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Indian-origin Raj Shah to fill in for White House Press Secretary

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Indian-origin Raj Shah to fill in for White House Press Secretary

The highest ranking Indian-American in the White House Press Room, Raj Shah was once a bitter critic of US President Donald Trump

White House Deputy Press Secretary Raj Shah will fill in for Press Secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders on Friday (February 9) in the James S. Brady Press Briefing Room at the White House. Before joining the administration, Shah called President Trump “deplorable,” and also worked on campaign ads against him. Ironically, he is now the highest ranking official of Indian-origin in the White House Press Room and has emerged as one of the most vocal advocates of the Trump administration.

Here’s everything you need to know about Indian-American politician Raj Shah:

  1. He’s Deputy Press Secretary, but his role in the Trump administration is on a steady upswing

Shah is the White House Principal Deputy Press Secretary and Deputy Assistant to the President, but he has appeared regularly as a White House surrogate on TV. Representing the White House on television is usually reserved for more senior staffers.

In an interview with National Public Radio after the State of the Union, Shah said Trump’s speech was “unifying.”

“I do think it was a very unifying address. There was a lot that Democrats could have embraced. They seemed unwilling to want to,” he said to host Steve Inskeep.

He has supported and promoted Trump’s immigration views.

“Illegal immigration can pose a public safety and terrorism threat to the United States. That report reinforces that point,” he said to Chris Cuomo.

  1. First Indian-American in the White House Press Office

Shah’s parents were born in India, his father in Mumbai and his mother in Gujarat. They studied in the United States, moved back to India and then moved back to the United States in the 1970s. His father was an engineer, though later in life his father opened a chain of retail stores, His mother was a dentist.

Shah was born in Connecticut in 1984 and attended Brien McMahon High School, where he was named as an Ettinger Scholar. He volunteered for Representative Chris Shays and attended Cornell University, where he received his bachelor’s degree in Government in 2006.

Shah is presently the highest ranking Indian-American to work in the White House Press Office.

  1. Not Always a Trump supporter

New York magazine had obtained private messages that showed Shah having once called Trump “deplorable” during the Presidential Election campaign in which Trump was pitted against Democrat Hillary Clinton.

On October 7, 2016, after the Washington Post published the Access Hollywood tape, in which listeners can hear Donald Trump discuss harassing women, Shah sent a message to Andrew Hemming, a senior RNC officer. He said: “I’m kinda enjoying this, some justice. I honestly don’t think it’s the worst thing he’s done but he somehow got passes for the other acts,” according to New York. He added, “Trump is a deplorable.”

The year before, Shah worked with Hemming to create an ad for the Jeb Bush campaign. On December 15, 2015, he sent an email with a CNN transcript where Trump speaks positively about President Obama and Hillary Clinton. Shah asked Hemming for footage of the interview, which was provided and used in a Jeb Bush campaign ad titled “Happy Anniversary, Donald!” released on the seven-year anniversary of the CNN comments.

  1. Shah Voted for George Bush, and Worked for Jeb

During high school, Shah volunteered for Representative Chris Shays and interned for Senator Joe Lieberman. He cast his first vote for George W. Bush, and interned in the White House in 2005. In 2010, Shah worked as campaign spokesman for New Mexico candidate for Governor Susana Martinez.

During the 2012 election, Shah was working as deputy research director at the Republican National Committee.  He then left to co-found America Rising, a right-wing political action committee.

During the 2016 election campaign cycle, Shah worked for Jeb Bush’s campaign, then rejoined the RNC in February 2015, working on opposition research.

Shah joined the Trump administration almost immediately after Trump took office. He was first Deputy Communications Director and Research Director at the White House, before being promoted to Deputy Press Secretary.

Credit: Hill.com

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World Earth Day 2024: Google Doodle showcases aerial view of planet’s natural beauty

Google celebrated Earth Day 2024 with a special doodle featuring an aerial view of our planet’s biodiversity.

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Google shared a doodle today to celebrate World Earth Day 2024, which showcased aerial photos of the planet’s biodiversity and natural beauty. Google reminded us of the importance of protecting planet earth for future generations with the help of this doodle.

The Google letters depict specific locations across the globe where people, communities, and governments work every day to help protect the planet’s natural beauty, biodiversity, and resources, according to the explanation of the annual Earth Day 2024 doodle on their website.

It said, these examples remind us that there’s much more to do to address the climate crisis and biodiversity loss, but also offer the promise of hope and optimism.

The islands of Turks and Caicos are represented by the letter “G.” The islands’ conservation efforts are concentrated on protecting important regions for biodiversity and addressing persistent environmental problems.

The largest reef in the southern Gulf of Mexico and a UNESCO biosphere reserve, Scorpion Reef National Park, is represented by the letter “O” in the Mexican flag.

The letter “O” features Iceland’s Vatnajokull National Park, which was designated as a national park in 2008 following decades of advocacy. The ecology within and surrounding the biggest glacier in Europe is safeguarded by this UNESCO World Heritage Site.

