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Speaker Johnson endorses former NASCAR driver for Maine Democrat’s congressional seat

FIRST ON FOX: A former NASCAR driver-turned-GOP congressional candidate in Maine received an endorsement from the new House speaker. Fox News Digital has learned House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., endorsed GOP congressional candidate Austin Theriault in his quest to flip the seat held by Democratic Maine Rep. Jared Golden. Johnson told Mainers to get out and vote for Theriault, a former NASCAR driver, calling him a successful, “hardworking public servant.” MAINE DEMOCRAT WHO BARRED TRUMP FROM BALLOT SAID VOTER ID LAWS ‘ROOTED IN WHITE SUPREMACY’ “Mainers, please send Austin Theriault to Congress so he can fight for you,” Johnson told Fox News Digital Tuesday. “I’m endorsing Austin because he’s a hardworking public servant with a strong track record of success. “His rural Maine values have shaped him and his character, and I know he’ll do everything he can to make life better for Mainers. Austin will hold Joe Biden and Jared Golden — both failed leaders — accountable, and he’s the best candidate to beat Jared Golden in November. EX-NASCAR DRIVER AUSTIN THERIAULT LAUNCHES GOP BID FOR BATTLEGROUND HOUSE SEAT “Elect a winner, Mainers — elect Austin Theriault.” Theriault, a Maine state representative, told Fox News Digital, “Speaker Johnson is fighting for rural conservative values,” and he appreciates the support. “Joe Biden and Jared Golden have failed to make life better for Mainers,” Theriault said. “I look forward to fighting for the working class by restoring energetic, effective and aggressive leadership to Maine’s 2nd congressional district. “Join our fight to help Maine’s working class get ahead. It’s time to stand up and stop the out-of-touch elites from continuing to hurt our communities and proactively fight for a better and more prosperous future.” Theriault’s endorsement comes as he seeks the seat held by Golden in a race expected to be one of the most competitive House races this cycle. The former NASCAR driver announced last week on Twitter his campaign “raised more than $355K in the first 3-month fundraising period” since he entered the race. Theriault has been vocal in his campaign on issues facing America, including speaking out against “pro-Hamas” protesters as well as the effort to remove former President Trump from the primary ballot in Maine.  Johnson is not the only House Republican leader to endorse Theriault’s House candidacy. House Republican Conference chairwoman Elise Stefanik, R-N.Y., threw her support behind Theriault in December.

House Oversight, Judiciary to consider resolution recommending Hunter Biden be held in contempt of Congress

