New Jersey Gov. Murphy demands bus companies give notice before sending migrants bound for NYC
New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy is demanding that nearly two dozen charter bus companies sending New York City-bound migrants to “transit” stops in the Garden State provide advance notice. Murphy sent a letter Monday in response to charter buses transporting migrants from the southern border to New Jersey “due to the operators’ unwillingness to transport their passengers to New York City,” after Mayor Eric Adams issued a Dec. 27 executive order limiting drop-offs to certain times and locations in the Big Apple. Since Dec. 31, dozens of charter buses transporting over 1,800 individuals who recently arrived in the U.S. have arrived at transit sites in New Jersey, “with nearly all of the passengers continuing from those locations in New Jersey to their intended destinations in New York City,” Murphy’s letter claimed. To give officials advance notice and time to properly prepare to assist these migrants, Murphy, a Democrat, has asked for each bus company to give the New Jersey Office of Emergency Management at least 32 hours’ notice before their anticipated date and time of arrival and provide details on the total number of passengers on each bus expected to arrive in New Jersey. GREG ABBOTT SAYS ERIC ADAMS SHOULD SUE BIDEN INSTEAD OF BUS COMPANIES TO END MIGRATION INFLUX The letter deemed that the migrant buses in New Jersey come “at the apparent instigation” of Republican Texas Gov. Greg Abbott, and tells the companies that in addition to requesting this information, “We reserve all rights to take appropriate action against any person acting in violation of any applicable laws.” For each migrant bus, Murphy is asking the companies to disclose the number of single adults traveling alone; the number of passengers traveling as part of a family, including the number of families with children under 18; the number of children under 18; and the number of chaperones (other than family members) for otherwise unaccompanied minors. The governor also asks that the companies provide each location in New Jersey where passengers will be dropped off, along with the estimated time of arrival; the time and city of the bus’s initial departure with its passengers; and a description of the bus, including its license plate number, color, and any identifiable exterior features. “As we continue to see more migrants arrive to our state at the hands of the Governor of Texas, who is reportedly funding the passengers’ transportation with taxpayer funds, notice to New Jersey officials in advance of these individuals’ anticipated arrival is critical to ensuring the health and safety of passengers once they arrive in New Jersey,” Murphy said in a statement. “Additionally, because we know the vast majority of these individuals are intending to travel to New York City, this information will be shared with our colleagues across the Hudson to ensure the passengers’ health and safety there.” Meanwhile, Abbott said on Sunday that New York City’s Adams should sue President Biden instead of the bus companies transporting migrants from the southern border to the Big Apple. In a move Abbott’s office has dismissed as “legally baseless” and a “political statement,” the city filed a $708 million lawsuit against 17 charter bus and transportation companies transporting migrants to New York City from Texas. NYC DEMOCRAT SAYS CARS BELONGING TO MIGRANTS WERE TOWED FROM SHELTER: ‘TAXPAYERS DESERVE ANSWERS’ “He needs to be suing Joe Biden, not these bus companies. Because it’s Joe Biden and Joe Biden’s policies that’s causing the massive multi-million influx into the United States that leads to many of them wanting to go to New York,” Abbott told “Fox News Sunday” host Shannon Bream. Speaking to the media Monday, Adams decried how more than 164,000 migrants – or 1.5 times the population of the state capital of Albany – have been dropped off in New York City. “We communicated with the governor last week,” Adams said of New Jersey’s Murphy. “He has shared our outrage on the behavior of the bus companies and Governor Abbott, and he has really, as the … other municipalities in this region have really shown their willingness to really address this issue.” Deputy Mayor Fabien Levy deemed Murphy a “great partner” in dealing with the migrant influx, while Chief Counsel to the Mayor and City Hall Lisa Zornberg condemned a “deliberate, express plan to flood and overwhelm the social services system of the City of New York and a few other targeted cities.” “And the bussing plan that Governor Abbott is leading with the full participation of certain bus companies, seeks to punish New York City and certain other cities for political reasons,” Zornberg said. Adams also told reporters he was considering installing metal detectors and cameras at migrant shelters after the deadly stabbing of a man at a Randall’s Island facility Saturday.
