Influential pollster says NY AG seizing Trump’s property would ‘elect’ him
Pollster Frank Luntz recently warned that New York Attorney General Letitia James’ efforts to seize former President Donald Trump’s properties could devastate Democrats in the upcoming election. The ex-president recently failed to secure the $464 million appeal bond he needed in the recent New York civil fraud judgment against him. In a Monday court filing, Trump’s legal team said getting the amount of money needed was a “practical impossibility under the circumstances presented.” James has threatened to seize Trump’s assets and suggested that the former president should secure the entire value by selling off his real estate holdings – which his attorney Clifford S. Robert called “unconstitutional.” TRUMP LEGAL TEAM BLASTS ‘UNCONSTITUTIONAL’ ATTEMPTS TO FORCE PROPERTY SALE AS DEADLINE FOR $454M FINE NEARS “It would be completely illogical — and the definition of an unconstitutional Excessive Fine and a Taking — to require Defendants to sell properties at all, and especially in a ‘fire sale,’ in order to be able to appeal the lawless Supreme Court judgment, as that would cause harm that cannot be repaired once the Defendants do win, as is overwhelmingly likely, on appeal,” Robert wrote. During a Friday night appearance on CNN, Luntz asserted that any efforts to seize Trump’s assets will destroy Biden’s chances of being reelected in November. “I want you to remember this moment, and don’t forget it,” the pollster began. “If the New York attorney general starts to take his homes away, starts to seize his assets, it’s all going to be on camera….You’re going to create the greatest victimhood of 2024, and you’re going to elect Donald Trump.” The campaign expert said that such efforts would boost Trump’s ratings and help him secure the presidency. “If they take his stuff, he’s going to say that this is proof that the federal government and the establishment and the swamp in Washington…that this is a conspiracy to deny him the presidency,” he continued. “He’s going to go up in the polls just like he went up every single time they indicted him.” NY AG ASKS COURT TO IGNORE TRUMP CLAIM THAT POSTING $464M BOND IS ‘PRACTICAL IMPOSSIBILITY’ Luntz, who has worked as a Republican political strategist, went so far as to call the 45th president’s critics “stupid.” “In the seven swing states, Trump is up by the margin of error in five out of seven. Why is that happening? Because his critics are stupid and they’re running a horrible campaign,” he argued. “And for those people who do not want Donald Trump back, they should be thankful that the people who are orchestrating his loss are as pathetic and they don’t understand the American people.” A Fox News Poll released on Mar. 3 found that Trump currently has a 2-point advantage over Biden. The presidential election will take place on Nov. 5. Fox News Digital’s Brooke Singman contributed to this report.
Holi 2024: Banks to remain closed in these states on March 25; check list here
Here’s the list of states where banks will be closed for Holi on March 25 (Monday).
Defence Minister Rajnath Singh to visit Siachen today, will celebrate Holi with military personnel
The Siachen Glacier, at the height of around 20,000 ft in the Karakoram range, is known as the highest militarised zone in the world, where the soldiers have to battle frostbite and high winds.
‘Arunachal Pradesh is part of India because it’s part of India…’: Jaishankar junks ‘ludicrous’ Chinese claims
The EAM, who is in Singapore as part of his three-nation visit, was speaking at the Institute of South Asian Studies of National University of Singapore on his book ‘Why Bharat Matters’.