House Republicans will consider a resolution Wednesday morning that, if passed, would set up a full House vote on whether to hold Hunter Biden in contempt of Congress for defying a congressional subpoena as part of the House impeachment inquiry against President Biden. The House Oversight Committee will meet for a markup Wednesday at 10 a.m. to consider the resolution that recommends contempt proceedings against the first son after he refused to comply with a subpoena compelling him to appear for a closed-door deposition before the House Oversight and Judiciary committees. The House Judiciary Committee will hold a similar markup at 10 a.m. on a measure recommending Hunter Biden be held in contempt of Congress.  “Our investigation has produced significant evidence suggesting President Biden knew of, participated in and benefited from his family cashing in on the Biden name,” House Oversight Committee Chairman James Comer is expected to say in his opening statement, obtained by Fox News Digital.  HOUSE GOP SAYS HUNTER BIDEN ‘VIOLATED FEDERAL LAW’ BY DEFYING SUBPOENA, PREPARE CONTEMPT RESOLUTION “We planned to question Hunter Biden about this record of evidence during our deposition, but he blatantly defied two lawful subpoenas.”  Comer will say, “Hunter Biden’s willful refusal to comply with the committees’ subpoenas is a criminal act” that “constitutes contempt of Congress and warrants referral to the appropriate United States Attorney’s Office for prosecution as prescribed by law.” “We will not provide Hunter Biden with special treatment because of his last name,” Comer is expected to say. “All Americans must be treated equally under the law. And that includes the Bidens.”  Hunter Biden, ahead of his subpoenaed deposition, had offered to testify publicly. House Oversight Committee Chairman James Comer and Judiciary Committee Chairman Jim Jordan rejected his request, stressing that the first son would not have special treatment and pointed to the dozens of other witnesses that have appeared, as compelled, for their interviews and depositions. Comer and Jordan vowed to release the transcript of Hunter Biden’s deposition. The first son, though, defied the subpoena, ignored the offer and delivered a public statement outside the Capitol. “On December 13, 2023, Robert Hunter Biden failed to comply with deposition subpoenas issued by the Committees on Oversight and Accountability and the Judiciary for testimony relevant to the House of Representatives’ impeachment inquiry and the Committees’ oversight investigations,” the House Oversight report, first reported by Fox News Digital on Monday, says.  “Instead, Mr. Biden opted to read a short, prepared statement in front of the Capitol. Accordingly, Mr. Biden has violated federal law and must be held in contempt of Congress.” Meanwhile, the House Oversight report identifies Hunter Biden’s testimony as “a critical component of the impeachment inquiry into, among other things, whether Joseph R. Biden, Jr., as Vice President and/or President: (1) took any official action or effected any change in government policy because of money or other things of value provided to himself or his family; (2) abused his office of public trust by providing foreign interests with access to him and his office in exchange for payments to his family or him; or (3) abused his office of public trust by knowingly participating in a scheme to enrich himself or his family by giving foreign interests the impression that they would receive access to him and his office in exchange for payments to his family or him.” The report states that Hunter Biden’s “flagrant defiance of the Committees’ deposition subpoenas — while choosing to appear nearby on the Capitol grounds to read a prepared statement on the same matters — is contemptuous, and he must be held accountable for his unlawful actions.” HOUSE GOP PROBING IF BIDEN WAS INVOLVED IN HUNTER’S ‘SCHEME’ TO DEFY SUBPOENA, POTENTIAL ‘IMPEACHABLE OFFENSE’ The report says House Oversight Committee Chairman James Comer “recommends that Congress find Robert Hunter Biden in contempt for his failure to comply with the Committee subpoena issued to him.” Committee ranking member Jamie Raskin, D-Md., blasted the move, saying there “is no precedent for the U.S. House of Representatives holding a private citizen in contempt of Congress who has offered to testify in public, under oath and on a day of the committee’s choosing. Chairman Comer repeatedly urged Hunter Biden to appear at a committee hearing, and Hunter Biden agreed.”  If the resolution advances out of committees Wednesday, sources said a full contempt of Congress vote on the House floor could take place in the coming days.  Last month, Comer and Jordan expanded their investigation to probe whether President Biden was involved in his son’s “scheme” to defy his subpoena for deposition earlier this month, conduct, they say, “could constitute an impeachable offense.”  Hunter Biden, when making his public statement last month, said his “father was not financially involved in my business.”  “No evidence to support that my father was financially involved in my business because it did not happen,” he said.  The House impeachment inquiry against President Biden was formalized by the full House last month. The inquiry is being led by Comer, Jordan and House Ways & Means Committee Chairman Jason Smith, R-Mo.

Former New Mexico sheriff ditches Democrat Party, launches bid for Senate: ‘I want to get things done’

