From Rahul Gandhi, Hema Malini to Arun Govil: Key candidates in fray in Lok Sabha polls Phase 2
The second phase has 88 Lok Sabha constituencies including all 20 seats in Kerala, 14 in Karnataka, 13 in Rajasthan, eight in Maharashtra and Uttar Pradesh, five each in Assam and Bihar, six in Madhya Pradesh, three each in Chhattisgarh and West Bengal and one each in Tripura, Manipur and J&K.
Alabama lawmakers advance bill that could lead to prosecution of librarians
Alabama lawmakers on Thursday advanced legislation that could see librarians prosecuted under the state’s obscenity law for providing “harmful” materials to minors, the latest in a wave of bills in Republican-led states targeting library content and decisions. The Alabama House of Representatives voted 72-28 for the bill that now moves to the Alabama Senate. The legislation comes amid a soaring number of book challenges — often centered on LGBTQ content — and efforts in a number of states to ban drag queen story readings. ALABAMA LAWMAKERS ADVANCE BILLS ENSURING BIDEN APPEARS ON NOVEMBER BALLOT “This is an effort to protect children. It is not a Democrat bill. It’s not a Republican bill. It’s a people bill to try to protect children,” Republican Rep. Arnold Mooney, the bill’s sponsor, said during debate. The Alabama bill removes the existing exemption for public libraries in the state’s obscenity law. It also expands the definition of prohibited sexual conduct to include any “sexual or gender oriented conduct” at K-12 public schools or public libraries that “exposes minors to persons who are dressed in sexually revealing, exaggerated, or provocative clothing or costumes, or are stripping, or engaged in lewd or lascivious dancing, presentations, or activities.” Under the process laid out in the bill, a librarian in a public library or public K-12 school could face a misdemeanor charge if the librarian fails to remove material or cease conduct that violates the state’s obscenity law within seven days of receiving a written complaint from the public. Opponents argued that proposal would threaten librarians with criminal prosecution at the whims of community members who disagreed with their decisions on books and programs. “This process will be manipulated and used to arrest librarians that you don’t like, and not because they did anything criminal. It’s because you disagree with them,” Rep. Chris England, a Democrat from Tuscaloosa, said during debate. Craig Scott, president of the Alabama Library Association, said libraries already have longstanding procedures for reviewing the suitability of content and for the public to submit challenges if they disagree with a decision. “Why are they coming into libraries or thinking that they can come in and run the place better than us as professionals?” Scott said in a phone interview. He predicted the state will lose “lawsuit after lawsuit” if the bill becomes law. A judge in July temporarily blocked Arkansas from enforcing a similar law that would have allowed criminal charges against librarians and booksellers for providing “harmful” materials to minors. Scott, who began his career in 1977, said he has never seen anything like the current climate. He said the Gadsden Public Library where he works has seen one person — who eventually obtained a role in library governance — challenge 30 books. Most of the book challenges are related to books with content about gender identity. But they also have included a book about a boy who wants to become a ballet dancer, he said. “We are for the entire community. We have to be. We’ve got some books in here that are far right. We’ve got some books on the far left. But the library is for the entire community. We’ve got to stay in the middle as best we can, and they want to push us way off to the far right,” Scott said. Republican Rep. David Faulkner, who worked on a substitute version of the bill that was approved by the House, disputed that the bill could have wide-ranging impact. He said courts have long interpreted what is obscene material. The law takes away immunity that K-12 and public libraries had under the obscenity law, but it puts limits on when prosecutions could occur, Faulkner said. “It’s only going to be a misdemeanor, and it’s only if, after knowing about the material, they didn’t do anything about it,” he said. Rep. Neil Rafferty, a Democrat from Birmingham, said he was concerned that the bill’s language would allow someone to “target and harass people who might be dressed up in a Halloween costume” or wearing summer clothing that someone considered too revealing. “I feel like this is a violation of the First Amendment, and it’s easily going to be abused,” he said.
