Fox News Politics: Trump Ungagged…Kinda
Welcome to Fox News’ Politics newsletter with the latest political news from Washington D.C. and updates from the 2024 campaign trail. FACE OFF: Don’t miss the Fox News Simulcast of the CNN Presidential Debate on Thursday at 9 p.m. ET. Stay in the know for more updates here. What’s happening… -Calls for Biden to fire official for past anti-Israel tweets -Trump urges drug test for Biden -Whistleblower who exposed NPR bias finds new job Judge Juan Merchan has partially lifted the gag order he imposed against former President Trump – weeks after the jury found him guilty on all counts. Trump and his legal team have been fighting the gag order since it was imposed upon him at the start of the trial, but had ramped up their efforts when it concluded last month. The former president and presumptive Republican nominee’s legal team had argued the gag order should be lifted before the June 27 presidential debate. Merchan’s gag order barred Trump from making or directing others to make public statements about witnesses with regard to their potential participation or about counsel in the case – other than Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg – or about court staff, DA staff or family members of staff. Merchan on Tuesday partially lifted the gag order because the trial has concluded. Trump is now able to speak about protected witnesses and jurors. Trump is still blocked from commenting about individual prosecutors, court staff and their family members. That portion of the gag order will remain in effect until Trump’s sentencing on July 11. ‘JUST HORRIFYING’: Watchdog group calls for Biden to fire WH official for past anti-Israel tweets …Read more ‘OBSCENE’: House GOP lawmaker rips State Dept ahead of vote on U.S. dollars going to Taliban …Read more ‘THEATER OF CONFLICT’: Democrat challenger slams Bowman tirade, says profanity-laced rally jeopardizes party ‘unity’ …Read more JUST SAY ‘NO’: Trump urges drug test for Biden, says he’ll do same screening …Read more EPIC CLASH: How to watch the CNN Presidential Debate Simulcast on the Fox News Channel …Read more ‘SUGARCOATING’ CONTROVERSY: California city keeps charged ballot language for non-citizen voting measure …Read more CALL TO THE BULLPEN: Obama again serving as Joe’s closer ahead of 2024 Trump rematch …Read more DAY 3: US v Trump: The afternoon public hearing ended with no decision from Judge Cannon Read more NO ABORTIONS FOR MINORS: Tennessee sued over law banning adults from helping minors get abortions without parental consent …Read more MOVING ON: Whistleblower finds new gig after exposing alleged liberal bias at NPR …Read more NEW YORK PAYS PRICE FOR NAIVETY: Cuomo scorches Dems for migrant crisis: ‘We’re finding out, 200,000 people later, you needed a plan’ …Read more GETTING AWAY WITH MURDER: This blue city that ‘Defund Police’ supporters call home has over 1,000 unsolved homicides …Read more KENYAN EXPEDITIONARY FORCE: Kenyan police depart for Haiti to tackle rampant gang violence …Read more ALL MUST SERVE: Israel’s Supreme Court rules ultra-Orthodox men must serve in military in unanimous decision …Read more HUGE POPULATION: Houston area, an immigration hot spot, reeling from murder of Jocelyn Nungaray …Read more Subscribe now to get Fox News Politics newsletter in your inbox. Get the latest updates from the 2024 campaign trail, exclusive interviews and more on FoxNews.com.