Biden campaign rips page from Trump playbook with name-calling strategy
President Biden’s 2024 campaign has employed a new strategy, one taken right out of former President Donald Trump’s playbook: name-calling. Trump, during his 2016 primary campaign, referred to top Republican primary opponents as “Lyin’ Ted” Cruz and “Little Marco” Rubio. He took jabs at Democrats like Sen. Elizabeth Warren as “Pocahontas” and Sen. Majority Leader “Cryin’” Chuck Schumer and Speaker of the House “Crazy Nancy” Pelosi. He called his 2016 presidential opponent “Crooked Hillary” and then, in 2020, called Biden, “Crazy Joe.” BIDEN SAYS $1.2T SPENDING PACKAGE IS ‘GOOD NEWS FOR THE AMERICAN PEOPLE,’ BUT CONGRESS’ WORK ISN’T OVER The Biden camp distributed an email this week calling the president’s opponent “Broke Don” – a reference to Trump’s financial troubles. The 45th president recently failed to secure an appeal bond to delay payment of the $464 million he owes, due to AG Letitia James’ civil investigation of The Trump Organization. “Trump can’t raise money, isn’t campaigning, and is letting convicts and conspiracy theorists run his campaign,” the email claims. Trump has mocked Biden for years, saying the 46th president allegedly was avoiding the press and “hiding” in his Wilmington, Del. basement during the 2020 race – which the email appears to reference. “We have a guy that doesn’t come out of his basement,” Trump said during a “FOX & Friends” appearance in 2020. “Somebody like Biden, he doesn’t know what to do.” “He doesn’t come out because he can’t. He doesn’t take any questions from reporters… This guy doesn’t come out of his basement, and he hasn’t taken one question.” Election filings that were publicized on Wednesday showed that Trump raised $20 million for his campaign in February, while Biden’s campaign raised $53 million. Going into March, Trump’s camp had $41.9 million in hand, while Biden’s had $155 million. SENATE PASSES MAMMOTH $1.2T SPENDING PACKAGE AFTER BRIEF PARTIAL GOVERNMENT SHUTDOWN Reuters correspondent Nandita Bose tweeted a screenshot of the Biden campaign’s email titled “Not a Winning Campaign: Broke Don Hides in Basement” on Thursday. Political strategist Ashley Hayek criticized the Biden campaign’s name-calling email while speaking with Fox News Digital on Saturday. “Crooked Joe’s campaign just can’t keep up,” Hayek said. “Not only does he fail at mocking Teflon Don, he highlights his own department’s illegal seizure of the Trump empire, reminding Americans of the alarming overreach by his administration.” “Gallup polling shows that 66% of Americans view the DOJ negatively, [which is] purely a reflection of his failure of leadership,” she added. “Biden would be better off running from the basement again.” Fox News Digital reached out to the Biden and Trump campaigns for comment. Fox News Digital’s Bradford Betz and Brooke Singman contributed to this report.
Fani Willis doubles down after Nathan Wade scandal, warns ‘train is coming’
Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis said she doesn’t feel her reputation has been tarnished as she moves forward with her 2020 election interference case against former President Trump after being accused of having an “improper” relationship with the special counsel she hired. “I don’t feel like my reputation needs to be reclaimed,” Willis told CNN on Saturday after a reporter asked her about it. “I guess my greatest crime is I had a relationship with a man, that’s not something I find embarrassing in any way. And I know that I have not done anything that’s illegal.” Although the racketeering case was delayed by two months, Willis said her team hasn’t slowed down. MARJORIE TAYLOR GREENE MOVES TO DISBAR FANI WILLIS: ‘UNFIT TO SERVE’ “My team’s been continuing to work it … We were still doing the case in the way that it needed to be done,” she said. “I don’t feel like we’ve been slowed down at all. I do think there are efforts to slow down this train, but the train is coming.” Trump and several co-defendants said Willis was romantically linked with Nathan Wade, whom she hired to prosecute the case, prior to his hiring and alleged that she was financially benefiting from the position he held in her office. Both Willis and Wade denied those allegations. After hearing all the evidence presented in court, Fulton County Superior Judge Scott McAfee last week gave Willis an ultimatum — remove herself from the case or fire Wade. Hours after the judge’s order, Wade resigned from the case, allowing Willis to remain on it. McAfee said that the defendants “failed to meet their burden of proving that the District Attorney acquired an actual conflict of interest in this case through her personal relationship and recurring travels with her lead prosecutor.” FANI WILLIS’ ‘SORDID SCANDAL’ COULD MAKE FINDING A JURY IN THE TRUMP CASE ‘MUCH HARDER’: EXPERTS However, the established record now highlights a significant appearance of impropriety that infects the current structure of the prosecution team — an appearance that must be removed through the state’s selection of one of two options,” he wrote, adding that Willis and her whole office can choose to step aside, or Wade can withdraw from the case. McAfee said that “[w]ithout sufficient evidence that the District Attorney acquired a personal stake in the prosecution, or that her financial arrangements had any impact on the case, the Defendants’ claims of an actual conflict must be denied.” But he went on to say that his finding is “by no means an indication that the Court condones this tremendous lapse in judgment or the unprofessional manner of the District Attorney’s testimony during the evidentiary hearing.” CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP “Rather, it is the undersigned’s opinion that Georgia law does not permit the finding of an actual conflict for simply making bad choices — even repeatedly — and it is the trial court’s duty to confine itself to the relevant issues and applicable law properly brought before it,” McAfee said. McAfee has also given Trump team 10 days to appeal his ruling. Fox News’ Brianna Herlihy and Claudia Kelly-Bazan contributed to this report.
