Only in these times would a federal emergency alert test be so divisive. At 2:18 p.m. EDT on Wednesday, almost every smartphone in the country sounded an alarm with a text: “Presidential Alert.

On June 21, Bharatiya Janata Party-led (BJP) National Democratic Alliance (NDA) announced former Governor of Jharkhand Droupadi Murmu’s name as its Presidential candidate for the upcoming elections scheduled for July 18, 2022. Before the announcement, Prime Minister Narendra Modi headed a BJP Parliamentary Board meeting.

The UPA is almost certain to get the support of over 6.5 lakh votes. Contrary to earlier speculation,the Congress-led UPA appears to be placed in a comfortable position for getting its nominee elected to the President’s post,thanks apparently to some sharp remarks from BJP’s Sushma Swaraj rejecting a candidate from the ruling party.

President Barack Obama awarded 123 medals, the most ever, followed by President Ronald Reagan with 100 medal recipients. Two people, Ellsworth Bunker and Colin Powell, are two-time recipients of the Presidential Medal of Freedom.