PM Modi holds roadshow in Madhya Pradesh’s Jhabua, launches Rs 7,550 crore development projects
Prime Minister Narendra Modi held a road show in Madhya Pradesh’s Jhabua on Sunday. He was accompanied during the roadshow by Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Mohan Yadav
Dems secure $600M in federal taxpayer funds to fight homelessness, but some are skeptical it will help
California Democratic senators Alex Padilla and Laphonza Butler announced just over $600 million in federal dollars to curb the spiraling homelessness crisis in the state, as officials struggle to get a handle on the problem exacerbated by drug addiction and mental illness. “As we continue our statewide count of people experiencing homelessness, one thing remains clear: We need significantly more federal investment to address this humanitarian crisis,” Padilla said in a Jan. 29 statement. Butler said in a statement the funds would be “especially important to our youth experiencing homelessness, including unaccompanied and pregnant or parenting youth who will now have more access to programs aimed at preventing homelessness.” The funding is part of a $3.16 billion investment from the Biden administration to support nonprofit organizations, housing authorities and local governments struggling to reduce homelessness nationwide. NEWSOM SENDING 120 CALIFORNIA HIGHWAY PATROL OFFICERS TO OAKLAND TO CRACK DOWN ON ‘ALARMING’ CRIME SURGE Despite more taxpayer dollars at work, the homeless population continues to skyrocket in the Golden State. It’s up 6% compared to last year and boasts the highest number of homeless people living outdoors in the country. About 181,000 people were considered homeless in the state’s 2023 count, and most are suffering from drug addiction or mental illnesses. According to a University of San Francisco study last year, 82% of homeless people statewide said they had a mental health condition or abused substances in their lifetime. Chris Moore, a candidate for Alameda County supervisor and a board member with Bay Rental Housing Association, thinks the earmarked money “is good,” but that the state “isn’t using best practices.” NEWSOM RECALLS SEEING BRAZEN THEFT, REFUSES PHOTO AND ASKS FOR MANAGER WHEN WORKER BLAMES HIM: LEAKED VIDEO “And I think with more money, it’s great, but we need to start looking at best practices,” Moore told Fox News Digital. “And looking at what they’re doing there in Houston and start solving the problem rather than enabling the problem.” Houston cut its homeless population by 64% over the last 12 years and 17% last year through collaboration between various organizations despite minimal financial investment. Texas has spent significantly less money on homelessness compared to California — $806 versus $10,786 per homeless person. California has dipped its toes in some of the country’s most controversial practices to confront its growing homelessness problem. The state has spent roughly $20 billion on homelessness in the last five years since Gov. Gavin Newsom took office under what’s called the “housing first” solution. It’s the belief that homelessness is solved through first putting people in apartments, motels, hotels or “tiny homes,” rather than mandating rehabilitation for drug addiction or mental health treatment. NEWSOM ADMIN DELIVERS TEPID RESPONSE TO SPIRALING PROSTITUTION, PIMPS CONTROLLING CALIFORNIA NEIGHBORHOODS Some say this strategy doesn’t work, as most government-run housing programs don’t require “wraparound” services, a holistic care model that includes drug rehabilitation and mental illness treatment. Instead, the “harm reduction” model has been adopted by the state’s Department of Health, which focuses on reducing the consequences of drug use through offering clean syringes, naxolone and other materials to “meet people where they’re at” and make drug use “safer.” Rev. Andy Bales, the former CEO of Union Rescue Mission, one of Los Angeles’ largest faith-based nonprofit organizations that does not rely on government funding, told Fox News Digital that more people will become homeless under the strategy. “Housing First, specifically with the Harm Reduction rules, which really translates to the free flow of hard drugs and alcohol, has been an utter failure,” Bales said. “And there’s a reason why we’ve made absolutely no progress after California has spent $22 billion in the last six years. And yet homelessness has skyrocketed.” Bales retired in 2023 from the nonprofit after 20 years. He said he continues to study the state’s homeless policies and population trends. “California alone represents 50% of all street homelessness because they have doubled down on the policy of housing first and harm reduction, and so if it continues to be spent, like it has been, we won’t see much positivity or improvement because it’s a failed policy,” he said. “There’s so much evidence to show that the numbers don’t lie. “It’s a mistake to only fund one strategy,” he added. “You know, multiple strategies could make a difference.” Homeless housing programs that use this approach can be identified through the National Harm Reduction Coalition’s interactive map. “Harm reduction is a set of practical strategies and ideas aimed at reducing negative consequences associated with drug use,” the National Harm Reduction Coalition website states. “Harm eduction is also a movement for social justice built on a belief in, and respect for, the rights of people who use drugs.” Newsom is facing pressure by voters to curtail the issue at its root. In March, residents will vote on Newsom’s proposed $6.4 billion bond aimed at adding approximately 25,000 psychiatric and addiction treatment beds across California, a move aimed to be a “course corrective” action from when California dumped thousands of people from psychiatric centers onto the streets. “There was a righteousness in the 60s, with Democrats and Republicans saying, ‘We have to move away from these locked institutions,’” Newsom said last year before signing several mental health bills. “We were supposed to replicate that with community-based care, and there was no accountability — there was no obligation either way.”
