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India’s millions of young voters can swing national election

Young Indians could play a crucial role in the ongoing general election in the world's largest democracy.

With nearly two-thirds of India's population below 35, and more than 15 million first-time voters aged 18 and 19, young men and women have the power to swing the national vote in any direction.

Ambitious, aspirational and impatient for change, young voters — at least in India's capital — are less focused on issues such as caste and religion than older generations, according to interviews with The Associated Press.

They are interested, instead, on landing jobs after college, living in cleaner cities with breathable air, increasing women's safety and competing with the world's biggest economies.

Current Prime Minister Narendra Modi seems to be the favorite, riding a wave of Hindu nationalism that peaked after India's air force attacked an alleged militant base in Pakistan to avenge a suicide attack on an Indian security convoy that killed more than 40 soldiers in disputed Kashmir.

His main opponent, Congress party's Rahul Gandhi, hopes to revive the glory of India's grand old party that ruled the country for more than 50 years, since independence from British colonial rule in 1947.

Here are some of the views of young voters in New Delhi:

___

Mayank Thakur, 18, engineering student

"Unemployment is very high in India currently. India has a lot of engineers who haven't been able to develop their skills because there aren't enough jobs for them in India."

"Narendra Modi has provided a lot of facilities for the poor people of this country. In my home state of Uttar Pradesh, villages that were rarely lit now have electricity. Where food used to be cooked on firewood, he has given gas cylinders."

"India is now a very secure nation in the last five years. When Pakistan attacked us, Narendra Modi gave them a jaw-breaking reply."

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Vardha Kharbanda, 20, psychology student:

"I am looking out for an issue that no government is actually talking about, that is pollution. I have been in Delhi for my entire life and my lungs are gone without ever smoking. So I might just die of lung cancer without touching a cigarette even once. Nobody is talking about pollution."

"No left and no right can actually run a secular and democratic nation that is multilingual and multicultural in nature. It cannot be done with a single ideology."

___

Arjun Parcha, 32, hospital supplies assistant:

"Nowadays, whoever comes into power is busy serving their own interests. Who is looking out for us? Nobody. They are only looking at filling their own pockets. What has happened? Every day we hear about fighting. One party blames the other for corruption, the other blames them back for corruption. There is no solution."

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Jitesh Nagpal, 20, university student

"For me the biggest issue is job opportunities. Whichever party creates more jobs for the new industries will get my vote because I will have to start looking for jobs very soon."

"I don't care much about parties, but there is just one clear candidate for victory and that is Narendra Modi. I don't think we have a better option to lead the country."

"I haven't seen any other strong candidate. I don't trust Rahul Gandhi yet. Maybe my views about him will change in the future, but not right now."

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Rajanvir Singh Luthra, 23, YouTube vlogger

"Whichever government comes to power, the first thing they should do is to look after the poor because the rate of poverty is very high in India. No doubt, we now have digital India, we have everything online, but do something for the poor people also."

"India is still not on top. We don't have basic facilities. If you go to a government hospital, you have to stand in long lines. You can only go in after waiting and filling forms. A lot of our police officers and other officers are corrupt. There is a lot of corruption in India."

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Monika Dalal, 20, psychology student

"Women's safety is the major issue for me. People are talking a lot about it and there are slogans like 'Save girl child, educate girl child,' being launched, but I don't think these concepts are applied to the roots with practicality. I have been to the villages and seen how girls are treated. They are not even educated and if they do go to school, they are forced to marry right after completing grade 12."

"Modi has done a lot definitely to help us establish ourselves globally and even in the U.N. By him visiting different countries we are getting recognition there. And they are coming up with some impressive projects to start in India, which has happened because of Modi. So, I think we have really progressed."

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Kavita Srivastava, 18, studying banking and financial services

"The biggest issue in Delhi is girls' safety, which is still not 100%."

"Girls should feel safe leaving their homes and going out at whatever time of the night."

"I don't think Rahul Gandhi is the best option. I too am in support of Narendra Modi. I think he has the potential to take India to those heights."

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Ashutosh Kumar Singh, 24, charity worker:

"The issues that should be important aren't even being discussed. We don't see or hear about them. The issue should be education and increasing the level of education. Employment should be an issue. And they are working toward that, but it is not considered an important issue. Currently, the state of politics is so lowly in India that people are just busy in pointing fingers and avoiding key issues."

