Who was Divya Pahuja, ex-model and partner of slain Gangster, shot dead in Gurugram hotel?
On Tuesday night, five people took Divya Pahuja to a hotel and shot her in the head.
In 2024, PA Gov. Shapiro will face demanding school funding challenges, prepare for presidential election
In 2024, Democratic Gov. Josh Shapiro could face a more complicated sophomore year in charge of Pennsylvania after his first year brought a highway collapse, a budget stalemate and friction with allies and adversaries as he navigated the battleground state’s political divides. He is under pressure to respond to a court ruling that Pennsylvania’s system of public school funding unconstitutionally discriminates against poorer districts. His administration must also oversee a presidential election that, four years ago, was marred by a barrage of right-wing conspiracy theories, Donald Trump-allied efforts in court to overturn it and threats against election administrators. PA GOV. SHAPIRO SIGNS OFF ON BILL EXPANDING DISCLOSURE REQUIREMENTS FOR STATE-FUNDED UNIVERSITIES And Shapiro, viewed nationally as a rising political star, must navigate the nation’s only politically divided legislature in which allies and adversaries alike are wary of him. In his first year in office, Shapiro showed himself to be a low-key operator who took a hands-off approach in the statehouse and attempted to avoid political fights he might not win. He often emphasized the need to gain approval from both the Democratic-controlled House and the Republican-controlled Senate, and focused more on what his administration accomplished — what he called a “get stuff done” administration — rather than farther-reaching agenda items that are stuck in partisan stalemate. In 2024, Shapiro will have little runway to show how he’ll handle calls from public school advocates to propose billions of new dollars for the poorest public schools. DEM GOVERNOR CALLS OUT PENN PRESIDENT COMMENTS ON ANTISEMITISM: ‘FAILED LEADERSHIP’ “I’m very mindful of the Commonwealth Court decision and that we need to have more equity in our system. I’m also very mindful that someone has to pay for that,” Shapiro told The Associated Press in a recent interview in his office. A compromise deal may require Democrats to accept something they just defeated: a new $100 million taxpayer-paid voucher program to subsidize tuition at private and religious schools. Republican lawmakers are wary of ramping up public-school spending by billions of dollars. But they are in step with Shapiro in pushing for a voucher program — a position that made Shapiro unique among Democratic governors in the U.S. In the fall, Shapiro’s administration will be nationally watched for how it runs the presidential election, when Pennsylvania is yet again expected to be pivotal to the White House stakes. The state remains in Trump’s crosshairs after he and Republican allies tried to overturn Biden’s 2020 victory there and Trump declared that ” bad things ” happen in Philadelphia. Last month in Iowa, Trump told supporters to “guard the vote” and to “go into” Detroit, Philadelphia and Atlanta to “watch those votes when they come in.” Shapiro — who as attorney general played a central role in defending Pennsylvania’s 2020 election against Republican efforts in court to overturn it — said administration officials have been meeting for months. They are preparing on legal, law enforcement and election administration fronts “to administer an election that everyone, regardless of your choice of candidate, can have faith in,” Shapiro told AP. “That is one of our most serious responsibilities.” The election is likely to be close. Complicating it is a state law that prohibits counties from processing mail-in ballots before Election Day — raising the specter of another drawn-out count in Pennsylvania like the one in 2020 that gave a window to Trump-inspired conspiracy theories and false claims. Nearly every other state allows mail-in ballots to be processed before Election Day. In Pennsylvania, Republican lawmakers have refused to allow it without attaching other election-related changes that Democrats oppose. For his part, Shapiro’s administration ably responded to the collapse of a critical section of Interstate 95 in Philadelphia and the derailment of tanker cars carrying toxic chemicals just over the Ohio-Pennsylvania state border. Still, getting deals in the statehouse wasn’t necessarily Shapiro’s strong suit. A budget deal Shapiro struck with Republican lawmakers ran into solid opposition from Democrats. Shapiro then angered Republicans when he backed off it, precipitating a stalemate over spending that normally gets done in June. Lawmakers and Shapiro last month wrapped up the last loose ends by greatly expanding subsidies for child care and private schools, among other things. But Shapiro’s hands-off approach in the statehouse drew complaints from both sides. Shapiro chalks up such complaints to finger-pointing over partisan food fights. “I don’t run the Legislature, right?” Shapiro told reporters at a news conference last month. “I mean, we are separate branches of this government. … Our Legislature has to figure out how to show up to work and then they’ve got to figure out how to work together.” DEM PENNSYLVANIA GOV. SHAPIRO BLASTED OVER HANDLING OF SEXUAL HARASSMENT ALLEGATIONS He will enter 2024 as the only governor in the U.S. with a politically divided Legislature after a Democratic victory in Virginia’s House. Even so, for Shapiro, it may be a benefit: House Democrats block Republican bills that Shapiro might otherwise veto, while Senate Republicans block Democratic bills that are too progressive for Shapiro’s political instincts. Shapiro brushes off that suggestion. “I’m kind of dealing with the cards I’ve been dealt,” Shapiro told the AP. “I’ve just really focused on finding those areas where I can find common ground between the two leaders, right, in the Senate and the House, and see where we can find those points of intersection that allow me to put something forward that we can accomplish.”
