‘Return, surrender’: Ex-PM Deve Gowda ‘warns’ grandson Prajwal, asks him to face probe into sexual abuse allegations
Prajwal Revanna had flown reportedly to Germany in the last week of April.
Supreme Court upholds GOP-drawn voting map in South Carolina gerrymandering case
The Supreme Court on Thursday ruled to reverse a lower court’s decision that said a South Carolina redistricting map was unconstitutional, rejecting the idea that it was racially discriminatory. 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 this case, which features a challenge to South Carolina’s redistricting efforts in the wake of the 2020 census, the three-judge District Court paid only lip service to these propositions,” the decision states. CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP “That misguided approach infected the District Court’s findings of fact, which were clearly erroneous under the appropriate legal standard,” Alito wrote. This is a developing story. Check back here for updates.
Experts question RFK Jr.’s sudden ‘bizarre’ medical claims that include brain worms, mercury poisoning
Independent presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. appears to be the one White House hopeful suddenly most open to discussing his past medical issues, a willingness some experts are describing as “bizarre.” Revelations earlier this month that Kennedy once had a parasite infecting his brain led the candidate to openly talk about the incident in a number of interviews, which included him bringing up other medical problems he frequently talked about years before running for president, including mercury poisoning. “Having brain worms, bragging about getting mercury poisoning and generally being weird doesn’t instill confidence in voters, and it’s definitely bizarre,” Democratic strategist Eric Koch told Fox News Digital. “Robert F. Kennedy Jr can’t expect people to take him seriously as a candidate if he’s openly telling them he might not be fit to lead. KENNEDY COVER-UP: FAILING TO DISCLOSE A BRAIN-EATING WORM AND OTHER PROBLEMS “Revelations like this are why his poll numbers are tanking. The more people learn about RFK Jr., the clearer it is that his vanity project campaign isn’t worth wasting a vote over,” he added, referencing what some polls suggest is a slow-down in support for Kennedy. Other polls suggest he holds a steady double-digit level of support nationally. Republican strategist and Fox News contributor Lisa Boothe called Kennedy’s sudden openness about his medical problems “a weird flex” considering Biden “is essentially a ‘Weekend at Bernie’s’ candidate.” EXCLUSIVE: MISSOURI AG TORCHES KANSAS CITY’S ‘RETALIATION’ AGAINST CHIEF’S KICKER EXPRESSING CHRISTIAN BELIEFS “You would think that you would want to project strength in this race as opposed to weakness, so it’s a little bit of an odd strategy. The irony is that Donald Trump, at 77, is the one with the stamina in this race. He’s outworking and outhustling everyone else while they’re trying to throw him in jail and bankrupt him at the same time,” she added. Kennedy’s experience with the brain-eating worm was unearthed in a New York Times article published earlier this month, which cited a deposition from 2012 stating the candidate was called by a doctor at New York-Presbyterian Hospital after physicians had noticed a dark spot on his brain scans and that he had complained of memory loss and a mental fogginess. Kennedy recalled the doctor telling him the spot “was caused by a worm that got into my brain and ate a portion of it and then died.” He had, however, told the Times in an interview months prior that he recovered from the previously disclosed memory loss. He said in the same interview he had suffered from atrial fibrillation for decades, including being hospitalized four times, but that he had not had an incident related to the condition for more than 10 years. Kennedy told both the Times and Ben Shapiro’s “Pushing the Limits” podcast the day following the worm revelations that he experienced mercury poisoning around the same time he was infected with the parasite and underwent treatment to rid his system of the metal. “At the same time, I was having my mercury tested, and I was getting all kinds of tests. And my mercury test came back sky-high … ten times what the EPA levels were for blood mercury, I think it was,” Kennedy told the program. “They were over ten times what anybody considered safe, and I had that chelated out, and all of that brain fog went away.” Kennedy, however, frequently talked about battling mercury poisoning in interviews going back to at least 2004, years before dealing with the parasite. “I have so much mercury in my body … that if I were a woman of childbearing years, I would have children with cognitive impairment … probably a permanent IQ loss of five to seven points,” Kennedy said during an appearance on C-SPAN in September 2004. He said in multiple subsequent interviews in 2005, 2008, 2010, 2011 and 2012 he had “recently” been found to have high levels of mercury in his blood, leading to memory loss. Fox News Digital has reached out to Kennedy’s campaign for comment. Fox News’ Howard Kurtz contributed to this report. Get the latest updates from the 2024 campaign trail, exclusive interviews and more at our Fox News Digital election hub.
