TV News LIES

More than 700,000 Russian soldiers are currently fighting in Ukraine, Russian President Vladimir Putin said on Thursday.

Putin made the announcement at a meeting with parliamentary leaders in Moscow, the TASS news agency reported.

The meeting was primarily about creating quotas for the subsequent employment of veterans of the war.

"You see, there are more than 700,000 people on the front line," Putin was quoted as saying.

Whether the figure Putin quoted corresponds to reality cannot be independently verified.

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President Trump signed a proclamation on Friday to raise the fee for H-1B visa applications to $100,000, setting up a new barrier for companies to hire foreign workers.

Trump signed the proclamation on Friday to add the payment on top of current visas under H-1B, which are typically paid by an employer.

“We need workers, we need great workers and this pretty much ensure that that’s going to happen,” Trump said.

Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick said that the new fee will prevent companies from training foreign workers and instead encourage them to hire Americans on a new front in the Trump administration’s crackdown on immigration.

“Stop bringing in people to take our jobs, that’s our policy here,” Lutnick said. “All of the big companies are on board. We’ve spoken to them about the gold card and this.”

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Senate Democrats on Friday blocked a House-passed bill to fund federal departments and agencies for seven weeks, putting Washington on the path to an Oct. 1 government shutdown.

Democrats came together in near unison to defeat the measure on a 44-48 vote, with only Pennsylvania Sen. John Fetterman (D) voting for the Republican-drafted proposal, which passed the House earlier Friday by a 217-212 vote.

Two Republicans voted against the House-passed continuing resolution: Sen. Rand Paul (Ky.), an outspoken fiscal hawk who argued it would prolong Biden-era spending levels, and Sen. Lisa Murkowski (Alaska), a centrist who has voiced grave concerns about the Medicaid cuts Trump signed into law earlier this year.

Democrats blocked the resolution, which would fund government until Nov. 21, after Republicans defeated an alternative Democratic proposal to fund government until Oct. 31, extend health insurance subsidies and restore nearly $1 trillion in Medicaid funding cuts.

The two failed votes leave Republican and Democratic leaders at loggerheads over how to avoid a government shutdown in only 11 days.

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Jon Stewart made a rare midweek appearance on “The Daily Show” Thursday night to wade into the controversy over ABC’s suspension of Jimmy Kimmel’s late-night program.

Stewart, who usually only hosts on Mondays, opened the show in front of a gold-emblazoned, Trump-style backdrop to deliver what he described as the latest episode of a “fun, hilarious, administration-compliant show.”

Adopting a mock–state TV persona, Stewart offered nervous praise of President Donald Trump and his recent state visit to the United Kingdom.

“If you felt off these last couple of days, it’s probably because our great father has not been home,” Stewart sarcastically began. “For father has been gracing England with his legendary warmth and radiance.”

Trump, Stewart continued, “wowed the English with charm and intelligence, and an undeniable sexual charisma.”

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A federal judge threw out President Donald Trump's $15 billion libel and defamation lawsuit against the New York Times by ruling that it didn't provide a succinct complaint for the court to consider.

U.S. District Judge Steven Merryday in Florida rejected the complaint but gave Trump 28 days to file another version of the lawsuit. Trump had accused the paper of defaming him with malicious accusations, but the lawsuit lacked "any legitimate legal claims."

"As every lawyer knows (or is presumed to know), a complaint is not a public forum for vituperation and invective − not a protected platform to rage against an adversary," wrote Merryday, who was appointed by former President George H.W. Bush. "A complaint is not a megaphone for public relations or a podium for a passionate oration at a political rally or the functional equivalent of the Hyde Park Speakers’ Corner."

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Israeli tanks and jets pounded Gaza City, the target of a major ground offensive, on Thursday, September 18, prompting Palestinians to flee south, where the Israeli military announced the deaths of four soldiers. AFP journalists and witnesses saw a steady stream of Gazans heading south on foot, in vehicles and on donkey carts – their meagre belongings piled high.

There is artillery fire, air strikes, quadcopter and drone gunfire. The bombing never stops," said Aya Ahmed, 32, sheltering with 13 relatives in Gaza City. "The world doesn't understand what is happening. They (Israel) want us to evacuate south – but where will we live? There are no tents, no transport, no money."

Palestinians say the cost of a ride to the south has soared, in some cases topping $1,000. "The situation is indescribable – crowds everywhere, the sound of explosions, women and men crying and screaming as they walked while carrying their belongings," said Shadi Jawad, 47, describing his family's ordeal as they fled their home on Wednesday. "God, send a missile to take us out and relieve us," he said.

The offensive has sparked international outrage, with the territory already devastated by nearly two years of war and the Gaza City area gripped by a UN-declared famine. It comes ahead of a planned move by several Western countries, including France and Britain, to recognize a Palestinian state later this month at the UN. US President Donald Trump, currently on a visit to Britain, said Thursday he had a "disagreement" with British Prime Minister Keir Starmer over this.

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A giant radio telescope in Crimea used in the past to support missions to Mars and Venus and attempt to contact alien civilizations has been destroyed in a drone attack.

Ukrainian defense forces took down the 230-foot (70 meters) antenna dish to prevent Russian forces from using it to guide attacks on its territory. The RT-70 radio telescope has been under Russian control since the annexation of the Crimean peninsula in 2014. According to Defense Express, Russians carried out major upgrades to the 5,000 metric ton structure to use it for military communications.

In late August, footage emerged captured by a drone slamming into the 50-year-old radio telescope. The drone, according to Defense Express, aimed at the 200-kilowatt radio receiver at the heart of the telescope. The custom-made receiver produced in 2011 in Moscow during the last major upgrade of the telescope will be hard to replace, Defense Express said, meaning Russia will not likely be able to repair the antenna any time soon.

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The families of four passengers who died in the Air India crash in June have sued the aerospace manufacturers Boeing and Honeywell, blaming negligence and a faulty fuel cutoff switch for the disaster that killed 260 people.

Air India flight 171 crashed shortly after takeoff from Ahmedabad en route to London on 12 June.

In a complaint filed on Tuesday in Delaware superior court, the plaintiffs said the locking mechanism for the switch on the Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner could be turned off inadvertently, causing a loss of fuel supply and loss of thrust needed for takeoff.

They said Boeing and Honeywell, which respectively installed and manufactured the switch, knew about that risk, especially after the US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) cautioned in 2018 about disengaged locking mechanisms on several Boeing aircraft.

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