FIRST ON FOX: The former sheriff of New Mexico’s most populous county has announced his decision to switch political parties and compete for a seat in the U.S. Senate. Describing himself as a “man of strong convictions and values,” Manuel Gonzales, who served as the sheriff of Bernalillo County for roughly 13 years, told Fox News Digital his decision to enter the Senate race came as a result of the Democratic Party moving too “far left” on issues that mean the most to him. “I’m a law and order and fiscally responsible family man that cares about his community,” Gonzales said. “My whole career in life has been surrounded by service. My concerns are that of the [Democratic] Party. The party that I was in has gone far left in terms of their ideologies towards families and law and order. I can no longer become complicit in their values because I don’t believe that they align with mine.” Gonzales, a lifelong Democrat who gained national recognition for his refusal to enforce stay-at-home orders during the COVID-19 pandemic, said he believes his decision to run as a Republican will provide him with more opportunities to pick up support in the race and bring “positive changes” to the state overall. NEW MEXICO GOVERNOR’S GUN RESTRICTION ORDERS TO BE REVIEWED BY STATE SUPREME COURT From inflation to crime, Gonzales said he’s looking to tackle issues that have hindered progress in the state head on. Gonzales, who’s looking to take a hands-on approach to problems if he’s elected, said he will prioritize “fighting for jobs” in New Mexico and hone in on certain “energy initiatives” and resources the state has to offer. “The security and safety of the people throughout the country has been compromised,” said Gonzalez, whose public service career has been marked by repeated efforts to rid New Mexico of crime. Gonzales, whose career in law enforcement spans nearly 30 years, said a troubling reality he faces is that officers in New Mexico “don’t feel supported.” A proponent of qualified immunity for officers, Gonzales said he hopes to welcome more officers to the state and “get behind efforts to support” law enforcement officials so he can be “a strong voice and advocate for them.” Gonzales, a newcomer to the Republican Party, also touted his ability to work across the aisle to get things done for those he hopes to represent on a federal level. “I would definitely be a huge advocate and work collaboratively with both sides of the aisle to get things accomplished instead of continually pointing fingers and blaming [others] like this current administration and this current senator that sits in office right now,” he said, referencing the Biden administration and incumbent Sen. Martin Heinrich, D-N.M. Taking further aim at Heinrich, who has represented New Mexico in the Senate since 2013 and is running for re-election to his post in the upper chamber, Gonzales accused the “career politician” of being a “carpetbagger” who came to the state and has been “comfortable and unchallenged” thus far. LATINO SENATE HOPEFUL SAYS HISPANIC VOTERS BEING ‘BLINDSIDED’ BY DEM POLICIES, AIMS TO FLIP BORDER SEAT RED “I want to be the person that has the opportunity in November to challenge him and unseat him so things can start moving,” Gonzales said of Heinrich. “I really believe things are idle here, and I think when people become complacent and comfortable, I think it’s time for them to go home.” Amid several law enforcement issues that arose during his time as sheriff of Bernalillo County, Gonzales said Heinrich’s office was silent. “I did not see any effort or anybody from [Heinrich’s] office reach out to support any initiatives we were doing,” he said. Gonzales has been at odds with several elected Democrats from across the state for some time, and took heat from them following his 2020 visit to the nation’s capital to meet with then-President Donald Trump and then-Attorney General William Barr. Party affiliation won’t prevent Gonzales from doing the work that needs to be done in Washington on behalf of his constituents, he said. “I understand that I represent the people and not a party when I get elected,” he said. “I can stand on my own two feet. I am my own person, and I’m a person that is very reasonable. I’m also a person that is fair. I have the best interest of everybody at heart. Politics don’t play into my decisions when it comes to serving people.” “I want to get things done. I want to help people, and I want to serve them because that’s what I’ve been called to do,” Gonzales added. Amid his stint leading the Bernalillo County Sheriff’s Department, Gonzales sought to serve as the Mayor of Albuquerque in 2021. He lost that election, however, to Tim Keller, a Democrat who previously served as the New Mexico State auditor. Last fall, Gonzales and former Laguna Police Chief Rudy Mora were identified in a federal indictment filed in Maryland that accused the pair of participating in an illegal weapons scheme in the state. Prosecutors said Gonzales and Mora signed false documents to help gun dealers illegally obtain machine guns, according to Source New Mexico, but neither of the men have been charged with a crime. Discussing the matter outlined in federal documents filed last October, Gonzales said the effort is “politically motivated” and that he believes he will be “exonerated.” “I followed the law, and I’ll continue to follow the law,” he said. “I would never breach anything for the trust of the people. After this case has been adjudicated and said and done, I believe my good name will be exonerated.” The primary election is slated to take place on June 4, 2024. The general election will take place on Nov. 4, 2024.

