Allahabad Lok Sabha constituency, Uttar Pradesh: Polling date, candidates list and other details
Allahabad Lok Sabha constituency has 5 Assembly seats — Meja, Karchana, Bara, Koraon and Allahabad.
Centre approves CBI probe against jailed AAP leader Satyendar Jain in Sukesh’s extortion complaint
Jain was accused of extorting Rs 10 crore from an inmate, Sukesh Chandrashekhar, for providing him protection in the jail, sources said.
Swing state House hopeful changes tune after scrubbing violent crime defenses from law firm website
FIRST ON FOX: A Republican and local attorney running to unseat a Democrat in a battleground House district appears to have scrubbed his law firm’s website of work it had done defending people accused of violent crimes prior to launching his campaign for Congress last year. Tayler Rahm, who runs Rahm Law, PLLC in Minnetonka, Minnesota, is running to represent the state’s 2nd Congressional District, a seat currently held by Democrat Rep. Angie Craig and being targeted as a top flip opportunity by national Republicans. Rahm launched his campaign in June of last year, but with a notable change to his firm’s website that excluded references touting its experience with “many major felony cases including: drugs, assault, criminal sexual conduct, theft/embezzlement, murder and more” that still appeared on the site just months earlier. NEW JERSEY DEMOCRAT FACING PRESSURE TO RESIGN AFTER MOCKING EASTER ONLINE WITH DRAG, ABORTION REFERENCES “There is no case too small or too big for the Law Firm, as Mr. Rahm has been involved in hundreds of DUI/DWI cases achieving incredible results and he has been involved in many other major Cases,” the firm’s website now reads. Rahm previously served as the defense attorney during the sentencing phase for a man convicted of sexually assaulting a pre-teen girl, in addition to defending an individual convicted of possessing child pornography, and another individual convicted of first-degree murder. It is unclear exactly when or why the change to the website was made. However, since launching his campaign, he has dedicated part of his platform to addressing “out-of-control” crime. “Tayler has had a front row seat to witness the progressive prosecutors and progressive judges create a standard that erases or lessens the consequences of criminal actions, thus emboldening the criminals,” Rahm’s campaign website says. DEM CAMPAIGN CALL REVEALS PANIC MODE OVER RFK JR.’S WHITE HOUSE BID, SCRAMBLE TO SAVE BIDEN RE-ELECTION HOPES ”It is time to reduce violent crimes by arresting, prosecuting and sending violent criminals to prison. This is an urgent issue that cannot wait and we must be proactive because if we continue to wait, the violent crime and massive amounts of illegal drugs will be in our neighborhoods and our children’s school before we know it,” it adds. When reached for comment, Rahm did not address the website change, but instead told Fox News Digital that through his experience as a trial attorney, he had “a front-row seat to the two-tier justice system in this country.” “We have seen corrupt prosecutors across the country go after Donald J. Trump, and here in Minnesota, we have watched the U.S. Attorney’s office and Attorney General’s office target and convict law enforcement officers,” Rahm said. “It is not defense lawyers who create the two-tier justice system but prosecutors.” “If we live in a country where they can go after President Donald Trump and Law Enforcement, everyone should have a defense lawyer on speed dial,” he said. HILLARY CLINTON WADES INTO CRUCIAL BATTLEGROUND SENATE RACE THAT COULD DETERMINE BALANCE OF POWER Rahm went on to blast an unnamed primary opponent — likely Marine veteran and former federal prosecutor Joe Teirab — for giving “sweetheart plea deals” in his former role, and said that the U.S. Constitution “guarantees everyone the right to an attorney, the presumption of innocence and due process.” “Prosecutors are signing off on plea agreements, allowing criminals to escape serious consequences. Trust me, I see it every day,” he said. “The D.C. swamp is trying to put its thumb on the scale of picking the MN-02 candidate. Still, the district delegates know who will fight to represent them, not the swamp, and they know who will defend their constitutional rights and civil liberties.” Rahm faces two Republican opponents in the GOP primary field, including Teirab, and Mike Murphy, a former mayor. The winner will face Craig, who is running unopposed in the Democratic primary. Elections analysts rate the race as “lean Democratic.” Get the latest updates from the 2024 campaign trail, exclusive interviews and more at our Fox News Digital election hub.
