Honduran illegal immigrant charged with sexually assaulting 12-year-old girl in Iowa
A Honduran illegal immigrant has been charged with sexually assaulting a 12-year-old girl in Iowa, Fox News Digital has confirmed. It’s the latest instance of a crime allegedly committed by someone in the country illegally. Junior Manuel Dubon Benitez, 18, was charged with sexual abuse in the second degree, according to Iowa court documents obtained by Fox. The incident allegedly happened in February and involved “sexual abuse upon Jane Doe, a 12-year-old child.” The documents were first reported by the Washington Examiner, which reported that Benitez pleaded guilty in Iowa District Court in Black Hawk County May 14. OVERWHELMING MAJORITY OF ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS AREN’T UNDER FEDERAL SUPERVISION: ANALYSIS Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) told Fox News Digital Dubon Benitez is a Honduran national who illegally entered via Hidalgo, Texas, in April 2022. ICE said it has issued a detainer with the prison, which is a request that, upon his release, he be turned over to the agency so it can place him in removal proceedings. The charges come amid an ongoing crisis at the southern border that has become one of the top political issues in the country, in part, due to a number of high-profile crimes allegedly committed by illegal immigrants. Two Venezuelan illegal immigrants were charged last month with capital murder in the death of 12-year-old Jocelyn Nungaray in Houston. Authorities said she was “lured” under a bridge in Houston before she was tied up and killed. The arrests came the same week as the arrest of an Ecuadorian national in the U.S. illegally for a broad daylight sex attack in which police said a machete-wielding man raped a 13-year-old girl at a New York City park. Police also announced that an illegal migrant from El Salvador had been arrested for the murder of Rachel Morin, a Maryland mother of five. The crimes are part of a broader wave of crimes across the U.S. committed by those in the country illegally. BLUE STATE DEPLOYS OFFICIALS TO THE BORDER WITH SURPRISING WARNING FOR MIGRANTS The issue was highlighted in the presidential debate last week, with former President Trump blaming President Biden for the crimes. “They’re killing our people in New York and California and every state in the union because we don’t have borders anymore. Every state is now a border,” Trump said. “And because of his ridiculous, insane and very stupid policies, people are coming in, and they’re killing our citizens at a level that we’ve never seen. “We call it migrant crime. I call it Biden migrant crime. They’re killing our citizens at a level that we’ve never seen before.” CLICK HERE FOR MORE COVERAGE OF THE BORDER SECURITY CRISIS Biden pushed back, accusing Trump of torpedoing bipartisan reform efforts for political purposes. “This bipartisan deal — more fentanyl machines to be able to detect drugs, more numbers of agents, more numbers of all the people at the border. And when we had that deal done, he went … he called his Republican colleagues, said, ‘Don’t do it. It’s going to hurt me politically.’ He never argued it’s not a good bill. It’s a really good bill.”
How would a President Whitmer handle immigration, border crisis?
