Lok Sabha Elections 2024 Phase 6: Voting in 58 seats today, check full list of key candidates, constituencies
As voters head to the polls on May 25, these key constituencies and notable candidates will be closely watched for their potential impact on the overall election outcome.
Delhi Lok Sabha elections 2024: Traffic Police issues advisory; check routes to avoid today
The National Capital is set to vote for all seven seats in the sixth phase of Lok Sabha elections 2024 today (May 25).
Far-right favorite Abraham George elected to lead Texas GOP
George was backed by outgoing GOP chair Matt Rinaldi, who ushered in a Republican civil war and oversaw staffing cuts and drops in fundraising.
Texas schools illegally suspended thousands of homeless students
A 2019 law banned schools from suspending homeless students from school grounds but didn’t include money for enforcement.
Louisiana classifies abortion drugs as controlled, dangerous substances after Gov. Landry greenlights proposal
First-of-its-kind legislation that classifies two abortion-inducing drugs as controlled and dangerous substances was signed into law Friday by Louisiana Gov. Jeff Landry. The Republican governor announced his signing of the bill in Baton Rouge a day after it gained final legislative passage in the state Senate. The measure affects the drugs mifepristone and misoprostol, which are used in medication abortions, the most common method of abortion in the U.S. BLUE STATE GOV SIGNS BILL TO HELP DOCTORS EVADE NEIGHBORING STATE’S ABORTION LAW: ‘OPPRESSIVE AND DANGEROUS’ Opponents of the bill included many physicians who said the drugs have other critical reproductive health care uses, and that changing the classification could make it harder to prescribe the medications. Supporters of the bill said it would protect expectant mothers from coerced abortions, though they cited only one example of that happening, in the state of Texas. The bill passed as abortion opponents await a final decision from the U.S. Supreme Court on an effort to restrict access to mifepristone. The new law will take effect on Oct. 1. The bill began as a measure to create the crime of “coerced criminal abortion by means of fraud.” An amendment adding the abortion drugs to the Schedule IV classification of Louisiana’s Uniform Controlled Dangerous Substances Law was pushed by Sen. Thomas Pressly, a Republican from Shreveport and the main sponsor of the bill. “Requiring an abortion inducing drug to be obtained with a prescription and criminalizing the use of an abortion drug on an unsuspecting mother is nothing short of common-sense,” Landry said in a statement. Current Louisiana law already requires a prescription for both drugs and makes it a crime to use them to induce an abortion, in most cases. The bill would make it harder to obtain the pills. Other Schedule IV drugs include the opioid tramadol and a group of depressants known as benzodiazepines. Knowingly possessing the drugs without a valid prescription would carry a punishment including hefty fines and jail time. Language in the bill appears to carve out protections for pregnant women who obtain the drug without a prescription for their own consumption. The classification would require doctors to have a specific license to prescribe the drugs, and the drugs would have to be stored in certain facilities that in some cases could end up being located far from rural clinics. In addition to inducing abortions, mifepristone and misoprostol have other common uses, such as treating miscarriages, inducing labor and stopping hemorrhaging. More than 200 doctors in the state signed a letter to lawmakers warning that the measure could produce a “barrier to physicians’ ease of prescribing appropriate treatment” and cause unnecessary fear and confusion among both patients and doctors. The physicians warn that any delay to obtaining the drugs could lead to worsening outcomes in a state that has one of the highest maternal mortality rates in the country. Pressly said he pushed the legislation because of what happened to his sister Catherine Herring, of Texas. In 2022, Herring’s husband slipped her seven misoprostol pills in an effort to induce an abortion without her knowledge or consent.
