NY Times reporter roasted after ‘unitary executive theory’ flub in Trump OMB nominee story
A New York Times reporter sparked controversy this week after suggesting in an article that President-elect Trump’s nominee to head the Office of Management and Budget, Russell T. Vough, helped promote a “unitary executive theory” ahead of Trump’s second term. It drew sharp criticism on social media and among conservative analysts who argued the description of the theory was fundamentally untrue. The report in question by Alan Rappeport focused on Vought’s nomination to head up OMB during Trump’s second presidency, a position he also held during Trump’s first term, and the work Vought did after Trump left office. In the years after Trump’s first term, the Times report says, Vought founded a conservative think tank and served as an architect of Project 2025, described in the report as an effort by conservative groups to help advance executive branch power. SUPREME COURT UPHOLDS LOOMING TIKTOK BAN The report says the legal underpinning of Project 2025 is “a maximalist version of the so-called unitary executive theory that rejects the idea that the government is composed of three separate branches” and “argues that presidential power over federal agencies is absolute.” Though the article has since been updated to describe the unitary executive theory as three “separate but equal branches,” the article was panned by conservatives and others who disagreed with the Times’ characterization of the legal theory. It was the second part of the statement in particular that sparked backlash from conservative commentators, including National Review editor Charles Cooke, who argued in an op-ed that the Constitution and its wording, in his view, is explicit about how the executive, legislative and judicial branches can exercise power and about the limitations of the executive branch. “The United States is a democratic republic in which elected officials are held accountable for their decisions,” Cooke wrote in an op-ed for the National Review. TRUMP INAUGURATION GUEST LIST INCLUDES TECH TITANS MARK ZUCKERBERG, JEFF BEZOS, ELON MUSK “The only elected official who holds power within the executive branch is the president. For anyone else to exercise power without the permission or endorsement of the sole electee would be to create a fourth branch of government, unmoored from oversight, and thereby to undermine the whole apparatus.” Others also took aim at the article on social media, arguing the Times reporter fundamentally misunderstood the unitary executive theory. “This is bad, even for the New York Times,” Iowa law school professor Andy Grewal wrote in a widely-shared post on X. The New York Times did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s request for a response.
Appeals court deals blow to Obama-era amnesty for Dreamers
A federal appeals court on Friday ruled against an Obama-era policy that provides amnesty and a pathway to citizenship for illegal immigrants who entered the U.S. as children. A three-judge panel of the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in New Orleans ruled unanimously that a new version of the policy issued by President Biden in 2022 overstepped the executive branch’s authority. The decision by two Republican-appointed judges and one Democratic-appointed judge is the latest blow to the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program in a string of legal challenges that has kept 500,000 so-called Dreamers waiting for a resolution for more than a decade. The decision Friday does not immediately change the status quo. Program beneficiaries can still renew temporary permits to live and work in the United States without fear of deportation. But the federal government remains prohibited from issuing new applications. However, Friday’s decision does create an opportunity for DACA to be appealed to the Supreme Court for a third time. And it comes just three days before President-elect Trump assumes office with his promise to begin mass deportations of illegal immigrants. TRUMP ADMINISTRATION PLANNING ILLEGAL IMMIGRANT ARRESTS THROUGHOUT US ON ‘DAY ONE’ In his first term, Trump attempted to end DACA, but he also made statements expressing his desire for Dreamers to be permitted to stay in the U.S. Obama introduced DACA in 2012, citing inaction by Congress on legislation aimed at giving those brought to the U.S. as children a path to legal status. Legal battles followed, including two trips to the Supreme Court. DEM SENATOR QUIZZES NOEM ON HOW SHE WILL WORK WITH HOMAN: ‘WHO IS IN CHARGE?’ Biden’s 2022 update to the policy did not change much substantively, but it was subject to public comment as part of a formal rule-making process intended to improve its chances of surviving in court. Texas Attorney General Ken Paton, who led the challenge on behalf of Republican-led states, called Friday’s ruling “a major victory.” TRUMP DHS PICK NOEM PLEDGES TO END CONTROVERSIAL APP USED BY MIGRANTS ON ‘DAY ONE’ “I look forward to working with President-elect Donald Trump to ensure that the rule of law is restored, and the illegal immigration crisis is finally stopped,” Paxton said. The Department of Homeland Security did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment. In 2016, with one vacancy on the Supreme Court, the justices deadlocked 4-4 over an expanded DACA and a version of the program for parents of DACA recipients, keeping in place a lower court decision for the benefits to be blocked. In 2020, the high court ruled 5-4 that the Trump administration improperly ended DACA by failing to follow federal procedures, allowing it to stay in place.