The letter “G” has the Jau National Park in Brazil on it. It is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and one of the biggest forest reserves in South America.

The Great Green Wall of Nigeria is represented by the letter “L,”  and the Pilbara Islands Nature Reserves of Australia are represented by the letter “E.”

Meanwhile, Earth Day is a worldwide event that promotes protection of the environment every year. April 22 serves as a reminder of the importance of conservation efforts and sustainable practices to guarantee a healthier world and a brighter future.

The occasion inspires people across the world to come together and take action to protect the environment, strengthening our bonds with nature and promoting good change.

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Bigg Boss 14 contestant Rahul Vaidya struggles walking in knee deep water, compares Dubai rains with Mumbai floods

Singer and TV personality Rahul Vaidya was recently stranded in the Dubai rains.

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Rahul Vaidya, who was in Dubai ahead of his show which was scheduled to take place today, left the country due to heavy rains and reached Kolkata. The artist shared on social media his encounters in the UAE city, including challenges like walking through knee-deep water. Rahul provided an update regarding the heavy rainfall in Dubai on his Instagram profile.

The Bigg Boss 14 contestant revealed that he was in Kolkata and prepared to do an evening performance. Recalling the terrifying period he went through, Vaidya said there was a lot of confusion and panic in Dubai. The situation was similar to that when heavy floods hit Mumbai in 2005.

Vaiday also posted seval other images and videos of cars that were underwater and flooded roadways. The Bigg Boss 14 contestant, who shared his ordeal, claimed that even though it had just rained for two hours, the situation was dire.

In one of the video, which went viral he can be seen struggling in walking in knee-deep water. He can be also seen holding his sneakers in one hand and with other hand he was seen managing other things.

This is the result of the two hours of rain that it had, he can be heard saying in the video. Vidya also said he dosen’t believe Dubai is accustomed to a lot of rain. Everything had stopped working, he remarked.

After taking part in the first season of the singing reality show Indian Idol, Rahul Vaidya gained widespread recognition. In addition to Bigg Boss, he took part in Khatron Ke Khiladi 11.

Meanwhile, heavy rains that triggered flooding in the UAE and Bahrain, which left 18 people dead in Oman on Sunday and Monday, have paralyzed the financial hub of the Middle East, Dubai.

A lot of incoming flights were diverted from Dubai’s international airport because of the rain. At 7:26 p.m., the busiest airport in the world for foreign visitors stopped accepting new arrivals; a gradual resumption was announced for more than two hours later.

Images of planes navigating flooded tarmacs are making the rounds on social media.

According to pictures shared on social media, the flagship malls Dubai Mall and Mall of the Emirates both experienced heavy floods, while at least one Dubai Metro station had water up to the ankles.

There were several road collapses, severe flooding in residential areas, and numerous reports of leaks from windows, doors, and roofs.

Due to the unfavourable weather, schools around the United Arab Emirates were forced to close, and as more storms are predicted, the closures are anticipated to last until Wednesday. The government of Dubai allowed its staff to work remotely till this Wednesday.

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Dubai sky turns green during storm in UAE, video goes viral

The UAE witnessed record-breaking rainfall on Tuesday and the National Centre of Meteorology recorded 254 mm of rainfall in less than 24 hrs in the Khatm Al Shakla area in Al Ain.

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1 person was killed in UAE as it witnessed heavy rainfall on Tuesday, stranding commuters, flooding roads, disrupting trains and flights and resulting in water leakage from mall ceilings. The UAE witnessed record-breaking rainfall on Tuesday and the National Centre of Meteorology recorded 254 mm of rainfall in less than 24 hrs in the Khatm Al Shakla area in Al Ain. It is being said that the rainfall was the highest documented since the start of data collection in 1949.

The heavy rainfall in UAE came days after a similar situation in neighbouring Oman, where 13 people were killed in flash floods. Many parts of Oman saw torrential rains, which caused students to be trapped in buses and swept away motorists and trapped people in their homes.

Videos from Dubai circulating on social media showed widespread waterlogging on roads in Abu Dhabi, Dubai and other important cities. This left daily commuters in cars and other vehicles struggling to get back home. Dubai metro station too was seen flooded and closed.

One such video circulating on social media shows the aerial view of the city of Dubai from the top of a building. In the video the stormy winds are seen blowing over the city of Dubai. As the storm intensifies the Dubai sky turns green and ultimately gets covered by heavy rainfall. The video has gone viral on social media with more than 1.1 million views.

Another video showed water leakage from the ceilings of shopping malls, flooding the floors and destroying goods. A video which was shot in the famous Mall of the Emirates, showed pieces of ceiling falling as the rainwater gushed inside. Videos from many outlets of the Deira City Centre mall chain showed escalators being rendered unusable. Majid Al Futtaim, the company which owns the Mall of Emirates, said that the shopping complexes have been kept open and the customers are being sent away from the flooded areas. 

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