New Republican challenger to Elizabeth Warren says ‘no one has disappointed Massachusetts more’
Quincy, Massachusetts, City Council President Ian Cain didn’t hold back criticizing Sen. Elizabeth Warren when he officially launched his challenge against her on Wednesday, calling her a disappointment. “No one has disappointed Massachusetts more than Elizabeth Warren,” Cain said in a campaign video posted to his social media that included negative headlines about the senator, and the viral moment she drank a beer on an Instagram Live while announcing her presidential candidacy before 2020. He continued, “Instead of working for Massachusetts, she’s working for herself. What’s worse is she’s incapable of delivering real results because she’s so bogged down in the extreme partisanship that keeps Washington and our government at a standstill.” ELIZABETH WARREN’S ‘EPIPHANY’ ON OBAMACARE’S UNINTENDED CONSEQUENCES IS OVERDUE: WSJ Massachusetts’ senators have been solidly Democratic since 2013, when Warren first took office. Former Sen. Scott Brown was the last Republican senator in the state. He lost to Warren in 2012. Cain, along with being president of the City Council, also created a startup incubator focused on blockchain technology, telling Politico that Warren is “grossly out of touch and out of step with Massachusetts voters” for her anti-cryptocurrency stance. Cain’s other top issues include border security and the immigration crisis, China, public safety and ending inflation, according to his website. In his video, the 41-year-old also took aim at the 74-year-old’s age, saying he wants to “usher in the next generation of leadership.” ELIZABETH WARREN RALLIES DONORS AS MARINE VETERAN, CRYPTO ATTORNEY JOHN DEATON ANNOUNCES SENATE CHALLENGE Cain told Politico that Warren is the person that “presumably as soon as they came into this office in 2012, was focused on running for President of the United States and has largely been focused outward outside of the state. Elizabeth Warren doesn’t have local issues in mind.” Warren’s campaign noted to Politico that she has gotten more than $50 billion in federal funding for the state during her time in office. Cain is a newcomer to the Republican Party, registering as one in February, according to the Boston Globe. He was previously unregistered and a registered Democrat before that. He has said he wants to be an “independent voice.” Warren is also facing a Republican challenge from John Deaton, a former Marine and cryptocurrency lawyer, who launched his candidacy in February. CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP Deaton, who is a relative unknown in the state, said in February: “I fought for the little guy. I took on the greedy corporations and the heartless insurance companies and I won. I am running for U.S. Senate to continue my life’s mission to shake things up for the people who need it most.” Fox News Digital has reached out to both Cain and Warren for comment.
Minneapolis ordinance imposes highest minimum cigarette price in America
Smokers in Minneapolis will pay some of the highest cigarette prices in the country after the City Council voted unanimously Thursday to impose a minimum retail price of $15 per pack to promote public health. The ordinance not only sets a floor price. It prevents smokers and retailers from getting around it by prohibiting price discounts and coupons, which several tobacco companies circulate online to lure customers and reinforce brand loyalty. The minimum price also applies to four-packs of cigars. Distribution of free samples is prohibited. Consumer prices are expected to run even higher after taxes are figured in. While retailers will get to keep the extra money paid by smokers, the higher prices are expected to snuff out at least some of their sales. E-cigarettes, which have grown in popularity, were left out because their prices vary too widely. BRITISH PARLIAMENT VOTES TO BAN SMOKING FOR ALL PEOPLE BORN AFTER 2009 The minimum price will be effective as soon as Mayor Jacob Frey signs the measure, which he’s expected to do within the next few days. Evalyn Carbrey, a senior public health specialist with the city, said at a committee hearing last week that staff research indicates that Minneapolis’ minimum will be the highest in the country. Staff determined that cigarettes typically had been selling in Minneapolis for $11 to $13.50 a pack. The change puts Minneapolis ahead of New York City, which set its minimum at $13 in 2018. “I’m excited that this council is taking this public health crisis seriously because that’s what it is,” said the author of the ordinance, Council Member LaTrisha Vetaw. Council President Andrea Jenkins said the price of cigarettes was one reason why she quit smoking eight years ago, and that she hopes the new minimum will encourage more people to stop or never start. “If you travel around the country, New York City — you can’t buy your pack of cigarettes for under $18. Chicago, $17. Some places, Los Angeles, I think they’re up to 20 bucks,” Jenkins said. Penalties will range from a $500 fine for a first violation to license suspensions and revocations for repeat offenders. “If it helps even one person stop using tobacco, one person use less tobacco, or one person stopped from starting tobacco use, that’s worth it to me,” Council Member Linea Palmisano said. “I know it’s easy for me to sit up here and say that, as a nonsmoker, but it’s the truth. The only way we’re going to break our dependence on tobacco is if we make some really hard changes.”