California offers free fentanyl test strips for ‘safe’ drug use, advises ‘never using alone’
In an effort to curb the incidence of fentanyl overdoses and to protect drug users in California, the state has rolled out free fentanyl test strips for a limited time. According to California Department of Public Health specialist Pike Long, the fentanyl test strips “are a useful addition” to the state’s harm-reduction strategies, such as “never using alone and always carrying naloxone.” The test strips are an expansion of the Department of Health Care Services’ (DHCS) existing project that distributes free naloxone, also known as Narcan, which is a life-saving drug that can reverse overdoses. The test strips will be distributed to eligible organizations who apply online. DHS WARNS MEXICAN-PRODUCED DRUGS LIKE FENTANYL LIKELY TO KILL MORE AMERICANS THAN ANY OTHER THREAT California’s health department follows what’s known as a “harm reduction” model, which focuses on reducing the consequences of drug use through offering clean syringes, naloxone and other materials to “meet people where they’re at” and make drug use “safer.” “Harm reduction programs help people who use drugs protect themselves from injury and infections and provide essential safety net services,” California’s health department website states. The state’s health and human resources secretary, Mark Ghaly, said that harm-reduction programs “are a huge part of how we better protect people, how we get them into treatment.” “This work is time tested. Shame isn’t a solution; support and science-driven policy is,” he said. Schools, universities, law enforcement, harm-reduction organizations, county public health services, community centers, local city agencies, homeless organizations, rehab facilities and hospitals are all eligible to obtain the free test strips. “California is committed to combatting the opioid and fentanyl crisis,” DHCS Director Michelle Baass said in a statement on Thursday. “Fentanyl test strips are a powerful tool for effective opioid-related overdose prevention. We urge our community partners to apply for this additional tool to help us tackle this crisis.” NARCAN VENDING MACHINES ARE THE LATEST WEAPON AGAINST OPIOID OVERDOSES Illicit fentanyl, which is a synthetic opioid, is often sold in the form of pills and can be 50 times more potent than heroin and 100 times stronger than morphine, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). According to the CDC, fentanyl and other synthetic opioids are the most common drugs leading to overdose deaths, and more than 150 people die daily from overdoses connected to synthetic opioids like fentanyl. Street fentanyl can also be mixed with other drugs, which can make it more deadly, even in small doses. Pharmaceutical fentanyl is often prescribed by doctors for patients in severe pain, such as for surgery or advanced forms of cancer. FENTANYL TEST STRIPS CAN DETECT DEADLY OPIOID HIDDEN IN RECREATIONAL DRUGS According to the state’s latest data, there were 6,473 fentanyl-related deaths in 2022 and more than 21,300 emergency room visits for any opioid-related incidents. There were also more than 13.6 million fentanyl prescriptions filled that year. Gov. Gavin Newsom’s office said it has distributed more than 3.9 million kits of naloxone, resulting in more than 247,000 reported opioid overdose reversals since the state unveiled its Naloxone Distribution Project in 2018.
