Republican Gov. Glenn Youngkin of Virginia says with Trump’s election, ‘we’ve got a friend in the White House’
MARCO ISLAND, FL – EXCLUSIVE – After some high-profile battles with President Biden’s administration the past three years, Republican Gov. Glenn Youngkin says that President-elect Trump’s decisive election victory earlier this month means he now has “a friend in the White House.” Youngkin, the popular Virginia governor who’s entering his final year in office, argued in an exclusive Fox News Digital interview that “as a governor who’s been driving pro-business and strong education and safe communities and lower tax rates, we now have someone in the White House who believes in all of that.” “I look forward to us having the wind at our backs as opposed to in our face,” Youngkin said as he spoke Tuesday on the sidelines of the Republican Governors Association annual winter meeting, which is being held this year at a southwestern Florida waterfront resort. And pointing to his final year steering Virginia, Youngkin said “I can’t wait to see what we’re going to do having the wind at our back from the Trump administration.” HEAD HERE FOR THE LATEST FOX NEWS REPORTING ON THE TRUMP TRANSITION There was plenty of speculation regarding Youngkin potentially serving in a top position in the second Trump administration, but the governor in a recent call with the president-elect made it clear he intends to finish out his term. But he doesn’t sound like he’s ruling out serving in the Trump administration after he finishes up in Richmond in a year. “I told the president when I called him and told him that I wanted to finish my term, that I would be available to help him at any time while I’m governor and afterwards,” Youngkin said. TRUMP FAR AHEAD OF HIS FIRST TERM PACE IN NAMING HIS CABINET Youngkin energized Republicans nationwide three years ago, as the first-time candidate who hailed from the party’s business wing edged out former Democratic Gov. Terry McAuliffe to become the first GOP candidate in a dozen years to win a gubernatorial election in the one-time swing state that had trended towards the Democrats over the previous decade. The governor instantly became a Republican rock star and speculation stirred about a possible 2024 White House run. But Youngkin and his party suffered a setback a year ago in legislative elections that grabbed outsized national attention, as Democrats retained control of the Virginia state Senate and flipped the House of Delegates. While Youngkin wasn’t on the ballot, he had plenty riding on the results, after investing plenty of political capital on behalf of Republican legislative candidates. The results also meant Youngkin wouldn’t have a free hand during his final two years in office to push through a conservative agenda. Youngkin returned to the campaign trail this year in Virginia and a couple of key battleground states, to help campaign on behalf of Republicans up and down the ballot. And he spoke at a large rally Trump held in conservative southwest Virginia the weekend before Election Day. While Vice President Kamala Harris carried the Commonwealth in the White House race, her margin over Trump was 4.5 points narrower than President Biden’s victory in the state four years earlier, as Trump and Republicans over performed expectations. The results appear to have given Youngkin more clout ahead of his final legislative session. Democrats who over the past year were united in opposition to the governor’s proposed tax cuts, may now be receptive to negotiating. Asked if the Democrats are now ready to play ball, Youngkin said “I’m hoping they are. I think that the recognition that Virginians want to keep more of their hard-earned money has really engaged everyone in a dialogue on how to provide tax relief.” He argued the election results “demonstrated record job growth which has created surplus after surplus after surplus is driven by pro-business standards.” And he emphasized that “we’re going to come back with a big tax package again, and we’re going to make sure we’re standing strong for education and strong for public safety.” “I’m optimistic,” he added, but acknowledged that “it will be a normal legislative process. We have a legislative – we’re a one seat minority in the House and the Senate – so we have to go to work to get things done.” All political eyes will be on Virginia in 2025, as the Commonwealth and New Jersey are the only two states to hold gubernatorial elections in the year after a presidential election. But Virginia governors, by law, are prevented from running for re-election to a second straight term. That doesn’t mean Youngkin will disappear from the campaign trail in 2025. He says it’s just the opposite. VIRGINIA’S YOUNGKIN ENDORSES HIS LT. GOVERNOR TO SUCCEED HIM “You’re going to see me a lot,” he touted. “We’ve got a very aggressive agenda for being governor in the last 14 months. But part of that agenda