Biden’s memory struggles could imperil national security, defense experts warn: ‘Not only weak but confused’
Special counsel Robert Hur’s report on President Biden’s mishandling of classified documents, which described the president as a “sympathetic, well-meaning, elderly man with a poor memory,” has led some to question how he may react in a future crisis. Speaking to Fox News Digital, several national security experts shared their thoughts on whether Biden has the ability to serve strongly and decisively as president should a threat to the nation arise during his tenure in the White House. Staking the claim that “Biden’s dementia is plain for all to see, but especially for foreign leaders,” former Deputy National Security Advisor K.T. McFarland suggested the “dangerous” reality surrounding Biden’s “irreversible decline” and ability to lead the nation is projecting weakness on the world stage. “That’s dangerous for two reasons. First, if amplifies the claim that America is a spent power. Chinese leaders have been telling the world for years that America is in irreversible decline, that the future belongs to China. Biden is the embodiment of irreversible decline, giving credence to the idea that America’s supremacy on the world stage is over,” said McFarland, who served during former President Donald Trump’s administration. SPECIAL COUNSEL CALLS BIDEN ‘SYMPATHETIC, WELL-MEANING, ELDERLY MAN WITH A POOR MEMORY,’ BRINGS NO CHARGES “Second, because foreign leaders know now is the time to press the U.S., to take advantage of a leader who is not only weak but confused,” McFarland said. Asked about Biden’s ability to lead the nation amid his purported memory problems, retired Lt. Gen. Keith Kellogg took aim at the Biden administration as a whole, suggesting the president has always taken “a long time to make decisions or to do something” when dealing with adversaries. “When it comes to national security, you know, it all really comes down to the commander in chief, the president of the United States,” said Kellogg, a Fox News contributor. “You always want your commander in chief to be, obviously, very informed, which the advisers are supposed to do, but able to make very quick, rational, understandable decisions.” Kellogg noted that short delays are typical, but insisted that long delays in dealing with national security issues usually lead to problems. “Frankly, in this administration, you see the latter, not the former,” he said. “They take a long time to make decisions or to do something, and that always lets your adversary get inside your ability to do something. “Years ago, in the military, there was a term that was actually used that was called the OODA loop. The OODA loop [stood for] observe, orient, decide, act. What that meant is, frankly, get inside your opponent’s decision cycle. That’s what presidents need to do. “So, if you’ve got a diminished capacity, your ability to make rapid decisions is, of course, questionable. And that’s where you get into trouble with national security.” Recognizing that the Biden administration is “very risk-averse,” Kellogg said, “When you look at the Middle East, look how long it took us to react to the attack on the Americans or what we’ve done to try to reestablish deterrence. It’s slow decision-making. “The reason that’s important is because you force the adversary to do something different,” Kellogg added. “And the one that makes those decisions is always, ultimately, the president of the United States, who is commander in chief. Is it an issue? Of course it is, but it’s an issue that has just lived with this administration since day one. That is a concern that you have to have when it comes to decision-making and mental acuity.” Splintering from comments made by McFarland and Kellogg, Michael O’Hanlon, a senior fellow and director of research in foreign policy at the Brookings Institution, said he’s more concerned with Biden’s “intellectual flexibility and the ability to take in new information.” He pointed to past events related to Afghanistan referenced in the special counsel report. “On the one hand, much of the discussion seems to focus on Afghanistan, and then-Vice President Biden’s role in the debate about what to do in Afghanistan during the Obama administration. There, Biden lost out to advocates of a large surge and probably