Former Santos staffer says expelled congressman’s surprise challenge to Lalota ‘is a joke’
A former spokeswoman for disgraced ex-congressman George Santos gave a blunt assessment of his surprise comeback campaign in a different district. Naysa Woomer, who served as Santos’ communications director for six months before he was expelled from Congress, said the celebrity and media attention Santos received while in office went straight to his head. Asked if there is something wrong with Santos, Woomer told CNN’s Jake Tapper, “I want to say, yes, a little bit because it sounds like someone who just — he went from being a congressman to a celebrity. And I think just the media attention that came around him during his entire time in Congress, it just, I think it increased his ego.” “After listening to members such as Nick LaLota and Anthony D’Esposito, I agree with them. I mean, it’s a joke,” she continued. “And one of my biggest questions is, you know, do we need to go back?” GEORGE SANTOS ANNOUNCES SURPRISE 2ND RUN FOR CONGRESS DURING SOTU ADDRESS Santos turned heads Thursday night when he attended President Biden’s State of the Union address to a joint session of Congress. While the president was speaking, Santos declared his intention to challenge Rep. Nick LaLota, R-N.Y., in New York’s First Congressional District in the next election. “New York hasn’t had a real conservative represent them since I left office arbitrarily, thanks to RINO, empty suits like Nick LaLota,” Santos wrote on X. “He is a willing to risk the future of our majority and the future of this country for his own political gain. After a lot of prayer and conversation with my friends and family, I have made a very important decision that will shake things up.” Santos was previously elected to and expelled from New York’s 3rd Congressional District. The disgraced New York Republican was tossed out of Congress after a damning House Ethics Committee report found that he misused campaign funds on luxury items and OnlyFans, among other things. EX-REP GEORGE SANTOS RETURNS TO CAPITOL HILL FOR BIDEN’S STATE OF THE UNION ADDRESS Santos has not been convicted of a crime, but he has been indicted on multiple counts related to wire fraud, identity theft, falsification of records, credit card fraud and other charges. He has pleaded not guilty. LaLota said he would welcome the chance to defeat Santos in a primary. “To raise the standard in Congress, and to hold a pathological liar who stole an election accountable, I led the charge to expel George Santos,” LaLota posted on X. “If finishing the job requires beating him in a primary, count me in.” EMBATTLED GOP REP GEORGE SANTOS EXPELLED FROM HOUSE After Santos showed up at the State of the Union Address, Rep. Ritche Torres, D-N.Y., announced Friday he would introduce legislation to revoke his floor privileges. The “Getting Expelled Officially Revokes Guaranteed Entry” rule, or GEORGE rule, would prevent former House members who have been expelled from Congress from keeping their privileges, including the right to enter the House floor when the body is in session. Woomer told Tapper she supported Torres’ proposal. “I think it is a good rule,” she said. “I mean, let’s just remember too, only, I think he’s the sixth member of Congress who had been expelled.” Fox News Digital’s Timothy H.J. Nerozzi contributed to this report.
