Congress

Republican Congressman Thomas Massie has claimed on Twitter the federal government has spent more on Ukraine in the past six months than it has on road infrastructure annually. Massie was one of 57 members of the House of Representatives who voted against the package, which was later blocked in the Senate by one dissenting vote from Senator Rand Paul . It is still widely expected to pass later this week. The member for Kentucky took to Twitter to justify the grounds for his vote by comparing the U.S.' recent aid spend on Ukraine against its annual commitment to domestic infrastructure. The Claim House Rep Thomas Massie (R-KY) tweeted about his reasoning for voting against the $40 billion aid package for Ukraine on Tuesday, May 10. In the tweet, Massie claimed that Congress had spent more on Ukraine in the past six months than it spends on U.S. road and bridges infrastructure annually. In an emailed response to Newsweek , Massie clarified the tweet: "The … [Read more...] about Fact Check: Did Congress spend more on Ukraine than U.S. roads and bridges?

Under attack for alleged misdemeanour of some of its top leaders, the BJP on Thursday maximised the 40th anniversary of the Emergency, imposed by the then Prime Minister Indira Gandhi in 1975, to target the Congress. Not only did Prime Minister Narendra Modi send out an early tweet on Emergency but also dwelt at length on the subject during an official function, where he recalled the “darkest days” of Indian democracy when “the nation was bound with chains and turned into a jail due to one person’s lust for power”. He said the memorial being built to Jayaprakash Narayan, who led the Total Revolution movement, will be a guiding light and ode to democracy. BJP president Amit Shah presided over a function on the Emergency organised by Syama Prasad Mookerjee Research Foundation, which was attended by several party workers and leaders who had been jailed during the period. Those present included senior Delhi BJP leader Vijay Kumar Malhotra and party office-bearers Ram Lal and Shyam … [Read more...] about BJP uses Emergency to target Congress

December 8, 2015 was not the first time Congress president Sonia Gandhi evoked her mother-in-law and former Prime Minister Indira Gandhi while facing a tricky political situation, but the National Herald case could be the one wherein the senior Mrs. Gandhi’s political template may not work for her. After the Congress’s debacle in the 2014 general election, the party president appointed Mallikarjun Kharge as leader of the Congress Parliamentary Party, ignoring the claims of many other seniors. Mr. Kharge’s loyalty was unquestioned, quite in the manner of C.M. Stephen in 1977, when he was appointed CPP leader after the Congress lost the elections post-Emergency. The party’s opposition to the NDA’s Land Acquisition Bill and its success in getting it rescinded was similar to how the senior Mrs. Gandhi raised the Dalit massacre in Belchi when the Janata Party was in power. The event and her response to it were considered a turning point in her political recovery. Therefore, the … [Read more...] about Indira Gandhi’s 1978 template may not work for Congress chief now

The Rashtriya Janata Dal on Monday asked Rahul Gandhi to look at recent electoral history of regional parties putting up a strong fight against the BJP as it took a swipe at him for his critical comments aimed at them, saying the Congress leader’s claims were “bizarre” and not in sync with his own party’s stand. In his address at his party’s “Chintan Shivir” (brainstorming camp) in Udaipur, Gandhi had claimed that regional parties cannot fight the BJP and the RSS as they lack ideology. The Congress can fight them, he had said To this, RJD spokesperson Manoj Kumar Jha said Gandhi will revise his statement if he looks at data. “I find it a little bizarre and out of sync,” Rajya Sabha MP Jha told PTI. Jha said it was the RJD which was at the receiving end of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s attack during elections as it was at the nucleus of the electoral and ideological fight against the BJP. From RJD president Lalu Prasad Yadav to Tejashwi Yadav, hundreds of RJD leaders and workers … [Read more...] about ‘Congress Has Phobia’: Kumaraswamy, RJD Hit Back at Rahul Gandhi’s ‘Bizarre’ Remark on Regional Parties

I first heard about the U.S. Congress hearing on UFOs the day the news of it broke in early May 2022. The first hearing of its kind in 50 years, on May 17 the House Intelligence Committee's subcommittee on Counterterrorism, Counterintelligence and Counterproliferation will discuss unidentified aerial phenomena (UAPs), or UFOs to the rest of us. I knew there were rumors that it may one day happen, but I had thought we were another year out from that, given current world events and the political climate. But it sure was exciting to finally see such an important issue wind up on the calendar of U.S. Congress. I first became interested in the topic of UFOs back when I was a teenager. After seeing all sorts of stories in the news, I thought I would seek out government and military documents. I was 15, and thought perhaps I could get some answers, even though I knew there would be some level of obfuscation. As I fought for previously classified records under the Freedom of Information … [Read more...] about “I uncover hidden UFO files. Congress is finally listening”