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Mohammad Anjar, 18, engineering student

"At present only Narendra Modi is fit to run this country because they have done a tremendous amount of work in the last five years. The Modi government is taking the country forward. At least, that is what I hear."

"Everyone should cast their votes. We all sit at home and say 'This government is not working, that government is not working.' Get out of your homes and vote as it is an invaluable weapon."

___

Associated Press videojournalist Shonal Ganguly contributed to this report.

Source: Fox News World

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Trump assembles 2020 war chest


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On the roster: Trump assembles 2020 war chest - Report: Biden debates adding VP choice to announcement - GOP redistricting moderated Dems’ 2018 gains - The Judge’s Ruling: Can the president break the law? - Petco’s policy is no bull

TRUMP ASSEMBLES 2020 WAR CHEST
Fox News: “While President Trump is facing murmurs of a primary challenge – as well as a massive field of Democratic candidates jockeying to take him on – the incumbent president enters the 2020 melee with an undeniable advantage: a war chest that would be the envy of any modern president. Unlike most incumbents, Trump started his re-election bid on day one of his presidency. He filed papers with the Federal Election Commission within hours of being inaugurated on Jan. 20, 2017. Many saw it as a comical – albeit in character – step for the audacious Trump. Yet, by doing so he was able to raise huge sums of money four years before the election. According to recent FEC data, the Trump campaign has raised over $67 million from 2017 to 2018, with nearly $20 million on hand. Combined with the hauls from two major joint fundraising groups – Trump Victory and the Trump Make America Great Again Committee – the president has raised over $130 million as of the end of 2018, with over $35 million on hand.”

Economic models show a Trump 2020 landslide - Politico: “But if the election were held today, he’d likely ride to a second term in a huge landslide, according to multiple economic models… Credit a strong U.S. economy featuring low unemployment, rising wages and low gas prices — along with the historic advantage held by incumbent presidents. While Trump appears to be in a much stronger position than his approval rating and conventional Beltway wisdom might suggest, he also could wind up in trouble if the economy slows markedly between now and next fall, as many analysts predict it will. And other legal bombshells could explode the current scenario. Trump’s party managed to lose the House in 2018 despite a strong economy. So the models could wind up wrong this time around. Despite all these caveats, Trump looks surprisingly good if the old James Carville maxim coined in 1992 — ‘the economy, stupid’ — holds true in 2020.”

Trump charged his own campaign $1.3 million - Forbes: “Donald Trump has charged his own reelection campaign $1.3 million for rent, food, lodging and other expenses since taking office, according to a Forbes analysis of the latest campaign filings. And although outsiders have contributed more than $50 million to the campaign, the billionaire president hasn’t handed over any of his own cash. The net effect: $1.3 million of donor money has turned into $1.3 million of Trump money. In December, Forbes reported on the first $1.1 million that President Trump moved from his campaign into his business. Since then, his campaign filed additional documentation showing that it spent another $180,000 at Trump-owned properties in the final three months of 2018.”

Pence pushing for anti-Trumpers to donate this time around - Politico: “When Vice President Mike Pence appeared before some of the GOP’s most powerful donors at the iconic Pebble Beach golf course on Monday evening, he did something that would’ve been unthinkable a few years ago. Over a surf and turf dinner, the vice president showered praise on Paul Singer, a prominent New York City hedge fund manager who spent millions of dollars in 2016 bankrolling TV ads painting Trump as ‘too reckless and dangerous to be president.’ … The private dinner provides a window into a behind-the-scenes, Pence-led mission: to ensure that Republican givers who never came around to Trump in 2016 are on board for 2020. With Democrats already raking in colossal amounts of cash, Republicans estimate they’ll need to raise around $1 billion — a figure that will require the party’s donor class to be all-in.”

THE RULEBOOK: PUT UP A BRAVE FRONT  
“But whatever may be our situation, whether firmly united under one national government, or split into a number of confederacies, certain it is, that foreign nations will know and view it exactly as it is; and they will act toward us accordingly.” – John Jay, Federalist No. 4

TIME OUT: HBD BACH!
Time: “Now you can harmonize like Johann Sebastian Bach thanks to Google’s first ever AI-driven Doodle. To celebrate the German composer’s March 21, 1685 birthday, Doodle lets users compose a melody in Bach’s style. … Bach was born in a small town of Eisenach in Germany to a family with strong musical background. Influenced by his father who worked as the director of the town’s musicians, Bach started out as a chorister before learning the violin. Much of his legacy is attributed to his genius mastery of the violin. More than 300 years after his death, 1,000 pieces of Bach’s work have lived on in manuscripts and are performed worldwide. John Eliot Gardiner, an English Bach conductor compares listening to the German composer to snorkelling. ‘Being in Bach’s music has that sense of otherness: it’s another world we enter … You put your mask on, and you go down to a psychedelic world of myriad colours.’”