Music maestro Ustad Rashid Khan dies at 55
Ustad Rashid Khan is survived by his wife, two sons and a daughter.
Bengaluru CEO Suchana Seth’s last and only post about son on Instagram, months before allegedly killing him
Seth on Monday was booked for killing her son in North Goa’s Candolim.
Veteran Air Force pilot joins race for Congress, says moment ‘too important’ for career politicians
EXCLUSIVE: A veteran Air Force pilot and top-level commander announced Tuesday he was launching a campaign for Congress because the moment for the nation was “too important” to leave to career politicians. Republican and former Brigadier General Chris “Mookie” Walker, who served four decades in the U.S. Air Force as a pilot, and later as the commander of the West Virginia Air National Guard, told Fox News Digital he’s “not done fighting” for the people of his state, and that he planned to hold leaders’ “feet to the fire” as the representative of his state’s 2nd Congressional District. “I learned some things while I was deployed overseas. America is only safe when we’re strong. I’ve seen it come from every angle. Current senior leaders, sorry to say, have weakened us,” Walker said when asked why he decided to jump into the race. “I’m not done fighting for West Virginia. There are a lot of things that I wanted to do as a general in the Air Force, but I was not permitted to because of the politics. And I said, OK, when I retire, I’m not going to be just some old man shaking my fist on the porch about these things. I’m gonna get in there and fight for them,” he said. WAR VETERAN SETS MAJOR FUNDRAISING RECORD IN BID TO FLIP CRUCIAL SENATE SEAT FROM DEMOCRATS Walker grew up in New York City to what he described as “strict Jamaican parents,” who he said instilled the values of hard work and patriotism that ultimately led him to the U.S. Air Force Academy, where he was commissioned as an Air Force officer. “I spent 40 years in uniform, deployed to nearly every continent, seeing all sorts of cultures, seeing all sorts of people, seeing how the world really works,” he said while describing his near-countless overseas experiences that led him to places like the Middle East, Africa, Japan, Europe and even flying in hurricanes, which he called “an insane thing to do.” SWING STATE DEMOCRATS REDUCED CRIMINAL PENALTIES, WEAKENED PAROLE LAWS AHEAD OF ATTACK ON LAS VEGAS JUDGE Walker described his time at the Pentagon as what drove him to want to be in a position to enact true change. “Anyone who goes to the Pentagon and said they loved it, they’re lying to you. It is a grind, and it’s full of politics, which it should not be,” he said. “The politics are for the politicians and for the civilian side. But that being said, I learned how to maneuver my way through the upper echelons of the Air Force and the DoD.” “That’s when I said, OK, a lot of the things that are detracting from our greatness as a country, there’s nothing I can do about it in uniform. And that started getting me in the mindset that I have to get into politics in order to change things,” he said. “As a member of the United States House of Representatives, I actually will be able to affect that positively by holding the DoD leaders’ feet to the fire.” LATINO SENATE HOPEFUL SAYS HISPANIC VOTERS BEING ‘BLINDSIDED’ BY DEM POLICIES, AIMS TO FLIP BORDER SEAT RED Walker said his top priority if elected to Congress in November would be to address the border crisis, which he said was responsible for American streets being flooded with drugs and crime, and the left’s “indoctrination” of children in schools. “Down in kindergarten and elementary school and junior high, they’re trying to get certain concepts into the minds of these kids. And you know what I’m talking about,” he said. When I was growing up … I had no idea whether my teachers were married or not or who they were married to. So I don’t see why that is so important to tell the kids.” “These are the things that are bothering me. And I think, at least in West Virginia, we need a self-made warrior protecting our West Virginian values for our next generation. And they need somebody who’s out there winning battles, not merely casting votes,” he said. Walker joins a crowded Republican primary field that includes Riley Moore, West Virginia’s current state treasurer. “Look, I respect Riley Moore. I appreciate what he’s done in state government as the state treasurer, but in my opinion, and a lot of people’s opinions, dynasties don’t work. Just because his grandfather was a former governor doesn’t make him best qualified,” he said. “I think that this moment is too important to send another career politician to Washington, D.C. Again, I’m a pugilist. For all the things that are important to West Virginians, I will be the thorn in the side of the left, whereas others are, I think, going to just be there meekly casting votes,” he added. West Virginia’s 2nd Congressional District is considered a safe Republican seat. It is currently represented by Republican Rep. Alex Mooney, who is running for Senate. The GOP primary is scheduled for May 14. Get the latest updates from the 2024 campaign trail, exclusive interviews and more at our Fox News Digital election hub
New Jan. 6 video shows U.S. Rep. Troy Nehls in tense Capitol standoff
Despite once condemning the violent attack, Nehls has since downplayed the insurrection and defended many of the rioters who have been prosecuted.
