Page 2780 – Texas Weekly Online

DeSantis to join Fox News for Iowa town hall hours after giving major address in Florida

DES MOINES, IA – Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis starts his Tuesday in his home state, performing his gubernatorial duties as he delivers the State of the State address in Tallahassee. But hours later, the Republican presidential candidate will return to the campaign trail in Iowa, where he’ll take part in a Fox News town hall. DeSantis will take questions from “Special Report” chief political anchor Bret Baier and “The Story” executive editor and anchor Martha MacCallum, and also field questions from members of the live audience at the town hall in Des Moines, Iowa’s capital and largest city. DeSantis, who won an overwhelming victory 14 months ago to clinch a second four-year term steering Florida, was for months solidly in second place in the race for the 2024 GOP presidential nomination, behind former President Trump, who’s the commanding front-runner. HALEY FIRES BACK AT TRUMP, DESANTIS, AND BIDEN AT FOX NEWS TOWN HALL IN IOWA But after a series of setbacks over the summer, which triggered weeks of negative stories spotlighting his campaign’s overspending, staff layoffs, change of leadership and other issues, DeSantis saw his support in the polls erode. Rival Nikki Haley, the former South Carolina governor who served as ambassador to the United Nations in the Trump administration, in recent weeks has caught up with DeSantis for second place in the polls in Iowa — whose Jan. 15 caucuses lead off the GOP nominating calendar — and in national surveys. GREAT EXPECTATIONS: THE PRESSURE’S ON FOR TRUMP, DESANTIS, AND HALEY TO PERFORM IN IOWA’S CAUCUSES Haley also surpassed DeSantis and surged to second place and narrowed the gap with Trump in New Hampshire, which holds the first primary — just eight days after Iowa. DeSantis has staked his shot at the nomination on a strong showing in Iowa and has, for weeks, predicted a victory in the Hawkeye State. “We’re going to win here in Iowa,” he told Fox News Digital on the campaign trail in the eastern part of the state the week before Christmas. And he predicted the caucuses “will be very clarifying in terms of who is a real deal and who’s not. So, we look forward to that.” But in recent days, DeSantis appears to have tempered his expectations, telling Fox News on Sunday that “we’re gonna have a good showing here.” Haley joined Fox News on Monday for a similar town hall, with Trump taking questions from Baier and MacCallum on Wednesday. Get the latest updates from the 2024 campaign trail, exclusive interviews and more at our Fox News Digital election hub.

Firebrand House Republican seeing ‘massive surge’ for DeSantis in Iowa: ‘Closer than people think’

