Cyclone Dana: Schools closed in West Bengal, Odisha for 4 days from…
The depression will further intensify into a cyclonic storm by October 23 and cross north Odisha and southern West Bengal coasts between Puri and Sagar Island in the early morning hours of October 25 as a severe cyclonic storm with a wind speed of 100-110 kmph, gusting to 120 kmph, it said.
Texas Supreme Court justice’s oversight of the trust of a Houston millionaire with dementia raises ethics concerns
Despite objections from her family, John Devine oversees the trust of Elvie Kingston, a clear violation of Texas’ judicial ethics rules, experts said. His wife is also her legal guardian.
Biden admin faces scrutiny over response to ‘significant rise’ of assaults on Border Patrol agents
FIRST ON FOX: Republican lawmakers are looking for answers from the Biden administration about what action is being taken against illegal immigrants who assault Border Patrol agents, as officials report a “significant rise” in assaults. Lawmakers, led by Rep. Andy Biggs, R-Ariz., wrote to Attorney General Merrick Garland and acting Customs and Border Protection (CBP) Commissioner Troy Miller asking about illegal immigrants who assault agents in an effort to evade capture. ILLEGAL IMMIGRANT BITES BORDER PATROL AGENT IN THE FACE AMID ‘SIGNIFICANT RISE’ OF ATTACKS ON CBP “In FY23, CBP reported that 610 agents were assaulted, while in FY24 at least 413 agents were assaulted. Though these incidents primarily involve physical assault, CBP agents also endure a large percentage of assaults by other means, including through the use of projectiles, vehicles, and firearms,” they say. In August, Border Patrol in the El Paso Sector of Texas warned that it has seen a “significant rise in attacks on Border Patrol Agents recently.” That was highlighted last month when an illegal immigrant bit a Border Patrol agent in the face after being encountered coming across from Mexico. CAUGHT ON CAMERA: FENCE-CUTTING MIGRANTS BUSTED BY FEDS While the attacker in this instance was prosecuted, it has fueled concerns from the lawmakers that illegal immigrants are not being prosecuted sufficiently. They cite media reports that assaults have become a regular occurrence. “Though this incident was somewhat outlandish in the mode of attack, CBP agents have stated they experience assaults like this almost every night while on duty, including getting rushed by large groups of illegal aliens all at once, many of whom will punch and kick the outnumbered agents,” they say. The Republicans also say that statements from agents contradict claims that “CBP is working closely with the Department of Justice (DOJ) to hold these criminal illegal aliens accountable.” The lawmakers are asking for the number of illegal immigrants CBP has referred to the Department of Justice for assault and how many of those have been charged. They are also asking whether CBP reached out to DOJ to discuss why an illegal immigrant is not charged with assault, and whether the agents themselves are contacted. They also want to know how many illegal immigrants who have assaulted agents have been released into the U.S. and the types of support they offer to agents who have been assaulted. CBP says it responds to congressional inquiries through official channels. The letter comes amid intense scrutiny of the southern border and the way it has been handled by the Biden administration. It comes after a massive influx of illegal immigration that has dropped sharply since June, when President Biden signed an order limiting releases into the U.S. The Harris and Trump campaigns have fought over who is the best candidate to tackle the crisis. The Trump campaign has sought to pin the 2021-2024 crisis on Vice President Kamala Harris and her role in the administration, while the Harris campaign has attacked former President Donald Trump for rejecting a bipartisan border security bill introduced earlier this year, but that has failed to pick up Republican support. Get the latest updates on the ongoing border crisis from the Fox News Digital immigration hub.