Georgia conservative group cleared of Voting Rights Act violation accusations
A conservative group did not violate the Voting Rights Act when it announced it was challenging the eligibility of more than 360,000 Georgia voters just before a 2021 runoff election for two pivotal U.S. Senate seats, a judge ruled Tuesday. But he expressed concerns about the group’s methods. U.S. District Judge Steve Jones issued a 145-page decision in favor of Texas-based nonprofit True the Vote. Fair Fight, a group founded by former Democratic Georgia gubernatorial candidate Stacey Abrams, had sued True the Vote and several individuals, alleging that their actions violated a section of the 1965 Voting Rights Act that prohibits voter intimidation. The evidence presented at trial did not show that the actions of True the Vote “caused (or attempted to cause) any voter to be intimidated, coerced, or threatened in voting,” Jones concluded. But he wrote that the list of voters to be challenged compiled by the group “utterly lacked reliability” and “verges on recklessness.” GEORGIA LAWMAKER APPOINTED TO JUDGESHIP, TRIGGERING SPECIAL ELECTION FOR HOUSE SEAT “The Court has heard no testimony and seen no evidence of any significant quality control efforts, or any expertise guiding the data process,” he wrote. In the weeks after the November 2020 general election, then-President Donald Trump and his supporters were promoting false claims of widespread voter fraud that had cost him the election. In Georgia, two U.S. Senate races that would ultimately decide control of the Senate were headed for an early January runoff election. True the Vote announced the voter challenges just after early in-person voting began for that runoff. The group said it had good reason to believe the voters no longer lived in the districts where they were registered and were ineligible to vote there. BLACK VOTERS IN GEORGIA ‘DISAPPOINTED’ BY BIDEN: ‘IT MAKES ME WONDER WHY I VOTE’ Georgia election officials rejected only a few dozen ballots cast in the runoff, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reported. The two Democratic challengers went on to beat the Republican incumbents by ten of thousands of votes, securing control of the Senate for their party. Jones wrote that to succeed in proving a violation of the Voting Rights Act, Fair Fight and the individual voters who sued along with it would have had to show that True the Vote’s actions caused or could have caused someone to be “intimidated, threatened, or coerced” from voting or trying to vote. Fair Fight’s arguments “suggest that any mass challenge of voters near an election (especially if negligently or recklessly made) constitutes intimidation or an attempt to intimidate,” Jones wrote, adding that he disagreed. He noted that county election boards ultimately decide whether someone is eligible once a challenge is filed. The law doesn’t limit the number of voter challenges or their proximity to an election, he wrote. “In making this conclusion, the Court, in no way, is condoning TTV’s actions in facilitating a mass number of seemingly frivolous challenges,” Jones wrote in a footnote. “The Court, however, cannot under the operative legal framework say that these actions were contrary to Georgia law (which is unchallenged by Plaintiffs).” Fair Fight had argued that public statements True the Vote made about the challenges amounted to voter intimidation. But Jones disagreed, pointing out that the statements were not aimed at any particular voter and none of the challenged voters who testified said they had seen the statements. GEORGIA GOV. KEMP ANNOUNCES $1K YEAR-END BONUS FOR TEACHERS, STATE EMPLOYEES: ‘WHOLLY APPROPRIATE’ True the Vote President Catherine Engelbrecht celebrated the ruling, saying in an emailed statement that it “sends a clear message to those who would attempt to control the course of our nation through lawfare and intimidation.” Fair Fight Executive Director Cianti Stewart-Reid expressed disappointment, saying in an emailed statement that in the past two years other groups have drawn “from True the Vote’s anti-voter playbook to launch their own mass voter challenge efforts that continue to this day.” She vowed that Fair Fight would continue to push back against the challenges.
