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Karnataka govt orders probe against DGP K Ramachandra Rao, Ranya Rao’s alleged misuse of VIP protocols in gold smuggling case

Karnataka govt orders probe against DGP K Ramachandra Rao, Ranya Rao’s alleged misuse of VIP protocols in gold smuggling case

The Karnataka government has set up an inquiry against actress Ranya Rao for her alleged misuse of VIP protocols. She was arrested in connection with the gold smuggling case. The state government has appointed Additional Chief Secretary Gaurav Gupta to probe the role of DGP rank officer K Ramachandra Rao, if any, in the alleged gold smuggling activity of his stepdaughter and Kannada actress Ranya Rao.

Dem seeks to halt Trump from ‘invading’ Greenland, Canada and Panama

Dem seeks to halt Trump from ‘invading’ Greenland, Canada and Panama

House Democrats have launched an effort to bar President Donald Trump from unilaterally moving to “invade or seize territory” from Greenland, Canada and Panama.  The measure, known as the No Invading Allies Act and spearheaded by Rep. Seth Magaziner, D-R.I., bars funding from going toward the armed forces to engage in operations seeking to take over Greenland, Canada and Panama.  Magaziner said Trump’s “reckless” rhetoric about obtaining territory from the three countries makes the president untrustworthy with the war powers granted to him.  “Americans do not support sending troops unnecessary wars, especially with allies of the United States who pose no threat to our country,” Magaziner said in a Monday statement to Fox News Digital. “Unfortunately, President Trump has recklessly refused to rule out taking the territory of other nations by force. Under the Constitution it is Congress, not the President, who has the power to declare war. It is time for Congress to reclaim that constitutional power and ensure that the President adheres to the will of the American people.”  TRUMP SAYS US WOULD WELCOME GREENLAND DURING JOINT ADDRESS TO CONGRESS While the U.S. Constitution dictates that Congress has the authority to approve declaring an act of war, Congress last formally declared war in 1942, and modern presidents have entered conflicts without securing explicit or formal congressional approval, according to the National Constitution Center.  Furthermore, the War Powers Resolution of 1973 requires the executive branch to notify Congress within 48 hours of military action and bars troops from remaining engaged for more than 60 days without congressional approval. However, the legislation does not define “hostilities,” and previous administrations have asserted their actions engaging military forces did not qualify as hostilities and, therefore, congressional approval was not required, according to the Project on Government Oversight.  Other Democratic lawmakers who have co-sponsored the measure include Reps. Eric Swallwell of California and Pramila Jayapal of Washington. The legislation has been referred to both the House Foreign Affairs and Armed Services Committees.  Trump has discussed acquiring Greenland, Canada and Panama for months – and has regularly referred to Canada as the 51st state in the U.S. Additionally, Trump asserted in a joint address to Congress on Tuesday that the U.S. would reclaim the Panama Canal for security reasons and acquire Greenland.  “And I also have a message tonight for the incredible people of Greenland,” Trump said. “We strongly support your right to determine your own future, and if you choose, we welcome you into the United States of America.”  Trump has discussed the possibility of expanding American territory for months and said in a post in December 2024 on Truth Social that “the United States of America feels that the ownership and control of Greenland is an absolute necessity.”  GREENLAND, PANAMA FIERCELY REJECT TRUMP’S AMBITIONS IN ADDRESS TO CONGRESS Meanwhile, leaders from Greenland, which is a territory of Denmark, and Panama pushed back on Trump’s comments to Congress.  “We do not want to be Americans, nor Danes, we are Kalaallit (Greenlanders),” Greenland Prime Minister Múte Egede said in a post on Facebook translated by Reuters. “The Americans and their leader must understand that.”  “I reject, on behalf of Panama and all Panamanians, this new affront to the truth and to our dignity as a nation,” Panamanian President José Raúl Mulino said in a post on X on Wednesday.  Meanwhile, Republicans have cast doubt on whether Trump would actually launch a military conflict against countries like Greenland. For example, Sen. James Lankford, R-Okla., said in an interview with NBC in January that the U.S. would not “invade another country.”  “Quite frankly, the president’s been very clear,” Lankford said. “He is the president that kept American troops out of war. He is not looking to be able to go start a war, to go expand American troops, but he does want to be able to protect America’s national security, and part of that is our economic security and our future.” Fox News’ Caitlin McFall and Alex Nitzberg contributed to this report. 

