Biden issues clemency for gay military service members despite voting for ‘don’t ask, don’t tell’ in 1993
President Biden on Wednesday pardoned former U.S. service members who were dishonorably discharged after their conviction for violating a now-repealed military ban on consensual gay sex. Biden’s action grants a pardon to service members who were convicted under the Uniform Code of Military Justice’s former Article 125, which criminalized sodomy. The law, which has been on the books since 1951, was rewritten in 2013 to prohibit only forcible acts. Those covered by the pardon will be able to apply to receive proof that their conviction has been erased, petition to have their discharges from the military upgraded and move to recover lost pay and benefits. In a statement, the president said he is “righting a historic wrong.” BIDEN SENIOR PENTAGON OFFICIAL CLAIMS POLICIES FOCUSED ON NONBINARY IDENTITIES ESSENTIAL FOR NATIONAL SECURITY “Despite their courage and great sacrifice, thousands of LGBTQI+ service members were forced out of the military because of their sexual orientation or gender identity. Some of these patriotic Americans were subject to court-martial, and have carried the burden of this great injustice for decades,” Biden said. “This is about dignity, decency, and ensuring the culture of our Armed Forces reflect the values that make us an exceptional nation,” he added. “We have a sacred obligation to all of our service members – including our brave LGBTQI+ service members: to properly prepare and equip them when they are sent into harm’s way, and to care for them and their families when they return home.” VETERAN HOMELESSNESS ‘AN EMBARRASSMENT’ TO OUR NATION: MISSION ROLL CALL CEO The move, which could restore lost benefits to potentially thousands of LGBTQI+ former service members, comes more than three decades after Biden supported “don’t ask, don’t tell,” a policy which barred discrimination against closeted homosexual or bisexual service members but barred openly gay, lesbian or bisexual people from military service. Biden voted for “don’t ask, don’t tell” as part of a larger defense bill in 1993 after voting against the amendment, which was adopted. Congress repealed the policy in 2011 with the support of then-President Obama and Biden, who was vice president. ‘THIS IS ABOUT READINESS’: SEN SCHMITT PUSHES TO ELIMINATE DEI AT THE PENTAGON Biden’s pardon action comes during Pride Month and just days before he is scheduled to attend a fundraiser with LGBT donors in New York on Friday. It was the third sweeping pardon by Biden, following the broad clemency offered to individuals convicted federally for possessing marijuana in 2022 and 2023. Service members convicted of rape are not covered under Biden’s pardon. The president previously instructed the Department of Veterans Affairs to take action to provide benefits to service members who were other than honorably discharged because of their sexual orientation, gender identity or HIV status. The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Biden enters first presidential debate with just 42% of Democrats satisfied with him as nominee
President Biden is heading into the first presidential debate with a notably uneasy base of support, according to a new poll. An Associated Press poll conducted in partnership with the NORC Center for Public Affairs Research was released on Wednesday, dissecting the public’s attitudes towards the candidates heading into the CNN Presidential Debate on Thursday. Only 42% of Democrat respondents told pollsters that they were satisfied with Biden as their candidate. BIDEN DEBATE PREP FOCUSED ON WAYS TO ‘TRIGGER’ TRUMP AS FORMER PRESIDENT RELIES ON CAMPAIGNING: REPORTS By contrast, approximately six in 10 Republicans are satisfied with Trump as their party’s candidate, according to the poll. About three in 10 adults are dissatisfied with both candidates. Biden has spent the last five days at Camp David in rural Maryland huddling with at least 16 current and former aides, according to The New York Times, while Trump, who spoke with Fox News over the weekend, has held “policy discussions” with allies to prep for what is expected to be an epic clash on the debate stage in CNN’s Atlanta studios. An old movie theater and airplane hangar have been outfitted as a mock debate stage, where Biden, despite having varying hours and a non-rigid schedule, is preparing to go on the offensive against Trump on issues like immigration and abortion, as well as push back on claims — appearing to be supported by various videos — that he is confused and frail, The Times reported. INSIDERS REVEAL HOW BIDEN, TRUMP ARE PREPPING FOR THE 1ST 2024 PRESIDENTIAL DEBATE Trump jokingly asked the crowd at his Philadelphia rally what his approach should be on the debate stage. “How should I handle him? Should I be tough and nasty, and just say, ‘You’re the worst president in history.’ Or should I be nice and calm and let him speak?” he asked. A recent Atlanta Journal-Constitution poll released on Tuesday found only 12% of Georgia voters between the ages of 18 and 29 intended to vote for Biden. Approximately 37% of those young Georgia voters said they planned to vote for Trump. While Republicans are more likely to be satisfied with Trump as their candidate than Democrats are satisfied with Biden, the two candidates experience nearly identical levels of positivity and negativity across party lines. Approximately nine in 10 Democrats expressed negative feelings towards Trump, while nine in 10 Republicans said the same about Biden. Approximately seven in 10 Republicans expressed positive feelings about Trump, while a similar seven in 10 Democrats said the same about Biden. The AP-NORC poll surveyed 1,088 adults selected to be representative of the U.S. population, drawn from the NORC AmeriSpeak Panel. It has a sampling error of +/-4%. Fox News Digital’s Brandon Gillespie contributed to this report.
