What is GNSS-based toll collection system, which govt will implement at select national highways?
Under this toll collection system, users are charged based on the distance they have travelled on national highways.
Republicans slam Harris for opting out of Netanyahu address in favor of sorority speech: ‘Shameful’
Republican lawmakers are criticizing Vice President Kamala Harris’ decision to forego attending Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s address to Congress, calling it “shameful,” as she opts instead to deliver a speech at a women’s convention. Netanyahu will deliver an address to a joint session of Congress on Wednesday amid Israel’s ongoing 292-day war with the terrorist group Hamas. Harris, the likely Democratic presidential nominee after President Biden dropped out of the 2024 race, declined to preside over the address and will instead speak at the Zeta Phi Beta Sorority Inc.’s Grand Boulé in Indianapolis, Indiana. Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., called Harris’ decision “inexcusable.” “She will not be there because she refuses to attend,” Johnson said at a GOP press briefing Tuesday. “She needs to be held accountable for that.” ISRAELI PM NETANYAHU TO ADDRESS CONGRESS AMID HIGH-PROFILE ABSENCES “Kamala Harris is reportedly refusing to attend Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu’s address before Congress tomorrow. Disgraceful. She continues to show her antisemitism and contempt for the Jewish people,” Sen. Marsha Blacburn, R-Tenn., wrote in a post on X, formerly Twitter. “Vice President Kamala Harris will not be attending the Joint Address by Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu. It is shameful that she is turning her back on one of our most important allies,” Rep. Jim Baird, R-Ind., said. Rep. Elise Stefanik, R-N.Y., said Harris’ decision to skip the address was “to appease the Democrat Party’s radical antisemitic base.” FAMILIES OF US CITIZENS HELD BY HAMAS PIN HOPES ON NETANYAHU’S ADDRESS TO CONGRESS “Kamala Harris is President of the Senate. Her conduct and behavior matters, at home and abroad. Her decision to not attend tomorrow’s speech is petty politics, and shameful treatment of one of America’s strongest allies,” Rep. Anthony D’Esposito, R-N.Y., said on X. Neither Biden nor the vice president was present to greet Netanyahu when he arrived on Monday, according to published reports. Biden, notably, was in Delaware, still recovering from COVID-19. “Kamala Harris’ refusal to greet Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu at the tarmac is reprehensible,” Gov. Greg Abbott, R-Texas, said in a statement. “Her plan to boycott his joint address to Congress is shameful. It’s clear that Harris sides with the woke antisemitic members of her party. Texas will always stand with Israel.” “Kamala Harris didn’t greet Prime Minister Netanyahu yesterday when he landed. She’ll skip his joint address to Congress. And other Democrat senators are planning to skip it as well. Republicans stand with Israel. The Left doesn’t,” Rep. Jim Jordan, R-Ohio, posted on X. Sen. Rick Scott, R-Fla., said Harris skipping the speech is “cowering to the radical left’s antisemitism.” “It’s been 291 days since Iran-back Hamas terrorists brutally attacked Israel and took so many hostages, including Americans,” Scott said. “When @Netanyahu arrived yesterday, Joe Biden and Kamala Harris refused to meet him, once again turning their back on our friend and ally Israel. Then Harris doubled down on her disrespect of our ally by refusing to preside over Prime Minister Netanyahu’s address to a Joint Session of Congress.” Among the 120 hostages held by Hamas, eight are U.S. citizens. An aide to the vice president told Fox News Digital that while she won’t be present at the address, Harris will meet with Netanyahu at the White House sometime during his visit to Washington, D.C. Fox News’ Julia Johnson contributed to this report.
