Form, teams, head-to-head: India vs New Zealand – Women’s T20 World Cup
Who: India vs New ZealandWhat: ICC Women’s T20 World Cup 2024 Group A matchWhen: Friday, October 4 at 6pm (14:00 GMT)Where: Dubai International Cricket Stadium, Dubai, United Arab EmiratesHow to follow: Al Jazeera’s live text coverage begins at 11:30 GMT India will begin their search for a maiden ICC Women’s T20 World Cup title when they face New Zealand in a crucial Group A match on Friday. Harmanpreet Kaur’s team are placed third, just above their opponents, in the ICC women’s T20 international rankings but will be wary of the threat posed by an experienced side led by Sophie Devine. India’s head coach Amol Muzumdar believes his team head into the tournament with plenty of self-belief and experience. “We have had a fantastic season leading up to the World Cup,” he told reporters on Thursday. Muzumdar said the team management and captain have been working on finding the right mix for the playing 11 ahead of the first match. “We have figured out the right combination that we are going to play tomorrow,” he said. New Zealand captain Devine will hope that her team will be able to shake off the recent back-to-back series losses against Australia and England. Devine will hold the key to New Zealand’s chances with the bat, but Suzie Bates and Amelia Kerr are also capable of taking on the best bowling attacks in the world. Placed in the tougher of the two groups – along with holders Australia, Asian champions Sri Lanka, and the unpredictable Pakistan – both teams will look to get points in the bag in the first game. Form guide: India India’s last T20 international outing resulted in a loss – and a costly one – when they were beaten by Sri Lanka in the final of the Women’s Asia Cup in July. Prior to the final, they had won all their games in the tournament in Dambulla, Sri Lanka. Last five T20 results: L W W W W Form guide: New Zealand New Zealand, too, enter the tournament on the back of a string of losses in the T20 format. They were beaten 3-0 by the current champions Australia. Their tour of England ended in a series loss as well. Last five T20 results: L L L L L India vs New Zealand: Head-to-head The head-to-head record in T20 matches favours New Zealand, who have won four of their five meetings, including the last one in February 2022. India’s only win came at the T20 World Cup 2020 in Australia, where the women in blue were the losing finalists. India team news India are a settled team and one that brims with experience with the likes of Kaur, Smriti Mandhana, Verma, Singh and Yadav. Squad: Harmanpreet Kaur (captain), Smriti Mandhana, Shafali Verma, Deepti Sharma, Jemimah Rodrigues, Richa Ghosh (wicketkeeper), Yastika Bhatia (wicketkeeper), Pooja Vastrakar, Arundhati Reddy, Renuka Singh Thakur, Dayalan Hemalatha, Asha Sobhana, Radha Yadav, Shreyanka Patil, Sajeevan Sajana New Zealand team news New Zealand will be confident that their experienced top-order batting lineup will cope with the threat posed by India’s strong bowling attack. Squad: Sophie Devine (captain), Suzie Bates, Eden Carson, Isabella Gaze (wicketkeeper), Maddy Green, Brooke Halliday, Fran Jonas, Leigh Kasperek, Amelia Kerr, Jess Kerr, Rosemary Mair, Molly Penfold, Georgia Plimmer, Hannah Rowe, Lea Tahuhu Are tickets for the Women’s T20 World Cup still available? Yes. Tickets for the tournament went on sale on September 25 on the tournament’s website. They will also be available at kiosks at both venues. The ICC has announced free entry for fans under the age of 18. The price for tickets ranges between 5 UAE dirhams ($1.36) and 550 dirhams ($150). How to watch the Women’s T20 World Cup? The ICC has allotted rights to various broadcasting and online streaming outlets across the world. Adblock test (Why?)
