Anti-Israel Ivy League student in US on visa being urged by ICE to surrender: court docs
President Donald Trump’s Department of Justice (DOJ) is seeking to have Momodou Taal, an anti-Israel student protester attending Cornell University who is in the U.S. on a visa, surrender to immigration authorities, according to court documents. Taal holds dual citizenship in the United Kingdom and Gambia. Eric Lee, an attorney for Taal, stated in court filings that he was notified via email by a Department of Justice attorney, marking the first time he learned the government planned to issue him a notice to appear to begin deportation proceedings alongside an invitation to turn himself in to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) on Friday. Lee, who called Trump’s orders an “urgent threat of dictatorship,” wrote in court documents that “undersigned counsel contacted counsel for Taal to share that ICE invites Taal and his counsel to appear in-person at the HSI Office in Syracuse at a mutually agreeable time for personal service of the NTA and for Taal to surrender to ICE custody.” ICE NEARING HISTORIC DEAL WITH IRS TO AID IN DEPORTATIONS: REPORT Taal, who has been an anti-Israel student activist since the Oct. 7, 2023, Hamas attacks, has praised the “resistance” against Israel several times on his X account. Despite being accepted on a student visa in 2022, Taal has also posted about his “hatred” for the U.S. and called for “the end of the US empire.” Hundreds of Cornell University students, alumni and faculty held a rally in support of Taal – who was not present for the demonstration – last week. “I’m safe. I’m well. And I await my time to be heard in court,” Taal wrote in a X post on Sunday. A document titled “Jewish Cornellians Stand with Momodou Taal” is also being circulated among students and staff at the university and has under 50 signatures. When reached for comment, a Trump administration official said, the DOJ “has already been fighting in court to vigorously defend President Trump’s agenda and will continue to do so, especially when it comes to protecting Jewish Americans.” COURT ORDER HALTING DEPORTATION FLIGHTS ‘UNCONSTITUTIONALLY IMPEDES’ EXECUTIVE BRANCH, TRUMP ALLIES ARGUE The motion comes after Taal, alongside two other students, filed a lawsuit against the Trump administration earlier this month for the president’s executive orders vowing to “combat antisemitism,” which they say violates their First Amendment rights to protest against Israel. “Immediate action will be taken by the Department of Justice to protect law and order, quell pro-Hamas vandalism and intimidation, and investigate and punish anti-Jewish racism in leftist, anti-American colleges and universities,” the order states. Another order listed in Taal’s lawsuit includes the “Protecting the United States from Foreign Terrorists and Other National Security and Public Safety Threats,” which seeks to strengthen the vetting and screening processes for individuals seeking entry into the U.S. Ivy league schools and universities were the center of anti-Israel protests last year, with several instances of harassment of Jewish students, violent altercations and vandalism reported on campuses. JUSTICE DEPARTMENT TELLS FEDERAL JUDGE IT MIGHT INVOKE STATE SECRETS ACT ON HIGH-PROFILE DEPORTATION CASE CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP Taal’s case comes after the Trump administration targeted Mahmoud Khalil, a Columbia University student and outspoken anti-Israel activist, for deportation this month. Khalil, who arrived in the U.S. on a student visa, is accused by the DOJ of failing to disclose key details on his green card application, including his work with the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA) and a position at the British Embassy in Lebanon. Fox News Digital has reached out to Cornell University for comment.
