Harris slammed as ‘CopyCatKamala’ for following Trump’s lead on exempting taxes on tips
Vice President Kamala Harris is under fire from critics and conservatives for “copying” former President Trump’s campaign vow to not tax service industry employees’ tips after the Biden-Harris administration rolled out a plan to crack down on waiters’ tips. “Now is a good time to remind everyone that #CopyCatKamala’s administration rolled out a new enforcement program JUST LAST YEAR to collect more taxes on tips! She could stop it now… but she won’t, because she’s a dishonest fraud!” Trump campaign political director James Blair posted to X. Blair was responding to Harris revealing at a campaign rally in Las Vegas, Nevada, on Saturday that she supports the elimination of taxes on service industry workers’ tips. ”It is my promise to everyone here when I am president we will continue to fight for working families, including to raise the minimum wage and eliminate taxes on tips for service and hospitality workers,” Harris said at the rally. BIDEN’S IRS PLANS TO CRACK DOWN ON WAITERS’ TIPS Trump had already vowed earlier this summer that he would eliminate taxes on service industry tips if re-elected to the Oval Office, and included the promise on the 2024 GOP platform. “This is the first time I’ve said this and for those hotel workers and people that get tips, you’re going to be very happy, because when I get to office we are going to not charge taxes on tips, people making tips… It’s been a point of contention for years and years and years, and you do a great job of service, you take care of people, and I think it’s going to be something that really is deserved,” Trump said back in June during a rally in Las Vegas. TRUMP CAMPAIGN RIPS UNION THAT REJECTED HIS TIPS PLEDGE WHILE ENDORSING HARRIS: ‘CONTINUE TO BE PUPPETS’ Harris joining Trump in calling for the elimination of the tax on tips comes after the Biden administration rolled out a voluntary tip reporting system last year for industry workers that works to streamline tax compliance on tips. “The Treasury Department and Internal Revenue Service today issued Notice 2023-13, which contains a proposed revenue procedure that would establish the Service Industry Tip Compliance Agreement (SITCA) program, a voluntary tip reporting program between the IRS and employers in various service industries,” the IRS said in a press release last year of the plan. The plan was criticized by tax experts at the time as a crackdown on “waitresses’ tips” after the IRS hired 87,000 new agents under the Biden administration, Fox News Digital reported last year. INTERNET SHREDS BIDEN’S IRS PLAN TO TARGET WORKERS’ TIPS: ‘FINALLY, WE’RE GONNA TAKE DOWN THE RICH WAITRESSES’ “Washington has a spending problem, not a revenue problem,” Rep. Mike Kelly, R-Pa., the chairman of the Ways and Means Subcommittee on Tax, told Fox News Digital at the time. “Now, the IRS is going after middle-income families and working moms and dads who are just trying to make ends meet and put food on the table.” “My colleagues and I have warned for months that the IRS would start targeting hardworking Americans in the Biden administration’s quest for more taxpayer dollars. Now, we’re starting to see some of these concerns come to fruition,” he added. Following Harris saying Saturday that she also wants to eliminate taxes on tips, Trump accused Harris of stealing the plan and slammed her as a “copycat.” TRUMP PLEDGES TO ELIMINATE TAXES ON TIPS FOR SERVICE WORKERS DURING LAS VEGAS RALLY ”Kamala Harris, whose ‘Honeymoon’ period is ENDING, and is starting to get hammered in the Polls, just copied my NO TAXES ON TIPS Policy,” Trump wrote. “The difference is, she won’t do it, she just wants it for Political Purposes! This was a TRUMP idea—She has no ideas, she can only steal from me,” he added. REPUBLICANS BLAST BIDEN ADMIN OVER PLAN TO CRACK DOWN ON WAITERS’ TIPS Other critics on social media slammed Harris for “copying” Trump as the veep squares up against the 45th president after President Biden dropped out of the race last month amid mounting concerns surrounding his mental acuity and 81 years of age. Critics frequently used the hashtag “#CopyCatKamala” when calling out the vice president for “copying” Trump, sparking the hashtag to trend on X over the weekend. The Harris campaign did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment on the criticisms and SITCA program. Get the latest updates from the 2024 campaign trail, exclusive interviews and more at our Fox News Digital election hub.
