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Australian lawmakers send letter urging Biden to drop case against Julian Assange on World Press Freedom Day

A group of Australian lawmakers wrote to President Biden on World Press Freedom Day urging him to drop the charges against WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange as press freedom groups call for the release of Assange and other journalists around the world facing legal cases. In a Friday letter, the co-chairs of the “Bring Julian Assange Home” Parliamentary Friendship Group – Members of Parliament Andrew Wilkie, Independent; Josh Wilson, Labor Party; Bridget Archer, Liberal Party, and Sen. David Shoebridge, Greens – called on Biden to end the prosecution of Assange, who is in a U.K. prison fighting extradition to the U.S. to face espionage charges for publishing classified American military documents 14 years ago. A hearing will be held May 20 in front of the British High Court in London to determine if Assange, an Australian publisher, can be extradited to the U.S. to stand trial or if he can make a full appeal challenging his extradition. If the court rules in favor of extradition, Assange’s only remaining option would be at the European Court of Human Rights. “On World Press Freedom Day, we write as a group of Australian Parliamentarians from across the political spectrum seeking the freedom of Julian Assange,” the lawmakers wrote. “We write in the hope that Mr. Assange, who has endured maximum security imprisonment in the United Kingdom’s Belmarsh Prison for more than five years without conviction on any substantial charge, can go free, can go home, can be reunited with his wife, children, and family.” ASSANGE EXTRADITION CASE MOVES FORWARD AFTER US ASSURES UK COURT THERE WILL BE NO DEATH PENALTY Assange, 52, faces 17 counts under the Espionage Act for allegedly receiving, possessing and communicating classified information to the public, as well as one charge alleging conspiracy to commit computer intrusion. If extradited, Assange would stand trial in Alexandria, Virginia, and could face up to 175 years in a maximum security prison if convicted. The charges were brought by the Trump administration’s DOJ over WikiLeaks’ 2010 publication of cables leaked by U.S. Army intelligence analyst Chelsea Manning, and the Biden administration has continued that prosecution. The information detailed alleged war crimes committed by the U.S. government in Iraq, Afghanistan and the detention camp at Guantánamo Bay, Cuba, as well as instances of the CIA engaging in torture and rendition. The letter comes after Biden said last month he is considering a request from Australia to drop the charges against Assange. “We were heartened by President Biden’s recent acknowledgment that the United States is considering Australia’s request to end the prosecution of Julian Assange,” the letter reads. “We respectfully urge the United States to discontinue the long, expensive, and punishing extradition process that prevents Mr Assange from returning to his family in Australia.” The White House did not respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment. SQUAD AND MARJORIE TAYLOR GREENE JOIN 16 LAWMAKERS CALLING ON BIDEN TO FREE JULIAN ASSANGE Assange has been held at London’s high-security Belmarsh Prison since he was removed from the Ecuadorian Embassy on April 11, 2019, for breaching bail conditions. He had sought asylum at the embassy since 2012 to avoid being sent to Sweden over allegations he raped two women because Sweden would not provide assurances it would protect him from extradition to the U.S. The investigations into the sexual assault allegations were eventually dropped. A U.K. district court judge had rejected the U.S. extradition request in 2021 on the grounds that Assange was likely to kill himself if held under harsh U.S. prison conditions. Higher courts overturned that decision after getting assurances from the U.S. about his treatment. Assange’s lawyers have continued to fight against his extradition, currently seeking the opportunity for a full appeal following the May 20 hearing, which comes after the U.S. provided assurances to the U.K. last month that Assange would not face new charges that could lead to the death penalty. They also said he would be allowed to make a First Amendment argument in a U.S. courtroom – things Assange’s lawyers and family described as empty promises. In March, when the British court asked the U.S. to provide assurances, it rejected most of Assange’s appeals – six of nine he lodged, including allegations of a political prosecution and concerns about an alleged CIA plot under the Trump administration to kidnap or kill Assange while he remained hunkered down in the Ecuadorian Embassy in London. Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese of the Labor Party has said “there is nothing to be served by his ongoing incarceration” and the Leader of the Opposition, Peter Dutton of the Liberal Party, has said he believes this case has “gone on for too long.” In February, the House of Representatives in the Australian Parliament passed a motion demanding Assange be freed, stressing “the importance of the U.K. and the U.S.A. bringing the matter to a close so that Mr. Assange can return home to his family in Australia.” BRITISH COURT RULES JULIAN ASSANGE EXTRADITION ON PAUSE UNTIL US GUARANTEES NO DEATH PENALTY A cross-party delegation of Australian lawmakers visited Washington, D.C., in September and met with U.S. officials, members of Congress and civil rights groups in an attempt to secure Assange’s freedom. “While we believe the prosecution of Julian Assange is wrong as a matter of principle, we say in any case that there is no justice, compassion, or reasonable purpose in the further persecution of Mr. Assange when one considers the duration and harsh conditions of the detention he has already suffered,” the letter concludes. The Obama administration in 2013 decided not to indict Assange over WikiLeaks’ 2010 publication of classified cables because it would have had to also indict journalists from major news outlets who published the same materials. President Obama also commuted Manning’s 35-year sentence for violations of the Espionage Act and other offenses to seven years in January 2017, and Manning, who had been imprisoned since 2010, was released later that year. No publisher had been charged under the Espionage Act until Assange,

