Minnesota election judge faces felony charges over accepting unregistered votes
A Minnesota election judge is being charged after allegedly accepting people who were not properly registered to vote in the 2024 election. Timothy Michael Scouton, who served as the head election judge for the Badoura Township Precinct in Hubbard County, Minnesota, is being charged with one count of accepting the vote of an unregistered voter and one count of neglect of duty by an election official, both felonies, according to a report from Fox 9. Police say they were notified by an election auditor that 11 voters did not complete proper registration forms, yet were allowed to vote despite not being able to complete the forms that are used to authenticate their identity. VOTER REGISTRATION FRAUD PROBE INVOLVING 2500 APPLICATIONS CONFIRMED BY PA. ELECTION OFFICIALS Those votes were allowed despite Scouton reportedly completing his election judge training and head election judge training in July, the report notes. Authorities spoke with another judge who worked with Scouton on the night of the election, with the judge telling police that Scouton instructed her not to use the proper registration forms. Another judge working with Scouton told police that she was not aware of the proper forms and was instructed by Scouton to have voters sign the back of a book. DOJ ONCE OK’D LAW AT CENTER OF YOUNGKIN VOTER ROLL-CULLING ORDER FEDS NOW SUING TO BLOCK Scouton was arrested on the charges by the Hubbard County Sheriff’s Office, who said he “declined to provide a statement.” Meanwhile, the Minnesota Secretary of State acknowledged that the charges against Scouton were “very serious.” “These allegations are extremely serious and must be fully and thoroughly investigated,” the Secretary of State’s office said in a statement to Fox 9. “Election judges take an oath to administer elections in accordance with the law, a deliberate failure to do so is unlawful and a betrayal of the public trust. Minnesota’s elections rely on the dedication and public service of 30,000 people and they are required to conduct their work fairly, impartially, and within the letter of the law. The Hubbard County Auditor took prompt and correct action in notifying local authorities of the uncovered discrepancies so they could investigate.”
Arab Americans in swing state urge Trump to follow through on promises to end conflict in Gaza
Leaders in Dearborn, Michigan, who helped power President-elect Trump to victory in the critical swing state penned a letter urging him to make good on his promise to bring peace to Gaza. “We are urging your administration and transition team to apply your political influence in demanding an immediate cease-fire in Lebanon and Palestine,” reads a letter to Trump released by the MENA (Middle East North Africa) American Chamber of Commerce. “This aligns to the commitment toward lasting peace which you made.” The letter comes after a movement in Dearborn that started as a protest to President Biden’s handling of the war in Gaza eventually resulted in Trump’s shocking victory in both Dearborn and Dearborn Heights, Michigan, two cities with large Arab American populations. JOE MANCHIN: THE AMERICAN PEOPLE PICKED TRUMP. NOW IS THE TIME TO DELIVER SOLUTIONS FOR EVERYONE Those votes contributed to Trump’s victory in the critical swing state of Michigan, which the president-elect won by just under 1.5 percentage points. Trump made outreach to the Muslim community in Michigan a priority in the stretch run of his successful campaign, earning the endorsement of multiple community leaders in the Dearborn and Metro Detroit areas. But while Trump has yet to take office, the MENA American Chamber of Commerce argued that the president-elect’s significant political influence could be useful in bringing a quicker end to the conflict. IN ELECTION VICTORY, TRUMP’S GAINS WENT BEYOND THE BATTLEGROUNDS “We urge you to call for an immediate cease-fire in Lebanon and Palestine while crafting a long-lasting peace in the region,” the letter reads. “Further, we believe your team’s leadership will be instrumental in advancing productive U.S.-Lebanese relations.” The group also acknowledged Trump’s commitment to peace, noting that it aligned with the values of the Arab American community. “Dearborn, Michigan, a city with the highest concentration of Arab Americans outside the Middle East, turned red in this presidential election due to your genuine outreach to our community and our belief that you are the optimal choice for our democracy, economy, and matters of foreign policy,” the letter said. “The over 3.5 million MENA Americans, some of whom reside in the swing states, are proud to have contributed to your margins of victory, particularly in Michigan, Pennsylvania, and Georgia. Your success is a testament to your resonance with the values and concerns of MENA Americans.” Trump’s transition team did not immediately respond to a Fox News Digital request for comment.