Georgia Supreme Court denies emergency appeal for GOP-backed ballot rules struck down by judge
The Georgia Supreme Court has denied the Republican Party’s request to immediately reinstate new ballot rules passed by the State Election Board (SEB) last month. The Peach State’s highest court said it will hear the Republican National Committee’s (RNC’s) request for an expedited appeal late last week after Fulton County Superior Court Judge Thomas A. Cox, Jr. ruled the measures were “illegal, unconstitutional, and void.” The one-page decision by the state Supreme Court released on Tuesday afternoon indicates that ruling will remain in place through Election Day. It was unanimously backed by all judges on the court. Cox’s decision covered a requirement for ballots at each precinct to be hand counted by three separate county officials to ensure the total matches the machine-tabulated number, as well as a provision directing county boards to certify election results only after “a reasonable inquiry” into their accuracy, among others. GEORGIA GOP CHAIR SHARES 2-PRONGED ELECTION STRATEGY AS TRUMP WORKS TO WIN BACK PEACH STATE Plaintiffs in the case included civil rights groups like the Georgia State Conference of the NAACP and Eternal Vigilance, as well as a current and a former state official. The state Supreme Court noted it “lacks jurisdiction over this motion” but said it would take the case due to the “issues of gravity and public importance” it presents. The RNC and its allies, including the Georgia state GOP, requested an emergency expedition of the appeals process. It comes as Election Day approaches in exactly two weeks, though Georgia has already shattered early voting records just seven days after the process began last Tuesday. As of Tuesday afternoon, more than 1 in 4 Georgia voters had cast ballots. The SEB voted to pass the rules in a 3-2 decision on Sept. 20, with three Republican-appointed members voting for the change and one against. GEORGIA DEMS CHAIR REVEALS MESSAGE TO UNDECIDED GOP VOTERS AS HARRIS WORKS TO BUILD BROAD BASE In addition to the two aforementioned rules, the SEB measures struck down by Cox included an ID requirement and heightened documentation requirements for people delivering absentee ballots to drop boxes, and a rule requiring video surveillance of drop boxes for votes cast there to be counted. The plaintiffs in the case argued the SEB did not have the authority to make such rules. The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), which represented the plaintiffs in the case, said the measures were “injecting chaos into the democratic system in the immediate run-up to the November election.” ‘ILLEGAL, UNCONSTITUTIONAL AND VOID’: GEORGIA JUDGE STRIKES DOWN NEW ELECTION RULES AFTER LEGAL FIGHTS “Early voting has begun and over 1 million Georgians have already cast their ballots. Judge Cox’s ruling prevented a rule change in the middle of the game,” the ACLU said in response to the Republicans’ appeal. Even if the court were to have ruled in the RNC’s favor, however, the hand-count ballot rule would still have been blocked due to a separate Fulton County Superior Court ruling temporarily delaying its implementation. Another earlier ruling mandated that the elections must be certified by a certain date, regardless of county officials’ inquiries. Democrats had accused the GOP officials of trying to sow doubt and chaos in the election process with the new rules. Republican skeptics, including State Secretary Brad Raffensperger, have argued their implementation is unworkable this close to the election. However, party officials like Georgia GOP Chairman Josh McKoon argued the rules are necessary guardrails to ensuring election security. “If his decision were upheld, it would severely curtail the ability of the state elections board to regulate our elections and to do the job,” McKoon said. Fox News Digital reached out to both the Harris and Trump campaigns for a response to the Georgia Supreme Court decision.
Georgia Supreme Court to consider new GOP-backed ballot rules after judge strikes down
The Georgia Supreme Court is reviewing a judge’s decision to nullify new rules, including a hand-count ballot measure, passed by the Republican-majority State Elections Board (SEB). The Peach State’s highest court said it will hear the Republican National Committee’s (RNC’s) appeal late last week after Fulton County Superior Court Judge Thomas A. Cox, Jr. ruled the measures were “illegal, unconstitutional, and void.” The RNC filed a subsequent request asking the court to temporarily block Cox’s ruling and allow the rules to go into effect while the decision was weighed, according to Democracy Docket. His decision covered a requirement for ballots at each precinct to be hand counted by three separate county officials to ensure the total matches the machine-tabulated number, as well as a provision directing county boards to certify election results only after “a reasonable inquiry” into their accuracy, among others. GEORGIA GOP CHAIR SHARES 2-PRONGED ELECTION STRATEGY AS TRUMP WORKS TO WIN BACK PEACH STATE Plaintiffs in the case included civil rights groups like the Georgia State Conference of the NAACP and Eternal Vigilance, as well as a current and a former state official. The state Supreme Court noted it “lacks jurisdiction over this motion” but said it would take the case due to the “issues of gravity and public importance” it presents. The RNC and its allies, including the Georgia state GOP, requested an emergency expedition of the appeals process. It comes as Election Day approaches in exactly two weeks, though Georgia has already shattered early voting records just seven days after the process began last Tuesday. The SEB voted to pass the rules in a 3-2 decision on Sept. 20, with three Republican-appointed members voting for the change and one against. GEORGIA DEMS CHAIR REVEALS MESSAGE TO UNDECIDED GOP VOTERS AS HARRIS WORKS TO BUILD BROAD BASE In addition to the two aforementioned rules, the SEB measures struck down by Cox included an ID requirement and heightened documentation requirements for people delivering absentee ballots to drop boxes, and a rule requiring video surveillance of drop boxes for votes cast there to be counted. The plaintiffs in the case argued the SEB did not have the authority to make such rules. The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), which represented the plaintiffs in the case, said the measures were “injecting chaos into the democratic system in the immediate run-up to the November election.” ‘ILLEGAL, UNCONSTITUTIONAL AND VOID’: GEORGIA JUDGE STRIKES DOWN NEW ELECTION RULES AFTER LEGAL FIGHTS “Early voting has begun and over 1 million Georgians have already cast their ballots. Judge Cox’s ruling prevented a rule change in the middle of the game,” the ACLU said in response to the Republicans’ appeal. Even if the court rules in the GOP’s favor, however, the hand-count ballot rule would still be blocked due to a separate Fulton County Superior Court ruling temporarily delaying its implementation. Another earlier ruling mandated that the elections must be certified by a certain date, regardless of county officials’ inquiries. Democrats had accused the GOP officials of trying to sow doubt and chaos in the election process with the new rules. Republican skeptics, including State Secretary Brad Raffensperger, have argued their implementation is unworkable this close to the election. However, party officials like Georgia GOP Chairman Josh McKoon argued the rules are necessary guardrails to ensuring election security. “If his decision were upheld, it would severely curtail the ability of the state elections board to regulate our elections and to do the job,” McKoon said. The Harris campaign referred Fox News Digital to a response to an earlier ruling temporarily blocking the hand-count ballot rule when asked for comment, “From the beginning, this rule was an effort to delay election results to sow doubt in the outcome…We will continue fighting to ensure that voters can cast their ballot knowing it will count.”
