Pres. Trump says "the wall is being built" regardless of what is in the tentative deal to avoid another shutdown. https://t.co/8rRKk1y9Et https://t.co/2Yl77fTjMV

  President Donald Trump repeated a few hits from his State of the Union address to an El Paso, Texas, audience on Monday night – in a much more lively and rambunctious setting.  He also poked fun at the Green New Deal and prattled off his old line that China is paying “billions” into the US Treasury.

  Let’s take a facts-first look at some claims in the President’s speech.

“I really don’t like their policy of taking away your car, of taking away your airplane flights, of ‘Let’s hop a train to California,’ of you’re not allowed to own cows anymore.  Lot of problems. ”

  Trump is taking aim at the Green New Deal, a resolution introduced by Democratic Rep.  Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York to fight climate change through drastic economic and regulatory means.

  While Trump is extrapolating extreme outcomes like eliminating people’s cars, he’s not entirely off base in his characterization, given some of its stated objectives.

  The resolution looks to overhaul transportation in the US by removing “pollution and greenhouse gas emissions from the transportation sector as much as is technologically feasible. ” When it comes to cows and farming the language is similar, looking to “remove pollution and greenhouse gas emissions from the agricultural sector as much as is technologically feasible. ”

  It’s unclear what would constitute “technologically feasible” in these circumstances.  The bigger consideration would likely be how economically feasible any of these goals would be.  More of a mission statement than a fully baked piece of legislation, the Green New Deal is long on aspiration and short on specifics.  For example, while it lays out its goals and objectives, it doesn’t get into many details on how it would achieve them.

  An initial FAQ rolled out by Ocasio-Cortez’s office, which the congresswoman has since disavowed and replaced, was a bit more detailed.  According to a New York Times report, Ocasio-Cortez’s chief of staff, Saikat Chakrabarti, has since called the FAQ “clearly unfinished” and said it had been published to the website by mistake.

  Cows and airplanes are mentioned in the FAQ in a section on why the bill chose “100% clean and renewable” as opposed to “100% renewable. ” Part of the answer?  “We aren’t sure that we’ll be able to fully get rid of farting cows and airplanes that fast. ”

  When it comes to cars, the FAQ set a “goal to replace every combustion-engine vehicle. ”

  That FAQ, however, has been removed from Ocasio-Cortez’s website.

  One of the clearest points to emerge from Trump’s El Paso speech is that as he pivots to the 2020 election he seems inclined to paint the Democrats as socialists.  To that end, the President will likely continue to bring up the Green New Deal and try to use it to his political advantage.

“I heard the same thing from the fake news, they said, ‘Oh, crime actually stayed the same. ’ Didn’t stay the same.  Went way down. ”

  Previously, Trump has made this claim about violent crime specifically – a false claim that CNN has fact checked over and over and over again.  According to data from the FBI, violent crime in El Paso peaked in 1993 and has been largely decreasing ever since.  2006 to 2011 saw a bit of an increase in violent crime, with the border wall finished in 2008.

  Looking at all crime reported by the El Paso police department, we see a similar trend.  Most crimes saw their peak in 1993, with a gradual decline since.  Between 2007 and 2009 there were no dramatic decreases in reported crimes.

  During his speech, Trump reiterated his criticism of Virginia Gov.  Ralph Northam’s comments in a radio interview on third trimester abortion.  The President also attacked “extreme late-term abortion” and continued his call for legislation prohibiting those cases.

  Trump made similar comments during his State of the Union address, here’s the context and facts we found then:

Virginia

  Virginia Democratic Delegate Kathy Tran recently sponsored legislation that would have relaxed certain requirements around third-trimester abortions in the state.

  Under current state law, third-trimester abortions can be performed only if three doctors agree the “pregnancy is likely to result in the death of the woman or substantially and irremediably impair the mental or physical health of the woman. ” The failed bill would have reduced the number of physicians needed to approve the abortion to one and removed “substantially and irremediably” from the language of justification for the abortion.

  During a committee hearing on the now-defunct bill, Tran was asked, “How late in the third trimester could a physician perform an abortion if he indicated it would impair the mental health of the woman? ” “Through the third trimester,” Tran responded, clarifying that there was no limit in the proposed bill for when an abortion could be performed prior to birth.

  Northam was asked about Tran’s comments in a Jan.  30 interview with the radio station WTOP.  He began to explain what he thought occurs in such an instance.  His comments sparked confusion and controversy among abortion opponents.

  “The infant would be delivered,” Northam said.  “The infant would be kept comfortable.  The infant would be resuscitated if that’s what the mother and the family desired, and then a discussion would ensue between the physicians and the mother. ”

  Later, a spokesperson for Northam said his “comments were limited to the actions physicians would take in the event that a woman in those circumstances (i. e.  nonviable pregnancy and severe fetal abnormalities) went into labor. ”

  This clarification, however, does not address the statement made by Northam that “the infant would be delivered. ”

New York

  The Reproductive Health Act, signed into law last month in New York, allows for abortion after 24 weeks if an authorized health care practitioner determines that “the abortion is necessary to protect the patient’s life or health” or if “there is an absence of fetal viability. ”

  New York’s new law expands access to abortions into the third trimester by loosening restrictions on when the procedure is permitted.  Previously, an abortion could be performed after 24 weeks only if the physician deemed it necessary to preserve the woman’s life.  Under the new law, the requirement has been expanded to include the woman’s general health.

By the numbers

According to the Guttmacher Institute – an organization focused on sexual and reproductive health – “slightly more than 1% of abortions are performed at 21 weeks or later. ” The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates that a total of 638,169 abortions were performed in the US during 2015.

  The battle over abortion legislation continues to rage in state capitols around the country.  Nothing is expected to come from the currently divided Congress, and all eyes were on the Supreme Court last week when it blocked Louisiana’s Unsafe Abortion Protection Act from taking effect.

“Those tariffs are costing (China) a lot of money and they’re going into our Treasury.  Remember that.  We’re filling up with billions of dollars. ”

  No matter how many times he says it, (and he’s said it a lot over the past few months) Trump’s line that China is paying billions of dollars in tariffs into the US Treasury is blatantly, unequivocally wrong.  When he said it last fall, we called him out, just as we did in the reader’s guide we wrote leading up to the State of Union address last week.  Here’s what we wrote then:

  When Trump talks about tariffs, he often talks about the amount of money that is now pouring into the US Treasury.  He tends to give the impression that money is being paid by foreign companies.  But that’s not really what’s happening.  Instead, most of those tariffs are being paid by US companies that import those foreign goods.  The real question is who bears the cost.  Often, US companies will pass it on to the consumer by raising prices, while other times a company will reduce compensation or employment internally to offset these higher costs.  In some instances, the Chinese supplier might take on the burden of the tariff by reducing its prices in order to maintain its price advantage in the US.

  Trump is trying to realign trade so that US products become more competitive with their cheaper Chinese alternatives.  That will likely require a long-term adjustment of the US industrial base.  In the short term, US consumers and companies will most likely end up bearing the cost of the tariffs.  The Tax Foundation said last year that it expects the tariffs to lower the gross domestic product and wages, and cost American jobs, hitting lower- and middle-income households the hardest.

“The United States is now the number one producer of oil and natural gas on earth. ”

  Trump touted this number during his State of the Union address last week.  Here’s what CNN found at the time:

  It’s true, but could use some context.

  The US became the world’s largest crude oil producer in August, when it surpassed Russia for the first time since 1999 in terms of total daily crude production, according to the US Energy Information Administration.  Earlier in the year, the US surpassed Saudi Arabia’s crude oil production for the first time since 1973.  It has been the largest producer of natural gas since 2011.

  The rise in US oil and gas production is due in large part to advances in fracking technology that allowed drillers to access reserves socked away in shale formations buried deep underground.  Production dipped in 2015 and 2016 as a result of overproduction and a collapse in oil prices, but recovered quickly once supply stabilized and prices increased, just as Trump was coming into office.

  The Trump administration often touts its moves to relax Obama-era rules on oil and gas production, such as one restricting the flaring of methane from fracking sites.  He has also opened public lands to more drilling.  It’s unclear though, given the decade of increased energy production in the US, how much of an impact any of those moves have had.

  CNN’s Lydia DePillis contributed to this report.
© 2021 Cable News Network.  A Warner Media Company.  All Rights Reserved.   CNN Sans ™ & © 2016 Cable News Network.


