Rubio calls on US media outlets to cut ties with CCP propaganda outlet China Daily
FIRST ON FOX: Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., is calling on nine U.S. mainstream media CEOs to sever their ties with China Daily, an English-language newspaper owned and operated by the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) Central Propaganda Department that often gives flattering coverage of the regime. “The CCP’s efforts to infiltrate American institutions are extensive, and news outlets are not immune to these ventures. China Daily is one of the CCP’s leading organs to subvert U.S. news media by amplifying the goals and ambitions of the party,” Rubio wrote Monday to The Seattle Times, the Houston Chronicle, The Boston Globe, the Los Angeles Times, Time, USA Today, the Financial Times, the Sun Sentinel, and the Chicago Tribune. Rubio said China Daily’s goal is to “subvert U.S. news media by amplifying the goals and ambitions of the party.” The outlet has published several articles claiming the U.S.’s “anti-China” reporting on the persecution of Xinjiang Uyghurs is an “outright lie.” CHINA’S BELT AND ROAD INITIATIVE PLAGUED BY BACKLASH AND POLITICAL BACKLASH: REPORT Sen. Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, co-signed the letter. In 2021, Foreign Agents Registration Act (FARA) filings showed that multiple American outlets received hundreds of thousands of dollars from China Daily. China Daily registered with FARA in 1983 and was among a dozen Chinese media outlets that the U.S. State Department labeled a foreign mission of the People’s Republic of China. “China Daily is an arm of the CCP. This is a well-known fact, and there are no shortage of examples showing the outlet’s fealty to the party. From whitewashing the genocide of Uyghurs in Xinjiang, to excusing the CCP’s continued bankrolling of Russia’s war against Ukraine, China Daily’s mission is to propagate the goals of the party,” Rubio wrote. SEN HAWLEY WARNS CONSULTING FIRMS AGAINST WORKING WITH CHINA TO ‘UNDERMINE AMERICA’ “No company based in the United States, including news outlets, should be complicit in legitimizing the CCP’s heinous acts or promoting the regime’s outright lies,” the letter continued. According to the most recent FARA disclosure, the nine outlets received more than half a million dollars in both ad revenue and printing collectively in 2023. Fox News Digital reached out to The Seattle Times, the Houston Chronicle, The Boston Globe, the Los Angeles Times, Time, USA Today, the Financial Times, the Sun Sentinel, and the Chicago Tribune for comment.
Texas greenlights negotiations with SpaceX for Boca Chica State Park land exchange
Monday’s vote lets Texas Parks and Wildlife staff begin negotiations to swap 43 acres in the park for 477 acres next to a federal wildlife refuge.
Legal experts rally around Supreme Court ruling keeping Trump on ballot: ‘Stern warning’ to ‘radicals’
Reactions from legal experts are pouring in after the Supreme Court voted unanimously in favor of former President Trump and against the effort to remove him from the Colorado ballot for allegedly taking part in an “insurrection.” “The Court showed a divided nation that we remain bound by shared constitutional values,” George Washington Law professor Jonathan Turley said on Fox News immediately after the decision was read, adding that this was a “critical moment for this court in history.” “After all of the years we have spent in this Republic we came to a point where these states claimed that they could unilaterally bar the leading presidential candidate from ballots to prevent people from voting for Donald Trump,” Turley said. “The court here struck with a strong, and it appears unanimous, voice at least on the result that that’s not going to happen. Voters will vote. They’ll make their own verdict regardless of cases that happen involving President Trump. They will cast the most important verdict of all. They will vote for the next President of the United States.” “So much for the long list of people who weighed in on this case to declare that Colorado’s position was the only constitutionally acceptable one and suggesting that any idiot could see that,” Judicial Network President Carrie Severino posted on X. TRUMP-ALIGNED LAWMAKERS CELEBRATE UNANIMOUS SUPREME COURT BALLOT RULING “Obviously, they were not making legal arguments, but political ones.” Ilya Shapiro, director of constitutional studies at the Manhattan Institute, told Fox News Digital that the “unanimous Supreme Court got it right.” “States can’t create a patchwork of ways for disqualifying candidates for federal office,” Shapiro added. “There’s disagreement among the justices about which federal actors can do so, and according to which procedures, so perhaps it would be a good idea for Congress to clarify these issues by enacting a new version of the Enforcement Act of 1870.” “But regardless, in a polarized time of record-low societal trust in institutions, it’s a good thing that voters will decide whether Donald Trump can return to the White House, not Colorado’s supreme court, Maine’s secretary of state, or any other state or local officials.” “The Supreme Court justices brought order to what could have become a chaotic election season by shutting down this partisan, anti-democratic, and unconstitutional effort in Colorado,” Heritage Foundation legal fellows Hans von Spakovsky and Charles Stimson wrote in a press release. “They found a ‘combination’ of constitutional grounds that ‘resolves this case,’ and that explains why the Colorado court got it wrong.” TRUMP SAYS SUPREME COURT RULING IN COLORADO CASE IS ‘UNIFYING AND INSPIRATIONAL’ “Activist courts and partisan bureaucrats should not be able to take away American voters’ right to choose the president. This ruling, which came together with amazing speed for the Supreme Court, should serve as a stern warning that radicals cannot interfere in our election process and, as the justices say in the opinion, ‘nullify the votes of millions and change the election result.’” All nine justices ruled in favor of Trump in the case, which will impact the status of efforts in several other states to remove the likely GOP nominee from their respective ballots. The court considered for the first time the meaning and reach of Article 3 of the 14th Amendment, which bars former officeholders who “engaged in insurrection” from holding public office again. Challenges have been filed to remove Trump from the 2024 ballot in over 30 states. “We conclude that States may disqualify persons holding or attempting to hold state office. But States have no power under the Constitution to enforce Section 3 with respect to federal offices, especially the Presidency,” the Court wrote. “A great win for America. Very, very important!” Trump told Fox News Digital in an exclusive interview Monday morning. “Equally important for our country will be the decision that they will soon make on immunity for a president — without which, the presidency would be relegated to nothing more than a ceremonial position, which is far from what the founders intended,” Trump told Fox News Digital. “No president would be able to properly and effectively function without complete and total immunity.” He added, “Our country would be put at great risk.” Fox News Digital’s Brooke Singman and Anders Hagstrom contributed to this report
Texas Democrat’s illegal immigration positions could come back to haunt him in bid to oust Ted Cruz
The likely Democrat nominee in Texas’ upcoming Senate race has taken a number of positions on illegal immigration that could complicate his aim of unseating incumbent Republican Sen. Ted Cruz as the border crisis sits front and center on voters’ minds. Although Democrat Rep. Collin Allred, who represents Texas’ 32nd Congressional District, wants to “surge resources” to help Border Patrol, he has consistently opposed efforts to ban sanctuary cities, supported a pathway to citizenship for the millions of illegal immigrants residing in the U.S., referred to the border wall as “racist,” and opposed multiple pieces of legislation aimed at cracking down on illegal immigration. Allred launched his campaign for the Senate last May, and has so far vastly outraised his Democrat primary opponents. Recent polls also show him as the favorite to win the nomination in a possible runoff against Texas state Sen. Roland Gutierrez. LIBERAL PAPER ALTERS QUOTE, DISTORTING REPUBLICAN CANDIDATE’S ABORTION STANCE AND UPENDING HOUSE RACE However, a possible general election matchup against Cruz will likely pose a tougher challenge considering the border and illegal immigration are among the top issues that concern voters in the Lone Star state, which continues bearing the brunt of the migrant crisis that’s worsened under the Biden administration’s watch. During his first run for Congress in the 2018 midterm elections, Allred was a leading crusader against S.B. 4, a bill passed by the Texas legislature that effectively banned sanctuary cities by requiring local law enforcement “to comply with federal immigration laws and detainer requests,” as well as creating criminal penalties for not enforcing the law. “Following this national trend trying to act tough on immigration is not the Texas way,” Allred said in a 2017 interview with Medium, adding that the bill was “misguided and discriminatory,” and that it would “be a stain” on Texas history. DEMS MOCK RNC FOR ‘DESPERATE’ FUNDRAISING DRIVE THAT INCLUDES STARK ADMISSION ON DNC’S MONEY ADVANTAGE A few days after the interview was published, Allred continued raling against the bill in a lengthy Facebook post, calling it “cruel” and “inhumane.” “It is an insult to the generations of Latinos and others who built this state. I condemn this law, and call for its immediate repeal,” he wrote. Allred has also been a vocal proponent of providing a pathway to citizenship for the millions of illegal immigrants residing in the U.S. illegally, a view he expressed in an Aug. 2018 interview with the then-left-wing podcast Millennial Politics. In the interview, Allred said the country needed “to have comprehensive immigration reform that will provide a pathway to citizenship,” described such a policy as “humane,” and didn’t deny supporting a potential decriminalization of illegal immigration when asked specifically by the host. WATCH: BORDER PATROL UNION CHIEF EXPLODES ON BIDEN IN FIERY PRESS CONFERENCE, SAYS AGENTS ‘P—-D’ AT POLICIES “I think it’s all going to come down to a comprehensive reform that will set forward the pathway that we’re going to have to follow and that includes what that pathway to citizenship will be and how we will carry that out,” Allred said. What appears to be Allred’s relaxed approach to the border has continued into the more recent past despite the historic numbers of migrants crossing into the U.S. as well as the increase in chaos surrounding human and drug trafficking. Last year, he opposed H.R. 2494, a bill that would have made assaulting law enforcement officers, firefighters or other first responders a deportable offense, and H.R. 3941, a bill that would have prohibited school facilities that receive federal funding from housing any illegal immigrants. Both bills passed the Republican-controlled House, but