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Haley knocks media over expectations but predicts ‘big showing’ in Iowa caucuses

Haley knocks media over expectations but predicts ‘big showing’ in Iowa caucuses

ANKENY, Iowa — A new poll in Iowa suggests that Nikki Haley has pulled ahead of Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis for a distant second place behind former President Trump in the race for the Republican presidential nomination. But Haley appears to be staying disciplined when it comes to dabbling in expectations ahead of Monday’s caucuses, which kick off the GOP 2024 nominating calendar. “The media loves to set expectations,” Haley said in an interview with Fox News in this Iowa city in suburban Des Moines.  And repeating her well-used line, the former South Carolina governor who later served as ambassador to the United Nations in the Trump administration said “[M]y expectation for myself is to come out strong in Iowa, to come out strong in New Hampshire, and to come out strong in South Carolina.” WHAT NIKKI HALEY TOLD FOX NEWS ABOUT CHRIS CHRISTIE’S HOT MIC MOMENT New Hampshire holds the first primary and votes second in the Republican schedule, eight days after Iowa. And her home state holds the first southern contest in late February. Leaving a bit of wiggle room, Haley added that “we’re not going to know what strong looks like until we see what the results are.” NEW POLL SUGGESTS HALEY’S MOVED INTO SECOND PLACE IN FINAL DAYS AHEAD OF IOWA CAUCUSES But Haley, pointing to her just-concluded campaign event, touted that “our people are excited. The momentum is real on the ground. You saw we had 300 people in that room. I think we’re going to really make a big showing.” Haley, who launched her White House campaign 11 months ago, grabbed momentum during the autumn thanks to well-regarded debate performances. And in recent weeks, she caught up with DeSantis for second place in polls in Iowa and in national surveys. DeSantis has staked much of his campaign on a strong finish in Iowa. And there’s rampant speculation about what he’ll do if he finishes behind Haley in the caucuses. WAS THE CANDIDATE WHO SKIPPED OUT ON THIS WEEK’S IOWA DEBATE THE WINNER OF THE COMBATIVE SHOWDOWN? Haley also surpassed DeSantis and surged to second place and narrowed the gap with Trump in New Hampshire. Iowa, which is used to brutal winter weather, is getting hit especially hard right this week. Heavy snow and high winds were slamming the state on Friday, and temperatures below zero degrees Fahrenheit were forecast for the weekend and into Monday and Tuesday. There are concerns by the campaigns that the frigid weather could depress turnout on caucus night. Haley told Fox News “it’s about, are going to get people out with negative 15-degree temperatures. … I really think that we’re going to have them, you know, brave that cold.” Get the latest updates from the 2024 campaign trail, exclusive interviews and more at our Fox News Digital election hub.

New Jersey city council lowers school board voting age to allow 16 and 17-year-old students to participate

New Jersey city council lowers school board voting age to allow 16 and 17-year-old students to participate

A New Jersey city will now be allowing 16 and 17-year-olds the chance to use their voice in school board elections.  A city council vote was unanimously approved by Newark City Council on Wednesday allowing 16 and 17-year-olds to vote in upcoming school board elections. Newark Mayor Ras J. Baraka said that he supported the ordinance, saying that “democracy is stronger when more people participate.” “I’m very proud to see Newark take the lead on this issue,” Baraka said in a press release. “Democracy is stronger when more people participate, and bringing younger people into the fold, who have so much at stake, is a great idea. Our elections will be energized, and our school boards will benefit.” TEENS, DEMOCRATS CONTINUE PUSH TO LOWER VOTING AGE TO 16 Newark is now the largest municipality in the U.S to expand voting rights to young people since 1971, when the national voting age was lowered to 18. The expansion in voting rights will impact over 7,000 16 and 17-year-old teens in the state’s largest city. HARVARD SUED FOR VIOLATING JEWISH STUDENTS’ CIVIL RIGHTS, ALLOWING ‘ANTISEMITISM CANCER’ TO GROW ON CAMPUS “From the suppression of learning the truth about race and racism, to gun safety and more, our 16- and 17-year-olds have never been more directly affected by school board policies, yet they have no meaningful say in who makes them,” Ryan Haygood, President & CEO of the New Jersey Institute for Social Justice, said in a press release.  “They soon will. This historic ordinance will empower more than 7,000 16- and 17-year-olds, 90% of whom are Black and Brown, to speak for themselves at the ballot box,” Haygood said. The move to allow the teens to vote in school board elections comes after Newark’s last school board election when only 3% of eligible participants turned out to vote. “This ordinance is good for our young people, good for Newark and good for New Jersey,” said Newark City Council President LaMonica McIver, a sponsor of the ordinance. “I’m grateful to Mayor Barakaand [the] council for joining me to champion this important ordinance and look forward to its passage.”

AFC Asian Cup 2023: Will India, the ‘sleeping giant’ of football, wake up?