Explained: Why protests broke out over Emergency in Lok Sabha today
Lok Sabha speaker Om Birla urged members to observe silence for a while and later adjourned the proceedings for the day.
Prajwal Revanna’s bail plea rejected by Bengaluru court in sexual abuse case
He is presently in the custody of the Special Investigation Team, formed to probe his alleged sex crimes.
Texas set to execute Ramiro Gonzales for 2001 murder
Gonzales has served as a spiritual leader for others on death row since he was sentenced in 2006.
Meet IPS officer who studied in govt college, secured AIR 115 in UPSC exam, got suspended due to…
Quaiser Khalid, a 1997 batch IPS officer was suspended by the state home department in connection with the Ghatkopar hoarding collapse case.
Popular Republican and Trump running mate contender makes first Senate endorsement in 2024 races
EXCLUSIVE – Republican Sen. Tim Scott of South Carolina, who’s under consideration as former President Donald Trump’s running mate, is weighing in on the GOP Senate primary in a key battleground state. Scott on Wednesday endorsed former Rep. Mike Rogers of Michigan, a former House Intelligence Committee chair who is the front-runner in the August Republican primary in the fight to succeed longtime Sen. Debbie Stabenow, a Democrat who is not seeking re-election this year. The seat is one of a handful that Republicans are aiming to flip from blue to red in the autumn elections as they push to regain the Senate majority they lost in the 2020 cycle. “Mike Rogers’ commitment to service has always been about putting the American people first. When Mike and I served together, he was a leader who delivered results and fought to expand opportunities for working families and those pursuing their American Dream,” Scott said in a statement. “I’m proud to endorse him to be Michigan’s next U.S. Senator because I know Mike will bring his servant leadership to the U.S. Senate.” WHAT THE REPUBLICAN SENATE CAMPAIGN CHAIR TOLD FOX NEWS ABOUT WINNING BACK THE MAJORITY Scott’s backing of Rogers, which was shared first with Fox News, is his first formal endorsement in a Senate race this election cycle, although he’s helped other Republican candidates raise money. Rogers, an Army veteran and a former FBI special agent before serving in Congress, enjoys the backing of the National Republican Senatorial Committee (NRSC), which is the campaign arm of the Senate GOP. And in March, Rogers landed the endorsement of Trump, the party’s presumptive presidential nominee. 6 KEY SENATE SEATS REPUBLICANS AIM TO FLIP IN NOVEMBER “Senator Scott has been a tremendous champion for conservative values in the U.S. Senate and I’m honored to receive his endorsement,” Rogers said in a statement. “Together in the Senate we will work with President Trump to help Michigan families, lower the cost of gas and groceries, and secure the southern border.” Rogers has also been endorsed in recent months by seven other Republican senators, as well as Mike Pompeo, who served as Secretary of State and CIA director in the Trump administration. He’s also been endorsed by former Detroit police chief James Craig, who backed Rogers after ending his own Republican Senate nomination bid earlier this year. As they work to win a Senate election in Michigan for the first time in three decades, Republicans were hoping to avoid a potentially costly and combustible primary. But Rogers doesn’t have the field to himself. The primary race also includes wealthy businessman and investor Sandy Pensler, who’s making his second run for office and has been spending big bucks to run ads targeting Rogers. Former Republican presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy endorsed Pensler. Among the others running for the GOP nomination are former Rep. Justin Amash, who as an independent House member joined Democrats in voting to impeach then-President Trump in his first impeachment trial in 2019. The state primary in Michigan will be held on August 6. Scott, the only Black Republican in the Senate, ran unsuccessfully for the 2024 GOP presidential nomination but remains a very popular and influential figure in the party. The senator, who was known for his ferocious fundraising as he cruised to a Senate re-election in 2022, has strong ties with many leading figures in the GOP donor class. The money raised two years ago served as a down payment for his 2024 national run. Besides raising money for himself, Scott has also been very active in helping fellow Republicans running for office. In the 2022 cycle, the senator raised nearly $1 million for other candidates and donated more than $1 million to down ballot races. And two outside groups aligned with Scott spent $13 million on top Senate and House races, while also transferring $5 million to the top super PAC supporting Senate Republicans. A super PAC allied with Scott announced earlier this month it would spend $14 million to help Republicans grow support among Black voters. Get the latest updates from the 2024 campaign trail, exclusive interviews and more at our Fox News Digital election hub.
