UK High Court sets date for Julian Assange’s final appeal challenging US extradition
WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange’s possible final legal challenge to block his extradition from Britain to the U.S. to face charges for publishing classified U.S. military documents will be held in February 2024 at the High Court in London. The upcoming hearing, scheduled for Feb. 20 and 21, will be held before two judges who will review an earlier High Court decision made by a single judge in June, when the Australian journalist was denied permission to appeal, according to a release from pro-Assange campaigners. Assange, 52, is facing 17 charges for allegedly receiving, possessing and communicating classified information to the public under the Espionage Act, and one charge alleging a conspiracy to commit computer intrusion. If he is extradited to the U.S. after exhausting all his legal appeals, Assange would face trial in Alexandria, Virginia, and could be sentenced to up to 175 years in an American maximum-security prison. BIPARTISAN CONGRESSIONAL RESOLUTION CALLS ON US OFFICIALS TO DROP CHARGES AGAINST ASSANGE The charges were brought by the Trump administration over WikiLeaks’ 2010 publication of cables leaked by U.S. Army intelligence analyst Chelsea Manning detailing war crimes committed by the U.S. government in the Guantánamo Bay, Cuba, detention camp, Iraq and Afghanistan. The materials also exposed instances of the CIA engaging in torture and rendition. WikiLeaks’ “Collateral Murder” video showing the U.S. military gunning down civilians in Iraq, including two Reuters journalists, was also published 13 years ago. “This hearing signals a crucial stage in Julian’s battle for justice and is the end of the line in the U.K. courts,” Assange’s brother, Gabriel Shipton, said in the release. “This Christmas will be Julian’s 5th in a UK prison. He has gone through years of uncertainty, his mental and physical health getting worse and worse. He should be able to come home to Australia with his children and get the support he needs. I urge the Prime Minister to pull out all the stops in his efforts to end Julian’s suffering. Bring Julian home.” The announcement of a hearing date comes after multiple bipartisan efforts were made this year by lawmakers in the U.S. and Assange’s home country of Australia demanding that U.S. officials drop the charges and end their extradition requests. SQUAD AND MARJORIE TAYLOR GREENE JOIN 16 LAWMAKERS CALLING ON BIDEN TO FREE ASSANGE No publisher had been charged under the Espionage Act until Assange, and many press freedom groups have said his prosecution sets a dangerous precedent intended to criminalize journalism. U.S. prosecutors and critics of Assange have argued WikiLeaks’ publication of classified material put the lives of U.S. allies at risk, but there is no evidence that publishing the documents put anyone in danger. The editors and publishers of the U.S. and European outlets that worked with Assange on the publication of excerpts from more than 250,000 documents he obtained in the Cablegate leak — The Guardian, The New York Times, Le Monde, Der Spiegel and El País — wrote an open letter last year calling for the U.S. to drop the charges against Assange. Assange has been held at London’s high-security Belmarsh Prison since he was removed from the Ecuadorian Embassy on April 11, 2019, for breaching bail conditions. He had sought asylum at the embassy since 2012 to avoid being sent to Sweden over allegations he raped two women because Sweden would not provide assurances it would protect him from extradition to the U.S. The investigations into the sexual assault allegations were eventually dropped. “The last four and a half years have taken the most considerable toll on Julian and his family, including our two young sons,” Assange’s wife, Stella, said in the release. The couple married while Assange was in prison. “His mental health and physical state have deteriorated significantly,” she continued. “With the myriad of evidence that has come to light since the original hearing in 2019, such as the violation of legal privilege and reports that senior U.S. officials were involved in formulating assassination plots against my husband, there is no denying that a fair trial, let alone Julian’s safety on U.S. soil, is an impossibility were he to be extradited. The persecution of this innocent journalist and publisher must end.” AUSTRALIAN DELEGATION MEETS WITH US OFFICIALS, MEMBERS OF CONGRESS TO DEMAND JULIAN ASSANGE’S FREEDOM Assange’s lawyers have also applied to the European Court of Human Rights, which could potentially block his extradition to the U.S. Shortly after the hearing date was announced, Assange supporters called for a mass protest at the court on the days the hearing is scheduled for. The Obama administration decided not to indict Assange in 2013 over WikiLeaks’ publication of the classified cables in 2010 because it would have had to also indict journalists from major news outlets who published the same materials. Former President Obama also commuted Manning’s 35-year sentence for violations of the Espionage Act and other offenses to seven years in January 2017, and Manning, who had been imprisoned since 2010, was released later that year. But Former President Trump’s Justice Department later moved to indict Assange under the Espionage Act, and the Biden administration has continued to pursue his prosecution.
