lllegal immigrants tired of waiting for Border Patrol agents get away using ride-hailing app
Illegal immigrants crossing into the United States at the southern border were spotted calling for rides from Lyft as they grew tired of waiting for Border Patrol agents to come pick them up. Fox News was on the ground in Jacumba, California, observing migrants who had come in across the southern border, and were waiting for several hours to be picked up and processed by Border Patrol agents. Some Colombians got sick of waiting for the feds to come pick them up, so they called a ride on the ride-sharing app and hopped in the car when it arrived. TURKISH MIGRANT CROSSING US BORDER SAYS AMERICANS ‘RIGHT’ TO BE CONCERNED It was not clear if the driver knew that they were picking up illegal immigrants. The moment is a glimpse of how overwhelmed Border Patrol agents have been as they continue to deal with high numbers in the San Diego sector. Fox witnessed groups of illegal immigrants from Pakistan, China, India and Turkey wandering. There was little aid for Border Patrol from the liberal state of California, in stark contrast to Texas, which has launched its own operation to build infrastructure and block illegal immigrants from entering the U.S. The lack of security shocked even some illegal immigrants. One Turkish migrant, who told Fox he had paid around $10,000 to a cartel, said that Americans should be concerned by what he had seen. JORDANIAN WHO TRIED TO BREACH MARINE CORPS BASE QUANTICO WAS IN US ILLEGALLY, SOURCES SAY “In fact, American people is right, completely true. Who comes into this country? They don’t know. OK, I’m good. But how if they’re not good? How if they’re killers, psychopath, else? No guarantee of that.” “Like, no security, no security check, no background check,” the migrant said, referring to his crossing into the United States. MOST AMERICANS CALL ILLEGAL IMMIGRATION ‘VERY SERIOUS PROBLEM,’ POLLS FINDS He said he worried about who is crossing the border, because “people are not normal.” He told Fox News that his trek to the U.S. had taken him 24 days, and that he had traveled through Qatar, Dubai, Egypt, South Africa and Brazil before arriving in Central America to come to the U.S. CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP The scenes came as a bipartisan border package again failed in the Senate, with even some of the bill’s authors voting against it. Fox News’ Brie Stimson contributed to this report. Get the latest updates on the ongoing border crisis from the Fox News Digital immigration hub.
Clarence Thomas takes aim at ‘judicial power’ in landmark Brown v Board of Education decision
Justice Clarence Thomas, in the court’s latest decision upholding a GOP-drawn redistricting map in South Carolina, took aim at a key, decades-old civil rights decision, calling it an “extravagant [use] of judicial power.” On Thursday, the Supreme Court sided with the Republican-led South Carolina legislature after it was challenged for alleged racial gerrymandering in drawing new redistricting maps. In a 6-3 decision, written by Justice Samuel Alito, the high court said that “a party challenging a map’s constitutionality must disentangle race and politics if it wishes to prove that the legislature was motivated by race as opposed to partisanship. Second, in assessing a legislature’s work, we start with a presumption that the legislature acted in good faith.” In a concurring opinion, Justice Thomas wrote that the 1954 decision in Brown v. Board of Education – written by his predecessor, Justice Thurgood Marshall – introduced an “extravagant [use] of judicial power.” LIBERAL JUSTICES EARN PRAISE FOR ‘INDEPENDENCE’ ON SUPREME COURT, BUT THOMAS TRULY STANDS ALONE, EXPERT SAYS The Brown decision said that separating children in public schools on the basis of race was unconstitutional, and overruled the “separate but equal” legal doctrine. Thomas, who grew up in the segregated South, has repeatedly stated that the Constitution prohibits race-based discrimination, regardless of the intent, and its devastating effects. In the case last year banning affirmative action in college admissions, Thomas wrote a concurrence “to offer an originalist defense of the colorblind Constitution” and to “clarify that all forms of discrimination based on race — including so-called affirmative action — are prohibited under the Constitution; and to emphasize the pernicious effects of all such discrimination.” “Individuals are the sum of their unique experiences, challenges, and