Hong Kong’s new security law comes into force amid human rights concerns
A new national security law has come into force in Hong Kong despite growing international criticism that it could erode freedoms in the China-ruled city and damage its international financial hub credentials. The law, also known as Article 23, came into at midnight on Saturday, days after Hong Kong’s pro-Beijing lawmakers passed it unanimously, fast-tracking legislation to plug what authorities called national security loopholes. Hong Kong Chief Executive John Lee said the law “accomplished a historic mission, living up to the trust placed in us by the Central [Chinese] Authorities”. He has often cited Hong Kong’s “constitutional responsibility” to create the new legislation as required by the Basic Law, the city’s mini-constitution since its handover from the United Kingdom to China in 1997. Lee also said the law was necessary to “prevent black-clad violence”, a reference to Hong Kong’s massive and at times violent pro-democracy protests in 2019, which brought hundreds of thousands to the streets demanding greater autonomy from Beijing’s grip. A previous attempt to pass Article 23 was scrapped in 2003 after 500,000 people protested. This time around, public criticism has been muted amid the security crackdown. What does the new law entail? Hong Kong, a former British colony, returned to Chinese rule in 1997 with the guarantee that its high degree of autonomy and freedoms would be protected under a “one country, two systems” formula. Currently, the new Article 23 law has expanded the British colonial-era offence of “sedition” to include inciting hatred against China’s Communist Party leadership, with an aggravated sentence of up to 10 years in jail. Under the security law, penalties can run up to life in prison for sabotage endangering national security, treason and insurrection; 20 years for espionage and sabotage; and 14 years for external interference. City leader Lee is also now empowered to create new offences carrying jail terms of up to seven years through subsidiary legislation, while the security minister can impose punitive measures on activists who are overseas, including cancelling their passports. Moreover, police powers have also been expanded to permit detaining people for up to 16 days without charge – a jump from the current 48 hours – and to restrict a suspect from meeting lawyers and communicating with others. International condemnation The United States, the European Union, Japan and the UK have been among the law’s strongest critics, with UK Foreign Minister David Cameron saying it would “further damage the rights and freedoms” of those in the city. US Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Friday expressed “deep concern” that the law could be used to undermine rights and curb dissent, adding it could damage Hong Kong’s reputation as an international finance hub. Meanwhile, Australia, the UK and Taiwan have updated their travel advisories for Hong Kong, urging citizens to exercise caution. “You could break the laws without intending to and be detained without charge and denied access to a lawyer,” the Australian government said. People hold up placards at a demonstration outside the Foreign and Commonwealth Development Office in London to protest the introduction of the Article 23 National Security Law in Hong Kong [Justin Tallis/AFP] In a joint statement led by the overseas-based Hong Kong Democracy Council, 145 community and advocacy groups have also condemned the law and called for sanctions on Hong Kong and Chinese officials involved its passage, as well as review the status of Hong Kong’s Economic & Trade Offices worldwide. “It’s time for the United States to step up for political prisoners and freedom in Hong Kong. Every time we let authoritarians get away with atrocities, we risk other bad actors attempting to do the same,” wanted Hong Kong activist Frances Hui said in Washington, during a news conference with the US Congressional-Executive Commission on China (CECC), which advises Congress. Protests have also taken place in Taipei’s fashionable Ximending shopping district, where more than a dozen Hong Kong, Taiwan and Tibet activists gathered to protest the law and shout their denunciations. Other protests are planned in Australia, the UK, Canada, Japan and the US. But authorities in Hong Kong have “strongly condemned such political manoeuvres with skewed, fact-twisting, scaremongering and panic-spreading remarks”. What is China’s stance? China has defended Hong Kong’s security crackdown as essential to restoring order after months of sometimes violent antigovernment and pro-democracy protests in 2019. About 291 people have been arrested for national security offences, with 174 people and five companies charged so far. Chinese authorities insist all are equal before the security laws that have restored stability, but while individual rights are respected no freedoms are absolute. Adblock test (Why?)
