Trump considering ‘loan’ system for future Ukraine aid
Former President Donald Trump is considering a “loan” system for future Ukraine aid if he becomes president. Trump mentioned the proposed form of funding during his meeting with House Speaker Mike Johnson on Friday. “We’re looking at it right now, and they’re talking about it, and we’re thinking about making it in the form of a loan instead of just a gift,” he said during the media event at his Mar-a-Lago home in Florida. ZELENSKYY BLASTS ALLIES WHO TURN ‘BLIND EYE’ TO UKRAINE STRUGGLES AS AMMUNITION DWINDLES, RUSSIA ADVANCES He added, “We keep handing out gifts of billions and billions of dollars, and we’ll take a look at it.” Trump has been highly critical of the United States’ financial support to Ukraine, claiming that money has been spent without clear improvement in the conflict. It’s not the first time Trump has floated the loan idea — he once expressed such a format for aid via a message on his propietary social media website Truth Social. PUTIN MOCKS PLANNED UKRAINE CONFERENCE AND SAYS RUSSIA WON’T ACCEPT ANY ENFORCED PEACE PLANS In that message, the former president insisted that the repayment of the loan would come with zero interest and would not be demanded unless Ukraine “strikes it rich sometime in the future.” Trump also reiterated on Friday a complaint made since the beginning of the conflict, asserting that European countries should be paying more to defend Ukraine due to their immediate interest in its existence between themselves and Russia. “But much more importantly to me is the fact that Europe has to step up, and they have to give money,” Trump said at the Mar-a-Lago event. He added, “They have to equalize. If they don’t equalize I’m very upset about it, because they’re affected much more than we are.” The joint conference with Johnson was centered on “election integrity” and served to solidify support around the speaker as his support among some GOP lawmakers has wavered. Trump allies in the House have become the most fierce opponents to continued financial aid for Ukraine, insisting that foreign wars have no relevance to the U.S. and do not warrant intervention.
Trump set to host rally in Biden’s home state ahead of hush money trial
Former President Donald Trump is set to hold a rally in President Joe Biden’s home state of Pennsylvania on Saturday, days before the former President is to sit for the start of his hush money trial in New York City. The ex-president and 2024 White House presidential candidate is scheduled to speak at the Schnecksville Fire Hall in Lehigh County with plans to also attend a fundraiser in nearby Bucks County. This will be Trump’s third visit to the state this year ahead of the 2024 elections in November. Trump previously flipped Pennsylvania in 2016 but later lost the state to Biden in 2020, who was born in the northeast city of Scranton and often speaks about his Pennsylvania roots. TRUMP DEFENSE CHALLENGES JURY SELECTION IN CRIMINAL HUSH MONEY TRIAL Biden is set to deliver remarks in Scranton on Tuesday on taxes, his campaign announced on Friday. His speech is scheduled a day after Tax Day on April 15, in the hopes that it will “drive home a simple question: ‘Do you think the tax code should work for rich people or for the middle class?’ The President has made it clear what he thinks the answer is, and so has Donald Trump.” Fox News Digital reached out to the White House and the Trump campaign for additional comment. On Friday, Trump said he would be testifying at his upcoming hush money trial in New York City during a press conference at Mar-a-Lago. The former President appeared alongside Speaker Mike Johnson, R-Fla., who was in Palm Beach to roll out a legislative package aimed at bolstering election integrity. TRUMP MEETS EVERYDAY AMERICANS AT CHICK-FIL-A WHILE BIDEN FINE DINES WITH CLINTONS, BILLIONAIRES IN DC The announcement came on the same day the judge overseeing the case rejected a last-ditch attempt from Trump’s legal team to delay the trial. “I’m testifying. I tell the truth. I mean, all I can do is tell the truth,” Trump told reporters. “And the truth is, that there’s no case.” Trump also called his trial a “scam” and a “witch hunt” when asked if he planned to testify. The trial is connected to allegations that the former President falsified business records to cover up a payment to adult film star Stormy Daniels during the 2016 election. It is the first trial of the election year, with Trump previously pleading not guilty to all counts. Fox News’ Elizabeth Elkind, Brooke Singman, and The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Russia-Ukraine war: List of key events, day 779
