Israeli attack kills three sons of Hamas political leader Ismail Haniyeh
NewsFeed The Israeli military has confirmed it killed three sons of Hamas political leader Ismail Haniyeh, who says three of his grandchildren were also killed in the air attack which happened on the first day of Eid al-Fitr. Haniyeh has told Al Jazeera that Palestinian leaders will not back down if their families are targeted by the Israeli army, and that the killings will not affect Hamas’s demands in negotiations for a ceasefire. Published On 10 Apr 202410 Apr 2024 Adblock test (Why?)
Trump rips Biden on key issue impacting voters after damaging report: ‘Totally lost control’
An unexpected bump up in inflation is giving former President Trump more ammunition to fire at President Biden as the two face off in their 2024 election rematch. After the Labor Department reported on Wednesday that the consumer price index – a broad measure of the cost of everyday goods such as gas and groceries, as well as rent – rose 0.4% in March, Trump took aim at Biden. “INFLATION is BACK—and RAGING!,” the former president emphasized in a post on his social media platform. And speaking with reporters an hour later as he arrived in Atlanta, Georgia, for the first of two campaign fundraising events, Trump argued, “Biden has totally lost control of inflation. It’s back. It’s raging back.” WHY INFLATION IS ACCELERATING HIGHER THAN EXPECTED The consumer price index was higher than the 0.3% many economists had expected. Gas, rent, and car insurance helped push the overall inflation numbers higher. The monthly rate nudged the year-over-year increase in inflation to 3.5%, which was also slightly over expectations. The index has ticked higher than anticipated nearly every month since last autumn, which is unwelcome news for the president as he runs for re-election. WHAT BATTLEGROUND STATE VOTERS TOLD FOX NEWS ABOUT THE ECONOMY Economic growth – as measured by the gross domestic product – has been steady during Biden’s tenure in the White House and new jobs have soared, keeping unemployment low. But high prices have wounded the president politically and prevented Biden from getting much credit for the economy, which is a top issue on the minds of American voters. While recent public opinion polling indicated that consumer confidence was beginning to build, the president’s approval rating on handling the economy remains well underwater. And surveys have also indicated that many Americans have a fond memory of economic conditions during the Trump presidency. “I’m calling on corporations, including grocery retailers, to use record profits to reduce prices,” the president said in a statement following the inflation report’s release. “Congressional Republicans want to slash taxes for billionaires and big corporations, while helping special interests and Big Pharma raise prices. I won’t let them,” Biden emphasized. The president has repeatedly blamed large corporations and congressional Republicans for the continued high prices. The stock markets didn’t appreciate the inflation report, and the major indexes were all down. Analysts predicted that the news would also delay any move by the Federal Reserve to cut interest rates. Get the latest updates from the 2024 campaign trail, exclusive interviews and more at our Fox News Digital election hub
Intel community scrambling to defend contentious spy tool as lawmakers decry ‘mass surveillance’
EXCLUSIVE: Amid a congressional stalemate, the U.S. intelligence community is straining to spotlight the critical nature of Section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act without providing so much public detail that its targets adapt — while also fighting widespread misunderstandings about the law within Congress. “In trying to describe the value, you also provide to your adversary, whoever they are, a sense of how you’re using the authority,” Christine Abizaid, director of the National Counterterrorism Center told FOX in an exclusive interview. “That’s why it’s so painful to get meaningful examples from us.” Section 702 allows warrantless surveillance of foreigners outside the U.S. — people who are not protected by the Fourth Amendment. American citizens and people within the United States cannot be targeted under the authority, but if they happen to be on the other end of talks with a known foreign terrorist target, their electronic communications may be swept up. However, to take further investigative steps against a U.S. person requires a warrant under existing law. The contentious spy authority is credited with foiling multiple terror plots on U.S. soil, mitigating cyberattacks on critical U.S. infrastructure, and stopping weapons of mass destruction from reaching foreign actors. Recent examples include the response to the 2021 Colonial Pipeline cyberattack and the 2022 Kabul drone strike which killed the last remaining 9/11 architect, Ayman al-Zawahri. HOUSE SINKS JOHNSON-BACKED FISA RENEWAL AFTER TRUMP PUSH But