Amid growing calls from some Democrats and liberals for President Biden to step aside after his disastrous debate performance last week, Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer has been touted as a possible replacement, raising questions about how she would handle the border crisis. Whitmer, as a governor of a swing state, has been named as someone who could step into the role of the 2024 presidential nominee for Democrats if Biden were to step down. Previous polling has suggested she would fare the best out of a number of candidates against former President Trump, the presumptive Republican nominee. Should she receive the nomination and win in November, she would step into a federal leadership role at a time when immigration policy and the ongoing crisis at the southern border are top issues for voters and for the country. DO THESE POTENTIAL BIDEN REPLACEMENTS HAVE WHAT IT TAKES TO BEAT TRUMP? Whitmer has been largely supportive of what President Biden has done in terms of immigration policy. When Biden announced additional restrictions on asylum last month, she issued a glowing statement approving of the move and saying that he is “delivering.” “President Biden’s executive action will help secure our country’s border by making it easier for immigration officers to remove those who are here unlawfully, reducing the burden on our Border Patrol agents. Today’s announcement builds on the president’s work to deploy a record number of border agents and officers to the southern border,” she said. “The American people want real solutions, and President Biden is delivering today.” Like other Democrats, she also backed Biden’s broader calls for a comprehensive immigration bill to fix what the administration has called a “broken” immigration system. CLICK HERE FOR MORE COVERAGE OF THE BORDER SECURITY CRISIS That plan included sweeping reforms, additional visa pathways, extra funding and a pathway to U.S. citizenship for millions of illegal immigrants. It was rejected by Republicans in part due to the inclusion of an amnesty. Whitmer wants it passed. “President Biden sent Congress a comprehensive immigration reform plan on day 1 and repeatedly requested more border resources from Congress, only to be blocked by Republicans,” she said last month. “They should stop playing political games and work with the administration on a coordinated, bipartisan federal solution to fix our broken system.” Like Biden, she has also been deeply critical of former President Trump’s attitudes toward the border. She previously noted that she sent the National Guard to the border during Trump’s term in office, and she has blamed him for killing a separate bipartisan Senate deal to provide funding for the border. HOW WOULD A PRESIDENT NEWSOM HANDLE BORDER, IMMIGRATION POLICY? “He told the Republicans to walk away, and they did,” she said in April. In the state itself, she has given some indications that she may take a harder line on illegal immigration, certainly tougher than some activists would want. She has provided multiple National Guard deployments to the border, both during the Trump administration and the Biden administration in support of Texas. According to her office, she sent 175 personnel between 2020 and 2021, and 37 have been stationed since 2020. She also visited Michigan soldiers at the border in 2022. BIDEN VOWS TO KEEP WHITE HOUSE, UNDETERRED BY DEMOCRAT PANIC AFTER DEBATE DISASTER Unlike other potential Democrats, like Calif. Gov. Gavin Newsom, she has taken a hard line against illegal immigrants receiving state benefits. In California, illegal immigrants are eligible for state Medicaid. But Whitmer has shown no sign of echoing that approach. “If you are here illegally, I do not believe that you should have access,” Whitmer said in April, according to the Detroit Free Press. Whitmer has come under fire from some Republicans for a Newcomer Rental Subsidy program, which provides some immigrants up to $500 in rental assistance. However, it is aimed to help asylees, refugees and others who have valid immigration status in the U.S. and explicitly states that those in the country illegally are not eligible for the program.
‘New Cold War’: Lawmakers sound alarm on Cuba-China threat after bombshell spy base images surface
