TV News LIES

New Utah voting districts that give Democrats an improved shot at winning a US House seat can be used in this year’s election, a federal court ruled Monday while turning aside a Republican request to block the new map.

The ruling marked the second setback in recent days for Republicans, who also lost an appeal at Utah’s state supreme court.

A Utah judge imposed the new districts last November after striking down the congressional districts that the Republican-led legislature had adopted after the 2020 census. The judge ruled that the legislature had circumvented anti-gerrymandering standards passed by voters.

The ruling thrust Utah into a national redistricting battle being waged among states ahead of the midterm elections. Donald Trump has pressed Republican-led states such as Texas, Missouri and North Carolina to redraw their districts to give the GOP an advantage in the November elections, prompting Democratic-led states such as California and Virginia to respond with their own redistricting plans.

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The gold medal-winning U.S. women’s hockey team turned down Donald Trump’s invitation to his State of the Union address following his controversial comments about inviting them to the nation’s capital along with the men’s team.

A spokesperson for USA Hockey, which oversees both teams, told NBC News that the White House invited the American women to attend the president’s address but cited “timing and previously scheduled academic and professional commitments” as reasons for the players declining the offer.

“We are sincerely grateful for the invitation extended to our gold medal–winning U.S. Women’s Hockey Team and deeply appreciate the recognition of their extraordinary achievement...They were honored to be included and are grateful for the acknowledgment,” the spokesperson said.

The news arrives after the U.S. men’s team took home gold by defeating rival Canada by a score of 2-1 in overtime at the Winter Olympics, the exact same result that the American women achieved in their final just days prior.

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The French Ministry for Europe and Foreign Affairs has barred U.S. Ambassador to France and Monaco Charles Kushner from meeting with government officials. 

A French official told The Hill Monday that Kushner did not show up to the foreign ministry when he was summoned, a breach of diplomatic protocol.  As a result, Kushner is now denied meetings with French ministers.

“It’s not primarily a bilateral issue, it’s a questioMore...n of the basic expectations attached to the mission of an ambassador,” the official said. 

“We just wanted to underline that he will not be granted direct access to ministers and members of the government, but he can carry out his duties [and present himself at the French ministry of foreign affairs],” the person added.

Last week, the U.S. Embassy in France expressed concern over the death of Quentin Deranque, a 23-year-old French right-wing activist who was allegedly beaten on Feb. 12 by left-wing militants and died from brain injuries two days later.

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The U.S. Coast Guard launched an internal investigation after a swastika was found on a bathroom wall at a primary recruit training center in New Jersey.

The swastika— widely recognized as a symbol of the German Nazi Party and linked to the killing of millions of Jews — was found in the bathroom of the training center in Cape May, and the branch referred the matter to the Coast Guard Investigative Service for a probe, a Coast Guard spokesperson told The Hill on Monday.

The symbol was removed. 

It was found by a Coast Guard instructor, according to The Washington Post, which first reported on the investigation.

Following the symbol’s discovery, Adm. Kevin Lunday, the commandant of the U.S. Coast Guard, traveled to Cape May, where he addressed nearly 900 recruits and staff to discuss the incident directly, “reinforce the Coast Guard’s strong standards and policies, and reaffirm the Service’s dedication to accountability through our core values,” according to the Coast Guard.

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Volunteer searchers fanned out looking for clues as the hunt for the missing 84-year-old mother of "Today" show cohost Savannah Guthrie entered its 22nd day.

Early on Feb. 22, volunteers gathered in the parking lot of a Tucson, Arizona, Hobby Lobby before beginning an informal search not far from Guthrie's house. The group recovered a backpack that was handed over to deputies.

The Pima County Sheriff's Department later said on Feb. 23 that the backpack found by volunteers does not appear to be a "viable lead," noting that it seems to be a different brand than the one the suspect wore in the doorbell surveillance footage that the FBI previously released. The backpack also "appears to have been outside for much longer than three weeks" and "contained identification of a minor within it," the sheriff's department said.

Authorities had no updates on the investigation as of the morning of Feb. 22, according to Angelica Carrillo, a sheriff's department spokesperson.

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A federal judge on Monday permanently barred the release of a report by special counsel Jack Smith on his investigation into President Donald Trump’s hoarding of classified documents, a prosecution that was once seen as the most periloU.S.

District Judge Aileen Cannon, who was nominated to the bench by Trump, granted a request from the president to keep under wraps the report on an investigation alleging that Trump stored sensitive documents at his Mar-a-Lago estate after he left the White House following his first term and that he obstructed government efforts to get them back.us of the four criminal cases the Republican faced.

Smith and his team produced a two-volume report on the classified documents investigation and a separate probe into Trump’s efforts to overturn the 2020 presidential election after he lost to Democrat Joe Biden. Both investigations produced indictments that were abandoned by Smith’s team after Trump’s November 2024 election win in light of longstanding Justice Department legal opinions that say sitting presidents cannot face federal prosecution.

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Tens of thousands of Palestinians gathered under heavy Israeli restrictions at Jerusalem’s Al-Aqsa Mosque compound for the first Friday prayers of the Muslim holy month of Ramadan, including some who were allowed to enter from the occupied West Bank.

The Ramadan prayers at Al-Aqsa took place for the first time since a shaky ceasefire deal between Israel and Hamas went into effect in October. It was the first opportunity many had to leave the West Bank and pray at the site in Jerusalem’s Old City since Ramadan last year.

Israel restricted the number of Palestinians allowed to enter from the West Bank to 10,000 on Friday, and only allowed men over 55 and women over 50 as well as children up to 12. It has imposed similar restrictions in the past, citing security concerns.

The hilltop, which Jews refer to as the Temple Mount, is the holiest site in Judaism and was home to the ancient biblical temples. Muslims call the site the Noble Sanctuary. Today it is home to Al-Aqsa Mosque, the third-holiest site in Islam.

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A 23-year-old police officer was killed and 25 people were injured in what authorities described as a terrorist attack in Lviv overnight on Feb. 22, as officials confirmed the detention of a suspected perpetrator.

The blasts damaged a patrol vehicle and a civilian car, and prompted a large-scale response from law enforcement and emergency services.

According to Astra, citing regional authorities and police, the first explosion occurred after patrol officers arrived at a store on Danylyshyna Street following a report of unlawful entry. A second explosion followed when another patrol unit reached the scene.

Lviv Mayor Andriy Sadovy described the incident as a terrorist act in a statement issued shortly after midnight.

“Lviv. This was a terrorist attack. At present, 14 injured have been hospitalized. Doctors are providing all necessary assistance. Law enforcement and all relevant services are working,” Sadovyi wrote.

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