Mata Vaishno Devi temple opens for devotees from today. Proper precautionary measures taken. Only 2000 people allowed, out of which 100 from outside UT allowed. People with negative test reports of #COVID19 from red zones will be allowed: CEO, Mata Vaishno Devi Shrine Board #JK https://t.co/KKFRRQ7nqU

Pilgrimage to the holy cave shrine of Mata Vaishno Devi in Jammu resumed on Sunday, nearly five months after being suspended on March 18 due to coronavirus pandemic. However, there will be some restrictions including a cap on the number of people allowed to visit the shrine every day, keeping in view the safety guidelines to curb the spread of Covid-19 disease.  In the first week of the pilgrimage, 2,000 pilgrims will be allowed of which 1,900 will be from Jammu and Kashmir and the remaining 100 from outside the Union Territory.  The pilgrims will be allowed to undertake the yatra only after online registration.  “The government has come out with a detailed Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) and the pilgrims are requested to follow the guidelines for their own safety and the safety of others,” Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Shrine Board CEO Ramesh Kumar told ANI.  He added that those from Covid-19 red zones will be given permission for the pilgrimage only if they provide negative test reports.  It will be mandatory for the pilgrims to wear face mask and install the Aarogya Setu app on their mobile phones before proceeding for the yatra. The CEO added that the yatra will move in a unidirectional manner.  “The traditional route from Katra to Bhawan via Banganga, Adhkuwari and Sanjichhat will be used for going up and Himkoti route-Tarakote Marg will be used for coming back from the Bhawan,” he said on Saturday. Expressing happiness at the reopening of the temple for devotees, a pilgrim said that it was important to follow rules during the Covid-19 pandemic. “I’m happy that people can visit the temple once again,” Prashant Sharma, one of the first pilgrims to visit the shrine was quoted as saying by news agency ANI. “The shrine management has laid out the rules clearly, and pilgrims are also following them properly.  It is important to follow rules during the COVID-19 pandemic.  If rules are not followed then the darshans will be closed soon,” added Sharma. A massive sanitisation campaign was launched by the shrine board right from Katra to Bhawan before the resumption of the pilgrimage. The shrine board has said that the cap on the number of visitors to the temple will be reviewed after the first week and a decision will be taken accordingly. (With inputs from ANI)


Indian Navy on Air India flight aborts landing in Dabolim (Goa) due to presence of dogs on runway: INS Hansa (near Dabolim) has taken proactive measures to reduce dog menace on runway with employment of manpower during daylight hours adjacent to runway to chase away dogs/birds. https://t.co/kMXV4hJBjH

A pack of stray dogs on the runway of the Goa airport forced an Air India aircraft from Mumbai to abort landing and make a go-around early Tuesday, the Indian Navy which controls the air traffic at the airport said. Despite the close shave, no one was injured in the incident that occurred at 3 am. “AI 033 from Mumbai while landing in Dabolim at around 0300h on 13 Aug 19 reported to ATC dogs on runway and going around.  The aircraft was recovered safely in second approach,” the Navy said in a statement.  The air traffic and runway controllers missed the presence of the dogs and gave the plane a go ahead for landing “since it was night,” the statement revealed.  “INS Hansa has taken proactive measures to reduce dog menace on runway with employment of manpower during daylight hours adjacent to runway to chase away dogs/birds,” the statement said. The statement did not mention how many passengers were on board the aircraft. Leader of Opposition Digambar Kamat was the first to flag the issue in a tweet in which he quoted a friend’s experience who was a passenger on the flight.  “Will DGCA take note of this serious lapse.  Safety of Passengers put at risk.  I urge @MoCA_GoI to take cognizance and act,” Kamat tweeted.  “The pilot aborted landing just as he was seconds away from touchdown.  He went full throttle and took off again only to land again after a turn round of 15 minutes all while passengers speculating the causes.  Upon enquiring with the pilot he explained that there were 5/6dogs on the runway.  It was absolutely annoying.  Would DGCA… explain now?  It was very dangerous and there could have been a plane crash,” the passenger Govind Gaonkar said.  Director of Goa Airport Gagan Malik said he was not aware of the incident since the Airport Authority of India only controls the terminal and not air traffic.


82 new #COVID19 cases reported in Manipur including 8 personnel from CAPF. The total number of cases in the State stands at 5,444 including 1,431 central security personnel. The recovery rate is 70.02%: State Health Department https://t.co/5YnQ5HwXeP

Goa registered 108 new cases of the coronavirus disease on Friday - its highest in a single day so far.  The state also recorded two fresh fatalities due to the disease marking the worst 24-hour period Goa has witnessed so far since the pandemic began. The deaths have left state authorities puzzled.  One of them was a 45-year-old man who died within two days of reporting to a health care centre asking to be tested after developing mild fever.  “It is a surprising case and a surprising course of events.  The patient reported to the health centre with a mild fever for a test and since his symptoms were mild and not requiring hospitalisation, he was sent home until his test results came.  But by the time the results came in and we sought to communicate it to the family he had already passed away,” health secretary Nila Mohanan said. The other person was a 75-year-old woman who succumbed after days of treatment at a dedicated Covid-19 hospital. Six people have succumbed to the disease in Goa so far while the infection tally stands at 1,684.  Eight hundred fifty five people are currently under treatment.  The previous single-day spike in cases in Goa was recorded on Thursday when it recorded 95 new infections.  This is the first time Goa has recorded more than a 100 cases in a single day.  Of the active patients, around 85 are symptomatic and are being treated at Goa’s dedicated Covid-19 Hospital.  Meanwhile, health minister Vishwajit Rane said that the Goa government plans to commence plasma therapy for patients after getting permission from the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR). “Considering the rise in cases in our state, I had an interactive session to discuss plasma therapy in the state.  We will be writing to ICMR with our proposal to conduct plasma banking and plasma therapy.  We will also be hiring an MD and trained technicians on a contractual basis to run the Plasma transfusion medicine department,” Rane said.


United passenger David Dao says he "just cried" after he saw video of himself being dragged off a plane in the 2017 incident https://t.co/ZjcCvQjuOf https://t.co/dwnPeVml9h

Dr.  David Dao spoke in his first public interview since the incident. Doctor dragged off United Airlines flight says he 'cried' watching the video The Kentucky doctor seen in a viral video being forcibly removed off an United Airlines flight has spoken publicly for the first time since the 2017 incident, telling ABC News that while the ordeal caused distress for him and his family, he doesn't regret standing his ground because it caused the airline to take a closer look at its policies. On April 9, 2017, David Dao was traveling from Chicago O'Hare International Airport to Louisville, Kentucky, on United Airlines Flight 3411 and already was in his seat with his seat belt fastened when an airline employee informed him that he would need to deplane because the flight was overbooked, he told ABC News. Fellow passengers took cellphone videos of a bloodied Dao being dragged off the plane. Even months after the incident, Dao found the video hard to watch. "I just cried," he said. Dao said he stood his ground and refused to get off the plane because he felt he was being discriminated against and was trying to get back to Kentucky to oversee the opening of a clinic he founded for U. S.  veterans.  He and his wife started the clinic as a way to thank American servicemen and women, because he was plucked out of ocean waters by the U. S.  Navy as he fled communism in his home country of Vietnam about 44 years ago, he said. He said while in his seat, belt still fastened, he was on the phone with a friend, asking for advice on whether he should get up, when the next thing he knew, he was being pulled from his seat.  He doesn't remember anything after he bumped his head on the low ceiling. "After that, to be honest, I don’t know what happened," he said, adding that he heard a "big noise" and later woke up in the hospital with a trauma team surrounding him. The first few months were "horrible," he said.  He suffered a concussion, lacerations to his mouth and nose, and several of his teeth were knocked out, he said.  He was put on suicide watch by hospital staff and later spent months learning to walk again, he said. Dao relied on his faith during his recovery, he said, adding that he made a promise to God that if he got better, he would devote his time to charity work.  Since then, he has helped residents in Texas displaced by Hurricane Harvey and traveled to Vietnam and Cambodia to help install solar power in villages with no electricity, he said.  Even in the Far East, people knew his story, he said. One elderly man approached him and asked, "You the one on airplane? " Dao said. "That touched me," the doctor said, holding back tears. Dao still struggles with issues sleeping and with his concentration and balance, he said.  While he'd run more than 20 marathons before the incident, now he can only do about 3 miles -- with at least one of them by walking, he added. While United's initial statement labeled Dao as "belligerent," the airline later apologized, vowing to conduct a "thorough review" of the "truly horrific event. "Oscar Munoz, the CEO of United Airlines, said he felt "shame" when he saw the video. "This will never happen again," Munoz told ABC News' "Good Morning America" in an interview three days after the incident.  "We are not going to put a law enforcement official onto a plane to take them off … to remove a booked, paid, seated passenger.  We can't do that. "When asked whether United should have done anything differently, Dao said the airline employees could have explained their reasoning for booting him from the flight "nicely" and "reasonably. ""That makes a difference," he said. Still, the retired doctor said his ordeal actually was "positive" because the airline was willing to take a hard look at its policies and change them. "Everything happens with a reason," he said. Weeks after the incident, the airline offered Dao a settlement that his attorney at the time, Thomas A.  Demetrio, described as "amicable," which Dao accepted.  The settlement included a provision that the amount offered remain confidential. Dao said he decided to speak publicly for the first time to thank his supporters all over the world. United Airlines issued a statement to ABC News, saying the changes they've implemented since the incident "better serve out customers and further empower our employees. ""Flight 3411 was a defining moment for United Airlines and it is our responsibility to make sure we as a company and all of our 90,000 employees continue to learn from that experience.  The changes we have implemented since that incident better serve our customers and further empower our employees," according to the statement from United Airlines.  "This year, we are focused more than ever on our commitment to our customers, looking at every aspect of our business to ensure that we keep their best interests at the center of everything that we do.  As our CEO Oscar Munoz has said, we at United never want anyone in the United family to forget the experience of Flight 3411.  It makes us a better airline, a more caring company and a stronger team. "24/7 coverage of breaking news and live events


Army Commanders’ Conference has started with Army Chief General MM Naravane presiding over the conference. The top commanders of the Force are attending the meeting and all security issues including the Chinese aggression in Ladakh will come up for discussion during it. https://t.co/iC98sG3NQV

Army Chief General Manoj Mukund Naravane is presiding over the Commanders’ Conference that began on Wednesday. During the three-day meeting, the top brass of the force is likely to discuss security issues along with other points.  The stand-off at the border with China in Ladakh is also likely to be discussed. The meeting comes amid the Indian Army increasing presence of its troops to match the strength of the Chinese Army, which has deployed over 5,000 of its personnel on the Line of Actual Control (LAC) at different locations in the Ladakh sector. The stand-off centres around a strategic bridge being built near Daulat Beg Oldi, the last military post south of the Karakoram Pass. The movement of the troops has been done with the idea to not allow any alteration of Indian territory and to face the Chinese challenge with “strength and restraint”, according to people familiar with the matter who asked not to be named. Prime Minister Narendra Modi had chaired a high-leve security meeting with National Security Adviser (NSA) Ajit Doval and Chief of Defence Staff (CDS) General Bipin Rawat to assess the situation along the LAC.  The CDS briefed PM Modi on the military inputs and suggestions to handle the situation in Ladakh. In many ways, India’s position is a reiteration of the stance it adopted during the 73-day standoff at Doklam in 2017, when Indian troops dug in and stood their ground in the face of a rapid mobilisation by the Chinese side. Indian and Chinese soldiers are eyeball-to-eyeball at four locations along the LAC and several rounds of talks between local military commanders have failed to end the standoff that began with a violent confrontation between rival patrols three weeks ago near Pangong Lake. Defence minister Rajnath Singh had on Tuesday reviewed the situation in the Ladakh sector of the LAC during a meeting with the CDS and the three service chiefs.