Massive spike in criminal migrants entering US since 2021, data shows
The amount of criminal immigrants attempting to enter the U.S. has spiked in recent years, U.S. Customs and Border Protection data reveals. Over 13,000 “criminal noncitizens” have attempted to enter the U.S. and been apprehended by Border Patrol agents in Fiscal Year 2024, a rise from 4,269 in FY 2019. CBP defines “criminal noncitizens” as “individuals who have been convicted of one or more crimes, whether in the United States or abroad, prior to interdiction by the U.S. Border Patrol,” the agency’s website notes. Such border apprehensions had been on the decline before FY 2021, with CBP recording 8,531 in 2017, 6,698 in 2018, 4,269 in 2019, and 2,438 in 2020. Since then, however, the number has continued to rise, hitting 10,763 in 2021, 12,028 in 2022, and 15,267 in 2023, the most recent full year for which data is available. ILLEGAL IMMIGRANT SUSPECT ACCUSED OF KILLING JOCELYN NUNGARAY WORE ICE ANKLE MONITOR Many of the criminal aliens who have been caught at the border this year have been convicted of serious crimes, including 814 for assault, battery, or domestic violence; 23 for homicide or manslaughter; and 168 for sexual offenses. But the data does not account for the number of criminal aliens who were able to slip into the country undetected or were released with unclear criminal backgrounds, cases that have once again entered the national spotlight. Such cases include the arrest of Victor Antonio Martinez Hernandez, a 23-year-old illegal El Salvadorian migrant accused of raping and killing Maryland mother Rachel Morin. Martinez Herhandez had attempted to enter the country illegally four times after being accused of a similar murder in his native El Salvador, the last of which he was able to elude the detection of border security. In another case, two Venezuelan migrants are accused in the killing of Houston-area 12-year-old Jocelyn Nungaray. In that case, suspects Johan Jose Martinez-Rangel, 22, and Franklin Jose Peña Ramos, 26, entered the country illegally and were released with court dates. ILLEGAL IMMIGRANT SUSPECT ACCUSED OF KILLING JOCELYN NUNGARAY WORE ICE ANKLE MONITOR While neither suspect had a previous criminal record in Harris County, their background in their native Venezuela is less clear as a result of a lack of cooperation in sharing information between the Venezuelan and U.S. governments. The two then made their way to what has become an immigrant hotspot in Houston, where Harris County District Attorney Kim Ogg told Fox News has seen an uptick in illegal immigrant crime. “Unfortunately, we see a great deal of violence committed by illegal immigrants, and we see as many victimized by other illegals and regular people here. It’s an enormous problem. This was bound to happen,” she told Fox News. “It’s one of those things that as an elected prosecutor, you are just waiting for other shoe to drop. I’m just sick and sickened this little girl was the innocent victim of these two monsters.” Get the latest updates on the ongoing border crisis from the Fox News Digital immigration hub.
Biden appointee played key role in recruiting Chinese businesses to Delaware: ‘Longtime friends’
FIRST ON FOX: A Biden appointee, who has donated tens of thousands of dollars to his campaigns and is married to a top former aide of then-Sen. Biden, has played an instrumental role in recruiting Chinese businesses to Delaware. Michael Marquardt, who Biden appointed in 2022 to the U.S. Commission for the Preservation of America’s Heritage Abroad, has spent the last two decades advising international companies and in recent years helping the Delaware Prosperity Partnership (DPP) recruit Chinese businesses to invest in Delaware. Marquardt, who has served as a “global advisor” of DPP since 2017, has used his social media accounts to highlight his work in introducing Chinese business leaders and Chinese companies to Delaware. “Today we welcomed more than 50 of the Chinese business executives to The First State, a visit planned and sponsored by Bank of China,” Marquardt wrote in a 2015 Facebook post. “After a program highlighting the benefits and advantages of Delaware as a ‘gateway to America’ we toured one of the country’s fastest growing companies – Incyte Corporation. Our visitors were very impressed. Delaware is the only State they are visiting other than New York City and Washington DC (for sightseeing).” HUNTER BIDEN REVEALED TOP CCP LEADER WANTED HIM TO VISIT CHINA TO ‘DISCUSS BUSINESS OPPORTUNITIES’: EMAILS A day earlier, Marquardt posted on his Facebook profile from New York City about then-Delaware Gov. Jack Markell, a Biden ally, being presented “with the International Leadership Award from China’s General Chamber of Commerce at Bank of China’s new US headquarters building in Manhattan at 7 Bryant Park.” “The building is actually not yet finished and it was amazing to see it before it officially opens,” Marquardt continued. “This ceremony concluded a day of business matching sessions between 100+ Chinese companies and 100+ American companies, including 21 from Delaware.” That same year, Marquardt posted on Facebook an article touting Delaware funding for “the expansion of a China summer abroad program for high school students studying Mandarin.” He also posted the Twitter hashtag “#ForwardThinkingDelaware.” “And today we welcomed 2 buses w/Chinese business execs to @DelawareGlobal to learn more