Millions of Americans may lose access to affordable internet program this month

Walter Prescher is a Methodist pastor in rural Texas who served three Army tours in Iraq. He’s also a father of 12 grown children, with nine still at home. And he’s one of 23 million Americans who could lose a critical government subsidy allowing them to have internet access when it expires at the end of May.  “That just gave us $50 a month to pay for the kids to do sports or band or whatever they wanted to do, so it helped out the budget,” Prescher told Fox News Digital. Millions of people in low-income households are at risk of losing a $30 to $75 per month subsidy as part of the Affordable Connectivity Program (ACP) when funding runs out at the end of May. Now, a group of bipartisan lawmakers is trying to give the program a helping hand.  Under the previous internet setup his family could afford, Prescher said it would take as long as three hours for one of his older children to complete 10% of her homework due to slow internet speed. With the connectivity abilities afforded by ACP, that time was cut to just 45 minutes. GOP REP LOOKS TO REMOVE FAFSA AID FOR STUDENTS CONVICTED OF RIOTING, ASSAULTING POLICE IN ISRAEL PROTESTS “It made all the difference in the world,” he said. Prescher also works with the nonprofit Easter Seals in the Greater Houston area to help others sign up for ACP. Of the people he’s worked with directly — many of whom are fellow veterans — Prescher said ACP has given them the ability to go back to school and learn job skills, apply for jobs and meet health needs remotely. “The Affordable Connectivity Program has been critical for them to be able to afford [internet] as well as take part in online school, as well as apply for jobs online,” Prescher said. “And I work with a variety of people, but I do work with a lot of veterans. So telehealth is a critical element, especially for individuals with a variety of mental health issues. … That access to telehealth, them being able to interact with medical providers without being forced to leave … is absolutely critical.” HOUSE REPUBLICANS SUMMON NPR CEO FOR HEARING ON ‘RAMPANT’ BIAS ALLEGATIONS Rep. Yvette Clarke, D-N.Y., is helping to lead a bipartisan effort to get Congress to take up the Affordable Connectivity Program Extension Act, which would keep ACP solvent through the end of this year in an effort to give lawmakers time to reform and improve the program. “I think for many who are economically burdened, this has been a literal lifeline,” Clarke said. “Without the subsidy, something has to give. And it may be broadband, unfortunately, but you have to feed your family. You have to purchase medications. You have to travel. Cost of living has gone up in all of these areas. And knowing that you could depend on that subsidy … it makes all the difference in the world.” Her bill has 206 House Democratic co-sponsors and 24 Republicans on board, including Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick, R-Pa., who is spearheading the push alongside Clarke. “We live in a very increasingly digital world. Broadband internet access has become a necessity, no longer a luxury,” Fitzpatrick said. He urged more of his fellow Republicans to get on board, emphasizing that a significant number of the more than 23 million ACP recipients are military veterans. FAUCI TO TESTIFY PUBLICLY BEFORE CONGRESS FOR 1ST TIME SINCE RETIREMENT “A lot of mental health patients, a lot of veterans with PTSD, rely on this,” Fitzpatrick said, pointing out that roughly a million veterans rely on the program “to have access to their telehealth services. “So, that’s the appeal I’m making to my Republican colleagues. This is a pro-veterans bill. And you’re looking at a million veterans you’re gonna leave behind on the health care front if we let this program expire.” Both he and Clarke were optimistic they could save the program in time. Fitzpatrick said he has discussed the bill with a member of House GOP leadership but did not reveal who. Both the White House and the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) are lobbying Congress to save ACP. “Today, May 1, begins the final month that Affordable Connectivity Program households will receive any benefit on their internet bills. Without congressional action to extend funding for the program, millions of Americans will see their internet bills go up or lose internet access at the end of this month,” the White House warned Wednesday. Fox News Digital reached out to Speaker Mike Johnson’s office for comment but did not hear back by press time. 