As the war enters its 779th day, these are the main developments. Here is the situation on Saturday, April 13, 2024. Fighting The commander-in-chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, Colonel General Oleksandr Syrskii, said the situation on the eastern front “has deteriorated significantly in recent days” in the face of a heightened Russian offensive. Ukraine has said the situation around the eastern front-line city of Chasiv Yar is “difficult and tense” with the area under “constant fire”. It lies 20km (12 miles) west of Bakhmut, which was flattened by months of artillery fire before it was captured by Russia last May. Six people, including a child, have been killed after Ukrainian troops shelled Russian-controlled Zaporizhzhia, a southern region of Ukraine. Vladimir Rogov, a Russia-installed official, said 20 people were injured in the strike. Politics and diplomacy An aborted 2022 peace deal between Russia and Ukraine could be the basis for new negotiations but there is no sign that Kyiv is ready for talks, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov has said. Russian President Vladimir Putin has repeatedly said that Russia and Ukraine were on the verge of agreeing to a deal to end hostilities at talks in Istanbul in April 2022, but that Ukraine backed away from it once Russian troops fell back from near the Ukrainian capital. The United States and the United Kingdom have imposed new sanctions prohibiting metal-trading exchanges from accepting new aluminium, copper and nickel produced by Russia, which is one of the world’s major producers of such minerals. The US has accused China of backing Russia’s war effort in Ukraine by helping Moscow in its biggest military buildup since the Soviet era, providing drone and missile technology, satellite imagery and machine tools. Unnamed senior US officials said US President Joe Biden reportedly raised the issue during his recent phone call with Chinese leader Xi Jinping. Prosecutors in Belgium are investigating suspected Russian interference in the upcoming European Parliament elections with the goal of affecting Ukraine policy, Prime Minister Alexander De Croo has said. Russia has summoned French Ambassador Pierre Levy over French Foreign Minister Stephane Sejourne’s “unacceptable” comments on the Kremlin. Sejourne was quoted as saying this week that France had no interest in talking to the Kremlin, a few days after a telephone conversation between the two nations’ defence ministers ended in an argument. Military Ukrainian fighter pilots likely to fly US F-16 aircraft are receiving their initial training with France’s air force, French Defence Minister Sebastien Lecornu told the newspaper Ouest-France. Other countries including the Netherlands, Denmark and Romania are seeking to help Ukraine train its F-16 pilots after the United States gave the go-ahead. Russia’s Ministry of Defence says Moscow had conducted a successful test launch of an intercontinental ballistic missile at the Kapustin Yar rocket launch complex in the southern Astrakhan region. Adblock test (Why?)
Genocide in Gaza: Enabled by AI, powered by Big Tech
Artificial intelligence has unleashed terror in the killing fields of Gaza. The algorithms that Big Tech designed – and the genocide they assisted. The Listening Post explores how Israel’s killing campaign of Palestinians has relied on artificial intelligence to choose its targets. A dystopian nightmare serves as a marketing campaign for technology flawed by design, and deepens the global digital divide. Contributors:Sophia Goodfriend – Researcher, Duke UniversityMona Shtaya – Digital rights scholarMatthew Mahmoudi – Researcher, Amnesty TechSebastian Ben Daniel – Journalist, +972 Magazine On our radar: Nicaragua put Germany in the dock at the International Court of Justice, accusing it of facilitating genocide in Gaza. Germany is the second largest weapons supplier to Israel. Meenakshi Ravi dissects the reaction from Berlin and the German media to the case. Truth to power in wartime Ukraine Three years into Ukraine’s war with Russia, journalists are feeling the pressure. Where once investigative outlet Bihus.info was relied on to expose Russian war crimes, they’re now undergoing Soviet-style surveillance by security services for exposing corruption in Ukraine. Featuring:Yaroslav Yurchyshyn – Ukrainian Member of Parliament and chair, Freedom of Speech CommitteeNatalia Ligachova – Editor-in-Chief, Detector MediaMaria Zemlyanska – Investigative journalist, Bihus.InfoDenys Bihus – Founder, Bihus.Info Adblock test (Why?)
