Proposed changes to state Medicaid plans could shake up health coverage for 1.8 million low-income Texans
The move, which has not been finalized, would drop three large health plans run for two decades by nonprofit children’s hospitals.
Trump trial: Jury selection to resume in New York City for 3rd day in former president’s trial
Jury selection in former President Trump’s historic and unprecedented criminal trial stemming from charges brought by Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg is expected to resume Thursday morning. Bragg has charged Trump, the 2024 presumptive Republican presidential nominee, with 34 counts of falsifying business records in the first degree. The charges are related to alleged hush money payments made to adult film actress Stormy Daniels ahead of the 2016 presidential election. TRUMP SAYS CRIMINAL TRIAL IS HAVING ‘REVERSE EFFECT’ AS HE CAMPAIGNS AT NEW YORK BODEGA, VOWS TO SAVE CITY Trump has pleaded not guilty to all counts. He has blasted the trial as pure politics, a “political persecution,” and maintains his innocence. The former president is expected to testify during his trial. “I tell the truth,” Trump said last week, when asked about his possible testimony. Trump is the first president in United States history to stand criminal trial. By the end of jury selection on Tuesday, seven jurors had been selected and sworn in. The jury pool so far includes four men and three women, all living in New York City. Their professions include law, finance, nursing, technology and more. Court will not meet for the trial on Wednesdays, and the third day of jury selection is expected to begin at 9:30 a.m. in Lower Manhattan. Tuesday, the second day of the trial, brought a filing from Bragg, who argued that Trump should be held in contempt of court for violating the gag order imposed upon him by Judge Juan Merchan, who is presiding over the trial. Bragg and prosecutors are arguing that Trump must pay a $1,000 fine each for three alleged violations of the gag order, with all relating to social media posts. TRUMP HUSH MONEY TRIAL: MEET THE JURORS WHO WILL HEAR BRAGG’S CASE AGAINST THE 2024 PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE In the motion, Bragg urged the judge to warn Trump that “future violations” of the gag order can be punished “not only with additional fines, but also with a term of incarceration of up to thirty days.” But after sitting in a courtroom for more than eight hours of jury selection Tuesday evening, Trump made a campaign stop at Sanaa Convenience Store in Harlem. Trump was met by a large crowd chanting “Trump, Trump, Trump,” “Four more years” and “We love Trump.” The crowd was singing the national anthem. The visit was intended to highlight rising crime in New York City under Bragg’s watch. Trump blasted the trial and charges against him, saying it is “rigged,” “all politics” and “coming out of the [President Biden’s] White House.” “It makes me campaign locally, and that’s OK,” Trump said. “We’re doing better now than we’ve ever done, so I think it’s having a reverse effect.” BRAGG FILES MOTION TO HOLD TRUMP IN CONTEMPT FOR ALLEGED GAG ORDER VIOLATIONS, THREATENS 30 DAYS OF JAIL TIME “We’re going to come in – No. 1, you have to stop crime, and we’re going to let the police do their job. They have to be given back their authority. They have to be able to do their job,” Trump said. “And we’re going to come into New York. We’re making a big play for New York, other cities, too. But this city, I love this city.” Trump said New York has “gotten so bad in the last three years, four years.” “And we’re going to straighten New York out. So, running for president, we’re putting a big hit in New York; we could win New York,” he said. “They want to keep me off the campaign trail,” Trump said. “But based on what I’m doing, I think there’s more press here than if I went out to some [other] location.” As for crime in New York City, Trump said, “It’s Alvin Bragg’s fault. Alvin Bragg does nothing. He goes after guys like Trump who did nothing wrong. Violent criminals, murderers? They know there are … hundreds of murders all over the city. They know who they are. They don’t pick them up. They go after Trump.” He added, “The people of New York are not going to take it. That’s why they’re going to vote for Trump.”
