Senate prepares for Mayorkas impeachment articles while GOP braces for possible dismissal motion
The Senate is preparing to receive articles of impeachment from the House of Representatives for Department of Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas. The looming question remains over what Democrats – who are in the majority in the upper chamber – will look to do after being sworn in as jurors on Wednesday. Senate Republicans are turning up the pressure on their Democrat counterparts as they warn that Democrats will look to use a procedural maneuver to quickly table a trial against Mayorkas, effectively killing it. Impeachment managers for the House are going to physically walk the House-passed articles over to the Senate and deliver them to Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., at 2:15 p.m. on Tuesday, Speaker Mike Johnson’s office told Fox News Digital. BIDEN’S REPORT ADJUSTED GROSS INCOME OF $619,976 IN 2023 Following the article delivery, several Republicans, including Sen. Mike Lee, R-Utah, will hold a press conference with some of the selected House impeachment managers. The process was initially planned to begin with delivery on Wednesday last week, but GOP senators convinced Johnson to hold off on sending the articles in order to set a trial in motion earlier in the week and not ahead of a weekend when lawmakers would be eager to fly home. The articles passed through the House in February, and as Republican senators waited for their arrival in the upper chamber, it’s given them time to pressure their Democrat colleagues, particularly those up for reelection who face competitive races in November. With the border becoming a top issue in states across the country, several vulnerable Democrats find themselves in a difficult position when it comes to entertaining a full impeachment trial against Mayorkas. BIDEN SILENT AFTER BEING PRESSED ABOUT IRANIAN STRIKE AGAINST ISRAEL: ‘WHAT NOW?’ All eyes are on Sens. Bob Casey, D-Pa., Sherrod Brown, D-Ohio, Jacky Rosen, D-Nev., Tammy Baldwin, D-Wis., and Jon Tester, D-Mont., ahead of any potential motions to table or otherwise dismiss the impeachment trial after senators are sworn in on Wednesday. Aside from Rosen, who said she would like to see the articles dismissed, the other Democrats didn’t say what they would do if such a motion was under consideration. It’s also unclear whether Sens. Mitt Romney, R-Utah, Susan Collins, R-Maine, and Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, will go along with the largely united GOP’s quest to see a full trial through. Most recently, Romney questioned whether there were any high crimes or misdemeanors committed, suggesting a policy difference didn’t warrant impeachment. These few senators will ultimately decide what happens upon swearing in, as the Senate’s party split is narrow at 49-51. WHERE ARE THEY NOW? TRUMP’S FORMER OPPONENTS LINING UP NEW JOBS AFTER FAILED 2024 PRESIDENTIAL BIDS In an effort to force senators to allow a full trial, a number of Senate Republicans are planning to potentially halt all legislative business in the upper chamber by objecting to regular proceedings. With many noting that unanimous consent is necessary to keep the Senate moving, Republicans are preparing to object to traditionally uncontested actions that are taken to expedite Senate action and avoid wasting time. In a floor speech on Monday, Senate Democrat Whip Dick Durbin, D-Ill., urged dismissal of the impeachment articles. “Instead of doing their job and working to find legislative solutions to complex, challenging problems, too many Republicans have decided that impeachment of a Cabinet official for actually doing his job is a better exercise of time,” he said. He pleaded with his fellow senators to “quickly dispose of these unjustifiable articles of impeachment.”