currently sit stalled in the Democrat-controlled Senate. Additionally, Allred referred to the border wall as “racist,” and called for it to be torn down, according to a report published last year by the Daily Caller citing video footage of Allred from 2018. “I’ll tell you what, if they build that racist wall, my generation is the one that will tear it down. We are not going to have a wall in this country,” Allred said. CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP In another video cited by the outlet, Allred said, “I wanna briefly talk about this racist wall. The symbol of this country cannot be a fence with barbed wire on top of it. It has to remain the Statute of Liberty. I’ll tell you what. If they build that wall, my generation will be the one that tears it down. We will not have this in this country. We will not have this wall in our country.” “We are not going to waste billions of dollars on a racist campaign promise, and we are not going to turn the symbol of this country into a wall with barbed wire on top of it,” he added. When reached for comment, Allred told Fox News Digital, “Our immigration system is broken, and to fix it we need real solutions that secure our border, surge resources to Border Patrol and our border communities, create a pathway to earned citizenship for Dreamers and reform our system to better meet the needs of our economy.” “When given the opportunity to actually do something, Ted Cruz put politics over a bipartisan border security bill backed by the Border Patrol Union,” he added. Fox News Digital has also reached out to the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee for comment. Get the latest updates from the 2024 campaign trail, exclusive interviews and more at our Fox News Digital election hub.
Biden approves disaster declaration for December flooding in Vermont
President Joe Biden has approved a federal disaster declaration sought by Gov. Phil Scott to help communities in seven Vermont counties that saw severe rainfall and flooding in December. VERMONT GOV. SCOTT REQUESTS DISASTER DECLARATION OVER DECEMBER FLOODING Federal funding is available on a cost-sharing basis to state and eligible local governments and some private nonprofit organizations for emergency work and to repair or replace facilities damaged by the storm and flooding on Dec. 18 and 19, the Federal Emergency Management Agency said in a news release Monday. The affected counties are Essex, Lamoille, Orange, Orleans, Rutland, Windham and Windsor. The storm that hit the Northeastern U.S. flooded roads and downed trees, knocked out power to hundreds of thousands, forced flight cancellations and school closures, and killed at least five people. In Vermont, federal assessors identified more than $1.9 million in costs incurred by public entities for repairs to public infrastructure, Scott said last month. Also, storm-related costs in five counties exceeded the minimum per capita amount to qualify for aid, he said.
T-Squared: Jasper Scherer is our newest politics reporter
He’s covered state government for the Houston Chronicle and the San Antonio Express-News since 2021.
Texas Tech suspends professor over Israel-Hamas war comments
The university said it is investigating whether the professor’s comments, which it described as “hateful, antisemitic, and unacceptable,” found their way into the classroom or work environment.
Missouri bill would require educators to register as sex offenders if they encourage transgender students
A new bill introduced in the Missouri legislature would classify assistance to transgender students under 18 in their “social transition” as a felony, making the legislation the first of its kind in a slew of culture war bills introduced by state Republicans. The bill defines a social transition as “the process by which an individual adopts the name, pronouns, and gender expression, such as clothing or haircuts, that match the individual’s gender identity and not the gender assumed by the individual’s sex at birth.” The Missouri bill, introduced by Republican state Rep. Jamie Gragg, would also require the educators to register as sex offenders if they’re found encouraging students to further embrace their preferred gender identity. This could effectively terminate educators’ careers, since sex offenders in Missouri are prohibited from being within 500 feet of a school or day care. “This is kind of that missing link, when it comes to really making sure that we protect our children and protecting their relationship between them and their parents,” Gragg told Fox News Digital in an interview. “We have parents that are completely being bypassed, and there’s been a narrative that has grown leaps and bounds.” CHILDREN’S HOSPITAL DIRECTOR CLAIMS ‘INFINITE’ GENDERS, TRANS KIDS CAN IDENTIFY AS ‘TOOTSIE ROLL POPS’ Support for a student’s social transition would be considered verbal discussion of their sexual orientation, pronouns or gender identity, or it could be in the form of written materials, resources and signs. “A person commits the offense of contributing to social transition if the person is acting in his or her official capacity as a teacher or school counselor and the person provides support, regardless of whether the support is material, information, or other resources to a child regarding social transition,” the bill text reads. Gragg argued “with kids being in that age group, that’s the most confusing time of human development, and there are so many different hormones and chemicals in your body.” “To have the social warriors in our school system pushing the [LGBTQ+] agenda, saying you’ll be accepted in this group, we