Biden debate prep focused on ways to ‘trigger’ Trump as former president relies on campaigning: reports
The vastly different approaches taken by President Biden and former President Trump in prepping for Thursday’s presidential debate have continued to diverge, with the former hoping he can “trigger” the latter in the heat of the moment, and the latter relying heavily on his campaign experience, multiple reports show. Biden has spent the last five days at Camp David in rural Maryland huddling with at least 16 current and former aides, according to The New York Times, while Trump, who spoke with Fox News over the weekend, has held “policy discussions” with allies to prep for what is expected to be an epic clash on the debate stage in CNN’s Atlanta studios. An old movie theater and airplane hangar have been outfitted as a mock debate stage, where Biden, despite having varying hours and a non-rigid schedule, is preparing to go on the offensive against Trump on issues like immigration and abortion, as well as push back on claims — appearing to be supported by various videos — that he is confused and frail,” The Times reported. HOW TO WATCH THE CNN PRESIDENTIAL DEBATE SIMULCAST ON THE FOX NEWS CHANNEL Biden’s mock debates have included his personal attorney, Bob Bauer, playing the role of Trump, the report said, while the team helping prepare him is being led by former White House Chief of Staff Ron Klain, and includes National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan, current White House Chief of Staff Jeff Zients, White House counselor Steve Richetti, as well as campaign officials Anita Dunn, Mike Donilon, Ben LaBolt, Jen O’Malley Dillon, Cedric Richmond, Julie Chavez Rodriquez, Quentin Fulks, Michael Tyler and Rob Flaherty. Former White House official Brian Deese is also expected to assist, according to the report. Three sources familiar with the debate prep told NBC News that Biden advisors are studying the former president’s recent comments to see what topics might get under his skin most — all an effort to throw off what appears to be a more disciplined Trump as of late. INSIDERS REVEAL HOW BIDEN, TRUMP ARE PREPPING FOR THE 1ST 2024 PRESIDENTIAL DEBATE One source told the outlet the goal is to get “rally Trump” to come out, with another specifically pointing to Biden possibly attacking the former president’s 2020 election loss and subsequent actions that led to the Jan. 6 protest as a way to anger him by making him feel he’s being called a “loser.” Those sources told NBC they believe attacking Trump’s post-2020 election actions could help boost Biden with independent voters who might be turned off by continued claims he actually won the election. One Biden campaign official told the outlet the president has to walk a “fine line” because they want him to be seen as the “adult in the room.” The official also said Biden didn’t need to “goad” Trump into anything because the two men’s contrasting visions for the country would be clear enough without that. FAITH VOTERS WILL ‘DECIDE THIS ELECTION,’ ACCORDING TO PROMINENT GOP MEMBERS Trump hit the campaign trail for a rally at Temple University in Philadelphia and the Faith and Freedom Coalition’s Road to Majority conference in Washington, D.C. on Saturday. Fox spoke with him during his Philadelphia stop, where he described the “best strategy” as being around people who scream questions at him. Trump jokingly asked the crowd during his rally what his approach should be on the debate stage. “How should I handle him? Should I be tough and nasty, and just say, ‘you’re the worst president in history.’ Or should I be nice and calm and let him speak?” he asked. Trump later told Fox he isn’t worried about Biden’s debate preparations and feels confident in his own ability. “Well, I think if he prepares, he’ll be fine. Then he will forget it within about an hour after preparing. So, we’ll see what happens. We’ll see what happens,” Trump said. The Fox News Channel will be airing the CNN Presidential Debate Simulcast at 9:00 p.m. ET on Thursday, June 27. Get the latest updates from the 2024 campaign trail, exclusive interviews and more at our Fox News Digital election hub.
