Maharashtra Assembly Polls 2024: Voting for 288 seats today, check polling time, key constituencies, candidates and date
The 288 assembly seats are categorized as follows: 234 general, 29 reserved for Scheduled Castes (SC), and 25 reserved for Scheduled Tribes (ST).
Jharkhand Assembly Election 2024: Final phase of voting today, NDA, INDIA to fight for 38 seats
This phase will decide the electoral fate of Jharkhand CM Hemant Soren, his wife Kalpana Soren (both JMM), and Leader of Opposition Amar Kumar Bauri (BJP) besides more than 500 other candidates
Texas offers Starr County ranch to Trump for mass deportation plans
Texas Land Commissioner Dawn Buckingham said the state’s recently-purchased 1,400-acre ranch could be used as a deportation hub.
Trump taps former WWE CEO Linda McMahon to serve as education secretary
President-elect Trump announced on Tuesday night that he intends to appoint Linda McMahon, former CEO of World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE), to lead the Department of Education. His announcement, which was posted on Truth Social, came hours after two sources told Fox News that McMahon was likely to be picked. “It is my great honor to announce that Linda McMahon, former Administrator of the Small Business Administration, will be the United States Secretary of Education,” Trump’s statement read. “As Secretary of Education, Linda will fight tirelessly to expand ‘Choice’ to every State in America, and empower parents to make the best Education decisions for their families,” the press release added. “Linda served for two years on the Connecticut Board of Education, where she was one of fifteen members overseeing all Public Education in the State, including its Technical High School system.” TRUMP TAPS FCC MEMBER BRENDAN CARR TO LEAD AGENCY: ‘WARRIOR FOR FREE SPEECH’ McMahon, who served as administrator of the Small Business Administration in the first Trump administration, is the wife of Vince McMahon. The couple both co-founded WWE in 1980. “Linda will use her decades of Leadership experience, and deep understanding of both Education and Business, to empower the next Generation of American Students and Workers, and make America Number One in Education in the World,” Trump’s statement concluded. “We will send Education BACK TO THE STATES, and Linda will spearhead that effort.” McMahon served in the Trump administration from 2017 to 2019. When she resigned, she wrote that the role had been “immensely rewarding.” FORMER TRUMP EDUCATION SECRETARY LAYS OUT ‘UNFINISHED BUSINESS’ FOR NEW ADMIN ON SCHOOL REFORMS “While it has truly been the honor of a lifetime to serve our country in this Administration, it is time for me to step down and return to the private sector,” McMahon wrote in 2019. “I wish to thank the President and I will continue to be a strong advocate for him and his policies.” Trump has previously floated the idea of disbanding the Department of Education, which began operating in 1980. The agency’s website says that its mission is to “promote student achievement and preparation for global competitiveness by fostering educational excellence and ensuring equal access for students of all ages.” Former Education Secretary Betsy DeVos told Fox News host Martha MacCallum last week that the Department of Education “doesn’t really add any value anywhere. DeVos advised that the opportunity for Trump to radically change the department is “wide open.” “Take the power away from the Department of Education, block-grant those funds, continue to invest in education, but get it down to a much more local level where better decisions are made on behalf of students,” DeVos said. “The bureaucrats at the Department of Education aren’t doing the job. They haven’t done the job for more than four decades to close the achievement gaps — they’ve only widened.” Fox News Digital’s Joshua Comins contributed to this report.
Trump expected to pick Linda McMahon to serve as education secretary
President-elect Trump is expected to choose Linda McMahon to serve as secretary of the Department of Education in his new Cabinet. Two sources familiar with the situation confirmed the pick to Fox News on Tuesday evening. McMahon, who served as administrator of the Small Business Administration in the first Trump administration, is the wife of Vince McMahon. The couple both co-founded World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) in 1980. McMahon served in the Trump administration from 2017 to 2019. When she resigned, she wrote that the role had been “immensely rewarding.” TRUMP TAPS FCC MEMBER BRENDAN CARR TO LEAD AGENCY: ‘WARRIOR FOR FREE SPEECH’ “While it has truly been the honor of a lifetime to serve our country in this Administration, it is time for me to step down and return to the private sector,” McMahon wrote in 2019. “I wish to thank the President and I will continue to be a strong advocate for him and his policies.” Trump has previously floated the idea of disbanding the Department of Education, which began operating in 1980. The agency’s website says that its mission is to “promote student achievement and preparation for global competitiveness by fostering educational excellence and ensuring equal access for students of all ages.” FORMER TRUMP EDUCATION SECRETARY LAYS OUT ‘UNFINISHED BUSINESS’ FOR NEW ADMIN ON SCHOOL REFORMS Former Education Secretary Betsy DeVos told Fox News host Martha MacCallum last week that the department “doesn’t really add any value anywhere.” DeVos advised that the opportunity for Trump to radically change the department is “wide open.” “Take the power away from the Department of Education, block-grant those funds, continue to invest in education, but get it down to a much more local level where better decisions are made on behalf of students,” DeVos said. “The bureaucrats at the Department of Education aren’t doing the job. They haven’t done the job for more than four decades to close the achievement gaps — they’ve only widened.” Fox News Digital’s Joshua Comins contributed to this report.