AFC Asian Cup 2023: Will India, the ‘sleeping giant’ of football, wake up?

Mumbai, India – For decades, India has lived with the label of being the “sleeping giant” of football. With a population of 1.4 billion, highest in the world, there is a prevailing sentiment that India is underrepresented in international football. Compared to its dominance in cricket, the country lags far behind in football and is yet to qualify for a FIFA World Cup. While former FIFA president Sepp Blatter optimistically declared in 2012 that the “sleeping giant is starting to wake up,” the reality in 2024 paints a different picture. Currently placed 102nd in the FIFA rankings and not even among the top 10 sides in Asia, India is still in the midst of its football awakening and struggling to emerge from its slumber, experts argue. “India is not a giant in football because they haven’t done anything on the international front for years,” Stephen Constantine, former head coach of the Indian men’s football team, told Al Jazeera. Indian football basked in glory in the 1950s and 1960s, clinching gold at the 1951 and 1962 Asian Games and securing a commendable fourth-place finish at the 1956 Summer Olympics. However, since that illustrious period, India’s performance on the continental stage has been lacklustre, with the team failing to progress past the group stage at the Asian Cup in 1984, 2011 and 2019. During their last campaign in 2019, the team raised fans’ expectations with a 4-1 win over Thailand in the opening game, but losses against the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Bahrain meant India missed qualifying for the next round once again. Now under coach Igor Stimac, India faces a tricky campaign at the Asian Cup, where the men in blue are grouped with teams ranked above them: Australia, Syria and Uzbekistan. The team’s fearless approach under Stimac has impressed fans, but the coach sparked controversy in November when he said “I don’t consider the Asian Cup as such an important tournament”. Constantine, who took charge of India in 2002-05 and 2015-19, was surprised at Stimac’s remarks. “It’s the biggest tournament that India is going to play. What is more important than that?” Constantine said. Two sleeps away.. 🇮🇳#AsianCup2023 🏆 #BlueTigers 🐯 #IndianFootball ⚽ pic.twitter.com/190vDWk52z — Indian Football Team (@IndianFootball) January 11, 2024 ‘Damage limitation against Australia’ India’s 26-member squad for the Asian Cup is led by the country’s highest goal-scorer, Sunil Chhetri, and includes the same core group of players that Stimac has worked with since taking over. All squad members play for clubs in the Indian Super League (ISL), the country’s top division. Pradhyum Reddy, an Indian football coach, expects fans to have high hopes for Stimac’s side at the Asian Cup, but says the road to results will not be easy. India’s campaign opener is against Australia, which reached the round of 16 at the Qatar World Cup 2022 before being knocked out by eventual champions Argentina. “Australia are seasoned opponents who have got their core group playing in Europe,” Reddy told Al Jazeera. “But the difference is that under Stimac, India plays on the front foot, so players will try and press Australia and make life difficult for them – maybe even cause them a few problems, but I don’t think we will get any joy out of that game. “It should be about damage limitation against Australia. Don’t lose by more than what the others did,” added Reddy. Former India player Darren Caldeira believes his country’s best chance of earning points will be against 91st-ranked Syria, as Uzbekistan (ranked 68th) could present tougher challenges. “No one is talking too much about Uzbekistan, but they are a rising powerhouse in central Asia,” Caldeira told Al Jazeera. “They have some really good players, especially, Abdukodir Khusanov,” he added, referring to the 19-year-old Uzbek defender who plays for Ligue 1 club Lens in France. (Al Jazeera) The gulf is getting bigger In the lead-up to the Asian Cup, India won three tournaments in 2023, including the SAFF Championship in July, which featured eight teams from South Asia. Apart from Kyrgyzstan, all opponents that India faced across the three tournaments are ranked below it. This highlights India’s tendency to play against weaker-ranked opponents – a longstanding concern in Indian football. “We need to play more games against better-ranked nations,” said former midfielder Caldeira, who is now the director of football at top-tier Indian club Bengaluru FC. “Maybe there has been an apprehension in the past, fearing the result, but for us to improve we must take risks and challenge ourselves against quality opponents,” he added. Reddy, CEO of third-tier Indian club Dempo, said the team’s Asian Cup qualification and other achievements mask the issues plaguing the sport at home. “We’ve improved significantly in the last decade … But comparatively, I don’t think we’ve improved as much as other regional teams including Uzbekistan, Thailand and Vietnam,” Reddy said. “And certainly not as much as Japan or South Korea – the gulf has got bigger.” Japan is currently the top-ranked Asian side followed by Iran and South Korea in second and third respectively, while Australia and Saudi Arabia make up the top five. India is 18th on the list. Former India coach Constantine blamed India’s slow progress on a lack of player development. “When I came to India in 2002, I realised that there is talent but we weren’t looking for it in the right places. And when we did, we weren’t developing them. This is why India has not gone to the heights we imagined,” said Constantine, the current Pakistan coach. “At the moment, when you look at the big picture, we don’t dominate in the region. So, if you are not dominating in the region, how do you expect to dominate elsewhere?” (Al Jazeera) Poor quality of coaching at various levels, absence of a robust league and a lack of game time for players have hampered the progress of domestic football. Constantine, an UEFA Pro Licence holder and FIFA instructor, emphasised the impact of poor coaching on India’s