Meet man, an Indian lawyer who used to fly in his private plane to argue cases in court, he belonged to…
He would also fly in it from Patna to small towns in Bihar and Jharkhand for trials, if there was a proper landing area. The clients would then take him as a pillion on their bicycles.
Weather update: IMD predicts heavy rainfall in several states; check full forecast for upcoming week
Earlier in the day, it was reported that heavy rainfall lashed several parts of Ambala city on Sunday, disrupting normal life and causing water logging in the city.
Rajesh and Rashmi Bothra, RB Investments founders, allegedly defrauded banks of Rs 12000 crore
The allegations have cast a shadow over their achievements. The fraud reportedly involves multiple Indian banks and their branches in foreign locations.
Ex-North Dakota politician admits to traveling to Czech Republic for sex with minor
A powerful former North Dakota lawmaker pleaded guilty in federal court Thursday to a charge that he traveled to Europe with the intent to pay for sex with a minor. Ray Holmberg, 80, of Grand Forks, admitted in court that he had paid young male masseuses, with some of whom he had sexual contact, during multiple visits to the Czech Republic, though he said he did not know for certain how old they were. Holmberg was indicted in October 2023 for travel with intent to engage in illicit sexual activity and receipt and attempted receipt of child sexual abuse material. The Republican served more than 45 years in the North Dakota Senate before resigning in 2022. NORTH DAKOTA POLITICIAN CHARGED WITH TRAVELING TO CZECH REPUBLIC FOR SEX WITH MINOR Under a plea agreement he signed in June, Holmberg agreed to plead guilty to the former charge, and prosecutors would move to dismiss the latter and recommend a sentence at the low end of the guideline range. Judge Daniel Hovland accepted his plea and allowed Holmberg to remain released, with restrictions, until a later sentencing hearing. Wearing a dark suit, the disgraced former lawmaker declined to comment after the hearing. The travel charge carries a maximum penalty of 30 years in prison, a $250,000 fine and lifetime supervised release. In the plea agreement, Holmberg acknowledged that he had “repeatedly traveled from Grand Forks, North Dakota to Prague, Czech Republic with a motivating purpose of engaging in commercial sex with adolescent-age individuals under the age of 18 years.” ND POLITICIAN ACCUSED OF TRAVELING TO PRAGUE FOR SEX WITH MINOR TOOK TAXPAYER-FUNDED TRIPS TO CITY: REPORT In court, Assistant U.S. Attorney Jennifer Puhl detailed the allegations against Holmberg, including his emails with others related to his encounters in Prague. Puhl said he made 14 trips to Prague from 2011 to 2021 and frequented a villa that one travel companion described as a brothel that had teenage male masseuses. Another travel companion told investigators that he paid for the nights at the villa because Holmberg did not want his name on the register, Puhl said. Puhl said the investigation began around 2020-21 as child-exploitation investigators were looking into a landscaper Holmberg knew named Nicholas James Morgan-Derosier. She said investigators interviewed an 18-year-old former employee of Morgan-Derosier’s who said he had sex with Holmberg in exchange for a condo association landscaping contract, and also saw Morgan-Derosier and Holmberg view child sexual abuse material at Holmberg’s house. In 2022, after initially announcing he wouldn’t seek reelection, Holmberg resigned his Senate seat after The Forum of Fargo-Moorhead reported on dozens of text messages the lawmaker exchanged with Morgan-Derosier, who was in jail at the time. Morgan-Derosier is currently serving a 40-year prison sentence. The judge asked Holmberg how he got “caught up in this lifestyle,” the age of the youngest person he paid for sex and whether he traveled to other countries for the same purpose. Holmberg, a retired high school counselor, said, “It was just something — I don’t want to say fell into … that I did,” and “it was after retirement before any of this activity occurred.” He retired in 2002. He said he had been to Prague a few times before 2011, liking opera and castles. He said he generally traveled by himself. Holmberg said he became aware of the villa after possibly seeing it online, but said he wasn’t sure how old the masseuses were or how many encounters he had with them. Sexual contact occurred with “some of them,” he said. He noted that the Czech Republic has a younger age of consent than the U.S. does and said