Trump to take the stage in Iowa for Fox News town hall

Former President Donald Trump is expected to take the stage Wednesday for a live town hall from Iowa, where he will take questions on the leading issues facing voters in the Hawkeye State and across the nation. The Fox News town hall is set to begin at 9 p.m. ET and will be co-moderated by “Special Report” chief political anchor Bret Baier and “The Story” executive editor and anchor Martha MacCallum ahead of the critical Jan. 15 Iowa caucuses. Trump, who leads the Republican primary field by a massive margin, stands at or above 50% support in the latest polls in Iowa.  His rankings fall miles ahead of Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis and former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley, who are battling for a distant second place. FOX NEWS TO HOST TRUMP TOWN HALL WITH BRET BAIER, MARTHA MACCALLUM AHEAD OF IOWA CAUCUSES Trump’s participation in the town hall Wednesday night comes days after he delivered a major campaign speech in Iowa and as his campaign is rolling out its surrogate operation. Trump campaign sources told Fox News Digital they are booking top-level surrogates to do their own events and stops across Iowa ahead of the Iowa caucuses. A campaign source told Fox News Digital the surrogates will be “blanketing” the airwaves and Iowa ahead of the caucuses. The town hall also comes after Trump spent Tuesday in federal court. TRUMP STARTS 2024 IN ‘STRONGEST POSSIBLE POSITION’ IN REPUBLICAN PRESIDENTIAL PRIMARY RACE The former president attended a hearing at the D.C. Court of Appeals Wednesday that considered the scope of his presidential immunity. Trump is seeking to have special counsel Jack Smith’s case against him dismissed. His attorneys argue presidential immunity protects him from being prosecuted. The trial was scheduled for March 4, the day before the March 5 Super Tuesday primary contests, when Alabama, Alaska, American Samoa, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Maine, Massachusetts, Minnesota, North Carolina, Oklahoma, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Virginia and Vermont vote to select a GOP nominee. Trump pleaded not guilty in federal court in August to all four federal charges stemming from Smith’s investigation into 2020 election interference and the Capitol riot on Jan. 6, 2021. The U.S. Supreme Court recently rejected Smith’s appeal to expedite its assessment of the immunity claim before it went fully through a federal appeals court. Trump’s legal team asked the court to deny Smith’s request. Trump, the Republican frontrunner, would beat President Biden in a head-to-head matchup if the general election were held today, according to the latest Fox News Poll. Trump was indicted four times in 2023. He pleaded not guilty to all charges in all jurisdictions. The former president is forced to now tackle competing calendars, with critical early state primary election days and trial dates. Next on the calendar after Smith’s trial is set is the trial stemming from Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg’s years-long investigation related to hush-money payments made during the 2016 presidential campaign. Trump pleaded not guilty to all charges.  That trial is scheduled to begin in New York City March 25, 2024. However, Bragg said he would be flexible on that date, pending the decision on trial timing in Smith’s Jan. 6 case. If it does begin March 25, court proceedings will take place just after the Louisiana primary and ahead of April 2, when Connecticut, Delaware, New York, Rhode Island and Wisconsin voters hit the polls to select a GOP nominee. Smith also charged Trump from his investigation into the former president’s alleged improper retention of classified records from his presidency at his Mar-a-Lago home in Palm Beach, Florida. Trump pleaded not guilty to all 37 felony charges in that probe. The charges include willful retention of national defense information, conspiracy to obstruct justice and false statements. COURT DATES AND PRIMARIES: TRUMP FACES COMPETING CALENDARS IN 2024 Trump was then charged with an additional three counts as part of a superseding indictment out of Smith’s investigation — an additional count of willful retention of national defense information and two additional obstruction counts. Trump pleaded not guilty. That trial is scheduled to begin May 20, 2024, ahead of the Kentucky primary May 21, the Oregon primary May 25 and New Jersey’s primary June 4. Should Trump solidify his GOP lead, he would spend July 15-18 at the Republican Convention in Milwaukee. Fulton County, Georgia, District Attorney Fani Willis proposed her trial begin just weeks after that. Willis charged Trump for his alleged efforts to overturn the 2020 presidential election in the state. Trump was charged with one count of violating Georgia’s RICO Act, three counts of criminal solicitation, six counts of criminal conspiracy, one count of filing false documents and two counts of making false statements. He pleaded not guilty to all counts. Fulton County prosecutors have proposed that trial begin Aug. 5, 2024.

Republicans accelerate probe into Biden administration’s actions to house migrants on federal lands

FIRST ON FOX: House Republicans are doubling down in their ongoing investigation into the White House over its decision to allow plans to house migrants on public land in New York. Natural Resources Committee Chairman Bruce Westerman, R-Ark., and Rep. Paul Gosar, R-Ariz., the top GOP member of the panel’s oversight subcommittee, sent a series of new questions and document requests to White House Council on Environmental Quality (CEQ) Chairwoman Brenda Mallory in a letter Monday.  According to Republicans, the White House’s migrant housing plans appear to disregard environmental concerns. The pair opened the probe in November, issuing their first request for additional information regarding the environmental approval process for leasing Gateway National Recreation Area’s Floyd Bennett Field — property located in New York City’s Brooklyn borough and managed by the National Park Service — to the local government for migrant housing. Mallory, though, ignored that letter. BORDER NUMBERS FOR DECEMBER BREAK MONTHLY RECORD, AS BIDEN ADMIN TALKS AMNESTY WITH MEXICO “Your silence and lack of a response to the Committee Letter suggests that CEQ is deliberately engaging in obstruction to frustrate the oversight power of Congress. This is unacceptable,” Westerman and Gosar wrote in the letter.  “The American public deserves transparency, and the Committee will use every tool at its disposal to administer effective oversight and fulfill the Committee’s responsibility to the American people.” In September, amid the ongoing migrant surge at the southern border and related influx in New York City, the Department of the Interior (DOI) agreed to lease portions of Floyd Bennett Field’s property. Officials then constructed temporary housing on land along the shore of Jamaica Bay. REPUBLICANS FUME AT BIDEN FOR VACATIONING AS BORDER CROSSINGS EXPLODE: ‘DERELICTION OF DUTY’ However, the Republican leaders have pointed out that, prior to the decision to lease the property, Democratic New York Gov. Kathy Hochul noted the DOI had itself argued such an action would likely violate federal laws. The governor, who has called for federal assistance in dealing with her state’s migrant influx, remarked in August that officials told her office “they do not allow for use of shelter on any of their properties.” The Republicans also expressed concern the White House Council on Environmental Quality allowed the DOI to bypass the normal eco review process mandated under the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA). The 1969 law requires federal agencies to review the environmental impacts of projects and proposals on federal land before approval. “Despite concerns with the legality of housing people on national park land, the Biden administration ultimately moved forward with using national park land to establish a migrant housing encampment,” Westerman and Gosar wrote in November. “Alarmingly, to secure the FBF Lease, NPS requested and received alternative arrangements for National Environmental Policy Act compliance.”  They added that national parks are designed for recreation and are “not a place to house people, temporarily or permanently, who lack shelter.” The ongoing investigation comes as migrants continue to flood the southern border in record numbers and Republicans call for the Biden administration to make structural reforms to secure the border. In December, more than 302,000 migrants were encountered attempting to cross the U.S. southern border, by far the largest single month figure ever recorded. The number also brought fiscal 2024 first-quarter numbers to 785,000 encounters, the highest number ever recorded. The White House didn’t respond to a request for comment.