Hunter Biden lawyers question who filled out form at center of gun trial set for June 3
Hunter Biden’s defense attorney Abbe Lowell seemed to telegraph a key element of his defense strategy in a Delaware federal court on Friday: who exactly filled out the key federal gun form at the center of the trial? The heart of the government’s case is that the president’s son checked a box on a government which stated that he was not using or addicted to drugs at the time he was purchasing a firearm — a violation of federal law in October 2018. At a hearing Friday, Lowell said there were indications the form was changed by employees after the sale. Prosecutors, meanwhile, have said there were only minor additions unrelated to the parts Hunter Biden filled out. There are two versions of the particular form that Hunter Biden filled out. The first was emailed on Oct. 26, 2018, and U.S. District Judge Maryellen Noreika has allowed that form into evidence. There is also the physical version of the form which was filled out at the gun store. It was revealed at Friday’s hearing that a gun store employee, Gordon Cleveland, helped Hunter Biden fill out the form on that day. Cleveland is likely to be called to the stand and Noreika suggested the government would likely ask him to testify that Hunter Biden filled out the form and signed it. NEW TEXT MESSAGE ALLEGEDLY REVEALS HUNTER BIDEN PROPOSED MEETING FOR DAD, UNCLE AND CHINESE EXEC IN NYC “We want to know who wrote what on the form,” Lowell told the court, to which Noreika asked, “Is there evidence that he didn’t check the box?” “We now know that they tampered with that form … Cleveland accepted an ID he shouldn’t have and [Ron] Palmieri [the gun store owner] changed the form,” Lowell said. Noreika told Lowell that what mattered was what his client put in the form. Lowell suggested again that all this is “subject to examination.” Noreika said she would rule later on whether the physical form would be allowed into evidence, but seemed to agree that the gun store employees could be examined. The trial begins with jury selection on June 3. Both sides have agreed that it would run until about the 14th, or possibly into the following week. As he left the courtroom, Hunter Biden, who wore tangerine colored reading glasses at times during the proceeding, patted sketch artist Bill Hennessy on the back and said, “how’s it coming?” SUNNY HOSTIN VENTS ABOUT CHARLAMAGNE THA GOD TO ENDORSE BIDEN ON ‘THE VIEW’: ‘IT WAS IRRESPONSIBLE’ Hunter Biden has acknowledged his struggles with substance abuse during the time he purchased a firearm, but his lawyers have derided the case as politically motivated. Noreika also agreed to consider defense questions about the contents of a laptop that Hunter Biden allegedly dropped off at a Delaware repair shop. The controversial “laptop” was dubbed by more than 50 former intelligence officials as Russian disinformation ahead of the 2020 election. Prosecutors have said there’s no evidence that it has been compromised and that a drawn-out fight would be a waste of time. There will be 12 government witnesses, though how many defense witnesses there will be remains unclear. President Biden’s son is also facing federal tax charges in Los Angeles. Noreika ruled that Special Counsel cannot mention that case, nor can it mention Hunter Biden’s alleged failure to pay child support, or his Navy discharge. Noreika has allowed jurors to be shown portions of Hunter Biden’s 2021 memoir, “Beautiful Things,” in which he talked candidly about his struggles with alcoholism and drug use. Hunter Biden’s lawyers have unsuccessfully pushed to have both the tax charges and the gun charges dismissed. They have argued that prosecutors acquiesced to political pressure to indict him after a plea agreement collapsed. The long-running federal investigation into the president’s son had looked ready to wrap up with a plea deal last year, but the agreement imploded after a judge raised questions about it. Hunter Biden was subsequently indicted. Under the deal, he would have gotten two years of probation after pleading guilty to misdemeanor tax charges. He also would have avoided prosecution on the gun charge if he stayed out of trouble.