How did India’s Supreme Court send Bilkis Bano’s rapists back to jail?
India’s Supreme Court on Monday restored life prison sentences for 11 men who had raped a Muslim woman, Bilkis Bano, during the communal riots in Gujarat in 2002. The decision came after Bano and other petitioners challenged a decision by the Gujarat government, backed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s government, to set the convicted rapists free two years ago. Bano’s fight for justice over more than two decades had, for many Indians, become emblematic of the struggle of survivors of the 2002 violence to ensure that the guilty are punished. Yet, when a Supreme Court bench gathered on Monday to declare its verdict in the case, it was unclear to the wider nation what it had decided — and what its rationale would be, months before India’s national elections in which religious polarisation is expected to play a central part. So how did India’s top court decide to send the convicts back to jail? It starts with a woman’s struggle that has played out before all of India, through multiple twists and turns since a day of horror in the spring of 2002. Who is Bilkis Bano? Bano, now in her 40s, was five months pregnant in March 2002 when she fled her Randhikpur village in eastern Gujarat, alongside her relatives and other Muslims, as violence against the community broke out across the state. Bano and her family had reached a district in the west of the state when a mob of several men attacked their group. She was gang-raped during the violence. Seven of her family members were killed, including her three-year-old daughter, whose head was smashed on the ground by the perpetrators in Gujarat’s Dahod district. During the killings in Gujarat, nearly 2000 people, mostly Muslims were murdered. Modi was the chief minister of Gujarat during this time and has faced allegations since then that his government facilitated the violence. Modi has repeatedly denied having any role and the Supreme Court has said it found no evidence to prosecute him. In December 2003, the Indian Supreme Court ordered a federal investigation into the Bilkis Bano rape case by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI). In 2004, the accused were arrested as the Supreme Court ordered the trial to be transferred from Gujarat to the neighbouring state of Maharashtra after Bano alleged death threats from the accused. A court convicted 11 accused in 2008, sentencing them to life imprisonment on the charge of gang rape and murder. In 2019, after a 17-year legal battle, it seemed like Bano had finally secured justice when the Supreme Court directed the Gujarat government to pay $71,000 to Bano as compensation, along with a job and accommodation of her choice. But only three years later, on India’s Independence Day, the government approved the release of the 11 men who were arrested. When they were freed, they were garlanded. Why were the convicts released? The convicts were released as ordered by Gujarat’s state government on the basis of its remission policy that has existed since 1992. At the time of their release, officials in Gujarat, where Modi’s Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) holds power, had said the convicts were granted remission because they had completed over 14 years in jail. Lawyer Vrinda Grover told Al Jazeera that a new policy that came into effect in 2014 prohibits the remission of those convicted for certain crimes, including rape and murder. This policy “looking into the gravity of certain offences makes convicts ineligible for remission”, she said. More specifically, “it specifies that persons convicted for the murder of two or more persons, or murder with gang rape were ineligible for grant of remission”, said Grover. However, Grover said, because the 11 men were convicted in 2008, the 1992 policy would apply rather than the 2014 one because the latter had not come into effect during the time of their conviction. The decision shook Bano’s faith in justice. “How can justice for a woman end like this? I trusted the highest courts in our land,” she said in a statement in 2022, adding that no authorities reached out to her before making the decision. “Please undo this harm. Give me back my right to live without fear and in peace.” Indeed, the Supreme Court found that authorities had violated another rule in setting the convicts free in its January 8 order, in which it ordered them to surrender to prison officials in Gujarat within two weeks. Why did the Supreme Court rule against the convicts’ freedom? Grover explained that the remission was overruled because the Indian top court had transferred the case from the state of Gujarat to Maharashtra. Section 432 of India’s Code of Criminal Procedure empowers the “appropriate government” — which is the government of the state where the convicts were sentenced — “to remit the sentence by passing well-reasoned and speaking orders”. Because the conviction happened in Maharashtra, the government of Gujarat acted beyond its powers in setting the men free. In theory, that also means that the state government of Maharashtra — also ruled by the BJP — could release the convicts. But for now, Bano and her family are relieved. Bano’s uncle and a witness in her case, Abdul Razzak Mansuri, told Al Jazeera the top court quashing the remission was a step towards justice for her. “We are glad,” he said. “The Gujarat government released them [convicts] and it was very hurtful for us.” Adblock test (Why?)
