Lok Sabha election 2024: ‘Right to live before right to vote peace before polls’ Common refrain in Manipur relief camps
The state has traditionally seen a very high voter turnout with more than 82 per cent polling recorded in the 2019 elections.
Ramanathapuram Tamil Nadu Lok Sabha constituency: Check polling date, candidates list, past election results
The Ramanathapuram Lok Sabha constituency has 1,455,988 voters and encompasses six assembly seats: Paramakudi (reserved), Tiruvadanai, Ramanathapuram, Mudukulathur, Aranthangi, and Tiruchuli.
IMD weather report: Heatwave alert in Odisha, Kerala, Tamil Nadu; rainfall in these states, check state-wise forecast
The weather department has also predicted light to moderate rains, and hailstorms in East, Central and Peninsular India till 9 April.
GOP senator highlights security threat in Border Patrol’s weakened drug use standards
FIRST ON FOX: Oklahoma Republican Sen. James Lankford is calling on U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) to reverse course after it reduced its policy on past marijuana use for Border Patrol agent recruits. In a letter sent on Sunday to Troy A. Miller, senior official performing the duties of the commissioner for CBP, the Republican asked him to “rescind this policy and restore the two-year lookback on marijuana usage among Border Patrol recruits.” DEM HIT WITH $15 MILLION BORDER-RELATED AD BLITZ IN ‘TOSS-UP’ SENATE RACE He charged that the marijuana policy’s reduction “undermines the security and integrity of the Border Patrol workforce and flatly contradicts Border Patrol’s mission to protect our nation against illegal drugs.” The current policy of CBP on past drug use bars applicants from having used marijuana “within the 90 days prior to application to work for CBP.” It is unclear when this change was implemented. The senator’s office indicated the policy shift from two years to 90 days occurred within the past few months. CBP did not provide comment to Fox News Digital by press time. Lankford noted his staff was briefed by the agency last month on the policy’s amendment. According to him, CBP cited “confusion between Federal law and state law in states where marijuana has been legalized” in justifying the change. According to the National Conference of State Legislatures, legislation to regulate marijuana for non-medical purposes or adult usage has been enacted in 24 states, as well as two territories and Washington, D.C. The NCSL’s data was updated Nov. 8, 2023. SPIKE IN NUMBER OF ILLEGAL CHINESE IMMIGRANTS BECOMING US NATIONAL SECURITY ISSUE Lankford pointed out that the CBP is still a federal agency and as such must “ensure its personnel comply with federal law regarding the illicit or otherwise prohibited use of controlled substances.” As the ranking member of the Subcommittee on Governmental Operations and Border Management, he cited his position, noting the entity “retains jurisdiction over Federal hiring and border management.” CAUGHT ON CAMERA: CROWDS OF ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS CUT RAZOR WIRE, RUSH ACROSS BORDER INTO TEXAS The Republican senator additionally wrote that briefers for CBP indicated recruits who reveal past marijuana usage during polygraph tests frequently also admit to “other disqualifying criminal conduct.” Lankford remarked that the information is “not surprising.” “Border Patrol’s primary mission is to stop the flow of illicit drugs and illegal immigration across our borders,” he stated. He claims this is inhibited by the policy change and the potential for recruits to have “paid a transnational criminal organization” is increased. Given this possibility, Lankford claimed the reduced threshold for recruits’ past marijuana usage “directly contradicts” with the agency’s mission, and additionally presents “concerning security and integrity issues.”