How counsellor-grandmothers of Zimbabwe are averting a mental health crisis

Harare, Zimbabwe – In Zimbabwe, a country of 15 million people, there are fewer than 20 psychiatrists. And mental health issues are rife, given a litany of trauma unaddressed for decades: first the horrors of British colonialism and the liberation struggle and then the Zimbabwean army’s killing of thousands of people in the southwestern region of Matabeleland for allegedly supporting ex-guerrillas who turned on the government after independence. Even today, the impact of socioeconomic hardships resulting from a faltering economy, high unemployment and the highest inflation rate in the world along with an ailing healthcare system have made the Southern African country fertile ground for depression, post-traumatic stress disorder, domestic violence and suicide. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), Zimbabwe has one of the highest suicide rates in Africa. Consequently, most people living with mental health issues, especially those who cannot afford the steep psychiatrist fees, do not get any help. It is against this backdrop that psychiatrist Dr Dixon Chibanda came up with the idea of training lay health workers to counsel those struggling with mental health problems. Two unrelated, tragic events prodded him into action. The first was the 2004 suicide of Erica, a patient he had been treating for three years, after she failed to raise the bus fare to travel to Harare for a follow-up session at the government hospital where he worked. The fare was less than $20. ”I was stunned, heartbroken and felt guilty when her mother called me to say she had taken her own life,” Chibanda says. A few months later, the government razed tens of thousands of unauthorised residential properties across the country. The exercise, called Murambatsvina, or Reject the Filth, created at least 700,000 homeless people. This inevitably led to an increase in the number of people in need of mental health support. After the much-criticized home demolitions, described by the United Nations as a violation of international law, the authorities decided there was a need for some psychological intervention. “But there was no money or trained personnel to implement a programme. Nurses and doctors in any primary health facility are always overworked,” an exasperated Chibanda says. A grandmother sits with a male patient during a Friendship Bench session [Ish Mafundikwa/Al Jazeera] The rise of the grandmothers The only people available were elderly female community health workers at Harare City Council clinics who were unskilled for psychosocial work. So Chibanda worked with the Ministry of Health and Child Care and the University of Zimbabwe to develop a pilot programme in 2006 that trained 14 lay health workers, popularly referred to as grandmothers, in evidence-based problem-solving therapy. The grandmothers on average are 50 years of age. “Grandmothers are rooted in communities, and they are the custodians of our culture and wisdom and already play a pivotal role in problem-solving in communities,” Chibanda says. Grandfathers have signed up as counsellors too, but he says they lack the commitment of the grandmothers. “They are unreliable and often leave because they have to get jobs or do other things.” The training aimed to enhance the grandmothers’ listening skills, empathy and abilities to help patients gain the confidence to find solutions to their problems. It equipped them with the tools to counsel patients with common mental health disorders such as depression and anxiety. Those with more severe problems are referred to mental health professionals. The initiative became known as The Friendship Bench because the counselling happens on made-for-purpose benches. One of the thousands of people who have benefitted from The Friendship Bench is Blessing (not her real name), a 45-year-old mother of two who started going to the bench in 2018. “I was down because my husband, who had relocated to South Africa to find a job, had taken another wife and had stopped sending money home,” she says. She is also HIV-positive. “I was reluctant to engage the grandmother who approached me when I went to the local clinic for treatment because I feared they would spread the word that I was on antiretrovirals.” “But I felt better after three sessions. They pointed me in the right direction. The grannies are now my friends.” Some of the HelpAge USA counsellors working on a similar Friendship Bench initiative [Courtesy of HelpAge USA] How it works The grandmothers make it clear to whomever they are counselling that The Friendship Bench does not give cash handouts. What they do is discuss possible solutions with their clients. ”Sometimes the solution is as easy as getting a loan from a relative or a friend, but because the client feels overwhelmed, they cannot think about those options,” says grandmother Ngabu, who counselled Blessing. She says it usually takes three or four sessions for a client to start to see some light. Blessing had a vending hustle going, but it was not making much money because she did not have the capital to order enough stock. That changed when 59-year-old Ngabu encouraged her to join a savings club in which women get together and save an agreed amount every week or month, and one of them gets paid out every month or week. “My business has grown, and I make enough to send my children to school,” Blessing tells Al Jazeera. “The oldest, a 22-year-old young man, finished high school and is now a plumbing apprentice. The girl, now 18, is in her final year of high school and wants to be a lawyer.” Her husband has stopped communicating with the family, but Blessing is not bothered, “My biggest worry was educating my children,” she says, “I am managing that, and we are happy.” Like many others in Zimbabwe, Blessing was unaware that she was suffering from depression. “I feared I was going insane,” she says. The Friendship Bench grandmother who approached her was trained to identify patients who came to the clinic with other ailments but also had mental health issues. The minute Blessing trusted the grandmother, she went through a process several others had gone through and