The congressman whose district is less than 100 miles from Cuba sounded the alarm after a bombshell investigation revealed several images of advanced spy bases in the communist nation. Rep. Carlos Gimenez, R-Fla., said in a Wednesday interview there is no doubt China has a big hand in the construction and operation of the bases. Gimenez elaborated after the bipartisan Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) released the imagery while noting China’s official activity there “remain[s] shrouded in secrecy.” Gimenez voiced counterintelligence concerns, noting his district alone houses the Key West Naval Air Station, Homestead Air Force Base and is within a mile of the U.S. Southern Command (SOUTHCOM). LAWMAKERS TORCH FEDS AFTER CUBA REGULATION ADJUSTMENT: LIFELINE TO GREATEST ENEMY IN OUR HEMISPHERE “[This] is an example of the growing influence of China and Russia in our hemisphere,” Gimenez said. “The Biden administration continues to placate our enemies in the hemisphere instead of trying to do what they can to get [nonviolent] regime change,” he said. Rep. Maria Elvira Salazar, R-Fla., attributed Biden’s “weakness” to the proliferation of CCP influence offshore. “America must respond with strength and tell the Cuban regime that we will not allow them to restart this new Cold War right on our doorstep,” Salazar said. One or more of the sites mapped out by CSIS, Gimenez said, are less than 100 miles from his district. He said it is like having a spy base surveilling Miami from as close as the other end of Alligator Alley in Naples. He slammed the White House for continuing Obama-era diplomatic “opening” toward Cuba’s totalitarian regime. BLOODIED PRO-CUBA DEMONSTRATOR SLAMS BIDEN: CUBANS DON’T WANT VACCINES, THEY WANT FREEDOM However, Gimenez added that some Democrats, particularly in Florida, are equally concerned about China’s malign influence in Cuba and the Diaz-Canel regime itself, naming Reps. Deborah Wasserman Schultz, Jared Moskowitz and Frederica Wilson. He warned the Chinese could use the Cuban bases to observe offshore U.S. military training and simulation exercises. That would give China an inside look at how the U.S. would respond to an invasion of Taiwan, he said. CSIS’ Hidden Reach researchers Matthew Funaiole, Aidan Powers-Riggs, Brian Hart, Henry Ziemer, Joseph Bermudez Jr., Ryan Berg and Christopher Hernandez-Roy warned of the proximity between the bases and the numerous sensitive U.S. installations in Florida and the southeast in their report. The researchers on Monday revealed four sites believed to be supporting Chinese efforts to spy on the U.S. using signals intelligence (SIGINT). CSIS defines SIGINT as a “core” aspect of spycraft and a venue through which civilian and military entities can intercept others’ transmissions. A top national security expert said China is expanding into places like Cuba to interfere in America’s sphere of influence. “Communist China’s latest actions are unprecedented and to-date the Biden administration has made no response. It will fall to the next president to stand up for the security of the American people in our own hemisphere,” former Deputy National Security Adviser Victoria Coates said. CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP Coates said China is also simultaneously interceding in America’s backyard through its new Bahamian embassy in Nassau and a Peruvian deepwater “mega-port.” Gimenez, who is the only Cuban-born congressman, said he holds out hope the island rids itself of Chinese and Russian influence. When asked how long it might take to see real change in Havana, Gimenez pointed to the 1989 fall of the Berlin Wall and how Germany quickly returned to a democracy. If former President Trump returns to the White House in 2025, he said, the Republican’s past overtures toward the Cuba situation show change could be possible within his next term. In turn, he faulted the Biden administration for repeatedly acting “counter to American interests.” “This secretary of state is the worst secretary of state that we’ve had in American history. I think he’s done more damage in four years than just about anybody else that I can remember,” he said. The State Department did not directly address Gimenez’ criticism of Blinken, but it cited remarks from spokesperson Vedant Patel on the bases themselves. “I’m not going to comment on or confirm or get into the specifics of that report, but what I can say is that we remain confident that the United States is going to be able to meet our security commitments at home and in the region,” Patel said Tuesday. “PRC activities in Cuba have been going on for decades, and … we know that the PRC is going to keep trying to enhance its presence in Cuba and the United States is going to keep working to disrupt it.” Sen. Roger Marshall, R-Kan., a member of the Homeland Security Committee, echoed concerns over the White House’s handling of the China threat when asked about the photos. “[China] will continue to expand their espionage of the United States without fear of consequence because they know Joe Biden will not hold them accountable,” Marshall said. “Not only are they using Cuba to house Chinese ‘spy bases,’ they are sending in Chinese nationals through our southern border, shipping over lethal fentanyl, stealing our intellectual property, and purchasing land near our military bases.” The office of Director of National Intelligence Avril Haines declined comment. The White House also did not respond. Several Democrat lawmakers also did not respond to requests for comment.
