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New York appeals court rejects Trump’s bid to lift gag order

The New York Court of Appeals on Tuesday rejected former President Trump’s bid to have the gag order against him lifted, citing that “no substantial constitutional question is directly involved.”  Judge Juan Merchan imposed a gag order that restricts the former president and presumptive 2024 GOP presidential nominee from speaking about witnesses and the case now that Trump’s trial has concluded.  Trump’s lawyers cited the November presidential election and the first debate against President Biden later this month, as well as the First Amendment rights of the former president and his supporters as reasons for the order to be lifted.  When Merchan refused to lift the gag order, Trump appealed that decision – which the appeals court rejected on Tuesday.  TRUMP ATTORNEYS REQUEST MERCHAN LIFT GAG ORDER AHEAD OF PRESIDENTIAL DEBATE, FOLLOWING END OF TRIAL Steven Cheung, Trump campaign spokesman, said in a statement, “President Trump and his legal team will continue to fight against the unconstitutional Gag Order imposed by Justice Merchan.” “The Gag Order wrongfully silences the leading candidate for President of the United States, President Trump, at the height of his campaign. The Gag Order applies only to President Trump and not to any of his political opponents, critics, or even Crooked Joe Biden,” said Cheung.  “The Election Interfering Gag Order violates the First Amendment rights of President Trump and all American voters, who have a fundamental right to hear his message,” he added.  The former president was found guilty on all 34 counts of falsifying business records in the first degree last week. The six-week-long trial stemmed from charges brought by Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg.  Merchan imposed a gag order on Trump before the trial began, barring 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 Bragg — or about court staff, DA staff or family members of staff. Trump’s team repeatedly appealed the order and were denied.  “We respectfully submit this pre-motion letter requesting that Your Honor terminate the gag order restricting President Trump’s extrajudicial statements,” Todd Blanche, legal counsel for Trump, argued. “For the reasons set forth below, because the trial has concluded, the stated bases for the gag order no longer exist.”  TRUMP GUILTY ON ALL COUNTS IN NEW YORK CRIMINAL TRIAL Blanche said Trump’s legal team disagreed with the “proffered justifications for the gag order” to begin with, but said now that the trial is complete, the order should be lifted.  “Now that the trial is concluded, the concerns articulated by the government and the Court do not justify continued restrictions on the First Amendment rights of President Trump—who remains the leading candidate in the 2024 presidential election—and the American people,” Blanche wrote.  Blanche added that the “constitutional mandate for unrestrained campaign advocacy by President Trump is even stronger in light of” comments made by President Biden and his campaign, as well as “continued public attacks” by the government’s witnesses like Michael Cohen and Stormy Daniels.  Blanche also cited the first presidential debate on June 27 as a reason the order should be lifted.  A footnote in the letter states, “The defense does not concede that there was ever a valid basis for the gag order and reserves the right to challenge the irreparable First Amendment harms caused by the order.”  Trump was fined $10,000 for violating the gag order during the trial. Merchan also threatened Trump with jail time for further alleged violations. TRUMP SAYS GUILTY VERDICT IS A ‘SCAR’ ON NEW YORK JUSTICE SYSTEM, VOWS TO ‘KEEP FIGHTING’ “The last thing I want to consider is jail,” Merchan said. “You are [the] former president and possibly the next president.”  “The magnitude of that decision is not lost on me,” Merchan said. “Your continued willful violation of the court’s order…constitutes a direct attack…and will not be allowed to continue…It is not allowed to continue.”  Trump and his defense attorneys have maintained that the former president and presumptive Republican presidential nominee 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.  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. 