Blue states band together to challenge GOP-led voting map they say harms ‘minority voting strength’
More than a dozen Democrat attorneys general are weighing in on a legal dispute in Georgia over its congressional map, alleging it discriminates against minority voters. A challenge brought by the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), WilmerHale on behalf of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity Inc., the Sixth District of the African Methodist Episcopal Church and several individual Georgia voters is currently on appeal before the 11th Circuit. The suit alleges that Georgia lawmakers after the 2020 census enacted a new congressional map that drew district lines, diluting the power of Black voters by not adding new Black-majority districts to reflect growth in the Black population in the metro areas of the state. California Attorney General Rob Bonta and 18 of his colleagues filed an amicus brief on Tuesday, arguing that Georgia’s maps are “diluting minority voting strength.” SUPREME COURT RULES IN FAVOR OF BLACK VOTERS IN ALABAMA RACIAL GERRYMANDERING CASE But election watchdog groups say the blue states interjecting in the Peach State’s legal battle to keep a GOP-drawn map is “transparently political.” “This is the left’s playbook for redistricting,” Honest Elections Project Vice President Chad Ennis told Fox News Digital. “They claim every map not tilted towards Democrats is racist.” In December, an Obama-appointed federal judge ruled that, after an earlier order for Georgia to include one additional majority or near-majority Black district to comply with the Voting Rights Act (VRA), the assembly had “fully complied” with the court. But the ACLU and others contended the state was still violating the VRA because the new map for creating a majority-Black district in Atlanta simultaneously dismantled a nearby district of mostly minority voters currently represented by a Democrat. The ACLU contends that the map still violates Section 2 of the VRA, which says, “No voting qualification or prerequisite to voting, or standard, practice, or procedure shall be imposed or applied by any State or political subdivision to deny or abridge the right of any citizen of the United States to vote on account of race or color.” EXPERTS EXAMINE HOW SUPREME COURT COULD OVERHAUL VOTING RIGHTS LITIGATION IN POSSIBLE GERRYMANDERING CASE Bonta’s office said the purpose of the blue state amicus brief was for “highlighting the importance of civic engagement from all voters regardless of race, color, or membership in minority-language group, and ensuring that every citizen has the right to vote.” “The Fifteenth Amendment guarantees all U.S. citizens the right to vote, regardless of race, color, or background,” Bonta said. “Unfortunately, there are those who believe the only way they can win is by denying access and suppressing voters.” But the Honest Elections Project said the top Democrat state prosecutors “are quick to ignore minority districts when they benefit the Left politically,” naming a recent court battle in Michigan as a prime example. SUPREME COURT APPEARS TO LEAN IN FAVOR OF UPHOLDING GOP-DRAWN SOUTH CAROLINA CONGRESSIONAL MAP In December, Michigan’s state House and Senate maps were tossed as racial gerrymanders, a first-of-its-kind loss for a state redistricting commission and a major blow to Democrats’ chances to maintain control of the state legislature, Bloomberg Law reported. A three-judge federal panel ruled that Michigan’s Independent Citizens Redistricting Commission illegally drew 13 districts’ lines and violated the U.S. Constitution by predominantly focusing on race, minimizing Black voting age population in various Detroit-area districts in a way that denied Black voters the ability to select minority candidates in primaries, the outlet reported. “The institutional left was silent because the maps benefited them,” Ennis told Fox News Digital. “None of these attorneys general felt the need to weigh in on that litigation. Their Georgia brief is transparently political and has nothing to do with helping minority voters,” he said. CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP Ken Cuccinelli, former Virginia attorney general and head of the Election Transparency Initiative, told Fox News Digital, “There is no question at all that the Democrat AGs’ amicus brief is political.” “It is extremely rare to see states engage in election litigation related to a sister state like this,” he said. Bonta’s office did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment.