felt vindicated when that surge did not achieve the desired results,” O’Hanlon said. “That said, in my view, he remained a bit stuck in his vision of where Afghanistan was when he mistakenly ordered our withdrawal in the opening months of his presidency. BIDEN ‘DID NOT REMEMBER WHEN HE WAS VICE PRESIDENT,’ WHEN HIS SON BEAU DIED, DURING SPECIAL COUNSEL INTERVIEWS “That was a mistake he shared with former President Trump. Both failed to take stock of more recent information — that, in fact, even with all the flaws and mistakes, Afghanistan was still on its feet as late as 2020. And only a very modest U.S. military presence was needed (along with small forces from American allies) to help its government retain control at least of the cities. So, I’m less concerned about memory, per se, and more concerned about intellectual flexibility and the ability to take in new information.” On Ukraine, however, O’Hanlon insisted Biden “did well with a rapidly changing and demanding situation” as the country defended itself from Russian aggression. “He helped Ukraine survive the original Russian attack. He publicized to the world that the attack was imminent so that Putin couldn’t blame it on us or the Ukrainians. He continued to provide more weaponry to Ukraine yet did so without triggering a war with Russia. These are no mean feats, and they took intellectual flexibility and adaptability,” O’Hanlon said. “Bottom line is that while I wish an 81-year old man weren’t running for president again, I think Biden’s memory and brain are stronger than the recent report alleges.” Biden told Americans from the White House Thursday evening his memory is “fine” and defended his re-election campaign, saying he is the “most qualified person in this country to be president.” Biden’s address to the nation came just hours after Hur released his report, which did not recommend criminal charges against the president for
Congress barrels toward government shutdown deadlines with little progress so far
The clock is ticking yet again for congressional lawmakers to find a way to avoid a government shutdown. House and Senate leaders came together in mid-January to pass a short-term extension of last year’s government spending levels, known as a continuing resolution (CR), to give themselves more time to hash out a deal for the remainder of fiscal year 2024. It was the third CR passed since the previous fiscal year ended Sept. 30 and preserved funding for some agencies through March 1 and others through March 8. The House left for an extended weekend Wednesday and is not due back until Tuesday. JOHNSON CAUGHT BETWEEN WARRING HOUSE GOP FACTIONS: ‘DRIFTING TOWARD MOB RULE’ The Senate was in session last week but is expected to be on recess next week. That recess may be interrupted for work on a foreign aid package outside of the regular discretionary government spending debate. As things stand now, the House and Senate are only expected to be in session at the same time for two more days this month. HOUSE VOTES TO AVOID GOVERNMENT SHUTDOWN AFTER SPEAKER JOHNSON BUCKS GOP REBELS One House GOP leadership aide said of the government spending fight, “We are doing nothing on that right now. Just fighting the battles in front of us. “At this point we had to know this was going to be the outcome. The floor is nearly impossible to navigate.” A second senior House GOP aide said, “The fact that we haven’t passed any appropriations bills in months as we’re barreling toward another shutdown is beyond alarming “We know the deadline is in less than a month, but we’re governing like the deadline is years away. It’s the same self-inflicted wound over and over again. Standard operating procedure for this Congress.” GOP REBELS ADMIT DEFEAT IN SHORT-TERM SPENDING FIGHT AS JOHNSON STICKS BY BIPARTISAN DEAL If they fail to either extend current funding levels or reach an agreement on new levels, the government could fall into a partial shutdown, with federal programs on pause and thousands of federal workers potentially furloughed. On the House side, Republicans have spent much of the last month on a push to impeach Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas over the border crisis, which culminated in a failed vote this week, though Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., vowed to hold another attempt.