‘Stop caving to the woke mobs’: GOP ramps up attacks on vulnerable Dems amid anti-Israel campus unrest

FIRST ON FOX: The anti-Israel protests that have erupted on college campuses across the country in recent weeks over Israel’s war with Hamas in Gaza are fueling new political attacks by Republicans on vulnerable Democrats running in this year’s Senate elections. “Death to America. Threatening Jews. Attacking Police. Antisemitic mobs are taking over our universities. Students radicalized by the far left acting like terrorists,” the narrator says in a new series of ads by the National Republican Senatorial Committee (NRSC), the campaign arm of the Senate GOP. The spots target four Democrats — senators Tammy Baldwin of Wisconsin, Sherrod Brown of Ohio, Bob Casey of Pennsylvania and Jon Tester of Montana — as well as Rep. Elissa Slotkin, the likely Democratic Senate nominee in Michigan. All five are being heavily targeted by the NRSC as the GOP aims to regain the Senate majority in November’s elections. The narrator argues that President Biden and Democratic lawmakers “want you to pay off their student loans using your tax dollars to fund this mayhem.”  HEAD HERE FOR FOX NEWS UPDATES ON THE CAMPUS PROTESTS ACROSS THE COUNTRY The ads end with the narrator urging viewers to tell Democrats to “stop caving to the woke mobs and put America first.” The NRSC is spending a minuscule five figures to run the spots, but a bigger ad blitz with a similar theme is expected in the near future. “This is the most toxic issue for Democrats since they tried to defund the police,” NRSC communications director Mike Berg claimed. “You can bet it will be in television ads if Democrats on college campuses continue these antisemitic riots.” BIDEN CONDEMNS VIOLENT PROTESTS BUT DECLINES TO CALL UP NATIONAL GUARD The protests, some of which have turned violent this week, have grabbed plenty of attention on the cable news networks and online. And they seem to be giving Republicans plenty of ammunition to use in this year’s ballot box showdowns. It’s not just the NRSC. In battleground Pennsylvania’s high-profile Senate contest, which may decide the chamber’s majority, presumptive GOP nominee Dave McCormick on Friday attacked Casey in an email titled “As Antisemitism Runs Rampant on Campuses Across the Country, Bob Casey Fails to Stand Up for What’s Right.” HEAD HERE FOR FOX NEWS SERIES ON ANTISEMITISM EXPOSED Casey, who earlier this month teamed up with GOP Sen. Tim Scott to introduce the Senate’s version of the Antisemitism Awareness Act, has emphasized that “on the campuses, they’ve got to enforce the law.” As the House GOP works to hold onto its fragile majority, the National Republican Congressional Committee this past week launched a similar spot against 37 swing district Democrats it is targeting. “Tell House Democrats it is time to stand up for Israel. It is time to stand up for what is right,” the narrator in the ad urges. The NRSC ad buy is also modest but may be an appetizer for more to come. Republicans are mostly unified in reacting to the protests, framing them as antisemitic and anti-American, while Democrats have struggled to find a consistent message when it comes to the demonstrations. Brian Walsh, a veteran Republican consultant who served for years as a top communications strategist for both House and Senate Republicans, argued that the protests are “problematic for Democrats on several fronts.” “First, they need the youth vote to turn out for them in November, and it’s clear they’re very unhappy with President Biden, which will have a negative down-ballot effect. Second, it’s motivating conservatives because it reminds them of the woke ideology that’s become a hallmark of this administration,” Walsh said. “And it’s coming at the same time the president is telling working-class Americans they need to pay for the student loans of these same college students.  “You should expect Republican candidates around the country to pose a very simple question to their Democratic opponents: Do they stand with the protesters who’ve sided with Hamas or do they stand for law and order and in support of one of America’s closest allies, Israel? It’s a problem for many Democrats because they’re caught between their liberal base and where most Americans are who are disgusted by the scenes at Columbia, UCLA and elsewhere.” Democrats appear divided. Some in tough races are calling for crackdowns on the campus protests.  “We all speak strongly that the antisemitism and hate and violence are not acceptable,” Ohio’s Brown said. But plenty of progressives who don’t face difficult re-election fights are strongly defending the protesters’ rights to demonstrate and oppose calls for federal intervention. “It is outrageous and it is disgraceful to use the charge of antisemitism to distract from the immoral and illegal war policies that Netanyahu’s extremist and racist government is pursuing,” progressive champion Sen. Bernie Sanders of Vermont argued as he pointed to the longtime Israeli leader. Veteran Democratic strategist Maria Cardona told Fox News “Democrats need to continue to underscore two foundational things. The first one is that we are a nation of laws, and one of those critical laws and rights is that we allow for and people have a right to peacefully protest. Underscore peaceful.  “President Biden and Democrats need to continue to listen to the Palestinians and those speaking for the innocent lives that are being lost in Gaza and for the need to continue and expand humanitarian aid, and that is something that President Biden and Democrats are listening to and working very hard to obtain a cease-fire. “The other side is to always strongly disavow and condemn hate speech, violent rhetoric, antisemitism and that harassment of Jewish students will not and should not be tolerated,” Cardona emphasized. “And those two things are a huge contrast to Donald Trump, who said he would deal harshly with the protesters, even those who are doing it peacefully, wanting to call in the National Guard and clear everyone out. (He) has said before he would bash heads. That is not the way that we do things in this country. “ While

