Democrats divided over ICC prosecutor seeking arrest warrants for Netanyahu, Hamas leaders
Democrats are coming out divided against the International Criminal Court (ICC) on Monday following a prosecutor’s decision to pursue arrest warrants against Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Hamas’ top leaders, with one lawmaker describing it as “retribution against Israel for the original sin of existing as a Jewish State.” Rep. Richie Torres, D-N.Y., made the pointed remark as ICC prosecutor Karim Khan said his office has “reasonable grounds” to believe Netanyahu, Israel Defense Minister Yoav Gallant, Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar, its top political leader Ismail Haniyeh and its military commander Mohammed Dief have committed “war crimes and crimes against humanity” since the onset of the Israel-Hamas war on Oct. 7. “Israel is not a member of the ICC and therefore the ICC has no jurisdiction. The decision to seek arrest warrants is not law but politics,” Torres said in a statement. “It is not justice but rather retribution against Israel for the original sin of existing as a Jewish State and the subsequent sin of defending itself amid the deadliest day for Jews since the Holocaust. “Today’s decision in effect makes it criminal for a state like Israel to defend itself against an enemy shrewd enough to embed itself in a civilian population, as Hamas has done to an extent never seen before in the history of warfare,” he continued. ICC REQUESTS ARREST WARRANTS FOR NETANYAHU, HAMAS LEADERS OVER ‘WAR CRIMES’ “But for October 7th and Hamas’ unprecedented militarization of its own civilian population and infrastructure, there would be no war in Gaza and no humanitarian crisis among Gazans,” Torres also said. “Hamas is the cause of everything tragic that has ensued and Hamas alone should be the target of criminal prosecution.” STEFANIK DEFENDS SPEECH AT ISRAEL’S KNESSET RIPPING BIDEN, DEMOCRATS Fellow New York Democrat Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, who previously has said Israel is carrying out a “genocide” in Gaza and has been implementing a “forced famine,” said on Monday that “I think my role as much as possible broadly is … that we cease U.S. funding for human rights abuses, war crimes and violations abroad. “And what we see happening in Gaza, in the West Bank and throughout Palestine has been a broad – and as we’ve seen even from this morning that with the ICC’s designation as well of both Sinwar and Netanyahu – that this is happening, and it’s occurring this should not happen with U.S. resources,” she added. Fox News’ Tyler Olson contributed to this report.
NY v Trump: Michael Cohen admits to stealing tens of thousands from former president’s business
Former Trump attorney Michael Cohen admitted in testimony Monday that he stole thousands of dollars from the Trump Organization by overstating how much he paid a tech company that provided services for the Trump Organization. “You stole from the Trump Org, right?” Trump attorney Todd Blanche asked Cohen Wednesday morning. “Yes, sir,” Cohen responded. The testimony stems from his comments last week, when he detailed to the court that he and former Trump Organization CFO Allen Weisselberg calculated a $420,000 repayment to Cohen for his $130,000 payment to former pornography star Stormy Daniels. Cohen’s payment to Daniels came ahead of the 2016 election to quiet her claims of an alleged affair with Trump in 2006. TRUMP SLAMS NY COURT SYSTEM, BOASTS HE’S GOING ‘TO WIN’ EMPIRE STATE Cohen previously testified that the repayment was “grossed up” to prevent him from taking a tax hit, and also included reimbursement for paying tech company Red Finch an alleged $50,000. NY V. TRUMP TO RESUME WITH CONTINUED CROSS-EXAMINATION OF MICHAEL COHEN AS TRIAL NEARS CONCLUSION Cohen testified Monday that he went to TD Bank and withdrew cash over a couple of days to pay Red Finch for its services, which he stored in a brown paper bag. The cash ultimately totaled about $20,000, which he gave to Red Finch’s CEO, according to Cohen, but he said he never gave the company the total $50,000. During a 2017 meeting on the repayment plan, Cohen said he told Weisselberg he paid Red Finch $50,000 – meaning he pocketed a $30,000 difference. NY V TRUMP: AS ‘STAR WITNESS’ MICHAEL COHEN TESTIFIES, TRUMP ALLIES FLOCK TO COURT TO ‘SUPPORT THEIR FRIEND’ “You lied to Weisselberg about how much you needed for Red Finch?” Blanche asked Cohen, and Cohen confirmed he had. He testified that the Trump Organization thought he paid the full amount, for which he was still reimbursed despite not having