Experts weigh in on liberal ‘freak out’ over RFK Jr after VP announcement: ‘Democrats’ worst nightmare’
Independent presidential candidate Robert Kennedy, Jr.’s recent running mate announcement sparked an onslaught of attacks and a reported internal “freak out” from the once-friendly Democratic Party against what experts tell Fox News Digital is the party’s “worst nightmare.” “Only in the new Socialist Democratic Party, they should change their name to reflect who they really are now, would the son of Robert F Kennedy and nephew of Democrat icon JFK be forced from the party that has used their name for decades, all because he had the gall to point out the obvious, Joe Biden is not prepared to lead this country for four more years,” Republican strategist and The Vogel Group principal Matt Keelen told Fox News Digital. “Anyone with eyes knows that as a fact.” Kennedy, from one of the most recognizable and beloved Democrat families in American history, has found himself one of the most popular targets of the left after announcing his candidacy for president. Less than two weeks ago, Kennedy announced that tech entrepreneur Nicole Shanahan would be his running mate, sparking a call hosted by the Democratic National Committee (DNC) that many saw as an indicator the party was in panic mode. WHO IS NICOLE SHANAHAN? MEET THE WEALTHY ENTREPRENEUR RFK JR SELECTED AS HIS VP RUNNING MATE “We are doing everything in our power to get President Biden and Vice President Harris re-elected. It’s critical that we take seriously every possible obstacle to that goal. And let me be clear, that’s exactly what Robert F. Kennedy is in this election. He’s a spoiler,” Pennsylvania Lt. Gov. Austin Davis said on the call. Shortly after that, NBC News reported that Democrats are internally “freaked out” over Kennedy’s candidacy as he continues to build momentum and qualify to appear on more state ballots. On St. Patrick’s Day, several members of the Kennedy family posted a photo with President Biden at the White House, which many viewed as a move to troll Kennedy Jr. and several Democratic strategists have been active on social media in recent weeks attacking the independent candidate and attempting to tie him to Donald Trump. Democrat strategist Lis Smith, who helped lead Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg’s 2020 campaign and is consulting for the DNC on the project, set off a storm of X posts and reposts following Kennedy’s Tuesday speech, referring to the candidate as a “spoiler,” and sharing a video where she accused Shanahan of buying her inclusion on the ticket by donating millions to boost Kennedy before she was named his running mate. Recent polls have shown Kennedy, Stein and independent candidate Dr. Cornel West would pull significant support from both Biden and Trump, but with Biden appearing to be at risk of losing the most potential votes. Keelen pointed to the Biden administration’s denial to providing RFK Jr. with Secret Service protection as another example of how far out of favor Kennedy has fallen with the Democratic Party. “RFK jr was run out of the party by the DNC that rigged yet another primary election – see 2016 – for Hillary, 2020 for Joe, 2024 for Joe again,” Keelen said. “President Biden and his team have also acted shamefully in not granting Secret Service protection to Kennedy despite growing threats and the fact that both of his relatives were gun downed by mad men. Absolutely unbelievable.” Experts told Fox News Digital the effort to keep Kennedy, who is now running as an independent, out of the Democratic primary and off the ballot as a third party candidate is at odds with their stated goal of protecting democracy. “So much for the party that says it is defending democracy,” Marc Lotter, former special assistant to the president and former director of strategic communications for Trump’s 2020 campaign, told Fox News Digital. “What Democrats are doing to RFK is no different than what they are doing through the courts and radical election officials to target Donald Trump.” RFK JR RUNNING MATE ANNOUNCEMENT MAY BOOST HIS PRESIDENTIAL BALLOT ACCESS BID “Since Democrats can’t win on Joe Biden’s policy, and they can’t win on Joe Biden’s record, they have to stack the deck by giving Americans fewer choices at the ballot box,” Lotter added. “There is simply no depth that Democrats won’t sink to in their quest to keep power.” David Avella, GOP strategist and GOPAC chairman, told Fox News Digital part of the reason Democrats are worried about Kennedy is that demographics inside the Democratic Party that have been turning away from Biden are gravitating toward Kennedy’s positions. “The ghosts of Ralph Nader and Jill Stein’s past presidential candidacies have Democrats convinced they must prevent third-party candidates from being on general election ballot,” Avella said. “President Biden and Democrats have taken for granted young voters, self-described moderates and minorities to the point that they are at the center of Kennedy’s base of support. Thus, Kennedy being on the ballot in MI, WI, PA, GA and AZ is the Democrats’ worst nightmare and why they are attempting to undercut democracy and select who is on general election ballot.” Fox News Digital’s Brandon Gillespie contributed to this report
Top Dems turn on Israel after Biden call with Netanyahu