he didn’t recall traveling to other countries for the same purpose. “I’ve been in a number of countries and the only one that sticks out is the Czech Republic,” he said. SCHOOL BOARDS GROUP BACKS OUT OF TEACHER EXCHANGE PROGRAM AMID EX-NORTH DAKOTA LAWMAKER’S CHARGES Holmberg has been under numerous conditions of release, including travel restrictions, location monitoring and the surrender of his passport. On Friday, a pretrial services officer filed a report saying Holmberg hadn’t met those conditions, including unapproved Internet access, a visit to an adult novelty store and testing positive once for alcohol. Holmberg was not arrested. The judge said he will respect an agreement between Holmberg’s attorney and prosecutors for him to remain on release before his sentencing. His attorney, Mark Friese, cited Holmberg’s various health issues and upcoming medical appointments. The judge told Holmberg he is concerned about his compliance. For many years, Holmberg chaired the Senate Appropriations Committee, which writes budgets. He also chaired the Legislative Management panel, which handles various business between biennial sessions. That job let him approve his own travel. Records obtained by The Associated Press showed Holmberg took dozens of trips throughout the U.S. and to other countries since 1999. Destinations included cities in more than 30 states, as well as Canada, Puerto Rico and Norway. Earlier this year, the North Dakota School Boards Association returned about $142,000 to the state and ended its role in the Global Bridges teacher exchange program months after releasing travel records following Holmberg’s indictment that showed he utilized state funds when he traveled to Prague and other European cities in 2011, 2018 and 2019. It’s unclear whether the misconduct alleged by authorities occurred during any of those trips. The factors in Holmberg’s case make it arguably the most significant political scandal in North Dakota history, former U.S. Attorney Tim Purdon said. “You have a very high-profile politician. You have literally the worst allegation you possibly could come up with, the sexual abuse and rape of a child,” he said. “And then you have the idea that tax dollars paid for the plane ticket.” In a statement, North Dakota Attorney General Drew Wrigley called Holmberg’s guilty plea “an important milestone in North Dakota’s battle against child sex trafficking. Former State Senator Ray Holmberg has admitted his heinous crimes and now stands convicted of conduct that fuels
Israeli army orders Gaza ‘humanitarian zone’ evacuation
The Israeli military has ordered more evacuations in southern Gaza after a deadly air strike on a school-turned-shelter in the north killed more than 100 Palestinians, according to local health authorities. Hundreds of families carrying their belongings in their arms left their homes and shelters in Khan Younis early on Sunday, seeking elusive refuge. Israel has repeatedly ordered mass evacuations as its troops have returned to heavily damaged areas where they had previously battled Palestinian fighters. The vast majority of Gaza’s 2.3 million people has been displaced by the 10-month war, often multiple times. Hundreds of thousands have crammed into squalid tent camps with few public services or have sought shelter in schools like the one struck on Saturday in Gaza City. Palestinians say nowhere in the besieged territory feels safe. The latest evacuation orders apply to areas in Khan Younis, including part of an Israeli-declared humanitarian zone from which the military said rockets had been fired. Israel accuses Hamas and other Palestinian armed groups of hiding among civilians and launching attacks from residential areas. Khan Younis, Gaza’s second largest city, has suffered widespread destruction during Israeli air and ground attacks. Tens of thousands of people fled again last week after an earlier evacuation order. Gaza’s Ministry of Health says the Palestinian death toll from the war is approaching 40,000 with more than 92,000 wounded. Aid groups have struggled to address the staggering humanitarian crisis in the territory while international experts have warned of famine. Adblock test (Why?)
Gaza school attack renews calls for US to end support for Israel
NewsFeed US Democratic Presidential Candidate Kamala Harris has condemned Israel’s attack on a school in Gaza where forcibly displaced Palestinian civilians were sheltering, as people around the world demand an end to the staunch US support for Israel. Published On 11 Aug 202411 Aug 2024 Adblock test (Why?)