Niger military tribunal grants son of deposed president provisional release
Salem Bazoum had been in detention at the presidential residence with his parents since the coup in Niger in July 2023. Salem Bazoum, the son of Niger President Mohamed Bazoum who was toppled in a coup last year, was provisionally released on Monday, according to a statement by the Niamey military tribunal. The 22-year-old had been in detention at the presidential residence with his parents since the coup in July. The tribunal did not provide details on the fate of Salem’s parents. The coup, one of eight in West and Central Africa since 2020, was widely condemned, led to sanctions from the Economic Community of West Africa States (ECOWAS), and prompted widespread calls for Bazoum’s release and a return to democratic rule. Niger has been ruled by military leaders since the overthrow of elected president Bazoum, which prompted international condemnation. Military ruler General Abdourahamane Tchiani has said his regime wants up to three years for a transition back to a civilian government. A source close to the removed president told the AFP news agency that Salem Bazoum had left Niamey for Lome, the capital of Togo, where he arrived on Monday evening. A statement by the Togolese government confirmed a deal for the younger Bazoum’s release after mediation from Togo and Sierra Leone, but gave no details about his whereabouts. Niger is currently suspended from the ECOWAS, which has said the release of Bazoum and his return to power are among the conditions for easing sanctions. But Togo is among several West African states that have been involved in mediation with the Nigerien military regime after the bloc softened its stance on a possible forceful intervention. On Monday, Togo’s Foreign Minister Robert Dussey was in Niamey, where he met with Niger’s military-appointed prime minister, according to Nigerien public television. This followed a trip by Dussey in mid-December when he said he had reached an agreement “on the content and timing of the transition” with the prime minister. The new military government has distanced itself from Niger’s hitherto close European partners – notably France – and has drawn closer to two of its neighbours, Mali and Burkina Faso, which after recent coups are also run by militaries. The last French troops withdrew from Niger in December. Like Burkina Faso and Mali, Niger has faced persistent rebel violence, particularly in the so-called tri-border area where the three Sahel countries meet. Adblock test (Why?)
South Korea takes dog meat off the menu
The bill will provide compensation so that businesses can move out of the trade, though its dog meat consumption is now rare. South Korea’s parliament has passed a bill to outlaw the trade in dog meat. The bill, passed on Tuesday, aims to shutter a centuries-old practice. In recent years, Koreans have shunned the meat as concern over animal rights has grown. The bill was passed in a near-unanimous vote. Overall, there were 208 votes in favour and just two abstentions in the vote in the single-chamber parliament, which came after the bipartisan agriculture committee had approved it on Monday. The legislation, which will ban the breeding, selling and slaughtering of dogs for their meat from 2027, will go into effect once endorsed by the Cabinet Council and signed by President Yoon Suk-yeol, moves that are considered formalities. Following the three-year grace period, the breeding and slaughtering of dogs to produce meat for human consumption will be punishable by up to three years in prison or up to 30 million won ($22,800) in fines. The bill does not stipulate any penalties for consuming dog meat. Falling consumption The bill reflects a sharp drop in consumption amid changing trends in South Korea, although representatives of the trade have sought for years to block a ban. Animal welfare activists say dogs are electrocuted or hanged when slaughtered, though breeders and traders say slaughtering has become more humane in recent years. “We have reached a pivotal point to spare millions of dogs from this cruel industry,” said Borami Seo of Humane Society International Korea, an animal protection group. Support for the ban has blossomed under President Yoon, who has adopted six dogs and eight cats, and been public about his opposition to dog meat consumption. First lady Kim Keon-hee has also been a vocal critic. While dog meat was once viewed as a way to improve stamina in the humid Korean summer, it has grown increasingly rare and is now mostly just eaten by older people. In a survey released Monday by Animal Welfare Awareness, Research and Education (AWARE), a Seoul-based think tank, 94 percent of respondents said they had not eaten dog meat for the past year and 93 percent said they do not plan to in the future. Still, past attempts to pass such legislation have failed due to industry protests. The Korean Association of Edible Dogs, a coalition of breeders and sellers, said the ban will affect 3,500 farms raising 1.5 million dogs, as well as 3,000 restaurants. The bill, therefore, seeks to provide compensation so that businesses can move out of the trade. According to the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs, as of April 2022, some 1,100 farms were breeding 570,000 dogs to be served at around 1,600 restaurants. Adblock test (Why?)