GOP Congressman Chip Roy, a surrogate for Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis on the 2024 presidential campaign trail, spoke to Fox News Digital about a week out from the Iowa caucus and said DeSantis is surging at the right time and is on track to outperform expectations next week. “There’s a massive surge going on for governor DeSantis,” Roy explained. “It really is interesting and people are engaging in and focusing, not just listening to the noise and not just listening to the polls.” Former President Trump holds a roughly 30-point lead on DeSantis in Iowa, according to the Real Clear Politics average of polls, but Roy told Fox News Digital the enthusiasm he has seen on the ground suggests the caucus will be closer than people think and that polls aren’t the same thing as showing up next Monday to actually caucus. “The governor was at a massive church service in Des Moines that had like 2000 people… He’s been doing event after event after event. Thomas Massie and I have been with him standing room only in a lot of places, people packed in, packed house,” Roy said. “They a make a lot out of this, ‘Oh he’s at an event that only has 200 or 300,’ and President Trump was in one that has a thousand or something. First off, I’m not sure I trust the numbers. I’ve seen some pretty empty spaces in some Trump places, but this is how it works in Iowa. You’re going town to town. He’s been to 99 counties, 200 events. And you go to these places, you go to these restaurants, and you talk to the elders and you talk to the people.” DESANTIS DISMISSES RUMORS HE WOULD DROP OF PRESIDENTIAL RACE AFTER CAUCUS: ‘A TOTAL LIE’ “Casey and I met yesterday with 25 people. That’s how you do it, right? We sat down, and we converted a number of folks who were on the fence, there were a number of folks in there who are already in the governor’s camp. Lots of energy, lots of enthusiasm. Trajectory is strongly upward, and I think the trajectory of both Trump and Haley is going down, and the governor is looking good a week out.” Roy told Fox News Digital that Iowa voters he has spoken to “did not like getting dismissed by Nikki Haley when she said New Hampshire would have to correct them” and he believes her stock is “plummeting.” Additionally, Roy said the message that DeSantis can accomplish the promises Trump made but didn’t see through is gaining traction. STATE OF THE RACE: ARE IOWA EXPECTATIONS TOO HIGH FOR TRUMP AND DESANTIS? “Governor DeSantis isn’t a Never Trumper,” Roy said. “He believes that we need to actually finish the things that the former president started. That’s the actual truth. And that message is resonating. The former president said he would build a wall that Mexico paid for. That didn’t happen.” “He said he would deal with birthright citizenship. He didn’t sign the executive order. He said he’d get Obamacare repealed. Didn’t happen. Then he saddles us with Anthony Fauci, and I’m shutting down our economy and mandating vaccines and masks, $8 trillion in debt. Gov. DeSantis fought all that. Fought Disney. Delivered. And then won by a million and a half votes, that stuff is resonating. I’m serious.” RAMASWAMAY TARGETS HALEY AFTER SNOWSTORM DERAILS HER CAMPAIGN STOP IN IOWA Roy said that the top issues voters in Iowa are saying matter to them are immigration and the economy, two issues that Roy believes DeSantis has shown leadership when he flew illegal immigrants to Martha’s vineyard “sparking” that conversation or the way he handled Florida’s economy. Roy also explained that Trump’s legal issues, while unfair, are still a factor with voters who are wary of risking losing the presidential election if the race becomes a referendum on Trump. “You can’t afford to risk losing this election,” Roy said. “Freedom hangs in the balance and everyone in Iowa knows it. We can’t afford to do that. So why would we walk away from a proven governor who has knocked it out of the park, delivered on every promise, and, frankly, delivered a lot of things the president didn’t in DC. Why would we walk away from that in favor of someone who’s going to have to deal with legal issues, fair or not?” Roy told Fox News Digital that Monday’s caucus will “absolutely” be “closer than people think.” “I think you should keep a really sharp eye on whether the former president is able to clear a majority of voters in Iowa,” Roy said. “I don’t think he will. I think he’s going to fall short. We’ll see. I think that’s pretty telling, and I think Gov. DeSantis is going to be strongly outperforming what people think, and we’ll see where that lands.”

Trump set to attend presidential immunity hearing in DC court amid push for dismissal of Jack Smith case

Former President Trump on Tuesday is expected to attend an appeals court hearing in Washington, D.C., that will consider the scope of his presidential immunity as the 2024 GOP front-runner seeks to have Special Counsel Jack Smith’s case against him dismissed. “I will be attending the the Federal Appeals Court Arguments on Presidential Immunity in Washington, D.C., on Tuesday,” Trump posted to his Truth Social account. “Of course I was entitled, as President of the United States and Commander in Chief, to Immunity,” Trump said. “I wasn’t campaigning, the Election was long over. I was looking for voter fraud, and finding it, which is my obligation to do, and otherwise running running our Country.” Trump added, “If I don’t get Immunity, then Crooked Joe Biden doesn’t get Immunity, and with the Border Invasion and Afghanistan Surrender, alone, not to mention the Millions of dollars that went into his ‘pockets’ with money from foreign countries, Joe would be ripe for Indictment.” TRUMP FILES ‘POWERHOUSE’ MOTION CALLING FOR SPECIAL COUNSEL JACK SMITH TO BE HELD IN CONTEMPT OF COURT Trump accused Biden of “weaponizing the DOJ.” “By weaponizing the DOJ against his Political Opponent, ME, Joe has opened a giant Pandora’s Box,” Trump said. JACK SMITH DISPUTES TRUMP’S PRESIDENTIAL IMMUNITY CLAIM IN APPEALS COURT He also noted that as president, he was “protecting our country, and doing a great job of doing so, just look around at the complete mess that Crooked Joe Biden has caused.” He added, “The least I am entitled to is Presidential Immunity on Fake Biden Indictments!” Smith’s case against Trump is on pause as Trump’s attorneys appeal the case and argue that presidential immunity protects him from being prosecuted. The trial had been set to begin on March 4. In August, Trump pleaded not guilty in federal court to all four federal charges stemming from Smith’s investigation into 2020 election interference and the Capitol riot on Jan. 6, 2021. SUPREME COURT DECLINES TO ISSUE EXPEDITED RULING ON TRUMP IMMUNITY CASE Trump is charged with conspiracy to defraud the United States, conspiracy to obstruct an official proceeding, obstruction of and attempt to obstruct an official proceeding, and conspiracy against rights. Smith filed an argument to dispute Trump’s claim of presidential immunity in the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia. The U.S. Supreme Court recently rejected Smith’s appeal to expedite their 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.