‘A dream’: How the Americas’ first free town took its independence back
San Basilio de Palenque, Colombia – Overlooking the usually sleepy, languid town of San Basilio de Palenque is a statue of Benkos Bioho, runaway slave, town founder, and symbol of the town’s heritage and unique nature. “Africa is everything to me, it’s everything to us Palenqueros,” says Nuno Bembele, education adviser of the San Basilio de Palenque community council, who is sitting in the shade of the town square, wearing a bright green polo shirt emblazoned with the image of Bioho. ‘Africa is everything to me.’ Nuno Bembele, education adviser of the San Basilio de Palenque community council [Inigo Alexander/Al Jazeera] Nestled away in Colombia’s rumbling, green hills, the town is hot and lush, and quiet murmurs of pedestrian activity pepper the humble town square. It’s a quiet Saturday afternoon and the town is still following a brief downpour. People amble around the two parallel streets that frame the square – the only two paved streets in town – seemingly looking for something to do. Most others pass the time simply sitting on their stoops, or clustered around a large speaker blaring traditional vallenato and sipping on cold beers or sharing lukewarm rum to whittle away the hours. A smattering of elderly men sit around a plastic table and play dominoes by the side of the road, while – behind them – a group of schoolchildren play football barefoot, their sliders and flip-flops strewn in a pile by the side of their makeshift pitch, with stones filling in as goalposts. But this afternoon, this quintessentially Colombian scene is suddenly interrupted by the rhythmic beat of distant drums. “Viva Palenque!”, someone chants. Near the town square of San Basilio de Palenque [Inigo Alexander/Al Jazeera] San Basilio is known as the first free town, established by former slaves, in the Americas and lies 50km (31 miles) from the popular port city of Cartagena. After breaking his chains and freeing himself from slavery at the hands of the Spanish colonial rulers, Bioho – originally from modern-day Guinea Bissau – established the small town in the 17th century as a safe haven for former slaves like himself. He successfully planned and led the escape of 30 fellow slaves from Cartagena in 1619, and fought off attempts from the Spanish to recapture them. Bioho – “King Benkos” as he came to be known – and the slaves set up modern-day San Basilio as an enclave of liberation for emancipated slaves. They successfully fought to free many fellow slaves from Cartagena and integrate them into their new community. Efforts from the Spanish colonial forces to suppress the growth of San Basilio failed, and the town grew into its own independent community, led by King Benkos. Eventually, in 1691, the Spanish Crown offered the town its freedom and autonomy as long as it ceased to harbour runaway slaves, although many continued to join. Bioho led such efforts until his capture and execution at the hands of the Spanish colonists in 1621. A statue of Benkos Bioho breaking free from his chains. Bioho was a runaway slave who challenged Spanish colonial rule and established the town of San Basilio de Palenque as a safe haven for emancipated slaves in the 17th century [Inigo Alexander/Al Jazeera] As the town grew, so too did its own culture and identity – and even its own language, Palenquero, which is still spoken in the town to this day and is an integral element in the town’s unique identity. In 1772, a peace agreement was reached, integrating the town into the municipality of Mahates under the condition of no longer accepting escapees, and has remained under its jurisdiction since. Until now. For the second time in its history, the town of San Basilio de Palenque has regained its independence, after the Colombian Senate passed an amendment to the law giving the town the title of “special municipality”, granting it autonomous rule and governance. A mural depicting words in Palenquero, a language spoken exclusively in the town and which is rooted in African Bantu languages, alongside a Black Lives Matter message in San Basilio de Palenque [Inigo Alexander/Al Jazeera] Taking back the ‘reins of destiny’ On May 21 – national Afro-Colombian day – the Colombian Senate approved a modification to the law allowing San Basilio de Palenque to officially be recognised as its own autonomous municipality, granting it independence from the municipality of Mahates which has historically been responsible for the town, much to the locals’ chagrin. The decision is somewhat unconventional, as the town has only 4,200 inhabitants and towns of such a reduced size are not normally given such a degree of autonomy in Colombia. Usually, only towns with populations of at least 25,000 are considered for the status of municipality. However, given the town’s cultural, historical and ethnic significance, the Senate made an exception. The campaign to gain administrative autonomy kicked off in 2013, and had passed through to debate in the Senate on several occasions, though it had not been voted through. A mural honouring the town founder and slave liberator, Benkos Bioho, in San Basilio de Palenque [Inigo Alexander/Al Jazeera] Now, finally, San Basilio will have its own local mayor and administrative body, as well as dedicated funding from the state. The movement also hopes to bolster Afro-Colombian culture, traditions and identity which often get overlooked and generally lack space and support. “What is coming for Palenque is a dream. The municipality symbolises the struggle of Benkos, our independence, our autonomy. The children of Palenque can now take the reins of the destiny of San Basilio,” Pedro Marquez, a San Basilio native and local educator, tells Al Jazeera from a rocking chair on his stoop as he watches children and the occasional horse idle up and down his humble, dirt street. A street in San Basilio de Palenque [Inigo Alexander/Al Jazeera] The legal amendment to officially recognise and implement San Basilio’s new status has yet to be ratified by the regional authorities and signed off by the Colombian
Friends Media, E4M Join Hands, Hindi Journalism’s ’40Under40′ To Be Honoured
This year, Friends Media has partnered with Exchange4Media (E4M) as the title sponsor for the event, marking a significant collaboration in the media industry.