US senators make new push to make Daylight Savings permanent
Sen. Ed Markey, D-Mass., and Marco Rubio, R-Fla. made a new push Friday on bipartisan legislation that would make Daylight Savings permanent. S. 582, also coined the Sunshine Protection Act, would make Daylight Savings permanent and add an hour to the day. The Senate unanimously passed the legislation in March 2022 but has been stalled since. The bill would allow Arizona and Hawaii, which do not observe daylight saving time, to remain on standard time, as well as American Samoa, Guam, the Northern Mariana Islands, Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands. THE END OF DAYLIGHT SAVING TIME CAN NEGATIVELY AFFECT YOUR HEALTH “The antiquated biannual ritual of toggling between times isn’t just an inconvenience—it also has very real impacts on our economy, our energy consumption, and our health,” Markey said in a statement released. “We know the sun will come out tomorrow, so let’s make that sun stay out an hour later by making Daylight Saving Time permanent and passing the Sunshine Protection Act. You can bet your bottom dollar that tomorrow there’ll be sun … and smiles.” “We’re ‘springing forward’ but should have never ‘fallen back.’ My Sunshine Protection Act would end this stupid practice of changing our clocks back and forth,” Rubio also said in the announcement. Florida Republican Sen. Rick Scott also called to “Lock the clock,” calling upon Congress to move forward with the legislation. CRIME SPIKES WHEN DAYLIGHT SAVING TIME ENDS, STUDY FINDS “Floridians are sick of changing their clocks because we all want more sunshine,” Scott said in a statement released. “It’s time for Congress to act and I’m proud to be leading the bipartisan Sunshine Protection Act with Senator Rubio to get this done. When I was Governor of Florida, I signed this bill into law on the state level. Now it’s Washington’s turn and we should finish the job by passing this good bill today.” Rep. Vern Buchanan, R-Fla., introduced similar legislation in the House of Representatives in March 2023. H.R. 1279, also called the Sunshine Protection Act, seeks to make Daylight Savings permanent as well. President Joe Biden has not yet taken a stance on the issue, while former President Donald Trump tweeted back in 2019 he was “O.K.” with making Daylight Savings permanent. “Making Daylight Saving Time permanent is O.K. with me!” Trump wrote on Twitter at the time, now known as X. ON THIS DAY IN HISTORY, FEB. 9, 1942, FEDS ENACT DAYLIGHT SAVING TIME IN DARKEST HOURS OF WORLD WAR II Approximately 30 states have introduced legislation to permanently end the changing of clocks twice a year since 2015, according to Reuters. Some states have also only proposed to make the change so long as neighboring states do the same, per the outlet. Daylight saving time has been in place in nearly all the United States since the 1960s after initially being tried in 1918. Year-round Daylight Savings was used during World War II and adopted once again in 1973 in an effort to reduce fuel use. Daylight Savings starts on Sunday, March 10. Reuters contributed to this report.
Analysis: Why are Iranian monarchists backing Israel over its Gaza war?
As millions of people took to the streets to denounce Israel’s brutal assault on Gaza that has killed tens of thousands of Palestinians, demanding justice and peace, support for Israel emerged from a surprising quarter: Iranian monarchists. They are supporters of Reza Pahlavi, son of Mohammad Reza Pahlavi, Iran’s last shah who was toppled by the Islamic Revolution of 1979. At pro-Israel rallies, they have waved the old Iranian flag and chanted praise of Israel and its leader, Benjamin Netanyahu. Their confrontations with pro-Palestinian protesters, whom they accuse of being government proxies, reveal their stark divergence from the mainstream Iranian opinion, which has historically supported the Palestinian cause. Yet, the current Gaza war evokes complex reactions in Iran, as many Iranians avoid being associated with the government’s unpopular foreign and domestic policies that have caused widespread discontent. Regardless, many Iranian civil society activists and dissidents try to balance criticism of their government with solidarity with Palestinians. The monarchists’ alignment with Israel, therefore, raises questions about their motives and how big a portion of the opposition they represent. Fractured opposition The Iranian opposition movement comprises various factions, including republicans and monarchists. However, their ideological differences have hindered their unity and led to bitter conflicts and splits among them. [embedded content] In December, many Iranians celebrated the Nobel Peace Prize awarded to Narges Mohammadi, a prominent women’s rights activist and political prisoner in Iran. Her twins, Kiana and Ali, and their father Taghi Rahmani, received the prize on her behalf and met with the king and queen of Sweden, who praised her courage and work. But an online campaign against Mohammadi