accomplishments,” he said. “What matters is not the barriers they face, but how they choose to confront them. And their race is not to blame for everything — good or bad — that happens in their lives.” In 1995, Thomas wrote a lone concurrence in the case of Adarand Constructors, Inc v. Peña, stating that the government’s “benign discrimination” that tries to help racial minorities who are “thought to be disadvantaged” is another form of invidious “racial discrimination, plain and simple.” Thomas’ point in his concurrence in the case decided Thursday is that federal courts are not qualified to determine how voting maps are designed. “The Constitution provides courts no power to draw districts, let alone any standards by which they can attempt to do so,” he said. “And, it does not authorize courts to engage in the race-based reasoning that has come to dominate our voting-rights precedents. It is well past time for the Court to return these political issues where they belong — the political branches,” he said. Thomas said that “the Court once recognized its limited equitable powers in this area.” The federal courts have the power to grant either legal remedies, such as monetary damages, or equitable remedies, such as compelling or prohibiting a certain act. “We previously acknowledged that ‘[o]f course no court can affirmatively re-map [a State’s] districts so as to bring them more in conformity with the standards of fairness for a representative system. At best we could only declare the existing electoral system invalid.’” CLARENCE THOMAS SAYS HE RECEIVES ‘NASTINESS’ FROM CRITICS, DESCRIBES D.C. AS A ‘HIDEOUS PLACE’ But he said that the Brown decision – which was decided 70 years ago almost to the day of Thomas’ concurrence – introduced “[t]he view of equity required to justify a judicial mapdrawing power.” “The Court’s ‘impatience with the pace of desegregation’ caused by resistance to Brown v. Board of Education ‘led us to approve…extraordinary remedial measures,’” he said. Thomas explained that in the follow-up case to Brown, the Court considered “‘the manner in which relief [was] to be accorded’ for vindication of ‘the fundamental principle that racial discrimination in public education is unconstitutional.” “In doing so,” Thomas wrote, “the Court took a boundless view of equitable remedies, describing equity as being ‘characterized by a practical flexibility in shaping its remedies and by a facility for adjusting and reconciling public and private needs.’” “That understanding may have justified temporary measures to ‘overcome the widespread resistance to the dictates of the Constitution’ prevalent at that time, but, as a general matter, ‘[s]uch extravagant uses of judicial power are at odds with the history and tradition of the equity power and the Framers’ design,’” he said. “Ultimately, to remedy racial gerrymandering or vote dilution, someone must draw a new map. I can find no explanation why that ‘someone’ can be a federal court [and not the state legislature],” he said. JUSTICE THOMAS RAISED CRUCIAL QUESTION ABOUT LEGITIMACY OF SPECIAL COUNSEL’S PROSECUTION OF TRUMP Thomas went on to say that the Supreme Court’s jurisprudence in redistricting matters “puts States in a lose-lose situation.” He referenced the Court’s decision last term that ruled in favor of Black voters in Alabama challenging the state’s GOP-friendly congressional map, which the court’s majority found to be likely in violation of the Voting Rights Act. The VRA prohibits voting practices or procedures that discriminate on the basis of race. But Thomas and two of his colleagues dissented, saying, “The question presented is whether [Section 2] of the Act, as amended, requires the State of Alabama to intentionally redraw its long-standing congressional districts so that Black voters can control a number of seats roughly proportional to the Black share of the State’s population. Section 2 demands no such thing, and, if it did, the Constitution would not permit it.” Thomas, in his concurrence Thursday, argued that, “Taken together, our precedents stand for the rule that States must consider race just enough in drawing districts.” “And, what ‘just enough’ means depends on a federal court’s answers to judicially unanswerable questions about the proper way to apply the State’s traditional districting principles, or about the groupwide preferences of racial minorities in the State,” he said. “There is no density of minority voters that this Court’s jurisprudence cannot turn into a constitutional controversy.