Biden’s reported support for SCOTUS term limits poses ‘grave threat to democracy’: experts
Legal experts are crying foul on possible plans that President Biden could support to make drastic changes to the Supreme Court. Before he abruptly dropped out of the presidential race and endorsed Vice President Kamala Harris to lead the ticket, news reports indicated that Biden was considering supporting legislation that would attempt to impose term limits on Supreme Court justices and a new enforceable ethics code. Such legislation would be a radical shift for Biden, who has historically resisted calls to expand the high court or push for any substantive changes. But since the Trump administration, which gave Republican appointees the majority, Biden could be shifting his views to accommodate the more extreme members of his party just months away from the presidential election. Legal experts warn, however, such congressional action “undermines democracy.” BIDEN TO ANNOUNCE SUPPORT FOR MAJOR CHANGES TO SUPREME COURT AMID OUTRAGE OVER RECENT DECISIONS: REPORT “The question of whether President Biden and his left wing could impose term limits or age limits on Supreme Court justices by statute alone and not a constitutional amendment is, at best, highly debatable and dependent on the devilish details that have not yet been released,” John Shu, a constitutional attorney and former official in both Bush White Houses, told Fox News Digital. “Attempting to do so definitely undermines democracy and separation of powers, as well as the Constitution’s very structure. It also tries to delegitimize the court as an institution. A constitutional amendment would be the cleanest way to impose term or age limits on Supreme Court justices, but it’s a terrible idea for many reasons,” he said. Shu noted that, in the past, Biden was “publicly and strongly against court-packing and placing term limits on federal judges, both of which he called ‘boneheaded.’ TRUMP IMMUNITY CASE: SUPREME COURT RULES EX-PRESIDENTS HAVE SUBSTANTIAL PROTECTION FROM PROSECUTION “It is colossally stupid and dangerous to wreck the Constitution and an entire branch of government just because certain people don’t like some of the current court’s rulings,” he added. Mike Davis, former chief of nominations in the Senate and president of the Article III project, said the reported proposals Biden is considering endorsing are “a radical assault on judicial independence, and a grave threat to democracy, which Biden pretends he’s protecting.” BIDEN ‘PLAYING TO THE LEFT’ WITH SUPREME COURT REFORM REEKS OF ‘DESPERATION,’ NBC’S CHUCK TODD SAYS It’s unclear if Biden will still pursue such an attempt to alter the court’s structure, with the legalities of such a move in question – and further, if he was considering the legislation for political reasons as the pressure was mounting for him to drop out of the race. Carrie Severino, president of JCN, a conservative advocacy organization and author of “Justice on Trial: The Kavanaugh Confirmation and the Future of the Court,” said she expects Harris and other Democratic hopefuls “to pledge fidelity to politicizing the court because they’ll be after the same dark money groups that Biden courted.” “She will likely end up parroting the most extreme policy ideas out there.”
Harris boycotts Netanyahu, snubs Israeli leader’s wartime address to give sorority speech
Vice President Harris, the presumptive Democratic presidential nominee, is expected to be skipping Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s address to Congress, instead giving a speech at a sorority house on Wednesday. Fox News Digital confirmed on Tuesday that Harris declined to preside over a Wednesday joint address to Congress by Netanyahu because she will be in Indiana for an event that was previously scheduled, per an aide. According to the vice president’s public schedule available Wednesday, that event is Harris’ keynote speech at Zeta Phi Beta Sorority’s Grand Boulé in Indianapolis. Harris, who on Monday became the presumptive Democratic nominee for president following President Biden’s campaign suspension, will not be in attendance at Netanyahu’s address and will not be able to assume her vice presidential duties as president of the Senate. BLACK LIVES MATTER SAYS DEMS ARE ‘PARTY OF HYPOCRITES’ FOR ‘INSTALLING’ HARRIS SANS ‘PUBLIC VOTING PROCESS’ With Harris’s absence, the task ordinarily would fall to Senate President pro tempore Patty Murray, D-Wash., but Murray reportedly refused to do so – and will instead be boycotting the address. When Harris’s office was asked if she would have agreed to preside over Netanyahu’s address if she were going to be in Washington, D.C. on Wednesday, an aide to the vice president said they would not answer hypothetical questions. Netanyahu is likely to receive a warn welcome from Republican lawmakers who arranged his speech in the House