Flag on the play? - Email us at HALFTIMEREPORT@FOXNEWS.COM with your tips, comments or questions.

SCOREBOARD
Trump job performance 
Average approval:
 41 percent
Average disapproval: 53.6 percent
Net Score: -12.6 points
Change from one week ago: down 1.8 points 
[Average includes: CNN: 43% approve - 51% disapprove; Gallup: 39% approve - 57% disapprove; Monmouth University: 44% approve - 52% disapprove; Quinnipiac University: 38% approve - 55% disapprove; IBD: 41% approve - 53% disapprove.]

REPORT: BIDEN DEBATES ADDING VP CHOICE TO ANNOUNCEMENT
Axios: “Close advisers to former Vice President Joe Biden are debating the idea of packaging his presidential campaign announcement with a pledge to choose Stacey Abrams as his vice president. Why it matters: The popular Georgia Democrat, who at age 45 is 31 years younger than Biden, would bring diversity and excitement to the ticket — showing voters, in the words of a close source, that Biden ‘isn't just another old white guy.’ But the decision poses considerable risk, and some advisers are flatly opposed. Some have pointed out that in a Democratic debate, he could be asked why no one on the stage would be a worthy running mate. Advisers also know that the move would be perceived as a gimmick. Biden's position on the issue couldn't be learned — we were just told about the advisers' debate. Biden has discussed selecting a running mate early, a move that one senior Democrat said could hurt him by feeding ‘an air of inevitability,’ CNN reported. Biden's office declined to comment. Abrams met Biden in Washington last week to discuss her next political steps, the Atlanta Journal-Constitution reported.”

Delaney calls on Kasich or Hogan to challenge Trump - Politico: “Democratic presidential candidate John Delaney on Thursday said a Republican, such as former Ohio Gov. John Kasich or Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan, should challenge President Donald Trump in 2020. ‘Unless Republicans believe that Donald Trump is a fair and accurate representation of the Republican party as a whole, they should put up a challenger to run against him in the primary election,’ he said in a statement, adding that few Republicans ‘have shown the courage to stand up to Trump.’ … ‘Voices like John Kasich and Governor Hogan, from my state, would do an enormous service to not just their party, but to their fellow Americans to stand up and challenge this President,’ Delaney said.”

Colorado Sen. Michael Bennet getting closer to 2020 announcement - Denver Post: “U.S. Sen. Michael Bennet is taking the final steps toward becoming the second Colorado Democrat in the 2020 race for president, with a possible announcement coming soon, sources familiar with his plan have told The Denver Post. Craig Hughes, a longtime adviser, said a final decision has not been made. ‘We’re making progress towards a decision and encouraged by what we are seeing and hearing,’ Hughes said. While an announcement is not imminent, Bennet could announce within a month, the Democratic sources said. Bennet, Colorado’s senior senator, has been considering a run since the fall.”

Klobuchar gets caught citing bad data about reducing black incarceration - WaPo: “In response to a sharp question from [CNN’s Jake] Tapper about what [Sen. Amy] Klobuchar did as a prosecutor to deal with ‘stark racial disparities’ in the ratio of African Americans sent to Minnesota jails, the 2020 presidential hopeful had a ready answer: The incarceration rate fell 65 percent ‘from the beginning of my term to the end.’ CNN reported that Klobuchar’s staff later clarified that she was talking about the jail population, not the prisons, in Hennepin County. … [But] it wasn’t true. … The prison admission rate for African Americans did drop during her tenure, though how much credit she can claim is subject to dispute. … On national television, Klobuchar claimed a figure that should have been unbelievable to herself.”

Colin Reed: ‘Will the 3 Bs (Beto, Biden and Bernie) leave Elizabeth Warren on the sidelines in 2020? - Fox News: “It’s been less than three months since Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., became the first Democratic presidential hopeful to enter the race, but it may as well have been three years. Look at how the political landscape has shifted since Warren’s surprise New Year’s Eve announcement. … In the past, Warren could count on raising both in spades. Now, she’s losing in the battle for resources and attention, having been overshadowed by the three B’s of Biden, Bernie and Beto. … One bright spot for Warren is the upcoming debates – assuming that she is able to meet the qualifying requirements. Having gone to college on a debate scholarship, Warren can be formidable dissecting her political opponents when the lights are shining brightest. … Had Elizabeth Warren entered the presidential race in 2016, she very well could be president. Now it seems as though her moment has come and gone.”