At least 78 people killed after boat capsizes in DRC
At least 58 rescued, as official warns death toll could rise after boat carrying 278 people sinks. At least 78 people have died after a boat capsized in Lake Kivu in the eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo, a provincial governor said. Governor of South Kivu province Jean Jacques Purisi told the Reuters news agency on Thursday that 278 people had been on board the boat before it overturned. “It’ll take at least three days to get the exact numbers, because not all the bodies have been found yet,” Purisi told Reuters. The governor of the neighbouring North Kivu province said at least 58 people had been rescued. The boat, which had come from the town of Minova in South Kivu province, sank on Thursday morning, only 100 metres (328 feet) from its destination at the shore of Goma. An increasing number of people have opted to cross the northern tip of Lake Kivu by boat to reach Goma in often overcrowded vessels to avoid land travel in an area prone to fighting between Congolese government forces and M23 rebels. Reporting from Goma, Al Jazeera’s Alain Uaykani said there was frustration among residents over the road closures. “Many people here are already complaining about the fact that this is the only possibility to travel between the province of North Kivu to the neighbouring province of South Kivu, even different villages along the lake here because many roads are closed due to the fighting,” he said. Uaykani said those rescued were receiving treatment. ‘I saw people sinking’ One survivor told Reuters that as he struggled to stay afloat in the lake, others around him were drowning. “I saw people sinking, many went under. I saw women and children sinking in the water, and I myself was on the verge of drowning, but God helped me,” said 51-year-old Alfani Buroko Byamungu from his hospital bed. Mushagulua Bienfait, a Goma resident who lost three family members in the incident, blamed the war for his loss. “All of this is part of the consequences of the war … They no longer make an effort to clear the enemies off the road so that it can become operational again,” he shouted. Since M23 launched an offensive in late 2021, the group has seized large parts of territory in the eastern DRC, increasing its military presence and the number of armed groups in the area. Adblock test (Why?)
Trump attorneys argue Jack Smith’s obstruction charges be dismissed citing Supreme Court’s ‘Fischer’ decision
Trump attorneys filed a memo Thursday in support of their motion to dismiss all charges brought against the former president by Special Counsel Jack Smith, discussing the Supreme Court’s recent decision in Fischer v. United States, which they believe further supports their argument to dismiss the obstruction charges. The filing Thursday comes as Trump attorneys are using two blockbuster Supreme Court decisions—United States v. Trump, which dealt with presidential immunity, and United States v. Fischer, which dealt with obstruction—to attack the legal theories pressed by Special Counsel Jack Smith. JUDGE UNSEALS KEY FILING IN SPECIAL COUNSEL’S ELECTION CASE AGAINST TRUMP Trump attorneys filed a motion to dismiss all charges brought against the former president by Smith last year, but the case was stayed. The filing Thursday is a reply brief to their motion seeking dismissal of all charges. Trump attorneys in their brief on Thursday said Smith’s superseding indictment against the former president, which was filed after the Supreme Court ruled that presidents and former presidents had immunity from official acts, “seeks to assign blame for events President Trump did not control and took action to protect against.” “The Special Counsel blatantly ignores the fact that federal prosecutors have taken the opposite position in this District,” the filing states. “It is apparently of no consequence, to the Office and those who support their efforts, that former Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi was caught on a previously undisclosed video accepting ‘responsibility’ for the events at the Capitol.” Trump attorneys also argue that General Mark Milley acknowledged, “long before charges were brought in this case” that Trump “had instructed the Defense Department on January 3, 2021 to ‘make sure that you have sufficient National Guard or Soldiers to make sure it is a safe event.” TRUMP BLASTS DOJ FOR ‘ELECTION INTERFERENCE,’ CALLS JACK SMITH CASE A ‘SCAM’ AFTER JUDGE UNSEALS KEY FILING Trump was charged with count 1: conspiracy to defraud the United States; count 2: conspiracy to obstruct an official proceeding; count 3: obstruction of an attempt to obstruct an official proceeding; and count 4: conspiracy against rights. Trump attorneys, though, stressed that Smith and federal prosecutors “cannot ignore or hide from” new precedent from the Supreme Court’s decision in Fischer v. United States, saying it is “another key application of the rule of law to reject lawfare overreach targeting President Trump.” “Fischer requires the dismissal of Counts Two and Three of the Superseding Indictment, and its logic fatally undermines Counts One and Four as well,” the filing states. U.S. v. Fischer stems from a lawsuit filed by Joseph Fischer — one of more than 300 people charged by the Justice Department with “obstruction of an official proceeding” in the Jan. 6, 2021, riot at the Capitol. His lawyers argued that the federal statute should not apply, and that it had only ever been applied to evidence-tampering