Western Uttar Pradesh’s Kairana Lok Sabha constituency to witness fierce political fight
BJP’s Pradeep Kumar secured an impressive victory with a mandate of 566,961 votes. SP’s Tabassum Begum was defeated by the margin of 92,160 votes as she managed to get 474,801 votes.
State district judge recommends overturning Melissa Lucio’s death sentence
In a rare joint statement, the district attorney and the defense agreed that prosecutors withheld evidence that could point to a Rio Grande Valley woman’s innocence in the death of her toddler.
Speaker Johnson says it’s U.S.’s ‘biblical admonition’ to help Israel
Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., declared that it was the U.S.’s “biblical admonition” to help and support Israel during a Monday night speech. The House GOP leader was addressing an emergency meeting of Christians United For Israel, convened after Iran’s weekend missile attack on the Middle East American ally. “I’m going to state something that you all know – at this critical moment, the United States must show unwavering strength and support for Israel…We have to make certain that the entire world understands that Israel is not alone and God is going to bless the nation that blesses Israel,” Johnson said. “We understand that that’s our role. It’s also our biblical admonition. This is something that’s an article of faith for us. It also happens to be great foreign policy.” JOHNSON TO PITCH HOUSE GOP ON ISRAEL, UKRAINE AID PLANS IN CLOSED-DOOR MEETING He spent much of his 15-minute address also laying into President Biden and other top Democrats who have been critical of Israel in its response to Hamas’ Oct. 7 attack. In particular, he singled out Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., for calling for new elections in Israel. “They’re trying to dictate strategy, then they’re trying to demand a change of leadership while Israel is in a battle for its very existence,” Johnson said. “It’s breathtaking.” REPUBLICANS PRESSURE BIDEN DOJ TO PROBE ACTIVISTS CALLING FOR ‘DEATH TO AMERICA’ He also criticized Biden’s foreign policy with respect to Iran, including reports the administration extended a sanctions waiver last month to pump more cash into its shaky economy. The waivers were first granted in November 2018. “It’s unconscionable. I can’t make sense of it. And I’ve talked to the White House about this. I do not understand the policy. You can’t make sense of it,” Johnson said. The speaker also said he confronted Schumer by phone after he called for new Israeli elections last month. HOUSE TEES UP 17 BILLS RELATED TO IRAN/ISRAEL FOR THIS WEEK “I called the senator and I said, ‘What are you doing?” Johnson said. “What if I came out and made a statement and called for a regime change in Ukraine…your hair would be on fire.” It came just after Johnson unveiled a new plan to fund Israel, Ukraine and Taiwan in a closed-door meeting with the House GOP conference. Under his proposal the House would hold separate votes on each funding priority sometime at the end of this week, likely Friday, he told reporters after the meeting.
Biden hosts Czech leader at White House to promote Ukraine aid amid holdup in Congress
WASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden urged the U.S. House to immediately take up Senate-passed supplemental funding for Ukraine and Israel on Monday as he hosted Czech Prime Minister Petr Fiala in the Oval Office. The visit came as Biden aimed to highlight the efforts other nations are making to support Ukraine. It followed the Czech government’s announcement that it is sending 1 million rounds of artillery ammunition to Ukraine, which Kyiv says is badly needed on the battlefield against Russia’s invasion. BIDEN RETAINED RECORDS RELATED TO UKRAINE, CHINA; COMER DEMANDS ‘UNFETTERED ACCESS’ AMID IMPEACHMENT INQUIRY “As the Czech Republic remembers, Russia won’t stop at Ukraine,” Biden said. He appealed to Congress to pass the supplemental funding so the U.S. could do its part to help Ukraine. “They have to do it now,” Biden said. Fiala praised the U.S. president for his leadership in support of Ukraine, adding, “We are also doing our best.” He said, “In 1968 I saw Russian tanks in the streets of my town, and I don’t want to see this again.” Biden called the Czech Republican a “great ally” in NATO, as Fiala said his country’s decision to purchase F-35 fighter jets from the U.S. will “make our cooperation and security much stronger.” Fiala told reporters following his sit-down with Biden that he will meet with lawmakers on Capitol Hill on Tuesday to further discuss Ukraine aid. “The support from U.S., the help from U.S. is very important,” Fiala said.