Legal experts question if Biden is ‘using all of the resources at his disposal’ in light of failed border bill
America’s illegal immigration problems came to a head last week when Republican senators killed a bill intended to address some of the major problems contributing to the crisis at the southern border after months of bipartisan negotiations. The White House touted the measure as “the toughest and fairest set of reforms to secure the border we’ve had in decades.” But Republicans in the House and Senate said the bill failed on multiple fronts. “It fails in every policy area needed to secure our border and would actually incentivize more illegal immigration,” House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., said. “Among its many flaws, the bill expands work authorizations for illegal aliens while failing to include critical asylum reforms. Even worse, its language allowing illegals to be ‘released from physical custody’ would effectively endorse the Biden ‘catch-and-release’ policy.” REPUBLICANS ATTEMPT TO GET HARDLINE BORDER SECURITY BILL INTO FOREIGN AID PACKAGE That policy, which has been challenged by Republican attorneys general, refers to the idea of letting immigrants await asylum processing into the interior as opposed to being sent to a detention facility. Critics of the bill, like Gene Hamilton, vice president and counsel for America First Legal, said the Biden administration “is already flouting the laws on the books for ideological ends” and that the Senate bill would have given Biden “top cover to continue his catch-and-release policies to an even greater degree.” “Process on top of process, mandatory catch and release for some aliens instead of the current requirement to catch and detain. The list goes on and on. The net result would be a bureaucratic quagmire that grinds immigration enforcement to even more of a stop, would legitimize Biden’s insane policies and would result in a far weaker border than we even currently see,” Hamilton said. But Erin Corcoran, executive director for the Kroc Institute of International Peace Studies at Notre Dame, said the nation’s current asylum process is not as cut and dried. BIDEN IS WRONG, TEXAS HAS EVERY RIGHT TO ‘DEFEND AGAINST INVASION,’ STATE AGS TELL WHITE HOUSE “The thing to think about right now is that this has been a problem, not just with the Biden administration. This was the problem with the Trump administration, the Bush administration. So you have asylum seekers, but then you also have people who are in the United States who are crossing the border who don’t have valid immigration status,” Corcoran explained. “And they may get caught, and then the question is, how do we deport them? And it’s very clear that, under our current system, the number of people who don’t have valid immigration status in the United States — so, these aren’t people that are necessarily waiting for their asylum applications — exceeds the resources we have to support all of them.” Corcoran explained that the way the Department of Homeland Security operates is similar to police departments in big cities that have to prioritize which crimes to prosecute based on severity of the crime and available law enforcement resources. TEXAS GOVERNOR DOING ‘EXACTLY RIGHT THING’ AMID CONSTITUTIONAL BATTLE OVER BORDER ENFORCEMENT: LEGAL EXPERTS “They have limited resources. It’s the same thing with law enforcement. They have limited resources. They can’t deport every single undocumented immigrant in the United States,” Corcoran said. “Someone who is a criminal or someone who’s a threat to secure national security, those are who we’re going to prioritize for deportation.” Corcoran noted that one of the biggest challenges to the immigration system is the asylum backlog. The Senate bill, Corcoran says, wouldn’t necessarily have provided mechanisms to enforce existing laws as much as it would have changed some things about asylum law that make it possible to adjudicate asylum claims at the border and create a more stringent standard by which people get admitted to the country. Josh Blackman, law professor at South Texas College of Law, questioned whether, without the Senate passing the bill, the president “is using all of the resources at his disposal to vigorously enforce the law.” “It seems that Mayorkas is using broad conceptions of prosecutorial discretion to not prioritize removal as did the Trump administration,” he said.