that I have is to make sure that we have [Lt. Gov.] Winsome Sears as our next governor. [Virginia Attorney General] Jason Miyares back as our attorney general and a super lieutenant governor who we will pick at our primaries.” Youngkin predicted that “Virginians are going to make clear that they want to keep doing more of what we’re doing that’s proving record job growth and opportunity and great outcomes in schools and safe communities.” The 2025 Virginia gubernatorial showdown is shaping up as a contest between Sears and Democratic Rep. Abigail Spanberger, a former CIA officer. The winner will make history as the state’s first ever female governor. And Sears, if she wins, will also make history as the nation’s first Black female elected governor. Youngkin pushed back when asked if Sears, who served in the Marine Corps and made history as the first woman in Virginia to hold statewide office, is too conservative for voters. “Not at all,” the governor quickly responded. “And Winsome is a commonsense conservative leader. We have been partners literally from day one. We campaigned together. We were elected together. We have governed together. And
House Ethics Committee plans to discuss probe into Gaetz after resignation from Congress
The House Ethics Committee may meet on Wednesday to discuss its investigation into allegations against now-former Rep. Matt Gaetz one week after President-elect Donald Trump tapped him to be the next attorney general. The meeting comes after a woman reportedly told the Ethics Committee that she had sexual relations with Gaetz when she was 17 years old, according to ABC News. The Department of Justice (DOJ) had previously spoken to the woman, now in her 20s, as part of its yearslong investigation into Gaetz related to accusations of sex trafficking and obstruction of justice, according to the outlet. The House Ethics Committee was investigating the accusations and was expected to vote on whether to release the committee’s report into Gaetz last Friday. However, the meeting did not take place after Gaetz announced his immediate resignation from Congress just two days prior. JOHNSON BLASTS DEM ACCUSATIONS HE VOWED TO END OBAMACARE AS ‘DISHONEST’ Rep. Michael Guest, R-Miss., chair of the House Ethics Committee, told reporters after Gaetz’s nomination that his panel would lose jurisdiction over the Florida Republican if he left Congress. “If Mr. Gaetz were to resign because he is taking a position with the administration as the attorney general, then the Ethics Committee loses jurisdiction at that point,” Guest said before news of Gaetz leaving. “Once we lose jurisdiction, there would not be a report that would be issued. That’s not unique to this case.” MATT GAETZ FACES GOP SENATE OPPOSITION AFTER TRUMP SELECTION FOR ATTORNEY GENERAL Following his resignation from Congress, officials debated whether the investigation findings should be released ahead of Gaetz’s confirmation hearing. Several Republicans, including GOP senators critical in determining his confirmation, have said the report should be released if Gaetz were to go through the attorney general vetting process. A spokesperson for Sen. Dick Durbin, D-Ill., who presides over the Senate Judiciary Committee, said he has advocated for the report’s release to the public. “There is longstanding precedent for releasing ethics investigation materials after a member resigns, whether in the House or Senate,” said Josh Sorbe. “The now-former congressman shouldn’t be able to resign away an ethics investigation involving allegations of grave misconduct, especially when he will be nominated to be our country’s top law enforcement officer.” A House Republican told Politico on condition of anonymity that Gaetz was stepping down from Congress to “stymie the ethics investigation that is coming out in one week.” MIKE JOHNSON WINS REPUBLICAN SUPPORT TO BE HOUSE SPEAKER AGAIN AFTER TRUMP ENDORSEMENT However, at a press conference, House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., said Gaetz told him he resigned abruptly to expedite the process of filling his House seat through a special election. The House Ethics Committee’s investigation into Gaetz, which began in 2021, stems from accusations of illicit drug use and sex with a minor. The DOJ, which Gaetz has been tapped to lead, ultimately did not press charges, and Gaetz has consistently denied all wrongdoing. Johnson has said he does not believe the report should be released. “The speaker of the House is not involved with those things. I am reacting to media reports that a report is currently in some draft form and was going to be released on what is now a former member of the House. I do not believe that that is an appropriate thing,” the House speaker said. “That would open up Pandora’s box, and I don’t think that’s a healthy thing for the institution, so that’s my position.” Fox News’ Daniel Scully contributed to this report.