Kentucky lawmakers approve bill to fill Senate vacancy by special election rather than by Democratic governor
Kentucky lawmakers gave final approval Thursday to a bill stripping the state’s Democratic governor of any role in picking someone to occupy a U.S. Senate seat if a vacancy occurred in the home state of 82-year-old Senate Republican leader Mitch McConnell. The legislation calls for a special election to fill any Senate vacancy from the Bluegrass State. The special election winner would hold the seat for the remainder of the unexpired term. “So it would be a direct voice of the people determining how the vacancy is filled,” Republican Senate President Robert Stivers said while presenting the bill to his colleagues. KENTUCKY BILL CALLING FOR HARSHER CRIMINAL PENALTIES HEADS TO GOVERNOR’S DESK The state Senate voted 34-3 after a brief discussion to send the bill to Gov. Andy Beshear. The governor has denounced the measure as driven by partisanship, but the GOP supermajority legislature could override a veto when lawmakers reconvene for the final two days of this year’s session in mid-April. The bill’s lead sponsor is Republican House Majority Floor Leader Steven Rudy. He has said the measure has nothing to do with McConnell, but instead reflected his long-running policy stance on how an empty Senate seat should be filled. Rudy refers to McConnell as a “great friend and a political mentor,” and credits the state’s senior senator for playing an important role in the GOP’s rise to dominance in the Kentucky legislature. Rudy has said his bill would treat a Senate vacancy like that of a vacancy for a congressional or legislative seat in Kentucky — by holding a special election to fill the seat. The bill includes an emergency clause, meaning it would take effect immediately if enacted into law. Rudy introduced the bill in February and it cleared a House committee a day after McConnell’s announcement that he will step down from his longtime Senate leadership position in November. The decision set off a wave of speculation back home in Kentucky about the future of his seat. In his speech from the Senate floor, McConnell left open the possibility that he might seek another term in 2026, declaring at one point: “I’m not going anywhere anytime soon.” Aides said McConnell’s announcement was unrelated to his health. The senator had a concussion from a fall last year and two public episodes where his face briefly froze while he was speaking. Rudy has said he’s talked about changing the way a Senate vacancy is filled for more than a decade, since the conviction of former Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich for crimes that included seeking to sell an appointment to Barack Obama’s old Senate seat. Rudy’s district in far western Kentucky borders Illinois. Beshear — who won a convincing reelection victory last November over a McConnell protege — had already seen his influence over selecting a senator greatly diminished by GOP lawmakers. In 2021, the legislature removed the governor’s independent power to temporarily fill a Senate seat. That measure limits a governor to choosing from a three-name list provided by party leaders from the same party as the senator who formerly held the seat. Both of Kentucky’s U.S. senators are Republicans. The measure became law after GOP lawmakers overrode Beshear’s veto.
How US police are co-opting a law meant to protect victims of crime
Columbus, Ohio – Some of the final moments of Ta’Kiya Young’s life unfolded in a supermarket car park last August. Suspected of stealing from a Kroger’s grocery store in Blendon Township, Ohio, Young had just climbed into her black Lexus sedan when two police officers approached her. “Are you going to shoot me?” Young asked as the officers ordered her out of the car, one with his weapon drawn. Her car started to roll slowly forward. The armed officer fired. His bullet pierced the car’s windscreen, and the body camera he wore captured a final, high-pitched scream. Young, only 21, later died in a nearby hospital. So too did her unborn daughter: Young was entering the final trimester of her pregnancy at the time of her death. She left behind two sons, ages six and three. It was a bitter loss for Nadine Young, her grandmother. “She was a fun-loving person,” Nadine said. “Always cheery.” But Nadine’s anguish was compounded when she discovered that officials considered there to be three possible victims in the deadly incident: Young plus the two cops. That allowed the officer who fired the fatal shot to invoke a state measure called Marsy’s Law, designed to conceal the identities of crime victims. Criminal justice advocates, however, warn this is part of a dangerous trend in the United States, where police officers use Marsy’s Law to shield themselves from public scrutiny. “They were saying he was a victim?” Nadine asked incredulously. “He was the man with the gun.” Nadine Young shares a photograph of Ta’Kiya Young, centre, and two other grandchildren [Patrick Orsagos/AP Photo] A shield against accountability? Marsy’s Law originated in California in 2008. Framed as a victims’ bill of rights, it sought to protect crime victims not only by ensuring their privacy but also by notifying them if their assailants were up for parole. Since then, variations of the law have been passed in about a dozen other states, including Ohio. But experts fear Marsy’s Law has been co-opted by police departments in those states to hide the identities of officers involved in use-of-force incidents. In Union County, South Dakota, for instance, a highway patrol trooper shot a man twice following an altercation in September 2018. His identity was withheld under Marsy’s Law. In Oshkosh, Wisconsin, another