Youngkin dodges anti-DOGE protesters outside Virginia church
Patrick Henry delivered the revolutionary rally cry heard around the world: “Give me liberty or give me death!” Protesters sang their own rallying cry on Sunday, at the very site where the Founding Father urged Virginia colonists to join the American Revolution 250 years ago. After delivering remarks at the annual enactment of Henry’s iconic speech, Gov. Glenn Youngkin, R-Va., was met by loud boos, “shame” chants and protest cries while exiting St. John’s Church in Richmond, Virginia. Protesters held up signs like “deport Musk” and “Youngkin is a Trumpkin” as the governor was escorted through the raucous crowd by law enforcement. The “250 Years of No Kings in America” protest in Patrick Henry Park was organized by Indivisible Richmond, a group focused on “local opposition to the MAGA agenda.” While Youngkin didn’t stop to debate the protesters shouting at him, he addressed them during his speech inside. “There are Virginians and there are Americans who are standing up for freedom and liberty, and I just want to once again thank all of you who care so deeply about our commonwealth and our country’s future. Now, you might have noticed that there are some enthusiastic friends outside. Don’t worry about them because I am happy to do whatever it takes to get someone to church on Sunday,” Youngkin said. GINGRICH WARNS OF ‘VERY DANGEROUS’ CONSEQUENCES AS DEMOCRATS RAMP UP RESISTANCE TO TRUMP, MUSK Youngkin – a Trump ally who rose to political fame for defending parental rights – invoked Henry’s fight for freedom and liberty during his speech, as protesters danced to the tune of their own definition of democracy outside. Democratic state Sen. Ghazala Hashmi, with a megaphone from the bed of a truck, shouted about President Abraham Lincoln’s leadership during the Civil War as protesters flooded the sidewalks around the church. She spoke in front of an upside-down American flag, which under U.S. Flag Code, should only be used “as a signal of dire distress in instances of extreme danger to life or property.” MEET THE FAR-LEFT GROUPS FUNDING ANTI-DOGE PROTESTS AT GOP OFFICES ACROSS THE COUNTRY “We resisted King George. We will resist Trump,” the flier for Sunday’s protest said, comparing the resistance of President Donald Trump to the American Revolution. The Reddit user who organized the protest said: “Trump continuously violated the Constitution, declared himself the sole legal authority in the land, and called himself ‘KING.’ Trump must be removed from office!” While anti-Trump protesters used the anniversary of Henry’s speech to resist Trump, Trump celebrated the 250th anniversary of Henry’s address to the Second Virginia Convention with a proclamation. “I signed a proclamation a few minutes ago honoring the 250th anniversary of Patrick Henry’s famous speech to the Second Virginia Convention in which he declared the very well-known, very famous words, ‘Give me liberty or give me death.’ Has anyone heard the phrase? I think most of you have,” Trump said. “Give me liberty or give me death!” has been a rallying cry for protesters during the Tiananmen Square protests in 1989, by Malcom X during the Civil Rights movement and by those who opposed COVID-19 pandemic restrictions in 2020. The phrase was first used by Henry in the run-up to the American Revolution to persuade Virginia colonists to prepare for war against Great Britain. Trump evoked Henry’s notorious line during his criminal trial last year. “Give me liberty or give me death,” he wrote in all caps on Truth Social, after Judge Juan Merchan said he would consider jail time for Trump if he continued to violate his gag order. Protests resisting Trump’s executive authority and Elon Musk‘s leadership of the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) have been staged in the two months since he returned to office. Progressive groups also hosted “Not My Presidents Day” or “No Kings Day” demonstrations on Presidents Day across the country. Democrats have increasingly accused the Trump administration of “oligarchy” and “authoritarianism.” ‘NOT MY PRESIDENTS DAY’ PROTESTS ERUPT ACROSS THE COUNTRY Last week, Gov. J.B. Pritzker, D-Ill., during “A Better Way Forward” conversation at the Center for American Progress, urged Democrats to fight and defend America’s constitutional republic from the “incompetence” and “treachery” of President Donald Trump. The Democratic governor, who compared the current political climate to Nazi Germany during his State of the State address in February, warned of Trump’s “authoritarian rule” last Tuesday. Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., has drawn thousands of supporters to his “Fighting Oligarchy” rallies across the country, with record-setting West Coast stops alongside Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., over the weekend. The events are billed as an opportunity to “discuss how we take on the greed of the billionaire class and create a government that works for all and not just the few.” Indivisible Richmond, Youngkin and the White House did reply to Fox News Digital’s request for comment.
