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See destruction inside Ukraine power plant after Russian attack

See destruction inside Ukraine power plant after Russian attack

NewsFeed Missile attacks have left major Ukrainian power plants in ruins after Russia targeted key energy infrastructure sites on the same day. Al Jazeera’s Charles Stratford has been inside one of the plants, in Kharkiv. Published On 12 Apr 202412 Apr 2024 Adblock test (Why?)

Trump raises millions in ritzy Atlanta neighborhood that wants to secede over violent crime

Trump raises millions in ritzy Atlanta neighborhood that wants to secede over violent crime

Former President Donald Trump pulled in millions at a fundraiser in a swanky neighborhood of Atlanta that has for years railed against the Democrat-led city’s spiraling crime rate and lack of support for the police – even working to secede from the city altogether over the policies.  “Our digital online fundraising continues to skyrocket, our major donor investments are climbing, and Democrats are running scared of the fundraising prowess of President Trump. We are not only raising the necessary funds, but we are deploying strategic assets that will help send President Trump back to the White House and carry Republicans over the finish line,” Trump campaign communications director Steven Cheung told Fox News Digital of fundraising efforts this week.  Trump attended a fundraiser Wednesday afternoon in Buckhead, a wealthy commercial and residential district in Atlanta, where local leaders joined the 45th president, including: former Sens. Kelly Loeffler and David Perdue, as well as the co-founder of Home Depot, Bernie Marcus, and poultry industry tycoon Tommy Bagwell, Fox 5 reported.  Trump pulled in more than $15 million on Wednesday, from both the Buckhead event and another fundraiser in Orlando, a campaign official said. Guests in Buckhead spent at least $6,600 per couple, and as much as $250,000 if they wished to be part of the event’s welcoming committee, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reported.  TRUMP COULD HAUL IN MASSIVE AMOUNT OF CAMPAIGN CASH DURING ATLANTA, ORLANDO FUNDRAISING SWING: WHAT TO KNOW The Buckhead fundraiser comes after Trump has repeatedly hammered a return of law and order policies across the nation if he’s re-elected come Nov. 5. For Buckhead residents, spiraling crime rates have been a hot-button issue they have not taken lightly.  Dubbed the “Beverly Hills of the South,” residents of the Atlanta district tried to secede from the city back in 2021 through last year, as violent crimes such as homicides continued an upward trend, as well as when vehicle thefts and shoplifting spiked. The wealthy district has a median household income of $109,774, with residents accounting for roughly one-fifth of Atlanta’s total population, according to the district’s website. Bloomberg calculated last year that the district produces about 38% of Atlanta’s tax revenue, meaning a secession likely would have been financially devastating for the city.  TRUMP ATTENDS SLAIN NYPD OFFICER JONATHAN DILLER’S WAKE: ‘NEED LAW AND ORDER’ Residents railed that city leaders weren’t properly handling crime as taxpayers paid the price.  “We are really feeling like this is a war zone, and I don’t say that lightly, especially given what you experienced in a war zone,” Buckhead City Committee CEO Bill White told “Fox & Friends First” back in 2022. “This is murder and mayhem… We are dealing with a mayor who voted to defund the police.” Atlanta recorded a 30-year record high in homicides in 2021, at 158 deaths, while reports of rape skyrocketed by 236% in the first few months of 2022 compared to the same time period the year prior, motor vehicle thefts shot up by 61% in 2023 and shoplifting increased by 22% last year. Violent crimes in the city have since ticked down, but just this week, police in Atlanta announced they were investigating a shooting outside a Buckhead furniture store that left a man in critical condition, Fox 5 reported.  Violent crimes skyrocketed across the nation in 2020, when the pandemic’s lockdowns upended day-to-day life, and protests and riots spread across the nation following the death of George Floyd at the hands of police. Activists and left-wing politicians echoed calls to defund the police in response to Floyd’s killing, including in Atlanta where the mayor at the time championed that the city had already been working on plans “reallocating” policing funds to c​​ommunity-based initiatives.  GEORGIA GOV. KEMP DEALS BLOW TO BUCKHEAD SUBURB TRYING TO SECEDE FROM ATLANTA OVER VIOLENT CRIME Experts who have previously spoken to Fox Digital have pinned blame on 2020’s crime trend in part on anti-police rhetoric that washed over the nation, spurring mass resignations and early retirements from the force, as well as cops pulling back from proactively policing.  “It’s obvious that police officers do not want to come work for a mayor or a city that does not back them, so Buckhead wants to take things into its own hands,” White said during the “Fox & Friends” interview in 2022.  “We’re short 180 police officers, so what are we supposed to do?” White continued. “They said this has never been done taking a part of a city out and making its own city from that, but we’re going to do it, and we’re going to absolutely love our police.”  TRUMP CAMPAIGN RAISES MORE THAN $50 MILLION AT FLORIDA FUNDRAISER: ‘HISTORIC’ HAUL The effort to secede received support from some local Republican leaders, and notably received Trump’s backing, who railed against “RINO” politicians who did not come to the aid of residents demanding assistance with crime trends.  “What is happening in the City of Atlanta is nothing short of disgraceful. It’s national news and a regional embarrassment. The good people of Buckhead don’t want to be a part of defunding the police and the high crime that’s plaguing their communities,” Trump wrote in February of 2022. “However, RINOs like Governor Brian Kemp, the man responsible, along with his puppet master Mitch McConnell, for the loss of two Senate Seats and 2020 Presidential Vote, Lt. Governor Jeff Duncan, Speaker David Ralston, and State Senators Butch Miller, Jeff Mullis, and John Albers always talk a big game but they don’t deliver.  “What good is having Republican leaders if they are unwilling to fight for what they campaigned on? Every RINO must go! Let the voters decide on the very popular City of Buckhead proposal!” The effort to secede ultimately failed in the state Senate last year, when all Democrats and a handful of Republicans delivered the blow with a 33-23 vote.  This year, Trump has continued hammering the issue of crime trends and public safety, including in New York last month, when he

