President Murmu launches first home-grown gene therapy for cancer treatment at IIT Bombay
The President said that CAR-T cell therapy is considered to be one of the most phenomenal advances in medical science.
Saharanpur Lok Sabha constituency: Check polling date, candidates list, past election results
The results for the Saharanpur Lok Sabha Constituency Election 2024 will be announced on June 4.
No Labels group abandons US presidential third-party bid
It was the third-party challenge that wasn’t. The No Labels group announced on Thursday that it will not field a third-party candidate to challenge Democrat Joe Biden and Republican Donald Trump in November’s presidential election. The move comes after the organisation, which has billed itself as a bipartisan antidote to hyper-partisanship in the United States, failed to attract a high-profile centrist to be its champion. The US has long been dominated by two main parties — Republicans and Democrats — with third-party candidates generally failing to gain traction. They are often accused of siphoning votes from mainstream candidates. “No Labels has always said we would only offer our ballot line to a ticket if we could identify candidates with a credible path to winning the White House,” Nancy Jacobson, the group’s CEO, said in a statement sent out to allies. “No such candidates emerged, so the responsible course of action is for us to stand down.” The announcement further cements the general election matchup between Biden and Trump, both of whom have occupied the White House — and both of whom have seen tanking popularity in recent months. The update leaves only anti-vaccine activist Robert F Kennedy Jr, a scion of the Kennedy political dynasty, as the only prominent outsider still seeking the presidency. Kennedy said this week that he had collected enough signatures to qualify for the fall ballot in five states. No Labels’ decision comes just days after the death of founding chairman Joe Lieberman, a former Democratic senator and vice presidential candidate who became a political independent during his final term in office. Thursday’s move caps months of internal discussions at No Labels, during which the group raised tens of millions of dollars from a donor list it has kept secret. Democrats had feared the ticket would be damaging to Biden and threatened to fracture the diverse coalition of voters seen as his best pathway to victory, particularly in key battleground states. No Labels never named all of its delegates and most of its deliberations took place in secret, further stoking concerns it could scuttle Biden’s chances. “Millions of Americans are relieved that No Labels finally decided to do the right thing to keep Donald Trump out of the White House,” said Rahna Epting, a No Labels critic and executive director of the progressive organisation MoveOn. “Now, it’s time for Robert Kennedy Jr to see the writing on the wall that no third party has a path forward to winning the presidency. We must come together to defeat the biggest threat to our democracy and country: Donald Trump.” Kennedy’s campaign did not immediately comment. No Labels had previously said it qualified to appear on ballots in 21 states. But several potential presidential candidates said they would not be the group’s standard-bearer. They include former United Nations Ambassador Nikki Haley, who suspended her campaign for the Republican presidential nomination last month. Senator Joe Manchin, a Democrat who has long roiled the party, also ruled out running, and former Maryland Governor Larry Hogan, a centrist Republican, decided to run for the US Senate instead. Last month, former New Jersey Governor Chris Christie, a Republican candidate for the presidency in 2024, also said he would not run under the No Label banner. The group had been weighing a so-called “unity ticket” with a presidential candidate from one major party and a vice presidential candidate from the other, to appeal to voters unhappy with both Biden and Trump. “We are deeply relieved that everyone rejected their offer, forcing them to stand down,” said Matt Bennett of the centrist group Third Way, which has been fighting No Labels’ 2024 ambitions. “While the threat of third-party spoilers remains, this uniquely damaging attack on President Biden and Democrats from the centre has at last ended.” Dan DuPraw, a 33-year-old sales worker in Philadelphia who would have been a delegate for the No Labels convention, called Thursday’s decision disappointing but prudent. He said he trusts the No Labels leadership to make the right call. “I understand why they made the decision, and I think it’s the right thing to do in this moment,” DuPraw told The Associated Press news agency. “But I’m so disappointed that we get Trump and Biden again. I think it’s such a horrible thing for our country.” DuPraw said he will now decide between Biden and Kennedy. “I’m excited that there are other options than the two main parties,” he said. Adblock test (Why?)