Republican, Dem lawmakers join forces to reform ‘inefficient’ FEMA, detach agency from DHS
A bipartisan pair of Florida lawmakers is teaming up to establish the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) as a separate Cabinet-level agency in an effort to “cut red tape, improve government efficiency, and save lives.” Reps. Jared Moskowitz, D-Fla., and Byron Donalds, R-Fla., introduced the FEMA Independence Act on Monday, which aims to detach the agency from the “bureaucratic labyrinth” of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and return it to its core mission of providing emergency aid. “As the first Emergency Management Director ever elected to Congress, I’ve seen firsthand the challenges of preparing for, responding to, and recovering from disaster events. As these emergencies continue to grow larger and more widespread, the American people deserve a federal response that is efficient and fast,” Moskowitz said in a statement shared with Fox News Digital. “To achieve that, FEMA should be reformed.” The bill would also require that a director be appointed to lead the agency upon confirmation by the Senate. TRUMP’S FEMA FACES RECKONING AS MORE STAFF FIRED IN ‘POLITICAL BIAS’ SCANDAL: GOP LAWMAKER The director would be required to have “a demonstrated ability in and knowledge of emergency management and homeland security” and no less than five years of executive leadership and management experience in the public and private sectors, according to the bill text. Moskowitz highlighted how FEMA sits under the “umbrella” of DHS with about 20 other agencies, saying, “The set-up simply doesn’t work.” “By removing FEMA from the Department of Homeland Security and restoring its status as an independent, cabinet-level agency, my bipartisan bill will help cut red tape, improve government efficiency, and save lives,” Moskowitz said. “It will also help refocus FEMA on its original mission: as an agency tasked with responding before, during, and after disaster events.” NEW YORK CITY DENIED REQUEST FEMA RETURN $80M IN MIGRANT FUNDS Donalds, in a statement shared with Fox, said, “FEMA has become overly bureaucratic, overly politicized, overly inefficient, and substantial change is needed to best serve the American people.” “When disaster strikes, quick and effective action must be the standard – not the exception,” the Republican congressman wrote. “It is imperative that FEMA is removed from the bureaucratic labyrinth of DHS and instead is designated to report directly to the President of the United States.” The bill comes two months after President Donald Trump launched a review council as part of an initiative to begin “fundamentally reforming and overhauling” the agency. “Despite obligating nearly $30 billion in disaster aid each of the past three years, FEMA has managed to leave vulnerable Americans without the resources or support they need when they need it most,” Trump’s order reads. “There are serious concerns of political bias in FEMA. Indeed, at least one former FEMA responder has stated that FEMA managers directed her to avoid homes of individuals supporting the campaign of Donald J. Trump for President.” FEMA’s use of resources has also come under scrutiny in the past few weeks after the Department of Government Efficiency, led by billionaire Elon Musk, revealed that the agency, under former President Joe Biden, allocated $59 million to New York City to pay for “luxury hotels” for illegal immigrants. CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP Moskowitz said FEMA should be reworked rather than abolished. Fox News’ Greg Wehner contributed to this report.
Maine Dems push for tampons in boys’ bathrooms amid ongoing debate over trans sports participation
Democrats in Maine are pushing a bill that would require all public schools to provide tampons in boys’ bathrooms starting in middle school, a move that comes as state leaders continue to face backlash over their stance on transgender athletes competing in women’s sports. LD 155, introduced by state Rep. Kristen Cloutier, D-Lewiston, seeks to “require” all public schools in the state that serve grades 6–12 to make tampons and sanitary pads available in all student bathrooms, including those designated specifically for males. The bill is being pushed during an ongoing debate over whether transgender athletes should be allowed to compete on female sports teams, particularly in high school. MAINE GOP URGES DEMS TO REPEAL TRANSGENDER ATHLETE POLICY FOLLOWING FEDERAL TITLE IX VIOLATION FINDING “This is really quite clearly a pattern that reveals where the legislative Democrats’ priorities are,” said state Rep. Rachel Henderson, R-Rumford. Henderson likened the move to an ongoing budget battle in the legislature, which saw Democrats usurp Republican authority in order to get their priorities across by passing a bill without a two-thirds majority. The move has delayed critical funds needed for the states’ Medicaid program, according to Henderson. “It just kind of shows how out of touch the legislative Democrats here in Maine are when their priorities are paying for tampons in boys’ bathrooms rather than ensuring that we have any type of balanced budget,” she said. Meanwhile, Assistant House Minority Leader Katrina Smith, R–Palermo, said Democrats in the state legislature think “they can push through anything they want,” even at the expense of taxpayers, because they have control over both chambers and the governor’s office. CALIFORNIA SCHOOL DISTRICT INFORMS PARENTS PERIOD PRODUCTS ARE IN BATHROOMS FOR ‘ANY STUDENT WHO MENSTRUATES’ “Maine is ground zero for these types of policies,” Smith told Fox News Digital. “They think that, because they have the majority in every body, that they can push through anything they want and anything they want usually costs taxpayers money as well, which this would.” Earlier this year, Democrats in the state legislature voted to censure GOP state Rep. Laurel Libby, who has been an outspoken advocate against state leaders choosing to defy President Donald Trump’s executive order prohibiting transgender athletes from competing in women’s athletics. The censure vote followed Libby’s opposition to state leaders’ decision that Maine’s Human Rights Law – which mandates athletic eligibility be based on gender identity – takes precedence over the president’s executive order banning that practice. Maine’s Democratic Gov. Janet Mills has supported the move to defy Trump’s executive order on trans sports participation as well, telling the president at the White House last month, “We’ll see you in court,” in reference to the matter. Fox News Digital reached out to Cloutier for comment on her bill that would require schools to provide tampons in boys’ bathrooms, but did not receive a response in time for publication.