Judge bars prosecutors from using some salacious evidence in Hunter Biden’s gun trial
The judge presiding over Hunter Biden’s federal gun case in Delaware ruled Friday that prosecutors on Special Counsel David Weiss’ team cannot use some salacious evidence in the first son’s criminal trial next month, including references to his U.S. Navy discharge and the child support case for his out-of-wedlock daughter in Arkansas. The court met for its final hearing before jury selection begins on June 3. Fox News has previously reported that prosecutors planned to use portions of his book and laptop, including photos, to convince a jury that the first son is guilty of making false statements on a federal form when he purchased a revolver in 2018, while actively using narcotics. Hunter Biden has pleaded not guilty to the charges. Judge Maryellen Noreika said Friday that Weiss must show Hunter Biden was addicted to drugs — but not necessarily using drugs the day he purchased the gun. HUNTER BIDEN IS IN COURT IN DELAWARE. HERE’S WHAT HE DOESN’T WANT THE JURY TO HEAR Noreika said the government may use part of Hunter Biden’s book where he discusses his addiction to drugs. The prosecution does not plan to bring out entire infamous laptop containing details of Hunter Biden’s life, but will introduce certain portions. Noreika ruled that Hunter’s team will be able to question aspects of the laptop in front of the jury. The laptop, which leaked in 2020 just before the presidential election, was decried as Russian disinformation by 51 former intelligence officials. In court documents filed Friday morning, Biden’s defense attorneys asked the court to block certain salacious details of his life from being shown to the jury to avoid “significant risk of unfair prejudice.” In what is called a “motion in limine,” Biden asked the court “to exclude reference to the child support proceedings in Arkansas and reference to his discharge from the Navy.” This is in reference to the child Biden fathered out-of-wedlock with ex-stripper Lunden Roberts, whose daughter is President Biden’s grandchild. Acknowledging that some of the evidence prosecutors wish to bring forward may be relevant to the case, including purported drug purchases, ATM withdrawals, and the purchase of the revolver, Biden’s lawyers said other details like references to money allegedly spent on “adult entertainment, online chat rooms, or escort services are not relevant to the charges.” IRS WHISTLEBLOWER SHAPLEY SAID HE ‘COULD NO LONGER PURSUE’ HUNTER BIDEN SUGAR BROTHER KEVIN MORRIS DUE TO CIA “Characterizing or referencing unnecessary salacious details — such as how much things cost, whether they are upscale, or citing expenses concerning collateral alleged sexual conduct unrelated to the charges here — are the exact type of prejudicial, inflammatory evidence that has a tendency to make a conviction more likely because it provokes an emotional response in the jury,” the defense argued. “Accordingly, Mr. Biden respectfully requests that this Court grant his Motion in limine to exclude any reference to an ‘extravagant’ or ‘lavish’ lifestyle during periods of his addiction,” his lawyers wrote. Noreika agreed in part, and ruled that the special counsel cannot use the phrase “extravagant lifestyle,” but can include evidence he was spending a lot of money. Noreika also ruled that the special counsel cannot discuss Hunter Biden’s discharge from the U.S. Navy. Hunter was discharged from the Navy in 2014 after testing positive for cocaine. Noreika also said Weiss cannot use Hunter Biden’s comments from the day he initially pleaded guilty as part of a collapsed plea deal. Weiss also is barred from using the phrase “extravagant lifestyle,” but can include evidence that the first son was spending a lot of money. According to Weiss’s gun indictment, Hunter Biden bought a Colt Cobra revolver on Oct. 12, 2018, and “knowingly made a false and fictitious written statement, intended and likely to deceive that dealer with respect to a fact material to the lawfulness of the sale of the firearm… certifying he was not an unlawful user of, and addicted to, any stimulant, narcotic drug, and any other controlled substance, when in fact, as he knew, that statement was false and fictitious.” The indictment also charges Hunter Biden for possessing that firearm — which was “shipped and transported in interstate commerce” — for nearly a week despite being addicted to narcotics. With all counts combined, the total maximum prison time for the charges could be up to 25 years. Each count carries a maximum fine of $250,000, and three years of supervised release. Fox News first reported in 2021 that police had responded to an incident in 2018, when a gun owned by Hunter Biden was thrown into a trash can outside a market in Delaware. HUNTER BIDEN PRETRIAL HEARING ON GUN CHARGES SET FOR FRIDAY IN DELAWARE A source with knowledge of the Oct. 23, 2018, police report told Fox News that it indicated that Hallie Biden, who is the widow of President Biden’s late son, Beau, and who was in a relationship with Hunter at the time, threw a gun owned by Hunter in a dumpster behind a market near a school. Hallie Biden may be required to testify during Hunter Biden’s trial. Noreika also decided Friday that Hunter Biden’s defense attorneys cannot tell the jury that Delaware state police declined to charge the first son at the time of the gun incident. Federal prosecutors did not bring charges against him on the matter until five years later. Noreika also ruled that the special counsel cannot mention Biden’s pending federal tax trial in California during the trial in Delaware, which is also part of Weiss’ investigation and scheduled for a September trial. Biden pleaded not guilty to those charges — specifically, three felonies and six misdemeanors concerning $1.4 million in owed taxes that have since been paid. Weiss alleged a “four-year scheme” when the president’s son did not pay his federal income taxes from January 2017 to October 2020 while also filing false tax reports. On Wednesday, Judge Mark Scarsi heard arguments during a pre-trial hearing in California. That criminal trial was scheduled for
Lok Sabha Polls 2024: What is Form 17C and why is EC against disclosing voter turnout data?