New COVID-19 variant JN.1 has potential to spread: NITI Aayog member Dr VK Paul
Dr Paul assured that there is no need to panic, emphasising that while the virus has the potential to spread, the disease’s impact remains relatively mild.
Austin’s Soros-backed DA blasted after man charged with 7th DUI, killing 2 people released on bond
Austin’s progressive district attorney is facing criticism in the community after a man who allegedly killed two while committing his 7th DUI is walking the streets after his charges and bond were reduced. Roberto Rangel, 52, was arrested last year in Travis County, Texas, for his 7th DUI that resulted in the deaths of 22-year-old Kate Garcia and 23-year-old Mark Narvaez, Fox 7 Austin reported. Rangel, who has been sentenced to over 14 years in prison for DUIs dating to 1989, reportedly pulled out of a Chick-fil-A parking lot in Austin at 2:45 a.m. and parked his car sideways in the road. A motorcycle crashed into the parked vehicle, killing Narvaez and Garcia. Rangel was reportedly too intoxicated to participate in a sobriety test at the scene. DEFUNDED AUSTIN PD TAKES SO LONG TO RESPOND TO DUI CRASH, DRIVER SOBERS UP AND WALKS FREE: FAMILY Fox 7 Austin reported that Rangel’s charge was reduced to DWI a few months after his arrest, and his bond was reduced from $100,000 to $10,000 before he was released. Additionally, Rangel’s bond conditions were eased earlier this year, and his portable alcohol monitor was removed. “We don’t understand why he’s out,” Elida Zamora, Garcia’s mother, told Fox 7 Austin this week. “I think that a guy like him is basically making a mockery out of our legal system,” Mark Narvaez’s father, Hector, told the outlet. News of Rangel’s release sparked intense criticism from Austin locals who say they are fed up with Garza’s progressive agenda. SOROS DA PUT MURDER CASE ON ‘BACK BURNER’ BECAUSE IT DOESN’T ‘FIT’ LIBERAL AGENDA: VICTIM’S FAMILY “A precise example of how DA Jose Garza’s policies are DIRECTLY threatening public safety,” Travis County GOP Chairman Matt Mackowiak posted on X. “Imagine a DA office REDUCING charges for someone arrested for their 6th DUI.” Austin criminal defense attorney Daniel Betts, who is running as a Republican candidate against Garza for Travis County DA, told Fox News Digital that while Garza’s office did object to lowering Rangel’s bond in July, it should have pushed for a more significant charge than DWI in the first place. “Yet another example of how every day, in every way, Jose Garza works to make our community less safe,” Betts said. “While he pays lip service to victims, he fails to protect the community and uphold the law on a multiple homicide, not even bothering to attempt to indict it as anything other than a simple DWI. Travis County has been sold a bill of goods, and it’s time that the voters wake up to reality and show him the door.” An Austin Police officer who asked to remain anonymous told Fox News Digital officers are “frustrated if not more” because this type of situation happens “day in and day out,” which continues to impact the victims of these tragedies. “Very avoidable tragedies too often caused by the prosecution side of the house. For the last three years, we have seen that side falter and fail under Jose and Delia Garza’s policies,” the officer said. “It’s time our citizens pay attention, educate themselves and vote for public safety … so they and the visitors of our great city get the public safety they deserve.” DA Garza has faced criticism in the past for how his office has handled a variety of crimes, including driving drunk. Last year, a man who pleaded guilty to driving drunk in a crash that killed his female passenger was sentenced to 10 days in jail, sparking outrage from many in the community. “Another example of Travis County prosecutors going easy on violent criminals,” the Austin Police Association, a union representing more than 1,800 Austin Police officers, tweeted in response to the sentence. “Victims lives are marginalized. Where is the justice for the families & loved ones of the victim?” Dennis Farris, president of the Austin Police Retired Officers Association told Fox News Digital this situation “again proves that this district attorney has no business in