chamber, an appearance making him the first foreign leader to address a joint meeting of Congress four times, surpassing Winston Churchill, according to the Associated Press. Many Democrats and Independent Sen. Bernie Sanders, of Vermont, plan to boycott Netanyahu’s appearance. The most notable absence will be Harris. who traditionally would sit behind any dignitary who would be speaking. Republicans targeted the absence of Harris, the new Democratic front-runner for the presidency, as a sign of disloyalty to an ally. However, former President Trump’s running mate, Sen. JD Vance, R-Ohio, said campaigning would also make him a no-show for the Israeli leader’s speech, according to the AP. KEY ENDORSEMENTS POUR IN FOR KAMALA HARRIS AS VP SELECTION NEARS Outside the Capitol, demonstrators are promising massive protests against the Israeli leader amid the Jewish state’s ongoing war against the terrorist organization Hamas. In anticipation, House Speaker Mike Johnson warned of a “zero-tolerance policy” for any signs of disturbances in the Capitol building. “It is our tradition to acknowledge every guest speaker’s right to free expression even if we disagree with their viewpoint,” Johnson wrote to members Tuesday. Meanwhile, Biden is scheduled to make an address to the nation from the Oval Office at 8 p.m. Wednesday. While self-isolating in Delaware after reportedly testing positive for COVID-19 last week, Biden announced in a letter posted to X on Sunday that he discontinued his re-election campaign and endorsed Harris for president. Harris arrived in the Milwaukee area Tuesday for her first campaign rally since she jumped into the race, having seemingly locked up nomination support from Democratic delegates. She has pulled in $100 million in donations since Sunday afternoon, and on Tuesday picked up the backing of more Democratic officials and political groups, including congressional leaders Charles Schumer and Hakeem Jeffries. Tuesday’s visit came a week after the Republican National Convention wrapped up in the city, and as Harris works to sharpen her message against former President Trump with just over 100 days until Election Day. Fox News Digital’s Julia Johnson and the Associated Press contributed to this report.
Biden won’t pardon Hunter, White House reaffirms, but critics aren’t so sure
Speculation is mounting that President Biden will pardon his son, Hunter Biden, who was recently found guilty in a federal gun trial, despite the president and his staffers saying he will not give the first son a pass amid his legal troubles. “I’ve been very clear; the president is not going to pardon his son,” White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said in December. Biden, himself, addressed the issue last month, telling ABC News that he ruled out pardoning his son and answering in the affirmative that he would accept the jury’s verdict in the case. The administration assured Fox News Digital on Tuesday that the president’s comments stood in regard to Hunter Biden’s pardon. However, the credibility of those press aides is in doubt after weeks of denying Biden was considering quitting the 2024 campaign. Biden ultimately bowed out of the race on Sunday afternoon in a social media post. “The president spoke to this in his ABC interview. His comments stand,” White House spokesman Andrew Bates told Fox Digital on Tuesday when asked about any plans to pardon Hunter Biden. HUNTER BIDEN FOUND GUILTY ON ALL COUNTS IN GUN TRIAL Republicans have speculated the president will pardon his son, with Republican Texas Sen. Ted Cruz saying the odds of Biden pardoning Hunter sit at 100%. “I’m going to place the odds that Joe Biden pardons Hunter Biden at 100%. Hunter Biden will get a pardon as a result of this decision,” Cruz said during his podcast, “Verdict with Ted Cruz,” on Monday, referring to Biden’s decision this week to drop out of the presidential race. HUNTER BIDEN TRIAL ENTERS DAY 5 AFTER TESTIMONY FROM SISTER-IN-LAW-TURNED-GIRLFRIEND: ‘PANICKED’ “It will not happen till after Election Day. He’s not going to do it before Election Day. But he’s going to stick around. And after Election Day, I believe it is now 100% that Joe Biden will pardon Hunter,” he added. Hunter Biden was convicted by a federal jury on June 11 of lying about his drug use when purchasing a firearm in 2018. He was found guilty on three charges: making a false statement in the purchase of a gun, making a false statement related to information required to be kept by a federally licensed gun dealer, and possession of a gun by a person who is an unlawful user of or addicted to a controlled substance. Hunter Biden had pleaded not guilty in the case. Prosecutors worked to prove that Hunter Biden lied on a federal firearm form, known as ATF Form 4473, in October 2018, when he ticked the “No” box when asked if he is an unlawful user of substances or addicted to controlled