cases. The Supreme Court on Friday ruled in favor of a participant in the Jan. 6, 2021, Capitol riot who challenged his conviction for a federal “obstruction” crime. In a 6-3 decision, the high court held to a narrower interpretation of a federal statute that imposes criminal liability on anyone who corruptly “alters, destroys, mutilates, or conceals a record, document, or other object, or attempts to do so, with the intent to impair the object’s integrity or availability for use in an official proceeding.” The ruling reverses a lower court decision, which the high court said swept too broadly into areas like peaceful but disruptive conduct, and returns the case to the D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals, who will have the opportunity to reassess the case with Friday’s ruling in mind. SUPREME COURT RULES IN FAVOR OF JAN. 6 CAPITOL RIOT PARTICIPANT WHO CHALLENGED OBSTRUCTION CONVICTION “Under Fischer, the Office [of Special Counsel] may not use the statute as a catchall provision to criminalize otherwise-lawful activities selectively mischaracterized as obstructive by those with opposing political views,” the filing states, noting that the Fischer decision “requires proof of evidence impairment coupled with corrupt intent.” “Once stripped of President Trump’s official acts subject to immunity and protected First Amendment political advocacy, the Superseding Indictment lacks sufficient factual allegations to support either element as required by Counts Two and Three,” Trump attorneys argue. “President Trump expressed sincere and valid concerns about the integrity of the 2020 election pursuant to his authority as the Chief Executive.” Trump attorneys said Trump was “part of open, public discussion regarding use of contingent slates of electors in a manner consistent with historical practice and contemplated by the then-existing version of the Electoral Count Act.” “The congressional record from January 6 reflects lawful debates on certificate objections contemplated by the ECA, as well as acknowledgment of the historical precedent for the contingent slates,” they argued. “There is no precedent for a criminal prosecution based on such a record.” Trump attorneys said Smith’s office “cannot establish the required nexus between alleged obstruction and any ‘evidence’ used in the certification proceeding, or that anyone acted with corrupt intent.” TRUMP TRIAL STEMMING FROM JACK SMITH’S PROBE DELAYED PAST ELECTION DAY Trump attorneys also said the Fischer decision “forecloses the Office’s efforts to rely on events at the Capitol on January 6 to support charges.” They said the “superseding indictment does not sufficiently allege that President Trump impaired, or intended to impair, the integrity or availability of any document or other object used in any official proceeding.” Meanwhile, when the Supreme Court earlier this year ruled that a president is immune from prosecution for official acts, Smith was then required to file another indictment against Trump, revising the charges in an effort to navigate the Supreme Court ruling. The new indictment kept the prior criminal charges but narrowed and reframed allegations against Trump after the high court’s ruling that gave broad immunity to former presidents. Trump pleaded not guilty to all charges in the new indictment as well. Last month, Chutkan said she would not hold the trial for Trump on charges stemming from
Hundreds of national security officials, ex-Cabinet members, Gold Star families endorse Trump
More than 400 national security and foreign policy officials, ex-Cabinet members, retired military officers and Gold Star families endorsed former President Trump on Thursday. In an open letter organized by former National Security Adviser Robert O’Brien and former NSC Chief of Staff Alex Gray, the signatories condemn the “repeated failures” of the Biden-Harris administration’s foreign policy and urged Americans to re-elect Trump. “From a world at peace under President Trump, we are closer to a third world war than ever before under the Biden-Harris Administration,” the letter states. “With multiple escalating wars around the world, an open border that allows terrorists to flood into the American homeland, and malign actors like China operating unabated, U.S. national security has been profoundly damaged by the failed policies of Kamala Harris and Joe Biden.” The endorsement was signed by several prominent officials from the Trump administration, including former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, former Attorney General Bill Barr, former U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations and former 2024 Republican presidential candidate Nikki Haley, and many more. TRUMP’S 2ND TERM FOREIGN POLICY LIKELY TO FOCUS ON ‘STRENGTH’ AND ‘DETERRENCE’: EXPERT Eleven family members of the 13 American troops killed at Abbey Gate at Kabul’s airport during the 2021 U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan also signed the letter, which praised Trump’s foreign policy record in contrast to Biden’s controversial actions. “When President Trump took office, the war in Afghanistan had dragged on for almost 16 years. By February 2020, a peace agreement was reached, ensuring no American soldier was killed in combat until the end of the Trump Administration. This agreement held strong because the Taliban understood President Trump’s resolve and U.S. forces were prepared to ensure their compliance,” the letter reads. VOTERS IN CRITICAL MICHIGAN COUNTY FOCUSED ON