Black GOP lawmakers hold ‘Congress, Cognac, and Cigars’ event in key swing state
Two of former President Trump’s top allies in the House of Representatives are in Atlanta on Wednesday to mobilize Black voters ahead of his November rematch with President Biden. Reps. Wesley Hunt, R-Texas, and Byron Donalds, R-Fla., are hosting an event called “Congress, Cognac, and Cigars” at a cigar lounge in the Peach State alongside former ESPN host Sage Steele. An invitation to the event obtained by Fox News Digital billed it in all capital letters as “a real conversation about the Black male vote, leadership, and how they will impact the 2024 election.” Hunt told Fox News Digital in an interview that Black voters, particularly in a state like Georgia, are going to be “paramount” in deciding the winner of the next presidential race. DONALD TRUMP HAS PICKED HIS RUNNING MATE AND THEY WILL BE AT THURSDAY’S DEBATE “The thing is, in the past, the Republican Party has not done a very good job of going to these communities, articulating why our policies are in the best interest of the Black community,” Hunt said. “Black issues are American issues. We just need voices to go articulate that.” “You don’t have to vote for Democrats anymore because your mama and your grandmother and your parents told you to do it. The Republican Party right now is in your best interest. If you hate what’s going on at the border, if you hate what’s happening with inflation, if you hate crime, I’m telling you that … electing [Trump] and getting him back in office is definitely going to be in your best interest.” It’s part of a wider strategy for Trump to win 25% to 35% of the Black male vote, Hunt said. Black voters were critical to Biden’s 2020 Democrat primary and general election victories and will likely play a critical role in the fall race. CNN PRESIDENTIAL DEBATE: ILLEGAL IMMIGRATION LOOMS AS TOP ISSUE AMID OUTRAGE OVER 12-YEAR-OLD GIRL’S MURDER Multiple exit polls show Trump having won 19% of Black male voters in 2020, though the vast majority of Black voters still went for Biden. “That’s the highest that we’ve ever seen in modern history for a Republican president,” Hunt said. “We need to add about five or six percentage points and grow from what we did four years ago. And given the environment that we’re in right now, we think we can accomplish that.” Their first “Congress, Cognac, and Cigars” event took place in Philadelphia. Hunt said the next one would be in Milwaukee, the site of next month’s Republican National Convention. ‘THE VIEW’ CO-HOSTS JOIN CLINTON IN SLAMMING WOMEN VOTERS FOR 2016 LOSS: ‘HOPE THAT DOES NOT HAPPEN AGAIN’ Hunt said the previous event showed him that Republicans could potentially make some headway with Black women, who overwhelmingly voted for Biden in 2020 as well. “The biggest takeaway from that event is – again, Byron and I have been really focused on Black men, but there were Black women in that room that raised their hand and stood up and said, ‘Don’t forget about us. I’m a Black woman, I’m voting for President Trump, and I’m fed up with this, too. And I’m not saying you’re going to get as many of us as you are men, but what I am saying is, don’t just cater these events to Black men; cater them to the Black community,’” the lawmaker said.
Satellites: Invisible everyday heroes in our life
You use space every day without even realizing it. For instance, when you drive to work and use Google Maps, you are relying on GPS satellites. These space-based systems help your phone determine your exact location and give you real-time directions.