Speaker Johnson opposes releasing Matt Gaetz’s House Ethics report: ‘Open a Pandora’s box’
House Speaker Mike Johnson explained his opposition to releasing the House Ethics Committee report on Rep. Matt Gaetz, R-Fla., on Sunday. Johnson, R-La., made the comments during an appearance on “Fox News Sunday” with host Shannon Bream. He argued that releasing such a report after Gaetz’s resignation could open a “Pandora’s box.” Gaetz resigned from Congress last week shortly after President-elect Trump nominated him to serve as U.S. attorney general. Bream began by asking Johnson whether he was aware of the contents of the ethics report, which pertained to alleged sexual misconduct. “I don’t know anything about the contents of the report because the way the rules work, of course, the speaker of the House can’t put a thumb on the scale or be involved in an Ethics Committee report. What I do know is that the comments about there being a precedent for releasing reports is not exactly accurate,” Johnson said. MIKE JOHNSON WINS REPUBLICAN SUPPORT TO BE HOUSE SPEAKER AGAIN AFTER TRUMP ENDORSEMENT “There’s a very important reason for the tradition and the rule that we always have – almost always followed – and that is that we don’t issue investigations and ethics reports on people who are not members of Congress. I’m afraid that that would open a Pandora’s box because the jurisdiction of the Ethics Committee is limited to those who are serving in the institution. That’s its very purpose. And I think this would be a breach of protocol that could be dangerous for us going forward in the future,” he added. MATT GAETZ FACES GOP SENATE OPPOSITION AFTER TRUMP SELECTION FOR ATTORNEY GENERAL ABC News reported on Thursday that a woman testified to the ethics committee that she had sexual relations with Gaetz when she was 17 years old. The House investigation ceased when Gaetz resigned on Wednesday. Gaetz told Fox News Digital in response to the new report, “These allegations are invented and would constitute false testimony to Congress. This false smear following a three-year criminal investigation should be viewed with great skepticism.” The chief counsel for the House Ethics Committee declined to comment when asked by Fox News Digital. REPUBLICANS PROJECTED TO KEEP CONTROL OF HOUSE AS TRUMP PREPARES TO IMPLEMENT AGENDA Fox News Digital also reached out to Gaetz’s congressional office for comment. The Department of Justice (DOJ) had previously spoken to the woman, now in her 20s, according to ABC, as part of its years-long investigation into Gaetz related to accusations of sex trafficking and obstruction of justice. The DOJ ultimately did not press charges, and Gaetz has consistently denied all wrongdoing. Details of the matter could come out if Gaetz goes through the Senate confirmation process to lead the department that once investigated him. CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas, a senior member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, suggested he would want to see the report. “I think there should not be any limitation on the Senate Judiciary Committee’s investigation, including whatever the House Ethics Committee has generated,” he told reporters. Fox News’ Elizabeth Elkind and Tyler Olsen contributed to this report
GRAP 4 imposed in Delhi from November 18: What’s open, what’s closed
GRAP Stage 4 entails a ban on diesel-run medium, and heavy goods vehicles registered in Delhi (BS-IV or below), except those carrying essentials.