office.” “He has no experience prosecuting cases, and you’ve got somebody who has been arrested for DWI seven times,” Farris said. “He should have been in prison already anyway. He was out, he was driving and he killed two people. And this district attorney has allowed this guy, they didn’t push for a high enough bar to keep this guy in jail. “This guy should have been charged with murder, not just intoxication manslaughter. He should have been charged with murder. And this guy should not be out walking the streets because he’s been arrested seven times for DWI. He’s got a problem.” Fox News Digital reached out to Garza’s office for comment but did not receive a response.
Progressive Dem who defunded Austin Police ripped for requesting police patrols at home: ‘Height of hypocrisy’
A progressive congressman associated with “The Squad” who proudly voted to defund the Austin Police Department as a city council member and blasted the department just last week for alleged racist practices is under fire after requesting a police patrol at his home from the same department. “It’s come to our attention that Anti police king of the defund movement in Austin @GregCasar who only last week called APD an agency with racist practices has requested enhanced patrols around his house for the next week,” the Austin Police Retired Officers Association posted on X Tuesday. “We want everyone in Austin to feel safe,” the post added. “But this seems to us as the height of hypocrisy from the congressman. Maybe he should hire private security like his fellow squad members do. Sure seems like he wants the police in his neighborhood just not yours.” Casar’s request was made through the United States Capitol Police in Washington, D.C., which forwarded the request to the Austin Police Department. PROGRESSIVE ‘SQUAD’ MEMBER MOCKED AFTER ‘THIRST STRIKE’ LASTS JUST 8 HOURS: ‘WHAT A HERO’ Casar was perhaps the most vocal driver of defunding the Austin Police Department in 2020 while he was a member of the city council. It led to a police shortage and a wave of officer retirements that critics say the city has still not recovered from. “We did it!!” Casar posted on X in August 2020. “Austin City Council just reduced APD’s budget by over $100 million *and* reinvested resources into our community’s safety and well-being.” ‘CALLOUS’ SOROS-BACKED DA SLAMMED BY NEW GOP CHALLENGER OVER PROGRESSIVE ACTIVISM: ‘HE SHOULD BE EMBARRASSED’ Additionally, Casar sent a letter last week to the Justice Department criticizing practices within the Austin Police Department, highlighting the “need for systemic reforms to the Department’s policies and practices of excessive and lethal use of force, racial discrimination, and discrimination against people with mental health conditions.” News of the request for the security detail, which was confirmed by Fox News Digital, drew immediate criticism from Austin residents on social media, many suggesting the request was an example of hypocrisy. “So @GregCasar believes APD is a racist institution that requires DOJ oversight but then requests more APD patrols around his house,” Austin personal injury attorney Adam Loewy posted on X. “Interesting juxtaposition.” “Greg Casar is a fraud,” Travis County GOP Chairman Matt Mackowiak posted on X. Dennis Farris, president of the Austin Police Retired Officers Association, told Fox News Digital he believes Casar should receive extra protection if there are officers available to do it and there is a credible threat but added the request is the “height of hypocrisy.” AUSTIN CRIME VICTIM’S MOTHER RIPS CITY COUNCIL ‘COWARDS’ FOR DEFUNDING POLICE, TURNING CITIZENS INTO ‘TARGETS’ “A week ago, he was calling the Austin Police Department a racist department that targeted Black and brown people, and this week he’s asking the exact same department to do enhanced patrols around his house,” Farris said. “It doesn’t matter what political party they’re in. If they ask us for our help, we will give it to them,” Farris added. “The last thing we want is something happening to them. My issue with it and the issue that most of my members are going to have with it is the fact that this guy, you know, it’s the whole squad thing, right? It’s the whole, ‘We hate the cops, we hate the cops, we hate the cops. Oh, please, come help us now.’ He is the architect. He is the architect of defund the cops in Austin. He started this whole mess.” Casar’s office told Fox News Digital it does “not comment on active security matters related to the Congressman.” “Our office has not been in communication with the Austin Police Department on this matter because these issues are handled by the United States Sergeant at Arms, who then works with U.S. Capitol Police and local law enforcement agencies.” Casar’s office pointed to a statement from U.S. House Sergeant at Arms William McFarland that said, “The Sergeant at Arms takes the safety of Members of Congress very seriously. “We ask the public and law enforcement agencies to not comment on specific security measures or active cases because doing so exposes potential vulnerabilities.” A spokesperson for the United States Capitol Police told Fox News Digital it “does not discuss any of the potential security measures that are available to all of the members of Congress” due to “safety reasons.” An Austin Police Department spokesperson told Fox News Digital it is “aware of the request made by Representative Greg Casar” and is “following the same protocol and assessment we would as with all requests.” “Our agency takes all public safety concerns seriously. Our priority is having a secure and safe community for everyone to feel protected while maintaining the confidentiality of sensitive information.”
Texas immigration law pushback marks latest tension between Biden administration and border states over crisis
The White House described a new immigration law in Texas allowing law enforcement to arrest illegal immigrants as “extreme” Tuesday, igniting the latest tension between the Biden administration and states at the southern border over its handling of the migrant crisis. The new legislation, signed by Texas Gov. Greg Abbott Monday, allows law enforcement to arrest illegal immigrants, who would then face the choice to leave the U.S. or be prosecuted on misdemeanor charges for illegal entry. Migrants who don’t comply could face arrest again and more serious felony charges. A White House spokesperson derided the new law as “extreme” and argued it “will make communities in Texas less safe.” TEXAS GOV. ABBOTT SIGNS BILL MAKING ILLEGAL IMMIGRATION A STATE CRIME “Generally speaking, the federal government — not individual states — is charged with determining how and when to remove noncitizens for violating immigration laws,” the spokesperson said. “This is certainly extreme as we see it,” White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre emphasized Tuesday. “And it is incredibly unfortunate.” Gov. Abbott, however, said the law will “better protect Texans AND Americans from Biden’s open border policies. “ The tension between Texas and the administration was also on display Tuesday when a federal appeals court temporarily blocked the Biden administration from cutting razor wire set up by Texas earlier this year. The state had sued in October and had been rebuffed by a federal judge, but the 5th Circuit Court of Appeals barred the Biden administration from damaging, destroying, or otherwise interfering with Texas’s [concertina wire] fence in the vicinity of Eagle Pass, Texas” unless it is for a medical emergency. “[Attorney General Ken] Paxton and I will hold Biden and [DHS Secretary Aleandro] Mayorkas accountable for attacking Texas’ sovereign authority and their attempts to obstruct our border security efforts,” Abbott said in a statement. FEDERAL APPEALS COURT BLOCKS BIDEN ADMIN FROM REMOVING TEXAS’ RAZOR WIRE AT SOUTHERN BORDER That legal battle is taking place alongside another legal battle between the Department of Justice and Texas over its deployment of buoys in the Rio Grande in Texas to stop migrants swimming across. Texas says the buoys are designed to save lives by preventing people from entering the river, but humanitarian groups and the DOJ argue the barrier poses a safety risk. “The State of Texas’s actions violate federal law, raise humanitarian concerns, present serious risks to public safety and the environment, and may interfere with the federal government’s ability to carry out its official duties,” the