GOP REDISTRICTING MODERATED DEMS’ 2018 GAINS
AP: “Democrats won more votes, regained control of the U.S. House and flipped hundreds of seats in state legislatures during the 2018 elections. … Yet it wasn’t as bad as it could have been for Republicans. That’s because they may have benefited from a built-in advantage in some states, based on how political districts were drawn, that prevented deeper losses or helped them hold on to power, according to a mathematical analysis by The Associated Press. The AP’s analysis indicates that Republicans won about 16 more U.S. House seats than would have been expected based on their average share of the vote in congressional districts across the country. In state House elections, Republicans’ structural advantage might have helped them hold on to as many as seven chambers that otherwise could have flipped to Democrats, according to the analysis. The AP examined all U.S. House races and about 4,900 state House and Assembly seats up for election last year using a statistical method of calculating partisan advantage that is designed to flag cases of potential political gerrymandering.”

THE JUDGE’S RULING: CAN THE PRESIDENT BREAK THE LAW?
This week Fox News Senior Judicial Analyst Judge Andrew Napolitano discusses previous presidents who used the power of the Oval Office for acts that are deemed criminal: “Legal scholars have been fascinated for two centuries about whether an American president can break the law and remain immune from prosecution. … During the Great Depression, Franklin D. Roosevelt ordered banks to confiscate gold from Americans who had purchased and possessed it lawfully. Wasn't that theft? In the early 1970s, Richard Nixon used the CIA to spy on Americans and to frustrate the FBI's efforts to investigate a burglary at the Democratic National Committee's Watergate headquarters, and then he denied doing any of this. Wasn't that an invasion of privacy and obstruction of justice and using a federal office for deception? …Can the president legally break the law? If he can, we will soon be back to the Nixon days. And we all know how they ended.” More here.

PLAY-BY-PLAY
Rep. Elijah Cummings reveals Jared and Ivanka use private email accounts for official business - NYT

New Congress will hit three month mark with not much to show - WaPo

Roger Stone invokes 5th Amendment, refuses to turn over documents for top Dem's probe - Fox News

AUDIBLE: BETTER SAFE THAN SORRY
“We’ll make sure a space is cleared off for him, just in case he decides to jump on anything.” – Kirsten Neves, co-owner of Tuckerman Brewing Co. in Conway, N.H., told Politico in reference to Beto O’Rourke’s tendency to stand on elevated surfaces.

Share your color commentary: Email us at HALFTIMEREPORT@FOXNEWS.COM and please make sure to include your name and hometown.

PETCO’S POLICY IS NO BULL
KXAN: “A Texas rancher found a unique way to test out Petco’s ‘all leashed pets are welcome’ policy. He took his African Watusi steer, Oliver, into the store. Vincent Browning's goal was to see if the company stands by its claim. The pair walked into the store, and Oliver was greeted by employees without a problem. Browning said on Facebook that the Atascocita Petco was by far his and Oliver's favorite by far. African Watusi steer are typically between 1,000 and 1,600 pounds. Their demeanor is generally described as docile.”

AND NOW, A WORD FROM CHARLES…
“As a moderate carnivore myself, I confess to living in Jeffersonian hypocrisy. It’s a bit late for me to live on berries and veggies. … And while I don’t demand that every chicken I consume be certified to have enjoyed an open meadow and a vibrant social life, if I can eat free range, I will.” – Charles Krauthammer (1950-2018) writing in the Washington Post on May 7, 2015.

Brianna McClelland contributed to this report. Want FOX News Halftime Report in your inbox every day? Sign up here.

Source: Fox News Politics

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Trump tells child at Easter Egg Roll the wall is ‘being built now’

President Trump assured a child at the annual White House Easter Egg Roll on Monday that the long-promised wall is being built on the U.S.-Mexico border.

“Oh, it’s happening,” Trump told the child on the South Lawn of the White House, after the child apparently urged the president to "keep building" it. “It’s being built now.”