significant past abuses of the program, which preceded current reforms, spurred critics to malign Section 702 as a vehicle for spying on U.S. citizens. Since the FBI implemented a series of changes in 2021 and 2022, queries of U.S. persons have dropped by 93%. The tool has also been conflated with a different section of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act — FISA Title 1 — which exists as permanent law and is not subject to renewal but became a political target after it was used to improperly surveil Trump campaign associate Carter Page in 2016. On Wednesday, House republicans derailed Speaker Mike Johnson’s effort to renew the legislation after former President Trump confused Section 702 with FISA Title 1, directing lawmakers to tank the bill on Truth Social. “KILL FISA, IT WAS ILLEGALLY USED AGAINST ME, AND MANY OTHERS. THEY SPIED ON MY CAMPAIGN!!!” he wrote. In 2018, when Trump reauthorized Section 702, he tweeted, “Just signed 702 Bill to reauthorize foreign intelligence collection. This is NOT the same FISA law that was so wrongly abused during the election.” The difficult education campaign surrounding Section 702 — now underway by the White House, national security officials, and bipartisan congressional defense hawks — was hastened by a House GOP proposal conditioning more reforms already built into the renewal package following months of negotiations, with an additional amendment imposing a ‘secondary’ warrant requirement. Intelligence analysts would need to clear the new threshold before combing through lawfully collected data already in the U.S. government’s possession. The proposed change would significantly delay any U.S. counterterrorism response, effectively rendering the tool useless, according to national security officials. CONSERVATIVES THREATEN TO SINK FISA RENEWAL AS HOUSE REPUBLICANS BATTLE OVER FEDERAL SURVEILLANCE TOOL “This would be as if, once you’ve already obtained the book, you had to go back to a federal judge to turn and look at one more page,” Josh Geltzer, deputy counsel to the president and legal advisor to the National Security Council, told FOX. “One wants to know if these targets of 702 collection have been in touch with some Americans because they are trying to kill that American, because they are trying to recruit that American as a spy, or because that American is actually a company that they’re about to hack.” The political challenge was on full display as lawmakers returned to Congress this week. Rep. Warren Davidson, R-Ohio, handed out flyers to colleagues imploring support for the amendment. The flyers read, “Dear colleague: This week, we have an opportunity to make a clear statement to the American people: Congress supports your rights. The days of unconstitutional mass surveillance and SPYING on American citizens must end now. Please show your support for the 4th Amendment by wearing this pin.” The White House is now making its private opposition to the proposal public. “Some of these plots were a couple years in the making when we discovered them… speed is of the essence,” NCTC Director Abizaid said. “When you think about the way that a threat presents today, how reliant it is on us building out a picture of a network, tying individuals to each other — the ability to do that network analysis, figure out where the nodes of vulnerability are, where the high value targets reside, the best way to get at them — Section 702 is a key piece.” JOHNSON BUCKS GOP PRIVACY HAWKS IN CLOSED LAWMAKER MEETING ON SPY TOOL RENEWAL Since the previous renewal under former President Trump, congressional turnover has contributed to widespread misunderstanding about the law, leading to a recent alliance between progressive Democrats and strongly conservative House Republicans. For months, national security officials have been trying to stave off support for unworkable changes by detailing recent intelligence operations in which Section 702 has been used, lobbying lawmakers in classified settings. Abizaid told FOX that Section 702 is critical to current U.S. defenses against a range of ongoing threats — from fentanyl smuggling operations at the U.S. southern border, to malign activities by North Korea and China, to underground threats from al-Qaida and ISIS across the globe. “In the post-October 7th environment, that sort of diffuse array of Al-Qaeda and ISIS threats is layered on top of a pretty aggressive Iranian strategic threat,” she said. “When you think about the volumes that we’re concerned about just from a pure immigration standpoint on the southern border, making sure we have all the available intelligence to know who’s coming in at any given time and that we can stop them if we know they are bad, 702 is going to be a piece of
Dausa constituency Rajasthan Lok Sabha Election 2024: Check polling date, candidates list, past election results
The Dausa seat comprises 8 Assembly segments: Bassi, Chaksu, Thanagazi, Bandikui, Mahuwa, Sikrai, Dausa, and Lalsot.
