‘Was number 1 party in state in Lok Sabha polls’: Congress’s reminder to Maharashtra allies ahead of Assembly polls
The BJP suffered a setback in Lok Sabha polls in Maharashtra, with its tally dwindling by almost half compared to 2019, while the opposition Maha Vikas Aghadi of Congress, Shiv Sena (UBT), and NCP (Sharadchandra Pawar) were on a roll.
Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick says Legislature will review Deloitte’s contracts after public loan project scandal
The examination of Deloitte’s existing contracts comes after it failed to catch red flags in a company’s application for a loan to build or upgrade power plants in the state.
Tim Walz calls for elimination of Electoral College at California fundraiser, says ‘it needs to go’
Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz on Tuesday called for the elimination of the Electoral College during a fundraiser in California, a move some Democrats have advocated for in the past after election defeats. Walz was in California Gov. Gavin Newsom’s private home in Sacramento when he remarked about the process by which U.S. presidents are elected. “I think all of us know the Electoral College needs to go,” he said, according to a pool report at the event, Bloomberg reported. “We need a national popular vote, but that’s not the world we live in.” THOUSANDS OF NONCITIZENS REMOVED FROM VOTER ROLLS, DOZENS OF LAWMAKERS WANT ANSWERS FROM GARLAND In 2023, the Minnesota governor signed the National Popular Vote Interstate Compact, an agreement in which each state would allocate all its electoral votes to whoever wins the popular vote for president, regardless of how individual states voted. The compact would take effect only if supporters secure pledges from states with at least 270 electoral votes. Fox News Digital has reached out to the campaigns of Vice President Harris and former President Trump. The Electoral College comprises a certain number of electors from each state who cast votes for the president and vice president. In 48 states and Washington, D.C., whichever candidate receives the most ballots in their favor is awarded all the electoral votes for that state. Maine and Nebraska assign their electors using a proportional system. The winner needs 270 electoral votes to win the presidential election. The Electoral College was created by the Founding Fathers in an effort to make sure large states didn’t dominate small ones in presidential elections or wield too much power. Abolishing the system would require a major constitutional change. TRUMP CAN WIN ON THESE 3 KEY ISSUES, MICHIGAN VOTERS TELL FOX In recent years, some Democrats have called for eliminating the process in favor of a popular vote. Recent examples cited include former President Trump’s 2016 win over Hillary Clinton, in which she won the popular vote but received fewer electoral votes. In 2000, former President George W. Bush lost the popular vote but narrowly won the electoral vote. Many Republicans have argued against getting rid of the Electoral College system, saying such a move would result in states with larger populations having undue influence. Others argue it would cause presidential candidates to focus on a few states during the campaign season while ignoring others. In 2012, Trump panned the electoral system, calling it “a disaster for a democracy.” In 2018, he again voiced support for the idea because a popular vote would be “much easier to win.” A majority of Americans – 63% – favor doing away with the Electoral College, according to a recent Pew Research Center poll released last month.
RG Kar rape-murder case: Doctor’s association to hold nationwide hunger strike today
The doctors’ association held a meeting on Monday and announced that the hunger strike will begin on Wednesday, which will be two months from the day the alleged rape and murder of a trainee doctor at R G Kar Medical College in West Bengal happened on August 9.