ECONOMY, CANDIDATE CHARACTER AS 2024 RACE TIGHTENS “The botched withdrawal from Afghanistan under the Biden-Harris Administration in 2021, led to the unnecessary deaths of thirteen brave American troops at Abbey Gate and left untold billions of dollars of high grade military equipment to the Taliban, making it the most well-armed terror organization in the world.” Additionally, 40 retired U.S. ambassadors, 75 retired senior military officers and several hundred officials from previous Republican administrations signed the letter, praising Trump’s diplomatic efforts on cease-fire agreements between Turkey and Kurdish fighters in Syria and the Abraham Accords. The letter refers to Trump as a “peacemaker.” TRUMP TARGETS BIDEN, HARRIS OVER FEDERAL RESPONSE TO HURRICANE: ‘INCOMPETENTLY MANAGED’ “Securing peace is in the greatest tradition of American foreign policy and the Judeo-Christian principles upon which our nation was founded,” the letter continues before quoting from Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount in the Gospel of Matthew. “Jesus said, ‘blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be sons of God.’ (Matthew 5:9) Such is the legacy of the Trump Administration.” Writing on X, O’Brien said he was “honored” to join his colleagues from the Trump administration in “supporting a return to a ‘peace through strength’ foreign policy under President Trump.” Another signatory, Dr. Jerry Hendrix, former director of the Secretary of the Navy’s Advisory Panel, said it “wasn’t a hard decision” to attach his name to the letter. “Trump had 1 of the more successful foreign policy presidencies since the Cold War,” Hendrix wrote on X. “He ended sequestration. He invested in the Navy. The Biden-Harris admin has been one foreign policy debacle after another.” The Trump campaign did not respond to a request for comment. Get the latest updates from the 2024 campaign trail, exclusive interviews and more at our Fox News Digital election hub.
Buttigieg’s message on restricting civilian drones near Hurricane Helene damage prompts outcry, clarification
The U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) clarified a message that warned civilian drone pilots not to fly near Hurricane Helene recovery and rescue efforts — or risk penalty, fines or “criminal prosecution” — after facing intense backlash online. Reached by Fox News Digital, a DOT spokesperson said civilian drone pilots are permitted and are assisting in rescue and recovery efforts, and previous “temporary flight restrictions” have since been lifted. Some X users — collectively with millions of followers — reacted adversely to a message addressed to drone pilots and with accompanying video from Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg shared by the department earlier this week. The message and video argued the restrictions would prohibit civilian volunteers from legally searching for victims or survivors when response time matters most or capturing their own footage of the disaster. “The USDOT tweet from yesterday was referring to temporary flight restrictions that were in place but were lifted late last night,” a DOT spokesperson told Fox News Digital Thursday, citing the FAA. TRUMP TARGETS BIDEN, HARRIS OVER FEDERAL RESPONSE TO HURRICANE: ‘INCOMPETENTLY MANAGED’ The spokesperson explained the FAA “is not banning drones from providing Hurricane Helene disaster relief and recovery assistance.” “At times, local authorities and law enforcement request the Federal Aviation Administration issue a Temporary Flight Restriction (TFR) in order to ensure safety for aircraft or drones operating in certain areas,” the spokesperson said in a statement. “These restrictions occur at the request of local authorities or law enforcement. FAA does not put these into place without requests.” The spokesperson said such restrictions apply to both manned and unmanned aircraft, or drones. “With proper authorization, drones (and other aircraft) are permitted to operate within a Temporary Flight Restriction,” the statement continued. “These are only for limited areas identified by law enforcement and local authorities. “Relief operations, including civilian operations and volunteers, that are coordinated with emergency responders can still access the airspace during these restrictions. Anyone looking to use a drone or other aircraft to assist in Hurricane Helene disaster relief and recovery efforts should coordinate with first responders and law enforcement on scene to ensure they do not disrupt life-saving operations.” The clarification comes after the DOT posted to X Wednesday, writing: “Drone pilots: Do not fly your drone near or around rescue and recovery efforts for Hurricane Helene. Interfering with emergency response operations impacts search and rescue operations on the ground.” In an attached video message, Buttigieg said, “Our goal is to make sure that funding is no obstacle to very quickly getting people the relief that they need and deserve. “There’s also some safety issues that come up. For example, temporary flight restrictions to make sure that the airspace is clear for any flights or drone activity that might be involved in helping to allow those emergency responders to do their jobs.” The post pointed to the account for FAADroneZone, the Federal Aviation Administration’s site for drone activity. “Interfering with emergency response efforts may result in fines or criminal prosecution,” FAADroneZone wrote, reposting Buttigieg’s remarks. “Always check Temporary Flight Restrictions before you fly.” The posts quickly received heavy criticism on social media. “The statement from Buttigieg comes as the federal government continues to shuffle its feet to help people in need,” Trending Politics co-owner Collin Rugg wrote to his 1.5 million followers on X. NORTH CAROLINA COMMUNITY ‘HUNTING’ FOR MISSING TEACHERS IN ‘DEVASTATING’ AFTERMATH OF HURRICANE HELENE “Kamala Harris announced that survivors could potentially get $750 in federal assistance,” Rugg added. “Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas says FEMA doesn’t have enough money to make it through hurricane season after spending hundreds of millions of dollars on illegals.” “U.S. Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg tells Americans to stop using drones to help victims of Hurricane Helene. They’re using drones to FIND SURVIVORS,” podcaster Chad Prather wrote to his 496,800 followers. “Pete Buttigieg has declared that private drones are BANNED from flying over areas affected by Hurricane Helene. They’re deliberately impeding the ability of volunteers to assist in search and rescue and documenting the extent of the disaster,” conservative journalist Ian Miles Cheong, who has 1.1 million followers on X, added. The death toll from Hurricane Helene surpassed 200 people across affected states as of Thursday. Hundreds remain unaccounted for in the aftermath. Buttigieg visited FEMA headquarters and joined Cabinet members Tuesday to brief President Biden at the White House on the destruction of Hurricane Helene. The FAA, meanwhile, deployed teams “to restore communications to impacted towers and airports, including delivering satellite communications kits to the Asheville Regional Airport in North Carolina and ongoing work at Valdosta Regional Airport in Georgia,” the DOT said Tuesday. “FAA supported FEMA with two aircraft to conduct flyover assessments and transport emergency personnel and gear, such as satellite communications kits. FAA is also monitoring fuel supplies at several airports in Florida, Georgia, North Carolina and South Carolina that are experiencing reduced fuel delivery due to storm impacts on fuel suppliers.”
Ken Paxton sues TikTok for violating new Texas social media law
The attorney general argues that the popular short form video app has not complied with a new state law that seeks to protect children who are active online.
Fox News Politics: Jack Smith Strikes Back
Welcome to the Fox News Politics newsletter, featuring the latest political news from Washington, D.C. and updates from the 2024 campaign trail. Here’s what’s happening… – Biden says he would not back Israeli strike on Iranian nuclear sites… – North Carolina congresswoman’s husband is stranded in Hurricane Helene… – Liz Cheney and Kamala Harris team up on the trail in Wisconsin… A federal judge on Wednesday unsealed a key filing from special counsel Jack Smith’s updated election interference case against former President Donald Trump. U.S. District Judge for the District of Columbia Tanya Chutkan unsealed Smith’s 165-page filing, in which Smith argues that Trump is not immune from prosecution for his alleged criminal scheme to overturn the 2020 election results. Smith submitted the document after the U.S. Supreme Court earlier this year ruled that a president is immune from prosecution for official acts. “Although the defendant was the incumbent President during the charged conspiracies, his scheme was fundamentally a private one,” Smith wrote. “Working with a team of private co-conspirators, the defendant acted as a candidate when he pursued multiple criminal means to disrupt, through fraud and deceit, the government function by which votes are collected and counted — a function in which the defendant, as President, had no official role.” …Read more ‘RECKLESS FAILURE’: Watchdog group wants DOI investigated over ‘failure’ to protect federal property …Read more ‘SOWN CHAOS’: Eye-popping number of migrants with national security concerns arrived in US on Biden’s watch: report …Read more ‘PROPORTIONAL’: Biden says he would not back Israeli strike on Iran’s nuclear sites …Read more ‘POLITICAL MISINFORMATION’: 8 Dem lawmakers demand social media execs protect against ‘misinformation’ …Read more CUT OFF: NGOs aiding illegal migrants would be barred from federal money under Gaetz bill …Read more ‘SHOCKED BY DEVASTATION’: North Carolina congresswoman’s husband stranded in home in district ravaged by Hurricane Helene …Read more ‘SERIOUS THREAT’: Dozens of lawmakers sound alarm to Garland on noncitizen voting …Read more EYE OF THE STORM: Trump targets Biden, Harris over federal response to hurricane …Read more HEATING UP: Ohio GOP Senate candidate Moreno hits Brown on Inflation Reduction Act vote in ad that’s part of $25M buy …Read more ‘ONE CANDIDATE GETS IT’: Voters in key swing county tell Fox what’s driving their vote this November …Read more HARRIS AND CHENEY: Vice President Kamala Harris will team up with leading anti-Trump Republican Liz Cheney in battleground Wisconsin …Read more BADGER STATE BRAWL: Trump trails Harris by 4 points in Wisconsin but leads on issues: poll …Read more VIRGINIA SENATE DEBATE: Clinton ex-running mate Kaine, GOP challenger Cao spar on immigration, DEI in military …Read more PUNTED: Federal judge blocks California law banning election deepfakes …Read more ‘MOST IMPORTANT THING’: Stevie Nicks releases ‘anthem’ to Roe v. Wade, abortion rights …Read more Get the latest updates from the 2024 campaign trail, exclusive interviews and more on FoxNews.com.
