Exclusive: Bernie Moreno touts historically ‘powerful’ Trump endorsement after Ohio primary win
EXCLUSIVE – CLEVELAND – There were two winners in Ohio’s Republican Senate primary – Bernie Moreno and former President Trump. Moreno, a successful Cleveland-based business leader and luxury auto dealership giant, rode Trump’s endorsement to victory in Tuesday’s primary in a costly and contentious GOP nomination contest. “I want to thank President Trump for all he did for me, for this campaign, for his unwavering support,” Moreno said in his victory speech. Moreno, who highlighted that he spoke with the former president soon after his victory was projected, emphasized that “I wear with honor my endorsement from President Trump.” TRUMP’S SUPPORT HELPS PROPEL MORENO TO VICTORY IN BRUISING SENATE PRIMARY BATTLE Moreno’s victory in a bruising primary battle over state Sen. Matt Dolan and Ohio Secretary of State Frank LaRose propelled him into a general election showdown against longtime Democratic Sen. Sherrod Brown in a race that may determine if Republicans win back the Senate majority in November. The Senate primary in its closing days was framed as a showdown between Trump and the MAGA/America First wing of the party, which rallied around Moreno, vs. the conservative establishment, which supported Dolan. Additionally, it was partially viewed as a test of Trump’s immense clout over the Republican Party. WATCH: WHAT BERNIE MORENO TOLD FOX NEWS AFTER HIS PRIMARY VICTORY IN OHIO Trump, who last week clinched the GOP presidential nomination as he became his party’s presumptive 2024 nominee, easily cruised to victory in Ohio’s Republican presidential primary on Tuesday. However, Moreno’s win in the competitive Senate contest was arguably a bigger victory for Trump than his presidential primary romp. “An endorsement from Donald J. Trump is the most powerful endorsement in modern political history,” Moreno emphasized in an exclusive Fox News interview at his primary night celebration. “There’s never been anything like it before – probably won’t be anything like it afterwards.” He added that Trump’s backing “was probably decisive” in his primary victory. “I think it was a victory for the [Trump] agenda. For the America First agenda,” he added. WILL REPUBLICANS IN OHIO REUNITE AFTER A BRUISING PRIMARY? Dolan, who did not seek Trump’s support, told reporters after conceding that “I think it’s pretty self-evident that Donald Trump’s endorsement for Bernie Moreno was a key factor for Bernie winning.” Trump was aiming for a repeat performance in Ohio. Two years ago, the former president backed now Sen. JD Vance in a crowded and combative Republican Senate nomination race, boosting Vance to victory in the 2022 primary a couple of weeks later. That primary also included Dolan and Moreno, who dropped out a couple of months ahead of the primary after meeting with Trump. Fast-forward to the present, and Trump returned to Ohio this past weekend after Dolan surged in the polls and landed the endorsement of two-term Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine and former Sen. Rob Portman, part of the state’s Republican old guard. Trump, at a rally outside Dayton, claimed that Dolan was a “weak RINO” [a derogatory acronym which stands for “Republicans in name only”] and charged that the state senator is “trying to become the next Mitt Romney.” Romney, the 2012 GOP presidential nominee and establishment Republican senator from Utah, is reviled by Trump and the MAGA movement. Moreno was also joined on the campaign trail in the closing days by two top Trump allies – Vance and Arizona Senate candidate and 2022 gubernatorial nominee Kari Lake. In the end, the support from Trump and team MAGA helped boost Moreno to a double-digit victory over Dolan, with LaRose a distant third. Moreno was not the only Ohio Republican boosted by Trump. This past weekend, the former president endorsed state Rep. Derek Merrin in the GOP primary in Ohio’s 9th Congressional District. On Tuesday, Merrin was the projected winner over former state Rep. Craig Riedel. With the departure of controversial candidate J.R. Majewski from the primary earlier this month, Republicans are hoping Merrin can defeat veteran Democratic Rep. Marcy Kaptur in November. “Donald Trump is the most important endorsement in Ohio, bar none,” longtime Republican strategist and 2016 Trump campaign veteran Mike Biundo told Fox News on the eve of the Ohio primary. Biundo, who has worked on multiple campaigns in Ohio, emphasized that “Trump moves numbers and helps to hand victories to those he endorses. It’s just a fact. Just look at Sen. JD Vance. He owes his seat to the last minute Trump endorsement.” However, Trump’s endorsement record in contested Republican primaries is not perfect. “This is Trump’s party and his endorsement in contested primaries has proven to be helpful, but it’s not a lock,” veteran Republican strategist and communicator Ryan Williams noted. An Ohio-based Republican consultant, who asked to remain anonymous to speak more freely, last week called the Republican Senate primary “a litmus test” of Trump’s sway over the GOP. “The real question is whether President Trump’s endorsement still carries weight with Republican primary voters in Ohio,” the consultant said. “It’s that simple and straight forward, and I think ultimately the answer is yes.” Fox News’ Jamie Vera, Deirdre Heavey and Brooke Curto contributed to this report. Get the latest updates from the 2024 campaign trail, exclusive interviews and more at our Fox News Digital election hub.