Concerned Veterans for America Action endorses Nikki Haley for president
FIRST ON FOX: The political arm of a veterans’ advocacy group is throwing its support behind GOP presidential primary contender Nikki Haley. Concerned Veterans of America Action (CVA Action) endorsed Haley for the Oval Office on Tuesday, Fox News Digital has learned. Haley, the former governor of South Carolina and United Nations ambassador under former President Trump, is the wife of a military man. NIKKI HALEY TO PARTICIPATE IN FOX NEWS TOWN HALL AMID POLLING SURGE WITH 1 WEEK UNTIL IOWA CAUCUSES “Nikki Haley has distinguished herself as a strong and principled leader dedicated to securing the freedom and liberty our nation’s veterans have fought and sacrificed to defend,” CVA Action senior adviser Russ Duerstine said in a press release exclusively obtained by Fox News Digital. “She has proven herself a lawmaker, governor, and ambassador to do the right thing for South Carolina and the United States,” he said. Duerstine said that as “the spouse of a service member, Haley understands the struggles our nation’s heroes face when they come home after serving their country” and that is “why she has always stood for military families and veterans, working to honor our nation’s promise to those who served by removing red tape and empowering veterans to choose when and where they receive their health care.” “A President Haley will also prioritize essential steps that improve America’s ability to sustainably fund a strong national defense, including revitalizing our economy by controlling spending, attacking our mounting debt, driving growth, and unleashing American energy abundance.” “Americans need a leader like Nikki Haley to be their steady voice in a turbulent Washington, someone who brings Americans together instead of pitting them against each other,” Duerstein said. “CVA Action urges voters to vote Haley to represent them as the next president of the United States.” Haley told Fox News Digital that as “the wife of a combat veteran, helping our service members and veterans is deeply personal” to her. “It’s an honor to earn the support of Concerned Veterans for America Action,” Haley said. “As president, I’ll work every day to make sure we take care of those who take care of us.” Haley’s endorsement comes as she is set to battle Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, who is a veteran himself, on Wednesday’s debate stage as the 2024 GOP race goes into full swing. In addition to DeSantis, Haley also faces the front-runner, former President Trump, for the GOP presidential nomination. The veteran vote may prove to be a serious factor in the GOP primary election as well as 2024 amid a change in the military’s culture as well as the botched Afghanistan withdrawal. Trump remains the front-runner in the race, having a sizable lead over both Haley and DeSantis for the right to take on President Biden in November. But Haley has surged in the polls as the race has narrowed and heads toward the Iowa caucus. Haley also participated in a Fox News town hall discussion on Monday ahead of the Iowa caucus. “Momentum is surging, Nikki’s message is resonating, and Americans are rallying behind our movement in droves,” the GOP White House candidate’s campaign wrote in an email to supporters on Monday ahead of the town hall. Fox News Digital’s Paul Steinhauser contributed reporting.