From ‘food justice’ to ‘useless surveys,’ Trump’s Cabinet reveals ‘nonsensical’ contracts it has canceled
President Donald Trump’s Cabinet outlined billions of dollars in contracts it says it has canceled since he took office, including a “$300,000 contract educating on food justice for queer and transgender farmers in San Francisco” and $830 million on surveys described as looking like “anyone’s child in junior high could have put together.” The contracts, which Trump said represented “fraud,” are being canceled as Elon Musk and the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) are trying to eliminate wasteful spending by the federal government. “Even at the U.S. Department of Agriculture, we canceled a $300,000 contract educating on food justice for queer and transgender farmers in San Francisco. A similar contract we canceled in New York, again educating transgender and queer farmers on food justice and food equality. I’m not even sure what that means, but apparently the last administration wanted to put out taxpayer dollars towards that,” Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins told Trump. “We canceled a $600,000 contract out of Louisiana that was studying the menstrual cycles of transgender men. We canceled another contract out of a university in the middle of the country that focused on getting more diversity, equity and inclusion into our pest management industry,” she continued. “Again, these are nonsensical, it makes zero sense to use taxpayer dollars to fund these. I know these are just a few examples of the hundreds and hundreds we have found.” FEDERAL GOVERNMENT BLOCKS DOGE FROM PERSONAL DATA, IN ANOTHER INJUNCTION AGAINST TRUMP Interior Secretary Doug Burgum told Trump that “There is a federal consulting group which was a group inside of Interior, but it was managing contracts for many different agencies that flowed through here” and “one of those contracts was to do surveys of individuals, $830 million for surveys.” “And so part of the question was ‘hey could we actually see the surveys?’ and then the surveys came back and it was, the survey was like 8.5 by 11 sheet of paper with ten questions that anyone’s child in junior high could have put together, or AI could have done for free,” Burgum said during the Cabinet meeting. “$830 million, so that is one that we stopped and that contract was going out after you were inaugurated, sir.” “It’s fraud,” Trump responded. “But we’ve had many fraudulent contracts that were caught by the work that Elon and his people are doing and working with our people. It’s been brought to light. The fraud, not just waste and abuse. The fraud has been incredible.” REPUBLICAN SENATORS URGED TO ‘GO ON OFFENSE’ ON DOGE GOALS, HIGHLIGHT WORK WITH TRUMP, MUSK An X account linked to the White House said Burgum announced $830 million in savings by “cutting contracts for useless surveys.” “The EPA has now canceled over $22 billion worth of contracts – $2 billion going to this NGO that Stacey Abrams was tied to. They received only $100 in 2023 and then the Biden administration gave them $2 billion,” Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Lee Zeldin also said. “The director of the Greenhouse Gas Reduction Fund saw his former employer get $5 billion dollars. So $20 billion went to just eight NGOs.” “The partnership with DOGE and Elon Musk has been incredible at EPA. Their team is very talented, we wouldn’t have been able to do it without them and of course this mandate from President Trump to make sure that we identify every last penny, whether we are saving $50,000, five million dollars or $22 billion dollars we will not rest until every last penny is saved. Thank you, Mr. President for the opportunity to do this for the American public,” Zeldin added.