officer used Marsy’s Law to avoid being named after he fired upon a man who was armed and drunk last June. The law enforcement officers in both cases were said to be threatened or physically harmed, thereby making them crime victims. Voters in Ohio passed Marsy’s Law as an amendment to the state constitution in November 2017 [Stephen Starr/Al Jazeera] Supporters of the law’s use in law enforcement argue that police officers regularly face violent criminals, and the potential for victimisation is high. Their names should therefore remain private if they so wish. However, academics and rights groups have described the ability to hide officers’ identities as a “gift to bad cops”. The anonymity, they say, could translate into a lack of accountability — which in turn could lead to officers with a record of excessive force returning to the streets, endangering more lives. And the risk is on the rise. The nonprofit group Mapping Police Violence named 2023 the deadliest year in a decade. An estimated 1,243 people were killed by law enforcement last year, the nonprofit’s highest tally on record. Walter Olson, a senior fellow at the Cato Institute, a Washington, DC-based think tank, believes scrutinising law enforcement’s use of force is a critical public right. It can also help reduce the rates of police violence, he said. “[It’s] one of the key ways in which we prevent the next incidents of abuse from happening.” Ta’Kiya Young and her unborn child were shot and killed in this car park in Blendon Township, Ohio, a suburb of the state capital Columbus [Stephen Starr/Al Jazeera] On shaky legal ground But Marsy’s Law is raising broader legal questions, not only about abuse of power in law enforcement but also about due process. Critics see the law as preventing potential litigants from accessing information that might be relevant in their court cases. Then there’s the question of how to decide who is a victim. “People are being accorded these crime-victim rights even though there has been no legal process determining whether they have been victimised. That’s a paradox,” said Olson. “It can go beyond their name not being released. It could be that they don’t have to reveal information to an opposing lawyer.” Those concerns have led to high-profile legal challenges and even protests. In Florida, for instance, Marsy’s Law has come under increasing public scrutiny. A 2020 investigation from USA Today and ProPublica found that, in at least half of the cases where Florida officers invoked the law, no physical injuries occurred. That same year, two fatal police shootings in the state capital Tallahassee prompted law enforcement to invoke Marsy’s Law. One of the shooting victims, Tony McDade, was a transgender Black man. His death came only days after George Floyd, an unarmed Black man, was killed at the hands of police in Minnesota, prompting nationwide uproar and months of demonstrations. Protesters in Tallahassee likewise filled the streets, chanting McDade’s name and comparing him to Floyd. The pressure prompted the city to push for the release of the officers’ names, against the wishes of the state’s own police union. That escalated into a lawsuit. Last November, Florida’s Supreme Court ultimately ruled, six to zero, that Marsy’s Law “does not explicitly” shield the officers’ identities — nor the identities of any other victims. It was a victory for proponents of government transparency and a rebuke to law enforcement’s embrace of the statute. Sean Walton, the lawyer for the Young family, has called for police accountability in Ta’Kiya’s death [Stephen Starr/Al Jazeera] A family grappling with loss Other lawsuits are under way, including in Ohio, where Young was killed. For instance, the Columbus Dispatch, a newspaper in the state capital,
Photos: Israeli air raids kills dozens across the Gaza Strip
Israel has continued its aerial and ground bombardment of the Gaza Strip, killing dozens more Palestinians, as fighting rages around Gaza City’s main al-Shifa hospital, Palestinian officials and the Israeli military said. Seventy-one people were killed and 112 wounded over the last 24 hours, Gaza’s Ministry of Health said on Friday. Two Israeli attacks on the Shujayea suburb in eastern Gaza City killed 17 people, while an Israeli air raid on a house in the Maghazi refugee camp in the central Gaza Strip killed eight people, health authorities said. At least 10 policemen tasked with securing aid to the displaced in northern Gaza were among those killed in Shujayea, Gaza’s government media office said. The Israeli military said its forces continued operations around the al-Shifa medical complex, and that over the past day, it had killed a number of gunmen Al-Shifa, Gaza’s biggest hospital before the war, was one of the few healthcare facilities even partially operational in northern Gaza before the latest fighting. It had also been housing displaced civilians. The Israeli statement said its forces also conducted raids in central and southern areas of the besieged strip, including Khan Younis and al-Karara, where troops exchanged fire with Palestinian gunmen before they killed them. The armed wing of Hamas said its fighters targeted Israeli forces near Nasser Hospital in Khan Younis, one of the city’s two hospitals blockaded by Israeli soldiers for several days. In the far south of the Gaza Strip, Israel continued its bombardment in Rafah, the Palestinians’ last refuge where more than half of Gaza’s 2.3 million people are sheltering. An air raid on a house killed 12 Palestinians late on Thursday. More than 32,623 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli forces in Gaza since the start of the war on October 7. Adblock test (Why?)