Hacker obtains House ethics testimony on Matt Gaetz as Trump makes calls for AG nominee
David French, the conservative New York Times contributor and longtime anti-Trumper, has a provocative take on why the president-elect won. It’s the economy and the border, stupid. “I can’t help but think that if the withdrawal from Afghanistan hadn’t been a bloody mess (that’s when President Biden’s approval rating went underwater, and it never came back), if inflation hadn’t spiked and if migration hadn’t surged at the border, then we’d be having a different conversation. “I know that the Harris campaign had answers for all these criticisms. The American people wanted to end the Afghan war, and Biden was saddled with Trump’s terrible deal with the Taliban. Inflation was a global phenomenon, and it was unfair to entirely blame Biden when, by 2023, America had the lowest inflation rate among the Group of 7 countries. The Biden administration had finally cracked down on the border and had endorsed a tough new border bill.” WHY TRUMP IS STICKING WITH GAETZ, HEGSETH DESPITE NEW ACCUSATIONS – AND HIS ‘MORNING JOE’ MEETING He adds that “they also rightly argued that Trump nostalgia was misplaced. It was wrong to give the former president a pass for the pandemic or for the chaos and murder spikes of 2020. His term did not end in 2019, with peace and prosperity. It ended near the beginning of 2021 with disease, violence and cultural decay. Even the memories of the time before Covid are idealized.” So it was really Joe Biden who lost the election by letting inflation spiral – he was, in fairness, digging out of the pandemic – and turning the border into a free-for-all zone. He was also a terrible salesman for a series of bipartisan victories. When his mental decline became obvious at the debate, and he stepped aside for Kamala Harris, she had to run on that record – and famously told “The View” that she couldn’t think of a single thing where she differed with the president. So the powerless Democrats may be more screwed than you think. THE PODCAST CAMPAIGN: IS IT CURTAINS FOR MAINSTREAM MEDIA? Given the party’s evolution from champion of the working class to representing the highly educated coastal elites in politics, academia and journalism, the Dems are left without a winning coalition they once took for granted. In a Times news story, Jennifer Medina writes: “The working-class voters Vice President Kamala Harris’s presidential campaign needed were not moved by talk of joy. They were too angry about feeling broke. “The losses up and down the ballot leave Democrats in crisis. Voters without a college degree make up a solid majority of the electorate. Without them, the White House could be out of reach. And for a party that stands for and takes pride in its diversity, the erosion of support from voters of color calls its identity into question.” What’s more, in interviewing hundreds of working-class minority voters, Medina found that “for many, hope had already hardened into cynicism. Promises about affordable housing fell flat and promoting accomplishments on insulin prices failed to break through. Simply put, their trust in the Democratic Party was gone.” MEDIA LIBERALS SAVAGE KAMALA AS TRUMP PICKS EXPERIENCED HARD-LINERS Now that brings us to Donald Trump’s self-proclaimed mandate, even if CNN was happy to report that Trump’s vote share had dropped slightly below 50% (Who cares? He’s the 47th president.) Now comes news, first reported by ABC, that an unidentified hacker has obtained the sworn testimony of Matt Gaetz accusers from the House ethics probe and apparently plans to make it public. The hacker accessed the file through a law firm involved in a civil suit against Joel Greenberg, a former Gaetz pal now serving an 11-year prison term for sex trafficking. The file includes testimony under oath by a woman who says she had sex with Gaetz when she was 17, back in 2017, and from another woman saying she witnessed the sexual encounter. Asked for comment, Trump transition spokesman Alex Pfeiffer said: “Matt Gaetz will be the next attorney general. He’s the right man for the job and will end the weaponization of our justice system. “These are baseless allegations intended to derail the second Trump administration. The Biden Justice Department investigated Gaetz for years and cleared him of wrongdoing. The only people who went to prison over these allegations were those lying about Matt Gaetz.” Trump is making calls on behalf of Gaetz, and J.D. Vance is escorting him and other nominees around the Hill. The Times reports that Trump realizes that Gaetz may not be confirmed. This is a matter of simple math, since most GOP senators have not committed to supporting him. Yet the president-elect will not back off or force Gaetz to withdraw the nomination. But if Gaetz falls short, it would be hard for the Senate to reject a replacement nominee, who might have the same views on disrupting and perhaps politicizing the DOJ, but without the ex-congressman’s baggage. The House ethics panel, while stymied by Gaetz’s abrupt resignation, is meeting today on the report. One new disclosure that could hurt him: Gaetz used his adopted son’s PayPal account to pay one of the women, who was not a minor. Doesn’t that sound like someone with something embarrassing to hide? The Democrats have some influence in this process, as they’d only have to pick off four of the 53 GOP senators to block Matt Gaetz. But they are also consumed by their election shellacking and will have a hard time defeating Trump on just about anything.