Dozens of Democrats have followed President Biden’s lead and argued against continued support of Israel following a White House call with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Calls among Democrats for the U.S. to halt weapons shipments to Israel have grown since Biden’s conversation last week and an Israel Defense Forces strike that killed seven staffers of the World Central Kitchen, with former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., being the latest party leader to sign onto a letter urging the president to end the shipments. “In light of this incident, we strongly urge you to reconsider your recent decision to authorize the transfer of a new arms package to Israel, and to withhold this and any future offensive arms transfers until a full investigation into the airstrike is completed,” reads a letter from 37 House Democrats. The uprising against Israel was not limited to the House of Representatives, with several Democrat Senate leaders voicing similar concerns in recent days. BIDEN WARNS NETANYAHU THAT US WILL CHANGE POLICY ON GAZA UNLESS ISRAEL PROTECTS CIVILIANS On March 14, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer called on Israel to hold new elections to oust Netanyahu, who Schumer said had “lost his way” during Israel’s monthslong siege of Gaza. “Israel cannot survive if it becomes a pariah,” Schumer said, according to a report in the Associated Press. The calls come at the same time as Biden warned Netanyahu in a phone call last week that U.S. policy on Gaza could change if Israel does not do more to protect civilians in Gaza, with a White House readout of the call noting that Biden told his Israeli counterpart that strikes on “humanitarian workers and the overall humanitarian situation are unacceptable.” Biden’s message was repeated by other members of the administration, with Secretary of State Antony Blinken warning that the U.S. would shift gears “if we don’t see the changes that we need to see” and White House national security communications spokesperson John Kirby calling for such changes within “hours and days.” “The president made very clear his concerns, and the prime minister acknowledged those concerns,” Kirby said. ISRAELI POLICE THWART ALLEGED ISIS TERROR PLOT AGAINST JERUSALEM STADIUM, POLICE STATION Biden also noted the need for an “immediate cease-fire,” according to the White House readout, telling Netanyahu that doing so would be “essential to stabilize and improve the humanitarian situation and protect innocent civilians.” But Sen. Peter Welch, D-Vt., told NBC News in an interview last week that changes to Israel’s behavior in the conflict have not come fast enough, arguing that the strike on the aid convoy is “an indication that there has been no modification of the Netanyahu war plan” and has created increased “concern among more and more of my colleagues.” One such colleague is Sen. Chris Coons, D-Del., according to an NBC News report. Coons, a longtime Biden ally who has traditionally been a dependable supporter of Israel, argued in favor of placing conditions on arms shipments to Israel if civilians in Gaza are not better protected. “If Benjamin Netanyahu were to order the IDF into Rafah at scale … and make no provision for civilians or for humanitarian aid, I would vote to condition aid to Israel,” Coons said during an interview with CNN on Thursday. “I’ve never said that before, I’ve never been here before.” Meanwhile, families of several American hostages in Gaza have been critical of Biden for not doing enough to bring their loved ones home. FAMILIES OF AMERICAN HOSTAGES IN GAZA URGE BIDEN TO ACT AFTER 6 MONTHS OF CONFLICT: ‘DON’T HAVE TIME’ TO WAIT “By now, they are all in dire humanitarian condition,” Orna Neutra, mother of hostage Omer Neutra, said during a press conference for families last week. “A cease-fire with a partial deal, or with no deal, could be a death sentence for our son.” “We are tired of hearing about progress towards a deal,” Neutra added. “We don’t have time for progress.” But those concerns didn’t appear to be top of mind for many Democrats, who have focused their ire on the humanitarian situation facing Gaza. “We also urge you to withhold these transfers if Israel fails to sufficiently mitigate harm to innocent civilians in Gaza, including aid workers, and if it fails to facilitate — or arbitrarily denies or restricts the transport and delivery of humanitarian aid into Gaza,” the Democrats’ letter reads. CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP For his part, Biden has pushed back against the suggestion that he is abandoning Israel or stopping military aid during a tense interaction with reporters Friday. “I asked them to do what they’re doing,” Biden said when asked if he had threatened to stop military aid to Israel during the call with Netanyahu, according to a Times of Israel report. Asked by another reporter whether he was abandoning Israel, Biden replied with apparent shock at the suggestion. “Where you from, man?” Biden said, before being asked the same question again. “Is that a serious question?” Biden replied. One notable exception to the trend has been Sen. John Fetterman, D-Pa., a typically dependable progressive ally who has expressed staunch support for Israel. “In this war against Hamas – no conditions for Israel,” Fetterman said in a post on X last week. The White House did not immediately respond to a Fox News Digital request for comment.