House Republicans say Hunter Biden used dad’s role as VP to ‘discourage’ further SEC scrutiny in 2016 probe

FIRST ON FOX: House Republicans say Hunter Biden “gratuitously” used his father’s role as vice president in an effort to “discourage” further scrutiny in a 2016 U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) investigation involving his business associates and their entities, Fox News Digital has learned.  House Oversight Committee Chairman James Comer, R-Ky., and House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jim Jordan, R-Ohio, penned a letter to the chairman of the SEC as part of the ongoing impeachment inquiry against President Biden. “In 2016, attorneys within the SEC’s Enforcement Division were investigating a tribal bond scheme in which several individuals were charged with violating federal securities laws. As part of this investigation, several of Robert Hunter Biden’s (Hunter Biden) business associates and inter-connected entities were implicated by the alleged conduct,” Comer and Jordan wrote.  HOUSE REPUBLICANS REFER HUNTER BIDEN, JAMES BIDEN FOR CRIMINAL PROSECUTION AMID IMPEACHMENT INQUIRY As part of the investigation, the SEC subpoenaed individuals and entities “for documents, communications, and testimony.” At the time, the SEC subpoenaed Hunter Biden’s former business partner, Devon Archer, and Rosemont Seneca Bohai – an entity utilized by both Archer and Hunter Biden.  Comer and Jordan revealed that Hunter Biden was also subpoenaed as part of the investigation in March 2016, while Joe Biden was serving as vice president.  The subpoena for Hunter Biden compelled him to produce documents and communications regarding Rosemont Seneca Bohai.  Comer and Jordan wrote that Rosemont Seneca Bohai “was directly implicated in the tribal bond scheme.”  Citing the initial complaint, Comer and Jordan noted that in October 2014, Rosemont purchased “the entirety of the Second Tribal Bond Issuance” for $15 million.  Archer, during his interview before the House Oversight Committee last year, testified that Hunter Biden, at the time, was “a corporate secretary” of Rosemont and that “they had a handshake 50-50 ownership.”  Comer and Jordan also noted that last month the House Ways and Means Committee voted to release IRS documents that showed that Hunter Biden certified on a document that he was, in fact, the secretary of Rosemont Seneca Bohai.  “According to Mr. Archer, ‘Rosemont Seneca Bohai was set up to hold the equity of BHR,’ which stands for Bohai Harvest Rosemont [Partners]. BHR was supposed to be a private equity fund based in China to engage in cross-border investments,” they wrote. “The RSB bank account was used to funnel other foreign payments and benefits to Hunter Biden, including money from Ukraine and a new sports car from an oligarch in Kazakhstan.”  Comer and Jordan revealed that Hunter Biden was responsive to the subpoena in 2016 and provided 1,749 responsive documents to the SEC as part of the investigation.  But Comer and Jordan said that, “concerningly,” Hunter Biden’s attorney reminded in his response that his father was the sitting vice president.  HOUSE GOP CLAIMS HUNTER BIDEN LIED UNDER OATH MULTIPLE TIMES DURING CONGRESSIONAL DEPOSITION “As a threshold matter, we request that you treat this matter with the highest degree of confidentiality, consistent with Commission policy and applicable law,” Hunter Biden’s attorney wrote on April 20, 2016. “The confidential nature of this investigation is very important to our client and it would be unfair, not just to our client, but also to his father, the Vice President of the United States, if his involvement in an SEC investigation and parallel criminal probe were to become the subject of any media attention.”  Comer and Jordan said Hunter Biden’s response “gratuitously invoked his father’s position as the Vice President in what could be interpreted as an effort to discourage further SEC scrutiny.”  Comer and Jordan also noted that on May 11, 2016, the SEC published its press release announcing the charging of seven individuals, with no mention or charging of Hunter Biden.  His business associates Devon Archer and Jason Galanis, however, were charged.  Galanis pleaded guilty to securities fraud based on bonds issued by a company affiliated with a Native American tribe in South Dakota. The funds were reportedly supposed to be used for certain projects but were instead used for his personal finances. He was sentenced in 2017 to 14 years. House Republicans interviewed Galanis from his prison cell as part of the impeachment inquiry.  Archer was also tied to the scheme and convicted in 2018 for defrauding the Native American tribal entity and various investment advisory clients of tens of millions of dollars in connection with the issuance of bonds by the tribal entity and the subsequent sale of those bonds through fraudulent and deceptive means. Archer was sentenced to a year and a day in prison.  As part of the ongoing impeachment inquiry, Comer and Jordan are demanding all documents and communications between the SEC and the White House, including the Office of the Vice President and all documents provided by Rosemont Seneca, Archer, and Hunter Biden in the SEC investigation.   COMER INVITES BIDEN TO TESTIFY PUBLICLY AS PART OF HOUSE IMPEACHMENT INQUIRY They also are demanding the SEC’s “justification for seeking documents from Hunter Biden” in the matter; all internal documents and communications regarding Hunter Biden’s response; and any internal ethics opinions rendered by the SEC regarding Hunter Biden or then-Vice President Biden.  Comer and Jordan are also asking the SEC to make Tejal D. Shah, a former staff attorney who led the investigation who now serves as a principal adviser, appear for questioning by the committees in the form of a transcribed interview.  “In short, the records sought by this request are critical to the impeachment inquiry,” they wrote.  The requests come after the Comer, Jordan and House Ways and Means Committee Chairman Jason Smith, earlier this month, sent criminal referrals to the Justice Department recommending Hunter Biden and James Biden be charged with making false statements to Congress about “key aspects” of the impeachment inquiry.  One of the false statements allegedly made by Hunter Biden was regarding his role at Rosemont Seneca Bohai, LLC as corporate secretary.  House Republicans allege that during his deposition before Congress earlier this year, Hunter Biden made false statements about