Jordanian who tried to breach Marine Corps Base Quantico was in US illegally, sources say
One of the two Jordanian nationals who tried to breach Marine Corps Base Quantico in Virginia earlier this month crossed into the U.S. illegally in April before he was released from custody, multiple Department of Homeland Security sources have revealed to Fox News. The individual, who along with his colleague is now in ICE custody awaiting removal proceedings, crossed the U.S.-Mexico border in the San Diego sector, the sources said. He was later released on a notice to appear in court because there was no initial derogatory information found regarding him, the sources added. They said the other Jordanian national was an overstay on a student visa. The attempted breach happened on May 3. A spokesperson for the base said two people in a box truck were stopped at a gate, with the driver allegedly telling military police officers they were making a delivery to the post office and worked for a company subcontracted by Amazon. BIDEN BORDER CHIEF MAYORKAS IN HOT SEAT OVER JORDANIAN NATIONALS WHO TRIED TO BREACH QUANTICO However, an Amazon spokesperson told Fox News it does not appear these individuals were delivering on behalf of the company and that it is looking into the matter. Because the men had no affiliation to the base and no approved credentials, they were directed to a holding area for vetting. The Homeland Security sources that spoke to Fox News said that neither man has a criminal history in the U.S. Their identities are being withheld over privacy concerns, officials also said. ‘SOMETHING DOESN’T SOUND RIGHT’ ABOUT ATTEMPTED QUANTICO BREACH, MIKE POMPEO SAYS Department of Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas is now facing scrutiny over the incident. “Please explain how they came to the United States. Were they here illegally? Are either of them on any terrorist watchlist?” Senate Judiciary Committee Ranking Member Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., questioned Mayorkas in a recent letter, also requesting the current status of the individuals. A spokesperson for DHS has told Fox News Digital that “DHS responds to congressional correspondence directly via official channels, and the Department will continue to respond appropriately to Congressional oversight.” Fox News’ Adam Shaw, Bill Melugin and Julia Johnson contributed to this report.
GOP pushes for stripping Columbia’s accreditation status after campus unrest
FIRST ON FOX: House Republicans are urging a top college accreditation board to reevaluate its standards for Columbia University as a top academic institution in the wake of anti-Israel campus protests there and around the country. Rep. Rich McCormick, R-Ga., led a letter to the Middle States Commission on Higher Education accusing the New York City Ivy League school of violating established standards on “ethics and integrity,” as well as delivery and support of the “student learning experience.” “Accreditation entities play a crucial role in ensuring the quality and integrity of higher education institutions by assuring quality assurance, public accountability, and continuous improvement. The U.S. Department of Education has come to rely on accrediting agencies to help ensure that the higher education institutions that receive federal funds meet quality standards in curriculum, faculty qualifications, student services, facilities, and educational outcomes,” the letter said. JEWISH STUDENTS FROM ACROSS US DESCRIBE RAMPANT CAMPUS ANTISEMITISM AT HOUSE HEARING: ‘WASTELAND OF HATRED’ McCormick accused Columbia of becoming a hotbed for antisemitism in the wake of Hamas’ Oct. 7, 2023, terror attack in Israel. “Jewish students have been made to feel unsafe and have been subject to harassment and even physical violence by pro-Hamas student protesters and faculty,” he said. The letter went on to cite comments by professors in support of Palestine, including one professor who wrote a paper calling the sight of “Palestinian resistance fighters storming Israeli checkpoints” on Oct. 7 “astounding.” They also knocked the university’s president for initially moving classes online when the protests began. USC VALEDICTORIAN WHO HAD SPEECH CANCELED ‘NOT APOLOGETIC,’ DEFENDS CALL TO ABOLISH ISRAEL IN ITS CURRENT FORM The letter is signed by nine other Republican lawmakers, including the No. 4 House GOP leader, Conference Chairwoman Elise Stefanik, R-N.Y. House Republicans have been coming down hard on colleges that have seen anti-Israel encampments pop up on campus, with several university presidents being summoned to Capitol Hill to testify about how they are handling antisemitism at their schools. ANTI-ISRAEL CAMPUS PROTESTS ARE SPREADING: CALIFORNIA, TEXAS BRACE AFTER ACTIVISTS OVERRUN COLUMBIA, YALE “Columbia University no longer upholds the accreditation standards outlined by the Middle States Commission on Higher Education. We urge you to reevaluate Columbia Universities’ accreditation based on their incompliance with Standard II: Ethics and Integrity, Standard III: Design and Delivery of the Student Learning Experience, and Standard IV: Support of the Student Experience,” the letter said. “Quality standards are a defining hallmark of effective higher education institutions, and we must ensure American tax dollars are not being sent to institutions incapable of upholding them.” Fox News Digital reached out to Columbia University for comment.