California House race flips to narrow lead for Dem amid weekslong vote count
Votes are still being counted in California two weeks after the election, and a Democratic challenger in a key U.S. House race has just taken the lead against the Republican incumbent. With 94% of the votes counted, Democrat Derek Tran now leads GOP Rep. Michelle Steel by 102 votes in California’s 45th Congressional District after Steel had maintained a lead since Election Day. Steel, born in Seoul, South Korea, and raised in Japan, has represented the 45th District since 2023 and represented the 48th Congressional District before that, from 2021 to 2023. The district spreads across Los Angeles County and Orange County and includes the cities of Cerritos, Garden Grove, Buena Park and parts of Brea, Lakewood and Fullerton. SIZE OF SLIM REPUBLICAN HOUSE MAJORITY HANGS ON 5 UNCALLED RACES “I am so thankful to all those who continue to support our campaign as we count the remaining votes in #CA45,” Tran posted on X Monday. “Over 10,000 lawfully cast ballots are outstanding, and we owe it to every Californian to ensure their voice is heard.” A victory for Tran, the son of Vietnamese refugees, would be a crucial flip for Democrats, who will not control the House in January but are attempting to chip away at a Republican margin that stands at 218 to 212 with several races still to be called. YOUNGEST HOUSE REPUBLICAN-ELECT REVEALS HOW GOP WON BACK AMERICA’S YOUTH President-elect Trump endorsed Steel in October, calling her one of the nation’s “strongest congresswomen.” The race between Steel and Tran was the most expensive House race in the country with more than $46 million spent, LAist reported. Five House races have yet to be called across the country. Democrats lead in two of them, and Republicans lead in three. In addition to California’s 45th, Democrats lead in Ohio’s 9th Congressional District, where incumbent Rep. Marcy Kaptur is up by roughly 1,000 votes with 99% of ballots counted. Republicans hold leads in Iowa’s 1st Congressional District, California’s 13th District and Alaska’s At-Large Congressional District. The Steel campaign did not respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment.
Trump gives one-word response when asked if he is reconsidering Matt Gaetz’s AG nomination
President-elect Trump isn’t reconsidering the nomination of Matt Gaetz to serve as his attorney general, despite criticism over the pick and the uphill battle the former congressman may face during confirmation hearings next year. Trump was in Boca Chica, Texas, to watch SpaceX launch its Starship rocket for its sixth test flight when he was asked about Gaetz. “Mr. President, are you reconsidering the nomination of Matt Gaetz?” Trump was asked. THE HITCHHIKER’S GUIDE TO POTENTIALLY RELEASING THE ETHICS COMMITTEE REPORT ON GAETZ “No,” he replied before walking away. He didn’t answer a question about how far he was willing to go to get Gaetz confirmed. The nomination of Gaetz has come under fire because of the yearslong investigation related to sexual misconduct and illicit drug use allegations against him. He was previously under investigation by the Justice Department, but the agency ultimately decided against pressing any charges. The Florida Republican resigned last week, hours after he was tapped to serve as Trump’s attorney general. The House Ethics Committee investigation into Gaetz began in 2021. The panel was slated to release a report about the allegations, but the resignation changed things. MATT GAETZ FACES GOP SENATE OPPOSITION AFTER TRUMP SELECTION FOR ATTORNEY GENERAL “Once the investigation is complete, then a report will be issued – assuming that at that time, that Mr. Gaetz is still a Member of Congress,” House Ethics Committee Chairman Michael Guest, R-Miss, said when asked about the probe. “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. Once we lose jurisdiction, there would not be a report that would be issued. That’s not unique to this case.” In an effort to assure his confirmation, Gaetz has been calling Senate Republicans. It would only take a handful of Republican votes to deny him. Several GOP senators have expressed concerns about Gaetz and the Senate GOP will only have a 53-person majority next year.