Biden’s new ‘amnesty’ proposal a ‘slap in the face’ to taxpayers, GOP senator says

FIRST ON FOX: Sen. Josh Hawley, R-Mo., vowed to investigate President Biden’s “lawless plans for amnesty” and Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas’ “ongoing abuse of parole authority” hours after the administration unveiled new immigration rules shielding migrant spouses of U.S. citizens from deportation. “Amnesty for illegal aliens is absolutely unacceptable,” Hawley wrote in a letter to Mayorkas on Tuesday morning. “It is a lure that will drive millions more illegal immigrants to flood across our southern border. It is a slap in the face to U.S. taxpayers. And it is totally unfair to immigrants who entered the U.S. legally. But apparently, you and President Biden now plan to do just that.” Hawley called for Mayorkas to “immediately end” the new policy and said the administration “baldly defied” current immigration law, which permits parole for urgent humanitarian reasons or significant public benefit. BIDEN ANNOUNCES SWEEPING PROTECTIONS FOR MIGRANT SPOUSES OF US CITIZENS “And you have likewise failed to abide by the explicit statutory limitations: leaked documents reveal that Jose Ibarra, accused of murdering 22-year-old Laken Riley, was paroled into the country on the basis of ‘lack of detention capacity.’ That is not a permissible basis for parole,” Hawley wrote.  U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement and Department of Homeland Security sources previously told Fox News Digital that Ibarra – a Venezualan migrant – illegally crossed into the U.S. through El Paso, Texas, in September 2022 and was released via parole. He is facing 10 counts following the death of Riley, a 22-year-old nursing student who he allegedly killed on Feb. 22. “In your hands, parole is just one thing: a get-across-the-border-free card. And you have been handing out those cards to virtually anyone who asks. In light of your abdication of responsibility to enforce the law, President Biden’s recent promises to secure the border should be seen as what they are—empty and meaningless,” Hawley continued. FBI DIRECTOR WRAY WARNED OF TERROR THREAT POSED BY OPEN BORDER DAYS BEFORE 8 ISIS SUSPECTS ARRESTED ACROSS US Hawley warned the administration’s new amnesty proposal “is transparently an attempt to curry favor with far-left activist groups, who opposed even President Biden’s toothless rhetoric about border security,” and that “the far left always gets what it wants from this administration—amnesty and a functionally open border.” DHS will implement a new policy to allow some migrants to apply for lawful permanent resident status, including the non-citizen spouses and children of lawful U.S. permanent residents or citizens, the administration explained. FORMER ASSISTANT FBI DIRECTOR WARNS AGAINST ‘HUGE VULNERABILITY’ ASSOCIATED WITH BORDER SURGE The White House said it expected the policy to offer protection to about half a million American families, which would include roughly 50,000 under the age of 21 who are married to or children of a U.S. citizen. A White House fact sheet provided to Fox News Digital on the plan laid out the eligibility requirements for the new rules, including that spouses of Americans must have resided in the U.S. for 10 years or more and be legally married to a U.S. citizen while satisfying other immigration requirements. Those who are approved under the program would be able to apply for permanent U.S. residency after a three-year period while also being eligible for work authorization in the U.S. for up to three years. Last week, Mayorkas faced criticism from Republican lawmakers over a report that hundreds of thousands of foreign asylum seekers had their cases closed without a ruling, ushering in a sort of “mass amnesty.”  Since 2022, the administration has closed over 350,000 asylum cases for migrants without recorded criminal histories, according to data from Syracuse University’s Transactional Records Access Clearinghouse, a nonpartisan organization that monitors immigration cases and backlogs. Fox News Digital’s Michael Lee and Julia Johnson contributed to this report.  Get the latest updates on the ongoing border crisis from the Fox News Digital immigration hub.