Fani Willis’ ex-staffer to testify to GA senate committee probing DA’s office
A Georgia state senate investigation committee will hold its fourth hearing Thursday afternoon as part of its probe into alleged misconduct by District Attorney Fani Willis. The Senate Special Committee on Investigations, chaired by Republican state Sen. Bill Cowsert, will consider sworn testimony from witness Amanda Timpson, who served as Willis’ director of juvenile diversion programs but says she was demoted and eventually fired. That termination came after she became a whistleblower and began to complain about the misuse of federal grant funds, Cowsert told Fox News. The committee’s goal is to investigate the allegations of misconduct by Willis relating to potential conflicts of interest and misuse of public funds. NATHAN WADE’S PHONE DATA SHOWS HE MADE MIDNIGHT TRIPS TO FANI WILLIS’ CONDO BEFORE HE WAS HIRED: ATTORNEY Willis on Tuesday won her primary election by a sweeping margin over her Democrat 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.” Willis is spearheading the 2020 election interference case against former President Donald Trump. She has been a lighting rod of criticism since the allegations that she had an “improper” affair with special prosecutor Nathan Wade, whom she hired to help prosecute the case. Georgia’s GOP-controlled Senate voted in January to form a special committee to investigate Wilis amid the revelations of her romantic affair with Wade. She is not expected to testify on Thursday and has previously called the committee “unlawful,” though the committee has subpoena power to compel her testimony. 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. “You don’t know how much of that is spent on professional services, who is hired, how much they’re paid per hour, what their total compensation is. Yet you’re being asked to provide $36.6 million a year that you know encompasses a number of those types of independent contractors that you know you’re funding with no oversight or control, right?” Cowsart asked Whittmore at one point. Pitts also testified that Willis did not have to get any pre-approval for hiring an independent special counsel to assist with her activities. EMBATTLED DA FANI WILLIS WINS GEORGIA PRIMARY ELECTION Ashleigh Merchant, lawyer for Trump co-defendant Michael Roman, testified at the committee’s first hearing that Willis was awarded a $780,000 increase in the DA’s budget on Sept. 15 2021, through the end of that year, with the next year not to exceed $5 million. The budget increase was just a few months before Wade was hired in November 2021, and roughly eight months before the special grand jury in this case was impaneled in May 2022. She said that the DA claimed this money was to hire extra people to help with the backlog of homicide cases the office was seeing at that time. FANI WILLIS SUGGESTS SHE WON’T TESTIFY IN ‘UNLAWFUL’ GEORGIA SENATE INVESTIGATION Merchant testified that when she made open records requests to confirm that her office hired new employees and not special contractors, her request was denied by the DA’s office. CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP Thursday’s hearing is slated to begin at 1:30 p.m. ET. Fox News’ David Lewkowict and Fox News Digital’s Chris Pandolfo contributed to this report.
Fani Willis’ ex-staffer testifies she was fired after blowing whistle on DA’s spending
A fourth Georgia state Senate investigation committee hearing as part of its probe into alleged misconduct by District Attorney Fani Willis concluded Thursday afternoon. The Senate Special Committee on Investigations, chaired by Republican state Sen. Bill Cowsert, considered sworn testimony from witness Amanda Timpson, who served as Willis’ director of juvenile diversion programs but says she was demoted and eventually fired. Cowsert says her termination was after she became a whistleblower and complained about the misuse of funds. 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 helped to write and apply for a competitive federal grant focused on programming to help at-risk youth and grant prevention. She testified that when Willis took office in 2021, her new supervisor, Michael Cuffee, told her that he planned to use the funds to purchase “computers, travel and swag” as part of the office’s “rebranding” upon Willis’ administration. NATHAN WADE’S PHONE DATA SHOWS HE MADE MIDNIGHT TRIPS TO FANI WILLIS’ CONDO BEFORE HE WAS HIRED: ATTORNEY When Timpson told her boss that those purchases were not permitted under the grant, he persisted in his plans for the purchases, she said. He also told Timpson that Willis requires all her staff to refer to her as “madame” and that the swag and other purchases were Willis’ “vision,” Timpson testified. Timpson said that after serving in the previous district attorney’s administration, she was required to interview again with Willis’ administration to keep her job in December 2020. Nathan Wade, who roughly a year later would be hired as a special prosecutor, was on Timpson’s interview panel, along with Willis and her communications official, Jeff DiSantis. 