2024 showdown: New polls this weekend in three key battlegrounds in Harris-Trump White House race
New polls coming out of three key battleground states indicate that Vice President Harris is ahead of former President Trump. According to polls released this weekend by Siena College for the New York Times, Harris tops Trump by four points – 50% to 46% – among likely voters in Michigan, Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin. The surveys, conducted August 5-9, are the latest to indicate the transformation of the presidential race in the wake of Harris replacing President Biden at the top of the Democratic Party’s national ticket last month. Trump saw his polling edge over Biden expand in the wake of late June’s disastrous debate performance by the president, which spurred questions over whether the 81-year-old Biden was physically and mentally up to another four years in the White House. HEAD HERE FOR THE LATEST FOX NEWS POLLING IN THE 2024 ELECTION Democrats quickly coalesced around Harris after Biden ended his re-election bid on July 21, amid growing calls from within his own party for the president to drop out of the race. In the three weeks since Biden’s blockbuster announcement, a slew of national and key swing state polls have indicated it’s a margin-of-error race between Harris and Trump. HARRIS AND WALZ TRADE FIRE WITH TRUMP AND VANCE IN BATTLEGROUND STATES FIGHT According to the new surveys, in a multi-candidate field that also includes Democrat turned independent Robert F. Kennedy Jr., Green Party candidate Jill Stein, and independent Cornel West, Harris edges Trump by two-points in Pennsylvania and holds a five-point lead in Michigan and six points in Wisconsin. Kennedy, who earlier this year enjoyed support in the teens in some polling, registered in the mid-single digits in the new surveys. The polls were conducted slightly before and mostly after the vice president on Tuesday announced Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz as her running mate on the Democrats’ 2024 ticket. The two teamed up for large rallies Tuesday evening in Pennsylvania, and Wednesday in Wisconsin and Michigan. The three states are known as the Democrats’ ‘blue wall,’ which the party reliably won in presidential elections for nearly a quarter-century before Trump narrowly carried them in capturing the White House eight years ago. In 2020, President Biden won back all three states with razor-thin margins as he defeated Trump, and the states remain extremely competitive in the 2024 presidential election. The New York Times Times/Siena College polls were conducted between Aug. 5-8 with 619 registered voters in Michigan and 661 in Wisconsin. The Pennsylvania survey was conducted between Aug. 6-9 with 693 registered voters. The sampling error for each survey was plus or minus 4.8 percentage points in Michigan, plus or minus 4.3 percentage points in Wisconsin and plus or minus 4.2 percentage points in Pennsylvania. Besides the bump in polling, Harris has also enjoyed a surge in fundraising since replacing Biden at the top of the Democrats’ ticket and again after naming Walz as her running mate. Trump campaign chief pollster and top adviser Tony Fabrizio argues that the surge for Harris won’t last. “We are witnessing a kind of out of body experience where we have suspended reality for a couple of weeks,” Fabrizio told reporters at a Trump campaign briefing on Thursday. Get the latest updates from the 2024 campaign trail, exclusive interviews and more at our Fox News Digital election hub.