Prime Minister Modi and Afghanistan President Ghani hold summit-level talks, through video conferencing. https://t.co/VZtR0AZINe

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday greeted the people of Uttar Pradesh on the state's foundation day and said the state is playing an important role in building an 'Aatmanirbhar Bharat' (self-reliant India). Every year, January 24 is marked as the foundation day of UP. "Best wishes to all the people of Uttar Pradesh on the foundation day of the state.  A sacred land of sacrifice, tenacity, tradition and culture, this state is playing an important role today in building an 'Aatmanirbhar Bharat'," Modi said in a tweet in Hindi. "I wish this state, moving forward towards all-round development, continues to scale new heights," he said.


HAPPENING NOW: The winner for Best Picture is about to be announced. https://t.co/DLHqjCFF0D #Oscars https://t.co/r7EhtFDyYA

By Lisa Respers France, Chloe Melas, Fernando Alfonso III, Marianne Garvey and Veronica Rocha, CNNOur live coverage has ended.  Scroll through the posts to see all the highlights, or read more here. From CNN's Lisa Respers FranceAwards season is officially over with the conclusion of the 93rd Academy Awards. It started off strong, with "One Night in Miami" director Regina King strutting regally into the theater to kick off the show (her name literally means Queen King so what else might we expect) and speaking out about both the industry's struggle to get back on track because of the pandemic and this country's struggle with the deaths of unarmed people — many of them Black — at the hands of police. And the show ended with a best actor upset with Sir Anthony Hopkins being awarded the statue over favored actors Chadwick Boseman and Riz Ahmed. In between there were some moments of delight including one none of us had on our bingo cards — nominee Glenn Close's recitation of facts about the hit "Da Butt" by DC go-go band E. U.  from Spike Lee's 1988 film "School Daze" and her demonstration of the dance. Because if they aren't going to give her an Oscar after all this time AT LEAST they could give Close her moment to shine. Whew.  What a night. The 93rd Academy Awards was chock full of historic firsts for women and people of color tonight. "Minari" star Yuh-jung Youn became first Korean actress to win for best supporting role while Chloé Zhao took home best director for her critically-acclaimed "Nomadland," which depicts a woman in her 60s traveling through the American West as a van-dwelling nomad. It took 93 years for the Academy to name an Asian woman as best director.  And until this year, only five women, all White, had ever been nominated and only one had won — Kathryn Bigelow, in 2010, for "The Hurt Locker. "Here are all the Oscar winners this year:From CNN's Lisa Respers FranceSir Anthony Hopkins is now the oldest actor to win an acting Academy Award. The 83-year-old took home the statue for best actor for his role in "The Father. "Hopkins win was considered a bit of an upset as the late Chadwick Boseman had been favored to take the category. Hopkins was not present to accept his award.  From CNN's Chloe MelasFrances McDormand just won best actress for "Nomadland. " McDormand took the stage and simply said, "My voice is in my word, we know the word is our work and I like work.  Thank you for knowing that and thanks for this. "McDormand played Fern in the film, which is about a woman who lives in her van and travels across the midwest.  The director of "Nomadland" Chloé Zhao became the first woman of color and the first woman of Asian descent to earn best director at the Oscars tonight. McDormand has won numerous awards throughout her career, including two Emmys and a Tony.  She has previously won two Oscars.  One for "Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri" in 2019 and 1997's "Fargo. "From CNN's Marianne Garvey"Nomadland" by Chloé Zhao just won the Oscar for best picture. Frances McDormand stars as a woman who leaves her hometown after her husband dies and travels around the United States in her van.  The Academy Awards honored those in the entertainment industry who died over the past year. Among those people honored were the following:Actor and comedian Lil Rel Howery led attendees of the 93rd Academy Awards in a game of "name that song" Sunday night.  One of the people roped into playing along was actress Glenn Close who correctly named the song "Da Butt" by Experience Unlimited. "Spike Lee had it written for his brilliant movie 'School Daze' and my friends at the Oscars missed it and it wasn't nominated," Close told Howery as she got up and did "Da Butt" dance to a round of applause. From CNN's Lisa Respers FranceH. E. R.  was already a Grammy winner and now she has an Oscar as well. The singer took home the award for best original song. "I am so, so, so grateful," she said.  "Not only for the win, but to be a part of such an important, important story. "The song, from the film "Judas and the Black Messiah," has been added to a trove of protest anthems from recent years. "As long as I'm standing I'm always going to fight for us, I'm always going to fight for my people and fight for what's right," the singer said.  "I think that's what music does and I think that's what storytelling does. " From CNN's Chloe Melas"Soul" took home another Oscar tonight, this time for best original score. The film tells the story of a middle school music teacher who is on a quest to reunite with his body and soul.  The film, produced by Pixar and released by Disney, stars the voices of Jamie Foxx, Tina Fey, Phylicia Rashad, Questlove and Angela Bassett.  Despite the film being released straight to streaming on Disney+ due to the Covid-19 pandemic, the film has received critical acclaim.  The movie won best animated feature earlier tonight at the Academy Awards.  Please enable JavaScript for a better experience.


NEW: Pres. Trump says he will not deliver State of the Union until shutdown ends.

"I am not looking for an alternative venue for the SOTU Address because there is no venue that can compete with the history, tradition and importance of the House Chamber." https://t.co/3kwUySyNUc https://t.co/yrz04cWe1m

  Former White House chief of staff John Kelly and the other four former secretaries of homeland security sent President Donald Trump and Congress a letter Wednesday calling for full department funding and an end to the month-long partial government shutdown.

  “As former secretaries of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), we write to you today with a simple message – fund the critical mission of DHS,” wrote the bipartisan group of Kelly, President George W.  Bush alums Tom Ridge and Michael Chertoff, and President Barack Obama alums Janet Napolitano and Jeh Johnson.

  Kelly, who left his White House role just as the shutdown began, derided the border wall at the center of the funding battle during an exit interview last month, telling the Los Angeles Times, “to be honest, it’s not a wall. ”

  Kelly continued at the time, “The president still says ‘wall’ — oftentimes frankly he’ll say ‘barrier’ or ‘fencing,’ now he’s tended toward steel slats.  But we left a solid concrete wall early on in the administration, when we asked people what they needed and where they needed it. ”

  In their letter Wednesday, the former secretaries cited the historical precedent of Congress prioritizing funding agencies such as the Department of Defense as a matter of national security.

  “Congress does so because putting national security at risk is an option we simply can’t afford,” the group wrote.  “DHS should be no different. ”

  As federal employees face their second missed paychecks Friday, some have turned to food pantries to make ends meet.  While they were “heartened” at the community support for both furloughed and essential employees – those required to work during the shutdown – “this cannot and should not be the answer,” the group argued, citing how members of the Coast Guard are legally barred from quitting or pursuing other full-time employment.

  “DHS employees who protect the traveling public, investigate and counter terrorism, and protect critical infrastructure should not have to rely on the charitable generosity of others for assistance in feeding their families and paying their bills while they steadfastly focus on the mission at hand,” they added.  “This is unconscionable. ”

  The group also warned of a large scale brain drain from government employees leaving for the private sector, as “the Department is facing a real crisis in retaining this workforce week after week. ”

  “We call on our elected leaders to restore the funding necessary to ensure our homeland remains safe and that the Department’s critical national security functions continue without compromise,” the letter concludes.

  On Thursday, Johnson said “from a security standpoint we are letting our guard down,” and warned a breaking point for federal workers may come on Friday when they miss a second paycheck.

  Johnson said the “very people we depend on for security are made to suffer,” and noted that for years the US fought high attrition in the Secret Service and said he fears “this shutdown and missing paychecks are a huge setback. ” Johnson was speaking at an event with former senior DHS officials hosted by House Homeland Security Committee Chairman Bennie Thompson, a Mississippi Democrat.

  CNN’s Priscilla Alvarez, Geneva Sands and Kate Sullivan contributed to this report.
© 2021 Cable News Network.  A Warner Media Company.  All Rights Reserved.   CNN Sans ™ & © 2016 Cable News Network.


Presidential candidate Pete Buttigieg was heckled by protesters at an event in Texas Friday night, but one of his fellow Democratic challengers was happy to immediately come to his defense. https://t.co/Qishri6C19 https://t.co/judrJgFkyd

    Democratic presidential candidate Beto O’Rourke came to the defense of fellow 2020 rival Pete Buttigieg after anti-gay protesters heckled Buttigieg at an event in Texas on Friday.

    “Texans don’t stand for this kind of homophobia and hatred.  Mayor Pete, we are grateful you came to Texas and hope to see you and Chasten back again soon,” O’Rourke, a former Texas congressman, wrote on Twitter.
  Texans don’t stand for this kind of homophobia and hatred.  Mayor Pete, we are grateful you came to Texas and hope to see you and Chasten back again soon.  https://t. co/IhRDtIBREb
    O’Rourke elaborated on his decision to come to Buttigieg’s defense while campaigning Saturday in Iowa.

