First Meeting of New Union Cabinet likely Friday Evening

The first meeting of the new Union Cabinet is likely to be held Friday evening, official sources said.

They said as of now there is no fixed agenda. The possible date of convening the Parliament session could be decided, they added.

The newly-elected Lok Sabha members have to be administered oath.

In the coming days, the prime minister would also decide on the various cabinet committees such as Cabinet Committee on Security, Cabinet Committee on Parliamentary Affairs and Cabinet Committee on Political Affairs.


Visit More:- https://www.indiatoday.in/india/story/first-meeting-of-new-union-cabinet-likely-friday-evening-1539056-2019-05-31

Read More

Virat Kohli Among Early Voters On Polling Day In Delhi, Gurgaon

Over 22 lakh voters will decide the fate of 24 candidates as Gurgaon, along with nine other Lok Sabha constituencies in Haryana, vote today in the sixth phase of the national election

GURGAON: Cricketer Virat Kohli was among the early voters who turned up at a polling booth in Gurgaon this morning. In a t-shirt, the cricketer was seen standing in a long queue waiting for his turn to vote.

He did not speak to anyone as he walked out after casting his vote, though he signed some autographs after some fans requested him for it.

Before he left, a polling booth volunteer asked him if he could stand behind a cutout installed at the booth for a voter awareness programme for a photo, which he agreed. The cricketer then showed his inked finger as fans took his photos and selfies with him.

Over 22 lakh voters will decide the fate of 24 candidates as Gurgaon, along with nine other Lok Sabha constituencies in Haryana, vote today in the sixth phase of the national election.

Visti More:-  https://www.ndtv.com/india-news/lok-sabha-elections-2019-virat-kohli-takes-his-place-in-long-queue-to-vote-early-in-gurgaon-2036367

Read More

Mamata Banerjee's Latest Jab At BJP Involves Z Plus Security And Cash Boxes

KOLKATA: Reopening the debate over the box unloaded at Prime Minister Narendra Modi's helipad at Chitragupta, Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee on Friday claimed BJP leaders with Z Plus security were evading scrutiny and entering the state with boxes of cash.
"Yesterday, a BJP candidate was caught with crores of rupees," Ms Banerjee said, referring to the midnight drama in which Rs. 1,13,895 was seized from Bharati Ghosh's car, the BJP candidate from Ghatal.

"Today, too, I have heard many BJP leaders with Z plus, Y plus, BJP plus security, are using their security status to go about with boxes full of cash in police cars," Ms. Banerjee said at a public rally at Ashoknagar in North 24 Parganas district.

"Just before the elections, they are giving anti-socials cash to capture booths and give the poor food and drink for a day or two. Is this an election?" she said.

Referring to the Model Code of Conduct which authorizes election officers or media to take photos, she said, "Why is no press or EC photographer allowed in where the PM is? One day, one picture of one a box came out. Who knows how many such boxes are being brought to Bengal by BJP leaders?"

After the furor over the box whisked out of the prime minister's helicopter on 9 April in Karnataka, clarifications were reported about how security equipment was being transported in the box.

"You can't do elections with boxes in Bengal. We will catch the leader who has gone even today to different places to distribute money. I say, stay awake at night and catch people distributing cash. The moment campaigning ends, they start handing out cash through the night. Today campaigning ends. But since yesterday, cars full of cash are going around," she said.

Dilip Ghosh, the state BJP chief said the "law will take its own course" in this matter. BJP's National General Secretary Kailash Vijayvargiya supported Bharati Ghosh, a former police officer in the matter. "We stand by Bharati Ghosh. She is being framed by the Trinamool. The allegations are false," he said.

Another BJP leader, who requested anonymity, said Ms. Banerjee has offered no evidence to shore up her claims.

Blog Source:  https://www.ndtv.com/india-news/lok-sabha-elections-2019-mamata-banerjees-latest-jab-at-bjp-involves-z-plus-security-and-cash-boxes-2036004

Read More

Robert Mueller delivers final report to the attorney general, marking the end of the Trump-Russia investigation

Robert Mueller is officially done.

The special counsel submitted his long-awaited final report to Attorney General William Barr on Friday afternoon, marking the end of his historic investigation into Russian election interference and possible collusion with President Trump’s 2016 campaign.

Almost two years and dozens of indictments later, Mueller’s confidential report sets the stage for one of the most momentous occasions in U.S. political history, as lawmakers await Barr to summarize the special counsel’s findings and turn them over to Congress.