At least 19 reported killed as Israeli forces fire on Gaza aid seekers
Authorities in Gaza said 23 people were also injured while waiting for bags of flour and aid near Kuwait Roundabout. At least 19 Palestinians have been killed in an Israeli attack targeting civilians who were waiting for aid southeast of Gaza City, Gaza’s Ministry of Health and its Media Office said. “The Israeli occupation commits a massacre, killing 19 and injuring 23 civilians while thousands of citizens were waiting for flour and aid near Al-Kuwait roundabout,” Gaza’s media office said in a statement on Saturday. It said that the Israeli army and tanks opened fire with machine guns “towards the hungry people who were waiting for bags of flour and aid in a place far from posing any danger to the occupation”. Mahmud Basal, the spokesman for the Civil Defence Department in Gaza, said there had been “heavy shooting at civilians” and victims had been transported to a nearby Ahli Arab Hospital. But with Gaza’s healthcare system at near collapse, many were treated outside in the open air. “There were very serious injuries, some of whom were injured by shrapnel. The reality is tragic, difficult and challenging,” he said. Alaa al-Khudary, a witness at the scene, told Al Jazeera that the Israeli forces shot at the crowd, leaving “many dead” and leaving others injured while they tried to get “a bite to eat” for their children. Palestinians wounded in the attack were taken to Ahli Arab Hospital in Gaza City [Dawoud Abo Alkas/Anadolu Agency] Looming famine Half of Palestinians in Gaza are experiencing “catastrophic” hunger, with famine projected to hit the north of the territory by May unless there is urgent intervention, a United Nations-backed food assessment warned on Monday. But aid distribution has become increasingly dangerous and sometimes lethal. Last Tuesday, 23 Palestinians were killed, and several others were injured by Israeli bombing that targeted Palestinians waiting for humanitarian aid in the northern Gaza Strip. On February 29, Israeli forces opened fire on hundreds of Palestinians as they gathered south of Gaza City waiting to receive humanitarian aid in what is known as the “flour massacre”, leaving 118 dead and 760 wounded, according to the Health Ministry in the enclave. UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said on Saturday during a visit to the Rafah crossing that the line of blocked aid trucks stuck on Egypt’s side of the border with the Gaza Strip while Palestinians face starvation on the other side is a “moral outrage”. Al Jazeera’s Tareq Abu Azzoum, reporting from Rafah, said the latest shooting is part of a “clear, systematic policy that Israel has been using in the course of the past few months”. He said the Israeli forces have been imposing restrictions on aid deliveries to the north of the enclave while also attacking people who attempt to reach humanitarian aid convoys. He said that people in Gaza, despite the risks, continue to wait for the convoys as they are “hungry, dehydrated, and they want to return back to their families with something to break the fast“. Volunteers distribute rations of red lentil soup to displaced Palestinians in Rafah in the southern Gaza Strip on February 18, 2024 [Said Khatib/AFP] Reports of shooting ‘are incorrect’: Israel The Israeli army denied it had fired on the crowd. “The reports claiming that the [Israeli military] attacked dozens of Gazans at an aid convoy are incorrect,” an army statement said. “Preliminary findings have determined that there was no aerial strike against the convoy, nor were there incidents found of [Israeli] forces firing at the people at the aid convoy.” Adblock test (Why?)
Can the UN Security Council agree on a ceasefire resolution for Gaza?
Members reject text drafted by the US in advance of another vote. The United Nations Security Council has failed to pass a United States-drafted resolution recognising the need for a ceasefire in Gaza. It was the first time the Americans had used such strong language, but it was not enough for Russia, China and Algeria. They rejected the text because it did not demand an immediate ceasefire and because it tied any pause in hostilities to the release of all Israeli captives. Another draft is due to be tabled on Monday, this time with stronger language. But can Council members overcome their entrenched positions and internal politics to reach an agreement? Presenter: James Bays Guests: Francis J Riccardione – Former US ambassador to Egypt and Turkey. Hussein Haridi – Former Egyptian assistant foreign minister and a former ambassador. Hanan Ashrawi – Member of the Palestine Legislative Council. Adblock test (Why?)