FEMA has funds needed for ‘immediate response and recovery,’ despite Mayorkas’ warning
The Department of Homeland Security said Thursday that the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) has the funds needed for “immediate response and recovery” in the wake of Hurricane Helene – even as Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas warned about a potential lack of money. “FEMA has what it needs for immediate response and recovery efforts,” spokesperson Jaclyn Rothenberg said on X. “As [Administrator Deanne Criswell] said, she has the full authority to spend against the President’s budget, but we’re not out of hurricane season yet so we need to keep a close eye on it.” The agency had recently lifted immediate needs funding, which allows the agency to focus on urgent efforts and pause non-urgent projects, but Rothenberg said the agency may still need to go back to that “and we will be watching it closely.” HURRICANE HELENE SURVIVOR SAYS WATER ROSE 4 FEET WITHIN MINUTES Mayorkas had grabbed headlines on Wednesday when he said that it does not have enough funding to make it through the hurricane season, which lasts until November. “We are meeting the immediate needs with the money that we have. We are expecting another hurricane hitting,” Mayorkas said. “FEMA does not have the funds to make it through the season.” He spoke on Air Force Once as the states and the federal government assess the damage from Helene, which hit several states and has killed more than 160 people. His calls echoed those by President Biden, who said that Congress may need to pass a supplemental spending bill to help states. Congress recently made $20 billion in immediate funding available for FEMA’s Disaster Relief Fund as part of a bipartisan deal to avoid a government shutdown at the end of last month. But Congress is currently out until mid-November, after Election Day Mayorkas later clarified his remarks at the same event, saying that the short-term funding does not give the agency stability. “We have the immediate needs right now. On a continuing resolution, we have funds, but that is not a stable source of supply, if you will,” he said. “This is a multibillion-dollar, multiyear recovery.” “It’s very important to note that even though we’re on a continuing resolution, we can obtain spend-fast funds so that we can dip into funds that are slated for the duration of the year to meet immediate needs,” he said. “So, we are meeting the moment, but that doesn’t speak about the future and the fact, as I mentioned earlier, that these extreme weather events are increasing in frequency and severity, and we have to be funded for the sake of the American people. This is not a political issue.” On the hill, a source familiar with the congressional appropriations process also said that the Disaster Relief Funding is not in immediate danger of running out of money. FOX CORPORATION LAUNCHES DONATION DRIVE FOR AMERICAN RED CROSS HURRICANE HELENE RELIEF EFFORTS “While we will not know the full cost of Helene until the first 30-day estimate comes in, FEMA ended last year with a little less than $2 billion (which carried over). The CR also provided them access to an additional $20.261 billion. That is roughly $22 billion in total for this fiscal year so far,” they said. Meanwhile, Mayorkas’ remarks about a potential lack of funding had drawn criticism from Republicans and conservatives, who had pointed to funding used by FEMA for grants to house and care for illegal immigrants who had crossed the southern border. “Mayorkas and FEMA — immediately stop spending money on illegal immigration resettlement and redirect those funds to areas hit by the hurricane,” Gov. Greg Abbott said on X. Critics referenced the Shelter and Services Program (SSP) spent $650 million in FY 23 on grants to non-profits and local organizations to assist migrants. But the Biden administration pushed back, noting that the funding is appropriated by Congress and completely separate from disaster relief funding. “These claims are completely false,” a DHS spokesperson told Fox News Digital. “As Secretary Mayorkas said, FEMA has the necessary resources to meet the immediate needs associated with Hurricane Helene and other disasters. The Shelter and Services Program (SSP) is a completely separate, appropriated