Israel’s Minister of Defense cancels visit to Pentagon amid Middle East conflict escalation
Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant canceled a visit with Pentagon officials scheduled for Wednesday, amid a rapid escalation of the Israel-Hamas war in the Middle East. Deputy Pentagon press secretary Sabrina Singh told reporters during a briefing Tuesday that the Pentagon was informed Gallant had postponed his trip to Washington, D.C. “Minister Gallant was traveling to the U.S. and the secretary welcomed him to the Pentagon to host him here for a bilateral meeting,” Singh said. “ One reporter asked Singh about reports that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu asked Gallant not to go to Washington, which Singh said she was aware of, but preferred to stay out of Israeli politics. ISRAELI OFFICIAL WARNS ‘EVERYTHING IS ON THE TABLE’ AS IDF PREPARES RESPONSE TO IRANIAN MISSILE ATTACK Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin, she noted, has a “great relationship” with Gallant, and the two have spoken in the neighborhood of 80 times. “The remain in constant communication, whether it be an in-person meeting here, or, you know, meetings, phone calls that need to be done remote,” Singh explained. “That relationship still maintains and can be done…at any time, any place in the world…” When asked if there were tensions between Austin and Gallant, Singh pushed back. BIDEN SAYS HE WILL TALK TO NETANYAHU AS ISRAEL PUMMELS SUNNI TERROR TARGETS IN BEIRUT “I don’t think there’s tension,” she said. “You can have direct conversations with your friends. You’re not always going to agree on everything, but that doesn’t mean that there’s tensions.” During an exchange with Fox News chief foreign correspondent Trey Yingst on Sunday, Gallant promised that Israeli forces are considering all options in terms of its response to Iran’s attacks against Israel — even potentially striking Iranian nuclear sites. The interview came days after Israel invaded Lebanon as part of a mission to eliminate Hezbollah, on the heels of several successful strikes against the terrorist group. The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) confirmed that it had killed Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah last weekend — prompting Iran to launch 181 retaliatory missiles in response. ISRAEL LAUNCHES LIMITED GROUND OPERATIONS IN LEBANON AS WAR AGAINST HEZBOLLAH, TERRORIST GROUPS CONTINUE “At the moment, everything is on the table,” the Israeli official said. “Israel will respond to the unprecedented Iranian attack in the manner of our choosing, and at the time and place of our choosing.” President Biden told reporters last week that he would not support a strike against Iran’s nuclear facilities, but said Israel had the right to act “proportionately” to Iran. On Saturday, Vice President Kamala Harris vowed to send $157 million of “additional assistance” to Lebanon, which, she claimed, is “facing an increasingly dire humanitarian situation.” Amid the White House’s response to the IDF’s recent strikes, Gallant emphasized that he hopes the United States continues to cooperate with the Israeli military. “It is important for us to hold discussions on strategic cooperation between our countries and defense cooperation in light of the threats posed by Iran and its proxies,” Gallant said. “We are powerful when we are aligned, and I want to make sure of it.” Fox News Digital’s Andrea Margolis, Trey Yingst, Greg Norman, Stephen Sorace and Michael Lee contributed to this report.
‘Abandon Harris’ group endorses Jill Stein over ‘pro-genocide candidate’ Kamala Harris
A group that has labeled Vice President Harris a “pro-genocide candidate” has endorsed third-party presidential candidate Jill Stein in the 2024 contest. The “Abandon Harris” campaign says America, as well as presidential candidates Harris and former President Trump, is supporting an “Israeli project of Palestinian annihilation” and urges Muslim Americans and those who oppose genocide to cast their ballot for the Green Party this year. “In October 2023, under the darkening shadow of the U.S.-backed Israeli project of Palestinian annihilation, the Abandon Harris campaign – formerly Abandon Biden – was born. Our movement remains dedicated to ensuring that the American people, especially the Muslim-American community, recognize the responsibility we share in standing up against oppression and using all our power to stop genocide – wherever it may arise,” the group declared in a press release. ABANDON BIDEN CAMPAIGN RELAUNCHES, TARGETS HARRIS IN KEY SWING STATES “We are confronting two destructive forces: one currently overseeing a genocide and another equally committed to continuing it. Both are determined to see it through. We call on Muslim-Americans and all those who stand firmly against genocide to vote for the Green Party in 2024,” the press release states. Stein has expressed her gratitude to the group and its support of her candidacy. The Abandon Harris campaign says on its website that its “current goal is to hold Harris accountable for her continued support of genocide.” “It’s painfully obvious that Kamala Harris can only sound articulate and firm when parroting US support for Israel,” the group wrote in an August post on X. “She fumbles through everything else, but when it comes to endorsing the killing of Palestinians, she suddenly finds a pristine level of eloquence,” the post added. GEORGIA’S MUSLIM VOTERS OPPOSING HARRIS, TRUMP IN ELECTION OVER BOTH CANDIDATES’ SUPPORT FOR ISRAEL Israel launched a war effort last year in the wake of the Oct. 7, 2023, attacks perpetrated by Hamas terrorists who committed atrocities that included rapes, kidnappings and murders. “What Hamas did that day was pure evil – it was brutal and sickening,” Harris said in a statement marking the one-year anniversary of the attack on Monday. “I will do everything in my power to ensure that the threat Hamas poses is eliminated, that it is never again able to govern Gaza, that it fails in its mission to annihilate Israel, and that the people of Gaza are free from the grip of Hamas,” she declared in the statement. JILL STEIN SLAMS DEMOCRATIC EFFORTS TO ‘SILENCE COMPETITION,’ SAYS THEY ARE ‘NOT SERVANTS OF DEMOCRACY’ CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP “Hamas’s terrorist attack on October 7 launched a war in Gaza. I am heartbroken over the scale of death and destruction in Gaza over the past year – tens of thousands of lives lost, children fleeing for safety over and over again, mothers and fathers struggling to obtain food, water, and medicine. It is far past time for a hostage and ceasefire deal to end the suffering of innocent people. And I will always fight for the Palestinian people to be able to realize their right to dignity, freedom, security, and self-determination,” Harris said in the statement.