‘He tried to…’: Badaun double murder eyewitness case shares chilling details
Eyewitness Yuvraj recounted the harrowing events, stating that two individuals took his brothers to the terrace before the attack.
Centre issues notice over birth of Sidhu Moosewala’s brother due to…
In a video posted on Facebook, Moosewala’s father Balkaur Singh said he had all legal documents and was greatly troubled by this enquiry.
Court challenge from Texas AG Ken Paxton could end Austin’s light-rail plans
The attorney general took issue with the financial strategy Austin used to navigate the limits state lawmakers have placed on how Texas cities can raise money.
Trump has message for Pence, other Republicans who refuse to endorse him
Former President Trump is a man on a mission — to win back the White House in November — and he doesn’t have time for Republicans who are standing in his way, he suggested in Florida on Tuesday. The Republican presumptive nominee spoke with a group of reporters after he cast his ballot in the Florida primary election, which he later won. During the gaggle, Trump was asked about his former running mate and vice president, Mike Pence, and whether Pence’s decision not to endorse him against President Biden bothered him. “Oh, I couldn’t care less,” Trump told the press corps. “I couldn’t care less. We need patriots. We need strong people in our country. Our country is going downhill very fast, very rapidly.” He added: “Millions of people coming across the border, coming from jails, from prisons, coming from mental institutions and insane asylum terrorists. We need strong people in this country. We don’t need weak people.” PENCE DECLINES TO ENDORSE TRUMP, WON’T BACK BIDEN Pence, who briefly ran for president in the 2024 cycle, and Trump have had an embattled relationship since the 2020 presidential election and the former vice president announced as recently as last week that he would not endorse his former running mate. “It should come as no surprise that I will not be endorsing Donald Trump this year,” Pence said on “The Story.” “I’m incredibly proud of the record of our administration. It was a conservative record that made America more prosperous, more secure and saw conservatives appointed to our courts in a more peaceful world,” he added. “What I’m going to spend the rest of this year on is talking about what we should be for. And that is the broad mainstream conservative agenda that’s defined our party and always made America strong and prosperous and free.” Trump, the only Republican still in the presidential primary after Nikki Haley suspended her campaign earlier this month, was declared the winner in the Florida primary election late Tuesday evening. The comments were similar to Ohio Republican Bernie Moreno, who also won his primary contest to be his party’s nominee for U.S. Senate on Tuesday, when he urged Republicans to rally behind Trump — whether they disagreed with his personal antics or not. “I am so sick of Republicans that will say ‘I support President Trump’s policies, but I don’t like the man,’” Moreno said, drawing some reaction from the crowd. “This is a good man. This is a great American.” TRUMP REVEALS ‘VERY FIRST ACTIONS’ HE’LL TAKE AS PRESIDENT DURING OHIO RALLY, HAMMERS BIDEN’S BORDER POLICIES He continued: “This man wakes up every day fighting for us, fighting for this country. He loves this country like no other leader in this nation has ever loved this country.” Moreno, who Trump endorsed in the contest, triumphed over Ohio Secretary of State Frank LaRose and state Sen. Matt Dolan in the Republican primary on Tuesday. He will face third-term U.S. Sen. Sherrod Brown, a Democrat, in November. Since the Republican primary for the presidency has become a one-man race, Trump Republicans are urging others in the party to support the former president as the GOP looks to win back the White House and a majority in the U.S. Senate. Republicans are undoubtedly hoping to set aside their differences in an effort to win as Biden remains historically unpopular, immigration across the U.S.-Mexico border continues to set all-time high crossing records and as Americans are forced to continue paying higher prices due to crippling inflation.
Bengaluru shocker: Metro staff masturbates in public, woman passenger files complaint
The incident, which occurred at the Jalahalli Metro station, has caused an uproar on social media.