about the First State,” Marquardt posted on X in 2015 along with a photo of buses presumably rolling into Delaware with Chinese business executives on board. BIDEN DRIVING CHINA, RUSSIA INTO ‘SHOCKING’ PARTNERSHIP, EXPERT WARNS: ‘BLUNDER OF THE HIGHEST ORDER’ In 2016, the final year of the Obama-Biden administration, Marquardt posted on his Facebook about being in attendance at a “very special event” in New York City “celebrating the strengthening business ties between China and the United States.” “Global Delaware front and center once again!” he added. According to the photos Marquardt posted, he was at the China-U.S. Economic and Trade Cooperation Conference, which included keynote remarks from Hu Chunhua, who at the time was a member of the powerful political bureau of the CPC Central Committee and party secretary of the Guangdong Province. Chunhua is currently vice-chairperson of the 14th CPPCC National Committee, a “central part” of China’s United Front system, which works to “co-opt and neutralize sources of potential opposition to the policies and authority of its ruling Chinese Communist Party (CCP),” according to a 2018 report by the U.S.-China Economic and Security Review Commission. Later that year, Marquardt traveled to Washington, D.C., for the closing ceremony of China-U.S. Tourism Year 2016, according to an X post from Andrea Tinianow, who started Global Delaware, a Delaware Department of State initiative created to “help Delaware companies develop markets overseas, attract foreign companies to establish operations in Delaware, and strengthen Delaware’s role as leader in corporate governance.” According to her Linkedin profile, she also served as the chief innovation officer and executive vice president of Global Kompass Strategies Inc., a “globally respected consulting firm” founded by Marquardt. Marquardt was invited by China’s General Chamber of Commerce (CGCC), a New York City-based group that has been praised by top CCP leaders in Beijing, to attend the luncheon for Vice Premier Wang Yang, one of the most powerful CCP leaders in China, according to a 2016 Facebook post. The event featured several top Democrats, including former New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg and President Obama’s ambassador to China, Max Baucus. In a 2018 Facebook post, Marquardt posted photos from a “follow-up meeting with the China Entrepreneur Club in Beijing” and called his meeting “productive.” A 2014 BBC profile piece described the CEC as the “richest club in China” that consists of “46 of China’s top business leaders” and includes “politicians, academics and other advisers,” including several billionaires. The group now has over 60 members, according to last year’s annual report. Its honorary club chairmen are Jack Ma, the founder of CCP-tied Alibaba that reportedly helped create surveillance technology used against Uyghur Muslims in Xinjiang, and Liu Chuanzhi, who has held multiple top positions in the CCP, including deputy to the 16th and 17th National Congresses and deputy to the 9th, 10th and 11th National People’s Congresses, the annual report noted. In a 2019 social media post, Marquardt said he traveled to Washington, D.C., and “enjoyed reconnecting with longtime friends” from CGCC and the Bank of China at the SelectUSA Summit representing DPP. SelectUSA is a “federal government program housed within the U.S. Department of Commerce tasked with promoting and facilitating business investment into the United States.” China has played a major role in Delaware’s economy and was the recipient of $498 million in exported goods in 2023, according to the U.S. Global Leadership Coalition. In 2022, CGCC published a post about their “member companies” traveling to Wilmington, Delaware, to learn about “Delaware’s economy through site visits and engagements with local government officials,” which included a “presentation” by DPP’s Marquardt and the group’s president and CEO, Kurt Foreman. “After the visit to DPP’s headquarters, members enjoyed a special welcoming dinner hosted by Governor John Carney at the historic Hotel du Pont in downtown Wilmington,” the post continued. A 2023 Linkedin post profiles Marquardt and includes several quotes about his passion for working with
Election officials in all 50 states urged to seek info from Biden admin to prevent noncitizens from voting
The top election officials of all 50 states were sent letters Monday encouraging them to seek from the Biden administration’s Department of Homeland Security the information required to properly crosscheck state voter rolls and ensure noncitizens are not registered to vote in federal elections before November. America First Legal (AFL), a conservative nonprofit, said it sent a letter to the top election official of every state and a copy to every governor and state attorney general, advising them of “two critical tools” that exist under existing federal law “that Congress has provided to verify the citizenship status of individuals registered to vote in your State.” The letters cite federal statues 8 U.S.C. § 1373 and 8 U.S.C. § 1644, specifically. “These tools, codified in federal law for decades, allow you to submit requests for information to the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) about an individual’s citizenship or immigration status for any lawful purpose. This includes an inquiry where you have reason to believe that a given individual who is registered