Biden takes growing heat from Democrat allies, far-left ‘Squad’ on Israel decision
President Biden’s White House is facing a slew of fresh criticism from fellow Democrats over its decision to bypass Congress for a second time to send aid to Israel. Hardline Democratic Rep. Ilhan Omar, D-Minn., called the move “indefensible” on Tuesday. “This is morally indefensible. How can we expect Netanyahu’s government to stop the mass killing of civilians and calls for ethnic cleansing if we continue to supply the weapons used to carry it out?” Omar wrote in an X post. “Dozens of humanitarian and national organizations recently urged the Administration not to supply *these specific munitions* on the grounds that they are being used indiscriminately to target civilians—in violation of U.S. and international law.” IRAN PRAISES HOUTHI PROXY GROUP RAIDING US MILITARY ASSETS, ISRAEL: ‘SUPPORT TO THE RESISTANCE FRONT’ This comes on the heels of a rebuke from Sen. Tim Kaine, D-Va., a Biden ally and a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee. “Just as Congress has a crucial role to play in all matters of war and peace, Congress should have full visibility over the weapons we transfer to any other nation,” Kaine said over the weekend. “Unnecessarily bypassing Congress means keeping the American people in the dark. We need a public explanation of the rationale behind this decision—the second such decision this month.” ISRAELI MAN WHO BATTLED HAMAS IN GAZA ACCUSED OF IMPERSONATING SOLDIER, STEALING WEAPONS Rep. Cori Bush, D-Mo., who like Omar is part of the progressive House “Squad,” accused the White House of hypocrisy in bypassing Congress while also condemning Israeli officials’ comments as too extreme. “The White House cannot have it both ways: calling on the Israeli government to uphold international law while bypassing Congress to send weapons that are leading to violations of international law,” Bush wrote on X. “How many innocent people must die before [Biden] will demand a ceasefire?” Similarly, Rep. Lloyd Doggett, D-Texas, said on Monday, “Biden Admin calls for fewer deaths [in Gaza], while again bypassing Congress to send more arms to Netanyahu, who’ll ensure more deaths. Meanwhile, pleas by Israeli hostage families are ignored.” TOP HAMAS OFFICIAL KILLED IN BEIRUT EXPLOSION, HEZBOLLAH MEDIA SAYS The State Department announced late last week that Secretary Antony Blinken made an emergency determination to bypass Congress on an emergency arms sale to Israel totaling $147.5 billion. A similar decision was announced on Dec. 9. The ongoing war between Israel and Hamas was sparked on Oct. 7, when militants from Gaza launched a surprise attack that killed more than 1,000 people – mainly civilians. Israel’s responding ground invasion and bombardment has killed more than 22,000 Gazans, according to the Hamas-controlled Health Ministry. Fox News Digital reached out to both the White House and the State Department for comment.