Coal power plants must reduce pollution under new federal rules
The rules will require coal-fueled plants, including Texas plants that produced about 12% of power on the state’s grid this year, to reduce carbon emissions and mercury pollution and handle disposed coal ash more safely.
Early in-person voting starts for North Carolina primary runoffs
Early in-person voting started on Thursday across North Carolina for next month’s runoff elections, including one congressional and two statewide primary contests. Voters are choosing this fall’s Republican nominees for lieutenant governor, state auditor and the 13th Congressional District seat. These May 14 runoffs, also known as “second primaries,” occurred because the candidate with the most votes in the March 5 primaries for these races failed to receive more than 30% of the vote. The second-place candidate had to formally ask for a runoff. NORTH CAROLINA LAWMAKERS RECONVENE TO ADDRESS BUDGET, VOUCHERS BEFORE KEY ELECTIONS The lieutenant governor’s GOP runoff is between Hal Weatherman and Jim O’Neill, while the nomination for state auditor is between Jack Clark and Dave Boliek. Kelly Daughtry and Brad Knott are seeking the 13th District nomination. The winners will face Democratic rivals — and in some cases Libertarian Party candidates — in the fall. These GOP primary runoffs are open to all registered Republicans in the state, or in the case of the congressional race, registered Republicans within the 13th District. Unaffiliated voters who either didn’t vote or voted Republican in the March primaries also can participate, the State Board of Elections said in a news release. Early voting in all 100 counties continues through May 11. Generally, most counties have just one early-vote site for the runoffs. A GOP primary runoff is also being conducted for a Gaston County commissioner’s seat. And there’s a race to fill a seat on the nonpartisan Orange County Board of Education that had different runoff rules. Same-day registration is unavailable during early voting because the registration of new voters is not permitted between the first and second primaries. But people who become eligible to vote during the two primaries can both register and vote on May 14, the state board said. Traditional mail-in absentee voting for the runoffs began in late March when county boards started sending ballots to those who requested them.