actually paid it. “Have you paid back the Trump Organization for the money you stole from them?” Blanche also asked Monday. “No, sir,” Cohen responded. BIDEN MOCKED FOR APPARENT SMALL SHOWING OF SUPPORTERS IN DEM CITY: ‘NOBODY CARED’ Cohen’s testimony marks the fourth day he has taken the stand. Trump’s legal team last week said they anticipated wrapping up cross-examination with Cohen on Monday. Closing arguments for the case are anticipated next Tuesday, following the Memorial Day holiday. Cohen’s testimony last week included him describing that he used his personal funds to pay Daniels in 2016 through a home equity line of credit. Cohen testified he did this because Trump told him to “handle it” because the story could be damaging to the campaign. Trump has pleaded not guilty in the case, and has also repeatedly denied ever having an affair with Stormy Daniels. Last week, a lawyer who formerly advised Cohen, Robert Costello, testified before Congress that Cohen is a serial liar. Costello testified before Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg’s grand jury in March, before Trump was indicted, and recalled interactions with Cohen. Fox News Digital’s Brandon Gillespie contributed to this report.
Supreme Court won’t hear parents’ challenge to Maryland school transgender policy
The Supreme Court on Monday declined to hear a case involving Maryland parents attempting to sue a school district for its policies that reinforce gender transition of students without their parents’ consent. The case, John and Jane Parents 1 v. Montgomery County Board of Education, centered around whether the parents have the proper standing to file the suit. The 4th circuit court of appeals ruled in August that three parents in Montgomery County, Maryland, lacked standing to challenge the policy. The parents had argued that the district’s 2020-21 gender identity policy authorized concealing information about a child’s preferred pronouns and gender identity from parents. The 4th circuit in a 2-1 decision denied the parents standing because they did “not allege that their children have gender support plans, are transgender or even struggling with issues of gender identity.” CHRISTIAN EX-TEACHER SCORES BIG PAYDAY FROM CALIFORNIA SCHOOL DISTRICT AFTER REFUSING TRANSGENDER DIRECTIVES Gene Hamilton, executive director of American First Legal which filed an amicus brief in the case asking the high court to take it up, said federal judges are “abjectly failing” in cases that question standing. “Federal judges across the United States are abjectly failing to do precisely what they should do: declare what the law is and adjudicate cases and controversies between specific parties with specific claims,” Hamilton told Fox News Digital. “An overwhelming number of federal judges are hiding behind false understandings of ‘standing’ and the role of federal courts as properly understood by the founders,” he said. “Until that changes, sadly, we are going to see more righteous cases dismissed by judges who lack the courage to do their fundamental duty.” TRANSGENDER HIGH SCHOOL RUNNER IN OREGON HEARS BOOS FROM CROWD AFTER WINNING GIRLS’ 200-METER STATE TITLE U.S. District Judge Paul Grimm for the District of Maryland, an Obama appointee,first ruled against the parents in August 2022. “The Guidelines carefully balance the interests of both the parents and students, encouraging parental input when the student consents, but avoiding it when the student expresses concern that parents would not be supportive, or that disclosing their gender identity to their parents may put them in harm’s way,” Grimm wrote. In August, a three-judge panel on the 4th circuit upheld the lower court ruling, with Circuit Judge A. Marvin Quattlebaum, a Trump appointee, writing the 2-1 opinion. NEW HAMPSHIRE SENATE PASSES BILL THAT WOULD PROHIBIT TRANS ATHLETES’ INCLUSION WITH GENDER IDENTITY Quattlebaum wrote that while objections to the school’s policy might “be quite persuasive,” the parents failed to “allege any injury to themselves.” “Policy disagreements should be addressed to elected policymakers at the ballot box, not to unelected judges in the courthouse,” Quattlebaum said. Kayla Toney, counsel at First Liberty Institute who also filed an amicus brief in the case, said, “Parental rights are under attack across the nation, and policies that keep gender transitions secret from parents are especially harmful to parents from many different faith backgrounds.” “That is why we are disappointed that the Supreme Court did not grant certiorari in this case, and we will continue to advocate for religious parents,” she said.