BJP’s ‘Bitcoin fraud’ allegation against MVA on voting day in Maharashtra, Supriya Sule responds: ‘Rama Krishna Hari’
A major controversy surrounding the opposition Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) bloc has triggered a row in Maharashtra, on the day of voting.
‘With Pakistan, the main issue…’: India’s Ambassador at United Nations makes BIG statement
Responding to a question on Pakistan during an interactive session after the keynote address, India’s Permanent Representative to the UN Ambassador Parvathanen Harish said Prime Minister Narendra Modi made an effort to reach out and engage with Pakistan.
Jharkhand records 12.71% voter turnout in 2nd phase of Assembly polls; Maharashtra records low 6.61% turnout
As per the polling body’s data in Maharashtra, the naxal-hit district Gadchiroli recorded the highest voter turnout of 12.33 per cent, while the district of Osmanabad recorded the lowest voter turnout of 4.85 per cent till 9 am.
Prosecutors open to delaying Trump’s sentencing in hush money case
New York prosecutors say they are opposed to dismissing United States President-elect Donald Trump’s hush money case but have expressed openness to delaying his sentencing until after his second term. In a court filing Tuesday, the Manhattan District Attorney’s Office argued that Trump’s forthcoming presidency does not warrant dismissing a case that has already gone through the courts. However, “given the need to balance competing constitutional interests”, prosecutors said that “consideration must be given” to possibly pumping the brakes on the case until Trump exits office again. The case has long been plagued by delays. Last week, Judge Juan Merchan delayed ruling on Trump’s previous efforts to overturn his conviction related to a July ruling by the US Supreme Court, which allows a president’s immunity from criminal prosecution for official acts in office. It is unclear when the judge could rule on the matter. He could opt to delay the case for an undisclosed period of time or wait to see how a federal appeals court rules on Trump’s simultaneous attempts to move the case out of state court. In Tuesday’s court filing, prosecutors argued that “no current law establishes that a president’s temporary immunity from prosecution requires the dismissal of a post-trial criminal proceeding that was initiated at a time when the defendant was not immune from criminal prosecution and that’s based on unofficial conduct for which the defendant is also not immune”. Prosecutors stressed the need to “proceed in a manner that preserves both the independence of the Executive and the integrity of the criminal justice system”. Trump was found guilty on all counts in May of falsifying business records in a historic trial, becoming the first US president in history to be charged and convicted of a crime. The reality star billionaire had faced 34 felony counts of falsifying business documents tied to a $130,000 hush money payment made to adult film actress Stormy Daniels in the run-up to the 2016 US presidential election. A possible dismissal of the case would automatically dispose of Trump’s criminal record and a potential prison term. Former US President Donald Trump returns to the courtroom during his hush money trial at Manhattan Criminal Court on May 30, 2024, in New York City [Michael M Santiago/Reuters] Trump’s sentencing had been set for November 26. Following his victory in the November 5 presidential election, Trump’s lawyers pressed Merchan to toss it. They argued the case must be thrown out “to facilitate the orderly transition of executive power — and in the interests of justice”. On Tuesday, the incoming White House communications director, Steven Cheung, blasted prosecutors’ latest filing as a major win for Trump. “This is a total and definitive victory for President Trump and the American People who elected him in a landslide,” Cheung said in a statement, cited by The Associated Press. “President Trump’s legal team is moving to get it dismissed once and for all.” Prosecutors say Trump engaged in the hush money scheme with former lawyer-fixer Michael Cohen to facilitate a payment to Daniels to buy her silence regarding a tryst a decade earlier. Trump, who later paid Cohen back, recorded the payments as legal expenses in an effort to obscure their true nature, according to prosecutors. Trump has pledged to appeal the verdict if the case is not dismissed. He has long denied any wrongdoing or that he had sexual relations with Daniels. He called the verdict against him “rigged” and “disgraceful”, singling out the efforts of Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg as part of a vengeful “witch-hunt” bent on smearing his campaign. Al Jazeera has reached out to Bragg’s office for comment. Some