    “I’m a proud American, I’m a proud Texan, and the hatred directed towards Pete Buttigieg last night was not reflective or representative of my state or of this country, so I wanted to call it out immediately, first and foremost,” he told reporters.

    Buttigieg, the mayor of South Bend, Indiana, was addressing the Dallas County Democratic Dinner on Friday when his speech was interrupted at least four times by a group of protesters.

    One yelled, “Marriage is between a man and a woman. ” Another yelled, “Repent. ”

    The audience applauded over the protests and chanted “Pete” to drown out the protesters, who were eventually escorted from the room by security.

    “I’m just thinking of that scripture that says bless and do not curse,” Buttigieg, who has been open about his Episcopalian faith, said after one of the interruptions.

    He also said his service in Afghanistan was “for the purpose of defending that gentleman’s freedom of speech,” referring to one of the protesters who interrupted him.

    This is not the first time Buttigieg has come up against anti-gay protesters – he was also heckled by anti-gay chants during two campaign events in Iowa last month.

What America can learn from Pete Buttigieg's coming out experience

    Buttigieg came out in 2015, months before he was re-elected as South Bend’s mayor.  If elected, he would be the first married gay US president.

    “We are so lucky to have somebody like Mayor Pete running for president right now,” O’Rourke said campaigning in Iowa Saturday.  “I think we have to set the example.  We can’t just call out intolerance and hatred, we have to show that we don’t just tolerate one another, we embrace one another. ”

  CNN’s Christian Sierra, Annie Grayer and Aishvarya Kavi contributed to this report.
© 2021 Cable News Network.  A Warner Media Company.  All Rights Reserved.   CNN Sans ™ & © 2016 Cable News Network.


CNN PROJECTION: Donald Trump wins Kansas, Utah, Louisiana and at least 3 of 5 electoral votes in Nebraska.

Joe Biden wins New Hampshire https://t.co/nEYXGlCG3R #CNNElection https://t.co/smVtz1tfjw

The president-elect emphasized how he would handle the pandemic response. Joe Biden, Kamala Harris deliver 1st message of unity after historic winJoe Biden is set to become the 46th president of the United States, capping a tumultuous and tension-filled campaign during a historic pandemic against President Donald Trump.  ABC News characterized Joe Biden as the apparent winner of his home state of Pennsylvania, putting him over the 270 vote threshold needed to capture the presidency. The hard-fought battle against the president was set against the backdrop of racial unrest and the coronavirus pandemic and bitter divisions among the electorate. Trump had falsely declared on election night, when he held a lead in several key states, that he won the contest and alleged without evidence, after the count started to swing the other way, that the election was being stolen from him and that fraud had been committed. Painting the election as a "battle for the soul of the nation," Biden won on a message of unity over division, compassion over anger, and reality over what he called Trump's "wishful thinking" as the coronavirus pandemic cast a heavy shadow over the campaign. The 2020 election has shattered voting records with votes totaling 147 million and counting, surpassing the 138 million who voted in 2016. A Justice Department official confirmed Monday evening that Richard Pilger, a career official who was serving as director of the Elections Crimes Branch, has resigned from his role in the division because of the attorney general's memo authorizing U. S.  attorneys to "pursue substantial allegations of voting and vote tabulation irregularities," despite little evidence surfacing thus far of any widespread voter fraud in the 2020 election. Pilger has stepped back into a role in the DOJ's Public Integrity Section. The New York Times reported that Pilger wrote to colleagues in an email this evening, "Having familiarized myself with the new policy and its ramifications, I must regretfully resign from my role as director of the Election Crimes Branch. ”A DOJ spokesperson did not respond to a request for comment on Pilger's resignation. When ABC News sought a response from Pilger, an automatic reply to the email said, "I am no longer the Director of the Election Crimes Branch, and have stepped back to the line at the Public Integrity Section. "-ABC News' Alexander MallinThe Biden transition team will not receive full intelligence briefings until the General Services Administration officially "ascertains" the former vice president to be winner of the presidential election, according to a statement from the Office of Director of National Intelligence on Monday. "ODNI follows the statutory direction provided in the Presidential Transition Act, which requires ascertainment of the candidate by the administrator of GSA prior to supporting a potential presidential transition.  ODNI would not have contact with any transition team until notified by the GSA Administrator," an ODNI spokesperson said in a statement. Meanwhile, outside government watchdogs are already warning that a continued delay in briefings could carry grave national security implications for the incoming administration. Aaron Scherb, the legal director at Common Cause, told ABC News on Monday that the "petty and unproductive" decision by GSA to withhold key resources to the Biden transition could have the "potential for catastrophic results. " "By GSA not signing off on this, there is certainly some classified intelligence information that the incoming administration would not have access to -- and would potentially not be fully prepared on day one to be able to counteract ongoing efforts from our adversaries like all previous incoming administrations have," Scherb said. "If the Biden transition team doesn't have access to some of the documents and information," he continued, "there are national security concerns. "-ABC News' Molly Nagle and Lucien BruggemanAttorney General William Barr sent a memo to U. S.  attorneys Monday evening authorizing them to "pursue substantial allegations of voting and vote tabulation irregularities," despite little evidence surfacing thus far of any widespread voter fraud in the 2020 election. In the memo Barr says that such inquiries "may be conducted if there are clear and apparently-credible allegations of irregularities that, if true, could potentially impact the outcome of a federal election in an individual State. "But Barr emphasized in the letter that this should not be taken as the DOJ believing there was widespread fraud -- a baseless claim being made by attorneys for Trump and the RNC.  Rather, he's doling authority out to U. S.  attorneys in the event they might uncover any such credible evidence of a fraud conspiracy that might affect vote tabulations before election results are certified. "Nothing here should be taken as any indication that the Department has concluded that voting irregularities have impacted the outcome of any election," Barr wrote.  "Rather, I provide this authority and guidance to emphasize the need to timely and appropriately address allegations of voting irregularities so that all of the American people, regardless of their preferred candidate or party, can have full confidence in the results of our elections. ""While it is imperative that credible allegations be addressed in a timely and effective manner, it is equally imperative that Department personnel exercise appropriate caution and maintain the Department's absolute commitment to fairness, neutrality and non-partisanship," Barr said in the memo.  "While serious allegations should be handled with great care, specious, speculative, fanciful or far-fetched claims should not be a basis for initiating federal inquiries. "-ABC News' Alexander MallinBiden is slated to give remarks focused on the Affordable Care Act and the Trump administration's lawsuit to overturn it.  Biden will talk about his own plan "to expand access to quality, affordable health care. "The event in Wilmington, Delaware, is slated for 2 p. m. The Supreme Court is scheduled to hear arguments at 10 a. m.  in the case brought by Trump and 18 Republican-led states asking that the Affordable Care Act be eliminated in its entirety.


Photo shows anti-CAA protesters with bandages faking injuries

Several users of social media are calling out photos of anti-Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) protesters, with visible bandages, as imposters with no real injuries.  According to them, the photos, which shows the protesters wearing bandages over pieces of clothing like 'hijabs' and jackets gives away their bluff.  However, the photographer of these images, Zafar Abbas, told BOOM that the protesters deliberately wore bandages during anti-CAA protests in New Delhi on December 29, as a mark of solidarity with a student - Mohammed Minhajuddin - who lost an eye during earlier protests on December 15 due to police brutality.   On December 15, Jamia Millia student Minhajuddin lost his left eye in protests against the CAA, reportedly due to police lathicharge.   There are various such photos of the protests taken by Abbas in New Delhi, of which a collage of two can be seen below.    BOOM received the photos multiple times on its helpline (7700906111).  It has the caption, "They have bandage over their Hijaab and over their jacket. . .  Do you need more proof of how fake these protests are. "   User of Twitter  including Paresh Rawal, amplified the claim which calls such bandaged protesters out.  His tweet was retweeted more than 2,700 times, and liked more than 13. 6 thousand times.       An archived version of his tweet can be found here.      More tweets later emerged of other photos from the protests, showing bandages on their clothing and calling them out.   हिजाब के ऊपर पट्टी की जबरदस्त बड़ी सफलता के बाद कोट के ऊपर पट्टी पेश है आप सबके लिए. . . #IndiaSupportsCAA pic. twitter. com/6SXrb3IO1n The same picture with similar claims is also online, which have been worded differently.  Ok let me now teach you all guys running fake propaganda, some basics of #wound #dressing.  First you remove the soiled clothesThen you clean the woundAnd then you apply bandages after debriding the dirty tissue.  PS: it is never applied over jacket and hijab.  #CAA_NRC pic. twitter. com/66ZpqDwfaW   On looking through many more such pictures on Twitter, many of these images at first glance carry the watermark of 'Zafar Abbas', who is a journalist and works with the Millennium Post.      BOOM got in touch with Abbas, asking him the date and nature of the photographs, to which he replied:   "I took the photo on 29th December ( Sunday ) when the students of Jamia Millia were protesting in an innovative way by tying a bandage around one eye in solidarity with Minhajuddin, a student who lost an eye in Delhi police crackdown. "   On the nature of fake claims that has emanated from his pictures, he told BOOM:  "I was surprised to see trolls and even some verified twitter handles used my pic without checking the background of the symbolic protest and tried to mislead people. " The original images being circulated on social media, along with many other images from the protest have been tweeted by Abbas through his Twitter account and can be seen below.    Jamia today !  pic. twitter. com/qQp1IXLkCA  Eye bandaged : Jamia students bandage one eye in solidarity with fellow student Minhajuddin who lost an eye in @DelhiPolice crackdown on December 15.  Innovative way of protest. #CAA_NRC_NPR #CAAProtest #JamiaWalaBagh #JamiaMilliaIslamia pic. twitter. com/AzRO5roHjR  Similar images of the protests on December 29 can also be found through other sources.  News18 too covered the protests, and one can see a compilation of pictures from the protests where they have outlined that the bandages are a mark of solidarity.    The CAA was signed into law by President Kovind on December 12, 2019 and since then there have been widespread protests across the country against the Act that have caused at least 25 casualties.  Opponents of the Act - which grants expedited Indian citizenship to non-Muslim minority refugees fleeing religious persecution from Afghanistan, Pakistan and Bangladesh - state that the Act, in conjunction with the a potential nation-wide National Registry of Citizens (NRC) could directly render sections of Indian Muslim stateless.  The government refutes this, stating that while a nation-wide NRC has not even been announced, the CAA is a humane law to provide shelter to persecuted minorities with nowhere to go.