Trump trial: Jury selection to resume after possible jurors excused for saying they could not be impartial
The second day of jury selection in former President Trump’s Manhattan criminal trial is expected to begin Tuesday after half of prospective jurors were excused Monday for saying they could not be impartial toward the presumptive Republican nominee. Court is expected to begin again for the second day of Trump’s trial at 9:30 a.m. and will resume with jury selection. The trial comes after Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg charged the former president with 34 counts of falsifying business records in the first degree related to alleged hush money payments made before the 2016 presidential election. HUSH MONEY TRIAL JUDGE TEES UP RULING ON WHETHER TRUMP VIOLATED GAG ORDER, SHOULD PAY THOUSANDS Trump pleaded not guilty to all counts last year. “It’s a scam. It’s a political witch hunt,” Trump said after court adjourned Monday. Prospective jurors were asked to answer 42 questions from a questionnaire that reviews the individual’s work history, political affiliation and what media they chose to watch and listen to. TRUMP HUSH MONEY TRIAL BEGINS IN NEW YORK CITY WITH JURY SELECTION But more than 50 of the original 96 prospective jurors were excused almost immediately for admitting they could not serve as impartial jurors. Several were excused due to other issues. New York Judge Juan Merchan is presiding over the trial, despite Trump’s request to have him recuse himself due to his alleged hostility toward the former president and due to his daughter’s work with Democrat politicians. Merchan, from the bench on Monday, said there was “no basis” for him to recuse himself. The judge later addressed the former president directly, telling him that he has a right to be present at the trial each day to assist in his defense. Merchan warned the former president that if he disrupts proceedings in any way, he would be held in contempt and could be removed from the court. Merchan also said that if Trump is required to appear and fails to do so, a warrant would be issued for his arrest. Trump did not verbally respond but nodded in agreement with the judge. The trial is expected to last for approximately six weeks. The court will not meet on Wednesdays and will not meet on Monday, April 29. After jurors were excused for the day, Merchan rejected a defense request that Trump be excused from the trial next Thursday to attend arguments at the U.S. Supreme Court. 9 QUESTIONS ABOUT TRUMP TRIAL, ANSWERED The high court is hearing arguments on April 25 on the issue of presidential immunity and on whether Trump is immune from prosecution in Special Counsel Jack Smith’s election interference case. “Arguing before the Supreme Court is a big deal, and I can certainly appreciate why your client would want to be there, but a trial in New York Supreme Court … is also a big deal,” Merchan said, rebuffing Trump lawyer Todd Blanche’s request. Merchan added, “I will see him here next week.” Trump also requested to attend the high school graduation ceremony for his son, Barron Trump, on May 17. Merchan has not yet decided on whether the former president can be present to celebrate his son. “It looks like the judge will not let me go to the graduation of my son who’s worked very, very hard,” Trump said after court adjourned Monday. “He’s a great student, and he’s very proud of the fact that he did so well and was looking forward for years to have graduation with his mother and father there. And it looks like the judge isn’t going to allow me to escape this scam; it’s a scam trial.” Meanwhile, Merchan had imposed a gag order on Trump last month due to his “prior extrajudicial statements.” Merchan said they established “a sufficient risk to the administration of justice.” Merchan ordered that Trump cannot make or direct others to make public statements about witnesses concerning their potential participation or about counsel in the case — other than Bragg — or about court staff, DA staff or family members of staff. Merchan also ordered that Trump cannot make or direct others to make public statements about any prospective juror or chosen juror. POTENTIAL TRUMP HUSH MONEY TRIAL JURORS BEING ASKED 42 QUESTIONS In court Monday, prosecutors from Bragg’s office argued that Trump had violated his gag order on three separate occasions on social media. Prosecutors said Trump should be fined $3,000 for the three alleged violations of the gag order – $1,000 for each violation. “The defendant is aware of the April 1 order. We know that from various posts he had made,” said prosecutor Christopher Conroy. “We think it is important for the court to remind Mr. Trump is a criminal defendant,” Conroy added, flagging that Trump might have again violated the gag order Monday morning while attending court. TRUMP CALLS HUSH MONEY TRIAL ‘ASSAULT ON AMERICA’ AS CASE OFFICIALLY KICKS OFF Blanche argued that the three posts highlighted by prosecutors did not violate the gag order. “He is responding to salacious, repeated, vehement attacks by these witnesses,” Blanche said. Merchan said he will hear arguments on whether Trump violated the gag order on April 23 at 9:30 a.m. Bragg, last April, charged Trump with 34 counts of falsifying business records in the first degree. The charges are related to alleged hush money payments made during the 2016 presidential campaign. The DA alleged that Trump “repeatedly and fraudulently falsified New York business records to conceal criminal conduct that hid damaging information from the voting public during the 2016 presidential election.” TRUMP PLEADS NOT GUILTY TO 34 FELONY COUNTS OF FALSIFYING BUSINESS RECORDS LINKED TO 2016 HUSH MONEY PAYMENTS According to New York state law, a charge of falsifying business records in the first degree alleges that the defendant committed a crime of falsifying business records with the intent to defraud. The intent to defraud would be an intent to commit another crime. In 2019, federal prosecutors in the Southern District of New York investigated the matter and opted not to charge Trump related
Lok Sabha Elections 2024: 102 seats across 21 states go to polls on April 19, check key constituencies, candidates
Voters from 21 states and Union Territories will cast their votes in 102 constituencies, marking the inaugural of this crucial election.
Patanjali’s misleading ads case: Willing to tender public apology, yoga guru Ramdev, Balkrishna tell SC
Ramdev and Balkrishna have tendered an ”unconditional and unqualified apology” before the apex court over advertisements issued by the firm making tall claims about the medicinal efficacy of its products.