Blue state in battle over AG’s illegal immigration dictate that ‘handcuffs’ police
A group of New Jersey Republicans is trying to reverse a directive from the state’s liberal district attorney general that “handcuffs” local law enforcement cooperation with federal immigration officials. Assemblymen Greg Myhre and Brian Rumpf and state Sen. Carmen Amato Jr., are gaining support from nearly a dozen Republicans in the state legislature for their companion bill. Introduced in both the state Assembly and Senate, the bills would repeal the so-called “sanctuary state” directive to allow local police officers to coordinate with ICE to detain illegal migrants. “The New Jersey Attorney General’s directive handcuffs law enforcement and, overall, undermines public safety, placing citizens at risk by creating a separate class of people who are permitted to flagrantly break the law and undermine U.S. sovereignty,” the lawmakers said in a statement. FLORIDA GOV. RON DESANTIS SAYS ‘NEXT STOP’ FOR HAITIANS WHO LAND IN FLORIDA KEYS MAY BE MARTHA’S VINEYARD New Jersey is one of the states most overwhelmed by illegal migrant arrivals in recent months. This year, buses of undocumented migrants have been dropped off at various NJ Transit train stations, New Jersey officials have said. Many of the migrant families being dropped off there have then made their own trek to New York City. “Our attorney general could fix this right away,” Myrhe told Fox News Digital Wednesday. “I’d like to say we could fix this legislatively, and that this could be the legislature effectively checking the executive branch if we can get that level of support.” MIGRANTS FLOWN TO MARTHA’S VINEYARD ON FLIGHTS COORDINATED BY DESANTIS CAN SUE AVIATION COMPANY The lawmakers said the bill’s passage “faces an uphill battle” among the state’s Democratic trifecta. The governor is a Democrat and both the House and Senate are controlled by Democrats. “Regardless, this is a serious issue with national implications that needs to be debated by the state legislature if we want to be serious about public safety and how state tax dollars are being spent,” they said. “We will also continue to educate the public and our colleagues in the legislature on the dangers of perpetuating this lawless policy.” Under Attorney General Matt Platkin’s directive, first issued in 2018, state, county and local law enforcement agencies are prohibited from assisting and even communicating with ICE agents when the purpose is to enforce federal immigration law. The directive also places limitations on law enforcement regarding immigration detainers, barring them from notifying individuals of their impending release from custody or extending detention solely based on civil immigration detainer requests. SOME OF 49 MIGRANTS FLOWN TO MARTHA’S VINEYARD BY THE STATE OF FLORIDA ARE NOW ABLE TO LEGALLY WORK IN US “This is a slap in the face to every law-abiding, taxpaying citizen who is fed up with federal and state immigration policies that are failing our nation,” the lawmakers said. There are upward of 500,000 illegal migrants living in New Jersey, according to the American Immigration Council, and roughly 17,000 entered the state illegally in 2023. Fox News’ Elizabeth Elkind contributed to this report.
Surging GOP Senate candidate unleashes on ‘both parties’ during border visit: ‘Failing the American people’
Former Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan on Thursday visited the southern border in McAllen, Texas, as he campaigns for the open Maryland Senate seat — and as the ongoing crisis at the southern border remains a top political issue. Hogan met with law enforcement and public safety officials and told Fox News in an exclusive statement that he visited the border to “get a firsthand understanding of this crisis, and what I’ve seen should appall every American.” “This is a humanitarian catastrophe that is harming our communities and wreaking havoc across the country,” he said. “Every day Washington lets this crisis continue without bipartisan action, they are failing the American people.” GOP SENATE CANDIDATE LARRY HOGAN LAUNCHES MARYLAND BUS TOUR AS DEM CANDIDATES FACE OFF “For decades, the politicians have played campaign politics with this issue instead of actually just solving the problem. Enough is enough,” he continued. “The solutions are not complicated. In the Senate, I will fight to make both parties finally put the politics aside and get this done.” The U.S. is in the grip of a border crisis now into its fourth year. There were a record 2.4 million migrant encounters at the southern border in FY 23. Thus far in FY 24, there have been more than 1.3 million, with six months still to go. VIDEO SHOWS SECRET METHODS USED TO SNEAK MIGRANTS INTO US BY ‘COYOTES’ Republicans and Democrats have struggled to find solutions that can pass both chambers of Congress. The Biden administration has called for more resources and immigration reform, while Republicans have largely blamed the rollback of Trump-era policies by the Biden administration for the crisis. Hogan served as Maryland governor from 2015 to 2023 and made history when he became only the second Republican to win two terms in the state upon his re-election in 2018. The last Republican to do that was elected in 1954. A Washington Post-University of Maryland poll last month showed the former governor defeating both top Democrats in the running, Rep. David Trone, D-Md., and Prince George’s County Executive Angela Alsobrooks. Hogan beat Trone 49% to 37%, while he bested Alsobrooks 50% to 36%. Get the latest updates from the 2024 campaign trail, exclusive interviews and more at our Fox News Digital election hub. Fox News’ Julia Johnson contributed to this report.