House sinks Johnson-backed FISA renewal after Trump push
A small group of House GOP privacy hawks have blocked the House of Representatives from advancing a Speaker Mike Johnson-backed bill to renew a controversial federal government surveillance tool known as Section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA). It comes hours after former President Trump posted on Truth Social, “KILL FISA, IT WAS ILLEGALLY USED AGAINST ME AND MANY OTHERS.” The Reforming Intelligence and Securing America Act, a compromise bill between the House Judiciary Committee and the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence, is aimed at curbing instances of abuse reported against Trump and others by instituting safeguards on who can access Section 702-collected data, particularly if it involves a U.S. citizen. It also would make it a crime to use backdoor loopholes to improperly access Americans’ data. FBI DIRECTOR SAYS CHINESE HACKERS ARE ‘POISED TO ATTACK’ AS INFILTRATIONS REACH ‘FEVER PITCH’ But conservative critics of Section 702 have argued the bill does not go far enough to safeguard Americans’ data. The fight has put Johnson in a difficult spot between the House Judiciary Committee and its allies, and the U.S. intelligence community and national security hawks in Congress. The former have cast Section 702 as a tool of exploitation and privacy infringement, while the latter have maintained it’s a narrowly-focused tool critical to preventing terror attacks. Section 702 is a provision that allows the federal government to conduct warrantless surveillance of a foreign national outside the U.S. if they’re suspected of ties to terrorism — even if the person on the other end of the communications is an American citizen. VEHICLE RAMS INTO GATE AT FBI OFFICE IN ATLANTA, DRIVER ARRESTED The House Judiciary Committee backed an amendment that would force U.S. officials to seek a warrant before querying communications made by an American, which national security-minded Republicans have largely opposed. One GOP lawmaker compared the amendment’s effects to forcing a police officer to seek a warrant before querying a license plate in their database. They explained that if a suspected terrorist overseas is communicating with a U.S. citizen at home, a Section 702 search would already pick up their specific communications with that U.S. citizen. The amendment would force authorities to seek a warrant before seeing the contents of that communication, which critics have warned could waste valuable time in the event of a serious threat. PUBLIC TRUST IN FBI HAS REACHED ‘THE RED ZONE,’ US INCHING CLOSER TO ‘MAYHEM, CHAOS, ANARCHY:’ WSJ COLUMNIST Multiple sources told Fox News Digital that Johnson spoke out against the amendment during a closed-door meeting with fellow House Republicans on Wednesday – spurring anger from GOP hardliners. “Unfortunately, I think the speaker is coming forward, reversing his personal position 180 degrees and weighing in on the Intel side. He’s, unfortunately, I think, surrendered on that notion of neutrality,” Rep. Dan Bishop, R-N.C., told reporters. As it stands, FISA Section 702 will expire on April 19 if Congress does not act.
Governor kills Maine proposal to end ‘three strikes’ law for petty theft
Maine’s Democratic governor has vetoed a proposal to end the state’s “three strikes” law for people convicted of petty thefts. The proposal, from Democratic Rep. David Sinclair, sought to set a threshold for theft by a repeat offender. Sinclair’s proposal stated that a person with two or more prior convictions would not be charged with a felony if they committed theft of property valued at $500 or less. MAINE GOP LAWMAKER SOUNDS ALARM ON ‘SANCTUARY STATE’ PROPOSAL FOR ABORTIONS AND SEX CHANGES Gov. Janet Mills vetoed the proposal Tuesday. Mills wrote in her veto message that the proposal would “make Maine an outlier among New England states.” Mills also wrote that retail theft is “a serious problem in Maine” and that the proposal to alter the three strikes rule could possibly make it worse. Preventing prosecutors from being able to charge a third theft as a felony “will take away an important tool to hold people accountable,” wrote Mills, a former state attorney general. The American Civil Liberties Union of Maine was among the supporters of the proposal. Michael Kebede, a policy counsel with the group, testified that it “would ensure that our criminal codes are more proportionate to the conduct they seek to punish.”