Israel’s success, Iran’s failure and the chances of igniting the Mideast powder keg
No matter how you look at it, the first direct attack by Iran against Israel was a victory for the Jewish state. And the United States. And Britain and France. And an utter humiliation for Tehran. Yet many are still understandably nervous that it could lead to a wider war. In launching more than 300 drones and missiles over the weekend, the Iranians showed the world that Israel’s military technology is far superior to theirs. Iran no longer seems quite so threatening, and Israel seems more than capable of defending itself. UNIQUE BIPARTISAN SOLIDARITY AFTER IRAN ATTACK ON ISRAEL: CAROLINE DOWNEY Even as the media spotlight shifted yesterday to Donald Trump’s first criminal trial – with round-the-clock reports on arguments over admissible evidence and a gag order, and jury selection – the Middle East loomed large as a potential powder keg. For decades, Iran has fought a shadow war against Israel through its proxies. Without its support of the Hamas terrorists, there would have been no barbaric slaughter of Israelis on Oct. 7, or the unthinkable seizure of civilian hostages. Without its backing of Hezbollah, rockets would not have rained down from southern Lebanon, including during Iran’s latest assault. The same goes for Yemen. The reason for the direct attack, as Iran sees it, was retaliation. Israel had killed three top Iranian commanders in a strike against its consulate in Syria. Iran’s leaders vowed to strike back. Now they had no idea how effective Israel’s Iron Dome and Arrow missile defense systems would be at stopping their assault. Many Israelis could have been killed, which would have inflamed the region further. My own view is that Iran’s goal was to save face and inflict only limited damage. The minor incursion against an Israeli military base strongly suggests that. And while there were dozens of injuries, including the hospitalization of a young Bedouin Arab girl, the lack of fatalities also helped things from boiling over. IS OUR FIERCELY TRIBAL POLITICS JUST A DISTORTION OF REALITY? After all, 99% of Iran’s incoming weapons were destroyed outside Israeli airspace, and some failed on their own. What’s more, Iran clearly telegraphed the timing – so precisely that Biden knew when to return from Rehoboth to the White House – and declared its response over while some projectiles were still in the air. This was a big win for President Biden, who vowed an “iron-clad” defense of Israel, but after a congratulatory call to Bibi Netanyahu, word quickly leaked to the press that the president was urging the prime minister not to retaliate. “Take the win” was one of the phrases attributed to Biden. Another was “slow things down.” Which leaves Netanyahu with a monumental choice. He could blow off Biden’s warnings and retaliate against Iran, which, especially if there are casualties, could lead to further rounds of airstrikes that could easily turn into a wider war. (Israel says it will “exact a price.”) Or Netanyahu could do nothing and allow things to settle down – which would run the risk of allowing the Iranians to pay no price for a sustained attack that had many frightened Israelis spending all night in bomb shelters. And there is an additional layer of questions involving Bibi’s self-interest. The longer the war goes on, the longer it protects him from possible ouster and potential charges. Israeli streets were filled with anti-Bibi protesters angry with his attempt to neuter the Supreme Court. That quieted down during the war, though there have been some demonstrations since, so Netanyahu may just view a gradual escalation as his insurance policy. There is no question that the massive death toll and widespread hunger in Gaza have hurt Israel in the court of world opinion. It has hurt the Biden administration at home as well, particularly as Netanyahu has ignored the president’s calls for restraint and more civilian aid, especially regarding the coming invasion of heavily populated Rafah. MORNING MAYHEM AS ANTI-ISRAEL AGITATORS DISRUPT THOUSANDS’ COMMUTE But the brazen Iranian attack has been a gift to Israel by showing the world that the Mideast’s only democracy has come under sustained assault by one of its Arab enemies. And it has brought America and Israel closer together, despite previous tensions, as the administration has delivered on its promise to race to the Jewish state’s defense with warplanes and ships. One final consideration is whether the aerial assault has transformed the atmosphere on Capitol Hill. The months-long failure to provide further aid to Israel because of petty partisan politics looks all the more pathetic in light of the Iranian fusillade. Both sides bear some responsibility, but it’s the House Republicans who carry the heaviest burden because of Speaker Mike Johnson’s refusal to allow a vote on aid to Israel. A compromise effort collapsed when Donald Trump objected to a military aid bill that also would have beefed up border security, though to what extent is debatable. Does anyone really doubt that if Johnson put an Israel bill on the floor today, it would pass overwhelmingly? The speaker, after meeting with Trump at Mar-a-Lago, told Fox News that he wants to bring an Israel measure to the floor this week. He also hinted that he would like to include aid to Ukraine – a decidedly less popular move within the Republican caucus – with Trump saying it could take the form of a loan rather than an outright grant. In exchange, Johnson wants to see a relaxation of Biden’s energy policy – which would help a potential project in his Louisiana district – a pork-barrel trade that seems a small price to pay. There are many cross-pressures, many tensions, many moving parts, but it’s time for Congress to get something done after an unconscionable delay.
