Heavy rains wreak havoc in Tamil Nadu; IAF, Indian Army join rescue team
Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin held a review meeting on the flood situation in southern Tamil Nadu through a video conference from New Delhi.
Jacqueline Fernandez moves Delhi HC for quashing of ED FIR in Rs 200 crore money laundering case
The plea stated that evidence filed by the Directorate of Enforcement would prove that the Petitioner is an innocent victim of Sukesh Chandrashekhar’s maliciously targeted attack. There is no indication that she had any involvement whatsoever in aiding him to launder his ill-gotten wealth.
Florida man pleads guilty to threatening to kill a US Supreme Court Justice; faces 5 years in federal prison
A Fernandina Beach, Florida man pleaded guilty on Monday after threatening to kill a U.S. Supreme Court Justice in July. U.S. Attorney Roger B. Handberg announced that 43-year-old Neal Brij Sidhwaney pleaded guilty to transmitting an interstate death threat. HONOR GUARD COLLAPSES WHILE GUARDING CASKET OF FORMER SUPREME COURT JUSTICE SANDRA DAY O’CONNOR The Department of Justice said on July 31, 2023, Sidhwaney called the U.S. Supreme Court in Washington, D.C. from Florida and left a threatening voicemail that was reportedly filled with expletives. According to court records, the suspect identified himself by name on the voicemail and repeatedly threatened to kill a specific Supreme Court Justice who was unnamed by the DOJ and only identified as Victim 1 in the grand jury indictment. SUPREME COURT JUSTICE DECIDED TO OVERTURN ROE JUST 10 MINUTES AFTER RECEIVING DOBBS DRAFT DECISION: REPORT The DOJ did not immediately respond to inquiries from Fox News Digital seeking more information about the victim. A sentencing date has not been set for Sidhwaney, though he faces a maximum penalty of five years in federal prison. The Supreme Court of the United States Protective Intelligence Unit and U.S. Capitol Police Threat Assessment Section investigated the case, which is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. attorneys Kirwinn Mike and Joe Wheeler, III.
James Biden given loan, didn’t provide services to Americore despite promises to use last name, trustee says
James Biden, the brother of President Joe Biden, didn’t provide any services to Americore despite obtaining a $600,000 loan from the struggling healthcare company on the promise that his name could bring in funding from the Middle East, which never materialized, Fox News has learned. Carol Fox, a Chapter 11 trustee for the financially distressed hospital operator, spoke with members of the House Oversight Committee in an interview where she detailed Americore’s relationship with James Biden. Fox said the loan was provided to Biden with no documentation in return for the promise of funding from the Middle East that never came. She filed a lawsuit against Biden, saying he made “representations that his last name, ‘Biden,’ could ‘open doors’ and that he could obtain a large investment from the Middle East based on his political connections.” FROM SEX CLUBS TO STRIPPERS: HERE ARE THE 5 MOST SALACIOUS DETAILS FROM THE HUNTER BIDEN INDICTMENT The suit demanded that the $600,000 loan be paid back to Americore. In a transcribed interview with the committee, Fox said she didn’t see records or documents of the loan from Americore. On March 1, 2018, Americore wired a $200,000 loan into the personal accounts of James Biden and his wife, Sara. That same day, James Biden wrote the president a $200,000 check from the same personal account. “Some immediate questions President Biden must answer for the American people: Does he have documents proving he lent such a large sum of money to his brother and what were the terms of such financial arrangement?” House Oversight Committee Chairman James Comer said in October. “Did he have similar financial arrangements with other family members that led them to make similar large payments to him?” Fox said the money paid to the president could have come from two sources: predatory loans or senior citizens’ money fraudulently invested by James Biden’s business partner, Michael Lewitt. Comer previously said that even if the payment was “a personal loan repayment, it’s still troubling that Joe Biden’s ability to be paid back by his brother depended on the success of his family’s shady financial dealings.” A source with direct knowledge of the interview told Fox News Digital that Fox said she has no evidence of President Biden being involved in any of his brother’s business dealings. She also said the $350,000 settlement with James Biden was fair and equitable.