Northern Ireland DUP leader Jeffrey Donaldson resigns after police charges
Media reports say the charges against the Democratic Unionist Party head relate to ‘non-recent sexual offences’. The leader of Northern Ireland’s largest unionist party, Jeffrey Donaldson, has resigned after confirming he has been charged with “allegations of an historical nature”, the Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) says. “In accordance with the party rules, the party officers have suspended Mr Donaldson from membership, pending the outcome of a judicial process,” a DUP statement said on Friday. The statement added that party officers had unanimously appointed Gavin Robinson, another DUP lawmaker in the United Kingdom’s parliament, as interim party leader. While the DUP has not specified the reason behind the 61-year-old’s resignation, numerous media outlets reported that Donaldson stepping down from his position was linked to a statement by the Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI) reporting two arrests. “A 61-year-old man has been charged in relation to non-recent sexual offences,” said a PSNI statement. “A 57-year-old woman was also arrested and charged at the time for aiding and abetting additional offences. “Both are due to appear before Newry Magistrates’ Court on 24 April,” it added. British police generally do not identify suspects by name. Meanwhile, all of Donaldson’s social media accounts appeared to have been deleted on Friday, with his handle on the social network X showing the message “This account doesn’t exist”. ‘Serious offences’ His resignation comes amid a tumultuous period for the DUP as the party tries to chart out its relations with the UK, which is expected to hold general elections later this year. Last month, Donaldson brokered a deal with the UK government that enabled the end of the DUP’s two-year boycott of the British region’s devolved power-sharing assembly at Stormont and had also been expected to lead his party into the next UK general election. Donaldson, is one of the British region’s best-known politicians and is Northern Ireland’s longest-serving lawmaker in the British parliament, to which he was first elected in 1997. He is also a former member of the Northern Irish Assembly. However, as a member of the London parliament, he does not hold a position in the Northern Irish power-sharing government, a key part of the region’s 1998 peace settlement that only resumed last month following a two-year suspension. After Donaldson’s sudden resignation, Northern Ireland First Minister Michelle O’Neill said the power-sharing government was focused on delivering its policy initiatives. “My priority is to continue to provide the leadership the public expect and deserve, and to ensure the four-party executive coalition delivers for the whole of our community now and in the future,” said O’Neill, whose Irish nationalist party Sinn Fein is obliged to share power with the DUP. “The DUP leader has resigned after being charged with serious offences. This is now a matter for the criminal justice system.” Adblock test (Why?)
Nearly two years after the Uvalde massacre, here’s who has been reprimanded and where investigations stand
As a grand jury considers whether any law enforcement officers are criminally charged for their inaction during the Robb Elementary shooting, some families say they feel they’ve been let down and betrayed by elected officials.