Defiant Lauren Boebert to run ad in tight Colorado House race during NCAA final
FIRST ON FOX: Rep. Lauren Boebert, R-Colo., is launching a new advertisement during the NCAA men’s basketball championship game on Monday night. It’s a defiant signal that she’s not backing down from what’s expected to be a competitive fight for the Republican nomination for Colorado’s 4th Congressional District. Former President Trump won the deep red district by more than 10 points in 2020, and whoever wins the June 25 primary is the favorite to win the House seat in November. The 30-second advertisement features Boebert and her youngest son, Roman. In the video, he asks her to “shoot some hoops,” but Boebert declines with, “Sorry Roman, I can’t right now, I’m deciding what to say in my new campaign commercial.” LAUREN BOEBERT WON’T ‘FURTHER IMPERIL’ SLIM GOP MAJORITY BY RUNNING IN SPECIAL ELECTION FOR KEN BUCK’S SEAT “That’s easy, mom. Why don’t you just tell them about how you carry a gun and always fight for freedom?” her son said in the ad. “Did you tell them that you voted to cut spending, and increase American energy production? . . . You should probably also tell them that you passed bills to create Colorado jobs and to secure the border.” In keeping with the theme of Monday night’s primetime game, the clip ends with the pair playing basketball together. Boebert, who currently represents the neighboring 3rd Congressional District, announced late last year that she would run for the much redder 4th district in 2024. It came a month after Rep. Ken Buck, R-Colo., announced that he would not seek re-election. GOP COLORADO REP KEN BUCK TO RESIGN FROM CONGRESS BY END OF NEXT WEEK It’s the first ad Boebert is playing in the district since Buck left Congress on March 22. Her first ad since Buck announced his plan to leave early on March 12 focused on her endorsement from Trump. She told Fox News Digital of the TV spot, “This was such a fun ad to create with my youngest son Roman. I’m sure everyone who sees it will agree that our message of securing the southern border, cutting federal spending and increasing American energy production is a slam dunk.” Buck’s decision not to finish his full term was a temporary blow to Boebert’s re-election bid – a special election to replace him would have forced her to either leave her current seat early as well or face a short-term incumbent in late June. But the threat eased when the Republican candidate – former Parker, Colorado, Mayor Greg Lopez – told Colorado Newsline that he’ll be a “placeholder” and will not run in the primary. Monday’s new ad also appears to be Boebert’s way of keeping up a family-friendly conservative image even as she’s faced difficulties at home. Her eldest son, Tyler Boebert, 18, was arrested in February in connection with a string of property thefts and vehicle trespassing incidents, the Rifle Police Department said at the time. LAUREN BOEBERT SWITCHES DISTRICTS, ANNOUNCING RUN FOR COLORADO SEAT BEING VACATED BY KEN BUCK “It breaks my heart to see my child struggling and, in this situation, especially when he has been provided multiple opportunities to get his life on track,” she told Fox News Digital at the time. “I will never give up on him, and I will continue to be there for him. As an adult and father, Tyler will take responsibility for his actions and should be held accountable for poor decisions, just like any other citizen.” Earlier this year, her ex-husband, Jayson Boebert, was charged by authorities in connection with two domestic incidents, one of which involved the congresswoman at a restaurant. He was arrested and released the same day.