DOJ said in a letter to Abbott before the suit was filed. The same federal appeals court recently ruled Texas must remove 1,000 feet of the barrier, prompting Abbott to promise he will go to the Supreme Court if needed to get the barrier reinstalled. The White House has also criticized Abbott for his moves to bus migrants to “sanctuary” cities, including Chicago and New York City. Abbott has in turn accused the Biden administration of not doing its job to secure the southern border. On Tuesday, the White House attacked Abbott over what it says are “political stunts” “We believe that Gov. Abbott’s policies and political stunts are not safe, not safe for Texas communities and our CBP, our law enforcement on the ground who are trying to do their work. It puts them in harm’s way, and they dehumanize and demonize immigrants. That’s what his political stunts do,” Jean-Pierre said. SOUTHERN BORDER HIT BY RECORD NUMBER OF MIGRANT ENCOUNTERS IN A SINGLE DAY AS THOUSANDS FLOOD INTO TEXAS But the administration has also taken heat in recent days from neighboring Arizona, where Democratic Gov. Katie Hobbs has fumed at what she has said is a lack of action from the federal government. On Friday, after pushing President Biden to reassign the Arizona National Guard to the Lukeville port of entry, which had been besieged by a new migrant wave, she announced she was herself mobilizing the Guard. “Yet again, the federal government is refusing to do its job to secure our border and keep our communities safe,” Hobbs said in a statement. “With this executive order, I am taking action where the federal government won’t. But we can’t stand alone. Arizona needs resources and manpower to reopen the Lukeville crossing, manage the flow of migrants and maintain a secure, orderly and humane border. “Despite continued requests for assistance, the Biden administration has refused to deliver desperately needed resources to Arizona’s border.” The tension between the states and the federal government comes amid a new surge in migration at the border. Fox News reported this week that Monday saw a record high of migrant encounters at the southern border. Both the Tucson and Del Rio sectors had massive numbers in recent weeks. The Biden administration has said it needs funding and reform from Congress to fix a “broken” system. Lawmakers in Washington are attempting to hash out a deal for emergency supplemental funding. The White House is requesting an additional $14 billion for the border, including $1.4 billion to states and communities receiving migrants. But Republicans have said they want to see more limits on asylum and limits on the administration’s use of parole, which they see as drawing more migrants to the border. The administration has reportedly expressed openness to new expulsion authorities and additional detention, but lawmakers have said it is unlikely there will be a deal before the new year. Fox News’ Bradford Betz contributed to this report.
Raising the stakes: Are Trump’s expectations too high in Iowa’s Jan. 15 caucuses?
WATERLOO, IA – Former President Donald Trump, back in Iowa for the fourth time in less than a month, with a message of urgency for his supporters. “We’ve got to be sure that we put this thing away,” Trump told his supporters on Tuesday night at a rally in this northeastern Iowa city. “You gotta show up. Even if you think we’re going to win by a lot. You gotta show up.” With less than four weeks to go until the caucus, the Trump campaign’s shifted into a higher gear. The former president is picking up the pace when it comes to stumping in Iowa. And the campaign is training close to 2,000 caucus captains in precincts across the state. “Their sole job is to run each individual caucus that takes place and making sure that the list of the targeted voters supporting President Trump show up,” Trump campaign senior adviser Chris LaCivita told Fox News. TRUMP CAMPAIGN LAUNCHES ‘EXTREMELY AGGRESSIVE OPERATION’ IN IOWA The Trump campaign’s ground game operation in Iowa’s leagues ahead of his 2016 effort, when he narrowly lost the caucuses to Sen. Ted Cruz of Texas. “Ted Cruz won in 2016 because his ground game was fantastic,” Iowa GOP chair Jeff Kaufmann, who remains neutral in the Republican