Biden replacement? Whitmer denies ‘Draft Gretch’ campaign, but her star is rising
As calls for President Biden to drop out of the 2024 presidential race increase in the wake of last week’s presidential debate, Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer may be a top pick to replace him on the ticket, despite denying involvement in a “Draft Gretch” shadow campaign. But her chances against former President Donald Trump in November would be an uphill battle, according to one expert. “She’s doing the right thing in terms of denying that she’s interested because she can’t appear to be disloyal,” said Tevi Troy, a former White House aide and deputy secretary of Health and Human Services under the Bush administration, in an interview with Fox News Digital. “I had a politician friend of mine describe this to me as the Cinderella at the ball scenario. Everyone knows that the clock is running out and that at midnight everything changes, but at the same time, the prince is handsome, and the champagne is flowing, so you’re enjoying the dancing. But the smart people are kind of eyeing the door and making sure they’re positioned at the door while they’re dancing around midnight.” NEWSOM’S PROGRESSIVE ACTIVISM, DEBATE SKILLS AMONG VULNERABILITIES IN POTENTIAL NATIONAL CAMPAIGN: EXPERT Whitmer, who won re-election in 2022 by a double-digit margin, has previously hinted at interest in a presidential run and has reportedly vaulted to the top of the list in terms of donor preference in recent weeks. Online supporters have been pushing a “Draft Gretch” message, and Politico reported after the debate that Whitmer spoke with Democratic Party leadership and disavowed that movement while disagreeing with reports that said she warned Biden has no chance of winning Michigan, calling it “total bulls—.” “I am proud to support Joe Biden as our nominee and I am behind him 100 percent in the fight to defeat Donald Trump,” Whitmer said in a statement on Monday. “Not only do I believe Joe can win Michigan, I know he can because he’s got the receipts.” NEWSOM TO HEADLINE DEMOCRATIC CAMPAIGN EVENT IN NEW HAMPSHIRE EVENT Her weakness, however, is that Whitmer is not particularly well-known among the average American as someone of prominence. “She’s a popular governor in a swing state,” said Troy, who is also a senior fellow at the Bipartisan Policy Center. “So, she’s got a lot of positive qualities, but at the same time, she’s not truly vetted, and most of these people who could potentially face Trump or replace Biden are not fully vetted.” Whitmer drew attention for her “heavy-handed” restrictions during the COVID-19 pandemic in her state, and she has also signed pro-LGBTQ+ legislation through implementing the state’s first LGBTQ+ Commission last year. She also repealed several of the state’s abortion restrictions, enshrining the right to the procedure in the state’s constitution. “I think the biggest weakness is not any of the weaknesses we know but what we don’t know,” Troy said. That could change after the release of Whitmer’s book, “True Gretch,” next week. BIDEN’S INNER CIRCLE SILENT AS PARTY REELS FOLLOWING ‘EMBARRASSING’ DEBATE PERFORMANCE Biden’s lackluster debate performance has also put the spotlight on Vice President Harris, who has started to show off a more visible campaign role as November approaches. Harris suddenly figures to play a defining role in the campaign, a turnaround for a vice president who many critics have panned as a potential liability for Democrats in November. Fox News Digital’s Andrew Mark Miller and Michael Lee contributed to this report.
Underdog Dem using Dave Chappelle show to gain edge in pivotal swing state
A Democrat Senate primary candidate is selling tickets to comedian Dave Chappelle’s show in Detroit this month to raise money for his underdog campaign against Rep. Elissa Slotkin, D-Mich. In an event advertised on fundraising platform ActBlue, actor Hill Harper’s campaign invited donors to a live show on July 11. The Democrat candidate described Chappelle as an “old friend” in a statement to the Detroit News. PRESSURE MOUNTS ON BATTLEGROUND STATE DEMS AFTER BIDEN DEBATE DISASTER A representative for Chappelle told Fox News Digital that the show was just like any of the comedian’s other planned shows and Harper’s campaign had purchased a number of tickets to resell for his election effort, with Chappelle’s approval. Harper’s campaign was contacted by Fox News Digital. A poster for the event says it is paid for by “Harper for Michigan” and the event is set to be at St. Andrews Hall. “We are thrilled to extend an exclusive invitation to you for an unforgettable evening with comedy icon Dave Chappelle! Join us for a live show in Detroit on Thursday July 11th. Doors open at 6:00 PM, and the show starts at 7:30 PM,” the invitation reads. GOP SENATE CANDIDATE TIES OPPONENT TO BIDEN DEBATE: BOB CASEY KNEW Guests can buy tickets for as much as $3,300 for “Gold Circle + VIP Reception,” which allows them to attend an event after the show with Harper. The least expensive tickets for the event cost $250 for balcony seating. Cellphones are restricted at the performance, which is common for Chappelle’s shows. Slotkin, considered the front-runner in the Michigan Democrat primary, is a current House member who previously flipped a Republican district in the swing state. With the retirement of Sen. Debbie Stabenow, D-Mich., the state’s Senate race is rated “Lean Democratic” by nonpartisan political handicapper the Cook Political Report. CONGRESSIONAL DEMS BLAST RULING ON TRUMP IMMUNITY: ‘EXTREME RIGHT-WING SUPREME COURT’ The Senate primary elections in Michigan will be held on Aug. 6. On the Republican side, former Rep. Mike Rogers, businessman Sandy Pensler and former Rep. Justin Amash are competing for the party’s nomination. Rogers appears to have a significant edge over his opponents with the support of former President Trump and the National Republican Senatorial Committee. TRUMP ALLIES CELEBRATE BLOW TO ‘SENSELESS LAWFARE’ IN SUPREME COURT IMMUNITY DECISION Michigan is expected to play a pivotal role in deciding both the presidential election and which party will control the Senate in 2025. The state’s significant Arab population has posed an issue for some Democrats already, including President Biden, as many have expressed frustration over his handling of the war between Israel and terrorist group Hamas in Gaza. Harper has seized on Slotkin’s reluctance to call for a cease-fire in Gaza, previously claiming she wouldn’t do so because of “checks.” Chappelle has been vocal about the war in Gaza, reportedly calling it a “genocide” during a show in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, last month. Slotkin’s campaign did not provide comment to Fox News Digital in time for publication. Get the latest updates from the 2024 campaign trail, exclusive interviews and more at our Fox News Digital election hub.