Judge rules DOGE likely subject to public records requests, says department operating in ‘unusual secrecy’

Judge rules DOGE likely subject to public records requests, says department operating in ‘unusual secrecy’

The Department of Government Efficiency, led by Elon Musk, is likely subject to the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA), a federal judge ruled Monday, noting that the newly formed department had been run in “unusual secrecy.” U.S. District Judge Christopher Cooper, an Obama appointee, sided with the government watchdog group Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in rejecting the Trump administration’s argument that DOGE does not have to respond to public records requests. The administration claimed that DOGE is an arm of the Executive Office of the President, making it not subject to FOIA requests, which allow the public to request access to records produced by government agencies that had not previously been disclosed. Cooper ruled that DOGE exercises “substantial independent authority” much greater than the other parts of the executive office that are usually exempt from the FOIA law. WH LAMBASTS ‘HEAD-IN-THE-SAND’ LIBERAL PROSECUTORS AFTER 2 AGS SUE TO HALT DOGE CUTS The ruling could force DOGE to become more transparent about its role in the administration’s mass firings of the federal workforce, as well as its dismantling of government agencies and decisions to cancel contracts. “Canceling any government contract would seem to require substantial authority—and canceling them on this scale certainly does,” Cooper wrote. The judge said DOGE “appears to have the power not just to evaluate federal programs, but to drastically reshape and even eliminate them wholesale,” which he said the department declined to refute. DOGE SAYS GOVERNMENT PAYING FOR 11,020 ADOBE ACROBAT LICENSES WITH ZERO USERS, PLUS MORE ‘IDLE’ ACCOUNTS Cooper also said its “operations thus far have been marked by unusual secrecy,” citing reports about DOGE’s use of an outside server, its employees’ refusal to identify themselves to career officials and their use of the encrypted app Signal to communicate. The watchdog filed the lawsuit on Feb. 20 after filing FOIA requests seeking further information on DOGE’s operations, including communications like internal government emails and memos. The group had asked Cooper to order DOGE and the Office of Management and Budget to release the records by Monday, arguing that the public and Congress needed the information during the debate over government funding legislation that must be passed by Friday to avert a partial government shutdown, but the judge declined to set a Friday deadline to produce the records. “Unfortunately for CREW, it satisfies none of the factors entitling it to preliminary relief ordering production of its OMB requests by today’s date,” Cooper wrote. Instead, the judge ordered for the records to be produced on a “rolling basis as soon as practicable,” saying voters and Congress deserve timely information on DOGE given the “unprecedented” authority it was exercising to reshape the government. This case is one of several lawsuits targeting the administration’s argument that DOGE is not subject to FOIA requests, but the other cases are still in earlier stages. Reuters contributed to this report.