Putin critic Navalny says he’s in punishment cell at Russian Arctic prison

‘Polar Wolf’ colony is among the harshest in Russia’s prison system, whose inmates have been convicted for grave crimes. Jailed Russian opposition leader Alexey Navalny says he has been isolated in a small punishment cell for an alleged minor breach at a remote prison colony north of the Arctic Circle. “I got seven days in SHIZO,” Navalny said, referring to the punishment cell where he has to serve a week. Prison officials accused him of refusing to “introduce himself in line with protocol”, the Kremlin critic posted on Tuesday on X, with his account routinely updated via his allies. Navalny was recently tracked to the IK-3 penal colony in Kharp in the Yamal-Nenets region, about 1,900km (1,200 miles) northeast of Moscow, after he went missing in early December. The “special regime” or “Polar Wolf” colony is among the harshest in Russia’s prison system, located in a place with severe winters. Most inmates have been convicted of grave crimes. Kharp is about 100km (60 miles) from Vorkuta, whose coalmines were part of the Soviet gulag camp system. In his typical sardonic tone, Navalny said, the temperature of his prison yard walks had “never been colder” than -32 degrees Celsius (-25 degrees Fahrenheit), adding that “even at that temperature you can walk for more than half an hour, but only if you have time to grow a new nose, ears, and fingers”. This marks the 24th time in SHIZO for the opponent of President Vladimir Putin. His allies say Navalny has spent a total of 273 days under such conditions. “The idea that Putin is satisfied with the fact that he put me in a hut in the far north and that I am no longer being tortured in SHIZO was not only cowardly but also naive,” he posted. He shared a photo of the small space in his cell where he takes his daily walks: “11 steps from the wall and 3 to the wall — not much to walk, but at least there’s something, so I go for a walk.” 5/10 In the photo below, you can see my walking yard. 11 steps from the wall and 3 to the wall — not much to walk, but at least there’s something, so I go for a walk. pic.twitter.com/8VCUVEfbaJ — Alexey Navalny (@navalny) January 9, 2024 Navalny has been imprisoned since January 2021 when he returned to Moscow after recovering in Germany from nerve agent poisoning that he blamed on the Kremlin. Before he was arrested, he led massive campaigns against corruption and organised major anti-Kremlin protests. Jailed on charges of extremism, he saw his sentence extended to 19 years in 2023. From his cramped and freezing cell, Navalny mentioned a scene in the 2015 film, The Revenant, in which Leonardo DiCaprio shelters in the carcass of a horse. “I don’t think that would have worked here. A dead horse would freeze in 15 minutes,” Navalny said. “We need an elephant here, a hot elephant, a fried one.” “But where am I going to get a hot, roasted elephant in Yamal, especially at 6:30 in the morning? So I will continue to freeze,” he posted. Navalny’s chief strategist, Leonid Volkov, posted on X recently: “It is almost impossible to get to this colony; it is almost impossible to even send letters there. This is the highest possible level of isolation from the world.” Adblock test (Why?)