nomination race, told Fox News. And pointing to the 2024 Trump campaign, Kaufmann emphasized “their ground game has increased immensely.” Trump’s the commanding front-runner for the Republican presidential nomination as he makes his third straight White House run. AS FRONT-RUNNER TRUMP RETURNS TO IOWA, RIVALS HALEY AND DESANTIS TURN UP THE VOLUME – ON EACH OTHER And the latest polls in Iowa, whose Jan. 15 caucuses lead off the GOP presidential nominating calendar, suggest that Trump’s over 50% support and holds a massive double-digit lead over the dwindling field of Republican rivals. Trump and his campaign team are aiming for an overwhelming victory in Iowa, as part of their plan to wrap up the nomination race as quickly as possible and pivot to a general election rematch with President Biden next November. Their major concern – complacency. “The poll numbers are scary because we’re leading by so much,” Trump told the crowd, as he urged them to take part in the caucuses next month. Iowa Attorney General Brenna Bird told Fox News that “President Trump’s poll numbers are unprecedented for a Republican running in the Iowa caucuses. So that is great news. The key thing to remember is that the only thing that matters is the one that happens on caucus.” Bird, who has endorsed the former president and is a top Trump surrogate in Iowa, said “we are all focused on [the caucus]. His grassroots organization is focused on that. I’m a caucus captain myself in Guthrie County. I will be there at the caucus helping rally votes for President Trump on caucus night. We have to stay focused and our people have to show up. The support is strong, it’s there, but we have to show up.” TRUMP HOLDS A MASSIVE LEAD IN THE POLLS WITH FIVE WEEKS TO GO UNTIL THE IOWA CAUCUSES Another issue for the Trump campaign is making sure they match or beat expectations, which are inflated due to his commanding lead in the polls in Iowa, the other early voting states, and in national surveys. Trump, aware of the expectations he faces, took aim at a familiar target, the media. “If we win in a massive number, but if it’s a little bit less than that, they’ll say ‘oh, he didn’t beat expectations,’ Trump told his supporters. Longtime Republican strategist David Kochel told Fox News that Trump’s “driving his own expectations up…It’s all expectations and Trump’s are sky-high.” “If he’s under 50%, it’s a problem for him given his poll average now is well over 50,” argued Kochel, a veteran of numerous GOP presidential campaigns nationally and in Iowa. Seasoned Iowa-based Republican strategist Jimmy Centers said if Trump “wins by more than 20 points and he’s over 50%, my goodness, this thing is over before it even begun.” “But if it’s under 15 points, then I think we have a race if the field consolidates,” added Centers, a veteran of multiple presidential campaigns, gubernatorial and congressional campaigns, and who served as communications director for then-Gov. Terry Brandstad and current Gov. Kim Reynolds. Get the latest updates from the 2024 campaign trail, exclusive interviews and more at our Fox News Digital election hub.
Biden admin aims to push towns, cities to adopt green energy building codes: ‘Very suspicious’
The Biden administration announced hundreds of millions of dollars in federal funding to upgrade energy codes nationwide that conform with strict energy efficiency standards, a move experts said is tantamount to a backdoor natural gas ban. The Department of Energy (DOE) said it will begin accepting applications for a total of $530 million in technical assistance competitive grants for local residential and commercial building code upgrades as part of its implementation of the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA). According to DOE, adoption of the latest model energy codes, zero energy codes and building performance standards would lead to widespread emissions reductions. “Shaping a clean energy future for cities and neighborhoods requires a whole system approach that includes modernizing the building stock to use less energy and be more resilient in the face of increasing natural disasters,” Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm said in a statement. BIDEN INVOKES WARTIME POWERS TO