Sununu tells Christie he can ‘be the hero,’ help Nikki Haley beat Trump in New Hampshire
Republican New Hampshire Gov. Chris Sununu says he is not calling on his friend Chris Christie to drop out of the GOP presidential nomination race. However, Sununu tells Fox News that Christie’s “numbers are falling” and argues that the former New Jersey governor has “hit his limit” as he runs a second time for the White House. Additionally, he emphasized that Christie “has the chance to be the hero. To put Nikki [Haley] over the top. To deliver [former President Donald] Trump that loss, Nikki that win that the rest of the country’s looking for.” Sununu, a popular Republican governor in the state that holds the first primary in the GOP presidential nominating calendar, endorsed Haley last month, delivering a blow to Christie, who is once again placing all his chips on a strong finish in New Hampshire. FIRST ON FOX: HALEY FUNDRAISING SOARS THE PAST THREE MONTHS Haley has surged in the polls in New Hampshire over the past month and is currently in second place, ahead of Christie. She has narrowed the gap with Trump, who remains the commanding front-runner for the GOP nomination as he makes his third straight White House run. Christie and Sununu have long been friends, and are two of the most vocal Republican critics of Trump. However, on the campaign trail and in interviews since endorsing Haley, Sununu has argued that Christie does not have a path to winning the nomination. CHRIS CHRSITIE PUSHES BACK AT CALLS FOR HIM TO DROP OUT OF GOP PRESIDENTIAL RACE AND BACK HALEY “I know he’s disappointed that I didn’t get behind him, but at the end of the day, this is the path. Chris has kind of hit his limit … at around 13% of the vote. He speaks the truth on Trump, but that’s very different than whether it translates into votes for the nomination to become president of the United States,” Sununu told Fox News Digital on Tuesday night after introducing Haley at a town hall on the New Hampshire coast. He emphasized that Christie is “not going to surge 30% in the next three weeks. That ain’t happening. He hasn’t put a ground game in any other state, and you can’t just use New Hampshire as a launching ground to nothing else.” Christie told Fox News last month, after Sununu endorsed Haley, that “it’s not his [Sununu’s] job to tell anybody when to get out. He can support whomever he likes, but it’s not his job to tell anybody when it’s time to get out of the race. That’s an individual choice to make, and I’m not going anywhere, so let’s be really clear about that.” When asked about those comments on Tuesday, Sununu said “I’m not telling Chris that he has to get out. Right. I’m not calling Chris Christie and saying ‘you absolutely have to get out.’” “I think Chris is smart enough to see the writing on the wall. To know that he has a great opportunity here not just to get behind Nikki but to do something really important for the country and the party and start moving us forward. He has been, and I think has the opportunity to continue to be a very important voice in that,” Sununu added. GOP NOMINATION RACE: WHAT A DIFFERENCE A YEAR MAKES FOR DONALD TRUMP Ahead of the Haley town hall, the former South Carolina governor, who later served as ambassador to the United Nations during the Trump administration, said in a Fox News Digital interview that Sununu “knows this state very well. He knows what Granite Staters want. They trust him. They have a relationship with him. And so, whatever he says, I think people believe.” When asked about Christie, Haley said “I think the reality is – you look at what Christie wanted. Christie didn’t want Trump to win. Our goal is to make sure that Trump doesn’t win and that we get our country strong and proud again and that’s what we’re going to do.” Christie has repeatedly pushed back against suggestions that he should drop out of the race and back Haley in order to defeat Trump. He has emphasized that he is the only Trump rival in the race who is directly taking on the former president. “Some people say I should drop out of this race. Really? I’m the only one saying Donald Trump is a liar,” Christie said while speaking directly to the camera in an ad running on TV and digital in New Hampshire, where independent voters and moderates have long played a crucial role in the state’s famed primary. On Tuesday, as Sununu once again teamed up with Haley in New Hampshire ahead of the state’s Jan. 23 primary, Christie charged in a CNN interview that “since Chris started to work for Nikki Haley and become an employee of Nikki Haley, it’s not the same Chris Sununu anymore.” “Chris Sununu was one of the most vocal Donald Trump critics in this country,” Christie added. “This is a guy who has said that Donald Trump is unfit. All things that his candidate is unwilling to say.” Chirstie accused Sununu of abandoning “his principles to try to get himself some political favor inside of his own state.” Sununu will continue to campaign with Haley at three events in New Hampshire on Wednesday. He will also stump with Haley this weekend in Iowa, ahead of the state’s Jan. 15 caucuses, which lead off the GOP presidential nominating calendar. Get the latest updates from the 2024 campaign trail, exclusive interviews and more at our Fox News Digital election hub.