What could the Supreme Court’s immunity ruling mean for US foreign policy?
The United States Supreme Court’s decision to expand presidential immunity has caused alarm among legal experts, who fear the ramifications may extend beyond the country’s borders. On Monday, the court’s conservative majority ruled that any “official acts” a president takes — even beyond the office’s “core constitutional functions” — would enjoy “presumptive immunity” from prosecution. But in the US, the president also serves as the head of the military, and experts say Monday’s decision could further strengthen a culture of impunity for actions taken abroad. Samuel Moyn, a professor of law and history at Yale University, said the decision erodes the few guardrails left to govern US foreign policy. Already, the US Congress gives presidents wide latitude to take actions overseas, and the country refuses to recognise the authority of bodies like the International Criminal Court (ICC). “There was already a large consensus among conservative and liberal elites that a US president should never be restricted by international courts outside of the country,” Moyn told Al Jazeera. “What was extraordinary about Monday’s ruling is that it seems to take that attitude and import it — to apply it to courts inside the country as well as outside.” Former President Donald Trump made broad claims to presidential immunity when facing criminal indictments [File: Julia Nikhinson/AP Photo] A powerful shield The ruling came about after former President Donald Trump asserted far-reaching claims to presidential immunity, as he tried to dodge four separate criminal indictments in US courts. “Trump asserts a far broader immunity than the limited one we have recognized,” the court majority explained in its opinion. Still, it held that any act deemed an “official” part of the presidency could be shielded from criminal charges. But even the court acknowledged that this could herald “king”-like executive powers with few criminal constraints. Foreign policy was one area the dissenting justices highlighted. “From this day forward, Presidents of tomorrow will be free to exercise the Commander-in-Chief powers, the foreign-affairs powers, and all the vast law enforcement powers enshrined in [the US Constitution] however they please — including in ways that Congress has deemed criminal,” Justice Sonia Sotomayor wrote in her dissent. Already, the Supreme Court had established legal precedent in the 1980s that gave presidents “absolute immunity” from civil damages for their conduct while in office. That put presidential actions out of reach of laws like the Alien Tort Statute, which allows foreign nationals to pursue human rights violations in US civil courts. The US Supreme Court has a conservative six-to-three majority [J Scott Applewhite/AP Photo] An evolving executive But experts say that Monday’s decision continues a trend of giving ever-greater power to the executive branch over matters of foreign affairs. Under the US Constitution, the president and Congress share the powers to shape foreign policy. But the legislative branch has ceded ground to the presidency, particularly in periods of national emergency such as the Cold War and the attacks on September 11, 2001. While it is difficult to pinpoint a single moment when authority over foreign affairs became concentrated in the White House, overseas conflicts helped strengthen what some critics call “the imperial presidency”. Coined in 1973, that term describes a perception among some historians that the US presidency has exceeded its constitutionally mandated powers, particularly when it comes to overseas actions like warfare. The US Constitution gives Congress the exclusive authority to declare war, but the last time it formally did so was in World War II. The Cold War, meanwhile, saw an ever-growing number of defence and intelligence bodies take shape under executive control. That period saw institutions like the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) crop up in 1947, and the National Security Agency in 1952. Experts say these defence and intelligence groups helped the US wage a global campaign to expand its influence, sometimes through clandestine operations and even torture and assassination. At times, after revelations of abuses, the legislative branch tried to claw back influence over US foreign policy. One example came in the early 1970s, when an emboldened Congress barred President Richard Nixon from sending weapons to the government of Pakistan after a campaign of brutal repression came to light. It also moved to rein in the president’s secretive military incursions into Cambodia during the Vietnam War. But such stabs at oversight proved to be the exception rather than the rule, and presidents have historically faced few consequences for overseas actions that could constitute violations of international and domestic law. Nixon, for instance, continued to send weapons to Pakistan, albeit through