Delhi govt to provide special assistance of Rs 5000 monthly to…
Earlier today, in a landmark move aimed at supporting persons with special abilities, the Aam Aadmi Party government announced a monthly financial assistance of Rs 5,000 for individuals with high special needs in Delhi.
Harris town hall only accepted ‘predetermined’ questions, moderator Maria Shriver admits
Journalist Maria Shriver admitted during a town hall event for Vice President Kamala Harris in Michigan that only questions that had been “predetermined” would be allowed to be asked. When asked by a member of the audience during the Monday event if voters would be able to ask questions to the presidential candidate directly, Shriver admitted that those in attendance would have to settle for her asking questions that “might be in your head.” “You’re not, unfortunately. We have some predetermined questions, and hopefully, I’ll be able to ask some of the questions that might be in your head. I hope so,” Shriver told the audience. FOX NEWS POWER RANKINGS: VOTER OUTREACH, BALLOT EFFICIENCY AND A LITTLE HOUSEKEEPING The Michigan event also featured a long-time adversary of former President Donald Trump, former Republican Rep. Liz Cheney, who has hit the trail for the vice president in hopes of winning over Republican moderates who are still skeptical of the former president. The former Republican lawmaker joined Harris for a three-state battleground tour Monday, according to The Associated Press, telling voters in Wisconsin that the vice president was the candidate people from both parties could trust. “We might not agree on every issue,” she said at an event near Milwaukee. “But she is somebody you can trust.” TRUMP MYSTERY MAKES ELECTION OUTCOME EVEN MURKIER Nevertheless, some critics piled on Harris for holding a town hall, which typically features a more open question and answer session, with mostly predetermined questions. “They’re not even hiding it anymore,” Trump campaign spokesman Steven Cheung wrote in a social media post along with a video of the exchange. Harris has faced accusations of avoiding interviews and questions throughout the campaign, though the Democratic candidate has looked to put those issues to bed during a string of high-profile media appearances, including interviews with Fox News and CBS’ “60 Minutes” and appearances on popular radio shows and podcasts such as “The Breakfast Club” and “Call Her Daddy.” The Harris campaign did not immediately respond to a Fox News Digital request for comment. Get the latest updates from the 2024 campaign trail, exclusive interviews and more at our Fox News Digital election hub.