substances. Hunter Biden has a long history of drug abuse, which was underscored in his 2021 memoir, “Beautiful Things.” The book was repeatedly referenced by both prosecutors and Biden’s defense team amid the nearly seven-day trial. The memoir walks readers through Biden’s highs and lows with addiction to crack cocaine and attempts to get sober. Hunter Biden’s attorneys did not deny the first son’s long history with substance abuse during the trial, instead arguing that on the day Biden bought the Cobra Colt .38, he did not consider himself an active drug addict. BIDEN WILL ADDRESS NATION FROM OVAL OFFICE ON DECISION TO EXIT 2024 RACE Hunter Biden has not yet been sentenced in the case. President Biden bowed out of the presidential election on Sunday afternoon in a letter posted to X. The White House and campaign had for weeks denied Biden would withdraw from the race, claiming he was in the election to win his rematch against former President Trump. Biden was self-isolating in Delaware after a COVID-19 diagnosis when he announced he would no longer seek a second term. He returned to Washington, D.C., on Tuesday after testing negative for the virus. In the wake of his departure from the race, others speculated on social media that Biden will likely pardon Hunter Biden. DOJ REVEALS IT HAS BIDEN TRANSCRIPTS AT ISSUE IN CLASSIFIED DOCS CASE AFTER INITIAL DENIAL The gun trial was the first Hunter Biden faced this year. He is scheduled to stand trial in California in September over nine federal tax charges. The case was brought forth by special counsel David Weiss, who also oversaw the gun trial.
Georgia probes alleged plot to overthrow government
State intelligence agency claims ‘former officials’ also planned to assassinate governing party head Ivanishvili. Georgia’s state intelligence agency has announced the opening of an investigation into a plot to “violently overthrow” the government. In a statement posted on Facebook on Wednesday, the State Security Service of Georgia said it is “investigating criminal activities” aimed at creating unrest, including a plot to kill Bidzina Ivanishvili, the honorary chairman of the governing Georgian Dream party. The statement accused “former high officials” of being behind the plot, with local media reports suggesting links to Ukraine. The announcement came amid heightened tension in Georgia over the introduction of a “foreign influence” law that opponents say illustrates the government is moving closer to Russia. “The aim of the criminal activities is to violently overthrow the state government by destructive forces in the midst of creating unrest in the country and weakening the government,” the statement read. “Active investigations and operative-search measures are underway in which specific persons are sent to the investigative body for questioning,” it added. The security service did not name the suspects. However, Georgian media reported at least six people had been summoned for questioning, most of whom have fought against Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Georgia’s authorities have repeatedly accused Ukraine-based Georgians fighting against Russia of plotting a coup. Tbilisi says it opposes Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine, but has declined to impose sanctions on Russia over its aggression. Georgia also hosts significant numbers of Russians who fled their country in fear of Moscow’s mobilisation efforts. ‘Russian law’ Ivanishvili is the South Caucasus country’s richest man. Founder of Georgian Dream and retaining significant influence over the party, he refutes accusations that he is moving Georgia – which was invaded by Russian forces in 2008 – back towards Moscow. The billionaire insists that the government still hopes to move towards European Union membership. However, Brussels has said repeatedly that the foreign agent law puts that ambition at risk. Formally led by Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze, the ruling coalition overrode a veto by President Salome Zourabichvili on the controversial bill in May amid huge protests, which were violently crushed by the authorities. The new law requires media, nongovernmental organisations and other nonprofit groups to register as “pursuing the interests of a foreign power” if they receive more than 20 percent of their funding from abroad. The government insisted that the law is needed to stem what it deems to be harmful foreign actors trying to destabilise the South Caucasus nation of 3.7 million. However, many Georgian journalists and activists argue that the bill’s true goal is to stigmatise them and restrict debate in the run-up to parliamentary elections scheduled for October. Opponents have denounced the legislation as “the Russian law” because it resembles measures pushed through by the Kremlin to crack down on independent news media and nonprofit groups. Adblock test (Why?)