NYPD sweeps vendors overrunning AOC’s district — but sellers swarm the streets again, selling goods
The NYPD raided an illegal open-air “flea market” operating in Squad member Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez’s district earlier this week, confiscating counterfeit goods and other items. But some sellers have thumbed their noses at law enforcement and are back on the streets peddling their merchandise. The sellers, many of whom are reported to be migrants, have been blocking sidewalks in the Queens neighborhoods of Jackson Heights, Corona and Elmhurst, shilling various items such as second-hand goods and clothes. Local residents say the neighborhood looks like a Third World country due to its shabby-looking and unsanitary-like conditions. Prostitution is also rampant in the area, with some nicknaming the neighborhood’s main strip along Roosevelt Avenue as the “avenue of the sweethearts.” READ MORE OF FOX NEWS’ COVERAGE OF THE BORDER CRISIS Video obtained by Fox News Digital last month shows an endless stream of vendors with piles of clothes stacked along the streets of Roosevelt Avenue and 91st Street, while others sell sneakers, pots and pans, toys and photo frames. It’s not all family-friendly merchandise: Prostitutes are also known to frequent the area. In another video shot last Saturday, more illegal vendors could be seen lined up next to each other along a 1,000-foot stretch just a few blocks away on Junction Boulevard. But on Monday and Tuesday, police were seen raiding the now notorious hotspot along Roosevelt Avenue near 91st Street and loading the goods into the back of an NYPD truck. The sanitation department and other agencies also took part in the raid, police say. “Now you see it… now you don’t,” NYPD Deputy Commissioner of Operations Kaz Daughtry wrote on X Tuesday. “This ‘flea market’ has been at the center of many quality-of-life complaints in Jackson Heights. We conducted an operation yesterday in response to these community concerns… we addressed the unlicensed peddlers, selling counterfeit goods on the streets of Queens!” Police also posted a photo of dozens of large see-through trash bags filled with phone covers and other accessories from inside the local precinct. The New York Post reports that at least one vendor on the sidewalk had been selling power tools bearing tags from a nearby Home Depot. In video shot on Tuesday by state Assembly candidate Ramses Frías, a former Democrat turned Republican, illegal vendors could be seen back on the streets flouting the law and pushing their goods. Frías says it proved that the raid was short-lived and warned that conditions will only get worse once the weather heats up. “If there isn’t a consistent police presence and/or team set in place to educate these illegal vendors then this will all continue,” Frías, who has lived in the area his whole life, tells Fox News Digital. AOC DISTRICT NEIGHBORHOOD LABELED ‘THIRD WORLD’ AS MIGRANTS CLOG STREETS AND PROSTITUTES OVERRUN EVERY BLOCK “The constant neglect from the actual representatives of this area like Ocasio-Cortez, Assembly Members Jessica Gonzalez-Rojas and Catalina Cruz and the rest have angered and frustrated the residents here in these communities. We are done with the mess being brought about by prostitution, open-air illegal markets and crime,” he adds. “Things are spiraling out of control and the lawlessness must come to an end.” The raid took place on the edge of Ocasio-Cortez’s 14th Congressional District. The long strip along Junction Boulevard is also part of the progressive congresswoman’s district. The area is mostly represented by progressive politicians, including Congresswoman Grace Meng, Assembly Members Cruz, González-Rojas, Steve Raga and Council Member Shekar Krishnan. State Senators Michael Gianaris and Jesscia Ramos, both Democrats, also represent the district. Democrat Council Member Moya also represents the district and has been a vocal opponent of illegal vendors and prostitution and in the neighborhood, often at odds with his fellow party colleagues. The NYPD raid was carried out in conjunction with Moya, who also teamed up with the mayor in January to raid several brothels in the neighborhood. Neither of the raids resulted in arrests, police say. “The number one complaint to my office is the congestion and garbage caused by illegal street vendors,” Moya wrote on Instagram following Sunday’s crackdown. “Mothers can’t push their strollers through our sidewalks, businesses are being robbed and undercut steps from their doors and residents are being put at risk from unsafe food handling. Enough is enough.” Meanwhile, following the police sweep, New York City Mayor Eric Adams pinned the blame on illegal immigrants not being able to work. He has often said migrants have a “right to work” in the U.S. and not allowing them to do so is “anti-American.” “Some of the problems we’re facing in our city, this is the byproduct of bringing thousands of people to a city and telling them they cannot work… this is what we’re seeing,” Adams said Monday, according to Fox 5 New York. “Some of the illegal shops, sex trafficking that is taking place, all of this is a by-product. … I keep telling folks, you have 3,000 people on Randall’s Island [migrant facility] that cannot do anything all day. That’s just not right.” A spokesperson for Ocasio-Cortez did not respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment.