NATO chief credits Trump for record number of members meeting spending targets

NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg credited former President Trump on Tuesday for the record number of NATO member countries meeting their contribution requirements. Stoltenberg joined Fox News on Tuesday to discuss the war in Ukraine and why he believes it is necessary for the U.S. to continue to support its defense. The NATO leader said member countries were stepping up their funding due to Russian hostility, but he also noted Trump’s insistence on the issue during his time in office. “I worked with [Trump] over those four years. And the reality is that he had a very clear message on the need for European allies to spend more. And I agree with him,” Stoltenberg said. “The good news is that, over the last year or so, we have seen a significant increase in spending by European allies. We still have a way to go, but, again, compared to where we started, we are in a much better place. I expect those allies that are not yet at 2% to be there within a few years.” IRAN CAPABLE OF BUILDING NUCLEAR BOMB IN ONE WEEK, REPORT FINDS AS MIDDLE EAST TENSIONS FLARE Stoltenberg also noted Russia’s burgeoning friendships with China, North Korea and Iran. He argued that NATO countries should work to create “consequences” for China, in particular, regarding assistance to Russia. US IGNORES IRAN’S ACTIVE NUCLEAR WEAPONS ACTIVITIES BY USING ‘DEFECTIVE’ DEFINITION: EXPERT “Russia is receiving a lot of support from China, from North Korea and Iran and these authoritarian countries. They want the U.S., they want NATO – they want all of us to fail in Ukraine, because that will be not only a win for Putin, it will be a win for President Xi, for Iran and North Korea,” he said. “China cannot have it both ways. They cannot continue to have a normal, friendly trading relationship with European and NATO allies and then continue to be the main supporter of the biggest war in Europe since the Second World War. So therefore, at some stage, European allies should also look into consequences,” he said.

Alarming discovery of Iran nuclear activity could ‘upend’ US assessment of weapons capability: expert