Trump aims to trounce Biden’s record $26 million haul at upcoming Florida fundraiser: ‘We feel really good’
Former President Donald Trump is aiming to break a brand-new fundraising record just set by President Biden. Biden, in a fundraising appearance with former Presidents Barack Obama and Bill Clinton at New York City’s Radio City Music Hall on Thursday night, hauled in over $26 million. The president’s re-election campaign called the money raised at the star-studded event — which set a record for a single fundraiser — “historic.” The fundraising haul helped Biden boost his already massive cash advantage over Trump. TRUMP AIMS TO LEVEL THE PLAYING FIELD IN FUNDRAISING FIGHT WITH BIDEN But the former president is looking to rake in up to $33 million when he teams up with some of the wealthiest Republicans in the country at a April 6 fundraiser in Palm Beach, Florida. A source familiar with details of the fundraiser confirmed the dollar amount, which was first reported by the Financial Times. Billionaire investor and hedge fund founder John Paulson is hosting the top-dollar fundraiser, which is the kickoff event for the recently formed Donald J. Trump National Committee. The event will include major contributors, some of whom stayed on the sidelines or supported the former president’s rivals during the recently concluded primary season. Among those listed as co-chairs of the fundraiser are hedge fund billionaire Robert Mercer and his daughter Rebekah Mercer. They were major boosters of Trump in 2016 but mostly sat out the former president’s 2020 re-election campaign. FIRST ON FOX: DONALD TRUMP’S FUNDRAISING HAUL LAST MONTH Also on the list of co-chairs are oil magnate Harold Hamm; hotelier and space entrepreneur Robert Bigelow; casino giant Steve Wynn; and Todd Ricketts, a co-owner of the Chicago Cubs, a member of the TD Ameritrade board of directors and former RNC finance chairman. The “Inaugural Leadership Dinner” will be held at Paulson’s Palm Beach home, which isn’t far from Trump’s Mar-a-Lago club and resort. The fundraiser is a further sign of the coalescing of much of the Republican donor class around Trump, now that he’s clinched the GOP nomination and is the party’s presumptive presidential nominee. A source in the former president’s political orbit called the fundraiser a “come home to Trump” moment. Trump has long had strained relations with some in the Republican Party’s donor class, but he has worked hard in recent months to improve relations. He’s hosted some of these major contributors in recent weeks. “There’s no question that most of the major donors who were with [Ron] DeSantis or [Nikki] Haley are coming on board and rallying around the president. I think everybody realizes what’s at stake in the 2024 elections,” Republican Jewish Coalition CEO Matt Brooks, who has close ties to the donor class, told Fox News. One reason Trump faces such a large fundraising deficit to Biden is that the president has been able to raise money in conjunction with the Democratic National Committee and Democratic state parties across the country. But a joint fundraising committee set up last week by the Trump campaign and the Republican National Committee (RNC) will allow them to similarly coordinate among themselves and with state GOP chapters from coast to coast. The committee was formed after the former president and his campaign team took control of the RNC and installed allies in the national party committee’s top leadership positions. An RNC and Trump campaign official, who asked to remain anonymous to speak more freely, on Thursday acknowledged that “we’ll never be able to raise dollar to dollar with Biden… but we’re going to have what we need to win.” The official described the burgeoning Trump campaign-RNC fundraising effort as “impressive” and added that “we feel really good about where we’re going to be this time next month.” Biden’s campaign last week taunted Trump over the latest fundraising figures, which spotlighted the president’s formidable fundraising advantage. “If Donald Trump put up these kinds of numbers on ‘The Apprentice,’ he’d fire himself,” Biden campaign communications director Michael Tyler said in a statement. But next week’s Palm Beach gala will give Trump some fundraising news to showcase, after a slew of critical coverage spotlighting his cash hauls and the strain his multiple criminal and civil cases are putting on his campaign. Save America, the Trump-aligned political action committee that he’s been using to pay his legal bills, spent more than it raised last month, with nearly all the expenditures going to cover the former president’s legal costs. But the Trump campaign says fundraising is soaring, with more than $1 million per day hauled in online the past six days and over $10.6 million brought in last week from nearly 300,000 digital donors. “Donald Trump is a ratings and clicks juggernaut, so we have an ability to make use of earned media in a way that Biden cannot,” the campaign highlighted. Get the latest updates from the 2024 campaign trail, exclusive interviews and more at our Fox News Digital election hub.