Pentagon’s DEI efforts under scrutiny as House investigators launch new oversight probe
FIRST ON FOX: The House Oversight Committee is launching an investigation into the effects of diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) programs on the U.S. military. Reps. Glenn Grothman, R-Wis., and Jim Banks, R-Ind., chairs of the Oversight panel’s subcommittees on national security and military personnel respectively, sent a letter to the head of the Pentagon’s Defense Advisory Committee on Diversity and Inclusion (DACODAI) on Monday demanding to know what considerations and information sources are going into his annual DEI report to Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin. The subcommittee chairs charged that “under the guise of DEI, promotions are being rewarded based on sex, gender, ethnicity, and race at the expense of merit.” ELITE UNIVERSITY ELIMINATES DEI HIRING REQUIREMENT: ‘THEY DON’T WORK’ “In 2022, DoD established the Defense Advisory Committee on Diversity and Inclusion (DACODAI) to provide independent advice and recommendations on matters and policies related to DEI in the Armed Forces,” they wrote to the panel’s chair, retired Gen. Lester Lyles. “The Subcommittee understands DACODAI is working to release a final report. Our warfighters deserve to be led by the best qualified leaders. Therefore, the Subcommittee is requesting information and an update regarding the publication of this report as soon as possible.” The letter is signed by a dozen of Banks and Grothman’s fellow House Republicans. “DoD’s emphasis on diversity and inclusion over mission effectiveness and capability concerns our nation’s national security and safety,” they wrote. RUTGERS UNIVERSITY PROFESSOR SAYS WITHOUT DEI OFFICES, THERE IS ‘NO ABILITY TO MAKE MEANINGFUL PROGRESS’ The letter also cited a November 2023 report by Stand Together Against Racism and Radicalism in the Services (STARRS), an anti-DEI nonprofit organization comprised of retired military members. The 101-page document is largely a compilation of testimony from military recruits and their families expressing dismay at DEI training within the armed forces. “The majority of cadets do not like this training and see it as divisive and bad for morale. But the academy continues to elevate the voices of cadets who agree with the training and want to spread leftist ideology further,” the report said. “A minority cadet wrote to STARRS and said: ‘I see so many bright young Cadets here who know what is going on is wrong but at the same time are too scared to speak up. The fear we feel, not being able to address our concerns only makes the lack of courage issue worse.’… Why would this cadet say this if the extent of DEI training (indoctrination really) is only 16 out of 2400 hours?” SEN MIKE LEE TARGETS UNIVERSITY GRANTS, CITES ‘WOKE DEI PROGRAMS,’ ANTI-ISRAEL RIOTS The Republican lawmakers wrote on Monday: “Their findings showed that many did not feel comfortable recommending military service because of the DEI policies instituted throughout DoD. Americans have the right to expect that their sons and daughters in uniform are led, trained, and equipped by the very best.” They noted that the STARRS report was sent over to the military’s DEI panel but “it is unclear the extent to which DACODAI will incorporate that information into its final report.” Fox News Digital reached out to the Pentagon for comment but did not hear back at press time.
Ted Cruz files bill to protect IVF
The Texas Republican’s Senate bill comes as the state supreme court considers taking up a case that could imperil access to in vitro fertilization.