U.S. and Israeli officials will hold a meeting at the White House on Thursday to discuss Iran’s nuclear program after intelligence agencies discovered concerning information about Iran’s capabilities, Axios reported Tuesday. U.S. and Israeli intelligence agencies reportedly uncovered information about a computer modeling program Iran has acquired that could be used to assist in developing nuclear weapons. The purpose of the program remains unclear, with officials reportedly split on whether it is innocuous or it represents further nuclear ambition in Iran. “For years now the intelligence community has assessed Iran is not actively working to build a nuclear weapon, that it might be building out the assembly line for fissile material but that we had no indication of active weaponization work. If true, this would upend that assessment and suggest Iran has a shorter runway to a bomb than previously reported,” said Richard Goldberg, senior adviser at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies, a Washington-based nonpartisan national security think tank. Fox News Digital reached out to the White House for comment on the Axios report, but they did not immediately respond. IRAN CAPABLE OF BUILDING NUCLEAR BOMB IN ONE WEEK, REPORT FINDS AS MIDDLE EAST TENSIONS FLARE Goldberg, who worked as director for Countering Iranian Weapons of Mass Destruction for the White House National Security Council from 2019 to 2020, criticized President Biden’s administration for rolling back the “maximum pressure” policies of former President Trump. He argues that Iran is “building the assembly line right in front of us” for a bomb. US IGNORES IRAN’S ACTIVE NUCLEAR WEAPONS ACTIVITIES BY USING ‘DEFECTIVE’ DEFINITION: EXPERT Trump’s administration had focused on limiting Iran’s ability to produce the weapons-grade uranium needed for a bomb. Goldberg says Iran has all but secured that ability under the Biden administration. Nevertheless, the weaponization process takes time. “The administration pegged that to be around 18 months while the Israelis said a year or less. But if weaponization work is already going on, if the computer modeling is already being perfected, that timeline may be far shorter,” Goldberg said. The U.N.’s International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) said on Monday its inspectors had verified that Iran has begun feeding uranium into three cascades of advanced IR-4 and IR-6 centrifuges at its Natanz enrichment facility. Cascades are a group of centrifuges that spin uranium gas together to enrich it more quickly. So far, Iran has been enriching uranium in those cascades up to 2% purity. Iran already enriches uranium up to 60%, a short, technical step away from weapons-grade levels of 90%. Iran also plans to install 18 cascades of IR-2m centrifuges at Natanz and eight cascades of IR-6 centrifuges at its Fordow nuclear site. Each of these classes of centrifuges enriches uranium faster than Iran’s baseline IR-1 centrifuges, which remain the workhorse of the country’s atomic program. Earlier this week, a State Department spokesperson told Fox News Digital, “The United States continues to have grave concerns about Iran’s nuclear program, as we have made clear at the IAEA for many years and again today. Iran’s record speaks for itself, as does its continued failure to demonstrate to the IAEA and the world that its nuclear program is exclusively peaceful.”

Biden makes major gains with crucial voting group ahead of 1st debate with Trump: poll

President Biden has significantly improved his standing with independent voters, a group crucial to winning in key battleground states this November, a new NPR/PBS News/Marist poll has found, less than 10 days from the first presidential debate. Biden overcame a 12-percentage point deficit among independents and now leads Trump 50%-48% with the group compared to a previous NPR/PBS News/ Marist poll taken in May. Trump, however, maintains a slight one percentage point lead (50%-49%) in a head-to-head matchup among voters who say they definitely plan to vote in the November general election, but the two are tied 49%-49% among overall registered voters, including those who say they are undecided but are leaning toward a candidate. INSIDERS PREDICT RUST BELT REPUBLICAN, POSSIBLE TRUMP VP PICK, COULD FLIP BIDEN VOTES IN KEY SWING STATES Trump’s overall lead over Biden stays at one percentage point (42%-41%) with the inclusion of independent presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. (11%) and Dr. Cornel West (3%), as well as Green Party candidate Dr. Jill Stein (1%) and Libertarian Party candidate Chase Oliver (1%). White voters favor Trump 55%-43%, while non-White voters favor Biden 58%-40%. The two are tied at 50% each with voters under the age of 45, but Trump holds a slight advantage (49%-48%) with voters over the age of 45. Voters believe Trump would better handle the economy (54%-45%), immigration (54%-44%) and the U.S. role on the world stage (50%-49%). They believe Biden would better handle preserving democracy (52%-46%) and abortion (54%-42%). They also believe he cares more about the average person (50%-46%). EXPERTS PREDICT INFLATION ELECTION TROUBLE FOR BIDEN: ‘TOO LATE’ TO FIX Inflation is viewed as the top issue by a plurality (30%) of voters, followed by democracy (29%), immigration (18%), healthcare (8%), abortion (8%) and crime (6%).  A majority of 55% say they are not satisfied with either Trump or Biden as the candidates in the race, but more Biden voters (58%) than Trump voters (49%) specifically say they are not satisfied. Biden’s favorability stands at 41% with 53% viewing him unfavorably. His approval rating matches. Trump similarly holds underwater favorability ratings, with just 42% viewing him favorably and 53% unfavorably. Concerning his conviction on 34 counts of falsifying business records last month, 51% believe he should definitely or probably serve jail time, but 47% say he should definitely or probably not serve jail time. Trump and Biden will meet on an Atlanta stage for the first time in years on June 27 in a debate hosted by CNN. Get the latest updates from the 2024 campaign trail, exclusive interviews and more at our Fox News Digital election hub.

