All posts tagged: Lawmakers

256 criminal cases pending against lawmakers of Kerala

256 criminal cases pending against lawmakers of Kerala

As many as 256 criminal cases are pending against lawmakers, including sitting or former MPs and MLAs, of Kerala till April 4, 2026. Trial is yet to begin in a large number of such cases due to the delay in serving summons and warrants to the accused, according to the State police. The delay in completing the legal proceedings against the lawmakers came to light when the High Court sought a report from the Registrar (district judiciary) on the position of the cases in the various special courts set up for trying them. The report indicated that 22 cases against lawmakers have been delayed for more than two years, and nine have been pending for over five years due to delay in executing summons and warrants. The court has asked the State police to execute warrants in these 31 pending cases. As per another report submitted by the Kerala Police to the High Court, 247 cases are pending trial and nine are in the investigation stage. The court had initiated suo motu proceedings in the case following a directive …

Rajya Sabha elections: Congress to fly MP MLAs to Karnataka amid poaching fears

Rajya Sabha elections: Congress to fly MP MLAs to Karnataka amid poaching fears

The Opposition Congress has chartered a plane to fly its lawmakers out of Madhya Pradesh in two batches on Tuesday amid fears of poaching ahead of the June 18 Rajya Sabha elections. The ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has fielded three candidates in the state, even as it needs the backing of nine additional assembly members to secure the third seat. The Congress has fielded Meenakshi Natarajan as its Rajya Sabha candidate from Madhya Pradesh. (X) The Congress lawmakers gathered at the residence of Umang Singhar, the leader of the Opposition in the state assembly, ahead of their departure to Congress-ruled Karnataka. The first flight is scheduled to depart at 2:30pm, followed by another in the evening. The Congress has, over the years, relied on DK Shivakumar, who took over as the Karnataka chief minister this month, to manage crises across states. Singhar insisted they were not forcing anyone to move to Karnataka and that it was voluntary. “If some lawmakers want to stay in Madhya Pradesh, they can. We have full faith in all …

What are the allegations against Eric Swalwell and Tony Gonzales? Lawmakers call for expulsion; ‘they need to go home’

What are the allegations against Eric Swalwell and Tony Gonzales? Lawmakers call for expulsion; ‘they need to go home’

Following grave accusations of sexual misconduct that have prompted investigations and calls for responsibility, politicians from both parties are pushing for the potential expulsion of Representatives Eric Swalwell and Tony Gonzales. Representatives Eric Swalwell and Tony Gonzales may be expelled from Congress amid serious sexual misconduct allegations. ((AP Photo/Allison Robbert) and (Blaine Young/The San Antonio Express-News via AP)) According to NBC News, a House vote to expel the two lawmakers is being considered after mounting pressure linked to sexual misconduct allegations and ethical concerns. Byron Donalds, a Republican from Florida, told Kristen Welker, host of NBC News’ “Meet the Press,” that if given the chance, he would vote in favor of the two members’ expulsion from Congress. Donalds said, “These allegations are despicable and they demean the integrity of Congress. These things are just completely unacceptable,” he added. “As far as I’m concerned, both gentlemen need to go home.” Read more: Regina Santos-Aviles: 5 facts about late Tony Gonzales aide amid affair claims Allegations against Eric Swalwell Eric Swalwell is facing multiple allegations of sexual …

London police arrest 3 men on suspicion of spying for China. One is a UK lawmaker’s husband

London police arrest 3 men on suspicion of spying for China. One is a UK lawmaker’s husband

Three men suspected of spying for China were arrested Wednesday, London police said. One of the three men is the husband of a lawmaker from the governing Labour Party. Joani Reid, MP for East Kilbride and Strathaven, issued a statement indicating that her husband was among those arrested. (AP) The three allegedly assisted a foreign intelligence service in violation of the National Security Act of 2023, Metropolitan Police said. Police did not name the suspects because they haven’t been charged. They said one was a 39-year arrested in London, another was a 68-year-old arrested in Powys, Wales and the third, a 43-year-old, was arrested in Pontyclun, Wales. With calls growing for one of the three to be named in light of speculation that he was the husband of a lawmaker, Joani Reid, the member of parliament for the Scottish constituency of East Kilbride and Strathaven, issued a statement indicating that her husband was among those arrested while insisting that she herself was not involved. She did not name her husband David Taylor, who is 39. …

US lawmakers warn Trump’s H1B fee, tariffs on India ‘hurting’ American firms

US lawmakers warn Trump’s H1B fee, tariffs on India ‘hurting’ American firms

US lawmakers have warned that President Donald Trump-led administration’s decisions to impose 50 per cent tariffs on India and the hiked fee on H1B visas “hurt” American businesses. US lawmakers said the tariffs announced by Trump “are…hurting American businesses and consumers”(Bloomberg) Democratic Congresswoman Pramila Jayapal, during the House Foreign Affairs South and Central Asia Subcommittee hearing, said the tariffs announced by Trump “are…hurting American businesses and consumers”, PTI news agency reported. Jayapal further spoke on the Trump administration’s crackdown on immigration, saying it has “threatened” people-to-people ties between India and US. Jayapal said these measures are “shutting down legal pathways to immigrate.” Also Read | Modi, Trump discuss trade, defence in ‘warm’ phone call, agree to stay in touch She said they are reminiscent of “a legacy of discriminatory quotas” which had earlier “made it extremely difficult for Indians to immigrate in the first place.” Jayapal said that she is able to comprehend the “harms of those policies”, being the only member of the US Congress to have been both on a student and H1B …