Trump inner circle shares McDonald’s meal as Donald Jr. jokes ‘Make America Healthy Again starts tomorrow’
President-elect Trump and members of his inner circle shared a McDonald’s meal aboard Trump’s private plane, with Donald Trump Jr. posting a photo Sunday morning and joking that the Trump campaign’s mission to make Americans healthier will have to wait a day. Trump and his entourage included Elon Musk, House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., Donald Trump Jr. and, perhaps most surprisingly, Robert F. Kennedy Jr., Trump’s pick for Health and Human Services secretary. Kennedy, an outspoken critic of processed foods, was pictured with McDonald’s food and a Coca-Cola. Trump Jr. captioned the photo, “Make America Healthy Again starts TOMORROW.” The group had traveled to New York City on Saturday to attend UFC 309 at Madison Square Garden, the site of Trump’s historic campaign rally last month. TRUMP FLANKED BY TOP ALLIES, CABINET PICKS AT UFC 309: ‘USA, USA’ Kennedy has not been shy about sharing his opinions about the president-elect’s diet. “The stuff that he eats is really, like, bad,” Kennedy told podcaster Joe Polish on Monday. “Campaign food is always bad, but the food that goes onto that airplane is, like, just poison,” he said of the food aboard Trump’s private plane. “You have a choice between – you don’t have the choice, you’re either given KFC or Big Macs. That’s when you’re lucky, and then the rest of the stuff I consider kind of inedible.” DEMOCRATIC COLORADO GOVERNOR COMMENDS TRUMP FOR NOMINATING RFK JR. AS HHS SECRETARY Kennedy also vowed earlier this month to clear out “entire departments” within the Food and Drug Administration for “not doing their job.” Kennedy endorsed Trump after suspending his own presidential campaign, becoming one of Trump’s most prominent surrogates and incorporating the “MAHA” (Make America Healthy Again) movement into his closing argument to voters. Kennedy has already begun asking ordinary Americans to make suggestions about what policies and people should be put in place as HHS secretary, launching a website called “Policies for the People” that allows people to nominate, suggest and vote for the leaders and policies they want to see coming from the Trump White House. Fox News Digital’s Joseph A. Wulfsohn and Peter Pinedo contributed to this report.
Blue state CEO who put up 100 ft. pro-Trump sign to spend $2.6 million on campaign for Congress
FIRST ON FOX: Sticker Mule CEO Anthony Constantino has officially tossed his hat in the ring to fill the vacancy left by New York Rep. Elise Stefanik’s appointment to serve in the Trump administration. The pro-Trump businessman, who installed a 100-ft. “Vote for Trump” sign in upstate New York before the election, tells Fox News Digital he will spend $2.6 million to self-fund his bid to succeed Stefanik once she becomes the U.S. ambassador to the United Nations in January. “My phones are ringing off the hook with people encouraging me to run, who wanted me to run,” Constantino, 40, said in an interview. “And just like President Trump was an outsider who brought a great skill set to politics, a great skill set to government, I think the country needs more people with similar backgrounds that are outsiders, that are talented people. And I happen to be one of them.” Stefanik currently represents New York’s 21st Congressional District, which encompasses the solidly Republican North Country, a large swath of upstate New York that includes most of the Adirondack Mountains and Thousand Islands regions. She is expected to resign from Congress after President-elect Trump tapped her to represent the United States at the U.N. PRO-TRUMP TECH CEO MULLING CONGRESSIONAL RUN TO FILL STEFANIK’S SEAT IDENTIFIES NEW YORK’S ‘BIGGEST PROBLEM’ “I am honored to nominate Chairwoman Elise Stefanik to serve in my Cabinet as U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations. Elise is an incredibly strong, tough, and smart America First fighter,” Trump said. Stefanik gladly accepted the nomination, stating, “I am truly honored to earn President Trump’s nomination to serve in his Cabinet as U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations. During my conversation with