Himachal Pradesh CM Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu slams BJP’s ‘nefarious designs’ for attempting to overthrow Cong govt
Launching developmental projects worth Rs 73.43 crore at Nerwa in the Chopal subdivision of Shimla district on Tuesday, the CM said the state government and all of its MLAs are united and are working tirelessly to realise the dream of making Himachal a self-reliant state.
Texans headed to the polls with a mixture of duty and frustration
Many who voted Tuesday said they weren’t excited about their choices. “Morale feels low,” said one Houston voter.
Trump, Biden win Texas primaries
President Joe Biden and former President Donald Trump are almost certain to win their parties’ nominations and face off in November.
Trump legal team files motion for new trial in E. Jean Carroll case
Lawyers for Former President Trump filed motions Tuesday night for a new trial in the E. Jean Carroll case, arguing that the court limited his testimony during the trial last month, while stressing that statements he made about her allegations were meant to “defend his reputation, protect his family, and defend his Presidency.” Trump’s legal team filed two motions Tuesday night–one for judgment in Trump’s favor and one for a new trial. TRUMP ORDERED TO PAY MORE THAN $80 MILLION IN E. JEAN CARROLL DEFAMATION TRIAL A federal jury decided last month that Trump must pay E. Jean Carroll more than $83 million in damages after he denied allegations he raped her in the 1990s. The jury decided Trump must pay $18.3 million in compensatory damages, and $65 million in punitive damages. In their motion for judgment in Trump’s favor, attorneys for the 2024 GOP frontrunner argue that Carroll failed to establish Trump’s statements caused harm to Carroll. “It is readily apparent that the jury’s findings were based on ‘confusion, speculation or prejudice’ as opposed to the ‘evidence presented at trial,’” they wrote. In their motion for a new trial, Trump’s lawyers argue that the court severely limited the former president’s testimony, which they say influenced the jury’s verdict. Trump’s lawyers stressed that he made statements about Carroll in an effort to “defend his reputation, protect his family, and defend his Presidency.” TRUMP DEFENDS HIMSELF ON THE STAND, BLASTS E JEAN CARROLL TRIAL: ‘THIS IS NOT AMERICA’ A federal jury in New York City decided last year that Trump was not liable for rape, but was liable for sexual abuse and defamation. The former president was ordered to pay $5 million in that trial. “Absolutely ridiculous! I fully disagree with both verdicts, and will be appealing this whole Biden Directed Witch Hunt focused on me and the Republican Party,” Trump posted on his TRUTH Social shortly after the verdict was read. “Our Legal System is out of control, and being used as a Political Weapon. They have taken away all First Amendment Rights.” Trump added: “THIS IS NOT AMERICA!” Carroll, who alleged that Trump raped her at the Bergdorf Goodman department store across from Trump Tower in Manhattan sometime in 1996, was seeking $12 million. Trump, the 2024 GOP frontrunner, has repeatedly and vehemently denied the allegation. His denial resulted in Carroll slapping Trump with a defamation lawsuit, claiming that his response caused harm to her reputation. The jury found Carroll was injured as a result of statements Trump made while in the White House in June 2019. The jury awarded Carroll $7.3 million in compensatory damages, other than the reputational repair program, and $11 million in damages for the reputational repair program. The jury found Trump’s statements were made to harm Carroll and awarded her $65 million in punitive damages. In total, the jury said Carroll should be paid $83.3 million.
Another section of Delhi-Meerut RRTS to open today, check details here
With this, an additional 17-km stretch from Duhai to Modi Nagar North on the Delhi-Ghaziabad-Meerut RRTS corridor, beyond the operational priority section, will be ready for operations.
PM Modi to inaugurate India’s 1st underwater metro service in Kolkata today; check details
The Kolkata Metro extension, featuring the Howrah Maidan-Esplanade Metro section, includes the first transportation tunnel in India to pass under a major river, representing a critical milestone in the country’s infrastructure development.
Pat Collins, mother of GOP Maine Sen. Susan, dead at 96
Patricia “Pat” Collins, a civic-minded matriarch who raised six children, including Republican Sen. Susan Collins, and led a life of public service, died Tuesday at age 96, the senator announced. Pat Collins was raised in Port Jervis, New York, after coming to the United States as a girl from Colombia, and she put down roots in Maine after attending the University of Maine, marrying husband Donald in 1948, starting a family and becoming the first woman to be elected mayor in Caribou and a chair of the University of Maine System Board of Trustees. SUSAN COLLINS, KEY SENATE GOP MODERATE, WON’T BACK TRUMP IN 2024 She also was an artist who painted watercolor portraits of her husband’s colleagues in the Maine Senate, earned an art degree from the University of Maine at Presque Isle and was “a fabulous cook who published two cookbooks,” the senator said. Democratic Gov. Janet Mills called Pat Collins “a friend and trailblazer” who loved her state, “especially her cherished Aroostook County.” “Pat will be remembered for her extraordinary character, marked by grace and integrity. She leaves behind a deep legacy of service,” Mills wrote in a statement. Pat Collins found time for many other public service-minded posts while raising her family. She served on the advisory committee of the Maine Public Broadcasting Network, as a court-appointed special advocate for children and chair of the Catholic Charities Maine Board of Directors and the Catholic Foundation of Maine Board of Trustees. She was married for 70 years to her husband, who died in 2018. Surviving are five other children in addition to the senator, 11 grandchildren and several great-grandchildren.