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. Timpson testified that after she escalated her claims of retaliation to the Office of Diversity and Civil Rights Compliance, she was eventually terminated and escorted out of the building by seven armed investigators. Timpson also testified that Willis made “completely slanderous and libelous statements” about her employment history, making it difficult to secure her next job. “[I]t made my life extremely hard and my family’s life extremely hard. And just, you know, for me, it’s I’m here today to fight for my reputation, to fight for the youth of Fulton County, but also for the truth,” she said. Timpson also said Willis’ office was the recipient of a federal Justice Assistant Grant intended to fun the DA’s summer program called the Junior DA Program. Those funds were allocated specifically to help Fulton County youth in middle and high school grades. But Timpson testified that the first summer program under Willis’ administration included students from other states, relatives of government officials, and one of Willis’ family members. “It was essentially a summer program for the most privileged youth in and around the country. There were elected officials’ grand kids there, Fani’s niece, or what she represented as her niece from Florida attended. We went and picked up the niece every morning from her office,” Timpson testified. “This was not a crime prevention program for at-risk youth in Fulton County,” Timpson said, recalling that a child of a Dekalb County judge was also in attendance. EMBATTLED DA FANI WILLIS WINS GEORGIA PRIMARY ELECTION 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. Willis is spearheading the 2020 election interference case against former President Trump. She has been a lighting rod of criticism since the allegations that she had an “improper” affair with special prosecutor Nathan Wade, whom she hired to help prosecute the case. She is not expected to testify on Thursday and has previously called the committee “unlawful,” though the committee has subpoena power to compel her testimony. 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. “You don’t know how much of that is spent on professional services, who is hired, how much they’re paid per hour, what their total compensation is. Yet you’re being asked to provide $36.6 million a year that you know encompasses a number of those types of independent contractors that you know you’re funding with no oversight or control, right?” Cowsart asked Whittmore at one point. Pitts also testified that Willis did not have to get any pre-approval for hiring an independent special counsel to assist with her activities. Ashleigh Merchant, lawyer for Trump co-defendant Michael Roman, testified at the committee’s first hearing that Willis was awarded a $780,000 increase in the DA’s budget on Sept. 15 2021, through the end of that year, with the next year not to exceed $5 million. The budget increase was just a few months before Wade was hired in November 2021, and roughly eight months before the special grand jury in this case was impaneled in May 2022. She said that the DA claimed this money was to hire extra people to help with the backlog of homicide cases the office was seeing at that time. FANI WILLIS SUGGESTS SHE WON’T TESTIFY IN ‘UNLAWFUL’ GEORGIA SENATE INVESTIGATION Merchant testified that when she made open records requests to confirm that her office hired new employees and not special contractors, her request was
Weather update: Delhi-NCR likely to witness more high temperatures, check latest IMD forecast here
The Indian Meteorological Department (IMD) has issued warnings about the possibility of extreme heatwaves in different regions of Rajasthan, Punjab, Haryana, Chandigarh, Delhi, and Western Uttar Pradesh
Maharashtra: Six dead, 48 injured in chemical factory blast in Thane
The triple explosions at quick intervals were so huge that they shook nearby homes, and shattered windowpanes as terrified locals rushed onto the street.