proxies like Jordan, in defiance of Congress’s sanctions. Former President Richard Nixon, centre, was criticised for circumventing the US Congress in foreign affairs [Nixon Library handout/Reuters] ‘Rule of law at home but none abroad’ The country’s appetite for reining in the White House continued to diminish after the September 11 attacks, according to experts like Moyn. After President George W Bush declared a global so-called “war on terror” in 2001, US presidents have carried out military operations in nearly 80 countries. Critics say perceived enemies have been captured and tortured in the name of national security, including at CIA black sites and the detention centre in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. The 2014 drone strike that killed the Yemeni American Muslim leader Anwar al-Awlaki also raised uncomfortable questions about whether a sitting president should be able to execute a US citizen without a trial. US courts have mostly declined to weigh in on such matters, Moyn explained. He said that presidents have largely been given a “permission slip” to take drastic overseas actions, with government legal advisers finding creative ways to give human rights abuses the imprimatur of legal compliance. President Barack Obama, for instance, signed an executive order to end the torture programme launched under Bush. But while Obama admitted the US “tortured some folks”, he declined to prosecute those responsible under the previous administration, calling on the country to “look forward, not back”. The US has also been hostile to international efforts to ensure criminal acts
Americans swat away high fuel prices and gear up for record July 4 travels
Record 71 million people are expected to travel on upcoming long weekend, a growth trajectory similar to pre-pandemic. High fuel costs and the threat of a hurricane are not expected to dampen Americans’ desire to hit the road, with vacationers preparing for record travel to kick off Fourth of July holiday festivities. Motorist group AAA expects a record of almost 71 million people to travel around the United States Independence Day holiday, growth similar to a pre-pandemic trajectory. Some 60 million people will drive with nearly 6 million flying to their destinations, while approximately 4.6 million people will take buses, trains or cruises during the holiday period, according to AAA’s forecast. “We’ve never seen numbers like this,” AAA spokesperson Andrew Gross said, “2024’s travel seems to be what 2020 would have been, had it not been for the pandemic.” Travel during the summer months in the US will be closely watched from multiple fronts this year, as it could offer central bank officials and policymakers an important measure of consumer sentiment in an election year. Inflation was unchanged in May even as consumer spending rose, boosting hopes that the US Federal Reserve might be able to control inflation while avoiding a recession. Petrol prices have eased over the past few months, with the national average price for a gallon of motor fuel at $3.50 ($0.92 a litre) on Tuesday, a three-cent decline from last year. Domestic airfare is 2 percent cheaper than last year, with an average domestic round trip costing $800, according to AAA booking data. ‘Wanting to travel’ Despite recent declines, fuel prices remain well above historical levels. The average price for a gallon of petrol was $2.74 ($0.72 a litre) during the July Fourth week in 2019, and the weekly average price from 2015 through 2019 was less than $2.50 a gallon (0.66 a litre), according to US Energy Information Administration data. Still, vacationers’ travel plans are largely unaffected by higher prices this year, according to a survey of more than 1,000 people by auto retail group American Trucks. Four-week average US petrol demand hit a one-year high of 9.2 million barrels per day (bpd) last week as retailers stockpiled before the holiday, EIA data showed on Wednesday. Four-week average jet fuel demand was at 1.7 million bpd, identical to a seven-month high hit earlier in June. “What we have noticed is that it’s more about the rate of change than the price itself that affects the psyche of consumers,” said John LaForge, head of real asset strategy at Wells Fargo Investment Institute. Since the price of petrol has not moved dramatically higher or lower in the past six months, consumer psyche is largely unaffected by it, LaForge said. For now, US vacation travel is unlikely to be affected by Hurricane Beryl, which has brought devastation to some Caribbean Islands since Monday, but is expected to weaken considerably as it reaches Mexico’s Yucatan Peninsula by Thursday night. US fuel inventories are also better stocked than they have been in recent years, providing motorists a buffer from sudden price shocks in case the hurricane disrupts refining operations. “Americans are optimistic and wanting to travel, there’s no denying it,” GasBuddy analyst Patrick De Haan said. Adblock test (Why?)