While the angered parents of harassed students rightly punished the alleged sexual predator by handing him to the Police, the fake news makers on social media changed his religion.  “#Haryana के अंबाला में एक शान्तिप्रिय समुदाय के युवक ने 5 साल की लड़की से रेप करने की कोशिश की जिसमें वहां की महिलाओं ने पकड़ कर उसको नंगा करके घुमाया। ऐसे घिनौनी सोच वाले व्यक्ति को त्वरित कार्यवाही करते हुए फांसी पर लटका देना चाहिए, जिंदा रहा तो …… । #Muslims“ Translation : In Ambala, Haryana, a man from peaceful community tried to rape a 5 year old girl, but the neighbourhood women stripped him an paraded.  Such man with despicable thoughts should be acted upon immediately and hanged, if he remains alive…. #Muslims”

Yashveer Raghav (BJP Media Panelist | Former @ABVPVoice  NEC | Former @BJYM | National Office Bearer | Proud Rajpu) followed by MLA, ministers etc.     Archived Few of the prominent handles following him –    Tweet by Abhishek Kumar Kushwaha (IIT Nationalist, Political Commentator, Proud Hindu,Inspired by Ideology of Swami Vivekananda, Chandra Shekhar Azad and Sardar Patel, a Proud BJP/RSS Member) has been retweeted more than 1300 times (TTC न्यूज़) अंबाला शहर के जैन बाजार में एक मुल्ले ने 5 साल की लड़की से रेप करने की कोशिश की जिसमें वहां की महिलाओं ने पकड़ कर उसको नंगा करके घुमाया ऐसे  घिनौनी सोच वाले व्यक्ति के खिलाफ सख्त से सख्त कानूनी कार्रवाई होनी चाहिए। pic. twitter. com/m1YLMTrJXJ — Abhishek Kumar Kushwaha (@imAbhishek_20) January 21, 2020  (Archived)
Abhishek is also followed by the following verified prominent people   Following tweet has been retweeted by approx 3500 people  Text: “(TTC न्यूज़)अंबाला शहर के जैन बाजार में एक मुल्ले ने 5 साल की लड़की से रेप करने की कोशिश की जिसमें वहां की महिलाओं ने पकड़ कर उसको नंगा करके घुमाया ऐसे घिनौनी सोच वाले व्यक्ति के खिलाफ सख्त से सख्त कानूनी कार्रवाई होनी चाहिए।” Translation:
 (TTC न्यूज़)अंबाला शहर के जैन बाजार में एक मुल्ले ने 5 साल की लड़की से रेप करने की कोशिश की जिसमें वहां की महिलाओं ने पकड़ कर उसको नंगा करके घुमाया ऐसे  घिनौनी सोच वाले व्यक्ति के खिलाफ सख्त से सख्त कानूनी कार्रवाई होनी चाहिए। pic. twitter. com/DK6oDylzjP — cbpunjabi@maccanaz gold (@cbpunjabi) January 20, 2020  (Archived) Facebook – “बलात्कारी सूअर कौम के जेहादी ५ साल की बच्ची के रेप करने की कोशिस“   WhatsApp    The video is real, the place is too but people on social media are trying to give this a communal twist by wrongly claiming the alleged molester’s religion.  The man, paraded naked by women was caught molesting 3 minors.  This happened near a school, near Jain Bazaar, Ambala, Haryana.  We tried to call SHO Sunita Dhaka, who is handling the case but couldn’t get through.  So we called up the Police station to whom this accused was handed by the parents.  The Lady police confirmed that he isn’t a Muslim, and as per rule they can’t disclose the name but she told us that he is from Punjabi Mehra linage.  Amar Ujala, a credible news paper published his name as Pawan aka Sonu.  “तीन नाबालिगों से अश्लील हरकतें करते हुए एक युवक को महिलाओं ने रंगे हाथ धर दबोचा। अंबाला शहर के हलवाई बाजार जैन बाजार चौक पर अश्लील हरकत करते हुए रंगे हाथ पकड़े गए आरोपी की पहचान पम्मी चौक बांस बाजार के 33 वर्षीय पवन उर्फ सोनू के तौर पर हुई। इसके बाद मौके पर ही पीड़ित बच्ची की मां और अन्य महिलाओं ने उसके पूरे कपड़े उतरवाकर उसे भरे बाजार नंगा कर पीटा। आरोपी युवक पिछले एक सप्ताह से 10वीं में पढ़ने वाली दो और दूसरी कक्षा में पढ़ने वाली एक छात्रा के साथ अश्लील हरकतें कर रहा था। पिटाई के बाद आरोपी को पुलिस के सुपुर्द कर दिया गया। आरोपी का सोमवार देर शाम मेडिकल करवाया गया है। जिसे मंगलवार को कोर्ट में पेश किया जाएगा।” – Amar Ujala Translation: “Women caught a man red handed while making obscene gestures toward three minors.  The accused, caught red-handed while making obscene gestures at Halwai Bazar Jain Bazar Chowk in Ambala city, was identified as Pawan alias Sonu, 33, of Pammi Chowk Baans Bazaar.  After this, on the spot, the victim’s mother and other women stripped him beat him naked in a packed market.  The accused youth had been indulging in obscene acts with two students studying in 10th standard and a student studying in second class for the last one week.  After being beaten he was handed over to the Police.  Medical test of the accused was done late evening on Monday and will be presented in the court on Tuesday. ”     More misleading ones –  #Haryana के अंबाला में एक शान्तिप्रिय समुदाय के युवक ने 5 साल की लड़की से रेप करने की कोशिश की जिसमें वहां की महिलाओं ने पकड़ कर उसको नंगा करके घुमाया। ऐसे घिनौनी सोच वाले व्यक्ति को त्वरित कार्यवाही करते हुए फांसी पर लटका देना चाहिए, जिंदा रहा तो …… ।  #Muslims pic. twitter. com/T1poJmlFvQ — Yashveer Raghav (@iyashveerraghav) January 21, 2020  #Haryana के अंबाला में एक शान्तिप्रिय समुदाय के युवक ने 5 साल की लड़की से रेप करने की कोशिश की जिसमें वहां की महिलाओं ने पकड़ कर उसको नंगा करके घुमाया। ऐसे घिनौनी सोच वाले व्यक्ति को त्वरित कार्यवाही करते हुए फांसी पर लटका देना चाहिए, जिंदा रहा तो  । #Muslims#RT @Real_Anuj जी pic. twitter. com/njOaAteskZ — Upendra Dixit/उपेन्द्र दीक्षित ®🇮🇳 (@Upendradixit21) January 21, 2020  मैडम अभी इसका मजा लो।🙉🙉🙉 (TTC न्यूज़)अंबाला शहर के जैन बाजार में एक मुल्ले ने 5 साल की लड़की से रेप करने की कोशिश की जिसमें वहां की महिलाओं ने पेला। https://t. co/w3dk85ro2X https://t. co/rmcsZkCAUH — Rahul Singh (@RahulSingh82100) January 21, 2020  (TTC न्यूज़) अंबाला शहर के जैन बाजार में एक मुल्ले ने 5 साल की लड़की से रेप करने की कोशिश की जिसमें वहां की महिलाओं ने पकड़ कर उसको नंगा करके घुमाया ऐसे  घिनौनी सोच वाले व्यक्ति के खिलाफ सख्त से सख्त कानूनी कार्रवाई होनी चाहिए। pic. twitter. com/m1YLMTrJXJ — Abhishek Kumar Kushwaha (@imAbhishek_20) January 21, 2020  (TTC न्यूज़)अंबाला शहर के जैन बाजार में एक मुल्ले ने 5 साल की लड़की से रेप करने की कोशिश की जिसमें वहां की महिलाओं ने पकड़ कर उसको नंगा करके घुमाया ऐसे  घिनौनी सोच वाले व्यक्ति के खिलाफ सख्त से सख्त कानूनी कार्रवाई होनी चाहिए। https://t. co/9rZ8or6is1 — Manika Tahilyani (@Manika_0202) January 21, 2020  (TTC न्यूज़)अंबाला शहर के जैन बाजार में एक मुल्ले ने 5 साल की लड़की से रेप करने की कोशिश की जिसमें वहां की महिलाओं ने पकड़ कर उसको नंगा करके घुमाया ऐसे  घिनौनी सोच वाले व्यक्ति के खिलाफ सख्त से सख्त कानूनी कार्रवाई होनी चाहिए। https://t. co/rzrwPJaZqD — UDAY KUMAR 《B. J. P》BHARATIYA JANATA PARTY DEOGHAR (@UdayKumar_BJP) January 21, 2020  @iyashveerraghav #Haryana के अंबाला में एक शान्तिप्रिय समुदाय के युवक ने 5 साल की लड़की से रेप करने की कोशिश की जिसमें वहां की महिलाओं ने पकड़ कर उसको नंगा करके घुमाया।…… । #Muslims https://t. co/Lu6FdOG8B4 — JaagoArjun (@ArjunJaago) January 21, 2020  #Haryana के अंबाला में एक शान्तिप्रिय समुदाय के युवक ने 5 साल की लड़की से रेप करने की कोशिश की जिसमें वहां की महिलाओं ने पकड़ कर उसको नंगा करके घुमाया। ऐसे घिनौनी सोच वाले व्यक्ति को त्वरित कार्यवाही करते हुए फांसी पर लटका देना चाहिए, जिंदा रहा तो  । #Muslims#RT @Real_Anuj जी pic. twitter. com/njOaAteskZ — Upendra Dixit/उपेन्द्र दीक्षित ®🇮🇳 (@Upendradixit21) January 21, 2020  Facebook https://www. facebook. com/groups/2793060190769249/permalink/3378345708907358/ https://www. facebook. com/groups/1327669933922694/permalink/2759091650780508/