to vote might not be a United States citizen,” Gene Hamilton, executive director, America First Legal Foundation, wrote in a seven-page letter sent to each state. “Given the unprecedented levels of illegal immigration since January 20, 2021, the need for action could not be greater, and the stakes could not be higher. If you act now, there is likely still time to conduct legally sound voter list maintenance and remove ineligible foreign nationals from your State’s voter rolls before the fall elections.” Under federal law, foreign nationals are prohibited from voting or registering to vote in federal elections, but states have the obligation to conduct voter list maintenance and ensure ineligible people are removed. ALABAMA ELECTION OFFICIAL SAYS BIDEN EXECUTIVE ORDER GIVES ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS ‘MECHANISM’ TO REGISTER TO VOTE The nonprofit noted that the federal voter registration form created by the U.S. Election Assistance Commission (EAC) does not require applicants to demonstrate documentary proof of citizenship. The form merely requires voter registrants to sign a pledge “under penalty of perjury,” swearing or affirming that “I am a United States citizen.” The U.S. Supreme Court, as America First Legal explained, previously held that because the National Voter Registration Act (NVRA) of 1993 requires that states must “accept and use” the EAC form, then “the NVRA forbids States to demand that an applicant submit additional information beyond that required by the Federal Form.” DHS’s U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) does make available to states a system for verifying the immigration status of foreign nationals known as the Systematic Alien Verification for Entitlements (SAVE) Program. But America First Legal stressed that “SAVE has a design flaw and does not fully solve the critical problem of foreign nationals voting in federal elections.” Most notably, SAVE requires users to submit an Alien Registration Number or some other DHS identifier to run queries through the system – something that states and localities do not have when registering someone to vote. Furthermore, SAVE does not process Social Security or driver’s license numbers, which are the ID numbers that state and local officials are most likely to have at their disposal. “Thus, in practice, SAVE is practically useless for verifying the citizenship of voter registrants,” the letter says. “It can only be of value when a State has the specific numeric identifiers that are the searchable variables in SAVE. Most States would not have access to these identifiers, in part because none of these identifiers are required under the current version of the EAC federal voter registration form. States cannot use the most readily available identifiers they have in their possession, including social security and driver’s license numbers.” The letter proposed a solution: “States should submit requests to DHS to verify the citizenship or immigration status of registered voters on voter rolls – and DHS has a legal obligation to provide such information.” The nonprofit argues that requests citing federal statutes 1373 and 1644 “require DHS to search for specific individuals using any available information such as a name and date of birth.” “Based on the information you receive in response, you can take further steps consistent with applicable law to ensure that only U.S. citizens remain on your voter rolls. Congress has imposed upon DHS a mandatory obligation to respond to lawful inquiries about an individual’s citizenship or immigration status. Should DHS refuse or fail to provide this information, you can initiate legal action to obtain it,” the letter says. CALIFORNIA CITY KEEPS CONTROVERSIAL LANGUAGE ON BALLOT MEASURE FOR NON-CITIZENS TO VOTE: ‘SUGARCOATING’ Last month, Rep. Chip Roy, R-Texas, and Sen. Mike Lee, R-Utah, introduced the Safeguard American Voter Eligibility (SAVE) Act, which, if passed, would require states to obtain proof of citizenship – in person – when registering an individual to vote, and require states to remove noncitizens from existing voter rolls. America First Legal said that while such bills aiming to reform the NVRA “are essential to protect the integrity of our elections,” Monday’s letter “provides something that States can do NOW until legislation like the SAVE Act becomes law.” Fox News Digital reached out to the White House and the Department of Homeland Security for comment on Tuesday. America First Legal president Stephen Miller said the letters come in “response to this extraordinary threat to our elections,” providing the election officials in all 50 states with an “emergency action plan” that explains “the steps they can immediately pursue to defend democracy by purging their voting rolls of illegal aliens and non-citizens.” “States have the utmost authority, obligation, and expectation from the American people to prevent noncitizens from voting in elections,” Hamilton added in a statement. “Congress has equipped States with the tools necessary to verify the citizenship status of registered voters and remove ineligible foreign nationals – but States must act swiftly to ensure that only citizens vote in this fall’s elections. Failing to use these available tools is an abdication of the responsibility to ensure our elections are decided solely by, and
As Biden and Trump prep for the 2024 presidential debate, what’s at stake?