Russia-Ukraine war: List of key events, day 860
As the war enters its 860th day, these are the main developments. Here is the situation on Thursday, July 4, 2024. Fighting At least five people were killed and dozens injured in a Russian missile and drone attack on the southeastern Ukrainian city of Dnipro. At least one person was killed and 14 injured in a series of Russian attacks that struck Ukraine’s northeastern Kharkiv region, including the regional capital of Kharkiv, the country’s second-largest city. At least one person was killed and three injured in a Russian missile attack on Ukraine’s Poltava region. Regional governor Filip Pronin said one person was in critical condition. The United Nations human rights office (OHCHR) said Russia’s use of air-dropped bombs led to more civilian casualties in Ukraine between March and May. OHCHR found that the Russian offensive in the Kharkiv region from May 10 to 31 killed 78 civilians and injured 305 more. Between March and May, at least 436 civilians were killed and 1,760 injured in Ukraine, according to the agency. Moscow-appointed officials at the Russian-occupied Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant in Ukraine said a Ukrainian drone attack on a nearby electricity substation injured eight workers and left the plant’s dormitory town of Enerhodar without power and water. Russia’s Ministry of Defence said its forces destroyed two Ukrainian sea drones targeting the Black Sea port of Novorossiysk, a key naval base and hub for oil shipments. No casualties or damage were reported. Politics and diplomacy A military court in Moscow jailed three brothers for treason for trying to cross into Ukraine to join a unit of Russians fighting on Kyiv’s side. Ioann Ashcheulov, 24, was sentenced to 17-and-a-half years while his brothers – Alexei, 20, and Timofey, 19 – were handed 17 years, Russian state media reported. A court in Rostov-on-Don found a 19-year-old man guilty of treason for allegedly donating money to Kyiv’s military and sentenced him to 12 years in prison. A court in Saint Petersburg more than doubled the sentence for activist and documentary filmmaker Vsevolod Korolev to seven years after he and the prosecutors appealed his original jail term of three years for criticising the Russian offensive against Ukraine on social media. Korolev has been in pre-trial detention since July 2022, Russian President Vladimir Putin and Chinese President Xi Jinping discussed Ukraine when they met on the sidelines of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) summit in Astana, and agreed that peace talks on Ukraine without Russia’s presence were pointless. Also meeting on the SCO sidelines, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan told Putin that Ankara could help end the conflict, but Putin’s spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Erdogan could not play the role of an intermediary. He did not say why. The Netherlands’ new Prime Minister Dick Schoof assured Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy during a phone call that his country’s support for Ukraine would remain “rock solid”. Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba said he discussed bilateral cooperation and exchanged views on “a number of regional and global threats posed by Russia, Iran and North Korea” with Israeli counterpart Israel Katz. Weapons The United States announced $150m in new military assistance for Ukraine. The package includes missiles for HAWK air defence systems, ammunition for High Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems (HIMARS), 155mm and 105mm artillery rounds, 81mm mortar rounds, TOW (Tube-launched, Optically tracked, Wire-guided) missiles, Javelin and AT-4 antiarmour systems, as well as a range of other small arms ammunition and equipment. NATO allies agreed to fund military aid for Ukraine with 40 billion euros ($43bn) next year, two Western European diplomats told the Reuters news agency, a week before the alliance’s leaders are set to meet in Washington. The Czech Ministry of Defence said that the country had donated equipment from its army storage, including aircraft and ammunition, worth 6.75 billion crowns ($288.42m) to Ukraine as of the end of May. Adblock test (Why?)