Odisha: 5 killed, several injured as bus falls from flyover in Jajpur
According to officials, the ill-fated bus was traveling from Puri towards West Bengal when the incident took place.
Armourer for the film Rust sentenced to 18 months in fatal on-set shooting
A New Mexico state judge cited Hannah Gutierrez-Reed’s apparent lack of remorse in her decision to impose the sentence. The weapons supervisor for the film Rust has been sentenced in the United States to 18 months in prison for her role in the fatal on-set shooting of cinematographer Halyna Hutchins. Hannah Gutierrez-Reed, the armourer on the film, received the maximum possible sentence at Monday’s hearing in Santa Fe, New Mexico, after being convicted of involuntary manslaughter on March 6. The state judge who handed down the sentence, Mary Marlowe Sommer, said Gutierrez-Reed had a responsibility to keep the set safe and that she failed to do so. “You were the armourer, the one that stood between a safe weapon and a weapon that could kill someone,” Marlowe Sommer said. “You alone turned a safe weapon into a lethal weapon. But for you, Ms Hutchins would be alive, a husband would have his partner and a little boy would have his mother.” Hutchins’s killing in October 2021 sent shockwaves through the Hollywood film industry. Rust’s star and producer, Alec Baldwin, had been practising for a shootout scene with a revolver when the gun went off. The revolver was carrying live ammunition – something banned on US film sets – and the round struck Hutchins in the chest. She died on the way to the hospital. The bullet also hit director Joel Souza, though he has since recovered from his injuries. Baldwin has repeatedly denied pulling the trigger, though a forensic analysis from the prosecution concluded the revolver was unlikely to fire unless he did. He too faces trial for involuntary manslaughter in July, with a sentence of up to 18 months in prison as well. Olga Solovey speaks to the loss of her daughter Halyna Hutchins via video conference in court on April 15 [Eddie Moore/Reuters, pool] Ahead of Monday’s sentencing, defence lawyers asked the judge to consider the “devastating effect a felony will have” on the 26-year-old Gutierrez-Reed. But prosecutors highlighted Gutierrez-Reed’s seeming lack of remorse. “Ms Gutierrez continues to refuse to accept responsibility for her role in the death of Halyna Hutchins,” said special prosecutor Kari Morrissey. In a court filing earlier this month, prosecutors requested that Gutierrez-Reed receive the maximum sentence “due to her recklessness in the face of knowledge that her acts were reasonably likely to result in serious harm”. They cited instances where Gutierrez-Reed was allegedly in possession of cocaine and smuggled a firearm into a bar, something for which she faces charges in a separate case. The filing also outlined jailhouse phone calls where Gutierrez-Reed allegedly said “she can’t believe that the judge put her in jail” and that she was “wrongly incarcerated”. Those calls appeared to have played a role in the outcome of her sentencing hearing. “The word ‘remorse’ – a deep regret coming from a sense of guilt for past wrongs – that’s not you,” Judge Marlowe Summer said after referring to a portion of the phone call transcripts. At the sentencing hearing, family and friends of the late Hutchins gathered to share statements and remembrances. “I struggle to deal with this repeatedly being called an accident, because it was not an accident, it was negligence,” said Jen White, a colleague. Hutchins’s mother, Olga Solovey, also appeared at the hearing via video conference from Kyiv in her native Ukraine. Speaking in Ukrainian, she testified to the impact her daughter’s death has had: “It’s the hardest thing to lose a child. There are no words to describe.” Adblock test (Why?)