NY v. Trump: Tabloid publisher testifies he bought stories on Tiger Woods, ex-Obama chief of staff
A former tabloid publisher and key witness for the prosecution testified that he purchased stories about professional golfer Tiger Woods, former Obama chief of staff Rahm Emanuel, among others during questioning by defense attorneys for former President Trump. Prosecutors from Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg’s office brought David Pecker, their first witness, to the stand for the third day Thursday. Pecker is the former CEO of American Media Inc., the parent company of publications such as the National Enquirer, who has known Trump stretching back to the 1980s. Prosecutors allege that Pecker worked closely with the Trump campaign to bury negative information about Trump ahead of the 2016 election. Trump is accused of falsifying records related to the alleged “catch and kill” scheme. Pecker testified that he purchased negative stories about Trump before the 2016 election and did not publish them — known as a “catch and kill” scheme. The stories included allegations from adult film actress Stormy Daniels and Playboy model Karen McDougal about affairs with Trump. NY PROSECUTORS REVEAL ‘ANOTHER CRIME’ TRUMP ALLEGEDLY TRIED TO CONCEAL WITH FALSIFIED BUSINESS RECORDS With regard to negative stories coming out about Trump before the election, Pecker testified that Trump was concerned about what his family would say about it, specifically about how it would impact his wife Melania Trump and daughter Ivanka Trump. Pecker also testified that Trump was concerned about what the impact would be on his campaign in 2016. But under cross-examination by Trump defense attorney Emil Bove, Pecker testified he purchased stories about other high-profile individuals besides Trump. Pecker testified he purchased a story about professional golfer Tiger Woods, and a story about Rahm Emanuel in 2009 after he left the Obama White House. Pecker said he purchased the story about an alleged affair Emanuel had so that it would not be published. Emanuel also later served as ambassador to Japan. TRUMP TRIAL: FORMER PRESIDENT ‘INNOCENT,’ DEFENSE SAYS AS DA ALLEGES ‘CRIMINAL CONSPIRACY’ Pecker also testified that he worked with Trump attorney Michael Cohen in his capacity as the former president’s personal attorney — not as part of the 2016 campaign. Pecker testified that American Media Inc., the owner of the National Enquirer, testified that before purchasing stories, the company would vet them for truthfulness. He also testified that there were instances AMI would purchase a story to use as leverage. When asked if this was standard, Pecker testified: “Yes.” Pecker also said Thursday that Trump “was my mentor.” “He helped me throughout my career,” Pecker said, saying Trump was often the first person to call him when he needed help. “Even though we haven’t spoken, I still considered him a friend,” Pecker said. Bragg charged Trump with 34 counts of falsifying business records in the first degree. Bragg alleges that Trump ex-attorney Michael Cohen orchestrated hush money payments to Stormy Daniels and Karen McDougal to prevent them from sharing their stories about alleged affairs with Trump. Bragg is trying to prove that Trump was aware of those payments, and allegedly falsified records of payments to Cohen as “legal expenses” rather than repayments for the hush money. NY VS TRUMP: THE EVIDENCE PROSECUTORS CAN PRESENT IF FORMER PRESIDENT TESTIFIES Trump has pleaded not guilty to all counts and told Fox News Digital in an exclusive interview on Thursday that he was simply paying Cohen legal fees because Cohen was his lawyer. Bragg also alleged American Media Inc., which Pecker was the CEO of, allegedly employed the “catch and kill” strategy to bury stories — specifically Karen McDougal’s. Bragg and prosecutors sought to convince the jury that Pecker’s work to do this was made with the blessing of Trump’s 2016 campaign. Pecker, though, testified that he worked with Cohen in his capacity as Trump’s personal attorney. Pecker’s cross-examination is expected to continue Friday morning.