Gov. Gavin Newsom faces reckoning with $73B budget deficit lawmakers say he helped create
California Gov. Gavin Newsom has to reconcile a $73 billion budget deficit by the end of June, a problem some lawmakers and analysts say his “mismanagement of state finances” helped create. In 2022, Newsom signed a $301 billion budget into law and boasted a $97 billion surplus. The budget, nearly triple what it was the prior fiscal year, included billions of dollars for climate change initiatives, homelessness and education. But two years later, the deficit has ballooned. Democratic lawmakers came to an agreement Friday to reduce the state’s multibillion-dollar deficit by $17.3 billion through a combination of spending cuts, delays and deferrals, a deal reached behind closed doors Republican lawmakers quickly labeled as “gimmicky.” “This most recent deal that he’s touting is all reliant on budget gimmicks, cause shifts and deferrals, which, when you look at the numbers, it’s clearly not enough,” Vince Fong, Assembly vice chair of the budget committee told Fox News Digital. “We have a sustainability problem. We have an overspending problem in California, and nothing the governor is working on tackles that.” CALIFORNIA DEMS REACH $17.3B DEFICIT REDUCTION AGREEMENT The agreement comes after Newsom previously sent a letter to state agencies urging them to “take immediate action to reduce expenditures and identify all operational savings achieved” as damage control. “I thank our legislative leaders for their partnership in taking this major step to address the shortfall with a balanced approach that meets the needs of Californians and maintains a strong fiscal foundation for the state’s future,” Newsom said in a statement Friday. After Newsom initially predicted in January that the budget shortfall was only about $37.9 billion, the state’s nonpartisan Legislative Analyst’s Office (LAO) predicted it was nearly double that amount by the following month. Historically, the LAO’s data has been more accurate for the state’s economic outlook, according to Fong, who has been on the state’s budget committee nearly a decade. “I’ve been warning the governor about the growing problem of our budgets for the entire time we got into this mess, because the budget that the governor continues to push has grown more unsustainable,” Fong said. The economic slowdown, caused by the state’s highest unemployment in the nation after recent data revealed that job growth in the Golden State was much lower in 2023 than previously believed, is largely to blame for the shortfall. The exodus of businesses and residents from the state for more tax-friendly states is also a contributing factor. California relies heavily on income taxes for its revenue. CALIFORNIA DEMS ANGER PROGRESSIVE LEFT, PUSH HARSHER PENALTIES FOR SHOPLIFTERS AMID RISING CRIME California saw its first-ever population decline in 2020, when the state imposed rigid lockdowns during the COVID-19 pandemic. From January 2020 to July 2022, the state lost well over half a million people, with the number of residents leaving surpassing those moving in by almost 700,000. Republican state Rep. Kevin Kiley, who has been one of Newsom’s top critics in the legislature, told Fox News Digital another driver of costs is the state’s progressive championing of taxpayer-funded health care coverage for illegal immigrants in the state. “We’re the only state that’s saying we’re gonna give every single person in this state that’s here illegally free taxpayer funds,” Kiley told Fox News Digital. “California is a model of exactly what not to do when it comes to managing a state’s finances and managing its tax system and spending.” According to Jon Coupal, president of the Howard Jarvis Taxpayers Association, a California-based taxpayer advocacy group, the state “really slams the wealthy” who “are leaving in fairly significant numbers.” “When you’re on a spending binge, it’s easy to get yourself into a deficit situation,” Coupal told Fox News Digital. “From the taxpayers’ perspective, I think the issue is clearly just a couple of decades long of overspending the taxpayer dollars, and the budget has essentially doubled in six years. And the state has adopted all kinds of new programs that it never had before.” CALIFORNIA RESIDENTS STEP UP SEARCH FOR MORE AFFORDABLE HOMES OUTSIDE THE STATE, STUDY FINDS Will Swaim, president of the conservative think tank California Public Policy, told Fox News Digital the ballooned budget “in the world of public finance is insanity.” “Though he claimed there was a budget surplus in 2022 that was historic, we have swung completely the other way because spending has outstripped income,” Swaim told Fox News Digital. The new agreement with Democratic lawmakers, who hold a supermajority in both houses, includes many proposals Newsom and the state Senate laid out earlier this year. The plan calls for a cut of $3.6 billion in primarily one-time funding to some schools, welfare and climate programs, leaving out previously proposed $1.2 billion in cuts to housing and homeless programs. The plan also delays and defers about $5.2 billion in spending for a variety of programs, including on public transit and facilities for preschools. It also authorizes Newsom to freeze additional one-time funding that was included in the budget the last three years. The governor’s office pointed Fox News Digital to Newsom’s comments in January dismissing criticism. “California is a tent pole of the American economy, in terms of American recovery, in terms of job creation, innovation, entrepreneurial spirit. … More scientists, researchers, Nobel laureates, engineers, patents than any other state in America. One of the top growing economies of the last five years, so I just dismiss, with respect, that narrative.” The Associated Press and Fox News’ Bradford Betz and Joe Schoffstall contributed to this report.