The Battle for the Soul of Angkor Wat
People & Power investigates the mass evictions of thousands of residents at the famous UNESCO World Heritage Site. Cambodia’s Angkor Wat, or “City of Temples”, is the largest religious structure in the world. A truly spectacular place, it is deeply revered across Cambodia and depicted on its flag as the defining image of the nation. In 1992, UNESCO designated Angkor as a World Heritage Site. The UN agency also affirmed it as a “living” site whose traditional communities were as important as the stones. But now, locals accuse the Cambodian government of the mass forced eviction of thousands of people from those communities, while the government claims each one has voluntarily moved after settling illegally in Angkor. It also says the relocations are at UNESCO’s behest. People & Power went to Cambodia to investigate. Adblock test (Why?)
What is ‘dark oxygen’, found 13,000 feet under the sea?
For decades, scientists have floated theories about dark matter, which is believed to hold galaxies together by its gravitational pull. The enigma of dark matter continues, and now scientists have discovered what they call dark oxygen on the ocean’s floor. A recent study published in Nature Geoscience, a journal dedicated to Earth sciences research, shows oxygen emitted from mineral deposits 4,000 meters (about 13,000 feet) below the ocean’s surface on the seafloor of the Pacific Ocean’s Clarion-Clipperton Zone (CCZ). The depth is almost half the length of the tallest peak of Mount Everest. The study by Andrew Sweetman, professor at the Scottish Association for Marine Science (SAMS) and team lead of the institution’s seafloor ecology and biogeochemistry research group, provides evidence that there’s an additional oxygen source on the planet apart from the oxygen produced from photosynthesis. Up until now, it has been well understood by scientists that the planet’s only source of oxygen is from photosynthetic organisms like plants and algae that produce oxygen for humans and other animals to breathe. So what is the significance of this newly found dark oxygen, and what questions does it raise about the origins of life on Earth? What is dark oxygen? On the Clarion-Clipperton Zone (CCZ), which spans 4.5 million square kilometres (1.7 million square miles) in the Pacific Ocean, there are coal-like mineral rocks, called polymetallic nodules, which typically contain manganese and iron. Scientists have found that these nodules produce oxygen without the process of photosynthesis. Minerals that produce oxygen in the darkness of the seafloor could possibly change scientists’ view of how life began on planet Earth. “The other implication of this research is it potentially sheds light on where life began on the planet. This discovery has shown that, well, maybe there was another source of oxygen a long time ago and aerobic life or life that breathes oxygen could have persisted before the rise of photosynthesis — and if it’s happening on our planet could it be happening on other planets too,” Sweetman stated in a SAMS video. How did they find the dark oxygen? The discovery comes more than 10 years after the source of dark oxygen itself was found. The 2013 research mission was aimed at understanding how much oxygen was consumed by organisms on the CCZ seafloor. Landers, mechanical platforms that can free-fall to the bottom of the seafloor, were sent down 4,000 meters (13,000 feet) to track how oxygen levels in the water decreased over with depth. However, what researchers discovered was that oxygen levels increased at the ocean bed. This surprised Sweetman and his team. Until now, scientists believed that the oxygen available in the deep ocean comes from the upper ocean and land, produced by plants, plankton and algae using the process of photosynthesis. As a result, oxygen levels usually go down as one goes deeper. Not in this case. Thinking his measuring equipment was faulty, Sweetman got the equipment recalibrated and repeated the experiment several times over many years — with the same results. Through more experiments over the years, they discovered manganese nodules were the source of oxygen production. They brought these nodules back to the ship for testing and noticed they had an electric charge, the equivalent of an AA battery. A process known as seawater electrolysis allows a charge to split seawater into hydrogen and oxygen. They observed this in their lab experiments. What is the significance of the discovery? Science works on the principles of verification, so these findings will need to be confirmed by other, independent experiments. But the research by Sweetman and his team suggests that some minerals do produce oxygen while not using sunlight. “The fact that we’ve got another source of oxygen on the planet other than photosynthesis has consequences and implications that are utterly profound,” Nick Owens, director of SAMS, said. [embedded content] This discovery also highlights the need to protect environments that self-produce oxygen, according to the researchers behind it. “To power the green economy we need to extract metals from the ground or potentially the deep ocean,” Sweetman said. “So what we have discovered means that we’re going to have to carefully think about if deep ocean mining goes ahead, where that mining should take place because this oxygen is likely being used in whatever quantity that it’s produced by the ecosystem.” In addition, the implications of discovering another deep ocean source of oxygen production open the doors to revisiting how life began on Earth. “The fact that we’ve got another source of oxygen on the planet other than photosynthesis has consequences and implications that are utterly profound,” Owens said. Adblock test (Why?)