US judges reject Trump’s attempt to dismiss charges in two criminal cases
Trump has sought to dismiss cases accusing him of election interference in Georgia and of mishandling classified files. Donald Trump has suffered setbacks in two criminal cases against him, after judges in the United States nixed the former president’s efforts to dismiss charges over his efforts to overturn the 2020 election and his handling of classified documents. In Florida on Thursday, US District Judge Aileen Cannon rejected Trump’s attempt to have the case accusing him of mishandling secret government files thrown out. Trump had argued that US law authorised him to retain highly sensitive documents at his Mar-a-Lago estate in Palm Beach, Florida, after leaving office in 2021. He cited the Presidential Records Act, which allows former presidents to keep personal records unrelated to their official responsibilities. But prosecutors said he was not authorised to keep secret information related to US national security, even if he viewed the records as personal. Separately on Thursday, the judge overseeing the election interference case in Georgia rejected Trump’s argument that the indictment seeks to criminalise political speech protected by the First Amendment. The First Amendment of the US Constitution guarantees the right to free speech. But Fulton County Superior Court Judge Scott McAfee wrote in his decision that, at the current pretrial stage, he must consider the language of the indictment in a way that is favourable to the prosecution. Georgia prosecutors have accused Trump and 18 others of joining a conspiracy to “unlawfully change the outcome” of the 2020 vote in the US state. But McAfee wrote that the charges do not suggest that Trump and the other defendants are being prosecuted simply for making false statements, but rather that they acted willfully and knowingly to harm the government. “Even core political speech addressing matters of public concern is not impenetrable from prosecution if allegedly used to further criminal activity,” the judge wrote. Thursday’s decisions mark the latest developments in ongoing efforts by Trump and his legal team to challenge the four criminal indictments against him, two of which relate to his attempts to overturn the results of the 2020 election. He lost that race to current President Joe Biden. Trump has pleaded not guilty in all the cases. He has also accused prosecutors of conducting a politically motivated “witch hunt” that aims to derail his 2024 election campaign. Trump is the presumptive Republican presidential nominee and is expected to face Biden in November’s contest. While the criminal indictments have failed to curb Trump’s support among his Make America Great Again (MAGA) base, experts say a potential conviction in any of the cases could affect his chances at the ballot box. But it remains unclear whether a verdict will be reached before the election, and Trump’s team has sought to delay many of the legal proceedings. Trials in any of the four cases could create scheduling conflicts during a busy campaign season. Georgia decision Thursday’s decision in Georgia echoed an earlier ruling in the federal election interference case against Trump, brought by Special Counsel Jack Smith. US District Judge Tanya Chutkan wrote in December that “it is well established that the First Amendment does not protect speech that is used as an instrument of a crime”. The Georgia judge, McAfee, added in his decision that even lawful acts involving speech protected by the First Amendment can be used to support a charge under Georgia’s anti-racketeering law, which is being invoked in the case. But McAfee did leave open the possibility that Trump and others could raise similar arguments “at the appropriate time after the establishment of a factual record”. Steve Sadow, Trump’s lead lawyer in Georgia, said in an email to The Associated Press (AP) that Trump and the other defendants “respectfully disagree with Judge McAfee’s order and will continue to evaluate their options regarding the First Amendment challenges”. He called it significant, though, that McAfee made it clear they could raise their challenges again later. A spokesperson for Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis declined to comment to AP. Adblock test (Why?)