Moderate Dems silent as Biden skirts Senate confirmation for John Kerry’s replacement
Moderate Senate Democrats were silent this week when Fox News Digital asked for a comment on President Biden’s decision to appoint climate czar John Kerry’s replacement without Senate confirmation. In an announcement late last month, White House National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan said Kerry would soon step down from his role at the State Department and that clean energy czar John Podesta would “continue to lead our global climate efforts” in a new role helping the world transition to green energy. But the White House said Podesta would take on the role of senior adviser to the president for international climate policy. While Kerry will step down as special presidential envoy for climate (SPEC), Biden will not nominate a direct replacement, and Kerry’s staff will report to another State Department official while Podesta coordinates policy with the SPEC office from the White House. The arrangement allows Podesta to sidestep a congressionally mandated Senate confirmation since the SPEC role will technically be left vacant. “Upon Secretary Kerry’s departure, the existing SPEC state team will report to Rich Verma, the deputy secretary of state for management and resources,” a White House official told Fox News Digital. “John will continue to oversee the White House Office of Clean Energy Innovation and Implementation while working closely with the State Department.” TOP REPUBLICANS BLAST BIDEN FOR REPLACING JOHN KERRY WITH JOHN PODESTA, WHO CALLED CCP OFFICIAL ‘FRIEND’ Shortly after taking office in 2021, Biden appointed Kerry to be the first-ever SPEC, a role that granted him a spot in the president’s cabinet and National Security Council but didn’t require a Senate confirmation vote. However, in part because of Kerry’s appointment, Congress passed a provision in the 2022 National Defense Authorization Act, which Biden signed into law in December 2021, prohibiting the president from appointing any State Department special envoy “without the advice and consent of the Senate.” JOHN KERRY’S CLIMATE OFFICE FACES GOP OVERSIGHT PROBE OVER COORDINATION WITH ECO GROUP ‘KITCHEN CABINET’ In response to the White House’s maneuver skirting Senate confirmation for Podesta, several more moderate Democrats, including senators Jon Tester, D-Mont.; Sherrod Brown, D-Ohio; Tammy Baldwin, D-Wis.; Bob Casey, D-Pa.; and Jacky Rosen, D-Nev., in addition to Kyrsten Sinema, I-Ariz., who caucuses with Democrats, were all silent. The lawmakers either ignored or declined to comment when contacted by Fox News Digital. Senate Foreign Relations Committee Chairman Ben Cardin, D-Md., didn’t respond to requests for comment. “Any appointed administration official that will heavily rely on State Department staff and resources should be accountable to congressional committees with jurisdiction over State, including the Senate Foreign Relations Committee,” Jim Risch, R-Idaho, ranking member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, told Fox News Digital in a statement. “It is not unprecedented for someone serving in the White House to go through Senate confirmation,” he added. “If the Biden administration would like for the role of senior adviser for international climate policy to be effective, it should send Mr. Podesta’s appointment to our committee for consideration.” BIDEN ADMIN SUED FOR HIDING JOHN KERRY’S STAFF, COORDINATION WITH ECO GROUPS John Barrasso, R-Wyo., ranking member of the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee, added that Biden knows Podesta would never survive Senate confirmation. “John Podesta is a John Kerry clone. He will peddle more of the same attacks on American energy,” Barrasso told Fox News Digital. “He will protect China’s status as a free rider on international climate agreements. Joe Biden knows Podesta’s radical ideas could never stand up to the scrutiny of Senate confirmation.” And Sen. Josh Hawley, R-Mo., who serves as the ranking member on the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Subcommittee on Energy, noted that Podesta has a documented history with officials tied to the Chinese Communist Party. “John Podesta runs a think-tank funded by big tech, he’s spent years working for dark-money climate activists, and has said he has the ‘highest regard’ for CCP officials,” Hawley told Fox News Digital. “This man should be nowhere near the federal government, so it’s no shock the Biden Administration wants to avoid Senate confirmation and a public eye on their terrible pick.” FORMER CIA DIRECTOR LEON PANETTA WARNS CHINA MAY USE MICHIGAN EV PLANT FOR ESPIONAGE According to emails previously reviewed by Fox News Digital, Podesta held multiple meetings in 2015 and 2016 with Tung Chee-hwa, the longtime vice chair of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference. He also engaged with the high-ranking Chinese official years prior while leading the Center for American Progress, the think tank he founded in 2003, even referring to him as his “friend from Hong Kong.” Since taking on the SPEC position, Kerry has traveled worldwide, attending high-profile climate summits and diplomatic engagements in an effort to push a global transition from fossil fuels to green energy alternatives. However, his office has remained tight-lipped about its internal operations and staff members, sparking criticism from lawmakers who have demanded greater transparency. The SPEC office is housed at the State Department and has an estimated $13.9 million annual budget with approval for 45 personnel, the majority of whom are unknown. In September 2022, Biden appointed Podesta to lead implementation of the billions of dollars in green energy program funding earmarked in the Inflation Reduction Act. Podesta then staffed his office with several left-wing climate activists.