Israel’s war on Gaza: List of key events, day 190
Fears of a wider regional conflict intensify as the Israel military and Lebanon’s Hezbollah escalate attacks. Here’s how things stand on Saturday, April 13, 2024: Bombardments and fighting Dozens of Israeli air strikes have hit central Gaza, including in the area of Deir el-Balah, with several casualties reported. Israel’s military said its aircraft struck more than 60 targets in Gaza over the previous day. Authorities in the enclave said at least 25 people were taken to hospital after a house was hit. Five Palestinians have been killed and more than 30 injured overnight after the Israeli army bombed a residential building in the Zarqa area of central Gaza City, according to Gaza civil defence. Five Palestinians were injured overnight in an Israeli settlers’ attack in a village northeast of Ramallah in the occupied West Bank, a day after an attack killed a 25-year-old Palestinian man and injured 25 people. (Al Jazeera) Politics and diplomacy Ireland, Spain and other countries are getting “much closer” to recognising a Palestinian state, Irish prime minister Simon Harris said as he met his Spanish counterpart, Pedro Sanchez. The comments came just hours after Norway announced during a visit by Sanchez that it, too, was ready to recognise a Palestinian state. Senior Hamas leader Khaled Meshaal has promised to “break the enemy soon”, as he attended an event to mourn members of Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh’s family killed in an Israeli air strike. Referring to the six-month-old war, Meshaal said, “This is not the final round” in the path to a free Palestine. Regional tensions Lebanon’s Hezbollah said it fired “dozens of rockets” at Israeli artillery positions in response to the Israeli military’s strikes in southern Lebanon, in one of its largest assaults since the start of the war on Gaza. The Israeli army said “approximately 40 launches were identified crossing from Lebanese territory”, but there were no reports of casualties. In response, the Israeli army said it hit a Hezbollah military compound in southern Lebanon. The United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) said a vessel has been seized by “regional authorities” 50 nautical miles (92km) northeast of the United Arab Emirates’s Fujairah. UKMTO did not say which authorities it was referring to. The commander of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps’ (IRGC) navy had warned this week that Israel’s presence in the UAE was viewed as a threat by Iran, adding that it could close the Strait of Hormuz if necessary. Iranian state media reported that the IRGC’s navy had detained the container ship. The United States has moved warships into position to protect not only Israel but its own forces in the Middle East amid growing concern that Iran might launch a direct attack on Israel in response to an attack on its consulate in Syria, according to The Wall Street Journal. Italy’s Minister of Foreign Affairs Antonio Tajani has spoken by telephone with his Iranian counterpart, Hossein Amirabdollahian, urging restraint amid fears of an attack on Israel from Tehran. He said the world “cannot risk escalation” and urged all regional actors to “show responsibility”. Australian airline Qantas has announced it would redirect its long-haul flights between Perth and London to avoid Iran’s airspace amid soaring Middle East tensions. Earlier, German airline Lufthansa said its planes would no longer use Iranian airspace as it extended a suspension on flights to and from Tehran. Adblock test (Why?)
Centre orders e-commerce websites to remove Bournvita from ‘health drink’ category
The Ministry of Commerce and Industry has directed e-commerce companies to remove drinks like Bournvita from the ‘health drinks’ section on their platforms.
Dindigul Tamil Nadu Lok Sabha Election 2024: Check polling date, candidates list, past election results
The counting and announcement of results for the Dindigul Lok Sabha Constituency Election 2024 will take place on June 4.
Jorhat Lok Sabha Elections 2024: Check key candidates, date of voting and other important details
In the past, the Congress was the dominating party on this seat. But lately, the BJP has been doing better on this crucial Assam seat.
