Indian Navy foils piracy bid on fishing vessel near Somalia coast, rescues 11 Iranian, 8 Pak nationals
The ship has ensured successful release of the 11 Iranian and eight Pakistani crew members
UPI in France: Indian tourists can now buy tickets for Paris’ iconic Eiffel Tower in rupees
In 2023, India and France committed to nurturing a thriving ecosystem and building collaborations that empower their citizens and ensure their full participation in the digital century, according to the India-France joint statement.
Biden repeatedly assailed ‘f—ing a–hole’ Trump in private to aides: report
President Biden’s thoughts about former President Trump appear to be more vulgar behind closed doors than in public despite him and other Democrats routinely calling for “civility” and “decency” in politics. On Biden’s first day in office, he lectured his staff about the importance of respect and said, “I am not joking when I say this, if you are ever working with me and I hear you treat another colleague with disrespect, talk down to someone, I promise you I will fire you on the spot. On the spot. No ifs, ands or buts.” However, Biden has been at the center of multiple reports detailing how he’s prone to outbursts and “angry interrogations” of staff when not in the public eye. That demeanor appears to have continued as the president takes aim at Trump in private to his close allies and aides. During conversations with his confidantes, Biden has allegedly referred to Trump as a “sick f—” who enjoys seeing others encounter setbacks, Politico reported Thursday. WH AIDES CLAIM BIDEN PRONE TO OUTBURSTS, ‘ANGRY INTERROGATIONS’ BEHIND CLOSED DOORS: ‘GET THE F—K OUT’ The publication spoke to three individuals who heard Biden make the remarks. One of those individuals added Biden also recently called Trump a “f—ing a–hole.” Trump’s campaign fired back at the president for his alleged comments. “It’s a shame that Crooked Joe Biden disrespects the presidency both publicly and privately,” senior Trump campaign adviser Chris Lacivita told Politico. “But then again, it’s no surprise he disrespects the 45th president the same way he disrespects the American people with his failed policies.” BIDEN’S HISTORY OF BERATING, SCOLDING AND INSULTING REPORTERS, FROM ‘STUPID SON OF A B—-’ TO ‘GET EDUCATED’ Conservatives took to social media Thursday evening blasting Biden for his comments about Trump. Steve Guest, who previously worked for Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, and the Republican National Committee, called Biden a “fraud” and included a screenshot of the report where Biden lectured his staffers about decency. “As Biden tries to jail Trump through his Justice Dept, Biden’s operatives leak vulgar attacks on him,” Judicial Watch President Tom Fitton posted on X. “Yes the angry, petty, vengeful man who rages about Trump in private would never sic his DOJ on his predecessor and 2024 competitor,” author Julie Kelly posted on X. “Rule of law and whatnot. I am sure Trump’s defense attorneys are VERY interested in this for selective prosecution claims.” “Biden has always been a lowlife and ignoramus,” Fox News’ Mark Levin posted on X. A White House spokesman, when asked for comment by Fox News Digital, used the word “snowflake” to describe media coverage of the president’s foul language. Past reports have suggested Biden is inclined to yell at White House aides behind closed doors and drag them in for “angry interrogations.” The reports have alleged Biden has such a “quick-trigger temper” that some White House staffers attempt to dodge meeting him one-on-one. “Some take a colleague, almost as a shield against a solo blast,” Biden aides said last summer. The president’s alleged outbursts have included expressions such as “God d—it, how the f— don’t you know this?!,” “Don’t f—ing bulls— me!” and “Get the f— out of here!” Biden’s tactics generally came in the form of “angry interrogations” until it became apparent to others in the room that they didn’t know the answer to a question. It allegedly became so routine that staff named it “stump the chump.” “No one is safe,” one administration official previously said. The Trump campaign did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment.