Watch: RJD MLAs bond over iconic Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan song at Tejashwi Yadav’s house ahead of Bihar floor test
Ahead of trust vote of the Nitish Kumar-led government in Bihar, scheduled for February 12, the Janata Dal-United JD-U has issued a three-line whip to all of its MLAs to be present during the floor-test.
UP MLAs leave on buses to visit Ayodhya Ram Mandir, chant ‘Jai Shree Ram’; watch
Members of the Uttar Pradesh Assembly and Legislative Council embarked on a significant visit to the newly inaugurated Ram Janmabhoomi temple in Ayodhya.
Meet Acharya Pramod Krishnam, who got expelled from Congress party for six years for…
According to the Congress, Acharya Pramod Krishnam was expelled on Saturday for “indiscipline” and making repeated statements against the party.
Hillary Clinton says Biden’s age a ‘legitimate issue,’ but he should ‘lean into’ years of experience
Hillary Clinton weighed in on concerns surrounding President Biden’s age, saying it’s a “legitimate issue.” “I talked to people in the White House all the time, and you know, they know it’s an issue, but as I like to say, ‘look, it’s a legitimate issue,’” Clinton told MSNBC’s Alex Wagner on Wednesday. The former Democratic presidential nominee noted that it is also a “legitimate issue” for former President Donald Trump in his campaign for the Republican nomination. “It’s a legitimate issue for Trump who’s only three years younger, right?” Clinton said. “So it’s an issue.” FLASHBACK: DEMS RAN DEFENSE ON BIDEN’S AGE BEFORE SPECIAL COUNSEL PUT DAMNING SPOTLIGHT ON HIS ‘POOR MEMORY’ The former first lady continued, saying that she is for Biden because of his “merits.” “Once you say that, you need to also talk about what is at stake in this election,” Clinton continued. “And I’m for Joe Biden because of the merits.” “I think he has done a really good job as president,” she added. Clinton suggested that the president should focus more on the wisdom he has gained over the years and “kid” about his age. “I think Biden also should lean into the fact that he’s experienced, and that experience is not just in the political arena,” she said. “It’s like, the stuff of, you know, human experience, character, wisdom. EX-CLINTON AIDE SAYS HE ‘WET THE BED’ OVER SPECIAL COUNSEL’S REPORT ON BIDEN: ‘TERRIBLE FOR DEMOCRATS’ “I think he should be willing to really pull that out … and I think he should kid more about it,” Clinton said. Hillary’s comment came as former President Bill Clinton’s lead strategist, James Carville, argued Saturday that the White House has little confidence in President Biden after he turned down a Super Bowl Sunday interview. Carville, a long-time Democrat, gave his take on the situation while being interviewed on CNN on Saturday. “It’s the biggest television audience, not even close, and you get a chance to do a 20-25-minute interview on that day,” Carville began. “And you don’t do it? That’s a kind of sign that the staff or yourself doesn’t have much confidence in you,” Carville continued. “There’s no other way to read this.” JAMES CARVILLE SAYS BIDEN SKIPPING SUPER BOWL INTERVIEW IS A ‘SIGN’: ‘NO OTHER WAY TO READ THIS’ Earlier this week, former Bill Clinton strategist and CNN political commentator Paul Begala admitted that Special Counsel Robert Hur’s indictment of President Biden’s memory and Biden’s response was “terrible for Democrats.” “Oh yeah. Look, I’m a Biden supporter, and I slept like a baby last night: I woke up every two hours crying and wet the bed,” Begala quipped on CNN last Friday. “This is terrible for Democrats. And anybody with a functioning brain knows that,” he declared. The top democratic strategists’ comments came after Special Counsel Robert Hur’s report revealed that Biden willfully retained classified U.S. documents as a private citizen. The report recommenced no charges against the 46th president over his actions, partly because he would have a defense at trial as a “sympathetic, well-meaning, elderly man with a poor memory.” Fox News’ Andrea Vacchiano and Gabriel Hays contributed to this report.