“We lost everything”: East Texas residents confront their future after flooding

Dozens of evacuees, including the elderly and barefoot children, crowded in an old school building Friday, praying for clear skies on Monday.

Feds accuse Texas prison agency of discriminating against employee for wearing a headscarf

A federal lawsuit asserts that the Texas agency terminated a state prison clerk who refused to remove a head covering in line with her Ifa faith.

Dean Phillips becomes first House Democrat to call on Rep. Cuellar to resign after indictment

Rep. Dean Phillips, D-Minn., became the first House Democrat to call on Rep. Henry Cuellar, D-Texas, to resign, hours after Cuellar was indicted on bribery and money laundering charges.  “While the bar for Federal indictment is high, trust in our government is low,” Phillips said in a statement posted to his social media. “That’s why office holders and candidates under indictment should resign or end their campaigns, including Sen. Bob Menendez, Donald Trump, & Rep. Henry Cuellar.”  Menendez, also a Democrat, faces obstruction of justice charges connected to bribery allegations. Former President Trump is on trial for alleged hush money payments he made before the 2016 election.  DEMOCRATIC TEXAS REP. HENRY CUELLAR INDICTED BY DOJ ON CONSPIRACY AND BRIBERY CHARGES The Department of Justice indicted Cuellar and his wife Imelda on conspiracy and bribery charges Friday for $600,000 in bribes they allegedly accepted between 2014 and 2021 from an Azerbaijan-based energy company and a bank in Mexico City to advance the former Soviet republic’s interests in the U.S.  Both have been released on bond, Fox News has confirmed.  Federal law enforcement raided Cuellar’s house and office in 2022 as part of an investigation into a group of U.S. businessmen and their ties to the country. The representative and his office agreed to cooperate with the investigation. Cuellar released a statement Friday following reports of the upcoming indictment, declaring he and his wife are innocent without specifying the charges. “I want to be clear that both my wife and I are innocent of these allegations,” wrote Cuellar. “Everything I have done in Congress has been to serve the people of Texas.” The Texas representative specifically defended his wife and her qualifications, once again without specifying the nature of the indictments. SEN. BOB MANENDEZ MAY BLAME HIS WIFE NADINE DURING FEDERAL CORRUPTION TRIAL: COURT DOCUMENTS “Imelda and I have been married 32 years. On top of being an amazing wife and mother, she’s an accomplished businesswoman with two degrees. She spent her career working with banking, tax, and consulting. The allegation that she is anything but qualified and hard working is both wrong and offensive,” he wrote. Cuellar, 68, and his wife, 67, made their first court appearance Friday before U.S. Magistrate Judge Dena Palermo in Houston. “The bribe payments were allegedly laundered, pursuant to sham consulting contracts, through a series of front companies and middlemen into shell companies owned by Imelda Cuellar, who performed little to no legitimate work under the contracts,” the DOJ said of the indictments.  “In exchange for the bribes paid by the Azerbaijani oil and gas company, Congressman Cuellar allegedly agreed to use his office to influence U.S. foreign policy in favor of Azerbaijan. In exchange for the bribes paid by the Mexican bank, Congressman Cuellar allegedly agreed to influence legislative activity and to advise and pressure high-ranking U.S. Executive Branch officials regarding measures beneficial to the bank.” CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP They each face two counts of conspiracy to commit bribery of a federal official and to have a public official act as an agent of a foreign principal, two counts of bribery of a federal official, two counts of conspiracy to commit honest services wire fraud, two counts of violating the ban on public officials acting as agents of a foreign principal, one count of conspiracy to commit concealment money laundering and five counts of money laundering.  Fox News’ Chad Pergram, Kelly Phares and Timothy H.J. Nerozzi contributed to this report. 