A LOOK AT THE STATE OF THE WALL ON THE US-MEXICO BORDER

Trump made the comments after stopping by to talk with children who were coloring cards for service members.

“Can you believe that? He’s going to be a conservative some day!” Trump said.

President Donald Trump, joined by the Easter Bunny, sings the national anthem with a member of the "The President's Own," United States Marine Band, from the Truman Balcony of the White House in Washington, Monday, April 22, 2019, during the annual White House Easter Egg Roll. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)

President Donald Trump, joined by the Easter Bunny, sings the national anthem with a member of the "The President's Own," United States Marine Band, from the Truman Balcony of the White House in Washington, Monday, April 22, 2019, during the annual White House Easter Egg Roll. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)

NEW MEXICO MILITIA DETAINS MIGRANTS AT GUNPOINT UNTIL BORDER PATROL ARRIVES

Trump has vowed since running for president to build a border wall to deter illegal immigration. He has struggled to secure funding from Congress to build new walls, though existing fencing on the border has been replaced during his presidency.

Earlier this year, Trump declared a national emergency to free up billions to use for the wall, though the plan has been targeted in lawsuits by critics.

Source: Fox News Politics

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Luxembourg’s Grand Duke Jean dies at 98

FILE PHOTO: Dutch Queen Beatrix (L), Grand Duke Jean (C) and his wife Josephine Charlotte (R) assist the swearing-in of Grand Duke Henri in Luxembourg
FILE PHOTO: Dutch Queen Beatrix (L), Grand Duke Jean (C) and his wife Josephine Charlotte (R) assist the swearing-in of Grand Duke Henri as he ascends the throne of Luxembourg at a solemn session of the Chamber of Deputies in Luxembourg October 7, 2000. REUTERS/Thierry Roge/File Photo

April 23, 2019

Source: OANN

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William Weld: Trump 'Showed Contempt for the American People'

President Donald Trump “showed contempt for the American people” when he met with the Russian officials for a closed-door meeting in 2017, according to former Massachusetts governor William Weld.

In an interview with Alisyn Camerota on CNN’s “New Day” on Monday, Weld blasted Trump’s choice to meet with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and then-Ambassador Sergey Kislyak in May, 2017, not long after the investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 election began, and just after Trump fired then-FBI Director James Comey.

"That showed contempt for the American people if anything I've ever seen does,” said the former Republican governor, who may challenge Trump for the GOP nomination in 2020.

“Abroad, he seeks out the company of people who are dictators and despots,” Weld said later in the interview. “People like [Russian President] Vladimir Putin, like President Kim [Jong Un] of North Korea.”

“I do think the president has shown a tendency to associate with autocrats,” he continued. “I think his domestic instincts are in the same direction. I recall him saying on television, ‘Wouldn’t it be great if we didn’t have to have elections?’ I’m sure he will say that was a joke — I’m not so sure it was a joke. I mean, the response to my announcement of an exploratory committee has been for everybody to close ranks among the state Republican Party’s and say, ‘No, we can’t have a primary.’”

“And the truth is — if the president had his first choice — he wouldn’t have a primary, and he wouldn’t have an election,” Weld said.

Source: NewsMax Politics

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Ex-Sen. Harry Reid: Comey Did 'Nothing,' Expecting Hillary to Win

Regardless of the revelations of special counsel Robert Mueller's report, the reality is former FBI Director James Comey knew Russia was meddling in the 2016 presidential election and did "nothing" because he "thought Hillary [Clinton] would win the election," according to retired Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev.

"In the last Congress that I served in, I wrote a letter in August to the director of the FBI Comey and said 'Russia is meddling with our elections and you need to do something about that' and by October he had done nothing," Reid told "The Cats Roundtable" on 970 AM-N.Y., per The Hill.

"The hindsight from his troops are 'well he didn't do it because he thought Hillary would win the election. He therefore thought it'd be too political for him to get involved."

Reid added to host John Catsimatidis, Russia's meddling campaigns might have been exposed, but they are not yet curtailed or stopped.

"The Russians interfered with our elections," Reid said. "They've done it in the past. They're doing it as we speak in European countries, and they're going to do it again in America."

Comey criticism is not unusual from Reid, who has long blamed Clinton's loss on Comey's actions and inaction on Russia's election meddling.