FUND ELECTRIC HEATERS AS HE CRACKS DOWN ON GAS APPLIANCES “Thanks to President Biden’s Investing in America agenda, we’re supporting states and local governments as they adopt and implement proven solutions that will save consumers money, reduce climate pollution and build a place-based workforce of well-paid, in-demand jobs for local community members,” she continued. Overall, the IRA earmarks $1 billion to the DOE for awarding grants to local jurisdictions to adopt the most recent energy codes, the 2021 International Energy Conservation Codes (IECC) developed by the International Code Council. In September, DOE opened applications for another $400 million for building code upgrades under the IRA. The IECC, which is slated to be updated again in 2024, includes various standards guaranteeing a high level of energy efficiency in new building construction. According to the National Association of Home Builders, though, the 2021 IECC could make a new home as much as $31,000 more expensive because of the technological upgrades. EXPERTS WARN BIDEN ADMIN’S WATER HEATER CRACKDOWN WILL HIKE PRICES, REDUCE CONSUMER CHOICE And experts said the federal push to incentivize more efficient energy codes nationwide could lead to policies banning new buildings from having natural gas hookups and require them to be “all-electric.” “It’s a lot of money, and it’s clearly designed to push the Biden administration’s climate agenda onto state and local governments,” Ben Lieberman, a senior fellow at the Competitive Enterprise Institute, told Fox News Digital in an interview. “It’s being done through a number of carrots and sticks — carrots in the form of grants to standard-setting bodies and state and local governments if they go along with the climate agenda. “A big part of this is the war on natural gas,” Lieberman continued. “These building codes, that’s where you see these bans on natural gas hookups for new construction. You could also see other things like increasing the safety requirements for natural gas, not out of any legitimate concern over the safety of natural gas, but just trying to make things more expensive and more difficult for natural gas.” MAJOR ‘CLIMATE DECEPTION’ LAWSUIT AGAINST BIG OIL VOLUNTARILY DISMISSED Environmentalists have for years zeroed in on the U.S. buildings sector as part of their efforts to curb emissions and combat global warming. Buildings account for roughly 30% of total U.S. greenhouse gas emissions including electricity generation, and 13% of emissions excluding electricity, according to the Environmental Protection Agency. Several Democratic-led cities, including Los Angeles, San Diego, San Francisco, Seattle and New York City — collectively home to more than 10 million Americans — have also already enacted varying restrictions on natural gas hookups in recent years. “These local code updates are typically outside the public’s view because they’re so obscure and no one pays attention to them,” Diana Furchtgott-Roth, the director of the Heritage Foundation’s Center for Energy, Climate, and Environment, told Fox News Digital in an interview. “But that’s where a lot of the incentives for natural gas bans and electrification mandates are happening. This is over $500 million flowing to those localities for the express purpose of changing codes to effectively ban gas. “It’s going to be more expensive for consumers in the long run. The answer is to have energy and appliances on a level playing field and to let people choose what they want,” she said. “They’re perfectly capable of making those choices, and it’s very suspicious when the government is trying to incentivize them to do one thing or another.” In addition to the Biden administration’s efforts to push new, more energy-efficient building codes nationwide, it has also issued a wide range of new regulations targeting gas-powered home appliances. For example, it has taken aim at gas water heaters, stoves and furnaces, which critics say will only lead to higher prices for consumers.
Tamil Nadu Floods: 10 killed as heavy rains wreak havoc in several districts; schools, colleges shut
Visuals across social media platforms showed buildings going underwater as the Tamraparni river in Tirunelveli breached the danger mark.