Russia-Ukraine war: List of key events, day 771
As the war enters its 771st day, these are the main developments. Here is the situation on Friday, April 5, 2024. Fighting The death toll in a Russian drone attack on Kharkiv rose to four, including three rescue workers who were killed in a second strike after they’d gone to provide assistance following the initial attack. Governor Oleh Synehubov said 12 people were injured, with three in serious condition. The attack also cut power to about 350,000 people. In separate incidents, four people were killed in Russian artillery fire and aerial bomb attacks in the regions of Donetsk, Kharkiv and Sumy, according to local officials. Moscow-installed officials in Russian occupied parts of eastern and southern Ukraine said a total of six civilians were killed in Ukrainian drone and shelling attacks. Vasily Golubev, the governor of Russia’s Rostov-on-Don region bordering Ukraine, said air defence destroyed more than 40 airborne targets. An electricity substation in Morozovsk district was hit and work was under way to restore power supplies, he added. Border police in Moldova said they found what appeared to be fragments of an Iranian-made Russian drone about 500 metres (1,600 feet) from the border with Ukraine. The area was cordoned off. Politics and diplomacy Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said China’s 12-point peace plan, released on the first anniversary of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, was “reasonable” because it was “based on an analysis of the reasons for what is happening and the need to eliminate these root causes.” Critics have called the plan vague. An investigation by Monitor magazine and shown on public broadcaster ARD said two German construction companies were involved in rebuilding the Ukrainian city of Mariupol, which Russia seized two years ago after a weeks-long siege that killed thousands and left the city in ruins. Ukraine said it sentenced a resident of the eastern city of Kramatorsk to life in prison after he was found guilty of high treason for helping Russia target a missile strike on a pizzeria last June killing 13 people and injuring dozens more. Switzerland’s population grew last year at its fastest rate in 60 years, pushed by record immigration including thousands of people from Ukraine, according to preliminary figures from the Federal Statistics Office. Weapons Czech Prime Minister Petr Fiala said Prague will donate tens of millions of euros to an initiative it is leading to buy hundreds of thousands of artillery ammunition rounds for Ukraine. The first deliveries are expected by June. NATO members agreed to scour their arsenals to provide more air defence systems to help Ukraine protect itself from Russian ballistic missile attacks, but provided no specific targets or pledges. Adblock test (Why?)
Lok Sabha polls: Rahul Gandhi declares assets worth over Rs 20 crore
He has also declared two pieces of land co-owned with his sister, Priyanka Gandhi Vadra.
Marjorie Taylor Greene’s red line on Speaker Johnson
Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Ga., wants to dump House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La. She authored a resolution to force the House to take a vote of no confidence in the speaker. “I do not wish to inflict pain on our conference and to throw the House in chaos. But this is basically a warning,” said Greene. Greene railed at Johnson for negotiating spending bills with Democrats and forgoing the GOP’s internal rule, requiring 72 hours before voting on legislation. I WANT MY MTV (MOTION TO VACATE): SPEAKER JOHNSON FACES POTENTIAL THREAT WHEN CONGRESS RETURNS Greene might not succeed in her effort to topple Johnson. Especially since Republicans just tried this stunt in the fall. “Johnson benefits from the terrible example that was set several months ago when (former House Speaker Kevin) McCarthy, R-Calif., was ousted,” said David Cohen, a political scientist at the University of Akron. “It was utter chaos. The House was completely dysfunctional. I don’t know if there’s an appetite, even among those in the right flank of the Republican Party, to go through that process again.” This is why many Republicans loathe a repeat of last fall’s pandemonium. “This whole episode of removing speakers and threatening speakers does nobody any good except the Democrat Party,” Rep. Carlos Gimenez, R-Fla., said on Fox Business. This internecine fighting is partly what prompted some Republicans to quit early as Johnson tries to mend the threadbare GOP majority. “We’ve got to unify when you have such a small majority,” Johnson implored on Fox. “I think people feel the gravity and the weight of this. The importance of it.” But as the House Republican majority dwindles to a single vote, it wouldn’t take much for things to go haywire. Especially if Greene is intent on forcing her colleagues to vote on removing Johnson. “The majority is so narrow that if a couple of Republicans don’t show up or decide not to vote, you could end up with the Democrats in charge of the House,” said Cohen. Former Rep. Ken Buck, R-Colo., left two weeks ago before his term expired in January. Rep. Mike Gallagher, R-Wis., planned to retire