Wisconsin consultants label GOP’s redistricting map proposals as gerrymanders
Consultants hired by the Wisconsin Supreme Court to examine maps redrawing state legislative districts said Thursday that plans submitted by the Republican Legislature and a conservative law firm are partisan gerrymanders, but they stopped short of declaring the other four maps constitutional. Only the court can make the determination of whether any of those four plans from Democratic Gov. Tony Evers, Democratic lawmakers and others are constitutional, wrote Jonathan Cervas, of Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh, and Bernard Grofman, of the University of California, Irvine. Any of those maps could be improved based on criteria the court identified as being important, including political neutrality, compactness, contiguity and preserving communities of interest, the consultants wrote. WISCONSIN REPUBLICANS WOULD MAINTAIN MAJORITY IN PROPOSED LEGISLATIVE MAPS, BUT WITH REDUCED DOMINANCE They declined to draw their own maps, but said they could do so quickly if the court instructed them to. The political stakes are huge in the battleground state where Republicans have had a firm grip on the Legislature since 2011 even as Democrats have won statewide elections, including for governor in 2018 and 2022. Four of the past six presidential victors in Wisconsin have been decided by less than a percentage point. Evers hailed the report as confirmation that the Republican maps are gerrymandered. “The days of Wisconsinites living under some of the most gerrymandered maps in the country are numbered,” Evers said in a statement. “While this is just one step in this process, today is an important day for the people of Wisconsin who deserve maps that are fair, responsive, and reflect the will of the people.” Under maps first enacted by Republicans in 2011, and then again in 2022 with few changes, the GOP has increased its hold on the Legislature, largely blocking major policy initiatives of Evers and Democratic lawmakers for the past five years. The victory last year by a liberal candidate for Wisconsin Supreme Court, who called the current Republican maps “rigged,” cleared the path for the court’s ruling in December that the maps are unconstitutional because districts are not contiguous as required by law. The court ordered new maps with contiguous districts, but also said they must not favor one party over another. Republicans have indicated that they plan an appeal to the U.S. Supreme Court, arguing due process violations, but it’s not clear when that would come. The consultants reviewed proposed maps submitted by Evers, fellow Democrats, Republicans, academics and others that would reduce the Republican majorities that sit at 64-35 in the Assembly and 22-10 in the Senate. The consultants on Thursday called the maps from the Legislature and the conservative Wisconsin Institute for Law and Liberty “partisan gerrymanders.” The Legislature’s map was virtually unchanged from what the current boundaries are. The consultants rejected Republican claims that their majorities in the Legislature are due to Democratic support being concentrated in cities, while the GOP had broader support in a larger geographic area. “That kind of insulation from the forces of electoral change is the hallmark of a gerrymander,” they wrote. “To put it simply, geography is not destiny.” Cervas and Grofman wrote that the four Democratic maps were similar on most criteria and from a “social science point of view,” are “nearly indistinguishable.” Rick Esenberg, president of the law firm whose map was deemed to be a partisan gerrymander, blasted the consultants’ findings. “The report hides its bias behind a fog of faux sophistication,” Esenberg said in a statement. “Let’s be clear, our maps have been rejected for one reason and one reason alone, they don’t produce the partisan outcomes the experts or many on the Court want.” It ultimately will be up to the Wisconsin Supreme Court, with a 4-3 liberal majority, to decide which maps to enact. The state elections commission has said that must be done by March 15 to meet deadlines for candidates running in the fall. Evers on Tuesday vetoed a last-ditch effort by Republicans to enact new lines to avoid the court ordering maps. Republicans largely adopted the Evers maps but moved some lines to reduce the number of GOP incumbents who would have to face one another in the new districts. WISCONSIN REPUBLICANS HASTILY APPROVE NEW LEGISLATIVE MAPS Evers rejected it, calling it another attempt by Republicans to gerrymander the districts in their favor. Under most of the newly proposed maps, Republicans would retain their majorities in the Legislature, but the margin would be significantly tightened, judging by an analysis by a Marquette University researcher. The Wisconsin Supreme Court has also been asked by Democrats to take up a challenge to the state’s congressional district lines. That lawsuit argues the court’s decision to order new state legislative maps opens the door to challenging the congressional map. Republicans hold five of the state’s eight congressional seats. The moves in Wisconsin come as litigation continues in more than dozen states over U.S. House and state legislative districts that were enacted after the 2020 census.