US to meet Ukraine again in Riyadh after talks with Russian delegation
United States officials are set to meet with their Ukrainian counterparts again after a round of talks with Russian negotiators on a partial ceasefire in Ukraine. A senior Ukrainian official told the AFP news agency that the meeting would be held later on Monday after US and Russian delegations wrap up their day’s talks in Saudi Arabia’s capital Riyadh. Monday’s US-Russia talks were primarily focused on ending attacks on Black Sea shipping, with a view to ushering in a broader ceasefire agreement that would bring an end to the three-year Russia-Ukraine war. US officials had already met the Ukrainian team on Sunday to discuss the protection of civilian and energy infrastructure, said Ukrainian Defence Minister Rustem Umerov, who led the delegation and called the talks “productive”. Reporting from Kyiv, Al Jazeera’s Assed Baig said Ukraine was now keen to see Russia agree to a deal that would protect Black Sea shipping, particularly “the cessation of shelling of Ukrainian ports Odesa, Kherson and Mykolaiv”. Advertisement “Now that’s been a major concern for the Ukrainians. Ukraine really wants their ports operating and running and that’s why initially they proposed a ceasefire on air and sea,” said Baig. Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov confirmed on Monday that US and Russian officials were discussing the possible resumption of the 2022 Black Sea Grain Initiative, an agreement that was supposed to allow Ukraine to ship millions of tonnes of grain and other food exports from its ports. Moscow pulled out of the initiative – brokered by Turkey and the United Nations – in 2023, accusing the West of failing to uphold its commitments to ease sanctions on Russia’s own exports of farm produce and fertilisers. No breakthrough expected “Nobody is holding their breath here expecting any breakthroughs. Even the spokesperson of the Russian Foreign Ministry, Maria Zakharova, said there are no expectations for a breakthrough in Riyadh on Monday”, said Al Jazeera’s Dorsa Jabbari, reporting from Moscow. “What is expected is that they are going to hammer out details of what Russia is asking for. The Russian delegation has been talking to the US official for at least the past eight hours, as we understand it, about the details on a 30-day ceasefire agreement when it comes to energy and infrastructure, and also the Black Sea initiative”, she added. Oleksiy Melnyk, co-director of Foreign Relations and International Security Programmes at Ukraine’s Razumkov Centre think tank, said the length of the negotiations pointed to the Russian side once again making “more and more” requests and demands. Advertisement Speaking to Al Jazeera from Kyiv, he said there was “zero trust between the two sides” and no “possibility for direct talks” between Moscow and Kyiv. Melnyk said the US could increase its pressure on the Ukrainian government, but noted: “If there are no prospects or interest on the Russian side except capitulation of Ukraine, what is the reason for Ukraine to engage in such negotiations?” Maximalist demands The focus on the Black Sea is a much narrower one than a broad 30-day ceasefire agreement that the US proposed to Russia in Saudi Arabia earlier this month. Last week, after separate phone calls with US President Donald Trump, both Russia’s President Vladimir Putin and Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy agreed to a 30-day limited ceasefire, pledging not to attack energy infrastructure in each other’s territories. But both sides have accused the other of carrying out attacks on those specific energy targets in recent days. The Kremlin said on Monday that Russia was still abiding by the moratorium that Putin had promised Trump, despite Kyiv continuing to strike Russian energy facilities. Ukraine, which said it would only agree to the pause if a formal document was signed, has accused Moscow of flouting its own moratorium. Nevertheless, Trump has expressed broad satisfaction over the way talks have been going and has been complimentary about Putin’s engagement in the process so far, saying on Saturday that efforts to stop further escalation in the conflict were “somewhat under control”. Advertisement But there is scepticism among major European powers over whether Putin is ready to make meaningful concessions or will stick to what they see as his maximalist demands. Putin says he is ready to discuss peace but that Ukraine must officially drop its NATO ambitions and withdraw its troops from the entirety of the territory of four Ukrainian regions claimed and mostly controlled by Russia. Continued attacks Monday’s talks came after Russia launched its third consecutive overnight air attack on Kyiv, wounding one person and damaging houses in the region around the Ukrainian capital. Ukraine’s Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha said Russia must stop its strikes instead of “making hollow statements about peace” in the wake of a Russian missile attack on the northeastern city Sumy in a “residential neighbourhood”. The attack injured at least 74 people, including 13 children, damaging a school and a hospital, according to the regional governor. “Any diplomacy with Moscow must be backed up by firepower, sanctions and pressure”, Sybiha said on X. Russia, for its part, said it had downed 227 Ukrainian drones in the last 24 hours, as firefighters in its southern Krasnodar region battled for a fifth day to put out a blaze at an oil depot struck in a Ukrainian drone attack last week. The Russian Defence Ministry claimed on Monday that Ukraine conducted two drone strikes on the Valuika gas distribution station in the Belgorod region on Saturday. Additionally, it said Ukrainian forces had attempted to attack the Glebovskoye gas condensate field in Crimea on Sunday, but that Russian air defences had repelled the assault. Advertisement Adblock test (Why?)