President Trump, I shared how deeply humbled I am to accept his nomination and that I look forward to earning the support of my colleagues in the United States Senate. President Trump’s historic landslide election has given hope to the American people and is a reminder that brighter days are ahead — both at home and abroad.” Her appointment sets the stage for a special election to fill her seat in the 21st congressional district following her successful re-election bid last week. Stefanik secured victory by more than 24% of the vote against her opponent, Paula Collins. Constantino filed paperwork with the Federal Elections Commission on Thursday to set up his campaign committee. Formerly a registered Democrat, he is now one of several Republicans expected to contend for the GOP nomination, a group that could include established state lawmakers, local officials and other experienced politicians. What makes him stand out, in his view, is that he had no intention of entering politics until about three months ago. TECH CEO WHO WENT VIRAL FOR PRO-TRUMP EMAIL DEFENDS CALL TO ACTION OVER ‘POLITICAL HATE’ “The best thing about my situation is until recently, I had no political ambitions, which I think makes me a better candidate,” he said. “I just got involved because a bullet hit President Trump, and immediately I spoke up, and I sent out a message to five million customers that was a massively viral message.” A would-be assassin’s bullet struck Trump in the right ear during a campaign rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, on July 13. The gunfire injured two others in the crowd and killed a third, volunteer firefighter Corey Comperatore. Constantino says he was inspired by that horrific act of violence to take a stand against “anti-Trump hate” and seek to unify the country. He worked “around the clock” to support Trump’s White House campaign, formed a political action committee and defeated local Democratic officials who had sued to remove his $125,000 pro-Trump sign on the repurposed Fownes glove factory building in Amsterdam. “President Trump has really done great things. He’s a great human. He’s done great things for the world. And he doesn’t deserve all the hate directed at him, and his supporters don’t deserve it either,” Constantino previously told Fox News Digital. BLUE STATE CEO SUED OVER PRO-TRUMP SIGN NETS ‘EPIC WIN FOR FREE SPEECH’ Now that Trump has won in a historic victory, Constantino believes the anti-Trump fervor that consumed half of the country before the election is dying down. And with a desire to “do big things” and make an impact, he is eyeing a seat in Congress. “I like to be impactful. I like to do big things. And right now, this is probably the biggest, most impactful thing I can do with my life,” he said. If elected, Constantino said his priorities would be to support businesses and help make New York a happier place to live. “The biggest problem in New York is people are leaving, and we’ve got to bring energy and enthusiasm back to New York. And we’ve got to show America that New York is safe for people from all parties, Democrats and Republicans alike,” he said. There will not be a traditional Republican primary for the special election. Instead, both the GOP and Democratic nominees will be chosen by party chairs in the district. It’s a process that could advantage political insiders – other candidates floated for the position include ousted Rep. Marc Molinaro, Rensselaer County Executive Steve McLaughlin, state Sens. Dan Stec and Jake Ashby and Assembly Members Chris Tague and Robert Smullen, according to City & State New York. But Constantino enters the fray as a wealthy self-made man and favorite of the online MAGA movement thanks to his viral pro-Trump sign. He plans to meet with the GOP chairs in his district to discuss how he can fund his candidacy without relying on party resources. He also hopes to earn Stefanik’s support as she is likely to play kingmaker when it comes to her successor. “I’m going to be funding my own campaign. I don’t want to be a drain on the party,” Constantino told Fox News Digital. “I want people to know that I won’t be beholden to any special interests. I’m doing this for the right reasons.