Washington, DC – It began with a quote made famous by actor Clint Eastwood. “Make my day,” United States President Joe Biden said in a video challenging his Republican adversary, former President Donald Trump, to two debates in the lead-up to the 2024 presidential election. The first airs this Thursday. In throwing down the gauntlet, Biden gave Trump, who has long boasted of his prowess on the debate stage, an offer he could hardly refuse. Trump soon responded with his own bravado: “I’m ready to go anywhere that you are.” The back-and-forth ended speculation that the octogenarian Biden and septuagenarian Trump may forgo the nationally broadcast debates, in favour of more controlled, less combative settings for spreading their campaign messages — like rallies, for instance. Going head to head is a political calculation that carries high risks, according to Aaron Kall, the director of the debate programme at the University of Michigan. But it could also be the key to pulling ahead in a stagnant race, one where polls show Trump and Biden closely matched. Even Trump’s historic criminal conviction has done little to tip the scales. “Both of the candidates think that it will be advantageous having their opponent be seen by the public for an extended period of time, especially for voters that may not normally tune in,” Kall told Al Jazeera. “But really, only one of them can be right.” A history of face-offs The debate may be the first of the 2024 presidential race, but it will be the third time Trump and Biden have gone head to head as presidential hopefuls: They faced each other previously in the 2020 elections. “Neither have debated [since their last face-off], which is kind of unique,” Kall said, noting that Trump skipped the Republican Party debates in the lead-up to the primaries this year. “So both of them will kind of be out of practice, not having debated since the fall of 2020, and it may take a little time to kind of get back into their regular debating styles,” he said. For both men, the forum has offered a mixed bag. In 2016, when Trump made his first successful bid for public office, his raucous, combative and off-the-cuff debating style helped him gain notoriety in a crowded field of Republican presidential candidates. His subsequent throwdown with Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton gained higher ratings than any other debate before or since. It drew an estimated 84 million viewers. Trump looms over Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton during the 2016 debate [Rick T Wilking/AP Photo] Camera-ready from his days as a reality star, Trump gave insult-laden, physically foreboding showings that cemented his public persona and helped to build his electoral base, Kall explained. At one point during his face-off with Clinton, Trump even appeared to loom over her as she spoke. For his part, Biden often failed to rise above the fray in crowded Democratic primary debates during his earlier runs for president. Still, experts say he has proved a worthy opponent in one-on-one vice presidential debates against Sarah Palin in 2008 and Paul Ryan in 2012. Leaning into his everyman appeal, Biden served as a plain-spoken and pugilistic attack dog on the debate stage, offering a counterpoint to the more refined Barack Obama, for whom he would serve as vice president. Fast forward to September 2020, when then-incumbent Trump finally faced off against Biden. The event quickly went off the rails, with Trump repeatedly shouting over both Biden and Fox News moderator Chris Wallace. As the evening devolved, Wallace assumed the role of exasperated babysitter. Trump came across as belligerent, Biden befuddled. “Will you shut up, man?” Biden appealed to Trump in one of the most memorable quotes from the event. National Public Radio political correspondent Domenico Montanaro would later describe the evening as chaos, writing it may have been the “worst” presidential debate in history. “If this was supposed to be a boxing match, it instead turned into President Trump jumping on the ropes, refusing to come down, the referee trying to coax him off, and Joe Biden standing in the middle of the ring with his gloves on and a confused look on his face,” Montanaro wrote. What is the motivation to participate? But that first debate likely planted the seeds for Trump and Biden to spar again. Kall said Biden likely hopes that the debate will showcase the increasingly radical rhetoric that is all too common at Trump’s rallies – but may not be as visible to “moderates, independents, and soft supporters”. After all, Trump infamously refused to condemn white supremacy during the first 2020 debate, instead telling the Proud Boys, a far-right group, to “stand back and stand by”. For his part, Trump may hope that the length of the live proceedings will tax Biden’s advanced age, Kall explained. The ratings are expected to be high, despite the debate’s unorthodox late-June scheduling. When Trump and Biden first debated in 2020, for instance, they brought in 73 million viewers, the third highest in history. “For the average, low-information voter, they don’t tune in until closer to the election, but they may catch a debate,” Kall said. “So these debates are one of the rare opportunities for more of the kind of casual person — that may vote but may not really be following the daily updates — to see these candidates for the first time in a long time.” Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden and then-President Donald Trump are seen during their second presidential debate in October 2020 [Morry Gash/AP Photo] The first 2020 debate between Biden and Trump has also cast a long shadow over the format of Thursday’s debate, which will be hosted by CNN in Atlanta, Georgia. The candidates’ microphones will be muted when they are not speaking. There will be no studio audience. Both those factors are widely seen to be in Biden’s favour. The event will also not be overseen by the bipartisan Commission on Presidential Debates, in a