HIV and AIDS deaths could increase globally amid US aid freeze, UN says
US President Donald Trump put almost all US foreign aid on hold upon taking office. There could be 2,000 new HIV infections a day across the world and a tenfold increase in related deaths, possibly in the millions in the years to come, if funding frozen by the United States is not restored or replaced, the United Nations AIDS agency has said. US President Donald Trump put almost all US foreign aid on hold upon taking office on January 20. Days later, the US Department of State said life-saving HIV work under the President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) would continue. But the disruption to health funding and the impact on broader services were having a devastating impact on people living with HIV/AIDS, UNAIDS executive director Winnie Byanyima told reporters in Geneva on Monday. “This sudden withdrawal of US funding has been shutting down many clinics, laying off thousands of health workers … All this means that we expect to see new infections rising. UNAIDS has estimated that we could see 2,000 new infections every day,” she said. She added that if funding from the US Agency for International Development (USAID) did not resume at the end of the 90-day pause, in April, or was not replaced by another government, “there will be, in the next four years, an additional 6.3 million AIDS deaths.” Advertisement “We’ll see it come back, and we’ll see people die the way we saw them in the ’90s and in the 2000s,” she said. Byanyima said the figures were based on UN modelling, but did not give more details on how the estimates had been reached. According to the latest data, there were 600,000 AIDS-related deaths globally in 2023. UNAIDS, which coordinates the global response to preventing and treating HIV/AIDS, received $50m in core funding last year from the US, representing 35 percent of the UN agency’s budget. The Trump administration has said the funding was frozen to ensure it was in line with the president’s “America First” policy. US Secretary of State Marco Rubio has dismissed concerns that Washington is ending foreign aid, saying waivers had been provided for life-saving services. Trump’s team members say they have saved US taxpayers tens of billions of dollars through rapid-fire moves to cancel contracts, fire workers and root out fraud and waste in the government, although they have offered little evidence to support that assertion. Adblock test (Why?)
Turkiye detains over 1,100 as Erdogan blames ‘evil’ opposition for protests
Despite the crackdown, opposition activists promise to ‘not back down’, urging more people to take to streets. Turkish police have detained 1,113 people across the country over five days of protests as President Recep Tayyip Erdogan blames the main opposition party for the unrest sparked by the detention of his main political rival. Interior Minister Ali Yerlikaya confirmed the total number of arrests on Monday after a fifth night of the largest anti-government protests the country has seen in more than a decade. They started after Istanbul Mayor Ekrem Imamoglu was arrested on Wednesday and charged with corruption, aiding the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK), and leading a criminal organisation. Speaking in Ankara on Monday, Erdogan slammed the opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP) for starting a “movement of violence”, adding that its “show” would eventually end and it would feel ashamed for the “evil” it did to the country. Reporting from Istanbul, Al Jazeera’s Aksel Zaimovic said the arrests had not dimmed the opposition’s resolve. “They say they are not backing down. In fact, they are encouraging more people to come and join the rally that’s scheduled in a few hours from now. Advertisement “They are saying they should boycott what they perceive to be pro-government media, all the media outlets that are not covering these protests, but also companies that have ties with government,” he said. Imamoglu is widely seen as the only politician who could pose a significant challenge to Erdogan, who has dominated Turkiye’s politics since 2003, first as prime minister and then as president. The Turkish government denies that the arrest of Imamoglu was politically motivated, insisting that the nation’s courts are independent. On Sunday, 53-year-old Imamoglu was stripped of his mayoral title and jailed in Silivri Prison on the outskirts of Istanbul pending trial on corruption charges that he denies. A further charge of “terrorism” was dismissed for the time being. That same day, he was overwhelmingly voted in as the CHP’s candidate for the 2028 presidential election with about 15 million people casting their ballots in a show of support for him. The demonstrations began in Istanbul after Imamoglu’s arrest, spreading to more than 55 of Turkiye’s 81 provinces. Protesters have clashed with riot police who have deployed tear gas and water cannon. Despite bans on street gatherings in many cities, the antigovernment demonstrations continued for a fifth consecutive night on Sunday with fierce clashes between protesters and riot police. Before dawn on Monday, police detained 10 Turkish journalists at home, according to the Media and Law Studies Association rights group. Detained journalists’ police statements completed, expected to be sent to the courthouse tomorrow On the morning of March 24, at least 10 journalists were detained in dawn raids in Istanbul and Izmir. The statements of the detained journalists have been completed and they are… pic.twitter.com/c949nEbvpg — MLSA (@mlsaturkey) March 24, 2025 Advertisement On Monday, young protesters held a rally next to the Besiktas port on the Bosphorus in Istanbul before the main nightly rally outside city hall, scheduled for 17:30 GMT. Yerlikaya said 123 police officers had been injured during the protests so far, adding that the government would not allow “terrorising of the streets”. Adblock test (Why?)