Momentum builds in major homelessness case before U.S. Supreme Court
PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) — Momentum is building in a case regarding homeless encampments that will be argued before the U.S. Supreme Court next month and could have major implications for cities as homelessness nationwide has reached record highs. Dozens of briefs have been filed in recent days, including from the Department of Justice, members of Congress and state attorneys general. They joined the growing number of western state and local officials who have submitted briefs urging the justices to overturn a controversial lower court decision they say has prevented them from addressing homeless encampments. FLORIDA HOUSE PASSES BILL TO PROHIBIT HOMELESS PEOPLE FROM SLEEPING IN PUBLIC In 2018, the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals — whose jurisdiction includes nine Western states — ruled it was unconstitutional to punish people who are “involuntarily homeless” for sleeping outside if there are not enough shelter beds. Its Martin v. Boise decision found that doing so would violate the cruel and unusual punishment clause of the Eighth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution. Social justice advocates have long supported the decision based on the belief that homelessness shouldn’t be criminalized, although rights groups such as the American Civil Liberties Union have yet to file briefs in the case. Many officials in the West, on the other hand, say the decision has prevented them from managing a surge in encampments on sidewalks, in parks and other public places. The U.S. experienced a dramatic 12% increase in homelessness last year to its highest reported level, a federal report found, as soaring rents and a decline in coronavirus pandemic assistance combined to put housing out of reach for more Americans. About 653,000 people were homeless in the January 2023 count, the most since the country began using the yearly point-in-time survey in 2007. More than half the people experiencing homelessness in the country were in four states: California and Washington, which are both under the 9th Circuit’s jurisdiction, along with New York and Florida. About 28% of the nation’s homeless are estimated to be in California alone, according to the federal report from the Department of Housing and Urban Development. The case before the Supreme Court was brought by Grants Pass, a small city nestled in the mountains of southern Oregon that has been barred by court orders — citing Martin v. Boise — from enforcing local ordinances that prohibit sleeping and camping in parks and on public property. In its petition, Grants Pass said it and other cities “find themselves hamstrung in responding to public encampments.” The case has galvanized city, county and state officials from across the West, including Democrats and Republicans, and increasingly national officials. In a brief submitted Monday in support of neither party, the Department of Justice said the 9th Circuit was correct in finding that ordinances punishing people for sleeping outside where there isn’t enough shelter space were unconstitutional, but “erred” in having the decision apply to all homeless people “without requiring a more particularized inquiry into the circumstances of the individuals to whom those ordinances may be applied.” “The court declined to decide what showing is required to establish that an individual is involuntarily homeless. That was error,” DOJ officials, including Solicitor General Elizabeth Prelogar and Assistant Attorney General for Civil Rights Kristen Clarke, wrote in the filing. The DOJ asked the justices to throw out the 9th Circuit decision and send it back to lower courts for review. Also on Monday, six members of the U.S. House of Representatives — including Rep. Cliff Bentz, whose Oregon district includes Grants Pass, and five congressmen representing California — filed a brief supporting the petition. The lawmakers wrote that the 9th Circuit’s ruling “makes it practically impossible” for municipalities to combat crime that can occur near encampments. A coalition of 24 Republican attorneys general led by Montana and Idaho also recently backed Grants Pass’ petition. “The Ninth Circuit cannot solve homelessness, and it should not try. It is states and localities that have the local knowledge needed to address the problem, and it is States and localities that ultimately bear the costs of homelessness and of homeless policy,” they wrote. While the ACLU has not submitted a brief, its Northern California chapter expressed concern about the case after the high court announced it would hear it in January, saying it could “reopen a definition of cruel and unusual punishment that protects Americans, housed and unhoused, from unconstitutional treatment in the criminal legal system.” The justices are scheduled to hear oral arguments April 22.