Biden suggests he was vice president during COVID-19 pandemic: ‘Barack said to me, go to Detroit’
President Biden appeared to claim he was vice president during the coronavirus pandemic and that former President Barack Obama had dispatched him to Detroit to help with the response. In comments first reported by the New York Post, Biden addressed an NAACP campaign event in Michigan Sunday night, where he repeatedly railed against his presumptive Republican opponent, former President Trump, while offering an aside about the contagion – which began in 2019 while the latter was in office. “When I was vice president, things were kind of bad during the pandemic,” Biden said near the beginning of his remarks. “And, what happened was Barack said to me: ‘Go to Detroit – help fix it.’” BIDEN BIZARRELY ENDS CONNECTICUT SPEECH WITH ‘GOD SAVE THE QUEEN, MAN’ Going on to reference Detroit Democratic Mayor Mike Duggan, who was seated to Biden’s right, the president continued, “Well, the poor mayor – he’s spent more time with me than he ever thought he’s going to have to.” Duggan then rose and shook Biden’s hand. The pandemic, numbered COVID-19 due to global health officials having deemed it an outbreak in 2019, transpired in the latter years of Trump’s term, not Obama’s. Biden succeeded Trump during the denouement of the pandemic. Elsewhere in the speech, Biden referenced working with civil rights activists in his youth, and quipped that Detroit helped “put food on” his family’s table, as his father, Joseph Biden Sr., was in the automobile business. BIDEN DROPS EMBARRASSING GAFFES DAYS AFTER LIBERAL MEDIA HYPES SOTU PERFORMANCE Reserving much of his remarks to criticize Trump, Biden claimed at one juncture that “MAGA Republicans” want to engage in book-banning and other endeavors he described as extremist. “All that progress is at risk. Trump is trying to make the country forget just how dark things were… when he was president,” Biden said. “We will never forget him lying about how serious the pandemic was, telling Americans ‘just inject bleach’ – I think that’s what he did. I think that’s why he’s so screwy.” CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP In another jab, Biden warned against his predecessor potentially nominating more justices to the Supreme Court: “Do you think he’ll put anybody [there] who has a brain?” “It’s clear when he lost in 2020, and I mean this sincerely: something snapped in Trump. He just can’t accept he lost… That’s why Jan. 6 happened.” A mid-April Fox News Poll in Michigan found 46% of registered voters there support Biden, while 49% support Trump. Trump gained two percentage points in that survey over a similar one conducted in February. Two years prior, Biden led Trump by eight percentage points in the Great Lakes State. Fox News Digital reached out to the White House for comment but did not receive a response by press time.
Dueling IVF bills take center stage as parties butt heads on reproductive tech regulation
Two Republicans are pushing new legislation to protect access to in vitro fertilization (IVF) across the country just months after an Alabama Supreme Court ruling determined frozen embryos are legally people and made those who destroy them liable. Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, joined with Sen. Katie Britt, R-Ala., to introduce the bill that would enshrine protections for the fertility procedure into law. “As Republican senators from Texas and Alabama, @SenKatieBritt and I are united on many issues, including the need to protect both life and access to IVF treatments, which many families rely on to have children,” Cruz wrote on X. BALANCE OF POWER: VULNERABLE DEMS LOOK TO DIFFERENTIATE THEMSELVES FROM UNPOPULAR BIDEN The GOP lawmakers penned an op-ed in the Wall Street Journal on Sunday afternoon, titled, “We’ll Protect Both Life and IVF.” In February, an Alabama Supreme Court ruling made national headlines when it deemed frozen embryos are people and, thereby, allowed for parties to be held liable for their destruction. The ruling sent shock waves through the state’s fertility industry, which saw several clinics cease conducting IVF procedures, which can incur discarded or destroyed embryos. The state’s situation was quickly pointed to by Democrats as evidence of what might occur across the country if Republicans were in charge, likening IVF to the next target after abortion. “While the Alabama Legislature after the court’s decision promptly reiterated that IVF is protected, federal legislation would eliminate any ambiguity that might arise from future state-level judicial interpretations,” Cruz explained. SEN DURBIN DEMANDS JUSTICE ALITO RECUSE FROM TRUMP CASES AFTER FLYING UPSIDE-DOWN US FLAG As the senator referenced, Alabama promptly passed a bill granting immunity to doctors, clinics and health care staff that facilitate IVF procedures. The new bill would tie IVF legality to federal Medicaid funding, disallowing states from receiving the latter if they ban the practice. AOC RIPS FETTERMAN FOR COMPARING HOUSE TO ‘JERRY SPRINGER’ SHOW: ‘I STAND UP TO BULLIES’ Sen. Tammy Duckworth, D-Ill., sought to have her own IVF protection bill considered again in the wake of the Alabama ruling, but it was blocked by her Republican colleagues. GOP senators were not in favor of the expansive nature of Duckworth’s measure, citing concerns over the broad authorization for the use of reproductive technologies and the lack of regulation. Duckworth did not provide comment to Fox News Digital. SEN DURBIN MULLS REVIVING TOOL THAT COULD STYMIE TRUMP NOMINEES IN ANOTHER TERM Sen. Cindy Hyde-Smith, R-Miss., chair of the Senate Pro-Life Caucus, objected to Duckworth’s most recent request for unanimous consent to consider her bill, saying at the time, “The bill before us today is a vast overreach that is full of poison pills that go way too far.” Under Cruz and Britt’s bill, no facilities or states would be compelled to provide IVF services. Additionally, it would allow for states to administer certain health and safety standards for the procedure. “As a mom, I know firsthand that there is no greater blessing than our children, and IVF helps families across our nation experience the joyous miracle of life, grow, and thrive. This commonsense piece of legislation affirms both life and liberty — family and freedom, and I look forward to working with my colleagues to enact it into law,” Britt said in a statement.
