Former police Chief Art Acevedo returning to Austin for City Hall job overseeing the department he once led
Acevedo is expected to create new recruiting strategies, review patrolling operations and improve police academy training.
Former Rajya Sabha MP Dr Subhash Chandra praises Ram temple construction, says ‘happy to be in Ayodhya after 45 years’
Dr Chandra, known for his motivational speeches inspiring millions of youth, expressed his joy about the construction of the Ram Temple in Ayodhya.
Who invented butter chicken? Delhi’s 2 big restaurants reach High Court
Moti Mahal restaurants claims that their predecessor’s Late Chef Kundan Lal Gujral alone has been known and identified as the sole ‘inventor of Butter Chicken.’
Maine official appeals her removal of Trump from voting ballots to state’s top court
The Secretary of State in Maine is appealing to the state’s top court in her case aiming to keep former President Donald Trump off the ballot. Maine Secretary of State Shenna Bellows announced Friday an appeal to the state’s Supreme Judicial Court, asking for a ruling on her previous decision to remove Trump from the ballot. “Like many Americans, I welcome a ruling from the U.S. Supreme Court in the Colorado case that provides guidance as to the important Fourteenth Amendment questions in this case,” Bellows said. MAINE SUPERIOR COURT ISSUES A STAY ON STATE’S DECISION TO BAR TRUMP FROM PRIMARY BALLOT Trump appealed Maine Secretary of State Shenna Bellows’ ruling earlier this month, but the court on Wednesday said it will not consider the matter until the high court issues its own decision in a related case out of Colorado, saying it would be “imprudent” for the court to rule on it before then. But Bellows is asking Maine’s top court to preemptively rule on the legality of disqualifying the former president beforehand. “In the interim, Maine law provides the opportunity to seek review from the Maine Supreme Judicial Court – which I requested today. I know both the constitutional and state authority questions are of grave concern to many,” Bellows said of her continued efforts. MAINE RESIDENTS ‘OVERWHELMED’ AT PROSPECT OF BECOMING A ‘TRANSGENDER SAFE HAVEN,’ STATE LAWMAKER SAYS She added, “This appeal ensures that Maine’s highest court has the opportunity to weigh in now, before ballots are counted, promoting trust in our free, safe and secure elections.” In December, the Colorado Supreme Court disqualified Trump from appearing on the state’s ballots in 2024. The disqualification, which was made under the 14th Amendment of the U.S. Constitution, is related to the Capitol riot on Jan. 6, 2021. “We do not reach these conclusions lightly,” the court’s majority wrote. “We are mindful of the magnitude and weight of the questions now before us. We are likewise mindful of our solemn duty to apply the law, without fear or favor, and without being swayed by public reaction to the decisions that the law mandates we reach.” Following Colorado’s decision, more than a dozen states have challenged Trump’s eligibility to appear on election ballots for the primary or general elections. Fox News Digital’s Brooke Singman and Jamie Joseph contributed to this report.
Trump maintains massive lead in New Hampshire days ahead of first primary: poll
With three days to go until New Hampshire’s Republican presidential primary, a new poll indicates former President Trump remains the commanding frontrunner, with former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley behind by double-digits, and Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis a distant third. Trump, who is running a third straight time for the White House, grabs 53% support among those likely to vote in Tuesday’s New Hampshire GOP presidential primary, according to a daily tracking poll released Saturday morning by Suffolk University, the Boston Globe and NBC10 in Boston. HALEY TURNS UP THE HEAT ON TRUMP AS SHE TRIES TO CLOSE THE GAP IN THE NEW HAMPSHIRE PRIMARY The former president’s support edged up one point from Friday’s tracking poll. Haley, who served as ambassador to the United Nations during the Trump administration, stands at 36%, with her support edging up a point from Friday’s survey. DeSantis, once the clear runner-up to Trump in most polling, pulled in 7% support, up one point over the past 24 hours. The poll was conducted Thursday and Friday evenings, entirely after Trump scored a massive victory in Monday night’s Iowa caucuses, the first contest on the GOP presidential nominating calendar. TRUMP SAYS NIKKI HALEY ‘HAS NO CHANCE’ AHEAD OF NEW HAMPSHIRE PRIMARY: ‘MAGA IS NOT GOING TO BE WITH HER’ A poll from Saint Anselm College that was also conducted after the Iowa caucuses also indicates Trump with a lead in the mid-teens over Haley and DeSantis in single digits in New Hampshire. Meanwhile, a new survey released Friday from Marist College indicates Haley performing better against President Biden than either Trump or DeSantis in hypothetical general election matchups in November in New Hampshire, which is a key battleground state. The survey indicates Haley edging Biden by three points, while the president tops Trump by seven points and DeSantis by nine points. Haley repeatedly emphasized on the campaign trail that she would perform better against Biden in the general election than Trump would fare against the president. Get the latest updates from the 2024 campaign trail, exclusive interviews and more at our Fox News Digital election hub.