Saif Ali Khan stabbing case: Police detains a suspect from Chattisgarh’s Durg, two new CCTV Footages surface
Police have finally detained a suspect from Chattisgarh. The police received information that the suspect was traveling on a train, after which he was taken off the train with the help of local police.
Biden appointed more federal judges than Trump did in his first term, new research shows
President-elect Trump appointed three Supreme Court justices during his first White House term, significantly reshaping the nation’s top court. But President Biden appointed more federal judges than Trump in the past four years. According to fresh data from the Federal Judiciary Center, Biden is slated to end his tenure having installed 228 judges to U.S. district and appellate courts, including record numbers of female and minority judges to district courts across the country. That total was aided in part by a flurry of eleventh-hour confirmations by Senate Democrats, who scrambled to approve Biden’s judicial nominees last month in the final days of the 118th Congress and while they still held a narrow majority in the chamber. SUPREME COURT UPHOLDS LOOMING TIKTOK BAN Trump appointed 226 federal and appellate court judges during his first White House term, just under Biden’s total. Biden also placed one justice on the Supreme Court, Ketanji Brown Jackson, the first Black woman on the nation’s highest court. Sixty percent of the judges appointed by Biden are Black, Hispanic, Asian or part of another racial or ethnic minority group, according to data compiled by the Pew Research Center, the highest percentage for any U.S. president. Biden’s federal judge appointments, both in their diversity and scope, bear similarities to another single-term Democratic president, Jimmy Carter. CARTER’S JUDICIAL PICKS RESHAPED THE FEDERAL BENCH ACROSS THE COUNTRY Unlike Biden, Carter did not appoint anyone to the Supreme Court. But he appointed more than 260 federal and appellate court judges during his four years in office, including record numbers of women and minority judges, helping the courts better reflect the populations they represented. The appointments helped reshape the federal bench and paved the way for women and minorities to serve on the Supreme Court. Most notably, Carter is credited with installing Ruth Bader Ginsburg on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit, a decision that set her up later for promotion when Democratic President Clinton tapped her for the nation’s highest court in 1993.
‘I have not done this, one IPS is…’: Here’s what Sanjay Roy told court after conviction in Kolkata doctor rape-murder
After his conviction in the horrific rape and murder of a trainee doctor at Kolkata’s RG Kar Medical College, civic volunteer Sanjay Roy claimed before the court that he is being “falsely implicated” in the case.
Kolkata doctor-rape-murder case: What are possible punishments for guilty Sanjay Roy?
Months after the horrific rape and murder of a trainee doctor at Kolkata’s RG Kar Medical College, the Sealdah sessions court found civic volunteer Sanjay Roy guilty.
Many Texas schools take “wait and see” approach to Trump’s mass deportation plans
Schools near the border say it’s hard to prepare for the unknown. Immigration advocates say they should help communities understand students’ rights.