Rep. Jim Jordan (R-OH) slammed Congress on Tuesday for holding a hearing on UFOs rather than addressing some of the most pressing issues facing the nation. “$5 dollar gas. No baby formula. Record crime. Record inflation. Border crisis. And what’s Congress doing today? Holding a hearing on UFOs!” the congressman posted to Facebook and Twitter. $5 dollar gas. No baby formula. Record crime. Record inflation. Border crisis. And what’s Congress doing today? Holding a hearing on UFOs! — Rep. Jim Jordan (@Jim_Jordan) May 17, 2022 The hearing, officially called the “ Unidentified Aerial Phenomena ” (UAP) began at 9 a.m. ET and is the first hearing of its kind in 50 years; the last one occurred in 1968, Fox News reported . The House Intelligence subcommittee, led by chairman Rep. Adam Schiff (D-CA), held the hearing reportedly to dig into the “mystery” of “unexplained aerial phenomena.” Under Secretary of Defense for Intelligence and Security Ronald Moultrie … [Read more...] about Jim Jordan: Congress Ignores Biden Blunders in Favor of UFO Hearing

Sitting in the modest corner drawing room of the sprawling Sheikhpura House on Bailey Road in the heart of Patna, which he appears to have made his sanctuary of prudence and quietude, poll strategist Prashant Kishor discussed his upcoming political journey in the State. Mulling over his plans in the past year, he spoke exclusively to The Hindu late on the evening of May 15, referring to the need for political change in Bihar, his home State, and the need for “a pre-Indira Gandhi Congress time”. The house bears the nameplate of former Rajya Sabha MP and Member of Planning Commission, N. K. Singh. Clad in a white kurta-pyjama and rubber slippers, a composed Mr. Kishor sat alone, a pen and a computer printout in hand. An aide popped in and out of the room with quick facts and data in response to Mr. Kishor’s casual requests for them. A young girl worked on a laptop, a young man welcomed guests. “I’ve now stopped going to my I-PAC (Indian Political Action Committee) office as … [Read more...] about Prashant Kishor wants to create ‘a pre-Indira Gandhi Congress time’

Kerala Pradesh Congress Committee president K. Sudhakaran on Monday asked if the Left Democratic Front government would be ready to shelve the K-Rail project in the event of the United Democratic Front won the Thrikkakara byelection. He dared Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan to face the byelection on that condition. If the K-Rail survey stone-laying was halted in view of the bypoll, it smacked of political bankruptcy. Mr. Sudhakaran said stone-laying was halted in the wake of fervent protests by the Congress and the UDF. The government should now withdraw cases filed against protesters and repay the fine levied from the public. It should also make public the amount that was spent on survey stone-laying. Leader of the Opposition V.D. Satheesan termed the stopping of survey stone-laying a victory for the protesters. Both Mr. Sudhakaran and Mr. Satheesan were in town campaigning for UDF candidate Uma Thomas. LDF convener E.P. Jayarajan accused the Congress of following the communal … [Read more...] about Will Kerala Government shelve K-Rail in the event of bypoll defeat: Congress

The Congress Tuesday put its weight behind party leader P. Chidambaram, saying the CBI raids against him and his son in connection with an 11-year-old case are "wrong" and aimed at diverting attention from the key issues of inflation and unemployment. The party also said P. Chidambaram is a nationalist and patriot whose commitment to the country is beyond question. The CBI registered a fresh case against Lok Sabha MP Karti Chidambaram to probe the allegation of facilitating visas of 250 Chinese nationals in lieu of ₹50 lakh when his father P. Chidambaram was Union Home Minister. The agency also conducted coordinated searches at 10 locations in multiple cities including the Mr. Chidambarams’ residences in Chennai and Delhi. Senior Congress spokesperson Ajay Maken told reporters at a press conference here that the "raids were wrong". "The Congress party stands behind P. Chidambaram. This is being done to divert the attention of people from the issue of rising inflation and … [Read more...] about CBI raids wrong, party stands behind Chidambaram: Congress

Congress is poised this week to approve $40 billion in American taxpayer funds for the Ukraine war, with little debate and no clear end to the conflict. The massive funding bill has been supported unanimously by Democrats — but has faced resistance by Republicans in both the House and Senate amid record levels of inflation and shortages of critical supplies such as baby formula in America. On Monday, the Senate voted to advance the bill for a vote this week , with all Democrats and Independents voting to advance the bill. Thirty-seven Republicans also voted to advance the bill, and 11 Republicans opposed it. Sen. Mike Lee (R-UT) slammed the $40 billion bill, arguing that it could be streamlined to better help Ukraine. He said in a statement: The House proposal would spend nearly ten times the annual defense budget of Ukraine while delegating broad discretion to the President and bureaucrats regarding where and how most of the money is spent. Much of the money will … [Read more...] about Congress Poised to Pass $40 Billion in Taxpayer Funds for Ukraine Aid