Jill Biden mocked for awkward sign placement at Hunter High School: ‘Straight out of a VEEP episode’
First Lady Jill Biden’s political advance team was ridiculed on social media after she appeared to speak at a local high school in Utah, named Hunter High. While visiting the Beehive State to attend a fundraiser for President Biden, the first lady stopped by the school in West Valley City, southwest of Salt Lake City, to visit faculty and hear the school choir perform. During her visit, Biden — a former teacher for over 30 years — spoke about the value of education and the importance of educators. But observers on social media were distracted by the rather unfortunate placement of “Hunter High” signs during her remarks, which called to mind her son Hunter Biden’s struggle with drug addiction. “Jill Biden trying to distract from her comments about Hunter’s drug abuse, and ending up under a giant banner reading ‘Hunter High,’ is straight out of a VEEP episode,” wrote Angela Morabito, a spokeswoman for the Defense of Freedom Institute, in a post on X. HUNTER BIDEN’S GUN POUCH HAD COCAINE RESIDUE ON IT, PROSECUTORS SAY “You can’t make this stuff up,” said Rep. Andy Biggs, R-Ariz. “Jill Biden speaking at a school named ‘Hunter High.’ Appropriately named!” Hunter Biden’s past substance abuse is well-documented. His 2018 memoir, “Beautiful Things,” recounts his battle with addiction in detail. The first son is currently wrapped up in a legal battle over federal gun charges filed in the U.S. District Court for the District of Delaware in October. Prosecutors alleged that Biden lied about his use of drugs in October 2018 on a gun purchase form. He has acknowledged struggling with a crack cocaine addiction during that period in 2018, but his attorneys say he did not break the law. Hunter Biden has since said he has stopped using drugs and is working to turn his life around. JILL BIDEN DEFENDS PRESIDENT FROM DIRECT QUESTIONS ABOUT HIS HEALTH, AGE: ‘HE’S LIVED HISTORY’ Hunter Biden’s attorneys have filed a motion to dismiss the gun charges, but prosecutors fought back Tuesday, arguing the evidence against Biden is “overwhelming.” They say investigators found cocaine residue on a brown leather pouch used by Hunter Biden to store a gun. Biden has pleaded not guilty to the charges. But the courtroom drama added a layer of irony to Jill Biden’s appearance at Hunter High, as did her recent appearance on MSNBC, where she defended Hunter against Republican criticism. “I think what they are doing to Hunter is cruel. And I’m really proud of how Hunter has rebuilt his life after addiction,” Jill Biden told MSNBC host Mika Brzezinski. “I love my son and it’s had — it’s hurt my grandchildren and that’s what I’m so concerned about, that it’s affecting their lives as well.” JILL BIDEN GRANTS SIT-DOWN INTERVIEW WITH MSNBC AS HUSBAND ENTERS 2024 ON DRY SPELL OF SERIOUS INTERVIEWS Social media users called the backdrop of “Hunter High” signs in Utah days after her comments cringeworthy. “An award should be given to the White House advance staffer who organized an event for Jill Biden with signs such as these,” the Federalist’s Mollie Hemingway posted on X. CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP “As someone who’s done a lot of ‘advance’ work in politics, I’m really curious who screwed up & approved this podium sign for [First Lady Jill Biden],” said William J. Smith, a strategic communications professional based in New Jersey. “Either that or they’re trolling us.” Fox News Digital’s Greg Wehner contributed to this report.