Four killed in Russian drone and missile attack on Ukraine’s Kyiv
Dawn raid on busy Shevchenkivskyi district also damaged water pipeline and forced closure of metro station. At least four people have been killed in a Russian drone and missile attack on the Ukrainian capital. Timur Tkachenko, head of Kyiv’s military administration, said the attack at dawn on Saturday took place in the city’s centrally located Shevchenkivskyi district. “Stay in shelters,” said Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko, in a post on Telegram on Saturday morning. He had warned of a “ballistic missile threat” against the capital hours earlier and said air defences were in operation around the city. Windows were shattered in Shevchenkivskyi district, including those at the entrance of the Lukianivska metro station, which was closed down, according to the mayor. Shevchenkivskyi area is a busy part of Kyiv with universities, bars and restaurants. Also on Saturday, Russian forces “attacked the centre” of Zaporizhzhia, injuring two people, according to local governor Ivan Fedorov. An administrative building of an industrial facility was partially damaged, he said. Firefighters work at the site of the damaged Lukianivska metro station after a Russian missile attack on Kyiv [Efrem Lukatsky/AP Photo] Reporting from Kyiv, Al Jazeera’s Jonah Hull said explosions were heard at about 6am (04:00 GMT), “reverberating amid a volley of anti-aircraft fire, with air alerts suggesting both ballistic missile and drone threats”. Advertisement He said that smoke was seen coming out of a residential building. Later that morning, the Ukrainian Air Force reported that it had destroyed 24 drones and two ballistic missiles that were launched as part of the same attack. Ukrainian counterattacks The rare strike on the heart of the Ukrainian capital comes in the middle of intensified Ukrainian aerial attacks on Russian energy and military facilities in recent months. Ukraine’s army has hit several Russian oil depots recently, including two major strikes on a facility near a military airfield in Russia’s Saratov region that triggered days-long blazes. Late on Friday, a Ukrainian drone attack on Lyudinovo in Russia’s Kaluga region sparked a fire at an industrial site, according to regional governor Vladislav Shapsha. Video posted on unofficial Russian social media sites showed firefighting vehicles speeding off in the direction of a large blaze at what they said was an oil storage depot in the city. No casualties were reported. Adblock test (Why?)
What is ‘Dreams on a Pillow’, the Palestinian game about the Nakba?
Can a video game make you feel the weight of history? That’s the ambitious goal of a new pseudo-3D stealth adventure game called “Dreams on a Pillow”, launched by Palestinian game developers. The game is inspired by the events of the 1948 Nakba or “catastrophe”, referring to the ethnic cleansing of 750,000 Palestinians from their homes located in what is now the state of Israel. It is slated to be released in 2026. [embedded content] So what do we know about the game that is launched at a time when Palestinians are hoping this week’s ceasefire deal between Hamas and Israel for Gaza, where more than 46,000 people have been killed in the 15-month-long Israeli bombardment of the strip, will actually hold? Who is behind the game and what is its goal? The game is the brainchild of Rasheed Abueideh, a developer based in the Israeli-occupied West Bank. “We are trying to make this game a masterpiece,” Abueideh, the game’s director and designer, told Al Jazeera. His last game, Liyla and the Shadows of War, based on the 2014 Israeli offensive in Gaza, was a huge hit. Advertisement “It’s a heavy story. And we want to inject all of these pieces of information through a gameplay that resonates with the players,” he said. Abueideh, who is based in Nablus in the West Bank, says he would like the world to understand that the Israeli war on Gaza is a direct result of previous events and decisions beyond the event of October 7, 2023. Concept art shows images from the new game based on the Nakba [Courtesy of Dreams on a Pillow] The game, he says, is also an attempt to highlight and share the rich history of Palestine. Despite his past success, he has struggled to get funding from conventional sources. So he crowdsourced on LaunchGood, a global crowdfunding platform focused on supporting Muslim communities worldwide. Dreams on a Pillow reached its funding goal of $194,800 on January 7. At the time of writing, the video game project has raised $218,272. The current funding for the game is enough to start development and should cover costs for the first year including salaries, outsourcing and asset creation. According to Abueideh, LaunchGood emerged as one of the few viable options for fundraising efforts, as many mainstream crowdfunding platforms refused to help. Palestine-related content often faces heightened scrutiny and, in some cases, outright prohibition. The censorship or even the shadow banning of pro-Palestine content has been well documented. In May 2023, a YouTube video made by Palestinian officials, which was meant to be presented at a