Georgia advances ‘foreign agents’ bill as 20,000 rally against it
The ruling party suddenly reintroduced the bill earlier this month, after mass protests forced its withdrawal last year. The Georgian parliament has advanced a controversial “foreign influence” bill through its first reading, as thousands joined a third day of anti-government protests. The bill, first presented early in 2023 and withdrawn amid fierce public opposition, requires media and civil society groups to register as being under “foreign influence” if they get more than 20 percent of their funding from overseas. Critics say the bill mirrors a repressive Russian law on “foreign agents” that has been used against independent news media and groups seen as being at odds with the Kremlin and will undermine Tbilisi’s aspirations for closer European Union ties and, ultimately, membership. In a vote boycotted by the opposition in the 150-seat parliament, 83 politicians from the ruling Georgian Dream party backed the bill. Some 20,000 people blocked traffic in front of the parliament building in the capital, Tbilisi, to show their opposition to the measure. “No to the Russian law!” they shouted after listening to the Georgian national anthem and European Union’s Ode to Joy. Speaking at the rally, opposition member of parliament Aleksandre Ellisashvili condemned politicians who voted for the bill as “traitors” and said the rest of Georgia would show them that “people are power, and not the traitor government”. The Black Sea nation was once part of the Soviet Union but secured its independence in 1991 as the USSR collapsed. Once seen as a democratic reformer, the current ruling party led by Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze has been accused of trying to steer Georgia towards closer ties with Russia. “Today is a sad day for Georgia because our government has taken another step towards Russia and away from Europe,” protester Makvala Naskidashvili told the AFP news agency. “But I am also happy because I see such unity among the youth,” the 88-year-old added. “They are proud Europeans and will not let anyone spoil their European dream.” Protest rallies were also held in several other cities across Georgia, including the second largest city of Batumi, Interpress news agency reported. Derailing Georgia Thousands have been taking to the streets of Tbilisi since Monday to show their opposition to the draft law with riot police chasing demonstrators through the labyrinth of narrow streets near parliament, beating them and making arrests. Kobakhidze, known for anti-Western rhetoric while insisting that he is committed to Georgia’s European aspirations, said the law would boost the financial transparency of NGOs funded by Western institutions. The only change in wording from the previous draft says organisations that receive 20 percent or more of their funding from overseas would have to register as “pursuing the interests of a foreign power” rather than as “agents of foreign influence”. In an online statement on Wednesday, EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell described the bill’s passage through parliament as “a very concerning development” and warned that “the final adoption of this legislation would negatively impact Georgia’s progress on its EU path”. “This law is not in line with EU core norms and values,” Borrell said, stressing that the country’s “vibrant civil society” was a key part of its bid for EU membership. Washington has also voiced concerns that the law would “derail Georgia from its European path”. Amnesty International urged Georgia’s authorities to “immediately stop their incessant efforts to impose repressive legislation on the country’s vibrant civil society.” The ruling Georgian Dream party reintroduced the bill to parliament earlier this month, in a surprise announcement ahead of parliamentary elections in October. To become law, the bill has to pass second and third readings in parliament and secure presidential backing. But Georgian Dream’s commanding majority in the legislature means it would be able to pass those further stages and vote down a presidential veto. Adblock test (Why?)
India election 2024 phase 1: Who votes and what’s at stake?