and her family began from several accounts ostensibly belonging to Iranian monarchists. They cast doubt on Mohammadi’s legitimacy and credibility while insisting that Pahlavi is the only true leader of all Iranians. Their comments included, “Narges Mohammadi is not the representative of Iranians,” and “Our real representative is King Reza Pahlavi.” They flooded the social media pages of the Swedish royal family and the Nobel Peace Committee with such vitriol that comments had to be disabled. This online campaign against Mohammadi reached new heights in December, when Yasmine Pahlavi, Reza Pahlavi’s wife, questioned the credibility of Narges Mohammadi on Instagram, wondering how Mohammadi could give an interview with Angelina Jolie from prison, implying that she was not a real political prisoner, but a puppet of the Islamic republican government. This came as Mohammadi was preparing to receive the Nobel Peace Prize on December 10. Narges mohammadi is a charlatan, and she is not our voice Stop promoting this charlatan Our real representative is king reza Pahlavi@PahlaviReza — mromid2222 (@Mrom2222) December 10, 2023 Mohammadi’s husband responded in a series of tweets outlining the perilous process by which political prisoners in Iran communicate with the outside world – a process that, ironically, the monarchist movement also employs in Iran. The root of this hostility lies in the deep political and ideological rifts between the Iranian monarchists and the Iran-based pro-democracy activists like Mohammadi. The monarchists, who regard Reza Pahlavi as the crown prince and the opposition leader, want the Iranian opposition movement to unite under his leadership. They also support a hardline US approach towards Iran, including increased intervention and harsh sanctions. Mohammadi, however, has a different background and vision. She was part of Iran’s reformist movement, and supported moderate and reformist candidates like Hassan Rouhani and Mir Hossein Mousavi in past elections, along with most of the Iranian civil society and pro-democracy movement. She also rejected sweeping sanctions that hurt Iran’s economy, telling the Washington Post in April 2022 that they “weakened Iranians economically more than they weakened the Iranian regime” and “strengthened the Iranian regime and hardline individuals and groups in the country, including the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps. This did not benefit democracy in Iran.” These divergent views on the nature and the future of the Iranian opposition have created a chasm between the monarchists and many other opposition forces, which has been exacerbated by the online attacks against Mohammadi. Taghi Rahmani, centre, with twins Kiana and Ali after signing the guest book at the Nobel Institute in Oslo, Norway, on December 9, 2023 [Frederik Ringnes/NTB/via Reuters] Against this backdrop, Yasmine Pahlavi’s attack on Narges Mohammadi was one of many examples of her hostility towards people with different political views. She has a history of making inflammatory statements on social media and expressing a staunch pro-Israel position. She also publicly demonstrated her support for Israel during the Gaza war, attending a pro-Israel rally in Washington, DC in November and waving an Israeli flag. Indeed, since the outbreak of the Gaza war, the Iranian monarchist movement has shown strong support for Israel online and at pro-Israel rallies in Europe and the United States. Their often-aggressive tactics have concerned many pro-Palestinian activists, with pro-Pahlavi lobbying groups in Washington, DC, such as the National Union for Democracy in Iran (NUFDI), seeking to intimidate pro-Palestinians activists who have been critical of Iranian-American supporters of Israel, labelling them “supporters of Palestinian terrorist groups”. Dubious alliances Shah Mohammad Reza Pahlavi, who ruled until 1979, had a cordial but complex relationship with Israel, trying to balance it with ties to the Arab world. He cooperated with Israel on energy, security, and regional stability, while also at times voicing support for the Palestinian cause and Islamic and non-aligned movements — though he never fully embraced them and was decisively in the US camp in the Cold War. He tried to maximise Iran’s strategic options and leverage in the region while working to position it as the leading Gulf state. NUFDI Statement on Harassment Campaign Against Iranian-American Women pic.twitter.com/lEDtsv8275 — National Union for Democracy in Iran (@NUFDIran) November 28, 2023 His son, Reza Pahlavi, and his supporters, however, have been more and more overly supportive of Israel over the years, seeing it as a critical partner to their cause and ignoring the domestic and regional implications of their stance. Their pro-Israel stance became much more pronounced and vocal after
Why Google’s AI tool was slammed for showing images of people of colour