Trump says Arizona pro-life law went ‘too far’ as Biden camp claims policy U-turn
Former President Donald Trump says the Arizona Republican Party’s recent pro-life legislation went “too far” after previously stating abortion issues should be left to the states. Trump spoke to reporters after landing in Georgia on Wednesday and was asked for his reaction to the Arizona Supreme Court’s ruling outlawing all non-lifesaving abortions. Asked Wednesday whether the state judges went “too far” in their ruling, Trump responded, “Yeah, they did.” ARIZONA SUPREME COURT UPHOLDS NEAR-TOTAL ABORTION BAN “And that will be straightened out,” Trump continued. “And as you know, it’s all about states’ rights. That will be straightened out. And I’m sure that the governor and everybody else are going to bring it back into reason. And that will be taken care of, I think, very quickly.” The Arizona Supreme Court issued a ruling on Tuesday reverting the state back to a 160-year-old, pre-statehood law that outlaws abortions in nearly all circumstances except when the mother’s life is at risk. The law makes it a felony for anyone who “provides, supplies or administers to a pregnant woman, or procures such woman to take any medicine, drugs or substance, or uses or employs any instrument or other means whatever, with intent thereby to procure the miscarriage of such woman, unless it is necessary to save her life,” potentially carrying a prison sentence between 2 and 5 years. ARIZONA GOVERNOR RIPS GOP HYPOCRISY AFTER STATE SUPREME COURT UPHOLDS ABORTION BAN The law, which was codified in 1913 after Arizona became a state, includes an exception in cases that endanger the mother. Trump’s sudden disapproval of the pro-life legislation shocked many conservatives after the presidential candidate just this week endorsed abortion issues being handled at the state level. “The states will determine by vote, or legislation, or perhaps both, and whatever they decide must be the law of the land – in this case, the law of the state,” Trump said Monday. TRUMP SAYS ABORTION SHOULD BE DECIDED BY THE STATES, ‘WILL OF THE PEOPLE’ He added, “Many states will be different. Many states will have a different number of weeks…at the end of the day it is all about the will of the people.” The Biden camp mocked Trump’s apparent U-turn on the abortion issue, accusing the presumptive Republican nominee of failing to own his policy platform. “Donald Trump owns the suffering and chaos happening right now, including in Arizona, because he proudly overturned Roe – something he called ‘an incredible thing’ and ’pretty amazing’ just today. Trump lies constantly – about everything – but has one track record: banning abortion every chance he gets,” said Biden-Harris 2024 Communications Director Michael Tyler. Tyler continued, “The guy who wants to be a dictator on day one will use every tool at his disposal to ban abortion nationwide, with or without Congress, and running away from reporters to his private jet like a coward doesn’t change that reality.” Trump was asked by reporters on the same trip whether he believes medical professionals that perform abortions should be punished. “I’ll let that be to the states. You know, everything we’re doing now is states and states’ rights,” Trump replied. He added, “And what we wanted to do is get it back to the states, because for 53 years it’s been a fight and now the states are handling it and some have handled it very well and the others will end up handling it very well. And those are the things that states are going to make a determination about.” Fox News Digital’s Jamie Joseph contributed to this report.
House Republicans grill NYC Mayor Eric Adams on giving migrants prepaid debit cards
FIRST ON FOX: A group of House Republicans is pressing New York City Mayor Eric Adams on whether any federal funds are being used for his city’s prepaid debit card program for migrants. Adams’ Immediate Response Card pilot program is aimed at giving asylum-seeking families about $350 per month on a prepaid debit card, at a total cost to the city of $53 million. Adams has said the program would only allow them to buy food and baby supplies. But amid a surge of illegal immigration at the border over the last two years, Rep. Lance Gooden, R-Texas, led a letter to Adams denouncing the initiative as “a free handout to foreign nationals who illegally circumvented our immigration processes.” CLICK HERE FOR MORE COVERAGE OF THE BORDER SECURITY CRISIS “Not only does this plan fail to address the underlying source of New York’s surging immigrant population, but it further incentivizes the arrival of illegal aliens who will feel justified in receiving these taxpayer-funded benefits,” Gooden’s letter said. “Your office has claimed the program, which is reportedly designed for purchasing food and baby supplies, will save New York City around $7.2 million per year by reducing food waste. In reality, these ‘savings’ are worthless when compared to costs created by the incentives your city continues to reinforce.” More than 161,000 illegal immigrants and asylum-seekers have poured into New York within roughly the last two years, straining the blue state’s resources and taxpayer funds. CAUGHT ON CAMERA: CROWDS OF ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS CUT RAZOR WIRE, RUSH ACROSS BORDER INTO TEXAS The House Republicans argued of Adams’ new program, “Distributing untraceable cash on transferable debit cards will only result in an increase of immigrants residing in NYC, which you once said would be ‘destroyed’ by the migrant crisis.” “In total, the $53 million planned for the entire program is more than double the amount New York State has budgeted for its Department of Veterans Affairs or Office of National and Community Services in 2025. It is disturbing to see New York City prioritizing undocumented, illegal immigrants over the needs of its own citizens,” the letter said. The lawmakers questioned Adams on whether “any federal funds, including any recent funds approved for New York City,” are being used on the program. CBP SEIZES MULTIPLE WEAPONS HEADED FOR MEXICO, INCLUDING AK-STYLE RIFLE TAPED TO MIGRANT’S BARE CHEST They also asked for more details on “the identification a migrant must provide to enroll in the program” and whether they’re first required to be vetted by Border Patrol authorities. “We hope you will contemplate the long-term and burdensome cost to American citizens and taxpayers in New York City, and we strongly encourage you to acknowledge these consequences when considering future projects for your city. We look forward to your timely and adequate response,” they wrote. Fox News Digital reached out to Adams’ office for comment.