At least 13 students killed in China school fire: State media
The victims were identified as third-grade students from an elementary school in Henan province, according to reports. A fire has ripped through a dormitory in a boarding school in central China, killing 13 students, state media reported. One student was injured in the blaze at Yingcai School in Henan province’s Yanshanpu village, the Xinhua news agency reported on Saturday. The victims were identified as third-grade elementary school students. A teacher told the state-run Hebei Daily that all of them were from the same class of nine and 10 year olds. Firefighters managed to swiftly extinguish the blaze, which was reported at 11pm (15:00 GMT) on Friday and the head of the school was taken into custody while the authorities were investigating the cause. The injured survivor was being treated in hospital and reported to be “in stable condition”, according to Xinhua. China National Radio reported that some windows on the school’s dormitory building were smashed and published photos showing police cordoning off a nearby area. Yanshanpu village lies on the outskirts of Nanyang, a city of nearly 10 million. Little information about the boarding school is publicly available, though social media videos published earlier showed young children including kindergarteners wearing smocks with the school’s logo as well as older children learning calligraphy. The private boarding institution with a kindergarten and an elementary school gives students a break every two weeks, but not this weekend, reported The Paper, a news outlet supported by the Shanghai government. Many of Yingcai’s students are from rural areas, it said. ‘Too scary’ On Saturday, Chinese social media users expressed outrage about the fire and called for any safety lapses to be punished. “It’s too scary, 13 children from 13 families, all gone in an instant … if there is no severe punishment their souls will not rest in peace,” one commenter on the Weibo social media site wrote. China frequently experiences fires and other fatal accidents, largely attributed to lenient safety standards and inadequate enforcement. In November, 26 people died and dozens were sent to hospital after a fire at a coal company office in northern China’s Shanxi province. Eleven people died in July after the roof of a school gym collapsed in the country’s northeast. In April, a hospital fire in Beijing killed 29 people and forced desperate survivors to jump out of windows to escape. After the coal company fire in November, Chinese President Xi Jinping called for the country to “conduct in-depth investigations of hidden risks in key industries, improve emergency plans and prevention measures”. Adblock test (Why?)
The US plan to revamp the Palestinian Authority is doomed to fail
For two months now, the United States and other Western countries, backing Israel, have been talking about “the day after” in Gaza. They have rejected Israeli assertions that the Israeli army will remain in control of the Strip and pointed to the Palestinian Authority (PA) as their preferred political actor to take over governance once the war is over. In so doing, the US and its allies have paid little regard to what the Palestinian people want. The current leadership of the PA lost the last democratic elections held in the occupied Palestinian territory in 2006 to Hamas and since then, it has steadily lost popularity. In a recent public opinion poll by the Palestinian Center for Policy and Survey Research (PSR), some 90 percent of respondents were in favour of the resignation of PA President Mahmoud Abbas, and 60 percent called for the dismantling of the PA itself. Washington is undoubtedly aware of the low public trust in the PA, but there is a reason why it insists on supporting its takeover of Gaza: its leadership has been a reliable partner for decades in maintaining a status quo in the interests of Israel. The US would like that arrangement to continue, so its backing for the PA may be accompanied by an attempt to revamp it in order to solve its legitimacy problem. But even if this effort succeeds, it is unlikely the new iteration of the PA would be sustainable. A reliable partner Perhaps one of the main factors that has convinced the US that the PA is a “good choice” for post-war governance in Gaza is its anti-Hamas stance and willingness to conduct security coordination with Israel. Since the commencement of the conflict between Israel and Gaza on October 7, the PA and its leadership have not issued an official statement offering explicit political support for the Palestinian resistance. Their rhetoric has predominantly focused on condemning and disapproving of attacks on civilians on both sides, while also rejecting the expulsion of Palestinians from their homeland. In a political address on the ninth day of the war, Abbas criticised Hamas, asserting that their actions did not represent the Palestinian people. He emphasised that the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) is the sole legitimate representative of the Palestinian people and underscored the importance of peaceful resistance as the only legitimate means to oppose Israeli occupation. This statement was later retracted by his office. In December, Hussein al-Sheikh, a PA official and secretary-general of the executive committee of the PLO, also criticised Hamas in an interview with Reuters. He suggested its armed resistance “method and approach” has failed and led to many casualties among the civilian population. The stance of the PA is consistent with its own narrow political and economic interests which have come at the expense of the Palestinian national cause. It has systematically and brutally stamped out any opposition and any support for other factions, including