Political merchandise sales spike days before nearly a billion Indians vote
Ahead of the first voting day of the seven-phase election on April 19, garment makers are temporarily converting factories into production hubs for election flags and banners. Days before India heads into a six-week election with nearly a billion registered voters, political party merchandise and flag makers are expanding operations and working overtime to meet a surge in demand. Ahead of the first voting day of the seven-phase election on April 19, garment makers are temporarily converting factories where they usually make saris into production hubs for election flags and banners. One such factory owner, Mukesh Agarwal, said there are as many as 40 similar factories in Mathura, a temple town in Uttar Pradesh, India’s most populous state and key political battleground. “The cheapest and best items used for political campaigns are banners and flags,” Agarwal said. A worker sorts finished flag fabrics of the Congress party at a factory in Mathura, India [Sharafat Ali/Reuters] Election merchandise is a low-margin, high-volume business, where the price of a party badge can start from 1 rupee ($0.01). Agarwal said some factories can produce a million flags a day if demand continues to increase. During an election, India is plastered with posters of hundreds of political parties and thousands of candidates. “As many people have little education, party workers use flags to promote their symbols and hang them outside houses and make them the medium of their campaigns,” Agarwal said. A textile hub in Surat, in Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s home state of Gujarat, is the centre of election merchandise along with several smaller hotspots like Mathura in the north and Hyderabad in the south. Workers arrange the flag of the regional Bahujan Samaj Party at a factory in Mathura [Sharafat Ali/Reuters] Elections give the economy a boost as political parties spend on goods and services as varied as small merchandise and helicopter rental. Gulshan Khurana, general secretary of a traders association in Old Delhi’s Sadar Bazaar market, said political parties spend 30 billion to 50 billion rupees ($360-600m) on election merchandise, creating as many as 10 million jobs. Khurana, who has been a market trader for nearly 50 years, said there has been a nearly 30 percent increase in business compared with the last election in 2019, when Modi’s Bharatiya Janata Party spent a record sum to retain power. An opinion poll last week predicted an easy win for a Modi-backed coalition. But opposition politician Rahul Gandhi of the Indian National Congress said at the Friday release of his party’s manifesto that the election is “much closer than being propagated”. Adblock test (Why?)
Khan Younis ‘smells like death’ as Palestinians return to devastated homes
“It smells like death,” says Maha Thaer, a mother of four, as she returns to her devastated home in Khan Younis after Israeli troops announced their withdrawal from southern Gaza. “We don’t have a city any more, only rubble. There is absolutely nothing left. I could not stop myself crying as I walked through the streets,” said the 38-year-old on Sunday. “All the streets have been bulldozed. And the smell … I watched people digging and bringing out the bodies,” said Thaer, whose home was partially destroyed. Soon after the Israeli army said its troops were pulling out, people began to emerge into the devastated landscape, the residents of Khan Younis returning to find what remained of their homes. Nearly 400,000 people lived in Khan Younis and its environs before October 7. Much of the area is now in ruins after months of Israeli bombardment and heavy fighting. A straggle of men and boys riding donkey carts, bicycles and the odd pick-up truck headed north out of Rafah in the far south of the Gaza Strip, where more than 1.5 million Palestinians had taken refuge from the relentless Israeli ground invasion and bombardment. They passed the burned-out shell of Dar Essalam Hospital, with almost all of the buildings around it razed to the ground. Thaer, from the upmarket Hamad City district in the west of Khan Younis, said she was “very shocked and sad”. “There were no walls or windows. Most of the towers were completely blown up,” she said. Thaer said she would move back into her badly damaged apartment, “even though it is not suitable for living, but it is better than tents”. Her neighbours suffered a greater misfortune. “They found their homes destroyed and they don’t know where they will go,” she said. Other Palestinians in Gaza carried a mattress on their heads in the hope they would still have four walls to put it in. One of those who left Rafah on Sunday climbed on the top of a heap of rubble in Khan Younis which once had been a home. Not a single structure within sight appeared untouched by the war. Adblock test (Why?)