EXPLAINER A total of 102 constituencies in 21 states will vote on April 19 for the first phase of the Lok Sabha elections. The first of seven phases of the Indian national election is set to kick off on April 19. These elections are for the 543 seats of the Lok Sabha, India’s lower house of parliament. The party or coalition that secures a majority of the seats in the Lok Sabha will form the next government. It is the world’s – and history’s – largest ever democratic exercise, with 969 million registered voters eligible to cast their vote using 5.5 million electronic voting machines over 44 days. The votes will be counted and results will be announced on June 4. As a multiparty democracy, India’s elections will see a range of national and regional parties competing for votes. But two principal coalitions are directly facing off as contenders to lead the nation: the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), and a coalition of 28 parties, called the Indian National Developmental Inclusive Alliance (INDIA), led by the main opposition, the Indian National Congress. Who votes in phase 1? In the first phase, 102 constituencies within 21 states and union territories are voting, including: Tamil Nadu: All 39 of the state’s seats Rajasthan: Twelve out of the state’s 25 seats Uttar Pradesh: Eight out of the state’s 80 seats Madhya Pradesh: Six out of the state’s 29 seats Maharashtra: Five out of the state’s 48 seats Uttarakhand: All five of the state’s seats Assam: Five out of the state’s 14 seats Bihar: Four out of the state’s 40 seats West Bengal: Three out of the state’s 42 seats Arunachal Pradesh: Both of the state’s two seats Manipur: Both of the state’s two seats Meghalaya: Both of the state’s two seats Chhattisgarh: One out of the state’s 11 seats Mizoram: The state’s sole seat Nagaland: The state’s sole seat Sikkim: The state’s sole seat Tripura: One out of the state’s two seats Jammu and Kashmir: One out of five seats Andaman and Nicobar Islands: The union territory’s sole seat Lakshadweep: The union territory’s sole seat Puducherry: The union territory’s sole seat (Al Jazeera) Which are some of the key constituencies voting on April 19? Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu: Prime Minister Modi’s BJP has traditionally struggled to break through the southern state of Tamil Nadu, where it won zero out of the 39 seats in 2019. This time, the party is betting on a rising star, the party’s state leader K Annamalai, to deliver an unlikely win from Coimbatore. Nagpur, Maharashtra: Federal transport minister Nitin Gadkari – a senior BJP leader who some political analysts view as a potential challenger to Modi – is contesting from Nagpur, a city famous for its oranges. Nagpur is also the headquarters of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh, the Hindu majoritarian umbrella group that is the ideological mentor of the BJP. Manipur: Both of the state’s two seats will vote in part in the first phase on April 19, and in part in the second phase, on April 26. The elections are being held in the backdrop of ethnic strife that has effectively fractured Manipur between its plains – where the majority Meitei community predominantly lives – and the hills – where the Kuki community lives. More than 200 people have been killed in clashes since last May between the two communities, with many blaming the state’s BJP government for a biased role and for its failure to stop the violence. Will it pay a political price? Muzaffarnagar, Uttar Pradesh: The epicentre of anti-Muslim riots in 2013 that some observers believe helped the BJP win big in India’s most populous state in 2014 (72 out of 80 seats), Muzaffarnagar votes on April 19. The constituency, and its neighbouring seats, have a significant Muslim population, but the BJP’s ability to consolidate Hindu votes helped it win in 2014 and 2019. When does voting start and end? Voting will start at 7am local time (01:30 GMT) and end at 6pm local time (12:30 GMT). Voters in the queue by closing time get to vote even if that means keeping polling booths open longer. Who rules states that vote in the first phase? Tamil Nadu is governed by an alliance led by the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam, comprising parties from INDIA. The BJP rules in Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Rajasthan, Uttarakhand, Assam, Manipur, Tripura and Arunachal Pradesh. The BJP is also in power through alliances in Maharashtra, Bihar, Meghalaya, Nagaland, Sikkim and Puducherry. Andaman and Nicobar Islands and Lakshadweep are federally governed with no democratically elected government. Jammu and Kashmir is also ruled from New Delhi, with no state elections since the Modi government scrapped its special status in 2019. West Bengal is governed by the All India Trinamool Congress Party, a part of the INDIA alliance. A coalition of six regional parties, the Zoram People’s Movement, governs Mizoram. Who won these Lok Sabha seats in 2019? In the last Lok Sabha election, the Congress-led United Progressive Alliance (UPA) – many of whose members are now part of the INDIA grouping – won 45 of the 102 seats that will vote on April 19. The BJP-led NDA won 42 of these seats. In Tamil Nadu, the biggest prize in the first phase, the NDA alliance won one seat: This went to the regional All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK). The BJP itself did not win any seats. The other 38 seats in Tamil Nadu went to the UPA, with the Congress winning eight, the DMK winning 23, and other allies winning the rest. In Assam, a delimitation exercise last year changed the organisation of constituencies. This year, Kaziranga has replaced what was Kaliabor in 2019, with some changes. The Congress won this seat in 2019. Sonitpur has replaced Tezpur, which the BJP won in 2019. The second phase of voting will be on April 26. Adblock test (Why?)