Source: NewsMax Politics

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How Indonesia’s president has tried to claw back voter support in Muslim heartland

FILE PHOTO: Indonesia's President and presidential candidate for the next election Joko Widodo and his running mate for the upcoming election Ma'ruf Amin gesture as they greet their supporters at a carnival during campaign rally in Tangerang
FILE PHOTO: Indonesia's President and presidential candidate for the next election Joko Widodo and his running mate for the upcoming election Ma'ruf Amin gesture as they greet their supporters at a carnival during campaign rally in Tangerang, Banten province, Indonesia, April 7, 2019. REUTERS/Willy Kurniawan/File Photo

April 12, 2019

By Agustinus Beo Da Costa and Kanupriya Kapoor

GARUT, Indonesia (Reuters) – When Wawan Setiawan, a volunteer for Indonesian President Joko Widodo’s re-election campaign, goes door-to-door in this conservative part of Java, his opening line is: “If you hear he is anti-Islam or a communist, remember, it’s all lies.”

The 41-year-old is one of thousands of volunteers – armed with T-shirts, stickers, pins, and other giveaways – seeking to bolster support for Widodo in the teeming villages of West Java, the most populous province and a key battleground in the April 17 vote in the world’s largest Muslim-majority country.

Widodo’s aides say such mobilizing of grassroots support and canvassing of thousands of Islamic boarding schools in this and other conservative provinces is crucial to prevent a repeat of 2014, when a smear campaign accusing Widodo of being a bad Muslim beholden to Chinese interests nearly cost him the presidency, with the heaviest losses in West Java.

As in 2014, Widodo is running against retired general Prabowo Subianto, whose military background and strong ties with hardline Islamist groups make him a popular choice in West Java, with a voting population of 32.5 million, or about 17 percent of the electorate.

On a national level most opinion surveys give Widodo a double-digit lead, but he trails in West Java, which is known to be among the country’s most conservative regions.

As conservative Islam gains greater traction in Indonesia, many politicians including Widodo have taken pains to appear “more Islamic” to appeal to Muslim voters. The worry for many investors is whether this appeal for conservative votes will translate into populist policy.

Around the hilly city of Garut, which favored Prabowo in 2014, gigantic banners show the president dressed in a peci cap and sarong – traditional garb worn in Islamic boarding schools – saying, “let’s pray”.

To the disappointment of some of his more moderate and progressive supporters, Widodo also picked 76-year-old Islamic cleric Ma’ruf Amin as his running mate – part of a deliberate strategy to enhance his ticket’s appeal among Muslims.

“The one thing that I really like about the Jokowi campaign is that they understand where they failed in 2014,” said Achmad Sukarsono, a senior analyst at Control Risks in Singapore, using the president’s nickname.

“They made a mathematical calculation that Jokowi lost in areas where the Muslim population was above 97 percent,” he said.

FORGING TIES

Religious leaders say Widodo’s most effective strategy has been forging closer ties with Islamic boarding schools – which hold huge cultural and social sway in many parts of Indonesia – and his decision to choose Amin as running mate, a respected Islamic scholar from the country’s biggest moderate Muslim organization, Nahdlatul Ulama.

“The key difference now is Jokowi has systematically shown his appreciation for pesantrens and santri,” said a young cleric, Hilman Uman Basori, using the Indonesian words for Islamic boarding schools and their students.

Basori, who runs nine pesantrens in Garut, said Widodo has visited regularly, channeled funding, and introduced much-needed vocational training programs to complement religious education and allow graduates to find jobs.

“Picking Ma’ruf Amin as vice presidential nominee made the choice final for us…We have mobilized all the resources in our pesantrens to make sure they win,” Basori added.

Aides say Widodo has also sought to appeal to more voters in opposition strongholds by making public appearances with his family and subtly drawing a contrast with his rival Prabowo, who is divorced.

DEEP SUSPICIONS

But not everyone is convinced. West Java, which has a history of bloodshed between Muslims and leftists, remains a stronghold for conservative Islamists who harbor suspicions about Widodo, a moderate Muslim hailing from Central Java whose government has sought to crack down on some hardline groups.

“Jokowi has criminalized clerics and that has been very hurtful for the Muslim public,” said cleric Cecep Abdul Halim.Authorities have launched investigations into prominent Muslim figures on charges of violating pornography laws or defamation. The government also banned the hardline Hizb-ut Tahrir Indonesia group, which advocates a caliphate to replace Indonesia’s secular ideology.

Halim says he also suspects that Widodo, who is the first leader to come from outside Indonesia’s military and political elite, may have links to communist groups – which are illegal in Indonesia – and is allowing “millions” of Chinese workers into the country.