Cohen faces more cross-examination as Trump’s trial enters final stretch
Donald Trump’s former lawyer is the prosecution’s last witness in the ex-president’s hush-money trial in New York. Donald Trump’s former lawyer Michael Cohen faces another day of cross-examination, as the ex-United States president’s hush-money trial enters the final stretch this week in New York. The landmark trial kicks back off in Manhattan on Monday morning with more defence questioning of Cohen, whose pivotal testimony last week directly tied Trump to the alleged hush-money scheme. Cohen is the prosecution’s last witness and it’s not yet clear whether Trump’s attorneys will call any witnesses – such as the presumptive Republican presidential nominee himself. Last week, Cohen told jurors how he kept Trump informed about $130,000 paid to adult film star Stormy Daniels to buy her silence about an affair she says she had with Trump. The ex-president has denied the affair took place. The payment, prosecutors have argued, was part of a scheme aimed at stifling negative press that could have harmed Trump’s chances in the 2016 election, which he won. Trump has pleaded not guilty to 34 felony counts of falsifying business documents related to the payments, and said he is the victim of a politically motivated “witch hunt”. “There’s no crime,” Trump told reporters after arriving at the courthouse on Monday. “We paid a legal expense. You know what it’s marked down as? A legal expense.” His lawyers are seeking to discredit Cohen’s testimony, painting him as a serial liar who is on a revenge campaign aimed at taking down the former president. Trump’s defence team has already questioned Cohen for hours about his criminal history and past lies. Cohen pleaded guilty in 2018 to federal charges related to the hush-money payments, as well as for lying to Congress. He was sentenced to three years in prison. He has said repeatedly he takes “responsibility” for his actions and has faced the consequences. Al Jazeera’s Kristen Saloomey, reporting from outside the courthouse in New York last week, said “It all really comes down to [Cohen’s] word.” “And his word has been highly suspect from the beginning of this case, given that he’s gone to jail for lying under oath in the past,” Saloomey said. Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg’s office is expected to rest its case once Cohen is off the stand, but prosecutors would have an opportunity to call rebuttal witnesses if Trump’s lawyers present witnesses of their own. The judge has told lawyers to be prepared for closing arguments as early as Tuesday, though the timing will depend on whether the defence calls any witnesses, which it is not obligated to do. Defence lawyers said they have not decided whether Trump will testify. Adblock test (Why?)