Biden administration to announce $275 million Ukraine weapons package this week
The Biden administration is expected to announce a $275 million weapons package for Ukraine this week, a U.S. official tells Fox News. The package is from the presidential drawdown authority (PDA) money, meaning the weapons will come from U.S. stockpiles and will be delivered to Ukraine quicker than a Ukraine Security Assistance Initiative (USAI) package. The weapons package will include the High Mobility Artillery Rocket (HIMAR) system, but not HIMAR ammunition, and 155 mm artillery shells, drones and Javelin surface-to-air missiles, the official said. Once the announcement on the weapons package is made, the U.S. will have a remaining $6.9 billion in PDA funding and $2.21 billion in USAI funding for Ukraine. UKRAINE FIRES FIRST BARRAGE OF US-MADE LONG-RANGE MISSILES INTO RUSSIA, KREMLIN SAYS Last month, the U.S. provided Ukraine with an additional $425 million in supplies and weapons using PDA money to help Ukraine meet its most urgent needs at the time in terms of air defense, air-to-ground weapons, rocket systems, artillery munitions, armored vehicles and anti-tank weapons. The latest package comes in a timely fashion as just two days ago President Biden approved Ukraine to use American long-range missiles on Russian soil. Russian President Vladimir Putin previously indicated that any such act would be considered an act of war. On Tuesday, Moscow said Ukrainian forces took advantage of Biden’s green light and launched six U.S.-made Army Tactical Missile Systems, or simply ATACMS, into Russian territory. TRUMP’S FIRST CABINET PICKS DECIDEDLY NOT ISOLATIONISTS: UKRAINE, ISRAEL BREATHE SIGH OF RELIEF Russia claims it shot down five of the missiles while damaging a sixth. It added that debris landed in the area of a Russian military facility and that there were no casualties or damage beyond a small fire. Fox News received confirmation of the overnight strike from a U.S. official. Deputy Pentagon Press Secretary Sabrina Singh told reporters during a briefing on Tuesday that Russia escalated the war with Ukraine by bringing in more than 11,000 soldiers from the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK), or North Korea, to fight alongside Russian soldiers in the Kursk region. DOCUMENTS REVEAL RUSSIA’S INITIAL ‘PEACE DEAL’ EQUATED TO THE SURRENDER OF UKRAINE: REPORT She also said the Biden administration has a commitment to continue arming Ukraine with what it needs on the battlefield. “We don’t see that as escalatory,” Singh said. “We see that as a commitment that we set out from the very beginning of this administration.” When asked if the Department of Defense (DOD) has reason to believe that more North Korean troops are headed to Russia, she said the DOD thinks it could certainly see more moving into the area but that there are more than 11,000 DPRK soldiers already embedded with Russian forces. “I mean, they’re moving into the … Kursk region for a very specific region, which is clearly to engage Ukrainian forces,” Singh said. Fox News Digital’s Anders Hagstrom contributed to this report.