Sen. Cardin breaks silence after staffer allegedly fired over sex tape filmed in hearing room
Sen. Ben Cardin, D-Md., has broken his silence after one of his staffers was allegedly fired over a sex tape filmed in a Senate hearing room. “I was angry. I was disappointed,” Cardin told Fox News earlier Monday when speaking about the scandal. “It’s a breach of trust.” Cardin would not name the staffer in question, only saying it was a “personnel issue.” The Democratic Senator said he was not aware of any further disciplinary issues against the staffer and hadn’t spoken to him since the firing. He added that the Capitol Police are investigating the incident. WHERE NO CONGRESS HAS GONE BEFORE: FACING GALACTIC-SCALE FISCAL CLIFF AND BORDER SECURITY THREATS The scandal erupted Friday when the Daily Caller published the video with the blurred-out faces of two men engaging in sex in Hart Senate Office Building room 216, a location where several high-profile hearings have taken place in recent years, including Supreme Court confirmation hearings. Posts on social media said the alleged staffer worked for Sen. Cardin, whose office soon after announced that the aide had been dismissed. It did not address reports linking a member of his staff to the sex tape. Fox has learned that the Senate sex tape was recorded last week. But the time of day is unclear. A Congressional security source is promising a “thorough investigation” with interviews upcoming. While there are currently no pending charges in the case, a security source did not rule out the possibility.
‘We would welcome India’s constructive engagement…’: US on resolving Russia-Ukraine, Israel-Hamas wars
US State Department said on Monday (local time) that Secretary of State Antony Blinken has a “close productive working relationship” with External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar.
Allahabad HC to pronounce verdict on pleas challenging Gyanvapi survey today
The petitions filed have also challenged a Varanasi court order of April 8, 2021, to conduct a comprehensive survey of the Gyanvapi mosque.
Hunter Biden given date for initial court appearance in California on tax charges
Hunter Biden will make his initial appearance in a California federal court on nine tax-related charges on Jan. 11, 2024. Biden will appear before Magistrate Judge Alka Sagar at 1 p.m., according to the Central District of California’s court calendar. The court is located in Los Angeles. During an initial court hearing, defendants learn more about their rights and charges against them, according to the Justice Department‘s website. A judge then decides whether the defendant will be released or not if they meet the requirements for bail. “Before the judge makes the decision on whether to grant bail, they must hold a hearing to learn facts about the defendant including how long the defendant has lived in the area, if they have family nearby, prior criminal record, and if they have threatened any witnesses in the case. The judge also considers the defendant’s potential danger to the community,” the DOJ states. FROM SEX CLUBS TO STRIPPERS: HERE ARE THE 5 MOST SALACIOUS DETAILS FROM THE HUNTER BIDEN INDICTMENT Biden faces federal charges in connection with a “four-year scheme” in which he didn’t pay his federal income taxes from January 2017 to October 2020 while also filing false tax reports. The charges break down to three felonies and six misdemeanors centered around $1.4 million in owed taxes that were since paid. Special Counsel David Weiss alleged Hunter “engaged in a four-year scheme to not pay at least $1.4 million in self-assessed federal taxes he owed for tax years 2016 through 2019, from in or about January 2017 through in or about October 15, 2020, and to evade the assessment of taxes for tax year 2018 when he filed false returns in or about February 2020.” HUNTER BIDEN FACES NEW INDICTMENT IN CALIFORNIA Weiss said Biden spent millions to fund an extravagant lifestyle rather than paying his tax bills. “[W]hen he did finally file his 2018 returns, included false business deductions in order to evade assessment of taxes to reduce the substantial tax liabilities he faced as of February 2020,” Weiss alleged. Hunter pleaded not guilty in October to federal gun charges in U.S. District Court for the District of Delaware after being charged out of Weiss’ yearslong investigation. Earlier this month, Biden’s lawyer, Abbe Lowell, attacked Weiss over the charges. “Based on the facts and the law, if Hunter’s last name was anything other than Biden, the charges in Delaware, and now California, would not have been brought,” he said on Dec. 7. “First, U.S. Attorney Weiss bowed to Republican pressure to file unprecedented and unconstitutional gun charges to renege on a non-prosecution resolution. Now, after five years of investigating with no new evidence — and two years after Hunter paid his taxes in full – the U.S. Attorney has piled on nine new charges when he had agreed just months ago to resolve this matter with a pair of misdemeanors.” Biden still faces the possibility of being held in contempt of Congress after refusing to comply with a subpoena to appear before House lawmakers to testify about his financial dealings. Fox News Digital’s Houston Keene contributed to this report.