Alabama lawmakers pass legislation that bans state funding of DEI, restricts teaching ‘divisive concepts’
Alabama’s GOP-controlled Legislature passed sweeping legislation that would prohibit state funding of diversity, equity and inclusion programs at public colleges and universities, local boards of education and government agencies, and that would limit teachings on “divisive concepts” at public colleges and universities. The legislation limits teaching “divisive concepts” about race and gender at public colleges and universities and requires transgender students to use the bathroom that aligns with their biological sex. The measure defines “divisive concepts” as casting “fault, blame or bias” to any race, religion, gender or nationality. Concepts including teachings that a person is “inherently responsible for actions committed in the past” or that a person should “accept, acknowledge, affirm or assent to a sense of guilt, complicity or a need to apologize” based on their race, religion, gender or background are also considered divisive under the legislation. COLLEGE DEI CRACKDOWN PASSES ALABAMA SENATE DEI programs and discussions are still allowed on campuses as long as they do not use state funds. Republican state Rep. Ed Oliver, a lead sponsor of the bill, criticized DEI initiatives for attempting to “deepen divisions, set up race-exclusionary programs and indoctrinate students into a far-left political ideology.” Meanwhile, Democrats have raised questions about whether the restrictions in the legislation are constitutional and about the impact on black students, faculty and staff. More than 30 states across the country have introduced legislation targeting diversity and inclusion initiatives at public colleges and universities. Colleges and universities in Florida and Texas have started eliminating DEI positions in response to the GOP efforts to rid education of DEI. NAACP URGE BLACK ATHLETES TO ‘RECONSIDER’ PLAYING AT FLORIDA COLLEGES DUE TO ANTI-DEI BILL Last week, the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, or NAACP, called on black student-athletes to boycott Florida universities following a new state policy banning public and state institutions from using government funds on equity and inclusion programs. At least eight of Alabama’s public colleges and universities have a specific office dedicated to DEI initiatives. These institutions spent a combined $16 million on diversity efforts such as campus cultural events and programs. The legislation now heads to Republican Gov. Kay Ivey’s desk. If signed into law, it will go into effect Oct. 1.
Israel’s war on Gaza: List of key events, day 166
The WHO says increasing numbers of children in Gaza are on the ‘brink of death’ from acute hunger as the UK sends more aid. Here’s how things stand on Wednesday, March 20, 2024: Fighting and humanitarian crisis Explosions and shootings shook the Gaza Strip’s biggest hospital and surrounding neighbourhoods as Israeli forces stormed through the facility for a second day on Tuesday. Israel has said “dozens” of people were killed and some 300 people arrested during its assault on al-Shifa Hospital in Gaza City. The Israeli military said it raided al-Shifa early on Monday because Hamas fighters had grouped in the hospital and were directing attacks from inside. The Israeli claims could not be independently verified as it has not allowed international journalists to report from the besieged territory. Israel arrested Al Jazeera’s Ismail al-Ghoul during its raid on al-Shifa on Monday. Al-Ghoul was released 12 hours later after international condemnation. Separately, the Israeli military has killed at least 23 people during an attack on the Kuwait Roundabout in Gaza City early this week, while 15 more were killed in a strike on a house in the Nuseirat camp in central Gaza on Sunday. Dr Margaret Harris, a spokeswoman for the World Health Organization (WHO), said on Tuesday that increasing numbers of children in Gaza are on the “brink of death” from acute hunger. Diplomacy and regional tensions The UK’s largest aid delivery to Gaza has entered the Strip, the British Foreign Office said on Wednesday. More than 2,000 tonnes of food aid crossed into Gaza via Jordan and is being distributed by the World Food Programme and will feed “more than 275,000 people”, the office said. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is expected to address US Senate Republicans during a closed-door conference on Wednesday via video. This comes less than a week after the chamber’s top Democrat, Chuck Schumer, called for elections to replace him. Netanyahu agreed on Monday to send a team of Israeli officials to Washington to discuss the impending Rafah offensive with Biden administration officials. However, on Tuesday, he told a parliamentary committee that while he would listen to US proposals “out of respect” to Biden, “we are determined to complete the elimination of these [Hamas] battalions in Rafah, and there is no way to do this without a ground incursion”. US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin and his Israeli counterpart, Yoav Gallant, plan to discuss securing the release of Hamas-held captives and providing humanitarian aid to Gaza during their meeting in Washington, DC, next week, according to The Associated Press news agency. Democratic Senator Bernie Sanders has hailed Canada’s Parliament for voting to halt arms sales to Israel, saying the US should follow suit and “not provide another nickel for Netanyahu’s war machine”. Canada’s parliament has voted to stop arms sales to Israel. They are absolutely right to do so. Given the humanitarian catastrophe in Gaza, including widespread and growing starvation, the U.S. should not provide another nickel for Netanyahu’s war machine. — Bernie Sanders (@BernieSanders) March 19, 2024 Violence in the occupied West Bank Local media and the Wafa news agency reported Israeli military raids in multiple locations across the occupied West Bank late on Tuesday. They include Jericho, the city of Tulkarem, and the at-Taawon neighbourhood in the city of Nablus. A Palestinian man has also been arrested after Israeli forces stormed his home in the Jalazone camp, north of Ramallah on Tuesday, while confrontations have broken out between Palestinian resistance groups and Israeli forces in the town of ar-Ram, north of Jerusalem. Adblock test (Why?)