in January, but he’s out the door by mid-month. If more GOP members make Irish exits, Johnson concedes a flip of power for the House of Representatives before the election isn’t out of the question. That would potentially earn House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., a promotion. “Look, that’s a risk. But I don’t think that’s going to happen,” Johnson told Fox. “Hakeem is not going to be the speaker.” But lawmakers are exasperated at the infighting. Mayhem gripped the House for months over various spending bills and multiple flirtations with potential government shutdowns. Scrapes over who should be House speaker test the patience of members. “It’s absolutely possible that, before the end of the year is out, the Democrats may seize control of the House of Representatives,” said Cohen. So, lawmakers are struggling to figure things out. “What you’re seeing is an inflection point for the institution,” said Rep. Chip Roy, R-Texas. “And are we going to make this institution work again?” Roy criticized Republican leaders on the spending bills. But he also flagged Republican colleagues who are willing to punt to the election and bank on former President Trump returning to the White House as a salve to the nation’s ills. Roy wants Congress to legislate. And do it now. “Why the hell are you in Congress? We’re actually supposed to be more important than the president of the United States. That’s why we’re Article One (of the Constitution). But we’re too chicken to use the power,” Roy excoriated during a floor speech. Roy’s not the only one perturbed about the House. Buck departed early because he was also incensed with his colleagues. But for different reasons. “I’m not comfortable with how this institution is structured,” said Buck. Buck was one of three House Republicans who bucked their party on the impeachment of Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas. Their resistance sunk impeachment on the first try. However, the GOP-controlled House took a mulligan and impeached Mayorkas a week later after House Majority Leader Steve Scalise, R-La., returned from cancer treatments. SIMPLY ‘LIEBERMAN’: THE INDEPENDENT AND ENIGMATIC POLITICS OF THE LATE CONNECTICUT DEMOCRAT Buck argued that Republicans abused impeachment. He’s suspicious about the motives of his former colleagues. “A lot of them are here because they got here by throwing bombs. And they’re going to stay by throwing bombs,” said Buck. Like Buck, Gallagher also opposed impeaching Mayorkas. “It’s getting harder to get stuff done,” said Gallagher. “I think you see a lot of members frustrated with that.” Gallagher says there’s one thing he won’t miss. “Fundraising,” said Gallagher. “I hate fundraisers. It’s weird, and it dominates so much of people’s time here. And I think it takes away from the actual serious business of legislating.” Rep. Richard Hudson, R-N.C., chairs the National Republican Congressional Committee (NRCC). That’s the House GOP’s official campaign arm. “When you see a lot of senior people with a lot of good experience leaving, you know, it’s still kind of disappointing,” said Hudson. But he notes that more Democrats are retiring than Republicans. “We don’t have a single retirement in a competitive seat. Whereas the Democrats have more retirements than we do. And seven of their retirements are in seats that we’re going to pick up,” said Hudson. That might be the case in November. But what about now? And does Johnson cling to power? Fox is told the House won’t put a Ukraine aid bill on the floor right away. It’s likely the House first tackles a reauthorization of Section 702 of FISA, the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act. Lawmakers from both sides demand significant reforms to protect Americans. Law enforcement and the intelligence community insist the program is essential to protect the U.S. But there are concerns that the government used Section 702 to eavesdrop on Americans. It’s only supposed to intercept communications of foreign nationals. The
Adams touts NYC’s ability to ‘manage’ migrant crisis, offers Abbott free stay at shelter during trip
New York City Mayor Eric Adams, a Democrat, said on Thursday that he hopes Texas Gov. Greg Abbott will see how the city has managed the migrant crisis, during his trip to the Big Apple by offering the Republican governor a complimentary stay at a migrant shelter. Adams’ comments came shortly before Abbott, who has bussed thousands of migrants to New York City over the last few years, will headline the New York Republican Party’s annual gala Thursday evening. “I’m going to offer him a stay in one of the HERRCs so he can see what he has created and understand how we are treating people with the dignity and respect that he should have shown as well,” Adams said at a press conference when asked about Abbott’s trip to the city. “HERRCs,” as used by Adams, refers to New York City’s humanitarian emergency response and relief centers, which have served as temporary housing facilities for migrants who arrive in the city. NEW YORK CITY BEGINS GIVING ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS PREPAID DEBIT CARDS AS PART OF $53 MILLION PILOT PROGRAM “I’m not quite sure why he’s here and