‘Inhuman’: AAP’s Sanjay Singh claims Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal not being allowed to meet family in Tihar jail
Sanjay Singh mentioned the ‘inhuman behaviour’ that has been carried out with Kejriwa
Biden resists pulling controversial judicial nominee Adeel Mangi despite Democrat defectors
The White House is not taking any cues from Republicans who have advised President Biden to withdraw a controversial judicial nomination. Instead, it’s digging in its heels to lobby Democratic senators to support Adeel Mangi for the 3rd Circuit Court of Appeals. A White House official updated Fox News Digital on the status of Mangi’s nomination, which has been scrutinized over his ties to two groups, one accused of antisemitism and another that has supported “cop killers,” as Republican critics have alleged. Biden is not considering withdrawing the judicial nomination despite a call from Senate Judiciary Committee Ranking Member Lindsey Graham, R-S.C. BIDEN HAD SIMILAR LEGAL AID ARRANGEMENT HE SLAMMED TRUMP OVER Mangi served on the board of advisers for the Rutgers University Center for Security, Race and Rights (CSRR) from 2019 to 2023. The center has been accused by Republicans of antisemitism due to its sponsored events and speakers. One such event was held on the 20th anniversary of the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks and featured controversial speakers like Hatem Bazian, who in 2004 called for an “intifada,” according to video from an anti-war protest in San Francisco, and Sami Al-Arian. In 2006, Al-Arian pleaded guilty to “conspiring to provide services to the Palestinian Islamic Jihad,” according to the Justice Department. SEN. ERNST CITES JEWISH STUDENT DISCRIMINATION IN BID TO PROTECT FREE SPEECH ON CAMPUSES Noura Erakat, who had previously been advertised as a panelist for a separate event alongside Hamas commander Ghazi Hamad, was also hosted at a CSRR event. The Alliance of Families for Justice (AFJ), whose founding board member, Kathy Boudin, pleaded guilty to the felony murder of two police officers in 1981 after they died following an armored truck robbery, features Mangi as a current advisory board member. The robbery was carried out by Boudin’s group, the Weather Underground Organization, which was recognized as a domestic terrorist organization by the FBI. Neither the CSRR nor AFJ provided comments to Fox News Digital. As pressure has been applied by Republican lawmakers and an ad campaign from Judicial Crisis Network targets vulnerable Senate Democrats, Biden’s nominee has begun to lose support from his party. Senators Catherine Cortez Masto, D-Nev., and Jacky Rosen, D-Nev., have come out publicly against Mangi, citing his AFJ affiliation. Sen. Joe Manchin, D-W.Va., has also complicated the nomination by claiming he won’t support anyone who can’t garner at least one Republican supporter. ‘EXPECT NPR TO SUFFER’ UNDER GOP ADMIN: REPUBLICANS RENEW CALL TO DEFUND OUTLET AMID BIAS SCANDAL “The opposition to Adeel Mangi — in and outside the Senate — is growing by the day,” a spokesperson for the Senate Judiciary Republicans told Fox News Digital in a statement. “It’s clear the math is not there for the White House,” the statement added, calling Biden’s decision not to withdraw Mangi’s nomination “puzzling indeed.” White House spokesperson Andrew Bates pushed back in a statement to Fox News Digital. “President Biden is proud to have chosen Adeel Mangi,” he said, calling Mangi “an extraordinarily qualified nominee” and noting he “would make history on the bench” as the first Muslim in such a position. “The Senate Judiciary Committee has approved Mr. Mangi’s nomination, and the rest of the Senate should side with what makes America the greatest nation on Earth and support him, not cave to vicious, undignified attempts to drag America into the past,” Bates added. White House chief of staff Jeff Zients, White House Director of Legislative Affairs Shuwanza Goff, Deputy Assistant to the President and Deputy Director of the Office of Legislative Affairs Ali Nouri, White House Counsel Ed Siskel and White House senior counsel in charge of nominations Phil Brest, continue to press senators to support Mangi, who would be the first Muslim federal appellate court judge, a White House official revealed. MORE THAN 40 SENATE REPUBLICANS CALL FOR MAYORKAS IMPEACHMENT TRIAL IN LETTER TO SCHUMER Through these officials, the White House is persisting and pushing back on the concerns over Mangi’s two group affiliations in question, telling senators they are false and a smear campaign. They are also reiterating to lawmakers that the nominee is qualified for the role. Senate Judiciary Chariman Dick Durbin, D-Ill., will also keep up pressure on his colleagues to support Mangi and dismiss what he also considers to be a smear campaign. “The treatment of this nominee before the Senate Judiciary Committee has reached a new low in many ways,” he said in a recent speech on the chamber floor, insinuating Mangi’s status as a Muslim is the reason for opposition to his confirmation. If Biden does not withdraw Mangi’s nomination and it is not scheduled for a confirmation vote in 2024, the nomination will expire on its own. In this case, he would need to be nominated again in the next Congress. The nomination has not yet been scheduled for a vote by Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., who has noted his own support for Mangi but hasn’t given any indication whether he plans to schedule a vote. Republican strategist Ron Bonjean, a former spokesman to Senate Majority Leader Trent Lott and former chief of staff of the Senate Republican Conference, said it was “unlikely” Mangi’s nomination survives a Senate confirmation. “The White House has not put up an aggressive defense of Mangi, which is really sending my message that he should withdraw [on] his own,” said Bonjean, who also ran communications for the Senate confirmation of Supreme Court Justice Neil Gorsuch. “Unless the Biden administration changes its strategy, the Mangi nomination is dead in the water.” Mangi did not provide comment to Fox News Digital.