As West condemns Bangladesh election, China and Russia embrace Dhaka

Dhaka, Bangladesh — Hours after Bangladesh’s ruling Awami League was declared the landslide winner in Sunday’s election, which the opposition had boycotted, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina hosted a queue of foreign diplomats, each coming to congratulate her. The envoys of India, the Philippines, Singapore and other nations were there. Also visiting the prime minister were the ambassadors of Russia and China. In Washington and London, meanwhile, the governments of the United Kingdom and the United States criticised the election as illegitimate. US State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller, in a statement, said that Washington believed the voting process was “not free and fair, and we regret that not all parties participated”. The UK criticised what it described as “acts of intimidation and violence” during the election. Bangladesh’s response? “We’re not bothered,” foreign minister AK Abdul Momen said on Tuesday, when asked about the comments from the US and the UK. That contrast between the West’s condemnation and the welcoming embrace of China and Russia is a window into potentially dramatic foreign policy consequences of Hasina’s return to power, say political analysts and economists. For the West, Hasina’s increasing ties with China and Russia, on top of Bangladesh’s rejection of its concerns over the election, could poison ties with Dhaka. But that in turn could end up pushing Dhaka even closer to Beijing and Moscow. Dhaka-based political analyst Zahed Ur Rahman said he believes there is a likelihood of the US imposing visa restrictions and targeted sanctions against individuals who played key roles in the conduct of the election, which independent monitors have criticised for violence and intimidation against the ruling party’s political opponents. In August, the US had declared a first set of constraints on visas for some Bangladeshi officials. But doing so, he said, could jeopardise US plans to rope Bangladesh into its strategy to balance the rise of China, especially with the deepening economic ties between Dhaka and Beijing. China has been Bangladesh’s top trading partner for more than a decade – a period during which Hasina has ruled uninterrupted. “The new government will find it very challenging to work deeply with the US’s Indo-Pacific strategy that actually is a policy to contain China,” Rahman said. Russia, meanwhile, has supported Bangladesh in opening the country’s first nuclear power plant. Dhaka received the first supply of uranium from Moscow in October. Russia is also a major supplier of three essential commodities  – fuel, food grains and fertilisers – to Bangladesh at relatively affordable prices. “If the West led by the US goes very coercive with the new government, then Bangladesh ties with Russia will grow fast,” Rahman said. That geopolitical calculus poses challenges for the West, said experts. It will be difficult for the US and its allies to go about business as usual with Bangladesh. But it is unclear how far they might go in trying to hurt Hasina’s government. The West “will face a serious dilemma,” said Ali Riaz, professor and political scientist at Illinois State University. Yet, Bangladesh, too, faces tough choices. The country’s apparel industry, which employs four million workers, clocked exports worth $47bn in 2023 – 84 percent of the country’s total exports. The US is the single largest export destination for Bangladeshi garments. However, recently, eight US Congress members wrote to the American Apparel and Footwear Association to pressure Dhaka on fair wages and labour rights in Bangladesh. Several workers have been killed in clashes with security forces during street protests seeking a raise in minimum wages. Bangladesh’s embassy in Washington has cautioned its government in Dhaka that the country’s ready-made garments sector could become a target of Western measures. It’s a concern that economist Mustafizur Rahman shares. “If the US and the EU take any punitive measure in the form of additional tariff or sanctions, then there will of course be an adverse impact,” Rahman, a distinguished fellow at the Dhaka-based Centre for Policy Dialogue, told Al Jazeera. Bangladesh’s dependence on garment exports makes it particularly vulnerable to any such targeting, he said. And any resulting economic turmoil would only push Bangladesh even further towards China. “It is not because the Western countries may either put more pressure or recalibrate its policy, but because the ongoing economic crisis will require deep-pocket support and there will be increasing ideological affinity between these two countries’ leadership,” said Riaz at Illinois State University. In Dhaka, Awami League spokesperson Mahbubul Alam Hanif insisted that Sunday’s election would not affect the government’s relations with the West. “We have development partners and they often give suggestions, including to strengthen democracy, but I don’t think Sunday’s election affects US-Bangladesh ties,” Hanif said. How the re-elected Awami League government handles politics post-election could also determine the pressure on the US and its allies to act against Bangladesh. Since mid-August last year, more than 27,200 members of the main opposition Bangladesh Nationalist Party have been imprisoned and at least 104,000 have been sued on different charges, according to BNP figures. At least 27 BNP men also have been killed in political violence since October. With a supermajority in parliament – the Awami League won 222 of 300 seats, and many of the more than 60 independents who won are former members of the ruling party who were allegedly asked to contest to give a veneer of a fight – opposition leaders expect the government to target them even more. BNP leader Kayser Kamal said the “illegitimate” government would intensify its crackdown on opponents to divert attention from the “sham” election. Riaz agreed. “Bangladesh is becoming a de facto one-party state,” he said. The government, he said, would “adopt more repressive measures, try to decimate any kind of opposition through legal and extra-legal measures”. Adblock test (Why?)