Texas man convicted of threatening to kill Rep Maxine Waters gets nearly 3 years in prison

A Texas man received a nearly three-year-long jail sentence after his criminal conviction for leaving threatening and racist voicemails for California Democratic Rep. Maxine Waters.  United States District Judge R. Gary Klausner sentenced Brian Michael Gaherty, 61, of Houston, to 33 months in federal prison and fined him $10,000. The judge found that Gaherty targeted Waters because of her race and added a hate-crime enhancement to his sentence, the Department of Justice said in a news release.  “Threats to harm or kill elected officials are anathema to our nation’s values and must not — and will not — be tolerated,” said United States Attorney Martin Estrada. “My office and the entire Department of Justice will continue to combat threats against public officials and other attempts to chill democracy.” Gaherty pleaded guilty on Jan. 29 to one count of threatening a United States official. TEXAS MAN ACCUSED OF THREATENING TO KILL REP. MAXINE WATERS IN RACIST VOICEMAILS In his plea agreement, Gaherty admitted to threatening to assault and murder Waters on four separate occasions in August and November 2022. The threats were made in four voicemails left at Waters’ district office in Los Angeles County, which all contained profanity and racist language.  According to an affidavit given by U.S. Capitol Police agent Michael Guest, Gaherty went on a series of racist tirades against the California congresswoman, at one point saying, “Hey, you black b—-.  You f— with my people man. All that racism s— b—-, you up in age, 80 years old and s—, trying to remember 1960 and all that bulls—. And causing controversy b—-.  We got something for your ass now b—-, you black motherf—–.  Yeah, we coming for you bro.” In August 2022, he threatened to “put a cap” between the lawmaker’s “eyes,” “cut [her] throat,” and “stomp” her. Gaherty also warned that she “better move” because he and his “boys in the area” had a “contract” on her life.”  Gaherty also left threatening messages with Waters’ staff, according to the criminal complaint. ‘CORRUPT CRIMINAL’: MAXINE WATERS RECEIVES BACKLASH OVER VITRIOLIC RESPONSE TO TRUMP’S GUILTY VERDICT “Tell Congresswoman Maxine Waters when I see her on the street I’m going to bust her upside her head,” Gaherty told a staffer. “F—, who this is, tell that lying b—- I’m looking for her.” Gaherty did not conceal his phone number, allowing U.S. Capitol Police to easily trace the source of the calls via data from T-Mobile and TracFone. Authorities contacted Gaherty and warned him to stop in October 2022, but he persisted in making violent threats. In a November 2022 voicemail, Gaherty told the congresswoman she “done [expletive] up” by reporting his threats to law enforcement.  REP. MAXINE WATERS: TRUMP SUPPORTERS ‘TRAINING UP IN THE HILLS’ FOR ELECTION ATTACK “You better watch your back,” he told her, according to investigators.  Waters appeared in federal court on Monday and told Judge Klausner that her family members live “in fear every day” because of the threats made by Gaherty, the Los Angeles Times reported. “This growing effort to target people of color and women of color … has given me nightmares. I am in fear of my life,” Waters said.  CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP “I believe that we must all be held accountable. Nobody is above the law.”  An attorney for Gaherty did not immediately respond to a request for comment.  Fox News’ Timothy H.J. Nerozzi contributed to this report.