United Nations Human Rights Council meeting, was removed from the platform. The platform has been accused of violating the digital rights of Palestinians. Advertisement Investigations by rights organisations and media outlets have revealed the removal and suppression of pro-Palestinian content from social media platforms such Instagram and Facebook. Netflix removed nearly all 32 films about Palestine on its platform. The streaming giant attributed the removal of the films to the expiration of three-year licensing agreements. However, this sudden deletion prompted an outcry from human rights groups and individuals across social media platforms, according to broadcaster TRT World. Why is @Netflix purging so many of its films and content regarding Palestinians and Palestine? Look at all of the Palestinian stories that are “leaving soon.” Israel is already trying to erase the Palestinians of Gaza and the West Bank. Why is @Netflix erasing Palestinian… pic.twitter.com/rXEmcVqvJ8 — Sunjeev Bery (@Sunjeev_Bery) October 13, 2024 What’s the story behind Dreams on a Pillow? The central theme of the game is based on Palestinian folklore around the legend of Omm, a young mother who flees the 1948 Israeli massacre in Tantura, a Palestinian town now part of Israel. While escaping through other Palestinian villages and refugee camps on her way to Lebanon, she witnessed events that unfolded in these communities and cities along the way. According to Abueideh, this journey serves as a lens through which we observe the broader historical context and personal experiences of displacement during this tumultuous period. Omm’s husband falls victim to Israeli invaders. Frantically, she rushes home to save her newborn child. In her haste and terror, she flees the town, only to discover later that she had mistakenly grabbed a pillow instead of her baby. Advertisement The story’s conclusion varies significantly depending on the storyteller and audience. In most renditions, the mother descends into madness. Other versions depict either her murder or her successful evasion of Israeli patrols and military units, leading to her escape from her homeland – a place she might not see again. In a recent Ask Me Anything (AMA) live on Reddit, Abueideh states why Omm was chosen: “The young mother’s experiences highlight how devastating the Nakba was, particularly the psychological impact it had on her. This adds a deeper layer to understanding what happened, shedding light on the emotional and mental toll that is often overlooked when discussing the crimes committed,” explained Abueideh. Zionist militias committed more than 70 massacres that resulted in the killing of more than 15,000 Palestinians leading up to the creation of Israel in 1948. Concept art for the game which is set in historic Palestine [Courtesy of Dreams on a Pillow] What was the theme of Liyla and the Shadows of War? In 2016, Abueideh’s small team of developers in Palestine released Liyla and the Shadows of War for PC and mobile platforms, which was based on Israel’s 2014 Gaza offensive. The Israeli military operation, named Operation Protective Edge, resulted in the killing of 2,300 Palestinians and 73 Israelis. According to Abueideh, Liyla and the Shadows of War was quite successful receiving millions of downloads and was awarded first place for Excellence in Storyboarding for the International Mobile Gaming Awards for Middle East North Africa. Advertisement The game was built around a Palestinian family’s harrowing experience during Israel’s military campaign in Gaza, as they fought to stay alive amid the conflict and destruction. “We followed a
Two Iranian Supreme Court justices killed in Tehran shooting attack
Assailant kills himself after shooting senior justices in the centre of the Iranian capital. Two senior justices in the Iranian Supreme Court have been killed in a shooting attack outside the tribunal building in central Tehran, according to the judiciary and state media. The “assassination” was carried out by an armed person, who killed himself after opening fire early on Saturday outside the court, according to a statement by the media centre of the judiciary. The victims were identified as Hojjat al-Islam Razini and Hojjat al-Islam wal-Muslimeen Moqisseh, each of whom presided over a different branch of the court. “[They] were actively involved in combating crimes against national security, espionage, and terrorism,” the statement added, describing the slain judges as “courageous and experienced”. The identity of the attacker and his motive were not immediately clear. “Preliminary investigations indicate that the perpetrator had no prior cases in the Supreme Court nor was he one of its visitors,” the statement said. According to the state-owned Tehran Times, a bodyguard was also injured in the attack on Saturday, the first working day of the week in the Iranian calendar. Advertisement Iranian media said an investigation was under way to identify and arrest other suspects who may have been involved in the attack. In 1998, Razini was also the subject of an attempted assassination attack while he was serving as head of Tehran’s judiciary. Adblock test (Why?)