Hesitant Republicans could derail Mayorkas impeachment effort
House GOP leaders are closely watching a few Republican lawmakers ahead of their expected vote on whether to impeach Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas next week. With just a razor-thin majority and all Democrats likely to oppose the measure, Republicans will have to be in near lock-step to pass what would be a historic vote. A Cabinet official has not been impeached since 1876. Rep. Ken Buck, R-Colo., told reporters on Thursday morning that he is a “solid” no on impeaching Mayorkas. He criticized the Biden official for his handling of the southern border crisis, but said, “The people that I’m talking to on the outside, the constitutional experts, former members agree that this just isn’t an impeachable offense.” MAYORKAS SLAMS ‘BASELESS’ GOP ALLEGATIONS AHEAD OF KEY IMPEACHMENT VOTE At least four other Republicans are still undecided, at least publicly. The office of Rep. David Joyce, R-Ohio, leader of the moderate Republican Governance Group, told Fox News Digital on Friday that he “has met with Chairman Green and is reviewing the material that they have provided.” House Financial Services Chair Patrick McHenry, R-N.C., has not told reporters how he would vote. Reps. Dan Newhouse, R-Wash., and Tom McClintock, R-Calif., also declined to say which way they were leaning earlier this week. Fox News Digital reached out to McHenry, Newhouse and McClintock’s offices for an update but did not immediately hear back. MARJORIE TAYLOR GREENE PREDICTS MAYORKAS IMPEACHMENT ARTICLES WILL PASS HOUSE WITHOUT ANY DEM SUPPORT House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., has been dealing with one of the thinnest House majorities in history over the last several weeks. With absences on the GOP side and the departures of three former lawmakers, Johnson has been walking a tightrope of just a two-seat majority. However, he got some breathing room recently with longtime Democratic Rep. Brian Higgins, D-N.Y., resigning, effective Friday. Majority Leader Steve Scalise, R-La., who was receiving treatment linked to his cancer diagnosis, and Rep. Hal Rogers, R-Ky., who has been recovering from a car accident, are expected back in the House soon as well. It would be a massive blow to the House GOP’s emphasis on the border crisis if the Mayorkas impeachment were to fail in the House. KEY REPUBLICAN COMES OUT IN FAVOR OF IMPEACHING MAYORKAS, SAYS HE SHOULD BE ‘TRIED FOR TREASON’ House Republicans are pushing to impeach Mayorkas over accusations of willfully disregarding the law to allow the migrant crisis to foment. The effort has received support from the vast majority of House Republicans. Rep. Don Bacon, R-Neb., a key moderate who was also on the fence about impeaching the Cabinet secretary, told reporters earlier this week that he’d back it as well. “I intend to,” Bacon said when asked about it on Tuesday. “Because we have a disaster at the border. And I would say there’s so many laws on the books that he could enact or enforce, and he does not.”