what he’s doing while here, but he’s going to see how you can manage the crisis with the coordination of not one child of families sleeping on the streets of the city of New York,” Adams added. “When we coordinate together, we should not displace problems to local municipalities. That is not what executives do. It is unfortunate that he made the decision to do that.” The comments from Adams, who has repeatedly blasted Abbott for not coordinating with the city on matters of illegal immigration, came after the city began giving out prepaid debit cards to illegal immigrants residing in the Big Apple last week. The prepaid cards are meant to be for the purchasing of food and baby supplies and may only be used at bodegas, grocery stores, supermarkets and convenience stores. The effort is part of a reported $53 million pilot program to hand out prepaid cards to migrant families housed in hotels, despite public outcry. The program, which the mayor’s office confirmed to Fox News Digital will provide migrant families of four with two children under five with up to $350 each week until the end of their 28-day stay, began with a limited number of families last week and is expected to expand. Roughly 180,000 migrants have arrived in New York City since 2022, overwhelming city resources as officials have struggled to find housing for them. Abbott has bused asylum-seekers to New York and other cities in an effort to assist them in traveling to sanctuary jurisdictions and also highlight the crisis that border communities face on a daily basis. NYC MIGRANT SQUATTERS FOUND WITH DRUGS AND GUNS WERE PREVIOUSLY CAUGHT AT SOUTHERN BORDER AND RELEASED: ICE New York City’s government has projected that it will spend at least $10.6 billion on migrants by summer 2025. New York state has already vowed to contribute about $2 billion in the current budget cycle to the migrant crisis, but Adams told lawmakers that the state pledge would only cover one-third of the city’s migrant costs. New York Gov. Kathy Hochul, another Democrat, has suggested the state earmark $2.4 billion to go toward migrant services in the next budget cycle, but the details have not been ironed out before the state legislature. Adams’ office said even that allocation proposed by Hochul would be $600 million short of what the city needs in its next budget cycle, the New York Daily News reported in February. Though Adams hopes the Texas Republican will see how NYC has handled the migrant crisis, Abbott is no stranger to mitigating the very same crisis along the southern border. According to Fox News analysis published in February, nearly 7.3 million migrants are known to have illegally crossed the southwest border since President Biden took office in January 2021. That number, which came from U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) and is likely to have increased significantly over the past two months, is greater than the populations of 36 individual states. If the current pace of illegal immigration does not slow down, fiscal 2024 will break last year’s record of 2,475,669 southwest border encounters — a number that by itself exceeds the population of New Mexico, a border state. Abbott will serve as the keynote speaker at the Thursday evening GOP fundraiser in Manhattan. Fox News’ Greg Wehner, Bill Melugin and Danielle Wallace contributed to this report.
Here’s your Texas 2024 May runoff ballot
The Texas 2024 primary runoffs will take place May 28. See the full list of candidates statewide and see who’s on your ballot.
Month-long Macedonian election season begins
North Macedonia’s presidential race kicked off on Thursday, with seven candidates vying for the largely ceremonial post in a two-round vote that will conclude on May 8. The official start to campaign season means the candidates are allowed to make campaign speeches, hold rallies and present their agendas. The first round of the presidential election is scheduled for April 24, after which the two leading candidates will face each other in a second round that will coincide with the general election on May 8. SKIER INJURED IN BEAR ATTACK AT NORTH MACEDONIA NATURE PARK, OFFICIALS SAY Current polls are led by incumbent President Stevo Pendarovski, who is seeking a second five-year term with support from the governing social democrats, and Gordana Siljanovska Davkova of the main opposition center-right VMRO-DPMNE coalition. She also sought the presidency in the previous election in 2019. Other candidates include law professor Biljana Vankovska, who’s running for the leftist party Levica, and two members of the country’s ethnic Albanian minority: current Foreign Minister Bujar Osmani from the Democratic Union of Albanians, which is part of the governing coalition, and Arben Taravari from an opposition ethnic Albanian party. Also in the running are Mayor Maksim Dimitrievski of the northern town of Kumanovo, and Mayor Stevco Jakimovski of Karpos, a municipality in the capital of Skopje. The presidential election in North Macedonia uses a two-round system under which a candidate must receive over 50% of the vote from a total of all 1.8 million registered voters. In the second round, the turnout must be at least 40% for the result to be valid.