Texas Gov. Abbott signs bill making illegal immigration a state crime
Texas Gov. Greg Abbott on Monday signed a new law giving police the authority to arrest migrants who cross the border illegally. At the signing ceremony, Gov. Abbott said the goal of Senate Bill 4 was to “stop the tidal wave of illegal entry into Texas.” Once in custody, migrants could either agree to a Texas judge’s order to leave the U.S. or be prosecuted on misdemeanor charges of illegal entry. Migrants who don’t comply could face arrest again under more serious felony charges. The move marks a dramatic step by the Republican governor to police immigration. Abbott has repeatedly slammed the Biden administration for not doing enough to address the border crisis. Texas has bused more than 65,000 migrants to cities across America and installed razor wire along the banks of the Rio Grande. The law is likely to face legal challenges as immigration enforcement is a federal responsibility. Opponents, meanwhile, have called the measure the most dramatic attempt by a state to police immigration since a 2010 Arizona law — denounced by critics as the “Show Me Your Papers” bill — that was largely struck down by the U.S. Supreme Court. WHERE NO CONGRESS HAS GONE BEFORE: FACING GALACTIC-SCALE FISCAL CLIFF AND BORDER SECURITY THREATS Thirty former U.S. immigration judges, who served under both Republican and Democratic administrations, signed a letter this month condemning the measure as unconstitutional. Mexico also rebuked the measure. Under bilateral and international agreements, Mexico is required to accept deportations of its citizens, but not those of other countries. Under the Texas law, migrants ordered to leave would be sent to ports of entry along the border with Mexico, even if they are not Mexican citizens. “The Mexican government categorically rejects any measure that would allow local or state authorities to detain or deport Mexicans or other nationalities to Mexican soil,” Mexico’s foreign relations department wrote in a statement. Fox News Digital has reached out to the White House and Gov. Abbott’s office for further comment. Fiscal Year 2023 has broken new records, with more than 2.4 million migrant encounters at the border. September saw a record for encounters at the southern border, while the following month saw a record for encounters in October — with more than 240,000 encounters border-wide. Funding for more resources at the border has stalled in recent weeks, as Republicans demand it be coupled with restrictions on asylum and the use of parole — a demand which some Democrats have balked at.