Swing state GOP chair reveals voter enthusiasm for Trump is something ‘we’ve never seen before’
LAS VEGAS – Clark County, Nevada, will be one of the most closely watched counties in the country this November, and Nevada’s GOP chairman spoke to Fox News Digital about what issues voters in that county are most concerned about and why he believes former President Donald Trump has the enthusiasm edge. “The economy is the big one, but also security,” Nevada GOP Chairman Michael McDonald told Fox News Digital. “That’s one thing a lot of people are worried about right now is the influx of people coming across the border.” “The economy is really big. Obviously, taking care of your families, making sure that you have the right step forward to be able to make a better life for your family. So those are issues that when you’re reaching across and talking to people at these rallies, it’s like, are you better off now than you were four years ago? That was a key line from Ronald Reagan. But it’s true, because who’s representing you? Who’s representing the working-class men and women? I’m a working-class guy, so I’m talking about things that are right in my wheelhouse.” McDonald, a former Las Vegas police officer and the youngest person to ever be elected to the Las Vegas City Council, told Fox News Digital he is encouraged by the support he has seen former President Trump and other Republicans receiving from union workers, a key demographic in Clark County. EX-NFL STAR ANTONIO BROWN, WEARING MAGA GEAR, THROWS ‘TRUMP/VANCE’ RALLY TOWELS OUT TO STEELERS FANS “If you look at what’s happening with President Trump, he’s getting union members, we have culinary members that came to our last several rallies,” McDonald said. “We have laborers that have been heavily involved, ironworkers, carpenters. So it’s not so much that they’re labeled as something. They’re independent thinkers and when you’re talking about issues, it’s an easy one because you’re talking about kitchen table cabinets. You talk about what’s in the cabinet right now? You know what, prices are up for gas, prices up for food. How am I going to put the kids in a better school? All of those things right now, we’re suffering for the last three and half years, and that’s on the table.” President Biden narrowly won Nevada by 2.4 points in 2020, winning Clark County by almost 10 points, but the Real Clear Politics average of Nevada polls shows Trump with a slight lead in the state overall. ‘THERE’S ONLY ONE’: BATTLEGROUND STATE VOTERS REVEAL WHICH PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE THEY PREFER ON THE ECONOMY McDonald told Fox News Digital there is a “movement” taking place in support of Trump and that he has “never seen” enthusiasm like he sees for Trump in the state. “I think the energy has risen,” McDonald said. “You could call for a rally, you’re talking about 5,000 people who get turned away because there’s just no room. You’re talking about people that when you call for volunteers, they’re all over the place. Our walkers, we don’t have just members. We have teams that are going out, which we’ve never seen before.” “And you know, the Democrats, they have union workers that are being paid to walk out as volunteers. And we have teams now that you’ve never seen before. So the energy and enthusiasm is right in our wheelhouse.” A RNC spokesperson told Fox News Digital that “The Trump Campaign in Nevada is proud to have almost half a dozen offices across the state to meet voters where they are” and that Trump Force 47, the Republican grassroots organizing program, is working to “engage tens of thousands of new volunteers across the country.” McDonald said that he is “confident” but “not cocky” that Republicans will be victorious in Nevada. “Clearly, we know going into this we will be outmanned, will be outspent,” McDonald said. “I mean, she’s probably got 2 to 1 on the money, the dollars the billionaire Democrats are throwing at her, wherever it’s coming from. We knew that going in. So we’re doing less with more. We have more people that are committed to the movement, not being paid to walk, our people are making the right difference, because they care about it, not being paid to walk.” Vice President Harris has been campaigning hard in Nevada, along with surrogates like former President Barack Obama, and NBC News recently reported that Democrats have invested in a messaging push targeting Hispanic voters in the state. “Nevada’s Latino and union voters have the power to decide who wins the Silver State in November,” DNC spokesperson Marco Frieri told the outlet. “These blocs are vital communities that help keep Nevada’s economy moving forward every single day.” The state has voted for every Democrat who has run for president since 1992, except the two elections with President George W. Bush on the ballot. However, the average margin across those eight elections is just 4.1 points. McDonald continued, “We have independents that are coming out in numbers, record numbers for us, for Trump. And I think when that’s what takes place, I’m not so sure where the numbers are, my job is to keep my head down, keep our troops moving, and make sure we cross the finish line in first place.” Fox News Digital’s Chris Pandolfo contributed to this report
Kamala Harris to rally in Houston days before Election Day
Harris’ surprise visit comes in the closing weeks of a campaign in which she has largely focused her efforts on other states.