Former cop targets Trump, GOP opponents over ‘disgraceful’ law enforcement rhetoric 3 years after Jan 6

FIRST ON FOX: Former President Trump and his top Republican primary opponents are taking fire this week from one former police officer who is calling their rhetoric surrounding federal law enforcement “disgraceful” and accusing them of “turning their backs” on police across the country three years after the Jan. 6, 2021, Capitol protest. Michael Fanone, who served with the D.C. Metropolitan Police Department and gained national recognition for his sharp criticism of Trump and Republicans after his brutal beating at the hands of some of the protesters on Jan. 6, told Fox that the GOP White House hopefuls are ignoring the sacrifices of law enforcement with their rhetoric about that day and for their calls to cut funding for the FBI. Fanone’s criticism, joined by scathing comments from national Democrats, comes at the start of what is expected to be a contentious election year and just days ahead of the first presidential primary contests. WAR VETERAN SETS MAJOR FUNDRAISING RECORD IN BID TO FLIP CRUCIAL SENATE SEAT FROM DEMOCRATS “Three years ago, insurrectionists at the behest of Donald Trump ransacked our Capitol, threatened elected officials, and assaulted law enforcement officers. Our country was shaken to its core and our democracy was brought to the brink of ruin,” Fanone told Fox. “Jan. 6 will forever go down as one of the darkest days in our history, but it could have been even worse if not for the courage and sacrifices made by police that day – sacrifices that GOP presidential candidates are happy to ignore when they want to talk about ‘backing the blue,’” he said. Fanone said he and his colleagues “who stood up to the hateful mob” were defending democracy and that history would remember them as heroes in contrast to Republicans, who he accused of attempting to “whitewash the insurrection.” SWING STATE DEMOCRATS REDUCED CRIMINAL PENALTIES, WEAKENED PAROLE LAWS AHEAD OF ATTACK ON LAS VEGAS JUDGE “Some of them are even talking about defunding federal law enforcement simply because they are holding criminals accountable for their behavior. These politicians continue to bend both knees to the man who incited the mob in the first place. Actions speak louder than words; it is disgraceful and a slap in the face to my colleagues who risked their lives to protect and defend our democracy,” he added. Echoing Fanone, national Democrats are also taking aim at the GOP front-runners, accusing them of “pretending to care about ‘law and order’ when they continue to side with Jan. 6 rioters.” “While MAGA candidates have been trying to score political points by shouting about crime, embracing insurrectionists and violent criminals has now become a litmus test in the 2024 GOP primary,” Democrat National Committee spokesperson Sarafina Chitika told Fox. BORDER STATE CANDIDATES ISSUE STARK WARNING TO FELLOW REPUBLICANS ABOUT CEDING TO DEMS ON UKRAINE: ‘BUCKLE UP’ “Instead of ‘backing the blue,’ Trump and the GOP field have threatened to defund federal law enforcement and failed to denounce the criminals who attacked the heroes protecting the Capitol during one of our nation’s darkest moments. Every single MAGA Republican who continues to stand with violent insurrectionists is not only a threat to our democracy, but is also making it clear they won’t stand up for law enforcement when it counts,” she added. Trump has promised to pardon those present on Jan. 6 who faced charges should he win the presidential race this year, and in recent months he has referred to those imprisoned as “hostages.” He’s also been a vocal critic of the FBI and has encouraged members of Congress to cut its funding. “Republicans in Congress should defund the DOJ and FBI until they come to their senses. The Democrats have totally weaponized law enforcement in our country and are viciously using this abuse of power to interfere with our already under siege elections!” he wrote in a post on Truth Social last year. LATINO SENATE HOPEFUL SAYS HISPANIC VOTERS BEING ‘BLINDSIDED’ BY DEM POLICIES, AIMS TO FLIP BORDER SEAT RED Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis has also said he will consider pardons for those charged in connection to Jan. 6, and last year, he called the millions in funding awarded by Congress to the Capitol Police following the protest “ridiculous.” “I think it’s ridiculous how much money that they pumped in for the Capitol Police. It was not an insurrection. These are people that were there to attend a rally, and then they were there to protest,” he said. Like DeSantis, former U.N. Ambassador Nikki Haley has also avoided referencing Jan. 6 as an “insurrection,” instead calling it a “sad day in America” during a recent interview. While the Biden administration has sought to invest billions in local law enforcement, including $37 billion as part of his fiscal 2023 budget request, Americans consistently view Republicans as the preferred party to handle safety-related issues, such as crime. According to FBI crime statistics, crime rates across the country as a whole have dropped from the third quarter 2022 to the third quarter 2023. However, a recent Heritage Foundation study found murder rates were higher in counties run by Democrats compared to those run by Republicans. Fox has reached out to Trump, Haley and DeSantis for comment. Get the latest updates from the 2024 campaign trail, exclusive interviews and more at our Fox News Digital election hub.