Nebraska Sen. Fischer slams ‘highly troubling’ border railway operations suspension: ‘economic crisis’
Sen. Deb Fischer, R-Neb., told Secretary of Homeland Security Alejandro Mayorkas in a letter that suspending the international railway bridges in Eagle Pass and El Paso, Texas was “highly troubling,” as failed efforts to control the border crisis are now putting a strain on supply chains and the economy. U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) announced on Sunday that it would be suspending operations at international railway crossing bridges in the two Texas cities along the southern border in response to the recent resurgence of smuggling organizations using freight trains to move migrants through Mexico to the U.S. border. The suspension went into effect at 8 a.m. on Monday, just days after thousands of migrants were seen on video, lined up along railroad tracks as a freight train passed nearly three hours south of Eagle Pass, Texas. US CUSTOMS TO SUSPEND RAILWAY OPERATIONS AT INTERNATIONAL CROSSINGS INTO TEXAS STARTING MONDAY CBP said the decision to suspend the crossing bridges was made in order to redirect personnel to assist U.S. Border Patrol with taking migrants into custody. Fischer raised concerns that the suspension came after similar suspensions in operations or closures at pedestrian crossings in Eagle Pass, Texas, Lukeville, Arizona and San Ysidro in San Diego, California. “It is highly troubling that the failed efforts to contain the border crisis are now placing a strain on the United States’ supply chains and economy,” Fischer wrote to Mayorkas. “The border crisis is not new. Since President Biden took office, CBP personnel have encountered over 6.6 million migrants – not counting additional millions of got-aways.” THOUSANDS OF MIGRANTS WAIT A FEW HOURS FROM EAGLE PASS, TEXAS TO CATCH TRAINS HEADED FOR SOUTHERN BORDER The senator broke down numbers for different sectors, saying El Paso and the field office saw 482,088 encounters during fiscal year 2023, up nearly 50% from 2022. In Del Rio, she continued, the numbers remained elevated with nearly 400,000 migrant encounters during fiscal year 2023. “Your office had an opportunity to implement policies that would stem the flow of illegal migration to prevent these suspensions from reoccurring,” Fischer said. “Instead, you failed to act and placed a heavier burden on American businesses and industries.” MIGRANT ENCOUNTERS HIT DAILY RECORD AT SOUTHERN BORDER, AS WASHINGTON STRUGGLES TO AGREE ON SOLUTIONS The senator’s main concern, though, is that Mexico is a top market for agricultural products out of Nebraska. The products are shipped using the railroad, and the suspension of operations in Eagle Pass and El Paso will have a negative effect on the transportation of goods from Nebraska to Mexico. Fischer said the state exported $590.4 million of corn and $280.6 million of soybeans and soybean products to Mexico in 2021, and the disruptions will not only affect Nebraska, but will impact Illinois, Iowa, Kansas, Minnesota and Missouri. She asked Mayorkas for a timeline of the closure and what his plan is to ensure the timely reopening of the crossings. 5,000 ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS RELEASED EVERY DAY INTO US, ADMIN OFFICIALS PRIVATELY TELL LAWMAKERS Fischer also asked the secretary what policy changes the Department of Homeland Security plans to implement to ensure disruptions in operations do not happen again, while also asking for daily figures concerning average migrant encounters in El Paso and Del Rio. “Closing the railways in Eagle Pass and El Paso will cost agricultural producers across the United States millions per day,” she wrote. “The ongoing border crisis is no longer simply a national security and humanitarian crisis – it is an economic crisis. It is past time to enact policies that curb the record levels of migration at our southern border.” Closing the railways will likely cause inflation, which according to a Fox News poll in November, was a major concern for most voters. BIDEN CAMPAIGN OFFICIAL SAYS ONE TERM NOT ENOUGH TO FIX FINANCIAL WOES The poll found 78% of voters rate the economy negatively, and the majority feel the worst isn’t over. Inflation was the top concern of the majority of those surveyed, but only 29% of voters approved of Biden’s handling of the issue, while 69% said they disapproved. Homeland Security falls under the Biden administration, and the decision to shut down the international crossings for freight trains ultimately falls on the president, who has been trying to prove the economy is better today than when he took office. “Bidenomics,” a term that President Biden has repeatedly used to tout his economic achievements during his presidency, has become unpopular within a Democratic Party struggling to convince voters that life is better under Biden. A number of historians and liberal columnists have advised Biden to stop using “Bidenomics,” with liberal presidential historian Douglas Brinkley telling NBC News the messaging “fell flat” with the public. Jeffrey Clark of Fox News Digital contributed to this report.