Harris’ Catholic dinner snub is just the latest in career full of swipes at the faithful, critics charge
Catholics are a significant portion of the population in a handful of battleground states such as Pennsylvania and Arizona, with experts weighing in that Vice President Kamala Harris’ history of anti-Catholic political rhetoric could be a factor against her in the voting booth. Former President Donald Trump is increasingly making a play for the voting bloc in the form of supportive pro-Catholic messages on X and Truth Social, while Harris has come under increasing scrutiny from the Catholic community for a series of questionable remarks and snubs stretching back to her Senate days. “While President Trump fiercely defended religious freedom in his first term, the Harris-Biden administration is the most anti-Catholic administration in history. Kamala Harris has weaponized institutions against Americans of faith, and now, her disrespect and hostility has continued to her campaign for president with her most prominent surrogates mocking Catholic Americans,” RNC spokesperson Anna Kelly told Fox News Digital. Last Thursday, in New York City, Trump took the dais at the 79th Alfred E. Smith Memorial Foundation Dinner, where hundreds gathered to raise donations for Catholic charities amid the election cycle. The Al Smith dinner began in 1946 and was named after the first Catholic presidential candidate who also served as the 42nd governor of New York. The dinner has grown to become a political and cultural hallmark of election seasons, with candidates from both political parties historically joining the dinner to take light-hearted jabs at one another, adding a bit of levity in the midst of heated campaigns. DEMOCRATS DRIVING RELIGIOUS VOTE AWAY FROM PARTY AS TRUMP COURTS CATHOLICS: ‘ANTI-CHRISTIAN’ PARTY This election year, however, Harris snubbed the event in favor of sending a pre-recorded video of herself and former “Saturday Night Live” cast member Molly Shannon, who reprised her comedic role of a Catholic school student named Mary Katherine Gallagher. The video was panned by critics as “cringe,” while even the emcee of the dinner, comedian Jim Gaffigan, called out Harris for her absence. “You know, this event has been referred to as the Catholic Met Gala. Twenty-two percent of Americans identify as Catholic. Catholics will be a key demographic in every battleground state,” Gaffigan said during the event. “I’m sorry. Why is Vice President Harris not here?” he continued, with some of the audience jeering. “I mean, consider this. This is a room full of Catholics and Jews in New York City. This is a layup for the Democratic nominee. I mean, in her defense, I mean, she did find time to appear on “The View,” Howard Stern, Colbert and the long-time staple of campaigning, the “Call Her Daddy” podcast. You know what I think it is? I think she doesn’t like me.” Trump said Harris’ snub of the event “surprised” him and others at the dinner. Cardinal Timothy Dolan, the Archbishop of New York and host of the Al Smith dinner, called Harris’ snub of the dinner a “shame” in the lead-up to the big night. TRUMP APPLAUDS CATHOLIC GROUP’S MULTI-MILLION ANTI-HARRIS CAMPAIGN APPEALING TO CHURCH FAITHFUL “The last time a major presidential nominee skipped the Al Smith dinner, they lost in a landslide — and alongside Catholics for Trump, we look forward to delivering another historic victory for President Trump in November,” Kelly added in comment to Fox Digital, referring to 1984 Democratic nominee Walter Mondale and his historic blowout loss to President Ronald Reagan that year. Catholic League President Bill Donohue told Fox News Digital on Monday that Harris’ snub of the Al Smith dinner sent “an unmistakable message to Catholics.” The campaign previously told the media that Harris would not attend the dinner in order to campaign in a battleground state. Simultaneously to skipping the Al Smith dinner, Harris held a campaign rally in Wisconsin, where she told two pro-life student protesters that they were “at the wrong rally” when they yelled, “Jesus is Lord,” and, “Christ is King” last Thursday. “Just before the Dinner, Harris revealed her true colors, which weren’t pretty, when she mocked two young people at a Wisconsin rally after they yelled ‘Christ is King,’” Donohue told Fox News Digital. “Instead of treating them the way she treats left-wing activists who interrupt her—she insists on having the right to talk—she berated them, saying, ‘You guys are at the wrong rally,’” he said. COMEDIAN JIM GAFFIGAN TAKES SURPRISING SHOTS AT HARRIS FOR SKIPPING ‘CATHOLIC MET GALA’ “Ironically, Harris was right. Christians are not welcome at her rallies,” he continued, adding that the vice president is “much more at home with Hollywood celebrities, most of whom are secularists, than she is with Christians.” A handful of key battleground states this election cycle have huge Catholic populations, with the voting bloc potentially helping determine the outcome of the election. About 24% of the Pennsylvania population, which has been touted as the state that will likely determine the overall outcome of the election, identifies as Catholic; about 25% of the population in Nevada identifies as Catholic; 18% in Michigan; 21% in Arizona; and 25% in Wisconsin. Other notable battleground states have a smaller Catholic population, including Georgia and North Carolina, both of which have a roughly 9% population of Catholics. The Catholic vote was historically blue until the 1960s and early 1970s, when crime and cultural issues came to the fore alongside economic concerns, most notably in 1972 when President Richard Nixon’s campaign slammed Democratic opponent Sen. George McGovern as a candidate who supported “amnesty, abortion and acid.” Now, the Catholic vote is seen as split down the middle, with Republican strategist Ryan Girdusky, a Catholic, pointing to four key subsets that fall under the Catholic umbrella: weekly Catholic mass goers; occasional/seldom mass goers; White Catholics; and Hispanic Catholics. “[Harris is] not going to win over weekly mass goers,” Girdusky said in a phone interview on Monday. “They’re more likely to be pro-life and care about social issues. But she’s going to have to sit there and win over seldom Catholic mass goers and Hispanic Catholic mass goers. And keep her