legal analysts, however, say prosecutors could face an uphill battle in ultimately securing a sentence against Trump. Supporters of Republican presidential candidate and former US President Donald Trump wait outside the Manhattan criminal court on May 30, 2024, to hear a verdict in Trump’s criminal trial over charges that he falsified business records to conceal money paid to silence porn actress Stormy Daniels in 2016 [Cheney Orr/ Reuters] David Shapiro, a lecturer at New York’s John Jay College of Criminal Justice and a financial crimes expert, said he was not surprised by prosecutors’ latest filing, noting that Bragg’s office had assumed a “risk-averse” posture in pushing back against Trump’s legal teams’ efforts to dismiss the case. He highlighted, however, the highly unusual legal scenario of delaying a potential sentencing until 2029, when Trump leaves office. “It’s unprecedented,” Shapiro told Al Jazeera. “The idea that this matter should be postponed until the end of the president’s term – it does not strike me as a just resolution,” Shapiro said. “I think the best outcome of this war for justice is for somebody to make a decision to make it final.” Shapiro laid out several possible legal routes Merchan could take in the coming days and weeks. “One, the judge can say, ‘I’m sentencing you. This doesn’t involve any immunity issues. We’re going to sentence you before you’re inaugurated.’” Shapiro said he could also see the presiding judge issuing an unconditional discharge in the matter, instead of officially sentencing Trump, a pathway which he deemed more likely. Trump’s guilty verdict would effectively stand, but he would not face any type of prison sentence or fines. “That way, everybody saves face,” Shapiro explained. “Mr Trump can appeal it, and whatever. The prosecutors save face. The judge saves face. And the United States is not harmed by an impaired president.” The hush money trial is one of four criminal indictments Trump has faced following the end of his first term in office, all of which are currently in limbo following this month’s presidential election. Special Counsel Jack Smith is in the midst of closing two of his open cases against Trump, which involve Trump’s alleged involvement in overturning the 2020 election and separate accusations that he stashed troves of classified documents at his Mar-a-Lago estate. Another case in Georgia involving allegations of state election interference there is
Israeli attack kills 3 more Lebanese soldiers as death toll passes 40
The number of Lebanese troops killed in Israeli attacks since October 2023 is reported to have reached 41 after latest attack kills three soldiers in southern Lebanon. Three Lebanese soldiers have been killed in an Israeli air strike on an army base in southern Lebanon’s town of Sarafand, while at least 17 civilians living nearby the facility were injured, the country’s military and Ministry of Public Health said. “The Israeli enemy targeted an army centre in the town of Sarafand in the south, which led to the martyrdom of three soldiers,” the Lebanese military said in a post on social media late on Tuesday. Lebanon’s Health Ministry said that 17 people were injured in the strike after reporting earlier that Israeli attacks across the country over the previous 24 hours had killed 28 people and wounded 107 – bringing the death toll in Lebanon since fighting erupted between Hezbollah and Israel in October 2023 to 3,544 dead and more than 15,000 injured. The Lebanese army’s spokesperson, Fadi Eid, told The Associated Press (AP) news agency before the attack in Sarafand that 38 soldiers had been killed in Israeli strikes since October last year. The three latest casualties bring the overall death toll in the Lebanese army to 41, the AP reported. استهدف العدو الإسرائيلي مركزًا للجيش في بلدة الصرفند- الجنوب، ما أدى إلى استشهاد ٣ عسكريين.#الجيش_اللبناني #LebaneseArmy pic.twitter.com/QKy5BcCTYe — الجيش اللبناني (@LebarmyOfficial) November 19, 2024 Translation: The Israeli enemy targeted an army centre in the town of Sarafand in the south, which led to the martyrdom of three soldiers. On Sunday, Israeli forces bombed a Lebanese military post in Mari, in the southeastern Hasbaiyya province, killing two soldiers and critically injuring three others. The Israeli military has not yet commented on its latest killing of Lebanese soldiers who have for months provided security for Lebanese civilians and engaged in search and rescue efforts amid the fighting between Hezbollah and Israel. Lebanon’s government said on Monday that it plans to file a formal complaint with the United Nations Security Council over “repeated attacks” by Israel on its army, and accused Israeli forces of repeated violations of international law. Earlier on