US officials reveal fate of nabbed Tajikistan illegal immigrants with alleged ISIS ties
Some of the eight Tajikistan nationals with alleged ties to ISIS who crossed the southern border illegally have already been deported from the United States, or are in detention waiting for removal, officials said on Tuesday. The eight nationals crossed the U.S. southern border illegally, and a federal source told Fox News in June that no derogatory information was initially flagged during their processing by officials at the border. The illegal immigrants were nabbed in coordinated raids in Los Angeles, New York and Philadelphia by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) in conjunction with the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s (FBI) Joint Terrorism Task Force. OVER 1.7M MIGRANTS WHO COULD POSE NATIONAL SECURITY RISK ARRIVED IN US DURING BIDEN ADMIN: REPORT The case highlighted concerns about a potential terror threat that could come across the southern border amid what was then a historic border crisis. A DHS spokesperson confirmed to Fox News Digital on Tuesday that some of the nationals had already been removed. “In close coordination with the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), these individuals were detained in June, have remained in ICE custody since then, and either have already been removed from the United States or remain in ICE custody pending completion of their removal proceedings,” the spokesperson said. CLICK HERE FOR MORE COVERAGE OF THE BORDER SECURITY CRISIS “The arrest and removal of these individuals demonstrates the successful collaboration and partnership between DHS and FBI to disrupt and dismantle potential national security threats,” they said. CBS News had first reported the removals, reporting that three have been deported to Tajikistan and Russia, four are awaiting removal flights to Central Asia and one is still awaiting his legal proceeding after a medical issue. There have been continued fears over the potential for terror attacks from ISIS in the U.S. FBI Director Christopher Wray told a Senate Appropriations subcommittee in June that there is an increasing concern of a potential coordinated attack in the U.S., similar to the Islamic State in Khorasan Province (ISIS-K) attack in March in Russia. BIDEN ADMIN SLAPS RESTRICTIONS ON RELEASING MIGRANTS FROM CENTRAL ASIAN COUNTRY AMID TERROR CONCERNS: REPORT “Just in the time that I’ve been FBI director, we’ve disrupted multiple terrorist attacks and cities and communities around the country. We need funding to continue protecting America from terrorism,” Wray said. With the November presidential election looming, the Biden administration has been emphasizing its efforts to remove or prevent the entry of illegal immigrants into the U.S. Numbers have gone down sharply since the signing of a presidential order limiting asylum in June. BIDEN DHS REVEALS 50 MIGRANTS STILL AT LARGE AS ISIS-AFFILIATED SMUGGLING NETWORK BRINGS HUNDREDS TO US Officials say that since June 5, they have removed or returned more than 131,000 individuals to more than 140 countries, including operating more than 400 international repatriation flights. But returning illegal immigrants can often be difficult if host countries refuse to accept their nationals. But a recent report by the House Judiciary Committee shows that there have been more than 1.7 million “special interest aliens” (SIAs) who have arrived at the border during the Biden administration. Special interest aliens come from countries identified by the U.S. government as having conditions that promote or protect terrorism or potentially pose some sort of national security threat to the U.S. Fox News’ Bill Melugin and Stepheny Price contributed to this report.
Fox News Politics: Harris on ’60 minutes’: Joe 2.0?