Trump goes to federal immunity hearing, skipping Iowa, seizes media spotlight

Donald Trump dominated the news again yesterday – we’re talking wall-to-wall all morning – simply by showing up for court. In fact, with less than a week till the Iowa caucuses, he’ll spend two days in court – yesterday’s D.C. appearance and Thursday’s closing arguments in the civil fraud trial in New York – although in both cases he doesn’t need to show up. (In between he’ll do that Iowa town hall on Fox.) The three-judge federal appeals panel that heard Trump’s claim of presidential immunity – two Biden appointees and one by George H.W. Bush – were openly skeptical of the arguments offered by the former president’s lawyer. Ironically, this comes as Joe Biden’s campaign officials are complaining to journalists brought to the Wilmington headquarters that Trump should be covered more as a candidate and less as a defendant. BIDEN TEAM COMPLAINS ABOUT TRUMP COVERAGE; THE ‘FULL HITLER’ CONFRONTATION And yet there’s no question that the immunity hearing is crucial. If the appellate panel upholds Trump’s claim that he’s immune from prosecution for anything that can be construed as an official act, Jack Smith’s Jan. 6 case will be dead in the water. If the panel rules against Trump, the prosecution goes forward before the election. Of course, like Trump’s appeal of the Maine and Colorado ballot bans, it will ultimately be decided by the Supreme Court. But by his sheer presence in the downtown criminal courthouse – and speaking to reporters afterward – Trump boosted the visibility of the hearing. Just by sitting in the same courtroom as Smith, he made it part of his campaign. And that’s been the play all along.  Each of the four indictments has boosted Trump politically, pushing his poll numbers up and denying his GOP rivals of much-needed oxygen, as Ron DeSantis has said. Trump’s loyal MAGA followers see these charges as a Democratic plot to keep him out of the White House.  HOW HARVARD’S PRESIDENT HUNG ON SO LONG, DESPITE BECOMING AN UTTER EMBARRASSMENT The more the media spotlight follows the ex-president to the courthouses, the more he can use them as a campaign vehicle. Fueling the drama: another swatting incident, this one at Jack Smith’s home. Law enforcement officials showed up on Christmas after being falsely told that the prosecutor had shot his wife. The judge in the case, Tanya Chutkan, was also swatted. Trump’s attorney made the strange argument that no president can be prosecuted without first being impeached and convicted. The judges weren’t buying that, saying a hypothetical president could use the military to murder his political opponents and resign before impeachment. I’d add that he could avoid an impeachment conviction if his party controlled the Senate. Judge Karen Henderson, the Bush appointee, said: “I think it’s paradoxical to say that his constitutional duty to ‘take care that the laws be faithfully executed’ allows him to violate criminal law.” Audio from the hearing was made available.  Biden tried to change the trajectory of his campaign with his speeches near Valley Forge and in Charleston, making harsh personal attacks on his predecessor as a liar who fomented an insurrection and is a champion of White supremacy. But on most days, Biden is a low-key presence, taking only two quick questions from reporters with terse answers, doing fewer interviews, and news conferences are as rare as a fly-by of Jupiter’s moons. Trump, by contrast, is constantly making news. I never thought I’d see a time when a former president overshadowed an incumbent president, but here we are. On the video channel of pillow guy Mike Lindell, Trump said: “And when there’s a crash, I hope it’s going to be during this next 12 months, because I don’t want to be Herbert Hoover.” This drew media denunciations that he was rooting for a crash – especially since the stock market just hit new highs. Trump made a video – a virtual requirement for TV – saying that what was happening to him “only happens in third world countries or banana republics. They’re using their Department of Injustice to go after his political [opponent] and this is all him,” meaning Biden, “a hundred percent him. He’s the one that told them to do it and they obey his orders. It’s a shame.” He added that “Joe” has to “be very careful… You don’t indict your political opponent because he opposes the corrupt election, which you know was corrupt.” When Trump spoke for 10 minutes outside the Washington courthouse yesterday, he said they’d had “a very good day.” But he added that if he loses the appeal, “It will be bedlam in the country.” SUBSCRIBE TO HOWIE’S MEDIA BUZZMETER PODCAST, A RIFF ON THE DAY’S HOTTEST STORIES Both CNN and MSNBC soon broke away. CNN’s Kaitlan Collins offered an instant fact check, saying there is no evidence of significant voter fraud in 2020, and that Biden is not prosecuting Trump.  Even after a contentious Pentagon news conference revealing that Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin has prostate cancer and that his refusal to disclose that serious illness is under investigation, the networks quickly went back to the Trump court hearing. CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP Another day, another news cycle, dominated by Donald Trump.

‘Did rising hatred for Muslims…’: Farooq Abdullah amid row over Maldivian posts against PM Modi

National Conference (NC) patriarch Farooq Abdullah said, considering how New Delhi stood with the island country in the previous years and even prevented it from being occupied by a foreign power, he was at a loss to understand why the Maldivian leaders reacted in the manner they did.