A vacation bench of Justices Dipankar Datta and Satish Chandra Sharma dismissed the plea filed by the NGO Association for Democratic Reforms (ADR), citing logistical difficulties and the need for a ‘hands-off approach’ during elections
Taxpayers still on hook for COVID-shuttered ICE facility amid objections by blue state lawmaker
Federal officials are again extending an evaluation of a mostly shuttered California detention center that can house thousands of illegal immigrants, with one lawmaker demanding the facility re-open amid continued costs. “Although the Administration ended the COVID-19 national emergency over a year ago, the Adelanto ICE Facility continues to be prohibited from processing new detainees, Rep Jay Obernolte, R-Calif., told Fox News Digital. “In this extension, ICE and DOJ must work to bring this facility fully online so we can detain and deport the influx of illegal immigrants that are overwhelming our law enforcement and community support services.” The facility in Adelanto, California, can house nearly 2,000 inmates but was blocked by a September 2020 court order in response to a lawsuit from immigrant activists calling for fewer inmates due to the COVID-19 pandemic. ICE EXTENDS EVALUATION OF CALIFORNIA DETENTION FACILITY LEFT LARGELY EMPTY SINCE 2020 Despite the COVID-19 emergency expiring last year, the facility has yet to re-open and has only a handful of inmates living there. Fox News Digital reported in November that the facility was expected to close in December, but ICE then launched a 60-day task order to evaluate the effect of ongoing litigation, the costs of maintenance and the operational requirements. The move suggested that, instead of closing the facility, ICE is trying to get it back open. But as it stands, the facility remains closed, even as other facilities both locally and across the country have re-opened and the U.S. has largely moved on from COVID. ICE DETENTION CENTER HOUSES HANDFUL OF INMATES DESPITE HAVING THOUSANDS OF BEDS: LAWMAKER ICE extended the task order for another 60 days in January, and recently announced another extension that will extend the order until September. The task orders are implemented with GEO Group, which runs the facility and recently revealed that its contract generates $85 million in revenue per year. The cost was first reported by The New York Post. “The ability for the agency to remove individuals to their home countries, hold those in custody who require detention and are a public safety threat is directly dependent on location and availability of detention space,” ICE spokesperson Jenny Burke said last week announcing the evaluation’s extension. “ICE continues to modernize the immigration system as resources allow to realize cost efficiencies across the operational landscape.” The ongoing stalemate comes as San Diego’s Border Patrol sector has been one of the hardest hit in terms of recent border encounters. While numbers overall have gone down, Fox reported this week of masses of people crossing into California, including those from Turkey and China. ICE LAUNCHES 60-DAY EVALUATION OF CALIFORNIA DETENTION FACILITY AMID GOP DEMANDS TO FULLY REOPEN Democrats in the Senate moved for a vote on a controversial but bipartisan border package on Thursday — but senators chose not to advance the bill in a 43-50 vote. The Biden administration has moved away from the use of private detention facilities for illegal immigrants and closed multiple facilities, but has also sought more beds from Congress. Republicans, who want to see more bed space, have noted that many beds remain unfilled. Fox News’ Bill Melugin and Julia Johnson contributed to this report. Get the latest updates on the ongoing border crisis from the Fox News Digital immigration hub.