Welcome to Fox News’ Politics newsletter with the latest political news from Washington D.C. and updates from the 2024 campaign trail. What’s happening… –North Carolina residents will see changes to early voting after Hurricane Helene -Atlanta voters split on who will win Georgia -Prospects of a deal with Israel fade away as Saudis invite Iranian foreign minister to visit Vice President Kamala Harris sat down for an interview on “60 Minutes” on Monday, when she dodged or refused to get specific about her plans for the country. With less than a month before the election, CBS correspondent Bill Whitaker repeatedly pressed Harris for details on how to pay for her economic proposals, on whether President Biden’s loose immigration policies were a mistake and how a Harris foreign policy might differ from Biden or former President Donald Trump. There were several moments when Whitaker had to ask follow-up questions after Harris did not directly answer his inquiries. Overall, the Democratic vice president did not differentiate herself much from her 2020 running mate, the sitting president of the United States. CBS said her Republican rival, former President Trump, backed out of an invitation to appear on “60 Minutes,” though the Trump campaign said there was never a formal agreement for Trump to appear on the program…Read more ‘BLOOD ON THEIR HANDS’: Kamala Harris’ tough words on Iran confounds critics…Read more ‘ALL OUR REQUESTS HAVE BEEN ANSWERED’: Biden cancels overseas trip as Milton bears down on Florida; DeSantis tells VP ‘it’s not about you Kamala’…Read more STRAINED RELATIONSHIP: Biden White House has ‘very low’ trust in Netanyahu regime, urges transparency…Read more FLORIDA’S WORST HURRICANE?: Biden says Hurricane Milton could be ‘worst storm to hit Florida in over a century’…Read more FIRST ON FOX: Top outside group backing House Republicans sets fundraising record…Read more DENIED: PA gov takes victory lap after Supreme Court rejects GOP bid to overturn election law ‘usurpations’…Read more LETHAL WEAPONS: GOP lawmaker unveils effort to ban illegal immigrants from using IDs to buy guns…Read more POST-MCCONNELL PLAN: Mike Lee outlines roadmap for McConnell successor, warns the ‘health of the Republican Party’ is at stake…Read more BATTLEGROUND 2024: Wisconsin Senate race shifts to ‘toss up’ by handicapper as Tammy Baldwin fights for re-election…Read more CHANGED AGENT: Harris takes slim lead over Trump in new poll as voters view her as candidate of change…Read more TACKLING TURNOUT: Trump, Republicans venture to blue areas in Wisconsin to boost GOP turnout…Read more ‘CHAOS AND FEAR’: Trump announces rally in ‘war zone’ Colorado city…Read more COURTING REPUBLICANS: New poll shows Harris taking a slim lead over Trump thanks to support from a surprising group…Read more WHO’S MORE ACCESSIBLE?: Trump-Vance ticket has done combined 69 interviews since August compared to 31 for Harris-Walz…Read more HISPANIC VOTERS IN KEY SWING STATES: Hispanic voters rail against ‘dishonest’ Biden-Harris border record as poll shows Trump gaining in key states…Read more ‘IT CAME THROUGH UPS’: Overseas meth sent to US election building shuts down office for hours…Read more REGISTERED, NOT VERIFIED: Texas AG demands Biden-Harris admin help verify citizenship of nearly 500K registered voters…Read more EATEN ‘ALIVE BY INFLATION’: Wisconsin dairy farmer says ‘no question’ Trump admin was ‘much better’ than Biden-Harris…Read more POLITICAL STORMS: Mayorkas rips ‘politicized’ atmosphere over FEMA disaster response amid GOP criticism: ‘It sows distrust’…Read more HITS KEEP COMING: NYC First Deputy Mayor Sheena Wright resigns as Eric Adams’ administration suffers more departures…Read more SERIOUS CONCERNS: Oregon mistakenly registered hundreds more voters without proving citizenship…Read more DEEPLY TROUBLED: Vulnerable Dem Jon Tester turns on Biden admin over DEI after Montana universities stripped of federal funds…Read more Get the latest updates from the 2024 campaign trail, exclusive interviews and more on FoxNews.com.