Texans in Congress rally around Gov. Abbott amid feud with Biden administration over border: ‘Hold the line’
FIRST ON FOX: Texas Republicans serving in Congress are rallying around Gov. Greg Abbott amid his feud with the Biden administration over defending the border from waves of illegal immigrants. In a Friday letter to Abbott, 24 of the 25 Republican members of Texas’ congressional delegation, led by Rep. Keith Self, implored Abbott to “hold the line,” not just against those crossing the border, but also against the Biden administration, who they say enabled the “illegal alien invasion.” “We write to encourage your Administration to hold the line against the Biden Administration and continue to do everything you can to protect our Southern Border,” the members wrote. TEXAS GOV. ABBOTT SENDS STARK MESSAGE TO SANCTUARY CITIES AS MIGRANT CRISIS CONTINUES “We appreciate your leadership for Texas at this difficult time in light of the recent Supreme Court vacating of the 5th Circuit’s protective stay and the Biden Administration’s continued support for the federal removal of razor wire,” they wrote. The group cited the importance of federalism, and the ability of states to protect their “sovereign rights,” but also blasted President Biden’s “reckless” border policies that “continue to put American sovereignty in danger.” “Governor Abbott, we appreciate your resolve at this time and know you will do what is in the best interest of Texas. Please continue to use all the resources and constitutional authority at your disposal to enforce our border security. We will continue to stand with you against this illegal alien invasion enabled by cartels and the Biden Administration,” they added. HISPANIC COMMUNITY LEADER RAISES BIG BUCKS IN QUEST TO FLIP DEM-CONTROLLED BORDER CONGRESSIONAL SEAT Rep. Tony Gonzalez was the only member of the Texas Republican delegation that did not sign the letter. A spokesperson told Fox News Digital that was not intentional, and that he “stands with Texas and supports Governor Abbott’s efforts to push back against the Biden administration.” “I appreciate Governor Abbott’s resolve and know he will do what is in the best interest of Texas,” Self told Fox News Digital. “As Governor Abbott uses the resources and constitutional authority at his disposal to enforce border security, I believe the American people will continue standing with Texas, and against this foreign invasion.” Abbott’s feud with the Biden administration centers on enforcement of the border, and whether Texas has the authority to defend itself from the waves of migrants overwhelming law enforcement and immigration officials. The two sides have been feuding since 2021 when the migrant crisis escalated and Texas launched Operation Lone Star to surge resources to the border. FORMER GREEN BERET SHREDS ‘CRIMINALLY INCOMPETENT’ BIDEN, STRESSES NEED FOR MORE VETERANS IN CONGRESS The administration recently sued over an anti-illegal immigration law that allows state and local law enforcement to arrest illegal immigrants. It has also sued over the state’s setting up of buoys in the Rio Grande. The administration says immigration enforcement is up to the federal government and Texas is interfering. Last week, the Supreme Court ruled in a 5-4 decision on an emergency appeal to temporarily overturn a lower court’s injunction that banned the federal government from cutting razor fencing Texas had installed along the border near Eagle Pass while litigation continues. Following the ruling, Abbott declared his constitutional authority to reserve the right of his state to self-defense against an invasion, adding that the executive branch had broken its constitutional pact with the states by failing to enforce federal immigration laws. Abbott has also picked up the support of more than two dozen Republican states who have publicly expressed their support for the state. Meanwhile, some Democrats have urged the Biden administration to seize control of the National Guard. Fox News’ Adam Shaw contributed to this report.
Biden admin sent millions to Hamas-linked UNRWA after Oct 7 attacks, before halting funding
The Biden administration sent millions in government assistance to the United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) for FY24 amid allegations of terrorist ties against federal employees prior to the administration’s pause of new funding. The administration announced a pause on new funding would be enacted last week over allegations that some of its members were “involved” in the Oct. 7 Hamas terrorist attack in Israel. The U.S. government had already earmarked $51 million for FY24 prior to the pause. The funds were a result of an emergency request for Gaza and the West Bank following the Oct. 7 terrorist attacks on Israel, and the war that resulted. “The pause decision was well after the initial tranche to UNRWA’s oPt Flash Appeal of $51M,” a State Department spokesperson told Fox News Digital. “That funding was obligated back in mid-November in the early part of the crisis, about 100 days before the Jan. 26 pause.” Some