America’s founding fathers depicted as Black women and Ancient Greek warriors as Asian women and men – this was the world reimagined by Google’s generative AI tool, Gemini, in late February. The launch of the new image generation feature sent social media platforms into a flurry of intrigue and confusion. When users entered any prompts to create AI-generated images of people, Gemini was largely showing them results featuring people of colour – whether appropriate or not. X users shared laughs while repeatedly trying to generate images of white people on Gemini and failing to do so. While some instances were deemed humorous online, others, such as images of brown people wearing World War II Nazi uniforms with swastikas on them, prompted outrage, prompting Google to temporarily disable the tool. America’s Founding Fathers, Vikings, and the Pope according to Google AI: pic.twitter.com/lw4aIKLwkp — End Wokeness (@EndWokeness) February 21, 2024 Here is more about Google Gemini and the recent controversy surrounding it. What is Google Gemini? Google’s first contribution to the AI race was a chatbot named Bard. Bard was announced as a conversational AI programme or “chatbot”, which can simulate conversation with users, by Google CEO Sundar Pichai on February 6, 2023, and it was released for use on March 21, 2023. It was capable of churning out essays or even code when given written prompts by the user, hence being known as “generative AI”. Google said that Gemini would replace Bard and both a free and paid version of Gemini were made available to the public through its website and smartphone application. Google announced that Gemini would work with different types of input and output, including text, images and videos. The image generation aspect of Gemini is the part of the tool which gained the most attention, however, due to the controversy surrounding it. What sort of images did Gemini generate? Images depicting women and people of colour during historical events or in positions historically held by white men were the most controversial. For example, one render displayed a pope who was seemingly a Black woman. In the history of the Catholic Church, there have potentially been three Black popes, with the last Black pope’s service ending in 496 AD. There is no recorded evidence of there being a female pope in the Vatican’s official history but a medieval legend suggests a young woman, Pope Joan, disguised herself and served as pope in the ninth century. Lol the google Gemini AI thinks Greek warriors are Black and Asian. pic.twitter.com/K6RUM1XHM3 — Orion Against Racism Discrimination🌸 (@TheOmeg55211733) February 22, 2024 How does Gemini work? Gemini is a generative AI system which combines the models behind Bard – such as LaMDA, which makes the AI conversational and intuitive, and Imagen, a text-to-image technology – explained Margaret Mitchell, chief ethics scientist at the AI startup, Hugging Face. Generative AI tools are loaded with “training data” from which they draw information to answer questions and prompts input by users. The tool works with “text, images, audio and more at the same time”, explained a blog written by Pichai and Demis Hassabis, the CEO and co-founder of British American AI lab Google DeepMind. “It can take text prompts as inputs to produce likely responses as output, where ‘likely’ here means roughly ‘statistically probable’ given what it’s seen in the training data,” Mitchell explained. The Google Gemini AI interface on an iPhone browser [File: Jaap Arriens/NurPhoto via Getty Images] Does generative AI have a bias problem? Generative AI models have been criticised for what is seen as bias in their algorithms, particularly when they have overlooked people of colour or they have perpetuated stereotypes when generating results. AI, like other technology, runs the risk of amplifying pre-existing societal prejudices, according to Ayo Tometi, co-creator of the US-based anti-racist movement Black Lives Matter. Artist Stephanie Dinkins has been experimenting with AI’s ability to realistically depict Black women for the past seven years. Dinkins found AI tended to distort facial features and hair texture when given prompts to generate images. Other artists who have tried to generate images of Black women using different platforms such as Stability AI, Midjourney or DALL-E have reported similar issues. Critics also say that generative AI models tend to over-sexualise the images of Black and Asian women they generate. Some Black and Asian women have also reported that AI generators lighten their skin colour when they have used AI to generate images of themselves. Instances like these happen when those uploading the training data do not include people of colour or people who are not “the mainstream culture”, said data reporter Lam Thuy Vo in an episode of Al Jazeera’s Digital Dilemma. A lack of diversity among those inputting the training data for image generation AI can result in the AI “learning” biased patterns and similarities within the images, and using that knowledge to generate new images. Furthermore, training data is collected from the