Biden undermines Harris claim that Ron DeSantis is politicizing hurricane response: ‘Doing a great job’
President Joe Biden praised GOP Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis for being “cooperative” and doing a “great job” in his response to Hurricanes Helene and Milton, despite Vice President Kamala Harris slamming DeSantis for “playing political games” instead of doing his job in response to the storms. NBC News reported Monday that DeSantis was denying phone calls from Harris’ team. “People are in desperate need of support right now and playing political games with this moment, in these crisis situations, these are the height of emergency situations, it’s just utterly irresponsible, and it is selfish,” Harris told reporters Monday. Meanwhile, on Tuesday, President Joe Biden’s opinion about the GOP Florida governor’s response to Hurricane Helene and his preparation for Milton, diverged substantially from that of his vice president’s. “The governor of Florida has been cooperative. He said he’s gotten all that he needs. I talked to him again yesterday, and I said – no – you’re doing a great job, it’s all being done well and we thank you for it,” Biden said at a press conference from the White House Tuesday. “There was a rough start in some places, but every governor, every governor – from Florida to North Carolina – has been fully cooperative and supportive.” RON DESANTIS: 51 COUNTIES ARE UNDER A STATE OF EMERGENCY After a DeSantis staffer told NBC on Monday that the Florida governor had chosen not to take the vice president’s call, DeSantis later clarified that he was never even aware Harris was trying to contact him. DeSantis also shot back at Harris’ claims that he was playing politics with the storm, accusing her of being the actual culprit of engaging in political gamesmanship. “I’ve worked on these hurricanes under both President Trump and President Biden. Neither of them ever tried to politicize it. She has never called on any of the storms we’ve had since she’s been vice president until apparently now,” DeSantis told “Fox & Friends” Tuesday morning following reports of the vice president’s criticism. “Why, all of the sudden, is she trying to parachute in and inject herself when she’s never shown any interest in the past? We know it’s because of politics, we know it’s because of her campaign.” “Harris is not even in the chain of command. She has no role in this,” DeSantis added. “The idea that I should be, like, worrying about her when I’m focused on the task at hand is just quite frankly absurd.” BIDEN CANCELS OVERSEAS TRIP AS MILTON BEARS DOWN ON FLORIDA; DESANTIS TELLS VP ‘IT’S NOT ABOUT YOU KAMALA’ Biden, who has had multiple phone calls with DeSantis since Hurricane Helene began barreling down on the Southeast, told him and Tampa Mayor Jane Castor to “call him directly” if any further support is needed. DeSantis, meanwhile, noted Tuesday morning that “every” one of his federal requests for more support have been answered. DeSantis pointed out as well that, at the state level, he has been reallocating resources as necessary to help Florida’s smaller communities that have fewer resources. COASTAL FLORIDIAN WARNS OTHERS TO ‘GET OUT’ AS HURRICANE MILTON CLOSES IN: ‘WE HAVE NO IDEA WHAT’S COMING’ Gov. DeSantis’ office declined to comment to Fox News Digital on the record, but pointed to the governor’s comments on both “Fox & Friends” and “Hannity,” respectively. Fox News Digital also reached out to the Harris campaign for comment, but did not receive a response in advance of publication time. As Florida continues to clean up the aftermath of Hurricane Helene, it is now preparing for a potentially even worse storm in Hurricane Milton and is calling on millions of residents to evacuate. “Helene was a wake-up call – this is literally catastrophic,” Castor said Tuesday. “And I can say without any dramatization whatsoever: If you choose to stay in one of those evacuation areas, you are going to die.”