Tesla to lay off more than 10 percent of staff worldwide amid falling sales
CEO Elon Musk says in memo that job cuts will leave firm ‘lean, innovative and hungry for the next growth phase cycle’. Electric carmaker Tesla plans to lay off more than 10 percent of its global workforce, according to a memo sent to employees by CEO Elon Musk. Musk told staff in an email on Monday that the cuts were necessary due to the “duplication of roles and job functions in certain areas”, which had followed the company’s rapid global expansion. “As we prepare the company for our next phase of growth, it is extremely important to look at every aspect of the company for cost reductions and increasing productivity,” Musk said in the memo obtained by multiple media outlets. “As part of this effort, we have done a thorough review of the organisation and made the difficult decision to reduce our headcount by more than 10 per cent globally. There is nothing I hate more, but it must be done. This will enable us to be lean, innovative and hungry for the next growth phase cycle.” Musk thanked the remaining staff for the “difficult job that remains ahead” as the company worked to develop “revolutionary technologies in auto, energy and artificial intelligence”. In a post on X after the news became public, Musk said that Tesla needed to “reorganise and streamline the company for the next phase of growth” about every five years. Electrek, a media outlet focused on electric transportation and sustainable energy, first reported the layoffs. The announcement comes less than two weeks after Tesla reported that vehicle deliveries fell by 8.5 percent in the first quarter, the first year-over-year drop since 2020. Tesla’s disappointing results followed supply chain disruptions caused by Houthi attacks on shipping in the Red Sea and an arson attack by environmental activists at a production facility in Germany. In a further sign of upheaval at the company, two senior executives announced their departure on social media. Andrew Baglino, the senior vice president of powertrain and energy engineering, said on X that he had made the “difficult decision to move on from Tesla after 18 years”. “I am so thankful to have worked with and learned from the countless incredibly talented people at Tesla over the years,” Baglino said. Rohan Patel, the senior global director of public policy and business development, also said he would be leaving the company after eight years. Tesla shares fell by more than 5 percent on Monday, continuing a downward streak which has seen the stock lose about one-third of its value so far this year. Adblock test (Why?)
Russia-Ukraine war: List of key events, day 782
As the war enters its 782nd day, these are the main developments. Here is the situation on Tuesday, April 16, 2024. Fighting At least two people were killed after a Russian guided aerial bomb hit an education centre in the village of Lukiantsi in the northeastern Kharkiv region. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy issued a new plea to Ukraine’s allies for air defences to protect against Russian strikes on cities and infrastructure and noted that Ukraine’s forces were facing difficult situations along the eastern front line in Chasiv Yar, west of the destroyed Russian-held town of Bakhmut, and in Pokrovsk and Kupiansk, further west and north. Politics and diplomacy International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) chief Rafael Grossi told the United Nations Security Council that “reckless attacks” on the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power plant in Ukraine had put the world “dangerously close to a nuclear accident”. Russia and Ukraine have blamed each other for the incidents over the last week but Grossi said it was “impossible” at the moment to prove who was behind them. Senior officials in the United States accused China of supporting Russia’s war effort in Ukraine by providing drone and missile technology, satellite imagery and machine tools. The Chinese Embassy in the US said it has not provided weaponry to any party and that it was “not a producer of or party involved in the Ukraine crisis”. US House Speaker Mike Johnson said the House of Representatives would consider aid to Ukraine and Israel as separate pieces of legislation this week. Some $60bn in assistance to Ukraine, which was passed by the Senate as a single bill alongside aid for Israel and Taiwan, has been blocked by Republicans for weeks. A Russian military court jailed a 29-year-old man for 14 years after he was found guilty of cooperating with a foreign state and “justifying terrorism”. Vladlen Menshikov was initially accused of attempting to sabotage railway lines carrying military equipment near his hometown of Rezh, a small village near the Urals city of Yekaterinburg. The US imposed sanctions on 12 Belarus entities and 10 individuals over what it said was their support for Russia’s war on Ukraine. A ballet performance in South Korea featuring principal dancers from Russia’s Bolshoi Ballet was cancelled a day before opening night, the organiser said. The last-minute cancellation came after Seoul performances of a ballet starring Svetlana Zakharova, a Ukrainian-born Russian prima ballerina and vocal supporter of Russian President Vladimir Putin, were called off in March. Weapons Colonel Vadym Sukharevskyi, the commander of Ukraine’s drone forces, said Ukraine had delivered three times more drones to its army so far this year than in the whole of 2023. Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba appealed for “extraordinary and bold steps” to supply air defences to help Ukraine defend itself against waves of Russian air strikes. “We urgently require additional Patriot and other modern air defence systems, weapons and ammunition,” Kuleba told a Black Sea security conference via videolink. Adblock test (Why?)
Chaitra Navratri 2024: Know Durga Ashtami shubh muhurat, vidhi for kanya puja and more
Chaitra Durga Ashtami, or Maha Ashtami, is a day that carries great significance for those who worship Maa Durga. This important day takes place on the eighth day of the Navratri festival. This year, Chaitra Durga Ashtami 2024 will be celebrated on April 16, 2024 (Tuesday).