GOP lawmakers rip VA for memo to remove iconic WW II victory kiss photo, demand author be fired
FIRST ON FOX — Two Republican lawmakers are calling for the removal of a Veterans Affairs official responsible for a since-rescinded memo that directed the removal of the iconic V-J Day in Times Square photograph from VA health care centers. Montana Sen. Steve Daines and Rep. Ryan Zinke, R-Mont. wrote to VA Secretary Denis McDonough after an X account, “End Wokeness,” published a memo sent from Assistant Under Secretary for Health Operations RimaAnn Nelson last week. In the memo, Nelson called for the historic photo of a Navy sailor kissing a woman in Times Square on V-J Day in 1945 to be removed from all VA medical buildings because it doesn’t foster a “more trauma-informed environment that promotes psychological safety.” “This action is promoted by the recognition that the photograph, which depicts a non-consensual act, is inconsistent with the VA’s no-tolerance policy towards sexual harassment and assault, as outlined in VA Handbook,” the memo states. ARMY VETERAN GOP REP SAYS US TRYING TO ‘OUT-PRONOUN OUR ENEMIES’ IN PUSH TO END MILITARY DEI PROGRAM Secretary McDonough overrode the memo in a statement Tuesday. “Let me be clear: This image is not banned from VA facilities, and we will keep it in VA facilities,” McDonough said. A VA spokesperson confirmed to Fox News Digital the memo was sent out but should not have been, and it has been rescinded. But the lawmakers are demanding Nelson’s firing over the “politically driven memo.” They called the memo “only the most recent in a long line of misguided actions and woke agendas dictating the management of the VA.” The lawmakers pressed McDonough for details about the process for drafting and approving the memo. VETERAN HOMELESSNESS SEES LARGEST SPIKE IN 12 YEARS, VA REPORTS: ‘WE HAVE FAILED,’ LAMENTS ARMY VET “Not only was this proposed policy ill-conceived, but it was also somehow deemed a VHA operational priority during a time when there are significant issues with recruitment and retention, hiring freezes, and budgetary constraints. It raises the question of VHA’s organizational structure and the qualifications of some of its core management,” the letter states. In a statement to Fox News Digital, McDonough responded to the letter, saying, “Rima has dedicated her career to serving Veterans. We are fortunate to have her at VA, and she will remain at VA.” Nelson’s memo said the “perspectives on historical events and their representations evolve,” and that “recent discussions have highlighted concerns about the non-consensual nature of the kiss, prompting debates on consent and the appropriateness of celebrating such images in today’s environment, especially within institutions, such as VHA facilities, which are committed to upholding standards of creating a safe and respect environment. “This action reflects our dedication to creating a respectful and safe workplace and is in keeping with our broader efforts to promote a culture of inclusivity and awareness,” it continued. NEW VA RULE COULD PREVENT VETERANS FROM BEING BURIED WITH SPOUSES The lawmakers questioned if the Office of Management and Budget, Domestic Policy Council or the White House provided input for this guidance and if a draft of the memo was provided to the office of the executive secretary for review or approval, and how this policy was deemed to benefit either veterans or health care operations. “The VA is not going to be banning this photo,” White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said Tuesday. “I can definitely say that the memo was not sanctioned, and so it’s not something that we were even aware of.” The lawmakers also asked for any other memos Nelson has issued. “The VA needs to reassess its priorities and start putting veterans at the center of their everyday operating posture,” the lawmakers said. “This cannot begin to happen with leadership structures advocating political policies over veteran priorities and those responsible for this misguided memo need to be held accountable, starting with the termination of Ms. Nelson’s employment at the VA.”
Evan Gershkovich’s parents to attend State of the Union as Speaker Johnson’s guests
House Speaker Mike Johnson will host the parents of Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich – who has been wrongfully imprisoned in Russia for nearly a year – at President Biden’s State of the Union address on Thursday. In a statement to Fox News Digital, Johnson’s office confirmed that Ella Milman and Mikhail Gershkovich would be the speaker’s special guests. “I’m honored to host Ella Milman and Mikhail Gershkovich for the State of the Union address,” Johnson said in a statement. “By hosting Evan’s parents, Congress will shine a spotlight on the unjust detention of their son,” he said. WALL STREET JOURNAL REPORTERS EVAN GERSHKOVICH TURNS 32 WHILE WRONGFULLY DETAINED BY RUSSIA The Republican speaker of the House said that the Biden administration “must bring Evan home.” “The United States must always stand for freedom of the press around the world, especially in places like Russia, where it is under assault,” Johnson said. “The Administration must bring Evan home.” Gershkovich’s parents have previously pleaded with the Biden administration to bring their son home. “We had President Biden’s promise to do whatever it takes, to bring Evan back. He also told us that he relates to us as a parent, he feels our pain, and his words are in my ears every single day. But it’s been 250 days and Evan is not here,” his mother, Ella Milman, told Steve Doocy on “FOX & Friends” in December 2023. EVAN GERSHKOVICH’S FRIENDS REACT TO BIPARTISAN RESOLUTION DEMANDING RUSSIA LET HIM GO: ‘WE WILL NOT REST’ “The efforts to do whatever it takes hasn’t been done,” Milman said. March 29 is the one-year anniversary of Gershkovich’s arrest by Russian authorities on charges of espionage. Gershkovich was detained March 29, 2023, during a reporting trip in Yekaterinburg, the fourth-largest city in Russia, and accused of being a spy. The U.S. has long asserted that Russia’s allegation is ridiculous, as have his colleagues, who describe the American-born son of Soviet immigrants as a diligent reporter who is being used as a political pawn due to his high profile. The Wall Street Journal and the U.S. government vehemently denied the espionage allegations against Gershkovich and have called for his immediate release. His arrest was seen as a brazen violation of press freedom that not only poses widespread consequences for journalism and the media, but for governments and democracies everywhere, and part of a wider journalism crackdown by the autocratic Russian Federation. “He is definitely not a spy. That is an outrage. He is a reporter, he was there doing his job,” Wall Street Journal editor-in-chief Emma Tucker said. Fox News’ Brian Flood contributed to this report.