsed, leaving promoters A22 Sports Management to launch a legal challenge through the Spanish courts, which referred the question to the ECJ. In response to the Super League threat, UEFA launched a major reform of the Champions League starting in 2024, with 36 teams involved instead of 32. The clubs will play in a single league competition, which will replace the current group stage, guaranteeing at least eight matches for each team. European clubs, leagues reject Super League Though the Super League organisers welcomed the ECJ’s ruling, major leagues and clubs moved quickly to support the status quo. Manchester United were one of the first to say they remained committed to playing in competitions run by UEFA, as did German champions Bayern Munich. “Our position has not changed. We remain fully committed to participation in UEFA competitions, and to positive cooperation with UEFA, the Premier League, and fellow clubs through the ECA on the continued development of the European game,” United said. Manchester City, Liverpool, Arsenal, Chelsea and Tottenham Hotspur were the other five Premier League clubs involved before pulling out. Bayern Munich said they were committed to UEFA competitions, saying the door for the Super League “remains closed” for the German champions. “The Bundesliga is the foundation of FC Bayern, just as all national leagues are the foundation of other European football clubs,” Bayern CEO Jan Christian Dreesen said. “It is therefore our duty and our deep conviction to strengthen them, not to weaken them. We are also committed to the European club competitions under the umbrella of UEFA.” The European Club Association (ECA), which represents nearly 500 clubs across the continent, said the football world had “moved on from the Super League years ago”. “Through ECA, clubs today are already at the heart of decision-making in relation to the competitions they participate in,” it said. “Most importantly, football is a social contract, not a legal contract.” France’s Ligue de Football Professionnel (LFP) said it “unequivocally supports” competitions organised by UEFA. The Italian Football Federation (FIGC) reiterated its intention to protect the national championships, “for the defence of the broader and more general principle of sporting merit and the respect of international calendars”. “The FIGC believes that the Super League is not a project compatible with these conditions and will always act in pursuing the general interests of Italian football,” it added. Adblock test (Why?)
Rudy Giuliani files for Chapter 11 bankruptcy after being ordered to pay $148M
Former Mayor of New York Rudy Giuliani has filed for bankruptcy. The former personal attorney to Donald Trump submitted the Chapter 11 filing on Thursday after being ordered to pay a massive fine for defaming two election workers in Georgia. Giuliani was ordered to pay $148,169,000 to two women he falsely accused of committing election fraud in the 2020 election. Giuliani said Friday he would appeal the ruling. RUDY GIULIANI ORDERED TO PAY $148 MILLION AS DEFAMATION TRIAL WRAPS UP “The absurdity of the number merely underscores the absurdity of the entire proceeding, where I’ve not been allowed to offer one single piece of evidence in defense, of which I have a lot,” he said. HUNTER BIDEN SUES RUDY GIULIANI OVER LAPTOP, ACCUSES EX-TRUMP LAWYER OF ‘HACKING’ “So I am quite confident when this case gets before a fair tribunal, it will be reversed so quickly, it’ll make your head spin and the absurd number that just came in will help that, actually.” The former New York City mayor — as well as Donald Trump ally and former personal lawyer — was on trial for the defamation of two Georgia election workers this week at a federal court in Washington, D.C. Giuliani had accused Ruby Freeman and her daughter, Wandrea “Shaye” Moss, of fraud while advancing former President Trump’s unproven claims that the 2020 election was stolen. U.S. District Judge Beryl Howell had already awarded default judgment to Freeman and Moss in August. Fox News Digital’s Chris Pandolfo, Adam Sabes, and Jake Gibson contributed to this report.