Paris Hilton backs California bill to bring more transparency to youth treatment facilities
SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — Paris Hilton joined California state lawmakers Monday to push for legislation aimed at cracking down on the industry that cares for troubled teens by requiring more transparency from youth treatment facilities. The bill supported by the Hilton Hotel heiress and media personality aims to pry open information on how short-term residential facilities for youth dealing with substance abuse and behavioral issues use disciplinary methods such as restraints or seclusion against minors. It would require such centers to notify parents and the state any time they use restrains or seclusion rooms for minors. It’s authored by Republican state Sen. Shannon Grove and Democratic state Sens. Aisha Wahab and Angelique Ashby. PARIS HILTON DETAILS TRAUMA, ABUSE AT ‘TROUBLED TEEN’ FACILITY: KIDS HAVE DIED ‘IN THE NAME OF TREATMENT’ “I know firsthand the horrors that happened behind the closed doors of youth residential treatment facilities,” Hilton said at a Monday news conference at the state Capitol. “In troubled teen industry facilities in California, Utah and Montana, I was subjected to abuse disguised as therapy, isolated from the outside world and denied even the most basic rights.” She added: “I will fight until every child is safe and keep shining my huge spotlight on these abuses.” Hilton has become a prominent advocate for more oversight and regulation of teen treatment centers after publicly sharing the physical and mental abuse she suffered as a teenager at a boarding school in Utah. She alleged staff members would beat her, force her to take unknown pills, watch her shower and send her to solitary confinement without clothes as punishment. In 2021, her testimony about her experience at Utah’s Provo Canyon School helped pass a bill to impose stricter oversight over youth treatment centers in the state. Hilton has also traveled to Washington D.C. to advocate for federal reforms and helped changed laws to protect minors in at least eight states. Earlier this month, she spoke in support of boys sent to a private school for troubled teens in Jamaica. She’s scheduled to testify in a legislative hearing on California’s bill later Monday. Under the bill, facilities would have to report details such as what disciplinary actions were taken, why and who had approved the plan. The state department regulating the facilities also would be required to make public the reports and update the database on the quarterly basis. It would not ban the use of such practices. Between 2015 and 2020, California sent more than 1,240 children with behavior problems to out-of-state facilities due to the lack of locked treatment centers for youths, according to Sen. Grove’s office. As reports about abuse happening at these programs emerged, including an incident where a 16-year-old boy died after being restrained for about 12 minutes at a Michigan facility, California also found significant licensing violations at these facilities and decided to do away with the program in 2020. Legislation passed in 2021 formally banned the use of out-of-state residential centers. Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom also authorized $8 million to bring all the minors home by last year. Minors with behavioral issues are now sent to in-state short-term residential centers, which were created in 2017 to replace group homes. But under current laws, these facilities are not required to share information on how often they use seclusion rooms, restraints, and how many times those methods result in serious injuries or deaths. “We must require the highest level of transparency and accountability in care for our vulnerable population,” Grove, the author, said Monday. “This is a small but critical measure.”