politicians criticized the spending following the State Department’s pause in funding. Sen. Minority Leader Mitch McConnell blasted President Biden on the floor on Tuesday for the aid, while calling for a stronger retaliatory response against Iranian proxies. TRUMP ADMIN CUT FUNDING TO UN AGENCY NOW ACCUSED OF PARTICIPATING IN HAMAS ATTACK ‘FOR REASON’: REP. MCCAUL “As I’ve said before, there is no room for the tired cast of corruption and terrorism in the future of the Palestinian people. As such, Senate Republicans will not accept any legislation that allows taxpayer dollars to fund UNRWA,” McConnell said. At the time the pause was implemented, about $300,000 had been approved for UNRWA but not yet obligated, the State Department spokesperson said. The approved funds were frozen as a result of the pause. “No further funds will be approved for UNRWA during the pause,” the department said. “The majority of UNRWA’s funding comes from donors other than the United States.” According to a USAID fact sheet, the funds were assigned to go toward food assistance, protection, shelter and settlements in the West Bank and Gaza. The Biden administration has sent hundreds of millions of taxpayer dollars to UNRWA in recent years — arguing the agency provides much needed humanitarian aid to Palestinian territories — after reversing former President Trump’s decision to cut funding to the group. Critics have long argued that UNRWA is directly tied to Hamas terrorists. On Tuesday, New Jersey GOP Rep. Chris Smith introduced a bill, known as the “Stop Support United Nations Relief and Works Agency Act of 2024,” that would cut off U.S. funding. Twelve UNRWA employees were allegedly “involved” in the Oct. 7 attack, and additional U.S. funding could resume subject to an investigation from the United Nations. UN’S TOP COURT ALLOWS ISRAEL TO KEEP FIGHTING IN GAZA, ORDERS IT TO ‘ADHERE TO THE GENOCIDE CONVENTION’ UNRWA, citing information provided by Israeli authorities, fired the accused employees last week and announced an investigation “to protect the agency’s ability to deliver humanitarian assistance” and “establish the truth without delay,” Reuters reported. Meanwhile, State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller told reporters Tuesday the federal government supports “the work that UNRWA does” and called it “critical” to the region. “There is no other humanitarian player in Gaza who can provide food, medicine at the scale that UNRWA does,” Miller said. “We want to see that work continued, which is why it is so important that the United Nations take this matter seriously, that they investigate it, that there is accountability for anyone who is found to engage in wrongdoing, and that they take whatever other measures are appropriate to ensure that this sort of thing cannot happen again.” Fox News’ Peter Aitken contributed to this report.
House committee subpoenas Fulton County DA Fani Willis
House Republicans have subpoenaed Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis amid allegations of misconduct, Fox News has learned. House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jim Jordan, R-Ohio, subpoenaed Willis as she is accused of misusing federal funds in Georgia. She is also alleged to have fired a whistleblower from her office over the same issue. Willis has made headlines over the past two years as she has charged former President Trump with allegedly attempting to overturn the results of the 2020 presidential election. The subpoena is for documents related to the Fulton County DA’s office receipt and use of federal funds. ‘THE VIEW’ CO-HOSTS SLAM GEORGIA DA FANI WILLIS FOR ALLEGED AFFAIR WITH TRUMP PROSECUTOR The subpoena requires Willis to turn over “all documents and communications referring or relating to the Fulton County District Attorney’s Office’s receipt and use of federal funds, including but not limited to, federal funds from the Department of Justice’s Office Programs, Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention, and Office of Community Oriented Policing Services.” In addition, she is being asked to turn over all documents from the same offices “referring to or relating to any allegations of the misuse of federal funds.” It comes after the Judiciary Committee requested the documents on three different occasions, in Aug. 2023, Sept. 2023, and Dec. 2023. GA SENATE LAUNCHES COMMITTEE TO PROBE TRUMP PROSECUTOR FANI WILLIS FOR ‘IMPROPER’ AFFAIR “To date, you have failed to comply voluntarily with any of our requests,” the committee wrote in a letter to Willis. It added: “The Committee’s oversight of your office’s use of federal grant funds is particularly relevant in light of public whistleblower allegations that it has misused federal funding.” She stands accused of using part a $488,000 federal grant allocated for the purpose of helping at-risk youths for “frivolous, unrelated expenses,” the letter said. It went on to say the money was used for Macbooks, clothes, and travel. Trump has pleaded not guilty in the Willis-led case. Fox News’ Kelly Phares contributed to this report.