‘I regret what I…’: Samay Raina appears before Maharashtra cyber cell after India’s Got Latent row
Recently, Samay Raina rescheduled his India tour amid India’s ongoing Got Latent row.
Battle of the chambers: House and Senate tensions boil over as Trump budget hangs in limbo
Republicans in the Senate aren’t necessarily being swayed by a new push from House GOP leaders to take up their preferred budget bill for President Donald Trump. House Republicans have reportedly been concerned by the Senate’s lack of action on their budget bill passed weeks ago, addressing key Trump priorities such as the border and tax cuts. In response to suggestions that the Senate isn’t moving fast enough to get Trump’s budget bill done, a Senate GOP aide pointed Fox News Digital to the fact that the upper chamber just ended what was the longest work period in over 15 years. The Senate aide noted that members and their staff have been “actively engaged in substantive discussions” regarding the key budget reconciliation process for months. Even over the week-long recess, staff engagement has been “virtually non-stop,” they said. BIDEN ADMIN’S ‘VAST CENSORSHIP ENTERPRISE’ WITH HELP OF NGOS SLATED FOR KEY HEARING, LAWMAKER SAYS The budget reconciliation process lowers the threshold for Senate passage from 60 votes to 51 out of 100, allowing the party in power to skirt its opposition to advance its agenda, so long as the included provisions relate to budgetary and other fiscal matters. The House of Representatives already has a simple majority threshold. The process is crucial for Republicans, who have a trifecta in Washington, to get certain Trump agenda items accomplished. CONGRESS EXPANDED THE EXECUTIVE—ONLY FOR TRUMP TO QUASH MUCH OF THE ADMINISTRATIVE STATE The Senate GOP aide noted that the Senate managed to pass its preferred reconciliation bill as part of a two-track plan – before the House passed an alternate version. Early Monday morning, House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., Majority Leader Steve Scalise, R-La., Majority Whip Tom Emmer, R-Minn., and Chairwoman Lisa McClain, R-Mich., released a joint statement alongside 12 chairs of committees with jurisdiction in the budget reconciliation process. “We took the first step to accomplish that by passing a budget resolution weeks ago, and we look forward to the Senate joining us in this commitment to ensure we enact President Trump’s full agenda as quickly as possible,” they said. “The American people gave us a mandate, and we must act on it. We encourage our Senate colleagues to take up the House budget resolution when they return to Washington.” The Senate aide reiterated that Senate Republicans have zeroed in on certain “consequential issues” in the budget reconciliation process, of which the details have to be exact before moving forward. The tax portion, which has been the area of contention between House and Senate Republicans, is expected to get consideration during the new work period, the aide said. GOP SENATOR SAYS HE’S WORKING WITH TRUMP ON BILL TO ABOLISH EDUCATION DEPARTMENT Sen. Ron Johnson, R-Wis., who has been generally opposed to the House’s one-bill reconciliation approach, also pushed back on their statement. “Until we seriously address out-of-control spending and create an effective process to return to a reasonable pre-pandemic level, I will not support another budget resolution,” he told Fox News Digital in a statement. “Unfortunately, the House Budget Resolution does not do that.” Just before the brief legislative recess, Senate Finance Committee Republicans met with Trump at the White House to discuss the at-issue tax portion of his agenda and its reconciliation hopes. Trump has in recent weeks backed off from taking explicit sides in the reconciliation fight between the GOP chambers, despite initially supporting the House’s plan. ‘EDUCATORS WILL BE FIRED’: REPUBLICANS CHEER TRUMP ORDER DISMANTLING EDUCATION DEPARTMENT AS DEMS SEETHE At the center of the tax-cut controversy are Senate Republicans’ claims that the House’s bill would not make Trump’s tax policies from 2017 permanent, and House GOP complaints that multiple reconciliation bills would be difficult to pass, given tight party margins. Senate Republicans did not include an extension of the tax cuts in their passed bill, preferring to do a separate reconciliation bill in the fall. Their bill instead focused on Trump’s border priorities. The House’s measure tackled both in one bill. The House-passed bill has yet to be brought up in the Senate.