The president has repeatedly denied such claims and urged voters not to be taken in by such falsehoods.

In late 2016, Widodo scrambled to distance himself from a one-time ally, the popular ethnic Chinese, Christian governor of Jakarta who was accused by hardline groups of insulting Islam. As hundreds of thousands of Muslims took to the streets to oust the governor, Basuki Tjahaja Purnama, Widodo sought to reassure Islamists and the broader public that his government was not anti-Islam.

Purnama eventually lost the next election for governorship, was jailed for blasphemy and released earlier this year.

Prabowo’s provincial campaign team say voter dissatisfaction over these issues and Widodo’s performance on the economy are swaying voters.

“We’re not just optimistic, we are sure we will win,” said Yusuf Supriadi, at a campaign post piled high with banners and t-shirts, as well as a poster of Prabowo calling to “Make Indonesia Great Again”.

“MORE ISLAMIC”

Surveys show that although Widodo trails in West Java, his focused campaign has narrowed a gap that in 2014 stood at 20 points. His support rose from 39 percent at the start of the campaign in September to 42 percent last month, while Prabowo’s numbers have slipped from 50 to 47 percent.

“The hardest part has been changing public perception of Jokowi at the very grassroots level,” said Yuda Puja Turnawan, a member of Widodo’s party, the Indonesia Democratic Party of Struggle. “Our volunteers spend most of their time countering hoaxes.”

According to his national campaign manager, Erick Thohir, the president’s choice to reside in the presidential palace in the West Java city of Bogor, rather than in Jakarta, had also boosted his visibility in the region.

Since taking office, Widodo has also made efforts to bring religious parties into his coalition – something analysts say has provided more “tools in his arsenal to approach voters not reached in 2014”.

PANDERING

Liberal supporters of Widodo have criticized him for pandering to conservatives, raising concerns over the erosion of Indonesia’s reputation for religious tolerance and pluralism.

Analysts say Widodo’s overtures to Islamic groups and voters point to a potential populist turn in policymaking if he wins a second term.

“There’s a space opening for Islamic identity politics,” political analyst Sukarsono said.

“What we will have is Jokowi having to accommodate the interests of the majority, the mainstream Muslim groups and the Islamic parties that backed him, in policymaking, so he is likely to become more populist.”

(Additional reporting by Yerica Lai and Ed Davies; Editing by Raju Gopalakrishnan)

Source: OANN

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Multiple people died Thursday when a semitrailer plowed into stationary traffic that resulted in explosions and flames on a Colorado freeway, authorities said.

The incident occurred just before 5 p.m. in the Denver suburb of Lakewood when a truck driver lost control while traveling east on Interstate 70, according to a preliminary investigation. The collision started a chain reaction and a diesel fuel spill, Lakewood police spokesman Ty Countryman told the Denver Post.

“This is looking to be one of the worst accidents we’ve had here in Lakewood,” he said.

The driver of the runaway truck survived. At least one truck was carrying lumber, another was hauling gravel and the third may have been carrying mattresses, KDVR-TV reported.

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Lakewood police tweeted there were multiple fatalities but did not give a specific number. Six people were taken to a hospital. Their conditions were not released, according to the paper.

Lanes in both directions were closed and expected to remain so into Friday morning.

Source: Fox News National

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President Trump will address members and leaders of the National Rifle Association on Friday at the group’s annual convention in Indiana.

Around 80,000 gun enthusiasts and more than 800 exhibitors are expected to pack the Indiana Convention Center in Indianapolis for the three-day event, the Indianapolis Star reported. It will mark the third straight year that Trump will deliver the keynote address, where he is expected to champion the rights of gun owners.

“Donald Trump is the most enthusiastic supporter of the Second Amendment to occupy the Oval Office in our lifetimes,” Chris Cox, executive director of the NRA’s Institute for Legislative Action (ILA), said in a statement. “President Trump’s Supreme Court appointments ensure that the Second Amendment will be respected for generations to come. Our members are excited to hear him speak and thank him for his support for our Right to Keep and Bear Arms.”

“Donald Trump is the most enthusiastic supporter of the Second Amendment to occupy the Oval Office in our lifetimes.”