California transgender notification bill to head to Gov. Newsom’s desk amid battle over parental, trans rights
The issue over parental rights and the privacy of trans students in California is brewing as lawmakers seek to limit the authority of public schools in the state. Legislators in Sacramento have sent a bill, AB 1955, to Gov. Gavin Newsom, which would bar school districts from notifying parents if their child uses different pronouns or identifies as a gender that’s different from what’s on school records. The bill is currently in the enrollment process, but Newsom will have 12 days to sign it into law once he receives it, his office told Fox News Digital on Tuesday. During an emotional June 27 hearing on the state Democratic-led Assembly floor, Assemblyman Bill Essayli, a Republican, vehemently opposed the legislation. Assembly Speaker Pro Tempore Jim Wood, a Democrat, repeatedly chastised Essayli for speaking off-topic and had his microphone cut off several times. TRANSGENDER ATHLETE COMPLAINS ABOUT LACK OF SPORTSMANSHIP FROM FELLOW RUNNERS AFTER WINNING GIRLS STATE TITLE The bill passed by a 60-15 vote. “California is leading the nation in assaulting parental rights,” Essayli told Fox News Digital in a statement. “AB 1955 is dangerous and defies common sense by stripping parents of their constitutional and God-given right to raise their children.” “It’s now up to Governor Gavin Newsom to decide whether he will sign this policy and make the erosion of parental rights one of the central issues in his presidential ambitions,” he added. Newsom has appeared to play to a national audience as speculations about a possible presidential bid refuse to go away. Last year, he vetoed a bill that would have required courts to consider whether a parent affirms their child’s gender identity when making rulings on custody and visitation. A bill Essayli proposed last year, AB 1314, would have done the opposite of AB 1955 by requiring schools to notify parents of changes in their child’s gender identity. The proposal failed to advance from the education committee. During last week’s debate, things almost got out of hand when Assemblyman Corey Jackson, who is part of the LGBTQ community, had to be restrained as he tried to move toward Essayli following his remarks. BIDEN OFFICIALS PUSHED TO DROP AGE LIMIT ON TRANS SURGERIES FOR MINORS: REPORT There are things young people have a right to decide for themselves when it’s appropriate, Jackson said. “What we’ve seen is that we’re neglecting that right that they have,” he told Fox News Digital. “It’s a parent’s responsibility to build the type of relationship for a student to be willing to confide in them. We are not an extension of their parenting.” Before the vote, Assemblyman Chris Ward, author of AB 1955, said the bill will strengthen families and will allow people to have the “dignity of deciding when they are ready to share some of the most private information about themselves.” “When you have a policy that requires teachers to do things that they know are not in the best interest of the kids, it causes trauma and damage that experts across the board tell us is true,” he said. Corey said he was confident that Newsom will sign AB 1955, while blaming Republicans for instilling “fear and hate.” “This is politically driven,” he said. “These are not just parents out of nowhere saying this is an issue.” James Gallagher, the California Assembly Republican Leader, said he has issues with the assumption that telling parents about their child’s gender identity puts students at risk. “One of the concerns that I’ve had from the beginning of this legislation is that I feel like it draws almost a default of: ‘School officials and teachers and counselors, they’re always safe and parents are not safe’,” he said last week. “I think we would probably agree on both sides that’s not true.” The bill came as school districts across California have enacted parent notification policies. Many of the policies have been tweaked after the state sued the Chino Valley Unified School District to halt the enforcement of its mandatory gender identity disclosure policy. In March, the district amended the policy and will only mention that a child has requested a change to their student records.
Fight over trans medical care is at the core of leaked Houston health records case
A doctor says the government wants to punish him for calling attention to wrongdoing. Advocates say the families of trans kids are the ones at risk.