GA lawmaker probing Fani Willis says more hearings to come after ‘credible’ witness testimony
A Georgia state senator spearheading the probe into the Fulton County district attorney’s office says some of District Attorney Fani Willis’ claims about her relationship are “dubious” after one whistleblower’s testimony. On Thursday, the Georgia Senate Special Committee on Investigations, chaired by Republican state Sen. Bill Cowsert, held its fourth hearing as part of its investigation into Willis’ alleged misconduct and misuse of funds. Amanda Timpson, who once served as Willis’ director of juvenile diversion programs, testified that she was demoted and eventually fired after she blew the whistle on the office’s misuse of federal grant money. Timpson also testified that in 2020, shortly after Willis was elected, that Nathan Wade, with whom Willis is alleged to have had an “improper” affair, was part of every interview panel for Willis’ incoming staff. FANI WILLIS’ EX-STAFFER TESTIFIES SHE WAS FIRED AFTER BLOWING WHISTLE ON DA’S SPENDING However, Wade would not be hired as special prosecutor until roughly a year later. Willlis hired Wade in November 2021 to help prosecute the sweeping racketeering case against former President Trump related to allegations of election interference. It is unclear if he was on the payroll at the time he was helping Willis build her new team. Willis and Wade were accused of having an “improper” affair prior to his hiring, which both parties denied and alleged their romantic relationship started after Wade was hired. However, Cowsert says he believes that claim is “dubious.” “[Wade], for a whole year, was her confidant and collaborator on running the office before he gets hired,” Cowsert said in an interview with Fox News Digital. “And then she’s acting like it was just something that happened in the summer of 2022. That they began a relationship months after the hiring. That’s a dubious claim, you know?” Cowsert said. NATHAN WADE’S PHONE DATA SHOWS HE MADE MIDNIGHT TRIPS TO FANI WILLIS’ CONDO BEFORE HE WAS HIRED: ATTORNEY In a committee hearing in March, Ashleigh Merchant, a lawyer for a co-defendant in the case against former President Trump, testified that information on Wade’s cellphone data indicated he visited the condo Willis was renting a number of times before he was hired. “It’s pinging from his house all the way down to the condo at midnight 1 a.m. And then he calls her when he gets there. And then it goes silent for four or five hours. And then, you know, early in the morning hours, he starts pinging again, driving back, and then he texts her when he gets home,” Merchant said, describing the geolocation data from Wade’s cellphone. Attorneys for the state in the proceedings in Fulton County Superior Court in February testified that geolocation data is unreliable as evidence. However, Merchant noted that the state is “currently using the same data in another courtroom to prosecute someone, but in their defense in ours was that it’s not reliable.” Merchant along with lawyers for Trump and other co-defendants are appealing to the Georgia Court of Appeals to have Willis disqualified from the case. A state judge ruled in March that Willis could stay on the case only if Wade was removed. Wade resigned from the case later that day. “An odor of mendacity remains,” the judge said, adding that “reasonable questions about whether the District Attorney and her hand-selected lead SADA [special assistant district attorney] testified untruthfully about the timing of their relationship further underpin the finding of an appearance of impropriety and the need to make proportional efforts to cure it.” In the meantime, state lawmakers formed a special committee with subpoena power to investigate the Fulton County district attorney. Cowsert called Timpson a “very impressive and credible” witness. “I think it was interesting that nobody on the committee ever questioned the accuracy of her complaints,” Cowsert said. EMBATTLED DA FANI WILLIS WINS GEORGIA PRIMARY ELECTION Timpson testified that she was subject to “overwhelming retaliation” and “pushback” after notifying her direct boss that Willis’ office was knowingly misusing federal grant funds, which is illegal. Timpson said she wanted Willis to be aware of the misuse of funds to “protect” her and “protect the integrity of the grants.” She said that after Willis was made aware of Timpson’s warnings, she was demoted to the position of file clerk. “I thought that I was going to ultimately retire from the DA’s office, and it made a place that I used to be proud of working at hell for me, essentially,” Timpson said. CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP Cowsert observed that working in the DA’s office was a “dream job” for Timpson, who had grown up in Compton, California, and alluded to being personally affected by the rampant gang activity there. “I think she’s trying to make the world better. And that her niche is stopping youths from joining gangs. And she did that with the school system here and then with the DA’s office. It was like a dream job, really, for her… and then it was snatched away from her,” Cowsert said. The committee is expected to hold additional hearings over the next several months. Willis has said she will not testify, though the committee has subpoena power, and she has called the committee “unlawful.” Fox News Digital reached out to Willis and Wade for comment.