Tesla asks shareholders to restore Elon Musk’s $56bn pay deal
Tesla Chair Robyn Denholm says company believes in ‘big risks for the chance of big rewards’. Tesla has asked shareholders to reapprove a record-breaking $56bn pay package for CEO Elon Musk after a US judge rejected the deal. In a filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission on Wednesday, Tesla Chair Robyn Denholm said the board of directors supported the original pay deal and believed in “big risks for the chance of big rewards”. “Elon has not been paid for any of his work for Tesla for the past six years that has helped to generate significant growth and stockholder value,” Denholm wrote. “That strikes us – and the many stockholders from whom we already have heard – as fundamentally unfair, and inconsistent with the will of the stockholders who voted for it.” Shareholders, who will gather for their annual meeting on June 13, will also be asked to approve a proposal to move the company’s corporate home to Texas. The proposals come on the heels of a difficult period for the electric carmaker. Tesla’s vehicle deliveries fell by 8.5 percent in the first quarter, and the company’s shares have fallen 37 percent so far this year even as the S&P 500 has risen about 6 percent. Musk earlier this week told staff in a memo that the company would lay off more than 10 percent of its global workforce to be “lean, innovative and hungry for the next growth phase cycle”. Judge Kathaleen McCormick of Delaware’s Court of Chancery rejected Musk’s compensation package in January, finding that the South Africa-born entrepreneur had heavily influenced the deal and granting him such “an unfathomable sum” would be unfair to shareholders. Shares of Tesla fell about 1 percent on Wednesday following the news of the proposed pay package. Adblock test (Why?)
As N.Y. Times investigates leaks, liberal newsrooms have the upper hand
Another day, another newsroom in turmoil. And it features a familiar cast of characters: Senior executives who say they are upholding old-fashioned standards of fairness, and younger, woke rebels who want only their point of view – the liberal point of view – represented. The balance of power has shifted in recent years. Managers at major media companies are so concerned with the anger of their rebels and the denunciations on social media that they frequently cave. PROSECUTORS PUSH SALACIOUS PORTRAIT OF TRUMP, WINNING SOME BUT NOT ALL BATTLES The subject of the latest eruption, and not for the first time, is the New York Times. And the information comes to us from the Wall Street Journal, which has this tantalizing lead: “The New York Times is investigating itself.” Turns out there was a potentially damaging leak, and a top Times editor, Charlotte Behrendt, has interviewed nearly 20 staffers to find out whodunit. The subject is coverage of the war between Israel and Hamas. It’s no secret that many younger liberals blame Israel for the war, even though it was launched by Hamas terrorists in the unspeakably brutal massacre launched on Oct. 7. Some Times employees questioned the reporting behind a story saying Hamas weaponized sexual violence during these attacks, the Journal says, and complained that the suffering of Gaza residents isn’t getting the same attention. To his credit, Times Executive Editor Joe Kahn, the lowest-profile person to run the paper in decades, speaks on the record. ISRAEL’S SUCCESS, IRAN’S FAILURE AND THE CHANCES OF IGNITING THE MIDEAST POWDER KEG “The idea that someone dips into that process in the middle, and finds something that they considered might be interesting or damaging to the story under way, and then provides that to people outside, felt to me and my colleagues like a breakdown in the sort of trust and collaboration that’s necessary in the editorial process,” he said. “I haven’t seen that happen before.” Kahn also nails this point: that digital workers weren’t trained in independent journalism and haven’t learned tolerance on college campuses. “Young adults who are coming up through the education system are less accustomed to this sort of open debate, this sort of robust exchange of views around issues they feel strongly about than may have been the case in the past,” says Kahn. The leak of the internal debate, to the liberal site Intercept, has sparked a backlash. Reporter Stacy Cowley, a union official who sat in on some interviews, accused the company of going after those who feel their concerns about Gaza have been ignored. “Instead of taking them seriously, the company is turning around and bullying that group into silence,” Cowley says. A union grievance says the company was targeting a group of staffers of Arab and Middle Eastern descent, which the Times denies. Way down in the story is this CYA sentence: “War coverage has also fueled tensions at the Wall Street Journal, with some reporters in meetings and internal chat groups complaining that coverage is skewed – either favoring Israel or Palestinians.” Just in case anyone was wondering. A similar explosion just occurred at NPR, where award-winning senior business editor Uri Berliner resigned under pressure yesterday. He had been suspended for five days without pay for publishing a piece (without permission) in the Free Press about how the radio network has moved from merely left-leaning to blatant liberal activism, triggered by the election of Donald Trump. Berliner, no fan of Trump, cited example after example of NPR being anti-Israel, having a pro-transgender agenda, and blowing off the Hunter Biden laptop story on grounds that it wasn’t really a story. He pointed to the hiring of CEO Katherine Maher, a former Biden campaign worker whose