Trump pledges to ‘lead the charge’ against Rep. Massie, likens him to Liz Cheney

Trump pledges to ‘lead the charge’ against Rep. Massie, likens him to Liz Cheney

President Donald Trump lashed out at Rep. Thomas Massie, R-Ky., in a Monday night Truth Social post, declaring that the congressman “SHOULD BE PRIMARIED” and pledging to “lead the charge against him.” Trump likened Massie to former Rep. Liz Cheney, of Wyoming, one of the 10 House Republicans who voted to impeach Trump following the Jan. 6, 2021, Capitol riot.  “Congressman Thomas Massie, of beautiful Kentucky, is an automatic ‘NO’ vote on just about everything, despite the fact that he has always voted for Continuing Resolutions in the past. HE SHOULD BE PRIMARIED, and I will lead the charge against him. He’s just another GRANDSTANDER, who’s too much trouble, and not worth the fight. He reminds me of Liz Chaney(sic) before her historic, record breaking fall (loss!). The people of Kentucky won’t stand for it, just watch. DO I HAVE ANY TAKERS???” Trump wrote in the post. Trump-endorsed primary challenger Harriet Hageman handily defeated Cheney in the 2022 Republican primary for Wyoming’s at-large Congressional District. Hageman, who went on to win the 2022 general election, was re-elected last year, while former Rep. Cheney, a vociferous Trump critic, supported then-Vice President Kamala Harris in the 2024 presidential election.  MASSIE SAYS HE’S A ‘NO’ ON TRUMP-ENDORSED GOVERNMENT FUNDING MEASURE: ‘UNLESS I GET A LOBOTOMY’ As the deadline to prevent an impending partial government shutdown approaches, Massie has indicated that he will vote against the government funding measure that Trump has been urging Republicans to support. “Unless I get a lobotomy Monday that causes me to forget what I’ve witnessed the past 12 years, I’ll be a NO on the CR this week. It amazes me that my colleagues and many of the public fall for the lie that we will fight another day,” Massie wrote on X on Sunday. Sen. Mike Lee responded to Trump’s attack against Massie by speaking out in support of the congressman. “I have nothing but profound respect for @RepThomasMassie, who has worked harder than perhaps any member of Congress to bring federal spending under control,” Lee wrote on X. “He might vote differently on this matter than most, but if he does so he’ll have a really good reason,” the senator continued. “I’m a huge fan.” TRUMP-BACKED PLAN TO AVERT SHUTDOWN HEADS FOR HOUSE VOTE Trump included the broadside against the House Republican maverick in the middle of a post in which he thanked the House Freedom Caucus for supporting the measure. “Thank you to the House Freedom Caucus for just delivering a big blow to the Radical Left Democrats and their desire to raise Taxes and SHUT OUR COUNTRY DOWN! They hate America and all it stands for. That’s why they allowed MILLIONS of Criminals to invade our Nation. Sometimes it takes great courage to do the right thing,” Trump said in the post, before launching the attack against Massie.  After blasting Massie in the post, the president added, “Anyway, thank you again to the House Freedom Caucus for your very important vote. We need to buy some time in order to MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN, GREATER THAN EVER BEFORE. Unite and Win!!!” While Massie has not yet responded to Trump’s remarks, in an X post prior to Trump’s attack on Monday, the congressman already indicated that he is not intimidated by the prospect of being primaried. “Someone thinks they can control my voting card by threatening my re-election. Guess what? Doesn’t work on me. Three times I’ve had a challenger who tried to be more MAGA than me. None busted 25% because my constituents prefer transparency and principles over blind allegiance,” he wrote. Massie and Trump have a rocky history. In 2020, Trump called for the congressman to be booted from the GOP. “Looks like a third rate Grandstander named @RepThomasMassie, a Congressman from, unfortunately, a truly GREAT State, Kentucky, wants to vote against the new Save Our Workers Bill in Congress. He just wants the publicity,” Trump declared in a March 2020 tweet. “He can’t stop it, only delay, which is both dangerous,” Trump wrote in the post, before continuing his thought in another post, “& costly. Workers & small businesses need money now in order to survive. Virus wasn’t their fault. It is ‘HELL’ dealing with the Dems, had to give up some stupid things in order to get the “big picture” done. 90% GREAT! WIN BACK HOUSE, but throw Massie out of Republican Party!” Months later, Massie sailed to a decisive Republican primary victory. MASSIE AND OTHER REPUBLICANS PUSH ‘NATIONAL CONSTITUTIONAL CARRY ACT’ TO PROTECT AMERICANS’ GUN RIGHTS CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP Then, in 2022, Trump did an about-face, endorsing Massie shortly before the congressman earned another resounding GOP primary win. In 2023, Massie endorsed Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis for president before the Sunshine State politician even launched his presidential primary bid. In early 2024, DeSantis dropped out of the race and endorsed Trump.  Massie ultimately endorsed Trump less than two weeks before the general election.

Trump says he will buy a Tesla to support Elon Musk and his ‘baby’

Trump says he will buy a Tesla to support Elon Musk and his ‘baby’

President Donald Trump said Tuesday that he would purchase a Tesla car to support his senior advisor Elon Musk amid nationwide protests against the electric automaker. Trump said “Radical Left Lunatics” are attempting to boycott Tesla, which he called Musk’s “baby.” “To Republicans, Conservatives, and all great Americans, Elon Musk is ‘putting it on the line’ in order to help our Nation, and he is doing a FANTASTIC JOB!” Trump wrote on Truth Social shortly after midnight on Tuesday. “But the Radical Left Lunatics, as they often do, are trying to illegally and collusively boycott Tesla, one of the World’s great automakers, and Elon’s ‘baby,’ in order to attack and do harm to Elon, and everything he stands for.” MUSK CLAIMS GEORGE SOROS, LINKEDIN CO-FOUNDER REID HOFFMAN ARE FUNDING ‘PROTESTS’ AGAINST TESLA “They tried to do it to me at the 2024 Presidential Ballot Box, but how did that work out?” Trump continued. The president explained that he was going to purchase a car from Tesla to show his support for Musk. “In any event, I’m going to buy a brand new Tesla tomorrow morning as a show of confidence and support for Elon Musk, a truly great American,” Trump wrote. “Why should he be punished for putting his tremendous skills to work in order to help MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN???” “Thank you, President @realDonaldTrump!” Musk responded on X. Tesla car owners, dealerships and charging stations have been targeted nationwide by protesters and vandals over Musk’s involvement with the Trump administration’s newly formed Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE). Protesters rallied outside Tesla dealerships on Saturday, holding signs denouncing Musk and DOGE, and cars and windows at an Oregon Tesla dealership were damaged by gunshots fired by protesters last week. A man was also arrested after Molotov cocktails were thrown at a Tesla dealership in Salem, Oregon. TESLA VEHICLES, CHARGING STATIONS TARGETED AS PROTESTERS DENOUNCE DOGE, ELON MUSK Additionally, several Tesla charging stations have been set on fire in Massachusetts, and the U.S. attorney’s office in Colorado charged a suspect after police say they found a number of explosives and concerning messages at a Tesla dealership. Fox News’ Stepheny Price contributed to this report.