internet where a huge range of content and images can found, including that which is racist and misogynistic. Learning from the training data, the AI may replicate that. The people who are the least prioritised in data sets, therefore, are more likely to experience technology that does not account for them – or depict them correctly – which leads to and can perpetuate discrimination. [embedded content] Is this why Gemini generated inappropriate images? In fact, it is the opposite. Gemini was designed to try not to perpetuate these issues. While training data for other generative AI models has often prioritised light-skinned men when it comes to generating images, Gemini has been generating images of people of colour, particularly women, even when it is not appropriate to do so. AI can be programmed to add terms to a user’s prompt after they enter and submit the prompts, Mitchell said. For example, the prompt, “pictures of Nazis”, might be changed to “pictures of racially diverse Nazis” or “pictures of Nazis who are Black women”. So, a strategy which started with good intentions
UN Security Council calls for ceasefire in Sudan during Ramadan
Fighting has forcibly displaced more than eight million people, with millions more in need of food and humanitarian aid. The United Nations Security Council has called for a ceasefire in Sudan to coincide with the Muslim holy month of Ramadan and allow aid to get to 25 million people in desperate need of food with the humanitarian response at breaking point. Fourteen countries on the 15-member council on Friday backed the resolution proposed by the United Kingdom, with only Russia abstaining on the vote that called on “all parties to the conflict to seek a sustainable resolution to the conflict through dialogue”. Fighting has been raging in Sudan since April 15, 2023, pitting the army of General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan against the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) of General Mohamed Hamdan “Hemedti” Dagalo. Tens of thousands of people have since been killed, 8.3 million have been forcibly displaced and the fighting has additionally destroyed infrastructure and crippled the economy. Britain’s deputy UN ambassador, James Kariuki, urged the Sudanese Armed Forces and the RSF “to act on this united international call for peace and to silence the guns”. The resolution called on all sides to adopt an immediate “cessation of hostilities” ahead of Ramadan, a time for fasting, prayer and reflection for Muslims worldwide. It urged the warring parties to allow “unhindered” humanitarian access across borders and battlelines. The resolution also expressed “grave concern over the spreading violence and the catastrophic and deteriorating humanitarian situation, including crisis levels, or worse, of acute food insecurity, particularly in Darfur”. UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Thursday said both sides should “honour the values of Ramadan by honouring a Ramadan cessation of hostilities” as he warned that the conflict threatens Sudan’s unity and “could ignite regional instability of dramatic proportions.” The African Union also backed a halt to fighting during Ramadan which is expected to begin on or around Monday, depending on the sighting of the crescent moon. While al-Burhan reportedly welcomed the UN chief’s appeal, the Sudanese Foreign Ministry issued a statement on Friday that set conditions for a ceasefire to be effective which included the RSF withdrawing from provinces they have taken control of. There has been no response from the RSF. ‘Road to famine’ Russia said Britain’s initiative was hypocritical since the UNSC had failed to call for an immediate ceasefire in Israel’s war on Gaza, because of the United States repeatedly wielding its veto to block resolutions. “We have no illusions as to the true intentions of Western countries. However, the double standards look particularly glaring given that those same countries are dragging out the adoption of a document on a ceasefire in the Gaza Strip, where a genuine massacre is taking place,” said Russia’s deputy UN ambassador, Anna Evstigneeva. UN aid chief Martin Griffiths said humanitarian aid access in Sudan needs to be improved whether or not a ceasefire is declared. Half of the country’s 50 million people are in need of aid and “just under 18 million people are on the road to famine,” Griffiths said, adding that 10 million more people “are in the category of food insecure than the same time last year”. The UN’s $2.7bn humanitarian response plan for Sudan in 2024 is currently only 4 percent funded. “We have no money,” Griffiths said, and “we want to put Sudan on the map.” Adblock test (Why?)
Lok Sabha polls 2024: BJP reaches seat-sharing deal with Jana Sena and TDP in Andra Pradesh
BJP has reached an electoral agreement with Pawan Kalyan’s Jana Sena and Chandrababu Naidu’s Telugu Desam Party (TDP) in Andhra Pradesh.
What kind of future does Nikki Haley have in a Donald Trump dominated Republican Party?