Colorado Gov. Polis signs funeral home regulatory crackdowns into law
Colorado Gov. Jared Polis signed two bills into law Friday that overhaul state oversight of the funeral home industry after a series of gruesome discoveries, including 190 discomposing bodies in a facility, families being sent fake ashes and the unauthorized sale of body parts. The cases put Colorado’s lax funeral home regulations — some of the weakest in the nation — in the spotlight and rocked hundreds of already grieving families. Some families had ceremonially spread ashes that turned out to be fake. Others said they had nightmares about what their loved ones might have looked like in a decayed state. CO LEGISLATURE PASSES FUNERAL HOME CRACKDOWN AFTER FAKE ASHES, HEAPS OF ROTTING BODIES MAKE NATIONAL HEADLINES “When grieving the loss of a loved one, the last thing a family should worry about is the trustworthiness and professionalism of those entrusted to care for the person who has passed,” Polis said in a statement. The new laws bring Colorado in line with most other states. One requires regulators to routinely inspect funeral homes and give them more enforcement power. Another implements licensing for funeral directors and other workers in the industry. They would need to pass background checks and a national exam while possessing degrees and work experience. Previously, funeral home directors in Colorado didn’t have to graduate from high school, let alone have a degree. The funeral home industry was generally on board with the changes though some expressed concern that strict requirements for funeral home directors were unnecessary and would make it difficult to find hirable applicants. The bill signings follow a rocky year for Colorado funeral homes. In early October, neighbors noticed a putrid smell coming from a building in the town of Penrose about two hours south of Denver. Authorities soon found 190 decaying bodies there including adults, infants and fetuses. Some were stacked atop each other. Decomposition fluid covered the floors while flies and maggots swarmed. Almost two dozen bodies dated to 2019 and some 60 more were from 2020. As the bodies were identified, families who had received ashes learned the cremains weren’t their loved ones. The mother of a man whose body was found in the Penrose facility said she would keep after Colorado lawmakers to make sure the new laws are implemented stringently. “I’m super excited. I think this is a great first step,” said Crystina Page, mother of David Jaxon Page, 20, who was killed by police during a mental health crisis in 2019. The new laws should lead to regulations requiring crematoriums to independently verify the identity of remains, then certify to the state that those remains were cremated, Page said. In most states, funeral homes are routinely inspected but no such rules were on the books in Colorado. The owners of the funeral home were arrested in November and collectively face hundreds of charges of abusing corpses and other counts. Just months later, in February, a woman’s body was found in the back of hearse where a suburban Denver funeral home had left it for over a year. At least 30 sets of cremated remains were found stashed throughout the funeral director’s home.
WV Gov. Justice ends jail staffing state of emergency after nearly 2 years
West Virginia Gov. Jim Justice said Friday he is ending the state of emergency over staffing in the state Department of Corrections. The Republican governor called on the state National Guard to help stop worker attrition at the state’s jails and prisons almost two years ago now. Last summer, the vacancy rate was more than 30%. “We’re just always proud to run to the fire,” Gen. William E. Crane, Adjutant General of the West Virginia National Guard said during a briefing with the press Friday. WEST VIRGINIA GOV. JIM JUSTICE WINS SENATE GOP PRIMARY Just over 730 members of the state National Guard worked in 17 of the state’s correctional facilities while the state of emergency was in place, Justice said. Since January 2024, almost 240 people have graduated from the state’s corrections academy. A total of 38 National Guard members assigned to work in the jails and prisons decided to stay on permanently, Crane said. Last summer, state lawmakers met in a special session to approve over $21 million for correctional officer pay increases, along with two one-time bonuses of $2,294 for other jail staff who are not correctional officers, like kitchen staff. Justice previously declared a state of emergency for the state’s jails and prisons in 2017.