grant program that was authorized and funded by Congress and is not associated in any way with FEMA’s disaster-related authorities or funding streams.” White House spokesperson Angelo Fernandez Hernandez called the claim that money had been spent on services for illegal immigrants instead “false.” “The Disaster Relief Fund is specifically appropriated by Congress to prepare for, respond to, recover from, and mitigate impacts of natural disasters. It is completely separate from other grant programs administered by FEMA for DHS.” The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Melania Trump’s abortion views in new memoir spur outrage from pro-lifers: ‘She is wrong’
Former first lady Melania Trump is drawing heat from pro-life advocates over an excerpt in her memoir where she suggests a woman’s right to choose an abortion is a “fundamental right of individual liberty,” according to a report Wednesday. Melania Trump wife of Republican presidential candidate and former President Trump, wrote the memoir entitled “Melania” that is scheduled to come out on Oct. 8, per the Amazon release date. In the book, according to a preview by The Guardian, Melania expresses a viewpoint that has historically been at odds with the Republican Party’s platform. “It is imperative to guarantee that women have autonomy in deciding their preference of having children, based on their own convictions, free from any intervention or pressure from the government,” Melania reportedly wrote. TRUMP RISKS LOSING SOME PRO-LIFE VOTERS UNLESS HE CHANGES ‘HIS TUNE’ ON ABORTION, ACTIVIST WARNS “Why should anyone other than the woman herself have the power to determine what she does with her own body? A woman’s fundamental right of individual liberty, to her own life, grants her the authority to terminate her pregnancy if she wishes. “Restricting a woman’s right to choose whether to terminate an unwanted pregnancy is the same as denying her control over her own body. I have carried this belief with me throughout my entire adult life.” The excerpts quickly drew the ire of pro-life advocates who have already been disgruntled by some of Trump’s seemingly ambiguous comments regarding abortion. “Melania Trump’s support of abortion is anti-feminist and clearly outside the teaching of our Catholic faith. She is wrong,” wrote Kristan Hawkins, president of Students for Life of America advocacy group. PRO-LIFERS BLAST TRUMP ‘BETRAYAL’ WITH SHIFTING ABORTION STANCE, ANSWER ON FLORIDA AMENDMENT 4 Lila Rose, founder of leading pro-life advocacy group Live Action, also responded to a promotional video Melania posted for her memoir in which she states, “Individual freedom is a fundamental principle that I safeguard… what does my body my choice really mean?” “Who is this Melania Trump, or Kamala Harris? Functionally the same exact position on abortion,” Rose wrote on X. VANCE, WALZ SPAR OVER ABORTION AND IMMIGRATION IN FIRST AND ONLY VP DEBATE President of pro-life advocacy group Susan B. Anthony Pro-Life America, Marjorie Dannenfelser, wrote on X: “The women of America are capable of great strength and creativity. They are naturally inclined to speak for those who are powerless. Abortion is not the source of their freedom and liberation.” In August, Trump sparked confusion among pro-life supporters about where he stood on an amendment that would upend Florida’s ban on abortions after six weeks’ gestation. Trump, after saying “I think the six-week is too short, there has to be more time,” to an NBC reporter when asked how he would vote, later walked it back and said he would vote against the amendment. Other spouses of Republican presidents, such as Pat Nixon, Betty Ford, Nancy Reagan, Barbara Bush and Laura Bush, have been recorded either during or after their husbands’ tenure in office expressing pro-choice views. Trump has also said he opposes a nationwide abortion ban and the GOP’s official platform softened its language about its abortion stances this year. Fox News Digital has reached out to Melania Trump’s office for comment but did not hear back by publication deadline.
Doctors are boycotting Texas conferences over abortion restrictions
A breast cancer surgeon has created a California alternative to a major Texas event, while other medical conferences have left Louisiana and Arizona.