Praying for Armageddon: Evangelicals, the US and the Middle East
Episode 1 of a doomsday political thriller about evangelical Christian influence on US foreign policy in the Middle East. The first episode of Praying for Armageddon goes inside the evangelical Christian movement to explore its influence on US democracy and foreign policy. Preparing for the “end times”, a grassroots pastor gathers an army of veterans in the heartland of the United States, and megachurch ministers provide spiritual advice to politicians in the nation’s capital. They call for the “final battle” which they believe will trigger the second coming of Christ. Central to their apocalyptic prophecy is Israel. It is with their blessing that the Trump administration controversially recognises Jerusalem as the capital of Israel and moves the US embassy there in 2018. “It feels like everyone has a say about the destiny and the future of Jerusalem except for the Palestinians living in it,” says Palestinian activist Fayrouz Sharqawi. Praying for Armageddon is a documentary film by Tonje Hessen Schei. Adblock test (Why?)
EU firms in China forced to focus on risks over business, lobby group says
European companies in China are overly focused on risk management amid a less predictable and more politicised business environment in the world’s second largest economy, a business lobby group has warned. The European Union Chamber of Commerce in China said on Wednesday that about three-quarters of respondents to a survey of its 1,700 members had reviewed their supply chains and exposure in China over the past two years amid a “general sentiment of uncertainty”. Some 21 percent of respondents said they planned to expand their production in China, while another 12 percent planned to reduce it, the chamber said. Only 1 percent said they planned to move production out of China entirely, according to the survey. The findings come “at a time when the global business environment is becoming increasingly politicised, and companies are having to make some very tough decisions about how, or in some cases if, they can continue to engage with the Chinese market,” the lobby group said in a report accompanying the survey. China’s market has become “less predictable, reliable and efficient”, while companies’ focus has become “skewed disproportionately towards risk management and building resilience”, the report said. Foreign companies in China have faced a series of challenges in recent years, including slowing economic growth, ultra-strict COVID restrictions, US-China geopolitical tensions, and national security crackdowns. While Beijing has sought to assure businesses that the country is open for business after the pandemic, authorities have carried out high-profile raids on foreign consulting firms, strengthened anti-espionage and state secrets laws, and restricted cross-border data sharing. Tensions with Europe have also spiked since the EU Commission in September opened a probe into whether Chinese state-subsidised electric vehicle imports are undercutting European competitors. In the EU Chamber of Commerce survey, some 55 percent of respondents said that the business climate in China was “more political over the past year”, leading firms to increase their focus on “de-risking” their operations there. “At the corporate level, the volume, complexity and severity of the risks companies face have grown exponentially in recent years, as politics has seeped into the business environment,” the report said. Despite these concerns, Jens Eskelund, president of the chamber, urged European companies to reevaluate overly cautious behaviour to avoid stifling future growth and innovation. “While it is natural that all global actors will seek to ensure the security of their respective economies, it should be done in a way that is minimally disruptive to business,” Eskelund said. “Actions taken in the name of risk management and strengthening economic security should be proportionate, targeted and precise and should never become a cover for protectionism.” Foreign direct investment into China sank to a 30-year low in 2023, with new investment falling to $33bn, 82 percent less than the previous year, according to government data. China’s State Council this week announced a new action plan to promote foreign investment, focusing on key industries such as advanced chips and biopharmaceuticals. The State Council also promised to address practices that discriminated against foreign companies, a longstanding complaint in the foreign business community. Adblock test (Why?)