Democratic @RepEliotEngel says Secretary of State Mike Pompeo should recuse himself from Ukraine matters. “He listened in on that [phone] conversation, he told nobody about it… I think he’s now part of the investigation. I don’t think he can be part of the solution.” https://t.co/KbFzcoQbcN

"As for was I on the phone call, I was on the phone call," he said in Rome. Pompeo says he was on Trump's call with UkraineSecretary of State Mike Pompeo confirmed that he was on President Donald Trump's controversial phone call with Ukraine's new president on July 25, days after evading questions about what he knew of the call that has sparked a congressional investigation and an impeachment inquiry. "I was on the phone call," he said during a news conference in Rome on Wednesday. During the call, Trump repeatedly asked Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy to work with Rudy Giuliani to investigate his political opponents, which was part of the basis for a whistle-blower complaint from a U. S.  intelligence official. Pompeo had previously dodged questions about the call.  On ABC's "This Week" on Sept.  22 he told co-anchor Martha Raddatz, "You just gave me a report about an [intelligence community] whistle-blower complaint, none of which I've seen. " During a press conference at the U. N.  General Assembly last Thursday, he said he had only read "the first couple of paragraphs" of the complaint, which had been released that day.  The Wall Street Journal on Monday first reported he was on the call. Pompeo is engaged in an escalating standoff with the Democratic chairs of three House committees who are investigating the State Department's role in Giuliani's effort.  The Oversight, Intelligence, and Foreign Affairs committees in the House have subpoenaed Pompeo and the department for documents and scheduled depositions with five State Department officials, but Pompeo rebuffed those efforts Tuesday. Asked Wednesday whether he heard anything improper, Pompeo said the call was "in the context of" the Trump administration's "remarkably consistent" Ukraine policy -- to counter the Russian threat to Ukraine, help "the Ukrainians to get graft out, and corruption outside of their government, and to help now this new government in Ukraine build a successful, thriving economy. "Pompeo said the administration "will continue to do [that] even while all this noise is going on," seemingly a reference to Congress's investigation of the call and the whistle-blower complaint. The State Department has become increasingly involved in the controversy, with two ambassadors facilitating Giuliani's contacts with Ukrainian officials and news that Pompeo was on the call. Five State Department officials have been scheduled for depositions for their roles: Former U. S.  Ambassador to Ukraine Marie Yovanovitch, Deputy Assistant Secretary for Europe George Kent, State Department Counselor Ulrich Brechbuhl, U. S.  Ambassador to the European Union Gordon Sondland, and Kurt Volker, the Special Envoy for Ukraine who helped put Giuliani in touch with Zelenskiy's aides at their request and resigned Friday.  In a letter to the House Tuesday, Pompeo argued there were "profound procedural and legal deficiencies" around the depositions and they were "not feasible. ""What we objected to was the demands that were put that are -- deeply violate fundamental principles of separation of powers," Pompeo added Wednesday in Rome.  He said the committees reached out directly to the five officials and told them State Department lawyers could not be present during their depositions, which he argued was in violation of the administration's executive privilege and threatened diplomatic relations. He added, "We will of course do our constitutional duty to cooperate with this co-equal branch, but we are going to do so in a way that is consistent with the fundamental values of the American system, and we won't tolerate folks on Capitol Hill bullying and intimidating State Department employees. "Rep.  Eliot Engel, D-N. Y. , Elijah Cummings, D-Md. , and Adam Schiff, D-Calif. , challenged that argument in a written response Tuesday.  Addressed to Pompeo's deputy, John Sullivan, the three chairs wrote that Pompeo had an "obvious conflict of interest" and may be "trying to cover up illicit activity and misconduct, including by the President. "They warned the State Department that it must comply with their requests for documents and depositions, which congressional rules stipulate does not include department lawyers.  If not, the department could face penalties for obstructing their impeachment inquiry, they added, including fines, five years of jail, or withholding an official's salary. It's unclear when, if ever, Brechbuhl, Kent, or Sondland will appear for their depositions.  But a House Intelligence Committee official told ABC News Tuesday that Volker has agreed to sit for his Thursday, while Yovanovitch, scheduled to appear Wednesday, will come in on October 11. Ambassador Yovanovitch was recalled from Kyiv in the spring after advocating for anti-corruption measures, but being accused by Giuliani as obstructing investigations into Vice President Joe Biden and his son Hunter.  In the July 25 call, Trump called her "bad news," although the State Department had previously defended her from those accusations, which it called an "outright fabrication. "Pompeo said last Thursday that the behavior of all State Department officials was "entirely appropriate and consistent with the objective" of Trump's Ukraine policy.  He was asked again Wednesday if he believes that is the case, but didn't respond to that part of the question. 24/7 coverage of breaking news and live events


Video of a mob attacking two persons in office is being circulated on social media with a claim that Haryana MLA assaulted by the public for not doing his work properly.  Let’s verify the claim made in the post. Claim: Video of a Haryana MLA being assaulted by the public for not doing his work properly. Fact: Video shows a personal conflict that took place between two groups in Malak village of Haryana.  While some villagers went to the Electricity Department office to file a complaint, a mob suddenly entered the office and attacked the villagers.  The Person assaulted in the video is not a Haryana MLA.  Hence the claim made in the post is FALSE. On reverse image search of screenshots in the video, we found a screenshot of this video in an article published by ‘ANI’ news website on ‘23 July 2020’.  In the article, it is mentioned that incident was related to a personal conflict between two parties in Munak village, Haryana.  While some villagers went to the Sub-Divisional-office (SDO) to file a complaint on a power line that was laid under their farmland, a mob suddenly entered the office and started beating the villagers.  Police identified the five people involved in this violence through the CCTV footage at the SDO office.  Three persons were arrested and case has been registered against five people who involved in this violence at the Electricity office in Munak. ‘Times of India’ and ‘India TV’ news websites also published the same video, with a description that 2 men were brutally beaten by goons at SDO office in Haryana’s Munak.  They can be seen here and here. To sum it up, a personal conflict between two parties in Haryana is falsely portrayed as an assault on a Haryana MLA. Did you watch our new video?


Former Homeland Security Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen was urged by acting White House chief of staff Mick Mulvaney not to bring up the subject of possible Russian interference in the 2020 election to President Trump, the New York Times reports https://t.co/qWLCFQV84R https://t.co/n6iw3h2TAP