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Kentucky House delivers $1.3B education funding increase but omits universal pre-K
The Republican-led Kentucky House endorsed higher spending for education in its two-year state spending plan on Thursday but left out two of the Democratic governor’s top priorities — guaranteed pay raises for teachers and access to preschool for every 4-year-old. The budget measure, which won 77-19 House passage after hours of debate, would pump large sums of additional money into K-12 schools. In a key policy decision, the GOP bill leaves it up to local school districts to decide teacher pay but encourages school administrators to award raises to teachers and other personnel. Each district would decide the amount of raises. The House version has no funding for the governor’s ambitious universal pre-K proposal. The executive branch budget bill — the state’s main policy document — now heads to the GOP-dominated Senate. KENTUCKY HOUSE CLEARS MEASURE FOR MOMENT OF SILENCE AT START OF SCHOOL DAY Democratic Gov. Andy Beshear called for a guaranteed 11% pay raise for teachers and all other public school employees in the spending blueprint he submitted to lawmakers. He says it’s needed to recruit and retain teachers. He proposed spending $172 million in each of the next two fiscal years to provide preschool for every Kentucky 4-year-old. The goal would be to make every child ready for kindergarten. Rep. Derrick Graham, the top-ranking House Democrat, said during the long House debate that the GOP plan came up short for K-12 teachers at a time of massive state budget reserves. He pointed to Kentucky’s rankings near the bottom nationally in average teacher starting pay and average teacher pay. “This budget will not begin to make a dent in our low state ranking,” Graham said. Republican Rep. Jason Petrie said the budget plan reflects a policy decision showing a “fidelity to local control, so that the state is not setting the pay scale.” Petrie, who chairs the House Appropriations and Revenue Committee, staunchly defended the level of state support for public schools in the House bill. He said it would deliver more than $1.3 billion in funding increases for K-12 education in the biennium. “It is well supported,” he said. Beshear proposed more than $2.5 billion of additional funding for public education in his proposal. Throughout the debate, House Democrats highlighted what they saw as shortcomings in the GOP spending plan, citing water projects and affordable housing initiatives as examples. Republican Rep. Kevin Bratcher called it a responsible budget and offered a spirited response to the Democratic criticism. “They just say, ‘spend, spend, spend, spend,’” Bratcher said. “And that’s dumb, dumb, dumb, dumb.” Much of the House debate focused on education funding — always a cornerstone of the state budget. The House plan would bolster per-pupil funding under SEEK, the state’s main funding formula for K-12 schools. The amount would go to $4,368 — a $117 million increase — in the first fiscal year and $4,455 in the second year — a $154 million increase. The current amount is $4,200 per student. The House’s budget plan offered another sweetener for school districts. It would increase state spending to transport K-12 students to and from school, with the state covering 100% of those costs in the second year of the biennium. Beshear called for the state to fully fund those costs in both years. In the House plan, the state would cover 80% of those costs in the first year of the two-year cycle, which begins July 1. Republican leaders have said the House plan makes sizable investments in mental health and substance abuse recovery programs. It includes funding to hire 100 more social workers and to award pay raises to state police troopers and commercial vehicle enforcement officers. It calls for an additional $196 million in funding for the College Access Program, a needs-based grant initiative for Kentucky undergraduate students. Crafting the budget is the top priority for lawmakers during this year’s 60-day session, and the House action was another step in that process. The focus now shifts to the Senate, which will put its imprint on the two-year spending plan. The final version will ultimately be hashed out by a conference committee made up of House and Senate leaders. Both chambers have Republican supermajorities. In other action Thursday, the House passed a separate spending bill that taps into the state’s massive budget reserves to make a number of one-time investments. Nearly $1 billion would be used to further pay down the state’s pension liabilities. Other allocations would go to support infrastructure and economic development. The measure cleared the House 96-0 to advance to the Senate.