Centre imposes 40% export duty on onion effective from today

In a notification, the finance ministry said the changes would be effective from May 4.

With indictment, U.S. Rep. Henry Cuellar’s deep South Texas ties will again be tested

Cuellar was expected to cruise to reelection. Now he’ll need to rely on support from local and national Democratic leaders to help him overcome scandal.

How the flooding in Southeast Texas got so dire

Since Sunday, multiple rounds of rainfall have soaked the region, causing rivers and creeks to swell and rise out of their banks.

Border Patrol sector stops hundreds of Chinese illegal immigrants in just two days as numbers soar

One Border Patrol Sector has seen over two hundred Chinese migrants on two separate days this week, which by itself outpaces the entire number of total Chinese migrants encountered in Fiscal Year 2021. A Customs and Border Protection (CBP) source told Fox News that on May 1 and May 2, Border Patrol’s San Diego Sector apprehended over 200 Chinese nationals each day. On Thursday, agents encountered 223 migrants, after encountering 262 on Wednesday. That means that more Chinese illegal immigrants crossed illegally into the sector in two days than across the entire southern border in all of FY 21, – where 342 migrants were encountered. ICE CHIEF SAYS THIS FOREIGN ADVERSARY ISN’T TAKING BACK ITS ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS Numbers have increased dramatically since FY 21. There were 1,970 encounters in FY 2022, over 24,000 in FY 2023 and so far there have been over 24,200 encounters so far this fiscal year. Fox News reported last month that the number of Chinese nationals entering illegally has surged by over 6,300% since FY 2021.  Some migrants previously told Fox News that they are seeking a better life in the United States. “My English is not very good, and I don’t know anyone in the United States,” one migrant said in March. “Once I get to the United States, I know I have to start all over again. But I want to live a good life in the future, and I want my children to be educated well. I strive to take root in the United States as soon as possible.” But some lawmakers have raised concerns about potential espionage by the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) and the movement of fentanyl into the U.S. – which is often created in Mexico using Chinese precursors and then smuggled across the land border.  SPIKE IN ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS FROM THIS US ADVERSARY BLOWS LID OFF PREVIOUS YEAR’S RECORD  “There have been numerous documented instances of Chinese nationals, at the direction of the CCP, engaging in espionage, stealing military and economic secrets,” lawmakers, led by Sen. Roger Marshall, R-Kan., said last year.  Earlier this year, a Chinese illegal immigrant was detained in California after entering a Marine Corps base without authorization and ignoring orders to leave. In response to that incident, CBP has stressed that there will be consequences for those who enter the U.S. illegally, including those from China. CLICK HERE FOR MORE COVERAGE OF THE BORDER SECURITY CRISIS “DHS continues to enforce United States immigration laws, expanding lawful pathways while strengthening enforcement consequences for those who cross our border unlawfully,” the agency said. “Individuals and families without a legal basis to remain in the U.S. are subject to removal pursuant to Title 8 authorities and are subject to a minimum five-year bar on reapplying for admission and potential criminal prosecution if they subsequently re-enter without authorization.” However, the overwhelming majority of the Chinese are mass released as China is not cooperative with deportation flights from the U.S. At a recent House Appropriations Committee hearing, acting ICE Director Patrick Lechleitner was asked by Rep. John Rutherford, R-Fla., to identify the top countries that are the most difficult to send back their nationals who are being deported from the U.S. “We’ve got Bhutan, top of the list there, Cambodia, they’ve been challenging, the People’s Republic of China, although we’ve had some recent cautiously optimistic progress with the Chinese, so I want to say it’s moving in the right direction there.” He also said that ICE is working with both other DHS agencies and the State Department in trying to rectify recalcitrant countries, but he noted that “it’s not an easy issue for them either,” given other factors, including geopolitical issues. DHS Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas recently told lawmakers in the House that there had recently been one deportation flight to China after he had spoken to officials in the communist country.