Critics warn schools are skirting Texas DEI ban after university shuffles DEI officials to other departments

Critics warn schools are skirting Texas DEI ban after university shuffles DEI officials to other departments

Texas A&M University responded to a state law banning diversity, equity and inclusion on college campuses by giving the department head a raise before reassigning her and other employees to other departments. It sparked concerns schools are attempting to further “embed” the controversial practice at Texas universities despite the law. Texas Gov. Greg Abbott signed a law banning DEI on college campuses in June 2023. In the months that followed, documents obtained by Fox News Digital show Texas A&M reassigned several DEI employees to other departments, including the vice president of the program, who received a 10% raise, a new position and a nine-month paid leave. A document obtained through a FOIA request showed that, in August 2023, Annie McGowan, vice president for diversity, was given “a 5% salary increase in recognition of your performance” and “to address equity issues you will receive an additional 5%.” The post-DEI bill moves have raised concerns that universities in Texas are reshuffling DEI officials while still encouraging them to continue their efforts through other positions. TEXAS UNIVERSITY TAKES HEAT FOR CLEARING DEI OFFICES: ‘THE CRUELTY IS STUNNING’ “The leadership at Texas A&M are doubling down on their fealty to DEI ideology instead of directing resources to programs that promote academic excellence,” Dr. Stanley Goldfarb, chairman of Do No Harm, told Fox News Digital. “Giving the former DEI head a raise explicitly on the basis of so-called equity and redistributing staff in the disbanded DEI department to other administrative jobs is an attempt to embed DEI into every department, blatantly ignoring the Texas law passed to ban such practices. This ideology is corrosive to the mission of and trust in our institutions of higher education. It must end.”  Texas A&M has suggested since the passage of the bill it is still focused on incorporating DEI principles through its faculty. “Just to be clear, at Texas A&M, we will continue to maintain a welcoming environment for all, and we will continue to appreciate, respect and harness the unique perspectives each of you bring to this institution,” Texas A&M President Mark A. Welsh wrote in September 2023. TEXAS UNIVERSITY CLEARS DEI OFFICES, LAYS OFF EMPLOYEES IN LIGHT OF NEW STATE LAW: REPORT “Diversity of thought is a cornerstone of great universities, and, quite frankly, it’s a key ingredient to our continued success. Implementation of S.B. 17 will not change that.” Several other universities have indicated they continue promoting DEI principles despite the law, The Federalist reported earlier this year. Texas universities began laying off employees from DEI departments in response to the bill, and Republican State Sen. Brandon Creighton, who wrote the bill, recently warned state colleges should take the legislation “very seriously” and not try to skirt it with sneaky workarounds or they will face financial penalties.  HOUSE REPUBLICANS MOVE TO TERMINATE ‘ROTTEN’ DEI PROGRAMS IN FEDERAL GOVERNMENT “I have extraordinary concerns that universities in Texas are doing everything they can to skirt our new law and continue promoting leftist divisive DEI at the taxpayers’ expense but just under a new name,” Republican Texas State Rep. Brian Harrison told Fox News Digital.  A Texas A&M University spokesperson told Fox News Digital 5% of the raise for McGowan was a “standard merit increase for her work over the previous year” and the other 5% was “a salary adjustment granted by the former president to ensure fairness and parity relative to her peers within the school where she teaches.” The spokesperson said the pay bumps were not related to DEI practices. The spokesperson added the university is “dedicated to upholding the law. Last year, we implemented a comprehensive framework of measures and protocols to ensure we meet those legal obligations effectively and responsibility. “We appreciate the opportunity to clarify this misconception because it is not accurate whatsoever,” the spokesperson said. “Texas A&M is following the new laws. DEI-related job duties have been eliminated across the university. As we continue to evolve and adapt to meet the needs of our student body, our commitment to academic excellence at Texas A&M will remain at the forefront of everything we do. “Texas A&M’s Office for Diversity had eight positions, all of which were eliminated, along with programs and initiatives prior to Jan. 1, 2024, which is when S.B. 17 went into effect,” the spokesperson continued. “The university was able to identify open positions that aligned with each person’s skill set. Six of the eight took A&M up on the offer to move into a new job on campus, while the other two decided to leave. “A couple dozen positions university-wide carried varying DEI-related responsibilities, with none exceeding 25% of their overall duties. The Human Resources & Organizational Effectiveness group collaborated with supervisors to remove all DEI-related duties and create new responsibilities for those employees.” Harrison told Fox News Digital Republican lawmakers in Texas are working to make sure universities are not able to skirt the anti-DEI law. “We have all these leftist Marxist professors, and I want to get rid of them,” Harrison told Fox News Digital. “Because I don’t want my constituents being forced to pay for that. If anyone wants to go study this leftist garbage, they can do that. But my constituents are not going to pay for that, over my dead body.”