Pro-life groups cautious on RFK Jr. nomination after evolving abortion views
The nomination of Robert F. Kennedy Jr. to lead the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services has rankled some abortion opponents, who are concerned about his past statements expressing a liberal position on reproductive rights. Kennedy, a former Democrat who ran for president as an independent before backing Trump, has said in multiple interviews that while he’s “personally pro-life,” he does not believe it’s the government’s role to interfere with a woman’s right to terminate her pregnancy. As recently as May, he said a woman should be able to have an abortion when she’s full term, although he later walked that statement back and announced support for some restrictions on abortion. Pro-life groups that spoke to Fox News Digital expressed optimism about Trump’s election win, noting his previous administration’s strong support for their cause. But they are seeking clarification from Kennedy on how he would use the sweeping powers at HHS to shape regulations on abortion pills and control funding to abortion providers like Planned Parenthood. “He certainly needs to change his position on abortion just in order to be consistent,” said Shawn Carney, co-founder and CEO of 40 Days for Life. “Look, if RFK wants to take away our Fruity Pebbles and our Cool Ranch Doritos — both of which are great American institutions — because they’re unhealthy, you can’t do that and also deny health care to a baby girl who survives an abortion or support abortion at 40 weeks.” PENCE SAYS HE OPPOSES RFK JR.’S NOMINATION FOR HHS SECRETARY BECAUSE OF HIS STANCE ON ABORTION Kennedy did not respond to requests for comment for this story. His nomination was met with outright opposition from some pro-lifers, including former Vice President Mike Pence. “The Trump-Pence administration was unapologetically pro-life for our four years in office. There are hundreds of decisions made at HHS every day that either lead our nation toward a respect for life or away from it, and HHS under our administration always stood for life,” Pence said in a lengthy statement on the website for his Advancing American Freedom nonprofit Friday. He called Kennedy’s nomination a “departure from the pro-life record of our administration,” citing Kennedy’s past pro-choice statements. “If confirmed, RFK, Jr. would be the most pro-abortion Republican appointed secretary of HHS in modern history,” Pence wrote. RFK JR. ASKS AMERICANS TO SUGGEST POLICIES FOR NEW TRUMP ADMINISTRATION: ‘TRANSITION TEAM BELONGS TO YOU’ The Department of Health and Human Services has a “major impact on abortion access,” said healthcare attorney Harry Nelson, founder and managing partner at Nelson Hardiman, LLP. The Food and Drug Administration, a sub-agency of HHS, has direct power over the availability of the abortion pill, Mifepristone. Known by the brand name Mifeprex, the pill is taken with misoprostol in a two-drug regimen that first deprives an unborn baby of hormones it needs to stay alive and then causes cramps and contractions to expel the dead fetus from its mother’s womb. The Biden administration has taken several actions to deregulate and increase access to Mifepristone by making it available via telemedicine nationally. Pro-life groups have fought in court to have that deregulation overturned. “Their efforts earlier this year failed at the Supreme Court but having leadership atop FDA who are sympathetic would be a major impact and make this the biggest abortion issue in the country,” said Nelson. HHS also oversees grant funding via Title X and other programs for abortion providers like Planned Parenthood. Pro-life activists have urged the incoming Trump administration to defund these providers. Additionally, HHS is responsible for enforcing federal law that requires emergency care to stabilize patients, including women with health risks from pregnancy. The Biden administration has sought to use the law, called EMTALA, to require states to permit doctors to administer emergency abortions when the life of the mother is at risk. “It will be interesting to see RFK’s impact and also how the Trump team around him change things,” Nelson said. “I don’t think this is an issue RFK is going to be personally passionate about. The Pro-life hardliners are going to be gunning for Mifepristone, and that will be the primary battle to watch.” BIDEN ADMIN TELLS DOCTORS TO PROVIDE EMERGENCY ABORTIONS WHEN NECESSARY FOLLOWING SUPREME COURT RULING Kennedy has said that his position on the issue has evolved since learning about the rates of elective late-term abortions. During an interview with comedians Shane Gillis and Matt McCusker in May, Kennedy acknowledged, “My position on abortion was that it should always be a woman’s choice right up to the very end.” “In the ninth month, you’re basically killing a child, right? My presumption was that […] no woman is going to deliberately carry a child for nine months, then two days before it’s born, abort it. Who would do that?” However, he claimed to have changed his view after examining data regarding late-term abortions and finding out they are more frequent than he once believed. “But then I learned I was wrong, that there are actually a huge amount, comparatively, of elective abortions at that time,” he said during the interview. “And my belief at that time is that at that time you have a wholly formed, viable child and the state has some interest in protecting that baby.” RFK JR. WANTS TO CLEAR OUT ‘ENTIRE DEPARTMENTS’ IN THE FDA Some pro-lifers are giving Kennedy the benefit of the doubt because they trust Trump’s judgment. In his first term, Trump kept his campaign promise to nominate pro-life judges to the U.S. Supreme Court, which overturned Roe v. Wade in 2022 after nearly a half-century of anti-abortion activism. “There’s no question that we need a pro-life HHS secretary, and of course, we have concerns about Robert F. Kennedy Jr. I believe that no matter who is HHS secretary, baseline policies set by President Trump during his first term will be re-established,” Susan B. Anthony Pro-Life President Marjorie Dannenfelser said. Brian Burch, president of CatholicVote, said Kennedy is not “easily labeled.”