In Kenya, tomorrow is here
OPINIONOPINION, We are witnessing the latest, and most glorious, stage of a revolution 40 years in the making. Protests have returned to the streets of Kenya’s towns and cities, as the country gets to the latest stage of the slow-motion revolution it has been undergoing for over 40 years. Animated by anger over the state’s arrogance, corruption and long-running neglect of their needs as currently manifested in its tax proposals, a new generation has taken up the fight, and it is glorious to behold. Two years ago, the same Kenyan youths were derided as “disengaged” for failing to register as voters and to turn up for the general election. “It’s a huge dent in democracy,” wailed one analyst. Yet far from being disengaged, the young are demonstrating that what they reject are what I described at the time as “the political rituals of their parents” – the formalised ways of democratic participation that their elders valorise but that have consistently failed to deliver on their promise. They are “opting for other, more effective modes of engagement with governance in the years in between elections”. This is not new. Coming of age in the 80s and 90s, their parents too had rejected the rules of participation set for them by the independence generation, which privileged ideas like development, unity and peace – many times at the expense of democratic freedom and individual rights. They developed new ways to engage with an oppressive regime and overbearing state. As they rallied to “mass action” to demand reform of the political system, they adapted to and took advantage of global changes such as the end of the Cold War to create powerful coalitions and institutions outside of the state which channeled popular discontent into meaningful action. By the early 2000s, their movement had transformed the country’s politics, opened up space for competition for power, expanded the range of freedoms enjoyed by Kenyans, and rebooted the economy. However, following the demise of the 24-year dictatorship of Daniel arap Moi, and with it, the end of the KANU party’s four-decade rule, many of them went to bed with the state, either as elected politicians or appointed into government. Civil society organisations, which had been a bedrock of the anti-Moi agitation, were effectively decapitated. Other important pillars of the movement, such as the independent media and religious institutions, ceased aggressively challenging the state and largely chose to cash in on their relationships with the new actors running it. Like the independence generation before, which had largely reproduced the predatory colonial state they had fought, they too re-established the old corrupt networks that adulterated competitive politics, undermined accountability, and in some ways attempted to roll back the freedoms Kenyans had won. In the aftermath of the violence that followed the disputed 2007 election, the reform movement briefly regrouped and pushed through their generation’s pinnacle achievement – the adoption of a new constitution, the first to be negotiated in Kenya with involvement of the people. The current youngsters have grown up in the world their parents built and have taken for granted many of the things their elders saw as achievements. Their eyes are firmly fixed on the future, not the past, and their horizons are necessarily much wider. They are also utilising the tools of the moment – the internet, digital technologies, social media – in ways that confound and subvert the existing order to organise and give effect to their political action. In its baffled response, the duplicitous regime of President William Ruto, who learned his trade at the feet of Moi, is speaking from both sides of its mouth. On the one hand, Ruto himself has spoken in praise of the protesters and suggested he is ready to talk to them. Meanwhile, the police force has attacked, killed and injured them, and resorted to kidnapping and disappearing those it imagines are their leaders. However, this movement is much less hierarchical and much more egalitarian than any Ruto has so far encountered, and is thus less vulnerable to the tactics Moi taught him. The youth have resisted politicians’ attempts to take it over. They are propagating their messages using social media rather than the mainstream press. On Sunday, they hosted a marathon seven-hour discussion on Twitter Spaces that had 60,000 participants. They use online platforms to plan, fundraise, and organise medical teams and blood donation drives for injured comrades. The old fogies who had dismissed them as irrelevant “armchair activists” just two years ago are struggling to catch up, but the train has left the station. The young are not interested in the frameworks that have been used by journalists and politicians in the past to manipulate their parents, manage expectations and subvert outcomes. Doubtless they will make mistakes and may even, in some aspects, regress into the ways of their elders. Regardless, we are all living in their world now. They were once called the leaders of tomorrow. Tomorrow is here. The views expressed in this article are the author’s own and do not necessarily reflect Al Jazeera’s editorial stance. Adblock test (Why?)