Maryland Rep. Steny Hoyer announces run for reelection: ‘I have more work to complete’

Rep. Steny Hoyer, D-Md., announced on Monday his plans to run for reelection. The announcement comes as Hoyer, the former Majority Leader, stepped down from House leadership in January 2023. In a statement, Hoyer, 84, said “During this coming election, the values, character, and very soul of America are at risk. Freedom, which makes our nation exceptional, will be on the ballot,” Hoyer said. “That freedom, that democracy, has been preserved by the blood and ballots of patriots so that, in Lincoln’s words, this nation ‘…should not perish from the earth.’” “Given these stakes, I believe I have more work to complete on behalf of my district, my state, and my country,” he continued. “I am blessed to have the good health, strength, and enduring passion necessary to continue serving my constituents at this decisive moment for Maryland and America.” RIVAL GOP CAMPAIGNS WEIGH IN ON HALEY’S FOX NEWS TOWN HALL PERFORMANCE: ‘REJECT HER ON CAUCUS NIGHT’ The congressman said he spoke with his wife and family, as well as his colleagues in Congress and constituents in Maryland before deciding to run for another term in the House. He ultimately determined that he had more work to finish as a member of Congress. “When I stepped down from my position as Majority Leader, I decided to remain in Congress because I had work I wanted to continue and complete,” he said in a statement. MICHELLE OBAMA SAYS SHE IS ‘TERRIFIED ABOUT WHAT COULD POSSIBLY HAPPEN’ IN 2024 ELECTION He added: “I also looked forward to returning to my work on the Appropriations Committee, which included securing the new FBI Headquarters location at Greenbelt. I remain committed to ensuring that project receives full funding. Returning to the Appropriations Committee was also an opportunity to continue my efforts to expand Judy Centers, support military installations in the Fifth District, and address other priorities for Marylanders.” In the statement, Hoyer criticized Republican infighting over the last year that included the ousting of former House Speaker Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif. He called this Congress “one of the most partisan and polarized” and blamed Republican leadership. He also predicted that the next Congress will have a Democratic majority “that will be able to deliver for families in Maryland and across the country.” Hoyer has been in Congress since 1981.

Who is Suchana Seth, CEO of AI start-up, Harvard fellow, arrested for alleged murder of 4-year-old son at Goa hotel?

Suchana Seth travelled with the body to neighbouring Karnataka, a police official said on Tuesday.

Farmers stage tractor blockades across Germany

Furious farmers, opposed to Berlin’s plans to cut tax breaks for agriculture, used tractors to block roads across Germany on Monday, kicking off a series of crippling strikes that are set to plunge the country deeper into a winter of discontent. In Berlin, dozens of tractors and lorries stationed in the city centre blasted their horns to signal anger at the start of a planned week of action. Workers in sectors across Germany, from metallurgy and transport to education, have turned to industrial action in recent weeks. Wage negotiations have taken a bitter turn as Europe’s biggest economy struggles with weak growth and households contend with sharply increased prices. Rail workers will be next to walk out as they launch a three-day strike on Wednesday. Unions seek a pay rise to compensate for months of painfully high inflation. Farmers began gathering on Sunday evening at the Brandenburg Gate in the heart of the government quarter in Berlin. The agricultural sector is up in arms over government plans to withdraw tax breaks. Farm vehicles blocked the centres of cities including Berlin, Hamburg, Cologne and Bremen, with up to 2,000 tractors registered for each protest. Outside cities, demonstrators targeted motorway access ramps, snarling traffic in a coordinated nationwide show of discontent. The protest also caused disruption at Germany’s borders with France, Poland and the Czech Republic, backing up traffic at crossing points. Thousands of protestors had already descended on Berlin to protest against the planned subsidy cuts in December, blocking roads and dumping manure on the street. The rallies prompted the government to partially walk back the reductions on January 4. A discount on vehicle tax for agriculture is now planned to remain in place, while a diesel subsidy would be phased out over several years instead of being abolished immediately, the government said. The farmers, however, have said that the move does not go far enough and urged Berlin to completely reverse the plans, which were announced after a shock court ruling forced the government to find savings in the budget for 2024. Adblock test (Why?)

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