past tweets show a history of far-left activism and intolerance. (She says she was a private citizen then.) “I cannot work in a newsroom where I am disparaged by a new CEO whose divisive views confirm the very problems at NPR I cite in my Free Press essay,” tweeted Berliner, who says he repeatedly complained to management to no avail. And it was only three weeks ago that an on-air revolt by MSNBC’s liberal hosts, openly trashing their NBC bosses, forced them to fire ousted RNC chief Ronna McDaniel just four days after the network had trumpeted her hiring. SUBSCRIBE TO HOWIE’S MEDIA BUZZMETER PODCAST, A RIFF ON THE DAY’S HOTTEST STORIES The Times was the first major news organization to capitulate by firing Editorial Page Editor James Bennet for the sin of running an online column by GOP Sen. Tom Cotton, advocating that the military be used to control the 2020 urban riots. Bennet wrote late last year that “the leadership of the New York Times is losing control of its principles.” CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP That the Times is again being torn apart, this time over the Mideast war, just brings us full circle. It now seems that many liberal newsrooms are running the show, in practice if not on paper.
Russia-Ukraine war: List of key events, day 784
As the war enters its 784th day, these are the main developments. Here is the situation on Thursday, April 18, 2024. Fighting At least 17 people were killed in the Ukrainian city of Chernihiv after it was struck by three Russian missiles. Emergency services said 60 people, including three children, were injured. About 250,000 people live in Chernihiv, which is about 150km (90 miles) north of the capital, Kyiv. One woman was injured by falling debris after Russian forces brought down a done over the Voronezh region. Governor Vyacheslav Gladkov said air defence also destroyed 14 airborne targets over the southern Belgorod region. No injuries were reported. The BBC reported the number of Russian soldiers killed in the war in Ukraine had topped 50,000. The data was compiled by BBC Russian, independent media group Mediazona and volunteers. Colonel Serhii Pakhomov, acting head of the Ukrainian military’s atomic, biological and chemical defence forces, told the Reuters news agency that Kyiv had recorded about 900 uses of riot control agents on the front line by Russia in the past six months. The gases, banned for use on the battlefield by the international Chemical Weapons Convention, are being used to try and clear trenches, Pakhomov said. Some 500 troops had required medical help after exposure to toxic substances on the battlefield and at least one soldier died after suffocating on tear gas, he added. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said the Ukrainian military attacked a large Russian airfield at Dzhankoi in the north of occupied Crimea. A series of explosions were reported at the base. There were no reports of damage. Politics and diplomacy US House Speaker Mike Johnson said the House would hold a long-delayed vote on a $60bn aid package for Ukraine on Saturday. The bill, passed by the Senate in February, has been held up amid objections from far-right members of Johnson’s Republican party. Writing in the Wall Street Journal, US President Joe Biden urged Congress to approve the package saying the conflict was at a “pivotal moment”. China said that “a lot of work” would need to be done before a planned peace conference on the Ukraine war could take place in Switzerland. It did not say whether it would attend the meeting, which is expected to take place in June. Russia’s FSB security service arrested four people, accusing them of sending money to Ukrainian armed forces and planning to join the country’s military. France appointed investigating magistrates to run a war crimes investigation into the death of Fox News cameraman Pierre Zakrzewski, a dual French-Irish national, who was killed covering the war in Ukraine in March 2022. Producer Oleksandra Kuvshynova was also killed when the news team’s vehicle came under fire in Horenka near Kyiv. Correspondent Benjamin Hall was badly injured. Cybersecurity firm Mandiant warned a cyber group known as Sandworm, with links to Russian military intelligence, is emerging as a significant global threat after playing an increasingly critical role in the ongoing conflict in Ukraine. Sandworm “is actively engaged in the full spectrum of espionage, attack, and influence operations”, Mandiant said. Weapons President Zelenskyy, addressing the European Council by videolink hours after the Chernihiv attack, pleaded for more defence systems. Zelenskyy said Ukraine should enjoy the same cover from aerial attacks as Israel, which was able to intercept a barrage of drones and missiles fired by Iran last weekend. “Our Ukrainian sky, the sky of our neighbours deserves the same level of defence,” he said. “All lives are equally valuable.” German Chancellor Olaf Scholz and other senior German officials pressed fellow European Union members to take action as soon as possible to boost Ukraine’s air defences. On Saturday, Germany announced it was sending an additional Patriot air defence system to Ukraine. NATO chief Jens Stoltenberg said the NATO-Ukraine Council will meet on Friday to discuss ways on how to provide more air defence systems for Kyiv. A crowdfunding initiative launched by a Slovak group on Monday has so far raised 750,000 euros ($798,000) from members of the public. The group, Peace for Ukraine, hopes to raise one million euros ($1.07 million) for the Czech Republic’s initiative to buy ammunition for Ukraine. Slovakia’s government has refused to send military aid to Kyiv. Adblock test (Why?)