‘Funding terrorism’: GOP lawmakers demand Blinken’s plan for keeping $404M Gaza aid from Hamas

FIRST ON FOX: A group of House Republicans is demanding to know the Biden administration’s strategy for keeping its recent $404 million Gaza aid package out of Hamas’ hands.  Rep. Pat Fallon, R-Texas, a member of both the House Armed Services and Oversight committees, led a letter to Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Monday asking him to withhold the funds until his department can produce a “detailed account” of how the flow of dollars will be safeguarded. “While we understand the intent of this package is to provide food, drinking water, education, shelter, and more for civilians in a war zone, we have major concerns that a significant portion of the funds will inevitably end up in the hands of the State Department designated terrorist organization, Hamas,” Fallon led seven other Republicans in writing. ANTI-ISRAEL PROTESTERS TRAP CALIFORNIA UNIVERSITY ADMINISTRATORS, TAKE OVER AND VANDALIZE CAMPUS BUILDING They pointed to accounts of Hamas seizing and diverting aid meant for civilians in Gaza who are struggling to survive amid Israel’s war on the militant group. The lawmakers said that aid was being used “for terrorist activities aimed at killing innocent civilians and advancing their stated goal of the destruction of the State of Israel.” “The American people and the international community need assurances that funding for humanitarian aid does not end up funding terrorism,” the lawmakers wrote. “It is the Biden Administration’s policy to support Israel, and indirect funding for Hamas would prove counterproductive to this mission by prolonging the war and increasing the death toll.” Blinken unveiled the new aid package during a conference on Gaza humanitarian assistance in Jordan last week. US PARK POLICE INVESTIGATING CRIMINAL ACTIVITY AFTER ANTI-ISRAEL PROTESTS “Today, I’m announcing an additional $404 million in new aid to Palestinians in addition to the more than $1.8 billion in development, economic, and humanitarian aid that the United States has provided since 2021,” Blinken said. “Let’s work together to ensure that more aid gets into Gaza, and once it’s in Gaza, reaches the people who need it the most – by land, by air, by sea.” He also called on Israel to “do more” to allow more aid into Gaza. It brings the total amount of humanitarian aid sent by the U.S. into Gaza to more than $674 million since the conflict with Israel began, according to the United States Agency for International Development (USAID).  Hamas militants invaded Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, slaughtering more than 1,000 people.  RIOTER VANDALISM TARGETED AFTER PRO-PALESTINIAN PROTESTS “The Administration’s goal of providing aid to civilians impacted by the ongoing conflict is noble, but we cannot allow American tax dollars to end up in the hands of terrorists,” the Republican lawmakers wrote to Blinken. “We will expect a detailed account of your strategy to maintain the integrity of this funding no later than 30 days from the sending of this notice. We also expect the funding to be halted until such a plan is approved and in place.”  Fox News Digital reached out to the State Department and USAID for comment.

Weather update: Delhi-NCR likely to experience rainfall amid heatwave, check IMD predictions here

North-West Himalayan region of India including Punjab and Haryana will experience cloudy weather from evening and rain is also expected

Obama leading Biden off LA fundraiser’s stage just latest example of allies directing president