Johnson unveils plan to fund Israel, Ukraine in closed-door House GOP meeting
Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., unveiled a plan for moving foreign aid through the House of Representatives during a closed-door meeting with Republican lawmakers on Monday. The Republican leader had been under pressure to act on Israel and Ukraine funding as the situation in both conflicts grows more dire, while also navigating fraught divisions in the House GOP conference over conditions for giving aid overseas. Under Johnson’s tentative plan, aid for Ukraine, Taiwan and Israel would all be considered as separate bills, according to two lawmakers present at the meeting. A fourth bill would combine miscellaneous national security priorities, including the House’s recently passed bill that could pave the way to a TikTok ban and the REPO Act, a bipartisan measure to liquefy seized Russian assets and send that money to Ukraine. Johnson indicated to reporters after the meeting that he anticipates a vote on the bills by Friday. JOHNSON TO PITCH HOUSE GOP ON ISRAEL, UKRAINE AID PLANS IN CLOSED-DOOR MEETING “We won’t be voting on the Senate supplemental in its current form, but we will vote on each of these measures separately in four different pieces. We will vote on the Israel aid, on the aid to Ukraine, on the aid to the Indo-Pacific, and then another measure that has our national security priorities included in [it] that has some of the things with regard to the loan-lease option and the REPO Act and some other sanctions on Iran and other measures that we’ve been talking about here for quite some time,” he said. Johnson added that the bills, the text of which is expected early on Tuesday, will allow for members to offer amendments. He said later that he expects the funding levels to be “roughly the same” as the Senate’s $95 billion bipartisan supplemental aid package, which included money for Ukraine, Israel, Taiwan and humanitarian causes like Gaza. REPUBLICANS PRESSURE BIDEN DOJ TO PROBE ACTIVISTS CALLING FOR ‘DEATH TO AMERICA’ Breaking apart the Senate’s supplemental package was an idea backed by a significant share of House Republicans. However, it also appears to be a move aimed at appeasing fiscal hawks on Johnson’s right flank who otherwise would have likely attempted to block the bills from getting to the floor. The two GOP lawmakers who shared details of the plan with Fox News Digital said there was more support for the plan in the room than opposition. “I think it’s a good plan. I don’t know that I’ll support every single subject bill, but this is the way the House should work,” Rep. Nancy Mace, R-S.C., told Fox News Digital after the meeting. Mace added that several members, including herself, urged Johnson to include some border security measures, which do not appear to be part of the latest proposal. Meanwhile, Rep. Andy Biggs, R-Ariz., did not say if he’d support the measures but told reporters, “I think any time you separate these out to single subject bills, I think that’s a good strategy.” But others, including members of the ultraconservative House Freedom Caucus, signaled they were still skeptical. HOUSE TEES UP 17 BILLS RELATED TO IRAN/ISRAEL FOR THIS WEEK Both Freedom Caucus Chair Bob Good, R-Va., and its policy chair, Chip Roy, R-Texas, suggested they were not optimistic that border security measures would ultimately be part of the deal, despite their demands. “I think that the border security component will come from the members,” Good told Fox News Digital. Good was also dissatisfied that the funding bills would not be offset by spending cuts elsewhere, as was the case with Johnson’s original $14 billion stand-alone Israel aid bill that passed the House in November. “We ought not to be borrowing to do any of these, and so some of us will absolutely make amendments to pay for this,” he said. And Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Ga., who has threatened to oust Johnson over his handling of government spending and foreign aid, trashed the plan after the meeting. “I just think it’s the wrong direction to go. Our border is the No. 1 policy issue that voters care about all across the country. And the Senate has not taken up … our border package that we sent over there; they’re just demanding that the House vote to fund Ukraine, vote to fund Taiwan and send more money to Israel, claiming that our military is running out of ammunition,” Greene said. “Well, you want to know something? If these people in there cared about our military, why don’t we do a separate bill to fund and rebuild our military with ammunition and supplies without having to fund a foreign war to do that?”