Nikki Haley made it clear when she exited the Republican presidential nomination race earlier this week that she intends to keep speaking out. “While I will no longer be a candidate, I will not stop using my voice for the things I believe in,” Haley emphasized as she announced on Wednesday that she was suspending her White House campaign after former President Donald Trump swept 14 of 15 GOP nominating contests on Super Tuesday. Haley also made clear this week that a third-party run on a potential No Labels presidential ticket was not in the cards. “What I will tell you is I’m a conservative Republican. I have said many, many times, I would not run as an independent. I would not run as No Labels because I am a Republican, and that’s who I’ve always been,” she reiterated in a “Fox and Friends” interview. GOP TAKEOVER: TRUMP INSTALLS TOP ALLY AND HIS DAUGHTER-IN-LAW AT TOP TWO POSITIONS AT RNC But how much of a voice she has among Republicans and what kind of future she has in the GOP depends very much on Trump, who has dominated the party since he first won the White House eight years ago. The former two-term South Carolina governor who later served as U.N. ambassador in the Trump administration 13 months ago became the first major candidate to challenge Trump for the 2024 nomination. And before she dropped out, she was the last rival standing. Haley, who had turned up the volume on the former president over the past six weeks, refused to endorse Trump as she bowed out of the race. HALEY DOESN’T ENDORSE TRUMP AS SHE ENDS 2024 BID And Haley, who captured a quarter to over a third of the vote in a handful of the Republican contests after scoring 43% in New Hampshire’s late January primary, highlighted that “it is now up to Donald Trump to earn the votes of those in our party and beyond it, who did not support him, and I hope he does that.” “At its best, politics is about bringing people into your cause, not turning them away. And our conservative cause badly needs more people. This is now his time for choosing,” Haley said. Haley’s support in the primaries spotlighted Trump’s weakness among moderates and suburban voters. But even before she finished her speech on Wednesday, Trump made it clear he wasn’t extending an olive branch to his former rival. “Nikki Haley got TROUNCED last night, in record setting fashion,” Trump wrote in a social media posting as he trashed her. Haley has a big decision to make in the days or weeks ahead – does she hold out against Trump – or endorse the former president. New Hampshire Gov. Chris Sununu – a vocal GOP Trump critic who endorsed Haley and was one of her top surrogates – on Friday in a handful of interviews endorsed the former president but said he stood by his past criticism. Much of Haley’s fate going forward rests with Trump, who on Friday installed top allies to run the Republican National Committee. “She needs to step back and take stock of where things stand and pay attention to what President Trump says and does,” longtime GOP strategist David Kochel told Fox News. Kochel, a veteran of numerous Republican presidential campaigns, said that a lot will depend on November’s presidential election results. Haley repeatedly argued on the campaign trail that a Republican Party with Trump at the top of the ticket was headed for trouble in November and that she would be a more effective standard-bearer to take on President Biden. Koch said that “if Trump loses in November, Haley’s going to be proven right,” but that conversely, a victory by the former president would likely spell trouble for Haley’s GOP future. Haley in many ways ran as a Reagan Republican – from promoting a muscular foreign policy to advocating fiscal restraint – in a party Trump and his populist America First movement has transformed. That transformation of the GOP – as well as her vocal criticism of Trump – could make any future Haley White House run extremely complicated. “Haley is a conservative from the old mold,” longtime Republican strategist and communicator Ryan Williams said. “The party continues to drift further to the right and even if Trump isn’t a candidate in the future, you’ll see more candidates in the mold of Trump running for national office.” Williams predicted “that leaves Nikki Haley in a position that’s on the outskirts of where the party’s headed….It indicates she may not have a future as a national candidate in the Republican Party.” Kochel agreed that “the party isn’t going back.” “It’s definitely a different party. It’s more populist .. It’s more anti-establishment and anti-elite,” he said. “But i don’t think we know yet what the party’s going to look like.” And Kochel emphasized that “Trump is unique. I don’t think there can be another Trump.” He said the party may once again take a sharp turn. “If you can go from Mitt Romney [the senator from Utah and 2012 GOP presidential nominee] to Donald Trump in four years, you can go from Donald Trump to something very different,” Kochel argued. Get the latest updates from the 2024 campaign trail, exclusive interviews and more at our Fox News Digital election hub.