Tuesday, Italy’s Ministry of Defence reported that eight rockets hit the headquarters of the Italian contingent of the UN peacekeeping force, UNIFIL, in Chama, in southern Lebanon, and Ghanaian peacekeepers were injured in a rocket explosion in nearby Ramyah. “Four Ghanaian peacekeepers on duty sustained injuries as a rocket – fired most likely by non-state actors within Lebanon – hit their base” in the village of Ramyah, UNIFIL said in a statement. Though no injuries were reported, five Italian soldiers are being monitored in the Chama base’s medical facility after the rocket attack, Italy’s Defence Ministry said in its statement. Investigations are also under way to determine where the rockets originated and to identify those responsible for the attack, which hit some outdoor areas and the base’s supply warehouse. Also on Tuesday, Argentina informed UNIFIL that it would be pulling out of the peacekeeping mission in Lebanon. “Argentina has asked its officers to go back [to Argentina],” UNIFIL spokesperson Andrea Tenenti said in response to a question about a newspaper report. He declined to comment on the reason for the Argentinian departure, referring the question to Argentina’s government. Argentina is one of 48 countries contributing peacekeepers to UNIFIL, with a total of three staff currently in Lebanon, according to a UN website. UNIFIL has previously referred to “unacceptable pressures being exerted on the mission through various channels”, amid demands by the Israeli military for UN personnel to leave their bases and withdraw from southern Lebanon. More than 20 peacekeepers have been injured in the past two months and several UNIFIL bases have been damaged by Israeli air attacks, which Israel has claimed were unintentional. Israel accuses UNIFIL peacekeeping bases of shielding Hezbollah fighters. UNIFIL has rejected Israel’s demands to evacuate from southern Lebanon for its own safety. Adblock test (Why?)
Rio Tinto employees report rise in bullying, sexual assault
Half of survey respondents also say mining giant’s workplace culture has improved ‘a lot’ or ‘a little’. More than one-third of workers at Rio Tinto experienced bullying in the previous 12 months, a progress review has found, nearly three years after the mining giant pledged to tackle pervasive sexism and racism in the workplace. Among the nearly 12,000 surveyed Rio Tinto employees, 39 percent reported being bullied, up from 31 percent in 2021, the report commissioned by the British-Australian company showed on Wednesday. Female employees were more likely to say they experienced bullying. Half of the women surveyed reported such experiences, compared with 36 percent of men, up from 36 percent of women and 29 percent of men, respectively, in 2021. The rise in bullying against women was partly due to “increasing retaliation in the form of gendered bullying as a response to Rio Tinto’s efforts to promote gender diversity and inclusion,” the report said. Seven percent of respondents – 16 percent of women and 4 percent of men – said they had experienced sexual harassment, a proportion unchanged from 2021. Eight employees said they had experienced actual or attempted sexual assault or rape, compared with five in 2021. Despite the findings, about half of the employees reported that the workplace culture at the company had improved. Fifty percent of respondents said the situation in relation to bullying had gotten “a lot” or “a little” better, while 47 percent and 46 percent of respondents, respectively, reported improvements in relation to sexual harassment and racism. The review also found that 26 of the recommendations outlined in the 2022 Everyday Respect Report commissioned by the company had been largely implemented. Rio Tinto’s chief executive, Jakob Stausholm, said he was “greatly troubled” that workers were still experiencing harmful behaviours but encouraged by the company’s efforts to change. “The review also shows that while progress is being made, achieving the sustained change we want to see in our culture will require ongoing focus and effort,” Stausholm said in a statement. “My message today is that we will stay the course.” The review, conducted by former Australian Sex Discrimination Commissioner Elizabeth Broderick, comes after a 2022 parliamentary inquiry in Western Australia found that sexual harassment and assault were widespread in the mining sector. Adblock test (Why?)
Kerala lottery TODAY November 20 Live Fifty Fifty FF 118 Wednesday lucky draw results at 1pm, check full winners list
This lottery is part of the Kerala State Lotteries, which offers tickets in 12 different series that may vary weekly. Each week, approximately 1.08 crore tickets are available for purchase, with the top prize amounting to a remarkable Rs 1 crore.