Trump was worried interference reports would undercut legitimacy, Mueller said. Mueller report fallout continuesIn recent months before resigning from her position, Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen was prevented from convening senior cabinet meetings at the White House on potential future Russian interference in the upcoming 2020 U. S.  elections, two senior administration officials familiar with the matter told ABC News. Nielsen, whose department is charged with defending U. S.  infrastructure including elections against cyber attacks, had been sounding the alarm publicly before the 2018 midterms.  After the midterms, she pushed for the White House to convene a cabinet meeting to address the issue head-on, but the White House "refused," according to one of the officials, forcing DHS to start convening meetings with principals on its own. Nielsen was also told by White House staff the issue did not need to be brought to Trump’s attention, according to the official. "The White House didn’t want to focus on the issue at a principals level, period," the official told ABC News. The last in-person principal-level cabinet meetings on the issue occurred before the November 2018 midterm elections, and since then there have been none, according to three senior administration officials.  One said there have been smaller discussions about the topic among top national security officials. “We are far, far better prepared than we were in 2016, but we are still way behind where our adversaries are.  It’s clear the administration hasn’t made foreign interference a high enough priority.  That’s a feeling felt throughout the interagency," one of the officials said. The New York Times first reported on Wednesday White House pushback to Nielsen’s efforts.  The Times reported that acting chief of staff Mick Mulvaney told Nielsen specifically not to bring it up to the President, reportedly telling her it “wasn’t a great subject and should be kept below his level. ”In a statement to ABC News, Mulvaney said, “I don’t recall anything along those lines happening in any meeting, but unlike the Obama administration, who knew about Russian actions in 2014 and did nothing, the Trump administration will not tolerate foreign interference in our elections, and we’ve already taken many steps to prevent it in the future. ”The Obama administration did take some action against Russian election interference including private warnings and sanctions. A spokesperson for the DHS did not respond to a request for comment.  Nielsen resigned earlier this month.  Garrett Marquis, a spokesperson for the White House National Security Council, said in a statement, “National Security Council staff leads the regular and continuous coordination of the whole-of-government approach to addressing foreign malign influence and ensuring election security. “Any suggestion that this Administration is giving less than full-throated effort to secure America’s elections is patently false,” he said. The redacted version of special counsel Robert Mueller’s 448-page report sent to Congress last week laid out both what he described as Russia’s “sweeping and systematic” effort to interfere with the 2016 presidential election, as well as Trump’s concern that acknowledgment of that interference could undercut his electoral victory. “After the election, the President expressed concerns to advisors that reports of Russia’s election interference might lead the public to question the legitimacy of his election,” the report said. Even in the lead up to the midterm election lawmakers on both sides of the aisle, including intelligence officials expressed frustration over what they saw as the administration's lack of clear strategy to combat more Russian interference. After the publication of the Mueller report, experts said it was “sobering” to see all of Russia’s efforts to undercut American society and the political process all in one place. The U. S.  intelligence community and previous Mueller indictments had already accused Russia of three interference efforts in 2016: a hack-and-leak operation that targeted democratic figures, a widespread online influence campaign designed to sow social and political discord in the U. S.  and cyber attacks targeting election infrastructure itself, such as voter databases.  But last week, the Mueller report laid out, in narrative detail, the push by the Kremlin to weaken American democracy – a strategy that officials and experts say continues today. The 2018 midterm elections did not see the hack-and-leak strategy or any especially significant attacks on voting infrastructure, but foreign online influence operations continued unabated, an intelligence community assessment said.  Top U. S.  security officials have been vocal in their warnings that Russia, potentially along with China, Iran and others who learned dark lessons from 2016, are likely to take aim at the 2020 race. “The risk of election interference by a foreign government is an existential national security threat,” John Cohen, a former senior Department of Homeland Security official and current ABC News contributor, said after the Mueller report’s release.  “While some agencies like the FBI, the Department of Homeland Security and U. S.  Cyber Command are working to mitigate this threat, the U. S.  government can and must do more to address the threat to our election process, but that requires visible leadership from the White House and the president himself. ”Former Trump campaign advisor Chris Christie told the ABC News podcast “The Investigation” on April 18 that if he were speaking to the president he would tell him to “shift focus” now to the 2020 threat – both for practical and political reasons. “You know, bring in [CIA Director] Gina Haspel and [FBI Director] Chris Wray, bring in the DNI [Director of National Intelligence Dan Coats] and say, ‘Listen, we now have a roadmap for what the Russians did, what are we doing to prepare for the 2020 election?  I authorize you to do everything it is you need to do to protect the integrity of that election and we’ll work with Congress to make sure… if you need additional funding that you’ll get it in order to protect the integrity of our elections. ’“I have often thought that that would be a really productive thing for him to do, and a smart thing for him to do politically,” Christie, the former governor of New Jersey and current ABC News contributor, said. Coats, in a statement to ABC News, pushed back on claims that the administration did not take Russian meddling in the election seriously. “The implication by anonymous sources that the Administration has not or is not taking this issue seriously is false and minimizes the work that continues to be advanced by countless individuals to ensure the integrity of our electoral process,” he said in the statement. Last week another spokesperson for the White House National Security Council declined to comment on Trump’s personal interest in Russian interference, but pointed to moves by the administration to counter foreign election interference, from broadening offensive cyber rules to paving a pathway for sanctions for those “determined to have interfered in a United States election,” to the Department of Justice indictments against suspected Russian operatives. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said last week that he would warn his Russian counterparts about the “steadfast requirement that Russia not engage in activity that impacts the capacity of our democracy to be successful. "“And we will make very clear to them that this is unacceptable behavior and as you’ve seen from this administration, we will take tough actions which raise the cost for Russian malign activity,” he said.  “And we’ll continue to do that. ”24/7 coverage of breaking news and live events


A Florida judge ruled Monday that the parents of a 4-year-old boy with leukemia lost their bid  to regain custody after their struggle with the state over giving him chemotherapy https://t.co/cDDqM2u9B9

The child will remain in the custody of his grandparents. Parents fight for custody after stopping son's chemotherapyA court has denied parents custody of their 4-year-old son with cancer after the Florida couple stopped chemotherapy treatments earlier this year. Hillsborough County Judge Thomas Palermo announced the ruling to parents Joshua McAdams and Taylor Bland-Ball Monday afternoon.  Their son, Noah McAdams, was diagnosed with acute lymphoblastic leukemia in early 2019.  McAdams and Bland-Ball stopped the child's chemotherapy two days into treatment. Bland-Ball could be seen crying after the ruling was announced. The child will remain in the custody of his grandparents.  However, the state does still have the option of returning custody to the parents in the future, the judge said.  Palermo said the ruling was not a punishment, but instead done to protect the child. Instead of chemo, McAdams and Bland-Ball turned to medical marijuana and CBD oil -- the increasingly popular cannabis extract that's sold over the counter. "He had vicious mood swings, making him violent, making him very emotional, and he also started to lose his hair right away after the first treatment," Bland-Ball said of her son in an interview with "Good Morning America" in August. McAdams and Bland-Ball took Noah to Kentucky where they sought a second opinion.  The Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office had asked for the public's help to locate the family after McAdams and Bland-Ball failed to bring Noah to the hospital for a medically necessary procedure on April 22. "The parents have further refused to follow up with the life saving medical care the child needs," the Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office wrote on Facebook.  "The parents have possible criminal child neglect charges pending. "The parents were found one week later and the state of Florida placed Noah in the custody of his grandparents, who were ordered in May to resume chemotherapy. Multiple hearings have since been held as McAdams and Bland-Ball fought to regain custody. Dr.  Bijal D.  Shah, head of the Moffitt Cancer Center's acute lymphoblastic leukemia program, said the current protocol for treating acute lymphoblastic leukemia has a 90 percent cure rate for patients who follow the treatment plan. St.  Jude’s Children's Research Hospital confirmed this statistic for "GMA. "Noah has been receiving both chemotherapy and CBD for treatment. ABC News' Mark Osborne contributed to this report. 24/7 coverage of breaking news and live events


A key Democrat on the Senate Intelligence Committee is warning President-elect Joe Biden that he should avoid nominating a top contender for the job of CIA director, Mike Morell, because his record as a "torture apologist" makes confirmation a "nonstarter" https://t.co/3OJ5r9c6Bm

Several history-making nominees comprise Biden's picks.  Director of National Intelligence nominee Avril Haines speaksPresident-elect Joe Biden and Vice President-elect Kamala Harris formally announced their team of foreign policy and national security officials that will lead their administration's efforts to deliver on Biden's long held campaign pledge to restore America's standing on the world stage. Speaking in Wilmington, Delaware, Biden and Harris were joined on stage by their picks for top-tier government positions, including Secretary of State nominee Antony Blinken, Homeland Security Secretary nominee Alejando Mayorkas and Avril Haines, Biden's pick for director of national intelligence. Also joining the group were Linda Thomas-Greenfield, Biden's nominee for U. N.  ambassador; Jake Sullivan, nominee for national security adviser; and former Secretary of State John Kerry, who will be joining the Biden administration as the special presidential envoy for climate. "It's a team that will keep our country and people safe and secure, and it's a team that reflects the fact that America is back, ready to lead the world, not retreat from it," Biden said, in reference to President Donald Trump's opposing "America first" approach.  "Once again, [we will] sit at the head of the table, ready to confront our adversaries and not reject our allies -- ready to stand up for our values. "In a nod to the historic nature of a number of his picks, Biden said the picks he unveiled Tuesday represented "an unrelenting belief in the promise of America""The team meets this moment, this team behind me.  They embody my core beliefs that America is strongest when it works with its allies," Biden said.  "Collectively, this team has secured some of the most defining national security and diplomatic achievements in recent memory, made possible through decades of experience working with our partners. "Blinken, a longtime Biden foreign policy hand, spoke directly to the rank-and-file members of the State Department in his remarks, and recounted his own stepfather's story of escaping the Holocaust, a story he said reflects the message America should send to the world. "That's who we are.  That's what America represents to the world, however imperfectly.  Now we have to proceed with equal measures of humility and confidence.  Humility because, as the president-elect said, we can't solve all the world's problems alone.  We need to be working with other countries," Blinken said. Mayorkas, who would be the first Latino and first immigrant to lead the Department of Homeland Security, also recalled his family's story and how it will guide his decision-making. "I'm proud that for the first time ever the department will be led by an immigrant, a Latino, who knows that we are a nation of laws and values," Mayorkas said. Expected to be the first woman to lead America's intelligence community, Haines pledged to represents the "patriots" that comprise the intelligence community, and said her charge as the next director of national intelligence will be to "speak truth to power," adding she knows that Biden respects the opinion of the intelligence committee. "I've worked for you for a long time and I accept this nomination knowing that . . .  you value the perspective of the intelligence community, and that you will do so even when what I have to say may be inconvenient or difficult, and I assure you there will be those times," Haines said with Biden standing alongside her. Thomas-Greenfield, who would be the second Black woman to serve as the United States ambassador to the United Nations, also delivered a message to diplomats and public servants globally in her remarks. "On this day I'm thinking about the American people, my fellow career diplomats and public servants around the world.  I want to say to you, America is back.  Multilateralism is back," said Thomas-Greenfield, who also referenced her roots growing up in the segregated South. Biden also praised Sullivan, who served as his national security adviser when he was vice president, as having a "once-in-a-generation intellect" and noted the wealth of experience Sullivan possesses and the role he's played as a key policy adviser for his successful 2020 presidential campaign. "You've told us that the alliances we rebuild, the institutions we lead, the agreements we sign, all of them should be judged by a basic question: Will this make life better, easier, safer for families across this country?  Our foreign policy has to deliver for these families," Sullivan said at the event. Biden also spoke about the historic nature of Kerry's position in his administration, focusing on climate change as a national security issue. "For the first time ever, we will have a presidential envoy on climate.  He will be matched with high-level White House climate policy coordinator and policymaking structure, to be announced in December, and that will lead efforts here in the United States to combat the climate crisis, mobilize action to meet the existential threat that we face," Biden said of Kerry's role. "Let me be clear.  I don't, for a minute, underestimate the difficulties of meeting my bold commitments to fighting climate change," Biden continued.  "But at the same time, no one should underestimate for a minute my determination to do just that. "The former secretary of state, who had a hand in negotiating the Paris Climate Accord during the Obama administration, noted Biden's desire to address climate change more fulsomely on the global level. "At the global meeting in Glasgow one year from now, all nations must raise ambition together or we will all fail together, and failure is not an option.  Succeeding together means tapping into the best of American ingenuity, creativity, and diplomacy -- from brain power to alternative energy power, using every tool we have to get where we have to go.  No one should doubt the determination of this president and vice president," Kerry said. As he outlined the qualifications of his national security and foreign policy team, Biden also said he was "pleased" that the General Services Administration, after a more than two week delay, allowed his transition team to access the government resources afforded to him as president-elect. "I'm pleased to have received the ascertainment from GSA to carry out a smooth and peaceful transition of power, so our teams can prepare to meet the challenges at hand -- to control the pandemic, to build back better and to protect the safety and security of the American people," Biden said. Biden also looked ahead to the next step in the nomination process: Senate confirmation. "I hope these outstanding nominees receive a prompt hearing, and that we can work across the aisle in good faith to move forward for the country," Biden said.  "Let's begin that work to heal and unite, to heal and unite America, as well as the world. "24/7 coverage of breaking news and live events