Special counsel Jack Smith urges swift Supreme Court decision in reply to Trump
Special Counsel Jack Smith has filed his reply to former President Trump’s team’s response to his initial filing at the Supreme Court. Smith is pressing to expedite the consideration of Trump’s immunity claims, hoping to keep the March trial date he set. Trump’s team opposes the fast track. This now means the Supreme Court has all the materials it requested and could make a decision on this at any time. A decision at this point would only be on whether the Court will expedite their ruling on this particular issue – not on the merits of the case at this stage. “This case involves—for the first time in our Nation’s history—criminal charges against a former President based on his actions while in office,” Smith wrote in the filing. “And not just any actions: alleged acts to perpetuate himself in power by frustrating the constitutionally prescribed process for certifying the lawful winner of an election. The Nation has a compelling interest in a decision on respondent’s claim of immunity from these charges—and if they are to be tried, a resolution by conviction or acquittal, without undue delay.” JACK SMITH WANTS ‘DOWN AND DIRTY’ TRUMP CONVICTIONS TO INFLUENCE 2024 ELECTION: ALAN DERSHOWITZ This comes after Trump’s attorneys urged the U.S. Supreme Court on Wednesday to stand down from a dispute over whether he can be prosecuted on charges he plotted to overturn the 2020 election results. Smith’s team last week urged the nation’s high court to take up and quickly consider Trump’s claims that he enjoys immunity from prosecution as a former president. The unusual request for a speedy ruling seemed designed to prevent any delays that could postpone the trial of the 2024 Republican presidential primary front-runner until after the election. However, Trump’s lawyers told the Supreme Court that there was no reason for them to take up the matter now, especially because a lower appeals court in Washington is already considering the same question and has scheduled arguments for Jan. 9. “Importance does not automatically necessitate speed. If anything, the opposite is usually true. Novel, complex, sensitive, and historic issues — such as the existence of presidential immunity from criminal prosecution for official acts — call for more careful deliberation, not less,” Trump’s lawyers wrote. RFK JR. ISSUES STARK WARNING AFTER COLORADO COURT BLOCKS TRUMP FROM BALLOT: ‘COUNTRY WILL BECOME UNGOVERNABLE’ It is far from certain that the Supreme Court will decide now to take up Trump’s immunity claims in the election interference case, which were rejected by the trial court judge in a ruling that declared the office of the president “does not confer a lifelong ‘get-out-of-jail-free’ pass.” Smith is asking the Supreme Court to bypass the federal appeals court in Washington, which has expedited its own review of the decision. So the Supreme Court may wait to get involved until after the appeals court judges hear the case. Separately, Trump’s lawyers plan to ask the Supreme Court to overturn a decision in another case barring him from Colorado’s ballot under Section 3 of the 14th Amendment, which prohibits anyone who swore an oath to support the Constitution and then “engaged in insurrection” against it from holding office. The Colorado Supreme Court’s 4-3 ruling is the first time in history the provision has been used to try to prohibit someone from running for the presidency. The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Fox News Politics: Christmas Crush
Welcome to Fox News’ Politics newsletter with the latest political news from Washington D.C. and updates from the 2024 campaign trail. Subscribe now to get Fox News Politics newsletter in your inbox. What’s Happening? -Harvard finds more evidence of plagiarism -Sen. Mike Lee moves to gut Biden admin’s pause on gun export licenses -Mexican President mulls fight over Texas immigration law Migrant encounters at the southern border have already surged past the 200,000 mark for December, with an average of well over 10,000 encounters a day, Customs and Border Protection (CBP) sources told Fox News — with still more than a week to go until January. Sources told Fox that already since December there have been over 200,000 encounters. The record for monthly encounters was set in September, with over 269,000. October saw over 240,000 encounters and the numbers have not yet been released for November. Last December saw over 252,000 encounters, which was then a monthly record. That number could easily be eclipsed if agents continue to encounter 10,000 migrants a day between now and the end of the month. ‘RELENTLESS REGULATION’: Republicans highlight 2023 wins against Biden climate agenda …Read more PHONE LINE REOPENS: US, China military leaders hold highest-level call since before Pelosi’s Taiwan visit …Read more FLY ME TO THE MOON: VP Harris says US, along with ‘international astronaut,’ will land on lunar surface this decade …Read more ‘DETER AND COUNTER’: Bipartisan group of senators wants Biden to have a ‘forceful’ response to Iran-backed militia attacks on US troops …Read more CLICK, CLICK, BOOM: Mike Lee moves to gut Biden admin’s pause on gun export licenses …Read more ‘STOLEN VALOR’: Veterans shame Democrat in top 2024 House race for wearing Army uniform during event despite never serving …Read more FOLLOW THE MONEY: Major Biden donors steer group that brought anti-Trump Colorado lawsuit …Read more COPY MACHINE: Harvard finds even more instances of Harvard president using ‘duplicative language’ amid plagiarism claims …Read more CROSS-BORDER BATTLE: Mexican president mulls legal fight over Texas immigration law …Read more FRESH ACCUSATIONS: House widens probe into Harvard President as plagiarism accusations mount …Read more Get the latest updates from the 2024 campaign trail, exclusive interviews and more on FoxNews.com.