Senate Dems, Republicans clash over federal IVF protections: ‘They’re covering their a—s’
Senate Republicans pointed to Alabama’s recent law to protect in vitro fertilization (IVF) providers from civil and criminal liability as proof of states’ capacity to self-correct and the reason Democrat-led federal legislation to protect the fertility procedure isn’t necessary. “Basically every state I know of supports IVF,” said Sen. Bill Cassidy, R-La., a doctor. Other Republican senators who spoke to Fox News Digital agreed. Following a controversial decision by Alabama’s Supreme Court ruling frozen embryos were legally children, the state’s legislature quickly sprung into action to protect IVF. Several clinics conducting IVF shut down their procedures after the court’s decision, but once the state passed a law releasing them from liability, some of the centers began to reopen. REP. MATT ROSENDALE SAYS HE’S NOT RUNNING FOR RE-ELECTION: ‘TAKEN A SERIOUS TOLL ON ME’ GOP LAWMAKERS RALLY AROUND GOLD STAR DAD ARRESTED AFTER HECKLING BIDEN DURING SOTU Cassidy cited Alabama’s fast legislative work in his explanation against federal legislation on IVF. “Once you get the federal government involved, it’s going to open the door to some mischief that goes far beyond what you originally wanted to,” he said. “The issue that brought this debate was happening in Alabama, and they’ve dealt with it in legislation,” added Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla. According to Rubio, a larger conversation is necessary “about what’s right and appropriate and legal and protected when it comes to discarding the extra human embryos that are not going to be used.” “It’s legal in all 50 states,” said Sen. Rick Scott, R-Fla., who introduced a resolution this week affirming support for IVF. TRUMP INSTALLS TOP ALLY AND DAUGHTER-IN-LAW TO STEER REPUBLICAN NATIONAL COMMITTEE Scott’s resolution expresses support for IVF and families looking to expand but doesn’t carry the weight of a bill or make changes to the law. Sen. Tammy Duckworth, D-Ill., who spearheaded a bill to enshrine protections for IVF into law, slammed the resolution. “They’re covering their a—s,” Duckworth said of her Republican colleagues. “That’s what they’re trying to do. A resolution doesn’t do anything.” DID BIDEN PASS OR FAIL? FORMER PRESIDENTIAL SPEECHWRITERS GRADE THE STATE OF THE UNION ADDRESS Duckworth attempted to force a vote last week on her IVF bill, asking for unanimous consent to move it to the floor. However, Sen. Cindy Hyde-Smith, R-Miss., objected to it. Duckworth said Republicans had not been approaching her to negotiate a potential bipartisan measure either. And its unclear whether Democrats would be willing to make concessions to work with their Republican colleagues on a bill. “The Duckworth bill is a perfect bill,” said Sen. Tim Kaine, D-Va. “Her bill is just a person has a right to access IVF, and a provider has a right to provide IVF. It’s not a mandate. It just protects the patient, protects the provider.” COMER INVITES HUNTER BIDEN, BUSINESS ASSOCIATES TO TESTIFY PUBLICLY MARCH 20 AMID IMPEACHMENT INQUIRY Scott notably didn’t rule out legislation to protect the procedure in the future. “I think we’re gonna do everything we can to make sure it continues to be legal,” he said. Other Republicans similarly left the door open. A federal bill to protect the fertility procedure is “certainly a discussion we can have, but at this point it’s protected in every state,” said Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas. “If it ever became an issue, I would consider it,” added Sen. Mitt Romney, R-Utah. “But there’s not a state in the country that does not protect IVF.” TOP TAKEAWAYS FROM BIDEN’S WILD WEEK According to Romney, it doesn’t require “federal addressing at this stage.” “If there was a point there needed to be federal action on it, I would definitely be supportive,” agreed Sen. Markwayne Mullin, R-Okla. “I believe that way Alabama handled it was good.” A number of Democratic senators were critical of their GOP colleagues‘ claims federal protections aren’t needed now. “I think that’s wrong,” claimed Sen. Tina Smith, D-Minn. “Absolutely, we need to protect people’s capacity to access” IVF. SEN. SCHMITT SAYS BIDEN FAILED TO ADDRESS KEY ISSUES DURING ‘DIVISIVE,’ ‘BIZARRE’ SOTU ADDRESS Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., expressed skepticism over Alabama’s new law, telling Fox News Digital legal scholars believe “it raises as many questions as it answers.” “Without the protection of Roe v. Wade, the states can do what the Alabama court did and effectively end IVF in the state,” she warned. According to Warren, if congressional Republicans were “truly committed to protecting IVF,” they would be in favor of a bill to do so federally. “But, so far, they are not.”