Hamas, in order to maintain its rule over West Bank cities while Israel continues with its brutal occupation and dispossession of the Palestinian people. In Israel’s war on Gaza in 2008–2009, the PA leadership hoped to regain administrative control of Gaza with assistance from Israel. During that conflict, the PA prohibited any activities in the West Bank in support of Gaza and threatened to arrest participants. I, myself, faced harassment and the threat of arrest for attempting to join a demonstration against the war. Similar positions were adopted by the PA, albeit with less aggressive measures, in subsequent Israeli assaults on Gaza, as its leadership came to recognise that Hamas was unlikely to relinquish its control over the Strip. Since October 7, the PA has taken a bolder stance, marked by more aggressive actions. Its security forces have suppressed demonstrations and marches held in support of Gaza, resorting to shooting live ammunition at participants. Additionally, the PA has recently detained individuals expressing support for the Palestinian resistance. While cracking down on Palestinian protests, the PA has done nothing to protect its people from attacks by Israeli settlers on Palestinian communities, which have resulted in deaths, injuries and the displacement of hundreds of people in the occupied West Bank. Additionally, the Israeli army has intensified its raids in the PA-administered areas, leading to the arrest of thousands and the killing of hundreds of Palestinians, with no reaction from the PA. The PA’s inability to offer basic protection has added to the deterioration of its legitimacy among Palestinians. Furthermore, by taking a stance against the Palestinian resistance and aligning itself with Israel and the US, the PA is only further undermining its own legitimacy. PA 1.0 and PA 2.0 Washington is aware of the growing unpopularity of the PA and its leadership among Palestinians but it is not giving up on it because it seems to believe that that can be fixed. That is because the US has tried to revamp the authority before as it has always faced problems with legitimacy due to the way it was set up. As a governing institution, the PA was established to bring an end to the first Intifada. Conceived under the interim peace agreements in Oslo, it was envisioned as an administrative body to oversee civil affairs for Palestinians in the occupied Gaza Strip and certain parts of the West Bank, excluding occupied East Jerusalem. It effectively took on a role as an Israeli security contractor in exchange for certain benefits related to administering Palestinian population centres. The PA faithfully fulfilled its mandate, carrying out routine arrests and surveillance of Palestinian individuals, whether they were involved in actions against Israel or were activists opposing its corrupt practices. Thus, Israel strategically benefitted from the establishment of the PA, but the same cannot be said for the Palestinian people, as they continued to experience the ravages of a military occupation. Despite this, the PA under Yasser Arafat – or what we can call PA 1.0 – leveraged patronage and corruption to maintain some level of support. Notably,
Trump says Nikki Haley ‘probably’ not his choice for vice president
Former President Donald Trump has most likely ruled out presidential primary rival Nikki Haley as a vice-president. Trump made the comments about Haley — who he appointed as the U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations during his term in the Oval Office — at a Friday rally in Concord, New Hampshire. “She is OK, but she is not presidential timber. And when I say that, that probably means she is not going to be chosen as the vice president,” Trump said. NIKKI HALEY SAYS SHE DOESN’T WANT CHRISTIE’S ENDORSEMENT, DOESN’T THINK SHE NEEDS IT Trump said he did not have faith in the former U.N. ambassador’s ability to handle tough negotiations with leaders of rival countries. “I know her very well. She’s not tough enough. She’s not smart enough. And she wasn’t respected enough. She cannot do this job,” he continued. “She’s not going to be able to deal with President Xi. She’s not going to be able to deal with Putin.” Trump remained cryptic with his remarks, saying immediately after the “presidential timber” comment that such a public statement meant he wouldn’t be able to walk back the evaluation of her character. DESANTIS PUSHES BACK ON MEDIA NARRATIVE HE’S ‘SKIPPING’ NEW HAMPSHIRE AFTER CAMPAIGNING IN SOUTH CAROLINA “When you say certain things, it sort of takes them out of play, right?” the former president taunted. “I can’t say, ‘She’s not of the timber to be the vice president’ and then say, ‘Ladies and gentleman, I’m proud to announce that I’ve picked.’” Haley made a parallel promise on the same day while stopping at a diner in Amherst ahead of the state primary. “I don’t want to be anybody’s vice president. That is off the table,” Haley said. “I have always said that. That is a game they play that I’m not going to play. I don’t want to be vice president.” Haley, down by double digits to Trump in the latest surveys four days ahead of the New Hampshire primary, is taking every chance she has to blast the GOP front-runner. “You look at Iowa. I mean President Trump won a state of three million people with 56,000 votes. We had a very low turnout in Iowa. We’re going to have a really good turnout in New Hampshire,” Haley told reporters at her first retail stop Friday morning as she pilloried Trump’s landslide victory in Monday’s Iowa caucuses. During a campaign event in Rochester, Haley criticized Trump for his past support for increasing the federal gas tax and raising the retirement age and accused him of lying about her record. Fox News Digital’s Paul Steinhauser contributed to this report.