Pentagon chief calls for urgent diplomacy to avoid Israel-Hezbollah war
In meeting with Israeli counterpart Yoav Gallant, US Pentagon chief Lloyd Austin warns against ‘catastrophe’ of wider war. United States Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin has said that a diplomatic solution is needed to avoid a costly war between Israel and the Lebanese armed group Hezbollah. During a meeting with Israeli counterpart Yoav Gallant on Tuesday, Austin blamed soaring tensions on “provocations” by Hezbollah but noted that a full-blown war would be destructive for all involved and could spark a regional conflagration. “Diplomacy is by far the best way to prevent more escalation. So we’re urgently seeking a diplomatic agreement that restores lasting calm to Israel’s northern border and enables civilians to return safely to their homes on both sides of the Israel-Lebanon border,” Austin told reporters. Hezbollah and Israeli forces have exchanged fire on a near-daily basis since the beginning of the war in Gaza, but escalating attacks over the last several weeks have caused growing unease. Gallant has often suggested that Israel could pursue a large-scale war against Hezbollah in southern Lebanon. On Tuesday, Gallant said that he was “working closely” with Austin to find a diplomatic resolution, but that they also discussed military “readiness on every possible scenario”. While Israel has blamed Hezbollah for the displacement of thousands of Israelis from their homes near the Lebanese border, the Iran-linked group has signalled throughout the conflict that it is not interested in a wider war. Thousands of Lebanese civilians have been displaced from the areas near the border with Israel, and more than 80 civilians and noncombatants have been killed. In Israel, 11 civilians have been killed since October. Hezbollah is considered one of the most sophisticated and well-armed paramilitary groups in the world, and a larger conflict between the group and Israel could have devastating impacts on each side. While the administration of US President Joe Biden has repeatedly urged Israel to avoid a war with Hezbollah in Lebanon, it has recently stated that, in the event of such a move, Israel would receive full US support. “Such a war would be a catastrophe for Lebanon and it would be devastating for innocent Israeli and Lebanese civilians,” said Austin. Adblock test (Why?)
Arkansas Supreme Court eliminates gender neutral option for state IDs
The Arkansas Supreme Court eliminated the option for residents to use a neutral gender identification on their state ID cards Tuesday. The ruling reinstates a state law that had banned the use of “X” as an option for gender identification. A lower court had blocked the bill earlier this month, arguing it would do harm to transgender residents. Arkansas Attorney General Tim Griffin, a Republican, praised Tuesday’s ruling in a public statement. “I applaud the Arkansas Supreme Court’s decision staying the circuit court’s unlawful order and allowing the Department of Finance and Administration to bring its identification rules into compliance with state law,” he said. SHOOTING OUTSIDE ARKANSAS GROCERY STORE LEAVES 3 DEAD, MULTIPLE WOUNDED, INCLUDING TWO LAW ENFORCEMENT OFFICERS The Arkansas ALCU had sued to end the legislation this spring, leading to the earlier court order blocking the new rule. ALABAMA FUGITIVE MURDER SUSPECT STACY LEE DRAKE CAPTURED IN ARKANSAS “The only real emergency here is the one created by the state itself, imposing this rule on transgender, intersex, and nonbinary Arkansans,” said Holly Dickson, executive director of the ACLU of Arkansas. “By removing the ‘X’ marker option, the state forces those who do not fit squarely into the gender binary to choose an inaccurate gender marker, resulting in potential confusion, distress, discrimination, physical harm, and a lack of proper identification,” she added. Fewer than half of U.S. states allow “X” as a valid gender on identification forms. With Arkansas’ departure, 21 states and Washington, D.C., maintain the policy. CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP Of Arkansas’ 2.6 million active driver’s licenses, just 387 had the “X” designation. The state also has 503,000 IDs, of which 167 had the “X” designation. The Associated Press contributed to this report.
NY v Trump: Judge Merchan partially lifts gag order on former president
Judge Juan Merchan has partially lifted the gag order he imposed against former President Trump – weeks after the jury found him guilty on all counts. Trump and his legal team have been fighting the gag order since it was imposed upon him at the start of the trial, but had ramped up their efforts when it concluded last month. The former president and presumptive Republican nominee’s legal team had argued the gag order should be lifted before the June 27 presidential debate. NEW YORK APPEALS COURT REJECTS TRUMP’S BID TO LIFT GAG ORDER Merchan’s gag order barred Trump from making or directing others to make public statements about witnesses with regard to their potential participation or about counsel in the case – other than Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg – or about court staff, DA staff or family members of staff. Merchan on Tuesday partially lifted the gag order because the trial has concluded. Trump is now able to speak about protected witnesses and jurors. Trump is still blocked from commenting about individual prosecutors, court staff and their family members. That portion of the gag order will remain in effect until Trump’s sentencing on July 11. In his order reviewed by Fox News Tuesday, Merchan said the basis for the issuance of the gag order in the first place was “to protect the integrity of the judicial proceedings.” “The trial portion of these proceedings ended when the verdict was rendered, and the jury discharged,” Merchan wrote, noting that Trump had appealed the order, and had been rejected. Merchan noted that while it is the court’s “strong preference to extend those protections, the Court cannot do so on what is now a different record than what the appellate courts relied upon when they rendered their rulings.” TRUMP ATTORNEYS REQUEST MERCHAN LIFT GAG ORDER AHEAD OF PRESIDENTIAL DEBATE, FOLLOWING END OF TRIAL The gag order, in its totality, will be terminated after “the imposition of sentence.” Merchan’s lifting of the gag order comes just days after the New York Court of Appeals rejected Trump’s bid to have the gag order against him lifted, citing that “no substantial constitutional question is directly involved.” The former president and presumptive Republican presidential nominee was found guilty on all 34 counts of falsifying business records in the first degree last month. The six-week trial stemmed from charges brought by Bragg. Trump and his defense attorneys have maintained that he should not be bound by the gag order, saying it violates his First Amendment rights as well as the First Amendment rights of his supporters. Steven Cheung, Trump campaign spokesperson, said in a statement Tuesday, “Today’s order by Acting Justice Merchan leaves in place portions of the unconstitutional Gag Order, preventing President Trump from speaking freely about Judge Merchan’s disqualifying conflicts and the overwhelming evidence exposing this whole Crooked Joe Biden – directed Witch Hunt.” “This is another unlawful decision by a highly conflicted judge, which is blatantly un-American as it gags President Trump, the leading candidate in the 2024 Presidential Election during the upcoming Presidential Debate on Thursday. President Trump and his legal team will immediately challenge today’s unconstitutional order.” Trump’s sentencing date is set for July 11 – just four days before the Republican National Convention in Milwaukee, where he is expected to be formally nominated as the 2024 Republican presidential nominee.