Los Angeles passes sanctuary city ordinance in wake of Trump election victory
Los Angeles city lawmakers voted Tuesday to formally adopt a sanctuary city ordinance, weeks after President-elect Trump’s victory, amid promises to carry out mass deportation raids. The 13-0 vote will prohibit Los Angeles from providing any city resources or personnel to be used to help federal enforcement of immigration laws. City Attorney Hydee Feldstein Soto, along with Mayor Karen Bass, released the draft ordinance last week that was written with help from immigration groups. ‘NOW’S THE TIME’: TRUMP VICTORY HAS BIDEN ADMIN BRACING FOR MIGRANT SURGE AT SOUTHERN BORDER Council members Hugo Soto-Martinez and Monica Rodriguez, who chair the council’s Civil Rights and Public Safety committees, respectively, waived the matter from their jurisdictions to expedite a vote on the matter. California has been a sanctuary state since 2017 with the passage of SB 54, which prohibits local law enforcement agencies from using resources to investigate, detain, report or arrest people for immigration violations. During a debate Tuesday, many public speakers pushed for the sanctuary ordinance, saying immigrant communities should be protected from “unimaginable cruelty” of raids that could separate families and target migrants who come to the U.S. to work. Others raised concerns about the depletion of resources given to help illegal immigrants, given that the city is contending with mass homelessness and a housing crisis. Sanctuary cities typically don’t cooperate with federal immigration authorities, refusing to honor detainer requests from U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), which are used to take custody of criminal illegal immigrants for deportation. Many times, such jurisdictions will release the suspects back onto the street without informing ICE. Some have gone on to reoffend, sometimes violently, before being apprehended again. HAITIAN MIGRANTS REPORTEDLY FLEE SPRINGFIELD, OHIO The vote will come two weeks after President-elect Trump defeated Vice President Kamala Harris, following a campaign in which he promised to tighten the southern border and carry out mass deportations of millions of illegal immigrants, targeting criminals who’ve committed a variety of crimes after illegally entering the United States. Fox News Digital has reached out to Trump representatives. Tom Homan, who previously served as acting director of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and has been tapped by Trump to serve as his “border czar,” previously suggested mass deportations are necessary in the wake of the “historic illegal immigration crisis.” “President Trump has made it clear we will prioritize public safety threats and national security threats first. And that’s what the focus should be,” he told Fox News host Sean Hannity last week. Former Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti issued an executive directive in 2019 that offered protections to immigrants. Los Angeles has followed sanctuary city guidelines but an ordinance was never codified into law. Additionally, the Los Angeles Police Department mandates that its officers not inquire about immigration status or make arrests related to a migrant’s legal status. Newly appointed Los Angeles Police Department Chief Jim McDonnell has said the department won’t participate in immigration enforcement. TRUMP SELECTS SOUTH DAKOTA GOV KRISTI NOEM TO RUN DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY The Los Angeles County Republican Party criticized the ordinance, saying sanctuary protection would shield criminals who have entered the United States illegally. “A country without secure borders isn’t a country at all. So-called ‘sanctuary’ cities and states sound warm and fuzzy, but the protections they offer aren’t for abuelas (grandmothers) getting ice cream, they’re for people who’ve entered the country illegally and committed additional crimes,” LACGOP Communications Director Rozanne Hodge told Fox News Digital. “Whether drunk driving, robbery, sexual violence, assault or murder, none of those should go unpunished. Perpetrators should definitely not be protected by the largesse taken from hard-working taxpayers.” If the City of Los Angeles would like to have thriving, safe, clean streets and businesses in time for the Olympics, maybe they could accept the will of the people who just tossed George Gascon out on his ear and focus on public safety for everyone,” she added. Trump’s victory has spurred officials in various parts of the country to vow to push back on deportations. On Sunday, Boston’s Democrat Mayor Michelle Wu said her city won’t cooperate with any deportation operation from ther incoming Trump administration, despite her region seeing a number of illegal immigrants being charged with crimes and released back onto the streets. Arizona’s Democratic Gov. Katie Hobbs said her state, which voted for Trump, will not be aiding the incoming administration with its “misguided” plan to launch a mass deportation operation. Following California Gov. Gavin Newsom vowed to fight the incoming Trump administration. “Whether it be our fundamental civil rights, reproductive freedom, or climate action — we refuse to turn back the clock and allow our values and laws to be attacked,” he said.