Political allies, family members, at least one foreign leader and even the Easter Bunny have all stepped in to assist President Biden offstage or direct him during public events, as shown by videos published by news outlets and circulating on social media.  The self-admitted “gaffe machine” is in the midst of controversy this week after video showed him standing on the stage of a ritzy campaign donor event in Los Angeles with former President Obama and late-night talk show host Jimmy Kimmel, before Obama guided Biden off the stage as he smiled to the crowd.  As the trio stood onstage smiling toward the crowd, Obama was seen reaching over and taking Biden’s wrist before putting his hand on the current president’s back and walking toward the stage’s exit. The scene sparked a renewed wave of criticism online that Biden is “confused” and “senile” and also jokes that the scene was reminiscent of a senior care home ad. The Biden campaign pulled in a whopping $30 million from the star-studded fundraiser, which included support from Hollywood stars such as George Clooney and Julia Roberts.  SOCIAL MEDIA MOCKS BIDEN BEING LED OFFSTAGE BY FIRST LADY “Former President Barack Obama and President Joe Biden offer final waves to Peacock Theater crowd as Obama then grabs Biden’s hand to lead him offstage following 40-minute conversation with Jimmy Kimmel,” Chris Gardner, senior staff writer for The Hollywood Reporter, posted early Sunday morning, accompanied by footage of the scene. BIDEN LOOKS TO CAPITALIZE ON STAR-STUDDED HOLLYWOOD FUNDRAISER AFTER TRUMP’S MASSIVE CASH HAUL IN BLUE STATE The clip is just one of many in recent months showing an ally, aide or family member stepping in to seemingly direct or guide Biden off a stage or during an event. The L.A. event comes on the heels of Biden’s visit to Italy, where he met with Pope Francis and attended the G-7 summit to discuss additional funding to Ukraine as the nation continues its yearslong war against Russia. During the trip, scrutiny surrounding Biden’s age and cognitive state was put on the world stage after video circulated of the 46th president standing with Group of Seven world leaders outside. The video shows parachutists landing around Biden, ​​and leaders such as European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni. Biden took a few steps away from the group, seemingly taking in the scene as a parachutist gathered himself after landing. Meloni then walked over to the president, touched his right arm and redirected him back to the group of world leaders. BIDEN RIDICULED AFTER READING ‘PAUSE’ INSTRUCTION ON TELEPROMPTER OUT LOUD: ‘I’M RON BURGUNDY?’ The White House denied anything odd about the video, instead arguing that the video used “an artificially narrow frame to hide from viewers that he just saw a skydiving demonstration” and that Biden was “saying congratulations to one of the divers and giving a thumbs-up.” The pair of high-profile incidents within the space of a week underscore growing concerns about the 81-year-old president’s cognitive state. White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre on Monday addressed the recent videos of Biden “freezing” at public events as “disinformation” promoted by “right-wing critics.” “They are cheap fakes. … They are done in bad faith. And some of your news organizations have been very clear, have stressed that these right-wing … critics of the president have a credibility problem because the fact-checkers have repeatedly caught them pushing misinformation, disinformation,” she said. BIDEN ‘GIVEN A LIST’ OF REPORTERS IN POST-MIDTERM PRESS CONFERENCE: ‘PEOPLE THAT I’M SUPPOSED TO CALL ON’ Biden’s mental fitness has become a focal point this election season, with former President Trump routinely slamming the president for his garbled language in public remarks and repeated instances of Biden appearing confused while trying to find an exit off of a stage after public events. Earlier this year, Special Counsel Robert Hur’s report investigating the president’s handling of classified documents after his departure as vice president under the Obama administration further compounded concern over the president’s mental acuity.  Hur announced in February that he would not recommend criminal charges against Biden for possessing classified materials after his vice presidency, calling Biden “a sympathetic, well-meaning, elderly man with a poor memory.” “Based on our direct interactions with and observations of him, he is someone from whom many jurors will want to identify reasonable doubt. It would be difficult to convince a jury that they should convict him – by then a former president well into his eighties – of a serious felony that requires a mental state of willfulness,” Hur wrote in his report.  The findings sparked widespread outrage that Biden was effectively deemed too cognitively impaired to be charged with a crime yet could still serve as president. BIDEN’S ‘PERPETUAL STATE OF CONFUSION’ ON DISPLAY IN NORMANDY AMID RISING COGNITIVE QUESTIONS When asked about the series of videos showing people guiding and directing Biden during public events, White House spokesperson Andrew Bates told Fox News Digital in a statement that they depict “routine moments for any president.” “These have two things in common: 1, they’re cheapfakes presented by discredited rightwing groups who can’t contend with the President’s record and agenda; and 2, their depictions of routine moments for any president have often been fact-checked by mainstream, nonpartisan reporters,” he said Monday. Biden’s history of being guided and directed offstage or during an event includes video footage from March showing the first lady striding up to Biden during the White House’s Women’s History Month reception.  Jill Biden places her hand on Biden’s back as the president is seen speaking with an attendee, before Jill Biden points to an area off camera and Biden begins walking behind two members of the military. In January, social media users again criticized the president when Jill Biden took her husband’s hand as he wrapped up remarks on the anniversary of Jan. 6. Jill Biden was seen holding the president’s hand as they walked toward the stage’s