Special counsel in Trump case unconstitutional, former Reagan AG says
Former Attorney General Ed Meese has presented arguments to the Supreme Court that they should reject special counsel Jack Smith’s requests because he was unconstitutionally appointed in the first place. Meese, along with law professors Steven G. Calabresi and Gary S. Lawson, filed a friend-of-the-court brief Wednesday to present the case that Attorney General Merrick Garland’s appointment of Smith – a private citizen – is in violation of the Appointments Clause of the Constitution. “Not clothed in the authority of the federal government, Smith is a modern example of the naked emperor,” the brief states. “Improperly appointed, he has no more authority to represent the United States in this Court than Bryce Harper, Taylor Swift, or Jeff Bezos,” they argued. RED STATE AGS BLAST SPECIAL COUNSEL PUSH FOR SCOTUS TO RUSH TRUMP CASE: ‘PARTISAN INTERESTS’ The brief was filed in response to Smith’s request to the court to expedite former President Trump’s case arguing presidential immunity for his actions on Jan. 6, 2021, which are connected to criminal charges brought by Smith. Meese argues that the “illegality” of Smith’s appointment is “sufficient to sink Smith’s petition, and the Court should deny review.” Messe and company noted in the brief that Smith was appointed “to conduct the ongoing investigation into whether any person or entity [including former President Donald Trump] violated the law in connection with efforts to interfere with the lawful transfer of power following the 2020 presidential election or the certification of the Electoral College vote held on or about January 6, 2021.” While Garland cited as statutory authority for this appointment, Meese argues that “none of those statutes, nor any other statutory or constitutional provisions, remotely authorized the appointment by the Attorney General of a private citizen to receive extraordinary criminal law enforcement power under the title of Special Counsel.” “Second, even if one overlooks the absence of statutory authority for the position, there is no statute specifically authorizing the Attorney General, rather than the President by and with the advice and consent of the Senate, to appoint such a Special Counsel,” the former AG wrote. SPECIAL COUNSEL JACK SMITH CALLS ON SUPREME COURT TO RULE ON TRUMP IMMUNITY CLAIM “Under the Appointments Clause, inferior officers can be appointed by department heads only if Congress so directs by statute… and so directs specifically enough to overcome a clear-statement presumption in favor of presidential appointment and senatorial confirmation. No such statute exists for the Special Counsel,” he added. Meese, who served as attorney general under former President Reagan, said “the Special Counsel, if a valid officer, is a superior (or principal) rather than inferior officer, and thus cannot be appointed by any means other than presidential appointment and senatorial confirmation regardless of what any statutes purport to say.” Earlier this month, Smith petitioned the high court to decide Trump’s immunity claims in his case facing charges related to his efforts to overturn the 2020 election results. FEDERAL JUDGE DENIES TRUMP’S CLAIM OF PRESIDENTIAL IMMUNITY IN SPECIAL COUNSEL JACK SMITH’S JAN. 6 CASE Smith asked for expedited consideration of the case to essentially have the high court take over jurisdiction before the lower federal courts have fully decided the matter. Smith wants the court to expedite the claims in hopes to keep Trump’s Washington, D.C., trial — scheduled to begin March 4 — on track.