Houston area, an immigration hot spot, reeling from murder of Jocelyn Nungaray
A Houston area still reeling over the death of 12-year-old Jocelyn Nungaray has become a hot spot for both legal and illegal immigrants. Almost a quarter of the nine-county Houston metro area is comprised of immigrants, many of whom have yet to gain legal status in the United States, according to a report by the Migration Policy Institute. The report, which was released in November, highlights how the Houston region has experienced “significant immigration-related transformations” in recent years, which it notes is in part a result of the “spillover effects of the record high number of asylum seekers and other migrants arriving at the U.S.-Mexico border since 2021.” ILLEGAL IMMIGRANT SUSPECT ACCUSED OF KILLING JOCELYN NUNGARAY WORE ICE ANKLE MONITOR “The metro area has welcomed large numbers of humanitarian migrants and Harris County is the top U.S. destination for unaccompanied children released to sponsors,” the report reads. Despite its location away from the southern border, the percentage of immigrants comprising the Houston population far outstrips the total Texas share, which sits at 17%. The national share of the immigrant population, meanwhile, sits at 13.6%. The report estimates that roughly two-thirds of the Houston area’s nearly 1.7 million immigrant population has some form of legal status, while hundreds of thousands face barriers to naturalization in the United States. Data revealed that Mexico remained the top origin country for immigrants in the Houston area, comprising about 37% of the foreign-born population. But other nationalities comprise a growing share, with immigrants from Vietnam, India, Nigeria, Venezuela, China and Colombia more recently joining the top 10. JOCELYN NUNGARAY MURDER SUSPECT HAS BAIL SET AT $10 MILLION The population of illegal immigrants in the area entered the spotlight last week when two illegal immigrants from Venezuela were charged in the murder of Nungaray. Franklin Jose Peña Ramos, 26, made his first appearance in court Monday in the case, while 22-year-old co-defendant Johan Jose Martinez-Rangel is scheduled to make his first appearance Tuesday. The men, who entered the country illegally before making their way to the Houston area, are accused of luring the 12-year-old Nungaray under a secluded bridge, where she was tied up and later killed. Harris County District Attorney Kim Ogg, who is prosecuting the case, told Fox News Tuesday that it is also “likely” that a “sexual assault happened” in addition to the murder. “The evidence is clear that a sexual assault likely happened. But since neither defendant has actually admitted that, circumstantial evidence will have to prove it,” Ogg said. “We are waiting on lab tests now to see if the capital murder charge can be upgraded to one where they are death penalty eligible.” Meanwhile, new details emerged out of Monday’s court proceedings, including revelations that Ramos was wearing a Customs and Border Protection ankle monitor at the time of the crime. Martinez-Rangel had worn a similar monitor, though he was able to remove his after complying with immigration check-ins. Meanwhile, Ogg described the Houston area as a “huge international hub.” “Unfortunately, we see a great deal of violence committed by illegal immigrants and we see as many victimized by other illegals and regular people here. It’s an enormous problem. This was bound to happen,” she told Fox News. “It’s one of those things that, as an elected prosecutor, you are just waiting for the other shoe to drop. I’m just sick and sickened this little girl was the innocent victim of these two monsters.”