US energy giant sounds alarm on Biden’s climate rules targeting power plants
Duke Energy, one of the nation’s largest energy providers, is warning that the Biden administration’s newly finalized power plant regulations will threaten the reliability and affordability of power supplies. The North Carolina-based company — which serves more than eight million residential and commercial customers across several states, mainly in the Southeast — warned that the regulations could further present challenges given the growing electricity demand nationwide. On Thursday morning, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the White House unveiled the rules targeting fossil fuel-fired power plants. “Duke Energy’s 8.4 million customers expect and deserve affordable, reliable and increasingly clean energy,” Duke Energy spokesperson Kaitlin Kirshner said in a statement to Fox News Digital. “Our charge — and we believe the charge of policymakers — is to optimize those three customer needs — not solve for one.” “The final rule presents significant challenges to customer reliability and affordability, as well as limits the potential of our ability to be a global leader in chips, artificial intelligence and advanced manufacturing,” she continued. BIDEN ADMINISTRATION RIGGED INTERNAL ANALYSIS, SOFTENING BLOW OF POWER PLANT REGULATIONS: REPORT Under the regulations, all coal-fired plants that are slated to remain operational in the long-term and all new, baseload gas-fired plants will be required to control 90% of their carbon emissions. The rulemaking also tightens emissions standards for coal-fired plants related to toxic metal and wastewater discharge. EPA and White House officials said the suite of environmental rules would help the U.S. achieve President Biden’s goals of decarbonizing the nation’s power grid. Shortly after he took office, Biden pledged to enable the nation to achieve an up to 52% total emission reduction by 2030 and to create a carbon-free power sector by 2035. The resistance from Duke Energy, though, underscores the tension between Biden’s ambitious, renewable energy goals and power companies that will ultimately be tasked with transitioning their fleets to ones dominated by green energy sources, namely wind and solar. According to federal data, natural gas and coal currently generate 43% and 16% of the nation’s electricity, respectively, while wind and solar generate 10% and 4%. WHITE HOUSE ECO COUNCIL AT ODDS OVER TECHNOLOGY CENTRAL TO BIDEN’S GREEN GOALS “The path outlined by the EPA today is unlawful, unrealistic and unachievable,” said National Rural Electric Cooperative Association CEO Jim Matheson. “It undermines electric reliability and poses grave consequences for an already stressed electric grid. The American economy can’t succeed without reliable electricity. Smart energy policy recognizes that fundamental truth and works to help keep the lights on.” America’s Power, a group which advocates for coal power, emphasized that the regulations are an “extreme and unlawful overreach that endangers America’s supply of dependable and affordable electricity.” The American Petroleum Institute, which represents the U.S. natural gas and oil industry, expressed concern that the administration failed to consider grid reliability and should instead remove barriers to building new power generation. JOE MANCHIN THREATENS TO OPPOSE BIDEN NOMINEES OVER UPCOMING POWER PLANT CRACKDOWN And Dan Brouillette, president and CEO of Edison Electric Institute, which represents all U.S. investor-owned electric companies, applauded much of the EPA’s rulemaking, but criticized the agency’s reliance on carbon capture and storage (CCS). CCS, which the EPA says will play a key role in helping power plants achieve the stringent regulations, has been criticized as a costly and nascent technology that captures power plant emissions before they enter the atmosphere. “CCS is not yet ready for full-scale, economy-wide deployment, nor is there sufficient time to permit, finance and build the CCS infrastructure needed for compliance by 2032,” Brouillette said. Overall, as federal and state government agencies continue to push the electrification of the residential, commercial and transportation sectors, power demand is slated to grow 2.5% and 3.2% in 2024 and 2025, respectively, according to the Energy Information Administration. At the same time, a staggering 22.3 gigawatts of coal-fired electric generating capacity were retired in 2022 and 2023. Another 13 gigawatts are slated to be retired over the next two years. The White House didn’t respond to a request for comment for purposes of this story.