Katie Britt comes off unpolished in much anticipated Biden SOTU Republican response
Alabama Republican Sen. Katie Britt’s State of the Union rebuttal appeared to fall flat for many, with some Republican strategists describing it as unpracticed and incomplete. “The American Dream has turned into a nightmare for so many families. The true, unvarnished State of our Union begins and ends with this: Our families are hurting. Our country can do better,” Britt said in her Thursday night remarks, directly following President Biden’s SOTU address. SEN. SCHMITT SAYS BIDEN FAILED TO ADDRESS KEY ISSUES DURING ‘DIVISIVE,’ ‘BIZARRE’ SOTU ADDRESS “There is a long history of poorly reviewed State of the Union responses and, unfortunately, this is another to add to the list,” said Republican strategist Ron Bonjean, former top spokesman to then-Senate Majority Leader Trent Lott, R– Miss., and former chief of staff of the Senate Republican Conference. Republican strategist David Kochel described the 42-year-old senator’s speech as “cringe-inducing,” joking, “She skipped right over the response part and went directly to the [Saturday Night Live] cold open.” Britt emphasized her role as both a wife and mother in the rebuttal, which she delivered from her home in Montgomery, Alabama. She wore a dark green blouse, which contrasted with the neutral tones of her kitchen backdrop. Her ensemble was complete with a cross necklace, as she evoked God in her remarks. ‘REPUBLICAN’ ‘VIEW’ HOST LEADS ‘FOUR MORE YEARS’ CHANT FOR BIDEN AFTER STATE OF THE UNION “This is where our family has tough conversations and where we make hard decisions,” she said in reference to her kitchen. “It’s where we hold each other’s hands and pray for God’s guidance. And, many nights, to be honest, it’s where Wesley and I worry.” But according to Charlie Kirk, Turning Point USA and Turning Point Action founder and CEO, Biden gave “a wartime address.” And in response, he said, Britt delivered “a peacetime rebuttal.” He added, “It left a lot on the table.” Kirk noted the issue didn’t lie in the GOP’s choice of messenger, explaining, “We need more moms articulating the conservative vision for families and suburban women.” ‘REPUBLICAN’ ‘VIEW’ HOST LEADS ‘FOUR MORE YEARS’ CHANT FOR BIDEN AFTER STATE OF THE UNION Both Bonjean and Kochel suggested Britt’s delivery could have been improved if she had more time to practice. If she took more time to review and reflect, Kochel said, “I think things might have been done differently in the delivery.” In a social media thread against what Rep. Chip Roy, R-Texas, called the “#SwampGOP,” on X, formerly known as Twitter, he slammed Republicans in the Senate for letting Britt go forward with the SOTU response. He accused his Senate counterparts of “throwing a freshman Senator to the wolves by asking her to give the rebuttal knowing she had not yet given even a Senate speech.” Roy further criticized Senate GOP leadership for failing to fact-check Britt’s remarks “to help protect her from making an error with an outdated anecdote” on immigration and human trafficking, thus giving Democrats ammunition to use against her. As she was discussing the southern border, the Alabama senator recalled the story of Karla Jacinto Romero, who was raped and sexually abused for several years starting when she was 12. After her speech, it resurfaced that the assaults and captivity took place between the years of 2004-2008 under the administration of former President George W. Bush and not on Biden’s watch, as some assumed. While Britt faced significant criticism following her rebuttal, not all reviews were bad. Sen. Joni Ernst, R-Iowa, said in a statement to Fox News Digital: “Katie Britt spoke truth in the face of Biden’s fantasy.” MCCAUL CALLS FOR DROPPING CHARGES AGAINST GOLD STAR DAD WHO PROTESTED STATE OF THE UNION “She showed that she has her finger on the pulse of what is going on in real America, both in Alabama and across the United States,” she continued. Ernst added that Britt’s remarks were a “stark contrast” to Biden’s address and that the Alabama senator “made our party’s vision clear – that the GOP is dedicated to a brighter future for our families, freedoms, and the American dream.” Trump-aligned Republican strategist Alex Bruesewitz suggested attacks on Britt’s speech were an effort by Democrats “to distract from Biden’s disastrous and divisive State of the Union address.”
Massive fire breaks out at MP secretariat building in Bhopal, CM Mohan Yadav says ‘under control’
Madhya Pradesh CM Mohan Yadav said, “It has come to my knowledge that a fire broke out on the third floor of the old building of Vallabh Bhavan.”