— Chris Cox, executive director, NRA’s Institute for Legislative Action

COLORADO ENACTS ‘RED FLAG’ LAW TO SEIZE GUNS FROM THOSE DEEMED DANGEROUS, PROMPTING BACKLASH

President Donald Trump speaks at the National Rifle Association annual convention in Dallas last year. (Associated Press)

President Donald Trump speaks at the National Rifle Association annual convention in Dallas last year. (Associated Press)

Trump and Vice President Mike Pence spoke at last year’s convention in Dallas. During his speech, Trump assured gun owners that he would protect their Second Amendment rights, according to the paper.

“Your Second Amendment rights are under siege,” Trump told the cheering audience in Dallas. “But they will never, ever be under siege as long as I am your president.”

Trump has supported some gun control measures in the past. Last year, his administration imposed a ban on bump stocks, attachments that enable semiautomatic rifles to fire in rapid bursts. Although, he most recently threatened to veto two Democratic gun control bills.

This year’s convention comes as the NRA faces outside pressure and internal problems. The group has seen its legislative agenda stall amid a series of mass shootings — including a massacre at a Parkland, Fla., high school in February 2018 that left 17 dead and launched a youth movement against gun violence.

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It’s also grappling with infighting in its ranks, money problems and investigations into whether Russian agents courted officials and funneled money through the group.

“I’ve never seen the NRA this vulnerable,” said John Feinblatt, president of Everytown for Gun Safety, a nonprofit that advocates for gun control measure.

The convention will run through the weekend and conclude Sunday.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Source: Fox News Politics

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FILE PHOTO: Shoppers walk past the Debenhams department store on Oxford Street in London
FILE PHOTO: Shoppers walk past the Debenhams department store on Oxford Street in London, Britain December 15, 2018. REUTERS/Simon Dawson

April 26, 2019

(Reuters) – Ailing British retailer Debenhams said two proposed company voluntary arrangements (CVA) could see all its stores remaining open during 2019, with 22 closures planned for next year, putting about 1,200 jobs at risk.

Debenhams’ lenders took control of the retailer earlier this month in a process designed to keep its shops open at the expense of shareholders.

(Reporting by Noor Zainab Hussain in Bengaluru; editing by Gopakumar Warrier)

Source: OANN

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FILE PHOTO: Xiaomi branding is seen on a carrier bag at a UK launch event in London
FILE PHOTO: Xiaomi branding is seen on a carrier bag at a UK launch event in London, Britain, November 8, 2018. REUTERS/Toby Melville

April 26, 2019

BENGALURU (Reuters) – Chinese brands controlled a record 66 percent of Indian smartphone market in the first quarter, led by Xiaomi Corp, a report showed, with volumes rising 20 percent on the back of popularity for brands like Vivo, RealMe and Oppo.

Xiaomi’s India shipments fell by 2 percent over last year, but the Beijing-based company was still the biggest smartphone brand in the country, followed by Samsung Electronics Co Ltd, according to Hong-Kong based Counterpoint Research.

Shipment volumes for Vivo jumped 119 percent, while those of Oppo rose 28 percent.

“Vivo’s expanding portfolio in the mid-tier range ($100 to $180) drove its growth along with aggressive Indian Premier League cricket campaign,” Counterpoint analysts said.

India is the world’s fastest growing market for smartphones, where affordable pricing coupled with features like “selfie” cameras and big screens have popularized Chinese brands.

Video streaming services like Netflix Inc and Hotstar, as well as heavy usage of messaging apps like Facebook Inc’s WhatsApp have further spurred demand.

“Data consumption is on the rise and users are upgrading their phones faster as compared to other regions,” Counterpoint’s Tarun Pathak said.

“As a result of this, the premium specs are now diffusing faster into the mid-tier price brands. We estimate this trend to continue leading to a competitive mid-tier segment in coming quarters.”

(Reporting By Arnab Paul in Bengaluru; Editing by Subhranshu Sahu)

Source: OANN

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The Dalai Lama has returned to his headquarters in the north Indian hill town of Dharmsala after a brief stay in a hospital in the capital for treatment of a chest infection.

Hundreds of exiled Tibetans lined the streets of Dharmsala carrying ceremonial scarves and incense sticks to welcome the Dalai Lama on Friday.

The 83-year-old Tibetan spiritual leader told reporters that he had fully recovered, but that the illness had been “a little bit serious.” He did not give any details.

The Dalai Lama usually spends several months a year traveling the world to teach Buddhism and highlight Tibetans’ struggle for greater freedom in China. But he has cut down on his travels in the past year to take care of his health.

Source: Fox News World

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