California sues beach city over voter ID law backed by majority of residents
California officials are suing the beachside city of Huntington Beach over a voter ID amendment it passed last month with support from a majority of residents. The lawsuit, from California Attorney General Rob Bonta and California Secretary of State Shirley N. Weber, challenges Huntington Beach’s voter ID law, Measure A, which amends the city’s charter to allow voter ID requirements by 2026. In their lawsuit, Bonta and Weber argued that the city’s voter ID law “unlawfully conflicts and is preempted by state law.” “The right to freely cast your vote is the foundation of our democracy and Huntington Beach’s voter ID policy flies in the face of this principle,” Bonta said in a statement. He argued that state elections already contain “robust voter ID requirements with strong protections to prevent voter fraud.” He said the new requirements would disproportionately burden “low-income voters, voters of color, young or elderly voters, and people with disabilities.” The City Council placed the voter ID measure on the March ballot after taking a series of hotly contested decisions on topics ranging from flag flying to the removal of books from the public library’s children’s section over concerns about the appropriateness of materials. The moves were initiated by a politically conservative council majority, which took office in 2022, and have drawn scores of residents on all sides of issues to city meetings. AG GARLAND PLEDGES TO FIGHT VOTER ID LAWS, ELECTION INTEGRITY MEASURES The measure — which would let the city require voter identification, increase in-person voting sites and monitor ballot drop boxes in local elections — won at the polls in March with 53%, county election data shows. City Attorney Michael Gates said the amendment approved by voters last month is “not only permissible” but backed by the state constitution. “The people of Huntington Beach have made their voices clear on this issue and the people’s decision on the March 5th ballot measures for election integrity is final,” Gates said in a statement “To that end, the City will vigorously uphold and defend the will of the people.” Bonta, a Democrat, said it was not immediately clear how the measure would be implemented. In California, voters can cast ballots in person and also by returning ballots to drop boxes or by mail. Fox News Digital has reached out to Bonta’s office and the Orange County Registrar of Voters for additional comment. Huntington Beach, dubbed “Surf City USA” and known for its scenic shoreline, has a history of sparring with state officials over the measures it can take under its city charter on topics ranging from immigration to housing. While Democrats outnumber Republicans in Orange County, the GOP is dominant in Huntington Beach with nearly 54,000 registered voters versus 41,000 Democrats, county data shows. The Associated Press contributed to this report.
GOP AGs put a major US bank on notice for alleged ‘de-banking’ of conservatives
Over a dozen Republican attorneys general are warning a major U.S. bank against alleged practices of “de-banking” certain customers because of their religious or political views. In a letter obtained exclusively by Fox News Digital, Kansas Attorney General Kris Kobach, along with 14 of his Republican colleagues told Bank of America CEO Brian T. Moynihan that the company “appears to be conditioning access to its services on customers having the bank’s preferred religious or political views.” “Your discriminatory behavior is a serious threat to free speech and religious freedom, is potentially illegal, and is causing political and regulatory backlash,” the letter sent Monday states. “Your bank needs to be transparent with and assure us, its shareholders, and others that it will not continue to de-bank customers for their speech or religious exercise,” the AGs wrote. Media relations representative, Bill Halldin, denied the claims in a statement saying, “Religious beliefs are not a factor in any account-closing decision.” CHRISTIAN NONPROFIT CLAIMS IT WAS ‘DEBANKED’ BY BANK OF AMERICA OVER ITS RELIGIOUS VIEWS “We are proud to provide banking services to non-profit organizations affiliated with diverse faith communities throughout the United States,” he said. The AGs claim that Bank of America has previously denied services to gun manufacturers, distributors, and sellers, fossil-fuel producers, contractors for U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and private prisons and related services. NIGEL FARAGE ON HIS EFFORTS TO EXPOSE ‘DE-BANKING’ The letter cites recent news reports that the bank cooperated with the FBI and U.S. Treasury to profile conservative and religious Americans as potential domestic terrorists. “Bank of America’s practice of canceling the bank accounts of conservatives and even turning over information about customer’s purchases to federal law enforcement undermines free speech, religious freedom, and the right to privacy,” Kobach told Fox News Digital. “It’s discriminatory and likely illegal. As state attorneys general, we will vigorously defend the constitutional rights of all Americans when they are threatened by big business.” WATCHDOG GROUP ACCUSES BANK OF AMERICA CEO OF USING BANK AS ‘POLITICAL CLUB’ AGAINST AMERICANS “Those agencies outrageously used innocuous information—such as whether someone shopped at outdoor stores, supported Trump, purchased religious texts, had conservative views on COVID-19 or immigration, or associated