Trump predicts this 2024 GOP rival will be ‘on our team’ against Biden despite ‘nasty’ primary
Former President Trump says that former GOP presidential rival Nikki Haley “absolutely” will “be on our team in some form” as he faces off with President Biden in a 2024 election rematch. The presumptive GOP presidential nominee, in two interviews following a large campaign rally in the Bronx, reacted to Haley saying she would vote for Trump, in her first public comments since announcing the end of her White House campaign. Haley, who was Trump’s last rival in the heated GOP primaries before suspending her campaign more than two months ago, and who has not endorsed the former president, was asked during a question-and-answer session following her address Tuesday at a conservative think tank in the nation’s capital whether Biden or Trump was stronger on national security issues. WHY DONALD TRUMP HELD A RALLY IN ONE OF THE BLUEST COUNTIES IN AMERICA “Trump has not been perfect on these policies. I have made that clear many, many times. But Biden has been a catastrophe. So, I will be voting for Trump,” the former two-term South Carolina governor who later served as U.N. ambassador in the Trump administration said. However, Haley, who continues to grab up to 20% of the vote in Republican presidential primaries since ending her bid, said “Trump would be smart to reach out to the millions of people who voted for me and continue to support me.” “I appreciate what she said,” Trump said in an interview with Fox News’ Lawrence Jones that ran Friday on “Fox and Friends.” “The party is together,” he emphasized. HERE’S WHAT NIKKI HALEY SAID ABOUT DONALD TRUMP Additionally, in an interview with News 12 in New York, the former president said, “I think she’s going to be on our team because we have a lot of the same ideas, the same thoughts,” “You know we had a nasty campaign. It was pretty nasty. But she’s a very capable person and I’m sure she’s going to be on our team in some form. Absolutely,” Trump said as he pointed back to the heated clash between him and Haley earlier this year. Haley launched her presidential campaign in February last year, becoming the first major candidate to challenge Trump, who had announced his candidacy three months earlier. Additionally, earlier this year, she was the final rival to Trump, battling the former president in a contentious two-candidate showdown from the New Hampshire primary in late January through Super Tuesday in early March. Trump repeatedly targeted Haley, including firing off racially charged attacks. He mocked the absence from the campaign trail of Haley’s husband, who at the time was on a military deployment overseas. Haley repeatedly questioned Trump’s mental acuity and charged that the former president was “unhinged.” Haley announced that she was suspending her White House campaign on March 6, the day after Trump swept 14 of 15 GOP nominating contests on Super Tuesday. Haley’s team did not react to Trump’s comments at the time this story was published. Get the latest updates from the 2024 campaign trail, exclusive interviews and more at our Fox News Digital election hub.
Georgia prosecutor Fani Willis appeals after judge drops multiple Trump charges
The prosecutor in former President Donald Trump’s racketeering case in Georgia is appealing a judge’s decision to drop multiple charges against the former commander in chief. Fulton County Superior Court Judge Scott McAfee previously ruled in March that six charges against Trump and his co-defendants lacked sufficient detail and should be dismissed. Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis filed a notice of appeal against that decision on Thursday. The prosecutor did not indicate why the dismissal should be reversed. Three of the six counts set to be dropped include Trump as a defendant. The original indictment included 41 counts between the former president and his co-defendants. FANI WILLIS’ EX-STAFFER TESTIFIES SHE WAS FIRES AFTER BLOWING WHISTLE ON DA’S SPENDING Trump’s legal team is appealing to remove Willis from the case following allegations that she had an “improper” affair with special prosecutor Nathan Wade, whom she hired to help prosecute the case. McAfee ruled that the romantic relationship between the two prosecutors did not compromise the integrity of the trial, though a Georgia appeals court has agreed to hear an appeal on this decision. FANI WILLIS SAYS NO ONE ABOVE OR ‘BENEATH’ THE LAW, PLANS ON DRINKING GREY GOOSE TO CELEBRATE RE-ELECTION Willis won her primary election on Tuesday by a sweeping margin over her Democratic challenger. “Tonight they delivered a strong and a powerful message,” Willis said in her acceptance speech. “They want a district attorney that believes everyone deserves to be safe. And everyone is entitled to some dignity. And it’s a message that’s pissing folks off. But there is no one above the law in this country. Nor is there anyone beneath it.” Georgia’s GOP-controlled Senate voted in January to form a special committee to investigate Willis amid the revelations of her romantic affair with Wade. CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP Previous state Senate committee hearings revealed that oversight of Willis’ $36 million budget was “like the Wild West, very little control,” Cowsert said. At that hearing earlier this month, Fulton County Commissioner Robb Pitts and Fulton County Chief Financial Officer Sharon Whittmore testified that Willis has broad discretion over those taxpayer dollars, including whether to hire a special prosecutor and how much they should be paid. Pitts also testified that Willis did not have to get any pre-approval for hiring an independent special counsel to assist with her activities. Fox News’ Brianna Herlihy contributed to this report.