need to safeguard our children from that kind of thing because they’re so easily influenced,” he said. CHILDREN’S HOSPITAL DIRECTOR CLAIMS ‘INFINITE’ GENDERS, TRANS KIDS CAN IDENTIFY AS ‘TOOTSIE ROLL POPS’ If the bill becomes law, teachers, counselors or other school educators who aid in a student’s social transition could face up to four years behind bars and fines up to $10,000. The bill has not been referred to a committee reading yet, but Gragg said he’s not had “any negative feedback” from his Republican colleagues. He expects the cosponsor list to grow in the coming days as the bill garners more attention. Most Republican-led bills nationwide typically focus on banning medical transitions for minors through the use of puberty blockers or other hormone treatments. Gragg’s bill in Missouri is the first of its kind that creates a penalty for social transitions specifically. He also introduced another bill recently that would bar the state from earmarking funds for libraries that carry “obscene” book materials for children. Missouri has been leading the charge in introducing a wave of transgender culture war bills aiming to protect kids from progressive gender ideologies. Last year, Missouri Gov. Mike Parson signed into law a bill banning gender-transition surgical procedures for minors, and another prohibiting biological men who identify as trans women from participating in women’s sports teams. According to the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), there have been 13 bills advanced in the Missouri legislature targeting other transgender culture war issues, such as bathroom access in schools or other public facilities for young people. Critics of these bills argue it will further put transgender kids at risk and marginalize them.
UN experts say grounds to believe rape occurred in Hamas attack on Israel
Palestinian group has repeatedly denied allegations its fighters committed acts of sexual violence during the October 7 attack. A team of United Nations experts has said there are “reasonable grounds to believe” sexual violence, including rape and gang rape, occurred during the Hamas-led attack on Israel on October 7. Led by UN special envoy for sexual violence Pramila Patten, the team travelled to Israel between January 29 and February 14 and published a report with their findings on Monday. The Palestinian group Hamas, which governs Gaza, has repeatedly denied allegations its fighters committed acts of sexual violence during the attacks. “Credible circumstantial information, which may be indicative of some forms of sexual violence, including genital mutilation, sexualised torture, or cruel, inhuman and degrading treatment, was also gathered,” read the 24-page UN report. “The mission team found clear and convincing information that some hostages taken to Gaza have been subjected to various forms of conflict-related sexual violence and has reasonable grounds to believe that such violence may be ongoing,” the report also said. The report comes nearly five months after the October 7 attacks, which killed at least 1,139 people, according to an Al Jazeera tally based on official Israeli figures. Around 250 others were taken hostage during the attack. Israel’s war on Gaza has since devastated the besieged territory, killing more than 30,500 people, according to Palestinian health authorities, and displacing more than 80 percent of the population. The UN says a quarter of Gaza’s 2.3 million people face starvation. Patten said her team was not able to meet with any victims of sexual violence “despite concerted efforts to encourage them to come forward.” However, they did hold 33 meetings with Israeli institutions and conducted interviews with 34 people including survivors and witnesses of that day’s attacks, released captives, and health providers. Patten said the team found “that several fully naked or partially naked bodies from the waist down were recovered – mostly women – with hands tied and shot multiple times, often in the head”. While circumstantial, she said it could be “indicative of some forms of sexual violence”. On Road 232 – the road to leave the Nova music festival, which was part of the attacks and was located on grounds neighbouring Gaza – “credible information based on witness accounts describe an incident of the rape of two women by armed elements”, Patten said. Patten said that in kibbutz Re’im, the team verified the rape of a woman outside a bomb shelter. At Kibbutz Be’eri, Patten said, her team “was able to determine that at least two allegations of sexual violence widely repeated in the media were unfounded due to either new superseding information or inconsistency in the facts gathered.” Other reported rapes couldn’t be verified during the team’s time in Israel. The experts said a “fully-fledged investigation” would be required to establish more details about the magnitude of sexual violence that may have occurred that day. The UN team said it also received information from civil society sources and direct interviews, about “sexual violence against Palestinian men and women in [Israeli] detention settings, during house raids and at checkpoints” after October 7. The UN envoy raised these allegations with the Israeli Ministry of Justice and Military Advocate General, which said no complaints of sexual violence against members of the Israeli military had been received. Adblock test (Why?)
Travel influencer gang raped in India
NewsFeed Four arrests have been made after a Spanish travel influencer was attacked in India and gang raped by 7 men. Her husband was beaten and robbed. Published On 4 Mar 20244 Mar 2024 Adblock test (Why?)