Billionaire CEO Schwarzman changes course and backs Trump citing rising antisemitism as top concern
Blackstone CEO and co-founder Stephen Schwarzman revealed on Friday that he will be supporting former President Donald Trump in 2024 after previously distancing himself from Trump leading into the GOP primary. “I share the concern of most Americans that our economic, immigration and foreign policies are taking the country in the wrong direction,” Schwarzman told Fox News Digital in a statement that was first reported by Axios on Friday. “For these reasons, I am planning to vote for change and support Donald Trump for President. In addition, I will be supporting Republican Senate candidates and other Republicans up and down the ticket.” Schwarzman, who briefly served as chairman of Trump’s Strategic and Policy Forum, added that the “dramatic rise of antisemitism has led me to focus on the consequences of upcoming elections with greater urgency.” BILLIONAIRE WHO HELPED TRUMP WITH $175M BOND SAYS HE ‘PROBABLY DIDN’T CHARGE ENOUGH’ President Biden has been heavily criticized by Republicans, including Trump, for not doing enough to combat antisemitism, particularly with his response to anti-Israel protests that have erupted on college campuses nationwide over the past few months. Schwarzman, who co-founded the Blackstone private equity firm in 1985 and is worth an estimated $39 billion, came out against the idea of Trump running for president again when he said in 2022 that it was time for the GOP to look in a new direction. “America does better when its leaders are rooted in today and tomorrow, not today and yesterday,” Schwarzman said. “It is time for the Republican Party to turn to a new generation of leaders and I intend to support one of them in the presidential primaries.” VP HOPEFULS DUELING FOR DOLLARS AS THEY SHOW OFF THEIR FUNDRAISING CLOUT FOR TRUMP Fox News Digital reached out to the Trump and Biden campaigns for comment but did not receive a response. Big money GOP donors have been coalescing around Trump in recent months as the former president attempts to close the cash on hand gap with the Biden campaign. Biden had regularly been outpacing Trump in monthly fundraising until April when he was topped by Trump for the first time this cycle. Trump’s April haul was boosted by a record-setting $50.5 million that the former president’s campaign raked in at a single event early in the month with top dollar GOP donors that was hosted at the Palm Beach, Florida home of billionaire investor John Paulson. Fox News Digital’s Paul Steinhauser contributed to this report
Hunter Biden defense team questions who actually filled out the key gun form
Hunter Biden’s defense attorney, Abbe Lowell, seemed to telegraph a key element of his defense strategy in a Delaware federal court Friday about who exactly filled out the key federal gun form in question in the case. The heart of the government’s case is Hunter Biden checking a box on a government form, specifically Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) form 4473, which stated he was not using or addicted to drugs at the time he was buying a gun. There are two versions of the particular form that Biden filled out. The first was emailed Oct. 26, 2018, and U.S. District Court Judge Maryellen Noreika has allowed that form into evidence. HUNTER BIDEN IS IN COURT IN DELAWARE. HERE’S WHAT HE DOESN’T WANT THE JURY TO HEAR However, there is another version of the form — a physical version — that was filled out at a gun store. It was revealed in court Friday a gun store employee, Gordon Cleveland, helped Biden fill out the physical form that day. Cleveland is likely to be called to the stand, and Noreika suggested the government would likely ask him to testify that Biden filled out the form and signed it. JUDGE BARS PROSECUTORS FROM USING SOME SALACIOUS EVIDENCE IN HUNTER BIDEN’S GUN TRIAL “We want to know who wrote what on the form,” Lowell told the court. Noreika asked him, “Is there evidence that [Biden] didn’t check the box?” NEW TEXT MESSAGE ALLEGEDLY REVEALS HUNTER BIDEN PROPOSED MEETING FOR DAD, UNCLE AND CHINESE EXEC IN NYC Lowell responded, “We now know that they tampered with that form. … Cleveland accepted an ID he shouldn’t have, and [Ron] Palmieri [the gun store owner] changed the form.” “What matters is what your client put on the form,” said Judge Noreika. Lowell again suggested it is all “subject to examination.” HUNTER BIDEN ATTENDS PRE-TRIAL HEARING IN DELAWARE COURT ON FEDERAL GUN CHARGES Noreika said she would rule later on whether the physical form would be allowed into evidence but seemed to agree that the gun store employees could be examined. “Why can’t he question his credibility?” she asked. The trial will begin with jury selection June 3, and both sides agreed it would run until approximately June 14, or possibly into the next week. As he left the courtroom, Hunter Biden, who wore tangerine-colored reading glasses at times during the proceeding, patted sketch artist Bill Hennessy on the back and asked, “How’s it coming?”