Hunter Biden is in court in Delaware. Here’s what he doesn’t want the jury to hear
Hunter Biden will appear in court at noon on Friday in his hometown of Wilmington, Delaware, where he is on trial for federal gun charges — and he is asking the court to block prosecutors from discussing certain evidence. The court is meeting for its last hearing before jury selection begins on June 3. Fox News has previously reported that prosecutors plan to use portions of his book and laptop, including photos, to convince a jury that the first son is guilty of making false statements on a federal form when he purchased a revolver in 2018, while actively using narcotics. In court documents filed Friday morning, Biden’s defense attorneys asked the court to block certain salacious details of his life from being shown to the jury to avoid “significant risk of unfair prejudice.” In what is called a “motion in limine,” Biden asked the court “to exclude reference to the child support proceedings in Arkansas and reference to his discharge from the Navy.” This is in reference to the child Biden fathered out-of-wedlock with ex-stripper Lunden Roberts, whose daughter is President Biden’s grandchild. HUNTER BIDEN TEAM TELLS DELAWARE COURT THEY’RE ‘NOT READY’ FOR GUN TRIAL DATE Acknowledging that some of the evidence prosecutors wish to bring forward may be relevant to the case, including purported drug purchases, ATM withdrawals, and the purchase of the revolver, Biden’s lawyers said other details like references to money allegedly spent on “adult entertainment, online chat rooms, or escort services are not relevant to the charges.” HUNTER BIDEN INDICTMENT MUDDIES WEISS’ CREDIBILITY AS WHISTLEBLOWERS FEEL VINDICATED: ATTORNEY “Characterizing or referencing unnecessary salacious details — such as how much things cost, whether they are upscale, or citing expenses concerning collateral alleged sexual conduct unrelated to the charges here — are the exact type of prejudicial, inflammatory evidence that has a tendency to make a conviction more likely because it provokes an emotional response in the jury,” the defense argued. “Accordingly, Mr. Biden respectfully requests that this Court grant his Motion in limine to exclude any reference to an ‘extravagant’ or ‘lavish’ lifestyle during periods of his addiction.” SHAPLEY ATTORNEY: HUNTER BIDEN PROSECUTOR ‘ALL OVER THE MAP,’ SHOULD TESTIFY TO CONGRESS Biden’s legal team had earlier sought to delay the impending June 3 trial, which was set by a federal judge two months ago. U.S. District Judge Maryellen Noreika rejected the request, and the trial will proceed on schedule. A 56-page indictment against Biden was handed down in Los Angeles in December. It included felony charges and laid out his salacious spending habits and lifestyle while cataloging alleged related tax violations. CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP Special counsel attorney Derek Hines has said the trial will last less than a week. Fox News’ Charles Creitz contributed to this report.
Cyclone ‘Remal’ expected to make landfall in Bengal on this date; IMD issues orange alert
The IMD has issued an orange alert, forecasting light to moderate rainfall in the districts of Kolkata, Howrah, Nadia, Jhargram, North 24 Parganas, South 24 Parganas, and Purba Medinipur.