In a letter to top members of the House and Senate judiciary committees, the Trump-picked attorney general said he will consult with Mueller and Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein before giving an initial briefing to lawmakers.

Barr also reiterated his pledge to provide “as much transparency as possible," including making Mueller’s findings publicly available while still adhering to classification and national security protocols.

[More Politics] Gov. Cuomo condemns ‘cancer’ of hate crimes amid wave of anti-Semitic attacks in New York »

“I am reviewing the report and anticipate that I may be in a position to advise you of the Special Counsel’s principal conclusions as soon as this weekend,” Barr said in the letter, which was addressed to House Judiciary Chairman Jerrold Nadler (D-N.Y.), House Judiciary Ranking Member Doug Collins (R-Ga.), Senate Judiciary Chairman Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) and Senate Judiciary Ranking Member Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.).

But a Democratic judiciary aide didn’t buy Barr’s pledge of transparency.

“It’ll likely be some worthless, handpicked summary,” the aide told the Daily News of Barr’s upcoming briefing. “We’ll have to force them to do the right thing.”

[More Politics] Secretary of State Mike Pompeo says God may have put Trump on Earth to save Jews — just like the Bible’s Queen Esther »

The exact manner in which Barr’s summary will be handed over to Congress remains unknown, and the attorney general has near absolute purview of what parts of Mueller’s findings will — and won’t — be released. Barr can choose to not release certain details out of national security concerns.

As mandated by Justice Department regulations, Barr affirmed in his letter that neither he nor any other Justice Department officials overruled any charging decisions made by Mueller, meaning the public has seen all the indictments that came out of the investigation.

Jack Sharman, a former prosecutor who served as a special counsel for the congressional investigation that resulted in President Bill Clinton’s impeachment, said the only instance he could envision in which Barr or anyone else would have overruled a charging decision would be if it involved the President.

[More Politics] Bill ending solitary confinement in New York has enough support to pass state Senate »

“I think it would have to have been some type of extraordinary circumstance like that for the attorney general to intervene,” Sharman said, noting that sitting presidents can’t be indicted under longstanding Justice Department policy.

Democratic leadership demanded complete transparency in light of the conclusion of Mueller’s probe.

“It is imperative for Mr. Barr to make the full report public and provide its underlying documentation and findings to Congress,” Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (C-Calif.) said in a statement. “Barr must not give President Trump, his lawyers or his staff any ‘sneak preview’ of Special Counsel Mueller’s findings or evidence.”

[More Politics] Department of Finance snafu means some miss deadline to save on property taxes »

Rudy Giuliani and Jay Sekulow, the personal lawyers to Trump in Mueller’s investigation, issued a muted statement saying they’re “pleased” the inquiry is over and trust Barr will “determine the appropriate next steps.”

Earlier in the day, Giuliani told The News that waiting on the Mueller report had been like “waiting for a baby to be born.”

With Mueller’s report tightly under wraps, it’s anyone’s guess whether it answers the most explosive questions of his mandate: Did the President or his campaign coordinate with Russian government operatives to disparage Hillary Clinton’s campaign and sway the 2016 election in his favor? Additionally, did Trump at any point obstruct the various investigations into his campaign, including by firing FBI Director James Comey in May 2017 while he was overseeing the bureau’s early inquiry into the President?

It also remains unclear what federal prosecutors would be able to do if there is evidence of criminal conduct on Trump’s part, considering the policy of not charging presidents.

However, Congress could launch impeachment proceedings if lawmakers consider Mueller’s findings troubling enough. Additionally, it has been widely speculated that federal prosecutors in New York may indict Trump once he leaves office over his involvement in an illegal pre-2016 election scheme to pay off women who say they had sex with the President over a decade ago.

Several congressional committees, including Nadler’s judiciary panel, continue to investigate Trump’s Russia ties and possible abuses of power.

Mueller’s probe, which began shortly after Comey’s axing, resulted in guilty pleas from and indictments against 37 people and entities, including Trump’s former campaign chairman, Paul Manafort, his former personal attorney, Michael Cohen, his longtime confidant, Roger Stone, and his first national security adviser, Michael Flynn.

Article source:- https://www.nydailynews.com/news/politics/ny-expect-mueller-indictments-trump-20190322-p2knqajphfdsnaievsaufc23pm-story.html

Read More