VP Harris pushes gun control at site of Parkland school shooting as victim’s dad calls it ‘slap in the face’
After Vice President Kamala Harris walked the halls of Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida, she pushed for gun control legislation by announcing a new national office to promote “red flag” laws. “I do believe we have a duty to remember and a duty to bear witness to what happened here. It is extraordinarily tragic. These were beautiful people whom I have come to know through their family members,” Harris said after she accompanied some of the victims’ family members through the high school halls where a gunman had killed 17 people in 2018. “They are so much bigger and more than a statistic, they should be so much bigger and more than the subject of politics or gamesmanship,” the vice president said. PARKLAND VICTIM’S DAD SLAMS VP KAMALA HARRIS’ ‘PHOTO OP’ VISIT TO ‘PUSH AN AGENDA’: ‘SLAP IN THE FACE’ Harris said that “gun violence is the leading cause of death for children in America.” “You know, part of what I talk to families about is the fact that one of five families in America has a family member that has died because of gun violence,” Harris said. “That the leading cause of death for the children of America is gun violence.” “And what I saw here today, after I spent time with the families during the walk through the building where these crimes occurred, is a moment frozen in time,” she said. The vice president said that people need to “understand the facets” of the tragedy at the Parkland high school and to “do better” in the future. “I know that for the most part that [parents of victims] they will try to mitigate the pain, but will never completely heal,” Harris said. SITE OF PARKLAND SCHOOL MASSACRE SET TO BE DEMOLISHED NEXT SUMMER “We have to understand the facets of this and when we do reflect and review and, dare I say, study what happened here at Stoneman Douglas, we must be willing to have the courage to say that on every level, whether you talk about changing laws or changing practices and locales, that we must do better,” she said. During her speech, Harris announced a new national office, the National Extreme Risk Protection Order (ERPO) Resource Center, which will provide assistance to 21 states that have implemented “red flag laws.” “Of the 21 that have passed red flag laws, I challenge the others to come on over,” Harris said. “We got some resources for you to help you implement the work that you have done that has been the work of a leader on this tragic issue.” “Red flag” laws allow members of the public and law enforcement to petition courts for a civil order to temporarily suspend a person’s access to firearms for fear that person might cause violence. Harris concluded her speech by promising that she would “continue to advocate” for stricter gun control laws in America. “So these are just some of the ways that we can learn from what happened here,” she said. KAMALA HARRIS TORN APART BY PRO-LIFERS FOR HISTORIC TRIP TO ABORTION CLINIC: ‘NORMALIZATION OF EVIL’ “And of course, as you know, I will continue to advocate what we must do in terms of universal background checks, an assault weapons ban and what we must continue to do to treat, diagnose and treat trauma in our communities,” she said. The vice president said that some of the strict gun control laws were “no brainers.” “And there won’t be complete agreement on all that must be done to address these kinds of tragedies. But there are some that, frankly, are just no brainers,” she added. WATCH: Ryan Petty, a father of one of the Parkland victims, said that Harris’ visit to the high school was a “slap in the face” to parents who have worked to find solutions to schools that do not include “infringement on Second Amendment rights.” “The vice president and the White House’s Office of Gun Violence Prevention made it very clear to families early on that nothing short of new gun control was going to satisfy them in protecting our nation’s schools,” he told Fox News Digital. “And that is just a slap in the face to those of us that have worked for six years now to try to protect our nation’s schools.” He said that there are “many ways” that America can protect children without “infringement on Second Amendment rights.” “There are so many ways that we can protect our kids and our teachers at school that don’t require the infringement on the Second Amendment rights of law-abiding gun owners around the country,” Petty said. “But the vice president and the Office of Gun Violence Prevention don’t want to hear any of those solutions. What they want to do is create an opportunity for the vice president to spout gun control talking points at a site that, quite frankly, is hallowed ground at this point.” “I find the whole thing offensive,” he added. Fox News has reached out to the White House for comment.