Harvard faculty, staff form group for ‘Justice in Palestine’, slam ‘unfolding genocide in Gaza’
While Harvard University continues to fend off accusations of antisemitism, more than 65 faculty and staff members have formed a pro-Palestinian advocacy group that denounced “the unfolding genocide in Gaza.” In a statement released on Jan. 6, a group of 67 Harvard faculty and staff members announced the establishment of a chapter of the national network of Faculty for Justice in Palestine. The newly formed group called on Harvard to withdraw investments from the state of Israel “and companies that sustain Israeli apartheid, settler colonialism, and systemic human rights abuses against Palestinians.” “The unfolding genocide in Gaza cannot be disconnected from over 75 years of violent dispossession of the Palestinian people. The US government, media, and other institutions of knowledge production have long provided financial, military, moral, and political cover for the Israeli occupation and its colonial, racial violence,” members of Harvard Faculty and Staff for Justice in Palestine (FSJP) said. “Our universities play an integral role in these structures of violence. In addition to investing in companies that maintain the occupation, many — including Harvard — methodically censor, surveil, and discipline students, faculty, and staff for teaching and speech that is critical of the state of Israel.” HARVARD SUED FOR VIOLATING JEWISH STUDENTS’ CIVIL RIGHTS, ALLOWING ‘ANTISEMITISM CANCER’ TO GROW ON CAMPUS A student-led activist group, Students for Justice in Palestine, held anti-Israel protests on campus in the wake of the Oct. 7 terror attack led by Hamas, in which 1,200 Israelis were brutally slaughtered. Anti-Israel activism at the school and the university’s initial hesitancy to condemn Hamas led to accusations that Harvard has become tolerant of antisemitism. Several Jewish students have since filed a lawsuit against Harvard University, claiming “antisemitism cancer” is growing on campus” and that the institution has hired “professors who support anti-Jewish violence.” In one example the lawsuit cites, “Harvard FXB Center Visiting Scholar Sawsan Abdulrahim … tweeted a graphic glorifying a Hamas terrorist paraglider a day after Hamas’s massacre and who continues to tweet messages glorifying the Intifada.” Abdulrahim is a signatory of the FSJP statement. HARVARD ANNOUNCES ANTISEMITISM, ISLAMOPHOBIA TASK FORCES AMID ISRAEL-HAMAS WAR The group strongly condemned Harvard’s response to pro-Palestinian protests on campus, claiming that students “were subjected to a concerted and escalating campaign of harassment, intimidation, and racist hate speech because of their advocacy for Palestinian rights.” FSJP pointed to cases of undergraduate students being disciplined for participating in protests and Harvard’s invitation for the Cambridge police and FBI to investigate pro-Palestinian activities at the school. The group also called for Harvard to divest any and all financial ties to Israel and endorsed the anti-Israel Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions (BDS) movement amid Israel’s ongoing war with Hamas. Thousands have been killed on both sides during the war — mostly civilians — and Hamas is still holding more than 100 hostages, according to Israel. OVER 1,600 JEWISH ALUMNI DEMAND HARVARD CRACK DOWN ON ANTISEMITISM IN SCATHING LETTER “We wholeheartedly reject accusations that critique of the Israeli state is antisemitic,” FSJP said. “We call for the emancipation of all peoples, with liberated futures for both Palestinians and Israelis. Since systems of oppression are deeply interconnected, we further pledge to combat all forms of discrimination and racism at Harvard and outside its walls, including anti-Palestinian racism, anti-Muslim racism, anti-Indigenous racism, anti-Blackness, white supremacy, and antisemitism.” Signatories include members of Harvard Faculty of Arts and Sciences, Harvard Law School, Harvard Divinity School and nearly half are staff at Harvard Medical School. CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP Interim Harvard President Alan Garber on Friday announced the establishment of two task forces to combat antisemitism and Islamophobia on Harvard’s campus. He said the task forces would examine recent incidents of bias, identify its root causes and recommend how to mitigate it. Fox News Digital’s Brie Stimson and Hannah Grossman contributed to this report.