Republicans aim to expand slim House majority as final races near finish line
Republicans are pushing to expand their slim majority in the House of Representatives as the final handful of undecided races near their conclusion. Five House races remain uncalled as of Sunday morning. The balance of power currently sits at 218 seats for Republicans, and 212 for the Democrats. Democratic incumbent Rep. Mary Sattler Peltola is in a tight race in Alaska’s at-large congressional district, where she is trailing Republican entrepreneur Nick Begich. As of Sunday morning, Begich holds a nearly 3-point lead at 48.7% of the vote compared to Peltola’s 46.1%. The vote count sits at 155,120 to 146,782 with roughly 98% of the vote counted. GOP INCUMBENT PROJECTED TO DEFEAT DEM CHALLENGER IN CLOSELY WATCHED ARIZONA HOUSE RACE Republican Rep. John Duarte is leading former Democratic state assembly member Adam Gray in California’s 13th Congressional District, but the highly contested race remains uncalled as of Sunday morning. Roughly 86% of the vote has been counted, and Duarte holds a 50.6% to 49.4% lead. The pair is separated by just over 2,000 votes. REPUBLICANS PROJECTED TO KEEP CONTROL OF HOUSE AS TRUMP PREPARES TO IMPLEMENT AGENDA Democratic challenger Derek Tran has taken the lead over Republican incumbent Rep. Michelle Steel in the 45th District. Steel had been in the lead by a few hundred votes late last week, but Tran now has a razor-thin 36-vote lead. Roughly 94% of the vote has been counted for the district. Republican incumbent Rep. Mariannet Miller-Meeks holds a less than 1% lead over challenger Christina Bohannan with 99% of the vote counted. Miller-Meeks’ lead sits at just under 1,000 votes. TRUMP THROWS FULL SUPPORT BEHIND MIKE JOHNSON BEFORE SPEAKER ELECTION Bohannan has requested a recount in her bid to unseat Miller-Meeks. The Associated Press has not yet called the race because the margin was close enough that it could prompt a recount. Miller-Meeks has declared victory and said she was confident in her lead. Democratic incumbent Marcy Kaptur leads her Republican challenger, Derek Merrin, by less than 1 point with 99% of the votes counted. Kaptur’s lead sits at just over 1,000 votes as of Sunday morning. CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP Races with a margin of 0.5% or less trigger an automatic recount in Ohio. Fox News’ Chris Pandolfo and Jasmine Baehr and the Associated Press contributed to this report.
Baba Siddique murder: Mumbai crime branch makes 25th arrest of Gujarati man from…
The Mumbai Crime Branch on Sunday arrested a Gujarat resident from Akola in Maharashtra in the Baba Siddique murder case, taking the number of people held in the sensational incident to 25, an official said.
Pentagon fails 7th audit in a row, unable to fully account for $824B budget
The Pentagon failed its seventh consecutive audit on Friday as the agency was unable to fully account for its massive $824 billion budget, though officials were confident the Department of Defense “has turned a corner” in understanding its budgetary challenges going forward. The audits resulted in a disclaimer of opinion, which means auditors were provided with insufficient information to form an accurate opinion of the accounts. Of the Department of Defense’s (DoD) 28 reporting entities that had standalone audits, 9 received an unmodified audit opinion, 1 received a qualified opinion, 15 received disclaimers, and 3 opinions remain pending, the Pentagon said. But with the goal of achieving a clean audit by 2028, Michael McCord, Under Secretary of Defense (Comptroller) and Chief Financial Officer, said the agency “has turned a corner in its understanding of the depth and breadth of its challenges.” MILITARY SUICIDES WERE ON THE RISE LAST YEAR, DESPITE A MASSIVE INVESTMENT IN PREVENTION PROGRAMS “Momentum is on our side, and throughout the Department there is strong commitment—and belief in our ability—to achieve an unmodified audit opinion,” he said in a statement. The objective of earning an unmodified audit opinion is mandated by the National Defense Authorization Act. McCord told reporters at a briefing on Friday that he would not say that the agency “failed” as it had “about half clean opinions.” “So if someone had a report card that is half good and half not good, I don’t know that you call the student or the report card a failure,” he said. US DEPLOYS ADDITIONAL MILITARY FORCES TO MIDDLE EAST AMID INTENSIFYING REGIONAL TENSIONS: PENTAGON Independent public accountants and the DoD Office of Inspector General closely examined the financial statements for the audit. McCord emphasized in a statement that the path to a clean audit is clear. “Significant work remains and challenges lie ahead, but our annual audit continues to be a catalyst for Department-wide financial management reform, resulting in greater financial integrity, transparency, and better-supported warfighters,” he said.
‘Your input is…’: Nirmala Sitharaman’s response to X user requesting ‘relief’ for middle class
The appeal came from Tushar Sharma, who posted on X, expressing his admiration for the government’s efforts while making a ‘heartfelt request’ for middle-class relief