Phase 5 of India election held in Gandhi bastions, Ladakh, Ram Temple town
Indians have voted in the fifth phase of a mammoth general election, the world’s largest with nearly 970 million eligible voters, in which Prime Minister Narendra Modi is seeking a rare third term. Monday’s phase had the fewest constituencies going to the polls with 89.5 million voters eligible to vote for 49 seats in the lower house of parliament across six states and two union territories. The staggered seven-phase vote began on April 19 and has already decided the fate of 428 of 543 members of the Lok Sabha. Results will be declared on June 4. Gandhi family bastions Two boroughs that are strongholds of the main opposition Indian National Congress party’s Nehru-Gandhi dynasty went to the polls on Monday. Family scion Rahul Gandhi is contesting from Rae Bareli in Uttar Pradesh in addition to Wayanad in Kerala, which has already voted. India allows candidates to contest multiple constituencies, but they can represent only one. If he wins both, he would choose one, and the other would hold a new election. Rae Bareli has returned a Congress candidate in 17 of the 20 elections held there since 1952, mostly members of the Gandhi family. Rahul’s mother and former Congress president, Sonia Gandhi, has represented the seat four times in parliament but decided not to contest this year. “I am handing over my son to you. Just as you made me yours, please treat him as one of your own. He will not disappoint you,” Sonia Gandhi said on Friday as she made an emotional appeal to voters during a rally in the family borough with Rahul and her daughter, Priyanka Gandhi Vadra. Smriti Irani, the federal minister for women and child development, is contesting from adjacent Amethi, where she defeated Rahul Gandhi in 2019. The Congress has fielded longtime family loyalist Kishori Lal Sharma against Irani. Uttar Pradesh is India’s most populous state and elects 80 MPs to the Lok Sabha, the most of any state. In 2019, Modi’s Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and its allies won 64 seats, including Amethi and Rae Bareli. Ladakh votes for statehood In Ladakh on the border with China and Pakistan, Buddhist monks and Muslims voted to demand statehood and protection of their culture in an overwhelmingly Hindu nation. Ladakh was part of Indian-administered Kashmir before Modi’s government scrapped its semiautonomous status in 2019 and made them both union territories, imposing direct rule. At the time, Buddhists in the high-altitude region celebrated, expecting they would soon enjoy greater rights. But the federal government has yet to fulfil its promise to include Ladakh in the Sixth Schedule of India’s Constitution, which allows Indigenous tribal people to make their own laws and policies. Almost half the people in the sparsely populated desert region of Ladakh are Muslim, and about 40 percent are Buddhist, putting it among the least Hindu places in the country. Residents have long demanded a legislature of their own, constitutional protection of the local culture and measures to defend its fragile environment. All three candidates running for its seat – held by Modi’s BJP – are promising to ensure change happens to protect the local culture and land. Voters, including Buddhist monks in ochre robes, lined up to cast their ballots at polling stations in Leh, the territory’s main town, as the surrounding mountains are still snow-capped even as much of India swelters in a heatwave. “We need protection,” Stanzin Norphel, 74, said after casting his vote. “This government has destroyed Ladakh.” Umila Bano, a 59-year-old Muslim, said she voted for a candidate “who I think will actually work for getting us included in the Sixth Schedule”. “Ladakh needs it,” she said. Former chief minister of Indian-administered Kashmir, Omar Abdullah, contested from Baramulla, one of three seats in the Muslim-majority valley area of Kashmir. Test for Modi’s Hindu nationalist politics In January, Modi inaugurated a Hindu temple built on the site of a razed Mughal-era mosque in politically crucial Uttar Pradesh state’s Ayodhya. On Monday, the northern city swarmed with voters, many of them Hindu devotees, lining up at polling stations in scorching heat. Shachindra Sharma said while the Ram Temple was a matter of faith for many Hindus like him, he would vote for a party that upholds constitutional values. “Why should the Ram Temple be a guiding factor for voters? Lord Ram is a matter of faith while voting is a democratic process to elect a government. Is there any guarantee that a party advocating for the Ram Temple will provide security and lead the country towards progress?” Sharma asked. His wife, Renuka Sharma, disagreed, arguing that the temple remains a deciding factor in the elections. “I will vote for the party that built the Ram Temple because Lord Ram is the biggest issue in this election,” she said. Analysts said it is not clear whether Modi’s Hindu nationalist pitch can carry him to victory as Indians face rising unemployment and inflation. “Issues like unemployment, inflation, lack of security and the government’s attempts to muzzle dissent are glaring problems that the BJP has no answers to,” said Amarnath Agarwal, a political analyst. He said excitement over the Hindu temple may not have translated into a significant political issue for the ruling party and it is “evident from the lack of interest among voters, reflected in a notably low turnout”. Adblock test (Why?)
Iran’s interim president holds first cabinet meeting
NewsFeed Iran’s interim president, Mohammad Mokhber says the country will continue moving forward despite the death of President Ebrahim Raisi. Mokhber was made interim president by Iran’s Supreme Leader following confirmation that Raisi was killed in a helicopter crash. Mokhber has 50 days to organise the elections for a new Iranian president. Published On 20 May 202420 May 2024 Adblock test (Why?)