A crash course on Donald Trump’s January 9th hearing
Today, a DC federal appeals court will hear oral arguments on whether Donald Trump is entitled to dismissal of Special Counsel’s Jack Smith’s 2020 election case against him because of presidential immunity. TAXPAYERS FOOT BILL FOR $23M IN DOJ INVESTIGATIONS INTO TRUMP, $6.4M BIDEN PROBE Here’s what you need to know: The Case: No. 23-3228, United States of America v. Donald J. Trump Special Counsel Jack Smith has brought the following criminal charges against Mr. Trump: Conspiracy to defraud the United States, conspiracy to obstruct and obstruction of an official proceeding, and conspiracy against the right to vote and to have one’s vote counted. The charges stem from what happened in the weeks that followed the 2020 election through January 6th, 2021, behavior that Smith characterized as discounting legitimate votes and subverting the election results. Notably, Smith did not bring a charge of insurrection against Mr. Trump. Mr. Trump’s defense team moved to have the case dismissed claiming presidential immunity. In December, the DC federal district court judge overseeing the trial denied the dismissal request. Today’s hearing is an appeal of that decision. The issue: Whether a former president is immune from federal prosecution after leaving office for acts committed while in office. Immunity from civil suits for decisions while serving in an official capacity as President of the United States has long been recognized in American jurisprudence; additionally, it has been the practice of the Department of Justice that a sitting president cannot be criminally charged. Mr. Trump has consistently argued that all of his actions through his last day in office were official acts; Smith has asserted that in the weeks after the election and through January 6th, Mr. Trump was acting as an office “seeker” and not an “office” holder and thus is not afforded the usual protection. Some constitutional scholars have also raised First Amendment alarm bells on the dangers of what they believe appears to be the government attempting to criminalize the speech of the former president. DESANTIS FLOATS KEEPING BIDEN OFF FLORIDA BALLOT AS SCOTUS WEIGHS TRUMP CASE: ‘WE’RE GOING TO FIGHT BACK’ What’s at stake: Whether Jack Smith’s election case gets thrown out against Trump because of presidential immunity. We are still in the pre-trial motions stage of this case, meaning the hearing is not on the actual substance of the case – the charges themselves – but whether the case should be heard at all. How quickly can we expect a decision? While there is no deadline for the three-judge panel to rule, expectations are they will render an opinion quickly, given their decision’s impact on the 2024 election. Smith has continuously argued for a fast-tracking of this case, making it clear he wants the March 4th trial to stand. The Trump team strategy has been to delay since the March 4th trial cannot go forward until the appeals happen and are resolved in one way or another. It is likely that the side that loses will either ask for an en banc review (full DC federal appeals court) or directly appeal to the US Supreme Court. The US Supreme Court has full discretion as to which cases it takes and doesn’t take, accepting less than 1% of the cases submitted to them each year. BODYCAM FOOTAGE DETAILS ROUGH ENCOUNTER BETWEEN EX-TRUMP CAMPAIGN AIDE, SMITH CASE AGENTS The attorneys: Dean Sauer will argue for Mr. Trump; DOJ’s James Pearce will appear on behalf of the US government. The judges: Arguments will be heard before a three-judge panel: Karen Henderson (Bush 1990 appointee), Michelle Childs (Biden 2022 appointee) and Florence Pan (Biden 2022 appointee). The court: The US Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia is considered the second most powerful court in the country, following the US Supreme Court. John Roberts, Clarence Thomas, Brett Kavanaugh, Merrick Garland, Ken Starr, Ruth Bader Ginsburg, and Antonin Scalia are some notable DC Circuit judge alums. In attendance: Mr. Trump is expected to attend; DOJ’s Michael Dreeben may also be sitting at the government’s counsel table. Dreeben was a member of Special Counsel Bob Mueller’s team, an investigation against then-President Trump regarding a false Trump-Russia election collaboration that resulted in no charges against the former President. Cost to taxpayers: In his latest expenditure report, Jack Smith revealed his election investigation into the former president has cost taxpayers over 12 million dollars thus far; Smith was appointed special counsel in November 2022 – his latest report accounts for expenses through September 2023. Nuts & bolts: Arguments begin at 9:30 am and oral arguments will be live-streamed at this link. Each side will be given 20 minutes to present their arguments, but the hearing is expected to last longer than that.