BJP to meet on Jan 7 to prepare strategy for 5 Lok Sabha seats in Uttarakhand
The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) will hold a meeting here on January 7 to prepare its strategy for the five Lok Sabha seats in Uttarakhand in view of the 2024 general elections.
House Homeland Security Committee sets first Mayorkas impeachment hearing
A House committee has set the date for its first impeachment hearing into Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas, escalating its push against the Cabinet official. The Homeland Security Committee, led by Chairman Mark Green, R-Tenn., will hold its first impeachment hearing into Mayorkas on Jan. 10, the committee told Fox News Digital. Green told Fox News Digital that for “almost three years, the American people have demanded an end to the unprecedented crisis at the Southwest border, and they have also rightly called for Congress to hold accountable those responsible.” BIDEN ADMIN EYES MORE DEPORTATION FLIGHTS TO VENEZUELA AS MIGRANT NUMBERS SHATTER RECORDS “That’s why the House Committee on Homeland Security led a comprehensive investigation into the causes, costs, and consequences of this crisis,” Green said. “Our investigation made clear that this crisis finds its foundation in Secretary Mayorkas’ decision-making and refusal to enforce the laws passed by Congress, and that his failure to fulfill his oath of office demands accountability.” “The bipartisan House vote in November to refer articles of impeachment to my Committee only served to highlight the importance of our taking up the impeachment process – which is what we will begin doing next Wednesday,” he added. Punchbowl first reported the date of the Mayorkas impeachment hearing. DHS spokesperson Mia Ehrenberg told Fox News Digital the “House majority is wasting valuable time and taxpayer dollars pursuing a baseless political exercise that has been rejected by members of both parties and already failed on a bipartisan vote.” “There is no valid basis to impeach Secretary Mayorkas, as senior members of the House majority have attested, and this extreme impeachment push is a harmful distraction from our critical national security priorities,” Ehrenberg said. “Secretary Mayorkas and the Department of Homeland Security will continue working every day to keep Americans safe,” she added. The hearing – titled “Havoc in the Heartland: How Secretary Mayorkas’ Failed Leadership Has Impacted the States” – will delve into how Midwestern states have been affected by the growing influx of illegal immigrants at the southern border. If impeached, Mayorkas would be the first Cabinet secretary to receive the black mark since 1876. Fox News Digital has reached out to House Homeland Security Committee Democrats for comment. Mayorkas has been in the sights of congressional Republicans as the crisis at the southern border spiraled out of control. Hundreds of thousands of migrants crossed into the U.S., with Customs and Border Patrol (CBP) sources last month telling Fox News Digital that there were over 276,000 migrant encounters near the end of December. That number set a new record for crossings in a month. The previous record was set in September when officials saw 269,735 encounters. The number includes illegal immigrants encountered between ports of entry and migrants entering at ports of entry via the CBP One app. House Republicans have been seeking impeachment against Mayorkas but have faced an uphill climb in their quest. In early November, the House GOP moved to impeach Mayorkas, only to have the effort tabled by eight Republicans who joined with Democrats. The defeat came after Republicans upset conservatives and border hawks earlier in 2023 when they tried and failed to attach H.R. 2 – the House Republicans’ signature border security and asylum overhaul legislation – to a continuing resolution to keep the federal government open. Instead, the House ended up passing a “clean” continuing resolution, which in turn led to the ouster of Speaker Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif. In mid-November, the House passed another continuing resolution to avoid a pre-holiday season shutdown. That too did not contain policy riders, including those related to border security. Fox News Digital’s Adam Shaw contributed reporting.