Istanbulspor vs Trabzonspor game suspended as Turkish football resumes
Istanbulspor players leave the field in protest after the referee does not call a penalty in the match against Trabzonspor. The president of a Turkish football team ordered his players to leave the field in protest of an officiating decision during a game on Tuesday, just over a week after a referee was punched in the face. Halil Umut Meler had been attacked on the pitch last week after a 1-1 draw in a Super Lig game between Caykur Rizespor and MKE Ankaragucu. Faruk Koca, who was president of Ankaragucu, resigned and was banned by the Turkish Football Federation for punching Meler. Top-flight action returned on Tuesday and this time a match between Istanbulspor and Trabzonspor was in the spotlight. Istanbulspor president Ecmel Faik Sarialioglu came to the field and ordered his players off in the 73rd minute. He was upset that the referee did not call a penalty before Nigerian striker Paul Onuachu scored to give Trabzonspor a 2-1 lead. Egyptian midfielder Trezeguet scored the opening goal for Trabzonspor in the 11th minute at Necmi Kadıoglu Stadium. Muammer Sarikaya levelled in the 39th minute before Onuachu made it 2-1 for Trabzon in the 68th minute. Despite attempts by Trabzonspor’s president Ertugrul Dogan and several Istanbulspor players to convince Sarıalioglu to resume the match, Istanbulspor abandoned the field. The game was then suspended. The Turkish Football Federation (TFF) will make a decision about the match. History of violence against referees Violence in football is common in Turkey despite efforts to clamp down on it although direct attacks on top-level referees are rare. TFF chief Mehmet Buyukeksi blamed last week’s attack on a culture of contempt towards referees. “Everyone who has targeted referees and encouraged them to commit crimes is complicit in this despicable attack,” he said. “The irresponsible statements of club presidents, managers, coaches and television commentators targeting referees have opened the way for this attack.” Pierluigi Collina, chairman of FIFA’s referees committee, said last week’s incident was horrific. “Neither the referee nor the man deserved to live the experience he lived yesterday in Ankara. He was doing his job when he was assaulted on the field of play at the end of a match he just officiated,” Collina said. Referees in Turkey are often criticised by club managers and presidents for their decisions. Adblock test (Why?)
Man City beat Urawa Red Diamonds to book Club World Cup final
European champions City beat Asian champions Urawa Red Diamonds 3-0 to set up a final against Brazil’s Fluminense. Manchester City have set up a Club World Cup final against Brazilian side Fluminense after cruising to a 3-0 win over Japan’s Urawa Red Diamonds despite their early struggles at the King Abdullah Sports City stadium in Jeddah. The European champions were frustrated by a well-organised Japanese side during the opening half but took the lead with an own goal by Marius Hoibraten in stoppage time on Tuesday night’s second semifinal. Mateo Kovacic made it 2-0 in the 52nd minute with his first goal since joining City from Chelsea and Bernardo Silva’s deflected shot a few minutes later meant City could play the rest of the game in cruise control. Pep Guardiola’s City, who had won only three of their previous eight games in all competitions, are looking to become the fourth English club to win the title after Manchester United, Liverpool and Chelsea. “The players know how important it is for the club,” Guardiola, who won the title twice with Barcelona and once with Bayern Munich, said. “To be in this final, you have to do incredible things, like win the Champions League. This may be the only time we play this in our lifetime. “We will try to win the title we don’t have to complete the circle.” City have suffered some domestic wobbles of late and have slipped off the pace in the Premier League in their quest for a fourth successive title. But even with Erling Haaland still missing and Guardiola shuffling his pack after Saturday’s 2-2 draw with Crystal Palace, they had far too much for the J1 League side. The #ClubWC Final is set. 🔒@ManCity | @FluminenseFC — FIFA World Cup (@FIFAWorldCup) December 19, 2023 Favourites for world title They will start as heavy favourites in Friday’s final against Copa Libertadores champions Fluminense who on Monday beat Egypt’s Al Ahly 2-0. Fluminense and Al Ahly presented a throwback look at a competition dominated for two decades by the wealthiest European clubs who have hired waves of global talent. A team of 11 South Americans, including nine Brazilians, started against 11 Africans, including nine from Egypt, for the Cairo club. Veteran Brazil internationals Marcelo – a five-time Champions League winner with Real Madrid – and Felipe Melo are being rewarded again for coming home from long careers in Europe to enjoy late-career blooms with the Copa Libertadores winner. Urawa Red Diamonds will face Al Ahly in the third-place playoff on Friday. Fluminense’s Marcelo, German Cano and Guga, from left, celebrate at the end of their semifinal win over Al Ahly FC at King Abdullah Sports City Stadium in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia on Monday [Manu Fernandez/AP Photo] Adblock test (Why?)