More than 11,000 evacuated in northern Indonesia as Ruang volcano erupts
Exclusion zone extended, flights disrupted as Ruang sends ash and smoke more than two kilometres into the sky. More than 11,000 people have been told to evacuate and air travel in region has been disrupted after a volcano in northern Indonesia erupted multiple times. Mount Ruang, located in in North Sulawesi Province, first erupted at 9:45pm (13:45 GMT) on Tuesday sending billowing clouds of smoke and ash high into the sky. After four more eruptions on Wednesday, Indonesia’s volcanology agency raised the alert level for the 725-metre (2,379-foot) high mountain to four, the highest on the scale. They also widened the exclusion zone around the crater from four kilometres (2.5 miles) to six kilometres (3.7 miles). More than 800 people were evacuated initially from Ruang to nearby Tagulandang Island, which is located more than 100 kilometres (62 miles) north of the provincial capital, Manado. But officials said on Thursday morning that more people would need to be evacuated as a result of the widening exclusion zone, and would be taken to Manado. “At least 11,615 residents who are in the risk area must evacuate to a safe place,” Abdul Muhari, the head of the disaster agency’s disaster data, communications and information centre was quoted as saying by the Kompas newspaper. Officials also worry that part of the volcano could collapse into the sea and cause a tsunami as it did during a previous eruption in 1871. Video footage showed flows of red lava streaming down the mountain, reflected in the waters below, and billowing clouds of grey ash above Ruang’s crater. Important Travel Update: Malaysia Airlines has suspended several flights to/from KL International Airport (KUL) to Sabah and Sarawak today, 18 April 2024 due to the volcanic eruption at Mount Ruang, Indonesia. Our priority is your safety. We’re closely monitoring the situation… — Malaysia Airlines (@MAS) April 18, 2024 Muhammad Wafid, the head of Indonesia’s geological agency, earlier said Ruang’s initial eruption sent an ash column two kilometres (1.2 miles) into the sky, with the second eruption pushing it to 2.5 kilometres (1.6 miles). Aviation authorities announced the closure of Sam Ratulangi International Airport in Manado until at least Thursday evening “due to the spread of volcanic ash which could endanger flight safety”. The airport has connections to countries including China, Singapore and South Korea. There was also significant disruption to flights to and from Kota Kinabalu International Airport in neighbouring Malaysia. Kota Kinabalu is on the northern tip of Malaysian Borneo, just over 1,100 kilometres (688 miles) to the northwest of Ruang. The volcanology agency said activity had increased at Ruang after two earthquakes in recent weeks. Indonesia, which sits along the ‘Ring of Fire’, a horseshoe-shaped series of tectonic fault lines around the Pacific Ocean, has 120 active volcanoes. In 2018, the eruption of Indonesia’s Anak Krakatoa volcano triggered a tsunami along the coasts of Sumatra and Java after parts of the mountain fell into the ocean. Hundreds of people were killed. Adblock test (Why?)