Supreme Court signals support for Biden administration regulation of ‘ghost gun’ kits
The Supreme Court offered clear support Tuesday for continued federal regulation of so-called “ghost guns” that can be assembled from kits into a working firearm without a background check or the usual serial numbers. At issue in oral arguments was whether the devices meet the federal definition of a “firearm” and “frame and receiver,” and whether the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) exceeded its authority to regulate and enforce their sale. Ghost guns are do-it-yourself functional weapons that are often purchased online, and marketed by some sellers as easy to assemble. The Justice Department said more than 19,000 hard-to-trace ghost guns were seized by law enforcement in 2021, a more than tenfold increase in just five years. That was driven in part by recent technological advances, many containing polymer-based unassembled firearm components. Final home assembly typically requires the use of some readily available tools, including drilling holes and milling or sanding the unfinished frame or receiver, which enable the installation of parts. U.S. Solicitor General Elizabeth Prelogar said the rising sale of untraceable “ghost guns” had created a “public safety crisis” with an “explosion” of crimes committed using them. Several justices in the 75-minute argument appeared to back much of the Biden administration’s arguments, suggesting nearly complete parts meet the ordinary definition of a firearm subject to regulation. “What is the purpose of selling a receiver without the holes drilled in it?” said Chief Justice John Roberts, rejecting suggestions the kits were marketed at the weekend gun hobbyist. “Drilling a hole or two, I would think, doesn’t give the same sort of reward that you get from working on your car on the weekends. My understanding is that it’s not terribly difficult for someone to do this.” Justice Brett Kavanaugh — who could be the key deciding vote — raised concerns someone ignorant of the law might inadvertently sell or buy a ghost gun kit. “What about the seller, for example, who is truly not aware, truly not aware that they are violating the law and gets criminally charged?” But Kavanaugh also signaled some backing of the government’s position, telling Prelogar, “Your statutory interpretation has force.” The 1968 Gun Control Act was revised in 2022 to regulate the growing market for certain “buy build shoot” kits. The law defines a “firearm” to include “any weapon… which will or is designed to or may readily be converted to expel a projectile by the action of an explosive,” as well as “the frame or receiver of any such weapon.” The administration said it was not seeking to ban the sale or use of these kits, merely requiring them to comply with the same requirements of other commercial firearms dealers. That includes serial numbers on the parts and background checks on the purchasers. A federal appeals court late last year struck down the updated rules, after a legal challenge from kit sellers and buyers, but the Justice Department appealed to the Supreme Court. Gun rights groups say that the rule is “unconstitutional and abusive,” arguing the ghost gun kits consist of “non-firearm objects.” Attorney Peter Patterson said only Congress can change the law over ghost gun regulations and added that 42 of 43 unlicensed manufacturers of the kits would be driven out of business if the rules go fully into effect. The devices can also be made from 3D printers or from individual parts. That is part of separate legal challenges in the lower courts. In oral arguments, the high court wrestled with questions about the ease of assembling a “ghost gun” from a kit, and whether judges should even be involved in the matter. “I’m worried about… the Court taking over what Congress may have intended for the agency to do in this situation,” said Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson. “I think it can’t be assumed that the agency exceeds its authority whenever it interprets a statutory term differently than we would such that all we have to do as a part of this claim here today is just decide what we think a firearm is.” But others on the court questioned whether a bunch of unassembled parts really made them into a gun. “Here’s a blank pad and here’s a pen, all right? Is this a grocery list?” asked Justice Samuel Alito. “If I show you — I put out on a counter some eggs, some chopped-up ham, some chopped-up pepper, and onions. Is that a western omelet?” Justice Amy Coney Barrett then appeared to blunt Alito’s argument, focusing on do-it-yourself kits. “Would your answer change if you ordered it from HelloFresh, and you got a kit, and it was like turkey chili, but all of the ingredients are in the kit?” she asked, mentioning the ready-to-cook meal kits delivery service. Barrett also appeared skeptical of the legal alternatives to the ATF rules, proposed by Patterson, the lawyer representing the gun rights supporters. “It seems a little made up,” she said. Prelogar claimed the new rules had led to a dramatic drop in the online sales of the ready-to-assemble weapons. The ATF’s rule requires unfinished parts of a firearm, like the frame of a handgun or the receiver of a long gun, to be treated like a completed firearm. These parts need to be licensed and must have serial numbers. The rule also requires manufacturers to run background checks before selling these parts, as they are required to do for whole commercial firearms. The Supreme Court had previously allowed the regulation to remain in effect while the lawsuit continued through the courts, with Chief Justice John Roberts and Justice Amy Coney Barrett voting with the three liberal members of the court to form the majority. The justices have been revisiting the Second Amendment in recent years, after the conservative majority in 2022 made it easier to carry handguns outside the home for protection. In June, a federal ban on bump stocks, devices that can convert semi-automatic rifles into weapons that can fire hundreds of rounds a minute, was struck down by the high court.