GOP AGs fume over Justice Department’s plans to ‘intrude’ in states’ elections
FIRST ON FOX – A cohort of state attorneys general are warning the Justice Department against plans they claim Attorney General Merrick Garland signaled “intrude” on their states’ authority to carry out elections. Led by Republican Attorney General Todd Rokita of Indiana, the group of 16 GOP prosecutors wrote to Attorney General Merrick Garland on Wednesday criticizing his comments from March 3 at the Tabernacle Baptist Church in Selma, Alabama, in which he claimed that “democracy” is under attack by “discriminatory, burdensome, and unnecessary restrictions on access to the ballot.” “The DOJ has no authority to dictate to the states in matters that concern their sovereign right to ensure safe, secure, and free elections,” the letter says. Garland launched the Justice Department’s Election Threats Task Force in March, saying he doubled the number of lawyers in the Voting Section of the Civil Rights Division. DOJ WILL NOT TURN OVER BIDEN’S RECORDED INTERVIEW WITH SPECIAL COUNSEL HUR, RISKING CONTEMPT OF CONGRESS “The right to vote is still under attack,” Garland said last month. “That is why we are challenging efforts by states and jurisdictions to implement discriminatory, burdensome, and unnecessary restrictions on access to the ballot, including those related to mail-in voting, the use of drop boxes, and voter ID requirements.” “That is why we are working to block the adoption of discriminatory redistricting plans that dilute the vote of Black voters and other voters of color. We are holding accountable jurisdictions that fail to provide accessible vote centers for voters with disabilities,” he said. The AGs wrote in their letter that Garland’s actions amount to a “weaponization” against the states, and his “views about elections are not only a serious threat to the principles of federalism and separation of powers, but also to democracy and the rule of law.” “Although we do not know exactly the strategy the DOJ intends to take with its numerous election attorneys, we intend to vigorously defend our election laws. We will not allow intimidation and fearmongering to supersede the will of the people,” they wrote. WISCONSIN BECOMES 28TH STATE TO PASS A BAN ON ‘ZUCKERBUCKS’ AHEAD OF 2024 ELECTION “The Biden administration is weaponizing the U.S. Department of Justice against the states,” Rokita told Fox News Digital. “These actions pose a direct threat to democracy, election integrity and the rule of law. We will stand up and defend our rightful authority within the framework of American federalism.” “With voter confidence at an all-time low,” he said. “The U.S. Department of Justice should champion voter security measures instead of attacking states that implement them. And the DOJ should respect, as well, the constitutional provisions giving states the role of regulating elections.” The AGs said that Garland’s claim that voter ID is an “unnecessary restriction on access to the ballot” is incorrect. “On the contrary, voter ID laws prevent voter fraud by stopping those who attempt to impersonate others at the polls,” they wrote. The AGs note that the U.S. Supreme Court has held that voter ID laws are constitutional and do not impose a burden on the electorate. They also wrote that “voter fraud and voter impersonation is very real and occurs frequently.” The AGs also took issue with Garland’s claim that some states have imposed “unnecessary restrictions” related to absentee voting, including “mail-in voting” and “the use of drop boxes.” BIDEN’S GET-OUT-THE-VOTE EXECUTIVE ORDER CHALLENGED, HEADING TO SUPREME COURT: ‘TARGET WELFARE POPULATIONS’ “Numerous security risks exist with mail-in voting and drop boxes, and these methods of voting have led to the proliferation of election fraud,” they noted. Garland also asserted that the Voting Rights Act has been “drastically weakened” with an “increase in legislative measures that make it harder for millions of eligible voters to vote and to elect the representatives of their choice.” “This statement is factually incorrect,” the AGs wrote. “The Voting Rights Act is not under attack. Election security measures passed by state governments do not ‘make voting more difficult,’ nor are they dismantling the right to vote. “Instead, common sense election laws strengthen our electoral process to ensure free and fair elections are conducted among the states, especially since voter fraud does exist.” “Across the country, the 2020 general election generated mass confusion and distrust in the system,” they said. “Public confidence in our election system is at record low with more than 30% of the electorate believing that the 2020 election was stolen due to voter fraud. By using the DOJ against the states, you continue to sow the seeds of distrust among the American electorate,” they wrote. The Justice Department did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment.
Shillong Meghalaya Lok Sabha constituency election 2024: Check polling date, candidates list, past election results
Meghalaya has two Lok Sabha constituencies — Shillong and Tura. Both seats are reserved for Scheduled Tribes.