Who is Yashveer Maharaj, whose threat led UP govt to pass order to out nameplates outside shops?
Swami Yashveer Maharaj operates the “Yoga Sadhna Yashveer Ashram” in Baghera village, about 15 kilometers from Muzaffarnagar.
Biden’s Cabinet doubles down on support for president amid calls to invoke 25th Amendment
Members of President Biden’s Cabinet are doubling down on their support for the president amid calls for them to invoke the 25th Amendment and remove him from office. The shoring up of their support comes as Biden continues to face pressure over his health as well as his decision to drop out of the 2024 presidential race, which prompted mounting concern from lawmakers questioning his ability to serve the remainder of his term if he is unable to seek re-election. “Secretary Yellen disagrees with those calls,” a spokesperson for Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen told Fox News Digital on Tuesday, while also pointing to recent comments she made during a House hearing in which she refused to comment in detail on her private meetings with Biden. GOP SENATOR DEMANDS CABINET INVOKE 25TH AMENDMENT AGAINST BIDEN AFTER SUSPENDING HIS RE-ELECTION CAMPAIGN “The president is extremely effective in the meetings that I’ve been in with him. That includes many international meetings that are multihour,” Yellen said at the time. Representatives for Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra and Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm also said their bosses did not agree with the calls for Biden to step down or be removed from office. Granholm’s spokesperson pointed Fox to comments the secretary made last month pushing back on a report that Biden was mentally “slipping.” HARRIS REPEATS DEBUNKED CLAIM TRUMP WANTS TO ‘BAN’ ABORTION DURING FIRST CAMPAIGN RALLY SINCE BIDEN QUIT RACE “The president is utterly on his game,” Granholm told Fox at the time. “He is the wisest, most knowledgeable person in the room. He asks the toughest questions and has the keenest insights on the complex questions brought to him. He is sharp, thoughtful and wise.” A spokesperson for Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack pointed Fox to comments the secretary made this month defending Biden’s ability to perform the job of president. “You’re d–n right he’s capable,” Vilsack told Agri-Pulse, an agriculture-focused news site. RNC DELEGATES IN MILWAUKEE REVEALED WHAT SHOULD HAPPEN WITH BIDEN OUT OF THE RACE: ‘IT DOESN’T MATTER’ Fox News Digital reached out to multiple other members of Biden’s Cabinet but did not receive responses. Biden announced on Sunday that he would suspend his re-election campaign and would instead endorse Vice President Harris for the Democrat nomination after facing weeks of pressure from within his own party to drop out of the race. The pressure mounted after his poor performance at the first presidential debate in June, where he was seen speaking with a raspy voice and jumbling up his words. Harris’ office said Tuesday morning that she believes Biden is currently capable of serving as president. “As the vice president has said many times before, the nation is lucky to have President Biden leading our nation,” Ernesto Apreza, press secretary to the vice president, told Fox. Fox News’ Aubrie Spady and Matt Richter contributed to this report. Get the latest updates from the 2024 campaign trail, exclusive interviews and more at our Fox News Digital election hub.