We have got reply from Google on some of the questions regarding the Toolkit Doc: Delhi Police https://t.co/dBjlv27Jzh

The Delhi Police have said that Disha Ravi is one of the editors of a toolkit which is at the centre of a controversy after being posted by Swedish climate activist Greta Thunberg in connection with farmers' protest. Producing Ravi before a magistrate, the police said that this was the first arrest in the case.  The police also told the court that the activist had allegedly edited the "toolkit" on February 3 and many other people are involved in the matter. The court sent the 22-year-old climate change activist to five-day police custody.  She was arrested on Saturday. According to Hindustan Times' sister publication Livehindustan, the police are looking for two more suspects - Shantanu and Nikita Jacob - and raids are being carried out in Mumbai and other places.  News agency ANI cited Delhi Police to report on Monday that non-bailable warrants have been issued against them. Meanwhile, Disha Ravi broke down during the hearing on Sunday and said that the had only edited two lines in the document tweeted by Thunberg and that she wanted to support the farmers' protest.  The police, however, rubbished her claim and said her role was more than editing two lines. The police have named Ravi a "key conspirator" in the document's formulation and dissemination.  They also claimed that Ravi and others "collaborated with pro-Khalistani Poetic Justice Foundation to spread disaffection against the Indian State". "She was the one who shared the toolkit doc with Greta Thunberg," the Delhi Police said in a tweet. Thunberg had shared the "toolkit" - a Google document - earlier this month to lend her support to the farmers' agitation against the three farm reform laws.  In the document, various urgent actions, including creating a Twitter storm and protesting outside Indian embassies, were listed which were needed to be taken to support the farmers' protest. Last week, the Delhi Police had sent a communication to Google seeking registration details and activity log of the account through which the "toolkit" was created and uploaded on the social media platform. Two e-mail IDs, one Instagram account, and one Uniform Resource Locator (URL) were mentioned in the toolkit and police have asked for details from the respective platforms. The police had registered an FIR against unidentified persons in connection with the creators of the "toolkit'. The ministry of external affairs (MEA) had hit out this month at "sensationalist social media hashtags and comments" by celebrities following posts from Thunberg and pop singer Rihanna, who also tweeted in support of the farmer protests, which have been going on near Delhi since November 26 last year. (With inputs from agencies)


A Republican congressman tweeted an attack on Michael Cohen ahead of the longtime Trump fixer’s public congressional testimony. https://t.co/u2Ufw4ZBdf https://t.co/Ymwip6fWVw

  The President’s former attorney Michael Cohen testified that Donald Trump directed his charity organization to refund a “fake bidder” for a portrait of himself.

  “Mr.  Trump directed me to find a straw bidder to purchase a portrait of him that was being auctioned at an Art Hamptons Event,” Cohen told the House Oversight Committee in a public hearing Wednesday.

  “The objective was to ensure that his portrait, which was going to be auctioned last, would go for the highest price of any portrait that afternoon,” Cohen said.

Cohen testifies to Trump's involvement in hush-money payments in fiery hearing

  According to Cohen, the “fake bidder” purchased the portrait for $60,000.

  Cohen alleged that Trump directed the Trump Foundation to use its funds to reimburse the bidder and kept the art, which Cohen claims currently hangs in one of Trump’s country clubs.

  Cohen also provided the House panel with an article about the portrait auction that Trump wrote on and sent to Cohen.

  Trump tweeted about the portrait sale back in 2013.

  “Just found out that at a charity auction of celebrity portraits in E.  Hampton, my portrait by artist William Quigley topped  list at $60K,” Trump wrote then.

Dan’s Papers, a local Hampton newspaper, reported back in 2015 that Trump had asked his friend Stewart Rahr, a pharmaceutical billionaire, to bid on his behalf.  CNN called and emailed Rahr repeatedly on Wednesday, but did not receive a response.

  The artist William Quigley told the newspaper that he had heard Trump was interested in the painting and should raise the bid to avoid embarrassing Trump.  Quigley also told the newspaper that he had met with the real estate mogul in person to collect the check.

  In December, the Trump Foundation agreed to dissolve under judicial supervision amid a lawsuit that alleged the charity was used as “little more than a checkbook to serve Mr.  Trump’s business and political interests. ”

  Cohen’s 20-page statement regarding Trump was provided Tuesday night to lawmakers.  Cohen also testified that Trump was aware of longtime adviser Roger Stone’s efforts to reach out to WikiLeaks in advance of its release of damaging information about Hillary Clinton’s presidential campaign.
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President Trump is increasingly isolated in his claims of election fraud as a growing number of senior administration officials are either directly contradicting his baseless allegations or refusing to echo them https://t.co/SpDCjUzEjB

State election officials say the results are valid and that they won’t change. Georgia election official on baseless fraud claims: ‘They continue to lie’President Donald Trump filed a new lawsuit in Georgia Friday afternoon officially contesting the results of the election and requesting a do-over -- another in a series of long-shot legal bids that have so far met with stiff resistance from the state's Republican election officials. This latest suit alleges that the state's election code was "disregarded, abandoned, ignored, altered, and otherwise violated," thereby allowing "a sufficient number of illegal votes to be included. "The Trump campaign and its allies have filed similar lawsuits around the country more than 46 times, and have yet to gain traction.  On the same day the campaign submitted the new Georgia suit, pro-Trump legal efforts met with defeat in Michigan and Nevada. A Nevada judge ruled pointedly that the Trump team "failed to meet their burden to provide credible and relevant evidence . . .  to contest the November 3, 2020 General Election. "The new Georgia case specifically takes issue with changes made prior to the election involving mail-in ballot practices and signature matching rules.  It also includes dozens of allegations of fraud based on witness affidavits, but with little evidence. As a remedy, the Trump team suggests the state "order a new Presidential Election to occur at the earliest opportune time. "Democrat Joe Biden's victory in Georgia is narrow -- he's winning by 11,769 votes, according to the current results of the machine recount requested by the Trump campaign.  But the result of the recount -- which follows an earlier hand audit -- indicates that the outcome of the race will not change, according to Georgia's secretary of state. Jordan Fuchs, Georgia's deputy secretary of state, joked that Trump has "spent more time campaigning in Georgia after the election" than before it. "The state of Georgia is wrapping up its third count of legally cast ballots, and the results have not changed," Fuchs said. ABC News' Quinn Scanlan contributed to this report. 24/7 coverage of breaking news and live events


Rajasthan: #Visuals from a polling booth in Jaipur. #LokSabhaElections2019 https://t.co/zMs39NG9QA

In the pre-dominantly rural Mohanlalganj (reserved) parliamentary constituency, villagers are nowadays busy harvesting wheat crop. Away from the media glare, it is in these fields that villagers often enter into political discourse. Topics range from PM Narendra Modi’s beneficiary schemes for rural poor to stray cattle to BJP’s unfulfilled promise of Ram Mandir among other issues. Kaushal Kishore, the BJP’s sitting MP who is seeking re-election, is pitted against BSP candidate CL Verma and Congress’s RK Chaudhary.  In the SP-BSP alliance, the Mohanlalganj seat has gone to the BSP’s quota.  Congress’s RK Chaudhary was the BSP candidate and the runner-up in the 2014 Lok Sabha polls. At Bakshi Ka Talab, Awadesh Kumar, 45, is sipping tea at a roadside tea stall.  Six people are sitting around Awadesh who is reading an old local Hindi daily that prominently carried the news of an impressive nomination procession of union home minister Rajnath Singh and Kaushal Kishore on April 16 in Lucknow. “In Lucknow, Rajnath Singh is comfortably placed against his rivals.  But here (Mohanlalganj) situation is different this time.  It will not be easy for the BJP to retain the seat,” opines Awadesh. Interrupting Awadesh, another local Suresh Singh says, “In my village, many people have got houses under the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana.  Many have also received Rs 2000 each in their bank accounts as promised by the Modi government. ” He adds that it will not be easy to beat the BJP candidate. Rakesh Maurya, another resident of BKT tehsil, is worried about the stray cattle menace. “Under the Yogi Adityanath government, all illegal slaughterhouses have been shut as the government has been very strict on cow slaughter.  This has compelled farmers to let loose their non-productive cattle thereby triggering stray cattle menace,” Rakesh says.  “Ujjawala scheme provided much relief from the ordeal of cooking food in earthen furnace.  But there is no provision for free refill of the cylinder,” claims Saraswati Devi, 48, a native of Bakshi Ka Talab.