with groups like Alliance Defending Freedom, Family Research Council, and the Ruth Institute, which champion mainstream views on free speech, religious freedom, and life—to tar ordinary Americans as potential domestic terrorists,” the letter states. The letter also cites a report from the House Judiciary Subcommittee on Weaponization of the Federal Government which found that Bank of America “willingly participated in financial surveillance” and voluntarily shared confidential customer information without a warrant and without notifying its customers. “We are deeply concerned that Bank of America is willing to cooperate in the infringement of its customers’ constitutional and privacy rights to help federal law enforcement surveil and target millions of conservative Americans, many of whom live in our states,” the letter states. But Bank of America said that it “followed all applicable laws in our interactions with the Trump Administration’s Treasury Department and law enforcement. “ “These interactions began when the Trump Administration’s Treasury Department urgently gathered major banks and law enforcement on Jan. 15, 2021 and shared information regarding potential criminal activity that could disrupt the upcoming inauguration. We have cooperated with the committee as they evaluate whether the laws we complied with should be changed,” the company said. The AGs wrote that “as attorneys general of our respective states, we take great interest in protecting a culture of free speech within our borders,” noting that Bank of America is the second-largest bank in the country and have nearly 15% of all domestic deposits. “You appear to be using this power to punish conservative and religious customers by handing their data over to federal law enforcement and even canceling their accounts. This not only undermines free speech and religious freedom, but also is potentially illegal and could lead to investigations, litigation, regulation, and political backlash,” they wrote. The group of AGs, which include Mississippi, Idaho, Iowa, Alabama, Utah, Texas, Montana, Virginia, Arkansas, South Carolina, South Dakota, Indiana, Missouri and Nebraska, asked that within 30 days of receipt, the bank provides them with a written report about their account-cancellation policies and practices, particularly regarding “risk tolerance,” “reputational risk,” “hate,” “intolerance,” and similar terms, and whether Bank of America considers a customer’s speech or religious exercise — or public perception or other groups’ perception of them — as a component of those policies. They also asked that the bank update its terms of service to state that it does not discriminate against customers for their religious or political views or speech, and support shareholder proposals protecting religious and political diversity.
Federal judge fines Texas child welfare agency $100K per day for foster care failures
It is the third time the Texas Department of Family and Protective Services, which manages the state’s foster care system, has been found in contempt since 2011.
Maine joins interstate popular vote compact
Maine will become the latest to join a multistate effort to elect the president by popular vote with the Democratic governor’s announcement Monday that she’s letting the proposal become law without her signature. Under the proposed compact, each state would allocate all its electoral votes to whoever wins the national popular vote for president, regardless of how individual states voted in an election. Gov. Janet Mills said she understands that there are different facets to the debate. Opponents point out that the role of small states like Maine could be diminished if the electoral college ends, while proponents point out that two of the last four presidents have been elected through the electoral college system despite losing the national popular vote. GOVERNOR KILLS MAINE PROPOSAL TO END ‘THREE STRIKES’ LAW FOR PETTY THEFT Without a ranked voting system, Mills said she believes “the person who wins the most votes should become the president. To do otherwise seemingly runs counter to the democratic foundations of our country.” “Still, recognizing that there is merit to both sides of the argument, and recognizing that this measure has been the subject of public discussion several times before in Maine, I would like this important nationwide debate to continue and so I will allow this bill to become law without my signature,” the governor said in a statement. The National Popular Vote Interstate Compact is on hold for now — and won’t play a role in the upcoming November election. The compact would take effect only if supporters secure pledges of states with at least 270 electoral votes. Sixteen states and Washington, D.C. have joined the compact and Maine’s addition would bring the total to 209, the governor said. Other hurdles include questions of whether congressional approval is necessary to implement the compact. In Maine, one of only two states to split their electoral votes under the current system, the debate in the m fell along partisan lines with Republican united in opposition. Maine awards two of its four electoral votes to the statewide presidential winner along with one apiece for the winner of each congressional district. In 2016, the state split its electoral votes for the first time when Republican Donald Trump won a single electoral vote in the northern, conservative 2nd Congressional District. Trump collected an electoral vote again in his failed presidential bid in 2020.