House GOP leaders close ranks around Trump as No. 3 Republican reveals 2024 support
Majority Whip Tom Emmer, R-Minn., the No. 3 House Republican, is backing former President Trump to take back the White House in 2024. Trump is now heading into the Jan. 15 Iowa caucus with the support of every senior House GOP leader. “Democrats have made clear they will use every tool in their arsenal to try and keep Joe Biden and his failed policies in power,” Emmer said in a statement on Wednesday. “We cannot let them.” He added, “It’s time for Republicans to unite behind our party’s clear frontrunner, which is why I am proud to endorse Donald J. Trump for President.” FOX NEWS TO HOST TOWNHALL WITH TRUMP IN IOWA NEXT WEEK Emmer released another statement later Wednesday morning leading Minnesota’s GOP House delegation which, in addition to him, includes Reps. Michelle Fischbach and Pete Stauber, in endorsing Trump. It comes a day after House Majority Leader Steve Scalise, R-La., also threw his support behind Trump. BIDEN’S HOMETOWN REVEALS HOW IT REALLY FEELS ABOUT ‘BIDENOMICS’ House GOP Conference Chair Elise Stefanik, R-N.Y., was among the first majority GOP figures to endorse the former president, announcing her decision in November 2022. National Republican Congressional Committee (NRCC) Chair Richard Hudson, R-N.C., endorsed Trump around that time as well. Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., endorsed Trump in November of last year. The House Republican leadership’s unity around Trump is the latest sign of his continued reign over the GOP. Trump has dominated every major 2024 Republican primary poll so far, and in recent months has narrowly overtaken President Biden in some surveys of the upcoming general election. MAINE DEMOCRAT WHO BARRED TRUMP FROM BALLOT MET WITH BIDEN TWICE, CALLED ELECTORAL COLLEGE ‘WHITE SUPREMACY’ A Fox News poll released Dec. 17 showed Trump with 69% support in the primary race, up 7% from November. Emmer’s endorsement is also significant given he has had a rockier public relationship with Trump than other House Republican leaders. Trump and his allies led the charge in derailing Emmer’s bid for House Speaker in October. Trump publicly attacked Emmer as a “RINO” among other accusations on his Truth Social platform. Emmer was among the Republicans who voted to certify the 2020 election results, while 147 of his GOP colleagues in the House and Senate did not. Trump did, however, endorse Emmer for re-election in 2022, when Emmer was chairman of House Republicans’ campaign arm. He praised Emmer as an “outstanding” representative who was “working hard” on GOP policy goals in a post on Truth Social.
Karni Sena chief murder: NIA arrests key accused after raids at 31 locations
The arrested accused, Ashok Kumar, is closely associated with gangster Rohit Godara, who is linked to jailed gangster Lawrence Bishnoi
Cotton endorses Trump, says ‘everything has gone to hell’ under Biden
EXCLUSIVE: Sen. Tom Cotton has endorsed former President Trump’s bid for the 2024 GOP nomination, telling Fox News Digital he looks forward to “working with him to win back the White House and the Senate” and to getting the country “back on track.” “When Donald Trump was president, America was safe, strong, and prosperous,” Cotton, R-Ark., told Fox News Digital. “With Joe Biden as president, everything has gone to hell: families can’t afford groceries, our border is wide one to a full-blown invasion, and our enemies are starting wars everywhere.” TRUMP PICKS UP MORE SENATE GOP ENDORSEMENTS “I endorse President Trump and I look forward to working with him to win back the White House and the Senate so we can help hardworking Arkansans suffering from Joe Biden’s disastrous policies.” Cotton added, “It’s time to get our country back on track.” Cotton and the former president worked together on immigration policy and securing the border during the Trump administration. SEN MARSHALL ENDORSES TRUMP FOR PRESIDENT, CALLS FOR END TO ‘POLITICAL PRIMARY CHARADE’ In 2017, Trump championed legislation introduced by Cotton and then-Sen. David Perdue that called for a merit-based system that would significantly overhaul legal immigration in the United States by reducing the number of green cards issued from 1 million to 500,000 a year. The bill — the Reforming American Immigration for a Strong Economy (RAISE) Act — worked to prioritize immigrants based on the skills they bring to the United States while also safeguarding the jobs of American workers. The bill did not pass, but it was unveiled in a high-profile ceremony at the White House. A source close to Cotton told Fox News Digital that the senator hopes to work with Trump on immigration reform in a possible second term. Cotton’s endorsement of Trump comes as GOP senators rally around the 2024 Republican front-runner. Cotton joins nearly two dozen GOP senators in endorsing Trump, including Sens. JD Vance of Ohio, Marsha Blackburn of Tennessee, Rick Scott of Florida, Josh Hawley and Eric Schmitt of Missouri, Lindsey Graham of South Carolina, and more.