Lawmakers voice support for congressional reviews of Trump’s military strikes on boats | World News

Lawmakers voice support for congressional reviews of Trump’s military strikes on boats | World News

Lawmakers from both parties said Sunday they support congressional reviews of US military strikes against vessels suspected of smuggling drugs in the Caribbean Sea and eastern Pacific Ocean, citing a published report that Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth issued a verbal order for all crew members to be killed as part of a September 2 attack. The lawmakers said they did not know whether last week’s Washington Post report was true, and some Republicans were sceptical, but they said attacking survivors of an initial missile strike poses serious legal concerns. “This rises to the level of a war crime if it’s true,” said Sen. Tim Kaine, D-Va.Rep. Mike Turner, R-Ohio, when asked about a follow-up strike aimed at people no long able to fight, said Congress does not have information that happened. He noted that leaders of the Armed Services Committee in both the House and Senate have opened investigations. “Obviously, if that occurred, that would be very serious and I agree that that would be an illegal act,” Turner said. Turner said there are concerns …

‘Not threatening them, but they’re in serious trouble’: Donald Trump says after accusing Democratic lawmakers of sedition | World News

‘Not threatening them, but they’re in serious trouble’: Donald Trump says after accusing Democratic lawmakers of sedition | World News

US President Donald Trump on Friday said that he did not threaten Democratic lawmakers who posted a video on social media urging military personnel not to obey illegal orders. “I’m not threatening them, but I would say they’re in serious trouble,” Trump said during an interview with Fox News Radio. “I’m not threatening death.” He later claimed that the Democratic lawmakers had broken the law and said Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth was looking into it.   President Donald Trump speaks at the McDonald’s Impact Summit, in Washington. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon) Trump accuses Democratic lawmakers of sedition Trump’s comments came after his posts on Truth Social accused six Democratic lawmakers, all veterans of the armed services and the intelligence community — Sen. Elissa Slotkin, Sen. Mark Kelly, and Reps. Jason Crow, Chris Deluzio, Maggie Goodlander, and Chrissy Houlahan, of sedition and suggested that it was a crime punishable by the death penalty. “SEDITIOUS BEHAVIOR, punishable by DEATH!” Trump said in a post. Trump on Thursday reposted messages from others about the video, amplifying it with his …

Lawmakers want to let users sue over harmful social media algorithms

Lawmakers want to let users sue over harmful social media algorithms

Tech critics’ least favorite law is under siege again, this time with a focus on its recommendation algorithms. On Wednesday Sens. John Curtis (R-UT) and Mark Kelly (D-AZ) introduced the Algorithm Accountability Act, which amends Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act to make platforms responsible for preventing their recommendation systems from causing certain foreseeable harms. Section 230 is the law that shields online platforms — including social media sites, digital forums, blogs with comment sections, and their users — from being held liable for other people’s unlawful posts, or for engaging in good faith content moderation. But the Algorithm Accountability Act would require commercial social media platforms to “exercise reasonable care in the design, training, testing, deployment, operation, and maintenance of a recommendation-based algorithm” to “prevent bodily injury or death.” If a platform should have reasonably been able to predict its content recommendations would result in physical harm, Section 230 would no longer offer protection for surfacing those recommendations. Under the Algorithm Accountability Act, victims who suffered bodily harm, or their representatives, would be …

Even the lawmakers behind the TikTok ban have no idea what’s going on

Even the lawmakers behind the TikTok ban have no idea what’s going on

Less than two years ago, TikTok was a crisis situation on Capitol Hill. The chair of the House Select Committee on China called it “digital fentanyl” that brainwashes young Americans into supporting Hamas. A former national security adviser said letting TikTok remain in the US under its Chinese owner “would be akin to allowing Soviet control of several major American newspapers and TV channels during the Cold War.” Lawmakers left classified national security briefings about TikTok sharing grave concerns. All of it culminated in the surprise frenzy of a bipartisan bill forcing Chinese parent company ByteDance to sell the app or face a ban, which swiftly became law. But nearly a year after the app should have been kicked out of the US, TikTok remains widely available, thanks to intervention from the administration of President Donald Trump. A promised acquisition by US investors, brokered through Trump, has been stalled for months. And the lawmakers who passed the ban are largely staying quiet. Do you have information about the Trump administration’s deal to save TikTok in …

Republican lawmakers could soon kill clean energy jobs in their home states

Republican lawmakers could soon kill clean energy jobs in their home states

Renewable energy has driven a manufacturing boom in the US, but that’s all at stake as Congress weighs cuts to Biden-era tax incentives. Solar, wind, and battery companies have announced plans to either create or expand 250 manufacturing facilities since August 2022. That’s when Congress passed the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA), considered the biggest federal investment to date in climate and clean energy. If those projects are up and running by 2030, they would collectively create more than 575,000 jobs and contribute $86 billion annually to gross domestic product, according to a report published today by the American Clean Power Association (ACP). “Republican districts benefit the most from the IRA’s clean energy tax credits” Red states are home to 73 percent of active facilities, according to the ACP. And already, solar, wind, and battery manufacturing supports 122,000 full-time jobs. Solar manufacturing employed the biggest share of Americans, some 75,400 people. Solar was the fastest-growing source of electricity in 2024, according to data from the US Energy Information Administration, accounting for 81 percent of added annual …