Texas seizes control of park, blocks Border Patrol from entering, as part of anti-illegal immigration efforts

Texas seizes control of park, blocks Border Patrol from entering, as part of anti-illegal immigration efforts

The Texas National Guard has seized control of a park at the U.S. southern border and is now blocking Border Patrol from entering the area – part of an effort to stop the surge of illegal immigration into Texas and a move likely to significantly increase tensions between Texas Gov. Greg Abbott and the federal government.  The state government has taken control of Shelby Park in the city of Eagle Pass, Texas, which has been at the center of the migrant crisis that has engulfed the U.S. border. Authorities have now set up razor wire and fences to block off the area. Eagle Pass Mayor Rolando Salinas said he was informed that the decision was made as part of Gov. Greg Abbott’s emergency declaration. Salinas told reporters it was not something the city had requested, and he said his understanding is that Border Patrol was now not in the area as a result. BIDEN LAWSUIT OVER TEXAS IMMIGRATION LAW LATEST ATTEMPT TO STIFLE STATE’S MOVES TO STOP ILLEGAL IMMIGRATION In a statement, the Texas Military Dept. said it has maintained a presence in the park since 2021, including with security points and temporary barriers. “The current posture is to prepare for future illegal immigrant surges and to restrict access to organizations that perpetuate illegal immigrant crossings in the park and greater Eagle Pass area,” it said. The Border Patrol union confirmed to Fox News that agents were being blocked from entering by Texas soldiers, and praised Abbott for taking matters into his own hands. “Governor Abbott is not harming Border Patrol operations, he is enhancing them,” National Border Patrol Council Brandon Judd said in a statement. “His seizing control of Shelby Park allows our agents to deploy to troubled spots that experience high numbers of gotaways. Governor Abbott’s actions should be seen as a force multiplier.” The dramatic move marks the latest escalation in a feud between the state of Texas and the federal government over how to handle the record-setting crisis, which has left both Texas and cities throughout the country overwhelmed. Abbott launched Operation Lone Star in 2021 to surge resources and law enforcement to the border. As part of that operation, he set up a buoy border barrier in the Rio Grande River, which sparked a lawsuit from the federal government that could soon be before the Supreme Court.  BIDEN DOJ SEEKS SUPREME COURT INTERVENTION OVER TEXAS RAZOR WIRE AT SOUTHERN BORDER Separately, the Biden administration has sued Texas over a recently signed anti-illegal immigration law that allows state and local law enforcement to arrest illegal immigrants, which the administration says interferes with the federal government’s authority and frustrates the U.S. immigration operations and proceedings, and hurts relations with foreign governments. Texas, meanwhile, has sued the administration for cutting and destroying razor wire set up by Texas to stop illegal crossings. That wire has been set up in areas very near to Shelby Park. The lawsuit is ongoing and the administration is currently blocked from cutting the wire. “We believe that Gov. Abbott’s policies and political stunts are not safe, not safe for Texas communities and our CBP, our law enforcement on the ground who are trying to do their work. It puts them in harm’s way, and they dehumanize and demonize immigrants. That’s what his political stunts do,” White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said last month. Abbott’s office has dismissed the criticism leveled at it by the federal government, and has instead accused the administration of fueling the crisis with “open border policies.” JUSTICE DEPT SUES TEXAS OVER LAW TO LET POLICE ARREST ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS “Texas is holding the line at our southern border with miles of additional razor wire and anti-climb barriers to deter and repel the record-high levels of illegal immigration invited by President Biden’s reckless open border policies. Instead of enforcing federal immigration laws, the Biden Administration allows unfettered access for Mexican cartels to smuggle people into our country,” Abbott spokesperson Renae Eze said on Thursday.  “Texas will continue to deploy Texas National Guard soldiers, DPS troopers, and more barriers, utilizing every tool and strategy to respond to President Biden’s ongoing border crisis.” Texas has also upset “sanctuary” cities across the country with a pattern of busing migrants to those cities in an effort to relieve overwhelmed border communities. Abbott announced this week that he has now sent over 100,000 migrants to those cities. Abbott’s latest move in Shelby Park drew immediate support from some Texas conservatives. “The Governor has my full support to go as far as is necessary (from a legal perspective) to secure Texas’ border,” Rep. Chip Roy, R-Texas, said on X, formerly known as Twitter. Fox News’ Louis Casiano and Casey Stegall contributed to this report.