US energy future ‘under threat’ from Biden policies: GOP report
FIRST ON FOX: America’s energy future is “under threat” from Biden administration policies that “hinder growth of domestic energy production” and cause greater costs for Americans, according to a House Committee on Oversight and Responsibility report. Titled “The Biden Administration’s Green New Deal: Paying More for a Dimmer Future,” the report released Thursday aims to show that the administration’s energy policies have led to higher gas prices, uncertainty in America’s power sector, confusion about new cars and appliances, and pricey regulatory hurdles that have increased costs for American consumers and businesses. The 32-page report, which was first obtained by Fox News Digital and comes ahead of Energy Sec. Jennifer Granholm’s appearance before the House Oversight Committee, calls out the Biden administration for its “shortsighted energy policies” and what it describes as a failure “to recognize the potential of American energy.” “The Administration purports to pursue policies aimed at increasing electrification while simultaneously stymieing growth potential for power producers necessary to support these initiatives. Permitting challenges threaten access to resources and bringing new power generation infrastructure online. And massive, costly new regulations stifle innovation and growth,” the report states. “This report details major problems facing critical sectors of the U.S. economy exacerbated by the Biden Administration’s shortsighted energy policies and the resulting impacts on American businesses and consumers.” GOP BILL TO KEEP BIDEN’S ‘HANDS OFF’ AMERICANS’ HOME APPLIANCES PASSES HOUSE House Oversight chair James Comer, R-Ky., said the Biden administration “weaponized” the executive branch to “wage a war against” domestic energy production. “The Biden Administration weaponized the power of the executive branch to wage a war against American-made energy production and cement in place radical, far-left energy policies that jeopardize domestic energy development, overload America’s power grid, and raise costs on all American consumers and businesses,” Comer told Fox News Digital. “From day one, the House Oversight Committee has worked to expose the Biden Administration’s radical climate agenda,” he added. “The Committee will continue to fulfill its responsibility to hold this Administration accountable for its detrimental Green New Deal policies that are impacting Americans across the country.” The report first highlights a rise in gas prices since 2019. Laying blame at the Biden administration’s feet, the report says the Biden administration has contributed to the rise in gas prices “through rising production and transportation costs, pricey regulatory actions, and supply manipulations, thereby ceding American energy potential and harming consumer spending power simply to curry favor with radical climate activists.” Citing AAA National Gas Averages data, the report outlines how gas prices have skyrocketed compared to when former President Donald Trump was in the White House. “Gas prices were $2.39 per gallon the day after President Biden took office on January 20, 2021. On February 25, 2022, the day following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, the national average for a gallon of gas had already reached $3.57—indicating that gas prices were already sky-high and rising under the Biden Administration despite protestations from President Biden that Russia was solely responsible for domestic fuel inflation. On June 14, 2022, average national gas prices surged to an all-time high, with the price of a gallon of regular unleaded gas reaching $5.016,” the report noted. The report added, “When President Trump took office in January 2017, the average price of gas was $2.47 per gallon. The average for his entire four-year term was only slightly higher, at $2.57. According to the U.S. Energy Information Administration, retail gasoline prices never exceeded $3.039 on a weekly average throughout the Trump presidency.” The report also took aim at Biden’s “misguided actions” related to the price of gas prices, insisting that “he sought to abuse government resources—like the Strategic Petroleum Reserve—to manipulate gas prices in the short-term to avoid political backlash.” BIDEN IS ‘OBSESSED’ WITH LOWERING GAS PRICES, ENERGY SEC. GRANHOLM TELLS ‘THE VIEW’ The report also highlighted the rise in electricity prices, which it noted has led to a less stable electrical grid. “The Bureau of Labor Statistics has indicated that over the past year electricity prices have risen faster than the pace of inflation and more so than any other commodity. Sweeping electrification initiatives—such as for electric vehicles (EVs) in the automotive sector—scaling of artificial intelligence utilization, enormous data center expansions, and federal incentivization of onshore manufacturing in the industrial sector, have dramatically increased the demand facing our nation’s electrical grid,” the report stated. “Even as use efficiency improves, the U.S. Energy Information Administration projects U.S. utility-generated electricity demand to continue growing at an average annual rate of one percent through 2050,” the report added. The report also noted the Biden administration’s efforts to eliminate consumer choice, pointing to an executive order implemented by the president with a goal that “50 percent of all new passenger cars and light trucks sold in 2030 be zero-emission vehicles, including battery electric, plug-in hybrid electric, or fuel cell electric vehicles.” “EVs made up about 7.6 percent of U.S. auto sales in 2023, but remain an even smaller percentage of all cars on the road nationwide. Stricter emissions standards—the ‘most ambitious pollution standards ever for cars and trucks’— implemented by President Biden’s EPA seek to fundamentally restructure the vehicle market to favor EVs,” the report stated. The report also highlighted how the Biden administration is imposing “stricter energy requirements” on several products like gas stoves, lightbulbs, dishwashers, clothes dryers, washing machines, and refrigerators. Lastly, the report targeted the Biden administration for pursuing a “‘whole-of-government’ regulatory blowout with substantial compliance costs for businesses and consumers.” “Across all agencies, the Biden Administration has already imposed over $1 trillion in additional total regulatory costs and added millions of hours of new annual paperwork demands,” the committee’s report noted. “As the regulatory onslaught compounds, the most impacted are low-income communities through increased electricity prices and vehicle costs, and people on fixed incomes based on savings or investments—like retirees—through climate disclosure mandates and Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) rules suppressing returns,” the report continued. “As firms pass along tax obligations to consumers, regulatory compliance serves as an